The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 201 Young people should work harder

"The prince is back!"

Jia Rong rode in on his horse and felt very uncomfortable.

I couldn't lie down or lie down, and I felt like I was stuck on the horse's back.

"The prince is back!"

"Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty!"

"The prince is back!"

"Your Majesty is fine!"

Jia Rong was already feeling annoyed, and after hearing the cries of one person after another, he finally couldn't bear it anymore after enduring it again and again.

"Shut up! Get out!" Jia Rong yelled at the old women who came running over happily.

Soon, a group of people hesitated and dared not say a word.

Jia Rong looked very unhappy and no one dared to speak nonsense.

Jia Rong got off his horse and thought to himself: How many hours of overtime did I work this time...

Yesterday morning, let’s count it at night.

From midnight yesterday to a little after one o'clock this afternoon, it felt like at least thirty-six hours had passed, and I slept for no more than sixteen hours during that time.

too tired!
No sleep for at least twenty hours!

No wonder I'm so tired.

Jia Rong was thinking seriously, as if he had pushed down two walls, both of which were two or three bricks thick, while he was running and jumping, and trying to find the right target.

I feel like if I go to fight at night, I will definitely become a famous general, right?

Jia Rong has always wanted to go to the battlefield and see what he can do.

But when I thought about marching and clearing land all day, I felt too tired and didn't want to go.

The capital is already in the north. If we continue going north, we will have to fight General Dong.

Going south, the climate is hot and humid. When Jia Rong thought about having to fight with others in the grass and forest full of mosquitoes in the hot summer wearing clothes that were solidified by sweat and salt, and having to endure the scorching sun, he didn't want to go.

To go west, you have to cross mountains and rivers, and it takes at least seven or eight months, and at most two or three years, which is too long.

It is closer to the east, but there is nothing to fight about. The islanders and mountain people are not concentrated together, and there is no time to find them one by one.

Let's leave the fighting to others.

As Jia Rong thought about it, he began to look forward to someone calling in.

"With my current abilities, I can kill them even if the Eight-Nation Alliance invades us."

"It's no problem even if the firearms are upgraded. We can also poison them."

Jia Rong suddenly realized that he had chosen the wrong skill. His cleverness and laziness actually made him more suitable for upgrading technology rather than causing damage.

Poisoning while researching the antidote, isn't this a hundred times better than bullying people all day long?

It can also promote social progress.

Jia Rong thought about the scene of himself wearing a white coat and working in the laboratory with his female assistant.

Forget it, I don’t want a female assistant.

If you make the slightest mistake, you're dead.

Jia Rong was somewhat resistant to the idea of having a female assistant.

It's bad enough that the housekeeper has to clean the house, but he also has to bring a female assistant with him when he's working in the laboratory and practicing medicine. It must have been a very frustrating death.

I'm bored in Beijing, so I might as well go out and have a look.

Who is the prince closest to the capital?

While Jia Rong was thinking about important things, he unknowingly walked near Tianxiang Tower.

"Your Majesty!"

Jia Rong was about to curse, but when he looked up and saw it was Zijuan, he smiled.

"Zijuan, what are you doing? Why are you at the door?"

Zijuan said quickly, "Everyone is worried about the prince. We are waiting at the door when we have nothing to do. The young ladies and grandmothers are waiting for the prince in the house. Is the prince okay?"

Jia Rong felt much better, "It's okay, everything has been resolved."

Shi Xiangyun's maid Cuilu asked curiously, "How did you solve it?"

Jia Rong entered the house accompanied by several maids. Faced with the maids' questions, Jia Rong was unable to give any useful answers.

"I don't know how to solve it. Anyway, it's okay as long as the dead are not our family members. I have become numb over the years and I don't feel anything when I see dead people."

The maids also breathed a sigh of relief. Qingyun smiled and said, "Your Highness is right. It's OK as long as our family is fine."

Zijuan laughed and said, "You are just a little maid, and you are talking about us?"

Jia Rong casually said, "Why can't I say it? Yuanchun's maid is my maid. As long as she doesn't leave the house, she is half a family member. Can our family treat our own people badly?"

Qingyun said happily: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Cuilu took the initiative to say: "Prince, when will you be with our young lady? Our young lady can't sleep because of missing you so much."

"I think you can't sleep because of what you're thinking about." Jia Rong teased the maid with a smile, "When I have time, I'll let you know how powerful I am!"

Several maids nearby were all moved and looked coquettish.

At this time, Wang Xifeng came out and smiled at Jia Rong, "The prince is fine! The family didn't sleep well that night. When we saw the prince come back, we knew he was fine!"

