After the rebellion was successful, I realized that this place was the Red Mansion

Chapter 211 Imperial Estate, Becoming a Monk

With a command given, the Jia family members were moved from the military camp outside the city to the Imperial Estate in the Western Garden.

Jia Lian was alright; as the steward, he could ride a donkey on foot. The others, however, had to walk more than forty miles under the scorching sun, crossing a mountain forest before finally seeing the lush green fields. Halfway up the mountain stood a rather magnificent palace, facing the vast expanse of the imperial estate.

"We're finally here!" Jia Qiang said, wiping the sweat from her forehead and panting.

"Is that where we'll live in the future?"

Jia Baoyu was also quite tired, but when he saw the palace standing halfway up the mountain, he couldn't help but feel happy.

Upon hearing this, the eunuch who came to escort them sneered: "How dare you! You know this is the royal garden, yet you still dream of living in the palace. I think you haven't had enough of suffering yet!"

Jia Baoyu quickly explained, "Father-in-law, you misunderstand. I meant the back room in the palace."

"Humph!"

The eunuch remained silent, instructing Jia Lian to keep an eye on the Jia family. He then rode his horse through a side gate into the palace. Half an hour later, he came out again and led them inside to a side hall.

"Kneel down properly, all of you. When Master Wang, the eunuch in charge of the West Garden, has some free time, he will arrange things for you!"

The eunuch gave the orders in a lukewarm manner, left a few junior eunuchs to look after the room, and then went back inside to cool off.

The Jia family members knelt on the ground, from Jia Lian, Jia Zheng, Jia She, and others, to Wang'er, Xing'er, and Lai Dajia. Jia Huan and Jia Baoyu were also among them, kneeling directly on the ground, sweating profusely under the scorching afternoon sun, waiting for that so-called Master Wang to come out.

But to their surprise, they knelt for almost half an hour without seeing a single person. The eunuchs who were monitoring them were all hiding under the eaves to cool off, leaving the Jia family kneeling there.

"Father, my legs hurt!" Jia Huan said to Jia Zheng, grimacing and crying.

Jia Zheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and scolded Jia Baoyu, "You beast, you've offended the masters again! I told you to speak less, but you ignored me completely!"

Jia Baoyu's forehead and back were covered in sweat. He was feeling irritable and frustrated, and he didn't reply to his father's words in silence.

Helpless, Jia Zheng could only smile and tell Jia Lian. Jia Lian had been kneeling for a long time and could not bear the suffering, so he hurriedly told the eunuchs his identity.

All the members of the Jia family watched with anticipation. Now, Jia Lian was the head of the Jia family, and with him around, the Jia family members would suffer less.

"Manager? What manager are you talking about? You're calling yourself the boss right in front of us."

The eunuchs didn't even lift their eyelids, continuing to enjoy the cool air under the eaves.

Jia Lian hurriedly smiled and said, "I dare not show off in front of you, Your Majesty. I was given this position as steward when I went to the military camp to meet His Majesty. His Majesty saw that I had made contributions and specially rewarded me." He added, "Now, His Majesty is staying in the Grand View Palace, which was formerly the Ning and Rong Mansions of my Jia family. Several of my daughters serve His Majesty in the palace."

News of the emperor's visit to Daguan Palace also reached outside the city, and Xiyuan, being a royal garden, naturally learned of this as well.

Hearing him say this, the eunuchs whispered among themselves for a moment before going in to report.

Seeing this, the Jia family couldn't help but feel happy. They knew that their daughters were favored by the emperor, and if they brought up the girls' names as soon as possible, they wouldn't have to suffer!
But after a while, the little eunuch came out and said in a sarcastic tone, "There is an order from above that all those who perform corvée labor shall be treated equally!" He then called Jia Lian over and said to him, "Those who come from the palace must kneel before the master to have their arrogance tempered. The master originally wanted to make you kneel until tomorrow morning according to the rules, but considering that your Jia family is different, he only wants you to kneel until nightfall."

