The First Family of the Red Mansion

Chapter 34 Liu's Unwillingness to Save the Crisis

Upon hearing Jia Shi's praise, Liu Hu's lips twitched involuntarily: Is there nothing else to say to praise someone besides this?

Hearing his mother praising Liu Hu, Jia She couldn't help but glance at him a few times: "Didn't you notice?"

"Haha, you flatter me, Madam. My cat is just average-looking, but your son is truly handsome..."

When Liu heard Jia Shi praise her son, her face was so happy that all the wrinkles on her face came together. She kept being modest and kept praising Jia She, who was falling into self-doubt.

Watching the two mothers flattering each other, Liu Hu stood calmly to the side. Jia She was still too young and couldn't quite handle Liu's praise.

"Ahem, Mother..."

"Oh!" Hearing her son's reminder, Jia Shi realized that this time was different from usual, as the other person's son was still here.

"Look at me, I've been so busy being affectionate with my older sister that I've neglected Brother Liu."

"You're too kind, Madam!"

Liu Hu quickly smiled and said politely.

The Jia family is currently enjoying great prestige. The Ning and Rong mansions control two of the three major military camps of the imperial court, and Rong Guorong is the leader of all the military merits. He not only controls the Lantian military camp, but is also the Grand Commandant of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

With this person in charge of the Jia family, Liu Hu and his two sons did not encounter the situation described in the original story where all the maids and nannies came to watch after they entered Rongxi Hall.

"Brother Liu, did my master give any instructions to the family after you returned this time?"

After the guests and hosts were seated, the maids brought out fruits and snacks, and Jia Shi asked anxiously.

"Before returning to Beijing, the Marshal did indeed ask me to bring back a letter from home."

"I should have brought it to you as soon as I got back, but I was summoned to the palace by His Majesty as soon as I arrived. And after I got home, I encountered some unpleasant things. Please forgive me, Madam."

As he spoke, Liu Hu presented Jia Daishan's letter.

"Young Master Liu, you're too kind. The imperial decree is of utmost importance, the imperial decree is of utmost importance!"

Jia Shishi took the letter but didn't open it in front of him. She put it aside and said politely.

"Is my husband alright?" As Jia Shi asked this, Liu Hu clearly noticed that the hand she was gripping was making a slight cracking sound.

"The commander is doing well!"

"The battle is now basically over, and the remaining enemy forces have fled at the mere sight of the enemy."

"It won't be long before the imperial court recovers all of the Western Regions, and then the commander-in-chief should be able to return to the capital," Liu Hu hurriedly comforted him.

"That's good, that's good. The master said in his letter that he was fine, but I hadn't seen him, so I was worried. Now I can finally rest easy."

After hearing Liu Hu's words, Jia Shi silently chanted a few Buddhist mantras while fiddling with her prayer beads.

"Who says otherwise? Before my cat came back, I felt like I'd lost my soul, and my heart felt empty," Liu echoed, sharing the same sentiment.

People say we're lucky, with our titles and privileges making us look wealthy, but only we know the truth.

"When the master of the house goes to war, the hearts of us women in the backyard go with him."

"The days of anxiety and worry are endless as long as he hasn't returned."

As Jia Shi spoke, she began to wipe away tears, and Liu Shi's eyes also reddened.

Who can argue with that? Before his son returned, he was just as afraid that one day the cat would be gone, and the Liu family line would end. Even if he died, he would have no face to face the ancestors of the Liu family.

Seeing the two wiping away tears, Liu Hu and Jia She looked at each other, both of them a little at a loss.

Fortunately, Madam Jia was used to such scenes, and soon stopped wiping away her tears. She said to Liu Hu apologetically, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, young master Liu!"

Liu Hu quickly returned a smile that said it was nothing to worry about.

She then comforted Liu and arranged for someone to prepare a meal.

"This isn't the first time Brother Liu has visited our residence. There's no need to be so polite. Please have a meal here before you leave."

"I still have some questions to ask Brother Liu."

"Madam, please feel free to ask whatever you wish," Liu Shi said hastily after being persuaded by Jia Shi.

Then she looked at Liu Hu and instructed him, "When the madam asks you questions, just answer truthfully."

"Please ask away, Madam!" Liu Hu nodded.

Then Jia Shi asked about Jia Daishan's experiences in the western expedition. Liu Hu answered what he could and glossed over what he couldn't.

After all, he spent most of his time behind enemy lines and didn't spend much time with Jia Daishan, so he didn't know much about his situation.

Jia Shi finished explaining, but Liu Shi, who was listening nearby, was terrified.

In the short time he spent with Jia Daishan, Liu Hu was always the first to charge into battle and the vanguard.

Although she knew that Liu Hu had earned his wealth with great difficulty, she hadn't expected it to be so dangerous.

