Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

For the next two days, the words "visiting relatives" were circulating throughout the house, and even the servants and maids were talking about it, but no one really knew what was going on.

In Rongqing Hall, Grandmother Jia summoned all the heads of the two mansions.

Jia Zheng, Jia Zhen, Madam Xing, Madam Wang, Madam You, plus Wang Xifeng.

Wang Xifeng sat in the lowest seat, but her mood was both indignant and delighted.

Having been a granddaughter-in-law in the family for several years, this is the first time that she has the right to sit at a table during the elders' discussion!

In the past, when Grandmother Jia and others discussed serious matters, they would never call her. Even if she was curious, she could only shamelessly stay on the sidelines as an observer and dared not speak easily.

But today, she is busy making proper arrangements for the huge sum of money that was moved from the west wing...

She really didn't expect that those servants would be so honest and actually hand over so much silver!

That night, she sent more than 7,000 to the government for registration, and they kept 8,000 for themselves.

He was incredibly impressed with his husband; he managed to squeeze so much profit out of those shrewd people!

In comparison, before, even after a year of hard work and scheming, I could only earn a few thousand taels of silver, and I was extremely smug about it back then... After all, when I was a young lady in the Wang family, I was lucky to earn a hundred taels a year, so this was ten times more...

Only now do I realize that I was just a frog in a well before!

Sure enough, power brings in money faster. For example, I would never dare to extort money from those incredibly wealthy lackeys...

It is precisely because these heartless people have obtained titles that they all know they will soon become second-rank noblewomen. That is why the old lady and the madam are calling her today for such a thing!

Otherwise, why wouldn't they call their eldest sister-in-law?

Today, the old lady called everyone here to discuss the matter of visiting her family. The biggest difficulty in the family right now is that the silver in the official treasury is not enough to support such a big event.

But what did it matter to her? Anyway, the old ladies seemed to be just going through the motions when they called her, and they didn't ask her anything from beginning to end. They probably thought she wasn't capable and couldn't do much.

Hmph, how would they know how wealthy I am now...?

Alas, it's a pity that the heartless woman refused to hand over the money from selling the master's treasures to her for safekeeping!

That's a huge sum of money, the biggest fortune in their family in the eyes of outsiders, even the first wife is eyeing it...

That's fine then. Anyway, the heartless man is now focused on climbing the official ladder and has no interest in going out and fooling around. So let him keep an eye on things. There's no need to worry about the first wife coming to freeload.

Anyway, she knows exactly where he keeps the money!

The days of glory and prosperity filled Wang Xifeng with joy. Now, sitting idly in the hall, she couldn't help but secretly calculate her vast wealth, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her face.

"Feng girl, what do you mean? Feng girl...?"

"Huh? Oh..."

Wang Xifeng was distracted and didn't quite hear what Grandmother Jia had just said to her.

However, she was quick-witted and, based on the context, could guess what Grandmother Jia was talking about. So she smiled and said, "What the old lady says is true. Such a great favor is rare to see throughout the history of dynasties."

Our family is so lucky to have encountered such a thing, how could we possibly let it go?

In my opinion, let alone two or three hundred thousand taels of silver, even if our family sells everything we own, we must do this well and make it a great success.

Even if we have to be more frugal in the future, we absolutely cannot let our lady suffer any injustice!

Alas, I only regret that I am incompetent. If I had a hundred thousand taels of silver, I would have given out this money all by myself, so that the old lady and the master and mistress wouldn't have to worry about it..."

Wang Xifeng's words caused everyone present to roll their eyes.

Everyone in the mansion knows that you, Feng Lazi, are a miser. Apart from spending money on the old lady to please her, you're as stingy as a miser to everyone else.

You paid the money all by yourself...

Don't tell me you don't have the ability; even if you really had that much money, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to come up with a single extra penny!

Everyone inwardly criticized Wang Xifeng for being all talk and no action, but Grandmother Jia smiled and asked, "Oh? Since you put it that way, I won't let you pay for everything yourself. Just tell me, how much can you contribute?"

"Oh, you're joking, ma'am. My meager possessions are hardly worthy of your attention. If you just casually pull something out of your trunk, I'd be ecstatic. I wouldn't dare get involved in such an important matter."

Sure enough, they backed down as soon as things got serious.

Yu and the others shook their heads with amusement.

Grandmother Jia refused to let her off the hook and continued to pressure her, saying, "I don't care about your meager earnings. Don't be afraid, your mistress and I have already discussed the money, and we have roughly raised it!"

