Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

The atmosphere in the hall became a little awkward because of Jia Zheng's words.

When Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang heard Wang Xifeng's cheerful voice, they both felt a little uncomfortable.

Since Wang Xifeng married into the Jia family, she has been helping Lady Wang manage the household affairs of the Rong family. According to common sense, when Rongqingtang discusses family affairs, Wang Xifeng is always invited to join.

But both Lady Jia and Lady Wang saw that since Jia Lian was convicted, the eldest and second sons of the royal family had lost their qualifications to inherit the title. Wang Xifeng, observing the situation, gradually began to favor Jia Cong.

When Jia Cong wrote a letter to the emperor to save Jia Lian's life, Wang Xifeng completely turned to Jia Cong and regarded him as her supporter in the Jia family. She even gave her most trusted maid to Jia Cong as a girl.

Now Grandmother Jia wants to help the second house seize power in Rongguo Mansion. She knows that Wang Xifeng and Jia Cong are of the same mind and that Wang Xifeng is a meticulous person who is good at managing the household business on a daily basis.

How could she let Feng Lazi appear in Rongqingtang at this critical juncture to avoid any unexpected events?

Mrs. Wang naturally had the same thoughts as Lady Jia. Although Wang Xifeng was her own niece, ever since Jia Lian's accident, the Jia family's title and salary situation had changed drastically, and the relationship between the two aunts and nieces had changed beyond recognition.

Grandmother Jia's face became a little stiff, and she said, "Now that you are pregnant, I don't know how to take care of yourself. Why are you running around here again?"

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Old Madam is considerate, so I will naturally be extremely careful. Since I am not pregnant yet, it is okay to move around a little."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Madam, I asked my second sister-in-law to come here. I thought that the old lady wanted to discuss household affairs, and my second sister-in-law was used to taking care of household chores, so I asked her to come up with some ideas together."

What else could Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang say? Everyone had already been called over, so why should they let her go?

Besides, Jia Cong’s current status is different from usual. He is the ruler of Rong State appointed by the imperial edict.

He wanted to call someone to discuss matters, and even Lady Jia couldn't object.

Jia Cong said, "Just now the master said that the second house is not good at taking charge of the first house's property, but Cong doesn't think so."

When Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang heard this, they were both pleasantly surprised. They had not expected that this boy would be so easy to talk to. They had actually overestimated the difficulty of the matter.

After hearing what Jia Cong said, Jia Zheng was also a little confused.

It has always been said that no one knows a husband better than his wife. Although Jia Zheng is straightforward, he is not a stupid man. He can see that his wife is dissatisfied with Jia Cong's inheritance of the title, and is even more unwilling to give up the Rongguo Mansion.

If I really follow the old lady's advice and let my wife take charge of the family business, I'm afraid there will be endless trouble in the future.

His wife is reluctant to spend money now, but she doesn't think far ahead. Congge will get married sooner or later. With his official status, the wife he marries must be rich or noble, and it may even be a marriage arranged by the palace.

With a mistress of such status coming into the family, how can my wife still have the right to manage the family business? Sooner or later, she will have to hand it over. Rather than being embarrassed in the future, it is better to give it up now.

But Cong was so smart that he couldn't even think of this. Jia Zheng sighed in his heart, thinking that Jia Cong was still young after all and didn't quite understand the difficulties of household affairs.

Wang Xifeng, who was standing by, thought to herself that this was bad after hearing what Jia Cong said. Since the master would say this, the old lady must have mentioned before when she was not there that she should let the lady take charge of the family business for the eldest son.

The old lady is too biased. Even if the third son Cong hasn't married yet, does that mean I, his eldest sister-in-law, have to die?

What's more, there is a eldest wife in the East Courtyard. She is the legitimate mother of the first wife. It is not her turn to manage the property of the third son Cong.

It doesn't sound awkward for an aunt to be in charge of her nephew's family business.

