Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 358 Is this Yuer’s way of managing the household?

Unexpectedly, the strange sound on the mountain was caused by the wind blowing at night and passing through the bone flute.

Yue Ling handed the bone flute to someone else to keep, and then carefully examined the body, trying not to miss a single spot from head to toe.

Although he didn't have much experience in autopsies, he had seen pigs run even if he hadn't eaten pork.

The corpse is "speaking" evidence. Often some subtle features can point to the murderer and explain the whole story of the case.

It’s a pity that there is no other object on the body to prove its identity except the bone flute placed close to the body.

The head of the corpse was severely decayed, and the mouth and nose were filled with mud.

The limbs have decayed and turned blue, probably due to the influence of the surrounding minerals.

And because the mineral contains a lot of salt, it is equivalent to pickling the corpse, causing the corpse to not completely rot, but instead become waxy.

Judging from the body shape, the deceased must be very young, and his skin has not yet rotted, and is very tight.

Yue Ling observed carefully and suddenly found a cinnabar mark on the skin of his left index finger, as if it had been stamped before and the skin had been corroded into vermilion.

This quickly reminded Yue Ling of a common process in the imperial examinations. After the examinees handed in their papers, the invigilator would seal the papers with cinnabar strips, and all examinees would confirm by pressing their left index finger prints.

At this time, the cinnabar was a component of mineral ink, and the marks left by burning the skin were very obvious. Even if the corpse was several months old, it would still be difficult to fade away.

Based on the condition of the corpse, it must have been pickled within a year, which makes the guess more consistent.

Yue Ling frowned slightly and thought to himself, "It's true that there is no coincidence in the world. This is most likely the son that the woman who died unjustly in front of the government office was looking for so hard."

"This son was obviously on his way back after the provincial examination, how could his body be dumped on the mountain?"

Yue Ling searched for the fatal wound on the body and found only traces of a large blunt weapon behind the head. There were no other wounds on the body, so it was obvious that he had been murdered.

However, the body was not completely burned or dismembered but simply discarded, leaving behind evidence of an unsolved case, which puzzled Yue Ling.

Since the person who did it was so vicious, he should have gone all out and disposed of the body. Why did he just bury it casually in this mine?
There was no clue for the time being, so Yue Ling said in a deep voice: "Let's take the body down the mountain first, and then take a look during the day after the night has passed."

At this moment, Dou Er, who had fainted on Zhao Hao, gradually woke up.

Zhao Hao joked, "This is the mountain ghost. You can carry it down the mountain."

Dou Er waved his hands repeatedly and jumped three feet high, "Hey, sir, please let me go. I am a rough man and timid, how dare I touch this unlucky thing."

Yue Ling also smiled and said, "How about you carry the body down the mountain and add another five taels of silver?"

Dou Er took a big step forward and said, "My Lord, you have a good eye. No one else should do this except me. I will do it to avoid dirtying your clothes. It's better for me to do it. It's not for the five taels of silver from you."

Everyone laughed and made noises again, then started to go down the mountain.

Before reaching the foot of the mountain, Yue Ling looked up. It was pitch black in the distance, but under the moonlight, there seemed to be always dark shadows flashing.

Yue Ling immediately asked the three people to turn off the lights.

"It's already past midnight, why are there still people in the distance?"

Dou Er said indifferently, "I thought the Marquis saw something, but it turned out to be those in the distance."

"Those are boats sailing on the river. They dock outside the town at night, and they are mostly delivering commercial goods such as ore to the fireworks shop."

"Fireworks shop?"

Yue Ling raised his brows.

"Yes, my Lord, I have heard of them. They are doing a big business. On weekdays, there are ships coming and going every two days. We are used to it."

Even though Dou Er said this, Yue Ling still did not dispel his doubts.

It is clear that we have just passed the Lantern Festival, and the next festival, even if it is the Dragon Boat Festival, is still several months away. How is it possible to start stockpiling goods and making fireworks at this time?
Obviously, there is something fishy going on.

Yue Ling frowned and ordered, "Zhao Hao, go with Dou Er to place the body first. Liu Liulang, come with me to the boat to take a look."

"Yes."

Soon, under the cover of night, the four people split into two teams and went down the mountain.

Yue Ling's skills were extremely skilled, and Liu Xianglian was not much inferior to him, and the two of them quickly got under the boat.

With their backs to the big ship, the two men carefully identified it.

"My Lord, there are traces of wheels on the ground. They must have just unloaded the goods. Judging from the direction, they should be heading towards the back of the mountain."

"Can you find some crumbs on the ground?"

"It was too dark, and without torches, it was hard to tell."

Yue Ling took a deep breath, and the two continued to grope outside the boat.

According to Yue Ling's sixth sense, there was something nine out of ten wrong with the ship. The first thing he thought of just now was that he shouldn't rush to make fireworks at this time of year.

Fireworks are flammable and explosive commodities. It costs a lot of money to make and store them early. It is best to receive an order, manufacture them according to the order, and then ship them directly.

