Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 378: The Dying Struggle of Jia Baoyu

Not long ago,
In front of the Buddhist temple behind Jia Mu's courtyard,
Miaoyu excitedly grabbed Xiren's arm, wanting to get the truth from her.

"Did Marquis Anjing come to the mansion? Why didn't he say anything?"

The usually pure and independent female master suddenly became so irritable that she frightened the clever Xiren. She stood there in a daze, forgetting to respond for a moment.

Baoyu stood there stupidly, looking at Miaoyu with disbelief.

At this moment, his head seemed to be rusted and he could no longer turn around.

"What? Even Master Miaoyu has a past with Yue Ling? This is impossible!"

"Although Panxiang Temple is in Suzhou, according to rumors outside, when Yue Ling was investigating the case in Suzhou, she should have come to the capital."

"Besides, one is a corrupt official, and the other is a high-ranking monk. What connection could there be?"

But Miaoyu looked anxious, as if she would not stop until she got the news about Yue Ling. The facts were right in front of her, and no matter how Baoyu embellished it in his mind, he could not deceive herself.

But on second thought, maybe it was because Yue Ling was too famous and had killed countless people in Suzhou, so his hands were stained with blood.

Among them, it is not impossible to find out the relatives of Master Miaoyu who were accidentally injured. After all, Yue Ling is a devil who kills without blinking an eye. Those who are eager to find out the news are not only old friends, but also enemies.

After sorting out his thoughts, Baoyu's expression eased. He took a deep breath, came over with a smile and said, "Master Miaoyu, don't be afraid. I don't think Yue Ling will come to the mansion and will definitely not disturb Master Miaoyu's meditation. Master Miaoyu, don't worry about it."

Hearing this, Miaoyu's face gradually turned gloomy, and her eyes were no longer clear, as if emitting two cold rays of light.

Low pressure surrounded his body, and it seemed that it could condense small ice crystals, but Jia Baoyu was completely unaware and continued, "Master Miaoyu, don't worry. Even if those people with karma all over their bodies and hands stained with filth come to the mansion, the ancestor will not let them come here."

After saying this, Miaoyu widened her eyes and slowly raised her hand, wanting to hit Baoyu hard to teach him a lesson.

What does it mean to have bloody hands?

What does it mean to be covered with karma?

If Yue Ling had not become her salvation in Suzhou, she might have committed suicide by now and would never have been able to clear the injustice for her father.

Furthermore, is there any innocent person among those killed by the Marquis?

They all deserve to die, but letting them live in disgrace and bring harm to the people is a sin.

Miaoyu's hands were also stained with blood, and the inside was extremely transparent.

Xiren immediately realized that the atmosphere was wrong, and immediately protected Baoyu behind her, looking at Miaoyu with a vigilant look.

Every time Baoyu came to the Buddhist temple, Xiren would accompany him or take him back. She was no stranger to Miaoyu.

She just thought she was a female master who didn't like to be involved in worldly affairs and was devoted to cultivation, but her reaction today was far beyond Xiren's expectations.

As a woman, she could understand Miaoyu's unconcealable eagerness.

If Miaoyu usually suppressed her true nature and practiced meditation, then her feelings for Marquis Anjing were probably far beyond Xiren's imagination, and she was definitely not the grudge that Baoyu described.

Seeing Miaoyu raising her hand and approaching, Xiren retreated repeatedly and said in a consoling tone: "Master Miaoyu, weren't you just asking where the Marquis is going? He..."

"Master Hou?"

Miaoyu's cold repetition interrupted what Xiren was about to say.

"Are you worthy of being called that? Please respectfully address me as Marquis Anjing!"

Xiren's expression froze and she dared not respond to this.

Miaoyu's eyes bypassed Xiren and pointed directly at Baoyu, saying coldly: "I don't care how you slander the Marquis on weekdays, but I can't listen to you saying these things in front of me."

"And I don't know if the Marquis forgives you, then he can punish you for what Jia Lian, the eldest son of the Jia family, did because of the Zhen family's affairs."

"By that day, how can we have the peace in the palace today? Will we still spend a huge amount of money to build a courtyard? I'm afraid that the title of Imperial Concubine will be criticized for it!"

"As a future royal relative, haven't you heard how powerful the memorials of the Imperial Censors are?"

After glaring at Jia Baoyu, Miaoyu slowly withdrew her hand, fearing that it would be stained with his filth, and continued to lecture him, "My Lord, you do things without asking for favors. You saved the two old masters of your Jia family, and you deserve to be reborn. It would be fine if you don't remember the favor, but you dare to bark here. I will report what I heard today to the Lord, and let him know your true colors!"

With just a few words, Jia Baoyu was frightened out of his wits.

Not only was it the threats from Miaoyu, but also her intention to protect Yue Ling that made Baoyu heartbroken.

Originally, he thought that such a fairy-like sister was an extraordinary person with a pure and elegant temperament, different from ordinary people. In the end, she was even more loyal to Yue Ling than the sisters in the room, which showed that the relationship between the two was extraordinary.

