After hearing my inner thoughts, the ancestors in the Dream of the Red Chamber went berserk.

Chapter 202 Process

"Hu'er, come here."

The Emperor said in a gentle voice.

Jia Hu stood up, and after learning about this procedure, he was no longer agitated.

Looking around the room, how many people here have more powerful backers than him, or whose connections are stronger than his?

Once you let go of your worries, you'll feel much more at ease.

Jia Hu stood up with a smile and obediently walked to the middle, ignoring the probing gazes of the people around him.

It doesn't matter; he can pretend these people don't exist anyway.

Prime Minister Ji admired him in his heart; his magnanimity alone far surpassed that of many others.

The minister looked at Jia Hu and wondered if this good thing was because the young man had presented the emperor with some kind of prescription again.

The Jia family really went to great lengths to improve their grandson's reputation.

I don't know if it's a family recipe or some other remedy I got from somewhere, but I used them all.

Some people are speculating whether he really saved a beggar.

That beggar really is some kind of reclusive master, who has brought such good fortune to the Jia family!

Some people sighed inwardly, watching the Jia family decline with each generation, only to find that the grandson's generation had actually risen again. It was truly...a pity...

Only the Seventh Prince desperately tried to hide his true feelings, not daring to reveal the slightest unusual expression.

This Jia family brat really can't be allowed to live; it seems we have to take action this time.

The Seventh Prince steeled his resolve, then looked up with a smile, as if nothing had happened.

Jia Hu respectfully knelt down and kowtowed to the Emperor to pay his respects.

Jia Hu was not used to it at first, and he had to kowtow and greet people at the drop of a hat. But since he had come to this era, and he had no power to change the rules, he could only change himself.

The Emperor smiled with exceptional kindness, and after gesturing for Jia Hu to rise, he beckoned him and said:

"Hu'er, come to my side."

After Jia Hu arrived, the Emperor took Jia Hu's hand and smiled at the ministers, saying:

"When I saw Hu'er today, I felt an extraordinary sense of closeness to her."

They also felt that although Hu'er was small, she was incredibly clever and intelligent, and they liked her very much.

The joyous occasion today is that I have recognized Hu'er as my grandson.

Because we are on a southern tour, everything will be kept simple. Today is just a banquet for the ministers; the family reunion ceremony will be held after we return to the capital.

After these words were spoken, the ministers below were in an uproar. They thought that the emperor was going to bestow some kind of reward.

At worst, they could grant him a title or something. Even though Jia Hu had contributed by offering the prescription, no one expected that the emperor would actually recognize him as a grandson. This had never happened before.

At this moment, a minister stepped forward and said:

"Your Majesty, I believe this is against etiquette; there has never been a precedent for it in our dynasty!"

"I believe that what the king said is wrong, and there has never been a precedent for this."

But this is the Emperor recognizing a grandson; the Emperor should have the final say, and it has nothing to do with formalities!

"Your Majesty, nothing can be accomplished without rules, and everything should be done according to etiquette."

The emperor felt annoyed as he looked at the ministers who had stepped forward!

He's not dead yet! The ministers in the court are already subtly taking sides.

Prime Minister Ji stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "I think it's very reasonable. Although Jia Hu is young, he has provided the court with a prescription."

Enabling the imperial court to no longer be subject to the control of Western countries in trade is a tremendous achievement.

As all the ministers should know, this prescription was obtained because of Jia Hu's kind heart.

Such a kind-hearted young man, devoted to the court, is the one who deserves to be rewarded.

"If any of you ministers have objections, perhaps you also possess a powerful remedy that can alleviate the court's urgent crisis? If so, then we can discuss matters of propriety!"

With Prime Minister Ji stepping forward, the other ministers dared not utter a sound.

The court is truly incomprehensible these days. At such an advanced age, Prime Minister Ji seems to want to retire rather than write anything.

Not only did he accompany the Southern Tour, but now he's also standing up for the Jia family. Didn't they say the two families had long since stopped vying for power, yet they're still constantly clashing in the court?

The stupid ones are those who can't understand the current situation, and the smart ones simply wouldn't speak at this moment.

emperor:

"The Prime Minister is right. I am the Emperor. What's the point of formalities!"

"It wasn't there before, but it's here now."

The ministers dared not speak, and after bowing, they all sat down again.

At this moment, the Third Prince smiled and took off the jade pendant from his body.

"This is of course a great joy. I like Hu'er very much. Come to your uncle's place."

The Third Prince waved to Jia Hu.

