Chapter 124 Making clothes is too difficult! The Rongguo Mansion has it tough too...
From the emperor down to the villagers of Linjia Village, everyone was happier than the last, except for one person—
The newly appointed magistrate of Wanping County is Zhan Yibo.
Although he smiled, it was a bitter smile.
It was a perfectly good village. Although they had become tenants of the Earl of Zhongyong, they could still collect some taxes. But the emperor exempted them from taxes for three years. What about their land taxes? No wonder everyone says that the two county magistrates in the capital are a huge pit.
But then he thought again, since his term of office was at most one year anyway, and he had managed to harvest some summer grain, but the next two years would be even more unfortunate.
Thinking about it this way, Magistrate Zhan's smile became more genuine.
Congratulations, Marquis Zhongyong!
After seeing off the emperor and his entourage, the villagers of Linjia Village, led by their village chief, joyfully came over to kowtow to the Marquis of Zhongyong.
Mu Chuan laughed and shooed them away: "Alright, you've been guarding the fields all day, aren't you cold from the wind? Tomorrow at the ancestral hall, you'll have plenty to do."
Some clever kids said, "If I kowtowed today, can't I kowtow tomorrow? Can't I share in the joy? This is the first time the Marquis has ever kowtowed."
Mu Chuan jumped onto his horse and pulled Lin Daiyu away again, thus escaping the villagers who were chasing and trying to kowtow to him.
Huang Guihua, Mu Dazhuang, and his second uncle's family were left behind. Although some people joked that "he forgot his mother after marrying a wife," Huang Guihua was quite a show-off. If Mu Chuan really took her with him, she would make a scene.
Huang Guihua smiled broadly, responding to the villagers' congratulations: "Well, how did you teach him? How else could you teach him? It's all thanks to his own hard work."
Being promoted to marquis is a glorious achievement, unprecedented in history. The Lin Family Village Ancestral Hall, which had only rested for a few days, was thoroughly cleaned up and reopened.
This time, the old village chief skillfully handed the entire family genealogy to Mu Chuan, and deliberately laughed, "What the whole village has written in a year is not as much as what you've written in half a month. I'm scared, my hand shakes when I write 'Marquis,' you write it yourself."
Seeing Mu Chuan hand the genealogy to his wife, the old village chief was satisfied. He then flattered Huang Guihua, saying, "The New Year is coming soon, it's time to copy a new genealogy."
Nothing is impossible.
Two days later, Lin Daiyu asked Mu Chuan again, "When are we going back? This is... too scary. They sweep the ground in front of our house three times a day, and they're trying to sweep it down two inches."
Mu Chuan smiled and said, "I'll leave tomorrow."
Lin Daiyu breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "When are we coming back?"
Mu Chuan was full of questions, while Lin Daiyu laughed happily: "Mother said that the snow here in winter is heavier than in the capital, enough to bury half a person. I've never seen it. I also want to eat roasted mutton."
"Then let's wait until Laba Festival to come back." Mu Chuan thought for a moment and said, "It's not good to go out on snowy days anyway, let's come back before it snows."
Lin Daiyu was satisfied.
When Mu Chuan and his group returned, almost the entire village came to see them off.
It's easy to imagine that Mu Chuan had his own land, noble property, gifts from the palace, and other things he acquired himself later.
Which place isn't a vast expanse of fertile land?
Why did he show his farming tools to His Majesty in Linjia Village? Wasn't it to earn some credit for Linjia Village as well?
After seeing Mu Chuan's family off, the village chief discussed matters with several clan elders: "Let's erect another memorial archway."
There is already a memorial archway for the Loyal and Brave Earl at the entrance of the village, so it would not be unreasonable to erect one for the Loyal and Brave Marquis now.
Although the Mu family's mansion in Linjia Village wasn't actually called "sweeped down two inches," the Rongguo Mansion's ground was indeed called "dug down two inches."
The Grand View Garden has now been taken over by the Imperial Household Department and is to be converted into a villa for noble ladies of the imperial family to return to the capital. It would be inappropriate for the main gate to remain at the Rongguo Mansion, so a road would naturally need to be built.
Of course, this garden is no longer called Grand View Garden, but Xinhe Villa.
