King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 760 Who in the world doesn’t recognize you?

Jinling, Yingtian Prefecture City, Jia Family.

It has been more than a year since we moved out of Beijing last year.

Originally, everyone in the Jia family was reluctant to leave Beijing, but a series of events that happened later made them realize that it was the right decision to leave early.

If they continue to stay in the capital, they can protect themselves if something happens to the Eastern Palace, but they are unlikely to be safe.

What happened later also proved that the Jia family’s guess was correct.

Only at this time did Jia Zheng understand why Yuanchun was in such a hurry to leave. It was obvious that she had anticipated all this.

But even after the Jia family returned to their hometown, they still encountered many misfortunes, especially being harassed by various civil and military offices.

There was no other way. Jinling was the place where Zheng Xianlin, He Gujin and Jia Yucun made their fortunes. The students and old friends of these three people were spread throughout the provincial government and the provincial court. In order to win the favor of Prince Xiang, they had to exclude the Jia family.

Normally, even the most powerful families would be broken up and destroyed if they were oppressed by these government offices. The Jia family was able to escape this fate because of their kinship with Princess Xiang.

In other words, these people could cause trouble for the Jia family, but they dared not go too far and cause trouble.

Their grasp of the scale of action mainly depends on the closeness between the Jia and Xue families.

The Xue family can influence the princess' attitude, which is basically equivalent to the princess' attitude.

This means that the closer the Jia and Xue families are, the more tolerant the government offices will be towards the Jia family.

The Jia family also noticed this situation, so they tried their best to get close to the Xue family, which gradually made their lives return to stability.

It is now almost the twelfth lunar month, and the eighteenth year of the Zhengtong period is coming to an end.

On the first day of the twelfth lunar month, a beggar came to the gate of the Jia family's mansion. When the servants tried to drive him away, they discovered that it was Jia Baoyu who had been missing for several years.

"Second Master, you...you are back?"

Fortunately, the gatekeeper was an old employee of the Rongguo Mansion in the capital, otherwise he would not have recognized Jia Baoyu.

After brushing aside his messy hair and confirming that it was indeed Jia Baoyu, the steward immediately turned around and ordered: "Come here quickly, come here quickly!"

The two servants came forward reluctantly, and one of them asked, "Manager Chen, who is this person?"

"You are blind, this is Mr. Zheng's second son, our treasured second master!"

"Help him up quickly, and have someone go inside to report!"

"Ah...yes, yes..."

Jia Baoyu was helped into the courtyard. He was wearing tattered clothes and looked extremely thin. It was obvious that he had suffered a lot in the past few years.

This is indeed the case. After he ran away from home, he was easily cheated out of all his money.

Fortunately, he could write and do math, so he lowered himself to find a job as an accountant, and he was able to make a living.

Although that period was poor, Jia Baoyu was at peace in his heart, and it was also the time when he grew the fastest.

Unfortunately, his good days did not last long, because because of his handsome appearance, he was noticed by the owner of the shop where he worked.

One night, the man made Jia Baoyu drink a few more cups and then tried to force himself on him. Jia Baoyu fought back desperately and managed to escape, but because he was in such a hurry, he only wore one set of clothes and all his other personal belongings fell off.

Now he was really left with nothing, and began his wandering life in Suzhou, which has lasted for nearly two years.

In fact, half a year ago, Jia Baoyu learned that the Jia family moved back to Jinling, but he never thought about going back home.

First, I am too embarrassed to go back, and second, I don’t really want to go back.

The reason why he chose to go home now is because he is sick and it is difficult for him to even beg for a living.

Originally, Jia Baoyu thought he was not afraid of death, but when the time came, he still didn't want to die, and even felt that every breath was sweet.

So after several twists and turns, he finally found the Jia family, but at this time he was starving and cold.

When he was helped into the mansion, Mrs. Wang, who had learned the news, hurried to see him. When she found her precious son in this state, she was so distressed that she hugged him and started crying.

Later, Grandmother Jia also rushed over. The old lady was not as healthy as before, but she still hurried over when she heard that her grandson had returned home.

After a period of crying at the reunion, Mrs. Wang brought Jia Baoyu into the inner courtyard, where the maids had already served him food.

The Jia family is now in decline. Although they are still much better off than ordinary people, they can no longer indulge in extravagance in food and drink, so the food is very "ordinary" compared to before.

When Jia Baoyu saw the food, his eyes lit up. If he had only considered his dignity, he would have really wanted to stuff it directly into his mouth.

Seeing him wolfing down the food, Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang both shed tears, obviously thinking of how much the child had suffered over the years.

It was at this time that Mrs. Xing and Wang Xifeng also rushed over, followed by Li Wan and Tanchun and Xichun.

Everyone was talking and asking Jia Baoyu about his experiences over the past few years, while the latter was talking while eating.

Half an hour later, the doctor invited by the Jia family arrived. After the examination, he prescribed medicine for Jia Baoyu, and then everyone continued to chat.

Although the family was reunited, Jia Baoyu still clearly felt something was wrong, especially with his aunt and sister-in-law.

