The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 106 It’s Better to Be Poor
The first day of the new year hasn’t arrived yet, it’s New Year’s Eve.

Duke Ningguo Jia Rong, who was almost twenty-four years old, returned from the palace and presided over the family's ancestor worship ceremony.

It was dark and the road was slippery. As soon as they arrived at the door of their house, Jia Zheng and his good-for-nothing son Jia Baoyu came out to greet them.

"My lord."

Jia Rong got off his horse and said with a smile, "The emperor has granted me the right to ride a horse to the Forbidden City to attend court, but it is a cold winter and my hands and feet are sore from the cold. Come in and talk."

Jia Baoyu asked curiously, "Didn't we ride in sedan chairs before?"

Jia Rong explained: "I am now considered a military officer, but I am also a civil officer, so I can be anywhere."

The three of them entered through the main door together, and while they were talking, Jia Mu and others came out of the house.

Although Lady Jia no longer holds the title of Lady of the Duke of Rong, she is still a member of the Jia family after all, and she has to follow all the rules and regulations. She is still the head of the female members of the Jia family.

When her children and grandchildren made mistakes, Grandmother Jia was blamed for not educating them strictly, but according to the family rules, she was still Grandmother Jia.

During the sacrifice, men and women performed the sacrifices separately. Logically, Youshi could have presided over it, but since Jia Rong had invited Lady Jia, she naturally knew the rules and had to step back.

Seeing Jia Rong coming back, Grandmother Jia came over to talk to him with the support of Yuanyang and Mrs. Wang.

"My lord."

Jia Rong said politely, "The old lady came into the house and said, I will lead the clansmen to worship the ancestors first, and then I will trouble you to lead the Jia family's wives and girls to worship the ancestors."

The old lady sighed and said, "It's as it should be. Fortunately, the Jia family has another duke now, otherwise I, an old man, would be too ashamed to see my ancestors."

Jia Rong asked curiously, "Has the old lady seen the ancestors?"

Everyone went into the house to talk. You Erjie and Qin Keqing took the initiative to lift the curtain. Today they were doing the work of maids.

Maids were not allowed to enter during the ancestor worship ceremony, as it was done by the Jia family.

Qingwen and others are still maids, as is Xue Baochai, and they are temporarily unable to enter the Jia family ancestral hall.

After entering the house, the rest of the people went to notify the Jia family members and musicians to make preparations. Ancestor worship does not count as a musical violation, after all, blowing and playing of musical instruments are also required during the funeral, and funeral music does not count as music.

After the old lady sat down, Jia Yuanchun brought a blanket to help cover her knees and legs, and the person next to her handed her a hand warmer.

"I entered the Jia family as the great-grandson's wife. It has been almost fifty years now. Naturally, I have seen our ancestors."

The two dukes of the Jia family are brothers, and the ones being worshipped in Ning Mansion are their grandparents.

When the old lady got married, not only the first generation Ning and Rong masters were there, but also the second master's grandparents were there. After many years, the daughter-in-law became a mother-in-law, and she also had great-grandsons' wives to serve her.

Jia Rong nodded. "The old lady has been married for fifty years. Add in the previous fifty years, the three generations above and the three generations below, and the Jia family has been around for a hundred years. I am the seventh generation now, and my son is the eighth generation."

The old lady also nodded with deep emotion. The Jia family had been around for a hundred years and had experienced a lot.

At this time, the servant outside the door shouted: "Master, everyone has arrived."

Jia Rong stood up and said, "Okay, I'll go out and take charge of things first. I'm still young and have a lot of things to do in the past few years. I'll be with you when you hold the sacrifice later."

"Okay." The old lady agreed.

Jia Rong is the only heir of the eldest house. Although there is a person named Jia, he had been sent away by Jia Rong for more than ten years, and everyone had long forgotten this person.

The children Jia Ben and Jia Shu could also offer sacrifices to the ancestors, but they were too young and unstable, and if they fell while serving the dishes, it would be embarrassing for everyone.

There has been unrest inside and outside the court in recent years. There is nothing wrong with what Jia Rong said. Everyone wants to be safe and don't want to make any mistakes.

Everyone quickly offered sacrifices to their ancestors. The men offered sacrifices to their ancestors in the main hall, and the women then offered sacrifices in the main hall to commemorate the two main people in the Jia family, Lord Ning and Lord Rong, as well as the tablets of other relatives.

A temple and a hall are not the same.

The Ning and Rong mansions were built because of the two Dukes Ning and Rong. The woman's side offered sacrifices in the main hall. The locations were the main gate, main courtyard, ceremonial gate, main hall, inner hall, three inner gates, inner ceremonial gate, inner gate and inner hall. The main gate was open all the way for entry.

