Chapter 76

The tenth year of Emperor Jia Zhao, the fifth day of the fourth month.

Today was the day Jia Cong went to the Qingshan Academy to register for his studies.

Yesterday, Wang Xifeng received instructions from Jia Zheng and his wife, and had already prepared carriages and horses, and had Ping'er take the servants to the Qingzhi Study early in the morning to help move the luggage.

At 7:15 AM, Jia Cong went to the Rongqing Hall, still not entering, only kowtowing at the door to say goodbye.

No matter what, the Old Lady in the Rongqing Hall was his grandmother; respect for the elderly is a virtue, and kowtowing a few times wasn't a loss.

It was just that the maids and matrons outside saw it and nodded secretly, saying that this young master who could study was different and had a broad mind.

Although the Old Lady waived his filial etiquette, he didn't miss a single rule, making it impossible for anyone to find any fault.

Jia Mu, who heard the news inside, felt somewhat ashamed.

The day before, she had been angry and waived Jia Cong's filial etiquette, raising the matter too high, and now she couldn't come down.

After leaving the Rongqing Hall, he turned to the Rongxi Hall in the east.

Not every maid was as shrewd as Sister Yuanyang; a few little maids were chattering, and someone let something slip.

Jia Cong finished his ritual but left without a moment's delay, not even giving Jia Mu time to hesitate.

Today was a grand court meeting; officials above Grade 5 in the capital had to attend the court to see the Emperor; Jia Zheng was Grade 5, and although he couldn't attend the court, he had to go to the office early because the directors had matters to assign.

"Go to the academy to study diligently, and in the future, you can have a good result, so as to repay the kindness of the Master and the Lady."

"Now that you are going out to study alone, although you have servants to serve you, you are not like at home, so you must take care of yourself in everything; studying diligently is good,"

"but taking care of your body is the top priority; in the future, when you study and enter the academy, you can support your Baoyu brother and revitalize the family's reputation; that would be the best repayment to me and the Master."

In the Rongxi Hall, only Lady Wang was sitting in the side seat, holding Buddhist beads, dressed in noble attire, looking kind and benevolent.

If it weren't for the kindness of the Master and the Lady, how could he have lived a stable life in the West Prefecture? Jia Cong kept this in mind at all times.

Jia Cong wasn't surprised that Lady Wang was like this.

Yesterday, several maids from Jia Mu's room came to say goodbye to Qingwen; after all, they wouldn't see each other much in the next few years.

Seeing him speak sincerely, Lady Wang's expression relaxed.

Jia Cong only respectfully replied: "The Lady's words, Jia Cong will definitely keep in mind."

"Lady, I am going to the academy to register for my studies today; I won't be able to pay my respects to the Master and the Lady every day, so I have come to bid you farewell."

"If you are still missing anything, just tell her; you can't be careless about these things when you are out."

That day, the Old Lady waived Third Young Master Cong's filial etiquette; the cause was the Lady speaking when the Old Lady was angry, which provoked the Old Lady to do so.

Afterward, Qingwen naturally told Jia Cong indignantly.

But he remained vigilant in his heart.

She smiled and said: "You are also a descendant of the Jia family; since you have come to the West Prefecture, it is only right for the Master and me to take care of you; you, always saying these things, are being distant."

Lady Wang said with a faint smile: "Yesterday I had your Second Sister-in-law prepare carriages and horses for you, and set up the items you need for going out."

He wanted to show his face, but didn't have the face to come out.

Jia Cong replied: "The things have all been obtained, and I am not missing anything anymore; thank you, Lady, for your concern; Jia Cong was born into a humble background and could barely survive in the East Courtyard."

This was a woman who was not easy to get along with; in the original timeline, Red Chamber daughters like Qingwen and Jin Chuan died for no reason at her hands.

He had to be on guard against such a person; fortunately, he would spend more time in the academy and less time in the mansion in the next few years, so he would just have to be careful.

Lady Wang thought for a moment and said: "You still have to go to the East Courtyard to bid farewell to the Eldest Master and Eldest Lady; the Master has instructed your Second Sister-in-law and Second Brother to take you together."

