The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 769 Taihu Divine Stone
After seeing Liu Xianglian off, Jia Huan returned to the city under the protection of his personal guards, including Dong Dao and Fan Jian. When he arrived near Renjiaofang, he happened to meet his senior brother Liu Yi and his wife Jia Yingchun.

Yingchun gave birth to a baby girl last August, but due to her weak postpartum condition, she stayed at home to recuperate and dared not go out. She didn't even go back to her parents' home to visit relatives after the New Year. Now she is finally much better, and with the weather getting warmer, she took her daughter back to her parents' home today to visit her mother.

Jia Huan greeted Liu Yi, then went to the sedan chair to inquire about Yingchun and his little niece whom he had never met before. Afterwards, they went back to the mansion together. Unexpectedly, when they passed Chang'an Street, the road was closed. They thought they had run into the imperial procession, but after inquiring, they found out that the Tian family was transporting stones into the city for their new residence, so the road was closed in advance.

You're asking which family it is?

Naturally, it's the most favored maternal relative of the day, Consort Tian's family!
It is said that Anlebo Tian Hongyu acquired land in Xiaoshifang in the first half of last year to build a new residence. The area is not small. In such a prime location, the land is ridiculously expensive, and even if you have money, you may not be able to buy it, because the people living here are all princes and nobles. Prince Yizhong, the old prince, lived in this neighborhood.

Tsk tsk, Chang'an Street is the main street in front of the imperial city, right under the emperor's nose. The Tian family dared to block the road to build a house and transport stones. That shows how arrogant the Tian family is.

Liu Yi and Jia Huan frowned deeply, while Dong Dao, Fan Jian, and other personal guards cursed and swore. They had shed blood on the battlefield, risking their lives to kill traitors and serve their country, yet they couldn't earn a single title. Meanwhile, this man surnamed Tian became the Earl of Anle through nepotism, lording it over others in the capital and enjoying all the riches and honors. It was so damn unfair!
But there are many unfair things in this world. Although everyone was unhappy, they couldn't possibly beat up the emperor's father-in-law to vent their anger, so they could only take a detour.

Just as Jia Huan and the others were about to turn around, the crowd on the street suddenly stirred, with shouts of surprise rising and falling.

Jia Huan turned his head and was also taken aback. It turned out that a moving hill had appeared on the street in the distance. To be precise, it was a huge rock. Because of its large size, it looked like a small mountain. It was estimated to be more than ten meters high and more than twenty meters wide, taking up almost half of the street. No wonder it had to be passed through the wide Chang'an Avenue. It probably couldn't pass through other streets.

This thing probably weighs over a thousand tons. It was covered with logs on the ground, and it took thousands of people and countless animals to pull it. The scene was so spectacular that it left people speechless.

"My God, where did this huge rock come from? I'm afraid it won't even get through the city gates!" Fan Jian swallowed hard.

A commoner nearby sneered, "You may not know this, but this Taihu stone was transported from Suzhou by boat. Countless bridges were dismantled along the way, and it took more than a year to reach Tongzhou. Getting it into the city was actually the easiest part; it could have been hoisted up from the city wall. It's just that something went wrong that day, and dozens of unlucky laborers were crushed to death."

Jia Huan asked in surprise, "Senior Brother, is it really so?"

Liu Yi nodded with a stern face and said, "This boulder was indeed transported back from Taihu Lake by the Tian family. They even built a large ship for it. Along the way, they dismantled bridges as they encountered them, wasting manpower and resources. They used an unknown amount of manpower and caused the deaths and injuries of many people. An accident occurred when they entered the city. The cable broke, the boulder overturned, and dozens of laborers were crushed to death on the spot. It was a terrible sight."

Jia Huan's face darkened with anger as he said, "The Tian family is behaving so recklessly, is no one going to do anything about it?"

Liu Yi sighed and said, "It's not convenient to talk on the street. Let's talk in detail after we get into the manor."

It turns out that the Tian family relied on Consort Tian's favor and the emperor's backing. In addition, they made connections with the powerful eunuch Shi Dayong. The Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard had become the Tian family's private army, which could be summoned and dismissed at will. Who would dare to interfere?
Moreover, the Tian family still holds the title of imperial merchants, which is the same position as the Xue family in the past. They receive money from the imperial treasury to purchase the finest goods. However, the Tian family is more prestigious, has more power, and is more unscrupulous than the Xue family.

This "Taihu Divine Stone" was purchased by Tian Hongyu from a wealthy merchant in Jiangnan. It was a purchase for free, which was essentially a robbery. The merchant claimed it was to be presented to the emperor for the construction of the Western Garden, but in reality, Tian Hongyu had his eye on it and planned to use it in his newly built residence.