The third son of the Cong family has always been smart, but why has he become so stupid now? If the second wife is allowed to interfere with his property, given his wife's temper, she will sooner or later annoy the third son of the Cong family.

……

Jia Cong continued, "But Madam is almost fifty years old, and it is the right age for her to take care of her health. It would be inappropriate for her to worry about the family business for her nephew. It would be spread out.

Even if the eldest wife was present, I would never disturb her. Otherwise, others would not know the truth and would think that Cong did not understand filial piety and etiquette, and that I would not practice it myself.

I actually forced my parents to work hard with household chores. If this gets out, how can the reputation of our Rongguo Mansion be respected?"

Wang Xifeng almost couldn't help laughing out loud when she heard Jia Cong speak with a serious, solemn and dignified expression.

I said that the third brother Cong was not so easy to fool. The old lady thought the matter was too simple and actually wanted the lady to manage his property.

Not to mention anything else, just the fact that he brought up the first wife made the old lady's wishful thinking fail.

There is no reason in this world to let one's aunt take charge of the household instead of letting the legitimate mother do so.

Scholars have evil words. The wife is in charge of the Rongguo family's business, but when it comes to the third son Cong's mouth, it becomes that he does not understand filial piety and etiquette, and ruins the reputation of the Rongguo Mansion.

How on earth did he come up with such a roundabout logic? But when you think about it carefully, it seems to be true.

Filial piety, etiquette, and a decent reputation, aren't these two things what the old lady cared about all her life? This would be considered as turning the tables on Cong the third son.

……

Jia Cong's words had persuaded Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang, who had thought that things would be easily settled, did not expect Jia Cong to suddenly change his mind and make such profound remarks. They felt as if their necks were being strangled.

Grandmother Jia never expected that after she let her second daughter-in-law take charge of the family business, Jia Cong would say such unpleasant things to her.

Grandmother Jia's mind was confused and she was filled with anger. She thought that letting her second daughter-in-law take charge of the family business was a violation of filial piety and was shameless.

But when I thought about it carefully, I was distressed to find that I couldn't find any words to refute.

She just felt that this grandson was too evil. Whenever anything passed through his hands or got in his way, others would either suffer strange consequences or be angered to death by him.

However, since it involves filial piety, etiquette and family dignity, even Lady Jia dare not act recklessly, otherwise it would leave room for criticism and she, the ancestor, would be laughed at to death.

After hearing what Jia Cong said, Mrs. Wang's face turned red, but she couldn't say a word.

It sounded awkward for an aunt to take charge of her nephew's family business, so it was only Jia Cong's grandmother, Lady Jia, who brought it up, and no one else said anything, so the matter was let go.

Who would have thought that just as the old lady brought up the topic and the boy hadn't said anything yet, her master had already exposed the topic, causing her to lose the initiative.

This kid is really good at dealing with things. He took the opportunity to come up with a bunch of twisted ideas, and even the old lady was frightened by him.

Mrs. Wang was extremely anxious for a moment, and she realized that the last thought in her heart was about to be shattered. What should she do with the second wife in the future? How should my Baoyu live?

She thought for a long time before saying, "Why not let the third girl help you manage the affairs of the West Mansion? You and your brother should be good friends since childhood, and you can trust her."

Jia Cong felt a little disgusted when he heard this. In fact, he didn't care much about the property in the West Mansion.

However, he was disgusted by Lady Jia's deliberate control and the lady's greed for power and wealth.

Even if he didn't care about the Xifu's family business, it didn't mean he was willing to see someone gossiping, seizing wealth, and stirring up trouble.

If an accident occurs in the West Mansion, it will be himself, the inheritor of the title, who will bear the consequences.

Logically speaking, Jia Cong would be very willing to let Tanchun manage the West Mansion, but since this matter was proposed by Mrs. Wang, it seemed to have ulterior motives.

