The Happy Man in the Red Chamber

The location of the ancestral hall is in the southeast of Rongning Street.The family members of the Jia family who came to Beijing with them lived in a large area.These people usually live by the prestige of the Rongning Second Mansion, but from the perspective of the clan, some of the older ones have certain rights.For example, the current treatment of Lai everyone who has been slaves and servants in the past dynasties.

They have all been angered by this slave family, and seeing this family is in trouble, how can they not take it up on them.At this time, the men were all in the main hall, which was originally a place where female family members were not allowed to enter, but chairs were also placed at this time, facing the male family members.After all, they are all the daughters-in-law of various families, and they usually keep their heads down and don't see each other because they have something to see.After all, there is not much to avoid suspicion.

An Lan walked in with two nuns, and saw Mr. Lai's family tied to a spring stool in the yard, next to a servant with a big waist and a round waist holding a board.The sight of the bloody forest and the miserable cry made An Lan's heart twitch.He clenched his sleeves and walked into the main room a few steps, and sat in the first position of the female relatives under the guidance of the servant girl of Ningguo Mansion.

She was very surprised by this. At this time, Jia's mother was being supported and kneeling in the center.Beside her is Mrs. Wang.Looking at this, she looked at Jia She, who was on the other side of the male family, and asked herself if she wanted to kneel down.Jia Amnesty shook his head.

Jia Zheng was wearing an official uniform at this time, and it could be seen that he had just been invited from the Yamen.At this time, he was kneeling in front of the chair next to Jia Amnesty in some embarrassment, it seemed that he had just knelt down.An Lan thought about it for a while, and she was afraid that things had already begun, so she asked the female relatives to come over and take a look.It has the effect of killing chickens and monkeys and scaring others.

She lowered her head and wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief, hiding a mocking smile and waiting for Jia Jing who was sitting in the main seat to speak.

Mother Jia was a little frustrated at this time, a piece of paper that was obviously a tribute was spread out in front of her.The font on it is smooth and sharp, showing the personality of the owner.With the seal on it, it can be seen that it must be in a high position.

Jia Jing glanced at An Lan, and patted the table with his fingers: "What else do you have to say? I respect you as aunt on weekdays, and I don't want you to do such things with my uncle's reputation. Our Jia family can't compare The inheritance of the family in these four or nine cities, but in the final analysis, it was earned by the ancestors with their blood and lives."

His voice was sonorous, and Jiamu's pale face was in stark contrast.Someone who was interrogating outside soon came in. The visitor looked at the sign hanging on his waist. On the wide black belt, there was a thin silver snake pattern.At first glance, it was the Red Snake Guard.

"My lord, the interrogation of Lai's lineage is basically clear. The emperor said that Mrs. Rong Guogong also has kind thoughts in her heart, but the mistake has been made and can't be corrected. Let the lord of the country take care of it." The man finished speaking , and presented Jia Jing with a stack of copied papers, all of which were the confessions of the Lai family.Jia Jing simply flipped through the pages and nodded: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for me. After this matter is settled, I will go to the palace tomorrow to thank you."

The man looked at the person sitting in front of him, nodded his head and turned to leave.No matter how much you know about other people's private affairs, you can only pretend that you don't know.What's more, this Ning Guogong is a close person of the emperor.Although the two of them were fighting against each other these years, the emperor had beheaded many people but never touched him.It can be seen that although this person retreated from the imperial court absurdly, he was indeed a character in the emperor's heart.

Jia Jing looked at Jia's mother and snorted coldly: "Although the emperor intends to be tyrannical, but in the end, Er and others have violated the taboo of the family rules. The two houses of Ning and Rong have always been in the same line, and they cannot be dusted because of you." Speaking of this, he Looking at Jia Zheng: "You are also a fifth-rank official. I think you don't know about this matter, so I won't deal with you more. Just one thing you need to know, if the things your mother committed were not tolerated by the emperor, it would be bullying." The great crime of destroying the nine clans. If it goes on like this, I'm afraid it will be too involved. I think she is old and faint, and the emperor has something to say. So, you take your mother and wife out of the clan and set up a new family!"

Hearing Jia Jing's words, Jia Zheng's mind boomed, and he looked at his mother blankly.In addition to the resentment in the eyes, there is more complexity.Mother did this for him.If he could please his father more and make his grandmother like him, he wouldn't lose his title in vain because of his grandmother's last words.She wouldn't let her sleepless nights planning these things for her.Thinking of this, there is less resentment in my heart and more feeling.

