The Concubine Wushuang of Red Mansion

Chapter 142 Autumn Wind and Autumn Rain
The Zhen family was raided, and the Jia family was also in turmoil for a period of time. Firstly, they were worried, and secondly, they were dealing with letters to and from the Zhen family.

Xifeng didn't have deep feelings about the fate of the Zhen family. After all, she didn't see what happened to those people with her own eyes, so she had no intuitive feelings.

However, when she heard what Jia Lian said and imagined it in her mind, she became scared.

It is unimaginable that if one day, Jia's house is also ransacked, what will happen to her if she falls into that situation?

No, no, it is impossible for the Jia family to have such a day.

In the next room, the sound of the eldest sister crying came from the room. Xifeng became angry and asked sternly, "What's going on? Why are you crying?"

The eldest sister is the first child of Jia Lian and Xifeng. Xifeng has been married for several years and has finally expected such a baby. Although it is not a son, which is a bit regretful, does it mean that she can give birth?
Ping'er came in with a red baby in her arms. The eldest sister, who was less than half a year old, was a cute ball of jade snow. After she stopped crying, she looked around with her big eyes.

"I just peed. It'll be fine after changing the diaper. I really don't want to accept the slightest grievance." Ping'er gently shook the child and said with a smile.

Sister Feng was thinking about something else. This child reminded her that she was a mother now. If the Jia family became the same as the Zhen family, it would be her own fate, but would her eldest sister also suffer the same fate? ?

"According to what you say, is it possible that we will have to fawn over brother Cong in the future? You don't even think about how we offended him in the first place. Now, even if we give him our lives, he doesn't have to."

Xifeng's red eyes were full of thoughtfulness. She had no such intention of pleasing Jia Cong, nor did she think it was necessary. Would Jia Cong buy the account from Rongguo Mansion?

Xifeng took the eldest sister from Ping'er's arms and coaxed Wan'er while she was awake.

"This is not something we can worry about. Anyway, I didn't offend him." Jia Lian came over and took a look at his eldest sister, and gently touched his daughter's chubby cheeks with his fingers. He saw that her daughter's lips were puckered and she was about to cry. He felt bored and urged Ping'er, "Everyone in the kitchen is dead? There are still things to do while waiting for food, why don't you serve the food quickly?"

Ping'er hurriedly went to make arrangements, but Xifeng pursed her lips and ignored her. She just held her daughter and rocked her gently. She had already made up her mind. No matter what they did or thought, she would never give up. Jia Cong's.

Daiyu finally returned to Dongfu. Qian'er said that the old lady was not well, so she hurried over in a hurry. Later, the old lady stopped her from going back and asked her to stay and take care of her illness.

The old lady loves her more than when she came from Yangzhou before. She lost her mother since she was a child. Although Daiyu also wants to have an elder to love her, she is still calm in the end and knows that the old lady will not be nice to her for no reason.

Daiyu has been watching with cold eyes for the past few days, fearing that the old lady has come to her senses. Even if she cannot have a deep relationship with brother Cong, she does not want to make enemies. With such thoughts, only the old lady can survive, and the others Not necessarily.

Brother Kuang Cong is a proud and arrogant man, how can he forgive these people so easily?

At the beginning, she witnessed with her own eyes how Brother Cong walked out of the corner of the east courtyard, how much humiliation he had suffered, how much suffering he suffered, how much torture he suffered, and no one spoke for him. Wasn't his heart made of flesh? Isn't he angry?
Daiyu felt distressed just thinking about it.

"What are grandma thinking?" Zijuan asked someone to prepare hot soup and invited Daiyu to take a bath.

After freshening up, Huabing had already prepared meals in the large kitchen, including several plates of light side dishes, a plate of snow-silk flower rolls, one for each bite, six in total, and a bowl of bird's nest porridge. Daiyu ate it very well, and everything All the children were eaten.

"Grandma, she eats a lot more now than before." Zijuan directed the little maid to serve Daiyu to rinse her mouth, without tea.

Nowadays, she still follows her own habit of swallowing all the rice and then drinking tea later so as not to hurt her spleen and stomach.

"What do you want to say again?" Daiyu said with a smile.

