The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 29 Eat Melon
In Ningguo Mansion, Lady You and Jia Rong were extremely cautious.

"Grandmother, tomorrow the teacher will test us on the 'Wei Zheng' chapter of the Analects. May I recite it for you?"

"Reciting?"

Shen Ning twirled the sandalwood prayer beads she had snatched from Jia Jing, a smile flashing in her eyes. "I'll memorize them later, I'm a little hungry now."

what?
Not to mention Lady You and Jia Rong, even Qingzhu and the other maids were overjoyed.

"The kitchen just made creamy pine nut rolls and jujube and yam cakes."

The housekeeper, Qingping, quickly brought out the dishes, saying, "Madam, please have something to eat first. The kitchen will serve the dishes soon."

Although a family banquet was held at the West Mansion, the master passed by his home without entering. Considering the recent events at home, the maids were always worried.

The preparations in the kitchen never stopped.

After all, the lady is pregnant and doesn't eat well in the West Mansion, so they still have to persuade her to eat more when she comes back.

It's better now.

If you want to eat and are willing to eat, then it's not a big deal.

"Come on, come on, everyone gets a share!"

Shen Ning knew that Madam You and Jia Rong hadn't eaten much.

She had eaten jujube and yam cake several times recently, so she skipped it and looked at the creamy pine nut and butter-filled rolls made with flour, pine nuts, and butter. The little rolls were fluffy and layered, and looked very appetizing.

She picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, taking a gentle bite and enjoying the crispy, fragrant taste.

Ahhh, I feel even better now.

"Try them all, they taste amazing."

Shen Ning took another piece, "I'll have the kitchen make more later, and send a plate to each of the old lady and ladies of the West Mansion."

During the meal, she saw Madam Wang lamenting the new outfit Jia Jingxin had acquired.

hum~
I'll make you so angry.

Shen Ning thought that after seeing the snacks she sent, Wang Shi probably wouldn't be able to eat much tomorrow.

"Yes!"

Madam You was pleased with the incense she had offered and quickly said, "If Madam likes it, I'll have Granny Chen make it every few days from now on."

"Hmm~"

Shen Ning nodded, "Her pastries are all very good. When we give out monthly allowances tomorrow, we'll give her an extra five hundred coins."

"Eh!"

Yu's response was particularly loud.

She felt that her mother-in-law had truly let go.

Of course, her father-in-law has probably let it go as well.

It's a bit of a pity, but also a bit of a relief.

Madam You didn't have time to think about why her father-in-law said he would let go so easily; she was only worried about her mother-in-law.

As long as the mother-in-law lets go and no longer feels hurt or saddened by that person's words and actions, anything is fine.

They ate snacks and had another meal there, unaware that back in Rongxi Hall, Madam Wang grew angrier the more she thought about it.

Why?
She, Shen Ning, is shameless, yet they're willing to cover for her?

After Wang summoned Zhou Rui's wife and whispered something to her, rumors soon spread from the Rongguo Mansion that Jia Jing had even had his Taoist robe stripped off.

At this time, the Jia family was still attracting attention from all sides because of the issue of repaying the debt.

Upon hearing this, those who acted quickly rushed to the west gate to wait for Jia Zhen to return.

If he really did bring several cartloads of goods, then... the rumors are most likely true.

Oops!

Is Jia Jing so afraid of his wife?
Many people wanted to laugh.

This one has always been the "other people's child"!

Many nobles and officials in the capital who were around his age lived in his shadow when they were young.

It's rare to see him make a fool of himself, so of course we should watch more of it.

Unfortunately, it's not as easy to find out about Ningguo Prefecture as it used to be.

Emperor Xiaomu was also very surprised when he received the message from the secret guards.

Is that Mrs. Shen really that brave?

He couldn't help but laugh. "Send someone to check on them, father and son, to see if they've really gone completely dry."

Jia Zhen probably didn't have the guts.

In any case, judging from the news I've received these past few days, Jia Zhen is terrified of his father.

I just don't know if Jia Jing... has truly seen through the illusions of the world.

"Yes! An Jiu has already caught up with the carriage. We should have news soon."

Emperor Xiaomu nodded, reviewing memorials while awaiting news. Time passed slowly, and Jia Zhen, pulling seven carriages, was unaware of how many people in the capital were eagerly anticipating his arrival.

"Quick, quick, the last two cars are full of people! My goodness, have they brought back all the servants?"

"Oh dear, does Jia Jing know how to wash socks?"

"Pfft! That's a good question. Tomorrow, let's go to the Taoist temple for a visit."

Hearing is believing, seeing is believing. I'll see it with my own eyes and then I can brag about it to everyone when I get back.

"Haha, it's a deal!"

Laughter filled the teahouse, but Jia Zhen, inside the carriage, could only sigh.

When his parents fight, he's the one who gets hurt.

Although he didn't really care about that little bit of money, he had a strange feeling that it wouldn't be so easy to get money from home in the future.

His father is shrewd, and his mother isn't stupid either!

No, he still needs to save some money on the side.

A man doesn't feel right if he doesn't have some secrets.

"uncle!"

Xing'er always felt that people were looking at their convoy strangely.

I jumped out of the car and asked around, and wow...

"Sir, something terrible has happened!"

"I'm perfectly fine, sir."

Jia Zhen was very annoyed.

"Master!" Xing'er cried, "Everyone outside knows that Madam stripped Master of his Taoist robe."

what?
Jia Zhen was stunned.

How can it be?

But when he thought of his second aunt, he couldn't help but clench his fists.

……

Around the same time, An Jiu, who had returned to the palace, was kneeling in the hall, recounting the grand occasion of the private gathering.

The villa was sealed off; all the important items had been taken out, and not a single servant was left behind.

Jia Jing's room in the Taoist temple was completely emptied.

From now on, it seems he really can only rely on himself.

Emperor Xiaomu, holding the tea, was momentarily at a loss as to what it should taste like.

Taoist priests are all poor.

It's rare for a wealthy idler like Jia Jing to seek refuge with us, so people naturally have to treat him with some respect.

Now it is like this...

The emperor was not giving up, "Didn't Jia Zhen leave even a single person behind to take care of his daily life?"

"I originally wanted to keep two, but Jia Jing coldly refused."

"Didn't Jia Zhen insist on trying?"

"..."

How is anyone supposed to answer that?
The guard lowered his head sharply. "He tried to kneel down and beg, but Jia Jing kicked him. He was so scared that he didn't dare to cry or kneel. He rolled away in a flash."

emperor:"……"

His eyes shone brightly. "What did the people in the Taoist temple say?"

"None of the Taoist priests in the temple dared to speak."

"Fine!"

The emperor, still not satisfied, wanted to suggest that someone be sent to the Taoist temple to keep an eye on things.

But considering that he was a poor emperor with only a few secret guards who had to do other important things, he had no choice but to give up. "If anything happens at Ningguo Mansion in the future, please take good care of them."

Alternatively, he could give Yuan Chun of the Rongguo Mansion a chance.

But just as he thought of this, the emperor frowned again.

Giving Yuan Chun a chance was easy, but behind Yuan Chun was Consort Zhen.

Behind Consort Zhen was not only her father, the Emperor, but also one of her brothers.

The events of that year happened so suddenly that my father couldn't believe anyone, which is why he was granted the throne.

But over the years, Father has clearly regretted it.

Emperor Xiaomu lowered his eyes slightly and waved to the guards, "While you're at it, check the movements of all sides and see who's jumping the most around."

(End of this chapter)