Chapter 470

No named entities.

East and West mansions - generic term for two mansions.

Rong Qing Tang appears. This is in the glossary as Rong Qing Tang.

Rong Qing Tang again, plus Xiang curtain (not a named entity). Curtain hooks etc generic.

Jia Mansion - in glossary. Da Han Empire - in glossary. Also maybe noble high gate (generic).

Because Jia Jing had requested not to make a big affair, the attendees were mainly relatives and close clan members—namely, the eight branches of the Jia clan in Shenjing and the attendees of the four great families, as well as Princess Consort Zhen of Bei Jing and others; the Zhen and Jia families were also very close old relatives.

Other branches, such as the founding lineage and the military officers under Jia Jing's command, were not invited, after all it was not a full birthday celebration.

However, two female relatives of the Nian family were invited, mainly because the Nian and Jia families had grown close recently, and also because Nian Xiyao was Jia Zheng's direct superior.

Male guests were received by Jia Zheng and Jia Lian in the front courtyard flower hall, where they drank tea, chatted, and presented birthday gifts; meanwhile, Jia Jing went to the Ministry of Military Affairs headquarters and would not return until the noon banquet began.

Female guests were directly led to Rong Qing Tang to pay respects to Jia Mu, perform the birthday rites, and then were kept company by Madame Xing, Feng Jie, Lady Wang, and others.

After going through this procedure, it was already late morning (si shi) when all the guests had been received.

At this moment, inside Rong Qing Tang,

Jia Mu sat high on the dais; today her complexion was ruddy, her brows and eyes relaxed, showing a bit more kindness and cheer than usual,

She had also changed into a stone-green floss-silk robe with eight clusters of auspicious cloud patterns, and wore a newly made gold-thread jeweled forehead band; attended by the maid Yuanyang and others, she was happily chatting with everyone.

On the left side of the hall sat the Four Springs, Hairpin Dai, Xiang Yun, Xing Xiuyan, Nian Shilan, the two Yu sisters, and other young ladies.

On the right side sat Madame Xing, Lady Wang, Aunt Xue, Madame Yu, Feng Wan, Qin Keqing, and others.

Seated beside Madame Xing and Lady Wang were Princess Consort Zhen of Bei Jing, Lady Li wife of Nian Xiyao, Lady Xie wife of Shi Nai, Lady Niu wife of Shi Ding, and several elderly close relatives from the Jia clan.

As for the Wang family members, none came, or rather, they could not come!

Actually, people like Zhen Shi, Li Shi, and Niu Shi had come before; it's just that today they were not all present together.

After the maids served tea and snacks, Princess Consort Zhen of Bei Jing rose first, holding her teacup, and gave a distant salute to Jia Mu, smiling as she spoke:

"Grandmother, today your complexion is radiant, your white hair like a crane's and youthful face; you look even more spirited than we juniors."

"Seventy is rare in a lifetime; you are seventy-nine this year, and next year will be your eightieth grand birthday. To be so healthy at such an advanced age, there are hardly a few like you in the whole capital."

"Moreover, with such vigorous spirit, it seems you could enjoy another eighty years, seven generations under one roof, grandchildren surrounding your knees—this is inevitable, truly a person of immense blessing."

If the previous visit by Zhen Shi, prompted by Jia Jing's ennoblement as a first-rank duke, was merely an attempt to draw closer and renew ties between the two families,

then at this time Zhen Shi's attitude toward Jia Mu undoubtedly carries a bit more careful flattery and obsequiousness.

The reason is naturally that Jia Jing's authority and weight in the court are growing ever higher.

Yesterday he was ennobled as a Senior Second Rank General of the Cavalry and Minister in charge of Military Affairs—what authority that is!

According to what the Prince of Bei Jing privately told her, he is truly the foremost powerful person in the present court, surpassing ancient chancellors, and could even be called a 'half-sovereign'.

How could one, facing such a person whose power overwhelms the world, not lower oneself—even if one is the Princess Consort of Bei Jing?