Jia Rong suggested, "I think our family is still too small. I will not accept any maids in the future. But if a maid gets pregnant, she will continue to be named Jia, which will give your son more brothers and sisters to help him."

Wang Xifeng and several maids immediately understood what Jia Rong meant.

It means that a mother is honored by her son. A maid is still a maid, but her children are no longer slaves.

Wang Xifeng smiled quickly and said, "Good! This is a good thing! Our Prince's Mansion also has rules. If you favor a maid in the future, just let Xiaohong or Ping'er tell me."

Although it was playing with women, at least it gave the maids a way out.

If a woman is left to be a widow all her life without ever seeing a man or bearing children, she will sooner or later complain.

It is better to loosen up than to block, and everyone should compete for jobs.

The throne cannot be inherited as it has already been designated, and the rest is a matter of how much you work and what you get.

Shi Xiangyun looked at the people at the door and asked curiously, "What are you talking about?"

Jia Rong replied, "We are talking about the maids. From now on, each of you girls will choose a maid to accompany you. She will be selected from the original maids. The salary will be increased by one or two taels per month. Her main responsibility is to teach the girls some private matters."

Shi Xiangyun asked curiously, "What private matter?"

Jia Rong laughed and asked, "What private matters did Daiyu peek at?"

Lin Daiyu was about to walk out, but after hearing this, she hurriedly retreated back into the house to avoid these people.

Shi Xiangyun blushed, "How bad! Big brother and sister Daiyu have learned bad things together!"

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Don't wrongly accuse Sister Daiyu. I don't think this matter has anything to do with Miss Daiyu."

Several people came into the house chatting and laughing. Jia Yuanchun also came down from upstairs. After seeing Jia Rong sitting on the sofa and chatting and laughing with Shi Xiangyun and Lin Daiyu, she quickly breathed a sigh of relief.

The old lady and Mrs. Wang also came out of the house one after another.

The old lady quickly asked, "Is everything all right in the palace?"

Jia Rong stretched out his legs and let Zijuan rub them, then took the skinless grapes handed to him by Cuilu and took a bite.

"Several princes lived together and were raided by assassins. The palace was fine. Anyway, more than 20 people died. It's okay as long as our family is not killed."

After Jia Rong finished speaking, he spit to the side, where a maid had already caught it with a round-mouthed bottle.

Jia Yuanchun came over and sat down, reached out to pick a grape from the plate, peeled it with her fingernails for Jia Rong and put it in a small bowl.

There was some maid's breast pressed against Jia Rong's head.

The old lady and Mrs. Wang would not say anything about Jia Rong's enjoyment.

Madam Wang breathed a sigh of relief, "Amitabha! It's worth my whole night of chanting sutras."

Jia Rong laughed and said, "What's the point of praying to Buddha? I don't believe in ghosts and gods, and I don't believe in monks and Taoists. If you want to get promoted, get rich, and live a peaceful life, it's better to stay away from those monks and Taoists." The old lady hurriedly said, "Be careful with your words, be careful with your words!"

Jia Rong laughed and said, "How many civil and military officials in the court believe in Buddhism and Taoism? It's just you old ladies who believe in this all day long. What's the point of believing for a long time? Did you pray to Buddha to make me a prince, or did the Zhen family, Jia family and Shi family not pray enough to Buddha and that's why their property was confiscated?"

Mrs. Wang and the old lady were no longer able to talk.

Jia Yuanchun helped, saying, "It's a good thing to beg for mercy. Many people in the city believe in this."

Jia Rong laughed and said, "You women can believe it if you want to. I'm not stopping you from spending my money. But just don't take it seriously. Don't take my affairs outside as the result of your hard work at home."

Jia Rong showed no mercy and beat the Buddhists and Taoists without giving them any respect.

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "Brother Rong, you said that officials don't believe in Buddhism? I don't believe it. If they don't believe in Buddhism, what do they believe in?"

Jia Rong crossed his legs and said with a smile, "Feed me a grape and I will tell you."

Lin Daiyu turned her head away, "You can say it if you want."

Shi Xiangyun picked up a grape from the bowl and fed it to Jia Rong, "Big brother, tell me~"

Jia Rong ate grapes and said proudly, "Of course you believe me! Look, who gave me more gifts and money, or gave more to the Bodhisattva? Was it the Bodhisattva who blessed the Jia family, the Wang family, and the Shi family, or was it me? Xiangyun, you did a good job. Tomorrow I will talk to the emperor and have your uncle reinstated. It just so happens that the emperor seems to be preparing to employ someone."

