The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 169 Spending Big Money

The lively New Year is about to pass, and everyone gathered together again on the last day of the New Year.

You Erjie and You Sanjie also came to eat with Youshi, but Jia Rong was not there.

Jia Yuanchun sat on the main seat and said, "The prince is not feeling well today. Master will go to treat him this afternoon and come back after dinner. Let's eat first."

Youshi nodded and said, "Okay, let's eat first."

Jia Yuanchun and Youshi took the lead in picking up their chopsticks, and the others followed suit and started eating.

Except when Jia Rong is around, we can talk while eating, but otherwise we basically don't chat while eating.

After finishing eating and rinsing our mouths, we sat down and continued chatting.

The meal time is generally less than fifteen minutes. However, some people eat slowly and it may take them half an hour to pick and choose from a bowl of rice and a few dishes.

Wang Xifeng, Youshi and Jia Yuanchun were at the same table, and the housekeeper and the non-housekeeper had different seats.

When there are no outside guests, Sanchun still has one table.

The maid brought tea and a golden cup for rinsing mouth. After rinsing her mouth, Wang Xifeng wiped her mouth and a smile appeared naturally on her face.

"Sister Yuanchun, I will ask Master about next month's affairs later. I have been resting for more than ten days, and it is time to get busy."

Princess Jinling was locked up in Prince Xiao's mansion and was not allowed to go out. The royal family thought she was a disgrace, and Jia Rong had no intention of making her their legal wife, so he only went to visit her occasionally to comfort her and have some fun.

Everyone in the family tacitly agreed not to talk about the princess.

Jia Yuanchun nodded and said, "Leave the household affairs to Sister Baochai."

Xue Baochai, who was sitting at the same table with Sanchun, quickly looked over there, stood up and said, "Grandma, I'm not familiar with the family affairs yet, and I don't know what to do."

Wang Xifeng said, "Just let Ping'er and the Zhen family help you. They know how to do it. Tanchun can also help you."

Wang Xifeng directly appointed two and a half men to assist in supervising Xue Baochai.

It is impossible to delegate power. Even if Xue Baochai takes over temporarily, she has to let her own people occupy some positions.

Ping'er and Zhen Erniang both belong to Wang Xifeng, so Tanchun will definitely be closer to them than to Xue Baochai.

Jia Yuanchun didn't care about the housekeeper's affairs. This month she was mainly taking care of her sons, and the matters in the backyard were trivial matters.

"That's it. Sister Baochai and the other sisters will be in charge of Chaoyang Tower in the East Courtyard, Tianxiang Tower in the Middle Courtyard, and Four Seasons Garden in the back."

You said, "The four of us can look after Chaoyang Tower. It's a small place and there's nothing to do. The new garden to the west is far away. We are far away here and we are all old and don't want to move. It's better to leave it to the girls."

Jia Yuanchun had no objection, these were just trivial matters that could be ignored.

"Okay, each courtyard will still be managed by its original people, and Sister Baochai will be in charge of the personnel and various expenses of the backyard. You can approve anything below 100 taels yourself. There are many trivial matters at home every day, so I'm sorry to bother you sisters."

Xue Baochai, Ping'er, Tanchun and the second wife of the Zhen family all stood up and agreed to this task.

Everyone had almost finished eating. The maid came over to clear away the leftovers and brought in fruit and snacks. They also started moving tables to make room in the side hall, lit incense to purify the air, and put cushions on several chairs for the grandmothers to play cards comfortably.

Wang Xifeng stood up and said, "Let's go play cards and see how much I can win before the master comes."

Ever since the old lady stopped coming here to get in the way, everyone's playing cards has been based on skill and luck. In short, everyone loves playing cards more than before.

Ping Er came over and pulled Wang Xifeng to sit down, "Second Madam, please sit down. I want to tell you something. I guarantee that you will not be able to sleep and will not have the heart to play cards."

Wang Xifeng sat down again, and Youshi, Jia Yuanchun and others also looked over here.

Third Sister You smiled and asked, "What happened? What big thing happened in the past few days?"

Ping'er pulled Wang Xifeng's hand and placed it on her leg, then squeezed close to Wang Xifeng on the side of the couch, with a sly smile on her face.

"It happened a few days ago. When the master told us about it in advance, Second Mistress couldn't sit still and asked us not to talk about it."

When the others were curious, Lin Daiyu took quick steps and came over quickly from the table a few meters away, holding a fan to cover half of her face.

