Red Mansions: My Book is Cool

The time for the test is approaching.And half a year before the exam time, Lin Daiyu ordered to pack her luggage and returned to the capital with Lin Chenxi and Lin Zhu.She wanted to settle down early to give Lin Chenxi time to adjust.Before the exam, candidates should not only step up to review the books, but also familiarize themselves with the styles and hobbies of the examiners, work hard to read their previous articles, ponder carefully, and try their best to strive for their taste in writing for the exam.It is very realistic and vulgar to say these things. According to Jia Baoyu, it is an act of 'lu beetle', but it must be done with great effort.In ancient times, the imperial examination could change the fate of people in one fell swoop, but the road to the imperial examination is not easy.It is very difficult for people who are independent and have too much personality to go. It is also common for talented people to be frustrated in the examination room for life.

Thinking of these, Lin Daiyu felt heavy and oppressed, and sighed softly, trying to suppress the anxiety and loss in her heart.Lin Zhu looked at Lin Daiyu in puzzlement, and tilted her head, wondering why her sister, whom she admired so much, sometimes inadvertently showed melancholy.

From her point of view, the life of the Lin family couldn't be better now, their life is so affluent and their family status is so noble, neither the Jia family nor the Yao family will come to make trouble.If brother Chen Xi can pass the Jinshi exam this time, then the Lin family will really regain its former glory!Her nanny whispered to her that by that time, her worth would have risen with the tide.Jinshi's younger sister, how respectable is that!Even if she is an ordinary peasant girl, she can fly to a branch overnight to find a good marriage.Such a good prospect, then why does my sister always seem to be unhappy in her heart? Could it be that she is worried about Brother Chenxi?But everyone said that Brother Chenxi has studied hard for three years and has accumulated a lot of knowledge. There is a great possibility that he will pass the test this time!Even if he can't get his wish this time, he is still very young, so he can continue to take the exam as much as he wants?Thirty young Jinshi, don't be afraid!

Those who know me say I am worried, those who don't know me say what I want!Lin Zhu and Lin Daiyu live under the same roof, and they get along harmoniously and intimately; but their hearts are separated by a long gap of time, and they cannot blend with each other.Even in the face of Lin Chenxi who respects her very much, many words are destined not to be spoken, Lin Daiyu smiled lonely.

At the beginning of the general examination, after three years of unremitting hard work and nine days and nine nights of painful and tense torture, the sky paid off, and Lin Chenxi finally succeeded in one fell swoop, ranking second on the Guibang.Then, in the palace examination, his ranking was greatly improved to 39th, and he was named a second-class Jinshi.Although this is a little worse than Lin Ruhai's reputation as a flower explorer back then, it is still very good, especially when Lin Chenxi is still so young.Immediately, he attracted the attention of many officials and eunuchs in the capital.Lin Chenxi's family background, fame, and talents are all first-class. He just hasn't gotten married yet, so isn't he the best son-in-law candidate out there?

There was an endless stream of people who came to the Lin Mansion to celebrate. Many noble ladies secretly mentioned Lin Chenxi's marriage to Lin Daiyu when they came to the door, and recommended suitable ladies from their families, relatives, and clan.Lin Daiyu wrote down one by one, and asked people to inquire about the situation carefully.She was going to tell Lin Chenxi all this and let him analyze the trade-offs by himself. She believed that Lin Chenxi had such a verdict.Although others kept saying that the elder sister was the mother, Lin Chenxi's marriage should be decided by Lin Daiyu.Lin Daiyu disagreed with this statement. Marriage is a very personal matter. How can she decide the fate of a person's life just because she has a status that she can rely on?She can't bear this responsibility either!

Not only Lin Chenxi, but Lin Daiyu and Lin Zhu also received attention.Lin Zhu is Lin Chenxi's own younger sister, Lin Chenxi will definitely take care of her, and Lin Zhu was taken into the Lin family very early to be educated, so she is not bad in all aspects, and with the generosity of the Lin family, it is necessary to give her Prepare a good dowry, so many middle-ranking families have taken a fancy to her.