"I saw that grandma was working very hard in Xifu and had little food. I was worried. If the second master came back and saw that grandma had lost weight, he would be reluctant to talk about grandma and instead say that we people did not serve us well. Wouldn't it be wrong? Unjustly accused?”

Daiyu's snowy cheeks were filled with clouds, which made her feel uncomfortable. She covered her face with a handkerchief and said angrily, "What are you talking about with those hoofs? Nowadays, the rules are getting worse and worse, and even I dare to make fun of her."

Even so, Daiyu felt very happy, thinking that every time Brother Cong wrote a letter, he always asked her how she was eating and how she slept at night.Lost weight or gained weight?
Ask her to remember to take walks in the morning and evening, not to sit in the house all the time, and to talk to Sister-in-law Zhen and Sister Xichun more often. If she has anything to say, don't keep it in her heart. If she doesn't feel comfortable telling others, she should tell him when she writes a letter.

In a flash, it’s been almost a year since they were separated!

Outside, the autumn rain fell in patter. Daiyu sat in front of the window, separated by a corridor eaves, watching the flowers and plants in the yard gradually rolling on the dew, and her heart also twitched and ached.

In her life, she thought she was unlucky. Her health had been bad since she was a child. She had been taking medicine ever since she could eat and drink. She had asked many doctors to prepare prescriptions and medicines, but none of them worked.

When she was three years old, a leprosy-headed monk came and wanted to transform her into a monk. Her parents refused, so the monk said that if they couldn't bear to part with her, she would never be able to recover from her illness in her lifetime. No one is allowed to cry. Except for parents, all relatives and friends with foreign surnames are not allowed to be seen. Only then can this life be peaceful.

She later followed Brother Cong to Jiangning Mansion. One day, she told Brother Cong this.

Brother Cong said that even though what the scabby monk said was somewhat true, a person's destiny is in his own hands, and his character determines his destiny.If she can become stronger and her desire to survive can be stronger, no matter how many difficulties and obstacles, how many ups and downs there are in this world, she will eventually be able to overcome them. When she gets old in the future, when she looks back, it will be nothing more than a passing cloud.

If someone else said this to her, she would be afraid that it would fall on deaf ears, but she always had to believe what brother Cong said.

Brother Cong didn't just talk about it. He would take her to climb mountains every day, forcing her to walk long distances and showing her all the lakes and mountains. She had never climbed such a high mountain, nor had she ever seen such a high mountain. Far beyond.

Only then did she realize how many people in this world were living very miserable lives. Even though she was living in a remote place, the suffering she felt was nothing compared to those who were hungry, cold, and barely clothed.

What's more, she also has brother Cong.

When Youshi and Xichun came in, they saw Daiyu sitting in front of the window in a daze, asking Zicuckoo with her eyes, what's going on?
Youshi had never known that Daiyu was a person who liked to think too much.

Zijuan pursed her lips and whispered, "You must be thinking about our second master!"

Youshi and Xichun burst into laughter, and Daiyu finally woke up and hurriedly stood up to greet her, "Sister-in-law Zhen, sister Xichun, why are you here?"

Youshi raised her hand and gently pinched Daiyu's cheek, "But are you thinking about my second uncle?"

Daiyu said "Oops" and covered her face with a handkerchief, "What are you talking about again? Who did I say Zijuan's mouth followed? It turns out I learned it from you. She is so poor!"

Xichun held her cat in her arms and sat down on the couch, "Second sister-in-law, what do you think is important to my second brother? I'm thinking about it too. You haven't seen your second brother for less than a year, and I haven't seen him for three or four years." I haven’t seen him before, I don’t even know what my second brother looks like?”

Youshi's jokes were limited to the point. If she talked too much, she would make people embarrassed and angry. She held Daiyu's hand and sat down beside her, "Yes, you young couple are so far apart. I don’t know when the second uncle will come back?”

Daiyu frowned slightly and shook her head slightly, "I don't know. According to Brother Cong's letter, I'm afraid it will take another year or two."

Youshi patted Daiyu's hand gently and said, "It doesn't matter, you are still young anyway. In one or two years, you won't be old enough yet."

Daiyu's jade-like cheeks were covered with a hint of rouge. She bit her lips tightly, and it took a long time to squeeze out a sentence, "What nonsense are you talking about, sister-in-law?"

