jdhmnovel Chapter 183 Lin Daiyu's younger brother in Dream of the Red Chamber 16
Chapter 183 Lin Daiyu's younger brother in Dream of the Red Chamber 16
The provincial examination was over, and the Lin family's old residence had been renovated. All the servants who were the main culprits, those who were greedy and broke the law, were arrested by the government and imprisoned. They might never get out. As for the other accomplices, Lin Jiyu sold them off.
After Lin Jiyu finished dealing with everything, he began his journey back to the capital.
On the return journey, Lin Jiyu traveled by land, and Mo Ziqian did not accompany her.
After passing the provincial examination, Lin Jiyu immediately wrote letters to Lin Ruhai and Lin Daiyu.
The letter reached the capital before Lin Jiyu's. Lin Ruhai was overjoyed when he found out. The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites was generally free of major issues, and since the Minister above Lin Ruhai was a man of the retired emperor, he didn't face any workplace suppression.
After Shi Xiangyun remarked that the young actress resembled Lin Daiyu, Lin Daiyu did not visit the Rongguo Mansion for five or six months.
During this period, the Rongguo Mansion was still not at peace. First, Jin Chuan jumped into a well and died. Then, the Prince Zhongshun Mansion came to their door to make trouble over Jiang Yuhan. Jia Baoyu was beaten by Jia Zheng and suffered a broken bone. He stayed in the Grand View Garden to recuperate for several months.
Grandmother Jia did send someone to give Lin Daiyu gifts and apologize. After much persuasion, Lin Daiyu finally went to visit the Rongguo Mansion again, but she absolutely refused to go to the Grand View Garden. In the Grand View Garden, Jia Baoyu lived with all the sisters. To put it nicely, it was a story of deep sisterly affection; to put it bluntly, it was just Jia Baoyu's happy life.
When Lin Daiyu went to the Rongguo Mansion to pay her respects to Grandmother Jia, she inadvertently brought up this matter, speaking of it in a boastful manner.
Grandmother Jia was stunned for a moment, then her face lit up with joy, and she asked in a high-spirited tone, "Really?"
Lin Daiyu looked smug, as if she had passed the imperial examination. Now Lin Jiyu was a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations), and Juren could directly become officials. There was a saying: "Poor scholars, rich Juren."
“Ancestor, this is of course true.”
"Then we should host a grand banquet for everyone and celebrate properly," suggested Grandmother Jia.
Lin Daiyu didn't want to be too high-profile. Her father had already said that there were many who passed the provincial examination, and that they should only celebrate properly when they passed the imperial examination.
"Father has already said there's no need to celebrate. He said there are so many people who pass the imperial examinations, and that my younger brother should focus on his studies. We should have a proper banquet for everyone when he passes the metropolitan examinations next year," Lin Daiyu joked.
When Grandmother Jia heard Lin Daiyu say this, she didn't say anything more. After all, this was a happy occasion for the Lin family, which had gradually grown distant since Jia Yuanchun's visit to her family.
Jia Yuanchun received a message from the palace that she should get along well with the Lin family. Although the Wang family held great power, they were military officers who had obtained their positions through the Emperor Emeritus. In contrast, Lin Ruhai of the Lin family was promoted by the Emperor himself.
Lin Daiyu chatted with Grandmother Jia for a few minutes, and when Grandmother Jia got a little tired, Lin Daiyu went back.
The news that Lin Da Ye had passed the imperial examination and become a Juren spread from Rongguo Mansion to Grand View Garden. Xue Baochai, who always got along well with the maids, was the first to receive the news.
"Did he really pass the imperial examination and become a scholar?" Xue Baochai asked hesitantly.
Ying'er chattered, "It's absolutely true. Everyone below knows. It was Miss Lin who went to pay her respects to the old lady, and that's how the news came about."
