Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

Chapter 262: The Rebellious Son and the Widow’s Eldest Son

Lin Daiyu was brought onto the ship and led to the third floor.

——After all, other people lived on the first two floors, and the third floor belonged to Prince Beijing alone.

Entering the spacious room, Lin Daiyu looked at the dazzling array of jewelry inside with a cold gaze.

Emperor Zhaoming sent Prince Beijing to quell the flood in the south of the Yangtze River, prevent post-disaster epidemics, and stabilize the victims and refugees.

It's a chore.

Not only do they have to go to the dams to inspect the construction work, but they also have to go around the villages to comfort the sick and the victims. Regardless of whether they are busy or tired, at least this should not be a job that makes money.

But looking at the glittering gold, silver and jewelry on this big ship, it is obvious that Prince Beijing had embezzled a lot of the disaster relief funds for his own benefit.

Moreover, this Prince Beijing, with his foolish head, actually laid out the evidence of corruption in plain sight!

Just right.

Today, let the Supreme see with his own eyes what kind of person Shui Rong, the Prince of Beijing, whom he brought up and was praised by the court and the people, is!

The Northern King saw Daiyu's eyes wandering over those rare treasures, and couldn't help but smile smugly:

"Zhao Qing, do you think these things of mine are worth looking at?"

Lin Daiyu turned away coldly and said nothing.

Prince Beijing was mentally prepared to remain in a stalemate with her for a long time, so he smiled and did not get angry, and sat down first.

Then he ordered people to serve tea and prepare a banquet: "Brew the best tea, serve the most exquisite dishes, and a pot of the most fragrant wine."

Daiyu took light steps and slowly moved to the window.

She remembered the direction she came on board and the position of the ship. From the window on this side, she should be able to see the vague situation on the shore below the ship.

Zijuan and Qingwen followed closely behind her, standing between her and Prince Beijing.

"I asked the chief secretary to go to your house to inquire about your horoscope earlier. In fact, it was a hint to Rongfu that I wanted to marry Zhaoqing."

Prince Beijing looked at the two maids protecting their master and did not find it strange. He just opened his mouth to plead his case.

"Who knew that Rong Mansion had already displeased you and you didn't have much contact with them. Things got out of hand.

"You thought I had bad intentions, so you used a trick to make me go to the Supreme Lord to ask for marriage.

“But first of all, you are the orphan of the late Marquis Wen’an, and both His Majesty and His Majesty value your father, so they naturally won’t let you be a concubine.

“Secondly, I am just a king of a different surname, not a descendant of an emperor, so I am not worthy of you.

"Actually, it's nothing. I just felt uncomfortable because I heard that Baoyu kept pestering you."

Hearing this, Lin Daiyu's eyes turned cold and she finally turned around.

Prince Beijing was refreshed and immediately continued the topic:

"It is said that Baoyu has a gentle personality and is easygoing, and you and he are childhood sweethearts, so you know each other very well.

"If you are really just an orphan with nothing, then he and you can be considered a good match.

"But your father left you a fortune, and the Supreme Lord made you a princess, so what he has is not enough.

“Even though the Rongguo Mansion was once glorious, Baoyu himself was just a commoner, with no talent for literature or martial arts, and no chance of being promoted to an official position.

"He is powerless, and you are a secluded woman. Why does he think he is worthy of you and can protect you?"

Daiyu looked away again, a little dazed.

For many years in the previous life, the Jia family had a particularly close relationship with the Nan'an and Beijing families.

Even when Lady Jia celebrated her 80th birthday, the dowager empresses and princesses from both mansions came to Rong Mansion in person to celebrate.

How could the Prince of Beijing in this life look down on Jia so much?

Just because I lived again and got the inheritance left by my father?

Or did my father make a completely different choice in that life because of his attitude of being close to the Jia family, so that Jia helped the Southern and Northern kings in other aspects?

Qingwen and Zijuan watched their daughter become distracted by Prince Beijing's incessant chatter.

Zijuan was very anxious, and she reached out her hand quietly in the shadows and tugged at Daiyu's clothes.

When Daiyu came to her senses, she heard Prince Beijing speaking nonsense and making up stories:

"...Ask around the court and see if there is anyone who dares to ask you for marriage?

"You are one of the five things not to marry in the Book of Rites: not marrying a son of a rebellious family, and not marrying the eldest son of a widow!"

Daiyu finally raised her eyes to look at him and said in a cold voice: "Rebellious son?"

Prince Beijing smiled slightly and said, "You think that since you asked the emperor to grant you a house and the Supreme Lord conferred you the title of Princess, it makes sense for you to move out of the Jia Mansion?

"Your father has entrusted you to the Jia family, so you must obey your father's orders and stay in the Jia family and listen to your maternal uncle.

“This is a serious matter of following your father at home.

"If you can't do this, you are unfilial and rebellious!

"If you are not a rebellious son, then who is?!"

Daiyu sneered, "When my father was dying, I was the only one by his side. This is evidenced by the servants of the Lin family and the palace supervisor.

"You said my father entrusted me to Jia, what evidence do you have?

“I said that my father had told me to be independent and entrusted me to the palace supervisor to look after me, but there was a letter my father had written to the palace supervisor.

"Prince Beijing, just for such a little selfish motive, are you so unscrupulous as to frame me like this?"

Prince Beijing was speechless for a moment.

What he originally wanted to say was that Lin Daiyu was fostered in the Jia family by Lin Ruhai when she was six or seven years old.

Unexpectedly, Lin Daiyu immediately brought up Lin Ruhai's last words.

Lin Daiyu's face was icy: "Prince Beijing, you have to understand: I am willing to follow you all the way here, not because I am afraid.

“It’s because, after all, you are His Majesty’s envoy in charge of tackling the floods in the south of the Yangtze River, and you are the orphan of a meritorious official who was raised by His Majesty since childhood.

"If I were to argue with you in front of all the people, it would be nothing more than making a fool of the court!

"As expected, you have lost your prestige in front of everyone. The situation in Jiangnan, which has just been stabilized, may become turbulent again.

"I am doing this for the dignity of the court and the general good of the people. Don't be too arrogant. Do you really think I am Zhaoqing and I am afraid of you!"

These words were so righteous, magnanimous, and generous that Prince Beijing's eyebrows almost flew up to the sky.

Prince Beijing couldn't help but laugh: "You are a girl in seclusion, what do you know about the political situation?

"Since you said you're not afraid of me, fine!

"Now that you are on my boat, I can start our journey straight to Yangzhou.

"When the time comes, I'll take you to sit with your father's former colleagues.

"Just say that you are willing to be my concubine, and from now on you have established your status. What can you do to me?"

As he said this, he raised his hand and pointed out the window, "Unless you have the determination to jump down from here and die.

"Then I really admire you!

"But now you have money at home and farms outside. You are called a princess, and the most common titles are queen mother and queen dowager.

"Are you willing to die?"

Outside the cabin, the Supreme's face was livid and his teeth were clenched, but the Queen Mother, who looked murderous, grabbed his arm tightly:

"Wait for me a moment!

"Don't save him now!

"I want to see how far this dignified Prince Beijing can go!"