The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

Chapter 123 Sending Warmth

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The main seat was empty and Lin Daiyu sat alone at the dining table.

On the table were several exquisite side dishes, a bowl of rouge rice and a bowl of clear soup with vegetable leaves floating in it.

Xueyan handed Lin Daiyu a pair of chopsticks that had just been scalded with boiling water.

Lin Daiyu looked out the window before starting to eat.

Seeing Lin Daiyu absentmindedly eating rice in small bites, Xueyan advised: "Don't worry, young lady. This is not the first time that the Second Master has entered the palace."

Lin Daiyu couldn't eat anymore, so she put down her chopsticks and stared out the window in a daze.

Before daybreak, Li Hu was summoned to the palace by the emperor. He was summoned in such a hurry that something serious must have happened.

Lin Daiyu was worried that the situation in the north would worsen, so the emperor asked Li Hu to go north to provide support.

This is not Hetao, this is a real fierce battle. Hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers from the three parties have been fighting together for several months. Not to mention ordinary soldiers, even three deputy generals were killed in the battle. It can be seen how tragic this battle was!
Xueyan blinked her eyes a few times and said, "Miss, please eat your meal. When the Second Master comes back soon, he will see that you haven't eaten and will scold me again. Miss, please have pity on me~" As she said that, she picked up the chopsticks and looked at Lin Daiyu pitifully.

"You, you don't want to learn from the good ones, but insist on learning from Qingwen!"

Lin Daiyu pointed at her unhappily, took the chopsticks and continued eating.

Xueyan blushed.

At this moment, the door curtain was lifted and Zijuan walked in, holding a food box.

Lin Daiyu swallowed the food in her mouth, looked at the food box in her hand, and asked, "What's that?"

Zijuan smiled and replied, "The kitchen has just made the mooncakes. Uncle San wants you to have a taste. If they're okay, we'll send them to each family." Then she put the food box on the table and opened the lid.

Xueyan subconsciously stretched her neck and took a look. The surface of the mooncake was golden and smooth, with light yellow round edges and no burnt spots on the bottom.

Lin Daiyu put down her chopsticks, picked up a piece of mooncake, broke it open, and found that the skin and filling were of even thickness, and the fruit was cut into pieces of appropriate size.

She took a small bite, chewed it carefully, nodded with satisfaction, and said to Xueyan, "This is the pork fat filling you like." She handed it to Xueyan and gave the other half to Zijuan.

Xueyan also took a small bite, chewed it, and then her eyes lit up and she said excitedly: "Girl, this is the taste!"

Lin Daiyu smiled and nodded, authentic Suzhou-style mooncakes.

“It’s really delicious.”

Zijuan swallowed the mooncake in her mouth, took the handkerchief brought by the maid and wiped Lin Daiyu's hands, saying, "The watermelon has also been delivered. Qingwen and the maid are preparing it. It will be sent over once it's cut."

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, people eat mooncakes and watermelon, which are also the main offerings to the moon.

Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, relatives and friends will give each other mooncakes and watermelons.

Of course, not everyone can eat watermelon at this time.

As they were talking, a maid came in and said with a smile, "Miss, the Second Master is back!"

Before he could finish his words, he heard footsteps outside and Li Hu walked in.

Zijuan, Xueyan and the maids all bowed, "Second Master."

Li Hu smiled and nodded: "Don't be so polite." Then he walked into the small dining room.

Lin Daiyu had already stood up and bowed slightly: "Second brother."

Li Hu waved his hand and said, "Sit down, sit down."

Lin Daiyu said to Zijuan, "Give me a hot towel." As she spoke, she took the empty bowl brought by the maid and filled it with rice.

Li Hu sat down at the main seat and said with a smile, "A village outside Beijing sent over a dozen baskets of very fat and large crabs. I asked the kitchen to steam some. I'll accompany you to the garden in the afternoon to admire the osmanthus flowers, drink wine and eat crabs. How do you think?"

Lin Daiyu's eyes lit up and she nodded with a smile.

Li Hu wiped his face and hands, handed the towel back to Zijuan, and said, "You all go down." Knowing that Li Hu had something to say to Lin Daiyu, Zijuan led Xueyan and the maids out.

Lin Daiyu handed the chopsticks to Li Hu and then sat down.

Li Hu: "The general of Xuanfu died in battle."

