Red Mansion, Ningfu Scholarly Family

Chapter 177 Jia She: Baoyu? What a fool.

……

A small Buddhist temple in the backyard of Rongguo Mansion.

Mrs. Wang was certainly not qualified to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet in the East Palace. She was kneeling properly in front of the Buddha, with her hands clasped together, looking very pious.

"Amitabha."

"May the Buddha bless my son Baoyu to become the top scholar in the imperial examination and bring honor to the family. May my daughter become a royal concubine and give birth to a son. May my brother Wang Ziteng be made a marquis and a prime minister and rise to prominence. May my Wang family be prosperous and wealthy for generations to come..."

After reading it, he bowed solemnly four times.

Then, Mrs. Wang’s eyes gradually became sinister. She didn’t care even though her fingernails dug into her flesh and blood flowed. She gnashed her teeth and said, “Jia Jing, you old villain, you’ve harmed my daughter, my brother, my Wang family, and caused me to enter the small Buddhist temple. You must not die a good death. I want to see your property confiscated and your clan exterminated. Hahahaha, hahaha…”

The gloomy laughter echoed in the small Buddhist temple.

The sisters Jin Chuan'er and Yu Chuan'er were accustomed to Lady Wang's sometimes kind, sometimes stern, and sometimes loud laughter, and they didn't care at all.

The two of them were sitting on a low stool at the door, leaning against each other, whispering to each other while looking at the round moon in the sky.

Yuchuan'er pouted her lips, and said with envy and indignation: "Caiyun Cloud and Xia Xia, those two rascals, actually ran to the East Palace to climb up Master Rong's high branch. It's really infuriating!"

Thinking back to some time ago, when Caiyun and Xia were treated so badly by the lady, she was kind enough to secretly send food to the two of them at night.

Otherwise, those two girls would have starved to death long ago!

I didn't expect that in the blink of an eye, he would be promoted to a high position.

And she herself returned to the small Buddhist temple!
"Ai!"

Jin Chuan'er sighed: "They are so lucky that they met Miss Ping'er when they were in trouble. The two of us..."

Yuchuan'er's heart moved: "What?"

Jin Chuan'er pouted: "Just serve Madam with peace of mind, what else can I do? Although I am very familiar with Ping'er, I am not as thick-skinned as them!"

Yuchuaner: “…”

Sister! It's not worth having a thick skin!

"Sister, do you think our wife can make a comeback?"

Jin Chuan'er thought for a moment and said, "With the Master of the East Palace here, it's unlikely, unless... the eldest lady really becomes the Empress, or Master Bao passes the imperial examination!"

Yuchuaner suddenly became dejected.

There is no sign of the eldest girl becoming a royal concubine now, so let’s not talk about it for now.

Pointing at Bao Ershazi passing the imperial examination...

Are you kidding?
Yes, Master Bao now has a nickname.

Bao Ershazi.

It came from the mouth of Wang Shanbao, the wife of the first wife.

No one from the second house dared to say anything.

The main thing is... everyone actually thinks that this nickname is very suitable for Da Baoyu.

……

Apart from Mrs. Wang, Baoyu had never been to the East Palace.

He swore some time ago that he would never go to the East Palace again in his life.

As the moon reached the zenith, Jia Baoyu heard the faint sounds of his sisters' laughter coming from the East Palace. He became more and more irritated and simply stood up to go out.

"Where are you going, Master?"

Xiren chased out the door and asked.

"Don't worry about it!"

Baoyu was very annoyed recently because Xiren kept nagging him about reading books and writing articles by sages all day long, so he slammed the door and left in anger.

What are the articles of sages?

What the hell are the sages and wise men in the eight-legged essay!
There's no way he could do that in his life!
Musk Moon asked in the room, "What happened to Second Master?"

Xiren leaned onto the bed, holding her forehead.

"He can do whatever he wants!"

She Yue smiled helplessly, stepped forward and pushed Xiren, saying, "Why are you angry with him? Master Bao has been very sad recently, too."

Xiren sat up and said, "It is because of sadness that you should study hard and take the imperial examinations to gain fame. Otherwise, when will Madam see the light of day again?"

"But look at him. He promised to study hard that day, but he threw away his books in less than two days. He spent the whole day having fun with Qin Zhong, counting on Qin Zhong to save his wife?"

Musk Moon fell silent after hearing this.

It is simply impossible to rely on Baoyu to save his wife.

It would be great if Baoyu could avoid starving to death.

She also needs to plan ahead!

……

"Brother Jing Qing!"

"Brother Bao!"

Qin Zhong, who was having dinner, was overjoyed to see Baoyu coming. He quickly pulled Baoyu into the house and sat down.

When Old Qinye saw that it was Baoyu who came, he didn't say much. He just asked Qin Zhong to entertain him well and went to the stone table in the backyard to drink alone.

"Daddy."

Qin Keqing was wearing a pink dress and green embroidered shoes, and she walked slowly under the moonlight.

