The Jia household was thrown into chaos.
When the imperial physician arrived, Grandmother Jia was diagnosed with a mild stroke. The physician warned she must be more careful in the future. Currently it wasn’t severe, but if her emotions continued to fluctuate so dramatically with such intense ups and downs, it would be hard to say what might happen.
A stroke was certainly not a minor ailment.
Grandmother Jia was undoubtedly someone who feared death. After waking, she worked hard to control her emotions, though she still couldn’t suppress her anger.
Those useless fools! They couldn’t even handle the smallest matters properly. What use was raising them?
And that lowly maid Zhao Xinghua—the Jia family had raised her for so long, still supporting her younger brother. She hadn’t even accused her of being useless, yet she had the audacity to stab her in the back. This was how she repaid her, how she repaid the Jia family?
Fearing further problems, Grandmother Jia calmed herself for a while before summoning Nanny Qian to ask what exactly had happened.
By this time, Nanny Qian had been untied. She knelt on the ground kowtowing to Grandmother Jia, her face flushed as she stammered through the entire sequence of events.
From a concubine going into labor, to Zhao Xinghua acting and being caught, to everything that was implicated afterward.
Before dying, Zhao Xinghua had said it was Grandmother Jia who instigated it, that the medicine was given by Grandmother Jia, and moreover, Old Madam Lin had found medicinal powder at her place…
Grandmother Jia was so angry she quickly recited a passage of scripture.
To keep herself from becoming too enraged.
She knew this wouldn’t do. The Jia family could still hang the Duke Rong’s signboard because she was still alive. Once she was gone, that plaque would have to be taken down.
And what did the Rong residence have now?
The old Duke had passed away, and the tea was slowly growing cold.
The eldest son was a muddled incompetent, only holding an empty title, living a dissolute life at home.
The second son did hold an official position, but after all these years, he was still just a minor official in the Ministry of Works.
By comparison, this son-in-law had walked every step extremely smoothly. Give him a few more years and he might become a provincial governor, or perhaps enter the capital to become a vice minister or minister.
Before her Zhu’er matured, he needed this uncle by marriage to pave the way for his future in the court.
This was the original intention of the old Duke forming a marriage alliance with the Lin family.
At the beginning, the old Duke had given Lin Ruhai a push. In the future, Lin Ruhai would need to give the Jia family a push.
Mutual assistance and mutual benefit.
But now, the situation was terrible.
No matter how much Grandmother Jia believed these were things a household matriarch must do to protect her interests, she also knew this couldn’t be exposed on the surface.
She had people drag Nanny Qian away while she contemplated slowly.
How could she salvage this?
She thought about it—it wasn’t completely hopeless.
After all, the medicinal powder she gave Nanny Qian was for backup and had never been used.
As for Zhao Xinghua’s case, that certainly wasn’t powder she had given.
She wasn’t insane—how could she give her such things?
It must have been someone around her who was audaciously bold, secretly giving medicine to Zhao Xinghua.
She could investigate this slowly.
What she needed to do now was firmly deny everything.
That lowly maid had deliberately framed her. Who knew where she got the medicine from? She was no longer a Jia family person. How could a Jia family person harm her Min’er!
Most likely it was people who looked unfavorably upon the Lin family, wanting to sow discord between the two families. Or perhaps it was enemies of the Lin family deliberately doing this. They couldn’t let them succeed.
Having thought of this explanation, Grandmother Jia’s mood eased somewhat.
It was also Nanny Qian’s uselessness—admitting the medicine came from her.
Otherwise her words would be more convincing.
But even with Nanny Qian’s admission, it was useless. Look at how the Lin family’s son was jumping around lively and had grown this far—that was the best evidence.
These things couldn’t be admitted, and truly speaking, there was no substantial evidence proving she had given it.
The words of a servant like Nanny Qian, the words of a lowly maid like Zhao Xinghua—how much credibility could they have?
When she wrote the letter initially, she hadn’t been too explicit, and Nanny Qian wasn’t completely foolish—she had already destroyed the letter.
Even if the Lin family didn’t believe her, she must deny it.
Otherwise, if one day the two families had a falling out and they made the letter’s contents public, the Jia family’s reputation would plummet to rock bottom. Which family would dare marry Jia family daughters then?
Now… even though rifts existed between the Lin and Jia residences, in outsiders’ eyes, the relationship between the two families must appear fine.
However, to appease the Lin family and gain their cooperation, she would have to bleed resources.
What a pity. That item the old Duke had left her was meant to be used as a bargaining chip in case the Lin family grew powerful in the future and was unwilling to extend aid to the Jia family. Now she could only take it out early.
