The Good Concubine of the Qing Dynasty [Red Mansion]

The old lady had her suspicions and quickly took action. She sent someone to gather information about the Fourth Prince’s residence while hurriedly writing a letter, which she had sent urgently to her son.

In the dream world, she saw that the one who eventually ascended to the throne was the Fourth Prince. However, she wasn’t clear about the affairs of the Fourth Prince’s household. Looking at the current situation at the Fourth Prince’s residence, and given that this year was another selection year, the palace would likely assign people to him. This was why Consort De had met many candidates. But she had another son, and compared to her eldest, she was more affectionate towards her youngest son.

The Fourteenth Prince was to be married this year, and his future wife would certainly be a noblewoman from the selection. This had nothing to do with her two granddaughters, but there was no guarantee that Consort De wouldn’t assign a beautiful candidate to the Fourteenth Prince’s household.

In other words, if Consort De took a liking to someone, they could be assigned either to the Fourth Prince’s household or the Fourteenth Prince’s. As for the Thirteenth Prince, although he was connected to Yonghe Palace, he was not born of Consort De. He was already married and still young, making it the least likely that Consort De would actively place anyone else in his household.

The old lady couldn’t decide what the masters in the palace thought, especially from outside the palace, but she wasn’t going to sit by and do nothing.

She couldn’t make decisions, but she could still exert some influence.

Although the old lady hadn’t considered this possibility before, if she had to choose, there was no doubt that between the two brothers, she would choose the Fourth Prince.

If her granddaughter were to enter the Fourth Prince’s household and bear a child, whether a son or daughter, once the Fourth Prince ascends to the throne, the Lin family would become quite secure.

There was no doubt that the Emperor’s harem was a complex place, but it was also a fast track to success.

If the granddaughter truly entered the Fourth Prince’s household and bore a daughter, she would be a princess; if a son, even if he didn’t compete for the ultimate throne, he could be titled a prince, duke, or at least a noble with lifelong wealth and status. Given their position, as long as they didn’t commit serious offenses worthy of execution, they would live a life of luxury.

As the family of a prince or princess, the Lin family would also rise in status.

However, the risks would increase as well. If they were to get involved in any schemes or power struggles, the whole family could be wiped out, which was not unheard of.

At this moment, the old lady felt somewhat relieved, thankful that she didn’t have the power to decide her granddaughter’s future.

Otherwise, she couldn’t guarantee what she might have done.

Would she have risked her granddaughter’s future for the possibility of securing the Lin family’s place?

Right now, the only thing she and her son could do was to increase the value of the two granddaughters. If one of them were chosen, they would try their best to ensure she entered the Fourth Prince’s household.

The Fourteenth Prince’s household was nearly filled with noble families of the Manchu elite, so it would be better for her to enter the Fourth Prince’s household.

She hoped her son would complete his mission successfully. The Emperor was wise and would surely notice their efforts and grant the Lin family a favor…

Lin Ruhai received the urgent letter delivered by his servant. After reading it, he furrowed his brows, a heavy expression in his eyes.

During his imperial mission, he had interacted with several princes, including the Fourth Prince, Ninth Prince, and Thirteenth Prince.

However, he hadn’t encountered much about the competition for the throne. One reason was that he was traveling under the Emperor’s watchful eye, and those princes certainly wouldn’t want the Emperor to see what they were doing behind the scenes.

Another reason was that, as imperial princes, they weren’t as eager as commoners to seek alliances.

Why had Consort De summoned his daughters? Was she planning to match one of them with one of the princes?

She had two sons, the Fourth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince. Between them, the Fourth Prince was more of an advisor, and so far, Lin Ruhai hadn’t seen any sign that he intended to enter the power struggle for the throne. He was strict and impartial and, although he followed the Crown Prince, he couldn’t be fully considered part of the Crown Prince’s faction. If someone under the Crown Prince made a mistake, the Fourth Prince would treat them without bias.

The Fourteenth Prince was still young, but Lin Ruhai had heard rumors about him. As Consort De’s youngest son, she doted on him more. Before the official selection of a wife, Consort De had already looked at several daughters from prominent families as potential matches for him. All of them came from noble backgrounds.

Before the formal marriage to his legitimate wife, the Fourteenth Prince had already taken a concubine, Shushujueluo, who had borne him a son last year.

