Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

Lady Wang, accompanied by Yuchuan, came out of Pear Fragrance Courtyard, walked through the east and west corridors, and passed by the South Hall.

The sun shone brightly along the way, and birdcages hanging from the eaves of the covered walkways emitted clear birdsong from time to time.

As Madam Wang entered the backyard of Rongqing Hall, intending to bypass the main hall and enter the main room, she stopped in her tracks upon hearing Wang Xifeng's cheerful laughter.

Wang Xifeng's spirited voice disgusted Madam Wang, and now the two families were at odds, and her niece, who was once a close relative, was now like an enemy.

Moreover, Wang Xifeng is too shrewd and single-mindedly supports Jia Cong.

He went into the hall to talk to the old lady, knowing that if she heard about his plans, it would definitely cause trouble.

Lady Wang was depressed. She had been the mistress of the Rongguo Mansion, and apart from the old lady, she was the most honored woman in the Duke's Mansion.

Everyone in the household, from relatives to servants, had to defer to her every whim; she was incredibly powerful and influential back then.

Unlike now, I feel so stifled and uncomfortable. Entering the mansion feels like entering another family's home. I have to be careful about everything I say and do. It's truly a case of God being blind.

Fortunately, she had only stood there for a moment when she heard Wang Xifeng and the old lady say goodbye, so she slowed down and entered the hall.

Seeing the maid tidying up the teacups, I realized that Wang Xifeng had just left, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

As Grandmother Jia was having Yuanyang massage her back, she saw Lady Wang enter the hall and said with a smile, "What brings you here today? I heard that Caixia is suffering from severe morning sickness."

I couldn't go see her because I'm too weak to walk. How is she now?

Madam Wang smiled and said, "It's all thanks to the old lady's constant concern. When Caixia's pregnancy comes, morning sickness is inevitable."

I just visited her; she looked radiant and healthy, with good blood circulation. She's very well-maintained and pleasing to the eye. She'll stop experiencing morning sickness once the Lunar New Year is over.

Grandmother Jia said, "Ever since Miss Xia sent the December gifts, I have been thinking about Caixia's matter."

When Baoyu gets married next March, Caixia's belly will be showing, and this is something we need to consider.

Last time, when Miss Xia sent someone to deliver a gift, I observed how she handled things; she seemed like a capable and efficient young wife.

Even the most capable and proud young woman would be considered taboo if her concubine became pregnant shortly after marrying into the family.

I think that after Baoyu gets married, the young couple will definitely move to the East Wing Courtyard, but before Caixia's child is born, it should be raised in the West Wing Courtyard first, so that I can take care of it.”

……

Lady Wang was a shrewd woman in the inner quarters; although Grandmother Jia's words were veiled, she immediately understood their meaning.

In wealthy families, if the first wife becomes pregnant as soon as she marries into the household, even the most virtuous woman will feel resentful.

In the inner quarters of wealthy families, it's not uncommon for people to do excessive things in order to protect themselves or establish their authority...

That day, Miss Xia sent a gift to our door. She acted boldly and efficiently, and spoke meticulously and thoughtfully. She already seemed to have some of the demeanor of Miss Feng.

It's certainly a good thing that Baoyu married a capable wife, but the more capable the wife is, the less likely she is to be a pushover.

It's not impossible that he might develop feelings of disgust and hostility towards the concubine who won first place; this is only human nature. Once this storm passes, everyone will be at peace.

The old lady was wise and experienced; she must have foreseen the hidden dangers before devising this preventative measure.

Normally, Madam Wang would have no objection to this, but Caixia would never act according to normal standards...

Now that Caixia is resting in Baoyu Courtyard during her pregnancy, Madam Wang has already given instructions that she should take care of herself and not leave Baoyu Courtyard at will.

She also instructed Xiren and Caiyun to take meticulous care of her, ensuring that no mistakes were made. Therefore, although Madam Wang had concerns, she was not afraid for the time being.

However, if Caixia were left alone in the West Mansion after Baoyu's marriage, Lady Wang would lose the convenience of controlling her.

If Caixia's attendants are replaced by then, what if word gets out...

……

Moreover, besides her fear and worry about Caixia, Jia Mu's mention that Baoyu would need to move back to the East Courtyard after his marriage made Wang Furen even more uneasy.

Although she knew that what Grandmother Jia said was common sense, she still felt uncomfortable, as if she were being scratched by a cat or dog. She felt that this should not be the case and that it was unreasonable.

He said, "The old lady has always loved Baoyu the most. Now that he is about to start his own family, it is time for him to be filial to the old lady."

"But to leave your side after marriage, how can I bear to hear that? Baoyu is always filial; I'm afraid he wouldn't agree to it either."

Yuanyang, who was massaging Grandmother Jia's back, couldn't help but feel contempt upon hearing Lady Wang's words.

