Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 773 What else can he do?

Rongguo Mansion,
Almost everyone in the Jia family did not sleep well. Not only was it the Ningguo Mansion's title, but also the Second Wife's anxiety. After thinking about it all night, I don't know whether it was Baoyu's hysteria or he felt sorry for losing the title.

One morning,
In the east room of Rong Xi Tang, he first washed up and then had his meal.

He complained to Jia Zheng beside him.
"I thought about it all night last night, and I still feel that the old lady is too anxious. She shouldn't have thought about such a big thing as inheriting the title, but just gave it directly. In my opinion, Lang'er is still young, so it's better to give it to Baoyu."

They say that it is hard to get a title. I don't know what I did wrong last night. I actually turned down the title. Didn't I eat lard and bewildered?
Now that I think about it, even if Baoyu went to the East Palace, he is still my son. The more I talk, the more I regret it.
But Jia Zheng's face turned serious, and he put the tea bowl he was holding heavily on the table and scolded;

"What do you know, woman? How can you care about the title and fame when Zhen'er and his son are in prison? What virtue and ability does Baoyu have to inherit the title and worship the ancestors? Not to mention that his brother and illegitimate son all declined and gave it to Jia Lan, which was crossed out in the family tree. How can you change the matter? It's simply absurd!"

These words were spoken with such integrity that the second wife was speechless for a moment.
But she didn't know how to express the grievance she felt. Her heart ached and she glanced at her husband, immediately feeling resentful.

Sir, have you become too pedantic due to reading too much?
This is a title, a guaranteed harvest regardless of drought or flood!
If Baoyu had obtained a title, he could have stopped studying if he didn't like studying. He would have had endless wealth and glory to enjoy throughout his life. Now, he still had to study hard.

"Master, although Jia Lan is Zhu'er's, after all, there is a generation gap. I love Baoyu in my heart, so it's natural. How can I miss him?"

My eyes turned red instantly.
When Jia Zhu is mentioned, Jia Zheng is reminded of the sorrow that he cannot shake off. He sighs.
"You only think about these things, but not the future. If it weren't for Brother Jing's suggestion, it wouldn't just be the Rongguo Mansion that would inherit the title. There are thousands of Jia family members, and there are also quite a few in the Ningguo Mansion. Now, the Ningguo Mansion lineage is almost cut off. Although there are adopted children, how will they survive in the future? Have you thought about it?"

As soon as these words were spoken, a gust of cold wind suddenly blew in from the window of the dining room, blowing the curtains and entering the room. Both of them felt a chill in their hearts.

Some things need not be savored carefully to reveal their meaning.

shudder!

The Second Madam knew what this meant. This was the attitude of the palace. Since Jia Zhen and his son could be sentenced to death, it meant that the holy scroll of the Ningguo Mansion was gone. It was unknown how much favor the Jia family would have. It was unknown what would happen in the future.
Thinking this way, Baoyu didn't pass away, but got better. He actually felt relieved and thankful.

"After dinner, come with me to mother's room. I don't know when Brother Jing will go to the palace. Zhen'er and his son are on the verge of death. Whether they can be saved depends on this time."

Thinking of this, he felt even more heavy-hearted. Although he had not met Jia Zhen often in the past, every time they met, Jia Zhen treated him with great respect, and he had done many things properly. Later, there were only some misunderstandings. If he had not been deceived by the evil Taoist priest, it would not be a bad idea to practice Taoism.
The Second Madam was in no mood to eat at this moment. Right now, the most important thing was to clarify the affairs of Ningguo Mansion, Baoyu, and even Jia Lan's future situation. She urged:

"What are you eating? Why are you still thinking about these things? Come on, go and see the old lady."

In other words, the Second Wife stood up, straightened her clothes, and hurried out with Jia Zheng. In the big room in the East Garden, Jia She had just gotten up, changed his clothes, and was having dinner. Mrs. Xing was sitting in the room with him, fidgeting.

"Master, why didn't you go there earlier? You shouldn't have left so easily last night."

Mrs. Xing was drinking her porridge, still thinking about the succession to the title last night. She had hoped to gain some benefits for herself, but now it was all gone.
Jia She sat there solemnly, drinking his porridge. If one did not understand his true nature, one would have thought that he was the real head of the family.

