Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, East Courtyard, Mengpo Zhai Study.

Outside the study, maids such as Caiyun and Caixia were standing guard at the door. Each of them had a tense look on their face. They did not dare to move around or chat and laugh as usual.

In the study, Baoyu and Jia Huan were sitting at their desks, each holding a brush, scratching their ears or with sweat on their foreheads, and writing haltingly.

As the imperial court issued the relevant imperial edicts on the Spring Examination, the chief examiners and officials of the Spring Examination were selected.

Then, notices were issued one after another, deciding on auspicious dates and times for entering the spring examination, leaving prison, marking papers, evaluating grades, and posting the results of the examination.

Throughout the capital, officials and civilians were discussing the imperial examinations. People on the streets, in restaurants, farmers, students and merchants were all talking about it.

In the eyes of the general public, the imperial examination is a path to success.

Although the Spring Examination belongs only to a few successful candidates who have passed the provincial examination, for most people, the Spring Examination is something that is out of reach throughout their entire lives.

However, human nature is curious. The more unattainable something is, the more likely it is to become a topic of conversation for them.

Such a trend naturally spread to the east and west mansions of the Jia family.

As a result, Jia Cong closed himself in to study, preparing for the spring examination with all his strength, and became the focus of attention of everyone in the two governments.

The Jia family has gone through five generations, but except for Jia Jing who once took part in the imperial examination, no one has had this honor for decades. Now, with Jia Cong, the glory has been restored.

For someone like Lady Jia, who was born into a noble family and married into a family of honor, she had never taken the honor of the imperial examination so seriously.

In previous years, when Jia Cong took the academy examinations and the provincial examinations, Jia's grandmother even said that a wealthy family like the Jia family did not need to rely on imperial examinations to change their family status like children from poor families.

However, Jia Zheng, who had loved reading since childhood, had mediocre aptitude for imperial examinations, and had longed to take the imperial examinations but never fulfilled his long-cherished wish, attached great importance to the matter of imperial examinations.

He had three sons, which meant he had many children. However, he did not expect Baoyu and Jia Huan to be as talented and famous as Jia Cong and to have their names on the imperial examinations.

But no matter what, I always want them to read the classics and become well-read, so that I can fulfill my responsibility as a father and live up to the reputation of the Jia family, a noble family that honors the country.

While he was pleased and praised Jia Cong's brilliant achievements in his studies, he naturally became more strict with his sons Baoyu and Jia Huan's studies.

His two spoiled sons suffered a lot. Since Mrs. Wang envied Jia Cong's success, she naturally agreed with Jia Zheng's urging Baoyu to study.

Jia Zheng teaches and scolds Baoyu on a daily basis, and as long as he does not resort to violence, Grandmother Jia will not stop him.

On this day, Jia Zheng gave Baoyu and Jia Huan two essay topics in accordance with the system of the academy examination, and also gave them several rhymed poetry topics, and asked his two sons to write according to the topics.

When Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang heard that Jia Zheng was going to test Baoyu's academic performance, they became nervous and arranged for their trusted maid to stand guard outside the study just in case.

It was not until the sun was at its highest point that Baoyu and Jia Huan reluctantly finished their homework and handed it to Jia Zheng for evaluation. They each stood aside trembling with fear as if facing a great disaster.

After reading the eight-legged essays written by the two men, Jia Zheng could not help but become furious and cursed the two rebellious sons in his heart.

Jia Huan's writing is slanted, like a tortoise crawling, irrelevant to the topic, and nonsense.
Baoyu's writing is quite acceptable in its elegant handwriting, but the text and logic are mixed and incomprehensible.

He was about to suppress his anger and use his ruler skills, but after reading the rhymed poems written by the two, the evil fire in his chest finally subsided a little.

The rhymed poem composed by Jia Huan was still unsightly, but Baoyu wrote a poem based on the topic. Although the main theme was a bit decadent, the wording and rhyme had a sense of ethereal elegance and were not too ugly.

