Chapter 465

Judefang, Mansion of the Earl of Lord Weiyuan.

Jia Cong and Qingwen had just returned to the Eastern Prefecture and hurried back to their courtyard, where Yingchun, Daiyu, and the other sisters were waiting, all with joy on their faces.

Zhi Shao and Wuer had already prepared his official robes, and after helping Jia Cong change and tidying his appearance, he headed straight for the Xuande Hall in the Eastern Prefecture.

Upon entering the hall, he saw a Grade 6 eunuch sitting there, slowly drinking tea, with two young eunuchs standing behind him.

In the past, Guo Lin had come to the Jia family several times to proclaim imperial decrees, but this was the first time Jia Cong had seen this Grade 6 eunuch.

As soon as the eunuch saw Jia Cong enter the hall, he stood up to greet him with a smile on his face.

It was neither the humble, fawning smile of an ordinary eunuch nor the calm, self-important smile of the Deputy Director Guo Lin; it was neither servile nor overbearing, distant yet appropriate—the measure was just right.

Jia Cong noticed something unusual about this unfamiliar Grade 6 eunuch and his gaze narrowed slightly.

The eunuch smiled and said: "I am Yuan Jing, a Grade 6 attendant from the Qianyang Palace, working under Eunuch Guo. I have been ordered to proclaim an imperial decree for the Earl of Lord Weiyuan."

Jia Cong replied: "So it is Eunuch Yuan. Thank you for your trouble. Please take the seat of honor to proclaim the decree."

By then, the steward had already ordered the incense table and candles to be set up and had withdrawn from the Xuande Hall.

Behind the pillars of the wind-and-rain corridor outside the hall, shadows occasionally flickered, revealing the figures of Zhen Ying Lian and Wuer, with Sister Yuanyang standing nearby.

They had all come to listen from afar. Zhen Ying Lian and Wuer were quite literate, and having been instructed by the sisters in the house, they could relay the message completely upon returning.

Sister Yuanyang, however, had been sent by Jia Mu to listen for news.

In the Xuanfu Hall, Yuan Jing unfolded the yellow silk and gold-woven scroll and read aloud: By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:

Jia Cong, Supervisor of the Ministry of Works' Firearm Bureau, possesses extraordinary talent and virtue, is loyal, brave, and upright, excels in both civil and military affairs, and is profound in strategy.

He traveled south to Jin Ling, diligently serving the throne, capturing criminals and quelling chaos outside the city of Gusu, and subduing the treacherous and stubborn in the three prefectures along the waterway.

He uncovered the major case of the Jiangnan Metropolitan Guard and cleared away the lingering poison of the old cases in the secondary capital. Both officials and commoners have seen the treacherous brought to justice, and the offices and guards have been pacified.

When the world has a talented person, grace must be added; when the court has a capable minister, rewards must not be spared.

You are promoted to the Grade 4B military rank of General Xuanwu, granted an additional 500 shi of noble stipend, and awarded a first-class mansion for a second-class earl, 500 gold, ten jars of imperial wine, and thirty bolts of tribute silk to honor your service. This is the decree.

After reading the decree, Yuan Jing put away the scroll and handed it to Jia Cong with both hands, smiling: "Earl of Lord Weiyuan, please receive the decree."

Jia Cong kowtowed to thank the Emperor and invited Yuan Jing into the inner hall for tea, but Yuan Jing did not dare to delay, saying he had to return to the palace to report.

He then had the two young eunuchs with him present the list of the 500 shi of noble stipend and the relevant property deeds.

Yuan Jing smiled: "The Emperor, in his concern for the great merit you achieved in Jin Ling, has had the noble stipend selected from the best by the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Clan Court. It can be said that the imperial grace is vast."

Jia Cong accepted the items—this was not the time to examine them in detail—and bowed toward the south, speaking some polite words, though not entirely for show.

Regardless of how deep Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's schemes were or how unpredictable his methods, one thing was certain: since Jia Cong achieved the top rank in the Yongzhou prefectural examination, the Emperor had repeatedly bestowed special favors upon him, which could not be denied.

Among these rewards, the promotion to the Grade 4B military rank of General Xuanwu sounded prestigious, but it was actually just an empty title. With the world at peace, Jia Cong felt he would rarely have the chance to lead troops as a general.

Originally, because he was granted a second-class hereditary earldom, according to the regulations of the Imperial Clan Court, the matching noble stipend was at the lower level for a second-class earl, totaling 1,000 shi.

This time, the Emperor added 500 shi, bringing the total to 1,500 shi, which was already at the high level for a second-class earl.

