Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 914: Letter from Yun Guanglai
"Master, I have something to ask you."

In the Ministry of Revenue,
After Shen Zhongxin came back from outside, he walked here and saw that everyone in the ministry had gone back to eat. Then he walked here carefully and knocked on the door.

inside the house,

The Minister of Revenue, Gu Yichen, was sitting inside, calculating the accounts with an abacus. When he heard the noise outside, he put down the abacus, took a brush and wrote down a number, then raised his head and shouted at the door;
"come in,"

"is teacher."

Shen Zhongxin responded and pushed the door open. After entering the room, he turned around to close the door and walked in. He saw the teacher was actually calculating the accounts. He didn't know what the accounts were, and he needed the teacher to calculate them personally.

He came closer, bowed,
"Teacher, it's almost noon and you are still calculating the accounts. Do you need a student to help you?"

"You, you are always so modest. These are not the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue, but the official warehouse numbers calculated by me. Now I am just rechecking them. Why are you so careful today? Is there something wrong?"

Gu Yichen smiled with relief. Among his disciples, only Shen Zhongxin could inherit his legacy. It was a pity that the others were mediocre.
"Teacher is really wise. I just came back from the court and passed by your residence. I saw a man standing in front of the door and refused to leave. I naturally came down to ask him about it. Who knew that this person was actually Senior Brother Chang who sent someone back to the capital to reply to the teacher's letter. I took the initiative to take over the matter and hurried back."

Shen Zhongxin took out an opened envelope from his bosom and put it on the table, his face calm. Although Senior Brother Chang is his senior brother, unfortunately, he is not well-known in the government. He has just been transferred to Chang'an County as the prefect not long ago, and many things he has not done are not perfect.

"Haha, interesting. How long has he been in Chang'an County? What has happened?"

Gu Ge Lao chuckled, but his smile was filled with sadness. Chang Yunze was his eldest disciple, talented and handsome. He originally thought that he would inherit his mantle. However, he didn't know whether it was because of bad luck or because of a lack of official career. Since he was sent to a remote post, he always made mistakes whenever he worked hard. Until now, he was just a prefect.
Shen Zhongxin nodded slightly, his face looked a little strange and helpless. His senior brother was really unlucky. According to what he said, the good plan had failed again.
"Teacher, it's about Chang'an County. Senior brother has been in office for almost a year. After the New Year, he wanted to share the worries of the court, so he took some action. Just when he had some progress, unfortunately, another accident happened."

Shen Zhongxin considered his words carefully, and there was a hint of helplessness in his words. He sorted out his thoughts and continued,

"I put in some thought and intervened in the marriage of the son of the garrison general He Yonghua. Since the governor was Yun Guang, he must have intervened. A few days ago, after the governor Yun Guang entered the He family, he cancelled the engagement between the two families. Who would have thought that the second son of the He family and the daughter of the Zhang family, who had cancelled the engagement, both committed suicide by jumping into the river. The He family's memorial should have reached the capital."

His tone was quite helpless. This method was just something that civil officials could do at will. How could his senior brother use it? There were indeed many taboos in it, and it would not force the son of the He family to death. In this way, a blood feud would be established. How could there be any way to remedy the situation?
Lord Gu sat on the chair with a somewhat unhappy expression. Trivial matters could also lead to great consequences. Could it be that he was really not suitable for being an official? He Yonghua of the He family was a familiar name. Thinking back carefully, He Yongxi, the commander of the Beijing Military Department, was the backbone of the He family. In this case, he would definitely not sit idly by.

"At other times, the memorials submitted to the capital could be suppressed, but now that His Majesty is furious, the memorials cannot be suppressed. Yunze has gone too far. The garrison general He Yonghua and the commander of the capital's military department, He Shi, are from the same family. I don't know how the emperor will deal with Yunguang's mistakes, but your senior brother was at least reprimanded. Go write to him and tell him to be a good governor and don't interfere in future matters."

Gu Ge Lao's sincere words, if you are not that kind of person, don't waste your energy on planning. As for the court, it depends on how Your Majesty handles the follow-up.
"Yes, Master. I will pass the letter back when I get off duty. However, Senior Brother Chang also has good intentions. If we can gain a firm foothold in Chang'an County and win over the military power, we can create some patterns for the civil service."

