Xia Lu calculated that concubine Liu's child should be Yingchun,
Yingchun was coming,
Then it was Xue Baochai's turn. After Xue Baochai was Jia Baoyu,
As far as she knew, Jia Zheng and the Jia Wang Clan were really incompatible because of Jia Zhu. Under such circumstances,
If Jia Baoyu was born,
That would be quite rare.
Jia Fengshi had married the Empress, so she was not so rough with the two concubines. Therefore, Mother Jia looked at her in a new light, even though the two concubines were given by her,
However, the child she gave birth to was only a son of a concubine. If it was not for the fact that she wanted to wash away the stain on her son's head of being useless, would the child be able to survive,
To her..,
She did not care very much,
If the child was born..,
Then she would take good care of it,
Anyway, Rongguo Province did not lack this food.
Ningguo Province was as usual,
Rongguo Province finished this year in a bustling manner, and soon it was the next year. From this year onwards, the Emperor did not send the princes to Ningguo Province. After all, the princes had grown up, and it was not appropriate to send them anymore. Before Jia Zhen could stay in the Hanlin Academy for three years, he was directly sent to the Ministry of Revenue by the Minister of Revenue. Now, he had become the director of the Ministry of Revenue. The Ministry of Revenue was not like the Hanlin Academy, and Jia Zhen did not have much time to teach the princes.
As for why Jia Zhen returned to the Ministry of Revenue, the main reason was that the weather had been good for the past two years. The tribes outside the pass in the north had raised their warhorses and started to stir again. Who knew when they would start fighting again. Therefore, the Ministry of Revenue had to urgently prepare food and provisions for the army, and the Ministry of War had to urgently recruit soldiers. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War were now in short supply of talents. During the morning court, the Minister of Revenue directly asked the Emperor for people and sent Jia Zhen to the Ministry of War. This made Jia Jing so angry that he almost quarreled with the Minister of Revenue in the court.
After Jia Zhen received the imperial edict, he was very upset. In his heart, he was already cursing the eighteen generations of the Minister of Revenue's ancestors. With this, his plan was completely disrupted. He wanted to retire peacefully in the Ministry of Rites under his father's protection. He didn't want to go to the Ministry of Revenue at all. This kind of thankless department was strenuous and thankless.
"Tell me, do those tribes outside the pass in the north have nothing better to do? It was not easy for the weather to be good for the past two years, but they started to stir up trouble again. Instead of thinking of ways to save more food and provisions, they wanted to take advantage of the free wind. If it were not for them, I would be waiting step by step for my father to arrange things for me. "Jia Zhen was very angry. He felt that the Minister of Revenue was hateful, but the tribes outside the pass in the north were even more hateful. If it were not for them, he would not have come to the Ministry of Revenue.
"Why do I feel that the Minister of Revenue has been eyeing you for a long time? He just happened to have this opportunity to quickly poach you to the Ministry of Revenue to prevent any undue delay. After all, after you go to the Ministry of Rites, you will be completely under the Old Master's protection. It will not be so easy for him to ask for people at this time." Xia Lu shrugged. He thought about the cooperation between this guy and the Emperor. The shop in Xiaolan Village was now making a lot of money every day. Wouldn't the Minister of Revenue be envious? If he did not quickly poach such a talented person who could make money to the Ministry of Revenue, it would not be in line with his style of doing things.
Jia Zhen's expression changed. He said angrily, "I knew that old man was up to no good."
"You want to take revenge?" Xia Lu said with a smile.
"You have an idea?" Jia Zhen's eyes lit up. He looked at Xia Lu. He had suffered such a big loss. If he did not get back at them, he would not be able to take it lying down.
"The people in the north can only take revenge after the war is won," Xia Lu said.
"What do you mean?" Jia Zhen looked at Xia Lu.
"Do you know what war reparations are?" Xia Lu's eyes flashed.
"War reparations?" Jia Zhen was a little confused.