Jia Lian had no choice but to go back and continue kneeling, without telling them that he would kneel until nightfall.

The Jia family members knelt for more than an hour, until their bodies ached, their stomachs were growling with hunger, and their mouths were parched, before a eunuch finally came out.

"Who is Jia Lian?" the eunuch asked.

"I'm!"

"Come with me to see the master. Be careful about the etiquette once inside. You should know that our master manages half of the West Garden. He takes meticulous care of everything the emperor and empress eat every day!"

"Yes, yes, our master has worked hard and made great contributions. I have long heard of your reputation!"

Jia Lian spoke words of flattery and followed the eunuch into the side hall, where he paid his respects to Eunuch Wang.

Before long, Jia Lian, having finished his training, went out and discussed with several eunuchs, dividing the Jia family into three estates, and set off in the dark.

After much commotion, Jia Baoyu finally got to share a large communal bed with Jia Huan, Jia Qiang, and others. Several people were already lying in the room. When they saw someone coming, they all sat up, each of them shirtless and very thin.

Jia Baoyu was exhausted and, disregarding everything else, immediately lay down.

But the next moment, someone reached out and pinched him, yelling shrilly, "There is one!!"

Jia Baoyu was startled and quickly blocked them, shouting, "What are you doing?"

Jia Huan, Jia Qiang, Jia Qin, and the others were also frightened. When they heard that they had eggs, they all stared at them with their eyes gleaming.

An older man ordered, "Come here, everyone, let us have a good look at our family!"

They then realized that these people were all eunuchs, and they didn't know how long they had been working at the imperial estate, but they had all become strange and ruthless.

Jia Qiang smiled and said, "Please don't be angry, gentlemen. We are new here and don't know the rules. You will teach us how to speak and how to act when performing corvée labor." She added, "As for other matters, we won't trouble you with them!"

After saying this, he gave a signal, and the Jia family members gathered around him, except for Jia Baoyu, who was still covering his crotch.

Seeing that they weren't afraid of causing a scene, the eunuchs didn't dare to push them too far. After saying a few random words, they went to sleep.

Jia Qiang, Jia Huan, and others also slept on the shared dormitory.

Before dawn the next day, they were urged to get up and go to roll call. Soon, they were given tasks to do, and were told to carry hoes and go to plow the fields.

When Jia Qiang, Jia Baoyu, and the others arrived at the field, it was just dawn. More than thirty people were standing at the edge of the field waiting for instructions.

When Jia Baoyu first came to the fields, he couldn't help but imagine the future he would be with Lin Daiyu, farming and weaving. He would be out there tilling the land, while Lin Daiyu would be at home doing needlework. When he returned home, Xiren would have hot water and meals prepared for him. They would raise a son and a daughter, and their lives would be peaceful and uneventful.

An old eunuch interrupted his thoughts, instructing them, "You lot, go and carefully till the land evenly. Don't try to cheat or slack off. If you don't till even a single inch of land, you won't get any food!"

As the morning light shone, Jia Baoyu saw a large expanse of freshly turned yellow earth before him, with only four or five people tilling the land. He couldn't help but ask, "Why are there no oxen? How are they tilling the land?"

The old eunuch glanced sideways, and immediately another eunuch stepped forward and slapped Jia Baoyu across the face, cursing, "Where did this brat come from, daring to question his father-in-law's words?"

After Jia Baoyu covered his flushed cheeks and remained silent, the old eunuch slowly chuckled and said, "Are you the new young master of the Jia family? No wonder you're so pampered. Let me tell you, an ox is more precious than your lives. Once the ox has plowed the land once, you're the ones who have to do the rest of the work. Do you understand?"

Jia Qiang tugged at his clothes, and Jia Baoyu had no choice but to comply. He picked up a hoe and began to till the land, breaking up large clumps of soil as he did the others.

After working for an hour, the sun rose high in the sky, and the scorching sun beat down on people's heads and bodies. Even with a straw hat, people still felt short of breath and their chests were tight. Coupled with the unbearable hunger in their stomachs, they felt dizzy and lightheaded.

