The filial son of the Red Mansion

Lin Daiyu felt completely different after hearing the voices of the crowd. She thought to herself: What tricks did the bad guy use to trick such a powerful offering into coming?

For some reason, a sweet and sour feeling welled up in my heart.

She hid behind the curtain, her mouth never lowered. Even when Jia Mu, Wang Xifeng and others continued to talk, she had no intention of eavesdropping, but just frowned, sometimes smiling, sometimes crying, sometimes happy, sometimes sad.

After Jia's mother had someone raise the curtain, she sat down beside the couch.

Lin Daiyu finally calmed down, and a hint of charm appeared in her eyes, which made Baoyu, who was standing beside her, stunned.

Wonderful person, wonderful person, sister Pin'er is really like a fairy, now she is even more beautiful when she is sick than when she was well. In the past, I only saw Xizi Pengxin once in the book, but now I have seen how beautiful Xizi Pengxin is. Pin'er frowned and worried, but she was also very beautiful.

"So Xi Shi was sick and stared at her neighbors. The ugly people in her neighborhood saw her and thought she was beautiful. When she returned home, she also stared at her neighbors." Baoyu muttered to himself.

Thinking to herself that with such beauty, it was no wonder that the neighbors, upon seeing her, wanted to imitate Xi Shi and hold her heart.

The others in the room looked at her and felt even more pity for Daiyu. Only Wang Xifeng frowned slightly when she looked at Lin Daiyu, and when she saw Baoyu, Daiyu actually avoided his gaze.

Feng Jieer actually thought that Daiyu was embarrassed by Baoyu. She smiled and said, "Don't worry, sister. When Rong'er comes back with the prescription and takes the medicine, sister will be able to study and have fun with her sisters and brothers again."

Baoyu nodded repeatedly and said in anticipation, "Why hasn't Rong come back yet?" He also boasted to Daiyu, "If Rong's prescription is a little late, my sister will be very uncomfortable. I will definitely talk to him later."

Everyone knew that these were words of Baoyu's concern for Daiyu. Although they were a bit inappropriate, no one said much.

Daiyu automatically omitted the word "prescription" when she heard it, thinking that Baoyu meant "Rong'er was late, and she felt very uncomfortable for a while", and she felt very embarrassed for no reason. She said angrily: "Why are you talking so much?"

Baoyu was very proud of Daiyu's reply, thinking that he had finally won over Rong. Seeing that the old lady only said a few intimate words to Daiyu and then left, he hurriedly approached her and said with a smile: "I secretly asked Mingyan to find a few storybooks from outside these days. One of them is very interesting. When you get better, I will read it with you."

Daiyu was stunned for a moment, so she asked, "What book is it?"

Jia Baoyu was full of pride. Seeing that there was no sign of the ladies around him, he whispered, "It's Cui Yingying..." Halfway through his words, he saw Wang Xifeng and Li Wan coming back after seeing the old lady off, so he quickly changed his words and said, "Meeting the True Love, a famous work by Yuan Weizhi."

Yuan Weizhi, the Yuan Weizhi in Bai Juyi's "Letter to Yuan Weizhi", was actually named Yuan Zhen.

Yuan Zhen was not only Bai Juyi's best friend, but also a famous poet and writer in the Tang Dynasty.

Yuan Zhen's two most widely circulated works are "Meeting the True Love", which tells the tragic love story of the poor scholar Zhang Sheng and the fallen aristocratic woman Cui Yingying who were abandoned by him; and "Three Poems to Relieve Sorrow", in which the lines such as "The words I joked about after my death are now coming true before me" and "Poor couples are sad about everything" have been passed down through the ages.

Lin Daiyu had rarely read Yuan Zhen's poems, and had never read "Meeting the True Love". She only vaguely knew that it was a tragedy.

She frowned slightly and was about to speak.

But Li Wan smiled and said, "Meeting the True Love is quite good, you can read it."

Wang Xifeng didn't understand what was being said, so she let them talk for a long time. Seeing that Daiyu and Baoyu looked much better while they were chatting, she felt a little relieved and went back to Lady Jia's courtyard. She also sent a maid to find out why there was still no news about Rong'er.

