Chapter 185

Because Jia Cong did not know about those secret matters in the palace, although he also sensed some implications in Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's unconventional approach, he did not know the truth as deeply as Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding.

But the fact that the woman by his side was bestowed a gift by the Empress meant that the Emperor had given him great courtesy, which was equivalent to giving her a protective talisman for returning to the prefecture.

Although he did not care at all whether he returned to the Jia family or not, it was ultimately the Emperor's good intention, and with the Empress's gift, no one in the Jia Prefecture would dare to provoke Zhi Shao in the future, which was also a good thing.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao said again, "You went to Jin Ling this time to transcribe twelve volumes of scriptures for Empress Dowager Xianxiao, and the Ministry of Rites reported that they were highly praised; you also assisted Prince Ning in quelling the rebellion of the Water Supervision Office, and your contributions are very special.

Although according to the regulations of the Ministry of Personnel, you cannot be promoted in rank or title, I always reward merit; you go back and wait quietly for the imperial decree."

Rongguo Prefecture.

Two days later it would be New Year's Eve, and the Ning and Rong Prefectures were already decorated with lanterns and streamers everywhere, filled with an atmosphere of wealth and grace.

Starting from the main gate and the ceremonial gate of the Rongguo Prefecture, all the way to the Rongqing Hall and the Rongxi Hall, the main gates were opened all the way, and vermilion lanterns were hung along the road, like two red golden dragons extending into the inner residence.

When it came to critical matters, Jia Mu, who had been closing her eyes and resting, would also ask a question or two at intervals.

After Seeing Tan Chun returned yesterday, Daiyu and Yingchun knew that the nun Jia Cong brought back was the maid Zhi Shao who had jumped into the river and disappeared years ago, so there was no violation of family customs.

The embroidered screens in all parts of the Rongqing Hall had also been replaced with new ones made this year, revealing an atmosphere of joy.

Yesterday, after the imperial envoy went to the Hongxiang Inn in the west of the city, Seeing Tan Chun went to the Rongqing Hall again and explained to Jia Mu that the person Jia Cong brought back was indeed the original maid Zhi Shao.

Jia Mu's expression was awkward; the day before yesterday, she had let Zhou Rui's wife make a huge fuss, but it turned out that she had blamed the wrong person.

It was just that there was still the matter of Jia Cong treating the Shi family members coldly in her heart, and that resentment still remained.

Daiyu saw Seeing Tan Chun's beautiful eyes constantly looking towards her grandmother, and seeing that her grandmother had no reaction, her eyes were filled with disappointment and heartache.

Seeing Tan Chun knew that although her grandmother knew she had blamed the wrong person, she could not let go of her face; if it had been Baoyu or Brother Lian, she feared her grandmother would have sent someone to pick them up long ago.

Every year at the end of the year, it is also the busiest time for the ladies in charge like Lady Wang and Wang Xifeng.

The door gods, couplets, and plaques in all parts of the prefecture had been replaced, and the peach wood charms had been freshly painted, giving everything a brand-new look.

There was no other sound, and there was no mention of letting Jia Cong return to the prefecture as soon as possible.

Although Seeing Tan Chun had already explained the situation, Jia Mu only said: Since he did not do such absurd things, it can be considered that he still knows etiquette.

Wang Xifeng catered to her preferences even more, speaking at length about high-spirited matters such as colorful plays, female storytellers, banquets, lantern riddles, and fireworks, leading Jia Mu to a burst of joy.

It is said that a family of wealth and status cannot be killed from the outside all at once; what is most feared is the wind of knives and swords inside, and the turning of hearts away from each other.

Thinking of these, Seeing Tan Chun felt a burst of sadness in her heart; Third Brother was clearly the most outstanding descendant in the prefecture, but the coldness in her grandmother's heart could never be removed, and it was no wonder that Third Brother was distant from the family.

Before long, sisters such as Daiyu, Seeing Tan Chun, Yingchun, and Xichun came to pay their respects to Jia Mu.

Jia Mu was leaning on a soft couch, squinting her eyes, letting Yuanyang hammer her legs, feeling very leisurely and comfortable.

Wang Xifeng was reporting to Lady Wang about the arrangements for the monthly money, New Year's gifts, banquets, and the harvest of the public farms and shops at the end of the year, as well as the human relations between the old relatives of the various prefectures.

Her heart was full of joy, but they heard Seeing Tan Chun say that Jia Cong did not mention when he would return; Daiyu knew Jia Cong's gentle outside and firm inside character best, and her heart had been anxious and uneasy.

How could she not know Seeing Tan Chun's thoughts? Her grandmother already knew she had blamed Third Brother wrongly, but she didn't say she would go to pick him up, just leaving him outside like that—what kind of thing was this?

Pine and cypress incense and lily grass were burning in the fire basin in the hall, the heat was rising, and the fragrance was overflowing.

But she was, after all, a granddaughter; if she asked specifically, she feared it would arouse her grandmother's suspicion, and if her grandmother knew her feelings for Third Brother..., she feared it would bring trouble to Third Brother again.

Thinking of these, Daiyu's heart was depressed and difficult to calm; the fire basin in the hall was emitting a warm and fragrant aroma, but she felt a chill in the Rongqing Hall.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, she quietly left alone.

And because there was no movement from her grandmother's side, Seeing Tan Chun also left the Rongqing Hall a step earlier and went to the Mengpo Study; now only her father could come forward to reveal this matter and let Third Brother return to the prefecture early.

