The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 96: Ning Mansion Steward
Jia Rong took a three-month leave, using the excuse of refining elixirs to escape the summer heat.

At first he was just playing around at home, but after a few days of idleness he felt that the women at home were too annoying, so he ignored his wives and concubines and concentrated on studying the ancient prescriptions and medicines of the imperial doctors in the pharmacy.

More than two months later, Jia Rong, who had enjoyed two months of not caring about his appearance, not doing official business or housework, and not having to pay attention to the nagging of his wife, children, and servants, was successfully released from confinement.

Qingwen applied a hot towel to Jia Rong's face and let him lean back in a recliner to rest while she fixed her appearance.

Yinglian and Xiaohong were both serving by the side, busying around.

Ping'er took the scissors and trimmed the hair on the side of Jia Rong's face.

While Qingwen was serving Jia Rong, she kept nagging him, "Master, you have been staying in the pharmacy for a while and have not even come out. You have not taken care of your hair or beard."

Jia Rong stretched out his legs and placed them on the stool, and Xiaohong helped him massage his legs.

Yuanyang took out a knife and handed it to Ping'er, who began to help Jia Rong shave.

The ancients did not care so much about their appearance, and growing a beard was not a must.

Jia Rong has done a lot of immoral things. In his eyes, all kinds of restrictions on saints and gentlemen are just toilet paper. He can use them if they are suitable, and throw them aside if they are not suitable.

Whether to grow a beard depends entirely on one's mood, and one doesn't care whether others report it or not.

If you don’t want to stay, then don’t stay. Time travelers have their own attitudes. There’s no need to be so feudal.

It's not impossible that I don't have the idea of changing the world and becoming an emperor, the main reason is that I don't want to go to work.

It’s already tiring to manage the Jia family with more than a thousand people, let alone manage the whole world.

Jia Rong just wanted to lie down comfortably, and occasionally study some knowledge within his job scope for the sake of his ideals and interests, and do something that would go down in history.

When you have nothing to do, spend time with your wife and children, or occasionally go out to a party to improve your mood.

He lay there without saying a word, surrounded by five beautiful young maids serving him.

Xiaohong stood aside and talked about recent events.

"Madam was invited by the wife of the emperor's uncle, the Princess Zhongshun, the Princess Beijing, and the Princess Nan'an to visit her recently. After she came back, she cooked a lot of delicious food and bought some beautiful maids from Jiangnan. She also replaced a lot of birds, flowers and plants in the mansion, and raised deer and cranes in the garden, and added several pairs of mandarin ducks."

Yuanyang, who was standing next to him, smiled and said, "Madam sent the accounts to Master the other day, but Master was asleep and didn't read them. I brought them here for you to see."

Jia Rong didn't want to watch and continued to lie there with his eyes closed.

"Let her be, just don't bother me."

Xiaohong felt that Jia Rong should know something, otherwise it would be hard to tell whether it was good or bad.

"It wasn't much. It cost a total of 100,000 taels."

Jia Rong didn't want to hear this. "I don't go out often, and I don't want to see people. Why make such a big fuss? Let her save some money."

Xiao Hong nodded and said, "Master is right, but one hundred thousand taels is not too much for our family, right?"

Jia Rong closed his eyes and said, "It's not about the money. I feel it's about right. A few hundred thousand taels is not a lot. But I married her because I thought she was a frugal woman who didn't compare with others and was diligent in managing the household."

"Forget it, forget it. I'm too lazy to talk about it. Just spend the money. It saves you from worrying about those trivial things all day long and bothering me endlessly."

Jia Rong didn't care that Jia Yuanchun was a spendthrift. Making money was much more fun now than in the old Jia family. On the contrary, Jia Rong didn't want Jia Yuanchun to care about those trivial things like feudal ethics all day long.

Princes and nobles would often visit relatives, and usually men would drink and play together, while women would chat and stroll in the garden with others.

Even at the level of the Empress or Empress Dowager, the main entertainment included watching plays and visiting gardens, that is, watching TV and taking walks.

Jia Yuanchun spent money on gardens, opera troupes, and entertainment activities.

However, they could not tell outsiders that it was a theatre troupe, they could only say that they bought some maids to serve them.

If it weren't for the national mourning period, the money would have been even higher.

Jia Rong feels that sometimes it is better to be filial.

But if you think about it carefully, there is no occasion to continue mourning.

People on his wife's side are not considered his own family. The old lady's death is Jia Zheng's business and has little to do with Jia Rong.

Although Jia Zheng was incompetent, he kept himself clean, drank and ate in moderation, and was in good health.

Mrs. Wang also followed vegetarian diet and chanted Buddhist scriptures, and lived a life of luxury. Unless she was frightened or stimulated, she would not have died so young.

As for the fathers and family members of Qin Keqing and other concubines, if they are dead, it is enough to send some money. There is no need for them to come in person.

