The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 160 Lantern Festival
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, August 15th, Ningguo Mansion became more lively than ever before from early morning.

All the men of the Jia family in the capital, from the frail old men of the Dai generation to the toddlers who had just learned to walk, were present.

For once, no one dared to whisper among themselves. Everyone looked at Jia Zheng, who was bound hand and foot, and couldn't help but hold their breath.

Although there are rumors that the second master of Rongguo Mansion is incompetent and has fallen out of favor with the old lady, and that he and his second wife have been locked up in the ancestral hall, very few people have actually seen them.

No one dared to be curious.

After all, no matter how bad Jia Zheng was, he still had a mother who was the wife of a duke, a brother who was a first-class general, and before long, he would be the father-in-law of the Marquis of Xinping.

Moreover, Jia Zhu was quite good at studying.

Some of the clan elders couldn't help but glance at Jia Zhu, Bao Yu, and Huan'er.

Leaving aside the two younger ones, the eldest, Jia Zhuru, is a gentleman, gentle and refined, and no one can say for sure what the future holds for him.

Jia Zhu wasn't afraid of being seen.

I'm just afraid others won't see it.

His parents made many mistakes, but they did not wrong him in any way.

If the elders, clan members, and those carrying out the execution could spare him a little leniency when striking him, that would be a testament to his filial piety.

"Do it!"

Jia Zheng dared not look at his three sons.

Today's beating will prevent him from ever standing tall in front of his sons again.

"Second brother, before you take action, tell the ancestors and all the clansmen if you were wrong."

Even though he was really going to beat his stupid younger brother, Jia She wasn't particularly happy. "How many crimes have you committed this time? If you still don't know, Zhu'er and Baoyu, you two come up here and tell him for you."

"……I was wrong!"

Jia Zheng knelt down with a thud before the ancestral tablets, "I... am disloyal and unfilial..."

Although I hate to say it, Pearl will be taking the imperial examination next year.

If he passes the exam, even if he can only be appointed as a minor seventh-rank county magistrate, with a little effort, maybe he can go with them.

This was a solution that he and Wang had thought about for a long time yesterday.

It wouldn't be so bad if they were sent away with their son to a place where no one knew them, to live as old masters and feudal lords.

While Jia Zheng was listing his crimes, the women of the Jia family at the Rongguo Mansion were watching Wang Shi enter the small Buddhist hall.

The once illustrious mistress of the Rongguo Mansion, now...

While watching the spectacle, the ladies of the Jia family couldn't help but glance at the matriarch of the Ningguo Mansion.

That's a truly amazing person!

I heard that at the Emperor Emeritus's birthday banquet, when the Princess Consort of Jin called her the number one shrew in the Great Zhao Dynasty, she was immediately splashed with tea.

Oops~
Jia Qin's mother hid behind others, afraid of being seen by Shen Ning.

Because her son, Qin Ge'er, gambled, she even changed the Jia family's clan rules.

"Sister-in-law, aren't you especially happy to see me like this?"

Dressed in plain clothes and stripped of all her hairpins and jewelry, Wang was still unwilling to accept this. Just as she was about to step into the Buddhist hall, she turned back and asked Shen Ning.

Shen Ning: "..."

She wouldn't have come if it weren't for wanting to set some rules for the ladies of the Jia family.

"Are you talking about me?"

Shen Ning seemed quite surprised and said, "We've been sisters-in-law for so many years. If I had any issues with you from the beginning, I wouldn't have liked your daughters, Zhu'er and Yuan Chun." She glanced back at Wang Shi with a faint look in her eyes, "After all this, the people you've wronged the most are actually yourself and your own children."

Unfortunately, this person still doesn't understand.

Or perhaps it's just her own competitive spirit.

"Whether other people are happy or not has nothing to do with you right now."

If you insist on getting angry, then give it a piece of your mind!

Shen Ning considered herself to have some composure. "You are going into a Buddhist temple. From now on, you should repent to the Bodhisattva in order to be reborn as a human being in the next life. That is the proper thing to do."

Out of consideration for Yuan Chun and the others, she didn't say anything, "You're no good."

But Wang, who often chanted Buddhist prayers, understood.

She was angry, resentful, and scared all at once!
"Okay, stop talking."

Grandmother Jia sighed inwardly.

With so many people here, why is this daughter-in-law fixated on Shen Shi?
They always seem to want to provoke others, even though they know they can't possibly mess with them.

Isn't this stupid?
"It's getting late, Wang, you should go into the Buddhist hall quickly!"

Is it something to be proud of?

With so many people watching, what are you still babbling about? Don't you know how to save face for Zhu'er and Yuan Chun?

Grandmother Jia was increasingly disliking this daughter-in-law.

