Red Mansion: After being expelled from the family, I was granted the title of Marquis of Mobei

Chapter 148 Family Reunion, Dilemma
Seeing Emperor Yongping in this state, Jia Jue felt a pang of emotion.

Even as the supreme ruler, Emperor Yongping felt a sense of powerlessness at this moment.

Emperor Yongping has now lost far too much: his brothers and sisters, the people who have been by his side for many years. He has become a truly lonely man.

The only thing that could sustain his spirit was probably the sense of accomplishment from governing the country and the historical record of his evaluation a century after his death.

This is why he chose Jia Jue's child, who had no blood relation to the royal family, to inherit this vast empire.

He did not want to cause conflict between himself and Jia Jue over the selection of the crown prince, which would lead to turmoil for the Great Zhou Dynasty that he had painstakingly built.

However, he was also worried that Jia Jue would not be able to resist the temptation of the throne and would take it upon himself after gaining control of the situation.

Therefore, Emperor Yongping could only pin his hopes on oaths to restrain Jia Jue.

Jia Jue naturally agreed to Emperor Yongping's request. After all, even if Jia Jue was utterly unscrupulous, he wouldn't stoop to the level of Zhu Qizhen and compete with his own son for the throne.

Then Jia Jue solemnly pointed to the sky and swore an oath.

"Heaven above, and all the gods of the ten directions as witnesses, I, Jia Jue, hereby swear that in this life and the next, I, Jia Jue, will forever be a subject of the Great Zhou, and will wholeheartedly support Xianping and will never harbor any thoughts of usurpation."

"If I break this oath, may I be abandoned by both gods and men, struck by lightning, and my soul and spirit destroyed."

After watching Jia Jue swear an oath, Emperor Yongping breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy stone had finally been lifted from his chest.

He looked calmly at Jia Jue and said.

"Alright, boy, I've done what I wanted to do. Your wife and children are waiting for you at the manor. I won't keep you for dinner in the palace today. Go back now."

Jia Jue said after bowing.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will take my leave."

After watching Jia Jue leave Qianqing Palace, Emperor Yongping looked at Jia Jue with some emotion.

For a moment, Emperor Yongping was truly in a daze.

At that moment, Emperor Yongping felt relieved.

Although Jia Jue was not his blood relative, he was able to inherit his governing philosophy and implement his ideas.

For Emperor Yongping, this was undoubtedly a great comfort.

Just like some master-disciple relationships, many masters treat their disciples with more care and affection than their own children.

Because children cannot be chosen; they are conceived by the couple, and regardless of their quality, that's just how it is.

But apprentices are different; they are carefully selected by the master.

Often, it is the apprentice, not the child, who ultimately inherits the mantle.

That was how Emperor Yongping felt at that moment.

Leaving aside Emperor Yongping's feelings and thoughts for the moment, let's talk about Jia Jue. After leaving the palace, Jia Jue was eager to return home and went straight to the Marquis of Champion's residence.

About fifteen minutes later, at the gate of the Marquis of Champion's mansion, Sheng Minglan, along with Wang Xifeng and others, arrived together, and the women eagerly awaited their arrival.

Before long, a carriage arrived in front of the mansion.

After Jia Jue alighted from the carriage, he looked at his wives and concubines who were waiting for him.

Sheng Minglan and the others turned their beautiful eyes to look at Jia Jue, their eyes filled with longing.

"We, your humble servants, respectfully welcome our husbands back to the manor."

Upon seeing this, Jia Jue stepped forward, grasped Sheng Minglan's hand, and said...

"Madam is six months pregnant and her body is getting heavier. What is she doing? You may all rise above the formalities and return to your rooms. We will have a reunion dinner together at the manor tonight."

"Yes."

Afterwards, the group returned to the mansion. Wang Xifeng and the others went back to their respective courtyards, while Jia Jue and Sheng Minglan went to the main hall and inner courtyard of the Marquis's mansion.

Inside the bedroom in the back courtyard, Zhang Guifen was very anxious, glancing out the window every now and then.

Zhang Guifen was still in her postpartum confinement period and couldn't afford to catch a cold, so she didn't go to greet Jia Jue. However, she was also eager to see her husband, whom she hadn't seen for many days, and share the joy of their new life together.

Soon after, the respectful voices of a maid could be heard outside the bedroom.

"This servant greets the Marquis and the Madam."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guifen couldn't help but smile. Needless to say, Minglan must have come with her husband.

Sure enough, Jia Jue and Sheng Minglan soon pushed open the door and came in.

Upon seeing Jia Jue, Zhang Guifen happily greeted him. The couple looked at each other, their eyes filled with the joy of reunion.

Then Jia Jue took Zhang Guifen's hand and said gently.

"Fen'er, I'm back."

