Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 157 Lin Daoduo

After crossing the threshold, Lin Daiyu looked at Yue Ling with hope in her eyes and said, "Brother Yue, go and get busy, but don't forget what you promised me."

Yue Ling understood, nodded and smiled, "Okay."

Afterwards, Yue Ling led Jia Yun to the next room first, and Lin Daiyu lived in the same room with Zijuan and Xueyan again.

"girl."

Zijuan called out softly, came forward, helped Lin Daiyu take off her coat, and changed into another clean silk dress.

Lin Daiyu looked around her new residence. From the window frames to the wooden doors, all the furniture was carved with patterns. The walls were painted in warm colors and there were quite a few calligraphy and painting scrolls hanging on the walls, which were quite useful for appreciation.

There was a velvet carpet on the floor. Although it was not as exquisite as the one in Yue's house, it was comfortable and soft when you stepped on it.

The guest room was a suite, with a wide bed frame inside and outside. Zijuan and Xueyan had also changed the mattresses they had brought when they came.

Although this place is not luxurious, it is like two completely different worlds compared to the outside world.

Lin Daiyu sat down at the round table, drank a sip of warm tea, and then sighed again.

Seeing this, Xueyan asked, "Miss, is everything outside similar to the area around this inn?"

Lin Daiyu nodded and said, "This city is indeed poor, and there are people everywhere who are starving and pale. However, with Brother Yue here, he will change all this sooner or later."

Zijuan and Xueyan nodded in conviction.

At that moment, a maid from the inn knocked on the door and placed all kinds of food and snacks in front of the three women.

Then, he would look at Lin Daiyu from time to time, with a secret smile on his face.

Xueyan's eyebrows immediately frowned, and she asked with a fierce tone, "What are you laughing at?"

The maid covered her mouth and chuckled, "No, there's nothing to laugh at. I just heard the guest say that he wanted to change the current situation in Cangzhou Prefecture, and I found it a little funny."

"In Cangzhou Prefecture, days like this have been going on for more than one or two days. Can An be changed by one person?"

"Even though several imperial censors have come and gone, they still haven't solved the problem of food and clothing for the people in the city. What is the status of your master?"

Xueyan's temper was ignited in an instant, and she stood up and started to push her.

Lin Daiyu frowned slightly and said to the tea girl, "From what you said, you must have read a few books, but you don't know the truth of 'even if you are in a low position, you must not forget your country'. No matter if you are in a high position or in a remote place, you can do your part for the country and the people. Why do you need to argue about your status?"

"If you are not capable enough, you can save one person; if you are slightly more capable, you can save a hundred people; if you are more capable, you can save a thousand or tens of thousands of people. It is not right to enjoy a stable life while turning a blind eye to it and looking down on those who are striving for progress."

Lin Daiyu's words made the tea girl blush and she lowered her head.

Lin Daiyu pursed her lips, and Xueyan seemed to have received an order. She pulled the maid's arm and pushed her out.

Stepping on the threshold, Xueyan snorted coldly and said, "Next time, don't come in again. Just wait outside the door and I'll pick you up when the time comes!"

When the snow geese returned, Lin Daiyu looked at the two little girls and said softly, "Brother Yue will find a way. He has never broken his promise to me."

The room next door.

Jia Yun summarized and told Yue Ling the information that the soldiers from the Beijing camp who came with them had gathered.

"Master, there has been something strange in the city recently. Two major cases have occurred, causing the people in the city to be in an uproar and constantly attacking the government office."

"First, the master should have seen it, the one on the wanted list. It is said that he has been causing chaos in the city for many days, causing a lot of trouble. Many families have lost money and food, and it seems to be related to him. However, according to our understanding, this man looks like Liu Xianglian, a descendant of the side branch of the Duke of Liguo's mansion in the capital. He has been wandering around the world and doing good deeds for many years. There must be some hidden story."

Yue Ling nodded slightly, "It turned out to be him, no wonder he looked familiar to me. His skills are pretty good, although slightly inferior to mine, but it's really not a problem for him to protect himself in an encirclement."

Jia Yun smiled awkwardly.

The slightly inferior one that this master was talking about is probably a gap of dozens or hundreds of miles.

"The second is the case of the Yunxing Escort Agency. It is understood that the Yunxing Escort Agency is the largest escort agency in the local area and has always been escorting merchants from other provinces. During the most recent escort mission, it was discovered by government officials that the goods being transported were actually children. The merchants were completely unaware of this and it is suspected that the escort agency secretly replaced the goods."