The experiences of the past few years have made him see through the fickleness of human nature, so he understood the reason after a little thought.

His return would take away the old lady's favor and affect the interests of the first house, so Mrs. Xing would be dissatisfied with him.

As for Li Wan's hostility, it is very simple. If he doesn't come back, Jia Zheng's branch will have to pass on to Jia Lan. If he comes back, it will harm Jia Lan's interests.

Jia Baoyu, who saw through all this, did not show any abnormality at this moment. He did not have much desire for wealth and only wanted a place to live.

While everyone was talking, Jia Zheng, who was inspecting the farm outside, hurried back home after receiving the news, and there was another round of questions and answers between the father and son.

Later, Jia She, who had been visiting the Xue family, also came back. This old guy was also dismissed last year and returned to Jinling directly from Yunnan.

Compared with Mrs. Xing, Jia She has a broader mind and cares more about Jia Baoyu.

Although the family fell into decline, Jia She considered it a blessing that every member of the family was safe.

After everyone talked about it, they all agreed that today was a rare happy event. After reporting it to Lady Jia, they decided to hold a banquet in the evening to celebrate.

After the instructions were given, everyone dispersed and Jia Baoyu was taken to wash up.

The Jia family encountered a great change. The people in Jia Baoyu's room had all left, and only Qingwen stayed behind loyally. She told Lady Jia that she would wait for Baoyu to come home, and only then did she follow the Jia family to Jinling when they left Beijing.

While washing, Jia Baoyu also asked some questions. Soon half an hour passed and someone from Jia's mother's side came to invite him over.

When they arrived at Jia's grandmother's courtyard, everyone had already gathered together and were chatting in groups of three or four. When Jia's grandmother saw Baoyu coming, she waved to him.

Jia Baoyu was very familiar with this scene, but when he looked at the people around him, he found that most of his sisters were gone.

"The eldest son of the Xue family said that it is difficult to find good farmland nowadays, so we don't have to be obsessed with it and can do maritime trade with him!" Jia She said, stroking his beard.

Opposite him, Jia Zheng frowned, thought for a moment and replied, "It has been the tradition since ancient times to pass down the family tradition of farming and studying. As for maritime trade... I'm afraid it's not a long-term solution!"

"These days, I went to several docks with Xue Jia Dalang and saw that maritime trade is indeed very profitable!"

Seeing that Jia Zheng was about to refute again, Jia She spoke first: "The court is now vigorously expanding the navy, and it is obvious that they have also seen the benefits of the sea. Following the court's major policies... I think you can't go wrong!" "But..."

Before Jia Zheng could finish his words, a servant came outside to report, "Master Lian is here."

The next moment, Jia Lian, who already had a beard, hurried into the living room, holding up the hem of his robe, with a stack of papers in his hand.

Jia Lian saw Jia Baoyu, but chose to ignore him at this moment. He came to the living room and reported: "Dad, Second Uncle... The matter of the crown prince has been settled. His Royal Highness Prince Xiang has been canonized as the crown prince by His Majesty. This is the official report I copied back from outside the Yingtian government office!"

The official enthronement of the prince took place at a grand court meeting in early November, and it was already November 25th.

In other words, it took a full 25 days for the last sentence of the enthronement edict, "announce it to the world," to be implemented in Nanjing.

Of course, if the message is delivered by express mail at 800 miles per hour, it will only take seven or eight days for the message to reach Jinling. Obviously, there is no need to be so anxious about this matter.

After the crown prince's death, there will be a new crown prince sooner or later. Everyone in the Jia family had their own guesses about who the new crown prince would be. They were not surprised to learn that it was Zhu Jinghong who would take the throne.

But when Jia Baoyu heard this, he still felt very uncomfortable, after all, Zhu Jinghong was his "enemy".

However, when he was sad, Jia Lian continued, "On the second day of November, the sister of the Xue family was also canonized as the Crown Princess!"

Good man, he felt even more uncomfortable after hearing this, because he also disliked Baochai.

Then Jia Lian continued, "What a coincidence! On the evening of the first day of the lunar year, Sister Lin gave birth to another son for the prince!"

Jia Baoyu was already feeling very uncomfortable, and when he heard that Daiyu had given birth to a son for Zhu Jinghong, he suddenly felt a black screen in front of his eyes and something rising up in his throat.

My Sister Lin, my Sister Lin... Jia Baoyu screamed in his heart, his heart was burning.

He thought he had let it go, but his body's reaction at this moment told him that he was actually in deeper trouble.

I can't collapse, I will never let them break me... Relying on the tenacity he had acquired over the past two years, Jia Baoyu managed to hold on. Only Tanchun, who was standing by, noticed something was wrong.

"That's all right, that's all right!" Jia She sighed, feeling mixed emotions.

At this time, Jia Zheng urged: "Hurry up and read the court report and the imperial edict!"

Jia Lian said "Oh", then picked up the manuscript paper in his hand and read: "The imperial report, on the first day of November in the eighteenth year of Zhengtong, the emperor went to Fengtian Hall to perform the ceremony of enthroning the crown prince. The court..."

