The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 159 Promise
At Shou Kang Palace, the retired emperor, who had rested for a day, finally recovered and began to inquire about matters concerning the court and the harem.

It's fine if they don't ask about it, but once they do...

The foolish thing that Princess Jin did that day inevitably came to light in front of him.

Compared to the Empress, the Princess Consort of Jin was simply unbearable for the old man to look at.

Stupid and dumb.

Although she was a little angry that Shen Shi didn't give the royal family any face and just threw tea all over her face, she thought about the stupid things the Princess Consort of Jin said. The Emperor Emeritus knew that anyone with a temper would have to fight her.

Hey~
This wife is a terrible choice.

The Prince of Jin was alright at first, but now he's becoming more and more outrageous.

When the princes were divided among their sons, the Prince of Jin's estate received the most property.

The selected imperial estates were all located in geographically advantageous areas and produced the most abundant resources.

But they were still not satisfied.

First the Li family, then the Lu family—what is the Prince of Jin planning to do by using them as his moneybags?
The retired emperor looked very unwell.

He suddenly realized that he couldn't let the Prince of Jin continue like this.

Otherwise, this rebellious son might not even have to wait until his death to stage a coup.

"Your Majesty the Retired Emperor! Your Majesty requests an audience."

"Hmm, let him in."

Compared to the Prince of Jin, the emperor's son is far superior.

The Emperor Emeritus's expression softened somewhat.

"Father!"

The emperor strode in. "Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, the fifteenth of August, and we will have a family banquet," he said ingratiatingly to the old man. "I have something I'd like to tell you."

"Say it!"

"..."

The emperor looked around, and the eunuchs and palace maids obediently withdrew. "Father, please don't be angry with what I've said."

The Emperor Emeritus: "..."

My son's anxiety is definitely not a good sign.

He blew on his beard. "If you're afraid of angering me, then don't say anything."

I'm getting old, and I don't want to get angry.

Getting angry is bad for your health!
"Father!"

The emperor moved closer and began massaging the old man's back and shoulders, saying, "Don't scare me. If you scare me, I won't know what to say."

"..."

The retired emperor didn't care; anyway, his son would still talk.

“After the palace banquet the other day, the Empress learned that the Jia family in Ning and Rong Streets could only take a concubine if they had no sons for thirty years.”

Ok?
The retired emperor frowned. "The imperial princess cannot marry into the Jia family."

Some people can marry into another family, while others cannot.

The Jia family still has connections within the military.

Although I felt somewhat reassured about the emperor's son, some things are better avoided if possible.

"Even princesses and county princesses won't do."

The sons are all dishonest; what if they take advantage of the Jia family...? That would be bad.

"Father, how old is my princess?"

The emperor's hands did not stop. "The person my son mentioned... is the daughter of my elder brother, the Crown Prince, whom I told you about last time."

what?
The retired emperor's eyebrows twitched.

But the emperor didn't see it and continued, "That child is getting older. She is, after all, of our royal blood. Although she has been living away from home, we can't just abandon her. My idea is to find her a good family."

"...You've taken a fancy to the Jia family?"

The retired emperor was slightly moved.

"Ok!"

The emperor, not caring whether his father could see it or not, nodded vigorously and said, "It's mainly because the empress has taken a liking to her. She and Madam Shen get along well. Although the Ningguo Mansion has some difficulty in having offspring, the population is small! It just so happens that the Jia family has added this clan rule. Let's make our move first, lest the good children be snatched away by others."

The Emperor Emeritus: "..."

What does "striking first gives you the upper hand" mean?
Were they robbers?

The retired emperor turned his head and pointed to the chair next to him, "Sit down and talk."

"Hehe, Father, you agree?"

The children in the Qin family do not belong to either side.

Jia Jing was once so close to the Crown Prince, and now that he has entrusted the Crown Prince's daughter to his family, her life shouldn't be too bad.

"Never mind whether I agree or not."

The Emperor Emeritus said, "You've taken a fancy to Jia Zhen's son, whose name is..."

"Jia Rong!"

"Yes, it's him. Jia Zhen said that the boy is very good at studying?"

The retired emperor still remembered that Jia Zhen said he would come and kowtow to him many times when his son passed the imperial examination.

"I've inquired about my son; he's doing well in school."

The emperor, fearing that his father would think of Jia Jing again, quickly said that he was alright, "He is twelve years old this year. When Jia Zhen was assassinated and Madam Shen was giving birth, it was he who held up the Ningguo Mansion at such a young age. He is truly a rare and excellent child."

"..."

The Emperor Emeritus nodded slightly, "Since you've taken a liking to them, then you two can do whatever you want!"

He felt quite melancholy.

This son is more sentimental than the other sons.

Otherwise, who would care about the children of the deceased crown prince?

Even if they try to control it, it's just exploitation.

"Father~"

The emperor hesitated for a moment, then said, "My son is hard to manage!"