Even with all her skills, Xue Baochai couldn't use them and could only sigh inwardly. She was getting old, and her mother had decided to match her with Jia Baoyu, while her aunt (Lady Wang) wanted to match Jia Baoyu with Lin Daiyu.
Some time ago, it was rumored that Lin Daiyu was engaged to the young master of the Wei family. The Wei family was a scholarly family, and the Lin family was also a scholarly family, so the two families were a good match. They exchanged engagement tokens, but everyone kept it a secret from Jia Baoyu.
Jia Baoyu's deep affection for Lin Daiyu was unsettling to behold, so Grandmother Jia decided to keep it a secret from him.
A few days later, Lin Daiyu received an invitation from the Rongguo Mansion, saying that Shi Xiangyun was hosting a poetry club event and Xue Baochai had helped to get crabs for a crab feast. She noticed that Shi Xiangyun's name was on the invitation, but then Xue Baochai's name appeared as well.
Two hosts? And there was no mention of a venue for the banquet. Lin Daiyu felt that this was not a good thing, or rather, it broke the rules. There was no mention of who would host, and no distinction between host and host.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Daiyu asked Zijuan to deliver the letter.
“Zijuan, go and tell Miss Shi that I had an appointment with the daughter of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review that day and was unable to keep the appointment. Also, take some gifts to apologize.”
"Miss, didn't you say you didn't have any plans? Why did you turn them down?"
"Hmph, you don't understand. Just do as I say."
Seeing this, Zijuan dared not say anything more. The young lady had become increasingly dignified lately, sitting there silently exuding seriousness.
When the young ladies of the Grand View Garden learned that Lin Daiyu could not come, Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun were just disappointed, Xue Baochai didn't say anything, but Shi Xiangyun looked indignant.
"Hmph, she's the mistress, how come we can't invite her?" Shi Xiangyun retorted directly in front of Zijuan.
Tan Chun quickly stopped Shi Xiangyun, saying, "Didn't Sister Lin say that she has appointments with other people? It's our fault for not inviting her sooner."
Shi Xiangyun glanced at the people around her, all of whom disapproved. She didn't say anything more. Zijuan put down the apology and then left the Grand View Garden.
Xue Baochai asked Xue Pan to prepare crabs, as she wanted to use Shi Xiangyun's influence to host a banquet for Grandmother Jia. Grandmother Jia indeed agreed to attend, saying she was going to admire the osmanthus flowers.
As it turned out, Grandmother Jia discovered that the banquet was not hosted by Shi Xiangyun at all. Xue Baochai had asked Shi Xiangyun to host the event in order to curry favor with Lady Wang, Grandmother Jia, and others. The invitation did not even include an address.
Grandmother Jia's face darkened immediately. Wang Xifeng also played a trick, arranging a banquet in a small pavilion. Xue Baochai directly insulted the Shi and Jia families, and Shi Xiangyun was even seated at the second table by Wang Xifeng.
After a displeased crab feast, Grandmother Jia first told a story to satirize Xue Baochai. Later, Wang Xifeng hinted that it was the small pavilion she had arranged, to which Grandmother Jia directly said, "This monkey is not that ignorant child."
So, Xue Baochai, who didn't know her place, was ridiculed by Grandmother Jia. Xue Baochai didn't dare to say a word the whole time, and just kept a smile.
After Grandmother Jia left, Shi Xiangyun and her sisters recited poems and drank wine.
The awkward crab feast poetry club meeting had just ended.
After the crab feast, Grandmother Jia learned that Granny Liu had brought gifts to the Rongguo Mansion. She asked Wang Xifeng to call Granny Liu over for a chat. When Granny Liu met her, she was so humorous and witty that Grandmother Jia was delighted and wanted her to stay for the night.
Thinking back to how Xue Baochai had offended the Jia and Shi families a few days ago, Shi Xiangyun understood Xue Baochai's scheming after this incident.
"I think we should let the old lady host the banquet and return the food to me!"
