Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 527 That's too indecent!

The rain pattered against the roof tiles, making a soft, tinkling sound.

Xueyan leaned against the window, gazing intently outside.

Behind her, the table was laden with delicacies: chicken marrow and bamboo shoots simmered in chicken bone broth, salted goose breast colored with red yeast rice, and lotus root starch and osmanthus sugar cake sprinkled with osmanthus frost. Each dish was a favorite of Xueyan, but she had little appetite for them now.

In the past, she didn't understand why the girl would often sit by the window in a daze.

Now that she has her own worries, I'm able to empathize with her a bit more.

"Xueyan, why are you staying here? It's raining and windy, be careful not to catch a cold. You should go back."

After Zijuan came in through the small door behind the warm pavilion, she first took a small blanket and draped it over Xueyan, then placed a small bronze hand warmer in her palm.

As Zijuan helped Xueyan away from the window, she noticed that Xueyan hadn't touched the food on the table yet, and many dishes were still covered with bowls and plates.

"These aren't to your liking, or are you tired of them? How about I ask the Kitchen Goddess to make you something new?"

It would be quite unusual if Xueyan had no appetite.

In fact, in Zijuan's eyes, this was even more unusual than the sun rising in the west.

Xueyan shook her head and said weakly, "Sister Zijuan, you don't need to trouble yourself. It's not that these dishes are not tasty, it's just that I can't eat them right now."

"Can't eat?"

Zijuan looked at Xueyan with suspicion.

Xueyan always eats a lot and eats even more, so how could she possibly have the option of not eating?

Seeing the shifty look in her eyes, Zijuan seemed to understand and said, "You're thinking about the master?"

Xueyan suddenly raised her head, wanting to deny it outright, but when she met Zijuan's unyielding gaze, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue and nodded gently.

Zijuan poked Xueyan's cheek, making her smile slightly, and said earnestly, "The sisters in the room understand your worries about the master. However, no matter how much we worry about things outside, there's nothing we can do. We can only trust in the master's abilities."

“If others were constantly gloomy and worried, I wouldn’t say much, but it’s different for you now.”

Stroking Xueyan's belly, he said, "You're carrying two people now. If you're not in a good mood, the baby in your belly will definitely be affected."

"Especially since you're not eating now, won't the child also become thin from hunger?"

"When the master returns, if he sees that you have lost weight, won't he punish us for not taking good care of you?"

Xueyan smiled shyly, "If I get any fatter, I'm afraid I'll have trouble getting out of bed."

Zijuan laughed and said, "At that time, there will be people to carry you. There is no shortage of manpower in the room."

Passing by the table, Xueyan still had no intention of sitting down. "Let me rest for a while before eating. I really don't have much of an appetite right now."

"it is good."

Zijuan let her have her way and didn't force her. She sat with her on the edge of the bed, listening to the sound of rain outside.

After a long silence, Zijuan suddenly tried to lighten the mood, saying, "I heard from my aunt that if a baby in the womb is hungry, it will kick and make noise."

“You usually eat so much, if you don’t eat now, the child might already be throwing a tantrum.”

Xueyan blinked, stroking her slightly protruding belly, and said in surprise, "No way, I'm only a few months old, I can't feel anything yet."

Zijuan said with a smile, "You're so oblivious, you probably don't feel anything. Let me hear it, maybe you really do."

Xueyan nodded slightly and said, "Alright, then you can listen to it."

As she spoke, she lay flat on the bed, unbuttoned her silk robe, and revealed her round belly.

Zijuan gently stroked it, finding it smooth and slippery, and as she lowered her head to whisper in her ear, her brows furrowed slightly.

"Sister Zijuan, is there really some movement?"

Zijuan held up one finger and whispered, "Shh, let me hear it again."

Just then, Qingwen pushed open the door and came in, shaking off the raindrops from her head. She muttered irritably, "This rain just started out of nowhere, and it's so cold it's bone-chilling. Have you boiled some water? If I don't eat something hot to warm myself up, I'm sure I'll catch a cold first thing tomorrow morning."

She wiped her hair with a handkerchief, but heard no response.

Qingwen looked up and saw that the curtains were half-drawn in the bedchamber, and Zijuan was lying on top of Xueyan. Xueyan's clothes were still half-undone, revealing a glimpse of her breasts, which were rather round.

The two turned to look at Qingwen, both with bewildered expressions.

Qingwen blushed immediately, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts, and she stood there dumbfounded for a moment.

"That can't be right. Xueyan is already pregnant, so what are they doing? Is it okay to be pregnant?"

