The Eighteenth Century of Xuyang in the Red Chamber

However, it has been almost 100 years since Taizu conquered the country. Although there have been occasional wars in these years, the foundation of the country has not been shaken. The latest national drought was 5 years ago. Except for some poor and remote areas, there is no Good fields, so some years have never had a good harvest.In most places, the weather has been smooth and rainy for several years in a row, and the whole country is a scene of prosperity.

Since ancient times, Jiangsu and Zhejiang have been a land of fish and rice, and it goes without saying that the people are rich.And the granary is full of etiquette.Therefore, talents and famous ministers are rare in other places, but in these two places, in the past hundred years, there are countless famous people, even if they cannot be described by words like "crossing the river crucian carp", they can be described as "too numerous to enumerate" Absolutely not too much.

Lin Ruhai, who was the censor of Yanyan at that time, was also a well-known talent in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, but this former Tanhualang, now a doctor of Lantai Temple who lives in the third rank, is deeply trusted by the saints and appointed concurrently. Yushi Xunyan (*Note 1) has lost sons and wives one after another in recent years. Lin Tanhua, who used to be tall and jade-faced, is now only in her forties, but her hair is already half white, and her back is not so straight up.

On this day, Lin Ruhai was on duty in the yamen, and the chief who was close to him came in with Fushun, and said: "My lord, this is the mansion newspaper at the beginning of the month, and the letter from the eldest girl just arrived." Go ahead and present it with both hands. Two envelopes, one large and one small.

Flipping through the mansion newspaper, there seemed to be no important news, so she put it aside and picked up another small envelope. Lin Ruhai sighed, her daughter was sent away by her mother-in-law a year ago. I only received four envelopes. Although the daughter's letter said that everything was going well, please don't worry about it, but father and daughter are connected, how can I not know that my daughter is early, even if it is not going I'm very happy, and I won't say it out loud to make myself worry.Fortunately, it is my daughter's ancestral home after all, but it is not as comfortable as my own home, with my mother-in-law protecting me, at most I just quarrel with my cousins, and I can't bear any serious grievances.It's better than being by your side, being uneducated, and saying that you won't be able to get married in the future.

After a day's work, he went straight to the back house.Lin Ruhai lived in an official mansion, with the yamen in front and the back house in the back, so it was very convenient to go to and from work.

After Jia Min passed away that day, Lin Ruhai was so sad that he almost lost all thoughts, and because he believed that he was destined to have no children, after sending his daughter away, Lin Ruhai simply dispersed all the concubines and concubines, leaving only Jia Min back then. The pen and ink girl who waited by his side before entering the door, now an old aunt who is nearly fifty years old helps him manage the inner house. She says she manages the inner house, but in fact it is just a monthly payment. Seeing the servants and maids, don’t be lazy. !Now there is only Lin Ruhai as the master in the whole house, and this Aunt Meng has always been aloof from the world, even though she has raised her aunt earlier, she has always regarded herself as the pen-and-ink girl next to Lin Ruhai, and her behavior is extremely simple.Because I live in an official residence in Yangzhou, most of the servants are purchased locally. Mrs. Jia passed away, the eldest girl was sent to her grandfather's house, and almost all the aunts at home have left. There were too many, Lin Ruhai dispersed most of the locally purchased servants and maids who were not needed in the back house.In the back house, apart from the maids who served her and the maids who used to serve her daughter, there were only a dozen or so women who did the rough work, did the cooking, and looked after the door of the back house.

It was still early, so Lin Ruhai advanced into the study.Just as I was about to flip through the book, I heard my book boy tell me that Aunt Meng was here.Lin Ruhai knew that Aunt Meng must have dragged her to the garden to relax again. Although she was unwilling, it was Aunt Meng's kindness, so she called her in.

Sure enough, as soon as Aunt Meng came in, she smiled and said: "Today's weather is just right, master, why don't you go for a walk by the lake to bask in the sun." After that, no matter whether Lin Ruhai agreed or not, she helped him go out the door.It's not that Lin Ruhai is so obedient to Aunt Meng, it's just that in the past, she used to say that she was busy with business, it was late, or the weather was bad, etc., but this Aunt Meng is not usually smart, but it is related to Lin Ruhai's physical affairs , she is not ambiguous at all, if you say that she is busy with business, she will wait by the side; if you say that it is late, she will go to hold the lantern; Circle Wuqinxi?" All kinds of things.If she changed to another house, she might be outdone, but Lin Ruhai is free and easy by nature, and knows good and evil. Aunt Meng is not a smooth talker, so she would rather annoy him than make him move around. It is nothing more than his body, so how can he not know what is good or bad?So although I was a little impatient, I followed her.