Old Qinye sighed deeply as he looked at his daughter, whose beautiful and charming face was almost impeccable, and said slowly: "Now that the master of Ningguo Mansion has gone to Xuanzhen Temple outside the city to practice Taoism, your marriage with Rong'er..."

"Is it that it can't be done?" Qin Keqing's eyes were full of tears and there was some resentment in her voice. She clenched the handkerchief tightly in both hands!

Old Qinye took a sip of wine and sighed, "It's not impossible. I'll find some time to go see Brother Zhen and ask him what he thinks!"

"He agreed to it in person at the beginning, and now he's going back on his word. Our Qin family won't allow anyone to bully us!" Old Qinye said, slamming the table.

Qin Keqing was stunned.

After a while, he shook his head gently and said, "Daddy, there is no need to do this. We can only say that we are destined not to be together in this life."

"From now on, he will go his way... and I will go mine."

Although Qin Keqing said so, Old Qin Ye was very unwilling.

If he could climb up the big tree of Ningguo Mansion, he might have a chance to advance one or two steps in the officialdom. If his son Qin Zhong had Ningguo Mansion as a backer, his future would definitely be easier.

This all depends on his daughter, Qin Keqing!

So, he didn't want to give up just like that.

I'll go to Xuanzhen Temple tomorrow and find out.

Old Qinye thought so in his heart.

forecourt.

Jia Baoyu ran out and drank with Qin Zhong until midnight, and no one in the mansion came out to look for him or disturb him.

This surprised Baoyu very much.

"Brother Jingqing, the moon is full tonight, how about we read by candlelight?"

Qin Zhong smiled and said, "Instead of reading by candlelight at night, it's better to lie down and have a long chat. What do you think, Brother Bao?"

"well!"

Jia Baoyu clapped his hands and smiled: "That's exactly what I meant!"

Qin Zhong smiled and said, "Hehe, in that case, let's not delay any further, let's... start now!"

"Look how impatient you are!"

"Who's impatient?"

"Let's see who is more impatient later!"

"Of course it's you."

"Hehe, it's you, look at you..."

“…Oh, that’s disgusting!”

"..."

The two of them started to fight on the bed.

……

The banquet at Ningguo Mansion lasted until the end of the second watch.

Grandmother Jia was originally feeling unwell, so after drinking two glasses of wine she went home early.

Jia Zheng felt even more uncomfortable, and he came back right after his mother left.

"Zheng'er, you saw everything, right?" Grandmother Jia's eyes were full of jealousy and unwillingness.

All the people from the eight branches of the Jia family in Beijing were trying their best to curry favor with the Ningguo Mansion.

It was as if their Rongguo Mansion was transparent. It was as if she, the ancestor of the Jia Mansion, was transparent.

Jia Zheng lowered his head and said helplessly: "It's all because my son is useless."

Unfortunately, after he was dismissed from office, he failed the imperial examination and didn’t even have the title of scholar. Now he has become a complete white man.

Even if I go out to teach, people will look down on me.

Not to mention revival.

How can I make a comeback without even any achievements?

His only hope is...

The eldest daughter Yuanchun!
It’s the same with Lady Jia now.

Although she had a first-rank imperial decree, a woman was a woman, and her rights either came from her husband, her son, or her family was strong. But now:

My husband is gone.

I have two sons.

It's a pity that it's useless and it's the same as having nothing.

A rebellious head is worse than nothing.

As for his mother's family, they are just grandchildren in front of Jia Jing, so it is better not to mention them.

Her status as a first-rank imperial edict had become an empty shell, and she even felt that her position in the family was almost inferior to that of Xiao Xichun.

Her only hope now is Yuanchun.

As long as Yuanchun becomes a royal concubine, the Rongguo Mansion will be a legitimate royal family. Not only will it be superior to the Ningguo Mansion, but her, the ancestor of the Rongguo Mansion, will also rise in status and surpass Jia Jing.

"Is there any news about Yuanchun in the palace?" Grandmother Jia frowned and asked seriously.

Jia Zheng hurriedly said, "My son has been asking people to find out, but... there is no news yet."

Grandmother Jia nodded and said, "Keep asking people to find out. Now is the most critical time. Don't save money where it is necessary."

Jia Zheng was somewhat embarrassed and said, "Now the eldest wife is in charge of the treasury, and she doesn't even give us the second wife any share. My son really has no money left."

This is the truth. Not to mention the Qingke husband, he can hardly afford to support even the servants.

If he had not been at the end of his rope, he would not have complained to his mother.

Grandmother Jia slammed the table in anger.

"This is really unreasonable!"

"Go call the boss over!"

The mandarin ducks didn't move.

A little girl went there and came back after a long while, hesitating and saying, "The master said..."

Grandmother Jia frowned: "What did you say?"

The little girl hesitated and said, "The master said that he was busy with official duties today and dared not let personal matters interfere with his duties. He will come to pay his respects to the old lady tomorrow morning."

"Snapped!"

Grandmother Jia was so angry that she threw the tea bowl on the table to the ground!

The tea leaves were splattering everywhere.

