The Red Mansion

Chapter 197 Yangzhou in the Rain

It's already New Year's Eve.

On this day, another heavy snow fell in the capital city.

Although the three courtyards of the Jiang family were no longer occupied by the men of the house, they were completely renovated inside and out under the supervision of the matriarch, Yuan Chun.

Early in the morning, the servants changed the door gods, Spring Festival couplets, and New Year pictures. The new Spring Festival couplet pasted on the vermilion gate read, "May Heaven add years to man's life, and may spring fill the universe and blessings fill the door," which Jiang Nian had specially written before leaving home. At the same time, two brand-new large red lanterns were hung outside the gate, which looked quite beautiful against the backdrop of the heavy snow.

As evening fell, the New Year's Eve dinner was laid out. Yuan Chun sat at the head of the table, dressed in a bright red jacket with gold trim; Xue Baochai sat next to her, in a honey-colored brocade skirt embroidered with golden plum blossoms; Jing Qing wore a lotus-colored satin skirt with butterflies and flowers, and a kingfisher feather hairpin in her hair. Although the three of them and their maids and servants forced smiles, the meal seemed to lack a central figure.

At midnight, firecrackers went off outside, the sound shaking the roof tiles and startling the snow on the eaves into falling in a flurry, while bits of red paper danced in the wind. Firecrackers from neighbors also went off one after another, illuminating the night sky with flickering light.

After the firecrackers were set off, Yuan Chun ordered people to light the ever-burning lamps and arranged for servants to take turns keeping watch over the New Year.

Yuan Chun leaned against the L-shaped Luohan bed in the main room, lost in thought, feeling empty inside.

Xue Baochai was doing needlework in the west wing. Her hands would stop and start, work and stop. The embroidery frame was for a pair of mandarin ducks. She had only finished half of one, but the thread had already tied several knots. She couldn't help but sigh to herself, "Last New Year's Eve, I spent it with Master. This year, Master is not here. It's not as good as it used to be."

Jing Qing was practicing calligraphy in the east wing, but she made mistakes several times. Suddenly, she couldn't help but sigh to her maid Hongxia, "I wonder where Master is right now? How is he spending the New Year?"

None of the three of them will be able to sleep tonight!
After New Year's Eve, it will be the first day of the first month of the third year of Taishun.

That morning, the Jiang family set off firecrackers again to signal the start of the new year.

After the deafening noise subsided, Yuan Chun forced herself to cheer up and distributed New Year's money to everyone in the Jiang family. Jiang Nian had already arranged who would receive how much before leaving the capital.

……

……

The first day of the first month of the third year of Taishun.

A major event is taking place in the palace: the annual New Year's Day court ceremony.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony, also known as the "Golden Throne Hall," stands at the center of the Imperial Palace and is the largest palace within it. This hall is eleven bays wide and five bays deep, with a double-eaved hip roof covered in golden glazed tiles. Seventy-two vermilion pillars stand before the hall, each adorned with a five-clawed golden dragon, its eyes inlaid with luminous pearls. Inside, the floor is paved with gold bricks, and in the central bay stands a nine-dragon gilded throne. On each of the six dragon-entwined golden pillars on either side hangs a tapestry depicting "All Nations Paying Homage to the Emperor."

At dawn, the Hall of Supreme Harmony was already filled with ceremonial guards. On the steps above and below, a sundial stood to the left to monitor the seasons, and a measuring vessel to the right to weigh the nation's fortunes; bronze tortoises and cranes emitted wisps of smoke, and incense burners and censers emitted fragrant vapors. Many dragon heads beneath the white marble balustrades, in the morning light, resembled a group of dragons raising their heads, exuding immense majesty.

At the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), grand music was played. The retired Emperor Jingning, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, and Emperor Taishun, wearing a dark blue dragon-patterned court robe, ascended their thrones one after the other. With three cracks of the whip, hundreds of princes and ministers performed the grand ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows, and the shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" resounded loudly.

After the grand court assembly, Emperor Taishun returned to the warm pavilion of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. The memorials on his desk were piled up like a small mountain, with a memorial about the snow disaster on top. He picked up his pen to write an order, but suddenly noticed an exquisite object beside him—a newly made double-layered copper-bodied enamel inkstone warmer.

