The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 183 Audacity
I went home and looked at the sign in front of my door.

【Zhongxiao Palace】

Ningguo Mansion is gone, only the Prince Zhongxiao's Mansion remains.

The original Ningguo Mansion and Rongguo Mansion combined are not enough to meet the standards of a royal palace. Jia Rong is considering whether to go to the Zhongxiao Palace or expand it himself.

Anyway, there has been some demolition going on in the capital recently, so a lot of space has been vacated.

"Forget it, let's just stay here. If we're too close to the palace, we won't be able to delay if something urgent happens."

Jia Rong decided to stay a little further away from the palace.

"The prince is back! The prince is back!"

When the gatekeeper saw Jia Rong coming back, he shouted with joy.

When Jia Rong rode his horse in through the small door, a group of men and women knelt down and kowtowed.

"Meet the prince!"

"Greetings to Lord Zhongxiao!"

King of loyalty and filial piety!
Not a prince, but a real prince.

There are only about a dozen princes in the country at present.

"Get up."

Jia Rong asked, "Is everything peaceful at home?"

Lin Zhixiao's daughter Lin Hongyu was kneeling alone on the side and stood up to answer.

"Reporting to the prince, everything is fine at home. Several women and men died in the outer courtyard, and then they died. Qiao'er and Ling'er in the garden got pregnant. Fortunately, they were safe and sound and recovered smoothly."

Jia Rong nodded and said, "Okay, it's all right. Xiaohong, follow me in, and the rest of you go down to work."

Lin Zhixiao led everyone to shout, "Yes! Your Majesty!"

After Jia Rong rode in on his horse and Xiaohong followed with the maids and old women, everyone stood up.

A nearby servant smiled at Lin Zhixiao and said, "Butler Lin is so lucky to have a daughter who became a princess!"

Lin Zhixiao quickly put on a stern face, "Don't talk nonsense, she is the prince's concubine. How could she be so lucky as to become a princess? It's the blessing of the ancestors that she can be a concubine!"

Even though he was teaching someone a lesson, Lin Zhixiao couldn't suppress the curled corners of his mouth.

Both the husband and wife are slaves, and their daughter is also a slave in the family.

But not only was she chosen by Jia Rong to be his maid, she was also taken into his room to be his aunt and was given the status of a concubine.

What is even more unexpected is that Jia Rong became the King of the Country and, as if in a dream, became a prince.

Lin Zhixiao couldn't even dream of such a beautiful thing! Even in the vernacular novels, they didn't dare to make up such a story.

When Jia Rong arrived at the front yard, Yuanyang, Ping'er, Qingwen, Yinglian and the maids in the room were all waiting to greet him at the door.

The women quickly knelt down and shouted to Jia Rong who was riding over, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Stand up and follow me to the garden to have a look."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Yuanyang and others stood up with a smile.

Qingwen smiled and said, "Prince, are you really becoming a monk?"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "It's just a matter of shaving your head and being a lay monk at home. It won't affect your eating, drinking and sleeping. Are Yinglian, Qingwen and Xiaohong pregnant?"

All three shook their heads, "No."

Jia Rong rode slowly and indifferently, "Don't worry, I'll give you more opportunities to show your abilities in the next few months. Don't wear too many clothes when it's hot. Anyway, there are no outsiders in the house."

Qingwen was the first to say, "Thank you, Master! Thank you, Your Majesty!!"

Qingwen thanked him happily and dressed brightly today.

Qingwen's heart melted with joy at the mere thought of becoming the prince's woman.

Yuanyang and others also understood Qingwen's happiness.

Xiao Hong said gratefully: "Thank you, Your Majesty! Xiao Hong will work like a slave to repay your kindness in this life and the next!"

Jia Rong continued walking, "Be good and just do your job well."

The girls followed Jia Rong on horseback and soon saw Jia Yuanchun and Wang Xifeng coming to greet them in a sedan chair with an umbrella.

The people who carried the sedan chair were women who usually worked and washed clothes. They were the maids of the daughters-in-law who were in their thirties or forties and worked regularly.

Eight married women came over carrying a sedan that looked like a boat, and next to the sedan was a maid holding a large umbrella.

Jia Yuanchun led everyone in bowing, "Greetings to the prince! Greetings to the loyal and filial prince!"

Jia Yuanchun half-squatted to salute, while the others knelt.

