Chapter 952
Grandma is in trouble
Chapter 952 Grandma is in trouble
Beijing,
On Ningrong Street, small stalls and vendors almost filled both sides of Ningrong Street. There were shouts and noises interweaving together. Fortunately, Ningrong Street was the face and gateway of Rongguo Mansion. The old lady liked the hustle and bustle the most. With the popularity, the housekeepers and managers of the mansion did not come out to chase people away. Combined with the noisy crowds on the construction site between the two mansions, it had obviously become the most lively place in the capital.
Just after the morning, the dawn begins to rise.
The East Street of Rongguo Mansion became lively. More than a dozen horse-drawn carriages drove in slowly, with the sound of wheels rumbling and horses neighing. The carriages were loaded with meat and vegetables bought from the East Market. They were the daily ingredients for the helpers of Rongguo Mansion, and no carelessness was allowed.
In the leading carriage, an old man in brocade clothes sat in front. He was none other than Qian Guanshi, the comprador of Rongguo Mansion. Following behind the carriage was Dai Liang, the head of Rongguo Mansion. Perhaps he wanted to atone for his sins and went to the second wife to plead for mercy. In the backyard, Dai Liang was kept.
As he walked along the road, looking at the bustling Ningrong Street, Qian Hua couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
"It's just that the old lady is kindhearted. Look, half of the road is blocked. It used to take less than an hour to go to the East Market and back, but now it's taking two hours to get back home. It should have been cleared a long time ago."
Ever since Qian Hua had offended Marquis Luo Yun in Fuling County, the Second Mistress removed him from his position as manager after he returned to the mansion. Later, because the mansion still needed him to purchase things, he endured the heartache and bribed the Second Mistress with silver. Now he has been "reinstated" and continues to do the purchasing work, but the internal account books are managed by Miss Ping'er, so the previous benefits have turned into grease, but at least he can still have a taste. After all, not everyone can have the status of a royal relative, so he speaks with momentum.
"Oh, look at what you said, they are all low-class people, it is not easy to make a living, the old lady likes to be lively, how can we chase her away?"
Dai Liang learned a lesson from his failure. It was clear who was in charge of the mansion, so he would not make a mistake in public. The Second Mistress's power now spanned the two mansions. Who dared to talk about it? Seeing Manager Qian complaining, Dai Liang quickly reminded him that after all, the position of purchasing in the backyard of the mansion was better than doing odd jobs in the inner courtyard.
Although Qian Hua hummed a few words, it was just due to his personality. He knew that some things were not easy to say, so he waved his hand and said;
"I see. It's just that I'm unhappy. By the way, there are two carts of food in the back. One is for the Ningguo Mansion's master, and the other is for Rongguo Mansion's Sister Liu. You can deliver it in person. I'll accompany you to the rest."
Qian Hua changed into a dark blue cloth robe today, looking very capable. He had been in charge of all the purchases for the mansion over the years, so there was still some profit.
"Yes, Qian is in charge. I will go right away."
Dai Liang nodded quickly, and then took two servants with him to the back of the team, and sent the two carts of delicious dishes to the East Mansion and Sister Liu in the backyard.
Just after he stopped the car, he suddenly saw a group of people from the Imperial City Bureau, jogging hurriedly from the east street. When they met the convoy, they pushed and shoved, which scared several people and made them stop the car quickly. Qian Hua was shocked and prepared to apologize, but he didn't expect that after a while, the people from the Imperial City Bureau ignored him and went to the South City Gate anxiously.
As soon as people leave,
The convoy arrived at the construction site in front of him. Qian Hua got off the car. Although he was still puzzled, he had finally arrived at the mansion. He shouted and asked the servants to start unloading the goods. They put them in the courtyard at the southeast foot of Rongguo Mansion. At this moment, the servants in the courtyard had already started cooking and washing the ingredients.
"Hurry up, be quick, don't miss the meal,"
"Yes, sir, I'll take it off right away."
The servants responded, and everyone gathered together and quickly took the baskets of fresh vegetables and the large pieces of meat that had been cut from the cart and sent them to the west yard. There, they had already started a fire to boil water, and the smoke from the cooking was rising. Many of the workers had already looked over here.
