Chapter 356: Sister Feng: She is both envious and angry
In the evening, the sun sets in the west.
Jia Heng returned from the Wucheng Army and Horses Division. Before that, he arranged some tasks to hunt down assassins in the government office, which was regarded as a response to the assassination of King Zhongshun.
Fang entered the flower hall and before he could sit down, he saw Jiao Da coming in from the outer corridor and said: "Uncle Heng, Wu Jinxiao from Heishan Village sent you a yearly gift. Seeing that the uncle didn't come back, he went to the inn on Ningrong Street to wait.
OK, sir, would you like to call them here?"
"Don't be busy yet." Jia Heng waved his hand and asked, "Has the order been delivered?"
"Sent." Jiao Da responded with lowered hands, took out a gift list and a red gift from his sleeve, and handed it over.
Jia Heng took the gift list, lowered his eyes to read it, and saw the red writing on it, "My disciple, Zhuangtou Wujin, pays filial piety to my grandparents, Jin An, and the young master, Jin An..."
When you scroll down further, you can see a dazzling array of things, but there seems to be no clues.
I just saw: "One hundred and fifty big deer, one hundred and fifty deer, one hundred roe deer, seventy Siamese pigs, sixty soup pigs, sixty dragon pigs, sixty wild boars... Take away rice."
Each item of grain and livestock is worth 12,800 taels of silver. The filial piety gifts for the outer gate are: eight pairs of live deer, twelve pairs of white rabbits, six pairs of black rabbits, six pairs of live golden pheasants, and four pairs of Western ducks."
Jia Heng frowned, then raised his eyes to look at Jiao Da, and asked, "Do you have the gift list from previous years?"
Jiao Da, who was standing with his hands hanging down, paused for a moment and said, "Uncle, this needs to be found in the warehouse."
Ningguo Mansion, a palace of a prince, has records of all gifts received.
Jia Heng nodded slightly and said, "Come here, let me take a look."
If it's a big difference, he doesn't want to investigate it in detail. If it's a big reduction, don't blame him for digging into it.
After a while, Jiao Da found the gift list from the warehouse, and made a pile of more than ten of them.
Accompanied by the sound of "swishing", Jia Heng read attentively and compared the tribute items over the years.
It can be clearly seen that this year is several times less than the earliest year.
Of course, the number of Zhuangzi in Ningguo Mansion has also decreased in recent years.
For example, at its peak, there were thirty-three places in Ningguofu Zhuangzi.
Now Zhuangzi has only seventeen places, which is seven or eight more places than when Wu Jinxiao paid tribute in the original work. When the harvest is good, he can get 40,000 to 50,000 taels of silver a year.
However, in the past three years, floods and droughts have occurred continuously. The harvests in Zhuangzi have become more and more bad, and the profit has dropped sharply. Seventeen Zhuangzi a year can only earn one or two thousand taels of silver. It is obviously going downhill.
Compared with the eight or nine Zhuangzi left in the original work, Jia Zhen calculated that he would earn five thousand taels of silver a year, which was much better.
At that time, the Jia Mansion had built the Grand View Garden after Yuan Fei's wedding, but it was riddled with holes eroded by ants.
"There are many problems, but it is impossible to reduce them so quickly. According to the original work, there are only eight or nine Zhuangzi left in the Ningguo Mansion. I am afraid that many of them have been corrupted by Wu Jinxiao and other Zhuangzi, and the number will decrease year by year. Otherwise, Jia Zhen will also
I won't call him an old beheader, and even some Zhuangzi who could not make ends meet were sold by the Ning Mansion, which is full of doubts." Jia Heng closed the account book and looked up to see that the sky was almost dark. There were lights everywhere, and there were lights on the corridor.
The light is really beautiful.
Jia Heng was lost in thought for a while, thinking about the financial revenue and expenditure of Ningguo Mansion.
The income sources of Ningrong and Rongfu are roughly Zhuangzi, house and other land rent, land rent, the salary of the host and hostess, and the condolence money for meritorious officials rewarded by the priests of the Ministry of rites during festivals.
First of all, Zhuangzi, the land rent and land rent of houses are not too bad at present in Ningfu. There are still seventeen places left. Rongfu should be even more than this number.
Because several of Mrs. Wang's housemates were engaged in collecting rent, which constituted the main source of income for the Rongguo Mansion.
It's just that the Rongguo Mansion has a large population and lives a luxurious life, resulting in huge expenses and insufficient resources.
