Chapter 11: Rongqing Hall

Zhou Changyan collected Jia Cong's reply and said goodbye to Jia Cong and Jia Zheng.

When Zhou Changyan left, Jia Cong took a copy of the Heart Sutra he had copied from his room and asked him to take it to Prince Prince Jia Shun for correction.

Prince Prince Jia Shun treated him with such courtesy based on the couplet he wrote on red nitrate paper.

Jia Cong also entered the sight of the Old Mistress and Jia Zheng because of this, which made the Jia She couple have some scruples in their actions.

It could be said that Jia Cong had already received Prince Prince Jia Shun's favor. Although this was not intentional by the other party, Jia Cong was still grateful to this prince in his heart.

Since the other party liked his calligraphy, it would be a bit slow to let people take a torn couplet.

Sending a copy of the Heart Sutra he had carefully written could also be considered a prayer of gratitude to Prince Prince Jia Shun.

This was an unexpected joy for Zhou Changyan. He was just delivering a letter for the Prince, but he got the calligraphy written by Jia Cong himself. The Prince would definitely be happy when he went back.

A maid sent by Wang Xifeng led the way, and Jia Cong followed Jia Zheng, out of the Songxuan Hall, and into the hanging flower gate.

Walking to the end, he saw a marble screen with a purple sandalwood frame.

The five rooms in the front were all carved with beams and painted buildings, and the winding corridors on both sides were hung with birds such as parrots and thrushes.

He saw that the Rongqing Hall was already full of people. Among them, there must be the Zhong Lingyuxiu who would be famous for ages in the Red Chamber.

The girl sitting on her left was two years older, with slightly plump skin, a medium figure, cheeks like fresh lychees, a nose like goose fat, gentle and silent, and approachable.

Sitting beside Daiyu was a handsome young master, wearing a red arrow-sleeve jacket and a hair-binding inlaid treasure purple gold crown, which was very eye-catching among the women in the hall, but his face was indeed a bit big.

As for the girl sitting to the right of Tan Chun, who was weak as a flower, fairy-like and spiritual, with watery phoenix eyes and light sorrow on her cheeks, it must be Lin Daiyu.

Rongqing Hall was where the Old Mistress lived daily, and it was one of the two main halls of the Rongguo Prefecture, along with the Rongxi Hall where Jia Zheng and Lady Wang lived.

Going around the screen, it was a small three-room hall, and passing through it was the main hall behind.

In his previous life, he read "Red Chamber," and many things happened here. Although he was curious in his heart, he still stabilized his mind and behaved calmly.

What kind of person was the one who sent a letter from the Prince?

Today was the first time he walked into the Rongqing Hall in his memory.

Several little maids wearing red and green sat on the terrace. Seeing Jia Zheng and Jia Cong coming over, someone hurriedly went up to lift the curtain.

The girl with handsome eyes and groomed eyebrows, looking around with spirit, was Tan Chun.

This girl was wearing an apricot-red skirt with branch embroidery and a cross-collar long jacket, with slender shoulders and a thin waist, a tall figure, a duck-egg-shaped face, handsome eyes and groomed eyebrows, looking around with spirit, and her literary talent was the essence; seeing her made one forget the vulgar.

Seeing Jia Cong looking over, she smiled quietly at him, her gaze revealing a bit of intimacy, which made Jia Cong feel a bit familiar.

Flipping through the memories of the previous body in his mind, he finally remembered that this was his half-sister Ying Chun.

In the Rongqing Hall, the original harmonious and gentle atmosphere had changed, and everyone in the hall looked at the youth following Jia Zheng with different eyes.

On both sides were covered corridors, allowing one to walk while avoiding the rain, and in the middle was a path paved with blue stone.

In the past, with Jia Cong's despised status in the prefecture, he didn't have the face to step into this place for half a step.

Another maid went in to report: "Second Master has brought someone over."

One of the young girls was looking at him with handsome eyes, and there was a soft and intimate intention in her gaze.

Sitting at the end was a jade-snow-like girl, whose figure was not yet full and whose appearance was still small, the whole person was trapped in the chair, a bit cute, a bit lovely, and it must be the youngest Xi Chun.

After matching the numbers in a hurry, Jia Cong couldn't size up the others one by one, so he restrained his gaze and stood quietly in the hall.

The Old Mistress couldn't remember when she last saw Jia Cong. Although he was her grandson, that face was really a bit unfamiliar.

Lady Wang, Li Wan, and others, although they knew the old stories of the year, like the Old Mistress, hadn't seen Jia Cong much

As for the younger masters and young ladies of the younger generation, apart from Yingchun and Seeing Tan Chun, almost none of the others even remembered that this brother, Jia Cong, existed.

Yingchun's gaze was gentle as she looked silently at Jia Cong, her eyes revealing pity.

Seeing Tan Chun stared quietly at Jia Cong, reminded again of that "Song of Xizhou" in the room.

Seeing that although Jia Cong was dressed in shabby, old clothes and his face was gaunt, his spirit was clear and calm, and his manner was natural and poised, he indeed possessed extraordinary qualities.

When she saw the stitches mending his cuffs and the faded surface of the shoes on his feet.

Seeing Tan Chun felt a slight ache in her heart; both were born of concubines, yet compared to him, how fortunate she was.

The young girl as delicate as a flower beside her, however, did not notice Seeing Tan Chun's expression this time.