No matter how smart and capable Tanchun is, she cannot overcome the obligation of filial piety. Lady Wang is her biological mother. Once she takes charge of the West Mansion, Lady Wang will definitely control the family business of the West Mansion through her.

Wouldn't that put Tanchun in a dilemma? So when Mrs. Wang brought up this topic, Jia Cong rejected it in his heart.

……

Jia Zheng suddenly said, "Tan girl is only a little old. She has been helping with the housekeeping these days, but it is only because Lian'er's wife is not feeling well that she is temporarily doing the job.

She is still an unmarried girl, how can she stay in the limelight for a long time to manage household affairs? It will not sound good if it gets out, so this is not appropriate."

Jia Cong said, "Master, what you said makes sense. My third sister is not as good as my second sister. She is still so young. I really can't bear to let her take care of the household chores of such a large mansion."

Mrs. Wang had finally come up with a good idea to back down, but her master actually talked to that boy and messed up the matter again. She was so upset that she almost exploded with anger.

At this time, Grandmother Jia looked at Jia Zheng with a sullen face, and became more and more annoyed. She wanted to help the second house, but which side did this stupid son belong to? Not only did he not help, but he also came out to sabotage her.

If it weren't for considerations of decency, Grandmother Jia would even want to have this stupid son kicked out of Rongqing Hall to prevent him from singing the same tune with Cong'er there.

Grandmother Jia naturally understood Lady Wang's intention of suggesting that Tanchun be the housekeeper, but this matter could not be made public. The etiquette and rules of the aristocratic families were strict, and it was not logical for an unmarried girl to be a housekeeper for a long time.

……

At this time, Jia Cong's words, coupled with Jia Zheng's attitude, had completely changed the tone of conversation in Rongqing Hall.

Jia Cong said, "The old lady just said that my second sister is already in charge of the East Palace, and it would be too hard for her to take charge of the West Palace. I think that's true.

In the past, the household affairs of the West Mansion have always been managed by the second sister-in-law, who is also very familiar with the various affairs and population. I want to let the second sister-in-law continue to be in charge of the affairs of the West Mansion. This is the most appropriate and will not trouble the wife."

When Wang Xifeng heard what Jia Cong said, she was delighted. She didn't expect that things would turn out this way and not only would the family business return to the second house, but she could also manage the household like before.

Although she felt somewhat regretful that her husband could not become a lord, Wang Xifeng's mood had changed a lot after experiencing the torment of Jia Lian's unpredictable life and death some time ago.

Wang Xifeng was very satisfied with the outcome of the situation.

After hearing what Jia Cong said, Jia's mother looked disgusted. She didn't know if the last sentence, "Soothing the madam, please," was too much, but it sounded sarcastic and mocking.

It turns out that this kid had already thought of a countermeasure when he asked Feng girl to come over. Things like not daring to trouble the elders and filial piety and etiquette were all his excuses.

This kid learned a lot of tricks and deceptions outside, and ended up using them on his family members, but Grandmother Jia really couldn't find any fault with Jia Cong.

He knew clearly in his heart that the situation was hopeless and Jia Cong was obviously going to disrupt it. He was unwilling to be easily controlled by others, and his and his second daughter-in-law's plans were likely to fail.

Things had come to this point. Although Mrs. Wang was very impatient and unhappy, she had no right to speak given her status and could only remain silent.

Grandmother Jia was a bit unwilling in her heart, as she was the senior of the old ancestor, and said, "Feng girl is your sister-in-law, it's not impossible for you to let her manage the household.

But now that she is pregnant, there is no way she can work hard. If she works too hard and something happens, it will be terrible. How will Lian'er explain it to her when she comes back?"

Jia Cong knew that letting Wang Xifeng manage the household would put an end to Jia's mother's plan to use the second wife to interfere in family affairs. The old lady would not give in easily and would definitely say something. But he knew even more clearly that Jia Lian was convicted and exiled, and Wang Xifeng had lost most of her support in the Jia family, and was now alone and weak.