"I know this. Sister Ping'er, let me tell you."

Wang Xifeng glared at Lin Daiyu unceremoniously, "Hurry up and tell me!"

Lin Daiyu smiled and walked over to Jia Yuanchun and sat down, hiding behind her. "Big sister, she is mean to me~"

Jia Yuanchun smiled and hugged Lin Daiyu's hand, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it for you."

"Sister Feng, please apologize to Daiyu. She was kind enough to bring you the good news, but you were being mean to her."

Jia Yuanchun likes Lin Daiyu very much and dotes on her as much as Jia Rong does.

Wang Xifeng stood up helplessly, "Sister Daiyu, what good is it for me to apologize to you? Can it make me sit still? Don't underestimate me, your sister. I have seen all kinds of storms and waves."

Ping Er smiled and said, "Sister Daiyu, please tell me quickly. If you don't, I will tell you."

Lin Daiyu put her head on Jia Yuanchun's shoulder and said, "I won't say anything. My apology is not sincere at all. If you want to say something, go ahead and say it."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Okay, I'll show some sincerity. During the New Year, the master gave me three bottles of Hundred Flowers and Hundred Fruits Honey. This is not for eating, but for external use."

“Apply some to your hair when you wash it to prevent an itchy scalp, moisturize your hair, make it shiny and black, and reduce hair loss.”

"I usually use it secretly. When there are more people, it will be used up in a few days. Now I only have one and a half bottles left. Can I give you a bottle later?"

Lin Daiyu got up from Jia Yuanchun's shoulder and looked at Wang Xifeng's head with the other sisters.

Jia Yuanchun asked curiously, "Sister's hair does look much prettier. It's been a month, and I didn't even notice this."

Ping'er reached out and touched Wang Xifeng's hair. "Second Madam's hair is usually tied up, so it's hard to see clearly. But this hair feels smoother and cleaner than my hair, just like touching silk."

The girls from a distance also came over and surrounded Wang Xifeng to watch her, which made Wang Xifeng, who loved to show off, feel very happy.

"This stuff is not produced in large quantities. The master made it himself using medicine and honey fruit syrup. I don't understand the details, but it must be very laborious. There is no more."

Ping Er said quickly, "Then I'll tell Second Madam the good news. I don't want much, just half a bottle will do."

Lin Daiyu refused, "Sister Ping'er, I said it was my turn~"

Ping Er smiled and said, "Well, after you take it, just give me half of the bottle."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "That's right, just divide it equally with Ping'er."

Lin Daiyu said anxiously: "Sister is always hurting people. Look at the pairs of evil eyes around here. If you tell me, there will be no one left."

Wang Xifeng laughed and said, "I was wrong. You see, I was wrong too. The master told me to use it secretly. If I said it out loud, it would be gone. But I just couldn't control my mouth."

Ping Erh said, "Go ahead and tell me. If you don't tell me, I'll tell you for you."

Lin Daiyu is no match for these two men. Even though she has some tricks up her sleeve, the master and servant are playing tricks on themselves while the other is attacking steadily. How can Lin Daiyu be their match?

"The last time I went to Brother Rong's place, Brother Rong said that he had already received 20,000,000,000 taels of silver for the Third Prince's funeral. He was too busy to handle it and wanted to let Sister Feng take care of it. But he was afraid that you would not be able to take it after being busy for so long during the New Year and not getting enough rest. So he let you take a good rest for half a month before talking to you."

Wang Xifeng frowned, not happy. "Two million taels? What does so much money have to do with me? I don't care about such things. I eat when I'm hungry and sleep when I'm tired. You really underestimate me."

Wang Xifeng laughed and scolded these people, "Why do you have to hide such a small thing from me? I think I will use the whole bottle myself and give you half."

Lin Daiyu was no match for Wang Xifeng, and quickly acted coquettishly towards Jia Yuanchun, "Big sister, she's playing tricks on me!"

Jia Yuanchun decided for Lin Daiyu, "If you say one bottle, then it's one bottle. You are an adult now, you should set a good example for your sisters. Bring one bottle over later, and consider it a gift for me and Sister Daiyu."

Lin Daiyu shook Jia Yuanchun's arm, and half of the bottle was gone.

A group of women have to eat good things behind their children's backs, and of course they have to use good cosmetics behind their backs.

But sometimes I can't help showing off...

Wang Xifeng said helplessly, "Okay, I'll listen to you, sister. I'll be smarter next time. If you don't tell me, I won't stick my neck out to be set up by you. And Ping'er, you little bitch, you helped her dig a trap for me!"

