The Red Mansion

Chapter 201 Daiyu Has Made a Merit

Inside the four-room hall, candlelight flickered red, and blue satin curtains hung low.

The atmosphere, however, seemed strange.

In a strange turn of events, Jiang Nian suddenly composed herself and whispered to Lin Daiyu, "Sister Lin, my uncle and I are about to discuss some secret matters, and we're afraid the walls might be eavesdropping. You need to keep watch for us—first, go check the doorway to see if anyone is listening, then go to the window and look outside. If you see any loiterers, immediately tell them to leave. After that, you stay by the window and every now and then, go check the doorway again. Do you understand?"

Lin Daiyu was taken aback by these words, and her delicate eyebrows immediately furrowed. She had thought there was no need for her to stay, but it turned out she was just a lookout. A surge of resentment welled up in her heart, and she thought to herself, "That stinky man... that stinky brother-in-law, he's treating me like a maid!"

Seeing her hesitation, Jiang Nian asked solemnly, "Did you understand, Sister Lin?"

Lin Daiyu came to her senses, bit her cherry lips and said, "I...I have never done such a thing. How about I ask Zijuan to do it for me?" Her voice was tinged with grievance.

“No.” Jiang Nian shook her head decisively, her eyes shining. “What I discussed with my uncle is a very important secret, and it must not be revealed.” She paused, then added gently, “You can listen, I trust you.”

These words were like a spring breeze, instantly dispelling the gloom in Lin Daiyu's heart and giving rise to a secret joy—so he considered her a confidante, willing to entrust her with secrets. She nodded, but then asked, "Could you repeat what you just said?"

Jiang Nian patiently repeated her instructions again.

Lin Daiyu heard this clearly this time, and immediately moved lightly to the door. She lifted the soft blue silk curtain and saw Zijuan standing at the door.

Lin Daiyu put on a stern face and lowered her voice, saying, "Who gave you permission to be here? Get out of the hall immediately!" Although her tone was light, it carried an air of authority.

Zijuan rarely saw the young lady in such a state, so she quickly retreated.

Lin Daiyu then went to the window and looked outside. She clearly saw a servant boy lurking suspiciously by the window; it was Kang'er. She suddenly pushed open the window, startling Kang'er so much that he stumbled.

"How dare you!" Lin Daiyu said coldly, "Who gave you permission to spy here? Get out of here at once!"

Seeing that it was Miss who spoke, and with Jiang Nian and Lin Ruhai in the room, how could Kang'er dare to disobey? She could only retreat reluctantly.

Lin Daiyu closed the window, a slight smile unconsciously playing on her lips. Giving orders like this felt strangely satisfying.

She gently touched her temples, stood by the window, held her breath, and listened intently to the conversation inside while keeping an eye on the sounds outside.

Jiang Nian leaned forward and whispered to Lin Ruhai, "I originally said during the day that my uncle had already overworked himself and that I shouldn't disturb him while he was recuperating. I suggested we discuss the salt administration after I was settled. However, as soon as I arrived today, Shen Chuan'en, the head of the Yangzhou salt industry, along with the salt transport commissioner of Lianghuai and the prefect of Yangzhou, arrived one after another. Therefore, I rushed here to ask for your advice and find out the situation. I am truly sorry to have bothered you."

Despite his illness, Lin Ruhai leaned against the pillows and said, "His Majesty ordered me to work with Lord Jiang on salt affairs, and I must not shirk my duty or delay. How could I dare to be negligent? Moreover, salt administration is related to the national economy and people's livelihood. Lord Jiang is so diligent, so I should do my best to help him."

Jiang Nian suddenly turned to look at Lin Daiyu and said, "Sister Lin, go and check the door again."

Lin Daiyu frowned slightly, inwardly annoyed: "It's only been a short while, and you're already in such a hurry to order people around? Humph, how annoying!"

However, she could not disobey, so she could only move her lotus-like steps to the door, lift the curtain and look, but there was no one there.