No matter if he is a blood brother or because of her efforts in Jia Lian's matter, Wang Xifeng will stand by her side without hesitation.

Moreover, Jia Cong knew very well that Wang Xifeng was a strong-willed person and she would not miss the opportunity to take charge of the household again.

Therefore, when Jia's grandmother used Wang Xifeng's pregnancy as a topic to stop this matter, there was no need for Jia Cong to speak out in defense, as Wang Xifeng would definitely have something to say.

……

Sure enough, as soon as Jia's mother finished speaking, Wang Xifeng's crisp and clear voice rang out: "It is naturally my blessing that the old lady sympathizes with me, but on this matter, the old lady does not need to worry too much.

Although I have some inconveniences now, Ping'er has always been by my side when I was the housekeeper in previous years. She is familiar with all the affairs in the mansion, and Ping'er can help me with the daily complicated matters, so I don't feel too tired.

However, now that my third brother has inherited the family business and has become the head of the Rongguo Mansion, my sister-in-law is only helping to manage the family business.

Ping'er's status had originally been determined, but after all, she had not yet moved to the East Palace to get married, and was still considered a member of the West Palace.

I also need my third brother to transfer a close friend from the East Palace to work with me, so that everything can go smoothly and be more legitimate."

After hearing what Wang Xifeng said, Jia Cong was also slightly stunned. Although he was smart, he had never been in charge of the mansion and family business. Naturally, he didn't know the ins and outs of it, and he might not be able to think of some details.

However, Wang Xifeng was an old hand and was well aware of the intricacies of managing a mansion. Her suggestion to have Jia Cong transfer one of his confidants from the East Palace was also very meaningful.

Jia Cong only thought about it for a moment and immediately understood Wang Xifeng's plan.

Although she was the ruler of Rong State, her foundation was somewhat weak. Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang had been in charge of the West Mansion for half their lives and could be said to have deep roots in the West Mansion.

The old servants who have been passed down from generation to generation in the mansion will probably be more obedient to Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang.

Of course, this is only temporary. Jia Cong has the royal decree to inherit the title. As time goes by, his influence in Rongguo Mansion will soon surpass that of Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang.

However, the current period is a time of transition between the old and the new, when the new power has just emerged and the old power still exists. Given Mrs. Wang's personality and behavior, some trouble is bound to arise.

If Jia Cong just threw the West Mansion's household affairs to Wang Xifeng, as a junior of Lady Jia and Lady Wang, Wang Xifeng would be powerless and might even be restrained by Lady Jia and Lady Wang with the righteousness of filial piety.

However, if Jia Cong sent a confidant from the East Palace to help Wang Xifeng take charge of the West Palace, it would be equivalent to Jia Cong, the head of the family, being involved in the affairs of the West Palace at all times, which would invisibly support Wang Xifeng.

Jia Cong had the noble righteousness of inheriting the title by imperial order, so even if Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang were unhappy about it, they had to be cautious about it.

After figuring this out, Jia Cong not only admired Wang Xifeng's quick thinking, but also the fact that she could come up with such a brilliant plan of forming an alliance in just a moment when she was dealing with Lady Jia.

……

Both Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang are full of tricks in the harem, so naturally they can think of everything that Wang Xifeng can think of.

They understood that Wang Xifeng wanted to get help from the East Palace and use Jia Cong's momentum to make the housekeeper's job a complete success and not let others interfere in it.

They had been discussing for a few days whether to take over the power of Rong State's steward from Jia Cong in order to control the Rong State's property.

However, there was only a brief confrontation after entering the hall. Jia Cong made a few casual remarks, and with Wang Xifeng waving her flag on the side, he immediately took control of the discourse.

But what else could they do? They had no excuse or position to stop it and could only watch things go in the opposite direction.