Jia Baoyu begged to rest for a while, but was severely scolded by the head eunuch.

The group gritted their teeth and worked until noon. Then the little eunuch came to inspect the land, pointed at it, and scolded them for not plowing it evenly. He ordered them to plow it again before they could eat!
After a day of this ordeal, Jia Baoyu, Jia Qiang, and the others finally returned to the manor as the sun set.

The same thing happened the next day.

They worked from sunrise to sunset, tilling the land, weeding, carrying manure and fertilizing, picking mulberry leaves and raising silkworms. The seven or eight imperial estates in the Western Garden, with over two thousand people, produced vegetables and fruits daily, and raised chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep, all of which were sent to the palace for the emperor, his concubines, palace maids, and eunuchs to enjoy. That noon, after lunch, everyone rested under the shade of a tree. Jia Baoyu, exhausted and with aching hands and feet, sighed to Jia Qiang and the others, "When will these miserable days end?"

The group exchanged glances, and could only sigh.

Even Jia Huan was too exhausted to argue with his brother. After arriving at the imperial estate, he wasn't assigned to do any heavy work, but he did all the weeding and fertilizing. Working in the fields under the scorching sun, he was already exhausted and had lost the spirit he had in the army camp.

Jia Huan said, "Second Brother, please go and beg Lian to go into the city and tell the sisters to ask the Emperor to have mercy and release us."

Jia Qiang said, "Uncle Huan, don't say such things. Uncle Lian rarely goes into the city now, and he dares not ask the young ladies for favors anymore."

Jia Huan got angry: "It's all your fault, Second Brother, for pleading for me so many times before, asking for more than a thousand taels of silver, which angered the Emperor, who is now unwilling to grant me any more favors!"

Jia Baoyu was feeling irritable and wanted to explain himself, but the others also criticized and berated him, which made him feel sad and hopeless. He felt that he had no end in sight and that he might as well die!
Suddenly, several eunuchs rushed to the edge of the field and called out to each of them, "Who is Jia Qiang?"

Hearing that he was being asked, Jia Qiang quickly stood up to greet them. The eunuchs smiled and came to him, exchanging pleasantries before delivering the imperial decree: "Special decree: Jia Qiang is to be summoned to the city immediately for an audience with His Majesty at the Pear Fragrance Courtyard in the Grand View Palace!"

Upon suddenly hearing the familiar name of Pear Fragrance Courtyard, Jia Baoyu hurriedly asked, "How are Fangguan and the others in Pear Fragrance Courtyard?"

The eunuchs glanced at him but didn't reply. Instead, they smiled at Jia Qiang and said, "Brother Qiang, come with us quickly. Remember the rules. You'll get good things when you see His Majesty and won't have to suffer like this anymore!"

Jia Qiang was so excited that he could hardly contain himself, and he was filled with anxiety, wondering what the emperor had summoned him for.

The others were filled with envy, wishing they were the ones summoned to an audience.

Just as Jia Qiang was about to leave, Jia Baoyu quickly stopped him: "Brother Qiang, when you go home, please give my regards to the old lady and the madam, and also send my greetings to Miss Lin."

Jia Huan quickly added, "Uncle Qiang, please have pity on your nephew and help me tell my sister to beg the emperor to release me!"

Jia Huan was originally Jia Qiang's uncle, but now, in order to plead for him, he didn't care about that and only said nice things. Besides, Jia Qiang was a full twelve years older than him, so it was fine for him to call him uncle.

The rest of the Jia family members also spoke kindly, begging Jia Qiang to plead for them. They only let go when several eunuchs who were delivering imperial edicts stopped them.

Jia Qiang went there for an afternoon.

When he returned, he was dejected and didn't say anything. However, the eunuch in charge promoted him to steward, and from then on, like Jia Lian, he could enter and leave the imperial estate and manage a group of people, no longer having to work in the fields.

