I'm in the Red Mansion

Has Aunt Zhao now become a first-rank lady?

Doesn't that mean that I have to bow to her when I see her in the future?

Of course, Mrs. Wang was still the legal wife, and Aunt Zhao was just a concubine.

The wife naturally does not need to pay respect to the concubine.

However, the imperial edict rank of a concubine is higher than that of the wife. This kind of thing was absolutely impossible in the past.

Because even if a concubine's son has made contributions, it will only be his legal mother who will be honored.

Even if he could confer an imperial decree on his biological mother, the rank of the imperial decree on her could never be higher than that of his wife.

But who made Jia Cong the emperor now?

And Jia Cong has never liked their family...

Moreover, there was a deep fear in Mrs. Wang's heart.

Since Aunt Zhao was conferred the title of a first-rank lady, it proves that Huan'er must have become a high-ranking official.

As the saying goes, a mother's status depends on her son.

Aunt Zhao has now become a first-rank lady, but she has no rank at all, and her mother's family, the Wang family, has also fallen into decline.

If this is the case, can she still sit securely in her position as the legal wife?

However, after receiving the imperial edict, Aunt Zhao still couldn't believe it.

She couldn't help but ask the eunuch who announced the decree, "Excuse me, sir, am I really a first-rank imperial lady now?"

The eunuch who announced the decree did not dare to neglect her, as this was the biological mother of Duke Rong.

Duke Rong is not only the emperor's cousin, but now also serves as the governor of the Beijing camp. He is deeply trusted by the emperor and must not be offended.

Therefore, the eunuch who announced the decree hurriedly said, "Yes, Madam, from this moment on, you are a first-rank imperial lady."

Aunt Zhao couldn't help but point at Lady Jia, Lady Wang and the others and asked, "Now that they no longer have the imperial decree, don't they have to bow to me when they see me?"

The eunuch who announced the decree coughed desperately, and for a moment, he didn't know how to answer.

Logically speaking, this is true.

But Lady Jia is the grandmother of the current emperor, and Lady Wang is also his legal wife.

Asking the mother-in-law and the wife to pay respects to the concubine, isn't this a violation of social order?

The reason for this situation is either the emperor's negligence or the emperor's intentional act.

How could they discuss such things?

But faced with Aunt Zhao's questions, he had to answer.

After a long while, he said, "Madam, if you put on the imperial edict, it would be true."

When Aunt Zhao heard this, she immediately smiled happily.

Beside them, Grandmother Jia and Mrs. Wang, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, could not help but burst into anger.

After finishing the questioning, Aunt Zhao happily took out a hundred-liang silver note from her sleeve and gave it to the eunuch who announced the decree.

The eunuch who announced the decree refused to accept it and left in a hurry.

Beside them, Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang became furious again.

They knew that Aunt Zhao had some private money, but since it was her own private money, it was naturally difficult to ask for it.

And this Aunt Zhao, even when life was so difficult at home and they had almost no food to eat, never gave the family a single ounce of silver.

If it weren't for Baoyu, their family would have starved to death during those two years.

Now, this prostitute has money to reward the eunuch, and she gives a hundred taels of silver at a time.

Even though they secretly hated each other, they couldn't show it.

Aunt Zhao returned to her room excitedly, holding her clothes.

Then I couldn't wait to put it on.

In the past, those ladies of high rank who received titles and robes would be treated with great respect and honor.

Do you only dress up when you enter the palace to meet the Empress Dowager or the Queen?
What decent person would wear this kind of outfit at home for no reason?
But Aunt Zhao herself is a dishonest person.

After she got dressed, she went out excitedly and went straight to Lady Jia's room.

She knew that Mrs. Wang must be in this room at this time.

After she entered the room, Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang could not help but be stunned when they saw Aunt Zhao dressed in the imperial dress.

Aunt Zhao was immediately dissatisfied when she saw that Lady Jia and Lady Wang did not greet her.

She coughed twice, then began to pat the imperial edict on her body and put it away.

When Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang saw this, they took a deep breath and suppressed their anger.

But he had to bow and greet Aunt Zhao.