"old lady……"

Wang didn't think too much about it. She didn't see Yuanchun and her daughter-in-law Li in the crowd, and felt that the old lady and Shen were still looking after her children.

She immediately knelt down and cried, "Please, old lady, take good care of our master! He can't bear forty strokes of the cane!"

Let's talk more about Jia Zheng, just in case the old lady feels sorry for him.

“…Sister-in-law, you’re mistaken.”

It was rare for Madam Xing to speak, but she said, "Why was my second brother given forty lashes? Wasn't it because of you?"

With the second wife gone, her life suddenly became much better.

Now that she has moved into Rongxi Hall, the master is much more amiable than before. Although he has already taken quite a few concubines, she doesn't have to worry about him taking any more!

Jia Lian became an official, and just for the sake of his position, he couldn't treat her badly.

Her daughter-in-law, who used to treat her with disrespect, is now very respectful.

Of course, what pleased Madam Xing the most was Yingchun.

One of them had no children, and the other had no mother.

If she treats her well, Yingchun will surely reciprocate with twenty percent of the same kindness.

Because Yingchun treated her well, even the master thought highly of her.

“Of all the people in this family, you’ve caused him the most harm,” Madam Xing said. “Go into your Buddhist hall now. We’ll take care of things for your second brother.”

"Second Madam, please!"

At the old lady's signal, the two old women stepped forward, as if to say, "If you don't come in, we'll drag you in."

"...Daughter-in-law bids farewell to the old lady!"

Wang covered her face and went into the Buddhist hall crying.

The door slammed shut, followed by the click of the lock.

Looking at the compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva, Wang suddenly collapsed to the ground.

"Mrs. Zhou, from now on, you will be in charge of delivering food and drinks here."

The old lady glanced at Aunt Zhou, who was huddled to the side and seemed quite obedient, and said, "You're in charge of the keys too."

"……Yes!"

Aunt Zhou was startled and quickly knelt down to kowtow to the old lady.

The old lady watched her trembling hands, and as she took the key, a slight smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Alright, the Wang family matter is settled. Send someone to ask how things are going at the ancestral hall."

"Reporting to the old lady! Ladies!"

Qingping hurried over and said, "The fighting at the ancestral hall is over. The second master fainted, but Manager Chen applied medicine in time and said he needs to rest more."

"Where's the old man?"

Ms. You was very concerned.

"The old man has also applied the medicine, and Rong-ge is watching over him."

That's good.

Madam You breathed a slight sigh of relief. "Mother~" she thought, wanting to go back and see her.

"Now that everything is settled, let's have a meal and everyone should head home early!"

Shen Ning had to visit Qin Keqing, Jia Rong's destined wife, that evening, and didn't want to waste time and energy socializing with these people.

"Alright, then let's start the banquet!"

The old lady was also eager to see her second son, so the banquet started quickly and ended even faster.

As the carriages drove away from the Ning and Rong mansions, Shen Ning finally saw her eldest son.

Having been beaten twenty times, Jia Zhen can only lie on his stomach now.

He only suffered minor superficial injuries.

The more loudly the guards swung the cane, the lighter the blows actually were.

"Mother, don't worry, your son is fine."

"..."

Shen Ning didn't speak, but she glanced at Jiao Da. "Mother!" Jia Zhen sensed that his mother had seen through him and said with an awkward smile, "Uncle Zheng was beaten quite badly. Do you think we should send some medicinal herbs over?"

"Give it to me if you want!"

Shen Ning beckoned to Rong-ge'er, "Rong-ge'er, come here and keep your grandmother company for a walk."

“…Hey!”

Jia Rong glanced at his father, then hurriedly left with his grandmother.

At first, when he saw how badly that uncle was beaten, he couldn't help but feel a pain in his buttocks.

But when it came to his father…

Having learned a bunch of random things from Jiao Xue, Rong Ge'er knew there was more to the story behind his father's beating.

The first few strokes were heavier, but that was to make the swelling visible to everyone; there was no serious damage to the bones.

"Grandmother! Great-aunt went into the Buddhist hall... did she cause any trouble?"

"Fortunately, she wanted to cause trouble, but she didn't."

As Shen Ning walked, she thought about how to tell Rong-ge about Qin Keqing, "But my heart is still aching."

"grandmother!"

Rong-ge'er turned to leave, "Manager Chen hasn't gone far, grandson..."

"It's a holiday, I was just a little angry, nothing serious."

Shen Ning grabbed him, "In previous years, your grandfather would always accompany you during the holidays." Finding a reason to get her grandson to go to the lantern festival with her seemed difficult, "And now your father is like this..."

“...Grandmother,” Jia Rong said with heartache, “your grandson will stay with you.”

