The Red Mansion

Chapter 290 Invite the ladies to come and reunite.

Lin Zhixiao's words are true.

Yuan Yiye had already investigated and found that among the three remaining stewards of the Rongguo Mansion after the Lai family's downfall, Wu Xindeng was the most greedy, followed by Shan Daliang. Although Lin Zhixiao was also inevitably tainted, he still retained some restraint. However, in the current situation, Lin Zhixiao's use of the word "restraint" was rather laughable.

Yuan Yi snorted coldly and glared at Lin Zhixiao and his wife: "Since that's the case, I'll give you a clear path. I hereby order Meng Xiong and Zhang Ruojin, a fifth-rank Imperial Guard, to lead the accountants, guards, and soldiers of my mansion to immediately take over the Rong mansion's accounts and treasury."

You two must take the lead in confessing and making up for the embezzlement of previous years, and you must also do your best to assist in investigating the accounts of the household, the stewards, managers, and even the male servants.

"If you handle this well, not only will you, Lin Zhixiao, continue to serve as the chief steward, but you will also receive a generous reward, guaranteeing your family's wealth and prosperity. If you dare to outwardly comply but inwardly defy me, or collude in corruption, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

These words, a combination of kindness and severity, were enough for Lin Zhixiao, a sensible man, to know that this was his only chance of survival. He immediately kowtowed and said, "This humble servant will obey the Duke's orders and will do his utmost to atone for my sins."

Seeing her husband agree, Lin Zhixiao's wife also kowtowed and said yes.

Yuan Yi turned back to Grandmother Jia and Jia Zheng, his expression softening: "Grandmother and Father-in-law, please rest assured. As the ancients said, 'The blessings of a virtuous man last only five generations.' The Rong Mansion's efforts to eliminate long-standing malpractices and restore its reputation are, in a way, a blessing in disguise. Yuan Chun and I will not take a single penny from this rectification; all recovered property will be deposited into the Rong Mansion's public coffers. This will not only enrich the treasury but also deter petty villains and prevent future troubles."

Jia Zheng felt somewhat relieved, but hesitated and said, "Your Highness is wise. Those gentlemen who are guests I invited are not servants of the household. Could you please make an exception?"

"Absolutely not!" Yuan Yi said solemnly. "The purpose of having guests is to cultivate one's temperament and refine one's character. If it's just a small fee for writing, that's fine. But if it's used as a pretext for corruption, then it's the root of all evil! Father-in-law, haven't you heard the saying, 'A thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant hole'?"

Jia Zheng was rendered speechless and could only agree.

Yuan Chun remained silent. Yuan Yi had already discussed this with her beforehand, and she knew that the Rongguo Mansion was deeply entrenched in corruption and deserved a thorough investigation and rectification. This would be good for the Rongguo Mansion and also good for her.

Yuan Yi's fervent efforts to reform the Rongguo Mansion stemmed from two reasons: firstly, he was acting on imperial orders; secondly, he saw that the Jia family had now eliminated the troublemakers Jia She, Jia Zhen, and Jia Rong, and even Jia Qiang was gone, with Jia Lian facing imminent disaster. This presented an opportune moment to cleanse the Rongguo Mansion. If he could also eliminate the unruly servants and unpleasant guests, the Rongguo Mansion would be clean and would no longer pose a significant threat to him and his wife.

……

……

With Yuan Yi's order, a thunderous investigation and rectification campaign was launched in the Rongguo Mansion. Those stewards and managers who had been embezzling and abusing their power, along with a few male guests, were all as anxious as ants on a hot pan.

That day, Lin Zhixiao's wife whispered to Lin Zhixiao, "Husband, I'm really uneasy. Although we've been more restrained these past few years, we've still embezzled quite a bit. Now that the Duke next door is so decisive, do you really expect us to reveal everything?"

Lin Zhixiao sighed deeply: "Do you think this Duke is so easily fooled? He is shrewd and decisive in his actions. The only option now is to honestly confess, make the necessary compensations, and wholeheartedly assist in the investigation. This will demonstrate our remorse. Not only will we retain our position as Grand Steward, but we will also receive a substantial reward. If we harbor any illusions and try to cover things up, we might end up like Lai Da!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhixiao's wife saw the tragic state of the Lai family in her mind and couldn't help but shudder. She repeatedly said, "That's right, that's right! We must never follow the example of the Lai family, or it will be too late to regret it!"

Shan Daliang was also a prominent steward in the Rongguo Mansion, and his embezzlement was even worse than Lin Zhixiao's.

That day, his wife wiped away her tears with a handkerchief and cried, "My dear husband! Over the years, even with all the savings we've accumulated, after deductions, we probably have more than Lin Zhixiao's family. If it all comes out, what will we do? I'm afraid our lives will be in danger!"

Shan Daliang gritted his teeth, paced back and forth in the room several times, then suddenly stopped and said, "There's no way to hide now! That Duke is here on imperial orders to deal with the Rong family, and he's serious! The only plan now is to learn from the brave man who cuts off his own arm, confess all the dirty deeds, and honestly make amends. That might preserve our foundation and keep us alive. If we wait until they find out, it will be terrible!"

