Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

Chapter 138 Risk it

It was early summer, the flowers were fading, and the trees were lush.

The flowers and trees in Tao Mansion have been transplanted here for nearly half a month. Now they are all alive and well. Some of them have even sprouted new branches and green buds because they have been well cared for.

Emperor Zhaoming looked at the large courtyard and saw a small pond with several fish and water lilies. He couldn't help but take a few more glances.

Only then did I realize that many of the original dense trees had been dug up, and the sturdy pines and cypresses had been replaced by tall and swaying paulownia trees, red maples, and tulip trees, with clusters of peonies, forsythia, camellia, and roses in between.

Now is the season for peonies and roses. There are peonies as big as bowls and roses as big as copper coins, in all kinds of colors, arranged in branches and clusters, which are staggered and very pleasing to the eye.

Going further in, there are wisteria climbing on the wall, green bamboo planted at the door, wintersweets planted in the corner, and banana trees can be seen through the back window.

Emperor Zhaoming said in awe: "Your house has finally come alive. Before, you were only thinking about how to make it green. Now it's so beautiful, with beautiful colors in all four seasons!"

Tao Jian agreed with a smile, with a hint of pride in his face.

Lu Changqing was also looking around, and after a while, he frowned and turned to Zang Ao, pulling him away from Emperor Zhaoming, and asked in a low voice:

"Do you feel that this feels a bit like the garden in the Lin Mansion?"

Zang Ao glanced at Emperor Zhaoming from a distance and nodded affirmatively: "Yes!"

Lu Changqing understood and laughed, saying with anticipation: "Tomorrow I will have a position and be able to leave the palace to buy property. I will also ask the third lady to help me renovate the house and choose flowers and trees!"

"You're dreaming." Zang Ao simply concluded, then turned around and strode after the emperor and the eunuch of the Palace Department.

Lu Changqing looked at his back and curled his lips, humming: "Why can't I do this? What if I become a eunuch in all the palaces? Wouldn't the entire Jia family have to curry favor with me?!"

Emperor Zhaoming lay contentedly on the couch that was pulled in from the entrance of the main hall, enjoying the warm breeze, and fell asleep after just a few breaths.

Tao Xingjian was also tired, so he leaned back in the official hat chair and took a nap.

Half an hour later, Emperor Zhaoming woke up, took a cup of tea, drank it while walking in the yard, and stretched to wake up from his nap.

I asked Tao Xingjian casually, "When did you change the gardener? Why didn't I hear about it?"

Tao Xingjian smiled and said, "Last time, when I was leaving the Lin family, I ran into the third girl and we chatted for a while..."

Emperor Zhaoming's face suddenly darkened. He glanced at him and snorted coldly.

Tao Xingjian hurriedly stepped forward, took the tea bowl from his hand, and handed it to the butler Lao Hou who was following silently behind him.

Emperor Zhaoming saw it and asked the old marquis, "Who repaired it?"

The old marquis replied respectfully, "Jiang Yong brought the third young lady and a member of the Jia family's side branch named Jia Yun to measure the area and look at the direction. Later, only Jia Yun brought people here.

"When we were finishing up, the third girl came again and asked us to pull out a few more trees because we thought there were too many.

“Speaking of which, there was a small incident.

"Because Jia Yun brought a Feng Shui master to look at the pond, and dug it privately. When the third lady came over later, she scolded him for being unruly and asked him to apologize to me.

"I also asked someone to look at it privately. The pond was dug very well and could attract good karma. So I said a few good words for Jia Yun.

"The third lady was very stubborn. She said that rules are rules and you can't break them just for the sake of benefit. Even if you have an idea, you should tell me if not her, and get the approval of Supervisor Tao before starting the construction.

"I also told Jia Yun that he would no longer be needed to help with the yard maintenance. Jia Yun knelt down and kowtowed to admit his fault. If I said something like that again, I would lose face.

"The Third Miss then let Jia Yun go."

Emperor Zhaoming raised his eyebrows and looked at Tao Xingjian: "Didn't they say that this third girl was born out of wedlock? Why are you so tough? Why are you following the rules?"

"If she doesn't act tough and follow the rules, how can she, a concubine's daughter, let the whole Rongguo Mansion say that although everyone loves her, she is a big trouble?"

Tao Xingjian sighed, "If she wasn't such a person, Sister Lin wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to get her to the Lin residence."

Emperor Zhaoming looked around the flowers and trees in silence, walked a dozen steps, and asked again: "Do you know what kind of person that second girl is?"

"Cowardly. She was born out of wedlock, and her aunt died long ago.

"But this stepmother is a concubine, and she is not strong in front of men. The eldest son Jia Lian has gone to the second wife to help, so the only one who can be manipulated is this concubine.

"Her wet nurse dared to openly take her jewelry out to pawn and gamble, and the head maid was the granddaughter of her stepmother's concubine, and no one listened to what she said in the room.

"If she hadn't been so calm, and had a fierce sister-in-law and a few brothers and sisters to look after her, she would have been bullied to death by the servants!"

Tao Xingjian told them one by one and sighed at the end.

Emperor Zhaoming could not help but frown: "With such a temper, you dare to ask for a marriage with my second place in the imperial examination?!"

"The second place scholar is honest and kind, so he needs to find a gentle wife. Let's make an inappropriate analogy. If the third lady is married to the second place scholar, I'm afraid that within three years, he will have to let the third lady review even the memorials he submits to the emperor first!"

Tao Xingjian spread his hands with an innocent look on his face.

Emperor Zhaoming thought that this might be true, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, which could be considered a smile.

Then silence fell again.

I walked around the yard for a long time with my head down before I stopped and looked at the soft wisteria on the wall and the dancing forsythia on the roadside. I was stunned for a while, then suddenly turned around:

"She said she had to risk everything to live for herself. What did she mean?"

Tao Xingjian was confused for a while before he remembered Daiyu's words, "I'll risk my dignity to get out of this." He sighed in his heart but said, "I don't understand."

Emperor Zhaoming pointed at the wisteria and said, "Like this wisteria, there are also Ficus microcarpa, brocade, etc., which are actually very easy to grow. If there is a frame or a wall, they can climb up and grow lush and vigorous. Such flowers and plants are all docile.

"But look at the forsythia, winter jasmine, and rose. The flowers are small, and the fragrance is not strong when they are alone, so they are all put away in a bunch, even with thorns all over their bodies."

Tao Xingjian and Lao Hou both looked confused.

Emperor Zhaoming walked forward and sighed, "Forget about the forsythia and roses, let them struggle on their own. But what about the wisteria? If the trellis collapses or the wall collapses, what will happen to them?"

He stopped and laughed at himself: "No wonder that little girl wanted to save them so much."

He turned to look at Tao Xingjian: "Where are we going today? Qujiang, right? We should leave quickly, right?"

Tao Xingjian was stunned and bowed quickly: "Yes! The return journey will be easy. We can just ride back to Jiacheng on horseback."

"Then let's ride over there too. Old Marquis, go look for Jiang Yong in Qujiang. I have something to ask him." Emperor Zhaoming once again became interested and wanted to go and see the magnificent scenery by the water before the Dragon Boat Festival.

Tao Xingjian hurriedly asked Lao Hou to arrange for the Roman horse.

After the old marquis left, Tao Xingjian heard Emperor Zhaoming's next words: "Go back and tell Concubine Jia to ask her three sisters to come to the palace to play."