The Good Concubine of the Qing Dynasty [Red Mansion]

The old lady had already done everything she could for her two granddaughters. Now, she could only hope that everything would go smoothly.

After all, this country belonged to the Manchu people. Even though their family was part of the Han Army Banner, they were still of Han origin, and her two granddaughters were concubine-born, making it difficult for them to be chosen as legitimate wives of high status.

If by bad luck, one of them caught the Emperor’s eye, it would be even worse. The Emperor rarely allowed women from prominent Manchu families into the palace nowadays, though many Han women were admitted.

While for some, this might be a path to great fortune, it wasn’t something the old lady wanted to see.

She only hoped her granddaughters would fail the selection process and return home, where they could be married off as planned.

Once they returned, she would officially begin arranging their marriages.

She already had a few families in mind.

Now that her grandson was back, the old lady temporarily set aside her worries about her granddaughters and focused on asking him about his well-being.

Naturally, she asked about the events of his recent trip south and whether everything went smoothly, only to learn that it hadn’t.

On the way, they encountered river pirates. If it weren’t for the fact that they had a large group and skilled fighters, they would have been in trouble. Furthermore, they also encountered a whirlpool while on the river, causing their boat to capsize. Fortunately, Chenyu could swim, so he wasn’t harmed, and he even saved many people.

The old lady was so frightened by these stories that she almost lost her wits.

“How could this happen? Chenyu, were you injured anywhere? Let your grandmother take a look. Was there foul play involved?”

The old lady became very cautious.

Upon learning that her grandson had reached his destination, someone, out of jealousy, had drugged his soup. If he hadn’t recognized the properties of the herbs himself and figured it out, drinking that soup would have made it impossible for him to take the exam.

They couldn’t possibly pause the exam just because he had a stomachache, allowing others to take it first.

He would have had to either endure the pain to participate or give up this round entirely.

This series of events, even if chalked up to bad luck, seemed far too strange.

Chenyu spun around and reassured everyone that he was fine: “I’m alright, Grandmother. Look, I’m standing here perfectly fine.”

He had only suffered a few scrapes.

The old lady’s heart was still racing, and she clutched his hand, unwilling to let go. It was true, her grandson was standing in front of her, unharmed.

But could all of that really have no lasting effect?

She didn’t believe it.

She was determined to visit a temple and find a master to drive away any bad luck hanging over her grandson. Additionally… had they unknowingly offended someone, prompting these secret attacks?

If that were the case, who had they offended?

Who had the ability to pull this off without anyone noticing?

The old lady quickly went over in her mind everyone her son might have offended, including the Jia family.

A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. The Jia family still maintained their facade of respectability only because they hadn’t completely exhausted their resources.

Yun Shuyao, listening to Chenyu’s recounting of the events, frowned, recalling the suspicious prayer bead bracelet she had previously switched out from Aunt Mei’s possessions.

At that time, she had suspected someone was targeting them, but since nothing similar happened afterward, she thought she had overthought it. Now, however, things were getting strange again.

No, there was another odd occurrence—when Lin Ruhai was serving in Anlin Prefecture, many of his colleagues one after another aligned themselves with the First Prince’s faction. It was all too coincidental and strange.

Yun Shuyao sensed that there was an invisible hand behind the scenes. Was this targeting the Lin family?

She felt a lingering fear, worried that something might have truly happened to Chenyu. He was standing safely before them now, and he had even achieved such excellent exam results, which made it all the more precious.

Unknowingly, he had already grown into a young man capable of taking on responsibilities.

The old lady, still holding her grandson’s hand, gradually calmed her racing heart as she felt his warmth.

But as she looked at his calm face, she suddenly became angry. For the first time, she scolded her grandson, “How dare you hide such a big matter! You’re still so young. Did you ever think about what would happen to the family if something had really happened to you? Do you know that you are my lifeblood? If anything happens to you, I wouldn’t want to live either!”

The old lady’s emotions grew more intense as she recalled the fate of the Lin family in the dream world.

Now, after so much effort, they had this one precious descendant. If something happened to him, what would be the difference from the world in her dreams?

Sure, her granddaughters could marry men into the family, but how many of those arrangements truly turned out well?

There was also a significant chance it could bring more trouble than good.

“You are not going out anymore,” she declared.

Chenyu obediently agreed. He had anticipated this reaction, which is why he had decided to hide the events from his family in the first place. If his grandmother had known what had happened to him on the road, she might have forbidden him from continuing with the exams out of worry. Now that she was saying exactly that, he couldn’t help but sigh.

He knew his grandmother was worried about him, but he couldn’t stay at home forever just because of the fear of potential dangers.

He was a man.

He had to grow up and be able to take on his father’s responsibilities one day, protecting the entire family.

That’s why he made the decision to keep it from them and chose to confess only after the exams were over.

He knew he couldn’t hide things forever, and once his grandmother found out, she would be frightened and likely try to keep him close. That was fine, as the provincial exams were still two years away.

