The Good Concubine of the Qing Dynasty [Red Mansion]

As soon as the new year passed, the old lady began to pack her bags. Before the new year, she received a letter from her son, saying that he wouldn’t be back anytime soon, and that the teacher her grandson had been studying with had gone to Yangzhou, asking her grandson to join him there.

The letter also advised her not to go because of the tiring journey.

Although the letter didn’t state it explicitly, the old lady understood the implication. Her son wouldn’t stay in Yangzhou for long; when he returned, she would have to accompany him back, and the journey would be too exhausting.

After all, she was getting old. While the old lady missed her son, she also had the desire to live a long life.

So, considering her son’s words, she quietly dismissed the idea of going to Yangzhou.

She decided to stay in the capital. If anything happened and her two granddaughters wanted to return to their maternal home, she would be here and could go back at any time.

As for the others, her grandson had to go, but whether the concubines wanted to go was up to her; she didn’t want to force them. As long as one person went, that was enough.

She let them make their own choice.

Upon hearing this, concubine Mei fell into a dilemma: should she go or not?

She had already made the trip once, and even if someone was there to take care of her, it was still quite exhausting.

Yun Shuyou didn’t care about the hardships of the journey; she wanted to go.

The children would leave her side one after another; now her daughter had left, flying independently, and her son wouldn’t be far behind in gaining his independence.

He would be taking the imperial examination next fall, and if he passed, he would continue on to the spring exam, after which he would be appointed to an official position. At first, he should be in the capital, which would be fine if both sides were in the capital—they could still be together. But if he were sent to another location, who knew when they would meet again?

Thinking about Lin Ruhai at that time, she remembered he had been serving outside before returning to the capital.

Moreover, she wanted to see how things were progressing over there. If she could help and return to the capital sooner, that would be even better.

As soon as concubine Mei saw that Yun Shuyou wanted to go, she almost immediately stood up to say that she wanted to go as well.

She had asked her daughter and son-in-law, and the old master probably wouldn’t be in Yangzhou for too long; the letter from the old master hinted at this. After hesitating for a moment, she ultimately decided not to speak up.

Concubine Chu also wouldn’t go; she said she would stay at the small Buddha hall, copying scriptures for the old master and praying for him.

Daiyu wouldn’t go either. She missed her father, but if she went to Yangzhou too, wouldn’t that leave her grandmother all alone at home with all her siblings gone?

She wanted to stay by her grandmother’s side, so that her grandmother wouldn’t feel so lonely.

Listening to Lin Daiyu’s thoughts, the old lady felt as if her heart was soaked in a hot spring, warm all over, and her eyes grew warm as well. “Good child, good child…”

Thus, the candidates were set. Once the river thawed, Yun Shuyou and Chenyu boarded the boat and set off.

The journey went smoothly, without any obstacles. There were no issues with the boat breaking down or anyone falling ill.

It is worth mentioning that as they approached Yangzhou, they received a letter from the Xue family.

The head of the Xue family had seen the flag’s message here and sent someone to inquire, learning it was a member of the Lin family. He then sent over the letter. Although there was no direct familial relationship between the Xue family and the Lin family, the mistress of the Xue family was a sister to the second wife of the Jia family.

From this connection, they were considered relatives.

Since the other party was dealing with business matters and had no female family members present, Yun Shuyou did not meet anyone. At first, she didn’t know that it was Xue Baochai’s father. It was only later, when Chenyu mentioned that the other party had a son named Xue Pan and a daughter named Xue Baochai, that she suddenly realized.

Having received the letter in advance, Lin Ruhai had already sent someone to meet them at the dock. After disembarking, they had to switch to a carriage before finally arriving at the Lin residence.

This was a tradition in their family. When he held an official position, there was a government office, but as long as he served for a longer time, Lin Ruhai was accustomed to buying houses according to his own preferences. After all, the houses he lived in could always be sold off later without losing money, and most of the time he even made a profit.

It was the same now.

Upon arriving at the Lin residence, Chenyu saw Lin Ruhai and knelt down, saying, “Son has been unfilial, not having spent time under your knee for so long.”

Lin Ruhai pulled him up with great effort, feeling very relieved; Chenyu was almost as tall as him now. “Quick, get up.”

Compared to his impression of his father, Lin Ruhai seemed much thinner, and the dark circles under his eyes were quite prominent.

It was clear from his face just how exhausted he was.

Chenyu truly felt guilty.

He should have come to care for his father when he was injured.

Lin Ruhai said, “If you had really come, that would have been unfilial!”

He was fortunate enough to be well now, but if his son had come, it was obvious that those people would threaten him through his son. He didn’t want to imagine that scene.

“How is your grandmother’s health?”

“How is your sister doing at her in-laws?”

Chenyu replied, “Grandmother is healthy. She even invited the imperial physician to take her pulse before the New Year.”

“Both sisters are well. The eldest sister’s husband is a decent man and respects her.”

“The Fourth Prince treats the second sister quite well and even gave her a courtesy name.”

After inquiring about the family’s recent situation, Yun Shuyao said, “Show me your hand.”

Lin Ruhai stretched out his hand as instructed.

His body had already fully recovered, though he was a bit fatigued from overwork.

He smiled, “Now you can rest assured, right?”

Yun Shuyao smiled back, “For now, yes.”

At the same time, Yun Shuyao and Chenyu learned that the emperor was set to embark on his fifth southern tour, which would bring him to Yangzhou. This added another layer to Lin Ruhai’s already busy life.

During this period, he would either sleep at the government office or in the study.

Now that he had taken some time to talk to them, he would have to make up for the progress he had missed later.

The Kangxi Emperor was going on a southern tour? And he was coming to Yangzhou?

