Chapter 817: Ancestral Law Cleanses the Gloom

Count's Mansion, Lin Daiyu's Courtyard.

The sky was not yet bright, but the candles in the boudoir had already been lit. The incense burner in the room exhaled fragrance, and the scent of rouge and powder was warm as spring.

Lin Daiyu was dressed in her sleeping clothes, wearing a moon-white printed cross-collar jacket and moon-white printed floral trousers, walking back and forth in the room.

In the past few years, with Jia Cong's company, Lin Daiyu's mood had been clear, and she had been treated by famous physicians, so her old illnesses had gradually been resolved, and she was no longer as weak as she was in her childhood.

Although she had not yet reached the age of fifteen, she had grown into a graceful and slender young woman, with a graceful figure, just like a budding spring branch.

The soft silk pajamas were bright and soft, outlining her budding, youthful grace, her waist slender, her charm natural.

There were three boxes on the floor, two small and one large, neatly filled with various items. These were the seasonal New Year gifts sent from Yangzhou by the Lin family.

Lin Daiyu was picking out gifts from the boxes, her expression joyful and full of interest, and she asked Hearing Zi Juan to sort the gifts and place them on the desk.

Since Lin Daiyu moved to the Jia mansion at the age of seven, every year around the 20th of the twelfth lunar month, Lin Lin Ruhai would have Zhao Yiniang Chen prepare New Year gifts and send them to the Divine Capital from thousands of miles away.

The New Year gifts were divided into two parts: one specifically for the Matriarch, and the other for Lin Daiyu to present to her elders and sisters as a gesture of respect for the New Year.

This year, however, the New Year gifts were divided into three parts, one of which was specifically for Jia Cong.

The Lin family's move was not only because Jia Cong was now the head of the household and his status was different from the past, so the etiquette naturally had to be increasingly cautious.

It was also because Lin Lin Ruhai and Zhao Yiniang Chen both had a tacit understanding, seeing that their daughter already had her heart set on someone.

They were naturally happy to see it happen, but Lin Daiyu had not yet reached the age of fifteen, and Jia Cong was still in mourning, so there was plenty of time ahead.

……

Yesterday, Lin Daiyu had personally gone to the Rongqing Hall to pay her respects to the Matriarch on behalf of her father, and this morning she got up early to distribute the gifts to everyone in the household.

Jia Zheng was not only Lin Daiyu's uncle, but he also had the kindness of raising Jia Cong, so Lin Daiyu naturally appeared solemn.

According to her father's instructions in his letter, she picked out a few more solemn gifts, packed them into a small box, and prepared to send them to Jia Zheng and his wife.

She also chose a few elegant items to send to Lady Xing and Lady You, who lived in the inner courtyard.

The remaining gifts for her sisters were just for fun, all using new and clever items from the south.

On the long desk were four or five stacks of gifts, each containing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, folding fans, paper umbrellas, sachets, seal stones, rouge, silk flowers, and other items.

Lin Daiyu smiled and counted the gifts, muttering to herself, "This is for Second Sister, this for Third Sister, and this for Sister Yun and Sister Xing."

"This is for Sister Bao, and the last one is for little sister Little Xichun……"

She opened one of the small boxes, looked at it carefully, closed it, and smiled, "Hearing Zi Juan, you and Xueyan carry this small box."

"Third Brother is home today, so we will go visit and give these to Third Brother."

After finishing her business, she had Hearing Zi Juan help her comb her hair and dress, and after breakfast, she set out.

Although she was empty-handed, she was followed by several maids and elderly women, all carrying things.

She first went to Seeing Tan Chun's courtyard, wanting to give Seeing Tan Chun her gift first, and then invite her to go to the East Road Courtyard to give the New Year gifts to Jia Zheng and his wife.

But when she entered the courtyard, it was quiet. She happened to meet the maid Cuimo coming out and asked, "Where has your Mistress gone so early?"

Cuimo smiled and said, "Mistress Lin, you are a little late. Zhao Yiniang went to the East Road Courtyard early this morning, saying that the end of the year is approaching and she is urging Brother Jia Huan to study."

Lin Daiyu smiled, "Third Sister is addicted to being a teacher; she won't stop until she turns her brother into a talented scholar."

She handed the New Year gift for Seeing Tan Chun to Cuimo and took Hearing Zi Juan and Xueyan to Jia Cong's courtyard.

……

As soon as she entered Jia Cong's courtyard, she saw Qingwen and a little maid cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks on the table in the hall, thinking everyone had just finished breakfast.

Hearing Zhi Shao came over from the veranda and smiled, "Mistress Lin is here. Third Young Master is sitting idly in the study."

Jia Cong heard the voice in the study and asked, "Is Sister Lin here? Please come in and talk."

He saw Lin Daiyu enter the room smiling, with two maids carrying a small box.

He smiled, "I expected that Sister would bring me good things in these few days; it's like this every year."

"I've been looking forward to this good thing, and this year Sister is even more generous, actually bringing a whole box. This favor is a bit heavy."

Lin Daiyu smiled, "It's nothing good, just some local products from Gusu, just to add some fun to the New Year."

Jia Cong placed the small box on the desk, and the two of them played with the items inside, chatting and laughing, very comfortable.

Lin Daiyu smiled, "Actually, the best things in Gusu are the cakes and pastries. I loved them when I was young, but my mother was worried about my stomach and teeth, so she never let me eat too many."

"But the distance between the two places is far, and even in the cold winter, these pastries can't be kept for long, otherwise I could satisfy my cravings."

Jia Cong smiled, "If Sister wants to eat Gusu pastries, that's extremely easy. You should have told me earlier."

"There is a Liuxiangju food shop in the city that makes very authentic Gusu pastries. I will buy a bunch for Sister when I return to the mansion today."

