Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 260: Jia's Ambition

Rongguo Mansion, Qingzhizhai.

These days, Zhishao and Qingwen have been busy with needlework all day long.

On the small kang by the window, Zhishao was sewing a double-layer Songjiang cotton coat for Jia Cong.

She wore a light purple chrysanthemum-embroidered double-breasted jacket, a light yellow tube top, and a pink long skirt.

The autumn sun shone on her, making her sparkle and sparkle, with an indescribable sense of tranquility and beauty.

Almost a year has passed since she returned to the Jia Mansion at the end of last year.

Now, she is a very special existence in Qingzhizhai.

Originally, she was a maid in the Jia family and grew up with Jia Cong. However, such a big change happened in the middle of their lives that the Jia family thought she was dead.

She was even delisted in Zhen'an Prefecture, but unexpectedly she was found again by Jia Cong.

Now no one in the Jia family dared to look down on her. No one would be so ignorant as to treat a woman who was given a palace flower hairpin and skirt by the royal family as a maid.

When Jia Cong's biological mother was posthumously awarded an imperial decree, Grandmother Jia, due to a grudge from the past, obstructed Du Jinniang's spirit tablet from entering the ancestral temple, which resulted in such a big incident.

From then on, Grandmother Jia felt a little timid, and she realized that it was better not to get involved in anything related to the royal family, so as to avoid being troubled by that evil creature again.

Therefore, Zhishao's unusual identity once caused some headaches for Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang. A former maid of the Jia family was solemnly given a gift by the royal family.

If he treated him too highly, he would be ashamed, and he didn't allow anyone to enter the palace in the first place. If he treated him too lowly, he would feel insecure, and he was afraid of losing face for the royal family and causing trouble.

In the end, it was Wang Xifeng who was clever. She saw that Jia Cong treated Zhishao differently, so she came up with a way to smooth things over.

Zhishao was allowed to serve Jia Cong in the room, but was given a monthly allowance of two taels of silver, the same as the other young ladies in the mansion.

Whenever there were festivals, family banquets, or opera performances, Zhishao would be invited to show up, just to make things look like it was happening, and thus the outsiders could get away with it.

This unusual specification once made Wu'er and Qingwen somewhat envious.

But on second thought, Zhishao had suffered so much for Jia Cong, even sacrificing her life for him, so what she has now is what she deserves.

……

Ever since the palace issued an imperial decree appointing Jia Cong as the accompanying counselor to the nine provincial governors, everyone in Qingzhizhai knew that he would spend the period from the end of this year to the beginning of next spring in the extremely cold borderland.

Those places are more remote and cold than the capital, and the coldness can bite your bones and penetrate into the cracks between your bones.

Moreover, when following the inspection tour of the nine borders, most of the time was spent on the road, and there was no warm room, kang, or stove to serve you all day long like at home.

If you don't keep warm enough during a journey and catch a cold, you may even lose your life in this day and age.

People like Zhishao and Wu'er knew that Jia Cong grew up in the capital and the farthest he had ever been was Nanjing and Jiangnan.

This is his first time going to these cold border areas, and I feel reluctant and worried. However, this is his own future, and I just hope that everything goes well for him and that he returns safely.

Among the people in Qingzhizhai, Zhishao and Qingwen were the best at sewing, so the task of sewing Jia Cong's winter clothes this year naturally fell on them.

In fact, Jia Cong had enough clothes for winter, but as he was going to these cold border areas, he naturally had to prepare more.

A double-layered Songjiang cotton lining, a thin silk jacket that fits the body, a coat with a warm lining inside and outside, a fur scarf and hood, leather riding boots lined with animal fur, and a fur cape...

All these had to be done before November. Jia Cong was afraid that Zhishao and Qingwen would worry too much, so he just said that they could just use the silver to buy them outside.

But they were not willing to agree. Jia Cong was going to travel far away to such a place, and he would only feel safe if the clothes he wore were made by them.

……

Although it was an honor for Jia Cong to be appointed by the emperor as the accompanying counselor of the nine provinces, Jia Zheng felt somewhat regretful.

In his mind, Jia Cong's literary talent was so outstanding that he was born to be a civil servant.

In the future, Jia Cong should pass the imperial examination, enter the palace examination, and be appointed as a Hanlin scholar. This is the path he should take. Only if the Rongguo Mansion can produce a high-ranking official with outstanding literary merits can the family reputation be restored and the wealth be continued.

