Chapter 238

Great Zhou Imperial City, Ninghe Palace.

In the magnificent and elegant hall, Empress Dowager Yizhang was dressed in precious and complex phoenix neon robes, her hair full of silver, her spirit clear and her eyes bright.

And sitting below her was none other than the Grand Jia Mu of the Rongguo Prefecture; today she had waited outside the palace gate for half a day before being summoned into the Empress Dowager's Ninghe Palace.

This was only because Jia Mu and the Empress Dowager were close friends when they were in their boudoirs, which was why she had such glory and favor; ordinary noblewomen who wanted to see the Empress Dowager, apart from paying homage during the New Year and festivals, couldn't even enter the palace gates.

"Lady Jia, I have also heard some things about the Jia family of Ningguo recently; it is fundamental for the descendants of a noble family to be able to strive for success, otherwise, some unexpected things will always arise.

The current Emperor is wise and sagacious, comparable to the former kings of the past; the Retired Emperor has praised the Emperor's achievements in governing the country, so the Retired Emperor has long since stopped asking about state affairs these years and is resting in peace."

Jia Mu felt a chill in her heart when she heard this.

Ever since Jia Zhen was taken away by the people from the Grand Court of Justice that day, Jia Mu realized that the true mastermind behind the snatching of the Xiuniang incense shop was Jia Zhen, and Jia Rong was just acting under his instructions.

This beast really knew how to pretend, even letting Cong Ge'er go to the Grand Court of Justice to plead for mercy; it turned out he was the culprit all along, and because of his own greed, he even harmed his own son.

According to Jia Mu's temper, such a beast deserved to die, and it could even reduce some of Rong Ge'er's guilt, so that there would still be someone to inherit the title in the Ningguo Prefecture in the future.

Jia Mu didn't even reveal this thought to her son and daughter-in-law, but she felt it was an excellent method, which could not only preserve the Ningguo title but also fulfill her lifelong desire to dote on Baoyu.

When Jia Mu heard the Empress Dowager's remark that the Emperor had his own wise judgment, she knew that this trip to the palace had been in vain, and she couldn't help but feel a burst of panic in her heart.

Even the Ningguo Prefecture steward, Lai Er, was accused by people to the Grand Court of Justice, saying that he relied on the Jia family's power to act like a fox assuming the majesty of a tiger outside, doing evil, and still owed several human lives on his hands.

Although Jia Mu felt awkward in her heart, she also knew that the Empress Dowager was talking about Jia Cong, so she smiled reluctantly: "Empress Dowager, you are talking about Cong Ge'er; this child is also quite troublesome."

There was another most important point, which was that in front of that kid, Baoyu wouldn't have to bow his head to him in everything, and after she passed away in a hundred years, Baoyu would have the title to rely on and wouldn't be afraid of being bullied by this kid.

Hearing the Empress Dowager say that the eldest branch of the Rongguo Prefecture had produced a thousand-mile steed, she reflexively thought of Jia Lian, but quickly denied it herself; what kind of thousand-mile steed was that nest-dwelling Lian'er.

However, the old Empress Dowager's remark that the Retired Emperor had long since stopped managing state affairs broke most of the calculations in her heart.

Even if Jia Zhen and his son were to be punished, she hoped the Retired Emperor would look at the merits of their ancestors and at least preserve the title of the Ningguo line.

Only then did Jia Mu panic; the two prefectures of Ning and Rong were blood relatives, sharing the same breath and branches, and if one was damaged, both were damaged; if the Ningguo title was stripped, the Rongguo Prefecture would be unable to stand alone.

Empress Dowager Yizhang smiled and said: "Which capable child hasn't been mischievous since childhood? Everyone says that your Cong Ge'er has peerless literary talent and an unparalleled demeanor; Lady Jia, dote on him well, and he will surely be able to stand up and support the family in the future."

If misfortune never comes singly and something unbearable happens again, as the oldest noblewoman of the two prefectures, she wouldn't have the face to see her ancestors after death.

Only then did she thicken her old face and enter the palace to find the old Empress Dowager to mediate and plead for mercy, originally wanting to use the Empress Dowager to ask for some favors from the Retired Emperor's side.

The descendant Jia Mu was most proud of was naturally Baoyu; although Jia Mu was unwilling to let him leave the Rongguo Prefecture to be adopted, if Baoyu could obtain the Ningguo title, Jia Mu could still let go.

Empress Dowager Yizhang said: "Lady Jia, you don't need to worry too much; the Emperor has his own wise judgment on these matters; although Ningguo is declining, fortunately, the eldest branch of your Rongguo Prefecture has produced a thousand-mile steed, which can ensure that the family reputation will not fall in the future."

At worst, she could adopt a descendant from the clan into the Ningguo direct line to inherit the Ningguo title, so that she could account to her ancestors after she died.

But these days, she heard that many commoners went to the Grand Court of Justice to accuse the Ningguo Prefecture of unlawful acts, and many officials in the imperial court asked the Emperor to severely punish Jia Zhen and his son, so the situation was somewhat dangerous.

That wasn't all; the Grand Clan Elder of the Imperial Clan Court actually submitted a memorial to the Emperor, saying that because Jia Zhen and his son committed evil, their crimes were unforgivable, and he wanted the Emperor to strip the Ningguo Prefecture of its hereditary title.