Jia Hu looked at the Emperor.

The emperor smiled and said:

“Go ahead. Now that you’ve acknowledged kinship, call him Imperial Uncle. He should give you a small gift in return.”

After saying that, he looked at the Third Prince and said:

"This is the first gift we've ever received. If it's too meager, I'll punish you."

The Third Prince also laughed heartily:

"Father Emperor, you're really something, always thinking about your son's things."

"What good things does my son have? They're all gifts from Father Emperor. I finally managed to save some, and now Father Emperor has his eye on them."

As they talked, the Third Prince started to feel aggrieved.

The Emperor was so angry he laughed, and pointed at the Third Prince with his finger, saying:

"You're acting all wronged? Do you really think I don't know anything? Hurry up and bring out your good stuff."

Besides, you are a prince, and I have never wronged you. Why are you behaving like this?

The Third Prince laughed and said:

"This is the truth. I have wronged my son. Father Emperor knows that I am not that kind of person. I just wanted to make Father Emperor happy because I saw that he was unhappy. This is my way of showing filial piety."

Besides, Hu'er is my nephew now; how could I possibly neglect him with good things?

This caused the ministers below, and even the emperor himself, to burst into laughter.

"You little rascal, I really don't know where you learned your glib tongue from. The older you get, the less composed you become."

However, considering your good behavior today, you may give it to your nephew; I will make it up to you later.

This conversation swept away the serious and tense atmosphere in the tent. Two ministers below looked at the seventh prince with anger at his lack of ambition.

What's wrong with the Seventh Prince? Why is he so out of sorts today?

This was something the Seventh Prince shouldn't have done first, yet it led to the Third Prince showing up and made the Emperor so happy.

Jia Hu also arrived at the Third Prince's side. The Third Prince had taken off the jade pendant from his body, and after talking with the Emperor, he took out another one from his pocket.

“Here, nephew, take this. This is the reward I received for my first time shooting an arrow. I’m giving it to you now.”

I hope that in the future you will be brave and fearless, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and become a pillar of the court!

Upon hearing this, Jia Hu thought, "I can't accept this. I can't take something that has sentimental value from someone else."

This must be very important to the Third Prince too; it's the reward he received for his first archery attempt! If it were him, he definitely wouldn't be willing to give it to anyone else.

Jia Hu did not answer.

“Nephew knows your intentions, Uncle, but Hu’er cannot accept them.”

"Oh, that's true, but I don't think much of it."

The Third Prince was somewhat surprised.

"No, no, my master once taught me that a gentleman does not take what others love."

Since this is the reward my uncle received for his first time shooting an arrow, it must be very important to him, so I cannot accept it.”

As he spoke, Jia Hu glanced at the jade pendant at the Third Prince's waist and smiled:

"I really like the jade pendant that my uncle is wearing."

"Why don't you, Uncle, give this jade pendant to your nephew?"

Only then did the Third Prince show a genuine smile.

He patted Jia Hu's head and said:

"Hu'er has been well-educated. Father Emperor is right. Hu'er is indeed very likable."

This technique is like petting a dog!

Jia Hu knew that surviving in the palace was not easy; everyone was cunning, adept at disguise, and skilled in scheming.

He understood all of this. People are inherently complex. Not to mention inside the palace, even outside the palace, people habitually conceal their true nature.

But this third prince, even though he himself was reluctant to part with it, still took it out; there's something wrong with his personality.

The Third Prince took off the jade pendant he was wearing and carefully put it on Jia Hu.

Jia Hu thanked him obediently, and was then pulled away by the eldest prince.

Without saying anything more, the eldest prince took a dagger from his sleeve and handed it to Jia Hu.

"This dagger has already been opened, so you must be careful when using it. As a man, you must have the belief to protect your country."

Jia Hu held the dagger and thanked him obediently.

Sure enough, I got another pat on the head.

Jia Hu was helpless. This was a special habit of the royal family; they all liked to pat heads.

Since his two older brothers had already given him something, the Seventh Prince couldn't refuse, even though he was annoyed and disliked Jia Hu.

But the current situation doesn't allow him to have his own temper.

The seventh prince thought about it and realized he really didn't want to give away anything good.

But with his father watching from above, he lost the initiative. Meanwhile, Situ Yi took the lead and walked over.

Situ Yi handed over a seal and smiled:

“I have nothing of value, but this seal, which I carved myself, I present to you today.”

Jia Hu looked at the seal in his hand. It depicted a small bird about to spread its wings and take flight, and the seal itself was also a bird design.

