The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 205 Sacrifice

Normally, no one would pay attention to what was happening in the inner quarters of the Jia family, but the Jia family had fallen out with Wang Ziteng because of the Lan family.

If Prince Teng were still unemployed at home, not many people would care, but now he is the General of Zhennan.

Although he had only been in the south for a short time, he had already won a brilliant battle, stabilizing the situation in the south and demonstrating the strength of the Great Zhao.

He is many times better than the Prince of Nan'an.

In recent years, everyone in the court has had a headache whenever they see the memorials from the Prince of Nan'an.

This guy is far inferior to his father and grandfather.

Not only did he not stay in the southern town, but he also practiced nepotism.

The wealth built up by two generations of former Princes of Nan'an may be squandered by him in just a few years.

You must know that the Prince of Nan'an is the Prince of Nan'an of the Great Zhao Dynasty. If he squanders like this, isn't he just ruining the foundation of the Great Zhao Dynasty?
Leaving aside the emperor, even these court officials wanted to bring him back, but unfortunately, they never had a good opportunity. Now…

Wang Ziteng wasn't a very good person, but he was still a capable minister.

Unfortunately, Lan Zhi is the only remaining maid in the Lan family...

Lan Zhi deserves the greatest credit for recapturing the horse-breeding land of Dazhao—the Hetao region.

However, since she was a woman and the granddaughter of the Jia family, her contributions should not be too great.

But as soon as she returned to the capital, she coincidentally saved Madam Shen and Jia Zhen of the Ningguo Mansion and killed a lot of Japanese pirates, which can be considered a merit.

Several officials in the Ministry of War had considerable disagreement regarding her bestowal of honors.

All parties are waiting to see if she really intends to avenge her deceased family members.

If she even killed her own uncle and aunt... then they would have to think twice about many things.

"emperor!"

The elusive An Yi swung down from the main beam of the Imperial Study, excitedly announcing, "Lord Lan Zhi has avenged himself at the Jia family's hands."

what?
The emperor patted his chest, wanting to curse, but he also really wanted to know how Lan Zhi had taken her revenge. "Jia Zheng is dead?"

Jia Zheng is a useless hypocrite. To deal with such a person, you just need to put him on a pedestal.

Or she could learn from Madam Shen!
After investigating the Jia family, the emperor was speechless with disbelief at Jia Zheng.

Lan Zhi has plenty of ways to make people wish they were dead if she wanted revenge.

But if blood really comes...

That would be tantamount to making an enemy.

"No no."

Although he didn't see the first major event live, An Yi managed to hear the second part of it.

Now that the emperor is listening again, it's a third-hand account.

"Madam Shen is feeling better today, and Jia Zheng took the opportunity, while Lord Lan was with her, to go and apologize..."

He overheard it secretly from Aunt Zhao, Jia Zheng's concubine in the Rongguo Mansion.

Aunt Zhao's two children both participated, and Aunt Zhou, with whom she had a reasonably good relationship, also helped out.

Oh dear~~
That was truly a spectacular show.

The emperor was dumbfounded.

The heads of the two Jia families must have wanted Jia Zheng to leave home long ago, right?
"...Did Madam Shen have her several-month-old daughter sign and put her fingerprints on the document?"

"Hehe, there's definitely no way I can sign it."

An Yi smiled and said, "It was all thanks to Jia Yue's older brothers and sisters who helped. Including Jia Cong and Jia Huan later, because they were young, their older brothers and sisters helped them sign, and they only put their fingerprints on the paper."

"Oh~~~~~"

The emperor blinked.

That day, when he was dealing with Prince Jin at Shou Kang Palace, he deliberately dragged out the time, letting Dai Quan and several other eunuchs hold him down for a while longer.

Madam Shen made three clueless children sign and put their fingerprints on the document, probably just to torment Jia Zheng and Madam Wang a little longer.

"After Jia Zheng and Wang Shi were flogged, did they really move outside the city to farm?"

In this weather, I'd rather go out of town and be an ordinary citizen...

And given that he's inconvenienced, the Jia family might have to hold another feast in less than three days.

"No, they were just beaten, and they are genuine members of the Jia family. Now, the Jia family has stepped in to move them to temporary housing provided by the Jia family to help their impoverished members."

An Yi laughed as he spoke, "They said they'd keep them for three days, and during those three days, we should prepare all the thatched huts and land they need. I overheard those old men from the Jia family talking about water tanks, pots, hoes, and the like, so we should prepare those too."