The second wife usually acts like a lady of high society, always emphasizing propriety in her words and actions, but her actions are the least dignified.

The West Mansion is Third Master's family business. What kind of logic is there in the world where a cousin is already married and has a wife, yet still lives in his older cousin's house for the rest of his life?

From then on, the eldest brother-in-law would bump into his sister-in-law every day when entering and leaving his own inner courtyard, and the most important etiquette and taboos of the large family were no longer observed.

Everyone says that Bao Er's wife, who is not yet married into the family, is also a proper young lady from a respectable family. If she were to be asked to examine her brother-in-law's head and feet every day, she would be so ashamed that she would die.

The second wife was also a head wife; why didn't she think about these principles?

By letting her son stay at the West Mansion, she was humiliating her own daughter-in-law. Even if that were the case, wouldn't it also tarnish the reputation of the Third Master?

……

After hearing what Lady Wang said, Grandmother Jia shook her head and said, "I understand what you mean, but the situation in the family is very different now. Cong-ge'er is a hereditary noble of the Rongguo Kingdom."

The West Mansion was his residence and property. After Baoyu got married, he would have a family, and the patriarchal family rules and etiquette would prevail. If he continued to live in the West Mansion, it would cause gossip.

Although I am also reluctant to part with Baoyu, he is still young and has a long life ahead of him, so we must make long-term plans for him.

Countless eyes from the eight branches of the Jia family in the capital were watching. These people were all snobbish and greedy, jealous of others' success and laughing at others' failures; their mouths were filled with murderous intent.

At the very moment when Baoyu is getting married, he absolutely must not stay in the West Mansion, otherwise he will give others a huge reason to gossip.

Not only the distant relatives of the Jia family, but even the hereditary nobles and elders would gossip about it.

……

Although Lady Wang felt a surge of resentment upon hearing Grandmother Jia's words, she had no words to refute them.

Seeing her daughter-in-law's expression, Grandmother Jia guessed what she was thinking and couldn't help but sigh.

He said, "Remember what I said: if Baoyu wants to live a good life, the most important thing is for him and his brother Cong to get along well."

After hearing what Grandmother Jia said, Lady Wang felt that the old lady had resigned herself to her fate and began to speak up for Cong-ge'er. Bao-yu even had to be careful around her...

Although she couldn't keep a straight face, she still forced a smile and said, "What the old lady said makes sense. A harmonious family with brothers and close relatives supporting each other is the way to a prosperous family."

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "It's excellent that you have this insight. If you act in accordance with this principle from now on, everything will go smoothly."

……

Madam Wang did not forget the reason for entering Rongqing Hall today. She braced herself and made sure her words were convincing, after thinking for a moment about the appropriate words.

He said, "The old lady is wholeheartedly planning for Baoyu's future, which is a blessing that Baoyu earned in his previous life."

But I often think about it carefully, now that Cong-ge'er has inherited the family business, and Bao-yu will get married and start his own family in the future, he has no family property to rely on at all.

"When my husband and I reach old age, the second branch of the family will likely be even more impoverished than they are now, and Baoyu will certainly have an even harder time. How can anyone bear to see that?"

Hearing this, Grandmother Jia felt a pang of worry. Having lived her whole life as a wealthy and noblewoman, she naturally understood the principles of passing on the family business of a prestigious family.

The ancestral property was inherited by the direct line of the noble family, while the branches of the family could only receive some houses and meager land, barely enough to make ends meet.

If he were to pass away in the future, that would be fine. As long as his son is still alive, Cong-ge will most likely consider their relationship, and Bao-yu won't suffer.

But my son is also over fifty years old. When he passes away, the debts of gratitude will be settled after a lifetime. Who will care about my Baoyu anymore?

Baoyu has been pampered since childhood and doesn't know how to make a living. He will probably be in a very poor situation, even more miserable than his distant relatives who are begging for food and clothing on Ningrong Street.

Although she had a considerable amount of dowry and private wealth, she took out several thousand taels of silver to subsidize Baoyu's marriage, and outsiders couldn't say anything about it.

But you can't just carry all the treasure chests into Baoyu's room; you can't hide it from everyone in the mansion.

Do you really think Cong-ge and Feng-ya are blind? If they harbor resentment because of this, then they're just causing trouble for the second branch of the family.

After he kicks the bucket, with the power of his eldest son and daughter-in-law, these private savings will definitely not cross the threshold of the West Mansion, and outsiders will not be able to find any fault with them!

……

Seeing the old lady's pale face and thoughtful expression, Madam Wang knew that she had struck a chord with the old lady.

She quickly pressed her advantage, saying, "Instead of worrying about Baoyu in the future, it's better to help him accumulate wealth now, so that he can be prepared for any eventuality."

My wife has been thinking about this a lot lately, and I've come up with a good solution.