"What do you know? Yesterday, you didn't get to do whatever you wanted. Not to mention the old lady, even Brother Jing couldn't agree. After all, Jia Lian will need him to inherit Rongguo Mansion in the future. Ningguo Mansion can't get into the main house anyway, so they just go with the flow and count it on Zhu's wife. With this favor, the matter of the East Mansion will be much easier to talk about, even if Jia Lan can't sit in that position."

This is what Jia She thought later. Li had entered the Ningguo Mansion, and even if she was a member of the Ningguo Mansion, now Madam You had been stripped of her title of Consort, the position from now on would be managed by the two of them. The property of the East Mansion was much larger than that of the West Mansion, so they could always borrow some of it.

"Hmph, Master, don't even think about this. It seems like it's a good thing that the Second House doesn't try to get anything. With the old lady there, what can we get?"

Mrs. Xing was full of reluctance. After all, Li Wan was the daughter-in-law of the second wife. How could she help the people of the first wife?

"You are a woman with long hair and little knowledge. What do you know? I don't want it, and neither can they. Even if they all stay in Ningguo Mansion, it will be considered as venting my anger."

Jia She's face turned cold, but he did not refute Mrs. Xing's words. However, thinking about how Jia Zong had been doing nothing but playing around all day, he did not look like a master at all. The more he thought about it, the more upset he became. He put down his bowl and chopsticks,

"No, since you're worried, let's go and take a look. The matter has been decided, so how to proceed, don't we still need someone to walk and see?"

"Listen to the master."

Mrs. Xing thought about it and it made sense. Since that was the case, she could only take it one step at a time. There was still a long way to go.

in addition,

Even if Ningguo Mansion rescued Jia Zhen and his son, how to live in the future was a big problem. With an orphan and a widowed mother, and a widowed sister-in-law living alone in a room, how could they know what was going on? When Mrs. Xing thought of this, her heart softened and she dared not think about it anymore.

He stood up and went to Rongqing Hall with Jia She.

At this time in Rongqing Hall,
Jia Jingxin changed into a Taoist robe, holding the memorial he had written last night, as well as a Taoist whisk, wearing a Taoist hat and a Bagua robe, and he was obviously an immortal.

In the inner room, the old lady got up early and called Jia Jing to come over to eat together. There were a few more vegetarian dishes in the breakfast this day, which were obviously prepared by the old lady in the kitchen.

However, when Jia Jing sat down, he unexpectedly did something unusual and ordered some wine. He sat at the table, eating meat and drinking wine, and was very happy. Only Jia's mother felt a little uneasy and had a bad premonition.
When Jia Jing had almost finished eating, he asked,
"I am going to the palace today, do you have anything to say?"

Jia Jing picked up the wine cup and bowed deeply to Lady Jia.
"Thank you for taking care of Ningguo Mansion until now. Jia Jing has no way to repay you. Here is a glass of wine for you."

After saying this, he bowed, drank the wine in his hand, and then laughed with a red face.
"Old Madam, the past is a thing of the past. We still need to protect the nobles, but we can't get so close to them. The intelligent children in the family must be vigorously cultivated and do more benevolent and righteous things. For Xichun's matter, you must help. It can also be regarded as a support for Ningguo Mansion. For future matters, you can consider it. As for the rest, it's up to fate. I have nothing to say. I'm leaving now. Take care."

With a wave of sleeves,
Laughing up to the sky, like a madman,
He walked out of the door and disappeared.
The old lady behind him shouted hurriedly,

"Quick, have someone prepare a carriage to take Master Jing away."

"Yes, old lady."

When someone outside responded, Grandmother Jia sat down nervously, as if she had something on her mind, but she couldn't figure out what it was.

at this time,

In the outer room,

The eldest, Jia She, with Lady Xing, and the second, Jia Zheng, with Lady Wang, walked in one after another, looked at each other, and without saying a word, went into the inner room together.
But he saw his mother sitting there alone, and did not see the figure of his elder brother Jing. Jia She looked around and spoke.

"Mother, why is Brother Jing not here?"

"Humph, everyone has left, and you two just came. By the time you remembered, it was already very late."

The old lady was already in a bad mood, and when she saw the two of them looking lazy, she became even more furious and spoke angrily.