Youshi was amused by her cute appearance, "Oh, could it be that I forgot? Didn't I say that before you two got married, my second uncle promised Mr. Lin that he would wait until you are old enough to consummate the marriage..."

Daiyu couldn't hold it on any longer, and gestured towards Youshi's face, "I'll twist that mouth off of yours!"

Youshi laughed so hard that her branches trembled, and she hurriedly raised her hands to apologize, "Okay, okay, okay, I won't say anything anymore."

"If you keep talking, I'll let Zijuan see the guests off. You're here late at night and you don't say anything serious. How can I be a sister-in-law like you?"

Xichun was young and ignorant, and said blankly, "What are you talking about? What did my sister-in-law say that was inappropriate?"

Youshi was a little embarrassed. She had forgotten that there was a young sister-in-law sitting next to her. Suddenly, it was Daiyu who was completely different. She was holding a handkerchief to cover her face, only revealing a pair of clear eyes. Promoting narrowness, looking at Youshi in trouble.

Youshi cleared her throat and quickly put the topic aside, "I heard that the second uncle did something over there in Jiangnan, which offended the Xue family or something? You were there, and the second wife didn't say anything, right? "

Daiyu chuckled softly, "So what if we say it or not? In their eyes, Brother Cong is naturally the best bad guy in the world. But I know that Brother Cong has always done things in a methodical way, and I don't know that Xue How on earth did the uncle of the family harm Brother Cong to get such retribution?"

Youshi has been a widow for these years, and when she has nothing to do, she worships Buddha and copies scriptures. The servants in this house do not disrespect her, and her life is much more comfortable than before when Jia Zhen was here.

Sometimes, someone would pass a message to her, saying that something happened to Uncle Zhen that night. This was unusual, and that was unusual. After all, it was just that Uncle Zhen was playing Jia Cong's way. Otherwise, how could there be so many coincidences?
Not to mention that the second uncle was only seven or eight years old at that time, even if he was seventeen or eighteen years old, it was really him who did it. Even a fly wouldn't stare at the seamless egg. If Jia Zhen didn't do such a scandal, who would? What can we do to him?Youshi had already thought about it. Even if Jia Zhen did not die, although she was the mistress of the house in name, in fact, she did not have any room for display. Jia Zhen and she really did not have much love as husband and wife. People never took her seriously, and she was not as precious as she is now.

Youshi smiled and nodded Daiyu's forehead, "You, you can only say these words in front of me. You can't say such words outside. It would be terrible if someone listened to you."

Daiyu acted coquettishly and said with a smile, "I only say this in front of my sister-in-law, who asked my sister-in-law to love me?"

"You are such a smart person, if I don't love you, who should I love?" Youshi also spared Daiyu's heart, "Second uncle is a capable man. Although he is not very old, he is an important official. , Your Majesty, Your Majesty, dares to let him take on such a burden, which shows how much responsibility your second uncle has. Don’t worry all the time, look at the life he has earned for you, your good days are still to come, take good care of your body Well, in the future, I will give him a big fat boy."

"Oh, I just said a few serious words, and here you are again!" Daiyu is a little girl after all. Even though she is married, she only vaguely knows a few people's affairs. After this battle, she was immediately ashamed. , pushing Youshi, "Go quickly, I can't tolerate you here!"

Seeing that it was getting late, Youshi also stood up and led Xichun away.

It was raining heavily outside, and Daiyu was worried that it would be difficult for the two of them to go back, so she hurriedly asked Zijuan to call her mother, and then took out the glazed lantern brought from the south to light up the You family.

Xichun playfully held up the glazed lamp with red tassels and said with a smile, "Second sister-in-law, this is beautiful. Did brother Cong San give it to you?"

"If you like it, just use it. You don't care who gave it to me."

"I have to ask clearly before I ask for it. If you want to give it to me, I won't be polite!"

Both Youshi and Daiyu couldn't help laughing. Youshi said angrily, "This girl is getting more and more naughty. Her temper has been developed like this for some reason. Whose girl is like her?"

Daiyu said, "It's not all Brother Cong who says that the girl is pampered and spoiled, and the sister-in-law doesn't care about him. Anyway, her brother will worry about her in the future, so where will it be our turn?"