After some inquiry, everyone learned that it was because of Lingguan.

"Lingguan...Lin Daiyu!"

When Jia Baoyu heard this, he was stunned. He knew that Jia Qiang's promotion was due to Lingguan's favor in the Grand View Palace. If that was the case, then the matter of him taking a thousand taels of silver a few times before was also due to Lin Daiyu...

Jia Baoyu trembled, as if he could see Lin Daiyu receiving the emperor's favor for a long time on his bed, and then he had begged for more than a thousand taels of silver to send to her, and then begged the emperor to grant him permission to go home and see her.

By then, Lin Daiyu had become much more distant from him, probably because she had already been taken by the emperor…

Is this the price Lin Daiyu was referring to?

"Lin Daiyu!!"

While in the imperial estate, Jia Baoyu was in tears, filled with remorse and self-blame. He lamented his own uselessness, then thought of Qi Guan, who had gone and would never return. He remembered Qi Guan's kindness in the past, hated Qi Guan for his heartlessness, and worried that something might have happened to him.

Seeing him both crying and laughing, the crowd ignored him and continued to fawn over Jia Qiang in hopes of getting some easier work.

Seeing this, Jia Baoyu felt even more bored, but he still had some doubts and remembered Lin Daiyu and Yun Daiyu.

A few more days passed.

The arrival of a letter completely shattered his hopes.

“Xiren…”

Jia Baoyu's hands trembled as he held the letter. He had a bad feeling when he didn't see Xiren the last time he returned home.

Looking at the letter again now, Lin Daiyu placing Xiren's words first seems to be foreshadowing something.

Jia Baoyu hurriedly looked back.

After reading it, he was struck dumb, his heart breaking, and he kept repeating, "Thinking too much is useless, and being too sentimental is harmful to health."

"what is this?"

"Are we just going to throw away everything from the past?!"

"Lin Daiyu...you have such a cruel heart!"

Jia Baoyu cried uncontrollably on the communal bed, which surprised everyone around him. Jia Huan hurriedly ran to tell Jia Qiang what had happened.

Before long, Jia Qiang arrived. Knowing a bit about what had happened, he quickly stopped him and said, "Second Uncle, please don't think about those sisters anymore. This is no longer the time when you were indulging in your private life. Just as I no longer manage Pear Fragrance Courtyard, it's better to let go as soon as possible. Miss Lin will be better off!"

Jia Baoyu stood there blankly, clutching the letter in his hand.

Jia Huan sneered, "Since you've always thought about Sister Lin, and she's favored in the palace, why not write a letter to plead for her and let you become a steward as well?"

These days, he kept mentioning that he had an older sister in the palace who served the emperor, which finally intimidated the eunuchs in the dormitory. So whenever he had free time, Jia Huan would bring up the matter of the palace.

After hearing this, Jia Baoyu finally came to his senses and hurriedly asked Jia Qiang, "Brother Qiang, I have a favor to ask of you."

"You said."

"Please deliver a letter home for me!"

"This……"

Jia Qiang said tactfully, "Second Uncle, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that I have no reason to say it. You don't know, nowadays Daguan Palace is the Emperor's temporary palace, guarded by a ring of guards. How can I send a message in?"

Jia Baoyu gritted his teeth and said, "Just tell everyone that it's a letter for Miss Lin in the manor. Only help me this once, and from now on... I will never appear in front of you again, and we will be separated by the ends of the earth!"

"Second Uncle, what are you going to do?" Jia Qiang asked in surprise.

"I cut my hair and became a monk from now on!"

"..."

Jia Qiang knew there was some misunderstanding or incident between the two, but he didn't care about it right now. He brought paper and pen for Uncle Bao to write, and he would find another time to go into the city to see if he could deliver the letter.

But Jia Qiang was puzzled. If Uncle Bao pleaded with Miss Lin, and Miss Lin then pleaded with the Emperor, would he be allowed to become a monk?

(End of this chapter)