Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 489 The Immortal Master gives advice
Ningguo Mansion,
Tianxiang Building,
Jia Zhen was sitting there, like the Taoist contemporaries, sitting cross-legged, and then carefully stroking her face with her left hand, leaving a trimmed beard, quite like a Taoist and an accomplished immortal. Jia Rong on the side saw this I was also a little surprised and doubtful that a cultivator could have such a big change. Is it really possible to achieve success in cultivation, or is it because of the wonders of those elixirs? I couldn't help but glance at the alchemy furnace not far away. The charcoal fire inside was still there. It was burning brightly, heating up the whole room. Suddenly, Jia Zhen's voice sounded in her ears,
"Rong'er, what are you looking at? Come on, come on, bring out the wine and food. Bring over all the good braised pork and steamed vegetables. Today, I want to have a good drink with the immortal master and get drunk. stop."

Jia Rong hurriedly looked away, walked over, opened the food box, took out the steaming dishes one by one, carefully placed them on the table, and then took out two bottles of sake and put them aside.
"Father, Immortal Master, this is the best sake in Zuixianlou in the capital. Jiang Nanchun is brewed with the water of Jinghu Lake in Jinling. It is precious gold."

Jia Zhen waved her hand directly,

"It doesn't matter whether gold is valuable or not, as long as it is something, it is useful. Master Immortal has never used these common things. They are just food. Master Immortal, come and fill it up. When you finish the cup of wine, you can talk about the things in the house. thing."

As he spoke, he stood up, picked up the wine pot, filled the immortal master and the wine cup in front of him, filled a cup with wine, then sat down with a smile, and looked at the immortal master's instructions. Jia Rong was also waiting on the side. Dare to take a seat.

Jia Zhen actually asked the immortal master how to arrange it. Now that she had no choice, she really wanted to ask for advice. Even Jia Rong looked over expectantly.

But this so-called Taoist Immortal Master is actually a down-and-out temple master named Feng Keping. He has deceived many powerful and wealthy people by virtue of his skills in martial arts and martial arts. I didn't expect that I could enter the Duke's Mansion, let alone such a big Duke's Mansion. The annual income of 10 silver is not enough to maintain the expenses of the mansion. It is simply unbelievable. Not to mention [-] taels of silver. Ten thousand li of silver is an amount that ordinary people have never seen in three lifetimes.

Thinking of this, Feng Keping felt a little depressed in his heart. He just wanted to cheat more, but no, there was no room to squeeze out more money for the offering.

Not to mention,

There is also the Xuanzhen Temple. I really can’t believe it. How can a Taoist temple cost 5 taels of silver a year? I have traveled all over the country and I have never heard of anything like this. Is it because I am ignorant? Thinking about it carefully, I was shaken. Shaking his head, it's absolutely impossible. Taoist cultivators pay attention to doing whatever they want and practicing it. Even if the money they spend is in the name of worship, it's not much. If it's really 5 taels of silver a year, it's really a Taoist priest who is worse than a Taoist priest. Even though he was a dead Taoist priest, he could not expose this matter. How could any of his peers deceive his peers? So he opened his mouth and said,
"Two laymen, Taoists, no matter where they practice Taoism, they are all members of the same Taoism. This matter must not be taken too hastily. The first is the Xuanzhen Temple. Since it has been worshiped for many years, this is the case. Even though I am a Taoist, I don't know what's going on. We need so much money, and when there is time in the future, there will be people who need to ask questions face to face, but the money should still be given as usual, if it is the most critical moment of retreat, it will not be good if something goes wrong. "

Jia Zhen and Jia Rong also suddenly realized and looked at each other. This makes sense. Taoism and alchemy cost the most money. Although they give a large amount of money every year, they don't know how to use the Taoist temple, let alone ask. After all, Mr. Jing is also the emperor of Ningguo Mansion, so this matter is also a thorn in the hearts of Jia Zhen and Jia Rong, because earlier, the father and son also sent people to inquire, but there were only three words, don't ask, and then sent away Someone came.