I said it in an obscure way. These words are what the teacher once mentioned. Civil officials command the troops and truly achieve civil and military governance. However, the military merits of the nobles are always an insurmountable mountain.
"You have a good idea. To this day, I have always believed that only when civil officials lead the army can we prevent the disaster of the feudal lords. Unfortunately, the world is in turmoil and there is no place for civil officials to use their military power. Only in prosperous times can there be opportunities. Fighting in the battlefield is not what a gentleman does!"

The people in the south of Beijing were in turmoil, bandit armies were rising up everywhere, and the imperial court suffered defeat after defeat. A cautious person like Wang Ziteng was no match for them, and the others were even more unable to withstand it. They could only take their time in the future. The words just now were also spoken to the disciples in front of him.

Shen Zhongxin understood and nodded in response.

"Yes, Master. I understand that you still need military merits to fight in the battlefield, but is there any way to save my brother's situation?"

I want to ask one more question. I still want to think about how to resolve the grudges for my senior brother.
"There is no good way. The He family will intervene even for the sake of face. For now, we can only refuse. It is expected that the governor Yun Guang will intervene. If no one else intervenes, it will be easy to resolve."

It was expected that Yun Guang would go and negotiate for peace. As long as no one in the capital city gets involved, Yun Guang was ready to listen!

"Whether there is anyone involved, I don't know, and I haven't heard my senior brother mention it. This matter was done in secret, and it was intentional. Even if someone knew about it, it would be too late in time. I'm afraid that Lord He will personally write a letter."

The matter is clear now. It just depends on how the He family submits the petition. It is unknown whether the petition will be submitted directly to the cabinet, or whether He Zhizhi will directly present it to the emperor.

"Well, regardless of whether anyone is involved or not, Yun Guang cannot escape the blame. Hurry up and write back to Yun Ze. He doesn't need to worry about the affairs of the court."

"Yes, Master. I will go right away."

The master and the disciple chatted, and Shen Zhongxin said goodbye and left, leaving behind Gu Ge Lao, who took out the account book and made careful calculations!

Rongguo Mansion,
In Rongqing Hall,

Wang Xifeng, who was lying on the kang, was not prepared when she saw the letter in Jia's mother's hand. The governor of Chang'an, Yun Guang, actually wrote a reply. Why did she have to do this for such a small matter?

She didn't know what was said inside. She didn't tell anyone about what she had discussed in Shuiyue Temple in private. Seeing that Lady Jia was about to open it, she became anxious and shouted:
"Madam, why are you so anxious? The two masters just came back from the court meeting. There is no need to bother them. It would be better to let your granddaughter-in-law take a look first."

"Okay, you housekeeper, you take a look first,"

Grandmother Jia smiled and said it was just a trivial matter, it would make a difference whoever looked at it first, so she handed the envelope over. Wang Xifeng was quick-eyed and quick-handed, so she took the letter in her hands, opened it, glanced at it roughly, and read it through. There was some panic in her eyes. It was just a matter of breaking off an engagement, how could someone die? Didn't Guard He already break off the engagement? Why was the second son of the mansion so upset? There were so many women in the world, and now it involved the Rongguo Mansion, what should they do?
"How was it? What did Yunguang write about?"

Wang Xifeng's eyes flickered as she thought about how to explain herself. This matter was caused by her, and now she needed to let the old lady know. After calming down, she started to speak.

"Madam, the matter is simple, but unfortunately some things have been overdone. When Master Jing was buried, Master Qingxu from Shuiyue Temple came to our house and wanted to propose marriage to the prefect of Chang'an County. She wanted to match the daughter of the Zhang family. However, the Zhang family had already promised their daughter to the second son of the He garrison. They regretted it. I thought that since the two families had not yet tied the knot, we could still talk about it, so I took a visiting card to the Yun Jiedushi's residence to negotiate a reconciliation. Who knew that we would end up in a quarrel."

There was a lot of evasiveness in the words, but Jia's mother was very smart. She reached out and took the letter and took a closer look. After reading it, her face fell. The situation was clearly written in the letter. Not only did it explain the whole story, but it also included the details of the reconciliation that night. Yunguang had done nothing wrong, but the son of the He family and the girl of the Zhang family were too stubborn. As the saying goes, parents' orders and matchmaker's words are final. Even if the marriage is agreed upon, it can be changed. However, it was the Rongguo Mansion that made the mistake.
Thinking of Jia Zhen of Ningguo Mansion, who wanted to snatch a bride from Luoyunhou Mansion, but ended up with a miserable end, how could he sit firmly without virtue? Thinking of this, I felt angry. How could he do such a thing that would damage his virtue?
Looking at Feng girl lowering her head and not saying anything, how could she not understand the inner workings? She must have received benefits and agreed to those dirty things. Shuiyue Temple is a place for Buddhist practice, but the nuns inside do not practice the Buddhist precepts, but instead try to make peace everywhere. How can it be a good place? I think she was deceived.

