The filial son of the Red Mansion

When Jia Rong went there, the entire family, including Youshi, You Lao Niang, You Erjie, and You Sanjie, were all in front of Jia Zhen.

A very strange phenomenon.

He saw Jia Zhen smiling. While eating the rice soup fed to him by Youshi, he was smiling at You Erjie and You Sanjie.

Jia Zhen said slowly, "You two younger sisters should live in the mansion from now on, so that they can take care of your elder sister."

Jia Rong also saw Jia Zhen's eyes flashing with viciousness when he found him. Everything seemed like an inexplicable magical phenomenon, but he knew in his heart that it was Jia Zhen's last burst of energy before his death, when his body's functions seriously declined, and his body was working at full strength for the last time.

Later, Jia She, Jia Zheng, Jia Lian and others from the West Mansion saw it and were amazed. Jia She and others thought Jia Zhen had improved.

Although Jia Zhen had difficulty speaking, he was still able to talk to his uncles and brothers in the West Mansion.

Soon, Jia's mother led Lady Xing, Lady Wang, Grandmother Zhu, Second Grandmother Lian, Baoyu and a group of girls over, accompanied by Grandmother Rong and Qin Keqing. The men in the building heard this, greeted Jia Zhen, and went upstairs to talk, leaving room for the women to visit.

Jia Rong also took this opportunity to leave the house and go to Xuanzhen Temple outside the city to pick up his grandfather Jia Jing.

"Poor child." Grandmother Jia, leaning on her crutch, couldn't hold back her tears when she saw Jia Zhen's look.

Jia Zhen didn't take it seriously. He opened his mouth wide and said slowly, "Grandson greets the old ancestor."

Grandmother Jia asked sympathetically, "How do you feel, my good child?"

Jia Zhen described an ugly smile on the withered face, "My grandson is unfilial and makes the old ancestor worried." Then he looked into the crowd again. Following the old lady were Xing, Wang, You, Wang Xifeng and others, but Qin Keqing was nowhere to be seen.

Jia's mother thought he was looking to see if Baoyu had come, so she comforted him, "Baoyu said he was the best to you, and he couldn't bear to see you look so haggard, so he didn't come in for fear of not being able to stop crying. He and his sisters are all next door, with Zhu'er's wife and Rong's wife accompanying them."

Jia Zhen felt extremely disappointed after hearing this, but he couldn't show it on his face.

Grandmother Jia had to give him some instructions before she led the ladies and the You family to another place upstairs. Grandmother Jia was knowledgeable and said, "Brother Zhen will not be around for long. Call up the wives of Zhen and Rong."

When Jia Zhen's funeral was being discussed in Ningguo Mansion, Jia Rong went to Xuanzhen Temple to meet Jia Jing.

But Jia Jing was also a peculiar person. He passed the imperial examination in his early years and was a real talent in the Ning and Rong mansions. Later, he changed his temperament for some reason and refused to accept the title or be an official.

After Xichun was born, Jia Jing moved out of Ningguo Mansion and practiced Taoism at Xuanzhen Temple. Xichun was taken to the West Mansion by Jia's mother and handed over to Xing.

So much so that when Jia Rong got married, Jia Jing, the grandfather, did not show up. He just practiced Taoism, burned elixirs and refined mercury, and fooled around with the Taoists in Xuanzhen Temple.

After hearing the news, Jia Jing's expression changed slightly, and he said, "Since we are in this world, we cannot escape death. It may not be a bad thing to shed our mortal bodies and return to the underworld."

Jia Rong was so confused that he couldn't understand what the old immortal wanted to say. He just said, "I'm afraid the master doesn't have much time. Please come back with your grandson to see the master."

Hearing this, Jia Jing smiled strangely, stretched his neck to stare at Jia Rong again and again, and said loudly like a lunatic: "Well, now I have finished with this worldly ties."

Jia Rong was stunned by this gesture, and even wondered, "Should I bury this lunatic on the road?"

Jia Jing's eyes were sharp, and he suddenly moved in front of Jia Rong and stared at him. "Rong boy, you are too violent!"

Plop, plop, plop.

Jia Rong could hear his heartbeat quickening, and his hands and feet felt cold.

At this time, Jia Zhen in Ningguo Mansion finally fell into a coma after less than an hour. His condition was much more serious than last night, with only a weak pulse left, and he could die at any time.

The women were shocked again when they heard the news. Mrs. You and the old lady of the You family hurried downstairs, but Qin Keqing could not help herself.

One cry, two lines of tears.

Keqing cried, "It's all my fault for bringing bad luck. As soon as I entered the house, I caused the master to be like this. If anything happens to the master, I, as the daughter-in-law, would hang myself to avoid causing harm to the master and the mistress in the future."

Keqing had already heard what Master Rong had said, and she had the same idea herself, so she cried with all her heart.

