The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 104: Don’t Live Too Well
In the cold winter, Jia Rong and his sons were watching small animals at the door.

Pheasants, wild ducks, wild boars, bears, deer, roe deer, finless porpoises, peacocks...

Children as young as six or seven were very interested in the animals in the cages.

The servants were carrying bags of various food ingredients and rice into the mansion in the yard, carefully avoiding the master.

The head of the farm said, "Please forgive me, Duke. It has been raining heavily outside this year. The harvest in the fields is very poor. The nine farms..."

Jia Rong raised his hand and said, "These are enough on the gift list. When you go back, follow my instructions and plant some corn and sweet potatoes on a hundred acres of land, so that you don't have to worry about not being able to afford food."

The village head knelt on the ground and said, "Thank you, Duke!"

Jia Rong looked at the old man.

"I know whether the weather outside is good or bad, and whether there is any disaster. I am kind-hearted, and I will not let you go hungry with me. But don't think of getting away with it, or your life will be in danger."

The rent has been reduced over the years and there will always be a place to make up the difference.

Jia Rong lived a luxurious life only this year, but his income was high this year, so there was no need to tighten the belts of the farmers below.

The village head hurriedly responded with a winning streak.

At this time, the servant ran in from outside the door.

"My Lord, Madam Xing is here."

After hearing this, Jia Rong asked the maid to take the children back and walked towards the door.

There was a carriage parked at the gate, and a woman in her forties dressed like a lady got out of the carriage.

It was Mrs. Xing who had returned to her hometown earlier.

Now it should be called Xing.

Because of Jia Rong, Youshi is now a super-class lady, which makes her feel extremely happy.

Xing had been back home for a year and her life was definitely not comfortable. She cried as many times as she could.

How could a woman in her forties or fifties get married? She had no children and had a bad relationship with her family. She almost died.

Xing quickly walked to the door and bowed to Jia Rong.

Jia Rong said first: "No need to be polite. I was afraid of being implicated in Master She's affairs, so I had to do this. Please don't blame me, Madam."

Mrs. Xing said hurriedly, "I am too grateful to say anything. If it weren't for Master Rong giving me money and sending me ten taels of silver every month, I wouldn't have the face to live to this day."

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Now that Master She's incident is over, and Uncle Lian has gone to the south to start a family, old lady, please follow me in to see Miss Xing and Yingchun, and stay in the mansion from now on."

Xing's eyes were filled with tears, "Thank you, Master Rong!"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Today, a lot of New Year's goods were delivered to the manor, and the entrance is a bit messy. I had planned to let you use the side room you left behind after you came back, but a lot of things happened, and I kicked you out after causing trouble."

Xing said hurriedly: "As it should be, I wonder what happened?"

There were at least a hundred people coming and going in the yard, and there were hundreds of bamboo chicken and bird cages, so the whole yard was in chaos.

Jia Rong and Mrs. Xing walked out of the courtyard. It must be the courtyard that Jia Rong entered and exited, not the main gate.

The main gate is only opened to receive distinguished guests or during festivals, and servants generally do not use the main gate.

Jia Rong quickly told him some family matters. Siqi was the granddaughter of Wang Shanbao, Xing Fu-ren's concubine, and Pan Youan, who had an affair with her, was also on their side.

Siqi and Pan Youan's marriage is considered a close relative marriage, but Jia Rong doesn't care about that.

This pair of passionate lovers are in love with each other. If they are not allowed to be together, they will commit suicide together.

When Mrs. Xing heard that the servants in her house had done such shameless things, she quickly said, "What a damned bastard, what a damned lowly maid, she has brought shame upon our family!"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "That's all in the past. Now Sister Feng is living with her child here, and I'm planning to take Yingchun as my concubine, which is a bit indecent."

Xing didn't dare to blame her and said quickly, "This is all normal and it won't cause any trouble."

Jia Rong liked to hear this.

At this time, a nanny passed by and quickly stopped and shouted, "Duke!"

Jia Rong nodded and continued walking forward with Xing.

Xing was puzzled: "Why did that person just now..."

Jia Rong said, "The emperor conferred upon me the title of Duke of Ningguo a few days ago. Some people in the palace call me Master, some call me Duke of our country, and outsiders just call me by my title, Duke of Ningguo."

When Jia Rong said this, he saw Xiaohong coming over.

"Xiaohong, take Aunt Xing to Yingchun and Miss Xing. I have something else to do, so I won't go with you."

Lin Hongyu came over.

Xing said hurriedly, "How dare I trouble you, Lord? I can go there by myself. I have been here several times before."

Jia Rong smiled and said, "The garden has been repaired several times this year. Let Xiaohong take you there."

Lin Hongyu said politely, "Madam, please."

Xing said politely, "I am no longer a madam. I am Yingchun's stepmother. I no longer have the title of Madam. Just call me Old Lady Xing."

