The Good Concubine of the Qing Dynasty [Red Mansion]

Chapter 38 - Comparing Differences



The two brothers arrived at the courtyard, where maidservants helped them wash up and provided some food. Exhausted, they collapsed into bed and fell asleep immediately.

They were so tired that they snored loudly.

When they woke up, as soon as they made any movement, maidservants came in to assist them.

The distance from the capital to Anlin Mansion was significant.

Despite Jia Zhu feeling somewhat unwell, the brothers did not stop during their rushed journey.

They were pressed for time; had they arrived later, the Lin family would have had to calculate when to send the remains back to Suzhou.

Now that the brothers had personally presented incense at their aunt’s memorial, they felt relieved.

They had made it in time.

The next day, Chenyu would begin the journey to escort the remains back to their hometown.

After waking up, the brothers would naturally go to pay their respects to the old lady of the Lin family, as per etiquette.

Because they had a mission, they observed and pondered as they made their way to the old lady’s quarters.

The Lin residence was busy yet orderly, with only a few key figures.

Apart from the younger cousins who had not yet grown up, the main figures were the old lady and their uncle.

Recalling the Lin family members they saw while presenting incense for their aunt, Jia Lian felt a bit conflicted.

He had heard that their uncle’s relationship with the extended family had once been distant and not very close, but it seemed that had changed long ago.

The influence of the extended family was undeniable.

He wondered if the extended family had any opinions on the uncle’s future marriages. If so, how would the Jia family, as the original wife’s family, handle it?

When the original wife passes away, remarrying typically involves consulting her family, primarily for the sake of any children left behind.

If the original wife’s family does not agree, it has happened that they might even take away the original dowry.

Therefore, remarriage considerations include the original wife’s family’s opinions, especially when there are underage children.

To maintain family ties, it was common to marry the original wife’s younger sisters or cousins as secondary wives.

This has two advantages.

One is that the children of the original wife will have a maternal aunt to care for them, ensuring they are not mistreated. The other is that it avoids the risk of severing family ties, allowing both families to continue supporting each other.

After receiving the news of their aunt’s death, amidst their grief, they had to consider this practical issue.

Their Jia family’s aunt had no biological children, and the promising uncle was nearly forty years old.

At forty, one is considered to have reached the age of wisdom, and by fifty, one understands their destiny.

At forty, he is already of grandfatherly age. However, given his official position, despite his age, many families would still be willing to marry their young daughters to him.

Not only is he a third-rank official, but it is also advantageous that he has no legitimate son.

There would certainly be many who want to take a chance.

Jia Lian felt the same way. The likelihood of their uncle remarrying was high. If he does remarry, and it has no connection to the Jia family, it is obvious that the stepmother would have only superficial connections with the original wife’s family. If there were a legitimate son, he would naturally be closer to the stepmother’s family.

This, of course, is not in the Jia family’s interest.

In fact, for the Jia family, it would be better if the illegitimate son were in charge. That way, the Jia family would remain the only maternal family for the Lin family.

Before they left, both families were discussing who from their households would be suitable.

Among the current generation, neither the Rong nor Ning families had a suitable woman, so they had to look within the extended family.

However, notable families in the extended clan were not of high enough standing.

Sending someone from the extended clan as a secondary wife would be inadequate; at most, they could be a concubine.

Should they send a concubine, or find a suitable young woman from a family of marriage connections, such as the Shi or Wang families, to be a secondary wife?

Jia Lian understood why they did not want to sever this connection.

The Rongguo House and Ningguo House’s strongest alliances are the Lin family, which the aunt married into, and the Wang family, where Madam Wang is from. Wang Zitong has inherited his grandfather’s military connections and is also experiencing good development.

However, the Jia family’s goal is to transition from a military to a scholarly focus.

The Lin family represents the scholarly side.

Elder Brother Zhu is exceptionally talented, having passed the county examination at just fourteen.

The ancestors have high expectations for Elder Brother Zhu and hope that the uncle will be able to assist him in the future.

The final decision is that if the uncle remarries, the Jia family will handle arranging the selection of the new wife to ensure she can take good care of Daiyu.

Daiyu, as a younger cousin, is still very young, and they cannot trust just anyone with her.

Jia Zhu weighed the letter in his sleeve, which his father had written. The letter roughly conveyed these contents.

They were unsure whether the uncle would agree after reading it.

What the brothers did not know was that Grandmother Jia had little hope for this matter. Only she knew the sordid details of what had happened between the Jia and Lin families.

During the discussions, she did not want to directly state that the chances were slim, so she kept her opinion to herself and let them proceed.

Success would be ideal, but she would not be disappointed if it did not work out.

The funeral was undoubtedly organized by the old lady, but as an elder, she did not need to stay by the coffin; she mostly stayed in her own courtyard.

