The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 392: The Afterlife
Since Jia Huan traveled to the world of the Red Mansion, if we talk about a noble person, then Lin Ruhai is undoubtedly the first noble person he has met, while Jia Dairu and the seventh prince Xu Wenhou can only be considered half.

Lin Ruhai not only helped Jia Huan when he was at his lowest point, but also taught him all his knowledge and experience. Otherwise, even if Jia Huan was a top student in his previous life, he might not have been able to pass the provincial examination so easily. Strictly speaking, Jia Huan's current fame and connections are inseparable from Lin Ruhai's support, including Emperor Qiansheng's edict of praise for Jia Huan, which was also inseparable from Lin Ruhai.

Don't underestimate Emperor Qiansheng's praise. In fact, it helped Jia Huan no less than passing the imperial examination, because Aunt Zhao's use of witchcraft to harm Jia Baoyu and Mrs. Wang was too stupid. Not only did she lose her own life, but she also gave Mrs. Wang a handle to control Jia Huan for the rest of her life.

For a concubine to murder the mother and son of the principal wife is a heinous crime both morally and legally, and is despised by everyone, especially in a feudal society where filial piety is the rule of law. Therefore, even though Aunt Zhao lost her life, few people in the Jia family sympathized with her.

Precisely because Aunt Zhao died in ignominious circumstances, Jia Huan's act of carrying her coffin south to observe mourning for three years was naturally not worthy of praise. Mrs. Wang could even seize on this point and make Jia Huan bear the accusation of being disrespectful and unfilial to her.

Because in feudal society, the status of the legitimate mother is supreme. No matter whether the child is legitimate or illegitimate, the legitimate mother is the real mother, and the biological mother can only be called aunt. Aunt Zhao tried to kill the legitimate mother and son. Not only did Jia Huan not draw a clear line with Aunt Zhao, he also carried the coffin and mourned for her. Where did he put his legitimate mother, Mrs. Wang?
Therefore, Mrs. Wang could completely use this point to discredit Jia Huan, and even have reason to suspect that he and Aunt Zhao were in collusion, which would be enough to prevent Jia Huan from turning over in his life.

The imperial edict from Emperor Qiansheng undoubtedly completely resolved Jia Huan's hidden worries, because even the emperor issued an edict praising Jia Huan as "a model of filial piety and a role model of a son". Naturally, Mrs. Wang could not sing against the emperor and use the matter of Aunt Zhao to control Jia Huan. Not only that, she even had to take the initiative to cover up this family scandal and strictly ordered the servants in the mansion not to bring up the old matter again.

As a result, Lady Jia and Jia Zheng even wanted to move Aunt Zhao's grave back to the Jia family's ancestral tomb in order to comply with the emperor's edict, which made Mrs. Wang so angry that she vomited blood.

Therefore, Lin Ruhai is indeed a great benefactor to Jia Huan. To Jia Huan, Lin Ruhai is both a teacher and a father, who guides him in learning, teaches him the experience of being an official and the principles of dealing with people. Compared with Jia Zheng, who is sanctimonious and always has a sour face, Lin Ruhai is more like a father figure.

Now, seeing Lin Ruhai taking his last breath and passing away peacefully with his own eyes, Jia Huan couldn't help but feel grief in his heart and tears welled up in his eyes, while Lin Daiyu almost fainted from crying.

"Sister Lin, please accept my condolences and let your uncle rest in peace." After venting his emotions, Jia Huan suppressed his inner grief and placed Lin Ruhai's hand while comforting her softly.

Lin Daiyu raised her tearful and haggard face, still crying inconsolably, and tightly grasped Lin Ruhai's other hand, refusing to let go. She was so sad that anyone who saw her would cry.

Jia Huan could not help but feel distressed when he saw this. He held Lin Daiyu's hand and said with a choked voice, "My uncle is a down-to-earth person. He is a loyal and patriotic minister. He is a kind and gentle father. He is a well-loved teacher. He has made outstanding achievements as an official. As a general... This time, he wiped out Dulong Island and quelled the banditry. He has no regrets in both civil and military affairs. What he was most worried about before his death was Sister Lin. But how can your uncle leave with peace of mind when you are like this now?"