The Jia family are under my father's control.

If he takes direct control and things go wrong in the end, it will definitely implicate the Jia family, and they will all be held accountable along with him in the future.

"Although it's highly likely that the son will agree with Jia Zhen, or the Empress will agree with Madam Shen, Father, they all listen to you more."

The Emperor said, "If you summon Jia Zhen and tell him, Qin Keqing's status in the Jia family will be different. But my son said... they might even think that our royal family is bullying them."

The Emperor Emeritus: "..."

After thinking about it, it's true.

The granddaughter was not recorded in the imperial genealogy.

His calling Jia Zhen by name showed more respect.

The Emperor Emeritus nodded, "Someone come here!"

Dai Quan rushed in, "This servant is here."

"Go to Ningguo Mansion and summon Jia Zhen to the palace."

"……Yes!"

Not knowing why Jia Zhen was being called, Dai Quan glanced at the emperor and hurriedly went to fetch someone.

"The Jia family has suffered a loss in this matter. You and the Empress should keep a closer eye on them from now on."

"Your son knows." The emperor smiled. "Your son congratulates your father on gaining another grandson-in-law that everyone wants."

"..."

The retired emperor smiled, "I hope so!"

At this moment, the old man also thought of Jia Jing.

Jia Jing is a promising talent, excelling in both literary and martial arts.

With him crippled, the two older brothers of the Jia family immediately lost their morale.

The retired emperor sighed inwardly.

……

At Ningguo Mansion, Shen Ning never expected that, after all the twists and turns, Qin Keqing would still marry into the Jia family.

Moreover, it was appointed by the retired emperor.

"Mother~"

Seeing his mother's unusual expression, Jia Zhen couldn't help but feel uneasy. "Our family can't refuse this."

Even if the Emperor Emeritus hadn't bestowed so many fine gifts upon them, their family couldn't refuse.

Moreover, Jia Zhen suspected that the reason why the Emperor Emeritus bestowed so many good things was mainly because he couldn't acknowledge that granddaughter. Those things were not only compensation for their family, but also compensation for the Crown Prince's daughter.

"...Did I say anything?"

Shen Ning glanced at her eldest son and said, "Since the Emperor Emeritus has said so, then she must be a daughter-in-law of the Jia family."

"Then... how do you think we can find an opportunity to arrange a marriage?"

Qin Ye's official position as Ying Shan Lang was quite low.

But it's still quite fat.

In charge of the construction and repair of royal palaces and mausoleums.

It was always considered a lucrative position in the Ministry of Works.

But even if he's fat, he's still only a fifth-rank official.

Moreover, to the outside world, the child was only his adopted daughter.

The eldest grandson of the Jia family has plenty of women to choose from when it comes to marriage, so going to propose to her... it just doesn't feel right. Jia Zhen is very troubled.

The retired emperor wanted their family to go to the Qin family to ask for a marriage proposal.

The family rule that a man in the Jia family can only take a concubine if he has no son by the age of thirty has already spread. Before long, their children will be highly sought after.

Rong Ge'er is the most sought-after of all.

Jia Zhen was very worried.

Since the Emperor Emeritus has given the order, it certainly cannot be delayed too much.

He's going to get twenty lashes tomorrow.

It would be fine to let Madam You meet someone else's child by chance, but if the marriage were to happen, outsiders would see Madam You as a bad stepmother.

So this matter...

Jia Zhen looked at his mother expectantly, "Why don't you go and bump into that girl by chance, then tell her you like her and introduce her to our Rong-ge'er?"

Shen Ning: "..."

I'm so angry and want to hit someone.

She's already so busy, why does she have to go through this kind of plot?

Shen Ning said irritably, "Even if we were to bump into each other, it's too late today, and tomorrow is even less likely."

"Tomorrow, various businesses will be holding a lantern festival."

Jia Zhen said, "My son inquired and found out that the child will be going out to play tomorrow."

So, she's going out to play too?

Shen Ning blinked.

She was immediately smitten.

Although watching TV or reading novels usually reveals that something bad happens at these kinds of lantern festivals, and she was being watched by the Prince of Jin's mansion, she still wanted to go out whenever she had the chance!
"...No, you get beaten while your mother goes to see the lantern festival?"

Shen Ning suddenly thought of something else, "Do you think this is possible?"

uh~
It doesn't seem like a good idea.

Jia Zhen couldn't help but laugh. "Mother, you could also say that you were angered by me and wanted to go out for a walk to clear your head."

Shen Ning: "..."

"Or tomorrow, I might just cause a scene, you can scold me, and then I'll take Madam You out for a walk to clear her head."

This might be more convincing.

Shen Ning thought her son's reasons were good, but his enthusiasm was...

"Hmm~"

Shen Ning asked calmly, "You Shi is Rong Ge'er's mother. Don't you think she can handle this alone?"

