Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 371 The lingering sound on the lips
Birds flying freely in the sky see much more scenery than birds in cages. It is extremely difficult to catch them and put them back in cages.

Weeping willows line the roadside, raising a little dust on the road.

Yue Ling was a little distracted, not because of the scenery, but because Lin Daiyu, who was in his arms, kissed him without any warning.

"I'm not a child anymore..."

It was a soft and gentle sentence, mixed with three parts of coquettishness, three parts of indignation, three parts of decisiveness, and even more of seriousness. As soon as it opened, it was like an arrow hitting Yue Ling's soul.

At the moment their lips touched, Yue Ling was still in a daze and hadn't come back to his senses.

When the warm touch seemed to reach the cerebral cortex, Yue Ling felt it and experienced it with his heart.

There was still the same refreshing fragrance, and the cherry lips were softer and warmer than her palms.

After a moment, Lin Daiyu lowered her head shyly, buried her head in Yue Ling's shoulder, and was too shy to speak.

Considering the education that Lin Daiyu received since childhood, it certainly could not support her to do such an impolite thing.

But after being with Yue Ling for a long time, she had long since followed her true self and was no longer bound by these constraints. When she saw the girls in the rooms rushing towards Yue Ling like hungry tigers, Lin Daiyu was of course jealous.

However, Yue Ling has always been very restrained in his actions.

Only that night at Slender West Lake, the atmosphere was ruined.

Today, with the sky high and the sea wide for fish to leap, Lin Daiyu was in a mood to take this bold step and make up for Yue Ling's regret that night.

If the proactive person turns around, the experience will certainly be very different.

Lin Daiyu's kiss was very immature, but it left Yue Ling with a long aftertaste.

"After returning to the capital, I will go to see His Majesty first, and then..."

Lin Daiyu stretched out her hand, covered Yue Ling's mouth, raised her eyes and nodded slightly, indicating that she already understood Yue Ling's next meaning and there was no need to say more.

Glancing down again at the shy Lin Daiyu in his arms, Yue Ling curved his eyebrows and raised the whip again.

He rode away without leaving any trace on the snow, and his speed increased by a few points...

……

Behind Yue Ling were the convoy guarded by Xue Baochai and Qin Keqing, which was moving slowly and leisurely out of the Yangzhou city gate.

There were certainly a lot of laughter and joy at the Salt Inspectorate's Mansion, but returning to the capital was obviously something that made the girls happier. After all, the Anjing Marquis Mansion was their home and they could live a free life there.

The car body is over two meters long, painted in vermilion with gold patterns all over. Wind chimes are hung from the eaves at the four corners of the roof, and a string of clear sounds are emitted as the wheels move.

Behind the curtains of the carriage, there were the laughter and sweet voices of the little girls.

Ying'er passed on the message outside, lifted the curtain and came in, leaned over to whisper a few words to Xue Baochai, which made the latter's eyes widen in surprise.

Seeing this, Qin Keqing, who was very excited, couldn't help but lean over and ask, "Sister Bao, what did Ying'er hear outside? Tell us about it."

The girls were sitting around a low table filled with delicacies, candied fruits, snacks, and fruits. At this moment, they all put down what they were doing and looked up at Xue Baochai.

Xue Baochai nodded and said, "It was the message from housekeeper Yun just now, saying that Lord Lin found out that Miss Lin had run away without permission, so he went out to chase her, but there was no horse in the mansion, so he had to ride a donkey."

"But before he had taken a few steps, he was called back by news from the mansion."

The girls looked at each other, even Zijuan and Xueyan raised their heads, doubting the truth of this matter.

Judging from Lin Ruhai's stubborn temper, he would not give up and return home halfway and ignore Lin Daiyu.

Qin Keqing pretended to stand up and approach Xue Baochai, "Miss Bao, if you keep keeping the sisters in suspense, I will discuss with the master and share a room with you on the ship back to Beijing."

Xue Baochai quickly raised her hand to stop Qin Keqing's action and politely declined Qin Keqing's kindness, "No need, no need. Isn't this what I was going to say?"

The girls all laughed, and then heard Xue Baochai continue, "According to the news from outside, it seems that the two concubines are pregnant, so Master Lin had to return home."

"Two concubines, concubine Zhou or concubine Bai?"

Xue Baochai nodded and said, "Yes, both of you are pregnant."

All the ladies were stunned. Qin Keqing said in astonishment, "It is such a coincidence that both of the concubines are pregnant at the same time. This is a great thing for the Lin family."

"After all, the Lin Mansion is too deserted. Lord Lin is in a high position, but he has no son to inherit the family line. This is not a good thing."

"Now, the two concubines have given birth to many children for the Lin family, but they haven't waited for us to find out. Let's share in the good news."

Xue Baochai secretly rolled her eyes, complaining in her heart, "Are you trying to get some good luck? I think you want to get some pregnancy luck..."

Naturally, Xue Baochai would not expose Qin Keqing's little thoughts in public, otherwise she would get angry and come over shamelessly, and Xue Baochai would not be able to deal with it.