Grandmother Jia's eyes lit up, and she said, "What good idea have you come up with? Tell me about it."

Seeing that the time was right, Madam Wang explained her various ideas about using her two dowry shops to distribute self-made goods from Xinchun Company.

She said, “Grandma, for such a major event as Baoyu’s wedding, the public funds can only allocate two thousand taels of silver. In the end, Grandma will have to contribute her own money. I really can’t bear it, so I came up with this idea in the hope of accumulating wealth for Baoyu.”

Besides, it's not like they're taking advantage of the younger generation. They bought the goods from Xinhao with their own money, so Cong-ge and Miss Qu aren't losing out.

Yuanyang, who was massaging Jia Cong's back, had always paid attention to Jia Cong's affairs and had naturally heard about the origin of Xinchunhao, which was secretly the family business run by the Third Master.

The second wife's words made her seem reasonable. Xinchunhao's business was thriving; why wouldn't she go and earn money herself?

He sold his goods to his wife's shop at the market price, letting her make a profit off his family's money. And his wife even said she didn't take advantage of him. How dare she say that?

……

Grandmother Jia was greatly moved by these words and said, "I think your method is appropriate. We won't take advantage of others; this is doing legitimate business."

Back then, Brother Zhen was too greedy and secretly tried to seize other people's shops. If he had been as fair and cautious as you and done business honestly with people...

How could he have squandered the entire Ningguo family fortune and even lost his own life?

When Lady Wang saw that Grandmother Jia agreed, she said happily, "What the old lady said is absolutely right. As long as we are fair and just, we don't have to worry about getting into trouble."

However, given his official position, the master couldn't easily discuss such matters with Cong-ge, and his daughter-in-law's words might not carry much weight either.

Of all the people in the household, the old lady is the most respected, and she is also Cong's maternal grandmother. As long as you keep mediating this matter, it will surely be resolved in no time.

If this matter is successfully resolved, it will be a celebrated story both within and outside the family, truly demonstrating brotherly harmony and close kinship.

When Grandmother Jia heard Lady Wang's idea, she thought it was an excellent idea that could help her accumulate wealth for her son, Baoyu.

But when he heard that she was asked to go and make peace with Jia Cong, his old face stiffened and he felt a little uneasy.

She was the matriarch of the Jia family in Shenjing. She stood tall and proud in front of everyone in the family, but she was somewhat lacking in confidence when facing her grandson who was going to inherit the family business.

Over the years, Jia Cong has caused her a lot of trouble. Whenever he felt something was impossible, he would find a whole bunch of reasons to deal with his grandmother.

However, Grandmother Jia thought Lady Wang's method was good, and for the sake of her son Baoyu's future, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and do it.

At worst, we can listen to the grandson's version of events first, and if we sense anything amiss, we can smooth things over and get away with it...

Grandmother Jia said, "Yuanyang, it's almost sunset now. Go to the East Mansion and wait for Cong-ge'er if he hasn't returned. When he comes back, tell him I have something to say to him."

……

The Earl's Mansion, Jia Cong's Courtyard.

In the morning, Jia Cong was summoned to the palace to meet the emperor. He proposed to use smuggling to exchange goods with the Ordos tribe.

This covert border trade tactic was used to encourage the Ordos tribe to submit to the Great Zhou through appeasement, thus weakening and consolidating the remaining Mongol forces.

Wang Shilun and Gu Yankui, who were also in the palace to discuss politics, expressed their deep approval of Jia Cong's ingenious idea, and Emperor Jia Zhao had also given his consent to the method.

He then assigned Jia Cong to handle the matter and had him write out a detailed operational plan.

After all, neither the supreme Emperor Jia Zhao nor the top officials Wang Shilun and Gu Yankui knew how to "smuggle".

After leaving the palace, Jia Cong took the opportunity to visit the firearms workshop outside the city. He inspected the workshop and found that everything was proceeding normally, so he returned directly to the Earl's mansion.

Then he locked himself in his study and carefully studied and drafted a detailed strategy for smuggling.

The trade of goods with the Ordos tribe needed to be kept secret to avoid alerting Anda Khan of the Tuman tribe and causing unforeseen changes.

To ensure that the information is not leaked, and even to maintain this for several years, choosing an absolutely trustworthy caravan is of paramount importance.

Since Emperor Jiazhao had entrusted this matter to him, Jia Cong thought that the most reliable merchant caravan was the Xinchun Caravan, which he and Qu Hongxiu managed.

Several years ago, Xinchunhao opened a branch in Liaodong. After several years of development, the Liaodong branch's business routes have spread to various towns along the nine borders.

As long as a group of capable personnel are mobilized from the Jiangnan and Liaodong branches and sent to Ningxia Town in advance to make preparations.

He could quickly establish a reliable border trade caravan, and the caravan's loyalty and control would give him maximum peace of mind.

