Picturesque Rivers and Mountains in the Red Chamber

Chapter 504 Things have changed in Rongguo Mansion

postscript
Things have changed in the Five Rong Kingdom
Half a month later, Rongguo Mansion, Rongxi Hall.

The efficiency of doing things in the feudal era was really not high, or to put it another way, it could be called "the pace of life is slow". Even though Zhou Yang's imperial edict greatly accelerated the speed, it took such a long time to implement it after the preparations were completed. The new titles, official uniforms, The interview filing, symbolic assessment and other procedures can be completed in one go.

"Mrs. Rong Guo, do you still have any questions?" Ying'er, who acted as the female official who conveyed the decree, asked with a smile because her family members were present. She had the title of "beautiful concubine" on her body, so her appearance in person was enough for Jia. In order to save face, "Your Majesty and the Queen's will should be clear enough, right?"

"I accept the decree!" No matter how much opinions and ideas Jia Mu has, she still has the courage to make trouble at this time?

"Master Jia, congratulations!" Ying'er smiled slightly, and then ordered the female officer behind her to deliver various "accessories" for the first-class general, including official uniforms, seals, swords, etc., all of which were handed over to Jia Lian. , "His Majesty specifically stated that since Lord Jia has taken over the worldly position, he must behave like a lord. What does General Rong Guo look like living outside the palace?"

"This -" Jia Lian's face was full of ecstasy, and then he looked at Jia Mu hesitantly, "Has your Majesty said that?"

"What do you think, Mrs. Rong Guo?" This time, Ying'er's face was not so pretty.

"My wife—accept the decree!" Even though Mother Jia was filled with coptis in her heart, she could only grit her teeth and kneel down to accept it.

"Old Madam, it turns out that the Queen Mother heard about the affairs in the house, especially after the old Madam's book was posted, she got angry and had to deal with it on the spot. Not to mention the reprimand just now, there was another one which was to preach the "Female Precepts" to the Old Madam in person. , in the end, for the sake of the four empresses, we made no further arrangements." Ying'er seriously took a tray and handed it to Jia Mu, "However, although there is no need to read it out on the spot, the matter will not just go away. It’s better for the old lady to take a look.”

"Old woman, I understand!" Mother Jia's heart was bleeding, and she gritted her teeth and accepted the "Female Ring".

To put it bluntly, this is tantamount to declaring that Jia Mu is "lack of education" and indirectly abolishing all her "authority" in Rongguo Mansion. If she still has the courage to cause trouble in the future, even if she doesn't do it for Sichun's sake, If she pursues the matter seriously, any Buddhist temple in the house will be regarded as her lifelong destination. Let her "study" hard with the door closed until the ball is dead!

"Your Majesty also explained that although the affairs in the mansion are the family affairs of the Jia family and outsiders should not interfere, Rongguo mansion is the inheritance of the imperial court after all, and there is absolutely no reason for people to laugh at it." Ying'er said lightly, "At least this' The chaos of not distinguishing between old and young, and unclear superiors and subordinates should not exist in the house, what do you think, old lady?"

"I know my mistake!" Mother Jia's face turned pale and she kowtowed heavily.

"It's good for the old lady to know." Ying'er then turned to Jia Lian, "Master Jia, the following is His Majesty's oral instruction. I'm just conveying it on your behalf. The Lord stands up and listens:

Second brother Lian, you must take responsibility for the affairs in the house from now on. The messy situation must not happen again. How can a dignified heir to the Duke's house and a fifth-rank official in the imperial court know his true duties, how can he not even do this little housework? Can't manage it well?But don't go too far. After all, the imperial court governs the world with filial piety. If the news is too unpleasant, don't blame me for having someone slap you. "

"Wei Chen - take the order to thank me!" Jia Lian knelt on the ground with a "pop" and burst into tears on the spot. He felt that he had never lived as happily as he did today in his whole life!

"Ma'am, the young master and young mistress of the second room in this mansion are here!" Just as they were talking, they saw Jia Baoyu and Fu Qiufang walking over with Xiren and Sheyue. Fu Qiufang was fine, but Jia Baoyu turned pale and walked. They were all a little unstable, but they were all supported by the two girls, so they didn't fall to the ground on the spot.

"Er Master Bao and Grandma Bao are here?" Ying'er gave Jia Mu one last sided glance, but never asked her to get up. She turned around and said with a smile, "Don't worry, you two. Your Majesty didn't issue any orders, just The queen and the wise emperor and noble concubine have something to give."

"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your kindness!" Compared to Jia Baoyu, who was obviously relieved, Fu Qiufang showed a faint look of disappointment, but it disappeared in a flash. Seeing that her husband didn't react, she hurriedly pulled him Kneeling down, "I don't know what the two empresses' intentions are?"