"Hey~"

Jia Zhen smiled ingratiatingly, "Isn't she her stepmother? If the old lady finds out that she arranged this marriage for Rong-ge'er, she will definitely be angry, and it won't look good to outsiders either."

So, this grandmother can tell her grandson that they are not a good match?

What a good son!

Shen Ning wanted to get angry, but then she thought that this guy was actually protecting the You family, which was quite remarkable.

If it were Jia Zhen from Dream of the Red Chamber, would he have protected Lady You?
All the difficult tasks will probably be pushed onto Madam You.

"Alright, I'll bring your wife and son tomorrow, and leave Yue'er, who can't crawl yet, to you."

Jia Zhen: "..."

It seems like his mother is really angry with him.

“My son loves taking care of Yue’er, which is perfect, as the two of us can lie down and chat.”

My little sister can't crawl yet.

But making "ah ah, ya ya" noises in bed is also really fun.

"roll roll roll!"

Shen Ning shooed him away, saying, "Tomorrow you can just chat with your sister as much as you want!"

"Hey, son, we're leaving right away."

He won't leave.

Jia Zhen rushed off to report his success to Lady You.

After all, if he didn't persuade his mother, Madam You would be branded as a wicked stepmother.

After hearing everything, Madam You couldn't help but open her mouth wide.

She wants a royal noblewoman as her daughter-in-law?

Although the royal noblewoman cannot be officially recognized by the royal family, she is still a noblewoman!

She had seen the gift list of everything the old man brought back today.

There are quite a few paintings and calligraphy works by famous artists.

"...Didn't Mother get angry when you said that to her?"

While Madam You was pleased that her husband was so protective of her, a certain part of her heart was also uneasy.

After all, no mother-in-law likes her son to always protect his wife.

Especially since the old man bypassed her and pushed the task onto his wife, which was considered a terrible thing by outsiders.

My mother-in-law is probably quite upset right now.

"No ah!"

Jia Zhen shook his head. "Don't you know your mother? She just likes it when I'm nice to you. Sometimes I don't even know if you're her biological son or I am."

"Haha~ Hahaha~~~~"

Yu Shi was amused by him, her eyes sparkling with seductive charm, "What do you think?"

"I don't know. How about we go ask them sometime?"

Jia Zhen couldn't help but feel tempted.

He's going to get beaten up tomorrow.

After being beaten with twenty strokes of the cane, one definitely needs at least half a month of rest to recover.

"But before that, tell me if you want to thank me for what you did today, okay?"

"Thank you! Of course you should!"

As the couple looked at each other and laughed together as they went into the inner room, Jia Rong was unaware that he had a wife.

We agreed to go out and have fun today.

As a result, he couldn't go because he was worried about his father.

now……

He carried his little aunt and went to the West Mansion to find a bunch of aunts.

From afar, Jia Min watched him carrying the little girl, smiling all the way over, and couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.

"Rong-ge'er is here."

Lin Chang'an liked his nephew who could play with them. "Mom, I'm going to find Rong-ge'er to play."

"Rong-ge'er is going to take his little aunt with him."

Jia Min grabbed her son, saying, "He doesn't have time to play with you."

"Yes, yes."

Lin Chang'an wanted to jump, "The older sisters can play with Xiao Yue'er."

"Let the little monkey go!"

Grandmother Jia smiled, "Rong-ge'er can take good care of them."

Although Zhen'er is not very good, Rong-ge'er is like his grandfather Jia Jing.

If the children can play with Rong Ge'er more often, their relationship will be better when they grow up.

"Grandma, why am I a little monkey?"

“You can play as a little monkey,” Jia Min threatened with a smile, “but not…”

"Goodbye, little monkey!"

Feeling threatened, Lin Chang'an hurriedly ran away.

Grandmother Jia smiled, but as she smiled, she seemed to remember something, and slowly her melancholy returned.

"Mother, my second brother should have been taught a lesson long ago!"

Jia Min comforted her, "You don't need to worry about this."

"Sigh, I can't control it even if I want to."

The old lady sighed, "Zhen'er is even being beaten along with them." Since Madam Shen didn't say anything, what could she say?

"By the way, you just said, who asked you about wanting to form a marriage alliance with our family?"

"Isn't Rong-ge the only one in our family who can be married right now?"

Jia Min laughed and said, "He'll be thirteen next year. I wonder what his sister-in-law's plans are."

She shouldn't interfere in Rong-ge's affairs.

Is it because one can only take a concubine if one is childless by the age of thirty?

"Yes!"

Jia Min nodded, "Didn't your cousin-in-law from the Shi family also write to you?"

Grandmother Jia nodded. "A letter has arrived, but your sister-in-law and her family certainly won't agree to let a child from a military family accept it."

So what the daughter said might actually come true.

“Take a look around, and if you see anything good, tell your sister-in-law. She definitely won’t blame you.”