I never would have guessed that this young man had such skills.

The little bird is carved so lifelike, it looks like it's about to fly off the seal.

Jia Hu praised:

"Uncle's skills are really amazing. This little bird looks like it's about to fly away."

"As long as Hu'er is happy."

Sure enough, it was another head pat.

Situ Yi looked at Jia Hu, who clearly didn't like being patted on the head, yet pretended to be a little adult and obediently accepted it, which he found amusing.

After touching him, Situ Yi returned to his seat without even glancing at the Seventh Prince, which infuriated the prince.

Situ Yi is quite amusing; the Seventh Prince is sulking.

What's wrong with this guy? Even if we follow the order from oldest to youngest, shouldn't he be after me before it's his turn?

The Seventh Prince glared at Situ Yi impatiently, then turned his face away and changed his expression.

He looked at Jia Hu with a smile and said:

"Hu'er, I am your seventh imperial uncle. You must come to visit me often in the future."

The Seventh Prince handed over the gift, and even though he was reluctant, he still gave it a present that was absolutely presentable.

A peace plaque carved from the finest warm jade.

After handing it to Jia Hu, the Third Prince couldn't help but say:

"This is a piece of the finest warm jade, carved from it."

Keep it; wearing it in winter will be good for your health.

The Third Prince was somewhat arrogant, thinking that Jia Hu must have never seen such a good thing before, and that no matter how rich the Jia family was, they couldn't compare to his own.

For the Seventh Prince, being able to make everyone remember that the gift he gave today was the best was a matter of pride and generosity.

He has several pieces of this brand, so it's not a rare thing for him.

Jia Hu listened to the Seventh Prince's expression, "Foolish mortal! Never seen such a good thing before? Hurry up and thank me for my performance!" Jia Hu felt helpless.

In his previous life, he hadn't seen anything truly valuable. If it were something like this, a museum would probably have it.

But things are different now; I have several pieces in my own little warehouse.

There are plenty of pieces that are better than this one, both in terms of quality and size!

Jia Hu couldn't refuse him, so he obediently nodded.

"Thank you, Seventh Imperial Uncle!"

The Seventh Prince was dissatisfied. How could he have given him such a good thing, only to receive this in return?

As expected, the Jia family, these nouveau riche, have no cultural refinement whatsoever and simply cannot appreciate such fine things. If I had known earlier, I should have given them a jade pendant as well.

He glanced at the third brother, whose shabby possessions Jia Hu seemed to quite like, suggesting that the third brother was simply ignorant of value.

Now that the family reunion has been completed and the announcement has been made, everyone can relax a bit and start eating, drinking, and socializing as usual.

Jia Hu held the gift and returned to his seat before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

As expected, people are afraid of becoming famous. Now that things have turned out this way, everyone will probably remember him.

And those sinister people watching me... Sigh! The road ahead won't be easy.

[It's truly like rowing against the current; if you don't move forward, you fall behind!]

Jia Hu suddenly sighed in his heart.

Both Jia Daishan and Jia Daihua felt a pang of sympathy.

They were clearly just children, and they could have protected them, but they were pushed to the forefront.

The two felt sorry for Hu'er and wanted to talk to her, assuring her that they could protect her and that she didn't need to worry.

Even if we become relatives today, we should just consider it as having another relative and not worry about it too much.

The two grandfathers, wanting to offer some words of comfort, turned around and saw that Jia Hu and Jia Zhen were already engrossed in their meal.

The tender feelings of the two grandfathers instantly choked up in their throats.

That's fine. Being able to eat is a blessing. The child is growing, so it's good for him to eat more.

Lin Ruhai watched the whole thing and couldn't help but laugh.

As a future son-in-law, he dared not relax in front of his future father-in-law.

But it always feels different when there are a few nephews around.

Jia Hu was really hungry. After finishing his business in the afternoon, he was so focused on listening to stories and chatting that he didn't eat anything at all.

After being taken there, I was so excited that I was very tired and hungry.

The imperial chef's skills are quite good; he always manages to prepare something unique. He was very satisfied with tonight's banquet.

The two grandfathers, who were easygoing about taking care of the child, didn't need any comforting from him and chatted with Lin Ruhai about the journey ahead.

Today is only the first day; the journey ahead is still long.

Jia Daishan mentioned that there was a stop on the way to Mount Tai. This southern tour was a rare opportunity, and the emperor must want to climb to the top of Mount Tai to hold the imperial enfeoffment ceremony.