Chapter 597 Jia Zheng's Reflection
As Shentu Mou's troops were completely defeated by Jia Cong , Jia Cong not only rescued the two besieged troops, but also completely cut off an arm of Qiongbu Prefecture.
Next, as long as we make good use of Shentu Mou and these surrendered soldiers, it will be just around the corner to completely capture Jiading.
In addition, tens of thousands of elite troops from the Wumeng tribes were defeated in Longtai Town before. It can be said that the victory of this battle completely shifted towards Daqian.
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Shenjing City!
Recently, several major and minor events have occurred in the Jia Mansion.
The first thing was that it took nearly two months, and even everyone in the Jia family had almost forgotten about it. The engagement letters of Daiyu and Baochai, which were taken to the palace by the Great Illusionary for divination, were finally delivered to the Jia family in early March.
The old lady took the Engagement Letter from the Great Illusion Immortal with a bewildered look on her face. Smelling the faint aroma of incense wafting from it, she was very suspicious. Was the royal family taking this Engagement Letter for divination or to worship it?
However, although the process was bumpy, at least they got it back and could proceed to the next step. So the old lady immediately arranged for someone to open the ancestral hall that day and send the two copies of the engagement letter to the ancestors for their review.
This process of asking the ancestors and divination is actually the third step of the six rituals, "Naji". After the procedure is completed, the marriage messenger will inform the woman of the divination results, and the wedding can continue.
The next step is the fourth ceremony of the Three Books and Six Rites, "Na Zheng", also known as the Grand Ceremony.
Although the Jia family had already prepared the items needed for the grand ceremony in advance, the Ministry of Rites had sent a message that the items for the betrothal ceremony had already been prepared by the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department, and the Jia family did not need to prepare anything else.
This result was not surprising to Grandmother Jia. After all, the previous Nacai (betrothal) ceremony was still fresh in her mind, so it was normal for the royal family to continue to help with the arrangements. However, Grandmother Jia always felt that she had no sense of participation in such a big event for her family... However, with such a favor from the royal family, the Jia family could not refuse, so they had no choice but to accept it.
As for another matter, it was the marriage between the Wang and Hou families. After the betrothal ceremony, the name-asking ceremony was hastily carried out. Although the process was grand and lively, the Hou family always felt that the Wang family was a bit too eager about this matter. At one point, the Hou family even suspected that the Wang family's daughter had some defects...
Fortunately, the Hou family asked several elderly relatives to come and personally inspect the Wang family's daughter. They were told that the Wang family's daughter was well-educated, well-mannered, and beautiful, which reassured them. Little did the Hou family know that Wang Ziteng was trying to completely dissuade the old lady. It was strange that Wang Ziteng could be at ease when his own daughter was targeted by that bastard nephew. Therefore, the Wang family had no special demands on the Hou family, only urging the ceremony to be expedited.
As for the final event, Jia Zheng had finally shaken off his past gloom and returned home excitedly after each workday. It was simply because Jia Zheng had waited so long, ever since Grandmother Jia had spoken with him and approved his control over Baoyu. To borrow a phrase, "I've waited until the flowers have wilted." So, he confined Baoyu to Mengpo Studio to study diligently, testing him daily.
If anyone showed any signs of failure, they would be punished with a heavy stick. Jia Zheng even asked someone to bring back a fire and water stick from the government office to place directly in Mengpo Zhai, just to make the beating easier.
Without the old lady's protection, Baoyu fell into dire straits. Not only did he have to read the Four Books and Five Classics every day to deal with Jia Zheng, but he was also beaten every three days and every five days. Jia Mu was well aware of this, but thinking about what she had experienced during this period, she gritted her teeth and endured it for half a month. It was not until after another beating that she could no longer bear it and not only took Baoyu to her own courtyard to recuperate, but also severely scolded Jia Zheng.
Jia Zheng had no complaints about this. After all, he was much better now than before. After all, although his mother took Baoyu in to recuperate, she did not take away his right to discipline Baoyu. When his injury healed, wouldn't he have the final say on how to discipline him?
Jia Zheng also had some reflections and insights into the matter. A harsh beating, while satisfying, could easily become a one-time affair. Furthermore, after all, he was his own son, and as the saying goes, "When you hit a child, you hurt me." Seeing Baoyu in such a miserable state, he felt a pang of heartache. Furthermore, a harsh beating could delay his studies for several days, and could even, as was happening now, incur his mother's wrath, which was naturally undesirable.
After careful consideration, Jia Zheng decided that after Baoyu recovered from his injuries, he should also be more prudent.
Everything requires a steady and long-term approach, and spanking your son is no different. As long as the spanking is light, doesn't interfere with his studies, and is acceptable to his mother, wouldn't that be the most appropriate?
In the Tianxiang Tower of Huifang Garden in the East Palace, Daiyu, Baochai and other girls gathered together.
Today, the nanny who taught the rules showed mercy and allowed the girls to rest for half a day. Coincidentally, Youshi, Keqing, Yuanyang and others from the East Palace hosted the event and sent people to invite them, so the girls gathered together impatiently.
" Brother that even the old lady was alarmed. Now Brother Bao has been taken to the old lady's hospital to recuperate. Have you ever gone to see him?" Yingchun said.
Daiyu smiled and said, "We did receive the news yesterday, but we have been learning the rules, so it is not convenient for us to go over. So Sister Bao and I discussed it and got some good medicine and asked Xueyan and Ying'er to deliver it."
"I think my uncle thinks that Brother Bao is slacking off, so he's giving him some encouragement!" Baochai said calmly, "And he's my uncle's legitimate son after all, so how could he not know his limits? I think he'll be fine after a while of recuperation. If we go and make a fuss, it will only disturb Brother Bao's rest."
"I went to see it!" Xiangyun said, "Second Brother Bao is really pitiful. He has been often beaten by the Second Master recently."
"I saw Xiren secretly shed tears because of this before, but the Second Master was also doing this for the sake of Second Brother Bao. Third Brother is leading the army to fight for the country, carrying the fate of the country on his shoulders. In comparison, Second Brother Bao has been hanging around in the backyard all the time. It's no wonder that the old lady was so cruel."
"Alas, Cong'er hasn't written back in some time. I wonder how he is doing in Shu." Yingchun sighed.
Yuanyang, standing by, said, "The master is currently commanding tens of thousands of troops and conquering Southern Xinjiang. How busy is he? Didn't the Empress send a message a while ago saying that the military is currently underway? How could he have the time to write to us?"
Mu Ning also nodded and sighed, "Southern Xinjiang is full of tribes, so Master's military operations are naturally very stressful. I don't ask for a letter from Master, I just hope that Master is always well."
"Master is the Champion Marquis of the Imperial Dynasty. Even a thousand troops are invincible. Although the tribes of Southern Xinjiang are vast, they are certainly no match for Master." Xiu Yan said seriously, "Didn't Master always win every time he mobilized troops last year? The Empress said that Master will definitely return safely."
"If we talk about the ones who are most anxious, they should be Sister Lin and Sister Bao," Xiangyun said with a laugh. "I know that Auntie and Uncle Lin are busy preparing dowries for the two sisters. I wonder how grand it will be when the two sisters get married."
