Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 408 Lin Er
Baochai and Aunt Xue discussed privately that according to the seven grounds for divorce, since Tongxi was pregnant, the childlessness clause did not apply to Xia Jingui. After much calculation, only the first clause of "disobeying aunt and uncle" could be applied.

The next day, Baochai settled Tongxi and went to the Xue family's house in the inner city with Aunt Xue. The mother and daughter took turns to persuade her, one said that if Xia Jingui refused to leave, then she would go to the government to report her for "disobeying her aunt and uncle", and the other said that Xia Jingui was still young, why should she stay at the Xue family?

Xia Jingui was just upset, and seeing that she could not share the joy, she could only agree gloomily. Unexpectedly, in the afternoon, a servant came crying, fell to the ground and shouted: "Miss, the wife is gone!"

Xia Jingui stood up suddenly and frowned, "Tell me carefully, what happened to mom?"

It turned out that Mrs. Xia was going to the outer city to collect accounts. Unexpectedly, she got wind of the situation and was robbed when she stayed in the manor at night. The thieves killed anyone they saw, and did not let go even if Mrs. Xia gave them gold and silver. The manor was in chaos. When they came to check at dawn, Mrs. Xia had already been hacked to death.

Upon hearing this, Xia Jingui fell backwards. The maids and others were busy for a while, and when Xia Jingui woke up, she burst into tears.

Aunt Xue was watching the excitement from the side. She went to Baochai and said, "Why has the world become so chaotic? That village is only fifteen miles outside the city. There shouldn't be so many thieves coming to kill people."

Baochai said, "Mother, I'm afraid we won't be able to catch her this time."

Aunt Xue was surprised and asked, "What do you mean?"

Baochai said, "Among the seven reasons for divorce, there are three reasons why you cannot divorce: one is to marry someone who was lowly at the time but rich later; one is to accompany the funeral of one's uncle and aunt; and one is to marry someone who has no place to go. The Xia family only has Madam and Xia Jingui and her daughter. Doesn't that just fit the last reason, 'no place to go'?"

Aunt Xue suddenly frowned, not knowing what to do for a moment. Baochai thought for a while and sighed, "She is so arrogant, probably because she relied on Mrs. Xia's doting. Now that Mrs. Xia is gone, I think her arrogance will be restrained a little."

Aunt Xue had other ideas. Xia Jingui had ruined the Xue family's fortune, but the Xia family still had a lot of property. Although it might not be possible to preserve the foundation of the imperial merchant, it could at least be pawned and sold to support the family for decades.

Aunt Xue stopped talking about driving Xia Jingui away and went to comfort her. She then sent Baochai to accompany Xia Jingui home to handle the funeral. She found a young man from a distant branch to beat the banner and break the basin. Later, another branch of the Xia family came to fight for the inheritance. The commotion lasted for more than a month. After the Xia family's wife was buried, only a small part of the family property fell into Xia Jingui's hands.

Since Mrs. Xia left, Xia Jingui's temper has indeed become much more restrained. Aunt Xue saw that the housing prices in the inner city were rising, so she sold her two-story house in the inner city and took Xia Jingui to the outer city to live with Baochai.

At the end of August, Tongxi gave birth to a son. Everyone from Tongxi to Aunt Xue was overjoyed, and they thought that the gods and Buddhas had blessed the Xue family, and the eldest wife finally had an heir.

When the full moon came, Aunt Xue couldn't wait to send invitations everywhere, even to Xue Ke's place. I thought Xue Ke would never come, but who would have thought that Xue Ke actually came that day.

Although he had a gloomy face and said nothing, when the wet nurse brought the child out, Xue Ke stretched his neck to look at it carefully.

After the banquet was over, Xue Ke wanted to leave, but Aunt Xue forced him to stay.

She ordered the wet nurse to hold the child in her arms and let Xue Ke examine him for a long while. Only then did Aunt Xue send him away. Then she said with an embarrassed look, "Ke'er also knows that life in the eldest house is not easy. Wenlong is gone and he has no offspring. I am afraid that there will be no descendants. I originally wanted to adopt a child from another house, but it is not as good as raising a child by your side since childhood. No matter how wrong I am, it is all my fault. In the future, this child will need more care from Ke'er."

After a pause, seeing that Xue Ke didn't say anything, Aunt Xue continued, "Although it's still early, please ask Brother Ke to give the child a name."

Xue Ke sighed, and without saying anything, he used his index finger to write the word "鮫" on the table with tea. After writing, he stood up and left without even bowing.

Outside, Xia Jingui and Tongxi saw Xue Ta leave, one was full of resentment, the other was full of hope. Xia Jingui was the one who was resentful, thinking to herself, how great it would be if this child was born to her and Xue Ta.

But now that her mother had died, Xia Jingui had no one to rely on, so she had to be obedient. Sighing, she glanced sideways and saw that Tongxi wished that his eyes were born on Xue Ke. Suddenly, Xia Jingui came up with a plan.

