Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 857 Xia Shouzhong Goes to Jia Mansion
After nightfall, the night is as dark as ink.

The moonlight is bright, illuminating the ground as if it were daytime, like a shining pearl hanging in the sky, sparkling brightly.

In the Dongyun Tower of Luo Yunhou Mansion,

Zhang Jinyu sat in the room in high spirits, eating with her mother. Yueshu and the other two daughters were still serving her. Yang had even arrived early. Only Qin Keqing sat there a little unnaturally. She drank her porridge first, and then the maids brought the dishes from the kitchen, arranged them, and left.
Mrs. Wang started eating first, and the rest of the people followed suit. It was a rare occasion for Zhang Jinyu to come back and have a meal with them.
"Why, you are free today?"

Zhang Jinyu was drinking porridge with a crystal shrimp on his chopsticks. Seeing his mother asking, Zhang Jinyu quickly put the shrimp into his mouth. It was delicious.
"Mother, I have nothing to do today, so I won't go out. But I will be busy tomorrow, as I have a poetry meeting to attend. By the way, today's dishes are a little different. The chef's cooking skills have become even more sophisticated."

On the table,
The table was filled with dishes, including crystal shrimps, steamed sea bass, vegetarian roast goose, steamed duck, etc., all of which were Jiangnan dishes that were not commonly seen in Beijing.

"Well, it's a coincidence. Yesterday, a cargo ship from Jiangnan arrived. It belonged to our mansion and brought some Jiangnan specialties from the dock into the city. They said it was specially sent by the Jinling Su family. When we entered the mansion, a steward said that more merchant ships were coming to Beijing. I don't know what they are delivering?"

Although Mrs. Wang never left the house, she knew about any disturbance among the people in the capital faster than the imperial court. There were more and more merchant ships coming from the south of the Yangtze River. The Marquis's mansion was always a place of envy, and if someone saw this, they might have some suspicions.

Zhang Jinyu ate and listened at the same time. He sat on the left side of the table, opposite to Qin Keqing and Yang Hanyu. Yang Hanyu was especially charming. His eyes could not help but fall on her. She was wearing a black robe with cloud patterns embroidered with gold thread on the hem. The neckline was also embroidered with double layers of gold thread. On her head hung a phoenix hairpin with a golden step-shaking ornament, which looked lifelike. As she lowered her head to eat, the whiteness of her neck was vaguely visible. At first glance, he was mesmerized.

"Please tell them that in the future, all the goods should be sent to the Chamber of Commerce first, and then delivered to us, to avoid being seen by others."

What Mrs. Wang meant was not to be too ostentatious. Right now the capital is full of complicated forces, the princes and sons of the vassal states have different thoughts, and the noble families are ready to make moves. A storm is about to come.

Zhang Jinyu finally came back to his senses after hearing his mother's words. He felt a little embarrassed. Yang's clothes were too indecent. Thinking about what his mother said, it made sense. It was not that he was afraid of thieves stealing things, but that he was afraid of thieves thinking about it. Although thieves might not have the courage, he had to be on guard, especially when people from the princes' palaces entered the capital. Maybe it would be during the poetry meeting tomorrow, and there would be chaos.
"What mother said is that this matter must be passed down. Let the people in the mansion go to the Chamber of Commerce to wait, take the things, and send them back in several times. As for the outside world, the princes of the princes are all living in the Honglu Temple. Under the eyes of Prince Zhongshun, they will not be too ostentatious. But I don't know what the four princes are planning."

Don't worry about the princes and their sons. After all, the old ones haven't come yet, and the young ones want to do things, but they are timid and hesitant, and it is difficult for them to accomplish great things. The "Four Princes" are different. They are all bold. If they lay down some tricks, it will be enough to make the court suffer.

"These are your affairs, just take care of them yourself. As long as Jingnan's affairs are not resolved, the palace will never blame them."

As if giving a reminder, Mrs. Wang spoke briefly and pointed out the key points. At the table, only the mother and son were talking. Although the others were concentrating on eating, they were all looking over here out of the corner of their eyes.

"Okay, eat more. The flowers and plants in the yard have grown. When you have time, take them for a walk in the garden. Don't be busy with court affairs all day. You are the only main branch of the Zhang family. Leave some incense for your mother."

With this remark,
The girls at the table blushed immediately, and even Zhang Jinyu looked a little unnatural. Why did they bring up this topic while talking? But thinking back, it was because they came back less often and ate more wild game outside, so it was inevitable that they were not used to it.