……

Lin Daiyu was curious hearing this and asked, "Third Brother is home today, so why do you still have to go out?"

Jia Cong smiled, "Originally that was the case, but since the peace agreement between the two states was finalized yesterday, I, as the peace agreement scribe, have many things to attend to."

"I have to go to the Association Hall later, and I have to enter the palace to see the Emperor in the afternoon, so I can't rest even on my day off."

"But it's still early, so it's just right to chat with Sister and steal some leisure time."

"I know Sister is going to give New Year gifts to the Master. Recently, there was Qin Yong's matter in the East Road Courtyard, and it's a mess there."

"The Second Mistress is probably not at ease either. If Sister goes to give gifts, ask Third Sister to accompany you, so you'll have someone to help when you encounter things to say."

Lin Daiyu smiled, "I already thought of this and went to find Third Sister earlier, but she went to the East Road Courtyard early, so I missed her."

"Third Brother, recently there is more than just Qin Yong's matter in the East Road Courtyard; there are also many idle rumors in the West Prefecture. Have you heard anything?"

Jia Cong smiled, "Someone has already told me, but since the talk has started, Second Sister-in-law and the Matriarch won't sit idly by; they will handle it themselves."

"Actually, in such a large household, ten or twenty taels of silver, even if calculated, is limited."

"I know a bit about the origin of the Eldest Sister-in-law's twenty taels of monthly allowance. Because she is a widow and raising Lan, the Jia family has a responsibility to support them."

"The Matriarch, out of concern for their mother and son, let her concurrently receive the monthly allowance of the late Eldest Brother, which is why it rose to twenty taels. There are some reasons for it."

"Besides, the Eldest Sister-in-law is a kind person who doesn't fight or grab, and she is a worry-free person in her daily life."

"But human nature is varied; not everyone will be like her, and there will always be those who covet and are difficult to satisfy."

"If family rules are not strict, allowing people to have lucky thoughts and extra delusions, thereby stirring up waves, it is a fault of lax household management."

"Actually, this rumor came quite coincidentally. Second Sister-in-law is a good manager, so we don't need to worry; let her display her skills……"

Lin Daiyu was a smart and transparent person. Hearing Jia Cong's meaningful words, her bright eyes flashed, and she felt a sense of clarity in her heart.

But she didn't point it out, after all, this matter involved the elders of the second branch, and there were always etiquette taboos for some things.

The two chatted for a long time. Zhen Ying Lady Lian brought Jia Cong's official uniform in, and Lin Daiyu took the opportunity to help Jia Cong dress and send him out to handle official business.

……

Lady Rongguo Prefecture, Jia Baoyu's courtyard.

In the early morning, Sister Xi Ren was taking the little maids Chunyan and Jiahui to dry the freshly washed inner clothes in the rising sun.

Sister Xi Ren asked, "Chunyan, go knock on the door and ask if the Bao Er Ye is up."

Chunyan said, "Sister Sister Xi Ren, Seeing Caiyun was on duty last night. There is no movement now, so they must still be asleep. What does it mean for me to call him?"

"The Bao Er Ye has had a big temper these past few days; if he gets annoyed, he will scold people."

Sister Xi Ren frowned and said, "This Seeing Caiyun is becoming increasingly lacking in sense. Since she was on duty, she should have called the Bao Er Ye to get up earlier."

"There is no such rule in the mansion for the young masters to lie in bed late. It won't sound good if it gets out."

Sister Xi Ren was just about to knock on the door herself when a figure flashed at the courtyard gate, and a slender maid entered.

She wore a moon-white dark-patterned cotton jacket, an emerald-green pleated skirt, her waist slender, her brows and eyes beautiful, looking back and forth with charm.

Sister Xi Ren was surprised, "Yu Jin Chuan, why are you here so early? Did the Mistress send you to pass a message?"

Yu Jin Chuan smiled, "It's not the Mistress who sent me, but the Master who asked me to pass a message."

……

Sister Xi Ren's heart skipped a beat. Whenever the Master sent a message to the Bao Er Ye, it was mostly about reading books.

A few days ago, the Bao Er Ye went to the Great Flower Hall to listen to a play and was severely scolded by the Master, who reprimanded him for going to the Imperial Academy after the New Year and still not being diligent in his studies.

That talk hadn't even cooled down yet, and now the Master was sending Yu Jin Chuan early in the morning to pass a message. How could there be any good news?

Yu Jin Chuan said, "The Master is home today, so he asked me to pass a message to the Bao Er Ye, telling him to bring his books to the East Courtyard; the Master wants to examine his lessons."

Sister Xi Ren's face changed upon hearing this, and she secretly groaned in her heart. Sure enough, it was what she feared.

Since the Bao Er Ye was scolded at the Great Flower Hall that day, because he was afraid, he had pretended to read books for two days, but she didn't know if he had read anything at all.

By the third day, he didn't even bother to pretend, either wandering around, teasing little maids, or reading idle books to kill time.

Now he was even lying in bed. How could he handle an examination of his lessons like this……

Yu Jin Chuan walked to the door of the main room and stopped, not daring to take another step forward, as if there were a dragon's pool or a tiger's den ahead.

She was often taught by her sister Jin Jin Chuan that she shouldn't touch the men of the second branch, and should stay away if she could, to avoid bringing bad luck.

Her sister was a warning from the past, and Yu Jin Chuan was naturally very wary.

And every time Jia Baoyu saw her, he didn't care about the rules of the mansion and called her "Sister Yu Jin Chuan" in a mushy way, which gave her goosebumps.

Even without her sister's earnest teachings, she wouldn't dare to provoke him easily. ===== CHAPTER 818 =====