Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 197: Praise and Criticism by Tian Xin

That day, Guo Lin received the oral order from Emperor Jiazhao, and went to Prince Ning's mansion to relay the emperor's original words to Prince Ning.

Prince Ning was a man of sharp mind. He understood his father's thoughts very well. He was simply advising Madam Jia on how to respect the emperor and behave well.

He immediately ordered the eunuchs to prepare sacrificial offerings and send them to the Jia family ancestral temple on the day of the spring festival.

Yang Hongbin of the Dali Temple was recommended by Prince Ning. He had worked with Jia Cong in Jinling. The two were already good friends, so when he heard the news, he naturally offered a sacrifice.

Guo Lin was good at following the emperor's will and was afraid that there would be something missing from this matter.

That day in Qianyang Palace, he saw clearly that Jia Cong was highly appreciated by the Minister of War Gu Yankui and Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding because of his proposal of a strategy for setting up camps with firearms.

And these two people were the close and trusted ministers of Emperor Jiazhao, so the message was sent to their homes through various means.

What was originally just an act of fanning the flames turned out to be a huge disaster.

Gu Yankui had always admired Jia Cong, a young talent. Although he could not get him to the Ministry of War to observe government affairs as he wished, he would still rely on Jia Cong's abilities in the future regarding the Ministry of War's firearms strategies.

Since this was the emperor's will, and posthumously conferring an imperial decree and enshrining the emperor in the ancestral temple was a state ceremony, what else did he have to worry about? He waved his hand and asked his son to deliver the offerings as a peer.

Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding was completely implicated. Although he also felt that his aunt's behavior was inappropriate, Lady Jia was his aunt after all, so there was no reason for him to sabotage her.

But Guo Lin, that eunuch, had the bad luck to pass on the news to me. If I remain indifferent, I wonder what the emperor will think...

Moreover, this old fellow Gu Yankui did the thing without saying a word, which made him more prominent. Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding had no choice but to hold his nose and follow suit.

As for the Ministry of Rites suddenly coming to give additional silver as a reward, it was because Jia Cong had people spread the news in the market.

When Liu Jizu, the Director of Sacrifices at the Ministry of Rites, heard the rumors in the market, he immediately confirmed them. He was worried that the edict of posthumous title proclaimed by the Ministry of Rites would not be allowed into the ancestral temple, and that the Ministry of Rites would be suspected of not an adequate and complete edict. What if the emperor got angry...

After consulting with the Grand Clan Master Guo Youchang, he specially gave Du an additional gift of silver as a reward for the Spring Festival on the Spring Festival day, making it clear to everyone inside and outside the family to clear her of suspicion. The fact that the women of noble birth were not allowed to enter the ancestral temple was solely the fault of the Jia family.

As for Liu Jing'an's second grandson Liu Qiong, he also came to offer sacrifices, it was because Jia Cong's teacher's wife Cui also heard the rumors in the market. She was quite fond of Jia Cong.

The old lady was so indignant that she asked her grandson to send sacrifices to the Jia family on the Spring Festival to vent her anger on behalf of her disciple.

When Liu Jing'an heard that the rumor that Jia Cong's biological mother had difficulty entering the ancestral temple was spreading, he just smiled slightly and did not express his opinion on his wife's actions, nor did he stop her.

In short, we are all smart people, and no one is not wise, but each of us has his own things we understand.

……

Ningguo Mansion, the main hall of the ancestral temple.

Jia Jing has the highest rank among the direct descendants of the Ning and Rong mansions, and is also the main priest of the Spring Festival.

He usually practiced in the Xuanzhen Temple outside the city, and prided himself on being detached from the world. Except for the spring and autumn festivals, he never returned home. Even when his descendants celebrated his birthday, he only let the younger generations kneel and worship in front of the empty seat.

The strange scene before him also surprised him, so Jia Zheng and Jia Zhen explained the reason to him.

Jia Jing thought for a moment before saying, “I have also heard that Xifu Cong has been very successful in recent years, but those who presented sacrifices to his biological mother today are not ordinary people.

No matter how outstanding he is, he is just a teenager after all and cannot be so arrogant.

It would be fine for other people, but Prince Ning is the current prince and has a very noble status. Even if he and Cong Ge'er had worked together, he would not be so open about offering sacrifices to the deceased mother of a seventh-rank official.

This would arouse suspicion and criticism. As a prince, he would be more cautious than ordinary people in these areas, but he did it anyway.

