Chapter 10

For the words of Lady Wang, Jia She actually believed them somewhat, tilting his head slightly to size up Jia Huan from top to bottom.

Without even considering other aspects, just by seeing that Jia Huan could maintain his composure under Jia She’s scrutinizing gaze, Jia She was already seventy to eighty percent convinced.

The Jia Family, considering themselves a century-old noble clan, placed an extremely high value on etiquette, at least on the surface. The pursuit of proper manners could be described as stringent.

The father was the standard for the son, and even the elder brother was the model for the younger brother.

On a daily basis, let alone Jia Huan, even Jia Baoyu and Jia Lian would be as respectful as quails in front of Jia She and his generation.

When had they ever seen such a "lawless and heaven-defying" display?

Jia She believed it, but Jia Zheng and Jia Lian were not so convinced.

The so-called soul departure syndrome was too mystical and fantastical, making it hard to believe easily.

Jia Zheng adhered to Confucian principles, emphasizing that a son should not speak of strange and supernatural things.

He paid no heed to matters of souls, spirits, and ghosts.

As for Jia Lian, due to his lack of reverence, he was a carefree young master who loved to knock on widows' doors at night. If there were really such things, he probably wouldn't have lived this long, so he didn't believe it either. He glanced at Jia Huan with a seemingly upright expression.

...

"What exactly happened?"

After glancing at Jia Huan, this "rebellious son," Jia Zheng turned to Lady Wang and frowned.

Lady Wang's expression was calm, and her tone was even, saying, "Sir, let Huan speak for himself."

Jia Huan, observing from the side, felt that this married couple, though not as cold as ice, seemed to have little affection for each other.

They were like colleagues...

Jia Zheng, seeing that Lady Wang was silent and that Grandma Jia, who was lying on the soft couch, seemed to still be in a daze, muttering incoherently, and that the attendant, Yuanyang, was kneeling beside her, gently patting her back, and that Jia Baoyu, standing to the side, was as meek as a quail, not daring to make a sound.

Perhaps fathers and sons were natural enemies; seeing Jia Baoyu, Jia Zheng became angry and scolded, "Wretch, why don't you speak up!"

Jia Baoyu, at first, didn't realize he was being addressed, but when he looked up and met Jia Zheng's furious gaze, he trembled and quickly said, "I... I report to Father, when I arrived, Third Brother had already told most of it, so... so..."

Jia Zheng was almost driven to the brink of death by this. After glaring at Jia Baoyu, who was trembling with fear, he turned to Jia Huan, who was still pretending to be innocent, and said, "Tell the whole story again. If you dare to hide anything, you will not be spared by the family law."

After saying this, he glanced at the curtain not far away.

Jia Huan followed Jia Zheng's gaze and was startled to see a ruffian holding a large wooden stick, winking at him...

Thinking about how in the novel, Jia Zheng even beat Jia Baoyu to near death, he decided to keep it light for now, not to provoke too much.

Putting on a bright smile, Jia Huan then recounted the "ghost story" again.

This time, the reactions of Jia She, Jia Zheng, and the others were even more intense.

They finally understood why Grandma Jia was so agitated.

When Jia She heard the part about the golden-armored general, he immediately fell to his knees, crying out, "Father!"

Jia She, the most respected person in the Jia Family after Grandma Jia, had knelt down. Who else dared to stand, except for Grandma Jia?

Jia Huan, seeing everyone kneeling, including Lady Wang and Wang Xifeng, felt a smug smile on his lips. But then he saw Jia Zheng, who was kneeling behind Jia She, tilting his head and glaring at him sternly.

He suddenly realized he was close to courting disaster and quickly knelt down.

"Did you hear that? Sir... he is actually at home, protecting his descendants! Sob! But, but why has he never come to see me?"

It seemed that Grandma Jia was truly distressed.

Sigh, it makes sense, after all, it was her first love!

She would rather see her grandson than come to see her...

"Mother, take care of your health, don't be too sad. I believe Father must have his reasons and difficulties."

Jia She, perhaps aware of his unpopularity with Grandma Jia, only cried out once and then fell into "grief."

Jia Zheng, on his knees, moved to Grandma Jia's side to comfort her, but to no avail.

Wang Xifeng interjected, "Old Ancestor, Second Sir is right. Think about it, the path between the mortal and the divine is not easily crossed. If it weren't for saving Huan, Grandfather might still be hiding. I guess Grandfather is like the deified Qin Qiong and Wei Chigong, always silently protecting our family.

As long as Old Ancestor and we, the descendants, are happy and healthy, and strive for progress, Grandfather will always protect and watch over us.

Old Ancestor, don't be sad. Since Grandfather can't see us due to the rules, let's go to see him. Although it's not a festival, we are doing it out of filial piety. No one can say we are wrong."

