The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 213 Don’t let the family scandal be publicized
It was already dark when Jia Rong got home in the evening.

Xiaohong was supervising people sweeping the snow. When she saw Jia Rong coming back, she quickly walked over.

"Your Highness, today the prefects of Jinling, Suzhou, Jiangning, Suzhou and Hangzhou sent gifts."

"Master Lian heard that the prince liked foreign beauties, so he sent a female slave from Southeast Asia."

Jia Rong smiled and said, "It's a good idea, but I'm very busy and I don't need women. I'll have someone tell them that I don't need them."

"Yes." Xiaohong agreed quickly.

Jia Rong asked curiously again: "Where is the person?"

Xiao Hong knew that Jia Rong was talking about the slave girl, and quickly said, "She was locked up in the cement room in the front yard. We were afraid that she would steal or break things."

Jia Rong looked over and soon saw a thin, short woman of Southeast Asian appearance.

"Give her something to eat and drink, and have someone send it back."

Jia Rong had no interest in this kind of thing. Not only was she skinny, but her hygiene was also worrying.

Xiaohong quickly made arrangements to take this woman, who could barely speak some language, to dinner, and then had someone send her back.

Jia Rong returned to Tianxiang Tower and saw those skinny ordinary women, and then looked at the beautiful girl he raised who was plump, fair-skinned and beautiful.

"Brother Rong!"

As soon as Jia Rong walked into the hall, he looked over and saw Wang Xifeng and others who were bowing their heads and keeping silent, as well as Jia Xichun who looked very arrogant.

Jia Tanchun and Jia Yingchun were both trying to stop Jia Xichun from making trouble. Even Shi Xiangyun stayed away from her and ate at a different table with Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai.

Jia Yuanchun stood up and said, "Stop making trouble! Your Majesty, please sit down and have a rest. The meal is ready. It has snowed outside all day today. Next year will surely be a good year."

Jia Rong followed Jia Yuanchun to the main table and sat down. He asked curiously, "Why is Xichun so happy today?"

Xichun smiled and said, "No! I met the elder sister of the Wei family today. The Wei family doesn't have any officials now. Rong'er, please help them arrange a few officials. Xue Pan and Xue Ke are both fine. The Wei family will definitely be fine too."

Jia Rong sat down and smiled. "No one recommended me to be an official. I got here step by step on my own. You are married to someone to share the joys and sorrows. Husbands and wives should share weal and woe."

"You are used to a rich life at home, so it is inevitable that you will not adapt and complain about the world. Today you will eat standing up. In the future, you must abide by the rules of being a woman and be filial to your mother-in-law."

Shi Xiangyun and the others all laughed, they really were tricked.

Xue Baoqin whispered, "I told her to behave herself, but she just wouldn't listen."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "It's not a big deal. Everyone has gone through this. When Xichun becomes a mother-in-law in the future, you will also have a daughter-in-law to serve you!"

Xichun said to Jia Rong unhappily, "You just don't want me to get married, and you're deliberately bullying me!"

Jia Rong shook his head. "It's not like you haven't been to Rongguo Mansion before. How could you forget that at that time, the wives and grandmothers all stood and waited on the old lady at meals?"

"I spoil you when you are at home and I don't want you to work hard, but you should also understand the rules outside."

"If you don't believe me, ask the others, whether it's Tanchun, Yingchun, Xiangyun, Baochai, or Daiyu, whose family isn't like this? Even Yuanchun has to serve her mother-in-law sometimes."

Jia Yuanchun said helplessly: "What the prince said is true. Xichun, you will marry there next year to be a daughter-in-law. That place is not our home. You represent the face of the Jia family and the prince's mansion. How can you not follow the rules?"

Jia Xichun sat down and said, "Let's talk about it later. I haven't married yet, so just sit down and eat!"

Jia Yuanchun frowned. This girl was extremely unruly.

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Of course you can, but you can't use our family rules to ask others to follow them after you get married. It will make me look like a bully."

Xichun smiled and said, "Of course not!"

Jia Rong had no intention of reasoning with the woman.

"Okay, I'll trust you this time. Let's eat. Have you seen the furs delivered today?"

Jia Yuanchun replied, "I saw five rare black fox skins. I didn't know how to divide them, so I kept one for myself, gave one each to Sister Feng, Sister Qin, and Madam, and the remaining one to be made into a pair of boots or a cloak."

Jia Rong thought for a moment and said, "Use the white fox skin to make clothes for the girls, and use the remaining black and yellow fox skins to make hats with warm ears for the children. I have enough clothes. I have already made two sets of clothes with tiger and bear skins this year, but they will not be used for the time being."

"Yes." Jia Yuanchun just solved the distribution problem.

Qin Keqing entered the family early and, like Wang Xifeng, was a relatively important concubine.

Youshi is my mother-in-law, so I have to give it to her.

Everyone continued to eat, and after dinner they sat together to chat about the New Year. "I'll basically be busy at the palace during the holidays this year, so you can take care of things at home. Don't be extravagant this year, or you'll be too competitive and have your relatives come over to ask for money."

Shi Xiangyun asked curiously, "Whose relative is he?"

