Chapter 159 Where does the money come from?
The sun shines on the water and the wind blows the willows.

Heshen, in plain clothes, walked slowly by the pond with his hands behind his back. He looked at the withered lotus leaves in the pond and chanted softly: “The autumn air may not necessarily be sad, the slight chill is a pleasant day. The red lotus has fallen from the green pond, but the lotus leaves are still in full bloom.”

The servant behind him could hear He Shen’s happiness from his tone: “Do you like it here?”

He Shen said unhappily: “What’s the point of liking it! We have to go back immediately after signing the contract.”

The servant said: “It would be nice if this was our place.”

He Shen stopped and said, “Yes! It would be great if this was our place. Unfortunately, the current Dashun is not the late Ming Dynasty.”

The servant said: “I think this Dashun will not last long.”

He Shen: “What do you mean?”

The servant said, “I went to the West Market and saw that half of the street was burned. An ancient temple was also burned in the South City. I heard that the granaries of the Han court were all set on fire. This is the place where the emperor lives. Wouldn’t other places be even more chaotic?”

He Shen rolled his eyes and said, “You know nothing! This is a game played by the top people in the Han court. Otherwise, do you think any Tom, Dick or Harry can stir up trouble under the emperor’s feet?!” At this point, he sighed deeply, “It’s the same in Shengjing City! Aren’t there enough people who have died in the past few years?!”

Having said this, the master and servant felt sad.

He Shen suddenly remembered: “Why haven’t the people who are in contact with the White Lotus Sect come back yet?”

The boy thought for a moment and said, “Maybe it rained too hard last night and the connection was lost?”

Heshen was about to say something when they heard hurried footsteps and the two of them looked over.

A Jurchen woman dressed in Han Chinese clothing came running over, her face and body covered in mud.

Heshen’s eyes flashed, and the Jurchen had already run to him and knelt down.

He Shen looked at him and asked, “Why did you come back just now?”

The Jurchen said: “Return to the place you mentioned, I went to the place you mentioned and saw the people inside, but they didn’t look like members of the White Lotus Sect. They looked more like spies from the Han government. I lied and said I went to the wrong place, but they still followed me. Fortunately, it rained heavily, so I got rid of them. I hid in the market outside Chongwenmen for a night.”

Heshen’s face darkened. Was it that the White Lotus Sect’s stronghold was exposed, or was it a trap set by Fukangan?

The servant spoke: “Master”

He Shen thought for a moment and said, “From now on until we leave the capital, you cannot go out. Do you understand?”

The Jurchen woman said: “Yeah!” and stood up and walked out.

The servant said, “Master, is it that son of a bitch Fukangan?”

He Shen shouted: “How dare you!”

The servant boy suddenly came to his senses and realized that he had spoken rashly. He raised his hand and slapped himself, then was about to hit him again.

“All right!”

He Shen raised his hand and sighed, “Liu Quan, be careful of your mouth!”

Liu Quan remembered something and replied in a trembling voice, “I remember it.”

He Shen sighed again: “Forget it, there is nothing to ask. Let’s go out for a walk and prepare some gifts for the celebration.”

Liu Quan: “What we brought is enough.”

Heshen smiled and said, “Only after other families have given gifts, will the Jia family accept our gift.” After saying that, he turned and walked out of the garden.

There was silence in Rongqing Hall.

Lady Jia, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, sat on the upper couch with her eyes slightly closed.

Jia She, Jia Zheng, Mrs. Xing and Mrs. Wang all came, all wearing court robes or imperial robes, and sat there silently looking at Lady Jia.

Although Mrs. Wang looked sick, the smile on her lips said it all; she was in a very good mood.

Finally, Grandmother Jia opened her eyes and said slowly, “Okay, let’s not talk about the past. The matter of the empress in the palace is the biggest happy event in our family in recent years. Let’s talk about it. What should we do next?”

There was silence.

Grandmother Jia looked at Jia She and Madam Xing.

Jia She lowered his head, and Mrs. Xing looked at Jia She.

Grandmother Jia was a little disappointed and turned her gaze to Jia Zheng and Mrs. Wang.

Mrs. Wang sat up straight. She couldn’t help herself when she came back from the palace to thank the emperor. If Jia She and Jia Zheng were not there, she would have spoken long ago. After a long pause, Jia Zheng spoke: “Dongfu Zhen’er has just been buried, and so many bad things have happened in the capital. Let’s not hold the banquet.”

“No!” Mrs. Wang blurted out.

Both Lady Jia and Madam Xing looked at Madam Wang.

Jia She just glanced at Jia Zheng and then lowered his eyes.

Jia Zheng’s face darkened.

