Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The room finally quieted down considerably. Daiyu quietly walked to Jia Lian's side, looking at him with some concern, and softly comforted him, "Second Brother, please accept my condolences..."

Just like when her mother passed away, Jia Lian advised her.

The play was over, and Jia Lian no longer needed to pretend. Seeing Daiyu's state, he nodded gently to her and said, "Don't worry, Sister Lin, I'm fine."

Tan Chun and the others, who were originally surrounding Ying Chun, also came over one by one and said a few heartfelt words.

Jia Lian agreed.

When Daiyu saw this, she thought to herself, "Second Brother Lian was clearly so sad just now, but when they came to comfort him, he still treated them with the best attitude. This shows Second Brother Lian's character. If he didn't have such a dignified demeanor, how could he always be so kind to them?"

Wang Xifeng came in and said that Grandmother Jia wanted them to go out and discuss something.

Jia Lian nodded and, together with Wang Xifeng, helped Madam Xing out.

At this time, all unrelated people, both inside and outside, had been driven away, and Jia Zhen also brought You Shi and others over.

Therefore, at this moment, all the people who could make decisions in the two Jia families had arrived.

"You two sit down too, I have something to say to you."

At this moment, only Grandmother Jia, Jia Zheng, Lady Wang, and Jia Zhen and his wife were sitting in the hall.

When Grandmother Jia saw Madam Xing and Jia Lian, she offered them seats. Wang Xifeng, who came out at the same time, could only sheepishly stand to the side.

In this situation, she wouldn't get a seat.

Grandmother Jia then asked Madam Xing, "We were just discussing how to handle your master's funeral arrangements, so we wanted to ask you how much money you have left. Is it enough to cover your master's funeral expenses?"

We're all family, so we roughly know how much each person has in terms of wealth.

That's why Grandmother Jia and others had this concern.

Madam Xing stammered, not daring to lie or cover up the truth for fear of taking responsibility. She could only say, "There are about three or four thousand taels of silver left in the treasury... I don't know the exact amount, I'll have to ask the accountant."

Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of Grandmother Jia, Jia Zheng, Jia Zhen, and others instantly became lively.

Even Grandmother Jia was at a loss for words, unsure whether to scold Madam Xing or to lament for her.

When the family decided to assign Jia She to this side, they completed the construction of all the courtyards there and divided the silver reserves in the Rongguo Mansion's treasury into four parts. Jia She and Jia Zheng each received one part, while Grandmother Jia and the old Duke also kept one part for their retirement.

Since Jia Zheng was in charge of taking care of the elderly in the main courtyard, the two portions belonging to Grandmother Jia and the old Duke were left untouched and remained in the official treasury for Jia Zheng and his wife to manage.

In addition, about one-third of the income from all the land and property under the Rongguo Mansion's name is sent to the East Wing each year.

One portion for the elderly mother, and one portion for each of the two brothers. Grandmother Jia felt that she had not shown favoritism to either of them.

After all, if such a relatively fair and reasonable system cannot be achieved, not to mention outsiders, there would probably be endless rumors and gossip at home as well.

Even so, in just over ten years, although the main courtyard was not as luxurious as before, it still maintained the prestige of the Duke's mansion. Every year, the number of guests arriving and departing was never short.

But Jia She is now telling her that there are only three or four thousand taels of silver in the treasury?

Therefore, even though Grandmother Jia felt she shouldn't have lost her temper that evening, she couldn't help but look at Madam Xing and say coldly, "You two, you really know how to manage a household well!"

Madam Xing shrank her neck and buried her head, not daring to utter a single word.

Suppressing her anger, Grandmother Jia said coldly, "Although your master does not hold an official position outside, he still carries the family's hereditary title and is of the first rank."

Even if his funeral cannot be a grand affair, it must not be meager. Otherwise, even if you can accept it in your hearts, your relatives and friends will surely laugh at you.

"What can three or four thousand taels of silver do?"

Funerals were of paramount importance among aristocratic families. For ordinary people, the amount of money given was negotiable. However, for someone of Jia She's status, it was absolutely impossible for three or four thousand taels of silver to settle his funeral arrangements.

The matriarch and others knew exactly what kind of person's status they were, the proper funeral arrangements, and how much it would cost.

Of course, if you want to show off and be extravagant, there's no limit to the cost...

Faced with this questioning, Madam Xing quickly replied, "My husband's study contains over a dozen large boxes of antique treasures. If we were to sell them, we could certainly get a lot of money, perhaps enough to cover his funeral expenses..."

"The person is already dead, and money will be needed everywhere right away. Do you expect me to pawn my family's assets before we start making preparations?"

Besides, if you drain your entire fortune on his funeral arrangements, what will your dozens of people eat and drink? That's utterly foolish."

Faced with Grandmother Jia's blunt questioning and reprimands, Madam Xing had no temper at all and simply gave up any hope of getting away with it.

He thought to himself, "He's still your son. I don't believe you can just ignore him."

Grandmother Jia naturally wanted to intervene, but she didn't want to do so in a muddled way.

She looked at Wang Xifeng and Jia Lian beside her and said, "Your mistress is getting old and it's inconvenient for her to manage affairs. I'm entrusting you two with the full planning and arrangements for your master's funeral."

"Feng'er, stop trying to be brave. Put everything aside and focus all your attention on your master's funeral arrangements."

Sister Feng looked puzzled... She liked to take charge and show off her power, but she didn't want to be a poor servant!

