Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 360 Lin Daiyu was led astray

Zijuan's unintentional remark reminded Lin Daiyu of the beautiful boats on the West Lake during the Lantern Festival.

And after that, Lin Daiyu felt worried, so she called Qingwen out to ask her questions.

But Qingwen, who was called, was really confused.

In this room, Zijuan is the personal maid. Even though Xueyan is responsible for most of the kitchen work every day, she is closest to Lin Daiyu and is on an equal footing with Zijuan.

And she was the second-class maid in this room. It was not her turn to do ordinary tasks such as serving tea and water. Her main job was to do rough work such as cleaning the courtyard, washing clothes and sewing clothes.

At this moment, it was almost time for dinner, and Zijuan and Xueyan were both in the room. They insisted on calling her out to question her, which made Qingwen feel nervous.

"Do you have any questions, girl?"

When they arrived at the corridor and walked a few steps further, they saw Lin Daiyu, who was leaning against the pillar, avoiding being seen. Qingwen bowed gently before stepping forward.

Lin Daiyu took Qingwen's hand and asked solemnly, "Sister Qingwen, I have a favor to ask of you. You must agree to it."

Hearing this, Qingwen was flattered and responded repeatedly, "Miss, just tell me directly. I will do my best."

Lin Daiyu's cheeks turned slightly pink again, and she stammered, "I want Sister Qingwen to help me embroider some new undergarments..."

Qingwen was surprised and said, "Aren't all the young lady's clothes taken care of by Zijuan? There shouldn't be any shortage... Why do you want to make some new ones? Is there another reason?"

Qingwen is of course also a smart person, and she revealed the secret in one sentence.

Lin Daiyu stroked her clothes gently and explained shyly, "Now, the clothes I wear, apart from the pets, are lotus flowers, lotus seeds, plum blossoms and peach blossoms. They are too childish. I am afraid that one day an accident will happen..."

As she spoke, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but touch her collar.

I vaguely remember that she was wearing a loose skirt last night. When she fell on the boat, the skirt had slipped off her shoulders. If Brother Yue accidentally saw what she was wearing underneath, she would look like a child, which would be too embarrassing.

Qingwen only half understood what he said, and said hesitantly, "I think that as long as the young lady maintains the original state, the master will not care too much about these details. Or rather, the young lady is fine as she is. She is really not yet at the age to consider this..."

"Of course it's not that I'm lazy and don't want to help you. If you want something different, I'll go back to embroider tonight. My master just bought me a set of bone needles, so I can make some light underwear for you."

Lin Daiyu was stunned when she heard this.

After pondering for a moment, she really thought that Qingwen's words made sense and that she was too suspicious.

Normally, she was very smart and could handle other matters easily, but when it came to her private matters with Yue Ling, she was always confused.

Having already said the embarrassing words, Lin Daiyu also said, "You are right. I was led astray by that girl Zijuan."

Turning back, Lin Daiyu took Qingwen's hand again and said, "Just pretend I didn't say anything just now. You don't have to bother making underwear. I heard that you are still working on spring and summer clothes for Brother Yue, and I don't want to disturb you."

"However, you should pay more attention to the house in the future. For some reason, there is always an evil wind in the room, blowing some obscene words and clichés, which is very vulgar. If this continues, it will corrupt the atmosphere in the mansion. And don't know that good news doesn't go out, but bad news spreads a thousand miles. Once it is known by outsiders, I don't know how to tarnish Brother Yue's reputation."

After giving the instructions, Lin Daiyu felt relieved and went back to her room happily to have her meal. Even her steps became much lighter.

Qingwen followed behind him and said silently, "The atmosphere in this room... seems to have always been like this. Miss, do you want me to supervise them? It's really a tricky job..."

……

The next day,

Yangzhou government office,

The clerk hurried into the classroom and handed in the news from the Salt Court.

"Your Excellency, the Salt Bureau has sent a message that the Imperial Censor Lin caught a cold the night before and has been bedridden for the past two days without any improvement. You have also sent someone to say that the salt business cannot be abandoned and that you hope that the election for the position of General Merchant can be handled by the Prefectural Yamen alone. All other details are written in this document."

Cui Ying, who was busy with paperwork, slowly raised his head, took the letter and unfolded it, his face calm.

Then, he handed the letter to the Shaoxing lawyer beside him and sighed, "Master Lin has been busy and toiling all the time, and he has not been in good health. In the early spring, the ice and snow are gradually melting, and he has caught a cold. It is really difficult for him to recover."

"Since Lord Lin trusts me so much, I have no reason to refuse."