The double-layered copper-bodied enamel inkstone box that Jiang Nianjing had previously presented was taken and used by the retired Emperor Jingning.

The one before Emperor Taishun was a new creation of the Imperial Workshop, more exquisite and magnificent than the one presented by Jiang Nian. The enamel painting was not of the Three Friends of Winter, but of the Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl, a design forbidden to the common people, with the dragons' eyes inlaid with rubies.

Even so, when Emperor Taishun saw the warm inkstone box, he couldn't help but think of Jiang Nian.

His fingertips traced the dragon pattern, and he sighed inwardly, "Yi'er is probably on his way to Yangzhou to celebrate the New Year! He's really been wronged!"

Thinking of that child who had been living among the common people for many years and was now constantly working for the country and serving his "father emperor," he couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow in his heart.

In fact, Jiang Nian improved the inkstone warmer not only to please Emperor Jingning and Emperor Taishun, but also because this thing would always be on their desks during cold weather, and the two emperors would see and use it often, thus making them more likely to think of him...

……

……

It's already the fourteenth day of the first lunar month.

A light drizzle was falling over Yangzhou. Although it was still cold, this could be considered the misty rain of early spring.

The rain was as fine as cow's hair, dampening clothes and making the bluestone path gleam with a soft light.

The willows along the banks of the Grand Canal have sprouted tender yellow buds, which are faintly visible in the rain, resembling a traditional Chinese ink painting.

The bluestone steps of Yangzhou Wharf gleamed from the rain, and some official boats and civilian vessels were moored along the shore, swaying gently with the ripples. Porters, draped in straw raincoats, moved among them, their carrying poles creaking. In the distance, the sounds of Suzhou storytelling drifted from a teahouse, mingling with the rustling of raindrops on the tarpaulins, creating a scene with a touch of lingering tenderness.

Yangzhou in the mist and rain!
Suddenly, three official boats slowly approached the shore; it was Jiang Nian and his party.

Almost simultaneously, two smaller passenger boats arrived from behind, carrying Jia Lian, Lin Daiyu, and their entourage.

Although Grandmother Jia deliberately set the day Lin Daiyu left the capital on the same day as Jiang Nian, she did not allow Jia Lian and Lin Daiyu to follow Jiang Nian all the way. However, from the capital to Yangzhou, Jia Lian deliberately followed Jiang Nian the whole way, mainly because he was afraid of encountering trouble on the road and wanted to ask Jiang Nian for help. He felt safe with Jiang Nian.

When the gangplank of the official boat was lowered, it startled several egrets, which fluttered across the water.

Jia Lian stood at the bow of the boat, looking around. His cloak was wet from the rain and gleamed.

Not long after Jiang Nian stepped onto the dock, Jia Lian hurried over, cupped his hands and smiled, "To ensure a safe journey, I've had to trouble you, brother-in-law." As he spoke, he glanced at the guards and soldiers with knives out of the corner of his eye, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"You're too kind," Jiang Nian replied curtly, her gaze drifting past Jia Lian's shoulder—where she saw Lin Daiyu being helped off the boat by Zijuan. Today, this Lin Daiyu wore a moon-white silk cotton skirt, over which she wore a lotus-colored crane-feather cloak, with only a single jade hairpin in her hair. Already frail and delicate, she appeared even more fragile in the light rain.

Lin Daiyu suddenly felt a gaze on her, and when she looked up, she met Jiang Nian's gaze. Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly looked down, forgetting the steps beneath her feet, and almost tripped. Fortunately, Zijuan quickly caught her.

Jia Lian turned around following Jiang Nian's gaze and chuckled twice: "Cousin Lin is frail and cannot withstand the cold."

Jiang Nian did not look away, watching Lin Daiyu hurriedly get into the carriage.

Suddenly, the sound of a pipa drifted from the teahouse at the dock, playing "Raindrops on Banana Leaves," echoing the sound of rain and seemingly sighing at a preordained fate...

Seeing that Jiang Nian had withdrawn her gaze, Jia Lian forced a smile and said, "Now that we've arrived in Yangzhou, brother-in-law, shouldn't you tell me what errands we've been on?"

Jiang Nian straightened his official hat and solemnly said, "Reorganize the salt administration."

These four words were spoken casually, yet they startled Jia Lian. Although Jia Lian had suspected it beforehand, hearing them with his own ears still gave him a jolt—it really was the Salt Administration!

