Red Mansion, Ningfu Scholarly Family

Chapter 341: The Eunuch in Charge of the Imperial Household: Jia Yucun

……

Do you still want to go to Suzhou and Yangzhou? !
Why don’t you go to the palace and become emperor?

Lai Dadu was a little speechless to his son. He waved his hands in annoyance and said, "Wait for your turn. It's still unclear whether you can go back now."

"If we had known earlier, we wouldn't have taken the indenture back. I'm afraid it will be difficult to talk if we go back now."

Lai Shangrong smiled and said, "That's easy. Can't you just sell the indenture back? You can get another share of the money you earned from selling your body. Isn't that a bargain?"

Aunt Lai: “…”

Her eldest grandson is actually very smart!
……

Ningguo Mansion.

Li Wan and Feng Ji were accompanying Lady Jia to watch a play when suddenly a pitiful old woman came running over, weeping and kneeling at Lady Jia's feet.

It was Nanny Lai who had returned.

"Woo woo, old lady..."

"I can't bear to leave you!"

Li Wan, Feng Jie, Yuan Yang and the others all looked at her with contempt, but Grandmother Jia did not blame them for anything. She smiled and said, "If you don't want to leave, just stay. How can the family be short of a pair of chopsticks for you?"

Nanny Lai was very happy.

"Thank you, ancestor."

"Grandfather, this is our family's indenture. We are willing to serve you for generations to come."

Grandmother Jia smiled and waved her hand, saying, "That's not necessary. From now on, just be a relative."

Lai Ma insisted and cried, "Grandfather, please accept it. Otherwise, I will not be able to live in peace. It would be better for me to die."

Grandmother Jia said helplessly: "Look at what you said, what is alive and dead is scary, if you must keep it, I will take it, Yuanyang, you take it."

"Hey."

Yuanyang pouted and took the indentures of the Lai family reluctantly, but suddenly asked, "Why is there one person missing?"

Sister Feng sneered and said, "Silly girl, don't you know that Shang Rong is already an official? Why would you come to our house to be a slave?"

Yuanyang: "Oh...I see."

Nanny Lai's face turned red and she almost wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

According to her previous status, Feng Jie and Yuan Yang would never dare to say such words. But now it is different. Their family are rebellious slaves. Even if the ancestor can't let go of his feelings and accepts them again, their status and position have plummeted and can never be compared with before.

And as expected, Grandmother Jia seemed not to have heard Aunt Feng and Yuanyang's ridicule of the Lai family, and she just drank tea and watched the show.

After a while, Jia Jing brought his concubine out to toast. How could the officials not flatter him? They all presented gifts again... Why again? Because this was the third time in the past few days!

Jia Jing accepted all the gifts with a smile.

But Grandmother Jia couldn't stand it anymore, so she quietly reminded Jia Jing, "Brother Jing, you are already old, why are you still studying with my wife? You have a concubine on the left and a concubine on the right. You should take care of yourself!"

There were a few more words that Jia's grandmother thought about in her mind but didn't say out loud: If you just want to die early, at least wait until I'm a hundred years old. Without you to support this family, how can I be happy for another twenty years?
By now, Lady Jia had lost her ambition and only planned to live by relying on Ningguo Mansion wholeheartedly.

Jia Jing smiled and said, "Old lady, just enjoy your drink. The niece-in-law I found for you will be married in a few days. I will bring her to serve you tea then."

Jia Mu: "..."

Speaking of this matter, Grandmother Jia wanted to say a few more words.

"Jing'er, are you talking about the daughter of Rong'er, the teacher? Why does she look like a fairy that you must marry her? The reputation of our Jia family..."

"Old lady!" Jia Jing interrupted unceremoniously, "I've already told you to just drink and have fun. Yuanyang, why don't you help the old lady go inside to drink?"

"oh oh……"

Yuanyang trembled all over when being looked at by Lord Jia. She dared not say anything more. She lowered her head and supported Lady Jia to the back.

……

Let’s talk about Jia Yucun, he has been feeling uneasy these days.

He knew very well that if Jia Jing wanted to kill him at this time, it would be like killing an ant.

Didn't you see that the emperor had five imperial censors beaten to death in order to appease Jia Jing? What was the point of having one more Jia Yucun?
Will Jia Jing let him go?
of course!
Who asked Jia Yucun to give up the hundreds of thousands of taels of silver he had embezzled in the past few years? He also sent his youngest daughter Jia Xiaoling to the Jia Mansion.

"Wow, my nephew was confused for a moment. I beg my uncle to forgive me. Ling'er is a well-behaved girl. She should stay with your uncle as a maid and serve him by serving tea and water every day. This is considered as a way to show my filial piety for the younger generation." Jia Yucun knelt on the ground, crying.

Jia Yucun's youngest daughter, Jia Xiaoling, also knelt on the ground, crying bitterly.

