The Red Chamber: The Rise of the Lin Mansion

Tian Zhuang: "The villain served as a scout in the army. This arm was hit by a poisonous arrow shot by the bandit when he was suppressing the bandits. Because there was a lack of medical treatment and medicine at that time, the villain asked his companions to help him cut off his arm to survive."

Lin Yun then said to the rest of the people: "All of you also reported your family background and what you are capable of."

The man with one missing left eye took a step forward and said, "Returning to my lord, the villain's name is Zhao Kuang, and he also served as a scout in the army. Although my martial arts skills are not as good as Tian Tou's, the villain's ears are very good. , Even if a dog sneaks in at night, a villain can still detect it.”

Lin Yun turned to Tian Zhuang and asked, "Is what he said true?"

Tian Zhuang: "Indeed."

Lin Yun asked the guy with one ear missing again: "What about you? What's your name? What specialties do you have?"

"My son, the villain's name is Zhao Da. I don't have any other specialties, but I can shoot arrows accurately."

The remaining two people, one named Ma Qi and the other Du Feng, are both scouts under Tian Zhuang's subordinates, and they are also good at martial arts.

Lin Yun waited for several people to finish the introduction, and then solemnly said: "You are all introduced by Brother Hu, and you must have no character. However, I still want to put the ugly words first. If you come to my side to do things, you have to Follow the rules. Later, I will have someone tell you the rules, and those who can accept it will stay. In the future, you can enjoy a monthly salary of five taels of silver, and there will be rewards for those who do meritorious deeds. If you can’t accept the rules, you can leave on your own, and I will I will give him five taels of silver as a travel expense."

As soon as Lin Yun finished speaking, the five people couldn't wait to say: "We are willing to accept the regulations, and we only ask the young master to take him in."

"Uh, don't you think about it?"

Tian Zhuang: "No need. General Hu said that the young master is the most loyal person. It is a blessing for the few of us to work with you."

"Okay. I will give you a task now. Go outside and pick thirty servants, and I will hand them over to you for training in the future."

"Yes."

Chapter 167: Second Master Lian returns home

In the Flower Hall of Rongqing Hall,

Jia Mu received the news that her son-in-law had arrived in Tongzhou and was about to enter Beijing.The old lady was happy, so she sat down with sisters Li Wan, Baoyu and Sanchun to chat and laugh.Of course, the pistachio of Wang Xifeng is also indispensable.

While everyone in the flower hall was talking and laughing, a mother-in-law came in from outside and reported to Jia Mu, "Old lady, Second Master Lian has returned home."

Jia Mu said happily, "Tell him to come in and answer."

"Yes."

When Wang Xifeng heard that Jia Lian was back, she was also very happy. It has been more than a month since the young couple parted, and it must be a lie to say that they don't miss her.

Not long after, Jia Lian came in from the outside with a tired face, stepped forward to salute Jia's mother, and said, "Grandson pays respects to the ancestor."

Jia Mu smiled and said, "You don't need to be too polite."

Li Wan brought Baoyu and Sanchun sisters to greet Jia Lian. Wang Xifeng looked at Jia Lian with concern, feeling that her husband had lost a lot of weight, and couldn't help but feel distressed.

After everyone had seen the ceremony, Mother Jia asked Jia Lian, "Lian'er, you came back with your uncle and the others."

"The grandson didn't come back with my uncle. I sent my uncle on board in Yangzhou, and then went to the old mansion in Jinling, where I met Brother Yun and brought him to visit some relatives. return."

When Jia Lian said this, he smiled at Li Wan and Yuanyang again: "Sister-in-law, sister Yuanyang, I have your family letter, I will send it to you later."

Li Wan and Yuanyang quickly thanked Jia Lian.

Jia Lian smiled at Baoyu and Sanchun sisters again: "Brother Yun and I will bring you a lot of presents, and I will send them to you later."

Several young people said in unison: "Thank you, Brother Lian."

Jia Mu smiled at Wang Xifeng and said, "Brother Feng, take them over to see what good things Lian'er brought back."

As soon as Wang Xifeng heard this, she knew that the old lady had something to say to Jia Lian, so Dang Shi and Li Wan led the younger ones back out.

Yuanyang also waved to the maids and women in the flower hall, telling everyone to go out and wait.

