Chapter 33: The World of Red Chamber Dream

  Although she respected her mother-in-law, after all, she was a daughter-in-law, and Jia Zhangshi couldn't be too close to Ya Ge. However, her life in Rongguo Mansion was like a fish in water, as her mother-in-law Shi Qixia had to take care of the young Jia Min, so the household chores were directly handed over to her management.

  With a husband like Ya Ge, Shi Qixia no longer had such strong desires for power and instead focused all her energy on her children. Also, because the Rongguo Mansion now has clear divisions of labor and transparent accounts, whether one is in charge or not doesn't make much difference, it's just a matter of what sounds better. So, Shi Qixia very generously handed over the household management to Xue Baochai.

  Jia Zhang's wife had just been married for less than a month and took over the management of the household. She was nervous at first, but after taking over the account books, she found that the affairs in the mansion were on track, and she didn't need to be personally involved in everything, just grasping the general situation was enough.

  The rules of Rongguo House are very strict, whether it is the gatekeeper, purchasing, kitchen or sweeping, even the maids and young servants around the masters, all have strict systems in place. In addition to monthly evaluations, they also supervise each other, and there will be no corruption or laziness.

  However, the monthly allowance for the servants in Rongguo House was much higher than that of other houses. A third-class sweeper probably only got two hundred coins a month, but in Rongguo House it was one or two silver taels! The sweepers were responsible for only two to three times more work than those in other houses, and one or two silver taels was equivalent to twelve to fifteen hundred coins, which was an absolutely high salary!

  The Rongguo Mansion currently has only six masters, and the entire mansion has just over a hundred servants, of which thirty or so are around Jia Min. The thousand gold of the public house must have the momentum of the thousand gold of the public house, this point also affects her future marriage and status in her husband's family.

  Jia Zhang's wife was more and more amazed by the management of the Rongguo Mansion. It was truly a blessing to be married into this family! The masters were dignified in their comings and goings, the servants were loyal and knowledgeable with full spirit, indeed worthy of being the house of Duke Rongguo!

  After marrying into the Rongguo Mansion for a year, Jia Zhang found out that she was pregnant. In order to take care of her pregnancy, she requested to temporarily put down her duties as the manager of the household. The child in Jia Zhang's belly is the eldest grandson of the Rongguo Mansion, and Shi Xiangyun also attaches great importance to it, not only taking over the management but also exempting Jia Zhang from the rules.

  That year, Lin Hai married, and he married the eldest daughter of the Wang family.

  When she learned of this news, even the normally calm Yajiao couldn't help but stare in shock. The original owner who had embezzled Lin Meimei's family property and was extremely disliked by Lin Meimei, how could she be married to Lin Hai?!

  This time, she can't do anything to Lin's sister anymore. After all, if Lin's sister is still alive, she would be Mrs. Wang's daughter! It's just unknown whether Jia Baoyu will become Lin Baoyu, and the engagement between wood and stone will really disappear. The possibility of being biological siblings or brother and sister is zero!

  To be serious, this young lady from the Wang family and Ye Ge also have some relationship, and she can even be considered his niece. In the past, Shi Qixia's younger sister Shi Qiwen married into the Wang family to Wang Kun, giving birth to two sons and two daughters, and it was her eldest daughter who became engaged to Lin Hai this time.

  The Lin family is a five-generation noble and aristocratic family with a strong scholarly tradition, while the Wang family is only in charge of managing the imperial tribute goods. Even if this generation's young master Wang Ziteng is somewhat accomplished, it's still too early for him to truly take power. People often talk about the four great families of Jinling, but in reality, the status of the Wang and Xue families is not much different. So why would Old Lady Lin choose the eldest daughter of the Wang family as a wife for Lin Hai?

  Someone was sent to investigate carefully and found out the reason, which made Ya Ge laugh and cry at the same time.

  The Lin family has been single-handedly passed down for generations. Although people in this era would blame the woman if they couldn't have a son, some families with a good foundation knew that men's bodies could also be problematic. So, Mrs. Lin searched for a long time and finally chose the Wang family among those willing to form an alliance through marriage. This was like choosing the tallest among dwarves, and since the Wang family had many offspring, Mrs. Lin hoped to gain some good luck.

  Because of Jiaoyue's arrival, Rongguo House changed completely, and the marriage between Jiamin and Linhai also disappeared. Now thinking back, this is the reason why Jiashe married Jiamin to Linhai in the original play. The alliance between Lin and Jia families was also controversial, one being a noble and scholarly family for generations, and the other being a wealthy but unrefined military general, why would they become in-laws?

