Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 343: Qiqiao Washing Hair

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

Everyone in the hall saw Jia Cong listening to Wang Xifeng's explanation of the whole story, but he didn't say anything for a while.

Jia Zheng could not help asking, "Now that the family has encountered such a major event, Cong'er often goes to the palace to make reports and has some understanding of the emperor's intentions. Is Lian'er's daughter-in-law's method still feasible?"

Jia Cong asked, "Master, do you know that after the new law was promulgated, the emperor punished five high-ranking officials above the fourth rank and made their corruption and abuse of power public."

Jia Zheng was shocked when he heard this, and said, "Of course I know. These five high officials are all capable officials in the court, and each of them holds an important position. I didn't expect that they would be convicted overnight."

Jia Zheng then said to his mother, "Madam, one of them is Shi Zhe from the seventh branch of the Shi family. He was promoted from Langzhong of the Ministry of Revenue to Youshilang of the Ministry of Revenue last year."

Grandmother Jia was shocked when she heard this and asked quickly, "Zhe'er from the seventh room is a very capable man. How could he be convicted by the emperor?"

Shi Zhe, the seventh branch of the Shi family, was a Jinshi (imperial scholar) by birth. Apart from the two marquises of the direct lineage, Shi Zhe was the most capable one in the Shi family. He rose from a commoner to the high position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

He is one of the most outstanding disciples among the twelve branches of the Shi family in Shenjing.

Grandmother Jia was deeply impressed by this concubine nephew, and Shi Zhe's wife often visited the Jia Mansion.

When Jia Cong did not help the Shi family's guilty disciples in Jinling, Mrs. Shi Zhe even complained to Lady Jia.

Such a person was actually convicted by the emperor, and Grandmother Jia had no idea about it.

Jia Zheng said: "The Court of Inquiries found that Shi Zhe was corrupt and took advantage of the Jinling clansmen to help them seize other people's fertile land in Jinling. This is a lack of moral character.

The emperor has made his crime known to the public, and he has now been thrown into prison. He will be exiled to the cliffs of Qiongzhou in the autumn. I was afraid that the old lady would be sad to hear this, so I have never mentioned this matter... "

Grandmother Jia slapped the back of the chair and scolded, "It's not easy for him to become a high-ranking official, but he doesn't appreciate his blessings and actually does such a thing, ruining his future in vain."

Jia Cong suddenly said, "Old lady, Master, Shi Zhe was partial to his own people and indulged his clansmen. Although he was guilty, it was not a capital crime. There were other reasons why he ended up in such a situation."

Both Jia Mu and Jia Zheng had heard stories about the outside world, and after thinking about it carefully, they felt that what Jia Cong said made sense.

It was just that his clansmen took advantage of his power and did some bad things, which was a common thing in official circles. It was not a capital crime. Why would their charges be made public, his official career cut off, and he be exiled to Qiongzhou, with such a severe punishment?

Jia Cong said: "Shi Zhe and the other four officials were all famous for opposing the new policies implemented in May. They often slandered the emperor's new policies in the court and the public. In addition, their own crimes were exposed, so they were severely punished."

After hearing this, both Jia's mother and Jia Zheng showed expressions of horror.

Grandmother Jia was so happy in the inner chamber all day long that she had no idea what was going on outside.

Jia Zheng was an official appointed through hereditary appointment and the only son of a nobleman in the Ministry of Works. Although he was popular, he was a marginalized figure in political affairs.

No one would tell him these private political affairs to avoid causing trouble, because everyone knew that since Emperor Jiazhao ascended the throne, he had been resentful and repulsive towards the old heroes such as the Four Kings and Eight Dukes...

Jia Zheng was only obsessed with discussing books and the mysteries of the classics, and was not interested in the secrets of political affairs, so he was not aware of the details of why these five officials were suddenly convicted.

But after all, Lady Jia and Jia Zheng were born into noble families and had been influenced by officials for half their lives. Although Jia Cong was cautious and did not say everything, they soon got to the bottom of it.

These five high officials were convicted, and on the surface it was said that they all had their own crimes, but in fact the emperor was just killing a chicken to scare the monkeys and offering sacrifices to promote the new policy!

When Jia Cong saw the shock on Jia Mu and Jia Zheng's faces, he knew that they understood what he said.

He also said: "Your Majesty is determined to implement the new policy in order to strengthen the country and ensure the safety of the people. This is the general trend of governing the country.