Jia Jing immediately softened his heart and waved his hand: "Forget it, forget it. Considering that you were confused for a moment, I will forgive you this time, but..."

Jia Yucun was delighted and said hurriedly, "Uncle, please speak."

Jia Jing twirled his beard and smiled, "From now on, you will serve the emperor. If there is anything, please inform me at any time."

"what?"

Jia Yucun was stunned for a moment.

Go and serve the emperor?
Does this mean he should become... a eunuch?

"Uncle, nephew..." Jia Yucun looked embarrassed.

"Well? Don't you want to?" Jia Jing's face gradually became gloomy.

Jia Yucun was startled and his face turned pale.

"Yes! Nephew is willing!"

Anyway, I am old and have a son, so the most important thing is to save my life.

Only then did Jia Jing laugh.

"That's great. Go to the palace to find Dai Quan and ask him to find someone with a sharp knife to do it for you." Jia Jing patted Jia Yucun on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Then I will come forward to guarantee you. You will be the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department. You have a heavy burden on your shoulders!"

Jia Yucun: "..."

Internal Minister?!
Woohoo, is he going to become prime minister?
It's just the price...

"By the way, you should take this pill first. It will strengthen your body." As Jia Jing spoke, he took out a pill from his sleeve and gave it to Jia Yucun.

Jia Yucun swallowed it with tears.

"Thank you, uncle, for your concern, nephew."

Jia Jing smiled and said, "Yes, you are very filial. Remember to come here every fifteenth day of the month. I will give you the antidote, cough... elixir!"

"You can't find this thing anywhere else!" Jia Jing added meaningfully.

Jia Yucun had a sad face and thanked him with tears in his eyes: "Uncle, can you come back to the palace in a few days? I... want to..."

Jia Jing said expressionlessly: "Let's go today, right now, immediately!"

Jia Yucun: "..."

……

Ye Xiangfu.

study.

A group of people gathered around and talked. "Have you heard? Jia Ge, who is over fifty years old, has become a playboy. He took three beautiful concubines at once. Not only that, he also fell in love with Zhou Jijiu's youngest daughter. It is said that he will marry her after the New Year."

Some people didn't take it seriously and said casually, "It's normal. Everyone has three wives and four concubines. Especially when he is in a position like that, he is almost second to none. It's normal for him to have several wives and concubines."

Some people also said: "There must be something wrong when things are out of the ordinary. Jia Ge Lao has always valued his reputation, so why would he suddenly do this? Especially since he is going to marry Zhou Jijiu's daughter. Zhou Jijiu and his grandson Jia Rong are teacher and student!"

"Zhou Jijiu is also pitiful..."

"What's so pitiful about him? He's just a clinger to the powerful. The real pitiful one is Jia Yucun. Just because he stood up and impeached someone in the hall that day, Jia Jing arranged for him to be castrated in the palace."

"Jia Jing, how dare he!"

"A sin!"

"If this sycophant is not removed, the country will no longer be a country!"

"Ye Xiang, can you cure him?"

For a moment, everyone looked at Ye Xiang who was sitting calmly on the chair.

Ye Xiang took a sip of tea and spoke in a light voice.

"I don't need to do anything, Jia Jing is finished!"

Everyone was happy.

"What do you mean by that, Prime Minister Ye?"

Prime Minister Ye twisted his beard and smiled, "There's a saying that goes, 'If God wants to destroy someone, he must first make him mad. Jia Jing thought that because he was favored by the retired emperor, even the emperor had to give way to him. He has become so carried away that he has become rampant!"

"Don't you know that when people are at their most proud, they are often heading for disaster?"

Everyone nodded in unison.

"Prime Minister Ye is right!"

"Humility brings benefits, while arrogance brings harm... The ancients were not deceiving me."

……

Daming Palace, Hall of Mental Cultivation.

As Emperor Anping listened to Zhao Quan recounting Jia Jing's recent actions, a sneer unconsciously appeared on his face.

Are you feeling very proud?
There will always be a time for you to cry!
With his father dealing with Jia Jing, Jia Jing was doomed to die. He didn't need to focus his energy on a dead man, so he turned his attention to the White Lotus Sect!

There is another big enemy there.

His good second brother, Prince Yizhong!
Although he had the full support of the retired emperor, Prince Yi Zhong would not have been able to justify his rebellion. Moreover, Prince Yi Zhong rebelled in the name of the traitorous White Lotus Sect, which posed no threat to him at all.

But he would feel very uncomfortable with the existence of such a person, just like a thorn in his eye or a thorn in his flesh. It would not cause much harm to the body, but it would be extremely uncomfortable.

"Zhao Quan, how is the investigation going?" Emperor Anping asked with a slight frown.

Zhao Quan was sweating profusely and said cautiously, "I really haven't found out anything. There are many different opinions about the person who was planted in the White Lotus Sect. Some say he is dead..."

