Chapter 536: Borrowing Power to Enter the Delusional Game

Rongguo Prefecture, Rongqing Hall.

In the hall, there were delicate voices and beautiful words, graceful figures, and the scent of fragrance.

Early this day, Yingchun brought sisters like Daiyu and Seeing Tan Chun to Rongqing Hall to pay respects to Jia Mu, and Baoyu naturally came to join the fun.

The sisters sat idly chatting with the old lady. Shi Xiangyun's pretty and cheerful voice took up the majority, and she was the one who spoke the most.

Ever since Shi Nai took his family to Jin Ling to take office, Jia Mu had kept Xiangyun in the Jia mansion to be raised. For Xiangyun, it was like a kite being released; she didn't have to be like she was at the Lady Bao Ling Marquis Mansion, where needlework, embroidery, and conduct were all strictly regulated and could not deviate from the demeanor of the eldest daughter of the Shi family.

Since she moved into Yingchun's courtyard, Jia Cong and Yingchun naturally had no restrictions on her. Xiangyun became less and less interested in needlework, walked like the wind, and laughed showing her teeth.

Chatting, reading, playing chess, strolling—wherever her interest led, she was willful and free, which was very enjoyable.

With her presence among the sisters, it appeared even more lively and interesting.

Seeing a group of granddaughters like orioles and swallows gathered together, and Xiangyun's witty words like pearls, Jia Mu felt very satisfied in her heart.

The Second Branch's failure to inherit the title and her beloved son Jia Zheng's forced move to the East Road Courtyard had once caused Jia Mu to feel much loss and regret.

As time passed, Jia Zheng lived peacefully in the East Road Courtyard, and it seemed there was nothing wrong. During the New Year, the visits and flattery from the old noble relatives were much more enthusiastic than in previous years.

Wasn't this the happy life Jia Mu wanted? The initial unwillingness and reluctance in her heart were gradually forgotten by the old lady as time passed...

The sisters chatted less in Rongqing Hall, and Lady Wang also came to pay respects to Jia Mu.

Seeing Lady Wang somewhat restless, frowning slightly at the chatting granddaughters, her eyes bloodshot, and her spirit unable to hide her fatigue, Jia Mu said:

"Yesterday, Lin Yatou held a banquet and invited you, but you claimed illness and didn't come. Is your body better today?"

"Although the family made a fuss before the New Year, it has finally settled down. Now that Cong Ge'er is holding things up outside, there won't be any major events in the family."

"These past few days, Zheng'er came to pay respects to me, and I saw his complexion was very good. You are also a person approaching fifty; you should take more care of your body daily."

"Baoyu is about to turn fifteen, and he still needs you, the Lady, to calculate and plan for him."

Hearing Jia Mu's words, which even carried a hint of satisfaction, Lady Wang felt extremely uncomfortable.

The old lady had actually forgotten that when the Master couldn't inherit the title and the Second Branch had to move out of Rongxi Hall, and even move to the East Road Courtyard, she was also full of frustration and unwillingness.

Now that only a New Year had passed, the old lady didn't care anymore and was living a happy life as usual.

Seeing the Master, she also felt he was very comfortable, and speaking of that boy, she felt he could handle things. They were all her descendants inheriting the family business, and the meat was all rotting in the pot.

But could she still live a happy life like the old lady? In previous years, as long as it was about the eldest girl in the palace, it was a major event for the family, and using silver was just a matter of a word.

She hadn't moved out of Rongxi Hall for long, and when it was time for Yuanchun to use silver again, Feng Yatou became so arrogant, rejecting her with a light sentence that the public funds were insufficient.

It can be seen that when people leave, the tea goes cold; this is truly not wrong at all.

Now that she lived in the East Road Courtyard, every time she entered the West Prefecture, she had to take a carriage for a lap. It was truly enough to make one vomit.

Now that the old lady was still here, she could still rely on the excuse of paying respects to enter often. After the old lady passed away, it would be very difficult for her to step into the threshold of the Rongguo Prefecture again...

The Second Branch could now only live on the monthly allowance from the West Prefecture's public funds. The Master's salary was just for show, and even the income from her dowry shops had to be pasted in.

How could she have the good fortune of the old lady, letting go after things passed and only wanting to live a happy life?

Lady Wang thought that these four thousand taels of silver were not a small amount. If the eldest girl could really gain imperial favor in the palace, the whole family would benefit. Today she came to discuss this matter with Jia Mu.

"Old Lady, I came to pay respects to you today, and there is truly an urgent matter that needs the Old Lady to make a decision."

Jia Mu wondered, "What matter do you have there that needs me to make a decision?"

Lady Wang said, "It is a matter related to Yuanchun."

