Back at Ningrong Street, Jia Lian went directly to Ningguo Mansion, found Jia Zheng, and prepared to tell him about his affairs.
After all, the Jia family is still busy building a garden. Now that Jia She, Jia Zhen and others are no longer here, he will also leave the capital. The next family matters can only be supported by Jia Zheng.
At that time, Jia Zheng was having a discussion with his family members. Tomorrow is the day of Jia Zhen's funeral. Most of the family members are here.
After listening to Jia Lian's statement, they didn't have much idea about the princess' marriage. The only thing they cared about was Jia Lian's holy family, which seemed to be back!
Also, as the heir to the family's title, Jia Lian's honor and disgrace are directly related to the success or failure of the family.
The previous rumors that were unfavorable to Jia Lian made them very nervous.
At this time, they heard that Jia Lian was actually entrusted with an important task by the emperor, which naturally showed that Jia Lian's holy family was still there, and the stone in their hearts was relieved.
Jia Dairu stroked his beard and smiled and said: "Well, it seems that our family's future achievements will all be pinned on Brother Lian!
I have a suggestion here. We didn't discuss the candidate for the clan leader before, so we never had a clue.
In my opinion, there is no need to think too much. Among the entire clan, the only one who can shoulder this important task and lead the family to regain the glory of the Duke is Lian Geer.
Therefore, it is safest for Brother Lian to be the leader of the clan.
What do you think?"
As the second generation of the Jia family, Jia Dairu is one of the few remaining people with great achievements, and he is also the helmsman of Jia family studies.
He still has some prestige, so when he made this suggestion in front of everyone, everyone thought about it seriously.
This question is actually very simple.
If Jia Lian is the eldest member of the clan, all of them will support Jia Lian as the clan leader without Jia Dairu's suggestion.
But it is a pity that Jia Lian is from the second wife.
The eldest brother holds the position of clan leader. This is a rule of the Jia family that has not changed in a hundred years. If it were to be changed now, many people would still have doubts.
When I think about it, the one who is most unhappy is probably Jia Jing.
Therefore, everyone looked at Jia Jing, the only male who is now the direct descendant of the eldest family.
There is no way, who can let Changfang's blood wither.
Everyone can agree that the foundation of Ningguo Mansion will be inherited by the male son in You's belly. This is a matter of course, and no one has any reason to object.
But the head of the Jia family is not willing to let a child who has never seen the light of day take over.
Just as a country cannot live without a king for a day, a clan cannot live without a leader for a day.
Apart from anything else, it will take at least twenty years for You's children to grow up. For such a long time, will the Jia family have to leave the position of patriarch vacant?
Seeing everyone looking at him, Jia Jing also looked embarrassed.
On one side is the glory and dignity of Changfang, and on the other side is the current situation of Ningguo Mansion.
If he refuses, these people will definitely ask him to stay and resume his duties and responsibilities as the patriarch.
But how could he, who didn't even want the foundation of the Duke's government, let a superficial clan leader's position stop him from pursuing the great path? Just when Jia Jing was in a dilemma and couldn't answer the question, another clan elder Jia Daixiu coughed
He made a sound and said: "The patriarch, since Taizu, has always been the head of the clan.
Now that we have changed the rules rashly, we are afraid that our ancestors will blame us..."
Jia Dairu immediately looked at the old man, frowned and asked: "But it's not like you don't know the situation in Ningguo Mansion now.
If according to what was said before, one of the recent descendants of Ningguo Mansion is chosen to inherit the clan, I won't say anything, and the heir will naturally be the clan leader.
But under the current circumstances, Brother Zhen still has blood left in the world.
We had previously agreed that as long as Brother Zhen's daughter-in-law gives birth to a boy, he will inherit the Ningguo Mansion's family business.
This is no problem.
But the patriarch is different.
The patriarch is related to the interests of my clan, which totals twenty people. The clan patriarch is responsible for the management of the clan's ancestral property and sacrificial fields, annual ancestor worship matters, and the assistance and relief of the children of the clan.
Could it be that these things have to wait until more than ten or twenty years later, when the eldest son’s bloodline has grown up, before we consider them?”
Seeing Jia Dairu increasing his voice, Jia Daixiu said politely: "The inheritance sequence cannot be abolished.
According to Ning Rong Ergong, Ning Gong is also the eldest. Since ancient times, the eldest house has been respected. This is the method of inheritance.
Therefore, letting the second wife inherit the position of clan leader is inconsistent with etiquette and law, and if word spreads about it, it will also cause ridicule."
As soon as Jia Daixiu said this, many people secretly agreed.
Most of these people are descendants of Ning Guogong.
Of the twenty rooms in the Jia family, except for the twelve rooms still in Nanjing, the eight rooms in Beijing are all descendants of the second Duke Ningrong.
Therefore, let’s not talk about the difference between the eldest and second bedrooms, let’s talk about the two characters Ning and Rong. They don’t want to see the word Rong completely climbing on top of the word Ning.
