Chapter 480: Two Sons Receive Imperial Grace

Lady Rongguo Prefecture, Rongqing Hall.

Jia She's funeral was over, and except for the East Courtyard which was still hung with white, the entire West Prefecture had finished mourning and completely returned to its former appearance.

Jia She was merely a dissolute son eating the ancestors' blessings during his lifetime, and his death seemed to have no influence on the entire Lady Rongguo Prefecture, even if there was, it might be negative.

Today, Rongqing Hall is bustling with popularity; on the main seat, Jia Baoyu is held by Lady Jia, while Lady Wang and Wang Wang Xifeng are seated on the side seats.

Sisters like Seeing Yingchun, Lin Daiyu, and Seeing Tan Chun are all sitting below, surrounding Shi Xiangyun and talking in low voices.

Today, the wife of the Marquis of Lady Bao Ling, Lady Chen, and the wife of the Marquis of Marquis Zhongjing, Lady Li, came together to visit Lady Jia, intending to comfort her for the loss of her son, and also as a matter of human relations between old relatives.

Of course, in their conversation, these sophisticated noble matrons would not touch upon sad topics, but instead chose things that Lady Jia liked to hear, and the atmosphere in the hall was as warm as a spring breeze.

And Lady Jia's favorite topic is naturally her most proud Jia Baoyu; the two nieces-in-law of the Shi family knew how to cater to her preferences, occasionally praising Jia Baoyu for being sensible and filial.

Some time ago, because of the news of the marriage between Jia Cong and the Zhen family girl, which spread throughout the city, Lady Chen of the Marquis of Lady Bao Ling, to avoid suspicion, hurriedly took Shi Shi Xiangyun back to the Marquis's prefecture, and quite some time had passed.

No one expected that Jia Cong's marriage would actually come true, and even the imperial decree was issued, but what was even more unexpected was that a great change occurred in the end, and everything returned to the starting point.

The marriage between Jia Cong and Shi Shi Xiangyun, which Lady Chen of the Marquis of Lady Bao Ling and Lady Jia had tried to arrange, seemed to have restored the possibility.

It is just that today is different from the past; Jia Cong needs to observe mourning for three years and cannot be betrothed or married for three years, which made Lady Chen of the Marquis of Lady Bao Ling somewhat disappointed.

However, thinking that Shi Shi Xiangyun was still young and would only be past the age of capping in three years, she didn't need to be too anxious.

Whether it was Lady Jia or the two Marchioness wives of the Shi family, they all temporarily shelved this matter in their hearts.

Shi Shi Xiangyun had been holed up in the Marquis's prefecture for several months, and when she heard that Jia Cong had returned from Jin Ling, she felt happy in her heart, clamoring to go to the Jia family to play with her sisters.

But Lady Chen of the Marquis of Lady Bao Ling never allowed it; later, Shi Xiangyun heard that Jia Cong was going to be betrothed, and for some reason, she was unhappy for two days, but she was young and didn't understand much, so she soon forgot about it.

Just when she was bored at home, her aunt, Lady Chen, suddenly said she would take her to visit the Jia Prefecture to see the Old Ancestor, which was truly an unexpected joy for Shi Xiangyun.

Although she had an open and carefree personality and was a bit careless, she was not foolish when she needed to be careful.

She knew that Jia Cong had just lost his father, so she specially changed her habit of loving to wear red and wore a pale blue white-trimmed cross-collared jacket, a white cross-collared under-robe, and a rice-white long skirt.

Her hair ornaments were also much simpler, and her whole body was filled with a clear and pretty elegance that she didn't have in the past.

At this moment, she said, "Why have you all come, and why is the Third Brother nowhere to be seen? He has been in Jin Ling for so long, and I haven't seen him for several months."

Seeing Yingchun replied, "This morning, the Third Brother had a little old friend come, who seemed to be looking for the Third Brother to help with an emergency, and he is currently talking about things at the East Prefecture. I estimate he will come over later."