"However, this is also a good thing for Sister Lin. The Lin family has incense inheritance, and Master Lin will not have to watch over Sister Lin all the time."

All the women nodded.

Xueyan suddenly raised her head and asked, "Then, what if both aunts give birth to girls?"

Zijuan was quick to stuff a piece of osmanthus cake into Xueyan's mouth and pretended to cover her crow's mouth.

With a shy smile, Zijuan said, "She was just talking nonsense, sisters, don't take it seriously. There are few people in the Lin family, and now that the two concubines are pregnant, they will definitely give birth to a boy."

Xueyan brought out the topic of the man and woman in one sentence, and Zijuan's attempts to make amends seemed quite powerless.

For people in this world, only having a male heir in the family can be considered as inheriting the family line. Daughters do not count, otherwise, since Lin Ruhai already had Lin Daiyu, why would he need to have another child?

From this, a very important question arises.

If one concubine gave birth to a boy and the other gave birth to a girl, there would certainly be a significant difference in their status in the mansion in the future, and it would not be a bad idea for one of them to be promoted to the rank of lady.

The best outcome is to avoid infertility conflicts, as if both concubines give birth to boys, which would be too difficult.

If we apply this matter to the girls sitting around the table at this moment, it seems that their future goal is not only to win favor, but also to give birth to a child for Yue Ling as soon as possible, and it would be best if it is a boy.

In order to consolidate their respective positions in the mansion.

The two concubines had their priorities, not to mention that there were already more than twenty young girls in the Anjing Marquis' Mansion.

For a moment, all the clever little girls thought of this, and the atmosphere became stagnant.

Xiangling secretly touched her belly and it seemed that her appetite had been good recently and there was no sign of pregnancy at all.

The most unwilling person was Qin Keqing, who was biting her nails at this moment, feeling very aggrieved.

Obviously, she was the person who had slept with Yue Ling the most times, but she still didn't get pregnant. Qin Keqing even thought about seeing a Chinese doctor for treatment.

The girls all fell silent, each with their own thoughts. Xue Baochai looked around and lowered her head slightly.

"This... the situation is much more serious than I thought. I will run into my sister again when I return to Beijing. The days ahead will probably be even more difficult than when I was in the Lin Mansion..."...

Rongguo Mansion,
After the New Year, the Rongguo Mansion was still full of joy.

Even the days when the two old masters were still alive were restored to their former glory and prosperity.

In addition to the royal favor, the two old masters were given a grand funeral.

There was also the rumor in the capital that Emperor Longyou was going to choose a concubine.

Everyone in the capital city knows about the relationship between Emperor Longyou and his first wife, the Empress, which is as strong as that in The Lost Love in Nanyuan and The Deep Love between Old Swords.

But Emperor Longyou was not Liu Xun, and there was no Huo Guang in the court. No one dared to interfere with the royal family's marriage, and it was even more rare to submit a memorial to allow Emperor Longyou to fill the harem.

Once the decree to select a concubine was issued, one can imagine how shocking it was.

In Rongqing Hall, Jia's grandmother sat in the middle, looking very good. Behind her, Yuanyang and Amber were on her left and right, fanning her to provide her with a cool breeze.

Below, Lady Xing, Lady Wang, Aunt Xue, and Li Wan were sitting in a circle, all looking up at Lady Jia, waiting for her to speak and call everyone together about something.

Grandmother Jia looked down and smiled and said, "Don't worry, I really have good news to tell you this time."

The gloom on Grandmother Jia's face was wiped away. It seemed that the person who was humiliated in the past had nothing to do with her. She continued with great energy, "The palace has sent back news. Chief Eunuch Xia said that the person who will be the concubine has been decided to be someone from my Jia family."

"really?"

Mrs. Wang's brows were overjoyed, her eyes widened, and she clenched her handkerchief tightly in both hands, unable to suppress her inner excitement.

"So, the eldest girl will be made a concubine in the palace?"

Li Wan nodded with emotion.

Mrs. Xing was not as excited as Mrs. Wang, she just tried her best to keep a smile on her face.

Ever since Jia She was imprisoned in the East Courtyard, he has become alienated from the Rongguo Mansion, and the most basic morning and evening visits to his parents are no longer necessary in Rongqing Hall.

Rong Xi Tang was also guarded by the Second House, and all matters were under the jurisdiction of the Second House, while she only came out to listen.

Grandmother Jia continued to smile and said, "Of course I'm not here to make fun of you. However, it is said that your majesty does not intend to hold a grand ceremony, but only a small banquet in the palace, comparable to a family banquet, just like during the New Year holidays. This is quite a pity."

"But your majesty is wise and benevolent. Since ascending the throne, he has always advocated frugality. It is foreseeable that he does not want to spend too much. However, after the eldest girl is chosen as a concubine, she will definitely return home to visit her parents. Our current garden is still too small and not worthy of the status of a concubine."

"I just called Brother Zhen from the East Mansion to come over to discuss opening up the gardens of the two mansions, bringing in the running water from Huifang Garden, and building a large garden."

