Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 908 Li Wan Discusses Family Affairs
In Rongguo Mansion,

It was a bustling scene. Most of the wall connecting the Ning and Rong mansions had been demolished. The construction of the school and Huifang Garden had also begun. Every day, the manager of Rongguo Mansion who was responsible for this area had to supervise the land. There were no idle people. This was all decided by the Second Mistress. If anyone was lazy, they would be sent away with money and would not be employed again. If they were slaves, they would be sold directly.
Under the strict order, even the old people in the mansion did not dare to be sneaky. In the large courtyard in the southeast corner, Wang Xifeng brought Ping'er here early and looked around. What needed to be cleaned up was cleaned up, and the people who were recruited were transporting the dismantled wood and stones.

"That master carpenter Song is really capable. This is the first time I've seen him work like this. He demolished most of the wall in two days. It's not impossible to finish it in three months."

"Grandma, don't worry. Since the story about Master Song's failure in Haikou must not be groundless. If you calculate it this way, you can save a lot of money."

Ping'er was also somewhat surprised. In the past, when people worked in the mansion, they would work slowly during the day and rest at night. It would take several months to build a house. Anyway, she had never seen it built like this.

"Well, you have to keep all the accounts. I'll also be required to approve the money. Some of the purchases will need to be increased, just the wood and stone materials, but the rest will need to be carefully examined."

Wang Xifeng was still a little depressed. The biggest sources of profit were wood and stone. She had thought of asking the marquis to get some from the Ministry of Works, but she didn't expect the old lady to think too much and wanted to buy them from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Not only would she not save any money, but she would have to spend more money. It would be better to just send the money over directly to save trouble.

"Yes, grandma, the silver is now locked in the warehouse, and the key is in my hand."

Ping'er felt that her grandmother was unhappy, and she didn't know why. Perhaps she missed Master Lian. She also missed him a little. After all, when Master Lian was around, he often teased her. She didn't know how Master Lian was doing now.

Outside the house,

Lai Wang, who was in charge of buying today's dishes, had already arrived at the old store at the entrance of Dongshi Street. He had already negotiated with this store a long time ago. All the dishes, ten carts of vegetables every day, including five carts of meat, were for the workers to eat.
"Boss, are the things ready? We are still planning to use them."

"Here it comes. It's almost ready. Hurry up, you guys."

The shopkeeper stood in the courtyard and told his men to move the goods faster. This was a good deal and there couldn't be any mistakes.

On the street, many people gathered together, talking, and some were arguing, their faces red. Lai Wang was surprised and asked,
"Boss, what are those people arguing about outside? It makes me angry."

The shopkeeper was checking the numbers in the yard. When he heard the manager's words, he hurried over, stood at the door of the shop, looked around, suddenly realized what was going on, and smiled.

"The messengers who came here are all idle merchants. Three teams of messengers came today, saying that they were rushing to the south of Beijing for 600 miles. There are also messengers from Runan and Jiangnan. I heard that the court suffered a defeat in the south and was surrounded by the Taiping rebel army. They can't escape. The messengers who came here all carried red blood flags on their backs. You know, this was a fight to the death. I don't know how many people died."

The shopkeeper lowered his head, standing there mysteriously, repeating what he had heard from others. This was not hearsay, but an urgent report from the capital, which was seen by many people, not to mention the merchants, but also ordinary people and the workers.
But Lai Wang's eyes suddenly widened. What messenger from the capital? What surrounded? The Second Master was still in the imperial army heading south. He got excited and pulled the shopkeeper closer, asking anxiously,

"Boss, you can't talk nonsense. You saw it with your own eyes."

The shopkeeper was startled by this and waved his hands.

"Master, don't get excited. I didn't see this with my own eyes, but so many people in the capital saw it and it spread everywhere. Also, my shop assistant who went down to buy something saw it. Zhao Er, come here and I have something to ask you."

"Here I am, shopkeeper."

Following the shopkeeper's shout, the young man called Zhao Er came running over and stood there timidly, not knowing why the shopkeeper called him.

"Come over and tell me about the three teams of messengers today. Tell the steward that you saw it with your own eyes."

