The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 87 Ancestral Hall
Go outside to change?

Wang was in a bad mood.

It's impossible for the Shen family to be so kind.

There's only one reason she'd be so kind: everything's going smoothly in the palace, and she wants to show off in front of her.

Wang was upset.

Since Madam Shen was unwilling to help her daughter, she had no choice but to ask her brother for help.

My elder brother is the military governor of the capital garrison, a general whom the emperor urgently needs.

Moreover, the retired emperor also needs to infiltrate his own people into the emperor's camp.

While changing her clothes with the help of her maid, Wang tried to think of a solution.

She never worried that the second wife wouldn't be able to get up.

Of all the younger generation in the Jia family, only the children she gave birth to were successful.

In the two mansions, Jia Zhen was just like his brother-in-law Jia She, a lazy bum who did nothing but eat and wait to die. Lian Er could only manage the household and do some socializing for the family and outsiders.

But her pearls and Baoyu are different.

With the support of her family and father-in-law, Zhu'er will surely pass the imperial examination and become an official.

Baoyu...

Just as Wang realized that things would be different after her second son was born, she quickly stopped herself.

That magical jade will definitely be used by the old lady to spread rumors, and it's even possible that she fabricated the story by taking a special piece of jade in order to win favor.

For the safety of her sons, Wang has decided to accept the situation.

Anyway, no matter what, her second son is someone of importance.

Moreover, Yuan Chun was born on the first day of the Lunar New Year. With her support in the palace and her two good brothers, the siblings would support each other, and the future of their second branch of the family would certainly be greater than that of the current East and West branches of the family.

Wang quickly combed her hair, washed her face, and put on makeup, then asked in a condescending manner, "Where are we going next?"

The maid was taken aback by her question, "It seems... to be an ancestral hall."

Wang: "..."

She was stunned.

Do you have to dress up nicely before kneeling in the ancestral hall?

"What do you mean, 'seems like'?" Her eyes sharpened. "Have you found out?"

Is the Shen family trying to mess with her?

Is it really that interesting to torment her like this, all this time?

"...It's the ancestral hall. The old lady and my wife will be going there later."

The maid was startled, but she still said what she needed to say.

However, her hesitant manner made Wang realize that she still had something to say.

But she was too lazy to ask anymore.

It's just that Madam Shen has recovered today, and she still wants to scold her in front of the old lady and the master!

It is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge.

One day, when the Shen family comes to her, she will repay them tenfold.

Wang stormed out and then went to kneel in her ancestral hall.

But as soon as she opened the door, she stopped abruptly.

Having just finished offering incense to her ancestors, Yuan Chun, kneeling on the prayer mat, turned around and saw her mother. "Mother..."

Her eyes were still red. Seeing her mother, she was both excited and saddened. Just as she was about to stand up to greet her, Madam Wang rushed in. "Yuan Chun?" Her voice was sharp and pained. "Is it really you? Why are you back?"

ah ah ah...

What is the Shen family planning to do?
Did this cut off the best path for their second wife?

"Who let you come back?"

Wang grabbed her daughter and said, "Get up and go back right now. This isn't a place for you. How could you come back?"

She's going crazy.

With their daughter back, what hope do they have left?
Although Zhu'er is capable of taking the exams for officials, she still has to start from a minor position.

Although Baoyu is intelligent, he is still young.

They all need Yuan Chun's help!

"Someone, prepare the car immediately!"

"Wang, what are you doing?"

Grandmother Jia entered at this moment, leaning on her cane with one hand and supported by her second son with the other. "Is this the place for you to throw a tantrum?"

Although she was also heartbroken that Yuan Chun had returned, now that she was back, it was impossible to put her back.

Now they want to hear Mr. Shen's explanation.

Yuan Chun said that Lady Shen stayed in Kunning Palace for a long time.

Since she had pulled Yuan Chun out of the palace and asked the Empress for a marriage proposal, they should give her a chance to explain.

Regardless, Yuan Chun was the daughter of the second wife of the Xi family.

There must be a reason why Shen, the aunt from a distant branch of the family, arranged the marriage for the child without going through her grandmother and Wang, the biological mother.

They can't very well have their daughter curry favor with the Empress.

"Listen to the old lady."

Jia Zheng glanced at his daughter, who was in a disheveled state, and a hint of disappointment and displeasure flashed in his eyes. "Don't worry, my sister-in-law will definitely give us an explanation."

His expression, however, was more resolute than ever before.

If they don't give her a proper explanation after bringing his daughter back, the old lady won't let her off the hook.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Wang cried out, "What explanation? She ruined my Yuan Chun!" She hugged Yuan Chun, her vision blurring from crying, "What will become of my Yuan Chun now?"

