Chapter 526: Old Love is the Most Infatuated

Ningrong Street, Count's Mansion.

Early morning, the sky was dark and not yet fully bright.

Beside the north side of Doufeng Pavilion in the inner courtyard, there was a piece of open slope land facing the water on three sides, which was rarely passed by people, and the environment was quiet and secluded.

In the dim morning light of winter, human shadows walked and swayed on the slope, the silver knife light spit out, and the wind shook and trembled.

Jia Cong loved the quiet and spaciousness here, and no one disturbed him. He got up early every morning, and after the maids helped him wash, he would practice the palace walking and breathing method and practice knife skills here.

He had been taught by Qu Hongxiu since he was ten years old and learned the unique arts passed down by the Qu family. Although Qu Hongxiu had not been by his side for several years, he still practiced day and night without any slack.

Back then, he had killed the leader of the Dongying ronin on Qixia Mountain, fought in an assassination attempt under Xuanmu Mountain in Gusu, and fought against the Jurchen elite cavalry in Liaodong, many times in danger.

The knife skills and martial arts he practiced since childhood were his foundation and life-saving skills.

Ever since he made the first merit in the Yafu Pass victory in Liaodong and personally beheaded the Jurchen right guard leader Fan Ercha on the battlefield, the world knew that he was not only amazing in literary talent but also had excellent winning martial arts skills.

It was just that except for a few close maids, few people had seen him practicing knife skills.

Grandmother Jia, Jia Zheng, and others knew that he had the ability to kill enemies on the battlefield, but as for how this ability came about, they were all ignorant.

It was not until the sky was bright in the early morning that he collected the knife and gathered his momentum, only feeling the blood flowing, the yang energy rising, and a sense of transparency, lightness, and mystery.

He recalled the breathing method of the knife skills taught by Qu Hongxiu, who had explained the strange phenomena of the mind in various realms. It seemed that years of practice, the growth and stability of the bones and blood vessels, had brought him to the edge of breaking through the barrier.

By the time he packed up his things and returned to his courtyard, Wu'er had already prepared hot soup for bathing, and Zhi Shao helped him loosen his clothes and hair, letting him go to bathe and purify his body. Now it was approaching the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the busiest time of the New Year in the West Mansion had passed. For the past few days, Wu'er did not have to go to the West Mansion to help Wang Xifeng manage household chores before dawn.

Every morning, she served Jia Cong, ate breakfast with him in the courtyard, and then went to the West Mansion to perform her duties.

By the time Jia Cong finished bathing and changing clothes, Wu'er came over to help him comb his hair and said: "Cong Sanye has guests today. I have arranged the banquet in the Songxuan Hall of the West Mansion according to Cong Sanye's instructions."

"Cong Sanye rarely has wine banquets to accompany guests during the New Year. Who is the distinguished guest coming today?"

Jia Cong smiled: "Except for one named Liu Bi, who is the eldest grandson of my teacher and has been a county magistrate in Gaochun County since he passed the imperial examination four years ago, the other three are commoners."

Wu'er was strange in her heart. Cong Sanye was now an official of the imperial court and had the noble status of one body and two titles. In these days, the visits were all high-ranking officials and nobles.

What is the background of today's guests? Even if they are commoners, they can be so valued by Cong Sanye."

Jia Cong saw the flowing light in Wu'er's beautiful eyes in the mirror, looking confused, and pinched her little hand with a smile, saying: "Although these people are mostly commoners, they are my friends from poverty."

"Back then, Zhi Shao and I were living in the East Road Courtyard, and because we were deducted monthly silver by Wang Shanbao's wife, life was difficult. Later, I wrote a few calligraphy works and sold them in a bookstore on Wenhan Street."

"The shopkeeper of the bookstore, Xiao Jinding, was a person who knew goods, spent a high price to buy a few of my calligraphy works, and I got a sum of silver, so I survived the difficulties with Zhi Shao."

"Afterwards, Xiao Jinding introduced Liu Bi, He Jizhen, Zhou Xizhe, and others to me. We made friends with each other, but it was not the kind of social intercourse in the officialdom."

In the following years, Jia Cong studied at the Qingshan Academy, returned to the mansion during the school holidays, and often had tea and wine gatherings with them.

