Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 430 Instigating Rebellion
Walking out of the main hall, the three girls didn't say much to each other. They just walked in the corridor with their heads down and shoulders side by side.

Shi Xiangyun's words just now were now stirring up waves in their hearts.

Even though, those were just the crazy words she said when she was drunk, but every word she said made sense after all, how could Sanchun not think about it.

What's more, they are not stupid people, but very smart.

Although she knew that once the news of what happened in the hall was passed back to the Jia family, she would face endless suffering, she had to refuse to give up on herself and accept her fate because of the constraints of her female body.

This is the injustice of fate.

The sisters all had sad expressions on their faces. Tanchun looked around, trying to say something comforting to lighten the mood.

In the end, she bit her lips a few times but still didn't utter a word. She was in a terrible mood.

For them, they have heard too much truth in recent days.

Whether it is Xue Baochai's, "The family's prosperity or decline cannot be a burden."

As Yue Ling said, "You need to try more in life, don't be afraid of making mistakes, and it is better to have the courage to do things than to leave regrets."

They are deeply imprinted in their hearts.

But what can they do?

Even Xue Baochai was able to get out of the quagmire with the help of Yue Ling; their so-called attempts were also paved with the stage by Yue Ling for them to choose from, so they had the opportunity to do it, but what about now?

Tanchun felt depressed and thought that the world was too unfair. She sighed and said, "If I were a man, even if I couldn't achieve success, I could follow Yun'er's example and join the Marquis with a legitimate reason. Unlike Bao-jie, I could always make a career of my own. Then why would I be bound by my family?"

"How can we feel good when everyone sees that we are easy to bully?"

As she said this, Tanchun's eyes turned slightly red and her nose felt a little sore.

Suddenly, a slender hand stretched out from behind and handed over a handkerchief.

"Third sister, can you wipe it?"

"Okay, thank you."

Tanchun took it naturally, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, sniffed, and then casually returned the handkerchief.

When she turned around, she suddenly realized that the person standing behind her was Lin Daiyu.

"Sister Lin, why did you catch up?"

Tanchun suddenly panicked and quickly put away the handkerchief she had used to wipe her nose. "Here, I'll wash this and return it to you, sister."

Lin Daiyu smiled and nodded, "Such a big change has happened to you. How can I feel at ease if I don't come out to see you?"

"No matter what, you are still living in my house now. I shouldn't just watch you being wronged and do nothing."

"It's windy at night, so we won't talk outside. Come on, follow me."

The three girls looked at each other, and somehow, a hint of hope flashed in their eyes.

……

"Sister Lin, did you hear what I just said?"

As soon as she entered the room, she saw Tanchun and Lin Daiyu sitting opposite each other at the tea table, so she couldn't bear to ask.

Lin Daiyu nodded slightly and said without hiding anything, "What a coincidence! I just happened to hear it."

Tanchun blushed again and lowered her head shyly.

Lin Daiyu smiled and consoled her, "However, given your intelligence, it would be a waste of your talent if you followed Yun'er's example and became a housekeeper. You must be more knowledgeable about the ways of the world than he is."

For some reason, Lin Daiyu seemed to dislike Jia Yun, but this was not the time to pursue the matter, so Tanchun stammered and changed the subject, saying, "Sister Lin, please stop teasing me."

"Good good."

Sighing softly and looking at the sad expressions on her sisters' faces, Lin Daiyu really sympathized with them.

Although there were many unknowns when he came to Beijing and he felt uneasy, it was not as desperate as they were, knowing that the Jia family was a quagmire and yet they had to get stuck in it.

"Today I called the sisters here, it's not just my idea, it's also Brother Yue's idea."

With just one sentence, the three sisters all raised their heads and looked straight at Lin Daiyu, waiting for what to say next.

Lin Daiyu added: "Don't be too explicit. The eldest sister from Rongguo Mansion coming back to visit her parents is not a grand event, but a disaster for the Jia family."

"Sisters, think about what the Rongguo Mansion has been doing all along, as well as the complications that have arisen recently, and you will realize what I am talking about."

Tanchun's eyes widened in disbelief, and she immediately stood up and said in astonishment, "Sister Lin, do you mean that my elder sister is in trouble?"

Lin Daiyu did not continue speaking, but just nodded silently.

Yuanchun's disaster was the disaster of the Jia family. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to say that it was because of the Jia family that Yuanchun encountered misfortune.

