Red Mansion, Ningfu Scholarly Family

Chapter 176: A single hair plucked from the East Palace is thicker than the waist of the West Palace
……

The Mid-Autumn Festival reunion dinner was held in the East Palace. Almost all of the eight relatives of the Jia family in Beijing came, and there were more than a dozen large round tables outside the lobby of the East Courtyard.

On the other side of the seven or eight glass screens, there are five or six large round tables.

This is the female family.

Grandmother Jia felt very uncomfortable.

Originally she didn't want to come over, but she couldn't bear to leave such a lively scene. In the end, she was reluctantly supported by Lady Xing, Li Wan, Sister Feng, Yuanyang and others to come over.

Almost all the women from other families were also present. Although Aunt Xue was a guest outside, she was also invited to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival together.

Not to mention the older generation, just the sisters of the same generation as Yingchun, Tanchun and Xichun, the eight sisters together with Lin Daiyu, the sisters Baochai and Baoqin, Xing Xiuyun and others, filled up three large tables.

Everyone was chattering together, and all they were talking about was how unique your flower is, how beautiful her clothes are, and how great someone else's hairpins and rings are.

The most glorious one among them must be Xiao Xichun.

Whether it is the identity of the eldest daughter of the Duke's Mansion or the identity of the eldest daughter of the cabinet minister, it is enough to make Xiao Xichun proud of her fellow beauties. Even in front of the princess and the emperor, Xiao Xichun's identity is impressive enough.

As for Lady Jia, the wife of a first-rank duke who held the highest status, although she looked very glorious, she was obviously not doing well anymore.

Everyone knows the situation in the two governments.

The West Mansion is already an empty shell and has no power at all. There is no point trying to curry favor with it.

The East Palace is already the most prestigious family in the entire Daxia, even comparable to some princely palaces.

There is a saying now: Any hair plucked from the East Palace is thicker than the waist of the West Palace.

Sister Feng was beside Little Xichun, trying to please her sister-in-law: "Sister Xichun is one year older this year, and she is even more beautiful than before. I don't even dare to stand next to her."

Xichun asked curiously, "Why?"

Sister Feng laughed and said, "I used to think I was still quite pretty, but when I was with Sister Xichun, I immediately became an ugly old woman."

Sure enough, Xichun laughed out loud.

But the others were not so happy. Except Yingchun and Baochai, they all glanced at Fengjie.

Sister Feng hurriedly laughed and said, "Only Sister Lin, Sister Two, Sister Three, and Sister Bao are all naturally beautiful and dare to sit with you."

Everyone then looked at Sister Feng and smiled with satisfaction.

Xichun smiled and said, "I'm not that good either. Sister Feng, you are also very beautiful."

"Oh, thank you for your praise, sister Xichun." Sister Feng said, "I just got a few ounces of Xiangluo tea as tribute from Nannan Kingdom the other day. Unfortunately, I am not good at tasting it. I will send it to you to try later."

Xichun smiled and said, "Okay."

"I just finished my favorite tea, so how about trying some foreign tea?"

At this time, Li Wan came over and said with a smile, "Feng girl, stop being a good girl here. The old ancestor wants you to go over there."

While Wang Xifeng was trying to please her sister-in-law, she certainly would not forget to please Lady Jia. Although Lady Jia was not very useful at the moment, it was still easy to control her mother-in-law.

"I'm coming!"

After Feng Ji left, swinging her handkerchief, a few more people came over to compliment little Xichun. They either praised her beauty or praised the pretty hairpin. Soon Xichun got annoyed. What she wanted most now was for her eldest nephew Jia Rong to praise her beauty.

I turned my head and looked over there carefully, and saw that everyone was still toasting each other, and it didn't seem like the party would end for a while.

Jia Lian: "Brother Rong."

Jia Rong: "Second uncle."

Jia Lian: "I'll toast you a glass."

Jia Rong: "Uncle, stop making trouble. You are the elder. Why are you respecting me for no reason?"

