The Overlord of the Red Mansion

The Mid-Autumn moon is full, but people are not.

After the banquet, Queen Jia Yuanchun returned to the palace with her mother and sister-in-law Li Wan.

After arriving at Jia Yuanchun's palace, Mrs. Wang sat down and asked the reason.

"Why didn't His Majesty come to see us tonight?"

Jia Yuanchun sighed, feeling a little embarrassed.

When Mrs. Wang and Li Wan saw this expression, they knew that there was probably a problem.

"What's going on?"

Mrs. Wang was very worried.

Jia Yuanchun knew that such things should not be misunderstood, so she explained, "Mother, please don't think too much about it. The emperor is very busy and has always liked young girls. Today he was watching dance with those noble ladies in Baicao Palace to relieve his boredom."

Mrs. Wang felt much more relieved now, as long as they were not quarreling or getting angry.

"You are the queen now, and you are not young anymore. In two years you will be a mother-in-law."

"Your Majesty is young and strong, and it is natural for him to like young and beautiful girls. Please don't meddle in other people's business."

Jia Yuanchun nodded, "I know everything mother said. I haven't been involved in these matters since I entered the palace. I took the initiative to select beauties for His Majesty a few years ago, but His Majesty didn't like them at that time."

Madam Wang looked around and saw that they were all maids who had been with her for many years. She then whispered, "Don't meddle in Qiao'er's affairs."

Jia Yuanchun looked at Mrs. Wang in surprise and frowned.

Mrs. Wang, who was almost seventy years old, said softly, "Ling'er is a member of the Zhen family and has nothing to do with the emperor. This is true for both Second Madam Zhen and Zhen Ling'er."

"Ling'er's affairs, her biological father doesn't care about them, why do you care? Just think of her as Yinglian. Didn't Yinglian also grow up by your side? Look how well she is doing now."

Jia Yuanchun hesitated for a moment, and finally sighed.

"The emperor has his own arrangements, mother, please don't meddle in other people's business."

After hearing this, Mrs. Wang stopped talking about it.

"I don't care about that matter, but haven't you thought about the prince's marriage? The prince is already seventeen years old this year, and the emperor already has a child."

Jia Yuanchun knew that this was the real purpose of her mother and sister-in-law's visit.

Nowadays, there is a direct train between Jinling and Beijing, making the journey between the two places very convenient and not as long as before.

On festivals like Mid-Autumn Festival, Jia Yuanchun's mother would definitely come over for a reunion.

Jia Yuanchun shook her head. "The emperor didn't mention this. There were a lot of things going on recently, so he didn't have time to talk about this."

Madam Wang urged, "Then find an opportunity to talk about it. Men should get married when they are old enough, and women should get married when they are old enough, so that His Majesty can have a grandson sooner."

Jia Yuanchun and Jia Rong have known each other for many years and can already feel that Jia Rong does not care about children.

Jia Rong didn't seem to want to interfere in the prince's affairs, nor did he have any expectations.

"I'll find a chance to ask about this."

Li Wan took the initiative to say: "The prince has a good relationship with the Shen family in Suzhou. I heard from Lan'er that the master of the Shen family is the prefect of Hangzhou. His daughter is both talented and beautiful. She has met the prince twice in Jinling."

Jia Yuanchun didn't know about this. After looking at Li Wan for a second or two, she looked at Mrs. Wang.

"Mother, is this what the prince meant?"

Mrs. Wang nodded.

Jia Yuanchun was thinking about this.

After more than ten seconds, Jia Yuanchun also figured it out.

"It's fine as long as he likes her. Nowadays, there is no such thing as marrying up in our family. Whoever we marry is marrying down. And if she has ability, His Majesty will certainly use her."

Mrs. Wang and Li Wan felt a little relieved.

The person who really makes the decision on this matter is Jia Rong. If Jia Rong objects, then there will be no hope.

Jia Yuanchun's consent only had some effect, but not much.

Jia Yuanchun herself was aware of this and looked at Li Wan again.

"If His Majesty summons you, please help to speak. It is not easy for me to talk about this matter."

Li Wan nodded, "Yes."

The affair between Li Wan and Jia Rong is no secret.

When Jia Rong and Li Wan were having an affair in the upstairs corridor, Lady Wang and Jia Yuanchun knew about it at the first moment, and they were responsible for spreading the news and covering it up.

When Li Wan lived in the Holy Palace a few years ago, she was often visited by Jia Rong.

Not only Li Wen and Li Qi knew about this, but everyone else also knew about it but they just pretended not to know.

Jia Yuanchun looked at Li Wan, who was also almost forty years old.

"How's life been at home lately?"

Li Wan couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed when she heard people asking about her family.

"Your Highness, you may not know that Lan'er has been married for eight months, but she still has no children. I can't say much about this matter."

Li Wan only talked about Jia Lan's infertility, and did not mention the serious decline in his various treatments over the past eight months.

Jia Lan is not qualified to enjoy the treatment of the privileged class, and Jia Rong will not give him any rewards at all.

Even the place where they live is very small and is rented.

