Rongguo Mansion, East Courtyard.

In the early morning, there were few pedestrians on Ningrong Street. The rising sun cast a large area of ​​golden light and shadows, dispersing the misty morning fog in the air.

A carriage came out of the east corner gate of the Earl’s Mansion, went west along Ningrong Street, and stopped in front of the black oil gate of the East Courtyard after traveling two arrowheads’ distance.

A woman from the east courtyard and three maids from the inner courtyard had been waiting at the door early. When they saw the carriage stop, they went to greet it.

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a neatly dressed old woman came down. She brought a stool from the back of the carriage and placed it in the front, then she helped Tanchun get off the carriage.

Afterwards, Tanchun’s maids Shishu and Cuimo came down, each carrying Tanchun’s personal suitcase, makeup box, writing brushes and ink, etc.

When the old woman saw Tanchun, she said with a smile on her face, “We received a message from the East Palace yesterday, saying that the third young lady was coming back, and the young lady’s room has been cleaned.

The bedding and bed curtains have been replaced with new ones, so the girl can rest well when she arrives. All meals and hot soups have been served by smart maids, so the girl doesn’t have to worry about anything.

The eldest lady of the East Mansion has ordered that one ice jar will be sent every morning and evening for the young lady to cool off from the heat, and the other one will be sent to the master and his wife for their enjoyment.”

Tanchun smiled and said, “Thank you, Auntie. The master is taking a day off today. Is he in the study?”

The woman replied, “Originally I was at home, but Cheng Rixing opened a new antique shop on Yuhe Street and got a few Tang Dynasty antiques and calligraphy and paintings.

Yesterday, I sent a letter to the master, inviting him to his shop to enjoy paintings and wine. This morning, I sent a carriage to pick him up. It is estimated that he will not be able to return home until noon.”

Tanchun didn’t care when she heard this.

She knew that ever since the second branch moved into the East Courtyard, the retainers who had flattered the master before, seeing that the second branch had lost its power, had each gone their own way.

Only Cheng Rixing still remembered the old friendship and often came to the East Courtyard to chat with the master. He never stopped coming and could be considered a somewhat shrewd person.

Tanchun said, “I will settle down in the inner courtyard first. When the master returns home, let me know so that I can go and see him. Thank you, madam.”

The old woman felt even more proud when she heard Tanchun’s polite words, and she cordially led Tanchun into the house.

……

Ever since the eldest son Jia Cong inherited the hereditary title of Rong State, the second son Jia Zheng moved out of the Rong State Mansion and settled in the East Courtyard.

The second branch was originally the main branch of the Rongguo Mansion. Madam Wang was the mistress of the Rongguo Mansion. The servants of the second branch were also superior to others in the mansion and were quite arrogant.

Originally, the eldest master and his wife lived in the east courtyard. Although the second master Lian and Madam Feng lived in the Rongguo Mansion, they also relied on their wives’ reputation to make a living.

That period was the most glorious time for the second house servants, and no one expected the result today.

The servants of the second wife, who used to be so arrogant, are now truly inferior to the people of the first wife, because they have become the direct descendants and their side has become a side branch.

In the eyes of the servants of the second house, the entire master of the second house is on a downward spiral. Even Master Bao, who is still favored by the old lady, is not living as decently as before.

Although this gentleman was still in the West Mansion, the maids and servants around him were chopped down by the Second Mistress and only a few were left, and he didn’t dare to say a word.

It seems that even if Master Bao has to accept his fate, he will stay in the West Mansion. He looks so ugly and has no trace of the demeanor of the Phoenix man of the Jia family in the past.

……

There was only one person in the second branch who was different from the others. She went against the trend and became even more respectable than before. This person was Tanchun, the third daughter born out of wedlock from the second branch.

Back then, Third Master Cong had been looked down upon since childhood in the mansion because of his aunt’s poor family background.

The third girl did not dislike Third Master Cong at all and valued this cousin very much. She had been close to Third Master Cong since childhood, and they were even closer than real siblings.

Now that Third Master Cong has become the head of the East and West Mansions of the Jia family, the Third Miss, who has been close to him since childhood, has also risen in status.

Not only was the Third Miss taken to the East Palace by Master Cong to be raised, but it was also said that her food, clothing and living expenses in the East Palace were the same as those of the Second Miss, and she was very much loved by Master Cong on a daily basis.