Tanchun's body swayed unsteadily, and finally she fell back to where she was as if she had lost all strength.

With a sad smile on her face, Tanchun said bitterly, "Big sister is just a bargaining chip of the Jia family, just more noble than us. I should have thought about it earlier. What's the use of having enough chips? The people in the game are the key."

After all, this is where she grew up, and Tanchun still has some fantasies about the Jia Mansion. Who would want their family to fall into disgrace?

For a moment, Tanchun was unable to accept what Lin Daiyu said, and the same went for Yingchun and Xichun.

But Lin Daiyu said at the beginning that this was not her news, but news brought by Yue Ling, so it must be true.

The scene fell into a long silence, and you could hear a pin drop.

The Jia family is in a state of disrepair and should have met with disaster long ago, but what can they do when the family is in ruins?

After a long sob, Yingchun, who was older, finally spoke softly, "Sister Lin, what should we do according to your opinion?"

Lin Daiyu sighed slowly and said sincerely, "As sisters, I can't bear to see you suffer. But matters of state are not ours to discuss, let alone reveal to you first. I hope you can forgive me."

The three sisters all shook their heads. At this point, they were filled with gratitude. "After the Jia family's tall building collapses, you will have nowhere to stay. If you are implicated by then, even if Brother Yue is willing to rescue you, it will definitely cause dissatisfaction among others, which will be disadvantageous to you."

"So, just listen to what I'm going to say next. It's the path I'm pointing out for you."

"Whether you do it or not is entirely up to you."

Sanchun's breathing stagnated. Hearing Lin Daiyu's serious and rigorous attitude in handling official matters, she couldn't help but feel nervous.

Lin Daiyu stood up and walked to the desk beside her. She picked up her pen, dipped it in ink, and wrote as she did so: "Since I came to the capital, I have been with Brother Yue and have heard of several wrongdoings of the Jia family. I am listing them here today for your consideration."

"The first thing is that when my grandfather was still alive, the Rong and Ning mansions conspired to stage a coup. The old master of the East Manor was convicted, and the eldest master was also imprisoned. He was not released until His Majesty ascended the throne and showed mercy. From what I heard, the Rong mansion was even suspected of collaborating with the enemy at that time."

"In the court, His Majesty said he would not pursue the matter any further and even burned all the documents obtained from the Northern Barbarians' tent in front of all the ministers, but this hurdle has definitely been overcome."

"The second thing is that when Brother Yue and I were in Suzhou, the Jinling aristocratic Zhen family and the Jia family were old friends and had close contacts. When the Zhen family was in trouble and their family was exterminated, the old lady actually wrote a letter to persuade Brother Yue to show some leniency. This was an unwise move by collusion. There are also rumors that the Zhen family had promised the Jia family a huge benefit, equivalent to two million taels of silver, or even more."

"This matter has caused a great uproar in the capital. Even if you are in the inner house, you should have heard about it. It may even have happened in the inner chambers, making many women in the family laugh at it."

"The third thing is extravagance. We haven't visited the Jia family's courtyard yet, but you should know that your Majesty has been diligent and frugal since he ascended the throne. When I entered the palace, I saw the Empress Dowager and a group of palace maids doing needlework. Even the insoles on your Majesty's feet were sewn by the Empress Dowager herself."

"What's more, since your majesty ascended the throne, the harem has not expanded any palaces except for renovations when you moved in, and all the things used are old and not new. However, in order to welcome the eldest sister to visit her parents, the Jia family spent a huge amount of money to build a separate courtyard for the visit, which is the face of the Jia family."

"Sisters, please think carefully. Is this the face of the Jia family or the root of the Jia family's trouble? If there is any usurpation of power, I am afraid it will be the beginning of the decline."

Listening to Lin Daiyu's serious words, the sisters' faces became uglier and uglier, and finally they were so distraught that they were speechless.

The Jia family, which appears to be in great glory on the surface, is already on the verge of collapse behind the scenes and cannot withstand any more storms. Recently, there has been this incident involving Jia Lian.

In the eyes of today's emperor, living a happy and romantic life in brothels and spending huge amounts of money lavishly, isn't that still debauchery and sensual indulgence?

Obviously, the situation is now irreversible.

Lin Daiyu rolled up the paper and handed it to Tanchun, saying seriously, "No matter which one it is, if you can find evidence of the Jia family's crime and report it, I think Brother Yue will have a way to protect you."

