The Concubine Wushuang of Red Mansion

Chapter 162 The imperial edict is welcomed in the suburbs
Zhang Dehui entered from the camp gate. Although he did not understand military affairs, he saw that the soldiers here were training, resting, cooking, or running back and forth in an orderly manner. The atmosphere was awe-inspiring, and I didn't dare to look too much. I lowered my head and followed the messenger to the central barracks.

Jia Cong sat in the first place, Jiang Xiang and four thousand households were divided into two rows, sitting on eight chairs in two rows. Hearing the sound outside, their eyes turned over. Zhang Dehui seemed to be surrounded by nine mountains. Pressing down, I felt like my body was so heavy that I couldn't breathe.

"My little greeting, Lord Marquis!" As soon as he entered the door, Zhang Dehui's legs softened and he knelt down.

"Get up!" Jia Cong said lightly, "If you have anything to say, tell me as soon as possible!"

Zhang Dehui took out a gift list from his sleeve pocket and held it up with both hands, "Master Hou, this is the thank you gift my wife asked my son to bring up. If it hadn't been for Master Hou this time, the Xue family would have been in trouble. I should have thanked you with a heavy courtesy, but now I am in a hurry and I really can't do anything good. A small gift is not respectful!"

Zhang Dehui thought that the young prince in front of him was greedy for money. He also took his own decisions for the sake of his own life. He took some valuable things out to give gifts. He also wanted to have this escort for the rest of the journey, at least to save his life. .

"If it's just a gift to say thank you, then there is no need. Suppressing bandits is my job. If there is nothing else, please come back. I still have something to be busy with!"

After hearing this, the messenger hurriedly came in to see off the guests. Zhang Dehui hurriedly said, "No, no, Lord Marquis, there is still something else to do!"

With that said, Zhang Dehui explained the current difficulties of the Xue family, "... We didn't bring many people to Beijing with us. Who would have thought that with such bad luck, we would encounter robbers again, and several people would die, so we only have to use them." There are four or five of them, and there are ten or twenty large carriages. Plus the carriages of the madam, young master and girl, there are really not enough manpower. I would like to ask Mr. Marquis to help me for the sake of the two relatives and see if I can help them first. The people and the carriages have been moved to the inn. My wife wants me to express my gratitude to the Marquis after I enter the capital."

The Xue family wanted to use Jia Cong's power to escort them to the capital. However, the request should not be too harsh at once. As long as Jia Cong took over the matter, for the sake of relatives, if he could take the initiative to ask for help, By coming out, they not only gained benefits but also saved their face.

Jia Cong also had his own plans.

Originally they were not considered relatives, but Jia Cong didn't want to leave any room for words. He calculated in his mind that it would take about 50 people, so he stretched out his hand and said, "Bring the gift list over here, I have a look!"

Seeing this, Jiang Xiang and others had a clear understanding. They should not ask for thanks from others for suppressing bandits. Once it was reported to the court, the doctors of Lantai Temple who had eaten too much and had a lot of leisure would have something to say. If someone calls it blackmail, then the gain outweighs the loss.

But if it's to help and receive payment for providing manpower, that's another matter.

If he is really a relative of the Marquis, it is reasonable and reasonable to ask someone to help him at this time. However, the Marquis has always been clear about the inside and the outside. Now it seems that the Xue family should be his relatives.

Jia Cong glanced at the gift list and calculated that it was worth a thousand taels of silver. He handed the gift list to Kong An, "Take the gift and find a few brothers to help the Xue family pull the luggage cart to the inn."

The meaning is very obvious. This gift list is only responsible for arranging people to help the Xue family move people and luggage from the wild forest to the inn. It is not responsible for anything else.

Zhang Dehui was not stupid. He heard the meaning. Seeing that Lord Jia was not even willing to help him, he was inevitably disappointed that his plan failed. He thought to himself, whether it was because the Lord was too unkind or unrighteous. what happened?

Right now, I don’t care about that much anymore. I’ll talk about tomorrow tomorrow.