Jia Rong got off his horse and said, "Stand up. From now on, just stand and talk. We don't have to be so particular in our family."

Wang Xifeng was unhappy, but then she smiled and said, "Your Majesty! When my uncle's family goes out, they always beat gongs to clear the way. In addition to the four people carrying the sedan chair, there are also people who clear the way and hold signs, beat gongs and shout, and there are also followers. The master didn't care about the pomp and circumstance before, but now he is a prince, how can he not be particular?"

Jia Yuanchun agreed with this point, "Your Highness, the Emperor has granted us a carriage, eight fine horses, and many other gifts that have been stored in the treasury. For travel alone, he has granted us two hundred Eight Treasure Yellow Dragon Umbrellas."

Jia Rong looked at the 1.67-meter-long umbrella that looked like a rolling curtain and had a yellow dragon painted on it. It was obviously of a specification that only the emperor and princes could use.

"Okay, let's go back to the house and talk."

Jia Rong didn't want to talk about this with them. He never liked having too many people around him.

Jia Yuanchun took the initiative to say, "Please get into the sedan chair, Your Majesty."

Wang Xifeng felt that Jia Rong did not like this, so she advised him, "Your Majesty, today is a happy day. It is the first day our prince returns home, so let us, the useless ones, have some fun!"

Jia Rong walked over helplessly and sat on the wide sedan chair carried by eight beautiful wives. This sedan chair had no obstructions on the four sides, and it was not a golden chariot for formal outings. It was just a means of transportation for sightseeing in the garden.

After arriving at Tianxiang Tower, Jia Rong was carried into the yard by eight women.

Jia Rong asked curiously, "Where did you find these eight beautiful women?"

Wang Xifeng, who was walking beside the sedan chair, smiled and said, "It was sent by the uncle of the emperor. The uncle of the emperor also sent three boxes of gold, silver and jewelry, saying that he was grateful for taking care of the empress dowager in the palace during those few days."

Jia Rong got off the sedan chair casually.

"Are the girls all right?"

"I'm fine!" Shi Xiangyun ran out of the house and shouted to the inside, "Come out quickly!"

Soon, the beautifully dressed women came out, knelt down and shouted in unison: "Greetings to the prince! Greetings to the loyal and filial prince!"

Jia Rong said with a smile: "Hurry up, this is your first greeting, it will last a lifetime, you don't need to be so polite in the future, just greet me as you like, or you don't have to."

Jia Yuanchun tried to persuade him, "Your Highness, how can this be possible? You are a prince now! There must be some rules in your family."

Jia Rong said impatiently, "Listen to me when I'm here! You guys just say one thing in public and another in private! Let's go in and talk."

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "Your Majesty knows how to make things difficult for us. He says one thing on the surface and another behind the scenes. We girls don't know how to do that."

Just as Jia Rong was about to talk to her, he saw the old lady and Lady Wang and Li Wan come out.

"Is the old lady okay? No need to greet, let's go in and talk."

Jia Rong took the initiative to exempt the old lady from the kneeling ceremony.

The old lady did not listen, but knelt down and said, "Greetings to the prince! Greetings to the loyal and filial prince!"

The old lady knelt down, and of course Mrs. Wang and Li Wan also had to kneel down.

"Please stand up." Jia Rong quickly looked at Lin Daiyu.

Lin Daiyu quickly went over to help the old lady up.

Jia Yuanchun also helped Mrs. Wang to get up.

Xue Baochai and Wang Xifeng were unable to react in time.

The rest didn't take it seriously.

Soon everyone went into the house to talk.

Jia Rong and Jia Yuanchun sat together, and next to the old lady were Lin Daiyu and Shi Xiangyun.

Mrs. Wang sat opposite Jia Yuanchun, while Mrs. You and the old lady were in the same row.

Each person’s seat is assigned a specific place, especially during festivals and important occasions, there are internal regulations.

Jia Xichun's position was higher than the others. She sat at the table behind Jia Rong with Yingchun and Tanchun.

Theoretically, she is the largest member of the Jia family in Ning Mansion.

But it's just theory.

Now that Jia Rong’s surname is no longer Jia, Jia Xichun’s generation relationship becomes awkward again.

The old lady smiled at Jia Rong and said, "The prince is now a descendant of the loyal and filial princes. This is a great thing. I just don't know who will be the one to offer sacrifices to the Ning Mansion in the future?"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "It is better for me to do it. This kind of thing should be handled roughly rather than in detail. Besides, I am offering sacrifices to the emperor's line, and I will go to offer sacrifices with the emperor in the future."

