The Splendor of the Red Chamber

Jia Lian was exchanging pleasantries with the Sheng family father and son, and also confirming the Sheng family's second branch's arrangements for Shulan, when he suddenly saw Lin Daiyu's carriage turn around and leave.

Confused, he quickly apologized to Sheng Hong and called out to the distraught Bao Yu to ask what had happened.

Baoyu dared not mention the pancakes, and could only stammer that he had said something wrong and had accidentally offended Lin Daiyu.

Jia Lian had always worried that he would cause trouble by acting recklessly, so he took the opportunity to give him a warning: "Sister Lin has learned a lot of useful things this year. You should also make progress in the future, study more serious books, and try to pass the imperial examinations. Otherwise, how can you be worthy of Sister Lin?"

On the surface, Jia Baoyu was obsequious, but in his heart he was unconvinced. He thought to himself that Lin Daiyu would not care about fame and fortune. She was just angry about my relationship with Jing Qing.

As long as I...

Thinking of this, Baoyu looked at the gentle and charming Qin Zhong beside him, staring at her face that was even more rosy and white than foundation, but he couldn't finish his thought about "as long as I can do this or that".

Jia Lian could see that Baoyu was just going through the motions, and helplessly waved his hand, saying, "You should take some men and follow them quickly, lest something happen to Lin Daiyu on the way."

Jia Baoyu felt as if he had been granted a pardon and hurriedly led his men to chase after the carriage.

Jia Lian then turned to Sheng Hong and said, "I should have gotten to know Lord Sheng better, but my family is pressuring me, so I can only visit another day."

"No problem, no problem."

Sheng Hong hurriedly said, "Lord Jia has been away for a long time, and his family must be worried about him. He should return home as soon as possible."

Jia Lian then instructed his brother-in-law, Sheng Changwu, "Once you and your siblings are settled, come to the Rongguo Mansion to find me, and I will introduce you to Commander Chen."

Sheng Changwu responded excitedly in unison.

Jia Lian exchanged a few more intimate words with Shulan before mounting his horse and chasing after the caravan ahead.

On the way, he pressed Lin Zhixiao for details and confirmed that in addition to his cousin Jia Yuanchun, several other concubines had also been promoted.

All of these concubines came from noble families and were under 30 years old.

The emperor did this to win over the nobles and, incidentally, to try and create a new crown prince, rather than specifically targeting the Rongguo Mansion.

Jia Lian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon arriving at the Rongguo Mansion, Jia Lian first took Lin Daiyu to pay her respects to Grandmother Jia, and then went to the east wing to visit Jia She.

Baoyu naturally accompanied her throughout, constantly trying to ease the tension between him and Lin Daiyu.

Lin Daiyu, however, kept a cold expression on her pretty face and ignored him completely.

The two younger ones used to bicker and quarrel often, but Jia Lian was used to it and didn't bother to interfere.

Meanwhile, when they arrived at the room of the eldest master, Jia She, Jia She and Xing Shi pretended to care about Daiyu for a few words. Then Jia She suddenly stood up and said to Jia Lian, "Come inside with me and let's talk."

Jia Lian knew his father's temperament of reaching into the oil pan, and guessed that he would most likely ask about the money.

As expected, once inside the bedroom, Jia She impatiently pressed him for answers: "Tell me the truth, how much of your uncle's estate ended up in the hands of the second branch of the family, and how much benefit did you gain from it?!"

Jia Lian had no intention of hiding the money left by Lin Ruhai, so he told the truth: "Master, please forgive me, Uncle Lin's property was sold for more than 680,000 taels. If we include the rare ancient books that were just brought back, it should be around 700,000 taels."

However, this was my cousin's dowry left by my uncle, and my second uncle was only temporarily holding onto it. How could I, as her older brother, have the heart to covet my sister's dowry?

"snort!"

Jia She refused to believe it and sneered, "You don't need to coax me. I'm not going to steal your meager earnings anyway, but such a large sum of money can't be entirely embezzled by the second branch of the family."

He paused, then added firmly, "If your second uncle asks about building the villa for his family's visit, just say it's a tremendous honor and must be celebrated in a grand and extravagant way!"

"A villa for visiting relatives?"

Jia Lian, puzzled, quickly pressed for an explanation: "What does this mean?"

"It's all because His Majesty is considerate."

Jia She raised his hand and bowed towards the Forbidden City, saying, "I cannot bear to see the concubines separated from their parents, brothers, and other family members, so I have specially issued an imperial decree that any family with the means to welcome the concubines may request that the concubines return home to visit their families."

This is an immense blessing, and our family must certainly make a grand celebration. In my opinion, we should open up the gardens of the Rong and Ning mansions and renovate them thoroughly.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian knew what Jia She was planning.