Secondly, the timing of this transportation is also very strange.

Dou Er said, this fireworks shop always transports goods under the cover of night, could it be that they are kind-hearted and don't want to affect others during the day?

But from what they said, this fireworks shop doesn't have a very good reputation, so how could they be so considerate of the villagers and other people?

I looked up again and saw that the lights were still on in the cabin. Of course, it would be best if we could catch a tongue, but we shouldn't alert the snake when we are outnumbered.

So that you don't fail to find what you want to find.

"My Lord, what shall we do next?"

Yue Ling held the hull with his hands, his hands were covered with wet mud. The boat had only been docked at the shore for a short time, and the wet part of the hull had not yet completely dried.

Yue Ling raised his head suddenly, "Got it."

Liu Xianglian looked forward to it, "What did the Marquis have?"

Yue Ling raised his lips slightly and said, "Tomorrow morning, take my token and go to the river office here. After checking the cargo of the ships coming to Jinhu Town, record the draft depth."

"You will stay there. This matter must be handled in secret and no one else should know about it."

Liu Xianglian nodded repeatedly.

Yue Ling sighed again, "It seems that I have guessed 70% of the story. The scholar was probably unlucky walking on the road at night and bumped into something he shouldn't have seen, so his body was hastily dumped in the wilderness."

"And the unjust death of that woman also had a lot of story behind it. The previous concerns were not groundless. Fortunately, Sister Lin gave a few reminders, otherwise it would have easily become a knife that helped others commit murders."

While sighing, Yue Ling looked towards the direction of the village in the distance.

"It's such a pity for this child. He has passed the provincial examination. If he really passes, he may become a pillar of the country in the future. This matter needs to be investigated in depth."

……

Yangzhou Salt Inspectorate,
Lin Ruhai sat in the main hall, sipping his tea and keeping a calm mind. Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai sat at the side, sharing the same sentiment, and remained silent.

The crowd gathered together for no other reason than to discuss how to resolve the salt case.

While visiting Slender West Lake yesterday, Lin Daiyu and Yue Ling happened to come up with new ideas, and now is the time to make some plans.

Everyone present must work together to catch the person they suspect is behind this.

After a long silence, and still no news of Yue Ling's return, Lin Daiyu stood up and said, "Dad, Brother Yue hasn't sent a message yet, so he must have made a new discovery and wants to stay the night there."

"In that case, we don't have to wait any longer. Brother Yue has already told me everything. Even if I tell Dad, there won't be any mistakes."

Lin Ruhai frowned. He really wanted to ask Yue Ling how he raised Lin Daiyu. He was so willing to handle foreign affairs that he even had to take care of his case.

This is obviously not something a girl should worry about.

In fact, there was not only her girl, but also Xue Baochai sitting next to her.

"Well, time waits for no one, just tell me what you have to say."

Lin Ruhai stroked his beard and pretended to be helpless.

Lin Daiyu's eyebrows lit up with joy, and she immediately explained: "Brother Yue said before he left that we have to set up a trap to lure the snake out of its hole. Everyone is keeping a close eye on the interests of the Bao family behind the scenes, and those who stand out to grab the benefits must be closely related to the real culprit behind the scenes."

"Apart from the eight major salt merchants, we have previously overlooked a possible force, and that is the chief salt merchant who will soon replace the Bao family."

Listening to Lin Daiyu's clear and logical explanation, Lin Ruhai couldn't help but nod secretly.

Lin Daiyu seemed to have a very tight grasp on the matter, and had no intention of stopping, as she continued to talk non-stop: "So this alliance for bidding for the qualification of the general merchant can be used as our prey to attract hunters."

"What this means is that we can spread the news of competing for the position of the general merchant to attract merchants around Yangzhou to compete."

"Brother Yue has mentioned the conditions for this competition. Let me summarize the key points. To make a long story short, whoever proposes the lowest cost, has the most wealth, and can pay a higher percentage of taxes will be the one who gets the qualification to become the general merchant."

"Of course, we also have to consider that reasonable competition may not necessarily force out the real mastermind. Therefore, Sister Bao's presence is extremely important."

"According to Brother Yue's idea, Sister Bao should rely on the Feng brand to compete with her opponents. Whoever bids, the Xue family will raise the price until it reaches the highest, squeezing out all other regular merchants and forcing the last person to show up."

"However, the Xue family is now known to everyone in the world to be backed by Brother Yue. If Brother Yue is still on the judging panel at that time, our motives will be exposed. So we need Sister Bao to make a fake seal three months in advance, package herself as a mysterious tea merchant, and bid under this name."

Xue Baochai understood the part she was responsible for and nodded slightly, saying, "Don't worry, sister. I will send the letter out today and focus on this matter."

Lin Daiyu smiled and took Xue Baochai's hand, saying, "Sister Bao, Brother Yue also said that there might be a debate between the two sides at the end, and he wants you to stand up and beat the real culprit behind the scenes."