As soon as Shi Xiangyun spoke, Grandmother Jia also wanted to take the opportunity to satirize the Xue family. What wealthy family would hold a banquet like the Crab Feast? They relied entirely on deception to invite people, using the Jia family's courtyard, and holding a banquet without any permission or address.
"Hahaha, good, I'll treat everyone. Tomorrow, let's all have a good time in the garden." Grandmother Jia pointed at Shi Xiangyun.
The people around cheered.
"My dear in-law, please don't leave," said Grandmother Jia to Granny Liu.
"The old lady took pity on me and let me have a lively day tomorrow too," Granny Liu said, overjoyed.
After thinking for a while, Grandmother Jia remembered that Shi Xiangyun had mentioned sending an invitation to Lin Daiyu, but Lin Daiyu did not come. She guessed that the invitation did not include an address, and the invitation sent to her did not include an address either. Lin Daiyu felt that the banquet was not formal, so she declined to come.
"Yuanyang, go and send an invitation to Lin Yatou tomorrow, and invite her to come and join in the fun," Grandmother Jia said with a smile.
Now, when Lin Daiyu received the invitation, she thought that there would be Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, Lady Xing, Wang Xifeng and other guests at the banquet, as well as several young ladies. It would be difficult to refuse, so she agreed.
As a guest, Lin Daiyu arrived at Rongqing Hall 25 minutes early (15 minutes is 15 minutes) to pay her respects to Grandmother Jia. After everyone had arrived, Grandmother Jia took Granny Liu on a tour of the Grand View Garden.
When Lin Daiyu first came to the Grand View Garden, it was indeed a villa for visiting relatives. Tan Chun knew that it was Lin Daiyu's first time, so she followed Lin Daiyu around as a guide, explaining this and that.
While Lin Daiyu was strolling through the Grand View Garden, Lin Jiyu, traveling by land, inadvertently saved someone.
The man was dressed in a low-key manner, but his aura was clearly that of an extraordinary person. Lin Jiyu had honed his skills over the years in this world, and ordinary methods could not harm him.
"Young master, thank you for saving my life." The young man clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute.
"What are you going to do next?" Lin Jiyu asked businesslike. He couldn't keep him protecting her forever, since it seemed she was being chased by assassins.
The boy understood the rules. This Master Lin didn't know him, but he did. Moreover, he was carrying something the Emperor wanted, and he couldn't let anyone else take it from him.
"Young master, just take me to the town ahead." The young man bowed.
Lin Jiyu frowned slightly and tossed him a bottle of not-so-good hemostatic medicine. Although it was the worst hemostatic medicine in his space, it was still a top-notch medicine in this world.
"Thank you, young master." The young man sat down with difficulty. They were resting in a dilapidated temple. He turned his back to Lin Jiyu and tended to his wounds himself.
As soon as the hemostatic medicine was applied, the bloody wound slowly stopped. The boy was shocked and silently put away the remaining hemostatic medicine. If this medicine could be made, countless soldiers on the front line could have survived.
"Young master, this hemostatic medicine?" the young man asked tentatively.
"Hmph!" He then took out paper and pen, wrote down the formula for the hemostatic medicine on the ground, and handed it to the boy.
Mo Shu and Mo Zhu tidied up the dilapidated temple and gathered some firewood. The remaining servants had died in the fight, so Lin Jiyu instructed Mo Shu and Mo Zhu to dig some pits and give them a proper burial.
Lin Jiyu didn't say anything more. What bad luck! According to the plan, they should have been able to reach the next town today. Now they had saved someone who was injured, and it had taken them some time to evade their pursuers and fight back. Luckily, there was this dilapidated temple, otherwise the two of them would have had to sleep in the wilderness.
Both sides rested quietly overnight. Lin Jiyu didn't know whether the injured boy slept or not, but he slept quite well.
The next day, after dropping him off in town, Lin Jiyu continued on his journey.
