The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 176 Who do you like more?
Jia Rong went on a business trip the next day, and the affairs of the mansion were handed over to several housekeepers.

If we don't bury the bodies of the princes soon, they will stink when the weather gets hot.

Everyone in the Duke's Mansion felt much more relaxed and began to busy themselves with their own affairs.

Lin Daiyu ate alone in the room in the morning, read a book and practiced calligraphy.

Shortly after dinner, Qiaoer and Linger came to class with their cloth schoolbags.

Lin Daiyu taught the two girls to read the handouts, and then they had lunch together before the get out of class ended. Eating was also a kind of etiquette and could be considered teaching.

Only after finishing her meal did Lin Daiyu officially leave the get out of class.

"Zijuan, send Qiao'er and Ling'er back."

Lin Daiyu was also tired and planned to take a short nap.

Zijuan went to send the child back, and when she came back, Lin Daiyu had already fallen asleep, and the maids took good care of her.

Zijuan also sat down on another bed in the bedroom. Soon the maid beside her squatted down to help her take off her shoes, and then helped Zijuan put away the jewelry she took off and put it in a special place.

After she lay down, the maids checked where Zijuan was not covered properly and tidied up the quilt to prevent her from catching a cold.

When Lin Daiyu woke up, Zijuan was already awake, and it was already 2:30 in the afternoon.

Lin Daiyu felt a little bored, so she sat up and asked Zijuan, "Is there no one coming to play with me today?"

Zijuan replied, "No, Miss Yun went to fly a kite after dinner, and Miss Bao went to the east courtyard to work. The other girls seemed to have something to do and didn't come."

Lin Daiyu thought about it and frowned.

"Why does it feel so quiet today?"

Zijuan said, "The master went out early this morning and is estimated to be away for a month. Madam is busy disciplining the young masters, so she took the maids to the West Mansion to check if there are toys or inappropriate things hidden in the young masters' rooms. Madam Tai probably won't go there today, so Madam can let the girls do whatever they want."

When Lin Daiyu heard that everyone had something to do, she nodded.

Soon she felt bored. Although it was nice to have some quiet time, after being used to the hustle and bustle, Lin Daiyu was still not used to this kind of quietness.

"Pack up, I'm going to play chess with Yingchun."

Among the four arts of calligraphy, chess, and painting, the second child Yingchun corresponds to chess.

Like Lin Daiyu, Tanchun is a book lover, but Tanchun has been busy with garden matters recently and is rarely seen.

Zijuan said, "Second Miss and Bao Miss have both gone to Hibiscus Garden."

Lin Daiyu asked curiously, "Is it the courtyard where the old lady used to bathe and put the boiler room and hot water pool?"

The You family courtyard was the first place to have a boiler room, but in recent years it has been extended to the rooms of all wives, concubines and girls.

Each courtyard also has a special room for bathing, which is relatively small and has props such as large wooden barrels.

Lin Daiyu took a bath in a wooden barrel. She would never go to that kind of crowded bathhouse again after going there once.

Zijuan replied, "That's right there. It's now renamed Hibiscus Garden. The master gave it the name, 'Hibiscus blooms in clear water, naturally without any decoration.'"

Lin Daiyu didn't understand what was good about it.

"What are you going to do there? You can take a shower at home. I remember there were not many people there. It's now occupied by maids."

Zijuan replied, "My master told me to clean up the place and build a cement house before he left, so that we can have a cool place in the summer."

"Miss Bao has too many things to do, and Miss San also has a lot to do. The grandmothers and wives in the east house are not very willing to take charge of other matters. Grandma Zhu has been at home these days helping to look after the maids and servants."

Lin Daiyu asked curiously, "I think Sister Qin and Madam Tai are both capable people. I heard from my eldest sister that they were both capable people in the past."

Zijuan smiled and said, "Miss, how could we maids not know who is powerful in this mansion? Miss, you definitely don't know that the maids and old women in the east courtyard are all very powerful. No one is kind. Without the master's order, we can't find out a word about what's going on over there."

