Chapter 402

By the chen hour the sun had already risen above the ancestral hall's flying eaves, whitening the blue‑stone slab before the gate.

The Jia clan ancestral hall's black‑lacquered main doors stood open; the plaque bearing the Taizu emperor's own calligraphy, "Star‑Radiance Assisting the Virtuous," glowed a dull gold in the sunlight.

A few old cypress and pine trees were planted at the base of the courtyard walls, their dense foliage rustling softly in the wind.

On the pebble‑stone path before the inner gate stood several inlaid chairs of green‑white jade.

Jia Dai‑ru, Jia Dai‑xiu, Jia Zheng and Lady Yu sat on either side, leaving the central seat of honor empty.

In the open space before the ancestral hall, more than two hundred members of the Jia clan's Shenjing Eight Houses were now crowded together, some squatting, some standing.

Some gathered in small circles to whisper, while others sought shade under the trees to enjoy the cool.

Jia Dai‑xiu leaned on a black‑wood staff, his beard and hair white, his cloudy eyes glancing at Jia Zheng and Lady Yu seated opposite, whose faces showed a hint of dejection.

Then he glanced at the dark mass of clansmen in the small courtyard, his expression shifting, and he whispered to Jia Dai‑ru beside him:

"Dai‑ru, the duke has summoned the clan—do you know why?"

The last time Jia Jing was ennobled as a marquis and returned home, after the ancestral rites he immediately instituted three benevolent measures for the clan: caring for the elderly and young, rectifying the clan school, and training able‑bodied youths to become stewards.

But this time, after being made a first‑rank duke, Jia Jing delayed meeting the clansmen; even the few days ago when he was nominated clan head he showed his face only briefly.

Today he has suddenly gathered the whole clan and made such a grand display—surely it is no trivial matter!

Moreover, seeing Jia Zheng and Lady Yu's ill‑humored faces, Jia Dai‑xiu felt that this clan meeting might bring no good!

Hearing this, Jia Dai‑ru's expression tightened slightly; he furrowed his gray‑white brows and his gaze involuntarily flicked to the half‑closed hall door of the ancestral shrine.

Through the gap one could barely see a youth kneeling before the offering table, head bowed, body curled, occasionally shifting and rubbing his knees.

"I heard that yesterday Baoyu of the West Mansion smashed his jade, causing unrest throughout the household, and the duke ordered soldiers to bring him here to kneel all night in the ancestral hall."

"Today he is likely to be dealt with?" Jia Dai‑ru speculated.

Jia Dai‑xiu stared, astonished and uncertain, and said:

"What? He smashed jade again?"

They all knew of Baoyu's jade‑smashing incident last year, after all, they live on the same street as the Rongguo Mansion.

Any stir in the east or west mansions spreads quickly as gossip.

Moreover, at that time the Lai and Wu families of Ningrong Street, among other long‑serving household slaves, were raided; Jia Jing further enforced martial law in the West Mansion, ordering the beating to death of dozens and the punishment of over a hundred.

Such a commotion could hardly escape being discussed behind the backs of the clan members.

Even Jia Dai‑xiu had heard that, after last year's jade‑smashing, the clan's underlings had exaggerated the tale beyond recognition.

Thus a nearby storyteller took it as inspiration and created a play titled "A Jade‑Triggered Bloodcase"!

This shows how great the impact of that incident was on Ningrong Street!

On Jia Dai‑ru's aged, weary face a hint of worry appeared; he let out a soft sigh and said:

"The old lady really has indulged Baoyu to the point of spoiledness; I heard that Zheng‑ge'er originally intended to give him a beating."

"But the old lady and Lady Wang stopped him, and when the duke learned of it he ordered the palace guards to drag Baoyu here to kneel in the ancestral hall."

"Such matriarchs, when disciplining juniors, tend to shield and pamper them, raising up idle, luxurious good‑for‑nothings!"

Jia Dai‑ru's remark was aimed not only at Baoyu but also hinted at the situation in his own household.

His grandson Jia Rui, for instance, was spoiled rotten by that old matriarch in his house; every time he tried to discipline him, it was as hard as climbing to heaven!

Lately that scoundrel has somehow come up with silver, taken to drinking flower‑wine, and become ever more worthless!

Jia Dai‑xiu also knew the state of Jia Dai‑ru's household and sighed:

"'Rui‑ge'er is your family's sole surviving sprout; it's only natural that the sister‑in‑law protects him.'"