When there was no one in the house, Mother Jia asked Jia Lian, "When you saw my uncle, did you tell him about the elder sister?"

"My grandson said it."

"Then what's your uncle's opinion?"

Jia Lian hesitated for a moment before saying, "Uncle asked the grandson to ask the ancestor on his behalf, if the eldest sister succeeds in choosing a concubine, what kind of help can our family provide her?"

Mother Jia frowned when she heard the words, she knew without thinking that her son-in-law Lin Ruhai disapproved of Yuan Chun's participation in the concubine selection.

Jia Lian said again: "Old ancestor, my grandson also talked about this with Brother Yun in Jinling."

Mother Jia hurriedly asked, "What did Brother Yun say?"

"Brother Yun said that the Jia family should focus on cultivating their nephews in the next generation, instead of pinning their hopes of continuing their prosperity and wealth on the eldest sister. This is too unfair to her."

When Jia's mother heard this, her face turned black. It was her intention to send Yuan Chun to the palace. By saying this, Brother Yun was clearly accusing her of sacrificing Yuan Chun's happiness in order to seek the prosperity of the Jia family.

Jia Lian said again: "Brother Yun also said that the struggle in the palace is far more dangerous than that in the court. Although he has never met our eldest sister, he knows that once the eldest sister succeeds in choosing a concubine, our family will not be able to provide any help. , but it will cause trouble and slow her down. In the long run, what kind of ending will the big sister have, please think about it carefully."

Mother Jia held back the unhappiness in her heart, and began to think about Lin Yun's words. To be honest, although Brother Yun's words were not pleasant, they hit the key point of Jia's family, that is, none of the men in Jia's family can take on the table.

The old lady pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked: "Lian'er, Brother Yun is going to Jinling, do you live in the Rongguo Mansion?"

Jia Lian nodded and said, "Yes."

Mother Jia nodded in satisfaction and said, "That's good. Have you told Steward Jin to serve Brother Yun well?"

"My grandson said it."

Jia Lian felt a little confused. He was talking about his eldest sister, but why did the old lady talk about where Brother Yun lived in Jinling? Is there any relationship between the two?

Jia Mu asked again: "Which relatives did you take Brother Yun to visit?"

Jia Lian: "Before I went there, Brother Yun had already visited all the members of our Jia family, including the Shi family and the Li family. After I went, I took him to visit my father-in-law's house, but unfortunately he couldn't. I met my father-in-law in person, and later I took Brother Yun to visit Xue’s house and met Aunt Xue.”

When Jia's mother heard Jia Lian's visit but didn't see her father-in-law Wang Zisheng, she immediately frowned. She didn't think it was a coincidence, it was clear that the Wang family didn't want to see Brother Yun, so they avoided seeing him.

The old lady thought for a while, and said, "Brother Yun received a cold reception in the Wang family, is he angry?"

Jia Lian shook his head and said, "No, he also comforted me by saying that the Wang family and his uncle belong to different camps, so it's better to avoid seeing him. If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't want to visit the Wang family either."

"This is what he has in mind."

Mother Jia said so, but she was secretly thinking in her heart that Lin Ruhai had a blunt temper and was not suitable for those things that flatter and send off.Brother Yun is different, that little guy has both strategy and skill, if he can cooperate with Lin Ruhai, son-in-law, as Yuan Chun's backup, it will be perfect.

Thinking of this, she smiled at Jia Lian and said: "You must be tired after traveling for a long time, so go back and rest first. I'll go to your aunt's house tomorrow. Your uncle must be here too."

"Grandson retire."

...

When Jia Lian returned to his small courtyard, he saw that Wang Xifeng had sent away several little sisters and was waiting for him in the house.

Seeing Jia Lian coming in, Wang Xifeng greeted him with a smile and said, "Second Master has worked hard."

Jia Lian said with a wry smile: "This errand is really hard. I have worn out the skin on my thighs riding a horse."

Wang Xifeng said distressedly: "Since riding a horse is so hard, why don't you take a boat instead when you return?"

Jia Lian said happily, "I want to see you sooner."

Wang Xifeng's cheeks flushed when she heard the words, she rolled Jia Lian's eyes, and said coquettishly, "There are still people in the room, so you just talk nonsense."

