Aristocratic family's career in the Red Chamber

Mr. Zhang was honored by the emperor to personally confer an official position. Such a big happy event soon overwhelmed the gloom in the mansion due to the death of Mr. Zhang, and soon everyone was beaming again.These servants also saw clearly that although Second Master Zhang was the elder brother, Fourth Master Zhang was the son of the eldest son. The joy of the son of the son is naturally more important than the funeral of the son of the son.Therefore, even if Zhang Erye's widow was crying hoarsely in the hall with his son and daughter who were no more than seven and five years old, and kept calling Zhang Erye to complain, in the end, they were only half pushed and half held by a few servants. After returning to her own small courtyard, within a few days, Mrs. Zhang announced that she would keep a filial piety for Second Master Zhang, and she was not allowed to come out easily.The servants were still doing what they were supposed to do, the kitchen was busy with a pot of porridge, and they went back and forth to make one plate after another of exquisite dishes - this was a family banquet in the mansion to congratulate Fourth Master Zhang.

After all, Second Master Zhang has only been away for a while, and it is not good for outsiders to see their family laughing and laughing. Mrs. Zhang did not let outsiders be present, and even her grandson and daughter-in-law rushed back, and only celebrated the occasion with her eldest son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. Happy event.Even though there were only so few people, the old lady Zhang still had her eyes bent happily, and the corners of her mouth never closed. She took her youngest son's hand and watched him over and over again. At the end, she suddenly burst into tears and almost screamed at the sky. Shouted: "My lord, have you seen it? The emperor has not forgotten your credit, he has not forgotten your credit, he still misses what you did for him, and now we have graced our son~~" The old man burst into tears.

Looking at the old lady Zhang who was so out of control, Fourth Master Zhang of Jingyuan Hou felt sour on the tip of his nose for a moment, and his heart was in a panic.The relationship between old Jingyuanhou and Mrs. Zhang was not very good when they were young. It was originally a marriage of family interests in the early troubled times. Later, because of Aunt Li, they respected each other like ice for a long time, but later Jingyuanhou was poisoned After hurting his body, Old Hou Ye came to his senses and changed his mind towards Mrs. Zhang.He intends to please, and Mrs. Zhang is open-minded. As she grows old, her feelings become deeper and deeper.At that time, Prince Yizhong was very powerful, and the old Hou Ye followed Jinshang. The old lady Zhang was always in fear.But I don't want to, doing good deeds every day to accumulate merits, and finally becoming the emperor today, not only did the old Hou Ye not get half of the benefits, but he passed away from a serious illness. No matter how grand the funeral is, how much grace is given today, what will happen? Mrs. Zhang lost her wife.After three years of filial piety, even my beloved daughter had a hard time living in her husband's house.Mrs. Zhang is not a saint, so she has resentment towards Jinshang, and even complains that Old Hou Ye worked so hard for Jinshang that day and hurt his body, that's why he couldn't survive the illness, left their family and left early...

The old lady Zhang is not crying for the grace of the present and the happy event of the fourth master, but for the old Hou Ye who left their family and died early. What she is crying is the grievances that their Zhang family has suffered in the past three years!

The old lady Zhang has held back for too long. In the past three years, she has been resolutely carrying the burden of the Zhang family. She has never shown any fragility.But Jingyuan Hou Zhang Siye is her own son, seeing how affectionate the old Houye and her were back then, how can it be believed that she has really let go of the old Houye's death as on the surface?Worrying about these three years, now that Mrs. Zhang finally vented out, Jingyuan Hou and Zhang Siye brothers looked at each other, their eyes were red, but no one dared to stop Mrs. Zhang.

When the old lady Zhang cried, her eyes were red and swollen, and she was almost out of breath. She was anxiously persuaded by the eldest daughter-in-law Gu, and slowly wiped away the tears with a handkerchief. in half.Glancing at the two sons sitting below, one of them was skinny and pale, even though he was middle-aged, and the majestic black flower-trimmed robe that was supposed to be worn on him seemed to overwhelm him. All the spirits are in general, which makes him weak and sick.The other has his hair tied up with a purple gold and white jade crown, and his handsome face is cheerful and healthy, but he is still young, with the peace and ease of a young man who has not experienced the real sorrows of life.The old lady Zhang suddenly closed her eyes, and completely withdrew the first trace of weakness.Not yet, now is not the time for her to be weak, as the eldest sister said, the Zhang family has already become a filial piety, and there is no reason for the waiter to close the door and not associate with relatives and friends.The eldest son is weak, the eldest grandson has not yet grown up, and the youngest son has only entered the officialdom, and a group of relatives and friends need to take care of her. She can't be weak, she can only move forward.Even if you don't get used to it, you have to force yourself to be strong, to please, to give your son and daughter an extra favor...

