Chapter 575

Lady Rongguo Prefecture, East Road Courtyard.

In the third month of spring, the grass grew and the orioles flew; the sun was warm, and all things were thriving.

Since Jia Zheng and Lady Wang moved in, the East Road Courtyard had become lively for the first time.

In the newly built flower hall of the inner courtyard, several banquet tables were set, and two tables for male guests were also set in the veranda outside the flower hall. Maidservants and matrons carried dishes and served soup, shuttling back and forth.

Today was the first day of the third month, Lady Wang's birthday. She had specially set up a birthday banquet in the East Road Courtyard and invited the female relatives of the family to drink wine.

Originally, since Lady Wang moved into the East Road Courtyard, she had always felt that she had lost a great deal of face, and she was always afraid that she would not be low-key and restrained enough, lest she be too ostentatious and invite ridicule.

But for this birthday, she acted completely contrary to her usual behavior, setting up a banquet in the East Road Courtyard and inviting the family's relatives to eat.

In fact, this was just a common occurrence in previous years, but given the current circumstances, it was not like the past. Jia Mu, who knew her second daughter-in-law's temperament well, found it somewhat strange.

However, Jia Mu had never liked to rack her brains over unimportant matters; she just thought about it slightly and then put it out of her mind.

She was someone who liked liveliness. Seeing her children and grandchildren gathered together, she was happy, so why would she waste her energy on these irrelevant matters?

At the male banquet in the veranda outside, besides Jia Zheng, Jia Cong, Jia Baoyu, Jia Jia Huan, and other descendants, there were several cousins of the same generation who were on good terms with Jia Zheng.

In addition, they also invited the only clan elder of the same generation from the side branch, Jia Jia Dairu.

There was also one outside guest at the male banquet, and that was Lady Wang's own brother, Wang Wang Ziteng.

Ever since Wang Wang Ziteng's wife secretly harmed Jia Cong years ago and the matter was exposed, although Wang Wang Ziteng had confined his wife in the Buddha hall, he still could not salvage the broken relationship with the Jia family.

Over these years, although there had been exchanges of gifts during the New Year, they only maintained the face of aristocratic families; the relationship between the two families had long been as cold as ice.

For this birthday banquet of Lady Wang, she naturally had to invite this only brother who was an official in the capital to attend, otherwise, it would be too improper.

As for Wang Wang Ziteng's wife, she naturally could not appear. Not to mention that Jia Mu detested this woman very much, Wang Wang Ziteng would not let that shrew appear either.

As Jia Cong continued to rise in power, he now held two titles and was a Grade 5 official of the imperial court. Because of Jia Cong, the Jia family's reputation grew day by day.

Wang Wang Ziteng was currently racking his brains to repair his relationship with the Jia family, so how could he let his foolish wife come out to spoil the scenery?

As for Wang Wang Ziteng's son, Wang Yi, he could not appear either.

Years ago, because he provoked Jia Cong, he was struck on the head by Jia Cong's blade, which scared him so much that he lost control of his bladder and made a huge fool of himself. It was said that he even developed a lingering condition; as long as Jia Cong was present, he would not appear, as he could not afford to lose that much face...

Although Wang Wang Ziteng was a guest of honor, his appearance at the Jia family had long become an awkward matter. That is, he was burning with ambition for his official career, but as long as he could cling to someone powerful, he could remain calm.

It was just that Jia Zheng did not have the same schemes as Wang Wang Ziteng. He had always held a grudge against Wang Wang Ziteng's wife for almost destroying the Jia family's literary fortune years ago.

Although according to their seniority, Jia Zheng and Wang Wang Ziteng sat next to each other.

But during their social exchanges, Wang Wang Ziteng could talk and laugh as if nothing had happened, while Jia Zheng was quite uncomfortable; the difference in their worldly wisdom and depth of character was immediately apparent.

In fact, the person Wang Wang Ziteng most wanted to get close to was Jia Cong. Because Jia Cong was now the head of the Jia family, he did not sit at the same table as Jia Baoyu, Jia Jia Huan, and the others, but sat at a table with the elders.

