The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 85 What to do when you are in a bad mood

Jia Rong took Qingwen and Lin Hongyu to see Grandmother Jia.

Yinglian is gentle and quiet. She usually helps Jia Rong with simple things or helps Jia Yuanchun take care of the children.

Qingwen has a stronger temper and dares to speak with authority, making her suitable for serving and managing the maids around her.

Lin Hongyu is eloquent, has a good memory and strong observation skills, which makes her suitable for diplomacy. In addition to delivering messages, she also meets guests with Jia Yuanchun. When she has nothing to do, she goes around the rooms with Jia Rong.

Xiaohong is suitable for taking care of external affairs, Qingwen is in charge of internal affairs, and Yinglian is a loyal and trusted maid, in charge of dangerous goods such as guns and ammunition that cannot be seen by others.

When the three of them came in, they were seen by Li Wan's maid, who quickly said, "Master Rong!"

Jia Rong went straight in and saw Jia Mu and others having dinner in her living room.

Behind Lady Jia were still served by Lady Wang and Li Wan, and on her left and right were Lin Daiyu, Jia Baoyu, and Jia Yuanchun.

"Master Rong is here, please sit down and eat together."

Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu and Jia Yuanchun all stood up and greeted them.

"master."

"Brother Rong."

"Brother-in-law."

Jia Rong nodded and sat down. "Sit down and talk. I've eaten. I heard that Baoyu and Xiren's relationship has not been settled yet, so I came to ask."

Grandmother Jia said, "It's just right that you bring up this matter. Now is not a good time. There's no need to make any arrangements for Baoyu and Xiren. Let's talk about it next year, and don't cause any more trouble."

Jia Baoyu was not happy at all. He did not want to marry Xiren, but only wanted to marry Lin Daiyu.

But Lin Daiyu avoided his gaze. There were too many obstacles between them. They were afraid that they were not destined to be together in this life.

Jia Rong just pretended that he didn't see what happened between the two people. "Grandpa's coffin has been parked at Tielan Temple. I will go back to bury him when the time is right next year. Otherwise, resigning from office and leaving Beijing for a year will have a huge impact. The capital has changed a lot, and it won't work without someone to take charge."

Grandmother Jia nodded and agreed, "That's right. The last time we did it was too hasty. All the men in the family left, and in the end there was a lot of trouble."

This is about Jia She's affairs, which was a mess from beginning to end.

Jia Rong now stays at home and refuses to see any visitors, mourning for his grandfather Jia Jing.

Mrs. Wang was now very polite to Jia Rong and said with a smile, "With Master Rong here at home, everything is at ease."

Jia Rong said: "Now the world is not peaceful, bandits often appear, some rural areas are often robbed by bandits, men and women in the countryside meet miserable ends after encountering bandits, and there are also many places where rebellion breaks out."

"I'm going to gather the people of the clan to learn martial arts and archery. In the future, whether you want to join the army or defend your country, you'll need good martial arts. It might be a bit noisy during this period, so let the girls stay in the garden."

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "Look at me, I am so confused that I always forget that Master Rong has a good martial arts skill. It's all because of your title of Tanhua Lang that I can't remember it."

This is humility. No one will forget that Jia Rong kicked Lai Da to death.

Lai Da was still half alive when he went out, but he was dead when he returned to Lai's house. Jia Rong sometimes didn't like others to do things for him, and he would not be too gentle or too heavy.

Jia Rong said, "My family is a descendant of meritorious service. When the court needs civil officials, we learn literature. When it needs military commanders, we learn martial arts. I have already reported this to the emperor. I dare not say this until the emperor agrees, so as to avoid being reported for not observing filial piety during my mourning period."

Grandmother Jia said, "Okay, I'll follow your arrangements."

Jia Rong stood up and said, "Then I will go and get busy. The school has been reopened for a long time. Jia Lan and Jia Huan are studying hard. If Baoyu is bored at home, he can go and learn business with Xue Pan. Xue Pan has come to his senses recently and knows how to do business well."

Mrs. Wang said disdainfully, "It's better not to hang out with people like that."