Hearing this, Jia Cong felt a burst of gratitude toward Jia Zheng.

He knew Jia Zheng was afraid that if he went to the East Courtyard to bid farewell, he would be made difficult by Jia She and his wife, and didn't want him to have trouble on the first day of going out to study.

That was why he thought of having Wang Xifeng and Jia Lian accompany him; if trouble arose, with Wang Xifeng's capability, it would be easier to resolve.

Passing through the wind and rain corridor behind the Rongxi Hall and an image wall covered with ivy, he entered Wang Xifeng's courtyard.

Sister Feng was already waiting there; if it were any later, she might have gone to pay respects to the Old Lady.

Jia Lian was also sitting to the side, but with an impatient look on his face.

He wouldn't discriminate against or trample on Jia Cong, this concubine-born brother, because they hadn't had much contact since they were young, so it wasn't worth it.

He just felt that he was just a child going out to study, and he had to be accompanied by him to bid farewell to the Eldest Master.

These people didn't fear the Eldest Master; it was common for the old man to beat him if he wasn't happy, so he usually hid from him when he had nothing to do.

Besides, with Jia Cong, this troublemaker, the Eldest Master disliked him the most; if he took him over, he might be implicated and suffer.

But Jia Zheng had specially instructed him yesterday, so Jia Lian couldn't not go, so he just had to bite the bullet.

Wang Xifeng wasn't afraid; she was a daughter-in-law and had her maiden family and Lady Wang as a shield, so Jia She would never say a harsh word to her, as it had always been this way.

Wang Xifeng smiled: "Brother Cong, the Master truly values you; you go to the East Courtyard to pay respects, and he has your Second Brother and me act as your door gods; you have quite a lot of face."

Jia Cong hurriedly said: "I came to the West Prefecture, and it was all Second Sister-in-law who arranged the courtyard for me and took care of everything in my daily life; Jia Cong is very grateful in his heart."

Wang Xifeng smiled: "Just remember Second Sister-in-law's kindness; in the future, when you study and become a top scholar, don't forget to let your Second Brother bask in your literary aura; you are, after all, blood brothers."

Jia Cong also smiled: "Second Sister-in-law, saying this is too distant; Second Brother is a kind person, and he has never scolded me since we were young; Jia Cong respects him in his heart."

Hearing this, the impatience on Jia Lian's face dissipated, and he said with some boldness: "What's there to say? We are brothers; why would I scold you?"

Wang Xifeng thought to herself, this kid is not simple; he knows what to say to whom, and he doesn't miss a beat in the scene, and his words carry some sincerity, making people feel comfortable.

Her aunt wanted to find a helper for Baoyu in the future, but didn't forget to trip him up behind his back; she didn't think about whether Baoyu's behavior could subdue someone like Jia Cong.

Arriving at the East Courtyard, the maids and matrons in the courtyard saw Jia Cong coming and felt lingering fear.

They had seen with their own eyes Jia Cong disciplining Wang Shanbao's wife a while ago; this master was a ruthless person.

Another maid went to the main hall to report, and returned saying the Eldest Master and Eldest Lady were not feeling well today and were resting in their rooms, so they couldn't see anyone today.

The maid's face was somewhat awkward; she probably didn't dare to be presumptuous seeing Sister Feng here, so she only picked nice words to say.

When she went to deliver the message just now, the Eldest Master and Eldest Lady had sprayed a mouthful of ugly words.

Jia Cong sneered in his heart; not feeling well? It was probably that they weren't feeling well in their hearts; not seeing them was just as well, it saved trouble.

Jia Lian seemed to let out a sigh of relief; he was probably traumatized by Jia She's beatings.

Wang Xifeng didn't care; although they were her parents-in-law, she looked down on this behavior; it was not even as good as the Second Branch's Master and Lady, no wonder the Old Lady didn't like them.

After finishing these tedious formalities, Jia Cong bid farewell to Wang Xifeng and Jia Lian and returned to the Qingzhi Study.

The carriage for leaving the mansion was already parked at the northwest gate, close to the Qingzhi Study, making it convenient to enter and exit.