It was not until a few years ago that Liu Bi passed the imperial examination and was sent to Jiangnan as an official. Jia Cong went north to Liaodong and south to Jin Ling, successful in the imperial examination, and his official title became increasingly precious.

Xiao Jinding and others, either as shopkeepers or as common scholars, had an increasingly disparate status from Jia Cong, and without Liu Bi's connection, they were also afraid of climbing high, and they became estranged without knowing it.

That year, Liu Bi returned to his hometown to visit relatives and also to take the Ministry of Personnel's grand examination; since he and Jia Cong were old friends from those days and also shared the bond of being fellow students, their relationship was extraordinary.

Today, he invited Xiao Jinding and three others to visit, and then talked about the old friendship of the past.

……

Rongguo Prefecture, East Road Courtyard.

Now the East Road Courtyard has been renovated, and the area is nearly twice as large as the original. The original Mengpo Study of Jia Zheng and its surroundings have all been wrapped into the East Road Courtyard.

The East Road Courtyard has also changed from the coldness after Jia She's death, moving tables and chairs, entering and exiting, and the popularity is hot.

For this New Year's Eve sacrifice, Jia Cong yielded the position of presiding over the sacrifice to Jia Zheng.

The reason he did this was out of gratitude for Jia Zheng's care and protection since childhood, so he yielded to him with the etiquette of an elder.

And since he inherited the title, Jia Zheng was forced by the Emperor's heart and the impeachment of the court to move out of the Rongxi Hall and even the Rongguo Prefecture, so many dark and obscure criticisms were born within the Jia family.

Although the court ritual system gave a statement, the negative talk brought to Jia Cong personally needed to be eliminated by himself.

Yielding the position of presiding over the New Year's Eve sacrifice to Jia Zheng was such a perfect balance method.

Jia Zheng accepted the humility of filial piety and received enough respect from Jia Cong. All the hidden jealousy and the insidious tricks that were contained and not yet issued also lost their moral position for existence and voicing.

The scene seen by people inside and outside, Jia Cong, although bathed in imperial grace, boarded the position of the head of the Jia family, his behavior was precious, he did not slack off in filial piety, his body and name were combined, and he was worthy of the name.

Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, and others had their own different resistance to Jia Cong inheriting the title, but when they saw that Jia Zheng could serve as the presiding officer of the sacrifice, they each felt different comfortable joy in their hearts.

Grandmother Jia felt that she also got face because of Jia Cong's humility; Lady Wang, because her husband could board the presiding officer of the sacrifice equivalent to the clan leader after losing the title, felt a little more delusional in her heart.

But only those with clear eyes can clearly realize that Jia Cong's humility in the first year of inheriting the title is a wonderful chess move of retreating to advance.

While obtaining the title and salary granted by imperial power and ritual law, he also occupied the peak of private morality and righteousness within the family. The transfer of power and name from the text generation to the jade generation of the Jia family was therefore perfectly landed, without any criticism.

And the delusion like Lady Wang is also extremely absurd and ridiculous. Now, at the spring sacrifice next year, Jia Cong will once again yield the position of presiding officer of the sacrifice to Jia Zheng. Does Jia Zheng still have the face to accept it? Many things are once and not twice. The first time the position of presiding officer of the sacrifice is yielded, it can be passed down as a beautiful story of clan rituals.

If one yields a second time, it is no different from killing with kindness; if it is still accepted when the time comes, then it is a lack of propriety and shamelessness.

By that time, I am afraid that the impeachment and attacks of the court officials will be ten times more fierce than this time.

Fortunately, although Jia Zheng is pedantic and old-fashioned, his ritual fence is stable. Through Jia Cong's insistence on humility, although he accepted the position of presiding officer of the sacrifice with trepidation, it was as if he was pushed to the moral peak.

The nephew is purely filial and has the style of ancient sages. Does the elder still have to ignore the ritual law and be reluctant to leave?

Therefore, after the New Year's Eve ancestral sacrifice, Jia Zheng proposed to move out of the Rongguo Prefecture and move to the East Road Courtyard the next day.

Under the persuasion of Grandmother Jia and Jia Cong, Jia Zheng promised to postpone it, only waiting for the three days of the beginning of the year to deal with the New Year greetings of the old relatives and nobles of each family.

