The Overlord of the Red Mansion

November 1st, the ninth year of the Holy Dynasty.

"Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Holy Emperor!"

"Be flat!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Jia Rong had not attended court for a long time and rarely concerned himself with state affairs.

"Has anything important happened recently?"

Jia Rong didn't even look at the briefing today; it wouldn't make a difference whether she looked at it or not.

The Left Prime Minister replied, "Reporting to you, the country is now peaceful and prosperous, and the people are living in peace and contentment. There are no urgent matters. The only slightly troublesome issues are the resettlement of immigrants from various places and the construction of new buildings and new cities."

Jia Rong didn't want to get involved in this kind of thing, saying, "You can handle this matter yourselves."

The Left Prime Minister was already used to Jia Rong's arrangements. "As you command."

In the eyes of the Left Chancellor, His Majesty the Emperor, a man of great talent and ambition, had more important matters to attend to and naturally had no time for trivial matters.

The Minister of Health stood up and said, “Your Majesty, since Your Majesty was appointed by Heaven to drive out the plague god, every household in the capital has been blessed with good fortune. As of last month, there were 30,000 families with happy events in the capital. Young people in the court are taking advantage of this auspicious year to get engaged and married.”

"This is all thanks to the Holy Emperor; otherwise, this year would surely have been another year of sorrow and misfortune!"

Jia Rong loved to talk about this, and said seriously and solemnly, "Since ancient times, childbirth has been like a woman walking through the gates of hell. Many poor women have died in childbirth and their lives are in danger."

"Even if they are born, they die not long after, and very few of them can grow up successfully."

"The fact that all my sons have grown up healthy is not only due to my medical skills, but also to the nourishment of the prosperous and flourishing aura of the Son of Heaven."

"In recent years, I have been busy with official duties, either refining elixirs in the Holy Palace or studying the writings of wise men in the court and researching the way of governing the country. I have had no time to guide the women in the palace."

Jia Rong portrayed herself as very noble.

He believed it himself, and others believed it too.

At least in the eyes of the ministers, Jia Rong was fully capable of getting many women pregnant, given his abilities.

In reality, only a minority of the women became pregnant; Jia Rong's favorites were his wives, concubines, and maids who had served him for many years.

After all, these were the main people who bore children for Jia Rong; the rest were just palace maids and servants.

Jia Rong, having sung his own praises a little too much, continued, "Women who have stayed in the Holy Palace are healthier than ordinary people after they leave, and their offspring are guaranteed to be safe and healthy."

"In previous years, palace maids who left the palace were like this. All those who went out to marry would bear children for their husbands and continue the family line."

"The Princess of Changchun, the Princess of Dongying, the Princess of Tianzhu, and other members of the royal family and nobles have now learned the etiquette of the palace. When the princes from various regions come this year, we will go back together and live a good life."

Several members of the imperial family and high-ranking officials quickly knelt down to express their gratitude, saying, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"

Jia Rong had long been tired of those women, so he didn't care whether she was pregnant or not; he could just kick her out if he wanted.

After the woman's matter was resolved, Jia Rong was about to leave court when he suddenly remembered the Crown Prince's matter.

"How has the Crown Prince been these past two years?"

Jia Rong showed some concern for her son.

The Left Chancellor replied, "The Crown Prince has governed Jinling very well. This year, the city has seen a significant increase in population. Commerce is thriving, industry is booming, and everyone is living in peace and contentment."

Seeing that the Crown Prince was doing a decent job as an official, Jia Rong nodded in approval.

"I've remembered something." As the others waited anxiously, Jia Rong slowly said, "I said years ago that there's no need to avoid mentioning the name of Your Excellency. It's normal to have the character 'Rong' in one's name. Whether it's a man or a woman, or whether one's surname is Zhen or Jia, they can all use this name."

"But then I thought about it and realized that I am indeed such an open and honest person. You and your subordinates certainly wouldn't understand this kind of thing. If we encounter someone whose name contains the character 'Rong,' we will inevitably reject them."

The ministers dared not refute this, and that was indeed the case.

Even if Jia Rong didn't mind, they wouldn't dare to employ a subordinate whose name was the same as the emperor's.

When taking a wife or concubine, one should definitely not choose someone whose name contains the character "Rong," otherwise it will surely cause great trouble.

At present, allowing people with the surname Jia to keep their surname is already an exceptionally generous act.

Jia Rong continued, "Rong is a commonly used character in the name. It would be too much of a burden for ordinary people to change their names. If it were because I wanted future generations to use one less commonly used character in their names, that would be truly inappropriate."

"I will name my children born this year with the character 'Rong' in their names. My children can use it, your children can use it, and ordinary people can use it too. As it is used more often, it will naturally no longer be a taboo."

The crowd exclaimed, moved, "Your Majesty is wise! Long live the Holy Emperor!"

