Daiyu from the Red Mansion is also arguing with people today

Chapter 169 There are no tigers in the mountains

Only Xichun asked directly, "Sister Xiren, I haven't seen you for several days. Where have you been? Can I still go to Brother Bao's place and ask you to do needlework in the future?"

Xiren didn't know how to answer for a moment. At this time, Li Ma rushed out from the crowd and smiled flatteringly: "How can I be worthy of the young lady to call her sister? Madam promised her to my son. She will go back to get married in the next few days. From now on, she will not serve in Master Bao's room."

Xichun felt quite sorry after hearing this, and asked again: "I haven't seen Brother Bao recently. Did he move to the front yard and not come over to greet the old ancestor?"

Li Ma Ma smiled and replied, "How could that be possible? Recently, Master Bao has been under the watchful eye of the Second Master to study! It is not unusual for us to not meet the Grandmother because we have been in her room for such a short time. Fourth Miss, the Grandmother is still waiting for my wife to kowtow to her!"

Xichun stared at their departing figures in a daze, and when she came to her senses, she found her three sisters covering their mouths and laughing. She was immediately annoyed, thinking that her sisters were making fun of her again.

Daiyu saw that the situation was not good, and hurriedly explained: "We are laughing at Baoyu. He is being watched by his second uncle to read his least favorite book. We don't mean to make fun of you!"

"That's more like it!" Xichun's expression relaxed. Imagining the pain Baoyu was feeling while studying, she couldn't help but smile.

Yingchun followed Daiyu into the room and commented curiously, "It's strange that Jia Zheng didn't let Baoyu be beaten with a stick this time!"

Daiyu sneered, "It's not that he doesn't want to, he's obviously worried that the old ancestor will find out about what happened in the front yard and blame him. In the final analysis, it's because he doesn't manage the household well. Those servants followed Xue Pan for a short time before they completely rebelled and didn't tell Jia Zheng anything. He's really useless as the head of the family."

Yingchun's eyes widened: "This is already the third group of servants following Xue Pan!"

Daiyu also smiled gloatingly and said, "That's right. I think the manor is almost full. Haha, after Xiren leaves, who among the remaining maids in Baoyu's room can become the queen?"

Yingchun glared at Daiyu unhappily: "How would I know that?"

"Good sister, let's just guess!" Daiyu hugged Yingchun's arm and acted coquettishly, "Do you still want to go back to the days of installing wood? That's so boring!"

Yingchun suppressed her laughter and suggested, "There has to be some luck, otherwise it would be boring just guessing!"

"So what do you want to win?"

Yingchun thought for a moment and said, "I've given you a birthday gift this year, but you haven't given me one yet! Just pick a piece of cloth, whether it's Yunjin or Songjin, Xiangyunsha or Hualuo."

Although Daiyu didn't know much about fabrics and patterns, she had heard about which fabrics were more rare when she had worked with Fang Shuntai Garment Shop before.

She pinched Yingchun's waist: "You are so rude!"

"Just tell me whether you want to play or not!" Yingchun was obviously cheating.

"Let's play! Why not?" Daiyu rolled her eyes and smiled slyly, "It's not impossible to give you a piece, but the prize we're going to give you is the time when you give us the cloth."

"How to say?"

"If you win, I will give you a piece before I return to Yangzhou." Daiyu deliberately kept the question a secret, and only revealed the answer after Yingchun urged her, "But if I win, then this piece of material will be one of the dowry I give you, how about that?"

"You little rascal!"

Daiyu played with Yingchun for a while and then went to the servants' courtyard, where Baishao had been waiting for a long time.

"Girl, Fang Shuntai's people are here to urge us."

Daiyu raised her eyebrows and asked, "Can't you bear it so soon?"

Bai Shao nodded in agreement: "That's right! This time, not only is the selection held every three years, but we are also selecting a princess's reading companion. Those noble ladies are really trying their best to get in!"

"We are selecting a study partner, not a concubine. Why wear such expensive clothes?" Daiyu sneered. "Forget it. We just need to make money. There is no need to remind those people. Tell Fang Shuntai's shopkeeper that I can take out eight rolls of expensive cloth at a time, but for the next three months, I can only take out one roll each month. Ask him if he accepts this method of delivery. If not, then we have to follow the terms of the contract. We can't indulge his bad habit of asking for whatever he wants!"

"Yes, girl!"

Seeing Bai Shao was about to leave, Daiyu hurriedly called her back and took out a thumb-sized bottle from her sleeve and handed it to her: "This contains a drop of tonic. You all know the effect of this thing. Give it to Zhu Hui and ask her to find a chance to add it to Qin Keqing's food."

Bai Shao knew the importance of this thing, so she took the bottle and immediately went to the East Palace.

Daiyu was the only one left in the room. She sat alone in the upper seat with her eyelids lowered. Her expression was flickering, making it impossible to tell whether she was happy or angry.

It was at this time that Lin Ji came in. He walked silently to Daiyu's side and asked respectfully, "Miss, do you have any instructions for me?"

"We have been working with Fang Shuntai for nearly half a year. Has anyone found out the source of these fabrics during this period?"

Lin Ji thought for a moment and replied, "Yes, but the one who contacted us was Fang Shuntai's young master, and the location of our delivery was different each time, sometimes in a restaurant, sometimes in a teahouse, and it has never been repeated.

There were a few times when we noticed that Mr. Fang was being followed, so we changed the transaction location. Therefore, no one has discovered our identity yet. It’s just…”

"Just say what you want to say!" Seeing that he was a little hesitant, Daiyu knew that Lin Ji must have found some important clues.

"It's just that the Fang family is not united. Many of them want to find out the source of these fabrics. Should we continue to cooperate with Young Master Fang?"

"Why do you want to terminate the cooperation? Since those people have not appeared in front of us yet, it means that the people under Master Fang are still reliable and have hidden the news very well."

Daiyu raised her head and warned Lingji: "The character of the person you cooperate with is often more important than his ability. Because a strong person who may betray you is far more destructive than a mediocre loyal servant. You must remember this."

"Yes! I remember it!" Lin Ji clasped his fists and kept Daiyu's instructions in mind.

In the days that followed, when he chose people to be promoted, he regarded this principle as the primary condition, eliminating many potential risks for Daiyu. However, this is a story for later.

A few days later, it was Qingming Festival, and Daiyu went to Hongji Temple as usual to perform rituals and pray for Jia Min, but this time, she went alone.

Yingchun had her first menstrual period and was lying in bed feeling uncomfortable. Daiyu thought her situation was special and it would be better for her not to go. Xichun, on the other hand, chose to accompany Lady Jia over going out for a delicious meal.