The men of the Jia family offered sacrifices to their ancestors in the main hall. After entering the courtyard gate and the ceremonial gate, they turned left to the ancestral hall.

From now on, sacrifices to Jia Rong will also be held in the main hall. Of course, there will also be an ancestral hall, which is mainly for descendants to worship. The wives and granddaughters-in-law of the Jia family can only come here to worship Ningguo Duke, who has allowed the family to continue to be glorious.

The Jia family has been around for eight generations, so naturally there are quite a lot of clan members. From the entrance of the clan ancestral hall to Ningrong Street outside the main gate, hundreds of Jia men from each branch were kneeling in line.

Only Jia Rong and a few others were allowed to enter and offer sacrifices. Although Jia Dairu was currently the most senior, he would have no face if Jia Rong did not give him face.

To the ancestors of the Jia family, Old Sun certainly does not have as much face as Duke Ningguo.

Everyone thought so. Old Sun Jia Dairu was not even a scholar. He was poor and lazy. He couldn't even manage a school. How could he be qualified to preside over ancestor worship?

Jia Rong will be the presiding priest again this year, just like in previous years.

After the man finishes the sacrifice, he goes to eat and the woman begins the sacrifice.

Grandmother Jia brought Mrs. Xing, Mrs. Wang, Mrs. You, Jia Yuanchun and others into the room with solemn expressions.

Xing has not divorced and is still the daughter-in-law of the Jia family, so there is no problem for her to accompany her mother-in-law.

Mrs. Wang had nothing to say.

Youshi is the eldest daughter-in-law of the Yu generation.

Li Wan is also a daughter-in-law of the Yu generation.

It is difficult to rank the order of Jia Yuanchun and Wang Xifeng. Logically speaking, Wang Xifeng is not qualified to come in as she has already been divorced.

But Jia Rong let her in, what could the other women say...

You can't go to the authorities and say that the Jia family doesn't know the rules.

The old lady didn't say anything about this matter. Anyway, this woman gave birth to children for the Jia family, so to the ancestors... it was all the same.

Jia Yuanchun still stood in front, not wanting to see anything.

Wang Xifeng knew she was in the wrong and stood near the door.

Jia Rong is the youngest adult male in the eldest son's direct lineage. His sons are still young and ignorant, and they stumble along the way.

The people mentioned above are also direct descendants of the eldest son.

Soon, the mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law who were separated from the other rooms came into the ancestral hall one after another. Unmarried girls were not allowed to enter.

Jia Rong quickly passed the dishes to Wang Xifeng, who passed them to Jia Yuanchun, and then passed them to the old lady, who then served the dishes to the ancestors.

When Jia Rong thought about the fact that he would be worshipped by a group of old ladies and young wives in the future, he couldn't help but feel filled with emotion.

A little bit of discipline isn't a bad thing.

After the tedious sacrificial ceremony was over, Jia Rong went to entertain the male relatives from each room, while the female side was entertained by Jia Mu, Youshi and Jia Yuanchun together.

Although the Rong Mansion is now in decline, Jia Yuanchun, the Lady of the Ning Mansion, is from the Rong Mansion.

Since Jia Rong gave face, the others dared not refuse.

Especially since Jia Yuanchun's son will inherit the Rongguo Mansion in the future, it can be said that the benefits will not be lost to outsiders.

The New Year's Eve dinner did not last long as it was dark and slippery outside. After an hour or two, everyone took the red envelopes given by Wang Xifeng and went home one after another, led by maids and old women holding lanterns.

Jia Yuanchun and Youshi had to go to the palace during the day, so they went to bed early.

Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, Li Wan and Tanchun moved into the tidied garden again.

Tanchun, Xichun and Yingchun entered the house together.

After entering her own courtyard, Xichun said, "I'm so tired, so tired and sleepy. I'll sleep in tomorrow."

Having said that, Xichun went into the house with her maid.

Yingchun said to Tanchun, "Tanchun, sleep in the same room with me. I want to talk to you."

Tanchun nodded and said, "Okay."

The two of them took the maid to a nearby house.

The three sisters grew up together. Although they are not biological sisters, they have a very good relationship with each other.

If the Ning Mansion was not good, Xichun, who grew up in the Rong Mansion since childhood, would naturally be unable to take care of herself. She would not have the same temper as Shi Xiangyun, a young lady from a wealthy family. She would even be more free and easy than Shi Xiangyun, unrestrained and looking for trouble.