"Throughout history, when we fought with other countries and won a war, we always signed some kind of treaty of friendship. When the other countries bowed down to us, our country would reward them with gold, silver, and jewelry. What's more, some countries that lost the war even married each other in order to maintain diplomatic relations. Our country even had to compensate them with a princess. Why? We clearly won the war, so shouldn't they compensate us for our losses? Our losses in manpower, material resources, and financial resources should all be counted on them. Because of the war, our country had to take many risks. They have to compensate us. If they can't compensate us with gold, silver, and jewelry, then compensate us with war horses. If they don't play for a year, then let's wait for two or three years. Let's see if they still have the time to fight with us. "Xia Lu remembered that he had learned about the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China in his previous life. He was furious. Why did they have to pay attention to a person in formal clothes? They were clearly the victims, but in the end, they still had to compensate us with money and land.
Jia Zhen thought about it. That's right. Why? Jia Zhen narrowed his eyes. He would remember this debt first. When they won the war, he would give them a discount. "What about that old man, the Minister of Revenue?"
"He calculated it back. Come closer," Xia Lu said with a smile.
Jia Zhen put his ear in front of Xia Lu and listened to Xia Lu whispering in his ear.
"What?" Jia Zhen was stunned after hearing Xia Lu's words. He shouted directly.
"Lower your voice." Xia Lu glared at Jia Zhen. Why was this person so noisy? He was so surprised at such a small matter.
Jia Zhen's eyes widened. He quickly whispered, "You have the recipe for drying salt? Are you sure? " Jia Zhen was a little anxious. No matter what it was, it was a big deal. What was salt? It was as important as food.
"Well, tell me. You can give this recipe to the Minister of Revenue and deny that it is yours. What do you think?" Xia Lu raised his eyebrows.
"I'm convinced. Madam, please accept my bow." Jia Zhen smiled.
"You are my little Zheng 'er's wife. If someone bullies you, I have to help you get back at them, right?" Xia Lu hugged Jia Zhen's head and patted him on the head.
"Are you patting a dog? I am your Husband." Jia Zhen struggled his head out of Xia Lu's arms and then put Xia Lu on the bed. He had to let this person know who the real Husband was.
The next day, Jia Zhen took the recipe for drying salt written by Xia Lu and prepared to find an opportunity to put it in the hands of the Minister of Revenue.
After the Minister of Revenue finished his morning court session, he went to the Ministry of Revenue's yamen. After waiting for a whole day, Jia Zhen finally got the opportunity. He deliberately made a scene and passed by the Minister of Revenue. He stuffed the recipe for drying salt into the Minister of Revenue's hands.
Jia Zhen smiled. He did not have to worry that the Minister of Revenue would take out the note and study it in public. For a person as smart as the Minister of Revenue, when he received this kind of note, the first thing he would think of was that Jia Zhen had passed him some secret information. He would definitely find a place where no one was around and read the content of the note before deciding how to deal with this matter. Therefore, this was a serious conspiracy.
Seeing that the Minister of Revenue accepted the note, Jia Zhen was in a very good mood. With the Minister of Revenue's character, would he be willing to let go of the salt merchant after obtaining this secret recipe? However, if he was unwilling to let go, he was bound to become the enemy of all the salt merchants in the world. He did not want to bear the consequences. Therefore, there was no need to talk about exchanging this recipe for riches and honor. This was a serious matter. You had to be alive to enjoy the riches and honor first, right? Their daughter-in-law was mighty. If a tiger did not show its might, did she really think that Ningguo Province was easy to scheme against?
After the Minister of Revenue saw the recipe for drying salt, his expression changed. Without thinking, he directly called Jia Zhen over.
"What recipe? I don't know. Don't push everything to me just because I just came to the Ministry of Revenue. When the time comes, I will complain to my father. "Jia Zhen raised his eyebrows and said.
