Chapter 65: Thanksgiving
Soon after the announcement, a female official led a group of people into Fengzao Palace!
After entering the main hall of Fengzao Palace, everyone nodded and walked forward. When the female official in front stopped and reported, "Your Majesty, the imperial edicts of the Jia family are here to pay their respects to you!"
Grandmother Jia hurriedly led everyone to bow down to the ground, "Greetings to the Queen!"
"Help the old Lord up quickly and give him a seat!"
A female official came forward and helped Lady Jia sit on a brocade cushion. Xing, Wang and You all stood behind Lady Jia!
"I often hear Your Majesty mention that the Jia family has two dukes. The old lady of the Jia family is also a heroic woman. I should follow her example! The old lady's granddaughter Yuanchun is virtuous and careful, so I let her manage Fengzao Palace. The old lady's grandson is both civil and military. He won the first place in the imperial examinations. Now he has repeatedly made military achievements while guarding the border. Even Your Majesty values him very much. That's why he went to the emperor in person and asked for a generous reward of a viscount!"
Grandmother Jia stood up and bowed, then said, "It is a blessing for our Jia family that Yuanchun can listen to your teachings. My grandson has made some small achievements, but it is only because of his loyalty to the emperor and his country, and the support of the emperor and your majesty. Now, your majesty has given such a generous reward, which makes the Jia family ashamed!"
The Queen smiled, and then chatted with Lady Jia for a while, then said to Yuanchun, "Yuanchun, you have rarely met your family since you entered the palace. Now that you have finally gotten what you wanted, you can take the old Lord and the others to the side hall to talk!"
"Thank you, Madam!"
Jia Mu and the others hurriedly thanked them, and then, led by the female official, they headed towards a side hall!
After entering the side hall and asking the maids in the hall to leave, leaving only Baoqin to guard the door, Yuanchun could no longer hold back and threw herself directly into Jia's mother's arms, "Grandmother!"
Grandmother Jia hugged Yuanchun and said, "My granddaughter has suffered so much over the years..."
Xing and the others raised their heads. Xing and You looked calm. One of them was from the East Palace and the other was from the first house. They were just going through the formalities. You had some envy in her eyes. The West Palace had a minister of Fengzao Palace. She would definitely be more noble in the future. Xing was not too envious. The minister of Fengzao Palace was naturally noble, but her first house also had a son of the first rank. He might not be much inferior .
Wang's eyes were filled with tears. To be honest, Mrs. Wang was definitely a ruthless person. However, Yuanchun was her only legitimate daughter after all. The palace was as deep as the sea. Yuanchun had been in the palace for seven or eight years, and she had only seen her from a distance once or twice at the harem banquets. She was not qualified to talk to her daughter.
At this moment, when mother and daughter meet, how can they not be moved?
After a long while, Yuanchun and Jia's mother finally stopped crying. Yuanchun bowed to the others again and said, "Greetings to the Madam, and to Sister-in-law Zhen!"
The two dodged and dared not respond, and hurriedly returned the greeting.
"Mother, I cannot fulfill my filial duty in front of you and father. Please forgive me!" Yuanchun threw herself into Wang's arms again, and the mother and daughter burst into tears again.
Finally, everyone calmed down. Yuanchun asked a few people to sit down, and then asked about the situation in the mansion.
"Are Daddy and the Master healthy now?"
"How's Brother Zhen?"
"How is Baoyu? How is his study? How are Lian'er and Feng'er? Do they have any children?"
"How are the sisters? Is the second sister still so dull? The third and fourth sisters are grown up now! Xiangyun has wanted to be a female knight since she was a child, but she is still so naughty now ?"
Jia Mu and others answered all the questions one by one. Of course, questions such as Baoyu's studies could only be glossed over using the Spring and Autumn style of writing.
"I didn't have much contact with Cong before, but I never thought he would be so capable now!" Yuanchun said, hesitating for a moment and then said, "Grandfather, our family owes Cong a lot for this matter. When Cong returns, we should compensate him a little more."
"Daughter, a blessing in disguise. If it weren't for Cong'er guarding the border, he wouldn't have earned the honor of a viscount!" said Mrs. Wang.
Yuanchun shook her head, "Mother, this is wrong! Although I don't know much about foreign affairs, I know that it is difficult to be conferred a title. Cong'er is the same age as Baoyu, but he went to the battlefield alone at such a young age. I don't know how much hardship and suffering he went through to be conferred a title! I also heard your majesty say that Cong'er's achievements were earned by fighting against the Rakshasa demons."
"But, it is Cong'er's own ability that he was able to earn the title. However, how can it not be a debt for the palace to ask Cong to guard the border?"
"At the beginning, Congge had three cases in his hands. If he didn't want to, who could force him to guard the border? If forced, Your Majesty and the scholars of the world would not be willing. Congge took it as his duty, but we shouldn't think so!"
The old lady held Yuanchun's hand with satisfaction. Her granddaughter was very smart and much better than her mother.
"Don't worry, granddaughter. How could the old ancestor not know?"
"How did my daughter get promoted to the Minister of Fengzao Palace? Does His Majesty want to promote you to the position of concubine?" Mrs. Wang was depressed and didn't want to listen, so she changed the subject immediately.
Yuanchun smiled bitterly, "Mother, I have been in the palace for several years. If Your Majesty wanted to promote me to a concubine, why would you wait until now? Although the harem does not interfere in politics, the harem and the former dynasty are always inseparable. This time, if Cong'er had not made Your Majesty happy with his great achievements, I would not have the dignity I have now."
After thinking about it, Yuanchun told everyone what had happened in Fengzao Palace before.
Madam Xing glanced at Wang with pride and said, "Don't you think that the dignity of your second branch depends on the descendants of our first branch?"
The old lady had obviously expected this and was not surprised by Yuanchun's words. Instead, Wang opened her mouth and didn't know what to say for a moment. For so many years, the second house had suppressed the first house, and now the first house was showing signs of turning the tables. This made her feel uneasy!
"Now that my daughter has been promoted, it is a great joy. Mother wants to discuss with the old lady and go back to hold a grand banquet and invite the relatives of the four kings and eight dukes to come. I wonder what my daughter thinks!"
“Mother, please don’t do this!” Yuanchun waved her hands hastily. “Although my daughter has been promoted slightly, it is not a very high position. Moreover, it is only because of Cong’er’s merits that His Majesty and the Empress have granted her grace. Without Cong’er, the real owner, here, we really shouldn’t hold a grand ceremony, otherwise it will make people look down on our Jia family!”
"However, when Cong returns in a year or two, the old ancestor can hold a grand banquet. On the one hand, it will show the glory of our Jia family, and on the other hand, it will also build momentum for Cong in front of our old relatives!"
Wang gritted her teeth and said nothing. Why did her daughter speak in a way that supported the eldest wife?
"Okay, okay!" Grandmother Jia agreed with a smile, "Granddaughter has thought so carefully, then I will do as she wishes!"
