Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

Wang Xifeng's words were eloquent, sarcastic, but every word made sense, like an iron chain across a river, making it impossible to find fault with her or to go beyond her limits in the slightest.

Although Mrs. Wang is scheming, she is far inferior to her niece in her ability to confuse right and wrong.

She was filled with indignation, her heart was burning with anger, and she racked her brains to find something to say in rebuttal.

But Wang Xifeng continued: Miss Xia is quite sensible and reasonable. She just happened to like Baoyu, which is why she is lucky enough to marry into our Jia family.

If she had fallen in love with someone else, she might not have the blessing of becoming the wife of the Jia family.

So, my granddaughter-in-law thinks that no matter how much dowry the Xia family brings in, it is their family's business, and we should just marry them according to the rules.

If you deliberately make a big fuss and get married on tiptoe, it will look really inappropriate to outsiders.

It's like we have a golden bowl in our hands, but we rush to beg for food. We are considered ignorant and bring down the noble status of the Jia family..."

As Lady Jia listened, Wang Xifeng became more and more harsh in her words, but every word she said was related to the noble family background of the Jia family, so it was difficult for her to refute her.

I even felt a little fond of what I heard, but at the same time I felt smothered, neither happy nor sad, awkward, and indescribably uncomfortable.

Moreover, Wang Xifeng's words were reasonable. Fortunately, the Xia family chose Baoyu. If they had chosen Cong, no one would have cared about him...

When Grandmother Jia thought of this, she felt very uncomfortable. She thought Baoyu was so unworthy. She really didn't want to admit it in her heart, so she quickly gave up the idea.

She saw that the second daughter-in-law had an extremely ugly expression on her face, and thought that if Feng girl continued to talk, she would drive people crazy.

He said quickly, "Feng girl, what you said is too strong. According to what you said, can you say that the public doesn't spend money and marry this daughter-in-law for nothing?"

……

Wang Xifeng laughed and said, "Look at what the old lady said. You can marry a daughter-in-law without spending money. I am just explaining the reason behind it."

After hearing this, Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang both breathed a sigh of relief. This damn girl finally knew how to allocate money and was not so stingy.

But Wang Xifeng said lightly, "It costs one hundred or eighty taels to buy a maid, and it costs even more to marry a wife."

After hearing this, Mrs. Wang became so shaky that she almost passed out from anger.

Fortunately, she knew the seriousness of the situation. The Duke of Xifu was in the hands of Wang Xifeng. If she made a scene and fell out with him, she wouldn't get even a single tael of silver.

From then on, the first and second wives were completely broken up. How could he still have the nerve to step into the Rongguo Mansion? How could he still enjoy the money, food and glory of the Rongguo Mansion?

All the hopes and expectations of the Second House would be completely cut off...

When Mrs. Wang thought about this, even though she was so angry that she almost died, she forced herself to suppress her anger, said nothing, and her face became terribly gloomy.

When Wang Xifeng saw Mrs. Wang like this, she couldn't help feeling a little disappointed and even more wary.

She originally wanted to say something harsh to provoke Mrs. Wang to make a scene, so that they would break up and no longer have to consider personal feelings when doing things.

It would save my aunt from being so wishful and wanting eight thousand taels at any time, thinking about emptying the West Mansion's assets all day long, but she really could bear the abuse...

……

Grandmother Jia was getting a little impatient and said, "Feng girl, don't talk about these useless things. Just talk about the eight thousand taels."

Wang Xifeng said: "The old lady knows the financial situation of the West Mansion. Now that the large amount of property has been lost, the public treasury only has ten thousand taels of silver in the whole year.

Now that eight thousand taels have been taken away, not only will we not be able to celebrate this year, but everyone in the mansion will starve to death throughout the next year.

The old lady and the second wife understood that the eight thousand taels could not be spent, which was a very clear housekeeping principle.

The old lady asked Brother Cong to come and ask, if he wants to do this favor, I will move to the East Mansion with my bedding roll, and just eat free meals at his place, and he can take care of this family himself!"

