The Good Concubine of the Qing Dynasty [Red Mansion]

Yingyu was older than Luoyu, and her happy days were set for a month before Luoyu’s.

The marriage preparations followed the traditional steps, one after another.

Although Dachun’s father was an official in Fengtian Prefecture, his grandfather and others were still in the capital, which didn’t affect the families’ arrangements.

So the old lady was very busy.

And very happy.

It had been a long time since the Lin family had a marriage.

Although she regretted not having more grandsons, she genuinely cherished her granddaughters. Whether it was their upbringing over the years or the dowries she prepared for them now, she was dedicated to ensuring they would live well after marriage.

With two eldest granddaughters about to be married, there were some things she couldn’t let them handle, so she had Daiyu help.

Not to brag, but her little granddaughter was clever and capable; studying was no challenge for her, and managing household affairs was equally effortless if she wanted to.

Seeing her handle everything so orderly always brought the old lady comfort.

This was how it should be.

She would definitely marry a suitable husband in the future. Even if managing household affairs wasn’t her favorite, she needed to be capable and aware to avoid being deceived by the servants.

The Lin family had a good reputation in the capital now.

Additionally, the Xilin Jueluo clan was a prominent family as well. Dachun had four brothers, and his father’s generation had three brothers.

This was another influential Manchu family, closely connected to other prominent clans, creating a vast network of relationships based on both deep affection and family ties.

In comparison, the Fourth Prince’s side was large, but not one to hastily forge connections.

When the incident involving Lin Ruhai occurred, the Lin family did not receive news immediately. However, the Fourth Prince was aware, though he only knew a little.

He could only see the surface and knew there was trouble in Yangzhou, but he didn’t know the details.

Not just him; the Crown Prince and the Eldest Prince had also noticed.

Especially the Crown Prince, who had the clearest understanding of the situation. However, with their father involved, he couldn’t act openly.

Yun Shuyao and the others were still unaware of Lin Ruhai’s injury. A force was keeping this matter confined to Jiangnan, and Lin Ruhai didn’t want to worry his family, so he hadn’t let the servants inform them.

By the time the news finally reached the capital, it was because Lin Ruhai was severely injured and reportedly near death. This news left the old lady stunned, causing her to faint.

When Dr. Zhou revived her, she was in tears, crying, “My son…”

Her voice was filled with grief and anger. Hadn’t she gone in circles for so long only for her son to meet his end as the Salt Inspector?

What was the point of all her efforts?!

This wave of sorrow paused as she looked at her four worried grandchildren by the bedside. She still had them; she couldn’t collapse now.

Seeing her awake, the two granddaughters had red eyes, and Daiyu’s tears began to fall.

“Grandmother…”

“Are you feeling unwell?”

At that moment, the old lady noticed concubine Yun entering. With a furrowed brow and a serious expression, she asked after greeting her, “Madam, is the master injured? We don’t know the details yet…”

If the old lady hadn’t fainted, it should have been Chenyu who rushed over. Nothing was more important than Lin Ruhai’s serious injury. However, the old lady’s sudden fainting had prevented Chenyu from setting off.

But how could the old lady let her grandson go to such a dangerous place?

Although this incident originated from something concubine Yun produced, it was indeed a genuine achievement. She agreed, and so did her son. They just didn’t know where things went wrong; the news leaked, leading to this outcome. She wouldn’t blame her, but it was impossible for her grandson to go.

The old lady shook her head gently and asked her servants, “Where is the letter that was sent?”

Lin Ruhai hadn’t written a personal letter; it was Yun Chang and his staff who sent it.

Chenyu had already seen the letter. It mentioned only that Lin Ruhai was seriously injured and that a doctor had treated him, assuring them there was no major issue and advising them not to come, emphasizing that Chenyu should not go.

While the letter stated that, how serious was his father’s injury? Since it wasn’t written by him, after reading it, Chenyu felt even more worried and wanted to go.

Unfortunately, the old lady was very decisive. She pressed a hand to her chest and said, “The letter says you don’t need to go, and I mean the same! I can’t be without you!” With her other hand, she tightly grasped her grandson, unwilling to let him leave her sight, fearing that in a moment of impulse, he might rush out.

