Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 350: Yanyuan Comedian Lin Ruhai

In the court,
The clerk had already stood up and was about to work with the bailiff to get the Bao family to sign and seal the agreement, but because of Yue Ling's cold words, he stopped on the spot and looked at Prefect Cui with a confused look on his face, not knowing what to do next.

Cui Ying also looked up in surprise, but saw Yue Ling's frosty face. It was difficult to ask, so he had to ask Lin Ruhai who was sitting beside him, "Master Lin, this..."

Lin Ruhai raised his hand to comfort him, "Master Cui, don't worry. Marquis Anjing must have some questions. The three of us will conduct a joint trial. This confession is what we three want to say. We should be more cautious. Marquis Anjing's move is appropriate."

Cui Ying nodded silently and returned to his position.

The hall fell silent, and Yue Ling slowly spoke: "How can the case be concluded without the confession of Bao Zhidao, the head of the Bao family?"

Cui Ying raised his hands and explained, "Bao Zhidao is not conscious now, and since his son has confessed that he was involved in the crime, we can conclude the case."

Yue Ling frowned, his tone still cold, and said: "Since he is not conscious, let's interrogate him another day. Let him recuperate in prison for a few days, and I will personally interrogate him next time."

"This case involves a huge amount of money and has been reported to the emperor. This marquis will personally review the case files and handle it. In the meantime, the prisoners Bao Zhidao and Bao Lin, if anything unexpected happens, Governor Cui, you should know what the crime is."

He was trying the case properly, but he didn't expect that Marquis An Jing would point the finger at him.

Moreover, as soon as he entered the yamen, Marquis Anjing didn't give him a good look. Even if he did something wrong, according to the official style of doing things, one should not show his emotions on his face. However, Marquis Anjing didn't show any emotion at all, which really confused Cui Ying.

His face twitched. Under pressure from Marquis Anjing, Cui Ying had to lower his head and said, "I understand."

"It's just that the exam is about to end. I wonder if this case will affect Lord Lin if it's not resolved. After all, the sooner the case is resolved, the better."

Everything is done according to the normal process. If it is terminated, we will have to bear a lot of responsibility.

The passive skill commonly used in official circles, non-stick pan, was triggered on Cui Ying again.

Yue Ling responded, "I will take full responsibility for this. Court is adjourned! This case will be tried again on another day!"

Then he stood up and walked down the yamen.

Cui Ying looked worried, and then looked at Lin Ruhai and asked, "Brother Ruhai, do you think it's okay to just drag this case out until it's resolved?"

"If His Majesty blames us, can Marquis Anjing really take the blame?"

Lin Ruhai also stood up, his face very calm, "He will take care of this matter."

At that moment, a yamen runner suddenly came running in from outside, met Marquis An Jing who was walking down, and bowed first.

Cui Ying turned around, walked down and asked, "What happened outside?"

The yamen runner replied, "The Salt Inspectorate has sent word that a eunuch has gone to the palace to issue an imperial decree. We hope that Marquis Anjing and Lord Lin will return home quickly."

Lin Ruhai nodded and said, "This must be the order from His Majesty for this case. Lord Cui, you don't have to worry about this case anymore. Just leave it to Marquis Anjing and me. Take the prisoners and make sure nothing happens to the two of them."

Cui Ying was a little dazed, but after hearing Lin Ruhai's words, he came to his senses and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Yue Ling calmed down and turned back and said, "Brother, let's go back home first."

The two men left quickly. Cui Ying bowed deeply to see them off and did not stand up for a long time until the yamen runner beside him whispered a reminder, then he looked up again.

After walking out of the back door of the yamen and arriving at the courtyard, Cui Ying had no choice but to call his trusted subordinates to ask about the abnormality of Marquis An Jing.

The person who was summoned was the official who had greeted Marquis An Jing at the door at the beginning.

The two walked along the corridor, one in front and one behind. Cui Ying leaned on the railing, frowning and looking into the distance. "Before An Jinghou came to the government office, he was always very serious. Did he ask you anything?"

"Your Excellency, the Marquis did ask one question."

"Oh?"

Cui Ying withdrew his gaze from the scene, looked sideways at the clerk, and asked anxiously, "What did you ask?"

