Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 442: Leaving the Palace to Visit Relatives
Imperial City, Fengzao Palace,

It was past noon. Jia Yuanchun, dressed in a palace robe, was sitting in front of a bronze mirror, touching up her makeup. She looked gloomy.

Baoqin, the maidservant of the Jia Mansion who accompanied Yuanchun to the palace, felt distressed when she saw her daughter's expression. She combed her hair and comforted her, "Madam, we will be able to return home in a few hours. Don't you dream of returning home to visit? Why are you unhappy?"

Yuanchun's eyes were dazed, and only after Baoqin spoke to her did they gradually brighten. She exhaled softly and said, "Of course I want to go back home to see my ancestors, parents, and sisters, but I don't know why I feel uneasy, as if something bad is going to happen."

Baoqin continued to comfort her, "Your Highness, are you worrying too much? Since you entered the palace, you have assisted the Empress in managing the six palaces in an orderly manner. The Empress would give you rewards from time to time and praise your ability. His Majesty also praised you highly."

"Your Majesty is also very self-disciplined and polite. She often gives away food and clothing to the palace servants outside. Even they are full of praise for her."

"What harm could this cause?"

Yuanchun lowered her head secretly, "But, Baoqin, you know that His Majesty has never called me to sleep with him. Everyone in the palace has seen it. I did all that just to maintain my dignity."

"This……"

Baoqin was speechless for a moment and didn't know what to say to comfort her.

This was something everyone in the palace knew. After being taken as a concubine, she had not served the emperor in the emperor's bed. For Yuanchun, this was just an empty title and was no different from being banished to the cold palace.

There were many people in the palace, and the most fearful thing was people gossiping behind one's back. Yuanchun tried hard to maintain her face. Fortunately, Emperor Longyou also took care of her dignity, often using his illness as an excuse to ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to comfort Yuanchun more often.

What can Yuanchun do?
Even though she could receive a lot of rewards every time, it didn't mean much to her.

Moreover, she was isolated and helpless in the palace, without the support of her mother's family outside, and even often got into trouble, which gave her even more headaches.

Not long ago, the news that her brother had been chasing after a prostitute and was demanding payment for debts spread to the palace. Since then, there were so many eunuchs appearing in front of the Fengzao Palace, and the palace maids were talking about it.

"Oh, I hope they don't make any more mistakes."

Baoqin quickly said, "Don't worry, Madam. The mansion has been preparing for more than half a year to welcome you back home, so there will be no mistakes. Moreover, the old ancestor of the mansion loves you so much, so he must take this matter very seriously."

"That's not the case. It's better not to make a big fuss about it. If it weren't for the etiquette, I wouldn't agree to the construction of a separate residence for the imperial visit."

"I don't know how much money has been wasted, but you must not be too extravagant. There are few construction works in the palace, and there are few banquets. You know how frugal your majesty and the queen are."

Baoqin nodded, "It's okay, the queen has already told you about it, don't worry."

"My lady, the time has come."

The palace maid announced outside the door, and Yuanchun put on her phoenix crown, stood up gracefully, and walked out slowly with the help of Baoqin.

"Go, perform the ceremony."

When the imperial concubine returns home to visit her parents, it is actually like the wife returning to her parents' home, but the emperor will not go with her. At most, he will bestow some rewards to show his respect.

Despite this, leaving the palace was still a very difficult thing for the concubines in the palace.

Before leaving the palace, one had to go through a complicated royal ceremony, first worshipping Buddha in Baoling Palace, then going to Taiming Palace to attend a banquet initiated by the empress, and then asking for the emperor's order before being able to leave the palace on the phoenix carriage.

The ceremony starts at noon and lasts until Youshi, a total of three hours.

Therefore, going to great lengths to visit relatives and reunite with family members was also a manifestation of the emperor's compassion and favor for the harem.

After the ceremony, Yuanchun came to Taiming Palace. After crossing the threshold, she came to the Empress and bowed, "Your Highness, I greet you."

"No gifts."

The Queen looked at Yuanchun with a burning gaze, sighed barely perceptibly, and said, "You are usually low-key and respectful, but you don't have to be so humble. You don't have to humble yourself in front of me. Just behave as usual."

Jia Yuanchun raised her head flattered, then quickly lowered it again.

She was originally a maid in the Queen's palace, and the Queen was her master. Today, she took the initiative to propose that she change this derogatory title, which can be regarded as a kind of recognition.

"Your Majesty's order is obeyed."

The queen showed a warm smile, raised her wine cup and said, "Don't be restrained. After dinner, you should leave the palace. As usual, I still need to give you a few words of advice."

"My concubine is here."