"It's not about the will." Ying'er smiled slightly and waved her hand to the female official behind her to bring several trays, "The Ryukyu Kingdom in the East China Sea paid tribute to a glazed palace lantern and gave it to Second Mistress Bao, but it was mainly for Second Master Bao. This It is the intention of the empress and empress; the Ministry of Internal Affairs issued a tribute set of "Four Books and Five Classics" and a set of four treasures of the study room, and gave them to the second master Bao. This is the intention of the empress and noble concubine of the wise emperor."

"My wife understands!" Fu Qiufang respectfully kowtowed to thank her, and then found that Jia Baoyu was foolishly at a loss, so she forced him to kowtow, "Ministers will never disappoint the two empresses."

"It's good that you understand." Ying'er smiled and nodded, then walked to Jia Mu, helped Yuanyang up and said, "There is another arrangement for Sister Yuanyang - good sister, you serve Mrs. Rong Guo After all these years, you’re not young now, are you?”

"This -" Yuanyang was obviously stunned, "To tell you the truth, I am eighteen years old this year."

"I wonder what Sister Yuanyang thinks about Second Master Lian?" Ying'er's words made everyone at the scene freeze, especially Jia Mu.

Although Yuanyang has the status of a maid, her situation is special. She actually serves as Jia Mu's "personal secretary", her most trusted confidant, and her de facto housekeeper. To put it bluntly, she has no control over all matters in the Rongguo Mansion. He knew better than the three masters Jia She, Jia Zheng and Jia Lian, and even Mrs. Wang and Wang Xifeng were more polite.

But for this reason, it is completely impossible for her to leave the Jia Mansion. The ending will be to either marry a certain master in the manor, or die, because she knows too much, and letting her out will be equivalent to opening up all the secrets in the entire manor. , even a loser like the Jia family would not do such a thing.

According to convention, this kind of maid is assigned to the next generation of masters, either Jia Baoyu or Jia Lian. Originally, she was attracted by Jia She but then rejected, which meant that these two paths were cut off, because Jia Lian could not compete with her father for a woman—— Apart from using it privately, a waste like Jia Baoyu has no responsibility. Therefore, after Jia's mother passed away, she had only one way to "bury herself".

Now Ying'er speaks directly and still "marries" Jia Lian according to the rules. No matter what she says, there is nothing wrong with it. This actually has another meaning, that is, she has eliminated Jia Mu's right-hand man and at the same time found the most suitable one for Jia Lian. If the "handover person" is less troublesome, he doesn't even need to hand over the job and can just continue to work "part-time".

"Thank you for your grace!" Therefore, Jia Lian was ecstatic on the spot and knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times.

"Slave - thank you for your grace!" What can Yuanyang do?Resist the decree?
"That's good." Ying'er nodded with a smile, took a feather duster with a pure gold handle from the female officer behind her, handed it to Yuanyang with a smile, but looked at Jia Lian as she spoke, "Master Jia, this is also Your Majesty's reward, Sir, should understand what it means?"

"Wei Chen, I understand!" Jia Lian was not stupid, so he could only nod with a wry smile.

"Okay, the business is over, the last little thing." Seeing Yuanyang accept the "reward", Ying'er continued, "Master Jia, according to the court's practice, the person who gains a title usually also confers a title on the Duke's wife, but Now the Lord's inner house is empty, I don't know when we can get married?"

"This -" Jia Lian did not react immediately, "Mrs. Weichen is in the room."

"Master Jia may not have heard clearly, so I will say it again." Ying'er said lightly, "Your Majesty means that Master Jia's house is empty."

"Please don't worry, ma'am, I will explain clearly to the second master!" Seeing Jia Lian who was still confused, Yuanyang quickly kowtowed and said.

"As long as Sister Yuanyang understands." Ying'er glanced at the hopeless Jia Mu for the last time, and then said with a smile, "Okay, the decree has been conveyed, everyone can rest - let's drive back to the palace!"

She had finished the work, but she shocked all the Jia family members present. Although these masters were the only ones qualified to receive orders, there were actually a group of slaves and slaves who were always kneeling around them. Such a circle After the process, everyone understood that the sky in Rongguo Mansion had changed and the sky in Rongguo Mansion had collapsed!
"Old ancestor, rest, I still have some things to do." Knowing that Ying'er was leaving with a "guard of honor" all the way, Jia Lian stood up and gave a distant salute, and then unceremoniously confessed to Jia's mother, and then pulled her away. He left with the mandarin ducks and went straight to Dongkua Yuan, "I won't bother my ancestors anymore with matters in the house." What?Jia Zheng?Ever since he found out that his wife and his elder brother died together, and he was still "open" when he died, he is still lying in Meng Pozhai, and he has never been able to get up since then. Even Aunt Zhao, who has been taking care of him, is a little impatient Well, if Jia Lian doesn't come back these days, it will be another matter. He will always help her "relieve her mood" when he comes back.