Xichun's heart was as sweet as honey. She tilted her head and walked quickly in front holding the glazed lamp. Her grandmother was shouting from behind, "Girl, please slow down, be careful!"

The group of people gradually drifted away and disappeared into the night autumn rain. Daiyu could no longer see the figure. She yawned and turned around and entered the house.

Seeing that Daiyu still wanted to read, Zijuan hurriedly urged her, "It's so late now, and I'm still reading. What grandma said, grandma must take it to heart. She used to always stay up late, and she finally changed this habit." , what happened today?"

Daiyu hurriedly put down the book, sat down by the bed, and waited for Zijuan to help her sleep, but her mouth was not gentle, "Can you listen to what Grandma said with her mouth? You don't say or listen, but you still follow study."

While making the bed, Zicuckoo said, "What grandma said is the good thing. I don't believe grandma doesn't understand. Grandma herself doesn't know how much I care about grandma?"

Daiyu gently poked Zijuan's finger, "Now you have been bribed by him? You don't listen to my words, but you treat his words as if they are imperial edicts."

Zicuckoo said, "Grandma is still blaming me. When I came back, did I say that if grandma loses weight and becomes ill, she will blame us?"

"Okay, can't I sleep? I didn't say not to sleep." Even so, Daiyu's heart felt as sweet as drinking honey. Lying on the bed, she couldn't help but ask Zicuckoo, who was already yawning all day long, " Tell me, what is he busy with now?"

The Zhen Family Courtyard has now changed its plaque. On the plaque with a black background and gold edges are the four words "Jia Family Courtyard". It is a huge courtyard with lush trees, white walls and black tiles scattered high and low, and green bamboos and flowers. The rockery is dotted with winding paths, which not only has the style of a water town in the south of the Yangtze River, but also shows the solemnity of a wealthy family.

At this time, the night was already deep, and only the candlelight was swaying in the first courtyard. The west room was arranged as Jia Cong's study. Several people from the army gathered around him and looked at the things on the table. on the sea chart.

This nautical chart was copied from Zhen Yingjia's study during the raid on Zhen's family. A casual search on Baidu will reveal a large number of nautical charts from later generations. With a mobile phone, you can travel to the ends of the world without getting lost.

But at this time, the map was a national secret, and the map was priceless. It was the experience that some families or groups spent countless lives and money on.

"Zhao Zibi is ready, and he will hand over the paper soon. Regardless of whether the salt policy reform is implemented or not, there will be chaos in the court, and the situation in Jiangnan will definitely be affected. In addition, , the aftermath of the Zhen family has not settled yet, the richer you are, the more you will become a frightened bird, this time is a good opportunity for us. "

Jia Cong looked at the chart. To be honest, he was not used to this way of drawing. It was too unclear.

After Xia Jin left, he left two lieutenants with him. One was Guo Xun and the other was Zhang Han. They had been running in with Jia Cong for a while. After a few battles, the two of them fought against the benefactor's disciple, the young Jia Cong. The general admired him very much. Although he was young, he was decisive in killing without any benevolence as a woman. He was a rare general.

The two of them looked at each other, but they didn't expect that the general's plan to clear all the surrounding islands would come so quickly. Guo Xun asked, "Are they all going to be cleared at the same time? I'm afraid we don't have enough troops!"

"It's really too late! However, if we take a quick look and get [-]% to [-]% of all the valuable supplies on the island, is it possible?" Jia Cong asked.

Hearing this, the six people suddenly beamed, they are bastards who have money but don't get rich.

Although Jiang Xiang, Yu Xinhai, Zhang Ding and Wu Weizhong have been transferred to the Shenbing Camp by Jia Cong, they will definitely come when Jia Cong wants to discuss matters. For the four of them, following Jia Cong will have meat to eat. Such a leader will not be praised. Who else are you praising?
"You must do it even if you can't do it!" Zhang Han wished he could use his own head to issue this military order.

"Don't say such things!" Jia Cong said, "Don't fight an unprepared battle. The matter of salt administration is going to get heated up, and it will take some time. Before that, you two have to rectify military affairs and practice your skills." Okay. Now the key is up to you. Once you improve the muskets and artillery according to my direction, will it be no problem to wipe out all the nearby islands? "

Guo Xun became interested and asked Jiang Xiang and others, "How can your blunderbuss and artillery be so powerful?"

