Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 29 The Sky Collapses at Rongguo Mansion
Rongguo Mansion,
In Rong Xi Hall, Jia's grandmother was dressed in a new outfit, a brown-green double-breasted long gown with an ivory lining and decorated with golden cloud patterns. She wore a gilded crown inlaid with gems on her head, looking graceful and luxurious.

In recent days, the Rongguo Mansion has not had any good news. Instead, it has suffered several setbacks, which has made Grandmother Jia feel depressed and unhappy.

In order to ease her mood, Lady Jia dressed up for the occasion today and invited the wives of the four kings, eight dukes and twelve marquises, all of whom were nobles, to come to her house to enjoy the flowers.

The beginning of summer is the season for flower viewing, and Grandmother Jia also wanted to use this opportunity to reconnect with the various families in the family.

Exiting the lobby, between the courtyards, on the green grass, with a large floor-to-ceiling screen behind, a number of banquets were laid out on both sides.

Fruits, water and wine have been prepared on the table, and everything is ready, waiting for the guests.

Grandmother Jia looked at the lake in the distance. Many lotus buds had sprouted, and she felt a little elated.

"A beautiful scene should be the subject of poetry."

Grandmother Jia, leaning on a pear wood phoenix-head crutch and supported by Yuanyang on the other side, slowly walked down the stone steps.

At that moment, a little maid suddenly ran in from outside, threw herself at Grandmother Jia's feet and said, "Grandma, the old lady of the Duke of Zhenguo sent a message saying that she is not feeling well, and has returned the invitation. She will come another day."

Hearing this, Grandmother Jia frowned and looked a little unhappy.

Not only did he return the invitation, but he also didn't even bother to give any gifts instead. That's really a lack of etiquette.

Since they were all from military families, and perhaps they were not as thorough as she was, Grandmother Jia stopped arguing and said calmly, "Well, it's only one family missing, it's not a big deal."

As soon as the voice fell, another little maid ran in, "Grandpa, the old lady of Duke Liguo sent a message saying that she was not feeling well and returned the invitation. She said she would come with all the female relatives in the mansion another day."

Jia's mother's eyebrows were furrowed, and they were wrinkled into a shape of "川" (a character on the left). "So he sent a letter?"

The little maid nodded nervously.

Grandmother Jia has been in charge of Rongguo Mansion for decades. She has never been looked down upon like this before. She was already feeling angry.

At the same time, many maids came running in from outside and knelt on the ground like the two before.

Before the maids could say anything, Grandmother Jia angrily asked, "Are they all returning the invitations?"

The kneeling maids all nodded like chicks pecking at rice.

Grandmother Jia held her breath and did not lose her temper in public. She turned around and was about to go back to her room. Before she took a step, she heard a burst of crying coming from outside the courtyard.

It wasn't just one or two people crying, but a whole group of people.

Jia She, who was in the lead, had his second wife, Lady Xing, Lady Wang, and a group of housekeepers' wives, as well as Jia Zheng and a group of male men in the mansion, who were also in the team, all with sad faces.

If these people changed their attire, someone who didn't know would think they were there to mourn for her.

Grandmother Jia was furious. She pounded her cane a few times and shouted, "Why are you crying? I am not dead yet!"

Jia Zheng stepped forward and said sadly, "Madam, something happened to the old master. At the court this morning, it was said that the old master was defeated in the battle and has been captured by the northern barbarians. His life or death is unknown!"

After saying this, Jia Zheng could no longer bear the grief in his heart and shed two lines of tears.

There was a loud bang in Jia's mother's head, like a thunderclap out of nowhere. Her eyes rolled back, her knees went weak, and she staggered.

If it weren't for the mandarin duck's quick eyes and hands, he would have fallen backwards to the ground.

Yuanyang called out anxiously, "Grandfather, Grandfather! Someone come quickly and help Grandfather into the house!"

The fainting of Jia's mother aggravated the crying in the mansion. Everyone hurriedly carried Jia's mother into the room, and then knelt down under the bed, sobbing.

Without the old master, there is no one in the Jia family who holds an official position, and no one can support the family. Naturally, the four kings and eight dukes will not rush to make friends with them.

After a while, Grandmother Jia regained consciousness after being fed some sweet water.

Lying on the bed, he said weakly, "Stop making trouble, go back and close the door quietly, and take care of your own affairs. Before we meet the old master himself, everything is uncertain. The old master is a person with great blessings, and there are people in the temple who will protect him from disasters. The Jia family has donated so much incense, so he will naturally be able to turn danger into safety."

Mrs. Xing cried bitterly and climbed to the edge of Grandmother Jia's bed. She held Grandmother Jia's hand tightly and said, "Grandfather, the old master has just been sent to the border. If something happens to the old master, how can he explain to His Royal Highness Prince Kang? What can he do..."

"If he dies, I will not live either..."

Looking at this vulgar daughter-in-law of the eldest house, Jia's mother felt powerless. "His Royal Highness Prince Kang is not a short-sighted person. He will not resort to private punishment at will. Well, let's go back first and wait for the master to come back..."

Jia Baoyu also cried bitterly and came forward, lying on Grandmother Jia, "Grandma, I won't leave. I will stay here with you and take care of you."

Grandmother Jia rubbed the back of Baoyu's neck with a loving look on her face. "You should be a good and filial child. Okay, okay, stay. The old ancestor will not want to let you go..."

The Rongguo Mansion, which looked magnificent in appearance, now seemed to be in jeopardy due to wind and rain, and everyone there had lost their noble airs.

……

Datong Prefecture,
One person played the good guy and the other played the bad guy. After sending Jia She away, King Kang was in a bad mood for several days.

He embarked on a road of no return, but it was also the road closest to the throne.

One morning, in the meeting hall,
Du Ke, King Kang's most trusted aide, is still giving him advice.

"This time, just as we expected, His Majesty did not take away your military token, which gave us a chance to catch our breath."

"Yin and Yang complement each other, complement each other and restrain each other. As the saying goes, you are in me and I am in you. Although I am losing now, I also have advantages."

King Kang perked up a bit and asked, "What do you mean by that, sir?"

Du Ke said eloquently: "Your Highness lost a battle and lost some soldiers and horses, including an unknown number of armors. And what Your Highness lacks is also armors. The warriors of the Qin Palace are indeed brave, but they are also based on the premise that they have a full set of armor."

"Your Highness also needs to station troops and raise soldiers to strengthen his power in the capital."

King Kang hesitated and said, "Weapons and armor are not ordinary things. This matter needs to be carefully considered."

At the right time, someone from the hall came with a message and the messenger brought him there.

King Kang and Du Ke exchanged glances and went to the warm room behind the hall, leaving Du Ke alone to receive the envoy.

Led by the personal guards, a sturdy man took off his bamboo hat, revealing a fur coat and half of his body.

In a moment, a strong smell of sheep spread throughout the hall.

Du Ke rubbed the tip of his nose, and said to the messenger with all his strength, "This warrior, I haven't asked for your name yet."

The visitor looked around, smacked his lips, sat down in the main seat, picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, and spit it back.

"The Han people just like to drink this bland stuff, it's tasteless. To be honest, this mansion is nice, much better than the Khan's tent. It turns out that doing business can only make the Han people richer and richer. It's right to rob the Han people."

(End of this chapter)