Thinking of this, the old lady immediately called the steward in and gave orders that without her permission, the eldest young master was not allowed to leave the residence.

Seeing her attitude, Chenyu’s eyes turned red. “Grandmother,” he pleaded, looking at her. “My father is in trouble. How can I stand by idly in the capital as his son?”

The old lady replied, “Exactly because your father is in trouble, our family has only you left as a male heir. You cannot afford to have any more issues. Have you thought about what would happen to me and your sisters if something happened to you as well?”

At this moment, Yingyu and Luoyu could not help but burst into tears, not to mention Daiyu, who was already more sensitive than the others. Hearing their grandmother’s pessimistic tone about their father’s situation made her tears fall even faster.

Yun Shuyao stood there pale, silent for a moment as she thought of possible solutions. Why didn’t her wood-based ability have healing powers? If only it did.

Just then, a cry rang out from afar—it was concubine Mei’s voice.

“Old lady, old lady, what happened to the master? I heard something happened to him!”

“Old lady!”

When Concubine Mei entered and saw the old lady’s gray complexion, the four children with red eyes, and concubine Yun wiping her tears with a solemn expression, her cries grew even louder. The master was the pillar of the Lin family; if he fell, what would she do? What would happen to her daughter?

Concubine Mei’s crying was heartfelt.

Everyone else was moved by her sorrow.

Yun Shuyao was also unsure about Lin Ruhai’s situation. After all, people are not made of wood; who could be emotionless?

Even as a superior, after years of pleasant interactions, she had almost regarded him as family. Thinking of his uncertain fate made her grip her handkerchief tightly.

She truly felt so powerless.

Concubine Mei said, “Old lady, you must send someone to treat the master. He will be fine; as long as we get there in time, it will be okay.”

At that moment, Chenyu leaned forward again and pleaded, “Grandmother, let me go with Doctor Zhou.”

The old lady remained firm: “No, you don’t need to say more. We don’t know the situation over there. You’re a precious son; you can’t take such risks. If something happens to you, I wouldn’t be able to face our ancestors!”

Chenyu felt a wave of despair.

Luoyu said, “Grandmother, I’ll go!”

The old lady replied, “Don’t be ridiculous. You and your sister can’t leave. Your father… will be fine!”

“Grandmother, let me go! I want to see the master!” Seeing the old lady’s attitude, concubine Mei suddenly felt this was an opportunity.

If her daughter weren’t inconvenient, she would have dragged her along. What if they could save the master?

Given his status, the best doctors in the area would certainly have been called. There would be a good chance of saving him. At such a critical moment, if she appeared before him, he would surely regard her more highly.

After hearing this, the old lady did not refuse. She looked at concubine Mei for a long moment before nodding, “Alright, you go.”

Having made her decision, the people in the Lin household quickly began to take action.

Concubine Mei set out to take care of her son, accompanied by aides, doctors, guards, and well-known bodyguards they had summoned. The group departed in great numbers.

However, before this large entourage set out, Doctor Zhou had already headed south with another team. They posed as traveling merchants to avoid drawing attention, while Concubine Mei’s group aimed to attract attention intentionally to become a target.

If her son is really in trouble,those people might crazily kidnap her as leverage. But the old lady had arranged enough manpower; she didn’t believe such a plan could go awry.

Although she didn’t particularly like concubine Mei, the old lady would still care for her a bit for the sake of her eldest granddaughter, ensuring she wouldn’t be sent to her death.

The Lin family was in a flurry of activity, and soon other families in the capital learned that Lin Ruhai had offended others’ interests during his tenure and had been attacked.

Their knowledge was vague; most only understood it was related to salt. As the Salt Tax Commissioner, Lin Ruhai managed salt affairs, which wasn’t surprising. Only those well-informed knew why people were so frenzied—if they succeeded, their profits would be significantly reduced. The salt stored wouldn’t flow freely, but its value would greatly diminish, impacting generations and effectively cutting into their profits, making it unsurprising that they were determined to go against Lin Ruhai.

