Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Jia Cong was overjoyed and said hurriedly: "Please tell me, old lady, you are the Crouching Dragon and Phoenix in the inner house, you must have a good plan."

Grandmother Jia sighed, "What a brilliant plan! It's all our children's fault! Now that the matter has been settled, it would be a shame to bring it up with Ruyi and Baochai.

Why don't you be more attentive and wait until they are pregnant and have to go out, then it will make sense for me to speak up. After all, it is for you to have children, so there must be a status, otherwise your bloodline will become bastard, right?
Then it will be natural for you to marry them, and Ruyi and Baochai will have nothing to say. As for the master, I will tell him. "

Jia Cong nodded repeatedly and said with a smile: "The old lady is truly a patriot! Cong is in awe."

"Nonsense! If I let you do stupid things, you will become a national hero?" Grandmother Jia spat.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "That's not what I meant. Now that I am shouldering the heavy responsibility of the country, you are helping me solve my problems. You are a national hero, not referring to foreign affairs."

Grandmother Jia smiled bitterly and waved her hand, saying, "Go, let me be quiet for a while."

"Cong, take your leave." Jia Cong just stood up and asked hurriedly, "Madam, I just talked about the two sisters-in-law. As for Keqing..."

Grandmother Jia held her forehead with her hand. Youshi and Li Wan were already ridiculous enough. At least they were of the same generation, but Keqing was even younger. Seeing that he would not give up until he got what he wanted, she could only sigh and say, "How do you want to arrange for Rong's daughter-in-law?"

"Concubine."

"Hmm? It's higher." Grandmother Jia was stunned. Her daughter-in-law actually had a higher status than her mother-in-law.

Jia Cong shook his head and said, "Not high." If Keqing's identity were exposed, she would be more than qualified to be a concubine, not to mention a concubine.

Grandmother Jia thought he was after beauty, so she didn't argue and said, "Forget it. It's the same if you drive one sheep or let two sheep go. Just do it this way. Anyway, it's your own reputation that's ruined."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Grandpa taught Cong that a real man should regard fame and fortune as nothing but floating clouds. I will have someone write it into the family precepts later."

Grandmother Jia laughed and scolded, "Get out of here and stop insulting your grandfather!"

"Yes, yes, Cong will take his leave. You can take a rest." Jia Cong winked at Yuanyang and left triumphantly.

"This bastard! He has been a worry to me since he was a child." Grandmother Jia looked at his back and spat.

Yuanyang laughed and said, "I think this is the fault of the Duke of Xian and you, the old lady."

"How do you say this?"

"Who asked the former Duke to pass on the skills to the prince? You have trained him to be better than other men in other families. If the prince can become a great man, won't that cause trouble for you?
If it were an ordinary young master, he wouldn't be able to cause trouble. I think this is the consensus between the Duke of Xian and you and your wife." Yuanyang said with a smile.

Grandmother Jia laughed and said, "You are such a talker. This matter is probably to blame on Daishan. When he appeared in Baoyu's dream, there was nothing like this. My Baoyu will never cause trouble."

Yuanyang smiled but said nothing. Given Master Bao's character, why would the late Duke like him?
"By the way, the population over there is increasing now, so you must serve them wholeheartedly and try to have a child as soon as possible. As the saying goes, a mother is honored by her son, and this is even more true for a family like ours. Don't take it lightly. If I'm gone in the future, who will love you?" said Jia's mother.

Yuanyang was shy and touched, and knelt down and said, "Thank you, old lady, for your kindness. Yuanyang will remember it."

"Good girl, get up." Grandmother Jia took her hand and said with a smile, "Tell me the truth, does Congge love you?"

"Old lady..." When Yuanyang heard this, the freckles on her cheeks turned red. She didn't know what to say, so she just grumbled.

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "What can't we talk about in private? Are you still hiding it from me? If you are favored, you can take care of Baoyu in the future."

Yuanyang said: "I will never forget the old lady's kindness."

"Well. How does Cong treat you?"

Yuanyang said shyly: "The prince treats me very well and does not look at me differently because of my lowly birth."

"You are someone close to me, and you are good at talking and doing things, so it is reasonable for him to think highly of you. That's not what I'm asking about." Grandmother Jia said with a smile.

Yuanyang's face turned even redder, and she stammered, "Old lady, I don't quite understand what you mean..."

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "What's there to not understand? It's a matter between husband and wife, can it be harmonious?"

Yuanyang's face was so red that blood was about to drip out. She just said "hmm" lightly and nodded.

Grandmother Jia said: "You have a good physique and figure, but your appearance is not as good as Qingwen, Xiangling, Lingguan and others. And you are not often with him, so it is inevitable that you will suffer a little.

I heard that Congge only allows girls born on Double Ten to get pregnant, saying it is safer, is that true or not?"

"That's what the prince meant." Yuanyang said.

