Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 85: The Man on the Road is Like Jade (Please collect and read!)

After hearing what her sister-in-law said, Baolinghou Chen couldn't tell which way the wind was blowing, so she smiled and said to Jia's mother, "When Yun came back from the mansion, she often mentioned that the old lady had a boy who could write and compose lyrics.

I was just studying outside and didn’t meet him by chance. I didn’t expect he would be so outstanding.”

Li, the Marquis of Zhongjing, also laughed and said, "The brothers and sisters in the old lady's house are all outstanding, and I have seen them all, but this Cong brother is unfamiliar.

Since he is so outstanding, not to mention that Yun girl is curious, we also want to see him, old lady, why don't we call him over to see him now?"

When Grandmother Jia heard this, her face felt a little hot. She didn't expect that her grandson would have achieved so much fame in the past few years.

Two years ago, she exempted Jia Cong from filial piety and etiquette, and even forbade him to enter Rongqing Hall. Now she dared not spread this news again, otherwise she would lose all her face.

The only thing I could do was to let him in earlier to meet people and cover up the previous conversations.

So he said to Yuanyang, "Go and ask Cong to come over and pay his respects to the elders here."

Yuanyang smiled and replied, "I'll go find Master San right away."

I was also happy for Jia Cong, thinking that the Third Master had finally gotten over this hurdle.

However, little did he know that in Jia Cong's heart, he never cared about filial piety and etiquette, or whether he could enter Rongqing Hall.

Yuanyang left Rongqing Hall and asked several people before finding Jia Cong in the East Palace.

Jia Cong felt a little surprised that his grandmother suddenly asked him to go to Rongqing Hall to meet guests.

After asking Yuanyang a few more questions, Yuanyang told him about the foreign guests in the hall, and briefly mentioned Wang Ziteng's wife Zhang, and belittled the gifts sent by Jia Cong in class.

Jia Cong's heart trembled, and he thought for a moment. Seeing Yuanyang looking at him, he smiled and said, "Thank you, Sister Yuanyang, for reminding me. I will have a better idea when I go in later."

Yuanyang smiled and said, "Don't be polite, Third Master. The calligraphy you sent is excellent and brought honor to the old lady. I am just reminding you, Third Master."

Jia Cong glanced at Yuanyang. This maid was not only smart and meticulous, but also considerate and kind. No wonder Grandmother Jia valued her so much and trusted her more than her own son and daughter-in-law.

Yuanyang also said that Miss Shi from the Baoling Marquis's Mansion was also there. She had been staying in the West Mansion for the past year or two. Coincidentally, the Third Master was studying in Luocang Mountain, so they didn't meet her.

When Jia Cong heard about the people he was going to meet, he didn't care much about them. He was just a little curious about Shi Xiangyun, who was sleeping soundly under the crabapple tree in spring.

……

When she walked into Rongqing Hall, she saw pearls and jades all over the hall, and many beautiful women, all looking at her with different expressions.

Although Jia Cong did not return home often in the past two years, Lady Wang, Wang Xifeng and others still saw him several times a year. Although Jia Cong had changed a lot in the past two years, they saw him often and did not think it was a big deal.

However, foreign guests such as Chen, Marquis of Baoling, and Li, Marquis of Zhongjing, had never seen Jia Cong.

Some of the housewives in the capital had met Jia Cong, but that was many years ago.

At this time, a young man walked into Rongqing Hall. He had a green jade hairpin in his hair and wore a sky-blue Confucian robe. He was extremely handsome, with a fierce look in his eyes. He had the air of a scholar, with slender shoulders and a straight back, and an extraordinary demeanor, like a jade tree and an orchid.

There was a moment in Rongqing Hall where one could hear a pin drop. The noble wives in the hall were more or less knowledgeable and had seen many people.

But when she saw Jia Cong's outstanding character and appearance, she was a little dazed for a moment.

The pretty girl on Lady Jia's lap kept looking at Jia Cong with her bright eyes.

Marquis Zhongjing Li smiled and said, "I have really broadened my horizons today. There are actually such handsome and outstanding boys in the world, and even more so, such talented and capable boys. The old lady is so blessed that I envy her."

All the noble ladies sitting there were amazed. They thought Baoyu was already a very proud man, but they didn't expect that Jia Cong would outshine him just by standing here.

