The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 152 A Super Simple Wedding
At dinner time, Jia Rong's family returned to their original delicacies.

From the beginning to the end, only a few wives and concubines were punished, and it was not extended to those girls without official status, nor did it affect all the servants.

However, since a few leaders were punished and suffered, their subordinates naturally had to restrain themselves, and the food standards were also reduced a lot.

Jia Rong's food will not be reduced, and the girls will come over to eat together in the evening, and their food will not be reduced either.

After dinner, everyone chatted in the warm hall. Some sat side by side on sofa-like chairs and chatted, some were doing needlework under the lamp, and others were playing chess and chatting.

Jia Rong and Shi Xiangyun sat together, and Qingwen sat on the other side.

It was natural for him to hug women on both sides; Jia Rong was not a person who would hide things.

"More than a hundred people came today. I don't know what the emperor is thinking. Our family has no shortage of young and beautiful girls and wives."

Shi Xiangyun smiled and said, "Then why not just give it up?"

Jia Yuanchun said quickly, "You can't do that. The emperor's reward is a great favor. How can we refuse it?"

Jia Rong crossed his legs, and You Erjie sat on a small stool in front of the couch, helping Jia Rong massage his legs.

Because of the mistakes she made a few days ago, You Erjie must pay back her debts and work hard to make up for her mistakes.

Jia Rong thought about it and said, "It just so happens that the women's courtyard needs people, so I'll pick some capable people to go over and clean and serve. I already have enough people in my room, and many of them are well-dressed ladies and young ladies. Now there is no place for them to continue being ladies and young ladies."

Xue Baochai asked curiously, "I heard some time ago that a Lord Sun died and his property was confiscated. It hasn't been long since then that a Lord Hong has appeared. He is the Minister of Personnel who is in charge of the promotion of officials across the country. He is a high-ranking official."

Jia Rong casually said, "Almost one hundred people have been confiscated this year. There are still more than twenty days until the New Year. I estimate that there will definitely be more than one hundred people. If you count the minor officials, there will be more than a thousand people."

Shi Xiangyun was surprised and asked, "So many?"

Hearing Shi Xiangyun's surprised voice, Jia Rong felt strange.

"What's so strange about this? There are cases where one case involves 30,000 or 40,000 people. In some cases, even killing 10,000 or 20,000 people would not harm the court. The 100 people whose property was confiscated this year refer to the 100 ministers. If you include those who were killed, exiled, or sent to military camps to be prostitutes and tortured to death, there are at least 10,000 people."

"The Minister of Personnel this time is a top-ranking official among the civil servants. His family has hundreds of people. This is the third largest case this year. The first two deaths were from royal families, with more than a thousand people killed. The rest are small cases involving dozens or just a few people."

Shi Xiangyun was frightened, "My Buddha... this is too much! How many officials are there in the court? They can withstand such a killing."

Jia Rong said, "There are probably close to 100,000 officials, 20,000 civil officials and 80,000 military officials, divided into officials in the capital and officials outside the capital. Now that the treasury is full, the emperor naturally has money to support more military officers and soldiers to control the army."

"There are less than 2,000 officials in Beijing now. The death of more than 100 high-ranking officials is actually nothing. It only takes a word to transfer people from outside."

Shi Xiangyun asked, "You just said that one case involved killing 10,000 or 20,000 people? Didn't they all kill them?"

Jia Rong laughed and said, "For example, when a family is raided and a person is killed, all the people in the family are killed. Some families have hundreds of people with the same surname. Some ministers have several housekeepers. There are also thugs and accomplices, relatives, etc. These will all be counted."

Shi Xiangyun nodded.

Wang Xifeng said quickly, "Master, please stop talking about this. My legs are weak just listening to it. It's almost the New Year. Can't we talk about something fun?"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "We just need to be honest and do our duty. I have always been like this."

Wang Xifeng sat on a chair at one side and smiled at Jia Rong, saying, "The master is really good. It's not that I always say nice things to please him, but I always find good things about him, so I have to praise him a few times."

Jia Rong said casually, "If you talk too much, it will seem like you are fawning on me. I don't like to hear this either. Have you dealt with all the affairs in the mansion?"

Wang Xifeng quickly entered official business mode.

"Everything has been processed. The harvest from the farm will probably be shipped over the day after tomorrow. Last year was not a good year, but this year the harvest is good, much more than the year before."

"Especially since they sent word that they killed two tigers and over thirty foxes, all of which were frozen and shipped here. This year, not only can I have a taste of being the king of the mountain, but I can also get some beautiful clothes. I can use the power of the tiger to bully you~"

Jia Rong nodded, very satisfied.

