King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 505 The Lin Family Reunion

On the last day of September, Zhu Jinghong officially set off and embarked on the road back to Beijing.

All the affairs of the Governor's Office were handed over to Liu Fang, and Sun Shaozu had also led the Jurchen tribes and headed east toward Zhasak.

On the ninth day of October, the news that Hami was captured in just two days returned to the capital, which made Zhu Jinghong's reputation even more prominent, and the popularity of his discussion directly overshadowed the Shengshou Festival.

As the Emperor's holy birthday approaches, envoys from various countries have arrived one after another, adding to the excitement in the city.

But both the envoys from the foreign countries and the people in the capital were talking about the war situation in the northwest, and Zhu Jinghong was the protagonist in the topic.

The northwest battles were victorious. Even with the support of the Rakshasa Kingdom, the Junggar army was defeated. This fact is the same as Shuangwen, and it must be said that it is very topical.

At the same time, Zhu Jinghong's previous boast of conquering Hami as soon as possible so that he could return to Beijing in person to congratulate the Supreme Emperor on his birthday quickly spread throughout the capital.

As a result, there are rumors in the capital that the current King Xiang is more heroic than the King of Qin a thousand years ago.

Of course this was for the sake of flattery, but it was not instigated by the Crown Prince and Prince Rui, but by the people below them.

There was no way, Zhu Jinghong's threat was so great that these people could no longer hold back and tried their best to throw dirty water on him.

Therefore, whether the prince or the king, they are all representatives of the interests of their respective subordinates, rather than the real masters of these people.

In this world, only interests are the real masters and can guide people to do what they should do.

…………

"Prince Xiang, Prince Xiang...everyone is talking about Prince Xiang, I am your majesty's best son, the wise king of the Ming Dynasty!"

In the study room of Prince Rui's Mansion, Zhu Jingyuan made a furious sound, which frightened the eunuchs inside and outside the room to tremble.

Although they were all absolute confidants, after hearing such taboo words, these eunuchs were worried that they would be silenced by Zhu Jingyuan.

At the door of the study, Princess Rui hurried over with an unpleasant look on her face.

"You all get down!"

"Yes!"

After these people left, Chen Zhi walked into the study and met Zhu Jingyuan's eyes.

At this time, Zhu Jingyuan still had resentment in his eyes, but his mood had calmed down.

Picking up the books on the ground, Chen Zhi put them back one by one and said at the same time: "Old Thirteen is majestic and you can't change it even if you are angry. The current plan is to find a way to get rid of him..."

After putting the book back, Chen Zhi sat on the chair next to him and continued: "The prince must be aware of the new rumors in the city recently. Can I take advantage of this?"

"The old man is already dissatisfied with me about the affairs outside the Qing Dynasty. I am afraid that the rumors about the thirteenth daughter-in-law... are caused by us!"

Chen Zhi shook her head slightly and said, "I don't think so. Maybe the old man thought it was the prince's instruction!"

Then she followed up with another sentence: "But it doesn't matter anymore... Anyway, in the eyes of the old man, neither of you brothers are good people!"

After about a few breaths, Chen Zhi continued: "In my opinion, now we should put aside the feud with Dong Gong. It is best to join forces with Dong Gong... and go all out to suppress Lao Shisan!"

Zhu Jinghong is the number one enemy, Zhu Jingyuan agrees, but asking him to join forces with Lao Si is undoubtedly a fantasy in his opinion.

Of course, as a political figure, Zhu Jingyuan can control his personal emotions very well, so he does not reject the alliance out of likes and dislikes.

But in his opinion, the United East Palace is not very operable, and a bad move can easily have counter-effects.

But even if the alliance is successful, Zhu Jingyuan still has another layer of worry, which may cause his people to alienate him.

Everyone follows him just to have a good time as a follower of the dragon. If he, Zhu Jingyuan, joins forces with the prince, why should the people below follow him?