"Don't think that the young ladies can go in casually. In fact, the management of that courtyard is ten times more strict than that of the grandmother's!"

"The maids and wives who serve there are basically married to those who have been with the master in the mansion for more than ten years. They are all elderly people, and most of them are the kind who entered the mansion at the age of fifteen or sixteen and have lived there for fifteen or sixteen years."

Lin Daiyu laughed after hearing this, but she finally discovered the specialness of the East Courtyard.

Yu Shi, Qin Shi and others in Chaoyang Tower in the East Courtyard seem very low-key, but in fact their status and position are no worse than Jia Yuanchun's. They just don't get involved in the big events in the mansion.

"I remember that after the Chinese New Year, the Madam wanted to pretend to be sick and not come out."

Lin Daiyu thought of something interesting again. Youshi was really not keen on power and status. This was especially obvious when compared with Lady Wang and Lady Xing in the west.

Lin Daiyu felt very strange when she thought of this.

Lady Xing and Lady Wang only became obedient after suffering a series of blows. Mrs. You had never suffered any hardship, and her status in the mansion was higher than Jia Yuanchun and Jia Xichun. Even Jia Rong had to be respectful to her. Why did she dislike the hustle and bustle and being in the limelight?
She was not even very close to her grandchildren. She usually played with Qin Keqing, the You sisters, and Wang Xifeng.

While I was combing my hair and thinking about something, I heard the voice of a maid outside.

"Miss Yun!"

Shi Xiangyun called out, "Is Daiyu in the room?"

"exist."

Shi Xiangyun walked in quickly and saw Lin Daiyu combing her hair. She smiled and said, "I forgot about this. Can you lend me the one you used to wash your hair this morning? My scalp is itchy."

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "What does your itchy scalp have to do with me? I haven't gotten what I want yet!" Shi Xiangyun looked at Lin Daiyu with suspicion, "Really? You're not lying to me, are you?"

"I lied to you and I'm a dog." Lin Daiyu was a little angry. She really didn't get the things.

While braiding Lin Daiyu's hair, Zijuan explained, "Second Madam agreed at the time, but she left early the next morning, and our young lady was too embarrassed to ask her for it."

Shi Xiangyun smiled and said, "Then I'll go over and get it for you, and then you can give me some!"

Lin Daiyu showed a helpless expression.

"No, we're almost done."

Shi Xiangyun came over and sat down. The maids brought tea and snacks. Shi Xiangyun, sitting on the chair, held up the teacup and looked at Lin Daiyu.

"It's your birthday in a few days, let's have some fun then!"

Lin Daiyu laughed and said helplessly: "Okay, I will thank you very much when the time comes."

The maids brought the jewelry box and Zijuan put on the headdress for Lin Daiyu.

"Girls are lucky. The master always pays for your birthdays every year. We maids can only pay for the fun ourselves."

Zijuan started nagging about this matter again.

Lin Daiyu is not good at talking about such things.

Shi Xiangyun said, "You should just be content. Big sister will probably let some people go again. This morning when I was playing outside, I saw my second brother's maid, Sheyue. She came over and begged for help when she saw people. My second brother is going to Jiangnan to play soon, and he doesn't want any of the maids in the yard anymore."

Lin Daiyu frowned, "I remember that Sheyue, Bihen, Xiren and several others in Baoyu's room were all taken away by him. How could he not want them?"

Zijuan sighed, "It's normal not to want it. Except for our family, every man in every family will have sex with every girl they see. They will not let go of any pretty girl in the mansion. If a maid's body is broken, it's normal to marry her off or sell her to human traffickers for some money. Musk Moon is not pregnant, and I don't think Xiren is much better."

The more Zijuan thought about it, the more upset she felt. "There used to be more than 20 maids in Master Bao's yard. Usually they were called sisters and pampered, but in fact, they were just pampered like cats and dogs, and they would just ignore them when they got tired of playing with them."

