Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 11 Rongqing Hall

Zhou Changyan received Jia Cong's reply and said goodbye to Jia Cong and Jia Zheng and left.

When Zhou Changyan was about to leave, Jia Cong took out a copy of the Heart Sutra from his room and asked him to take it to Prince Jiashun for correction.

Prince Jiashun showed him such courtesy based on the couplet he wrote on red saltpeter coarse paper.

As a result, Jia Cong came into the sight of Lady Jia and Jia Zheng from the closed and suffocating East Courtyard, which made Jia She and his wife somewhat cautious in their actions.

It can be said that Jia Cong has received favors from Prince Jiashun. Although this was not intentional on the part of the other party, Jia Cong was still grateful to the prince in his heart.

Since the other party liked his calligraphy, it would be a bit disrespectful to let him hold a torn couplet.

Presenting a copy of the Heart Sutra that I had carefully written myself was also a way of expressing my gratitude to King Jiashun for his prayers.

This was a pleasant surprise for Zhou Changyan. He was just delivering a letter for the prince, but he received Jia Cong's authentic calligraphy. The prince would definitely be happy when he returned.

Led by a maid sent by Wang Xifeng, Jia Cong followed Jia Zheng out of Songxuan Hall and into the Chuihua Gate.

There are winding corridors on both sides, where people can take shelter from the rain, and in the middle is a path paved with bluestone.

When you reach the end, you will see a marble screen on a rosewood frame.

Passing the screen, there is a small hall with three rooms, and after passing through it is the main hall at the back.

The five upper rooms on the front are all decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, and the corridors on both sides are hung with parrots, thrushes and other birds.

There were several little maids dressed in red and green sitting on the stage. When they saw Jia Zheng and Jia Cong coming, one of them hurried over to lift the curtain.

Another maid went in to report: "The second master is coming with his men."

The harmonious and gentle atmosphere in Rongqing Hall changed. Everyone in the hall looked at the young man following Jia Zheng with different eyes.

This made me wonder what the person who delivered the letter to the prince looked like.

Rongqing Hall is where Jia's grandmother lives on a daily basis. Together with Rongxi Hall, where Jia Zheng and Mrs. Wang live, they are the two main halls of Rongguo Mansion.

In the past, as Jia Cong was despised in the mansion, he didn't have the face to set foot here.

Today was the first time he could remember entering Rongqing Hall.

In his previous life, he read Dream of the Red Chamber, and many of the events in the book happened here. Although he was curious, he remained calm and behaved calmly.

He saw that Rongqing Hall was already full of people, and among them must be the beautiful and talented lady from the Red Mansion who would be remembered forever.

One of the young girls was looking at him with her pretty eyes, which contained a gentle and intimate look.

The girl was wearing a long coat with a cross collar and embroidered flowers on an apricot red background. She had slender shoulders and a thin waist, a tall and slender figure, an oval face, beautiful eyes and thin eyebrows, and a lively look. She was a genius with literary talent that made one forget the world.

The girl sitting on her left is two years older than her, with slightly plump skin, a medium build, cheeks as red as fresh litchis, a nose as smooth as goose fat, and she is gentle, silent, and very amiable.

When she saw Jia Cong looking at her, she smiled at him quietly, with a kind look in her eyes, and that feeling actually made Jia Cong feel somewhat familiar.

Memories of his previous life swirled in his mind, and he finally remembered that this was his half-sister Yingchun.

The girl in the apricot-red long coat next to Yingchun, with her pretty eyes, thin eyebrows, and lively look, is Tanchun.

As for the girl sitting on the right side of Tanchun, who is as timid as a flower, with an elegant and graceful figure, watery eyes and a hint of sadness on her cheeks, she must be Lin Daiyu.

Sitting next to Daiyu was a handsome young man, wearing bright red arrow-sleeves and a purple gold crown inlaid with jewels on his hair. He was very eye-catching among the women in the room, but his face was indeed a little big.

Sitting at the end was a girl as white as jade, not tall enough and still small, her whole body sunk into the chair, looking a little cute. Needless to say, she was the youngest Xichun.

After hurriedly checking their names and taking their seats, Jia Cong did not feel comfortable looking at the others one by one, so he retracted his gaze and stood quietly in the hall.

Grandmother Jia could not remember when she last saw Jia Cong. Although he was her grandson, his face did look somewhat unfamiliar.

Although Mrs. Wang, Li Wan and others knew about the old events, like Grandmother Jia, they had hardly seen Jia Cong in these years.

As for the young masters and ladies who were born later, except Yingchun and Tanchun, almost no one else has any impression of the existence of Jia Cong as a brother.

Yingchun looked at Jia Cong with gentle eyes, and there was pity in her eyes.

Tanchun stared at Jia Cong quietly, and thought of the Xizhou Qu in the room.

Although Jia Cong was dressed in shabby clothes and had a thin face, he was calm and composed, and behaved in a generous and generous manner. He was indeed extraordinary.

When I saw the stitches on his cuffs and the faded uppers of his shoes.

Tanchun felt a little sad. They were both born out of wedlock. Compared with him, she was so lucky.

The delicate girl next to her didn't notice Tanchun's expression this time.

