The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 29 August
In August, Jia Rong returned from the south.

After separating from Liu Xianglian, Jia Rong rode his horse directly to the outside of Ningguo Mansion.

Seeing this, the servants quickly came over to take the rope.

"Is everything okay at home?" Jia Rong asked directly about the situation at home.

The servant quickly said, "Everything is fine. There is nothing wrong in the mansion. It's just that our clan had a fight with some clan members from the West Mansion a few days ago. They were not the master, but a group of idle people who got drunk and started a quarrel."

"I will deal with it tomorrow." Jia Rong took note of this matter, dismounted and walked to Jia Yuanchun.

Not long after entering the mansion, Jia Yuanchun, Qin Keqing, Baoqin, and a group of maids came out to greet them.

"master!"

Looking at his wife, maidservants and the child held by the wet nurse, Jia Rong smiled and went into the house with everyone else.

He failed the provincial examination at the age of sixteen and got married. His son was born at the age of seventeen. Now at the age of eighteen, he is the father of five children.

At present, Baoqin and Jia Yuanchun are about to give birth, and Qin Keqing is also pregnant with her second child.

After Jia Rong came back, he chatted gently with his family for more than an hour. Later, he inquired about the affairs of the mansion and handled the matters that he should handle as the patriarch of the family.

While things were very busy here, the Rongguo Mansion also got the news.

"Oh no! We're going to be in trouble! Let's move out quickly!"

Xue Pan ran into the house and shouted loudly to his mother and sister.

Aunt Xue, who was sewing, stood up immediately and asked nervously, "What happened? Did the soldiers come to see you?"

Xue Baochai, who was standing by, also became nervous. She knew very well that her brother was not a good person and was afraid that he would cause trouble again.

However, Xue Baochai was calm and smart. She immediately comforted her mother and said, "This is Rongguo Mansion. How dare those villains come here to cause trouble?"

Xue Pan immediately said, "It's not that. It's that the master of the East Mansion has returned! Now many brothers dare not go out to drink, for fear of being whipped by that master. I heard that every time he beats people so hard that their skin is torn and they can't get out of bed for a year before he stops!"

Aunt Xue and Xue Baocha knew a lot about the great grandfather of the East Mansion.

He inherited the family business at the age of ten. At first, everyone thought he was not stable in the position, but in less than a month, he had governed the East Palace well and did a lot of good things in Jinling City.

Today, the Jia family in Jinling is prosperous, has a strong clan culture atmosphere, and is very close-knit.

Compared to the Xue family, the Jia family holds many key positions in Jinling City.

After arriving in the capital, he found that the Jia family's business was doing well, and many of the businesses were related to the royal family.

Another thing is that because of his young age, the old man did not directly donate money to become a prefect, but took the imperial examinations for several years. Some time ago, he went to study with Lin Daiyu's father, Lin Tanhua.

Aunt Xue laughed and said, "So what if he comes back? You are at the Jia family, can he come in and beat you up?"

Xue Pan was stunned when he heard this, and quickly said, "That's right, I heard Baoyu say that he seldom comes here, so I'd better stay here, and I don't have to be afraid of him."

Xue Baochai stood up and said, "I think we should go to the front and ask about this matter. He may want to see Sister Lin when he comes back. We should go to see her and make her familiar. We will have to deal with her in business and other matters in the future."

Aunt Xue nodded and said, "That's right. Let's change our clothes and go over."

Of course, beautiful and decent clothes should only be worn at critical moments, otherwise they will not look good after being washed too many times.

Ordinary clothes get dirty easily. If you are not rich, you cannot have so many good clothes to wear in rotation without changing the appearance.

Xue Pan was a man and could not meet the women in the mansion casually. Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai quickly took two maids to see Mrs. Wang.

Mrs. Wang was also drinking tea and chatting with Wang Xifeng, and beside them was the obedient Jia Baoyu.

Jia Baoyu was very quiet today. Even when his beautiful sister Xue Baochai came in, he was very well-behaved.

Aunt Xue smiled and said, "My son, why are you so obedient today?"

Mrs. Wang laughed and said, "He is afraid now."

Xue Baochai asked curiously, "What is Baoyu afraid of? Did he offend his uncle?"

Jia Baoyu said in defense, "I have been studying in the school recently. Sister Bao, please don't ask me if you have anything to do with me."

Aunt Xue said, "I don't know what happened to my husband today. He came back early and said that the master of the East Palace has returned. He can't drink with the brothers in the palace for the next few days."