Wang Xifeng continued, "Today, the properties in the courtyards outside have also reported back one after another. Most of them continue to be rented, and dozens of them said that the tenure next year is not fixed and they want to pay monthly."

Jia Rong said, "Okay."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "I know that the master has a kind heart. It's okay to tell them about this matter."

Jia Rong nodded, "The monthly rent can be a little more than the annual rent, but not too much. Being an official or doing business is not easy, so it's good to do a favor."

Wang Xifeng agreed, "Okay."

Soon Wang Xifeng said, "The coal shop is doing very well. It's a business with no capital investment. We've made a lot of money. Some people have also opened coal shops, but they can't compete with our business. We can't sell our coal at all."

Jia Rong said: "The coal shop business requires frequent dealings with outsiders. I have assigned someone to manage it. You don't need to worry about it."

Wang Xifeng said quickly, "Okay, I just heard about this from the accountant."

Wang Xifeng is mainly in charge of Youshi's affairs, and is also responsible for teaching the servants in the mansion rules, which is equivalent to the discipline training department, planning department, logistics department, and supervision department.

Jia Yuanchun is mainly responsible for the affairs in Huifang Garden, including the mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law on duty, and also supervises the grandmothers, probably the security department, logistics kitchen, training department, personnel department and the board of directors.

Yuanyang and Ping'er are responsible for the arrangements of the front yard, mainly serving Jia Rong and managing the main hall. They are responsible for assisting Jia Rong in receiving male guests and assisting Jia Yuanchun in receiving female guests from outside. They are equivalent to the secretariat.

The Finance Department is managed by many accountants, and the bank vault is also managed by Jia Rong himself.

Farms, shops, apartments, minerals and other assets are all managed by Jia Rong's subordinates, most of whom do not have the surname Jia.

Only Jia Rong himself knows how many properties the Ning Mansion has, and everyone else can only guess.

Wang Xifeng added, "Master, many of the girls this time are proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and can also recite poems and compose couplets."

Qingwen's sense of crisis grew stronger and stronger. Not only were there many maids and young ladies in the Zhen family who were prettier and more charming than her, but there were also many in the Hong family this time.

Jia Rong said, "I'm not a lustful person, otherwise I wouldn't have been alone with you guys for more than ten years. Our family has a lot of expenses now, and I'm a responsible person. If I fall in love with someone, I will take care of her for the rest of her life. I don't want to be separated."

Jia Rong sighed, "Speaking of which, I think of Baoyu and Jia Lian. Baoyu never paid women for his affairs, let alone gave them a name. Jia Lian was better. Every time he looked for a wife from Rongfu, he paid money and the money was paid at dawn. Perhaps this is the way the children of a big family behave."

Shi Xiangyun said quickly: "Big brother, you can't learn from the second brother and the others, don't learn bad things!" Wang Xifeng laughed and said: "What's the big deal? Anyway, as long as they are not given a status, it is normal for men to play around outside. Aren't the imperial music bureau and the brothels outside opened for rich people? Besides, our maids are supposed to serve the master. It doesn't matter if she has a child and is given a status. If she doesn't have a child, don't worry about her!"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Everyone has their own preferences. If I like someone, I will treat her well. If I don't like her, I will definitely not promise anything, let alone harm her health."

Lin Daiyu and others think that Jia Rong is a good man.

If he hadn't said what Jia Baoyu and Jia Lian said, everyone would think he was shameless.

But with the comparison between Jia Baoyu and Jia Lian, and the fact that everyone also knows the normal situation of men outside from the Hong family, the Zhen family and many wives outside, it is discovered that Jia Rong is simply a moral template!

Qin Keqing joked, "Then does the master like or dislike the girls from the Xue family, Xing family, and Li family who have lived in our house for nearly five or six years?"

Jia Rong took his hands back, pulled his legs away from You Erjie, sat up straight and said, "Of course I like them. I thought they were still young and weak before. If they got pregnant, it would be bad for both adults and children. They could easily die in childbirth."

"She's like Xichun's mother." Jia Rong recalled Jia Xichun's sad past.

However, Jia Xichun had been without a mother since childhood, so she didn't feel that sad. She just felt a little lost when people said she had no mother.

After bringing up other people's sad stories, Jia Rong said, "It is precisely because I have encountered such a thing that I don't want my woman to encounter such a fatal thing. I always keep her well-fed and well-fed, like Sister Baochai, who is plump and white!"

Xue Baochai was teased by Jia Rong in public, but she was not shy at all. Instead, she was very happy and said directly and boldly: "Since Master thinks I am ready, don't make me and my mother wait anxiously. My mother nags me every day, and I feel ashamed every time."

