jdhmnovel Chapter 176 Lin Daiyu's younger brother in Dream of the Red Chamber 9
Chapter 176 Lin Daiyu's younger brother in Dream of the Red Chamber 9
The girls reacted differently to the news of Lin Ruhai's promotion.
Shi Xiangyun didn't think anything of it; she didn't care much about these things. However, she looked at Sister Xue with a puzzled expression, noticing that she had been frequently distracted.
Yingchun couldn't manage these things, and she had no say in them.
Tan Chun was a little worried. Two months ago, news came that the eldest son of the Lin family had passed the imperial examination and become a scholar. Somehow, Bao Yu found out about it and made a big fuss. He was even beaten by his father. If it weren't for the old lady stopping him, he would have been bedridden for more than a month.
Xichun was simply happy to see Sister Lin again. She also wanted to see if Sister Lin had any new paintings so she could appreciate them properly.
Xue Baochai felt very uncomfortable. The Lin family had become increasingly unapproachable, and her father was a high-ranking official of the second rank.
The news of Lin's son-in-law's promotion spread throughout the Rongguo Mansion, and the servants all knew about it in no time. The servants who stayed at the Changju Courtyard in the Rongguo Mansion also changed. If Miss Lin and Master Lin lived in the Rongguo Mansion, wouldn't the servants of the Changju Courtyard be promoted to heaven?
Xue Baochai returned to Pear Fragrance Courtyard with a heavy heart.
"My son, what's wrong?" Aunt Xue asked.
"I heard from the servants that Lin Daiyu's father, Lin Ruhai, has been promoted," Xue Baochai said weakly, rubbing her hands together to show her indifference.
"You've been promoted, but to what rank?"
"I heard it's a second-rank official position."
"That's just one rank lower than General Jia of Rongguo Mansion and my brother's official position."
Xue Baochai didn't speak again. Seeing this, Aunt Xue remembered what Xue Baochai had mentioned before, saying that Lin Jiyu of the Lin family was very talented and handsome. Aunt Xue also liked Lin Jiyu, but Lin Jiyu was not like Baoyu. He often played with his sisters and they rarely met.
In the small courtyard next to Rongxi Hall, this was the residence of Jia Zheng's concubines. Because Concubine Zhao was very much loved by Jia Zheng and had given birth to a son and a daughter, she usually considered herself superior to the other concubines.
Aunt Zhao casually remarked, "The servants in this mansion are all saying that Young Master Lin has been promoted. He's now a high-ranking official of the second rank, even more powerful than the master."
Jia Huan spoke lazily, "Mother, what does that have to do with us?" (This is not a typo by the author; Jia Huan does call Aunt Zhao "Mother," but logically he should call Lady Wang "Mother.")
Aunt Zhao gave Jia Huan a playful slap and said with displeasure, "You pig-headed idiot, isn't Lin the son-in-law your son-in-law? If Lin the son-in-law gives you a promotion, you'll have a bright future. Didn't Miss Lin give you a gift a while ago? It proves that the Lin family still has some goodwill towards us."
Aunt Zhao, in a whimsical way, said that if she knew Lin Daiyu brought a gift to Jia Huan, it was because she wanted to consider the bigger picture.
Upon hearing this news, Li Wan pondered to herself and sighed, "Lan'er, you're a year younger than Master Lin. You should try your luck next year."
Jia Lan's expression changed. He was currently studying at the Jia family's private school, which had no outstanding teachers and consisted of only one student, Jia Dairu, who had never passed the imperial examinations.
Jia Dairu is old and often doesn't attend the Jia family's private school, so Jia Rui takes over the lessons. He hasn't attended classes for a long time and usually studies on his own. His grandfather usually cares about Uncle Baoyu, even though he is only a year younger than the eldest son of the Lin family.
Seeing this, Li Wan knew exactly what had happened and asked, "Has something happened?"
Jia Lan's tense expression revealed her nervousness. She whispered, "At the family school, Mr. Jia hasn't been teaching for a long time. His grandson, Jia Rui, has been teaching in his place. Moreover, since the eldest brother of the Xue family entered the family school, it has become increasingly chaotic."
Li Wan was shocked, never expecting such a result. But what could a woman like her say? Could she go to her mother and ask her to ask her father to hire a tutor for Jia Lan? She had mentioned this when Jia Lan was five or six years old, but her mother hadn't agreed, and probably wouldn't agree now. No, maybe she could ask the old lady to make the decision.
When Madam Wang received the news, she didn't react much, only saying "I know," since Lin Ruhai's official rank was one level lower than Wang Ziteng's.
Before Jia Zheng even returned to the Rongguo Mansion, he was congratulated by his fellow officials. He was happiest that Lin Ruhai had returned to the capital to take up an official post. There were very few people in the Jia family who could become officials. Otherwise, he would not have recommended a man named Jia Yucun a few years ago. It was only because of his surname, Jia.
Few members of the Jia family could attend court and had no say in the affairs of the court. The Ningguo Mansion was even less reliable, so the heavy responsibility of the Jia family rested on his shoulders.
Wang Xifeng returned to the courtyard and exclaimed, "The Lin family is about to rise to prominence."
Then, turning to Ping'er, he instructed, "Tomorrow, the old lady has arranged for me to visit the Lin family. Go and prepare the gifts."
"Yes."
Upon receiving the news, Jia Lian rushed back. As he entered the inner courtyard, Ping'er happened to be coming out and saw Wang Xifeng sitting on the couch.
"I heard that Mr. Lin has been promoted to a high-ranking official of the second rank. Is that true?"
"It's true, the old lady even arranged for the two of us to visit Mr. Lin tomorrow."
"I heard it all at the restaurant. Besides Mr. Lin, there were several other officials appointed by the Emperor. But Mr. Lin is the highest-ranking among them. You should make good arrangements for your visit tomorrow. If you can gain Mr. Lin's favor, he can arrange a job for me. Then I will be an official, and you will be an official's wife."
Jia Lian said smugly, and Wang Xifeng was itching to join in, since both Madam Xing and Madam Wang were imperial consorts.
That day, the Lin family received a visiting card from the Rongguo Mansion, indicating that they would be visiting the Lin family at 3:45 AM the next day.
Lin Ruhai mentioned this matter during dinner, saying that Lin Jiyu and Lin Daiyu would be in charge of receiving guests tomorrow, as he was going to the Ministry of Rites. Although the Ministry of Rites wouldn't be handling any major matters for him these few days, he still needed to learn gradually.
……
Wang Xifeng got up early to deal with the affairs of the Rongguo Mansion. It wasn't until almost 9 a.m. that she finished most of the work. She would deal with the rest after visiting the Lin family.
"Ping'er, are the things ready?"
"Grandma, don't worry, everything is prepared."
Jia Lian lifted the curtain and came out, exchanging a knowing glance with Wang Xifeng, and said, "We're about to set off."
When Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng arrived at the Lin family, they were told by the Lin steward that Lin Ruhai had gone to the morning court. Only then did the two realize that no one from the Jia family had attended the morning court for a long time, and they had forgotten that officials of the fourth rank and above were required to attend the morning court and then go to their departments to handle official business.
Lin Jiyu received Jia Lian, and Lin Daiyu received Wang Xifeng.
With the main characters absent, Jia Lian and Lin Jiyu, being scholars, had nothing to talk about. Wang Xifeng and Lin Daiyu, however, were in a cheerful mood. Wang Xifeng even conveyed the old lady's message, saying that she missed the two of them and suggested that they return to the Rongguo Mansion for a few days.