However, Jia Cong seemed to only be familiar with Jia Jia Dairu. He treated Wang Wang Ziteng's social overtures with mere courtesy, not saying a single extra word, yet his etiquette was flawless.

When Jia Cong was young, he studied at the Jia family school, and Jia Jia Dairu was his first teacher. However, Jia Cong had not been to the family school since he was ten.

But even so, Jia Cong's second success in the imperial examinations, his ennoblement at a young age, and the many glorious things he had done made Jia Jia Dairu feel very decent.

Being able to be the first teacher for a descendant like Jia Cong was probably one of the few glorious things in Jia Jia Dairu's wasted life.

Therefore, Jia Cong chatting and talking with him made the old man very happy, and he spoke endlessly, leaving Wang Wang Ziteng with no room to interject, which made him feel very resentful toward the old man.

The most comfortable descendant at the male banquet was Jia Jia Huan. No one would look for him to talk, and he did not want to talk to anyone, especially his father Jia Zheng and his tutor Jia Jia Dairu.

So he focused solely on the delicious food on the table. Everyone at this birthday banquet was socializing and talking, only he returned to his true self, concentrating on comforting his stomach.

The most uncomfortable descendant at the male banquet was Jia Baoyu. Seeing that Jia Cong was the same age as him, yet could talk and laugh with pedantic scholars like Jia Dairu, he truly felt that the poison of "career and economy" had gone too deep and was incurable.

Originally, when Jia Cong came over, Jia Baoyu thought he would bring along pretty maidservants like Zhen Ying Lady Lian and Wu'er, or at least that Lingguan who looked like Lin Meimei.

But he brought along Xiaohong, who was full of talk about career and economy, which made Jia Baoyu feel disgusted. Moreover, Xiaohong was carrying a small wooden box, following Jia Cong like a strange creature...

The person Jia Baoyu envied the most was Jia Lan, because he was young and could sit at the female banquet in the flower hall with his eldest aunt.

At the female banquet in the flower hall, besides Jia Mu and the sisters of the family, there was also Lin Meimei, whom Jia Baoyu had not seen for many days.

He wished he could join the female banquet inside like Jia Lan to join in the fun.

However, his father Jia Zheng hated him mixing in the inner chambers the most, saying that he was now an adult and should learn how to socialize and respond in front of people. Even if he was restless inside, he dared not be the least bit presumptuous.

He could only look at the flower hall from time to time, through the dense hanging fragrant bead curtains between the flower hall and the veranda, vaguely seeing the smiling faces of the beauties inside, which made him feel envious and covetous...

Today at the female banquet in the flower hall, besides Jia Mu and the sisters of the family, Lady Wang also invited two outside guests: Mrs. Xia and Xia Gu Niang.

This move surprised everyone, including Jia Mu. At the female banquet today, besides Jia Mu, Aunt Xue, several concubines, Li Wan, Seeing Yingchun, and the other sisters, there were only the wives of the side branches of the Jia family.

Strictly speaking, they were all relatives of the Jia family, except for Mrs. Xia and Xia Gu Niang, who were outside guests with no connection, yet they were treated as guests at the same table, which showed Lady Wang's closeness to the Xia mother and daughter.

Jia Mu had indeed exchanged courtesies with Mrs. Xia once, but the relationship was merely superficial. She really did not expect her second daughter-in-law to have become so close to the Xia family.

In fact, by common sense, since the second branch had lost its titles and power, Lady Wang would not have been so ostentatious as to hold a birthday banquet. The reason she acted contrary to her usual behavior was all because of Mrs. Xia.

That day, Lady Wang's maid, Matron Wang, returned from the Xia family with gifts and relayed the kind words Mrs. Xia had said to her mistress.

Lady Wang knew that her daughter Jia Yuanchun's selection for the inner palace was in sight, and she was so excited that she could not sleep for several nights. All the spirit she had lost in the past returned at once, and she became ambitious again.

She first went to the West Branch to visit Jia Baoyu, earnestly urging him to study hard so that her eldest daughter could promote her brother in the future.

