Red Mansion Beijingwang

Beijing Prince's Mansion, Ning'an Hall.

The Concubine Beijing sat on a soft couch on a high platform. She was wearing an apricot-yellow skirt, her black hair was tied up with pearls and jade, and a jade hairpin was inserted diagonally in her temples. She was elegant, graceful, and charming.

Looking up at the girl who was surrounded by people, Concubine Beijing waved her hand and said, "Pin'er, come to your godmother."

Daiyu was surrounded by her sisters. When she heard what Concubine Beijing said, she stepped past them, walked up to them with light lotus steps, bowed gracefully, and said softly, "Godmother."

Concubine Beijing held the girl's soft little hand and looked at her with her bright eyes. She was wearing a red silk dress with five longevity flowers. Her jade-like face without makeup was like a peach blossom, her slender and graceful body was like a willow in the wind, her eyebrows were like spring mountains with rain, her eyes were like autumn water with affection, her eyebrows were frowning and her eyes were moving, the whole room was bright, and she said, "Our Pin'er has become more and more beautiful."

Tsk tsk tsk, with such a clever daughter, that monkey boy would be content to just be siblings. What a good deal for him.

When Daiyu heard this, a light touch of rouge appeared on her snow-white face. Under her two curved eyebrows, her autumn-water eyes hid a bit of shyness. She lowered her head and said nothing.

Concubine Beijing smiled, then took out a red agate bracelet from somewhere, put it on Daiyu herself, and said, "Today is your coming-of-age ceremony, and your godmother hasn't prepared anything. This agate bracelet is quite rare, so don't despise it, Daiyu."

Daiyu looked at the agate bracelet with her eyes sparkling and her heart was moved. It was not that she cared about the value of the bracelet, but the friendship of Concubine Beijing.

"Thank you godmother."

Since Concubine Beijing said so, if she refused, she would be letting her godmother down.

Concubine Beijing smiled sweetly, raised her hand and gently stroked the girl's head, saying: "Although we can't have a grand ceremony, it won't be a problem for us to have fun in our own house. Later, you can go to the flower hall with San Yatou and Bao Yatou to have fun by yourselves. No one will restrict you."

Originally, Daiyu's coming-of-age ceremony was to be held properly, but the death of Prince Yong made it difficult to hold a grand ceremony. After all, he was the emperor's son, so some care had to be taken.

But as Concubine Beijing said, no one will care if you have fun in your own house.

Daiyu blinked and asked, "Won't godmother go with us?"

Concubine Beijing smiled and said, "You young people are gathering together, why should I go? Besides, Yan'er will wake up later and I will have to take care of him. I can't get away. You can go by yourselves."

When Daiyu heard this, she felt it made sense and didn't say anything.

When Concubine Beijing saw this, she felt happy. She knew a little about Daiyu's jealous nature, but she was also innocent and straightforward, which made her quite likable.

Pursing her pink lips, Concubine Beijing said, "Okay, go and have fun."

Daiyu nodded slightly, bowed, and then left Ning'an Hall with Baochai, Yingchun, Tanchun and other sisters, and went to the flower hall that had been prepared long ago.

Several people gathered around today's protagonist and walked along the corridor. The charming Tanchun took Daiyu's arm and said in a loud voice: "The banquet has been set up in the flower hall, and the stage has been built. We must celebrate Pin'er's birthday today."

Daiyu smiled, glanced at Tanchun, and said angrily, "Don't tease me. I say it's a birthday celebration, but I'm afraid it's just a pretext for you."

"Yes, yes, we are all benefiting from Miss Lin." Tanchun didn't care and responded with a smile. After all, Daiyu was the protagonist today and she would not argue.

Seeing this, Daiyu gave the girl a cold look, but she was actually happy and enjoyed the feeling of being loved.

At this time, Baoqin, who was dressed in pink, turned her almond-shaped eyes and suddenly asked, "Third sister, when will my brother-in-law come back?"

My brother-in-law has always liked Sister Lin. On such an important day as today, I think my brother-in-law will definitely not be absent, but I don’t know when he will come back.

Hearing this, Daiyu's heart paused. Under her curved brows, her bright eyes looked at Tanchun, and her heart was also very concerned.

If my brother doesn't come, it would be better not to hold my coming-of-age ceremony.

Tanchun blinked and said softly, "My brother-in-law is busy outside, so I don't know much about it."