In the eyes of Lady Wang and Lady Jia, Xue Pan was almost as good as excrement, and it was unpleasant to even look at him.

Now, when Jia's mother eats with her, she doesn't even invite Xue Baochai and Aunt Xue to her house, and she even refuses to accept the things they bring.

Seeing this, Jia Rong said, "Then learn some skills from Liu Xianglian and get to know some people."

Jia Baoyu said, "Okay, I'll go see Brother Liu when I have time."

Grandmother Jia asked curiously, "Please invite Liu Xianglian to come over when you have time. What do you think of his marriage to Xichun?"

Jia Rong only regarded Liu Xianglian as an excuse and did not want to marry Xichun off.

"I hadn't settled it with him before, and it wasn't confirmed. When I entered the palace the day before yesterday, the emperor asked me if Xichun was betrothed to someone. It seemed that he wanted Xichun to enter the palace or grant her a marriage. Now that I have been favored by the emperor, our family has a lot of things to deal with. It would be bad if I married into the royal family. Fortunately, Xichun is still in mourning for her father, so there is no need to mention this matter for the time being."

Grandmother Jia thought for a while and said, "Xichun has been spoiled by us. There are many rules in the palace, so she is really not suitable."

Tanchun and Yingchun from Rongfu were not suitable either. Jia Yuanchun could have entered the palace at first, but her family didn't think it would work.

Now Xichun is qualified, but no one has ever trained her. If there is Lin Daiyu...

"Why don't you mention Daiyu's marriage?" Grandmother Jia glanced at Lin Daiyu and then at Jia Rong.

Lin Daiyu should be qualified to enter the palace.

At this time, Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu were both in a very bad situation, but neither of them could make a decision.

Jia Rong said softly, "Sister Daiyu is weak and needs to take medicine for a long time. The palace is cold and unpredictable. I naturally cannot mention this matter. Besides, Sister Daiyu's dowry was searched away and has not been returned. I will not send him to the palace to suffer."

The old lady sighed and said, "It's up to you to decide."

After Jia Rong agreed, he went to do his work, knowing that he had nothing to talk about with Lady Jia.

***
"It's still more comfortable here. I have nothing to say to the old lady, but I have something to say to you."

Jia Rong came to Qin Keqing's room and called You Erjie, You Sanjie and Wang Xifeng to accompany them.

Four mature, dignified, charming and beautiful young women gathered at a table to eat, and the air was filled with the scent of milk.

Mature, Wang Xifeng
Dignified, You Erjie
Xiu Li, Third Sister You

Charming, Qin Keqing
No matter what, Wang Xifeng was still the second wife in the past, so she had to maintain her reputation and dress like a grandmother.

My second sister really wants to be a good woman and a good mother, and her dressing style is like that of a good woman in the traditional sense.

Jia Rong is her first and only man. She takes the initiative behind closed doors for the sake of her status and future, not because she likes to be a sexy woman.

Sexy doesn't have a good reputation in this era.

The third sister is younger, but like her elder sister, she also wants to be faithful to one man. Jia Rong is a good man, treats their family well, and they have fun together, so she is naturally willing to cooperate with Jia Rong.

Qin Keqing really likes that kind of thing, and she and Jia Rong have been doing it for six or seven years and are still passionate about it.

Qin Keqing sat next to Jia Rong, and the other three sat on the three sides.

While the five people were eating and drinking, Yinglian's voice came from outside the door.

"Master, grandma is here."

Jia Rong looked outside the door. "What does she want?"

Before Yinglian could say anything, Jia Yuanchun stood at the door and said, "I'm here to discuss some serious matters with you, Master. Is it convenient for you to see someone inside?"

"Come in, you're all dressed."

Jia Yuanchun could tell that Jia Rong was unhappy, so she said hurriedly, "I'll go back and wait. We'll talk when it's convenient."

Jia Rong said calmly, "Come in."

"Please come in, grandma." Lin Hongyu took the initiative to push open the door, which was not closed.

Usually when Jia Rong and these people ate behind closed doors and refused to be served, everyone was curious about how they played.

