A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 36 Two Sides of the Story

Rongguo Mansion, Rongxi Hall.

Aunt Xue, wrapped up tightly, stepped into the warm chamber and hurriedly untied the cloak around her neck. With the help of her maids, she shed the layers upon layers of clothing, revealing her pampered and voluptuous figure.

She pounded her chest, looked at Madam Wang on the kang (a heated brick bed), and sighed, "The weather in the capital really does change in an instant."

"The snow is relatively late this year; it started falling as early as September."

Wrapped in a thin blanket, Madam Wang nestled on the kang (a heated brick bed) and said lazily, "It's freezing cold. Why suffer like this instead of resting indoors? Aren't you afraid of slipping and falling on the slippery roads in the snow?"

"Oh dear! I'm not as fortunate as my sister, who enjoys such a peaceful and dignified life!"

Aunt Xue, her ample figure swaying, sat down at the kang table and said with a smile, "Wenlong is so inexperienced, we have to keep an eye on him from outside, don't we?"

Madam Wang said lazily, "Your affairs are nothing more than trivial business matters. How could you possibly know how difficult it is to manage such a large Duke's mansion?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Aunt Xue realized she had misspoke and quickly agreed.

Madam Wang waved her hand, dismissing the maids in the room, and said leisurely, "Back then, although our family had some dignity, how could it compare to the extravagance of this Duke's mansion? I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me, but when I first married into the family, I was so afraid of making a fool of myself that I could only pretend to be deaf and dumb."

These were things that Madam Wang could only tell Aunt Xue; she would never reveal her true feelings to anyone outside.

But Aunt Xue heard it in a completely different way.

Madam Wang, however, continued, "They say that a daughter-in-law who has endured many years of hardship eventually becomes a mother-in-law, but which of these two women who manage the household can last long? Although my two sisters-in-law are not blessed, in reality, they are also burdened by this huge family business."

Fortunately, I had a large family to rely on in my early years, so I only had to pay my respects to my parents-in-law morning and evening. Although it was tiring for a few years, Feng Jie later married into the family, and I was finally free.

Back in our day, we didn't have these grueling rules. Now, that eldest sister-in-law, though not favored by the old lady, doesn't have to be served tea and meals morning and night; she's quite comfortable behind closed doors."

At this point, she couldn't help but sigh, "Don't call me sentimental, I'm actually a little envious of you..."

Envious of yourself?

Wouldn't that mean I'm hoping for my brother-in-law...?

Aunt Xue was startled and said awkwardly, "My sister has a hard life, how can she compare to my elder sister... The eldest daughter is sensible, and Baoyu is filial, unlike Wenlong who only causes me trouble."

Considering the deeper meaning behind Madam Wang's words, Aunt Xue didn't dare to mention family happiness.

Lady Wang was merely lamenting that her younger sister had no parents-in-law, but she overlooked the fact that she was also a widow.

It's no wonder that Madam Wang made such a mistake; wealthy families often have many wives and concubines.

Even with proper care, once you pass the age of thirty, you should start practicing vegetarianism and chanting Buddhist prayers to bless your children and grandchildren.

She was in her thirties and had long since stopped sharing a room with Jia Zheng.

Although Jia Zheng was indeed useless, and there was no essential difference between a widow in death and a widow in life, they were still husband and wife after all.

Madam Wang spoke on a whim, getting carried away and not paying much attention to the details. But Aunt Xue's words made it seem as if she was hoping for her husband's death.

She froze, afraid of making things worse, and quickly changed the subject, saying, "You came all this way in the snow today, is there something you need?"

Aunt Xue was also worried that if she continued this topic, Madam Wang would suspect that she was trying to pry into her privacy, so she quickly said, "A few shopkeepers came over the other day and said that the West City Garrison wanted to collect some kind of cleaning fee. Business isn't doing very well these days, and I heard that the person in charge is a relative of yours..."

In fact, the silver paid by the Xue family's shops in a year wasn't even enough for Xue Pan to support Jin Rong and others.

In business, profit is paramount.

Thinking that he would need to prepare some gifts to visit Wang Qing, he decided to go the long way around instead of going to the nearest place.

Madam Wang didn't want to cause trouble, but considering that her sister had come through the snow and that she had just said the wrong thing, she hesitated.

Thinking that Wang Qing was a good person, and that he had recently given face to an old friend, he agreed, "Is such a small matter worth your trip? I'll send someone to tell Feng'er and have Lian Er put in a good word for him."

……

Rongqing Hall.

Jia Zheng stepped around the screen, hurriedly bowed to his mother, and then quickly stood up, saying, "Mother! Brother Wang Meng's..."

Unexpectedly, he had just started when Grandmother Jia stopped him with a raised hand.

"You may all leave!"

After dismissing the servants, Grandmother Jia took a scroll from behind a table and handed it to Jia Zheng, saying, "Take a look."

Jia Zheng quickly took it, unfolded it, examined it briefly, and hesitated before saying, "Isn't this the Huiwen amulet that our family presented to us years ago?"

Having said that, his face lit up with joy, and he said, "Could it be that the young lady received a reward from His Majesty in the palace?"

Grandmother Jia shook her head and said, "This was brought by Qing-ge'er."

Jia Zheng pondered for a moment, then said with a look of sudden realization, "I never expected that among the rewards bestowed upon him during the posthumous conferment, there were items that his family had contributed."

Grandmother Jia shook her head again and sighed, "That's what I thought too, but when I asked, I found out that she had arrived at the Wang family before Wang Meng died."

"What do you mean?" Jia Zheng was taken aback.