He Shoubei's son died, that's a deadly feud. How could the Chang family be so reckless? Yun Guang is the same. If they force someone to death, isn't that putting the Jiedushi Mansion on the spot? "Talk about peace, talk first and then make peace, that is, negotiate to satisfy both families, instead of forcing someone to death for personal gain. The garrison general of Chang'an County is named He. If I remember correctly, he is the cousin of He Zhizhishi, the commander of the Beijing Military Department. Yun Guang forced his son to death, and the feud was made. Alas."

Grandmother Jia was a little irritated. Yuanchun's promotion to the title of imperial concubine was obviously a great joy, but the subsequent news was hard to accept. Everyone in the mansion was worried.

"How could this happen?"

Wang Xifeng's eyes widened in disbelief. With such a relationship, why would he be afraid of a small prefect? ​​She could explain everything about the affairs in the house, but she might not be able to understand the affairs outside. How could she know the situation in Chang'an County clearly? She just did it for the sake of money.
"Old lady, since the incident has happened, we should ask if there is any solution. After all, the He family's incident happened after the broken engagement, so whoever has the right to speak is right."

It was Mrs. Xing who spoke up. She had been sitting there in silence until then. After listening to the general situation, she was thinking in her heart that since Miss Feng had agreed to it and given her a lot of benefits, the people of the He family were really shameless. Since the engagement had been cancelled, why did they continue to pester her and bring the girl out to commit suicide by jumping into the river? In the final analysis, it was the He family's own fault.

Although Mrs. Xing's words were a bit outrageous, they did make sense. Grandmother Jia sighed and said that now that the Rongguo Mansion had just received a favor, it would be better not to do anything.

"There is no need to talk about this matter any more. Let them make trouble. The cause is not in Rongguo Mansion. The matter inside may not be so simple. As for the letter written by Yunguang, let's just leave it at that."

Grandmother Jia made up her mind at first sight, but she didn't know what those people were planning inside. If she rashly reached out and got caught, it would be too late.

"Yes, old lady."

Mrs. Xing smiled at Feng, who was still sitting on the kang. The matter was over. Wang Xifeng was no longer panicked. She finally understood that Master Qingxu of Shuiyue Temple might have concealed many things. No wonder she gave so much money. So many people were involved in a matter of breaking off an engagement. It was all her fault for being confused. She touched the envelope again. There was only a letter but no banknote. It seemed that the Yun family still agreed to the matter.
Without this nagging thought, how could she lie down? She asked Ping'er to help her get off the kang, bowed to Lady Jia,

"Old lady, I was confused and agreed to something so casually. I will be careful next time I encounter such a situation."

"Well, I, an old woman, don't mean to blame you. I just want to tell you that although the Rongguo Mansion has become rich, some people are not happy. Be careful with your words and actions outside. It's a small matter to cause trouble to the Duke's Mansion, but it will be troublesome if you cause trouble to Concubine Xian De."

This is also what the old lady is worried about. Yuanchun has just been made a concubine and her position is not yet stable. She is afraid that these bad things will plague her. When her position is stable in the future and she has a child from the royal family, then she will have the confidence.

But she still had some doubts in her heart. Why was it that only the Empress had a child in the harem, while the other concubines did not? Thinking of this, Jia's mother quickly stopped thinking that the Emperor was still young and there was no need to rush about many things. But once this thought came up, she could not get rid of it.
"Yes, old lady,"

Not to mention others, the second wife's face changed, and she stood up and responded. When it comes to the Empress in the palace, nothing can be taken lightly.

At this time, Wang Xifeng, with the help of Ping'er, put on her shoes, stood up, and said goodbye to Lady Jia and left.

Out of the house,
I went to the east to see how the garden was being rebuilt.
I saw quite a few people had already dismantled the main hall of the school. There were a few craftsmen hammering and banging, directing something. I didn't seem to be interested, so I walked towards the East Palace.

along the way,

They stumbled and stumbled, and most of the road had been demolished, making it difficult to walk. The bridge that originally connected the two mansions, as well as the small river in the middle, had been filled with earth, and the bridge had been demolished, making it much faster. It seemed that it would not take much time to build the garden. They continued to walk on the relatively flat dirt road towards Ningguo Mansion, with Ping'er following behind them, looking uneasy. Grandma had collected a lot of silver in Shuiyue Temple.

