The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 122 Nephew
The lotus buds are just beginning to emerge, and dragonflies have already alighted on them.

Having enjoyed ourselves to the fullest, we returned by boat late, only to find ourselves adrift in the heart of the lotus blossoms.

The moon shines brightly as boat whistles rise and fall in disarray; the wind settles as lotus blossoms in the pond exude their fragrance freely.

From Yang Wanli's "Small Pond" to Li Qingzhao's "Like a Dream: I Often Remember the Sunset at the Stream Pavilion," and then to Qin Guan's "Enjoying the Cool," lotus poems came one after another, broadening the horizons of young Daiyu, Baoyu, Chang'an, Yingchun, and Tanchun.

Following Wang Xifeng, who was serving her, and listening to the flute music on the shore, as well as the lotus poems that her aunt, sister-in-law Li Wan, and younger sister Yuan Chun recited as if they were casually picking up their hands, one can't help but feel envious.

Unfortunately, she doesn't know how.

"Dragonfly, dragonfly~"

Lin Chang'an pointed excitedly at the red dragonfly that had flown onto the lotus leaf, "Mom, is that the naughty little dragonfly you were talking about?"

"Haha, little dragonflies are quite mischievous."

Jia Min laughed and grabbed her son by the collar, pulling him back. "But they have wings and can fly, you don't. Come back here!"

"Haha~, hahaha~~~"

Seeing the little cousin's expression, everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Lady Wang found the sound grating and was about to turn around when she heard Tan Chun cry out in alarm, "Second Brother!" She quickly turned back.

Yingchun laughed and tugged at Baoyu, "You don't have wings either, so be careful!"

"Second brother, you can laugh if you want, why are you jumping around!"

Tan Chun looked frightened.

"Haha, I'm fine."

When everyone looked over, Baoyu was a little embarrassed. "I just swung it around a couple of times, it won't fall in."

"He's a little rascal too."

The old lady laughed loudly, "Hurry up and come here. If you don't come here now, I won't let you eat the fish after I fry it."

Feng'er was so thoughtful. Knowing that they were going to fry fish, she not only brought quail from the kitchen, but also asked the old woman who usually fed the fish to scoop some out. "Smell it, doesn't it smell delicious?"

Indeed, the air was filled not only with the fragrance of lotus blossoms, but also with a unique aroma of fried fish.

"Grandma~"

"Grandma~"

The children immediately gathered around.

The old lady couldn't wrap her arms around it all, and she laughed heartily.

Madam Wang frowned repeatedly when she saw her mother-in-law only holding her sister-in-law's two children.

Who dotes on Baoyu the most?
If she truly loved him, how could she have allowed Lin Chang'an to squeeze out her Baoyu?
Baoyu...

Seeing her son, dressed in a bright red brocade with scattered flowers, still grinning foolishly beside her and talking to her sister-in-law's daughter, Madam Wang's brows gradually relaxed.

She slowly backed away, making sure no one could see her, before striding away.

By then, Jia Zheng and Aunt Zhou had already walked far away while taking a stroll.

……

Inside the Jia family school, Mr. Fang and Mr. Chen couldn't help but laugh when they heard Jia Zhen's purpose for coming.

They had naturally read Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and telling the children stories in between their studies was something they did every day.

Previously, the stories were about famous scholars; now they've changed to the Three Kingdoms period...

Mr. Fang and Mr. Chen exchanged a glance, both very happy, as they no longer had to worry about their daily stories.

"Don't worry, sir, the Three Kingdoms stories can be arranged for the children today."

The Jia family rose to prominence through martial arts, so telling their children stories of heroes is indeed more reasonable.

"I have another matter to discuss with you today."

Jia Zhen took the small bundle from Wang'er, which contained more than a dozen sheets of paper covered with writing. "These are some questions and policy essays that my younger brother Jia Zhu brought back from the Imperial Academy yesterday. Because of time constraints, he couldn't come over, so he asked me to pass them on to the two teachers."

"Thank you very much!"

The two, who were also preparing for next year's high school entrance exam, knew the value of the item and bowed to it in unison.

Although the Jia family academy offered excellent treatment and the students were all quite good, once they had studied, they naturally wanted to enter the imperial court and realize their ambitions.

"Gentlemen, you needn't stand on ceremony."

Jia Zhen quickly helped him up, saying, "The old rule still applies. After you two have finished, put these in the school for the children to read on their own."

Those who are ambitious will ask their teachers for help, but those who are not ambitious will not benefit from being taught.

"Haha, of course!"

Because of the Jia family's attitude towards them, Fang and Chen have been very serious about teaching these past few months.

Although the children of the Jia family all had very weak foundations, they were not without promising talents.

For example, Jia Rong, Jia Qiang, and Jia Yun are all quite good.

Jia Rong, in particular, has inherited his grandfather's talent. If he puts in the effort, it might not be difficult for him to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) like his grandfather.

The two men felt sorry for Jia Jing, who passed the imperial examination but ultimately had to live in a Taoist temple.

As scholars, no one knows the difficulty of studying better than them.

What do you mean by "ten years of hard study"?
They had both studied diligently for twenty years, but failed the imperial examinations several times, and were now stranded in Beijing.

next year……

Holding the precious items that money couldn't buy before, the two of them couldn't help but feel more confident about next year's imperial examination.

Jia Zhen bid farewell and went home. He happened to see a horse merchant selling horses on the back street, and he couldn't help but go over to him.