Or perhaps the Prince of Bei Jing and the Zhen family have already instructed her repeatedly on how to behave!

As soon as Zhen Shi finished speaking, Lady Li, wife of Nian Xiyao, took up the conversation, smiled, and said:

"Princess Consort, you speak absolutely rightly! Grandmother's fortune—who in the whole Shenjing would not envy it? Not to mention anything else, just speaking of the sons and daughters in the mansion, which one is not outstanding?"

"On the literary side, your mansion's second lord governs the household with strictness; on the martial side, the Marquess of Jing Guo shakes the world with his might—who in the court does not give a thumbs-up? This is the virtue accumulated by Grandmother, blessing the mansion with flourishing branches and leaves, generation after generation prosperous."

"And the ladies in your mansion, each slender as a green onion, versed in books and reason, intelligent and quick-witted—this too is due to Grandmother's proper upbringing, her blessings enduring."

This time Lady Li did not even mention the Jia mansion's phoenix egg, Jia Baoyu; perhaps she knows something!

Meanwhile, Lady Wang, sitting nearby with a somewhat weary complexion, hearing Li Shi's words, paused her blackened fingers as they moved over the prayer beads,

realizing that Lady Li frequently visits the mansion, she must be aware of some happenings inside, which is why this time she did not praise Baoyu!

Instantly, a thought flashed through her mind: what does 'the second lord governs the household with strictness' mean?

Could it be a veiled reference to his several times of beating and scolding me?

What kind of strict household management is this? It's clearly a muddled egg that cannot distinguish inside from outside!

As the saying goes, 'He who harms his wife will see no wealth enter'; the lot in the Jia mansion who bully me will surely meet retribution sooner or later.

Lady Niu, wife of Shi Ding, being a niece-in-law of Jia Mu's natal family, spoke a bit more intimately, smiling as she said:

"Grandmother's fortune has shone upon all of our Shi family, high and low."

"Our patriarch often says, Grandmother is the golden phoenix that flew from our Shi family; now, in the Jia mansion she has branched out, the hall filled with children and grandchildren, each filial—truly a peerless double blessing of fortune and longevity in the world."

"You must take good care of yourself; after the eldest, second, third, and fourth daughters all leave their chambers, they will bring you ten or eight grandsons-in-law—then it will be lively!"

"It's not just me praising; even the longevity old man depicted in a painting, upon seeing your mansion's prosperity and happiness, would envy you three parts."

"You, you are the old longevity star of our Jia and Shi families; living to 120 is just the beginning, reaching 160 is not unusual!"

Lady Niu's elder brother Niu Jizong and her husband Shi Ding now both enjoy Jia Jing's patronage—one as a garrison commander in the northwest, the other as a middle-ranking officer in the Twelve Regiment Camp; speaking of them naturally sounds more pleasant, their tone gentle and soft, making Jia Mu's brows relax and eyes smile.

But Lady Xie, wife of Shi Nai, hearing this, was not so pleased; the last time she came to Rong Qing Tang to seek an official post, she left feeling happy, thinking everything had been settled.

Unexpectedly, after returning home, she waited and waited for news of the appointment, but instead received her brother-in-law's great outburst of anger,

not only was her father scolded, but she herself, as a sister-in-law, was actually punished with closed-door reflection for over a month; today, if not for the occasion of the birthday, she might not have been able to come out!

Moreover, her own elder brother Xie Ying, who received no patronage in the Twelve Regiment Camp, was even dismissed from office.

All these matters, how could they not fill her inner heart with resentment?

Just at this moment, Lady Niu still says something about the Shi family, high and low, having received blessings, while clearly our main branch has gotten nothing—could this not be mockery?

Lady Xie's face immediately darkened, and she gave a strange, neither-yin-nor-yang laugh, saying:

"How you like to speak pretty words to coax people—living to 160 would be fine, but then you'd become an old demon!"