Chapter 13: Entering Rongguo Mansion Amidst a Bustling Crowd

  These days, Lin Qingyu has been bringing his elder brother Lin Ziqian to accompany Yin Zhen every day in order to leave a good impression on the future Emperor Yongzheng.

  One, to avoid his boredom; two, in the future when big brother will take office, having some emotional connection with Yongzheng might be beneficial for his career. They played chess, Lin Qingyu quietly sat on one side watching; they discussed ancient and modern times, she personally went to prepare tea and snacks for them.

  Lin Daiyu was too shy to meet outsiders, so she stayed in her boat-like house reading and painting; San Baozi was somewhat intimidated by Yongzheng's aura, feeling uncomfortable in his presence, so he didn't want to go, and Lin Qingyu didn't force him.

  Lin Qingyu is the kind of person who tries to get along with everyone and rarely fails.

  The same thing, others may do it with a flattering or fawning feeling, but she does it very naturally, making people feel comfortable from the bottom of their hearts! Lin Qingyu has such magical charm.

  What a resolute person Yinzhu is, under Lin Qianyu's efforts in these days, the favorability towards him has been rising continuously, and the impression of Linfu has also been deepening.

  Mr. Lin has won the trust of Emperor Ama, and Lin Ziqian, who is still young, has already passed the Imperial Examination with distinction. With his knowledge, he will definitely pass the Spring Examinations this time, and his future prospects are not bad. The Lin family has an antidote that can cure all kinds of poison in the world, and with the mysterious master of Miss Lin, Yongzheng's thoughts have changed.

  He currently has a side concubine position, and since he doesn't dislike Lin Qingyu, but rather has a faint affection for her, after returning, he'll find an opportunity to ask the Emperor to grant them marriage!

  If Lin Qingyu knew that she had implicated the Lin family and Yongzheng in her own downfall, she would probably be too grief-stricken to cry.

  Still a few days away from Beijing, Yongzheng recovered from his injuries and linked up with the secretly stationed guards before leaving.

  Honestly, Lin Qingyu really let out a huge sigh of relief!!!!!

  Although she was calm and natural every day, her heart was slightly nervous.

  Others don't know he's the prince, getting along with him is very harmonious and calm, but she knows that Yongzheng has a lot of grudges and is very petty!! If you can't even establish a relationship, you might accidentally offend him, which would be disastrous, who knows when he'll take revenge on you.

  The Lin family's old mansion, which had been quiet for over a decade, became lively again with the arrival of Lin Ruhai and others, entering a period of busyness.

  The Lin family ancestral home has withstood the test of time and weather, yet it still reveals its uniqueness to those who see it. Just in this area where high-ranking officials and nobles gather, being able to occupy such a vast amount of land is enough to make one gasp in amazement.

  The Lin Family Mansion and Garden are integrated, with buildings such as the Pear Fragrance Courtyard, Emerald Bamboo Pavilion, Respectful Book Pavilion, East Elegance Pavilion, Clear Grass Hall, and Washing Jade Studio... The interior decoration of the mansion is simple yet majestic, revealing a low-key luxury that is simple after being extremely resplendent.

  At first glance, it seems ordinary and can easily be overlooked. Only those who understand it realize the texture of the details - and these details are subtle, yet with a hint of pride.

  For example, beds, tables, chairs, stools, high tables, long cases, cabinets, coat racks, towel racks, screens, basin stands, and dressing tables, etc. The craftsmanship is rich in patterns, exquisite in carving. The main materials used for furniture are high-quality hardwoods such as redwood, Huanghuali, and purple sandalwood.

  For example, the porcelain antiques on the Bogu rack, the flower vases for inserting flowers, and the four-piece auspicious cloud patterned velvet carpet with a wooden red ground are not cheap.

  In the garden, there are also collections of well-preserved calligraphy works by famous masters throughout the ages. Not only are they precious art pieces, but they also have extremely high cultural relic value. The Lin family is indeed worthy of being a centuries-old aristocratic family!!!

  The Lin family has a simple household, with only 8 masters in total!

