Dream of the Red Chamber: I can upgrade my entries!

Chapter 60 The Lost Past: Jia Lian and his wife were stunned!

"Cunzhou is a fool."

Jia She picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said helplessly.

"what?"

Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng were taken aback; how did the topic suddenly shift from the Jia family to Jia Zheng?

"The direct line of the Jia family has always been associated with military merit through marriage. My maternal grandfather was the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat of the Great Qian Dynasty and the Marquis of Baoling, and my maternal uncle inherited the title of Marquis of Baoling. He was proficient in both military strategy and martial arts. He died protecting the Emperor Emeritus in the Yuan Cong battle, and the Emperor Emeritus then bestowed upon him the title of Marquis of Zhongjing, allowing his eldest son to inherit the title of Marquis of Baoling and his second son to inherit the title of Marquis of Zhongjing."

"Unfortunately, on that night of the coup in Shenjing, Shi Di fought to the last moment, and his wife, fierce and resolute, died for love, leaving behind only an orphaned daughter."

"I wanted to save him, but it was too late."

"Is the father you're referring to Xiangyun's father?"

Jia Lian immediately thought of Shi Xiangyun, who was often invited by Grandmother Jia to play at Rongguo Mansion.

"Yes."

Nodding slightly, Jia She continued, "Your mother was born into the Lin'an Earl's Mansion. The Lin'an Earl's Mansion was a founding line of meritorious officials. Your maternal grandfather participated in the Yuan Congyi Campaign along with your father and inherited the title of Lin'an Earl for his merits. Your mother is the legitimate daughter of the second-generation Lin'an Earl."

'? ? ? '

Jia Lian's eyes widened; he had never known that his maternal clan was so illustrious.

It should be noted that the Earl of Lin'an is a hereditary title, a super-rank title, far surpassing the sixth-rank county earl of the Wang family. Even the marquises of the Lin family are slightly inferior, not to mention that his mother is the legitimate daughter of the second-generation Earl of Lin'an.

'My God!'

Wang Xifeng's beautiful face was already showing shock, her pink lips slightly parted.

"Are you wondering why your father has never mentioned your maternal clan?"

"That's because the entire Lin'an Marquis's mansion was slaughtered by the Eighth Prince's faction that night, with no one surviving."

“Even our Jia family is barely surviving. All the personal guards of the Rongguo Mansion and Ningguo Mansion were lost that night.”

"Your mother was already weak after giving birth to Hu'er, and then she gave birth to you. Then she received this terrible news, fell ill and never recovered, and eventually died."

"It's a pity that Heaven didn't grant you a long life. Your eldest brother, Hu'er, died young. Otherwise, how could everything in this mansion have fallen into the hands of the second branch of the family?"

"It was only because my father was confined to the other house, and his second wife, Xing, came from a humble family and was not capable of managing the overall situation, that the second branch of the family seized power in the mansion."

Mentioning this, Jia She's eyes filled with sorrow and reminiscence. Back then, he and his wife had known each other since childhood, their relationship was harmonious, and they had children. They were truly a beautiful story in the capital. But the accident happened too quickly.

"Father."

Jia Lian was somewhat moved and didn't know what to say.

"Your mother's sister-in-law, Jing Da, is a close friend of yours. Although she is the daughter of a military meritorious official, she dislikes martial arts and loves music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She and your uncle, Jing Da, are deeply in love."

“Brother Jing has never taken a concubine. Zhen’er, Yan’er, and Xiao Xichun are all children of Brother Jing and my sister-in-law.”

"Jing Da's mother's clan was also slaughtered by the rebels that night, and she was filled with resentment."

"After giving birth to Xichun, he died."

"Back then, the two matriarchs of the Jia family were praised by everyone in the capital."

"call!!!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian and his wife's expressions became increasingly complicated. Who could have imagined that the Jia family was once so glorious, with both wives being daughters of military merit?

“Back then, the second wife originally chose some scholarly families for marriage, but Cunzhou had loved literature since childhood, which suited him perfectly.”