After all, when Jia Rong and Qin, You and Wang went to bed, they were also beside them or in the outer room listening and serving. The masters did not shy away from their personal maids when doing things.

Jia Rong was sitting at the table eating. He could see them a few steps into the dining area. They were all dressed neatly and were just having a normal meal.

Wang Xifeng had already stood up. Seeing Jia Yuanchun coming in with her maid, she said enthusiastically, "Madam, please take a seat. I'll just stand."

When the wife arrived, the other concubines naturally had to stand up to show their respect.

Jia Yuanchun came over and sat down, then said to Jia Rong, "Excuse me for interrupting your meal, old master. Yingchun is already fifteen this year, and I have arranged a marriage for her. The man is Sun Shaozu, the commander of the city, and he is a family friend."

Jia Rong had a blank expression on his face. When Jia Yuanchun saw this, she knew there was no hope, but she had to continue talking.

"It's not settled just yet. Today, when I heard the master say that he wanted to practice martial arts, I remembered that the matchmaker mentioned this person when he came to the house to give gifts and propose marriage. He said that he was born with a sturdy appearance, strong physique, skilled in archery and horse riding, good at socializing, under 30 years old, and wealthy."

"Now Yingchun's father and brother have suffered, it is very difficult for her to marry into a good family. This man is sincere and does not care about those things. I hope the master will think twice."

Jia Rong said directly: "Then you know that this man is very promiscuous with the maids in his family. He has slept with any of the prettier ones. When he gets tired of them, he throws them to others. Some of the worse ones are even beaten to death. His wife was still alive before he became the commander, but she died after he became the commander."

"He spent money to marry Yingchun? Isn't it for me to help him do something? If I don't do it, he will beat Yingchun to death and make her come to beg me for mercy. If I am cruel and don't care, Yingchun will not survive. How much money did you take to send an irrelevant sister to the hell?" Jia Yuanchun burst into tears and cried, "Master, what are you talking about? Although Yingchun is not my sister Qin, I have always treated her as my own sister. I was confused and didn't know who this person was. I definitely didn't mean to send Yingchun there."

Jia Rong was unhappy and said, "Why are you crying? You started crying just because I said a few words to you. How have I wronged you? It was obviously you who did something wrong. You are always on guard against me like a thief, afraid that I would meet Yingchun and Tanchun, and you wish you could marry those two off right now."

Jia Yuanchun wiped her tears and dared not speak.

Wang Xifeng and others knew very well Jia Yuanchun's difficulties. Jia Yuanchun really didn't want to see Jia Rong get involved with a woman with the surname Jia again.

"Go cry to your mother!" Jia Rong was extremely cruel. "I thought you were a sensible woman who could keep the family peaceful, but you made a mistake and almost killed your sister. If I say a few words to you, it will seem like I am bullying you. Get out now! Don't come back if you don't realize your mistake!"

"Send your grandma away!!"

Several maids hurried in and helped Jia Yuanchun out.

Wang Xifeng hurriedly said, "Master, don't be angry. Don't lose your temper. The eldest lady is just worried about you."

You Erjie and You Sanjie also came together to comfort her, saying that Jia Yuanchun was a good wife and that the Ning Mansion had always been peaceful over the years and the wives and concubines had lived in harmony.

If it were someone else, things would probably get chaotic.

***
Grandmother Jia was talking to Baoyu and Daiyu, and they were accompanied by Lady Wang, Youshi and others. Sanchun was playing with her maid nearby.

It’s March and the spring breeze is warm. The family is preparing to go outside to the garden to enjoy the spring.

As they were talking, Jia Yuanchun came in crying and sat down with Mrs. Wang and started crying.

The old lady asked anxiously: "What happened?"

Xiaohong, who followed in, quickly explained the situation in simple terms.

Jia Yuanchun's maid said, "The master and grandma have been married for seven years. This is the first time that grandma has been scolded by the master. She feels wronged."

Youshi said, "Your master has a bad temper to the outside world, but he is always very good at home. He has always been much nicer to Yuanchun than to the other girls and aunts. Why is he so wronged?"

Mrs. Wang supported her daughter, patted her on the back and said, "You've been married for seven years and you can't stand the slightest remark. Which couple doesn't quarrel? Some even fight!"

