Chapter 117: When Affairs Are Done, the Heart Is Light

Jia Cong returned to the Jia Fu, and Wu'er and Qingwen eagerly asked him about the imperial palace.

Jia Cong naturally chose some novel anecdotes to tell, leaving the two young maids thoroughly entertained.

Not long after, he was summoned by Jia Zheng, who inquired about his audience with the Emperor.

Jia Cong naturally did not mention the question posed by Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao—this topic was too sensitive, better left unsaid.

He merely said the Emperor had instructed the Director of the Imperial Academy, Li Li Shouzhong, to allow Jia Cong to attend lectures at the Jin Ling Imperial Academy during his stay there, to avoid neglecting his studies.

Jia Zheng was delighted to hear this; not only had the Emperor granted Jia Cong an eighth-rank official title, but he also cared about Jia Cong's studies—such thoughtful attention was truly imperial grace, clearly indicating the Emperor's high regard for Jia Cong.

As for the underlying reasons behind this, Jia Zheng, who never attended court and was somewhat rigid and naive, could not deduce them on his own unless someone told him.

He merely felt that his longstanding focus on Jia Cong's studies had been foresight of sorts, and this thought stirred a quiet sense of pride, yet also a touch of melancholy.

Jia Cong also mentioned that he had met his eldest sister, Jia Yuanchun, in the palace; Jia Zheng sighed deeply—his eldest daughter had entered the palace six years ago, and he had not seen her since.

Neither Wang Wang Ziteng nor Jia Zheng could know that this rift between the Wang and Jia families was merely a small ploy by Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao.

During this time, Wang Wang Ziteng visited the Jia Fu twice, shamelessly—so long as he had not reached utter ruin, he did not wish to lose the Jia family's favor and connections.

After all, his wife was a Wang woman; there was no need to tear their faces off again, though both sides understood the truth perfectly well.

Wang Wang Ziteng left the Jia Fu in disappointment; the goodwill between the Wang and Jia families was now finished. That foolish woman in his household had done immense harm—he would never atone for it even if he recited sutras for the rest of his life.

The first time, Jia Zheng claimed illness and refused to receive him—an unprecedented move. For a man as upright as Jia Zheng, this was a grave insult.

After meeting Jia Zheng, Wang Wang Ziteng wished to pay respects to the matriarch; Yuan Yang came out and said the matriarch had been unwell these past days and could not receive visitors.

Later, unable to withstand Lady Wang's persistent nagging, Wang Wang Ziteng came a second time and was finally granted an audience.

Compared to Wang Wang Ziteng, a hostile guest, several acquaintances came to offer congratulations.

Guo Lin was close to the Emperor; he would not speak such words without cause—nine out of ten times, they were true.

Even if Jia Zheng was stubborn, he was no fool; how could he possibly add bricks and mortar to the Wang family now?

Then Yuan Yang went to the back hall to count chips for Jia Mu, who was playing mahjong with You Shi from the Eastern House and several elderly maids.

The two exchanged awkward small talk, all feeling uncomfortable; Wang Wang Ziteng still cautiously brought up the matter of the Nine Provinces Commander.

He had once opposed his daughter's selection for the palace, but his mother and wife had strongly favored it, so he had not persisted—now he regretted it, but it was too late.

…

Moreover, if Wang Wang Ziteng truly became Nine Provinces Commander, the position of Commander of the Capital Garrison would henceforth have nothing to do with the Jia family.

Enough to make Jia Mu despise and distance herself from the Wang family—treat them as a white-eyed wolf the Jia family had raised.

Earlier, Guo Lin in Rongxi Hall had suggested that Wang Wang Zhangshi might be the mastermind behind the accusation against Jia Cong.

But the matter was never openly exposed; Wang Wang Ziteng naturally said not a word of it to Jia Zheng, and Jia Zheng likewise avoided mentioning it.

Guo Lin's cutting words in Rongxi Hall—how much of their true meaning had Jia Mu grasped? Yet the Wang family's treacherous conduct toward the Jia family was undeniable.