Jia She was hit hard by these words. He lowered his head and stopped talking. It seemed that he was a step too late. Seeing this, Jia Zheng looked ashamed.
"Mother scolded me because I woke up too late and missed the opportunity. Please don't be angry, otherwise, I will leave the house and catch up with him now."

As he spoke, he was about to pull the eldest's sleeve and leave. "Why chase him? Even if we catch up with him, what's the use? It depends on his own luck. When Feng girl comes, send someone to the East Palace to see if the people from the Imperial City Bureau have withdrawn. If they have withdrawn, ask Feng girl to go over and see if the palace is safe."

"Yes, mother, my son is awake."

Jia Zheng and Jia She hurriedly responded, thinking that the people from the Imperial City Bureau were still surrounding them, it was not a big deal, and there was no point in being anxious.

Seeing that Lady Jia looked a little exhausted, the two brothers each lent a hand and helped Lady Jia onto the bed to rest. After settling her down, they asked Lady Xing and the Second Madam to stay with her and hurried out of the room.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart,
The morning court has not yet begun.

They were all cabinet ministers, reporting on government affairs in the imperial study in the Yangxin Palace.

Unfortunately today,

It was the Prime Minister Li Chonghou who was on duty. Now, Prime Minister Li was sitting at the desk in the imperial study of the Yangxin Palace, reporting to Emperor Wu on the situation of this year's spring harvest.

"Your Majesty, by God's grace, this year's spring harvest is a bumper harvest. Apart from other things, the fields around Anhu are fertile, and the weather is good. The grain stored in the warehouse is full. The large warehouse in Tongzhou is almost not enough. The cabinet has planned to build a warehouse in the Anhu camp and send the excess grain in."

The old voice was neither hurried nor slow, as if narrating an ordinary matter. Only the Emperor Wu, who was standing behind the imperial desk, looked as dignified as ever.

"If there really is a grace from heaven, what will we do with the deficits in the warehouses in the capital?"

Li Shoufu collected all the memorials and presented them with both hands. Dai Quan walked over with small steps, took them, put them on a corner of the imperial desk, and said with a smile;

"Your Majesty, rest assured. The Beijing warehouse has been taken over by the Imperial City Department. They have all been checked and found that six large warehouses are in deficit. During the spring harvest, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will advance the money and go to Hedong Sizhou and other places to buy directly to make up for the deficit when the harvest is good and the price of grain is not high."

This was also what Dai Quan had been worried about these days, so he specially arranged for Wang Xiu from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to personally supervise the matter, and used the silver from the properties of wealthy merchants confiscated in the capital to clear the account books of the deficit in the capital's warehouses, thus resolving the knot in His Majesty's heart.

"You are good at doing things. The grain in the warehouse cannot be used without permission. Even if you need to use it, you have to go to Tongzhou to get it. Don't mind the trouble."

Emperor Wu nodded. Although the food was not much, it was enough to guarantee the final expenses of the imperial guards. It could not be used without authorization unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand."

After replying, he waited carefully at the side of the desk. His eyes could not help but look at Li Shoufu, who was sitting at the table and seemed sleepy. He coughed and reminded him,
"Cough cough!"

Hearing the cough, Prime Minister Li suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Wake up."

"It seems that our Prime Minister did not sleep well last night. It is my fault."

As if it was a joke, Emperor Wu was in a good mood and made fun of the words.

He picked up the memorial from the corner of the table, opened it and took a careful look. Not counting the Jiangnan area, the area around the capital was not only self-sufficient, but also had so much surplus food. It was truly rare.

"Your Majesty, you are too kind. I am still strong and I will work hard for the court and Your Majesty as long as I can move. I think what Eunuch Dai said is a good thing. I was thinking whether the court should order the Ministry of Revenue to buy some grain while the price is low to prepare for emergencies. I didn't expect that Eunuch Dai would take the lead. I am ashamed."

Li Shoufu wiped his eyes with his sleeve, as if he had just woken up, and as soon as he opened his mouth, he praised Dai Quan, who was standing by the table, with a smile on his face.
"You are too polite, Prime Minister. The Miscellaneous Household is in charge of a small place. Whether it can be admitted depends on the amount of silver used. If the Ministry of Revenue is in charge, it will cost too much silver and it will be troublesome."

The two of them sang in unison, which amused Emperor Wu. Hearing this, he was moved.
"That's a good suggestion. Has Gu Yichen from the Ministry of Revenue thought of this?"

