The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 32 Let her come back
Care about it?

Is she arguing with Wang?

Did she ever hold it against her?
Shen Ning was a little puzzled, but looking at the old lady's expression, she paused for a moment, "Auntie thinks Zhu'er is qualified to take the civil service exam?"

"nature!"

Grandmother Jia said firmly, "His father-in-law is Lord Li, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy. As long as our Jia family stays out of military affairs, how can Zhu'er not be allowed to become an official, since she passed the exam herself?"

The Jia family has repaid all their debts, and the retired emperor, out of consideration for their relationship, will not do anything to the Jia family now.

The Emperor, considering the hundreds of thousands of taels of silver involved, was even less likely to do anything to the Jia family.

Moreover, there are specific rules for civil officials to advance their careers. As long as the Jia family doesn't act too quickly and instead takes things slowly, they can help him get promoted.

With the Wang family and Yuan Chun around, if Bao Yu passes the imperial examination and becomes an official, their family will have nothing to worry about.

Grandmother Jia imagined all of this to be wonderful.

It is only natural that we should protect and safeguard the Wang family.

"Or do you not think highly of Zhu'er, so you're causing trouble at the school?"

“...I know Pearl is intelligent.”

Jia Jing also thought highly of Jia Zhu.

Li, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, also thought highly of Jia Zhu.

But all of this is predicated on the premise that Jia Zhu does not die halfway through.

In the original owner's memories, the older Jia Zhu got, the more silent she became.

The family had pinned all their hopes on him.

With his grandmother's earnest expectations at home, his father and mother's constant admonitions, and his father-in-law's ever-present spies at school, Shen Ning could imagine the immense pressure he was under.

“I also believe that with his abilities, he will definitely pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi, just like his uncle Jing.”

"Since you know this, why do you still go against the Wang family?"

Grandmother Jia also hoped to have everything discussed openly, saying, "You are the matriarch of the family, why bother arguing with a scoundrel like her?"

Even if Wang Shi forbids Zhou Rui's wife from spreading the word, the reputation of her as a shrew will slowly spread throughout the mansion.

After all, Jia Jing's Taoist robe had indeed been stripped off by her, and those cartloads of things had been in her warehouse for several days.

In this freezing weather, she doesn't care about her husband at all!

"Good boy, for the sake of this old woman, for the sake of the two brothers, Zhu'er, please spare her!"

Shen Ning: "..."

What did she do to Wang?

Wang was rumored to be a shrew, but she didn't say anything.

"What's wrong with my second sister-in-law? Why do I need to forgive her?"

Shen Ning asked in confusion, "Auntie, just tell me what I did to her!"

Anyway, she didn't do it, so don't try to pin it on her.

"..."

Grandmother Jia did not expect her to deny it.

She's an old woman, and she's already tried so hard to persuade him, but he still won't admit it. What's the point?

"Zhou Rui was imprisoned in Shuntian Prefecture. You didn't do it?"

The old lady's eyes were fixed on Shen Ning without blinking.

"Zhou Rui has been imprisoned in Shuntian Prefecture?"

Shen Ning was surprised and amused at the same time. "When was it closed?" Wang's right-hand men were Zhou Rui and his wife. One worked for her outside and the other worked for her at home. She was quite disappointed that she hadn't gotten rid of him when she cleaned up the servants in the mansion last time.

Unexpectedly!

If this couple, who have committed countless evil deeds under the guise of the Jia family, could truly be executed, the Jia family's future crises could be reduced by at least one-tenth.

"Good job closing it!"

Shen Ning became serious. "However, since he's locked up, Aunt shouldn't be asking me. You should go back and ask your second sister-in-law if Zhou Rui has any leverage over her. If so, you should get rid of it quickly, otherwise it will definitely affect your second brother and Zhu'er."

what?
Grandmother Jia's heart skipped a beat.

Since Zhou Rui was arrested, Wang has been unable to eat or sleep properly. Could it be...?

"Do you know anything?"

The old lady's expression also changed.

"I don't know the specifics, but I vaguely heard that Zhou Rui was lending money at exorbitant interest rates."

Jia Mu: "..."

She thought it was a big deal.

Many noble families are secretly lending money at exorbitant interest rates.

So far, who has been in trouble?

Even if something goes wrong, the servants wouldn't dare to implicate anyone. Zhou Rui and his wife are both smart people; they don't want to compound their crimes or implicate their family. Even if the truth comes out, they will take the blame themselves.

Wang fell ill, most likely because the money she had lent out was all in Zhou Rui's hands. If Zhou Rui fell ill, she wouldn't be able to get the money back.

Hey~
The old lady sighed, "I'll ask her about it when I get back."

