2.4 Mother and child are doing fine as well

Volume Two

2.4 Mother and Daughter Are Fine Too

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The following morning, Tiren Courtyard, rear garden.

Strictly speaking, calling this place a “garden” was somewhat inappropriate, because the entire residence of the Zhen family was what people today would call a landscaped estate. Every building stood within the grounds, much like a modern cluster of garden villas.

The difference was that this estate covered far more land, with finer scenery and more expansive space.

Inside a flower hall clearly intended for receiving guests, all four members of the Lin family were present. Unlike Lin Daiyu and Xueyan, who were visibly tense, and Lin Rui, who was weighing the gains and losses, Jia Min was carefully examining her surroundings, her expression complicated.

“Mother?” Little Sister Lin called out, puzzled.

“After all these years, I never imagined this place would have changed so little.” Jia Min smiled and nodded, her voice filled with emotion. “When the Retired Emperor made his fifth southern tour, he stayed at the Rongguo Residence in Jinling. Later, when he personally went to pay his respects to the Honored Lady Fengsheng, my father and I came along.

“At that time, she received him right here. The Retired Emperor himself sat in the seat of honor at the center, while the other seats were occupied by various officials of the court. I assumed that a place like this would be sealed after the Retired Emperor departed. I never expected it would still be in use.”

When she finished speaking, she turned toward the doorway, a nostalgic smile appearing on her lovely face.

A string of footsteps was approaching from outside.

Soon, two well-presented maids entered the hall, supporting an elderly lady whose hair was almost entirely white. They were chatting and laughing together. More than a dozen maids and matrons followed behind them, stopping in disciplined formation at the doorway before silently withdrawing ten paces away.

The visitor was, of course, Lady Fengsheng.

The other three people in the hall hurriedly rose.

Lin Rui deliberately stepped forward until he stood beside Jia Min, while slightly angling his body to shield her.

“You little girl. After all these years, I never imagined you would still be so clever.” The old lady first waved for the two maids to withdraw. “I suppose you have not forgotten even the seating arrangements of all those officials back then?”

Seeing that there were no longer any “companions” in the hall, Xueyan quickly bowed and withdrew outside.

“You are in good health too, Auntie—your eyes are clear, your ears are sharp, and you could easily live another thirty years.” Jia Min hurried forward and helped her settle into her seat before taking the lower seat across a small table. “After our ship docked yesterday, my niece immediately sent over a calling card. I had intended to wait until you found a convenient time—”

“You have already come all this way. Could your old aunt really leave you drifting outside?” Lady Fengsheng laughed. “With the friendship between our two families, if I treated you coldly, people would say the Zhen family had no sense of propriety. Is this your daughter?”

“Greetings, Old Madam!” Lin Daiyu hurriedly curtsied.

Jia Min could sit down with her, but if the other two took their seats without being invited, it would seem discourteous.

“She is exactly like you were at her age, Min girl.” Lady Fengsheng smiled and reached out, beckoning Daiyu closer. Yet the moment she said this, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

She had used Jia Min’s maiden name, which ordinarily was not meant to be revealed so casually.

“Auntie!” Jia Min herself flushed and protested coyly.

That form of address had been established by Jia Daishan. Though everyone in the world knew that the Dowager Lady Jia and the old lady before them were close friends, the truth was not quite as ordinary people imagined. Their relationship was not that of “sisters,” but of “sister-in-law” and “younger sister.”

The Zhen family’s old ties were with the Jia family, not the Shi family.

An odd expression crossed Lin Rui’s face, and he hurriedly lowered his head, pretending he had heard nothing.

“You are a grown woman. What are you so shy about?” Lady Fengsheng seemed only then to realize that something was amiss. She brushed past it as though nothing had happened, then turned to a certain young man. “You must be the famous Young Master Lin of Jiangnan. I hear you have been helping Ruyai handle official business all this time. You must be a fortunate young man.”

“I am deeply embarrassed by the praise, Old Madam.” Lin Rui gave a wry smile and sighed.

