Chapter 60: Heavenly Might Hangs High

Having received the keys, Xue Baochai, Lin Daiyu, and Xue Baoqin, surrounded by maids and matrons like stars arrayed around the moon, returned to Lady Jia’s quarters to discuss the matters at hand.

Since Jia Zheng and the other male members had already withdrawn and it was inconvenient for them to be present, and given that the household currently hosted young ladies from the Shi and Wang families, the inner quarters were already congested to the extreme.

Only Jia Lian went in. Entering the room, he saw the Dowager and Madam Shi seated in the highest positions of honor, with Sister Lin and the two Miss Xues seated below. He hurriedly called out to stop them, offering a bitter smile as he said, "Grandmother... our family has already been subjected to confiscation; it is Sister Lin and Miss Bao who should be taking the seats of honor!"

Everyone looked over in astonishment.

Though Jia Lian wore a forced smile on his face, he was sighing inwardly. The more favor Prince Qian bestowed upon the young ladies of the household, the more oblivious the family members were to the fact that their estate had been confiscated, still acting as if things were as they had been before.

As long as the men of the Jia family did not leave the house, the women would take everything lightly!

Only in a few days' time, when the Jia men were driven out of the house, would they realize that Prince Qian's favor was not given for nothing!

Lady Jia hurriedly rose. "Miss Lin, Miss Bao, come quickly and take your seats. At a time like this, it is right that the two of you should be managing this household!"

Baoqin declined, refusing to take the seat. Having received numerous graces from the Dowager ever since she arrived at the Jia household, how could she possibly allow the Dowager to sit alongside her as an attendant?

Baochai, ever cautious in her words and deeds, glanced briefly at everyone and saw that the maids and matrons were all watching.

Daiyu stood up, walked over to steady the rising Lady Jia, and said to Baochai and Baoqin:

"The Dowager is the esteemed matriarch of the family, and everyone holds her in reverence. Furthermore, to govern such a vast Rongguo Mansion requires the authority the Dowager has commanded in the past; without it, it would be difficult to maintain proper order. The Old Ancestor should still occupy the seat of honor. I wonder what Sister Bao and Sister Qin think?"

Baoqin naturally agreed, and Baochai also smiled, saying, "Sister Lin's words are very true. Although the three of us have been commissioned by Prince Qian to temporarily oversee this household, we are ultimately young and inexperienced in such matters. We must still rely on the Dowager, the Mistress, and Sister Feng to assist in the administration."

Daiyu quickly smiled. "Since it is joint administration, those who manage affairs must be amply provided with food and clothing; they cannot be lumped together with ordinary maids and servants."

She looked at Baoqin with a consulting gaze, then turned to look at Baochai.

These words went straight to the heart of the matter.

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "If that is the case, have I not also received a great favor from Prince Qian? I should have knelt and kowtowed just now!"

Everyone laughed. Wang Xifeng even cast a glance at Jia Lian, but Jia Lian averted his gaze from hers.

Holding her granddaughter's hand, Lady Jia smiled and said, "Do not make things difficult for Miss Lin and Miss Bao. Whatever decrees Prince Qian has issued, you are simply to obey them. You must not act recklessly and willfully just because Prince Qian favors you. If you manage poorly, you will inevitably face punishment when you enter the palace in the future."

It was a casual remark from Lady Jia, and the others thought nothing of it, all recognizing that Prince Qian held Lin Daiyu and the other two in special regard, deliberately singling them out from among all the young ladies.

Yet to Jia Baoyu, it sounded like a bolt from the blue!

"Favor... Prince Qian's favor, entering the palace... Even Grandmother says so!"

Baoyu's tears began to flow once more. He stood there dazed, his entire body feeling as though it had been struck by five bolts of lightning.

In the past, had he suffered such a grievance, everyone would have been busy rushing to coax and comfort him. But now, only Lin Daiyu spared him a single glance; the rest were all busy discussing matters.

After a brief discussion, everyone reached a decision:

They designated the Dowager, the Mistress, Wang Xifeng, Aunt Xue, Li Wan, Madam Xing, Jia Zheng, and Jia She as assistants in managing the household. Their provisions for food and clothing would be calculated at half of their previous rates, while everyone else would be demoted entirely to the status of servants and maids.

Initially, Lady Wang wanted to include Baoyu, but before anyone else could speak, Jia Baoyu refused the offer himself.

The discussion concluded, leaving everyone feeling somewhat well-pleased.

Only Jia Lian, standing by as a spectator, let out a long, heavy sigh!