By the fourth day of the first lunar month, Jia Zheng hurriedly insisted on moving out of the Rongguo Prefecture and moved into the newly renovated East Road Courtyard.

He was afraid that if he was late for one day, he would be scolded again, and his lifelong clean name would be completely destroyed.

Of course, it was also worried that because of the humility of the position of presiding officer of the sacrifice, he would not report it, and moving to the East Road Courtyard early would let those broken-mouthed censors catch the handle and suffer impeachment and humiliation again.

By the time he hurriedly moved into the East Road Courtyard, he felt relieved in his heart, and seeing the East Road Courtyard renovated by Jia Cong and Wang Xifeng, the inevitable loss in his heart was also greatly comforted.

It was just that Lady Wang, from the last glory of becoming the wife of the presiding officer, fell back to the bottom of the valley after a few days.

It was just that now, whether it was Grandmother Jia or Jia Zheng, they would not put her unhappiness in their hearts.

……

Jia Cong entertained Liu Bi, Xiao Jinding, He Jizhen, Zhou Xizhe, and others in the Songxuan Hall, and the guests and hosts were happy.

He Jizhen was still old and sophisticated, talking eloquently, and his conversation was very strong. He had the elegant name of He Qingzhu in the streets, and he was famous for being good at painting bamboo. At the banquet, he also gave Jia Cong one of his proud works.

Zhou Xizhe did not change his meticulous and steady style. Although he didn't speak much at the banquet, every word he said was wonderful, and he was an excellent chat object.

Xiao Jinding drank three rounds of wine and said that the most successful business he had ever done was to have the fate to buy Jia Cong's calligraphy when Jia Cong was humble.

And he was very wise. Later, no matter how high the price offered by those who knew the goods, he did not sell those calligraphy works.

Since Jia Cong passed the imperial examination twice, his poetry and words moved Jiangnan, his military merits in Liaodong were granted titles, and he held two titles in one body, his reputation shook the world.

Jia Cong's three calligraphy works had become the treasures of the town in Xiao Jinding's shop. Many people came to admire them every day, which attracted countless popularity for his shop.

In just a few years, Xiao Jinding's shop had become the most prosperous bookstore on Wenhan Street.

Xiao Jinding also laughed at the banquet, saying that Jia Cong's calligraphy works were his fortune and arch.

To ensure that these calligraphy works were safe, he even asked his confidant old family member, Uncle Qin, not to do other chores, and specifically looked after and maintained these calligraphy works...

Jia Cong and Liu Bi were of the same school. When Liu Bi went to Jiangnan to be an official, the two never met again.

Jia Cong went to Jin Ling to handle errands last time, and Jin Ling was only a hundred miles away from Gaochun County where Liu Bi was an official.

But Jia Cong had many matters to attend to while in Jin Ling, leaving him no time to catch his breath; once the major case of the Guard Army was solved and concluded, he received the Imperial Edict from Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao to return to the capital to report his mission.

Although the old friends were like neighbors, they didn't find a chance to meet.

Now that they met again after a long time, they talked more happily. Liu Bi also laughed and said that the Liu family had produced eight jinshi, and this year at the end of spring, another one would be added, which could reach the auspicious number of nine and nine.

The people at the banquet talked harmoniously, toasted each other, and the atmosphere was excellent. They all said that friends are old, which is quite reasonable.

Xiao Jinding was said to have been in business for generations, with a rich family background. He managed the bookstore well and was a successful businessman, destined not to be involved in officialdom.

He Jizhen was rumored to come from a noble family, with a large mansion and fertile land at home, worry-free about food and clothing, uninterested in official career, obsessed with calligraphy and painting, wandering the streets, and living the life of a famous scholar.

Zhou Xizhe had an even greater background. It was said that his ancestors were Jiangnan powerful families. He had lived in the Love Shenjing with his father's generation since he was a child. He had a family background and was good at painting landscapes. He had a great reputation in the calligraphy and painting circle of the Love Shenjing...

These people were all old friends of Jia Cong when he was humble. Even today, they were prosperous in their families, each had their own business, and had no official interest entanglement with Jia Cong.

Perhaps only such a relationship can cast aside worldly entanglement and truly be a gentleman's friendship as light as water.