It is true that Tanchun entered the palace the earliest among her group of sisters, and was highly regarded by her brother-in-law and was known as the "secretary" in the palace, but she did not know her brother-in-law's whereabouts completely.

"Ah, then my brother-in-law won't be able to come back in time!" Baoqin blinked and said sadly.

Hearing this, Daiyu's delicate hands could not help but clench the embroidered handkerchief in her hands. An inexplicable feeling welled up in her heart. She lowered her head and hummed softly, "If you don't want to come, then don't come. Let's just be happy on our own."

The quiet Baochai stared at the magic weapon Daiyu was holding, her bright almond-shaped eyes narrowed, and she understood.

Although Daiyu sounds nonchalant, she is actually very nervous. If her brother-in-law doesn't come back on such an important day for Daiyu, I'm afraid this little girl Lin will hide in bed and cry all night.

Pursing her pink lips, Baochai said in a gentle voice, "Brother-in-law has to report to work every day, and then go to Prince Yong's Mansion to take care of things. It is indeed busy, but brother-in-law has always loved Sister Lin, and no matter how busy he is, he will rush back to celebrate Sister's birthday."

Daiyu was delighted when she heard this. Her eyes twinkled under her curved eyebrows. The corners of her lips curled up slightly. She said, "Why do I need him to come? If he messes up things, he'll blame me. Forget about my brother. Let's have fun by ourselves."

"Ah"

Baochai noticed the glance from Daiyu and chuckled in her heart. This Sister Lin is really very arrogant.

After pondering for a while, Baochai looked at Daiyu's eyes flashing under her beautiful brows. She vaguely felt that there was an unusual relationship between her brother-in-law and Sister Lin, but there was no evidence and she could not make a conclusion.

What is the situation between them?

Wait, others may not know, but the woman beside her brother-in-law knows very well. Her brother-in-law has learned some knowledge from miscellaneous books, saying that girls should not get married too early, so she had been delaying it until she reached the age of 15.
If my brother-in-law and Miss Lin really have an unusual relationship, I'm afraid that Pin'er will receive the coming-of-age gift from my brother-in-law tonight.

Thinking of this, a light touch of rouge appeared on Baochai's plump face, and her bright almond eyes looked at Daiyu who was talking to Xiangyun, and blinked.

If you want to confirm this, you can go see Sister Lin early tomorrow morning to see if she is feeling unwell. Then you will know the answer.

The girl didn't want to get to the bottom of it. Even if her brother-in-law and Sister Lin really had something going on, she would have nothing to say. She was simply curious and wanted to find out the truth.

Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

At this time, Daiyu was sitting on a brocade cushion, her snow-white cheeks flushed, her hazy starry eyes under her curved smoky brows, staring at the orange-yellow light on the candlestick, in a daze.

Zijuan came forward holding a lotus bowl and said softly, "Miss, this is Kudzu flower hangover soup, you can have some to sober up."

Originally, Daiyu was weak, so she only drank in small amounts. However, as she recuperated, she felt much better. Moreover, today was a festive day, so Daiyu drank a few more glasses of wine. Therefore, Zijuan specially brought some sobering food.

Daiyu did not respond when she heard this, but instead sighed softly. Her bright eyes, under her curved brows, sparkled as if hiding sorrow.

Seeing this, Zijuan understood, put the bowl on the table, and said softly: "Miss, the prince must be busy with official duties and is not available for the time being, don't think too much."

In the flower hall, Daiyu was surrounded by several other girls and was in great joy, waiting for the prince to come. However, who would have thought that the prince did not show up until nightfall, and Daiyu became increasingly resentful.

Look, I was so arrogant and said I didn’t care, but now that the person really doesn’t come, I feel upset again.

"Hmph, what official duties? He just doesn't take it to heart." Daiyu snorted softly, her eyes reddened, her bright eyes misty, her voice choked with sobs.

It would have been fine on other days, but today was different. If he had wanted to, he wouldn't have disappeared now.

When he thinks of her, he comes to see her, and at the end he teaches her all kinds of things to humiliate her. But when he doesn't think of her, no one can be seen. I'm afraid he is trying to coax his sisters outside!
When Zijuan saw this, she understood that it was just her daughter who was being naughty. It wasn't that her daughter was being unreasonable. If Daiyu was unreasonable, then the prince rarely visited her before, and Daiyu didn't say anything.

