Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 807 Nothing to talk about
In Rongqing Hall,

Grandmother Jia leaned on the quilt and took a breath, with a complicated look on her face. She thought that Baoyu had passed the exam, but unexpectedly it was Brother Lang who got the official position. Was it intentional by the examiner, or was it the intention of Marquis Luo Yun? But I don't think so. Usually, the examiners of the Hanlin Academy mark the papers, and the chief examiner will make the final call and approve it. In this way, Brother Lang was selected by Marquis Luo Yun, but Baoyu was not even on the list.

It seems that Rongguo Mansion still owes Luo Yunhou a favor.

"Feng girl said it well. These are all happy events in our house. When the matter in the East House is finished, you can arrange to give everyone some rewards to congratulate Brother Lan. I don't know how Baoyu is doing."

"Don't worry, old lady. Baoyu has gone back to change his clothes and is going to the East Palace to receive people. Although he didn't win, he has made progress after all. There will be many opportunities in the future."

Although he said so, he didn't believe it in his heart. Even with Luo Yunhou there, he still didn't succeed. Then, wouldn't it be even more impossible if no one took care of him in the future?
"Yes, there is still a long way to go. In this case, the elders should quickly call everyone to have dinner first, and then go to the East Mansion to wait. Don't lose your manners."

Grandmother Jia also knew the importance of the matter, and that the East Palace could not be short of people, so she went there after dinner. Mrs. Xing did not refuse and smiled.
"I see, old lady. I have arranged everything for my daughter-in-law. Don't worry."

The voices of the replies became much louder, and after a while, the maids began to serve the dishes. Wang Xifeng called the three maids to eat together, and of course did not mention the second wife.

backyard,

Pear Fragrance Garden,
The courtyard gate was wide open, and a figure rushed in from outside. He stopped to look. It was Xue Pan, the eldest son of Xue. With sweat on his forehead, he hurried back, found the main house, and rushed in directly.

"Mom, sister, this is great news,"

Tired and out of breath, he ran into the inner hall, but suddenly realized he had forgotten to close the door, so he turned back, stuck his head out to look outside, and seeing no one, he closed the door.

Back to the inner room,

It happened that Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai were having dinner in the inner room. When they saw Xue Pan coming, Baochai quickly asked Ying'er to serve a bowl of rice to her brother.

"Damn you, have you gotten into trouble again?"

When Aunt Xue saw her son like this, she was shocked. She wondered if he had gotten into trouble again.

"Mom, what are you thinking? How could your son be so miserable? He just heard some great news outside, so he rushed back."

Xue Pan was somewhat dissatisfied. Why was he said to be causing trouble whenever he went out?

Aunt Xue saw that Xue Pan was still stubborn, her eyes turned red, and she wanted to cry. When Xue Baochai saw this, she quickly stopped her.

"Mom, look at you. Your brother just came back. It doesn't necessarily mean he got into trouble outside. Let him finish what he has to say."

With Xue Baochai interrupting, Aunt Xue finally calmed down.
"You are the one who speaks for him. If he is away from home, I will not have to worry about him. The restaurant in South City is now open for business. With so many candidates from Beijing, business is pretty good. He has never been there once. What kind of business is this?"

Aunt Xue's anger was mostly due to this. She said that if she let him manage the restaurant business and help him out, then with a few shops in the East Market, at least in the capital, there would be some income. With the income from a farm outside the city, she could be considered to have settled down in the capital.
Who would have known that this bastard was so despicable, spending the whole day drinking and hanging out, and never going out once. If it weren't for the reliable servant of the shopkeeper he brought with him, who knows what would have happened to him in the future.

Xue Pan was still not convinced after hearing this. He thought that he didn't need to take care of such trivial matters. He hadn't had time to do the important work yet.

"Mom, Baochai, please don't just complain. You know, something happened in Ningguo Mansion these days, and the situation is getting tense. After Master Jing from the East Mansion passed away, the old lady took people to the palace to mourn, and only then did she receive an imperial decree to save the lives of Jia Zhen and his son, but she took away their titles. So, the title fell on Madam You's belly and Jia Lan."