"We'll talk about family matters after the children grow up."

The old lady nodded and said with a smile: "Our family is now considered a royal family."

Jia Rong laughed and said, "Yes, it's not because of women that he became a royal relative, but because of a man like me!"

Seeing that Jia Rong was still boasting so casually, Lin Daiyu leaned against the old lady and said, "Grandma, look at our prince. He just looks down on us women!"

Jia Rong poured cold water on her and said, "Sister Daiyu doesn't know about the various things going on in the palace. I can't stand watching a lot of them. When everyone wanted to send Yuanchun to the palace, I was always against it. I'm determined to keep Yuanchun even if it's a done deal."

Xichun asked curiously, "What does it mean to make a fait accompli?"

Jia Yuanchun blushed.

Jia Rong ignored Jia Xichun and continued, "The imperial family is the most ruthless. Women in the palace are like being in prison. There are all kinds of poisoning and framing, and there are constant open and covert struggles."

"Even if he was good at scheming, so what? After the death of the retired emperor, all the concubines who had built a garden to visit his parents and had a great time were sentenced to death and buried with him." "Some drank poisoned wine, some hanged themselves, and some were strangled to death by eunuchs and palace maids with bowstrings."

Xichun seemed to have heard a horror story and stayed close to Yingchun in the hot weather.

Tanchun also listened with a frown on her face.

Jia Yuanchun felt as if she could imagine that miserable scene.

The old lady and others couldn't laugh either.

Seeing that everyone stopped laughing, Jia Rong continued, "Without those poor women supporting the cold palace, the so-called royal relatives will surely become more and more miserable in the future, and the emperor's uncle will not be any better."

"Throughout history, there has never been a woman who is good at managing a household and can earn a man's title to his wife and children. I have worked hard for more than a decade, treading on thin ice and being very careful in the court, and only then have I achieved my current position."

"We should not get involved in state affairs. I have some rare time to relax at home recently. I will make medicine and pray for the emperor. I hope everyone will be happy. Let's eat."

Jia Yuanchun's maid quickly shouted outside, "Serve the meal!"

After Jia Rong crushed everyone's arrogance, everyone calmed down a little and soon became happy again in the lively atmosphere.

Now he is no longer a royal relative, but the emperor’s brother recognized by the emperor, a real prince!
They are also a truly upper-class family!
After dinner, the girls became lively again, while Jia Rong was chatting with the old lady, Mrs. Wang, Jia Yuanchun, Youshi, and Wang Xifeng in the side hall.

Many maids and wives upstairs and downstairs were busy sending the boy back to the west yard.

You Erjie and You Sanjie were playing with the children, and Lin Daiyu was also here to tease the children.

Shi Xiangyun and Xue Baoqin were competing in poetry, while Li Wan was chatting about family matters with the Li sisters.

Li Wan clearly feels that the deeper her ties with the West are, the more trouble she will get into, so she is trying hard to tie herself to her two cousins.

The Li sisters' father died early and their mother lived in poverty. They have lived here since they came to Ning Mansion. Now, after waiting for several years to get married, they found that they had become the women of the prince's family. They suddenly felt that everything was worth it.

The two sisters used to be quite conservative because of the relationship between Li Wan, a widow, and their mother, a widow. However, after spending many years here and realizing that Jia Rong did not like conservative women, they began to change.

Xue Baochai and Aunt Xue were talking about the Xue family, Xing Xiuyun and Madam Xing were chatting happily, and Miaoyu was also looking at the man with shaved head curiously.

Qin Keqing took Qiao'er and Ling'er to play skipping rope, and she didn't care at all about her skirt and breasts shaking.

Yuanyang and Ping'er also brought a large group of maids to eat and chat. After the master of the house had finished his meal, it was time for these maids to eat, and Jia Rong also allowed them to eat at the table in the hall, and they could even chat and laugh while eating.

Jia Rong loves to be lively, but he doesn't want others to live too well.

Jia Rong quickly said to the old lady, "I am still the same as before. I feel that having an old lady at home is like having a treasure. After the old lady moves in, she will help to take care of everything. Sometimes it is inconvenient for me to manage the affairs of the family. Just like Yuanchun said, sometimes I will spoil her."