The lawyer beside him also read the letter and stroked his beard and said, "Your Excellency is of high character and integrity, which is admirable. However, the salt business should be handed over to someone familiar with you."

Cui Ying nodded and said to the clerk in the hall, "Prepare the horses. I will go to the Salt Court to pay my respects to Lord Lin."

As he spoke, Cui Ying came back to his senses and asked in confusion, "Hey, where is An Jinghou now?"

The clerk in the hall turned around and turned back, "I heard from the gatekeepers two days ago that he left the city. As for where he went, no one knows yet."

Cui Ying stood up from behind the desk and began to pace around the hall.

"How strange! The auction is no small matter. His Majesty has also ordered the father-in-law and son-in-law to investigate the case. Even if Lord Lin is ill, this matter should fall on the head of Marquis Anjing, but he entrusted it to me..."

"Could it be that Marquis Anjing has something more important that forces him to leave Yangzhou?"

The lawyer stood up and followed Cui Ying, saying, "Before, the Marquis was quite dissatisfied with the prefect because of whipping a village woman. Now you have the opportunity to redeem yourself in front of Marquis Anjing, so you should accept it, not to mention..."

Cui Ying raised his hand to stop the master from saying anything, turned his head and glared at him, then shook his official robe and said, "Let's go to the Salt Inspectorate first."

It was noon and the warm sun was rising in the east.

Since the water in the canal was not abundant in winter and the grain transport was not completely unobstructed, the Salt Inspectorate's official business was not much.

There were a few people in front of the main gate. A sedan chair slowly landed on the ground and Cui Ying walked out quickly, followed by three servants, all holding gifts in their hands.

"I have come here uninvited. Please go to the room and inform Lord Lin."

Cui Ying was proud of his status and did not go to the salt yard first, but asked someone to pass the message first and waited outside the door.

Of course, the people from the Salt Court knew the Yangzhou prefect, so they quickly passed the message to the room. Not long after, Han Da, the steward of the Lin residence, hurried out to greet him.

Han Da bowed to the ground and said politely, "Greetings, Your Excellency the Prefect. My master is taking medicine. Please come to the room to talk."

Cui Ying nodded and followed Han Da into the Lin Mansion with ease.

The two of them walked through the alleys and came to the corridor. Cui Ying asked with concern, "Is Lord Lin's illness serious?"

"It's OK. You can see it when you enter the room."

Cui Ying asked again: "Isn't Marquis Anjing here? I would like to pay my respects to him as well. I said a few years ago that I would host a banquet for Marquis Anjing, so I have left some time for it."

Han Da still responded ambiguously, "The Marquis is not restricted in the mansion. We servants don't know when he goes out or when he comes back."

"But I heard that the Marquis went out with a few friends to collect folk songs. After all, before he got an official title, he was a knight-errant." Cui Ying said with envy, "The Marquis is doing a very interesting job as an official, while we are just miserable people working on the documents."

Han Da said politely: "Your Excellency is too modest. You are the father and mother official of Yangzhou City. Hundreds of thousands of villagers and elders in the city still have to rely on you."

Cui Ying shook his head and smiled. Han Da opened the felt curtain and he walked into the main hall with his head lowered.

When Cui Ying arrived at the inner house, all the women in the room had been cleared out. There was only a low table next to the bed, on which were some medicine bowls and dishes that had not yet been removed.

Looking at Lin Ruhai's face on the sickbed, he was as pale as paper, his lips were blue, and his long hair was so messy that it couldn't be tied into a bun. His condition was more serious than Cui Ying had expected.

With the help of the maid, Lin Ruhai wanted to stand up and salute, but Cui Ying stopped him by waving his hands.

"Lord Lin is ill, how can we still be so formal? I came here without asking for permission, Lord Lin, please rest."

Lin Ruhai said in a weak voice, "Master Cui, please forgive me. I wanted to manage the salt business and worked hard for several days and nights, but I didn't expect to fall ill."

After coughing a few times, Lin Ruhai said, "The New Year has passed, and the position of the general merchant cannot remain vacant. I have thought of all the details of the auction, but I am unable to handle it at the moment, which has caused trouble for Master Cui."

Cui Ying shook his head and said, "Master Lin, you are welcome. I came here today to see how Master Lin is doing and to discuss this matter with the salt merchant."

"I am not familiar with the salt business, so I need to ask Lord Lin what the conditions for the general merchant must be met?"

Lin Ruhai took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing, and responded softly, "It depends on financial resources, manpower and transportation capacity. That is, salt permits, salt fields, canal transportation and store distribution. If you have a good reputation and connections in a local chamber of commerce, it will be even better."

