The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 79 Regret
On the eighth day of the fifth lunar month, Ningrong Street once again became a gathering place for the powerful and wealthy.

Upon hearing that even if the four kings and eight dukes did not personally attend, they would still show their respects, Emperor Xiaomu snorted.

Of the four kings from the east, west, south, and north, only the kings of Dongping and Xining were involved in the case of their elder brother, the crown prince, and had to relinquish their military power and bide their time. The kings of Beijing and Nan'an were both kings with real power.

The brotherhood between Emperor Taizu and their ancestors was genuine, but it's also true that they've become too powerful to control.

The Prince of Nan'an is stationed in the southern border region and holds great power. The reason he was placed there was to ensure peace and tranquility in the south. However, while there are no major battles there, there are constant minor conflicts.

Emperor Mu even suspected him of harboring bandits.

And Prince Bei Jing...

Emperor Xiaomu was very agitated.

The old Prince of Beijing died of illness in the northern frontier. His father had always been lenient with Shui Rong, who was young and had royal blood. As an emperor in name only, he probably didn't have as much face as his older brothers in Shui Rong's eyes.

He still has a long way to go!
"Your Majesty, we have just received news that Consort Zhen has sent Eunuch Dai to bestow upon you a longevity lock and other items."

Liu Gonggong was very uneasy. His emperor had finally managed to partially take over the Jia family, and now Consort Zhen was going to use Dai Quan, the eunuch by the Emperor Emeritus's side, to snatch them away.

It's hateful that they can't do anything yet.

"Hmm~" Emperor Xiaomu knew what Consort Zhen was like, so he wasn't surprised at all. "The Consort bestowed a longevity lock, what did the Empress bestow?"

"this?"

Liu Gonggong was stumped by the question. "This servant will go and ask right away."

The Empress must help the Emperor win over these people.

"No need."

Emperor Xiaomu waved his hand, "I trust the Empress."

The couple already had very little to allocate to each other.

That same day, at his father's place, he was able to bestow lavish rewards upon the Shen family in his father's name; now…

The emperor knew that the empress had nothing to offer as a gift.

At most, it's just a gold necklace and a gold bracelet.

This was given to me through gritted teeth.

Damn it, I still don't have any money!
With the imperial treasury in the hands of their father, the couple, the second most honored in the land, were penniless.

"Come here and give me a head massage."

Emperor Xiaomu was very troubled.

When he was a prince, he was poor and worried about money.

Since he had no money to tip the eunuchs, his food was colder and harder than everyone else's.

Even though they were not well-liked by others after getting married, they managed to make a living behind closed doors, despite still worrying about money.

It's pitiful that after being emperor for several years, he was even poorer than before, and even his wife's dowry had been emptied.

"emperor!"

Eunuch Liu felt sorry for him and hurriedly came over to gently massage his hands. "That day, both the Ningguo Mansion and Jia She gave me red envelopes. Those red envelopes were very large, I..."

"How big?"

"The red envelope from Ningguo Mansion contained two hundred taels of silver notes and a Hetian jade pendant. Jia She also slipped me ten gold leaves, which adds up to two hundred taels."

It's pitiful. He went out to deliver many imperial edicts for the emperor, and he received many rewards, but the red envelopes those people gave him were at most fifty taels of silver.

The red envelope from Ningguo Mansion was the largest red envelope he had ever received in his life.

"Hmm~, keep it!"

The emperor's headache lessened slightly. "You also need silver."

In this palace, he wasn't the most powerful, but Eunuch Liu was naturally one of them.

"Your greatest achievement is to take good care of the palace for me."

There's no money in the palace, so even the emperor is powerless.

"By the way, how is Jia Yuanchun doing lately? Has she asked you anything?"

"without!"

Eunuch Liu shook his head, "However, after you rewarded Madam Shen to the Emperor Emeritus that day, the palace servants around Consort Zhen revealed Madam Shen's situation to her."

She didn't need to ask at all.

"..."

The emperor remained silent.

His headache was still coming on and off; he needed to get rid of all these worries.

Even a living person can't die from holding in their pee, let alone an emperor...

"emperor!"

Urgent footsteps sounded outside. "Lord Lin, the Salt Commissioner of Yangzhou, has arrived with an urgent memorial delivered over 600 li."

what?
Emperor Xiaomu was startled, "Quickly present it!"

Once he had the report in his hand, he read it quickly, skimming through it.

I finished watching it in no time, and then watched it again from the beginning.

No, let's look at it again...

The more the emperor looked at it, the less his headache subsided.

In the end, it simply disappeared.

Oops~
bang~
He slammed his fist on the jade table. "Let's go see the Emperor Emeritus."

Lin Ruhai has always been a cautious person.

Even if there are some deviations in what he has experimented with, they certainly won't be too far off.

Emperor Xiaomu hurried off to flatter his father for his discerning eye for talent.

……

At Ningguo Mansion, Jia Yue's full moon celebration reached its climax with the rewards from Consort Zhen and the Empress.

