The filial son of the Red Mansion

It turned out that Jia Jing had seen Jia Zhen from afar once on the day he came back, and since then he has been practicing in a clean room next to the ancestral hall, only asking people to send him some meals every day, and would not see anyone who came.

Today the news of Jia Zhen's death spread. Jia Jing, who thought he would ascend to heaven sooner or later, said he did not want to be involved in the cause and effect, and told Jia Rong to take care of it himself.

After hearing this, Jia's mother was furious, but she could do nothing about it. She cursed quietly, "Cultivating immortals, you have lost your humanity."

So, Jia's mother went back to the coffin of Jia Rong and mourned with Qin Keqing. She left everyone in the East Palace to sit for a while, and then returned to the west with Yuanyang Amber in her arms.

At this time, Youshi and the sisters of the You family left the mourning hall, found the inner family, knelt down in front of Mrs. Xing and Mrs. Wang, and greeted them, and directly stated the purpose of their visit. They wanted to ask Wang Xifeng to handle the funeral.

Mrs. Wang knew Fengjie's true colors best, and knew that she loved to take on tasks and show off her abilities. Mrs. Wang was also worried that although Fengjie was a good head of the household, she had never handled weddings or funerals. If she couldn't handle it well, people would laugh at the fact that there was no one at home.

You said sadly, "Rong'er's wife is new to the family, she is young and has no experience. Unfortunately, my nephew is incompetent and can't handle things due to his grief."

After hearing this, Mrs. Wang thought about it carefully and realized that there was indeed no one in the East Palace. Jia Rong was in charge of the affairs outside, and even if Jia Rong didn't understand something, the masters of the family would help him; but the inner house lacked someone to take care of it.

Mrs. Wang had stopped caring about things a long time ago, and there was no reason for her to preside over her nephew's funeral. The same went for Mrs. Xing.

Since Youshi is unable to manage the affairs of the government, the best candidate is really only Fengjie.

She was deep in thought and glanced at Xing again.

Xing smiled and said, "She is not in charge of my affairs. You make the decision."

After hearing this, Mrs. Wang replied to Mrs. You, "Mrs. Feng is very proud, so you have to talk to her about this matter. If she agrees, I don't mind. But there are many things that you, as her sister-in-law, have to watch over her and don't let her do whatever she wants."

After getting Mrs. Wang's permission, Youshi finally felt relieved.

It's not that she really doesn't want to be in charge, nor is it that she really can't be in charge. It's just that she has never been in charge of the inner house before, and now that the master is gone, she has taken over the power of the inner house. Not to mention how outsiders think of her, it also depends on how Rong Ge'er and Qin Shi think of her.

At this time, it is better not to fight or compete and avoid suspicion than to cause unnecessary trouble.

At this time, Youshi did not go directly to Wang Xifeng, but went to Jia Rong and Qin Keqing. She first said that she was not able to manage the matter and wanted to ask Wang Xifeng for help, but was rejected. Then the second wife also agreed that Wang Xifeng should come to handle the case.

Jia Rong could sense Youshi's dilemma.

Knowing that this was not a difficult task, she was even more familiar with Wang Xifeng and Youshi's background. Wang Xifeng had only been in charge of the inner house of Rongguo Mansion for a short time, so she was eager to take on a big case and make it perfect to impress others.

As for why he didn't agree to Youshi's request directly, the reason was even simpler.

Firstly, Feng Ji and Youshi did not get along well, and secondly, if Wang Xifeng agreed easily, it would seem that she was kind and could be bullied.

Jia Rong immediately put on a filial look and said, "Madam, don't worry. I'll take care of this matter. I'll ask Aunt to agree to help."

At this time, Wang Xifeng was just as he thought, waiting for him to ask for help.

Sister Feng gently put down the teacup, pretending to be unaware of Jia Rong's intentions, and asked in confusion, "Rong'er is not in front of the coffin, why is she here?"

Sitting in this room were all young ladies. Grandma Zhu, Li Wan, also looked at Jia Rong suspiciously, and Yingchun, Tanchun, Xichun, Daiyu and others beside her also looked curious.

Among them, Xichun, the youngest, had the ugliest expression.

As the biological daughter of Jia Jing and the younger sister of Jia Zhen, she thought that her nephew Jia Rong was asking her to move back to the East Palace.

But Jia Rong didn't care whether Xichun lived in the East Mansion or the West Mansion. If she felt comfortable living in the West Mansion, she could live there, and she was welcome to return to the East Mansion anytime.

Jia Rong would never try to persuade a girl who has been so opinionated and stubborn since she was young.

There is no difference between the East Palace and the West Palace!

Jia Rong greeted the aunts and uncles in the room and said, "My nephew has something to ask you, aunt. Would you mind going to the next room to talk?"

Wang Xifeng said in a dignified manner, "There is no outsider in the room. We are all family. What can't we say face to face?"