When Baoyu was stunned, Xiren immediately knelt down to apologize, hugged Miaoyu's calf and begged for mercy, saying: "Second Master is still young and ignorant, and he was just being sharp-tongued for a while. Master, please don't bother with him."

"Everyone in the Jia family respects the Marquis very much, and they are even more aware of Marquis Anjing's kindness. Otherwise, the Second Madam would not have invited Miss Lin as soon as she heard that Marquis Anjing had arrived in the capital."

He turned his head to look at Baoyu, whose face was as pale as ashes. He was still standing there in a daze, looking stupid and unable to help him at all.

Xiren did not expect him to admit his fault, so she took the responsibility on herself and continued to complain to Miaoyu, "In the past, Marquis Anjing taught Second Master a lesson, and he suffered a lot of physical pain, so Second Master hated him, but it was just a child's play, not true."

"Since Master is acquainted with Marquis Anjing, why don't we go talk to Miss Lin first?"

When Lin Daiyu was mentioned, Miaoyu thought of the ridiculous incident of "committing a crime in front of a woman". A sense of shame arose in her heart, and she slowly lowered her head, dispersing her aura.

Miaoyu cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and said, "Miss Lin has her own things to do. I will go find the sisters in the room first."

Xiren quickly pulled Baoyu to make way for Miaoyu, "Master, please forgive me and don't mention the second master's absurd things in front of the Marquis... Marquis Anjing."

Miaoyu shook her whisk, glanced sideways and walked away with a look of contempt on her face.

Holding the colorful rope around his neck, Baoyu bit his lips, still unable to give up.

He couldn't imagine that a fairy-like figure like Miaoyu would also like Yue Ling, a crude warrior, and couldn't help but ask, "Master Miaoyu, what is your relationship with the Marquis?"

Miaoyu paused, tilted her head slightly, and said without hesitation: "The Marquis is my benefactor, and even more so, someone I respect!"

Hearing this, Baoyu collapsed all over and could no longer hold up his body. The words ringing in his ears were like a bolt from the blue, and he fell backwards.

Fortunately, Xiren was quick to help him up.

"Second Master, Second Master, what's wrong with you?"

Falling into Xiren's arms, the gift that Baoyu had prepared, a Buddhist scripture printed with gold and silk, fell out from his sleeve and rolled into the distance with a rumbling sound.

But he had no intention of looking back at all, his figure gradually went away and disappeared at the corner of the hall.

This scene really frightened the maid who would deliver the message in the future. If anything happened to Baoyu, she was afraid that she would be implicated.

He came to Xiren's side and asked hurriedly, "Sister Xiren, what should I do? How about I go find a doctor?"

Xiren stopped him and said, "No, no, the second master is fine. He just had a surge of blood and lost consciousness. It's an old symptom." Xiren asked about what happened outside and said, "Did the madam tell you anything else?"

The maid answered in detail, "Madam went to her room to talk to Miss Lin, and asked everyone to wait outside. She didn't give any other instructions. However, when Madam returned home, she mentioned Qingwen's name several times."

"Qingwen?"

Xiren and Baoyu repeated it in unison.

Baoyu immediately regained consciousness, sat up, and grabbed the maid's arm, "Good sister, tell me, is Qingwen here to look for me?"

The maid tightened her collar with embarrassment, looked at Xiren shyly and said, "I don't know, Qingwen is in the mansion now."

Hearing this, Baoyu seemed to be fully electrified. He immediately stood up and shook off the dust on his back.

He took a few steps and picked up the fallen gold and silk, put it into his sleeve, and said with a smile: "Since Master Miaoyu is not as pure and flawless as I thought, it would be better to give this good thing to Qingwen as an apology, so as not to waste my time and effort to find it."

Xiren sighed helplessly, feeling a little jealous.

……

When he found the pavilion, he was eager to renew his relationship with Qingwen, but the ending was even worse than what happened in front of the Buddhist temple.

"Mr. Jia, please respect yourself!"

"Mr. Jia, please respect yourself..."

These six words echoed in his ears, striking Baoyu's heart and making his mind spin.

Qingwen was even unwilling to call him "Master", and only called him "Young Master", which was so strange, as if the two of them were just meeting for the first time.

How could Jia Baoyu accept this?

He placed his hopes on Qingwen and walked out of the haze brought by Miaoyu. However, Qingwen was even more direct than Miaoyu and said that she was a maid in the Anjing Marquis's mansion and that they would be like strangers from now on.

When Baoyu fell on Xiren again, he began to breathe heavily.

With the support and comfort of everyone, Baoyu was able to stabilize his body. As a result, Qingwen's cousin, Duo Girl, came to him and said, "Qingwen, she has already taken the shape of a marquis..."

Everything in front of Baoyu seemed to be blurry again, and it was about to turn white.

In the next sentence, Miss Duo bit Baoyu's earlobe again and said seductively, "Sister, you have all kinds of shapes."

Baoyu, who was about to lose his mind, couldn't help but shiver slightly when he smelled the fragrant breeze blowing past his ears.