Jia Zheng also sighed in his heart. Among his two sons, Baoyu was ten times smarter than Jia Huan, but he was born with such a lazy and rich character, which wasted his talent.

……

Mrs. Wang walked outside the study several times and felt relieved when she heard no sound of Jia Zheng shouting from inside.

She entered the study and saw Baoyu and Jia Huan had returned to their seats to read, and she felt relieved.

He said, "It is of course very good that the master can take the trouble to teach them to study, so that they can have a good future in school. However, Baoyu will be fifteen next month, and there is an important matter that I need to discuss with the master."

Mrs. Wang asked Jia Huan to go out and rest first, and only asked Baoyu to stay. Jia Huan naturally felt as if he had been pardoned, and left quickly as he wished. Baoyu felt even more uneasy without Jia Huan to accompany him.

Mrs. Wang said, “Baoyu’s marriage has not yet been settled, but according to the rules of our family, when a boy turns fifteen, he should be given a suitable servant in his room.

Among Baoyu's maids, Xiren is the most capable. She is honest, dutiful, sensible and polite. I have always valued her and she is also a useful person."

Jia Zheng frowned slightly and asked, "Xiren, why is there such a tricky name? Who gave it to you?"

Mrs. Wang quickly responded, "The old lady took it."

Jia Zheng snorted coldly: "How does the old lady know this? It must be Baoyu who did it well."

Baoyu was frightened by Jia Zheng's harsh words and said tremblingly, "Because there is a poem in ancient times: 'The scent of flowers makes people know the warmth of the day', and her surname happened to be Hua, so I gave her this name."

Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "It's just a name. Master, there's no need to get angry about it. Just let Baoyu go back and change it."

Jia Zheng sighed, "There is no need to change it. It shows that Baoyu is not concentrating on studying for the imperial examination, but is working hard on these rich and beautiful poems. If he had half the effort of Cong, he wouldn't have ended up like this!"

When Mrs. Wang heard Jia Zheng bring up Jia Cong's accusation against Baoyu again, she felt very dissatisfied but was unable to say it out loud.

Seeing that Baoyu's face turned pale and his forehead was sweating after listening to his scolding, Jia Zheng was too lazy to scold him any more.

He said, "Although this Xiren has a strange name, since the lady values ​​her, she must be a decent and decent person. You can decide on this matter."

Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "This girl is mature and polite, and she can often persuade Baoyu. Master, just rest assured. However, since you only have Xiren, you are still short of a maid to enter the room.

I thought that among all the maids in the mansion, those trained by the old lady were the most outstanding. Xiren was originally the old lady's maid, and she was given to Baoyu because she was capable.

It can be seen that if we choose someone, the one chosen by the old lady will be much better than those around us."

Jia Zheng said: "That is quite reasonable. The old lady has always been the best at training maids.

The parrot that used to be by her side was given to Lin Yatou and renamed Zijuan. I heard that it is now very good and serves Lin Yatou very well, even more attentive than the servants she brought from the south. "

After hearing what Jia Zheng said, Mrs. Wang felt uncomfortable again. Her master was also insane. Whenever he thought of good things, he would think of people who disgusted her...

Jia Zheng continued, "Among the maids around the old lady, I remember Yuanyang and Amber, both of whom were very much loved by the old lady.

Last year, there were eight servants in the mansion who were over 20 years old. They were old enough to get married and have their own houses, so they were waiting for the maids who should be released to seek marriage partners.

The maids around the old lady were all over the age of marriage and it was their turn to be married off, but the old lady kept them all, which shows how much she treasured them.

You can talk to the old lady about this. They have seen the world around her and will surely know how to guide and persuade Baoyu. It is also very good. It depends on whether the old lady will reward them or not."

Mrs. Wang was very proud to see that Jia Zheng had agreed to this matter. This way, when she talked to Lady Jia about this matter, she would have more reasons and evidence, and she would not be afraid of failure.