Given this, if Consort De wanted to arrange someone for the Fourteenth Prince’s household, it would most likely be someone from a major Manchu family.

On the other hand, there weren’t many Manchu nobles in the Fourth Prince’s household. Besides his wife, there were no other prominent families connected to him.

If someone were sent there, whether they would be a concubine or a side consort was still uncertain.

With this in mind, Lin Ruhai quickly made up his mind.

He was already nearing the end of his mission and could now return to the capital to report on his duties.

Thus, Lin Ruhai hurriedly returned. Upon arrival, he first went to the palace to report to the Emperor and only afterward did he return home to the Lin family.

He had lost quite a bit of weight, with signs of hardship etched on his face. Compared to before, he looked several years older, even though it had been less than a year since he left the capital.

Seeing his condition, the old lady was heartbroken. “Did your mission take you to the bitterly cold northern regions? How could it wear you out so much?”

Lin Ruhai only smiled and remained silent.

Where he had been was a secret.

Noticing this, the old lady didn’t press further and told him to go rest, saying they could talk later.

With three concubines and an outer study, Lin Ruhai went directly to Yun Shuyao’s quarters, where he washed, ate, and then immediately fell asleep.

When he first arrived, Yun Shuyao had noticed the redness in his eyes—he had been crying.

Crying in the imperial palace?

But seeing that his expression wasn’t sorrowful, she guessed that perhaps he had become emotional in front of the Emperor and shed tears in the palace hall.

Yun Shuyao speculated but didn’t disturb him, letting him sleep soundly.

When he woke up, warm water and hot porridge were already prepared for him.

Lin Ruhai, not in any rush, leisurely ate his meal.

Yun Shuyao asked, “Master, is your mission completed? What are your next orders?”

Lin Ruhai replied, “The task is done. There’s no rush. I’ll stay in the capital for now and see how things go.”

Yun Shuyao didn’t press further and asked, “Is there any news from the palace? How are Luoyu and the others doing inside?”

Lin Ruhai silently shook his head. “No news is the best news. Let’s wait for the final selection results.” He wasn’t sure what the outcome would be.

He had done everything he could.

Yun Shuyao sighed. Although she had mentally prepared herself to face the imperial power in a feudal society, seeing her daughter’s uncertain future made her realize that her preparations were still somewhat inadequate.

Ultimately, it was because she wasn’t strong enough.

Her desire to become stronger grew even more urgent.

“Master, you’ve worked hard. Was everything smooth this time?”

Lin Ruhai smiled slightly. “Not too hard.” He chose not to address the latter part of her question.

Seeing this, Yun Shuyao changed the topic, talking to him about the various household matters that had occurred while he was away.

Even though he likely knew about most of them, some of the details he might not be fully aware of.

After they finished talking, he went to the outer study and called for Chenyu.

The letter had already explained the details of his son’s earlier dangerous encounter, but it wasn’t enough.

Lin Ruhai wanted to hear his son recount the incident from beginning to end.

While speaking, Chenyu keenly sensed something. “Father, has something happened with my sister and the others during the palace selection?”

Lin Ruhai looked at his son with a sense of relief. He was growing up, but matters within the palace were still too early for him to grasp.

Moreover, even if he knew, it wouldn’t help. Their influence didn’t extend into the palace.

Chenyu noticed that his father was reluctant to speak. “Father, if I knew earlier, I could help come up with ideas. Even if I can’t assist, at least when you’re troubled, I can share the burden.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell you,” Lin Ruhai said, a bit helpless, giving in. Telling him wasn’t a big deal—after all, he was of age to be engaged soon.

So, Chenyu learned about the two sisters participating in the palace selection and how they had been summoned by Consort De.

His mind worked quickly. Consort De had the Fourth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince, and then there was the Thirteenth Prince.

“It’s probably not the Fourteenth Prince. He’s getting married to his main consort this year. Adding someone else to the mix would be too awkward, especially since the Fourteenth Prince already has a secondary consort. Given how much Consort De favors the Fourteenth Prince, she wouldn’t want any friction between the couple from the start.” Mainly because friction would make it harder to have legitimate heirs.

The emperor valued the distinction between legitimate and secondary wives, and so did they.

