The Concubine Wushuang of Red Mansion

Chapter 159 It's Difficult to Meet
After Jia Cong left, King Zhongshun only exchanged a few words with Wang Tang, Zhong Kuang and others, declined everyone's invitation to stay, and then led a group of retinues and attendants from the magistrate's Yamen to the Jia family courtyard.

In the eyes of everyone, Jia Cong was increasingly regarded as a nephew by King Zhongshun. Only those who were close to him did not need to greet him, and only those who were close to him would gather together to celebrate the New Year.

King Zhongshun was the only surviving prince among the emperor's brothers. When Emperor Taiqi had just ascended the throne for a year or two, he relied even more heavily on King Zhongshun.

In the past few years, King Zhongshun had been in poor health and had lived in seclusion, so he had less to do with government affairs.He rarely went out unless summoned by the palace, and he did not interact with the civil servants and generals of the court. However, he did not expect that King Zhongshun loved Jia Cong so much.

If Jia Cong had not already married, it would really make people wonder whether King Zhongshun wanted to recruit Jia Cong as the county horse master.

King Zhongshun was very loyal to Emperor Taiqi. It is not difficult to guess that this love is also the intention of the palace. If not, with Jia Cong's achievements, the foundation of the Jia family, if we talk about the title, It's fair to say that he's an uncle, but he suddenly became a marquis, which is a bit too strong of a holy family.

Jia Cong left Wang Lang and Kong An to accompany King Zhongshun, one on the left and the other on the right leading the way.

Although the south of the Yangtze River is not as snowy as the winter in the north, and the weather is also very cold, there are many water systems here and it is close to the sea. In winter, the climate is wet and cold, which is quite disappointing compared to the dry and cold weather in the north. It is difficult for people to adapt.

King Zhongshun was lying in a large carriage, which was luxuriously furnished. The refreshing ambergris scent floated from the beast stove on the small table. face, apart.

"Seeing it, do you feel comfortable?" King Zhongshun sighed, stretched out his hand from the mink fur cloak, took hold of his daughter's delicate little hand, squeezed it gently, let go, and put his hand on his daughter's shoulder. Go up and look at your daughter's angry face.

"My father only has you as a daughter, so I hope you can get the best in the world. He was born as a bastard, and he has caused so many troubles before..."

"You're lying! That's obviously not the reason. Born as a bastard? The queen has nothing to do with her. Which of my cousins ​​is not a bastard? But when it comes to him, the bastards start to find fault with each other."

"Do you have to argue with your father? You have always been so well-behaved. Even if your father doesn't say it, you should understand some truths. No matter what your father does, it is all for your own good. Don't say that he was not worthy of you before. Even if he is worthy, he will never give up his future and career for a woman with his temperament."

This is also the reason why Jia Cong quickly got engaged to his cousin after writing several letters to Prince Zhongshun without getting a reply. Naturally, it was also to express his feelings.

Such a young man is really admirable and makes King Zhongshun feel ashamed.

"How can I make trouble with you? I just hate that you don't understand my heart. After so many years since my mother passed away, how have you ever forgotten a day? However, I have never been nice to anyone. It's not easy to meet someone like you. be opposed to!"

King Zhongshun sighed again, and put his daughter's slightly cold hand in his own. Feeling the warmth in his father's palm, the tears in Xianning's eyes rolled more and more happily. Hearing someone outside say what's ahead When she arrived, she hurriedly withdrew her hand, wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, and took out a small mirror to look at her for a long time, fearing that Jia Cong would notice her if she got out of the car later.

King Zhongshun saw this and became angry, "What does he have that deserves you to be so good to him? If he is good and has you in his heart, no matter how much his father objects, he should not give up. What can he say?" I should fight for you and at least wait for you for a few years."

"Isn't he afraid of death? Besides, at that time, he was kicked out by his father and his mother died!" Xian Ning glanced at her father and looked away, as if she didn't want to talk to him anymore.

King Zhongshun also had nothing to do with his precious daughter. After so many years, he had raised it with his own hands without relying on the hands of others, which had become his only obsession in life. Even though Jia Cong didn't care about anything, as long as he was older, he was better than His daughter is two or three years younger. Will his daughter be expected to raise that kid as a son in the future?

Naturally, he wanted to find a good young man who was two or three years older than his daughter, with beautiful appearance, noble birth, and all talents and virtues, so that he could be worthy of his daughter.

Also, the imperial brother is of great use to this young man. As a prince, even if he has no children, he cannot get too involved with this man.