An Lan lowered her head and looked at Jia Zheng out of the corner of her eye. At this time, Jia Zheng was just a man in his early thirties.Still young, not as old as in the original book.

Jia Zheng kowtowed in thanks, but said nothing.Seeing him like this, Jia Jing sighed and looked at Jia Amnesty: "He is your younger brother after all, with broken bones and tendons. So give him what should be given to him! It's just Jia Shishi..." He He pondered for a while: "Except for the dowry, you must not take away any needles and threads in the original Rongguo Mansion."

Speaking of this, Yi Shi and An Lan, who was on the side, could understand the gnashing of teeth.An Lan curled her lips. In fact, Jia Mu's greatest support was not the seemingly beautiful appearance of Rongguo Mansion, but her dowry.

It has not been a day or two since he accepted the affairs of the mansion. From the accounts, it can be clearly seen that, except for the sacrifice fields in Jinling, the Zhuangzi and shops outside the Rongguo Mansion are not very profitable.To put it bluntly, even if the profit is exploited layer by layer, the end result may not be much.In the original book, Wang Xifeng said that it only costs 5 to [-] taels a year.Here, the grain that has not been sold has to be deducted.

Jia Amnesty looked at Jia Zheng, then at Jia's mother and nodded: "Although she is out of the clan, in the final analysis, I am of the same clan as me. No matter what, it is a word of filial piety. But from now on, the old lady can It's just my second brother who is taking care of me. If I live far away, I'm afraid I will take care of a lot. No matter what, the old lady has her own mandate. Why don't you buy the house behind our house and buy the land outside. Build a new house for the second brother. It is more convenient to live together now."

When the surrounding clan elders heard what Jia She said, they immediately took a liking to him as a playboy and playboy.Even Jia Jing glanced at him, thinking that Jia Amnesty is not the descendant of the Huajian School?Why are you so honest?

What happened to Jiamu Baoyu violated the great taboo of the clan.At present, Jia Zheng is separated and established separately, and Jia's mother is also removed from the genealogy.Although this matter is important, in the final analysis, it is a family scandal that cannot be publicized. It is just an announcement from the clan, and a note is written and delivered to the emperor to settle the matter.

It's a good thing to not have to move for the time being.It's just that Jia's mother had to face the situation where Jia Jing led the clan elders to find out the family property of Rongguo Mansion.Of course, there is also an inventory of her and Mrs. Wang's dowry.

Looking at the people who checked the account books and counted things, Mother Jia coughed and patted her chest with her hands to catch her breath: "Nephew, you do this...but you must know that Baoyu will still be my grandson in the future."

Jia Jing sat on the side, flicking the non-existing dust on his sleeves: "Auntie's words are interesting, isn't he your grandson, is he my grandson?" He smiled mockingly: "There are some things, you know, I If you know it, you know it there." He pointed to the sky, and then said: "There are some things that you don't know, and I don't know, you know it there. This wealth and glory, our Jia family is in the capital 200 It's been many years. It's not too short, after all, things in front of you are not as important as things in the long run. Are you right?"

Mother Jia looked at him, frowned, and then took a sip of tea from the maid's hand.Her complexion is very bad, and she is now expelled from the clan.Neither Jia Amnesty nor the new step-sister, even Jia Lian, ever visited her again.In the future, she will no longer be able to use the word filial piety to suppress Jia Amnesty, after all, the mother who is clearly on the family tree has died long ago.But things are done, and she also saw her old grandfather and ancestor scolding her in a dream at midnight, but she has to do some things for her son and her descendants.

Seeing that she was silent, Jia Jing picked up a cup of tea and took a sip: "In the final analysis, the clan also saved face. Otherwise, based on this incident, it is hard to say whether Jia Zheng's fifth-rank official can be kept. However, , Jia She mentioned one thing to me. Because of the blessing of the ancestors, the two houses of Rongning and Ning have quotas for supervising students in the Guozijian. This time there is a commotion, and I am afraid that Zhuer may not be able to get a good ranking. After all, we are only a branch of our own family. The matter was reported back to Jinling..."

He put down the tea bowl and looked at Jiamu who stared wide-eyed: "Brother Xida is a soft-hearted person after all, if I would not say that. After all, there is still a half-grown kid in the family. If there is no one in the future It's a good place to go. It's just that he opened his mouth, and I can't stop him. It's just that the quota of supervisors is the right of mother-child brotherhood for so many years. In the future, I'm afraid I won't be able to help What's busy."