Wang Xifeng reacted very quickly and immediately supported Keqing. She said, "Those unruly servants are actually making up stories about their master behind his back. Brother Zhen accidentally ate the wrong thing, it has nothing to do with you."

All the attention in the room was drawn to him.

Everyone saw Keqing's long, thin eyebrows were tightly knitted, and her eyes were filled with tears. She was fair and tender, pretty, with delicate features, but her face was full of sorrow. She sat slumped in the chair, looking lost and miserable. She was really pitiful.

Grandmother Jia was originally annoyed that Jia Rong and Qin Shi had just gotten married and something like this had happened in the mansion. Now that she saw Qin Shi in such a state, how could she think of anything else? If Qin Shi really got into trouble, the Jia family would really become a topic of conversation and a joke among idle people after dinner. Who knows how it would end up being spread.

Being so old, Grandmother Jia knew clearly what was the dignity of the family, so she hurried to comfort him.

Xing, Wang and others also came up, and all of them, including the wives, grandmothers and maids, surrounded Keqing and tried to persuade her.

There were always some words of persuasion that touched the ladies' hearts. Grandmother Jia felt sorry for Qin and comforted her. "It is a blessing for Rong to marry you. How can it be unlucky? I like you better than I like Zhen'er and Rong."

Chapter 24: Father’s departure, son’s great filial piety

It was snowing, but not heavily.

The grandfather and grandson were speechless in the carriage, so Jia Rong lifted a corner of the side curtain to admire the white hemp dots falling in the air.

When he returned to Ningguo Mansion, perhaps because of the falling snow, he clearly felt that the atmosphere in the mansion was more deserted than in the previous few days.

At this point, he also clearly understood the deep bond between the Ning and Rong mansions. There were many things that he didn't need to ask actively, as Jia She, Jia Zheng, Jia Lian and other elders in the family had already reached a consensus.

The scene of bullying of the young that Jia Rong was wary of did not occur.

Whatever they wanted to do, whatever they wanted to buy, they followed the old rules. There were rules to follow, accounts to check, and they asked for his advice.

Jia Lian sent someone to find out about a high-quality coffin for the funeral he had been thinking about. Although it cost a lot of money, it was cheap compared to what Jia Zhen found for Qin Keqing in the original novel. Other white silk spirit banners were also being prepared, and the rhythm of this time felt like they were just waiting for Jia Zhen to ascend to heaven.

Jia Zheng said, "Don't worry, Rong'er. Nothing will go wrong in the mansion. You don't have to be too sad, and don't despise your uncles and aunts for starting to plan these things early. It's always better to be prepared. It's easier to fail to do everything if you wait until the last minute."

Although Jia Zheng is a mediocre person, he is a rare upright person in the Jia family.

Such a family has the best reputation. In the sequel to the original novel, after the two families fell into decline, Jia's mother took out her own private property for the Ning and Rong families to share. It can be considered that there is a bias in selfishness, but in major matters, there is no bias, and the happiness and misfortune are truly shared.

Jia Rong listened to the consolation and didn't know how to respond.

Fortunately, everyone just thought that he was immersed in sadness and couldn't respond, so no one cared.

As for Qin Keqing, she had to be comforted several times by Grandmother Jia before she finally gave up. Jia Rong and Qin Keqing, two inexperienced people, finally understood how difficult it was for everyone.

No matter how big or small the matter is, or the interactions with relatives and friends, it is really exhausting.

So much so that even at night, Jia Rong had no intention of doing that.

Jia Zhen lay like a corpse for two days. Occasionally, when he was a little conscious, the maids and servants fed him some cow and goat milk.

Early morning of the third day.

Wang Xifeng was sleeping soundly when she was suddenly awakened by the sound of knocking on the cloud board. She heard four iron sounds and someone outside announced the death: "Master Zhen of the East Palace is gone!"

When Sister Feng heard this, she hurriedly told Ping'er to get up, dress, and go to Mrs. Wang.

At that time, all the family members of Ning and Rong knew about this. They were all surprised and sighed. As peers and elders, they thought that although Jia Zhen had done many bad things in the past, the family was harmonious and close. Now that Zhen Zhen was gone, there was only Rong boy left in the east, and they suddenly felt a hundred kinds of emotions in their hearts.

But when Wang Xifeng arrived at her aunt Wang Fu-ren's place, she found that her aunt had already gotten up, so she followed her aunt to the old lady.

Soon, the Rong Mansion had all its carriages and horses ready, and countless servants escorted the women of the Rong Mansion to the Ning Mansion. When Wang Xifeng arrived in front of the mansion, she saw that the door of the mansion was wide open, and the lanterns on both sides were as bright as day. People were coming and going in a bustling manner, and the crying inside was shaking the mountains and hills.