"Swapping the escorted goods is a very serious crime. It also involves human smuggling. With the evidence, he can be sentenced to beheading. The heir of Yunxing Escort Agency, the current young master Zhao Hao, has been in prison for several months, relying only on the money provided by the escort agency to get by. However, there has been a lot of public resentment recently, and an explanation is needed."

Yue Ling tapped the table with his fingers, pondered for a long time, and exhaled, "It seems that we came at the right time. There are two major cases in this small Cangzhou city. Moreover, these two major cases seem to have doubts."

Jia Yun was puzzled and asked, "Master, are you saying that there is also injustice in the case of the Yunxing Escort Agency?"

Yue Ling nodded and said, "At least, Zhao Hao should not know the whole story. The most important thing for an escort agency is its reputation. No matter whether it is exchanging goods or trafficking in people, no matter how much money is earned in one hammer, it will be difficult for the escort agency to reopen in the future."

"Who would trade their ancestral heritage for a one-time business? It's too rare. Starting with these two cases, perhaps we can find out what's going on in the city."

"Time is running out. I can't wait in the room any longer. Go check where Liu Xianglian is now. I need to see him again."

Jia Yun asked again: "Is time pressing?"

Yue Ling picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said, "It's not hot now. In a few days, when it enters midsummer, the streets will be crowded with people starving to death and dehydrated. It will easily lead to an epidemic. If that happens, it will be difficult to reverse."

Jia Yun nodded quickly, "Yes, Master, I'll do it right away."

……

The prefectural government office, the back hall,
Tongpan Jiqing sat high in his seat, listening to the visitor's report.

"Sir, we have found the thief's hiding place again. Should we gather more people to catch him?"

Ji Qing shook his head slightly. "Not good. He escaped time and again. If I don't design a good trap, I'm afraid he will fail this time too. Let me think about it carefully."

The servant hurriedly handed over another letter, "Sir, here is another letter from you. It is not signed, and I don't know where it came from."

Ji Qing was slightly startled, then nodded and said, "Okay, I know, let's leave it here for now."

"Yes."

After the servant left, Jiqing opened the letter and read it carefully.

As he read, his hands could not stop shaking and his face was horrified, "Yue Ling, has actually arrived in Cangzhou Prefecture?"

Jiqing paced back and forth in the hall, at a loss for a moment, not knowing what to do.

"The granary issue has not been resolved yet, and the two murders in the city have not been solved. If he gets involved, there will be no chance for us to turn things around."

"Now, he has not revealed his identity in the city and is just acting in secret. In this case... I got it, I have a plan that can be used!"

After lighting the brazier, Jiqing tore up the letter and threw it into the fire.

At the right time, another minor official came in and said, "Sir, the Xue family has replied, agreeing to send 300 dan of grain, but they want to guarantee Xue Pan's safety and provide a token or a written receipt. This is good, the grain will be stored in the warehouse, and the people can be released."

Ji Qing hesitated for a moment and said, "No need for a written document. Just give him a government token and he can come directly into the hall when the time comes." "Yes."

After all, the Xue family is a cash cow. Once Yue Ling's crisis is resolved, they can raise the price and ask for more money.

Anyway, even the Jia family, the most prosperous of the four major families, is not as prosperous as before. It depends on whether the Xue family is willing to save face and get entangled with the government office.

……

Because of Xue Pan, the mother and daughter of the Xue family had to get off the boat first and find a government-run post station to stay.

Aunt Xue sat at the head of the bed all day, sighing and groaning. She looked out the window at the withering of everything and felt increasingly miserable.

"Precious girl, this city has become so poor, won't he bite our family hard because of your brother, this evil creature?"

Xue Baochai couldn't give a definite answer at this time, but she could only comfort her mother, "I sent someone to talk to the government office. It would be best if they could issue a written receipt. Even if there is no written receipt, we can just use this grain as a charity for the people in the city who don't have enough food."

Aunt Xue took Xue Baochai's hand again and choked up, saying, "Mother, I'm most sorry to you. You've been delayed here for a few days, and you're bound to miss the opportunity to enter the palace to be selected as a concubine. You've wasted a bright future. However, after you enter the capital, you'll have a group of talented young men to choose from. We will definitely find a good marriage for you."

Xue Baochai's cheeks flushed, and she pulled back her hand and said, "Mother, I'm only of marriageable age, why should I be so anxious? Besides, my brother's affairs should be the most important thing for now, and I won't consider anything else for now."