Shi Xiangyun looked curious, "How can it be a little old friend, how small is it?"

Lin Daiyu laughed, "I happened to see it, it's a little girl under ten years old, naturally she is small."

As Lin Daiyu spoke, she looked at the two Marchioness wives of the Shi family; they were talking to the Old Ancestor, and although they often praised Jia Baoyu, they never forgot to mention the Third Brother.

In fact, Lin Daiyu had vaguely guessed some of the thoughts of the Marchioness of Lady Bao Ling before, but she was not sure in her heart.

After the twists and turns of Jia Cong's marriage, and that night in the boudoir when Jia Cong explained his heart to her, Lin Daiyu also thought through some things.

Among the sisters, Shi Xiangyun was young and still in an ignorant age, and the sisters were always close, so she also put down this thought, and in any case, it was a matter for three years later...

Count's Prefecture.

When Lingguan saw Douguan, she was very happy, and after they said a few words, Lingguan knew the general reason and took Douguan to the study to find Jia Cong.

Jia Cong only asked a few questions and knew the reason for the matter.

It turned out that the late Imperial Consort Zhen's death was a national funeral, and the palace issued a decree that families with titles were not allowed to have banquets or music for a year.

Therefore, for the next year, the Teaching Workshop would be deserted, and no one would come to listen to songs or watch plays, or have banquets for pleasure.

The Teaching Workshop, as an official office under the Ministry of Rites, also needed to set an example in stopping music and observing mourning, so it took the opportunity to cut down on the singing and music girls in the Teaching Workshop.

Any old and infirm music girls in the workshop were either sent to the folk or sold to good families; young opera girls and music children who had not yet become stars were also all for sale.

Douguan and the other five were newcomers just purchased by Zou Min'er from Gusu for the Teaching Workshop; they were not only young but also had no foundation in the Teaching Workshop, so naturally, they were all for sale.

Douguan said that in the past few days, several groups of rich merchants and nobles had come to see them, all intending to buy them; these people looked like they were hard to distinguish between good and evil.

Originally, Douguan and the other five were bought by Zou Min'er into the Love Shenjing's Teaching Workshop, thinking they had a safe place to settle down, but they didn't expect that within a month of entering the Teaching Workshop, they would be sold as slaves again.

This time, not only would they lose their livelihood of singing opera, but their future as slaves or concubines was unknown.

And this time there was no longer Jia Cong and Zou Min'er to take care of them, so what kind of end they would meet was very hard to predict.

Therefore, they had been panicked and helpless day and night for the past few days, not knowing what to do.

Although Douguan was the youngest, her mind was the most flexible, and her courage was exceptionally great, so she thought of slipping out of the Teaching Workshop to find Lingguan and Jia Cong for help.

Jia Cong listened to the reason clearly, patted Douguan's head, and laughed, "You remember that we are old friends and came to me for help; I will certainly lend a hand.

I am familiar with the head of the Pipa section of the Teaching Workshop, Du Dajia; I will send someone to send her a letter and ask her to help mediate. I will buy you all into my prefecture first, so it will be easy to arrange later."

When Douguan heard that Jia Cong was willing to help, her big eyes smiled into crescent moons, not concealing her inner joy at all, looking very pleasing.

Jia Cong asked again, "Do you have any relatives at home?"

Douguan said, "I and Kuiguan were sold since childhood and no longer know where our homes are; Fangguan, Ouguan, and Aiguan still have parents and brothers at home.

Cong Sanye, I no longer have a home, I beg you to buy me and let me stay with Lingguan, I will do anything from washing clothes to cooking."

Jia Cong saw that Douguan was pitiful, patted her head, and laughed, "What's difficult about that? It's fine if you are willing to stay.

As for the others who have families, I will have them removed from the register, give them travel expenses, and send them home to live, so they can live a peaceful life with their families."

Lingguan was naturally very happy to know that she would have Douguan for company in the future.