Today is the first time that summer taxes will be levied on officials and gentry after the implementation of the new policy. The court must attach great importance to it and will not tolerate any actions that go against the new policy!

The Jia family of Rongguo is a prominent founding noble family. They are under the watchful eyes of the public, and their every move will attract the attention of the world.

If the Jia family waits for the wind and waits for the situation, deliberately delaying the summer tax payment for officials and gentry, hoping for luck, they will certainly be accused of resisting the new policy. The five senior officials are a lesson for us..."

Jia Cong's words shocked Jia Mu, Jia Zheng and others.

Even Wang Xifeng, Mrs. Wang and other women in the inner court who lacked official knowledge and only cared about money changed their expressions.

……

In fact, Jia Cong has now been granted a title, moved out of the mansion, and settled down on his own. Although he has a blood relationship with the Rongguo Mansion, they are like two different families in terms of official careers.

Even if the Rongguo Mansion collapsed, it would not harm him at all.

But after all, there were people in Rongguo Mansion whom he cared about, so he had done the best he could by saying these words of advice.

As for whether Lady Jia and other parties involved would listen to him, that was not something he could influence.

The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat depressing, and everyone was thinking about how to overcome the current difficulties.

After a long while, Jia Zheng finally said, "Madam, although according to the national law, we will have to pay a lot of money for the summer and autumn taxes, but it is a long-term solution to keep the family peaceful and avoid being blamed."

Grandmother Jia could only sigh and say, "It can only be done this way, Feng girl, don't delay the matter of Xia Fu, just do it as it should be done, there is no way to avoid it."

Wang Xifeng suddenly said, "Madam, recently the maids and servants on night duty in the mansion have been gambling and drinking together. Whenever there is such a thing, there will always be some reasons for it being overlooked.

When it's late at night and there are few people around, candles are everywhere, doors are open and closed, and it's inevitable that there will be dangers of evildoers and thieves gathering together. We really have to be on guard.

What the grandson's wife meant was to investigate secretly and drive out those who did not know the rules, were cunning and lazy, had few tasks to do, and were prone to causing trouble.

First, the family will be safe and secure, and second, it will save some money."

Jia Cong glanced at Wang Xifeng and thought that this Wang Xifeng was indeed a smart girl.

Grandmother Jia ordered not to delay the summer tax, as the mansion's income would certainly be reduced a lot. Wang Xifeng's first reaction was to cut the population and reduce expenses, which shows that she is a shrewd housekeeper.

Grandmother Jia naturally understood Wang Xifeng's intention and said, "Anyone who keeps watch over the night, drinks and gambles can easily cause trouble, which is the most unacceptable. If you find anyone, punish him or her, and don't show any leniency!"

Mrs. Wang said to Wang Xifeng, “If you want to cut down on the expenses, of course you can, but your sisters are already very frugal, and I really can’t bear it if you cut them down further.

Although I have never seen great wealth, I am better than their sisters. If you want to cut down on them, start with me."

When Wang Xifeng heard this, she understood what Mrs. Wang meant. She was not worried about Daiyu, Tanchun, Xichun and other sisters, but was afraid that she would cut down Baoyu's expenses as well.

As for Mrs. Wang's words about cutting off the positions, they were just nice words for your ears only and no one would take them seriously.

There was no one in the mansion who knew that Baoyu was the phoenix of the whole house. There were ten maids of the first and second classes in the house, and if you count the wet nurse, the maids, and the servants, there were a total of twenty people.

Baoyu's event was much more grand than the old lady's, and Mrs. Wang knew how much it would cost throughout the year, so she said it in advance.

Naturally, Grandmother Jia understood what she meant. She had always spoiled Baoyu, so naturally she had nothing to say.

Jia Zheng was ignorant of household affairs, and even less of the domestic tricks, so naturally he could not hear the hidden meaning in his wife's words.

……

According to Wang Xifeng's idea, even if half of the people in Baoyu's room were laid off, there would still be enough space.

When Wang Xifeng thought of this, she couldn't help but glance at Jia Cong, wondering how come the third brother Cong was a great uncle, but there were only four personal servants in his room, and the only ones who could be considered maids were Wu'er and Qingwen.

Zhishao and Yinglian, one received a gift from the Queen and received a girl's monthly allowance, while the other was a foster child bride wearing a necklace. Neither of them was considered a proper maid, yet they were still able to become officials and be granted titles.