Coming to her senses, Qingwen immediately turned her back, closed her eyes tightly, and shouted, "I, I didn't see anything! You, you all need to be more discreet! Xueyan is pregnant, Sister Zijuan, please stop fooling around!"

After saying that, Qingwen ran out of the warm pavilion in one breath.

"Hey, wait a minute, you've misunderstood."

Zijuan got up to stop her, but Qingwen had already disappeared like a fawn.

Only Zijuan and Xueyan remained in the room, exchanging awkward laughs.

"Alright, let's eat now."

Xueyan nodded shyly, "Okay."

……

The next day, early in the morning.

It had rained the night before, so the sand on the training ground was more compacted, and the whole place smelled of earth.

Beside the archery target, Shi Xiangyun and her maid Cuilu had already come out early to stretch their bodies.

Ever since Yue Ling taught her archery, she has been consistent, rain or shine, coming to this small open space at the archery target in the training ground every day to hone her skills.

The guards no longer practiced archery; they only routinely went out of the city to drill muskets and practice shooting formations. So, Shi Xiangyun was always the only one practicing in this area.

However, after being away for a while, he became familiar with the guards.

When she had free time, her guards would help her pick up the stray arrows and assist her in practicing.

It can be said that Shi Xiangyun was quite talented in this regard.

After practicing day by day, from initially missing the target completely and not being able to find the aim, after ten days, he was able to hit the target with two or three out of ten arrows.

By now, they are all able to hit the target.

Lying on the haystack, Shi Xiangyun raised the crossbow she knew all too well, inserted an arrow, and pulled the trigger.

The arrow drew a beautiful arc in the air and hit the bullseye!
Cuilu secretly encouraged him from the side and handed him another arrow.

Repeating the previous action, Shi Xiangyun held her breath and focused, aimed and fired another arrow, which hit the bullseye again.

He repeated this process ten times, and all ten arrows hit their mark.

Shi Xiangyun dropped the crossbow, lay back on the ground, and gasped for breath.

A burst of applause erupted from the soldiers training at a distance. They had witnessed Shi Xiangyun's progress every day, and their joy was shared with them as well.

"Young Madam, you are so valiant!"

Cheers echoed throughout the martial arts hall. Shi Xiangyun blushed and covered her eyes with her arm, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.

Cuilu squatted down beside her, poked Shi Xiangyun with the fletching of an arrow, and said happily, "Miss, we've mastered our skills. When the Marquis returns and sees your talent, he will surely give you the musket he promised you earlier."

Shi Xiangyun lowered her arm and blinked, saying, "Of course I didn't practice crossbow techniques just for the sake of the musket."

Cuilu tilted her head and asked, "Then what was it for?"

Shi Xiangyun raised her hand, her fingers pointing towards the sun to block out much of the direct sunlight, allowing her to open her eyes wide and observe the sky.

"Of course, it's so that one day I can be by the Marquis's side immediately."

"For example, this military trip?"

Shi Xiangyun nodded. "Mm."

Cuilu forced a smile and said, "Then what should I do? I can't ride a horse, and I'm afraid of bloodshed and fighting."

Shi Xiangyun pouted, "Then I don't need you. Someone else will accompany me."

Cuilu pouted, "Okay, okay, then I'll go exercise too."

Shi Xiangyun smiled and said, "Practicing is better than sitting in the room embroidering all day. At least it will make you healthier."

"Miss Yun, Madam is calling for you."

A maidservant came to deliver a message, and Shi Xiangyun stood up, shaking off the mud that had gotten on her body.

Cuilu also stepped forward to help her gather her hair and straighten her clothes.

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Before long, Shi Xiangyun went straight to the main hall and found Lin Daiyu in front of her.

Lin Daiyu then led her to the inner study on the side, and only looked up at her after closing the doors and windows.

This cautious attitude made Shi Xiangyun secretly nervous, wondering what important matter Lin Daiyu wanted to discuss.

My heart was in my throat when I heard Lin Daiyu say in a low voice, "Sister Yun, things haven't been peaceful in the capital lately. To prevent any villains from taking advantage of the situation and doing anything detrimental to the manor, the manor has been under martial law recently."

“But even that isn’t enough for me. Your courtyard is closest to the outer walls, so if there’s any emergency, just come in and find me.”

"It saves the guards from having to find Steward Yun and Steward Ni, and then the stewards have to find the Second Gate to pass on the message. Who knows how much time that would take."

"It would be best if you kept a close eye on the situation outside the manor."

Shi Xiangyun was stunned for a moment, never expecting the situation to have become so serious.

She had always thought that the mansion had stockpiled so much food in preparation for winter.

So now it seems it was all for war preparations?
However, she recovered quickly, gripping the crossbow tightly in her hand, even showing a little excitement.

