Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

Chapter 227 Zhen's Affairs

When Lin Jing heard this, he snorted coldly and said angrily, "This shortsighted Jia Shi!

"I gave her those wisdom patterns as a betrothal gift! I wanted to make sure that Madam was worthy of it!

"Who would have thought she would use it to show off and curry favor with the royal family?"

Daiyu listened with her eyes wide open.

Lin Jing met her gaze, sighed, and then began to speak again: "This Hui Niang was not originally from Gusu.

"She is the eldest daughter of the Zhen family in Jinling. Because she was born out of wedlock, her stepmother didn't like her, so she developed a skill for embroidery that was extremely exquisite.

"Later, she took the embroidery out to exchange for money, and it caught the attention of others. It spread widely. Gradually, people began to wonder why the embroidery always appeared near the Zhen family for the first time."

Daiyu was stunned by what she heard.

Zijuan was beside him, and she hurriedly brought some hot tea to Lin Jing to moisten his throat. She also stirred up the charcoal in the charcoal basin.

"The Zhen family also felt something was wrong and hurried to check, only to find out that it was their eldest daughter. The Zhen family mistress was ashamed and the head of the family was also furious.

"At that time, they wanted to let the girl hang herself. But the other family members felt sorry for her and advised them: If the embroidery suddenly broke, anyone with a discerning eye would know that it must be someone from the Zhen family who left.

"Why not let her leave Jinling Zhen's family first, then slowly reduce her embroidery work, and then announce to the public that she died suddenly, so that she can live peacefully and marry someone else."

Lin Jing sighed deeply, "Later, he was sent to Gusu, and he was searched for a small clan in the local area to take his place.

“There are many famous families in Suzhou, but not many of them have the power to conceal Hui Niang’s true origins.

"Finally, it was entrusted to our family. At that time, the master was studying abroad and knew nothing about it.

"The old master saw that the Zhen family was sincere, and the old lady saw that Hui Niang was smart and pitiful, so she softened her heart and agreed.

"From then on, Hui Niang became Ying Niang, the child bride prepared by the Madam for the Master.

"Who would have thought that after three years of studying abroad, the master would go to the capital, study in the Imperial Academy for a year, and then pass the imperial examination!

"Later, the marriage was granted to the lady, and Zhen was even happier. She just stayed at the old lady's knees to show her filial piety. The four gentlemen you mentioned were embroidered by her in our family."

Lin Jing said, and pointed to the embroidery building where Lin Daiyu was currently living with a trembling hand, "It's right there, in the west wing.

"I once saw her move the embroidery frame to the yard.

"The spring breeze blew the willows, and she smiled as she embroidered, while asking people to bring drinks and fan the old lady so she wouldn't get too hot."

Having said that, Lin Jing lowered his head and wiped his eye sockets.

Lin Daiyu listened in a daze, and just thought about Aunt Zhen's gentle smile.

"Later, the master got an official post. The old master specifically asked him to come back and take Zhen away, but the master said that Jia had done nothing wrong and should not be sad about it.

"The old master asked Zhen if she was willing to marry someone else, saying that the Lin family might not have better men. But Zhen didn't care about the love affair at all, and begged the old lady on her knees to let her stay.

"That's how it was. It wasn't until the old master and the old lady passed away that she came to the master's side. She also said that she would observe mourning for the two old people and never served the master once."

No intimacy with father?!

Lin Daiyu opened her eyes wide and bit her lips tightly.

It's okay to be a concubine like this?!

"At that time, the master was the salt administrator in Yangzhou, and people from all over Jiangnan flocked to him. Among them was the Zhen family. The one who came from the Zhen family was none other than my aunt's brother.

"Every time Aunt Zhen talks about selling embroidery, she is contacting her eldest brother."

Lin Jing said, sighing and shaking his head, "Miss, you don't know, she died of illness a year after the lady passed away."

Lin Daiyu's heart tightened, and she asked hurriedly, "What's wrong?"