After finally arriving at the inn, it was already dark. Xue Pan was grateful that Jia Cong was so generous and had saved his life at the critical moment and also helped him so much. He clamored for Zhang Dehui to tell the inn to prepare a banquet for Jia Cong. "Go and invite him. Although the injury on my butt is not healed yet, I will give him an extra glass of wine today even if I fight for my life."

Aunt Xue gave her son an angry look, "Brother Cong, do you still care about you? I'm a relative. Inviting him to have a meal is a show of affection. When I return to Beijing in the future, I'd better move around more."

Today, she was also frightened. If Jia Cong's soldiers hadn't come to take them away from the wild forest, her life would have ended up there.

Zhang Dehui listened to the mother and son talking familiarly, and said thoughtfully, "Madam, uncle, it's getting late today. When I just came out of the camp over there, I heard that Mr. Hou also led people to suppress bandits. I’m afraid I won’t be free today.”

"It doesn't matter, let's go tomorrow. Anyway, we will be traveling together tomorrow. Later, you can also help me get a horse. I will ride and talk with Brother Cong. Remember, the saddle should be a little thicker."

On Jia Cong's side, Wang Lang returned from suppressing the bandits, and a vast convoy also brought back dozens of carts. When the carts entered the camp, there was a burst of joy in the camp. Most of them were made of silk and satin, and there were several carts of boxes. It contains gold and silver, about three to four hundred thousand taels.

Deaths and injuries were inevitable, and according to the usual practice, compensation was not mentioned. After counting the gold and silver property, Jia Cong summoned his subordinates to discuss, "At the foot of the imperial city, in full view of everyone, these properties naturally cannot be as good as they used to be in the south. As long as it is not too big If they stand out, we can detain them and give them to the brothers below as a gift, or to support someone's family when they encounter any difficulties."

"What the Marquis said is absolutely true. Who the hell would have thought that so many bandits could gather here and rob so much property just a hundred or two hundred miles away from the capital. This was originally an accident. Let the wealth be divided how the Marquis says!"

What Jia Cong thought was that no matter what, he had to leave some for the emperor. Since he had already arrived in the capital, it was not easy to go to the capital empty-handed. He would leave [-] to [-] percent and treat it as a gift to the big boss.

Early the next morning, Wang Lang's people escorted the belongings to Beijing. Jia Cong himself led the personal guards and rushed towards the capital so fast that the Xue family members came together in the morning and were unable to move because there were not enough manpower and there was no one to help transport the luggage.

Zhang Dehui went to yesterday's camp again to sell Aunt Xue's old face. On the way, he met a large group of troops heading west. When he asked, he found out that the Marquis had already rushed to the capital after getting up at five o'clock. Without Jia Cong, Zhang Dehui would not dare He opened his mouth to ask for help, but he came back in despair. When he explained the situation, Xue Pan scolded Zhang Dehui.

"Brother Cong is not someone else. He is a relative of his. He has so many people under his command. It is not a big problem to randomly assign a few people to help us. Didn't you make it clear to him?"

Aunt Xue was so worried that her face was filled with tears. She felt that everything had gone smoothly along the way, but she had already arrived in the capital, and something like this happened.

She didn't know that these disasters were caused by her own servants. If Zhang Dehui hadn't been greedy for cheap, how could these things have happened?

Baochai was sitting in the inner room. Hearing these words outside, he couldn't help but ponder in his heart. Since Jia Cong accepted the gift from his family, he was only willing to help to this point. It can be seen that he is a cold-hearted person. Such a person, When I go to the capital, it's better to avoid provoking as many people as possible.

Anyway, at that time, she and her mother stayed close to each other. As for her brother, her uncle and uncle were there to discipline her, and they told him not to provoke Dongfu again, and that they could live in peace with each other.

When Jia Cong returned to Beijing, before he arrived in the capital, it had already caused a sensation in the capital and attracted attention from all parties.

During this period, as King Zhongshun, Jiang Xian and others ransacked homes in the south of the Yangtze River, and the lists were sent back and forth to Linjing Hall, Emperor Taiqi was both excited and angry. He was so excited that these Jiangnan aristocratic families had so much property. Almost every family is extremely wealthy, and the anger is also because the wealth accumulated by these families over several generations has exceeded that of the royal family.

