The Good Concubine of the Qing Dynasty [Red Mansion]

Dachun panicked and fell into a state of depression. His intuition told him that if he couldn’t submit a satisfactory answer, he would “die” a terrible death. Previously, since his father-in-law hadn’t set a deadline, he had been taking his time with the work. Now that he suddenly learned his father-in-law was back, he realized he didn’t have enough time left.

So, he began to burn the midnight oil, seeking advice whenever he encountered difficulties.

In no time, the Xilin Jueluo family noticed Dachun’s diligence. His grandmother even asked Yingyu to persuade him not to work too hard, reminding him that it was most important to maintain his health and not stay up too late at night.

Yingyu could only smile and remain silent. She had already advised him, saying her father was very kind and wouldn’t be too hard on her if she hadn’t completed her assignments. However, her husband’s anxiety only increased after hearing her words; he even struggled to sleep at night. He would wake up halfway through the night, check the time, and finding it hard to fall back asleep, he would get up and continue writing.

This desperate determination left Yingyu at a loss for words.

She could only silently prepare various delicious foods for him and take care of other matters, ensuring he wouldn’t have to worry about anything and could focus entirely on finishing his assignments.

Meanwhile, the Fourth Prince also received some questions sent by Lin Ruhai, most of which were about the people’s livelihood.

Having worked with his father-in-law before, he had some understanding of the man’s character.

However, judging by the assignments left behind, he was somewhat surprised by Lin Ruhai’s insights into the livelihood issues.

Unlike Dachun, the Fourth Prince had completed his assignments early. At the time, Lin Ruhai had not yet confirmed when he would return, so he had instructed someone to deliver the assignments along with the festive gifts.

Perhaps he had gotten what he wanted from his response, as Lin Ruhai no longer assigned him any questions.

After receiving the invitation from the Lin family, the Fourth Prince went to the courtyard of his main wife and inquired about the prepared list of gifts.

It was a special day for the father and biological mother of the side concubine, and he planned to pay a visit.

After reviewing the gifts, he found them quite appropriate and then left.

The Wife watched his departing figure, knowing without asking where he was headed, staring blankly at his back as he walked away.

Since the entrance of the Lin side concubine, she had quickly become the Fourth Prince’s most favored person. If it weren’t for the children from Sister Li’s side, competing with the Lin side concubine would be quite difficult. Moreover, she was stable and composed; she had endured several provocations from Sister Li, earning herself a reputation for humility and generosity, which endeared her to the Fourth Prince. Such heavy scheming!

Now that the father of the Lin side concubine was about to be promoted, this was truly not good news for her.

Fortunately, she would soon be able to return and see her father and aunt. Recently, Luoyu had been in a good mood, and when the Fourth Prince entered, a smile was on her lips as she held a brush, happily drawing.

She was drawing a sleeve dog, one of the Fourth Prince’s beloved pets. It was fluffy, and the Fourth Prince had even designed clothes for it.

Whenever she saw its thick fur, Luoyu would think of the iron-eating beast they had kept at home before, which was actually a panda. It was incredibly cute when it was small, but as it grew older, its teeth became sharper, and their grandmother became unwilling to keep it, spending a considerable amount to have it escorted back to the mountains and released into the wild.

After that, she had no intention of raising another little one. Although they were very cute, her grandmother would never be at ease once they grew up. While her grandmother didn’t oppose raising other little cats and dogs, by that time, she had lost interest and hadn’t brought it up again.

When she arrived at the Fourth Prince’s residence, he, being a dog lover, had a special doghouse for his beloved pets. She often went to see them and could share her experiences about raising fluffy animals, learning how to make their fur smoother and shinier.

Now she picked up her brush and started to draw; the result was quite vivid. Although she had only drawn half of it, the Fourth Prince was already pleasantly surprised.

“Huai Zhen, where did you learn this skill?” he asked.

Luoyu smiled, “From my father and aunt, mainly my aunt. Her paintings are excellent.” She said this with great pride.

The Fourth Prince was again surprised. “Do you have any of her works here?”

Luoyu replied, “Yes, wait a moment, my lord…”

While they were enjoying themselves here, on the other side, Aunt Mei had been ill for a long time and was now reluctantly “recovered.”

Upon learning that Yun Shuyou had been given the title of a fourth-rank concubine, Aunt Mei fell ill. At first, she was genuinely sick; the blow was too great. What was this salt-drying process, and what was purification? She had no idea such things existed!

It was the emperor’s decree that had arrived, announcing that the master had been promoted, and that Yun Shuyou had also received the title of a noble lady. That was how she found out.

She was trying hard to recall if there had ever been such a thing in the past.

In the kitchen?

Yun Shuyou had gone to the kitchen many times, and she had never thought that Yun Shuyou could create such wonderful things there!

Looking back, Aunt Mei felt very regretful. What had she missed out on?

If this was true, wouldn’t she have had a share of the credit if she had participated back then?

Even a small contribution, no matter how tiny, should have made her a noble lady by now. Thinking of this made her heart feel like it was being scorched by fire, which was why she was ill.

The old lady was someone who valued her health. Doctor Zhou had been sent to Yangzhou to be with her son because of his excellent medical skills, especially since her son’s condition had been the most dangerous at that time. After her son recovered, the old lady didn’t intend to bring Doctor Zhou back; he still had disciples here, and she could regularly spend money to hire royal physicians for additional consultations.