The old lady said with certainty: "It must be you who ruined things by acting on your own initiative. You just listened to what he said to you. Why are you arguing with him?"

At this time, Wang Xifeng came in quickly and said hurriedly, "Madam, Madam, Second Sister You and Third Sister You are accompanying the master. I came to see them."

Lin Daiyu asked, "Why did Brother Rong scold Sister Yuanchun?"

Sanchun also came to comfort people, but she just stood aside and watched. Jia Yuanchun was not lacking in love. The elders around her were very satisfied with her and they always cared for her when she was wronged.

Wang Xifeng quickly said, "I didn't scold her. It was just that Sister Yuanchun did something wrong, and the master said a few words to her. After she cried, the master got upset and asked her to come out and talk to her parents."

The old lady asked, "What did you do wrong?"

Wang Xifeng explained: "I arranged a marriage for Yingchun, but the man was a wicked person, domineering and ambitious. He not only played with all the maids and servants in the family, but also beat the maids to death and tortured his original wife to death in order to marry Yingchun."

"The master said that the man is a wolf from Zhongshan, who becomes arrogant when he succeeds. He spent money to ask Sister Yuanchun to buy Yingchun away. If Sister Yingchun doesn't kneel down and beg our family to get benefits for her husband's family, she will definitely be tortured to death."

The old lady was furious and said, "You are so stupid! How could you take the money and sell your sister? Although Yingchun is not your biological sister, she is still a member of our Jia family!"

Jia Yuanchun cried very sadly.

Wang Xifeng quickly went to the old lady and whispered a few words in her ear.

The old lady quickly understood Yuanchun's motives and knew that the problem lay with the word "Jia".

"Ah! Your master did nothing wrong in this matter, and he deserves to say a few words to you. Why are you crying? You should find him and admit your faults as soon as possible. What's the point of you crying here?"

Wang Xifeng said, "Madam and I will take grandma back. The master still has to review the homework of the brothers and sisters tonight. By then, we will see each other everywhere. If you just stand there and look a little pitiful, how can the master not feel sorry for you?"

"You've been married for seven years, but you two have known each other for more than ten years. The master has only seven or eight women in his family. He's only 23 years old now. If he's had sex with any woman, he can't keep it secret. Don't be like me. Think about it. There are so many sisters in this mansion, and they all treat you as their elder sister."

"Last time you said you wanted the master to divorce you and remarry, I was scared when I heard that. If you leave and a rich lady comes in, not only will the aunts and sisters in the yard suffer, but your son will also have a stepmother. If that woman has her own son in the future, who knows how Jia Ben and Jia Shu will suffer!"

Wang Xifeng's words persuaded Jia Yuanchun.

Jia Yuanchun suddenly realized that she should not avoid suspicion because of marrying someone with the same surname, but should work hard to keep her position. Otherwise, her sister and children would have to avoid suspicion in the future, and their fate would be even more miserable.

Wang Xifeng knew from her expression that she had figured it out. "We all know that Sister Yuanchun is concerned about the fact that both husband and wife have the surname Jia, but the emperor knew about this a long time ago and didn't say anything. He just changed the master's first place in the imperial examination to the third place. The princes and nobles who usually interact with you are not unaware of this, so why don't you continue to interact with them?"

"Don't scare yourself all the time. I've been telling you not to get stuck in a rut for seven or eight years, but you just can't get out of it. Your patience is about to wear out. Let's go back, and you need to clean up and apologize to me."

Mrs. Wang helped her daughter up and said, "I'll take you back. Brother Feng is right. You just care too much about this matter."

The old lady said, "Send her back and think about it carefully. Yuanyang should also go back and take a look. If they are okay, ask the maid to send me a message."

Yuanyang said quickly, "Okay, I guess the master has calmed down a long time ago."

Jia Yuanchun, Wang Xifeng, Lady Wang and a group of maids returned in a mighty procession.

Soon, several people talked alone in Yuanchun's room and asked the maids to go down.

"So that's how it is..." Mrs. Wang soon found out why Jia Yuanchun was crying out of grievance.

