Chapter 126 I said the Rongguo Mansion was in crisis, you said I was stirring up trouble "Come..."

With such a major event occurring, moon-gazing was naturally out of the question. Madam Xing was the first to stand up, forcing a smile as she said, "As the saying goes, the moon is fullest on the sixteenth day of the lunar month, so tonight's moon is clearly not suitable."

Although she was trying to defuse the situation, her winking and sarcastic tone angered Grandmother Jia.

But now that the Jia family has already started to tear off the mask of civility, even if they haven't completely torn it off yet, Madam Xing no longer cares whether Grandmother Jia will be angry.

Besides, she's the junior here and has to serve her mother-in-law, so she can only sit down. It's nothing like at home, where the master doesn't care about her and lets her lie down comfortably.

Madam Xing left first, and the remaining people exchanged glances and then took their leave one by one.

Jia Lian was sent out to find out what was going on. Jia She rarely didn't drink three times a day. Even Jia Zheng, who had no face to go out after being dismissed from office, had to go out to find his old colleagues and see what was going on.

Did Jia Zhen stumble upon some new national policy, or did he really do something he shouldn't have? And will it implicate the Rongguo Mansion?

When the night was deep and quiet, Li Wan quietly went to Madam Wang's courtyard.

"What is she doing here?" Madam Wang asked, puzzled. "Haven't she already paid her respects?"

Li Wan was brought in by her maid and immediately knelt on the ground. Before she could utter a sound, tears streamed down her face: "How much longer can the Rongguo Mansion hold on?"

Li Wan was different from others; she had a very promising son who was academically gifted and had a bright future.

When the Rongguo Mansion was doing well, the mother and son didn't benefit much. But what if the Rongguo Mansion fell into bad shape? What if Lan'er was implicated and unable to take the imperial examination?

If she could become a chaste widow and have a memorial archway for her chastity, she could naturally protect her son. However, according to the rules of the Great Wei Dynasty, widows must be widowed before the age of thirty and can only have a memorial archway if they are forty years old.

Or perhaps we should wait until Lan'er passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar before submitting a petition to her requesting an official title.

Neither of them can quench an immediate thirst.

Li Wan knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably: "Ever since that Marquis of Zhongyong returned, our Rongguo Mansion has not had a single good day."

"First, it was the servants with standing in the household. Zhou Rui's family was exiled, and Granny Lai's family was beheaded. Then it was the masters' turn. The Second Master was dismissed from his post and forbidden Second Master Lian from inheriting the title. Now, a large part of the mansion has been carved out, the Rongguo Mansion has been demolished, and the Ning Mansion is gone. Madam, this is like being slowly cut with a dull knife, like being boiled like a frog in lukewarm water. He never intended to do us any good from the beginning; this is a fight to the death."

Madam Wang's expression changed.

Even after Yu Chuan became a concubine, she couldn't win over the master. As usual, the master would spend ten days a month resting in Concubine Zhao's room.

Moreover, Yu Chuan'er is becoming increasingly disobedient. When asked to go and blow some wind on the master, she refused.

Especially tonight, the Mid-Autumn Festival, a night for family reunion. Aunt Zhao came out early this morning to order food and wine, clearly indicating that the master wanted to stay in her room tonight. How could Madam Wang tolerate this?

That's fine, since it has nothing to do with Li Wan.

But she shouldn't have been so clever.

In a place like Rongguo Mansion, the least popular people are "clever people," especially for Madam Wang, who hates nothing more than someone showing off in front of her.

Moreover, everything Li Wan said was true; she didn't exaggerate at all. She didn't even mention the dowry that Wang Furen was most distressed about.

Admittedly, Li Wan was unaware of this matter, but Madam Wang couldn't help but think: she did it on purpose.

Li Wan then tearfully pleaded, "Why don't we go back to Jinling and avoid Marquis Zhongyong? What can he do then? We are considered a prominent family in Jinling, with many members and a large influence. Marquis Zhongyong is from the capital; how could his power reach Jinling?"

Li Wan had thought about what she was going to say beforehand, but as soon as she opened her mouth, thinking about her son's future, she lost control of her emotions a little. In addition, she was kneeling on the ground and did not see Madam Wang's increasingly gloomy face.

"His Majesty was merely misled for a moment, and was instigated by treacherous people to abandon us old ministers. Our family has made contributions to the founding of the country, which is a contribution that no matter how much the Marquis of Zhongyong is favored, it cannot be erased. We might as well take advantage of the Emperor's favor and resign to return to Jinling. This way, we can save face for ourselves, and in the future, whether it is Baoyu, Huan'er, or Lan'er, they will be more respectable when they return to the capital after passing the imperial examination."