After hearing Wang Xifeng's harsh words, Jia's mother felt a chill in her heart, knowing that it would be extremely difficult to withdraw 8,000 taels of silver from the public treasury.

After being persuaded by Yuanyang, Grandmother Jia did not hold much hope for the eight thousand taels.

After hearing what Wang Xifeng said, I was a little disappointed, but not too surprised.

As for what Wang Xifeng said about Jia Cong asking, Grandmother Jia would not be so confused, because that boy is much smarter and more capable than Aunt Feng.

Since Feng Jieer refused to give in, Jia Cong would certainly not pay any attention to her. He was the head of the Second Mansion, and if he denied the matter, there would be no room for maneuver.

……

Mrs. Wang suppressed her anger and said in a cold voice: "Feng girl, your words are too cruel. Baoyu is the second son of the Duke, and his bloodline.

How could the public treasury not allocate money for such a major event as his marriage? In the past, even when the children of the sixth outer house got married, the public treasury would allocate generous gifts.

Baoyu is not even as good as those young men. How can this be justified? How can it be justified? "

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Second Madam, don't be impatient. I just said that the money still needs to be allocated.

However, there must be a reason or a precedent for how to allocate the money. It is not good to have no rules and just say how much is allocated.

If things were done this way, no matter how rich and prosperous the West Mansion was, it would not be able to withstand a few more turmoil.

For example, the second wife asked the public treasury to transfer 8,000 taels at once to give gifts to the Bao brothers, which was really unreasonable.

Eighty to ninety percent of the silver in the public treasury came from the property of the Western Palace Duke, and fundamentally speaking, it all belonged to the private pockets of the Cong brothers.

Although he asked me, his sister-in-law, to manage the household, I dare not do anything reckless with such a large sum of money. "

Mrs. Wang was furious and blurted out, "Everyone knows that Cong-ge is rich and powerful outside, so why would he care about the thousands of taels of silver at home?"

……

When Lady Jia heard what Lady Wang said, her expression changed slightly. She complained about her daughter-in-law's impatience. Some things can be said behind one's back, but it would be unpleasant to say them to one's face.

When Wang Xifeng heard this, her pretty face darkened and she felt disgusted. How could the Second Wife say such a thing? She was really calculating even the money of her lover.

Smiling, he said, "Madam, what you mean is about Miss Qu's matter, right? Everyone knows that she is a female merchant, and she is richer than our family.

Although Miss Qu has been very considerate in recent years and has performed rituals at both residences during festivals, outsiders also say that she and the Cong brothers are special.

But this was just talk. Miss Qu never came to the house once, never offered tea to the old lady, and the Cong brothers never gave a betrothal gift.

The two of them are unknown and have no status. Even if they are in love, they are not related. The money earned by the girl can still be counted in our Jia family's account.

Could it be that when our son gets married, all the money he spends has to be taken advantage of by Miss Qu? This is too unpleasant to hear.

Second Madam, please only say this in front of us, and don’t let Brother Cong hear it. He is a proud person and will be angry if he knows.”

……

After hearing this, Mrs. Wang's face changed slightly. After all, what she said was not upright, but could the logic be wrong?

Wang Xifeng continued, "Since we are talking about the public transfer of money, just talk about the public transfer. There is no point in talking about other things.

The Cong brothers inherited the title and property by imperial decree. The situation at home is different from before. The first and second wives each have their own positions, and they have to act according to the rules in order to achieve success.

The Second Madam has just hit the nail on the head. When brothers from the same clan get married, the public treasury will give gift money. Since everyone else gets it, naturally Brother Bao won't be left out.

There is a precedent for this. When Rong Ge'er got married, the government allocated 1,000 taels of silver as a gift.

Rong'er was the eldest son of the Ningguo Mansion and a prince who inherited the title. Given Baoyu's current status, it is difficult to compare him.

But Baoyu is from the Rong family after all, and we family members have to be more partial to him. Baoyu’s marriage will follow the old example of Rong’er.

The public treasury has allocated one thousand taels of silver as a gift, which is very respectable for Baoyu. "

……

When Wang Xifeng said this, Grandmother Jia no longer cared about being angry, but was stunned for a moment.