As she returned to the window, she heard Jiang Nian whisper to Lin Ruhai, "How many large merchants are there in Yangzhou? And who are the biggest ones?"

Lin Ruhai took a deep breath before slowly beginning his explanation...

Yangzhou was a place where salt merchants gathered, with as many as twenty general merchants alone.

The so-called "chief salt merchant" was a large salt merchant recognized by the government, essentially a semi-official position. Their core functions were to distribute salt permits, collect taxes, and mediate disputes.

Salt license allocation refers to the distribution of salt licenses to small and medium-sized salt merchants according to government quotas, with a "pre-set price" collected. Tax payment guarantee refers to the collection of salt taxes on behalf of general merchants through a "general merchant contract system," where the general merchant was required to advance the payment if individual merchants defaulted on their taxes. Dispute mediation refers to handling conflicts of interest among salt merchants, such as disputes over sales areas.

The head merchant can have priority in obtaining high-quality land (such as high-priced areas in Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi), but they have joint liability and must assume the obligation of "joint guarantee" for the debts of individual merchants.

Lin Daiyu, standing by the window, pretended to be indifferent, but in fact overheard Jiang Nian's private conversation with her father.

She was always quick-witted, and the matter of the salt merchants was not profound; she understood it as soon as she heard it, but she found it rather uninteresting.

Suddenly, she noticed a figure outside the window. She quickly looked out and saw that the servant Kang'er was sneaking close to the window again, eavesdropping.

A surge of anger rose within her, and she cursed inwardly, "What a lawless lackey!" She abruptly pushed open the window. Kang'er, who was eavesdropping by the window, was startled by the sudden change and stumbled to the ground. He scrambled to his feet and fled in a panic, even losing one of his boots in the process.

"Pfft-"

Lin Daiyu couldn't help but laugh and quickly covered her mouth with her handkerchief. After closing the window, she saw Jiang Nian and her father's four gazes fixed on her, and only then did she realize her rudeness. Her ears burned instantly, and she lowered her head, stammering, "That servant boy was spying through the window again..."

Jiang Nianjian frowned: "Do you know which servant it is?"

Lin Daiyu said softly, "It's Kang'er."

Jiang Nian turned to Lin Ruhai and said in a deep voice, "Uncle, this Kang'er is most likely a spy who has been bribed."

Lin Ruhai's face was ashen, his withered fingers gripping the brocade quilt tightly: "Kang'er is my trusted servant, always reliable. I never imagined he was mostly a spy? If that's true, I wonder when he became a spy? How many of my secrets has he leaked?"

Suddenly seeing him struggling to get up despite his illness, Jiang Nian quickly stepped forward to support him, saying, "Uncle, please lie down and talk."

Lin Ruhai insisted on apologizing, saying, "It was my mistake! I originally intended to send Kang'er to serve Lord Jiang, but fortunately my concubine Qiu sent a maid to replace her. Otherwise, if I had delayed the imperial envoy's important business, I would have been dead!"

Jiang Nian accepted Lin Ruhai's apology without hesitation, knowing that this matter was of utmost importance. If this informant were to get close, it could lead to the leakage of secrets at best, and at worst, endanger her life. Lin Ruhai's apology was indeed appropriate!

"What does Uncle intend to do with this servant?" Jiang Nian asked deliberately.

Lin Ruhai pondered for a moment, then sighed, "Although the crime has not been definitively proven, spying on secrets is already a serious offense. Let's kick him out tomorrow."

Jiang Nian nodded: "That's exactly right."

Lin Daiyu overheard everything and felt a pang of guilt upon seeing her father apologize to Jiang Nian. She twisted her handkerchief repeatedly with her slender fingers, thinking to herself, "Although I have caused Father to lose face, it was unavoidable..." Then she thought, "If Kang'er is really an informant, wouldn't he be a disaster?" This self-consolation brought her some peace of mind.

Thinking of this, Lin Daiyu unconsciously looked at Jiang Nian, only to see him staring at her with approval in his eyes.