Just as everyone was busy, a hurried sound of horse hooves came closer and closer. It was Manager Yu from the East Palace, who came with two servants, riding on a slow horse, and rushed into Ningrong Street in a panic, causing a lot of discussion among the people eating on both sides of the street. The commotion was quite small.
At this time, Lai Da was still sitting on a stool at the gate of the Duke's Mansion. He saw Yu, the steward of the East Mansion, with his face covered in dust and his clothes soaked with sweat. He was obviously riding a horse at full speed. He looked so embarrassed. Could it be that the servants from the East Mansion had rebelled?
"Manager Yu, what's going on? Why are you in such a hurry?"
Lai Da threw the account book on the table and asked curiously, thinking about the people in Dongfu Manor, who would dare to cause trouble?
Yu Lu jumped off his horse, and with a voice full of undisguised fear, he shouted;
"Manager Lai, something big has happened,"
Lai Da saw this and felt nervous, wondering what could have happened. He quickly stood up and went forward.
"Manager Yu, why are you so panicked? Could it be that those servants in the East Palace are causing trouble?"
Lai Da did not think much about it at this time. He thought that the new servants were making so much trouble that Manager Yu was frightened.
Yu Lu jogged all the way to the bottom of the stairs, but stumbled and nearly fell to the ground. If the two servants behind him had not quickly helped him up, he would have definitely bumped into things. He was still in shock, gasping for breath.
After a while, he managed to calm down and stood up, and replied;
"Yesterday, a big village on the south side of the village, facing the river, caught fire. We thought it was a fire, but then we heard screams and felt something was wrong. We didn't dare to move, so we gathered the young and strong men in the village to guard the village overnight. This morning, I took some people to check it out. Who knew that the whole village had been burned to the ground. Everyone in the village was killed, not a single piece of armor was left!"
He shouted with all his strength. As soon as he said this, the people who were watching the joke in front of the door were stunned. The helpers who were passing by also put down their work and were shocked.
Lai Dageng's face suddenly changed. The manor outside the capital had always been peaceful. If something unexpected happened, how would the Duke's Mansion survive? At this critical moment,
"Don't be so anxious. Tell me slowly. What happened? How do you know that the people in the village were killed?"
This is the key point. He waved his hands again and asked the doormen to bring chairs over so that Yu, the manager of the East Mansion, could sit down and take a breath.
After Yu Lu sat down, he calmed himself down and spoke slowly;
"I saw it with my own eyes. Yesterday afternoon, a big fire broke out in the village to the south. I wanted to ask people to cross the river to put out the fire, but when I was standing on the roof to check, a young man with good eyesight in the village suddenly screamed and said that there were thieves there, under the banner of the Taiping Sect, and they were already hacking and killing people in the village, regardless of gender, age or status. They killed anyone they saw and burned any house they saw."
Speaking of this, Yu Lu's eyes were red and his voice was choked with sobs. After all, Zhuangzi was close to him. Although they were separated by a river, they still talked to each other occasionally. Now, in the blink of an eye, he was gone. How could he calm down?
Lai Da was shocked. He knew the manor in Nantou. It seemed to be the imperial manor that the ancestors of the Marquis of Jinxiang were granted. How could it be like this?
"Manager Yu, this matter is of great importance. Do you understand it clearly?"
Yu Lu seemed to have recovered from his shock, nodded and shook his head, and said in a deep voice;
"I can't be wrong. I had already brought a few farmhands to the river, ready to ask someone to row a boat over to take a look. Right at the river, I saw the thieves killing people. I can't be wrong. That's right, it wasn't just a few people, it was a lot of people. They surrounded the farm, at least several thousand people."
He was shaking. If so many thieves could come to the capital, would the south be unable to hold on?
Lai Da swallowed his saliva and remained silent for a moment.
"This matter is too serious. We must not make any more noise. I have to go back to the mansion to report to the master and the old lady. You and your people should go to the backyard first, eat something and rest for a while."
He called a servant and told him to take Manager Yu and his men to the kitchen to prepare food and drink.
Subsequently,
Lai Da walked to the table, closed the account book, and hurried through the side door. Along the way, he kept thinking about how to tell the old lady.
As soon as he arrived at the central courtyard of Rongqing Hall, he stopped and turned around to go to the Pear Garden to look for the Second Madam.
