Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 465: Proclamation of the Emperor’s Grace

Judefang, the residence of Weiyuan Marquis.

As soon as Jia Cong and Qingwen returned to the East Mansion, they hurried back to their own courtyard. Yingchun, Daiyu and other sisters were waiting there, and everyone had a happy look on their face.

Zhishao and Wu'er had already prepared the official uniform and helped Jia Cong change into it. After he tidied up his appearance a little, he went straight to Xuande Hall in the East Palace.

As soon as I entered the hall, I saw a sixth-rank eunuch sitting there, drinking tea leisurely, with two eunuchs standing behind him.

In the past, Guo Lin had been to the Jia family several times to deliver imperial edicts, but this was the first time that Jia Cong had seen this sixth-rank eunuch.

When the eunuch saw Jia Cong entering the hall, he stood up and greeted him with a smile on his face.

It was neither the humble smile of an ordinary eunuch, nor the calm and proud smile of Guo Lin, the deputy eunuch of the Imperial Palace. It seemed neither arrogant nor humble, appropriate in distance and just the right measure.

Jia Cong sensed something unusual about this unfamiliar sixth-rank eunuch, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

The eunuch smiled and said, "I am Yuan Jing, the sixth-rank guard of Qianyang Palace, and I am the subordinate of Eunuch Guo. I have been ordered to announce the imperial edict for Earl Weiyuan."

Jia Cong replied, "So it's Eunuch Yuan. Thank you for your help. Please come up and announce the decree."

At this time, the housekeeper had already ordered people to set up the incense table and candles, and then left Xuande Hall.

Behind the columns of the wind and rain corridor outside the hall, graceful shadows swayed from time to time, revealing the shadows of Yinglian and Wu'er, with Yuanyang standing beside them.

They all came to listen from afar. Yinglian and Wu'er were quite literate, so they could convey the complete message after receiving instructions from their sisters at home.

Yuanyang was called by Grandmother Jia to listen to the news.

In the Xuanfu Hall, Yuan Jing unfolded the yellow satin and gold-woven scroll and read aloud:
Emperor Fengtian Chengyun issued an edict:

Jia Cong, the director of the Firearms Department of the Ministry of Works, is a man of extraordinary talent and virtue, loyal, brave and upright, proficient in both civil and military affairs, and with profound strategies.

He went south to Nanjing, worked diligently for the king's affairs, arrested criminals and put down rebellions outside the city of Gusu, and subdued the treacherous and stubborn people in the three states by water.

The major case of Jiangnan Capital Guard was solved, and the old cases in the auxiliary capital were cleared up. Both officials and civilians, the wicked were brought to justice, and the evildoers in the government and the military were pacified.

When there are talented people in the world, they must be shown favors, and when there are capable ministers in the court, they must be honored and rewarded.

You are promoted to the rank of General Xuanwu from the fourth rank, and are given an additional 500 dan of land, a second-class earl's mansion and a first-class building, 500 gold, 10 bottles of imperial wine, and 30 pieces of tribute satin, in recognition of your meritorious services. I decree this.

……

After Yuan Jing finished reading the imperial edict, he put away the yellow satin and gold-woven scroll, handed it to Jia Cong with both hands, and said with a smile: "Marquis Weiyuan, please accept the edict."

Jia Cong accepted the imperial edict and invited Yuan Jing into the inner hall to serve tea, but Yuan Jing did not dare to delay and just said he had to return to the palace to hand in the order.

He also asked two eunuchs who accompanied him to present the list of the 500 titles and properties bestowed upon him, as well as the related financial deeds.

Yuan Jing smiled and said, "The emperor sympathized with the great contributions made by the Earl of Weiyuan in Nanjing, and the titles and properties he granted were all selected by the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Clan Court. This can be said to be a great favor from the emperor."

Jia Cong took the things, but now was not the time to take a closer look, so he bowed to Nan again and said a lot of polite words, but it was not all just an act.

No matter how cunning and unpredictable Emperor Jia Zhao was, it cannot be denied that the emperor has shown special favors to Jia Cong since he won the first place in the Yongzhou Academy Examination.

……

In this reward, he was promoted to General Xuanwu from the fourth rank of Wu Sanxun. It sounds respectable, but it is just an honorary title. Now that the world is at peace, Jia Cong feels that he will have few opportunities to be a general and lead troops again.

At the beginning, he was granted the title of the highest hereditary title of the second-class earl. According to the clan regulations, the matching property was the lower rank of the second-class earl, totaling one thousand stones.

This time, the emperor granted an additional 500 dan of property to the title, increasing the total to 1,500 dan, which was already a high position among the second-class earls.