"Impossible!" Emperor Anping said with certainty, "That man will definitely not die easily. You continue to investigate and put other things aside for now!"

Zhao Quan hurriedly said, "I obey your order."

After Zhao Quan left, Jia Yucun came up with a teacup in his hand and said softly, "Your Majesty, please have some tea."

Emperor Anping glanced at Jia Yucun and smiled gently, "Didn't I tell you to take a rest for two days before coming to serve me? Why are you in such a hurry to come here?"

Emperor Anping was very satisfied with Jia Yucun. This guy was smart and capable, and he had an irreconcilable grudge against Jia Jing, so he could use him with confidence.

Especially when he thought that Jia Yucun was a Jinshi, Emperor Anping felt that by suppressing Jia Yucun he was suppressing those hypocritical ministers in the court, and he felt particularly comfortable.

Jia Yucun smiled carefully and said in a sharp voice, "I feel fine and have nothing wrong with me, so I just wanted to come and serve the emperor."

"Haha."

Anping smiled and casually pushed a pile of memorials to Jia Yucun: "Take a look at these and see if there are any mistakes."

Jia Yucun was overjoyed in his heart, but his face was filled with fear as he said, "Your Majesty, I, your servant, how dare I look at these..."

Emperor Anping laughed and said, "Just look at it when I tell you to. Can it be that you, a dignified Jinshi, are not as good as a few filthy people?"

Jia Yucun looked at Xia Shouzhong and others behind him, and his back straightened up immediately. In the court full of civil and military scholars, he, a second-class Jinshi, was naturally nothing.

But if we talk about the Imperial Household Department, he is a Jinshi graduate. If not, there will be no one better than him, at least there has never been anyone like him before!

Who could be more learned than him?
Xia Shouzhong and others lowered their heads and dared not refute. They had already regarded Jia Yucun as their number one enemy and cursed him in their hearts: Damn, you are a Jinshi, and you ran into the palace to steal our jobs with a group of eunuchs. Where is your integrity as a scholar?

……

Deep palace, Dengxian Pavilion.

Although the emperor no longer practiced Taoism, he did not move out and ordered that the Ascension Pavilion would never be demolished.

It seems to be used as a warning to his descendants.

The male and female Taoist boys who had been serving there had all been executed and replaced by a group of young palace maids and eunuchs.

The retired emperor sat on the dragon throne, quietly listening to the reply from his confidant. After a while, he waved his hand and asked people to leave.

Jia Jing, ah, Jia Jing.

You and I have been king and subject for most of our lives. You can hide it from others, but you can't hide it from me.

Are you trying to tarnish your reputation so that I can relax my vigilance against you? Little do you know that the more you do this, the more it shows that you have something to hide, and the more determined I am to deal with you.

To avoid future troubles!

Just as everyone was calculating against each other, the grand court meeting at the end of the year finally arrived.

All officials sang praises according to the formality, and then the emperor gave a banquet to reward all officials for their hard work throughout the year.

Linqing Hall.

Jia Yucun was serving beside Emperor Anping, holding a whisk in his hand. He had a warm smile on his face. His beardless face and rosy complexion made him look as if he was a dozen years younger.

"My dear Lord Jia, I heard that you are going to get married in the early spring of next year? What a cause for celebration!" Emperor Anping sat upright on the dragon throne and congratulated with a smile, as if the unpleasantness of the past few days had disappeared.

Jia Jing smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please take care of me. There is indeed some happy news in my family, but it is not worth mentioning. I heard that there was another victory report from Shanxi yesterday. This is a real happy event that everyone can celebrate. I suggest that an additional special examination be held to show the civil and military achievements of our dynasty. Your Majesty is so kind."

"That's right!"

Emperor Anping nodded with a smile and ordered Jia Yucun to go to the Ministry of Rites to announce the imperial decree and announce it to the world today so that scholars can study well at home and have a fulfilling new year.

According to the victory report received yesterday, 50,000 Hunan troops took advantage of the Tartars' siege on the city to launch a surprise attack from the rear, defeated the enemy and killed nearly 10,000 of them!
I think we are not far from truly annihilating the Tartars.

While everyone was drinking, Emperor Anping suddenly became interested and called out a group of dancers from the palace to dance in the hall.

The ministers all looked straight ahead, serious and sanctimonious, as if what they saw was not a beauty but a skeleton in red.

Only Jia Jing was enjoying the meal and appreciating the painting attentively, feeling very comfortable.

Emperor Anping smiled and said, "Lord Jia presided over the commercial tax reform this year, and the national treasury is much fuller than in previous years. You have made great contributions and these dancers are given to you."

Jia Jing was so delighted that he even forgot to refuse: "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will do my best until my death... to help Your Majesty relieve his worries!"

……

(End of this chapter)