"The mother is right, the son knows, come, try this sea bass."

Changing the subject, he picked up a piece of fish and put it into Mrs. Wang's bowl.
After being in Beijing for so long, I have become more picky about the food I eat. Outside the Great Wall, I just wanted to eat a big piece of meat and be satisfied. After coming to Beijing, there are more kinds of food, and I have become more picky. Only when I went to Jiangnan, not only did I eat more exquisitely, but the dishes were all fancy and delicious!
When Jiangnan is rich, the world is stable, that’s absolutely true!
The rest of the girls blushed slightly. Yue Shu and the other girl looked at each other, knowing that they couldn't give in to others tonight. Only Yang Hanyu smiled seductively, and no one knew what she was thinking.

In the palace,

During these days, Emperor Wu had been staying at home, recuperating, and going to bed early every day. The harem was still as quiet as usual.
But tonight,
Inside Changle Palace, after Emperor Zhou Shengzhuo finished meditating, he struck the bronze bell.

"Dang, Dang!"

Manager Xia, who was waiting outside the door, heard the bell ring and hurriedly pushed the door open. When he got inside, he asked:

"Your Majesty, I am here."

"Well, go to the Yangxin Palace today and tell the emperor to release the Jia family's favor. Take the imperial edict and go to Rongguo Mansion to read it to the old lady in person so that she can be reassured."

"Yes, I will go right away."

Xia Shouzhong was shocked. Jia Jing had just been buried, but the emperor showed his favor and made Jia Yuanchun a noble concubine. He was so anxious.
Seeing that there was no movement inside, Xia Shouzhong left in a hurry.

Walking towards the Yangxin Palace, he was still wondering whether the emperor would agree. But when he arrived, he was stopped at the gate of the Yangxin Palace.
"General Manager Xia, His Majesty has just finished washing and has already gone to bed. Do not disturb him."

The person who stopped him was none other than Dai Quan's godson, Eunuch Yun. Today, Eunuch Yun is the chief writer of the Imperial Household Department. He is dressed in a bright red robe and is no longer the same as before.
Manager Xia smiled, but did not force his way in, and replied;
"Since you can't go in, but the emperor said, please let Eunuch Yun pass it in. The emperor said that the Jia family's favor must be delivered tonight by my family."

After saying this, Xia Shouzhong kept silent and retreated to the yard to wait.

When Eunuch Yun saw this, his expression changed slightly and he smiled;

"Please trouble Manager Xia to run over there. Xiao Yunzi will go and tell you the message right away."

Without waiting for anyone in the courtyard to react, he turned around and went inside. Only Xia Shouzhong snorted coldly, and then there was no more sound.
In the Yangxin Hall,

Xiao Yunzi hurried in and entered the eastern warm room. Inside the room, Emperor Wu was half-lying on the dragon couch, reading a few memorials from the west, which were about drought.

Dai Quan was still by his side, marking the memorials that Emperor Wu had read. Seeing Xiao Yunzi coming in, he put down his red brush, walked over, and asked;

"What's the matter?"

Xiao Yunzi glanced at the dragon couch, then quickly walked to the table and told the story of Manager Xia's visit.
"Godfather, it seems to be the matter of Jia Yuanchun from the Jia family, in the harem."

He wanted to say more, but was glared at by Dai Quan.
"Wait!"

He waved his sleeves, walked slowly to the dragon bed, and whispered;
"Your Majesty, Eunuch Xia from Changle Palace is waiting outside. He said that the Emperor has sent a message, waiting for Your Majesty to show favor to the Jia family."

When Emperor Wu Zhou Shihong heard the words of the retired emperor, he immediately sat up straight and frowned. The Ningguo Mansion incident had not yet passed, but he was so anxious. It seemed that the retired emperor still remembered the favors of the Jia family. Now in the capital, the focus was on the princes and nobles, and they still needed to be appeased. The matter of the Jia family was over, that was it.

He threw the letter in his hand and gave the order;
"Just follow the Emperor's wishes and confer the title of Consort Xian De on Jia Yuanchun. Seal the previous imperial decree and hand it over to Xia Shouzhong. Let him go."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Dai Quan understood. His Majesty had already given instructions on this matter. The imperial edict to confer the title of Jia Yuanchun had already been drafted and was just waiting to be sealed. Now that His Majesty agreed, Dai Quan stamped the written imperial edict with the seal, and sighed in his heart that this girl had finally gotten what she wished for.