Li Wan had considered these words for a long time. Although she was a widow and rarely socialized, she should know what kind of temper Madam Wang had in private over the years.

In the end, we should say nice things. The Jia family is in this state not because they are not good enough, but because there are wicked people doing evil.

His Majesty doesn't despise them; he's just been misled.

Moreover, she first mentioned Baoyu and Jia Huan, her two uncles, and then her Lan'er—

"Slap him." Madam Wang's cold voice rang out. "You're a widow, and instead of thinking about how to properly preserve your chastity and raise your children, all you do is scheme and plot to seize power. It's a disgrace that your family is the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, yet you haven't learned a single good thing."

Li Wan was stunned.

Madam Wang continued, "Didn't you hear me tell you to slap yourself?"

Li Wan closed her eyes in pain and slapped herself across the face.

The sound of slapping rang out. Madam Wang was barely satisfied and continued to scold, "Everyone in the manor says that Lan'er has a strange temper. Isn't that what you taught him? He's not close to me, his grandmother. Isn't that what you instigated behind my back? I only let him be raised by your side because he's your only child. Is this how you repay me?"

Li Wan was stunned; her blood ran cold. Was this what she meant?

"Lan'er and Huan'er are the best of friends, but neither of them is close to Baoyu. Did you teach them to do that? What kind of status does Aunt Zhao have? You're so scheming. Do you expect me to praise you for being kind-hearted?"

Li Wan tried to explain, arguing that it was clearly because Lan'er and Huan'er were about the same age, and Baoyu always spent time with the girls. Besides, it wasn't that they weren't close to Baoyu; it was clearly that Baoyu ignored them.

But what good would it do to say it?

She was talking about the crisis in the Rongguo Mansion, but what did Madam Wang hear? She only heard gossip and slander. With a knife to her throat, what could she do?

Li Wan's face was swollen from slapping herself, but the pain made her feel a little better.

Madam Wang nodded and said, "You still know shame, which shows you're not beyond redemption. Don't go out these next few days. Instead, diligently copy some Buddhist scriptures and offer them before the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva will forgive your sins."

Li Wan drifted away like a ghost.

Two days later, the people who had been gathering information returned. They gathered around Grandmother Jia and talked amongst themselves.

“A total of seventeen crimes were listed,” Jia Lian sighed. “The two most serious crimes are misconduct during the national mourning period and the overstepping of the proper boundaries in Qin’s funeral.”

Jia Lian was somewhat relieved at this moment. Fortunately, You Erjie hadn't put that child in his hands. Losing a son was indeed uncomfortable, but compared to his life and fortune, a son was nothing.

Jia Zheng sighed, "I knew that funeral was against the rules."

"Hindsight is 20/20," Jia She said irritably. "Since you saw it coming, why didn't you do anything about it? You live in Rongxi Hall, occupying the latrine without doing your job."

The words were so crude that everyone in the room frowned and couldn't bear to listen.

But Jia She wasn't wrong. From the earliest private school being so outrageous, Jia Zheng could see it. He also couldn't say anything good about Qin Shi's funeral, including the coffin. Later, he saw everything, from building the garden to the imperial visit to his family. But he just didn't care.

There was a moment of silence in the room. Just as Grandmother Jia was about to speak, someone else entered from outside.

"Grandma, Master, Master Zhen has sent a carriage, and inside are... ancestral tablets."

What!

This is not something to be taken lightly, so all three adult males of the Jia family quickly went out.

Jia Zhen's men didn't come in either. After Jia She and the other two left, they bowed and said, "Our master said that he is ashamed before his ancestors and has no face to continue as the clan head. These are the ancestral tablets that were taken away that day, and this is the clan genealogy. They have all been sent here. From now on, the clan head will be decided by your family."

The position of clan leader was quite attractive to both Jia She and Jia Zheng.

The two were caught off guard and Jia Zhen's men left without warning.

Jia She and Jia Zheng returned with the family genealogy in their hands. After explaining the situation, Grandmother Jia slammed her fist on the table in anger: "What about Xichun? What about the family property? Did he bring the land deeds? What do you mean by 'ashamed before our ancestors' and 'unworthy to be the clan head'? It's clear that being the clan head is a miserable job these days, and he doesn't want to be it anymore."