The position Jia Rong gave him in the Beijing Camp was a position in the camp, without any real power. He just served as a martial arts instructor every day.

No matter the money, the people or the logistics, only teaching archery.

Since there is no exam for archery, others would rather learn spearmanship.

There is no worry about food and drink, but the extra expenses are definitely not as much as those of the powerful.

The key is to help the prince socialize and solve some problems.

Nowadays, most of the money is provided by the prince. No one knows who provides the prince's money, but Jia Rong doesn't care.

Jia Rong didn't care, and several senior officials in the court also turned a blind eye.

But just half of his eye was open, enough to intimidate the prince's younger brothers in the capital.

Even people from Jinling don't dare to rashly get involved in the affairs of the crown prince.

Jia Rong is just over 30 years old and in the prime of his life. Since ancient times, the eldest son has been unstable, and no one wants to be involved in such a thing.

Being the father-in-law of the prince is also a dangerous thing. Only those who are eager to go further will take the risk of taking shortcuts.

The powerful figures in the three provinces and six ministries do not want to play with fire.

Jia Lan was not well off, so Li Wan was naturally even less well off.

All kinds of interpersonal relationships in the capital require money. Li Wan and Jia Lan have no property or income from shops, so relying on that little salary is not enough to spend.

Especially Li Wan, who was accustomed to the wealthy life in the Holy Palace, has long been lonely. Every time she enters the palace, she thinks of being held in the arms of the young and strong Jia Rong and loved well.

Jia Rong had long forgotten this old yellow flower.

Jia Yuanchun thought that Jia Rong loved this old woman.

"If Jia Lan has any problems, let...let the imperial physician take a look."

Jia Yuanchun almost asked Jia Rong to take a look, but she quickly recalled that Jia Rong was the Holy Emperor, and he would only go to see the doctor if he wanted to, not just because others came to him to see the doctor.

Another thing is that all the imperial doctors are women. When tens of thousands of people in the Holy Palace get sick, they go to the imperial doctors, or the female officials report to Jia Rong, and Jia Rong decides whether to help or not based on his mood.

Jia Lan is a man, and Jia Rong rarely treats men, and diseases like infertility are not suitable for Jia Rong to treat.

Li Wan said worriedly, "I checked it out. They said it's nothing serious. It just needs some rest for a while. It might be my wife's problem."

Jia Yuanchun quickly understood Li Wan's worries.

If she is a woman, and is related to him, she can indeed enter the palace to see a doctor. However...

Jia Yuanchun, Wang Fu-ren and Li Wan were also aware of Jia Rong's moral integrity.

Go see a doctor, go to the doctor. It would be bad if Li Wan's daughter-in-law gets pregnant.

Jia Yuanchun asked, "Jia Lan only has one wife? Didn't the other concubines and maids get pregnant too?"

Li Wan hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded helplessly.

If the other women also fail to get pregnant, then it must be the man's problem.

Li Wan didn't want to admit that her son was inhumane.

Jia Yuanchun frowned, but did not ignore Jia Lan's affairs.

Jia Lan is the last man in Rongguo Mansion. Now Jia Baoyu has become a monk in Tianzhu. If Jia Lan is also inhumane, Rong Mansion can only rely on Jia Lian and Jia Zongcong.

Jia Lian and Jia Cong are from Jia She's branch, while Jia Lan is from Jia Zheng's branch.

Jia Yuanchun couldn't bear to see her father's line extinct.

"Don't go back yet. Stay in the palace for a while. When His Majesty is free, you can talk to him yourself."

"Yes." Li Wan hasn't stayed in the Holy Palace for more than half a year. Whether it is food, clothing, housing, transportation, eating, drinking, or having fun here, Li Wan misses it very much.

Mrs. Wang also stayed for two days with a smile, and then returned to Jinling with the gifts that Jia Yuanchun gave to her son and father.

Every time Mrs. Wang came to the palace, she would receive a lot of rewards from Mrs. Wang.

This also includes large amounts of tobacco, alcohol, painkillers, calcium tablets and other supplements.

Mrs. Wang, who is almost seventy years old, is not in good health. Her long-term vegetarian diet has caused her health to suffer as she gets older.

Jia Zheng needed cigarettes, alcohol and other items for social activities, and the rewards from the court were not enough.

Especially since the prince had not received any rewards, he had no way of getting those things himself and had to ask Jia Zheng for them.

After seeing Mrs. Wang off, Jia Yuanchun returned to the palace and sat alone on the sofa, looking worried.

Qingyun and Qinyun, who have followed him for many years, have also become middle-aged women.

Both of them were played by Jia Rong several times, but unfortunately they didn't get pregnant.

Qingyun walked over to Jia Yuanchun and sat down. "Master, most of the things in your warehouse have been given away this time. I don't know if the remaining things can last until the New Year."

Jia Yuanchun didn't say anything, she was also worried about this matter.

The Holy Dynasty only offers sacrifices to the Emperor, not to the Empress.

Neither the Empress Shenggong nor the Empress Shengren deserved to be worshipped, and no noble woman outside would send them gifts.

