Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 886 Asking Daiyu's opinion

The bustle of Yanchun Tower eventually faded away. No matter how beautiful the courtesan was or how enchanting her dancing was, it was nothing but a passing cloud!
Beijing,

Things returned to normal. The absoluteness of the poetry meeting and the poems of Luo Yunhou were sung in the capital, shocking the students of Shilin Academy.

Especially the courtesan competition at night, which amazed the world. The courtesans of the four brothels were simultaneously called the six most beautiful women in the world by the prince of the academy. They were famous for a time and attracted the gentry and nobles in the capital to rush to see their beauties.
Unfortunately,

On the top floor of Yanchun Tower, Princess Zhou Xiangxue stood by the window with a gloomy face, looking at the Qinghu Lake in the capital. With the reflection of the sun, the lake was refracted with sparkling spots.

"Master, the matter has been investigated. The 600-mile rush yesterday was not about the imperial army in the south. According to the palace spies, the incident happened in Wucheng. It was discovered that General Gu Ping of Jingnan's army was involved. The details have not been investigated. That's why Marquis Luo Yun returned halfway."

Wei Shuyun's face was not looking good either. Not only did she fail to accomplish what her master had arranged, she also did not get to enjoy the banquet she had arranged for Marquis Luo Yun. Many things she had done were in vain.

"It is God's will. What can we do? In the morning, Liu Yue informed me that the four newly-appointed officials at the dock have already boarded the Marquis's ship and are heading south. It seems that the Ministry of Personnel has already discussed it with Lord Nan. And in the harem, the queen has come to visit her parents. She is very clever. One inside and one outside, stirring up trouble in the local area and the capital. The emperor has already started making moves."

The breeze blew once again over the Qing Lake. His Highness felt a little powerless. He thought that the princes would take some action, but until today, they have not made any move. Was it the instructions of the military advisors of the palace, or were the princes waiting for the right opportunity to fish in troubled waters? Perhaps the water was too muddy and the fish had hidden.

"Master, don't be upset. Everything in the capital is just an appearance. Right now, everyone is watching the imperial army led by Wang Ziteng. It is said that the four kings of different surnames have sent spies to the south to investigate. The rest are just waiting for news."

Wei Shuyun looked at His Highness's tired face and felt a little guilty, but the capital was changing rapidly and was no longer as peaceful as before.

"That's true. The current commotion is just superficial. Strangely enough, the capital knows almost nothing about any news from Jingnan. The four princes and eight dukes are the ones who want the court to be stable. My brothers don't think so. They hope that the court's troops will be defeated so that they can have an excuse to enter the capital. Is there any news from Jingnan in the palace?"

Zhou Xiangxue muttered to herself. The first news she learned was from inside the palace. Apparently, the news from the south was blocked, or in other words, both parties blocked the news together.

"Master, there is no news from the palace yet. The eunuch tried to find out the inside story several times, but was told that the Yangxin Palace was conducting strict inspections, and the news that came out was all reported directly to the palace by the Northern Pacification Office, so it was difficult to find out the content."

Wei Shuyun's face looked a little ugly. The changes in the palace were obviously beyond their expectations, but they could do nothing about it. Otherwise, they could send spies to the south of Beijing.

After carefully looking at His Majesty's face, he swallowed his words back.

"If you can't find out, don't force it. Keep yourself hidden. You will know about the south when you should. Since the contest of courtesans is evenly matched, hold more banquets in Yanchunlou according to the ranking of scholars and make some money. Many things cannot be done without money. When the imperial concubine comes to visit her parents, remember to send someone to Rongguo Mansion to keep an eye on her."

Zhou Xiangxue looked at the southeastern shore of Qing Lake and vaguely saw the Tianxiang Tower of the Jia family. Concubine Xian De had just been named a noble concubine and was able to receive this honor. It seemed that the emperor was also trying to win over the "four kings and eight dukes" to stabilize the court. In this case, some gifts had to be given. How to give them should be considered. Boating on Qing Lake was extremely beautiful.
I don't know if there will be another chance in the future. There is one more thing. Yongcheng didn't make trouble last night. It was strange. If Luo Yunhou hadn't intervened, she would have been dealt with during the poetry meeting. Thinking of the poetry meeting, the six major academies were all silent and didn't dare to rank one or two. It was really ridiculous and sad. The six major academies that were full of vigor and vitality in the past have also become worldly people who pursue fame and fortune. They can't be relied on. It can be seen that those civil servants are only interested in profit and cannot be trusted.
Therefore, we still need the help of our old relatives and nobles. With this in mind, how the Duke of Zhenguo and others can contact each other privately becomes a problem.

