The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 494 Confused

Jia Huan followed Lai Da into the inner room, only to see Jia's mother sitting on the couch, looking weak and tired. Four little maids with their hair tied in pigtails were serving her, some holding a spittoon, some carrying a tray, some carrying a pot, and some holding an incense burner. There were two rows of married maids standing on both sides like goose wings. Mrs. Wang, Mrs. Xing, Li Wan, Wang Xifeng, Yuanyang and other senior maids were hiding behind the green gauze cabinet.

The doctor was invited from the Imperial Hospital. His surname was Wang. Seeing such a scene, he dared not even breathe. He bowed respectfully and said, "Hello, old lady."

Grandmother Jia nodded and asked, "What's your name, imperial physician?"

"My surname is Wang." Doctor Wang answered cautiously.

"In the past, Wang Jun, the director of the Imperial Hospital, was good at pulse diagnosis." Jia's mother said with a smile.

Doctor Wang smiled and said, "It is my great uncle."

"We are old friends." While nodding, she stretched out her hand for Doctor Wang to feel her pulse. Immediately, a little maid put a piece of thin silk on Lady Jia's wrist.

Doctor Wang felt Lady Jia's pulse through a thin piece of silk and looked at her tongue, then turned and walked out of the house. Lady Jia ordered, "Zheng'er, treat Doctor Wang well."

Jia Zheng quickly said yes, turned around and walked out of the house. Jia Huan also followed him out quietly. The former obviously noticed it, but he didn't have time to care about him at this time, so he didn't argue.

"Doctor Wang, how is my mother's illness?" Jia Zheng asked impatiently as he arrived outside the house.

Doctor Wang hesitated for a moment and said, "The old lady was frightened and worried, and she also caught a cold. The situation is a bit tricky."

Jia Zheng's heart sank when he heard this and he said, "Please take more care, Imperial Doctor Wang. Just prescribe whatever medicine you need. I will not skimp on the consultation fee."

Doctor Wang shook his head and said, "It's not about the consultation fee. The old lady is old after all. I will prescribe a dose of medicine to calm the nerves and dispel the cold. Take three doses and see how she gets. I will come back to check her pulse the day after tomorrow. If she gets better, then it's fine."

Jia Zheng bowed and said, "Thank you, Imperial Physician Wang."

Doctor Wang then wrote a prescription for Jia Zheng and instructed, "The old lady should eat light food for the next two days and avoid excessive stimulation."

Jia Zheng nodded, ordered someone to take Doctor Wang out to entertain her, and sent someone to get the medicine according to the prescription. Then he returned to the room to comfort Jia's mother, saying, "Doctor Wang said that mother was just frightened and caught a cold. It's not a serious illness. She will be fine after taking two doses of medicine. Come back to see the old lady again in two days.

Yuanyang and the others were relieved when they heard this. Grandmother Jia just nodded and said nothing. Jia Zheng said, "Mother, please take a good rest. The servants will boil the medicine and send it to you later. I will take my leave now."

Grandmother Jia said, "Wait a minute, is there any news from the palace?"

Jia Zheng squeaked, "There is no news from the palace yet. Mother, just rest assured and recuperate. I will take care of the rest."

Grandmother Jia frowned and said unhappily, "As the saying goes, flowers don't stay red for a hundred days, and people don't stay good for a thousand days. I'm an old woman over seventy years old, and I've seen all kinds of storms. You don't have to be hesitant, it makes people feel more uneasy. Speak out, maybe I can give you some advice."

Jia Zheng could only bite the bullet and say, "Eunuch Xia from the palace sent someone to tell you that although the little prince's condition has improved, the imperial concubine has exhausted all her energy in taking care of him these days. Now he is a little unwell. The imperial physician has advised that he should be well cared for and not overwork himself, or else the root of the disease will develop!"

Jia Huan's heart moved. He didn't know whether Jia Yuanchun's illness was real or fake. The implication was that she didn't want to care about Jia She and Jia Zhen anymore. He probably wanted to protect himself.

Jia Huan's guess was correct. It was a taboo for the harem to interfere in government affairs. The last time Jia Yuanchun pleaded for her uncle Wang Ziteng, she had been warned by Emperor Qiansheng. How could she dare to wade into the muddy water this time? So she pretended to be sick through the eunuch Xia Shouzhong.

Upon hearing this, Jia's mother remained silent, as if she was unhappy. Finally, she sighed and said, "Since the imperial concubine is ill, it is important to take care of yourself."

Mrs. Wang naturally didn't want her daughter to cause the emperor's displeasure by saving Jia She and Jia Zhen. Last time, she had been warned and punished by the emperor for pleading for her eldest brother Wang Ziteng. If she angered the emperor again this time, she might fall out of favor. So she quickly agreed, "Yes, your Highness, your body is worth a lot of money, so you should take care of yourself. Fortunately, the little prince is well now. It seems that the three days of peace and tranquility given before the New Year were very effective."

Grandmother Jia nodded and waved her hand, saying, "Zheng'er, go and do your work."

Jia Zheng turned around and left the room. Jia Huan wanted to follow him, but Jia's mother stopped him and said, "Brother Huan, what are you doing here?"

Jia Huan had no choice but to bow and say, "Huan'er has come specially to pay his respects to the old lady."

Grandmother Jia hummed and said, "You are so thoughtful. Go back and study hard. You will be taking part in the Spring Examination next month. You can't be careless!"

