Chapter 602: Straw Boats Cannot Lure Arrows

Rongguo Prefecture, Rongqing Hall.

When Wang Xifeng entered the hall and saw Lady Wang was also there, she felt it strange. Her aunt currently lived in the East Courtyard, and to arrive at Rongqing Hall so early in the morning, there was likely some matter at hand.

Seeing Wang Xifeng's figure becoming increasingly bloated, Jia Mu thought that before long, she would have another great-grandchild. A flourishing line of descendants was naturally a good thing.

She smiled and said, "Yuanyang, have someone bring over a rattan chair. Feng Yatou's body is not nimble, so she cannot sit on a hard circular chair."

She then asked, "I heard Cong Ge'er returned from the examination compound yesterday. Did he say whether this imperial examination went smoothly?"

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Early this morning, I had Ping'er go to the East Prefecture to check. It is just that Brother Cong has been exhausted from studying for many days, so he is still resting.

However, I heard from Wu'er that Brother Cong took the examination this time very smoothly, and he himself was full of smiles. I imagine it must be correct.

Grandmother, you do not yet know, but Brother Cong's ability in reading is famous throughout the Love Shenjing. You just wait for him to be on the Golden List; the Rongguo Prefecture will soon have a Jinshi official."

Years ago, because Jia Cong studied diligently and stood out, he was recommended to enter Qingshan Academy to study. Because of this, he was highly esteemed by Jia Zheng, who felt his son Baoyu was far less promising than this nephew.

Jia Mu was somewhat disapproving, feeling that a family of dukes and marquises had no need to rely on imperial examinations to change their family status.

She had even said things like, if Jia Cong could study and become an official in the future, that would be a good life he earned for himself, and the family would not go to bask in his glory.

At the time, Jia Mu only thought Jia Cong was similar to her son Jia Zheng, having some fondness for reading; how could he have the fate to become an official like her son?

Yet she did not expect that in just five years, things would change so much, and Jia Cong would rise to his current level.

Now, Jia Mu was single-mindedly thinking of relying on this grandson's future to stabilize the Jia family's status, so that descendants like Baoyu could also receive blessings.

Although she felt somewhat ashamed when recalling her words from that day, she figured that since these were old, stale matters, others would surely have forgotten them, so she naturally chose to forget them selectively.

Hearing Wang Xifeng's words, Jia Mu smiled and said, "This is also a great joyous event."

Wang Xifeng said, "I had Ping'er go to the East Prefecture this morning for another matter.

The twenty-first of this month is Brother Cong's fifteenth birthday, but he happened to spend it in the examination compound.

I was thinking that a young man reaching the age of fifteen is a big day, and besides, Brother Cong's status is different now, so we must make up a birthday banquet for him.

Brother Cong had already spoken to Wu'er beforehand, saying that this matter should be handled according to the old rules of the prefecture, but it should not be too flashy.

If Grandmother wishes to invite outside guests, invite only the family's in-laws and old acquaintances; do not disturb friends in official circles at all."

Jia Mu smiled and said, "I know his style now. Such a big Count, yet he only uses four or five maids. At such a young age, he is like an old scholar, being too restrained.

Since it is his birthday, then follow his wishes. You send invitations to several in-law families and several families of hereditary merit and old acquaintances.

With Brother Cong's seniority placed there, it is inconvenient for the heads of these families to come, so they will surely send their peers to visit. This is also good for letting Brother Cong have more contact with old acquaintances.

In addition, you also send invitations to the wives and young ladies of these families. The men can drink wine outside, and we women can talk and drink tea in the inner courtyard; I will also have a lively day.

When the time comes, I will also ponder which female guests to invite, so you can save some brainpower."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "If Grandmother is willing to worry about this matter, I could not ask for more. I am too young, and I do not recognize many of the relatives.

There is no one among the female guests of the old acquaintances that the Old Ancestor does not know. The people you point out to invite will surely be correct.

As for the time to set the banquet, I had Ping'er check the almanac yesterday; the second day of the fourth month is a good day."

