The Good Grandson of the Red Chamber

Chapter 75: Discussing Marriage

Xia Chengzong noticed that Jia Min's lower abdomen was slightly swollen, indicating that she was pregnant again.

This one must be Lin Ruhai's son.

Unfortunately, he died at a very young age.

Xia Chengzong guessed that Lin Ruhai might have offended too many people after he went to the Jiangnan Salt Administration, and was secretly murdered.

This also meant that Lin Ruhai had no descendants, which was a pity.

If there's a chance, it might be worth trying to save them.

If there's really no chance, then there's nothing we can do.

Many times, you cannot control other people's fate.

Before the banquet even began, Emperor Yonglong sent Dai Quan with many congratulatory gifts.

There were 20,000 taels of silver alone, 1,000 mu of farmland, three shops, and a considerable amount of silk and jewelry.

In total, it amounted to forty or fifty thousand taels of silver.

Other princely residences also sent congratulatory gifts.

The gifts they gave, if converted into cash, would amount to at least three to five thousand taels of silver per family.

Prince Chung-cheng gave him a congratulatory gift of five thousand taels of silver.

Prince Zhongzheng was his biological father, and Xia Chengzong's establishment of his own residence also meant that he would separate from the family and live independently from then on.

He only sent five thousand taels of silver, which is really too little.

However, Prince Zhongzheng's mansion only repaid 65,000 taels of silver to the national treasury after the New Year, and still owes 60,000 taels of silver in foreign debt.

The Prince's mansion was indeed in dire financial straits. The five thousand taels of silver were all scraped together by the Princess selling some of her dowry.

Xia Chengzong knew the difficulties faced by the Prince's Mansion, so he did not feel that the gift was too little.

The Lin family gave five thousand taels of silver, which was the same as the Zhongzheng Prince's Mansion, and was quite a lot.

The congratulatory gifts sent by Prince Zhongshun's mansion amounted to more than 20,000 taels of silver.

Xia Chengzong was, after all, a bit too young.

Therefore, at the banquet, the three elders gave him a long and earnest lecture.

Tell Xia Chengzong to come to them if he encounters any difficulties, instead of trying to tough it out on his own.

Xia Chengzong agreed to all of them.

At the banquet, the elders were happy for Xia Chengzong, but none of them drank too much.

Everyone parted in high spirits.

Xia Chengzong also officially moved into the Ping'an Prince's Mansion.

Xia Chengzong summoned Xia Bei and instructed him to have people count and register all the gifts delivered that day.

Then they put all these things into the storeroom and had them looked after.

Xia Bei gladly accepted the order and left. In less than half an hour, he finished tidying up and returned to report back.

The total amount of silver was 45,000 taels, the land was 1,500 mu, the shops were five, and other property was also registered.

Upon hearing this number, Xia Chengzong's eyes lit up.

There are 45,000 taels of silver in cash alone, which is enough to last for a while.

Of course, this money wasn't taken for nothing.

Gifts should be returned; if you receive a gift from someone, you should return it when they need it.

We still need to open up new sources and create some profitable businesses.

Xia Chengzong then inquired about the current population of the Prince's residence.

There are now 537 servants and 15 stewards in the Prince's mansion.

These people are all honest and reliable personnel left over from the Emperor's grandfather's mansion.

There might be spies left by the Emperor, but there are definitely no Imperial Guards or spies from other princely residences among them.

They don't have the guts to do that.

Overall, these people are considered reliable.

These 537 people are enough for now.

Yes, he currently lacks maids to serve him.

However, according to royal rules, he is still young and cannot have a head maidservant by his side.

In that case, there's no need to buy players for the time being.

Next, Xia Chengzong summoned fifteen stewards to meet him.

The fifteen stewards entered the room and hurriedly knelt down to pay their respects to their new master.

Soon, these fifteen managers provided him with a wave of emotional points.

Seven of the managers provide positive emotion values, while eight managers provide negative emotion values.

Goodness, it really put me on an up-and-down state.

Those who provide positive emotional value are mostly those who feel they have a new master and someone to rely on.

Those who provide negative emotional value undoubtedly cut off their source of income.

Xia Chengzong appeared unperturbed to the eight stewards who provided negative emotional value, but secretly memorized their names in his mind.

Xia Chengzong began, "You are all veterans of this household, and you've been doing things for a long time; you all have your own rules and regulations."

"Therefore, I don't need to teach you how to do things. I only have three requirements for you."

"If you can do it, everyone will be happy. If you can't, don't blame me for turning my back on you. Don't say I didn't warn you!"

The fifteen stewards all hurriedly said, "Please instruct us, Your Highness."

Xia Chengzong said, "First of all, we must not bully others by relying on our power or act tyrannically by taking advantage of the Prince's Mansion. If I find out, I will not let it go easily."

"Secondly, internally, one must not deceive superiors or subordinates, form cliques, or practice nepotism."

"Thirdly, you may only take what I give you. You cannot reach out and take what I do not give you!"

"Did you all understand?"

"Understood, Your Highness!"

Xia Chengzong nodded and said, "Remember what I said today. If there are any issues in the future, consult Xia Bei. Xia Bei will temporarily assume the position of the chief steward of the Prince's Palace."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Xia Bei's positive emotions +10 +10 +10

……

Lin.

On the way back, Lin Daiyu fell into a deep sleep on the carriage. After arriving home, she was taken off by her wet nurse.

Lin Ruhai and Jia Min, a married couple, were admiring the chrysanthemums outside.

Jia Min lay languidly on the chair, her hands folded on her pregnant belly, her face radiating maternal glow.

She turned to Lin Ruhai and said, "Husband, I've calculated it for Zong-ge'er. The gifts he received this time amount to 130,000 to 140,000 taels of silver!"

"Zong-ge'er is clever, and the Princess is a reasonable person. Yu'er won't be wronged when she marries into the family!"

Hearing this, Lin Ruhai felt extremely uncomfortable.

He couldn't help but say, "How old is Yu'er? Why are you arguing about these things?"

"She's still young. I don't think that little guy is a good match for her. It would be better to wait until Yu'er grows up and then carefully choose someone."

Upon hearing this, Jia Min chuckled and said, "Is my husband jealous? I think Zong-ge'er is a good one."

"Putting everything else aside, just look how clingy Yu'er is to Zong-ge'er. They've been childhood sweethearts, a match made in heaven."

Lin Ruhai felt even more displeased upon hearing this.

He frowned and said, "Yu'er is still young, how could she understand so much? She was just fooled by that little brat!"

Jia Min covered her mouth and mumbled something. Just as she was about to speak, she saw the wet nurse leading Lin Daiyu, who was rubbing her eyes with one hand, over.

Lin Daiyu asked, "Mother, where is Third Brother? I want to play with him!"

Jia Min said softly, "Yu'er, let's go home! Next time we have time, I'll take you to find your third brother, okay?"

Lin Daiyu asked unhappily, "Mother, when will you be free?"

Lin Ruhai's negative emotions +1 +1 +1