The shopkeeper broke free from the manager's hand, and was a little curious about why he reacted so strongly. When Zhao Er heard what the shopkeeper said, he became excited and told him what he had seen in South City.
"Boss, you are in charge, don't talk nonsense. The first team of people are covered in blood, and the horses are half red. How scary."

Thinking of those soldiers who looked like ghosts, who knew if they had crawled out from the pile of dead bodies, their eyes were too scary, and he couldn't help but shiver. Lai Wang believed it, and he didn't know what he was thinking, so he shouted to the people around him;

"You guys are responsible for transporting the vegetables back. I will go back first."

Without saying anything, he turned around and ran out of the market, leaving the shop owners a little stunned. What was going on? Zhao Er was also confused and muttered,
"It's the southern part of Beijing that's under siege, not the entire capital. What are you afraid of?"

Who knew that just this sentence would get him kicked on the buttocks, and the shopkeeper cursed;
"You kid, if you dare to talk nonsense again, you'll leave and get back to work."

"Yes, yes, boss, I'll go right away."

People hurried back to the front yard to continue moving the things. Only the shopkeeper guessed that someone from the Rongguo Mansion might have followed them south. The war was dangerous, so what could they do even if they were noblemen? It would be better for him to live a carefree life.

When everything was going on as usual in Rongguo Mansion,
In the front yard,
A panicked figure ran in crookedly, barging into everyone he met. Knowing that the Second Mistress was patrolling the front yard at this time, he ran over without saying a word. Sure enough, when he saw the Second Mistress in the yard, he rushed over and knelt in front of the two of them, which frightened Wang Xifeng. She was about to scold that blind man,
Looking down, he saw that the person kneeling was none other than Lai Wang;

"You blind man, why are you so flustered? You have no dignity, stand up and answer!"

In a hurry, she scolded him a few times, thinking that Lai Wang would stand up. But unexpectedly, this scolding made Lai Wang burst into tears, tears and snot flowed down, and his mouth trembled and he couldn't utter a word. Wang Xifeng, who had scolded him a few times, also felt that something was wrong.

"What happened? Something went wrong with the errand outside."

The first thing that came to my mind was Lai Wang's shopping. After all, he should have returned from the East Market with the things he bought at this time. Now only the person has returned, but the things are not. Was there something wrong with the incident outside?
"Grandma, no, no."

Like the sound of grievance,

"You don't have this, you don't have that, then why are you kneeling here?" Wang Xifeng's face looked angry. At this moment, Lai Wang wailed and cried.
"Grandma, Grandma, something happened in the south of the capital. I was just outside the palace and the people were talking about it. The imperial army heading south was besieged by the enemy army and was in imminent danger. Today, the capital sent an urgent memorial with a messenger carrying a bloody flag, saying that he would fight to the death. Second Master, there has been no news from Second Master yet. After I heard the news, I ran back to pass on the message, woo woo."

I cried so hard that I couldn't control myself.

"What? The bloody flag hanging? The enemy army is besieging us."

Wang Xifeng's face turned pale when she heard the bad news. She kept mumbling and asking questions. She had lost her nerves. Jia Lian was surrounded and in danger. He couldn't escape. In a moment, her eyes went dark and she collapsed to the ground. Ping'er behind her quickly reached out and hugged her, crying miserably,
"Help, grandma has fainted, help quickly."

The maidservants in the inner courtyard rushed out upon hearing the noise and helped the Second Mistress up. Ping'er freed her hands to direct the others and helped the Mistress into the inner courtyard hall to rest. Then, she sent someone to Rongqing Hall to report to the old lady.
Three bells rang in the sky above the capital. Jia She and Jia Zheng heard them from inside the house. Although they were puzzled, they did not dare to neglect them. They got up, changed into court robes, and rushed to the palace, still wondering what had happened in the capital.
Just when the Rongguo Mansion was in turmoil,
In the Xiyuan Building,
Li Wan was dressed in gorgeous clothes, sitting on a chair in the pavilion, with a thick cushion under her. She had a smile on her gentle face. In front of her were several elders sitting there. Su Yun served them tea and snacks, and was very polite.
"I wonder if the elders here have any instructions."