Ping'er felt very wronged, "Second Madam is wronging me. Master said so, and I was going to say it directly, but Sister Daiyu insisted on snatching it away."

Seeing that Ping'er was in a bad mood, Lin Daiyu explained, "Brother Rong said that. He thinks that of you. Go and settle the score with him later. I will also help you talk to him."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "I dare not. If you want to say it, go ahead and say it yourself." While they were talking, Jia Rong came in from outside.

Jia Rong was still wearing his official uniform, and Jia Yuanchun stood up and led the girls to greet him.

When they saw Jia Rong coming into the hall, Jia Yuanchun asked with concern, "Master, are you going out again? Why haven't you changed into your regular clothes?"

Jia Rong said casually, "The prince is fine. He came back after discussing some things and having a meal. From now on, you can put your clothes in the room where you sleep. It will be convenient for you to go out at night."

Jia Yuanchun was relieved and took Jia Rong to the long couch to sit down.

Lin Daiyu saw that nothing happened today and the country was peaceful and the people were safe as usual, so she walked over to Jia Rong.

"Brother Rong, Sister Feng just bullied me."

After Jia Rong sat down, he raised his legs and placed them on the tiptoe stool brought by the maid.

"How could Sister Feng bully you for no reason? You must have been naughty. Sit down and talk. I just want to talk to Sister Feng about something. Sister Feng, sit down too."

To the left of Jia Rong sat the daughter of Jia Yuanchun's father's sister, and to the right of Jia Rong sat the daughter of Jia Yuanchun's mother's sister.

Lin Daiyu and Wang Xifeng are not directly related, but they are both related to Jia Yuanchun.

The rest of the people also found a seat and sat down, just like they were having a family meeting.

Lin Daiyu quickly complained: "Just now I told Sister Feng about the two million silver coins, and Sister Feng said I underestimated him!"

Jia Rong laughed and said, "You must have provoked Brother Feng."

Wang Xifeng laughed and said, "Master, please stop pampering her. She is becoming more and more naughty. She is so unruly and calls her brother Feng and sister Feng so unruly."

Jia Rong smiled and said, "It's okay to be casual at ordinary times. I just like to call you Brother Feng and Sister Feng. The servants won't call you anything other than Second Madam. We are family, so why do you care about it?"

Lin Daiyu took the initiative to give in, "That's right, Sister Feng's heart is as small as my mouth."

Wang Xifeng rolled her eyes and said, "If the master wasn't here, I would tear your mouth bigger!"

Lin Daiyu covered her mouth with a fan and pointed at Jia Rong with her finger, asking him to help her vent her anger.

Shi Xiangyun asked curiously, "Big brother, Sister Feng said she would give Daiyu a bottle of hair-nourishing water. I want it too..."

Jia Rong roughly understood the matter. "That is too troublesome to make. Your sister Feng has so many things to do every day. She is not like Yuanchun who has been pampered by me since she was a child. I saw that she had lost some hair this morning, so I took the time to make three bottles for her."

"I have thought carefully about your gifts. I will give you whatever you need."

"Xiangyun, you have everything you need. The most important thing is to be lively and happy."

"If you like it, I'll give you two bottles on your birthday."

Shi Xiangyun nodded happily, "Okay! Thank you, big brother!"

Lin Daiyu followed up by saying, "My birthday is in February. It will be my birthday in ten days. I want two bottles too."

Jia Rong looked at Lin Daiyu, who was shielding her face with a fan.

Jia Rong smiled and said, "That's true. Your hair is a little sparse. Sister Feng, give her a bottle first, and I'll fill it for you later."

Wang Xifeng said happily, "I will listen to you, Master!"

Lin Daiyu blushed, reached out and touched her hair, then quickly stood up and gave up her seat, no longer sitting next to Jia Rong.

"Brother Rong just knows how to bully people!"

As soon as she raised her butt, Shi Xiangyun sat over, making Xue Baochai and the others feel embarrassed to snatch it.

Lin Daiyu stood behind Wang Xifeng and started to tidy up her hair.

Wang Xifeng didn't like this, but she let her check her hair.

Compared to the little girl Lin Daiyu, Wang Xifeng is more concerned about what will happen next month.

"Master, does this funeral really cost two million silver coins?"

Jia Rong said, "It's more than enough. I went to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to collect the silver. I have already pulled out ten carts of silver. You can spend it as you like."