He went out of his way to hear this.

Fortunately, the old men were also gossipy, and they kept saying that since they were all from the same Jia family lineage, in this weather, an ordinary farmhouse would have enough firewood to burn for a month.

"But Your Majesty, you don't know, the most powerful one is our Marquis of Xinping."

Cheng Luo?

What happened to Cheng Luo...?

Thinking of his nephew's marriage to Yuan Chun, the emperor hurriedly asked, "What happened to him?"

"The Marquis, fulfilling his duty as a son-in-law, carried Jia Zheng and his wife to their temporary dwelling with Jia Zhen and his brothers. He said that farming didn't yield much money, and since they couldn't help, he suggested that Jia Zheng borrow a few hundred coins from the Jia family to buy some red paper and write couplets for people. He said that with the New Year approaching, writing more auspicious words like 'good fortune' and 'abundant harvest' would at least earn some money to buy grain and salt."

emperor:"……"

Is his nephew too frugal?

How come they know everything?

Feeling a pang of sympathy for his nephew, he asked, "Did Jia Zheng agree?"

"I agree!"

An Yi said, "It is said that the money for hiring the doctor today was borrowed by Jia Zheng from the Jia family. It is interest-free for six months, but interest will be charged after six months."

emperor:"……"

He could tell that Jia Zhen was quite good at managing money.

"If Jia Zheng could really let go of everything and live a good life, that would be alright."

As the emperor spoke, Shen Ning was looking at the list of items prepared by the clan for Jia Zheng and Wang Shi.

The old men were quite funny; they even wanted to give him a cow.

Haha~
A cow costs at least fifteen taels of silver.

"This won't work!"

Lan Zhi didn't hesitate to take out her pen and draw.

Shen Ning did not object.

In Dream of the Red Chamber, Jia Zheng greatly admired Daoxiang Village, where Li Wan lived.

The layout and decorations there imitated a pastoral landscape, creating a sense of paradise.

Although Jia Zheng found it contrived, he also said that it stirred his desire to return to farming.

Now things are really going to get worse; he's really going to become a farmer.

Hmph~~~
Shen Ning recalled Daoxiang Village and seemed to remember there was a well there.

If you can't give me a cow, at least give me a well.

He was, after all, the second master of the Jia family, and with his buttocks injured, it was unrealistic to expect him and Wang Shi to fetch water.

Shen Ning took the pen from Lan Zhi's hand and wrote the character "井" (well).

"Give the well back?"

Lanzhi was reluctant.

In the women's army, when they received money, they often said they wanted to buy things for their families, but this well... wasn't cheap either.

Shen Ning patted her reassuringly, "You can't just leave them with no hope at all."

Her throat still hurt, so she spoke slowly and softly, “Lanzhi, you also need to show them your sincerity in giving them a way to survive. Only in this way will no one say anything about you in the future.”

"……oh!"

Lan Zhi doesn't care too much about what others think of her; she got to where she is today because of her own efforts.

But she couldn't ignore her aunt's opinion.

My aunt intervened several times, but failed to kill the two men...

Lanzhi thought that if her aunt hadn't already exposed those two people, it would have been completely impossible for her to seek revenge.

The Jia family might not even open their doors for her.

Even if she appealed to the Emperor, it would be useless without evidence. The Jia family might even use their connections in the military to get back at her.

"Then I'll give them ten catties of rice, ten catties of wheat flour, and fifty catties of coarse grains, so they can at least get through the New Year!"

"good!"

Shen Ning's lips twitched. "Actually, giving them cattle isn't a big deal, as long as you can specify that they are not allowed to sell them and that they have to raise them themselves."

Raising cattle is not an easy task.

The old ox needs to be pulled out to graze every day.

Other people can produce a lot of dung in one go, but could Jia Zheng and Wang Shi possibly produce cow dung?
Just imagining that scene made Shen Ning feel relaxed and happy.

"It's like raising cattle, you know, it's not that easy."

Lan Zhi: "..."

She began to understand what her aunt meant.

An old ox eats a lot, poops a lot, and urinates a lot.

But it is especially precious to farmers.

An ordinary farming family would certainly treat it well with good food and drink, relying on it to do heavy labor and harvest more grain. But Jia Zheng and Wang Shi...