He is a hereditary earl, and these properties will be handed down from generation to generation without any discount. This is the real wealth that can be handed down from generation to generation.

Emperor Jiazhao was a tough and pragmatic monarch, and he seemed to be quite realistic with money, not stingy at all.

He also took out the red envelope that Yingchun had prepared earlier as a gift and gave it to Yuan Jing, who accepted it after a brief refusal.

How many times can an official receive an imperial edict in his lifetime? Someone like Jia Cong, who received two in a year, was either an anomaly or a freak in the officialdom.

This kind of bribery through imperial decrees is a common practice in official circles. Under normal circumstances, officials will only have a few opportunities to give gifts in their lifetime. Even the most hypocritical censor cannot say a word, so naturally there are no taboos.

Jia Cong asked the housekeeper to escort Yuan Jing out of the house, and then he returned to his own yard.

At this time, Yinglian, Wu'er, Yuanyang and others who were listening to the news outside the hall had already rushed back to report the good news.

The entire East and West governments were once again in an uproar.

……

Earl's Mansion, Jia Cong Courtyard.

As soon as Jia Cong returned to the courtyard, Yingchun and other sisters had already received the news brought back by Yinglian and Wuer. Everyone was smiling and in a happy mood.

Baochai smiled and said, "Brother Cong has been promoted to the rank of first-class earl this time, which is also a very good sign. Next time he makes further achievements, he will definitely be promoted from second-class earl to first-class earl."

Yingchun was not very clear about the title system, and asked curiously: "Brother Cong, what is the explanation for this promotion system?"

Daiyu was born into a family of officials and had some knowledge.

He stepped forward and took Yingchun's arm, saying with a smile: "The stone lions at the gate can be replaced with more majestic ones, the gate of the Earl's Mansion can be made wider, and the threshold can be higher.

The screen walls, attics, and eaves in the mansion can be made more magnificent, and the second sister, the eldest daughter, can naturally make them more impressive."

Yingchun looked at Jia Cong with some pride and smiled, "Although I think everything in the mansion is already very good, but the respect that Brother Cong has won can make it even better."

Jia Cong joked, "I think it would be better to add the 500-shi property. In the future, my second sister will be in charge of the mansion, and she will have more money on hand. She can spend it as needed, and she doesn't need to save money for me."

Tanchun at the side said with a smile: "This is indeed a very good thing. Third brother has become so rich that when we have no money to spend in the future, we can just come and eat at his rich house.

But this rich family needs to eat quickly, otherwise in a few years, when the third brother gets married and has a wife, it will be difficult to empty the purse."

Yingchun and other sisters laughed after hearing Tanchun's funny words.

Baochai glanced at Jia Cong with her bright eyes and saw that he was also smiling. Her eyes seemed to look at Daiyu unintentionally, while Daiyu pinched Tanchun's arm while biting her lip to hold back her laughter.

……

Jia Cong changed out of his official uniform and went to the West Mansion to report the good news to Lady Jia.

Although he and Lady Jia were not close, the emperor's imperial decree was an important event in the mansion, and reporting the good news to the elders was the proper etiquette.

Now is the time when filial piety rules the world. Even if Jia Cong doesn't care in his heart, he has to put in the effort to appear sincere.

Otherwise, it would give people a chance to talk about being disrespectful and unfilial despite the emperor's grace and reward, which would be quite disgusting.

In Rongqing Hall, not only Lady Jia, Lady Wang, Chen, Marquis of Baoling, and others were there, but Aunt Xue also rushed to Rongqing Hall to see what was going on when she heard the news that the East Palace had received the imperial edict.

When Jia Zheng heard that the palace had issued an imperial decree to Jia Cong, he left his retainers and hurried to Rongqing Hall to wait for news.

In Jia Zheng's view, whether it is a granted marriage or a reward for merit, it is a good thing.

Therefore, he did not have the various strange and complicated thoughts like Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang.

Jia Zheng didn't care about the specific content of the imperial edict. He was just waiting to hear the good news. He wanted to find some comfort in Jia Cong for what he had lost in Jia Zhu and Baoyu.

When Yuanyang came back from the East Palace with the news, everyone in the hall had different expressions.

Aunt Xue, Mrs. Li and others hurried to congratulate Lady Jia.

Mrs. Wang had a smile on her face, and seemed no different from usual. She looked as kind as usual, but the Buddhist beads in her hand were spinning so fast that they seemed to be about to spark with her palm.

Baoyu was still standing behind Mrs. Wang, feeling uncomfortable. Even the arrival of Lin Daiyu could not alleviate the depression and panic in his heart.