Of course Jia Zhen was not willing to give in, but the matter could not be known to outsiders, so she found Jia Rong, took the abacus account book, and calculated the accounts for Xuan Zhen Guan in detail, but how to calculate, the maximum annual expenditure is 5000 taels of silver , and then the two of them calculated how much the Ningguo Mansion could have every year. After paying for the daily expenses of Xuanzhen Temple, the Ningguo Mansion still had 5 taels left every year. After counting the expenses of the house, no matter what happened, no matter how much money they saved, Even if they were frugal, they couldn't save 1 taels, so the two of them were a little anxious.

"What the Immortal Master said is absolutely true. I almost ruined a big event. I will talk about Xuanzhen Temple later. But in the past few years, money has been spent in my house like water. However, there has been more going out and less coming in. I wanted to let a group of slaves out of the mansion, but I was afraid of causing misunderstandings and putting the Ningguo mansion in a passive position, so I didn’t dare to ask the immortal master how to teach me."

Jia Zhen was really anxious. Not to mention anything else, the expenses for the servants in the house in a year were a big loss. Plus the food and drink expenses, it was also a large amount of money, and it also delayed her to buy those servants. For enjoyment, now the Jiaofang Secretary has come to see many women who are the family members of prisoners from all over the country. They are itching to see them, but they don’t dare to buy them now. The remaining treasury silver is reserved for emergency use in case they meet Luo Yun. A master like Hou also has a way out.

Jia Rong looked over eagerly. He didn't know whether his father was anxious about this matter. Anyway, these days, he was anxious to intervene in the housekeeping. He didn't get much done. The money in the account was just flowing. Even if he wanted to get some, he had to have some money. It’s not possible to take silver.

The Immortal Master looked ugly. He just came here to cheat people out of food, drinks, and money. How could he save money? But it wouldn’t work if he didn’t say it. Judging from the looks of their father and son, it wouldn’t work without coming up with a charter. He thought about it. , after calculation, we still need to reduce the offerings in the temple. As for the house, it is already gone. If we reduce it any more, something will happen. So he opened his mouth and said,
"Hey, when traveling in the mortal world, a poor Taoist should not get involved in worldly affairs. However, due to fate between you and me, I am the one who led you into Taoism, so I still have to take care of it. What you are asking is nothing more than spending too much money and making little money. Well, when it comes to the household, I mean, first cut the unnecessary expenses in half, and use the saved money to refine elixirs and practice Taoism. As for the servants in the household, the unimportant clerks, small chores and maids, and even the unimportant servants. The women who work should either be sent to Zhuangzi, or a group of unimportant ones should be let go directly. Those who know that there are many things to do should be kept, so as not to leave any gossip."

The immortal master thought about it for a while, but there was nothing he could do. He could only cut the number of people and the cost. The most important thing was Xuanzhen Guan. If they took less money, the matter would be over. He then said,
"There is no rush to lay off people for the time being. It is a backup plan. The most important thing is to see if we can save money at Xuanzhen Temple outside the city. Not too much. I only need to save 2 taels of silver every year to keep it. As a layman, Zhen privately For the money, this will solve the problem in the house. Let’s go over and talk about it sometime.”

"That's a very appropriate statement."

Jia Zhen and Jia Rong looked at each other and felt that they really wanted to go. If this matter was resolved, life in Ningguo Mansion would be more stable. Jia Rong even agreed that if his father had the money, he would not go back. After taking the money from the account, I also had the opportunity to reach out. As for Brother Qiang, they are just petty profits, so don't pay attention to them, lest you be scolded by your father.

Just like dividing the spoils, the three of them each gained something, and there were smiles on their faces. Even the relationship between the three of them seemed to have suddenly become closer.

then,

The two of them seemed more enthusiastic. Jia Zhen greeted the Immortal Master to eat the food. After Jia Rong set the dishes, he personally served his father Jia Zhen and the Immortal Master with wine and served them to eat.