"Baoyu's family, help me up." After a long moment of dead silence, Jia Mu finally said a lonely greeting, and reluctantly helped Fu Qiufang get up, "You can probably guess what will happen in this house from now on. I want to help, but I'm afraid I won't be able to do much. You have relatives and relatives by your side, and you will be indispensable for good fortune in the future. I just hope that you will supervise me carefully and make sure that Baoyu has a future."

"Don't worry, ancestors, Qiufang will save you." There is no doubt that Fu Qiufang hopes Jia Baoyu can "stand up" more than anyone else. Unfortunately, she also knows that such hope is too slim, so she can only lower her standards again and again. "In the future, Baoyu is there again."

"Don't worry, the old lady will never say another word." Mother Jia gave her reassurance without hesitation.

This old lady is not stupid. She understands her situation in the future. It is completely overthinking to expect Jia Lian to be filial. The only thing she can count on is Jia Baoyu - Jia Zheng?Not mentioning his almost rubbish performance in the past, and not mentioning that he doesn't know if he can get up again now, even if everything is fine for him, would anyone believe that he can develop and improve?

"Thank you, ancestors, for your trust." Fu Qiufang breathed a sigh of relief and helped her walk to Jia's mother's courtyard. "Now the provincial villa behind is under construction. It is estimated that it will take more than half a year. We might as well hold on for now; after four When the empress came to visit her, she hoped that the ancestors would work harder. No matter how she sought a future for Baoyu, if she expected him to study, it would be difficult to achieve results."

Under the arrangement of someone, the construction level of the "Provincial Villa" is even more exaggerated this time. The drawings were designed by the best masters from the Ministry of Industry, the construction was by the best craftsmen from the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Internal Affairs was responsible for the supervision, and the funds were provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Full payment, even if the construction has just started, everyone understands that this place will definitely be a magnificent royal palace in the future.

Not only the technical level, but also the area has been greatly increased. Basically, it is occupied along the main hall of the Ningrong Second Mansion, not far behind Rongxi Hall and Ning'an Hall, leaving only a three-foot walkway. All the rest, including Rongguo Mansion's own garden and Ningguo Mansion's Huifang Garden, are occupied.

Even Zhou Yang's former "Land of Happiness", Li Wan's Courtyard, Sister Feng's Courtyard, and VIP Guest Room Courtyard were all demolished, and all the gardens in Ningguo Mansion, including Qin Keqing's Tianxiang Building, Dengxian Pavilion, and Doufeng Pavilion, were swept away. As for Kong, the actual area of ​​the current Ningrong Second Mansion has been reduced by half, and the waste tribesmen in the back streets of the two mansions have also rushed to other places to relocate.

Furthermore, even though the two mansions were given provincial relatives' houses and four noble concubines were born, it did not improve the status of the Jia family at all, because anyone with a little knowledge knows that someone has basically no friendship with the Ningguo mansion. The current Ning Guocheng Jia Qiang, the nobleman, has no friendship at all. The only person in Rongguo Mansion who has some grace is Jia Lian.

"The old lady can only look at it." Jia Mu said with a wry smile.

At this time, no matter how much she deceives herself, she still knows her family's status in Zhou Yang's place. Among the four noble concubines, only the third girl, Tanchun, keeps in touch with Aunt Zhao and Jia Zheng. Yuanchun occasionally contacts her, the "ancestor" , there has never been any news about Yingchun and Xichun, let alone the two "trading items" Li Wan and Wang Xifeng.

"Ancestor, in fact, it's not just the four empresses, but also Uncle Xiaolan. I don't know if it can be done." Fu Qiufang said softly.

"Although his surname is Jia, he has not lived in the house for some time." Mother Jia's expression became increasingly bitter.

After the relationship between someone and Li Wan was made public, Jia Lan was taken to the Zhou family courtyard and lived in the main courtyard and back house of the first courtyard on the east side - now he is also the actual owner of the entire "Zhou Mansion", responsible for education, life and so on. Everything no longer needs the Rongguo Mansion to take care of, not to mention now, even the titles have been changed to "uncle" and "mother concubine". Although he still has not changed his surname, everyone knows that this has nothing to do with the Jia Mansion anymore.

