The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 193 A Spoiled Wife in the Officialdom
After reading Lin Ruhai's letter, Wang Xin thought about how he had experienced Wang Ziteng, Lu Zhongheng, and appeasing Jia Zheng in recent days, and now Lin Ruhai's letter. He could only think of one sentence: "Comparison is the thief of joy."

I really want to open Lin Ruhai's head and see how his brain works.

"Master Lin is as experienced as ever," Wang Xin said deliberately in front of Liao Rong.

When Liao Rong returns to Jiangnan, Lin Ruhai will inevitably ask him about it. When Liao Rong talks about it again, he will repeat his own words. What is this? Flattery from afar.

With Lin Ruhai's wisdom, he could certainly accept the attitude he expressed.

Liao Rong didn't understand Wang Xin's thoughts, and only smiled and said, "We all admire Master Lin's skills."

"Did you come alone?" Wang Xin asked.

Liao Rong explained, "Master Lin sent me here, saying that I was coming to the capital with the Salt Transport Ambassador. It's just to get a title so I can use the post stations along the way to make my journey easier."

After hearing Liao Rong's answer, which was so well-arranged, Wang Xin couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

I have always admired Lin Ruhai.

The importance of the Salt Commissioner is beyond doubt. Lin Ruhai managed to turn a temporary post with a one-year term into a long-term one, which is already a remarkable skill, especially considering the current era.

Over the years, countless officials and civil servants have died in power struggles, regardless of their status, including princes, not to mention those who were implicated. Even now, an old master from the Jia family has become a monk.

Jia Jing, the patriarch of Ningguo Mansion, is the father of Jia Zhen. He is the son of Jia Daihua, the hereditary first-class general of the capital garrison and the military governor of the capital. Moreover, he was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the year of Yimao. With such a resume, he is undoubtedly a leading figure among the four great families.

Even Lin Ruhai paled in comparison to this man, yet Jia Jing, driven by his love of Taoism, disregarded his family's future and went to the Xuanzhen Temple to cultivate, refining elixirs and mercury, ignoring everything else. These were merely pretexts.

The reason is that Jia Jing fell from grace and had to become a monk to survive, thus escaping death. This shows that he was a clever man. Even with his previous significant advantages, he still failed. Then came Wang Ziteng, whose failure was even more complete.

These are still from the four major families.

Although the four great families were among the most prominent noble families, they were not directly involved in the turmoil, yet they still suffered such a calamity, which shows how dangerous it was for the others who were implicated.

Not only has Lin Ruhai remained unscathed for many years, but he has also managed to maintain a balance between the two sides and gain their trust. Even now that the retired emperor is in power, he has not purged Lin Ruhai, but instead promoted him. One has to admire his ability.

Having already had a general idea, and now with Lin Ruhai's suggestion, Wang Xin no longer hesitated and took Liao Rong to Hexi Camp to meet Liu Tong and the others.

After Zijuan returned, the June sun was already quite hot.

From a distance, Zijuan's Xiaoxiang Pavilion appears to be immersed in emerald waves, with hundreds of Xiangfei bamboo stalks outside resembling golden gauze draped in cicada wings, and dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves dancing like shattered jade on the blue brick ground.

Passing by in a hurry, I saw the girl sitting on the Xiangfei couch.

Sunlight pierced through the plain gauze screen beside her, causing the silver-red floral silk sleeves to slip halfway down, revealing her smooth, alabaster forearms. The jadeite bracelet pressed down on her arms, its pale blue veins like spring vines locking in a trace of snow.

Daiyu glanced at Zijuan and said, "If he tries to shut me up with some unpleasant words, don't tell me."

Zijuan was amused by the girl and couldn't help but say, "In my opinion, Master Xin and you are quite the bickering couple. The year before last, when you were on a boat back to the capital, you and Master Xin were arguing the whole way. And now that you're in this mansion, it's still the same. You don't act like an elder, and you don't act like a junior."

The last time, Miss didn't put in much effort and got a lot of questions wrong, or she didn't put in any thought. When Master Xin found out, he said a few sarcastic things to Miss. Miss took it seriously, but she was still upset.

They still hold a grudge. Once things are done, they'll wait for Master Xin to speak well of them. Others may not understand their young lady's thoughts, but Zijuan understands them very well.

Daiyu sat up and said with a laugh, "You're taking the side of outsiders and ganging up on me. I've always considered you a confidant, but it was all just wishful thinking on my part."

Zijuan took Daiyu's hand and said with a smile, "Good girl, don't be angry with me. Sister Ping and Qingwen are both here. Let's go play now. It will be inconvenient to go later if we go too late."

Daiyu, being weak, quickly said, "I'm not going."

Zijuan released Daiyu's hand and asked curiously, "Why aren't you going again?"

"I refuse to go." Daiyu lay back down.

"You two are really something." Zijuan was speechless and stamped her foot, saying, "I don't care about you." It was the same when they were on the ship before. The two of them would argue and almost have a falling out, but as soon as she intervened, they would make up again, as if she were the one who was superfluous.

