Last time on Grafting Life: Shi Xiang Yun’s saga concludes.
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Chapter 51 – Red Chamber (51)
Mother Jia and Jia Zheng sat facing each other, their expressions unwell. Both mother and son knew why this had happened. But Mother Jia had never thought that such a minor matter would cause Lin Ru Hai to be so angry and not care at all about the face of the consort. He demoted instantly, and it is a demotion to the bottom. Lower seventh rank. Any lower, and it would be the eighth and ninth rank little officials. Minor officials of eighth and ninth rank did not qualify to step over their threshold. How come they ended up like this?
“Do not be in a hurry to take up your position.” Mother Jia slapped the pillow next to her with a black face. “I will visit the dowager princess consort Nan’an, we will seek aid from her.”
Jia Zheng was not as optimistic as Mother Jia. From this, he saw danger. Lin Ru Hai did not care about the consort’s face, not because he was arrogant, but it was that the other did not have to care about the consort’s face at all. In other words, it meant that the consort had no face in the palace at all.
The consort seemed unable to protect the family at all. Other than those little households and people with other intentions, probably no one cared about the Jia Family.
He said in a low voice, “Mistress, you do not have to force it. This son has not left the capital in these years. This time, it will be possible to go and see. While it is a lower seventh rank position, it has real power, and better than a position in name. It is better than having no chance of promotion. If this son does well in the position, there is a chance to be promoted. But this son will be far away, and will not be able to serve Old Mistress. This son is worried.”
Mother Jia’s tears came down. From the events of the past two days, she felt that the days were worse than in the past. She cried, “When your father was alive, when did our family ever get slighted like this? Back then, your father had a high opinion of Lin Ru Hai and married Min’er over. But look at it. My pitiful daughter died early, and now…… They turn and do not recognize us people……”
“Old Mistress!” Jia Zheng stopped her. “You cannot say such things again.”
Father had not been wrong about Lin Ru Hai. He was capable, and now was a Prime minister. He, the brother-in-law, based on the rules of politics, did not even qualify to speak to the other. Also, the Lin Family had given them many things through the years. What the old mistress said could not be thought about. The crime of his sister’s early death could not be blamed on Lin Ru Hai. From the fact that the Lin son and daughter had been lost outside, his sister could not escape the blame. There was nothing to say.
Mother Jia glared, “You are afraid of him, I am not. I have to ask him if he still recognizes this mother-in-law.”
Jia Zheng felt bitterness in his mouth. He had done it so openly, there was nothing to ask. So he urged, “We will have more times to rely on him in the future, especially with the consort in the palace. There is no reason for us to rely on him, but for them to not rely on us. Old Mistress, if you are close to Brother-in-law, then the consort has a Prime Minister uncle-in-law. Even the empress will have to give some face,” he urged. “In any case, no matter what, do not provoke the Lin Family again for Bao Yu. The niece having a good future means she can help us. This son does not know how many years it will be. Old Mistress, I leave Bao Yu’s matter to you. If Old Mistress, you are not satisfied with Miss Xue, we can find someone else.”
Mother Jia sighed, “It is not just for Bao Yu. Do I not care for Dai Yu? That child, with her personality, may not live well in someone else’s home. If she really cannot get together with Bao Yu, would I force the match? Yun-yatou looks to be good with Bao Yu, but I am not blind. I can see that it is not a good match. I can see that the girl from the Xue Family will not be truly good for Bao Yu. If there was another way, the mother and daughter would not have chosen Bao Yu. I cannot bear to see them borrowing our light, and looking down on us. If she treats Bao Yu sincerely, I will be happy. She cannot feel that Bao Yu is lesser than others, and not good. Otherwise, I would not have stopped your wife from making the engagement. I care about my own grandson, and will not allow them to be looked down upon by others.”
Jia Zheng sighed inside and did not argue with Mother Jia. However, inside, he did not agree. When a woman married, she could just live her days out. What else could she do? Looking down on someone was nothing. After being neglected for half a year, there would be no more of that. But he could not say such things to the old mistress.