"Meet Madam."

Aunt Zhao, however, still had some idea in her mind.

She walked quickly to Lady Jia, supported her, and did not let her perform the salute seriously.

Then he said, "What are you doing, old man? I am just checking whether the dress looks good on me. Please take a seat, old man."

After Lady Jia sat down, Mrs. Wang did not hear Aunt Zhao's voice asking her to excuse herself, so she did not dare to stand up.

Aunt Zhao then walked slowly to Madam Wang, supported her, and said in a surprised tone, "Oh, Madam, what are you doing?"

"How can you bow to me? You can't do that. Why don't you get up quickly?"

After hearing this, Mrs. Wang stood up with gritted teeth.

Aunt Zhao felt extremely happy at this moment.

What she had only dared to dream about for many years has now actually come true. She felt as if all her bones had lightened.

Grandmother Jia had no choice but to speak up: "Zhao, this outfit cannot be worn easily. Why don't you put it away quickly? You can wear it when you meet the emperor or the empress dowager."

Aunt Zhao couldn't help but say, "Yes, Grandpa, I'll go back and take off my clothes, change clothes and come to serve you."

After saying this, Aunt Zhao walked away like a peacock spreading its feathers.

Not long after Aunt Zhao changed her clothes and came back, Jia Huan came to her house.

After coming in, Jia Huan bowed to Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang.

Grandmother Jia couldn't help but ask, "Brother Huan, why are you here at this time?"

Jia Huan smiled and said, "Grandfather, I am here to take you, the master and the mistress to our new home to enjoy a happy life."

Grandmother Jia couldn't help asking, "New home? The courtyard where you live? Although it's nice, it's also your home, so I won't go over and get involved."

Jia Huan smiled and said, "Grandfather, no, we are moving back to Rongguo Mansion."

Rongguo Mansion?
Hearing these three words, Grandmother Jia felt dazed.

Although it was only a few years since they moved out of Rongguo Mansion, it now sounds like a dream, as if it had been a very long time ago.

Grandmother Jia couldn't help but say, "Where is the Rongguo Mansion? Even the plaque has been changed."

After the Rongguo Mansion was confiscated, it was soon given back to the family by Emperor Tianci.

Where is the Rongguo Mansion nowadays?
However, what Grandmother Jia didn't know was that after Jia Cong led his troops back to the capital.

The family who originally lived in Rongguo Mansion had long ago moved out of it in a hurry and presented it to the imperial court.

When Jia Cong heard about this, he ordered someone to investigate.

The official who originally lived in Rongguo Mansion was a corrupt official. He was dismissed from office during the turmoil.

However, when he was an official, he was just a petty corrupt official, and he had never done anything to take human life lightly.

Therefore, Jia Cong accepted the house and tacitly agreed to the matter.

He has also ordered people to redecorate the Rongguo Mansion.

At this time, Jia Cong had already given Rongguo Mansion to Jia Huan again, and Jia Huan could move in at any time.

Originally, we all have to pay attention to etiquette when doing things.

Generally, people will choose an auspicious day to move to a new place, and invite all their friends to celebrate the joy of moving together.

But Jia Huan was an impatient person, so how could he endure it?
The house was just awarded to him in the morning, and he left the palace and started moving impatiently.

Actually, there wasn't much to move.

The last family who moved out of Rongguo Mansion only packed up some gold and silver jewelry, and did not move out the furniture and other belongings.

I think they also wanted to use this opportunity to please Jia Cong.

Jia Huan went to see them and found that they were all very exquisite, much more exquisite than the ones he had at home now.

Now Jia Huan doesn’t have much money, nor can he afford to replace them all with new ones.

Therefore, these furniture and other items can be kept and used, and there is no need to move the furniture.

You just need to move some gold, silver, valuables, bedding and other clothes.

Therefore, the move was naturally very fast.

Now, after hearing what Grandmother Jia said, Jia Huan could not help but say, "Grandfather, the Emperor has made me Duke of Rong because of my military merits, and has also awarded me the Rongguo Mansion."

"This time, I am taking you back to Rongguo Mansion. At that time, you will still live in Rongqing Hall. Is that okay with you?"