The key point is that today is an extraordinary day for Daiyu. To be more precise, it is very important for any girl. However, Daiyu is a sentimental person and is prone to wild thoughts.

Moreover, Zijuan knew that the girl was actually very attached to the prince, but the girl also understood that the prince had important things to do and did not cling to him, which was enough to show that Daiyu was not unreasonable.

After a pause, Zijuan softly consoled her, "Miss, everyone in the palace knows that the prince loves you, so how could he not care about you? I think the prince really has some official business to attend to, and he will definitely come to see you after he is done." As expected, Daiyu felt better after hearing this, and twitched her upturned nose, snorting, "Why is he here? I don't care."

Zijuan: "."

Well, if the girl doesn’t want it, then she doesn’t want it. She won’t talk about it.

Pursing her pink lips, Zijuan picked up the lotus bowl again and said, "Young lady, you should drink the hangover soup first to calm down. Otherwise, if the prince comes and sees that I didn't take good care of you, he will blame me."

"What does my body have to do with him? Why do you say that to him?"

Daiyu raised her eyebrows and spat, but then she lowered her eyes to look at the hangover soup handed to her and took it and drank it.

Zijuan saw through the situation but didn't say anything. As long as her girl was comforted, it would be fine. However, she knew in her heart that if the prince didn't come, the situation wouldn't last long.

Your Majesty, please come quickly, otherwise the girl will start to have wild thoughts again.

Zijuan's cry seemed to have been answered, and Xiren outside suddenly reported: "Miss Lin, the prince is here."

Daiyu's heart was filled with joy when she heard this. Her curved brows relaxed and she held the lotus bowl in her slender hands and drank the sobering soup in the bowl.

Zijuan looked at Daiyu's "sitting upright" appearance and felt amused, but she did not point it out. When she saw the prince enter the room, she greeted him and said, "The prince is here."

Shui Rong saw Zijuan's dark expression and understood what was going on. He stared at the girl drinking and said, "Zijuan, Xiren, go prepare some warm water. I want to take a bath later."

Zijuan and Xiren, who followed Shui Rong into the room, heard what was said, and went downstairs to prepare. Suddenly, Shui Rong and Daiyu were the only ones left in the room.

Shui Rong looked at the girl's beautiful face, his eyes moved slightly, he moved closer, and said softly: "Pin'er, I had something urgent to do today, so I was delayed for some time, so I came a little late."

Originally Shui Rong was helping to take care of Prince Yong's palace, but the clan office received an order from Emperor Yongkang, saying that Prince Yong should be buried in the imperial mausoleum.

The emperor and his concubines are buried in the imperial mausoleum. Princes are generally not buried in the imperial mausoleum, but this is not absolute. If they are favored by the emperor, they can be buried in the imperial mausoleum.

Since it was to be buried in the imperial mausoleum, some details of the burial also had to be discussed, so some time was delayed.

Daiyu was delighted to hear the boy's explanation. She didn't care whether the boy was doing serious work or other things. The key point was that the boy made her feel valued, and that was enough.

Seeing the fatigue between the boy's brows, Daiyu's bright eyes narrowed and she said softly, "Business is more important. It's okay for me to be here."

Shui Rong understood what he said. As far as Daiyu was concerned, she was a very emotional person. As long as her emotional values ​​were met, she would be the adorable and sweet Pin'er. But if her emotions were not met, she would be the sarcastic and mean Lin Daiyu.

In the original novel, Daiyu felt Baoyu's warmth, which was expressed in his soft Wu dialect. Once Baoyu made a foolish argument, Daiyu would get annoyed and would do things like cutting the ears of corn or crying secretly.

Holding the girl's soft hand, Shui Rong stared at her beautiful face and said softly, "Looking at Pin'er's complexion, it's obvious that she drank a lot of wine. Are you feeling well?"

Daiyu lowered her eyes and looked at the little hand that was being held, her heart feeling shy. Her brother was so rude. He just came up and held other people's hands. His movements were very familiar, and she didn't know how many times he had done it.

After secretly spitting, Daiyu said softly, "I am happy today, so I ate a few more cups. It's okay."

You know your own body well, so having a few more glasses of wine is not a problem. Besides, they are all sisters. Although they will urge you to drink, they know when to stop and will never force you to drink.

Shui Rong nodded gently and said, "Although Pin'er's health has improved a little, she still needs to be more careful and not drink too much."

