Three Wives and Four Concubines in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Page 3

Lin Hai was stunned for a moment, his mind racing. He quickly figured out the key point and burst out laughing:

"My great-grandfather was already over forty when he was enfeoffed as a marquis. How could he be qualified to marry the eldest daughter of the Gu family? It was arranged for my great-grandfather. Moreover, marriage is a matter of parental consent and matchmaker's words. It is naturally the parents and elders who discuss the marriage. How could Yu'er not even know this?"

Daiyu, who was standing next to him, started giggling. Gu Yu realized he had made a blunder and felt a little uncomfortable being laughed at by Daiyu.

Fortunately, the servants arrived just in time to prepare for the banquet, so we'll skip this part.

After having a few drinks, Lin Hai, emboldened by the alcohol, launched into a long talk about the life of his uncle, Gu Yu's grandfather, and the origin of his posthumous title, Wenzheng.

However, when talking about the current situation of the Gu family, he only touched on it lightly, which made Gu Yu take note of it.

Chapter Four: Son or Son-in-Law?

When the night was deep and quiet, Lin Hai, with Jia Min's help, went to bed. The two whispered to each other, and their conversation eventually turned to Gu Yu.

Supporting his beloved wife's increasingly thin body, Lin Hai said with tenderness:

"Although Shou-ge'er is not blessed enough to carry on the Lin family line, since Yu-er has come to Yangzhou today, the Gu and Lin families are as close as family. You can treat him as your own son."

"The most important thing right now is to get well soon. Perhaps we will be blessed to be reborn into the Lin family."

Although Jia Min still felt a pang of regret that she couldn't continue the Lin family line, something today really caught her attention.

In addition, Gu Yu was indeed exquisitely beautiful, and having lost both her parents at a young age, she felt a surge of maternal instincts.

Moreover, the fact that he still harbored those thoughts in his heart cheered him up a bit.

"Since you have explained it so clearly, I will naturally do my best. It is just that I did not expect that such a prominent family would now only have Yu-ge'er as its sole heir. It is truly a pity."

Lin Hai sighed softly and said sadly, "It's all my fault!"

Jia Min quickly asked what was wrong, and Lin Hai remained silent for a moment before starting his explanation from the beginning.

It turns out that after the Lin family married Lu's daughter, the Gu family had another illegitimate daughter who married Huang from Sichuan, thus becoming in-laws.

Unexpectedly, the Huang family later became involved in the struggle for the throne and had a deep connection with the old Prince Yizhong.

The Gu family has a long tradition of scholarship and poetry since their great-grandfather's time, producing generations of great scholars and Confucian masters who serve as role models for scholars throughout the land. Therefore, the Huang family tried their best to persuade Wenzheng Gong to join them through marriage.

The Gu family has seen all sorts of ups and downs over the centuries, and they really don't want to get involved in this farce.

Unexpectedly, the head of the Huang family, who was also the eldest son of Huang Gu, used the connection between the two families as a raft, volunteered to fight for Prince Yizhong, and begged his mother for help from the Gu family.

The direct descendants of the Gu family are few in number in modern times, and even the illegitimate daughters only number one at most, so they have a deep relationship with Wenzheng Gong.

Poor Huang Gushi, who was over fifty years old, still had to travel from Sichuan to Suzhou to plead for her legitimate son. Although she had been exposed to poetry and books since childhood and was well-versed in the dangers, she ultimately softened her heart for her son.

Despite her advanced age, she rushed to her parents' home to plead for help, but due to the exhaustion of the journey, she passed away not long afterward.

Wen Zheng Gong took it as his aunt's dying wish and had no choice but to enter the game. Just then, someone in the capital made a decision first and then reported to the emperor to recommend him as the Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince, so he had no choice but to go with the flow and agree.

Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince became even more arrogant after acquiring Gu Shijun, determined to have him at all costs.

Although Gu Shijun was forced into the situation, he did his best, repeatedly advising the Crown Prince that he should be filial to the Emperor and not form cliques, but follow the will of Heaven and the people, and take advantage of the overwhelming momentum to seize power.

But the Crown Prince saw his adversaries closing in step by step, and with power in his hands, he was unwilling to give it up. He thought Gu Shijun was just daydreaming, and he kept some decisions completely hidden from Gu Shijun, only using Gu Shijun's name to recruit talents.