Cai Cai Xiaoyu, Cui An, Liu Xiao, and other classmates came to offer congratulations and dragged him to Chunhua Pavilion for a meal.

Xiao Xiao Jindong, He He Jizhen, Zhou Zhou Xizhe, and others sent calligraphy and paintings as gifts.

Prince Jiaoshun sent Wang Dong from the Office of Palace Attendants; his gift was unusual—a magnificent Dawa steed, its coat as black as satin.

The Prince said he had heard Jia Cong was traveling to Jin Ling and wished to gift him a fine horse for transportation.

A fine steed worth a thousand gold—this was no light gift; yet since Jia Cong was traveling by imperial boat, he could not use it just yet.

…

Jia Cong's journey to Jin Ling had been set; he would be gone for half a year and could no longer attend Qingshan Academy.

Thus, the introductory lessons arranged by Liu Jing'an became critically important.

The day after leaving the palace, he went again to Liu's residence, continued his unfinished studies under Liu Jing'an, stayed two more days, and only returned to the Jia Fu once his lessons reached a pause.

He spent half a day buying all the books on Liu Jing'an's list from Wenhuan Street, preparing to take them to Jin Ling for study, laying the scholarly foundation for future policy essays.

In this age, where all professions are deemed inferior except scholarship, a common family must nearly ruin itself to support a son through the scholar examination—purchasing books alone was a major expense.

Though Jia Cong was a scion of the Duke's household, his monthly allowance of two taels of silver could hardly buy him more than a few books.

Fortunately, he and Qu Qu Hongxiu now ran a perfume business; the Xiuniang Perfume Shop was thriving and bringing in substantial income.

Jia Cong handled the perfume extraction technique and often devised marketing ideas; he left all other matters to Qu Qu Hongxiu, who managed everything herself.

Every month, Qu Qu Hongxiu gave him two hundred taels in pocket money; knowing he would be away in Jin Ling for half a year, she withdrew two thousand taels in silver notes at once.

Remember, Lady Wang, as a noblewoman of the Wang family, had many dowry shops; her monthly interest income was no more than two hundred taels.

Now, excluding the Jia family's public funds, in terms of personal wealth, Jia Cong ranked among the top in the household—buying a few books was no problem at all.

Of course, he would never reveal a word about the perfume business; publicly, it was only Qu Qu Hongxiu and her five attendants running it.

In aristocratic clans, sons who had not yet established their own households or branched off into separate branches were forbidden from private business; if discovered, they would be punished under clan law and their assets seized for public use.

This was an iron law of clan society—even someone as bold and sharp-tongued as Wang Wang Xifeng dared only to secretly lend out clan funds at interest, never to open a shop outside to earn profit.

After finishing all these matters, he spent the remaining days at home, rising before dawn each day to practice swordplay at the small courtyard in the west city, where Qu Qu Hongxiu stood beside him, offering careful guidance.

The rest of his time he spent with his sisters.

He composed poetry with Lin Daiyu, practiced calligraphy with Tan Chun, and played go with Ying Chun.

Sometimes they played cards, competed in grass games, admired flowers, drank tea, and chatted; even little Little Xichun came to join in, and Jia Cong would sketch a few strokes with her.

On the final two days, Shi Shi Xiangyun happened to be brought to the Jia Fu by Jia Mu—actually, her second aunt had told her Jia Cong was going to Jin Ling, prompting her to send word to Jia Mu.

But Shi Shi Xiangyun was clever; she merely claimed she missed the matriarch, charming Jia Mu into inviting her.

As for why her second aunt had specifically told her about Jia Cong's journey to Jin Ling—Shi Shi Xiangyun was still just a girl, too young to think deeply about it.

After all, she was still young and had only met him a few times; she had no romantic thoughts toward Jia Cong, only felt he was extraordinary, refreshing and novel.

With Shi Shi Xiangyun in the garden, the atmosphere grew livelier than ever.

These past few years, Jia Cong had been studying hard at Qingshan Academy and rarely returned to the Jia Fu; though he missed them, he had spent little time with his sisters.

These final days were the most carefree Jia Cong had experienced in two years.

(End of Chapter)