Jia Lian looked at Ping'er who was standing aside and smiled, "Ping'er, Brother Yun asked me to bring you a gift too."

Ping'er said shyly: "Second Mistress has been handed over to the slave."

Wang Xifeng was a little dissatisfied and said: "Brother Yun brought gifts to everyone, but I was the only one left out. What does he mean by this?"

Jia Lian laughed and said, "You have wronged him. He told me at that time that the gift for you is only meaningful if I give it to you."

After finishing speaking, Jia Lian took out a long brocade box from his bosom, handed it to Wang Xifeng and said, "This is a pearl necklace, which I bought for you with more than 3000 taels of silver."

"Really? Then I would like to thank the second master for the reward."

Wang Xifeng happily took the box, opened it like a baby, and looked at it.

Chapter 168: Predicting things like a god

After Jia Lian washed up, Wang Xifeng asked someone to serve the prepared wine and dishes to cleanse her husband.

After a few glasses of wine, Wang Xifeng asked with concern: "Since the second master is going to Jinling, have you stopped by to visit my father and brother?"

Jia Lian said with a dark face: "Not only did I go by myself, but I also brought Brother Yun over to visit. I originally thought that my elder brother and Brother Yun would have a good relationship, so that we can make money together in the future. Who knows that my father-in-law actually avoided seeing him, and my eldest brother was also very upset. The indifference made me lose a lot of face in front of Brother Yun."

Wang Xifeng said in surprise: "No way, even if my father and brother are looking at your face, they shouldn't be so cold to brother Yun."

Jia Lian took a sip of wine and said, "I know you don't believe it. When you go back and ask the boy, you will know that what I said is not a half-true lie."

Wang Xifeng: "Could it be that my father is out on errands? He wasn't in the mansion that day."

"If my father-in-law really missed it that day, he should have sent someone to invite me to ask questions the next day, but he did nothing."

When Wang Xifeng heard this, she immediately became depressed. She had hoped that her elder brother Wang Ren would help Brother Yun so that she could have more bargaining chips. Offended Brother Yun.

"Don't worry. Brother Yun said that the Wang family and his uncle belong to two camps. Father-in-law avoids seeing him. He understands."

Wang Xifeng calmed down and said, "Is the perfume shop open?"

"No. Brother Yun has been thinking of ways to promote rickshaws. We have to wait until that is settled before we have time to build a perfume shop."

"Rickshaw? What's it for?"

"I heard from Brother Yun that the rickshaw is a means of transportation used to replace the sedan chair. I don't know the specifics. However, the rickshaw is a project entrusted by the emperor, and he must promote it as soon as possible so that he can report to His Majesty. "

Wang Xifeng hurriedly asked: "Did the second master take a stake in this rickshaw?"

Jia Lian: "I will pay 1000 taels of silver for [-]% of the shares in the rickshaw shop."

Wang Xifeng frowned and said, "How can I give you [-]% of the shares? This is too little."

Jia Lian said speechlessly: "It's a good achievement to be able to take a share. Think about it, once the rickshaw succeeds in replacing the sedan chair, how big the market will be. Brother Yun will definitely have to take out some shares and find a few big shots as backers."

Wang Xifeng just wanted to say that our Wang family can be his backer, but then thought of Lin Yun's visit to Jinling Wang's family, and her father was hiding from Brother Yun, and she immediately fainted.

At this moment, a little maid walked in through the curtain and reported to the two of them: "Second Master, Second Mistress, my wife sent someone to pass on a message, so that Second Master can go over and answer."

Jia Lian put down the chopsticks in his hand, stood up and said, "Have someone heat up the food and wine, and I'll eat it later when I come back."

...

After Jia Lian left, Wang Xifeng asked people to remove the food and wine.

After a while, she asked Ping'er to be called in again, and asked her, "Have you questioned all the servants around Second Master?"

Ping'er: "The slaves have already asked one by one. It is said that the second master met a famous prostitute named Yimei in Jinling and wanted to redeem her. The second master's servant Xing'er found the young nephew and asked him to help persuade the second master. I don't know what method the nephew and young master used to separate the two of them."

Wang Xifeng gritted her teeth and said, "I'm just saying, how could he give me such an expensive gift? It turned out that he did something that I was sorry for."