"Your Highness, it is very easy to get information from Rongguo Mansion. As long as there is any movement, it will reach the master's ears within a day. Rongguo Mansion has become a royal family, but as far as I know, Ningguo Mansion has already been divided. The main family of the direct lineage moved out of the Duke's Mansion. In addition, after Jia Jing died, the private property of Ningguo Mansion was divided into three parts. Jia Zhen was exiled to Lingnan County, and most of the servants of Ningguo Mansion were sent to the farm outside the city. It can be said that it was defeated."

The reason why Wei Shuyun was so confident was because the spy from the Princess's Mansion had already entered the Rongguo Mansion and became a deputy steward, so he could not hide any news. As for the Ningguo Mansion, there was only a vacant title left.

"In that case, we must also keep an eye on Ningguo Mansion. Even though there is no one there, the title and the Duke's Mansion are there. As long as a great talent emerges to inherit the title and the Duke's Mansion, there is a chance that it will be revived. I heard that Jia Lan, who inherited the title, is already a ninth-rank official. It seems familiar!"

After he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence. Jia Jing was just like this back then. He was such a brilliant man, but he ended up like this.
"Yes, Master!"

As the master and servant chatted on the top floor of Yanchun Tower,

downstairs,

It happened to be near noon, and more and more guests came and went, all of them came for the two courtesans. Some wealthy businessmen even wanted to spend a fortune to ask for a meeting with them. Unfortunately, Yanchunlou had set a rule that only those with the best talent, love, poetry and music could enter.
Therefore, no matter how much silver was given, it would not be enough. The more silver was given, the more attractive it was, especially for the students from academies who had not left the capital and the students who were taking the examinations. Because the examination was moved forward and there was still more than a month left, the candidates who came here basically did not leave. Together with the scholars in previous years, the number was no less than that of the candidates in the provincial examinations. The capital seemed more and more crowded and prosperous.

Rongguo Mansion,
In the hall of Rongqing Hall, everyone was eating, but their eyes fell on Daiyu and Baochai, especially Jia Baoyu. Ever since he sat at the table, his eyes had been filled with the figures of the sisters, especially Daiyu's every move, which was reflected in Baoyu's eyes. Listening to Jia's grandmother's question, Baoyu spoke before Daiyu and Baochai opened their mouths,
"Grandfather, Xichun is living well in your mansion. It is so boring for her to go to the Marquis's mansion to be a concubine."

Baoyu always felt a pain in his heart. Of the people at the table, Daiyu and Baochai were already members of the Marquis' Mansion, and only the three sisters and Sister Xiangyun were left here. If one more person left, all the people sitting in the Jia family would have to leave. He looked reluctant.
Seeing Baoyu sad, the Second Wife was extremely unhappy. It had only been a few days, why were they talking about these things? The Rongguo Mansion was extremely rich now, so why was it necessary to give him a girl from the Marquis' Mansion? Besides, after glancing at Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai, she thought that these two were half members of the Jia family, which was not enough.

"Yes, old lady, aren't you too anxious? Look, Yingchun and Tanchun are both still unmarried. If there is any marriage to be arranged, it should be arranged between the two of them. Why should Xichun come first? She is younger than him."

Seeing the second wife speaking, the first wife, Madam Xing, who was sitting next to her, did not wait for the others to explain, but spoke immediately.
"Second Madam, that's not what you mean. Master Jing left us a message. If we don't focus on Xichun, who else would focus on her? We have seen those matchmakers outside who flatter the powerful and bully the weak. Besides, if Xichun came from a high-class family, it would be a help to Tanchun and Yingchun. When the matchmakers outside come to propose marriage, they won't say that Marquis Luo Yun's family is of low class, right?"

