Chapter 1 Steady
It was almost dawn, and the outline of the Ningguo Mansion was vaguely visible in the hazy morning mist. Although the lanterns in the mansion were still lit, they were so dim that they seemed to be about to go out.
"Madam, madam, madam, please wake up. Madam, are you having a nightmare again?"
Shen Ning opened her eyes and saw the maid Qingzhu who called her to wake up. She seemed to have not yet come back to her senses from the dream. She was confused for a while, and then asked very tiredly, "What time is it?"
This body hasn't slept well for many days and has a splitting headache.
"It's almost two quarters past midnight."
"I'll take a nap."
Shen Ning closed her eyes and said, "Tell Grandma that I don't need to greet you for now."
"yes!"
The curtains were drawn and darkness once again filled the bed, but Shen Ning no longer felt sleepy.
Two days ago, when she first came here, she knew she was in trouble when she heard about Ningguo Mansion and the Rongguo Mansion next door.
Sure enough, she was Jia Jing’s wife who died due to complications during childbirth of a daughter at an advanced age.
The key issue is that Xiao Xiaochun is already more than six months old in her belly, and she has to give birth now even if she doesn't want to.
Hiss~ According to the normal timeline of Dream of the Red Chamber, she only has a few months to live.
Although the book does not specifically say when Jia Zhen and Jia Xichun's mother died, Xichun was taken to Rongguo Mansion at a very young age, so her original mother must have been gone.
Giving birth at an advanced age is very risky in modern times, let alone in ancient times.
No, I will find a royal physician to take my pulse tomorrow, and then find a few famous doctors to take a look.
Although the Ning and Rong families had very bad endings, even if she did nothing, she still had more than ten years of good days.
Shen Ning took a long breath and then inhaled, and while soothing her body, she also reached out her hand to soothe the baby in her belly.
The little guy might be kicking and punching, and his belly is tight, with a bulge appearing from time to time.
Shen Ning's hand unconsciously chased the small bag. The little baby inside should have felt it, and it kicked gently again in the palm of her hand.
Oh my~ a different feeling flows in my heart, warm and cozy...
Shen Ning was stunned for a moment.
Is this what blood connection means?
She slowly felt the fetal movement until the little one was tired and quieted down. Her hands were still around her bulging belly, as if she was holding the best treasure in the world.
This is her baby.
As soon as I thought of this, my heart was suddenly filled with great sadness and reluctance.
"… Don't worry, I will definitely raise your daughter well and won't let her be lonely and frustrated to the point of becoming a nun."
After receiving the original body's memories for two consecutive days, Shen Ning knew that the original body was most worried about the little daughter in her belly. "From now on, she is my daughter. As for the other people in the Jia family... I will definitely help them if I can."
Although the decline of the Jia family seemed to be due to the lack of successors and their extravagance and debauchery, in fact it was a question of who took sides.
But this problem cannot be entirely blamed on the choice made by the person in power in the Jia family.
The Jia family rose to prominence through military achievements, and holding military power made them easily feared by the emperor. When the title was passed to Jia Daihua and Jia Daishan, although they were still close confidants of the emperor, for the prosperity of the family, both of them made better plans for the next generation.
No one in the third generation of the Jia family joined the army.
Jia Jing passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi at a young age, but Jia She was not a good student. Even if they inherited the title, they would not inherit their fathers' and grandfathers' military power.
Although the two brothers are no longer as capable as they were, it is still not a problem for them to ensure the prosperity of the Ning and Rong mansions.
All the problems were caused by the evil former crown prince, who later became Prince Yoshitada.
When he messed up something, all the people who had been around him were in trouble.
The same was true for Shen Ning's family and Jia Jing. In order to prevent others from doing so, he even gave up his title and handed it to his son, and then he became a Taoist priest.
Although Jia She inherited the title, he could not even live in the main courtyard.