As they were talking, Juan'er came to report from outside, saying that a minor official from the Ministry of Rites had come to report that the officials from the Ministry of Rites would arrive at the prefecture in a quarter of an hour to read the decree, asking the Cong Sanye to prepare to receive the imperial decree.

Lady Rongguo Prefecture, Rongqing Hall.

Lady Jia was still chatting with the two nieces-in-law.

Shi Shi Xiangyun was young and active, and since they were all elders in the hall, she didn't need to be too cautious, so she excused herself to Lady Jia and pulled Lin Daiyu and Seeing Tan Chun to stroll in the garden and have a private talk.

Jia Baoyu wanted to follow, but the two Marchioness wives of the Shi family were eloquent and often praised him, which amused Lady Jia so much that she kept him to accompany the guests, and he couldn't leave for a while.

Among the sisters, only Seeing Yingchun was older, and now she was the eldest young lady in charge of the East Prefecture, and Jia Cong had not appeared, so she had to stay in the hall to accompany the guests.

Lady Chen of the Marquis of Lady Bao Ling said, "This time Cong-ge was betrothed by the palace, which is a great honor; although there was a change and it was revoked, it shows that the heaven-ordained marriage has not yet arrived, and I fear there will be better ones in the future."

When Lady Jia heard this, she looked at Shi Xiangyun's departing back and said, "What you said is right; since ancient times, marriages have been ordained by heaven, and human power is always hard to overcome.

Cong-ge is one who can toss and turn, always causing some changes, and I have become accustomed to these things over the years."

Lady Jia laughed again to Lady Chen, "If you see any outstanding young lady, help him keep an eye out; three years is not long, and not short, and this old bone of mine can always wait."

When Lady Chen of the Marquis of Lady Bao Ling heard this, she felt happy in her heart; the Great Aunt was speaking with hidden meaning, clearly telling her that now that everything is starting over, she is keeping the marriage between Jia Cong and Shi Xiangyun in her heart.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have said that three years is not long and that she could wait, clearly still wanting to be the master of this matter.

Lady Wang and Wang Wang Xifeng, who were sitting there, were both experts in the inner courtyard and naturally understood the meaning of Lady Jia's words.

Lady Wang felt very depressed and felt uncomfortable that Jia Cong could marry a daughter of a Marquis's prefecture in the future, but she was also unwilling to let Jia Baoyu marry the Old Ancestor's niece-in-law.

Wang Wang Xifeng also understood the meaning of Lady Jia's words, but it had nothing to do with her who Jia Cong married, so she naturally didn't care.

What she cares about most now is when Jia Lady Lian will inherit the title, so she can become a noblewoman early.

Wang Wang Xifeng thought that one day, when there was a celebration in the imperial court, she would also be like the Old Ancestor and the Lady, wearing grand makeup and noble brocade clothes, and her heart couldn't help but surge; what kind of glory and face would that be.

It is just that now the Great Master's funeral is over, and the Imperial Clan Court still hasn't had any news, which makes Wang Wang Xifeng feel anxious day and night.

When Lady Li of the Marquis of Marquis Zhongjing heard Lady Jia's words, she knew that her sister-in-law's wish had finally landed.

Lady Li was also happy in her heart; now Jia Cong is the number one among the noble descendants of the Great Zhou, and his future prospects must be boundless.

And Jia Cong has always been on good terms with her husband, and becoming the son-in-law of the Shi family in three years will also be greatly beneficial to the Marquis of Marquis Zhongjing's prefecture, so she is naturally happy to see it happen.

It is just that Jia Cong is currently observing mourning and it is not convenient to openly discuss the marriage, which is the reason why Lady Jia's words were obscure just now, otherwise it would be somewhat disrespectful.

Lady Li's personality is more sophisticated than her sister-in-law's, so she changed the subject to make the atmosphere between the two families more joyful.

She laughed, "Great Aunt, Cong-ge is not convenient now, but Jia Baoyu will also reach the age of marriage next year, but there are no such taboos.