The goods smuggled from outside the Great Wall included grain, cloth, tea, and farm tools.

All of these can be quickly collected and transported through Xinchunhao's branches in various regions, minimizing the spread of information and reducing efficiency constraints to the lowest possible level.

Moreover, with the tacit approval of the imperial court, such a capable caravan could engage in more than just trade in goods outside the Great Wall.

It can also do many other things and have a profound and undeniable impact.

……

For example, since the Great Zhou and the Canmeng are currently hostile, it is easy to infiltrate secret agents and scouts into the Canmeng tribes through smuggling caravans with the tacit approval of both sides.

They also collected intelligence information from various departments in Inner Mongolia through various channels and levels, and facilitated the smooth transmission of information through smuggling caravans entering and leaving the pass.

People today may have a limited understanding of the concept of knowing oneself and one's enemy.

But Jia Cong, a wanderer in later generations, had witnessed countless turbulent events and anecdotes in modern times.

Clear and precise intelligence can easily turn the tide and transform the rotten into the miraculous.

However, he did not intend to include this in his strategy, because the current emperor was inherently suspicious and had already exhibited too many unusual behaviors; it was necessary to know when to stop.

In the emperor's eyes, he had countless ingenious ideas, just like his work in the development of firearms, which was truly amazing.

However, it would do him no harm to reveal his extremely shrewd and insidious schemes as little as possible.

He carefully analyzed the problems encountered by caravans in smuggling and categorized them according to their severity, urgency, and whether they were obvious or concealed.

Those things that need to be written into the strategy and implemented by the relevant authorities, and those things that the caravan can simply handle itself...

There are many intricacies involved in how smuggling caravans leave the border. For example, they would avoid the main border towns and pass through remote and secluded passes.

He wrote down details in his strategy, such as how to avoid scouts from both sides along the way and how to keep a secret trail during the caravan's journey.

Because of these operational details, the Ministry of War and the Ningxia Border Army need to provide necessary assistance and cooperation.

He pondered and wrote furiously as he did so, seemingly unaware that Yinglian had entered the room twice to change the tea.

……

In just half an hour, he had filled the entire sheet of Xuan paper with tiny characters. Just as he was about to polish and revise it, he suddenly heard voices outside the door.

Yinglian said, "Isn't this Sister Ying'er? What brings you here today? Why isn't Miss Bao here with you?"

Then Ying'er said, "Miss Bao went back to the West Mansion on business and asked me to pass on a message to Third Master Cong. Has Third Master returned to the mansion?"

Jia Cong stood up and said, "Yinglian, let Ying'er come in and talk to us."

Ying'er entered the room and told Tong Gui that Madam Wang had come to see Aunt Xue, explaining the details of the matter.

She added, "The young lady asked me to pass on a message to the Third Master: the concubine wants the madam to arrange this matter, but the madam feels that the matter is inappropriate and has already made an excuse to decline."

The concubine is going to talk to the old lady now, and the madam is telling the young lady to go back and maintain appearances. They should be arriving at Rongqing Hall soon.

The young woman said the old lady most likely wanted to see Third Master so he would know the reason and be able to make plans accordingly.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Go back and tell your young lady that this matter is not difficult to handle. Thank you for passing on the message and reminding her."

After Ying'er left, Jia Cong pondered Ying'er's words and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

Although Lady Wang was not as vicious and shameless as Jia Zhen, she was narrow-minded and greedy, and the two were birds of a feather.

Back then, I was able to bring down Jia Zhen, so how could I let Lady Wang get her way?
……

According to what Ying'er just said, Lady Wang has already urged Grandmother Jia to step in, and I'm afraid that trouble will come knocking soon.

But Jia Cong was disdainful and didn't take it to heart. He took this opportunity to teach them a lesson so that others would give up such thoughts.

After carefully folding and putting away the draft of his smuggling strategy, he heard footsteps coming from the courtyard.

There was another knock on the door, and Yinglian entered with Yuanyang.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Sister Yuanyang, did you come here to deliver a message from the old lady?"

Yuanyang replied, "That's right. The old lady asked me to come and wait for Third Master to return from his official duties so that she could invite him to Rongqing Hall for a talk. I didn't expect Third Master to have already returned home."

The two walked out of the yard together. The garden was sunny, and the holly bushes along the roadside were lush, fresh, and full of life.

Yuanyang told Jia Cong in detail what had happened in the hall, without hiding a single word. This was a habit the two had developed over the years, and it had become a strange tacit understanding.

Yuanyang looked worried and said, "Third Master, a harmonious and peaceful family is a sign of prosperity, but any matter involving money or goods can easily lead to discord."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "I know what Sister Yuanyang is thinking. The old lady is getting old and lives peacefully in the inner quarters. She is unaware of the entanglements outside."

But the second wife's behavior is oversimplified, treating everyone else as fools... (End of Chapter)