"Lian'er, do you think this is improper?" Madam Xing asked hurriedly.

Everyone's eyes turned toward him. Bound by the instructions of his eldest sister, Yuanchun, Jia Lian did not dare utter even half a word. After holding it in for a moment, he sighed to Lady Jia: "Old Ancestor, our entire family from top to bottom... are now nothing more than bondservants!"

Having spoken, he bowed in farewell and said no more.

Prince Qian's wrath was like thunder withheld, yet unreleased, while they, relying on his favor, continued to indulge in delusional fantasies. From the Dowager down to the maids and matrons, none of them knew that Prince Qian was about to drive all the men of the Jia family out; they still believed Prince Qian was showing them mercy.

Even the clever Sister Lin and Miss Bao thought likewise, believing that Prince Qian intended for them to enter the palace and thus showed them grace by granting them discretionary power in managing the household.

Only Jia Lian, having heard Eldest Sister Yuanchun's warning with his own ears, had finally seen through it. Prince Qian was intentionally giving them free rein—both to favor the young ladies and to keep the terrifying might of sovereign power suspended directly above their heads.

...

Returning to his quarters, he sat there filled with melancholy.

Wang Xifeng also returned home. Initially intending to come in and inquire about matters, upon seeing his deeply worried expression, she halted her steps, leaned against the threshold, and fixed her phoenix-like eyes on him for a long, steady moment.

"Look at that face of yours. Have you learned to be as sentimental and melancholy as your Sister Lin?" Wang Xifeng mocked.

Teased thus, Jia Lian was in no mood whatsoever to play along and did not say a single word.

Wang Xifeng sneered and said, "The Dowager sent me to ask you what you meant by those words. You didn't even dare deliver the message fully—do you really intend to treat the mistresses and madams of this estate as mere slave girls?"

Jia Lian cast a glance at her. He had never considered his wife particularly striking before, but looking at her now—her slender figure, her charming brows, her alluring physique, and her powdered face carrying a hint of majesty—she truly was a stunning creature.

Pity that she no longer belonged to him.

Jia Lian stood up and called out, "Ping'er, come and pack my things. Tonight I am moving out to sleep in the study!"

How could he dare to stay in the house any longer? Not only did he dare not stay, but he didn't even dare lay a finger on Wang Xifeng or Ping'er ever again!

Regardless of whatever else she said, Jia Lian packed his belongings and left the house with his head lowered.

"Very well, Second Master Lian, once you leave, don't bother coming back!" Wang Xifeng pointed after him in curses, yet with no other recourse, she could only return to report to the Dowager.

Hearing this, everyone exchanged glances in dismay.

Initially, because Jia Lian possessed the right to memorialize the throne directly and had been summoned in audience by Prince Qian, they had all assumed Prince Qian would show mercy. Now, it seemed, that was not the case at all.

Shi Xiangyun, who had remained silent for a long time, said, "Prince Qian requires the young ladies to enter the palace before he will issue a decree of pardon."

Lin Daiyu unconsciously looked toward Baoyu, only to see him utterly soul-less and unable to take in anything at all.

With her head lowered, Shi Xiangyun said sorrowfully, "Prince Qian combines benevolence with sternness. While he shows leniency to our few houses, he also orders the young ladies of the Shi and Wang families to depart, while those who remain must all enter the inner court to await his future judgment... Prince Qian knows the circumstances of our families inside and out. It now appears that while Prince Qian grants us grace, he also demands that we... enter the palace and serve him with all our hearts."

A shy flush crept over her face, and fighting back her tears, she looked toward her grandmother. "Grandmother, Yun'er is willing to enter the palace to plead with Prince Qian. If the sisters cannot enter the palace in the future, I will also beg Prince Qian to let them go!"

Upon receiving the imperial edict, the Shi and Wang families had discussed privately whether to leave the Jia household or remain here.

Some of the young sisters wished to leave, while others wanted to stay, perceiving that Prince Qian indeed showed consideration for the Jia, Xue, and Shi families. Staying behind might lead to being appointed as imperial concubines by Prince Qian, thereby securing a pardon for their families.

"Very well."

Lady Jia said to Lin Daiyu and the two others, "Proceed according to Prince Qian's instructions. Aside from you three, everyone else shall be provided with food and clothing on the level of maids and servants—at the rate of the hundred-cash monthly stipend for junior maids."

A hundred cash a month was the stipend for the lowest-tier maids and servants in the Jia household.

Xue Baochai felt this was inappropriate, and Lin Daiyu also said, "To do this will inevitably cause chaos."