Unperforming without incident along the way, Lin Jiyu returned to the capital with peace of mind. After returning home, Lin Ruhai called Lin Jiyu to speak, and Lin Jiyu recounted how she had saved someone. Lin Ruhai guessed that the young man's identity was extraordinary, but since the young man did not reveal his identity, they simply pretended not to know.
He then told Lin Jiyu to focus on her studies. It was already autumn, and the imperial examination would be held next April. After this year, Lin Jiyu would be fourteen years old, and Lin Daiyu would be fifteen. Lin Daiyu's marriage was arranged, and the two would get married after Wei Chi passed the examination in two years.
Wei Chi often gave Lin Daiyu small gifts, such as bracelets, hairpins, and snacks.
This was the first time Lin Daiyu had met a man who cared for her so much. His manners and demeanor were no less impressive than Lin Jiyu's. Lin Daiyu took it to heart, and the two maintained an exchange of letters every five days.
On the other side, the young man who came down from the town had a solemn expression. He then met with the prefect of Luoyang using his waist token. The prefect of Luoyang was the emperor's man and could be trusted, which was why he took out his waist token.
Two days later, a dozen or so guards came up.
"Young Marquis, I am late. You must have been frightened."
The young man was Liu Fengqing, the eldest son of Wenbo Gong. He was a favorite of the emperor and was deeply trusted by him. The emperor had specifically instructed him to come to Kaifeng to collect evidence of the officials' crimes, but he was discovered and thus became the target of a manhunt.
Fortunately, he encountered the Lin family. The eldest patriarch of the Lin family was a highly skilled martial artist; otherwise, he would have surely met his end on the rural road in Luoyang.
"Quickly, let's go back to the capital now," Liu Fengqing said seriously.
The prefect of Luoyang then dispatched another 300 men to escort Liu Fengqing back to the capital.
Lin Jiyu knew nothing about these matters. He was recently troubled by Lin Ruhai's proposal to arrange a marriage for him. Although he was born a man in this life, he really did not want to get married and have children.
Lin Jiyu was still thinking about how to persuade Lin Ruhai that he didn't want to get married. As soon as the matter was brought up, Lin Ruhai immediately turned hostile, saying that he was the only male in the Lin family and needed to take on the responsibility of continuing the Lin family line, otherwise the Lin family would die out.
What could Lin Jiyu do? He could only comfort himself, thinking it was no big deal. After they got married, he would use sleeping pills on a regular basis. He could use his genes and the woman's cells to synthesize an embryo and implant it into the woman's body. It would just be a bit more troublesome.
After thinking it through, Lin Jiyu focused on preparing for next year's imperial examination.
In the palace, Liu Fengqing, carrying evidence of the crimes committed by the Kaifeng officials, entered the palace to meet the emperor.
Liu Fengqing knelt on the ground, waiting for the emperor to finish reading the evidence. The atmosphere gradually became tense, and Liu Fengqing's back was covered in cold sweat. The emperor swept the paper in front of Liu Fengqing.
"Do those officials even respect me? They embezzle public funds, pervert the law, oppress the people, and cheat on the imperial examinations. What wouldn't they dare to do?" the Emperor said angrily, his eyes red.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!" Liu Fengqing said, kneeling down.
"Calm down, how can you expect me to calm down? I've been on the throne for so long, and those officials outwardly obey but secretly sabotage me." The Emperor's tone became calm, and after saying this, Liu Fengqing felt relieved.
"Tell me about what happened after you came back?" The emperor gradually calmed down; now, only calmness mattered.
Liu Fengqing dared not hide anything and told everything, including Lin Jiyu's matter.
"So the Lin family has produced a man of both literary and martial talents?" The Emperor pondered for a moment. Wasn't Lin Jiyu Lin Ruhai's son? He had received a mention from his subordinates some time ago that Lin Ruhai's son had passed the provincial examination and ranked third, and intended to participate in the imperial examination next year.