Li Wan made a gesture of invitation, and several elders returned the greeting. She picked up the tea and took a sip carefully, then said;
"Good tea, good tea."

After drinking tea, several elders remained silent, as if they had something to say but dared not. Li Wan smiled and guessed in her mind that it was nothing more than the things in Ningguo Mansion. The accounts of all the past were in her hands, so she might as well make it clear first.

"Elders, since you are all here today, it is because you are concerned about the safety of the Jia family's assets. In this case, let's talk about it. The Ningguo Mansion's current assets are only a farm outside the Great Wall, a few shops in the capital, and the last imperial farm outside the city, right?"

Seeing that Grandma Zhu was the first to speak, several elders, led by Jia Dairu of Rongguo Mansion and Jia Daixiu of Ningguo Mansion, did not want to come today, but there were some things that they had better ask for clarification. After all, in order to build the garden, the school was demolished, and their grandson Jia Rui was released from prison. They felt distressed for many days. If he lost the job in the school, he could only do some physical work, which was too tiring.
"Grandma, you've given me face by allowing a few of us old men to come to your house today. I didn't want to come, but the clan still has many incense-related matters, as well as the annual festival sacrifices, which all require the clan leader to make decisions. In the past, Jia Zhen, the head of the Ningguo Mansion, was in charge. Now that these things have happened, I can only consult you. After all, Madam You still needs to rest and take care of her pregnancy."

After some deliberation, Jia Dairu finally told the purpose of their visit, and Jia Daixiu opened his mouth;

"Grandma, there are still many people from the Ningguo Mansion who still rely on the Duke's Mansion for their livelihood. The imperial farm outside the city is quite large, and many of the clansmen rent the land to make a living. How to collect the rent still needs to be decided by Grandma."

This was also the purpose of Jia Daixiu's coming here. With the support of the Duke's Mansion, the clansmen below were living a good life. If someone else was in charge, it would be hard to tell what would happen. Therefore, many people from the Ningguo Mansion, young and old, had to come to ask questions.
The remaining elders who were discussing the matter all nodded, but dared not speak. It seemed that the two of them were still in charge. Li Wan smiled, put the account book on the table, and looked at the two elders who were a little embarrassed, and comforted them;
"Clan elder, since you are here, just say whatever you want to say. First, regarding the clan school, I have already discussed it with the old lady. The school in Rongguo Mansion has been demolished, but the clan school has not been demolished. We will relocate the clan school behind the East Garden of Ningguo Mansion. There happens to be a large courtyard there, which will be used as the Jia family school. All expenses will be paid from the Ningguo Mansion clan property public account, and the clan elder will be in charge of it."

When Jia Dairu heard this, he was overjoyed. This was a good place for his grandson Jia Rui, so he quickly nodded and agreed.

"Okay, okay, it's settled."

On the other end, Jia Daixiu was still a little anxious and wanted to say something more, but he heard Li Wan's voice.

"As for the Ningguo Mansion, the royal farm used to split the rent 50-50. It was fine in good weather, but in bad years, although there was water from Anhu Lake, it was too hard after all. The farm's annual output is 35,000 taels of silver. I'll make the decision. From now on, as long as you are a member of the clan, the rent will be 60-40. In this way, although the rent is less, it is not a big deal. There is still at least 30,000 taels of silver income a year. We can't let outsiders say bad things about the master family. As for the annual sacrifices, the clan elders have their say."

Speaking of sacrifices, they were all held by the men in the mansion, and the ladies of high rank also attended. Over the years, Li Wan had never been there, and only went out to ask for favors. She didn't know the details.
When Jia Daixiu heard that his grandmother had reduced the land rent for the tribe members, his face flushed with excitement.

"It is thanks to Grandma that I have done you a great favor. I will pay my respects to her on behalf of the tribesmen."

After saying this, he was about to stand up and bow, but Suyun and Biyue quickly supported him, and Li Wan even advised;
"Why are you being so mean? We are all family members, why are we being so distant?"

"Hey, there are some things that must be said. In the past, how dare we ask where the money went? Now that the eldest lady is so happy, the old man will not hide it."