Jia Dairu is the son of Rong Guogong, so he certainly agrees with Rong Guofu taking over as the patriarch.
But Jia Daixiu, as the son of Duke Ning, would naturally not agree.
This is the dispute between the two clan elders, and the deep-seated considerations of interests and honor.
Seeing that the family was about to have an extremely heated debate again, Jia Jing finally spoke.
"I think what the two clan elders said makes sense.
The current situation of our Ningguo Mansion is indeed not suitable for us to continue to hold the heavy responsibility of the clan leader.
So, I have a proposal.
It would be better for me to let Brother Lian, the second wife, temporarily take over the position of patriarch and be responsible for teaching my unborn grandson.
In the future, when he grows up and his talents are measured, if he is qualified for the position of clan leader, then Brother Lian will return the position of clan leader. Only in this way will it be appropriate.
What do you think, fellow tribesmen?"
As soon as Jia Jing said this, everyone in Ning Gong's lineage fell silent.
Isn't this still equivalent to giving up the patriarch to others?
Moreover, if the people of Rongguo Mansion teach the only bloodline of Ningguo Mansion, to put it bluntly, if the second wife has evil intentions, not only the position of the patriarch, but also the foundation of Ningguo Mansion may be usurped?
Of course, in this case, they would not dare to say nonsense.
Why didn't Jia Jing know that he was entrusting the Ningguo Mansion to Jia Lian?
But what else can be done?
In the past month, people from the tribe have been asking him to stay at home and revitalize the family!
He was afraid that if they continued to quarrel, he would have no chance to pursue the high road.
As for Jia Lian really bullying his grandson, he thinks it is unlikely. Not to mention that there are so many people in the family watching, but Jia Lian himself is also a person with unlimited future and extraordinary ability.
I'm just afraid that he might not lose his face and do something like encroaching on the eldest son's property.
In short, he liked Jia Lian and believed in him.
Jia Lian, who had been sitting on the edge without speaking, finally smiled and said when everyone looked at him: "Thank you for your kindness, uncle. If you want to take care of your little nephew, it is my duty to take care of my nephew.
However, the position of clan leader for this generation should be removed.
As a military attache, I am about to go far away from the Great Wall, and I really don’t have much time and energy to do my job as a clan leader."
Everyone did not expect that Jia Lian would refuse, and quickly persuaded him that being a clan leader does not take much effort...
They all also figured out that if they wanted to find an acting patriarch, it would be best to have Jia Lian.
First of all, he is the heir to the Rongguo Mansion and has a Duke's Mansion, so there is no need to worry too much about him coveting the Ningguo Mansion.
Secondly, Jia Lian has a good family, and with him leading the family, everyone will be able to benefit from it.
"If you must choose someone to act as the clan leader, I have a suggestion.
Why don't I let my second uncle take on this important responsibility?
My second uncle has always been highly virtuous and respected, and he is an official in the court, so it is most appropriate for him to assume the position of acting patriarch."
For Jia Lian, being a clan leader was dispensable.
Being a clan leader is nothing more than an honor. It is a thankless position that involves a lot of work but little money.
As long as he maintains a prosperous official career and doesn't have to worry about his family members disobeying him, he may not necessarily get the position of clan leader.
Therefore, when he saw Jia Zheng's eyes moving when everyone was discussing this issue, he recommended him without hesitation.
After hearing Jia Lian's words, everyone fell silent.
Indeed, apart from Jia Lian, Jia Zheng is the most suitable acting patriarch.
However, Jia Zheng is not the heir to the two houses...
Fortunately for him, as the legitimate son of the second generation Rong Guo Gong, he acts as a master in Rong Guo Mansion.
But what if he and Jia Lian separate in the future?
By then, Jia Zheng's lineage will just become the "Rongfu modern faction" like everyone else.
At most, because of his relationship as the imperial concubine's biological father, his life was better than theirs. From the perspective of inheritance, Jia Zheng was not qualified to be the clan leader, nor was he capable of bringing them more benefits.
When Jia Zheng heard that Jia Lian recommended him, he was very surprised and a little moved.
He does care a little bit about the honor of clan leader. As for the clan leader, it sounds like he is the head of the clan!
But at the same time, he also knows that he doesn't like trouble.
When you become a clan leader, it is inevitable that you will be troubled by some trivial matters in the clan.
He himself had some difficulty making a choice, so he never expressed his stance.
Seeing that after Jia Lian recommended him, few people agreed, he realized that no one expected him to act as the acting clan leader.
So, Jia Zheng stroked his beard, shook his head very calmly and said: "I am old, and just the affairs of the Ministry of Industry are already quite laborious. As for the affairs of the clan, I'll leave it to you young people to worry about.
.”
Jia Zheng is such a noble person, but you still think that I am not qualified, and I am not happy to serve you!
All day long, they stole chickens, walked dogs, and got into fights, as if no one wanted to care about these unscrupulous members of the clan.