Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

Jia Jing remained silent, not expecting that his casual remark would elicit such praise from all the sisters.

However, upon closer examination, this statement comes from a political essay titled "Wuyan Er: On Moving the Capital and Establishing Feudal States" by Chen Danran, a scholar who passed the imperial examination in the late Qing Dynasty. It was indeed not published at that time, which is understandable.

Meanwhile, the expressions on Grandmother Jia's aged face kept changing. She was becoming somewhat numb to the constant "profound" and "insightful" comments from Tan Chun and Xiang Yun.

Although she knew that the two of them didn't mean anything by it, she still couldn't hide her loneliness.

Does she, as the matriarch, still have any say in the Rongguo Mansion?

As soon as this third grandson came back, so many people changed their allegiance and stopped trying to please this old lady. Instead, they all fawned over him. Is there any justice in this world?

Grandmother Jia lowered her brows, opened her mouth, panted slightly, stared at Jia Jing, and finally sighed, a sense of powerlessness welling up in her heart.

Now that Jia Jing has reached his current position, and given his aloof and disobedient nature, Grandmother Jia truly has no way to deal with him.

When Jia Jing returned after being ennobled last time, she thought she could still control him to some extent.

But now, having been granted the title of First-Class Duke and achieved such a world-renowned feat, even the emperor in the palace treats him with great respect.

No matter how high her status is at home, what can an old woman like her do to him?

Filial piety was indeed very important in the Han Dynasty, and it could even be said to be above all other moral principles. Even the treacherous officials of the court were not known to be unfilial!

However, this thing is ultimately just a name without substance, very empty. As long as Jia Jing doesn't go too far, she can't accuse him of being unfilial!

After all, the Duke of Jing, a first-class duke, has rendered meritorious service to the country, brought glory to his ancestors, and wielded immense power. How could anyone dare to humiliate him!

Thinking of this, a sense of defeat welled up in Grandmother Jia's heart, and she waved her hand with a grim expression, saying:

"Fine! Do whatever you want! You have your reasons anyway!"

"Whether it's a matter of the household or the clan, you can make your own decisions. You don't need to tell this muddle-headed old woman like me!"

"From now on, don't even mention reforming the clan. Even if you get promoted and use your power to harass all my old relatives and friends, I won't utter a single question!"

Grandmother Jia's words were full of helplessness and complaints, clearly indicating that she was too lazy to bother with her third grandson's affairs anymore!

Of course, she hadn't originally intended to get involved, but as the conversation progressed, she got a little carried away by Jia Jing and the others' "muddled" scolding, which is why she spoke up to dissuade them!

Upon hearing this, Jia Jing glanced at Grandmother Jia and thought to himself: This is truly the prophetic world of the Dream of the Red Chamber.

What Grandmother Jia said unintentionally will soon come true.

He was already secretly preparing to reorganize the Shenjing Wuxun, and it was likely that many of the Jia family's old relatives and friends would be purged.

However, this matter was different from the minor matter of reorganizing the clan, so Jia Jing naturally wouldn't reveal a word about it at this time.

Jia Jing picked up the teacup and calmly sipped his tea, no longer nagging at Grandmother Jia.

In fact, his use of Grandmother Jia as a pretext as soon as he returned to the mansion was perhaps a way of making an example of her and warning the women in the inner quarters of both mansions not to cause trouble!

After all, during the time he was away from the mansion, some people there had been living too comfortably, with all sorts of petty schemes and tricks emerging. They had also lost sight of the situation and become somewhat disrespectful!

Regularly giving them a good beating, making them blush, sweat, ring the bell, and let the wind blow, will be more conducive to the long-term stability of the Jia family!

The hall fell silent for a moment, and a candle flame popped open with a crackling sound that was particularly crisp in the stillness.

Yuanyang peeked halfway in from outside the door, somewhat startled by the oppressive atmosphere in the hall, and whispered:

"My lord, my lady, the feast is ready. Shall we begin our meal?"

Grandmother Jia didn't say anything. She was already too angry to eat anything, even if the most delicious food were laid out in front of her!

Jia Jing stood up, the hem of his python robe trailing down, casting a shadow in the candlelight. He nodded.

He addressed the mandarin ducks:

"Let's set out the meal; everyone must be hungry."

Following Jia Jing's instructions, the old women and servants began to set up tables and chairs, and serve dishes and wine.

Because Jia Jing had specifically instructed that the event should be simple and not extravagant, it wasn't too grand.

Even the sons of the two families, such as Jia Baoyu, Jia Lan, and Jia Huan, who were still studying at the clan school, did not return.

After the dinner, night fell before everyone knew it, and they sat down again to chat.

Grandmother Jia's mood had improved somewhat by this time. She sat on the high couch, letting Yuanyang massage her head, and sighed:

"Now that the Eastern Mansion is to be stripped of its title, only the Rongguo Mansion will remain of the Rong and Ning Mansions. I truly don't know how I will explain this to the Rong and Ning families a hundred years from now!"

Sister Feng's phoenix eyes, framed by her slender, willow-leaf eyebrows, darted around, and her cherry-red lips moved slightly as she offered words of comfort:

"Grandma, there's no need to worry too much. Although the Eastern Mansion has lost its title, we now have the Duke of Jing's Mansion, which belongs to our third brother."

"My third brother's title of Duke of Jing is not only of the highest rank, but it is even more prestigious than that of the Ningguo Mansion."

"I imagine that in the future, when our ancestors hold ancestral rites, they'll all wonder, 'When did Ningguo Mansion change its name to Jingguo Mansion?'"

Sister Feng's words were so amusing that everyone in the hall chuckled softly.

Grandmother Jia glared at Fengjie. The old lady still held a grudge; she had just been betrayed by Fengjie, so how could she easily let it go?

She laughed and scolded:

"You wretched old man, even your ancestors could make fun of you!"

Sister Feng walked to Grandmother Jia's side with a charming smile and said:

"Our ancestors were such magnanimous people, just like your grandmother. They were all great figures who could hold a boat in their belly. How could they possibly hold a grudge against a poor man like me!"

"Besides, we have the support of our third brother."

"Our ancestors would be overjoyed to know they had such a promising descendant; they wouldn't care about arguing with an ignorant woman like me!"

Fengjie once again demonstrated her high emotional intelligence, praising Grandmother Jia, Jia Jing, and even the ancestors in one sentence!

To be honest, as long as she didn't have to choose between Grandmother Jia and Jia Jing, Sister Feng would still be happy to dress up in colorful clothes to entertain her relatives and make Grandmother Jia happy!

Madam Xing, who had long intended to flatter Jia Jing, saw this as an opportunity and, quick-witted, smiled and chimed in:

"If our ancestors knew that a third-class general from the Ningguo Mansion had been replaced by Jing-ge'er, a first-class duke, they would probably be more than happy if our Rongguo Mansion were stripped of its title!"

Everyone's expression froze upon hearing this. Was this really a compliment?

Although there was some good intention behind it, the removal of the title from the Ningguo Mansion was not just a matter of losing the title.

Jia Zhen and his son Jia Rong, heirs of the Ningguo Mansion, were also exiled, and Jia Zhen was even nearly executed!

If one day the Rongguo Mansion is stripped of its title, it must have done something wrong.

Even if they could be exchanged for a first-class duke, the fate of Jia She, Jia Lian, Feng Jie, and even Grandmother Jia would probably not be good!

Thinking about it more carefully, I'm afraid even Madam Xing herself, the head wife of the main house, can't escape being implicated!

So, did Madam Xing offend Grandmother Jia and Sister Feng with just one sentence, and even insult herself in the process?