Afterward, she felt that since her daughter was favored by the Emperor, she, as a mother, should not be shrinking and low-key, lest she lose her daughter's dignity.

So she took advantage of her birthday to excitedly set up a banquet.

Plus, yesterday, Jia Yuanchun had requested the Empress's grace and entrusted someone to bring a birthday gift from the palace to her mother, which made Lady Wang feel that it was a sign of happy events to come.

At this moment, she was dressed in silk and satin, with pearls and emeralds on her head, smiling kindly as she chatted with everyone at the table.

Mrs. Xia was also quick-witted, occasionally smiling and echoing kind words, making the atmosphere even more warm and festive.

Only Xia Gu Niang at the side was still young after all, and her depth of character was far less seasoned than her mother's. Occasionally, when she looked at Lady Wang, a trace of contempt would inadvertently flash in her eyes.

In fact, the day Mrs. Xia received Lady Wang's invitation, the Xia family, relying on their connections in the palace, already knew that Xia Li Shouzhong had met with misfortune and had been demoted from the Palace Eunuch Office to the Direct Palace Office to sweep floors.

At that time, Xia Gu Niang was worried that if Lady Wang found out about this, her mother's scheming would be in vain.

But Mrs. Xia was bold and daring, only saying that such deep palace matters were only noticed by those within the inner circle.

A housewife like Lady Wang, who did not step out of her gate, could not even touch the hem of the deep palace, which was always kept secret.

As long as she didn't tell her, fooling her for a lifetime would not be a problem...

When Xia Gu Niang and her mother went to the Jia family for the banquet and saw Lady Wang full of joy and ambition, she truly believed her mother's words.

Xia Gu Niang just stopped paying attention shortly after taking her seat, looking at Lady Wang, who seemed foolish in every way.

Her heart and mind were entirely on Jia Cong. She had come to the Jia family for the banquet for this very reason; did she really come to celebrate Lady Wang's birthday?

It was not until all the female relatives of the Jia family had arrived and taken their seats that the male guests began to arrive one after another at the veranda outside.

Even though they were far apart, through the dense fragrant bead curtains, she quickly captured Jia Cong's figure.

Even though they had never spoken a word to each other, that glimpse of his figure and the lovesickness and longing of these days filled her heart with a morbid heat and reverie.

Finally, Jia Cong brought Jia Baoyu, Jia Jia Huan, and other descendants into the flower hall to pay their respects to Jia Mu and offer birthday wishes to Lady Wang. Even though Lady Wang and Jia Cong were at odds, the etiquette of the family still had to be performed.

This was the first time Xia Gu Niang had been so close to Jia Cong. Even though she still could not say a word, that glimpse of his handsome figure, so close before her eyes, made her heart beat wildly.

It was just that Jia Baoyu was reluctant to leave the female banquet in the flower hall, while Jia Cong had no intention of staying long, and did not even wait for Lady Wang to introduce her mother and daughter before turning to leave, not even looking at her! Xia Gu Niang saw Jia Cong leave the flower hall in a clean and efficient manner, while that fellow Jia Baoyu looked back three times, reluctant to leave.

At this moment, Mrs. Xia, who was seeing Jia Cong for the first time, was also stunned by his extraordinary grace.

She finally understood why her daughter was so infatuated with him after seeing him just once.

Such a figure was indeed very rare, and it was even rarer that he had achieved such merit at such a young age. It was truly rare in the world, so it was not strange that her daughter would be obsessed with him...

However, Mrs. Xia was not Xia Gu Niang. Even though she felt Jia Cong was extraordinary, she still clearly believed that such a figure was definitely not something her daughter could hope for.

For the Xia family to be connected to an aristocratic family like the Jia family, only a mediocre descendant like Jia Jia Baoyu could be considered a match...

After Jia Cong left the flower hall, Xia Gu Niang felt lost and bored, but when the sound of pretty voices and bells came from the neighboring table, her attention was drawn by those Jia family girls.