Is this simply a balancing act by Grandmother Jia? The fundamental reason is that the people above her do not want the Jia family to be well.
Jia Zheng is a shining example. He has been studious since childhood and should have taken the imperial examination like Jia Jing. However, after Jia Daishan's death, the emperor directly granted him the position of chief official and made him an official without taking an exam. It seemed like the emperor's grace was great, but in fact it completely cut off the imperial examination path for the third generation of the Jia family, and also cut off Jia Zheng's path to promotion.
After all, officials who get promoted through backdoors simply cannot get ahead in the officialdom of the literati group.
Facts have also proved that he did nothing in his life. Even when he was later ordered to be the provincial education commissioner, he was only transferred to a horizontal position without being promoted.
The person above is interfering with the transformation of the Jia family, letting the Jia family consume itself naturally and not allowing them to grow any bigger.
The subsequent confiscation of property was just a matter of course.
If the two families had kept their doors closed and continued to enjoy themselves, there was a high chance that they would not have been held accountable. However, from Lady Jia to Jia She, Jia Zheng and Jia Zhen, they all still wanted to struggle.
Thinking of the ending, Shen Ning sighed in her heart, "There is also the Shen family. As long as I live well, the fourth generation of the Shen family will always come back."
Her mother's family was returned to their native place, and three generations were not allowed to enter officialdom. From her father to her brothers and nephews, all had their official careers cut off. If she did not live to be a hundred years old, she would not be able to live to see her nephews and grandchildren of the fourth generation.
Without her aunt, the younger generation of the Shen family who had returned with great difficulty would probably not be able to leave for the Jia family.
"I'll help you look after it."
As soon as the words fell, Shen Ning's aching head and the dull feeling of discomfort in her body suddenly became much better.
Is the original body... gone? Shen Ning touched her belly, and the baby inside seemed to sense something and moved slightly.
"Be good, let's be happy children."
If she died, the baby would have to live a life without his father's love and his brother's care, and would have to live under someone else's roof.
"I'll eat well, and you'll grow up well."
If she gets the chance, she will beat that big boy up.
Then he scolded Jia Jing, who was hiding in the Taoist temple and thought he had nothing to worry about.
She was weak and it was impossible for her to beat that big boy to death, so she could only rely on Jia Jing.
The head of Ningguo Mansion can be mediocre or incompetent, but he cannot bring disgrace to the entire Ningguo Mansion, and he must not be a shameless beast.
A little light shone through the curtain embroidered with gold thread, and the sky gradually brightened.
Shen Ning fell asleep in a daze. This time, she had no dreams and no anxiety.
Ningguo Mansion woke up, and people were coming in and out of the back corner door from time to time, making it very busy.
Only the main courtyard was quiet. The maids who were cleaning the house walked on tiptoe as they worked. Maids stood quietly under the eaves of the door, holding copper basins, towels, scented pans, hot water, etc. They kept changing the hot water in pot after pot until the automatic clock rang and it was three quarters past the hour when there was some movement in the inner room.
Shen Ning woke up feeling refreshed, a rare feeling.
The door opened and everyone straightened their backs and filed in.
Qingzhu, dressed in a gray-green jacket and skirt, walked briskly with a cheerful smile on her face, "Look at Madam's complexion. She looks much better today."
"I had a good sleep."
Shen Ning let the maids serve her, "Ask the master to ask Chen, the shopkeeper of Huichun Hall, to see if there is anything else I should pay attention to."
According to her, she wanted to invite all the famous doctors in the Imperial Hospital and the capital, but after her original body changed her family, she no longer had any dealings with the Imperial Hospital. In the past few years, she has been using Chen Yansheng, the shopkeeper of Huichuntang. But I don't know if it was because of his good name, she got pregnant while she was sick.
"yes!"
Qingping and Qingzhu looked at each other and hurried out.
I have always wanted to write about the Dream of the Red Chamber, and now I have finally started. Please give me your advice!!! (End of this chapter)
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