The Concubine Wushuang of Red Mansion

Chapter 126 Plan ahead
When the nanny of the concubine of the Jin family saw her girl with big breasts resurrected from the dead, she knew there must be something hidden in it. After observing furtively for a long time, she discovered that the girl had been used as an outhouse for others.

Since it is an outer chamber, why bother resurrecting it from the dead?

Wouldn't it be cheaper to get something missing?

Although Miss Jin was a concubine, she was not treated harshly in the Jin family and could no longer survive, so she faked her death to escape.

No matter what the reason is, since Miss Jin wants to deceive others, there is an opportunity for the nanny.

Therefore, the nanny got together and extorted a lot of money and goods from Miss Jin in the past two years.

Over and over again, after Miss Jin realized that this nanny would be in trouble in the future, she planned to have her killed. When she was doing it in the suburbs, she happened to be met by Kong An, who was meddling in her own business. , and actually got so much information.

"Master, that firecracker seller is nothing. He has to meet me before he is willing to sell it. He also has to meet me in Gusu, saying that he doesn't want to come to Ningbo."

Kong An was very uneasy. He didn't do his job well this time. The firecracker was a foreigner with tawny brown eyes, which made people panic when he looked at him.

"Then let's go!" Jia Cong was determined to win the fire gun. He wanted to know what level the fire gun had reached at this time?
The four leaders under Jia Cong are Jiang Xiang, Yu Xinhai, Zhang Ding and Wu Weizhong. After a period of training, these four people have become loyal to Jia Cong. Because Jiang Xiang was a scholar and had strong martial arts skills, Jia Cong Cong temporarily left the matter of leading the troops to Jiang Xiang.

Wu Weizhong was a martial artist with high martial arts skills.

When Xia Jin came to Ningbo this time, he was recruited into the army. He personally led a dozen soldiers and followed Jia Cong to Gusu.

Because there was something wrong on the road, it was early morning when we entered the city, and there were bustling crowds coming and going under the tall and mighty city gate.

Jia Cong and others dismounted and followed the people into the city.

"Don't crowd, don't crowd, fellow villagers, please listen to me!"

In Gusu City, near the Confucius Temple, a young man stood on a high platform, and many people gathered around him.

Jia Cong and others were carried by the crowd and heard him say, "Everyone, here's the thing. This is the son of the Zhong family. Do you know which family it is? It's the sentence of a third-grade imperial concubine. Rong Zhong’s family…”

When Jia Cong heard this, he thought, isn't this his mother's house?And the person standing next to this young master with his face turned away seemed familiar to him.

"Earlier, Mr. Zhong made a bet with us, saying that if he still failed to pass the exam this time, he would take off his pants and run around Jinling City three times. Now, the results have been released, and our Mrs. Zhong's son has passed the exam. As my nephew, he didn’t pass the exam. Do you think he should take off his pants and run around three times?”

"Yes!" Everyone said in unison.

"Jin Kun, don't bully others too much! I was just joking!"

Zhong Shizhen is Zhong Yunhui's son, Zhong's nephew, and Jia Cong's cousin.

During Jia Cong's mourning period, Zhong Shizhen was ordered by his father to bring some food from home to Jia Cong from time to time. Although the two did not have a deep friendship, they still had a bit of brotherhood.

"A manly man, once he has made a promise, it is hard to follow him. How can he go back on his words?" Jin Kun obviously had no intention of letting him go. There were two classmates behind Zhong Shizhen, one on the left and one on the right, holding down Zhong Shizhen's arms, making him unable to do so. move.

Jin Kun said with a smile, "Brother Zhong, it's okay to say you are joking. It depends on whether the folks agree. If they say you are really joking and are willing to let you go, for the sake of your classmates, we will do it too." It’s just a joke, I won’t argue with you about things that will lead to nothing.”

Zhong Shizhen's face turned the color of pig's liver. He was in a dilemma. If he refused to run naked, he would be synonymous with breaking his promise from now on. If he kept his promise and ran naked, the Zhong family might have to excommunicate him.

No one can afford to throw away such a person.

The people below had never seen such an interesting thing. Some were taking it seriously, while others were just joking. They all shouted, "Take off, take off, take off your pants. We want to see him take off his pants and run away!"