Grandmother Jia knew clearly that it was impossible to ask the public treasury to allocate 8,000 taels of silver.

His second daughter-in-law was indeed a bit cruel, but since he loved Baoyu the most, he could only save face and negotiate for her.

She thought that since the public treasury could not afford eight thousand taels, four thousand taels would always be fine. At worst, she could give some of the money herself to let Baoyu have a grand wedding.

She really didn't expect that Wang Xifeng's talk about Rong Ge'er sounded reasonable and well-founded. She didn't know who gave her this bad idea.

She actually said that the public treasury only provided one thousand and two taels of silver for Baoyu's marriage. This Feng girl is too powerful to say such a thing.

……

When Mrs. Wang heard the one thousand taels of silver, she felt like she had been slapped in the face. Both sides of her face were burning and she could no longer bear it.

Now that the second branch has moved into the East Courtyard, the monthly expenses are distributed by the West Palace Public Office according to the routine, and the accounts are calculated very strictly, leaving no spare money.

She used to be the mistress of the house, with resources at her disposal, and had never experienced such a tight life.

Last time, Mrs. Wang spent ten thousand taels of silver to win favor for her daughter Yuanchun, but it was thrown into the water and not even a sound was heard. Now she is still quite exhausted.

I had originally thought of using Baoyu's wedding to get more money from the West Mansion, firstly to let my son have a grand wedding, and secondly to build up some foundation for the second house...

She really didn't expect that Wang Xifeng was so mean and vicious, using one thousand taels of silver to fool her as if she were sending away a beggar.

She said, "Feng girl, what you said is too unreasonable. How can Rong Ge'er be compared with Baoyu?

Even if there is not much surplus in the public treasury, it would not be so large as to allocate only one thousand taels. How can Baoyu get married? Do you still have the face to show in public?"

Wang Xifeng laughed and said, "Madam, what you said is not true. Although Rong'er has been exiled now, his status was more important than Baoyu's when he was in power.

I won't say much about this. The old lady suddenly brought up this matter today and I hadn't made any plans or preparations in advance.

The one thousand taels of gift money mentioned just now is all in accordance with family custom, and the exact amount cannot be determined yet.

Because the expenditures exceeding one thousand taels are all large sums from the public treasury, I alone cannot make the final decision, and I need Brother Cong's approval. I will discuss this with Brother Cong after I go back, and then we can make a final decision. Brother Cong is very knowledgeable and knows a lot about rules, and I am not sure about it, so Second Madam, please don't take it seriously for now."

……

When Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang heard this, their hearts sank, and Mrs. Wang felt so aggrieved that she wanted to die.

For this one thousand taels of silver, they didn't even give a precise amount, and they even said that the boy was very well-behaved. Could it be that they were going to give him a few hundred taels to send him off...

Grandmother Jia was also very depressed and said, "Since this matter requires the approval of Cong'er, you should go and discuss it with him and get a definite answer as soon as possible.

But Baoyu's wedding was a big event for the family, and even if the government was in a tight spot, only one thousand and two taels of silver was not enough to cover the expenses.

Tell this to Congge'er and tell him that this is my opinion. Let him make his own decision."

……

After hearing what Lady Jia said, Wang Xifeng felt that the time had come, so she decided to stop while she was ahead and hurriedly stood up to say goodbye to Lady Jia.

In fact, Jia Cong had already told her the truth: the East and West mansions would each contribute 1,000 taels of gift money to Baoyu's wedding expenses.

But Mrs. Wang asked for too much, which made Wang Xifeng quite annoyed.

She is an extremely shrewd and capable woman, able to weigh the pros and cons, grasp people's hearts, and grasp the slightest degree of precision.

Not to mention the one thousand taels from the East Mansion, she also had her own intentions. Since the other party asked for a sky-high price, she would just pay him back.

She kept saying that the Duke of Xifu only contributed one thousand taels, and said that even one thousand taels was not accurate, and it would only count if Jia Cong nodded.

These words of coercion were meant to crush Mrs. Wang's extravagant hopes to the bottom, and to reduce her ambitions of plundering the public to the lowest level.