Aunt Meng accompanied Lin Ruhai for a walk around the small lake. Because of the gloomy sky and autumn, the lotus and leaves on the lake were so bleak, and seeing that there seemed to be sadness in Lin Ruhai's eyes, she thought for a while and said: " Not long after that day, the eldest girl was enlightened, and she read the sentence "Leave the residual lotus to listen to the sound of the rain", and said she liked it, so the master told the women not to clean up these lotus leaves and let them go. Although I can read a few words, I don't know. What kind of poems do you know, but this poem, I remember it very clearly. It seems to be raining today, and the master can also listen to the sound of the rain falling on the residual lotus, but I don’t know how the whole poem is written?"

"Zhuwu is dust-free, the water is clear, and lovesickness is separated from the heavy city. The autumn shade does not disperse and the frost flies late, leaving the remnants of the lotus to listen to the sound of the rain." With such an interruption, Lin Ruhai temporarily put aside the feeling of bleakness, but said softly Tell Aunt Meng about poetry. "This is Li Shangyin's "Suluo's Pavilion Sends Cui Yong and Cui Gon" not only Daiyu likes it, but my wife also liked this sentence very much that day. Daiyu is like her mother." At this point, most of the books were scattered Sorrow struck again: "When Madam was here, it was very pleasant to listen to the sound of raindrops on the lotus leaves with her, but now seeing this pool of remnants of flowers and fallen leaves, I just feel desolate."

Aunt Meng touched Lin Ruhai's grief when she saw it, and she was also a little poor.She is not a eloquent person, but for the sake of Lin Ruhai's body, she pestered him to relax every day, and she also relied on water to hone her skills, and because Lin Ruhai knew that she had good intentions and didn't particularly embarrass her, she could always follow him. come out.As for alleviating worries, or even specifically trying to please Lin Ruhai, she really had nothing to do—but then again, it was precisely because she was such a person that Lin Ruhai kept her by his side.

The two walked quietly by the lake, and Lin Ruhai suddenly said: "Xiangmo, I taught someone to buy a small yard in your hometown, and there are [-] acres of land." Aunt Meng was startled, and turned to look at Lin Ruhai, but she saw Lin Ruhai Turning her head and not looking at her again: "I asked people to inquire. Although your natal family has no close relatives, there are still some people in the same clan, and there are a few children whose parents are not around. The character is fair. I will let Mr. Li accompany you back. You pick and choose which child you like, and discuss it to raise it under your knees, so that you can rely on you when you are old..."

Aunt Meng lamented: "Why did the master say that, the master is here, what other people do I need to support me!"

Lin Ruhai's fingers trembled slightly: "How many days can you still rely on me? It's my fault. It has delayed you for many years. When Zhang Xiucai was gone that day, I should help you adopt a son with a good personality. After 20 years, I can't say You have already become a grandmother, it is better to make a false name here and accompany me to work hard, if I die, you have no relatives and no one to rely on, what can you do?"

"Master!" Aunt Meng sobbed, and cried, "I'm a dying person. When Jingming went with Brother Mu, I should go with them, but I can't swallow this breath! It hurt my husband and children. , if I close my eyes and die, who will avenge my husband and children...what about adoption! Uncles and brothers who were obviously trampled to death by the wicked, but who did not give up Wufu, took some money from others, and forced me, a widow, to accept my fate together Who wants to raise these ruthless thieves! It’s not about being greedy for my dowry, and who is really willing to call me a mother! When I leave, who can remember to offer a stick of incense to my husband and son! It’s Mrs. If they didn't take me in that day, I would have killed them in front of their Zhang family's ancestral hall, and I would never have satisfied their wishes. Master, don't say anything about what happened that day! My own life is miserable, and it has nothing to do with the master. If it weren't for the master , I have been forced to death by those goddamn people! Now I have revenged long ago. I have no property and no ability. I only hope to serve the body of the good master. When a good man gets married, when the master becomes a grandfather, if I am pleasing to the eye, I will continue to serve you. If you don’t need me anymore, then find me a quiet nunnery and let me go to pray for the master, wife and eldest daughter! Thanks to the great kindness of the master and wife!"

Lin Ruhai couldn't help but burst into tears: "Why are you bothering, how many days can I live?"

"The master is not seriously ill at all. If you think about the big girl and take care of your body, you can live a long life! But if the master insists on forcing himself to die, then send me to the nunnery directly! It will save you from looking sad !" This Aunt Meng has always been gentle, why was she ever so harsh?I regretted the words as soon as I said them, but I didn't know how to get them back, so I just sobbed softly.

