Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 373: Bathhouse Affair, the Marquis Returns to Beijing

Leaning against the pool, Yue Ling was still unable to calm down.

Thinking about how the girls just now blushed and ran away in front of him with their faces covered, without even having time to put on their skirts and hairpins properly, Yue Ling was a little stunned.

Originally, Yue Ling thought that they were just fighting and playing in the room, and that they were not very close, but were just arguing with each other because they refused to admit defeat.

Unexpectedly, the moment he opened the bathroom door, his thinking completely changed.

"Have they always been so close? Keqing and Baochai were lying there being touched by a group of girls... It seems that they often gathered together to read some unhealthy articles before, and this time they even went to extremes to study them."

"It seems that not having a nanny in the room is not necessarily a good thing. Without anyone to teach them, they become curious about this aspect on their own."

Yue Ling couldn't help but reflect on whether it was his lack of care for these little girls that led to such a strange atmosphere in the mansion.

Logically speaking, sex education is also indispensable in modern times, and it is only natural for girls to be curious about these aspects at their age.

However, if no one guides them and they go astray, that would be bad.

What's more, the instigator of all this seems to be Lin Daiyu.

It was even more puzzling that she was the only one standing in the middle, directing the other women to do something.

Moreover, it was originally agreed that Lin Daiyu would go out to explain things to him.

But Lin Daiyu was the first to come out of the bathroom. She glanced at Yue Ling and ran upstairs without looking back.

Yue Ling only saw Lin Daiyu's flushed face and the long black hair with water droplets hanging behind her. In the end, he still didn't understand what was going on, and it was inevitable that he would have a lot of imagination.

"How about asking Qin Keqing to teach them properly? So that they won't go astray?"

Shaking his head, Yue Ling continued, "Maybe they were just bored on the boat and were just having fun. I was overthinking it."

Leaning his head against the white marble wall, Yue Ling breathed a sigh of relief.

Before leaving, Lin Ruhai said something, which he would recall whenever he was alone and quiet.

Returning to Beijing did indeed present many challenges.

But opportunities often come with it.

I still remember that when Yue Ling went south, he didn't have time to attend the coronation ceremony of Emperor Longyou. It was a pity that he missed it.

This time I accomplished several great deeds outside, but because the mountains were high and the road was long, the rewards were not much.

After returning to the capital this time, he will definitely be praised and rewarded in front of all the officials in the court.

But if there is a one in ten thousand chance that Emperor Longyou was really worried that his achievements would overthrow the ruler, perhaps he could get a glimpse of it from the courtesy he received the moment he entered the city gate.

At that time, Yue Ling would have to face it more cautiously.

Yue Ling certainly did not want the day when there would be a rift between the emperor and his ministers, but he had been away from the capital for too long and knew very little about the situation in the court. If there really were many ministers whispering in his ears in the court, how could he not be more cautious in responding?

Thinking of this, Yue Ling couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Suddenly, a head emerged from under the pool. Yue Ling's eyes widened and he stood up suddenly.

Several thoughts flashed through his mind quickly. He thought someone was trying to assassinate him. He was about to jump out of the pool and pick up a wooden stool outside the pool and throw it over.

Looking closely, it turned out to be Ruizhu.

"Ruizhu? Why didn't you go out?"

Yue Ling took a long breath, relaxed his tense body, and sat back down by the pool.

Ruizhu reached into the pool and fumbled around a few times, then pulled out another maid.

Baozhu was gasping for breath, as if she was having a very hard time holding her breath underwater.

Yue Ling grabbed a cotton towel from the poolside and gestured to the two girls, "Wipe your bodies, go outside and put on your clothes, and return to the cabin."

The two Ruizhu looked at each other and slowly reached out from the water.

They were like two seals, with only their heads sticking out and the rest of their bodies submerged in water.

"I didn't notice who went out. You guys haven't had time to go out yet? It's my problem."

Yue Ling kindly gave the cotton towels to the two girls, but they had no intention of taking them.

After looking at each other again, Ruizhu mustered up the courage to say, "Master, the two of us hid here on purpose... Actually, actually, we were waiting for you."

