The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 263 Disappointment
A fast horse entered the capital from the south gate and galloped towards the imperial city.

Jia Zheng and Wang Shi, who made a living by copying books at home, wore thick cotton-padded clothes and rarely went to the capital.

Yesterday, a villager came to town and said that the eldest sister-in-law of Ningguo Mansion was dying, and the couple tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep well.

They certainly made mistakes back then, but is the Duke's mansion a place that just anyone can break into?
So what if Lan Zhi becomes the deputy lieutenant of the women's army?

As a mere seventh-rank official, if the Duke's mansion doesn't open its doors to her and doesn't recognize her, she's nothing.

Last year's great battle with the Tatars—without the Jia family repeatedly sending medicine there, and without Jia Lian from the Arsenal providing Ningxia with conveniences, let alone a promotion, it's questionable whether she would even survive.

Wang's repeated nagging made Jia Zheng, who had already resigned himself to his fate, feel very uncomfortable.

Especially a few days ago, a bald-headed monk came to our house asking for water, saying that we were born with a life of wealth and nobility, and that we had a daughter who was destined for great wealth. How come everything has changed now?
He was acting erratically and speaking incoherently. Jia Zheng originally intended to give him some water and then send him away, but Wang Shi actually entertained him and gave him a white steamed bun. When asked how he could have such a noble daughter, she replied that his daughter was destined to be in the palace, serving the emperor and enjoying a grand visit home.

Wang was stunned.

He was also stunned.

When they came to their senses, the monk had vanished again.

These past few days, Wang has been acting strangely, insisting that their family's destiny of wealth and honor has been transferred to the East Mansion by their sister-in-law using sorcery.

She is kind to the children because she feels guilty.

Otherwise, how could the East Mansion, which was originally dependent on them, suddenly rise up?

Jia Zheng wanted to refute.

The son does not talk strangely and forcefully.

But sometimes, he just can't convince himself!

He wanted to say that it was a good thing for his sister-in-law to set up a school, as the Jia family's school was said to be very good nowadays.

Confiscating the Lai family's property is the right thing to do; the whole family are rats, they even stole his father's burial goods.

Returning the silver to the treasury... is only right.

Despite having read many books, he couldn't find fault with his sister-in-law.

But even in the dead of night, I can't help but sigh.

He wondered if there really was some kind of evil magic that could borrow life and fortune; otherwise, how could he, the son of a duke, have ended up like this?

He's not a spoiled brat!

He loved reading. Although he couldn't compare to his elder brother in the East Mansion, everyone praised him when he was young.

Is it wrong for him to be honest? Is it his fault that he was deceived?

Jia Zheng did not understand.

Wang kept saying she wanted to find that bald-headed monk, so he went to look for him too.

Although I haven't found it, my heart is still aching...

Jia Zheng and Wang Shi both understood that if they rashly went to the capital now and asked their sister-in-law to lend them her life and luck, not only would no one believe them, but they might even be secretly harmed by certain people.

But yesterday, the villagers went to the capital to sell their mountain products and said that everyone in the capital was saying that the Ningguo Mansion was going to be put up for sale again, so the two of them couldn't resist going to the capital to see for themselves.

If Heaven has eyes and my sister-in-law really doesn't make it, then... Jia Zhen is useless, Rong-ge'er is still young, the East Mansion will still have to rely on the West Mansion, and the West Mansion is ruled by his mother.

Jia Zheng felt that if he went home and cried more, maybe he could still get back into that house?

Although her daughter can no longer enter the palace, she is still the Lady of the Marquis!

And then there's Zhu'er. Once he passes the imperial examination and becomes an official, we can find some of the old members of the Jia family in the army, and keep Lanzhi in check. They might be able to be sent out with him to a place where no outsiders know them, and return to their wealthy lives.

This wealth and status were originally theirs.

They were given to them by God at the time of their reincarnation, and the Shen family should not treat them like this.

"I can't take it anymore, let's go get a bowl of mutton noodles!"

Wang got up early in the morning and shared a bowl of porridge and an egg pancake with Jia Zheng.

It took about an hour to walk here.

I was starving.

Although she had gradually gotten used to the fact that she was hungry, she didn't want to endure it anymore. She was about to return to her life of luxury!
"While you're at it, ask around and see if that wicked woman is dead or not."

Jia Zheng: "..."

Without saying a word, he led her to the noodle shop in front.

His sons suggested that he copy books or sell the rare books in the Mo family.

Jia Zheng gave it a try, memorized a book he used to read often, and earned more than ten taels of silver, which he used to pay off his family's debts.

But because of the book of Manas, I missed the opportunity to present it to my cousin on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.

Because of this, the old lady even had Lin Zhixiao come to her house and scold him.

now……

Jing's cousin's coffin returned to the Iron Threshold Temple.

Huh~
If you can't deliver it the first time, and you have to deliver it a second time, then two people will have to go together, right?