Everyone was praising their daughter, making her cry loudly, before Shen Ning finally found a chance to take the child back to her own yard.

She was exhausted.

The original owner of this body was once a member of the noble ladies, always seated at the head of the table wherever she went, but after Jia Jing resigned from his official post, her status became awkward.

After the couple sought refuge in a Taoist temple, they never contacted anyone they had once been close to again, not even a single scrap of paper.

now……

"Go and give 166 taels of silver to Yun-ge'er. Tell him to go to the pastry shop and buy more candies and cakes for the orphanage so that the children and elderly there can have some sweets."

While coaxing her daughter, Shen Ning instructed Qingping, "Tell him to take care of all four orphanages in the east, west, south, and north."

"Yes!"

Qingping hurried off to look for the person.

Shen Ning held her daughter, whose crying had subsided, and asked, "Is Yueyue also unhappy with those people's faces?"

People with unclear minds will only say that their family has gained divine favor again.

But in reality, anyone with a brain would definitely avoid their family after seeing the rewards from Consort Zhen and the Empress.

The power struggles within the royal court have always been a battle between two opposing forces, one in the heavens and the other on the earth.

It's infuriating that even though the outcome is already decided, there are still those who refuse to give up and insist on dragging others down to hell with them.

"Mother isn't happy either!"

She hugged her daughter and kissed her tenderly, saying, "Don't worry, Mom won't let anyone bully us."

When people get old, they shouldn't be pointing fingers and giving orders.

Especially the royal family.

Emperor Wu of Han was quite something, wasn't he? He got old and killed his crown prince.

He was worried about his youngest son until his death.

Emperor Taizong of Tang was shrewd; he deposed one emperor after another.

When Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was young, he brought the Tang Dynasty to its highest point. But what did he do when he got old?
The current retired emperor...

Shen Ning only hoped that the current emperor could be more powerful, even more powerful.

"Sweetie, let's go find the wet nurse for a drink of milk, then take a nap. Everything will be fine tomorrow."

She also has to socialize with people outside the office.

After handing her daughter over to the wet nurse, she washed her face, reapplied her makeup, and then smiled as she headed towards the Huifang Garden to watch the opera.

At this time, Xing, Wang, You, Wang Xifeng, and Li Wan were all helping her entertain the guests.

Even the old lady had a very pleasant conversation with the Princess of Nan'an.

Shen Ning rubbed her face, put on her signature smile, and blended back in.

Not far away, Wang was also entertaining her sister-in-law from her maternal family and some officials' wives from the Beijing garrison.

Of course, it was mainly her sister-in-law and the officials' wives who were talking intimately.

With her brother injured and at home, her sister-in-law should be helping him win over these people.

During her busy schedule, Lady Wang would steal a few moments to glance at the offering table bestowed by the imperial family.

Is Jia Yue, such a small child, capable of such great wealth?
She was crying so hard just now, was it because of something?

"I think you've had a good postpartum period."

Not far away, the Princess Consort of Nan'an looked Shen Ning up and down again, "She still looks like a young wife."

"The Empress Dowager praised it."

Shen Ning smiled, "Dowager Consort wants to know who helped me take such good care of myself?" "Haha," Dowager Consort Nan'an laughed, "Since you know, why don't you tell me quickly."

"We must thank Her Majesty the Empress for sending the female physician."

They have real abilities.

Shen Ning seemed oblivious to the ears that were perked up, and said with a smile, "They just left with the person who delivered the imperial decree. If the Dowager Consort wants it, she'll have to go to Her Majesty the Empress."

"So you're one of the Empress's people?"

The smile on the Princess of Nan'an's face faded slightly. "I'll have to go see my daughter-in-law when she gives birth."

"Is the princess pregnant?"

Grandmother Jia hurriedly asked her with concern.

"Yes, I received the letter the other day."

The Princess Dowager of Nan'an smiled even more broadly, "She not only shared the good news with me, but also with the other princesses in the palace."

Her family was close to the Shi family, and she had also been acquainted with Grandmother Jia for many years. Although the Jia family had been declining, some of the things the Jia family had done during this period had a great impact on them.

Especially the Shen family.

To actually favor the Empress in front of so many people...

The Princess Consort of Nan'an felt ashamed and betrayed, so she emphasized her words against the Princess Consort Zhen.

"That's how it should be!"

Grandmother Jia smiled and gave Shen Ning a wink, "The Dowager Consort received the letter and was so happy that she probably sent a female physician over already."

"Haha, I thought so too, that's her own niece."

Her daughter-in-law is the daughter of the Zhen family.

She was quite happy about the arranged marriage at the time.

Unfortunately, the retired emperor was frightened by his sons and impulsively chose the least conspicuous one.

Otherwise, her family would certainly be better off than they are now, if not better off.

The Princess Consort of Nan'an also looked down on the Empress at first.

In their previous encounters, she remained indifferent, and now, even if she wanted to be more affectionate, it would be difficult for her.

She had no idea how Lady Shen had gotten on good terms with the Empress.

