Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 189: Congratulations to Yin Xinen

The twelfth year of Jiazhao, New Year’s Eve.

Early in the morning, Grandmother Jia led those in the clan who had been granted titles, including Lady Xing, Lady Wang, Lady You and others, wearing court robes according to their rank, and entered the palace in a long dragon lined with eight sedan chairs to pay tribute, perform rituals and attend the banquet.

According to previous years' experience, after the whole process of worship and banquet, they would not be able to return until noon.

The female elders in the mansion had all gone out, so the sisters in the garden no longer had to go through the formalities of greeting each other and standing still early in the morning, and they felt much more relaxed than usual.

Ever since Jia Cong returned home, Qingzhizhai has become a good place for the sisters to gather and relax.

Daiyu is good at poetry and prose, Tanchun is good at calligraphy, Yingchun likes to be close to her younger brother, and little Xichun is young and has not yet developed aloofness. She likes to follow her sisters and go wherever there is fun.

In Qingzhizhai, everyone can find what they are looking for.

Tanchun was copying a piece of calligraphy newly written by Jia Cong at the desk, Daiyu was talking to Zhishao, and Jia Cong was playing go with Yingchun.

Xichun got a Western sound box that Jia Cong bought at Dazaimen in Nanjing, and was having a lot of fun playing with it.

In addition, Daiyu and her sisters discovered something strange: except for Jia Cong, who was a master of poetry and literature, all the other maids and girls in Qingzhizhai could read and write.

Wu'er, Qingwen, Juan'er and Si'er had studied with Jia Cong in Luocang Mountain for two years. They had been taught to read by Jia Cong a long time ago. Although they could not compose poetry, they had no problem reading and writing letters.

Yinglian has a talent for studying. She has been well-versed in poetry and books since she was a child just by attending lectures at the gate of a private school. Even Jia Cong admires her for this. Now she is in charge of Jia Cong's study.

Zhishao had been in Panxiang Temple for several years, studying and writing with Miaoyu for several years. With her natural intelligence, she had become quite proficient in poetry and prose, and even learned Miaoyu's tea ceremony.

Nowadays, the mainstream view is that a woman’s virtue lies in her lack of talent.

In a wealthy family like the Jia family, even the daughter of a famous family like Mrs. Wang is illiterate. They have to ask others to recite drinking games for them during festivals and to copy Buddhist scriptures for them. Everyone is used to it.

Feng Ji was also the eldest daughter of the Wang family. She was illiterate at first. Later, after working as a housekeeper for a long time and because she was smart, she learned to recognize a few words. However, she could not write, and even needed Baoyu’s help to write in the account book.

From then on, the maids who could read were even less knowledgeable than scales, feathers, and phoenix horns.

Only in Qingzhizhai is there such a rich literary atmosphere, which is quite a strange sight.

……

Today, all those who had imperial edicts in the mansion went to the palace. Jia Lian went to the East Palace to help Jia Zhen open the ancestral hall and arrange various matters for the New Year's ancestor worship.

Only Sister Feng was left at Rongguo Mansion to coordinate the affairs.

At this moment, she was in the flower hall directing the maids and servants to set up the tables, hang lanterns, and place offerings in preparation for the New Year's Eve banquet in the evening.

Ping'er was also asked to help arrange actors, lantern riddles, fireworks and other impromptu entertainments for the New Year.

This kind of amusement program is the old lady's favorite. Fengjie has always done a very good job in this regard, otherwise she would not be so favored by the old lady.

After the maids and old women had understood their respective duties and responsibilities, she walked around again. Seeing that all the chores had been completed, she relaxed and sat down to rest.

Ping Er brought her a cup of hot tea to relieve her fatigue and said, "It has been so many years. Every New Year's Eve, I see grandma alone and exhausted."

Feng Jie felt helpless and envious, and said, "What can I do? It's my fault that I didn't earn an imperial decree. Every New Year's Eve, the old lady and the wives who have imperial decrees have to go to the palace to pay homage and attend a banquet.

I'm the only one left at home. As usual, our Second Master has to take care of things outside and help with the spring festivals in the two mansions. So I have to take care of the New Year's affairs at home.

Although there is a Baoyu, he is not the kind of man mentioned above. The eldest lady is a widow and unemployed, so it is not easy for her to show up in public. We can't let an unmarried girl do it, so I am destined to be a hard-working person.

