Chapter 192

Liu Jing'an said, "That you have such a temperament and understanding brings me great comfort; this new title will surely attract attention from both inside and outside, so you must remain calm and avoid arrogance.

Furthermore, I heard you speak of the Jinling matter; that Zou Huaiyi of the Water Surveillance Office is likely just the tip of the iceberg, and there must be further connections behind it. With Prince Ning returning to the capital, your ability to withdraw in time was a wise move.

Jinling is the core of Jiangnan, a major granary for national taxes, connecting six prefectures and one prefecture in Jiangnan.

Now that there are loopholes in maritime administration, various hidden dangers have already begun to show, with powerful clans abusing their power and land annexation occurring; in the past year, civil unrest has sprouted in various Jiangnan prefectures—it is a season of many troubles.

Your refusal of the position of assistant in government affairs was very appropriate; at this age, with your foundation not yet stable, becoming entangled in the monsters of the officialdom too early is prone to causing changes, and the Autumn Examination is the priority."

Liu Jing'an chatted with Jia Cong about many events inside and outside the imperial court this year, many of which contained insightful comments that left Jia Cong greatly benefited.

He also taught him the keys and focal points of the Autumn Examination curriculum; the master and disciple talked behind closed doors for a long time before being called by Cui Shi to take their seats.

That night, he was kept by Cui Shi to stay at the Liu residence for the night, and it was not until the next day that Jia Cong and Zhi Shao returned to the Jia mansion.

……

Although this woman had raised a son for him, for so many years he had been extremely resentful and disgusted toward her, and there was also that rebellious beast who added glory to the second branch without putting him in his eyes in the slightest.

"Old Madam, since Cong's biological mother has been posthumously granted a Grade 5 title, according to the rites, she should be entered into the clan genealogy and enter the ancestral hall; this matter is right before us, and we must ask for the Old Madam's instructions on how to handle it."

If she were entered into the ancestral hall, who knew how people would laugh at him behind his back and to his face when they talked about what happened back then.

Jia She glanced at Jia Mu in the main seat and said resentfully, "What kind of status does this woman have? How can she enter the ancestral hall? It would only disgrace the ancestors!"

Today, the people sitting in the hall were very complete.

The reason for calling the people in charge of the East and West Mansions today was to discuss the matter of Jia Cong's biological mother entering the ancestral hall.

Jia Zhen was the head of the Jia clan, managing the family ancestral hall and the spring and autumn sacrifices to the ancestors; now that there was an additional posthumously granted title in the family, it was also an important task that concerned him as the clan head.

Jia Mu sat securely in the main seat in the hall, with Jia Zheng and Wang Lady seated on her right, Jia Zhen seated below them, Jia She and Xing Lady seated on her left, and Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng standing behind them.

Now, who knew what kind of bird luck he had walked into, to actually win a posthumous title for that lowly mother of his.

Jia Zhen also said, "Second Uncle's words are very true. Eldest Uncle, family affairs and national laws cannot be treated as the same thing.

The main people in charge of the East and West Mansions had all arrived.

If he hadn't been confused back then and brought this woman into the mansion, how could he have made his parents despise him, losing the qualification to inherit the mansion as the legitimate eldest son, and being disguisedly squeezed out of the Rongguo Mansion?

Jia Zheng frowned and said, "Eldest Brother, be careful with your words. No matter what happened before, she is, after all, Cong's biological mother, and now she is also an imperially granted titled lady."

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

No matter what the background of Cong's biological mother was before, since the Ministry of Rites has issued a decree granting her the title of Grade 5 Yiren, she is a proper and legitimate titled lady of filial piety and merit; recording her in the clan genealogy and entering her into the ancestral hall is a matter of national law and ritual.

Now, the matter of Cong's biological mother being granted a title has already spread throughout the Divine Capital, and many people are watching; if we do not let the Du woman enter the ancestral hall, that would be the crime of defying an imperial decree and deceiving the Emperor, which would bring disaster to the family."