Ouch? It's installed!

It was you who asked me to say it to your face, don't blame me later.

Jia Rong sniffed softly, and his eyes, which were still red and swollen, blinked a little to reveal a sparkling gleam.

With a sad face, he squatted down slowly and held Wang Xifeng's right hand with both hands.

He pleaded, "It's just an embarrassing incident in the east. Now the master is gone, the wife is too sad to manage the affairs, and my nephew's wife has just married and has not experienced any major events. Now there is no one in the inner house who can manage the government."

Wang Xifeng secretly tried to pull her hand away, but it was impossible. She cursed inwardly: "You bastard, you have no manners at all when so many people are watching."

Jia Rong held Feng Ji's hand tightly, and his fingers were still moving secretly in Wang Xifeng's palm.

"My nephew can only seek help from Second Aunt now. The master always said that Aunt Feng is the most capable, a hundred times or a thousand times better than many other men, and she has been decisive since she was a child. Now Aunt is working in the mansion, and she is becoming more experienced and mature. I think there is no one more suitable than Aunt these days."

Wang Xifeng stole a glance at Li Wan, and when she saw that Li Wan looked normal, she breathed a sigh of relief. But in her heart she cursed Jia Rong a thousand times, and said in a strange voice, "You are good at flattering, but I think your eldest aunt is also very suitable."

Li Wan?

Li Wan might be capable, but she only cared about herself and Jia Lan, and didn't care about others. If Li Wan were to take care of the funeral, I'm afraid the Ningguo Mansion would be secretly emptied by the servants.

Jia Rong said, "It goes without saying that the eldest aunt is very capable, but the old lady asked the eldest aunt to take care of the four aunts, and also to supervise Lan Ge'er's studies at home. The eldest aunt must not be distracted when she is dealing with these important matters."

Wang Xifeng's face changed as she listened. She had originally wanted to show off in front of Li Wan through Jia Rong, but she never expected that Jia Rong would actually follow her words and compliment Li Wan again.

She was so angry that she gnashed her teeth and refused, "I have to take care of the affairs of the inner house in the west, and I am too busy to handle it."

"The ladies over there have already agreed for you to come over and help. Please take pity on me, your nephew. I will give you ..." Seeing that Wang Xifeng was not moved by his persuasion, Jia Rong raised his hand slightly as if to massage her legs while speaking.

Wang Xifeng was frightened and stood up quickly, glaring at him and said, "Come to the next room. If you want my help, promise me a few things first."

"Don't worry, aunt. Your nephew is right here." Jia Rong bowed to Li Wan and the other girls in the room and responded with a sly smile. He felt that he was becoming more and more adept at dealing with Wang Xifeng.

Chapter 26: The filial son keeps vigil

Jia Rong followed Wang Xifeng into the adjacent clean room.

Wang Xifeng was about to scold him, but when she saw the man's red eyes from crying, she couldn't bear it anymore. She scolded him softly, "You blind man," and with a little pity asked Ping'er to ask someone to scoop some cold water. She found a clean towel, wet it, and asked Ping'er to put it on Jia Rong's eyes.

"Cold~"

On a snowy day, the feeling of applying a cold towel to your eyes can only be described by the word "cold".

Wang Xifeng hummed beside him, "You are cold, and you are crying until your eyes go blind. You are suffering even more." As she spoke, she saw him holding Ping'er's hand tightly with his neck stiff. She hummed again, "You are such a delicate boy, but you are dying just because you are cold. Let go of your hand."

Jia Rong sat on a chair, tilted his head back, and said with a pursed mouth, "It's easy to say, Auntie, just touch it and you'll know how cold it is."

Wang Xifeng ignored him and just asked Ping'er to close the door before sitting down next to Jia Rong. She said, "Let me be frank. It's not impossible for you to ask me for help, but if there are people in the mansion who don't obey orders, your wife should not be soft-hearted and ask for mercy from the servants."

Seeing that she agreed, Jia Rong smiled and said, "Aunt, you have established your authority here a few days ago. Who would dare not listen to you? If there is anyone, I will punish him. You don't have to save money for your nephew. It's better to look good and don't let outsiders say that your nephew is unfilial to the master."

Wang Xifeng laughed softly a few times and took the pair of cards of the head of the inner house from Jia Rong.

Her bright phoenix eyes became more and more proud. She gently twisted the Ning Mansion's pair of cards, and then thought of the Rong Mansion's pair of cards on her. The aura of the mistress of the house suddenly flew up and spread.

Jia Rong also gave himself some free time. He lifted a corner of the handkerchief over his eyes and looked at Sister Feng's arrogant look. He couldn't help feeling a strange itch in his heart.

Wang Xifeng was a practical person and did not give him the chance to get close to her. She took the pair of cards and led Ping'er out, summoning the housekeepers from all over the inner house of Ningguo Mansion to come and see her.