The clerk said in a trembling voice, "I asked about it. I asked about the incident in front of the government office a few days ago where a woman was whipped to death. It was the one who filed a complaint with the Hengyang County Office."

"For some reason, this matter reached the ears of Marquis Anjing, who even deliberately asked about the case. After learning that the person had been killed, Marquis Anjing was very dissatisfied."

"This is really not your fault, sir. The village woman had been exhausted from the journey and had a hidden illness. Everyone advised her to rest for a few days before reporting the case, but she refused to listen and insisted on withstanding the fifty lashes."

"How can one withstand fifty lashes? Even a strong man would have to be fully prepared..."

Cui Ying's eyes widened, and sweat formed in his wide sleeves of his official uniform. "Okay, I understand. You can leave first."

……

The Salt Inspectorate,
A royal sedan was parked in front of the gate, and the courtyard was filled with officials and clerks from the yamen, waiting for Lin Ruhai and Yue Ling to return.

Recently, a major event occurred in the Yangzhou Salt Administration, and of course everyone knows about it: it was the case of the theft of official salt.

Since there is an imperial edict, he has to return before the New Year to deal with this case and the salt industry tax examination.

Lin Ruhai has always been considerate of his subordinates. If Lin Ruhai is temporarily put on hold because of this case and the case is handed over to the censor who came south to investigate, then everyone in the Salt Court will definitely have a hard time.

For this reason, everyone couldn't help but feel worried.

The eunuch who was enjoying the cool under the pavilion had no expression of joy or anger on his face at this moment. It was unclear whether he was reporting good news or bad news. He did not accept the tea offered by Yanyuan, but just waited quietly for the two of them.

This made the salt soldiers and officials in the Salt Bureau even more nervous.

Before he could do so, the sound of horse hooves was heard, and after the neighing, two people walked in from the door.

Of course, they are Lin Ruhai and Yue Ling.

Seeing the two men return, the eunuch immediately changed his expression and became much more amiable. He stepped forward and said, "Greetings to Marquis Anjing and Lord Lin. His Majesty has an order. Please accept it, Lords."

Lin Ruhai and Yue Ling both nodded, stood in front of the crowd, and saluted to receive the order.

Yue Ling took a quick glance and saw many maids and servants waiting at the side door of the Salt Courtyard and the Lin Mansion. It seemed that the people in the mansion had also learned about the imperial edict, but because of their status, they could not come out to receive the emperor. The servants could only listen in the corridor and then quickly return to their rooms.

"It makes Sister Lin and the others worried."

Yue Ling sighed inwardly, then looked up at the father-in-law who delivered the imperial eunuch.

As soon as he cleared his throat, a sharp voice sounded, "The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims: The winter of the seventh year of Longyou is approaching. Jianghuai has always been a fertile land, but Yangzhou Prefecture suddenly reported that salt smugglers are rampant and the salt administration is malpracticed. The Bao family, the head merchant, actually used the previous dynasty's invalid salt permits and forged new permits to defraud the salt tax."

"I have read Mr. Lin's report and I am very grateful. The salt transport under your rule is like a centipede. A single move can have a huge impact. I am aware of the difficulties involved."

"Now, the Marquis of Anjing happens to be passing by here. I am very relieved to cooperate with you in handling the case. You two are both pillars of the country. I can rest assured."

"Give the Salt Inspector Lin Ruhai a sable fur coat, and give the Marquis of Anjing ten dragon cakes of Shengxue."

"The profits from salt and iron are related to the foundation of the country. If unscrupulous merchants dare to use rotten things to disrupt the new dynasty's discipline, there must be rats behind them occupying the granaries. You can hold the sword I have bestowed upon you, and anyone below the third rank who is involved in the incident can be executed first, or you can report to me later."

"I hope you and your son-in-law can work together to trace the origin of the matter."

"Announce this to the world, let all know, I decree this!"

After the imperial edict was read, everyone in the courtyard breathed a sigh of relief.

Not only did the tension disappear from their faces, but they couldn't help but curl the corners of their lips.

Only Lin Ruhai's usually calm face showed slight wrinkles and his brows were tightly furrowed.

It was because when the father-in-law was reading the imperial edict, there was a noticeable pause when he read the words "father-in-law and son-in-law".

Although no one dared to look up, they could guess that the father-in-law must have lost his composure.