At night, Xia Jingui came to find Aunt Xue and said, "Mother-in-law, I think Tongxi's heart is on the Second Master. Why don't we help her to make her his concubine?"

Aunt Xue was startled when she heard this and said, "Although Tad is here today, he is here for the sake of the child. I'm afraid he has no affection for us. I'm afraid it won't end well if he rushes here like this."

Xia Jingui said, "That's why we want to send Tongxi away. The Second Master is old now, and there is no one to take care of him. If Tongxi leaves, he might miss the kindness of his mother-in-law. If we persuade her in the future, won't the two rooms start to move around?"

Aunt Xue thought it made sense, and was a little undecided. Xia Jingui said again: "Tongxi is thinking about the Second Master all the time. If he sees that his family is in trouble one day, what should he do if he takes his child to live with the Second Master?"

Aunt Xue was shocked when she heard this, and immediately agreed with it. After some time, Aunt Xue secretly found Tongxi to test him. Although Tongxi was reluctant to leave her child, she was thinking about going to Xue Ke's place.

Aunt Xue sighed, knowing that she could not keep the girl, so she decided to give her a dowry and found a sedan chair to take her to Xue Ke's place at night.

Tonggui and Ying'er had done this together. When they came back, they told Aunt Xue, "Although the Second Master frowned, he didn't chase anyone out. I think he has some friendship with Sister Tongxi."

Tonggui and Ying'er chattered about it, not to mention Tonggui, even Ying'er was envious. Mr. Ke was appreciated by Mr. Li and is now a sixth-rank official. It is better to be a concubine than to stay in the Xue family and be a widow. Who knows, she might have to marry a boy one day.

Aunt Xue ignored the two maids' envy and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that after this incident, the relationship between the two families would be eased a little, and they would get along more frequently in the future. In the future, the eldest wife would still have to count on Xue Ke's support.

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Autumn goes and spring comes, and half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Li Weijian saw that the mourning period was coming and Daiyu was about to give birth. During these days, Li Weijian was very careful and urged Daiyu to move around more frequently every day. He also personally monitored her diet and did not allow her to eat too much.

Daiyu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. She didn't know when her upright fourth brother had become so fussy. But she felt relieved at heart, knowing that Li Weijian was always thinking about her.

Seeing that the pregnancy was almost complete, Li Weijian went to a blacksmith shop and had a pair of strange-looking forceps made for him, saying that they were for assisting in childbirth.

He also donated 10,000 jin of incense oil to Tianning Temple and asked for two jars of mustard greens to prepare for any unexpected events. On the day of the birth, Li Weijian was wandering around outside the delivery room like a headless fly. After three hours, the midwife came to announce the good news: "Congratulations, Master, congratulations, Master, your wife gave birth to a baby boy, weighing five jin and three liang!"

Li Weijian was overjoyed and waved his hand: "Reward!"

Hongyu then brought a tray with four rolls of silver dollars wrapped in red paper on it. The midwife was overjoyed.

After waiting for a while, the midwife came to tell him that Li Weijian could come in. Li Weijian quickly cleaned himself and put on a mask before entering. Even with the mask on, the room was still filled with the smell of blood. Li Weijian didn't care about the child the midwife brought in, he just took a quick look and went to the inner room.

He bent down and held Daiyu's hand. Seeing her pale face, he said distressedly, "Thank you for your hard work, sister."

Daiyu shook her head tiredly, then frowned again and said, "He's wrinkled, and looks like an old man." Fu Qiufang smiled and said, "Don't worry, Madam. The child has just been born, and it will take some time to grow up. It will be fine when it's one month old. I just took a look, and his face looks like yours, but his nose looks more like yours."

Li Weijian talked to Daiyu for a while. Fu Qiufang saw that Li Weijian was talking endlessly, so she couldn't help but urge him, "Master loves Madam, so you can come back in a few days. There's no need to rush. Madam is tired right now."

Li Weijian then reluctantly stood up and ordered, "The fish soup and ginseng chicken soup are ready. Serve them to the Madam quickly so that she can rest early."

At this time, the news had already been received. Aunt Liang brought two sisters-in-law to congratulate. Liang was very satisfied. She said with a sigh: "It's a pity that your uncle didn't see it. When Qingming Festival comes, I will tell him about it. He will be very pleased."

By April of that year, Liang urged Li Weijian to return to Beijing as soon as possible.

Li Weijian said, "The Saint has allowed me to mourn for a year, why is my aunt sending me away now? It will only be about a month."

Liang frowned and said, "You are free and easy in Jinling, but don't forget that there is Xiangyun in the capital."

Li Weijian was speechless.

Liang said, "Xiangyun would have reached the age of marriage last winter. If it weren't for your uncle's death, I'm afraid the wedding would have been arranged by now. You will take the Grand Canal on your way back, which will take at least a month. When you arrive in the capital, go to the Marquis' Mansion to discuss the wedding. Unfortunately, I can't go this time."