As one of the four kings and eight dukes who founded the Rongguo Mansion, it was actually a bit over-standard. The mansions of those who were later granted the title of Duke were basically only half the size of theirs.
Therefore, the Ministry of Works showed no mercy and followed the specifications exactly: the main road of the gate was four zhang wide, and the alleys on both sides were two zhang and five zhang wide.
We can't extend this road into the Xinhe Villa, can we? So we can only extend it into the Rongguo Mansion.
Besides, this was originally a residence bestowed by the emperor, and since the emperor has spoken, it can be expanded.
In addition, drainage nowadays relies almost entirely on elevation differences, so besides tearing down houses, the only other option is to dig down the ground by half a meter and then build roads.
The finished product is two inches lower than the original ground.
From the day the excavation began, Grandmother Jia lay in bed groaning.
Although Madam Wang also wanted to give up and not interfere, she had no choice. The small courtyard where Aunt Xue was staying was located at the northeast corner. According to the blueprints given to them by the Ministry of Works, the courtyard could at most retain one wall.
Moreover, because the inner and outer walls are of different specifications, although they are called courtyard walls, they actually need to be built separately.
Not only that, the last courtyard of Wang Xifeng's courtyard was also not spared, and even the large flower hall in Grandmother Jia's courtyard, which had only been built a few years ago, had to be demolished.
After this renovation, Rongguo Mansion became quite bizarre.
The front half remained untouched, with a narrow strip of houses to the west, connected to another narrow strip of houses to the north, and separated by a separate courtyard.
This wasn't the most difficult part, after all, the Jia family didn't have as many people left, and the small place was still spacious enough for them to live in. Even Madam Wang was somewhat relieved.
The house needs maintenance and upkeep anyway, so it's better to tear it down to save money. The furniture can be sold too.
"Let's see how they live here," Madam Xing said gloatingly to Wang Shanbao's wife, mocking the second wife's family.
“Zhu’er’s wife is a widow, so we can’t let her live in a place facing the street. My good daughter-in-law is not young, but according to seniority, she is also a new bride, so it’s not appropriate for her to live in a place facing the street at the back door. There’s also her sister’s family of three, who are currently crammed into the servants’ quarters. Unless the second branch of the family cleans up the main house and partitions off the courtyard, it will be barely possible for them to live there.”
Wang Shanbao's wife also laughed: "Back then, Madam clearly married the master who inherited the title, but she was driven to this remote corner. Now it's their turn. The old lady had such a nice courtyard, but now she's squeezed out Zhu's eldest daughter-in-law and Lian's second wife. I heard that the old lady is so angry that she can't even get out of bed."
Madam Xing laughed heartily.
But would Madam Wang agree? She certainly wouldn't.
So she first approached Wang Xifeng and said, "There's no room here anymore, you should move back to the main room."
Wang Xifeng's eyes widened immediately, but before she could speak, Ping'er knelt down first: "Madam, our mistress is ill, and the weather is cold now. How can she be moved? Please have some mercy and grant her some more time."
Wang Xifeng was now living in Grandmother Jia's courtyard. Ping'er made no attempt to hide her crying, and soon Yuanyang arrived.
Despite the Jia family's situation, Yuanyang was closer to Wang Xifeng, so she comforted her, "Second Mistress, please rest well. The old lady hasn't said anything yet."
This completely embarrassed Madam Wang.
"They really don't follow any rules anymore!" Madam Wang left dejectedly.
But this matter was not over yet. On the surface, Ping'er kept Wang Xifeng, but in secret, Grandmother Jia urged Lady Wang: "I am old and can't stand noise. There are so many places in the house, how come there is no room for me?"
Madam Wang rolled her eyes. "Yes, you live alone in a large courtyard with five sections. Of course you have a lot of space."
Lady Wang even subconsciously began to calculate that if Grandmother Jia died, there would definitely be enough space.
However, the reality was that Grandmother Jia was still alive and well, so during the evening greetings, Lady Wang brought it up again in front of Lady Xing.
"After all, those who call you 'wife' should show you some respect."
Madam Xing's lips drooped, and she showed no politeness whatsoever: "So you just use her and then throw her away? When she married into the family, how capable was she? You've made her sickly from your use, and she still expects to be filial to me? It's good enough that I don't serve her at all! How can you be so heartless? She shares your surname, Wang, and she even calls you aunt!"