Holding Yuanchun's wrist, the Queen said to her heart, "First, do not forget your duties as a subject and be careful to maintain the dignity of the royal family. Although you are returning home to see your relatives, you are now a noble concubine. Your every move is related to the dignity of the royal family. You must not lose your composure."

"Second, be careful with your words and don't let the private words of the palace spread to the outside court. Too much talk will lead to mistakes. Even if it is a private talk between relatives, it should be limited by the principles of monarch and minister."

"Third, stay out of the court and persuade your family to be frugal to cultivate virtue. Since the Jia family is a royal family, they should know that extravagance will easily lead to criticism. Following the emperor's style of simplicity is the way to go in the long run."

"..."

……

"Brother Yue, is the Jia family really that serious?"

At the dinner table, Yue Ling and Lin Daiyu, along with Shi Xiangyun, Xueyan and Cuilu, had their last meal while preparing to rush to the Jia Mansion to visit their parents.

Before leaving, Lin Daiyu became worried again, fearing that all her preparations were in vain, but she was also afraid that the storm would come too suddenly and her sisters would not have the chance to come forward and report.

After hearing the whole story, Shi Xiangyun was no longer in the mood to eat. She put down her chopsticks and waited for Yue Ling to speak.

After all, like the Rongguo Mansion, her Shi family is also a noble family.

Although the mansion was not as luxurious as the Jia Mansion, as far as she knew, there were some shameful activities that were unknown to outsiders.

Especially since her second uncle and third uncle were not on good terms, and with two marquises in the same family, there were many quarrels in the mansion.

If the Jia family collapsed, wouldn't the Shi family also be crushed to pieces?

Yue Ling picked up the last bite of food in the bowl, chewed it slowly, and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty must have made this plan after careful consideration. There is a delicate balance in the capital now, and hitting either side will cause an uproar."

"However, Your Majesty has stabilized the government for nearly ten years, and now is the time to make great efforts. Next, it will be as vigorous and decisive as Your Majesty's military operations, and the Jia family may just be a sacrifice."

Lin Daiyu listened and nodded silently. She had a brief understanding with Yue Ling in the room last night and realized that there are many corrupt officials in the court and many people who are eating the emperor's salary in vain. Only by taking strong measures can this be corrected.

Looking at Yue Ling's mouth, Lin Daiyu saw a grain of rice on it without knowing when. She raised her hand and picked it up and put it in her mouth.

Cuilu twitched her lips when she saw this scene, as if she had seen an old couple living together for many years, and she dared not say a word.

When Lin Daiyu came to her senses, she felt a little ashamed of her actions just now, so she turned her head away and casually said, "Brother Yue, can you come with me later?"

Yue Ling shook his head and said, "Forget it. I have things to do and need to go to the palace. If something happens in the Jia Mansion and you can't stop it, you can send someone to inform me. But I think you are all smart and well prepared, so nothing should happen." Yue Ling stood up and pulled Xueyan, who was still eating, and said, "Okay, don't eat yet. Help me change into an official uniform. I need to go to the palace."

Xueyan lost her grip on the chopsticks, and the spoon she was using to eat the porridge fell to the ground. As she watched the food on the table getting farther and farther away from her, she pursed her lips and said, "Wow... I haven't finished eating yet."

Lin Daiyu couldn't help laughing. She looked at Shi Xiangyun who was lost in thought and asked, "Sister Yun, are you ready? Shall we go together?"

Shi Xiangyun suddenly came back to her senses and responded in astonishment, "Sister Lin, where are you going?"

"Of course we're going to the Jia Mansion. My elder sister is visiting her parents today and she said she wants to see us sisters. Don't you want to go?" Lin Daiyu rolled her eyes and teased, "Why are you staying in the mansion if you don't want to go? Brother Yue won't rest in the mansion today. He has to go to the government office."

Shi Xiangyun's cheeks immediately turned red, and she lowered her head in embarrassment, saying, "Sister Lin, what are you talking about? Whether the Marquis is on leave or working in the government office has nothing to do with me..."

Lin Daiyu couldn't help pinching Shi Xiangyun's chubby cheeks and questioned, "Oh? Really? I think what you said is fake."

Shi Xiangyun smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to respond.

Lin Daiyu sat down next to Shi Xiangyun, moved closer, and asked, "Just now, were you worried that the Shi family would follow in the footsteps of the Jia family?"

Shi Xiangyun was stunned for a moment, then nodded silently.

Lin Daiyu sighed, "You are just born soft-hearted. It is clear that your two aunts in the Shi Mansion treat you coldly and don't care about you, but you are still worried about them."

Shi Xiangyun whispered softly: "That's true, but..."