Brother Huan?
He was actually conferred the title of Duke of Rong?
And the emperor also gave the Rongguo Mansion to Jia Huan?

Hearing this, Grandmother Jia was in a trance again.

After a while, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but burst into tears.

Jia Huan could not help but persuade him: "This is a good thing, why is the old ancestor so sad?"

Grandmother Jia sighed, "I am so happy that I am crying. I never thought that after the decline of Rongguo Mansion, it would be thanks to Huan'er that it prospered again!"

"The Rongguo Mansion is back, and you have regained the title of Duke Rong. If the post of the governor of the Beijing camp can fall on you, it will completely restore the glory of our ancestors!"

Jia Huan coughed twice and said, "Grandfather, I am now serving as the governor of the Beijing Camp."

Hearing this, Jia's mother couldn't help but exclaimed in delight: "Good, good! That's great!"

"Even if I die immediately, I will have the face to meet my ancestors in the underworld!"

Jia Huan consoled him, "May our ancestor live a long life, and enjoy happiness still to come!"

Grandmother Jia was also happy and said, "Good, good! In that case, let Baoyu's father and Baoyu's family pack up, and we will move back to live here."

Hearing this, Jia Huan coughed twice before saying, "Grandfather, I think it would be better for the eldest wife, Second Brother Lian, Second Brother Bao and the others to stay here for the time being."

"My grandson wants only the old ancestor, the master, the lady and the aunt to move in together."

Hearing this, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but frown.

Huan'er actually doesn't want the eldest wife and Baoyu to move into the mansion?

Grandmother Jia couldn't help but ask, "Huan'er, this Rongguo Mansion is naturally yours, you also separated from the family."

"Of course, there is no one in Rongguo Mansion, and no one dares to compete with you for anything."

"But we are all family. Can you bear to see them suffer here?"

Jia Huan rubbed his hands and said slowly, "Grandfather, doesn't your grandson want to bring the eldest wife, Brother Lian, and Brother Bao in to live with us?"

"The Rongguo Mansion is very big. If we all move in, there will be no room for everyone. But it will add a lot of life."

"But I'm going to say something extremely treasonous. When our Rongguo Mansion was in trouble, why were only my eldest sister-in-law and Lang'er taken into the Grand View Garden by His Majesty?"

"How could my grandson be awarded the title of Duke of Rong if it was just based on his merits? I can only say that the emperor is nostalgic."

"Why did the emperor only confer a title on my mother, but not on his wife? Old Ancestor, please carefully consider the truth behind this." "What the emperor can give me, he can naturally take back. Now that my grandson has taken in the old ancestor, the master, and the lady to live with us, it is already the limit."

After listening to Jia Huan's words, Grandmother Jia fell into complete silence.

Yes, I only wanted to move in with Baoyu and his family.

They never thought about the emperor's dislike for their branch.

Your Majesty, please clearly distinguish between gratitude and resentment!

A favor must be repaid, and a grudge must be avenged.

Well, I’m not that petty.

He was able to make use of Prime Minister Qin, so he naturally had a broad mind.

But he could not tolerate the betrayal of his family during his childhood!
Thinking of this, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but sigh again.

Some things, once done wrong, can never be made up for.

She had no intention of moving into Rongguo Mansion with Jia Huan.

But if she didn't move, as her son, Jia Zheng would definitely not dare to move there.

Since Jia Zheng doesn't go, Aunt Zhao naturally can't go either.

Aunt Zhao had just been conferred the title of a first-rank lady, and now she was actually living here with them?

Will it make the emperor unhappy?

If the emperor is unhappy, will they be able to reap the rewards?

Thinking of this, Grandmother Jia had no choice but to nod and agree.

Seeing that Grandmother Jia agreed, Jia Huan was naturally very happy.

In fact, Jia Huan knew in his heart that the emperor might not still be concerned about the trivial matters in Rongguo Mansion.

Jia Huan simply didn't want Lady Xing, Jia Lian, and Jia Baoyu to move in.

It is easy to move these people in, but it is difficult to get them to move out.

