Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 882: Chang'an County Jiedushi
In Rongqing Hall,

The ladies were talking in whispers, and they didn't seem to be strangers. Mrs. Xing was all smiles, and she seemed to be much younger. Only Wang Xifeng and the Second Madam looked extremely unnatural. One reason was because of the old lady's scolding, and the other was because of the incident at Shuiyue Temple.
Chang'an County is not far from the capital, and is located on the main road to the west. It is better to call it a pass city than a county, located at the main road to the west of the capital. Yun Guang of the Yun family, because of the grace of the old Duke of Rongguo Mansion, was especially outstanding in military exploits and was named the governor of Chang'an County to guard the pass city. It has the same status as the important town of Anyang and Daliang City, but it is a little farther away, so it has always regarded itself as a county.

At present, the Jiedushi Mansion of Chang'an County is located in the east of the city, in a luxuriously built mansion. In the main hall, Jiedushi Yun Guang is sitting in the main seat with a charming woman in his arms. It is a coincidence that a merchant from the west of the city has contacted the Jiedushi Mansion after settling down in Chang'an County. After a few visits, he made a lot of money with his business acumen.

Jiedushi Yunguang's wife died early in his life, leaving no children. Seeing this, the Song family came up with the idea of ​​an alliance, and sent their daughter Song Yuanrong to the Jiedushi's residence three years ago. Last year, she gave birth to a son. In this way, although the position of the Jiedushi's wife was not official, Song Yuanrong had the final say. This girl was born beautiful, educated, and followed her father around the country, so she had seen a lot, which was why she had this trick.
"My dear, why do you look so happy today?"

Yun Guang had a full beard and looked rough and heroic, but the gleam in his eyes could not be ignored. He smiled and spread out a letter in his arms. The light under the lamp revealed the name on the letter, which was signed: Rongguo Mansion in Beijing.

"Oh, my dear, this is a letter from Rongguo Mansion in the capital. Why are you here?"

Madam Yun looked surprised and sat on Yun Guang's legs awkwardly. Her face turned red after a moment and she asked in a coquettish tone.

Yun Guang looked pleased, and hugged his wife to his arms, with her plump body pressed tightly against him, seeming to feel comfortable. However, the letter was strange, after all, he had not received any letters from the old Duke's Mansion for a long time. In addition, the visitor also brought news that the eldest daughter of the Rongguo Mansion had been made a concubine in the palace, which was beyond description.
"You are short-sighted and have long hair. This is my old commander, and now he is rich and noble, and has become a royal relative. It feels wrong to receive a letter at this time."

I stared at the letter for a long time, not wanting to open it. But when I was distracted, my wife snatched it away and said in a sweet voice:
"Master, look at you. Since you are rich and have such connections, shouldn't you move around more? If you want to know something, just open it and take a look."

Madam Yun looked at the letter and thought it was nothing serious. She tore open the seal with both hands and took out the letter and the visiting card. However, there was another piece of paper inside. She looked at it strangely and carefully took it out. Under the light, she asked in surprise:

"My dear, please take a quick look at what is written on it. Why is there a five thousand tael note in it?"

As he said this, he handed over the letter and placed the banknote on the table. He carefully examined the seal on the back and saw that it was a large banknote from Sihai Bank.

Yun Guang's face sank. It was rare to see someone giving away five thousand taels of silver before doing anything. Moreover, it was from Rongguo Mansion. He was afraid that there was something going on.

He took the letter and opened it. It started with polite words, but at the end, it was about the daughter of the Zhang family and the family of the Chang'an prefect, and also involved He Miao, the son of the garrison general He Yonghua. How did these dirty things get to the capital? He frowned and read it carefully. Then he realized that it was the daughter of the Zhang family who caused the trouble.
"My dear, but if you give me something before we discuss it, I'm afraid it's not a good job."

Although Madam Yun is young, she can see clearly that no matter how good the gold or silver is, it still needs to be negotiated. If the negotiation is successful, then you can take it. If the negotiation is not successful, then you go your separate ways. How can you give silver without talking about it? This shows that things are difficult to handle.

It was for this reason that Yunguang doted on her especially, so she did not hide many things from her. She put the letter on the table and explained;

"It's not a big deal, but it's not a small deal either. It's just a matchmaker and the impulsiveness of young people. In our Chang'an County, there's a rich man named Zhang in the west. He has a daughter named Jin, who was promised to He Miao, the second son of the general who guards the west city. The betrothal money has been paid. But Jin met Li Li, the prefect's brother-in-law, and he also fell in love with Jin. Isn't this a big deal?"