……

Baoyu just heard from the maid that he saw Sister Qingwen from the East Palace went to Rongqing Hall, and he became infatuated with her.

She came to Rongqing Hall, hoping to meet this pretty little maid, and say a few nice words to her about how she could make rouge and powder, and how she could make a beautiful girl.

The current situation is different from the original one. Qingwen has followed Jia Cong since she was a child. She is either studying in the academy with Jia Cong, or accompanying him to Nanjing to do errands.

Even when Jia Cong lived in Qingzhizhai in the West Mansion, if he was not at home, Qingwen had her sisters such as Wu'er to keep her company, and she rarely went out.

When Jia Cong was conferred the title of Marquis of Weiyuan, all the maids around him moved to the East Palace. Baoyu had very few opportunities to see her beauty, and the threshold to enter the East Palace had always been very high for him...

Furthermore, Baoyu has mixed feelings towards Jia Cong. He likes his extraordinary looks and demeanor, but hates him for being too eccentric. Since he arrived at the West Mansion, all the proud maids seemed to have gone to his room...

But when he arrived at Rongqing Hall, Baoyu not only did not see the Qingwen he had been thinking about, but instead saw a bunch of irrelevant people.

Just when he was feeling bored and wanted to leave Rongqing Hall, he bumped into his father Jia Zheng, who sternly told him to stay in Rongqing Hall and experience the official career scene later, which would motivate him to make progress.

Baoyu was full of bold words like "I came and went naked without any worries, and I would never be defiled by parasites", but he dared not say a word to Jia Zheng, otherwise his master would be happy to beat him to death.

So, he could only stay in Rongqing Hall reluctantly, listening to a bunch of people praising Jia Cong for his promotion and reward, and his promising future. Baoyu felt dizzy, his chest was stuffy, and his eyes were wide open. ...

After a while, Jia Cong and Yingchun brought their sisters into the hall to announce the good news.

When Grandmother Jia saw that her granddaughters were all beaming with joy, with their smiles like peach blossoms and their beauty like lilacs, she looked exceptionally graceful and attractive, as if they were the ones who had received the reward.

Grandmother Jia looked at Jia Cong with mixed feelings in her heart and couldn't help but sigh. She had just said that this young man, Jue Lu Jin's favor, had exceeded the norm and it would be very difficult for him to make further progress in the future.

I didn't expect that he would receive an imperial decree to reward me in the blink of an eye, which was a slap in my face. This grandson's luck is really amazing.

Even though his ancestor, Duke Rong, was a well-known and outstanding talent in the Great Zhou, at Jia Cong's age, his fortune and achievements were far inferior to Jia Cong's.

However, for Jia's grandmother, Jia Cong's promotion and success were not a bad thing for the Jia family in any way, and she seemed to have no reason to feel upset.

He then asked, "Aren't you a civil servant in the Ministry of Works? Why did His Majesty confer upon you a rank of General Xuanwu, a fourth-rank official? Why isn't it a civil servant title?"

Before Jia Cong could reply, Jia Zheng, who was standing by, said with a smile, "The reason why His Majesty only conferred the title of Wu Sanxun on Brother Cong, and did not confer a civil official rank, is because of an official reason.

Because Congge'er was only a juren at the moment, the highest position a civil servant could reach was the fifth rank, Director of the Firearms Department, and there was no higher rank he could get. To hold a civil servant position above the fifth rank, one had to be a jinshi to be promoted regardless of years of service.

However, Congge is the first place winner in the Yongzhou County Examination. According to the usual practice, as soon as the examination is held at the end of next spring, the first place winner will surely be awarded the title of Jinshi, which is like a sure thing in the bag. At that time, the road to promotion for civil servants will be opened.”

Aunt Xue chimed in, "We should congratulate the old lady first. Next year, there will be another Jinshi Gong in the mansion. This is not much less honorable than being conferred a title."

Baoyu, who was present, couldn't help but feel anxious and breathless when he heard words like "Jieyuan Jinshi".

He suddenly saw Lin Daiyu, who was smiling sweetly and as beautiful as a fairy, looking at Jia Cong with admiration. How could Lin Daiyu also fall in love with the mundane things of official career and economy? This was unacceptable.

Baoyu only felt that the world before his eyes was collapsing, collapsing...

After hearing what Aunt Xue said, Jia Zheng stroked his beard and smiled, "That makes sense. My grandfather wanted me to take the imperial examination, but when he submitted his last memorial, the emperor showed special grace and granted me an official position.