The Rongguo Mansion was bestowed upon me by the Emperor. Why should I let them live in it?

It makes me unhappy just looking at them!
Jia Huan is a vengeful person.

When he was a child, Jia Lian taught him a lot.

Jia Baoyu also gave him a lot of face.

As for Mrs. Xing, she never took him seriously.

Since you all looked down on me when I was a child, why should I help you now that I'm successful?

Therefore, before he came, he made up these words.

Now it really works.

Of course, it is not ruled out that the emperor really has this in mind...

Now Jia Zheng is still in his study, reading the book written by Jia Baoyu and making annotations.

Hearing Lady Jia calling him over, Jia Zheng hurried over.

After hearing what had happened, Jia Zheng was in a trance for a while, and then he couldn't help crying.

He pulled Jia Huan aside and praised him, saying that he was a worthy descendant of the Duke of Rong and had restored the glory of his ancestors.

This was the first time in Jia Huan’s life that he had received such praise and recognition from Jia Zheng.

For a moment, Jia Huan couldn't help feeling a little dizzy, and he felt as if every bone in his body had become several pounds lighter.

But when Jia Zheng heard that Lady Xing, Jia Lian and Jia Baoyu could not move there with them, he did not react much.

He even said, "It's better if they don't move there."

At this point, everyone is happy.

Jia Huan had already brought people and carriages here.

The Jia family didn't have much stuff, so they packed up quickly.

Go with the carriage.

After he left, only Mrs. Xing and the families of Jia Lian and Jia Baoyu were left here.

The advantage is that three rooms are left empty and it doesn't feel so crowded.

The downside is that people moved into the Rongguo Mansion to enjoy a good life, leaving them all behind here.

Soon, Jia Huan brought Jia Mu, Jia Zheng and his wife to Rongguo Mansion.

After entering the Rongguo Mansion, Jia Huan's wife, Mrs. Niu, hurried forward to greet them with her maids and old women.

Mrs. Niu came from the Niu Mansion of Niu Jizong. Not only did she have a rich dowry, but when she got married, she also brought many maids and servants with her.

When they moved today, the Niu Mansion sent another group of people.

Therefore, although the Rongguo Mansion is large, it is not short of servants nowadays.

At this time, these people were all paying respects to their masters, including Lady Jia and Jia Zheng.

For a moment, Grandmother Jia became dazed again.

How long has it been since someone gave her this kind of greeting?
Grandmother Jia hurriedly asked people to stand up, and personally took Mrs. Niu's hand, praising her for her dignity, generosity, intelligence and virtue.

The family chatted and laughed, and Grandmother Jia naturally lived in Rongqing Hall.

Jia Zheng and his wife and two others were arranged to live in Rong Xi Tang.

However, it is a bit difficult to arrange for Mrs. Wang and Aunt Zhao.

After all, Aunt Zhao is not only the biological mother of Jia Huan, the Duke of Rong, but also a first-rank lady.

But Mrs. Wang is still the legal wife.

At this point, I can only make random arrangements.

When Lady Jia moved into Rongqing Hall again, she couldn't help but feel emotional.

However, although Rongqing Hall remained the same, it was much more spacious inside.

Many of the treasures she had hidden away in the bottom of her box were long gone.

Soon after dinner, Grandmother Jia felt tired.

She was served by her maidservant——

Now, Mrs. Niu has added three senior maids and eight junior maids to Lady Jia.

Although it is not as good as the time when Lady Jia had eight senior maids and countless junior maids.

But with four older maids and eight younger maids, the place became lively again.

With the help of her maid, Grandmother Jia lay down on the bed.

Although she was physically tired, Grandmother Jia found it difficult to fall asleep.

She had always been thinking about the emperor's resentment towards the Rongguo Mansion.

Now that Huan'er is here, the Rongguo Mansion can be considered to be established.

It’s okay for Mrs. Xing, that stupid woman.

As for Brother Lian, there is actually no need to worry too much.

After all, Lian Ge'er is the emperor's half-brother, so he should always be treated differently.

As for Lang'er, he still lives with his mother in the Grand View Garden, so he naturally has no worries about his future.