……

Jia Cong entertained Liu Bi and others, the guests and hosts were happy, and they made an appointment to meet again. After he sent the guests away, he hurriedly returned to the East Mansion and went straight to Seeing Tan Chun's room.

Jia Zheng's relocation to the East Road Courtyard eventually brought twists and turns among the sisters.

Jia Zheng moved into the East Road Courtyard because of the change in name. Seeing Tan Chun, as his daughter, had to move into the East Road Courtyard regardless of filial piety or personal status.

It was not until the morning when Jia Cong went to the West Mansion to entertain guests that he heard that Seeing Tan Chun was going to move into the East Road Courtyard today.

As soon as he entered Seeing Tan Chun's courtyard, he saw several maids in the courtyard carrying two boxes away.

In the room, Shi Shu and Cuimo, two maids, were packing Seeing Tan Chun's personal stationery, clothes, and jewelry.

When Jia Cong entered the room, he saw Seeing Tan Chun slightly on tiptoe, taking down a hanging calligraphy from the wall. She turned her head and saw Jia Cong enter, her eyes were watery, clear and moving, and she smiled slightly: "Why did Third Brother come? I went to your courtyard in the morning, and Zhi Shao said you went to the West Mansion to entertain guests."

Jia Cong saw her shoulders were thin and her waist was thin, her figure was tall, she wore a rose-red magnolia folded branch embroidery long jacket, a white pleated skirt, and a cloud-dotted inlaid pearl step-shake on her hair, fresh and charming, with heroic charm.

And the calligraphy she had just taken down was the Xizhou Ci he wrote back then.

……

Back then, Jia Cong was still living hard in the East Road Courtyard, and Seeing Tan Chun accidentally discovered that she had a cousin with extremely high calligraphy talent.

Among all the sisters, Seeing Tan Chun was the first to discover Jia Cong's extraordinary.

She was shrewd and daring, and she was the first to pay attention to this cousin, help him everywhere, until Jia Cong moved into the West Mansion, the relationship between the cousins was very close.

Coupled with the fact that both loved calligraphy, they had more tacit understanding and intimacy than other sisters.

Because of Jia Cong's excellence in calligraphy and his various brilliant achievements, Seeing Tan Chun even developed a strange admiration for him...

The different feelings of youth and blood, the hazy ripples of the girl's bean-card growth, were just silent waves in the heart, and with the passage of time, they would eventually return to calm.

But no matter what, this cousin Jia Cong occupied a very important position in Seeing Tan Chun's heart.

For Jia Cong, among these sisters, Seeing Tan Chun's intimacy and openness to himself were quite different from other sisters.

Jia Cong saw Seeing Tan Chun carefully roll up the calligraphy in her hand and carefully put it into a customized brocade box.

He said: "This calligraphy was written by me a long time ago. At that time, the brushwork still had sharpness. If Third Sister likes it, I will write a better one for you."

Seeing Tan Chun held the brocade box in her hand and smiled: "When Third Brother was still living in the East Road Courtyard, he was unknown. At that time, the world did not know Third Brother's preciousness."

"I was fortunate to know Third Brother's pen and ink brilliance before others tilted pearls and held jade, which is the luck of my life as a sister, so in my heart, this calligraphy is the best."

……

Jia Cong heard her words were dense and sincere, full of soft and tender feelings, and couldn't help but feel a warmth in his heart.

Back then, because of a note he wrote to Aunt Zhao, Seeing Tan Chun noticed his unusualness and sent him many books, paper, and brushes.

Back then, in the cold, among the Jia family sisters, Seeing Tan Chun was the first to care about and be close to himself. He never forgot this friendship.

Jia Cong said: "Third Sister, although the old master moved into the East Road Courtyard because of the rules of ritual, he just did it for outsiders to see."

"Sister doesn't have to be in such a hurry to move in. Is it because you don't live well in the East Mansion?"

Seeing Tan Chun pursed her lips and smiled: "What is Third Brother saying? I live very well in the East Mansion. In the past half year, I have been accompanied by Third Brother and sisters, and I have never had such a good day in my life."

"But the matter of the old master moving to the East Road Courtyard, it is not good to be too careless. When Third Brother inherited the title, the old master and the wife were impeached by so many court officials because they stayed in the Rongxi Hall, which caused a lot of trouble."