The situation then intensified, and the Crown Prince, unable to contain himself any longer, decided to strike first, but unfortunately, his efforts failed.

In the end, out of maternal love, the emperor couldn't bear to kill him, but instead kept him in captivity to reflect on his mistakes. He died within a year or two.

After this incident, the emperor was disheartened and appointed the sixth prince, who had a long-standing reputation for virtue, as the new emperor, while he himself moved into the Xuanji Palace and became the retired emperor.

The former Crown Prince's subordinates scattered like birds after losing power, and it was time for the new emperor to settle scores.

However, he knew the inside story of the Gu family, and since Gu Shijun was highly respected, he made an exception for Gu Shijun, granting him the title of Grand Secretary of the First Rank and Grand Tutor and allowing him to retire with honors. He also bestowed upon him a thousand acres of permanent land as a sign of his favor and closeness.

Less than a year later, Gu Ningxiu, who had just become a fifth-rank Hanlin scholar, wrote a letter requesting to resign from his post and return home to care for his father, as his father was ill. This request was also granted.

He was granted the title of a fourth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue and retired with a certain amount of imperial medicine. He also personally wrote a letter to inquire after his well wishes.

Since Gu Ningxiu returned to his ancestral home in Suzhou, he has only maintained contact with a few old relatives, such as the Lin family. The others are either distant or wary of the Crown Prince case from years ago, and dare not openly implicate him.

For more than a decade, apart from the prominent families, the academically accomplished, and some elders in Suzhou who knew about the Gu family's history, the newly emerging elites would not easily understand the Gu family's deep-seated power if they were not connected to it.

With hundreds of years of accumulation and the reputation of the Gu family's masters in recent generations, how could it be so easily severed?

However, Gu Shijun and his son had long been disheartened. Fortunately, they had Gu Yu a few years later, who was exceptionally intelligent, so they devoted all their efforts to her.

Even though he was in poor health, Gu Shijun insisted on personally teaching his grandson, putting in a lot of effort.

When Gu Shijun died, Gu Ningxiu knew that the final test was coming, so he arranged for Gu Yu to go to the temple as a way to survive.

Unexpectedly, the retired emperor and His Majesty issued decrees of condolence at the same time, and even summoned all officials to discuss the posthumous title.

Nearly half of the officials in the court considered themselves disciples of the Gu family, and eighty percent of them had read the great works of the Gu family's masters over several generations.

Although he wasn't sure whether His Majesty harbored resentment towards Gu Shijun for entering the deposed Crown Prince's residence back then, he gritted his teeth and still reported it to Wenzhen.

Unexpectedly, His Majesty objected in court. Before the officials could organize an offensive, His Majesty decided to bestow upon him the first-class posthumous title of Wenzheng. He also specially requested the edict of the retired emperor, which was approved by all of them. Naturally, he won over the hearts of the officials even more.

After this incident, Gu Ningxiu devoted himself even more to cultivating Gu Yu. The Gu family had only one son per generation for five generations, which was even better than the Lin family.

Moreover, Gu Ningxiu had already retired from officialdom and was now focused on teaching Gu Yu.

The essence of the seven great families of the world is focused on Gu Yu alone. Countless scholars across the land eagerly await his coming of age, hoping he will take over the Gu family banner, inherit the family's legacy, and reconnect them through the web of ancestral connections.

Gu Ningxiu was also afraid that if Gu Yu understood the ways of the world too early, his mindset would be unstable, so he only taught him knowledge and not the situation.

He was kept away from outsiders and focused solely on studying the classics. He was to gradually take over the family responsibilities as he grew older.

Even Gu Yu was kept in the dark, believing that his family was just a small landlord with no worries about food and clothing. Little did he know that this low-key approach blinded the nouveau riche who came after him, preventing them from recognizing his true worth.

Lin Ruhai was now certain that this heinous tragedy was committed by the four major salt merchants of Yangzhou.

Only such nouveau riche are ignorant of the important matters of the world, thinking that they can act with impunity by bribing officials of all ranks in the court, and they are even more unscrupulous when facing powerless and insignificant clans.

The fact that his own son had been tampered with was merely the wrath of a salt inspector, yet he still wanted to exterminate his family and intimidate them wantonly, not realizing that he would become the enemy of the whole world in an instant.