It also let the old lady know about Baoyu's wedding and the treatment standards of the two mansions, so that the old lady would not be confused and still only regard Baoyu as a golden phoenix...

After a few more days, the Second Wife's anger faded. She mentioned the one thousand taels of gift money from the East Palace again, and the Old Lady acquiesced.

As long as the old lady acquiesces in this matter, this calculating aunt of hers will no longer be able to stir up trouble.

……

In Rongqing Hall, Mrs. Wang looked at Wang Xifeng's departing back and felt extremely angry.

She said, "Old Madam, the eldest wife is too overbearing these days, and Feng girl's words are too much.

For Baoyu's wedding, the public treasury will allocate a thousand taels of silver. How can he even say such a thing? Wouldn't it be a joke if outsiders heard it?

Brother Cong is respected by everyone now. He is the second in the first class and one of the fifteen Hanlin scholars. He is the best among scholars. If he treats his brothers like this, what kind of sage books does he read? "

Hearing the viciousness and jealousy in her daughter-in-law's words, Grandmother Jia was slightly shocked and worried that she would do something to ruin the boy's reputation, which would be bad for everyone.

She thought about how after Jia Cong inherited the title, the West Mansion lost a large amount of property, and how Feng Jieer had been cutting expenses and reducing the number of people in the mansion, and had offended so many people like a madman.

Only the population expenses of Rongqingtang were not spent a single cent, and the two laundry women were even licked.

Yuanyang also said that the hall had an annual expenditure of three thousand taels, which was distributed on time every month without any delay.

It must be Cong'er who instructed Feng to be so cautious. After all, she has to rely on the eldest wife to support her.

If the two families really have a feud and the family is in turmoil, how can we live happily in the future...

……

Grandmother Jia said impatiently: "Okay, don't mention this matter anymore. You are a bit extravagant. You asked for eight thousand taels. You are going to empty the family's coffers.

Feng Yatou and Cong Ge'er are both smart people, how could they give in so easily? The matter has already become a bit awkward.

If they continue like this, the harmony among the family will be damaged. Whether it is one thousand taels or two thousand taels, it is up to them.

I know Cong'er. Even if his methods are ruthless, he still cares about Zheng'er's kindness in his heart. As long as he doesn't make a fuss, it won't be too embarrassing.

The person I love most in my life is Baoyu. Now that he has married and started a family, I have my own money for him to enjoy, and it can also provide some financial support.

Let’s put this matter aside for now. Baoyu’s wedding is still half a year away, so you should just prepare the betrothal gifts first…”

Grandmother Jia tried to calm down her daughter-in-law with a few words and tried to smooth things over again, and finally managed to coax her daughter-in-law away.

It really took a lot of effort, and I felt a pain in my old waist, so I quickly asked Yuanyang to help me to the inner hall to rest.

……

Rongguo Mansion, East Courtyard.

Mrs. Wang was humiliated by Wang Xifeng in Rongqing Hall. She was in a very bad mood and her face looked gloomy and scary.

Seeing the mistress's unhappy expression, Yuchuan felt uneasy and followed her carefully, fearing that she would make a mistake and become the mistress's vent.

The two men had just entered the black oil gate, turned the corner of the corridor, and were about to enter the inner courtyard gate.

Suddenly, a figure rushed over, seemingly in a hurry to enter the inner courtyard, and almost bumped into Mrs. Wang.

Mrs. Wang was already feeling uncomfortable, and when she saw that the man was Jia Huan, she felt even more disgusted and disgusted. She also saw that he had a bruised face and nose, and wondered what had happened.

He shouted, "Stop right there! Look at what you look like. You look like a black-eyed chicken. You don't look like a young master at all.

Your aunt is also a dead person. She can't teach you how to behave. She doesn't even dress neatly. You have brought shame to the second house!"

Mrs. Wang originally acted like a legitimate mother and seldom scolded Jia Huan. She was not only always kind to him, but even indulged him secretly.

Even though Jia Huan's behavior was inappropriate, she would not point it out. This bastard had grown up to be a good person, which was what she wanted.