Shi Xiangyun said happily: "Thank you, big brother! I'll give you another grape~"

Lin Daiyu couldn't help feeling a little jealous when she saw the two of them being so affectionate.

At this time, Jia Yuanchun smiled and said to Lin Daiyu: "Sister Daiyu, I will feed you one, don't worry about the other two."

"Thank you, Princess~" Daiyu used her fan to block her view of the other side and opened her mouth to take the grapes that Jia Yuanchun fed her personally.

Once you eat the grapes, you won’t say they are sour.

While eating grapes, Jia Rong suddenly remembered something and asked curiously, "Besides the Zhen family, who else would serve as servants in our family?"

Wang Xifeng said quickly, "There are also the Hong family, the Sun family, the Ling family, the Shanxi merchant Cao family, and the Liaodong Li family. They are all carefully selected young ladies. They are usually not here in Tianxiang Tower. They go to the girls' poetry club to have fun. Now Sister Yun's poetry club has nearly a hundred people, all of them are young and beautiful girls."

Jia Rong didn't expect that there were so many people in his family, and he had no impression of many of them.

"Oh, did anyone get copied this year? I don't remember."

Wang Xifeng replied, "I have discussed this matter with my aunt. She said that this year alone, there are more than ten cases. Most of them are implicated in other places. Not all of the people in the capital were arrested and beheaded. Most of them were dismissed for corruption, bribery, or incompetence. And since we couldn't take all the maids away, we sold them."

"A few years ago, some people bought beautiful maids, but in recent years, no one dares to buy them. Even the Beijing Prince's Mansion and Gongshun Prince's Mansion are now selling beautiful maids and concubines."

"It's really hard to find girls outside nowadays, except for those in brothels."

Jia Rong frowned after hearing this. "Then let's recruit some pretty and hardworking maids. The emperor has already ordered the construction of the Prince of Loyalty and Filial Piety's Palace. It will be expanded from the original Prince of Beijing's Palace in the north of the city, close to the imperial city. I will talk to the people in the Ministry of Works about the details. The emperor will pay for it this time."

"Don't repair the garden here. Let's leave it like this for now. After the Zhongxiao Palace is repaired, restore the middle lane and divide it into Ning and Rong Palaces. Jia Jian will manage Ning Palace, and Rong Palace will be in charge of Baoyu and Jia Lan. I will not interfere. If anyone has a promising future, I will naturally help."

The old lady said happily: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Wang Xifeng asked, "What about the people in Jinling?"

Jia Rong remembered this incident.

"Oh, I said before that it was for Jia Lan and Jia Baoyu, but it's up to them. If they want to stay in the capital, they can stay in the capital. If they want to go back to their hometown, they can go back to their hometown. Just tell me when you've made up your mind. Make a decision before getting married. It's only a few years anyway."

Li Wan said quickly, "It's better to be in the capital. Here the prince will take care of me, which is better than being in Jinling."

Jia Rong asked curiously, "Although Jinling is farther from the capital, it is also more stable. I actually want to go back to Jinling. It's not as troublesome as being in the capital. If the emperor hadn't refused to let me go, I would have built a house in my hometown a long time ago."

The old lady sighed and said, "Your Highness, I don't know that my hometown is not good either. I used to want to go back to live a quieter life, but after living there for a while, I found that the capital is better."

Jia Rong forgot that the old lady and others had gone back to live there for a while.

There was no one to protect them during that period, and a lot of their money was stolen. Jia Rong was also known for his incompatibility with the West Mansion, so the Jia family didn't want to take care of them.

From childhood to adulthood, Jia Rong had a very bad relationship with the Rongguo Mansion basically before he was twenty years old.

Especially after the falling out at Jia She's funeral, Jia Rong's subordinates naturally knew which side to take.

On one hand, there was the powerful head of the Jia family at that time, and on the other hand, there was a group of people from the Rong Mansion who had no power or money and had driven away many members of the Jia family.

The Rong Mansion has long been the main target of hatred. After they returned home impoverished, many people threw feces and urine at their residence and refused to associate with this group of people.

Although Jia Zheng is now a high-ranking official, the power of Jia's disciples, former officials and clansmen is still in Jia Rong's hands.

The old lady of the Jia family is equivalent to the Xue family who used to stay at the Rongguo Mansion.

They cannot enjoy the Jia family's resources in their hometown. The resources there have long been fixed and will not be distributed to incompetent people like them.

Only in the capital city could the old lady and others enjoy all kinds of delicacies, silks, satins, fine clothes and delicious food.