The sisters on the side were chatting among themselves, but only Yingchun paid extra attention. Hearing Lady Wang mention the eldest sister, her heart felt a slight chill.

Because Yingchun was now managing the East Prefecture's family business, and last time Pinger came to tell Jia Cong about the four thousand taels, sisters like Daiyu would not pay attention, but Yingchun knew the ins and outs of the matter.

Even the New Year gifts Jia Cong sent to Yuanchun were prepared by Yingchun herself.

Jia Mu heard it was Yuanchun's matter, and after a little thought, she roughly guessed what it was. Her eldest granddaughter was a female historian in the palace, and except for the three-year selection, there were no other major events.

Because Yingchun and other sisters were present, Lady Wang hesitated in her words. Who in the family didn't know that these girls, including her own daughter from a concubine, were all biased toward that boy.

Seeing Lady Wang's appearance, Yingchun naturally understood.

She said to the sisters, "We have been bothering the Old Lady for half a day. Why don't we go for a stroll in the garden and let the Lady and the Old Lady chat for a while?"

Daiyu, Seeing Tan Chun, Baochai, and others were all quick-witted and saw that Lady Wang had some words that were inconvenient to say in front of them, so naturally, they wouldn't stay and be annoying.

After the sisters left Rongqing Hall, Yingchun called the maid Xiuju and gave her a few instructions, and Xiuju hurried to the East Prefecture...

In Rongqing Hall, seeing Yingchun was sensible and saw Lady Wang's expression, leaving with the sisters, Jia Mu also felt some approval.

She said, "I had forgotten that this year is the three-year selection in the palace. But the previous two times, the palace was just going through the motions. What is the situation this year?"

Lady Wang smiled, "The Old Lady has experienced more things, and you have asked about the crux of the matter. The previous two selections were indeed just for show."

"But this year is very different. News has spread from the palace that the Emperor feels the imperial line is thin in recent years, and this three-year selection must be implemented to enrich the inner palace."

"Daughters of official families who have reached the age of fifteen will all enter the palace for selection. Among the female officials of the Six Bureaus and Twenty-Four Offices in the palace, anyone with a beautiful appearance and pure virtue will have the honor of being selected."

"This is a rare opportunity for the eldest girl. If she can gain imperial favor, the Jia family's glory and wealth will be even more extraordinary, and the Old Lady's face will be even more decent."

Hearing the words about glory and decency, Jia Mu felt a bit moved and asked, "Is the news you heard true? News from the palace is often hearsay."

"Especially this kind of selection, many families are hoping for such wealth and opportunity. Outside, it is always talk chasing talk, and it spreads more and more without bounds."

Lady Wang naturally dared not tell Jia Mu that this news was inquired about by her brother Wang Ziteng from official channels, and it must be absolutely certain.

Because she knew that the old lady did not like her brother. That year, Jia Cong was the top of the provincial examination, and her sister-in-law designed to falsely accuse him of not having the qualifications for the imperial examination, which broke the ties between the Jia and Wang families...

Lady Wang replied, "Old Lady, don't worry. I heard this news from a reliable person. Yesterday, the Xia family mistress came to visit. Because her family is a great imperial merchant, they have connections in the Imperial Household Department and the palace."

"She told me about this, which is the same as what I heard outside. This matter is absolutely true and will never be hearsay."

Jia Mu looked puzzled, "Which Xia family mistress is this? How can she have such connections?"

Because Lady Wang wanted to persuade Jia Mu and could not mention her brother Wang Ziteng, she temporarily pushed the Xia family mistress out to take the blame.

However, she was not lying; the Xia family mistress did know a lot about this palace selection...

Lady Wang smiled, "Old Lady, do you remember when Zhang Daoist Priest wanted to propose a marriage for Baoyu and mentioned three young ladies? One of them was the Guihua Xia family, and the Xia mistress is the mistress of the Guihua Xia family."

Jia Mu suddenly remembered, "I do remember such a thing. I heard that her family only has one daughter. Although they are orphans and widows, the family is very wealthy."

Lady Wang smiled, "This matter is a coincidence. Last time my sister hosted a banquet and invited the Old Lady to eat in the large flower hall, she mentioned my nephew's marriage, which was originally intended to be matched with the Guihua Xia family."

"I have seen her daughter once. She has a very pleasing appearance, and her temperament is very refreshing. She is a top-tier figure."

"It is just that the Xia family invited a high monk to divine the fate, saying that the girl and Pan'er's birth dates were incompatible, so the marriage had to be dropped."

Jia Mu had always been very superstitious about marriage and fate, saying, "Even if the high monk said it was taboo, it must not be done. This is also a common thing. Let the Aunt look for another suitable one, and that will be it." Lady Wang smiled, "The Old Lady is right. How can a child's marriage be settled at once? In any case, good things come after many difficulties. The Xia mistress, fearing my sister would blame her, came to ask me to mediate."

