The Red Mansions

Chapter 256 It is difficult to create a business, and it is even more difficult to maintain a business
Biluoyuan.

Simple and elegant, beautiful scenery.

There are several small rockeries, exquisite and exquisite, a few pine trees, plum trees, and phoenix trees, which are also ancient and elegant, and there are also a few Xiangfei bamboos, sparsely scattered.

The small courtyard is spacious, with gazebos and pools scattered among them.

Sanchun and the others couldn't easily come out once, and there was no elder to supervise them, so they became interested when they saw the snow all over the courtyard.

One after another, they took their maids to build snowmen, had a snowball fight, and laughed like a warbler!

Xi Ren, Mei Ren, Ping'er and the others were busy in the corridor with a group of little maids.

Various ingredients such as venison and Siamese pork grilled on incense charcoal are exuding lingering aromas, making people salivate.

In the side hall, the door is open.

Jia Yun and Wang Xifeng drank hot tea, talked, and looked at the people frolicking outside, and found it interesting.

"It's strange to say that when I don't have a lot of money, I always think about throwing out a lot of money to show my prestige, but now that I have money, I think about keeping a low profile and pursuing elegance."

Wang Xifeng took a sip of tea, eyes rolling, and said with a smile.

"Is your temper able to keep a low profile?" Jia Yun shook her head and said with a smile.

Wang Xifeng thought for a while, smiled, nodded and said, "Indeed, I'm a restless person. If you let me pretend to be a lady all day, I'm afraid I'll go crazy within a few days."

Jia Yun smiled and said, "I don't care about you, you can do whatever you want."

"However, I still advise you to study more, so that people will not be fooled easily when doing business."

Wang Xifeng pursed her lips and said: "Just now I said that I am restless, if I could read, I would have read it..."

After a pause, she changed the subject, leaned forward and whispered, "I'll tell you something, my uncle was going back to Beijing to report on his work a few years ago."

"Huh? Years ago? Chinese New Year is coming soon, can he come back?" Jia Yun asked unexpectedly.

Wang Xifeng whispered: "I came to Beijing secretly. Before I left, even my family didn't know about it. I was going to Beijing a few days ago, so I sent a servant to inform my family that I will definitely arrive in Beijing before New Year's Eve."

Jia Yun asked: "When he returned to Beijing to report on his duties, was he summoned by the palace, or did he come back by himself?"

"Then I don't know, but the eldest girl is going to visit her relatives in the new year, so it's not surprising that he comes back now." Wang Xifeng shook her head and replied.

Jia Yun pondered for a while, then murmured: "In other words, the principals of the four kings and eight princes all gathered in the capital before the year before. It's a troubled time!"

"Is something serious going to happen?" Wang Xifeng asked curiously seeing his serious expression.

Jia Yun came back to her senses, glanced at her, and said with a smile, "Don't inquire about these things, it's useless to know more, and it will only increase your troubles."

"Okay, I don't ask." Wang Xifeng pursed her lips, rolled her eyes and said, but she was very curious.

Jia Yun didn't explain too much, he seldom discussed political affairs with his female relatives at home.

On the contrary, the four kings and eight princes and other nobles all came to Beijing to meet again. I am afraid that they also sensed the crisis from the emperor's various arrangements and wanted to make a final struggle and resistance.

But now they came to their senses, don't they think it's too late?
In the past few years, the emperor has used various means to reduce the influence of the four princes and eight princes in the court and the army, and squeezed and consumed their financial resources in many ways, with remarkable results.

For example, Wang Ziteng was transferred from the capital to patrol the border, and the Jingying Jiedu envoy that the Wang and Jia families had worked so hard to run disappeared.

For example, the emperor asked many concubines to visit their relatives, which not only cost those concubines their natal families financial resources, but also gained a good reputation.

And so on, all of them are boiled frogs in warm water, moistening things silently, so that these people are willing to follow the emperor's plan.

After several years of multi-party suppression, the rights of the four kings and eight princes have shrunk significantly. Now they want to resist, but find that they are powerless.

Especially now Admiral Jia Yun's Fengtai camp has become a sharp sword hanging over their heads, making them dare not mess around easily.

The only thing that is not good for the emperor now is that the Supreme Emperor is still alive.

For the old Xungui Group, as long as the Supreme Emperor is still alive, there is still hope for a comeback.

As for how to make a comeback, it is estimated that this is the main content of the discussion between the four kings and eight princesses who gathered in the capital.

"It seems that Wang Ziteng was able to come back through the line of the Supreme Emperor." Jia Yun thought to herself.

Wang Ziteng can be regarded as a great official in the frontier. With the Japanese pirates rampant in the south, he dared to go to Beijing in secret. Only the Supreme Emperor and the emperor ordered him to come back legitimately.