With this hope in mind, he listened attentively as Wang inquired about the Ningguo Mansion.

At this moment, he was unaware that his mother, because of Shen Ning's serious illness, had actually fallen ill herself due to fear.

Shen Ning was just getting a little better when the old lady, not believing in the physician's skills, called for the imperial physician.

"This is... a prescription for calming the nerves and relieving anxiety?"

Although Jia She was a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, this calming and tranquilizing prescription was the one the family physician was giving his mother.

My father often drank this medicine when he was old.

But that was because he had been fighting on the front lines for many years, and he suffered from various ailments. Later, due to the matter concerning the Crown Prince and his elder brother, he became restless, suffered from insomnia, nightmares, and severe heart palpitations.

At that time, a good night's sleep had become a luxury for him, so he often used this kind of remedy.

But the old lady...

"Yes!"

Doctor Wang gave a professional smile. "The old lady is not seriously ill. It's just that she may have been thinking too much these days, and her restless sleep has caused her heart palpitations."

"I see... Thank you for your help."

Jia She gave Lin Zhixiao a wink, signaling him to give the Imperial Physician Wang a larger red envelope.

After watching them walk away, he casually handed the prescription to the servant, saying, "Go and get the medicine."

At this point, he finally realized why his mother had insisted that he find monks and Taoist priests to perform rituals.

The old lady was frightened by her sister-in-law's sudden serious illness; perhaps she was trying to ward off bad luck?
Even if the eldest brother really becomes a demon, he would never lay a hand on his sister-in-law.

Jia She, who had visited his brother at the Taoist temple several times afterward, understood his brother's forbearance and hardships.

He left, and in the end, he pretended to be a Taoist priest, because he wanted the two above him to be at ease, and because he wanted his family to be safe.

Even if it means death...

He, like the Crown Prince, also schemed!

Jia She was deeply distressed.

Fortunately, Zhen'er was desperate and would try anything, so she immediately agreed as soon as he mentioned it, otherwise...

Jia She gritted his teeth, too lazy to even go back and see the old lady's sickly appearance. He flicked his sleeve and left.

Grandmother Jia was quite worried that she had contracted a serious illness.

Although the East Mansion said that Madam Shen was feeling better this morning, her heart palpitations still became a thorn in her side.

Doctors usually don't tell patients that they have a serious illness or what they need to do.

The old lady waited for her eldest son to come in so she could get information out of him.

But to my surprise, the first one didn't come, and the second one still hadn't shown up.

"Yuanyang, go see where your master is now?"

Grandmother Jia was so weak and listless that she didn't even bother to look at Xing Shi, who had been staying with her all along.

This is useless. Anyone with a bit of sense would go to She'er on their own. Why would she need to give instructions?
"Yes!"

Yuanyang glanced at Madam Xing, then hurried out.

When she returned a short while later, her expression was slightly strange.

"Where's the master?"

After being glared at several times by her mother-in-law, Xing finally snapped out of it.

"The master has gone back."

Yuanyang tucked the blanket around the old lady, saying, "He said he still has many woodblocks to finish." She forced a smile, adding, "Grandma, you're alright, otherwise Master wouldn't be able to keep up with his woodblock work." Grandmother Jia: "..."

I'm very angry, but... it seems I'm also quite right.

My son is stupid, but he's filial.

Thinking that her son had been running back and forth these past few days, and that things had only just gotten a little better for Madam Shen, when she heard that the family physician might not be doing well, she immediately made arrangements to invite the imperial physician, and even invited the familiar Physician Wang. Suddenly, Grandmother Jia felt much better.

She must not be seriously ill, otherwise her son would have just turned and left.

"Is it difficult for She'er to carve the woodblocks? I see he has injuries on his hands."

Grandmother Jia then looked at Xing with a reproachful gaze.

"That injury wasn't caused while making woodblock prints."

Xing could only say, "It's from the fights these past few days."

When the master first started carving, he often got injured, but now the carving blocks are made of wood, which is much easier to work with than stone. Moreover, Yingchun made him a lot of finger cots, so it's impossible for him to get injured now.

"...Then you should keep an eye on him too, he's not young anymore."

Grandmother Jia was momentarily speechless. After rebuking her again, fearing that this stupid woman who couldn't speak properly would continue to berate her, she quickly changed the subject, "By the way, you were there when Yue'er was granted the title of County Princess. Did Shen Shi become better after that?"

"It seems so."

Xing received a signal from Yuanyang and hurriedly nodded, "My sister-in-law was in a very bad state at the time, otherwise we wouldn't all be there."

They were terrified when they heard the children being told to come over.

So it's all in the past now.

However, their sister-in-law was barely breathing at the time, so they didn't dare go in and let her exhaust herself.

Like Jia She, Xing was afraid that the family would lose its eldest sister-in-law.

Of the three sisters-in-law, she only respected her eldest sister-in-law.

Her sister-in-law never schemed against her, nor did she ever look down on her.

