Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Ningrong Street, Earl's Mansion, Yingchun Courtyard.

Yingchun was sitting in the middle of the main hall, wearing a goose yellow satin round-necked robe embroidered with broken branches, a white cross-collared jacket, and a white long skirt embroidered with magnolia.

Her face was delicate and pretty, elegant and graceful, and she was extremely charming. Her hair was decorated with a golden phoenix made of beads and filigree, which sparkled in the morning light, making her look even more graceful and pretty.

Jia Cong knew that Yingchun's gold phoenix jewel with pearls and filigree was often stolen by her wet nurse and pawned as gambling money.

So he bought Yingchun a new top-quality gold phoenix with pearls and filigree.

When Yingchun received the gold hairpin from her brother, she loved it more than any treasure and kept it carefully herself, and never allowed her wet nurse to touch it again.

It is only taken out and worn during happy events and festivals every year.

As for Nanny Wang, who stole Yingchun's jewelry and pawned it, as well as her son Wang Zhuer and his wife, Jia Cong always disliked them because of their greed and cunningness.

Afterwards, Yingchun moved to the East Palace to be the head of the household, taking only her personal maid Xiu Ju with her, while everyone else was left in the West Palace.

Wang Xifeng saw Jia Cong's preference and took advantage of the court's implementation of a new policy to significantly increase the summer tax in Rongguo Mansion, requiring the reduction of the number of servants in the mansion.

Yingchun's wet nurse, daughter-in-law Wang Zhu's daughter-in-law, and the cunning and domineering maid Lianhua were all driven out of the mansion on their own pretexts and sent to work on the farms outside the city. This was considered as retribution for evil deeds.

Yesterday, Jia Cong rushed to the West Palace to receive the imperial edict. Zhishao and Yinglian followed him to listen to the news. When they learned that Jia Cong had unexpectedly inherited the title of Rong State, they hurried back to the East Palace to report the good news.

Although the sisters of the East Palace Jia family were surprised when they heard this, they all knew that it was a rare honor to have two titles in one person, and they were all happy for Jia Cong.

The happiest among the sisters was probably Yingchun, Jia Cong's eldest sister.

Yingchun's greatest pride was seeing her brother in such glory. She changed into new clothes early and wore this gorgeous and luxurious golden phoenix with beads and filigree to show her joy of celebration.

……

Yingchun knew that when the news of Jia Cong's inheritance of the title of Rong State spread, many old friends and colleagues would come to congratulate him.

Early the next morning, two stewardesses outside the second gate of the East Palace and two stewards and maids inside the second gate were called to the courtyard to assign tasks.

According to the Jia family's consistent rules, the maids and servants in the mansion are divided into stewards and non-stewards.

The steward maid is only responsible for the allocation and coordination of various affairs. She has the final authority and her monthly salary is higher than that of non-steward maids.

Non-deacon maids only handle specific affairs, such as serving the master, sweeping the courtyard, tending flowers and trees, washing clothes, working in the kitchen, guarding the door, etc.

In Rongguo Mansion, Yuanyang served Lady Jia on a daily basis and was just a non-deacon maid.

Ping'er followed Wang Xifeng as the housekeeper, and her position was the head maid.

However, the status of the two is quite mysterious and cannot be simply judged as deacon or non-deacon.

The two stewardesses and two maids serving under Yingchun were carefully selected from the more than fifty domestic slaves purchased by Yingchun and Tanchun from Jiangnan.

The two stewardesses are in the outer courtyard and follow the housekeeper's orders, while the two steward maids are Yingchun's right-hand men in managing the inner courtyard.

"The gates, roads, and corridors of the outer courtyard must be cleaned and tidy. The Xuande Hall in the outer courtyard and several side halls should also be cleaned. The utensils and curtains should be replaced with new ones."

"Tell the butlers in each place to arrange for the right staff, change into new clothes, and fix up their appearance. Many relatives, friends, and colleagues will come to congratulate the Earl on his succession to the title. You must be courteous and considerate and not neglect them."

"Arrange personnel to clean and tidy up the utility room, stables, and carriage shed outside the second gate, and properly accommodate the visitors' carriages and attendants..."

"In the kitchen, ask the housekeeper to arrange enough staff for Sister Liu in advance. We will inevitably need to have a banquet when the guests come to the house..."