Nowadays, the gossiping servants in the East Courtyard all say privately that the second branch of the Jia family has fallen on hard times. Although they still have the legitimate son, Master Bao, he is a hopeless case.

The second branch depends on him for future prosperity, so it would be better for everyone to kill themselves and be reborn together, which might be faster…

……

Now in the East Courtyard, only Mrs. Wang still thinks that Baoyu is a perfect person and will definitely bring honor to the family. She wants to fight for her own reputation and not let Jia Cong be complacent all his life.

The servants below were observing the situation and privately said that if the Second House wanted to be prosperous in the future, it would probably have to rely on the Third Miss, Tanchun.

Now, the second young lady of the East Mansion, who was originally disliked by everyone, has become the eldest young lady of the East Mansion because she has the Third Master as her brother.

The illegitimate daughter who was originally looked down upon is now wanted by many wealthy and powerful families to marry into the family, all because they are attracted by the power and future of Master Cong Sanye.

After Third Master Cong settled down in the East Palace, he brought Third Miss to live there. The old master never said anything and was actually happy to see it happen.

Among the servants in the East Courtyard, some with quick brains naturally thought that the Third Young Lady would soon reach the age of marriage, and by then they would have to plan for her marriage.

Now that she has established herself in the East Palace and is loved and supported by Master Cong, she must be on the path to becoming the Second Young Lady.

In addition, the third girl is so beautiful that in the future, countless wealthy and powerful families will be willing to break their doors for her in order to get involved in the third master’s powerful and future.

By then, it would be almost certain that the third young lady would marry into a noble family, and the entire second house would be glorious because of her.

Because Tanchun and Jia Cong are close, Mrs. Wang acts like a legitimate mother in front of Tanchun and often ignores her.

But those smart servants in the East Courtyard don’t have the face that Lady Wang has, so they will flatter whoever has a promising future and is successful.

……

The maid from the inner courtyard who came to pick up Tanchun was such a smart person, and there were definitely quite a few servants like her in the East Courtyard.

These people were all convinced that as long as they were attentive to Tanchun and managed this cold stove well, and please the third lady, they would definitely benefit a lot in the future.

Therefore, although Tanchun no longer lives in the East Courtyard for a long time, and Mrs. Wang is indifferent to her coming and going, she cannot help but feel concerned about the servants under her.

Whenever Tanchun came back to stay for a while, the servants would rush to clean up Tanchun’s room and arrange all the clothes, food and hot soup without Mrs. Wang’s personal instructions.

Although Tanchun was shrewd and knew the reason why the servants of the second house were so enthusiastic, she felt at home every time she came back, which was not a bad thing.

……

After entering the inner courtyard, Tanchun did not go back to her room directly. Instead, she went to pay her respects to Lady Wang in her room first, and then went to meet Aunt Zhao in her room.

Although Aunt Zhao is Tanchun’s biological mother, in the backyard of a wealthy family, the mother is the head of the family and cannot make any mistakes in etiquette…

After she brought Shishu and Cuimo back to the room which had been refurbished as if it were new, she packed her clothes and jewelry and searched for a while before suddenly remembering something.

Said: “Shishu, I forgot to bring the box of Changbai Blood Velvet slices that my second sister gave me a few days ago. I wanted to give it to the master to replenish his body.

Please help me go back to the East Palace to get it, so that the kitchen can prepare the stew for the master in the evening.”

After hearing this, Shishu quickly agreed and walked out of the room briskly.

She was not like Tanchun, a girl from a boudoir who had to take a carriage when going out and could not easily meet people. After leaving the second gate, she would go straight out of the black oil gate.

It was only two arrows’ distance from the East Courtyard to the East Palace, and she didn’t have to walk the entire way.

Just walk out of the black oil gate of the east courtyard and walk a few dozen steps, and you can turn into the west corner gate of Rongguo Mansion.

Then he crossed the West Palace and entered the East Palace from the small gate connecting the two palaces. He did not walk in a ostentatious manner, but walked lightly and familiarly along the way.

……

Just as the secretary walked out of the black oil gate, he saw a carriage parked at the door. It looked very unfamiliar. It didn’t look like a carriage from the East or West Palaces, nor from the East Courtyard.

She curiously asked the gatekeeper, “The master and his wife have guests visiting today.”

The gatekeeper knew that she was Tanchun’s personal maid and was now a popular figure in the courtyard, so naturally he did not dare to neglect her.