"This matter is not as simple as you said. The fourth child and I are at odds with each other...how can we possibly unite!"

At this time, Chen Zhi said: "The so-called joining forces do not mean reconciliation, but that we both have a tacit understanding on the matter of killing Lao Shisan!"

In other words, we are only uniting to deal with Zhu Jinghong, and we must continue to fight in other aspects.

"How to implement it?"

"If you want the fourth child to deal with the thirteenth child, I'm afraid it will be useless in the next life!" Chen Zhi sneered.

"Xu Xinan, Bachelor of the East Palace, is a considerate person. Just send someone to talk to him!"

Nodding, Zhu Jingyuan said: "This person is pragmatic and decisive. He is a talented person who can do great things. It's a pity that he can't be used by me!"

After expressing his regrets, Zhu Jingyuan said: "Find someone of the same year or hometown as him!"

There are so many people under him that it is easy to find someone who has a relationship with Xu Xin'an.

"Do you think...will the old man value Old Thirteen because of this?"

While the couple was silent, Zhu Jingyuan asked a question. This was what he was most worried about.

"In the old affairs of Li and Tang Dynasty, the chariot mirror was in front of me, but the emperor didn't know how to do it!" Chen Zhi replied.

Sighing, Zhu Jingyuan replied: "I hope so!"

"Before, you said that there are only about 500 people in the palace including the guards. When Old Thirteen went to the northwest, he killed almost half as many people as we did..."

"Every time I think about it, it makes me feel scared!"

Chen Zhi fell silent. This was indeed a very heavy fact. The more Zhu Jinghong's reputation grew, the more frightened she became.

After all, all the things they did in private were known to Zhu Jinghong, and he could only forgive them if he was a saint.

"You go and arrange things, I'll go to the East Palace too!"

"I went there yesterday, why are you going today?" Zhu Jingyuan looked confused.

Chen Zhi said with a smile: "Tomorrow is the final selection of the princess. I have to go see the princess and tell her how much Princess Xiang is valued by her mother!"

Having said this, the couple both laughed, making the atmosphere in the study much more relaxed.

While he and his wife were acting secretly, Baochai was also busy in Prince Xiang's palace.

She was busy with nothing else but checking the palace's accounts.

She has to go through all the income from various farm shops and various purchases in person.

The person serving beside her was Lin Hongyu, who has now become Baochai's confidant.

"Princess, that matter...has come to an end!"

"What's the matter?" Baochai didn't even raise an eyebrow.

"Ni Er has made complete preparations to report the Yang family and Prince Rui's Mansion. He originally planned to report it yesterday. The complaint has been handed over to the county government..."

"Unexpectedly, some thugs came in yesterday, beat them up, destroyed the evidence, and let the culprits escape!"

After saying this, Lin Hongyu looked at Baochai again, only to find that the latter was still engrossed in reading the account book, as if he had not heard what she said.

"princess?"

"This matter is rotten in your stomach. Don't mention it again in the future!" Baochai said calmly.

Although she didn't understand why, since the princess had spoken, Lin Hongyu could only keep her mouth shut and not answer.

"That Ni Er, really has nothing to do with this matter?" Baochai suddenly asked.

According to Deng An's report, Ni Er was indeed careful in his work and found people who were beyond his reach. He was indeed not involved in this matter.

But Baochai still asked Lin Hongyu, just to make a final decision on whether to keep this person or get rid of him.

Of course Lin Hongyu would not understand that every word she said next was related to Ni Er's life and death.

"Reporting to the princess, Ni Er made an appointment with a friend and told him where there was in the courtyard..."

Lin Hongyu explained the situation in detail. In summary, Ni Er set up a trap to make the exposure of the Yang family a "coincidence", so there was no possibility that he would be involved.

After listening, Baochai didn't say anything more and just said: "Since Ni Er is so loyal, let him find a job with Zhang Pingan!"

"yes!" …………

October 10th is another new day.