Yingchun assigned various tasks in an orderly manner, appearing neither hurried nor slow, and her work was clearly organized.

She lost her mother when she was young, was ignored by her biological father and stepmother, and grew up with Lady Jia, developing an introverted and dull personality.

But since Jia Cong moved to the West Mansion when he was ten years old, he became quite close to her, his elder sister with the same father. Yingchun felt that she had a brother in her heart and took care of him in everything. Gradually, the barriers between them were opened up imperceptibly.

Ever since she was taken to the East Palace by Jia Cong to be the head of the household, she was forced to do the job. However, how could a woman with excellent chess skills be stupid?

Moreover, this East Mansion was the family business that her brothers had fought for, and it was also her home and destination, so she was not tired of taking care of everything in the mansion.

Over the past year, she has had Tanchun's help in taking care of the household chores in the East Palace. She has become familiar with all the affairs of the mansion and can handle daily affairs with ease.

Jia Cong was even happier to be a hands-off boss, relying on Yingchun, his eldest sister, to take care of everything.

……

When Yingchun finished giving instructions on matters, she was about to dismiss a few deacons to do their own things.

One of the maids asked, "My dear young lady, when the imperial decree was passed down yesterday, I heard that the West Mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful lights to celebrate.

The one who inherited the title is our uncle, and the West Mansion has been arranged like this, so shouldn’t our East Mansion also be a little more festive and ask for red decorations to celebrate the occasion? "

Yingchun said, "As long as the place is clean and elegant, the staff and utensils are fresh and thoughtful, and the etiquette is in place, there is no need for red and colorful things. The master does not like to be too ostentatious by nature. Let's go down and do the work."

When several stewards, maids and old women went out to do their work, Yingchun saw several pretty figures swaying at the entrance of the main hall. Daiyu, Xiangyun, Xing Xiuyun and others came in.

Daiyu smiled and said, "Second sister is really like an official in the government office now. Third brother Chengjue has been very busy for you. Now that you have put down the official seal and left the court, we have come here specially to take a look."

Xiangyun laughed and said, "I said she didn't look like a hall official, but now that Second Sister is so capable of managing the household, she looks a lot like a housekeeper."

Yingchun blushed and scolded with a smile: "You are so old, but you still speak without restraint. Brother Cong has not married yet, so where did the housekeeper come from?"

Shi Xiangyun stuck out her tongue and quickly apologized with a smile: "I said I was talking nonsense, it's not the housekeeper's wife, it should be the housekeeper's aunt."

……

Yingchun asked, "Didn't you go to the West Mansion to visit the old lady and the mistress? It's only been a short while, why are you all back?

Shi Xiangyun said, "The madam suddenly fell ill. We could not say much when we met. The old lady was not in good spirits and looked lazy. Yuanyang was serving her when we all came back."

After all, Shi Xiangyun only stayed in the Jia family for a limited time, and coupled with her cheerful and naive nature, she was naturally unaware of the secret entanglements between the East and West Mansions of the Jia family.

But Yingchun and Daiyu are different. Yingchun puts all her thoughts on Jia Cong, while Daiyu stays at Grandmother Jia's side and listens to her every need.

They naturally knew why the old lady and the wife both looked so sick when faced with such a happy event as Jia Cong's inheritance of the title.

Daiyu had just visited Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang, and her mind was even clearer than before.

My grandmother and my second aunt were both very uncomfortable with my third brother inheriting the title. My grandmother was just a little partial, but generally it was okay and everything would be fine after a few days.

The situation of my second aunt is a little different. The second branch of the family lost its title and property. I’m afraid she hates the people in the East Palace now.

But she didn't think about it. This title was not seized by her third brother. It was awarded by the emperor's decree. Besides, her third brother was so capable that if he got the title, it would only make the Rong family's business more stable.

Yingchun frowned slightly and said, "Brother Cong has received the imperial decree and has been granted the title of Rongguo. I'm afraid that more old friends and relatives have gone to the West Palace to celebrate these days than those in the East Palace.

The old lady and the mistress are not feeling well right now, so the West Mansion will be in chaos. Although the third sister and the eldest sister-in-law are capable, one is a boudoir and the other is a widow, so it is not convenient for them to do things. "

Daiyu smiled and said, "Second sister, don't worry about that. When we came back just now, many relatives came to celebrate.

