Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 858 Yuanchun is finally crowned as a concubine
Luoyunhou Mansion,

Upstairs in Dongyun,

At this moment, Qin Keqing's face was red, she was wearing a light lilac long skirt, with a dark cloak on the outside, her figure was graceful, like a weeping willow in spring, and she just fell behind, not because of the joy she had with the Marquis in the afternoon,
Up to the attic,

Zhang Jinyu also knew that he was anxious, so he walked forward slowly, his face slightly embarrassed, looking at the strands of Qin Keqing's hair hanging in front of her, and gently brushed them away with his hand.
"It was my husband's fault for leaving in such a hurry."

Qin Keqing's eyebrows moved, her eyes were full of smiles, and her lips were slightly parted;
"My dear, what are you talking about? Look, this doesn't look like a wedding in a mansion. It looks like a wedding in the palace."

Outside, by the light of the lanterns, one could see a procession marching southwards. A few strong men at the head of the procession were beating huge bronze gongs, making a deafening sound.
Afterwards, a group of people wearing red robes followed, all wearing eunuch uniforms, holding many gift boxes and red silk in their hands, hanging on the carriage behind. Then there was a sedan chair, and behind it, there was a group of musicians playing musical instruments and singing. After these, at the end of the team, there was a group of imperial guards following.

Seeing the imperial guards, Zhang Jinyu's pupils shrank. They came out of the palace and started beating drums and gongs. What was the purpose? Looking at the direction of the team, it was heading east again. There were many dignitaries there, even His Royal Highness Prince Jin lived there. Could it be that they were arranging a marriage for Prince Jin? However, with the weather,
Look up and see,
The sky over the capital was dark, the bright moon was blocked, and the sky and the earth became much darker. The teams on the streets who were announcing good news were holding lanterns with dim lights, like ghost lights. Zhang Jinyu's mouth twitched. Who did this? Doing this in the middle of the night, making it look like a ghost getting married? Even if it was to announce good news, it was still a ghost coming to the door.

"Madam, you guessed it right. It's a team from the palace. The group of imperial guards behind them must be the ones who can mobilize the imperial guards at night. It must be the cabinet, the Yangxin Palace, or the Imperial City Department on duty."

Come to think of it, if it were that old fox Dai Quan, he would not use this sedan chair. It is all red and extremely conspicuous. I remember that Eunuch Dai used a small gray and black sedan chair, which was simple and unpretentious and very precious.

"I don't know where the team below is going. It seems like they are in a hurry."

Qin Keqing didn't want to think about the twists and turns. She just felt that the streets were bustling with life and wondered who had such a good thing happen.
Zhang Jinyu touched his chin, and when he looked over, the team disappeared. There was still wind upstairs, so he advised;
"Who cares whose family it is? I'll send someone to check it out. It's windy upstairs, madam, please go downstairs and have a rest, madam."

Seeing that Qin Keqing didn't move, he called out again, and a sweet laugh came.
"I'm listening, so go back."

Then the two of them went downstairs, and Zhang Jinyu went out of the yard, called Ning Bian, and prepared a few people to go and see which family's wedding it was. It was quite rare to do this at night.

"Ningbian, send two smart guys to follow the team from the palace outside the mansion to see whose house is going on and find out!"

"Yes, sir, I understand."

Ning Bian nodded, then took the order and went out, found a few servants in the mansion, gave them some instructions, opened the side door, and ran out.

The few of them moved swiftly and chased after the team heading south. At the street corner ahead, they caught up with what General Ning had told them to do. The few of them looked at each other and pretended to be ordinary people passing by, following behind the team to watch the excitement!

The team announcing the good news walked quite fast, and within a few sticks of incense, they arrived at Ningrong Street.

At this time, the streets and alleys were filled with elderly people who had nothing to do but chat. They were all a little surprised to see the red festive procession beating gongs and drums.

"Mr. Liu, take a look at this rich team. Where are they going?"