However, based on Jia Yun's understanding, the emperor wished to hold Wang Ziteng to the south of the Yangtze River, and after all the plans were settled, it would be an imperial decree to deal with Wang Ziteng.

Now that Wang Ziteng has rushed back, it should be Beijing Wang Shuirong who asked for an order from the Supreme Emperor.

It can be seen from this that no matter how much the emperor plans, as long as the Supreme Emperor does not delegate power, he will still be at a disadvantage after all.

……

On the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, the streets and alleys exude a strong New Year flavor.

In the early morning, Jia Yun went to Lin's mansion in a carriage.

When they arrived, the housekeeper of Lin's house said that Lin Ruhai had been called into the palace again by the emperor, leaving Jia Yun in vain.

But he didn't leave in a hurry, but went to the back house to talk to Lin Daiyu.

In the room, Lin Daiyu waved her maid out and embraced Jia Yun.

Jia Yun looked down at her haggard face, and couldn't help frowning: "It's only been a few days since I saw her, why do you look like this?"

"It's not all your fault!" Lin Daiyu pouted.

Jia Yun asked in surprise, "Blame me? What's going on?"

Lin Daiyu remained silent.

Jia Yun pondered for a while, and couldn't help laughing: "It's my fault that I never thought that my aunt would miss me so much. I often go to Fengtai Daying for business during this period, so I didn't come to see you."

"I didn't miss you, I pretended to be passionate." Lin Daiyu pouted softly.

Jia Yun smiled, hugged her soft body, bowed her head and pecked for a while, then held her small face and said:
"I have discussed the good thing with you with Mr. Lin in detail. After I take the Enke test next year, I will immediately invite a matchmaker to come over and propose marriage."

Lin Daiyu sighed and said, "In this case, we won't be able to get married until the end of next year at the earliest."

"Basically, your Lin family is a scholarly family after all, so naturally you can't act too hastily." Jia Yun nodded.

"On the contrary, Mr. Lin, he may find someone who is well-matched to continue his strings at the beginning of the year."

Lin Daiyu asked in surprise, "My father has already talked to you about this?"

Seeing Jia Yun nodding, Lin Daiyu said depressedly: "Well, father discusses everything with you now, but I keep everything in the dark."

Jia Yun laughed and said: "Don't be angry, Mr. Lin is also afraid of your wild thinking, so he asked me to persuade you more, and before the matter is settled, he will definitely come to you for a detailed discussion."

"Don't hide it for my father, no matter what, I think he treats you better than me now." Lin Daiyu pouted her nose and said in a low voice.

Jia Yun giggled, and stretched her hand into her clothes to toss.

Soon, Lin Daiyu's attention shifted.

"Hee hee...itch...uh..."

……

Lin Daiyu turned her back to the sky, her small mouth opened and closed like a fish spitting air bubbles.

"I'm free, I embroidered a sachet for you, remember to take it away later."

Jia Yun nodded and said: "Okay, speaking of sachets, now I have a special box in my room to hold them. There are all kinds of sachets. It is estimated that they will not be worn out in 100 years."

Lin Daiyu took a few deep breaths, and said: "Then I will embroider some other things with you in the future, as long as I need them."

"On the other hand, Sister Bao's maid, Ying'er, is very dexterous. She is good at making nets, weaving flower baskets, etc., and she also knows how to match colors. It's a pity that I can't learn from her after a long time."

Jia Yun caressed her smooth and clean shoulders, and said comfortingly: "People have strengths, you love reading, write more poems for me in the future!"

"Okay, when will I go to your house again, Sister Bao and I will form a poetry club and put together a collection of poems for you to read." Lin Daiyu said happily.

Jia Yun nodded and smiled and said, "That's good. There are quite a few talented women in my family, not to mention Baochai, but Xiang'er, Jing'er, Yuan'er, Lian'er, and Shuangqing are all first-class talents. "

The two talked for a while and came out of the bed.

Jia Yun saw that Lin Daiyu's face was flushed red and became more charming and delicious, so she couldn't help pecking her a few more times, trying to avoid Lin Daiyu's laughter.

When it was almost noon, Jia Yun asked Zijuan to go to the front yard for questioning.

When Zicuckoo came back and said that Lin Ruhai hadn't come back yet, Jia Yun said to Lin Daiyu:
"It seems that Mr. Lin won't be back for a while. I have something to do today. I'll take my leave and leave. I'll come to see you in a few days."

Lin Daiyu reluctantly said: "Is it urgent? If not, let's go after lunch!"

Jia Yun thought for a while, then nodded in agreement.

Lin Daiyu was very happy and asked Zijuan to go to the kitchen to make a good meal.

Looking back, Lin Daiyu took out an exquisitely crafted invitation card from a wooden box and handed it to Jia Yun.

Jia Yun was confused, opened it and found that Rongguo Mansion had invited Lin Ruhai and Lin Daiyu to attend Jia Yuanchun's family visit ceremony on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

"It's not a good day to save relatives during the Lantern Festival." Jia Yun said in a deep voice.