"Then...where does brother-in-law intend to go now?" Jia Lian's tone became increasingly respectful, and his voice trembled slightly.

Jiang Nian raised the corners of her lips slightly, revealing a meaningful smile: "What a coincidence, it is the Salt Commissioner's Office of Lianghuai. You can travel together."

Jia Lian chuckled twice, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down: "Could it be that my brother-in-law intends to use the Censorate as the Imperial Envoy's headquarters?"

Jiang Nian brushed the water droplets off her clothes and said calmly, "His Majesty has decreed that, due to the serious illness of Imperial Censor Lin, I will temporarily take over the salt administration."

Jia Lian was startled again, forgetting all manners, staring intently at Jiang Nian. By the time he came to his senses, Jiang Nian had already walked towards the carriage, leaving only the words, "I have official business to attend to, so I'll go ahead first." Jia Lian stared blankly, then, realizing what was happening, hurriedly called out to the servants of the Rongguo Mansion, "Quick! Follow me!" and got into a carriage as well.

Inside the carriage, he gripped the curtain and stared at Jiang Nian's imperial envoy retinue ahead, thinking to himself, "Jiang Nian is using the Censorate as his official residence and is also acting as the salt commissioner. Could this be an obstacle to me taking away Uncle Lin's family property?"

……

……

Yangzhou in this era was the most prosperous city in the Huai River region. The most prosperous area was the salt industry, where salt merchants gathered. It was a place of wealth and elegance where one could "have ten thousand strings of cash around their waist and ride a crane down to Yangzhou".

When it comes to officials in the city, the one with the most power is neither the Prefect of Yangzhou nor the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai, but the Salt Inspector of Lianghuai!

The Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai was an imperial envoy appointed by the emperor. He was the emperor's direct representative in the salt affairs of Lianghuai, and his core responsibilities were to inspect salt affairs, supervise the collection of salt taxes, and crack down on smuggled salt.

Lin Ruhai was a confidant of Emperor Jingning. A few years ago, Emperor Jingning appointed him as the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai. Emperor Taishun had not replaced him in the two years since he ascended the throne.

The Lianghuai Salt Commissioner's Office was located in the center of the city, southeast of Kaiming Bridge, with a black lacquered gate adorned with animal-face rings. The three-section, three-courtyard complex featured flying eaves and bracket sets covered in blue tiles, and included a ceremonial gate, main hall, second hall, study, inner residence, rear courtyard, and some auxiliary buildings. Within the rear courtyard were elegant residences such as the Peach Blossom Spring Study and the Hibiscus Pavilion.

Lin Ruhai has been diligent in his salt administration work over the past few years, but recently he has fallen seriously ill and is unable to shoulder heavy responsibilities, suffering from a persistent cough every day. Although he has consulted renowned doctors and tried various medicines, the illness has penetrated to the bone and severely damaged his vital energy.

Just two days ago, a famous doctor named Su Tianshi was brought from Suzhou by the emperor's personal guards. After examining him, Su Tianshi said, "There is still a two-thirds chance of survival."

At this moment, Su Tianshi was performing acupuncture on Lin Ruhai inside the Sibing Hall.

"Report—!" Suddenly, a yamen runner stumbled in. "The Imperial Envoy's entourage has arrived at the gate!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Ruhai's withered hand trembled violently.

Su Tianshi's needle was suspended in mid-air.

"Quick...quickly help me change..." Lin Ruhai struggled to sit up, his white undergarment hanging loosely on his body. As soon as he stood up, he coughed violently, and a blood-red plum blossom bloomed on his handkerchief.

Su Tianshi hurriedly took out ginseng slices and gave them to Lin Ruhai to suck on, while gesturing to his servants to bring him an official hat and robes.

In the midst of the chaos, three cannon shots were suddenly heard from the front yard—this was the ceremony for the imperial envoy's arrival at the office.

Lin Ruhai's face was deathly pale, but he forced himself to straighten his clothes and looked in the mirror. But the figure reflected in the mirror was nowhere to be seen, no longer the dashing figure of the former top scholar. Only his eyes remained as clear and bright as cold stars.

Just as Lin Ruhai was about to go out to greet them, another bailiff came panting and reported, "Jia Lian from the Rongguo Mansion in the capital has brought our young lady to the yamen!"