In Jia Zheng's outer study, a group of officials from the Imperial Hospital had already made a decision. They presented the diagnosis and prescription to Jia Zheng, and reminded him to avoid being sad and depressed.

Jia Rong did not let them go in vain, as he had already "accidentally left" some banknotes in the sedan chair provided by the guests. Except for Liu Yuduo who frowned deeply, the other imperial doctors, clerks, and medical officers all smiled happily and picked up the banknotes in the sedan chair without leaving any trace.

Jia Zheng stared at the words "heart and lungs are congenitally deficient, pregnancy prohibited" in the prescription, feeling embarrassed. If this prescription was presented to Jia's mother, who knew what the old lady would think.

Jia Zheng instructed, "Do not let anyone else know the details of the diagnosis, not even the ladies in the mansion. I will report everything to the old lady in private, and then we can make the calculations."

Jia Rong nodded, knowing very well the pros and cons of the matter.

A girl who cannot have children will be the subject of gossip wherever she goes, and some people may even look askance at her. You should know that one of the "Seven Reasons for Women to Die" is: "Being childless means that she will be extinct in the world."

Not to mention the ancient times, even in modern society, many people attach great importance to this. Although most wealthy families have concubines, a girl who is destined to be unable to have children is at an extremely disadvantageous position in marriage.

Tonight, Grandmother Jia is destined to have an extra cluster of white hair due to worry.

Jia Rong was very depressed.

"It's already like this, Lin Daiyu hasn't completed her mission yet?"

He reluctantly handed the medicine to Lin Daiyu, wondering what was wrong with it. Was it because he had done it without saying anything?

It seems that I will have to use my tongue in the end today. If I don’t complete this task today, I won’t leave tonight.

Go to Wang Xifeng’s courtyard at night!

The people Shi Hui had sent to Ping'an Prefecture had already returned. The concubine Jia Lian had just found was indeed engaged to Zhou Yang as Jia Lian said, and her family background was clean. Such a family, as long as the other party was willing, could naturally enter the Jia Mansion. Regardless of whether he could complete Lin Daiyu's task today, his matter with Feng Jieer was also included in the plan, so it would be best to let Wang Xifeng move to the east.

Lin Daiyu, who was lying on the couch at this time, was stunned for a long time when she heard Master Xiaorong personally bring the medicine soup over. Many images flashed through her mind. She suppressed her complicated emotions and pretended to be calm and said, "Let him come in."

His eyes were quite at a loss, he didn't dare to look towards the door, but he couldn't help wanting to take a peek.

After waiting for a long time, Lin Daiyu frowned and asked, "Why haven't you come in yet?"

Chunxian went out to take a look, and hurried back to say with a smile: "Second Master Bao is really considerate to the young lady. He is asking for Master Xiaorong's prescription, and he is afraid that the prescription prescribed by the Imperial Hospital is not suitable. Second Master Bao wants to look at the prescription himself before he feels at ease."

"Second Master is very considerate." Zijuan couldn't help laughing, but Lin Daiyu rolled her eyes at her.

Soon, Baoyu looked at the prescription, thought about it carefully, and then hurried into Daiyu's room. Baoyu asked hurriedly, "The medicine has been delivered. Is sister Pin'er awake?" He also asked if there was any sugar in the room, which was very considerate.

Chapter 157: Daiyu is embarrassed to read "Romance of the West Chamber"

Jia Rong heard Baoyu's voice, thought for a moment, and then handed the medicine to the maid in the room, and did not go in. He just told Daiyu's nanny to supervise Daiyu to take the medicine on time every day, and said that it was not easy to invite these offerings, and the prescriptions almost violated the taboos of the palace, and the intentions of these offerings should not be wasted.

That's his way.

He knew very well that many times, saying these words directly and decisively in person would not be as profound as conveying them through a third party.

There are even more benefits to saying it through a third person’s mouth.

Firstly, it shows that you are free and easy in doing things without leaving a name or seeking credit; secondly, it lets the people around the other person know about it, and they will naturally mention it when gossiping in the future, which will leave a deeper impression on the other person.