"Unfilial evildoer!"

"I'm going to be pissed off!"

Jia Zheng hurried forward and carefully advised: "Mother, please don't get angry and get yourself hurt. Brother, he is really rude!"

Everyone saw clearly just now that you were drinking there!

Now he says he is busy with official duties and dares not put personal interests above official ones. Isn't this pure bullshit and infuriating!

"I'll go find my brother right now!"

Jia Zheng turned around and left angrily.

"you come back!"

Grandmother Jia said helplessly, "Your eldest brother is not on the same page with us mother and daughter, so what's the point of looking for him?"

Jia Zheng was suddenly at a loss.

Yes!

These brothers are not of one mind at all.

His elder brother is so confused!

Don’t you understand that a harmonious family brings prosperity?

"Mother, what should I do?"

Grandmother Jia sneered and said, "Don't worry, this little thing won't be a problem for me!"

Do you think she has no money?

Ha ha!

Little did they know...she was the richest person in the Jia family!
There were gold, silver, round and flat things, and they were so heavy that the bottom of the box was about to rot.

There are still tens of thousands of taels of silver!

Of course, this was all her private money.

Neither his son, daughter-in-law, nor Fengjie knew about it.

Only her trusted maid Yuanyang knew.

"Yuanyang, go get a draft for five thousand taels of silver and give it to the Second Master for his use at any time!"

Yuanyang pursed his lips.

"Yes."

After a while, Yuanyang came out with the bill of exchange and gave it to Jia Zheng.

"Second Master, please take it."

Jia Zheng knelt on the ground excitedly.

"Son, thank you, mother."

Grandmother Jia waved her hand: "Take it, go ahead."

"We must lend a helping hand to Yuanchun!"

Jia Zheng hurriedly said, "Don't worry, mother!"

"My son will!"

……

The main hall of Rongguo Mansion.

Jia She was about 60% drunk and sat in the chair, feeling very comfortable.

At this time, Jia Lian came in, bowed and said with a smile: "Greetings to the master."

Jia She waved his hand and said, "Forget it. What did you say to Rong'er today? Why are you so happy?"

Jia Lian did not keep the topic in suspense and went straight to the point: "Brother Rong wanted to build a garden for Sister Xichun, but he thought the place was too small, so he set his eyes on the East Garden of our Rongguo Mansion, which is the area over the East Cross Courtyard."

Speaking of the East Courtyard, Jia She felt uncomfortable and waved his hand generously: "Then give it to him. I get annoyed just looking at that place!"

Jia Lian smiled and said, "Rong'er is a real man. He won't take it for nothing. He said he would buy the whole place for fifty thousand taels of silver."

Fifty thousand taels!
Jia She's eyes lit up.

"Rong Ge'er is really a good kid! Quickly clean up the east wing and give it to the servants' quarters on the east side. Remember to take the title deed with you. Rong Ge'er is a real guy, and we can't be ignorant."

Jia Lian quickly agreed and said, "Second Uncle Zheng is still living over there, as well as Sister Zhu, Xiao Lanzi and her family..."

Jia She waved his hand and said, "Just find a yard somewhere else for them to live in. Tell them to move out immediately."

"Uh..." Jia Lian thought for a moment and said, "Let's forget about it today during the Mid-Autumn Festival. I'll go and inform them tomorrow."

"Alright."

Jia She took a sip of tea, then suddenly looked at Jia Lian and smiled, "How do you feel about living in the main courtyard with me during this period of time?"

Jia Lian hurriedly smiled and said, "Thanks to the master, it's great!"

Jia She smiled and said, "It's enough for you to know that you are dragging down my fortune, but you also have to work hard and give me a grandson as soon as possible. I will teach him to study hard and take the imperial examinations, so that he can bring honor to our family!"

"Everything is inferior, only reading is superior. If you, a beast, had the ability of Rong Ge'er, would I have to worry so much?"

"Yes Yes!"

Jia Lian quickly agreed.

But I was thinking in my heart, if a scholar like Jia Rong was born, would he end up like Brother Zhen?

Thinking of this, Jia Lian couldn't help but shudder.

It’s better to have a daughter!
safe!

Jia Lian: "Master, I have one more thing to tell you."

Jia She: "What?"

Jia Lian said, "Rong'er said he wanted to take my daughter over and raise her in the East Palace."

Jia She never cared about his daughters, thinking that they were all money-losing goods, so he waved his hand and said, "It's up to you."

After a while, Madam Xing came in again, walked up to him and said with a smile, "Master, you are so majestic today! The second master was so scared that he didn't dare to raise his head in front of you."

Jia She smiled complacently.

"That's natural!"

"I am a first-class general, who is he?"

"I don't even have any honor."

"I am just a commoner!"

Mrs. Xing chuckled and said, "He is just a commoner. What about Baoyu?"

Jia She: "Baoyu?"

"What a idiot."

"Haha." Madam Xing clapped her hands and laughed, "Master is really wise. He even came up with such a good poem!"

……

(End of this chapter)