Lin Ruhai was taken aback, then realized—she must have come with Jiang Nian.

He coughed twice, ordered people to settle Jia Lian and Lin Daiyu, and then went to greet the imperial envoy.

……

……

As Jiang Nian arrived at the platform in front of the Censorate, a gaunt official came out to greet her. Although he was wearing official robes, his face was ashen, and he needed servants to help him walk. This man was none other than Lin Ruhai.

Lin Ruhai stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Lin Hai, the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai... pays his respects to Your Majesty the Imperial Envoy!"

Jiang Nian quickly helped him up, saying, "Lord Lin, there's no need for such formalities."

Upon touching it, he felt that his arm bones were as hard as twigs, and he couldn't help but frown slightly.

The two entered the hall.

Jiang Nian suddenly gave an instruction to Ren Pijiang and Dai Shijiao, and the two quickly stepped forward to support Lin Ruhai on either side.

Jiang Nian straightened his official robes, took out a handwritten edict from Emperor Taishun, and solemnly said, "His Majesty has issued a secret decree!"

After saying this, Jiang Nian stood facing south, and Ren Pijiang and Dai Shijiao helped Lin Ruhai to kneel down.

Lin Ruhai, frail and sickly, knelt, his wrists, thin as withered bamboo, visible beneath his official robes, his movements trembling as he performed the grand ceremony. Only after he weakly finished reading, "Your subject, Lin Hai, Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai, respectfully receives Your Majesty's edict," did Jiang Nian unfold the edict, his voice ringing with golden light:
"Upon hearing your report that you have recently fallen seriously ill, I am deeply concerned. The salt administration is crucial to the national economy and the people's livelihood, especially in the Huai River region, and cannot be neglected even for a day."

The Imperial Guard Jiang Nian is hereby specially appointed as Imperial Envoy, to travel by express courier to Yangzhou to take charge of all affairs related to the salt administration of Lianghuai. The Lianghuai Salt Inspectorate Office shall be designated as the Imperial Envoy's headquarters, whereby he shall act expediently to ensure transparent salt tax collection and the convenience of merchants and the people.

Although Imperial Censor Lin Hai is ill, he should still be grateful for the Emperor's boundless grace and exert all his efforts to assist Imperial Commissioner Jiang Nian in handling salt affairs. He must provide detailed reports on all inquiries and must not shirk or delay. Assisting the new minister despite his illness is also a way of sharing the burden of the country and a contribution to the nation.

Special edict.

Jiang Nianlang's clear voice resounded throughout the hall as he proclaimed the imperial decree.

Lin Ruhai's ears were ringing.

Before the echo of the words "special edict" had even faded, Lin Ruhai had already kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the ground with a resounding thud: "Your subject Lin Hai obeys the edict and thanks you for your grace!"

Jiang Nian hurriedly stepped forward and bent down to help him up, only to feel Lin Ruhai trembling all over like a candle flickering in the wind.

Jiang Nian said with concern, "Imperial Attendant Lin is seriously ill. Please return to your room and we can talk again."

Lin Ruhai said, "That would be against etiquette."

Jiang Nian smiled slightly: "His Majesty's secret decree has already been read, so there's no need to be too formal. Besides, in a way, I should call you 'Uncle'."

Lin Ruhai finally nodded, and Jiang Nian followed Lin Ruhai toward the Sibing Hall.

Upon arriving at Sibingtang, Jiang Nian saw Su Tianshi there and greeted him with a smile, saying, "We meet again."

Su Tianshi hurriedly stepped forward to bow, but Jiang Nian stopped him. Jiang Nian then smiled and said, "It has really been a lot of trouble for you to come all the way from Suzhou."

Yes, it was Jiang Nian who sent one of his personal guards to Suzhou via the post station in Daqing to invite Su Tianshi to Yangzhou specifically to treat Lin Ruhai's illness.

Su Tianshi hurriedly said, "Lord Jiang, you are too kind. Since it is Lord Jiang who has ordered me to do this, I will do my best."

Seeing this, Lin Ruhai also expressed his gratitude to Jiang Nian: "Thank you for your concern, Lord Jiang, for bringing this divine doctor here."

After Lin Ruhai entered the inner room, Jiang Nian asked Su Tianshi, "Is it possible to cure Imperial Censor Lin's illness?"

(End of this chapter)