The Good Concubine of the Qing Dynasty [Red Mansion]

Baoyu was naturally not in the mood to study, because he had already mentioned earlier that he had received a reply letting him know that Lin Sister was coming, and he happily went to tell Sanchun.

“This is great news!”

“On that day, we won’t have to go to school. Earlier, Yun Sister said that if Lin Sister came over next time, she wanted to invite her, so I’ll go ask Grandmother Jia to bring her over. She will definitely be happy.”

Hearing Baoyu’s words, Tanchun smiled. “Has there ever been a time when she wasn’t happy to come?”

That made sense, so Baoyu didn’t say anything more and cheerfully went to find the matriarch. However, halfway there, he turned back. “I recently found a great rouge. A few days ago, I sent some to you all. Did you use it? Was it good? Do you think Lin Sister would like it? I wanted to send some to the two Lin Sisters, but unfortunately, they aren’t coming.”

As he spoke, Baoyu’s expression turned regretful. “Such good pearls, yet they want to be fish eyes—it’s lost all its brilliance.”

Tanchun was worried that he would continue and say something unpleasant, so she quickly changed the subject. “Second Brother, if you want to find Grandmother Jia, you should go quickly; if you wait too long, she’ll be taking her afternoon nap.”

Baoyu realized, “I’ll go now.”

At this time, Second Madam Wang was also at Grandmother Jia’s place, discussing the situation about Yuanchun.

Yuanchun had sent a message saying that she had run out of money and asked the family to prepare some to send in.

Although the Rongguo mansion was large and prosperous, it wasn’t a bottomless pit; the sums she took regularly were not small.

If Yuanchun had made some progress in the palace, that would be one thing, but she had already been in the palace for several years and was still serving as a lady-in-waiting in the concubine De’s quarters.

Second Madam Wang lamented, “You know our Yuanchun’s talents and beauty, Grandma. It must be Concubine De deliberately holding her back, not allowing her to shine. If we don’t support her, Yuanchun will truly have no chance to succeed.”

Hearing this, Grandmother Jia couldn’t help but sigh. It was a pity that the Emperor had not recognized Yuanchun’s worth during the selection process.

Not only did they have to go through so many difficulties to get her into the palace, but she was also suppressed by Concubine De. If she never saw the Emperor, how could she achieve her desires?

Now they had already given up on approaching the Crown Prince.

Concubine De was very careful to avoid suspicion; she wouldn’t send anyone to the Crown Prince, so the only target could be the Emperor.

Serving the Emperor was certainly better than going to a few princes. Although the Emperor was no longer young, he was still vigorous, and there were still princes and princesses being born. As long as Yuanchun could give birth to a prince, it would be worth it.

Thinking of this, Grandmother Jia nodded. “Tell Yuanchun to be more frugal.”

That was her way of agreeing.

Second Madam Wang smiled, and at that moment, Jia Baoyu rushed in. “Grandma, Madam!” he called out, then joyfully rushed to Grandmother Jia, saying, “Sister Lin and the others are coming! Grandma, let’s invite Sister Yun to come play together!”

Grandmother Jia raised her eyebrows and eagerly replied, “Good, good! Go and invite her to join us.”

Second Madam Wang frowned slightly; she didn’t like Daiyu, and seeing Baoyu so happy about her arrival made her even less pleased. “Have you done your homework? If not, you’d better watch out for your father.”

As soon as this was mentioned, Jia Baoyu wilted like a frostbitten flower.

Grandmother Jia felt a mix of pity and amusement. “You know, your father is partly right. You need to read more so you can be as successful as your brother Zhu. In the future, you should aim to be the top scholar.”

Baoyu whined like a spoiled child in her arms, “Grandma, studying is too tiring; I need a break…”

In the end, he was still afraid of Jia Zheng. Unhappily, he went back to fetch his textbook, but as he read, he found an extra book of miscellaneous writings on top of it and began to read it with great interest.

—

Before long, the date on the invitation had arrived.

Since it was a flower viewing banquet, the feast was set up in their garden.

With everyone greeting one another in order, Grandmother Jia held Daiyu in her arms, affectionately exclaiming, “You little girl, how could you be so heartless? Your grandmother hasn’t seen you in such a long time, and you didn’t even come to see me.”