With Wang Ziteng around, the old lady wasn't worried that Zhou Rui would dare to accuse the Wang family. "Old Master Wang once managed the maritime tribute goods. Back then, there was a rumor that 'the East Sea lacked a white jade bed, so the Dragon King came to invite the King of Jinling.' The Wang family wasn't exactly wealthy, but they weren't bad either. You must have misheard."

Shen Ning: "..."

She twitched her lips slightly, but didn't argue further.

Among the sisters-in-law, Wang's dowry was indeed the most generous.

However, the Wang family also owed the national treasury the most money.

The Wang family wants to take over everything the Jia family has in the military, but it won't work just because the Jia family makes a move.

Wang's greed is rare in the world.

In Dream of the Red Chamber, she used the Lin family's money to fill the huge hole in the Jia family, while also mistreating other people's daughters, simply because she had chosen the Xue family, known for their wealth, for Jia Baoyu.

Although Lin Daiyu's health is indeed poor, if you despise her, why use her family's money?
If Lin Ruhai hadn't died, Jia Baoyu, the second son of a fifth-rank official, would have had an incredible stroke of luck to marry Lin Ruhai's daughter.

"Let's go back to Zhou Rui's matter."

Grandmother Jia, undeterred by her stubbornness, persisted, and seeing her silence, she pressed on, "He really wasn't imprisoned in Shuntian Prefecture as revenge?"

The rumors spread so quickly because Zhou Rui sent people to do it.

"Why would I need to resort to such roundabout revenge against a mere lackey?"

Shen Ning said, "He was arrested in Shuntian Prefecture. It would be easy for Second Sister-in-law to get him out, wouldn't it?"

"...He did almost the same thing as the Lai family."

Grandmother Jia was beginning to believe that she hadn't done it. "She'er went to make a special trip and told them not to let him go."

She couldn't possibly sue her own son for being unfilial because of a servant!
Grandmother Jia said helplessly, "I know you all think I'm biased and favor the second son's family, but among all the children in the mansion, it seems that only Zhu'er is promising."

If they didn't want to arouse the emperor's suspicion, the Jia family couldn't take the path of martial arts.

“Yuan Chun is talented, beautiful, virtuous and famous. She is also in the palace. If she gets help from her family, she may well be able to advance further.”

She did it all for her children and grandchildren!

"Your second sister-in-law wants to make money, and it's for their sake too."

At this moment, the old lady completely forgot that she had just said the Wang family was extremely wealthy.

"Your brother She inherited the title, but what can he do besides hoarding money and indulging in concubines?"

Grandmother Jia never favored her eldest son. "If we don't support the children with a future in the family, are we supposed to support those who are hopeless?"

She looked at Shen Ning, "Ning'er, can you say that this old woman did something wrong?"

Shen Ning: "..."

She frowned and twirled the cup in her hand. "It's true that what you see here is correct, but, Aunt, you've placed all your hopes on Zhu'er. Have you considered how much pressure he'll be under? The greater the pressure in the imperial examinations, the harder it is to pass."

If this old lady could take good care of Jia Zhu and prevent him from dying from his illness, the Jia family's hopes would indeed be greater.

Especially in the western part of the province, there are quite a few girls.

They all need a responsible and capable older brother.

"I remember when he was little, he had a face like a dough ball, just like Baoyu. But look at him now! Tell me, how thin he's become?"

Jia Mu: "..."

Jia Zhu is indeed not in a good state now.

But what can you do if he doesn't strive for improvement?

The second wife relied entirely on him.

The eldest son, Lian'er, is also useless; we'll have to rely on him in the future.

The old lady sighed, "It was the same when Jing'er went to school."

"My husband has a good constitution."

Shen Ning retorted, "He also learned martial arts from the old Duke since he was a child, but Zhu'er is really just a weak scholar." She bluntly stated, "How many people collapse during the exam? My father had no means back then, but he would still ask a doctor to take care of his health six months before the exam."

"Then when Zhu'er comes back, I'll ask Physician Wang to treat his illness."

In this regard, Grandmother Jia listened to advice, saying, "Ning'er, you also care about your nephew. When Yuan Chun came here as a child, she didn't want to return to the mansion. You..."

"Let her come back!"

what?
Grandmother Jia never expected that she still had the idea of ​​bringing Yuan Chun back.

"The Emperor Emeritus is getting old and is now at odds with the Emperor. He knows very well that the Jia family sent Yuan-chun into the palace not for him. So do you think he would like Yuan-chun in the palace?"

Shen Ning looked directly at the old lady and said, "Although Consort Zhen is an old relative, she has a son and would not like Yuan Chun in the palace."

That child was also pampered and spoiled by you. With the Emperor Emeritus and Consort Zhen disliking her, and even the Emperor harboring resentment towards her, have you ever considered how difficult her life must have been?

Is it possible for us to ease her situation by giving her money?
"The more silver we give them, the angrier those three inside will become."

(End of this chapter)