His wife was heartbroken when she heard this, but she also knew that this was a way out.

After the two reached an agreement, their anxiety subsided somewhat.

Wu Xindeng is also the steward of Rongguo Mansion, mainly in charge of the silver treasury. He handles gold and silver all day long and scrapes off a layer of gold and silver dust. Over the years, he has accumulated a lot of wealth and is now the most cunning servant in Rongguo Mansion who embezzles the most.

Hearing rumors, he foolishly conceived the idea of ​​hiding his family's wealth.

His wife was horrified and quickly grabbed him, saying, "My God! Are you out of your mind? The First Madam and Yumei just suffered a terrible fate for hiding the family property. Didn't you see what happened to them? How dare we go against the grain!"

Wu Xindeng shook off her hand and sneered, "What a woman's view! Long hair, short brains! The First Madam and the others are hiding official property confiscated by imperial decree, so their crime is naturally more serious. What we have is just hard-earned money that has slipped through our fingers over the years. How can we be treated the same? We can secretly transport it out, and after the storm passes, it will still be our wealth!"

Seeing his insistence, his wife sighed deeply. In truth, she was also reluctant to part with the considerable wealth she had painstakingly accumulated.

Zhou Rui and his wife were Lady Wang's personal attendants. Zhou Rui managed the Rongguo Mansion's land rent for the spring and autumn seasons, a lucrative job; Zhou Rui's wife mainly served the ladies and mistresses of the mansion when they went out, and was also a person of importance.

That day, Zhou Rui's wife said to her husband, "Although we also have some wealth, we are not as well-connected as Lin Zhixiao, Shan Daliang, and Wu Xindeng. The accounts in our household are a tangled mess, and even if they want to investigate, they may not be able to find out everything. In my opinion, we should not take the initiative to admit to any wrongdoings or make up for them. Instead, we should remain calm and wait for them to find out what they want to find. That is the safest approach."

After listening, Zhou Rui stroked his beard and pondered for a long time before nodding in agreement: "What you see is correct; that is indeed the principle."

Zhan Guang was a retainer hired by Jia Zheng. He had lived in Lin Ruhai's three-courtyard residence in the western part of the city for several years without paying a penny of rent, and even tried to seize the residence for himself, but failed. After Lin Ruhai returned to the capital, he had to move out. In fact, he also used Jia Zheng's name to gain considerable benefits in some matters of the Rongguo Mansion.

That evening, another guest, Shan Pinren, felt uneasy and went to Zhan Guang's house to discuss the matter.

Zhan Guangzheng was feeling annoyed, and upon seeing Shan Pinren, he couldn't help but complain, "You've come at the right time! Tell me, we're just living off the favor of the government, making a living by collecting ink, tea, and paper money. We can't compare to those stewards who have connections everywhere. Now we're being investigated as well, isn't that just trying to wipe us out?"

Shan Pinren leaned closer and whispered, "Brother Zhan, please don't raise your voice. In your opinion, how should this matter be handled?"

Zhan Guang sneered, "How should we deal with this? Lord Zheng is the most benevolent and has treated us well. If they really investigate and find out, we'll just insist that it was a reward from Lord Zheng, and then we'll beg him for help. I'm sure he won't sit idly by and embarrass us. Besides, they might not even be able to find out the truth!"

The two spoke privately for a long time. Shan Pinren felt that he had someone to rely on, so he calmed himself down and took his leave.

When Zhan Guang returned from seeing off his guests, he saw his wife teasing the myna bird with millet. A nameless rage surged within him. He snatched the exquisite birdcage from her, yelling, "All you do all day is serve this feathered beast! The family is about to go bankrupt, and you still don't know what to do!" His wife, unjustly scolded, was also angered and retorted, "I know you're upset about the Rongguo Mansion's investigation, but don't take your anger out on me and this mute beast! I advised you before that those silver pieces were of dubious origin and to avoid getting involved, but you insisted I was a ignorant woman, only concerned with immediate gains! Now you're blaming me?"

Zhan Guang was enraged when she hit a nerve. Seeing the myna bird in the cage mimicking the words "Benefit! Benefit!", he reached into the cage and hit the myna bird.

His wife cried out "Ouch!" and quickly snatched the birdcage back to her arms, saying, "Why did you hit it again! What does it know? It's just a living thing!"

The myna bird was so frightened that it flailed and crashed around in its cage, its green feathers flying everywhere, and its cries were mournful.

Looking at this scene of panic and fear, Zhan Guang felt an immense sense of desolation. He sighed deeply, slumped down in the armchair behind him, covered his face with his hands, and remained silent for a long time.

That night, inside and outside the Rongguo Mansion, countless servants and retainers, because of this sudden and violent storm, were tossing and turning, unable to sleep, filled with scheming, fear, or regret...

……

……

The next day was May 30th.

Yesterday, Yuan Yi told Yingchun that if the weather cleared up today, he would have Yuanchun invite Tanchun and Xichun from Rongguo Mansion to the Duke's Mansion so that the sisters could get together and have a private chat.