Speaking of which, Rong State has not made its fortune through the imperial examinations. Although it is difficult to be promoted to an official position, it is not as noble as the imperial examinations. Cong'er has finally made up for this shortcoming of our Jia family, which is very rare."

……

Jia Zheng looked at Baoyu who was standing beside Mrs. Wang and saw that he looked withdrawn and dazed, without any trace of the broad-minded and elegant demeanor. Then he looked at Jia Cong who had a solemn aura, a jade-like temperament, and was outstanding.

He could not help but raise an eyebrow. Baoyu would be old enough to dance with the elephant next year, but he could not even read the Four Books and had not entered school yet. It was really worrying.

Jia Zheng could not help but want to admonish his son, asking him to study hard and at least earn some honor for himself, but seeing Baoyu's evasive look, he swallowed his words back.

If she scolds her son at this juncture, the old lady will definitely protect him. If a quarrel occurs, it will be embarrassing for everyone to see. The old lady might even vent her anger on Cong'er.

In the past two years, Jia Zheng has become disheartened, knowing that Baoyu is unlikely to succeed in the imperial examinations. Even if he beats, scolds, and reprimands him, it will probably be of no use.

On this side, Baoling Hou Chen had seen the authentic imperial edict of Jia Cong. Although it was not an imperial decree of marriage, the matter of marriage was difficult after all, so she had to put Xiangyun's marriage aside for the time being.

She congratulated Lady Jia again and then said goodbye and returned home.

……

Baoyu was just about to slip out of Rongqing Hall when his father wasn't paying attention. Although Lin Daiyu was there and he could take a few more glances at her, he really couldn't stand the dignity of Jia Cong's official career.

But Yingchun said softly, "Old lady, Brother Cong has received the imperial decree, which is a big deal.

Tomorrow I would like to have a few family dinners at the East Mansion, and invite the old lady, the master, the wife, the aunt, the brothers and sisters to come over for a meal and chat, so that the whole family can get together. I hope the old lady will do me the honor of coming."

Jia Zheng smiled and said, "Second girl, what you said is very polite. For a happy event like Cong's, even if there is no banquet for guests, the family must congratulate him. Otherwise, it will be too lonely.

I have a day off tomorrow, so I will definitely come."

After hearing this, Mrs. Wang felt dizzy and nauseous. She glanced at Baoyu, who looked dazed, and felt distressed and unwilling again.

That boy got promoted to a respectable position and stole the limelight, that's fine, but why should the master treat him so well and forget that Baoyu is his legitimate son?

Grandmother Jia glanced at Baoyu, who was in a state of anxiety. Deep down, she didn't want to go to the East Palace for the wedding banquet, but Yingchun's words were common sense in the family and there was nothing wrong with them.

Jia Cong is a man without a family. Yingchun is the eldest daughter of the housekeeper of the East Palace. When such a happy event happened in the East Palace, Yingchun remained silent, which was impolite.

She smiled and patted Yingchun's hand, saying, "You have grown up now and can help your brother manage the household and take care of everything. Since you have this intention, I will definitely go."

After everyone in the hall talked about what happened, they dispersed. Baoyu felt as if he had been pardoned, but he was conflicted about whether he should go to the banquet in the East Palace tomorrow.

Going to attend Jia Cong's stupid promotion banquet would really disgust him to death.

But it would be a pity if I didn't go, because Sister Lin and the other sisters would definitely go, and there were also Jia Cong's excellent maids in the East Palace.

Baoyu also heard his sisters talking about how Jia Cong brought back a young girl from Suzhou this time. The girl was very beautiful and looked very much like Lin Daiyu. She could also sing beautiful little songs...

……

The next day, Yingchun and Tanchun were busy in the early morning and set up a banquet in Dengxian Pavilion in the East Palace. When the sun rose higher, they went to the West Palace to invite Jia Mu and others to the banquet.

Jia Cong has become very successful in the past two years, but Grandmother Jia loves Baoyu the most and she wishes all these things could happen to Baoyu, but it is impossible.

Ever since Jia Cong was granted the title and registered a household in the East Palace, Jia's mother's plan to place people and servants in the East Palace was cut short. She knew that apart from the status of grandfather and grandson, her grandson had become a kite with a broken string.

As she couldn't save face, Lady Jia usually didn't come to the East Palace.

This time Yingchun invited him to a banquet, and he came because of family etiquette and the face of his second granddaughter.

Thinking about his most beloved Baoyu, who has achieved nothing so far, while his grandson, whom he had disliked since childhood, is enjoying glory and brilliance every day, he always feels a little lost and unwilling.