He smiled flatteringly and said, “Today, there is indeed a guest, but he is not here to visit the master, but to visit the mistress, and he is also a distinguished guest of the Zhen family in Jinling.”

The secretary was just asking casually and was about to step out of the door, but when he heard the servant talking about the Zhen family in Jinling, his heart was suddenly shocked and he stopped involuntarily.

……

Yesterday, Tanchun went to Yingchun Courtyard for a chat and gathering, and brought Shishu with her.

Tanchun and her sisters were playing chess, embroidering and chatting in the main room, while maids such as Shishu, Zijuan, Jinchuan, Cuilu and others were talking in the next room.

The ear room and the main room were separated by only a thin wall. If the girls wanted service, they only had to call out and the maids would be able to hear them.

Therefore, the personal maids like Shishu could hear most of the conversations of the girls in the next room.

Later, the Third Master entered the yard and there was a bustle in the main hall. Maids like Shishu and Zijuan naturally also heard about the Zhen family sending silver.

Although I couldn’t hear the details clearly, I could hear the general reason why.

The Zhen family was just sent away from the West Mansion yesterday, so why are there members of the Zhen family coming to the East Courtyard to visit the Madam today? Are they a group of people?
Shishu knew that the Third Master strongly disapproved of the Zhen family’s hiding of silver because it would bring trouble to the family.

My daughter and the Third Master are best friends. Naturally, if the Third Master does not approve of something, the daughter will not approve of it either.

If the Zhen family fails to send silver to the West Mansion, they will send it to the East Courtyard instead. Madam always thinks differently from the Third Master…

The secretary took half a step and then stepped back into the threshold. He did not even bother to go to the East Palace to get something and hurried back to the inner courtyard.

……

East Courtyard, the main hall of the outer courtyard.

This morning, Mrs. Wang received a message saying that the eldest wife of the Zhen family in Jinling came with the dowry and had been doing business in the capital these days, so she sent a visiting card specifically to meet her.

Mrs. Wang was surprised when she heard this. She didn’t have much contact with the Zhen family in Jinling, so why would the maid who came with her eldest wife’s dowry think of visiting her?

If such a thing had happened in the past, it would have been considered normal, because the second branch of the Rongguo Mansion was the head, and she was the legitimate mistress of the house.

When the women of Jinling Zhen family came to Beijing, they had to pay a visit to the old lady and the mistress of the house out of family etiquette. It was only natural.

Last year, the eldest wife of the Zhen family and the third Miss Zhen came to Beijing, just to visit me and the old lady.

Unexpectedly, now that the Second House has lost its momentum, the Jinling Zhen family still remembers the old relationship, which makes Mrs. Wang praise that these old relatives from aristocratic families still know how to behave. Although the Second House has moved out of Rongguo Mansion, this is none of its business. She has been the head wife of Rongguo for more than ten years, so she should have such dignity.

Mrs. Wang was very happy about this. She went to the inner courtyard to change into appropriate clothes and makeup, and asked her maid to invite the visitor to the main hall of the outer courtyard.

……

Ever since the Zhen family was turned away at Xifu yesterday, Yao Shouan and Liu Baozheng’s family have been at a loss as to what to do.

Fortunately, because of his elder sister, Mrs. Zhen, Yao Shouan was very familiar with the situations of various aristocratic families in Jinling.

In a moment of desperation, he thought of Lady Wang, the eldest daughter of the Wang family in Jinling, who had been in charge of the Rongguo Mansion for more than ten years.

In fact, under normal circumstances, Mrs. Wang has lost her position now, and in the eyes of the aristocratic families, the difference between her and others is like heaven and earth.

Such an important matter as hiding silver would never be thought of her.

However, Yao Shouan and Liu Baozheng’s family were entrusted by Zhen Yingjia and his wife to carry more than ten boxes of family property from the eldest wife and travel thousands of miles to Beijing to hide the silver.

Both of them have families still in Jinling, and they know that this is a serious matter and cannot afford any mistakes…

Originally, he had thought of giving a large sum of money to Mrs. Lian, the second wife of Rongguo Mansion, as a woman in the inner house would be very easy to obey. However, he did not expect that the result would be contrary to his wishes.

Although the eloquent second wife spoke kindly, in the end Liu Baozheng’s family was no different from being kicked out of Rongguo Mansion.

It was unimaginable to ask the two of them to transport more than a dozen boxes of valuables back to Nanjing over a long distance.