"It would be better if you didn't interfere," Daiyu retorted stubbornly, closing her eyes. Though she wore no makeup, her face was as beautiful as a peach blossom. As she spoke, her eyelashes beneath her willow-leaf eyebrows trembled slightly, making her even more charming.

Zijuan sat helplessly on the veranda. The weather was perfect now—not too cold, not too hot, and even more comfortable in the shade. Leaning against the railing, she seemed about to fall asleep. Daiyu glanced at Zijuan discreetly before closing her eyes again with peace of mind.

She hadn't planned to go. The man hadn't even apologized to her. Why should she go see him? She had done him a huge favor, and he hadn't even said thank you. Instead, he deliberately provoked her, wanting her to put in the effort. They had made it clear from the start, but he had to resort to scheming and bullying a weak woman like herself.

The afternoon was warm, and the two of them were quite comfortable.

Tubishan Villa.

Qingwen waited and waited, but lost her patience. She said in surprise, "Zijuan has been gone for a long time, Miss Lin has not come, and Master Xin also went to the front, but he has not returned either. Is this also a coincidence?"

Ping'er was embroidering a purse, outlining it with gold thread, putting her heart into every stitch. Seeing that Qingwen was only thinking about having fun, she smiled and said, "Since you didn't come, something must have delayed you. Why are you waiting so long?"

Qingwen still didn't want to come back. She stood at the door, looking around and said hopefully, "If Master Xin were home, Miss Lin and Zijuan would come over. How lively that would be!"

Ping'er, holding a needle, knelt obliquely on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the sunlight by the window. The needle and thread passed through a piece of silk fabric, and her eyes were focused on it. The fine hairs on her face were tinged with a golden light, giving her a unique charm.

Hearing Qingwen's words, Ping'er sighed inwardly.

To be honest, Lord Xin is a really good person, but what are she and Qingwen? Qingwen is young, so even if she's just a maid, what about her? Unlike Qingwen, Ping'er has too many worries in her heart.

Miss Lin is of noble birth, and her looks and talent are beyond compare. Compared to them, what am I?

Ping'er lacked confidence, and the more uneasy she felt, the more she wanted to hold onto something, but she always felt like she couldn't grasp it.

"What are the two young ladies doing?"

A person came in from outside; it was Zhou Rui's wife. She walked in with a smile.

Ping'er quickly got off the kang (heated brick bed), and Qingwen also smiled and invited Zhou Rui's wife in for tea. Zhou Rui's wife did not come in, but only said a few words, telling them: "Master Xin went out and told the steward. I found out and was afraid you wouldn't know, so I came to tell you."

"They just said someone was looking for them, why did they go out again?" Qingwen was increasingly disappointed.

Ping'er smiled and said, "Sister Zhou, why bother making this trip?"

"It was nothing." Zhou Rui's wife glanced at Ping'er, her eyes filled with undisguised inquiry. Ping'er, however, didn't know how to face her and, unable to withstand Zhou Rui's gaze, blushed and lowered her head.

Seeing this, Zhou Rui's wife laughed and said, "Miss Ping has always been clever, and we don't need to say much."

Ping'er understood the meaning behind the words.

Qingwen said innocently, "Sister Ping'er has always been smart, and we all admire her."

When Zhou Rui saw Qingwen's appearance, he knew that she was still naive and didn't understand anything. He was a little surprised, though, because although Qingwen was young, her beauty was no less than that of others.

Because of Wang Xifeng, even Zhou Rui's wife knew that Lian Er Ye almost couldn't resist.

Although Master Lian was a womanizer, he never dared to overstep his bounds, which shows how beautiful Qingwen was. How could Master Xin resist her?
"That's good," Zhou Rui's wife raised an eyebrow at Ping'er.

Qingwen saw these little actions but didn't take them seriously. She had no idea that Ping'er's heart, which had just calmed down, couldn't help but start pounding again.

Zhou Ruijia didn't have bad intentions. On the contrary, she came to remind her because she had a good relationship with her. What's most important to women like her is a good man.

Zhou Rui stayed for a while, then got up to say goodbye and left.

Leaving the manor, I was filled with emotion. Everyone in the manor spoke highly of Lord Xin's character. The key was that he was a promising man. He had only been in the manor for a year or two, yet his position had become increasingly important.

If Ping'er doesn't seize the opportunity now, it will be too late to regret it later when the chance is missed.

Out of consideration for her past relationship with Ping'er, she decided to come and visit today. However, judging from Ping'er's expression, she should know what's going on. As long as Ping'er is willing, Zhou Rui's wife still believes that with Ping'er's beauty, no man can refuse her.

Unless he's not a man. Thinking of this, Zhou Rui's wife couldn't help but laugh as she passed Hengwu Garden.

Last winter, Xinye practiced swordsmanship on the mountain with his arms bare. With such a fiery temper, how could he not be a man? Zhou Rui's wife wanted to laugh when she heard this, but she also had more confidence in Ping'er. After all, Qingwen was just an immature girl.

(End of this chapter)