For Lin Daiyu, everyone is a little wait-and-see.Undoubtedly, she is much better off than Lin Zhu. The eldest daughter of the Lin family, who is also the head of the county, is not lacking in talent, beauty and ability. The reputation of filial piety is widely praised, and the dowry is even richer.Ordinarily, such a woman should be a matchmaker to break through the threshold.Seeing that the time for Lin Chenxi and the crown is not far away, Lin Daiyu can also talk about marriage.Although she is a few years older, that is not very important, her advantages are more than enough to make up for this shortcoming.But the strange thing is that everyone seems to have a lot of concerns about this, and they dare not speak first, and there is some hesitation in their words.

This is all due to a secret rumor from the palace that Prince Dao Zhonghui had acquaintance with Lin Daiyu when he was managing the Lin family's property in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and he had a good impression of her.It's just that Lin Daiyu didn't reveal her original oath.Now, seeing that the time for Lin Daiyu to complete the oath is approaching, Prince Zhonghui began to think about it.The emperor and queen are also happy to see the success of this, and are ready to match the two.Then, who would dare to poach the corner of Prince Zhonghui to displease the emperor and queen?

However, there was no whereabouts after the word was spread. Everyone couldn't tell the truth from the fake, and they were reluctant to give up. They had to contact them first, and they couldn't be negligent. Let's see the situation before we talk.

Lin Daiyu didn't tell the truth, she didn't want to marry anyway, and she was happy that her ears were clean.She had carefully considered Lin Zhu's marriage. Lin Zhu was different from herself. She was a very normal girl from ancient times. Her thoughts and insights were very suitable for this era. She was raised according to the standards of noble girls.Lin Daiyu once thought of instilling in her the ideas of modern people, especially modern women, but after repeated thinking, she finally gave up.Can Lin Zhu educated in this way survive in this society that restricts people's mind and development?It's better to let her live a "happy" life like the women here, in peace and prosperity.

The ingenious work hard while the wise worry, and the incompetent have nothing to ask for! This seems to make sense.

Soon, the palace awarded many rewards to the Lin family, most of which were designated for Lin Daiyu.Qiu Fu'an, who came to pass the decree, said with a smile on his face: "The empress is very happy to hear that the brother in the house has won the second-class Jinshi. This is all about fighting for the spirit of the brother, and it is the upbringing of Lin Xianzhu. Therefore, we specially Send our family to send some things to County Lord Lin in recognition of County Lord Lin's filial piety. Five days later, the Empress held a small banquet and invited County Lord Lin to enter the palace to enjoy flowers and listen to operas. The Queen has not seen the county for several years. Lord, I miss you so much."

"It's finally here." Lin Daiyu said silently, not showing it on her face, but still thanking her with a smile.After Qiu Fu'an left, Lin Chenxi, who noticed something was wrong, frowned and said, "Sister, is the empress trying to match you up for a marriage? Could it be Prince Zhonghui?"

He hesitated to speak: "But I heard, I heard that Prince Zhonghui seems to be in poor health. He had a serious illness before and almost died. I don't know what will happen in the future. The Imperial Hospital prepares rare Herbal medicine. If the empress do this, wouldn’t she be sacrificing her elder sister? If she really proposes it, elder sister shouldn’t agree to it!”

"But if you resist the decree, won't it affect your future?" Lin Daiyu asked softly.

"Sister, I rely on the fame I obtained, not nepotism!" Lin Chenxi said angrily, "The Lin family is not the Jia family. If my sister sacrifices her whole life to gain wealth, it's nothing more than an improper official!"

Lin Daiyu's heart warmed, and Lin Chenxi knew how to be grateful.She smiled slightly: "you don't have to worry, my sister will solve it."

The flower viewing banquet was arranged in a warm pavilion in the palace. There were many pots of flowers grown in the warm room on the hall. The fragrance was floating, and the flowers were clustered together, showing the luxury of the royal family.The queen also found a few concubines to accompany her. Everyone was smiling and caring for Lin Daiyu.After chatting and laughing for a while, Lin Daiyu saw that they were a little absent-minded, and she understood a little bit in her heart.