Wang Xifeng got off the carriage first, asked the old lady for permission, and then led Ping'er to the coffin room in a hurry. She saw Youshi crying like a tearful person, and You's mother beside her cried even louder than Youshi, and the two sisters of the You family were also sobbing, and Qinshi, who was following behind, also had red eyes.

"Where is Rong'er?"

When You saw Fengjie, she cried, "Sister, you are finally here. Your brother was so cruel to leave like this. How are the old and young in the mansion going to support themselves in the future?"

Wang Xifeng frowned, resisted the urge to curse, and asked again where Jia Rong was.

Youshi said, "Rong'er was called away by the second master, leaving Qiang'er and the others to accompany the guests. Today, only you, my sister, can take care of the affairs in the mansion. Please don't refuse."

When Wang Xifeng heard that Jia Rong was called away by Jia Zheng, she felt relieved, for she was afraid that this idiot would make an embarrassing noise at this critical moment.

But she was reluctant to agree to what Youshi said. It was already winter, and there were many things to do in Rongguo Mansion, so she might not be able to split her attention. In addition, she was also helping her aunt, Madam Wang, to manage the inner house in Rongguo Mansion.

"Let's not talk about this for now. If my sister-in-law really wants my sister to help, I'm afraid she'll have to ask the second wife first."

As Wang Xifeng said this, she was thinking in her heart that if Rong'er came to ask for it, she would agree.

At this time, Rong'er, with tears in her eyes, first followed Jia Zheng and Jia Lian to meet the clan elders Jia Dairu and Jia Daixiu, and then paid homage to Jia Chi, Jia Xiao, Jia Dun and other relatives of Jia Jing's generation, as well as Jia Cong, Jia Gao, Jia Chen, Jia Qiong, Jia Lin, Jia Qiang, Jia Qin, Jia Chang, Jia Ling, Jia Yun and others.

When everyone saw him crying, many of them were moved and shed tears, thinking that Jia Rong was reluctant to leave his master.

Soon, the dispatched personnel had invited the Yin-Yang Department of the Imperial Observatory to come and select a date, and decided to keep the body for 49 days. During these 49 days, 108 Zen monks were invited to perform the Great Compassion Repentance in the hall to help the souls of the deceased and the deceased to be forgiven of their sins. Another altar was set up on the Tianxiang Tower to perform the 49-day ritual of resolving grievances and cleansing karma.

Jia Rong listened with tears in his eyes, and after a while he finally reacted.

The funeral will last for forty-nine days?

More than a month! What does this mean? It has directly spanned from mid-October to December.

Look at this snow in June... no, it’s snowing in October!

Jia Rong was originally just crying, but now he was really crying. He cursed in his heart: What the hell is this forty-nine days? Do I have to be a filial son in front of his coffin for forty-nine days?

He cried so hard that it was heartbreaking and everyone who heard him felt sad, and everyone who saw him cried.

So filial!

Seeing this, Jia Lian could not help but sigh: "Rong'er is so filial, if Brother Zhen knew about this, he would rest in peace!"

After seeing this, Baoyu couldn't help thinking in his heart: The friendship between Rong'er and Brother Zhen is so deep. I think Brother Zhen must have treated Rong'er very well in the past. If Brother Zhen's spirit is in heaven, he would be able to rest in peace after hearing Rong'er's crying.

Baoyu tilted his head and thought: I wonder what I will look like when my master dies?

The elders, young and old, tried to comfort Jia Rong, but it was all in vain, and Jia Rong's eyes were swollen from crying.

I couldn't stop the tears. I couldn't stop them at all.

Too pit!

In the morning, Jia Rong finally received good news. The emperor issued an edict that, in consideration of the Duke of Ning's virtue, Jia Rong would be demoted to the rank of Duke of Chengning and become a fourth-rank cavalry commander.

The Jia family went to the middle gate to welcome the emperor. Jia Rong cried even more than before and burst into tears. He thanked the emperor for his grace, thanked his ancestors for their grace, and cried for Jia Zhen. It was so difficult!

The red eyes from crying moved the eunuch who was delivering the imperial edict. He kept calling out, "Master Xiaorong, get up quickly! Get up quickly!"

Jia Lian took the silver and sent the eunuch away, then hurriedly called Jia Rong back to the place where the coffin was placed to comfort Jia Zhen's spirit in heaven, and then bring the imperial edict into the Jia family ancestral temple to inform the ancestors.

On the way back to the palace, the eunuch kept sighing: What a rare filial son in the world!

Chapter 25: Getting more and more handy

Whether one is filial or not is up to others to decide.

When Lady Jia saw Rong'er again, she was also shocked.

Jia Rong was no longer the elegant young man he used to be. His hair was wrinkled and his eyes were red and swollen, showing his pain. No matter how disliked he was in the past, seeing him like this quietly, no one could help but be moved.

Grandmother Jia advised him not to cry so as not to hurt his eyes and body.

Afterwards, he asked why his grandfather was nowhere to be seen.