Jia Rong said with a smile, "To avoid such troublesome matters, let the Crown Prince change his name to something more complicated, so that he won't run into ordinary people. In the future, every Crown Prince will be given a new name, so that his brothers and sisters won't have to change their names as well."

"The surname has also been redefined, taking the name of the Holy Dynasty as the surname. This not only sounds high-end and grand, showcasing the royal style, but also distinguishes it from the original surname. Now, people inside and outside the court say that the Holy Dynasty has two royal families, so I will create a third royal family surname to avoid disputes."

Jia Rong changed his own name to Sheng Rong!

***
Jinling Prefecture

A car drove into the Jinling Prefecture office compound. The Crown Prince, who had just returned from a car tour of the new city, got out of the car and walked towards the office building in front.

He was accompanied by a male secretary and several subordinates.

The crown prince, who was already twenty years old, had been serving as the county magistrate of Jinling Prefecture for several years.

Although he was a county magistrate, he was more powerful than the prefect here.

After returning to the office, a eunuch came in to report on the work.

"Your Highness, the Imperial Palace Office has received a document from His Majesty."

The eunuch presented the prince with a document recorded by a telephone operator.

The crown prince dared not be negligent, as his father might not even send a document once a year.

He spent several years in Nanjing, and apart from the imperial edict to return home for the New Year, he was basically not given any specific responsibilities.

The crown prince soon saw the document.

The above content was compiled by the Grand Secretary at Jia Rong's request, with some embellishments added to make Jia Rong's words sound even more sagacious.

The Crown Prince quickly summoned Jia Zheng and several advisors to discuss the matter.

“My father is compassionate towards the people, and I will certainly obey him, but I don’t know what to do about this matter.”

After reading Jia Rong's request, Jia Zheng and the others all felt that what Jia Rong said made sense.

Nowadays, there's no need to worry about the opinions of the original imperial clan members anymore. Indeed, the Jia family and the imperial clan members and nobles often had friction.

Jia Rong himself led the imperial family to change their surname to Sheng, which not only suppressed the arrogance of the Jia family and prevented some of their relatives from claiming to be royalty, but also allowed the original imperial clan to settle down smoothly.

From then on, the former royal family members became ordinary ministers and nobles, and no longer had to worry about their status as members of the old royal family being purged.

Neither the Jia family nor the former royal family had any objections to this matter.

"His Majesty's achievements are unparalleled throughout history, and it is the will of the people to adopt 'Sheng' as his surname."

Jia Zheng praised the sage emperor and continued, "The crown prince takes 'sage' as his surname and his given name..."

Jia Zheng was at a loss for words. Everyone was thinking about how to name their child; it had to be an uncommon name to avoid having the same name as an ordinary person.

Jia Rong's original intention in having the Crown Prince change his name was to avoid causing trouble for ordinary people after he ascended the throne, and to prevent a large number of people from failing the civil service exam due to their names.

They racked their brains for an hour but couldn't come up with a name that sounded good, had a good meaning, and was also uncommon.

A name with a good meaning is bound to be used.
After thinking about it all night, they finally discussed it together the next day and came up with a suitable name.

To avoid any problems, the Crown Prince first called his mother, Jia Yuanchun, to inquire.

Telephone service is now available in some parts of the Holy Dynasty, and the Holy Palace and many other important locations have instant communication telephones.

The Holy Palace also has more than twenty telephones, but the inner palace areas such as Nuanxiang Palace, Yangxin Palace, and Fengzao Palace share a single telephone.

The telephone was set up in the main hall of Nuanxiang Palace because most of the people in Nuanxiang Palace didn't have many relatives and didn't use it much.

There was a maid who answered the phone, and she quickly sent someone to invite Jia Yuanchun over.

The prince waited half an hour before making the call.

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

Hearing her son's voice, Jia Yuanchun smiled and said, "I heard you. What brings you on the phone at this hour?"

Upon hearing Jia Yuanchun's voice, the Crown Prince politely said, "Mother, Father Emperor has asked me to change my name. My maternal grandfather and I have discussed it for a long time and come up with a name, but we are not sure if it is suitable. We would like to ask Mother for your help."

Jia Yuanchun knew about Jia Rong's plan to change the names and surnames of the entire family.

This is a good thing for everyone; it can further highlight the dignity of the family.

"Tell me, what name did you choose?"

The prince slowly said, "My surname is Sheng, and my given name is Xuanji."

Jia Yuanchun couldn't hear clearly, "Which two words?"

The Crown Prince replied, “Xuan represents celestial phenomena, and Ji represents the god of the five grains. They are in harmony with the state and the monarch, but I don’t know if it’s a bit too much. I feel it’s appropriate, but I also feel a little apprehensive, so I can’t make up my mind.”

