The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 353 Relocation and Burial
Seeing Ping'er accept the silver, Lin Zhixiao couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "There is another happy event. The old lady and the madam have discussed it and feel that although Aunt Zhao made a mistake in the past, she is still a member of the Jia family after all. She worked hard to serve the master and the madam, and gave birth to the bloodline of the Jia family. After all, even if she had a thousand faults in her life, they should all be erased after her death. So the old lady and the madam decided to move Aunt Zhao's coffin back to the Jia family's ancestral tomb for burial. The master also agreed, so they sent me here to implement this matter."

Ping'er's heart skipped a beat. This was indeed a great joyous event, a good thing for both the Third Master and the deceased Aunt Zhao.

As the saying goes, if you marry a chicken, you follow the chicken; if you marry a dog, you follow the dog; if you marry a monkey, you follow the mountains. In the feudal society that emphasizes the three obediences and four virtues, a woman obeys her husband after marriage, but cannot be buried in her husband's ancestral tomb after death. This is undoubtedly extremely shameful, meaning that the woman has lost her virtue as a woman, is not ashamed to see her husband's ancestors, and is not worthy of enjoying the incense and offerings of her clan members. Even her children will be implicated and cannot hold their heads up in the clan.

Therefore, if Aunt Zhao could relocate the Jia family's ancestral tomb, it would be equivalent to erasing all the stains of her life, which would naturally be a good thing for Jia Huan.

However, Aunt Zhao's death was the pain in the Third Master's heart, and it was also an irreparable rift between the Third Master and the Jia family, so Ping'er was not sure whether Jia Huan would agree to move the grave, so she said calmly: "Although this major event was decided by the old lady, the master and the mistress, the Third Master is now grown up and has his own ideas. It would be best for Steward Lin to discuss it with the Third Master in advance and obtain his consent to avoid unpleasantness in the future and become a laughing stock for the world."

Lin Zhixiao smiled and said, "Miss Lin is right. I came to Yangzhou this time to discuss the relocation of the grave with Master Huan San, but unfortunately I missed it. Miss Ping has served Master Huan San for many years and has made great contributions. I believe Master Huan San is willing to listen to you, so I would like to ask Miss Ping to persuade him a little."

Ping'er suddenly realized. No wonder they say one does not visit someone without a request. When you show courtesy to someone, you must have something to ask for. Lin Zhixiao, as the steward of the Jia family's treasury, was so humble in front of her. It turned out that he just wanted to persuade the Third Master to agree to move the grave through her. Alas, if she had known this, why did she do it in the first place?

Based on Ping'er's understanding of Mrs. Wang, she is actually a person with a kind face but a cruel heart, even worse than her niece Wang Xifeng. It is absolutely impossible for her to easily agree to move Aunt Zhao to the Jia family's ancestral tomb for burial. But now she agreed and even hypocritically rewarded herself with fifty taels of silver. This shows the power of the emperor's edict. Even if Mrs. Wang was reluctant, she had to agree.

When she thought of this, Ping'er felt even more relieved, finally letting out the anger in her chest. However, if Ping'er knew that Mrs. Wang was so angry that she vomited blood because of the tomb relocation, she would probably feel even more relieved at this time.

Seeing Ping'er remained silent, Lin Zhixiao was afraid that she might be resentful and unwilling to help, so he accompanied her and said carefully: "In recent years, the mansion has indeed neglected Third Master Huan, but no matter what, the word Jia cannot be written with one stroke. Third Master is the blood of the Jia family after all. Even if Third Master becomes a marquis and a prime minister in the future, this fact cannot be changed. What do you think, Miss Ping?"

Ping Er was slightly shocked, bit her teeth secretly, nodded and said, "I will go back and persuade the Third Master, but I cannot guarantee whether it will work or not."

Lin Zhixiao smiled and said, "I understand. Miss Ping is more sensible. I will go to Jinling first. If Mr. Huan San agrees, that would be great. If not, Miss Ping, please take care of it."

Ping Er nodded and said, "Don't be too busy yet, Steward Lin. It won't be too late to talk about it after Third Master finishes the provincial examination."

Lin Zhixiao slapped his thigh and said, "Ms. Ping is really thoughtful. Let's wait until the provincial examination results are announced, so as not to affect Third Master's performance. If Third Master passes, he may agree if he is in a good mood. Haha, I will take my leave first."

Lin Zhixiao bowed and was about to leave with the two young servants, but Ping'er stopped him and said, "Butler Lin, wait a minute!"

Lin Zhixiao hurriedly stood still and said respectfully, "Miss Ping, do you have any other instructions?"

"I dare not. Steward Lin has come all the way here. You have taken the trouble. Please use this silver to have tea." Ping'er said as she took out an ingot of ten taels of silver and handed it to Lin Zhixiao.

Lin Zhixiao took the silver after a brief hesitation, thanked him repeatedly, and left with two young servants.

Ping'er watched the three people walk away, feeling quite proud. She thought about how the Third Master had to carry the coffin south alone. For three years, no one in the Jia family had paid him a visit or even given him a monthly salary. It was so miserable. Fortunately, the Third Master was young and smart, and was able to make money at a young age. If it were other people of the same age, they would have starved to death long ago.