Zhang Guifen nodded, then threw herself into Jia Jue's arms, wrapping her arms around his strong body.

Jia Jue gently stroked his wife's back, soothing Zhang Guifen's excited heart.

After the embrace, the three of them sat down in the room. Zhang Guifen and Sheng Minglan naturally showered Jia Jue with concern and care, while Jia Jue inquired about his wife's condition during this time and the changes in the capital.

After the three of them chatted for a while, Sheng Minglan looked at Jia Jue and said with a smile.

"Husband, you haven't seen the child yet, have you? Please go and see the child."

Zhang Guifen nodded in agreement after hearing this.

“Yes, husband, wait a moment, let me pick up Ping-ge’er so you can see him.”

As Zhang Guifen spoke, she got up and went to the small bed next to her. She carefully picked up the baby and then happily came to Jia Jue's side.

Seeing Zhang Guifen holding the baby in her arms with a loving expression, Jia Jue also looked at the baby in Zhang Guifen's arms with gentle eyes.

The little one was fast asleep, showing no sign of waking up even when held by Zhang Guifen. Bathed in sunlight streaming through the window, he looked like a porcelain doll, incredibly adorable.

Jia Jue said with a chuckle.

"This child is so beautiful, he looks just like you, Fen'er."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Minglan smiled and said...

"Haha, he looks good now. When he was first born, my sister disliked him so much. She said he was wrinkled and ugly. She was even scolded by the Duke of England. It's funny to think about it now."

Zhang Guifen gave a coquettish reproach after hearing this.

"Oh, Minglan, how annoying! You promised me you wouldn't tell your husband."

Sheng Minglan smiled playfully and said.

"Haha, I was kidding."

"Oh dear, you've become bad with your husband too, you're so annoying."

Zhang Guifen blushed slightly.

Seeing the two ladies laughing and joking, Jia Jue also smiled happily.

Then Jia Jue looked at Zhang Guifen and said.

"Fen'er, give me Ping-ge'er, I want to hold her."

Zhang Guifen said after hesitating for a moment.

“Husband, I’ve heard that a gentleman holds his grandchildren but not his sons. Isn’t that a bad idea?”

Upon hearing this, Jia Jue shook his head and said with a smile, "You, which half-baked expert have fooled you again? There is indeed a saying that a gentleman holds his grandson but not his son, but that doesn't mean that a gentleman can hold his grandson but not his son."

"This sentence comes from the Book of Rites, and the original text is as follows."

"A wise man holds his grandson but not his son, for this means that a grandson can be the corpse of his father, but a son cannot be the corpse of his father."

"This sentence refers to funeral rites. In sacrificial rites, the corpse is used as the object of sacrifice. The corpse is usually a grandson or boy. If the grandson is young, an adult can hold the grandson as the corpse, but a young boy cannot be held as the corpse."

"This is the true meaning of a gentleman holding his grandson, not his son. Come on, give me the child."

After hearing Jia Jue's words, Zhang Guifen said with some confusion.

"Oh, is that so?"

Jia Jue took the child from Zhang Guifen's arms and held it gently, saying...

"if not."

Jia Jue was not surprised by Zhang Guifen's level of education.

After all, in the original work, Zhang Guifen named her sons with names like Da Mao and Er Mao. Given this level of cultural background, it would be unreasonable to expect Zhang Guifen to have a thorough understanding of the Book of Rites.

While watching Jia Jue holding Zhou Xianping, Sheng Minglan couldn't help but touch her own pregnant belly.

Soon, I will have a child myself.

Her husband will surely raise their child with the same radiant fatherly love.

In this warm atmosphere, the couple and their two companions enjoyed their reunion.

In the evening, a family reunion banquet was held at the Marquis of Champion's residence, where the whole family gathered together in harmony and enjoyed the time of family reunion.

The next day, an imperial edict issued by the Ming Dynasty once again caused a stir in the court and among the people.

Jia Jue was granted the title of Prince of Jin for his meritorious service in pacifying the Western Sea.

The court officials submitted memorials one after another, requesting Emperor Yongping to rescind his decree.

The reason for such a strong reaction from the crowd is that even among kings, there are differences in rank.

Previously, the four princely titles, such as the Prince of Beijing, were all double-character princely titles.

Jia Jue was granted the title of Prince, a rank equivalent to a prince.

Although Jia Jue made great contributions to pacifying the Western Sea, he was not a member of the imperial family after all. Being granted the title of Prince, and even the extremely prestigious Prince of Jin among the princely ranks, naturally attracted much criticism.

Despite the flood of memorials arriving at the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Yongping remained unchanged, keeping them all unpublished and ignoring all dissenting voices.

As for Jia Jue, one of the parties involved, he was not surprised by this title of prince.

Since Emperor Yongping had made up his mind to make his son the crown prince, he would inevitably make some preparations to make Jia Jue's power even greater.