Jia Cong said, "Second sister-in-law has the right idea. Tomorrow I will assign a maidservant to Wu'er to help her manage the housework. With more help, she will be less tired."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "That's the best. Miss Wu'er is a very careful and considerate person. She is originally a daughter of the Xifu family and is familiar with the affairs of the mansion.

In the past few years, she has been training my third brother, and everything is in place. It is great to have her help."

……

In recent years, as Jia Cong has risen in power, Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang have paid attention to the people around him. Jia Cong has four personal maids around him.

Apart from Zhishao, who had served him since childhood, Jia Cong valued Wu'er the most. She was the one who took care of Jia Cong's daily clothing and food.

Now that Jia Cong has sent this maid over, it can be seen that Jia's mother's suggestion to let Lady Wang be the housekeeper has made him no longer take the affairs of the West Palace lightly.

He sent his trusted Wu'er to come and take charge, and Wang Xifeng's position as the housekeeper was completely confirmed.

Mrs. Wang thought of how Mrs. Liu in the kitchen had once thought of letting her only daughter Wu'er work in Baoyu's room. At that time, Baoyu was the phoenix of the Rongguo Mansion, and many people wanted to take advantage of him.

But Mrs. Wang thought Wu'er looked too delicate, and her appearance and behavior were somewhat similar to Daiyu's, so she disliked her very much.

So, taking advantage of the opportunity of Jia Cong moving to the West Mansion, Wu'er was sent to Jia Cong as a maid. This made her appear virtuous and a good person, and also prevented this charming maid from harming Baoyu.

But Mrs. Wang never expected that after so many years, the daughter of the kitchen servant back then would actually become a spirit and come back to manage the West Mansion's family business. This was simply climbing over her head.

Thinking of these bad things, Mrs. Wang was filled with shame and anger, and her finger joints holding the rosary beads turned white, as if she could crush the beads in her hand.

Seeing all these scenes, Grandmother Jia sighed in her heart. She had originally wanted to balance the family business as much as possible, but it failed in the end. After this incident, Cong'er had taken over the family business of the West Mansion.

Although my second daughter-in-law is a cruel person, she is no match for this boy in terms of knowledge, ability, power and justice. Now that my grandmother is still alive, things have become like this.

If I die in the future, the second wife will still be manipulated by this kid...

……

Just when Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang were both feeling depressed and having trouble finding a way out.

Suddenly Jia Zheng said, "Madam, when the old master was dying, he left a will that the eldest brother would inherit the title and the son the mansion, so the second wife was allowed to live in Rongxi Hall.

Now, Cong'er has inherited the family title and property in accordance with the imperial edict, and can be regarded as inheriting the mantle of his father and uncle. Rong Xitang is the main hall of the Rong country and has always been the residence of the head of the family.

My son is now living in Rongxi Hall, which is not in accordance with the clan etiquette. My son's intention is to move out of Rongxi Hall and let Congge move in. This will be legitimate and show that the etiquette of our Rongguo Mansion is correct. "

Jia Zheng's words stunned everyone in Rongqing Hall, and there was complete silence for a moment.

Jia Cong was also greatly shocked when he heard what Jia Zheng said. Since he moved to the West Mansion at the age of ten, he had always been loved and respected by Jia Zheng because of his hard work and self-discipline. He was grateful and respectful to Jia Zheng.

However, Jia Zheng was old-fashioned and straightforward in character, and was inevitably mediocre in both household and state affairs.

But after hearing what he said today, I realized that he actually has such a broad mind. When faced with a huge change in his family, he was able to deal with it calmly, without being confused by the glory of the past, and his actions were strict with the rules.

Although he still can't avoid a bit of straightforwardness, his inner sense of propriety is as strong as a mountain, shining like the sun and the moon. He has a persistence in his heart that is admirable.

When Mrs. Wang heard what Jia Zheng said, she stood up from her seat and looked at her husband with anger.