I also heard that someone has recently proposed a marriage for Jia Baoyu."

Lady Jia laughed, "Your news is quite well-informed; a few days ago, the old Daoist Zhang from Qingxu Temple, who is a warm-hearted person and always likes to do things like tying the red thread and accumulating hidden blessings.

He did mention two suitable young ladies, but this child Jia Baoyu is not destined to marry early, so I only asked him to help me look, and wait for a year or two before discussing it." Lady Li of the Marquis of Marquis Zhongjing laughed, "Who in the Love Shenjing doesn't know that Jia Baoyu is a noble son born with jade in his mouth, and I estimate that no second one can be found in the world.

Besides, Jia Baoyu has such an excellent appearance, and Cong-ge is hard to distinguish from him; as long as the Old Ancestor lets out the word that Jia Baoyu is getting married, the threshold of the Lady Rongguo Prefecture will be trampled flat."

Lady Li's words made Lady Wang feel extremely comfortable, and the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes couldn't help but bloom; she only felt that she hadn't seen before that this Marchioness wife was so knowledgeable.

Especially Lady Li's words: Jia Baoyu is a noble son born with jade in his mouth, and no second one can be found in the world.

It really hit Lady Wang's heart, just like being poured two buckets of honey down her throat, so useful.

Lady Wang's greatest pride in her life is this trick of being born with jade in her mouth; her Jia Baoyu is a rare noble son in the world, doesn't it show that she, the birth mother, is equally noble.

Lady Chen of the Marquis of Lady Bao Ling, who was on the side, saw her sister-in-law's mouth full of honey and couldn't help but secretly laugh.

She knew that her sister-in-law was just trying to set the atmosphere and cater to the Great Aunt's preferences, talking nonsense, just to let the Great Aunt know the benefits of the Shi family, so she would quickly arrange the marriage between the two families.

Last time, her sister-in-law told her in private that the saying of Jia Baoyu being born with jade in his mouth was actually not favored by the palace...

Wang Wang Xifeng, who was on the side, looked at Lady Li with a strange gaze, thinking that in the past, the Marchioness of Marquis Zhongjing was a shrewd and capable person, why is she talking nonsense now.

Even Jia Baoyu, who is not on the right track, can be hard to distinguish from Cong the Third, this Marchioness is really blind.

Even if it were just telling lies to amuse the Old Matriarch, this flattery was laid on far too shamelessly.

When Lady Jia heard this, she was also happy, laughing and scolding, "You are talking too much; Jia Baoyu is just a junior, how can he be praised like this, be careful not to spoil him.

Don't look at Jia Baoyu looking good on the outside, he is forced to read by his father every day, and he is empty on the inside, so I always say he shouldn't marry early, and it's better to raise him for a few more years before discussing it."

Jia Baoyu heard others talking about his marriage again and felt restless, feeling uncomfortable in his heart, and the wild words that matchmaking is the work of foolish men almost blurted out.

Fortunately, he didn't lose his head, looked up at the hall, and realized that Lin Daiyu was not there, so he felt relieved in his heart.

Hearing the two Shi family wives praising him, he felt shy and even more useful, and he didn't think about leaving Rongqing Hall to play with his sisters anymore.

Jia Baoyu considered himself to have some insights that transcended the vulgar, but he couldn't give up his romantic nature, and there was nothing he could do if others said he was good.

Hearing the Marchioness of Marquis Zhongjing say he was outstanding, and that Jia Cong was hard to distinguish from him, he was even more happy; it turns out he was so excellent, and he hadn't discovered it before.

It can be seen that these rare points of his are finally recognized by someone in this world.

Jia Baoyu sighed in his heart, only hoping that Sister Lin would have the same insight as the Marchioness, and could see these good points of his, then his life's career would be complete...

The matrons in the hall were talking enthusiastically, Lady Jia and Lady Wang were happy, and Jia Baoyu, knowing that he was on par with Jia Cong, also became ambitious.

