Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Without Jia Lian making any effort to conceal himself, the old women quickly spotted him and scattered in surprise, pretending to be on their way to do something.

"Everyone who was here just now, go to the inner steward's office and receive twenty strokes of the cane."

"How dare you not go..."

Jia Lian glanced at them coldly, and before he could finish speaking, he turned down the corridor and went to Grandmother Jia's main room.

The few servants left in the courtyard looked at each other, ultimately resigning themselves to their misfortune.

Fortunately, it was only twenty strokes of the cane. If Master Lian had been truly angry and wanted to punish them, the things they had just said would have been enough for him to deal with them horribly...

……

"Grandson greets the old lady."

Upon arriving at Grandmother Jia's main room, they only saw Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, Jia Baoyu, and Daiyu. The others were presumably with Wang Xifeng.

Besides Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, Jia Baoyu, and Daiyu were also wearing mourning clothes.

"Lian'er, I heard someone from the palace has arrived?"

"Yes, Madam, it was a eunuch from Chonghua Palace who came to offer his condolences."

"Did he say he had nothing else? Did the Emperor Emeritus send him on his behalf?"

Unlike her usual composure, Grandmother Jia asked three questions in a row upon meeting him.

Jia Lian didn't find it strange. Grandmother Jia was naturally cautious and timid, and given the past secrets of Qin Shi in the family, it was easy to understand why she would be worried about people from the palace.

"He didn't say much, he just paid his respects before my father's spirit and left, without leaving any offerings."

As for whether it was the Emperor Emeritus's will, he didn't say. But in my opinion, a eunuch who has no connection with our family would certainly not come to our house without the Emperor Emeritus's decree.

The grandson guessed that the Emperor Emeritus must have remembered the good things his grandfather had done for him, so when he heard that his father had passed away, he sent someone to check on our family's situation. This was a good thing.

Grandmother Jia's gaze was deep. After hearing Jia Lian's words, she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "If it is as you say, then it is indeed a good thing."

After speaking, he looked at Jia Lian and asked, "How is the situation on your side? Are you managing to take care of your relatives?"

"Reporting to the old lady, everything is fine on our end."

With Master and Brother Zhen taking care of things outside, I feel much more relaxed. As for things inside, thanks to the old lady sending Sister-in-law You from the other side to help manage things, she's very experienced. With her helping Feng'er with the internal affairs, nothing went wrong.

Grandmother Jia then asked a few more specific questions, which Jia Lian answered one by one.

After hearing this, Grandmother Jia said, "I know you are reliable in handling matters, but there is one more thing I need to tell you, and I hope you won't find it long-winded. Your father was a first-rank official, and so many people are watching over his funeral arrangements. We cannot be careless in the slightest."

We'd rather spend more money than let outsiders laugh at us.

For example, the number of monks and Taoist priests performing rituals daily from the ceremonial gate to the main hall should be increased. Here's what we'll do: after the first seven days (of mourning) and before the second seven days (of mourning), you should have people go to various temples and Taoist monasteries to invite more people back, making a total of 108 monks and 108 Taoist priests. We'll also hire 81 kneeling mourners in blue robes, 81 wailing nuns and Taoist priestesses, and 49 musicians to arrange the sheng, drums, and suona (traditional Chinese wind instruments). We should make it as grand as possible.”

Jia Lian frowned upon hearing this and said, "In that case, I'm afraid we won't be able to make the necessary arrangements on our side..."

The east courtyard is already overcrowded. Sister Feng is so busy every day arranging seating, meals, and lodging for everyone inside and outside the courtyard that she is working herself to the bone. If more people are to be added, even if all the rooms were converted into makeshift beds, it would still be impossible to accommodate them all.

"I've already spoken to your wife. If you can't accommodate her there, then we'll move her to this courtyard. Don't worry about the hassle; it'll only take about twenty days."

Don't worry about the money...

As she spoke, Grandmother Jia gave a look to the old women around her, and seven or eight servants moved at the same time, carrying out three large boxes from inside.