Mrs. Xing's words really touched the old lady's heart this time. Although it has the appearance of a Duke's Mansion, it has seen a lot of marriages among nobles.
Mrs. Xing pursed her lips and smiled. The old lady simply relied on Xichun as her foundation. In this way, with the help of the ladies in the palace, Xichun and Yingchun, it would be easy to act as matchmakers. It was impossible for the second house to monopolize all the benefits.

It was these words that made the Second Madam look unhappy. Even Grandmother Jia smiled. Perhaps the old lady had come to her senses and had gotten much better these days. She looked at Daiyu and Baochai and asked with a smile:
"Yu'er, what do you think?"

Lin Daiyu put down her bowl and chopsticks, her face relaxed slightly, her beautiful eyes glanced at Xichun beside her, her face had already blushed, she thought about this matter she had discussed with Baochai before, it would be better for someone close to her to go than someone else, after making up her mind, she smiled, met the kind eyes of Jia Mu, and replied;

"Grandfather, seeing what you said, Yu'er naturally agrees. Sister Xichun is so well-behaved, it would be good for her to have a companion in the Marquis' Mansion. Sister Bao, what do you think?"

At the end, Baochai was also pulled in. Xue Baochai was stunned for a moment, then quickly spoke,
"Yes, old lady, as the saying goes, outsiders are not as good as our own people. If Xichun goes with us, there will always be someone to take care of her."

Seeing that the two were so easy to talk to, the people at the table couldn't help but feel a little strange, especially Wang Xifeng, who found it incredible. There were people who sent women into the house for their husbands, who were really bold. She couldn't do it herself, so she said something inexplicably.
"Yu'er and Baochai are really generous. No wonder the Marquis likes them so much."

"Eating can't stop you from talking. If you think more positively, there are so many bad things in your house."

Grandmother Jia glared at Wang Xifeng and said something unkind. Wang Xifeng lowered her head in grievance. She could say anything except that she couldn't give Jia Lian a woman.
"Okay, now that we've agreed, let's settle this. Eat quickly, the people will be here soon."

Everyone picked up their bowls and chopsticks and started eating again, but they were all worried. Not to mention that Madam You of the East Palace had received a letter from the old lady of the Rongguo Mansion, so she packed up, changed her clothes and prepared to go. She probably guessed the old lady's intention and asked the messenger, but she didn't know what it was.

"Yin Die'er, is there anything else going on with the old lady?"

"Madam, I have not heard of it. These past few days, I have been busy organizing a banquet to congratulate the Empress in the palace."

Most of the people in Ningguo Mansion had left. There were not many servants in such a big mansion. Since yesterday, I worked with the people in the courtyard to tidy up the things in the western courtyards. The three-story house under my grandmother's management has also been arranged.
At that time, she was a little nervous because she couldn't explain how many things she had to move. But when she saw Rong Ge'er emptying the rooms in the West Garden and the three concubines' rooms in the backyard, Yin Die'er made up her mind and took the opportunity to move the things in the backyard and Huifang Garden as well. She didn't move the things in the West Garden.

I told grandma about it, but the lady just glared at me and didn't say much.

"That's strange. By the way, have you moved all of Rong'er's things?"

When I walked to the backyard corridor, I saw the doors of the courtyards and houses opened one by one, and the furniture inside was already empty. This was not a move, but like bandits had entered the yard and taken everything.
Yin Die'er also saw the situation in the neighboring house and blushed. After all, she had also emptied the backyard with her men, so it was not much better than these.
"Grandma, we've almost finished moving. Rong'er said that it's better to do it once than twice, so we've packed up the three-story house in the south and replaced all the furniture in the house. With so many houses, we'll always have to put some things in them."

"He is good at calculating. Anyway, it is the property of the Ningguo Mansion. When he returns, he will have people seal up all the courtyards and rooms. Don't leave the doors open. Who will see it?"

"Yes, grandma,"

Yin Die'er followed behind, and promised carefully that she would have someone clean up the mess as soon as she got back. Madam You walked on the somewhat bleak bluestone road, feeling depressed. She was about to cross the bridge.
"Wait a moment, in the middle courtyard, waiting for the grandmother of the West Mansion,"

"Yes,"

When crossing the bridge and entering Xifu,
Rongguo Mansion West Garden,
Li Wan is now free. After Lang Ge'er passed the imperial examination and became an official, the resentment she had in the past has also disappeared.
This morning, I took the documents from the Ministry of Personnel and went to the Imperial College. I went there early and had nothing to do. After having a meal in the inner hall, I sat on the kang and embroidered. I had no distractions.