However, such a major event requires countless expenses, and if there are any omissions in the future, you will probably have to make up for them with your meager savings.

Just tell me, when the time comes, how much can you afford to contribute?

Yuan Chun was Lady Wang's daughter, but like the three sisters, she grew up by Grandmother Jia's side from a young age. Moreover, because Grandmother Jia had more energy in those years, she put a lot of effort into raising her.

Therefore, Grandmother Jia's feelings for Yuan Chun were no less than those for Lady Wang.

The palace has granted imperial grace, allowing the imperial concubines to return to their maternal homes to visit their families. What an important favor this is for the imperial concubines who, once they enter the palace, can never return home for the rest of their lives.

The significance of this goes far beyond simply going home to see one's mother and elders!

Since they already felt indebted to Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang, they naturally wanted to do everything they could to make this important matter happen.

They had originally considered having the rest of the family contribute money, but then they thought that firstly, the others were not very wealthy, and secondly, if they were asked to contribute, they would inevitably harbor resentment and not be as proactive in carrying out the project, which would be a waste of this momentous occasion.

After much deliberation, she still felt that the best solution was for the two of them to cover the cost.

Fortunately, the Jia family was indeed large and wealthy. Even though there was a shortage of funds in the government, the two of them carefully calculated and were able to transfer a considerable amount of money from their own household and from both the capitals of the north and south. In reality, the amount they actually had to make up was not much.

Seeing that she couldn't avoid it, Wang Xifeng decisively changed her strategy and said with a smile, "Since the old lady says so, I'll go all out and not be afraid of the old lady's dislike or ridicule."

I haven't been in this business long, and I haven't accumulated much wealth.

Fortunately, when I got married, my second uncle and aunt treated me well and gave me a dowry. Although it couldn't compare to what my wife received back then, it was still quite decent.

Unfortunately, I was tricked and swindled a lot by Master Lian over the years...

Everyone laughed upon hearing this.

Everyone knows that this is why Grandmother Jia likes Wang Xifeng; with her around, she can always make everyone laugh.

"Since the old lady has asked about this, I won't hide anything anymore. There are still five thousand taels of silver in the house. If the old lady is interested, I will take it all out for important matters in the house. At worst, I will just tighten my belt and live frugally. I don't think the mansion will let me go hungry."

Wang Xifeng seemed to have made a huge decision, and after speaking, she made a pained expression.

Everyone just smiled and said that they didn't expect Wang Xifeng to do anything anyway.

Putting everything else aside, she and Jia Lian have only been married for a short time, and their family has only started to take up official positions in the last two years. Even if they don't only have five thousand taels of silver as Wang Xifeng said, they shouldn't have much more.

Only Madam Wang glanced at Wang Xifeng sideways.

Little brat, still pretending in front of me...

Putting everything else aside, just the one pole at Jingxu's Shuiyue Nunnery alone cost you two several thousand taels of silver!

He embezzled money from the servants the other day, and probably pocketed a share of it too. Who would believe him if he said something like that now?

Grandmother Jia certainly didn't really want Wang Xifeng to contribute money. They could handle most of it themselves, so why let someone else share the credit over a mere five thousand?

So he just smiled and continued discussing the next matter.

With the issue of funding largely resolved, the next step is to discuss how and where to build the palace.

First, there's the issue of site selection.

Jia Zhen: "These past two days I've sent people out to inquire, and several families in the palace with concubines are all making preparations."

Among them, the father of Consort Zhou in the palace has decided to start construction at home to renovate the detached residence for the imperial visit, and has already hired various craftsmen.

There's also Consort Wu from the palace. The Wu family is wealthy, and they were busy spreading the word about it that very day. Yesterday, I heard that the patriarch of the Wu family, Wu Tianyou, personally led a group of people to scout out a location outside the city. It seems he wants to choose an auspicious place to build a garden!

Given our current situation, do you, Grandma and Grandpa, think it's better to rebuild our house at home, or to do what the Wu family did and build a new house elsewhere?

What Jia Zhen said was also crucial.

In matters like this, saving face is the most important thing.

Needless to say, Consort Zhou was several ranks lower than Yuan Chun.

Consort Wu, naturally, held a higher rank than Yuan Chun.

Therefore, each company must compare its practices with others. They should strive to make their designs look good, but they can't go too far, or they'll offend people.

Jia Zheng thought for a moment and said, "If we go outside to look at places, it will not only cost a lot of money, but it will also be inconvenient for the Empress to return to her hometown in the future."