After calming down, the old lady Zhang put away her weak attitude, and said to her two sons: "The elder sister has sent a letter, saying that no one suspects the second child, just let us rest assured." The fourth master said, "Your sister asked me to tell you that this opportunity is not easy to come by, you should cherish it, and be careful when you are in office, and don't let others take advantage of it!"

The fourth master Zhang and his eldest sister Zhang are several years behind in age. When I was young, I was taught by Zhang's hand in hand. The relationship between siblings has always been good. Hearing what the old lady Zhang said, fourth master Zhang was very grateful: "Eldest sister is now It's not easy to be in Jia's house, and you still have to worry about my affairs. How can you bear such a lot of trouble? Mother just write back to the elder sister to reassure her, I will definitely act carefully."

Jing Yuanhou glared at him, and sneered: "Speaking is the most taboo without intention. Now you have promised happily, but you must do it. It's not for you, for the Zhang family, that the eldest sister took great pains to get the secret from the outside. The medicine is back. She has put so much pains on you, you just need to say a few words to thank her, and see if I break your leg!"

Marquis Jingyuan is the eldest son of the Hou Mansion, and he was raised by the old Marquis since he was a child. Although his health was not good later, he was much older than Fourth Master Zhang, and he often controlled him when he was young. In my heart, Master Zhang never dared to refute a word when he spoke. Seeing his seriousness at this moment, he straightened his expression and said, "Don't worry, brother. I know the seriousness. Now my Zhang family is in a weak position. The second emperor's kindness is a rare opportunity. I never dare to forget the responsibility of revitalizing the Zhang family. I will definitely manage it carefully and make a lot of achievements in my tenure. I will never dare to do anything that insults the lintel. If there is any violation, big brother As long as the family law deals with me, I have nothing to say!"

A few words, loud and clear, proud.A trace of blush appeared on Jingyuanhou's pale face, and a gratified smile flashed in his eyes. He straightened up and wanted to say something, but suddenly his mind was dizzy, and he could only freeze. After a while, he felt more comfortable. Seeing his mother, wife, and brother all looking at him with concern, Marquis Jingyuan smiled wryly: "It's just an old problem. I've been here for so many years. What can happen? Don't worry."

Having said that, which of these three people can really feel at ease?Seeing this, Jingyuan Hou felt uncomfortable?It's not that he has never experienced the feeling of being healthy. Under the guidance of the old Hou Ye, why didn't he ride a horse and hold a bow?Old Aunt Li's potion of secret medicine ruined all his health, making him such a useless person now, but after a few more words, he becomes so breathless... Every time he thinks about the current situation in the mansion, Zhang Hou Jingyuan felt that the troubles he suffered in Jia's house were too cheap. Zhang Erye - if their mother and son hadn't harmed his body, with the meritorious deeds of the old Hou Ye, why would he not be able to support the Hou Mansion?

"The second child is gone. Our Zhang family has no one who can take action in front of Chao Liming. But I heard that Wang Ziteng, the elder brother of the Wang family of the Jia family, showed his face again in front of the imperial court. Now the eldest sister is here I'm afraid the life of Jia's family will be more difficult than before." Don't keep thinking about worrying things, Jingyuan Hou Zilai has a wise temperament, knowing that complaining is hopeless, he put aside those bad things and talked about the two days in detail After thinking about it, he planned, "When my father supported the emperor, he embezzled a large amount of the Zhang family's property. When the eldest sister married, although the family was better, her dowry was limited. I heard that the Jia family is the most extravagant temperament. I have to spend my own money to make wine on my master's birthday, and to add vegetables and small items in my spare time. I'm afraid it's a lot to prepare on weekdays. The elder sister will only spend more on the secret medicine mentioned above. Now she has a son under her knees, and she doesn't know how to return it Will there be any more children? The eldest sister misses us all the time, and we have to take care of her more. The more generous the dowry for women, the better. Tai'an is a land of wind and rain, and merchants come and go, and there is a Grand Canal near Jining , but it is best to do business in the north and south. Fourth brother, I will give you a sum of money, and then send some capable people to you. When you are in office, start this business, and the eldest sister will also count as two member."