At the entrance of the Qingzhi Study, he saw Daiyu, Yingchun, and Tan Chun already waiting there; little Xichun was also there today, holding a four or five-year-old boy, Jia Lan.

Jia Cong had seen this child several times; it was Jia Zhu's only son, Jia Lan.

Li Wan put all her heart into raising Jia Lan to be successful, but since her late husband Jia Zhu, the Jia family hadn't produced a single scholar.

Li Wan also came from an official scholarly family and knew that "near vermilion, one gets stained red"; she usually constrained her son to study hard in the clan school.

She only taught Jia Lan in her own courtyard and didn't let him play with his uncles like Baoyu and Jia Huan.

Now that the family had produced a Jia Cong with extraordinary literary talent, Li Wan finally saw the literary spirit of the Jia family.

So she wanted her son to get closer to Jia Cong, this cousin, and take him as a role model, so he could receive some positive influence.

Baoyu also came, the reason being that Daiyu came, so he followed; in fact, he was full of contempt for Jia Cong going to the Qingshan Academy to study, thinking he was a traitorous official and a greedy ghost.

But that was fine; at least he could see Jia Cong's two pretty maids when he came.

Seeing Jia Cong return, it was Yingchun, who was usually quiet, who greeted him first.

Yingchun had been raised in the West Prefecture since she was young, and her relationship with her biological father was distant; Jia She had always ignored her, and although she had sisters for company, she had lived a lonely life in her heart.

It wasn't until Jia Cong gradually revealed himself that she knew she had such an outstanding brother, and Jia Cong was also very close to her, which added a lot of warmth to Yingchun's heart.

After Jia Cong moved to the West Prefecture, they had more contact than before, and their sibling affection grew deeper; now that Jia Cong was going out to study, he would only return a few times a year, and she felt very reluctant.

She gently straightened Jia Cong's collar and said: "Third Brother, take care of yourself when you are out; earn a title early and come home, so I can be proud of you."

Jia Cong smiled: "Second Sister, don't worry; Third Brother will definitely not let you down; I will enter the academy early, and when I grow up and stand on my own feet, I will protect Second Sister's safety and peace."

Among all the sisters in the mansion, Jia Cong had the closest blood relationship with Yingchun, as they were full siblings, which was why he said he would protect Yingchun; he would have to help Yingchun eliminate the hidden danger of the "Zhong Shan Wolf" in the future.

Jia Cong saw Tan Chun's eyes were red, and he smiled warmly at her: "Every holiday, the academy will have a break; when the time comes, I'll come back to see how your calligraphy is practicing."

Tan Chun smiled brightly: "Then I'll wait for Third Young Master Cong to come back and guide me."

Daiyu saw Wuer standing behind Jia Cong, holding a small mottled bamboo book box, which was the one she had given Jia Cong yesterday; her heart jumped, and her face flushed with a rosy glow.

Jia Cong said: "Lin Meimei, don't stay in your room reading all the time; walk around more and take care of your health."

Daiyu smiled: "Third Young Master Cong, you take care too."

Jia Cong saw Baoyu stealing glances at Wuer and Qingwen beside him, and frowned, not wanting to bother with this person.

Under the gaze of the sisters, he took Wuer and Qingwen into the carriage; the wheels rolled, and he finally left the Jia mansion.

The carriage passed through Ningrong Street and passed the main gate of the Rongguo Prefecture; the black-bottomed gold-lettered plaque bestowed by the Emperor shone in the morning light, with the words "Imperially Built Rongguo Prefecture" written on it!

At 1:15 PM, Jia Cong arrived at the Qingshan Academy and completed the admission registration procedures, then went to visit the academy's head, Zhao Chongli.

At 3:30 PM, he moved into the Luoxia Separate Courtyard of the Xuantian Palace, the Daoist site of the Orthodox Unity Sect in the Divine Capital.

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The story of the first volume is over, the setup is basically complete, and the plot of the second volume will rise; the outline of this book is complete, and the time for writing and conception is sufficient; completing the book is the first priority; please continue to collect, recommend, and support; thank you.

(End of chapter)