"Pick up the important things!" Jia She couldn't help but remind.

"Oh yes!"

The so-called important matter was the edict to enthrone the prince, so Jia Lian directly changed to the second page of manuscript paper.

"By the grace of Heaven... the Emperor..., I hereby declare..."

"When an emperor rules the world, he must establish a crown prince and a deputy crown prince to stabilize the foundation of the country and win the hearts of the people. This will ensure long-term peace and prosperity, and his great achievements will last forever..."

"The legitimate son Jinghong is a man of noble character and talent, with extraordinary talent and appearance. He is blessed with great fortune and honor, and is admired by both Chinese and foreigners..."

"The royal family, dukes, princes-in-law, and ministers of civil and military affairs have all come forward to urge the establishment of a crown prince..."

"I have read your sincere opinions and found that the throne cannot be left vacant for long and public opinion cannot be rejected..."

"It is time to do it, and it is hard to refuse. Today, I hereby inform the gods above and below to grant Jinghong the imperial seal and make him the crown prince. He will take the throne in the Eastern Palace, which will bring glory to the nine temples and bring him a long-lasting blessing!"

Jia Lian read with cadence and everyone present listened attentively.

The original edict of enthronement was very long, and there was a series of things to come including amnesty, so Jia Lian returned without having time to copy it.

Then Jia She took the manuscript and began to look at it carefully. At this time, Jia Lian reminded him, "Dad, Second Uncle... We can't remain indifferent to such an important matter!"

"If you have something to say, just say it!" Jia She looked up and said.

Jia Lian replied: "We should prepare generous gifts and go to the Xue family to congratulate them!"

Hearing this, Jia She slapped his forehead and said, "I actually forgot about this!"

Then he stood up and said to Jia Zheng, "Second Brother, what do you say?"

Jia Zheng nodded and replied, "That's exactly what we should do. Both our families should go to show our sincerity!"

Jia She then said, "There is no time to lose. Get ready now. If you are late, someone else will get there first!"

So the two brothers said goodbye to Lady Jia and left with their respective wives. It was obvious that these two had to be present as well.

Jia Lian and his wife also said goodbye and left. They had their own plans.

Everyone dispersed in an instant. Although Grandmother Jia was disappointed, she did not try to keep them. After all, this was a matter concerning the safety of the family.

"There's a lot to do today, Baoyu, you're tired too, go back and rest for a night, we'll celebrate tomorrow!"

Grandmother Jia offered words of comfort. She was the only one who came to comfort Wang at this time, after all, Mrs. Wang had been taken away by Jia Zheng.

At this moment, Jia Baoyu was in great pain. He was on the verge of death after suffering a series of severe blows and was unable to attend the celebratory banquet.

"Then my grandson...will go back first!"

Jia Baoyu said this with great effort and he was about to collapse.

But in the eyes of Jia's grandmother, she thought that he was feeling aggrieved, so she said a few words to comfort him, and then let Qingwen accompany Jia Baoyu back.

Forcing himself to stay healthy, Jia Baoyu stood up and walked out. He was already a little dazed, and finally he spat out a mouthful of blood, then lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

"Baoyu..."

After Lady Jia's exclamation, everyone in the hall suddenly became chaotic.

On the other side, there were many people in the Xue family who reacted faster than the Jia family. At this moment, many cars and sedans were parked outside the Xue family’s door.

Xue Pan, who was already a father, was extremely busy at this time. He greeted people everywhere and accepted congratulations from guests.

Time is a butcher's knife, and it does have the power to change people. For example, Xue Pan has become much more stable in the past two years and is now adept at socializing.

On the other side, in the inner residence of the Xue family, Xue's mother and Xia Yuegui were also very busy. They had to receive the wives of visiting officials, all of whom had titles and imperial decrees.

Of course, Xue's mother and Xia Yuegui also have titles, and Xue's mother's title is very high, so it can be predicted that her title will be further promoted.

When the inner house of Xue's family was extremely lively, all the members of Jia's family were also allowed to enter the house. Because of the arrival of Lady Wang's elder sister, the women of Jia's family received special treatment and were invited by Xue's mother to the side room to talk alone.

As for other visiting women, Xue's mother asked Xia Yuegui to be in charge of greeting them, and the latter was also very adept at doing so.

Zhu Jinghong was officially enthroned as the crown prince, which caused a sensation in Jinling and other places as well.

By the end of the twelfth lunar month, the news had spread abroad, and Tibet, Mongolia, Jurchen, Korea and other places were all excited.

Where some are happy, others are sad, especially Zhu Jinghong's opponents, such as neighboring countries like Spain, Portugal, Britain, France, and Russia. There will be many grudges in the future.

On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, the day before the Chinese New Year, two months later, the news reached Yili, the farthest place where the Ming Dynasty's troops were stationed.

The 10,000 Ming troops stationed here were all excited and celebrating. The commanding general even announced that they would celebrate the New Year one day in advance, and the entire army congratulated Zhu Jinghong on his accession to the throne.

(End of this chapter)