Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 300: Disasters Destroy and Cover Up the Country

Rongguo Mansion, East Courtyard, Yingsong Hall.

When the Sun family of Datong was in decline, the head of the family, Sun Zhanying, tried to curry favor with Duke Rong and serve under him. Jia She had met Sun Zhanying several times and had also heard of his eldest son, Sun Shaoming.

But I am unfamiliar with the name Sun Shaozu.

The young man in front of him was in his twenties, tall and strong, with a straight nose, a wide mouth, slightly protruding cheekbones, and bright eyes, revealing a shrewd and capable look.

After the two exchanged greetings, Sun Shaozu took out a handwritten letter from Sun Zhanying, and Jia She realized that Sun Shaozu was Sun Zhanying's third son.

In a family with hereditary military positions, only the eldest son can inherit the military position. Sun Shaozu was the third son in the family, so naturally it was not his turn.

He currently has no real job in Datong, and has always disliked the remoteness of Datong's border town. He just envies the prosperity of the capital.

Sun Zhanying found a way to have Sun Shaozu listed as a candidate for a vacancy in the Ministry of War. However, every year there were so many people waiting for a vacancy in the Ministry of War, but only a few could get a real job.

Sun Zhanying had the means to get his son listed as a waiting list for a vacancy, but he did not have the connections to help his son get a real job, so he wrote a letter asking Jia She for help.

Jia She was currently devastated by the arrest of Lieutenant General Xu of Datong, so how could he have the energy to help others get an official position?

However, his business in Datong is closely related to the Sun family, and they know his background very well, so it is naturally not easy to offend them.

He said: "Don't worry about the matter of waiting for the vacancy, my dear nephew, I will do my best.

Recently I heard from a guest from the north that the nine provincial governors were inspecting Datong and that some officers in the army were arrested. My dear nephew just came from Datong. Have you heard about this?"

Sun Shaozu smiled slightly, his eyes flashing with a cunning light, and looked around. Jia She understood and asked the maid who was serving tea in the hall to leave.

When Sun Shaozu saw Jia She mentioned this matter, he was obviously uneasy. He knew the root of the matter when he came, so he felt more confident.

Holding the tea bowl, he took a sip slowly and said, "Indeed, there is a military officer who has been arrested. The one you are talking about is Datong Lieutenant General Xu Hongchang!"

When Jia She heard the name, his face changed and he looked at Sun Shaozu in surprise.

Sun Shaozu smiled and said, "Before I left Datong, my father told me this in person. There are some things that he is not convenient to write down in a letter.

He asked me to tell my uncle that although Lieutenant General Xu was imprisoned, he didn't have time to say anything else. He suddenly died in prison...

……

When Jia She heard this, he couldn't help but feel ecstatic. Before he could say anything, he suddenly died. That meant there was no evidence, and he actually escaped a disaster.

However, Jia She was not a worldly-wise man. He quickly thought of something and his face turned pale. The sudden death must have been caused by the Sun family trying to silence him.

The Sun family inherited military positions in Datong and had extensive influence in the local area, so it was not difficult for them to get rid of a prisoner in prison.

Moreover, Jia She's business of reselling contraband items was able to expand due to his relationship with the Sun family of Datong, and the Sun family had long been involved.

Moreover, the Sun family was definitely not the only one who did this kind of thing. No matter what the reason was, they had reasons to silence General Xu.

In any case, with the death of Lieutenant General Xu, the disaster of reselling contraband in Datong was finally covered up. Thinking of this, Jia She breathed a sigh of relief and felt lucky to have survived.

Sun Shaozu added: "My father also asked me to tell my uncle that the Sun family will take care of Datong's affairs, but the business will be suspended during this period until the current turmoil is over.

The Rongguo Jia family is a noble family of the Great Zhou Dynasty, with old friends throughout the court and the country. Your uncle is a leader among men, with connections to all. I hope your uncle will take care of my nephew's position in the Ministry of War."

When Jia She heard that Sun Zhanying would take care of everything in Datong, he would have no worries at all. He was in a good mood and readily agreed to help Sun Shaozu get the position.

When Sun Shaozu first came, Jia She was just perfunctory in his response. But now that the Sun family has helped him solve such a big hidden danger, he really wants to find a job for them.

After all, he and the Sun family are now on the same boat, so it is necessary to make friends and win over the other party.

……

Sun Shaozu was not the eldest son, and lived his whole life under the shadow of his eldest brother. The hereditary military position in the family was also inherited by his eldest brother, and he had no part in it at all.

He was a man with a vicious temper, but he was quite scheming and was able to please Sun Zhanying, otherwise he would not have gone to such great lengths to help him find a vacancy in the Ministry of War.

Sun Shaozu had always envied the prosperity of the emperor's feet, and he wanted to stay in the capital as an official, so that he could surpass his elder brother and vent his resentment.

Therefore, he was very concerned about getting a real job in the Ministry of War.

He also saw that Jia She was very satisfied with the matter of General Xu, so he started to strike while the iron was hot. He took out a silver note of five thousand taels from his bosom and pushed it to Jia She from the table.

When Jia She saw the banknote, his eyes lit up involuntarily, but he said, "My dear nephew, what do you mean by this?"

Sun Shaozu said with a smile: "Shenjing is not like Datong. Every piece of paper under the emperor's feet is valuable. If I ask you to help me find a job, I will definitely have to ask for favors. How can I let you spend money?

These will be used as a gift to welcome and send off the guests. Please do not despise them." Jia She laughed and said, "My dear nephew, you are very polite."

