Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 486 Ten Miles of Red Makeup
The Imperial History Office in the Capital

The night was like a curtain of stars. After the curfew, the lanterns in front of the Shi Mansion had dimmed a bit, swaying gently in the evening breeze, touching the eaves and pillars, making a rustling sound.

In the alleyway to the side, there was an inconspicuous little door with just a simple lock.

The housekeeper's wife, who was on night duty, had not yet arrived, which gave the intruder an opportunity. He used the handle of his knife to pry open the wooden door, and through the gap, he knocked off the lock and slipped inside.

Then, he easily made his way to the Shi family's inner residence.

After the Jia family's property was confiscated, the Shi family was one of the most severely affected residences.

The two families had a deep relationship and numerous old accounts. One item led to the Shi family, who ultimately had to pay to avoid further trouble, making the already impoverished mansion even more deserted.

Although he held a noble title, Second Master Shi Nai had no official rank.

Although Third Master Shi Ding held real power, he was stationed far away in Shanxi and hadn't managed to bring any extra income home, which caused quite a bit of resentment within the mansion.

“Miss Yun, the New Year is just around the corner. Aren’t we going to return to the Duke of Dingguo’s mansion yet?”

Zijuan and Shi Xiangyun sat facing each other, keeping her company as she did needlework, trimming the loose threads with scissors.

Shi Xiangyun, however, remained lost in thought, seemingly oblivious to Zijuan's words, mechanically continuing to thread the needle.

As Yue Ling's power grew, Shi Xiangyun, who had interacted with him, also rose in status in the Shi family. The maids and servants truly treated her with the respect due to a young lady, and no longer allowed her to do the rough work that only servants were supposed to do.

Her aunts always treated her with great respect, frequently coming to inquire about her well-being, which only made Shi Xiangyun more uneasy.

The once cheerful and talkative person now has a gloomy face all day long and sometimes acts silly, just like now.

Zijuan waved her hand in front of her and tugged at her sleeve, finally bringing her back to her senses. She lowered her arm that had been supporting her head and smiled sheepishly, "Ah? What did you say just now, sister?"

This kind of life had been going on for a long time, and Zijuan had gotten used to it. She was a gentle person with plenty of patience, so she repeated without bothering to argue, "The New Year is just around the corner. Is Sister Yun still going to stay in this mansion?"

Shi Xiangyun's face darkened again, and she said in a low voice, "I do want to go back and play with my sisters, but..."

Zijuan then suggested, "Instead of you racking your brains at the Shi family's place, why don't you go back to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion and ask the master if there's any chance of a turnaround in the Shi family's affairs?"

“Miss Yun, please forgive me for saying something harsh. The Shi family now only has the title of marquis, but no real power. The two branches are fighting each other, and the Shi family is no weaker than the Rong family. It is not a good thing for you to stay here.”

"Think about it, the three young ladies of the Jia family have already stayed in the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, why are you making things difficult for yourself?"

Shi Xiangyun lowered her head silently. "I am not as shrewd as Sister Lin, and I do not want to trouble the Marquis. The decline of the Shi family is inevitable, but I always thought that my third uncle was a capable man. Otherwise, he would not have made military achievements with the Marquis. There should still be a chance for things to turn around."

Zijuan sighed softly and said, "Then let me put it more clearly, there's something strange about this Shi residence."

Zijuan tilted her head towards the window and asked in a low voice, "Haven't you noticed that they've been deliberately restricting us these past few days? We can't move around freely in this mansion, and we can often feel someone watching us from behind."

"Furthermore, there have been strange noises coming from the inner quarters of the mansion lately. As far as I know, there should be several side gates in the inner quarters. Could there be outsiders walking around so late?"

Shi Xiangyun was terrified by what she heard. She took Zijuan's hand and asked, "Could it be that Second Uncle and the others are up to something bad again?"

Zijuan shook her head. "We didn't see it with our own eyes, but it's definitely somewhat unusual."

The two were still discussing right and wrong when a clear knock came from behind the door. It was late at night, so the knock sounded even more alarming.

"who is it?"

Zijuan stood up warily, shielding Shi Xiangyun, who was shrinking back onto the kang (heated brick bed), behind her, and gestured to Cuilu to open the door.

Cuilu was terrified, but in this situation, there was no one more suitable than her to open the door.

She hurriedly grabbed a feather duster, as if to offer some comfort, and first pried open the door a crack, without rushing to lift the latch.

"Who is it? Why are you here so late?"

A deep voice came from outside, whispering, "Is Yun'er still in her room? Third Uncle is back."

"Third uncle?"

Shi Xiangyun jumped off the heated kang with delight, slipped on her embroidered shoes, and hurried to the door.

