Chapter 116: Order the Rongguo Mansion to prepare 30,000 taels of gold. "You are loyal and brave..."

The ownership of the Grand View Garden was decided in just a few words, without even considering the Jia family. Thinking back to when she was in the Jia family, listening to those people boast, even though she is now the wife of the Earl of Zhongyong and often visits the palace, Lin Daiyu still felt a strange feeling.

What the outside world says is completely different from what the Jia family says, and what the Jia family themselves claim is also different.

The Empress changed the subject again: "The Marquis of Zhongyong is going to take a two-week break. You're not going to take a two-week break too, are you? Xining and Luojia have no one to teach them, and after two weeks their handwriting looks like a dog's scribbles."

This is clearly a joke.

Even though she knew she would be laughed at, Lin Daiyu still said earnestly, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for taking half a month's leave. I just got married, and there are so many things to do at home."

The Emperor and Empress laughed. Mu Chuan, with his loyal and honest face and deep, trustworthy voice, said, "That's right. I haven't visited my godfather's house yet. I still need to go back to my hometown to pay respects to my ancestors. The Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner, and I still have gifts to arrange."

Upon hearing this, the Empress not only felt a little guilty for bullying an honest person, but also had a slight headache. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the four major festivals, and the palace would send out quite a few festival gifts.

After exchanging a few words, it was lunchtime. The Emperor smiled and said, "The Empress has never eaten with the Marquis of Zhongyong, has she? Every time I eat with the Marquis of Zhongyong, I can eat half a bowl more."

The group went to a side hall, where eunuchs quickly brought up the food. There was duck and yellow croaker, which were good for autumn nourishment, as well as poria cocos and yam cakes, and so on.

The Empress smiled when she saw the bowl Mu Chuan was using, and asked Lin Daiyu, "Does he eat like this at home?"

Lin Daiyu replied, "Is Your Highness asking about the first bowl or the second bowl?"

"Can he eat a second bowl?"

Lin Daiyu smiled, remembering the time she ate with her third brother. He ate bowl after bowl until she was sleepy.

Looking back now, it was clearly just to get her attention.

Thinking this through, Lin Daiyu smiled and looked at Mu Chuan: "Third Brother, eat slowly."

After finishing their meal and drinking half a cup of tea to aid digestion, Mu Chuan and Lin Daiyu got up to take their leave after exchanging a few more words.

"Next, let's go to the Daming Palace to pay our respects to the Emperor Emeritus."

Today's experiences were quite novel for Lin Daiyu.

She knew her third brother was favored, which was evident from the gifts bestowed upon him by the higher authorities, the granting of the title of County Lady, the issuance of calligraphy scrolls for her, and the permission for her to marry into the Imperial Clan Court.

But when they actually ate and talked together, she realized what it meant to be truly pampered.

There was even a place for her third brother to rest in the Daming Palace.

The emperor and the retired emperor that she met with her third brother were completely different people from the ones her maternal grandmother had told her about.

Lin Daiyu sighed softly. No one would dare to impersonate the emperor and the retired emperor; it could only be her maternal grandmother lying.

The two were already sitting in the carriage on their way home. Mu Chuan squeezed her hand: "Tired? Let me rub your back."

That bit of worry vanished instantly. Lin Daiyu, being very alert, pulled her hand away: "When are we going to your godfather's house?"

"I'll go the day after tomorrow." Mu Chuan didn't hesitate and said, "Although I've recognized my adoptive father, my dad is still a bit unhappy, so I'll go the day after tomorrow. After dinner, we'll go straight back to Linjia Village. You've never traveled at night before, have you? You can sleep in the carriage and arrive in one night."

Traveling at night was a dangerous thing in Lin Daiyu's mind. When her father was still the salt commissioner, he rarely took her out after dark.

But... if you really do encounter bandits, Third Brother is the most dangerous one.

Lin Daiyu glanced at Mu Chuan's strong and powerful body and laughed, "You said you would take me to see a play."

"No rush." ​​Mu Chuan pulled her hand again. "We can go to Fragrant Hills to see the autumn leaves this year. We have a lifetime to explore it at our own pace."

These words immediately brought tears to Lin Daiyu's eyes.

It's all Third Brother's fault!

"Where are your parents?" Lin Daiyu suddenly remembered. "We're going to see your godfather, and we'll be traveling at night. Where are your parents?"

"They left yesterday to go back and prepare."

Lin Daiyu's expression immediately became indescribable: "Why didn't you say anything? You should have sent it."

Her furrowed brows were quite endearing. Mu Chuan said, "There aren't any special rules. My parents go back often. My mother loves to show off; she knows some older women in the village, and my uncle and his family have moved back to live there too. She goes back every few days, it's not like she's going on a long trip. If you really wanted to give her a proper send-off, well—"

"Huh? Why are you back in just five days? Huh? Why are you going again at the end of the month? Are you going to see me off? It'll be awkward if you do, and awkward if you don't."