If there are more such things, one after another, they will be passed on through the people around the other party, and even the hardest heart will soften. In the words of Jia Rong in his previous life, it is to make the people around the other party unintentionally become wingmen who only say good things.

How many corrupt officials in the world started out in this situation.

The same applies to dealing with women. Whatever you do, you must make sure that she knows. Not only that, you must also let the people around her know that this is not easy to accomplish.

Jia Rong's plan is indeed very useful, especially for someone like Lin Daiyu who is sensitive and pays attention to details.

Daiyu drank the bitter medicine, and when Baoyu was sent away, she felt a sweet taste in her heart. She heard the nanny and the maids say, "Luckily, we have a relative like Master Xiaorong at home. He is really filial. He braved the taboo and invited ten doctors from the Imperial Hospital for the sake of the girl. He only thinks about the girl and never takes credit for it in front of others."

The maids, Xueyan and Chunxian, were only two years older than Daiyu, and were still young and innocent. Xueyan smiled and said, "Master Xiaorong treats everyone like this?"

The nurse said, "You have a shallow view. You should know that Master Xiaorong is a relative from the east, so it is natural for him to treat others well. The most amazing thing is that our girl is so caring to him even though we are several levels of relatives. Many legitimate relatives cannot compare to him."

Zijuan frowned and interrupted, "Stop talking. If the maids outside hear it, they will think the young lady is blaming someone."

The nanny then quickly shut up, but secretly complained in her heart that many people were all talk and no action, only expressing concern verbally but never doing anything in return.

Everyone has a scale in their heart.

After hearing this, Lin Daiyu felt a strange palpitation in her heart, not knowing whether it was the effect of the bitter medicine or the thought that Jia Rong's behavior was truly thoughtful.

Baoyu, however, was unaware of women's thoughts and only wanted to present the book that Mingyan had found to Daiyu, and he was unwilling to wait even a day. He came to Daiyu's room holding the book.

Daiyu was taking a nap at this time. She was not annoyed when Baoyu interrupted her. But when she saw the book in Baoyu's hand, her frown relaxed and she asked, "Is this the book you mentioned?"

Jia Baoyu presented it enthusiastically as if he were offering a treasure, and said with a smile: "This book is really interesting. I have only read a few pages, but I have been unable to stop and want to finish it. I thought that my sister would need something to do while she is recuperating, so I hurried to bring it to you."

Lin Daiyu gently took the book and saw the words "Meeting the True Love" written on it. Her delicate white hands turned a page and saw the words "Cui Yingying Waiting for the Moon in the West Chamber" written inside. Turning another page, there was a picture of a beauty. In the picture, the beauty was in a Buddhist temple, and there was a scholar beside her bowing.

"Could it be a book for girls to read?" Daiyu was puzzled, knowing that the beauty in the picture must be Cui Yingying.

It turns out that "Romance of the West Chamber" was an adaptation of "Meeting the True Love".

"Meeting the True Love" is a semi-autobiographical story by Yuan Zhen. "Romance of the West Chamber" is very bold. Although it also tells the story of Zhang Sheng and Yingying, it is different from "Meeting the True Love" in which Zhang Sheng abandons Yingying for his future. In "Romance of the West Chamber", with the help of Zhang Sheng and Yingying's maid Hongniang, they break through the many obstacles of Sun Feihu, Cui's mother, Zheng Heng and others, and finally break free from the secular world and become a couple.

"Romance of the West Chamber" was banned in the dynasty because it advocated free love and disregarded ethics, so booksellers replaced it with the cover of "Meeting the True Love" to cover it up.

Lin Daiyu had read "Peach Blossom Fan" some time ago, and felt deeply sorry for Li Xiangjun, who died of tuberculosis and whose peach blossom fan was stained with blood. She happened to be approaching the age of falling in love, and now she loved these love stories.

So I turned the first page and saw what was written in the text:

[The last speaker] Monk, how come Guanyin appeared?

[Congyun] Stop talking nonsense, this is the daughter of Prime Minister Cui of Hezhong Prefecture.

[Last sentence] There are such women in the world, aren't they all natural beauties? Not to mention her looks, her pair of small feet are worth a hundred taels of gold.