"It was only during our chat that we talked about the palace matter, which added another layer of confirmation."

Yesterday, when the Xia mistress visited the East Road Courtyard, after a chat with Lady Wang, she had an unexpected harvest.

Because the Xia family was an old imperial merchant registered with the Ministry of Revenue, they often intervened in palace procurement matters and had many connections in the Imperial Household Department, and the Imperial Household Department was responsible for the selection and delivery of palace maids.

The Xia family was also familiar with the Xia Supervisor of the Ceremonial Supervision in the palace, and they had New Year gifts back and forth every year, having some friendship.

And this Xia Supervisor of the Ceremonial Supervision was in charge of the palace selection and beauty recruitment daily. Although he was not the main eunuch in charge, he was an important person with old seniority.

Lady Wang truly did not expect that the Xia family, just a wealthy merchant family, had such rich connections in the palace, and they were all very important and suitable relationships.

It was simply like someone handing a pillow when one was sleepy. Lady Wang was agitated, but just pretended to mention unintentionally that her eldest daughter was a female historian in the Fengzao Palace.

The Xia mistress was a widowed person. Because she was the mistress of an imperial merchant family, in order to manage the family business, she was forced to immerse herself in the business path daily and associate with people in the palace. Her mind was flexible and not comparable to ordinary women.

Hearing Lady Wang's words and looking closely at her expression, how could she not understand the implication?

Because the Xia mistress was not a person in the noble circle, she originally did not know that the Jia family had such a person as Yuanchun.

Seeing Lady Wang's face when mentioning her daughter, she guessed her intention, which was nothing more than using her daughter to seek imperial favor and wealth.

The Xia mistress had always felt lacking in confidence because the Xia family was only wealthy but had no official power or noble backing.

Although she had gathered some silver from powerful and noble families to invest in the Xia family's business by relying on the connections accumulated by her late husband, that was, after all, only a matter of money and could not serve as a foundation for the family.

She most wanted to associate with noble families like the Jia family to gain more paths and foundations for her own family, and having obtained such convenience before her eyes, she would naturally not let it slip away easily.

Therefore, she followed Lady Wang's thoughts and embellished the various benefits of her own daughter gaining the Emperor's favor, which only made Lady Wang's heart burn with desire.

However, the two families were only just beginning to associate, and the Xia mistress was extremely good at grasping the measure; she only made the conversation heated but would not easily express that the Xia family could provide assistance, so she rose to take her leave.

Lady Wang, having had her desires stirred up by the Xia mistress, was only distressed that the Xia mistress had not yet revealed her heart, so she had to rise and personally see her to the outer courtyard gate, and they agreed on a time to meet again.

Although the two had not yet spoken clearly about the matter, Lady Wang could feel the hidden warmth of the Xia mistress, making her feel that there would always be a way to obtain the other party's assistance.

For Lady Wang, the most urgent matter at the moment was to obtain those four thousand taels of silver from the public treasury.

As the saying goes, without grain, one cannot gather troops; once she had the silver in hand, it wouldn't be too late to speak openly with the Xia mistress.

……

Lady Wang continued: "Old Matriarch, this year is a rare opportunity for the eldest girl. Aside from the usual private funds given to her to build relationships in the palace,"

"we also need a sum of silver to clear the connections at various gates. I have privately calculated that we need four thousand taels of silver."

Hearing that four thousand taels of silver were needed, the Old Matriarch's brows also furrowed slightly.

A few days ago, Wang Xifeng had come to pay her respects while pregnant, and in casual conversation, she mentioned that Jia Cong's title had been reduced, causing the family to lose five hundred shi of title-land income; the current income into the public treasury was far less generous than in previous years.

Even if the Old Matriarch did not inquire about the details of the accounts, she could estimate that four thousand taels of silver was not a small sum for the current Rongguo Prefecture.

But the Old Matriarch thought that if her eldest granddaughter could truly have a bright future, the primary and secondary branches would not be as disparate in strength as they were now, and she, the Old Ancestor, could also live more securely……

She said: "Now that the family has lost title-land income, four thousand taels of silver is not a small sum, but since it is a regular custom from previous years and concerns the eldest girl's future, the silver that should be spent must be spent."

Lady Wang was secretly delighted to hear this; she had been waiting for this sentence from the Old Matriarch, as things would be easier to discuss once this was said.

She said: "The Old Matriarch is still the most insightful; that is what I thought as well, so I sent someone to speak to Feng Yatou about this a few days ago."

"But Feng Yatou said that it is now the beginning of the year and there are not many savings in the public treasury, so it is impossible to withdraw four thousand taels at once. I am currently worrying about this matter, as Yuanchun's affair cannot wait."