Jia Yuanchun was flattered. She never thought that Jia Rong would have such a moment.

The old lady smiled and said, "It's not like there are no capable people in the prince's family. I think your wife is very good."

The old lady was talking about Youshi, who quickly said, "How can I be as good as you, old ancestor? The girls in this family were all trained by you, but I'm the only one who makes them lazy. Keqing used to be such a hardworking girl, but now she's become so lazy with me and my second and third sisters. I don't dare teach anyone bad things anymore."

Jia Rong nodded and said, "That's right. You should take care of it, old lady. From now on, the old lady and the mistress will live in the mansion. The weather is getting hot, and it will be troublesome to move around."

The old lady had nothing to do when she went back. The house was very quiet and lonely. After hearing Jia Rong's invitation, she naturally wanted to stay.

"Then I'll stay." The old lady agreed with a smile.

Jia Rong just wanted a few lazy girls to get up early every day to pay their respects to the old lady.

Jia Rong himself would definitely not go, but he encouraged others to go.

Youshi smiled and said, "It's good that the old ancestor is here. I won't care about those girls. I will take care of my yard first."

It was obvious that Youshi was not the type who would come back. She had been living a good life for so long that she would never want to go back.

Because of smallpox this month, everyone has stayed in their own yard for a long time. It’s only become so lively today after they were able to come out.

After staying at home for a long time, and then coming out early in the morning to stand by and serve others for dinner, forget it.

Everyone was talking and laughing, and the old lady asked curiously, "What should we call Brother Zhen's wife now? Can she be considered the mother of the prince, the Concubine Dowager?"

Jia Rong said, "Of course not. My generation starts with me. I am the prince, Yuanchun is the princess, and as for the wife, she is still the wife. The official title is Madam You."

Everyone thought it was reasonable. After the emperor bestowed the surname, it was natural to count downwards.

Jia Rong asked again: "How is Baoyu these days?"

Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "Fortunately, he is not in the capital, otherwise it would be terrible if he ran around everywhere and got sick."

The old lady also smiled and said, "Baoyu wrote back saying that everything is going well. Thanks to the prince, he has met many people."

Jia Rong laughed and said, "Then he will have to take advantage of it."

Jia Yuanchun asked curiously, "What happy event has happened to the master?"

The old lady and Mrs. Wang both sat up straight and watched, it was obvious that good things were going to happen to Jia Baoyu.

Jia Rong said, "The emperor will promote the political elders in a while. Also, there have been many incidents this year. Let's wait for a few months for stability. After that, maybe there will be a general amnesty. I will help to talk to Baoyu about it. When his temper settles down and his knowledge increases, I will let him take the imperial examination."

The old lady and others were laughing happily and kept praising Jia Rong for his ability.

Jia Rong chatted with a few people for a while, and suddenly saw Li Wan going upstairs, and his heart moved.

"You guys talk, I'll go up and take a rest."

Jia Yuanchun thought Jia Rong didn't like being here, so she nodded and said, "Okay."

The others also thought it was normal. Jia Rong preferred to sit at the girls' table and had little to say to the old lady and the other ladies.

A grown man really can't say much to his wife and mother-in-law.

Tianxiang Tower has six toilets. In addition to the toilets in the courtyard for kitchen staff and female guests outside, there are also several toilets in the house for young ladies and maids to use.

There are toilets in the rooms where the hostesses live, and there is also a public toilet on the second floor for the wet nurse, maids and children to use. It uses a flush toilet from the roof down, with six cubicle seats and a long mirror for washing hands and tidying hair.

This is the toilet that Li Wan uses. Now the wet nurse has sent the children away, the older children in the family have gone back to rest, and the maids and the ladies are all busy downstairs, so it is very quiet here in the inner room on the second floor.

Li Wan had just finished washing her hands and was lowering her head to adjust her handkerchief when she suddenly bumped into someone on the street.

Li Wan suddenly felt someone hugging her, and when she looked up, she saw Jia Rong smiling.

"Your Majesty..."

Jia Rong hugged Li Wan and pressed her against the wall, smiling and saying, "Sister-in-law, are you drunk? You can't even walk steadily."

Li Wan didn't dare to speak loudly, and whispered, "No, Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was walking without paying attention and bumped into Your Majesty."

Jia Rong continued to stick to her, "I did this on purpose. I've been waiting for you for a long time, just waiting for you to fall into my trap~"

Li Wan's face turned red. When she was in a dilemma, she suddenly heard footsteps. She became even more nervous and hoped that Jia Rong would get out of the way quickly.

