Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 16 Memorial

"A ten-mile-long street connects the bustling market, and on the moonlit bridge, one can see immortals."

"Life is only fit to end in Yangzhou; the scenery of Chanzhi Mountain makes for a fine burial ground."

As Jia Lian rode his horse through Yangzhou, he was immediately captivated by the bustling scene of this water town in Huainan.

Ancient roads and long streets, willows and painted bridges, wind-blown curtains and emerald screens.

Although it is a small prefecture, its scenery and atmosphere are far superior to those in the capital!

No wonder scholars throughout history have favored Yangzhou, saying things like "Of the three parts of the moonlit night in the world, two parts are in Yangzhou, a place of scoundrels," and "The spring breeze blows for ten miles along the Yangzhou road, but nothing can compare to the beauty of Yangzhou with its beaded curtains rolled up."

However, Jia Lian didn't have much time to appreciate the scenery of Yangzhou at the moment. He casually asked a passerby for directions to the Salt Administration Office and then led Zhao'er and the others there.

This was only the fifth day of their journey south!

Driven by Jia Lian's insistence and the money, the group of seven traveled almost day and night, arriving in Yangzhou in just four days.

Because the city gates were already closed when I arrived late last night, I had to stay at a farmhouse outside the city for half the night. This morning, I entered the city, found an inn, took a bath and rested, and then immediately set off for the Lin family.

……

There are four major salt administrations in the country, and Yangzhou is the most important one.

Salt tax has been one of the most important sources of revenue for the government since ancient times, and today it even accounts for nearly 20 million taels of regular salt tax revenue!

Therefore, the status of Yangzhou Salt Administration, which governs the Huai River region and accounts for nearly half of the salt tax revenue in the country, is evident from this.

Moreover, by this term, the status of the Yangzhou Salt Administration Office had become increasingly prominent.

This is because the current Salt Commissioner is not only a scholar of noble birth who has achieved the rank of Tan Hua, but also a high-ranking official of the third rank when he was appointed to Salt Administration, with a solid family background!

When such a person arrived in Yangzhou, how could all sorts of shady characters not treat him with caution?

Even the prefect of Yangzhou could not interfere with the salt administration, and being two ranks lower than the highest-ranking official, he had to bow to the other party before meeting them. This was a frustrating matter for the prefect of Yangzhou that he could not openly discuss.

The Salt Commissioner's Office was divided into two parts: the front was the official residence, used for office work and the residences of a few officials, while the rear was the official residence of the chief official, Lin Ruhai.

In fact, most local government offices in the Great Wei Dynasty were like this, combining the government office and the official residence of the officials into one. This not only made it convenient for officials to govern, but also allowed them to bring their wives and children to their side and enjoy family life together. This was commonly known as the official residence system.

At this moment, Jia Lian and his entourage arrived at the front of the Salt Commissioner's office. Although the gate was open, it was quiet inside.

However, many yamen runners were waiting outside the gate. When they saw Jia Lian dressed in white mourning clothes, they knew that he had come to pay his respects. So one of them immediately mounted his horse and led Jia Lian and the others eastward along the white wall.

Jia Lian was not surprised at all. Having spent many years in the capital, he still had these basic common sense facts.

No matter how high one's official rank, it is impossible to occupy the front government office for weddings and funerals. Therefore, Jia Min's mourning hall could only be set up in the private residence at the back.

According to feng shui principles, if the main gate cannot face south, the east gate is the preferred choice. This is because the Azure Dragon Gate is considered auspicious, so officials residing in government offices typically use the left-hand Azure Dragon Gate when traveling or visiting relatives.

Upon arriving at the main gate of the official residence on the east side, one indeed sees a desolate scene with white sails hanging high.

Within the high walls, the faint sounds of chanting sutras and reciting Buddhist prayers could be heard.

Jia Lian and his entourage slowly stopped in front of the gate. Soon, an elderly man dressed in white came out to greet them. He stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said, "I am the steward of this household. May I ask who this young master is...?"

The steward was very puzzled. Just by looking at the group of people in front of him, he knew they had come to offer condolences.

Firstly, Jia Lian and his entourage were complete strangers; secondly, more than ten days had passed since the day for sending the obituary, which was not the day when various families gathered to offer condolences; and thirdly, the family had not received any visiting cards. Therefore, Jia Lian's arrival was truly unexpected.

Furthermore, if it weren't for close relatives or descendants of the Lin family coming to pay their respects, simply dressing plainly and receiving a mourning sash from inside the gate would be sufficient respect. Why did Jia Lian end up completely in white mourning clothes?

As the Lin family's old steward, he was quite certain that if there was such a person in the Lin clan, he would definitely know him.

Jia Lian dismounted and bowed to the other party, saying in a deep voice, "This junior, Jia Lian of the Rongguo Mansion, has come to pay respects to my aunt on the orders of my ancestor."

