Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 185: The Palace Flower Hairpin and Skirt

Since Jia Cong did not know the secrets of the palace, he sensed some implications behind Emperor Jia Zhao's unconventional behavior, but he was not as well-informed as Shi Ding, Marquis Zhongjing.

But the fact that the woman beside him was given a gift by the empress was a great honor from the emperor, equivalent to giving her a talisman to return home.

Although he didn't care whether he returned to the Jia family or not, it was the emperor's good intention after all. Moreover, with the gift from the empress, no one would dare to provoke Zhishao in the Jia family anymore, which was also a good thing.

Emperor Jiazhao said: "This time when you went to Jinling, you copied twelve volumes of scriptures for Empress Dowager Xianxiao, and the Ministry of Rites reported back with great praise. You also helped Prince Ning to quell the rebellion of the Water Supervisory Office, and you have made great contributions.

Although according to the regulations of the Ministry of Personnel, you cannot be promoted to a higher rank, but I will reward you for your merits. You can go back and wait for the emperor's order."

……

Rongguo Mansion.

In two days it would be New Year's Eve. Both the Ning and Rong mansions were decorated with lights and colorful lanterns, exuding an atmosphere of wealth and splendor.

Starting from the main gate and ceremonial gate of Rongguo Mansion to Rongqing Hall and Rongxi Hall, all the main gates are open and vermilion lanterns are hung along the way, like two red golden dragons, extending into the inner house.

The door gods, couplets, and plaques were replaced everywhere in the palace, and the peach charms were repainted with new oils, making it look brand new.

The brocade quilts and embroidered screens in various places in Rongqing Hall were also replaced with new ones made this year, exuding a festive atmosphere.

The brazier in the hall was burning with pine, cypress and lily, and the warm air was rising and the fragrance was everywhere.

Grandmother Jia leaned on the soft couch, squinting her eyes, and let Yuanyang massage her legs with the beauty hammer. She was very leisurely and enjoyable.

Wang Xifeng was reporting to Mrs. Wang about the arrangements for the mansion's monthly salary, annual gifts, banquets, the harvest from the public farms, and the interpersonal relationships between the elderly relatives in the various mansions at the end of the year.

Every year at the end of the year, it is the busiest time for the wives of the household, such as Lady Wang and Wang Xifeng.

When it came to the crucial points, Jia's mother, who had been resting with her eyes closed, would ask a few questions from time to time.

Wang Xifeng catered to her mother's interests and told her about such merry things as colorful operas, female performers, banquets, riddles, fireworks, etc., which made Lady Jia very happy.

After a while, sisters including Daiyu, Tanchun, Yingchun, Xichun and others came to greet Grandmother Jia.

After Tanchun came back yesterday, Daiyu and Yingchun knew that the nun that Jia Cong brought back was Zhishao, the maid who had jumped into the river and got lost. So there was no violation of family traditions.

They were all happy, but they heard from Tanchun that Jia Cong did not mention when he would come back. Daiyu knew Jia Cong's tough personality best, and she was very uneasy.

After the eunuchs were ordered to go to Hongxiang Inn in the west of the city yesterday, Tanchun went to Rongqing Hall again and explained to Lady Jia that the person Jia Cong brought back was indeed Zhishao, the former maid.

Grandmother Jia had an embarrassed look on her face. She had caused a huge uproar the day before yesterday due to Zhou Rui's wife, but in the end she had wrongly blamed someone else.

But she still felt resentful about Jia Cong's poor treatment of the Shi family.

Although Tanchun had explained the reason, Grandmother Jia only said: Since he didn't do such a ridiculous thing, he is still polite.

There was no other words, not even a mention of asking Jia Cong to return home as soon as possible.

Tanchun knew that although the old lady knew she was wrong, she was reluctant to lose face. If it were Baoyu and Second Brother Lian, the old lady would have sent a car to pick them up long ago.

Thinking of this, Tanchun felt sad. Her third brother was obviously the most outstanding young man in the mansion, but the old lady always felt cold in her heart. No wonder her third brother was estranged from the family.

It is said that a family with wealth and power cannot be killed from the outside, but the most taboo thing is that they are treated with cruelty and treacherous behavior from the inside.

Daiyu saw Tanchun's beautiful eyes constantly looking towards her grandmother, and when she saw that her grandmother had no reaction, her eyes were full of disappointment and distress.

She knew very well what Tanchun was thinking. Her grandmother already knew that she had wronged her third brother, but she didn't even bother to go and pick him up, and just left him outside. What kind of person was this?

But she is her granddaughter after all. If she asks specifically, it might arouse her grandmother's suspicion. If the old lady knows how she treats her third brother..., she might cause trouble for her third brother again.

Thinking of this, Daiyu felt depressed. The brazier in the hall gave off a warm and rich aroma, but she felt that there was a chill in Rongqing Hall.

While no one was paying attention, one person quietly left.

As there was no movement from the old lady, Tanchun had left Rongqing Hall earlier and went to Mengpo Zhai Study. Now the master had to come forward to clear up the matter and let the third brother return home earlier.