“Alright, if the old lady sees this order and starts crying to me, I’ll add more cows.”

"Okay!" Shen Ning nodded. "Don't add any more food now, go do it at the old lady's place."

do as promised.

When Grandmother Jia saw this list, she did indeed cry.

Lanzhi seemed unable to bear it, so she added more food for the cow and other things for the New Year.

The old lady couldn't help but shed tears again as she watched her write each item one by one.

My granddaughter is soft-hearted.

If Er'er hadn't been so stupid, and Wang Shi hadn't been so wicked, their family... how wonderful that would have been!
"Good child, that's enough." The old lady beckoned to Yuanyang, "Go and take out the knife that the Duke used in the storeroom."

Lan Zhi's knife doesn't look bad either.

But it certainly can't compare to what the Duke used back then.

"In this family, you're the only one who's practiced martial arts."

She looked at Lanzhi with special affection, "Originally, that knife was also going to go with your maternal grandfather, but he couldn't bear to part with it, saying that if his descendants were to learn martial arts in the future, it would be passed down."

If it can't be passed down, then stay with her.

Anyway, when she dies, she and the Duke will still be buried together.

"...Thank you, Grandmother!"

The moment I held the knife, the feeling was different.

With a resounding clang, it was pulled out, and Lan Zhi was full of praise.

Although muskets now occupy half of the battlefield, they are not effective in close combat.

Lan Zhi has already worn out several large swords on the battlefield.

Although the new ones given by General Jiang were better, there was no guarantee that they would last.

just now……

"Is this knife made with meteorite iron?"

"Yes, yes, that meteorite was a special gift from the founding emperor."

Because of Jia Daishan, Grandmother Jia developed a fondness for this knife, and when she talked about it back then, she went on and on and on.

Lanzhi had never met her maternal grandfather. Although her mother had told her a lot about him, her mother had never told her about her grandfather's experiences on the battlefield.

Grandmother Jia knew all this!
The two of them talked enthusiastically and listened with great interest. When it got dark and they had to rest, they were still reluctant to stop, so they decided to rest together.

In the back street, Jia Zheng, who was already burdened with a debt of one or two taels of silver, lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) with Wang Shi, whom he hated dearly.

The twenty strokes seemed to have aggravated the old injury on his buttocks, and he cried out in pain.

It seemed that with each cry, the pain lessened a little.

Wang was also in pain.

But she was too lazy to call out.

Even shouting requires effort.

Having given birth to three children, she knew that screaming in pain was useless.

She fell asleep to Jia Zheng's groans of "ouch, ouch."

The next morning, Jia Zhen came over in person and explained everything that the clan was going to give them, including houses, land, cattle, and grain.

Wang listened intently.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that even a sewing box was provided.

Lady Wang never dared to rely entirely on Jia Zheng.

She had been locked up in the small Buddhist shrine for so long, and now that she had been released, although her buttocks were very sore, her heart... at least for the time being, was at ease.

Jia Zheng could earn copper coins by writing couplets and letters for others, so she also had to find a way to make money.

But she was quite ordinary when it came to needlework as a child.

Making food... although I've studied it, all I can do is give instructions.

The only thing she could do was probably herd cattle.

When the busy farming season arrives, the cattle will be rented out to others.

With grain at home, the cattle will be busy when spring arrives, and we can collect rent.

Yes, that’s right.

The couple ate the broken rice porridge and pickled vegetables provided by the clan in silence, applied medicine to each other in silence, and did not speak a word.

On the back street, many members of the Jia family were very curious about the Second Master and Second Madam, wondering if they could eat things that even the servants of the Duke's Mansion rarely ate.

They passed by the window and the door, intentionally or unintentionally.

Occasionally, there are those who are particularly shameless and insist on lifting the curtain to sit on the kang (heated brick bed) where they are lying and have a chat.

Needless to say, Jia Zheng and Lady Wang had very different feelings about this.

"Oh dear, why is it this greasy porridge?"

The old woman who was speaking couldn't help but smile when she saw the porridge they were drinking. "You're all injured, you should at least kill a chicken and make some soup!"

Jia Zheng: "..."

Wang: "..."

Neither of them paid any attention to her.

When they were the patriarch and patriarch, many relatives came to them for help, but they ignored them.

If it was truly impossible to refuse, then it was handed over to Jia Lian and Jia Zhen.

It's normal to be ridiculed now...