Fortunately, God rewards those who work hard, and the Third Master has finally made it. Even Lin Zhixiao, the treasury manager who holds financial power, is cautious and fawning in front of him. His attitude is more respectful than when he worked for the Second Mistress. It shows that in this world, a blacksmith must be strong himself, and if he doesn't have any ability, he will only be stepped on!
Let's not talk about how Ping'er sighed. When Lin Zhixiao walked out of the Salt Inspectorate's Office, a young servant behind him couldn't help but say, "Dad, Miss Ping is really elegant, wearing gold and silver, and spending lavishly. Didn't they say that Third Master Huan was exiled from the mansion? Even his monthly allowance has been cut off, but I think he lives a comfortable life and has no shortage of money at all."

It turned out that the two young servants beside Lin Zhixiao were his two sons. The older one was called Lin Zhong and the younger one was called Lin Fu. The one who spoke just now was Lin Fu, who was eighteen years old this year, and Lin Zhong was two years older.

At this time, the eldest brother Lin took over the second brother's words and said, "What's so strange about this? He's lucky to have gotten close to Master Lin. Hey, as the saying goes, a clean prefect for three years can earn you 100,000 silver coins, not to mention that he's the Yangzhou Salt Inspector, who is filthy rich. Master Lin has been in office for seven or eight years, so he's naturally rich. A hair on his leg is thicker than an average person's waist. Any little that slips through his fingers is enough for Master Huan San to eat, drink and have fun."

Lin Zhixiao's face darkened and he shouted, "Shut up and stop talking nonsense!" Lin Zhong said with an embarrassed look, "What did I say wrong? When Master Huan San was kicked out of the house, he was still a little kid under ten years old and couldn't even support himself. If it weren't for Master Lin's help, would he be alive today? Now even the maids are wearing gold and silver."

Lin Zhixiao snorted coldly, "You know nothing. When the Third Master was in the mansion, he didn't have an easy life. The Second Mistress withheld his monthly salary and even treated him harshly when it came to food, but he still had delicious food every day. So even though Third Master Huan is young, he has a sharp mind and knows how to make money. He made a lot of money just by selling paintings and plays. Later, he teamed up with the Seventh Prince to start an ice cream business, making a fortune every day."

Lin Zhong slapped his forehead and said, "My child has finally woken up. I heard that Second Madam Lian's eldest brother Wang Ren was jealous and wanted to seize this business. He even dragged in a steward from Prince Yi Zhong's mansion, but he ended up kicking the board and accidentally injured the Seventh Prince. He was finally arrested by the Imperial Guards. This incident caused quite a stir at the time."

Lin Zhixiao said coldly, "That's right. If the master didn't think it was shameful to be a businessman, Ling Huan Sanye would have returned his shares in the ice cream business. This income alone would have been enough for him to live comfortably."

Lin Zhong said, "That's true. There are ice cream shops all over the country now. They are making a lot of money."

Lin Fu said with regret: "The Seventh Prince is behind the ice cream, no one dares to imitate him, this unique business is bound to make money, but it's a pity that the master is short-sighted and actually let Master Huan San withdraw his shares."

Lin Zhixiao said in a low voice: "Shut up, you are such a nobody, you can't talk about the master, watch your skin."

Lin Fu immediately lowered his head and dared not speak.

Lin Zhixiao snorted coldly and said, "Do you know why your father brought you brothers on this mission this time?"

Lin Zhong said carefully: "Dad wants the children to gain some experience and hone their abilities."

Lin Zhixiao kept silent with a dark face. Lin Fu suddenly had an idea and whispered, "Could it be that Father wants my brother and I to behave well in front of Master Huan San?"

Lin Zhixiao's expression relaxed a little, and he hummed, "It's a bit interesting. You two brothers should remember one thing, even though Third Master Huan is a concubine's son, the future prosperity and decline of the entire Jia family will depend on him nine out of ten."

Lin Zhong and Lin Fu looked at each other in bewilderment. The latter said doubtfully, "Father, isn't this a bit too absolute? Third Master Huan is indeed remarkable, but he is only a concubine's son after all. Second Master Lian will inherit the title of our West Mansion. Even if it is the family business of the old master, there is Second Master Bao. It is not Third Master Huan's turn yet."

Lin Zhixiao said contemptuously: "How many years have you been eating? How much do you understand? I have walked over more bridges than you have walked on roads. Now, whether it is the East Palace or the West Palace, they are all glamorous on the surface, but in reality they are not making enough money. What's more, those masters are all people who eat, drink and have fun, and there is no one who can plan and strategize. Those who practice Taoism practice Taoism, those who are happy are happy, those who are mediocre are mediocre, and even the Second Master Bao, who was born with a jade in his mouth and was placed with high hopes, only hangs out in the inner house all day long. If this continues, it is only a matter of time before it falls.

Mr. Huan San was originally a naughty and mediocre person, but he suddenly became smart after being kicked by a donkey. Not only was he clever and resourceful, he also suddenly became full of talent. After only one month of writing, he even won the third place in the boy's examination. It can be seen that the Jia family's luck is not over yet.

In addition, you all only see that Master Lin is kind to Master Huan San, but you don't know why Master Lin favors Master Huan San. It turns out that Master Huan San has saved Master Lin's life several times. It is said that the banditry that caused such a stir this time was actually quelled by Master Huan San. Master Lin even gave Master Huan San the seal of the governor to manage."

Brothers Lin Zhong and Lin Fu looked at each other in awe and asked in amazement: "How did father know that?"

Lin Zhixiao scolded coldly: "When you entered the city yesterday, you went to the inn and fell asleep. How could you think of asking about these things? To complete a task well, you must first understand the whole story. You are still far from being good enough. Learn from your father."

The two brothers couldn't help but look ashamed.

(End of this chapter)