She had a grand ceremony with just a few dozen maids, and she interacted with the top forces in the aristocratic circle. She was respected by everyone except Jia Rong.

Except for being shameless in front of Jia Rong, no one else would dare to embarrass the old lady.

Neither the old lady nor Lady Wang and Li Wan wanted the ancestral property in Jinling, but wanted to become a resident of the capital.

"Okay, then stay in the capital. Give some of the money from my hometown to Jia Lian, or give some to me and the children of the maids. I have been registered as a resident of the capital by the emperor. Even if I retire and return to my hometown, I will have to stay in the capital and cannot leave."

Jia Rong redivided the legitimate and illegitimate children. As long as they had a legitimate status, they would be naturalized in Beijing and change their surnames. Children born to maids without a legitimate status would be descendants of the Jia family, and their hometown would still be Jinling.

Lin Daiyu laughed and said, "Brother Rong is so fertile, the family is full of children now."

Jia Rong defended himself, "A lot? Look, I got married at the age of sixteen, and now I'm twenty-five, almost ten years later. I have more than a dozen wives and concubines at home, but less than twenty children."

Lin Daiyu said, "That's a lot."

Jia Rong said patiently, "Not many. Children always die in accidents. Not to mention your family, my family, or other families, even children of the royal family rarely reach adulthood. If something unexpected happens, it's easy for the whole family to die out."

"Although I am a famous doctor, I cannot guarantee that all children in my family will grow up smoothly. For example, in the case of smallpox, there is only one person left out of dozens of people in the royal family."

"Also, I'm not young anymore. Generally speaking, men and women don't have as strong fertility as before after they turn 30. I have to leave more descendants in the next few years, otherwise I might not have a child born in a year."

The old lady quickly said, "Then have more children, and get everything done while you are still in good health in the next few years."

Jia Yuanchun nodded and said, "Yes, it's time to take care of Xiangyun, Daiyu, and Tanchun's affairs."

The girls were too shy to speak.

Jia Rong said, "Let's wait until next year. It's only three months this year. Let's arrange Baoyu's wedding first, then do some simple repairs on the palace. Then we can move into the palace's main courtyard next autumn."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Alas! We have to wait another year. We three girls are so anxious!"

"Hateful!" Lin Daiyu and Shi Xiangyun quickly stood up and started tickling Wang Xifeng, bullying Sister Feng together.

Wang Xifeng covered her belly with both hands and shouted with a smile: "Stop making trouble! I'm pregnant with your child, Master, help me!"

The maids nearby quickly protected Wang Xifeng, and even Jia Yuanchun stood up to stop the two girls who were about to move their hands.

Everyone knows it's a joke, and everyone knows she's a sensible girl, but pregnant women still need to be protected.

Jia Rong was very tired, and he quickly stood up and said, "I'm going to rest. I haven't slept since last night. Now that I have nothing to do, I can finally rest for a while. I'm going to sleep at Li Wen and Li Qi's place. You don't have to wait for me for dinner."

Jia Yuanchun got up and sent Jia Rong out, and then asked the maid to send Jia Rong to sleep with another woman.

The old lady in the room said to the maids, "You should hurry up and stop being shy and unwilling to say a word. You are just like the two maids from the Li family. It was hard for them to get pregnant. If you don't have children, you will suffer a lot in the future!"

Li Wan stood nearby, listening with some embarrassment.

The Li sisters don’t come to Tianxiang Tower often, but mostly participate in activities with the girls from Four Seasons Garden.

Now Xue Baoqin's belly is four or five months big, but there is still no movement from Li Wen, Li Qi and Xing Xiuyan.

It definitely wasn’t Jia Rong’s fault, it must be their own fault.

The old lady attributed the reason to the three men's dull temperament and their failure to get close to Jia Rong.

Mrs. Wang glanced at Li Wan and then looked away.

Li Wan is not young anymore, she is already over 30 years old. It is a good thing that she cannot get pregnant now, as it saves her from worry.

Li Wan naturally also felt Mrs. Wang's attitude, so she lowered her head and didn't say anything.

Soon after it was almost over, everyone dispersed.

When Li Wan returned to the gate of the courtyard, she found her maid Caixia waiting there.

"Grandma, the prince asked you to go in and serve. Both girls are not feeling well today, so you have to do it for them."

Li Wan's face turned red, but she still went in and served obediently.

He didn't go to his own room, but to Li Wen's room.

Li Wen and Li Qi already knew about this, but since both the Li sisters had married Jia Rong, it was no big deal to have another cousin join in, so they easily accepted it.

(End of this chapter)