Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

In the hall, there are sweet voices, graceful figures and fragrant breezes.

Early that morning, Yingchun brought Daiyu, Tanchun and other sisters to Rongqing Hall to pay their respects to Lady Jia, and Baoyu naturally came to join in the fun.

The sisters sat idly and chatted with the old lady. Shi Xiangyun's pretty and cheerful voice accounted for most of the chatter, and she spoke the most.

Since Shi Nai took his family to Jinling to take up his post, Jia's mother left Xiangyun in the Jia Mansion to be raised.
For Xiangyun, it was like flying a kite. She no longer had to follow the needlework, sewing and rules of conduct as she did in the Baolinghou Mansion, and she must not lose the demeanor of the eldest daughter of the Shi family.

Since she moved into Yingchun's courtyard, Jia Cong and Yingchun naturally had no restrictions on her. Xiangyun became even more unrestrained in doing needlework, walked as fast as the wind, and always showed her teeth when she smiled.

Chatting, reading, playing chess, strolling, whatever feels right, being willful and free, it's really fun.

With her presence among the sisters, they become more lively, cheerful and interesting.

When Grandmother Jia saw all her granddaughters gathered together and Xiangyun speaking eloquently and leaping for joy, she felt very happy.

The second branch of the family failed to inherit the title, and the beloved son Jia Zheng had to move to the East Courtyard, which made Grandmother Jia feel lost and regretful.

As time passed, Jia Zheng settled down in the East Courtyard and nothing seemed wrong with him. During the New Year holidays, nobles and elderly relatives came to visit him and flattered him with much greater enthusiasm than in previous years.

Isn't this the happy life that Lady Jia wanted? The reluctance and unwillingness in her heart at the beginning were gradually forgotten by the old lady as time passed...

……

The sisters chatted less in Rongqing Hall, and Mrs. Wang also came over to pay her respects to Lady Jia.

Seeing that Mrs. Wang was a little uneasy, Jia's grandmother frowned slightly as she looked at her granddaughters who were talking and chatting. Her eyes were bloodshot and she could not hide her fatigue.

Grandmother Jia said, "Yesterday, Miss Lin invited you to a banquet, but you said you were sick and didn't come. Are you feeling better today?

Although there was a big commotion at home before the New Year, everything has finally calmed down now. Now that we have Cong Ge'er to take care of things outside, there won't be any major problems at home.

Zheng'er came to pay his respects to me these few days, and I noticed that he looked very well. You are almost fifty years old, so you should take good care of yourself in your daily life.

Baoyu is about to turn fifteen, and he still needs you, as his wife, to make plans for him."

When Mrs. Wang heard what Lady Jia said, she felt very uncomfortable because there was a hint of contentment in her words.

The old lady had actually forgotten that when the master was unable to inherit the title and the second house had to move out of Rong Xi Tang and even move to the East Courtyard, she was filled with frustration and resentment.

Now that it was only the New Year, the old lady actually began to not care anymore and continued to live a happy life as usual.

Seeing the master, she felt that he was very comfortable. When talking about the boy, she also felt that he was capable. After all, her descendants would inherit the family business, and the meat would be rotten in the pot.

But she could still be as happy as the old lady. In previous years, anything related to the eldest maid's palace was a top priority for the family, and asking for money was just a matter of a word.

It had not been long since she moved out of Rong Xi Tang, and when Yuanchun needed money again, Feng girl became so arrogant. She casually rejected the request with the words "there was not enough silver in the treasury".

It is true that the tea gets cold as soon as people leave.

Now that I live in the East Courtyard, every time I go to the West Palace, I have to take a carriage for a ride, which makes me feel sick.

Now the old lady is still alive, and I can come in from time to time under the pretext of paying my respects. But if the old lady passes away in the future, it will be difficult for me to even step into the threshold of Rongguo Mansion...

The second house can now live on the monthly salary from the Western Mansion. The salary of her master is just a decoration, and even the income from the shop she brought as a dowry has to be supplemented into it.

How could I be as lucky as the old lady? I should let go of things once they were over and just live a happy life.

……

Mrs. Wang thought that four thousand taels of silver was not a small sum. If the eldest maid really gained the emperor's favor in the palace, the whole family would benefit. Today she came to discuss this matter with Lady Jia.

"Old lady, I came to pay my respects to you today. There is really an important matter that I need your advice on."

Grandmother Jia asked curiously, "Do you have anything else that needs my advice?"

Mrs. Wang said, "It's something about Yuanchun."