When he mentioned this, Wu Weizhong's eyes widened, "Haha, last time, the old Taoist priest didn't know what happened. The small building he built with 1000 taels of silver was blown up. I had to dig it out from the mound. What he pulled up, based on this comparison, the muskets and artillery are definitely better than before."

Innovation in weapons can change the shape of war, but Jia Cong can only make some small improvements on the basis of existing muskets and artillery.

The development of industry is reflected in all aspects, from raw materials to testing methods, which require balanced development to achieve output.

If he can lead the Taoist priests, carpenters, and blacksmiths to build the kind of machine guns and submachine guns of later generations, then it is better to cover him with a quilt and sleep, and dream about everything.

Jia Cong's request to the Shenbing Battalion was to first imitate a batch of weapons that were not inferior to the existing ones based on Franco's muskets and cannons, and at the same time, improve them according to his ideas.

Shenbingying is now doing a good job in copying this task. The improvement of gunpowder and weapon structure is still in the stuck stage. Although Jia Cong comes from later generations, has broad knowledge and a background in science and engineering, he is still at the current industrial level. To make a breakthrough, he can't do anything alone.

Fortunately, Taoist Zhang is very capable and bold. Last time, Jia Cong compared the concept of yellow gunpowder to him, and he innovated and blew up the small building of the gunpowder team in the Shenbing camp.

Wu Weizhong's words reminded everyone of the fire and explosion.

Zhang Ding still felt scared, "If we really save up such gunpowder, we can put a cannon on an island. Not only will it kill people, it will also scare people to death. In less than a month, we can give them all The sweep is empty, what the hell are you afraid of?"

After the matter was discussed, it was almost over. Jia Cong asked people to serve wine and food.

The next day, Jia Yucun, the prefect of Jinling, personally sent a message saying that it was his second wife. Jia Cong guessed that it was Mrs. Zhen Shiyin's maid named Jiao Xing who had given birth to a son for him, so he personally came to pick Jia Cong up for a full moon party. liquor.

Last night, Jia Cong and Jiang Xiang were so drunk that they couldn't return home. This morning, they had some headaches. He held the post in his hand and read it for a long time before he could clearly see the word Jia Yucun. He frowned and asked, "Single." Just me or many people?"

Now the one who stays with Jia Cong is Kong An. It's a pity that he not only serves as the captain of Jia Cong's soldiers, but also takes charge of the weaving workshop. He also takes time to walk around the streets to collect duck feathers. I was so busy that my legs became thinner in just half a year.

"Since it's a full-moon banquet, we can't just invite the general. I heard that there are quite a few people going this time. Countless merchants in South Zhili and Zhejiang, as well as the general soldiers of Zhejiang and the garrison eunuchs of Jinling, are all under the influence of Jia. As for the invitation from Yucun, it stands to reason that a prefect of Jiayucun would not have such great dignity."

Although Kong An was born in the military, he had been with Jia Cong for so long and had developed great political acumen. He told Jia Cong everything he heard, "I wonder if it is because Jia Yucun, the candidate for the prefect of Jinling, was originally The Rongguo Mansion helped him. Here, he did not shy away from his relationship with the Rongguo Mansion. In and out of his words, people always felt that he was of the same clan as the Ningrong Mansion. Some people specifically asked for a card because of their relationship. Invitation.”

Jia Cong smiled and said, "I can't tell. Is this coming at me? That's right. I don't know it myself, but everyone outside knows that the Xue family and my Jia family are related by marriage. Since I want to go to Xue If Pan takes action, they may think that after the Zhen family it will be the Xue family's turn, not the Xue family, but also the Jin family, Xu family or Li family, and they want to offend me."

Jia Cong threw the invitation on the table and rubbed his brows, "In that case, let's say I agree. You can invite him in. Since he is a member of the joint clan and we haven't seen each other, wouldn't it be passing the conversation to others?"

He also wanted to meet Jia Yucun for a while, just out of curiosity about this person.

What these people are afraid of is the "I am here in person" in his hand. This thing is really effective!

This is the dignity of the emperor!

(End of this chapter)