Lady Wang was in a pleasant mood.
Initially, she had been vehemently opposed, unable to accept being raped by a man not much older than her son—it was an unbearable shame.
Only after she became pregnant and gave birth did her attitude shift from passively accepting adultery to actively seeking love and sex.
"Baoyu has been transferred back to Chang'an and is now serving as a captain in the Five Cities Garrison."
"Oh? That's good news. But can Baoyu endure the hardship?"
Grandmother Jia realized that she no longer loved her most beloved grandson, Jia Baoyu, as all her affection was now reserved for her daughter.
Even the child conceived after being raped by Lu Ming was, to her, a mark commemorating her being violated, raped, and defiled.
But this was, after all, her daughter, whom she had carried for ten months. What could she do? She couldn't simply abandon her.
"Not bad. After being tempered in the army, he's lost his mischievousness and become much more composed."
Madam Wang covered her mouth and chuckled, looking at her daughter in Grandmother Jia's arms.
She had fought with Grandmother Jia before, back then it was for the sake of the Jia family's fortune.
Now the Jia family was gone.
And she was still alive, and Grandmother Jia was still alive.
That shameless old woman, even got pregnant by her own man! She really didn't know how she could do that at her age!
Madam Wang wasn't a man, nor was she Lu Ming, just his bedmate.
Naturally, she didn't know Lu Ming's tastes. Some women, if you don't play with them for a long time, will make you feel restless, but after you've had your way with them, you realize they're not all that great.
Besides, Grandmother Jia was very kind. When she wanted to have sex with her, she would just close her eyes and take it, and she wouldn't cry or whine afterward.
And she never actively seeks pleasure; she only sleeps with him when she feels like it. Such a woman is the best in the harem.
She's not clingy, which is excellent!
"That's good. Baoyu is doing quite well now.
What about Jia Lian?
Any news of anyone else?"
Grandmother Jia no longer cares much about the Jia family's affairs, not even her own maternal family, the Shi family.
But since she's already here,
she might as well ask; it won't take much time.
"Jia Lian has returned. He's now working for the royal merchant caravan, learning alongside Xue Pan.
He's also married to a new wife and is doing quite well."
Lady Wang only mentioned him briefly, paying little attention to Jia Lian.
Jia Lian is from the eldest son's side, that is, Jia She's side.
Jia She is now very down on his luck. He survived because he's Yingchun's father, but he's also extremely impoverished.
Being a pimp at a brothel like the "Rosy Business" means acting as a matchmaker.
Although his daughter and wife had both been taken by Lu Ming, and he'd even gotten them pregnant,
Jia She had completely lost his temper. He obediently became a pimp, even having an affair with an old woman who did laundry at the brothel.
In his old age, he could at least enjoy a peaceful retirement.
However, when former nobles came to the brothel, he had to grovel and fawn, and might even be humiliated. He'd nearly had heart attacks several times from the stress.
After being humiliated so many times, Jia She got used to it.
Besides, he knew he was alive only because his daughter was a concubine in the palace, and his son-in-law was the Prince of Qin.
He had lost his great wealth and status, and even his modest comforts, but at least his life was safe.
"So be it, I'll get used to it. I'll just wear the green hat every day and be a spineless coward."
Speaking of Jia She, Grandmother Jia fell silent.
She was helpless with this good-for-nothing eldest son.
"Where's Yuanyang?"
Yuanyang was a servant girl in the Jia family, born of slaves, destined to be a slave.
She had been raised and educated by Grandmother Jia, always in charge of the finances. Since Lu Ming took her away, Grandmother Jia hadn't seen Yuanyang at all, hence her inquiry.
When Grandmother Jia slept with Lu Ming, she never inquired about anything.
She would just silently endure being used, and once he was done, he would leave without a word.
So, she had to find out things herself.
She acknowledged her status as Lu Ming's woman, but she couldn't bring herself to fawn over a man of her grandson's age and seniority…
Especially since this man was her husband!
Utterly absurd!
Lady Wang's expression turned quite serious, because Yuanyang's status was very special.
"Yuanyang is now in charge of finances, and she has many female accountants under her, all trained by the academy.
She manages all the palace's finances, and it's said that my husband plans to hand over the Imperial Household Department to her.
However, the head of the Imperial Household Department will have to be chosen separately."
The Imperial Household Department, to put it bluntly, occupies the position of one of the Nine Ministers, but in reality, it's the department that manages the emperor's private finances.
This has existed since the Qin Dynasty and was inherited by the Western Han Dynasty.
It has continued to the present day, and the head of Emperor Ling's Imperial Household Department was the deceased Marquis Zhao.
It's a pity that Marquis Zhao's entire estate was seized by Lu Ming, including his wife and daughter.
This is something he dared not speak out against; being seized might even bring him some favors if he was in a good mood.
Since they all worked under Lu Ming, no one had any complaints about him.
Grandmother Jia's expression flashed with surprise. She hadn't expected Yuanyang to be so highly regarded!
"This child has had a hard life, but now she's finally showing some promise."
Madam Wang nodded, deeply agreeing. Even she didn't dare give Yuanyang a hard time, knowing that Yuanyang saw Lu Ming every day.
He was her bedmate, the one in charge of finances—a powerful figure indeed.
Fortunately, Yuanyang was of good looks, though not stunningly beautiful, and had a good personality; otherwise, she would definitely be arrogant and domineering.
Thinking of this, Madam Wang admired Lu Ming greatly. At least the three first wives—Wang Yi, Cai Wenji, and Princess Wannian—were not the kind of people who were overbearing.
Otherwise, the concubines would have had a very difficult time, and might have been subjected to all sorts of harassment.
"My husband said he plans to have you take care of more children whenever you have time, to train some of them for future use."
Madam Wang added, showing no reservations about Grandmother Jia's ability to educate.
The fact that Jia Yingchun, Jia Tanchun, Jia Yuanchun, and Jia Xichun—the four springs—were all raised by Grandmother Jia speaks volumes.