……

Now, the Second Branch of Rong State has fallen into decline and has been forced to move to the East Courtyard. This is something that makes Mrs. Wang very sad. She feels that it has brought shame to her as the eldest daughter of the Wang family in Jinling.

At present, the biggest support of the second branch of Rongguo is Lady Jia, and the old lady dotes on Baoyu so much. Mrs. Wang made a big fuss about this matter, further consolidating the relationship between Lady Jia and the second branch.

Among Lady Jia's maids, although Jia Zheng mentioned that he had noticed Yuanyang and Amber, the one that Mrs. Wang liked was only Yuanyang.

Because Yuanyang is the most favored maidservant beside Lady Jia, Lady Jia's daily life and diet cannot be separated from Yuanyang, and she can hardly live a normal life without Yuanyang.

Even the old lady's personal belongings and silver boxes were managed by Yuanyang. This kind of behavior showed that she trusted him more than she trusted her own son.

The dowry and private wealth accumulated by Jia's mother over the years are comparable to half of the Rongguo Mansion...

The reason why Mrs. Xing coveted this and planned to force Jia She to take Yuanyang as his concubine was because of this purpose.

At that time, Rongguo Mansion was headed by the second branch of the Jia family, and Mrs. Wang was the mistress of the household. All the things left after the old lady's death became the rotten meat in the pot of the second branch.

At that time, Mrs. Wang was naturally not as mean as Mrs. Xing, but now the times have changed...

The most important thing is that Yuanyang is Grandmother Jia's most trusted confidant. As long as Baoyu wants Yuanyang, the relationship between the second house and Grandmother Jia will be more stable. As long as the old lady is around, the second house will have more hope.

Mrs. Wang smiled at Jia Zheng and said, "Master, you have good taste. You have noticed Yuanyang and Amber. These two girls are indeed the most proud of the old lady.

But in my opinion, the mandarin duck is the best one.”

……

Baoyu, who was standing aside, was originally feeling very uneasy and was hoping to escape from Jia Zheng as soon as possible, but he dared not move without the master and the mistress giving the order.

Later, when Wang Fu-ren said that she would put someone to serve him in his room, Bao-yu didn't care, because the pretty maids he had been thinking about, such as Wu-er, Qing-wen, Ying-lian, etc., were all in Jia Cong's room, and he couldn't count on them at all.

He had played with Xiren and Bihen in his room many times and was a little bored, so now he had no desires or requests...

When Mrs. Wang mentioned Yuanyang, Baoyu's eyes lit up and he cursed in his heart, "Damn it, how could I have forgotten such a pretty lady in the West Mansion? It was really too abrupt."

When Baoyu thought of Yuanyang's tall and slender figure, her slim waist and narrow shoulders, her fair skin, her fragrant body, and her graceful and elegant demeanor, he felt his heart soften and he was simply delighted.

If such a lovely sister Yuanyang came to his room, it would be worth it for him to die immediately for such a beautiful and tender daughter...

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

Although Fengjie was already five months pregnant, her body was gradually becoming bloated and she was not able to move as easily as in the previous months.

But she followed the doctor's and Lady Jia's instructions and walked around a little every day, saying that it would be more convenient for the baby to be born later.

That day, she was supported by Ping'er and Feng'er, and followed by a dowry maid, as she went to visit Lady Jia in Rongqing Hall.

In fact, apart from paying her daily respects to Lady Jia, most of the time she went to Rongqing Hall was for Jia Cong's affairs.

Wang Xifeng knew clearly that although the old lady was not close to the third brother Cong, she could not help but think that the third brother Cong was very capable and was now the head of two mansions, so the old lady naturally valued him.

Whether the old lady wanted to improve the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren or to control the third son of Cong, the best way and method was to stuff her trusted maid into the third son of Cong's room.

A wealthy family like the Jia family, which has a long history of noble family traditions, has stricter rules and etiquette than ordinary families. Any woman given by an elder to a younger generation has a higher status among concubines, second only to the principal wife.