King Zhongshun looked at his daughter's frowning face, full of worries that were constantly being sorted out and confused, and he only felt that there was deep guilt in his heart.

The carriage stopped, and Xian Ning's eyes lit up. She was about to get up, but her outstretched hand stopped in mid-air. Her whole body was as if it had been enchanted, and she couldn't move for a long time.

"My lord, princess!"

Jia Cong's voice came from outside, with a hint of urgency in the coldness that no one could detect. Only then did Xianning come back to his senses, licked his red lips, stood up, stood on the car and jumped off.

"Princess, slow down!" Jia Cong unconsciously stretched out his hands towards Xian Ning, but Xian Ning turned her head away, glanced at her father, and said coldly, "Get out of the way!"

Xian Ning has been practicing martial arts since he was a child. Jia Cong also knew about it, but he still stood stubbornly.

In the car, King Zhongshun also poked his head out and said to Jia Cong, "Give your senior sister a hand!"

Xianning was dressed like a man in Feiyu uniform. She was not the personal bodyguard of King Zhongshun, and no one knew her identity.

Jia Cong withdrew one hand, and Xian Ning seemed to reluctantly extend his hand to Jia Cong. When his hand was held, it was different from the scorching temperature in his father's palm, and there was a sense of warmth and coolness. It was like an electric current rushing through the whole body, and a heart was beating so hard that it couldn't help itself.

Unspeakable excitement mixed with bitterness, Xian Ning felt a sore nose and wanted to cry again.

The moment Xian Ning landed, Jia Cong hurriedly put his arms around her waist to slow down the momentum. Unexpectedly, in the eyes of King Zhongshun who was just about to get off the car, Jia Cong hugged his daughter.

King Zhongshun stared at Jia Cong's hand with burning eyes, which made Jia Cong feel a cold on his wrist. He was startled and forgot to take his hand back for a moment. The hand happened to be placed on Xian Ning's waist, near the hip.

"Bastard!" King Zhongshun was so angry that his beard trembled. Jia Cong hurriedly moved his hand away, touched his nose a little uncomfortably, and stretched out his hand, "Your Majesty, please!"

Xian Ning pursed her pink lips, her eyes widened, and there was clearly a smile in her eyes. When King Zhongshun saw it, he saw that his daughter looked like she was going to be angry with him to death, and she felt a little bit dumbfounded.

Xian Ning was finally a little happy. She followed her father. When she passed Jia Cong, she reached out her hand playfully and poked Jia Cong's waist. When King Zhongshun stopped and turned around, he was busy again. Withdrew his hand.

Jia Cong led the people to the hall. At the door, Jia Cong stopped and said to Xian Ning, "Princess, may I have someone take you to freshen up first?"

"No!" Xian Ning pursed her lips and looked at Jia Cong with obsession. She felt something was wrong and looked away, "Forget it, let someone take me there!"

Jia Cong asked someone to call Yinglian over, "Serve the princess to go to the backyard to freshen up, and tell her to go down. The annual banquet will be held in the flower hall, and there will be another seat in the Nuan Pavilion!"

Xianning's eyes fell on Yinglian's face. Seeing that the girl was soft and frail, with a low eyebrow, she couldn't help but look at her a few more times.

Yinglian glanced at Xianning quickly, and was very surprised that there was such a deviant person. But hearing that she was the princess, and thinking that the tempers of noble ladies were probably like this, she quickly calmed down and said "Yes" , after Jia Cong left, he led Xian Ning back.

"Are you serving the Marquis?" Xian Ning asked seemingly unintentionally.

"No."

Xian Ning didn't know what he thought of, and the corners of his lips turned up slightly. The joy did not last long, and then drooped down again. Finally, he felt bored and his interest waned.

Not long after, Mrs. Zhen Feng sent over the maid brought by Xian Ning. After taking a bath, she changed into her daughter's clothes and sat in front of the window, watching the night gradually sinking outside, tapping her fingers boredly. Looking at the tabletop, I don’t feel that waiting is so bitter.

It seems that as long as you are under the same roof with him, even if you can't see that person for a moment, you will feel happy in your heart.

Not long after, Jia Cong came over as expected. A young man wearing a blue-bottom jade-colored animal makeup and satin straight skirt walked across the courtyard. He heard him asking Yinglian outside, "Where is the princess?"

"The princess is in the house!"

Xian Ning straightened up quickly and looked toward the door. The curtain was opened, and Jia Cong's tall and graceful figure appeared in front of Xian Ning. She took a deep breath, suppressed the racing heart in her chest, and a pair of mist He looked at Jia Cong with hazy eyes.