Wang Xifeng is indeed very famous.

Lai Sheng, the chief steward of Ningguo Mansion, heard that Sister Feng had been invited, and gathered his colleagues and said:

"Now that we have asked Second Lady Lian from the West Mansion to manage the household affairs, if she comes to withdraw things or talk, we must be more careful than before. Everyone should come early and leave late every day. It is better to work hard for a month and then rest later, rather than lose face. She is a well-known hot-tempered woman with a sour face and a hard heart. When she is angry, she will not recognize anyone."

Everyone said, "That makes sense."

The manager outside was like this, and most of the wives and mothers inside were even more nervous, fearing that something might go wrong.

Sister Feng held the card and ordered Cai Ming to make a book. She immediately summoned Lai Sheng's wife and asked for the Ning Mansion's roster to look at. She also ordered the Qi family's wives to come in early the next morning to serve. In this way, she first subdued the housekeeper's wife and took the roster before returning to the West Mansion.

As soon as Fengjie entered Rong Mansion, she saw a maid sneaking around in front of a servant's room. She thought it was a thief and quickly asked someone to arrest her.

After questioning, the maids refused to say a word.

Fengjie's eyes were cold, and she was thinking about where to establish her reputation, so she said coldly: "Find out which room they belong to, and ask the steward to sell them to the Yashi market."

The maid was frightened and dared not hide anything. She said hurriedly, "It's the Second Master who is inside. He asked us to keep watch outside."

Wang Xifeng immediately understood that Jia Lian must be having an affair with one of the servants' wives. She was relieved and sneered, "He is a good brother. His elder brother is dead, but the younger brother still finds time to have an affair."

No one in the alley dared to speak, not even Ping'er and Laiwang's wife dared to utter a single breath.

Wang Xifeng didn't go there to make a scene. Thinking of the old lady's partiality a few days ago, she felt annoyed, angry and helpless. Finally, she sneered, "Since he likes to have fun so much, let him live in the outer study room forever. He can have fun outside. Even if he gets sick and dies, I won't care."

Having said this, Fengjie spoke to Ping'er again.

"If anyone lets him into my yard from now on, I will break your legs."

No one dared to respond.

As soon as Wang Xifeng left, the maids hurriedly reported the matter to Jia Lian. Jia Lian was overjoyed and said with a smile, "This is the best."

Wang Xifeng returned to the courtyard, still furious, wanting to curse and kill. But she finally endured it, gritted her teeth and wiped away the tears of grievance from the corners of her eyes, and lay on the bed with her eyes closed, as if she had accepted it.

Ping'er was terrified by what she saw, knowing very well that the Second Mistress was definitely not someone who would tolerate any injustice.

Ping'er was also angry: Why can't the Second Master be more patient? He caused such a thing again after such a short time. This time, Madam was really furious.

I don’t know whether Jia Lian can tolerate it, but Jia Rong certainly can’t tolerate it either.

He didn't know what was wrong with him, but he was particularly excited tonight.

Especially seeing Qin Keqing, who was dressed in mourning white in front of the coffin, seemed to be even more excited.

It was already late at night, the monks' chanting in the hall had stopped, and the Taoists' rituals in Tianxiang Tower had also disappeared. The maids in and out of Dengxian Pavilion gradually decreased, and Old Lady You, Second Sister You, Third Sister You and others had gone back to their rooms to rest. Only he and Qin Keqing, the filial son and daughter-in-law, were here with Feng'er, Ruizhu and Baozhu.

Jia Rong didn't care about filial sons and unfilial sons. Thinking that Youshi should have gone to rest, he moved closer to Qin Keqing and asked softly, "Is my wife cold?"

Qin Keqing shook her head and looked at him in confusion.

He added: "My body is a little cold."

Qin Keqing glanced at him suspiciously. Jia Rong had a lot of clothes on and was burning paper money all the time, so how could he be cold?

Before she could respond, Jia Rong took her hand away. She only heard, "There is a clean room next to it. My dear wife, please help me warm myself up."

The clean room next to the mourning hall is indeed used for filial sons to rest temporarily.

Keqing heard something else in his words, and couldn't help feeling ashamed. She said in a low voice, "If the servants saw this, how could we tolerate such a violation of etiquette?"

"The maids won't come here unless they have something to do."

Jia Rong knew it very well, the only thing he had to worry about was that Youshi might come unexpectedly.

Qin Keqing listened to his treasonous and unfilial words and said hurriedly, "How can the spirit of the master in heaven rest in peace if he knows this?"

What does it have to do with me whether Jia Zhen’s spirit in heaven is at peace?

Jia Rong complained secretly and secretly reached out his hand to Qin Keqing's slender waist.

Qin Keqing only felt an itch, but there was nowhere to hide, so she hurriedly said, "This is in front of the coffin."