The second master always disliked Baoyu for hanging out with girls, but the old lady and the mistress had stuffed so many maids into Baoyu's room, it would be strange if he didn't go and hang out with them.

However, since Mrs. Wang had spoken, Wang Xifeng naturally would not touch this bad luck.

She knew the situation of the maids and old women everywhere very well, so it was not difficult for her to lay off some of them without having to do it in Baoyu's room.

Not to mention other places, ever since Yingchun was taken to the East Palace by Jia Cong, he only took away an orange tree, and the maids and old women in the original room are still idle in the mansion...

...In the next few days, a turbulent undercurrent arose in the Jia Mansion.

Although Mrs. Wang did not allow Wang Xifeng to touch Baoyu's expenses, Baoyu was the same age as Jia Cong and was almost old enough to dance with elephants, but he still had not entered school.

This was really a big concern for Mrs. Wang, so she decided to take this opportunity to clean up Baoyu's room.

Using a cup of maple tea as an excuse, she drove Qianxue out of Baoyu's room and dismissed Baoyu's wet nurse, Li Ma.

She also drove away Baoyu's maid Liang'er on the pretext that she had done something dishonest.

Instead, Lin Zhixiao's daughter Hongyu was transferred to Baoyu's room as a second-class maid to fill the vacant vacancy, in order to win over Lin Zhixiao, who had become the chief steward of the Jia family.

It can also be regarded as a gesture of the wife of the house setting an example and being prudent and frugal.

On this side, Wang Xifeng received an order from Lady Jia to ask Ping'er and Wang'er's wife to handle the summer tax. Boxes of silver were carried out, which made Wang Xifeng very painful.

At night, she investigated the drinking and gambling issues at the mansion over there, and she found out four or five middle-aged women, including Yingchun's wet nurse.

Wang Xifeng took advantage of the situation and found excuses to drive Yingchun's wet nurse, daughter-in-law Wang Zhu's daughter-in-law, and the maid Lianhua who was not brought to the East Palace by Yingchun out of the palace and make them work on the farm outside the city.

Wang Xifeng was very shrewd and knew that Jia Cong did not allow these people to follow Yingchun into the East Palace because he looked down on their character.

Yingchun's wet nurse and daughter-in-law had stolen Yingchun's gold phoenix several times and pawned it for gambling money. Although they redeemed it later and avoided any trouble, many people heard the news.

As for Lianhua, although she is young, she is a troublemaker and is usually disliked by others.

Later, these people wanted to go to the East Palace to plead for mercy with Yingchun, but they couldn't even get into the door of the East Palace. Wang Xifeng knew what Jia Cong was thinking, so she attacked these people without mercy.

After this storm was over, some people made gestures to win people's hearts, while others took advantage of the situation to save money and live in peace.

Compared to the panic and chaos in the West Palace, the East Palace seemed to be living in peace and tranquility.

In addition to the title, Jia Cong also had tax-free land, and his tax-free land was in Liaodong where the new law had not yet been implemented.

There are countless nobles in the capital city who are like the Jia family, who are troubled by the new policy.

But all these fluctuations and difficulties had no effect on Jia Cong's Earl's Mansion.

……

Earl's Mansion, Jia Cong Courtyard.

This day is the seventh day of the seventh month.

There was the sound of birds' chirping and laughter in the front yard. Under the eaves stood two large copper basins, one filled with clear water, the other with a fragrant soup made from cypress leaves and peach branches.

There are several straw mats spread in the sunny area of ​​the front yard.

Yinglian's hair had just been washed and was spread out there, radiating a dark and shiny luster in the morning sunlight.

She knelt on the straw mat, her bent waist and folded legs, having shed some of her youthfulness and beginning to show off her alluring curves.

She placed the books in her hands on the straw mat one by one, then carefully opened each book, pressed it with a plum blossom nut, and dried it in the sun.

The wind blew her slightly wet hair, her little face was reflected with an intoxicating red, and she was humming an unknown little tune, which made Jia Cong feel very pleasing to the eye.

The seventh day of the seventh month is the Qiqiao Festival, also known as the Daughter's Day. It is an important festival for girls in the year. The women in the Jia family also have the custom of celebrating the Qiqiao Festival.

Drying books in the sun is an important etiquette of the Qiqiao Festival.

Yinglian is in charge of Jia Cong's study, so hanging up the books to dry is naturally something she must do today.