One of the boxes was clean, while the other two were dusty, clearly indicating that they were stock that had been stored for a long time...

When Grandmother Jia ordered the door to be opened, a dazzling white light immediately shone through!

Inside the two wooden boxes, large silver ingots were neatly stacked, with no bottom in sight and no indication of how many layers they were stacked in.

Such a dazzling scene left not only the maids watching with their mouths and eyes wide open in an "o" shape, but even Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu were momentarily stunned by the sight.

How much silver must that cost...?

"Each box here contains a full two thousand taels of silver, including the four thousand I haven't given you yet, and the two thousand your wife hasn't given you. It's all here. Have someone carry it to your place later to cover your expenses. This is what I promised you that night, and now I'm fulfilling my promise."

Jia Lian was slightly surprised. Why were Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang suddenly so agreeable?

I thought that even if they were too embarrassed to break their promise, they would at least procrastinate.

Glancing at Madam Wang's blank expression and the pained look on her face when she glanced at the silver in the box, Jia Lian thought to himself: Perhaps she was forced by Grandmother Jia...

So Jia Lian, feigning inexplicable gratitude, bowed to Grandmother Jia and then to Lady Wang, expressing his thanks.

Madam Wang responded calmly.

"Since that's what the old lady says, I'll do as she instructs."

"But that would be even more trouble for you, sir and madam. I'm afraid we'll have to bring all the people we can't accommodate here to this courtyard," Jia Lian said.

Madam Wang said, "What trouble is there? We're family, so let's not be formal. We should do whatever it takes for the master's funeral."

However, I'm not feeling well enough to be of much help. Fortunately, you and Feng'er both used to be in charge of the household here, so you're familiar with everything, both inside and outside the household. You can figure things out yourselves and handle things yourselves; you don't need to report back to me about everything."

After exchanging a few polite words, seeing Jia Lian nodding repeatedly and looking very grateful, Madam Wang finally couldn't help but say:

"However, there is one thing: when relatives come to pay their respects, some will bring offerings. Although it is just a token gesture, we should not be careless."

If you and Fengya accept gifts from others, you should register them carefully and send them to the authorities for record-keeping. This way, we can reciprocate in the future if such a thing happens.

You've all been through this before, so you naturally understand this principle; I'm just giving you this advice for now.

At this moment, because Grandmother Jia did not want Jia Baoyu and Daiyu to stand with Jia Lian, and seeing that Lady Wang still had something to say to Jia Lian, she asked him to sit down.

Jia Baoyu and Daiyu were not sensitive to these matters and thought that Lady Wang was simply giving Jia Lian a simple instruction.

Grandmother Jia immediately understood the meaning behind it, and after a moment's thought, she grasped the underlying principle.

Under her arrangement, the eldest son's family used to enjoy wealth and luxury, while the second son's family was responsible for managing the household, and they lived in harmony. Now that Jia She is dead, the drawbacks of the "two masters in one family" model have indeed been exposed.

Grandmother Jia already had a plan in mind, but she still wanted to hear how Jia Lian would respond, so she remained silent.

Jia Lian had anticipated that Lady Wang might bring up this topic, so he was prepared. Upon hearing this, he seemed to think for a moment, and then said to Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang, "Actually, I've always had a question, but I've never dared to ask it."

"I was deeply moved by how much effort my husband and wife put into my father's funeral arrangements. That's why I wanted to say this in front of the old lady. I hope you won't take it to heart."

Everyone in the room was surprised. Master Lian was now a high-ranking official of the fourth rank. Was there any question he dared not ask?

Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang, however, keenly sensed something. Grandmother Jia stared intently at Jia Lian, seeing his sincere gaze and seemingly innocent demeanor. Recalling what Jia Lian had said to her that day, she felt a little more at ease and murmured:

"We're all family, so if you have something to say, just say it. Does your wife really have ulterior motives towards you?"

Grandmother Jia thought to herself, while she is still alive, perhaps it's time to talk things out. Dragging it out might not be a good thing; speaking it out will prevent them from harboring their own thoughts and becoming suspicious of each other.