She also came from a family of troubled people, and was brought up with the Three Obediences and Four Virtues. Since she married Jia Zheng, this was probably the first time she looked at her husband with such an inappropriate gaze.

She never dreamed that Jia Zheng would say such a ridiculous thing. Now that the second branch has lost its title and property, it has nothing to rely on in Rongguo Mansion.

Now the couple lives in Rongxi Hall in the Rongguo Mansion, which is the only remaining grand and decent residence of the second branch.

Moreover, Mrs. Wang had a clear plan in her mind, considering Jia Zheng's consistent kindness to Jia Cong and Jia Cong's closeness and respect for Jia Zheng.

Unless there was an external reason, Jia Cong would never take the initiative to ask the couple to move out of Rong Xi Tang.

So even if the second wife lost everything in Rongguo Mansion, the couple could still live out their lives in Rongxi Hall. This was Mrs. Wang’s last wish for the legitimate bloodline.

Now, Jia Cong didn't even mention this topic, but her husband said it stupidly. How could she let people live like this?
Grandmother Jia, who was sitting at the table, was furious and shouted at Jia Zheng, "Shut up! I'm not dead yet, how can you say such things?

When your master was dying, he submitted a will to the Supreme Emperor, and you were ordered to inherit the throne and move into Rong Xi Tang. It was legitimate and beyond reproach.

You have lived in Rong Xi Tang for your whole life, and now you want to move out. If this gets out, how can I save my reputation? My old friends and relatives will laugh at me to death!"

Jia Zheng had just spoken out of his passion for the bold idea of ​​moving out of Rong Xi Tang, and he had felt that he was expressing his true feelings and that his ideas were clear.

However, after being scolded by Lady Jia, his arrogance suddenly dropped and he just lowered his head and dared not refute.

Grandmother Jia asked Jia Cong in a cold voice, "Brother Cong, I know that you have been ordered to inherit the Rong family business and can move into Rongxi Hall. Are you going to force your master to give up his throne to you?

If you have this intention, you should make it clear today, so that your master won't have to be humble!"

Jia Cong felt somewhat helpless. This was truly an unexpected disaster. He already had a large East Palace that was not big enough for him to live in, so who would want to live in Rong Xi Tang?

He said, "Master, you must not do this. Although I inherited the family business, I only lived in the East Palace. I moved to the West Palace when I was ten years old. I have received your love and teachings. I will never forget the family love and kindness.

The master and his wife should just live out their days in Rongxi Hall, so that Cong can fulfill his filial duty."

When Grandmother Jia heard what Jia Cong said, her stern expression relaxed.

When Mrs. Wang heard Jia Cong say that he would live out his life in Rong Xi Tang, she felt relieved.

As expected, my guess was correct. Even though this kid guarded the Rong Mansion's property very carefully, he would never dare to be rude to the master in public.

Jia Zheng plucked up his courage and said a few more words about Rong Xi Tang, which caused Jia's mother to scold him again. Mrs. Wang hurriedly stepped aside to persuade him.

After all this commotion, Jia Zheng's opinions would not be adopted in the end, just like when he wanted to discipline Baoyu strictly in the past, he would always be diverted by Jia Mu and Mrs. Wang's soft and hard tactics.

Jia Cong was really fed up with Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang's monologues. Now that the important matters of the West Palace steward had been sorted out, he found an excuse to leave Rongqing Hall.

In fact, in Jia Cong's view, whether Jia Zheng and his wife continue to live in Rong Xi Tang is not up to Jia Mu or him.

It depends on the world situation and people's hearts outside. No one pays attention to this matter. Jia Zheng and his wife live out their lives in Rong Xi Tang, and there is no problem with that, so naturally he has no objection.

But in the past few days, so many noble officials had come to congratulate him, and the fact that he had inherited the title of Rongguo was known to everyone in the city and was in full view of everyone.

Once someone over-interprets and pays attention to such an insignificant matter, it will most likely lead to complications, troubles and accidents. (End of this chapter)