After recuperating for nearly a year, Lin Ruhai will soon go to the Inspectorate to serve as the censor of Qiandu.

The censor of Qiandu is Naizheng, a fourth-rank official, and Lin Ruhai finally has an official rank that matches his rank.

This is of course a great thing, so colleagues from Beijing and China came to congratulate him. The Lin family has been very lively in recent days.

But as a lady of the Lin family, Daiyu has never been happy because someone has proposed marriage to the Lin family in the past two days.

Although both were rejected by her father, Daiyu also felt sad because it was time for her to get married.

Although she already has her heart set on her own, all major marriage matters are dictated by her parents, so she can only bury her thoughts deeply and endure the suffering alone.

"Girl, someone from the Jia family in Rongguo Mansion is here. The second, third, and fourth girls are also here!"

Zijuan's report pulled Daiyu out of her sorrow, but she was still lack of interest.

"Don't you want to meet me, girl?" Zicuckoo asked.

She knew what Daiyu was thinking and how much she was suffering now, so she hoped that Daiyu would be happy for a while if she went to see her sisters.

Seeing that Daiyu had no reaction, Zijuan explained: "I heard from people that the Thirteenth Master will be back in a few days. If he sees this girl..."

Before Zijuan finished speaking, Daiyu shed huge tears, and she was so frightened that she could only swallow the rest of her words.

After some consolation, Daiyu finally stopped crying, and then Zijuan said cautiously: "Girl, when the Thirteenth Master comes back, you can see him!"

"Master Thirteen is a very capable man. If you have any difficulties, just tell him. I think he will definitely be able to help you!"

Zijuan could roughly guess that Zhu Jinghong was interested in Daiyu, so she encouraged Daiyu to tell him.

Even the girl from the Xue family, who lost her father at a young age, can become an extremely noble princess. It can be seen that as long as the Thirteenth Master likes someone, he will definitely take her into the palace...

By then, the girl will be able to achieve her wish... Zijuan thought so.

When the master and the servant were having different thoughts, they suddenly heard the sound of orioles and swallows coming from outside. It was Yingchun Tanchun and his party coming over, followed by the maids and slaves who were waiting for them.

Now that the guests are here, Daiyu can't be still lazy, so she can only welcome them out of the boudoir.

Before they even left the outer hall, Tanchun and the others were already in front of them.

"Sister Lin, we finally meet you. What are you doing alone?" Tan Chun was very familiar with her.

While welcoming everyone into the house and asking the maid to pour tea, Dai Yufang replied: "What else can I do, just sit around alone!"

At this time, the youngest Xichun said: "We also said that Sister Lin is either reading or writing!"

"I spent all day reading and writing with the princess in the palace, and now that I'm back home... of course I have to take a rest!"

Signing for everyone to sit down, Daiyu took the tea cup from the maid's hand, and then motioned for everyone to taste the tea first.

She had lived in Rongguo Mansion for two years before, and she had a very good relationship with Tanchun and the three of them, so they got along well with each other now.

After having tea, Tan Chunfang asked: "When will Sister Lin enter the palace?"

Daiyu replied: "I'm afraid it's just these few days. It's boring for the princess to be alone!"

"Isn't there still Sister Yun?" Yingchun finally interrupted.

Tan Chun was a little surprised and said: "Second sister, don't you know? Sister Yun caught wind and cold a few days ago and is recovering from a serious illness!"

Yingchun couldn't hear anything going on outside the window, so it's not surprising that she didn't know about it.

At this time, Xichun coughed unintentionally, immediately reminding Tanchun that there was still business to do.

"Sister Lin, you were at Prince Xiang's Mansion a few days ago. Is the princess okay now?"

"Everything else is good, only one thing is bad!" Daiyu's eyes flashed slightly as she recalled the events in Prince Xiang's Mansion.

"What's not good?" Tanchun asked curiously.

"Being a princess is too tiring!" Daiyu said bluntly.