Before Jia Rong became an official, his family had a lot of income from business. Now that he is an official, he makes more money faster, so he can naturally afford this expense.

Xiaohong sorted out Jia Rong's words and explained, "Master means to save some money where it is necessary to save, and it is okay to spend some money where it is necessary. As long as the lady and the family are happy, that's all."

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Xiao Hong is right."

Ping Erh carefully put away the knife so as not to injure Jia Rong's mouth, and reminded him, "Let's talk about it later. Let me clean my beard first."

Jia Rong didn't want to talk either, so he continued to lie there with his eyes closed.

Xiaohong helped with a smile, and Yinglian caught the dirt with a wooden tray. After shaving cleanly, she took it aside and dumped it into the trash can.

Jia Rong cleaned up quickly. It was already August now, and the Mid-Autumn Festival would be in half a month, when the temperature would obviously turn cooler.

Several maids helped Jia Rong to clean up. While they were cleaning up, an old woman came in from outside.

"Master, the carriage is ready."

Jia Rong wanted to go to the palace. Since he was the emperor's confidant, he could enter the palace directly without asking for the emperor's consent.

Of course, once you get there you still have to wait for the emperor's permission before you can see him.

"Mom, come in and talk. Is Dad here too?" Lin Hongyu found that her mother had come in and her father was waiting at the door.

Jia Rong looked in the mirror and fixed his clothes and hair, "Come in, everyone."

Lin Hongyu quickly came in with her parents.

Lin Zhixiao bent down and looked at the ground, "Master, the carriage and horses are ready, waiting at the door."

Lin Zhixiao's wife also said, "Master, the maids have already moved the things to the car. I have been watching from the side and everything is packed up."

"Okay." Jia Rong asked, "Did Xiaohong tell you about her future?"

Lin Zhixiao and his wife knew that it was about taking a concubine, so they quickly said, "I have said that I will always work with the master in the mansion and serve him."

Lin Hongyu stood aside shyly, unable to suppress the smile on her face. Several maids and aunts nearby looked at her and made fun of her, which made her even more embarrassed and she became shy in an unusual way.

Jia Rong also saw this scene and said with a smile: "Xiaohong has made a name for herself, so we can't let you continue to be ordinary servants. Lin Zhixiao, you will be in charge of the chores in the front yard gatehouse, stables and sedan chair room, and your family will be in charge of the front yard kitchen, and you will be treated as a second-class housekeeper."

Lin Zhixiao and his wife hurriedly expressed their gratitude.

Lin Hongyu certainly knew that this was a way of winning people's hearts, but when she encountered this kind of thing of being bought, she felt only joy and happiness in her heart.

Ordinary maids and servants are not qualified to be bribed.

The housekeepers in Jia Rong's household have been replaced several times. The original housekeepers were basically unusable and were replaced after they became stable.

Especially the several stewards in charge of accounting, they were all promoted and supervised by him personally.

The first-class steward is the one who manages the accounts and daily affairs.

Those who often go out to collect rent and manage business are the second class.
The rest are third, fourth and fifth grades.
Maids are also divided into many levels. The level in Ning Mansion is higher than that in Rong Mansion, but Xiaohong was a third-class maid with 500 coins in Rong Mansion, but here she is a first-class maid with 5 taels of silver.

Qingwen was a second-class maid in Rongfu, and was promoted directly to first-class when she came here.

Yuanyang and Ping'er were transformed from maids to aunts.

However, this was mainly because of the relationship with Jia Rong. It was already very good for the maids who followed the others to remain unchanged. Most of them were directly driven away, and the rest were kept with a pay cut.

As the number of staff increases, the number of housekeepers exceeds fifteen, and there will definitely be more.

There are chief and junior butlers, both male and female butlers, and generally the butlers of the Rong Mansion are not accepted to join them.

Previously, the four stewards of Rong Mansion were Lai Da, Lin Zhixiao, Zhou Rui, and Wu Xindeng.

Now only Lin Zhixiao and his wife entered Ningguo Mansion, and the rest were released to fend for themselves.

The Ningguo Mansion is now much more powerful than the Jia Mansion at its best time, and many people want to come back but cannot.

The experiences of Xiaohong and Qingwen have become inspirational idols for the maids in the Ning Mansion. If they become aunts in the future, they may become the dream material for the maids in other wealthy families such as princes' and dukes' mansions.

Jia Rong quickly went to the palace to deliver the medicine, and when he came back he brought two buckets of litchi trees and several potted plants from the palace.

After returning home, I met Jia Yuanchun, whom I hadn't seen for a long time.

"Master, thank you for your hard work!" Jia Yuanchun hadn't seen Jia Rong for a long time, and came to greet him with her maids and servants.

Jia Rong was also in a good mood and said with a smile, "I have been busy making medicine these days and I've worked hard."