Even if Baoyu entered the Ningguo line, he would still be her own grandson; carefully calculated, it didn't matter; once Baoyu had the title, he would have wealth for several generations.

Jia Mu knew that this Prince Zhongshun had always been at odds with the Jia family; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were like fire and water; if he took the lead in making trouble about stripping the title, how could there be anything good.

Her own attendant, Lai Mama, had come to cry and beg several times, but Jia Mu was too lazy to see her; her own grand-nephew's life and death were currently uncertain, so she had no time to care about the life and death of a slave.

Jia Mu smiled bitterly in her heart; she couldn't even dote on Baoyu enough, so how could she have the time to dote on him.

It was just that the Empress Dowager was unwilling to care about the Ningguo title matter, so she was afraid it was dangerous this time….

……

Ningguo Prefecture, Jia Rong's courtyard.

Keqing was sitting by the bed doing needlework, her expression peaceful and elegant; she wore a light gold cold plum embroidered jacket, a light lotus cross-collar coat, and a black-trimmed horse-face skirt on her lower body.

Her delicate body was graceful, her slender waist was full, her beautiful hair was as black as ink, her eyebrows and eyes were clear, her beauty was peerless, and the whole person was as bright and eye-catching as a rose flower.

From time to time, old women and daughters-in-law came to report on matters of the prefecture; Keqing had usually seen You Shi handle family affairs, so she gave instructions according to the old precedents, appearing to have more than enough ability, and her needlework never stopped.

These old women and daughters-in-law all knew that in recent days, the eldest master and the master of the prefecture had been taken in for questioning by the Grand Court of Justice one after another, and it was said that they had committed serious crimes, and the Ningguo Prefecture had encountered a major event.

Rumors were flying in the prefecture; some said the master and the eldest master had committed crimes and would never return, and some said even more frightening things, saying that one day the Embroidered Uniform Guard would come to raid the house.

Fortunately, the mistress was holding down the fort in the prefecture, and after tying up a few gossips and throwing them into the stables, the rumors in the prefecture decreased.

However, by the next day, the mistress suddenly fell ill and couldn't even get up to handle things.

The physician said the mistress was suffering from anxiety and had an underlying illness, and once it was triggered, she couldn't hold on; it must be that something happened to the master and the eldest master, and the mistress fell ill from anxiety.

Now, everything in the prefecture was being supported by the eldest young mistress Rong.

Although this eldest young mistress was a flower-like figure, after entering the prefecture, apart from going to the West Prefecture to talk to the old matriarch and fulfill her filial piety, she usually didn't even step out of her own courtyard.

They thought she was an introverted person, but once the mistress fell ill and this eldest young mistress started managing the house, it made people look at her with new eyes; she was actually a person with a crystal heart.

She was meticulous, knew how to handle things, and was literate; not a single obstacle could be hidden from her; she was too smart, and she was compassionate to the poor and cherished the lowly among the servants, with grace and authority in equal measure.

After all, she was born as an official's daughter, and she was indeed very extraordinary; after a few days, all the servants in the prefecture were extremely convinced.

Just looking at the fact that the master and the eldest master had encountered major events, and even a person as forbearing and strong as the mistress couldn't hold on and fell ill from shock.

The eldest young mistress was so young, yet she could remain calm and still support this family alone, which was enough to make people admire her.

It was just that these servants in the prefecture didn't know Keqing's true thoughts.

Ever since she married into the Ningguo Prefecture, she had only held the empty name of the eldest daughter-in-law from beginning to end.

On the wedding night, Jia Rong was dead drunk, didn't even lift her bridal veil, and fell asleep on the couch in the outer room in a drunken stupor; not a single maid or old woman in the East Prefecture tried to stop him, letting Keqing sit on the embroidered bed for a whole night.

After that, he didn't return home every night, as if he were deliberately avoiding her; although Keqing wished he would roll far away, she was still a little curious in her heart.

As time went on, many things couldn't be hidden, and Ruizhu finally found out the reason.

It was said that the son-in-law had been seriously injured by someone two years ago and had long since lost his source, making him completely unable to perform the act.

He was afraid of getting close to the young lady and having his secret discovered, leaving him with no face to be a person in the future, which was why he was so cold to her.

This person married the young lady with such great fanfare, but it was just a facade to save face for himself, wasting the young lady's whole life in vain.

Ruizhu was indignant about this, but Keqing was pleasantly surprised, as if she had been reborn after a disaster.

It was just that Jia Rong wouldn't come to bother her, but she didn't expect that the father-in-law in the prefecture was such a shameless thing; every time he looked at her, the greed and lewdness in his eyes made her feel ashamed and angry.

Fortunately, he arranged for Baozhu to be by her side; several times when Jia Rong wasn't there, Jia Zhen ignored the suspicion and came to her courtyard, but was blocked by Baozhu; the little girl was strong and capable.

If it weren't for Baozhu, she didn't know what kind of end she would have met, and all of this was because of his planning; thinking of this, Keqing's heart would always beat fast.

So Jia Zhen and Jia Rong being thrown into prison was a complete escape from the danger at her side for Keqing; how could she have any unhappiness at all.

And in the eyes of these servants in the prefecture, it naturally became that the eldest young mistress Rong was so calm in the face of change; what a person.

(End of chapter)