Red Chamber 4
Jia Min spoke frankly, but since this was their first meeting, delving deeper would be inappropriate.
Just then, little Daiyu yawned, and Jia Min immediately shifted the topic: “Look at me, I was so taken with my sister at first sight that I forgot she must be exhausted from the long boat journey.” With that, she called her personal maid Xiuyu over: “Is the courtyard ready?”
Xiuyu curtsied slightly: “Yes, Madam. It was prepared yesterday, and this morning Sister Xiuxue even specially scented the rooms with lily incense.”
Jia Min nodded in satisfaction, then turned back to A Yuan with a smile: “In that case, sister should go and rest first. Once you’ve recovered, we sisters-in-law can talk more.”
“Yes.”
A Yuan rose, softly acknowledged, and followed Xiuyu out of the warm chamber.
Jia Min watched the retreating figure through the window lattice—slender and graceful, moving with light lotus-like steps through the moon gate, led by Xiuyu toward the guest courtyard that had long been prepared. Only when the figure had completely disappeared did she sigh, feeling a pang of guilt in her heart.
Although the eunuchs traveled to the capital by canal boat, they still needed to dock for supplies along the way.
Initially, she and her husband had genuinely wanted to help Lin Han, their promising cousin. Upon learning of the situation, they immediately sent people to the capital. However, before their messengers could even leave Yangzhou City, members of the Jia clan from Jinling arrived. Surprisingly, they took the opposite approach, hoping to use Lin Ruhai’s connections to insert a distant Jia clan woman into the Candidate Maiden registry.
It turned out that the Dowager of Rongguo Mansion had long discussed with the Jinling clan elders about sending a woman into the palace.
But no one had expected that the eunuch conducting the Selection in Jiangnan Prefecture was actually a man of the Retired Emperor.
The Retired Emperor, wary of the emperor forming marital alliances with noble families, had initiated the Civil Selection. The Jia clan of Jinling, being a prominent family backed by the Ning and Rong mansions, dared not oppose the Retired Emperor and had no choice but to abandon their plans.
Yet, unwilling to give up entirely, they decided to seek Lin Ruhai’s assistance.
Lin Ruhai had been personally selected by the Retired Emperor as the Tanhua (third-place scholar) that year. Less than half a year after entering the Hanlin Academy, his father passed away, requiring three years of mourning. Just as he prepared to return to the Hanlin Academy after the mourning period, his mother also died, leading to another three years of mourning. By the time he emerged from mourning, the emperor on the throne had changed.
So… Lin Ruhai was anxious too!
He found himself in a precarious position—unfamiliar with the Retired Emperor, and distrusted by the current emperor. To make matters worse, he held the perilous post of Salt Censor.
Thus—
One moment, his mother-in-law’s plan seemed fine; the next, it became his own.
Rather than scheming to sneak a Jia woman into the palace, it would be better to send a Lin woman instead.
After all, the Lin family had few descendants and no significant clan ties, making them as clean as could be!
This was Lin Ruhai’s thought, and he discussed it openly and honestly with Lin Han, unlike Jia Min’s vague hints.
Lin Han’s eyes reddened again, but with A Yuan’s support, his emotions remained relatively stable, though his tone was unavoidably somber: “The Imperial consort selection is a state policy. If there’s no way to change it, we can only go with the flow. Still… this matter is truly distressing.”
He spoke of his family affairs: “…Father has always been biased, and my sister’s marriage is entirely in the hands of my stepmother. I worry day and night. Now, thinking about it, perhaps entering the palace might actually be better.”
As a junior, Lin Ruhai could not criticize his elders.
He simply patted Lin Han’s shoulder: “It’s best that you think this way.”
“Now that the emperor’s Imperial harem is empty, if she is selected and Receives imperial favor, there will at least be the bond of youthful companionship. Life likely won’t be too difficult.”
Lin Han rose and clasped his hands in salute toward Lin Ruhai. “On this journey, I hope elder brother will take good care of our sister.”
Lin Ruhai bent down to help Lin Han up.
With Lin Han’s approval, many matters could now be set in motion.
Yangzhou may not have much else, but it had no shortage of ‘renowned masters’ for training young ladies. However, due to their less-than-glorious backgrounds, they could only be invited discreetly for private tutoring… posture and demeanor, music, chess, calligraphy, painting, singing, dancing, and musical instruments—a two-month intensive crash course in the arts.