In the pear garden,
Wang Xifeng, who had just returned from inspecting the Duke's Mansion in the front yard, had just entered the house and sat down on a chair in the front room to rest her legs. She was also busy talking.
"The mansion has been in good order these past few days. Qian Hua's daily purchase account books have been prepared."
With an eyebrow raised, Ping'er followed behind him, closed the door and walked slowly inside. Without stopping, she first poured a bowl of tea for the Second Mistress and then poured herself a bowl of tea to quench her thirst. After drinking the tea, she nodded and replied;
"My grandmother, the account books have been prepared long ago. The daily expenses are guaranteed to be accurate. The Second Master said he went to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to discuss the matter, but after he came back, he did not say what the result was."
To do these account books, not to mention Ping'er, even Wang Xifeng is already an expert at doing accounts. With so many people eating and drinking in the two mansions, it is not a small amount to scrape out a layer of oil every day. Of course, she is in a good mood when she sees the oil.
"Don't ask about these things now. We'll settle the bill later. Let's just focus on the daily food and drink expenses and the monthly salary expenses. It's just a matter of accumulating a little bit. By the way, do you have anything to say to Grandma?"
The question was obscure, how could Ping'er not know what grandma was asking?
"Grandma, in the West Garden, the eldest grandma hardly leaves the house. Some of the guards in Miss Lin's courtyard have already gone there secretly, and there are no ignorant servants to disturb them."
"Well, that's good. You should pay more attention to the courtyards in the west. In addition, the stewards in the mansion should be punished if necessary. Those who are not good at it should get out of here and do their work." Wang Xifeng was no longer tolerant. Anyone who made a mistake would be punished on the spot. Those who were blind would be sent to work in the manor.
While the two were talking, they heard hurried footsteps in the yard, rushing towards the door. The two immediately stopped talking, and then Lai Da's voice was heard outside the door.
"Grandma, something big happened,"
"Come in and talk,"
Wang Xifeng was confused. She was in charge of everything in the mansion, no matter how important the matter was. How could she not know when something went wrong?
But Lai Da came in with a serious face, bowed first, then hesitantly told the story of the village in the south of the city.
"Grandma, this morning, Yu, the steward of the East Palace, hurried back and said that the bandits of the Taiping Sect have already reached the border of the capital. A manor south of the Ning Mansion was burned to the ground, and no one was left alive. I know that manor is the manor of the Jinxiang Marquis Mansion."
Lai Da did not exaggerate. He picked out the important points of what Manager Yu said and repeated them again.
Before she even took a sip of her tea, Wang Xifeng stopped there, frowning in disbelief.
"Manager Yu, could it be that Yu Lu, who sent those servants from Ningguo Mansion, deliberately made up a lie because things were not going well at the manor? I also know about the manor of Marquis Jinxiang. It is a large manor. If they want to kill all the people there, they must surround the manor. It is impossible without thousands of people. The capital is heavily guarded. How could there be people from the Taiping Sect?"
After all, the imperial army has already marched south. Even if there are any, they should have met them on the road. It is still a dead end. Seeing that the second wife did not believe him, Lai Da smiled bitterly and said again;
"Grandma, Manager Yu would never dare to say anything nonsense about this matter. This morning, I saw the Imperial City Department dispatching a large number of guards out of the city. I heard that all the troops from the Southern Pacification Department have left the city. It should be because of this matter."
Early in the morning, he was sitting at the gate of the Duke's Mansion and saw several groups of people from the Imperial City Bureau, all heading south. At that time, he guessed that something strange might have happened in the capital again.
"This is simply lawless,"
Wang Xifeng was shocked. She wanted to scold but didn't dare to. There were people from the Military Affairs Department in the Beijing Camp. What would they do with food? The manor in Anhu was not just the manor of the Marquis of Jinxiang. Many wealthy families had their manors there. Especially at this juncture, if the manors of the two Jia mansions were in trouble, the manor would be short of money.
"Has any official family come forward? What does the Jinxiang Marquisate say?"
"This, grandma, I don't know."
Lai Da's forehead was sweating. How could he know all this? He stood there with his head down, accompanying him carefully.
"Okay, go back and send more people to keep an eye on the manor, and then have Manager Yu organize people to build the entrance to the manor and the wall surrounding the manor."