First, we went to Wushaoguan Pass. If it weren't for our ancestors' protection, even if my cat had nine lives, it would have perished there.

"Waaah..."

Liu Hu was engrossed in his story when he suddenly heard a sobbing sound. He immediately sensed something was wrong and thought to himself, "This is bad!"

"Oh no, I forgot Mother's still here!"

"You brat, why didn't you say so sooner? Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

"If we had known it would be this dangerous, wouldn't it have been better if we had just stayed home and lived a peaceful life?"

"If anything were to happen to you, how would your mother and sister live?"

While crying, Liu hugged her daughter and patted Liu Hu.

"Big sister, please don't get agitated. Tiger had no other choice."

"That was an imperial decree; how could Tiger disobey it?"

"Besides, Tiger has already returned safely!"

Jia Shi hurriedly stepped forward to stop them, trying to persuade them as she did so.

As she tried to comfort him, tears welled up in her eyes again: "Thank goodness Tiger is back, but what about Dun..."

The two women embraced and wept, comforting each other.

Jia She, his face also filled with grief, asked with red eyes, "Brother Liu, is Brother Dun really...?"

Although Jadun was no longer related to their family by five degrees of kinship, he had gotten along well with them ever since he came to their house.

Especially when Jia Daishan was unavailable, his military strategy was handled by Jia Dun.

Hearing that he had died in the west was hard to accept.

"That project was a disaster!"

Liu Hu's thoughts returned to the early days of the western expedition: "We couldn't capture Wushaoguan Pass after a long siege. The commander-in-chief even brought out his personal guards because if we couldn't capture Wushaoguan Pass quickly, the entire western expedition would be affected."

"In that battle, of the commander-in-chief's three personal guards, one was wounded, one was crippled, and one died..."

That time was the first time Liu Hu had come so close to death since his transmigration, and he still feels lingering fear to this day.

"You've suffered!"

Liu and Jia Shi had stopped crying by this time. Listening to Liu Hu's story, Jia Shi took Liu's hand and comforted her.

The girl had been taken away by the wet nurse at some point, and Liu looked at Liu Hu with worry in her eyes.

Knowing that she couldn't ask any more questions, Jia Shishi started chatting with Liu Shi about some light topics.

Not wanting to spoil the mood, Liu suppressed her worries and finished the meal with Jia Shi before hurriedly taking her leave with Liu Hu.

"Keep your distance from their family from now on!"

After the carriage had traveled some distance from Ningrong Street, Liu suddenly spoke seriously to Liu Hu.

"Huh?" Liu Hu looked at Liu Shi in the car in surprise. Wasn't she fine just now? Why is she suddenly saying this to him?

"What?!" Liu glared at Liu Hu and said earnestly, "Today I finally understand that those who can become high-ranking officials are all hard-hearted."

"The Duke of Rongguo sent you to the Vanguard Camp in order to win the battle, but who knows if he will put you in danger again for some other reason in the future."

"Our family used to be farmers. To be rich and powerful now is already a great blessing."

"You're the only son in our family, we can't let the Liu family's ancestors die out."

Well, he had repeatedly told us not to forget the kindness of the Jia family, but after learning that Jia Daishan had asked him to join the Vanguard Camp, he didn't mention any of that kindness anymore.

"I understand." Liu Hu could only nod obediently.

"The Jia family owed me a lot of kindness, but you repaid them almost completely after you helped the Duke of Rong conquer that pass. Even if there's some left, we can repay it slowly in the future."

Upon returning home, Liu immediately ordered Liu Hu to take off all his clothes. After several unsuccessful attempts to stop him, Liu Hu could only watch helplessly as Liu stripped him completely naked.

"Well, at least the roots have been preserved!" Liu nodded in satisfaction as she looked at her son, who was completely unharmed.

It would be strange if he had a scar; after this period of recuperation, Liu Hu's injuries had long since healed.

Liu Hu clutched his groin and said speechlessly, "I already told you, I wasn't seriously injured, just some superficial wounds, not a single scar. You insisted on making me strip naked."

"Tch!" Liu Shi glanced at Liu Hu disdainfully. "You crawled out of my belly, I've seen every part of your body, and now you're getting all worked up?"

"I'm old enough to be a father now, can I still act like I did when I was a child?"

Liu Hu said as he put on his clothes.

"Then why don't you go find a mother for your child first!"

The Liu family delivered a decisive blow!

"Heh heh, this Liu woman is quite grateful!"

The news of Liu Hu's visit to the Jia family soon appeared on Emperor Anping's desk.

Looking at Liu's words and actions, Emperor Anping smiled with satisfaction.

Especially when he saw Liu Hu being stripped naked by Liu Shi after returning home, a genuine smile flashed in his eyes.

Although her later advice to Liu Hu to stay away from the Jia family was a bit too much, considering that she was ultimately Liu Hu's biological mother, it made Liu Shi seem more real.