She saw a young man in shabby clothes and shoes, with a thin body, standing there coldly.

Looking at my grandmother's expression at this moment, I guessed that this cousin whom I had never met must be unwelcome in the mansion.

But although this young man looked bleak, his demeanor and spirit did not show any sign of decadence. Instead, he exuded an air of self-respect and dignity that made people dare not look down on him.

She also thought of herself, although she was loved by her grandmother, but she was still dependent on others. Her mother died early, her father was far away, and she was alone, anxious and helpless. She was not much better than this young man.

Thinking of this, a wave of sadness rose in her heart. She looked up and saw Jia Cong still standing there calmly and gently. There was an inexplicable sense of tranquility and stability in his figure.

Grandmother Jia saw that Jia Cong was very thin and frail, wearing an old robe that had been washed so much that it had turned white, with stitches from the mending visible on the cuffs.

His face was pale and he looked a little embarrassed and downcast, not like a young man from a wealthy family.

Compared with the elegant and handsome Baoyu, they are like heaven and earth.

Although Jia Cong was thin originally, he would not become so thin.

Ever since he recovered from his injuries, he was worried that his weak body would not be able to withstand the illness of this strange era.

I started to plan my daily fitness routine, doing push-ups, running and other exercises without missing a single day.

The kitchen of the East Courtyard was under the control of Wang Shanbao's family and was in charge of providing food to Jia Cong.

But he had ten taels of silver from selling couplets, so he was not afraid. Unexpectedly, it was taken away by Mrs. Xing again.

This resulted in him not being able to eat enough every day, but he was unwilling to stop his daily fitness exercises, so it became an unconscious fat-loss exercise.

In the eyes of others, he looked increasingly emaciated, which invisibly magnified the effect of Dongluyuan's withholding of food.

The old lady had been immersed in the evil spirits of the rear house for half her life, so she saw some of the reasons and glanced at Madam Xing who was sitting below her.

Although she disliked this grandson, he was also of Jia family blood. If he became so shabby, it would only bring shame to the Jia family.

As the eldest daughter-in-law and the legal mother, she is stingy in her manners, after all, she comes from a small family.

Unlike the second daughter-in-law who comes from a prominent family and always considers everything in a big way, it is no wonder that she looks down on the first wife.

Lady Jia glanced at Mrs. Xing. They had been mother-in-law and daughter-in-law for many years, so she had no idea what was going on.

She felt embarrassed and glared at Jia Cong fiercely, thinking to herself, this whore-born bastard is always up to no good, she will settle the score with him when she gets back.

Although Jia Cong looked somewhat embarrassed and unpleasant on the outside, Jia's mother and Mrs. Wang had seen him a lot.

You can still see that his facial features are very handsome. Then you think that his biological mother was very beautiful, so how could the child she gave birth to be bad?

Especially his eyes, which are warm, clear, calm and peaceful.

His figure stood upright like a pine tree, neither arrogant nor humble. Even when facing the scrutiny of so many people, he seemed as if nothing happened and showed no trace of fear.

At that moment, you could hear a pin drop in Rongqing Hall. A strange atmosphere was flowing in the air, as if it contained a silent confrontation.

People with more experience like Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang couldn't help but be surprised. How could a ten-year-old child have such power?

Grandmother Jia looked at Jia Zheng and asked, "You have also met the guest, what is the matter?"

Jia Zheng's face was full of smiles, and he even had a hint of pride in it: "Don't worry, old lady, this is a good thing, a happy event."

Grandmother Jia's face relaxed and she asked, "What good news?"

In front of everyone, Jia Zheng told the story of how Jia Cong wrote a couplet for Zhao Ma, let Zhou Changyan see it and buy it, and how it was finally appreciated by Prince Jiashun.

This story stunned everyone in the hall. Such a bizarre thing seemed to appear only in a storybook.

Everyone's eyes once again focused on Jia Cong who was standing calmly.

Some people were inexplicably surprised, some were relieved, some were curious, and some were jealous and looked on indifferently.

Jia Zheng added: "Prince Jiashun is very knowledgeable and he loves Cong'er's calligraphy very much.

It is said that in a few years, our Jia family will produce a master of calligraphy, who will surely go down in history.

He also wrote a personal letter to invite Congge'er to attend the Nanxi Literary Gathering on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and asked Congge'er to be the recorder of the gathering.

Old lady, this is a great event that brings honor to our family.

The Nanxi Literary Society has always only invited world-renowned scholars and celebrities, and I have never heard of inviting a ten-year-old child to participate.

I never thought that my Jia family would produce Wenhua seeds. It is really a blessing from our ancestors!"

When Jia Zheng finished speaking, his face was flushed and he looked excited. Especially when he mentioned that the Jia family had produced the Wenhua seeds, his face showed a burning expression of pride.

Grandmother Jia felt helpless about her youngest son's bookish behavior.

Prince Jiashun actually thought so highly of her grandson, whom she disliked, and said that he would become a master of calligraphy in just a few years. She couldn't help feeling a little uncomfortable.

Unexpectedly, that lowly woman gave birth to a capable son.

It’s just that this ability was born in the wrong body. It would be a joy if it fell on my Baoyu.

(End of this chapter)