As the saying goes, even a broken ship still has three pounds of nails. Even if the eldest branch of the Zhen family has fallen into decline, it is impossible for all the people to die out. The eldest master is inevitably desperate and it is unknown whether he can make a comeback in the future.

Besides, the powerful third daughter of the second house has been missing for a long time and no one knows where she is.

Is it possible that they have no place to hide the silver? They dare to embezzle it. Their lives and property cannot withstand it…

Although hundreds of thousands of taels of gold and silver treasures looked very tempting, they were a deadly hot potato for the two men, and they had to find someone to throw it away.

In such a desperate situation, Mrs. Wang, the mistress of the second branch of the Jia family, was almost the only choice for Yao Shouan and Liu Baozheng’s family.

After all, such a big thing as hiding private silver is not something that can be accomplished by just finding a random company…

……

As soon as Mrs. Wang entered the main hall, Liu Baozheng’s wife, who had been waiting for a moment, hurriedly stood up with a smile on her face and bowed respectfully to Mrs. Wang.

When Mrs. Wang saw her carrying a small exquisite ebony box that looked quite heavy, she couldn’t help but feel moved…

Since losing her status as the mistress of the house, Mrs. Wang moved into the East Courtyard with a lot of grievances, and her mentality and interests have changed a lot.

Things that were not important in the past have now become a matter of great concern, one of which is the extremely important etiquette for dealing with foreign guests.

Liu Baozheng was a smart and obedient man. Since he needed Madam Wang for important matters, he was naturally very courteous and performed the etiquette of paying homage to the mistress of an aristocratic family.

Before Mrs. Wang had time to ask the maid to bring a cushion, she had already bowed her head to the ground to perform the formalities.

Mrs. Wang felt very comforted by the fact that Liu Baozheng’s family was so well-mannered and polite. She felt that the Zhen family was indeed a prominent family in Jinling and that all the people who came and went were respectable people.

Liu Baozheng smiled and said, “I came to Beijing on the orders of my wife this time. As soon as I arrived in the capital, I heard about the happy event in my wife’s family.

I heard that the lady had given birth to a very outstanding boy, who was born with a jade in his mouth, a rare auspicious sign in the world.

Moreover, this guy is born with a very good appearance and temperament. All these strange things are gathered in one person. Isn’t this guy a god-like figure?

It was also because Mrs. Jia was extremely blessed that she was able to raise such a rare boy.

I also heard that this young man just turned fifteen and has already been engaged to a noble family, the Xia family, a wealthy and famous imperial merchant family in Shenjing.

They are truly a perfect match, a talented man and a beautiful woman. I have never heard of such a good thing.

As for our wife and Mrs. Jia, although they lived in different places, they both came from famous families in Jinling and married into wealthy families.

There is also a very coincidental thing. The fourth son raised by our wife is also named Baoyu, which is the same name as our wife’s brother.

But our family’s treasure is not as noble and unique as my wife’s…”

……

Since Liu Baozheng’s family asked Mrs. Wang to do something, they naturally did their homework before coming.

She had heard about some of Baoyu’s affairs in Jinling. After settling down yesterday, she began to inquire about the affairs of the second branch of the Jia family.

The Jia family in Shenjing is a prominent family in the capital. Now, because of Jia Cong, they have become the focus of public attention. It is naturally very convenient to inquire about the affairs of the Jia family.

Moreover, she was a servant in the inner house, and had been in aristocratic families all her life. Naturally, she understood the thoughts of the inner housewives the best. As long as she caught their legitimate sons, she would praise them to death, and it would be right…

This was just a common tactic used by the ladies in Liu Baozheng’s family, but when Mrs. Wang heard her good words, it was like stirring up waves, making it difficult for her to control herself.

Born with a jade in his mouth, noble and extraordinary, born with a very good appearance and bearing, a god-like figure…

Every word of these touched Mrs. Wang’s heart, making her feel as if she had fallen into boiling water and hot soup, feeling comfortable from the bottom of her heart…

It made her mind surge…

Ever since that kid from the East Palace inherited the nobility, he has taken away all the glory from my Baoyu.

What a life my Baoyu has had this year. Either the clan members came to make trouble, or something happened every few days. He was scolded and beaten by the master. It was really pitiful.

Sometimes he was beaten so hard that he couldn’t get out of bed, sometimes he fell with a bloody head, and in front of all the relatives, he knelt at the entrance of Rongqing Hall and his knees were broken.