However, she was a person who enjoyed life. When she entered the East Palace Garden and saw the newly renovated pavilions, waterside terraces and flower paths, and the neat and elegant scenery, she forgot all the discomfort she had felt.

In those days, Jia Zhen was a man of extravagant temperament. He made the Ningguo Mansion magnificent and luxurious, which really catered to Lady Jia's preferences.

Later, after Jia Cong established his mansion, he took advantage of the opportunity of the East Palace's downgrading to renovate all the luxurious and extravagant parts of the East Palace to avoid giving people a chance to criticize him. This made Jia's mother think that it was a waste of money.

But now that she had seen the entire mansion after it had been renovated, she felt that it had a different kind of noble and elegant demeanor. Although it was not to her liking, it was also fresh and pleasing to the eye.

On the sunny south slope below Dengxian Pavilion, dozens of Rhizoma Cinerariae planted by Daiyu and Zhishao have, after several days of care, already sprouted branches and roots before late autumn, and are full of vitality.

Two banquets were set up in the Dengxian Pavilion. Jia Mu and others took their seats. Yingchun set up another table for Zhishao, Yinglian, Wu'er, Qingwen, Lingguan and others to sit at.

Because Jia She is the biological father of Yingchun and Jia Cong, although they have always been at odds with each other, Jia She and Madam Xing cannot be absent from the East Mansion family banquet, otherwise it would be too unpleasant to hear if the news got out.

Yingchun wanted to help Jia Cong to smooth things over, so she went to the east courtyard in person early in the morning to invite him. However, in the end only Madam Xing came, so Yingchun asked Xing Xiuyun to sit with her.

Mrs. Xing had treated Jia Cong very badly in the past. Ever since Jia Cong moved to the West Mansion, Jia Cong and his biological mother had very little contact. This was also the first time that Mrs. Xing came to the East Mansion after Jia Cong set up his own mansion.

Everyone at the table was comfortable and relaxed. Logically speaking, Mrs. Xing was the biological mother of Jia Cong and Yingchun, and could almost be considered half the owner, but she acted like a complete outsider, fidgeting and looking embarrassed.

……

When Grandmother Jia saw the state of her eldest daughter-in-law, she frowned slightly. She had always looked down on this daughter-in-law, and it was not just because she was born in a poor family.

Instead, he felt that this daughter-in-law was greedy and shallow by nature, did things without leaving any room for others, and had no sense of family. If it were not so, she would be the most glorious one among those who attended the banquet today.

Grandmother Jia asked, "Everyone in the family is here today, why doesn't your master show up?"

Madam Xing quickly replied, "It's just a coincidence today. The second girl came to invite us early in the morning, but the master had a distinguished guest from Jinling come to his shop, so he went out to entertain him early in the morning."

Grandmother Jia was curious and asked, "When did he open a shop outside?"

Although Jia She and Jia Zheng of the Jia family lived separately, the family and the public were merged, and the Rong family did not split up.

The clan rules state that among families that have not yet been divided, children are not allowed to open shops privately or accumulate private wealth.

But since Ningguo was confiscated, Jia Zhen was killed or alive, Jia Rong was exiled, and the eldest branch of the Jia family was dead, Jia She became the head of the Jia family in Shenjing. He opened a shop outside but no one could control him.

Although Jia She had no one to control him, it was against the clan rules after all, so the couple never made the matter public. Jia's mother lived in the inner courtyard enjoying herself, and she never heard about it.

When Jia She first opened the fur shop, even his son Jia Lian didn't know about it. But as the fur shop had been open for nearly half a year, he went in and out of the shop more often, so naturally the secret could not be concealed.

Wang Xifeng was most concerned about the flow of money, so she naturally heard about the existence of this fur shop soon.

Seeing that her mother-in-law had already spoken, she knew there was nothing to worry about.

Said: "Old lady, you don't know that the master opened a fur shop on Hongping Street, and the business is still very good."

Grandmother Jia frowned and said, "He still has a title, but he doesn't want to be an official anymore. He wants to open a shop. He might not only make money, but also lose the capital. The family will have to pay for his share of the money."

Mrs. Xing smiled and said, "Old Madam, you don't know that since the court implemented the new policy, the family has to pay more taxes in spring and summer. The public treasury is not as abundant as before, and the master is also thinking of helping out a little."

Grandmother Jia didn't take the matter to heart. She asked a few questions and then dropped the question, and started chatting about other topics with Aunt Xue next to her. No one else at the table cared about the matter either.

Only Jia Cong felt a chill in his heart when he heard words like fur shop and distinguished guest from Jinling, as if he associated them with something...

(End of this chapter)