If they were to demand a share of Lin Ruhai's inheritance without any reason, Jia Zheng and Lady Wang would naturally refuse.

But now that the second wife's daughter has been made a concubine and is coming back to visit her family, Jia She, as the eldest uncle, took the initiative to suggest a grand celebration, and Jia Zheng could not refuse.

Given the current wealth of the Rongguo Mansion, it would certainly not be enough to build a magnificent detached residence for visiting relatives; it would most likely require using Lin Ruhai's inheritance.

When the time comes, Jia She will take advantage of the situation and naturally reap a lot of benefits.

Could this be the source of a catastrophe?

A sense of unease rose in Jia Lian's heart, and he hurriedly said as he had prepared beforehand, "So that you know, Master, that I have registered all of Lin Daiyu's valuables. If she misappropriates them, I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain in the future."

"Wouldn't that be even better?!"

Jia She stroked his beard and sneered, "Even if they squander all this money, it's the second branch's fault. They'll have to bear the consequences themselves. What does it have to do with our eldest branch?"

He then resorted to his old tactic, saying that since Jia Lian had now received blessings from the ancestors and was going to the army for training and development, he should no longer try to curry favor with the second wife.

If the father and son work together to orchestrate a scheme and seize control of the renovation of the family residence, wouldn't one or two hundred thousand taels of silver be within easy reach?

They're really risking their lives for money!

Jia Lian was too lazy to even complain. He figured that this matter should be left to his uncle Jia Zheng, who was always very concerned about his reputation.

As long as you insist that this is Lin Daiyu's dowry...

Thinking about this, Jia Lian felt somewhat uncertain.

In the past, Jia Zheng might have temporarily refrained from touching the Lin family's inheritance out of consideration for his reputation.

How dignified it was for the Imperial Concubine to visit her family!

Jia Zheng, who values ​​his reputation above all else, might very well disregard his personal dignity in order to maintain this grand facade.

Thinking about it this way, Jia Lian couldn't help but feel anxious.

Having finally endured until Jia She finished recounting his embezzlement scheme, she hurriedly took her leave, intending to take Lin Daiyu to find Jia Zheng and confront him directly.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, they heard Lin Daiyu scold, "I don't want anything that a stinky man has touched!"

As they were talking, a string of wagtail-shaped incense sticks flew over.

Jia Lian caught it with lightning speed, and seeing that its design was unlike that of ordinary nobles, he hurriedly asked Bao Yu, "Brother Bao, where did this come from?"

Jia Baoyu said with a bitter face, "This is a gift from Prince Bei Jing. I've been saving it for Lin Daiyu for a long time."

"Hmph~"

Daiyu snorted coldly and turned her head away, refusing to look at him.

Baoyu then circled around her again, pleading and begging.

"Brother Bao".

Jia Lian pressed further, "Why would Prince Bei Jing give you this out of the blue?"

Baoyu was getting a little impatient with the questions, but the Rongguo Mansion had always valued the eldest brother as a father. Although he didn't agree with this, he didn't dare to throw a tantrum in front of Jia Lian.

He could only patiently reply, "When Rong-ge'er's coffin was sent south in early May, Prince Bei Jing personally set up a roadside altar for the memorial service. He pulled me aside and asked me a few questions about my studies, and then rewarded me with this string of beads. Later, he even invited me to visit his palace a few times."

The Jia family's ancestral graves are in Jinling. According to custom, when someone dies, their body is kept at the Iron Threshold Temple for a period of time before being sent to Jinling for burial at an appropriate time.

"Prince Bei Jing has arrived in person?!"

Jia Lian felt a chill run down his spine. Jia Zheng had only mentioned in his letter that Jia Rong had a grand funeral, but he hadn't mentioned this unusual incident.

He hurriedly grabbed Baoyu and pressed him for details: "Who was there at the time? Who set up the tent for the roadside offering?!"

"Besides the Prince of Bei Jing who came in person, the other three princes of different surnames all set up tents, and the other six ducal mansions, except for the Duke of Yingguo, also sent their sons to participate..."

Jia Lian grew increasingly alarmed as he listened. What merit or ability did Jia Rong possess to command the collective mobilization of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, with even the Prince of Bei Jing personally offering sacrifices along the way?!

What made Jia Lian even more uneasy was that this had happened in early May.

At the time, the emperor was still seriously ill, yet the nobles collectively staged such a grand spectacle…

Could it be that the Emperor's three polo matches at the end of May, besides intimidating the civil officials, were also a response to the unusual activities of the nobles?

If there is indeed a connection between the two, then the issue of the Lin family's enormous wealth being of unknown origin is merely a minor matter.