If they could get a good marriage, it would be good. If not, the Xue Family was acceptable.
Mother and son talked. Mother Jia still insisted on visiting the Dowager Princess Consort of Nan’an. Jia Zheng even had some hope. Even if the rank could not change, being able to become a magistrate would be better and look better than being a district defender.
The second day, Mother Jia made a rare trip out of the residence to the Nan’an Commandery Establishment.
The Dowager Princess Consort of Nan’an was not much older than Mother Jia, and smiled politely upon seeing the other. She knew why Mother Jia had come. The two exchanged a few words about daily life, and talked about the main matter. However, this time, the condition the dowager consort gave caused Mother Jia to pale.
“Old Mistress, you know, without women in the family, it is not good to make a relationship. Official Lin is not old, and your daughter has been gone for many years. It is natural to marry again. I have a niece from my paternal home. Her character and appearance is good. She is a good match with Official Lin.” The dowager consort looked at Mother Jia and said, “Right now, Official Lin does not have any elders, just you, the mother-in-law, who counts as a proper elder. Also, it is common for the paternal family of the previous wife to pick a new wife for the husband. The Jia Family does not have a girl of the proper age. Otherwise, I would not have rashly suggested this.”
How could Mother Jia ever want Lin Ru Hai to marry again? If he did not marry again, the Jia Family was Lin Ru Hai’s only in-law. However, if there was a new mistress, what did the Jia Family count for? If Jia Min had a son, then never mind. But she had only had Dai Yu. If Dai Yu married, there likely would not be much of a connection between the two sides. For her family, there was no benefit. Lin Ru Hai was a Prime Minister right now, just in his forties. He did not have a di-son. Speaking of it, everyone knew this was a good marriage. The miss would enter the home and become a first rank noble lady. No marriage was as good as this.
She did not immediately answer, just found it hard to choose. The dowager consort of Nan’an did not force her. She just said, if this was accomplished, then Jia Zheng’s matter was easy. So, when Mother Jia returned, she was still a bit dazed.
Yuan Yang had been with the old mistress then. Seeing the old mistress like this, she could not help but ask, “Old Mistress, will you agree?” If she was able to persuade Uncle-in-law Lin, then Second Master would not have this matter right now. The words were nothing.
“If the dowager consort has spoken, whether willing or not, I have to ask.” Mother Jia leaned back on the couch and said, “Of course, I am naturally not willing. Right now, the Lin Family is not close to us. With someone else involved, they will be even more distant from us. Also, this is also good for Dai Yu. Without a stepmother, she will have better days. The eldest miss of the Lin Family, and that Yang-ge’er. We can speak the truth behind closed doors. There is no flaw in their character, and they are true to Dai Yu. But if a young one marries in, and she has a di-son, who knows what the future is like? If the person is a miss from a family that we know, it is fine. But it is someone from the dowager consort’s paternal family. Will such a family let us control them? So, I am thinking, this is hard to handle.”
Yuan Yang nodded and said, “I do not know what to say about anything else, but I know that Uncle-in-law Lin is very worried about the misses and young master of the Lin Family. I think he may not agree. Also, the eldest miss of the Lin Family is not so easy going. I think the eldest miss is in charge of the matters of the household. If the old princess consort wants to succeed, she has to first get through the eldest miss. The young master of the Lin family and the eldest miss lived together to survive. One could say that she raised him. How could she be willing to have someone else inherit the Lin Family properties in the end? With a di-son, the eldest shu-son is……”
“You are right.” Mother Jia nodded in gratification. “They all say I care for you. How can people not care for people like you?” As she spoke, she had an idea.
She did not discuss with anyone. The next morning, she went to the Lin Family.
Right now, it was cold, and Lin Yu Tong had told people to start the floor heating long ago. She prepared to go with Lin Dai Yu to listen to Physician Su’s class when the report came that Mother Jia had come.