Wang Xifeng sneered and said, "This is a good thing. After Master Rong comes back, I think our place will be much quieter." Xue Baochai asked curiously, "Isn't he Baoyu's brother-in-law? How dare he hit Baoyu?"

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Before we got married, I didn't want to talk to Baoyu. After we got married, I just scolded him a few times, and urged him to make progress."

"When Baoyu grows up in the next few years, he will be even stricter. Last year, one of Baoyu's lovers, Xiao Si, was beaten by him. Master Rong will definitely know whether Baoyu has been studying well in the school recently."

Jia Baoyu couldn't stand it anymore and stood beside Mrs. Wang and acted coquettishly.

"Madam! I've been reading at home these days. If he comes, just say I'm not here."

Mrs. Wang smiled. She was a good-tempered person. As long as the matter was not too rude, she would basically ignore it.

Having also lost her son in middle age, the only people Wang Fu-ren can rely on now are her husband Jia Zheng and her two children.

My daughter is not far away. Although I don’t visit her often, I can still see her whenever I want.

The younger son is a good-for-nothing and has been spoiled by the old lady so much that he has become too naughty. It's a good thing that he now has a brother-in-law who can control him.

Mrs. Wang was not a person who would not listen to reason or did not understand reason. She knew that Jia Yuanchun was living very well in the East and had a son who secured his position as the main wife.

When Jia Rong becomes an official in the future, or simply donates money to get an official position, Jia Yuanchun will definitely be able to become a lady of honor.

Naturally, I can also take good care of this younger brother.

"My son, are you afraid now? Why don't you study hard on weekdays?"

Jia Baoyu said hurriedly: "It's not that I'm afraid of him, but I suddenly want to learn something."

Everyone chuckled.

Wang Xifeng said, "I'll go there tomorrow to take a look. When Master Rong went there a while ago, I asked him to help deliver some things to my parents in Jinling. I don't think he will come, so I'll go there and ask in person."

At this time, a woman came in from outside, saw them and greeted them.

The person who came was Zhou Ruijia, and her husband was Zhou Rui, so she was called Zhou Ruijia.

Zhou Ruijia was Lady Wang's concubine maid, but she did not get promoted.

Mrs. Zhou Rui has a good status in the mansion, is a good person, and is well-informed.

Her husband Zhou Rui was in charge of the rent and money of the Ningguo Mansion, and was well-informed about the news in the Ningguo Mansion.

"Madam, when Master Rong left, he was with several people, and when he came back, he was with several people. I heard that during the time he was away, he was either studying with Lin Tanhua or meeting a high-ranking official in Yangzhou. I didn't hear that he was hanging out with any women outside."

When Mrs. Wang heard what Zhou Ruijia said, she nodded.

"Yuanchun's second child is about to be born, and the maids in his mansion have not been moved. Now one wife and two concubines are indeed too few. Haven't you taken the two young ladies from Ningguo Mansion yet?"

Zhou Ruijia replied, "Uncle Rong didn't move. He was very busy. After he came back, he dealt with clan affairs. He just asked people to arrest people."

Jia Baoyu was immediately horrified, "I'll go to the old lady to see!"

In Jia Baoyu's opinion, no matter how bad Jia Rong was, he would not arrest someone in front of the old lady.

Having said that, Jia Baoyu went out to seek refuge.

Xue Baochai was amazed when she saw this, "Is Master Rong really that powerful?"

Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "Just don't provoke him. He is usually a good person to talk to, but he can't stand these people making trouble all day long. If they are not from the Jia family, he is unwilling to waste time disciplining them."

Aunt Xue breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt uncomfortable.

Xue Baochai asked curiously, "Why does taking a concubine sound so difficult, aunt? Is there no pretty maid in the mansion?"

Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "Although he is surrounded by beautiful women, he himself is not greedy for beauty. He wants to find a concubine who can manage the family finances. Since he hasn't found one yet, he doesn't care about this matter. Now he is still busy with his wife, children and future."

Wang Xifeng thought of Xue Baochai, but even if it was a joke, it would not be appropriate to let Xue Baochai be a concubine. She was the legitimate daughter of the Xue family, educated, beautiful, and rich.

"I don't know how the East Palace does business. Not only does it make more money every year than ours, but it also keeps increasing. Last year, after deducting the rewards for the servants and various expenses, there were still 20,000 taels of silver left at the end of the year."

Xue Baochai immediately had a general understanding of the wealth of the East Palace.

(End of this chapter)