Chapter 146: Chapter 146

These days, embezzlement isn't surprising, but to this extent...

Even the retired Grand Emperor who had casually overheard about it was left speechless. He even turned to An Ning beside him and complained:

"These descendants of Minister Jia..."

Calling them worthless would be an insult to actual worthless things.

Originally, he had considered mentioning something to his unlucky son out of respect for his deceased beloved minister. But now, the Grand Emperor couldn't even bring himself to bring it up.

In his view, incompetence was even more disgraceful than greed—just mentioning them would tarnish his dignity.

The current emperor, who had prepared all sorts of rebuttals: "......"

In any case, after this incident, the once-glorious Jia family completely collapsed into decline.

As for Jia Baoyu, this time without anyone forcing him, he didn't even bother continuing his studies, let alone passing the imperial exams.

On the other hand, Tanchun was the first to step up after the family's downfall. With some silver provided by the Lin family, she organized the sisters to take up needlework, while others learned to make rouge from Jia Baoyu. Through careful budgeting, they managed to scrape by.

Eventually, she even took a husband into the family. With the useless men of the second branch, she single-handedly upheld the household's dignity. Before the Dowager Jia passed away, fully aware of her precious grandson's worthlessness, she secretly left most of her private savings to Tanchun, hoping she would look after her elder brother.

Then there was Xue Baochai. This time, not marrying into the Jia family actually improved her circumstances. With her sharp mind, she managed the Xue family's remaining assets quite well...

After their fall from grace, the whole family crowded together, resulting in no shortage of farcical incidents—especially with Jia Baoyu and his flock of maids, providing plenty of entertainment for An Ning's otherwise dull pregnancy.

Only when the Dream of the Red Chamber storyline had completely concluded did An Ning reluctantly set down her melon seeds.

After that, her life was quite comfortable. Between the Grand Emperor's frequent rewards and her status as both a commandery princess and a princess consort, most troubles were easily avoided. Over the next few decades, aside from studying medicine, her days were filled with traveling with her husband and children, discussing chess and music, or going on outings with her elder sister and the occasional visits from Miss Lin.

Lin Daiyu, true to her reputation as a top-tier literary figure, was skilled in all refined arts. After spending so much time with her, even An Ning felt her own poetic sensibilities had improved—well, at least enough to not embarrass herself in front of the masters.

The only downside was that with the Grand Emperor growing older, she—as his human lucky charm—couldn’t wander too far, at least not beyond a certain distance.

In this regard, Lin Daiyu had it much better. Her husband had no interest in politics, and the two shared similar tastes, often traveling the land together and composing countless poems along the way.

In later generations, she would undoubtedly be remembered as one of history's greatest female poets. An Ning even collected a few of her works...

Time passed swiftly in such comfort. Decades flew by in the blink of an eye.

Her earlier choices proved correct—the Grand Emperor was truly a man who cherished his life. Over the years, with his full cooperation, An Ning didn’t even need to use her spiritual spring water. Just relying on her medical skills from multiple lifetimes and the health-preserving exercises she bought cheaply from the system, he lived well into his nineties, nearly reaching centenarian status.

The Grand Emperor’s private treasury was vast, and he was generous.

With the yearly influx of top-tier medicinal ingredients, An Ning’s personal stockpile of high-quality medicine doubled, and even her somewhat stagnant pharmaceutical skills improved significantly.

The only issue was the current emperor, who—due to his diligent governance—was nearly balding from stress. Watching his father grow more energetic day by day, this eighty-something-year-old man sometimes appeared even more vigorous than his own fifty-something self.

By the time the current emperor celebrated his sixtieth birthday, his father was still happily playing the role of a living mascot in the gardens, basking in the reverence of the emperor and his endless line of descendants.

Running a hand through his thinning hair, the poor Ming Tai Emperor even began to suspect he might pass away before his father.

But the ones even more distressed were the princes. If their father lived as long as the Grand Emperor... The princes, especially the elder ones, shuddered at the thought.

Suddenly, the throne didn’t seem so appealing anymore.

Especially later, when the emperor started prioritizing his health, seemingly determined to match his father’s longevity. The princes even slacked off in their power struggles.

At the very least, the court became noticeably more peaceful.

By the time the Grand Emperor passed away, the current emperor was nearly sixty-five. Years of overwork and his naturally weak constitution left him in worse health than his father had been before abdication—despite the prescriptions An Ning had provided earlier.

During a routine palace banquet, looking at his sister-in-law—who, nearing forty, still looked like a woman in her twenties—and his equally youthful younger brother, the emperor took a deep breath. After much contemplation, this famously diligent ruler chose to abdicate the very next year after his father’s death.

Clearly, when faced with a choice between his beloved memorials and his own life, he decisively picked the latter. Of course, before stepping down, his final decree was to heap honors upon An Ning’s family—even her newborn granddaughter was granted the title of commandery princess.

The new emperor, who had planned to bestow favors first: "......"

Due to the struggles of his early years, the newly enthroned emperor was no longer young either.

Looking at his retired father, who seemed even more energetic after abdication, the new emperor was close to tears. If his father had managed to outlive the Grand Emperor, he might not be so lucky! And as for his aunt-by-marriage—they say physicians can’t heal themselves. Secretly, he could only hope she’d live a long life too...

Meanwhile, at the Prince Xin’s residence, lounging in a rocking chair and gazing at the piles of gold, jade ornaments, and premium medicines—despite being accustomed to such things—An Ning couldn’t help but twitch her lips.

Tsk, as expected, those in power only truly loosen their purse strings when there's competition, rather than scheming to control others...