The reason why this matter was known was because of the three families. Chang'an County was in an uproar because of this matter. The three families inside and outside the county were a little stiff, and it became the topic of conversation among the people of Chang'an County after dinner. The governor wanted to persuade them, but one of them was from the Chang family of the prefect, a disciple of Gu Ge Lao of the Ministry of Revenue in the capital, and the other was Lord He, a distant relative of the commander of the military headquarters in the capital. Both of them had support, so he just let it go.

But now, why would the Jia family of Rongguo Mansion in the capital stand up for the Chang family? What’s the reason?

When Madam Yun heard about this, she slammed the banknote on the table and cursed;

"You are talking about Zhang Laocai's daughter, who is charming and seductive. Her father is short and fat, and I don't know if he is Zhang Laocai's son, but he can give birth to such a beautiful daughter. This daughter is married to two families, which shows that the man in the Zhang family is thoughtful."

Song Yuanrong looked down on the Zhang family from the bottom of his heart. Although they were famous local gentry, they had a bad reputation. His daughter was always out in public, trying to find a good family, but the Yun family was not available, so he could only look for others. Now he had offended both families, and he deserved it.

Yun Guang smiled when he heard this. They were all people in the open. As long as they did not touch the interests of the Jiedushi Mansion, it would not be a big deal. It was better to have conflicts. Without the entanglement of interests, the Jiedushi Mansion would be in danger. However, Rongguo Mansion had already sent a letter, wanting the son of the garrison family to cancel the engagement. This was strange.

"Madam is right. Whether it's ambition or worldly desire, as long as it doesn't go beyond the limit and hurts the interests of the Jiedushi Mansion, there's no need to worry about it. But the letter from the capital said that they want the He family to cancel the engagement. I haven't figured out why the Rongguo Mansion wrote this letter. After all, the Chang family is a civil servant."

After thinking about it, I didn't expect that the key point, especially He Shoubei, was that he had offended Rongguo Mansion, or that Mr. He in the capital had a misunderstanding with the Duke's Mansion. This was the key.
Who knows,

Madam Yun leaned towards her husband, and felt her penis stirring and her whole body softening, and she murmured;

"My dear, you are overthinking it. I think it is because of the money. You can see that the handwriting in the letter is obviously delicate, so it should be written by a woman. In addition, you did not mention the reason. You also said that the Rongguo Mansion seems to be headed by a daughter-in-law of the Wang family. I am afraid she is not greedy for money."

Yun Guang was moved. After listening to the lady's explanation, it seemed to be the case. However, Rongguo Mansion had two masters. So he asked;

"So what does your wife mean?"

"This is not easy to do. Just hand the letter to Li Shoubei and have him take a look. Then write another letter and send it to Rongguo Mansion. We don't care whether the two masters of Rongguo Mansion receive it or not. We just need to write down the whole story. With the letter from Rongguo Mansion, the Li family will definitely cancel the engagement. Even if the garrison general complains, it is not our turn. As for Mr. Zhang, we need to express our gratitude to him anyway."

Madam Yun liked this principle the most. To do business, one must be thorough. The letter was sent by Rongguo Mansion, so the reply should naturally be given to the housekeeper of Rongguo Mansion. As for who saw it, that was out of her control. However, the Yun family would also get a taste of the benefits.
Seeing that his wife had already arranged everything, Yun Guang nodded with satisfaction, and with both hands he embraced her tightly.

"Madam, you are really thoughtful. Since this is the case, I will go to the He family tonight to show my sincerity. When I come back in the evening, Madam, please serve me well."

Madam Yun blushed, quickly stood up, and urged;
"If you want to go, hurry up and don't delay,"

"Haha, okay, I'll go right away."

With a hearty laugh, Yun Guang stepped out of the house and left the governor's residence with his personal soldiers, leaving only Madam Yun and her personal maid by her side. She touched the silver bills on the table, not knowing what she was thinking.

Luo Yunhou Mansion in the capital,

The night is getting darker.

After Zhang Jinyu sent Xu Changwen and Gao Wen out of the mansion, he was about to go back to the east room to rest for a while. Unexpectedly, he was stopped by someone from a distance just after he entered the door.
"My Lord, please stay for a moment."