"Well, you are old enough. It would be good for you to have a child as soon as possible while many girls are still young. I will talk to Yu'er and ask her to let you sleep with me more often." Grandmother Jia said with a smile.

Yuanyang was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. He bowed and cried, "Thank you, old lady."

"Why are you crying? You have served me for many years. Don't I love you?" Grandmother Jia said with a smile, "Come here. I will tell you how to please a man like Cong."

Yuanyang wiped her tears quickly, and without caring about being shy, she stood up and sat at Lady Jia's feet, looking like she was listening attentively.

As soon as Jia Cong came out of Jia's mother's inner room, he ran into Mrs. Xing who had been waiting in Rongqing Hall.

"Greetings to the Madam." Jia Cong was slightly stunned when he saw her waiting for something to happen.

Madam Xing smiled apologetically and asked, "Is the old lady resting?"

"The old lady is resting, is there anything I can do for you, madam?"

Madam Xing waved her hand and smiled, "It's alright. I just came to congratulate you, Cong'er."

"What happy event?"

"Didn't you ask me to propose marriage to my in-laws the other day? I heard that you reserved a position for Baoqin as a concubine, and Mrs. Xue agreed immediately.

Because Qin is still in mourning, it is inconvenient to do things, so let's set a date first and do it after the mourning period is over." Mrs. Xing looked flattering.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Thank you, Madam, for your concern."

Mrs. Xing smiled and said, "You are my son. If I don't take care of your lifelong affairs, who will? This matter has not yet been made public. Do you think Baoqin should continue to live in the garden or be sent back to the Xue family?"

Jia Cong said, "Of course she should live in the garden. It will be fun for the sisters to be together. Why send her back?"

"Okay, I'll do whatever you say." Madam Xing said with a smile, "I think Xiuyan is not a little girl anymore. If you like her, how about giving her to you?"

Jia Cong was both amused and annoyed. He could not adapt to Mrs. Xing's "kindness" for a while, and waved his hands and said, "Cong has no such intention. Sister Xiuyan is a graceful and kind person. I have my own ideas about her marriage. Madam, don't worry about it."

Mrs. Xing nodded regretfully, thinking that Jia Cong judged people by their appearance and looked down on his niece from his natal family. In terms of appearance, Xiu Yan was indeed much inferior to Bao Qin.

"Madam, do you have anything else to say?" Jia Cong asked when he saw that she was still unsatisfied.

Mrs. Xing smiled and said, "It's nothing serious. It's just that Lian'er is used to running the family business lavishly, and it's a bit difficult to make ends meet these days..."

"Hmm? Actually, this happened. Cong neglected it." Jia Cong nodded slightly. Now that Jia She is gone, not only has the income of the East Courtyard decreased a lot, but his funeral also cost a lot of the family's money. The property and land are mainly managed here, and Jia Lian is not a man who wants to start a family, so he is naturally in financial difficulty.

Yin said, "Madam should have told my son earlier if she was short of money. Second brother Lian doesn't know what to do and is making things difficult for Madam. How about this, I will ask Daiyu to give Madam one thousand silver coins every month for her to use?"

Mrs. Xing was overjoyed and said hurriedly, "Oh, this is really timely rain. Although I didn't raise a son in this life, God gave me a son who is better than his own son."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "This is what Cong should do."

Madam Xing took his hand and said with a smile, "If you like a girl in the future, just tell me and I will make the decision for you."

Jia Cong laughed and said, "Thank you, mother. That's enough for now."

"Okay, you go ahead and be busy. I'll go over first. Come and sit with me when you have time." Mrs. Xing said with a smile.

"Goodbye, Madam." Jia Cong smiled and bowed. As expected, when a person becomes successful, he is surrounded by good people, and the former bad people become better than the good people.

Jia Cong returned home humming a little tune and first told Baochai the "good news" brought by Mrs. Xing.

Baochai rolled her eyes at him with a mixture of anger and amusement, saying, "Have you gotten what you wanted now? I saw that you had bad intentions when we were in Jinling, but you still refuse to admit it. I don't believe that a lecher like you would not be tempted by Qin'er's color."

Jia Cong hurriedly said, "Good sister, Qin'er is beautiful, but she doesn't have the advantages of your sister. In my opinion, your sister is better."

Baochai blushed and spat, "What good have I done for you?"

Jia Cong chuckled and whispered something in her ear.

Baochai was immediately ashamed and annoyed, and said angrily, "Get out of here! Where did you learn this country dialect? Aren't you ashamed?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Can't we just tell the truth? In the future, my sister and Qin'er will be reunited. Isn't that great?"

Baochai smiled and said, "Forget it. Since the eldest lady is in charge of you, and my aunt has also agreed, and Qin girl has a crush on you, you can go and make a fuss among yourselves. It has nothing to do with me."