But what should Baoyu do in the future?
Although Baoyu had never offended the emperor before, he did some stupid things after the emperor moved to Ningguo Mansion.

She even flirted with Lin girl - I'm afraid she will soon become the queen mother of the country.

If this knot cannot be untied, I'm afraid Baoyu will never be able to make a breakthrough.

How can we untie this knot so that Baoyu can also benefit from the emperor's influence?
For a moment, Grandmother Jia fell into deep thought.

Grandmother Jia is indeed a person of great wealth and she must have experienced countless secret affairs in the inner palace in her life.

He actually found a solution for her, and Grandmother Jia's eyes gradually brightened.

Next, she didn't care about anything else. She forced herself to stand up, asked the maid to help her get up, and asked someone to call Madam Wang.

Soon, Mrs. Wang was called in.

After Mrs. Wang paid her respects, Grandmother Jia asked her to sit down and talk, and asked the serving maid to leave.

Mrs. Wang knew that Lady Jia must have something extremely important to tell her.

Then he heard Grandmother Jia say, "Second Sister, have you made any plans for Baoyu's future?"

Hearing this, Mrs. Wang couldn't help but smile bitterly and said, "Grandfather, Baoyu is my beloved, has your daughter-in-law ever thought about it?"

"But what can I do now? I am just living under someone else's roof."

She was able to live in Rongguo Mansion thanks to Jia Huan, but her position was really awkward.

Grandmother Jia couldn't help but say, "The current emperor is a descendant of our Jia family. Even though we did wrong to him in the past."

"But as the old saying goes, brothers fight together to fight tigers, fathers and sons fight together in battle, and if an arm is broken, hide it in your sleeve."

"Baoyu is also the emperor's cousin, just like Huan'er. Can he really just ignore it?"

Hearing this, Madam Wang couldn't help but smile bitterly and said, "The old ancestor watched the present emperor grow up, so doesn't he know his character?"

"The current emperor is the one who bears grudges. Baoyu offended him more than once in the past. How can he help Baoyu?"

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "That's easy, all we need to do is make him calm down, right?"

Hearing this, Madam Wang was in high spirits and could not help asking, "May I ask, Grandfather, how can we calm the emperor down?"

Grandmother Jia said, "I have thought of a way to calm the emperor down a little. Then I can put aside my pride and pray for a future for Baoyu."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Wang was overjoyed and hurriedly asked Lady Jia for advice.

Grandmother Jia pondered for a while before she sighed and said, "However, this method will inevitably cause you to suffer injustice."

Hearing this, Mrs. Wang's face suddenly became stiff.

Madam Wang tried to smile and said, "Please tell me clearly, old ancestor."

Grandmother Jia asked, "Why did the emperor bypass you and directly confer the title on Zhao? In this world, how can it be justified to confer the title on a concubine but not on the wife?"

"Of course, a mother's status depends on her son, but what is the emperor's intention in doing this?"

Hearing this, Mrs. Wang's face became even uglier.

What Lady Jia meant was probably that she wanted to depose her as the legal wife and make Zhao the legal wife.

By then, her Baoyu will become a bastard's son, and that evil creature Jia Huan will become the legitimate son.

Thinking of this, Mrs. Wang felt even more sad.

She couldn't help but say, "The old ancestor is so cruel. Is he going to abolish his daughter-in-law and make Zhao his legitimate wife? I'm afraid my Baoyu will become a bastard, right?"

At this time, Mrs. Wang was extremely heartbroken.

In order to win the emperor's favor, the ancestor was really cruel and ruthless!
The grandson whom I loved so much was abandoned just like that.

Grandmother Jia wept and said, "Second sister, I also want the best for Baoyu. How can you think of me like this?"

"If you are still the legal wife, Baoyu will never be able to turn things around!"

"You said that you were deposed as the legitimate wife and that Baoyu would become a bastard in the future. I just want to ask you, even if Baoyu remains the legitimate son, what can he inherit?"

"Is it the title of Duke Rong? Or is it this Rong Mansion? These are all bestowed on Huan Ge'er by the Emperor." (End of this chapter)