  Just arrived in Beijing, everyone knew that Lin's house was busy with the harvest, so no one came to visit, and Chen Lanxi quickly took over the management of household chores.

  Lin Qinyin and Lin Daiyu were on one side helping with some small chores, and at the same time learning how to manage a household.

  After everything in the Lin's house was put in order, officials began to visit one after another. Lin Ziqian accompanied his brothers to receive the officials with Lin Ruhai. Qingyu took Daiyu to help Chen Lanzhi receive the officials' wives and daughters.

  During this time, Lin Ziqian became acquainted with Pan Shouzhou, a hereditary cloud knight, Zhang Tingyu, the son of Grand Secretary Zhang Ying, and E'ertai, a Manchu from the Plain Blue Banner.

  Qingyu also made friends with three close friends, later the concubine of the 13th prince - the daughter of Jinbao, a first-class guard, Usu Shi Lan Hui, the concubine of the 12th prince - the daughter of Fang Wenbin, a fourth-rank guard, Fang Jia Shi Wanran, and Yuelian from Zhengbai Banner Irgen Gioro.

  Lin Qingyu was busy every day receiving officials' family members, attending gatherings invited by various governments, and felt dizzy and confused. She deeply felt that it was hard to be an ancient woman, and even harder to be a noble lady in ancient times!

  Until her busy life gradually calmed down, Chen Lanxi began to prepare the gifts for visiting the Jia Mansion.

  On the second day, a light blue sky, like a clean velvet, was embedded with a golden sun, and white clouds floated in the clear sky like solitary sails on a green sea.

  Qing Yu woke up to the chirping of birds, and let Mo Ju attend to her washing and dressing, while Zi Lian attended to her hairdressing and makeup.

  After washing up, Qingyu led a large group of maids and wet nurses to the main house where Ama E'nan lived. The Lin estate had many trees and seasonal flowers planted, so along the way, the air was filled with fresh scents, making people feel cheerful early in the morning.

  "Give my regards to Ama and E'niang!" Jing Yu's elegant figure bowed in a standard courtesy.

  Lin Ruhai sat up straight and put down the teacup in his hand, saying: "Get up!"

  Lin Qingyu got up and smiled sweetly at Lin Ziqian who was sitting under Ama's hands: "Big brother, good morning!"

  "Good morning!"

  "Did Qian have a good rest last night?"

  "Amma, Qinger rested very well. 'Cui Zhu Xuan' has a large area of green bamboo, emerald and transparent, looking at it makes people feel very comfortable, Qinger likes it very much, thank you Amma!"

  "It's fine if you like it!"

  ……

  Before long, the triplets and Lin Daiyu arrived, greeted everyone, and started having breakfast.

  After breakfast, Lin Ruhai took Chen Lanzhi in one sedan chair, the triplets with their own wet nurses and maids in another, Qingyu with Moju, Daiyu and Zijuan in a third, the remaining servants and maids in a fourth, and the gifts for the Jia family in a fifth. Lin Zixian rode horseback alongside the sedan chairs as they made their way to the Jia residence.

  As soon as she got into the sedan chair and entered the city, Lin Qingyu took a glance outside from behind the silk window. The streets were bustling with activity, and the crowds of people were thriving, which was different from other places.

  After a while, suddenly saw two big stone lions squatting on the north street, three beast-headed doors, and more than ten people with beautiful crowns and clothes sitting in front of the door. Judging from their appearance, they should be some capable managers in Jia's mansion.

  Above the main gate there is a plaque with five large characters that read "Imperial Decree Ningguo Mansion".

  Proceeding further west, not far away, there were also three large gates, which was the Rongguo Mansion. The sedan chair bearers carried her in and walked for about a hundred feet before turning a corner and stopping to withdraw.

  The maids and old women behind had all got down from the sedan chair and hurried up to catch up. Another three or four young men, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with complete clothes and hats, came up and lifted the sedan chair again. The crowd of maids and old women followed on foot until they reached the gate of the vertical flower door and put down the sedan chair. The young men withdrew, and the old women came up to lift the curtain of the sedan chair and helped Xiangyun and Daiyu get out of the sedan chair.

