Red Mansion Jia Enhou

Jia She patted Jia Lian on the shoulder.

Jia Lian had a complicated expression. Wasn't he the one waiting at the door?

After praying to his ancestors, Jia She came back and fell into a deep sleep on the bed.

Looking at his heartless father, Jia Lian doubted how his own father had achieved such great achievements.

"Second Master, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince invites you to come over for a gathering."

The servant brought the letter to Jia Lian, and Jia Lian opened it.

Inside was the young prince's childish handwriting.

"Brother Lian, seeing your handwriting is like seeing you. Let's meet at Dingsheng Building at noon today."

Jia Lian put the letter into his sleeve and looked at Jia She again.

"The master is exhausted. Let him sleep until he wakes up naturally today. Don't let anyone wake him up."

Jia Lian got on the carriage.

"Uncle, is this what you call lively?"

In the Dingsheng Building, the eight-year-old prince stared at the Hu people below with a look of disgust and lack of interest on his face.

But what's so good about two barbarians who came from nowhere?

"Nephew, don't you see the difference between this Hu person and normal Hu people?"

Prince Zhongshun put his arm around the little prince's shoulder, and they sat side by side, looking at the Hu people in the center of the hall on the first floor.

The young prince's gaze fell on the bearded man.

"It is a little different, but how is it different?"

"The barbarians in all directions are not part of the kingdom. When they come to our Great Chu, they mostly exchange their country's specialties for our tea and silk."

"There are at least eight hundred Hu people in Shenjing City, if not a thousand."

Prince Zhongshun shook his head.

“This Hu man is a little different”

"Did you see what he was holding?"

The little prince's eyes fell on the object in the Hu man's hand.

"It's a thing that can keep moving without any external force."

"In addition, it can accurately record the time, which is much more convenient than a sundial."

The little prince's contemptuous look changed.

As the heir to the throne, he is not a naive person.

Prince Zhongshun pointed and spoke casually, and his father knew the purpose of sending him.

"Father, do you want to test the details of that unknown country?"

King Zhongshun nodded.

Just like the discussion about aliens in the future, the sudden emergence of an unknown and mysterious country makes people feel fearful.

Now the emperor sent the little prince out, firstly to train him, and secondly to make him understand that there is always someone better than you.

Even the emperor must keep this principle in mind.

The little prince's expression changed rapidly and he became serious.

Jia Lian led his servants through the crowd of onlookers and went straight to the second floor until they opened the door.

The little prince's expression was serious and cautious.

Jia Lian knocked on the door of the box. The little prince gave a look and his personal eunuch went to the door and opened it.

It was Jia Lian.

When Prince Zhongshun saw Jia Lian being invited by the little prince, a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes.

I remembered the recent news in the palace.
Prince Zhongshun looked Jia Lian up and down.

What is the charm of the Jia family?
The old ones are the only ones who are favored, but the young ones are almost the same now.

Now Prince Zhongshun looks at the entire Rongguo Mansion as if he were a vixen.

"Your Highness, Your Majesty!"

Jia Lian bowed solemnly to the young prince and Prince Zhongshun.

"Alright, alright, stop with this gift."

Jia Lian was pulled up by the little prince himself.

"Why was His Majesty releasing His Highness today?"

The little prince's eyes fell on the platform in the middle of Dingsheng Building, and Jia Lian turned his eyes to the foreigner.

The foreigner, speaking broken and halting Chinese, was trying to sell the watch he was holding.

"what is that?"

Jia Lian's eyes fell on the clock in the foreigner's hand.

The little prince replied.

"It's something like a sundial."

"Unlike the sundial, the thing in his hand can move without any external force."

"Besides this, it can also accurately record the time."

Jia Lian knew what was going on.

"Your Highness, is this the reason for leaving the palace?"

The little prince nodded slightly to Jia Lian.

"Which country did the Hu people come from?"

"I see that he is dressed differently from other barbarians."

Jia Lian's eyes were fixed on the foreigner.

I saw that she was wearing exaggerated clothes and her legs were bound by a pair of white tight socks.

Combined with his short and stiff shirt and slightly curly hair, his attire made him look quite funny.

Prince Zhongshun's attention was all on Jia Lian.

Jia Lian thought of what Jia She had mentioned to him in the morning about Daqin and Daqin.

Guessing that it was Jia Lian from these two countries, he continued to speak.

"Is he from the Arab world or the Qin world?"

"Da Shi Da Qin?"

The little prince looked puzzled, and Prince Zhongshun's gaze towards Jia Lian changed.

"The Arabs are wearing white robes and don't look like this. I guess they are from the Qin Dynasty."