"I envy you so much. You are able to perform noble deeds as a woman in a public place and be admired by thousands of people."

These words really touched Xue Baochai's heart.

Whether she was initially going to enter the palace to be selected as a concubine, or she met Yue Ling by chance in Cangzhou and did her job dutifully beside Yue Ling, she was actually looking forward to the day when she, as a woman, could do what men did, or even things that ordinary men could not do.

Isn’t this exactly the lofty ambition expressed by Xue Baochai in “A good wind will help me soar to the sky”?

This time, Yue Ling built the stage and Lin Ruhai just served as a foil, allowing her to have a piece of the limelight, which really made her excited.

Xue Baochai is not a fool. She immediately sees the key and how important the Xue family is in this scheme.

Seeing that Xue Baochai's eyes were a little dazed, Lin Daiyu's mouth corners also curved up.

She said that she envied Xue Baochai, but in her heart she was not envious at all, because Lin Daiyu was not Qin Keqing.

Of course, what Lin Daiyu cares about most is Yue Ling.

Xue Baochai’s is “send me to the sky”, while Lin Daiyu’s is “love is enough to satisfy one’s hunger”.

But on the surface, Lin Daiyu still smiled and took Xue Baochai's hand, "Sister Bao, you won't let Brother Yue down, right?"

Xue Baochai held Lin Daiyu's hand and said repeatedly, "Don't worry, sister. I will take care of this matter myself. There will be no mistakes that will ruin the Marquis and Lord Lin's plan."

"I am honored by your kindness, Lord. I dare not refuse."

The two girls were chatting on the side. Lin Ruhai frowned deeply and drank tea to hide his expression, but he couldn't help but feel secretly resentful in his heart.

"Is this Yu'er's way of managing the household? With just a few words, she can tease people like lambs, and she also takes the initiative and does all the favors."

"Who did she learn this skill of dealing with people from? I was actually worried that she was too young to be the eldest wife and would be bullied."

"Oh, this girl is so cunning, I'm afraid she will plot against me someday."

Lin Ruhai coughed lightly, interrupting the two girls' conversation and returning the teacup to its original position. "Is this all Yue Ling said?"

Lin Daiyu turned around and walked to Lin Ruhai attentively, kneading his arm. "That was all Brother Yue's plan, but I also have something to say. I wonder if Daddy..."

Lin Ruhai blew his beard, squinted his eyes, and said, "Why don't you tell me now? I think you are just trying to get some ideas out of me. You haven't even mentioned the jade yet, but you are just deliberately doing this to get things off the ground."

Lin Daiyu pouted and said, "Dad, how can you say that to Brother Yue? Brother Yue's plan is already very thorough. It's just that after I went back to my room to sit and think, I thought of another thing, but I haven't had time to inform Brother Yue yet."

"However, it doesn't disrupt the original plan. It doesn't hurt to tell Dad first."

Lin Ruhai was so angry that he squeezed the teacup. This girl's words and actions made it seem as if he, her father, was an outsider.

"Then why don't you tell me quickly?"

Lin Daiyu smiled sweetly, tapped her hands lightly, and said, "Brother Yue, don't you suspect Prefect Cui? Then why don't we set up a trap for Prefect Cui as well to test him."

Lin Ruhai's eyes lit up and he sat up straighter. "Go on."

Lin Daiyu nodded. "In my opinion, all matters concerning the auction can be left to the prefectural government to handle. Daddy just needs to pretend to be sick at home and say he has caught a cold."

"The interests of the salt merchants are very wide-ranging. Once our Salt Inspection Office is in charge, there will be more people stepping on the threshold every day. I'm afraid they may even squeeze out the gate of the Salt Court."

"As long as we entrust all matters that should have been jointly handled to the prefect, not only will Dad feel more relaxed, but if Prefect Cui really has second thoughts, it will also give him an opportunity to forge a false plan."

"When the time comes, Daddy will just let him reveal a few flaws. Once he falls for it, we can draw out Brother Yue's imperial sword, and someone will take the blame for Daddy's crime in the salt case."

"If he can keep his original intention and not enrich himself, then he can elect a chief salt merchant to manage the salt administration, which can be considered a political achievement and a favor to him."

"What do you think, Daddy?"

Even Xue Baochai, who was sitting in the hall, could not help but tremble with fear when she heard this.

She is also a well-educated person with a comprehensive knowledge of ancient and modern times, and she must know the cleverness of Lin Daiyu's plan.

This plan was truly vicious. She really didn't expect that Lin Daiyu, who had been with her for a long time, had such a dark side.

However, the officialdom is so indifferent to human feelings and only cares about interests, so it cannot be said that Lin Daiyu did anything wrong.

Lin Ruhai changed from not caring at first, to being cautious, and now he is full of thoughts and ponders.

Turning his head to look at the girl beside him, Lin Ruhai sighed: "It would be better if Yu'er was a boy..."

(End of this chapter)