This morning, Yuan Yi saw that the east was already white and the clouds were splendid, indicating that it was indeed a fine day. He then instructed Yuan Chun to send someone to the Rongguo Mansion to invite Tan Chun and Xi Chun over. He also specially sent someone to the Lin residence to ask Lin Ruhai to bring Lin Daiyu to the mansion today, so that Lin Daiyu could also reunite with her sisters from the Rongguo Mansion.

Inside Rongqing Hall of Rongguo Mansion, Grandmother Jia was dressing in front of the mirror, while her head maid Yuanyang was carefully combing her full head of silver hair with an ivory comb.

Amber lifted the curtain and came in, saying, "Grandma, Baoqin, the eldest daughter's maid, has arrived."

Grandmother Jia said, "Please come in quickly."

Baoqin approached gracefully, first offering a greeting, and then carefully explaining the matter entrusted to him by Yuanchun.

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia sighed, "It's kind of Yuan-chun to still care about her sisters." She then said to Amber, "Go and tell San-ya and Si-ya to dress up nicely and go over there, so as not to tarnish our family's dignity." She then turned to Bao-qin and said, "Go back and tell Yuan-chun that I am very relieved and that the sisters can play freely for a day."

Upon hearing the news in her room, Tan Chun's eyes immediately lit up. Dai Shu, standing to the side, chuckled, "Miss has been wanting to visit the neighbor's house for a long time; you've finally got your wish."

Tan Chun hurriedly ordered her maid to open the chest and fetch a newly made dress. She also personally took out a blue satin bundle containing a pair of soft-soled embroidered shoes that she had recently made for Yuan Chun, which she would send over today.

Upon hearing the news in her room, Xichun merely nodded faintly, though she was willing to go.

Upon hearing the news, Jia Baoyu hurriedly went to Grandmother Jia's Rongqing Hall, tugging at her sleeve and saying, "Grandmother, let me go and see my eldest sister and second sister too! I miss them terribly." How could he, who loved to mingle with girls, miss such a lively occasion?
Grandmother Jia said, "I knew you couldn't stand it. Never mind, your eldest sister must miss you too."

Jia Baoyu was so happy that he bowed repeatedly.

Li Wan was watching her son Jia Lan eat breakfast in her room when she heard the news from her maid. Her hand holding the spoon paused slightly. After a moment of contemplation, she wiped Jia Lan's mouth clean, tidied her simple clothes, and went straight to Rongqing Hall.

Upon seeing Grandmother Jia, she first bowed and said softly, "Third and Fourth Sisters are still young and need someone to look after them. Why don't I accompany them? Besides, I want Lan'er to go with her to pay her respects to her aunt today. That child studies hard all day long and should see the world and get closer to her aunt and the Duke."

Grandmother Jia had always doted on Li Wan, both because she had become a widow at a young age and because she was quiet and well-behaved. Now that she saw that Li Wan's words made sense, she nodded and said, "Very well. Lan'er should also get closer to her aunt and that Duke."

After returning to her room, Li Wan specially changed into a slightly brighter dress and gave Jia Lan some detailed instructions on how to please Yuan Yi and Yuan Chun.

Meanwhile, at Lin Ruhai's house, not far from Ningrong Street, Lin Daiyu heard that Yuan Yi had sent someone to invite her to accompany her father to the Duke's mansion today. Her heart was pounding with joy, as she was happy to be reunited with her three sisters and also looked forward to seeing Yuan Yi today.

Lin Daiyu busied herself getting ready in the west wing.

She ordered her maid Xueyan to bring several sets of dresses for her to choose from. One set of honey-colored flowing cloud pattern was too dignified, and another set of moon-white embroidered skirt was too plain. Finally, her gaze fell on a newly tailored water-green silk dress. This fabric was a gift from Yuan Chun when she went to Yuan Yi's residence. It was as thin as a cicada's wing and as green as spring water.

Zijuan understood and took the clothes for her to change into.

In an instant, Lin Daiyu, with a jade sash tied around her waist and her skirt billowing like layers of emerald waves, moved like a willow swaying in the breeze, and stood still like a lotus leaf bearing dew.

Xueyan stared in amazement, murmuring, "This dress is so beautiful, young lady."

Lin Daiyu smiled, then had Zijuan carefully draw her distant mountain-shaped eyebrows. She caught a glimpse of Zijuan's smirk in the mirror and couldn't help but turn her slender waist around: "That girl's smile is so strange today!"

Zijuan tilted her head and said, "I was laughing at someone who usually finds dressing up troublesome, but today has the leisure to care about the shade of her eyebrows. Could it be that her eyebrows know she's meeting someone important?"

Lin Daiyu chuckled and reached out to pinch Zijuan's mouth: "I'll tear your glib tongue apart!"

Zijuan hid to the side, pleading with a smile, "Good girl, please forgive me this time!"

Just then, the maid Xiao Nan's voice came from the doorway: "Master asked if Miss is all ready?"

Zijuan quickly tidied Lin Daiyu up, and Lin Daiyu then left the west wing and headed to the Duke's Mansion on Ningrong Street with her father, Lin Ruhai...

(End of this chapter)