As a hereditary earl, these stipends would be passed down through generations without any reduction; this was real, tangible wealth that could be passed on.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao was a sharp and pragmatic monarch, and he seemed quite realistic when it came to money, not being stingy at all.

He then took the red envelope Yingchun had prepared earlier and presented it to Yuan Jing, who accepted it after a slight show of refusal.

How many times in a lifetime can an official receive an imperial decree? To receive two in one year like Jia Cong was either an anomaly or a freak occurrence in officialdom.

Such "lubrication fees" for proclaiming decrees were common practice in officialdom; under normal circumstances, an official would have few chances to give them in a lifetime, and even the most self-righteous censor couldn't say a word against it, so it was naturally unrestricted.

Jia Cong had the steward see Yuan Jing out of the mansion and then returned to his own courtyard.

By then, Zhen Ying Lian, Wuer, Sister Yuanyang, and the others who had been listening for news had already hurried off to spread the good news.

Both the Eastern and Western Prefectures were once again in an uproar.

Earl's Mansion, Jia Cong's Courtyard.

As soon as Jia Cong returned to the courtyard, Yingchun and the other sisters had already received the news from Zhen Ying Lian and Wuer, and everyone was beaming with joy.

Baochai smiled: "Brother Jia Cong being raised to a first-class earl's establishment this time is also a very good omen. The next time you perform meritorious service, the second-class earldom will surely be raised to a first-class one."

Yingchun didn't know much about the establishment of noble ranks and asked curiously: "Brother Jia Cong, is there any significance to raising the establishment?"

Daiyu, who came from an official family, knew a little about such things.

She stepped forward, took Yingchun's arm, and smiled: "It means the stone lions at the gate can be replaced with more imposing ones, the main gate of the Earl's Mansion can be built wider, and the threshold can be higher."

"The screen walls, pavilions, and eaves in the mansion can be built more magnificently, and Second Sister, as the eldest young lady, can naturally live with more grandeur."

Yingchun looked at Jia Cong with some pride and smiled: "Although I think every part of the mansion is already excellent, since it is the prestige Brother Jia Cong has earned, it can be even better."

Jia Cong joked: "I think the additional 500 shi of noble stipend is the best part. In the future, when Second Sister manages the mansion, you will have much more leeway. Use what you need to use; don't try to save silver for me."

Seeing Tan Chun chimed in from the side: "This is indeed the best part. Third Brother is getting so rich; in the future, if we have no silver to spend, we'll just come and 'eat' from his wealth."

"But we must eat quickly, otherwise, in a few years, when Third Brother marries a wife, it won't be so easy to get into his purse."

Yingchun and the other sisters burst into laughter upon hearing Seeing Tan Chun's teasing words.

Baochai's bright eyes glanced at Jia Cong, and seeing him smiling, his eyes seemed to unintentionally look toward Daiyu, who was biting her lip and pinching Seeing Tan Chun's arm while trying to suppress her laughter.

Jia Cong changed out of his official robes and went to the Western Prefecture to report the good news to Jia Mu.

Although he was not close to Jia Mu, an imperial decree was a major event in a great mansion, and reporting the good news to one's elders was a proper courtesy.

In these times, filial piety governed the world, so even if Jia Cong didn't care in his heart, he had to go through the motions.

Otherwise, it would give people something to talk about, and it would be quite disgusting to have gossip about being unfilial or disrespectful following an imperial reward.

In Rongqing Hall, not only were Jia Mu, Lady Wang, and the wife of the Marquis of Lady Bao Ling present, but Xue Yima, having heard the news of the imperial decree at the Eastern Prefecture, had also rushed over to Rongqing Hall to see the spectacle.

Jia Zheng, hearing that the palace had issued a decree for Jia Cong, left his guests and hurried to Rongqing Hall to wait for news.

In Jia Zheng's view, whether it was a marriage bestowal or a reward for merit, it was all good news.

Therefore, he did not have the complex, strange, and complicated thoughts of Jia Mu, Lady Wang, and the others, whether they were regretful or resentful.

Jia Zheng didn't care about the specific content of the decree; he was simply waiting to hear the good news, hoping to find some solace in Jia Cong for what he had lost in Jia Zhu and Baoyu.

When Sister Yuanyang returned from the Eastern Prefecture with the news, everyone in the hall had different expressions.

Xue Yima, Li Shi, and others hurriedly congratulated Jia Mu.

Lady Wang wore a smile, seemingly no different from usual, appearing as kind and gentle as ever, but the Buddhist beads in her hand were turning rapidly, as if they were about to spark against her palm.

