Dream of the Red Chamber: My Daiyu Has Been Reborn

Li Qi, however, carelessly pried Gu Jinhong's hand away.

"Hehe! We won! I told you the General would win, you bet right with me, didn't you?"

Gu Jinhong rolled his eyes at him helplessly: "Yes, yes, Your Highness has excellent judgment."

Li Yuan, somewhat unconvinced, scoffed from the side, "It's just a lucky break. Black Whirlwind wasn't in good form; if it were a different match, the outcome would be uncertain."

Li Qi immediately became displeased, glaring at Li Yuan: "Stop talking nonsense! A loss is a loss, a win is a win, why all the 'ifs'?"

Seeing that the two were about to argue, Shui Rong stood up and smoothed things over: "It's just a game, no need to take it seriously, let's not hurt each other's harmony."

Gu Jinhong ignored their argument and instead turned his gaze to the stands not far away.

He recognized one of the handsome young men at a glance; he recognized him as Jia Rong, the son of Jia Zhen of the Ningguo Mansion.

At this moment, Jia Rong was gathered with several familiar playboys, and their voices drifted over intermittently.

"...That girl from the Qin family is truly stunning, like a celestial being. I peeked at her through the curtain the other day, and wow, I almost couldn't move."

Jia Rong's face was flushed as he spoke, and he looked very proud of himself.

"Rong-ge'er is truly blessed! Although Qin Ye's position as the Director of the Construction Department is only a fifth-rank official, it is still a substantive post and does not disgrace the reputation of your Ningguo Mansion."

"What do you mean by social standing?" Jia Rong waved his hand dismissively, though he said he didn't care, his smugness was hard to hide. "It's my marriage anyway, as long as I like her, that's all that matters. My father is very satisfied with this daughter-in-law, and the date has been set for next month."

"That's a joyous occasion! Don't forget to invite us to the wedding banquet, Rong-ge, so we can all see just how beautiful the bride is that Rong-ge is praising her so highly."

"Do you even need to say that? Of course, everyone is indispensable. I wouldn't be happy if anyone didn't come."

Gu Jinhong withdrew his gaze, picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip, but he was deep in thought.

Jia Rong was probably referring to Qin Keqing.

Rong, the eldest daughter-in-law of Ningguo Mansion, is the adopted daughter of Qin Ye, the secretary of the Construction Department. She is praised by Grandmother Jia as the most outstanding among her great-granddaughters-in-law.

A woman whose background is shrouded in mystery in the original novel *Dream of the Red Chamber*.

Qin Ye was over fifty years old and originally had only one son, but Qin Keqing was an abandoned baby he adopted from an orphanage.

That's where the problem lies. An orphan girl from a health center, yet possessing an air of refinement comparable to a lady from a prominent family, coupled with her unparalleled beauty, is suspicious in itself.

In his previous life, some people speculated that Qin Keqing was the daughter of Prince Yizhong, the old Prince Qian Sui. He had even sent people to investigate this matter before, but they found nothing, so he stopped paying attention to it.

Hearing that name again now stirred up new thoughts in his mind.

Qin Keqing is about to get married. If there is really something wrong with her identity, then the forces behind her might take action.

"What are you thinking about?" Li Qi was in a great mood after winning money. Seeing Gu Jinhong in a daze, he waved his hand in front of him.

Gu Jinhong snapped out of his reverie: "I was wondering if the money you won was enough to treat everyone to a meal at Zuixianlou."

"Are you trying to rip me off?" Li Qi's eyes widened, then he waved his hand and said magnanimously, "Money is worthless, we can earn it back. Fine, fine, Drunken Immortal Pavilion it is, it's on me today!"

The two chatted and laughed as they left the cockfighting arena, where a carriage was waiting.

In a private room at Zuixianlou, Li Qi ordered a table full of dishes, and after several rounds of drinks...

Li Qi leaned close to Gu Jinhong's ear and whispered, "The Emperor Emeritus hasn't been feeling well lately, and Father has been going to the Yangxing Hall to pay his respects for several days in a row."

Gu Jinhong paused slightly in his hand as he picked up some food.

If the retired emperor truly falls ill, the powerful backers upon whom the Four Princes and Eight Dukes rely will have collapsed, and when Emperor Yongxi has the time, a purge of the court will be inevitable. Even Prince Teng's position as the military governor of the capital garrison will likely be short-lived.

Li Yuan continued, "Has your elder brother sent any letters from Liaodong?"

"A letter came last month, saying only that everything was fine."

Li Yuan nodded and didn't ask any further questions. Gu Jincheng's transfer to Liaodong was the result of the old Xun faction being sidelined with the support of the retired emperor. Now, with undercurrents swirling in the court, no one could say for sure when Gu Jincheng would be transferred back to the capital.

……

Pear Fragrance Courtyard is located in the northeast corner of Rongguo Mansion. Daiyu, supported by Xueyan, stepped into the courtyard. Granny Zhou and Granny Sun had already inspected all the parts of the main house.

"This courtyard is quite tidy." Granny Zhou came out of the house. "Please wait a moment, young lady. This old servant has already checked inside and out. The bedding and furnishings were all purchased not long ago and are fairly clean. There are just a few damp corners in the walls, but we'll have someone from the manor repair them later."

Granny Sun continued, "This old servant just checked, and this small kitchen is ready-made. Whatever the young lady wants to eat in the future, this old servant will cook it for her personally, without having to collect her share from the main kitchen."

Daiyu nodded slightly to express her gratitude: "Thank you both, nannies."

She knew perfectly well that these two old women were ostensibly there to teach her manners, but in reality, they were sent by the Princess to protect her. As long as they were there, those unruly servants in the Jia household wouldn't dare to be negligent.

Xueyan was busy putting away the boxes she had brought when she suddenly heard footsteps outside the courtyard gate.

Yuanyang led two old women in carrying a mahogany box: "Miss Lin, the old lady asked me to bring over some daily necessities. She said that since you're new here, just send someone to tell her if you need anything."

"Thank you, Sister Yuanyang." Daiyu had Xueyan take the box, and then took a pair of silver hairpins from her makeup box and gave them to Yuanyang as a gift.

Yuanyang declined several times before finally accepting: "The old lady also said that there is only one maidservant serving you, which may not be enough. The old lady assigned a maidservant from her own household to serve you. Her name is Yingge. She is a servant born and raised in the mansion and is very familiar with the rules."

As she spoke, Yuanyang waved towards the courtyard gate.

A maid of about fourteen or fifteen years old walked in with her head down. She had delicate features and looked quite clever.

Daiyu looked at her, her heart aching slightly; this was Zijuan.

In her past life, Zijuan had served her for many years, nominally as mistress and servant, but in reality, they were sisters. Later, when she was seriously ill, Zijuan took care of her without taking off her clothes. Before her death, the only thing she couldn't let go of, besides her father, was this loyal maid.

The parrot knelt down and bowed, saying, "This servant, Parrot, greets Miss Lin."

Daiyu stepped forward and helped her up, saying gently, "Get up. From now on, your name will be Zijuan. You will follow me from now on, and I will certainly not mistreat you."

Zijuan responded with a "yes" and stood obediently to the side.

Seeing that the task was completed, Yuanyang took her leave with the old woman.

Xueyan shrugged her shoulders: "Miss, it's getting windy outside, come inside and rest."

Hearing this, Daiyu felt a chill and nodded. Just as she sat down inside, a clear and crisp voice came from outside the courtyard gate.

Is Sister Lin home?