Even the former crown prince, who was about to ascend to the throne, was implicated and his country was destroyed for disturbing the Xie family's ancestral land. Now, the Gu family, which has not yet declined, was almost wiped out. They really don't know what death is.

Upon hearing the inside story, Jia Min was shocked and felt guilty, so she treated Gu Yu as if he were her own son.

Speaking of her half-son, Jia Min thought of her thoughts during the day, and chuckled softly:

"They say a son-in-law is like half a son. Since you say I should treat Yu'er as my own son, I wonder if you're really raising a son or a son-in-law?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Hai turned to look at Jia Min and laughed, "Yu'er has only been here for half a day, and you've already set your sights on him? He's still so young."

Jia Min was somewhat unconvinced and began to explain in detail to him.

"Normally, the Gu family does not intermarry with outsiders. Only a few families have made an exception in this dynasty. Since the Lin family has been related to the Gu family by marriage for a hundred years, why is it different for Yu'er? Could it be that Yu'er has done something to disrespect the Gu family?"

"You can't find many people in the whole world who are more outstanding than my daughter. The bloodline of the two generations of legitimate daughters of the Gu family is not unworthy of the Gu family."

"Even if the eldest brother of the Gu family were still alive, he would probably still have designs on my Yu'er."

Lin Hai smiled wryly, "I wasn't talking about whether she's a good match or not... What you said makes sense, Madam. There's no one in the whole world more suitable to be the Gu family's wife than my Yu'er, but..."

“Alas! Back when I was still unmarried, Brother Jingyuan jokingly said to me, ‘My Gu family married two aunts to your Lin family, but your Lin family only returned one. Perhaps you will give birth to a daughter and return her to my family in the future.’”

"I retorted at the time, 'Perhaps two people aren't enough; you should have a daughter who marries into my Lin family.' Could it be...?"

Jia Min knew that Lin Hai was a little uncomfortable, so she smiled and didn't try to comfort him. She said, "The two children are still young, and this matter has nothing to do with us yet. Let's wait and see for a few years."

After chatting for a while, the two rested.

……

Chapter Five: The Mastermind

After Gu Yu returned to Qingfeng Courtyard, he dismissed the gatekeeper and stood in the courtyard for a while.

He's not a real child; how could he not know that Lin Hai deliberately ignored Wen Zheng Gong's visit today? There must be another reason behind it.

However, he would not investigate privately. Since the Gu and Lin families were so close, Lin Hai's actions must have been for his own good. Why create unnecessary trouble?

Not only would it alienate Lin Hai, but it would also be a serious problem if it got involved in something life-threatening.

As soon as he reached the door, two maids lifted the curtain and came out. Seeing Gu Yu approach, they quickly bowed.

Gu Yu frowned. He remembered that he had been knocked unconscious and thrown into the pond by the maids in the inner quarters, and even his wet nurse had been bribed.

Later, Gu Zhongquan was sent away by others, and Gu Zhong personally served him during the days he was on the ship.

However, I suppose all of this was arranged by Jia Min, and we can't let such a kind heart go to waste.

Moreover, this was Lin Hai's residence, and it was unlikely that the salt inspector in charge would make such a mistake by chance, so he acquiesced.

"Has hot water been prepared?"

"Young Master Yu, everything is ready and we're just waiting for your return."

Two maids, one on each side, looked to be thirteen or fourteen years old, with fairly pretty faces. They immediately led Gu Yu to the inner hall.

A smaller bathtub was placed behind the screen, already filled with 70% hot water.

After testing the water temperature, the maidservant who had spoken helped Gu Yu undress and enter the water, while the other maidservant personally carried a small wooden bucket to fetch hot water.

On the ship, I only had a quick wash and brushed my teeth; now, for the first time, I'm experiencing the life of an ancient, wicked landlord.

Gu Yu hummed comfortably twice, feeling slightly dizzy from soaking in the water, her face turning a little red.

The almost fully automated bathing process quickly put Gu Yu into a deep sleep, completely unaware that the two maids behind him were secretly playing with him like a doll before stopping.

I vaguely felt myself being dried off and then pulled into a warm bed, where I slept soundly until dawn.

On one side, someone was soaking in the water and sweating profusely, while on the other side, someone was terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.

The largest restaurant in Yangzhou is Zhuangyuanlou, named after a scholar from Yangzhou who left his calligraphy there. It was later bought by a wealthy family and extensively renovated, and has now become a unique attraction in Yangzhou.