Standing behind Lady Wang was Baoyu, who looked uncomfortable; even the arrival of "Lin Meimei" could not alleviate the depression and panic in his heart.

Baoyu had just heard a maid say that she saw Sister Qingwen from the Eastern Prefecture go to Rongqing Hall, and he became infatuated.

He snuck into Rongqing Hall, hoping to meet this pretty little maid and say a few nice things about makeup, powder, and how girls are made of water.

Things were different now; Qingwen had followed Jia Cong since she was a child, and she was either studying at the academy with him or accompanying him to Jin Ling on official business.

Even when Jia Cong lived at Qingzhi Study in the Western Prefecture, if he wasn't at the mansion, Qingwen had Wuer and the other sisters for company and rarely came out to walk around.

By the time Jia Cong was enfeoffed as the Earl of Lord Weiyuan, all the maids around him had moved to the Eastern Prefecture, and Baoyu had very few chances to see her, and the threshold of the Eastern Prefecture had always been very high for him...

Furthermore, Baoyu had mixed feelings toward Jia Cong—he admired his peerless appearance and grace, but hated him for being too "strange." Since he arrived at the Western Prefecture, all the pretty maids seemed to have gone to his room...

But upon arriving at Rongqing Hall, Baoyu not only didn't see the Qingwen he was longing for, but saw a bunch of irrelevant people.

Just as he was feeling bored and wanted to leave Rongqing Hall, he bumped into his father, Jia Zheng, who sternly told him to stay and learn something about officialdom so he would have some motivation to improve.

Baoyu was full of grand words about how he came and went without attachments and shouldn't be tainted by the "maggots of officialdom," but he didn't dare to be presumptuous in front of Jia Zheng, otherwise his father would be very happy to beat him to death.

Thus, he could only stay in Rongqing Hall, listening to a bunch of people praising Jia Cong for his promotion and bright future. Baoyu felt dizzy, his chest tight, and his eyes staring blankly...

After a while, Jia Cong and Yingchun brought the sisters into the hall to report the good news.

Jia Mu saw her granddaughters all beaming with joy, looking exceptionally graceful and moving, as if they were the ones who had received the reward.

Jia Mu looked at Jia Cong, her heart filled with complex emotions. She couldn't help but sigh, thinking she had just said this boy's rank and status were already beyond the norm and it would be extremely difficult to advance further.

She hadn't expected him to come up with a scene of an imperial reward, slapping her old face; this grandson's luck was truly astonishing.

Even the ancestor, the Duke of Rongguo, who was a famous and brilliant man of the Great Zhou, did not have such achievements and good fortune at Jia Cong's age.

However, for Jia Mu, Jia Cong's promotion and success were by no means a bad thing for the Jia family, and the stifled feeling in her heart seemed to have no source.

She asked: "You are a civil official in the Ministry of Works; why did the Emperor enfeoff you as a Grade 4B General Xuanwu instead of a civil official rank?"

Before Jia Cong could answer, Jia Zheng smiled from the side: "The reason the Emperor only enfeoffed Brother Jia Cong with a military rank without adding a civil official rank has an official reason."

"Because Brother Jia Cong is currently only a Provincial Graduate Wu, and as a civil official, the position of Supervisor of the Firearm Bureau is already at the top of Grade 5A; he cannot be promoted further. Civil official positions above Grade 5 require the status of a jinshi to be promoted without regard to seniority."

"However, Brother Jia Cong is the top Provincial Graduate Wu of the Yongzhou prefectural examination. According to custom, as long as he takes the examination at the end of next spring, the jinshi status is as good as in his pocket. By then, the path for his civil official promotion will open."

Xue Yima chimed in from the side: "Then I must congratulate the Old Lady first. Next year, the mansion will have another jinshi; this prestige is no less than being enfeoffed with a title."

Hearing words like "Provincial Graduate Wu" and "jinshi," Baoyu couldn't help but feel panicked and short of breath, his legs trembling.

He suddenly saw "Lin Meimei" smiling beautifully, looking at Jia Cong with admiring eyes. How could Lin Meimei also love such vulgar things as officialdom and economics? This was terrible.

Baoyu felt the world before him collapsing, collapsing...

Jia Zheng stroked his beard and smiled: "That is true. Back then, the Old Duke wanted me to take the imperial examination path, but after the Old Duke's final memorial was submitted, the Retired Emperor granted me an official position as a special favor."

"Come to think of it, the Rongguo branch hasn't achieved success through the imperial examinations. While being enfeoffed is rare, it is ultimately not as prestigious as the scholarly path. Brother Jia Cong has finally made up for this deficiency in our Jia family; it is truly rare."