"Yes, by the way, Huan'er plans to take Ping'er and Mandalin to the temple today to burn incense and worship Buddha, pray for the old lady and the mistress, and by the way, ask for fame for yourself." Hearing this, Jia's mother nodded and said, "Good child, go, and bring a few more servants. There will be many people burning incense during the New Year, so it is inevitable that there will be a mix of good and bad people."

Since Grandmother Jia had agreed, Lady Wang could not say anything and just acquiesced. Jia Huan bowed and left Grandmother Jia's room, but saw Jia Zheng and Lai Da still standing in a corner of the yard, seemingly discussing something, so he walked over.

Lai Da said in embarrassment, "Master, you don't know. The lanterns for the Lantern Festival were ordered before the New Year. The craftsmen have already made them. How can we return them now? Moreover, we have paid a deposit."

It turned out that according to custom, the Jia family would purchase a large number of lanterns to decorate the mansion and garden during the Lantern Festival every year. This item alone cost nearly two hundred taels of silver. This year was no exception, and reservations were made in advance before the New Year.

However, now that Jia She and Jia Zhen are in trouble, the Jia family is in the spotlight. Jia Zheng wants to keep a low profile, so he asks Lai Da to return the lanterns he ordered.

At this time, Jia Zheng frowned and asked, "How much deposit did you give?"

Lai Da glanced at Jia Huan and replied, "I gave him one hundred taels, and there is still one hundred and twenty taels left to pay."

"One hundred taels?" Jia Zheng stroked his beard and hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Forget it, I don't want the deposit of one hundred taels. Just return the lanterns."

Lai Da was secretly delighted. In fact, he had only given a deposit of fifty taels for those lanterns. He had expected that Jia Zheng would definitely say he didn't want it, so he deliberately doubled the number. The extra fifty taels of silver naturally fell into his own pocket. Over the years, he had relied on various secret little tricks to dig into the Jia family's foundation, making a lot of money at the expense of the public interest. Not only did he build a luxurious house for himself, he also donated a county magistrate position to his son Lai Shangrong.

Normally, Jia Zheng never cared about household affairs. He only knew how to attend court and brag with a bunch of retainers whenever he had time, which is the so-called idle talk. He knew nothing about the daily affairs of firewood, rice, oil and salt. In the eyes of people like Lai Da, Jia Zheng was a fool, otherwise he would not dare to lie so blatantly.

However, Lai Da was also unlucky today. He ignored Jia Huan who was right beside him. He suddenly interrupted and said, "Wait a minute, Manager Lai, please bring the receipt for the deposit to the master. After all, one hundred taels is not a small amount."

Lai Da's heart skipped a beat, and he pretended to be unhappy and said, "What do you mean, Master Huan San? Don't you trust me?"

Jia Huan said with a smile: "Mr. Lai's ancestors have worked in the mansion for three generations, and they are very conscientious. How can I not trust him? But there is no order without rules. There should be an account to back up the income and expenditure. Now that Second Brother Lian is not at home, it is natural that the master will have to review it."

Lai Da wanted to get away with it by relying on his seniority, but Jia Huan didn't give him the chance at all. He spoke neither harshly nor softly, which made it impossible for him to get angry or avoid. Jia Zheng just stroked his beard and thought, and didn't reprimand Jia Huan. He obviously thought Jia Huan's words made sense, so he had to bite the bullet and said, "The lantern maker is an old acquaintance. We ordered all the New Year lanterns in our mansion from him. He is very reliable, so I only gave him a deposit of 100 taels, and didn't sign a receipt."

Jia Huan sneered and said, "That manager Lai is too casual. He paid a hundred taels of silver without even signing a receipt. Where else can we find such a good customer?"

Although Jia Zheng was confused, he could sense something was going on. He frowned and said, "This is indeed a bit of a joke!"

Lai Da was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly said with a smile, "It is indeed my fault for neglecting it. I will ask the craftsman to make up a written receipt right away."

Jia Zheng waved his hand and said, "Forget it this time. It won't happen again. I'm afraid the lanterns will be returned."

Lai Da breathed a sigh of relief, quickly said yes, and then left quickly, fearing that Jia Huan would continue to boycott him.

Jia Huan was speechless. Jia Zheng was indeed a fool, even worse than Jia Lian. Now that Jia Lian was arrested, there was no one to manage the household for him. He was afraid that Lai Da would sell the house, and he was still foolishly helping to count the money.

Jia Zheng seemed to be unaware that his adopted son Jia Huan was looking down on him. He said with a stern face, "What are you still standing there for? Didn't you say you were going out to burn incense and worship Buddha? Go early and come back early. Don't waste your time wandering around outside. If I find out, I'll skin you alive!"

Jia Huan rolled his eyes secretly, said "yes" and left. He was too lazy to pay any more attention to this fool. He returned to Yueweiju, took Ping'er and Mandalin with him and went to the street.

When Jia Huan and the two maids walked out of the garden gate, Shitou, Jinbao and Muye had already prepared the carriage and were waiting there.

Jia Huan first asked Ping'er and Mandalin to get on the carriage, then he called Shitou aside and whispered, "Shitou, you don't have to follow me. Find more people during this period to keep an eye on Lai Da. If you need funds, ask Sister Ping'er for them."

Shitou's eyes lit up. He had been bored to death recently. Hearing this, he rubbed his hands and smiled, "Don't worry, Third Master. It's easy!"

Shitou was originally a gangster on the streets of Beijing, but he knew all kinds of people. As long as he had money, it would be easy to find a few people to follow Lai Da around the clock.

Next, Shitou left alone, while Jia Huan took the two maids to the nearest temple to burn incense, and then strolled around the street, not returning home until the afternoon when they were satisfied.

(End of this chapter)