During these agonizing days, Shi Xiangyun was waiting for Shi Ding to return and take charge of the situation. Now that she heard he had returned, it was naturally good news.

But Zijuan still grabbed her, who was getting a little carried away, and told her, "Don't make a fuss. They must have something important to tell you at this time."

Shi Xiangyun immediately composed herself, gently pushed open the door, and welcomed in a burly man wearing a bamboo hat and a black robe, settling him down at the tea table.

Shi Ding took off his straw hat and stood behind the door. He looked around and sighed inwardly.

After closing all the doors and windows, Shi Xiangyun sat down at the tea table, frowned, and asked, "Why did you come so late, Uncle? Are you deliberately avoiding Uncle?"

Shi Ding nodded. "I'm staying at an inn tonight. I heard you were still at the Shi family's, so I rushed over here. The capital is not peaceful, and I can't just show myself anywhere."

He then took out a thick letter from his pocket, placed it on the tea table, and said, "Don't stay in the manor any longer. Take advantage of the New Year's holiday to go back to the Duke of Dingguo's manor and hand this letter over to the Duke of Dingguo."

Shi Xiangyun was very alarmed. She handed the letter to Zijuan for safekeeping and continued to ask, "Is there anything else you want to convey?"

“If we hand over the items inside to the Duke of Dingguo, he will understand them clearly without needing to say anything more.”

After saying this, Shi Ding was about to get up, but he did not drink the tea that Cui Lu had set out.

"Now that the Duke of Dingguo is in a high and dazzling position, it is inconvenient for me to meet with him or appear in his residence. The Xue family's Feng branch has also been targeted by many people recently. Entrusting it to you is the best solution. You must take good care of it. Otherwise, the Shi family may suffer the same catastrophic disaster as the Rongguo family."

Shi Xiangyun clutched her chest and nodded repeatedly.

Shi Ding then pushed open the door and left, disappearing into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

Zijuan held the heavy object in her hands and frowned, saying, "Miss Yun, there's no time to lose. We should tell the manor first thing tomorrow morning that we need to go back."

Shi Xiangyun nodded solemnly, "Okay."

……

Having suffered the blow of the "Great Debate at the Imperial Academy," Jia Baoyu became increasingly despondent.

He realized that even in terms of knowledge, he was far inferior to Yue Ling.

However, Jia Baoyu didn't care too much about the lack of academic knowledge, since he believed that those in the court were corrupt officials who tarnished the words of the sages and used their power to pursue their own interests.

However, since returning from the grand debate at the Imperial Academy, Xia Jingui has gained a different understanding of Yue Ling.

Only then did I realize that Yue Ling was not a traditional martial artist, but a polymath with both literary and martial skills, like a banished immortal.

He was incredibly eye-catching on the field, able to defeat two great Confucian scholars and leave them speechless; his figure truly captivated Xia Jingui. For some time now, Xia Jingui had been searching everywhere for information about Yue Ling.

After learning all about Yue Ling's journey to Jiangnan, Xia Jingui's love for him became like a flood, growing ever more uncontrollable.

When Jia Baoyu saw those materials, it was only when he obtained the collection of poems written by Yue Ling and Lin Daiyu that his beautiful dream was truly shattered.

It turns out that the other couple was a perfect match in terms of looks and talent, and he was the one who was vulgar and uncouth.

What pained Baoyu even more was that Xia Jingui changed her mind and stopped forcing him to take the imperial examinations. It seemed that in Xia Jingui's mind, even if he passed the examinations and became an official, he was not cut out for such a job.

Instead, he was allowed to learn everything about Yue Ling within the mansion.

She imitated Yue Ling's clothing and tone of voice, and even memorized every word of the Imperial Lectures and Debates, before performing it for Xia Jingui.

If you can't memorize it, you'll get a good beating; if you can, Xia Jingui will despise you. If Yue Ling is like a tiger descending the mountain, his aura is like a stray dog ​​on the street.

"I consulted a fortune teller at the temple. The twelfth day of the second month of the following year is an auspicious day for marriage. On that day, you will marry into the Xia family and become their son-in-law."

"February 12th is also the Flower Goddess Festival. The Xia family grows osmanthus trees, so the Flower Goddess is quite fitting for me."

Upon hearing this, Baoyu, who was serving tea, trembled in his hand, and the teacup fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.

Xia Jingui glared at him again, and Baoyu repeatedly begged for forgiveness, "I was wrong, I was wrong, please don't hit me. Didn't you like that young master Mei? Why do you want to marry me now?"

Xia Jingui was about to get angry, but when Baoyu mentioned the young master of the Mei family, Xia Jingui first licked her lips and sneered, "That young master is no good either. He has a lot of backbone, but he lives a poor life. He is not as sensible as you."