Next is the shops. Ning Mansion, together with the five shops he bought, now has eight shops.
On the other hand, in Xifu, due to poor management, there are only two places left, and they are basically half-dead.
If Jia Heng hadn't helped Rong Mansion raid the Lai family and gained a mouthful of blood, Rong Mansion would have been unable to sustain itself.
Finally, there is salary. There is also salary in imperial decrees. As for rewards, as the original book says, giving money is just to show dignity.
"Taking Ning Mansion alone as an example, there is still a balance, but it still needs to be rectified." Jia Heng thought about it, looked at Jiao Da, and said in a deep voice: "Put the account books here for now, and let Wu Jinxiao and his son take care of themselves in the inn.
Wait, don't go back yet, I will ask questions tomorrow. In addition, I will select one of each of the animals above as a sacrifice, and then select some to send to the Xifu. These pairs of live rabbits will also be packed up, so that
He was sent to the courtyard of some girls in Xifu."
Wu Jinxiao donated more than a dozen pairs of white rabbits, which can be given to Tanchun, Daiyu, and Baochai to keep and enjoy. Tanchun, Daiyu, and Baochai will like these furry little animals.
After all, Baochai once fluttered at a butterfly, so he must be interested in the white rabbit.
Jiao Da hurriedly responded and ordered people to go.
But he said that in Tongfu Inn, in the upper room of Tianzihao——
Wu Jinxiao and his son were having wine with several villagers. They were drunk and drinking wine.
"Top Zhuang, this new clan leader is not easy to mess with." A banker with a red face said in a low voice.
Another banker picked up a peanut and stuffed it into his mouth. Under his furrowed forehead, his eyes were filled with fear and he said, "I've also heard that he is a ruthless character."
Wu Jinxiao put down the wine bowl in his hand and said with a smile: "The situation has become worse and worse in the past few years. Everyone is fighting famine. No matter how fierce my boss is, he has to be unreasonable. This donation is a waste of money for me."
It’s a lot of effort, and I even supplemented some of it myself. If the boss is still not satisfied, it can’t be justified.”
Another villager said: "It's true, it's true. In the past few years, there have been ten droughts and nine disasters in the world. It would be good for us to help maintain the farmland and make some income. Otherwise, let these gentlemen and ladies farm the land themselves."
Everyone laughed when they heard this.
"Drink, drink, we need to meet this Uncle Heng tomorrow." Wu Jinxiao waved his hand to stop his laughter, but he was worried.
After he entered the city, he asked about Uncle Heng, and there was no trace of dirt in his eyes.
How to deal with it tomorrow requires careful planning.
In recent years, by falsely reporting disasters and intentionally leaving things alone, he made several farmlands unable to make ends meet, dragging down the Ningguo government's financial subsidy. The original owner of Ningguo Mansion couldn't bear it, so he had to sell the farmland to local merchants.
Little did he know that those big merchants had secretly discussed with him, and with this method alone, he asked his relatives to buy several farms on his behalf, and his family's life became more and more prosperous.
"I hope nothing happens tomorrow."
Wu Jinxiao thought so.
On the other side, while Jia Heng was talking, he walked towards the backyard. As soon as he reached the eaves of the inner hall, he heard laughter and laughter.
In the inner hall and a wing, Qin Keqing was sitting on an Arhat bed, packing up his imperial robes, surrounded by a circle of warblers and swallows.
As the Chinese New Year is approaching, married women such as Qin Keqing need to go to the palace to pay their respects to the empresses of the two palaces. Therefore, after listening to the advice of Sister Feng who came to visit, she planned to try on the imperial attire in advance to see if there is anything inappropriate, so that she can modify it in advance.
Second Sister You, Third Sister You, and the two sisters were sitting on the embroidered pier beside them. Seeing the colorful and splendid imperial makeup, one was quiet and the other was beautiful, and they all felt envious in unison.
color.
Sister Feng was also served by Ping'er and other maids, chatting and laughing with her, while Xiangyun, Tanchun and Baochai were sitting aside.
Daiyu didn't come over to play because she wasn't feeling well these days.
As for Baochai, she didn't come here to visit, but she came to ask Jia Heng to be her host at the behest of her mother.
Previously, at King Wei's birthday party, Jia Heng asked Princess Xianning to ask for favors in front of Queen Song. In the end, Queen Song was very generous and ordered Xia Shouzhong, the eunuch of the Sixth Palace, to lead people to the Ministry of Rites to inquire about the things that the Xue family should pay tribute to.