For a while, the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves to the fullest,

After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Jia Rong, who was waiting on the side, was also pulled in by the immortal master to take a seat. They started eating and drinking together. With Jia Rong joining in, although it was just three people eating and drinking together, the atmosphere was obviously lively. happy,
Jia Zhen took a bite of the food, took a sip of the wine, sighed, and said,
"Immortal Master, you don't know something. Only if you can have a meal and drink a glass of wine with the Immortal Master today will you know how happy today is. Before, I encountered a difficult situation, and life would be worse than death."

Immortal Master Feng Keping was also puzzled when he heard this. The great-grandson of Ning Guo Gong Jia Yan, the great-grandson of Ning Guo Gong, a mighty general with a hereditary third rank, could encounter any difficulties. He was actually worse than death. It was really hard to understand, because on weekdays, Jia Yan Jane is drunk and dreaming, and has a lot of wives and concubines. Some things are simply unsightly. Even the deceiver herself, I can't stand it. Such a person is especially dissatisfied. It's a shame.

"Ahem, the general can explain it in detail. The poor man can listen and clarify his doubts." Jia Zhen believed it to be true, like pouring beans out of a bamboo tube, and started to talk about it. Before, she wanted to marry Jia Rong, but was robbed by Luo Yunhou. One thing, the general outline was told once, and Jia Rong, who was waiting beside him, turned red with shame. This matter was not about Marquis Luo Yun snatching the bride. It was obviously you who intervened in the middle, but how could Jia Rong dare to say that, especially on weekdays? The Immortal Master, who did not dare to disobey his father, could only lower his head in silence and listen attentively. After all, he had been around the world for a long time. He had seen all directions and listened to all directions. He was a foodie with him. He had already seen the appearance of this couple. Face was in his eyes, and when he saw Jia Rong's reaction from the corner of his eye, he knew that what Jia Zhen said in front of him was untrue. There must be something fishy in it, or the opposite. Wait until Jia Zhen finished speaking.

Master Fengxian had roughly heard that the trouble was caused by a woman, and it was indeed a beauty. As for whether it was a real bride-robbing or a fake one, he was not sure, so he couldn't lead the matter to this. He had some thoughts in his heart. After calculating, Feng Keping deliberately half-squinted his eyes, shook his head, stretched out his hand to touch his beard, and did not speak for the time being. Jia Zhen asked anxiously,
"Master Immortal, robbing a bride means robbing luck. It must be Marquis Luo Yun who robbed Ning Guo Mansion's fortune, and Ning Guo Mansion suffered a disaster. Master Immortal, can you cast a spell to reverse the fortune?"

"This, layman, needs to be considered in the long run."

The Immortal Master made a confused statement at first, and then changed his mind. He really couldn't believe that all the dignified Marquises of Guan Nei would actually compete with you to marry you. When he came to the capital, he had heard a little bit about it. He just heard it as a joke at the time, but he didn't expect that there was something going on inside. With such a secret, I'm afraid it's the opposite. Ning Guofu failed to snatch the bride and was deceived instead. It seems that this couple is not the same thing. It's natural to cheat some money. He said again,
"Junji Zhen, I know this matter well. It happened because of Jia Rong's marriage. As the saying goes, fortune can be changed. Since there is a beginning, why is there no end? There are so many women, why hang them on a tree? Besides, Since ancient times, there has been a happy saying, I see that the young master of your house is not young anymore, apart from what happened before, is there anyone else who can catch your eye?"

Jia Zhen thought about it for a while, as if she had a sudden enlightenment, how could she forget this matter? It is true that she was the first to propose the marriage, but now that it has been so long and she has no more thoughts, she has forgotten it. Isn't this just a beginning but no end? There are many women who can be married.

However, although there are many women, especially many young ladies from the Beijing government, although they are well-educated and well-educated, none of them has the beauty and graceful figure of Qin Keqing or You. Even though there are a few who are a little bit pretty, they are said to be a bit unruly. , I didn’t know whether it was good or bad when I entered the house, so I tried to ask,

"The Immortal Master's words are very kind. I had this intention for a long time, but I forgot about it when I was busy. After some time, I didn't think of it, so I delayed it."