Madam Wang was so angry that she trembled. Madam Xing said again, "You started it, why are you trying to pin it on me?"
Finally, it was Grandmother Jia who spoke up: "Are you trying to drive me to my death?!"
With the Jia family in such a mess, Tan Chun became even more diligent. Her uncle found her a way out, and she could not only leave the Jia family, but also save it.
Xi Chun lived with Li Wan and Miao Yu. Apart from Jia Lan coming to pay his respects to Li Wan every day, no one paid any attention to her. She breathed a sigh of relief and went to study the scriptures with Miao Yu again.
Whether it was because Jia Baoyu was too naive or because Jia Zheng was watching him too closely, he was completely unaware that the Rongguo Mansion was about to collapse. He only felt that his studies were too tiring, he didn't like what he was learning, and he didn't want to become a traitor or a parasite.
The only ones who were somewhat happy were probably the Xue family mother and her two daughters.
Although they moved to the servants' quarters, to be honest, none of the servants in the Jia family who could live in their own courtyards were poor. This courtyard was better maintained than their original courtyard in the northeast, and it even had a mother-of-pearl inlaid chest.
Moreover, the servants' quarters were open to the street, making it convenient for them to come and go. What could they possibly be dissatisfied with?
Moreover, Aunt Xue had also received a promise from Prince Teng to help Baochai strive for a better future. She felt that with her daughter's character, looks, and skills, she would be favored even if she went to the hostage's residence. Perhaps then their shop could sell some sought-after goods from Beili, and life would be better again.
"Sigh... I've held you back." Aunt Xue sighed with a smile. "If I had known the Jia family would fall so quickly, I should have just asked your uncle directly. Wouldn't it have been better to go anywhere else? Look at your uncle's daughter, even now, she can still marry an official and become his wife. Fortunately, we have connections now, you can't miss this opportunity again."
What kind of legal wife? She was a concubine who married the old man.
Unlike her aunt, Xue Baochai was not optimistic. Moreover, although neither of them said it, she was indeed quite old. Standing next to a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, no matter how well she dressed, she couldn't fool herself into thinking they were from the same generation.
She pursed her lips, forced a smile, and said, "We should thank Uncle more."
The mother and daughter were talking when Xue Pan returned.
Ever since Xue Ke left, the Xue family's shops in the capital continued to decline. Xue Baochai comforted Aunt Xue, saying, "Doing business depends on connections. Right now, our family has no connections, so we just need to make sure we don't lose too much. Once we find some connections, we can recover."
Xue Baochai was trying to comfort him, but little did she know that Xue Pan would actually believe her and would go out for a stroll every few days, ostensibly to find connections.
"Mother, sister," Xue Pan called out, "The Earl of Zhongyong has been promoted to First-Class Marquis!"
ah!
"How could he still get promoted!" Aunt Xue didn't even understand what she was thinking when she said that.
Xue Pan sighed, “When I went to his house to deliver Mid-Autumn Festival gifts, I happened to see them changing the plaque, which read ‘Imperial Decree to build the Marquis of Loyalty and Valor’s Residence.’”
Xue Baochai's face remained expressionless as she calmly said, "He still hasn't invited you in."
The Xue family has become obsessed with sending things to the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence. Not only the Xue family mother and daughter, but even Xue Pan said, "We've been sending them for so long. If we suddenly stop, wouldn't all our previous efforts be wasted? Besides, they must have already remembered us. What if we don't send them and they hold a grudge?"
The Xue family wasn't wrong; Mu Chuan had indeed remembered them and had even instructed the gatekeeper, "From now on, the Xue family's gift list doesn't need to be sent in."
As the Mid-Autumn Festival approached, Mu Chuan returned to the capital with his entire family.
Lin Daiyu sighed, "In the past, when we asked the servants to do something, we had to keep an eye on them all the time and urge them to do it morning and night. Now that we've been away for half a month, everything at home is fine, and all the mooncakes and festival gifts have been prepared."
"And you're still talking about me," Mu Chuan teased her. "You're also looking for an opportunity to trample on the Rongguo Mansion."
Lin Daiyu glanced at him and said, "I learned it all from you."
"Alright, alright," Mu Chuan coaxed. "Come and try on your new clothes."