A surge of joy welled up within her, and without waiting for Jiang Nian's instructions, she once again took the initiative to lightly step to the door to check. She lifted the curtain and looked outside; still, no one was there. She smiled, then returned to the window, listening intently.

Jiang Nian continued his hushed discussion of confidential salt administration with Lin Ruhai. He lowered his voice and asked, "What are your assessments of Yu Fuxi, the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai, and Guo Xia, the Prefect of Yangzhou?" Lin Ruhai's gaunt face suddenly turned solemn. After a long silence, he slowly replied, "I find Guo Taizun to be an honest and prudent official with a good reputation. However, I dare not make a hasty judgment before you, sir. As for that Salt Commissioner Yu Fuxi… he is undoubtedly a corrupt official!"

Then, Lin Ruhai recounted in detail some of the corrupt practices of Yu Fuxi, the salt commissioner of Lianghuai...

Lin Daiyu stood by the window, normally uninterested in the confidential salt administration, but upon hearing about the corrupt officials, she straightened up. She usually loathed these matters of officialdom and economics, but now she inexplicably felt a surge of interest.

However, she didn't forget her current duties. After listening for a while, she suddenly noticed movement outside the window. She quickly checked and found it was a cat. She gently closed the window and turned around to see Jiang Nian looking at her with approval in her eyes. Her ears burned with embarrassment. She tiptoed to the door to check again and then returned to the window.

Jiang Nian then asked Lin Ruhai several more questions, and their conversation became increasingly in-depth and secretive, touching upon the long-standing problems in the salt administration and the infighting within the officialdom...

Lin Daiyu listened with increasing interest, and went to check on the door several times. She did not feel tired at all, but found it more interesting than composing poems and lyrics on her usual days.

time flies.

Jiang Nian had already asked Lin Ruhai several questions, and the question-and-answer session had lasted for more than a quarter of an hour.

Suddenly, Lin Ruhai's face turned deathly pale, and a violent cough struck him. His emaciated body trembled, clearly indicating that he had exhausted all his energy.

Jiang Nian quickly stopped talking and said gently, "I have really troubled you too much today, Uncle. Please rest assured and we can discuss other matters tomorrow."

Lin Ruhai forced himself to say, "It's alright. Lord Jiang bears the responsibility of reforming the salt administration, and I, with my old bones at my disposal..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Nian stepped forward and tucked the blanket around him: "Although the salt administration is urgent, it can't be done in a short time. Uncle, it's important to recuperate. You can come to ask for advice again tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM). It won't be a problem."

Seeing his insistence, Lin Ruhai nodded in agreement.

Jiang Nian stood up, walked up to Lin Daiyu, and smiled slightly: "Tonight, thanks to Sister Lin's help, especially in seeing through the spy, you have truly done a great service."

Lin Daiyu felt a spring breeze caress her heart, but she only lowered her head and said, "It was nothing more than a small contribution..."

Her voice was barely audible, yet her cheeks were already flushed.

Jiang Nian gazed at her, her tone suddenly turning solemn: "Although Lin Meimei is still a young lady, she is not young anymore. After hearing all this tonight, you should know how difficult it was for your father to manage the salt administration." She paused, "The doctor I invited from Suzhou said that one of the reasons for your father's serious illness is that he was dealing with various parties while reforming the salt administration, which caused him to worry day and night and become mentally and physically exhausted."

Lin Daiyu twisted her handkerchief between her fingers, remaining silent.

“Your father has only one daughter,” Jiang Nian continued solemnly. “You should be more sensible than ordinary young ladies. In the future, don’t just indulge in ordinary matters of the household, or be preoccupied with lamenting the passing of spring and autumn. Pay more attention to your father’s health and also be mindful of household affairs.”

Normally, these words would have angered Lin Daiyu. But now, with her father beside her and seeing Jiang Nian's burning gaze, she feared he would question her harshly as he had during the day, so she could only nod gently, her lowered eyelashes trembling slightly.