Actually, the steward didn't recognize Jia Lian, but Jia Lian felt somewhat familiar with the steward.

Jia Min married Lin Ruhai when he was an official in the capital. Later, Lin Ruhai was transferred to a local post, and eventually returned to the capital. After being promoted to the position of Deputy Director of the Imperial Academy, he went directly to Yangzhou to take charge of the salt administration.

In other words, Lin Ruhai only lived in the capital for a few years after marrying Jia Min. Although he returned to the capital later, it was always to report on his duties and he never stayed in the capital to take up a post. This is also why Daiyu grew up in Jiangnan and never went to the capital with her father.

Therefore, Jia Lian remembered that he must have met this old steward of the Lin family when he was a child, but he couldn't remember the other party's name, so he pretended not to remember and just acted in a businesslike manner.

"The Rongguo Mansion?" The old steward was clearly taken aback.

That was the maternal home of their matriarch, so he naturally knew that. He just hadn't expected that the Rongguo Mansion, which was a thousand or two miles away, would send people over so quickly!

He thought that even if the Jia family were to go to Jiangnan, it would be a long time from now, and perhaps by then their mistress's coffin would have already been sent back to their ancestral home in Suzhou for burial.

However, the old steward reacted quickly. After judging that Jia Lian and the others were unlikely to be liars, he immediately showed joy: "So it's Second Master Lian who has arrived. This old servant will go and inform the master right away..."

Clearly, the steward knew Jia Lian's name, but he didn't recognize him in person.

"Wait a minute." Jia Lian called out to the old steward, his face showing no joy at the prospect of seeing his elders, only a deep sadness in his eyes.

"Take me to the mourning hall to kowtow to my aunt first, and then I will go to pay my respects to my uncle."

Influenced by Jia Lian's emotions, the old steward immediately concealed his excitement: "Second Master Lian is right, please..."

……

Inside a side hall on the south side of the Lin family's private residence.

Lin Ruhai looked at the dozen or so people in front of him and shook his head, saying, "It's no use for you all to pressure me. This is the will of the imperial court, and how can I possibly reject it on my own?"

"We dare not force you, sir. We only wish to ask you to uphold justice for us and explain our predicament to the court..."

"Yes, yes, this 'donation' is really too difficult for people. If it really can't be done, we can pay more taxes. This precedent of donations cannot be set!"

"That's right, Lord Lin. Ever since you became the Salt Commissioner, we have fully supported you. Every year, we have paid you every penny of the regular salt tax. Now, you can't just revoke our salt permits without a reason..."

"I said, I didn't mean to revoke your salt permits..." Lin Ruhai was exhausted by the repeated attempts to play the victim.

Just then, he saw the butler appear on the side of the hall, so he waved to him and asked what was wrong.

The old butler whispered a few words in Lin Ruhai's ear, which surprised Lin Ruhai. After nodding, he turned to the people in the hall and said, "I have some private matters to attend to, please excuse me for a moment."

Back in his study, Lin Ruhai finally asked, "Are you sure it's Jia Lian?"

The old steward said solemnly, "Reporting to Master, there is no mistake, it is definitely Second Master Lian of Rongguo Mansion."

Lin Ruhai echoed the old steward's earlier thought: "But the capital region is far away. Even if they received the news, they shouldn't have arrived so quickly. Could it be that he happens to be in the south?"

"Who says otherwise? Master, you don't know, the messengers you sent to the capital haven't returned yet!"

Indeed, how could the messenger from the Lin family have known that the Jia family would immediately send someone to Yangzhou, and by land? Not only by land, but also by fast horse, not by carriage?

This is outrageous!

Lin Ruhai was puzzled. He had traveled between Jiangnan and the capital countless times and knew how far the journey was. Even by carriage, it would take more than ten days to travel south, let alone by boat.

"If that's the case, why not bring him to see me?"

"Originally, this old servant was going to bring him to see the master, but Second Master Lian said that it was more important to pay respects to the madam first."

"Right now, Second Master Lian is reciting the eulogy in the mourning hall. Judging by its length, it probably won't be finished anytime soon."

Lin Ruhai stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "That's true. Their family is different from others; they have a more systematic approach and set of rules. In that case, after he finishes the ceremony, bring him to my study to see me."

The butler acknowledged, then asked, "And what about those people in the side hall...?"

"Just say I'm not feeling well and tell them to go home."

"Yes."

The butler immediately nodded, knowing that the master was also thoroughly fed up with those people.

Indeed, the master's spirits had been low since the madam passed away, and these people kept bothering him, which was the most despicable thing ever!

He turned to leave, hesitated for a long time, and then turned back.

"Is there anything else?"

"Reporting to Master, Young Master Lang and Young Master Yuan have disappeared again. They were seen at the mourning hall this morning, but we haven't seen them since."

Lin Ruhai paused slightly as he turned the page of the book, then said, "I understand, you may leave."

"Yes."