Various rumors were rife in Yangzhou Prefecture, and naturally everyone in the Salt Court knew about them. Moreover, after working together for some time, they had long been conquered by Yue Ling's personal charm and regarded Marquis An Jing as the son-in-law of the Salt Court, and the only thing missing was the formalities of three letters and six betrothal gifts.

The reason why it has not been completed yet is that Lord Lin is concerned about his own face and does not publicly acknowledge this marriage.

As a result, the imperial edict was a slap in the face, and everyone in the Salt Courtyard could not help but laugh.

There can't be any mistakes in the imperial edict. Since there is a mistake, it must be intentional on the part of Your Majesty.

The eunuch who read the imperial edict tied it up again and placed it on a brocade plate beside him. He hid his smile with his sleeves and walked forward to support Lin Ruhai and Yue Ling, saying, "My two lords, please stand up and receive the edict."

Yue Ling was silent.

Lin Ruhai endured the irritation in his heart and greeted him with a smile: "Thank you for your help, eunuch. It's not easy to come all the way from Jinling. Would you mind coming into the mansion and having a cup of hot tea?"

The eunuch knew that he had made a mistake and was afraid that Lin Ruhai would make things difficult for him after he entered the company. He smiled and said politely, "No need, no need. The naval administration led by Marquis Anjing is now thriving, and it's really hard for our textile bureau. We are so busy that we have no time to rest."

"We have added thousands of looms in the past two years, but it's still not enough."

"At this moment, we have to go back early to watch the little ones do their work. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, our ancestors will blame us and we won't be able to save our heads."

"You two, the father-in-law and son-in-law, should accept the gifts bestowed by His Majesty. I will take my leave now."

After he finished speaking, the father-in-law bowed to Yue Ling again, then turned around and drove away without looking back.

Lin Ruhai looked back irritably, and the faces of everyone in the salt yard were surprisingly the same, all of them flushed red, and it seemed that they were holding it in very hard.

Lin Ruhai frowned slightly and said, "What are you still doing here? Why don't you go back and check the salt tax accounts? Have you finished your work?"

"Yes, sir, we will go now."

Everyone responded in unison and returned to their respective classrooms to do their respective duties. Not long after, hearty laughter could be heard.

Lin Ruhai became increasingly irritated.

Holding the imperial edict, he looked at Yue Ling and said in a bad tone: "What are you going to do next?"

Yue Ling blinked and said innocently, "Father-in-law, how about we go back to the mansion and talk about it in detail? This is not the place to discuss important matters."

Lin Ruhai's eyebrows twitched frequently, "What did you call me?"

"Brother."

……

"Miss, two aunts, everything is fine outside. His Majesty has also rewarded the master and the marquis."

A maid from the Lin residence came running over to deliver the news. After hearing the news, everyone relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief.

Aunt Bai nodded and said, "Since this is the serious matter, His Majesty will not issue an order to blame me. This incident happened suddenly and it is difficult to prepare for it."

Aunt Zhou took a sip of tea and said, "Good news, good news. It's so close to the New Year. It's really scary."

Lin Daiyu frowned, "According to my father's personality, the more lenient His Majesty is, the more he will have to finish his work as soon as possible, and the pressure is not small. It's better not to interfere in foreign affairs when he returns later."

The two aunts nodded repeatedly and listened to Lin Daiyu's instructions.

After taking a few deep breaths, the maid added, "The imperial edict did not blame me, but..."

"but?"

The people in the room became nervous again, and Nanny Wang couldn't help but complain: "This girl is too ignorant. Next time, she should say what she said before."

The girl looked at her nose, and then her heart. She almost shrank her head into her arms, and said timidly, "However, the imperial edict said that Marquis Anjing and the master are father-in-law and son-in-law, which made everyone laugh. The master seemed unhappy..."

Everyone was stunned when they heard this, and after a moment, they burst into laughter.

Nanny Wang smiled bitterly, "This girl really needs to be educated. Is there any need to wait until after this to talk about this?"

"Come on, follow me."

Nanny Wang took the maid away, but the laughter in the room had not stopped yet.

Only Lin Daiyu, with a face like a red lantern, sat helplessly in the armchair, at a loss, completely losing her previous calm and composed demeanor.

In the eyes of Emperor Longyou, the marriage had already been decided, so what was the point of anyone objecting?