"Again……"

The maidservant beside him fed him a few more sips of water at the right time. Lin Ruhai continued, "If someone else can endorse him, then he will be the best choice."

Cui Ying listened carefully and secretly wrote down what Lin Ruhai said.

Lin Ruhai added: "For now, we can first conduct a unified screening and issue salt permits at the Yangzhou Salt Depot. The threshold for the auction will be determined by Brother Cui."

Cui Ying nodded repeatedly, "This is a very good idea. Well, since Lord Lin has already made a plan, I have no choice but to do it. It would be very difficult for me to do it alone, but Lord Lin is sick and has laid out all his efforts. I will naturally accept this achievement with a smile."

Cui Ying made a joke and Lin Ruhai smiled apologetically.

"Thank you, Brother Cui. The mold for the new salt permit can be found at the Zhaomo Office. It can be valid with your official seal."

Every salt permit needed to be copied, and the templates for the copies were all kept in the Zhaomo Office, which was in charge of documents and files.

Cui Ying stood up and bowed, "Okay, I won't bother you any more, goodbye."

Cui Ying turned and left. Two concubines happened to walk over from the corridor in the distance. Each of them was dressed very simply and their eyes were red.

"Master Cui."

Cui Ying nodded slightly, and noticed the sad expressions on the two concubines' faces out of the corner of his eye. They were truly natural and came from the heart. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly and left quickly.

The two concubines who happened to appear looked at each other, watched Cui Ying go away and disappeared, then hurried back to the room and sat beside the bed.

"Master, Magistrate Cui has left."

Lin Ruhai, who had been weak just now, spoke again with full strength, and said in a deep voice: "I really don't want Yue Ling's suspicion to come true. Cui Ying is a capable official."

Aunt Bai explained: "Just because someone appears flashy on the outside doesn't mean he is innocent on the inside. If he is truly a parent and loves the people like his own children, he will understand the people's worries and will never abuse his power for personal gain or commit crimes."

"The Marquis's worries are not unnecessary."

Lin Ruhai also nodded and said with regret: "There are many capable people in the court, but they don't do what they can. They hide their incompetence and their talents, just for the sake of temporary peace."

"If it was the previous dynasty, there would be nothing to say about such behavior. But what Your Majesty needs is the ability to turn the tide in times of turmoil, which shows how valuable Yue Ling is."

"Moreover, at this critical moment, if there are still people who harbor evil intentions and abuse their power, I think there will be no good results."

Lin Ruhai was lamenting about state affairs, and the two concubines had no chance to say a word, so they sat on the couch and served him on his left and right.

The two of them were so close that Lin Ruhai couldn't help but frown.

His face was pale, and although part of it was due to his makeup, his face was really pale, so Cui Ying didn't notice it.

All this is really "thanks to" these two aunts.

"Can you guys go to the side yard and play with those girls, leaving me alone in the room to have some peace and quiet?"

Lin Ruhai spoke in a cold voice.

The two concubines glanced at Lin Ruhai with resentment, stroked their stomachs which were not doing well, sighed and left again.

……

"Master Cui, please come with me."

The salt factory's master led the way and brought Cui Ying all the way to the Zhaomo Office.

"Lord Lin is used to doing things personally, and he needs to take care of every little thing. Originally, the prefect didn't need to worry too much, but the salt permit for the Zhaomo Office is really huge, and it still needs your personal review."

Cui Ying nodded slightly and said, "Lord Lin is known for his diligence. Although I am also busy with official duties, if I want to do things without any mistakes, it would be good for me to learn more from Lord Lin and come to see him more."

The lawyer nodded repeatedly and called the clerk from the grinding office to open the storehouse door.

When light entered the room, I could see rows of boxes placed on the wooden shelf against the wall. None of the boxes were locked, as if they were sealed only for the sake of convenience.

The clerk took a list and started searching the boxes on the wooden shelf. After a while, he finally found the new salt permits to be issued this year, opened the wooden cover and presented them to Cui Ying.

Lying inside was a square copper plate with a cloud and dragon pattern border engraved on it, the official seal of the Ministry of Revenue written in seal script, and several rows of small characters.

"In the spring of the fifth year of Longyou, I inspected the salt censorate in Lianghuai."

"Each tug weighs four hundred kilograms."

"Smugglers crossing the border will be beheaded."

Finally, there is the signature of the salt field, and the rest of the information related to the salt merchant's name, business name, receipt date, and cancellation date all need to be filled in by hand, in duplicate.

Cui Ying withdrew his gaze and looked at the rows of wooden shelves.

"Here are the old salt molds. For convenience, they are all stored together for supervision..."

(End of this chapter)