The world bustles for profit, the world rushes for gain.
The consequences now weren’t too severe. Jia Min was her daughter, a Jia family person. The only ones implicated were that concubine and that son born of a concubine.
The Lin family already had one eldest son born of a concubine.
Even if this younger son didn’t survive, it wasn’t that important.
Grandmother Jia felt tremendous pain. The things the old Duke left behind—using one meant having one less.
Moreover, no matter what, her Min’er had married into the Lin family for so many years. If she had no merit, she at least had toiled, and had given birth to Daiyu for the Lin family.
If the two families completely fell out, mother and daughter would have a hard time in the Lin family.
Considering everything comprehensively, the probability the Lin family would agree to maintain appearances was relatively high.
Afterward, she would minimize her presence in the Lin family as much as possible, having the younger generation make contact and interface with Min’er. Blood is thicker than water—Min’er wasn’t a heartless person.
Even if the Lin family wanted to blame someone, they would only blame her alone.
The younger generation knew nothing. The Lin family presumably wouldn’t lower themselves to haggle with the younger generation.
Grandmother Jia slowly perfected her ideas, and her anxious mood improved somewhat.
Grandmother Jia couldn’t help but sigh. It was still because the old Duke had passed away, this generation of Jia family men weren’t capable, and the grandsons were still young. By the time her grandsons’ generation grew up…
Thinking of her eldest grandson who was studying diligently, her face recovered a bit of a smile.
These old bones of hers—even at this advanced age she couldn’t relax, always having to plan for descendants.
Grandmother Jia’s fainting, calling for an imperial physician, and being diagnosed with a mild stroke was undoubtedly a shocking event for the Jia household.
The eldest master, dead drunk, was also pulled from his bed and given sobering soup.
The other younger generation—those still in school or being held and nursed by wet nurses—all came to pay their respects and attend to her.
They were stopped for a while before being allowed in.
Seeing Grandmother Jia lying weakly on the bed, both Jia She and Jia Zheng were worried: “Mother, what happened? How did this suddenly…”
Grandmother Jia laughed lightly: “Your sister wrote a letter. She fell seriously ill and nearly didn’t survive.” As she spoke, old tears streamed down: “I almost experienced the grief of outliving my child.”
Hearing this, Jia She and Jia Zheng hurriedly consoled her.
Jia Zheng: “Sister has already pulled through. Since that’s the case, Mother, you shouldn’t grieve excessively either, lest she worry about you.”
As for Jia She, he only said: “Good people have heaven’s protection. Mother, you need not worry.”
These words were stiff and awkward. Grandmother Jia looked at him with displeasure.
She knew people said she was biased, but facing these two sons, who could keep their heart from leaning to one side?
She couldn’t do it.
“I plan to select some items from the storeroom to help your sister calm her nerves.”
Regarding this, both Jia She and Jia Zheng had no objections and readily agreed.
Those with objections were First Madam Xing and Second Madam Wang, but unfortunately, they had no voice at this moment.
Watching the household’s fine items flow out like water, their hearts ached painfully.
Jia Min fell ill and was showered with so many precious gifts?!
When they themselves fell ill, the Old Madam never showed such consideration!
Sure enough, those who crawled out of the Old Madam’s belly were precious.
With Grandmother Jia supervising, this matter wasn’t delayed. It was quickly handled, and then she ate vegetarian food and chanted Buddhist scriptures, maintaining emotional stability. She needed to fully recover her health.
On the other end, through the efforts of many famous physicians, the second young master’s last breath was desperately sustained.
That was just sustaining one breath—there was no real improvement. Watching a child whose cries were weak and barely audible remain in this state day after day, Lin Ruhai couldn’t bear it.
He was living too painfully.
But as a father, Lin Ruhai still held hope, hoping this child could persist, endure this tribulation, and have a bright future ahead.
Lv Lan washed her face with tears daily, attending to this child without rest.
The Old Madam also couldn’t bear to see this little grandson in such a state.
She didn’t dare look much.
Looking made her think of the Lin family’s final fate in the dream world.
She watched her eldest grandson even more closely.
Constantly admonishing the people around the children, preventing another accident.
The Old Madam felt she couldn’t bear it anymore.
Jia Min’s recurring fevers also slowly subsided.
However, her body was even weaker than before.
She spent most of each day lying down. When not lying down, she spent time with Daiyu. Everything else she ignored completely.
Neither household matters nor her dowry.
An appearance of avoiding suspicion.
The Jia family people weren’t completely useless. Among the next generation who had grown up in the Lin family, selecting carefully, some could still be used.
The Old Madam picked out some, re-established rules for them, then sent them back to the main courtyard to serve. Jia Min didn’t inquire.