Jia Cong looked around furtively and said, "There is something I hope you can do for me, sister."

Baochai said, "What's the matter? You should be more careful."

"Miaoyu won't give me a definite answer, and I can't force her. I guess it will take the three of you, Yan'er, and Pin'er, to invite her personally before she is willing to come down to earth and devote herself to me," said Jia Cong.

Baochai said angrily, "You flirt with other women, and now we have to apologize for your smile."

Jia Cong laughed dryly and said, "My dear sisters, doesn't this just show how virtuous you are? How about I ask the officials of the Imperial Academy to write you into the Biographies of Women, so that your reputation will last forever and you can be a role model for women in the future."

"Go away." Baochai scolded with a smile: "It's nothing on my part, but I'm afraid Ruyi and Pin'er won't be happy."

"My dear sister, you know that Miaoyu is a person with high aspirations and is extraordinary. She lost her parents at a young age and is very thoughtful. She will never be looked down upon. If you three treat her with some respect, she will surely repay you in the future and our family will be more harmonious." Jia Cong begged.

Baochai stretched out her finger and tapped his forehead, saying, "You, the house is almost full, you should also keep some."

Jia Cong nodded like a chicken pecking at rice and said, "I have calculated that all the beauties in the world are within my reach. I will never marry anyone again in the future."

Baochai sneered, "There are so many beauties in the world, but only a few in your mansion?"

Jia Cong laughed and said, "All those beauties combined are not as good as one finger of Bao-jie. What is Cong doing here?"

Baochai spat, "You are so smooth-talking when you ask for something. I don't believe you."

"My dear sister, don't you like my smooth talk the most?" Jia Cong smiled and raised his eyebrows.

Baochai was a little embarrassed, biting her lip and said angrily, "If you keep talking nonsense, I won't go."

"Okay, okay, I'll shut up. Please have mercy on me, sister." Jia Cong begged for mercy.
-
On this day, Jia Cong was lying down at home, enjoying the service of Qingwen and other girls, when he suddenly heard a servant report that several grand secretaries of the Grand Council had come to his house to ask for a meeting. He had guessed what was going on and said, "Please ask Mr. Pang to stay with us first. I'll go after I change my clothes." The girls hurriedly helped him change his clothes.

Jia Cong gently pinched Qingwen's egg-white smooth face and said with a smile: "I will send them away and come back to accompany you."

Qingwen was embarrassed and anxious, stamping her feet and saying, "Master, the ministers must have come to see you for something important. If you abandon your official duties because of us and the princess and the ladies find out, will we still be able to live?"

Qianxue, Jin Chuan'er and others also nodded in agreement.

Jia Cong laughed loudly. This was the benefit of a virtuous wife. Even if a man wanted to neglect his work, he couldn't do that. So he said, "Well, since you are so virtuous, I will respect you and let you go today."

The girls laughed and said, "That's it. We are all yours, so there is no time when we cannot serve you."

"What joke are you telling?" As she was talking, Chu Chan led Bao Qin in and said with a smile.

Jia Cong laughed and said, "I'm talking about how Qingwen, the little devil, has become virtuous."

"Master...when have I ever not been virtuous?" Qingwen said coquettishly beside him.

Chu Chan smiled and said, "Sister Qingwen has always been a good person, otherwise how could Cong'er take her as his top student?"

"Sister...you are laughing at me too." Qingwen blushed and pulled Chu Chan's hand and acted coquettishly.

"I'm telling the truth."

Jia Cong looked at Baoqin, his eyes lit up, and he said with a smile: "Qin'er, are you coming to play with me? I have something to do now, I will come back to accompany you later."

Baoqin didn't dare to look at him. She lowered her head and said "hmm". Her neck turned red, and it was obvious that she knew about Mrs. Xing's proposal of marriage.

Chu Chan smiled and said, "Qin girl just received a letter from Jiangnan, and came to tell you the news. Qin'er, quickly tell your brother Cong."

This time she went to the south of the Yangtze River with Baoqin. They had been together for a long time. With her methods, she had already gained Baoqin's trust, and she regarded her as a reliable and shrewd elder sister like Baochai.

"Oh? But is it good news?" Jia Cong said with a smile.

Baoqin mustered up her courage and said, "My brother wrote to me the other day saying that he had built a new boat and wanted to sail it to the capital to show it to you."

Jia Cong was stunned and asked, "What new ship?"

"I don't know. My brother didn't tell me."

"Ah! I know!" Jia Cong slapped his forehead and said happily: "Great! Tadpa really didn't let me down! He has made another great contribution!"

Baoqin also asked happily: "What great achievements have you made, brother?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "You will know in two days. I will take you to see it then."

"Okay." Baoqin nodded obediently.

Seeing her beauty, Jia Cong could not help but step forward and gently scratch her nose. He smiled and said, "Go see your sister. I have something else to do." Then he left. (End of this chapter)