"Sir, would you like to see some horses?" The horse merchant approached with a grin. "Look, these are all newly transported from the north." Although the best horses had all been chosen by the army, those left with him were still young, but after a couple of years, they would be excellent horses. "Take a look at this one, glossy red, square-legged, strong, long-necked, short-backed, broad-chested and broad-shouldered. And look at its gait..."

He led the horse around once, saying, "It's gentle and obedient, steady and strong. Buy it for your young master, and he'll surely rise to great heights."

Jia Zhen didn't speak. He stroked the horse's head and then its rump, already satisfied in his heart. "Hmm, how much silver?"

When he was Rong-ge'er's age, he already had his own horse.

His horse was a gift from his grandfather back then, but now that his father is at Tai Xuan Temple, he certainly can't give Rong-ge a horse anymore.

Jia Zhen had no choice but to go by himself.

"Hehe, if this were a fully grown horse, it would definitely cost at least five hundred taels."

The merchant's eyes darted around, glancing at Jia Zhen's clothes, then at the attendant and the two burly men who had gathered around because of him. He boldly demanded a price, "How about this, you give me four hundred taels, four times four is perfect, and we..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jia Zhen turned and left.

"Hey, hey, hey, three hundred and eighty taels, you name your price, three hundred and fifty taels..."

From afar, Shen Ning, standing in Tianxiang Tower, saw her eldest son being chased, but after a short while, he was led by the little horse. She couldn't help but exclaim with delight, "Yue'er, your brother bought a horse! Let's go down and take a look."

She happily went downstairs, but didn't see that Jia Zhen had paid her the money. A beggar rushed over from the roadside, pleading, "Please, clan leader, do justice for my mother!"

The child knelt on the ground, crying, and tugged at Jia Zhen's clothes. "My mother's surname is Jia and her given name is Wen. Please, clan chief, do justice for my mother and save her."

Jia Zhen was greatly shocked.

Jia Wen?

Third Aunt?
Didn't she marry into the Min family in Yansui?
This kid...

"take away!"

If he is the child of the third aunt, then you have to call him cousin.

The child did not immediately acknowledge the elder brother, but instead addressed him as the clan head, which shows that he was still concerned about the Jia family's reputation.

Jia Zhen hurriedly took him back. They had just entered the side gate and were about to have someone wash him before speaking when, unexpectedly, his mother came over carrying his younger sister.

"what happened?"

"Auntie~~"

The beggar immediately knelt down, tears streaming down his face. "My mother is Jia Wen from the Rongguo Mansion. She is dying. Please, my aunt, save her life."

Jia Wen?

The name sounded familiar. Shen Ning searched her memory and finally remembered, "Wen, the young lady from the Rongguo Mansion?"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing that people knew about his mother, the beggar couldn't help but shed several more tears.

"...Do you have a token?"

Jia Zhen looked at him and asked a question from the side.

"It used to be there, but it was lost on the way."

The beggar cried loudly.

Because he had no token, he was turned away at the Rongguo Mansion.

"But two years ago, my mother wrote a letter to the family here. In that letter, she said, 'Sister-in-law, please rest assured. It is a blessing that the whole family is safe and sound now!'"

The beggar looked at Shen Ning with pleading eyes, "Aunt, do you still remember me?"

"..."

Shen Ning remembered it from the original owner's memories.

Uncle Jia Daishan of Rongguo Mansion had three illegitimate daughters, all of whom married far away to generals on the frontier. The first two died a few years after their marriages, and only Jia Wen and Jia Min still kept in touch with the local authorities.

However, Jia Min corresponded frequently. Jia Wen married Min Tai of Yansui. Although he was a seventh-rank officer, he was not valued by the Rongguo Mansion because of Jia Wen's status as an illegitimate child. After his uncle passed away, he simply lost contact with his family.

The letter from two years ago was addressed to her and Jia Jing separately, and it was full of words of comfort.

"what's your name?"

“My nephew, Min Jianbai.”

"Brother Bai?"

Shen Ning helped her up immediately. "What happened to your mother? Where are the people around her? Where are the people who take care of you?"

"Woo~"

Min Jianbai cried loudly, “Two years ago, my father took a concubine and locked my mother in the inner quarters. All the people around her were dismissed. My mother wanted to send a message out, but she failed several times. Now they want to marry my sister to an official. My mother fell ill in her anxiety. I secretly ran away, but when I was almost in the capital, my travel money was stolen, and all my tokens were lost. I went to the Rongguo Mansion and begged them to open the door, but no one opened it for me.”

"..."

"..."

Shen Ning and Jia Zhen exchanged a heavy glance, both feeling heavy-hearted.

After such a long delay, is Jia Wen still alive?
In Dream of the Red Chamber, Jia Min was probably already dead when Jia Wen died.

"Don't cry yet. How was your mother when you left?"

Shen Ning handed Jia Yue to the wet nurse, gesturing for her to take her away, otherwise the little girl would cry too. "What illness does she have? Can we get a doctor? How old is your sister? Who does your father want to marry her off to?"

"After being confined to the inner quarters, my mother's health gradually deteriorated, but she still insisted on teaching my older sister embroidery and literacy. Although I was in the front, I could only see her once a month. I heard the news from my second aunt's side that my father was going to marry my older sister to Magistrate Zhang as a concubine. When I secretly went to tell my mother, she vomited blood."

Min Jianbai burst into tears. He was the one who had harmed his mother. He wished he hadn't said anything, or had said it secretly or slowly.

But it's no use regretting it now; he's already said it, and his mother is vomiting blood.

"I begged my father to get a doctor for my mother, but he's with my stepmother and completely ignored me, waaaaah~ waaaah~~~"