He then tugged at Baozhu beside him, who blushed and stammered, "Yes, my sister and I have discussed it. The main thing is to wait here and serve the master in bathing."

"These days, the master has been bathing alone, but how can he be a marquis without someone to serve him? It would make us look undisciplined."

After taking a closer look at the two little girls whose faces had not been opened, Yue Ling could not help but raise his hand and slapped each of them on the head.

"Hey."

"it hurts."

The two girls looked up pitifully at Yue Ling.

Yue Ling was so angry at the two girls that he shook his head and said, "You are so young, what are you thinking about? Especially you, Baozhu, when did you learn to say so many things? On weekdays, I see you are always with Xueyan, she doesn't seem to be so clever."

Baozhu stuck out her tongue, wanting to say that Sister Xueyan was just dull, not stupid. However, the current atmosphere was a time for debate, so she answered honestly, "I read Sister's article, and a woman said this..."

Ruizhu hurriedly pulled Baozhu's head over, covered her mouth, and said with a wry smile: "We are the master's maids, and serving the master is our duty. The master should not chase us away again... Otherwise, what else can we do in the mansion?"

Yue Ling thought for a moment and said, "Well, just this once, help me wash and go back early. If they find out, Ke Qing will embarrass you, not to mention others, right?"

The little girls of Ruizhu were all smiling happily, having thrown Yue Ling's advice behind their heads. They came to Yue Ling's left and right, and raised their hands to massage his arms.

It must be said that these two little maids were very attentive when serving people, and their strength was just right, neither too strong nor too weak.

Yue Ling closed his eyes, rested, and slowly lay back to enjoy himself.

Soon, the two women changed their movements and moved their bodies closer.

Yue Ling opened his eyes slightly and said in surprise: "The two little girls have really grown up. I didn't notice them before, but now they are moving up and down in front of them?"

Ruizhu and Baozhu kept getting closer, and from time to time they secretly looked up to notice Yue Ling's expression.

Seeing that Yue Ling showed no disgust and had no intention of pushing them out, they became bolder, turned around and moved closer, cleaning from top to bottom with a clear division of labor, and finally even put their lips against hers.

It was not until this moment that Yue Ling opened his eyes again. His tone became much softer and he asked in a gentle voice, "Have you... really thought it through?"

The two girls responded in unison.

Then, two phoenixes circled around the beams of the house, and waves crashed by the edge of the pond.

Even the wooden cabinet against the wall where clothes were stored seemed to be shaking slightly.

……

in the room,

Lin Daiyu put on her makeup in front of the mirror and combed her three thousand strands of hair, but she still couldn't get rid of her worries.

He was planning to go down to take a bath and relax, but before he even got into the pool, Yue Ling bumped into him.

Moreover, he misunderstood that he was leading something immoral.

It was not that she could not defend herself on the spot, but Lin Daiyu only covered her body with a cotton towel, and was naked otherwise, so she had no time to say more.

When he came out again, he had no energy to argue and ran back.

She was still an innocent young girl, but now, not only was her body almost seen naked by Yue Ling, but she would also be blamed for teasing the girl in the room.

Lin Daiyu sighed softly, looking very weak.

"Brother Yue must have misunderstood me."

"After we got on the boat, Brother Yue seemed to still be bothered by the kiss we had while riding the horse. He kept staring at my lips. This... this was so embarrassing that I didn't even dare to go to his room to look for him."

"If we get caught, it will be even more embarrassing."

At the right moment, Xueyan staggered in and asked in confusion, "Girl, have you seen where Sister Zijuan has gone?"

Lin Daiyu's mind was not here at all, she replied calmly: "No, shouldn't you be with her?"

Xueyan rubbed her wet hair and raised her eyebrows. "No, she wasn't with me. When I came out, I didn't see her. I came out with Ying'er."

"It's really strange. There are only a few rooms. Where did she go?"

Lin Daiyu came back to her senses, twitched her lips, and thought to herself, "Could this girl be hiding in the bathtub to ambush Brother Yue? Just to fight for what she said?"

"She's really capable of anything."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Xueyan hurried to open the door, and as she approached, she called out, "Sister Zijuan, you're finally back. I was just about to go to the kitchen to look for you."