Feng Keping looked at Jia Zhenyan's insincere expression and shook his head inwardly. There was not a single word of truth in his mouth. A few days ago, he asked people to inquire about the appearance of the daughters of many Beijing officials. When he gave instructions to his servants, he was by his side. I forgot somewhere, obviously I don't like her, and I think so. Mrs. You in Ningguo Mansion is so beautiful that even a man can't take his eyes away. There is a precedent here. No wonder his son doesn't like her, but there are not many such beautiful women. Yes, even if there is, he may not come back to Ningguo Mansion.

Looking at Jia Zhen's anxious face, Feng Keping replied slowly and politely,
"Don't worry, Master Zhen. Don't delay. The so-called thinking of today is today. As the saying goes, it's better to make a choice than to hit the sun. Today, both of you, father and son, are here, so think carefully about which girl is suitable for you, and prepare to marry him first. After settling on it, firstly, it will fulfill the family's wish, secondly, it will reverse the fortune, and thirdly, I will take this opportunity to go to Xuanzhen for another talk, after all, it will cost more to get married for Brother Rong."

Speaking of which,
Still thinking about the money in the house, Jia Zhenjia Rong was overjoyed after hearing this. This was a good excuse. With this matter, she could ask her father for some money. But the most important thing was that she was in trouble again. Which family's girl suitable,
"Now that the immortal master has spoken, I have made up my mind. The matter will be discussed and decided today, but the immortal master still wants to help to see which girl is suitable."

Jia Rong sat aside and listened attentively. After all, it was a major event in his life, and he had a wife and concubines at home, so some things could be hidden from others. However, he still hoped that the wife he was going to marry would be not only as beautiful as a flower, but at least as beautiful as Uncle Lian. It doesn't matter if the mother-in-law is a little inferior.

This idea is also what Jia Zhen hopes. Qin Keqing always has no ability, but these ladies of Beijing officials are not just arbitrary. They always want to marry a good "daughter-in-law" that they want, but two of them are still unsure. People have seen it, and they are all quite "satisfactory." The charming smell, coupled with the well-informed and sensible rules, makes people feel itchy and unbearable. It is really difficult to make a choice.

Immortal Master Feng Keping thought that the Duke wanted to marry, so he was undecided, so he asked,
"This matter is also easy. If there are any shortcomings in the Duke's Palace now, it will naturally depend on who you prefer. It can also complement the general. This has been true for marriages since ancient times."

Unexpectedly, Jia Zhen shook her head after hearing this, came over and whispered,
"Master Immortal, it's not because of this, it's because"

Jia Zhen couldn't say it for a while and didn't think of how to explain it. Feng Keping didn't understand what Jia Zhen meant either. Only Jia Rong knew that her father still wanted to face him. After all, the person who marries a wife is the face of Ningguo Mansion. Naturally, She was beautiful and dignified, so she explained,

"Ahem, it's like this, Master Immortal. What my father means is that the girls from these two families are better. After all, the boy also likes the prettier ones, but the two ladies have their own merits, so it's hard to make a decision at the moment."

at this time,

Only then did the immortal master Feng Keping realize that this was not a marriage, it was just a beauty pageant. Like father, like son. It was so lustful that I was blinded. Instead of a good marriage, I was just doing this stuff. Besides, Yes, marrying a wife, taking a concubine, and having a good wife, but it's not your own business, so you can't talk about it.

"So that's the case. That would be easier. I dare you to ask if you have seen the two of them in person. Which one is more attractive to you? I will naturally choose which one."

But Jia Rong's face turned red. She had never seen it before, but her father had seen it before. From his father's perspective, he must be right.

"The Immortal Master is joking, how can the boy come to the door at will, but my father must have seen him,"

After speaking, the two of them looked at Jia Zhen, but Jia Zhen looked confused and replied after a moment,
"I have met the fathers of the girls from these two families. One is Feng Taiying, the daughter of Feng Yongwen, the prime minister of Dali Temple, and the other is Meng Yueyun, the daughter of Meng Li, the right minister of the Inspectorate. They are both from scholarly families among civil servants. In terms of ranking, Master Immortal, what do you think?"

"This is not a good choice!"

(End of this chapter)