Not only my aunt Liang, but also my two brothers Li Xinchong and Li Xinming could not go.

As they were talking, a maid came to report that there was a letter from the capital.

Li Weijian received the letter and knew it was written by his teacher Yan Xiyao. He unfolded the letter and took a look at it, frowning. The first part was just a chat, but the second part told Li Weijian not to rush back to the capital.

Li Weijian thought to himself, could there be some change in the capital?

Then he asked the maid, "Was this letter delivered by the post office, or was it sent by the Yan family?"

The old woman said, "Master, it was sent by the servant of the Yan family, and is now waiting for a reply outside."

Li Weijian stood up and said goodbye to his aunt, then went to look for the servant. When he got to the front, the servant saw Li Weijian and hurriedly stood up to greet him, then hesitated as he wanted to say something.

Li Weijian sent the servant away, and the servant said, "My Lord, the master sent me to tell you that the capital is in a stormy situation right now, and it is not appropriate for you to get involved."

"How to say?"

The servant lowered his voice and told the story, which made Li Weijian frown. The older man in Changle Palace tried to win over the ministers in the court, which was fine, but now he even interfered in the Beijing camp, causing the saint to dismiss two Beijing camp generals in succession.

Now the Saint is very suspicious, fearing that the Crown Prince will repeat the Dashunmen Incident.

After further questioning, it turned out that the Jia family was involved! Jia Lian, who didn't know whether to live or die, had taken some kind of magic potion and actually introduced several chiefs of the Beijing camp to the prince.

Before leaving Beijing, Li Weijian warned the Jia family more than once to keep a low profile, but the Jia family was stubborn and only wanted to rely on the prince...

After the servant finished speaking, he suddenly whispered, "Master, there are rumors that... Concubine Xian De is in contact with the Crown Prince."

"Ah?" Li Weijian exclaimed in surprise, then he was relieved. It turned out that it was because of Yuanchun that the Jia family couldn't let go of the prince.

After settling the servant, Li Weijian went to the back and told his aunt Liang about it. His aunt Liang said, "I wanted to avoid delaying Jian's future, but since the court is so dangerous, he should just stay at home for a while."

Li Weijian wanted to avoid it, but some things just couldn't be avoided. A few days later, a eunuch suddenly came to read the imperial edict, saying that Li Weijian's mourning period had ended and he would return to Beijing soon and be promoted to the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

This is what should be expected. Li Weijian has been running the inner palace for several years, and his roots are deep. If he continues to run the inner palace, the inner palace may have to follow Li Weijian's name. He was transferred to the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, firstly to use Li Weijian's way of making money, and secondly to prevent Li Weijian from getting too deeply rooted in the inner palace and making it difficult to clean up.

After receiving the imperial edict, Li Weijian could no longer stay in Jinling. Three days later, he said goodbye to his aunt Liang and took his family back to the capital by boat.

This time, there is no need to rush. You can stop along the way. If you hear that there are famous places of interest here, you can just stay for two or three days to have fun. In this way, not only Baoqin and Qingwen who love to wander, but even Daiyu who has just come out of confinement will smile.

In this way, they traveled northwards and arrived at Jinmen in May. When Li Weijian got off the boat, he suddenly saw a report from the court that the emperor had gone out to the north on May 8, accompanied by the Prince of Jin, and the Crown Prince remained as regent.

Li Weijian thought it was wrong! There is no father and son in the royal family. The emperor is a lonely man. The saint had already become suspicious. How could he let the prince stay to supervise the country? I am afraid this is a trap set by the saint for the prince.

At this time, Ding Rufeng came to ask, "Master, the train from Tianjin to Beijing will be open in the next two days. Should we take the train or continue to take the boat?"

Li Weijian said, "No hurry. I have not been feeling well these days. I might as well stay in Tianjin to rest for a few days before returning to the capital."

Ding Rufeng agreed and went to make the arrangements. Li Weijian stood at the door with his hands behind his back, looking far toward the capital, feeling worried.

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Capital, Changle Palace.

The officials of the Eastern Palace all knelt on the ground. The Crown Prince sighed and said, "Father...you are forcing me to rebel."

One of the ministers advised: "Since Your Highness has seen through the Saint's plan, why don't you keep your troops in place? That way, the Saint won't find any fault with Your Highness and won't depose Your Highness."

The prince smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "How can it be that easy? If I don't give it a try, I'm afraid that one day I'll be cut by a blunt knife, my arms will be cut off bit by bit, and then I'll be imprisoned until I die... Oh, I'd rather give it a try than die unjustly like this!"

After the words fell, a military officer clasped his fists and said, "Since Your Highness has made up his mind, I will definitely break the Five Armies and seize the military token. Once the military token is in hand, everyone in the Beijing camp will obey Your Highness' orders, and no matter how the saint plots, it will be useless!"

(End of this chapter)