The two were separated by half a foot, and each cried separately. One remembered that his dead wife had passed away, and his only daughter was not around; No one cares about the time, and just wants to cry happily.It was also fortunate that there were very few servants in Lin's mansion, and the two of them went out for a walk every evening without a maid, so no one saw them after such a commotion for a long time.

After crying for a long while, Aunt Meng regained her strength, took out a handkerchief and wiped her face, then took out a new handkerchief and handed it to Lin Ruhai. Can't help being discouraged: "We people with gray hair, what kind of trouble is this?"

Aunt Meng also felt that it was very boring, so she just took back her handkerchief and said angrily: "Who wants to make trouble! He's a man in his tens! He lives and dies all day long, and he is not afraid of being laughed at."

"It's just talking today, why is it all day again?" Lin Ruhai was not annoyed: "I haven't seen you cry for more than [-] years. I remember the last time I was angry, I drew you with a turtle face!"

"There is no one more naughty than you..." Aunt Meng sighed leisurely: "You still say I cry? How old was I at that time? A little girl who is seven or eight years old, you painted a turtle face, and you can't wash it off. Are you going to cry? I thought you were a naughty boy, who knew that the most stable young master was so naughty behind his back!"

The two chattered, but they remembered a lot of childhood fun.This Aunt Meng was originally Lin Ruhai's girl with a very decisive personality. She didn't want to stay in the Lin Mansion as a slave for the rest of her life, so she redeemed herself and married outside to become a proper lady. So he was left alone, and after a lot of training, he was taken back to the mansion by Jia Min. Because he was cold-hearted towards the relatives of his deceased husband's family, he simply pretended to be an aunt and stayed by Lin Ruhai's side. After serving Lin Ruhai for a while, now she is lonely and has no one to take care of her, so she simply said that she became an aunt with him, because Aunt Meng redeemed her body when she left the Lin residence, so even though she was married, she was a son of a good family, on the contrary, she was the only one in the Lin residence. Serious concubine.Aunt Meng herself is different from those slave concubines, and Lin Ruhai has been in love with her for more than thirty years. Although they have never had physical contact, they regard each other as relatives. Two years older than him, two and a half old people, even if one has no husband and the other has lost his wife, when they meet each other, they still look like a beautiful couple, and they only regard each other as a reliance.

After spending some time outside, Aunt Meng walked back to the inner study with Lin Ruhai, nagging all the way: "Look, you've only walked a few steps, and you're panting from exhaustion. Your body is not as strong as mine! Let me tell you, What book do you read early in the morning every day? Do you think you have little ink in your stomach? Why don’t you come out and walk around, it’s better to have a stronger body than anything else!” After crying for a while, she faintly put away some of the things that have been between the two of them for these years. The taboo and estrangement are gone by crying.

What is there to avoid?In fact, outsiders see Aunt Meng as Lin Ruhai's concubine, and she can't change if she hides away.In the past, it was not good to make Jia Min think too much about being taboo. After all, he was talking about a name, and it would not look good if he walked too close.But what are you avoiding now?The only one who knows the frankness between the two is the two of them!What are you arguing about!

Things in this world are always either okay or okay for a while, and if something happens, it will definitely happen one after another.Lin Ruhai received a letter from her daughter early in the morning, and was in a bad mood to toss with Aunt Meng again. Before returning to the study room to warm up the chair, she saw her little book Tong Huiming bumping into it.

"My lord, is there a monk outside who wants to see you?"

Lin Ruhai got upset when he heard the monk, so he reprimanded: "The monk is here, just give alms, take the vegetarian food and give it to him, and give him a few hundred dollars! You have to come and disturb me for such a small matter."

Huiming was only eleven or twelve years old, and although he could read and read with Lin Ruhai, he was a real person, and he said honestly: "The monk said that he is not a monk, so he doesn't want to give alms, he just wants to see the master! He talked about..."

"What did you say? Your stuttering in a hurry is exactly the same as your father!" Seeing Huiming stuttering, Lin Ruhai laughed instead. His only son is gone, so he likes him as soon as he sees him, so he loves him. Although the little book boy scolded him occasionally, he was really generous most of the time.

"The monk, no, the monk who said he was not a monk said that the master must see him, he can save the young lady's life!"

"Shoot out!" Lin Ruhai became irritable when he heard this, and he would be irritable if he put it on anyone. As soon as he left, he said a bunch of stupid things, and now another monk came and said he wanted to save his daughter's life, what a mess!

