Chapter 437

After everyone, each with their own thoughts, had finished their meal, they sat down again.

By this late night, Jia Mu, advanced in age, was already a bit weary, but the occasional gunshots and shouts from outside the mansion kept her from feeling sleepy.

Sitting on the high couch, with a few maids such as Yuanyang and Hupo massaging her shoulders, she suddenly thought of something else and sighed:

"Jia Jing, with the outside so dangerous and so many mishaps happening one after another, it's unsettling; will we cancel my birthday ceremony the day after tomorrow?"

"Originally, Third Sister and Feng Jie had even gone out of their way to hire a small troupe, saying they would perform a few auspicious plays to celebrate for me."

Jia Mu's birthday is the third day of the eighth month; Chapter 71 of the original records her eighty‑year grand celebration, which is also the most elaborate and largest birthday feast in the whole book:

"Because this year, on the third day of the eighth month, is Jia Mu's eighty‑year grand celebration, and with relatives and friends arriving, we feared the banquet arrangements might be insufficient, so we consulted early with Jia She and Jia Lian and others. It was decided to hold banquets simultaneously at Rong and Ning from the twenty‑eighth day of the seventh month until the fifth day of the eighth month."

That means Jia Mu's eightieth birthday celebration lasted a full eight days.

Invited guests ranged from imperial relatives such as the Grand Princess of South An and the Princess of North Jing, to high civil and military officials of the ministries, governors, inspectors, and commanders, and also to distant and close relatives, both elders and youths of the clan.

The Jia Mansion began preparations early, even fretting because they could not gather enough birthday gifts.

In the end, Wang Xifeng suggested selling the copper‑tin items stored in the rear tower to make up the shortfall, showing how extravagant and costly the banquet was.

However, this banquet of lanterns and ribbons, with canopies and carriages like clouds, also marked the turning point from prosperity to decline for the Jia Mansion.

After the banquet's bustling splendor and boundless glory, a series of decline events followed, such as the inspection and confiscation of the Grand View Garden.

Jia Jing heard this, glanced at Tan Chun and Feng Jie, who were sitting calmly not far away, and that single look seemed to make Feng Jie a little uneasy.

"Third Brother, the old lady will be exactly eighty next year; we should start preparing, and next year give the old lady a proper grand celebration," Feng Jie said.

Among the common folk of the Da Han Empire, there is a custom of "celebrate the ninth but not the tenth" for birthdays.

For round‑number birthdays (sixty, seventy, eighty), people often celebrate a year early—at the nominal age (fifty‑nine, sixty‑nine, seventy‑nine)—to avoid the homophonic taboo between "ten" and "death."

But for a noble house like the Jia Mansion, Jia Mu will still hold a grand celebration on the third day of the eighth month next year according to her actual age, without observing that custom.

Jia Jing fell silent for a moment, then thought and said:

"That is, the old lady's birthday ceremony must still be held; we will just not make a big affair this year. We'll invite some near and distant relatives and clan elders and youths, make it lively for only one day, and we won't invite any court officials."

"Then next year, for the full eighty‑year grand celebration, we'll hold a lively banquet for the old lady."

Since reaching seventy has long been rare, a birthday ceremony for someone as long‑lived as Jia Mu cannot be omitted; it is a matter of filial piety and propriety.

"Isn't it said that we should shut the doors and decline guests, not receive outsiders? Could that cause any trouble?" Jia Mu's aged, slightly flushed face said, as if implying something.

"Just for that one day, I will have my personal troops ensure security!" Jia Jing said calmly.

Jia Mu felt somewhat reassured; her third grandson still cared for her to some extent.

After a few more words about household matters, seeing the fatigue on everyone's faces in Rong Qing Tang Hall, Jia Jing prepared to leave and said in a clear voice:

"It's already past midnight; that's all for now. You all go back to sleep! I'm heading back to Dong Fu!"

Aunt Xue rose as well, looking at Jia Jing with pleading eyes, and said with a tone of concern:

"Jia Jing, the Wang Family... my brother's side still needs you to take more care."

Jia Jing gave a faint acknowledgment and prepared to depart.

Suddenly, Daiyu, with a hint of blush on her face, stood up and called out crisply:

"Third Brother, I will go with you; Father sent a letter last month with some words I need to pass on to you!"

Jia Jing turned his head, his eyes as still as an ancient well, glanced at the slightly flustered Daiyu, and nodded, saying:

"Let's go!"

Speaking that, under the lanterns held by a few maids guiding the way, he left Rong Qing Tang Hall together with Daiyu.

Watching the two depart, Xue Baichai's jade‑like complexion softened slightly, and she let out a sigh; she had originally intended to "go along the road" and chat with him.

It had already been a month since they'd last met, just about to pour out their feelings, damn Lin maid, you actually have a father, huh??

Meanwhile, Jia Jing and Daiyu left Rong Qing Tang Hall, strolling slowly under the moonlight; the bright moon shone upon the earth, the garden's trees were lush, and their shadows flickered.

Suddenly a night wind from the northwest blew head‑on, carrying a faintly damp midnight scent that instantly dispersed the lingering warmth in the hall.

Jia Jing lifted his hand to gather his wind‑ruffled cloak, looked at the boundless night sky, and, with a mildly relaxed tone, sighed softly:

"What a fine breeze! It carries a few traces of wind from the west that sweeps away the dust; only when the night deepens does its true meaning appear!"

Daiyu, who had been silently searching for a topic in her mind, heard Jia Jing's words, glanced at the night with her clear eyes, and whispered:

"Just like that night when the palace gates were silent and deep, the moon shining over mountains and rivers for ten thousand li, the wind?"

Jia Jing turned his gaze to the lively‑eyed Daiyu and asked:

"Lin sister, how did you also know this poem?"

Who said Daiyu couldn't speak?

He merely uttered a casual exclamation, and Daiyu immediately grasped his meaning, even turning to the poem he had written a few days earlier.