Chenyu didn’t know much about the situation of the Thirteenth Prince.

He only knew that the Thirteenth Prince was both scholarly and skilled in martial arts, and had already married, but as for the details of his household and offspring, he wasn’t sure.

The Thirteenth Prince was only eighteen this year, so as long as his household wasn’t lacking, it was unlikely anyone new would be assigned.

“Most likely it’s the Fourth Prince. His household doesn’t have many people. Aside from the son who passed away, he only has two sons, one of whom isn’t even a year old yet, and it’s uncertain if he’ll survive. He has only one daughter, and the Fourth Prince is already twenty-six.”

At this age, the Fourth Prince could no longer be considered young, and the number of his children was indeed quite small.

Now that Chenyu knew the situation, he began to worry. It was clear that outside the palace, there wasn’t much they could do.

He grew anxious.

If his sisters were to marry other families, as their brother-in-law, he was confident he could protect them from being mistreated by their in-laws. But if they entered the royal family, who could treat a royal son as an ordinary son-in-law?

Lin Ruhai understood this well, which is why he hadn’t wanted to bring it up earlier.

Seeing Chenyu’s furrowed brows, Lin Ruhai tested him on his studies to ensure he hadn’t been slacking. “Show me the assignments that Mr. Xu gave you.”

Upon hearing his father’s request, Chenyu collected himself. “Father, here they are. I have a question…”

As they engaged in questions and answers, time passed quickly.

Lin Ruhai left the study, leaving Chenyu to work on his assignments, and went to see his mother.

He chatted with Daiyu for a while and had some refreshments together.

Seeing how much Daiyu was beginning to resemble her mother, Lin Ruhai couldn’t help but feel sentimental.

Daiyu said, “Father, you must take care of your health.”

She couldn’t help but remind him, “When you were away on business, did you neglect to eat and rest properly? You can’t ruin your health like this.”

Lin Ruhai saw the care and sincerity in his daughter’s expression and smiled. “I know, I’ll make sure to eat properly. Daiyu, have you been listening to Doctor Zhou’s advice?”

Daiyu raised her chin slightly. “Of course, I have.”

The grandmother watched her spirited granddaughter with a smile, clearly pleased. “Daiyu is a good and obedient child…”

After Daiyu went to rest for the afternoon, Lin Ruhai and his mother finally began to discuss matters regarding the palace.

Ola Lady Lin: “It wasn’t appropriate to discuss this in a letter before, but since you’ve had interactions with a few of the princes, what do you think of them?”

Of the three princes under Consort De, Lin Ruhai had interacted with two during this trip.

Speaking of these princes, Lin Ruhai couldn’t help but admire them. The emperor not only had many children, but all of them were incredibly talented. Comparing them to his own family, with their thin and weak bloodline, Lin Ruhai couldn’t help but sigh.

“Did you grow particularly close to any of these princes?”

Upon hearing his mother’s question, Lin Ruhai remained calm on the surface, but internally he grew cautious. Was his mother thinking about taking sides?

But before he could dwell on it, his mother continued, “Do you think any of these three have the ambition to fight for the throne?”

Lin Ruhai gently shook his head. “I can’t tell with the Fourth Prince, but the Ninth Prince seems to have given up.” If the Ninth Prince hadn’t given up, he wouldn’t have spread his reputation as a businessman throughout the capital, allowing his associates to exploit the common people. With such a reputation, it’s impossible to become emperor. “He’s close to the Eighth Prince, and the Eighth follows the First Prince.”

“As for the Thirteenth Prince, he is highly talented in both civil and military affairs, but he’s still quite young.” Lin Ruhai hesitated to make any definitive judgments.

Old lady Lin nodded. In truth, she was most curious about the Fourth Prince, but she couldn’t ask so directly.

“What did you say to the emperor when you went to the palace yesterday?”

Lin Ruhai sighed. He had spoken to the emperor about the incidents his son had encountered, presenting it in a lighthearted way, as if it was just bad luck. He expressed relief that no major misfortune had occurred and that his only son was still safe and sound.

The emperor would surely take this to heart, realizing how much Lin Ruhai valued his descendants. Lin Ruhai had subtly conveyed that he wasn’t seeking great fortune for his children, only hoping they could live peacefully. If the emperor became suspicious and decided to investigate, he might uncover things Lin Ruhai had missed.