Everyone looked at Lin Daiyu with ambiguous eyes, but Lin Daiyu's head became heavier and heavier, and drooped in front of her chest.

Finally, Lin Daiyu couldn't stand the teasing looks from everyone, so she waved her hand and said, "Okay, okay, since everything is fine, you can all go back to your own business. Are you gathered here to watch me make a fool of myself?"

"Father and Brother Yue will definitely come back to the room to discuss matters in a while. The two aunts stay in this room. The rest of you go out, go out."

Everyone was laughing and making noises, and was kicked out by Lin Daiyu.

Before long, the father-in-law and son-in-law returned to the mansion and came to the main courtyard gate.

Lin Ruhai had just stepped through the hanging flower gate, and then stepped out again, frowning and saying, "Let's go to the study to discuss this matter."

Yue Ling asked doubtfully, "Then I'll go call Sister Lin over? Sister Lin noticed some of the doubts earlier. I think she's thoughtful and can give some suggestions."

Lin Ruhai stood with his hands behind his back and said in a deep voice: "Marquis of Anjing? You are the Marquis, so does it mean that Yu'er helps you with everything? Why do you have to let a little girl like her get involved in such an external matter? Can't the two of us solve the case?"

Yue Ling nodded slightly, "Since my brother said so, we two can indeed handle the case. However, Sister Lin did help me a lot when I was handling official business before, for example, when I was in Cangzhou..."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Lin Ruhai waved his hand to stop him, "I don't want to hear how close you two were in the past. Let's talk business first."

After being delayed by Yue Ling for a while, Lin Daiyu in the room also noticed the two of them. She pushed open the door and asked, "What are you discussing under the eaves? It's windy again, why don't you come to the room and chat?"

Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, Lin Ruhai had no choice but to walk into the room.

Yue Ling also followed behind him with his head down, not smiling.

However, when passing by Lin Daiyu, he couldn't help but look at her.

Lin Daiyu is Yue Ling's best comforter. Her pair of bright eyes seem to contain autumn water, and her distant eyebrows overlap and are as bright as the moon. Whenever Yue Ling sees her, his heart seems to be soothed.

But when I saw her again today, her cheeks were still blushing and only the dimples on her cheeks were white.

When Lin Daiyu noticed Yue Ling's gaze, she unconsciously avoided it, but she did not hesitate and followed Yue Ling and sat in a nearby seat.

Sitting back in the recliner, Lin Ruhai drank several bowls of tea to calm his worries, and did not notice the flirting between the two.

After folding her skirt and sitting down, Lin Daiyu asked about what was happening outside first, "Brother Yue, what was the reward in the imperial edict?"

Yue Ling replied: "One sable fur coat and ten dragon balls of snow."

Lin Daiyu pondered for a moment and said, "It is made of the fur of Kunshan sable, attached to the Shu brocade and woven. Longtuan Shengxue is the imperial tea that has been famous since the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song. One brocade and one tea, Your Majesty still wants Daddy and Brother Yue to check carefully."

Yue Ling did not comment, and Lin Ruhai also sighed.

Lin Daiyu asked again, "Dad and Brother Yue went to the yamen to judge a case today. Do you have any new evidence?"

Lin Ruhai said: "Old salt permits were found in the Bao family's ancestral land, and similar salt permits were also found in the home of Liu Lao, the Bao family's shopkeeper. This case is clearly confirmed."

"How can such a perfect case not arouse suspicion?"

"Everyone is a newcomer to the officialdom. It is too hasty to make a verdict based on this before hearing Bao Zhidao's confession."

Yue Ling also nodded, "It seems that the person behind the scenes is very eager to take over the Bao family's salt merchant qualification."

"Have any problems been found with the accounts of the other salt merchants?"

Lin Ruhai shook his head and said, "Not yet."

Yue Ling nodded, "Then the only thing we can do now is to delay and wait for the next clue."

"A few days ago, I discussed with Sister Lin that the clues to finding the body were not clear, and there should be more obvious clues waiting for us to verify. Sure enough, in the Bao family's ancestral land, an old salt permit was found, which happened to correspond to the identity of Steward Liu."

"This has confirmed Sister Lin's guess. The next step is to identify who is the real culprit behind the incident."

Lin Ruhai added: "Since we have determined that there is someone behind this, Bao Zhidao's personal safety is doubly important."