Jia Jing was still staying at the Taoist temple.

There were several other people present who, like the Princess Dowager of Nan'an, harbored ulterior motives.

Although the real power was still in the hands of the retired emperor, and they didn't need to immediately try to curry favor with the empress, it was still unsettling that Shen had so blatantly stepped ahead of them and received such a generous reward from the retired emperor.

……

Shoukang Palace.

The Emperor Emeritus was delighted when he saw the memorial Lin Ruhai handed him, "It mentions Jia Lian..."

“My son has checked; he is the grandson of the Duke of Rongguo, and Lin Ruhai married the daughter of the Duke of Jia.”

"Good, he's a good kid."

The retired emperor put down the memorial and said, "Since he is coming back, let's wait until he returns before making a decision."

emperor:"……"

He wanted to make a decision immediately.

"Father, shouldn't we make preparations for the salt fields mentioned in the memorial earlier?"

"..." The Emperor Emeritus glanced at him. "Didn't you want to make a move against the salt merchants in Jiangnan?"

He knew perfectly well what his son was up to.

But the national treasury is empty, so it's always a good thing that the emperor can get his hands on some silver. "The matter of the salt fields is not urgent. You should know that those who can be called salt merchants, besides silver, have the most salt in their hands."

Smuggled salt was the main foundation upon which they rose to become the largest salt merchants.

"Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish."

The retired emperor said, "Haste is a great taboo."

"Yes!"

The Emperor quickly bowed, saying, "Your son will remember."

"Alright, if there's nothing else, you can go now!"

Sometimes, he thinks his son is great, but other times... he feels regret.

Of his two most beloved sons, one died, and the other, who was closest to the throne, was killed because of his impulsive act...

The retired emperor watched the emperor leave and couldn't help but sigh.

If only Lin Ruhai's memorial had been sent a few years earlier.

He could bring down salt prices and ensure that people could eat safe salt. If he were in power, history would surely record this in great detail, wouldn't it?

now……

The retired emperor sighed again as he held the memorial.

If the emperor succeeds in this, then...

slap~
The old man threw the memorial onto the jade table again, feeling troubled for the first time.

The emperor who retreated felt heartbroken.

The smuggled salt in the hands of salt merchants was exactly the same as the salt produced by the newly established salt fields.

Moreover, coastal areas are often hit by typhoons and huge waves, so after the salt fields are opened, precautions must be taken against years of disaster.

The more of this stuff, the better!

Father Emperor clearly knows this, so why is he so unwilling?
The emperor grew increasingly distressed as he walked.

It's clearly a great thing that benefits the country and its people, so why is it so difficult to accomplish?

He slowly walked to Kunning Palace.

The Queen is summoning two female physicians.

Look at the thank-you letter in Madam Shen's handwriting that they brought.

Her neat handwriting occasionally fluttered, somewhat resembling the image of Madam Shen she had imagined.

"emperor?!"

The Empress was quite surprised to see the Emperor arrive at this time.

"..."

The emperor didn't speak, but waved his hand, dismissing everyone. "What are you looking at?"

"Your Majesty, I am reading the letter of thanks that Madam Shen sent me!"

The Empress smiled and said, "Madam Shen is a wonderful person."

"..."

The emperor looked at the letter and sighed softly.

Lin Ruhai mentioned Madam Shen in his memorial.

But because of Jia Jing, he didn't mention it, and neither did his father.

"Did you know that Consort Zhen also gave rewards to that side?"

"……Know."

The Empress nodded, "It's always good if Little Yueyue can receive an extra gift."

Their relationship was awkward; Consort Zhen represented the retired emperor, so an extra reward was always a good thing.

"..."

The emperor hadn't expected the empress to think this way, and he couldn't help but pat her hand, saying, "With a virtuous wife at home, I am very content."

"Your Majesty~"

The Empress blushed slightly. "I'm just grateful to Madam Shen for helping us with the urgent needs of the next two years." The orphanage had almost become a source of worry for the couple.

She also emptied her dowry, leaving her with no money to continue her line of cash.

Last year before the Lunar New Year, she was so worried that she couldn't sleep.

The Empress knew the hardships her husband was facing.

She couldn't not help him.

"Didn't you say last time that the orphanage in Datong has always been funded by Mrs. Shen?"

The Empress was quite envious of Madam Shen's dowry. "What's wrong? You seem a little unhappy today?"

"……nothing."

It's no use saying anything.

Because even he himself couldn't do anything about it.

Speaking out only made the Empress sad along with him.

The Emperor asked, "Did the female physician say anything about Madam Shen's health?"

If only Father Emperor could summon Grand Secretary Shen back to the capital.

"They say the recovery is going very well."

The Empress knew the Emperor was changing the subject, but she still replied gently, "Madam Shen herself takes great care of herself. They don't allow her to eat or drink anything, so she doesn't touch a single drop."

"That's good."

The Emperor nodded. "With her here, the Ningguo Mansion will not be in chaos."