He asked quietly;

"Grandma, is everything in Chang'an County really alright?"

"Hmph, what could possibly happen? I just took the invitation and asked the Yun family to mediate. It's not a crime against heaven and earth. Besides, the dispute between the He family and the Zhang family was caused by the prefect Chang. Even if the second son of the He family lost his life, it was after the marriage was cancelled. It has nothing to do with us in Rongguo Mansion. It's just that the people of Shuiyue Temple didn't mention the relationship with the He family, so we failed."

There was no sign of panic in her words. Wang Xifeng's face returned to normal with a slight sneer. Yun Guang accepted the five thousand taels of silver and replied to the letter, which meant that he was implicated and felt uncomfortable. He replied to please others, which showed that he was not a man who could do big things. If he had intervened to mediate earlier, this would not have happened.
"Grandma, what you said makes sense, but grandma, after all, we have sent the letter, aren't you afraid that the head of the Yun family will leave a letter behind?"

Ping Erh was about to say something, but she managed to hold back and didn't say anything to accuse her. Wang Xifeng knew what she wanted to say, so she snorted coldly.
"Humph, you only have that much guts. If Yun Guang had the guts, he wouldn't have replied like that. If he wanted to make a accusation, he would have to have evidence. The letter only mentioned one sentence, and it was about peace. There was no other word left. So, even if he wanted to make a accusation, he couldn't. What's hateful is that the old nun in Shuiyue Temple didn't say it clearly, but the He family still has such a relationship."

Wang Xifeng raised her eyebrows, with a cold light flashing in her eyes. She wanted the money and could do the job, but she needed to carefully consider the inside story and make it clear so that she could do it. If she concealed it and made a mistake, the consequences would be huge. Fortunately, she was careful this time and asked Ping'er to follow her and consult her before writing the letter. This feud was formed. Fortunately, the officials in the military department had a close relationship with the Rongguo Mansion. If there was something wrong, she would need to find out more.
"Grandma is right. The old nun may have known the cause and effect of this matter for a long time. She came to find you without telling you so that she can benefit from it. Zhineng also seduced Master Bao. I am afraid she is using this to threaten you."

Ping'er helped with everything that happened that day. She was the one who did all the chores for Master Bao. She gave a lot of money to Zhineng and Zhishan as hush money, but thinking of the old nun's behavior, she was afraid that they would not be able to keep their mouths shut.

When Wang Xifeng heard this, the coldness in her eyes grew stronger. This was really troublesome. The old lady and the second wife must not know about this. Qingxu was indeed as good as his reputation said. He was really capable of doing things. If she wanted to turn the tables, she needed to plan carefully. At this juncture, she really couldn't allow any unnecessary trouble to arise.

"Ping'er, ask Lai Wang to find a few smart and hardworking servants to scout the way. Go to Shuiyue Temple outside the city and watch who they contact. They can take on all the affairs of Chang'an County. They are not ordinary people. They hunt geese all day and were pecked by a wild goose. It's interesting."

Wang Xifeng was also somewhat amused. She had found many guarantors to lend money in the past, and had used countless secret methods. Although she had not participated in it, she knew everything she should know. Therefore, she needed to find out the situation of Shuiyue Temple and could not be blinded by past events.

"Yes, grandma, I understand."

Ping Er nodded. It seemed that Grandma really took it to heart.

The two continued walking forward and arrived at Ningguo Mansion. The walls of several small courtyards on the west side had already been demolished, and the main house of Huifang Garden was being demolished. However, no tables or chairs had been moved out of the large courtyards, not even a bed board was seen. Confused, they asked;
"Hey, that's not right, Ping'er, why don't I see any furnishings in the house? The whole house is so empty."

After all, Ningguo Mansion is a wealthy family. It is too shabby now. Ping'er looked up and saw that it was indeed the case.
"Grandma, maybe they are going to dismantle the supplies and take the things back in advance, or maybe Rong Ge'er took the things. After all, Nanjin's yard also needs these things to fill the gap."

Speaking of Jia Rong, Wang Xifeng suddenly realized that she had been so busy with the garden renovation at Rongguo Mansion that she had forgotten about Jia Rong.
"By the way, how is Rong Ge'er now?"

(End of this chapter)