[Congyun] You are so far away, he is on that wall and you are on this wall, wearing a long skirt, how can you know where his feet are?

……

The scent of orchid and musk is still there, the sound of pendant rings is fading away. The east wind sways the weeping willows, the silk thread attracts the peach blossoms, the pearl curtain hides the lotus face. You think it is the home of the prime minister in the river, I think it is the appearance of Guanyin in the South China Sea.

"I haven't seen the emperor's face for ten years, and now I believe that beauty can mislead people." I decided not to go to the capital to take the exam.

Daiyu couldn't help laughing when she saw this. She cursed in her heart, "What a pervert!" She inexplicably remembered that night in Conglutang, when she went to relieve herself in a cool gauze dress. She thought to herself, "Rong'er is just like him, hiding in the dark and secretly watching people, without any shame."

She felt even more embarrassed for a moment and didn't dare to think too deeply about whether Rong Ge'er had seen anything that night.

Fortunately, Rong Ge'er saw it!

When Daiyu felt strange, she turned around and saw Baoyu looking at her stupidly. She felt annoyed for no reason. Her eyes turned cold and she didn't care about Baoyu's kindness in sending her the book. She snorted, "Why are you still here?"

After saying this, Lin Daiyu shyly drew the curtain and lay down on the couch with the book in her hand.

Jia Baoyu looked more and more stupid, but he had no choice but to endure the throbbing and walk away.

After Baoyu left, Lin Daiyu lifted the curtain and read more attentively: "She was as shy as a flower and could speak, as gentle as jade and fragrant. When we first met, I couldn't remember her delicate appearance. I put my hand on my teeth and thought about it slowly...thought about it slowly..."

Daiyu didn't know who she was thinking about.

Jia Rong had already returned to his grandmother's place.

Apparently Jia Zheng had been here just now, and Jia's mother had also read Daiyu's medical records. At this moment, the old lady's face was filled with sorrow, and her eyes were pitifully watery. No one in the room knew what was going on, and no one dared to speak.

Jia Rong greeted everyone and said comfortingly, "Don't worry, old lady. Liu Gongfeng has already given us instructions. As long as Aunt Lin stops being sad and happy, there will be no problem in the future."

Grandmother Jia nodded slightly, and her eyes were filled with countless emotions as she looked at Jia Rong.

I never thought that the guy whom I once looked down upon can now actually accomplish great things.

The old lady said, "Please give Rong a seat. Please accompany me for dinner and then go back."

Jia Rong agreed, had dinner at Grandmother Jia's house, and sneaked into Wang Xifeng's courtyard at night. There is no need to elaborate on this matter.

After a short period of time, Daiyu's health really improved a lot, just like the weather cleared up. But Daiyu has been holding the "Romance of the West Chamber" and even hiding in Ning Mansion to read it for fear of being discovered reading a banned book. Not only did she read it, she also repeatedly pondered it.

When she saw the following lines, "I went to the bedroom, undressed with my sister, made love with her, enjoyed the pleasure of love, and shared her wish to fly. I saw her hair hanging down, her eyes dim, her quilt covered with jade, her socks embroidered with mandarin ducks...", Daiyu's cheeks flushed with shame, and she cursed inwardly, "Where did Baoyu find this obscene book?"

However, she also admired Cui Yingying's courage in pursuing love and was reluctant to throw away the book.

That day, Daiyu came out of the Ning Mansion with a book in her hand and saw Rong'er going to the porch in the backyard of Youshi.

She immediately rolled up her book and followed him. But when she reached the side door of the flower wall, she saw You Erjie blushing in Rong Ge'er's arms in the corner of the yard, letting the bad guy touch her.

"Maybe I have seen it wrong." Daiyu hid behind the flower wall and pondered secretly, not knowing what to feel in her heart.

But Jia's mother had been very worried about Daiyu's illness these days, and she wanted to ask for help in any way she could. After asking the doctor, she asked the gods. She invited nuns from Shuiyue Temple, Dizang Temple, and Tiekan Temple, and even invited Baoyu's godmother Ma Dao Po to perform a few rituals.