Grandmother Jia, furious at his lack of ambition, said, "Don't you understand? You've served as an official for so many years, and you've done nothing but a disservice! The Emperor Emeritus probably saw through Prince Yizhong's treacherous intentions long ago and has already secretly laid a trap for him!"

She sighed heavily, her face showing reminiscence, and said, "Now that I think about it, the whole thing started when the Wang family took my little sister away and cut off all contact with her."

Jia Zheng exclaimed, "How is that possible?"

"Why not? If he didn't know the inside story, would Wang Meng have avoided this relationship and cut off all contact instead? He probably felt it was a matter of impropriety and was deliberately avoiding suspicion!"

Jia Zheng's expression changed several times, finally slumping down as he asked suspiciously, "Since Mother knew, why did you still place him in that remote corner?"

Initially, Jia Zheng scoffed at Wang Qing's behavior outside.

Not only did they not bother to ask his name, but they also avoided him when people from the government office came to ask him questions.

Unexpectedly, during the morning court session this day, a group of high-ranking officials submitted memorials one after another praising him, claiming that he was a descendant of a loyal and virtuous official and should be promoted exceptionally.

The thieves disappeared in the west city, and people were busy clearing the roads and sweeping away the snow. Land prices and rents even rose significantly. Meanwhile, the other cities saw their fortunes rise and fall. How could people not be envious?

Moreover, by saying a few words, they could express their stance to the retired emperor and the emperor. These shrewd people who had been through many ups and downs in officialdom were naturally happy to benefit from this without spending any money.

Only then did Jia Zheng realize that Wang Qing was actually the son of Wang Meng, the meritorious official who quelled the rebellion.

On his way home after leaving the government office, he asked his attendants and learned that Wang Qing had been placed next to Pear Fragrance Courtyard. Only then did he rush to find Grandmother Jia.

Grandmother Jia let out a heavy sigh and said in a low voice, "A new emperor brings a new court. The retired emperor is getting old after all. I'm just worried that if His Majesty finds out about his identity, he might suspect that Qing-ge'er, like his father, has received a secret order from the retired emperor, which could bring disaster to the whole household..."

Jia Zheng was startled: "Then why did Mother keep him here?"

"Foolish!"

Grandmother Jia's voice suddenly rose, almost heart-wrenching: "Don't you think about it? Why would they send him this 'Wisdom Pattern' when he's perfectly fine? What if it really was the Emperor Emeritus's order? Should we just pretend we don't know what he's doing?"

Jia Zheng was clearly flustered, stammering, "What should we do... wouldn't that leave us stuck in a bind?"

"What's the panic! Even if it's true, let alone just speculation, it's not yet time for disaster to strike!"

Before Jia Zheng could speak, Grandmother Jia continued, "I was originally thinking of having the eldest daughter check the records of Huiwen in the palace first, and then send the items in so that she could find an opportunity to secretly present them to His Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng's forehead began to sweat.

Grandmother Jia said calmly, "I never expected that there wouldn't be a trace. It seems that the Emperor Emeritus, fearing that the secret would be leaked, had already covered up any loose ends long ago."

Jia Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, and could no longer hold back, saying, "Mother...Mother, this is a matter of great importance...How...how..."

Grandmother Jia said irritably, "Fortune favors the bold! If even one of you were capable, why would I take this risk? The Emperor Emeritus is getting old; if we could pledge our loyalty to His Majesty beforehand, our family might be able to rise again, or at the very least, maintain our wealth for several decades!"

"Your son is incompetent!" Jia Zheng quickly apologized.

"You don't need to panic. It seems there's no need to take that risk!"

"Huh?" Jia Zheng asked, bewildered.

Grandmother Jia took a breath and said, "Today, the eldest daughter spread the word that the day before yesterday, His Majesty went to the Empress's Fengzao Palace and not only mentioned that Qingge'er had done a good job in preventing thieves, but also that many ministers in the court submitted memorials one after another, praising him as a worthy descendant of a loyal and virtuous family."

It seems that even if the retired emperor did have some arrangements, it was just a precaution after being bitten by a snake once. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dragged it out until now and entrusted such an important matter to a young upstart.

Rather than taking risks, it's better to pretend we don't have this wisdom mark, playing both sides. If things turn out badly, we can then decide whether to present it to His Majesty based on the situation.

Jia Zheng said anxiously, "This...this is not the way of a subject!"

"Nonsense!"

Grandmother Jia looked at her son and said, word by word, "Although he holds a very low-ranking official position, the Emperor Emeritus and His Majesty remember his father's hard work and great achievements. You have been in this position for many years without any advancement, but you might be able to benefit from his influence and take a further step forward."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng's face turned red, and his breathing became heavy.

Grandmother Jia waved her hand and said, "I didn't pay much attention to him the other day, and Zhen-ge took advantage of the situation. Tell him about the news from the court and give him a few pointers. Show some concern for this junior!"

"Perfect timing. Your birthday is coming up soon. Tell Lian Er to prepare a family banquet and invite some old relatives and friends. Then introduce him to everyone so that people outside can find out whose younger generation is the hero who helped stop thieves and catch robbers. This way, the East Mansion won't have to take all the credit."

"Yes! Yes!" Jia Zheng responded repeatedly.

"Besides, although the second girl is a better match in age, she is too soft-hearted and still has a loose end. On the other hand, the third girl, if we drag it out for a few years, will probably be clear by then. We can have Shuqing mention it to him privately first, to keep him hooked."

Grandmother Jia paused for a moment, then added, "This is a very important matter. Don't tell her the inside story. Just say that you like this child because he is steady and reliable."

"My son understands!"

……