At this time, Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife came in and said, "Old Ancestor, our Master asked me to pass a message, saying that the gatekeeper of the West Prefecture just reported.

Several official gentlemen rode horses into Ning-Rong Street and headed straight for the East Prefecture, and now the East Prefecture has opened its main gate, I estimate there must be something going on."

Lady Jia and others were all shocked when they heard this.

Lady Chen of the Marquis of Lady Bao Ling had some knowledge and said, "Great Aunt, the main gate of a noble prefecture is usually closed, and it is only opened for weddings and funerals, or for imperial decrees.

For court officials to come at this time and open the main gate, it must be that Cong-ge has had another happy event; this child is truly extraordinary."

When Jia Baoyu heard this, an expression of hatred for iron not becoming steel appeared on his face; Jia Cong was clearly a first-class figure, but he spent his days playing with official career tricks, which was really a waste of such a person.

Lady Wang turned the Buddha beads in her hand in distress, thinking that just now everyone was talking about Jia Baoyu's good things, why did that boy pop up again, really not letting people have a moment of peace.

Seeing Yingchun, who was sitting on the side, stood up and said, "Old Ancestor, Cong-di is alone in the East Prefecture, I will go and look after him, and I will come back to report to the Old Ancestor when I get news."

After Seeing Yingchun finished speaking, she hurriedly left Rongqing Hall with her maid Xiuju.

Ning-Rong Street, Count's Prefecture.

Jia Cong was talking to Lingguan and Douguan when he heard Juan'er say that officials from the Ministry of Rites had arrived to read the decree, and he probably guessed what it was.

A few days ago, he submitted a memorial to Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao for mourning his father; according to the rules, the matter of officials observing mourning, after being approved by the Emperor, is announced to the officials by the Ministry of Rites.

The Ministry of Rites of the Great Zhou manages the four departments of Ceremonies, Sacrifices, Guests, and Provisions, and managing the mourning of officials is the responsibility of the Ministry of Rites' Ceremonies Department.

Jia Cong changed into his formal attire and hurried to the Xuande Hall of the East Prefecture. After entering the hall, he saw an official wearing a fifth-rank robe, with a proper appearance and a straight posture, waiting in the hall.

The manager of the Count's Prefecture was arranging for the servants to set up the incense table for receiving the decree.

The official saw Jia Cong enter and smiled slightly, "This official is Zhou He Honghui, a Physician of the Ceremonies Department of the Ministry of Rites, ordered by the Minister of Rites to read the decree for Master Jia."

Jia Cong said, "Thank you for your trouble, Master Zhou."

The manager lit the incense and retreated. After Jia Cong knelt down, Zhou He Honghui unfolded the decree and read:

By the order of the Emperor, the decree says:

The Count of Majestic Might, Jia Cong, has newly lost his father and petitioned to observe mourning for three years, observing filial piety according to the rites, which is the standard practice of filial piety.

However, he serves as the Supervisor of the Firearm Department of the Ministry of Works, holding the important task of national firearms, related to the art of strengthening the army and the country; filial piety is hard to decline, and the monarch's national affairs cannot be neglected.

Weighing the two, taking care of both family and country, he is granted to reduce the mourning period to half a year and resume his post.

Because of his father's death, his marriage was revoked; feeling his consistent loyalty and filial piety, he is specially granted exemption from the Spring Examination of the 15th year of Emperor Jia Zhao.

Respect this.

Zhou He Honghui read the imperial decree and laughed, "This official has read many mourning decrees, but like the Count of Majestic Might, being specially granted by the Emperor to reduce the mourning period and adding grace and heavy use, is not common.

Moreover, he was granted exemption from the Spring Examination; I think the Count of Majestic Might will certainly attain the rank of Rank Jinshi next year, so this official offers his congratulations in advance."

Although Jia Cong was born in a noble family, he would naturally have a natural barrier with the civil official group.

But he twice won the top spot in the Yongzhou provincial examination, which is not only unique among noble descendants but also has not appeared among the descendants of civil official families since the founding of the Great Zhou.