In this world, whose world belongs to him? He works so hard with him, a nine-five-year-old man, that he can’t bear to eat or wear clothes. Every year, the palace concubines don’t have money for their makeup, hairpins, rings, and money. All the benefits go to these wealthy families. Occupied?

It just doesn't make sense!

After going to court, Emperor Taiqi read the memorial for a while and then asked Song Hong to call the fourth prince Mu Yongzuo over.

Mu Yongzuo has reached the age of opening a palace. Since he has not yet got married and the palace has not been built, he still lives in the palace for the time being, still studying in the South Study Room, and there is no Yamen assigned to watch the government.

After the New Year, Mu Yongzuo was not in a hurry, but he couldn't tell his father about this matter. He could only mention it to others, preferably someone who had nothing to do with him, but there was no such person.

Hearing that his father had summoned him, Mu Yongzuo thought it was something like this. He was overjoyed and hurriedly followed the little eunuch who delivered the order. He reached the door, took two deep breaths, and then crossed the threshold.

"My son, please see your father!" Mu Yongzuo knelt down and saluted. Emperor Taiqi waved his hand, coughed twice and said, "I came to you because I have something to tell you to do!"

"Yes, Father! I will do my best to live up to my father's trust!" Mu Yongzuo was so excited that he couldn't even speak. After he said it, he regretted that he had not calmed down, but he felt that he was so excited. It's not a bad idea for his father to know that he is determined to do good things.

"I remember that Jia Cong was your reading companion before."

"Jia Cong studied in the South Study Room in the past and was my son's companion. My son remembers that he was rigorous in his studies and diligent in his studies. He was particularly outstanding among all his companions!"

"Jia Cong won the war against the Japanese in the southeast and returned to the court. He also did a lot of practical things for the court. I should have gone out of the city to greet him in person. Since I am not feeling well, you will lead the civil and military ministers of the third and lower grades of the court to the fifth and higher grades to leave the capital on my behalf. Welcome from ten miles away."

Taking my place is already a special consideration. In the eyes of civil and military officials, he has the qualifications to become a prince.

Mu Yongzuo's blood was already boiling, thinking about Jia Cong's identity, a superior marquis, holding military power. Although he has no seniority in the army at the moment, he has Xia Jin and King Zhongshun behind him, and he is still young, so his future is immeasurable. , he was worried that it would be difficult to win over such a person because he didn't have a deep relationship with him.

Now, if he goes to greet him under the emperor's order, the identity of this companion will be tightly tied. In the future, wooing Jia Cong will be a ready-made bridge.

"My son obeys the order!"

Emperor Taiqi had been coughing since the whole winter, and it continued intermittently until the spring of this year. Now he is much better. This is not to say that it is unreasonable, but considering that Jia Cong is young and has received such a heavy favor from the emperor all of a sudden, if An unstable mind can easily lead to arrogance and disrespect, which will be detrimental to Jia Cong in the future.

Seeing the fourth child's ecstasy and unconcealable excitement, Emperor Tai Qi's shrewd eyes flickered and remained calm.

Grade five and above, including those from grade five.

Jia Zheng was shocked when he received the imperial edict in the Yamen. He did not know that Jia Cong, his nephew, was about to return to Beijing, and he did not expect that the emperor would give him such high courtesy.

Mainly because of everything Jia Cong did in Jiangnan, many details have always been secret reports and secret decrees. On the big side, the cabinet and the emperor were secretly competing, and the situation involving the turmoil in Jiangnan was not publicized in the court. Jia Zheng was How could a man who went to the Yamen for a cup of tea and a newspaper every day know what Jia Cong was doing in Jiangnan?
I only know that I am fighting against the Japanese, and I know nothing else.

"Cunzhou, I have a good Lin'er in my house. I was granted the title of Marquis at a young age. With such courtesy from the Holy Emperor, I am really the mainstay of our country!" Chang Songjun, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, although he was very disapproving of Jia Zheng, he had to admit that at the moment, Jia Zheng Cong is really the holy family member Zhenglong!
What a young boy!