There is nothing objectionable. I wonder what the Ministry of Rites stands for? Hastily changing the purchasing royal merchant?
This inquiry made the relevant officials of the Ministry of Revenue shocked and frightened. They suddenly had no excuse and could not cooperate with the Ministry of Internal Affairs to secretly stumble on the Xue family's imperial business. So they wrote a note to the Xue family, used the seal, and then
After writing off last year's account books, the shopkeeper of the Xue family went to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to argue, and everything went smoothly.
Aunt Xue was overjoyed when she heard about it, especially when she learned from Baochai that it was the empress in the palace who had given birth to the most beautiful woman in the world. She was so surprised and happy that she quickly urged Baochai to go to her house to ask Jia Heng to be her host.
Son.
Baochai was dressed in a light red dress with white lining, and her face was as white as a pear, looking faintly absent-minded.
With such gorgeous clothes, ordinary people can only wear a phoenix crown and harem when they get married, and they can barely look good.
Sister Feng said with a smile: "We women will only beg for this kind of clothes throughout our lives."
Qin Keqing had a peaceful smile on her face and said, "Sister-in-law Feng, no matter how good your clothes are, they are just for keeping warm and avoiding the cold."
"Hey, look at what you said. It's both envious and angry." Sister Feng looked at Second Sister You, Third Sister You, Baochai, Tanchun and Xiangyun and said with a smile.
Everyone laughed, especially Xiangyun Gege's smile, which almost sounded like silver bells. It made Qin Keqing's cheeks slightly red, feeling that he was showing off a little frivolously.
Xiangyun smiled and joked: "Sister-in-law, you don't have to envy others. In a few years, brother Lian will also earn a living for your sister-in-law outside."
When Tanchun heard this, he gouged out Xiangyun's eyes and secretly tugged on Xiangyun's sleeves.
The smile on Baochai's plump face faded slightly, and she glanced at Xiangyun with her clear apricot eyes.
After all, Xiangyun had a bright mind and said whatever he thought of. Besides not knowing what Jia Lian and his wife were doing, he didn't expect that there was anything wrong with his words. Seeing Tanchun wink, he said with a confused face, "What are you doing, third sister, pulling my clothes?"
Tanchun: "..."
Baochai's apricot eyes turned away and couldn't bear to look directly.
The smile on Sister Feng Guazi's face froze at a speed that was visible to the naked eye. Danfeng lowered his eyes and looked at the royal clothes. The bitterness in his heart welled up and sighed: "I can't wear this, and I can't expect that homeless person to help me earn my royal life...
I'm afraid I won't be so lucky in this life."
Judging from the colleagues donated by Jia Lian, unless they hold actual positions, it would be as difficult as going to heaven to ask Sister Feng to be named his wife.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the venue became awkward.
The bright eyes under Sanjie You's beautiful eyebrows flickered, looking at Sister Feng's sharp oval face, thoughtfully.
Second Sister You frowned slightly, looking at Sister Feng with a bit of pity in her beautiful eyes.
That Second Master Lian, when he heard that he was found guilty of adultery with his father's little wife and was given a concubine, he became even more unscrupulous.
Qin Keqing also felt a little emotional.
"I didn't expect that the relationship between Sister-in-law Feng and Brother Lian has reached such a state that we can't even mention it?"
Fortunately, at this time, Ruizhu entered the hall, broke the slightly awkward atmosphere, and asked: "Madam, Aunt Cai said, when did the spring festival rewards this year be sent to the priests of the Rites Temple to receive them?"
Qin Keqing was a little confused and said: "Is this a reward from the palace? Sister-in-law Feng has been in charge for a long time, but does she know where the money came from?"
Seeing Qin Keqing's confusion, Sister Feng seemed to have regained some confidence, with a smile on her face and said: "My sister has just started running the family, and I don't know the name of this money yet. This is a sum of money distributed by the Holy Spirit in the twelfth lunar month to show sympathy for the deceased hero.
The silver for the Spring Festival is just for people like us. We are not in a hurry to wait for these few taels of silver, but we can get it early so that we can buy ancestors’ offerings and bring blessings to the house. Speaking of which, even if there is
Ten thousand taels of silver to offer to the ancestors is not as grand and dignified as this holy family. Those poor hereditary officials, on the contrary, are counting on this money to celebrate the New Year."
As he spoke, he laughed to himself.
Nowadays, the Rongguo Mansion has abundant funds. Even Sister Feng can speak with a little more confidence, and the sadness of not getting along with Jia Lian and his wife is a little relieved.