"As long as we find some flaws, we can use Bao Zhidao as a breakthrough point and ask him to provide more clues."

Yue Ling replied, "Let's put this case aside during the New Year holidays. I'll find a time to go to jail and meet Bao Zhidao and ask him about some details. I'm sure I'll get something different."

Lin Ruhai sighed and said, "That's all we can do. Let's just have a good New Year."

At this point, there were not many plans left to make. Lin Daiyu hooked her finger at Yue Ling, motioning him to go out and talk.

Yue Ling stood up, bowed to Lin Ruhai and said, "In that case, I will leave first."

Lin Ruhai nodded heavily, still full of worry.

After Yue Ling left, Lin Daiyu also wanted to stand up and say goodbye.

Lin Ruhai raised his head suddenly, "That's not right. You didn't stay together for a long time. When did you discuss the details of the case? And when did Yue Ling give you the case you gave me that day?"

Lin Daiyu was just about to successfully step over the threshold, but was stopped by Lin Ruhai.

Turning back, Lin Daiyu smiled awkwardly and said, "They all needed the maid to deliver the message, so they were not together."

Lin Ruhai could no longer believe Lin Daiyu's words and said, "Stay in your room honestly. If you want to talk about the case, Dad will know it too. Why do you have to talk to Yue Ling?"

"Don't go looking for him under this pretext. Daddy has allowed you to go out during the Lantern Festival. What else do you want?"

"You are really unlike your mother. You don't even know how to behave like a girl."

Lin Daiyu sighed helplessly, as if she had lost all her strength, "Okay, I'll listen to Daddy."

Lin Ruhai nodded relievedly.

The two aunts sighed and shook their heads.

……

"Please help pass on the message that your subordinates Liu Xianglian and Zhao Hao are here to see the Marquis."

As the sun sets, two men stand in front of the Yanyuan Yamen.

The two men are of similar stature. Liu Xianglian has a family heirloom sword hanging from his waist and a beautiful face, but it is obvious at first glance that he is a man with a sharp tongue.

The other man, Zhao Hao, was wearing a black tights. His clothes were stretched bulging by his muscles from training. On his waist was an even more ferocious nine-ring knife. The iron rings made a ringing sound with his steps, and one could tell from the sound that it was not light.

Any one of them would be a ruthless character. Two of them claimed to be subordinates of Marquis Anjing and came over. The salt soldiers guarding the door did not suspect him and knew that Marquis Anjing could not control such subordinates, so they quickly passed the message to the room.

Not long after, Yue Ling strode out from the mansion. When he saw the two of his followers, he also started to smile.

The two of them clasped their fists and saluted, "My Lord."

Yue Ling did not help them up, but opened his arms more familiarly and hugged their shoulders.

"You two have worked hard in the battle of Shuangyu Island. As the New Year is approaching, I also want you to come to Yangzhou, reunite with the Cangzhou Army, and have a good New Year."

"Today is a good time. The night markets in Yangzhou will be closed by the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month. Let's go to the streets to buy some things for our brothers."

"it is good!"

The three grown men walked out side by side, turned left and right, and walked into the busiest night market in the city.

The most prosperous night view in Yangzhou is along the Qinhuai River.

The Qinhuai River runs through Yangzhou City, with white walls and black tiles on both sides, exuding an ancient charm.

Wine flags are waving along the long street along the river, the aroma of steamed sugar-coated cheese overflowing from the stalls wafts in the air, and the crowds are constantly flowing and noisy.

"My Lord, I heard that there is another major case in Yangzhou City recently. Is it true? Is it necessary? What should we do?"

Liu Xianglian asked carefully. He didn't want to ruin Yue Ling's leisurely and elegant time out, but he was here after all, and he couldn't just focus on eating, drinking and having fun.

Zhao Hao also nodded repeatedly and agreed, "Liu Lang is right. Lord, please give me your orders."

"You just came to Yangzhou and you also learned the news. It seems that this case is still widely circulated." Yue Ling smiled and shook his head, "Don't worry, I won't be polite with you. I will inform you if there is anything. The most urgent thing is to have a good New Year's holiday. There is no rush for a result in the case."

"Now, there is still a chance. It's just that I have to wait for this chance or create it myself. I need a careful plan."

(End of this chapter)