Lin Jing looked at her and said nothing.

Lin Daiyu paused.

So, he didn’t die of illness.

But he couldn't choose between the Zhen family and Lin Ruhai, so he had no choice but to "die of illness".

Zijuan, who was listening nearby, couldn't help but take a deep breath, then her eyes turned red and she lowered her head.

"Was he given wine, or did he take poison himself?" Daiyu suddenly asked.

Lin Jing was stunned for a moment, and whispered: "Hanging from the beam.

"Yes, but no. For this reason, the master directly wrote a memorial to the capital about the illegal activities of the Zhen family."

Lin Jing said this and laughed bitterly, "But who would have thought that the Supreme Lord gave a secret decree, only reprimanding the Zhen family but not punishing them.

"Because of this, the Jiangnan officialdom, especially the five aristocratic families of Jia, Wang, Zhen, Shi, and Xue, who have occupied Jinling for many years, no longer give face to the master."

Lin Daiyu held her head high, looking at the clouds rolling and unrolling in the distant sky, and sneered, but said something that Lin Jing and Zijuan would never have thought of:

"Father, this is too bookish.

"It's just a life. No matter who it is, as long as his surname is not Situ, what does it have to do with the court?

"This is true for the Zhen family, the Jia family, and the Lin family as well."

After a pause, he sneered again, "Even if it's a hundred family names, what's there to be afraid of?!"

Lin Jing and Zijuan were both silent.

Isn't this what the Supreme Ruler has been doing for nearly sixty years?!

"So, Zhen Yingniang is Huiniang!" Daiyu concluded, and immediately changed the subject, "Does Jing Bo know that there is a Zhen Fei and Zhen Shiyin in the Zhen family?"

Lin Jing was stunned: "It is Zhen Hui Niang's brother! Because Hui Niang was kidnapped to Suzhou, he followed her here secretly!

"Hui Niang stayed in our house, and he settled outside Changmen. Later, we heard that there was a big fire..."

"In which year did the fire break out?" Lin Daiyu suddenly asked.

Lin Jing was confused: "I don't know. I have to check it out."

Lin Daiyu turned around and looked at Zijuan, and suddenly smiled: "I haven't told you that I heard a rumor.

"The girl Xue Pan snatched from Jinling was called Xiangling. Her father's surname was Zhen, his given name was Fei, and his courtesy name was Shiyin. She used to live in Gusu."

Zijuan was stunned!

Lin Daiyu smiled and wiped away her tears.

Zijuan was stunned for a moment, then hurried over and whispered, "Don't worry! We'll redeem her when we get back to the capital!"

Lin Daiyu shook her head and laughed again: "Let's figure it out first."

Lin Jing was already dumbfounded after hearing this.

"Uncle Jing, you must not tell anyone about what happened today. I need to think about it again." Lin Daiyu was in a state of confusion.

Lin Jing also left with a troubled look on his face.

That night, Daiyu did not have dinner.

At night, Liu Jia came back excitedly, hurriedly copied the cooking recipe, and wrote down the ingredients and seasonings to buy. Only then did he notice that Mrs. Du's face looked wrong.

When he asked hurriedly, he heard that Lin Daiyu only picked a few noodles for lunch and drank only a bowl of soup for dinner, and he immediately panicked!

"Oh my God! How can I be so focused on the future that I forget what is ahead?"

While blaming herself, Liu quickly lit the fire, stewed a bowl of scallops and eggs, added some fish sauce, and steamed a plate of chrysanthemum cake, which she served personally.

Seeing that her face was full of guilt and concern, Lin Daiyu reluctantly ate a piece of cake and half a bowl of egg custard.

The Liu family finally breathed a sigh of relief, took the leftovers away, tasted it himself, frowned and said, "We still need to practice more."

That night, the maids who worked in the kitchen were forced to eat seven or eight bowls of seafood egg custard, which made everyone cry.

Not to mention.