Besides, she knew her master, who was very protective of Aunt Zhao and her son. She pretended to be nice in front of her master, and she tripped them up in private.

But ever since she heard Jia Huan brutally abusing the maid Caixia outside the warehouse that day, she hated and felt disgusted with this bastard to the extreme.

He tore off all his previous disguise and scolded Jia Huan without any hesitation whenever he saw something wrong with him.

Jia Huan also knew that his stepmother had disliked him recently, but he didn't know why.

He was very smooth-talking to his biological mother, often talking back and acting like a spoiled brat, and he didn't have many rules in his daily life.

But he did not dare to be rude to Mrs. Wang. Even though Mrs. Wang never beat or scolded him, he was still very afraid of his stepmother.

This is the etiquette and family education in the mansion, which has been formed over a long period of time and there is no reason to explain it.

……

Madam Wang asked, "How did you get so bruised and swollen? Did you get into trouble outside?"

When Jia Huan heard Mrs. Wang's unfriendly and sinister tone, he couldn't help but shudder.

He stammered, "To answer Madam, my son did not cause any trouble. He just came back from school and accidentally fell down while walking."

Madam Wang shouted, "If you act rashly again, I will not let you off easily if I see you. Go and have your aunt clean you up!"

After hearing this, Jia Huan felt as if he had been pardoned. He hurriedly bowed to Lady Wang and ran into the inner courtyard.

Mrs. Wang looked at Jia Huan's back with a flickering gaze and said to Yuchuan, "Go and ask Aunt Chen to come over and talk."

After a while, Mrs. Chen followed Yuchuan over. Mrs. Wang told Yuchuan not to serve them and to go back to her room to do her work.

Yuchuan quickly agreed, but she was a little worried in her heart that her wife not only had a bad temper recently, but also did things in a strange way.

In the past, when he saw Master Huan San, he would be more or less in a good mood, but now, if he saw him make any mistake, he would scold him.

A few days ago, he said that the dowry shop was short of staff, so Caixia was transferred over to work there, and she hasn't come back for several days.

The madam hired outsiders to run her dowry shop and had never hired family members before, but now she has changed her mind.

If my wife hadn't transferred Qiu Wen to take over temporarily, I would have been exhausted to take care of two people by myself.

But Yuchuan was not surprised by the trivial daily affairs in the mansion.

When she returned to her room to do some work, she saw the Madam and Aunt Chen talking about something, and then Aunt Chen left the inner courtyard.

……

It was not until the evening that Mrs. Chen returned to the inner courtyard and went straight into Mrs. Wang's room.

He said, "Madam, I have already found out that Master Huan San did not fall and get hurt. He got into a fight with his schoolmate Jin Rong, which caused his nose and face to be bruised."

Mrs. Wang was a little confused and asked, "Jin Rong is that one again. I've never heard of him before. There doesn't seem to be anyone with this name in the outer rooms."

Mrs. Chen said, "This Jin Rong is not a member of the Jia family, but the nephew of Grandma Huang from the East Alley, so Madam has never heard of him.

Originally, he was a child of another family and could not attend the Jia family school. It was because Grandma Huang pleased Grandma Er that Jin Rong was able to attend the family school.

This Jin Rong was in love with a classmate named Yu Ai in school. Master Huan San was not convinced and made sarcastic and provocative remarks, which led to a fight with Jin Rong and ended up in this state. "

Mrs. Wang frowned and said, "How can a boy in school be called Yuai, a strange name?"

Mrs. Chen smiled contemptuously and said, "Madam, you don't know that Yuai is not his real name, but his nickname.

Because this boy has a homosexual tendency, he was given this nickname by his classmates. Originally, he was in a relationship with his concubine's son Xue Pan.

Later, because Xue Pan got tired of him, he hooked up with Jin Rong again. I don't know how Huan Sanye got involved, and he and Jin Rong had a fight because of it. "

Mrs. Wang felt sick when she heard this and cursed, "This little beast is really a worthless person and he has done nothing good outside.

He has no sense of shame and does such a thing. I think he wants to die..." (End of this chapter)