"You can't fight!" Huiming was also tangled up. He vaguely knew a little about what happened back then, and he also knew that his master hated these monks and Taoists the most, but this time it didn't just happen by just beating him away: "As soon as he did this Said that Old Wu, the concierge, was about to kick him out, so he gave Lao Wu a book and asked him to hand it over to the master, saying that the master would understand after reading it, please read the book before deciding whether to drive him out!" After finishing speaking, he handed over a book and stood aside in a respectful manner.

Lin Ruhai was bored, but he still took the book, and was taken aback when he picked it up.It's not for other reasons, but the material of this book is indeed something that Lin Ruhai has never seen before.Although there were many kinds of paper at that time, how many famous papers were there that Lin Ruhai's Tanhualang had never seen?But the paper of this book in my hand is indeed too strange. The cover is thick and tough, and the characters and portraits on it are printed, but there is no unevenness. The surface is as smooth as jade, and it feels as smooth as it looks, even a little slippery. hand.On the cover of the book, I saw a lady standing among the colorful fallen flowers... her face is not very clear, and the artist who drew the picture may not be a famous person, but the printing is very exquisite, as clear as a new painting.But for some reason, it was clearly just a poorly painted picture of a lady. When Lin Ruhai saw this picture, her heart beat like a drum, her mouth felt dry and her eyes were dry, and she felt in a trance that the lady with a vague face had changed. The appearance of his wife Jia Min when she was young is also like Daiyu who has grown up, her ears are buzzing, her hands are trembling but she can't speak.

Huiming was so frightened that he stepped forward to support Lin Ruhai in a panic, stepped back a few steps and sat on the chair, and blurted out a curse: "Damn monk, what kind of harmful thing did you take, and asked me to take this demon book?" Get out, teach someone to lock him up and go to the government!"

"Shut up!" Lin Ruhai forced himself to calm down, and waved Huiming to stand aside. Feeling that his eyes were not shaking so much, he looked at the book cover carefully again, and saw that the lady's face was indeed not very clear, but somehow felt that this I am afraid that the painting looks like a grown-up daughter.I also saw a few large characters "Dream of Red Mansions" written neatly but without any character next to the lady, and suddenly remembered what Cai Huiming said just now about the monk talking about his daughter. Goodbye, one of these three characters is "dream". The words are even more unknown.Stretch out your hand casually, and feel that it is thin and tough. I have never seen such a fine and firm paper. I turned over half of the book with my hand. I just glanced at the book. Fainted, that page was densely packed with many characters, much smaller than usual book characters, but there are a few characters that stand out clearly:

"No.14 Returning to Lin Ruhai to donate the museum to pay homage to the King of Beijing on Jia Baoyu Road in Yangzhou City."

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The author has something to say:

Note 1: About Lin Ruhai's official position.The original text says "Lin Ruhai's surname is Lin and his name is Hai, and his name is Ruhai. He is an ex-convict Tanhua. He has been promoted to the doctor of Lantai Temple. He was born in Gusu. He has been hand-picked as the censor of Yanyan. He has been in office for more than a month. . ” The post of inspecting salt censor only existed in the Ming and Qing dynasties.In the Ming Dynasty, there was the post of inspector of salt and censor, but it was only a junior official of the seventh rank, while Lantai Temple was the imperial censor, and the doctor of Lantai Temple was actually the imperial censor. This was a real high-ranking official, usually of the second or third rank. .It is very unlikely that such a high-ranking official will become a junior official of the seventh rank.In the early Qing Dynasty, there was also the post of inspector of salt and censor, whose rank was not determined, and was concurrently held by senior officials of the first and second ranks, and the term of office was only one year. This is a good way to effectively prevent corruption and bribery in this lucrative position.Therefore, I think it is more reasonable to use this explanation for Lin Ruhai's official position, but it cannot be imposed on the Qing Dynasty, because the Qing Dynasty did not have the official title of Lantai Temple doctor, and the original text did not mention that Lin Ruhai's term of office expired after one year and then he would stop. Now that he is serving concurrently, it is obvious that he did not return to Beijing to continue to be his doctor at Lantai Temple.So it can only be said that Cao Xueqin synthesized his own era to create a hodgepodge, which is empty anyway, and it would be a joke if he copied it mechanically from a certain dynasty. I changed it here. Although the post of Shi can be held concurrently, it is not limited to one year. Anyway, the fact that a high-ranking official holds the post concurrently guarantees integrity. According to the evaluation of officials at that time, the examination is held every three years, and one term can be held for three years. Years, and due to the particularity of the position, generally not re-elected.