Chenyu smiled apologetically. “There are many trivial matters at home, and Grandma can’t do without my sister by her side.”

Grandmother Jia sighed deeply. “While that’s true, Daiyu, if you can spare some time, come visit this old bone of mine.” She was being quite agreeable this time.

Daiyu nodded slightly but remained silent. She knew that any outing required her grandmother’s approval, so even if she agreed, it wouldn’t matter. Her elder brother was right; there were many household chores to handle, and she had her own responsibilities—it’s not as easy as just stepping out.

Wang Xifeng laughed, “Sister Daiyu is quite the busy person. Don’t be fooled by her young age; she already manages quite a few people.”

There was a hint of envy in Wang Xifeng’s tone.

Although their aunt passed away early, the old lady of the Lin family truly had no complaints about Daiyu. At just seven years old, she was already learning to manage affairs closely beside her, overseeing everything with great care.

Grandmother Jia nodded and turned her attention to Yun Shuyao and Aunt Mei. “You two traveled all the way to Yangzhou. It must have been tough. I wonder how things are now.”

The concern on her face made anyone who saw it say she was a good mother-in-law worried for her son-in-law.

Yun Shuyao replied, “The master is much better now. Thank you for your concern, old lady.”

Grandmother Jia asked many details about Lin Ruhai’s daily life, then worriedly added, “But isn’t there anyone to take care of him right now?”

This question became sensitive. Aunt Mei knew that Aunt Yun’s status was higher than hers, so she responded on her behalf. However, what did Grandmother Jia mean by asking this? Did she want to place someone by the old master’s side?

Aunt Mei couldn’t sit still any longer. “How could that be? There are plenty of people to take care of the master. The old lady is worrying too much.”

Grandmother Jia glanced at her but said nothing more, easily brushing aside the topic, leaving Aunt Mei a bit surprised.

That was it? Was it really just a casual question?

Yun Shuyao remained silent. She had already been rejected so many times that it didn’t matter if she cared. Instead, her gaze shifted to Wang Xiluan beside Second Madam Wang .

What was she doing here? Had the Wang family not given up?

Grandmother Jia remarked, “We are all relatives, so let’s chat together.” This meant there should be no separation of genders in the conversation.

Of course, that wasn’t appropriate. However, the younger generation didn’t have to speak up; the governess (Educated Grandma) stepped forward. “Boys and girls should not sit together once they reach seven years old. It’s time for the young ladies and gentlemen to be mindful of decorum.” She looked apologetic. “The Lin family has strict rules, and if we were to return like this, the old lady would surely be angry.”

The Lin family had strict rules, unlike your Jia family, which had none. The governess was now fully alert.

Before they left, the old lady had called her over, specifically reminding her to keep an eye on Jia Baoyu. Unexpectedly… The governess, seeing Wang Xiluan so well-dressed, realized it was more than just a casual visit.

Grandmother Jia’s expression darkened immediately. Chenyu stepped forward. “Old lady, we must uphold the rules. For the sake of our sisters’ reputations, we should avoid any appearance of impropriety. Besides, I have some matters I want to discuss with Second Brother Lian; we can set up a table in the outer courtyard.”

He made his point clear. Could she really argue that the reputations of the young ladies didn’t matter?

In that case, the Wang family would have to treat her as an enemy.

Chenyu asked Jia Lian, “Cousin, I heard something earlier and wanted to consult you about it. Is it convenient?”

Jia Lian hesitated; the old lady likely wanted to keep his cousin here, but could he really say it wasn’t convenient?

Jia Lian smiled, “Of course it’s convenient.”

Chenyu also pulled Jia Baoyu along. Since he was standing next to Grandmother Jia, he didn’t include himself in the “we” he mentioned.

Chenyu couldn’t help but sigh.

He should have known these rules; he had been told before. It seemed he hadn’t paid attention. If he acted like this when visiting someone else’s home in the future, it wouldn’t be a visit but rather making enemies.

“Baoyu, what have you learned recently? I have a book that would be perfect for you. Come with us.”

Jia Baoyu was startled. “I won’t go, I’ll stay here with the old lady and the others.” Talking with sisters was far better than reading.

Chenyu smiled slightly. “Baoyu, you’re older now; you should be mindful of appearances. Besides your sisters, there are also cousins here.”

Jia Baoyu frowned. “Aren’t they all my sisters?”