Lin Daiyu nodded and said: "My father also said the same thing. After careful consideration, he went to Jia's mansion to reply to the letter in person, saying that the New Year's Eve will be busy next year, and I'm afraid there will be no time to go there."

Jia Yun smiled and nodded, not surprised by Lin Ruhai's actions.

After Jia Min's death, the only bond between Lin Ruhai and the Jia family was Lin Daiyu.

Unfortunately, this year Lin Daiyu was exasperated by Jia Baoyu from Jia's house, so whether it is from a political standpoint or selfishness, Lin Ruhai will not have too much to do with Jia's house.

And the emperor set the time for Jia Yuanchun to visit his relatives on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, which was out of good intentions. It is estimated that there will be a lot of moths waiting for Jia's mansion that day.

So it was impossible for Lin Ruhai to get involved.

In fact, the Jia family also went to the third room and told Jia Dailing that they wanted to invite Jia Yun, but Jia Dailing refused.

Passing the invitation to Lin Daiyu, Jia Yun asked, "This post is well done, so it probably costs a lot of money?"

"Hehe, why do you care about this?" Lin Daiyu asked with a smile.

As he spoke, he put the invitation back into the wooden box and hid it.

Jia Yun said: "I heard a few days ago that Brother Rong's daughter-in-law went to Jia's mansion to make a big fuss and demanded all the land deeds of the Ning Rong Second Mansion, and went to the Ministry of Household Affairs to transfer the houses of the two mansions to her name. .”

"What? What's the matter?" Lin Daiyu asked in surprise.

Jia Yun nodded and said: "That's right, Jia's family borrowed nearly a million taels of silver from Brother Rong's daughter-in-law in order to build the family-friendly villa. Such a large amount cannot be done without a mortgage."

"Seeing that the imperial concubine is about to visit her relatives, Brother Rong and his daughter-in-law took the opportunity to ask for the land deeds of the two mansions, so as not to have long nights and dreams. After the imperial concubine visits her relatives, there will be no chance."

Lin Daiyu asked in surprise: "Could it be that my grandmother and several uncles agreed to hand over the land deed to Brother Rong's daughter-in-law? The court also agrees? I'm afraid it won't be that easy?"

"Of course it's not that easy!" Jia Yun laughed.

"So Brother Rong's daughter-in-law gathered a group of healthy women and went to Rongguo Mansion. She said that she would pay back the money immediately if she didn't give the land deed. Otherwise, she would burn down the family's family villa, which caused a lot of trouble."

Lin Daiyu: "So my grandma gave her the land deed? That's right, my cousin is coming to visit her relatives, but nothing can happen at this time, or it will be troublesome."

Jia Yun nodded and said: "Yes, on the Xia family's side, orphans and widows, the Jia family borrowed money from Brother Rong's daughter-in-law, and the amount is so huge, no matter how you say it, use the houses of the two houses as collateral. , it’s all in the past.”

Lin Daiyu asked curiously, "Did you say when the money borrowed by Jia's mansion will be paid back?"

"The IOU is written for ten years, but with the current harvest of the Jia Manor, I'm afraid it will be difficult to repay it." Jia Yun shook her head and said.

After a pause, he added: "But even if the principal is not repaid, the interest of Brother Rong's daughter-in-law is still 3 taels every year."

Lin Daiyu exclaimed, "So many?"

"How much? It's not much at all, okay, the Jia family can't borrow millions of taels of silver from anywhere." Jia Yun raised her eyebrows and said.

Lin Daiyu nodded, and said, "That's true. If Brother Rong's daughter-in-law hadn't donated generously, it would not have been so easy to repair the family's family villa in Jia's mansion."

Jia Yun said: "That's not necessarily the case, it's just a bit more shabby, not as luxurious as it is now."

"To be honest, judging from the cost of our family's yard repair, the yard in Jia's mansion can be settled at most a few 10 taels. The reason why so much was distributed is that most of it went into private pockets."

Jia Yun had told Lin Daiyu about this before.

Lin Daiyu nodded yes, but at the same time felt that Jia's mansion was really rotten.

When she lived in Jia's mansion in previous years, although she saw some problems, but in it, she saw many situations one-sidedly.

Now that he is not in Jia's mansion, after Jia Yun's call, many things became clear.

Seeing her frowning, Jia Yun asked, "Are you worried about the Jia family?"

"Uh, that's not true." Lin Daiyu shook her head and said.

"I was thinking about our family just now. Although the family business is young and full of vigor, will it be the same as Jia's after tens or hundreds of years?"

Jia Yun thought for a while, then shook her head and said: "It's hard to say, hundreds of families are common in this world, but it seems that only the Kong family can really stand forever..."

(End of this chapter)