Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 93 The Order of Ascending the Orchid Terrace

Over here, Wang Xifeng's face turned completely cold. She thought to herself, "If he doesn't come, fine. But if he really dares to come, I'll make sure he dies by my own hand!"

Therefore, he snorted coldly, glanced back at the maids and servants, and seeing that they all remained silent, he then walked up to the ceremonial gate and returned to his carriage.

The next day, Jia Rui indeed came to pay his respects to Sister Feng, but Sister Feng was always busy and didn't see him for two days in a row. However, she had already learned from Ping'er and the others that...

Therefore, the third time, Sister Feng deliberately waited for him at home. When he came in, she was especially attentive, offering him a seat and tea, which completely captivated him. She then invited him to meet her in the west corridor that evening...

Despite his suspicions, Jia Rui rushed in as soon as it got dark.

To everyone's surprise, Wang Xifeng not only refused to go, but also turned around and ordered people to lock the doors on both sides of the passageway, locking the simpleton in the dark and cold passageway. Not only did he not freeze to death in the dead of winter, but after returning home, he was beaten dozens of times by his grandfather because he could not explain why he did not return home at night, and was ordered to kneel in the snow to read and make up for his lessons...

Fengjie intended to give him a minor punishment as a warning, but a few days later, Jia Rui, who had just recovered somewhat, came to her door timidly again.

It turns out that Jia Rui had also suspected that he was being tricked by Sister Feng, but he was not sure and could not suppress his longing, so he came to find out the truth.

However, he was unaware that he had thoroughly angered Wang Xifeng.

Wang Xifeng was no ordinary person; dealing with Jia Rui was a piece of cake. With just a few words, she turned black into white and completely deceived Jia Rui.

She then instructed Jia Rui to wait for her in an abandoned house behind the Rong Mansion, and later had Jia Rong disguise himself as a woman and go there.

Taking advantage of the darkness and Jia Rui's inability to distinguish clearly, in his haste, he scooped Jia Rong up and carried her to the kang (heated brick bed)...

At the crucial moment, Jia Qiang burst through the door, nearly scaring him to death.

At this moment, Jia Rong couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Seriously, Uncle Rui just wanted me."

Jia Qiang lit the lantern and, seeing Jia Rui's terrified expression, couldn't help but smile sweetly.

So, following Sister Feng's instructions, Jia Qiang and his brother forced Jia Rui to write down a "gambling debt" that was impossible to repay, and then had someone throw a bucket of excrement on him under cover of darkness before letting him go home.

Here, Fengjie and Ping'er's scheme succeeded, and upon hearing about Jia Rui's miserable state, they were naturally overjoyed.

Sister Feng also ordered Jia Rong and Jia Qiang to frequently go and press for repayment of the debt, determined to ensure that Jia Rui would never have a peaceful life.

From then on, Jia Rui indeed dared not come again, and fell ill, causing the elderly Jia Dairu and his wife great anxiety, but they knew nothing of this story.

……

Meanwhile, just as Sister Feng was plotting to deal with Jia Rui, another piece of good news arrived at the Rongguo Mansion.

As the year drew to a close, the former Director of the Imperial Archives, due to his advanced age, requested to retire and return to his hometown. The emperor then appointed Lin Ruhai, the former Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai and concurrently the Director of the Imperial Archives, to replace him.

The Lantai Temple was one of the most important government offices in the imperial court, second only to the Grand Secretariat and the Six Ministries. It was in charge of national supervision, and the rank of the Lantai Director was only one rank lower than that of the Ministers of the Six Ministries. Now that Lin Ruhai had obtained this powerful and important position, it was a great thing for the Jia family to be happy about.

Jia Zheng personally went to Rongqing Hall to inform Grandmother Jia of the news, intending to cheer her up and alleviate her illness.

In Rongqing Hall, seeing everyone smiling, Wang Xifeng came out to join in the fun:

"Six months ago, Mr. Lin stepped down from his post as Salt Commissioner and returned to his hometown to recuperate. I thought he had retired and gone home. Who knew that while he was recuperating, he was suddenly told that he had been promoted again. If Mr. Lin hadn't told me himself, I wouldn't have believed it."

No wonder he sent a message earlier saying he was coming to the capital. I thought it was just to see Lin Daiyu, but who knew it was because he had been promoted and was returning to the capital.

Grandmother Jia was also very happy, as the illness she had developed from being angered by Jia She had mostly healed.

The son-in-law is considered half a son, and with Lin Ruhai's promotion, his mother-in-law was naturally proud as well.

But unlike Wang Xifeng, she wasn't loud and boisterous. Hearing her deliberately joking, she scolded her, "What do you know? He's a man with official rank and ability. The emperor will naturally value him. That's why I married your aunt to him in the first place."

