Chapter 233: First Meeting with Jia Yucun
Jia Cong was not familiar with these people at all, or did not know them.
When the capital was moved from Jinling to Shenjing, one reason was that the old houses and properties in Jinling needed someone to look after them, and the other was to divide the clan into two for the sake of bloodline inheritance.
Therefore, basically every family was like the Jia family, with some going to Beijing and some staying.
There are a total of 20 branches in the Jia family. Of course, not all of them are descendants of Lords Ning and Rong. For example, the 12 branches that stayed in Jinling are actually cousins of Lords Ning and Rong, and the 8 branches that went to Shenjing are descendants of Lords Ning and Rong. For example, Jia Dairu and Jia Daixiu are also sons of Lords Ning and Rong , and are brothers with Jia Daishan and Jia Daihua, but the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children is clear, and illegitimate children have to leave the house when they grow up, which is how the branches in Shenjing are formed.
If we count from Jia Cong's perspective, although they all belong to the Jia family, their blood relationship with Jinling is actually extremely distant, at least five generations away.
Although the two sides have never lost contact, it can be said that they have not necessarily become much closer.
The Xue family was in a special situation. As they were imperial merchants, they were not considered officials. Therefore, they did not need to accompany the emperor to the capital when the capital was moved. It was not until Aunt Xue, the eldest wife, brought Xue Pan and Baochai to the capital that it was considered a success. Xue Pan and Xue Ke were both the main branches of the Xue family, and they were the first and second branches. This meant that Xue Pan, Xue Ke, Baochai, and Baoqin had the same grandfather.
So the blood relationship between them is extremely close.
The rest of the branches still remain in Jinling.
Wang Ziteng, Wang Zisheng, Madam Wang, and Aunt Xue of the Wang family are all legitimate sons and daughters of the main line of the Wang family, that is, four brothers and sisters. Wang Ziteng went to Beijing, while Wang Zisheng stayed behind to look after the family business.
If the visitor was an ordinary one, the four major families would naturally not all come, but Jia Cong was not only the head of the Jia family in Shenjing, but also the emperor's confidant, Marquis Guanjun, so they naturally did not dare to neglect him.
As for Jia Yucun, there is no need to mention him. He is related to the Jia family, but the relationship is too distant. Moreover, he was reinstated in office thanks to the relationship with the Jia family. He is currently the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture in Nanjing. Naturally, he is jealous of this Guanjun Marquis. If he can catch the eye of this man, perhaps he can make further progress. Therefore, he is extremely looking forward to Jia Cong's arrival.
Therefore, not only did he come, but all the officials from the eight counties under his jurisdiction came to welcome him.
After Jia You, Shi Xu, and Wang Zisheng came forward to greet him, Jia Yucun stepped forward and bowed deeply, "Jia Hua greets the clan leader!"
When Jia Yucun came to Beijing to meet Jia Zheng with Lin Ruhai's handwritten letter, he regarded himself as a cousin, so he thought he was of the same generation as Jia Cong and others.
Now, calling him the clan leader instead of his official title is obviously a way of showing that he is of the same lineage as the Jia family and expressing his intention to be close to them.
Jia Cong smiled faintly. To be honest, Jia Yucun was indeed a disgusting person. As for talent, he certainly had it, even more than most people. He was also a son of an official, but his family background was cut off. However, he was still able to enter the capital to take the imperial examination with the help of Zhen Shiyin and pass the exam.
This man has a handsome appearance and is very charming, but his character is despicable.
Soon after he passed the imperial examination, he was appointed as the prefect, but he was dismissed for corruption and favoritism. Later, he was hired by Lin Ruhai to teach Daiyu, and through this, he was able to get close to the Jia family through the Lin family.
After he personally sent Daiyu to the capital, Jia Zheng helped him find a way to reinstate his official position and he was appointed as the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture.
Zhen Shiyin's family suffered a disaster, and his daughter Yinglian was abducted, which led to the case of Xue Pan beating someone to death. Because Xue Pan was from the Xue family, one of the four major families, Jia Yucun arbitrarily judged the case to exonerate Xue Pan, but he turned a blind eye to the abducted daughter of his benefactor and did not give her much help.
From this we can see what kind of character and personality this person has.
However, because he had been dismissed from office once, he became more sophisticated and worldly-wise. Although he still abused his power for personal gain and bent the law for personal gain, his official career was smooth.
In the original novel, when the Jia family declined, he betrayed the Jia family and defected to the Jia family's enemy, King Zhongshun, and his official position was promoted to the position of Grand Marshal.
Such a person cannot be a close friend, but he is the most suitable to be a knife! As long as he is given a hope, he will definitely do whatever it takes.
"Brother Shi Fei, there is no need to be so polite!" Jia Cong said calmly, "In Jinling, I still have a lot of requests to make. I hope Brother Shi Fei will not find it troublesome."
Jia Yucun was not worried but happy, and responded directly, " It is Jia Hua's honor to be able to serve in front of the Marquis. If there is anything, the Marquis can give orders."
Afterwards, Jia You asked the servants to go on board and help carry the coffins of Jia Jing and others off the boat. These coffins also had to be sent to the old house of the Jia family to remain for seven days before being buried.
The Jia family's old house in Jinling is basically the same size as the house in Shenjing. In fact, Shenjing is equivalent to a copy of Jinling City, including the layout of the palace.
All officials also have a team, but it is basically used for retirement support.
The head of the Zhen family, Zhen Yingjia, was the president of the Jinling Provincial Tiren Academy, which meant he was the housekeeper who helped the emperor manage the Jinling court. This was the reason why the Zhen family was rich. Today, the Zhen family obviously did not send anyone here.
A large group of people carrying the coffin arrived at the Ning and Rong mansions on Ningrong Street. In front of the Ningguo Mansion, the servants of the two mansions, led by a housekeeper and a nanny, saluted Jia Cong.
"The servant Jin Cai greets the clan leader!"
Jia Cong looked at Jin Cai and the old nanny beside her. They should be Yuanyang's parents.
Their family had been servants of the Jia family for generations, so they were the most trusted by the master of the mansion. Therefore, when the main branch went to Shenjing, Yuanyang's parents were left behind to guard the house.
"All the houses in the two mansions have been tidied up. Please tell us what the plan is," Jin Cai asked.
"Only the Second Madam of the West Mansion and I are here this time, so let's arrange for everyone to stay at Ningguo Mansion. The coffin will be placed in the front yard. The young men from various mansions will come to pay their respects in the next few days, and I will take care of them directly in the front yard. The Second Sister-in-law will live in Ningzheng Hall, so the people from the back houses of the various mansions must not lose their dignity when they come."
Jin Cai obeyed the order and then had all the coffins carried in. She led Jia Cong into the courtyard, while Wang Xifeng's sedan chair was carried directly from the gate into the main courtyard and stopped at Ningzheng Hall.
Ping Er helped Wang Xifeng get off the sedan chair and went straight into the main hall of Ning and sat on a high couch. Ping Er whispered to Wang Xifeng, "The Third Master really cares about Grandma."
Wang Xifeng felt her body was a little hot and a little soft at the moment. What did this enemy do to carry her from the main gate of Ningguo Mansion? Moreover, he directly found an excuse to let her enter Ningzheng Hall, which made her heart jump out. After all, even when she was married to Jia Lian, she did not have such qualifications.