Jia Mu smiled and said, "Let it be done this way. Your body is inconvenient for moving about, so let Ping'er and Wu'er handle it. If they are too busy, I will have Yuanyang go over to help."

She then said to Lady Wang at her side, "Do not stay in the East Courtyard that day; come over to accompany me in greeting those wives and young ladies.

Let Baoyu not stay holed up in his room either; it is boring all day long. It is better to get closer to Brother Cong and his peers."

Hearing Jia Mu's words, Wang Xifeng's heart could not help but jump, feeling that something was wrong.

What was this about from the Old Ancestor? For Brother Cong's birthday, regarding the matter of entertaining female guests in the inner courtyard, even if she, the sister-in-law, was inconvenient to move about, wasn't there the Second Sister?

Now, she is the proper Eldest Young Lady of the East Prefecture. Even if someone with high seniority was needed to come forward, wasn't there the Eldest Lady? A widow cannot see outside guests, but can she not see female guests?

This matter, no matter how one looked at it, had nothing to do with the Second Lady. What was the Old Ancestor performing?

However, for such matters of entertaining and receiving in the inner courtyard, it was only a common thing for the Old Ancestor to let someone help, and it was impossible to pick faults in this matter based on rules.

Wang Xifeng, as a junior, naturally could not point it out to her face.

……

Count's Mansion, Yingchun's Courtyard.

The main room where Yingchun lived was very spacious. In the center of the room was placed a Luo Han couch, and on the left and right sides were placed circular chairs, footstools, and tea tables. This was the place where the sisters gathered to sit, chat, and talk daily.

Yingchun herself lived in the warm pavilion on the west side of the main room, and there was another bedroom in the green gauze partition on the east side of the main room. In the past, when Shi Xiangyun came to the East Prefecture, she often lived here.

Last year, when Marquis of Lady Bao Ling Shi Nai took his family to Jin Ling to take up his post, because Shi Xiangyun wanted to stay in the Love Shenjing, Jia Mu took her in to live in the Jia family permanently.

Also because Xiangyun wanted to keep the sisters company, she did not stay in Rongqing Hall and was arranged by Yingchun in a more spacious side room in the courtyard.

Now, Xichun lived in the green gauze partition of Yingchun's main room.

When Jia Cong was first granted the Count's Mansion, Xichun was still young and often stayed in the East Prefecture to play, and at night she always slept in the same bed as Yingchun.

Now that more than a year had passed, the little girl was at the age of growing tall, and it was a bit crowded for the two sisters to squeeze into one bed, so Yingchun arranged for Xichun to stay in the green gauze partition.

At this time, the east-facing window of the green gauze partition was propped open, and the bright sunlight shone on the small table in front of the window.

On the table was a nanmu brush rack, hanging full of many slender painting brushes. The brush rack had been specially drilled with deep holes, in which was inserted an exquisite Huizhou clay figurine.

This clay figurine was a young man, in a green shirt and scholar's cap, with clothes fluttering, handsome in appearance, and elegant in demeanor. His eyebrows and eyes were exactly like Jia Cong's, very vivid and lifelike.

Last year, when Jia Cong returned to the Love Shenjing for the second time from Jin Ling, he brought back a box of Huizhou clay figurines.

That was when he, Qu Hongxiu, and Qin Keqing went to Daci Temple to fulfill a vow and met a Huizhou clay figurine expert. The three of them found it fun, so they each molded one according to their own likeness.

The sisters had not seen this box of clay figurines, but it happened to be seen by Xichun. The little girl recognized at a glance that one of the clay figurines was Rong's wife, which had made Jia Cong quite embarrassed.

Fortunately, Xichun was just a little girl and would not see the clues like an adult. Seeing it, she threw it aside, but she took a fancy to the clay figurine that looked like Jia Cong.

In order to stop the little girl's mouth, Jia Cong naturally gave it to her generously, so this clay figurine became Xichun's most precious toy.