Xia Gu Niang had always prided herself on her beauty, but after seeing those Jia family girls, each of them was beautiful and moving, and none were inferior to her own family.

She was familiar with the Third Miss Seeing Tan Chun, and she heard Jia Mu and her mother chatting about the granddaughters of the family, showing off quite a bit.

Xia Gu Niang was also a clever person, and after listening to a few words, she distinguished the backgrounds of the several Jia family girls.

Besides the Third Miss Seeing Tan Chun, the other two Jia family girls were Jia Cong's own sister and a ten-year-old girl who was barely Jia Cong's cousin.

And the other three girls were all Jia Cong's cousins, and each of them was outstanding in appearance.

That eldest Miss Xue, Xia Gu Niang had known for a long time, and she was also a first-class figure.

Among them, that Lin Meimei was the daughter of a Tanhua, and her appearance was the most outstanding. The fact that there was such a fairy-like figure in the world made Xia Gu Niang feel inferior.

And that Lin Meimei and Miss Xing also lived in his East Branch...

Xia Gu Niang felt sour and jealous in her heart, but this had nothing to do with her; how could it be her turn to mind?

At this moment, she saw a pretty and capable maid walk into the flower hall and whisper a few words in the ear of the Third Miss Seeing Tan Chun.

Since Jia Cong appeared, Xia Gu Niang had been paying special attention to his affairs. She remembered that this maid had always been by Jia Cong's side, and was likely his personal maid.

She saw the Third Miss Seeing Tan Chun look happy after hearing the maid's words, and then follow the maid out of the flower hall, while the other Jia family sisters did not care at all.

This made her heart stir slightly. She found an excuse with her mother and also got up to leave the flower hall.

East Road Courtyard, back garden.

When Jia Cong renovated the East Road Courtyard, to make Jia Zheng live more comfortably, he had enclosed the area around the original Mengpo Study into the East Road Courtyard.

The area of the inner courtyard garden of the East Road Courtyard was therefore much larger than before.

With the Mengpo Study as the center, he widened the water pavilion, piled up soil to form slopes, built corridors, and built pavilions near the trees, making the back garden of the East Road Courtyard beautiful and full of secluded interest.

Seeing Tan Chun followed Xiaohong for a while and saw that in front of her was her father's Mengpo Study. A tall parasol tree had been newly planted in front of the study, and a stone table and stone stools were placed under the tree.

Jia Cong was sitting there, and there was an exquisite wooden box on the stone table.

Seeing Tan Chun smiled and said, "Third Brother, why aren't you eating at the banquet? Why did you call me here? Is there something important?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Calling Third Sister out is naturally an important matter. Tomorrow, the second day of the third month, is your birthday, and it just so happens to be one day after Lady Wang's.

A few days ago, I was preparing a birthday gift for you, but I couldn't find a suitable one. It just so happened that I got it this morning.

A birthday gift should be given before the birthday to be auspicious; it can't wait until tomorrow, so I called you out."

Jia Cong smiled and opened the wooden box on the table, which contained an old scroll and an exquisite jewelry box.

Jia Cong took out the scroll and gently unfolded it in front of Seeing Tan Chun, saying, "This is a remnant of the 'Duren Tie' by Zhang Zhang Jizhi of the former Song Dynasty. I have appraised it and it is indeed authentic.

A few days ago, because of official business, I often went in and out of the East City, walking through many antique shops, and it was by chance that I encountered it. It is extremely rare. I give it to you to appreciate."

Seeing Tan Chun was immersed in calligraphy and was a rare expert in calligraphy among the ladies, so she naturally knew the name of Zhang Zhang Jizhi from the former dynasty, and his "Duren Tie" was a famous work passed down through the ages.

She saw that the yellowed ancient scroll had rows of characters that were elegant, vigorous, handsome, and concise, which were extremely extraordinary. She liked it very much in her heart.

She smiled and said, "Third Brother, you are thoughtful. You actually sent such a valuable gift. However, in my opinion, Third Brother's calligraphy is better than any famous master's."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "If Third Sister wants my calligraphy, that's easy. I can write as much as you want. However, you are a lady after all, and sending just a piece of calligraphy is too simple."

