The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 41 Home

"Mrs!"

Jiao Da was extremely respectful in his manners.

Upon seeing Shen Ning, he immediately bowed, "Did you call me?"

"sit!"

Shen Ning watched the old man settle down before saying, "We're all family, so I won't stand on ceremony. Now that the master has become a monk, everything in the manor is in Zhen'er's hands. The guards should take good care of him when he travels there."

"……Yes!"

Jiao Da asked hesitantly, "Do you mean we should continue with the previous rotation system?"

The guards not only had the responsibility of protecting the safety of Ningguo Mansion, but also used to have people on duty to stand guard by the side of the old master and the young master.

When the master was young, he had guarded him for a long time.

Once the manor decides to pursue a literary career instead of martial arts, the guards will only have the responsibility of protecting the safety of the Ningguo Mansion.

The master didn't want them to accompany him, and Grandpa Zhen followed suit.

in case……

A hint of anticipation flickered in Jiao Da's eyes.

Madam entrusted Rong-ge'er to him and forced the Jia family children in the school to learn an extra martial arts lesson every day. Was she trying to revive the martial arts of her ancestors?
"Not bad!"

Shen Ning, unaware of the old man's thoughts, nodded and said, "I've heard the master say that when he was young, two people took turns guarding him every day, while the old master had four. Now that the manor has paid off the national treasury's debt, I wonder how many people are dissatisfied. My idea is that Rong-ge'er's guards should remain the same, since the school isn't far from home, and Ningrong Street, whether it's the front or back street, is Jia family territory, so there shouldn't be any trouble. But Zhen-er's guards need to be strengthened."

"……Yes!"

Although it was a little different from what I had imagined, if my wife was so worried about my husband's safety, then something must have happened.

Jiao Da solemnly agreed, "Then, sir, this old servant will send two groups of people, one openly and one secretly, four people openly and four people secretly."

The household was struggling to produce an heir, and the servants were all very uneasy.

Now that the master is no longer in charge and Rong-ge'er is still young, Master Zhen really can't afford to have any problems. "The carriages and horses used for travel must be checked every day."

"to make!"

Shen Ning was satisfied with the old man's response. "Tell everyone that from now on, I will give each person an extra tael of silver every month."

"On behalf of my brothers, I thank you for your generous gift, Madam!"

The guards had not received such an award for many years.

But in the past month or so, he has received several awards.

In the manor, each person receives two taels of silver per month. In the school, each person only takes turns serving once a month, but receives three hundred coins. They also received forty taels for helping with two raids on property. Now, they have an additional fixed one tael... Oh my, this was something I never dared to dream of before!

When Jiao Da returned, his steps were swift and powerful.

Last year, they were filled with anxiety, not only fearing disbandment but also that the government would no longer arrange their future.

Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, colleagues who had reached the age limit have all found success, just like before, while those who hadn't reached the age limit have also found opportunities to use their talents.

This truly makes their hard work and daily training in addition to their patrols worthwhile.

Although the workload increased significantly, the pay was also substantial.

When I leave the mansion in the future, this will all be part of my family's wealth.

Therefore, before Jia Zhen knew it, his usual carriage and horses were thoroughly inspected by Jiao Da, a group of guards, Jia Rong, and Jia Yun.

Jiao Da was able to carry his former master home from a pile of corpses, which shows that he has been transformed into a man of many talents by the passage of time.

"...Look everyone, this is the 'sheep-catching flower'."

Jiao Da took out a book from his treasure chest and took out the azalea he had been carrying. "This plant is also known as the sheep-does-not-eat grass or the yellow azalea. My great-grandfather had a beloved horse that was fed this plant by someone, which caused it to go mad."

The incident back then caused quite a stir.

Jiao Da specially processed it into dried flowers and leaves to teach wave after wave of guards.

Of course, he hasn't taught this batch yet for some reason.

"Pay close attention when you inspect the thatch and feed in the future."

"Yes!"

When everyone agreed in unison, they also took the "Woofy Flower" and examined it one by one.

Jia Rong and Jia Yun couldn't help but look at it for a while longer before reluctantly returning it to him.

"Any negligence on the battlefield could cost the lives of the entire team."

Because of Jia Rong and Jia Yun, Jiao Da was willing to share all his knowledge. He talked on and on, while Qing Ping had already found out everything about the West Mansion.

Shen Ning listened to her report slowly, and eventually, like Jia Zhu, she focused her attention on Wang Ziteng.

In Dream of the Red Chamber, this person was indeed a pillar of the four great families.

Although they did not appear directly, the reason why Wang Shi and Wang Xifeng were able to wield such power in the Jia family was because of Wang Ziteng.