  Lin Qinyin supported Zhang's hand and entered the Huifang Gate with Lin Daiyu. On both sides were corridors, in the middle was a passageway, and on the ground was placed a large purple sandalwood screen. After passing the screen, there was a small three-room hall, behind which was the main house of the backyard.

  The front hall has five bays, all with carved beams and painted rafters. On both sides are corridors and wing rooms that wind through the mountains, where various parrots and birds are hung. On the platform above, several maids in red and green clothing sit, and as soon as they see them arrive, they hurry to welcome them with smiles, saying: "Just now the old lady was thinking of you, how fortunate that you've arrived." Then three or four people rush to beat the gong, while listening to someone report: "Mr. Lin, Mrs. Lin, Young Master Lin, and Miss Lin have arrived."

  Qingyu, Daiyu and Lin Zikuan, as well as the triplets followed Lin Ruhai and Chen Lanqi into the house, where they saw two pretty maids supporting an elderly woman with silver hair to greet them. At a glance, Daiyu knew that she was her maternal grandmother.

  Lin Ruhai took Chen Lanzhi and others to pay respects to Jia Mu, while Jia She and Jia Zheng invited him to the study, so he went with a few sons. Well! The men all left, only women were left. As the saying goes, three women make a play! So, how many plays is this?

  He knew that the Jia Mansion was a den of iniquity, and Lady Wang was even more cunning and treacherous. He couldn't help but glance at Chen Lanxi with some unease. Chen Lanxi saw this and smiled reassuringly at him, only then did Lin Ruhai feel slightly reassured and leave.

  Mrs. Jia, although old, still had a keen eye for everything.

  Looking at Chen Lan Zhi, who is already the mother of five children, she still looks young and beautiful. Time has been very kind to her, not showing any signs of passing! But her Min Er died so early in life! In her heart, she felt a strong hatred, thinking: My poor Min Er, you died so young, it must be related to this wicked woman. Min Er, wait for me, mother will definitely avenge your death!

  Mrs. Jia was so angry that she wanted to flay Chen Lanyi alive, but she couldn't. She had to pretend not to have seen her and turned to Lin Daiyu beside her, embracing her tightly in her arms, and burst into loud wailing. All the servants standing below covered their faces and wept, while Daiyu also cried uncontrollably.

  Lin Qingyu rolled her eyes to the side, if you really treated Daiyu with such preciousness and heartache, then how did the original ending of her early death come about? Hypocrisy!

  At this time, everyone slowly persuaded her to calm down. Lady Wang only then thought of Chen Lian's eldest son, Lin Zijian, who was already a successful candidate at a young age and had a bright future ahead of him. Her daughter would also be eligible for the imperial selection in three years, and it was possible that she would marry into the imperial family. In her opinion, being able to marry into the imperial family was already Lin Qiangyu's greatest fortune. She wanted to add strength to Yuanchun in the palace, so that her two daughters could be together in the future. Where did this confidence come from? Was it just an illusion? She still needed the support of her husband and brothers, and couldn't overdo things.

  Then she smiled at Lin Qingyu with a warm expression and said: "Good child, let me take a look ~~ you really look good! You are 50% to 60% similar to our Min'er!"

  Lin Qingyu almost choked to death when she heard this. She had no relationship with Jia Min at all, and it was impossible for anyone to be like Jia Min! What kind of eyes did he have?! Unbelievable! Lin Qingyu comforted herself: Forgive him, he's old and his eyesight is not good anymore!

  Who would have thought that at this moment, Mrs. Jia turned her head and asked Chen Lanzhi beside her: "Do you think so?"

  Chen Lan's rest was good, and upon hearing this, she didn't even bat an eyelid! She smiled slightly, and behind her, it seemed as if a hundred flowers were blooming, dazzling everyone in the room. "Our Qinger's nose is quite similar to our master's, both are high and straight! Our Dai sister's eyebrows and eyes also resemble our master's somewhat! They're biological sisters, connected by blood, so it's natural that they look alike. You, Old Madam, can see this at a glance, truly making me admire you!!! Indeed, as the saying goes, 'old ginger is still spicy'!"