Jia Rong replied, "The Wang family, the Jia family, the Xue family, the Shi family, the Xing family, the Li family, the You family, and the Lin family and the Wei family."

Lin Daiyu felt very innocent and quickly said in astonishment: "Why is there still a Lin family? Which Lin family?"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Of course it's your Lin family. Although your father has no brothers, sisters or relatives, the Lin family from your hometown often come to borrow money. If you don't believe me, go back and ask your wet nurse Wang Mama and Xueyan."

"And the relatives of the You family have come here quite often over the years." Jia Rong looked at them one by one. "The Wang family of Jinling, the Xue family, the Li family, and the Shi family, many of them come here every New Year."

Jia Rong laughed and said, "Let's count it. Yinglian, who was bought by me, has no problems. Yuanyang, Qingwen and Xiaohong also have a lot of problems."

Wang Xifeng blushed, "Where's Sister Qin?"

Jia Rong replied, "The Qin family has a high official, so naturally they don't need to come over to receive the money. However, I arrange many things for the Qin family. Keqing has been married for nearly ten years and has never returned to her parents' home. Her brother is also taken care of by his father, so he has the second least things to do."

Jia Yuanchun asked curiously, "Are there a lot of things going on at the Li family as well?"

Jia Rong nodded. "When I was young, I studied with the Li family for a few days. But after I got engaged to you, they chased me away and wouldn't let me go. Later, I didn't bother to pay attention to them. After I became successful, those people came to try to establish a relationship with me just like the four kings and eight dukes before. Anyway, they are very annoying."

Jia Yuanchun said, "The Wei family came today to ask how to get rid of relatives during the New Year and what to do about the wedding."

Jia Rong said, "Let Xichun live with the old lady. This is the prince's palace. Xichun will marry out as a member of the Jia family, not as a prince's wife."

"Xichun's father was posthumously conferred the title of fifth-rank official. Princes and nobles needed half a year to get engaged, scholars and officials needed three months, and children from poor families only needed one month."

"Just follow the rules. It's okay to be a little casual when we are family, but in the future, Xichun will marry and become someone else's daughter-in-law. We can't let others find fault with us."

Jia Rong directly lowered the standards for Jia Xichun's marriage, shortening the waiting period from half a year to one month.

What is shortened is not only the time, but also the various specifications of treatment.

Jia Yuanchun was in a dilemma. "There is no room in the east. My father and mother are still living in the same place. The old lady, Baoyu and his wife, and more than fifty servants are already very crowded."

Xichun quickly realized who held the power in the family, but she was still angry.

"I'll move out! I'll rent a big house and do whatever I want! I have plenty of money!"

Xichun had long been fed up with being controlled by Jia Rong. Even though he was her nephew, he was unreasonable all day long and would not be satisfied until others flattered him!

Jia Yuanchun said angrily, "Sit down! Who gave you the money? Was it your father or your master?! We have spoiled you since you were little, even letting you decide on your marriage, but you still act so unruly! Without your master Rong, do you think the Wei family would respect you?!"

Xichun felt extremely aggrieved and stood up and ran outside.

Jia Rong quickly said worriedly: "Go and look after her! Take her back and take care of her. Don't do anything stupid!"

"Yes! Your Majesty!"

After the maid left, Jia Rong showed a helpless expression, "Forget it, forget it, just get married soon. Girls cannot be kept at home when they grow up. No matter how good I treat her, she can't beat a stranger whom I have only met twice."

When Shi Xiangyun and others heard what Jia Rong said, they all felt that Xichun was going too far.

Jia Rong quickly said to the others, "Don't let this matter get out! If anyone does, I'll kick him out!"

No one dared to say such gossip, and they all quickly nodded in agreement.

The next day, Jia Rong went out and complained to the emperor.

"She is the kind of woman who has been cared for by us for 16 years and she just thinks it is what our family should do. But when she gets older and starts to have sexual desire, she can't even walk because of the man she has only met secretly once. She even lost her relatives' reputation just to sleep with him."

"There should be very few women like this. I have only seen this one. What a misfortune for her family! If I had known, I would not have sent her to Rongguo Mansion to be raised!"

The emperor looked at Jia Rong's distressed expression and had only a wry smile on his face. "There should be many women like this, but women and villains are the hardest to raise. If you get close to them, they will be disrespectful. If you keep away from them, they will complain."

After all, there are such women in his own family, and the emperor feels that it is easy for unfaithful women to appear among these women.

Jia Rong sighed and said, "Your Majesty is right. When she suffers in the future, she will blame me for not finding her a good husband and not helping her. Sometimes I wish I could let her be a nun for the rest of her life, but I think that would be too cruel. After all, she is my aunt. After thinking about it, I decided to let it go. I just hope she can be a good woman after she gets married."

The emperor was worried about his own affairs and asked, "Has my brother met Princess Jinling?"

Jia Rong said, "I have seen her several times, and she always left after finishing her work. Last time, she said there was something fun in her room and asked me to go over and take a look. I had something to do at the time, so I went over first, and I don't know what it was."

The emperor immediately didn't want to bother with this trivial matter anymore and let Jia Rong handle it himself.

(End of this chapter)