Tanchun and Yingchun are both in a bad situation, which is the influence of the environment since childhood.

The two concubines have become increasingly pessimistic about their future.

The more I understand, the more I realize that the Rong Mansion is getting worse and worse, and life is becoming more and more difficult.

Especially in today's environment, it's hard to find a good family.

After they both went to bed and the maids went back to celebrate the New Year, Yingchun started talking to Tanchun. Yingchun said softly, "The master said that he would take me after my birthday next year."

Tanchun was not surprised and asked, "What do you think?"

Yingchun said shyly: "Of course it's a good thing. The master is very good to me. Although I still have a brother and a mother, you know how it is. It's almost like having no parents. I will be bullied after I get married. And I have liked the master since I was a child..."

Tanchun laughed and said, "Great! I never knew you were such a fool before! I thought you were a blockhead and didn't have any ideas at all!"

Hearing Tanchun teasing her, Yingchun said embarrassedly: "What girl doesn't miss love? Tanchun, why don't you stay and accompany us?"

When Tanchun heard that she was being mentioned, she said, "I..."

Yingchun asked, "Do you have a sweetheart?"

"No." Tanchun answered quickly, "There are only a few people I see on a regular basis. I always treat him as my brother-in-law."

Yingchun said quickly: "Don't lie to me. When you asked me before, I also said that I was treating him as my brother-in-law."

Tanchun was even more speechless, and quickly said, "I don't know about the rest, but judging from the Madam and Auntie's opinions, I don't think they will object."

Yingchun knew that she had agreed.

Neither Mrs. Wang nor Aunt Zhao would object to this matter, at most Jia Zheng would raise some objections.

But things that Jia Zheng opposes will usually continue.

Yingchun said quickly, "That's easy. Just stay here and don't go back to live in that house. Many people say your brother and mother steal things. Did you know that?"

Tanchun sighed.

"I know. I've seen it before. But nothing I say will work. They are shameless and won't listen."

Yingchun found out that it was indeed a rumor and felt even more unfortunate for Tanchun.

"Now Xiangyun has also stayed, and I am here too. This is Xichun's home. We are just missing you. You can continue to live with us. Don't worry about the troubles over there. The master will help you take care of them."

Tanchun hesitated for a few seconds and quickly said, "Yes."

Now that things have come to this, there is no other way to go.

The next day, Jia Rong came over to chat after returning from the palace.

Shi Xiangyun and others were here, and they stood up when they saw Jia Rong coming.

"Big brother."

Jia Rong nodded and said, "Sit down and talk."

The old lady, Mrs. Wang, Li Wan and others are also here.

Mrs. Wang said, "Yuanchun and the first wife haven't come back yet."

After Jia Rong sat down, he casually said, "When I came back, they hadn't had dinner yet. They were a bunch of women, so they had more time to eat."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "That's right. I got up late today and took a long time to eat."

Jia Rong adjusted his robe which was in the way in front of his legs, and after he was done he crossed his legs and spoke.

There was a coal stove burning in the room, and the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor was more than ten degrees, so the room was as warm as spring.

"Today, when we were having dinner in the palace, someone asked about Xichun again. Liu Xianglian couldn't resist the pressure and got married. The others saw the opportunity and wanted to arrange a marriage with me, but I turned it down."

The old lady asked: "Why is this?"

Jia Rong said, "Every family outside is in mourning, the court is constantly beheading high-ranking officials, and many families have been implicated. Marrying a daughter at this time is an extra risk."

"The world is obviously not doing well now. Isn't there a nun who practices Buddhism with her hair uncut in our backyard? I think Xichun should learn from her. It won't be too late to marry someone when she finds a good candidate in the future."

Jia Xichun didn't want to leave the Duke's Mansion either, so she quickly agreed, "Okay!"

Jia Rong looked at Shi Xiangyun again and sighed, "I have found out about your uncle and aunt. Your uncle hanged himself for a crime, and your aunt and sister have been to the Music Bureau for several days."

Shi Xiangyun and the old lady both looked sad.

Yuanyang handed the old lady a handkerchief to wipe her tears, and Shi Xiangyun was also hugged by Wang Xifeng for comfort.

Wang Xifeng asked Jia Rong.

"Master, is there any way to rescue Xiangyun's aunt and sister?"

Jia Rong shook his head. "I'm afraid they have lost their innocence long ago. During the past few days of holidays, many princes and sons of the Imperial Music Bureau have visited them."

Wang Xifeng said quickly, "They are the wives and daughters of Marquis Shi's family after all. How dare they do that?"