Fu Qiufang sighed helplessly, knowing that she couldn't say anything more, but she felt uncomfortable in her heart. How many times she dreamed about it at midnight, she secretly thought about it, if she had followed someone wholeheartedly and no longer had any messy thoughts, what would happen now?She even had delusions, because of the examples of Li Wan, Qin Keqing and Wang Xifeng, but the last "face to face" made her understand that these were really just delusions.

East Cross Courtyard is where Jia Lian lives today.

"Good sister, I've been secretly staring at you for too long—" Almost as soon as he took the mandarin ducks back to the yard, Jia Lian impatiently drove away all the "obstructive" people, and immediately wanted to do that good thing, " You and I are here today because of His Majesty’s grace. We must not let down His Majesty’s grace.”

"Second Master Lian, please respect yourself!" Yuanyang tried his best to push Jia Lian away, took a few steps back and held the "golden duster" with both hands. Jia Lian was so frightened that he quickly backed away, "I don't know that Second Master wants to have this slave serve me for a long time. , or do you just want a corpse?”

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Jia Lian was really frightened. "Can we violate His Majesty's grace?"

"It's your Majesty's grace. This slave is still alive. After all, I've been dead for a while. It's better not to have my brother and sister-in-law. Maybe they'll be cleaner after death." Yuanyang put down the golden duster coldly and found a chair to sit on. Xia said, "I don't know how the second master Lian plans to arrange for the ancestors?"

"I" Jia Lian definitely wanted to get rid of Shi directly, but he was not that stupid yet. After thinking for a moment, he said helplessly, "How can I arrange it? Let her live in the original yard for a lifetime - Well, let's do it this way, how about I send Uncle Zheng to his study outside, and the entire West Road Courtyard belongs to their second room?"

"Second Master is interested!" Yuanyang's expression relaxed and he breathed a long sigh of relief, "Second Master, don't blame me for being troublesome. I'm really afraid that Second Master will let his temper lead and spread some bad news. The second master must have heard about the current reputation of this house, and even if it is for the sake of the face of the four to six empresses, there can be no more trouble."

"Of course not." Jia Lian's expression froze and he looked embarrassed.

"Also, His Majesty specifically mentioned that the second master's back house is empty. You won't forget it, right?" Yuanyang reminded him again.

"What's going on?" Jia Lian said dissatisfied, "Sister Luan'er obviously."

"My second master, please speak in a lower voice." Yuanyang was so frightened that he rushed to Jia Lian and covered his mouth. "Have you really forgotten the grudge between His Majesty and the Wang family? His Majesty did not mention it himself. , but there is still a good emperor and noble concubine who is talking. How many brains do you have, dare to let the daughter of the Wang family become the main wife? Do you really think that the sword of the Tian family is bad? "

"I" Jia Lian was completely frightened.

"Second Master has the final say on matters concerning the back house, but since His Majesty has already pointed it out, naturally we can't delay it for too long." Yuanyang quickly advised, "Also, the ancestors must not go too far. Don't Forget His Majesty's words, 'If the news is too unpleasant, don't blame me for having someone beat you up', if only an angel came to the house to beat you up."

"I understand, I understand!" Jia Lian nodded quickly, then rolled his eyes, and said after a long while, gritted his teeth, "Then I can't see or worry, isn't the Ministry of Industry building a 'family home' behind me? Just go over and say good things and let them build a wall between the West Road Courtyard and the Main Courtyard, and let them live their own lives in the second room!"

"Second Master!" Yuanyang almost fell back in anger, "Don't forget, the imperial court is 'ruling the world with filial piety'. Even if you don't go to the morning and evening routines every day, you can't let outsiders say you are a 'forbidden relative'" Long, right? There must be a way through this wall no matter what, and there must be no access to the provincial villa!"

"Okay, just as you said!" Jia Lian nodded impatiently, pressed the mandarin duck down and said, "On this big day, let's not talk about those unsightly things."

"Second Master, how are you doing in this blue sky and white sun?" Yuanyang almost cried.

"Good sister, brother wants to take a good look -" Jia Lian said with a smile.

That night, Jia Lian, the new successor of the Rongguo Mansion, called more than 30 yamen servants from the Shuntian Mansion Yamen at once to carry Jia Zheng out of Mengpo Zhai and directly to the outer study room of the West Road Courtyard. All the servants, maids, and mothers-in-law who belonged to him rushed over, but only Aunt Zhao was left with a place to stay.

After that, the contents of the imperial edict, imperial edict, and oral edict that were delivered to Rongguo Mansion that day slowly spread, and it became the hottest news in the capital for a while, and even gradually spread to the entire Gyeonggi region. Only the "Mrs. Rongguo Imperial Order" was released at the same time. Talking about it, but no one has ever answered it
(End of this chapter)