The relatives and female family members who came to the inner courtyard to congratulate the old lady were taken care of by the third sister and the eldest sister-in-law.

My second sister-in-law and Ping'er are also busy. They are used to taking care of housework, so there is no problem for them. The male guests from the outer courtyard are received by my second uncle and third brother.

When my third brother's colleagues and classmates come to the East Palace later, my second sister-in-law will ask my fifth sister-in-law's son Yun'er to come to the West Palace to replace my third brother. This will be a very good plan."

……

Rongguo Mansion.

After the imperial edict was issued yesterday, only half a day had passed when the news that Jia Cong inherited two titles spread quickly among the officials and nobles in Shenjing like wings.

As soon as the day dawned today, guests came to congratulate. The first to arrive were the old relatives of the Wang, Shi and Xue families in Beijing. In the past, the four major families in Jinling had always been of the same blood, so much so that the saying of "protecting officials" came into being in Jiangnan.

The Jia family had a rare event of having two nobles in one person, and the prestige of the four great families in Jinling at that time would also increase as a result. Naturally, they would go to the mansion early to celebrate and attract popularity.

In addition, relatives, friends and female relatives from all branches of the Jia family in the capital also came to congratulate Lady Jia.

After that came the four kings and eight dukes and other family members of noble families. The congratulations from these noble families were more elaborate than those from ordinary families.

Therefore, the protagonist of this incident is Jia Cong. After he inherited the title of Rong, he became the youngest head of the family among the four kings and eight dukes in terms of seniority and age.

Therefore, the people who came to visit the old noble families today were probably the princes and legitimate sons of the same generation as Jia Cong.

Most of these people did not have much interaction with Jia Cong, and most of them were not very familiar with him. Their friendship with the Jia family was accumulated in previous lives, or could be traced back to Jia Daishan and Jia Mu.

Therefore, although Jia Cong settled in the East Palace, few of the visitors went to the East Palace to congratulate him, but most of them came to the West Palace.

The reason is not only that the ancestor of the Jia family is in the West Mansion, but also that Jia Cong inherited the title of Rongguo this time, becoming the legitimate head of the West Mansion. It is reasonable for him to come to the West Mansion to congratulate.

……

Wang Ziteng, the head of the Wang family in Beijing, Mrs. Wang's brother, and now the governor of the Beijing camp, also appeared in the crowd, which surprised Jia Cong a little.

When he saw Jia Cong, who had a calm expression, and Jia Zheng, who looked a little embarrassed, his face showed no abnormality at all.

He walked forward steadily and said to Jia Cong with a smile: "The young Marquis Weiyuan is quite remarkable. He has won the honor of two titles at such a young age. Looking at the younger generation of the Great Zhou, there is no second choice. This is cause for celebration."

He then said to Jia Zheng, who seemed a little uncomfortable, "My brother-in-law was also very perceptive back then. He saw the extraordinary talent of Marquis Weiyuan very early on and devoted himself to helping and guiding him. That is why he has become what he is today. It is really admirable."

Because Wang Ziteng's wife Li secretly murdered Jia Cong, Emperor Jia Zhao asked Guo Lin to plot behind the scenes to completely break the relationship between Rongguo Mansion and Wang Ziteng.

In recent years, apart from the annual festival exchanges of courtesy and maintaining basic respect, the two families have had no internal disputes or connections.

Wang Ziteng lost the support of the Rongguo Jia family and became a rootless duckweed in the officialdom, a puppet in the hands of Emperor Jiazhao who could be manipulated at will.

……

The Jingying Jiedushi was originally responsible for controlling the military forces of all the troops in the capital area, and according to his authority, he even had jurisdiction over the five military camps.

This is also the reason why Jia Daihua, who was the Jiedushi of the Beijing Camp and Jia Daishan, who commanded the frontier troops of nine border towns, brought a strong foundation and power to the Ningrong Jia family.

However, the rebellion of King Wu that year completely overturned the power structure of the old and established nobles in the city of Shenjing.

Jia Daishan and Jia Daihua died successively before and after Emperor Jiazhao ascended the throne, and there are many different opinions about the reasons.