A proper young master of a Duke's prefecture, not entering the gate of the prefecture and living in an inn, made Seeing Tan Chun feel unbearable and unable to eat or sleep.

Just as Daiyu left the Rongqing Hall, she met a matron from the second gate, rushing towards the Rongqing Hall with a hurried expression on her face, and she couldn't help but feel a stir and stopped her steps.

In the Rongqing Hall, Jia Mu was still leaning and resting, hearing footsteps coming from the flower hall, until the little maid lifted the warm curtain and saw a matron from the second gate enter.

"Old Madam, the Empress has sent an official from the Imperial Household Department to bestow a gift on the prefecture, and now the person is almost at the second gate."

Jia Mu was startled and sat up at once; the Empress bestowing a gift is an extraordinary honor.

Since it is the Empress bestowing a gift, it must be bestowed upon the female relatives in the prefecture; among all the female relatives in this prefecture, she has the highest rank, so besides bestowing a gift upon her, who else could it be?

Jia Mu was full of joy and excitement; the last time she encountered the Empress bestowing a gift was more than ten years ago, when the Retired Emperor was still on the throne and the Duke was still alive.

That was the most stable and glorious time for the Jia family, and the Empress at that time, the current Empress Dowager, was her close friend before she was married, which was why she encountered the Empress bestowing a gift once.

The glory of that year is still unforgettable; she never thought she would encounter it once more in this life; it is truly the vast grace of the Emperor.

So she asked Lady Wang and Fengjie to wait at the second gate first, and invited the imperial envoy who bestowed the gift to the Rongxi Hall to have tea.

She also asked Yuanyang to change her into her formal court dress, which is also the proper etiquette; receiving a gift from the palace always requires showing respect.

After she was dressed up, she went to the Rongxi Hall surrounded by maids and matrons such as Yuanyang.

But she saw an imperial envoy from the palace drinking tea, and three little eunuchs standing beside him, holding trays in their hands, on which were placed palace flowers, hairpins, dresses, and other items, which were exquisite in form and dazzling in brilliance.

Jia Mu was slightly surprised to see these things; although these items from the palace were beautiful, they were all in elegant and pretty styles, and she feared they were not suitable for her age, but it was, after all, the grace of the royal family.

The imperial envoy from the palace saw Jia Mu coming in formal dress, his expression was a bit stunned, and he asked tentatively: "Is this the Old Madam of the Rongguo Prefecture?"

Jia Mu smiled and said: "It is exactly me; sorry to trouble you, Eunuch, to come to the prefecture to bestow a gift; I am deeply grateful."

The imperial envoy's expression began to be a bit awkward, he steadied himself and said: "The Empress heard about the matter of Zhi Shao, the old acquaintance of Chengshilang of your prefecture, and was deeply moved, so she specially bestowed palace flowers and hairpins to honor her chastity and righteousness."

"I wonder where Zhi Shao is; the Empress's gift is valuable and requires her to receive it in person."

The expressions of everyone in the hall were stunned, and they all froze there.

Jia Mu's old face turned pale at once, her body swayed and she almost couldn't stand firm, but fortunately, Yuanyang on the side supported her in time.

It turned out that the Empress was not giving her face, but was actually bestowing a gift on the woman beside that evil obstacle; how could there be such an absurd thing?

She had actually welcomed it in formal court dress; Jia Mu was ashamed and annoyed to the extreme, and almost vomited a mouthful of old blood.

Lady Wang on the side was also completely stunned, her mouth slightly open in an unseemly way, and the Buddhist beads in her hand fell to the ground with a clatter.

Wang Xifeng, who was following Jia Mu, was also startled, her phoenix eyes rolling around, as if she wanted to find out who Zhi Shao was in the hall.

Because the matter was too abrupt, Wang Xifeng only reacted after a long while.

It was said before that this kid was evil, but she still underestimated him; someone who can handle things like this is truly rare in the world.

Even the maid beside him is not a fuel-efficient lamp, just like that, she caused the Empress to bestow a gift, and Jia Mu's old face was folded into it.

Jia Zheng had been racking his brains for the past few days because of Jia Cong's matter; he originally wanted to let a little servant go to pick up Jia Cong and bring him back to the prefecture, but he was afraid of Jia Mu's fury, so he hesitated for a while.

It was not until Seeing Tan Chun came over just now and explained the situation of Zhi Shao to Jia Zheng that he felt relieved.

Just as he was about to send someone to pick up Jia Cong and bring him back to the prefecture, he heard about the Empress sending the Imperial Household Department to the prefecture to bestow a gift, so he hurriedly rushed to the Rongxi Hall.

After figuring out the matter, Jia Zheng also felt surprised; why would the Empress bestow a gift on that Zhi Shao for no reason?

However, he couldn't care about these things at this moment; in short, the Empress bestowing a gift on the prefecture, no matter who it is bestowed upon, is the glory of the Jia family.

At the moment, picking up Jia Cong and Zhi Shao and bringing them back to the prefecture as soon as possible is the first priority; otherwise, letting the people from the palace wait all the time is a great disrespect.

He ordered a little servant to go to the inn in the west of the city to pick up Jia Cong and bring him back to the prefecture, but then felt it was a bit inappropriate.

Although Jia Zheng is a bit pedantic, he is not a stupid person; the palace suddenly bestowing a gift on that Zhi Shao must be because the eunuch who delivered the decree yesterday reported back to the palace, and the palace must already know the details of this matter.

Now, even if it is just to put on a show for the palace, one must be a bit more cautious; in the end, he let Jia Lian go to the inn in the west of the city to pick up the person himself.

(End of this chapter)