“I know everything that has happened. Unfortunately, you also understand the situation of our Zhen family. I am afraid there is little we can do to help.”

Her words made everyone in the room freeze once again. No one had expected her to address the main issue so directly. As she spoke, she pulled Lin Daiyu to her side, and the two sat together on a daybed.

Then she noticed that none of the other three looked surprised.

The foundation of the Zhen family’s position was that they were servants of the imperial household. All their power rested upon that foundation.

Therefore, no matter what happened, they could never oppose the Second Imperial Prince, their “young master.”

“I naturally understand what you mean, Auntie.” Jia Min sighed softly. “I would never presume to force the matter.”

“You discussed it beforehand?” This time, Lady Fengsheng was the one who paused in surprise. She soon smiled and nodded. “Very good. You must certainly have discussed it before coming. As for affairs in the capital, we truly cannot help. But here in Jiangnan, this old woman still has a little influence.”

Her words were courteous, but none of the three were fools. They could all hear the distance in them.

Lady Fengsheng claimed to have only “a little influence”?

Then surely no one in all Jiangnan dared claim to possess any real influence at all.

“Old Madam, it is actually nothing so serious.” Lin Rui had already made his plans. “You know that Uncle Lin was born into the Gusu Lin clan. By custom, he should be sent back to the ancestral tombs for burial. But you also understand our present circumstances. If that were truly done, it would probably become difficult even to visit his grave in the future.”

His meaning was not hard to understand.

Lin Rui would certainly take Jia Min and Lin Daiyu to the capital, and the capital would become their main home from then on.

With a thousand miles between the two places, they might not even be able to make the journey to pay their respects at the grave.

“That is indeed true.” Lady Fengsheng nodded. “What do you intend to do?”

“Separate the branch.” Lin Rui answered without hesitation. “Then we will take Uncle Lin back to the capital for burial.”

“Oh?” Lady Fengsheng’s expression shifted. “That is a good idea. It also has another advantage.”

What advantage?

Whatever else could be said of Lin Ruhai, he had died while serving in office. By custom, the imperial court would have to grant him posthumous honors. Because of the Second Imperial Prince’s involvement, those honors would need to be elevated further, so that everyone in the inner circles understood the imperial family’s “favor.”

If he were buried in Suzhou, the imperial court might make a few polite statements and leave it at that. Whether anything was actually carried out would be difficult to say.

But if he were taken directly back to the capital for burial, the imperial family would at the very least have to send a suitably distinguished member of the imperial clan to offer condolences. Lin Ruhai’s former friends and associates would likewise have to visit and mourn him. This would bring enormous benefits to Lin Rui, Jia Min, and the mother and daughter together.

It might sound distasteful, using a dead man in such a way.

But that was often how the world worked. Even when something was distasteful, one still had to do it.

Naturally, all of this was understood without being spoken aloud. No one would ever mention it openly.

“Therefore, I will need to travel to Suzhou myself. I hope you can arrange for any available male member of the family to accompany me. He need not do anything; he would only have to endure the journey with me.” Lin Rui finally stated his condition. “While I am away, I hope Madam and my younger sister may stay here at the residence.”

These were matters only he could raise. Yet the moment he finished speaking, silence settled over the flower hall.

Keeping the mother and daughter at the Zhen residence was, of course, meant to borrow the Zhen family’s prestige for protection. It would keep them safe while forcing certain people to hesitate and think twice. Then, while those people were still unable to understand what was happening, they could seize an opportunity to head north and leave this troubled place behind.

They would rid themselves of Jiangnan’s troubles once and for all.

“You have been thoughtful.” After a long while, Lady Fengsheng slowly nodded. “Rest in Jinling for a few days first. When you are ready to go to Suzhou, wait for my word. If this old woman says something, I believe it will carry weight in Suzhou as well.

“As for Min and her daughter, poor things, they have already come to Jinling. Surely they need not stay elsewhere? Let them amuse themselves here for as long as they wish. I will also send word to my old sister-in-law, so that she need not worry any longer.”

