Quick Wear: Men Farming and Women Weaving

Chapter 216: Red Mansion Lady Xing 36

Xing Yuling slightly opened her eyes and looked at the departing figure with a dazed look. There was a hint of bitterness on her face, but it seemed that she was hiding some unspeakable emotions. As he gradually went away, Xing Yuling's eyes gradually became clearer, as if she had woken up from a dream.

She blinked her eyes gently, trying to wake herself up completely, but the alcohol still made her mind a little dull, and everything in front of her seemed blurry and unreal.

As she gradually regained consciousness, she didn't know how to explain why this man suddenly appeared and said those words to her.

The two met when they were newly married and had a good impression of each other, but due to various reasons, they missed their destiny.

Xing Yuling's heart was filled with sorrow. Her heart was full of contradictions and struggles, and she didn't know how to choose.

She had long realized that Jia She knew about it, but he chose to conceal it.

At this moment, Jia Ying, who was less than ten years old and far away in Liangzhou, had a more mature and steady face, especially his eyes, which were as deep as the starry sky, making it difficult to fathom the deep meaning in them. After a few years, he had gradually adapted to this new environment and began to show amazing talent and wisdom. Today, Jia Ying is no longer the child who had just arrived, but a young man full of confidence and determination.

As time went by, all the former prince's forces also submitted to him. These former princes were now loyal to him and willing to work for him. This greatly increased Jia Ying's strength and made his dark power more stable.

In the imperial palace in the capital, he has spies in all the ministers' mansions. The leader of the palace guards, Chen Liyun, is a secret agent left behind by the late crown prince. With the token of the late crown prince, he now obeys Jia Ying's orders.

Yang Jie, the governor of Jiangnan, treated Jia Ying like his own little master. In order to repay the prince's kindness, Yang Jie tried his best to control the salt tax in Jiangnan and the merchant ships on the Grand Canal.

As one of the important sources of national fiscal revenue, the importance of salt tax is self-evident. As an important source of salt tax, the Jiangnan region is coveted and fought for by various forces. However, Yang Jie successfully defended this land with his wisdom and courage and firmly grasped the salt tax in his hands.

At the same time, as a major transportation route connecting the north and the south, the Grand Canal was frequented by merchant ships, which not only brought goods and wealth from various places, but also brought businessmen from ministers and princes.

Nowadays, the situation in the court is becoming more and more complicated. The older the emperor gets, the more intense the fights between the princes become.

Jia Ying heard a shocking news: the emperor was going to promote Jia Yuanchun, the second wife of Rongguo Mansion, to the rank of Concubine Xiande! This was a big deal! Moreover, she was promoted from a female official beside Concubine Zhen to the rank of Concubine, which was too sudden. However, Jia Ying also got some inside information from the secret sources in the palace - it turned out that the title of "Concubine Xiande" did not have a good meaning, but was a posthumous title.

Posthumous titles are usually given to people who have already passed away, so Jia Yuanchun may have been a predestined death in the eyes of the emperor. The emperor secretly decided to take action against the power of the retired emperor - the four major families. These four families have always been supporters and advocates of the retired emperor. They have great power and wealth, posing a threat to the throne. If their power is not weakened, his rule will be seriously affected. So he began to plan an elaborate operation to eradicate the influence of these four major families.

Jia Ying was filled with worry and anxiety, as he missed Xing Yuling who was far away in Rongguo Mansion, and Jia She, whom he regarded as his father. He passed the information in his hand to Xing Yuling through the secret guard.

More than ten days later, Xing Yuling received a letter from her son. She looked at the envelope in her hand, as if she had already known what was going on and was not surprised at all.

Under her subtle hints, the shops she brought with her as a dowry and the shops that cooperated with Xing Dequan began to prepare for the upcoming imperial visit. They collected all kinds of exotic flowers and plants, strange mountains and rocks, which were all needed for the imperial visit. They sold the exotic flowers and plants they prepared to them and made a considerable fortune. After all, these concubines would not be stingy with money. As long as they could please the emperor, everything would be worth it.

Afterwards, the palace issued an imperial decree to confer the title of Consort Xian De, and everyone in Rongguo Mansion was filled with jubilation.

Mrs. Wang was so proud that her tail was raised to the sky, and she even glanced at Xing Yuling.

As Jia Yuanchun became favored, Jia Baoyu's status in Rongguo Mansion began to rise. Grandmother Jia became more and more fond of Baoyu and even seemed to give up on Lin Daiyu.

Xing Yuling watched all this silently. She knew that the glory of the Jia family was only temporary and the future was full of uncertainties. She couldn't help but think of Jia Ying's letter, and she became more worried that the first house would be implicated.

Sure enough, within half a month, the palace issued an order for the concubines to return home to visit their families.

The news made the whole Jia Mansion excited. After Jia's mother led everyone to express gratitude, they began to get busy preparing for Yuanchun's visit. Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng regretted giving up their management power and began to work hard with the second house to help build the villa for the visit. Jia Zhen and Jia Lian from the West House were responsible for supervising the progress of the project.

At the same time, the women in the Jia family also began to dress up carefully, looking forward to the moment of meeting Yuanchun. They hoped to show their most beautiful side and leave a deep impression on Yuanchun. Xing Yuling seemed particularly calm, as she knew that this visit was not just a family gathering, but also a political show. All she had to do was keep a low profile and not attract anyone's attention.

In the Jia Mansion, all the family members gathered in the main hall of the Rongguo Mansion to discuss how much money to pay. Everyone sat together with serious expressions, and the atmosphere was tense and solemn. Jia She, Jia Zheng, Jia Zhen and other elders sat in the upper seats, and the others took their seats in turn. Everyone had a worried look on their face, because they knew it was not a small amount of money, but they had to pay.

Jia She said shamelessly that this was the daughter of his second wife, not his daughter, but considering that she was his niece, he was willing to pay 30,000 taels of silver.

Grandmother Jia sat on the couch, her face solemn, her brows furrowed, her eyes gloomily staring at her eldest son Jia She standing below. Her lips trembled slightly, revealing her inner anger and disappointment.

Jia She sensed his mother's displeasure and drank his tea indifferently.

Grandmother Jia took a deep breath and said in a stern tone: "In our Jia family, we all prosper and suffer together. As long as Yuanchun is favored in the palace, are we afraid of not getting anything in return?!" Her voice was full of majesty and firmness, as if warning Jia She not to forget the family's interests and glory.

Mrs. Wang interrupted and said, "If Yuanchun can be favored by the emperor, the Jia family will naturally benefit greatly. They will not forget the help of their uncle."

"Sister-in-law, you may have forgotten that the real eldest granddaughter of Rongguo Mansion is Yingchun. When she reaches the age, she will participate in the general election, while your Yuanchun is just a minor one and will be a palace maid."

Xing Yuling couldn't stand Mrs. Wang's lies. If Yuanchun really became favored, the heir to the Rongguo Mansion might not be the eldest wife's.