The little prince opened his mouth slightly. How could Jia Lian know something that even his father didn't know?

Jia Lian's gaze turned to the shocked little prince.

"Your Highness?"

Jia Lian pushed the little prince, and the little prince came to his senses and looked at Jia Lian with a complicated expression.

"How do you know he is from Daqin?"

"My dad told me!"

Jia Lian answered the little prince proudly.

"My father said that our Great Chu passes through the Western Regions of Tatar, and further west there is a country called Great Qin."

"Below Daqin is Dashi, which has close ties with our Dachu."

"The country of Daqin is desolate, with deserts and Gobi everywhere, so most of them rely on traveling for a living."

"It's just that my father didn't say much about Daqin."

Jia Lian told the story truthfully, and the little prince looked at Prince Zhongshun, who frowned.

"Your father seems to understand a lot?"

Jia Lian both nodded and shook his head.

Prince Zhongshun took a deep breath. The two generations of dukes in Rongguo Mansion had taken root in the northwest, and their strength and foundation should not be underestimated.

"Go and call Jia She."

Prince Zhongshun was giving orders to someone, and Jia Lian seemed to be hesitant to speak. He really wanted to remind Prince Zhongshun not to go look for his father first.

His father is sleeping now, so he probably can't call him, but look at him now.
Jia Lian shut his mouth.

In the Rongguo Mansion, Jia She was still sleeping. When Prince Zhongshun's men came and pulled Jia She out of bed, he was still half asleep.

Jia She said in a daze, "Don't look for him unless the sky falls."

This made Liu Qian, the companion of Prince Zhongshun, feel a bit helpless.

"Duke Rong"

Liu Qian personally called Jia She.

Jia She's head was stuck on the pillow, unable to get up no matter what.

"My Lord, wake up."

"Who do you think our family is?"

Liu Qian patted Jia She's back, and as the volume rose, Liu Qian's voice became more cunning.

Jia She, who was sleeping, got goose bumps on his neck and then opened his eyes.

It was a fat face with a naive smile.

Jia She shouted subconsciously, then sat up from the bed and pressed his eyebrows.

"You are finally awake, Duke."

Jia She frowned. He felt that the fat eunuch in front of him looked familiar.

"Your Majesty, do you have something to ask me?"

Jia She's attitude was somewhat casual, and Prince Zhongshun's companion did not take it to heart.

"My Lord, you are so forgetful. Our family is not by His Majesty's side."

Jia She's eyes fell on Liu Qian. If he was not the emperor's man, why was he looking for him?

Jia She, who was very defensive, pretended to lie down on the bed.

"The country's public servant must have not woken up yet and was dreaming."

"Keep sleeping, keep sleeping."

As he spoke, Jia She's head was about to fall onto the bed behind him. Liu Qian quickly held Jia She's head with his hands and moved him back.

"My prince invites you!"

"Who is your prince?"

Without telling his name, he just wanted this duke to follow him.

Why does that prince have such a big face?
Even the prince had to call Jia She Duke Rong when he saw him.

"Loyalty."

"Zhongshun?"

Jia She looked up and down at Liu Qian, and he remembered, wasn't this the fat eunuch who followed Zhongshun?

This smell of pretentiousness is too strong.

"What does Zhongshun want from me?"

Jia She, who was an acquaintance of Prince Zhongshun, asked Liu Qian.

"The prince is watching the fun in Dingsheng Tower and invites the Duke to come over and play."

"Is it okay not to go?"

"Is Duke Rong joking with us?"

Liu Qian roared in his heart, his prince was actually rejected?
There are still people in Shenjing who dare to reject his prince.
Aren’t you afraid that the prince will really eat people?
Liu Qian recalled the reputation of Prince Zhongshun in the capital, who was able to stop children from crying.

This Duke Rong is really brave.

Jia She glanced at Liu Qian.

"This prince is really sleepy. Go back and tell your prince."

"I'll come back the day after tomorrow."

Jia She fell asleep immediately, and now it was Liu Qian's turn to be anxious.

"You can't sleep."

Liu Qian reached out to pull Jia She. Jia She was already drowsy now, how could he not sleep?
"wake up"

Liu Qian patted him again, and finally whispered something in Jia She's ear.

"The prince is here too."

Jia She’s eyes suddenly widened.

"The prince is here too?"

Liu Qian nodded.

"A strange-looking foreigner came to Dingsheng Building. His clothes and appearance were different from those of ordinary foreigners."

Jia She thought of the Hu people in the capital who had their mouths full of the smell of mutton skewers, and a strange expression appeared on his face.

"What kind of Hu people are different from ordinary Hu people?"

"According to Master Lian of Lingfu, what kind of people are those Hu people from the Qin Dynasty?"