Lin Daiyu chuckled twice: "I didn't mean anything by it. It's just..."

“You’ll get used to it eventually,” Mu Chuan said. “Even though we live in the same neighborhood, everyone has their own habits. If you want to go out for a stroll, you don’t need to ask anyone for permission. Think about the plaque on our mansion: the Marquis of Zhongyong’s Mansion. You are the Marquis of Zhongyong’s wife.”

Lin Daiyu nodded, feeling that her future life would definitely be very good.

At this time, the people sent by the Empress also arrived at the Rongguo Mansion.

When the emperor investigated the Rongguo Mansion, he found that there was a problem with the money used to build the Grand View Garden, which led to the idea of ​​giving the garden to Lin Daiyu.

Then the Empress ordered a dowry of 2.4 million taels. Of course, the Empress's bottom line was 2 million taels, but the Rongguo Mansion gave a discount, and in the end it did not reach 1.8 million taels.

Today, the Empress asked Lin Daiyu if she wanted this garden, which also indicates that she planned to deal with the Rongguo Mansion after asking the question.

Now that she doesn't want it, the Empress wants to find a different way to deal with the Rongguo Mansion.

"The girl with the zither has arrived!"

The Rongguo Mansion now has "only" a little over seven hundred servants. The days when three people were needed to make tea are gone. But seven hundred people is still quite a lot. Take Jia Baoyu, for example. He only has four people serving him now, and he is doing just fine. He even knows when he is hungry.

However, compared to before, the servants of Rongguo Mansion are not as comfortable anymore. Most of them have had their working hours extended to four hours, and they still cannot drink, gamble, or slack off during those four hours.

This was much more tiring than before, so the old woman who brought the news shouted loudly, but her legs still moved slowly.

Baoqin, being of such an identity, didn't need to wait for someone to announce her arrival. She simply followed the old woman and observed the Rongguo Mansion from the outside. She found it to be a chaotic mess, and the eyes of the old women and maids held fear, wariness, and a great deal of scheming.

Baoqin sighed softly. The Empress is dying, and the Rongguo Mansion is dying too.

Upon arriving at Grandmother Jia's room, Baoqin slightly bent his knees as a gesture of respect.

She was sitting in the chair below Grandmother Jia, and before she could speak, Lady Wang rushed in: "How is Yuan Chun? It's been more than half a year since I last saw her. When can I go to the palace to pay my respects?"

Lady Wang was imprisoned for a few days, but since no one in the Jia family was in charge, and Jia Zheng was even more impatient with this, she was released after only a few days.

Baoqin frowned: "Madam, you should address her as Your Highness."

To everyone's surprise, Lady Wang immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and not only her, but also Grandmother Jia's face showed a relaxed smile.

Since she still knows how to follow the rules, it's clear that Yuan Chun is a good person.

"It's Your Highness, it's the Imperial Concubine," Madam Wang said with a smile. "Since you're here, why not take something back with you? More than half a year has passed, and we haven't sent many festival gifts yet, and now it's almost time to—"

Baoqin interrupted her, and further reminded her, "Does Madam know how to write the words 'palace rules'? How can you bring anything into the palace?"

Madam Wang smiled again: "It's always good to bring some silver notes in, isn't it?" She took out a discreet envelope from her bosom, "I didn't prepare in time, this is five thousand taels."

Baoqin's face immediately changed, and she cursed inwardly. But the Empress had given special instructions. Baoqin reached out and took the silver note. The Empress's state in the palace was all the fault of the Rongguo Mansion!

They have no skills whatsoever, they only hope that the Empress can elevate them to heaven.

Thinking about it, Baoqin didn't stand on ceremony: "I came here on Her Majesty's orders. Her Majesty went to Yuci Mountain to pray for the Empress Dowager. You two should know that, right?"

How could I not know? After eating vegetarian food for a whole month, on the first day they started eating meat again, half of the Jia family got diarrhea.

"The Empress has made a great vow to create a golden statue for the Bodhisattva."

Lady Wang and Grandmother Jia exchanged a glance. Lady Wang hesitated for a moment, then asked, "I wonder what grand ambition this is?"

Baoqin smiled and said, "Twenty thousand taels of gold, but thirty thousand taels would be the best."

"Ah!" Madam Wang couldn't help but exclaim. If this gold were taken out, the Rongguo Mansion would have no money left, only an annual income of around three or four thousand taels.

Even though there aren't many servants now and there's not much in the way of rewards, four thousand taels? That used to cost more than that in a month.

However, to pray for the Empress Dowager's well-being, a golden statue was sculpted for the Bodhisattva. Once the statue was completed, Yuan Chun's statue was also made of gold.

Madam Wang hesitated.

Baoqin found her annoying. Not only was the Empress a palace maid before, but ever since the Empress was made a Noble Consort, she had been coming every month. Everything in the Empress's palace was awkward, and everyone looked down on her. Over the years, she had been willing to pretend to be blind and act as if she didn't see anything.