Since I couldn't perform the ceremony, I simply sat back down and briefly told the story of the past.
"Nowadays, the Jia family in the capital has almost no family affairs. Only the annual ancestor worship can make it lively. One is the sacrifice, which does not cost much. It is mainly for the monks and Taoists to perform rituals, and the money given to the younger generations of the family is the big money. According to last year's purchase, three thousand taels of silver is enough. There is also the annual charcoal, which is more. Although it is not much to share, it is almost five thousand taels."

The charcoal fire here is the coal for burning that the tribe distributes to each household every year. Although it will not last the whole winter, it can still help the tribe members get through the winter, which is what is important.

Li Wan sat there and listened quietly. Only then did she understand that all the income from the family property was actually sent to the offerings in Xuanzhen Temple. No one knew what it was used for.
"Clan elder, let's be frank. I don't know the money and accounts of Ningguo Mansion before. The treasury I took over was almost empty. The remaining money was used by the old lady to repair the courtyard. There is not much left. After all, Ningguo Mansion has no private property, only the farm outside the pass. You also know the situation of that farm. The clan property is also under the name of Ningguo Mansion. There are a total of ten shops and an imperial farm. The annual output is still 50,000 taels of silver, is it correct?"

Several elders nodded. Before coming, they had also counted the properties under the name of Ningguo Mansion. After Jia Jing divided the family, almost all the properties left in Ningguo Mansion were gone. Especially after Jia Qiang came back, he actually lived in an alley. They didn't know how Jia Rong arranged it. They couldn't interfere in the affairs of the younger generation, so they simply ignored it and let them solve it.

Seeing the elders nod, Li Wan smiled, gathered her hair with her hands, and continued;

"In that case, let's set a rule now. The clan school expenses will be paid by the clan industry. Five thousand taels of silver are needed a year to cover all the expenses of the special examination. There are two sacrifices every year, one for adults and one for children. At the end of the year, three thousand taels are left untouched. In the middle of the year, the younger generations gather together for sacrifices and celebrations. Of the two thousand taels of silver, there will be 40,000 taels left. The Ningguo Mansion's head family will take half. The rest, before winter, each household must provide enough charcoal for fire, which will cost as much as ten thousand taels. Some silver will be distributed as a token of the Ningguo Mansion's kindness. According to the number of households, five taels of silver per family will leave three or four thousand taels left. It will be put on the account for the clan members' weddings and funerals. How about that?"

Li Wan divided up the family property with just a few words. This money was too hot to handle, and Feng must have known that. Even Madam You didn't want to get involved. In that case, it would be better for her to divide it herself, which was "the right thing to do."

Several elders were startled. They actually gave so much. Jia Dairu and Jia Daixiu burst into tears. After all, it was a good thing for the tribe members. They nodded their heads and agreed. Jia Dairu agreed.

"Just listen to Grandma. Don't worry about the clan's affairs. As long as we old men are still alive, we won't let them make trouble."

"Yes, things in the clan are not like before. With more people, there are more things to do. Most of them are handled by each family. Unless there is a big event, the head family will have multiple names to take charge. There is another thing. I heard that Jia Qiang came back from the Shuntian government office, but now he lives in the alleys. I don't know what's going on."

Jia Daixiu finally couldn't hold back and told Jia Qiang about his situation. After all, in the past, in Ningguo Mansion, Qiang was also kind-hearted.

After hearing this, Li Wan knew about Jia Qiang's situation. If it weren't for their commotion, some things would really be unfortunate. He could live there, which meant Jia Rong didn't take him in. In this case, it would be better to give face to the elders.
"The elder clan member is talking about Brother Qiang. He is kind-hearted. It's okay for him to sit there. Let him come into the mansion tomorrow and be a steward in the outer courtyard. He will be responsible for cleaning the courtyard. It won't be tiring. In addition, Suyun, send someone to give Brother Qiang a hundred taels of silver to clean up his place. Since he has settled down, the courtyard will be given to him."

"Yes, grandma."

As Suyun responded, Jia Daixiu's face was full of joy. His wish had been fulfilled, so there was no need to disturb him any further. They all stood up and said goodbye, and sent the person out of the courtyard. There was an inexplicable look in Li Wan's eyes.

(End of this chapter)