Jia Yuanchun smiled, thinking that Jia Rong would say that he neglected to take care of his wife and children.

Jia Rong said, "Now that the medicine is finally ready, I asked the emperor for half a month's leave to rest. The emperor thought I was very tired from watching over the furnace day and night, so he approved it! He allowed me to handle the affairs of the Imperial Hospital and the Imperial Pharmacy at home!"

Although I haven't been to work for a long time, I still felt a little reluctant when I went back. I could bear it, but it was unnecessary, so I asked the emperor for leave.

Jia Yuanchun was a little worried when she heard this. "Master is enjoying the emperor's favor, but he often doesn't go to see the emperor. Isn't this a bit bad?"

Jia Rong laughed and said, "What's the big deal? You are already a first-rank lady, but you still worry about this and that all the time. Think about your mother, she is still a commoner now!"

"Oh, by the way, I forgot about this today." Jia Rong found that he could have mentioned his father-in-law, but he was so focused on taking a vacation that he forgot about it.

Jia Rong quickly said, "I will try to get your father employed again by the end of the year. Otherwise, it's not good for him to stay at home all day."

Jia Yuanchun's face became serious when she heard this. "Master, I also told the princesses about this matter when I visited the palace a while ago. But we still need to be careful about this matter. Prince Beijing asked officials he knew to help make suggestions, but he dared not mention it without the emperor's consent."

Jia Rong thought about it and realized that Prince Beijing did not have that much face, and the emperor did not want to give him face.

However, considering the current situation, the emperor feels that benefits should be given little by little, otherwise it will be difficult to reward in the future if too much is given.

It should be that he intends to use favors instead of rewards, so he should give as little as possible.

Jia Rong frowned and said, "It seems that there is a war going on recently. Don't get involved in the court affairs, otherwise it will be bad to send your father to fight..."

"Yes!" Jia Yuanchun agreed quickly and became scared.

As a family of military honors that has produced two generals, the Jia family does not want to go to war.

Jia Rong doesn't need to go to war anyway. There are many people who can fight, but he is the only one who can make medicine. Besides, he is the third place in the imperial examination, so he will not take the civil service route.

"By the way, I haven't seen Baochai, Baoqin, Li Wen, Li Qi, and Miss Xing for a long time! I have to go see them!"

Jia Rong had been holding it in for two months and was ready to have some fun, so his face was all smiles.

Jia Yuanchun quickly persuaded him, "Master, go eat first. It won't be too late to go after you have eaten."

"Okay!" Jia Rong quickly had dinner with Jia Yuanchun, and took the opportunity to check on his sons' studies. Then he spent the whole night in Jia Yuanchun's room.

The next morning, Jia Yuanchun's maid helped Jia Rong get up.

All the maids in the mansion knew how Jia Rong's maid was treated.

Jia Yuanchun didn't need to compete with the maids for work. Several maids were busy taking care of Jia Rong, as if they were taking the college entrance examination.

Jia Rong didn't have to say anything or do anything, and he was indifferent to the maid's kindness.

Otherwise, there will be nothing else to do in the future. No one wants to do things steadily, and everyone wants to achieve success overnight.

If you can’t get it, you will be disappointed, which will cause a lot of trouble.

During the meal, Jia Yuanchun said, "There are too few maids in the master's room. Do you want to add a few more?"

Jia Rong said calmly, "No need."

Jia Yuanchun noticed that Jia Rong was in a bad mood today, so she smiled and said, "Master, try today's breakfast and see if you like it."

Jia Rong looked at the table full of delicacies, but there was no fish or meat, only some fancy food.

I took a few bites and found that it tasted really good. The powerful and wealthy just know how to enjoy food.

Baoqin brought over a bowl of porridge from outside, and Jia Rong looked at the white soup in the bowl.

"White rice porridge or something? It smells like milk."

Baoqin smiled and said, "Master is right, it is human milk, just received."

Jia Rong was not surprised at all. As a doctor who often walked around the palace, Jia Rong had seen a lot of this.

Whether it was the emperor or the concubine, they all had the habit of drinking human milk.

Even the maids and servants in the Rong Mansion used to regard human milk as a seasoning and tonic.

For safety reasons, the emperor and his concubines would not drink milk directly, but would receive it and drink it.

There were also many people who didn't care about the quality of the drink. Jia Rong's children all had young wet nurses in their twenties, so the family had no shortage of them.

When looking for a wet nurse, it is naturally better to choose a beautiful one. Everyone believes that beautiful women are more nutritious.

Jia Baoyu, Jia Lian and Jia Rong all have wet nurses.

Generally, a wet nurse has a higher status than an ordinary maid, and it is assumed that the young master who is breastfeeding should take care of the wet nurse.