The next generation, Jia She, Jia Zheng and Jia Zhen, were all decadent and mediocre, and the Ningrong Jia family began to decline from then on.

Later, Wang Ziteng relied on the Jia family's power in the military to take over the position and authority of the Jia family's governor of the Beijing camp, and became a rising star among the Four Great Families of Jinling.

But man proposes, God disposes. No one expected that after more than a decade of silence, Jia Cong would suddenly emerge. Wang Ziteng also didn't expect that his wife's magical manipulation would not only fail to assassinate Jia Cong, but also completely cut off his emotional connection with the Rongguo Jia family.

Having lost the connections and foundation of the Jia family, Wang Ziteng became a jack of all trades and master of none. With the secret instigation and suppression of Emperor Jia Zhao, he is now nothing but the empty title of Jiedushi of the Beijing Camp.

According to the military rank of the Jiedushi of the Beijing Camp, Wang Ziteng was even higher than Shi Ding, the Marquis of Zhongjing, but in Shi Ding's eyes he was nothing at all.

None of the five main generals in the five military camps took Wang Ziteng seriously, and he could not control any of them at all.

Even he himself was puzzled as to why Emperor Jia Zhao still put him in this position after he had lost the connections and support of the Jia family.

……

In fact, in the final analysis, Emperor Jiazhao needed a useless puppet like him to occupy the position of Jiedushi in order to prevent other old nobles from taking advantage of the opportunity.

Emperor Jiazhao did not even need a general with real talent to sit in the position of Jiedushi of the Beijing Camp when there was no need.

With a puppet like Wang Ziteng occupying this position, the real governor of the Beijing Camp is actually the emperor himself.

The fact that Wang Ziteng relied on his sister to marry into the second branch of the Jia family and won the position of Jiedushi of the Beijing Camp was enough to show that he was ambitious and strategic. Naturally, he was not reconciled to the current situation.

In the past two years, Jia Cong has risen strongly. Not only is he famous in Jiangnan for his literary affairs and has passed the imperial examinations twice, but he has also been granted a title and a palace for his outstanding military exploits in pacifying the Jurchens in Liaodong.

Many wise men among the four kings and eight dukes have vaguely seen the shadows of Jia Daishan and Jia Daihua in Jia Cong. With Wang Ziteng's mind, he naturally cannot ignore this point.

This time, Jia Cong strangely inherited the title of Rong. The glory of having two titles in one body once again made his reputation reach its peak. More importantly, everyone could see that Jia Cong was in the emperor's favor.

All this made Wang Ziteng feel that Jia Cong was a rare treasure, so he put aside the past grudges and shamelessly went to congratulate him, relying on the excuse of being a relative of one of the four great families.

As for the fact that his sister lost the title and wealth of the second branch of the Jia family because of Jia Cong, Wang Ziteng didn't take it seriously at all.

With his exciting career and huge ambitions, how could he care about these irrelevant matters?

……

Originally, when Jia Cong inherited the title, according to the usual etiquette of seniority, Wang Ziteng should have sent his son to congratulate him.

The fact that he came here in person this time was a sign of condescension, and coupled with the conflict between the two families in the past, Jia Cong was a little surprised to see him.

Now when he saw Jia Cong again, he didn't dare to call him "Brother Cong" as he did in previous years, but instead called him "Marquis Weiyuan".

When Jia Cong saw him congratulating him, he had an appropriate smile on his face and his words were as gentle as a spring breeze. He had the demeanor of an elder and was sincere and warm.

If it weren't for what happened that day, Jia Cong would really think that he was a warm and enthusiastic elder, but unfortunately he was not after all.

Because of the conflict between the two families in the past, the more Wang Ziteng tried to justify what was wrong and showed no signs of embarrassment, the more Jia Cong became wary of him.

……

Jia Zheng was a man of straightforward character, with distinct emotions. When he thought of Wang Ziteng's wife, who had plotted to murder Jia Cong and almost ruined the reputation of Jia's talented son, he could never recover. He felt a grudge in his heart.

He just responded to Wang Ziteng's greetings reluctantly, and everyone could see the discomfort on his face.

However, Wang Ziteng did not care about Jia Zheng's reaction. The purpose of his visit to congratulate him was because of Jia Cong, and Jia Zheng's attitude was not important.