Jia Zheng looked at Baoyu beside Lady Wang, seeing his withered expression and blank face, without a shred of the open-minded and elegant demeanor. Looking back at Jia Cong, his aura was steady, his jade-like quality elegant, and he stood out from the crowd.

He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. Baoyu would reach the age of twenty next year, yet he couldn't even read the Four Books and hadn't even entered the academy; it was truly worrying.

Jia Zheng couldn't help but want to reprimand his son and tell him to study hard to win some face for him, but seeing Baoyu's evasive look, he ultimately swallowed his words.

If he reprimanded his son at this juncture, the Old Lady would surely protect him, and if a scene were made, it would be embarrassing for everyone to watch; perhaps the Old Lady would even vent her anger on Brother Jia Cong.

Over the past two years, Jia Zheng's heart had also cooled; he knew that Baoyu was likely not material for the imperial examinations, and no matter how much he scolded or beat him, it would likely be useless.

On the other side, the wife of the Marquis of Lady Bao Ling, having seen the decree, realized that although it wasn't a marriage decree, the matter of the betrothal was ultimately difficult to resolve, so she had to set aside the matter of Xiangyun's marriage for now.

She congratulated Jia Mu once more and then took her leave to return to her mansion.

Baoyu was just about to sneak out of Rongqing Hall when his father wasn't looking. Although Lin Meimei was there and he could look at her a few more times, he really couldn't stand the prestige Jia Cong had gained from his official career.

But then he heard Yingchun's soft voice: "Old Lady, Brother Jia Cong receiving the imperial decree this time is a major event."

"Tomorrow, I would like to host a few tables for a family banquet at the Eastern Prefecture and invite the Old Lady, Father, Mother, Aunt, and the brothers and sisters to come and eat, talk, and gather as a family. I hope the Old Lady will do us the honor."

Jia Zheng smiled: "Second Girl's words are polite. For such a happy event for Brother Jia Cong, even if we don't invite guests widely, a celebration among family is a must, otherwise it would be too cold."

"I happen to be off tomorrow, so I will definitely come."

Lady Wang felt a wave of dizziness and resentment upon hearing this. Looking at Baoyu, whose expression was dazed and uncertain, she felt another wave of heartache and unwillingness.

That boy had gained promotion and prestige and stolen the limelight—that was one thing, but why did the Old Master have to be so generous and supportive, forgetting that Baoyu was his legitimate son?

Jia Mu looked at the unsettled Baoyu. In her heart, she didn't want to go to the Eastern Prefecture for this banquet, but Yingchun's words were a matter of family etiquette and were perfectly appropriate.

Jia Cong had no wife, and as the eldest young lady managing the Eastern Prefecture, for such a happy event to occur, with the two prefectures being adjacent, it would be a loss of etiquette if Yingchun didn't say anything.

She smiled and patted Yingchun's hand, saying: "You have gained experience now and can help your brother manage the mansion; everything is handled properly. Since you have this heart, I will definitely go."

After the people in the hall finished talking, they dispersed. Baoyu felt as if he had been granted a pardon, but he was conflicted about whether to go to the Eastern Prefecture for the banquet tomorrow.

Going to Jia Cong's "promotion banquet" would truly make him sick.

But if he didn't go, it would be a pity, because Lin Meimei and the other sisters would definitely go, and the Eastern Prefecture had those outstanding maids and girls of Jia Cong's.

Baoyu had also heard the sisters talk about how Jia Cong had brought back a young girl from Gusu who was extremely pretty, looked very much like Lin Meimei, and could sing beautiful little songs...

The next day, Yingchun and Seeing Tan Chun were busy from early morning, setting up a banquet at the Dengxian Pavilion in the Eastern Prefecture. When the sun rose high, they went to the Western Prefecture to invite Jia Mu and the others to the banquet.

Jia Cong had been rising in success for two years, but Jia Mu loved Baoyu the most in her heart and wished all these things had happened to him instead, but that was ultimately impossible.

Ever since Jia Cong was enfeoffed and established his own household in the Eastern Prefecture, and cut off Jia Mu's plans to plant her own people and servants there, she knew that apart from the name of grandmother and grandson, this grandson had become a kite with a broken string.

Because she couldn't lose face, Jia Mu usually didn't go to the Eastern Prefecture.

This time, because Yingchun had invited her, and out of family etiquette and for the sake of her second granddaughter, she had agreed to come.