If you don't drink it directly, you are naturally not considered a wet nurse, so avoiding suspicion is not important. It is mainly for safety and avoiding some customs.

Jia Rong discovered that this meal would cost at least fifty taels of silver.

Human milk is not expensive, not as expensive as carefully prepared chicken soup seasoning.

Twenty or thirty thousand yuan for a meal is considered rich, but it’s not that outrageous, right?

Jia Rong had dined with the emperor and had also seen the daily pomp of the emperor and the empress. There were several tables of dishes for a meal, and even if they were not to be eaten, the dishes would be placed on several tables. Maybe he would want to eat them.

Compared to the top-notch ones, ours is indeed shabby and stingy.

After Jia Rong finished his meal, he still asked, "How do the other courtyards compare to our table?"

Jia Yuanchun said carefully, "The old lady's place has less than ours, but it's much better than when we were in the West Mansion."

“The rest of the yards are a little less, but they are all better than last year and the beginning of this year.”

Jia Rong said, "If we don't count the gifts and rewards from the palace every month, is it possible to break even?"

Jia Yuanchun replied, "The pawnshop and pharmacy business and the rent of the house in the city are enough, but the total business in the capital is a little less. If we add the income from the business outside the city and the farm, it is naturally enough to cover the expenses of a year with some surplus."

Jia Rong asked, "What if there is a problem with the business or the harvest? The farm outside is not always good. Floods, droughts, and locust plagues will not occur unless I wish them to. If I keep spending like this, how can I sustain my life in the future?"

Jia Yuanchun lowered her head and said nothing.

Jia Rong sighed, managing a family is already so troublesome. In crowded places like the palace and military camps, corruption and death are common things, and he can't take care of so many things.

"Then let's do it this way." Jia Rong said calmly: "Don't just give rewards without punishment. You should also take more care of the people at home to prevent them from bullying others by taking advantage of their power."

Jia Yuanchun was relieved, "Don't worry, Master!"

Jia Rong was no longer in the mood to play with the girls, and began to divide and manage the financial power of the mansion.

Each courtyard can freely handle the distributed funds, but they need to go through a public fund account managed by an outside housekeeper.

Every year, funds are distributed to the private treasury of the main leaders of each department, but the specific amount distributed will be announced publicly so that everyone in the department can supervise it.

Money and power are separated!

For example, Yuanyang is in charge of the front yard, and Ping'er is in charge of the money.

Jia Yuanchun is the housekeeper of the main courtyard, and Baoqin is in charge of the accounts.

Youshi and Wang Xifeng in the backyard.

There are also Li Wan and Tanchun.

It all seems to be the same thing, but when it comes to spending money, it’s between two or a group of people, and when it comes time to ask for money, the person who is in charge of the money will be held responsible.

The one who can give out money is not the steward, but Jia Rong.

Each hospital has different levels of quotas, and once the number is reached, it must be reviewed before further funding can be allocated.

The funding pool is determined according to organization and level.

The front yard has the least people and is more comfortable.

The main courtyard has the most funds, there are many children, many things to do, and the most maids. On average, it is not as easy as the front courtyard.

There are not too many people in the You family's courtyard in the backyard, and the average level and treatment are high. Qin Keqing is also registered here, and there are management fees for the bathhouse, bathing pool, pavilions and waterside terraces.

Jia Rong's nominal mother, Youshi, is now also a first-rank lady, and his second sister, third sister and Wang Xifeng are all treated as grandmothers. In addition, Youshi has been bullied by Jia Rong for many years and dares not spend money lavishly, so the funds are more abundant and Wang Xifeng can manage it more easily.

Among the several courtyards, Wang Xifeng is the most free and cheerful.

There are five major maids in the front yard: Yuanyang, Ping'er, Qingwen, Xiaohong and Yinglian.

The five maids each have their own things to do, different divisions of labor, and different ways of spending money. In addition, they have different personalities, so there are always disagreements.

There are too many messy things going on in the main courtyard and I am too busy to handle them all.

She doesn't need to interact with the old lady in the backyard, and doesn't have much contact with the people in Rong Mansion. The three sisters of the You family, my mother, and Qin Keqing all don't care about things, and their personalities are far inferior to Wang Xifeng.

Youshi has the ability to be a housekeeper, but she is lazy by nature. She doesn't want to offend anyone, nor does she like to be in the limelight. She is even more afraid of doing something wrong and offending Jia Rong.

This is not the first time that Mrs. Xing has been driven away. Jia Rong has driven away many people over the years.

The more she did, the more mistakes she made. Yushi was content to be a first-rank lady, and she supported Feng Ji the most as the housekeeper. It can be said that she gave all the power to Wang Xifeng.

Wang Xifeng fought again and again after repeated failures, and soon she managed Qin Keqing, the backyard, and several aunts' sons, daughters, maids and old women in an orderly manner.

(End of this chapter)