"You still want to pretend? Isn't this your recipe? "The Minister of Revenue showed the note to Jia Zhen.
"It's so far away. Just by looking at the handwriting, it's obvious that it's not mine. Don't blame it on me." Jia Zhen was unhappy. She directly turned her head to the side. So what if it's mine?
At this moment, the Minister of Revenue understood that this little brat was setting a trap for him. Now, he was being pecked in the eye by the wild goose. How could he have forgotten that this little brat was the son of that old fox, Jia Jing? How could he be stupid? "Are you taking revenge on me for forcing you to come to the Ministry of Revenue? How could you take revenge like this?"
"Don't. I'm very happy to be able to come to the Ministry of Revenue. Lord He, my father has already told me to learn from you. I will definitely do my best to learn from you, no matter what." Jia Zhen raised his eyebrows.
"Little fox, you are indeed your father's good son." The Minister of Revenue was furious.
"Me too. I think I am my father's good son. Lord He, I will take my leave first." Jia Zhen proudly left the Minister of Revenue's office, leaving the Minister of Revenue alone. He looked at the recipe in his hand, not knowing what to do.
"Little fox, you are really giving me a difficult problem." If Jia Zhen could think of something, how could the Minister of Revenue not think of it? If he succeeded according to the recipe, it would definitely be a great thing that would go down in history. However, that would only be his reputation. As long as this recipe was presented, from that day onwards, he would have to worry about whether his head would still be there the next day. The Minister of Revenue looked at Jia Zhen's back and shook his head.
Now that the recipe was in the hands of the Minister of Revenue, he had to carefully consider how to present it. Now that the North was eyeing them covetously, he could not make any big moves for the time being. This would destabilize the people's hearts and it would be inappropriate. If he wanted to deal with this matter, he would have to wait until the North settled down before secretly presenting it to the Emperor.
As for the recipe, the Jia family really did not care about this merit. After all, the Jia family was now not the declining Jia family in the original novel. The Jia family's favor was still there. Jia Jing and Jia Zhen were now officials in the court. Moreover, they had a bit of relationship with the four princes. With such a great merit, it would really be too great to shock the Emperor. The Emperor already had no reward for the Jia family.
After the Jia Zhen gave the recipe to the Minister of Revenue, he did not care about this matter anymore. Instead, he put his mind on official business. The Ministry of Revenue was not like the Hanlin Academy where he had been before. As everyone knew, the Hanlin Academy was noble and really leisurely. However, the Ministry of Revenue was different. The Ministry of Revenue was really busy. The Ministry of Revenue was in charge of the country's territory, fields, household registration, taxes, salaries and all financial matters. Generally, the people in the Ministry of Revenue worked as two people. Even though he had just joined the Ministry of Revenue, there were so many things in his hands that he could not finish. The Jia Zhen hated it so much that he did not even have the time to accompany his wife.
Compared to the Jia Zhen who was busy, Xia Lu was much more leisurely. Now that the prince did not come to their residence, the children were usually taught by teachers and did not need Xia Lu to take care of them. When the lessons were over, the Jia Zhen would help teach them. Xia Lu could completely let go and did not need to take care of the children. The only one who needed Xia Lu's care was Jia Qiang. She was about to turn one year old. However, because he still had to observe filial piety for his parents, he could not hold a big birthday party.
As Xia Lu had more time, he was often called over by Mother Jia. As for why she called him Xia Lu, firstly, Mother Jia really did not have anyone else to talk to. Secondly, Mother Jia was old and did not like to go out and participate in gatherings. Thirdly, her status was high. Except for the royal family, everyone else had to respect her and treat her like a Bodhisattva. How could Mother Jia be happy? After a few times, she did not like to go out and socialize even more.
"You brought Qiang 'er here? Come over and let Old Ancestor take a look. "Mother Jia hurriedly said when she saw Jia Qiang in the hands of the old servant behind Xia Lu.