Lin Daiyu sighed, "Zijuan, go ask again. Last time I told them to come to my place, but they wanted to stay with Baoyu."

Zijuan didn't want to go. "Miss, I know you have a kind heart, but those two are not innocent girls. Although there are many wives and mothers in our family, they are all well-behaved people. If you keep those two spoiled girls around, the master and the grandmother will definitely not agree."

Lin Daiyu didn't mind this kind of thing. "Go and ask. Brother Rong is not the kind of petty person."

Zijuan still didn't want to go. "I know the master has a kind heart, but miss, how could you forget that Xiren, Bihen, and Sheyue were the maids who took the initiative to seduce Master Bao, and they are all slutty hooves who have experienced love between men and women."

"Our family is a duke's family. If there is any incident like that where the young lady's maid fools around with other men, you will be the one to be blamed!"

After Lin Daiyu realized that such a thing could happen, she had to give up the idea of helping.

If they are two innocent girls, they can naturally be helped, and the others will also give them face.

But it would be troublesome to take in two girls with unclean character and bad reputation.

Shi Xiangyun drank her tea and said softly, "I already have a lot of maids in my yard, and my elder sister said that we won't hire any more maids for now. I didn't say anything about this, but I think Musk Moon seems to have gone to find Qingwen."

Zijuan said, "Qingwen is a fool. She probably thinks that Sheyue and Bihen are not as pretty as her. She also wants to show off her power as an aunt in front of these two girls she knows. They will probably agree. She should suffer a little before she learns to be honest."

"Look at Sister Yuanyang and Sister Ping, both of them live down-to-earth lives after entering the mansion. Our Grandma Qin and Madam Tai are not as arrogant as her."

"When Sister Yuanyang, Sister Ping, and Yinglian were aunts, no one objected. But since Qingwen came in, we maids have been in trouble."

Shi Xiangyun's maid Cuilu echoed, "That's right! If she wasn't so flirtatious and showing off everywhere, we maids would live a much more comfortable life than we do now."

Hearing the maid's opinion of Qingwen, Shi Xiangyun said curiously: "I think Qingwen and Daiyu are very similar. Doesn't elder sister like Daiyu either?"

Lin Daiyu turned her head and looked at Shi Xiangyun, and said coquettishly, "Don't stir up trouble."

Zijuan smiled and said, "Miss, don't be angry. The master and the mistress certainly like you. Qingwen is the lady's body and the life of a maid. How can she compare to the relationship between you and the master!"

Shi Xiangyun asked curiously, "Does Big Brother like me more or Daiyu more?"

Zijuan said quickly, "Oh, Miss Yun, you are making things difficult for me. I didn't know this."

This kind of question is difficult to answer, so I just ignore it.

We went to Tianxiang Tower for dinner in the evening, and as expected, after Jia Rong left, everyone ate in their own rooms.

For many days that followed, Lin Daiyu and the others played together or had separate gatherings in Four Seasons Garden.

Jia Yuanchun in Tianxiang Tower is busy taking care of the children and wants to have a few days of peace and quiet. Jia Yuanchun also has her own hobbies, such as playing the piano by herself to relieve boredom, instead of chatting with others all day like the old lady.

The people in You's courtyard generally have a low level of education. They just sleep in, eat, drink, and listen to operas every day.

Last time when we entertained the Queen, we bought a troupe of girls, which was just right for the young women.

The people in Sijiyuan have the highest cultural level, and they are all girls in their teens to twenties.

Without the constraints of the elders from the Second East and West College, they had a great time every night.

Even Li Wan enjoyed it. Jia Rong took her son out to work, and the old lady and Mrs. Wang were not here to look after her as a widow. She soon felt much freer and no longer had to serve anyone.

Miaoyu also liked this atmosphere, and after becoming more and more familiar with it, she had the urge to live at home forever.

(End of this chapter)