Jia Lian smiled awkwardly: "I have something to ask you, but Ping'er is so arrogant now that she won't even see me."

"hehe."

Jia Rong smiled lightly.

Who told you to have such a bad reputation?

"How many married women has Second Uncle contacted recently?"

Jia Lian: "..."

"Ahem, stop it."

"I really have something important to talk to you about."

"Oh?"

Jia Rong laughed and said, "What business can you have?"

Jia Lian rubbed his hands and said, "It's this mansion. These days, it has been spending more than it earns. It's almost gone from strength to strength. We are all one family, East and West Mansions. You have to give it a hand."

Jia Rong asked in confusion, "You haven't had any major events recently. Isn't the money from your eight or nine farms and a dozen shops enough to make a living?"

Jia Lian sighed, took a sip of wine, and shook his head, saying, "It's not a big deal. Daily expenses plus the visits to relatives during the New Year and other festivals, the weddings of old relatives and friends today and the funerals of old relatives tomorrow, twenty or thirty thousand taels a year is not enough."

Jia Rong's hand holding the wine glass stopped in mid-air, and he said speechlessly: "Don't you have even 20,000 or 30,000 left in your house?"

It's impossible that the Mansion of the Duke of Rong doesn't have a garden.

Jia Lian spread his hands and said, "It's really gone."

"This year, several shops not only did not make money, but lost money. Three places in the village reported drought, two places reported floods, and one place suffered a locust plague and had no harvest. The two good ones were finally left, but they were robbed on the way. Only a few farmers came, and even the animals pulling the carts were gone."

Jia Rong: “…”

This is too miserable, isn’t it?
Jia Lian continued, "Luckily this year's Mid-Autumn Festival is on your side, otherwise we wouldn't be able to put together a decent dinner even if we sold everything we had."

Jia Rong smiled slightly.

"The old lady still has money."

"Don't you want to find a way to get the mandarin ducks to make some flowers?"

Jia Lian slammed the table.

"Don't mention it."

"Some time ago, word spread in the palace that the emperor had met our eldest daughter, and the old lady was so happy that she took out all her treasures and sent them to the palace. Now there is only an empty shell left, and there is no trace of the queen. She is really left with nothing."

Jia Rong clapped his hands: "Haha, ha..."

Jia Lian said with a bitter face: "Don't laugh."

Jia Rong deliberately smiled and said, "This is all your fault. You didn't persuade the old lady. Does our family need your elder sister to work hard to gain wealth and honor in the palace? Don't you understand the principle that when the water is full, it will overflow?"

Jia Lian gritted his teeth and said, "Bullshit, we can't even afford to eat at home."

Jia Rong smiled: "We are a family, a family."

Jia Lian said unhappily, "Since we are a family, give me a few tens of thousands of taels of silver to spend."

Jia Rong suddenly said seriously: "Family members should stay as one family, and brothers should settle accounts clearly."

Jia Lian asked, "How do you want to calculate it?"

Jia Rong smiled: "I can give you the money, but..."

Jia Lian: "What?"

Jia Rong: "You have to exchange something."

Jia Lian asked, "What do you like about our house?"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "I think the garden in the east wing where the eldest master used to live is quite nice."

Jia Lian didn't understand what it meant for a moment.

"You like gardens?"

Jia Rong nodded and said, "My little aunt likes gardens. I just made some money this year, so I want to build her a big garden. How about I buy the east courtyard for 50,000 taels?"

While his little aunt and several other aunts are still young and can be taken care of at home for several more years, Jia Rong plans to take good care of them.

Build a garden for the little aunts to live in.

After all, I am not short of money now.

This year, the second branch of the Xue family made more than 2 million yuan overseas. According to the 30:70 ratio agreed in advance, they got more than 1.5 million yuan.

Jiao Da collected escort fees from all over the sea and earned one million.

These include:

They robbed two disobedient Dutch merchant ships for hundreds of thousands.