When Aunt Mei fell ill, the old lady had someone come to examine her. After learning how she fell sick, the old lady felt speechless and instructed them to take good care of her, then she left it at that.

For so many years, Aunt Mei had never learned to behave herself. After a bout of anger, she would automatically recover; otherwise, each time she fell ill, she could never match up to Aunt Yun. If she continued like this, she would have long been driven to death by her own anger. However, this time, her illness indicated just how great the blow had been, even greater than the blow of not having a son.

She was someone who knew her worth.

For her, having the title of a noble lady was far more important than not having a son.

She was sick for a short time. When she got better, she still claimed she was ill and refused to go out and see anyone. The old lady didn’t bother with her; if she wanted to be sick, then so be it. Her eldest granddaughter was already married, and as long as she didn’t cause a scene that would worry her granddaughter, she could stay in her courtyard for as long as she wanted.

When Lin Ruhai and Yun Shuyao returned, she had no choice but to “recover” after learning about their upcoming trip to the capital.

Everything else was fine. However, when facing Yun Shuyao, her smile was somewhat distorted. She knew that with Yun Shuyao’s new title as a noble lady, she had completely surpassed her.

She was not the legal wife, but in some respects, with the master no longer taking another wife, she could almost be regarded as one. People would have to address her as a noble lady when she came and went.

Who would treat her as a concubine now?

At this point, even if she had given birth to a son, she would still fall short, unless she could also achieve some merit and receive a reward from the emperor.

But where would she get such merits?

Her unwillingness showed on her face when she saw Yun Shuyao; her expression was quite something. At first, Yun Shuyao thought she was having a facial spasm, with a stiff smile trying to appear friendly while her eyes were filled with deep resentment.

Could Concubine Mei really think that she was trying to “please” her with such behavior?

She was overthinking it.

Upon seeing their return, the old lady was naturally very happy. She warmly greeted her son, and her attitude toward Yun Shuyao had also become more cordial.

When the old lady received the news, she was surprised, but overall, she was mostly delighted.

Her son had become the Right Supervisor of the Imperial Censor, and Concubine Yun had been granted the title of a noble lady. It was likely that her son would seldom be transferred out of the capital from now on, which meant that their family would be together for the foreseeable future. This was a great joy.

The second piece of good news was about Concubine Yun; her status had risen, which was beneficial not only for the Lin family but also for herself, her second granddaughter, and her eldest grandson.

This was also good news for the old lady herself.

With this new status, she could also have a say in the household affairs of the Lin family, making things easier for herself.

The Jia family found out about this matter quite late, just as Lin Ruhai and Yun Shuyao were about to return to the capital.

If we think about it, this situation was indeed quite novel—an inner courtyard lady had achieved merit, received an imperial summons, and had even been granted the title of a fourth-rank noble lady!

It sounded absurd, like a storyteller on stage weaving an unbelievable tale.

Both Grandma Jia and the others were stunned upon hearing this news.

Second Madam Wang’s face looked like a jar of mixed flavors had been overturned. She was a staunch skeptic, doubting that Yun Shuyao’s merits had been conferred by Lin Ruhai simply to elevate her. It was utterly ridiculous; it was as if the emperor had been deceived by two people!

Moreover, a fourth-rank noble lady!

This title was not something one received simply for holding an official position; it required a man to petition for it. She herself held a noble title, but her husband was only a sixth-rank official, meaning she was just a sixth-rank lady!

She was overshadowed by two entire ranks!

How could she accept that a mere concubine was placed above her? If that person required her to pay her respects, she wouldn’t even be able to refuse. How could Second Madam Wang bear such humiliation?

After receiving the invitation, she “fell ill” and needed to recuperate, pretending to be mute about the matter.

Wang Xifeng: “…”

She sighed inwardly. Her dear aunt had dropped this issue right into her lap, and she was at a loss for how to handle it.

She had no choice but to take the invitation to seek out Grandmother Jia. To improve the atmosphere, she specifically chose a time when Baoyu was present: “Grandmother, this is an invitation from the Lin family.”

Grandma Jia furrowed her brows slightly but soon relaxed as she slowly opened the invitation: “…The son-in-law is holding a banquet to celebrate his promotion. This is a great occasion. You should prepare a gift and go together with Lian’er and Baoyu on the day.”

Wang Xifeng replied, “I’ve already drafted the list.”

However, she was uncertain about how much to send. The New Year’s gifts had already caused her quite a bit of financial pain, and she had to use her own dowry to cover it.

But the Lin family received such a generous gift and reacted as if nothing had happened, showing no response whatsoever.

Now, should they send an even larger gift?

The list she had drafted was not small.

After finishing the list, Grandma Jia frowned and said, “Add thirty percent more.”

Wang Xifeng frowned and said, “Grandmother, our accounts…”

The rent collected before the New Year had all been spent. Recently, the master took five hundred taels to buy a bronze tripod, the old master used three hundred taels to purchase an ancient book, and the lady spent another three hundred taels on stationery for Baoyu. There’s no money left in the accounts. If we’re going to add more to the gift, where will the silver come from?

To save on expenses, some items on her list were taken from the storeroom.

She couldn’t keep using her dowry to cover everything, could she?

Grandma Jia put down the list and replied lightly, “You can discuss it with the lady. I’ve long since stopped managing these trivial matters.”