Moreover, there are some courtesies that elders cannot bestow. If Lady Jia had really spoken first, she would have given Yuanyang to Jia Cong.

Not to mention whether Jia Cong is willing or not, if he stubbornly refuses to accept it, it will affect the reputation of this family.

If Jia Cong took Yuanyang at this point, her status and position among Jia Cong's concubines would be higher than others, which would be equivalent to Jia's mother planting a thorn in the side of the main house.

Therefore, Wang Xifeng felt that the matter should not be delayed, and she should find an opportunity as soon as possible to speak out the truth in front of Lady Jia, so as to dispel the old lady's thoughts and calculations.

Grandmother Jia was asking Yuanyang to massage her legs with a beauty hammer when she saw Wang Xifeng coming over with a bulging belly. She looked very happy. As she was an older person, she would like to see her descendants have many children and be blessed with good fortune.

Wang Xifeng was clever and had figured out Lady Jia's thoughts over the years. Whenever she saw Lady Jia, she would say a lot of clever words, which made Lady Jia very happy.

Seeing that Lady Jia was in a good mood, she changed the subject and said, "Madam, Brother Cong celebrated his fifteenth birthday at the end of March, and I originally wanted to hold a birthday banquet for him.

After all, he is now the heir to the family, and he has to behave respectably both inside and outside."

Grandmother Jia said: "What you said is reasonable. He has inherited a noble title and is also an official. He is involved in the social affairs of the world.

As a family like us, we still have to be polite, otherwise we will be laughed at by outsiders."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "It's because the old lady loves her grandson that she originally let Ping'er and Wu'er prepare everything.

But Brother Cong came to see me yesterday, and I told him about this matter, which was a bit unfortunate.

He said that the 18th of this month would be the end of the Spring Examination and that he would have to stay in the prison of the Imperial Examination Hall for nine days and would not be released until the 27th of this month, so he was afraid that he would miss his birthday.

But this is not a big deal. Brother Cong is a Jieyuan. As long as he takes the spring examination, he will definitely be a Jinshi. Then it will be more respectable to hold the birthday banquet and the success banquet together. "

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "You are quite calculating. Cong is a man who can study. It is a good thing to fulfill his wish."

……

Wang Xifeng saw that Jia's mother's tone was getting smoother, so she struck while the iron was hot and said, "Brother Cong came over yesterday. In addition to the birthday banquet, he also talked about his life in the inner chambers when he reached the age of dancing elephants.

The old lady mentioned at the beginning of the year that in March and April of this year, brothers Cong and Bao would be of age and would need suitable maids to serve them in their rooms.

Baoyu naturally has his wife to worry about. Now the eldest wife is in mourning and cannot take care of household affairs for the time being. As the eldest sister-in-law, I can't just sit there and do nothing. I should at least worry about it."

Grandmother Jia sighed, "It's been less than half a year since your father-in-law passed away, and your mother-in-law is a widow. It's said that an elder sister-in-law is like a mother. It's natural that you have to worry about your brother's affairs. This is common sense."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "I was thinking about the things I needed to do, so I took the opportunity to ask Brother Cong yesterday if he had any girl he liked who would be his concubine."

Yuanyang, who was massaging Jia's mother's legs, felt a pang in her heart when she heard this. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she even stopped the hammer in her hand...

After hearing what Wang Xifeng said, Jia's mother seemed to have thought of something and felt that something was wrong...

Wang Xifeng saw Lady Jia's expression and did not dare to stop talking, so she continued, "Madam, I asked Brother Cong about this matter without any selfish motive.

Although I have obtained the old lady's consent and have already given Ping'er a status, I cannot, at this critical juncture, send Ping'er to brother Cong's room to compete for favor.

I have told Brother Cong that I am pregnant now and cannot do without Ping'er's care and waiting. I need my child to be born before Ping'er can go to his place to get married. It will be around the New Year."