"I brought him out for a walk. In two months, he will be one year old. Because he is still in mourning, we can't hold a big celebration. When the time comes, we can hold a banquet and invite Old Madam and the rest to the East Residence for a simple meal." Xia Lu asked the old servant to hand the child over to Mother Jia.
"That's the only way. This child also has a hard life." Mother Jia took Jia Qiang. Thinking of Jia Lin and his wife, she sighed.
"Isn't that so?" Until now, Xia Lu was still brooding over Jia Liushi's death. To be honest, she was really too irresponsible. If you had died of illness, or if you had a difficult birth and left Jia Qiang behind, it was reasonable for her, as the matron of the Jia family, to take good care of Jia Qiang. The problem was that you had already safely given birth to the child, yet you still chose to hang yourself. Have you ever thought about the child?
"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. This child is lucky to have met you. If it were someone else, some short-sighted people might not be able to raise him." Mother Jia touched Jia Qiang's ignorant little face. She was also very dissatisfied with Jia Liushi.
"Perhaps this child is under the protection of his biological grandfather and father. His body is rarely healthy. I'm relieved." Compared to his grandfather and father, Jia Qiang's body was many times stronger. Even if he was not one year old yet, he rarely fell sick. It was a pleasant surprise.
"This is also because you know how to raise children. Look at those children. Which one of them isn't strong and strong? Just looking at them makes people happy." Mother Jia really admired Xia Lu's means of raising children.
"Old Ancestor, why are you always watching those children? Isn't Concubine Liu in the fu about to give birth? When the time comes, the fu will have another addition. "Xia Lu smiled.
Mother Jia's expression was a little ugly. "Having a new addition is a happy thing. It's just that some people are restless and ambitious. Forget it. Anyway, once the child is born, he won't be short of food, right?" Thinking about those trivial matters in the Jia Xie's backyard, Mother Jia was a little unhappy. However, those two concubines were after all given to them by her. Now that the two of them were fighting fiercely, she was also embarrassed. However, this also showed that Jia Fengshi's means were really not good enough. The two of them had made the entire backyard a mess. As the mistress, she did not know how to suppress it.
Mother Jia really looked down on Jia Fengshi's means. Thinking about it, there were many people in the Jia Daishan's backyard. In the end, only three concubine daughters were left. Mother Jia, who had grown up, was extraordinarily skilled in internal strife. If you let two people fight, you could watch the fire from the other side of the river. However, you also had to have the ability to control the size of the fire. If the fire burned to the shore, there would be no place for you to hide.
"The child will be fine after he is born." Xia Lu said.
"When the child is born, we don't have to worry so much. Your Uncle and Aunt She are not capable enough, but they are still quite simple. Everything is written on their faces. They are much better than those who are sweet on the outside but bitter on the inside. She is also good to Lian 'er." Mother Jia could only comfort herself like this.
Xia Lu still wanted to say something, but at this time, Yuan Yang came in and said that the one in Fragrant Grass Courtyard had made a move.
Mother Jia nodded to show that she understood. Then she thought of something and asked, "Did Madam go?"
"This servant is not sure." Yuan Yang said.
"Go and watch." Jia Xie was a concubine giving birth. As the Dowager Duchess, there was no need for her to show her face. If the Dowager Duchess showed her face because of this concubine, unless there were no sons in the family and they were eager to know the child's gender, or if this concubine's status was not ordinary. For example, someone in the Dowager Duchess's family would go and take a look in order to raise her status. Other than that, there was no need for her to show her face. However, Jia Fengshi was different. She was the wife of the first wife and had to stay there. This was because this concubine's child was also her child.
"Yes." Yuan Yang went down.
"Tell me, is this child a boy or a girl?" Mother Jia asked with a smile.
"A boy." Xia Lu said without hesitation.
"I hope it's a girl." Mother Jia smiled and played with Jia Qiang in her arms.