  In one sentence, Jia Mu directly pushed Jia Min away. Jia Mu's face changed slightly, but the old ginger was quick to recover and just as she was about to say something, a maid came to report: "The first and second madams have arrived!"

  After everyone had paid their respects to Lady Jia, she pointed out each of the aunts to Daiyu: "This is your eldest maternal aunt; this is your second eldest maternal aunt."

  Daiyu made her bows one by one.

  Then, Lady Jia introduced Chen Lanxi to Mrs. Xing and Mrs. Wang. After everyone had met, she said: "Please ask the young ladies to come over. Since our distant guests have just arrived, they don't need to attend school today." Everyone agreed and two of them left.

  In a moment, three wet nurses and five or six maidservants appeared, surrounding the three sisters.

  The first one has a plump and delicate skin, with a medium build, her cheeks are like fresh lotus flowers, her nose is like goose fat, she is gentle and quiet, and it's pleasant to look at her. The second one has sloping shoulders and a slender waist, with a tall and slender figure, her face is like a duck egg, her eyes are beautiful and her eyebrows are fine, she glances around with a flying spirit, and her literary talent is brilliant, seeing her makes one forget the world. The third one's body is not yet fully developed, and her appearance is still small. Their hairpins, rings, skirts, and shoes, all three of them have the same decorations.

  Daiyu hastily got up and went forward to greet her, they exchanged greetings, then everyone returned to their seats.

  "This is your Uncle Lin's first wife, Chen Shi. She is now Yu'er's mother-in-law. You can call her Auntie Chen. The one next to her is Yu'er's sister, Lin Qingyu."

  San Chun busily paid respects to Chen Lan Zhi, who nodded in acceptance of their respects. She had her maid take the gift that San Chun brought for meeting her, but she did not accept the title of "Aunt".

  Although she knew that San Chun was a good girl, she didn't want to give the Jia family an excuse to pester her because of this. After all, Master had said it before: they must keep their distance from the Jia family!

  "Ah, Old Lady, you truly are blessed! Three lovely granddaughters surrounding you!" Chen Lanxi smiled and changed the subject, saying to Grandmother Jia.

  Lady Jia's eyes narrowed as she said, "I still like Yu'er the most. She and Mian'er look just alike! If only she could stay by my side for a long time, it would be some comfort to me in my grief over losing my daughter!"

  Chen Lanxi pretended not to understand what Lin Daiyu said and looked at Wang Furen beside her before changing the subject: "I often hear people say that your esteemed family has a young master who was born with a jade in his mouth! He is as handsome as 'a face like the full moon of mid-autumn, skin as delicate as spring dawn flowers, hair as neat as if cut by a knife, eyebrows as fine as ink paintings, face as lovely as peach blossoms, and eyes as clear as autumn waves.' Truly a perfect appearance!! Moreover, he is exceptionally intelligent, destined to be a top scholar in the future!!"

  "The Demon King of the Mixed World is just one, and cannot be praised." The voice of Wang's wife suddenly rang out.

  Madam Chen saw Old Lady Jia's expression turn worse upon hearing the words. She looked at Lady Wang and smiled: "Whose son didn't have a temper when he was young? Our family's Qian Ge was also very mischievous when he was young, but isn't he now a sensible person? He became better as he grew up!"

  The maids brought in tea. However, they talked about how Daiyu's mother fell ill, how they invited doctors to prescribe medicine, and how they sent her off at the funeral.

  Mrs. Jia couldn't help but feel sad again, saying: "Among my children, the one I loved the most was your mother. Today, she left me without even a chance to see her face, and now that I've seen you, how can I not be heartbroken?" As she spoke, she hugged Daiyu in her arms and began to sob again. Everyone rushed to comfort and explain, only then did she slowly calm down.