Zhang Siye might as well Jing Yuanhou would let him do business, he was stunned and said in a dumb voice: "Brother, you, are you kidding me? I'm going to be an official, how can I start a business? "

Hou Jingyuan squinted his eyes: "Who told you to do it on the bright side? I didn't say that I would send someone to help you? What is the situation of our family now? Since my father left, how much of our property in Beijing has been destroyed?" People snatch it away? How much is the annual profit? Merchant business, everyone looks down on it, but who can’t do it now? It’s just that the master doesn’t show up. I just ask you to learn, what’s the problem? Tai'an is no bigger than Jining, and there are all prefects and prefects. In that county, you are a parent official. You have no restrictions on what you do. As long as you are careful, who can find anything? Our family is doing well now, but we can sit and eat, and then Your nephew and niece get married, you manage the officialdom, and the marriage of your children is the only thing that costs more. If you don’t take advantage of the convenience of your work outside and open up a new source of income for the family, can it really make you corrupt and accept bribes?" Straight Zhang Fourth Master was speechless.

Jing Yuanhou breathed a sigh of relief again: "I know you can't save your face for a while, but our Zhang family is in such a situation now, I am afraid that it will be difficult to keep the property in Beijing in the future, if you keep your face, our family will really lose It's down. You just remember that all these twists and turns are for the future of my Zhang family. My father blamed him publicly, and he only blamed me."

How could Fourth Master Zhang take this seriously, and hurriedly said: "Brother, I understand everything, I will definitely do well."

Jing Yuanhou said with relief: "Now you are the only one who can be cultivated in the Zhang family. Since the emperor can decree to grant you an official position, it can be seen that he has an impression of you and has father's affection. If you do business and get a good evaluation, the emperor will not lose you. Although my Jingyuan Hou Mansion has begun to decline in the capital, it is the Hou Mansion. Above that place, it still has a deterrent force. When you get to the place, just keep your chest up, and I'm sorry that no one will dare to embarrass you. In the past three or four years, you just have to do things boldly, and our Zhang family will depend on you in the future."

Fourth Master Zhang felt a heavy burden weigh heavily on his shoulders, nodded firmly and said: "Don't worry, brother, I will definitely not disappoint you."

Marquis Jing Yuan stared at him for quite a while, and Fourth Master Zhang also looked straight at him, earnestly and resolutely, without any hesitation, and couldn't help but rejoice that the fourth brother has become a responsible man.But, in the end it wasn't enough.He turned his head and called the 11-year-old eldest son who was sitting and listening, and asked him to kowtow to Fourth Master Zhang: "Your father is a sick and useless pot, but he took the title of the ancestor by relying on the name of the eldest son. In the future, your future , but you have to rely on your fourth uncle. Now that your fourth uncle is going to be released, you should kowtow to him first, and remember your fourth uncle's kindness well!"

Fourth Master Zhang was at a loss for what to do, so he went straight to ask his nephew Zhang Can, but Zhang Can is only 11 years old, but he is intelligent and precocious. From the previous conversation, he knew that Fourth Master Zhang was going to Tai'an, and he had a difficult task. I was grateful in my heart, but regardless of Zhang Siye's obstruction, I kowtowed to him firmly, and said respectfully: "Fourth Uncle is so kind, my nephew will never forget it!"

Fourth Master Zhang was stunned for a moment, withdrew his hand, sat upright on the chair, and said firmly: "I am the son of the Zhang family, and the honor and disgrace of the Zhang family is my honor and disgrace!" Glancing at Marquis Jing Yuan, he turned his head and raised his hand to give way Zhang Can got up, "You just study hard at home, and I will be there for all chores!"

Looking at such a young son, Mrs. Zhang knew that no matter what happened in Tai'an in the future, this child would definitely be able to persevere and overcome the past.Because, the Zhang family is his root!For this family, even if he has to face the stormy sea, he will never fall down!

Just as she was rejoicing, Mrs. Gu suddenly let out a scream, and everyone looked at him together, only to see Marquis Jing Yuan leaning on the back of the chair, with big drops of cold sweat already dripping from his forehead, everyone dared not neglect, and hurriedly called the servant girl to beat him. Water tea, go ask the doctor...

At the same time, Jia Hu's brocade dress was stained with fine grass clippings and ran into Zhang's house, pulled Zhang and said anxiously: "Mother, my aunt is sick, and she vomited so badly in the garden, hurry up!" Send her to the doctor."

Mrs. Zhang was stunned...