When it came to matters involving his only son, Lin Ruhai used all of his connections to investigate the mastermind behind the incidents, but none of the findings matched. He didn’t want to face a similar situation again. One reason he was driven to act was that his current mission as an imperial envoy had not gone smoothly. Vaguely, he sensed that someone was targeting him, just as in his son’s case.

These incidents could be dismissed as bad luck, but when misfortune happens repeatedly, it’s no longer just a coincidence.

He didn’t believe this was a coincidence.

His son’s bad luck this time could have been disastrous.

As for himself, he also almost lost his life, but he chose not to mention it and frighten his mother.

This time, he was on a mission under imperial orders, so even if some people held a grudge against the Lin family, they wouldn’t dare pick this moment to act.

With both incidents occurring, the emperor was bound to take notice.

The grandmother remained silent for a long time. Even her son was facing numerous challenges. “We should visit Huguo Temple again. Or perhaps, you should pretend to be ill,” she suggested. It was a good opportunity to show loyalty.

They talked for a while, until a maid came to remind them that the evening banquet was about to begin.

It was a small family dinner, with everyone, including the concubines, gathered for a meal.

Throughout the meal, Concubine Mei frequently cast sorrowful glances.

The master had traveled to so many places—why hadn’t he come to her courtyard yet?

That night, Lin Ruhai fell ill.

No one in the family doubted his illness. Just by looking at him, it was clear how exhausting this mission had been for him, so it wasn’t surprising that he became sick.

Yun Shuyao didn’t suspect anything either; he was truly ill and even developed a fever.

Because of his illness, his plans to visit people had to be postponed. When the news of his sickness spread, the emperor even sent an imperial physician to check on him.

This, without a doubt, showed how much the emperor valued him.

As a result, more people than expected came to visit him, and they were also more enthusiastic.

Originally, Jia She didn’t want to make the effort, thinking his younger brother should handle it, but for some reason, his brother was unwilling to go no matter what.

With their mother wiping away tears, Jia She had no choice but to pull himself together and visit his brother-in-law.

When he saw Lin Ruhai lying in bed, looking so thin, Jia She was taken aback. “You really suffered this time on your mission.”

Although his brother-in-law still looked quite handsome, his complexion was noticeably worse than before. “What did the doctor say?” he asked.

“Just a bit tired; I’ll be fine after some rest.”

Tired from work? Jia She felt very sympathetic; his brother-in-law was really struggling as an official.

Jia Lian noticed how much weight his uncle had lost and quickly expressed concern, asking if there was anything he could help with. He was willing to handle some minor tasks.

Lin Ruhai smiled slightly. “You’re too kind, Lian’er. I’m really not that serious.”

When he returned and reported what he had seen, Grandma Jia furrowed her brow lightly. “Not serious?”

“Not at all.”

“Well, that’s good.” Grandma Jia closed her eyes and sighed inwardly. “Keep an eye on the news about the Lin family. Lian’er, visit your uncle more often. Your cousin is still young and not yet married; you should help look after him.”

She wondered what position he would get this time, and the two “granddaughters” in the palace—what future awaited them? And Yuanchun was still serving as a lady-in-waiting under the Empress Dowager… The more she thought about it, the more restless she became.

Jia Lian promptly agreed.

Yun Shuyiao also wanted to know where Lin Ruhai would go next, but for now, she felt this situation was best. If an official order came, he might have to leave for another location.

The results of the selection had not yet been announced, and the daughters’ marriages were still undecided.

If he had to leave, it would only be Lin Ruhai who would go to his post first.

During this time, she spent her free moments trying to replicate the talisman that Chenyu had brought back from Huguo Temple, but unfortunately, she had little success.

Whether it was due to her restless mood or the differences in cultivation methods, even though she copied the design perfectly and used her abilities, she made no progress.

Yun Shuyiao did not give up; she practiced daily, becoming a little more skilled each day. While she had learned the form, she had not grasped the “intention.” As long as she continued to improve, there was hope.

In this waiting period, the imperial decree arrived.

The entire Lin family changed into formal attire, set up an incense altar, and opened the main doors wide to welcome the decree—