Taking the opportunity to clean up the mess on the ground, Baoyu felt a little happy for some reason.

Having endured the betrayal and coldness of his sisters, Baoyu now felt a sense of being cherished, as if someone had chosen him and recognized his worth. This gave him a feeling of being held in high esteem that he hadn't experienced in a long time.

Baoyu smiled and asked in agreement, "Really? So Miss Xia doesn't like him?"

Xia Jingui leaned back lazily in her chair and said indifferently, "I do like his appearance. However, he would definitely not agree to be my son-in-law, and he is not as easy to control as you. In the future, if we find an opportunity, a night of passion is not out of the question."

Baoyu asked in surprise, "Didn't you say you were going to marry me, Miss?"

Xia Jingui glared at her and retorted, "Just because I'm married to you, does that mean I can't have sex with other men? Who gives you the right to tell me what to do?"

"you!"

Baoyu was both angry and afraid. In a fit of anger, he turned his head away and looked to the side.

Xia Jingui knew that Baoyu would react this way, so she decided to make him her official wife so that her future happiness would not be delayed.

Waving her hand dismissively, Xia Jingui made a startling statement: "You don't know, do you? When your parents passed through Dongping Prefecture, they withdrew five thousand taels from the Xia family's bank. That was considered the dowry for selling you to the Xia family as a son-in-law."

"There's no turning back on this matter, even if you don't marry into the family."

Baoyu stared in astonishment, his eyes wide, and cried out, "Impossible! How could this be? My mother loves me the most, how could she do such a thing? If they knew I was still alive..."

Xia Jingui snorted coldly and called a maid over to throw the voucher on the ground.

Baoyu's faith was shattered once again, and his eyes dimmed.

"It's better if you behave yourself. You're only good for this empty shell. Once I'm tired of you, I won't make things difficult for you anymore. The Xia family provides you with food and drink and takes care of this good-for-nothing for life. In this freezing winter, you'll end up like a stray dog ​​on the roadside, never seeing the spring of next year!"

Xia Jingui kept grumbling, "Ugh, what bad luck! How come I have to take this good-for-nothing as my son-in-law? The Xue family can marry into the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. How am I any less attractive or capable than her?"

"If I had the Duke of Dingguo's help, my business would have been bigger than the Xue family's long ago. Why would I bother growing these worthless flowers and being controlled by the Imperial Household Department?"

……

Early the next morning,
Lin Daiyu and Yue Ling had been playing around all night, and when she woke up, she felt exhausted.

She peered into the silk quilt beside her and, sure enough, Yue Ling was no longer there; he had gone out to the government office.

With a sigh, Lin Daiyu felt a little lonely. In the past, before Yue Ling became a high-ranking official, he would always wait for her to wake up together. The two of them would wash up and get dressed together, which felt like a newlywed couple.

But now... I'm tied up with many things.

He sat up on his own and called out twice.

Xueyan then came in and sat down next to Lin Daiyu, helping her comb her hair and dress.

"What's going on outside? Why is it so noisy?"

Lin Daiyu kept hearing people walking back and forth, as if they were carrying something, which made her a little suspicious.

Xueyan smiled and said, "Oh, that's because the manor is buying New Year's goods. The cellar couldn't hold them all, so they've stored some in each courtyard. We'll just eat them for the next few days."

"Young lady, you don't know how fresh the vegetables are, and there's also..."

"Stop, stop, stop."

Lin Daiyu first silenced Xueyan, for she was indeed very knowledgeable about food.

"I remember we already did the shopping a few days ago, didn't we?"

Xueyan nodded. "We did buy some, but someone delivered some more today."

"Who? Didn't Brother Yue say we shouldn't accept things from others lately?"

Lin Daiyu frowned slightly, displeased. How could someone accept gifts from outsiders without her permission?
Xueyan frowned and thought for a long time before saying, "I remember, it seems, it seems to have been sent by someone from the palace."

"In the palace?"

Lin Daiyu was even more surprised.

He grabbed Xueyan's face, pinched and squeezed it, and asked, "Think carefully, did you ask me to do anything?"

Xueyan was so groaned and unable to speak because of Lin Daiyu's rubbing and kneading that Lin Daiyu called over the more intelligent Qingwen.

"Qingwen, do you know why the palace suddenly bestowed rewards?"

Qingwen laughed so hard her waist trembled, and she offered her congratulations, saying, "Miss, this is not a reward for the master, nor is it a gift from outside. It is a gift from the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Rites, which together have sent dozens of carts of red dowry and banquet supplies to decorate the wedding banquet. The whole household is busy with this matter now."

"Congratulations, young lady! You'll be becoming a lady on February 12th!"

(End of this chapter)