As dawn broke, the fourth floor of Zhuangyuanlou was completely silent, except for a faint sound coming from the innermost private room.

"Yesterday I heard that someone entered Lin Hai's mansion. I asked the people at the dock and found out it was a young master. Could it be that Lin Hai lost his son and wants to adopt one from a collateral branch?"

There were only four people in the room, of varying heights and builds, some with refined appearances, others with kind faces.

Those who don't know the place might mistake it for a gathering of scholars, but only those who recognize the four of them know that they are the heads of the four major salt merchants in Yangzhou, who can be called the four executioners. Each of them has dozens or even hundreds of lives under their command.

Sitting in the head seat was the head of the Zhao family, the leading family among the four major salt merchants. The Zhao family was the only one that had not been defeated for more than twenty years, while the other families had only risen to power in the last few years.

This was because a few years ago, when the retired emperor toured Jiangnan, the Zhao family used the resources of the entire clan to spend several million taels of silver to build a temporary palace for the emperor, and also found many rare and exotic items, which greatly pleased the emperor, who personally praised them as 'righteous merchants'.

Because of this incident, the local officials turned a blind eye to the Zhao family's behavior. In addition, the Zhao family did not become arrogant despite receiving praise, and they were more upright than other salt merchants who committed murder and violence. The government was happy to do the Zhao family a favor.

However, ever since Lin Ruhai took office as the Salt Commissioner, the Zhao family's reputation as 'righteous merchants' has gradually become ineffective. They have arrested and killed those who deserve to be arrested, and no matter how much money or beautiful women they offer as bribes, they are unmoved.

In addition, the secret agents recently discovered that Lin Hai actually had the idea of ​​reforming the salt system, which would wipe them out!

The four families conspired to trick Lin Hai's son into falling into the water on Jia Min's boat, hoping to give Lin Hai a warning.

Unexpectedly, Lin Hai actually brought people over directly from a side branch. Does this mean he intends to fight them to the death?

"What collateral branch? It's just a fish that slipped through the net. It's just that I'm doing a good deed and leaving some incense for his family."

A young man in white next to him sneered twice, picked up his teacup and took two sips.

"Oh? Who has offended you this time?"

Zhao Fox above frowned. He despised the Bai family the most, who had only risen to power three years ago through ruthlessness.

Although everyone present was an expert in this field, the ruthlessness of the Bai family truly impressed them, especially Bai Yingjie, who had only recently become the head of the Bai family and was notorious for his cruelty.

"It's just bad luck for his family to be dragged down by that bastard Lin Hai. How can the death of one son hurt him? Anyway, the Lin family's collateral branches are distant from his main branch, but they are close to his maternal family. We should wipe out his relatives first, and then find an opportunity to kill them one by one, so that he can understand what it's like to be all alone."

"When he comes wagging his tail and begging for mercy like a dog, I might take pity on him and spare half his life."

Zhao Fox's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly remembered the news he had received the night before last, and was still horrified that it might be the royal family's doing, which could shake the entire world! He asked in a trembling voice, "Which family is it?"

Bai Yingjie laughed, "Patriarch Zhao and Lin Gou have been fighting in the arena for so long, do you not even know about his maternal clan, the Gu family of Gusu? They're just a small local clan, a few family members would be easy to capture. I didn't expect that kid to be so lucky, he survived being soaked in the pond for two incense sticks."

Zhao Fox couldn't hear what was said after that. He felt dizzy and his ears were ringing. The cool weather of March and April was instantly soaked through three layers of clothes, and his face was completely drained of color.

The head of the Yang family, who was sitting at the lower end, was taken aback when he saw this. He quickly offered a helping hand and asked a couple of questions.

Zhao Fox secretly pinched his thigh, and only managed a forced smile when he regained consciousness.

"I'm getting old, my health is getting worse and worse, and the old ailment from two years ago is flaring up frequently. Please sit down, everyone. I'll go home and recuperate first, and we'll get together again another time."

After saying that, he ignored everything else and walked out on his own, leaving the three of them looking at each other in bewilderment.

The expression on Zhao's face just now wasn't feigned; being naturally suspicious, they wouldn't easily believe that excuse.

But after thinking it over, he couldn't find any flaws, so he had no choice but to put the matter aside for the time being.