Mother Jia understood what she heard, her heart tightened and she wanted to cough again.Jia Jing looked at her and said nothing.

It doesn't take much to count the property. The original list is matched with the existing list, and then people can check each item one by one to understand.Jia Jing didn't make it public, but just showed it to Jia Amnesty.Jia Zheng stood aside, very nervous.He is familiar with his mother, and he doesn't know what he will do on the account.

Jia Amnesty took a closer look, and found that the bookkeeping was as rigorous as the accountant said that the original wealth of the Rongguo Mansion had not suffered losses over the years.It's just that there is no surplus.On the books, there is only 35 taels of cash in total.The rest are those Zhuangzi, shops and so on.The land deeds are all there, and counting the labor of the maids and boys in the mansion, it is not a small family property after all.But compared to Rongguo Mansion's foundation of more than 200 years, it is actually quite small.Everyone understands the doorway here, but no one is going to explain it.

Jia Amnesty nodded: "I see, in addition to the Zhuangzi and the shop that were originally given to my younger brother, let's add a part of Jinling's land! After all, I want to establish my own family, and I will also have a sacrifice field in the future. In this family, I have a total of four I don’t need so much for my family, my family and those bought from outside. Those who used to serve my younger brother’s family went with me. In addition, I gave them all from the village and the shop. There is not much money, but I After all, I have my grandmother’s dowry on hand, so there is no shortage of money. I am afraid that my younger brother will spend a lot of money in the future, and building a house will cost money. On top of the original 5 taels, add 20 taels. "

What he said was generous, and what he gave was also generous.With such a one-to-one gift, the big head has become Jia Zheng's.After hearing this, Jia Zheng sighed in his heart that his brother was a fool.He just didn't make a sound, he didn't suffer anyway.But after all, he left the golden signboard of Rongguo Mansion, and he will need money in the future.When I came here, the old lady gave special instructions that I must get some more money.Thinking about it, there are also requirements in this regard.

It's just that Jia Amnesty opened his mouth at the moment, and he really couldn't open his mouth anymore after getting 25 taels of silver.Just shut up and stand aside.Jia Jing looked at the generous Jia She, and looked up and down: "You have thought about it, you have to allocate part of the land in the mansion to him. In the future, if you have more people in your family, you will have no place to live."

The back of Jia's mansion is where the servants of the mansion live.There is also a large piece of wasteland and lake paozi, which were bought in those years.It is not included in the amnesty scope.It's just that the population of the family has not been abundant, so there is no expansion.Over the years, the only people who have broken ground there are the people from the Lai family.It's a pity that he was killed and sold out within two years of just starting.

Jia She shook his head: "It's okay, when there are more children and grandchildren, they will naturally find a place for themselves. Besides, in my generation, there is only Lian'er. Even if I have it in the future, I won't go there in abundance. What She made is enough. .”

Jia Jing nodded, stamped it with the patriarch's seal, and asked Jia Amnesty and Jia Jing to sign and mark it as evidence.All these documents are ready, and they are taken to the government for record.

The Rongguo Mansion suddenly separated, and outsiders did not know about it.It's just that a lot of civil engineering construction was carried out behind the Rongguo Mansion, which alarmed some people after all.They sent people to inquire, but they just said that there are few houses in the mansion, the children in the family are getting married, and Jia Zheng wants to move out, but he doesn't want to be too far away from his brother.

When Jia She first heard this, he just smiled and said nothing.But after listening to it a lot in the future, I feel that it is not a taste.It is inconvenient for the clan to say the reason for this matter, but it is inevitable to separate the family from the clan.If it is passed on like this now, I am afraid that if it is said that the family is separated from the clan in the future, the fault will also fall on him.After thinking about it like this, he suddenly became angry.An Lan looked at it and thought it was funny, and handed him the teacup: "You just found out about this? I thought you really didn't take it seriously."

"I think you really don't take it seriously!" Jia She looked at An Lan angrily.

Hearing what he said, An Lan turned her head and squinted and smiled.After laughing enough, she opened her mouth: "So you understand...Ah!" She raised her handkerchief: "I thought you forgot!"

"Huh!" Jia She let out a muffled snort, picked up his teacup and lowered his head to drink tea.

Looking at him, An Lan tilted her head, lowered her eyebrows and thought for a while, "Actually, this matter is not without benefits."

Jia Amnesty didn't say a word, but looked at him while holding a teacup and sipping at the edge of the bowl: "The matter of Baoyu will definitely be found out in the future. What the old lady is thinking about now is about the great wealth in the future, and what she thinks about her future. Based on my understanding, I think that all the daughters of the Qin family have got the position of princess, and now Baoyu is a brother, not a sister. But the problem is that he is a brother, not a sister."