Jia She's eyes widened again.

Aren’t the people of Daqin Europeans?
"Since Young Master Lian of Lingfu couldn't explain it clearly, the prince sent me here to ask you to take a look."

Jia She began to put on his clothes.

If he really is a foreigner from Europe, he can go there and ask Columbus whether he has discovered the American continent.

The Dream of the Red Chamber states that Columbus discovered the American continent during the Ming Dynasty, then began colonization and plunder, completed capital accumulation at the fastest speed, and started the first industrial revolution.

With the beginning of the First Industrial Revolution, the sprouts of the bourgeoisie in Europe developed rapidly. This was followed by the Second Industrial Revolution, during which Europe completely widened the gap with China.

China, which was still in the agricultural handicraft stage, was unable to resist the European countries that had transformed into industrial countries, and started selling opium and waging war.

China became a colony of the great powers and became a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society.

As a modern man, he knows best that those who fall behind will be beaten.

If the Age of Discovery has already begun in Europe, Da Chu must not fall behind.

As a Chinese citizen, he would never allow the subsequent tragedy to happen again in this fictional Chinese dynasty.

Jia She cleaned up the place quickly and efficiently, as if he was energized by chicken blood, which shocked Liu Qian.

Duke Rong, who had just been lying in bed and didn't want to get up, got up as soon as he heard about the so-called Great Qin.

Liu Qian was secretly curious about Jia She.

Jia She got on the carriage and headed for Dingsheng Tower.

The foreigner in the middle of the first floor was still trying to sell the watch in his hand, but the Chu people surrounding him just treated him as a monkey.

Look at him like a monkey.

"Jimmy, it seems we can't go back home."

Unable to sell their products for a long time, the foreigners who understood the language of the Great Chu cried bitterly with their heads in their hands.

This caused the onlookers to be puzzled.

Why is this person crying?
Two foreigners, speaking their native language.

"Come on, Tom."

"As long as we work hard, we can still come back."

The foreigner who could speak the language of Da Chu raised his head in despair.

"These people of Da Chu are extremely arrogant and treat us like monkeys."

"I have been selling it for a long time, but no one has made any bids."

The two foreigners collapsed, and Jia She walked straight over to them.

"Are you from the Great Qin Kingdom?"

Knowing that Europe was now in a state of division, Jia She pushed the crowd away.

Jia She was dressed like a rich or noble man. The foreigner who didn't understand the Da Chu dialect was excitedly patting the foreigner who was crying and holding his head.

"Don't cry, Tom. There is a noble lord from Dachu who is interested in us."

"Listen to what he's saying."

The foreigner kept slapping his companion.

Jia She was smiling broadly. The foreigner who was slapped looked up and saw Jia She.

After taking a closer look at Jia She, the two foreigners were all amazed.

Dingsheng Building has three floors. The first floor is where merchants and ordinary people stay.

The second and third floors are divided into private rooms. When nobles and wealthy businessmen have their meals, they all go up to the second and third floors through special passages.

It is difficult for ordinary well-off people and traveling merchants on the normal first floor to see real nobles. They can only occasionally see a few merchants who cannot make an appointment and can only stay on the same floor with them.

Jia She's clothes were so expensive that they were beyond the reach of merchants and petty officials.

Especially the jade pendant on his waist.

Although the Great Chu had changed its clothing, the requirements for the four classes of people were no longer strict.

But there are still necessary restrictions.

The two foreigners set out from the Mediterranean, passed through the Male Islands, and headed south from west to south, passing through the open port of Guangzhou and entering Da Chu.

They traveled from south to north and arrived at Shenjing. They saw a lot along the way.

"Is that a clock in your hand?"

Jia She then spoke.

"Things that are operated by gears that grind against each other"

"Does your Excellency know him?"

There was a flash of surprise in the eyes of the two men, and a smile appeared on Jia She's face.

Of course he knew it, it was just a mechanical watch, how could he not know it?
"If my memory serves me correctly, the Great Qin has now been divided into many small countries."

"Which country are you from over there in Daqin?"

Jia She continued to ask.

The foreigners who didn't understand the language of Da Chu were able to speak by clapping.

"Your Excellency, my brother and I are from Italy, which is close to the Mediterranean Sea."

Jia She nodded slightly.

"Your Excellency knows the country of my brothers?"

Jia She nodded again.

"I know a little bit. The paintings in your country are pretty good."

"My Lord would like to ask you about someone. Is there a man named Columbus in your country?"

Jia She spoke tentatively.

The two brothers looked at each other.

"I don't know what the surname of the Columbus mentioned by adults is, and where his family is from." (End of this chapter)