Holding Shi Xiangyun's cold hand, Lin Daiyu shook her head and said, "There's nothing to worry about. Even if you are asked to do it, if they are really guilty, can you forgive them? They are like the golden unicorn in your arms. Real gold is not afraid of fire. If there is any trick, it will always be discovered. How can you hide from it?"

"Let's go, let's go to Rongguo Mansion first. If you have any concerns, just let Brother Yue give you some advice later. Besides, don't you want to live in the mansion forever?"

Shi Xiangyun slowly turned her head to the side, "Sister Lin, please stop teasing me."

After that, Shi Xiangyun murmured again: "If two people get along for a long time, their personalities will become more and more similar..."

"how do I say this?"

Shi Xiangyun stuck out her tongue and said, "Sister Lin, please don't blame me for what I said. When I first saw you, I thought Sister Lin was like a fairy, pure and innocent, yet gentle and virtuous, and really charming. Even if I were a man, I would like you too."

"But now, you have learned bad things from the Marquis and make fun of others whenever you can. You are really mean."

"Oh, is that so?" Lin Daiyu blinked with an innocent expression.

"Yes, a lot." Shi Xiangyun said, "Moreover, it seems that Sister Lin enjoys it, whether she is teasing others or getting along with the Marquis... This can't be called self-control, right?"

Lin Daiyu raised her other hand and grabbed Shi Xiangyun's cheeks with both hands, kneading and flattening them.

"It seems that those who are close to vermilion will be red, and those who are close to ink will be black. I didn't realize it at all." Lin Daiyu pretended to be relaxed and accepted Shi Xiangyun's suggestion with a smile, "Okay, I won't tease you anymore. I will go to listen to Master Miaoyu's lecture some other day to calm my mind."

……

The sun is setting in the west, and the sky is full of red clouds.
Yuanchun's carriage left Xuande Gate, arrived at Zhuque Street, and went west to Ningrong Street. Before she reached the street entrance, she saw that the road under the doorway had been cleared by people from the Ning and Rong mansions.

The streets on both sides were decorated with flowers, and even the plaques on the shops on Ningrong Street were covered with red silk, creating quite a grand scene.

Glimpsing these scenes through the gap in the curtain of the sedan chair, Yuanchun felt more and more uneasy.

She had repeatedly instructed that everything should be kept simple, but now even the outside of the mansion gate was decorated with lights and colors, not to mention the villa for the visit of the mother that had been built at great expense.

There were so many spectators on the street that the military had to send people over to maintain order.

"My lady, something seems to be wrong..."

Baoqin covered the curtain of the carriage with her face looking very unhappy.

After all, she also heard the Queen's instructions before she left, but it seemed like she had violated a taboo before even entering the palace.

Jia Yuanchun just closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

Baoqin could only make small talk: "Don't worry, madam. Maybe it's just because the old lady in the mansion cares about her reputation that she decorated the street like this, and there is no extravagance in the mansion."

"After all, the queen has already given them many instructions, why would they still be so perfunctory?"

"Yes, that's right. The old lady is very concerned about her reputation. Your Majesty knows this."

Baoqin kept talking like this until she lost confidence in what she said and gradually, no sound came out of her mouth.

When the carriage entered the main gate, the eunuchs outside shouted loudly, and the people in the Jia family knelt to greet them, and a passage was cleared to lead directly to the second gate.

At this moment, Baoqin didn't dare to lift the curtain of the sedan chair to look. If she had taken a look, she would have known that the scene inside the mansion was much more grand than that outside.

After a while, the phoenix carriage slowly hovered in the air.

The eunuch called out in a sharp voice, "Where is the old lady Shi, the wife of the first-class duke? The queen is coming to the palace to visit her parents!"

After she called out, no one answered. Jia Yuanchun couldn't help but raised her eyebrows.

"Where is the First-Class Duke's wife, Old Madam Shi? Your Majesty, please come to the mansion to visit your parents!"

"Why is Mrs. Shi gone?"

The eunuch was dissatisfied. He called out three times but no one came to greet him. Could it be that the imperial concubine was not welcome to visit?

Just when all around was silent, the belated wife of the king knelt down in fear and trepidation before the carriage, kowtowed repeatedly and said: "Greetings to the Imperial Concubine, Greetings to the Eunuch. The old lady in the mansion is feeling unwell and is now bedridden. I hope you will forgive me for not being able to welcome you."

"what?"

When the eunuch heard this, he showed some anger.

"How could such a thing happen for no reason? Why didn't you mention it before the visit? The majesty of the royal family will not be offended by you?"

"I deserve to die. I deserve to die. This happened suddenly. I hope the Imperial Concubine and the Eunuch can forgive me."

Baoqin was really nervous and couldn't bear to let the curtain down again, so she looked at Yuanchun.

"My lady, what should we do?"

(End of this chapter)