Moreover, Jia Cong is excellent in both calligraphy and poetry, not only has his calligraphy reached the sect level, forming his own style, but the poems and songs he has written can be passed down, and his name has shaken the world.

This also made this special noble descendant strangely gain the favor of the civil official group in the court and the public.

And the most important point is that the essay "The Virtue of Scholars is Not Strong" that he wrote in the provincial examination, the theory of the four words, is regarded by scholars as an unchanging truth.

It has already established Jia Cong's lofty status in the scholarly world; there is probably no reader in the world who would have any class barrier against him because of his noble background.

In their eyes, Jia Cong's consistent literary brilliance makes him more qualified to be a reader than any of them, a natural seed for a civil official.

Therefore, a proper official of the Ministry of Rites like Zhou He Honghui, who was born in a scholarly background, would not care about Jia Cong's noble background and could show closeness upon their first meeting.

Lady Rongguo Prefecture, Rongqing Hall.

Lady Jia and others waited for a long time before seeing Seeing Yingchun return with a happy face.

She said, "Old Ancestor, it was an official from the Ministry of Rites who came to the East Prefecture to pass the decree; the Emperor reduced Cong-di's mourning period by half a year and resumed his post, and also added grace to exempt him from next year's Spring Examination.

In this way, Cong-di doesn't have to wait three years to take the Spring Examination, and he will certainly be able to attain the rank of Rank Jinshi next year."

Lady Chen of the Marquis of Lady Bao Ling felt happy in her heart, but before she could speak, Lady Li of the Marquis of Marquis Zhongjing spoke first.

She said, "Great Aunt, how can one say this? This grandson of yours is not only first-class in ability, but his fortune is also not something ordinary people can compare to.

Ordinary officials observe mourning for three years, and even if they are valued by the Emperor and cannot be spared, reducing it to one year is a great favor.

I have never heard of anyone like Cong-ge, who was reduced to half a year of mourning in one breath, which shows how much the Emperor values him.

Moreover, he was granted the Spring Examination next year; Cong-ge is the dignified Yongzhou Jieyuan of Yongzhou, and it looks like the Jia family will have a Rank Jinshi next year.

This is a rare thing in a noble family; in my opinion, with Cong-ge's ability, he might even win the top spot in the examination for the Great Aunt.

That would not only be honoring the ancestors but also leaving a name for eternity..."

Jia Baoyu, who was beside Lady Jia, heard that Jia Cong was allowed to take the Spring Examination during such a period of mourning, and he was stunned for a moment, his face turning pale.

The two words "Spring Examination" are a suppressive nightmare for Jia Baoyu, because when he entered the family school for six or seven years, he couldn't even recite the Four Books, and entering school was even more remote...

If his father heard that Jia Cong could take the Spring Examination next year, and was a Rank Jinshi who was sure to win, he didn't know how happy he would be, and his own days of suffering would certainly begin.

Jia Baoyu thought of the scene of Jia Zheng forcing him to read, and couldn't help but shiver, feeling that it would be better to die.

At this moment, hearing Lady Li of the Marquis of Marquis Zhongjing seem to have more to say, he blurted out, "Great Aunt, in my opinion, among the dozens of families of the Jia and Shi families, there is no descendant more outstanding than Cong-ge."

When Jia Baoyu heard this, he couldn't help but feel aggrieved; just now this aunt said that Jia Cong and he were hard to distinguish, and now he has become unique again...

Lady Wang, who was on the side, saw Jia Baoyu's face turn pale and become somewhat foolish after hearing Seeing Yingchun's news, and felt a pain in her heart.

That boy is simply the nemesis of my Jia Baoyu, a debt, a debt!

Just as the atmosphere in the hall was hard to measure, Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife hurried into the hall and said, "Old Ancestor, the official servants of the Imperial Clan Court have just entered the prefecture and are now waiting in Rongxi Hall..." (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 481 =====