Lin Daiyu went over to look and saw seven or eight sets of men's clothing on the shelf, which were definitely not her third brother's size.
"For me? What made you think of making this?"
“I’m going to the military camp. If you’re bored at home, you can go out for a walk. Wearing women’s clothes is inconvenient after all. So I asked them to make you a few sets of men’s clothes.”
Lin Daiyu smiled and went over: "Even if I'm dressed as a man, it's not like no one can tell."
“But if you’re dressed as a man, there aren’t as many rules to follow.”
Lin Daiyu tried on two sets of clothes, and they fit perfectly, making everything convenient.
Mu Chuan was quite satisfied with the look; he could tell at a glance that she was a pretty young woman. He smiled and said, "There's a restaurant across from my military camp. If you miss me, come and visit me."
Lin Daiyu smiled, revealing two small dimples, and reached out to poke his incredibly elastic and resilient chest: "I knew it."
After dinner, Mu Chuan rode his horse to the military camp.
This is the first time the two have been separated since they got married.
Although the Mid-Autumn Festival was just two days away, and he was sure he would be spending it at home, Lin Daiyu felt the room was empty without her big third brother.
She walked around the room twice, saw the things her third brother had left behind, and suddenly said with regret, "I was planning to make some clothes for my third brother as soon as I came in, and also to urge him to practice calligraphy, but now—"
As a result, she didn't even have time to pack her dowry.
"Qingwen," Lin Daiyu called to her chief sewing maid, "I'm making a robe for my third brother to wear at home. Come and help me with the canvas."
Although Mu Chuan was not there, his robe was. Lin Daiyu took his measurements and thought about how her third brother would look in the robe. She couldn't help but smile and had another idea.
"Men's clothes should have at least 30% room in the chest area, and up to 50%. But Third Brother is very tall and strong, so clothes that are too loose don't look good on him. We'll make it two inches smaller than this size."
Although Lin Daiyu only made small items such as purses, fan pendants, and handkerchiefs, she knew how to measure clothes.
Based on the size she mentioned, in short... it's impossible to cover it up completely; some of her chest will have to be exposed.
But her third brother was so hot, and there was underfloor heating in the house during the winter, so she did this to prevent him from getting too hot.
Lin Daiyu smiled and waited for Qingwen to finish drawing the pattern. Then she took the cloth to cut it herself. It was quite late, and although the light was better on the second floor, the sky turned gray before she finished cutting the cloth.
Let's continue tomorrow.
It was fine during the day, but when it was late at night and everyone was asleep, Lin Daiyu couldn't sleep.
She tossed and turned several times before finally sitting up, clutching the blanket.
I used to sleep well by myself, but my third brother always liked to squeeze in.
It is evident that it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to
Now I can't sleep at all.
Lin Daiyu hummed a few times, then hugged Mu Chuan's pillow to her chest, and gradually became sleepy.
She had just drifted off to sleep when she heard rustling sounds from below. Before she could open her eyes, someone crept onto the bed.
"Ah!" Lin Daiyu exclaimed in surprise, opening her eyes to see Mu Chuan. She threw a pillow at him while asking with a smile, "What time is it? Why are you back?"
"I'm worried about you. I'll just take a quick look and then go back. I have to lead them in morning exercises tomorrow."
Lin Daiyu chuckled twice: "During the days I returned to Lin Family Village, I didn't see you—I only saw you—how come you can still run around?"
Mu Chuan had washed his hands downstairs, so he reached over and scratched the person: "Alright, I should go now. You should rest well."
"Third Brother..."
"Actually, going back tomorrow morning isn't a bad idea; it just means getting up a little earlier."
Lin Daiyu's initial感动 (moved/touched) turned into amusement. She got out of bed and showed Mu Chuan the robe she had cut in half.
"The ruler is down there. Third Brother just came back. I want to take some measurements."
How can you measure without a ruler?
Lin Daiyu's slightly cool hand tugged open Mu Chuan's collar.
"One hand span, two hand spans—"
Mu Chuan gasped, and Lin Daiyu gently nudged him: "Don't move. Clothes worn close to the skin need to be measured against the body for accurate measurements."
Mu Chuan couldn't hold on and collapsed onto the bed; making clothes was just too difficult.
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