Soon, Mrs. Wang looked around and found that besides her daughter Jia Yuanchun, there were Wang Xifeng, Jia Yuanchun's dowry Baoqin, as well as Ping'er and Yuanyang.

"What's so good about Yingchun? I can't see that your master likes her."

Mrs. Wang really didn't see that this was a couple.

Wang Xifeng said, "I don't think so. I don't think he likes girls who have no interest in romance."

Mrs. Wang said angrily, "Nonsense! I think he likes ladies like Yuanchun who are well-educated and well-mannered!"

Wang Xifeng didn't know what to say and could only look on awkwardly.

Jia Yuanchun was also shameless, blushing as she said, "He loves to do bad things in bed, saying that it's easy to get pregnant, so I can only accompany him. Over the years, the way I do things in bed is somewhat different from what my mother taught me."

Mrs. Wang was embarrassed because she was the only woman without any sense of humor here.

Wang Xifeng took the initiative to resolve the awkwardness and continued talking about business.

"I guess the master doesn't like Yingchun, but is more concerned about her. As a result, Sister Yuanchun is always on guard against him and wants to marry Yingchun off to a troublemaker, so she is angry with her."

Mrs. Wang nodded and said, "Brother Feng is right. If you ask me, it is true that he likes Miss Shi. As for Yingchun and Tanchun..."

Jia Yuanchun also thought of her half-sister.

Jia Rong probably only has sympathy and care for Yingchun, who has a wooden personality, but the same cannot be said for Jia Tanchun, who calls him brother-in-law all day and is lively and active.

Mrs. Wang felt a little headache and sighed, "Forget it, forget it. Let him be. He won't marry into a good family anyway. Just leave him in the garden and don't worry about it. I'll tell Tanchun later and see what she thinks."

With Yuanchun's affairs in mind, Tanchun and Yingchun's affairs were easy to decide.

Jia Yuanchun quickly began to think about how to apologize to Jia Rong and reconcile with him.

"Grandma, let me tell you something you don't like to hear." Baoqin helped Jia Yuanchun put on her makeup and said when no one was around, "This is really not Master's fault. You see, since the people from the West Mansion came, our place has been in chaos. I don't know what's wrong with these people. Wherever they go, the place becomes chaotic."

"Grandma, you should treat them as your own family, but you should also think about everyone in our family!"

Seeing her family being spoken of in this way, Jia Yuanchun had no way to refute.

In the past, the Ning Mansion was clean and tidy, and it was normal for Jia Rong, Qin Keqing, You Erjie and You Sanjie to have children together. But after they fell into misfortune and came here to seek refuge, their troubles became ten times more than before.

After living there for a few months, none of the women in the family got pregnant, and even Ning Mansion's highly respected grandfather Jia Jing suddenly died.

Soon, Jia Rong easily forgave Jia Yuanchun. He stayed in Jia Yuanchun's room in the first half of the night and went to Qin Keqing's room in the second half.

Not long after he lay on Qin Keqing, he heard a maid's shouting outside.

"Master! The emperor urgently summons you to the palace. Someone just entered the palace to assassinate the emperor!"

Jia Rong quickly entered the palace to meet the emperor with ease, and after entering, he asked several princes and ministers about matters.

Prince Zhongshun said with a sad face: "The assassin was extremely strong, and his body was like a ghost and difficult to see clearly. He killed many people who broke in and insulted the emperor to kill him if he wanted to marry a princess."

Jia Rong asked curiously, "How did he say that? If we know the voice, we can find the specific person."

Prince Zhongshun waved his hands hurriedly and said nothing. He didn't dare to say anything. The emperor had been frightened after the last incident with the emperor emeritus, and didn't dare to investigate further.

Not only the emperor was afraid, but Prince Zhongshun was also afraid. The two of them knew that Jia Rong's father was also killed by an assassin, so they immediately felt that they were all one of their own.

Jia Rong has a serious expression, giving people a trustworthy and steady temperament.

What a bunch of cowardly guys they are. They don't have the courage their ancestors had when they established their careers.

(End of this chapter)