Logically speaking, for a family like the Jia family, especially for Grandmother Jia, let alone a second-rank official...

Even the six ministers and the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet were nothing more than ordinary people in their eyes.

Because the Jia family often dealt with people like these, who not only didn't treat them as superior, but some even needed to curry favor with them, because they were called powerful and influential people!

But that's from the perspective of outsiders. If it were a family member with such a thing, it would be a great joy, and they'd want the whole world to know. What do you call that? The arrogance and inferiority complex of noble families.

Their arrogance stems from their disdain for those who rise through education from humble beginnings, while their inferiority complex arises from the fact that their children cannot compete with others academically…

Jia Zheng is a typical example. When he heard his mother say that Lin Ruhai had official rank and was therefore able to rise through the ranks, it was as if she was tearing his heart out!

Perhaps it's because I lack this advantage that I've remained a lowly official for so many years, watching helplessly as my brother-in-law (Wang Ziteng) and brother-in-law rise through the ranks like rockets...

Grandmother Jia and Wang Xifeng, oblivious to Jia Zheng's disappointment, remained cheerful. Wang Xifeng flattered Grandmother Jia a few times for recognizing his talent, then asked, "So, once Master Lin goes to the capital, will Lin Daiyu no longer live with us?"

Grandmother Jia then stopped smiling, seemed to think for a moment, and said, "Their family doesn't have a house in the capital. When they come to the capital, they will naturally stay in his official residence."

That kind of place is crowded and chaotic, and he's sickly, and you, Lin Daiyu, are also sickly. What's the point of getting together like that?

Anyway, the Imperial Library isn't far away, and I'll have your sister Lin live next to me. She can visit her father occasionally and catch up. This way, it won't interfere with her father's official duties, and it'll be convenient for him to come and visit whenever he has free time."

Wang Xifeng immediately understood Grandmother Jia's intentions, nodded, and smiled, saying, "Grandmother is wise."

……

When Daiyu heard the news of her father's promotion, she was secretly overjoyed.

However, she was not happy about her father's promotion itself, but rather that he could not only come to the capital to see her, but would probably live in the capital from now on.

Therefore, she only wished that her father would arrive in the capital tomorrow, and then she would definitely make those servants of the Jia family see whether Lin Daiyu was truly homeless and had come to seek refuge there!

Zijuan entered the room and saw Daiyu lost in thought, so she smiled and said, "Why did Third Miss and the others come to congratulate you, but Second Master Bao didn't come? Did you and him quarrel again?"

Upon hearing this, Daiyu immediately became somewhat annoyed and said, "What does it matter whether he comes or not? Who cares?"

But in his heart he thought: He's either fighting with someone at school or going to see his sister Bao. Humph, if he's so capable, then he should never come back.

After Xue Baochai arrived at the Jia family, many people said that Daiyu was inferior to her because of her easygoing personality, upright character, and beautiful appearance.

Upon hearing this, Daiyu felt extremely displeased.

For the past year, she had been sitting and rising with Jia Baoyu every day, and even after they moved out of Grandmother Jia's bedroom this spring, they still saw each other daily. Because of Jia Baoyu's deliberate attempts to please her, she changed her initial impression of him and came to believe that he was a person worth befriending.

Who knew that after Baochai arrived, even Jia Baoyu gradually neglected her and kept going to Pear Fragrance Courtyard. "Clearly," even Jia Baoyu felt that she was not as good as Baochai. Daiyu was very angry and simply stopped liking Jia Baoyu as well.

Jia Baoyu was completely baffled by this. Whenever he offended Daiyu, he would go to the beautiful and understanding Baochai to joke around and cheer himself up...

When Zijuan realized that her words had brought out Daiyu's emotions, she could only shake her head and smile, saying nothing more.

Feeling bored while sitting idly, Daiyu took out a letter from her father from a few days ago to read, which gradually calmed her resentment.

Having heard his father say that he was able to extricate himself from the complicated salt administration because his cousin Jia Lian spoke to the emperor, the emperor granted him permission to return to his hometown to recuperate. This trip to the capital was also on imperial orders to await his new post...

He couldn't help but feel sentimental again, deeply realizing that his cousin Jia Lian had shown him and his father great affection and loyalty.

He also recalled that rumors had circulated in the manor half a month ago that the emperor had summoned Jia Lian back to the capital to serve his parents, but Jia Lian had not returned for a long time. He couldn't help but worry whether Jia Lian had suffered any losses on the battlefield.

After pondering for a long time without finding any insight, he put away the letter, picked up a complete set of Wang Wei's works, and headed to Sister Feng's courtyard.

Wang Xifeng might know more information; if we happen to meet, we can ask her.

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