Alley entrance,
A stall selling soup noodles.
There were several lamp holes hanging, illuminating several tables, where many young and old men were eating. The old man called Liu Lao, the elder of this alley, listened to someone asking a question, took a mouthful of fine noodles, looked up, and saw that the team coming was extremely luxurious. The team of armored imperial guards behind them could be seen clearly. He took a breath, not caring about the soup noodles in his hand, and replied;
"This is incredible! These are the imperial guards from the palace. How could they come here?"

"Oh, it's true, Mr. Liu. You either passed by or went to Rongguo Mansion. Don't you take a look? Everyone on this street knows that Rongguo Mansion is becoming more and more prosperous, while Ningguo Mansion is considered to be in decline. They only have titles. I heard that the private property has been divided up. I didn't see that the legitimate descendants were driven out overnight."

It just so happened that Jia Rong was in a hurry to leave and didn't notice that he went through the front door or the back door. There were many people strolling around in the evening. In order to hide the three concubines and the courtesans from leaving the house, they changed into ordinary clothes and went through the back door.
He himself, with his servants, moved some furniture and went out the front door in a grand manner. In this way, the young and old men strolling on Ningrong Street could see him clearly. Besides, everyone knew Jia Rong. Many people were gossipy and heard rumors that Jia Rong's family was divided and he moved out overnight. This became a topic of conversation.

After saying this, some people sighed and murmured about the good things about Ningguo Mansion.
"Alas, things are unpredictable. The Ningguo Mansion's master has been in charge of the clan for so long, and there is still some money to be distributed. Although the Rongguo Mansion has become rich, it has become increasingly unwilling to see the master's favor in recent years. If the position of the Ningguo Mansion's patriarch is also given to the Rongguo Mansion, I'm afraid that we, the clan members, will not even be able to smell it. If I were an old man, I would say that I am just passing by here. Old Liu, what do you think?"

The old man next to him spoke. He was obviously an old man in the Jia family, and of course a concubine. Like before, each family could receive two taels of silver from the Ningguo Mansion's public account every year, and they could also get charcoal during festivals. But in the past few years, no silver has been seen, and the charcoal is even less. But no matter what, it was issued by the Ningguo Mansion. The Rongguo Mansion had stopped giving these things a long time ago. If they were rich, it would have nothing to do with them. Even if they had, they would be needed. It was a matter of respecting the master. Many of the young men in the family helped, so they would get silver. Those who didn't come would get free meals and take advantage of it.

Only Old Man Liu, who was sitting there, still eating noodles with his head down, shook his head.
"You all look at these petty gains. If it weren't for these two Jia family pillars, perhaps you wouldn't even be able to do the hard labor at the dock. Although Ningguo Mansion is empty, the title is still there. As long as Rongguo Mansion is rich and powerful, the Jia family will still have a much better life. I think they should go to Rongguo Mansion, otherwise they wouldn't walk this street."

A few people didn't believe it, and stopped eating, looking forward to it, when suddenly someone shouted;
"Look, the team has stopped in front of the Rongguo Mansion."

It was at this time that Lai Da, the steward of Rongguo Mansion, received the news and hurried out from the side door. He asked the doorman to arrange for the servant to notify the old lady and others.

Therefore,
When everyone in Rongqing Hall was supposed to go out for a rest,
Suddenly, a doorman rushed in. The maid at the door tried to stop him but failed. He ran to the table and reported:
"Madam, First Master, Second Master, Master Xia, the eunuch in charge of the six palaces, is here to issue an order. He is outside the gate of the mansion."

He spoke in a hurry, without explaining anything, and just knelt there.

This voice.

Jia She and Jia Zheng were so frightened that they had no time to leave. They didn't know what the news was, so they hurriedly stopped and asked the maids to quickly clear away the banquet.
"Hurry, go outside the central courtyard, light the lanterns, and set up the incense table. Hurry up."

Jia She didn't ask about other things, but he was afraid of the orders from the palace. If he saw maids and servants were slow, he would not only urge them, but would also start scolding them in a hurry.

Seeing that everyone was there, they all came out of Rongqing Hall together, set up an incense table at the middle door, opened the middle door and knelt to receive them.