What I mean is, it's the same to break ground at home.

Anyway, our house is big enough; we should be able to carve out a piece of land for it.

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang said, "Although our house is large, the main hall and the old lady's courtyard must not be touched."

So, the East Courtyard (not the East Side Courtyard) and the surrounding servants' houses can all be demolished, but I'm afraid the space is still too small...

As a mother, Lady Wang was mainly there to see Yuan Chun when she returned home for her visit. How could she possibly not prepare a spacious and grand place for Yuan Chun to stay?

Although the main buildings in front of the Rongguo Mansion cannot be moved, the movable parts in the back seem insufficient.

Therefore, Lady Wang couldn't help but look at Jia Zhen and his wife below.

The same applies to Jia Zheng.

Jia Zhen's heart skipped a beat, and he vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

Could it be that they've set their sights on their territory?

The Ning and Rong mansions were built simultaneously during the reign of Emperor Taizu and stand side by side, separated only by a narrow passageway.

The part of their Ningguo Mansion that is adjacent to the Rongguo Mansion has the Jia family ancestral hall in front of it, so naturally it cannot be moved.

Behind the Jia Clan Ancestral Hall is the grand garden of Ningguo Mansion—Huifang Garden!

Jia Zhen understood immediately; good heavens, they were waiting for him here.

Huifang Garden was the largest and most iconic property in Ningguo Mansion. Because of its picturesque scenery, Jia Zhen and his wife often invited their mother, Jia Mu, to go there to enjoy the scenery.

He understood Jia Zheng and the others' scheme perfectly well.

Huifang Garden is so wonderful. If the wall between the two mansions were demolished and incorporated into the imperial palace, it would be a top-notch landscape without any additional expense. With just a little renovation, it would be a masterpiece of natural beauty!

Jia Zhen fell silent.

Madam You looked around, and in this situation, she dared not speak rashly.

The couple remained silent, and Jia Zheng and his wife dared not press them, so for a moment no one spoke.

Grandmother Jia watched from above, and sighed inwardly.

Although the two governments are as close as family, they always discuss and handle important matters together.

However, moving the ancestral home would be too much of a loss for the Ningguo family, and they probably wouldn't be willing to do so.

If we insist on continuing the discussion, it might damage the relationship between the two governments.

That's enough. This matter needs to be discussed privately, with reason and emotion.

When Yuan-chun became an imperial concubine, it wasn't just the Rongguo Mansion that received honor, but the entire Jia family, including the eldest branch, the Ningguo Mansion.

If we could get the Ningguo Prefecture to part with Huifang Garden, this important matter would be half as simple, so we must make it happen no matter what.

If all else fails, we'll have to offer tens of thousands of taels of silver to get Zhen'er to agree...

Having made up her mind, Grandmother Jia changed the subject, looking at Wang Xifeng and asking, "Why hasn't your Lian Er returned yet? What's he busy with every day?"

"Don't mention him, old lady. These past few days, it's been rare to see him come home."

It was said to be the princess's birthday, and the crown prince wanted to hold a spring outing and picnic outside the city to celebrate his sister's birthday.

I heard that a large number of princes and grandsons of the emperor will be attending.

Fearing for safety, the imperial court sent him to lead troops to set up defenses.

Everyone knows that the Military Affairs Division does these dirty and tiring jobs, so it's not surprising.

So he's been busy with this for the past two days, going out of town several times a day, and coming back exhausted every night.

I told him to be smarter and to delegate any difficult tasks to his subordinates, instead of being so honest, but he wouldn't listen.

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia and the others each had their own plans.

In the end, Jia Lian was out of their sight.

In all serious consideration, this should be considered a good thing. The Crown Prince is the future Emperor. If he can make a good impression on the Crown Prince beforehand, his future will be bright!

"You say he's honest, but aren't you the same?"

I often hear him say that you should take better care of your health, but you never listen.

I think your Lian Er is becoming more and more promising. If this continues, he might even get promoted someday.

If you don't take care of yourself and give him a son soon, aren't you afraid he'll become rich and unfaithful?

Grandmother Jia jokingly teased Wang Xifeng.

Wang Xifeng blushed immediately, too embarrassed to refute Grandmother Jia.

Just then, they heard a voice outside saying, "Second Master Lian is back."

Grandmother Jia and the others hurriedly said, "Go and call him over quickly."

Now, matters at home can no longer be handled without Jia Lian, especially important ones like this, where his presence is essential.

Chapter 213 Discussion