She spent a lot of effort using a hairpin to drill a deep hole in the brush rack, specially used to insert her beloved clay figurine.

The maids and old women in the courtyard all knew that this clay figurine was the Fourth Young Lady's treasure, and no one was allowed to touch it.

When the maids cleaned the room, they all carefully stayed far away from the clay figurine. If it were knocked or bumped, the little girl would surely act spoiled and turn hostile.

Ever since the Ningguo Prefecture fell into decline, Jia Jing increasingly kept watch over the Daoist temple to refine alchemy, ignoring his only daughter Xichun. She could not see him once throughout the year, and she was simply no different from an orphan.

Jia Cong and Yingchun, mindful of Xichun's lonely background, were very accommodating and doted on this little cousin, which made Xichun linger in the East Prefecture and rarely return to the West Prefecture to live throughout the year.

……

In front of the small table in the green gauze partition, Jia Cong held a thin piece of charcoal in his hand, painting on a piece of coarse hemp raw rice paper.

Xichun had her hair combed into double buns, adorned with exquisite pearl flowers. She wore a pink embroidered dress on her upper body, paired with an ivory-colored long skirt, sitting at the side, full of interest, admiring with round eyes.

This charcoal pencil was carefully selected by Jia Cong from many red clay charcoals.

At this moment, following the sketching and rendering of the charcoal pencil in his hand, a magnolia tree outside the east window had straight trunks on the paper, with flower buds like clouds, and every fiber was lifelike, as if it could leap out.

Jia Cong also drew rockeries, eaves, verandas, and other things around the magnolia tree with brushstrokes of varying thickness, making the distance and perspective appropriate, with a strange sense of transparency and three-dimensionality.

Xichun at the side was already praising incessantly, clapping her hands and saying, "Third Brother, everyone knows your calligraphy is good, but I have never heard that you can also paint.

Charcoal can also be used to paint, and it is so good-looking. Third Brother, you must teach me this skill."

Jia Cong's maternal grandfather in his previous life came from a family of calligraphy and painting mounting. Experts who were good at mounting paintings were also skilled in calligraphy and painting.

He inherited his grandfather's mantle in his previous life, which was why he possessed outstanding calligraphic attainments. He had also learned some painting from his grandfather, which could be considered entering the hall, just not as outstanding as his calligraphy. However, his basic painting skills were quite solid, and with the addition of the sketching light-and-shadow perspective method from his previous life, it was naturally no problem to use it to coax a child.

……

Ever since his metropolitan examination ended, he rested at the prefecture for one day before going to Mount Luocang to pay respects to his teacher Liu Jing'an and report on his examination matters.

After returning from Mount Luocang, he recuperated at the prefecture.

Now he did not need to study the classics diligently from early morning until late at night like in the past.

He only spent one hour every afternoon reading books on military strategy, agriculture, law, and political theory.

Because if he could be on the list for the metropolitan examination, the next step would be the palace examination. The palace examination only tested policy essays, so these specialized treatises outside the classics were preparation for future palace examination policy essays.

Apart from this every day, the rest of the time was spent chatting, drinking tea, playing chess, and composing poetry with the sisters, living quite leisurely, relaxing from the toil of studying hard for more than half a year.

Today, he went to Yingchun's courtyard to chat and, seeing Xichun's painting, could not help but comment a few words.

When he became interested, he picked a suitable piece of charcoal left over from the winter in Yingchun's courtyard and painted casually, which amused Xichun to no end.

Jia Cong handed the charcoal pencil to Xichun and taught her the tricks of charcoal painting one by one.

!

Xichun had excellent talent in painting. With Jia Cong guiding her hand-in-hand, she was able to find the tricks, and the things she painted began to look decent.

Jia Cong felt some admiration in his heart and naturally praised her without stint, which made the little girl very happy.

Footsteps sounded outside the green gauze partition. Yingchun brought Xiangyun and Xing Xiuyan in and smiled, "What are you two happy about, talking so happily?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "I went to Second Sister's place this morning to talk, but it happened that you all went out, so I was painting with Fourth Sister for fun."