He took the imperial edict with the seal and showed it to Emperor Wu. After seeing His Majesty nod, he handed it to Xiao Yunzi.
"Give it to him."

"Yes, godfather."

Xiao Yunzi took the imperial edict, turned around and left. When he reached the outer room, Xiao Yunzi felt something was wrong, so he asked his confidant to go there for him.
"Go and deliver the imperial edict. If he asks, just say that what Xia Zongguan wants is on the imperial edict in your hand."

"Yes, Eunuch Yun, I will go right away."

that's it,
From the Yangxin Palace,

Suddenly, a eunuch ran out, holding the imperial edict in his hand, and hurried to the outside of the courtyard, panting and saying;
"Manager Xia, Eunuch Yun asked me to bring it to you." "Well, you are quite clever, what does His Majesty think?"

At this time, Xia Shouzhong, along with a group of eunuchs, had been waiting outside the Yangxin Palace for a long time, just waiting for the imperial eunuch in front of them. The original eunuch Yun was also replaced by a little eunuch. It seemed that he had some sense about the previous events.

"My Lord, I don't know, but Eunuch Yun said that what Manager Xia wants is on the imperial edict in his hand."

"Ahaha, well said. Then I won't bother your eunuch Yun anymore. I'll leave first."

A loud laugh,
Xia Shouzhong did not dwell on these trivial matters. He laughed loudly, walked out of the yard, and headed towards Rongguo Mansion.

Only Xiao Yunzi's uncertain expression was left inside the door. Behind him, the trusted eunuch whispered:

"Eunuch Yun, the person has left."

"Humph, I don't know that he is still so arrogant even after he left. Let's see how long he can be so arrogant."

Xiao Yunzi muttered, feeling a little oppressive. In the past, it was not like that.
Rongguo Mansion,
In Rongqing Hall,

Jia's mother and the others had already finished their meal. In the outer room, Jia She and Jia Zheng, together with Jia Baoyu, Jia Huan, Jia Zong and others, had also finished their meal. After the dishes were cleared away, only Jia Zheng and Jia She entered the room, while the other men dispersed.
After entering the inner hall and sitting down, Jia's mother said nothing more, but knocked on the table and said:
"Today, Jia Jing was safely sent down. Ningguo Mansion is preparing according to what Jia Jing said.

Before dinner, Jia Rong also came to discuss. The old woman hated these things the most. She gave all the things in Ningguo Mansion that were still suitable for living to him. In the future, she would let him live a good life in the house at the south end, marry a few wives and concubines, and leave a legacy for the main branch of Ningguo Mansion.

Seeing that the old lady was talking about the Ningguo Mansion, Jia Zheng was most afraid of these chaotic things. It would be better to divide the family so as to avoid trouble in the future.
"What mother said is true. The division of the family property should be clear. As long as there are no complaints, it's fine. Rong'er has had a hard time too. He can only rely on himself in the future."

He sighed and stopped asking questions, but Jia She didn't think so. Even if Brother Jing divided up the private property, the remaining shops in the West Market were a golden nest, how could they be given away just like that? In addition, there were the concubines and prostitutes in the backyard. When he talked to Jia Zhen in the past, he had been thinking about it a lot. What should be done with these people now?

"Brother, you can't say that. These are all Jia's private property. How can you give them away privately? We still need to discuss the division of the family property. In addition, I heard that there are several concubines in the backyard. How do we deal with these?"

Seeing that Jia She was about to do something strange, how could Jia Mu not know what he was thinking? She glared at him and scolded him:
"I am saying this to inform you, not to discuss with you. The arrangements for Ningguo Mansion will all be decided by Madam You and Feng Yatou. These property deeds will be given to Jia Rong tonight. He is right. The sooner you leave, the sooner you will have peace and quiet. As long as the affairs of the two mansions can be arranged, I, an old woman, will not sit idly by."

Seeing the old lady getting anxious, Jia She's idea was gone. He could only think about asking Xun Feng to send the three concubines of Ning Mansion to serve him in his courtyard.
"What mother said is that it's better to leave. This way, there will be peace and quiet. It's better to separate the family sooner."

It seems like he is being angry.

Everyone in the room was silent, especially Mrs. Xing and the Second Wife, both of whom looked unhappy.

at this time,

A woman came in from outside and reported:

"Madam, First Master, Second Master, Rong'er from Ningguo Mansion sent someone to tell us that we should pack up our belongings first and move to the South City residence tonight. The remaining wardrobes will be moved there tomorrow. Everything else in the courtyard will remain intact so as not to embarrass the old ancestor."