A carriage rushed over from outside the mansion. After it stopped, a figure jumped off the carriage in a hurry and ran in. Zhang Jinyu was curious and looked back. The person who came was not tall, but had a round figure. His voice sounded familiar. He took a closer look and realized that this was Lord Xu from Shuntian Mansion. Why did he come to the mansion today?

"Walk slowly, Lord Xu. We haven't seen each other for a long time. Why are you in such a hurry?" Xu Jiaqing had short legs and a fat body, so he could only stagger over and run over panting. He clasped his fists and said;

"Your subordinate, I pay my respects to the Marquis."

He even pretended to yawn at Luo Yunhou, acting like a servant, which made Zhang Jinyu confused. He came here for no reason, so he must be afraid of something big.
"Master Xu, you are too polite. We are old acquaintances. Come in, please. Someone, please prepare the food. This Marquis and Master Xu will have a drink together."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

The steward beside him responded and quickly left. However, Xu Jiaqing smiled when he heard it. He was still very generous. The two of them went back to the west courtyard house and entered the hall.

As soon as he sat down, Zhang Jinyu asked straight to the point;
"As the saying goes, no one comes to visit you for no reason. This evening, it is an important matter. Sir Xu, do you have anything to tell me?"

Xu Jiaqing had just sat down and the maidservant began to serve tea. Before he could think of what to say, he heard Luo Yunhou's straightforward question. He could no longer hold back what he had been saying for a long time.
"My Lord, I have something important to ask you. I dare not hide it. One is a private matter, and the other is a public matter. Both are a bit tricky and embarrassing. I am afraid it is difficult to speak up."

The words just came to his lips, but he swallowed them back. He didn't know why, but once he entered the mansion, the anger in his heart dissipated a lot. He was afraid that it would be inappropriate to say it so bluntly.

Zhang Jinyu was actually interested. Seeing that Lord Xu wanted to say something but didn't dare to speak, what was there to be embarrassed about in Shuntian Prefecture? The public and private were clearly distinguished. He greeted him.

"Come on, drink some hot tea to relax, and we'll talk later."

"Thank you, Lord Marquis."

Since he hadn't made up his mind, Xu Jiaqing took the tea bowl, blew it carefully with his mouth, sipped it, tasted it, secretly praised it, "Good tea", calmed his mind, and said;

"My Lord, I have two questions for you. One is about the Imperial Examination Hall. Lord Pei reported to the officials that a candidate for the special examination had died. He was the eldest son of the Zhongshan County Li family. I have taken over the case. Today, someone from the Zhongshan County Li family came and wanted to close the case directly and take the man back for burial. I am undecided, so please give me some advice, my Lord."

Zhang Jinyu, who was drinking tea with a tea bowl in hand, was stunned when he heard this. What did this matter have to do with him? Why did he need to take care of it? After a moment of hesitation, he said;

"Lord Xu, you are joking. It is not my turn to ask about the case in Shuntian Prefecture. Whether the case is closed or not is up to Lord Xu. I will not be involved in this matter. If my guess is correct, the eldest son of the Li family in Zhongshan County was personally selected by Lord Nan as the third on the A list."

Zhang Jinyu suddenly thought of the list of names. Who was the third in the Imperial Examination Hall? It was Li Changning, the eldest son of the Li family. He asked at that time, and they said it was the Li family of Zhongshan County. Tsk tsk, who was so cruel?
"My Lord, I am not trying to embarrass you. The Li family is a prominent family in Zhongshan County, and this has happened. Tell me, am I wronged?"

Xu Jiaqing was complaining, looking embarrassed. Zhang Jinyu just smiled. This old guy is just pretending.

"Master Xu, don't say that. Since it's the Li family's business, the teacher has to take care of it. Didn't Master Nan choose the Li family's legitimate son? You can just ask Master Nan. Now that this matter is over, let's talk about private matters."

Zhang Jinyu waved his hand. He could not interfere in the affairs of his students, as it was taboo. At the moment, he was interested in private matters. The beautiful figure suddenly appeared in his mind, singing a northern tune.
between words,
Outside the house, a steward led a servant into the inner hall and had people move tables and chairs and bring food boxes one by one. The steward set the dishes and served the food, filling the table with delicious food.

"My Lord, the table is ready."

