EBE Chapter 2 The Jia Family Is Indeed Doomed
Chapter 2 The Jia Family Is Indeed Doomed
The return of the Imperial Concubine was naturally a great joy. She would certainly make a good display of the Emperor's grace, so that everyone in the Jia family could feel the Emperor's favor. She would also advise her father to be loyal to the Emperor and the country, to share the Emperor's burdens in the court, and to admonish the Jia family's children to study hard and not to indulge in eating, drinking, gambling, whoring, or pleasure, lest they fail to live up to the Emperor's grace.
However, after meeting Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang, in front of the accompanying ladies-in-waiting, female officials, and numerous servants, she willfully burst into tears and complained that the palace was "a place where one cannot be seen by anyone."
This could also be explained as her being emotional due to not seeing her relatives for a long time, and saying something inappropriate.
However, after meeting Jia Zheng later, she bluntly stated, "Even in a humble country family, with only salt and cloth, one can still enjoy the happiness of family life. Now, though we are extremely wealthy, our relatives are scattered, and ultimately, there is no joy in it!"
What a pointless and uninteresting situation!
Yuan Chun was not an ordinary family's wife; when she returned to her parents' home, no one cared whether she cried or laughed.
She was a concubine, and her husband's family was the royal family! Her husband was the emperor, the supreme ruler.
Any woman who marries into the royal family is considered to have married into a higher social class; it is an immense blessing and an honor for the entire family. Even if your life in the palace is truly unpleasant, even if you are genuinely unwilling, you cannot openly proclaim it.
Moreover, during this visit to her parents' home, the Imperial Concubine will naturally have female officials recording her words and actions. During her return to her parents' home, her every word and deed will be reported to the Emperor. Wouldn't she be afraid of being blamed by the Emperor?
In particular, she was a concubine who was very likely not as highly regarded by the emperor as he appeared.
Yuan Chun, a noblewoman from a duke's family, entered the palace. The emperor couldn't possibly not know her. Yet, she hadn't been favored by the emperor for ten years. Clearly, the emperor didn't like her. So, how did she suddenly become a Noble Consort? There must be some inside story!
Moreover, after ten years in the palace, Yuan Chun should have developed a habit of being cautious in her words and actions, and logically she shouldn't have acted this way in such a situation.
But that's exactly what she did!
Is she stupid?
Not stupid!
If she were stupid, she wouldn't have achieved the glory she has today.
That is, as the emperor's bedmate, she discovered something, but she couldn't say it outright, so she could only use this method to remind the Jia family.
The fact that a concubine could be so cautious and sorrowful is very likely related to the rise and fall of her family.
Therefore, Jia Huan speculated that the Emperor might intend to take action against the Jia family.
Moreover, what convinced Jia Huan even more that the Jia family was doomed was that when Yuan Chun was made a concubine, no one in the Jia family heard the news. Even after Jia Zheng was summoned to the palace, the entire family was still filled with anxiety.
The process of bestowing the title of Imperial Concubine was so complicated that the Jia family didn't even know they had an Imperial Concubine until the Emperor himself summoned them.
What does this mean?
This means that the Jia family has been squeezed out of the political center.
In Kyoto, the capital city, at the heart of a political vortex, the fate of a marginalized family is obvious.
The Emperor hasn't officially declared his stance yet, simply because he fears the Jia family might launch a desperate counterattack. Therefore, he's using the "Imperial Consort's Visit Home" to appease the Jia family and lower their guard. But in Jia Huan's view, the Jia family's true downfall hinges solely on the Imperial Consort's fate.
Perhaps Jia Huan was overthinking things and had a dark mind.
But Jia Huan felt that this was the most likely thing to happen.
The Rongguo Mansion has now passed down to the third generation, and the family is gradually declining, but no one is alert to this, and everyone is still immersed in pleasure.
Those who once fought alongside the emperor on the battlefield, vowing to bring peace and prosperity to the people, are no longer here. Their descendants have forgotten their ancestors' original intentions and have become oppressors of the people.