The wealthy merchant from Jiangnan dared not resist, and even paid out of his own pocket to build a large ship for the Tian family to use when transporting stones.

Because it was a tribute item to be presented to the emperor, all the expenses for transporting the stone from Jiangnan back to the capital were covered by the local government along the way, and the laborers were also conscripted for free. Hundreds of bridges were demolished along the way, and all these losses were borne by the local government, which shows how arrogant and domineering Tian Hongyu was.

Without further ado, let's return to the Rongguo Mansion by a roundabout route with Jia Huan and Liu Yi. Someone invited Yingchun and her daughter into the inner quarters for a reunion, while Jia Huan took Liu Yi to pay his respects to Jia Zheng and casually mentioned the marriage between Liu Xianglian and his third sister, Tanchun.

After listening, Jia Zheng didn't immediately express his opinion, only saying he would ask the old lady's opinion before making a decision. When the topic of the "Taihu Divine Stone" came up, the usually timid and cowardly Jia Zheng immediately warned Jia Huan and Liu Yi not to meddle, as the Tian family was not someone to be trifled with. To be honest, chatting with Old Man Zheng was incredibly boring; he always emphasized moderation, and his actions were ambiguous and indecisive, making it all rather unpleasant. So, Jia Huan excused himself after a short while, leaving Liu Yi and Jia Zheng to chat idly, while he himself returned to the Dingyuan Marquis's residence. He only had ten days left before leaving the capital to return to Shaanxi, and he'd rather spend more time with his beloved wife at home.

When Jia Huan returned home, Daiyu and Baochai were basking in the sun in the main courtyard, chatting idly. Ping'er, Qingwen, Caixia, Ying'er, Xiangling, Zijuan, and Xueyan were also there. It was truly a riot of colors, with beauties everywhere.

When Baochai and Daiyu saw Jia Huan return, they were naturally overjoyed. After all, they didn't have much time to spend together, and they both wished they could be with their husbands every day.

Jia Huan sat down between Daiyu and Baochai, took a sip of the fragrant tea that Xueyan offered, then snatched a freshly peeled orange from Daiyu's hand and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling, "Thank you, Madam."

The maids all covered their mouths and chuckled. Lin Daiyu rolled her eyes and scolded, "Be careful not to choke. Have you never eaten an orange before?"

Jia Huan chuckled and said, "Of course I've eaten them, but I've never eaten an orange that Madam peeled herself."

Xue Baochai reached out and gently brushed some dust off Jia Huan's shoulder, asking tenderly, "Husband, have you seen Master Liu off and left the capital?"

Jia Huan nodded, while Qingwen asked curiously, "Where did Third Master get this sword? I don't remember taking it with me when I went out."

The women's gazes all fell on the sword at Jia Huan's waist, and they all looked puzzled, because Jia Huan never carried a sword, and usually only carried a short gun for self-defense.

Jia Huan laughed and said, "This sword was left behind by Brother Liu. It was originally a pair of mandarin duck swords that could be separated into two. Brother Liu took the male sword with him and only left the female sword. Do you know why?"

Baochai and Daiyu were both quick-witted and immediately guessed what was going on. Baochai smiled and said, "Could it be that Tan'er's good news is coming soon?"

Jia Huan then recounted how Liu Xianglian left the sword, and added, "I think Third Sister is also interested in Second Brother Liu. I'll trouble Sister Bao to sound out Third Sister's opinion again. If she's willing to accept the sword, then this matter will surely be settled."

Baochai smiled and said, "Since Huan-di has chosen Master Liu, he must be quite good. I will ask Tan-ya, but I'm afraid it won't be easy to get past the old lady and the madam."

Jia Huan said confidently, "It's alright. As long as Third Sister likes it, I'll handle things with the Old Madam and Madam. Although Brother Liu is not prominent now, he will definitely be extraordinary in the future. It wouldn't be a disgrace for Third Sister to marry him."

Baochai nodded and said, "In that case, Pin'er, would you like to take a walk in the garden with me later?"

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "Of course I will. I haven't been to the garden for a few days, so this is a good opportunity to take a stroll."

"By the way, Second Sister has returned to the manor and is currently having a chat with the Old Madam," Jia Huan said with a smile.

Baochai and Daiyu were overjoyed to hear this. They hadn't been back to the mansion for almost half a year since Yingchun went into labor, and now it was a good opportunity to meet her.

(End of this chapter)