"Should I also keep watch over the arrow tower at night?"

Lin Daiyu shook her head and said with a wry smile, "There's no need to go to such lengths. How's your bow and crossbow practice going?"

Shi Xiangyun raised the crossbow and said, "It's a great improvement over before. It can hit the target within thirty paces and is extremely accurate within fifteen paces, just like using an arm or finger."

Lin Daiyu nodded, "You're really amazing. No wonder your husband wanted you to practice this."

"Now that the Imperial Guard is separated from the inner palace, it's good that you're here to bridge the gap, so that we in the inner palace won't be unaware of anything happening outside."

Shi Xiangyun patted her chest and said, "Don't worry, sister. I'm quite familiar with those guards now, and I'll definitely keep an eye on things outside."

"If enemy invaders do come, I'll have a chance to show my skills!"

Shi Xiangyun thought to herself secretly.

……

"Elder Chai, the Duke of Dingguo has been leading his army out of the city for seven days now, and they are probably hundreds of miles away from the capital. Isn't it a bit too cautious not to make a move at this time?"

At Chai Pu’s residence, Ji Bin once again arrived uninvited and immediately began to express his thoughts.

Chai Pu raised his head slightly and saw that he looked ready to fight. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "What, what's your plan?"

Ji Bin chuckled awkwardly, sat down opposite Chai Pu, poured him some tea, and then drank a cup himself before slowly saying, "Elder Chai, please don't misunderstand. You are a master strategist, what are my little schemes worth? I'm just worried about the timing. As the saying goes, opportunity knocks but once. If news of the Duke of Dingguo's army leaving the city reaches Liaodong, it will surely alert the Second Prince, and things will fall into chaos."

Chai Pu took the teacup and said calmly, "Your Highness hasn't made up your mind yet, why are you in such a hurry?"

Raising his eyes slightly, Chai Pu said again, "If you have any concerns, you might as well make your point clearer."

Ji Bin nodded, sighed, and said, "I was thinking that if there is a major military conflict in the capital, there is one force that should not be underestimated, and that is the personal guards of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion."

"Although there are only eight hundred men, the Duke of Dingguo's skill in training troops is well known. It is common for him to win against the strong with the weak and against the many with the few."

"If such an army were to join the fierce battle, the city walls would be surrounded by narrow alleys and be attacked from both sides, which would likely hinder the situation."

Chai Pu retorted, "That troop is meant to protect the family members inside the manor; why would it be mobilized lightly?"

Ji Bin quickly added, "But if we don't take precautions, even if his family members are not threatened, three or five hundred people leaving the city would be enough to give us a headache."

"Back then, the Duke of Dingguo led eight hundred armored soldiers and broke through the Kang Prince's allied forces, and also blocked the Beijing garrison troops outside the imperial city."

Chai Pu frowned and asked, "Then, according to you, how should we prevent this?"

Ji Bin hurriedly replied, "In my humble opinion, to prevent the Dingguo Mansion from making any rash moves, we should surround them within the mansion on the night the troops are mobilized. We should use a feigned attack to distract them and prevent them from easily joining the battle."

Chai Pu said warily, "The Duke of Dingguo once threatened you, but before he could settle accounts with you, you harbored malicious intentions and wanted to harm his family? You should know better. We do not want to be his mortal enemy. As long as His Highness ascends the throne, removes his military power, and strips him of his title, he will no longer be a threat to us."

Seeing this, Ji Bin became anxious and couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"Is this old guy deliberately hiding his true abilities, or does he really think that way? Things have come to this point; what other outcome is there but a fight to the death?"

"Even if the Duke of Dingguo is stripped of his military power, will he lose popular support and be unable to mobilize the army? Isn't that naively ridiculous?"

"It would be safer to take control of his family members and use them to blackmail him."

As he thought this, Ji Bin clenched his fist secretly, thinking it made perfect sense.

He forced a smile and said, "Don't worry, Elder Chai. Just make sure our plan goes smoothly. I'm a sensible person. Just give me three thousand soldiers, and besieging Dingguo Mansion will be enough."

Chai Pu looked very troubled and said, "This matter still needs to be discussed with His Highness before we can proceed."

Upon hearing that he would be discussing this with His Highness, Ji Bin's eyes lit up.

The matter of Shanxi merchants sponsoring the Second Prince's expedition has not yet been clarified in front of the First Prince. If the matter is not explained clearly, he will always feel uneasy.

"Very well, very well. I hope Elder Chai can lead me along."

Chai Pu lowered his head slightly, a barely perceptible sneer appearing on his lips.

(End of this chapter)