Therefore, Jia Jue turned a deaf ear to the criticism from the outside world and spent this time being intimate with his wives and concubines, after all, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

In addition, after being separated for many days, Jia Jue was full of energy. Over the course of a few days, his concubines were defeated one by one. On the other hand, Jia Jue was indeed physically comfortable and full of energy.

Just as the Marquis of Champion's mansion was expanding, in a small two-courtyard house in the southern part of the city, Jia Zheng sat in the main hall looking utterly bewildered, completely at a loss.

After the Rongguo Mansion was raided and its property confiscated, Jia Zheng did not fare well either. First, he lost his job at the Ministry of Works, and then the property he had previously received from the Rongguo Mansion was also confiscated.

Although Jia Zheng had some salary and personal savings, he had to take care of the funerals of both Jia She and the Old Madam Jia. All this running around took away almost all of Jia Zheng's money.

Although Jia Zheng and his companions escaped the disaster, the fact that they were penniless and waiting for food to cook plunged Jia Zheng, who had lived a life of comfort and security for decades, into a state of distress.

After much deliberation, Jia Zheng sent his son Jia Huan to Lai Shangrong to borrow some silver.

Many people may not know Lai Shangrong, but they will surely remember Lai Da and Lai Mama.

Granny Lai was a servant who had served Old Madam Jia for many years and was highly trusted by her.

Because of Granny Lai, her two sons, Lai Da and Lai Er, both served as stewards in the Ning and Rong mansions.

This large family, relying on their parasitic relationship with the Ning and Rong mansions, lived a life of plenty. They were servants in the Rong mansion, but outside of it, they were the elite.

Lai Shangrong was the son of Lai Da and the grandson of Granny Lai.

Moreover, Lai Shangrong was freed from slavery and even used his connections with the Rongguo Mansion to buy an official position.

Even after the collapse of the Rongguo Mansion, the Lai family was not affected and continued to live a wealthy life. Where did all this money come from? Naturally, it was all from their plundering of the Rongguo Mansion.

Jia Zheng didn't intend to pursue these matters. He just felt that the Rongguo Mansion had done the Lai family a great favor, if not an immense one. Now that the Rongguo Mansion was in decline, the Lai family should lend a helping hand.

Jia Zheng sent Jia Huan to Lai Shangrong to borrow five hundred taels of silver to tide him over the crisis. However, when Jia Huan arrived, Lai Shangrong made all sorts of excuses, saying how difficult things were for him. In the end, he gave Jia Huan fifty taels of silver and sent him back.

Jia Zheng was furious when he saw the fifty taels of silver and ordered Jia Huan to return it.

At this moment, Jia Zheng felt extremely bitter. The Rongguo Mansion used to be so wealthy. Five hundred taels of silver was just the cost of a piece of calligraphy or painting that Jia Zheng had his eye on.

Now, even a hero is stumped by a single penny.

Not long after returning the fifty taels of silver, Jia Zheng regretted it. Fifty taels of silver would have been enough to support the whole family for a while.

Just as Jia Zheng was at his wit's end, there was a banging on the door.

Upon hearing the noise, Jia Huan opened the courtyard gate. Standing outside was a fierce-looking middle-aged man of about thirty years old, accompanied by two servants. He was clearly no good person.

Seeing that the visitor was not friendly, Jia Huan spoke somewhat timidly.

"Um, sir, who are you looking for?"

The middle-aged man glanced at Jia Huan and then spoke.

"I'm looking for Jia Zheng; he lives here."

Jia Huan nodded slightly and then spoke.

"Are you staying here because you need to see my father?"

"You gave me that, of course there's something wrong."

After the middle-aged man finished speaking, he pushed Jia Huan aside and went into the courtyard, shouting loudly.

"Jia Zheng, Jia Zheng, come out and pay me back right now!"

Inside the hall, Jia Zheng was extremely distressed. Hearing the commotion in the courtyard, he became even more furious. What kind of mess was this? When did he ever owe anyone money?

Jia Zheng stormed into the courtyard and looked at the middle-aged man shouting and complained.

"Who are you? I don't even know you. What money do you want from me? When did I ever owe you any money?"

The middle-aged man sneered.

“You don’t know me, but I know you. Jia She is your brother, right?”

“He took five thousand taels of silver from me, and before he could even get the money done, he was thrown into prison and is now dead.”

"But I can't let these five thousand taels of silver go to waste."

“You’re his own brother, so it’s only natural that I’m asking you for this debt.”

Jia Zheng was furious when he heard this.

"No, are you trying to scam me? My brother is dead, and you come up here saying he owes you five thousand taels of silver. Why don't you just say he owes you fifty thousand taels?"

"I don't even remember my brother having any dealings with you. Who are you? What do you have to do with our family?"

(End of this chapter)