Born in a family like ours, with no worries about food and clothing, it is of utmost importance for a woman to earn an imperial title. Otherwise, she is just a marshal without a seal, which is fake. Ping'er said with a smile, "Our Second Master is still young, and he will definitely earn an imperial title for Grandma in the future."

Fengjie didn't respond. If this matter was to happen, she would have to wait until her husband inherited the title. Fortunately, her husband was the eldest son, but the master was in his prime, so it would take at least ten or twenty years.

He added: "Among the Yu generation, the only ones who have the ability to earn an imperial title without relying on the influence of their ancestors are the Cong brothers. At such a young age, they are already seventh-rank officials.

He will definitely be a successful one. His concubine was also unlucky and died early. It depends on which girl in the future will not choose between legitimate and illegitimate children and get this advantage. "

……

After noon, Lady Jia brought Lady Xing, Lady Wang and others back to the West Palace from the palace after paying homage and attending the banquet, while Lady You returned to the East Palace by herself.

A few days ago, the Empress of Rongxi Hall gave Zhishao a palace flower hairpin and skirt. Grandmother Jia put it on the wrong way and was so embarrassed that she couldn't sleep all night.

I went to the palace to pay homage early this morning and met Empress Dowager Yi Zhang.

The old empress dowager and she were close friends when they were young, and she gave her some special advice on how to take good care of herself and enjoy a good life. The empress dowager was so familiar and close to her that the officials present were envious.

Jia's mother felt proud, and the embarrassment she had felt in the past two days was mostly gone.

Later, she paid a visit to the Empress Dowager, who was kind enough to allow Yuanchun to come out for a talk.

This made Grandmother Jia feel even happier. The incident a few days ago was nothing. After all, her status as a high-ranking official in the mansion was still somewhat respectable.

But after talking to the eldest granddaughter for a few words, she kept mentioning that evil boy Jia Cong, saying that the last time the boy came to the palace to express his gratitude, the siblings had met each other.

Baoyu, his biological brother, was not allowed to meet him yet, but he went to meet him first. And seeing his eldest granddaughter, it seemed that she was quite fond of this evil boy, which made Grandmother Jia feel a little annoyed. Why was he always around everywhere?

Now that the days are short in winter, Grandmother Jia dares not take a nap, for fear of ruining her normal night sleep, so she sits in Rongqing Hall, while Lady Wang, Sister Feng and other female members of the family sit below and chat.

At this time, Youshi came over to pay her respects again, and asked Lady Jia for some instructions on the New Year's Eve banquet for the two mansions in the evening. She also took an exquisite wooden box from the maid Yindie.

Yu opened the wooden box and found two crystal clear small bottles inside.

Said: "Madam, this is what our master got a few days ago, it's called Dongying Shuiyuxiang.

It is said that this perfume is made by Western methods. It is a rare item in Shenjing City nowadays and is not easily available. I specially gave it to the old lady to enjoy."

Grandmother Jia curiously took one out of the wooden box. She saw that the bottle was a bright light green color, with a square belly and a round mouth. It was crystal clear, exquisite and cute, and it was a very good toy.

When the bottle is opened, a refreshing fragrance wafts out, filling the room with fragrance.

The women in the rear house have a natural passion for such exquisite, beautiful and interesting things.

Sister Feng also came up to take a closer look and said with a smile, "This thing is really clever. Such a small bottle smells better than the best sachets and spices. This bottle is also clever, but it is made of colored glass."

Youshi laughed and said, "You are from a wealthy family, but how can glass be so transparent? This is made of jade mined from mountain rocks, or it's imported from Japan.

In Shenjing City, it is only sold in Xiuniang Incense Shop in the west of the city, but there are very few of them. Now, the ladies of the wealthy families in Shenjing are scrambling to buy it, but they can’t get it yet.”

A group of people were chatting gossip, when suddenly a maid came in with a message that an official from the Ministry of Rites, with a large group of people, had come to the mansion to deliver an imperial edict and asked Master Cong San to receive it, and that they were almost at the ceremonial gate.

When Lady Jia heard this, her face changed drastically. Why did he come to convey the imperial decree to this kid again? There had just been a fuss a few days ago, why was he starting to make trouble again? She was really scared.

(End of this chapter)