My Baoyu is such a sensible and well-behaved boy, but his life is so hard. It’s all because of that kid from the East Mansion. He was born strong and can take away people’s luck. He can defeat anyone he sees…

……

Mrs. Wang calculated the days carefully. It had been a long time since anyone had praised Baoyu like this, and every word he said hit the nail on the head.

All her life, Mrs. Wang had been counting on these words to feel proud, but Liu Baozheng’s wife said them all out in anger.

She couldn’t help but marvel in her heart that this woman was just Mrs. Zhen’s dowry maid, but she had such insight and knew so well the good points of my Baoyu.

Why doesn’t the Jia family have more sensible people like this? Otherwise, the family wouldn’t be in such a mess…

……

When Liu Baozheng saw the satisfied look on Mrs. Wang’s face, he couldn’t help feeling a little proud, thinking that the time was almost right.

She then gently placed the small ebony box that she was holding tightly in her hand on the table beside Mrs. Wang, and then opened the lid. The box was immediately filled with jewels and precious stones, which dazzled everyone’s eyes again.

As soon as Mrs. Wang entered the main hall, she noticed that Liu Baozheng was holding a box in his hand, as if he never let it go. She didn’t expect it to be a treasure chest.

She looked a little surprised and asked, “Liu, what do you mean?”

Liu Baozheng smiled and said, “Before I came here, Madam asked me to visit Madam Jia. The last time Madam came to Beijing, Madam Jia entertained me. I will never forget this friendship.

I originally had a small gift to offer, but now that your brother is getting engaged, I can’t offer those gifts anymore. This small box contains some small old items from the Zhen family.

Just treat it as a wedding gift for my brother. I hope Madam Jia will not refuse it. Otherwise, when I return to Jinling, Madam Jia will say that I don’t know etiquette and have brought shame to the Zhen family.”

Mrs. Wang was surprised. The Zhen family was so wealthy that they casually gave a box of jewelry when they came for the first time.

She was born into a rich family, had seen a lot of the world, and was a person who knew what was good. This box of stuff looked like it was worth four or five thousand taels…

……

In the past, Mrs. Wang would not have cared much about four or five thousand taels of silver, but now times have changed and she is no longer the mistress of the Rong Kingdom.

Moreover, Wang Xifeng was very smart and clever. In a very short time, she wiped out all the spies and hands that Wang Xifeng had left in the West Mansion.

Now even if Madam Wang wanted to reach out, she couldn’t…

In addition, he sought the favor of the emperor in the palace for his daughter Yuanchun, and asked for a favor from his in-laws’ wife. In the end, he threw down 10,000 taels of silver, but not even a sound was heard…

By the end of this year, I still have to arrange Baoyu’s marriage with the Xia family.

According to Mrs. Wang’s wishes, Baoyu’s marriage must cost at least ten thousand taels of silver, so that it would be decent enough and in line with her Baoyu’s status.

If the large betrothal gift to the Xia family is included, the number might be even higher than this.

But given Mrs. Wang’s current situation, how could she have so much private money?

Although Baoyu is getting married, the Rongguo Mansion must allocate money because the old lady is still alive.

But Mrs. Wang has been the housekeeper for many years and knows the background of Duke Rong better than outsiders.

According to calculations from previous years, Duke Rong would receive nearly 20,000 taels of silver a year.

When it comes to Baoyu’s marriage, even if 10,000 taels are allocated for expenses, it is nothing. At most, the deficit can be made up next year.

But now she is no longer the mistress of the house and no longer has any authority.

Moreover, since last year, the imperial court has implemented a new policy, which requires a large amount of summer and autumn land taxes to be paid on time every year.

After Congge’er was demoted to inherit the title of Rongguo, Xifu lost another 500 shi of title property.

Mrs. Wang had calculated privately that the total annual income of the West Palace was no more than ten thousand taels.

This silver is now the property of the eldest wife. How could it be given to himself just for the marriage of Baoyu, the second wife?

Even with the old lady’s face, Jia Cong and Wang Xifeng could only spend five thousand taels, and they were afraid that they could not spend more.

Mrs. Wang had already made some calculations in private, and had been troubled by this matter. Now that she had two dowry shops, she didn’t have much to sell…

I didn’t expect that when I wanted to doze off, someone brought me a pillow.

Mrs. Wang looked at the jewels and precious stones in the small box, and her heart could not help beating. With this box of gifts from the Zhen family, Baoyu’s marriage would be decent… (End of this chapter)