No wonder the Rongguo Mansion is getting worse day by day, and everyone in the capital looks down on the Jia family.

"Her Majesty's idea is that it's best to gather the necessary materials as soon as possible. Also, His Majesty advocates frugality, and Her Majesty's idea is to lock up the Grand View Garden. That place is too luxurious. Since the Rongguo Mansion no longer holds any official positions, it would be better to move away from the Grand View Garden."

After giving her instructions, Baoqin didn't even glance at the two men's unpleasant expressions. She stood up and said, "The palace gates will be locked at Shenshi (3-5 PM). I'll head back now."

After seeing Baoqin off, Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang exchanged another glance.

Madam Wang paused slightly: "Then... let's take the middle number, twenty-five thousand taels?"

Grandmother Jia frowned. She decided to think about this troublesome matter tomorrow. She said, "Other things are easy to discuss, but where will Miaoyu stay?"

"Either—" we can't send her back, Madam Wang said, "We invited her with formal invitations back then, and besides, she's a cultivator. The Empress in the palace is also a cultivator, so keeping her here will bring her some prestige. Let her stay with Zhu'er's wife for now."

Madam Wang spoke more and more fluently: "Bao'er will live with her mother, Tan Chun will naturally move to my courtyard, and Xi Chun... after all, she is the clan leader's sister, so let her and Miao Yu live with Zhu'er's wife for now. There aren't that many people in the house, and there's enough room. Once the house is tidied up, we'll move them to the new house next spring."

It was barely acceptable, and Grandmother Jia got up: "Go and arrange this first." She was still reluctant to part with the gold.

When Madam Wang returned, she arranged for people to go and talk to each household. But after she finished giving the instructions, she suddenly remembered something. Originally, Tan Chun and the others lived in her backyard, but now that she had promoted Yu Chuan, those three small side rooms were given to Yu Chuan to live in.

Who would have thought she would come back?

Madam Wang pursed her lips and thought for a moment, then instructed Wu Xing's wife: "Anyway, Huan'er has moved out, and there's an empty room in Aunt Zhao's house. Tan Chun is her daughter, so there's nothing to avoid. Tan Chun is also of marriageable age, so let her live with Aunt Zhao for a while. After all, they are mother and daughter, and it's not good to be too distant."

It would also be a good opportunity to embarrass the master, to see if he would dare to rest in Aunt Zhao's room in front of his grown daughter.

Thinking about it this way, Madam Wang felt even more pleased with herself, thinking that she had come up with a great idea.

When the news reached the garden, no one else spoke of it, but Li Wan and the others who were with Lady Wang left, tears welling up in their eyes.

She hadn't had a few good years since marrying into the family. Lan'er was just born when Jia Zhu died, and she and her son moved to a small courtyard with only three rooms. Now, after finally enjoying a few years of peace and quiet, she had to move back to that dilapidated house.

Li Wan gripped her handkerchief tightly, clenching her teeth, not daring to cry out.

After giving her instructions, Baoqin went back to the palace to report to the Empress before returning to Yuanchun Palace.

In the past six months, Yuan Chun's health has deteriorated significantly.

Initially, it was indeed the Empress who sealed her palace, but later, Yuan Chun herself decided she didn't want to leave.

The reason is simple: she was feeling sad and had no other way to vent her emotions except by eating.

When Lady Wang first came in, she noticed that Yuan Chun looked plump. During the six months that the palace was closed off, Yuan Chun didn't have to see anyone. At first, she was able to control herself, but later she completely gave up and became reckless.

Clothing in the Great Wei Dynasty was loose-fitting; women's clothing was basically 30% larger than their body size. Even so, she couldn't squeeze into her old clothes anymore.

"Miss," Baoqin called softly, taking the snack box from Yuanchun's hand, "you should eat less."

Yuan Chun's once elegant face was now somewhat distorted, and her eyes had lost their light: "What else can I do if I don't eat? I just want to die, I wish I were dead."

Many people, including Lin Daiyu, didn't get a good night's sleep that night.

The reason is simple: the next day's plan was to pack up the dowry. So how much dowry did Lin Daiyu have?

Moreover, she had to pack not only her dowry, but also the betrothal gifts Mu Chuan had given her that day.

With so many things, it only takes a day to compile a list.

So the so-called packing of dowry actually just means going to the warehouse, arranging a place for it, and then packing it up slowly when there's free time.

With the elders away, it's quite normal to stay up all night as a form of revenge.

The next morning, Lin Daiyu opened her eyes and saw the spots of sunlight shining on the ground, knowing that it would be another day of eating two meals.

Lin Daiyu turned over, reached out her hand, and rubbed her face against him. When she looked up, she was a fairy with fair, delicate, and smooth skin.

"Third Brother, what are we having for breakfast?"