Jia Zhen, even after his father died, couldn't stop him from drinking and having fun. When he had a title, he had to be careful and cautious when he was indulging in pleasure. Now that he has lost his title, he is completely free of constraints and simply doesn't even want to be the clan leader anymore.

Grandmother Jia glared fiercely at her two sons: "Send someone to go find him! How can the clan head hand over his duties like this? He has lost his title, so naturally his clan property will be taken away. He's using our clan property to live a life of debauchery!"

However, the house Jia Zhen had moved to last time had been sealed off, and the Rongguo Mansion, to avoid suspicion and fear of being implicated, had not had any contact with Jia Zhen for almost half a year. He sent someone to deliver things but did not show up, and for a while, the Rongguo Mansion did not know where to look for him.

The Mid-Autumn Festival has passed, and the days have turned cold.

"Why does it feel like we just ate mooncakes a few days ago, and now we're already preparing gifts for the Double Ninth Festival?"

Lin Daiyu was picking out items from the gift list when she exclaimed after only reading two pages, "How time flies!"

Xueyan was cutting Xuan paper when she heard this and couldn't help but smile: "Back in the Jia family, the young lady always said that the days passed slowly."

"It's time to change how you address her," Lin Daiyu said, not really paying much attention. Xueyan usually still called her Madam, but sometimes she spoke too quickly and she didn't realize it.

Besides, she's been called "girl" for over a decade; she can change it gradually.

Taking the opportunity, Xueyan glanced at her daughter again.

Last time she served tea, she even heard the young master address the young lady as "Miss."

Xueyan's smile deepened. It was clear that the young master and the young lady were on good terms. Luckily, the young lady hadn't stayed in the Rongguo Mansion. How could Bao Er Ye be someone one could entrust one's life to?

As the two were talking, Mu Chuan returned. Xue Yan bowed and went out, while Lin Daiyu went forward to help him change into his home robe.

She laughed as she changed her clothes, saying, "I used to think helping people get dressed was a chore, but—"

She lowered her head slightly, but who could have known that loosening her third brother's belt would be so exhilarating? Pulling open his collar would be even more thrilling.

As Lin Daiyu thought about it, she decided that when the weather got cold, the underfloor heating in the house should be kept warm so that her third brother wouldn't catch a cold.

“The other day, a eunuch from the Imperial Household Department came to see me.” After changing his clothes, Mu Chuan pulled Lin Daiyu close together and said, “He said he wanted to make a set of calligraphy copybooks.”

Lin Daiyu's calligraphy practice books are selling very well. The quality of these books is excellent; even without promotion, they would have sold themselves out. However, the reality is that they've become a bestseller.

What was originally thought to be a matter of honor for the Marquis of Zhongyong has now become a lucrative business. Who would have thought that scholars' money could be so easy to earn? The Imperial Household Department seized the opportunity and personally sent people to invite him.

"He said he wants to create different calligraphy samples based on strokes, structure, and so on, and also needs a complete collection of commonly used characters. I told him to come directly to you to discuss it, did you agree?"

Lin Daiyu pouted, "Look at the Xuan paper on the table, they're just getting it ready." She was quite happy, not only because of the calligraphy copybook, but also because her third brother neither agreed nor disagreed on her behalf.

Should I buy you a set of the Shuowen Jiezi (a dictionary of Chinese characters)? Or the Great Wei Dictionary?

"I've already bought them," Lin Daiyu said with a smile. "I went out and bought some new ones the other day."

Seeing the slight disappointment in Mu Chuan's eyes, Lin Daiyu smiled again: "Third Brother can help me warm my hands."

Lin Daiyu stretched out her hand, and Mu Chuan carefully took it in his palm and kneaded it gently. However, Lin Daiyu was not satisfied. She glanced at Mu Chuan's chest and said, "Is this how you warm my hands?"

Mu Chuan sighed, his face full of helpless resignation: "It really is a tough job."

The two cuddled together for a while, and then Mu Chuan said, "In a couple of days it will be the Double Ninth Festival. People will be climbing mountains to enjoy the view. My mother and the others will definitely be going back to the back mountain of Linjia Village to offer sacrifices. How about we go to Fragrant Hills?"

Mu Chuan hadn't forgotten the red leaves of Fragrant Hills, and neither had Lin Daiyu. She broke free from Mu Chuan's embrace and went to the shelf to find the box of red leaf bookmarks that Mu Chuan had given her last year: "The color is already a bit faded, so this year I picked the leaves myself and made the bookmarks by hand."