The good young master of the Duke's Mansion did not enter the mansion and lived in an inn, which made Tanchun feel very sad and unable to sleep or eat.

As Daiyu just came out of Rongqing Hall, she met a maid at the second gate, who was hurrying towards Rongqing Hall with a hurried look on her face. She couldn't help but feel something in her heart and stopped.

In Rongqing Hall, Jia's mother was still leaning back to rest, when she heard footsteps coming from the flower hall, until the little maid opened the warm curtain and saw a woman from the second door coming in. "Madam, the queen has sent an official from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the mansion to give gifts, and now they are almost outside the second gate."

When Grandmother Jia heard this, she was shocked and sat up suddenly. It was a great honor for the Queen to bestow a gift.

Since it was the Queen who bestowed the gift, it must have been given to the female members of the family in the mansion. Among the female members of the mansion, she had the highest imperial title, so who else could the gift be given to except herself?

Grandmother Jia was filled with joy and excitement. The last time the Queen bestowed a gift on her was more than ten years ago, when the Emperor was still in power and the Duke was still alive.

Those were the most stable and glorious years for the Jia family. The Empress at that time, now the Empress Dowager, was still her closest friend before she got married. That was the only chance she had received a gift from the Empress.

The glory of that year is still unforgettable. I never thought I would encounter it again in this lifetime. It is truly the emperor’s great grace.

So he asked Mrs. Wang and Fengjie to wait at the second gate first, and asked the eunuch who was to bestow the gift to go to Rong Xi Tang to serve tea.

He also asked Yuanyang to change him into the official attire given by the imperial decree. This was also a proper etiquette. When receiving gifts from the palace, one must always show respect.

After she was dressed up, she went to Rong Xi Tang surrounded by maids and servants such as Yuanyang.

But I saw a palace eunuch drinking tea, with three young eunuchs standing beside him, holding trays in their hands, on which were placed palace flowers, hairpins, clothes and other items, which were exquisite in form and dazzling in brilliance.

Grandmother Jia was a little surprised when she saw these things. Although these things in the palace were gorgeous, they were all of elegant and handsome styles. She was afraid that she would not be able to use them at her age. After all, it was a grace from the royal family.

The palace eunuch was somewhat surprised to see Lady Jia dressed in her best clothes, and asked tentatively, "Are you the Lady Dowager of Rongguo Mansion?"

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "It is me who has troubled you to come to my house and give me the gift. I am very grateful."

The eunuch looked a little embarrassed at first, but after calming himself down, he said, "The Empress heard about your servant's old lover, Miss Zhishao, and was very moved. She specially gave her a palace flower hairpin and skirt to honor her chastity."

"I wonder where Miss Zhishao is. The gift from the Queen is very valuable and must be received in person."

Everyone in the hall looked stunned and stood there in a daze.

Jia Mu's old face turned pale and she almost lost her balance. Fortunately, Yuanyang, who was standing beside her, supported her in time.

It turns out that the queen did not give herself honor, but gave gifts to the woman around that evil creature. How could such a ridiculous thing be possible?

She had actually been ordered to dress up and welcome him. Grandmother Jia was so ashamed and angry that she almost vomited blood.

Mrs. Wang, who was standing by, was also completely stunned. Her mouth was slightly open, and the Buddhist beads in her hand fell to the ground with a clink.

Wang Xifeng, who was following behind Lady Jia, was also startled. Her eyes rolled around as if she was trying to find out who Zhishao was in the hall.

Because the incident was so sudden, it took Wang Xifeng a while to react.

People have said before that this kid is evil, but I underestimated him. It is rare in the world to find someone so capable of handling things.

Even the maidservants around him were not easy to deal with. They made up a story about the Queen's gift and embarrassed the old lady.

……

Jia Zheng has been very troubled these days because of Jia Cong's affairs. He originally wanted to ask a servant to bring Jia Cong back home, but he was afraid that the old lady would be furious, so he was hesitant for a while.

It was not until Tanchun came over and explained Zhishao's situation to Jia Zheng that he felt relieved.

Just as he was about to send someone to bring Jia Cong back home, he heard that the Queen had sent the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the mansion to present a gift, so he hurried to Rong Xi Tang.

After finding out what happened, Jia Zheng was also surprised that the Queen would give a gift to Zhishao for no reason.

But there was no time to worry about these things at the moment. Anyway, the Queen's gift to the mansion was an honor to the Jia family no matter who it was given to.

The most important thing now is to bring Jia Cong and Zhi Shao back to the mansion as soon as possible. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to let the people in the palace wait.

He ordered the servant to go to the inn in the west of the city to pick up Jia Cong and bring him back home immediately, but he felt that something was inappropriate.

Although Jia Zheng was a bit blunt, he was not a stupid man. The palace suddenly gave a gift to Zhishao, which must have been reported by the eunuch who brought the imperial edict back to the palace yesterday. The palace must have known the matter in detail.

Now, even if it was just a show for the palace to see, they had to be a little more cautious. In the end, Jia Lian was asked to go to the inn in the west of the city to pick someone up in person.

(End of this chapter)