Jia She and Xing Lady were very disgusted and nauseated by the rise of this mother and son, but after hearing Jia Zhen's words, their hearts tightened, and they dared not speak any more strange words.

Back then, the first branch was accused of the groundless crime of using witchcraft to harm people; Jia She was locked in the Imperial Clan Court and almost couldn't return, while Xing Lady was grounded by Jia Mu for more than half a year and was almost divorced by the Jia family.

This couple remembered the past with lingering fear; if they were to get involved in the crime of deceiving the Emperor now, would they still want their lives?

After Jia Zhen said these words, he didn't say anything more and drank his tea calmly.

As the clan head, he had said what he should say, and his duty was fulfilled; if the Old Madam still didn't let the Du woman enter the ancestral hall because of those old, rotten matters, and caused a disaster, it would have nothing to do with him.

As soon as Jia Mu thought about that woman being worshipped in the ancestral hall and receiving the incense of descendants together with her in the future, she felt as if she had been scratched by a cat, and her heart felt incredibly stifled.

It was all caused by that evil obstacle, who actually managed to raise his lowly mother to the status of a titled lady.

"Since this is national law and ritual, Zhen'er, you handle it according to the rules. After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, let this person's spirit tablet enter the ancestral hall. I am also tired; let you all make a fuss."

After Jia Mu finished speaking, she stood up and asked Yuanyang to help her return to her room.

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the most grand spring sacrifice of the year.

The Old Madam let the Du woman's spirit tablet enter the ancestral hall only after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month; this was intentionally squeezing Jia Cong's late mother out of the spring sacrifice, which was giving the dead person a hard time—it was truly going too far.

Jia Mu entered the Jia mansion as a grandson's wife fifty years ago, and after fifty years of being a daughter-in-law, she became a mother-in-law; her methods and thoughts were not ordinary. Duke Daishan had taken six concubines, yet none of them gave birth to heirs; how many unspeakable things were involved in that?

Jia Zheng looked helpless; the Old Madam had just left after speaking, which gave no one a chance to refute, and besides, he dared not defy his mother because of this, but if Cong knew, it would inevitably add to the estrangement.

Jia Zhen had a sneer on his face; what did it have to do with him if the Rongguo Mansion wanted to demean its own titled lady? In short, as the clan head, he had done what he should do, and the rest had nothing to do with him.

Jia Zheng said, "Zhen'er, you handle the matter of the titled lady's spirit tablet according to the established rules. Before she enters the ancestral hall, find a quiet place to worship her, and when the day comes, let Cong go to welcome her into the ancestral hall."

Jia Zhen said, "Nephew will handle it according to Second Uncle's instructions. There is a Muni Nunnery west of the city, which is a quiet place of Buddhism, just right for temporarily settling the spirit of a female relative."

……

The words in the Rongqing Hall could not be hidden from anyone; it spread to the inner courtyard in just half a day. Daiyu, Seeing Tan Chun, and others who had their own calculations could see the Old Madam's intentions.

They all felt that the Old Madam was too stubborn, actually excluding someone from the spring sacrifice; this was the Third Brother Cong's biological mother, and since ancient times, the deceased are the most important—why should a family be like this?

It was just that they were all young ladies of the boudoir, and even a Jia girl like Seeing Tan Chun, who was straightforward and sharp, found it inconvenient to go and speak before the Old Madam.

Jia Cong did not expect that the Old Madam would be so resistant to his biological mother being granted a title and entering the ancestral hall, knowing that she could not stop it, she stubbornly dragged it out until after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

This was making things difficult even for the deceased, and a chill could not help but rise on his face.

His mentor Liu Jing'an had reminded him that his biological mother's new title would attract attention from inside and outside, and told him to remain calm and avoid arrogance.

The old man had experienced much in the world and knew his background and situation well; it was likely that he had long guessed that today's situation would occur, which was why he gave such a warning.

He couldn't go to the Old Madam to reason about this matter, and questioning his elders in the family would likely get him labeled as unfilial.

However, the Du woman was, after all, his biological mother, and the Old Madam's behavior was truly too improper!

(End of chapter)