Originally, Grandmother Jia had something else to say, but she had to stop Wang Xifeng from speaking, otherwise her plan would be in vain.

But when she heard Wang Xifeng's self-examination, the words that were already on the tip of her tongue were immediately blocked.

That's because Wang Xifeng's words were not only extremely clever, but also hit the spot at the moment.

According to what she meant, even Ping'er, who had already established a relationship with Jia Cong, had to be humble at this time, let alone Yuanyang, who had no relationship with Jia Cong. Did she have to take the lead at this juncture?

If Grandmother Jia really did this, it would be embarrassing for the old lady to eat in front of Wang Xifeng, a junior...

Wang Xifeng couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she saw that Lady Jia had a dazed look on her face and seemed to have something to say.

She smiled eloquently and said, "It's good that Brother Cong has many trusted maids around him, all of them are as beautiful as flowers, and he doesn't need someone like Ping'er.

When I asked him what he thought, he said that he was attracted by Miss Zhishao and Wu'er.

He also said that these two girls had served him since they were young, and they were the oldest in his room, and they were considerate and attentive in everything, so he wanted to marry them.

Yuanyang, who was sitting at Jia's grandmother's lap, turned pale when she heard that Jia Cong wanted Zhishao and Wu'er, and she was in a state of anxiety the whole day.

The beauty hammer, which had just stopped abruptly, resumed its action of massaging Lady Jia's legs.

However, Grandmother Jia could clearly feel that the force of Yuanyang's hammer had become much weaker...

As the maid whom she had raised since childhood, Grandmother Jia naturally knew what she was thinking at the moment.

Grandmother Jia sighed, "In a family like ours, the affairs of the inner chambers of a young man's family should be taken care of by the elders. It is not right for a man like him to worry about it alone, and it is not right for outsiders to hear it.

In my opinion, we should not rush into this matter. It won’t be too late to think it over carefully.”

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, “What the old lady said is always reasonable, but Brother Cong is not like the other children in the family.

Although he was very young, he had already been fighting in the battlefields, surrounded by swords and blood. He had won a title and fame, and now he was an official in the government. He was a man who was used to making decisions.

Besides, the girls Zhishao and Wu'er that he wanted were both his trusted confidants who had served him since childhood. Both girls were highly praised in both houses and there was nothing wrong with them.

Brother Cong was able to choose these two people, and outsiders can't say anything. In my opinion, just follow his wishes, and the old lady won't have to worry about him, wouldn't it be more relaxed? "

Grandmother Jia felt aggrieved. In the past, whenever Jia Cong was present, she was always restrained in doing things and never went as she wished.

It was so hard to get this thing done without him having to be present, but I didn't expect it to still be so unsatisfactory. I really can't help but believe in it.

Grandmother Jia sighed and said, "Although what you said makes some sense, I have another meaning in my mind that you don't know.

Cong'er and Baoyu are both my grandsons. Now he has inherited a noble title and is the head of two families. People outside are all watching him.

Since they are all my grandsons, as a grandmother I should treat them equally. I gave the maid Xiren in my room to your brother Bao.

Now that Baoyu has reached the age, Xiren must marry him.

So I thought of picking a favorite maid from among the servants around me for Cong-ge'er, which would be my wish as a grandmother and would also prevent outsiders from always saying that I am partial to Baoyu."

Wang Xifeng laughed inwardly after hearing this: You, old man, have been partial to Baoyu for so many years, and you are still worried about what people will say. This excuse of sending a maid is a bit ridiculous...

But Lady Jia's words sounded so kind that Wang Xifeng couldn't refute it for the moment. However, she had already mentioned the matter of Zhishao and Wu'er, so no matter how right Lady Jia was, she couldn't say anything.

Just when the atmosphere was somewhat stagnant, the maid outside who was rolling up the curtain suddenly said, "The second wife is here. The old lady and the second mistress are talking inside." (End of this chapter)