I saw Xia Shouzhong, the eunuch in charge of the six palaces, riding in a sedan chair, followed by many eunuchs in front, behind, and on both sides. When he came into view, his godson Xiao Weizi lifted the curtain. Xia Shouzhong did not disobey the imperial edict. He got off the sedan chair in front of the eaves. He was wearing a red robe of the chief eunuch, a tripod crown on his head, and two long golden stripes extending from his ears. He walked to the hall with a big smile on his face, stood facing south, holding the bright yellow imperial edict in his hand, and said:
"The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims:

Today, there is Jia Yuanchun of Rongguo Mansion, who is gentle, virtuous, and talented. She has a graceful demeanor and outstanding talents, and she fully demonstrates her virtuous qualities in the palace. Seeing her behavior and praising her character, I specially appoint Jia Yuanchun as the Shangshu of Kunning Palace, in charge of the affairs of the palace's literary works and the responsibility of the palace's elegance. Moreover, considering her virtue, which is very comforting to me, I further confer the title of Xiande Fei, rank her as Guifei, grant her the residence of Chunyun Palace, and enjoy the honor of the royal family. I hope that she will uphold her virtue and assist the palace to show my great grace. I decree this, "

Xia Shouzhong suddenly paused, his heart was in turmoil. He actually made Jia Yuanchun the virtuous concubine, and even the noble concubine, which was one level higher than ordinary concubines. This was because, thinking about the constant small troubles but no major events in the Jia family these days, and the fact that no one had been there in Ningguo Mansion, he didn't mention it. There was something to say about this.

After saying this, without even having a cup of tea, he handed over the imperial edict.
"Old Madam, there is no greater joy than tonight. After so many years of entering the palace, your eldest granddaughter has finally gotten what she wanted."

Xia Shouzhong sighed, he was also involved in many things regarding the Jia family sending their daughter to the palace, and he thought there was no hope, but unexpectedly, in the end, she would be promoted overnight. He also remembered the rumors in the harem that several noble ladies and talented people, including Lady Zhou, would be made concubines, but he didn't expect that His Majesty had already used a trick to deceive people.

Jia She, Jia Zheng and others, as well as the old lady, were all stunned by this great happy event. Only Wang Xifeng was quick to react and took the lead in kowtow to thank God for his grace.
The rest of the people reacted and kowtowed together. The old lady took the imperial edict with trembling hands. This would be the source of the Jia family's wealth and honor from now on.
"Thank you, General Manager Xia, for coming here specially. I bow down to you and thank you for your grace. Second Brother's family, hurry up,"

After being reminded, Jia Zheng was confused and kept knelt on the ground. Only the second wife's face flushed, as if she had been suppressing her emotions for a long time and finally felt relieved. She quickly took out two thousand taels of silver notes from her purse and handed them over.

"I am grateful to Eunuch Xia for taking care of me. Thanks to Eunuch Xia's help over the years, I am able to achieve my current success. In the future, I will never forget your great kindness."

The normally silent Second Wife unexpectedly became eloquent and savvy, unlike her usual self, not to mention these flattering words.

Xia Shouzhong's face lit up with joy, and with a wave of his sleeves, the banknote disappeared.

"Everyone, get up. After so many years, you finally get what you wanted. Congratulations. The old lady is happy. There is one more thing. The emperor still needs to practice Taoism. We should not disturb him. The emperor has already gone to bed in the Yangxin Palace. He should thank you in the front yard. The old lady knows what to do. There are still things to do in Wuwei Palace, so I will not stay any longer."

Xia Shouzhong still had to go back and report to the emperor that it was not appropriate to stay for long. Before leaving, he gave some advice and when thanking him, he should be more careful.
Without waiting for Lady Jia to pay her respects, she left the house, got on the sedan chair, and returned to the palace. Seeing Eunuch Xia leave, Lady Jia was very excited and quickly ordered,

"Feng girl, contact the troupe first, and ask Lai Da to exchange the copper coins and scatter them on Ningrong Street to celebrate. The rest can be done tomorrow. You can follow me to the palace to express your gratitude."