“Alright, Baoyu, go with your Second Brother Lian,” Grandmother Jia said, her face already lighting up with a smile. “You’re boys, and you won’t have much to talk about with us.”

Jia Baoyu: “…”

No, no, no, he could do it.

When had he ever failed to connect with his sisters? He walked away, glancing back multiple times.

Today, he had only exchanged greetings with Lin Daiyu; there were still many things he hadn’t had the chance to say.

Jia Lian took Chenyu, Baoyu, and the others away, leaving only the women behind.

Grandmother Jia wasn’t trying to matchmake Wang Xiluan and Chenyu; she merely provided a venue. In her view, uniting the Wang and Lin families was far less important than pairing Baoyu with Daiyu. She wasn’t thrilled that Chenyu insisted on taking her Baoyu, but she didn’t want to cause a scene, so she said nothing.

Second Madam Wang’s ability to maintain composure was not as good as hers; she clutched her handkerchief tightly.

She kept an eye on Chenyu, who had only glanced at his niece at first and hadn’t looked in that direction again.

Was he not interested?

Second Madam Wang couldn’t understand why her brother wanted to connect with the Lin family. There were so many good suitors out there; why did he focus on a Lin family son?!

Were there really no more outstanding young men?

Yun Shuyou watched this scene, remaining silent as a pillar. Chenyu had been through similar situations before, having made brief acquaintances with women while visiting others to pay respects.

This wasn’t solely about matchmaking; perhaps the elders had some intentions, but they also wanted their children to meet first, avoiding any gossip in the process.

However, now it was clear that the Wang family hadn’t given up, so she needed to be more cautious.

Yun Shuyou glanced in the direction where Jia Baoyu had left.

Things were still the same; there had been no changes.

Now… she had to rely on Chenyu to help gather firsthand information about the monk and Taoist who were struck by lightning.

Daiyu wasn’t foolish either. Although Xianyun was fine, she felt unhappy with this Wang sister present, feeling that her grandmother was using her.

But she couldn’t show her displeasure to her grandmother, so she decided not to engage with the Wang sister, reasoning that she was just a guest and didn’t need to be entertained.

She gathered with Tanchun and the others to exchange the poetry they had composed during this time, as well as their needlework.

They were all learning to sew, but their progress varied, resulting in different finished products.

Overall, their work was quite immature.

This was normal given their age.

Wang Xiluan leaned over; her sewing skills were good and she could offer some pointers.

After Daiyu arrived, she fell silent, focusing intently on her pouch, but she could do this while others could not.

Especially Tanchun.

Her biological mother was Wang, so she needed to be more enthusiastic towards this cousin.

Wang Xifeng also came over, saying, “Oh, sisters, your skills are impressive! In a few years, I won’t be able to keep up. I wonder who is fortunate enough to receive the pouches made by you.”

Some of these pouches clearly looked like gifts for men.

For example, Daiyu.

She smiled slightly, saying, “This one is for my father, and this one is for my grandmother.”

Wang Xifeng laughed heartily, “Grandmother, did you hear that? This is Daiyu’s filial piety!”

Of course, Grandmother Jia heard it, her eyes squinting in joy: “Good, good, good…”

Until the banquet ended, Wang Xifeng kept the atmosphere lively.

But it was exhausting. When she returned to her own courtyard, she sat down and sighed, “Finally, it’s over.”

Pinger stood behind her, massaging her shoulders: “Madam, you should rest for a while.”

At this moment, someone rushed in: “Second Madam, something happened with Young Master Bao! The Master has gone over!”

Wang Xifeng immediately stood up: “What happened? Didn’t the Master go out to visit friends? Why is he back so soon?” She had arranged for the Master to go out today to avoid any trouble.

The maid delivering the message had a mournful expression: “Yes, the Master returned from visiting friends. He heard that the young master from the Lin family was here and wanted to ask about something, so he went over to Young Master Bao’s place. He just happened to see Young Master Bao reading about strange tales…”

Wang Xifeng inwardly groaned: “Did Grandmother find out? Quickly go inform her!”

Old Lady Lin, who had summoned Jia Zheng back early, was working quietly behind the scenes.

Grandmother Jia was concerned about that Baoyu. Each time she acted out, Baoyu faced punishment. She wanted to see just how much she truly cared for him!