PFC Chapter 63 Finding the Right Middleman
Chapter 63 Finding the Right Middleman
With Jia Daishan's words, Grandmother Jia and Jia Min felt much more at ease and stopped worrying. Grandmother Jia immediately took Jia Min to ask the renowned healer, Madam Sheng, to examine her.
However, Lin Ruhai was in a daze when he returned to the Lin residence. His servant Lin He couldn't help but see his young master picking up air and trying to put it in his mouth again while eating.
"Young Master, what's wrong with you too?"
Lin Ruhai snapped out of his daze and looked at his servant with a bewildered expression, asking, "What's wrong?"
"Young Master, you've been acting strangely ever since you returned from the Duke's mansion. What happened?" Lin He suddenly asked, somewhat indignantly.
"Is it because the Duke's mansion is abusing its power to force the young master to do something?"
Lin Ruhai frowned after listening.
"Don't talk nonsense! Although the Duke holds a high position, he behaves with propriety and treats people very well. How could he be the kind of person who abuses his power to oppress others!"
After saying that, Lin Ruhai thought of the girl in pink he had just glimpsed, and his ears turned red.
Lin He saw that his young master had the same expression as before, and this time even his ears were red with anger. Lin He was even angrier now; his young master must be afraid to tell the truth. Their Lin family had no influence in the capital; it was truly unfair to their young master.
Lin Ruhai inwardly cursed himself for having studied Confucian classics for so many years, how could he have been so presumptuous with the beauty in his heart? After trying to suppress his emotions, he looked at his servant's indignant expression.
I don't know what's wrong with my childhood friend. Thinking of my mother, who has already come to Beijing, I asked:
"Mother, how much longer until we reach Beijing?"
It wasn't that he was lying; the truth he was telling the Duke was that he had only just learned that his mother had arrived by boat a month ago, and hadn't even allowed the household steward to inform him. He only received his mother's letter today when he returned home.
Lin He thought for a moment,
"The messenger who came today said that the old lady will be able to arrive in the capital in three days."
Lin Ruhai was somewhat helpless that his mother hadn't told him beforehand before bringing people to the capital. The journey was long, and his mother had never traveled far before, which made him very worried.
After dinner, Lin Ruhai went to his study to copy scriptures. He was restless and became increasingly frustrated as he wrote, so he put down his pen and prepared to take a walk in the garden.
The cool breeze in the garden cleared his head considerably. He recalled what he'd heard earlier—was his uncle calling him? And today, he'd heard young Master Jia Zhu call that fairy "aunt." Could it be…?
Lin Ruhai sighed involuntarily. What was wrong with him? Was he really getting old and it was time to settle down? He wasn't a womanizer. His mother had even arranged for him to have a maidservant, but he refused. He only wanted to study hard and take the imperial examinations. His mother saw that he had no interest in that and was afraid it would affect his studies, so she didn't make any more arrangements.
How could I have heard all this today, and then been so captivated by that fleeting glimpse that it was etched into my heart? That fairy must be the Duke's only daughter. Although my ancestors were hereditary marquises and I myself had achieved the third rank in the imperial examination, I was not a suitable match for her.
Thinking of this, Lin Ruhai felt a pang of sadness in his heart and couldn't go on. He went back and carefully copied the scriptures in order to calm his mind.
"Miss is perfectly healthy. She just needs to move around more often, as sitting still for long periods is not good for her health."
Seeing that Jia Min was in good health, Grandmother Jia was relieved and thanked the skilled nurse. She then had a maid deliver a gift as a token of her gratitude.
"Now your mother's heart is at ease a little. After I find two more doctors who know medicine, I will study hard with the nanny for a year, and then I will go and follow you."
Grandmother Jia held Jia Min's hand and said, "Just now, Grandmother Jia and the skilled nurse were discussing how to find a few people knowledgeable in medicine to accompany my daughter when she gets married."
The skilled nanny understood perfectly well. She had seen all sorts of despicable tricks in the palace. She was moved by Grandmother Jia's maternal heart and heard that Grandmother Jia was willing to provide her with a courtyard after she left the palace, and to find her adopted sons and daughters to take care of her in her old age and see her off in her final days.
Grandmother Jia had inquired beforehand and learned that this skilled nanny never married.
Thanks to the Empress's grace, these skilled nannies, once they reached the age of sixty and had taught their apprentices, could have their families take them home to care for them.
Although the skilled nurse had saved a lot of money over the years, she still had no family to help her in the palace, and she was worried about leaving the palace when the time came.
The Empress said that if there were no relatives, they could stay in the palace and everything would continue as usual. But these skilled nannies, though they sounded nice, were they really just serving people, or risking their lives with a single mistake? Having finally managed to leave the palace, who would want to serve people again?
Grandmother Jia's words struck a chord with the nanny. She readily agreed, and the nanny, wanting to curry favor, suggested that if the newcomer was clever, she could make a good connection and take her on as an apprentice. Grandmother Jia was pleased, seeing this as an extra layer of security for her daughter.
Jia Min had witnessed everything that Grandmother Jia had done, and deeply moved, she spoke up:
"Thank you, Mother! It is Min'er who has been unfilial and made you worry."
“Silly child, why are you saying such silly things? You are my only daughter, who else should I worry about if not you?”
The mother and daughter were very close. Jia Daishan was troubled, trying to find someone to act as a mediator. Too low a position would be beneath the dignity of both families. Too high a position would also be unacceptable, lest people say that his and his family were arrogant. Besides, he didn't want too many people to know.
After thinking it over, Jia Daishan's eyes lit up; he had a perfect candidate he had forgotten about.
Lin Ruhai's superior, the Imperial Censor, was not acquainted with his in-laws. Thinking of this, Jia Daishan immediately wrote a letter and sent it to Zhang Heming.
When Zhang Heming received Jia Daishan's letter, he thought Jia Hu had said something again, so he quickly closed the doors and windows before carefully opening the letter.
Upon seeing this, he laughed. It turned out that they wanted to find someone to act as a middleman. Zhang Heming thought about Lin Ruhai, a rare young talent, and it was no wonder that his in-laws were satisfied.
This is good news, so I immediately wrote a letter and sent it to the Imperial Censor.
The Imperial Censor was also surprised when he saw the letter. Although Lin Ruhai was quite a good man, and his ancestors had been marquises, it was still a great honor for the Duke's family to be associated with him.
This Duke's mansion only has one daughter in this generation, and Jia Daishan is actually willing to let his daughter marry down. Given the Emperor's current favor towards the Jia family, this Jia family's daughter is highly sought after when she marries a prince.
The Imperial Censor pondered for a long time, and finally a realization dawned on him. He suddenly sighed, realizing his shortsightedness. The Jia family was incredibly influential in the capital! So many people wanted to curry favor with them, yet Jia Daishan remained unmoved and extremely low-key. He must have understood that the Jia family absolutely could not afford to be in the limelight any longer.
The fact that Miss Jia is now marrying down is actually a form of protection for her. If the Jia family were to form an alliance with another noble family's prince through marriage, they would inevitably be forced to choose sides. Considering the princes' private struggles, the Imperial Censor couldn't help but admire Jia Daishan's foresight. Moreover, Lin Ruhai comes from a respectable family of scholars, and he himself is ambitious. With Jia Daishan protecting him, his future achievements are sure to be remarkable.
Thinking of this, the Imperial Censor laughed and cursed, "That Jia Daishan is truly a cunning old fox."