The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 31: Successful
Autumn comes and goes, and in the blink of an eye a year has passed, and it is time for Jia Rong to take the exam.

Because his native place was Jinling, Jia Rong completed his second provincial examination in Jinling City.

The rankings will be announced after a dozen days.

Nineteen-year-old Jia Rong returned to the capital on horseback, only to hear the sound of gongs and drums and the blast of firecrackers.

A hundred or so servants who had been prepared knelt in the street.

"Congratulations, sir! Congratulations, sir! Topping the high school list!"

"Please dismount!"

Jia Rong left immediately. Although he usually didn't like extravagance, it was nice to have some fun occasionally.

Jia Yuanchun, Qin Keqing, and Baoqin also came down from the doorway and said happily, "Congratulations, Master, on passing the exam!"

"Congratulations, father, for topping the list!" Jia Ben, who was over two years old, wearing a primary school student's brocade clothes and black hat, congratulated Jia Rong.

Jia Rong said happily, "Okay, okay! Come in!"

Jia Rong brought his family into the house. This time, as the head of the Jia family, he passed the imperial examination, which was a great joy for the Jia family.

It’s okay if I don’t go to the Jia Mansion on weekdays, but I must go there in the next two days.

Now, a year has passed, and there are five sons in total, but not a single daughter.

Because they had no daughter, the women here all liked Wang Xifeng's little maid Qiao'er to come and play.

Jia Rong looked at the five little boys on the ground and said with a smile, "There are five children in the family, and not a single daughter. You should work hard, or else people will envy you if the news gets out."

After hearing this, Jia Yuanchun smiled and said, "Master, please don't say this in front of Fengjie. She will definitely be unhappy if she hears it."

Jia Rong said indifferently, "I don't have time to care about her now. I will take the imperial examination in winter, and I have to get a good ranking no matter what."

"Thank you for your hard work, master." Jia Yuanchun was delighted to see that her husband was so successful.

Qin Keqing and Baoqin also looked at Jia Rong happily.

Jia Rong quickly smiled and said, "But there's no rush. I have plenty of time to play with you guys during this period, and you can serve me together in the evening."

"Master~" Jia Yuanchun blushed. It was broad daylight and the maids were listening nearby, and they still had to join in.

Jia Rong smiled and said, "What are you afraid of? We are all family!"

Jia Yuanchun said shyly, "Ben'er and Shu'er are all here!"

"What do they know?" Jia Rong said with a smile, "Take the children out to play first. I have to go to the West Mansion later. The three of you can follow, each taking care of one child, and the rest can stay at home and be taken care of by the nanny."

"Yes!"

The three of them also knew what was important, so today they were wearing expensive and decent clothes that could be used for formal occasions.

Soon the servants went to the West Mansion to notify them. Although they had already made preparations, it would be troublesome if Master Rong refused to come, so they waited for news at the door early.

The whole Jia family quickly prepared to welcome them.

Under normal circumstances, let alone a juren, even a jinshi could not think of entering the Jia Mansion, and the Jia family did not care about jinshi and the like.

But it is a different story if a family member passes the imperial examination, or if a direct descendant of the Jia family passes the imperial examination when none of his descendants have any future.

The entire West Palace was decorated with lights and colors, and it was obvious that a lot of money had been spent.

Instead, when they left the Juren's East Mansion, they simply hung a few big red lanterns to celebrate.

Jia Rong drove straight in, entered through the main gate, walked along the avenue into the inner palace, and entered the most central area of Rongguo Mansion.

This place is well connected and magnificent.

Looking up, there is a large plaque with nine red dragons on a green background. On the plaque are three large characters: Rong Xi Tang, followed by a line of small characters: Book bestowed upon Rong Guogong Jia Yuan

This was given by the emperor at that time, and there is the emperor's seal on it.

Upon entering, one can see a three-foot-high green bronze tripod on a large rosewood carved dragon table, with a large black dragon painting hanging over it. On one side is a golden Yi, and on the other is a glass table.

There are sixteen nanmu armchairs in two rows on the ground, and a couplet made of ebony with words engraved in silver: "The pearls on the seat shine like the sun and the moon, the brocade in front of the hall glows like mist and clouds", and a line of small words below: "Written by my fellow townsman, my younger brother, the heir of the Dong'an County King, Mu Shi".

The handwriting was that of a prince, and he referred to himself as a prince, which shows the social status of the Rongguo Mansion at that time.

But nowadays, the situation is very different. The only person who can be relied upon in Rongguo Mansion is Grandmother Jia. Whether it is Jia She or Jia Zheng, they have official titles and titles, but they are obviously unable to shoulder the burden of Rongguo Mansion.

Jia Rong quickly chatted with Jia Mu and others, and then worshiped the ancestors with everyone in Rongguo Mansion.