Thinking of her most beloved Baoyu, who had achieved nothing so far, while the grandson she had never cared for was shining with glory every day, she felt a sense of loss and unwillingness.

However, she was a person who enjoyed pleasure. Once she entered the Eastern Prefecture's garden and saw the newly renovated pavilions, water pavilions, and flower paths, and the neat and elegant scenery, that bit of discomfort was thrown to the back of her mind.

In the past, Jia Zhen's extravagant nature had made the Ningguo Prefecture magnificent, which had catered very well to Jia Mu's preferences.

Later, after Jia Cong established his mansion, he took the opportunity of the Eastern Prefecture's reduction in establishment to renovate all the extravagant and vulgar parts, which Jia Mu had once considered a wasteful act.

But now, seeing the renovated mansion, she found it had a different kind of elegant and refined demeanor. Although it didn't match her own preferences, it was fresh and pleasing to the eye.

On the sunny southern slope below the Dengxian Pavilion, the dozens of plum roots from Mount Xuanmu that Daiyu and Zhi Shao had planted had already taken root and sprouted after several days of care, looking vibrant even before late autumn.

Two banquet tables were set in the Dengxian Pavilion. Jia Mu and the others took their seats, and Yingchun set up another table for Zhi Shao, Zhen Ying Lian, Wuer, Qingwen, Lingguan, and the others.

Since Jia She was the biological father of Yingchun and Jia Cong, although everyone had always been at odds, a family banquet at the Eastern Prefecture couldn't be without Jia She and Lady Xing, otherwise it would sound too bad.

Yingchun wanted to help Jia Cong save face, so she went to the Eastern Courtyard early in the morning to invite them, but in the end, only Lady Xing came, and Yingchun had Xing Xiuyan sit with her.

Lady Xing had treated Jia Cong very poorly in the past. Since Jia Cong moved to the Western Prefecture, he had had very little contact with his stepmother, and this was Lady Xing's first time visiting the Eastern Prefecture since Jia Cong established his mansion.

Everyone at the table was relaxed. Logically, Lady Xing was the stepmother of Jia Cong and Yingchun and could almost be considered half a host, but she acted completely like an outsider, sitting restlessly with an awkward expression.

Jia Mu frowned slightly when she saw her eldest daughter-in-law's state. She had always looked down on this daughter-in-law, and not just because she came from a humble background.

It was because she felt this daughter-in-law was greedy, shallow, and did things without leaving any room for maneuver, lacking the demeanor of a great family. If it weren't for that, she should have been the most glorious person at the table today.

Jia Mu asked: "The whole family is here today; why don't I see your Old Master?"

Lady Xing hurriedly replied: "It's a coincidence today. Second Girl came to invite us early, but the Old Master had distinguished guests from Jin Ling come to his shop, so he went out early to entertain them."

Jia Mu was curious and asked: "Since when did he have a shop outside?"

Although Jia She and Jia Zheng lived separately, the family property was combined, and the Rongguo branch had not divided the family.

Clan rules stated that members of an undivided family could not privately open shops or accumulate private wealth.

But since the Ningguo branch was confiscated, Jia Zhen died, and Jia Rong was exiled, the eldest branch of the Jia family was gone, and Jia She became the head of the Jia clan in the Divine Capital; no one could stop him from opening a shop outside.

Although Jia She had no one to restrain him, it was still against clan rules, so the couple had never publicized it. Jia Mu lived deep in the inner chambers and hadn't heard of it.

When Jia She first opened the fur shop, even his son Jia Lian didn't know, but as the shop had been open for nearly half a year and he frequented it daily, the matter couldn't be kept secret.

Wang Xifeng was most attentive to the flow of money and naturally heard about the existence of the fur shop very quickly.

Seeing that her mother-in-law had already let it slip, she knew there was no need to worry.

She said: "Old Lady, the Old Master opened a fur shop on Hongping Street, and the business is actually quite good."

Jia Mu frowned: "He still holds a title; instead of doing his job, he goes to open a shop. Be careful not to lose the capital without making any money. The family doesn't lack his share of the food allowance."

Lady Xing smiled apologetically: "Old Lady, you don't know. Since the court implemented the new policies, the mansion has to pay more taxes for the spring and summer seasons. The public funds are not as abundant as before, and the Old Master is thinking of helping out."

Jia Mu didn't take it to heart and dropped the subject after asking a few questions. She then started chatting with Xue Yima about other topics, and no one else at the table cared about it either.

Only Jia Cong, hearing the words "fur shop" and "distinguished guests from Jin Ling," felt a jolt in his heart, as if it reminded him of something...

(End of chapter)