The Good Concubine of the Qing Dynasty [Red Mansion]

After Jia Zhu and Jia Lian received the letter, they set off back to the capital.

The Lin family went to their countryside estate, planning to stay for a while, which meant Lin Ruhai would have to travel a bit.

The countryside, though not as refined as the Lin mansion, had its own natural beauty.

The sky here was also much more expansive.

Arriving here and gazing at the vast fields and mountains, his mood unconsciously became more relaxed.

The countryside items may not be as refined as those in the Lin mansion, but they have their own natural beauty.

The sky here is also much more expansive.

Arriving here and looking at the vast fields and mountains, his mood unconsciously became more relaxed.

Although the younger generation must observe mourning rites and cannot eat meat, there are fresh vegetables like winter bamboo shoots available.

Moreover, dairy products are not considered meat. There are cows and sheep here, so fresh milk and cheese can be made.

As soon as Yun Shuyao arrived, she frequently stayed in the kitchen, preparing delicious food for Luoyu and also sending some to others.

Performing well can earn rewards and improve one’s impression.

Since the work was done, and she was not the one doing it but only overseeing, why not take advantage of this good opportunity?

Luoyu lost several pounds this time, and she was already not very plump.

Daiyu looked even more pitiable; she was too young. Given her age, Yun Shuyao specially improved some of Daiyu’s favorite desserts to cater to her taste.

Additionally, she had beautiful models of animals and flower petals made, which attracted Daiyu’s attention and encouraged her to eat more.

Yun Shuyao was repaying Jia Min’s kindness.

Before Jia Min passed away, she had sent out many items.

Yun Shuyao and Aunt Mei each received a set of jewelry.

For the children, the girls each received two sets of jewelry, two pairs of jade pendants, and two thousand taels of silver.

For Chenyu, the jewelry was replaced with writing materials and ancient books and paintings of equivalent value.

This can be considered a keepsake left by her as the legitimate mother for the children, as well as a substantial amount of savings: jewelry for the girls’ dowries and money for the boys’ bride prices.

Yun Shuyao valued Jia Min’s feelings deeply.

It’s not that she was indifferent just because she was wealthy or had no need for these items; what she gave was a gesture of goodwill and kindness.

Seeing Daiyu’s listless appearance, Yun Shuyao decided to reciprocate a little.

Daiyu had been frail since birth, much like Yingyu when she was young. However, now Yingyu was about as healthy as an ordinary person, and with careful nurturing, Daiyu could also be well taken care of.

During the mourning period, while meat was off-limits, she couldn’t neglect Daiyu’s health. If Jia Min knew that her funeral caused Daiyu’s health to decline, she would likely be very upset.

With milk and goat’s milk available, there were so many things to make.

Since there was no pressing business, Yun Shuyao decided to take the three girls into the kitchen and start cooking lessons.

Double-skin milk, cheese, milk crisps, milk candies, roasted milk, milk pudding… Her cooking skills were recognized by everyone in the Lin residence.

The maid Cui Shan, who had served her and was now married, had become quite adept in the kitchen, especially at making the novel pastries Yun Shuyao had come up with.

In the kitchen, the group mostly directed from the side while Cui Shan carried out the tasks.

As long as the young ladies did not handle knives or fire, no one would stop them.

Young women should learn some cooking skills. They don’t need to be experts or cook themselves every day, but occasionally making something with their own hands is a way to show their care and thoughtfulness.

The kitchen is a place where one can easily find a sense of accomplishment.

Watching ordinary ingredients transform into attractive and delicious snacks after some effort, especially when you’ve been involved in the process, provides a satisfying feeling that can be quite addictive.

To make the experience more engaging for them, Yun Shuyao asked Cui Shan to bring out some flour.

With flour, they could make various plain-filled dumplings, buns, and pancakes.

Additionally, they could use the flour-like modeling clay to create various cute shapes such as rabbits, monkeys, puppies, kittens, and birds.

The three sisters worked together.

At first, Daiyu was a bit hesitant, but with her older sisters guiding her, she quickly relaxed.

Children, after all, enjoy playing. She soon made a quirky-looking panda.

When she saw the final products, her brows furrowed.

Pandas don’t look like that.

They look much better than this.

Tilting her head, she noticed the eldest sister holding a small white rabbit. She was shaping its ears, making them long and pointed, and around its neck was a row of bumps—was that… a necklace?

Her head tilted to the other side, and she saw the second sister holding a tiger, a comically adorable tiger with its belly full of stuffing.

The face was unusually large; if it weren’t for the “Wang” character on the forehead, she wouldn’t have guessed what it was.

Daiyu pondered, thinking that maybe the panda she made wasn’t so ugly after all.

Soon, these creatively shaped dumplings were served to the table of the old lady and Lin Ruhai.