The sisters on the side were talking to each other, but Yingchun was the only one who paid more attention. When she heard Mrs. Wang mention her elder sister, her heart trembled a little.

Since Yingchun is now in charge of the family business of the East Palace, Daiyu and other sisters would not pay attention to the last time Ping'er came to talk to Jia Cong about the four thousand taels, but Yingchun knew the whole story.

Even the New Year gift that Jia Cong gave to Yuanchun was prepared by Yingchun herself.

When Grandmother Jia heard that it was about Yuanchun, she only thought about it for a moment and roughly guessed what it was. Her eldest granddaughter was a female historian in the palace, and apart from the three-yearly event, there was no other major event.

Mrs. Wang was a little hesitant in what she said because Yingchun and other sisters were present. Everyone in the family knew that these maids, including her own concubine's daughter, were biased towards that boy.

When Yingchun saw Mrs. Wang's expression, she knew what was going on.

She said to her sisters, "We have been arguing with the old lady for most of the day. Why don't we go for a walk in the garden and let the ladies and the old lady have a chat."

Daiyu, Tanchun, Baochai and the others were all smart and could see that with their sisters present, there were some things Mrs. Wang could not say, so they naturally would not leave anything to offend others.

After all the sisters had left Rongqing Hall, Yingchun called her maid Xiu Ju and gave her a few instructions, and Xiu Ju hurried to the East Palace...

……

In Rongqing Hall, Jia's mother saw that Yingchun was obedient and understood Mrs. Wang's expression. She took her sisters away in one breath and felt a little bit of approval in her heart.

He said, "I forgot that this year is the palace's three-year election. However, the palace was just going through the motions the first two times. What's the situation this year?"

Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "You are the old lady who has experienced a lot. She got to the crux of the matter right away. The two selections in the past were indeed just a sham.

But this year is very different. News has spread from the palace that the emperor has felt that the royal lineage has few offspring in recent years, so this year's election, which is held every three years, must be carried out to fill the harem.

All the girls aged 15 and above from official families enter the palace to wait for selection. Among the female officials in the six bureaus and twenty-four departments of the palace, those who are beautiful in appearance and virtuous have the honor of being selected.

This is a rare opportunity for the eldest girl. If she can be favored by the emperor, the Jia family will be even more glorious and wealthy, and the old lady will be even more proud. "

When Grandmother Jia heard the words of honor and dignity, she became more excited and asked, "Do you take the news you heard seriously? The news in the palace is often based on rumors.

Especially with this kind of talent show, many families are looking forward to this opportunity of wealth and honor, and the rumors are spreading like wildfire."

Naturally, Mrs. Wang did not dare to tell Lady Jia that this news was obtained by her brother Wang Ziteng through official channels, so it must be true.

Because she knew clearly that the old lady disliked her brother, when Jia Cong won the first place in the imperial examination that year, her sister-in-law framed him and accused him of not having the qualifications to take the imperial examination, and the relationship between the Jia and Wang families severed...

Madam Wang replied, “Don’t worry, old lady. I heard this news from a reliable person. Yesterday, the wife of the Xia family came to visit. Because her family is a big imperial merchant, they have connections in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the palace.

She told me about this matter, and it was exactly the same as what my daughter-in-law heard outside. This matter is absolutely true and it is definitely not a rumor. "

Grandmother Jia looked confused: "Who is Mrs. Xia? How can she have such a powerful connection?"

Because Mrs. Wang wanted to convince Lady Jia but couldn't mention the matter of her brother Wang Ziteng, she temporarily pushed Mrs. Xia out to take the blame.

But she did not lie. Mrs. Xia did know a lot about this palace selection...

Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "Old Madam, do you still remember that when Taoist Zhang wanted to propose marriage to Baoyu, he mentioned three girls, one of which was the Guihua Xia family, and Mrs. Xia was the head lady of the Guihua Xia family."

After hearing this, Jia's mother suddenly realized and said, "I do remember this incident. I heard that her family only has one daughter. Although she is an orphan and her mother is widowed, her family is very wealthy."

Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "It is a coincidence that last time my sister hosted a banquet for the old lady at the Grand Flowerbed, she mentioned my nephew's marriage and originally wanted to look at the Guihua Xia family.

I have met her daughter once. She had a very proud face and a very straightforward personality. She was a first-class person.

But the Xia family invited a senior monk to tell fortunes and said that the girl and Pan'er were not compatible, so the marriage had to be called off."