Lin Daiyu trembled slightly, slowly loosened her hand holding her father's, her delicate body softened, and she leaned into Jia Huan's arms and cried bitterly.

Before Jia Huan came back, Lin Daiyu was sad and confused, but now she is only sad, because in her mind, Jia Huan is the person she trusts most in her life. As long as she has Brother Huan by her side, she has nothing to be confused or afraid of.

Jia Huan patted Lin Daiyu's shoulders gently and said a few words to comfort her, then asked Ying'er and others to take her back to the room, and then arranged for someone to help Lin Ruhai wash and dress. People come into this world naked, so when they leave, they naturally have to dress cleanly and look decent.

Coming out of the room, Jia Lian walked up to Jia Huan and said, "Huan'er, are you capable of handling the funeral? Otherwise, let me handle Uncle Lin's funeral!"

Jia Huan ignored Jia Lian and walked straight to the butler Xiao Lei, and ordered: "Hold the funeral now and set up the mourning hall before dawn. If there are not enough people, ask Jiang Bazong to call for salt soldiers."

"Yes, Third Master!" Xiao Lei agreed respectfully and immediately turned around to prepare for the funeral without even looking at Jia Lian, leaving the latter feeling extremely embarrassed.

Jia Huan's authority in the Lin Mansion is now basically equal to that of half the male owner, so everyone naturally listens to him. As for Jia Lian, everyone had already learned a lesson when he helped to deal with the Lin family's property last time. Not only did he enrich himself, but he also betrayed the family and took advantage of the buyers, and even sold the Lin family's land at a low price. Fortunately, the third master arrived and saved the poisoned master, and the land that Jia Lian bought at a low price was also recovered.

How can such a person be trustworthy? Not to mention that the master entrusted the young lady to Mr. Huan San before his death, even if he didn't, Jia Lian couldn't be allowed to get involved, otherwise who knows how much of the Lin family's property would be embezzled.

Seeing that Jia Huan ignored him and the servants of the Lin family did not trust him, Jia Lian was naturally ashamed and annoyed. However, Jia Huan was no longer the same person as before. He was no longer the third brother Huan who could be manipulated at will. Not only was he praised by the emperor, he was also the top scorer in the provincial examination and a juren. Not to mention himself, even if he returned to the Jia Mansion, the old lady and the wife would have to treat him with courtesy.

Therefore, although Jia Lian was unhappy at this time, he did not dare to lose his temper with Jia Huan. He was unwilling to leave quietly. After all, the huge inheritance of the Lin family was too tempting. It didn't matter if he couldn't get it, but he couldn't let Huan Lao San get it for free. If he left, wouldn't it be convenient for Huan Lao San to enrich himself? He had to keep a close eye on him.

Hey, it is really ridiculous that Jia Lian judges others by his own standards and thinks that Jia Huan is just coveting the Lin family's property.

Of course, Jia Huan had no time to think about Jia Lian’s dirty thoughts at the moment, as he had too many things to do.

Before daybreak, the mourning hall was finally set up, and the nanmu coffin purchased at a high price was also delivered. Lin Ruhai's body was then placed in the coffin and enshrined in the mourning hall. Various mourners also set out, and soon, relatives and friends came to pay their respects and burn incense.

The Lin family had few members and they had no relatives in Yangzhou, but Lin Ruhai was the governor of Yingtian and the imperial censor of Yangzhou Salt, so officials of all ranks, both civil and military, came to pay their respects.

Since Lin Ruhai had no male offspring, two of his disciples, Jia Huan and Lu Xiangsheng, put on sackcloth to show their filial piety. One stood at the door to welcome guests, while the other greeted guests in the mourning hall.

Just as Jia Huan was standing at the door trying to muster up his energy to welcome the guests, he saw Lin Zhixiao and his son appear in front of him with Mandalin and Xiao Yuanyuan. It turned out that Jia Huan had rushed back to Yangzhou on horseback after the Lu Ming Banquet yesterday.