Xue Pan, the son of Lady Wang's sister, Aunt Xue, killed someone. He rushed to the capital to seek his sister's help. The case, which should have been a life for a life, was forcibly closed after the Jia family submitted a petition to the yamen.
Judging from the Jia family's practiced manner, this was clearly not the first time they had done something like this.
Jia Huan didn't know how many similar things the Jia family had done, but he understood that behind the seemingly glamorous Rongguo Mansion lay a whole host of dirty deeds.
Having transmigrated into this person's body, and with this kind of situation at home, Jia Huanping was disgusted with everyone in the mansion. So, even though he had been transmigrated for more than a month, he only claimed to the outside world that he was still ill and was recuperating at home.
The only thing that comforted Jia Huan was that after transmigrating, he possessed the Midas touch, a skill that only exists in fairy tales, literally turning stones into gold.
However, this ability has limitations. Currently, he can only conjure two taels of gold per day. Any more than that and he will feel weak and uncomfortable. But after a month of observation, Jia Huan discovered that this ability can be enhanced, although the rate of increase is very slow.
With this ability, at least I won't lack money in the future, and I won't have to worry about food and clothing.
After all, you can't get anything done in this mansion without money!
Heaven knows how shocked Jia Huan was when he first arrived. Especially when he was hungry one night and sent someone to the kitchen to get two plates of snacks to fill his stomach, he learned that in the Jia family, even if the servants of the Jia family were to cook a meal using things that the Jia family had purchased, they would have to pay money and even have to ask them to cook it politely.
Who would believe that!
Jia Huan's visit to the Jia family mansion was quite an eye-opener.
When Jia Huan came into this world, the country he swore to serve was gone. The family he longed to bring glory to was gone too. His parents, relatives, brothers and sisters, all the familiar people and things were gone. He had no heart to continue striving, because none of it meant anything to him anymore.
Therefore, Jia Huan never thought of becoming an official in this world, nor did he have any intention of revitalizing the Jia family.
He now has an indifferent attitude towards everyone and everything.
As for the Jia family's downfall, it's a case of "when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact."
It doesn't matter, if I can't live, I'll die.
Anyway, he'd had enough in a month.
Before this, he possessed the extraordinary ability to turn stones into gold, so he was never short of money.
Before the Jia family officially fell from grace, everyone still had a period of good times.
It would be best if everyone could live in peace and tranquility during these final years; otherwise, he wouldn't mind bringing forward the Jia family's downfall.
After all, it's difficult to revitalize a family, but it's quite easy to wipe out an entire clan—just a piece of clothing.
Having figured all this out, Jia Huan felt much more at ease. After gathering his servants, he began to live a peaceful life.
The Jia family mansion appears orderly on the surface, but it's actually in complete chaos. The entire household is neither master nor servant, and even the slightly older old women have to be greeted with smiles by the young masters. Servants who have served the older generation, such as Grandmother Jia, are actually more respectable than the young masters. The wet nurses can even boss people around in the young ladies' and young masters' rooms, acting as if they're at home, taking food and drinks without anyone saying a word.
Just like the original owner's wet nurse who could boss people around in his room, when she met Aunt Zhao who came here and often interfered, they often had conflicts. The two even fought each other. The maids and servants who served the original owner were even more lawless. Perhaps at someone's behest, they often spoke sarcastically to the original owner.
Jia Huan wasn't a harsh person; it was just that the people in the original owner's courtyard were too unruly, each wanting to ride on their master's back.
Unfortunately, this Jia Huan is not the same Jia Huan as before. How could he allow them to act arrogantly and domineeringly over him!
They're all all show and no substance!
Now Jia Huan is resourceful and doesn't hesitate to spend money. By using both kindness and severity, and after catching two troublemakers, everyone around him is now completely subdued.
Now Jia Huan is holding them to the highest standards. Although they are still slightly lacking, they are at least on the right track. Compared to their past and the other servants in the mansion, they are already quite different.