But when he pushed it open, it was Qin Keqing standing outside the door. She poked her head inside and asked, "Sister Lin, didn't Ruizhu Zhu come here?"

Lin Daiyu turned her head and said, "No, I didn't see them."

Qin Keqing looked at Xueyan again and asked in surprise, "Zijuan is missing too?"

Xueyan nodded, "Yeah, I looked around for a long time, but couldn't find it."

Qin Keqing smiled in relief, "Perhaps the master allowed them to go to the deck to get some fresh air instead of taking a shower."

Inwardly, he heaved a sigh of relief, muttering to himself, "So Zijuan is missing. I thought Ruizhu and Zhuzhu had gone to the bathhouse to do something bad. The three of them together can't do it, right? Since they're not here, I'll go. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

After saying goodbye to Lin Daiyu, Qin Keqing hurried downstairs, but when she arrived at the door of the bathhouse, she saw Xiangling standing at the door. It seemed that she wanted to go in but didn't dare to, and was unwilling to leave.

Qin Keqing smiled ghostly, tiptoed forward, and covered Xiangling's eyes from behind, "What? Do you want to eat alone secretly, little girl?"

Xiangling shuddered immediately, her whole body went limp, and for a moment she was so frightened that she could hardly stand steadily.

After recognizing that it was Qin Keqing's voice, Xiangling thought of the past that she could not bear to look back on, and hurriedly said, "No, no, it's just that I didn't wash myself just now. I feel a little uncomfortable. I'm waiting for the master to finish washing, and then I'll go in and wash myself."

Qin Keqing lifted Xiangling's chin and said, "You little slut, others may not know what you look like, but I do. Even though you appear gentle and quiet like a little white flower by the field, when you're in bed, you..."

Xiangling hurriedly tugged at Qin Keqing's sleeves, lowered her head, looked around, and begged for mercy: "Sister, please forgive me and don't bring up what happened back then."

Xiangling was so easy to control that Qin Keqing lost interest in teasing her. It was really not as interesting as teasing Xue Baochai, so she took her hand and said, "Okay, I'll take you in and give you some soup later." Xiangling responded shyly and followed behind Qin Keqing.

But before Qin Keqing could open the door, the smug look on her face froze in the next moment.

Yue Ling walked out refreshed, accompanied by two little girls with blushing faces.

"Huh? Why are you here? Do you want to go wash up again?"

Yue Ling bumped into the two women head-on and spoke with slight surprise.

Ruizhu looked up secretly, but saw that Qin Keqing looked like she was going to call her to task. She quickly hid behind Yue Ling, and couldn't help but grab a piece of his clothes.

"Okay, okay, these two little sluts are starting to rebel! I didn't expect that after I've been hunting for prey in the mansion for several years, one day a great opportunity would be snatched away by two chicks!"

Qin Keqing took a few deep breaths, finally suppressed her reluctance, and said with a smile: "Yes, we are here to take a bath."

"Sister Xiangling, can you say something?"

Xiangling was pulled by Qin Keqing's sleeve. She took a step forward, bowed and said, "Master, you have finished washing. Shall we go in now?"

Yue Ling nodded, "Go ahead, go ahead. I was the one who offended you today."

After giving Xiang Ruizhu a cold snort, Qin Keqing pulled Xiangling inside.

Yue Ling smiled and shook his head, and said to the two maids behind him: "Look, I told you a long time ago that if I did it behind Keqing's back, she would definitely be unhappy. How can I hide this from others?"

Ruizhu stuck out her tongue, but there was no sign of self-reflection on her face, she even looked a little smug.

Yue Ling held his forehead helplessly and thought to himself: "Too many girls in the room is really not a good thing. I'd better not care about what happens between them..."

After entering the bathroom, Qin Keqing began to scrub Xiangling's body angrily, as if she was venting all her anger on her.

But Xiangling was a girl from the south of the Yangtze River, with skin so delicate and tender that it could be blown away by a baby. How could she bear such abuse? After a few strokes, she begged for mercy with red eyes.

"Sister, sister, be gentle..."