No note sent, no servant sent before the abrupt visit. Lin Yu Tong was a bit confused. Was this for Jia Zheng’s matter? It was best not to let Lin Dai Yu know of this. With a guess, she hurriedly stood and went to welcome the other with her servant girls. The other was an elder, and she had to have the necessary manners. Mother Jia saw Lin Yu Tong come out to welcome her and felt a bit more comfortable.
Politely guiding the other into the main hall, Lin Yu Tong personally served tea.
Mother Jia looked at the teacup in front of her and said, “I do not drink Lu’an tea.”
Lin Yu Tong paused. The words were so familiar. She wanted to laugh but suppressed it. “I know. I heard my sister speak of it. This is Old Junmei.”
Mother Jia’s lips softened, and she slowly picked up the teacup.
Lin Yu Tong did not care about tea. Lu’an tea was a bit more bitter. The Old Junmei had a light taste, but the aftertaste was sweet. She thought, the old mistress must have lived in happiness her whole life and could not suffer any bitterness.
Thinking like this, she saw Mother Jia put down the teacup and said with a smile, “How come Old Mistress came in person? It is cold now. If you have any matters, just send a servant to pass the word.”
Mother Jia did not answer but said with a smile, “Dai Yu is not here?”
“Father hired a teacher for Sister, and she is in class now.” Lin Yu Tong answered but did not appear to call Lin Dai Yu over.
Mother Jia said, “Our family has wealth and honor. The sons do not need to rely on studying to have a future, must less the misses. They can be more relaxed. If they are taught the rules, they have no spirit at all.”
Lin Yu Tong thought, if raised according to your method, it would be another Shi Xiang Yun. Such a matter just occurred, and the old mistress did not learn her lesson, and was using her method to fool others. If she did not hope for status through the imperial examinations, why have Jia Zhu go through the imperial examinations? This clearly was because the family did not have anyone who was a good student, so they just said the grapes were sour because they could not eat them.
Also, our family? The Jia Family was the Jia Family, the Lin Family was the Lin Family. You, an old mistress of the Jia Family, do not think that you can order us about in the Lin Family.
She gave a prim smile. She did not call Lin Dai Yu to come or agree with Mother Jia’s words. The air immediately became awkward.
Yuan Yang immediately took over. “Before leaving, Second Missus told me to ask about Miss. It is inconvenient for Second Missus to leave the residence to visit. She says that she will invite Miss for a visit on another day.”
Lin Yu Tong knew that Wang Xi Feng had not said such things. The two would pass on messages every few days. They did not need other people to pass on the word. Lin Yu Tong felt that she had complicated feelings for this servant girl Yuan Yang. She was the rare one among the many Jia Family servant girls who had no ambitions. But in the original work, it was Yuan Yang’s selfishness to conceal Lin Dai Yu’s illness which caused Lin Dai Yu to die in despair and loneliness. Thinking about it, she felt cold. If she had such a loyal person like this, honestly, she would not dare to use them. The servants of the Jia family, regardless of their rank, seemed to have a bad habit: use their own loyalty to make decisions for their masters. It was the same for Zi Juan with Lin Dai Yu. The same with Ping’er and Wang Xi Feng. Jia Bao Yu had a Xi Ren who was like this. And Yuan Yang with the old mistress was like this.
Lin Yu Tong smiled and did not make it awkward for Yuan Yang and said, “Second Missus should rest well. She can say many things once her son is born.” Then she turned to Mother Jia. “You will have a great grandchild, it is very happy news.”
This was good news. People would want their descendants prosperous. Mother Jia smiled and said, “Thank you for your good words.” She knew Lin Yu Tong’s temper now. Anyone who tried to fool the miss like a child, they would suffer. So she asked implicitly, “You have to take charge of all the matters of the residence. Good child, it must be so hard for you.”
Lin Yu Tong did not understand Mother Jia’s intentions. So she said with a smile, “Our family is simple, and with only a few members, the matters are few. Because there are not as many people, the matters are not as complicated as in your residence so it is easy.”
Mother Jia nodded. “You, child, are very modest. You are very good at tending to the connections.”