There was a smile on Jia's mother's face. It was a rare time for her to be happy. Wang Xifeng saw this and knew that Jia Rong had gotten what he wanted. The people in the backyard should have left the house earlier. As long as they left, it would be fine to say anything later.
"Old lady, you see, everyone says Rong'er has grown up and has become more thoughtful. I hope he can live a peaceful life in the future. It will be a tribute to Ningguo Mansion. Less trouble is worse than more. Ningguo Mansion needs stability now."

"Yes, go back and tell him, don't worry, move everything in his yard. If he really needs something, there are still a few yards in the west that are useless, move them over there as well."

"Yes, old lady."

The old woman agreed and went out. The people in the room had different expressions, especially Mrs. Xing, who felt something was wrong. How could they not know what kind of people Jia Zhen and his son were like? How could they leave so easily? Moreover, when they left, they only took some worthless furniture. As for the gold and silver jewelry, they were either in Li Wan's hands or in Mrs. You's hands. He couldn't get them even if he wanted them.

Seeing that the matter was just being discussed, everyone felt a little tired and prepared to go back to rest, but unexpectedly, there was movement outside again!
This was Xia, the palace's chief steward, who had prepared a team long ago. They set out from the palace, accompanied by the imperial guards and the palace's musicians, and headed for Ningrong Street with the sound of gongs and drums.

Coincidentally, the shortest way is to go east from the palace, along the south bank of Qing Lake, and walk to the East City. Turn south, and Luo Yunhou Mansion is just at the corner. Go east along a few streets and you will reach Ningrong Street.

So, on the south bank of Qing Lake, only trumpets were blown and gongs and drums were beaten. When they turned the corner, all kinds of musical instruments were used. The noise was so loud and lively that the people on the whole street were looking forward to seeing what was going on.
Manager Xia sat in the sedan chair, opened the curtain, and gave instructions to his godson;

"Little Weizi, Little Tianzi, let them play louder and make it more lively,"

"Yes, godfather,"

Then, the young guard following the sedan chair waved his hand, and the musicians and eunuchs in front played even harder.

The news immediately spread to the Marquis' Mansion.

Zhang Jinyu had just talked to his family. Qin Keqing and the others had small appetites and could not eat much. In line with the principle of not wasting food, they ate almost all the food on the table, burped, and drank some water.

But outside, I heard the sound of gongs and drums, mixed with other musical instruments. I didn't understand what they were and couldn't distinguish them, so I asked curiously;

"It's really strange. It's already dark. Could there still be acrobatics on the street? That doesn't make sense. There are trumpets. Could it be someone's wedding? It's so lively."

Just saying this, Yang Hanyu, who was sitting opposite, smiled. Who would get married at night? Only concubines would sneak in at night. How could they ring the gong? This smile was full of charm. Everyone in the room looked over, especially Yueshu and the other two girls. The look was a little dazzling. Yang quickly covered her mouth and lowered her head to hide.

Qin Keqing smiled slightly, her red lips parted, and said with a smile;
"My dear, you are joking. Who would get married at night? Even if they are marrying a concubine, they would not go to the door with gongs and drums and make a big fuss. As for the acrobatics, this is not the city hall. Which troupe would dare to do that?"

How could Qin Keqing not know these folk customs? She was also curious about what happened outside.
When Zhang Jinyu heard this, he realized it was true. Since he couldn't guess it right, he went upstairs to take a look. The attic was already built.

"In that case, why don't we go up and take a look? It's so close, mother, what do you think?"

"You guys go up, I won't go to see the fun,"

Mrs. Wang didn't like these things. Even if there was something, someone would send a letter in. She thought it was some happy event, but it was rare to hear it in the middle of the night.

Hearing that his mother was unwilling to go, Zhang Jinyu looked at the people opposite him. Unexpectedly, only Qin Keqing stood up and prepared to go up, while Yang and Yueshu sat there motionless, with no intention of getting up.
"You're not going?"

"Well, my dear and my lady can go. Hanyu wants to go back and rest after eating."

Yang Hanyu touched her belly, not knowing what she was doing. Yueshu and the other two daughters stood up and helped Madam Wang back to the inner hall. With this movement, everyone dispersed.

Zhang Jinyu guessed that it might be his mother's intention, so he didn't delay any longer. He pulled Qin Keqing by the hand and hurried up to the attic.

"My dear, slow down, my dear, my dear"

(End of this chapter)