Dream of the Red Chamber: Rising from Refugees to Sweep Across the Land

Chapter 69 Lin Daiyu: The days to come might be quite exciting.

Jia Zheng's Study

Jia Yucun stood up, his cheeks flushed red, and he looked extremely excited.

Jia Zheng stroked his beard and smiled, "Minister Qian of the Ministry of Personnel and Eunuch Dai of the Palace are both close friends of our household. I will personally recommend them, and I guarantee this matter will be accomplished."

Jia Yucun quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "This foolish nephew is entirely relying on your esteemed guidance and assistance, sir!" Then, looking troubled, he hesitated and said, "But the expenses for bribing the Ministry of Personnel..."

Jia Zheng waved his hand: "You don't need to worry about this. Just wait for the official document from the Ministry of Personnel."

Jia Yucun was overjoyed and repeatedly expressed his gratitude: "I will forever remember your kindness in saving me, and I will repay you with my life!"

Just as Jia Zheng was about to say something more, he suddenly noticed Wang Shanbao, the head steward of the main house, looking around suspiciously at the door. His face darkened: "If you have something to say, come in and say it. What kind of behavior is this, peeking around like that?"

Wang Shanbao strode in, leaned close to Jia Zheng's ear and whispered a few words, adding at the end, "The master said that Miss Lin is still in mourning." After saying that, he immediately turned and slipped away.

Jia Zheng's mind was reeling. His sister's body was barely cold, and his son had actually dared to make advances towards his niece who had traveled a thousand miles to seek refuge with him...

Seeing Jia Zheng's face turn red, Jia Yucun said, "My lord..."

Jia Zheng slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, shouting angrily, "Bring Baoyu here!"

The servant boy came in from outside, but he kept his head down and dared not answer.

Jia Zheng finally realized what was happening. No one dared to go to Grandmother Jia's room to arrest the person, and in his anger, he slammed his fist on the table, yelling, "You unfilial son! You unfilial son!"

Jia Yucun, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward to mediate: "Sir, please don't be angry..."

Jia Zheng then remembered that Jia Yucun was still alive, and suddenly had an idea: "Go, summon Baoyu to pay his respects to Master Jia, hurry!"

Jia Yucun was dumbfounded. How did this get involved with me?

The servant acknowledged the order and ran out.

"I won't disturb you any longer while you're handling your household affairs," Jia Yucun said hastily, bowing to Jia Zheng before turning and leaving in a hurry.

Jia Zheng walked out of the study and shouted sternly, "Close all the doors! Anyone who dares to go and report this will be beaten to death on the spot!"

......................

"...The Second Master really lost his temper this time, and he hit him particularly hard. Luckily, the Old Madam arrived in time, otherwise Second Master Bao would have been in danger."

Wang Shanbao swallowed hard. "Master, how about I go out and hide for a while?"

Jia She leaned back lazily in his chair, his eyes half-closed, tapping his fingers on the armrest, humming a little tune, in a very pleasant mood.

Wang Shanbao took another half step forward, "Master..."

Jia She slowly opened his eyes: "What's wrong?"

Wang Shanbao's lips twitched: "We don't have much wine left at home, so I'm thinking of going to Zhuozhou to buy some."

Jia She waved his hand impatiently.

Wang Shanbao turned and ran, fearing that he would change his mind.

Just as Jia She closed his eyes, Jia Lian walked in.

With a hint of helplessness on his face, he stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Master."

Jia She remained silent.

Jia Lian paused, "Master, Madam..."

"I'm not going," said Jia She.

Jia Lian was momentarily speechless: "Baoyu was beaten very badly..."

"What does this have to do with me!" Jia She said.

Jia Lian was taken aback again: "But..."

Jia She finally opened his eyes: "Baoyu should learn his lesson! He speaks recklessly and acts erratically! Lin Daiyu is not only our Jia family's granddaughter, but also the daughter of the Jiangsu Provincial Surveillance Commissioner... Do you know the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty? The punishment is one hundred strokes of the cane and exile for two thousand li. A commoner speaking ill of an official's daughter..."

"Indecent assault is a double offense, punishable by hanging!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian's expression changed drastically.