With his mother around, Liu Hu couldn't cause any major trouble.

"Have the cabinet draft an edict to grant Liu's imperial decree as soon as possible!"

"The western expeditionary army has not yet returned, and Liu Hu's rewards will have to wait. Without a formal status, the Liu family must be feeling quite uncomfortable in the capital!"

"This servant obeys the decree!"

Dai Quan bowed and retreated: "With such an old matriarch in charge of the Liu family from now on, this hurdle is basically over."

Dai Quan was also relieved: Luckily, he had driven that fool away early, otherwise, if they had really offended the Liu family, who were currently enjoying the emperor's favor, his family would have been in trouble.

If Liu is short-sighted and Liu Hu is a heartless person, His Majesty will have to be more cautious when using them in the future.

Even if Liu Hu is a great fighter, he will not be able to be given an important position by Emperor Anping.

Moreover, if Liu Hu makes any mistakes in the future, he will be severely punished.

Because he is a man-eating tiger.

Now that Liu Hu has revealed such a major weakness so early on, and this weakness happens to be his gratitude and ability to know when to advance and retreat, Emperor Anping will feel even more at ease using Liu Hu in the future.

As long as Liu's family is kept in Shenjing, Liu Hu will have to be more cautious about whatever he does in the future.

"Imperial edict has arrived!"

A few days later, Liu's reward arrived at Liu's residence.

Caught completely off guard, the Liu family immediately opened their main gate, and the entire household rushed out to receive the imperial decree.

Yes, one of them was being held in Liu's arms.

"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The prosperity of a family must be based on the teachings of virtuous women; the national rites should be upheld by praising the virtues of men."

Lady Liu Tian was the mother of General Liu Hu, who made the greatest contribution to the western expedition. She was virtuous, wise, and well-versed in etiquette. She was cautious in her conduct, and her virtues were evident within the home. She was skilled in educating her children, and her reputation spread far and wide.

Now, I hereby bestow upon you the title of First-Rank Grand Lady, and grant you this imperial decree.

Alas! The imperial edict shines brightly, bestowing upon you the honor of being granted a splendid mandate; the imperial decree glows with radiant light, bestowing upon you the joy of being granted a life of luxury. May you continue to strive diligently and fulfill this auspicious mandate.

So be it.

"This humble woman accepts the imperial decree and expresses her gratitude!"

Liu was taken aback at first, but after she realized what was happening, her face immediately wrinkled up. She suppressed her excitement and accepted the imperial decree to express her gratitude.

Although he had previously said that it didn't matter whether he received an imperial title or not because he felt sorry for his son.

But after truly attaining the prestige that all women dream of, Liu still felt somewhat dizzy.

The title of First Rank Imperial Consort is the highest rank a subject's wife can receive.

"If I've received a first-rank imperial title, then wouldn't the cat be at least a first-rank viscount?"

At this point, Lady Liu had already begun to consider her son's title.

"Father-in-law, this...?"

Liu Hu was still confused. After Liu Shi received the imperial decree, he hurriedly stuffed a few silver notes into the official's hand and asked in a low voice.

"Heh!" Feeling the thickness of the silver notes, the official's smile became much more sincere: "General Liu, there's no need to overthink it. His Majesty was just worried that the general's household wouldn't be comfortable staying in the capital without a proper status, so he postponed the bestowal of the Old Madam's title."

"Your Majesty's kindness is so great, how could I not repay it with my life?" Liu Hu breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and then said with tears of gratitude.

Upon seeing that the imperial edict and the official robes had been issued, the official in charge of ceremonies reminded them, "The Empress will bestow further rewards later. We hope that General Liu and the Dowager will make preparations in advance."

Sure enough, not long after the official in charge of ceremonies left, several eunuchs arrived at the Liu residence carrying several boxes.

"By imperial decree of the Empress!"

"Lady Liu Tian, ​​of the First Rank, receive the imperial decree!"

"My wife, Liu Tian, ​​accepts the order!"

At this moment, Lady Liu, dressed in her official robes, knelt in front, while Liu Hu, holding his daughter, knelt behind her.

"There is a noblewoman named Liu Tian who has upheld the virtues of womanhood, has conceived a child and raised him well. She is hereby rewarded with one hundred taels of gold, one thousand taels of silver, four pairs of jade ruyi, a box of jewels, and thirty bolts of palace brocade."

So be it!

"The noblewoman bows in gratitude to Her Majesty the Empress for her divine grace!"

"Father-in-law, you've worked so hard!"

Liu Hu became increasingly proficient at this process, and quietly slipped a stack of silver notes into Liu Hu's hand.

"We are all serving Your Majesty, how can we endure hardship?"

"We at your service congratulate General Liu on the passing of the Madam!"

After saying this, he left with his entourage without waiting for Liu Hu to stop him.