Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Chapter 4 Practicing Martial Arts in Dreams
  Seeing Jia Mu fainted, everyone in the hall immediately became a mess. They invited the imperial doctor, pinched the person, poured ginseng soup, stroked the chest and patted the back, massaged to smooth the flow, and finally revived her.

Jia Cong stepped aside with an innocent look on his face, but he was snickering in his heart. Now he no longer doubts it. How can the Generalissimo's poems be taken for granted?
  Jia She gave Jia Cong a severe look, but did not dare to scold him for talking nonsense. As soon as the poem came out, everyone who could read believed that it was a dream entrusted by the late father-in-law, and Jia Cong was just paraphrasing it. Who dared to criticize him? Didn’t you mean the late Duke?
  "Nie Zhan, look at the good things you have done, and you still won't back down. If anything happens to the old lady, I will tear your bones apart first!"

"Wait a minute, let him continue." After taking a few mouthfuls of ginseng soup, Jia Mu calmed down and wiped her tears. Her husband asked her in a dream, and she was eager to know what was going on.

The ladies also clutched their handkerchiefs tightly, for fear that Jia Cong would be driven away. They were also chewing on the poem just now in their hearts. They were relieved when they heard Jia Mu speak.

Jia Cong secretly laughed in his heart. This is the great thing about Korean dramas. The more women cry, the more they want to watch them. Immediately he said: "Then humanity..."

"How presumptuous! That's the late Duke, you have to call me Grand Master. This person and that person have no rules at all." Jia Mu spat.

"Yes, yes, Cong didn't know his identity before, so he didn't dare to call him random names. Since the old lady said yes, it must be him."

"Mr. Qi was right when he said you were stupid. If you are not a relative, who will enlighten you?" Jia Mu said.

Jia Cong agreed repeatedly and said: "Your Majesty said..." This time no one dared to take it lightly. From Jia She down, everyone stood up respectfully and listened to the teachings.

"My grandpa said that he has two major regrets in his life. One is that the lord who was killed by his ancestors in a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​​​blood is lost to his descendants; the other is that his ancestors' ability to make contributions has not been passed down at all."

There are two types of royal titles in the country. One is the title of relative, also called the title of clan, which is given to the descendants of the Tian family clan or relatives. The second is the title of lord, also called the title of meritorious service, which is the title of military merit. It is the most noble.

Taizu once said that no one can be granted a title unless he has achieved military merit in the country, and no title can be awarded unless it is a special purpose. To put it simply, one is the Lord of Humanity and the other is the Lord of War Merit. For example, the Jia family was originally a noble, but their descendants had no military merits and did not serve in the army to guard the borders, so they were demoted to the title of prince. Not only did their salary decrease, but they also lost the privilege of having personal soldiers. Only the descendants of the descendants can make further military exploits before they can be reinstated as Lords.

The two biggest differences between princes and lords are that one has a royal title but no coupons, and the other has a royal title but no coupons. The imperial edict is proof of identity and title, and the coupon is proof of military exploits. The Jia family ancestral hall enshrines the iron coupon of the elixir given by Taizu. With this coupon, you cannot be killed unless it is a serious crime of treason.

Another difference is personal soldiers. No matter how big the prince is, even a prince is not qualified to have personal soldiers. At most, he can have some palace guards. No matter how young the Lord is, even the ninth-grade Colonel Ying Yang can still raise his own soldiers. You can be accompanied by personal soldiers when you go out, which is very majestic and dignified.

After hearing what Jia Cong said, an awkward atmosphere suddenly filled the hall. Jia She, Jia Zheng and others blushed and almost wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl in. Mother Jia also looked calm and waved her hand: "My ancestors." If Jue'er is lost, we can't blame the descendants entirely. Who could tell him to be so cruel? He left us orphans and widows long ago, and now there are weird people here, and he doesn't care."

Jia She and Jia Zheng felt relieved, thinking that their mother understood the truth.

Jia Cong thought in his heart that he was indeed a loving mother with many failed sons, but he said: "The old lady said it is true. The master also said, Brother Cong, although you are not good at studying, if you practice martial arts, you are still expected to succeed. , I can still guard the door and settle down in the future. Then my grandfather taught me some martial arts and Cong. Strangely enough, in my dream, Cong seemed to have enlightened me. I can master any martial arts as soon as I learn it. My grandfather also praised me for my talent. It’s divided.”

"Bah, you know how to sell melons to Mrs. Wang." Jia Mu spat.

Jia Cong said hurriedly: "Cong doesn't dare to brag. I just woke up from a dream and I still remember the skills taught by my master. If the old lady doesn't believe it, Cong can give it a try in the hall."

Sister Feng finally found an opportunity and said: "Brother Cong, you said that you can master martial arts after sleeping, is that right?"

"Indeed."

"Okay, we also have people in our family who are good at martial arts. You can audition on the spot and ask someone to judge. If you lie to me, be careful."