In two years, he would have enough time to ease her worries about him.

“And there’s one more piece of good news.”

He smiled. This time, he had achieved the “Small Three-Yuan” (a rare academic honor) and felt satisfied with his performance, but that wasn’t all he had been up to.

As soon as he arrived, he took his father’s letter of introduction and visited a renowned scholar, participating in his assessment.

The scholar didn’t immediately accept him as a disciple but encouraged him to focus on his exams. After observing him for several months, they officially confirmed their master-disciple relationship before he returned to the capital.

This scholar wasn’t a high-ranking official and had never held a government post, but he had established an academy. Although his students weren’t scattered across the world, he had produced over ten successful candidates in the imperial examinations, including top achievers like the Zhuangyuan (first place) and Tanhua (third place).

Being accepted as his disciple was a great fortune, as those senior students alone represented a significant network.

“Mr. Xu accepted you!” The old lady exclaimed, her voice full of excitement. This was indeed a joyous occasion worth celebrating with a grand banquet.

This news slightly alleviated some of her worries.

After receiving her grandson’s confirmation, the old lady finally spoke again after a long pause, “Did Mr. Xu say anything else?”

Chenyu replied, “The teacher plans to return to his hometown for a while, so he told me to head back to the capital first.” He wasn’t sure if his teacher would settle in the capital afterward.

The old lady considered this and said, “… I’ll arrange for more people to stay by your side. You should also continue to work on your martial arts; don’t let your skills slip.”

Having her grandson stay by Mr. Xu’s side was a great thing.

Mr. Xu already had people around him for protection, so there was no need for the old lady to worry too much.

At this moment, the old lady suddenly realized how wise her son’s earlier decision had been—to hire a martial arts teacher for Chenyu and to enforce strict training.

When he fell into the water this time, he knew how to swim, so he didn’t have to wait for someone to rescue him. He even had enough strength to save others.

Although this was not at all what the old lady wanted to see—her grandson’s life was far more precious to her than anyone else’s—she wouldn’t want to live if something happened to him.

Naturally, Chenyu didn’t hesitate to agree: “I will do whatever Grandmother says…”

It took quite some effort, but Chenyu finally passed through his grandmother’s lecture and returned to his courtyard to rest. However, he wasn’t truly going to rest, as Yun Shuyao had followed him back, clearly wanting to speak with him.

Chenyu also had things to discuss with her.

Once they reached the courtyard, they didn’t speak right away. They waited until the maids had served tea and snacks and then tactfully withdrew, leaving the space clear. Only then did they begin talking.

“How are my sisters doing?”

Upon hearing his question, Yun Shuyao couldn’t help but give him a sideways glance. Both of them were making her worry.

She was already concerned about her daughters, and now she realized she couldn’t stop worrying about these two either. Moreover, she had a bad feeling about all this.

And that feeling might very well come true.

Her daughter’s participation in the palace selection this time might not go as smoothly as the old lady had planned.

Before her son set off, no one had anticipated that this trip would bring so many disturbances.

And the palace itself was a place prone to incidents. Now that both of the Lin family’s daughters were in there, would their adversary really pass up such an opportunity?

Yun Shuyao felt a sense of powerlessness, something she hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Someone was working behind the scenes, yet she had no idea who it was. The enemy was hidden while she was out in the open. All she could do was passively defend, unable even to strike back.

This was the crux of the issue—not knowing who the enemy was. If she knew, things would be easier to handle.

But who could it be?

Could the Jia family be behind this?

Yun Shuyao considered the possibility, but she quickly ruled it out.

Of the four major families, the most powerful right now was Wang Ziteng, and even he wouldn’t be capable of this.

Looking at everything that had happened, even before now, the methods didn’t seem like those of an ordinary family.

Take the prayer beads, for instance—ordinary families wouldn’t possess such an item.

Up to this point, the only “kindred spirits” Yun Shuyao knew of, besides Master Zhi Liao, were the monk and the Taoist who had intruded into the Lin family.

Yun Shuyao recalled hearing her classmates discuss whether this monk and Taoist were good or bad people.

There was no clear conclusion, but their actions must have been controversial, which led to the debate.

Moreover, their intrusion into the Lin family had been highly suspicious, so she temporarily settled on them as suspects.

But if she were to encounter them one day, would she be able to handle both of them?

Yun Shuyao felt a growing sense of urgency. However, her supernatural abilities couldn’t be advanced quickly, so she would have to rely on external forces. These would include rare treasures with wood elemental properties, as well as her spiritual mirror.

If it could be restored, it would certainly help.

But such treasures were exceedingly hard to come by.

Suddenly, Yun Shuyao thought of something—the novel *Dream of the Red Chamber* had a certain fantastical background, such as the appearance of that monk and Taoist.

Yun Shuyao wasn’t sure if the jade pendant Jia Baoyu was born with was a true treasure. She had once created an opportunity to get close to him, but her spiritual mirror showed no reaction. She suspected that the jade had specific limitations, allowing only Jia Baoyu to use it.