"Is this... possible?"

Grandma Jia was clearly moved by this suggestion and looked at Jia She, who was kneeling, saying, "You are old, don't kneel anymore. All of you, get up."

With Jia Lian's help, Jia She stood up, and the others also stood up, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

Jia She hesitated, "If we are to worship the ancestors, we need to go to the east..."

The east was the Ningguo Mansion. Among the Ning and Rong mansions, the Ning was the senior, so the ancestral hall was there.

Grandma Jia's face turned sour upon hearing this.

In this era, women usually had only one man, loving and staying with him for life, considering him their sky.

So after a man's death, the woman's longing was often deep.

Wang Xifeng, seeing the hesitation on Jia She and Jia Zheng's faces and the difficulty on Jia Lian's, understood.

A sudden ancestral worship would be a laughingstock.

Filial piety was good, but if it didn't conform to the rites, it would invite criticism. The "Li" (Rites) clearly specified when to worship.

Moreover, the ancestral hall was not something that could be opened at will.

However, among the Ning and Rong mansions, the Rongguo Mansion was the more prestigious.

And in the Rongguo Mansion, Grandma Jia was the most respected. Not to mention her status, she was a first-rank Lady.

This honor was what all women aspired to, and it was not just a simple honor.

A first-rank Lady could directly submit a memorial to the Empress.

If she were to file a complaint, it would be very effective.

Ordinary women, if they wanted to file a complaint, had to beat the drum of grievances.

However, anyone who beat the drum of grievances, regardless of whether they had a case or not, would first be exiled three thousand miles and have to roll on a board with nails. Tsk tsk!

Getting back to the point...

Wang Xifeng's power in the Jia Family largely came from Grandma Jia's favor.

Her position was somewhat awkward; she was Jia She's daughter-in-law and Lady Wang's niece.

In the open and hidden struggles between the two branches of the Rongguo Mansion, her position was difficult.

Fortunately, she won Grandma Jia's favor with her clever words and actions, allowing her to stand firm.

So, she had to make Grandma Jia happy to live well.

While calculating the pros and cons, her gaze inadvertently fell on Jia Huan. When she came to her senses, she was startled to see Jia Huan's clear eyes staring at her intently.

She glared at Jia Huan, but then had a sudden idea and smiled smugly, saying to everyone, "To open the ancestral hall casually would indeed violate the rites. But we are not doing it casually. If it weren't for Grandfather's appearance, Huan would have been in real danger. For this, shouldn't Huan go to the ancestral hall to thank Grandfather? This wouldn't be disrespectful, right? We can just go along as guests and share the blessings."

This excuse was very powerful. Grandma Jia immediately smiled, glancing at her two "unfilial" sons.

What could Jia She and Jia Zheng say? They could only promise to arrange it as soon as possible.

"By the way, what do you think about what Huan said, that if he can't study literature, he should study martial arts?"

Grandma Jia's tone was somewhat hesitant.

What surprised Jia Huan was that almost everyone present inhaled sharply at this.

What did it mean?

Jia Huan looked around, puzzled.

Jia She, as the leader, had to speak: "Mother, in principle, since it was Father's command, we should follow it. However, Huan's physique doesn't seem suitable for martial arts. Why don't we let him rest and try again?"

Grandma Jia was not pleased, not for Jia Huan, but because Jia She and the others were not planning to follow the old Duke's words.

Wasn't this a grave disrespect?

Jia She, seeing this, slightly turned his head and signaled Jia Zheng with his eyes.

Jia Zheng, feeling extremely frustrated, had to step forward and persuade, "Mother, what Big Brother said is true. Moreover, our Great Qin has been established for a hundred years. Under the hard work of Grandfather and Father, the country is now at peace. Studying martial arts... of course, we will follow Father's command. Why don't we first invite a martial arts teacher?"

Grandma Jia, who had not paid attention to the Jia Family's affairs for a long time, was surprised by Jia Zheng's words, "In our family, can't we even find someone who knows martial arts?"

The Ning and Rong mansions were both established by military merit. How could there be no martial artists after just a few years?

What were these unworthy descendants?

Jia She, as the head of the Rongguo Mansion, had a difficult expression but didn't know how to explain.

Jia Zheng, a Confucian scholar, was even more at a loss.

Finally, Wang Xifeng, seeing Grandma Jia's increasingly gloomy face, thought hard and suddenly clapped her hands, smiling, "Old Ancestor, Big Sir and Second Sir are usually busy with state affairs. They don't have time to manage family matters. I know of someone."

"Who? Don't you deceive me!"

The old lady asked urgently.

She wanted to ensure that the old man's commands were followed.

Wang Xifeng smiled warmly, "In the east, there is an old man named Jiao Da. He used to ride horses and go to war with the old Duke in the east. He is very experienced!"

...