Yingchun said, "Early this morning, Sister Feng sent word asking me to go over to discuss matters, so I brought Xiangyun and Xiuyan along to go over.

Sister Feng said that the twenty-first of the third month is Brother Cong's fifteenth birthday, but it happened that you spent it in the examination compound, so she is preparing to make up a birthday banquet for you on the second day in a few days.

She asked me to go over to discuss the banquet guests."

Shi Xiangyun giggled at the side, as if thinking of something fun, and said, "Second Sister-in-law Lian even brought out a list of guests, many of whom are wives and young ladies of old family relatives.

Third Brother, those young ladies are all unmarried, you know."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Sister Yun is teasing me again. Who doesn't know I am currently in the three-year mourning period, so I can't be involved in such things."

Shi Xiangyun smiled and said, "Third Brother speaks as if he is so fragrant. These unmarried young ladies are not prepared for Third Brother."

The expression on Yingchun's face was somewhat helpless, and she said, "This time, the birthday banquet for Brother Cong is all according to Brother Cong's wishes, inviting only in-laws and old family acquaintances, not involving official circles.

The wives and young ladies invited are all close relatives and friends of the family, and the list was drawn up by Grandmother herself."

Hearing this, Jia Cong seemed to understand something, and a strange expression appeared on his face……

……

The fifteenth year of Emperor Jia Zhao, the second day of the fourth month.

Inside and outside the Rongguo Prefecture, everything was cleaned anew, servants were running about, and everything revealed a lively and festive atmosphere.

Wang Xifeng had four old women carry a sliding chair, with Ping'er following by her side, moving about the prefecture to give instructions.

The steward of the outer courtyard arranged many alert young servants at the place from the prefecture gate to the ceremonial gate to guide the in-laws and old acquaintances attending the banquet.

At the West Corner Gate, other experienced old women were arranged to guide the carriages and sedan chairs of the female guests of each family, entering the West Corner Gate directly into the inner courtyard's hanging flower gate, getting off the carriages and sedan chairs, and being welcomed by the inner courtyard maids to see Jia Mu.

The Rongxi Hall, which was usually deserted, also opened its doors to welcome guests today. It was just that because the guests received were all male, Xiaohong was moved to the inner courtyard to be busy, and the young servants were changed for serving tea and water in the hall.

Among the guests, apart from the old relatives of the Wang, Shi, and Xue families, many descendants of the Four Princes and Eight Dukes also came, all of whom were figures of the same generation as Jia Cong.

Such as Chen Ruiwen, the grandson of Duke of Qiguo Chen Yi; Liu Hong, the son of Liu Fang, the First-Class Count of the Duke of Liguo Prefecture; Ma Hong, the son of Ma Shang of the Duke of Zhiguo Prefecture; and Liu Xing, the son of Liu Xingwen, the Marquis of Cheng Yang, etc.

It was said that Prince Beijing Shui Rong went to the Dezhou villa to relax last month and had not yet returned, but he still received the news and sent the prefecture's Chief Clerk to send a congratulatory gift.

Jia Cong's smile was gentle and his demeanor elegant, chatting and laughing with the descendants of the in-laws and old acquaintances.

The guests who came today were all of the younger generation of each family, mostly around twenty years old. By comparison, Jia Cong was the youngest.

But facing the numerous guests of all kinds, his speech and reception were effortless, showing not the slightest embarrassment, and his words and demeanor were like a spring breeze.

This could not help but make the descendants of each family secretly admire him, all secretly thinking that this Count of Weiyuan was only at the age of fifteen, yet had such achievements and pomp today; he was truly no ordinary figure.

Compared to Jia Cong's elegance and generosity, Baoyu, who accompanied him, appeared very inferior.

Not only did he lose the handsomeness and romance he had in the inner courtyard, but when facing outside guests, his movements appeared stiff, his eyes embarrassed, his speech was not smooth, and his whole body revealed awkwardness.