Hearing that there were only a few thousand pieces of silver here, he still volunteered to carry the load. Forget about showing off and getting benefits; he'd probably lose all the little bit of wealth he'd painstakingly accumulated.

She was thinking these things, but when she heard Jia Lian bow and agree, she could only nod in response.

When Grandmother Jia saw this, she sighed inwardly. She had thought Feng was better than Lian, but when it came to important matters, men were the more reliable ones.

So he sighed and said, "Given your current situation, it will definitely be difficult for you to maintain your position for the time being."

However, your father's matter is of great importance and cannot be taken lightly!

"Here's what we'll do. I'll take out six thousand taels of silver, and your wife will take another four thousand taels from the official funds over there, making a total of ten thousand taels. Even if that's still a little short, it should be within reasonable limits."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian felt that he should do something, both publicly and privately.

Therefore, he hurriedly stood up, bowed deeply to Grandmother Jia, and said, "Thank you for your kind heart, Grandmother. Your grandson expresses his gratitude!"

Sister Feng's eyes also brightened up instantly.

Hey, if you have money, that makes things easier.

At this moment, Madam Wang showed no sign of objection, even though she had been mentally prepared for it long before.

She knew the situation in the east courtyard very well!

She had discussed it with Jia Zheng long ago, and they both knew that this blow was inevitable sooner or later.

Unexpectedly, Grandmother Jia was willing to take on the lion's share herself.

She exchanged a glance with Jia Zheng and said, "His uncle's affairs are also our family's affairs. No matter how incompetent the younger generation is, we should not cause the old lady to spend money and worry about such matters. That would be too inappropriate and would make us ashamed."

"Alright then, aside from the four thousand taels of silver from the government, the old lady's six thousand will be contributed by my husband and me, with an additional three thousand from the government. While this might still be a bit short, I'm sure it will be enough for the eldest madam and Feng'er."

Lady Wang's words were brilliant; the total amount remained the same, only the six thousand taels of silver that Grandmother Jia wanted to pay were removed.

Even Jia Lian couldn't help but think this woman was formidable.

This not only showed her filial piety to Grandmother Jia, but also demonstrated her magnanimity as the mistress of the Rongguo Mansion. It's believed that after hearing Lady Wang's words, Grandmother Jia and everyone else would admire her even more from the bottom of their hearts.

Putting aside the issue of political stance, Madam Wang's level of sophistication far surpasses that of Madam Xing and Jia She.

With Lady Wang's assistance, it's no surprise that Jia Zheng was able to keep Jia She and his wife in check. Not to mention that after their daughter became an imperial concubine, she held Jia She completely in check, not daring to utter a single word...

As expected, Grandmother Jia found Lady Wang increasingly pleasing to the eye, but she still insisted, "It's rare that you have such a kind heart. In that case, there's no need to make up the three thousand taels from the government. You've been supporting such a large family business for quite some time, how can the government be short of money?"

Since you are so willing, just contribute your own three thousand, and I will keep my six thousand unchanged, thus making a total of thirteen thousand.

Add to that the few thousand they have here, and then break off all the scrap metal he'd collected before, and that should be enough."

Lady Wang and Jia Zheng could only nod in agreement.

Lady Wang was still a little puzzled. She thought that even if Jia She was of noble status, taking out 10,000 taels of silver to handle his funeral would be decent enough. Why did Grandmother Jia seem to want as much silver as possible?

Is it really true that you only feel more heartache after your child dies?

After they finished speaking, Jia Zhen, who was sitting to the side, said slowly but very sincerely, "Although I am a junior, I should do my part now that the master has passed away."

Since even Madam has contributed three thousand taels of silver, I'll also contribute three thousand taels. It's my way of helping Brother Lian, as his elder brother.

Just as Grandmother Jia was about to nod, Jia Lian, who had only been sitting down for a short while, immediately stood up, cupped his hands to Jia Zhen, and said, "I appreciate Brother Zhen's kindness."

I already felt very uneasy and ashamed that my father's funeral expenses had cost my grandmother and wife so much.

How dare I ask Brother Zhen for more money?

If word gets out, it will make things even more difficult for my younger brother.

"Don't worry, Brother Zhen. I've saved up some money over the years, and with the money given to me by the old lady and her family, I should be able to support myself for the rest of my life."

"this……"

Jia Zhen felt a little embarrassed. If it weren't for the fact that he was the clan leader, and if it weren't for the fact that he still wanted to win over Jia Lian, would he be willing to take out this pile of silver?

Three thousand taels! That's no small sum. In the capital, it could buy a multi-courtyard house!

Grandmother Jia then realized that while it was normal for members of the same clan to help each other, it made the eldest branch of the family seem too weak to intervene in such an unnecessary matter.

Therefore, he said to Jia Zhen, "We know what you're thinking, but he's right. We're still managing to stay afloat, so it's not good to let you pay for it."

However, although Feng is usually strong, she hasn't been in our family for long and hasn't experienced any major events.

Your wife has experience with the wives in your area; she's knowledgeable. If you're willing, you could have her come and help them with the arrangements. That would be more thoughtful than simply giving them money.

Since Grandmother Jia had said so, how could Jia Zhen refuse? He also instructed You Shi that even if she came over, she should not act on her own, but should seek advice from Madam Xing, Jia Lian, and Wang Xifeng.

Lady You listened to everything, glanced at Jia Lian discreetly, but made no further comment.