Jia Rong said directly: "Then tomorrow, you go back and clean up the house. I will come back early tomorrow to make it lively, and we can do it in the evening!"

It's not a big deal for a duke to marry the daughter of a poor family. Why does he need three matchmakers and nine betrothals?

It doesn't take any effort to take a concubine.

I don’t know whether Xue Baochai is anxious or not, but she doesn’t object.

Xue Baochai agreed, but Xue Baoqin smiled and said, "We have waited so long, it won't matter if we wait a few more days. I'm afraid it will be too late tomorrow? Brother Xue Pan is still out and won't be able to come back in time."

Before Jia Rong could say anything, Xue Baochai said anxiously, "Tomorrow! Sisters, please don't laugh at me. I'm already eighteen years old. If I don't get married, I'll really become an old maid!"

Qin Keqing joked, "Can't you just wait a few more days? You are too impatient."

Yuanyang, who had waited for many years and finally became pregnant at the age of twenty-three or twenty-four, now sat there watching the fun and did not speak up for Xue Baochai.

You Erjie said, "Sister, you don't know how painful it is to wait. We sisters were so anxious back then that we took the initiative to explain things to the master, and only then did we follow him out to serve as officials and establish our status. Otherwise, if we had waited for the master to come back to work, we would have had to wait a few more years."

Seeing that the second sister was speaking, You Sanjie also helped to speak: "Yes, at the beginning, I begged the master to get things done quickly. Our master is good in everything, but he doesn't know the thoughts of a daughter."

Lin Daiyu smiled but said nothing. She knew very well that Jia Rong would definitely ask for help if he met someone he liked.

From Jia Rong's gentle care for girls today, Lin Daiyu also realized that if she wanted to be a mother or a wife, she must have a good body.

Lin Daiyu felt that Jia Rong was a very responsible man.

Jia Rong said affirmatively: "Let's do it tomorrow. I happen to have nothing to do tonight. I will go back with Baochai to decorate the new house. I have a lot of experience in this kind of thing!"

Shi Xiangyun laughed and said, "Big brother, you are so thick-skinned. You still say you have experience in this kind of thing!"

Jia Rong directly extended his hand and placed it behind Shi Xiangyun, "Sister Xiangyun, you are healthy and lively. When your hair grows to your waist, I will marry you."

Shi Xiangyun immediately became obedient and sat on Jia Rong's hand, not daring to move.

Jia Yuanchun, Lin Daiyu and others were looking at the shy Shi Xiangyun.

Shi Xiangyun's hair was tied on her head, and the hanging part just reached her shoulders, still a long way from her waist.

Jia Yuanchun most hopes that Jia Rong will marry a lady from a prominent family, and both Shi Xiangyun and Lin Daiyu fit this description.

Jia Yuanchun smiled and said, "Sister Xiangyun, let your hair down so we can see how much is left."

Shi Xiangyun stood up quickly, blushing and ran to Sanchun, "I'm not going to pay attention to you guys anymore!"

Everyone soon burst into laughter, making fun of Shi Xiangyun.

On the contrary, Xue Baochai, who had just set the date for her wedding, became a joke that no one laughed at. She sat aside awkwardly and forced a smile.

Both of them are slightly plump beauties and extroverted, but Xue Baochai is inferior to Shi Xiangyun in every way.

She is not as good as her in birth, use of things, or knowledge. Although she looks better than her, she is marrying the same man, and will definitely not be as favored as her in the future.

Xue Baochai's object of comparison is no longer Lin Daiyu, but Shi Xiangyun, who feels that her situation is similar.

The dinner ended in a lively atmosphere. Both the girl from the Xing family and the girl from the Li family had a general sense of stability in their expectations.

The rest of the people were also busy preparing for the New Year.

Only a few people helped with Xue Baochai's marriage, and it became more lively because of Jia Rong.

Lin Daiyu and Shi Xiangyun lived in the same yard with Xue Baochai, but Xue Baochai didn't care at all about having these two people come to help.

A wedding character was pasted outside Xue Baochai's room, and big red lanterns were hung in the yard.

Unfortunately, these were all used in the weddings of Yuanyang and Ping'er, and many of them were originally intended for Qingwen and Yinglian.

Not only were the wedding candles, golden cups and red veil used by others, but even Jia Rong had been used by another woman.

On the wedding night, when Xue Baochai was loved by Jia Rong, she suddenly thought of this and could not help but shed tears in pain.

When Jia Rong was trying hard on Xue Baochai, he remembered the poem of Xue Baochai's brother Xue Pan.

The daughter is happy, and wakes up lazily on the morning of the wedding night.

Both of them were distracted at the critical moment and thought about irrelevant but very real problems.

(End of this chapter)