Jia Cong's mother also looked at Jia Cong and said, "Are you really good at martial arts? If you tell lies, you won't be spared." She was deeply annoyed that Jia Cong was unnecessary and talking about martial arts. If it can't be performed, wouldn't this story about the late father's dream be left behind? If there is a flaw, how will you remember it in the future? Jia Cong said seriously: "Cong Wu said nothing. He just slept for three days and didn't drink any water or rice. Now his stomach is empty and his hands and feet are weak. Please ask the old lady for food before you can practice martial arts."

Jia Mu hummed, nodded, and raised her hand to signal.

Jia Rong had already stepped aside, cupped his hands and said, "Uncle Cong, sit here."

Jia Cong nodded, walked over and patted him on the shoulder like an elder, saying: "Brother Rong, I accept your filial piety." Everyone saw that he was a full head shorter than Jia Rong, but even taller. He pretended to be an elder and showed his "filial piety", which made everyone laugh. Only Jia She's eyes flashed with a hint of gloom, and he became more and more angry.

As soon as Jia Cong sat down, a maid served rice. The bowl was filled with green and translucent Bijaponica rice. The aroma was so fragrant that it made people move their index fingers. However, the bowl was too small, not as big as a child's hand. She said: "Sister, Please bring me a big bowl."

The sisters couldn't help covering their mouths anymore and started laughing. Mother Jia also rolled her eyes at him angrily and funnyly: "Change him a bigger bowl, so as not to spread the news that Brother Cong can't even have a full meal here."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Forgive me, old lady. Cong is really hungry. I hope you won't blame me for being rude." While he was talking, a girl brought a large bowl of rice.

Jia Cong didn't waste any time. He took it and looked at the table full of delicacies. He didn't have time to distinguish the dishes. He just ate haphazardly. He disliked the chopsticks being too slow to pick up the food, so he picked up the plate and poured it into the bowl. Jia Lian, Jia Rong and others next to him frowned and stepped aside, fearing that the soup would splash on them.

Mother Jia couldn't bear to look at it and said, "Brother, are you trying to survive because of starvation? Eat slowly, who will snatch it from you? Be careful of choking."

Sister Feng also came to join in the fun and said: "Old lady, this is not a noble man, he is clearly a mountain king. I don't think you will entertain Brother Cong anymore. Although your old feudal prince has a strong foundation, he can't stand up to such a bully. Ah." Everyone laughed.

Aunt Xue said: "Brother Feng knows how to talk. It's a blessing to be able to eat. Besides, Brother Cong has not eaten for several days, so he must be very hungry."

In a short while, Jia Cong ate heartily. The girl brought tea. Jia Cong drank it with a slurp. Another girl brought a basin.

Uh... It seems that the cup of tea just now was for gargling. Jia Cong was a little embarrassed. He was careless and not used to the rules of this era. He peeked around and saw that the whole room, including twenty or thirty people, was looking at him. Many girls and girls were looking at him. He was covering his mouth and snickering.

He was also a very thick-skinned man. He didn't blush and was out of breath. He waved the little girl holding the basin to leave. Another girl brought tea. Jia Cong still drank it in one gulp before standing up with satisfaction.

At this time, a mother-in-law led a middle-aged woman with a strong figure, carrying two swords on her back, wearing leggings and black thin-soled fast boots. The woman walked up to Jia Mu and kowtowed respectfully in greeting.

"Foolish Lady Han, please give your regards to the old lady and all the gentlemen, ladies, ladies and gentlemen."

Sister Feng stood up and explained: "Old lady, this is the wife of Lei Heng, the martial artist our family hired to protect the courtyard. She is responsible for patrolling the night in our backyard. She has also practiced martial arts since she was a child, and she can identify congs. What I said is true or false."

Mother Jia nodded, and Sister Feng said again: "Lei Heng's family, please get up quickly. Our third master Cong said he had a dream, and a god taught him martial arts in his dream. This means that he will have kung fu as soon as he wakes up." , I want to practice for us, and I invite you to come, so that you can give everyone a look and see if this kid is really good at kung fu, or if he is just boasting."

The Lei Heng family member stood up and looked up and down. He saw that Jia Cong was fair and fair, delicate and tender. He didn't look like a martial arts practitioner. It was ridiculous to practice martial arts in a dream. He was probably playing a joke on these gentlemen and young ladies. Then, he bowed and cupped his fists and said: "Grandma Lian Er, you are serious. Although this foolish woman has learned some three-legged cat fists and kicks, she has never been able to reach the level of elegance. How dare she talk about the word 'palm and eye'. Third Master Cong wants to practice martial arts. A foolish woman’s eyes will be opened.”

"Brother Cong, please." Sister Feng looked at Jia Cong proudly and said with a smile. She doesn't understand poetry, and you can't cheat in boxing and kicking skills. It depends on how you get past it.

(End of this chapter)