Even though Jia Rong had allowed two queens to rule the country from behind the scenes, the unspoken rule of the Holy Dynasty was that the harem was not allowed to interfere in government affairs.

Jia Rong had long taken the opportunity to criticize Wang Xifeng to deal with those who tried to get into the Holy Palace.

Whether it is the appointment of high-ranking officials in the court or the arrangement of various tasks in the court, they are all arranged by full-time personnel.

The only mission of the concubines in the harem is to please the Holy Emperor!
The harem still uses a piece-rate points system, and there is a guaranteed minimum!
The minimum guarantee system only applies to those who have given birth to children for Jia Rong, whether it is a boy or a girl.

It doesn’t matter if you die, as long as you give birth, you can get the guarantee.

Everyone’s guaranteed amount is different and is calculated based on length of service and position.

The one who received the most was naturally Jia Yuanchun, who had the longest working experience. At the same time, because she was responsible for taking care of a group of younger sisters and children, she also received a lot of subsidies for her position.

No matter how much you give, there is no way you can stop a son who wants to be emperor from asking for more.

Four of Jia Yuanchun's five sons were asking her for things, and the youngest son was still breastfeeding and it was not yet time for him to go out.

Seeing Jia Yuanchun looking worried, Qingyun took the initiative to walk behind her and give her a head massage.

Jia Yuanchun felt a little better.

"Alas... His Majesty gave me those things and asked me to give them to my relatives and acquaintances who came to the palace to meet him. Just give them away. There is no use for me to ask for them."

Qingyun knew that this was not the problem.

"Master, next time the emperor comes to court, you should take the initiative."

Jia Yuanchun closed her eyes and said, "I know, but I am already old, and time is not forgiving. I am almost forty years old. Standing with a group of young girls will only disturb His Majesty's interest."

Qingyun said, "How can you say that? My Lord, you are very beautiful. Besides, His Majesty is interested in someone like Aunt Xue, and you are much younger than her!"

Jia Yuanchun couldn't help but smile.

I thought of Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai again, and suddenly felt that the matter between Wang Xifeng and Qiao'er was actually nothing.

The two maids have been with Jia Yuanchun for more than 30 years and have long become her close confidants with whom she can talk about anything.

Qin Yun followed up by saying, "Master, your sister is already in the palace, so what's the big deal about having more cousins?"

Jia Yuanchun didn't want to talk about this matter, "Don't talk about it."

Qingyun and Qinyun felt helpless, but did not say anything more.

After a while, the palace maid came in.

"Your Majesty, Concubine Feng requests to see you."

"Let me in."

Jia Yuanchun frowned, "What is she doing here?"

Not long after, Wang Xifeng came over with Jia Qiaoer and three palace maids.

"Miss."

"Sit down, sister."

The two knew each other, and since there were no rules in the palace, they quickly sat down casually.

Jia Yuanchun saw Jia Qiaoer standing next to her and said with a smile, "You can sit down too."

After hearing this, Wang Xifeng quickly said, "Let her stand. I have been disciplining her these days to teach her some rules."

Jia Qiaoer stood there with an unhappy look on her face.

Jia Yuanchun advised: "Whose rules do you want her to understand? The rules of the palace or the rules of the outside world?"

Wang Xifeng was stunned. She had been angry about Jia Qiao's unruly behavior these days. She was so busy being angry that she had been avoiding the most important issue.

Jia Yuanchun saw that Wang Xifeng had never thought about this matter, and she also knew that this Feng girl was unreliable at critical moments. Not only was she useless, but she also always held her team back.

"I was wrong about Jia Lian before. I apologize to my sister."

Jia Yuanchun took the initiative to apologize. What happened to Jia Lian was not her intention, but since the prince did that, it was naturally her fault.

Wang Xifeng said quickly, "Sister, please don't do this. You and I have been sisters for many years. I know that I have never blamed you."

Jia Yuanchun felt much more relaxed, and was even happier when she saw that Wang Xifeng didn't care about the matter.

"Sister, listen to me. His Majesty and I have known each other for many years, and we have slept in the same bed for so many years. We all know his temper. He hates it most when others bother him."

"Some things should just be left to nature. Don't treat His Majesty like a thief. He will definitely do what he wants to do. If others keep nagging about things he doesn't want to do, it will only annoy him."

"Qiao'er was raised by His Majesty since she was a child, so it's normal for His Majesty to love her more. Yinglian followed us after she grew up. If His Majesty liked her, he would have kept her by his side a long time ago. Isn't it like this all these years?"

"The emperor has already allowed Qiao'er to follow you. If you continue to treat him with a mean heart, it will only cause unhappiness."

"Qiao'er, go ahead and play if you want to. Don't pay attention to your mother's nagging. The dozens of ladies in these palaces are all your mothers."

After hearing this, Jia Qiaoer looked at Jia Yuanchun happily, and then looked at Wang Xifeng aggrievedly.

Wang Xifeng frowned and quickly said unhappily, "Go out and play wherever you want, just don't leave the palace!"

"Yes! Your Majesty! Thank you, Queen!" Jia Qiaoer was freed and happily slipped away. (End of this chapter)