Now that Jia Min’s family had arrived, they definitely needed to be seen.

In fact, before the Jia family had even arrived, the old lady had already made the necessary preparations. Every time the Jia family sent someone, the Lin family faced difficulties.

Moreover, in the dream world she had seen, Daiyu was taken to Rongguo House not long after her mother Jia Min’s death.

Of course, that was no longer possible now.

At that time, there were two reasons why her son was willing to relent. One was that a daughter who had lost her mother and remained unmarried could lead people to question whether she had received an adequate upbringing and whether her character was reliable, potentially making her unfit to manage the household.

But the old lady, being the wife of a Duke and Daiyu’s own grandmother, would ensure that Daiyu received excellent care if she went to her.

Another reason was that the son’s situation at the time was not favorable.

The current emperor had many promising sons. Although the crown prince had been chosen early on, he did not ultimately ascend to the throne.

Initially, things were fine, but as the emperor grew older and the princes became more capable, it became increasingly difficult to stay loyal to the emperor in such a turbulent environment. Choosing a side to support was equally challenging.

No matter what one did, it would displease the other party.

At that time, the son was far from the capital, serving as an official in distant provinces. He could not grasp the situation in the capital in real time, had no close connections there, and relied on the advice of influential figures in the court. He was out there struggling alone.

Even with the emperor’s trust, problems were still too likely to arise.

It was also because the son had occupied that sensitive position for too long that the subsequent troubles emerged.

His inaction had already made him a thorn in the side of certain people.

The son noticed the danger and, recognizing the risk, chose to send his only bloodline back to the capital.

In the emperor’s realm, at the Duke’s residence, one could be far removed from the controversies of Yangzhou.

That is why Daiyu’s journey to Rongguo House occurred.

Now, these two issues no longer exist.

Daiyu no longer has her mother and is under the care of her biological grandmother.

The son’s current path is different from the one in the dream world; it is no longer so sensitive and dangerous. He no longer needs to worry about sending away his bloodline.

But she still needs to be cautious about the true purpose of Jia Zhu and Jia Lian’s visit this time.

Besides paying respects to Jia Min, do they have any other objectives?

From what she knows, Jia Mu is not someone who would just let things slide.

She doesn’t believe Jia Mu would share her actions with other Jia family members, or perhaps still harbor a dream that one day the Lin family would forget past grievances!

Now that Jia Min has passed away, the old lady believes this was not expected by the other party.

It is quite possible that they want to do something to maintain the relationship between the two families.

People with face might have self-awareness, but some people have long since lost theirs.

The two who have come are Jia Min’s nephews, about the same age as Yingyu and Luoyu. Jia Zhu is said to be engaged, but Jia Lian’s engagement status is unknown. He is fourteen this year, while Yingyu and Luoyu are eleven, just three years apart.

Given they are cousins, one must be cautious.

In the dream world, seeing Daiyu being subtly and overtly disliked by Lady Wang Er, the old lady was nearly infuriated. If Daiyu had not become an orphan, would her son be paired with their Daiyu?

What a joke—a fifth or sixth-rank official’s legitimate younger son and a third-rank official’s legitimate eldest daughter?

His late brother had a son, and according to customs, the majority of the Jia family’s second branch’s assets should go to his nephew, Jia Lan.

He himself is not ambitious, frequently described as mediocre, and naturally has a heart for young and attractive women. He finds his aging wife repugnant and anyone who marries him will face a horde of women in the household, leading to exhaustion.

Moreover, he was already involved with his maid at the age of eleven. The two who have come now are seventeen and fourteen. According to their family tradition, they should already have partners. Naturally, they should be kept apart from their daughters to avoid suspicion.

She absolutely will not allow the next generation of the Lin family to marry into the Jia family.

Aside from this possibility, there’s also the idea of proposing to marry another Jia family woman.

For this, the old lady can only sneer—what a dream.

Additionally, from the look of her son, he doesn’t want to remarry either, and she doesn’t wish to force him.

When Jia Zhu and Jia Lian met the old lady, they did not seem to find anything amiss. They exchanged pleasantries, expressed their sorrow for their aunt, and showed their sympathy for their cousin Daiyu, expressing genuine feelings. Then they went to help.

They saw their busy uncle and the two very efficient cousins.

Despite their young age, the cousins managed the servants with natural ease, and the servants were very obedient, indicating that these two cousins had considerable authority.

Jia Zhu and Jia Lian were momentarily taken aback: “Cousin… so capable.”

Lin Ruhai, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but smile.

However, he maintained his usual humility: “It’s just a bit of skill, nothing worth mentioning.”

Anyone who saw his expression wouldn’t genuinely believe his words.

During this funeral, the Lin family’s three children certainly made a strong impression.

If the timing had been more appropriate, someone might have immediately sought to discuss marriage alliances.