  But at that time, the Lin family couldn't find a better match than the Jia family, just like now they can't find a better one than the Wang family.

  Shi Zhenxia's family helped her niece with makeup, and on the day of the wedding, Ya Ge's family sent a congratulatory gift. This matter was settled, and he no longer paid attention to it.

  The matter that Jia Zheng is currently considering is the marriage of Jia Baoyu and Xue Baochai. Jia Zheng's situation is relatively easy to handle, as he has already obtained his degree as a scholar and will likely obtain an even higher degree in three years' time. With the Rongguo House as his backing, it shouldn't be difficult for him to find a good daughter-in-law. However, things are more complicated when it comes to Jia Min. Women's status is very low at present, so if he wants his youngest daughter to have a happy future, will he have no choice but to arrange a uxorilocal marriage for her?

  In the previous worlds, he didn't have to worry about his children, but in this world, it's as if his heart is going to be worn out. Yajiao felt an increasing urge to grit her teeth. If the system could materialize a shape, he would definitely bite down on it several times before feeling relieved.

  The idea of a foster son-in-law is unrealistic, so Yaqi can only consider spreading the news to a few close families that she wants her daughter to choose a husband. Jiamin is currently four years old in virtual age and has eleven years before reaching adulthood, which is enough time to choose a suitable one.

  Yage is more inclined to nobility, they are not very wealthy, but their reputation and influence in the imperial court are good. He will raise Jiamin into a lady, and her dowry will allow her to stand firm in her husband's family. Between the eldest son of the first wife and other sons of the first wife, he prefers the second son of the first wife.

  The eldest son's shoulders bear a heavy responsibility, the daughter-in-law needs to take charge of the household or become the matriarch, and there will always be conflicts with her mother-in-law over interests. The younger son is generally the parents' favorite child, so they are more picky about their daughter-in-law. Therefore, being the second son is the best choice, as his position in the family is not that important, and after separating from the family, Jia Min can take charge of her own household. When her husband advances in his career, Jia Min also has a large dowry, so they will be able to live quite well.

  She carefully selected a suitable son-in-law in her heart, but before she finally decided, the eldest grandson of Rongguo Mansion was born. Yage named him "Guī". Guī is a jade instrument used for ancestral temple sacrifices and also used to sacrifice heaven and earth.

  "Jia Yue" is always better than "Jia Hu". Although both are jade ritual vessels, one holds beautiful wine and the other holds millet, which is completely different in grade. Moreover, the pronunciation of the former is also better, with one "Jia" being "Yang" (upward) and the other being "He" (harmony), fake harmony requires compensation!

  What's more important is that Jia Baoyu himself couldn't name his own children. When the two sons were born, Jia Yuan was still alive, and Jia Min's name had also been prepared by Jia Yuan long ago. His eldest grandson must use this "Min" character, so Jia Baoyu could only follow the original work. Now that he has grandsons and granddaughters, of course, he doesn't want to be confined to the plot of Dream of Red Mansions again!

  Jia Ju began to enlighten, Jia Zheng also came down. Both the autumn and spring tests went smoothly on the list, and when it came to the palace test, he even suppressed all the heroes and was once again appointed as the Top Scholar by the Emperor!

  The Rongguo Mansion's father and son trio visited the flowers, and it was temporarily passed down as a good story. The Rongguo Mansion also thoroughly changed its gate, from a military general to a civil official. Jia Xuan was appointed by the emperor in this year to be the head of the six ministries' Ministry of Officials, serving as the fifth-grade civil servant of the Qingli Official Selection Department, mainly in charge of examining the ranks and promotions of civil officials, as well as monthly policy selections, which can be considered a relatively powerful official position.

  Jia Zheng was no longer serving as the Crown Prince's reader, but had been thrown into the Hanlin Academy to continue his brother's path of further study. His marriage should also be settled soon, and at sixteen years old, the young master was not too young either.

  Although Jia Zheng was only the second son and could not inherit the title of Rongguo Mansion, he had achieved great things in his youth and was elegant and refined. In addition, according to the family rules of Rongguo Mansion, no concubines were allowed before the age of 30 for the legitimate wife, so although he was not as popular as Jia She, he was also a good candidate for many young ladies' ideal husband.