Lin Daiyu was stunned for a moment, then picked up a piece of food for Li Hu with chopsticks.

While eating, Li Hu said, "Just when the battlefield was in a stalemate, the Bordered Yellow Banner arrived and attacked our army from the flank. The already exhausted Xuanfu cavalry could not resist at all and were defeated almost instantly. The Xuanfu general died at the hands of Fu Kang'an, the deputy governor of the Bordered Yellow Banner."

Lin Daiyu said nothing and continued to pick up food for Li Hu.

Li Hu continued, "Fortunately, the 3,000-man battalion rushed forward in time to block the Yellow Banner's front, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable. The Jurchens took the opportunity to propose peace talks."

Lin Daiyu: "What is the attitude of the palace?"

Li Hu: "What other attitude can we have? The war has reached this point and both sides are almost unable to hold on. Especially the imperial court. Although the grain and silver had already been delivered to the capital, there are too many places where money and grain can be used. The Yellow River and Huai River have flooded successively, affecting several provinces such as Henan and Anhui. Jiangxi first suffered from the flood, and after the summer, drought broke out everywhere." At this point, he sighed deeply.

Lin Daiyu was silent. She didn't expect things outside to be like this.

Li Hu was also silent. When he heard the name Fu Kang'an, he was stunned. After reading Fu Kang'an's information, he could only describe it as cheating.

Fu Kang'an inherited the title of Yunqiwei at the age of thirteen and was appointed as the third-class guard by Qian Xiaosi. At the age of sixteen, Qian Xiaosi directly appointed him as the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue and the deputy governor of the Bordered Blue Banner. After that, he started his life of cheating, participated in or commanded several major battles, was awarded the title of Jiayong Hou, and was promoted to the deputy governor of the Bordered Yellow Banner.

History took a turn, but it seemed like it didn't. Not only was Fu Kang'an not "eliminated", it seemed that he was even more cheated than in history.

I don’t know how much money I have saved with my baby.

Seeing Li Hu in a daze, Lin Daiyu quickly changed the subject: "The mooncakes and watermelons are ready, just waiting for you to come back and arrange them."

Li Hu came back to his senses: "You decide on these matters." He picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and gave it to her, "You eat too."

Lin Daiyu said "hmm" and then said, "We can't just send gifts to the Jia family this time. The Shanguo Mansion and the Liguo Mansion helped our family last time, so we have to give them gifts out of courtesy and reason."

"You decide."

Li Hu finished the food in his bowl, took half a bowl of rice for himself, and scooped a spoonful of soup to soak it up. He said, "The emperor was stimulated, and the matter of the new army was also decided. The maximum number of combat soldiers will not exceed 12,000. It will be under the jurisdiction of four battalions, including fire gun soldiers, sword and shield soldiers, spear soldiers, and the 3,000 Mongolian surrendered soldiers. The emperor named it the Ruishi Battalion."

After a pause, he said, "My idea is to have half musketeers and half cavalry, but the emperor disagrees."

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "Okay, there will be a time when you can do as you wish."

Li Hu smiled and was about to speak.

At this time, Zijuan's voice came from outside the door: "Second Master, Third Uncle sent a letter."

Li Hu put down his chopsticks and said, "Come in."

The door curtain was lifted, and Zijuan came in with a letter and handed it to Li Hu.

Li Hu took the letter, opened the seal and read it. As he read, a sneer appeared in his eyes.

Lin Daiyu saw it and asked, "What's wrong?"

Li Hu folded the letter and put it into his sleeve, then said with a smile, "I said I would avenge you and our father. Now is the chance."

Lin Daiyu hesitated for a moment and said, "A little impatience can ruin a great plan. Once we take action, it will definitely arouse suspicion from those with ulterior motives, especially in the palace. You also said that keeping him is still very useful."

Li Hu smiled and said, "It's cold, give him some warmth."

Lin Daiyu was shocked: "This is the capital, arson will kill many people!"

Arson?

Li Hu suddenly came to his senses and remembered that Lin Daiyu didn't understand the joke, so he said, "Who do you think I am? I am Mr. Li! Doesn't he want to make a name for himself in the capital during the Mid-Autumn Festival? I will make him lose all his money." As he said that, he leaned close to Lin Daiyu's ear and whispered a few words.

Lin Daiyu burst out laughing and punched Li Hu: "You are so bad!"

(End of this chapter)