A girl in her cardamom years is as beautiful as a flower no matter whether she wears light makeup or heavy makeup. Xianning, who has just taken a bath, is wearing a light blue satin coat with hibiscus makeup and a narrow blouse with a fluffy neckline. Her hair is tied up with beautiful black hair. A pair of ruby ​​beads are pinned to the hanging bun, which makes a delicate little face look bright and bright.Jia Cong sat down on the embroidered pier opposite her, raised his hand to tuck a strand of hair from her temples behind her ears, and gently pinched her earlobes. He saw her face looking out the window, her mood seemed to be It became brighter obviously.

"How have you been along the way?" Jia Cong asked.

Xian Ning withdrew his gaze, met the young man's eyes, saw the worry in his eyes, and shook his head slightly, "There was nothing wrong with me and my father on the way here, but we saw refugees everywhere along the way, and bones on the roadside. Tired, it’s really… uncomfortable!”

She closed her eyes and suppressed the sourness, "It's only a little stronger when we reach the southern provinces. Junior brother, you said that in the past dynasties, it would take more than a hundred years for the national fortune to decline, no matter how short it was. The dynasty also has a history of two to three hundred years, but Dashun..."

Dashun is only over a hundred years old, how come it has reached this point all of a sudden?

Xian Ning couldn't go on. It was only after seeing this that she suddenly realized that the love between her children and her children, what did it mean in front of the common people?
Jia Cong knew that Xian Ning's heart had always been soft. Otherwise, he would not have felt compassion and protected himself with a cloak when he was confronting Rong Guofu, and they became friends because of it.

"In recent years, there have been natural disasters and man-made disasters. The Holy One has a heart to love the people. However, the local officials are greedy and unethical. They don't know how to care for the people. They only know how to make money. They can't fill their pockets. In addition, the troubles of the barbarians and the Japanese pirates have led to internal use. Without knowledge of moderation, the people's power is limited, and the applications are endless, all kinds of accumulated disadvantages are difficult to eliminate, just like a person's numerous diseases gathered in one body, once the crux arises, the symptoms will appear on their own, which is inevitable. "

"But what should I do?" Xian Ning leaned forward, and in a moment of excitement, she put her hands on Jia Cong's knees. It seemed something was wrong. When she was about to take it back, Jia Cong caught her hand.

Heat surged throughout her body, and a blush climbed onto her cheeks as white as pear blossoms in April. Her cheeks were as fragrant as snow and as pretty as red plums.

"Of course there is a way to solve it. Today, Your Majesty is willing to open the door to worship and get close to the ministers. In this way, the upper and lower minds can be unblocked, just like the body can clear up blockages, and then use acupuncture and stone medicine. In time, the meridians will be unobstructed and the medicine will be used. Once the disease is cured, the country will be in peace and the people will be safe in the future."

Xian Ning breathed a sigh of relief, leaned forward, gently put his head on Jia Cong's chest, and said in a calm voice, "It's not for anything else, I'm just afraid. I actually don't know what I'm afraid of. When I saw my father worrying so much that he couldn’t even think about food or food, and couldn’t sleep at night, I felt inexplicably scared.”

"I know!" Jia Cong gently held the girl in his arms. His soft waist was as soft as water, and a faint fragrance came to his nostrils. He could feel the fear and uneasiness in the girl's heart, so he put a little force on his hands. , letting the beautiful woman bury herself tighter in his arms, and feel her slowly calm down.

Time passes quietly, and it seems that this is good and can last forever.

But time always waits for no one. Seeing that it was already getting late, Jia Cong gently stroked the beauty in his arms and said, "Let's go to the front. Your Majesty, it's time to wait and be anxious."

"Ok!"

Xian Ning stood up, led Jia Cong to his feet, and asked, "Have you agreed on when you will return to Beijing?"

"Probably we will set off after the Lantern Festival."

"Let's go see the lanterns during the Lantern Festival!" Xian Ning was full of longing. "I heard that the Qinhuai River and Confucius Temple are fun places during the Lantern Festival. Come with me!"

"it is good!"

With the sound of firecrackers a year old, the spring breeze sent warmth to Tusu.

In the south of the Yangtze River, although there was a bloodbath and some people were killed, the impact on ordinary people was not great. When dusk was approaching, every household set off firecrackers, creating a lively scene.

Xue family.

Xue Pan was flogged forty times on the day before New Year's Eve, and was finally released. The old man led the Xue family's servants to carry him into the car, and when he returned home, he asked a doctor for diagnosis and treatment.