Qin Keqing curled her lips and said, "When you were in the Marquis' bed, your moans were much softer than this. Can you moan a few more times so I can hear you?"

Xiangling blushed and turned her head back in grievance, too embarrassed to say anything else.

Sighing softly, Qin Keqing said gently, "I just said it lightly, don't take it to heart, sister."

Xiangling hummed softly and said comfortingly: "Ruizhu Zhuzhu is not unfaithful to you, sister, please be at ease."

After all, these two girls fled from Qin's house with Qin Keqing, and they were willing to sacrifice themselves for her happiness.

This friendship is indelible, but now that they are living a good life, Qin Keqing has less care from them, and she can't help but think about it absent-mindedly.

"It's my fault too. I just treated them as little kids. Actually, they are two years older than Sister Lin, and Ruizhu is even old enough to be a matchmaker."

Shaking her head, Qin Keqing slowly walked to the wooden cabinet beside her, wanting to get some new cotton towels.

As soon as she opened it, she saw a person kneeling inside. Qin Keqing was so frightened that she screamed, took a few steps back and sat on the ground.

Xiangling was frightened and quickly stood up to help Qin Keqing. She then looked inside the wooden cabinet and saw Zijuan, whose face was flushed, naked and gasping for breath. The cotton towel under her body was in an even more appalling shape.

Qin Keqing came back to her senses, rubbed her buttocks after falling again, and looked at the situation again, and said with a smile: "Xueyan is still upstairs looking for you to go to the kitchen. I think you are really hungry, so why not go find her earlier."

Zijuan hesitated and said, "Sister Keqing, Xiangling, please don't spread what happened today. Otherwise, I won't be able to live in the mansion anymore..."

Qin Keqing's eyes suddenly lit up, and she stood up with a smile, "Oh? Are you talking about peeping at the master, masturbating in the wooden cabinet?"

Zijuan lowered her head and nodded, too embarrassed to look at the two of them.

Qin Keqing stepped forward, lifted her chin, and said with a sweet breath, "That depends on your performance. I have something I want you to do."

Zijuan looked up in surprise, "What's the matter? I can't do something that goes against the will of heaven and earth..."

Qin Keqing pinched Zijuan's cheek and said, "What are you thinking about? What I want to say is that I want you to get me one of Lin Daiyu's clothes, something loose."

Zijuan blinked and asked in astonishment: "You, you want to?"

Qin Keqing glared and asked, "What? You don't want to do it?"

Zijuan slowly lowered her head again and shook her head, saying, "Okay..."

"Xiangling, do you want one?"

"No, no, no."

"Yes, you can steal from Sister Bao."

Xiangling: "..."

……

Beijing, Yongding River,

It is almost March and ships are as numerous as stars, interweaving together on the canal.

The docks outside the capital were also very busy, with people crowded together.

The official ship slowly approached the shore, lowered the planks, and people made way on the shore.

The reason is simple. There is a flag with the word "Yue" on it on it. It means that Marquis Anjing has entered the capital!
However, there were no soldiers lined up to greet him at the dock, and there was no royal carriage docked at a glance. Yue Ling could not help but become a little cautious.

Driving quietly into the crowd, the convoy slowly drove towards Zhengyangmen.

After eight years, Zhengyang Gate was no longer the southern gate of the capital. At Yue Ling's suggestion, the outer city was renovated outside the South Gate, and four more city gates were added to the capital.

There were no traces of war on the city walls. The streets and markets were bustling with smoke from cooking fires everywhere. The people were prosperous and well-off, and Yue Ling was very pleased to see this.

After eight years, Dachang completely recovered from the aftermath of the war, which was also a manifestation of Emperor Longyou's diligence and love for the people.

The convoy slowly arrived at the city gate, and Yue Ling saw the gilded palace chariot waiting at the gate together with the soldiers guarding the city, so he dismounted and went forward to greet them.

"Eunuch Xia, long time no see."

Xia Shouzhong bowed and said, "Eight years have passed, and the style of Marquis Anjing is still so dazzling. Come with me, His Majesty has been waiting for you in the palace for a long time."

Yue Ling nodded, "Thank you for your kindness, eunuch. I'd better ride a horse, okay?"