Jia Rong didn't say anything, so Lin Hongyu naturally accepted the title.

So Mrs. Xing, who used to be a first-rank lady, became Old Lady Xing at this time.

Jia Rong just wanted to let the women in his family know what happens when a man is gone!

Xing just used it to remind others how powerful it is!

Jia Rong was not afraid to spend some money to support a woman, as it wouldn't cost much anyway.

With Xing around, Yingchun and Xing Yuyan were both looked after.

Mrs. Xing does have a lot of problems, but when you think about it carefully, they are not problems.

At least she didn't cheat Jia Lian, Jia She, Jia Yingchun and Wang Xifeng, so the rest of their greed for money was just a minor problem.

Apart from greed for money, other problems are not big. A childless woman who does not greed for money and thinks about the future will be abandoned sooner or later.

Li Wan and Wang Xifeng are both greedy for money.

The problem of Rong Mansion does not lie with Madam Xing. It was those two who first started the bad relationship between Madam Xing and Wang Xifeng.

Helping Jia She to get a concubine is not a big deal.

This kind of thing is very normal in a big family. It is always normal for a son to want a maidservant around his mother. He can just give a greeting and marry her as a concubine, which is legal and compliant.

Of course they deserved to be scolded. The old lady scolded them for plotting against her and for being unfilial.

The maids in the Jia family were all slaves. Selling themselves as slaves generally meant they had no freedom, and their marriages were arranged by their masters.

Yuanyang lived and worked in the Jia family, and it was not wrong for her to want a husband after becoming a maid.

When she met Jia Rong, she fell in love with him; when she met Jia She, she would rather die than surrender and show her determination.

This kind of thing is the same for everyone. Those who are willing to accept it will accept it, and those who are unwilling will not accept it. It is that simple. Jia Rong went back to the garden.

"The master is here!"

The maid at the door quickly reported.

Before Jia Rong even got close to the warm hall, the people inside already knew about it.

Jia Rong walked over and reminded him, "You don't have to shout when I come next time."

The maid nodded quickly, "Yes! Master!"

When Jia Rong entered, he saw people busy working.

Shi Xiangyun, Qingwen, Xiren, Yuanyang, Yinglian, Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai and Jia Yuanchun were all there.

The eight people sat around a long table, on which were papers, pens, needles and thread, and two rolls of cloth.

Youshi and her second and third sisters were sitting on the side holding their children. When they saw Jia Rong coming, they stood up to greet him.

Shi Xiangyun said loudly: "Big brother, I have been thinking about making clothes for you when I sleep these days!"

Jia Rong walked over and thanked her, "Thank you, Sister Xiangyun!"

Shi Xiangyun smiled and said, "That's better! Sister Lin is also helping."

Xue Baochai smiled and said, "But we are still here!"

Qingwen raised her head and said happily, "Master, from now on we will also have a Duke's wife!"

"Now the eldest grandmother is just like the old lady, both are the wives of the Dukes!"

Jia Yuanchun knew who had done the credit, "It's all thanks to the master. Without the master, there wouldn't be a big family like today."

Jia Rong did not refuse such compliments and took the opportunity to tell him about Mrs. Xing.

The previous matter of supporting Mrs. Xing was not told to his family, so the others did not know that Jia Rong was busy with these things.

Jia Yuanchun said, "There is such a thing. I only know that the eldest wife went back to her hometown after the New Year. I don't know if the master is still taking care of her."

Jia Rong casually said, "I have asked the old man in the shop in Suzhou to send her five taels of silver every month, so that she won't be desperate and depressed."

Qingwen quickly complimented him, saying, "Master is kind-hearted! Not only does he give a lot of money to the West Mansion every month, he also takes care of Master Bao, Master Lian, and others. He even gives money to people like the first wife. He takes care of people who are not even related to him."

Shi Xiangyun smiled and said, "It's not that we are not related. Miss Xing is my relative."

When Jia Yuanchun and other wives saw that Shi Xiangyun didn't know about Jia Yingchun's affairs, they just smiled and said nothing.

People often laughed when Shi Xiangyun spoke, so no one took it seriously.

Jia Rong smiled and said, "We are not unrelated. We should be polite when we meet. There is no need to greet each other. Madam, go and tell Brother Feng that the money will be paid according to the previous stay in the West Mansion, and the residence will be in the north."

The large garden where Jia Rong and others lived was located on the west side of the mansion because of the river and the sewer.

The Ning Mansion is stood upright like a double-door refrigerator, with the west street gate of Huifang Garden, the west corner gate, the main gate, and the east corner gate at the bottom.

Jia Rong usually entered directly from the east gate. On the right side of the east were the stables, sedan chair room, servants' quarters, study, front yard, main yard, back yard, You's yard, maids' quarters in the inner house, servants' rooms, empty rooms and yards in the north, and behind the courtyard wall was the back street.