Jin Kun burst out laughing, grabbed Zhong Shizhen's neck and carried him to the front of the stage, "Brother Zhong, listen to how loud the people's voices are! For us scholars, the first thing is to understand what it means to obey public opinion. "

"Bah!" Zhong Shizhen raised his foot and kicked Jin Kun, "Jin Kun, you are the son of a salt merchant, what qualifications do you have to talk about saints? Yes, I did not pass the exam this time, but you made a joke on me today The reason why I keep saying this is because my cousin got admitted to the Jiangning Prefecture’s office, and at the Liangyuan Poetry Competition, he pushed you and others so hard that you became angry and took advantage of me! "

Zhong Shizhen raised his voice and said, "Everyone, I, Zhong Shizhen, did say such a thing, but it was indeed a joke about myself. Since you are unwilling to let me go, I, Zhong Shizhen, will do what I said today. If I can't do it, from now on From now on, I won’t take the exam!

However, there is one thing I must explain, that is, my cousin Jia Cong made great achievements in fighting the Japanese pirates in Ningbo Prefecture. He is only 12 years old and full of talents. He is also the leader of the case in Jiangning Prefecture this time. Wen Neng Anbang , Wu Ke can rule the country.But Brother Jin, what about you people?You are no match for my cousin, and you have suffered a loss at the hands of my cousin, so you come to deal with me. Are you still worthy of being a scholar? "

Jin Kun and others had ugly faces and gritted their teeth and said, "Brother Zhong, one code is the same. Yes, we are indeed not as good as cousin Ling. His song "A Cut of Plum Blossoms" is famous throughout the ages. We It’s just envy. The reason why I treat Brother Zhong like this today is for the sake of my classmates. I don’t want Brother Zhong to be such a villain who doesn’t keep his word. "

Zhong Shizhen closed his eyes with a look of despair. Jin Kun and others saw how happy and proud they were!

Jia Cong turned around and walked away. Kong An stepped forward and whispered, "Second Master, my subordinates will go and bring Mr. Zhong out!"

Because Jia Cong entered the city secretly and could not see anyone, he led the people forward and told Kong An, "Bring the eldest brother out first, I want to see him. Find out who the people named Jin are. Tomorrow In the morning, I want to see them hanging naked on the city wall."

"Yes!" Kong An has long understood that his second master is not a good person. He never offends people easily. Anyone who offends him will have to pay a heavy price.

Jia Cong belongs to a family that owns a house in Gusu City. He has a small courtyard with three entrances and a shop fronting the street. There are some groceries for sale as a show.

After Jia Cong entered, he gave Wu Weizhong 100 taels of silver and asked him to take the brothers out to have fun. He washed himself, brought a cup of tea, and sat in the room waiting for Kong An.

Not long after, Zhong Shizhen came. The 20-year-old young man seemed to have cried, and the corners of his eyes were red. He was so ashamed when he saw Jia Cong.

Jia Cong didn't ask any more questions.

Zhong Shizhen suffered this humiliation today, of course because of his own incompetence, but also because he was implicated by Jia Cong. With Liang Yuan's incident, the aristocratic and wealthy families in Jiangnan had nothing to do with him, and they actually It all went out on the Zhong family's head.

Jia Cong didn't have much affection for the Zhong family. Although they had lived next to each other for three years, they didn't have close contact with them.

He lived in mourning and kept filial piety, and lived in seclusion. Only during the holidays, after receiving gifts from the Zhong family to eat, he sent his servants to return gifts, and the number of times they met was only a handful.

But Jia Cong doesn't like to see others being implicated by him.

"What's going on?" Jia Cong pointed to the chair beside him and motioned for Zhong Shizhen to sit down.

Zhong Shizhen's clothes were twisted and messy, his hair was a little messy, and the corners of his eyes were red, as if he had been insulted, which made Jia Cong's eyes twitch.

"Just last year, there was a poetry meeting..."

Speaking of the poetry meeting, Zhong Shizhen glanced at Jia Cong sheepishly. In the past, they would hold poetry meetings every now and then. Since the Liang Yuan incident, now, all the students in the whole Jiangnan dare not mention the "poetry meeting" again. "Two words."