Looking at the plate of strange dough lumps that were hard to identify, the old lady was speechless.

Lin Ruhai was also at a loss.

It was hard to know where to start eating.

The craftsmanship still needed improvement.

Nevertheless, these were made by the three sisters themselves. In the end, the two of them ate them all, and when they couldn’t eat any more, they put them aside and continued eating later.

Yingyu and Luoyu even reassured Daiyu that their grandmother and father liked eating them very much and that they would continue making them the next day.

As long as there was something to do, Daiyu wouldn’t constantly think of her mother and cry.

Daiyu nodded without saying a word: “Elder sister, second sister, let’s do it together.”

Their time in the kitchen each day was not long; an hour a day was more than enough.

Mei Yiniang had no interest in this activity. She glanced at the kitchen when Yingyu first went there but had no desire to participate herself, so she turned and went back to her own courtyard.

She preferred sitting in front of the mirror.

She was the least eager to be in the countryside, finding everything here beneath her notice.

With Jia Min gone, the great burden on her shoulders had been lifted. While she was happy, she was also anxious, wondering if the master would remarry.

Additionally, the master would observe a year of mourning for Jia Min, meaning they would not share a bed for a year. She still wanted to conceive a son, but how could she do that under these circumstances?

Under these circumstances, various recreational activities were out of the question.

She herself didn’t mind, but she had to consider her daughter’s reputation. There could be no mistakes when it came to filial piety.

Here, there were not so many rules. Besides the kitchen, Yun Shuyao also took Luoyu up the mountain. It was a good opportunity to identify medicinal herbs, and learn what they looked like, and the mother and daughter studied together.

They would pick the herbs, prepare them, and then use them to make medicinal dishes, cooling teas, and so on.

This was still a sign of Luoyu’s filial piety.

Yingyu wasn’t interested at first, but when she realized that they could see rabbits and pheasants on the mountain, she decided to join them.

Mei Yiniang was very upset and tried to persuade her not to go, saying, “What if there are wild beasts? Are you just going to run up the mountain?”

Yingyu was a bit helpless and replied, “Auntie, there are people all around us, and the mountain is our family’s. It is always being managed.”

There was really no need to worry.

When they went up the mountain, they were accompanied by female guards. Even if there were wild animals, they wouldn’t have a chance to come close.

The purpose of staying in the countryside was to help everyone relax a bit. The old lady turned a blind eye to her granddaughters and didn’t restrain them. She spent her time either reciting scriptures or praying for Chenyu.

Although she was well-prepared, she still worried when Chenyu wasn’t around.

Lin Ruhai was also thinking about Chenyu. The only difference between him and the old lady was that she would repeatedly ask about Chenyu’s whereabouts, what he was doing, and when he would return, while Lin Ruhai only mentioned it once or twice and was more restrained.

Lin Ruhai had become noticeably thinner after this period.

He had once had an ideal physique, but now he was too lean and needed time to regain his strength.

He often visited Yun Shuyao, although he didn’t stay overnight. When he came, he would sit and talk for half the day.

He never brought up Jia Min, but would discuss everything else.

Previously, when Lin Ruhai visited, the conversations were about general topics—poetry, calligraphy, painting, customs, and people’s affairs.

Lin Ruhai was still like a mentor to her.

The conversations now revolved around the children—what they ate, how they grew, what they learned, and so on.

However, he rarely mentioned his external affairs or his interactions with friends and acquaintances.

In Lin Ruhai’s world, roles were very clearly defined.

Those matters belonged to the domain of the main wife. Subconsciously, he would not discuss with Yun Shuyao details like the upcoming birthday of an official’s wife, gifts to be prepared, attending banquets, or any concerns about an official’s wishes and the proper handling of gifts and reception duties.

Now he began to bring it up actively.

Since the Lin family would be returning and resuming social engagements, there would be occasions when it would be inconvenient for the old lady or for Luoyu and the others to attend, requiring either her or Mei Yiniang to go.

Just like officials who, without their main wives present, have their concubines take on some responsibilities.

Clearly, between her and Mei Yiniang, Lin Ruhai chose her.

Yun Shuyao was not opposed to this.

One reason was that such occasions would not be too frequent, and another was that getting out and about would be beneficial for her.

The twins were of age now.

One couldn’t wait until they were older to pay attention; by then, the best prospects might already be taken.

She would start by making some inquiries.

If it weren’t for Jia Min’s funeral, this would be the right time to seek information about suitable matches for the Lin family.

First, it was about matching social status.

Then, preferences and inclinations.

Finally, individual character and other aspects.

Since the Lin family was of the Han military banner, they would generally be involved in the selection of candidates.

The old lady hoped to avoid the selection and arrange marriages independently.

She was worried that her granddaughter might be offered as a concubine to some noble or royal family.

Especially for Yingyu.

Her appearance was similar to Mei Yiniang’s.