Although Jia Cong is young, he is not as forced as Jia Zheng when facing his foreign prince Teng. His face is relaxed and he has a polite smile. With his handsome face, he makes people feel approachable and gentle.

He greeted Wang Ziteng in a casual manner, and both of them seemed to have forgotten the unpleasant incident that year.

Jia Cong was just slandering in his heart. Back then, Wang Yi was scared to the point of peeing his pants by him, and he wondered if he had any root of illness left in him.

At this time, Liu Hong, the son of Liu Fang of the Duke of Liguo's Mansion, and Ma Xie, the son of Ma Shang of the Duke of Zhiguo's Mansion, came to the mansion to pay their congratulations. These two families and the Ningrong Jia family were among the Eight Dukes, and the families had friendships going back several lifetimes.

Liu Hong and Ma Yan were of the same generation as Jia Cong, and were also the heirs of the two families. This time they came to express congratulations on behalf of their fathers.

This was a noble and family friend with stronger roots than the Wang family, so Jia Cong naturally had to go and meet him in person. He made an excuse to leave Wang Ziteng to Jia Zheng to deal with, and took the opportunity to get away.

Wang Ziteng watched Jia Cong leave, and thought of how he had just handled the situation more skillfully than Jia Zheng, and he became even more wary of Jia Cong.

He wanted to restore his relationship with Jia Cong so that he could use his power to find an opportunity to break out in the future. This was also his consistent thinking as an official.

He was also very clear that this was a difficult and risky move. Not to mention whether it would arouse the suspicion of Emperor Jia Zhao, it was even more of a question whether Jia Cong would accept it.

Therefore, he never thought that he could make any substantial progress by just visiting to congratulate them this time, and he could only rely on long-term planning for the future.

……

Rongxi Hall, Mrs. Wang’s Courtyard.

In the bedroom, Mrs. Wang was half leaning on the bed, her face was sallow, her breath was weak, her eyes were bloodshot, and there was a stubborn sharpness in her gaze.

The noisy sounds of welcoming guests outside pierced Mrs. Wang's heart like a sharp needle, making her feel as if it was being cut by a knife. She tossed and turned, unable to sit still.

Aunt Xue was shocked last night when she heard that Jia Cong inherited the title of Rongguo. She was so uneasy that she couldn't sleep well for half the night.

I just heard this morning that my sister was ill, so I brought my daughter Baochai to visit her.

She naturally knew the reason why her sister was ill. Sisters are connected by heart, so she naturally understood Mrs. Wang's thoughts best.

The title and honor he had longed for his whole life were gone just like that, and it was not so embarrassing. I heard that Baoyu was scolded very harshly in the imperial edict. I was afraid that he would not be able to face people when he went out in the future.

Faced with such a harsh and humiliating thing, it was lucky that my sister didn't die of suffocation. But what else could she do? The emperor had issued an edict, and no one could say no.

In fact, to be honest, Aunt Xue was no less upset than Lady Wang. She originally thought that the second branch of the Rong family would inherit the title, and she had long regarded Baoyu as a wealthy son-in-law who would inherit the title and property.

But I didn't expect that the affairs of the Jia family could be so evil. Those without titles can't even hope for death, while those who already have titles have pie in the sky constantly dropping on them.

Aunt Xue advised: "Sister, since it has happened, you should be more open-minded. Although Cong inherited the title, you can't write two Jias with one stroke. After all, they are family members.

Besides, he has always been very respectful to his brother-in-law, and he will definitely treat the second wife well."

Aunt Xue has always been worldly-wise and cunning, and is best at saying sweet words and flattering people. Even someone as experienced as Lady Jia in the rear house can be coaxed by Aunt Xue and often lose her way.

The words she had just used to persuade Mrs. Wang were all very balanced and reasonable, and there was nothing wrong with them.

But Mrs. Wang’s current mood could not be soothed by just a few words, especially Aunt Xue’s last sentence, which said that Jia Cong would definitely treat the second house well for Jia Zheng’s sake.

When Mrs. Wang heard these words, she felt they were extremely irritating.

This made her feel boundless resentment in her heart, because her husband and son were the direct descendants of the Rongguo Mansion.

Who is that kid from the East Mansion? He is just a bastard born to a prostitute. Do we in the second house have to depend on his mood in order to survive?