Having eaten many "bitter memories" meals at the ancestral hall, they felt that drinking this cornmeal porridge was alright.

But when chickens were mentioned, both of them were thinking about buying a few chicks.

Once they're grown up, you can eat their eggs, and they can also be killed and used to make soup during festivals.

Wang hadn't eaten meat in a long time, and now her eyes would light up at the mere mention of chicken.

Jia Zheng could tell at a glance, because his own eyes had once turned green.

……

At the Wang family residence, Prince Sheng lowered his eyes and listened to the servants say that Jia Zheng and Wang Shi would be leaving the city the next day to live a hard life, but he felt no emotion.

His concern was for Lanzhi.

This person is truly skilled.

To be able to drive one's own uncle and aunt to this state in the Jia family...

Prince Sheng wanted to grind his teeth.

He knew that the main reason they got the support was from the Shen family, and that Jia She was probably still holding a grudge from back then and had interfered in the matter.

hum~
“When Ren’er comes back, tell him to come over right away.”

Lan Zhi can't find her elder brother; what if she tries to take advantage of Ren'er...?

Wang Zisheng became increasingly uneasy. "No, you must go find him now and bring him back to me immediately."

His son was the only male heir in the Wang family.

His older brother is counting on his son.

The servant who had heard the news saw that he was only concerned about the master's safety, so he opened his mouth but then kept it closed.

Their aunt and uncle are going to be kicked out of the Jia family, and the second master is in such a state... he'll probably be laughed at too.

Hey~
He sighed and followed the others to find Wang Ren, unaware that Wang Ren was currently gambling away in a casino in the south of the city, sweating profusely.

……

In Ningguo Mansion, Jia Jing, whose body had been lying in state for seven days, finally made his way from the north city to the Iron Threshold Temple, the ancestral temple of the Jia family, early in the morning.

Because it was a violent death, and it was snowing heavily, according to custom, his coffin had to remain at the Iron Threshold Temple for at least seven months before he could be returned to his hometown for burial.

Although Shen Ning was still ill, she was Jia Jing's closest widow, so it was only natural that she should also accompany him on his final journey.

Along the long street, besides the four kings and eight dukes who frequently came and went, several princes of the royal family also had their chief stewards set up mourning tents for roadside worship.

Jia Zhen, Rong Ge'er, Jia She, and others went from house to house to express their gratitude. The procession, which set off at 3:45 AM, had not yet left the capital by 2:45 AM.

Shen Ning looked out of the car several times, her brows furrowing repeatedly.

When Qin Keqing died in Dream of the Red Chamber, her funeral was a grand affair.

That was the only time the Jia family showcased their connections.

But since then, the Jia family has declined rapidly, and now...

She sighed softly to herself.

Was the Jia family safe or did they decline after Jia Jing's death?
Look at the scene today...

Shen Ning hoped that she was safe.

Decline is also acceptable.

A peaceful and quiet decline is better than anything else.

At that moment, no one could have imagined that among the onlookers, the very person in question, Jia Jing, was witnessing his own funeral.

"Have you heard? Even the Emperor has sent his chief eunuch, Eunuch Liu, to offer sacrifices."

"Of course I've heard about it. Alas, Jia Jing died too young."

Many of the natives of Beijing have heard of him.

“I heard from my father that when he was young, he was one of the most talented men in the capital.”

Many officials, when scolding their own sons, would bring up Jia Jing to praise him.

“What’s so great about a talented scholar?” someone whispered. “Every three years, the capital produces a top scholar, a second-place scholar, and a third-place scholar, but they all have to start from a low-ranking official position. But Jia Jing is different. He passed the imperial examination but didn’t become an official, but he was in charge of the Beijing Garrison. Both the retired emperor and the former crown prince trusted him implicitly.”

"Ah~"

The key issue is that the crown prince is gone.

The retired emperor has turned against us.

"If nothing had gone wrong back then, the Jia family would definitely be even more prosperous than they are now."

How many of those roadside sacrifices by princes and officials were truly sincere?

Behind the scenes, who knows how many people are laughing.

"Sigh, let's not talk about this. I heard that Madam Shen is seriously ill and may soon follow her."

"Oh, you must have misheard. Madam Shen is already better."

"Yes, yes, that's her in the car in front."

Jia Jing couldn't help but glance over there a few more times.

Ah, I tried my best, but I didn't finish the extra chapter. I'll keep trying tomorrow.