Jia She then reminded them, "Don't forget, the Lin family also has a retainer who manages the Northern Garrison."

Upon hearing the words "Northern Garrison Command," Jia Lian felt a chill run down his spine and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Jia She sneered, "The old lady is getting more and more senile. She should have slapped Baoyu back then... Let me be the bad guy, humph!"

Jia Lian pretended not to hear and changed the subject: "The banquet at the Prince of Bei Jing's residence tomorrow..."

Jia She interrupted him directly: "I'm not going, and you shouldn't join in the fun either. It's enough that the old lady is leading the second branch of the family."

"Why, why?" Jia Lian asked, his face full of confusion.

Jia She remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "Those old folks in the Prince's mansion have been passing away one after another in recent years. Don't you find that strange?"

Jia Lian scratched his head: "Humans eat grains and other foods; birth, aging, sickness, and death are all part of life. Isn't that normal?"

"Normal my foot!"

Jia She glanced at him sideways. "One or two would be fine, but all the old folks have passed away. That's suspicious. What's more, there are several people in the Prince's mansion who were only in their early forties, and they suddenly fell ill and died... I have a feeling that something is wrong with this."

Jia Lian remained unconcerned: "Even if there's a problem, that's a private matter within the Prince's mansion. What does it have to do with us?"

Jia She glared at him: "And that Shui Rong, always with that fake smile, he's obviously not a good person."

Jia Lian wanted to retort, "You're clearly talking about yourself," but fearing a beating, he didn't dare to say a word.

Seeing that he still didn't take it to heart, Jia She rolled his eyes and said, "Your wife has opened a pawnshop with Jia Zhen and Liu Feng."

Jia Lian was slightly taken aback, and then heard Jia She say, "The favor you scraped together with two hundred taels of silver to gain has all been squandered by her. Now you've lost both your money and your reputation, and you'll never be able to hold your head up again. You'll be suppressed by her for the rest of your life."

Jia Lian was stunned. Jia She continued, "Your wife used your visiting card to deliver a message to the Hundred Household Office on Qianmen Street to help Zhou Rui's son-in-law secure this antique shop."

Qianmen Street Hundred Household Office? That's not within the territory of the Northern Garrison Command...

Jia Lian's face turned deathly pale instantly, and he angrily cursed, "That damned, wicked woman! She's trying to kill me! Master, I..."

Jia She waved his hand: "Go."

Jia Lian bowed respectfully, stepped outside, and stormed off.

Jia She chuckled, "Let them make a scene, the bigger the better. That way, no one from the eldest son's side will go over there tomorrow." He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and began to hum, "I was admiring the mountain scenery from the city tower when I heard a commotion outside. Banners fluttered in the air, casting empty shadows; it turned out to be Sima's troops..."

......................

When relatives come to visit, it is a joyous occasion to host a feast and entertain the guests.

But Jia Mu's darling was beaten, and it was all because of Lin Daiyu, a relative. This was awkward, and everyone felt uncomfortable during the meal, which ended hastily.

Grandmother Jia went to see her beloved daughter, while Lin Daiyu, accompanied by Zijuan, the maid Grandmother Jia had just assigned to her, walked towards her own residence.

Seeing Lin Daiyu with her head down and silent, Zijuan quickly advised, "Miss, please don't take it to heart. You'll understand once you've lived here longer. There will be many more strange and ridiculous things in the future. If you're going to be sad about this, you'll be too heartbroken to bear it. Please don't worry about it..."

Before the words were even finished, several young maids rushed over, one of them shouting, "Sister Yingge, something terrible has happened! Second Master Lian and Second Mistress Lian are fighting!"

"The old lady isn't inside..."

Fearing trouble, Zijuan quickly said to Lin Daiyu, "Miss, please go back to your room and rest for a while. I'm going to Rongxi Hall."

Lin Daiyu smiled faintly: "Sister, go and attend to your important matters."

Zijuan said no more and turned to hurry towards Rongxi Hall.

Watching Zijuan's departing figure, Lin Daiyu suddenly smiled: "The days ahead may be quite wonderful."

Xueyan, who had been holding the wooden box, suddenly asked, "Miss, when will Prisoner Liu return?"

Lin Daiyu was slightly taken aback. Yes, when will he come back?