Grandmother Jia has always been very superstitious about marriage and destiny, and said, "Since the monk said it is taboo, then it must not work. This is also a common thing. Let the concubine and the wife find a suitable one, and that's it." Mrs. Wang laughed and said, "What the old lady said is very right. It is impossible to make a marriage between children and children just by talking. In short, good things take time. Mrs. Xia is worried that my sister will be offended, so she came to ask me to mediate.

The two of them just talked about the palace affairs, which actually provided an additional layer of confirmation. "

……

Yesterday, Mrs. Xia visited the East Courtyard, and after Mrs. Wang had a chat with her, she had an unexpected gain.

As the old imperial merchants listed in the Ministry of Revenue, the Xia family often intervened in the procurement of the palace and had many connections in the Imperial Household Department, which was responsible for the selection of beauties.

The Xia family also had a close relationship with Xia Dujian, the head of the Palace Ceremonial Bureau. They exchanged annual gifts and had a good relationship with him.

Xia Dujian, the eunuch of Silijian, was in charge of the selection of beauties in the palace on a daily basis. Although he was not the chief eunuch, he was also an important figure with seniority and experience.

Mrs. Wang really didn't expect that the Xia family, which was just a wealthy merchant family, had such rich connections in the palace, and some of them were extremely important and appropriate connections.

It was as if someone was handing her a pillow because she was sleepy. Mrs. Wang was so excited that she pretended to mention casually that her eldest daughter was a female historian in the Fengzao Palace.

Mrs. Xia was a widow. As the mistress of a royal merchant family, in order to manage the family business, she was forced to immerse herself in business every day and interact with people in the palace. Her mind was very flexible and could not be compared with that of ordinary women.

As soon as I heard Mrs. Wang's words and looked closely at her expression, I could tell that she was very elegant.

Because Mrs. Xia was not a member of the noble circle, she did not know that there was a person named Yuanchun in the Jia family.

Seeing the look on Mrs. Wang's face when she mentioned her daughter, she guessed what she was thinking, which was nothing more than using her own daughter to win the emperor's favor and gain wealth and honor.

Mrs. Xia had always felt insecure because the Xia family was only rich but had no official power to rely on.

Although she had collected some money from the powerful and wealthy with the connections accumulated by her late husband and invested it in the Xia family's business to make a profit, it was only a transaction of money after all and could not be used as a proof of the family's status.

What she wanted most was to make friends with a powerful family like the Jia family, so as to gain more connections for her family. Now that she had such an opportunity, she would naturally not miss it easily.

So he followed Mrs. Wang's thoughts and exaggerated the benefits of his daughter winning the emperor's favor, which made Mrs. Wang even more excited.

However, the two families had just met, and Mrs. Xia knew how to strike a tactful balance. She only spoke passionately but did not easily express that the Xia family could provide assistance. Then she stood up and said goodbye.

Mrs. Wang was aroused by Mrs. Xia, but was worried that Mrs. Xia had not yet opened her heart, so she had to get up and personally send her to the gate of the outer courtyard and make an appointment to meet again.

Although the two had not yet talked things out, Mrs. Wang could feel Mrs. Xia's hidden warmth, which made her feel that there was always a way to get her help.

For Mrs. Wang, the most important thing at the moment is to get the four thousand taels of silver from the public treasury.

As the saying goes, you can't gather an army without food. Now that she has the money in hand, it won't be too late for her to talk to Mrs. Xia.

……

Mrs. Wang continued, “Old lady, this year is a rare opportunity for the eldest girl. As usual, I will give her a portion of my personal belongings so that she can build relationships in the palace.

I still need some money to smooth out the connections. I have privately calculated that I will need 4,000 taels of silver. "

When Lady Jia heard that it would cost four thousand taels of silver, her brows furrowed slightly.

A few days ago, Wang Xifeng came to ask about his well-being with a bulging belly. In her casual conversation, she mentioned that Jia Cong was demoted to a lower rank and inherited the title, and his family lost 500 dan of property. Now the money coming into the public account is far less than in previous years.

Even if Lady Jia would not ask about the details of the accounts, she could estimate that four thousand taels of silver was not a small sum for the Rongguo Mansion today.

But Grandmother Jia thought that if her eldest granddaughter could really have a future, the first and second wives would not be as disparate in strength as they are now, and she, as the old ancestor, would be able to live a more stable life...

He said, "Now that the family has lost its title and property, four thousand taels of silver is not a small sum, but since it is a common practice in previous years and it is also the future of the eldest girl, the money should be spent."

Mrs. Wang was secretly delighted when she heard this. This was what she had been waiting for Lady Jia to say. With this, things would become easier to talk about.

Said: "The old lady is really insightful, I thought so too, so I sent someone to talk to Feng girl about this a few days ago.