After hearing Grandmother Jia's instructions, everyone dressed up according to their rank. Grandmother Jia led Lady Xing and Lady Wang, a total of three people, in a large sedan chair to go to the court first. Jia She and Jia Zhen also changed into court clothes and led Jia Baoyu and Jia Huan to accompany Grandmother Jia in the sedan chair. As for the mansion, it was immediately decorated with lights and colorful decorations, and festive messages were passed on.

At the roadside stall at the entrance of the alley, several old men saw it clearly from beginning to end, and Old Liu sighed;
"Oh my, it really is a step to heaven. Look at this, it's so grand, isn't it like becoming a royal relative? It's incredible."

The remaining few people also looked at the joy in front of the Rongguo Mansion with envy in their eyes. They looked at each other, and they were obviously shocked in their hearts. How come the Rongguo Mansion soared as soon as they returned to the mansion?

It was at this time that several servants in the Marquis' Mansion heard clearly that the main gate of the Rongguo Mansion had just been opened and the news of the imperial decree had not been concealed. In a short while, the news spread throughout Ningrong Street. The spies in various places also knew about it. Upon seeing this, several servants hid themselves and hurried to the Marquis' Mansion.

And on the street, the several large sedan chairs of Rongguo Mansion were nowhere to be seen.

As a result, everyone in Ning and Rong's places, inside and outside, was delighted and excited, with a proud look on their faces, and they were talking and laughing non-stop.

They came and went in a hurry. When the people from the Jia Mansion arrived at the palace gate at noon, they all got off their sedan chairs and knelt down to pay their respects.
After that, they entered the palace, and everyone was very careful. In front, there were three eunuchs who had been waiting for a long time to lead the way, and everyone followed.
It was the first time for Jia Baoyu to enter the palace. He had never seen such a majestic building before and did not dare to look up. Even Jia Huan, who was usually naughty, had the opportunity to enter as the heir of the second wife. He was no longer as frivolous as before. If he moved the slightest, he would see Jia Zheng's peripheral vision staring at him and did not dare to move too much. As for Mrs. Xing and Mrs. Wang, they just followed behind Grandmother Jia, very nervous. Although it was night, the palace buildings were still majestic and magnificent, and their eyes were full of envy.

He walked straight ahead and soon reached the center of the palace.
Arriving at the Yangxin Palace, following Eunuch Xia's instructions, they walked to the front yard of the Palace and knelt on the ground to express their gratitude. In front of the palace gate, Eunuch Yun was still there, as if he had been waiting for the Jia family for a long time. When he saw the old lady of the Jia family leading people to kneel and express their gratitude, he came out and said:

"Please stand up, old lady. His Majesty has said something before. The Jia family is a noble mansion and has been favored by the emperor for generations. The royal family has also been favored by the Jia family. It is only natural that Yuanchun will be made a concubine. I hope that the Jia family will abide by the laws of the court and be loyal to the court in the future."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. The Jia family will never forget the grace of the royal family and will abide by the laws and be loyal to the court."

In her heart, she understood that this was a warning to the Jia family and Ningguo Mansion, and Jia's mother immediately knelt on the ground.
"Okay, that's good to know. On this happy day, I congratulate the old lady."

Eunuch Yun smiled. He didn't expect that in the last fight, the concubines in the harem would fight fiercely. He thought that the title of concubine would be a rebellion, but he didn't expect that only Jia Yuanchun would end up making wedding dresses for outsiders. Things in the world are unpredictable.

Hearing this, Jia's mother stood up and touched the second wife with her hand. The second wife's face was ruddy. She handed over a thousand taels of silver.
"Thank you for waiting so late, sir."

"No problem. Changle Palace is in the northwest. Let him continue to lead it."

Eunuch Yun touched the banknotes and was a little surprised. There were so many of them. As expected of the Jia family, he might as well sell them at a good price.

Everyone nodded and went to the gate of Changle Palace one by one. The second wife, perhaps because she had come to her senses or was just happy, gave three white silver notes to the three eunuchs who were leading the way.

"Thank you three for taking the trouble to stay up all night."