Tan Chun suddenly showed a look of understanding and continued: "Up and down, inside and outside, taking care of so many people and things, it's strange that I'm not tired!"

Then Tanchun said: "It's a pity that now, we sisters have no face to go to the palace to meet the princess!"

When Tanchun said this, Daiyu certainly knew the reason, so she explained: "Why do you have to say that... You are you and he is him, how can Sister Bao get angry with you!"

"That's true, but why do we have the nerve to come and find him again?" Tan Chun smiled awkwardly.

Just as she was thinking about what to say next, Yingchun opened her mouth to solve the problem.

"Sister Lin, I heard that the Thirteenth Master is going back to Beijing, and now our ancestors are worried about this!"

This sentence from Yingchun can be said to have no technical content, but it also raises a question straight to the point.

After all, she was her grandmother. Dai Yufang asked worriedly: "Why are our ancestors so worried?"

"It's not because of Baoyu. She is worried that Master Thirteen will find trouble with Baoyu after he returns to Beijing, and even beat him... to death!"

Jia Zhen of Ningguo Mansion, the former patriarch of the Jia family, lost her life because of Zhu Jinghong. It is normal for Jia's mother to be worried about this.

"Baoyu? Hasn't he already..."

After only half of the words were spoken, Daiyu stopped talking because she knew how much her ancestor loved her grandson.

Maybe Jia Mu also hated Baoyu for causing great trouble before, but now her beloved grandson has been driven out of the house. As time goes by, the old man will inevitably relapse into the love of licking a baby.

Then Daiyu said: "This matter has passed, ancestors don't have to worry!"

Tanchun said worriedly: "Sister Lin, His Royal Highness Prince Xiang has a clear distinction between love and hate. If he learns about the stupid things Baoyu has done, I'm afraid he will kill him with his own hands!"

Whenever the battle reports of Zhu Jinghong's defeat of the enemy were transmitted back to the capital, not only the Prince Rui's Mansion was frightened, but also the entire Rongguo Mansion.

Even if there is a princess in the family, they will not feel much sense of security.

Suppressing the complicated emotions in his heart, Tanchun continued: "Since Sister Lin is familiar with the princess, our ancestors thought... please come forward to mediate to save Baoyu's life!"

The only person who could persuade Zhu Jinghong was Baochai in the Rongguo Mansion, and Daiyu and Baochai had a close relationship, so this happened today.

After being stunned for a moment, Dai Yufang replied: "I'm afraid I can't help with this matter..."

At this time, Xichun said with tears and choked with sobs: "Sister Lin...if...if...if you are not willing to help, brother Baoyu...will only die!"

Jia Baoyu has been expelled from the Rongguo Mansion, and now only the young Xichun still calls him brother.

Daiyu is not a hard-hearted person. Thinking of the many times he was cared for by Baoyu in the past, she can't help but worry about him now.

Although this guy was stupid and brought such bad consequences upon himself, Daiyu still felt a little compassion.

At this time, Tanchun answered: "Sister Lin, Baoyu accepts the beating and the punishment. All I want is to spare his life. Then our ancestors will have nothing to ask for!"

Xichun came directly to Daiyu, tugged at the corner of her clothes and cried: "Sister Lin... please save brother Baoyu!"

It has to be said that Jia Baoyu is very good to his sisters, and now it's time to accept the reward. Tanchun and the others are doing their best to help him.

Thinking of Baoyu's care for her when she first arrived at Rongguo Mansion, Daiyu sighed several times.

Although the two are now strangers, after Daiyu thought about it again and again, she decided to return the favor.

Sighing again, Daiyu said: "I'll try my best to help!"

After hearing this, Tanchun immediately stood up and came to Daiyu, and said in a low voice: "Sister Lin, I thank you on Baoyu's behalf!"

"Sisters, why are you like this!" Daiyu quickly stood up and helped her.

(End of this chapter)