But now she could only curse in her heart, and she didn't dare say it out loud even in front of her sister.

No matter how unwilling she was in her heart, it was an indisputable fact that Jia Cong inherited the title and property of Rong State because of the imperial edict.

Moreover, this kid appears gentle on the surface, but he is a ruthless character inside. Mrs. Wang has not forgotten that when Jia Cong was only ten years old, he killed Wang Shanbao with just a few words.

Later, his own chambermaid Zhou Ruijia was also seized by him and made into a slave because she prevented him from bringing a woman from outside the palace. Now no one knows where she is dead.

Moreover, his title and family property were also obtained through desperate struggles in Liaodong. Even though he was courteous to his master, how could he bear it if he was found to have a weakness and went crazy?

Now I can only rely on the old lady and get through this period first...

……

At this time, Mrs. Wang saw Baochai standing next to Aunt Xue. She was beautiful, elegant and radiant, and her heart was slightly moved.

She thought of the imperial edict of yesterday, which had belittled her Baoyu so embarrassingly. This news must have spread throughout the capital by now, and her Baoyu's reputation for life might be ruined.

I don’t know if I can continue my studies in the future, but I’m afraid it’s impossible to marry a daughter of a famous family with the power of the country as I did in the past.

With the imperial edict in hand, which lady from a prominent family would dare to come for a matchmaking?

When Mrs. Wang thought of this, she looked at Baochai, who was an outstanding person, and she couldn't help but feel relieved.

Fortunately, I have already taken a liking to this niece, and all my efforts in coming up with the idea of ​​a perfect match have not been in vain, as I can put it to use now.

Others may suspect Baoyu of being a bad person because of the immoral imperial edict in the palace, but his sister knows him inside out and probably won't mind it.

When Mrs. Wang thought about Baoyu's current situation, she couldn't help feeling worried and vigilant, and could only put aside the pain of losing the title for the time being.

He said: "What my sister said makes sense. Although the master has lost his title this time, Cong is also of Rong State blood. Moreover, he has been raised by the master since he arrived at the West Mansion at the age of ten.

Everyone in the family knows how much the master loves and cherishes him. The master really loves him more than Baoyu and treats him no differently from his own son.

Now that he has taken over the Rongguo Mansion, he must treat the second branch with sincerity. Otherwise, how can it be justified? Although the Rongguo Mansion has a new owner, it is no different from before. "

Baochai, who was standing by, frowned slightly when she heard this. She was smart and could hear the sinister tone in her aunt's words. She was also secretly worried about Jia Cong.

Aunt Xue was also slightly stunned after hearing what Mrs. Wang said. She thought her sister was so angry that she said such stupid words to comfort her.

Cong'er inherited the title and property of the Rongguo Mansion. How could this family remain the same as before?

He was able to earn his title by charging into battle, and was also valued so much by the emperor that he was given the title of Rongguo. How could such a person be a good person?

If this brother Cong was a little more powerful, now that he has become the ruler of Rong State, he could live in Rong Xi Tang with full legitimacy. Even if he asked his sister and brother-in-law to move out and live separately, no one would find any fault with it.

Although he respects his brother-in-law, he is not his brother-in-law's biological son after all. If his sister were to do something about it, how could he remain indifferent...

In the final analysis, her sister still couldn't let go of the title and property of Rong State, but now the emperor's words and iron-pen decrees were known to everyone, and what could her sister, a woman, do?

If I don’t see through it sooner rather than later and do some foolish things, what will be the outcome?...

……

Although Aunt Xue wanted to persuade her sister, she knew very well that her sister had changed her appearance since the death of her eldest son, but her stubbornness and strength in her bones remained unchanged.

Besides, he attaches so much importance to the honor and rank of the aristocratic family that I am afraid it will be useless to persuade him any more.

Mrs. Wang said, “Now I don’t have to worry about other things. What worries me most is Baoyu. Next year he will be old enough to dance with elephants and get married.

I was just thinking of discussing this with my sister so that Baoyu can get this important matter resolved as soon as possible."

As Mrs. Wang spoke, a smile broke out on her sickly, sallow face, and she looked at Baochai with an unusually kind gaze.

Aunt Xue's face changed slightly, and Baochai's face turned pale instantly... (End of this chapter)