"The Grand Commandant Wang Gong was a close friend of our ancestors, Ning and Rong Gong. His eldest son took the initiative to come to our door, and my father had no choice but to betroth the daughter of the Wang family."

"The title of Earl of the Founding County was only granted to one generation, and the Wang family declined as a result. Among the descendants of Feng Ge'er's grandfather, there were three sons and two daughters born by legitimate means: Wang Zixun, Wang Ziteng, and Wang Zisheng. The eldest son, Wang Zixun, was of mediocre talent, but he was kind-hearted."

"That's why I didn't object to Lian'er's marriage back then, and I was happy to see it happen."

After giving Wang Xifeng a deep look, Jia She recounted the whole story from back then.

'So that's how it is!' Wang Xifeng couldn't help but feel fortunate that her father was of good character and not very capable; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to marry into the Rongguo Mansion.

“Wang Ziteng is ambitious and capable. He started from a lowly centurion and rose to become the Jinling military commander, a third-rank official.”

"Only then will I agree with Brother Jing to hand over the position of Military Governor of the Capital Garrison to him."

"Of the three, Prince Sheng is greedy, incompetent, domineering, and acts recklessly, almost exactly like his elder sister."

"Before she married, Wang's daughter had a notorious reputation in Jinling. After marrying into the family, she tried to cause trouble, but was repeatedly taught a lesson by Min'er."

"This foolish woman does have some tricks up her sleeve. She pleases her mother and keeps her from interfering with Cunzhou's concubine-taking. That's how she gradually gained the power to manage affairs in the inner court."

"Uh-huh!"

Wang Xifeng was somewhat surprised. She really didn't know that her aunt had such a past. Was this still the same Madam Wang who spent her days eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist prayers?
"Did Father mention Second Aunt in connection with Yandi's upcoming triumphant return to the capital?"

Jia Lian listened for a long time and finally figured out some of the clues.

"Ah."

A hint of disgust flashed across Jia She's eyes, and he said coldly, "Cun Zhou is foolish. I already warned him before."

"But he didn't take it seriously at all, letting this foolish woman cause trouble. How many women from various families have come to visit him these days?"

"This foolish woman kept bringing Baoyu up again and again, her purpose was obvious."

"Many people in the capital are saying that the Jia family has a son born with a jade in his mouth, and they really regard everyone else as stupid as her."

The words fell.

The Jia Lian couple exchanged a glance, not daring to utter a sound.

"Feng Ge'er".

"The power of the inner court is temporarily in your hands."

"These days, no one else in the manor needs to visit."

"The Lin family's daughter and Xiao Xichun must be taken along."

Just then, Jia She mentioned two names.

"Lin Daiyu and Fourth Sister".

Wang Xifeng raised her head, a strange light flashing in her beautiful eyes, as if she understood something.

“Xiao Xichun is the only legitimate daughter of the East Mansion, not to mention she has an older brother who is about to become the head of the noble families of the dynasty.”

"The Lin family girl is Ru Hai's only offspring. The Lin family has been marquises for four generations, and Ru Hai is also a third-rank scholar, a Grand Master of the Imperial Academy, and a Salt Commissioner."

"No one in the entire household is more qualified than them to receive these noble ladies."

“That foolish woman doesn’t understand; you should understand the reason.”

"Yes, father."

Wang Xifeng immediately understood everything, and only then did she realize how foolish Madam Wang had been doing these past few days.

Those noble ladies were only there because the Jia family had recently become wealthy. Did they care about Jia Baoyu? They definitely cared about Jia Xichun, since her brother was Jia Yan. Only Lady Wang had it all wrong, secretly making things difficult for Lin Daiyu and Xichun.

"Lian'er."

"I will explain everything to Yan-ge when he returns."

“You are the legitimate son of the Rongguo Mansion. There are some things that no one can take away from you.”

Jia She looked at Jia Lian, his tone more serious than ever before.

"Yes, father."

Jia Lian's face lit up with joy, and he quickly agreed.

(End of this chapter)