"This is worthy of a concubine from my Jia family. It's embarrassing."

Mrs. Wang, who had been the housekeeper and was familiar with the family finances, couldn't help but hesitate about this.

Jia Yuanchun was her eldest daughter, and it was indeed a good thing to bring her back to the mansion in a grand manner to visit her parents. However, the mansion's current deficit and the shrinking rents under the influence of Emperor Longyou's new policies were not enough for the Jia family to renovate a large garden, let alone connect the two east and west mansions.

Seeing that Mrs. Wang looked troubled, Grandmother Jia guessed what she was thinking and frowned, saying, "Don't worry about the expenses. This is a great thing for our Jia family. As the head of the family, Zhen'er should pay a part of the money. In addition, the gift money sent by the Zhen family is still with me, which is enough to build a large garden."

"The ingredients must be of the best quality, so as not to bring disgrace to the Jia family."

Since Lady Jia said she would come out to cover the cost and use the gift money sent by the Zhen family, Mrs. Wang had nothing to hesitate about anymore.

It is said that before the Zhen family's property was confiscated, they sent a lot of their property over, intending to rely on the Jia family.

However, the Jia family was already weak at the time, and of course could not protect the huge Zhen family. They only gave some convenience to the family members who were not implicated in the prison.

All those properties were taken into Jia's mother's pocket with peace of mind.

Mrs. Wang heard that there were two or three million taels of silver, but she had never seen the exact amount, so perhaps only Lady Jia knew.

"Madam? You should help take care of it, too. After all, this is a big event for our Jia family. After the garden is completed and the visit comes, everyone in the capital will know about the strength of our Jia family. By then, the marriage of Lian'er and his younger generation will be a piece of cake. Who knows how many people will come to our Jia Mansion. I'm afraid that they will come to visit us."

Grandmother Jia looked around proudly, and Yuanyang and Amber both smiled in agreement.

When everyone stood up to say goodbye, Mrs. Wang recalled something and asked, "Grandfather, there is one more thing I want to talk about."

Grandmother Jia is in a good mood, so what is there that shouldn't be talked about?

After taking a few sips of honey water, Jia's mother waved her hand and said, "Tell me, is there any difficulty?"

Madam Wang bowed first, then said carefully, "It is said in the capital that Marquis Anjing has already started his journey back to the capital, and will be in the capital in less than a month."

"Now that the eldest girl is at a critical moment, should we take the initiative to make friends with her? It will also be considered as having a helping hand in the court."

"The master is the only fifth-rank official, I'm afraid..."

When she heard the three words "Marquis of Anjing", Jia's mother seemed to have tinnitus in her ears, dizziness in her head, and her vision became blurry. She suspected that the blood was rushing up and she almost fell off the pear wood chair.

Fortunately, Yuanyang and Amber had seen a lot, so they quickly dropped their fans and supported Lady Jia.

Seeing this, Mrs. Wang secretly regretted speaking, and hurried over, bent down and helped Lady Jia up.

"Grandfather, how are you?"

After taking a few sips of water, Grandmother Jia's complexion recovered a little.

But the joy on his face was gone, and it turned into anger. He slapped his thigh and said, "Why is it that when the Jia family's fortunes are turning, he has to show up like a disaster?"

Raising her eyes, Jia's mother said angrily, "You still want to bring him to the mansion. Aren't there enough things that happened in the past?"

Madam Wang was very embarrassed and said, "After all, we have Miss Lin as our relationship, and she is also a close friend. If she goes around and unties the old knot, it will definitely be of great benefit to the eldest lady in the palace."

Grandmother Jia was so angry that she shook her head repeatedly, "No, no, no, if we get involved with him, our Jia family will only become unhappy!"

"If he really cared about the old friendship, why would he ignore the affairs of the Zhen family and set a trap for Lian'er, making our Jia family bear the stigma of being treacherous and disregarding our old friendship?"

"Just do your job well and don't think too much about doing the wrong thing! If you affect the eldest girl's important matter, I want to see how you worship the ancestors in the Jia family ancestral hall!"

"I just don't believe that after the eldest daughter is conferred the title of Imperial Concubine, the power of my Jia family can be much less than his!"

Lady Jia’s words were so stern that Mrs. Wang dared not say anything more. She had to leave quickly and leave Yuanyang and Amber to look after the child.

After closing the door of the hall, Madam Wang couldn't help but sigh, "When he returns to the capital, he will surely be greatly praised for his achievements. The old ancestor doesn't care about external affairs, and no one has informed her of the affairs of Marquis Anjing. I'm afraid she still doesn't know much."

"It is a great loss for the Jia family to have such a helpful person but not use him."

"If not, how about I invite the girl from the Lin family to come over? Logically speaking, my brother-in-law is like the sea, and his term of assignment abroad is enough, so he should return to Beijing to take up his post..."

After much thought, Mrs. Wang couldn't make up her mind, so she went back to her room to consult Jia Zheng...

(End of this chapter)