Especially Chenyu, who drew the attention of most people, making Lin Ruhai feel a sense of pride.

Jia Zhu noticed that he wasn’t as talkative as Jia Lian. After responding briefly, he took out the letter.

Lin Ruhai didn’t even glance at it, smiled slightly, and had someone take the letter away: “I’ll accept this letter and will read it carefully later.”

Jia Zhu saw nothing wrong with this. Tomorrow, they would escort the spirit back to Gusu, and it was completely normal for his uncle to be busy now.

They weren’t the only ones busy.

Yun Shuyao was also busy.

She was checking the travel luggage.

As the only son, Chenyu was naturally responsible for escorting the spirit back to the ancestral home. Although he was only eleven years old, at this time, eleven was not considered very young.

Some children even get married at an earlier age.

Moreover, he wouldn’t be traveling alone.

He was accompanied by a teacher and Lin Yong, among others.

Upon returning to the clan, Chenyu would stay there for a period.

Initially, Yun Shuyao was, of course, worried.

But seeing the luggage and personnel arranged by the old lady and Lin Ruhai, and watching her son, who had grown and was training in martial arts, her concerns lessened.

With such conditions, the likelihood of any issues during the journey was very low.

He would return in a few months and establish good relations with the clan members, which would be beneficial for his future.

Rationally, she understood this, but as she watched her son and his entourage grow smaller in the distance, Yun Shuyao still sighed and felt reluctant.

Luoyu clasped her hands: “Aunt, Brother will be fine. Don’t worry.”

Luoyu still felt some regret.

She couldn’t go.

She wanted to see the clan for herself.

Yun Shuyao understood her well: “After everything is settled, maybe you could stay at the countryside estate?”

If she couldn’t go to Gusu, the countryside estate was still an option.

Luoyu perked up: “Will everyone go?”

Yun Shuyao replied: “Ask the old lady; it should be fine.”

Luoyu nodded, brightened up: “Okay, I’ll ask later.”

Having seen so many people recently, she wanted to go to a quieter place. She was originally meant to observe mourning for her stepmother, so going to the countryside would be suitable.

Another reason was to hope that her younger sister could change the environment and not be so sad.

Seeing her sister’s tears flowing, she really worried that she might damage her eyes from crying.

A visit to the countryside estate might lift her sister’s spirits.

“By the way, Aunt, your painting is really beautiful.”

Aunt had given her a portrait of the mistress, capturing almost all of her essence. Daiyu needed to hold this portrait to sleep more soundly at night.

Yun Shuyao patted her hand: “Don’t put down your brush. One day, you’ll be able to do this too.”

Luoyu didn’t say anything more, just held on tighter.

After all, she was still young.

She had learned a lot helping her grandmother with the household affairs recently and had certainly been touched by the experience.

If it were Aunt who had passed away, just thinking about it, Luoyu felt she would probably end up crying her eyes out just like her younger sister Daiyu.

Previously, even though she wanted to stay by Aunt’s side, she had been too busy. Now that things had finally settled down, she didn’t want to be far from Aunt and wished she could stay close to her all the time.

Dealing with funeral arrangements is always exhausting and taxing. For those who are frail, it can be especially hard. As soon as one funeral is over, another one might begin.

The Lin family was similar; the entire household was filled with the scent of medicine. Not everyone was ill, but some needed it to recover from exhaustion.

They had also closed their doors to visitors, beginning a period of rest and recuperation.

Jia Zhu and Jia Lian stayed behind.

They needed to wait for their uncle’s reply before returning.

Since Lin Ruhai hadn’t sent a letter, they didn’t mention their return just yet.

They had just arrived, and it would be too much to set out immediately.

After a two-day delay, Yun Shuyao received a tentative request.

The old lady sent someone with a message, saying she was feeling unwell and asking Yun Shuyao to help manage some of the household affairs.

Yun Shuyao remained silent upon hearing this.

Her situation now was like having her direct superior leave, and she, as the most capable subordinate, might not get promoted but could gain some of the superior’s power.

Faced with this opportunity, Yun Shuyao declined.

With the old lady above her, and Luoyu and others below her, along with many experienced maids, there was no need for her to get involved in such a complicated situation.

No matter how well she performed, it wouldn’t change much.

As long as Lin Ruhai wanted to remain an official, he would never make a concubine his wife.

Even if she worked hard, she wouldn’t get a promotion; at most, she would gain a limited amount of authority.

Isn’t it better to continue as a “salted fish,” managing her own property?

If the situation required a struggle, she might understand, but now the old lady clearly wanted to train her two granddaughters. With Luoyu here, she wouldn’t be at a disadvantage. When Luoyu married off and Chenyu was ready for a wife, it would be more appropriate for the new wife to take over the household management.

Yun Shuyao wasn’t worried about Luoyu and the others not doing well. Since they were eight years old, she had been teaching them how to manage accounts. If they encountered problems, there was no shortage of guidance on how to resolve them.