  Shi Zhenxia had almost vomited from looking at the information of various families' daughters-in-law, and finally selected her second daughter-in-law, Shen Ling's legitimate second daughter, a third-class official in the Censorate. This was also a talented woman from a scholarly family, whose father Shen Ling was born into a farming and reading family, with an upright temperament, but also had a few points of smoothness in his dealings with people.

  The marriage between the Jia and Shen families was soon settled, causing many ladies in Beijing to clench their fists in frustration. Some people who were unable to form a connection with the Rongguo Duke's family privately grumbled that Jia Daisan should have had more sons!

  After attending the morning court session, the Emperor detained Ya Ge alone and said with a smile: "Ya Ge, do you know that there have been many complaints in the capital recently?"

  At the age of twenty, Ya Ge was granted the character "Ya Ge" by the Emperor himself, with the meaning of "hearing the sound of the zither and understanding the elegant intention". Apart from the Emperor's satisfaction with Ya Ge's knowledge and taste, there were also private reasons hinted at by Ya Ge. In ancient times, whether it was a superior or a colleague, they would often address each other by their given name, which made them feel contented.

  Yahiko rolled his eyes: "I don't know."

  He is not only a minister of the emperor, but also the emperor's only friend. So even if he occasionally shows disrespect to the emperor, the emperor will not blame him, but instead feels close to them. Having been an emperor himself, he can understand the loneliness of being in a high position and feeling isolated.

  "It's strange if you don't know!" The emperor said in a bad tone, "Even I have to regret it. Yage, why didn't you give birth to a few more sons? My little princesses are still unmarried."

  "No, your daughter is too noble, my son is not worthy." The sons-in-law of the Daqing dynasty were all nominal and had no real power. Yage didn't want her own son to marry a useless person who couldn't even display his talents.

  "It's only you who dares to speak to me like this, Yage!" The Emperor sighed.

  Everyone knows that marrying a princess is not necessarily a good thing, the son-in-law cannot just be a prodigal son, but after getting married, he also cannot take any real job. But I guess except for Yage, no one else would reject him so directly. The emperor now is very grateful to the old emperor, if it wasn't for him letting Jia Daisan become his study companion, he would now only be a lonely and isolated person.

  The Emperor smiled and continued to joke, "Yage, although you don't have a son anymore, isn't there still a six-year-old daughter? Although I haven't heard any rumors about your daughter, the one you've raised must be extraordinary. How about making her my empress? Although it's impossible for her to be the crown prince's consort, being a princess would be pretty good too?"

  "Your Majesty, you know the family rules of my house. Since I require that my own descendants cannot take concubines, I will naturally also require my son-in-law to do the same. If not, I would rather raise my daughter for a lifetime, and my two sons will be willing." Yage didn't explicitly refuse, but also expressed her unwillingness to let her daughter marry into the imperial family. She loves her own daughter, if there's any rumors about an imperial edict, it would be strange if her future husband's family wouldn't be happy!

  "Good one, Jia Daisan!" Although he knew he would refuse, the Emperor was still a bit angry when he really heard it. "Now who doesn't have a bunch of wives and concubines? Only your Rongguo Mansion has a simple backyard! And you also ask your son-in-law to be like this, don't you think you're being too overbearing?"

  "It's precisely because our backyard is simple that my two sons and daughter are healthy." Yage didn't think much of it.

  Those who are willing to be his son-in-law will not care about this rule. If someone really has a flirtatious nature, they won't pass his selection either. Being childhood sweethearts is the best, with mutual affection and his hypnotic suggestions, it's not too difficult for Jia Min to be happy for a lifetime.

  "Alright, who in the capital doesn't know that you've already chosen your son-in-law!" The Emperor directly tore off the disguise, "That young man who has been frequently visiting your house for several years now, many people have been eyeing him."

  He was just a second son, with an elder brother who would inherit the family business and a younger brother who was doted on by their parents. Yet, he was favored by Rong Guo Gong and not only had his marriage arranged early, but also received cultivation like one of Rong Guo Gong's own sons. Now at just nine years old, he already has quite a reputation in the capital!

  "This is my good luck." Yaka smiled.

  At first, he spread the news that he wanted to arrange a marriage for his young daughter from an early age to cultivate feelings. As a result, many families came knocking on their door, and he finally chose Li Yi, the second son of the fourth-grade deputy commander-in-chief of the Li family, which was not the aristocratic family he had originally thought of. The Li family was a military general's family and needed the Rongguo Mansion as a helper, so they readily agreed to Yage's request that she could only have one concubine, Jia Min. Li Yi was also a talented young man who treated Jia Min well, making him a good choice.

