The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 95 Giving Gifts: Phoenix Spicy Girl Takes the Lead
Jia Tanchun asked Xiao Xuanzi to deliver a message home, and Xiao Xuanzi did not delay and immediately went to do it.

Therefore, the Jia family soon received news from Jia Tanchun.

At this time, the palace gates were locked, and less than two hours had passed.

If the Jia family had made preparations in advance, they would have had ample time to send the gifts to the palace.

In fact, the Jia family did not immediately prepare gifts after receiving the news.

Instead, the whole family sat in Rongxi Hall, bewildered and at a loss.

The current situation arose from Jia Tanchun's entry into the palace.

The Jia family was not as harmonious as outsiders perceived when Jia Tanchun entered the palace.

They had a lot of arguments about this.

First, there was Lady Wang, who opposed sending the young ladies of her household to the palace when everyone was discussing the matter.

Her stated reason was that the Jia family already had a niece who was going to be a princess.

Why bother sending another maid into the palace? If other noble families find out, who knows what nasty things they'll say.

She spoke in a dignified and respectable manner, but everyone knew what she really meant.

It was simply that her daughter, Jia Yuanchun, was harmed because of the Crown Prince's selection of a consort.

Not only did she fail to become the Crown Princess, but her sure-fire job as a lady-in-waiting in the palace also fell through, leaving her with no choice but to marry a junior officer in the Beijing garrison.

The hatred in her heart was unimaginable.

Now that everyone is arranging for other girls to enter the palace, in her view, what difference is there between this and taking away her own daughter's chance to enter the palace? So naturally, she strongly opposes it.

However, this matter was decided by several masters from the East and West mansions.

Even Grandmother Jia couldn't object, so Lady Wang could only verbally object, which had no real impact.

After Mrs. Wang was forcibly persuaded, another problem arose.

So, which maid should be chosen to be sent to the palace?

On this issue, the East Mansion simply did not get involved, because the East Mansion's young lady, Fourth Sister, was still a little baby who needed to be taken care of. She was too young to be sent into the palace.

So, in the end, it became a question of whether to give away Jia She's daughter, Jia Yingchun, or Jia Zheng's daughter, Jia Tanchun.

Jia She certainly wanted to send his daughter to the palace.

In his opinion, the second daughter was older, sensible and caring, so it was just right to send her to the palace.

Moreover, Er Ya Tou and Prince Su are of similar age, making it easier for them to get along.

Jia Zheng naturally hoped that his youngest daughter, Jia Tanchun, could enter the palace.

Logically speaking, Jia Yingchun is more suitable than Jia Tanchun.

First of all, there's their background; both of them were born out of wedlock.

However, compared to their father's side, Jia She inherited the title of Rongguo Mansion, and legally, he was the eldest son of the Rongguo Mansion.

Jia Zheng was only the second son and did not inherit any rights in the Jia family.

Apart from being granted the title of Assistant Minister, there was nothing else.

Therefore, Jia Tanchun was of lower status than Jia Yingchun.

Secondly, in terms of age, Jia Yingchun is the older sister, while Jia Tanchun is the younger sister.

In a normal family, there's no reason to skip the older sister and arrange for the younger sister first.

However, in the Jia family, there was a biased old lady, so things couldn't be done according to common sense.

The conflict between Jia She and Jia Zheng escalated to the point that it reached the old lady's ears.

As before, the old lady favored Jia Zheng. She made the decision directly, allowing the younger Tan Chun to enter the palace.

So when it came to Tan Chun entering the palace, apart from her mother, Aunt Zhao, who was truly happy, few others cared.

Moreover, they believed that it would be difficult for a young girl like Tan Chun to stand out in the palace.

Even with family backing, it can take three to five years to get a significant role.

Therefore, after sending Tan Chun into the palace, they didn't pay much attention to her for the time being, let alone prepare gifts for her.

However, what they didn't expect was that Prince Su was someone who didn't play by the rules.

Just because Tan Chun and he were born on the same day, he sent someone to the Jia family mansion to ask for gifts for Tan Chun.

This resulted in the Jia family being completely at a loss when they heard the news.

It wasn't that they didn't know what gifts to give; the main problem was that they hadn't prepared any of those things at all.

So as soon as the messenger left, Grandmother Jia summoned all the masters of the mansion to Rongxi Hall to discuss what to do.
Grandmother Jia sat at the head of the table and said, "Now that everything has been explained, what do you all think we should do?"

When asked by Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang and Lady Xing remained as still as two clay Buddha statues, completely ignoring her words.

Jia She also seemed not to have heard, only Jia Zheng looked up at the old lady, but didn't know what to say.

As for Li Wan, Wang Xifeng, and Jia Lian, they didn't dare to interrupt at this time.

Looking at the servants' expressions, Grandmother Jia snorted angrily and said:

"They're usually so eloquent, but when trouble comes, they all become like gourds with their mouths sawed off."