In the end, she still had not agreed to send one of her own clansmen to stand behind them. She had only agreed to pass along a message.

“If that is the case, thank you, Auntie.” Relief lightened Jia Min’s voice.

“And I would also ask the Old Madam to send someone—anyone will do—to pay a visit to the second branch of the Xue family. Since I intend to return to the capital, traveling by water is naturally the most suitable option.” Lin Rui hurriedly added, “Even looking across the entire realm, there is no family whose ships are more convenient than theirs.”

This was, of course, meant to help the Xue family escape their predicament. In the future, they could simply claim that they had not dared disobey the Zhen family.

“Young man, you are not old, but you have plenty of schemes.” Lady Fengsheng had spent her entire life dealing with plots and intrigues. How could she fail to see through his intentions? Yet after considering the matter, she still nodded. “Very well. The Xue family has fallen far from its former standing. It is only proper that this old woman pass along a message.”

“Thank you, Old Madam!” Hearing that all his requests had been granted, Lin Rui finally let out a breath of relief.

“All right. This old woman and Min have matters to discuss. You two young ones should not linger.” Seeing his expression, Lady Fengsheng laughed helplessly. “Ruhai did not misjudge you. You are two years younger than some of the troublesome boys in our family, yet you possess such discernment and resourcefulness. Rare indeed, rare indeed!”

“Old Madam, you flatter me.” Since the old lady was driving him away, what else could Lin Rui do?

He could only bow and take his leave together with Lin Daiyu. Before departing, he did not forget to cast two lingering glances at the beautiful woman who remained behind. He did not go anywhere else, either, but followed the directions of the Zhen family servants and went straight out through the main gate.

Although this visit to Tiren Courtyard was nominally a call on the Zhen family, not a single proper male member of the household had received them. They had been led directly to the rear garden to discuss matters with Lady Fengsheng.

It was obvious that the old lady intended to resolve the matter through her own prestige, without involving the Zhen family.

“That young man is truly a fine one.” Watching him disappear into the distance, Lady Fengsheng wore a satisfied smile. “He understands propriety and knows when to advance or retreat. He never makes unrealistic demands, yet he can identify the heart of the matter and make the best possible use of whatever conditions are available.”

“Auntie, please stop praising him. It almost sounds as though you are trying to set him up for a fall.” Jia Min smiled modestly.

“Have the two of them been promised to each other?” Lady Fengsheng asked with a smile.

“Before our lord passed away, he still took care to arrange their marriage.” Jia Min sighed helplessly. She rose and looked around the room. Only after confirming that there was no one else inside did she ask softly, “Auntie, is there something else you wish to tell me? You are not someone who misspeaks, much less someone who would use the wrong form of address twice.”

“Min girl, you are past thirty now, are you not?” Lady Fengsheng’s tone was somewhat peculiar.

“Yu is nearly old enough to marry. How could I not be old?” Jia Min sighed faintly.

“Old?” Unexpectedly, Lady Fengsheng laughed. “That young man stepped in front of you the instant he saw me. He showed no reaction when he heard your name, yet when he left with that girl, he still could not resist looking back at you. I know very well what that look meant.”

“Auntie!” Jia Min was so embarrassed that she could scarcely bear it. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

How could she not know what that young man was thinking?

But such matters were embarrassing enough even among family, let alone in front of outsiders.

“You are not old at all.” Lady Fengsheng exhaled softly, a melancholy expression gradually appearing on her face. “Do not think this old woman is meddling. It is not that I do not want to help this time; I simply cannot do so openly.

“After hearing your arrangements just now, I can finally set my mind at ease. Lin Rui, was it? He truly is an exceptional young man. If the several boys in our family possessed even half his ability, I could die smiling.”

“Auntie, you flatter him.” Jia Min smiled and nodded.

“Actually, having both mother and daughter would be fine too!”

“Auntie—”

“Was the Retired Emperor not unconcerned about it as well?”

“...”