"Your Majesty, I have indeed thought of it. Gu Yichen from the Ministry of Revenue is still calculating how many granaries we need to build and how much money we need to buy them. He has written a memorial to the cabinet. What I mean is that there is still a lot of vacant land in the granaries in the northwest of the capital, and more than 30 granaries can be built. The vacant land in the northeast of Anhu Camp is all old barracks that have long been abandoned. They can also be converted into more than 30 granaries. In this way, 60 granaries can be rebuilt and can store 600,000 shi of grain. The expenses of the capital can be guaranteed."

The Prime Minister Li Chonghou bowed and spoke confidently. These were matters that had been decided by the cabinet long ago. Because the area south of Beijing was unstable, and considering the need for military supplies in the future, it could be done while the Ministry of Revenue still had some money left.

"Haha, great, that's thoughtful."

Emperor Wu laughed, closed the memorial in his hand, threw it on the table, and glanced at the Prime Minister again. Although he was old and frail, he was smart and his answers were clear and logical. He was worth using again.
He pointed at the folded paper and asked;

"Well, the cabinet has drafted this matter. Once it is submitted, it will be stamped directly. The grain issue cannot be delayed. In addition, Li Chonghou, how does it feel for your son to join the cabinet? The handwriting on this memorial just now is not like yours. Although it looks the same, it is much more immature inside."

"Your Majesty has a keen eye. This memorial was dictated by an old minister and drafted by Chaosheng. As I get older, my hands start to shake. I'm afraid I won't write well and will disgrace Your Majesty's grace."

He explained slowly and tremblingly, after all, his son Li Chaosheng had only been in charge of the cabinet for a few days.

But His Majesty sighed, raised his hand, swung his sleeves, put his arms in front of his chest, looked at the clothes and asked;

"In which year was this robe of mine made?"

"Your Majesty, if I remember correctly, this was made in May of the fourth year of Yuanfeng. I have been wearing it for four years now."

Dai Quan was quite emotional. This dragon robe and light shirt was made by the Ministry of Internal Affairs after he had measured it for His Majesty. He never thought that after so many years, His Majesty still hadn't bought new clothes. He thought of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau. With Yang Chi there, he should send more Jiangnan light gauze and brocade to the palace so that they could make a few more pieces for His Majesty. He didn't know if Yang Chi had arrived in Jiangnan.
suddenly,
Hearing this, Emperor Wu chuckled, pointed at Dai Quan, and sighed sincerely;

"Oh, you have a good memory. It's true. As the saying goes, clothes are better when new and people are better when old. But for me, old people and old clothes are better. After using them for a long time, I am reluctant to throw them away."

Using old clothes to make a fuss is nothing but a human being.

A heartfelt speech,

Dai Quan and Li Shoufu's eyes instantly turned red, and they whispered,
"His Majesty,"

Li Shoufu wanted to stand up and kneel down.
But Emperor Wu raised his hand to stop him.

"sit down,"

He just moved, paused, and sat back down.
Then, the voice of Emperor Wu came again.
"People in the world have a common problem, they love the new and hate the old, but little do they know that when clothes are worn out, they are close to the body, and when people are used up, they are close to the heart. Take you for example, you are old, and your energy is certainly not as good as before, but you will not have other extravagant hopes. With more experience, you will know how to be cautious in serving the king and doing things, and you will be mature and will not cause trouble. When you are the head of the family, you still need to use the elderly."

Emperor Wu's words set the tone, and gave Dai Quan and Prime Minister Li a reassurance, especially Li Chonghou, who was still thinking about when to retire and return home. It seemed that his thoughts were in vain.
"Your Majesty's words are thought-provoking, but there are good and bad sides to them. There are countless officials who have been replaced in the court. If they cannot do everything, they will be complained about, which is not good. There is a saying that goes, 'If an old man does not die, he is a thief.' In the eyes of the young, the old are all thieves. They are full of energy and think about moving up all day long. Naturally, we old people have become thorns in their eyes."

These words,

Coming from the mouth of the Prime Minister, it was nothing more than an allusion to the young and strong factions in the court from the north and south. Ever since the Li party wanted to re-enter the court, many censors, officials in the capital, and officials in the six ministries were ready to make a move. As a Prime Minister all his life, how could he not know these signs!

(End of this chapter)