Xue Baochai and Aunt Xue frowned when they heard this. They both knew all this, and the servants in Rongguo Mansion had spread the news. They also said that the wealth and titles of the two mansions had all gone into the pocket of the master of Rongguo Mansion, and that all the wealth and honor in the future would fall on the West Mansion. These words were a bit unpleasant to hear.
"Everyone in the mansion knows what you said. Those gossiping old women have already spread it all over. As outsiders, we must not say anything about the inner affairs."

Aunt Xue saw Xue Pan's mouth, and she pulled it out carelessly, and hurriedly warned him that no one knew how the internal affairs were arranged, especially the matter of the title, so how dare he talk nonsense?

"I know, mother. I'm not stupid. Who doesn't want a title? Even if you want one, it's not something that can be decided by one person. I just came back from the front. You know, a guard from the Marquis's Mansion came to Rongguo Mansion to announce the good news that the young master of Rongguo Mansion passed the imperial examination. Do you know who it is?"

Xue Pan kept the secret until here, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face. Apart from anything else, he always felt a little unhappy when facing Jia Baoyu. On the contrary, he felt happy when he was with Jia Lan. It might be because he and Jia Lan had gone through the same hardship in Hanyuan Palace.
Seeing Xue Pan acting mysterious, Aunt Xue didn't think about it. Who else could pass the exam? The only people in Rongguo Mansion were her sister's second son and the eldest grandson. She thought that Jia Lan was still young and might not be useful. There was only one person, and that was Baoyu.

"Who else could it be? Baoyu has graduated from high school. I think my sister has finally fulfilled her wish."

Only Xue Baochai beside him was a little suspicious. Seeing her brother's expression, it was obviously not what her mother had guessed. In this case, maybe it was not Baoyu who passed the exam, that is, it was Lan Ge'er. Thinking about the expression she had seen on her eldest sister-in-law before, the strange feeling in her heart began to surge in her heart again.
"Could it be that brother is talking about Jia Lan, and Brother Lan is in high school?"

"Oh, my sister is really smart, that's right."

Xue Pan slapped his thigh, uttered an ouch, and then explained excitedly;

"Sister, mother, do you know what happened in the front yard? When the messenger came, Baoyu changed into new clothes and went over. But when the good news was announced, it was Lan Ge'er's name that was read out. He was ranked third on the list, and the court actually gave him an official position. So many people saw it and talked about it. You didn't see Baoyu's expression at that time. He turned around and left."

I don't know what Xue Pan is so happy about. Although it is a bit embarrassing, the Xue family and Baoyu are the closest to them. Aunt Xue slammed the table and cursed;

"You bastard, what's so funny about this? You and Baoyu are the closest to each other. Although Brother Lan is close, they are a generation apart after all. Don't ever say such things in the future. Also, I told you to be more cautious, but you just wouldn't listen. Look at this time, you had a chance to get into high school, but you gave it up."

Aunt Xue was very disappointed. With the help of the Marquis, Jia Lan was able to make the list. If you take the exam, you will also be on the list. If you get into the top three, it will be a great honor for the family and it will be worthy of the Xue family's ancestors.

Xue Pan was stunned. That was not what he meant. He wanted to laugh at Baoyu, but he didn't expect that he would be talked about again. He really made himself bored. He didn't want to stay any longer. He turned his body, stood up, and left the house without saying anything and went back to his room to rest.

When Xue Baochai saw this, she hurried to comfort him;
"Mom, my brother is also kind-hearted. He reminds us that things at home have always been a bit hasty, and we can't just sit there and watch. So if we don't pay attention and do something bad with good intentions, won't we also be blamed?"

Although Xue Baochai was trying to comfort her mother, she also knew the pressure her mother was under. After all, she was staying here as a guest. Not only did she have to be considerate of the etiquette, but she also had no right to stand by and watch when something happened to the host family.

Seeing that the meal was almost finished, Baochai asked the maid to clear the food away, pulled Xue's mother to sit on the bed, and took out a box from the cupboard. In the box was a green robe. She took it out, sat on the bed in front of the kang, and planned to sew it.

Speaking of this robe, it was Xue Baochai who was thinking of sewing a cloak for her husband when she had nothing to do. Ying'er asked the maid to tidy up the cloak, and she took two bowls of tea and went into the back room. She served tea to the young lady and the lady, and after putting them away, she whispered:

"Madam, Miss, what Master Xue said just now is true. I didn't expect such a thing to happen in the mansion. Master Dongfu had an accident the day before yesterday, and now he is in this state again... I don't know if the title can be kept."

