Chapter 195

The thirteenth year of Emperor Jia Zhao, the day of the spring sacrifice in the first lunar month.

Just as the sky was dawning, Jia Cong got up early; Zhi Shao combed his hair, and Wu'er helped him tidy his clothes.

Qingwen and Zhen Ying Lady Lian were organizing the incense, candles, offerings, fresh flowers, wine cups, and other sacrificial items purchased yesterday, filling two boxes completely.

Outside the rear corner door on the right of the Qingzhi Studio, Jia Cong had already asked Guo Guo Zhigui to prepare a carriage in advance. Today, he was going to take Zhi Shao, Wu'er, and others to the Muni Nunnery west of the city to pay homage to his deceased mother.

A few days ago, Jia Zhen sent someone to tell him that Lady Du's imperial spirit tablet had been temporarily placed in the Muni Nunnery.

In the past few days, the news that Jia Cong's biological mother's imperial spirit tablet was difficult to enter the ancestral hall had spread throughout the mansion, and everyone knew about it.

And Jia Cong, as the person most closely related to this matter, was naturally very eye-catching.

Since the news from the Rongqing Hall spread that day, Lin Daiyu, Seeing Tan Chun, and others had vaguely sensed that he was a bit unusual.

Except for going out early in the morning, he kept the doors of his courtyard closed the rest of the time, and the entire Qingzhi Studio seemed to be filled with a gloomy atmosphere.

Now that his mother's spirit tablet was hanging alone in the nunnery, if a son were to turn a blind eye to such a cold and isolated matter, what face would he have left to read the sages' books and talk about the sages' rituals!

"Wherever my mother's spirit tablet is, that is where I will perform the spring sacrifice, the place of filial piety and righteousness before the spirit. I am going to the Muni Nunnery now. I hope the Master will understand and fulfill this. If there is any punishment, I will accept it when I return."

Jia Zheng sighed heavily, only feeling that these inner chamber matters were so heartbreaking and tormenting; how could they compare to the ease of discussing poetry and essays with guests?

The maids in the inner courtyard had already seen the movement and hurriedly reported it to Wang Wang Xifeng, and then Jia Zheng, upon hearing the news, rushed over with Wang Wang Xifeng and Jia Lady Lian.

If he were to report this matter to the Old Lady, it would likely be a futile effort. Besides scolding Jia Cong for being unfilial, the Old Lady wouldn't have any other reaction.

On the day of the spring sacrifice, the clan sacrificial ceremony was not only attended by the whole family, but even old friends and relatives would send sacrificial gifts. If something went wrong at this juncture, it would be a great loss of face if it spread out.

"Cong'er, today is the day of the spring sacrifice. You are a descendant of the First Branch. Among the 'Yu' generation, only you and Zhen'er hold official positions. You have to perform the rituals of offering wine and silk during the sacrifice. How can you go out today?"

Today was the spring sacrifice, and the descendants of the mansion were all preparing to go to the family temple to worship their ancestors, but the people in the Qingzhi Studio were going out early in the morning.

Jia Cong didn't have half a word of defense about this matter, and the etiquette of greeting Jia Zheng and Lady Wang also suddenly became less frequent.

Jia Zheng saw Jia Cong taking a courtyard full of people and two boxes of sacrificial offerings toward the rear corner door, his face changed, and he hurriedly stepped forward to stop him.

Wang Wang Xifeng and Jia Lady Lian's faces changed when they heard Jia Cong's words. This kid was not a fuel-efficient lamp to begin with, and in the end, he was still unwilling to suffer this loss.

Jia Cong replied with a solemn face, "Master, since it is the day of the spring sacrifice, and my biological mother has been newly granted an imperial title, she should be worshipped by her descendants with incense, not failing the Emperor's great grace. This is filial piety and national law, and cannot be lightly insulted."

Jia Zhen, the clan leader of the Jia family, turned a deaf ear, and Jia Mu only looked gloomy after hearing it. Now that they were already riding a tiger, they naturally didn't say anything else.

Jia Cong bowed deeply to Jia Zheng and walked out of the rear corner door without looking back, getting into the carriage and heading toward the Muni Nunnery.

This made Jia Zheng, who was always straightforward, notice the anomaly, but he didn't have the face to ask the reason.

Only Jia Zheng was worried, asking Wang Wang Xifeng to send more people to watch Jia Cong so that he wouldn't cause any trouble.

Jia Zheng was dumbfounded when he heard this, but couldn't return half a word, because every word Jia Cong said was tied to national law, filial piety, and the Emperor's great grace, leaving no room for criticism, and shame could not help but rise in his heart.

In the past few days, the rumor that Jia Cong's biological mother's spirit tablet was difficult to enter the Jia family ancestral hall had already spread, and it was even boiling over.

No matter what the outcome of the planning was, if he were to leave his deceased mother's spirit tablet alone on the day of the spring sacrifice while he went to the Jia family ancestral hall to worship some ancestors, he would despise himself.

Originally, such a matter shouldn't have required Jia Zheng to come forward personally, and it would have been fine to let Wang Wang Xifeng and Jia Lady Lian handle it. But he estimated that these two would only be unable to handle Jia Cong, which was why he rushed over personally.

The Old Lady had indeed gone too far by excluding the imperial title from the spring sacrifice. Cong'er was unwilling to bow his head, and in the end, he still caused trouble.