The Rong family was of military origin, and two generations of Dukes of Rong had occupied high positions in the army. They had countless students and old friends in the army. If another high-ranking military officer emerged, it would be a taboo.

This is also why, before his death, Duke Rong Jia Daishan left a will, allowing his eldest son Jia She to inherit the title of first-class general, a nominal position with a title but no power, and his second son Jia Zheng to be the director of the Ministry of Works, completely turning to the path of a civil servant.

Even if he was reluctant to give up his connections and influence in the military, he only supported relatives like Wang Ziteng to take over, and did not dare to let the children of the Jia family take the lead.

All of these plans were made to minimize the royal family's concerns and allow the Jia family to continue its wealth for several more generations.

However, Jia Zheng himself had limited talent and after wasting years he was only a fifth-rank official. It would be difficult for him to advance further in the future.

I'm afraid it's impossible to rely on him to be a civil servant to boost the family's reputation.

Originally, he placed his hopes on the brilliant and talented Jia Cong.

But the emperor appointed Jia Cong as the Director of Firearms, a position similar to that of a master craftsman, which led him astray from the path of a civil servant.

Although he has now been appointed as the Counselor of the Nine Provinces, although it sounds good, Jia Zheng thinks it is all empty talk.

Given Jia Cong's status as a descendant of the Rong Dynasty, would the emperor still give him preferential treatment and promotion in military affairs in the future? This is probably impossible and is not in line with the royal system of checks and balances.

……

Grandmother Jia didn't think as far as her son did, but she knew that her father-in-law had once held a high position as the Inspector General of Nine Provinces.

Her husband, Jia Daishan, was also one of the commanders-in-chief of the nine provincial border towns.

She naturally knew the weight of being in charge of nine provinces. Although she was not close to her grandson, he was already related to this position at such a young age.

Not only that, I also heard that he is now an official in the Ministry of Works, just like Zheng'er.

Her husband was a rare young talent back then, but when he was this boy's age, he didn't have the same momentum as this boy.

This kid's ability and future are already astonishing enough, and the Jia family can't find another one like him.

Such a prosperous momentum can't help but make people look sideways.

Ever since the incident of Jia Cong's biological mother being posthumously conferred a title, and the subsequent incident with Yinglian, Jia's grandmother had somewhat changed her mind about Jia Cong and had some thoughts of winning him over.

The situation is stronger than the people. The young men in the family are not ambitious, and Baoyu is born pampered. How can he be asked to fight for wealth and fame? This is not likely.

Who knows, in the future, among the people of the Yu generation, only this kid can shelter them from the wind and rain and set up a family.

Grandmother Jia thought that she would love Baoyu all her life, and even if it was for Baoyu's future, there were still some things she had to do.

I also heard that the maid in Jia Cong's room was sewing winter clothes for him to wear to the nine borders.

So he asked Feng Jieer to go to the storehouse to pick out some fine fabrics and furs and asked Yuanyang to deliver them personally to avoid people saying that he didn't like him.

The last time he saw Yinglian in Rongqing Hall, he liked her, so he asked Yuanyang to bring Yinglian over for a talk, and even rewarded her with some clothes when she left.

……

When Mrs. Wang heard the news, she felt uncomfortable.

When the old lady saw that this boy had become successful, she finally changed her mind and even treated the maids around him better. What should I do then, my Baoyu?

When his brother Wang Ziteng wanted to seize the position of governor of nine provinces, wasn't it because his nephew Wang Yi offended this guy that his plan was ruined?

Although his brother was still the governor of the Beijing camp, he had lost the support of the Jia family and was under the control of the emperor. He didn't know how long he could hold this position.

Now, this kid himself has a relationship with the commander of nine provinces, and at such a young age he has to follow a high-ranking official to patrol the border.

Although Mrs. Wang was resentful and jealous, Jia Cong was different today. Not only was he the top scorer in the provincial examination, he was also a sixth-rank official appointed by the imperial court.

Even if she had a little more courage now, she would never dare to let Zhou Ruijia instigate and make false accusations like she did last year.

Last month, Zhou Rui and his wife were implicated in the East Palace's stripping of their title. Zhou Rui was beheaded, and his family was exiled to a frontier military camp as slaves, and may even be dead.

Mrs. Wang thought about it carefully and realized that the accident that happened to Zhou Rui and his wife was ultimately related to that boy. It was scary to think about such a vicious man.

Then I thought that the Nine Borders are a desolate and wild place. I heard that there is still a war in Liaodong. Patrolling the border is not a safe job. It is common for wars to break out and a few people to die...

(End of this chapter)