Born with such good looks, she should have been born into an imperial family!
But now everything is over.

"Grandma, sir, you can't just stand by and watch!"

"Mother, Mother~"

Yuan Chun panicked and hugged her mother tightly. "I begged my aunt to bring me back." She wanted to say that she couldn't survive in the palace, but there were too many people here and too many gossips. If word got out, she would be bringing trouble to the family. "It has nothing to do with my aunt. It's my fault for being unfilial. If you want to scold or hit me, come at me!"

For a moment, she was also sobbing and unable to lift her head.

Outside the door, Jia Zhu, who had also washed up and looked a little better, couldn't help but wipe away her own tears as she listened to her mother and sister's weeping.

He believed his sister.

Asking for help isn't so easy.

Especially those in the palace, the eldest aunt must have paid a price to bring her sister back.

It's just that their parents haven't quite come to their senses yet.

She continued to blame her aunt.

Jia She walked over, saw his nephew's appearance, patted him on the shoulder, went straight in, knelt on the prayer mat where he had been kneeling, kowtowed to the ancestors first, and then said: "With Baoyu's jade still here, it's fine if Yuanchun is just mediocre in the palace, but if she really makes something of herself... no matter how big the rumors are, they won't matter, they'll still be confirmed. Where do you think you'll be then?"

"..."

"..."

Wang's crying stopped abruptly, and Jia Zheng's face twitched uncontrollably a few times.

Even Grandmother Jia sighed softly.

Unexpectedly, what was supposed to be a great thing turned into a terrible disaster that ruined the family's future.

"Woooooo~"

Wang's sobs subsided, but she pounded her fist hard twice with the hand that was holding her daughter, crying out, "What terrible things have I done!"

"Cry, why are you crying?"

Jia Zheng's face turned red and his voice rose, "Isn't this all the result of your misdeeds?"

His son and daughter were ruined by this stupid woman.

Jia Zheng was so angry that he was about to go and hit someone, but just as he raised his foot, Jia Zhu rushed in. "A loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise!" He knelt down in front of his father. "Father, please calm down. Mother, you don't need to worry. With my sister back, our family is finally reunited."

Even if she's about to get married, he could still go and see her. But the palace has such high walls; if things go wrong, he might never see her again. "Even if life gets tougher in the future, it's good to be together as a family."

Jia Zheng: "..."

He sighed dejectedly, his shoulders slumped, and ignoring his wife and children, he walked to the prayer mat he had been sitting on and knelt down.

"Mother, please get up."

Jia Zhu went over and helped Yuan Chun support her mother, saying, "Don't blame your aunt, she's only doing it for the good of the family."

To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, my sister's return is indeed the best course of action.

"Mother, it is your unfilial daughter who has failed me..."

Yuan Chun was heartbroken and ashamed.

She let down her grandmother and parents, and she let down everyone.

Yuan Chun touched the ground with her head and knelt beside her mother, saying, "It's because I'm useless. Hit me and scold me, but don't get sick from anger."

"What does it have to do with you?"

Before Shen Ning arrived, her voice preceded her, "It was I who wanted you to come back." She stepped over the high threshold of the ancestral hall, "If you're not satisfied, just come to me."

Jia Zheng: "..."

Wang: "..."

Even though they were full of resentment, neither of them dared to say a word of rebuttal when they actually saw this sister-in-law.

"Go, invite Grandma and the others in."

Shen Ning instructed the maid outside, "Tell the master and the young master to come over quickly."

She realized that the Zhen family's property was ultimately confiscated.

In other words, regardless of whether the Emperor Emeritus lived a very long life, Consort Zhen ultimately did not accomplish anything significant.

Therefore, she didn't need to worry too much. "I know my second brother and sister-in-law are still very dissatisfied. They feel that I overstepped my bounds and ruined the future of the second branch of the family, making it even more difficult for Zhu'er and Baoyu to make their future prospects."

Wang covered her face with a handkerchief.

She knew that her sister-in-law was going to bring up Baoyu's jade again.

But that jade...

"However, before you blame me, second brother, tell me your name first. Why is there a character in your brothers' names?"

Shen Ning looked at Jia Zheng, who was looking dejected, and said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, "The two dukes of the Jia family, don't they know how to think about their descendants? You should all know why the Jia family abandoned military affairs for civil service."

"..."

"..."

Li Wan and Wang Xifeng, who followed You Shi in, dared not make a sound as they moved.

Jia Zhen and Rong-ge'er are the same.

For them, their mother (grandmother) at this time was someone they couldn't afford to mess with.

The two found prayer mats and knelt down.

"Water overflows when it is full, and the moon wanes when it is full. Hasn't the Jia family's extravagant lifestyle over the years been enough?"