After many trivial matters, everyone returned to Rongguo Mansion for the banquet.

Such an important occasion naturally did not restrict gender differences, and both men and women from the two palaces gathered together.

Of course, the only one who could sit down was the old lady, Lady Jia, while the rest of the people sat at separate tables, men and women.

The illegitimate sons were allowed to sit aside. The main table was occupied by Jia Rong, Jia She, Jia Zheng, and Jia Lian. Even Jia Baoyu and Jia Lan were not allowed to sit at the main table.

No matter how much the old lady spoils her grandson, she cannot break the clan rules.

In the future, Rongguo Mansion will be inherited by Jia She's son Jia Lian. Jia Zheng and his sons will divide it up when the old lady passes away. Naturally, Jia Baoyu and Jia Lan will become distant relatives like many others.

There were more than fifty tables in the courtyard, and all the guests were from the Jia family.

Wang Xifeng stood aside and said with a smile: "There are so many people here today, it's even more lively than during the Spring Festival. I've been busy since the day before yesterday, and I'm exhausted. The relatives who are usually not invited are here this time. I think it must be because of Master Rong's face!"

The old lady smiled and said, "I am old now, and I haven't seen so many people for a long time. It seems that there are still many old acquaintances here."

The old lady was looking at the crowd in front, with a happy smile from the heart on her rich, shiny face.

On the contrary, the ladies nearby smiled in a more reserved and polite manner.

After some greetings, everyone sat down to eat.

The old lady was really happy. After sitting down, she took Jia Rong's arm and talked to him.

"Normally, there are not many people in the clan who interact with each other, but now they are gathered together again. It reminds me of the time when our ancestors were still alive. It was almost as lively as this at that time."

Jia Rong consoled him, "It will be more lively in the future. Most of the people who came today are from the Eight Houses in the capital. If we count the Twelve Houses in Jinling, it will be even more lively."

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "Good! Good! Master Rong did a good job!"

The eldest master should be Jia Jing, but Jia Rong never lets the old man come back during the New Year, and always tells others that the old man will not come back on his own.

Except for Lady Jia who still remembered this eldest master, everyone else assumed that Jia Rong was the eldest master.

This time, Jia Rong also threw the blame on his grandfather. On the one hand, he told the old man to practice Taoism with peace of mind, and on the other hand, he told the people in the Jia family that his grandfather's determination to seek the Tao was indestructible, and he was devoted to it and refused to come back.

In the past ten years, Jia Jing has been forgotten by people, and everyone thinks that this old man who abandoned his family and children is a good-for-nothing.

Everyone ate and drank together and the party became lively.

After more than ten minutes, Jia Rong quickly said, "I was too busy in the past few years and didn't get to know the people here much. Now I grow up so fast that I don't recognize many of them. I will go to the women's table to get to know them, so that I won't fail to recognize my relatives in the future and make a fool of myself."

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "You sit down and let them come over."

Jia Rong said, "They are all about the same age, so I should go there. Besides, they are all acquainted with Yuanchun and the others, so they are not strangers."

When Jia Rong said this, Jia's mother said, "Okay, it should be so."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Some of the maids are dumb and can't speak, but some are very eloquent and I'm afraid you can't stand them. I'll take Master Rong to meet them. We are a group of well-educated and well-mannered girls in our family!"

Jia Rong quickly went to toast, and Grandmother Jia looked at her children and grandchildren happily.

"You should also try to make more progress and get to know the people in the tribe. Take this opportunity to chat with them."

Grandmother Jia understood that most people came this time because of Jia Rong's face. Although there were many servants and maids in Rongguo Mansion, the people of the Jia family were mainly in the East Mansion.

The reason is clear. It is not just about the relationship of being a juren, but also has nothing to do with the official position.

The main reason is that Jia Rong has taken care of the Jia family over the years, rewarded them clearly, and did not allow the Jia family members from the side branches to treat themselves as slaves. He often gave money to those orphans and widows.

Many people moved into houses outside under Jia Rong's arrangement, and many of the Jia family members were given jobs.

The Jinling Jia family and the Beijing Jia family were promoted at the same time, and the exchanges between people became more frequent, naturally with Jia Rong as the main one.

On the contrary, the Rongguo Mansion does not treat the Jia family members as human beings. Those people's status is not even as good as the Jia family's servants. Naturally, they are unwilling to associate with the Rongguo Mansion and kowtow to their relatives to beg for rewards.

Jia Rong united the money and care that other relatives relied on and played the role of the clan in a positive way.

The Rongguo Mansion is the place where the negative effects of the clan are brought to the fore. A group of idle scoundrels wasted their ancestral property, ate and drank to their heart's content, bullied those with the surname Jia, and represented the Jia family.

(End of this chapter)