"Whether it can be saved or not is none of our business, but with the old lady here, I think it won't be difficult to save it."

Baochai's face was calm and she lowered her delicate head. She picked up a piece of thread from a circle of green thread and passed it through the eye of the embroidery needle. At this time, the sleeve of her skirt fell down, revealing a frosty white wrist with a jade bracelet, which was crystal clear and full of green.

Ying'er nodded and said:

"That's right, Madam, don't worry. The young lady is still the second wife of the Marquis's mansion, and she will have a place in the house after entering."

Baochai gave Ying'er a glare of anger, but fortunately Ying'er didn't say anything else nonsense.

In other words, both the master and the servant were cautious in nature. Even if they were talking in private, others would be confused at first. Only Aunt Xue beside them understood and sighed. Xue Pan had been staying at home these past two days because he was unable to move. The trouble he had caused two days ago had not been resolved yet, and no one knew what arrangements he would make for the future. It had only been half a year, and Aunt Xue had witnessed the entire "decline" of the two Jia mansions, so she couldn't help but sigh in her heart.

Aunt Xue was a bystander and had already begun to realize that there was no one in the Rongguo Mansion who was in official position or doing anything, and the remaining people had no say, while the East Mansion had directly cut off the main family's incense.

Of course, the Jia family's foundation is not only here. Not to mention the old lady's backup plan, the four major families are closely related, and the Shi family has two marquises.

Sigh:

"This incident has caused everyone in the family to be worried."

Baochai said softly:
"Every family has its cupboard."

"Yes."

Aunt Xue sighed again, then looked at her daughter, lowered her voice, and couldn't help but said:

"My dear, your brother is right. As for the East Palace, I just heard from the old lady that the title should be passed on to Lang'er. I don't know what my sister was thinking, but she actually agreed. Later, she seemed to regret it and I don't know what to say."

If Baoyu could receive the title, that is, a third-class general, then the family business of the Duke's Mansion would be…

This is why it is difficult to say anything in person. After returning, everyone has their own plans. My sister holds both mansions in her hands. Who would have thought that in the end, it was Jia Lan who went to the East Mansion. He must be reluctant to part with Baoyu. Come to think of it, if it were me, I couldn't drive Xue Pan out.

Baochai's moist almond eyes twinkled, and she said softly:
"The servants in the mansion have discussed the matter of the East Mansion before. The master still chooses someone from the direct lineage. Now that Jia Lan has passed the exam, this person is considered a sure thing."

With the young girl's intelligence, she naturally knew what her mother was planning. It was clearly about discussing the establishment of a caravan with the Rongguo Mansion. Her mind became active again.

"That being said, there is no guarantee."

Aunt Xue said in a low voice, but it was not easy to go into details. Others might not know what her sister's personality was like since she was a child, but she didn't understand it.

"Mom, you have to be careful about everything. Now that the family is coping like this, didn't my brother clean up the old house? If it doesn't work, find someone to repair it and buy and use everything. Let my brother stop thinking about other things and go to the South City Restaurant to concentrate. Just live in the old house. Here, we still need to deal with it."

Xue Baochai thought about it and realized that there were so many gossips in the Duke's Mansion, and there might be some mistakes. Her brother would continue to cause trouble, so it would be better to just turn a blind eye and send him away.

"That's fine. It can only be done this way. If not, I can use my connections to find a marriage for your brother so that he can change his mind."

Aunt Xue also made up her mind that after this incident, she would ask someone to act as a matchmaker and arrange a marriage for the two girls, so as to live up to the ancestors of the Xue family.

"Mom, that's fine,"

Xue Baochai nodded, that was fine, it would save her brother from being idle every day. While the mother and daughter were discussing,
Outer room,

Wen Xing hurried in and said;
"Madam, Miss, the Grandmother of Xiyuan has started distributing wedding money to the servants of the two mansions. She has given quite a lot. I heard that everyone will get a share, so I took it."

She stretched out her hand and suddenly saw one or two taels of silver in it. The mother and daughter of the Xue family looked at each other and were shocked. There were at least several hundred people in the two mansions. Where did the grandmother get so much silver and money?
"My Lord, my Lord, my Lady said that the water is ready, please let me bathe and change my clothes."