  Everyone saw that Daiyu was young and small in stature, but her demeanor and conversation were not common. Although her body and face were weak and could not win, she had a natural elegance, so they knew she had an incurable disease. So they asked: "What medicine do you usually take? Why don't you hurry up and treat it?" After speaking, he glanced at Chen Lanxi on the side, his meaning was self-evident.

  Daiyu said: "Although I was born prematurely and look frail, in fact my body is fine! There's no need to take medicine!"

  Before he could finish speaking, a burst of laughter came from the backyard, followed by a voice saying, "I'm late! I didn't even welcome our distant guest!"

  Daiyu asked in surprise: "These people are all solemn and stern, who is this person, to be so presumptuous and rude?"

  Lin Qinyin recognized the voice and knew it was Wang Xifeng, who was so clever that she had calculated her own demise. Just as she was thinking this, a group of wives and maidservants surrounded someone entering from the back door.

  This person dresses differently from the other girls, with colorful and resplendent attire, as if she were a celestial goddess: on her head, she wears a golden eight-treasured hairpin with pearls, and a five-phoenix pendant with hanging pearls; around her neck, she wears a crimson gold necklace with a jade pendant; at the hem of her skirt, she has a bean-green palace sash, with a pair of rose-shaped earrings; on her body, she wears a red satin jacket with golden threads and a hundred butterflies embroidered on it, over which she wears a five-colored silk cloak with a silver mouse fur trim; under that, she wears a kingfisher-blue skirt with floral patterns.

  A pair of phoenix-like triangular eyes, two willow-leaf-shaped eyebrows, slender figure, ** physique, pink face with a hint of spring, lips not yet opened but smile already sensed. Daiyu hastily got up to greet her.

  Lady Wang smiled and said, "You don't recognize her. She's a well-known slattern in our neighborhood, commonly referred to as 'a spicy girl' in local dialect. Just call her 'Phoenix Spicy Girl'."

  Daiyu was at a loss for what to call her, but just then all the sisters-in-law hastened to inform her: "This is Elder Sister Xue."

  Daiyu heard this and immediately knew that he was Jia Yuanchun's son, Jia Lian, who had married the niece of her second uncle's wife, Wang Xifeng. She hastily smiled and greeted him, addressing him as "sister-in-law".

  She brought Daiyu's hand and carefully examined it, then sent her back to sit beside Grandma Jia. Smiling, she said: "There really is such a beautiful person in the world, I only saw her today! Moreover, this whole demeanor doesn't seem like an old ancestor's granddaughter, but rather a legitimate granddaughter. No wonder the old ancestor always remembers her day and night. It's just a pity that my sister has such a bitter fate, why did Auntie have to pass away!" As she spoke, she used her handkerchief to wipe away tears.

  Lin Qianyu really wanted to roll her eyes, but was afraid of tarnishing the Lin family's image, so she forced herself to endure. What does this mean? Is Lin Daiyu not a member of the Lin family? Why does it sound like she's become a member of the Jia family just because you said that?

  Chen Lanqi heard this and smiled slightly, "Although my mother-in-law is gone, but now our Dai Jie has a father who loves her, brothers and sisters who like her, and younger brother who respects her, she's living a good life!"

  "It's exactly this reason!" Regardless of what Lady Wang was thinking at the moment, she couldn't openly scold Lin Daiyu in front of people. She smiled and responded to Chen Lanxi, saying to Wang Xifeng: "I've just recovered, and you're coming to invite me. Your sister has just arrived from a long journey and is weak, I've only just persuaded her to rest, don't mention anything that happened before."

  Xie Feng's heart skipped a beat when she heard this, and she forgot that Chen Lan Zhi, the current Mrs. Lin, was present. She quickly changed her expression from sadness to joy and said: "That's right! As soon as I saw my sister, my heart was with her, both liking and feeling sad for her, and I forgot about our ancestors. You should be beaten, you should be beaten!" Then she hastily took Dai Yu's hand and asked: "Sister, how old are you? Have you studied before? What medicine are you taking now?"

  This chapter is mostly adapted from the original work. Please forgive me!!!