As a prince, he must be of the same mind as the emperor. There is only one reason why Prince Ning would do this: the emperor's will!

Cong'er's mother was conferred an imperial title by the emperor, but she could not enter the Jia family ancestral temple and enjoy the incense of the spring festival. The old lady was confused. This was an act of disobedience and a disgrace to the emperor. "Although Jia Jing was addicted to burning mercury and taking medicine, hoping to live forever, he was a top-three Jinshi after all, well-read, and had a sharp vision.

"Brother Zheng, Mrs. Du is your imperial concubine in Rongguo Mansion. You should welcome her back to the ancestral temple as soon as possible to prevent the situation from getting out of control. If you really anger the emperor, it will be a disaster!"

Although Jia Zheng disapproved of Jia Jing's decision to become a monk, he was the only person in the Jia family who had passed the imperial examination in seventy years, so he was convinced by his knowledge and insights.

After seeing the people delivering the sacrifices and hearing what Jia Jing said, I was already scared to death in a cold sweat.

As for Jia She, who was standing aside, although he always disliked Jia Cong and his mother, he did not dare to say a word against Du's entering the ancestral temple.

None of the direct descendants of the Ning and Rong mansions in the main hall would care about Lady Jia's face now. Filial piety and etiquette to their ancestors were put aside, and they just wanted to get rid of the disaster as soon as possible.

Jia Zheng hurriedly ordered Jia Lian, "Lian'er, take all the carriages and horses and go to the Muni Courtyard immediately to welcome the spirit tablet of Cong'er's biological mother into the ancestral temple. You must be quick!"

Jia Zhen also asked Jia Rong to go and welcome the spirit. The eldest sons of the Yu and Cao generations of the Ning and Rong families went together to welcome the tablet of their deceased mother, who was of the Yu generation. This scale and pomp was considered a solemn event.

It was just done for those people outside who offered sacrifices. The most important thing was that it was done for the emperor. One had to have an attitude of being humble and admitting mistakes.

In the back hall, when Jia's mother heard Jia Zheng and others wanting to bring back Mrs. Du's spirit tablet, she did not dare to say a word. She was so ashamed and angry that her face turned purple and she was shaking all over.

If this continues, I'm afraid that on the day of the Spring Festival, a new tablet will have to be added to the mourning hall.

When Mrs. Wang and Mrs. You saw this, they were very worried and quickly asked Yuanyang to help the old lady down to rest.

……

To the west of Shenjing City, there is Muni Temple.

The incense was burning faintly and the prayer flags were fluttering. Jia Cong and Daiyu were kneeling on cushions in front of the Du family's shrine. The Buddhist hall was quiet and peaceful.

One has a strange origin and is unknown; the other is a wandering wanderer, full of loneliness.

In the backyard of Muni, there is a faint sound of chanting, which is silent and affectionate, and brings perfection to the world.

At this moment, there was a sudden noise of horses and wheels outside the mountain gate, and Wu'er ran in hurriedly.

"Third Master, Second Master Lian has brought many people to the mountain gate. He said he is here to take you back and also to bring Madam's spirit tablet into the ancestral temple."

Jia Cong was shocked. Although he didn't know the details, he thought it was probably because of what he had done before.

Daiyu's face lit up with joy when she heard this, but then she thought of something and her expression changed.

Daiyu would think of this, and Jia Cong would naturally think of this too: "Sister, please go to the back hall to take shelter first. You can't let Brother Lian see you here."

If Jia Lian knew that Daiyu had come to Muni Temple secretly, and the news got back to the Jia Mansion, there would be another round of twists and turns.

He also asked Wu'er to accompany Daiyu to the back hall, and after they left, he asked Wu'er to send Daiyu back home.

Jia Cong knew that Wu'er grew up in the mansion, was familiar with the family, and was careful and cautious. At this time, most people in the mansion had gone to the ancestral temple, so if Wu'er accompanied Daiyu back to the mansion, the matter could probably be covered up.

Outside the gate of Muni Temple, Jia Lian had a complicated expression. He looked at Jia Cong with a solemn expression, holding the Du family token and the shrine and getting into the carriage, and he couldn't help feeling frustrated.

The old lady is old now, and she keeps causing trouble, which makes everyone embarrassed every time. After all, I am the big brother of this kid, and now I have to run errands for him every few days. It's really unlucky.

Previously they were preventing people from entering the ancestral hall, and now they have to welcome them back with everything. I'm afraid there will be another embarrassing moment. Don't expect a peaceful New Year.

(End of this chapter)