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

Chapter 40: Lin Hongyu accepts her fate in Yihong Courtyard, Lin Daiyu blames Baoyu in a whisper
The news reached the ears of Lin Zhixiao, the steward of the Jia family who was in charge of the treasury and accounts. He usually kept a low profile and neither he nor his wife were good at talking, but when he heard about this, he couldn't help but sigh and was filled with worry about the future.

His wife sat quietly for a while, then suddenly stood up and said, "Xiaohong is still in the garden. I have to go and tell her to be more careful these days."

After saying this, he hurried to the Grand View Garden.

After entering the garden and turning right, her daughter Lin Hongyu worked as a servant in Yihong Courtyard, serving Master Bao. She had only taken a few steps when a woman in front called out to her:

"Lin Zhixiao's family!"

Lin Zhixiao's wife stopped and turned to look. Seeing that it was a maid on duty at Aojing Pavilion, she smiled and said, "Hello, Aunt Zhao. What can I do for you? I'm just about to go to Yihong Courtyard to see my daughter."

The old woman came over, pulled her aside, and whispered, "There's been unrest in the garden lately. Your husband is in charge of the treasury and accounts at the mansion, so you have to be careful!"

Lin Zhixiao's wife looked at her in surprise and said with a smile, "I don't quite understand what you're saying. Right now, not only is the garden in turmoil, but even the mansion and the city are in a state of panic. Didn't you know that Prince Qian had entered the city?"

"That's why!" the old woman whispered. "Didn't the master have two hundred or so servants practicing martial arts in the garden? Even though there's a curtain covering it, it's inevitable that some things might slip through... The other day, I saw a few unruly ones peeking into the garden through the cracks in the curtains. I scolded them, and they started swearing."

Lin Zhixiao's wife frowned and asked, "Have you told Second Madam about this?"

The old woman laughed and said, "I was wondering if this was to shake the morale of the army, but I didn't dare to say anything. I saw them peeking again this morning, so I was worried that they might be afraid that the city would be breached and would take advantage of the chaos to steal things from the mansion and run away!"

It was not uncommon for servants to riot and rob their masters, especially when Prince Qian's army broke into the city.

Lin Zhixiao's wife thought for a moment and said to her, "I'll tell the Madam about this later. Then you go tell the servants that Prince Qian has entered the city and surrounded the mansion. Tell them to be quiet and that they won't be asked to guard the city anymore!"

"what?!"

When the old woman heard that the Jia Mansion was surrounded, she was very surprised and kept saying things like, "What should we do? The Jia family is going to be destroyed."

Lin Zhixiao's wife ignored her and went straight to Yihongyuan, where she found her daughter in the outer room.

When Lin Hongyu heard that the Jia family was under siege, she was not distressed at all. Instead, she came to persuade her, "Mother, don't worry too much. Let me tell you something unpleasant. Prince Qian has entered the city. He destroyed the Jia family, but it has nothing to do with our family. Even if the master of the mansion changes, we will still work and serve him as usual. It's actually a good thing that he entered the city. The city hasn't been in chaos. If the city was in chaos, and there are hundreds of servants in the mansion and the gardens, and they were also involved in the chaos, that would be a disaster."

"Oh my dear, shut up!" Lin Zhixiao's wife covered her daughter's mouth, fearing that someone would hear her, but she couldn't help but feel surprised.
She had just learned from the old woman that the servants training in the garden were not well-behaved, but her daughter could see at a glance that they were potential troublemakers!

When she released her hand, Lin Hongyu continued, "I know mother has always had good intentions for me. She wanted me to be a maid in Yihong Courtyard and let us go out when Baoyu grows up. Most of the maids in Baoyu's room are similar to me, but now they can't be. Mother, don't blame yourself. This is fate, you can't blame anyone else."

After hearing this, Lin Zhixiao's wife could only sigh. Her daughter was too sensible, unlike anyone she could have given birth to. She was no worse than the young ladies in the garden who wrote poetry and painted.

After telling her to be careful and having the maid in Yihongyuan close the gate at night, Lin Zhixiao's wife went back.

Lin Hongyu sat for a while, and suddenly heard a commotion outside. She opened the door and listened for a while, then she realized that the news of the Jia family being besieged by the soldiers of King Qian had reached Qiu Wen and Bihen's ears. After they came back and started shouting, all the twenty or so maids and servants in Yihong Courtyard knew about it.

Lin Hongyu walked out and leaned against the porch, listening to their quarrel. After a while, Xiren came out and ordered, "Stop quarreling! When Master Zibao comes back and hears you say that Prince Qian wants the girls from the garden to enter the palace, he'll be angry again!"