She saw the young man in the hall in old, dim clothes, his frame thin and bony, standing there coldly.

Looking again at her grandmother's expression just now, she guessed that this cousin she had never met must not be well-regarded in the household.

But although the young man appeared desolate on the outside, his bearing and spirit showed no sign of defeat; instead, he exuded a sense of clear, self-respecting pride that made one dare not look down on him.

She thought again that although she was doted on by her grandmother, she was ultimately living under someone else's roof.

With her mother dead early and her father far away, she was all alone, her heart anxious and without support, no better off than this young man.

Thinking of this, a wave of sadness welled up in her heart. She looked up to see Jia Cong still standing there with gentle composure, his figure possessing an inexplicably tranquil and steady quality.

Jia Mu saw that Jia Cong was very thin and frail, his old robe washed until it was white, with stitches visible at the cuffs.

His cheeks lacked color, and his appearance was truly somewhat destitute and down-and-out; he looked nothing like a young master from a great family.

Compared to the elegant and romantic Baoyu, one was in the heavens, the other in the depths.

Although Jia Cong had been thin and weak before, he had never been this gaunt.

Ever since he recovered from his injuries, fearing that his weak body would not withstand the illnesses of this strange era.

He had begun a planned physical fitness regimen every day, with push-ups, running, and other exercises without a single day of interruption.

The kitchen of the East Courtyard, under the manipulation of Wang Shanbao's wife, had restricted and short-changed Jia Cong on food.

Although he had the ten taels of silver from selling couplets and was originally not afraid, he had not expected Lady Xing to snatch it away as well.

This left him unable to eat his fill every day, and unwilling to stop his daily fitness exercises, so it turned into an unconscious fat-loss regimen.

In the eyes of others, he appeared even more thin and bony, inadvertently magnifying the effect of the East Courtyard's food-skimping.

Having spent half her life immersed in the dark dealings of the inner chambers, the old lady saw some of the reasons for this and cast a sideways glance at Lady Xing, who was sitting in the lower seat.

Although she despised this grandson, he also carried the Jia family bloodline; making him look so shabby did not reflect well on the Jia family's face.

As the legitimate mother, this eldest daughter-in-law had a petty style, being from a humble background after all.

She was not like the second daughter-in-law, who came from a great clan and measured everything on a grand scale; it was no wonder she looked down on the eldest branch.

Lady Xing was glanced at by Jia Mu; after many years as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, how could she not know the truth?

Feeling ashamed, she immediately glared fiercely at Jia Cong, thinking to herself, "This product born of a prostitute brings nothing but trouble; I'll settle the score with him when I get back."

Although Jia Cong appeared somewhat destitute on the outside and did not seem very likable, Jia Mu, Lady Wang, and the others had seen many people.

They could still see that his facial features were extremely refined; thinking about it, his birth mother had possessed great beauty, so how could the child she bore be anything less?

Especially those eyes of his, gentle, clear, steady, and tranquil.

His posture stood straight like a pine, neither servile nor overbearing; even facing the scrutiny of so many people, he seemed as if nothing were there, showing not a hint of timidity.

At that moment, one could hear a pin drop in the Rongqing Hall; a strange atmosphere flowed through the air, seemingly containing a silent confrontation.

Jia Mu, Lady Wang, and others with some experience could not help but be surprised; he was only a ten-year-old child, so how could he have such presence?

Jia Mu looked at Jia Zheng and asked, "You have met the guest; is there some matter?"

Jia Zheng was full of smiles, even carrying a trace of pride: "Old Lady, rest assured, it is a good thing, a happy event."

Jia Mu's expression relaxed, and she asked, "What good thing?"

Jia Zheng then, in front of everyone, recounted the story of how Jia Cong wrote couplets for Aunt Zhao, how Zhou Changyan saw them and bought them, and how he finally gained the appreciation of Prince Emperor Jia Zhao.

This sequence of events left everyone in the hall stunned; such a bizarre affair seemed like something that would only appear in a storybook.

Everyone's gaze once again gathered on the calmly standing Jia Cong.

Some were inexplicably pleasantly surprised, some were inwardly gratified, some felt curious, and others felt jealous or indifferent.

Jia Zheng said again: "Prince Emperor Jia Zhao is profoundly learned, and he loves Cong-ge'er's calligraphy very much.

He said that in a few years, our Jia family will produce a master of calligraphy, and by then, he will surely leave his name in history.

He even wrote a personal letter inviting Cong-ge'er to attend the Nanxi Literary Society on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and also asked Cong-ge'er to serve as the society's recorder.

Old Lady, this is a great happy event that brings glory to the family!"

The Nanxi Literary Society has always only invited famous scholars and gentlemen known throughout the world; it has never been heard of inviting a ten-year-old child to attend.

To think that our Jia family has actually produced a seed of literary talent; it is truly the protection of our ancestors!"

Jia Zheng was radiant by the end, his expression spirited; especially when mentioning that the Jia family had produced a seed of literary talent, his face wore a burning expression of reflected glory.

Jia Mu felt somewhat helpless about her youngest son's bookishness.

That Prince Emperor Jia Zhao actually valued this grandson of hers whom she did not favor so highly, and even said he would become a master of calligraphy in a few years; she could not help but feel somewhat conflicted.

To think that that lowly woman had actually given birth to a capable son.

It is just that this talent was born in the wrong body; if it had fallen upon my Baoyu, that would be something to rejoice over.

(End of chapter)