Making the Old Madam sigh deeply in her heart.
She still held household management. If Jia Min wanted to avoid suspicion and raise her child, she wouldn’t force her. Her current health was weaker than this old woman’s.
If forced, Daiyu would lose her mother again.
However, the rules that needed establishing still had to be.
She could recuperate and stay secluded—that was fine. But on the first and fifteenth of each month, the concubines still had to pay respects, and she also had to come pay respects.
This was the rule.
And also a reminder.
Reminding everyone that Jia Min was still their legitimate and proper Madam.
Then she received the gift list and letter from the Jia family.
She didn’t even look at the gift list. She opened the letter. Reading Grandmother Jia’s denial above, the Old Madam laughed coldly. Did her denial prove her innocence?
It was just pulling a fig leaf over herself!
However, the conditions for maintaining appearances she mentioned made the Old Madam’s brow furrow slightly. Then she gave this letter to her son.
Lin Ruhai read it and laughed in anger.
In this letter, he didn’t see even a hint of apology from his mother-in-law.
This made Lin Ruhai deeply doubt whether his mother-in-law’s previous claims of loving her daughter were sincere. How could he see any love now?
She was merely using her daughter and granddaughter as bargaining chips for a graceful retreat.
Actually, this mother-in-law’s verbal love was just empty words. What she loved most was herself and the Jia family.
Lin Ruhai couldn’t bear to show this letter to Jia Min.
She had finally recovered somewhat.
The Old Madam thought the same: “Don’t tell her about this for now.”
As for the appearance of harmony Grandmother Jia wanted, she raised no objections.
One reason was Jia Min and Daiyu. The other was the bargaining chip Grandmother Jia offered.
She hadn’t expected the Jia family still possessed this item. The old Marquis had mentioned it to her before he passed.
So the Jia family had obtained it.
She wasn’t certain whether this would be useful to the current Lin family. She looked at her son.
Lin Ruhai was silent for a long time, then nodded.
Forming a marriage alliance was meant for mutual assistance. Now only surface courtesy remained, and moreover, not even just surface—his mother-in-law didn’t think she was wrong at all. She couldn’t think he was so magnanimous that he would do nothing, could she?
Soon the Jia family’s second master made a major error through negligence and carelessness. Originally, if those above were willing to be lenient, they could return it for correction without losing face. But this time it was directly exposed. Although the second master wasn’t demoted, he was transferred to a cold bench sinecure position.
Not only was promotion impossible here—one misstep and retirement from this position was possible.
Facing this thunderbolt from a clear sky, the Jia residence was shrouded in gloom.
Jia Zheng drowned his sorrows in alcohol for a while, then immersed himself in discussing heaven and earth with literary guests, never inquiring about his official position again…
For Yun Shuyao, since that incident occurred, she could keenly perceive the changes in the Lin residence.
Jia Min’s presence had weakened considerably. The atmosphere throughout the Lin residence had also become more rigorous. Another change was that after the second young master struggled painfully for over three months before breathing his last, the importance of sons was once again elevated.
In such circumstances, Yun Shuyao felt what was meant by “a rising tide lifts all boats” and “a mother’s status rises with her son.”
Although her previous treatment hadn’t been poor, it wasn’t necessarily better now, but the difference could be seen from surrounding people’s attitudes.
Even Concubine Mei seemed to gradually accept reality, rarely appearing before Yun Shuyao. She now focused wholeheartedly on conceiving again, or else on making her Ying Yu perform better in class, to outshine Luo Yu—she transferred competitive pressure onto her daughter.
However, in this regard, the two sisters remained very harmonious.
Concubine Mei’s words didn’t affect the sisters’ relationship.
The clan also sent people. Chen Yu and Ying Yu gained study companions.
Last time Lin family people came, Lin Ruhai accepted two advisors.
One was Lin Hu, currently their tutor, a provincial graduate. He was now recommended for an official position and would take up his post on an auspicious day. The Lin residence needed a new tutor.
The other was Lin Hao, a county scholar skilled in mathematics—someone Lin Ruhai valued highly. However, he had a mission and wasn’t at the Lin residence.
Now three people came from the clan.
One was Lin Zhi, around fifty years old, a provincial graduate, bringing a concubine and a nine-year-old grandson.
He had been a tutor in the Lin family clan for over ten years with rich teaching experience—selected as the most suitable candidate according to Lin Ruhai’s requirements.
The other two came hoping to be Lin Ruhai’s advisors, both of Lin Ruhai’s generation.
One called Lin Bo, in his thirties, a county scholar, bringing his wife and nine-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son.