Whatever was obtained from the palace and sent to this household, she would always receive a share.

Compared to the Wang family, they were worlds apart.

My sister-in-law wasn't well yesterday, and she was so worried. She even prayed to God to give her a little of Wang's lifespan.

Fortunately, God had eyes.

Even the Emperor and Empress bestowed the title of County Princess upon Yue'er overnight, as a way to bring good fortune to her sister-in-law.

It would be better to discuss this with the Emperor and Empress.

"Yes, the Shen family is blessed, and Yue'er is blessed too."

The old lady's gaze softened for once when she looked at her eldest daughter-in-law. "By the way, didn't you say Yue'er had a fever back then? Is she better today?"

"OK OK."

Madam Xing laughed, "Zhen'er and Rong'er are just making a fuss. We already talked to them about it yesterday."

She rarely had the power to act as an aunt, so she gave them a good talking-to.

Even with Madam You standing nearby, she listened attentively.

"That's good!"

Grandmother Jia felt that she was feeling much better, so she closed her eyes and said, "I didn't sleep well all night, and I'm sure you all didn't either. Go and get some rest!"

"Eh~"

It's rare for her mother-in-law to be so considerate, how could Xing Shi not respond?

"Then you should rest well for a while, I will come to see you again in the evening."

She also has to come over to serve dinner in the evening.

Xing used to envy the old lady, thinking that she was old and wanted her daughter-in-law to take care of her like that.

It was a good opportunity for her to vent her anger at being bullied by Wang.

But now...

She felt that she should learn from the eldest sister-in-law of the East Mansion.

Although his wife also has the surname Wang, she is now treated extremely well, both to him and to Yingchun.

Feng'er stayed overnight at the mansion yesterday, but she's not here now. It's because Yue'er was granted the title of county princess and her sister-in-law recovered. The clan elders called her over to discuss how, despite the mourning period, this was such a joyous occasion, and they insisted on holding a small banquet at their own home to celebrate with their family and ward off the bad luck brought by the Jurchens.

"I don't need you to come tonight."

The old lady didn't want to see her for the time being.

This daughter-in-law is not good at speaking; just looking at her makes me lose my appetite.

"Go to the East Mansion and see Feng'er and the others. Your sister-in-law is sick, and You Shi is pregnant. Although it is the mourning period, it is a great joy for Yue'er to be named a county princess. Even if it is just a family celebration, we should still make it look good."

"Yes, wife, I'll listen to you."

Xing now loves to go to the East Mansion.

So he left with a big smile on his face.

At this moment, Jia Zheng and Wang Shi, having finished a bowl of mutton noodles, had lost the enthusiasm they had when they arrived.

The Emperor actually bestowed the title of County Princess upon that brat Jia Yue overnight?

hum~
Is this to ward off bad luck for Shen Shi, in case she doesn't make it through the difficult times?
Since they hadn't heard any white banners hanging at Ningguo Mansion, Jia Zheng and Lady Wang suspected that the attack had been successful.

Their second branch doesn't even have an official position now. How can they compete with Shen, who is favored by the Emperor and Empress?

Wang felt like vomiting blood.

Why does the Emperor and Empress treat Lady Shen differently?

Isn't it just returning silver to the treasury?
Didn't they return it to the West Mansion back then?

Why should all the credit be given to that vixen Shen now?

Wang now only feels that she is a witch.

No, she still has to go find that bald-headed monk.

Since he could calculate her family's situation, he must have a way to transfer some money back to them.

"Master, are we still going over there?"

Wang didn't want to go.

She was kicked out of that house, and they wouldn't invite her to ancestral worship banquets or anything like that. If she went back and people saw her, she didn't know how much they would laugh at her.

“…I’m not going.”

Jia Zheng sighed inwardly, "Let's go to the grain shop and buy some rice, then we'll head back!"

Neither he nor Wang knew how to plant crops in the spring, so they would definitely need to hire someone.

If you hire someone to do work, shouldn't you at least provide them with a meal?
There isn't much food left in the house.

What Jia Zheng least wants right now is to go hungry.

Without the delicacies of the past, and even simple meals, what's the point of living?
"I missed the village's oxcart this morning, but I'd better catch it now."

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to carry the rice.

The two arrived with hope, only to leave disappointed.

……

In the Imperial Study, after the court session, the emperor was laboriously reviewing memorials from various regions.

"Your Majesty~"

Liu An rushed in, his tone full of joy, which made the emperor suddenly look up. "What is it?"

"Great news! The second ship carrying four million taels of silver has arrived."

what?
The emperor was overjoyed. "Was it the gyrfalcon that helped yesterday?"

"Yes!"

Liu An laughed, "Our people detected that the gyrfalcon was taking a different route to the sea than before."

Those people were afraid that if Madam Shen passed away, they wouldn't be able to benefit either, so they hurriedly transferred the silver.

otherwise……

It will definitely take some time to work out.

Requesting guaranteed monthly votes