Zhang Jinyu was a little hungry at this time, so he stretched out his hand to invite her.
"Master Xu, home-cooked food, please,"

"Thank you, Lord. Please,"

The two of them exchanged some politeness before sitting down at the table. Ning Bian opened a jar of wine and filled the wine glasses on the table until the evening. The dinner at the Marquis' Mansion was, as usual, filled with hard dishes. Lord Xu didn't care. At this point, he didn't care. He picked up the chopsticks, picked up a large piece of meat from the plate in the middle, put it on the dish, and took a bite. His mouth was full of the aroma of meat and his face was filled with comfort.

Zhang Jinyu was amazed by this scene. It really looked like the scene in Shuntian Prefecture Yamen, free and unrestrained.
"My Lord, I will not hide anything from you. The so-called private matter is just that I want to inquire about whether you still remember the woman who fled from the north. I can't find her. I wonder if my Lord has seen her."

The words were straightforward. After he finished speaking, he stared at Luo Yunhou's face, trying to figure out the mystery. Zhang Jinyu took a bite of food and put it into his mouth. Hearing what Lord Xu meant, he still cared about that woman. He was really infatuated.
"Haha, Lord Xu has a deep love for his daughter. I really admire him. If you ask me about something else, I may not know the answer. But if you ask me about this, I know the answer, but it's hard to say."

Thinking about the day of the eldest son's wedding, the opera singers sent by Lord Jing, the Jiangnan Inspector, were those two people. There was obviously something wrong. How could he explain it? It would be best if they left.

Seeing that the Marquis knew this person, Xu Jiaqing excitedly put down his chopsticks and asked at a loss;
"My Lord, then tell me, where is she?"

Xu Jiaqing's face flushed with excitement, and he asked with trembling lips,

resignedly,

Zhang Jinyu could only sigh secretly and tell the truth.
"Master Xu, don't be excited. I have seen you, but it's better for you not to see me. Do you remember that on the day of the eldest son's wedding, this marquis and the Marquis of Xiangyang went to the banquet. The first person to present a gift was the Jiangnan Inspector General, Master Jing. The two singers who presented the song claimed to be the owners of a troupe in trouble in Jiangnan, and were bought by Master Jing. They sang in a water-grinding voice. You should know who these two are, right?"

How could a person who fell into trouble in the north run to the south in such a short time? No one would believe it, let alone that he was bought by Lord Jing. How could he buy it in Jiangnan?
Seeing that Luo Yunhou told the truth, Xu Jiaqing was overjoyed, but who could verify this statement? As for sending it to the Prime Minister's residence, Lord Xu was still half-believing and half-doubting. How could it be such a coincidence?
"My Lord, you must have seen it clearly. That woman has been living in my courtyard since she came to the capital. How could she go to Jiangnan and sing the Shuimo Opera?"

"Look, Lord Xu himself didn't believe it. I was also very surprised at the time. After all, I asked her at Brother Xu's house if she could sing Shuimoqiang. She said she couldn't, so she sang a northern tune. I'm sure it was true. I wasn't the only one who saw it that day. There were so many guests present. Brother Xu, don't mention it again."

Zhang Jinyu was also doing this for his own good. It was still unclear what was going on and who was involved. If he dug deeper, he might find something he shouldn't have seen. That would be troublesome.

After hearing this, Xu Jiaqing's face was filled with sorrow, and tears were streaming down his cheeks. He knew the good intentions of Marquis Luo Yun, but after searching for so long, he finally found the whereabouts of the person, so how could he give up? However, he was afraid that he could not even enter the door of the Prime Minister's residence, so he could only make long-term plans.

"Thank you for your advice today, Lord. I was confused and did something wrong. Rongguo Mansion and Ningguo Mansion arrested two people, but I released them when I got back. Lord, this bowl of wine is my apology."

Without saying much, he picked up the wine bowl and drank it all, as if he had regrets, and more of a look of infatuation on his face, which made Zhang Jinyu feel a little bit sorry. As for the people who had just been detained in the Jia Mansion, they were none other than Jia Qiang and Jia Rui, he had already heard about it, so it was no big deal.
"Brother Xu, if you really want to see him in person, you can still enter the Prime Minister's family. The eldest son is now out of seclusion, you can visit him once or twice, and you will know the cause and effect. But Brother Xu, be careful, if he recognizes you, you don't know what's going on inside."

(End of this chapter)