She was very close to the Jia family; it seems that Wang Shi even took Jia Tanchun to visit relatives. Therefore, after assisting in the management of the Grand View Garden, when Zhao Guoji, the brother of Aunt Zhao, died and asked Jia Tanchun for more funeral expenses, Jia Tanchun cried and denied it, saying that her uncle had just been promoted to Inspector General of Nine Provinces at the end of the year. It can be said that Wang Ziteng was constantly on the path of promotion; when he died, he was still being transferred to the capital to be promoted to Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet.

His promotion was due not only to the fact that the person above deliberately let him off the hook to mislead the retired emperor and the others, but also to his undeniable personal abilities.

Wang asked him for help. He wanted to protect his interests in the army and his sister and niece's interests in the Jia family. The first thing he needed to get rid of was her, this unpredictable person.

But after the Jia family's servants were purged several times, and she had hired two midwives early on, it was extremely difficult for them to take action against her from within the inner quarters.

Wang was not confident, so Wang Ziteng wanted to break the deadlock by getting help from his eldest son.

The siblings must have already figured out the benefits of breaking this deadlock.

Shen Ning touched her stomach. "Did Uncle Wang send people back all the valuables that Zhou Rui had hidden?"

"Yes!"

Qingping nodded. She had heard that this was the case. "Although many things are gone and the Second Madam is saddened by Zhou Rui's situation, at least most of them have returned. I heard that the Second Madam even gave Zhou Rui's two children one hundred taels of silver each to settle down."

so generous?

With Zhou Rui and his wife gone, Wang Shi lost almost half of the power in the Rongguo Mansion.

Their deaths were natural, but they still gave each of their children one hundred taels of silver...

Does that mean Zhou Rui and his wife gave them everything they were entitled to?

Shen Ning slowly turned around in the room. "Go, invite the master!"

It's time to warn this simpleton a bit.

She couldn't do everything for him anymore.

Jia Zhen arrived quickly. Today, he checked the accounts and found that the income from the clan lands had decreased significantly in the year his father became a monk and he inherited the title.

The report at the time stated that it was a drought.

Then every year was different; there was disaster every year, with several villages taking turns to suffer.

Jia Zhen was furious.

Why were things fine when it was Grandpa and Father's time, but this happened to him?
They're just looking down on him!
"Mother!"

Before entering Shen Ning's courtyard, Jia Zhen rubbed his face vigorously to suppress his anger, so as not to affect his mother's mood. "Did you call me?"

"Hmm~" Shen Ning nodded, "Sit down!"

After the maidservants served the tea, she raised her hand, signaling them to leave, and asked with concern, "Is the investigation into the clan's lands going poorly?"

"Fortunately!"

Jia Zhen didn't want his second uncle to get the reputation of being a blind man who couldn't judge people, and he didn't want to get it too. "Although there were fewer natural disasters than in previous years, there have indeed been more natural disasters in recent years."

"..."

Shen Ning could tell at a glance that her eldest son was being stubborn and refusing to admit defeat. "Zhou Rui manages the rent for the West Mansion in spring and autumn. I heard that he also suffers a lot of disasters, but no matter how many disasters he suffers, he has still managed to build up a large estate for himself."

Jia Zhen: "..."

He tried to wipe his sweat, but his father was not easily fooled, and neither was his mother!
Aren't you going to look into it?

Shen Ning asked again.

She wanted to know if he had any plans to leave the manor.

"...Actually, there's no need to investigate too thoroughly!"

Jia Zhen said, "The estate that Zhou Rui amassed now belongs to the West Mansion."

Those lackeys, wanting to amass more wealth, will pay even more attention to the land.

"Since you've gained weight, let them save if they want!"

Although Jia Zhen was furious with those servants, he would never admit it to his mother. "Once they've saved it all up, I'll snatch it back and give it all to my little sister. I'll put it on her dowry list and treat it as if I, her older brother, saved it for her."

Shen Ning: "..."

She didn't know whether to be angry or amused. "So you're not planning to go out at all before I give birth?"

Jia Zhen nodded hurriedly, "Rong-ge'er is still young. With my son at home, you can rest assured, and so can my son."

No matter what happens, a few months won't make a difference.

When Manager Chen came to check on his mother's health last time, he also told him that his mother was old and could not withstand any stimulation, and was also very likely to have a premature birth.

Under such circumstances, how could he dare to wander around?

When he went to check his father's private property, he would run there and run back, without speaking to anyone.

After all, if you strike up a conversation now, you're likely to be laughed at.

The Jia family has produced several corrupt officials. Uncle Zheng is said to have poor judgment in judging people. As the head of the Jia family, he is also easily implicated.

(End of this chapter)