They robbed two disobedient Portuguese merchant ships for hundreds of thousands.

They robbed two Japanese merchant ships, worth hundreds of thousands.

In addition, there is the 10% profit from honeycomb coal, which is more than 200,000 yuan. Several caravans that carry the Xue family's name also make more than 100,000 yuan from selling salt.

The total amount is more than three million.

This is a year's income.

After a few years, the young cabinet minister felt that carrying the two capitals and thirteen provinces in the Red Tower was like a piece of cake.

Jia Lian was silent for a long time.

At present, Rongguo Mansion has sold the East Wing, which is neither good to eat nor worth throwing away, for 50,000 taels of silver, which is a very good deal.

As for my second uncle who is currently living in the east wing, he can move somewhere else. After all, there are many side courtyards in Rongguo Mansion where people can live.

"There is no problem in selling the East Courtyard to you. The master should agree. But it will cost a lot of money to build a garden. Are you really willing to do that?" Jia Lian finally reminded him.

Won’t your aunt get married in a few years?
How many years can she live in the garden you build?
Jia Rong smiled slightly.

"We still have 1.8 million, so Uncle, don't worry."

What the hell!

Jia Lian was so excited that he almost dropped the quilt in his hand to the ground.

It's really a drought and a flood!

He was still worrying about whether his family could make ends meet, but Jia Rong was about to give his aunt a million or eight hundred thousand to build a garden.

Jia Lian said seriously: "Brother Rong, how about I become your aunt?"

It doesn't matter if this second uncle is not qualified! Jia Rong shook his head.

"Don't make trouble."

"You do not deserve."

"Since you are my second uncle, I can raise your daughter for you."

Jia Lian: "..."

Looking at Jia Lian's eyes, Jia Rong explained: "Don't get me wrong, I'm just afraid that your daughter will suffer with you and your wife."

"I will take care of your daughter, so don't worry."

"can!"

Jia Lian clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Will you also pay for the dowry when the time comes?"

When marrying off a daughter, a mountain of gold and silver would be given as dowry, especially in a family as prominent as the Duke's, where competition is fierce. If a daughter's dowry is too little, it would be a big loss of face.

This is also the reason why Jia Lian was extremely dissatisfied with Feng Ji giving birth to a daughter. Even now, his daughter does not have a formal name.

"Easy to say, easy to say."

"Send me home tomorrow."

It is suitable for younger sisters to be trained from an early age.

Jia Lian was overjoyed!

"Then it's settled."

"I'll go back and discuss the matter with Master about the East Cross Courtyard, and it should be almost resolved."

"it is good!"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Do it as soon as possible."

Jia Lian: "Of course."

Not for anything else, just for the fifty thousand taels of silver.

Jia Lian left the banquet happily and went back to prepare.

After a while, Jia Yun came over.

"Brother Rong, I'll toast you a glass."

In fact, Jia Yun is a few years older than Jia Rong, but as the eldest grandson of the Ningguo Mansion, the younger generation in the family regard Jia Rong as the eldest.

Jia Rong took a sip and said with a smile, "How's your study going recently? Have you tried going to the county school?"

Jia Yun scratched his head and said awkwardly, "I went, but I didn't win."

Jia Rong said sternly: "You are so stupid. You can't even pass the county exam at your age. What else can you do?"

"hey-hey."

Jia Yun laughed softly and said, "Brother, I don't think I'm cut out for studying. Why don't I follow Second Aunt and sell salt? I heard that thief makes a lot of money."

Jia Rong thought for a moment and said sternly, "Do you really want to give up the imperial examination? You should know that 'everything is inferior, only reading is superior'. Only our Jia family has such a good opportunity for you to study in the clan school without worries, and you will receive a monthly subsidy. Others can't even ask for such an opportunity."

Jia Yun had obviously thought it over carefully, and said firmly, "I don't have the talent of my elder brother. I may study for more than ten years but still fail to pass the examination to become a scholar. Not only will it be of no benefit to the family, but it will also waste my youth."