"Cousin, you also know that I have been a scholar for many years and failed in the exams many times. Although my family has not been able to support me, it does cost a lot to support a scholar. My father often said openly and secretly ,let me……"

"Tell me the important point!" Jia Cong said.

"Oh, yes, yes!" Zhong Shizhen took a deep breath and reorganized his words, "Anyway, I said at the meeting that if I don't win again this time, I will take off my pants and run around Jinling City three times. I It was originally a joke to encourage myself, but no one took it seriously at the time, and some people also made this joke after me. Who knew that this bastard Jin Kun only stared at me and insisted on me... …Fulfill your promise!”

Zhong Shizhen heard what Kong An said, and Jia Cong secretly watched underneath for a long time. He probably understood the ins and outs of the matter.

What a shame!
"How old are you this year?" Jia Cong asked.

"Two, 21!" "I remember you have a son, right?" Jia Cong said, "You are not one or two years old. You don't know what you should say and what you shouldn't say?"

"Isn't this just a joke? How could I know that I really didn't pass the exam?"

"Then do you know now why you didn't pass the exam?" Jia Cong asked.

Zhong Shizhen didn't understand what Jia Cong meant. He glanced at Jia Cong secretly and saw that he was sitting evenly. Although he was not old, he was already full of momentum. Every move carried a frightening pressure. He had to think seriously about why he failed the exam.

"The Tongsheng test is actually very simple. If you memorize the four books, you can basically pass it. How many years have passed since your enlightenment to the present, more than ten years, right? How many words are there in the four books? Can you memorize them thoroughly?"

Zhong Shizhen shook his head guiltily, "Some... unfamiliar!"

"I'm not familiar with it. What kind of talent test are you going to take?"

"No, if I don't take the exam, others will laugh at me. Besides, you took the exam as soon as you removed your filial piety. If I don't take the exam, my father won't agree to it, right?"

Who would have thought that Jia Cong could actually take the exam as a case manager.

He didn't even dare to go back.

Zhong Shizhen stood up and cupped his hands towards Jia Cong and said, "Cousin, when you tell me, I think I'm not suitable for studying at all. In fact, I feel like sleeping as soon as I study. However, my family has supported me for so many years. If I say now that I'm not suitable, I really can’t say enough about how much I like reading.”

Zhong Shizhen felt really guilty and slapped himself hard, which shocked Jia Cong.

"Then what do you like to do?" Jia Cong quite sympathized with Zhong Shizhen. In his previous life, he met too many such people. Basically all the poor students in the class had the same mentality as Zhong Shizhen.

"I love being a carpenter!"

Jia Cong spit out a sip of tea and looked sideways at Zhong Shizhen, "Are you from the school?"

"What?" Zhong Shizhen didn't understand and shook his head, "Cousin, I'm really not lying. I actually like doing crafts. Not only do I like being a carpenter, I also like blacksmithing."

It shouldn't be Ming Xizong who wore it.

Jia Cong breathed a sigh of relief, "Just do it by hand, what kind of craft work!"

Zhong Shizhen didn't care about "handicraft work" with Jia Cong. After he spoke his mind, he felt much more relaxed.

"How much of your family's money have you spent studying over the years?"

"One, one or two hundred taels!" Zhong Shizhen wasn't sure. He initially studied with an old scholar, earning two taels of silver a year, but after repeated attempts, his father sent him to Jiangning Academy to study. , it’s a lot more expensive, the tuition is one tael of silver a month.After all, it's really quite a lot.

"If I give you 300 taels of silver and you tell your family that you don't want to study anymore, how can you thank me?" Jia Cong asked.

When Zhong Shizhen heard this, he almost jumped for joy, but after the joy, he shook his head decadently, "If I don't study anymore, what can I do? I don't have the ability to make money, and I can't do it now if I go back to farming. "

"For 300 taels of silver, you sign a deed of sale for me, and you will work for me from now on."

"Sell, sell yourself on a contract?" Zhong Shizhen's eyes widened, "Cousin, you want me to sell myself into slavery? Although I don't have the ability to study, but if my son has the ability to study in the future, if I sell myself to you, he will not be able to pass the imperial examination. .”