Qin Keqing smiled and said, "I've learned a lot."
Sister Feng lowered her red and phoenix eyes and looked at the brilliant emerald beaded crown and the imperial gown decorated with gold and jade. The envy in Danfeng's eyes was so strong that she couldn't get rid of it. She smiled and said: "Sister, you might as well try it now."
Try on clothes."
Qin Keqing said with a little embarrassment: "This is not a new year and a festival, so I will change it into a royal decree."
Sister Feng said with a smile: "Sister, isn't it just for us to see where the cut is appropriate? If it's too big or too small, it's better to change it in advance, so as not to make a mistake and make a joke when greeting the two empresses in the new year.
That’s it.”
Third Sister You said softly: "Sister Qin, you might as well change it first and take a look in advance."
Second Sister You and Baochai also persuaded her.
If you are not a woman, you may not be able to appreciate the novelty of new clothes.
Qin Keqing was also moved by the words, and smiled and said: "Sisters, wait a moment, I will go to the inner room to change."
With that said, he left the wing and, with the maids Baozhu and Ruizhu serving him, headed towards the inner wing.
"Madam, Second Grandma Lian, Miss You, Miss Bao, the uncle is here and waiting in the hall." Qin Keqing had just left when a woman came in to report.
Jia Heng was already sitting quietly in the inner hall drinking tea. Since several people were in the inner room, he couldn't rush in rashly.
As he was talking, he heard laughter and said, "Brother Heng, are you back?"
Before her lips opened and she was smiling, she smelled it. It was none other than Sister Feng.
Sister Feng, Ping'er, Second Sister You, Third Sister You, and Baochai, served by their respective maids, lifted the curtain and walked into the hall amidst the jingling of rings.
Jia Heng nodded to Baochai, glanced at Second Sister You and Third Sister You, then turned to Sister Feng and said, "Sister-in-law Feng, aren't you attending to the family affairs?"
Because the Chinese New Year is about ten days away, Rong Mansion also has a lot of things that Sister Feng needs to take care of.
Sister Feng smiled sweetly, looked at Jia Heng up and down with her bright red phoenix eyes, and said, "Brother Heng, isn't this a break from your busy schedule and I want to come over to your house to have a look?"
After saying that, he asked: "Brother Heng, I heard that Wuzhuangtou from Zhuangtian is here?"
Jia Heng nodded and said: "I just handed over the gift list, and a few girls happened to be here. Wuzhuangtou of Heishan Village sent more than ten pairs of rabbits, golden pheasants, black ducks, Sister Xue, the second sister, and the third sister.
If you like them, I’ll pick a pair back and keep them for viewing.”
Xiang Yun had a look of joy on his face and said, "Brother Heng, where are Tutu? I want to raise a pair."
Where have you had the opportunity to raise these at home in the past?
Tan Chun smiled and said: "Sister Yun, don't clamor for it. Whoever's is missing will also be missing yours."
Jia Heng was also infected by Xiangyun's smile and said, "As long as you like them, we will take a pair back later."
A faint smile appeared on Sanjie You's pretty face and she said: "I also like these cats and dogs, but I have never raised a rabbit before. I thought it would be interesting to raise a pony."
She originally wanted to learn to ride a horse, but no one ever taught her about it.
Jia Heng smiled and said: "The foal also needs a groom to feed it. It is not as easy to raise as this rabbit. It can be left on the porch of the yard to feed itself."
After saying that, he looked at Baochai and asked, "Where is Sister Xue?"
Baochai met the inquiring warm gaze, her apricot eyes trembled, and she said softly: "I will also adopt a pair of children and let Ying'er take care of them."
Sister Feng said with a smile: "I also like these rabbits and deers. The meat is delicious, especially the soup, which is a great supplement."
Tanchun, Xiangyun: "..."
Everyone then laughed again.
Qing knew that Sister Feng was joking and no one took her seriously.
After laughing, Jia Heng turned around and asked a nanny, "Where is Madam?"
Before the mama could say anything, Sister Feng took over and said, "But you are going to try on the imperial attire. Brother Heng, please be patient."
Jia Heng was slightly startled when he heard this. Hearing Sister Feng's explanation, he nodded and said, "Sister-in-law Feng is thoughtful and needs to check it out in advance. If it doesn't fit, there's still time to change it."
When a married woman wants to go to the palace to meet the empresses of the two palaces, she must pay attention to her clothing and etiquette, otherwise she will make a joke in the capital.