Even ordinary maids and servants of the Jia household lived better than commoners outside; if they were now to be reduced to eating chaff and coarse greens, how could they possibly maintain control over those domineering old matrons?

Baoqin remarked, "There will be no chaos. There are several hundred of Prince Qian's soldiers just outside."

Baochai instinctively looked toward the exterior, lost in thought.

Daiyu, whose health was poor, had managed to hold on until now only with great effort. In a soft voice, she said, "I still believe the Dowager and the mistresses should have better food. If Prince Qian finds fault, let him punish me alone."

Knowing they were constrained by their fear of Prince Qian, Daiyu said no more, took her leave of the Dowager, and returned to the Xiaoxiang Lodge to rest.

The remaining people discussed the matter further, but disregarding her advice, they still adhered to the meaning of Yuanchun's message as relayed by Jia Lian: reducing the food and clothing of everyone in the estate to the level of maids and servants.

The fine garments were cast aside, and the members of the Shi and Wang families grew busy entrusting Jia Lian to rent houses for them outside. The young maidens, who had just settled their minds, now had to move once more, inevitably leading to another round of weeping.

It was not until dinnertime, when the striking clock rang out and the maids began to serve the meals, that their jaws dropped in shock.

A maid carried a basin of white rice into Lady Jia's room; another maid carried a bowl of plain stir-fried cabbage; and yet another carried a small basin of duck meat.

One bowl of rice and two dishes of food were neatly arranged on Lady Jia's rosewood eight-immortals table.

There were easily over thirty maids and matrons serving inside and outside the room. Madam Xing and Lady Wang were also standing by in attendance. Inside the room, the Western glass screen, the Ru-kiln flower vase, the gold, jade, and kingfisher-feather ornaments, the gold-threaded python back-rests—which of these furnishings, if taken outside, was not worth several hundred taels of silver?

Yet amidst such luxurious surroundings, Lady Jia's dinner tonight consisted solely of a bowl of rice made from aged grain, alongside one vegetarian and one meat dish—a mere two courses.

Every maid and matron in the room fell silent at this sight.

"Old Ancestor, this..." Madam Wang was extremely distressed; these few morsels of food were truly too meager to be presented.

With only two dishes, there was hardly any need for her and Madam Xing to stand by waiting on her!

Especially the duck meat, which amounted to a mere five or six pieces; a few bites and it was gone.

Lady Jia, however, remained calm. Lifting her bowl and chopsticks, she smiled and said, "Usually, the junior maids eat these very things, and quite well too. To be able to keep one's life is already a blessing. When you eat later, none of you are permitted to complain. Whatever Prince Qian gives, that is what we shall have."

Just as she was about to eat, someone suddenly announced: "Miss Lin has sent food for the Old Ancestor—one bowl of rice, two dishes, and a soup: polished jade-gourd rice, milk-steamed lamb, pine-kernel goose-oil rolls, and ham with fresh bamboo shoot soup!"

Four fragrant dishes were brought forth, making the spread on Lady Jia's table look somewhat more presentable.

Smelling the aroma, Madam Xing actually swallowed a mouthful of saliva. She realized with a jolt that when she went back to her own quarters to eat later, her meal would also be the fare of the maids!

"What is Baoyu eating?" Lady Jia asked.

"He is also eating one meat and one vegetarian dish," someone replied.

"Quickly call him to come and eat together!" Lady Jia commanded hurriedly.

Before long, a maid returned to report: "Old Ancestor, Second Master Baoyu says he would rather die than eat anything from Prince Qian!"

"This obstinate wretch!" Madam Wang said helplessly.

Lady Jia let out a sigh and bothered with him no longer.

Elsewhere, Aunt Xue also received the food sent by her daughter Baochai, prompting the maids to chatter endlessly about how their young mistress was destined to enter the palace as a noble imperial concubine.

Meanwhile, the men—Jia Zheng, Jia She, Jia Zhen, and others—as well as Li Wan, Wang Xifeng, Lady You, Miaoyu, Shi Xiangyun, Yingchun, Tanchun, and the rest, received only the maids' fare for dinner that evening: one meat and one vegetarian dish, with not a single extra morsel.

In the Ningguo Mansion, Qin Keqing leisurely partook of the evening meal she had obtained solely through Prince Qian's favor. She did not transfer the food to Jia Zhen, Jia Rong, or anyone else, but consumed it entirely by herself.

She was pondering a single question:

Now that the Ningguo Mansion had been confiscated, was she still a daughter-in-law of the Jia family, or was she merely a palace maid waiting in the inner court for Prince Qian's summons?