"The Emperor has already told me that we need to have a more lively and grand event, and recruit more craftsmen and workers, at least tens of thousands of people to participate. The monthly salary for the craftsmen alone will be hundreds of thousands of taels."

"Building the mausoleum, hiring people to perform rituals, various funeral supplies, tables, chairs, benches, white cloth, candles, utensils, etc., all use new ones. You know what's going on here. Anyway, I'm just a figurehead. I'll go there when I need to. You can handle the rest of the expenses."

Wang Xifeng might really be unable to sleep, "Two million...are they all under my control?"

Jia Rong said, "That's about right. I spent more than 100,000 yuan a while ago to select a site for construction. Didn't you know that I bought a few prostitutes from the Music Bureau a few days ago? The emperor gave me 10,000 taels that day and told me to spend it before going home, so I bought them and brought them here. I didn't spend any money from my family, so you don't know."

Lin Daiyu was surprised and asked, "Why did you give Brother Rong money to save people?"

Jia Rong said, "There is too much money in the treasury to spend. The emperor recently increased the salaries of civil and military officials and border troops, and also gave them a sum of money to maintain integrity. There are 100,000 officials across the country, and nearly 20 million silver coins have been directly issued."

"Just take care of the funeral affairs. You should accept the gifts from the princes and dukes, but don't promise anything to the officials outside, and don't get involved in matters other than the funeral, such as pleading for others or seeking justice in my name."

"Some things can be done, and some cannot. I have said many times that I will stand up for you if others bully you, and I have already protected you well. Who dares to bully you outside? Who doesn't come to visit politely? Even Yuanchun has been the head of the family for many years, and she has not tried to curry favor with other ladies like other wives of high officials."

Jia Yuanchun nodded and said, "Master is right. Over the years, both the princess and the queen have been accommodating me in every way for Master's sake."

The others also looked at Jia Rong seriously and truly felt his protection and tenderness.

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "That's right, Sister Feng, don't bully others anymore."

Wang Xifeng rolled her eyes helplessly and said, "I am afraid of you, my aunt. One day, you will be my aunt. Then I, as your elder sister, will teach you a lesson and set rules for you!"

Xue Baoqin smiled and said, "Exactly. Look who is still a girl now. We have to discuss some women's matters behind your backs."

"Baoqin, you are so vulgar!" Shi Xiangyun was affected and said shyly, "Who said there are only two of us? Aren't there two more?"

When everyone looked over, they saw Tanchun and Xichun.

Tanchun is the forgotten one, while Xichun is the elder.

Jia Rong saw that the topic was getting dangerous, so he smiled and said, "Don't hurt your friends by mistake. Xichun and Miaoyu are both monks. Tanchun doesn't talk to me much. She is quiet like Yingchun. She doesn't come to me all the time like you guys do, so she was forgotten."

Xue Baochai also covered for Baoqin and said with a smile: "Since the master has said so, Miss Tanchun should talk to the master more often in the future. You see, the master thinks that you are not close to him anymore~"

Tanchun countered, "I'm not as anxious as you are to have a son!"

After hearing this, Jia Rong patted his legs and said to Xue Baochai, "Come and sit down. I'll take a look for you."

Xue Baochai felt embarrassed to walk over and sit down, and sat on Jia Rong's lap amid the teasing of the other girls.

Jia Yuanchun said to the others, "Be quiet and don't disturb the master while he's feeling his pulse."

The others smiled and said nothing.

Jia Rong reached out and held Xue Baochai's wrist. After a minute, he smiled and said, "It should be possible. Send someone to congratulate your mother."

The maids nearby quickly gathered around and shouted in unison: "Congratulations, Master! Congratulations, Aunt Xue!"

Xue Baochai laughed excitedly. After looking around with her unfocused eyes, she gradually saw the group of sisters clearly.

Jia Rong patted Xue Baochai's buttocks and said, "Get up. I won't sleep with you these days. I have to get Yingchun married first. I hope she can give birth to ten daughters and eight sons this year."

Lin Daiyu took a quick look and asked, "Can there be ten or eight of them here?"

Everyone counted.

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "What's the big deal? If it's not enough, just collect more. Can our family afford it?"

Jia Yuanchun didn't want to take a maid as her sister, so she directly suggested: "Find someone from outside, preferably a well-educated daughter."

These words directly blocked the way for Zijuan, Ying'er, Yincai, Cuilu and other maids in various rooms to succeed!

(End of this chapter)