One called Lin Yong, nearly thirty, a county scholar, bringing his wife and one son and one daughter. He was also the youngest son of this generation’s clan leader.
Lin Bo and Lin Yong’s children were all similar in age to Chen Yu’s group.
In the future, their classes would become lively.
Why were so many people so wary of the eldest son born of a concubine, especially with a large age gap? This was precisely the reason.
The nobility of legitimate children was beyond question, but if the legitimate son was born too late, the elder brothers ahead had already reaped all the advantages.
Even without an inherited title, what might be left for the legitimate son in the end could be just an empty shell.
Both the Old Madam and Lin Ruhai knew the possibility of Jia Min conceiving again was minimal.
Moreover, Lin Ruhai’s age wasn’t young now. Many of his peers were already grandparents. Now he basically cultivated Chen Yu as the next generation’s heir.
Under such circumstances, Yun Shuyao’s status naturally rose with the tide.
Yun Shuyao: “…”
She personally experienced the situation of vast fertile fields with only one seedling.
She was truly worried Chen Yu would be spoiled.
Chen Yu: ?
Concubine Mother, are you serious?
As if you weren’t the one pouring cold water on me before.
Chen Yu smiled bitterly.
He was envied and resented by many, while the pressure on him was considerable.
Like father, like son.
He had to maintain sufficient excellence to stand safely beside his father.
To be able to protect Concubine Mother and his sister when he grew up.
About two months after this year’s autumn examinations ended, Yun Shuyao received joyful news.
Both her younger brothers had passed the provincial examination. Her eldest younger brother ranked eleventh, her youngest younger brother ranked fifth from the bottom.
Regardless of rankings, passing at their age was a great joyous occasion worth celebrating. Moreover, it was double happiness—no, triple happiness, because at year’s end, her second younger brother’s wife would also enter the household.
For Yun Shuyao, there was another joyous occasion—her ability had finally advanced to level five.
She had been stuck at this barrier for a long time. If she hadn’t obtained a heavenly treasure, she might have needed to spend another year or two.
Ability upgrades became increasingly difficult at higher levels. She was mentally prepared.
The next upgrade might take ten years or more.
After upgrading, Yun Shuyao had tested it.
Her physical fitness had improved again. Additionally, for short-term vegetables, she could accelerate growth for considerable periods. If this were the apocalypse, she would be very popular, though this was useless here. Another ability was cultivating increasingly robust plants.
However, her efficiency in cultivating plants hadn’t changed much—she had just expanded the variety.
Because she had channeled most of her upgraded ability to the spirit mirror.
Heavenly treasures required fate and opportunity, while her ability was cyclical and sustainable. As long as time was sufficient, the energy brought to the spirit mirror wouldn’t necessarily be much less than those heavenly treasures.
Learning of her maternal family brothers’ joyous occasion, Lin Ruhai was very happy: “Do they plan to participate in next year’s metropolitan examination?”
“Yun Heng plans to try when spring comes. Yun Yan doesn’t know yet.” His passing this time owed something to luck. His mastery wasn’t as solid as his elder brother’s.
Lin Ruhai nodded and provided her some books.
These were his analyses of people who might become chief examiners—their preferences and past writing styles.
This material was very important.
If one knew in advance the chief examiner preferred steady, practical writing styles and leaned the essay in that direction during the exam, the acceptance rate would increase considerably.
Otherwise, without knowing, if one wrote an essay with elaborate, flowery diction, the chief examiner might frown upon seeing it. Even if it was worth eighty points, he would mark it down to sixty.
No wonder people cared so much about connections. Look—without connections, could one obtain such materials?
Thus time flowed on. Lin Ruhai received reappointment.
He sat in the third rank position in Guangzhou for six years, then received transfer orders.
Still third rank, but the location changed. Originally almost at the nation’s southernmost end, now to the country’s center.
Each transfer was a relocation and long journey.
Lin Ruhai began handling properties in Guangzhou in advance, arranging for people to go ahead to the transfer location to purchase a residence and investigate the local situation.
After completing the journey by water route, land route, then water route again, settling in Anlin Prefecture—it was already the 39th year of Kangxi’s reign.
After resting just two days to catch their breath, a monk and a Taoist arrived at their household.
Initially at the gate, the gatekeeper was about to inquire who they were, but somehow they broke through and barged directly into the rear courtyard.
At that time, Jia Min was leading the children in paying respects to the Old Madam.
This monk and Taoist, disregarding everyone’s attempts to stop them, walked straight to three-year-old Lin Daiyu. Ignoring her panic, they examined her thoroughly, then looked at the other three children, exclaiming: “Impossible!”