Tomorrow he had to follow the fourth prince to pick up Jia Cong outside the city. It was a twenty-mile round trip, and the court was greeted by civil and military officials. What an honor this was!

Jia Zheng's way of surviving in the officialdom is quite consistent with his status as a prince in other countries. He does not seek merit, but seeks no faults. He will not flatter his superiors, nor will he give others leverage. From being in charge to being an outsider, it is just a matter of seniority. Made it through.

But just because he didn't cater to Shangfeng, it didn't mean that he didn't want to be favored by Shangfeng. If Jia Zheng really didn't have any attachment to officialdom, he wouldn't have kept a bunch of guests at home, and would have helped him plan all day long.

The reason why it took me more than ten years to become a member of the Communist Party of China is that without him, my abilities are limited, and I live like a ghost in the yamen, with no ambition to "bring glory to my ancestors".

At this time, seeing Shang Feng being so kind to him, Jia Zheng felt as if he had been injected with chicken blood, his face flushed, and he was busy bowing and bowing, but he didn't know how to respond. He only said, "Thank you, thank you!" It was not that Jia Zheng was responding favorably. There was no rules, but Jia Zheng didn't know Jia Cong at all. Four or five years had passed, but Jia Zheng couldn't even remember what Jia Cong looked like.

"Where is the award? Mr. Jia Hou is really a young talent. Last year I bought a poetry collection "The Collection of Red Mansions". It was signed "The Young Master of Red Mansions". I didn't know it before. The poems in it were either gentle or bold. Every sentence is a classic, every word is precious. I am still thinking about it, and I don’t know which great scholar this Red Mansion Young Master is. I will pay him a visit when I find an opportunity. Once I find out, do you know who he is? "

Chang Songjun's words aroused the curiosity of everyone in the yamen.

He Jin, the head of the Ministry of Industry, wanted to curry favor with his superiors, so he stood up and said, "I heard that this Young Master of the Red Chamber is Jia Yuanze, the Marquis of Jia."

Speaking of the word "Yuanze", it was given by Emperor Taiqi back then.

Of course, everyone has not forgotten it, and there is a strange look on everyone's face. At that time, that young man was only a few years old, and he got into the eyes of the two palaces with one hand, and he became as famous as he is today.

Some people also remembered that Mr. Jia Hou left the Rongguo Mansion, and that kneeling had caught the eyes of many people.

Jia Zheng didn't know what these people were thinking. At this moment, he was still confused. He was listening to the people in the yamen talking to each other and talking about the classic poems in Jia Cong's "Collection of Red Mansions". He was stroking his beard. , smiling, enjoying the honor of "my family has cultural seeds".

"The poem "Ode to Plum Blossoms" can be said to be a classic of plum blossoms since ancient times. There are several plum trees in the corner, and Ling Han blooms alone..." As soon as He Jin mentioned the poem, he shook his head and started chanting.

Chang Songyun said, "I really like the song 'Green ants newly fermented wine, red clay small stove. It's snowing in the evening, can you drink a cup?', the mood and scenery are so simple and so fascinating. Yearn for it.

It snowed heavily last year, and some friends happened to come to Beijing, so we drank and talked in the pavilion in the backyard. There was also a small stove next to it. When I recited this poem, I felt that friendship was precious, and I admired Mr. Jia's exquisite thoughts even more. ah! "

Pan Chengyi, the right servant, saw that Chang Songjun was getting more and more interested in talking. He took a deep look at Jia Zheng and said with a smile, "If Lord Jia was not so thoughtful, how could he be like a dragon rising into the abyss as soon as he entered the south of the Yangtze River.

When he returned to Beijing this time, the Holy Master issued a decree that officials below the third rank and above the fifth rank should go out to welcome him.I heard that when Lord Jia went out to the south of the Yangtze River, the people along the way knelt down to see him off. It was such a grand occasion that I just wished I was in the capital and couldn't see him in person! "

Chang Songjun smiled, but he didn't know what Pan Chengyi meant. His Majesty was acting very self-willed now. Since he made a decree, they just followed it. After all, he was not from Jiangnan, and he had no relatives or friends to negotiate the case. Among them, Pan Chengyi’s ancestral home is Changshu.