Originally, Baoyu extremely detested official career and social interaction, not to mention that many of the old family descendants who came today were descendants of military generals, who in his eyes were equivalent to coarse people.

If he could socialize as freely as Jia Cong, then he really would not be Baoyu.

……

That day, Yingchun said with a somewhat strange expression that for this birthday banquet for Jia Cong's coming-of-age at fifteen, Jia Mu specially invited the wives and young ladies of the old relatives of merit.

Shi Xiangyun even used this topic to tease and joke with Jia Cong, and he already understood a few points in his heart.

When the banquet opened to welcome guests today, Jia Mu had Baoyu accompany him to welcome guests, and the meaning of this became increasingly obvious.

Although Jia Cong understood in his heart, he did not take it to heart at all. Jia Mu wanted to borrow his east wind, but whether Baoyu had the ability of a straw boat to lure arrows was none of his business.

In the Rongxi Hall, the descendants of each family were chatting and laughing with Jia Cong, but very few people went to chat with Baoyu.

This was not only because Jia Cong was the protagonist today, but also because the descendants who came were all the eldest sons and legitimate sons of their families, and also the outstanding younger generation of their respective clans.

These people were all educated by their families since childhood and were cultivated as future heads of the family, so although they were not too old, they were all sophisticated and shrewd among their peers. Truly, not one of them was a fool.

Some time ago, Baoyu spoke wildly and was reprimanded by the Imperial Clan Court, causing a great stir. The descendants of each family present all knew this clearly.

Not to mention that Baoyu was not even a supporting actor today, and now he was just a side-door descendant of the Rongguo Prefecture. Even if he were Jia Cong's own brother, the descendants of each family would not take the initiative to get close and chat with him.

Who did not know about the reprimand from the Imperial Clan Court? Secretly, it was the Emperor's will from the palace. Which family's descendant would be stupid enough to touch such bad luck? If word got out, wouldn't they know they had become a fool themselves?

At this time, Ma Hong, the son of Ma Shang of the Duke of Zhiguo Prefecture, coldly watched Baoyu, who was at a loss beside Jia Cong.

He said to his close friend Liu Xing, the eldest son of the Marquis of Cheng Yang, "Xiao'an, originally I heard you say that for this coming-of-age banquet for Jia Cong, the Old Lady of Rongguo also invited your mother and Third Sister.

I thought that Jia Cong's marriage arrangement did not succeed, and the Rongguo Prefecture wanted to secretly plan a marriage for him, which is why they invited many female relatives of the old merit families into the inner hall.

Outside, everyone says that your unmarried Third Sister has an outstanding appearance and character. I even thought you were going to be lucky, but I didn't expect it to be like this at all.

You kid better be careful, don't pick up a piece of rotten copper instead of gold. It's urgent, it's urgent, hehe……"

Liu Xing, the eldest son of the Marquis of Cheng Yang, although not successful in his studies, had inherited his ancestor's style since childhood, yearning for military achievements, and had learned a set of martial arts. He was a straightforward person.

Hearing Ma Hong's words, his expression could not help but change. This time for Jia Cong's birthday banquet, the Jia family not only sent a formal invitation.

They also sent an inner invitation, inviting the female relatives and boudoir young ladies of each family to the banquet. It was said that it was the Old Lady of Rongguo's idea.

This could not help but make each family have some thoughts. The Marquis of Cheng Yang's Mansion and the Rongguo Prefecture had always had a friendship, and the two families moved frequently during festivals. Liu Xing's Third Sister had even visited the Old Lady of Rongguo with her mother.

Who in the Love Shenjing did not know Jia Cong's prestige? Liu Xing, as the heir to the Marquis of Cheng Yang's Mansion, naturally was happy to see such a thing happen.

But at this moment, being reminded by Ma Hong, he also realized that things had deviated. He looked at Baoyu's stiff and feminine style and could not help but frown.

After thinking for a moment, he hurriedly called over his personal young servant and gave him a few instructions in his ear. The young servant, having received the instructions, hurriedly walked out of Rongxi Hall……(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 603 =====