Families friendly with the Lin family gradually came to offer their condolences, and Yun Shuyou guided the children on how to respond.

The old lady was truly unwell, lacking the energy to manage anything. Though the children were more mature than their peers, they had never experienced such significant events. Yun Shuyou stood by, reminding them how to respond.

Seeing her like this, the old lady silently sighed; the Yun family was indeed good.

There is also visitors from Fourth Prince’s residence, and from the West Lin Jueluo family, coming to offer their condolences.

The Fourth Prince did not come personally but sent his trusted subordinates instead. He understood the ins and outs of the situation but wanted to avoid suspicion. At this moment, with the emperor furious, no one wanted to step forward, especially since he had no manpower there. Even if chaos ensued, his interests would not be harmed; rather, after a reshuffle, he would have opportunities.

The visitor from the West Lin Jueluo family was Dachun. Yun Shuyou saw him —tall, elegant, and composed, with a worried expression.

He did appear to be a fine young man.

The Jia family wasn’t as well-informed, but since they were close to the Jinling stronghold, they learned of the situation, albeit a bit late.

Upon hearing the news, Grandmother Jia’s heart raced.

This son-in-law was going to be at odds with all the salt merchants in the world.

Those salt merchants were indeed wealthy enough to rival nations.

Wealth can make even the most difficult tasks feasible. No matter how favored a son-in-law is by the emperor, offending the salt merchants to such an extent would not deter them.

There had been cases before where a salt inspector was injured, and others had even met with accidents.

Would he make it through this time?

Grandmother Jia didn’t know whether she hoped for his safety or not.

The person leading the visit from the Jia family was Grandmother Jia herself. Such opportunities were rare, and setting aside other thoughts, she decided to confront the haggard face of old lady Lin family to vent her frustrations.

Even though Lin Ruhai had indeed encountered trouble, the Jia family’s influence had diminished further, but it wasn’t her doing, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Jia She, Jia Lian, and the three Jia sisters, including Baoyu, all came as well.

Grandmother Jia and Jia She came to visit the old lady, while Jia Lian focused on asking if Chenyu needed any assistance; he was skilled in managing mundane matters.

The Three Jia sisters and Baoyu were there to comfort Daiyu, each playing their role. Originally, Wang Xifeng was supposed to come as well, but she was currently in confinement after giving birth to a daughter and would soon be finishing her month.

Old Lady Lin knew what Grandmother Jia intended to do. At this moment, she had no patience to deal with such an annoying person and didn’t give her any face. As soon as Grandmother Jia entered, she declared her discomfort and called for tea to send her off, not allowing her a chance to speak. All the words Grandmother Jia had prepared were forced back down, leaving her face pale with anger.

That old hypocrite! What was she so proud of? She only had one son, and if he were to fall, the Lin family would decline, worse off than her Jia family. What right did she have to be arrogant?!

She waited to see her downfall!

Before long, Wang Xifeng finished her confinement. Although her daughter was not much celebrated because she was a girl, the birth of the legitimate first daughter still warranted a banquet at Rongguo House.

Chenyu initially didn’t plan to go, but old lady Lin thought of the poor little girl and decided to send her grandson to make an appearance. On his way back, he bumped into a Jia family member.

For some reason, there was a dazed expression on his face as he mumbled about Second Madam.

Was he talking about Lian’s Second Madam?

But soon the other party snapped back to reality, saw Chenyu, and said nothing more, hurriedly lowering his head as he walked quickly out of the courtyard. Had he come from the inner courtyard by mistake, or was there something else going on?

Before long, Yun Shuyao, who had sent someone to keep an eye on the Jia family and those around them, received word that a monk and a Taoist had appeared, delivering something to the Jia family.

These two had also been spotted near the Lin family before, but this time they didn’t intrude; they merely observed from outside the residence, seemingly calculating something. When the guards tried to apprehend them, they managed to escape.

Yun Shuyao’s spirits lifted—those two had appeared again!

She immediately ordered her people to retrieve whatever the monk and Taoist had delivered to that household. If she remembered correctly, taking it away in time could save that person’s life.

However, she wondered what she could discover or accomplish with this “Mirror of Amorous Affairs”…