"Grandma, do you want to take a break? You've been sitting for quite some time."

Suyun, who was beside her, was a little worried and followed her all the time. In the outer room, Nanny Wang also accompanied her maids and stayed with her all the time, fearing that something might happen to Grandma.
"Well, let's take a break. By the way, Brother Lan is going to the Imperial College today. Can he come back by noon?"

Putting down her needlework, she began to worry about what Lang Ge'er would eat at lunch.

"Don't worry, grandma. There are special people in the mansion who will deliver it. It was Second Grandma's order."

Suyun brought a cup of hot tea to her grandmother and placed it on the table. She was actually quite happy. The servants in the mansion were still the same as before, but now they were much more respectful when they saw her.
"Please trouble her,"

I feel a little complicated. It has come to this point today. It is useless to say more. I don't know what is going on in Ningguo Mansion. The reason why I didn't go to the East Mansion in the past few days is, one, not to attract the attention of the old lady, and the other is that Ningguo Mansion has encountered a big change, and I haven't figured out how to go in the future. The annual income of those family industries is at least 50,000 taels of silver. How to use these depends on the mood of Rongguo Mansion.
It's just that I need a suitable time to talk to the old lady about this. The private property I have received, plus the farm given by my husband, has an annual income of 50,000 taels. They are my future support and must not be touched.
Therefore, I need to discuss this with Feng Yatou privately.
"Grandma, are we still going to the East Palace? Yesterday, I heard from Butler Lai that all the servants in the East Palace were exiled to the manor. Those who should have left have left. The entire Duke's Mansion is empty. It's scary."

Suyun shrank her neck, took out two plates of cakes from the food box and placed them on the table. One was the cloud cake that grandma liked the most, and the other was shortbread.
Li Wan looked up and glanced at Su Yun, complaining;

"You just like to nag about these things. These are all things that have been decided long ago. What's the big deal? There are so many servants serving us. How can we support them without money?"

She had also heard some rumors about the two mansions in the past few days. The East Mansion was in chaos, and the three concubines in the backyard had all followed Jia Rong. Such a thing could be done. If it weren't for Madam You sending someone to pass on the message, she really wouldn't have believed it. Even today, she was still thinking about these things. No wonder Ningguo Mansion had declined to this extent.

While the master and the servant were talking,
Outside the hospital,

Then I heard a maid shouting,

"Grandma, grandma, the old lady wants you to come over for something, it's urgent,"

Suyun quickly got up, went outside the courtyard, and asked;

"But there is something you want to say."

"Sister Suyun, I didn't know. It was Sister Yuanyang who asked me to come."

The little girl in the courtyard shook her head and couldn't explain it. Su Yun was a little suspicious, but she couldn't say anything more, so she let her go. After she left, she turned around and went back to the house.
"Grandma, the old lady asked you to come over. What could be so urgent so early in the morning? Isn't there a banquet at the mansion?"

Li Wan's eyes were bright, and she was thinking a lot. Although the old lady had sent people to inquire about the affairs in the courtyard these days, they were all concerned and did not say much. The second wife also did not have the same tone as before. In the past few days, she also rarely went to Rongqing Hall to discuss matters, so the courtyard seemed much quieter.

If they called me over today, there must be something to discuss. This matter must be related to Ningguo Mansion or the Empress in the palace. Thinking of this, I shouted to Suyun,

"Suyun, call Nanny Wang and go to Rongqing Hall with you."

"It's grandma."

Suyun was stunned for a moment, then she understood what her grandmother had guessed. She hurried to the outer room, called Nanny Wang, and helped her grandmother out of the room.

Standing in the yard, I no longer feel the depressed and desolate feeling I had before. As for Ningguo Mansion, let them be.

Apart from an empty title and a Duke's Mansion, the only private property had already been divided up. What else could he want? After thinking through these things, he suddenly felt relaxed. He smiled and led his men out of the yard without staying!
(End of this chapter)