"Uh, yes, grandma, are you going to build a fort? That will cost a lot of money."
Lai Da knew about forts. In the previous dynasty, the civil unrest was too great, and the gentry and wealthy families could only build forts together to protect themselves. Now, there are very few such forts.
"What kind of fortress? We don't have the money to build that now. We can just build those houses around the manor, thicken the outer walls, and build a sentry post at the entrance of the manor to block the door, so that thieves can't just enter the manor and kill people."
Wang Xifeng raised her eyebrows and scolded angrily, "Fortress, how dare you think of it? The Jia family doesn't have the money to build such a thing now. Even if they want to build it, they can only discuss it after the two mansions in the east and west are combined. It seems that the only imperial mansion left in Rongguo Mansion is just to the north of Ningguo Mansion, with a small piece of land in the middle. As long as we buy it and connect it into one, it is not impossible."
"Okay, go back and calm the man down. I'll go discuss this with the old lady."
"Yes, I will go find Manager Yu right away,"
Lai Da responded quickly, and as if escaping, he turned around and left the house.
Wang Xifeng took a sip of the tea in her hand, put down the tea bowl and called Ping'er,
after that,
The two of them went to Rongqing Hall.
After entering the corner gate and the main hall, I didn't see Sanchun, so I asked the maid at the door out of curiosity.
"What's going on? Why isn't the old lady in the house?"
"To answer Second Madam, the weather is fine today, so the old lady called a few young ladies and Master Bao to go to the attic in the backyard to enjoy the lake."
The old woman guarding the door quickly stood up and replied respectfully, "The Second Madam is different now than before.
"Okay, got it."
Wang Xifeng had no time to chat here, so she led Ping'er to the backyard.
The Jia family's backyard is very large. It is mainly a man-made lake that draws water from Qinghu Lake. A three-story attic is built at the south end, which is used for summer vacation. It is also a place for the old lady to rest and play.
The yard is not small, with clusters of flowers and a bamboo forest, which makes it worthy of the word "elegant residence".
Not far from the lake, there is an attic courtyard. In the room on the second floor, Jia's grandmother was full of joy. She played a word guessing game with Baoyu and others. Sanchun, Xiangyun, and Dai Chai were also there. When playing the word guessing game, only Baoyu was the most active, with a flushed face.
Dai and Chai were smiling but not saying anything. They kept looking at each other, as if they had something to say. Without saying much, they ate most of the cakes on the table. I don't know who they learned this from. As soon as Baoyu answered a question, Grandmother Jia quickly praised him.
"Oh, my Baoyu has read more books. None of these people can guess as well as my Baoyu."
From a distance, the old lady's laughter could be heard. Wang Xifeng, who was outside the house, happened to hear it. She stopped and smiled faintly. If Baoyu really studied hard, the position in the Imperial College would belong to him. If he missed the special examination this year, how could he pass the exam if the Marquis was not the invigilator in the future?
The more I think about it, the more I feel indescribable. Brother Lan is so lucky.
Thinking about something, he walked into the house and went up to the second floor along the corner stairs. The maids waiting at the stairs stood up and saluted;
"Second grandma is well."
Wang Xifeng went upstairs without paying any attention and went straight into the hall. The atmosphere was originally full of laughter and joy, but when she saw that it was the Second Mistress who came here, even Baoyu's laughter just now stopped abruptly.
But Jia's mother was different. She greeted him.
"Look, I was just mumbling something and felt like something was missing, and now here he is. Come sit down."
Wang Xifeng smiled, looking at Baoyu's excited face, with an inexplicable look in her eyes.
"Oh, it's still the old lady who's thinking about me. The middle courtyard of the school has been cleaned up. Many people from the clan have signed up. The eldest grandmother has asked people to buy pens, ink, paper, and inkstones, and even Baoyu's copy was specially bought.
Besides, the quota for the Imperial College has already been given. Now that I have the quota, I will ask Lai Wang to take the banknote and go to register Baoyu. Also, the banknote is also from Grandmother, saying that it is the money for Baoyu's admission and it will be put into the family's public account."
Almost instantly,
Baoyu's flushed face turned pale, while Jia's mother smiled from ear to ear, her biggest worry finally resolved, and she asked:
"That's great, by the way, where are you coming?"
(End of this chapter)