They all have big ambitions.

But they have almost no brains.

The Jia family's brains were probably used up by the previous two generations.

"Still not satisfied, wanting more, aren't they afraid of overeating?"

Shen Ning said this while staring at Wang Shi, "I can't control if you want to overeat, but if you drag the family down with you... that won't do."

Wang covered her face with a handkerchief and cried softly, not daring to look up at all.

The emperor’s wrath resulted in millions of corpses and blood flowing for thousands of miles.

While reality isn't quite that exaggerated, it's not far off either.

The bloodshed of a few years ago seems like it was just yesterday; every day, a line of heads were chopped off at Caishikou.

"They sent Yuan Chun to the palace and entrusted her to Consort Zhen's care?"

Shen Ning sneered, "You treat them like family, someone to rely on, but do you ever think about what you are in their eyes?"

"..."

"..."

The ancestral hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; even Grandmother Jia's breathing seemed to have become lighter.

Having lived to such an old age, she is not an ignorant person.

But thinking that they had given away their granddaughter and money, their family had essentially staked everything on that. Considering their past relationship and the fact that their family could still help her, Consort Zhen should at least offer some assistance.

Sending Yuan Chun to the Emperor's side was really not a big deal for Consort Zhen.

As far as Grandmother Jia knew, Consort Zhen had already used the Emperor Emeritus's influence to send several beauties to the Emperor's side.

But when it was Yuan Chun's turn...

"When someone is short of money and wants to give their subordinates a reward, the first place they'll think of is definitely our family."

Even after she became an imperial concubine, the Jia family continued to send money to the palace.

Is there even the slightest bit of goodness in it?
"Who told the Jia family to be so foolish and have so much money?"

The ash from the burning incense fell in a flurry.

The smoke also seemed a bit messy.

"If anyone used their brains, thought about what was going on in the palace, and thought about how that Consort Dowager had enjoyed such favor until now, they wouldn't be so foolish as to think they could use her to send Yuan Chun to the Emperor's side."

Shen Ning's voice was stern, and she glanced at Grandmother Jia, "It's fortunate that they were still thinking of getting more and didn't send it immediately. If they had, how disgusted would the Emperor have been? Even if they had given it a title, so what? Haven't enough people died in the palace already?"

Yuan Chun's heart skipped a beat.

This is also why she wanted to get closer to the emperor, but never dared to take it any further.

She is afraid!
I always felt that taking that next step would be a point of no return.

"Auntie, I've finished speaking. Do you have anything to add?"

Jia Mu: "..."

She was startled.

What does she have to add?
"You're right, the family... made a mistake."

The old lady was filled with regret. She didn't know how she had been blinded by the current prosperity of the Zhen family, leading her to make so many mistakes.

If anything happens again, the Duke won't be able to protect them.

"It's good that Yuan Chun is back. Thank you, Auntie."

The old lady looked a few years older. "You said you arranged a marriage for her with the Empress, and the man..."

"It is Marquis Cheng Luo of Xinping."

Xinpinghou?
In an instant, everyone in Xifu was searching their minds for information about this person.

"His father, Cheng Feng, was granted the title of Marquis of Xinping because of his military achievements and the marriage of Princess Baofeng."

Jia Zhen had already had Xing'er investigate all the information about the Marquis of Xinping. "Cheng Feng coveted the title of Marquis and secretly had a cousin he was about to marry. After becoming the Marquis of Xinping, he took his cousin as a concubine. About seven years ago, his father died. During the mourning period, his old lady conspired with that concubine to seize the title of Marquis. They plotted to make Cheng Luo fall seriously ill and then startled his horse, so Princess Baofeng sent him to a separate courtyard to recuperate."

later……

"Later everyone found out that Princess Baofeng had poisoned her. Her mother escaped death, but Princess Baofeng, Marquis Xinping Chengfeng, and their eldest son born to a concubine all died."

This incident caused a sensation throughout the capital at the time.

Everyone thought the royal family would be furious and wipe out the Xinping Marquis's family.

Who knew that they followed the path of the Prince of Nan'an and Consort Zhen, and the Emperor, having taken it all with gusto, put it down with indifference.

"How old is Cheng Luo this year? Is he in good health?"

Grandmother Jia couldn't help but show concern.

“He is twenty-two years old this year and has only been out of mourning for a few months. Princess Baofeng is very protective of him.”

Jia Zhen replied, "Although my body is weak now, I don't have any major illnesses. Moreover, because of the tragic deaths of my parents, I don't even have a wife."

At this point, he smiled and looked at Yuan Chun, "Brother is here, so I must congratulate you, sister. Marquis Xinping is a good match for you."