Lin Ruhai leaned against the headboard, taking in the whole scene. Suddenly, he saw a strange glint in his eyes and sighed inwardly, "It's a pity that this Lord Jiang has already married the eldest daughter of the Rong family, otherwise he and Yu'er would be a perfect match..." As soon as this thought came to mind, he was startled and quickly coughed twice to cover it up.

Jiang Nian seemed to sense something and turned to look at Lin Ruhai. Lin Ruhai, as if he had done something wrong, avoided Jiang Nian's direct gaze.

Jiang Nian then turned to Lin Daiyu and said, "Tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM), I will come again to discuss confidential salt administration with my uncle. I will trouble you to keep watch then, Sister Lin." Her tone was no longer as serious as before, and had become gentler.

Upon hearing this, Lin Daiyu did not find it offensive, unlike her initial resistance. Instead, she felt that the matter was quite serious, so she nodded.

Jiang Nian then instructed, "The secret that Lin Daiyu heard tonight must not be revealed, not even to Zijuan. Remember this well!" After saying this, she stared intently at Lin Daiyu.

Lin Daiyu felt a surge of annoyance and thought to herself, "Hmph! Just now she said she trusted me, but now she's giving me these instructions. Does she think I'm one of those gossipy women?" But she didn't show it on her face and only said softly, "I understand." Her voice was soft, but it had a firm tone.

Jiang Nian said no more, bid farewell to Lin Ruhai, and then left.

Watching Jiang Nian leave, Lin Daiyu breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. As she turned around, she suddenly saw her father looking at her meaningfully, and her ears immediately burned. She quickly poured tea to cover her embarrassment.

Lin Ruhai took the teacup and suddenly said, "Lord Jiang is young and promising; he is truly a pillar of society."

Lin Daiyu lowered her head and fiddled with her sash, saying softly, "Father, please take good care of yourself. Why discuss such things?"

Lin Ruhai smiled slightly and was about to say something when Zijuan walked in, and he quickly stopped talking.

A moment later, Lin Daiyu and her maid Zijuan left the Sibingtang.

As Lin Daiyu descended the steps of the Four-Tiered Hall, her legs suddenly gave way, and she stumbled forward. Fortunately, Zijuan reacted quickly and caught her, exclaiming, "Miss, be careful! You're frail and prone to falling, yet you never take care of yourself. I've told you so many times, but you never listen!"

Lin Daiyu steadied herself and said shyly, "My legs and feet just went numb from standing indoors for so long."

As he spoke, he rubbed his knees, which were indeed sore and weak.

Zijuan rubbed her for a while before helping her walk slowly forward, deliberately complaining, "It's all that Lord Jiang's fault. He said some confidential matter that none of us could listen to, but he made the young lady stand in the room and listen for a long time. We're even relatives, yet he doesn't know how to be considerate..."

“It’s not entirely his fault,” Lin Daiyu blurted out, then paused, stunned as soon as the words left her mouth.

Seeing this, Zijuan chuckled inwardly, thinking, "How strange, the young lady disliked Lord Jiang during the day, but now she's speaking well of him." However, she didn't show it on her face, only saying, "The young lady is just kind-hearted."

The master and servant walked slowly, their long shadows cast by the lamplight.

A night breeze swept by, causing the lanterns under the eaves to sway gently, and the two shadows swayed along with them.

Suddenly, a dark figure darted out from in front of them, startling both the mistress and servant. Lin Daiyu even cried out in surprise.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a night owl darting by.

Lin Daiyu breathed a sigh of relief and laughed self-deprecatingly: "I've become a frightened bird too."

Back at the Hibiscus Pavilion, Zijuan helped Lin Daiyu remove her makeup.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but recall Jiang Nian's words: "From now on, don't just immerse yourself in ordinary boudoir matters, or be preoccupied with lamenting the passing of spring and the coming of autumn. Pay more attention to your father's health and also be mindful of household affairs."

Such words would normally sound harsh, but tonight they inexplicably make sense...

(End of this chapter)