Jia Rong sneered and said, "That's still considered good. If they were sold to an ordinary brothel, what would happen even if they were the wives and daughters of a noble marquis? The first to go would probably be their servants. The servants who were treated like dogs before would be willing to spend several times more silver to oppress their mistresses and daughters."

"I've told you guys a long time ago, don't care so much about your status. What if you're the daughter of a duke? What if you're the eldest daughter of an official? Once you lose your power, you'll realize that you're just a human being."

You Erjie asked: "There are many people who have a good relationship with the Shihou family, so why don't you help them?"

Jia Rong shook his head. "Everyone can't take care of themselves, so why would they care about others? Don't say that the Marquisate is the face of a meritorious family. Read more history books. There are queens who have been prostitutes in history."

The old lady didn't care about being sad anymore, and hurriedly said, "Be careful with your words! Be careful with your words!"

Jia Rong didn't say anything else and just sighed.

"Anyway, there is no way to do it for now. A group of people are watching that place. Now the Jiaofang Bureau is almost full of women. If another minister's house is searched next year, the women implicated will probably have to go to the brothel."

It’s New Year’s Day, and Jia Rong sincerely doesn’t want everyone to have a good year.

Wang Xifeng asked nervously, "Is everything alright in our family?"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Of course it's okay. You just need to be quiet and not worry about what's going on outside. It's a mess out there now. Many young men and women have become beggars. Many people will freeze to death this year."

"We have enough food and drink at home now. You can feed a thousand people for a year with just one meal. So, just be good and don't make me angry. Let me have a good New Year and go home comfortably every day."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Of course, Duke~"

The old lady and Shi Xiangyun no longer cared about the sorrow of the Shi family. Now they always felt that their future was in danger, so naturally they had to live well in the present first.

Lin Hongyu came in from outside, walked up to Jia Rong and said, "Master, the young master of the Wang family sent a letter in person, asking when you are free. Master Wang came to pay New Year's greetings in person."

Wang Xifeng was listening on the side, and the old lady and others also knew that this was a big deal, so they didn't say anything.

Although the four major families of Jia, Shi, Wang and Xue used to prosper and suffer together, that is no longer the case today.

The decline of the Shi family and the Xue family had nothing to do with Jia Rong, and it was not Jia Rong who harmed them.

Jia Rong came to their rescue, but these people had too many problems to deal with.

Jia Rong thought for a moment and nodded, "Let's just follow the usual rules. I won't go out. I'll let him go back after I reply."

Lin Hongyu asked curiously, "What day is it usually?"

Jia Rong was getting impatient, "Wait until Yuanchun comes back and ask her."

Mrs. Wang sighed, "Your family and the Wang family have not had any contact over the years. In the past, our family would go back on the second day of the New Year, and they would come to pay New Year's greetings on the sixth day. We don't know about this here."

Jia Rong said, "Then we can go back and tell them on the sixth day."

Mrs. Wang said hurriedly, "I'll go out and talk to him."

Jia Rong suddenly remembered that Jia Yuanchun's mother was Lady Wang, and Lady Wang's brother was Wang Zhiteng, so they were still relatives?
Not long after, Mrs. Wang came back, and with her came Jia Yuanchun and Youshi.

After entering the palace, You said happily, "I presented the glass screen to the Empress when I entered the palace. The Empress liked it very much and said that our family doesn't have much money and asked us not to spend so much money."

The emperor would reward his ministers and meritorious families, but those who entered the palace also had to give gifts and pay tribute. There was no emperor who did not like to receive gifts.

Jia Rong still feels strange about this, as he doesn’t think he has ever pretended to be poor.

You receive a lot of rewards every year, and there are also a lot of gifts from outside, right?
Jia Rong quickly asked, "Why do you say our family is poor? I still don't understand it. I have been told that many times."

Madam Xing explained, "I heard a lot about this when I left. It was said that the gardens built and the burials of relatives in the capital were all very grand, with tens of thousands of people attending and millions of silver spent. Funerals and weddings in our family, especially the master's, are relatively simple. Outsiders have rumors that you had no money when you inherited the Ning Mansion."

It turned out that it was not Jia Rong who was pretending to be poor, but the people around him who were pretending to be rich.

Whether it was the peaceful and festive time in the middle of last year when people were busy with weddings during the national mourning period, or the end of the year when every family in the city wore mourning clothes and competed with each other in terms of filial piety, Jia Rong was always outdone.

Including the sacrifices to ancestors over the years, very little money was spent.

Jia Rong thought for a few seconds and quickly said, "It's better to be poor."

(End of this chapter)