Zhang Jinyu had just sent Feng Yongwen and Meng Li out when she heard Baozhu's playful voice at the entrance of the yard. She opened her eyes and looked over. She was wearing a blue skirt and a pair of long braids. At first glance, she was very attractive.
I was startled and immediately came back to my senses. How did they say that if you don't taste meat for three days, a sow will look like Diao Chan? Although the little girl is pretty, it's just that kind of feeling. It's really funny when it happens to me.

"Got it, I'll be there right away,"

Looking at Ning Bian beside him, he gave an order.
"Ningbian, settle the people at the door. Let those who need to go back to pack up go back. Tonight, we will attend the Luming Feast at the mansion. Tomorrow, we will open the mansion to pay respect to the master. As for the rest, you can take care of it."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

Zhang Jinyu made some random arrangements and told him to just do it. He then hurried to the main house in the East Garden.

At this time, there was a bathtub in the room inside the hall, steaming. Yue Shu and the other girl were waiting there with red faces. Who wouldn't be tempted by this? My heart warmed up, and without saying much, I walked over with a smile. When I lowered the green gauze curtain, I saw Qin Keqing waiting there. She was full of charm. As the saying goes, a night of spring is worth a thousand gold.
Zhang Jinyu rushed in directly, a murmur sounded, and then he fell into peace again. This wash lasted for two hours.
Only then was he considered done washing. Zhang Jinyu changed into a blue Su brocade robe and went to the inner hall. He thought he was strong and healthy, but after fighting for hundreds of rounds, he felt exhausted and a little hungry.

At that time, Qin Keqing and Yueshu were sitting at the table, instructing the nanny to prepare the food. The three of them were chatting with red faces. I don't know if they were tired or if they were still reminiscing about the past. They were all taciturn people, but when they got together, they could actually chat about anything.

"My dear, why did you make such a scene outside the mansion today and why didn't you come in and rest?"

Seeing Zhang Jinyu enter the room, Qin Keqing stood up and went to greet him, asking softly.

Although Zhang Jinyu felt comfortable all over, his waist was a little sore. He replied weakly,
"What could it be? It's just that the imperial edict was issued in the imperial examination. We have to announce the good news today, and we have to prepare the Luming Feast in the evening. We can't just go to the Imperial Examination Hall to eat for free and make a fool of ourselves."

Qin Keqing said "Oh" and stopped asking questions. She said softly:
"Then the Luming Feast will be held in your house. There is enough space. Do you want to clear out a yard?"

"No need. With that few people, if we empty out the entire west yard and the front yard, it will definitely be enough. The back yard will be the same as usual. By the way, is mother okay?"

Zhang Jinyu suddenly realized, and then he remembered that his mother had not yet gone to pay her respects. Qin Keqing rolled her eyes at him and replied;

"All good,"

"My dear, the old lady is used to taking a nap at noon. After she fell asleep, my two sisters came here."

Yue'er pouted and explained. Shu'er's face turned red. She had won the first place in the bath just now.
"That's good. I don't have to worry about you guys watching over the mansion."

Zhang Jinyu picked up the bowl and took a big bite. The food in the mansion was still delicious. The food in Hanyuan Hall was unbearable to swallow.
Qin Keqing also turned around and sat down. She watched her husband eating so sweetly, her cheeks drooping and her beautiful face sighing as she said:
"During the past few days since my husband left, I have been worried. A lot of things have happened. A letter came from Rongguo Mansion saying that the East Mansion has gone to pay respects to the old master. I heard that Fengjie was crying like a tearful person in the mansion, and Ping'er couldn't stop her from trying. I also heard that there is a discussion about the title of Ningguo Mansion."

As he spoke, he sighed softly, obviously feeling a little sympathetic as he thought about Fengjie's previous high spirits and her current miserable state.

The two of them often laughed and played together. Although they could not see each other for a long time, they often sent people to keep in touch with each other.

As Zhang Jinyu listened, she didn't know why she felt something was not right. She recalled a scene in the original novel where Qin Keqing pulled Fengjie and called her "Auntie...", was this a matter of time?
Zhang Jinyu picked up the knife, picked up a piece of meat and put it into his mouth. The matter of Ningguo Mansion was settled. He looked up at Qin Keqing and asked:

"What did she say? Or does she have some idea? At this time, Jia Lian is still in the army heading south. Why is she in such a hurry?"

(End of this chapter)