She wasn’t willing to resort to force to take it, but she had heard of another item—a mirror said to reveal the image of beauty turning to bones.

That mirror had been given away by the monk and the Taoist, and it had even caused a death.

However, Yun Shuyao didn’t know who had received it. She vaguely remembered it being related to Wang Xifeng.

It seemed she would need to keep a close watch. If the opportunity arose, she couldn’t afford to miss it by being too slow.

As for the monk and the Taoist that Yun Shuyao had been thinking about, what were they up to now?

They were currently hiding in a cave dwelling, recovering from injuries.

The sad reality of being under someone else’s control was that they had to do things they didn’t want to. This time, they had come up with a clever plan, causing a flood. However, their intended target wasn’t affected and left unharmed, though others were injured, and some even died. They weren’t the direct killers, but they were indirectly responsible.

Already wounded, they now found themselves entangled in karma, and their old injuries had resurfaced.

If they didn’t want their spiritual cultivation to regress too much, they had to retreat and focus on healing.

Jing Huan, observing their situation, considered them useless at the moment but knew better than to pressure them further. If forced, they might abandon everything altogether.

“If we are all destined to die, it would be better to die swiftly and on our own terms rather than to die miserably under someone else’s control,” they thought.

Thus, those two individuals could no longer be relied upon. After that, Chenyu returned safely to the capital.

Once back in the capital, where the emperor resides, it wouldn’t be as easy for Jing Huan to take any further action.

While Yun Shuyao was feeling this sense of urgency, Chenyu remained unaware. He asked about Lin Ruhai, “Has Father mentioned when he’ll return?”

Yun Shuyao gently shook her head. “I don’t know when he’ll be back. He did mention that it would be soon.”

Yun Shuyao felt that she had been living too comfortably these past years. If something serious happened, would she still be able to remain this complacent?

She realized she hadn’t done enough to remain vigilant in times of peace.

“The incidents you encountered during your trip—I’m beginning to suspect there’s a hidden hand behind it. Be more careful in the future, and I will be cautious as well. You should focus more on your martial arts training.”

Hearing his Mother say this, Chenyu was momentarily stunned. A hidden hand? He had suspected it before.

He had even sent people to investigate whether there was any connection between those involved.

But the result showed there was none.

Some people were completely unfamiliar with each other, so there was naturally no question of collaboration.

However, it was still too coincidental.

If he hadn’t been prepared and cautious, he might not have survived this time, and injuries would have been inevitable.

But his mother’s attitude of feeling too comfortable… He looked at her silently, knowing that there were things that his father and grandmother didn’t know—only the three of them were aware.

Take his mother’s strength, for instance. It was well-known that she ate more than the average person, which everyone acknowledged. Her strength was also greater than average, but just how strong was she?

He and his sister trained with the martial arts teacher their father had hired and had decent strength, yet it was always them getting caught by their mother.

She didn’t know any formal techniques, but they could never escape her grasp.

This puzzled the siblings. Their mother’s background was clear, and aside from her innate strength, there was nothing else to explain it.

Could it be that she had some kind of exceptional talent?

They didn’t speak of it openly.

Having strength is a good thing. After years of training, when he faced so many problems on this trip, he was able to handle them—that’s the reason.

In addition to this, his mother practiced calligraphy and painting day in and day out. Her writing, which may have been subpar before, was now impressive. As for her paintings, their father had praised her talent long ago. Once, a friend of his saw her work, was astonished, and offered to pay a high price for it, persistently asking about the artist.

On top of that, she also consulted Dr. Zhou to learn medicine.

She had packed her schedule full of courses, and he and his sister weren’t any less busy.

There were times he felt exhausted and had complained, wondering why they had to study so much while others didn’t.

Now, facing problems and seeing others helplessly crying out for help, he understood deeply the importance of his own strength.

This time, when someone needed timely rescue and ended up dying, he thought that if he had been stronger, he might have been able to save them.

Watching a life fade away in front of him was a heavy feeling.

He sighed, “Mother, I feel like I should spend more time learning medicine.”

Yun Shuyao gently sighed and shook her head. “That’s enough. Human effort has its limits, and you still need to prepare for the imperial examination. You’ve learned enough for now. Once you achieve your degree, you can choose to study more if you’re interested.”

“You know Dr. Zhou has disciples, right?”

“Yes.”

Yun Shuyao continued, “One of them is meant for you. He hasn’t graduated yet, but he will follow you in the future.”

“Isn’t it you who’s still learning?”

Yun Shuyao glanced at him. “Can we be compared?”

She already had a job, and in general, she could support herself. Even if she left the Lin family and had to start over, she had the skills to make a living.

He was different; he was young and should focus on self-improvement. This way, he could acquire both literary and martial skills and secure a good job in the imperial court.

There was a fundamental difference between an experienced worker and a student with clear goals.

Chenyu thought, “You make a lot of sense.”