All the maids and servants were frightened by her status as the head maidservant beside Lady Jia, and dared not say anything. However, Lin Hongyu knew that some of them must be dissatisfied in their hearts. The Jia family was in a precarious situation now, and everyone had their own plans in mind.

After a while, Jia Baoyu came back in a hurry. Lin Hongyu saw that the purple gold crown on his head was shaking, and he was walking very fast in his small court boots with green satin and pink base.

"Something bad has happened! Did you hear? The thief king has sent people to surround our house!"

"My dear Second Master, why are you still calling me the Thief King? You should be called the Dry King!"

Qiu Wen hurried out and spoke.

"Can't you see?" Qingwen also came out and said with a smile, "Second Master Bao has a grudge against Prince Qian because Miss Lin's father was murdered in Yangzhou. He only calls him the Thief Prince." Qiu Wen said anxiously, "Don't let this get out! Prince Qian's soldiers are surrounding the mansion gate. What will happen if they hear?"

When Jia Baoyu entered the room, Xiren brought him some tea and handed it to him: "Second Master, please stop talking nonsense. Even Miss Lin only dares to say Prince Qian."

Jia Baoyu took her tea, took a sip, and said with a smile, "Sister Lin is also cursing him in her heart as the thief king, but she is afraid of getting into trouble, so she dare not say it out loud. It doesn't matter if I curse him a few times at home; it won't get out to the outside world."

He was joking, but the beautiful maids in the Yihong Courtyard, including Xiren, Qiu Wen, Bihen, Sheyue, Qixian, etc., were all unhappy. Only Qingwen didn't seem to care about it and was still chatting and laughing with Baoyu.

After sitting for a while, news came from outside that the master had returned.

Seeing that he didn't move, Xiren said, "Second Master, the master is back, why don't you go and ask for news?"

The Ning and Rong mansions were surrounded, and everyone in the mansion was confused, except Master Bao, who remained calm. Although he was worried, he didn't take it too seriously.

Jia Baoyu said, "If I see him I shall be scolded again. Why should I seek trouble? After the master and the old lady have discussed it, I will go over and hear what is going on outside."

At this time, Lin Daiyu walked in. Her slender body was like a willow branch swaying in the wind. Zijuan followed beside her, as if intending to support her.

"Sister Lin!"

Jia Baoyu quickly jumped up to greet her. "Why are you here? You're not feeling well. You should get more rest. I'll come see you later."

Xiren glanced at her. Miss Lin was getting weaker and weaker. She had to take a few breaths when she walked from Xiaoxiang Pavilion. Now the mansion was in turmoil. She was really afraid that Prince Qian and his soldiers would make her sick with just a breath. The Second Master still wanted to marry her, but how could she be a good Second Wife when she was so sick?

It would be better if Miss Bao became Bao’s second wife.

"Do you know?" Daiyu sat down, holding the teacup in both hands, took a sip with her cherry lips, glanced at him and asked.

"What do you know?" Jia Baoyu laughed. "That the bandit king sent troops to surround our house?"

Daiyu frowned her beautiful eyebrows, and when Jia Baoyu saw it, he couldn't help but stare at her. No woman in the world could compare with Daiyu's eyebrows and eyes.

"What are you going to do next?"

Daiyu asked him, her heart was full of worries at the moment, and she didn't care that he was staring at her.

Jia Baoyu was silent for a while, then he said, "At worst, we can become common people. I'll go to the fields to work, and you'll stay at home and wait for me to come back. We can still be like this!"

There was sincerity in his eyes, and he was just about to say "husband sings and wife follows".

Xiren winked at Qiu Wen and Bi Hen, but Qingwen laughed and said, "Second Master, you've never done any work before. You even disdain wearing armor and practicing martial arts. How can you possibly work in the fields? In my opinion, you'd better apply for a job as a private school teacher in someone else's house."

Daiyu glanced at him and said quietly, "With your abilities, I'm afraid you won't be able to find a job as a teacher. Well, I'm going back now. Just relax and don't let your imagination run wild."

After instructing him, Daiyu walked away again, staggering. Zijuan followed closely beside her, fearing that a gust of wind would blow the girl back to the sky.

Jia Baoyu always felt that what she said today was a little strange. After sitting for a while, he heard that the imperial concubine, his eldest sister, had sent a letter from the palace.

Jia Baoyu and his sister Jia Yuanchun had a good relationship. After hearing this, he hurriedly called Xiren and went out to the old lady's room together.

(End of this chapter)