He took the exquisite jewelry box again, which contained a pair of jade bracelets, the jade quality of which was moist and transparent.

Seeing Tan Chun was a lady after all and was very familiar with jewelry. Seeing that the bracelets were green and translucent, she knew they were rare items.

She smiled and picked them up to play with in her hands, her love for them overflowing in her eyes.

Perhaps, exchanging books and scrolls was an elegant affair for literary soulmates, but giving jade rings to a beauty seemed to better suit Seeing Tan Chun's wishes.

Seeing Tan Chun smiled and said, "These jade bracelets are really beautiful. Third Brother, help me put them on." She said, putting the jade bracelets back into the box and extending her slender hands toward Jia Cong.

Jia Cong was slightly stunned, seeing Seeing Tan Chun smiling like a flower, beautiful and moving, with a little girl's demeanor, thinking that she must be very happy in her heart.

He smiled slightly, took the bracelets from the box, and put them on Seeing Tan Chun's wrists. Her wrists were like snow, and the green rings were translucent, which looked very beautiful.

At the end of the wind and rain corridor not far away, because of curiosity about why Jia Cong's maid called Seeing Tan Chun, Xia Gu Niang followed, and happened to see this scene.

Although as a guest, walking around the host's residence without permission was somewhat impolite, Xia Gu Niang had a deep obsession, and coupled with her spicy and bold temperament, as long as it was related to Jia Cong, she would be somewhat reckless...

The jade bracelets on Seeing Tan Chun's hands were very valuable, but Xia Gu Niang came from a wealthy family and had seen many jade bracelets of such quality, so she didn't really care much about them originally.

But the moment Jia Cong smiled and put the bracelets on Seeing Tan Chun's wrists, the romantic and moving moment seemed to be instantly branded in her heart.

It ignited the longing and romantic thoughts that had been lingering in her heart into a burning desire for possession, wishing that the beautiful bracelets she had just put on were on her own wrists...

Xiaohong, who had been by her side, had sharp eyes and ears, and immediately discovered Xia Gu Niang, who was staring blankly from not far away.

Xiaohong had entered the flower hall twice, so she naturally knew the mother and daughter who were the only outside guests. She asked curiously, "Xia Gu Niang, why are you here?"

Jia Cong and Seeing Tan Chun also looked over curiously after hearing Xiaohong's words.

Xia Gu Niang seemed to feel Jia Cong's gaze. She was usually spicy and sharp, but at this moment, her face was flushed red. She said, "It was stuffy in the flower hall just now, so I came out for a walk, and I arrived here without knowing it."

Jia Cong naturally knew who this Xia Gu Niang was, and his brow could not help but wrinkle, but he soon returned to calm. She was a guest visiting, and although he had a prejudice against her, there was no need to show it on his face.

Seeing Tan Chun was a woman, and her mind was more delicate than Jia Cong's. She seemed to have an illusion, always feeling that Xia Gu Niang's gaze was burning, and seemed unable to leave the jade bracelets on her hands.

She felt a little strange in her heart. Although the bracelets Third Brother gave were outstanding, Xia Gu Niang came from a family of imperial merchants and must have seen many valuable jewelry, so she didn't seem to be so concerned...

Moreover, Seeing Tan Chun had been with Xia Gu Niang several times and knew that she was straightforward and generous, and was definitely not a timid and shy young lady.

However, why did she blush like this when she saw her Third Brother, as if she couldn't even say a word? Seeing Tan Chun herself was a young lady, so she didn't need to think much to know why.

Could it be that Xia Gu Niang would blush when she saw her?

In Seeing Tan Chun's eyes, her Third Brother was either intimate with his personal maid, or making Lin Meimei happy, or that Miss Zhen who almost became her Third Sister-in-law.

These were all common occurrences in Seeing Tan Chun's eyes; her Third Brother deserved the best in the world.

But this Xia Gu Niang made Seeing Tan Chun feel an indescribable vigilance, feeling that she was unkind, and unworthy... (End of chapter)