  The most important thing is that Ya Ge, as a father, is too excellent. Jia Min has been close to him since childhood and can't help but be picky about the other half. She doesn't require her future husband to be as learned and talented as her own father and brother, but at least being well-rounded in both literature and martial arts is a must!

  After the imperial court stabilized, they emphasized literature and de-emphasized martial arts. Not many sons from scholarly families were willing to study martial arts with such hardship, so Ya Ge could only choose a son from a family of military generals to cultivate his talent. A little daughter's small request, as her father, he had to try his best to satisfy it.

  The emperor's expression was inexplicable, his dark eyes gazing at Yage who, despite being middle-aged, still looked elegant and refined as if he were under thirty. After a long while, he slightly lowered his head and smiled, saying: "Yage, sometimes I really envy your family. For their sake, you've calculated everything."

  "My loyalty to Your Majesty is also unwavering," Yaka said calmly.

  "Yes, if you were gone, I don't know what kind of state the Great Qing Dynasty would be in now. Yajiao, the Great Qing Dynasty cannot do without you, nor can I."

  His Majesty did not use "Zhen" this time, but used "I".

  Yahua simply stood up and bowed deeply.

  It's not easy being a powerful minister, even if the emperor has complete trust in him after being enchanted by his flattery. He is still facing numerous difficulties. But now that he has gone too far, it's already impossible for him to retreat.

  He is loyal to the emperor, and naturally there are people who don't like him. The four kings and eight dukes especially hate him, if he didn't have the Xianyao sect's martial arts as a backing, it's estimated that he would have died many times already. Also in the Rongguo Mansion, if not for his early cultivation of loyal guards, Shi Qixia and others would be bedridden even if they didn't die.

  Those families, even if they have no power in the imperial court, still have some private influence. Yaqi is not incapable of defeating them completely, but he has to leave something for future generations to do. If he does everything himself and leaves nothing for others to do after he's gone, what will Jia Zhen and Jia Zheng do?

  Even if he really wanted to, even if his great-great-grandchildren were all gone, he could still continue to jump around.

  Two years later, Jia Zheng and Madame Wang's first son was born. The chubby little boy was very cute, just a bit too lively. Yaqi was very satisfied, liveliness meant good health, at least he wouldn't end up like Jia Zhu in the original novel who read himself to death.

  Of course, the eldest son of the second house, Yage, would not be named "Zhu", Zhu Geer or something like that, which has a bad meaning and doesn't sound good. Jia Yu, the name of the eldest son of the second house.

  "Yuè" refers to the beautiful jade worn by gentlemen.

  Yajiao thought that the world should no longer be a dream of red mansions, but the plot was still staged. Lin Hai was sent to Jiangsu as a salt official by the sage in this year. The original Wang Fu Ren, now Lin Wang Shi, also went with him. The two had been married for four years and had no children, so Lin Wang Shi had to choose one of her dowry maids to be a concubine, and could only accept the maid sent over by Old Lady Lin.

  All sorts of bitterness, she could only swallow in her mouth.

  In the original work, Jia Min was at least a talented woman who could play the qin and sing with Lin Hai, earning his respect and love. Lin Wangshi was basically illiterate and not good with words, although she looked okay, but really didn't capture Lin Hai's heart. Originally her body had some problems, and Lin Hai rarely went to the backyard, often staying in the study, so it would be strange if they could have children.

  Although Mrs. Lin knew that her son's body was not good, she still vented her anger beautifully. Originally, marrying Lin Wang back was to take advantage of the King family's many children and grandchildren's luck, but as a result, this Lin Wang couldn't even keep her husband, what a useless thing!

  Old Lady Lin pointed out that her own son's concubine was naturally raised according to her own son's preferences.

  Red sleeves add fragrance, talented men and beautiful women.

  It seems that Lin Wangshi is going to give birth to a child for the Lin family, and there's still more to come. The question is whether the immortal Xiangzhuan will reincarnate into the Lin family again!

  Yahiko, upon hearing this news, rubbed his chin and smiled with malice.

  The author has something to say: Isn't it subversive enough?

  The red mansion has changed!

  The 6k potatoes are really not enough, but this chapter also has 5k, which is still quite rich.

  Afternoon accompanied grandfather and grandmother stroll Chunxi Road, potato's feet are all swollen!

  The potato who never liked going out and loved staying at home is really pitiful. qaq

  Tomorrow, potatoes will work hard to update at 5 pm sharp, and there will still be at least 5,000 words.