"Now the matter is still hot, and there must be many people staring at it."

"I am the old master's daughter. If I still remain indifferent at this juncture and still live in Third Brother's East Mansion, it will definitely attract criticism from others and leave handles for the old master and Third Brother."

Seeing Tan Chun said here, not knowing what she thought of, her pretty face flushed inexplicably.

She said again: "There is also the wife. She is reluctant to part with the family business of the West Mansion, and she has always been... about Third Brother inheriting the title."

"In short, I have to move over first. Outsiders can't pick out any faults, and the family's face is also passed. It will save some unnecessary thoughts and save Third Brother from trouble."

……

Although Jia Cong was reluctant to let Seeing Tan Chun move away, he knew that this Third Sister was shrewd and intelligent, even better than men, and the considerations in her heart were all reasonable.

She did this to take care of the overall situation, and also for his own consideration, so he could not refute her heart.

He said: "Since Third Sister thinks so meticulously, then move over first. After this storm passes, I will find a reason to pick sister back."

Seeing Tan Chun smiled when she heard Jia Cong's words, heroic and charming, saying: "With Third Brother's words, that's enough. Otherwise, if I move back now, I'm afraid I won't be able to return to this door again."

Jia Cong replied: "Even if you are willing, I am not willing."

As he said, he picked up an exquisite camphor wood small box on the ground and smiled: "Today I will be Third Sister's maid and help sister move once."

Seeing Tan Chun saw Jia Cong carrying her personal box, her pretty face flushed, because this camphor wood box contained her personal clothes and pants.

Seeing Tan Chun blushed and said: "How can this be? This box is full of girls' things. It's too improper to let Third Brother, a count, carry it."

Jia Cong smiled: "Where are these stresses? It's just hard work. It's more convenient for me to carry it than the maids."

As he said, he carried the camphor wood box out of the door. Seeing Tan Chun couldn't help laughing, holding the brocade box containing Xizhou Ci, blushing and following, and the two were laughing and talking all the way.

……

The East Road Courtyard had already received the news that Seeing Tan Chun was moving in, and maids and maids were already organizing Seeing Tan Chun's room.

Although Seeing Tan Chun was only a concubine, she was outstanding in talent and appearance since she was a child, and she was smart and refreshing. Among the sisters, she was very favored by Grandmother Jia.

Her daily behavior was shrewd and practiced, her words were clear, and she was not lacking in sharpness. No one in the Jia mansion dared to look down on her.

Those family-born slaves even gave Seeing Tan Chun a nickname behind her back, which was "Rose". Roses are red and fragrant, and everyone loves them, but the thorns prick hands.

Although some people were chewing their tongues secretly, saying that she was not raised by the wife, she could be considered "a phoenix coming out of an old crow's nest".

Even Lady Wang had some regard for this concubine daughter. When Wang Xifeng was ill, she should have let Li Wan manage the household affairs according to the name, but Lady Wang had to call Seeing Tan Chun, because she knew she had the talent to manage affairs.

Because they knew that this rose was moving into the East Road Courtyard, the maids and maids in the courtyard did not dare to be too slow.

Besides, everyone in the two mansions now knows that the Third Miss and the Cong Sanye Cong, the main master of the two mansions, are the most intimate brothers and sisters.

This also made the family-born slaves more afraid, and they cleaned up her room early.

However, today the East Road Courtyard was not only organizing and cleaning Seeing Tan Chun's room, but another group of people was also busy organizing Baoyu's residence.

……

Baoyu was Jia Zheng's legitimate son. According to the name and filial piety, he should have moved to the East Road Courtyard earlier than Seeing Tan Chun.

On the fourth day of the first lunar month, Jia Zheng moved to the East Road Courtyard and ordered the servants to move for Baoyu. Baoyu feared his father like a flood and beast, so naturally he didn't dare to say half a word.

But he absolutely didn't want to move to the East Road

The reason he did not want to go to the East Courtyard was simply that sisters like Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai moved about in the West Mansion daily; who would ever wander over to the East Courtyard, which had an independent household from the West Mansion?