"If your son is good at studying, I will never delay his future in the future. Of course, if you don't want to sell yourself, that's fine. Just go out and do whatever you want!"

After Jia Cong finished speaking, he got up and went to the backyard, intending to take a rest.

Zhong Shizhen did not go out, but sat there and thought hard. He was not a very decisive person.

Kong An came back and saw that he was the only one in the room and asked what happened?

Zhong Shizhen didn't answer, but asked, "Brother Kong, I see you are also a person, why would you follow my cousin?"

Kong An saw that his question was strange and said, "Mr. Zhong thinks that I am a figure, but he doesn't know that the real figure is someone like our second master. If nothing else, when the second master was studying, he could be a person at a young age. When you go to the head of a case, go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, and can beat the crap out of the Japanese pirates without losing a single blow, such a person is a real person, who am I?"

"If Brother Kong wants to achieve great success, it's not impossible. Why do you have to rely on my cousin?"

"A person like the Second Master, at first glance, looks like Wenquxing descending to earth and Wuquxing possessing him. Such a person will definitely be great in the future. If I can follow the Second Master, my future achievements will definitely be indispensable."

Kong An listened obediently and heard the real purpose of Zhong Shizhen's words. He smiled and said, "I taught Mr. Zhong to be good. Our second master said that choice is more important than hard work. Sometimes, you go in the wrong direction. , the opposite is true, even if you work hard for a lifetime, you will never reach the end."

Kong An was in a hurry to go in and report to Jia Cong, so he didn't bother to talk to Zhong Shizhen, so he went in after making a complaint.

Jia Cong was leaning on the couch. When he saw Kong An come in, he asked, "Has he left?"

Kong An shook his head, "Well, Master Biao asked his subordinates why they were following the Second Master. I wonder what the Second Master said to Master Biao?"

"I asked him to sell himself to me as a slave, but he refused."

Kong An was stunned and asked puzzledly, "Why does the Second Master want Kong An to sell himself as a slave? I heard from my subordinates that the Young Master respects the Second Master very much. If he does something for the Second Master, he will definitely do his best. If it is not as good as the Second Master wants, , just replace him."

"I plan to reuse him in the future. He is not stable in his words and deeds. This time he suffered a loss. I don't think he has made any progress. If he is sold into slavery, it will be humiliating for him. Maybe he will always be vigilant. It will be of great use in the future!”

Jia Cong sighed, "Speaking of which, I still have too few available people. Oh, by the way, is there any news from Li Gou'er?"

Kong An said, "Nowadays, the racecourses are under the control of the imperial court. If we open a racecourse rashly, what if we anger the imperial court?"

"Raise a few horses, don't raise them on a large scale." Jia Cong frowned, "If there is any trouble, I will deal with it. The most important thing now is to set up a team and lay a good foundation for the future... ..., it won’t be like now, I want to do something, but I don’t have enough manpower and I’m in a dilemma.”

Kong An said in a low voice, "Second Master, can you tell me something accurate? What are your plans?"

Since he was to be used as a confidant, Jia Cong did not intend to hide it and said, "You have been running outside. Jiangnan is still safe. What do you think of the central and northern areas?"

Kong An was silent for a few moments, then he seemed to have some understanding, "It's not good. In the past few years, there have been disasters every year. Many places have had no harvest in three years, and the people have been displaced. The court has not done much to provide disaster relief. They just changed their sons and lost their lives." It’s everywhere.”

Jia Cong said, "It's not that our emperor doesn't love the people, but that he has no ability at all. The first two years were fine, but recently, I see that our emperor's suspicion has become more and more serious."

In Liaodong, four generals were replaced in three years.

"What do you mean by the second master?"

"In troubled times, we must have the ability to protect ourselves. In the army, it is a joke that I rely solely on the salary from the court to support my troops. If I want my soldiers to listen to my words, I have to spend a lot of money."

Jia Cong looked at Kong An and said, "You are my backing. I plan to let Zhong Shizhen help me make money. If he doesn't sign the contract of sale, I won't use him!"

(End of this chapter)