“The old people of the residence are in charge of that. Just following the past examples. I cannot accept the old mistress’ praise.” Lin Yu Tong stood up and poured tea for Mother Jia, listening to her slowly ramble.
Mother Jia saw that the girl did not leave any opening in her answer and panicked a bit. She said, “If your mother were here, she would not have you work so hard.”
How to answer this? Lin Yu Tong chuckled. She thought, if Jia Min was well, she likely would still be doing her pickled vegetable business with her brother in Yangzhou. Right now, what did Mother Jia intend with her words? She looked at Mother Jia with more confusion.
Mother Jia seemed to realize that it was not a smart idea to mention Jia Min in front of Lin Yu Tong. So she kept on going, “Without a woman in charge of the household, for you, a miss, it is not very easy for you to go to some occasions.”
Lin Yu Tong seemed to understand Mother Jia’s intentions and probed, “Then, Old Mistress, what to do? The elders of the clan are back in Gusu. Should we call for them to come here to help out?”
Mother Jia choked and said, “With more people, there is more trouble, you cannot invite outsiders.” Seeing that Lin Yu Tong did not mention it, Mother Jia could only say, “Yesterday, I met the Dowager Princess Consort of Nan’an.” Then Mother Jia looked at Lin Yu Tong with some smugness in her eyes.
Lin Yu Tong thought, Commandery Prince Nan’an was an idiot. What are you so proud of? Just an old princess consort. She directly said, “Did the princess consort ask Old Mistress to beg to see Father, so that Father will say a few good things for Commandery Prince Nan’an in front of the emperor? We cannot do such a thing. Commandery Prince Nan’an’s crime this time is too great. Father will not interfere.”
Mother Jia’s heart jumped. The family did not know that the Commandery Prince Nan’an had trouble. She could not help but look at Yuan Yang and saw the other shake her head, indicating that nothing had been heard. So she suppressed her panic and said, “I have not heard of this. What happened?”
Lin Yu Tong did not want her to state the matter and said, “You do not know? The dowager consort did not telled Old Mistress.” After marveling at this, she said in understanding, “Yes, it is too embarrassing. No one will want to mention it.” She gave a long sigh. “This Commandery Prince Nan’an somehow sold half of the grain sent to the southern armies. Then, he mixed a lot of rocks and soil in the remaining grain. How black is his heart? Even if he exchanged it for old grain, at least it is edible. Because of the grain, the army in the south almost exploded. The emperor is very angry and wants to give a harsh sentence. Do not agree to anything because of your ties. Avoid other people thinking that your honored residence participated in this matter, and took a share. It will not be good to cause trouble for the consort in the palace.”
Wen Tian Fang had been the one to expose the matter of the Commandery Prince Nan’an. She did not know if there would be a Commandery Prince Establishment after a few more days.
Mother Jia was given a fright. She really did not know of this at all. Lucky that she did not say what she wanted to. Otherwise, people would think that she wanted to harm the Lin Family. She did not sit for long before bidding farewell.
She thought that the matter the dowager consort had mentioned would fail. But if it failed on this side, would no one else want to get a marriage for Lin Ru Hai? Her thoughts started to move. Originally, she did not agree, fearing that the Lin and Jia Families would grow apart. But if the new person was close to her family, then it was another matter, why would she not agree?
Editor’s ramblings: Hey folks, sorry for the late release. I had a rough week and didn’t get any editing done.
Translator Ramblings: Lin Yu Tong is able to fend off Mother Jia because she is in a position of power. For one, the Lin Family is more powerful, and the Jia Family is wanting a favor. Second, Jia Min is the culprit behind the Lin children ending up outside the family, so Mother Jia cannot posture as the “legal” grandmother. Mother Jia also cannot spread any believable rumors of Lin Yu Tong being “unfilial” or “disprespectable” since she is already engaged to marry by imperial decree.
- Grafting Life Chapter 50 – Red Chamber (50)
- Grafting Life Chapter 52 – Red Chamber (52)
- Grafting Life Chapter 53 – Red Chamber (53)
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