Hearing this, Jia She put down the tea bowl and looked at An Lan waiting behind her.The corners of An Lan's mouth were full of sarcasm: "Master, you said... this..." She raised her eyes to look at Jia She, her gaze was like a torch: "This... being the emperor for one year is the same as... being the emperor for ten years. What's the difference?"

Jia Amnesty lowered his brows, looked at An Lan and smiled: "The one-year emperor is to sit still. The ten-year emperor..." He tapped his fingers on the small kang table, and said nothing.An Lan didn't talk about this topic anymore, but talked about Jia Zheng's house.

"In my opinion, it would be better to open a moon door and build a corridor to facilitate the two families to visit each other when building the wall. Although the old lady left with the second uncle, after all, the family's ugliness should not be publicized. This Lunar New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve During the holidays, you and I should go and have a look."

Jia She nodded when she heard the words: "No matter what, she is an elder after all. The etiquette cannot be discarded. After the house is completed and moved, Lian'er will go there every day if she is at home. Yingchun is still young, so forget it."

An Lan nodded and smiled: "That's the reason."

At this time, Jia She and An Lan's words were hidden, while Mrs. Wang sat on the bed in her own room, looking at the empty room full of desolation.Her own son was missing, but she wanted to raise someone else's son.But when she thought of Yuanchun and Jia Zhu who was still in Jinling, she couldn't vent and could only sit blankly.

"Madam... want to open some!!" Zhou Rui's family sat on the side of the child and looked at his grandma.She also knew what happened that day.But it was because he knew that he realized that his family was like a tied grasshopper at this time.She is an inferior person, but she can see clearly and understand better than those above.But right now, if my wife is even slightly unhappy, I'm afraid that if the higher-ups know about it, I won't be able to bear the sin of walking around.

"How can I figure it out?" Mrs. Wang lowered her head and looked at the rosary in her hand, her tone was low.

Zhou Rui's family sighed: "Miss, you might as well think of a better place. No matter what, the eldest sister and the eldest young master are the most important right now. The elder brother was just sent to Jinling and is on his way right now. Let the master send someone to pick him up at the end of the day." It’s just that the brothers don’t look like each other. Besides, the young master Baoyu is a golden bump, and the young lady will have the status of a nursing mother after raising her now, right? They say it’s better to be kind than to be kind.”

Listening to Zhou Rui's family's pre-marriage address, Mrs. Wang burst into tears.Zhou Rui's family reached out to hold her hand to comfort her, and the two lived in peace for a while without saying a word.

It will take some time for Jia Zheng's house, after all, it is not the kind of small household with a few pillars, a wall of mud, and then covered with some straw.Although there is no need for carved galleries and painted buildings, in the final analysis, it must be meticulously crafted.However, after discussing with the supervisor, it is confirmed that they will be able to move in before the end of the year.

Jia Amnesty did not urge him to move out, but kept tidying up his newly acquired Zhuangzi and shops outside.The people under the old lady's management are very shrewd shopkeepers.Although they knew that the family had split up, Jia She had always given them the impression of a playboy who didn't care about anything, and it was precisely because of this that they ignored Jia She's other nature, that is, he was arrogant and unreasonable.

Yes, Jia Amnesty dismissed them all, and all those who sold their lives were also found idle in a Zhuangzi.Of course, he didn't forget to count the property of these people. After all, they were all bought slaves, so the property belonged to the master's family.

Jia Amnesty's recklessness, in the end, came to fruition before August [-]th.A large number of slaves who in his opinion betrayed the master were sold by him.Those who like to follow the old lady, who always miss the old lady without knowing it, also asked him to give it to Jia Zheng.As an older brother, he is very generous.All the capable shopkeepers were sent over by him.After doing this, not to mention the fact that there are a lot fewer people, and many shops have to be closed because there are no shopkeepers.

An Lan didn't say much when she saw them having a lot of fun. She just cooperated and gave all the extra people in the house to Mother Jia.In the euphemistic name, they are all people that the old lady is used to, and the master is afraid that the old lady will think about it in the future.

At this time, there were few people in the family, and Jia She was surrounded by people who had served his grandmother for many years.There are only two young servants beside Jia Lian at the moment. It's okay to keep a poor woman or something.The people around Yingchun were all found by An Lan.There are only four people in the family, and they eat in An Lan's small kitchen.After all, it saved a lot.