Grandmother Jia, Mrs. Wang, Wang Xifeng and others were somewhat accustomed to this scene.

In the past two years, Jia Cong has been studying outside and has rarely returned to the mansion, but every time he comes back, everyone in the mansion is amazed. Perhaps it is because he is living a good life now, or perhaps it is because he has reached the age of growing up, but in the past two years, Jia Cong's appearance has become more and more proud, making people unforgettable.

Every time Jia Cong returned home, some of the young maids and wives in the mansion would even deliberately take a detour and pass by Qingzhizhai, just to secretly take a look at this incredibly handsome boy.

This also caused the rumors about Jia Cong and Xiao's mother to spread widely in the mansion. Grandmother Jia asked Feng Jie to deal with them for a long time, and no one dared to say anything more.

Therefore, Jia Mu and others were no longer surprised by the reactions of the women in the hall.

……

Speaking of Jia Cong and Xiao's mother, Jia's mother recalled some past events.

Originally, the woman was kept as a concubine. Later, when she became pregnant, Jia She was instigated by someone unknown, but he brought her into the Jia Mansion openly.

The old master was so angry that he was bedridden, and Grandmother Jia hated this woman to the extreme. From the time she entered the house until the child was born, she never even looked at him.

Since Lady Jia was like this, Lady Wang naturally would not get involved. Besides, she was pregnant at the time, so neither Lady Jia nor Lady Wang had ever seen Jia Cong's biological mother.

Mrs. Xing was Jia Cong's second wife after he was born, so naturally she had never seen this most beautiful courtesan in the capital.

Only Jia Min, who was still unmarried at the time, was smart and courageous. Out of curiosity, she went to the East Courtyard to take a look.

When he came back, he praised the woman as a beautiful one and even painted her portrait with great interest. However, he was severely scolded by Lady Jia at that time.

Later, the personal maid who served that woman suddenly died, and Jia Min married far away the following year. Very few people had seen the true appearance of Jia Cong's biological mother.

However, seeing that Jia Cong is so handsome now and doesn't look like his eldest son at all, it can be known that his biological mother must be a beauty.

……

Wang Ziteng's wife, Zhang, suddenly laughed and said, "I've heard that Cong looks like his mother. His mother was the most beautiful woman in the capital. Cong is definitely outstanding. I think even Baoyu is not as good-looking as him."

Zhang had just listened to Mrs. Wang's words and was surprised that a lowly bastard could harm Baoyu.

Originally, he wanted to belittle Jia Cong in front of everyone, so that he could take the opportunity to praise Baoyu.

Everyone knows that Baoyu is the phoenix of the Jia family. Wouldn't this be in line with the wishes of Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang, and also a way for the master to get close to the Jia family?

However, she didn't expect that the nosy Marquis Zhongjing Li would actually tell the story of Jia Cong's calligraphy, causing her to lose face in front of everyone.

She didn't think she had done anything wrong and just took out her anger on Jia Cong, ridiculing him in public to save the face she had just lost. She couldn't let anyone look down on their Wang family.

It's a bastard born of a whore, so you can just step on it whenever you want. What's there to be afraid of?

However, Zhang did not expect that humiliating Jia Cong in Rongqing Hall in front of Lady Jia and other elderly relatives would not only be a matter of Jia Cong's personal honor and disgrace, but would involve the dignity of the entire Jia family.

But if Zhang was really such a smart and clever woman, she wouldn't have used a mere birthday gift to cause trouble.

Xiao's mother! The most beautiful woman in the capital!
These two words were so sharp, like a piercing gong suddenly struck in the originally harmonious Rongqing Hall, shocking all the women present.

Everyone looked at Zhang in shock.

Grandmother Jia's face was as cold as frost and she almost started to curse, "Where did this bitch wife come from? She is so stupid that she would be punished!"
Mrs. Wang could no longer maintain her dignity and shouted in shock and anger, "Sister-in-law!"

Most of the old ladies present had heard of the origin of Jia Cong's biological mother. It was said that she was an extremely beautiful courtesan in her time.

When Zhang said the words "Xiao mother" and "the most beautiful woman in the capital" in court, she meant that Jia Cong was born to a courtesan. This was a slap in the face of the Jia family.

Is this woman here to celebrate the birthday, or is she here just to mess things up? She is not afraid of angering the old lady to death.

(End of this chapter)