Seeing his chick-like reaction, Miss Duo found it even more amusing. She covered her mouth and teased him, "Xiren, Sheyue, Meiren, it seems that you haven't served your master well. You can't even handle this little trick."

Musk Moon stood in front of Baoyu, glared at Miss Duo, and said angrily: "What did you say in Second Master's ear? You slut, don't think of corrupting my Second Master while we are here!"

Miss Duo ignored him, threw him a coquettish look, gently stroked his face, and said softly, "Second Master, I have agreed, I will not go back on my word."

After saying that, she twisted her slender waist and walked away slowly.

Baoyu swallowed his saliva and regained most of his senses. The maids around him didn't bother to blame Duo Girl and asked about Baoyu's safety.

Xiren, in particular, after witnessing Baoyu's two blows, had no time to envy Qingwen's entry into the Anjing Marquis's mansion. She could only chase after Baoyu and clean up his mess. She then asked Baoyu, "Second Master, are you feeling better? Why don't we go back to our room and have some soup first?"

The maids surrounded Baoyu like stars surrounding the moon. With the seduction of the girls, Baoyu regained some confidence and couldn't help but cheer himself up secretly.

"It's not that I'm unpopular. Something must have happened to Qingwen that caused her to misunderstand me. Of course I asked someone to look for her, but I didn't find her."

"As for begging for mercy in front of mother, it would have alarmed father, so I didn't dare to do that."

"As long as I make everything clear, and then give her this Buddhist scripture, and tell her that I pray for her every night, so the scripture was copied on gold and silk, after all, sincerity can be exchanged for sincerity, and then Qingwen will be moved to stay with me."

"Besides, the pervert Yue Ling is not here. Now is our only chance to get Qingwen out of the quagmire!"

Having made up his mind, Baoyu struggled to get up and said calmly, "No, I want to go to my sisters' room again. Both Master Miaoyu and Qingwen are a little abnormal, and I am worried about them."

The girls all looked extremely anxious, and Xiren was even more afraid that Baoyu would cause a disaster and drag herself down, and she would also be driven out of Rongguo Mansion.

Her beauty could not compare to Qingwen's, and she had given herself to Baoyu. They would prosper together and suffer together. How could she allow Baoyu to act recklessly again?

"Second Master, don't go to the sisters' room again. Miss Lin is here, and Miss Xue and the others must be here too. Don't go and disrupt them again!"

But Baoyu didn't listen to Xiren at all. He raised his leg and ran out.

"It is precisely because there are so many beautiful girls here that I should go!"

After saying this, Baoyu chased after Qingwen. Xiren and the others were even more afraid that Baoyu might act rashly, so they also hurriedly chased after him.

The group of people ran in the corridor in such a strange way, making a lot of noise.

……

Rongxi Hall, inside the three porches on the east side.

Mrs. Wang asked Lin Daiyu to sit opposite each other on the table on the kang, as if an elder and a younger person were chatting about family matters. She was very relaxed and her attitude was quite intimate.

After pouring water for Lin Daiyu, Madam Wang spoke slowly, asking about her father's health. "How is your father now? According to rumors, there was a salt case in Yangzhou Prefecture. I guess it has been resolved, right?"

Lin Daiyu took the teacup and replied without taking a sip, "Daddy is in good health. The salt case that aunt mentioned was indeed settled by Daddy and Brother Yue together."

"Brother Yue?"

Madam Wang was slightly startled, then smiled and said, "We have all heard that His Majesty is going to grant you and the Marquis a marriage. When you went to Yangzhou Prefecture, didn't you propose the marriage and set an auspicious date?"

In the past, when such topics were brought up, Lin Daiyu would definitely avoid talking about it, or flatly deny it, but now she has already thought everything through, and she and Yue Ling have confirmed their feelings to each other, so there is nothing to be shy about.

Without blushing or beating her heart, cautious Lin Daiyu just nodded slightly and said, "We haven't decided on the marriage yet. I'm sorry to have caused you so much trouble, aunt."

Madam Wang shook her head. "Yu'er is getting more and more extreme. After all, we are close relatives. Your mother died very early. If you marry the Marquis, Rongguo Mansion will be your family. Of course, they will help you with the arrangements. The old ancestor has also agreed."

"This year, good things have continued to happen. Your elder sister was awarded the title of Consort Xian De in the palace, and you and the Marquis have tied the knot. It is truly a double blessing."

"One inside and one outside, both can be considered as having someone to take care of."

Lin Daiyu narrowed her eyes slightly, then raised them and said, "Thank you for your kindness, aunt, but I have something I want to ask you right now."

Mrs. Wang smiled and replied, "Oh? What did Yu'er talk about?"

"My aunt called me into the room just to chat about family matters, why didn't she allow them to come in?"

Mrs. Wang's smile froze and she restrained herself, and she sighed frankly, "Ah, Yu'er has been in the south for a long time, I don't know the difficulties the Jia family is facing now..."

(End of this chapter)