The Xue family also spent some money. During the execution, an experienced hand was used. It seemed that Xue Pan was beaten to pieces, but in fact, his muscles and bones were not injured. He will be cured after some time.

The doctor prescribed some sore medicine, grinded it with wine, and ordered the maid to help him apply it on the wound. Xue Pan screamed in pain, and cold sweat rolled down his body.

Aunt Xue and Baochai were sitting outside, listening to the voices inside, and burst into tears, "My poor son, has your brother ever suffered any sins in his life? Although he is less useful, he is the one who grew up in the palm of my hand. Big guy, I didn't expect him to have any future, but he just wanted to be safe, so I never thought that he would have to suffer such a prison sentence!"

Baochai sat aside and cried, her handkerchief was soaked through, she just lowered her head, thinking in her heart, her brother didn't know how he could not deal with that person, and he fell into his hands twice and ate it. Such a huge loss would mean that we would not be able to survive for even a year.

Suddenly I heard the sound of firecrackers in my ears, but my family was filled with misery. I couldn't help but advise, "Mom, the situation has come to this, I can only let my brother recover and recover. I hope that after this incident, he will be more restrained in the future."

"My dear daughter, your aunt and uncle have sent a letter, asking us to go to Beijing after the new year. Maybe we can avoid this murderous thing. When we get to Beijing, your brother will be under the control of your uncle and uncle, and we will be able to take care of him. Take it easy."

Baochai also knew that after the new year, when spring began, the palace would not be able to select a group of people to go in. If she could personally name Dabu and be selected into the palace, the family might be able to see some changes in the future!
Just as he was talking, the medicine inside was ready, and the mother and daughter hurriedly got up and went in. Xue Pan lay on the bed, the sweat on his head and face had been wiped off, his face was gray, his eyes were closed tightly, as if he was dead.

"My son, what happened to you?" Aunt Xue rushed over and accidentally touched Xue Pan's butt. Xue Pan screamed, "Oh my god, it hurts me so much!"

He was still alive, so Aunt Xue breathed a sigh of relief, wiped her tears and said, "I told you a long time ago that I told you not to be aggressive outside but to be strong. If you don't listen, you have to wake up after suffering so much." Bar!"

In the past three months, Xue Pan has been living in the dungeon of Yingtian Mansion. It was also years ago that the magistrate finally took office. He was a minor offender. If he stayed in jail for one more day and spent one more day on rations, he gave priority to Xue Pan. Pan this case.

Just as Li Feng had said before, since Feng Yuan was not injured, Xue Pan was only sentenced to forty floggings. For Xue Pan, who had thin skin and tender flesh, this was also a punishment. It's a big pain.

First, he was hung at the city gate for one night, but he still didn't get over it. Then, he spent three months in prison, which was worse than death, and he was flogged for forty times.

Xue Pan's life has been very difficult in the past six months.

"Mom, you just told your sister that you would go to the capital after the Chinese New Year, but have you set a date yet?"

Although there is the Qinhuai River in Jinling, and there are countless flower towers by the river, Xue Pan has actually stopped going there since he met Jia Cong in the Yanyu Tower. I wonder if he will meet the god of murder again. Until now , he no longer dared to breathe the air under the same sky as Jia Cong.

The main reason is that he is afraid that it will pollute the atmosphere and that Jia Cong will find some excuse to make a fool of himself.

"As soon as you recover from your injuries, we will set off! Your aunt and uncle have sent you several letters and spoken to us several times!"

"Mom, it's better not to wait until my injury heals! I'm afraid I won't recover." Xue Pan almost cried.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Didn't the doctor just come and say that it will be fine after a while? This is an old doctor in our pharmacy. The sore medicine he makes is very effective. Are you afraid that he has deceived us?"

"Mom, that's not what I mean! The last time my son was hung at the city gate, he hid for many days and tried to hide, but he didn't escape in the end. The son's injury should be kept in the house, as long as Jia Cong is still in Jinling City , My son is afraid that he won’t be able to escape in the end, otherwise, let’s go!”

This child was almost frightened into a daze!

Aunt Xue thought about the last time her son was hung behind the tower and it wasn't even cold. She wore such thick pants and covered her crotch. Now that she has suffered so much again, she doesn't know how uncomfortable she feels. .

She wiped away her tears again, and the makeup on her face was soaked by her tears. "Okay, it's up to you! I'll have people pack their bags right now."

　I had something to do at work early in the morning, so I got home a little late.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)