The eunuch who led the way took the banknote and his attitude was completely different.

"You don't need to thank me. Your family will be royal relatives from now on. How dare we, the servants, put on airs? The palace closes early at night. As for the harem, only the second-rank lady can enter, and the rest cannot enter unless it is a very serious matter."

"Yeah, the rules have changed, so we close early."

The other young eunuch also nodded in agreement.

After hearing this, Jia's mother understood. How could she express her gratitude then?

"May I ask how to express my gratitude, young eunuch?"

"Old Madam, as long as the affection is there, it's all right. This matter is urgent. There are many guards at the main gate of the harem. Go there to express your gratitude, and someone will pass on the message."

The last person, who was walking in front, replied,

Seeing this, Jia's mother hurriedly thanked him.
"Thank you for your help, otherwise, I would have made a fool of myself tonight."

After this question and answer, they arrived at the Changle Palace of the retired emperor.

In front of the palace gate, Jia's mother led everyone to kneel down and worship.
The eunuchs had already responded and accepted the greetings. After the greetings were completed, the eunuch in charge replied;
"Old Madam, please stand up. The Emperor has something to say. The favor to the Jia family has long been decided. Now it is just a matter of course. I hope you will be loyal to the court in the future. It's night, old madam, please go back and rest."

"Thank you for your grace, the Jia family will never forget it."

He bowed deeply again, then stood up and continued to walk towards the palace gate.

After all, it was night, and men from the harem were not allowed to enter. Hearing what the eunuch who led the way said, Jia's mother had no choice but to lead the Jia family to the harem gate, in the direction of where the empress, the queen mother, and the concubine lived, and bowed deeply. Only then did she leave the palace with some regret. They came quickly and left quickly.
When he came outside the palace,
Grandmother Jia thanked the eunuchs who led the way again and again, and seeing the second wife's happy face, she said:
"Tomorrow, you will prepare some excellent gifts from your residence for the Empress Dowager, Concubine Dowager, and Empress Dowager in the harem. Prepare a generous gift for each of them and send them over early tomorrow morning. Prepare the gifts overnight. Do you understand?"

"Old lady, my daughter-in-law knows."

Although the Second Wife was refreshed and felt strong in her heart, she took Lady Jia's instructions very seriously. She knew that the inner court and the harem were the key at this time and she must not make a wrong step. She nodded and agreed quickly, thinking of the fine collections in her inner treasury, the many treasures in Rongguo Mansion, and even the things from the Wang family.
Grandmother Jia sighed and said again;

"That's good to know! Also, prepare some gifts that are not too precious but can be presented. The quantity should be large, and send them all to Yuanchun's Chunyun Palace. I know you have a lot of money to use privately, so at least send 10,000 taels of silver notes first, in small denominations, and a few thousand taels of loose change. These are all important, and they must be sent quickly."

"Yes, listen to the old lady. Prepare it tonight and put it together with the gifts sent from the palace tomorrow morning. It will not make things difficult for Yuanchun. However, these gifts are too conspicuous. They must be inspected at the palace gate."

Although the Second Wife agreed verbally, she was still reluctant in her heart. These expenses were not small. If the Duke's Mansion did not pay, she would have to pay for them alone.

"We just want them to check. The Jia family is still very wealthy. You should prepare the things first. Later, I will ask Feng to give you some more."

She glared at the Second Madam, feeling a little disappointed. When did she still care about these things? Mrs. Xing was behind her, saying nothing, her eyes full of jealousy, and she felt even more depressed. When, in the blink of an eye, the maid of the Second House turned from a sparrow into a phoenix and flew to the sky. From now on, Rongguo Mansion would not have any say, and I'm afraid the First House would not even dare to breathe.
Looking at the two men of the Jia family, they were silent at the moment, bowing their heads and listening to the old lady's lecture. The imperial edict-style makeup that he was wearing now seemed boring.
Seeing that the Second Madam did not respond, Jia Mu stopped again, fearing that she had not remembered it.

"Don't be confused at this time!"

"Yes, mother."

(End of this chapter)