Xia Lu raised her eyebrows. She immediately understood why Mother Jia wanted a girl. If it was a boy, and Jia Fengshi was smart, she would very likely raise the child under her knee. In the end, this child would be half a son of the first wife and would have an impact on Jia Lian in the future. If it was a girl, there would be no such concerns. "Children and grandchildren will have their own fortune. This time it's a boy, next time it may be a girl. This time it's a girl, next time it may be a boy. It's not like Uncle She can't have children. It's all the same."
"That's true." Mother Jia thought about it and felt that Xia Lu was right. Forget it.
Soon, Yuan Yang came back and whispered in Mother Jia's ear, "Madam hasn't gone yet."
"Idiot." Mother Jia scolded him in front of Xia Lu. One could imagine how angry she was now. "Go to Rongqing Hall personally and report this matter."
"Yes." Yuan Yang went out again.
"I've made a fool of myself." Mother Jia said.
"Don't mention it. Every family has its own difficulties. Ancestor, I've been out for a long time today. I'll go back first." Xia Lu said goodbye.
"Well, go." Mother Jia handed Jia Qiang to Mama.
"Madam, do you think it will be a boy or a girl?" Ziyuan was curious.
"Who cares? It's just that it's already March. The confinement is still comfortable. If it's another month, it will be hot." Xia Lu didn't answer the question and changed the topic.
"Isn't that so? It's late autumn now. It'll be summer soon. "Ziyuan successfully changed the topic.
As Xia Lu walked, she thought about Jia Fengshi in her heart. Last year, Jia Fengshi went to the palace. After she came back, the way she treated her concubines became more clever. Mother Jia vaguely said that the Empress had trained her. It seemed that the Empress's training was limited. When a concubine gave birth, you, as the wife, didn't even show your face. How could that be? With Jia Fengshi's character, it was estimated that the Empress had to be by her side all the time and teach her everything.
The next day, Xia Lu received the news that something had happened. The child was born, but Concubine Liu died of dystocia. Moreover, it was found that another concubine had bribed the midwife to do something.
"Eldest sister, what should we do?" Mother Jia looked at the baby girl and asked.
Jia Fengshi lowered her head and didn't speak.
Mother Jia sighed. Her eldest sister would suffer if she followed this stupid woman. "Since that's the case, eldest sister's concubine is gone, then she will follow this old woman. Concubine Liu is meritorious for giving birth to a child. In the future, we will move back to Jinling together. As for Madam Chen, because of jealousy, she will be sent directly to the government. As for you, as the head of the house, you didn't take care of the courtyard.
"Yes." Jia Fengshi was still a little unhappy. It was just a concubine. Was it necessary to punish her as well? However, seeing that the two concubines given by Mother Jia were gone, Jia Fengshi was finally relieved. She didn't have to fight with those two concubines.
After copying the Diamond Sutra, Jia Fengshi told the whole story to the Empress. She also said that the two concubines were finally gone. Everything was finally back to normal.
When the Empress saw the letter from her younger sister, she almost vomited blood. Her younger sister didn't learn these methods at home, but after being married for so many years, how could she still be so naive? Her mother-in-law had already reminded her, but she still refused to raise the concubine's daughter. Instead, she asked the old lady to raise her. Did her younger sister know how much her status as a concubine's daughter had risen? Who was the old lady? She was the wife of a duke. Even if she was a concubine's daughter, her future was not much worse than the daughter of the first wife.
If her younger sister was lucky enough to give birth to a child, in case she gave birth to a daughter, in the end, she was afraid that the concubine's daughter would surpass her. The Empress was speechless, but she couldn't blame Mother Jia. After all, Mother Jia had already hinted so clearly, but her younger sister still didn't say anything. What could she do?
As for letting other concubines raise the child, she had to figure out what this child represented first. This child was not an ordinary concubine's daughter. This child was the one who washed away the stain on the Marquis's name. She was a meritorious person. How could ordinary concubines raise her?
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