There are many houses in the middle. The courtyards in Ning Mansion are separated by high walls. Some alleys are only for pedestrians to walk through, and each level is strictly managed.

It was not so strict before, but when Jia Rong took charge of the house and managed it, especially after he dealt with Youshi, he took the opportunity of having Jia Yuanchun, the eldest daughter of Xiuxi Mansion, come to manage the household to impose strict separation between men and women, and the management of the inner house became even stricter.

Jia Rong lived a casual life, not guarding against those below him but against those above him, and could enter and leave girls' boudoirs at will.

The lives of many people in the inner courtyard and their families are under Jia Rong's control, so naturally they dare not say much. Jia Rong has never been more comfortable when he was an official than when he was the emperor. Now that he has tremendous power, he is naturally more free.

Jia Rong continued, "I have had people clean the Lin family compound and the master's tomb every month over the years. I wanted to go back this time to take a look, but the emperor called me back after a few days. When I have time in two years, I will go back with Sister Lin to sweep the tomb."

After hearing this, Lin Daiyu stood up and thanked him, "Thank you, Duke!"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Just keep calling me Brother Rong. Now the names in our family have become a bit confusing. What do you call Yuanchun now? Grandma or Madam?"

Jia Yuanchun was naturally happy to hear such good news. "Everyone in the family is still here. Nothing has changed. She is still the eldest grandmother, but the mistress is now the grand lady."

Youshi is now the Taifu Lady. After hearing this, she laughed and said, "I feel embarrassed to hear this. I have been staying at home all the time and rarely go out. I have become the Taifu Lady just by lying down."

Xue Baochai said: "This is the proper rule. Now that the master has become a duke, it would be outrageous if there were no changes at all!"

Jia Yuanchun nodded and said, "Sister Baochai is right. A duke's family must follow the rules of a duke's family."

Jia Rong saw a group of people discussing background and confidence, and suddenly he wanted to say something sarcastic.

"There have been more than 20 dukes since the founding of the country, but now there are only a few. Together with my family, they are called the Eight Dukes. How many dukes are there now besides me?"

"The grandson of the Duke of Zhenguo is now the first-class earl."

"The grandson of Duke Liguo is now the first-class son Liu Fang."

"The grandson of the Duke of Qi is a hereditary third-rank general."

"The grandson of Duke Zhiguo is the hereditary third-rank Weiyuan General Ma Shang."

"The grandson of Duke Xiu is a hereditary first-class viscount."

"The grandson of Duke Shan is a hereditary third-rank general.

"If I, the Duke of Ningguo, had not worked hard since childhood, I would be worse off than these people now, and would probably be a low-ranking third-rank general."

When Shi Xiangyun heard Jia Rong say this, she smiled and joked, "Big brother always likes to say these things. We all know how powerful you are. You just said this when you came back a while ago. Let's rest our ears for a few days before we say it again."

Jia Rong smiled and said, "People can never teach others, but things can teach people once. I used to say this kind of nagging often. Because I have nothing to do and things are getting better and better, it seems that I am showing off."

"But your sister Yuanchun is definitely different from you. She didn't listen to these words in the past few years. She thought it was nothing when she heard them. It went in one ear and out the other. Even Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Xing are similar. When I was disciplining Baoyu two or three years ago, they all stopped me and helped Jia Baoyu escape."

"If I say too much, I will seem boastful. There are some truths I don't want you to understand. When you are in a situation and understand the difficulty, you will probably shed tears."

"At least the events in the West Mansion did not affect us in the East. I don't like you to suffer, but you can't fail to notice my hard work."

Jia Yuanchun quickly said, "Don't worry, Master. Everyone in the family knows how difficult it is for you to be in the court."

Shi Xiangyun also admitted her mistake, "My uncle and aunt seem to be living in fear, big brother must be right, it was Xiangyun who said the wrong thing, big brother, please don't be angry."

Jia Rong was not angry. "I am not angry. I always tell you to be more sensible, but I also know that your efforts are useless in many things."

"The prosperity of the Jia family depends on men, and the decline is also due to men. A harmonious family is the root of everything. I shouldn't have said useless words and disturbed your mood. I am actually happy to see you happy."

Lin Daiyu knew that it was very troublesome to get along with people and do things outside. Her father always sighed and complained. He would only feel relieved when she worked harder.

It was the same when they were in the West. The old lady and Jia Zheng were very cautious when they were officials and were very careful when dealing with all kinds of interpersonal relationships.

On the other hand, everything is very relaxed here. There are indeed no rules in some places, which would never happen at the old lady's place.

Jia Rong decided to take a few women out to see how ordinary people live outside.

Especially Tanchun and others, they always felt that it was okay to marry an ordinary citizen, and they always felt that they had many options besides the Jia family.

Then let them see how ordinary people live and live, and see if they can tolerate it.

(End of this chapter)