The ‘well-traveled’ A Yuan clicked her tongue in amazement. “Being an emperor must be so much fun!”
She wanted to be one too!
Upon hearing this, Qiao Xiu wished she could instantly turn deaf to avoid her mistress’s ‘wild talk,’ yet her hands moved swiftly to take the pipa from the young lady’s grasp.
“Young lady is exceptionally gifted. This old tutor has nothing left to teach.” The elderly instructor dressed in dark clothing bowed respectfully, her tone humble. After all, she had received a hefty training fee. She had no idea where the master of this household had found such a prodigy—the girl learned so quickly that the instructor almost regretted not charging more!
A Yuan, wearing a thin veil, saw off the last instructor. “The courses are all finished now, right?”
Qiao Xiu nodded like a pecking chick. “All finished. The Lin family carriage is already waiting outside the second gate. We can return to the city anytime.”
To avoid exposing her identity, A Yuan had been staying at Jia Min’s estate to attend the lessons.
Now that the courses were complete, the salt certificates had been distributed, and the salt merchants’ ships were about to set sail, it was time for A Yuan to leave Yangzhou and head for Jingcheng.
For this journey to the capital, Lin Ruhai not only sent the steward Lin Fu ahead to Jingcheng to renovate the former Lin Marquis residence but also privately met with Xu Shukun, Yangzhou’s largest salt merchant, arranging for A Yuan to travel north to the capital aboard the Xu family’s salt ship.
Canal boats came and went with numerous passengers, and Lin Ruhai feared A Yuan might be jostled or inconvenienced.
As the year-end approached, canal boats gradually docked at ports to prepare for the New Year, while salt merchants’ ships began to depart. Throughout the seasons, year after year, ships stretched for miles along the Grand Canal, their lights connecting like a chain, creating a perpetually bustling scene. Even seated inside her sedan chair behind the curtain, A Yuan could hear the lively clamor from the port.
Qiao Xiu stood beside the sedan chair, bending slightly to describe the bustling activity at the port to A Yuan.
A Yuan longed to lift the window curtain and peer outside, but the dozen or so household servants dispatched by Lin Ruhai surrounded the sedan chair so tightly that she could only see their backs.
“On your journey to the capital, do not forget to pay a visit to Elder Zhang.”
“Yes.” Lin Han clasped his hands, his tone solemn.
Elder Zhang was Lin Ruhai’s examination patron from the year he passed the imperial exams. Though now retired from his official post, he still had connections throughout the court. Moreover, his youngest daughter had been the first wife of Jia She, the First-Class General of Rongguo Mansion, creating a marital tie with Lin Ruhai. Both sentiment and propriety dictated that a visit was necessary.
Of course, it was also an opportunity to discreetly gather internal information about the Imperial consort selection.
If selected, Lin Ruhai would need to prepare dowry funds for A Yuan, as well as a dowry entourage to remain in the capital for relaying messages, making preliminary arrangements for A Yuan’s life after entering the palace.
Lin Ruhai let out a sigh, his gaze drifting toward the surrounded sedan chair, his thoughts somewhat heavy.
Previously, he had never harbored ambitions of climbing the social ladder through imperial connections. But now that this decision had been made, he naturally had to strive forward. Thus, that heaviness soon dissipated, leaving behind only a strong sense of purpose.
Everyone has their own selfish motives.
Even a loving couple like Lin Ruhai and his wife had their own separate plans. Jia Min wholeheartedly hoped that A Yuan would enter the palace and serve as a stepping stone for Jia Yuanchun, while Lin Ruhai wished for A Yuan to take good care of herself. If she were selected, she should strive to win favor and give birth to a prince with the bloodline of the Lin family as soon as possible.
He, too, would work diligently at court, so that in the future, he could provide support for his cousin.
The group bid farewell to Lin Ruhai and boarded the Xu family’s large salt merchant ship. Seeing the cabin, which was nearly three times larger than that of a canal boat, A Yuan couldn’t help but sigh to Qiao Xiu, “Salt merchants truly live up to their reputation as the immensely wealthy—they are indeed extravagant.”
Qiao Xiu’s eyes were wide with amazement.
She had thought the Lin residence was already luxurious enough, but she never expected the ship’s cabin to be even more opulent than the courtyard they had previously lived in.
“The pillows and bedding on the bed and couch are all neatly arranged. Would you like to take a short nap or perhaps recline and read a book?”