It is true that Daiyu's health has improved under his careful care, but she still has the coughing problem occasionally. After all, this is a problem she has had since childhood and it cannot be cured overnight.

Shui Rong still felt a little worried about Daiyu's death from illness. He didn't care about it in the past, but now Daiyu was his beloved, so he naturally kept her in mind.

Listening to the boy's chatter, Daiyu glared at him with her bright eyes, but she felt very happy in her heart.

Pursing her pink lips, Daiyu stared at the young man, her bright eyes twinkling, and whispered, "Brother, where is my elder sister?"

She knew that her elder sister and brother left the house together. Now that her brother is back, her elder sister must have come back as well. Now her brother is with her, does her elder sister know about it?

Shui Rong's heart paused when he heard this. He stared at the girl with a worried look on her face, and understood what was going on. He said, "After Yuanchun and I returned to the palace, I told her that I came to see you. Your elder sister was a little tired, so she went back to Fengyi Court first."

Speaking of this, Shui Rong still felt a little sullen.

In fact, after returning to the palace, Shui Rong wanted to come directly to Xiaoxiang Pavilion, but he didn't know how to say it at the moment. Unexpectedly, Yuanchun took the initiative to mention that today was her coming-of-age ceremony and asked him to come over to visit.

Those bright eyes that seemed to be pointing meaningfully seemed to indicate that Shui Rong knew about his relationship with Daiyu, which made Shui Rong feel guilty.

Daiyu blinked, then lowered her head.

To be honest, Daiyu felt quite guilty towards Yuanchun. Her elder sister treated her very well, but in private, she had such a relationship with her brother, which really made her feel sorry for her elder sister.

But she couldn't help her emotions and was speechless. She didn't know anything else. The only thing she knew was that she couldn't leave her brother. If she was asked to leave, she might as well die.

Alas~ This complicated relationship is really hard to sort out!

Seeing this, Shui Rong took the girl's hand and stroked it gently, saying softly, "Pin'er, don't worry about your elder sister. Your brother will take care of it."

Shui Rong actually felt quite guilty towards Yuanchun. Ever since Yuanchun married into Prince Beijing's Mansion, she had been respectful to her parents-in-law, friendly with her aunts and sisters-in-law, and was tolerant and generous. She even took the initiative to help find a concubine. Her every word and action was extremely appropriate and there was nothing to fault with her.

But Shui Rong didn't control herself. Not to mention her unmarried cousins, even her sister-in-law, nephew's wife, and even her nominal mother-in-law.
When you meet these people, all the guilt disappears.

When Daiyu heard this, she nodded her head gently and responded softly.

Now that things have come to this, there is nothing else we can do but take it one step at a time. We can't let her pretend that it never happened, that would be the end of her life.

Shui Rong saw that the girl was not in a good mood, so he pulled her into his arms and said with a smile: "Okay, today is Pin'er's happy day, let's not talk about this."

Daiyu sat in the boy's arms, her heart was shy, her snow-white face flushed, and under her curved eyebrows, her pair of autumn-water eyes gave the boy a white look.

It's okay to talk, but you're also touching me. How can you be so rude?

Shui Rong held the girl's waist and rested his chin on her shoulders. His nose was filled with a sweet fragrance that was refreshing to the heart. He smiled and said, "Pin'er, my brother-in-law has prepared a great gift for you today. I'm sure you will never forget it."

Feeling the breath on the jade neck, Daiyu's skin was flushed with rose red, extending all the way to the crystal earlobes. Hearing the young man's words, Daiyu said in a trembling voice: "What a great gift."

Shui Rong took a sip of the liquid on the girl's delicate face and said jokingly, "It's a secret. You will know it later."

Daiyu was both ashamed and delighted. Her snowy face flushed. She bit her pink lips with her pearly teeth and spat, "It's still a secret. Why is it so mysterious?"

At this moment, Zijuan came in and saw the two of them hugging each other. She spat inwardly and said with a red face, "My lord, the bathtub has been pushed into the side room."

Shui Rong's heart moved when he heard this, and he nodded gently, leaned close to the girl's rose-red earlobe, and whispered: "Sister, let's take a bath together!"

Daiyu's cheeks were burning hot, her heart was beating wildly, and she felt extremely ashamed.

Taking a bath together, isn't this a couple's bath? (End of this chapter)