But avoiding the selection was not that easy.

It was uncertain what methods she might have.

Sometimes Yun Shuyao would lament that if someone, like her, had traveled to ancient times and still viewed the world with a modern perspective, and if they fell in love with Lin Ruhai, they would likely suffer emotionally.

The judgments of the two eras cannot be simply categorized as right or wrong. To people of this time, Lin Ruhai would certainly be considered a good husband—good background, good looks, capable, competent, not lecherous, respectful to his main wife, genuinely mournful at his wife’s death, and praised for his deep feelings.

However, from a modern perspective, this so-called perfect husband would raise a huge question mark.

Deep feelings?

Just being faithful to one person is a significant obstacle.

If one cannot overcome this inner barrier, life will be very painful.

She also analyzed Lin Ruhai’s feelings for Jia Min.

The only clear conclusion she could reach was that there might have been love, but it was not true love.

Because it was not pure—there were already concubines before she and Mei Yiniang entered the household. There are indeed stories of eternal, faithful love in the world.

Love, whether in ancient or modern times, Yun Shuyao believed to be a luxury that is more about chance than pursuit.

Finding that one person in the vast sea of humanity who understands, loves, respects, and accepts you, and who is willing to sacrifice their life for you, and reciprocates your love, understanding, respect, and willingness to sacrifice their life is incredibly difficult.

In modern times, she initially thought her first love was true love, but as time went on, she realized it was an illusion, which led to their breakup.

As she gained more experience with time, she grew increasingly doubtful about the existence of true love for herself.

After breaking up with her second boyfriend, she confirmed her belief.

Her heart remained steadfast and resolute.

In terms of romantic relationships, she found it difficult to fully love one person and dedicate everything to another.

This realization made Yun Shuyao approach relationships with a more rational perspective.

When she eventually arrived in the apocalyptic world, where gender relationships were almost nonexistent, she understood deeply what it meant to prefer being a peaceful dog over a troubled human.

Upon waking up, she nearly became a meal for someone—it was a nightmare.

She later discovered that was only the beginning of the nightmare.

In such a harsh world, she continued to persevere, believing there was no reason she couldn’t adapt to a peaceful society.

She would strive to improve herself and better adapt to society, aiming to be among the last ones standing.

Yun Shuyao was quite content with her current relationship with Lin Ruhai, with no intention of changing it.

Their relationship was both close and distant.

They lived under the same roof, had two children they were proud of, and shared an open and communicative bond.

They were both superior and subordinate, collaborators, and could also be considered family.

Beyond this, Yun Shuyao did not yearn for more.

——–

As time passed into the 40th year of Kangxi’s reign, the Lin family was still in mourning, while the Jia family had completed their major obligations. News continued to come in, causing Lin Ruhai to furrow his brow in concern.

The Jia family was also under the banner, and when the girls reached the appropriate age, they were supposed to be selected. Yuan Chun went through this process.

She wasn’t selected and was sent back home to marry freely, but she ended up being sent to the palace as a female historian through a less formal selection process.

This was clearly a scheme everyone could see through.

Her intended role in the palace was to be a high-ranking official, but not being selected for that role meant she should have married freely. Instead, she chose to enter the palace as a servant.

The term “female historian” refers to a female official, but in practice, it also involves serving others. If the late Duke were still alive, he might be enraged by this situation.

Thinking of the late Duke, Lin Ruhai sighed deeply.

He could guess the Jia family’s intentions. Neither of his two brothers-in-law was particularly outstanding, and the next generation needed time to grow. Even if things went smoothly, Jia Zhu, the eldest grandson, would need at least ten years to rise to a high position, assuming he passed the imperial examination and climbed the ranks step by step.

If their daughter had a position in the palace, it would prevent the family from declining too severely over the next decade. By the time the younger generation matured, they would have some support.

Now that Yuan Chun had entered the palace to struggle, and with other granddaughters of the Jia family, having an older sister as a female historian in the palace made it difficult for them to arrange marriages for the others.

The emperor was no longer young, and the Jia family was likely aiming for the crown prince, but would Yuan Chun be successfully assigned to the Eastern Palace?

As it turned out, she was not.

When the news came that Yuan Chun had been assigned to the palace of Consort De, the Jia family members were stunned.

Consort De, originally from a lower-status background and emerging from the Tongjia clan, now held a high position.

Would she allow someone from her own palace to follow the same path she took?

Being assigned to Consort De’s palace meant she would only be a worker.

The news struck Jia Mu so hard that she fell ill.

Last year, when Min’er passed away, Lin Ruhai’s letter had caused her a significant loss of face and allowed Wang to seize power. Now, she had finally managed to use her connections to send her granddaughter into the palace, with the understanding that she would be assigned to the Crown Prince’s residence. Yet, what went wrong this time?!