Not only did he solve his biggest worry, but he was also able to spare five thousand taels of silver for free, which made Jia She in a very good mood. He also liked Sun Shaozu more and more. This young man was smart, good at talking, and sensible.

……

Sun Shaozu asked again: "Uncle, my father asked me to ask if there is any room for maneuver regarding the matter of the Firearms Department we talked about last time. After all, the chief officer of the Firearms Department is your own son..."

When Jia She heard this, his heart skipped a beat. He had just escaped a disaster and felt a little weak. He was still a little frightened, so how could he dare to get involved in anything involving firearms?

Since the firearms troops of the Fifth Army Battalion entered Liaodong last year and showed their prowess on the battlefield, they have attracted the attention of many people.

Among them were many big figures and forces who all wanted to explore the secret of firearms, and the Director of Firearms was Jia She's biological son, so many people turned their attention to Jia She.

Last year, Sun Zhanying asked Jia She to negotiate for him, so Jia She instigated Jia Qiang to enter the firearms workshop and asked Jia Lian to come forward and plead with Jia Cong. However, Jia Cong was a cautious person and refused in person.

After that incident, Jia She gave up the idea in this regard. He and Jia Cong had broken up as father and son a long time ago, and Jia Cong had become more and more outstanding in recent years, which made Jia She subconsciously unwilling to provoke him.

So he said, "My dear nephew, although the chief of the Firearms Department is my son, the court strictly controls firearms. Anyone entering the Firearms Department and the workshop will be strictly screened. The risk is too great, and I am powerless to do anything."

……

Rongguo Mansion, Qingzhizhai.

The tung tree in the yard has grown many tender leaves, and the bamboos planted along the pink wall have gradually lost their dark green of winter and are now tinged with the light green of spring.

It’s a sunny day today, and there are many robes and dresses hanging in the yard to dry. Judging from the weather, we will have to start changing into spring clothes in a few days.

Baochai brought Ying'er and entered Qingzhizhai, holding boxes of gifts of different sizes.

Just then, Zhishao came out of the main room, wearing a lavender floral vest, a white round-necked jacket, and a moon-white floral long skirt. She stood tall, graceful, and pretty.

When he saw Baochai and her servant, he greeted them with a smile: "Miss Bao is here, please come in and sit down."

Baochai smiled and said, "You are welcome, sister Zhishao. My brother just came back from the north and brought some local specialties. I will send some to you to try."

Not long after Baochai arrived at the Jia Mansion, she often heard people talking about the people in Jia Cong's room. After all, these people in his room were all the best and most outstanding in the mansion, and among them, the most rumors were about Zhishao.

It was said that she had served Jia Cong since she was a child and was the most valued by Jia Cong. She had even received gifts from the empress. The old lady had to look at her differently and the monthly allowance she received was the same as that of the other girls in the mansion.

Baochai is a considerate and thoughtful person, and she puts her heart into Jia Cong, so naturally she loves and treats his close confidants with kindness and courtesy.

"These are apricots, berries, yellow rice, hazel mushrooms, and a few top-grade Korean white ginseng from Datong. These things are the best for warming and nourishing when boiled daily, and are suitable for maintaining brother Cong.

There is also a box of top-quality Bahrain stone, which Brother Cong can use when writing lyrics... "

Baochai told Jia Cong all the things that had been given to her, and the purpose of each one of them, without her realizing it. It was as if she had already thought of how Jia Cong would use them before she came, and she felt like the boss of the house.

Baochai was talking a little absorbedly, but she noticed that Zhishao beside her was listening quite seriously and her face turned slightly red.

The two chatted for a few more sentences, and then Zhishao and Qingwen took out two bottles of imperial wine as return gifts. These were the rewards from the palace when Jia Cong made military achievements last time.

Baochai thanked him quickly and said with a smile, "We don't drink much at home. We only drink a little when we have guests."

His mind moved slightly, and he said, "I heard that the master of the East Road Courtyard loves this elegant way. I think Brother Cong will often go to show his filial piety."

Qingwen, who was standing by, was the most eloquent. She said, "Our Third Master has moved to the West Mansion. The old lady has set up a protocol. He only visits the Second Master and his wife here every morning and evening!"

These words sounded a bit aggressive and a bit hot.

When Qingwen first became Jia Cong's maid, she happened to see Jia Cong being severely beaten by Jia She.

The little maid still holds a grudge. Although Jia She is the master of the mansion, Qingwen, as a maid, dares not overstep the line.

However, she had a hot temper at heart, and was clear about what she loved and hated. She also felt sorry for the suffering Jia Cong had suffered in the past, so whenever she mentioned Jia She, she couldn't help but say something strange.

Baochai was a very clever woman. She had heard about the affair between Jia Cong and his son, so after hearing Qingwen's slightly aggrieved words, it was clear to her what she understood.

The Cong brothers only greeted their aunt and uncle politely, which meant that they were raised in the second house just like Yingchun, and were very distant from the East Courtyard. It was not surprising when you think about it, as there was resentment between the father and son.

Ever since Baochai heard from her brother that the man went to Datong to sell forbidden items such as sea salt, tea, and ironware, she has been worried that Jia Cong would be implicated because of the relationship between father and son.

That's why she deliberately brought up the topic of whether Jia Cong had sent imperial wine to Jia She. After hearing Qingwen's words, she knew that this father and son were like strangers and had little contact with each other, and she finally felt relieved.

(End of this chapter)