Shen Ning patted his hand, which he had just helped up again, and said, "Tell me honestly, when you were beating your father today, did Jiao Da and the others hold back?"

"...I probably...put in a little bit."

Jia Rong glanced at his grandmother's face and, seeing that something was wrong, quickly added, "But if you let her go any further, after twenty strokes, her buttocks will be swollen too."

“He deserved the beating; it was because he failed as the clan leader.”

Shen Ning let out a long sigh of relief, "Now he's lying to his clansmen again..."

"Grandma~"

Jia Rong cried out, fearing that his grandmother would beat him again.

"Forget it, I really can't be bothered to look at him."

Shen Ning closed her eyes briefly and said, "There's a lantern festival today. You and your mother will come with me to the lantern festival later."

what?
Jia Rong was stunned.

"Send your aunt to him to take care of. If he doesn't do a good job... I won't let him off the hook when he comes back."

Finally, finally, we've gotten to the point.

Shen Ning felt that she had a really tough time.

"What? You don't want to?"

"Yes, yes!"

How could Jia Rong dare to refuse?
It's a lantern festival.

He used to love joining in the fun.

But after more than half a year, he dared not let himself go any further.

My grandfather wasn't home, and my father... wasn't very strong, so he was the man of the house.

Having experienced her father's assassination attempt and her grandmother's difficult childbirth, which nearly destroyed her family, Rong-ge'er was terrified of that feeling of helplessness.

My father said he was useless.

If it were my grandfather standing there, no one would dare to mess with him.

Jia Rong's goal was to stand there and make sure no one dared to touch his family.

……

Qin Mansion!

As darkness approached, Qin Ye, accompanied by two old servants and his two children, headed towards Chang'an Street with smiles on his face.

This year's lantern festival is mainly concentrated in that area.

In the capital, every street and alley takes turns hosting lantern festivals.

“Father, I don’t want you to buy me a lantern. I want to win the lantern by solving riddles myself.”

"I want it too, I want it too."

Qin Zhong jumped up and down, "Sister, help me win!"

"Okay!"

Qin Keqing patted her little brother's head and nodded vigorously, "The first one is for you."

"Hahaha~~~~"

Qin Ye laughed and joined in the fun, "Then give me the second one."

His two children were his life.

If you can't guess, you can just give the shopkeeper some money and give him a wink.

Countless people do this every year.

"Yes, I'm sure I can guess it."

Qin Keqing clenched her fist to show her determination.

Meanwhile, fearing something might happen, Shen Ning had already booked the second floor of a restaurant in the middle of Chang'an Avenue as her place to stay.

"Rong-ge'er, do you see that rabbit lantern?"

Shen Ning didn't expect him to win the huge dragon lantern. "Go help Grandma win it later."

"Hmm, I want the little fish one next to it."

Lady You also pointed to one and asked Jia Rong to help them win.

"And your aunt's too."

Looking around the window, Shen Ning said, "Hmm, that frog is pretty good."

what?
Jia Rong looked at the frog lantern with disdain, "My little aunt definitely won't like it."

"...Then tell me, what does she like?"

"That~"

Jia Rong pointed to a row of twelve zodiac animal lanterns, "I want to win that whole row for my aunt."

Shen Ning: "..."

Madam You: "..."

Both of them thought he was exaggerating.

The lanterns on the street aren't actually that easy to guess.

The merchants who hung up lanterns today were mainly there to sell them.

You can come up with a few easy ones to attract attention, but you will never let people guess the really good ones so easily.

"it is good!"

Shen Ning didn't discourage them after all, and said with a smile, "I'm listening on behalf of your aunt. If we can't win back..."

"Then grandson will buy it!"

Jia Rong laughed, "Anyway, I will definitely bring all those twelve zodiac lanterns home for my aunt."

"Okay, okay!"

He gave Xing'er, who had already scouted the Qin family's place and gotten to know them, a wink, and said, "You guys take Rong-ge'er down there carefully. Remember, if it gets too crowded, come back immediately."

Most of the shops on this street were displaying lanterns, and with so many people coming, Shen Ning felt it was too easy for something to go wrong.

"Yes!"

Xing'er quickly agreed. He was about to go downstairs with Rong-ge'er, but paused for a moment when he glanced at her. "Madam, aren't you... going downstairs?"

Ok?
arrive?

Shen Ning also hurriedly searched.

There were too many girls in the crowd.

Of course, they are all surrounded by their families.

Old and young...

Is it her?
Shen Ning found the prettiest one.

Qin Keqing was very beautiful.

Shen Ning naturally chose the most beautiful one.

Although she is still young, she is sure to be a beauty in the making.

"Alright, let's take a walk together!"