On Girls' Day, Jia Cong wanted to prepare a gift for each girl in the room, but when he asked them what they wanted, they all smiled and said nothing.

Later, Yinglian said that the young master didn't need to buy any gifts for her on the seventh day, just washing her hair would be more valuable than any other gift.

But Qingwen laughed and scolded: "Little girl, you usually look very naive, but in fact you are not honest at heart, but you have come to your senses."

Jia Cong was confused by what he heard, but seeing Yinglian's face flushed as she spoke, it seemed a little strange, but it was not a big deal anyway, so he just did it for fun.

After Jia Cong finished washing Yinglian's hair, Zhishao went to change the water and asked Jia Cong to wash her hair as well. Then it was Wu'er and Qingwen's turn.

Each of them has a charming posture, with their heads lowered and their skirts scented, the water shining, their black hair smooth, their skin glowing and fragrant, it is indescribably charming and warm.

Jia Cong actually worked as a shampooer, which caused laughter from everyone in the room.

……

Today is the Qiqiao Festival. Yingchun invited her sisters to her courtyard to have tea and sit around, and also invited Jia Cong to come over later.

At this time, footsteps were heard outside Jia Cong's yard. It was Yuanyang who entered the yard with maids including Amber, Zijuan, Cui Mo, Jin Chuan, and Caixia.

The smiles are different, the plum, orchid, chrysanthemum and bamboo are colorful and beautiful.

Some of them came with their girls, while others were invited by Qingwen to thread needles and have fun.

Back then, Qingwen was also a maid in Lady Jia's room, so naturally she was very familiar with that group of people.

Yuanyang and others entered the yard and saw that Zhishao, Wu'er, Qingwen, Yinglian and others all had wet hair. Jia Cong rolled up his sleeves, his hands were wet, and even his robe was splashed with water.

Everyone blushed and couldn't help laughing, but they were too embarrassed to speak.

One of the maids was wearing a green dress and a red jacket. She had pretty eyes and eyebrows, a crisp voice, and an unusually cheerful and fearless manner.

He laughed and scolded, "Qingwen, you are so bold. You are so lucky today that you tricked Master Cong into washing your hair. You must be having a sweet dream!"

Yuanyang and the others were originally just trying to hold back their laughter with red faces, but when they heard the maid's scream, they couldn't help laughing out loud.

Qingwen's pretty face turned red when her thoughts were exposed. She ran over to cover the maid's mouth, and pushed Yuanyang and others out of the door.

The group of people gradually walked away, and Jia Cong could still hear bursts of laughter like silver bells.

Jia Cong asked Wu Er curiously, "Who was the maid who spoke just now? I seem to have seen her before, but I don't know her name."

Wu Er tied up her wet hair, her face flushed, and said, "It's normal that Third Master doesn't know her name, because she has never been to Qingzhizhai before.

She is the Second Madam's maid, Jin Chuan. She is cheerful and loves to laugh, but she doesn't know how to speak properly. She actually has a good heart, so please don't be offended, Third Master."

Jia Cong was slightly stunned. This maid was Jin Chuan...

Jia Cong asked again: "Wu'er, why did Jinchuan say she had a good dream when I washed your hair?"

When Wu'er heard this, her face turned red with shame and she ran back to the house without saying a word.

Naturally, she didn't have the face to tell Jia Cong that it was the custom of the Qiqiao Festival in Suyang that unmarried women would wash their hair with liquid mixed with water on that day, which would not only make them look young and beautiful, but also help them find their ideal husband.

Otherwise, why would everyone let Jia Cong wash their hair...

Yinglian was from Suzhou, and this idea was most likely proposed by Feng. Qingwen was also from Suzhou and had learned excellent Suzhou embroidery skills since childhood, so she was able to see through Yinglian's intention at once.

Zhishao had practiced in Yangzhou for two years, so she certainly knew about this custom, and so Wu'er also knew about it.

　Girls wash their hair on the Qixi Festival, which is a special custom in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. It is said that washing hair with the sap of a tree mixed with water on the Qixi Festival can make women young and beautiful, and can also help unmarried women find their ideal husband as soon as possible. This custom is related to the belief in the "holy water" of the Qixi Festival. You County Annals: "On the seventh day of the seventh month, women pick cypress leaves and peach branches, boil them into soup and wash their hair."

　　
　
(End of this chapter)