After speaking to everyone, Grandmother Jia then addressed Lady Wang specifically:
"You are the steward's wife and the mother of Sanya, so this matter must be decided by you." Madam Wang was extremely unwilling for Tanchun to go to the palace, and wished that Tanchun would suffer in the palace. She would never send gifts to Tanchun to go to the palace.

So she raised her head and softly said to Grandmother Jia:

"Grandma, logically speaking, it should be my job to worry about these things."

"But you know the rules of the household, Madam. In previous years, when it was Third Sister's birthday, the household would just prepare a few tables of food and the family would all have a good time."

"If there are gifts, they are just a few small trinkets; there's no such thing as preparing special gifts."

What Lady Wang meant was that when Tan Chun was in the mansion, she was just a maid that no one valued, so who would prepare gifts for her?

After hearing her words, Madam Xing across from her interjected, "Third Miss has entered the palace, and things are different now. Madam must not underestimate her."

Madam Wang glanced at Madam Xing and said, "Madam, please don't wrong me. When Third Sister was in the manor, I didn't see many people paying attention to her."

"Now it's all my fault."

"Furthermore, who could have predicted that this third girl would have such a prestigious position as soon as she entered the palace, and that the prince would send someone to ask her for a birthday gift?"

"Even if I had the greatest ability, where would I find these gifts in such a hurry?"

Madam Wang is telling everyone that this is not her fault alone, and that everyone shares responsibility.

Now, when it comes to giving gifts, everyone should participate together.

After hearing this, Grandmother Jia said, "You shouldn't complain about how hard you've worked in front of this old lady."

"You did this for my sake, old lady?"

"Think about it carefully. Even if Sanya gains prestige in the palace, in the end, isn't it you, as her mother, who benefits from it?"

"But if you don't handle it properly, and the palace blames you, you'll be the one who suffers the consequences."

Lady Wang replied, "What the old lady said makes sense, but by the time the news came out of the palace, it was already very late."

"They also need to get the items in before the palace gates are locked. Time is so tight, and the mansion has not prepared anything."

"Even if the old lady asked me to do it now, I couldn't do it."

Grandmother Jia said, "I'm not forcing you. It's just that the messenger said that Prince Su and Third Sister were born on the same day. Prince Su only allowed our family to send things into the palace because of this."

"Today's gift appears to be for the Third Sister, but it is actually for Prince Su."

"If our family does a perfunctory job, it will surely displease Prince Su."

"If this causes other trouble and implicates the master, let's see how you handle it."

After Grandmother Jia finished speaking, Lady Wang said, "Grandmother, you don't need to worry. If there is any punishment in the palace, I will take it."

With Lady Wang acting so shamelessly, Grandmother Jia had no choice but to give up.

Wang Xifeng stood beside the old lady, serving her. Originally, she had no say in today's events, but things were about to get tense.

She wisely stepped forward and said:

"Oh dear, madam, why are you both so worried about this? There's always a way to resolve everything."

When Grandmother Jia heard Wang Xifeng interrupt, she said to her, "Feng'er, judging from your tone, have you thought of any good ideas?"

Wang Xifeng said with a smile, "Grandma, I have actually thought of a way, but I don't know if it will work."

Grandmother Jia said, "If you have any ideas, just tell me."

Wang Xifeng said, "Then I'll be bold and say it. Please don't laugh at me, Grandmother and Madam."

Grandmother Jia said, "Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me quickly."

Wang Xifeng said with a smile, "The news from the palace came so quickly that the household didn't prepare anything, and it's too late to go and buy anything now."

"However, a few days ago, the old lady and her wife packed several cartloads of gifts for Lin Daiyu in Yangzhou, which happened to be stored in the warehouse."

"Why not take a few items from these cartloads of gifts and send them to the palace for emergency use?"

"As for the few items that Lin Daiyu is missing, we can send someone to buy them tomorrow."

As soon as Wang Xifeng finished speaking, Grandmother Jia slapped her thigh and said with a smile, "Feng'er is so clever. How come I didn't think of that?"

After praising Wang Xifeng, Grandmother Jia said to the others, "Tell me your opinion, is Feng's idea feasible?"

Madam Wang remained silent, but Madam Xing took over the conversation, saying:
"Grandma, Feng's idea is excellent; it has solved the immediate crisis for the household."

"In my opinion, since the idea came from Feng, we should let Feng handle this matter."

After Madam Xing finished speaking, the room fell silent for a moment.

Lady Wang glanced at Lady Xing calmly, while Grandmother Jia also looked thoughtful.

Only Wang Xifeng, with her limited experience, looked on with anticipation.

After thinking for a moment, Grandmother Jia said, "Feng'er has been in the mansion for quite some time now, and she has helped Madam with a few things. She is steady and capable in her work and is a good housekeeper."

"I've been thinking of finding her something to do for a long time, but I haven't had the chance."

"It just so happens that this matter came up today, and since the First Madam mentioned it again, I've entrusted this matter to Feng'er."

"If this matter is handled well, then Feng'er will be allowed to manage the household under Madam's supervision from now on."

Grandmother Jia's words were ostensibly addressed to Wang Xifeng, but in reality, they were a warning to Lady Wang.

(End of this chapter)