If he were to move to the East Courtyard, he feared that from then on, he would become a stranger to Lin Meimei, Bao Jiejie, and the others—this was something Baoyu's heart could absolutely not bear.

Now that Jia Cong had become the master of the West Mansion, Baoyu heard that the Rongxi Hall had been rearranged and that Xiao Hong, a maid originally from his own courtyard, had been made a managing maid.

Seeing this posture, Baoyu knew Jia Cong would definitely move into the Rongxi Hall in the future.

Baoyu would not ponder the implications of this, such as the principles of official careers, rituals, family property, or wealth; as a pure person like him, he had always despised such worldly things.

All he could think of was that Jia Cong was not only handsome but also skilled at writing and composing poetry, and had always been admired by the sisters in the family.

If he continued to live in the West Mansion as usual, the sisters would definitely move about in the West Mansion as well, and Lin Meimei might even move back to the West Mansion.

Not to mention the fairy-like maids by Jia Cong's side—Zhi Shao, Liu Wuer, Qing Wen, Ying Lian, and the others—they would definitely come to the West Mansion more often...

With Baoyu's temperament, how could he be willing to miss such a heaven-sent opportunity to constantly behold such beauty? Even if he were to die for these people, he would be very willing.

That day, Jia Zheng was busy moving, but Baoyu went to accompany Jia Mu for lunch, and it is estimated that he mostly acted spoiled in front of Jia Mu.

Not long after, Hupo came to convey Jia Mu's words to Jia Zheng: "The Old Lady says to have Baoyu's room arranged in the East Courtyard; after all, he will eventually have to come back to live there.

It is just that it is currently the New Year, and the Old Lady likes the liveliness and celebration; she wants Baoyu to accompany her in her daily life and conversation, which also counts as fulfilling a portion of filial piety for the Master, and we can talk about it after this period of excitement passes."

Although Jia Zheng was pedantic and stubborn, he was not stupid; he knew this was the Old Lady being unable to bear parting with Baoyu, using every method to keep him by her side.

Although Jia Zheng was unhappy in his heart, filial piety came first; since his mother had already spoken, he could not say much more.

Today was the day Tan Chun moved to the East Courtyard, but Baoyu only sent Qiu Wen over, who gestured and gave orders to the maids and matrons, arranging and tidying up Baoyu's room to put on a show for the outside world.

As for Baoyu's belongings, not a single piece was moved over, and even head maids like Xi Ren and She Yue did not appear in the East Courtyard.

But Lady Wang was extremely willing in her heart for Baoyu to remain in the West Mansion; originally, the Second Branch being moved to the East Courtyard was, in Lady Wang's eyes, like stepping into a dead end, making it difficult to ever turn things around.

Now, because of the Old Lady's doting, her Baoyu could still live in the West Mansion in a grand manner; this was a connection and a seed left in the West Mansion for the Second Branch, so she was naturally extremely satisfied in her heart.

Furthermore, that illegitimate daughter of hers who turned her elbows outward was now living safely in the East Mansion, and everyone said that the boy in the East Mansion was very accommodating and doting toward Tan Chun.

In this way, it was as if wedges had been driven into both the East and West Mansions; there would only be benefits and no harm in the future, and the bond between the Second Branch and the legitimate line of the Rongguo Prefecture would, after all, never be severed.

Thinking of these things, Lady Wang felt a sense of relief, a delusion of being in control, replacing her original dejected and lost mood.

Just as Lady Wang was feeling somewhat hesitant, she suddenly heard laughter coming from the courtyard entrance.

She saw Jia Cong carrying an exquisite camphor wood chest, with Tan Chun holding a brocade box in her hands; the two entered the courtyard chatting and laughing, followed by a string of maids and matrons carrying things.

As soon as Lady Wang saw this scene, she frowned, her heart filled with displeasure; she had not expected this Tan Chun to be even more muddled than Baoyu.

She and the Master could not avoid this outcome, but Tan Chun did not need to rush to do this; she only needed to be like Baoyu and put on a show, and that would have been enough.

Everyone said that boy valued this girl; she could have just stayed in the East Mansion as a young lady, yet she actually insisted on moving back to the East Courtyard—she had no calculation in her heart at all.

She had usually thought Tan Chun was a shrewd one, but in the end, she was also someone who could not accomplish anything... (End of chapter)