This situation might be a test to see if she had become too ambitious.

By declining, she might appear ungrateful, but this showed she understood her place. The old lady would be satisfied with this, and in turn, would be more pleased with the two children and give them more importance.

Sure enough, the old lady later sent a set of simple jewelry.

Afterward, Concubine Mei learned about this and blurted out, “Is Yun crazy?! There’s meat right at her door, and she won’t take it?”

How hard is it to gain some power?

When they were busy handling major affairs at home, they could get involved a bit. Now that the old lady has finally relented, Yun has actually refused?

Concubine Mei looked longingly in the direction of the old lady’s courtyard, waiting for the visitors.

Yun refused, she wouldn’t! How could the old lady forget about her?

She eagerly awaited but saw no one coming.

Luoyu brought up the matter of going to the estate, and the old lady agreed, but said it would be after a while.

It would be fine to go to the estate after the Jia family leaves.

While Jia Zhu and Jia Lian stayed at the Lin residence, they noticed more differences between the Lin family and the Jia family.

With their aunt’s death, the mourning in the Lin household was genuine.

Their uncle was busy with official duties, and they rarely saw him.

The cousins at home were also seldom seen, but the servants efficiently managed the arrangements for the eldest and second young ladies, while the old lady remained behind the scenes, and the household ran smoothly.

Daiyu was kept by the old lady’s side, reciting sutras together, and gradually recovering.

—It seemed as if having a wife was no longer important.

Moreover, their uncle had not mentioned anything about the letter, which made the brothers quite uneasy. Could it be that their uncle was not planning to remarry?

Even though their news was not very current, they knew that many wanted to offer their daughters to their uncle. Had he read the letter, and what were his thoughts?

In fact, while Jia Zhu and Jia Lian were observing the Lin family, the Lin family members were also assessing these two.

Yun Shuyao had assigned Luoyu a task to observe these two and write a reflection on her observations.

She wanted to see what insights Luoyu could gather.

This task was intriguing.

Luoyu focused on it.

What differences were there between these two cousins?

There were many.

One was the eldest son of the second branch, holding the senior position in the second branch.

The other was the eldest son of the main branch, second in seniority, but the heir to the title.

Logically, the eldest son of the main branch should have a higher status, but what she observed was that the younger cousin seemed to listen more to the elder cousin.

This was not just due to the elder cousin’s scholar degree.

Their levels of knowledge were also worlds apart.

The elder cousin had hopes of becoming a provincial scholar, while the younger cousin… couldn’t even memorize elementary texts completely, let alone participate in the imperial examinations.

Additionally, there was another point that made Luoyu unhappy.

The elder cousin was quite decent; he had already achieved the status of a scholar at a young age, and most of the time, he was engrossed in his books, studying hard. Even when he was ill, he would still hold onto his book. However, the younger cousin was quite the opposite—restless, uninterested in studying, and unable to sit still. If he weren’t so young, he would probably be out playing. His eyes were constantly wandering towards the beautiful maidservants.

Did he think he was concealing this well? Luoyu had noticed it all.

Luoyu finished her observations and wrote them down to give to Yun Shuyao.

Luoyu didn’t understand: “Aunt, why is this so? Shouldn’t the heir to the title be from the main branch?”

Why had the heir from the main branch turned out like this? It wasn’t that he lacked ability; just look at the eldest son of the second branch to see the difference.

Wouldn’t the top general of the Jia family have opinions on this?

Yun Shuyao explained: “His biological mother died early, and after General Jia remarried, neither he nor his new wife were involved in managing affairs. Now, the second wife is in charge of the Jia household, and he grew up in the second branch.”

Perhaps for a time, he even thought of himself as a son of the second branch.

Luoyu understood.

Growing up in the second branch, one turned out to be a promising young talent, while the other was a prodigal son.

Lin Ruhai understood this even better, as he had personally assessed the situation.

Jia Zhu was indeed a promising talent, though his health was a bit weak.

As for Jia Lian… Chenyu had already surpassed him by the age of five!

Lin Ruhai has a clearer picture of the Jia family’s situation now.

Seeing the contrast, he couldn’t help but wonder if things would be entirely different if Jia Lian’s biological mother were still alive and if his stepmother had a different disposition.

This made him reflect on his own situation and further solidified his decision not to remarry.

Only then did he open the letter from his second brother-in-law.

The contents of the letter were as he had expected.

It turned out he was indeed unaware.

Thinking about the deceased infant, Lin Ruhai felt a pang in his heart. Even Min’er’s death was partly due to the severe depletion of her vitality from childbirth.

Since his mother-in-law did not mention it, he would take on the role of the bad guy himself.

Given his second brother-in-law’s character, he would probably be too embarrassed to bring it up in the future.


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