Yun Shuyao frowned, “Last year it was so chaotic here. Isn’t the emperor worried there are still remnants lurking about?”

Lin Ruhai understood what she was thinking. “The emperor will be fine. He is the Son of Heaven and has divine protection.”

The manpower around him was absolutely sufficient. Even if someone were to seek their own death, the chances of success would be very low. However, if he were to encounter an assassin here and the prince or imperial grandson were harmed, it would cause a significant upheaval in Yangzhou.

Moreover, even if it was said to be a simple journey, could it truly be that way?

It would certainly involve mobilizing a large force.

“Where will the emperor stay when he arrives?”

Lin Ruhai replied, “He might go to Jinling. If he does, he is likely to stay at the Zhen family. If he comes to Yangzhou, the governor has already prepared a wealthy merchant’s villa for the emperor.”

Lin Ruhai was very busy and spoke with them for a while in the study before someone came to find him.

Before leaving, Lin Ruhai reminded his son, “Make sure to send a message to your teacher today. Did you bring your assignments?”

Chenyu straightened up, “I brought them and have completed everything.”

Lin Ruhai nodded, “Good.”

He then turned to Yun Shuyao and said, “You will have to manage the household affairs.”

With the old lady not present, it was naturally up to Yun Shuyao to take care of the family matters.

Yun Shuyao soon found herself busy as well. The household chores were manageable, but accompanying Lin Ruhai to some unavoidable banquets heightened her sense of vigilance.

She noticed that many people were eyeing the position of Lin Ruhai’s second wife.

They were certainly attracted to Lin Ruhai’s prospects and abilities; marrying into the family would yield them a son-in-law with a third-rank official status, which was an extremely advantageous deal.

As for the age difference, they chose to overlook it, as it wasn’t unusual in the current context.

What was Lin Ruhai thinking? Did he have intentions of remarrying?

Yun Shuyao couldn’t help but feel anxious.

Jia Min had previously said she would put an end to his thoughts of remarrying, and after such a long time, to be honest, even she was somewhat surprised because several years had passed, and Lin Ruhai was nearing adulthood.

What if Lin Ruhai no longer had that thought now?

In comparison, if she were to find a direct superior to manage her, she would certainly prefer to work without pay.

Who knew what kind of character her superior would have? If it were someone difficult to get along with, unless she left the Lin family, even if she tried to be assertive, the rightful status would still belong to the main wife.

She counted up, and now, in the Yangzhou officialdom, those who might have such intentions basically included the first and second in command, and there was also a familiar family, the Zhen family.

She was referring to Zhen Yingjia’s cousin, who was, of course, currently in her teenage years.

Lin Ruhai had previously married Jia Min from the Jia family, and now there was talk of marrying a daughter from the Zhen family?

Was he supposed to marry both daughters from these old family ties?

No, that shouldn’t be the case.

Yun Shuyao quickly dismissed the thought.

If he were to remarry, Lin Ruhai would definitely not choose a daughter from the Zhen family; they had old grudges between them.

That would be one-sided sentiment from the other party.

However, she still wanted to ask Lin Ruhai about his thoughts, so she waited for a time when he wasn’t too busy and brought him some soup.

Instead of speculating here, it was better to ask directly.

“Master, yesterday we went to the Li family for a banquet, and during that time, I overheard some conversations. Are you considering remarrying?”

Upon hearing her words, Lin Ruhai looked up from his documents, his eyes meeting hers with a hint of a smile: “What’s wrong? Did someone come to see you about this?” Was she feeling jealous?

Yun Shuyao sighed: “Yes, those remarks made me almost think that if you didn’t actively take a prominent woman as your wife, it would be an insult to you. Truly a shame.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Ruhai wiped the smile off his face: “Don’t pay attention to them.”

Yun Shuyao furrowed her brows: “Then what does Master think…”

Hearing this, Lin Ruhai stood up decisively. “Shuyao, are you worried?”

Yun Shuyao lowered her gaze: “Master, I am worried. I am your concubine, so naturally, I have no right to say much on this matter. However, I can’t help but feel anxious. If a woman of poor character were to come along… it wouldn’t be as comfortable as it is now. Not all legitimate wives are as virtuous as the late madam.” She admired Jia Min for not making things difficult for her concubines and not being overly close to the illegitimate children, yet she also didn’t put obstacles in their way.

Especially since Jia Min still has feelings for Lin Ruhai.

If the roles were reversed and it were her, she would have long ago endured a fake death to escape.

Some things can be talked about without involving emotions, but when feelings are involved, there’s no room for even a grain of sand in the eye.

Lin Ruhai hadn’t expected her to articulate her thoughts so clearly, and he felt a sense of comfort in his heart as he assured her, “Don’t worry; I won’t remarry.”

He pulled her into his embrace. “If you hadn’t entered the Lin family and established your status, I would have married you. But without that initial circumstance, we wouldn’t have met.” So there are no “what ifs.”

“I won’t remarry, and that’s good for you, for Chenyu, for Yingyu, for Luoyu, and even for Daiyu.”

Lin Ruhai was satisfied with the current situation in the inner courtyard and didn’t want to test people’s hearts.

“Don’t pay attention to their words; they don’t know your abilities. I’ve documented all your contributions in the memorial. This time when the emperor makes his southern tour to Yangzhou, he might summon you for an audience. Prepare yourself.” Lin Ruhai wasn’t sure how the emperor would act, so he didn’t want to speak too definitively.

If everything goes smoothly, the transition would happen at that time.

“When the time comes to reward contributions, everything will be decided by the emperor. At the very least, there will be an announcement, and with the emperor’s word, when you go out, no one will dare to give you a cold shoulder.” As he spoke, there was a light in Lin Ruhai’s eyes.