But Feng said that it is the beginning of the year and there is not much money in the treasury. Ten thousand taels are not enough. I am worried about this now. Yuanchun's affairs cannot wait."

When Grandmother Jia heard this, she became a little angry and said, "How come Feng didn't tell me about such a big thing? I think she was confused because of morning sickness.

Even if there was insufficient money in the treasury at the beginning of the year, it would not be so poor that a family as big as this could not even take out four thousand taels.

Even if we take out the money, we are short of money, and each household can cut some of the expenses, so how can we go hungry? Her logic is unreasonable."

Mrs. Wang looked a little excited and said, "That's exactly what the old lady said. I am planning for the future of the eldest girl to win wealth and honor for the Jia family.

But the Second House is not the same as before, and my words are not relevant now. This matter still needs the old lady to speak, so it can really be effective."

When Lady Jia heard what Lady Wang said, her heart skipped a beat. Then she came to her senses and realized that her daughter-in-law was trying to set a trap for her...

But she had already said it, and she couldn't just take it back, otherwise she would be slapping herself in the face.

In fact, Grandmother Jia didn't even have to guess, she knew that Wang Xifeng must have the support of the boy from the East Palace, so she didn't let her know about this, so she flatly rejected her second daughter-in-law.

It's just that her grandson was the head of the family appointed by imperial decree. If he wanted to make the decision, as long as it did not violate the patriarchal rules and etiquette, it would be inappropriate for Grandmother Jia to intervene.

But now that things have come to this, I can no longer let this matter slip away. I have to ask about it, otherwise my ancestor will become just a decoration...

Grandmother Jia said, "You don't have to panic about this matter. I am here with you. Since the eldest wife said that it is difficult to pay this amount of money, they must have their reasons. Just talk it out among the family."

After hearing the compromise in Lady Jia's words, Mrs. Wang felt depressed. Although the old lady said nice things, she actually began to avoid the edge of the eldest wife.

This family is becoming more and more unreasonable...

Grandmother Jia said to Yuanyang, "Go to the East Palace and ask Congge to come over. I will discuss family affairs with him."

Yuanyang agreed and hurried to the East Palace to pass on the message. When Mrs. Wang heard that the old lady asked the boy to come over and now used the word "invite", she really recognized the boy's status, and she felt even more resentful in her heart.

His heart became even more heated and paranoid about Yuanchun's attempt to win favor in the palace...

……

Ningrong Street, Earl's Mansion, Jia Cong Courtyard.

Yuanyang wore a light red silk inner garment, a green embroidered long jacket, and a white crepe handkerchief around her waist. She walked into Jia Cong's courtyard swiftly and relayed Jia's grandmother's words.

Over the years, whenever Lady Jia had something to look for Jia Cong, she would ask Yuanyang to pass on the message. When Jia She wanted to force Yuanyang to marry him, Jia Cong helped her to stop him, and the two of them developed a tacit understanding.

Yuanyang passed on Lady Jia's words and also explained clearly about Lady Wang's visit to Rongqing Hall. She looked at Jia Cong with her clear eyes, wondering how he should respond.

In fact, before Yuanyang came, Yingchun had asked Xiuju to pass a message to Jia Cong. He already knew that Mrs. Wang had gone to Rongqing Hall and talked about what happened in Yuanchun's palace.

Jia Cong didn't need to guess, he knew that Mrs. Wang would definitely mention the four thousand taels of silver.

He had already made up his mind, and said to Qingwen beside him, "Go to the second gate and tell the housekeeper to go to the east courtyard to tell the second master that I want him to go to Rongqing Hall for a meeting."

He turned around and smiled at Yuanyang, "Don't worry, Sister Yuanyang, just sit here for a while."

He asked the little maid Juan'er to serve tea to Yuanyang, and he took a letter from the desk, took it out, glanced at it, and then put it in his arms.

This letter was Yuanchun's reply to him, and was delivered to the Earl's Mansion by a eunuch sent by Yuan Jing yesterday.

Yuanchun was smart. She knew that Jia Cong's New Year gift letters were all delivered to the palace by Yuan Jing, so she followed suit and had Yuan Jing handle the reply letters and send them out of the palace.

Although Jia Cong and Yuanchun had only met twice, they had a special tacit understanding and possessed the same wisdom and insight.

The correspondence between them all passed through Yuan Jing, the sixth-rank guard of Qianyang Palace. Guo Lin, the deputy chief eunuch, must have known the contents of the letters. Behind Guo Lin stood Emperor Jiazhao... (End of this chapter)