"Please give me a chance, brother!"

Seeing that Jia Yun was not acting on impulse, Jia Rong finally nodded and said, "Okay, since you have made up your mind, I won't say much."

Jia Yun was overjoyed.

"Really? Big brother, did you agree to let me sell salt?"

Jia Rong smiled slightly.

"Selling salt is a dead end!"

"A real man in the world can either remain unknown or do something great!"

Jia Yun shuddered with fear and said hurriedly, "Brother, how can I do anything great?"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "I'm just kidding, don't be scared."

"How about this, I opened a company in Taizhou, and now I appoint you as the manager. You go there and help me look after it."

"Ah? This..."

What company, what manager? Jia Yun said he had no idea and didn't understand anything.

Jia Rong didn't explain much.

"Go ahead, you'll know when you get there."

"Of course, if you don't want to go, forget it. I can find some connections for you and let you sell salt."

Jia Yun thought about it and finally decided...

"Brother, I want to go to Taizhou!"

He didn't know that when he made this decision, his life would take a path he could never have imagined before...

the way.

Many years later, when Jia Yun stood at the top of the world, he said with a smile: "Back then, I almost became a big salt merchant."

This is something to talk about later, let’s not mention it for now.

Jia Rong remembered that he had an old mother who needed to be taken care of, so he smiled and said, "Don't worry about the family. I will have someone arrange two maids to take care of your mother."

Jia Yun bowed deeply: "Thank you, brother!"

"Brother, I'll go back and prepare now!"

"Well, go ahead. When you are ready, come to me in the mansion. I will arrange for someone to take you to Taizhou."

After Jia Yun left, someone else came looking for him.

It was Jia Qiang.

"Hey, Brother Rong."

"Xiao Qiang, how are you doing recently? Do you want to try it out?"

"Uh, not yet."

Jia Qiang wiped his sweat and said, "Brother, can you please not ask me about my studies as soon as you come back?"

Jia Rong thought about it, mainly...

"I don't have anything to ask you."

Jia Qiang said speechlessly: "I do have something to ask you, brother."

Jia Rong asked, "What's the matter?"

Jia Qiang chuckled and lowered his voice to ask, "Brother, did you see the blonde and blue-eyed woman that Brother Xue Ke mentioned when you went out this time?"

As he spoke, he gestured with his hands.

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Yes.

"How about it?"

Jia Qiang's tone was a little anxious.

"That's it."

We have seen a lot of them in Taizhou. Now they are all prisoners being held in jail. We have to wait for the court's decision on how to deal with them.

However, Daxia is a country of etiquette, and the emperor is also kind and will most likely release the prisoners.

Jia Rong patted Jia Qiang on the shoulder and said earnestly: "Don't think about those messy things now. Only by studying hard can you have a promising future and serve the country better!"

"Big brother."

Jia Qiang said with a bitter face: "I am not cut out for studying, or else I will ..."

"Don't tell me." Jia Rong interrupted, "You have to tell your master about your matter in person."

"Hey!"

Jia Qiang became dejected.

At this time, a few younger people came to greet Jia Rong and toast him.

Jia Rong encouraged them one by one, and most of the family members were still willing to go to school.

Jia Huan also came over, probably to show off.

"Brother Rong, I passed the county exam and ranked 87th!"

"Grandpa praised me and gave me a fan as a reward!"

Jia Rong nodded.

"Yes, Not Bad!"

"Keep working hard, and don't be like your precious second brother, who spends all day messing around with girls."

"hey-hey."

Jia Huan smiled and said mysteriously, "Let me tell you something. Baoyu has stopped playing with the maids recently and has become close to Qin Zhong. The two of them often go to the toilet together!"

Jia Rong: “…”

Talent!

This sinister guy Huan Lao San probably didn't dare to tell the master in person, so he came to tell me.

However, Jia Rong did not intend to meddle in other people's affairs.

Baoyu, it’s all useless anyway.

So be it.

……

(End of this chapter)