Jiangnan was in turmoil, and such a major case occurred. In the court, all civil servants in the three provinces of Jiangnan became a thorn in the side, even the chief minister Zhao Song was no exception.

Qin Ye, the doctor of the camp and maintenance department, has always been a man of few words and is old. He rarely interacts with people in the Yamen except for official business. At this time, he looked at Jia Zheng out of the corner of his eye and saw that he was ready to go to the Yamen after receiving all the compliments. Then he hurriedly packed up the official documents, waited for him to leave, and followed him.

On the street, when he saw Jia Zheng getting on the sedan and leaving, Qin Ye quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "Cun Zhou, stay here!"

Jia Zheng turned around and saw that it was Qin Ye. He rushed to greet him, "Master Qin, do you have any orders?"

Qin Ye is a doctor in the Qing Dynasty official affairs department, one level higher than Jia Zhengguan.

"Cunzhou, I heard that Marquis Ning Guo is coming back?"

Jia Zheng thought that even people like Qin Ye were caring about his nephew, so he couldn't help showing a bit of pride on his face. He stroked his beard and said, "The official also received the imperial edict today, and only then did he know that he was going to Beijing tomorrow."

"I have something that I need to discuss with Cunzhou in detail. It's getting late. I wonder if we can have a drink together and talk while drinking?"

"I don't dare. There is a restaurant in front of me, and I will be the host."

Although Jia Zheng was eager to go back to announce the good news, seeing that Qin Ye was worried, he always responded to his words, so he had to patiently go to the restaurant where he often went with Qin Ye and asked for a private room. The two ordered I ordered a few side dishes and a pot of wine, and talked while drinking.

Outside, the sky was dark, as if a spring snow had fallen. Just in line with the mood of "it's snowing late in the evening, can I have a drink?", Jia Zheng's mood naturally became more relaxed.

Qin Ye was not like that, "This matter is really embarrassing for me to talk about. Speaking of it, it happened when the original masters of Dongfu, Uncle Zhen and his son, were still there. My daughter was still young at that time. It was when Jing Jing was the head of the family that she came to the door. , and made a marriage arrangement with Uncle Xianrong."

Jia Zheng didn't know about this. He had never been a person who focused on general affairs. When he heard this, he was surprised.

The grass on the graves of Jia Zhen and his son has grown taller, right? Are you still talking about this now?

Jia Zheng was also busy sitting upright, holding the tea cup in his hand, and asked, "Since Ronger is no longer with us, can we just treat this marriage as a matter of course?"

Qin Ye breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this. He was afraid that his daughter would be asked to guard the family in Jia's house. If she died for the country, it would be fine, and she would still get a memorial arch.

Jia Zhen and his son died in such a way. His daughter was engaged to Jia Rong, and his daughter's reputation was also ruined. Even if the engagement was broken off, who knows whether she would be able to find a good marriage in the future.

"Cunzhou is indeed a gentleman. With your words, I, as a father, feel relieved!"

Qin Ye's daughter has passed the golden age. She has an official name and a beautiful name. Her courtesy name is Keqing and her nickname is Ke'er. Although Qin Ye adopted her from the health care hall back then, she is quite valued by Qin Ye because of her charming appearance and charming personality. , bent on finding a good marriage for her.

They got married because they had something to do with the Jia family. They only waited for their daughter to have hairpins so that they could get married. Who would have thought that something like this would happen halfway through? After four years, her daughter's age has also been delayed. I don't know. Will you kiss me in the future?

Before Jia Zheng could recover from Qin Ye's compliment, he heard Qin Ye say again, "My daughter doesn't have that blessing. It's also because of her bad luck. Zhou Renhou allowed her to marry another girl, but she didn't have that blessing." We have exchanged marriage certificates, so if this marriage doesn’t count, it still needs some work.”

This is why Qin Ye came to visit today. He had gone to see Jia Jing, but Jia Jing ignored the worldly affairs, but it would be unreasonable to not get the marriage certificate back.

Once a girl's family has made a marriage agreement, she will be a member of that family's family in life and a ghost of that family's family in death. She cannot seek another marriage without the consent of her husband's family.