Aunt Xue sighed and said, "It's not that I'm worried. You're really not a child anymore."

Aunt Xue's every frown and smile could not be hidden from Xue Baochai, who was several times more shrewd than her.

Thinking back to how anxious my mother was to go to the capital, and considering what she hinted at today, I'm sure my mother didn't really want to send her to the palace, but wanted to find a marriage for her.

Now the Xue family lacks male heirs, and his elder brother Xue Pan is useless and only causes trouble. If he can find a good family by himself, then the Xue family will indeed have a backer.

When she thought of this, Xue Baochai couldn't help but frown.

Even though she had started to take care of the household chores and shared a lot of work with her mother, she still ended up being forced to get married.

In addition, although Xue Baochai had not read the letters from her aunt before, she could guess a thing or two.

"Mother, do you want to use me to form a marriage with the Rongguo Mansion? Alas, mother, don't you think about it carefully? Even if we are a family, we will be resentful. The four great families in Jinling, no matter how close they are, there must be a hierarchy. As the residence of a duke, how can the Rongguo Mansion look down on a merchant family like us?"

"The hard times ahead are still to come when we enter the capital."

Thinking about her brother who was always causing trouble and her mother who spoke without thinking, how difficult it would be for her to move forward in a Duke's mansion full of scheming people.

Xue Baochai was really overwhelmed.

As Xue Baochai shook her head and sighed, the little maid Ying'er came running back from outside the door.

"Girl, there's news outside."

Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai looked over at the same time, and Aunt Xue asked hurriedly, "What's going on?"

Ying'er held her knees and took a few deep breaths, then presented the token in her hand and said, "Miss, the government office didn't issue a document, but only gave us this token. It said that when the grain is stored in the warehouse, you can take this token to pick up the person."

Xue Baochai shook her head slightly when she heard this.

Aunt Xue looked at Xue Baochai and asked, "What does this mean?"

Xue Baochai sighed, "There is still a possibility of change. Mother should be prepared and ask Jinling to bring more food and prepare some banknotes."

Aunt Xue nodded repeatedly, "That's right, I'll go out and tell them now."

After Aunt Xue left, Ying'er sat on a small stool nearby and said with a frown, "Miss, when I went out just now, people in the city were talking about something."

"what's up?"

"It is said that a high-ranking official has come from the capital to provide disaster relief and save the people. When the high-ranking official arrives, the people in the city will have a good life."

Xue Baochai was startled when she heard this, "Is it the Censor?"

Ying Er shook her head. "I don't know. They probably don't know either."

Xue Baochai thought about it again and said, "Ying'er, go outside and prepare a sedan chair. From now on, take me to the gate of the government office and wait for me. If I can see the high official you mentioned, perhaps things can turn around."

Ying'er nodded, "Okay, girl, I understand. I'll do it right away."

……

The setting sun was as red as blood, and its afterglow enveloped the sky above the city.

In the dim sunlight, the reflected shadows were all distorted, just like the suffering people in the city.

The cries of children in the street are intermittent. I wonder if the sun will set and rise again, and whether I can be reborn tomorrow.

There was only one rumor circulating among the people: "A high-ranking official has come to the capital, and life will soon improve."

In the deep alley,
In an abandoned house, Yue Ling sat on a shabby bench behind the ruins, waiting quietly.

Soon, Jia Yun came to his side and reported in a low voice: "Master, since we came out not long ago, a group of people have been following us from behind. Should we..."

Yue Ling shook his head and said, "I knew it a long time ago."

Jia Yun was surprised and asked, "Master, do you know?"

Yue Ling nodded. "Sister Lin and I distributed dry food on the street, and they followed us. However, I saw that they had no ill intentions, so I ignored them for the time being."

"Where is Liu Xianglian? Where is he now?"

Jia Yun replied, "A message just came in saying that it is in this area. We need to look for it further."

Yue Ling nodded slightly, "Okay, you've worked hard today. Go back to the inn first and look after Miss Lin and the others."

Jia Yun cupped his hands again and said, "Yes."

After a while, footsteps suddenly sounded around Yue Ling.

The footsteps sounded very orderly, like those of soldiers who had been training.

Yue Ling couldn't help but frown.

While Yue Ling was still thinking, a person suddenly climbed over from outside the broken wall.

The man was also horrified when he saw someone in the room, and he drew his sword to chop...

(End of this chapter)