Mrs. Wang was a little timid at first, but then she sat up straight again. “The Empress’s affairs in the palace are not only a big deal for our family, but also a matter for the royal family. Other families have held banquets to celebrate, but our family has not made any move. What do the palace think? Will they think that our family is dissatisfied with the reward?
In addition, we must also consider the Empress. If we do not hold a banquet to celebrate, it will be embarrassing for the Empress and will make people in the palace look down on her and neglect her.”

Hearing this, Jia She glanced at Mrs. Wang in surprise, wondering: Who taught her these words? Or was she and the second son playing the role of the bad guy? !

Grandmother Jia was also surprised. She looked at Mrs. Wang and then at Jia Zheng.

Strangely, Jia Zheng was also confused.

Seeing that Jia Mu and the others were really stunned, Mrs. Wang was even more excited: “Your Majesty’s promotion to the Defei among the four concubines is not only a great joyous event, but also can help our Rongguo Mansion restore its former glory. If the ancestors bless you and your Majesty gives birth to a prince, our family will be a true royal family, and we can even compete for that…”

Grandmother Jia’s expression suddenly changed: “Shut up!”

Jia Zheng’s face turned pale all of a sudden: “Who told you that?!”

Mrs. Wang was a little flustered, but did not answer.

Jia Zheng slapped his palm on the armrest: “Speak!”

Mrs. Wang was so frightened that she trembled all over. She stood up hurriedly, moving her lips for a long time before she spoke: “No one, it was me.”

Jia Zheng suddenly remembered: “Is it Uncle Baoyu?”

There was a pleading look in Mrs. Wang’s eyes.

Mrs. Xing perked up and sat up straight.

Seeing this, Grandmother Jia glared at her and said to Jia Zheng, “Okay, let’s talk about serious matters.”

Without waiting for Jia Zheng to speak, Jia’s mother looked at Jia She again and said, “Boss, what do you think?”

Jia She stood up and replied, “Sons always listen to their mothers.”

Grandmother Jia smiled bitterly and said, “Okay, I’ll make the decision on this matter. Starting tomorrow, our family will hold a three-day banquet, and Ningrong Street will also hold a three-day buffet.”

Jia Zheng hesitated for a moment and said, “Forget about the buffet.”

Grandmother Jia said, “I’m sure the other families will do the same.” She also said to Mrs. Wang, “The expenses for entertaining the guests will be paid through the public account. I will pay half of the buffet and you two will pay the other half.”

Mrs. Wang’s heart bled when she heard this, but she had to answer, “It’s all up to the old lady.”

Grandmother Jia nodded with satisfaction.

At this time, Jia Lian, dressed in an official robe, came in excitedly, greeted Jia’s mother first, and then said: “Congratulations to the old lady, the master, and the lady. The imperial decree has been issued from the Qianqing Palace. Seeing that the concubines and ladies in the palace have been in the palace for many years, how can they not miss their families and parents?
It is natural for children to think about their parents. If parents are at home and they only miss their children but cannot see them, and if they become ill or even die, it is because of me who imprisoned them and could not fulfill their wish of family life, which would also greatly harm the harmony of nature. Therefore, I hereby ask the Emperor and the Empress Dowager to allow their relatives to come to the palace to visit them on the 2nd and 6th of each month to enjoy the joy of family life together!

Mrs. Wang was overjoyed: “Really?!”

Jia Lian: “Yes. The Supreme Emperor and the Empress Dowager were very happy and praised the present emperor for his filial piety and pure benevolence, and his understanding of nature and the way things are. Therefore, the two old saints issued another decree, saying that the admission of the imperial concubines to the palace was a national ritual, and the mother and daughter were still not satisfied. They finally opened up to the imperial concubines and issued a special decree that in addition to the grace of entering the palace on the 26th, all families with large houses and other courtyards that can stay in the palace can request the imperial carriage to enter their private residences, so that they can enjoy the intimate feelings and the most sincere nature of family ties.”

Mrs. Wang’s head buzzed: “What? What did you say?”

Jia Lian clasped his fists and bowed to the air: “The emperor’s grace is great! As long as you build a villa for the imperial visit, I can ask for permission to bring the queen home to visit her parents!”

He then told Madam Wang, “I heard that Concubine Zhou’s father has invited the Ministry of Works to measure the land at home and is preparing to draw a blueprint. Also, Concubine Wu’s father, Wu Tianyou, thinks the land at home is too small, so he has gone out of the city to look at a place.”

“That’s great! Our queen can finally go home and visit her parents!” Mrs. Wang seemed extremely excited and thrilled.

Jia Zheng’s eyes opened wide, and he was indescribable surprise.

A trace of displeasure flashed across Mrs. Xing’s face.

Jia She closed his eyes slightly, looking as if he was not involved.

Grandmother Jia saw everyone’s reactions, thought for a moment, and looked at Jia She: “Boss, what do you think about this?”

Jia She opened his eyes and asked: “Where does the money come from?”

When this was said, everyone was stunned. Yes, where does the money come from? !
(End of this chapter)