"You don't want to just go with the flow, sit back and wait for others to rescue you, and not work hard to move forward, right?"

Tanchun took the rice paper, but her hands felt very weak, as if the paper weighed a thousand pounds and she couldn't hold it.

"We all know the truth, but...but we are Jia, how can we sell out our family in exchange for our own freedom? Sister Lin, this will make people stab us in the back, how can we face others in the future?"

Lin Daiyu blinked and said, "If the Jia family is a family of loyal and virtuous people, and you refuse to be humiliated for the sake of your reputation and die with your family, I will not stop you."

"But the Jia family is so corrupt, and the emperor is a wise and virtuous ruler who will not allow termites to eat away at the country. Do you still want to be buried with these termites?"

Tanchun's eyes were filled with tears again, and she choked up and said, "But our surname is Jia after all."

Lin Daiyu said again: "Don't forget, the letter has been torn up! If the master of the Jia family had a chance to survive, what do you think he would do? Would he betray you with his own hands?"

Sanchun all lowered their heads and said no more.

The truth is too obvious to argue with.

Lin Daiyu stood up at the right time, turned her back to the other girls, and looked through the moon-hole window at the dark clouds covering the moon in the sky, with a faint light showing through.

All three sisters knew that it was Lin Daiyu who was seeing off the guests.

They all stood up, bowed, supported each other, and limped out the door with legs that felt like they were filled with lead.

"Third sister, keep the paper. What you choose depends entirely on the path you choose."

"Yes……"

After all three of them left the room, Qingwen, who was waiting outside, returned to her room.

I couldn't help but look back at the three people crying silently, and asked tentatively with concern: "Girls, did you have a quarrel? I saw that they were crying very hard."

Lin Daiyu sighed and shook her head, "It's quarreling, but it's not really."

"It's really hard for them. The blame is not on them, but they have to withstand tremendous pressure to fight for their own survival."

Qingwen's hands trembled as she made tea, and the tea splashed onto the table. She quickly raised her sleeve to wipe it dry, and said, "Is there such a dangerous thing?"

Lin Daiyu did not respond to Qingwen's words, but was immersed in her plans.

"I heard what Brother Yue meant, that he wanted me to encourage them to do this kind of thing, so as to cut off all ties with the Jia family and avoid being implicated. But what Tanchun said was not wrong. After all, they are surnamed Jia. Once they do something like betraying the family, they will definitely be despised by others."

"Even if the Jia family was at fault first, we should not sacrifice our relatives for the sake of justice. This is the case for all foolish filial piety."

"Brother Yue can't have not thought of these things. What can he do to make them stop carrying all this? They can really put down the burden on their backs and walk out of the shadows. Only the blow from the Jia family can prompt them to make this decision, but what happens after that?"

Lin Daiyu talked to herself for a long time, but still couldn't think of any good solution. She couldn't help but point the finger at the culprit, Grandmother Jia, and said, "Brother Yue is right. A virtuous wife brings prosperity to three generations, which is better than thousands of acres of fertile land."

Qingwen didn't hear anything else, but Lin Daiyu muttered the last sentence, so she, who had been listening with her ears perked up, heard it all.

"Prosperity for three generations? But we don't even have the second generation yet. But the second half of the sentence is true. The house is in good order, and we don't have to worry about food and clothing. We even have a surplus this month, thanks to the young lady's overall planning. It's really better than thousands of acres of fertile land."

"what?"

Qingwen said something flattering to cover up her mistake, but it brought Lin Daiyu, who was still mumbling, back to reality.

Her cheeks flushed, and she looked like a young girl in love again. Lin Daiyu couldn't help but spit, "Pooh, pooh, pooh, what nonsense are you talking about, you vixen? When did I become a virtuous wife in this mansion? I am innocent."

"And you, you shameless vixen, why don't you hurry up and do the shameful work in your hands?"

Qingwen stuck out her tongue and ran away smiling.

Lin Daiyu was the only one left in the room. She leaned against the desk, propped up her face with one hand, and looked up at the crescent moon in the sky.

"Why does everyone say that? It's so annoying."

"One or two of them just know how to annoy people and not do their work. It seems that there is still too little work for them."

After a few breaths of angrily complaining in her heart, Lin Daiyu pouted again and sighed: "When will I be able to have a legitimate reason ..."

(End of this chapter)