He then shifted his tone and continued:

"Speaking of which, the duke is somewhat like Dai‑shan in temperament—both cannot tolerate a speck of sand in their eyes."

"And Dai‑hua—I recall that years ago he hung Ke‑ge'er from a beam by his trouser belt and whipped him; otherwise Ke‑ge'er could never have passed the jinshi exam!"

"As for Zhen‑ge'er, he was later indulged and allowed to run wild, which is how he came to this sorry state…"

While Jia Dai‑xiu and Jia Dai‑ru were reminiscing about the past, the clansmen below were also chatting in small groups of three or five.

In particular, the little circle formed by Jia Qiang, Jia Rui, Jia Qin and Jia Jun spoke the loudest.

"The last time the duke was ennobled as a marquis he gave the clan three benefits; now that he's been made a duke, who knows what further favors he'll bestow on us!"

"I'd say he'll certainly give us at least five blessings this time—after all, the saying goes 'one person attains the Dao, even his chickens and dogs rise to heaven,' and we are the kin closest to the duke!"

"It wouldn't be surprising if the duke promoted us to official ranks—his personal guards have all been made marquises; if we can tag along and earn some military merit, being made a viscount later would be quite reasonable!"

"All I ask is that the duke let me become a shop manager; this stewardship post is truly a dead‑end, and even after months I've barely scraped together any silver."

"Or simply give us more money—we've seen the world now, and going out looking shabby just won't do!"

"'Rui‑ge'er, I hear you're a regular at the Fanlou; since you're free today, how about after the clan meeting we go together to that pleasure house to listen to music?'"

……

As time passed, while the crowd before the ancestral hall grew ever noisier,

suddenly a clatter of armor approached from the lane's mouth, like a rain of iron striking the ground, instantly drowning out the crowd's murmuring.

Hearing that sound, everyone knew it must be Jia Jing arriving, and they rose to their feet, gazing in that direction.

All that could be seen was a detachment of Xuan‑jia palace guards striding out from the lane, black armor, black boots, swords at their waists, halberds in hand, marching in perfect unison.

Their boot soles struck the blue‑stone flags with a heavy, steady thud, each step seeming to press upon the hearts of the onlookers.

Fifty guards took their places before the shrine's gate in two rows, facing the crowd, hands on sword hilts, utterly still.

Their eyes were sharp as a line of iron nails unmoved by the wind, staring straight ahead, silent yet exuding a voiceless authority.

The atmosphere before the ancestral hall instantly grew solemn with the guards' arrival; the former chatter died away completely, so quiet that a falling pin could be heard.

As the guards stood firm, the figure of Jia Jing, clad in a dragon‑robe and belted with a jade sash, slowly emerged into view.

Sunlight fell on his dragon‑robe; the gold‑threaded dragon pattern shimmered and flickered in the light, as if alive.

His expressionless, he stepped toward the ancestral hall, followed by Xuanwu and four or five guards bearing a tray.

Jia Jing walked, his gaze sweeping over the faces in the crowd one by one, his eyes deep and tranquil, exuding authority without anger, like a bottomless well.

After the inner hall affair ended, Jia Jing, Yuan Chun, and Tan Chun had a quick meal; seeing that the time was about right, he brought people and rushed to the ancestral temple.

As for the final result, there's no need to ask; one can only say that Jia Mu was carried away weeping afterwards.

At this moment,

Jia Daixiu, Jia Dairu, You Shi, and the others watched as the young man slowly approached under the escort of the soldiers, feeling somewhat uncertain and doubtful.

On one hand, they marveled at Jia Jing's growing might; on the other, they couldn't help but worry about this grand display—this clan meeting might not be peaceful!

"Duke, you've come!" Jia Dairu and Jia Daixiu greeted.

"Jing'er!" Jia Zheng clasped his hands.

"……" You Shi made a ceremonial bow, but for a moment she didn't know how to address him properly.

Before, everyone called him Third Brother, but now that certainly wouldn't be appropriate!

Jia Jing nodded slightly each time, but his steps did not stop.

Only after walking to the main seat and standing before the chair did Jia Jing suddenly turn to face the crowd, standing solemnly.

The atmosphere instantly grew more solemn; in the courtyard at this moment, only the old cypress tree by the wall made a soft rustling sound in the wind.