Upon hearing this, the Old Matriarch became somewhat angry and said: "For such a big matter, why didn't Feng-ge'er mention it to me? I think she has become muddled from her pregnancy."

"Even if the savings in the public treasury are insufficient at the beginning of the year, a family as large as this wouldn't be so poor that it couldn't even produce four thousand taels."

"Even if the silver were taken out and the hands were empty, if each branch cut back on some expenses, where would anyone go hungry? Her reasoning does not hold up."

Lady Wang's expression was slightly agitated as she said: "That is exactly the reasoning the Old Matriarch mentioned. My calculating for the eldest girl's future is, in fact, to strive for wealth and face for the Jia family."

"It is just that the second branch is not what it used to be, and my words no longer carry weight. This matter still requires the Old Matriarch to speak up to truly be effective."

Upon hearing Lady Wang's words, the Old Matriarch's heart skipped a beat involuntarily; she finally realized that her daughter-in-law was digging a pit for her……

But since she had already spoken, she couldn't just take it back bluntly, or else she would be slapping her own face.

In fact, the Old Matriarch didn't need to waste effort guessing; she knew that Wang Xifeng must have been backed by that boy from the East Prefecture, which was why she hadn't let her know about this matter, and she had flatly refused her second daughter-in-law.

It was just that her grandson was the head of the family by imperial decree; as long as he didn't violate clan laws and etiquette in his decisions, it was not easy for the Old Matriarch to come forward and nag.

It was just that since the conversation had reached this point, the matter could not be glossed over; she had to inquire about it, otherwise she, the Old Ancestor, would become even more of a figurehead……

The Old Matriarch said: "You don't need to panic about this matter; I, the old woman, am still here. Since the primary branch says this silver is difficult to provide, they must have their reasons; once the family discusses it clearly, it will be fine."

Hearing the compromise in the Old Matriarch's words, Lady Wang's heart turned gray; the Old Matriarch was speaking nicely, but inside, she was also beginning to avoid the primary branch's edge.

This family was truly becoming more and more unreasonable……

The Old Matriarch said to Yuanyang: "Go to the East Prefecture and invite Cong-ge'er to come over for a trip; I want to discuss family matters with him."

Yuanyang agreed and hurried to the East Prefecture to pass the message. Hearing the Old Matriarch ask that boy to come over—and now even using the word "invite"—Lady Wang realized that she had truly acknowledged that boy's status, and her heart felt an extra layer of resentment.

Regarding Yuanchun's seeking favor in the palace, her heart also became more fervent and obsessive……

……

Ningrong Street, Count's Mansion, Jia Cong's courtyard.

Yuanyang, wearing a water-red silk undershirt, covered by a green embroidered long coat, with a white crepe silk sweat-towel tied at her waist, entered Jia Cong's courtyard nimbly and passed on the Old Matriarch's words.

Every time the Old Matriarch had something to discuss with Jia Cong over the years, she would send Yuanyang to pass the message. When Jia She had wanted to forcibly take Yuanyang, Jia Cong had helped her block it once, creating even more tacit understanding between the two.

Yuanyang passed on the Old Matriarch's words and also casually and clearly mentioned Lady Wang's visit to Rongqing Hall, looking at Jia Cong with her clear, sparkling eyes, wondering how he would respond.

In fact, before Yuanyang arrived, Yingchun had already sent Xiuju to pass a message to Jia Cong; he already knew that Lady Wang had gone to Rongqing Hall to speak about Yuanchun's affair in the palace.

Jia Cong didn't need to guess to know that Lady Wang must have brought up the topic of those four thousand taels of silver.

He had already made a decision in his heart and said to Qingwen, who was by his side: "Go to the second gate and pass a message to the steward to go to the East Road courtyard for the Second Master, and say that I invite the Master to Rongqing Hall to discuss matters."

He turned back and smiled at Yuanyang: "Sister Yuanyang, don't be in a hurry; sit here for a while first."

He had the little maid Juan'er serve tea to Yuanyang, took a letter from his desk, glanced at it, and tucked it into his bosom.

This sealed letter was Yuanchun's reply to him, which had been sent to the Count's Mansion by a little eunuch dispatched by Yuan Jing yesterday.

Yuanchun was intelligent and knew that Jia Cong's New Year gifts and letters were all sent into the palace by Yuan Jing, so she followed suit and had Yuan Jing handle the reply and send it out of the imperial palace.

Although Jia Cong and Yuanchun had only met twice, the two had an unusual tacit understanding and possessed the same wisdom and insight.

The letters between them all passed through Yuan Jing, the Grade 6 duty officer of the Qianyang Hall; the Deputy Chief Eunuch Guo Lin must have known the contents of the letters, and standing behind Guo Lin was Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao…… (End of chapter)