Lin Zhixiao was sure that Lin Ruhai might not survive this, so he took his son and prepared to rush to Yangzhou to help. Mandalin and Xiao Yuanyuan also wanted to go to Yangzhou, so he took the two girls with him as well.

When Jia Huan saw Lin Zhixiao, he could not help but be delighted. They were short of manpower at the moment. Besides, the housekeeper Xiao Lei was young and had no experience, so he could not cope with it at all. Many things were a mess. Lin Zhixiao was capable and experienced, so he was like a savior sent from heaven.

So Jia Huan immediately said, "Butler Lin, you've arrived just in time. Go find Butler Xiao right away. If he doesn't understand something, you can give him some pointers. Things are in a mess right now. If you need money or manpower, just ask Xiao Lei."

"Okay, I'll go right away!" Lin Zhixiao was cheered up, and immediately started working with his two sons as if he had been injected with chicken blood. It was obvious that Lin Zhixiao also realized that his status in Jia Huan's mind had been greatly improved, and now he naturally had to perform well and hold this funeral in a dignified and decent manner.

"Master Jia... Third Master, what should Yuanyuan and I do?" Mandarin asked.

Jia Huan said, "We don't need your help here. Go to the backyard and rest, or go find Sister Ping'er. She's in charge of the backyard and see if there's anything she can do to help."

"Oh, let's go in then. Why don't you take a rest too? Don't get too tired." Mandalin couldn't help feeling distressed when she saw Jia Huan's tired and haggard appearance.

This man attended the Lu Ming Banquet yesterday and then flew to Yangzhou overnight. I guess he hasn't had any rest until now.

Jia Huan shook his head and said, "It's okay, I can still hold on. You guys go in quickly, there are more guests coming."

Mandaline and Xiao Yuanyuan had no choice but to go to the back house of the Lin Mansion.

Lin Zhixiao is indeed a veteran in this field. As soon as he took over the job of housekeeper Xiao, everything gradually became organized and he was able to handle guests with ease, which made Jia Lian, who was ready to laugh at the joke, very annoyed.

Let's not talk about small things. Around noon, Aunt Xue arrived with Baochai and Xue Pan. Xue Ke and Xue Baoqin did not come because they were in mourning.

Aunt Xue, Baochai and others entered the mourning hall to burn incense, and then hugged and cried bitterly with Lin Daiyu who came forward to express her gratitude.

In the original novel of the Dream of the Red Chamber, Aunt Xue is a kind character who loves Lin Daiyu very much. In addition, Lin Daiyu has lacked maternal love since childhood and now is the time when she needs comfort, so she throws herself into Aunt Xue's arms and almost faints from crying. It is difficult to persuade her to stop.

"Pin'er, you are weak to begin with, so you must take good care of yourself and accept my condolences." Xue Baochai comforted her softly.

Lin Daiyu nodded and said with tears in her eyes, "It's rare that my aunt and Baojie came all the way here. I should have been there to accompany them, but unfortunately I have to be in mourning..."

Before Lin Daiyu could finish her words, she couldn't help but burst into tears again.

"My child, stop crying, be careful not to hurt yourself. You are so pitiful. Your sister Bao lost her father when she was young, and you lost your mother when you were young, and now you lost your father too. How can your life be so miserable..." Aunt Xue was so moved that she wiped away her tears. Lin Daiyu felt even more sad when she heard this.

Seeing this, Jia Huan hurriedly said, "Aunt and Sister Bao, you must have worked hard on the journey. Let's go to the back and rest for a while."

Aunt Xue nodded and said, "It's all my fault. I made you cry. My dear child, stop crying and come to the back with me to rest for a while."

Aunt Xue consoled Lin Daiyu for a few more words, and then was led by the servants to the back house. Xue Baochai glanced at Jia Huan, who looked exhausted, and followed her mother to the back in silence.

Jia Huan felt as if he had lost something. He vaguely felt that Baochai was not as close to him as before and there was a sense of strangeness and distance between them.

Jia Huan had no idea that ever since Xue Pan made such a fuss a few days ago, Xue Baochai's mentality had changed. She subconsciously kept a distance from him to avoid suspicion!

(End of this chapter)