Xia Shouzhong was slightly startled, then smiled and shook his head, "Marquis Anjing has gone through many ups and downs in the past eight years, and he is indeed different from the old days. In the old days, the Marquis would definitely have a long chat with us on the palace sedan chair."

"My Lord, do you know what His Majesty said to me before I left?"

Yue Ling shook his head, "I hope Manager Xia will give me some advice."

Xia Shouzhong nodded: "Your Majesty is worried about the same thing as you are, and specifically told us to keep everything as usual. So, my Lord, please rest assured and get on the palace sedan chair."

With that said, Yue Ling stopped refusing and stepped on the footstool to get on the palace sedan chair.

The imperial carriage started to enter the palace. Just as Yue Ling was about to start a small talk, he saw a group of people from the Jia family coming out of the city and delivering a message to the convoy heading to his mansion.

Xia Shouzhong also noticed the group of people outside the window, turned around and said to Yue Ling: "Don't worry, my Lord. At this critical moment, the Jia family dare not make any trouble. Most likely, they are here to deliver a message, hoping to please you and establish a friendship."

Yue Ling blinked and asked, "Oh, what's the latest news in the capital?"

Xia Shouzhong said with a smile: "Your Majesty wants to confer the title of Consort Xiande on the eldest daughter of the Jia family. How dare the Jia family cause trouble at this time? Even if the old lord of the Jia family is old and confused, he would not dare to do so."

Yue Ling nodded and felt relieved.

What he was worried about was not the power of the Jia family.

To be honest, even if the Jia family conferred a noble concubine, it would still be too insignificant to Yue Ling.

But the first few times I entered the Rongguo Mansion, some bad things always happened, which was really disgusting.

Like maggots, you're not afraid of them, but you'll feel sick if you get infected with them.

"Your Majesty actually chooses a concubine?"

Yue Ling looked slightly surprised.

Xia Shouzhong looked at Yue Ling with an ambiguous look, then shook his head and smiled.

……

"Miss Lin, someone from Rongguo Mansion is here to invite you over and have a seat."

Xueyan opened the curtain of the sedan chair to make it easier for Jia Yun to pass on the message inside.

Lin Daiyu frowned and asked in confusion, "You want me to come and sit down? Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing, just said that the sisters in the mansion missed her very much, and wanted Sister Lin to come to the mansion after she returns to Beijing."

Hearing this, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but look at Xue Baochai who was sitting next to her.

Xue Baochai took a sip of tea and said, "What kind of rumors can those girls in Rongguo Mansion spread in the mansion? How can they have such status? This must be the intention of the second wife or the old lady, but they didn't say it clearly. It's really intriguing."

"However, Rongguo Mansion is not a dangerous place. If you want to go for a walk, we will accompany you."

After hearing what Xue Baochai said, Lin Daiyu lowered her head and began to think.

To her, Rongguo Mansion was truly a place of trouble. The first time she came there, Jia Baoyu went crazy and threw a jade. The second time, Jia Baoyu blocked her way and insisted on talking to her. The third time, she and Xue Baochai teamed up to give the Jia family a bad reputation.

It can be said that there were accidents every time and no good impression was left.

For Xue Baochai, when she first arrived at the Jia Mansion, she argued with reason and offended many people.

Qin Keqing, who was riding in the same carriage, was also sold to the Jia family by her father, and had no good impression of both the Rong and Ning families.

In addition, there are Zijuan and Qingwen, the unwelcome maids in the Jia family.

Ruizhu Zhu was also tortured by the Ningguo Mansion.

At this moment, all the girls looked at Lin Daiyu, waiting for her to speak.

Lin Daiyu frowned and said, "Tell Housekeeper Yun that we are not going. If the sisters of the Jia family want to meet, we will host a banquet at the Anjing Marquis's Mansion to welcome them."

The girls' tense nerves relaxed after a moment, and they high-fived each other, all with smiles on their faces.

Xue Baochai and Qin Keqing smiled at each other, and it was Qin Keqing who nodded and said, "Well, Sister Lin has begun to look like the wife of the Marquis of Anjing. Can the Rongguo Mansion send her away with just a few words and a servant?"

(End of this chapter)