"Your Highness, someone is coming..." Li Wan whispered to Jia Rong to let go of his hand.

"It doesn't matter who comes!" Jia Rong didn't care about that. He continued to push Li Wan against the wall, holding her arms with both hands and narrowing his eyes. "I am now a high-ranking official with great power in the court. Madam, are you willing to sleep with me in bed?"

The footsteps coming up the stairs quickly quieted down, as if they were listening.

To prove her innocence, Li Wan whispered, "Your Majesty, the princess and the princess dowager are downstairs, please don't force me."

Jia Rong sneered, "I give them face, they are the princesses and consorts. If I don't, humph! Today I will see who dares to ruin my good deeds! Let's go!"

Li Wan had never expected Jia Rong to be so brave, but Jia Rong was very brave and directly pulled her towards the stairs.

Soon Jia Rong pulled Li Wan to the stairs and saw Mrs. Wang and her maid Caixia who were eavesdropping.

Mrs. Wang looked up at Jia Rong and Li Wan, and stood there at a loss as to what to do.

Caixia quickly lowered her head and didn't dare to look.

Li Wan was even more ashamed and embarrassed. She did not dare to refuse Jia Rong, and was even more embarrassed to face Mrs. Wang.

Jia Rong put one arm around Li Wan and put the other hand to his mouth and made a hushing gesture.

"Madam, please keep it a secret for us and don't tell anyone else!"

Mrs. Wang looked at Jia Rong and Li Wan with difficulty, nodded quickly, and turned around and left.

At this time, Mrs. Wang no longer cared about the couple behind her, and went downstairs directly with her maid.

The old lady was playing cards when Li Wan's maid came over.

"Madam, is our grandma going to the toilet up there?"

Mrs. Wang nodded and said, "Your grandmother and I have something to do. You don't have to worry about it. Go back and rest."

Li Wan's maid wanted to stay and play some more, but seeing that Mrs. Wang looked unhappy, she had no choice but to leave.

Mrs. Wang quickly whispered to Caixia, "Don't tell anyone!"

Caixia hurriedly whispered, "Don't worry, Madam. I will never tell anyone even if I die."

Mrs. Wang quickly stood guard with Caixia to help the couple upstairs get away with it.

Soon Jia Yuanchun was about to go back to rest. When she saw her mother paying attention to her, she asked curiously, "Caixia, what are you doing here?"

Mrs. Wang quickly came over from a chair at the side and said, "Let the girls and the old lady go. There is a commotion going on upstairs."

Jia Yuanchun frowned and sighed quickly, "Sorry for the trouble, mother. Leave this to me. Qingyun, you stay here and if anyone asks, just say that the prince and I are up there."

"Please mother, go and accompany the old lady. Don't worry about this matter. Just let him be happy. He has been worrying too much about our Jia family over the years. Just go along with him."

Mrs. Wang whispered, "I'm not afraid of that, I'm afraid of what to do if I get pregnant."

Jia Yuanchun had naturally considered this matter, and had thought about it before the incident happened.

"Li Wan is too old to be able to have a child. Even if she does, it doesn't matter. Baoyu and Jia Lan can't be relied on. In the future, father and mother will still need the master's son to offer sacrifices. It's the same thing after all. Mother, don't worry about it. If you really want to take care of it, let Tanchun help you as soon as possible. It's not easy for me to talk to her about some things."

When Mrs. Wang saw that her daughter knew who the couple was at once, she could only nod and agree. At this time, she was not even sure whether this was something her daughter had already tacitly agreed to or even pushed for.

Now that Jia Rong is in a high position and has great power, and he is also a prince, the Jia family is counting on Jia Rong to save their lives, so how could they dare to make such a thing public and ruin Jia Rong's reputation?

Jia Rong didn't want the pomp and circumstance only because it was convenient for him to move around, not because he didn't understand the power and status of being a prince.

Whether it was Lady Wang or the old lady, or even anyone else in this courtyard, if they saw Jia Rong and Li Wan going to bed, they would choose to keep it a secret instead of shouting and spreading it around.

If this kind of thing really gets out, then there will be no chance for the West to turn things around. There will be rotten fish and shrimps everywhere, and no one in the family will be clean. Maybe the emperor will order them all to be killed.

(End of this chapter)