Jia Zhengfang understood and hurriedly said, "This is not difficult. The marriage certificate should be placed in the East Mansion. When Cong'er comes back, I will come to inquire about this matter and I will definitely give you an answer."

"Then thank you Cunzhou!" Qin Ye stood up and thanked him respectfully.

It turned out that it was not really about drinking and eating. After the matter was settled, the two of them had a casual drink and Qin Ye settled the bill. They said goodbye at the door of the tavern.

Jia Zheng went to Ningrong Street.

At this time, the Rongqing Hall was filled with laughter and laughter again.

Jia Mu was lying on the Arhat bed, being served by Amber and Parrot, who were beating her legs and pinching her shoulders.

Baoyu wears a purple gold crown inlaid with hair, has two dragons on her eyebrows, and wipes her forehead with gold. She wears one or two colors of gold, a hundred butterflies, and red arrow sleeves with flowers. She sits aside and talks vividly about the things she has done to fulfill her vows in the temple. , what he ate, what he saw, and what the host said made Jia Mu hug her son for a while, then said she was tired after a day out, "Let Xiren serve you well later, and go to bed early."

Mrs. Wang was sitting on the chair below, watching this scene with a smile. Her precious jade was born from the jade in her mouth. Who else could the old lady pamper if she didn't pamper him? She couldn't be more noble than the children of that day's family.

"Your aunt said she was coming to Beijing. She hasn't received a letter for several days, and she doesn't know where she went?" Mrs. Wang said to Xifeng.

Xifeng saw the old lady hugging Baoyu and talking, so she didn't want to go over to join in the fun. She stood for a while, and after hearing this, she hurriedly came over and said, "It should be here in the next two days. I'll send someone to the dock tomorrow." Go up and have a look.”

"It's time to go and see it, don't miss it." Mrs. Wang seemed to have just remembered something and said, "Madam, how long has it been since you went there?"

When Xifeng heard this, her heart skipped a beat and she said, "It's been a few days, but I went over to say hello. The eldest lady said that she has been feeling poorly lately and needs to rest. I heard this and it hasn't passed in the past two days. "

"I'd better go take a look when I have time. I also vaguely heard that I'm in poor health and there's no one around me who can take advantage of me. I still can't lose my filial piety in front of my elders."

After hearing this, Xifeng was so angry that her liver hurt, but she couldn't get it out. She sneered in her heart and said, "I was planning to go tomorrow."

Just as he was talking, a maid came in from outside to report, "Old lady, the master is back and wants to come over to say hello to the old lady!"

"Let him come in quickly!" Mother Jia was naturally happy when she heard that her son was coming, but when she saw her grandson who was originally in high spirits, she was like an eggplant beaten by frost, and she felt as distressed as anything, "Don't be afraid of him. I'm here, and he won't dare to talk about you for a while!"

Despite this, Baoyu still lowered his head, with frowning eyes. Not bad, his face turned pale, and fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. Listening to the footsteps outside, he wanted to hide in the blue gauze cupboard. .

Mrs. Wang led Xifeng and Erchun to greet him. When she arrived at the door, she saw Jia Zheng coming in. She saluted and asked, "Why are you here, sir?"

Jia Mu is also asking, "I'm fine here, and I don't need you to worry about me all the time. My ladies will feel uncomfortable when you come here."

"The son also misses his mother!"

Jia Zheng bowed to the old lady and sat down aside. Tanchun took the tea from the maid's hand and handed it to Jia Zheng, "Father, please use the tea!"

Jia Zheng glanced at Baoyu, who was standing next to him like a quail. A flash of disgust flashed in his eyes, but he had no time to pay attention to him for the time being. He said, "The Emperor has issued a decree. Tomorrow morning, His Royal Highness the Fourth Prince will lead the five men below the third rank in Beijing." Officials of grade or above will go out ten miles from the city to meet Brother Cong!"

For a moment, there was a dead silence in Rongqing Hall. Everyone heard the words, but they didn't seem to understand. It was like a thunder above the head, which shocked everyone.

(End of this chapter)