Would he have any scruples because of this and welcome Lady Du's spirit tablet back into the ancestral hall? Knowing his mother, this was absolutely impossible.

Since that was the case, why do something extra and add to the trouble?

Since Jia Zheng was not prepared to report this matter, Jia Lady Lian and Wang Wang Xifeng naturally didn't dare to say anything more. It was better to avoid such matters; who would want to get involved and cause trouble that would be hard to clean up?

……

Ningguo Mansion, Jia family ancestral hall.

Jia Zhen had asked servants and boys to open the ancestral hall, clean it, lift the colorful screens, wipe the sacrificial vessels, and arrange the ancestral hall a few days ago, making various preparations for the spring sacrificial ceremony.

In the center of the main hall of the ancestral hall hung the portraits of the ancestors of the Rong and Ning branches, all wearing python robes and jade belts; on both sides were several scrolls of portraits of ancestors of various generations, and below them were enshrined the ancestors and imperial-titled ladies of various generations.

As the auspicious hour of the morning approached, the female family members of the Lady Rongguo Mansion, from Jia Mu down to Lady Xing, Lady Wang, Li Wan, Wang Wang Xifeng, the three sisters, and the legitimate concubines of each branch, all dressed up and traveled by carriage to the Ningguo Mansion ancestral hall.

Only Lin Lin Daiyu, as a relative from another family, did not participate in the Jia family sacrifice and stayed in her room alone.

Suddenly, Xueyan came to report the news, saying that Third Master Cong had taken the people from the Qingzhi Studio and left the mansion to worship his mother at the Muni Nunnery, and the Second Master went to persuade him but couldn't stop him. Lin Daiyu was very worried when she heard this.

She pondered there for a long time, made up her mind, called Hearing Zi Juan, and instructed, "You ask Aunt Wang to rent a carriage outside; I want to go to the Muni Nunnery."

Hearing Zi Juan was shocked, as she naturally knew why the young lady wanted to go to the Muni Nunnery.

She hurriedly persuaded, "I know the young lady can't bear it in her heart, but if the news leaks out and reaches the Old Lady's ears, it will be terrible!"

Lin Daiyu was a young lady of a wealthy family, and like the three sisters in the garden, she rarely stepped out of the second door.

Even if she went out, she always followed the Old Lady and the Mistress to temples to offer incense or listen to plays and drink tea, and she would never go out alone, let alone go to the Muni Nunnery at this juncture.

If it spread out, it would not only violate the Old Lady's wishes, but Lin Daiyu and Jia Cong were relatives by marriage, and a man and a woman going to a nunnery together would also invite suspicion of private affairs.

Lin Daiyu looked calm, suddenly shedding tears, and said, "The whole mansion is having a spring sacrifice, but only Third Brother and his mother are excluded. Third Brother has treated me well, and I cannot bear to see it. I will go to accompany him to worship his deceased relative."

Hearing Zi Juan saw that her voice was calm, but her tone was unusually firm, without any hesitation. She knew that although her young lady looked weak on the outside, she was very stubborn on the inside, and the idea she had decided on would not change.

Lin Daiyu added, "Aunt Wang is the wet nurse who has taken care of me since I was a child and treats me very kindly. She will never tell anyone, so don't worry. Hurry up and let the carriage stop outside the rear corner door next to the Qingzhi Studio."

……

Ningguo Mansion, Jia family ancestral hall.

Inside and outside the ancestral hall, figures were moving, and the sound was boiling.

Outside the ritual gate knelt the servants and boys of the mansion, and standing in the open space of the ancestral hall were the descendants of the branch families in the capital.

Walking further in, in the main hall of the ancestral hall, the direct descendants of the Ning and Rong mansions gathered.

Jia Jing was the chief sacrificer, Jia She was the accompanying sacrificer, Jia Zhen offered wine, Jia Lady Lian offered silk, and Jia Baoyu held incense. Everyone had their own position and could not make the slightest mistake.

There were also two descendants of the 'Cao' generation spreading the prayer mats and guarding the burning pool.

In the inner hall behind the main hall, Jia Mu led You Shi, Lady Xing, Lady Wang, Wang Wang Xifeng, the three sisters, and other female family members to bow and worship before the portraits of the ancestors and the spirit tablets of the deceased imperial-titled ladies of various generations.

The sacrificial dishes were passed by Jia Jing from outside the main hall to Jia Rong, then passed in order to the female family members in the inner hall, and finally to Jia Mu's hands before they could be enshrined before the spirit tablets.

The spring sacrificial ceremony was complex, strict, and seamless, without the slightest deviation, showing the magnificent bearing of a wealthy and powerful clan.

As the spring sacrificial ceremony proceeded, the servants outside the ritual gate began to report that old relatives of various families had sent sacrificial gifts to pay their respects, which was also a fixed procedure for the spring sacrifice every year.

It was nothing more than the etiquette exchanges of the Wang, Shi, and Xue families, as well as other old friends and relatives. The direct descendants of the two mansions present had heard it for many years and were almost numb to it.

At this time, a servant outside the ritual gate sang out, "The Ministry of Rites' Sacrificial Office, additionally bestowing the spring sacrifice fixed-rate grace silver to Lady Du, the newly granted fifth-rank lady of the First Branch of the Lady Rongguo Mansion!"

(End of chapter)