Jia Yuanchun hesitated for a moment.

It sounds like a good name, but it's not good for the crown prince to give himself such a name.

If the Holy Emperor gave him this name, then naturally there's no problem.

Jia Yuanchun quickly said, "Let's change it, let's choose something simpler."

The Crown Prince said anxiously, "Mother, this is not the first time I have changed my name. Once it's set, I can't change it again. If I change it again, wouldn't I become a laughing stock?"

The Crown Prince already has three surnames, and his given name will also be changed to a second one. If he changes it again in the future, then he will have three surnames and three names.

Jia Rong could do whatever he wanted, and neither the court officials, the imperial family members, nor anyone with the surname Jia could stop him.

No one dared to laugh at Jia Rong, and Jia Rong himself didn't care about these things.

The Crown Prince won't do; he's too shy!

Jia Yuanchun hesitated for a moment, thinking of the Crown Prince's predicament.

"There's no rush. His Majesty isn't in a hurry about this. Your younger siblings' names haven't been changed yet either."

Jia Yuanchun still planned to delay and think it over again. If it really didn't work out, she would wait until Jia Rong was in a better mood before making a decision.

Seeing this, the crown prince realized that there was no need to rush things. His father was never in a hurry and would just take his time to resolve things.

"Yes, Queen Mother."

Jia Yuanchun had nothing to do and hadn't called her son in a long time.

How are your wedding preparations going?

The Crown Prince replied, "It's all ready. I plan to take it to see my father when I return to the palace, but I don't know if she wants to come to the palace."

Jia Yuanchun said directly, "No need. I have already asked His Majesty. His Majesty said that you can choose whatever you like. You don't need to go to the palace to learn anything. When you get married, His Majesty will bestow two female doctors and nurses to teach you and help with childbirth and childcare in the future."

"The wedding can be held locally. Don't waste money and resources. Just have a simple two-day event. Your brothers have all been arranged to settle down and start families in different places."

The Crown Prince breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, Mother! But what about the title if no one is sent to the palace?"

Jia Rong's rule was that anyone who inherited a title had to arrange for a woman to serve them in the palace.

The crown prince can be said to inherit the throne and does not need a crown princess to enter the palace, but what about the others?

Jia Yuanchun looked helpless. “His Majesty is worried that your brothers will go to various places and do evil. As long as they can succeed in their studies, they can start as viscounts and earls. If they are good-for-nothings who only bully men and women, then they can just be ordinary rich men, and their wealth will not last more than three generations.”

"His Majesty also wants to leave you with more support. Our family can't rely on just you alone. Those who can be used will be given important positions, and those who can't will be left alone."

"You don't need to worry about things at home. There are many beautiful women in Nanjing. Remember to send a few over in December. Since you are not in the capital for most of the year, you should also do more to show filial piety so that the Emperor will remember you."

The Crown Prince quickly replied, "Your Majesty's teachings are correct; I will certainly remember them!"

The mother and son chatted for a few more minutes, and then Jia Yuanchun hung up the phone on her own initiative.

Tan Chun approached at this moment and asked, "Your Highness, what is it, Your Highness? Is Mother ill?"

Jia Yuanchun smiled and said, "No, Mother is in good health. The Crown Prince asked me to discuss the matter of changing his name. Please help me make a decision."

Jia Yuanchun quickly discussed the matter of naming the crown prince with her group of sisters.

Upon hearing this, Lin Daiyu hesitated and said, "It is indeed a bit too big."

Jia Yuanchun shared the same view.

At this moment, Shi Xiangyun said with a smile, "Why bother with this? His Majesty is not the kind of person to fuss over such trivial matters. When one of us serves His Majesty, we can just casually ask him about it."

Jia Yuanchun nodded. "That's exactly what I meant."

Lin Daiyu saw that Jia Yuanchun meant it this way, so she had no choice but to agree to the matter along with the others.

Jia Rong has recently taken to visiting Cihang Nunnery again, and he also visits Tianxiang Palace along the way.

When Qin Keqing brought up this matter, Jia Rong said nonchalantly, "It doesn't matter about the name, let's just call him that."

Jia Rong was busy playing with women, so he casually agreed.

Qin Keqing and the others also played with Jia Rong, and the next day they reported the good news to Jia Yuanchun.

But the next night, Jia Rong lay in bed unable to sleep.

"Being an emperor is too boring. All I do every day is play with women. Shouldn't I abdicate?"

Jia Rong thought to herself that she was not young anymore, almost forty years old, and her son was about to get married and have children.

Having reigned as emperor for ten years, looking back, it felt like I had never been emperor at all; there was nothing worth remembering.

It's not as good as my youthful days in the Ning Mansion.

Before going to sleep, Jia Rong sighed and made the decision to abdicate. (End of Chapter)