After a while, a court lady came forward and whispered something to the queen, who nodded slightly.The maids retreated quietly, and soon a man dressed as a prince was ushered in.Lin Daiyu glanced at him quickly. He was a young man in his twenties, with a handsome and heroic appearance, but his face was a little pale and his lips were dark.He saluted the queen, and also greeted the concubines present, caught a glimpse of Lin Daiyu, and couldn't help being stunned for a moment.Lin Daiyu is attired as the county magistrate, and her hair and makeup are clearly the description of an unmarried woman.Although he was in public, as a young man, according to the etiquette at that time, he should avoid suspicion.

Lin Daiyu lowered her eyes, hiding the mocking smile from the corner of her mouth.This must be Prince Zhonghui. What the nurturing mother kept saying about whether men and women can accept each other, what rules and etiquette, it is only for the lower-ranking people, how can the upper-level people be restricted?Even if she is a noble daughter, she doesn't get much respect in the eyes of the royal family.

"I'm sorry!" But the young man quickly apologized, then turned to the queen and said, "I don't know there are guests at the emperor's sister-in-law, Zhonghui is bothering you!" After finishing speaking, he was about to leave.

"It's okay, don't be restrained!" The queen smiled and said, "This is County Lord Lin, Lin Ruhai's daughter-in-law. You have been taking care of the Lin family's property all these years, and you should be thanked for your hard work!"

Everyone agreed one after another, Prince Zhonghui was a little embarrassed and hesitated there.Lin Daiyu just bowed her head and said nothing.Qiu Fuan smiled and offered advice: "Madam, there is a troupe arranged in the water pavilion outside, singing Kunqu opera. County Lord Lin just came back from Jiangnan, why don't you ask her to give advice."

"Exactly!" The Empress clasped her hands together and said with a smile, "Zhonghui, this play is for the Emperor, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs must not be sloppy. You should follow along and ask Miss Lin for advice, and it must be perfect."

The opera troupe performed operas on the stage outside the waterside pavilion. The melodious flute rhyme and the singing were melodious. It was even more touching and beautiful to hear across the lake.

"County Lin, this is the 'A Dream in the Garden' in "The Romance of the West Chamber". All ladies in the palace love to hear it." Prince Zhonghui walked slowly, carefully observing Lin Daiyu in front of him.In the original book, Lin Daiyu was so fascinated by the play that she was moved to tears, so she blurted out the sentences in it in public, and Xue Baochai taught her a lot.

"It turns out that the flowers are blooming all over the world, and they are all ruined like this. But what a beautiful day, who's house is a place to enjoy the pleasure!"

"It's like a flower and a beautiful family for you, and the years are like water"

"Spears of rain and wind, misty waves and painted boats—Jiping people think this time is so cheap!"

Lin Daiyu listened silently without speaking.This "A Dream in the Garden" is indeed beautiful in sentence and moving in melody, which fully expresses the depression and anguish of a boudoir girl and her yearning for beautiful nature and love.Unfortunately, she doesn't like it.Beautiful, but full of sorrow, she could not form a spiritual resonance with the real Lin Daiyu hundreds of years ago.Then, it is just a nice piece of music, no different from thousands of kinds of music.Just like there are many roses, but the little prince only loves the one he cultivated.

"Does County Lord Lin not like it? I thought you must like it. Is it because I made a mistake, or has County Lord Lin changed her hobby?" Prince Zhonghui watched her intently for a long time, and finally asked.

Lin Daiyu's heart skipped a beat when she heard the words, she suddenly made up her mind, and replied in a clear voice: "Yes, my lord, I don't like it. This song is very beautiful, but when I think of the woman in this song is trapped in a small In the embroidery building, even my own garden can only be visited secretly, so I don’t like it.”

Prince Zhonghui's eyes flickered for a moment, then he looked away, looked at the sky, was in a daze for a long time, and said in a deep voice: "Actually, I don't like it either."

After a while, he took a deep breath and calmly said, "A song I like, I wonder if you've heard it?"

"Its name," he said word for word, "is "Broad Sea and Sky"!"

Lin Daiyu's pupils shrank suddenly, and her eyes turned to him suddenly.