Having risen before dawn to catch the boat, A Yuan was exhausted now that they had settled on board. She waved her hand and said, “I’ll sleep for a while. You can attend to your own tasks.”
“Yes,” Qiao Xiu replied crisply.
A Yuan removed her outer robe, climbed into bed, and let out a long sigh of relief only after lying down and drawing the bed curtains.
During her time at the Lin residence, she had to maintain her persona. After all, “if you want the horse to run, you must feed it grass.” Since she wanted Lin Ruhai’s support, she had to demonstrate her “value”—her talent, character, and temperament. The better she performed, the more support she would receive, and the greater her chances of staying in the palace.
After sleeping for about two hours, A Yuan slowly awoke. The nap had been so comfortable that her entire body felt as if her bones had softened. She casually threw on an outer robe, left her hair uncombed, and reclined on the couch to read. It wasn’t until evening that Lin Han finally found time to visit.
“I heard from Qiao Xiu that you slept the entire afternoon. Are you feeling unwell?” Lin Han immediately inquired about A Yuan’s health upon arriving.
“I’m perfectly fine. I just woke up too early, so I took the chance to catch up on sleep once we settled in.” A Yuan picked up a small bowl from the table and took a sip of silver ear soup. “These past two months have finally passed. Although my brother and sister-in-law treated me extremely well, it still wasn’t my own home. I always had to be mindful of my words and actions.”
Seeing her so relaxed, Lin Han couldn’t help but find it amusing. “Look at how lazy you are. How will you manage when you enter the palace later?”
Although the Imperial consort selection hadn’t yet begun, both siblings were aiming to be selected, envisioning a future where they would enter the palace and become Imperial Consorts.
“Perhaps His Majesty will favor me just as I am.”
Besides… her true intention wasn’t to compete for favor, but simply because there were many tasks in the palace.
However, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t strive for favor. The higher her status, the more people she could interact with, and the more Points she could earn.
A Yuan took a moment to glance at the System Interface and saw several question marks already appearing on the pending tasks panel. Looking at the map, all of them were located in the palace. She even suspected that the system was pretending to be idle—otherwise, why would tasks in the Imperial Palace refresh just as she confirmed her participation in the selection?
In fact, there were also tasks in the Lin residence.
One of them was to restore Lin Daiyu’s health, with a reward of 5,000 Points and ten Crimson Pearl Immortal Herbs.
A Yuan wasn’t in a hurry to accept it, as it was a long-term task she couldn’t complete anytime soon. It would be better to tackle it later when the opportunity arose, especially since there was no deadline for the task.
Lin Han saw his sister lost in thought again and sighed, then began to explain the background of Rongguo Mansion to A Yuan. He had already guessed Jia Min’s intentions and wanted to give his sister a reminder.
No matter what plans Rongguo Mansion had in mind, his sister’s most important task was to take care of herself, not to exhaust her energy for an outsider.
However, the information Lin Han could gather was only the most superficial conduct of the Ning and Rong Mansions, far less than what A Yuan knew. Yet he mentioned a key figure—the elderly master of Ningguo Mansion, Jia Jing.
“Back when Prince Yizhong plotted rebellion, Master Jing of Ningguo Mansion made the wrong bet. Fortunately, at the time, Master Jing was only a minor jinshi and had not yet been appointed to an official post. Otherwise, both Ning and Rong Mansions would have suffered greatly. Even so, he now hides away in Xuanzhen Temple as a monk, detached from worldly affairs. Because of this incident, both mansions have been sidelined in recent years. Despite their grandeur, neither mansion has a man capable of upholding the family’s reputation.” Speaking of this Master Jing, Lin Han felt somewhat speechless.
Just a minor jinshi, not even appointed to an official post, yet he meddled in the deposed crown prince’s rebellion… truly overestimating his abilities.
A Yuan glanced at him. “He wasn’t just a jinshi; he was also the head of Ningguo Mansion, holding the hereditary title of Commander of the Capital Garrison… a proud son of nobility born into privilege. He didn’t need to lift a finger to help; merely expressing his stance would have been a significant boost for Prince Yizhong.”
Lin Han fell silent. As a scholar-official, he naturally harbored resistance toward the nobility and hadn’t considered this perspective.
“However, Brother is right about one thing: the men of Ning and Rong Mansions truly cannot uphold the family’s reputation.”
A Yuan rested her chin on her hand, thinking of the final fate of the two mansions, her tone tinged with regret. “No wonder they turned their attention to women.”