Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 346: It is difficult to survive in humiliation

Rongguo Mansion, study in the east corridor of Rongxi Hall.

Jia Cong had been to this place several times. Before he went to Liaodong, Jia Zheng gave him the green rhinoceros armor here.

Before Jia Cong went to Liaodong, Jia Zheng considered him a junior who still needed teaching, but now he no longer has this intention.

Now that Jia Cong has been granted a title and established a mansion, he has become a member of the Jia family who can be compared with the hereditary lineage of the Rong family.

Although Jia Cong is young, whether it is his response to the search of Ningguo Mansion last year or his judgment on current affairs and new policies the day before yesterday, he has shown a calmness and sophistication that does not match his age.

Although Jia Zheng was a bit old-fashioned, he knew his own background and knew that he was still far inferior to his nephews and nephews who were both cultured, sophisticated, and noble.

After the maid brought hot tea, the uncle and nephew started chatting casually. Jia Zheng asked Jia Cong if he had seen or heard anything recently.

Jia Cong has been busy in the firearms workshop in the north of the city recently, because Emperor Jia Zhao issued an imperial decree to supervise the production of fifty improved red cannons before the end of the year.

According to the information he had obtained while observing government affairs at the Ministry of War, one batch of the new artillery would be used to fight against the Japanese pirates along the coast of Liangzhe.

Of course, this matter involved important military and national secrets. In order to avoid offending taboos, he naturally would not tell Jia Zheng in detail. He only said that he had been busy with the official duties of the Firearms Bureau recently and had not heard anything new or surprising.

After hearing this, Jia Zheng stroked his beard and smiled. His position in the Ministry of Works was leisurely, and he was not like Jia Cong who was busy with practical affairs all day long. Naturally, he had time to inquire about all kinds of news and information, which he could use as material for discussion and criticism.

He said: "Recently, a colleague from the Ministry of Works said that the Dali Temple is currently trying a serious criminal who was escorted from Liaodong. Yesterday, the Dali Temple Minister Wei Guanyao came to the palace to ask for permission.

I heard that the emperor appointed the left minister of the Dali Temple as the imperial envoy to inspect the case, and he will go to Nanjing on official business together with the important officials of the Five Military Governor's Office. It is said that a major case is involved in Nanjing.

Cong'er, you have been in Liaodong for the past six months. The serious criminal in the Dali Temple was escorted here from Liaodong. Do you know the reason?"

Jia Cong's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. During this period of time, he had been running between the workshop and the East Palace. He didn't go out for social events and didn't pay much attention to external affairs.

He recalled the day when he and Ellie sent two eagle girls south at Xiande Gate. At that time, he encountered a dusty prison van escorted by the Jinyiwei, which seemed to be coming from the north.

The prison van was not heading towards the Jinyiwei Command Headquarters in the capital, but the Dali Temple. It was most likely the serious criminal that Jia Zheng mentioned.

Moreover, Jia Zheng said that the person was a serious criminal escorted from Liaodong. Could he be Zhou Suqing, whom he captured at Yafuguan?

Jia Cong captured Zhou Suqing at Yafu Pass just by chance. Afterwards, he locked Zhou Suqing up in the military affairs office of Yafu Pass and instructed that she must be kept under close watch.

He also asked the Military Affairs Office to send a letter to the Jinyiwei Command Headquarters in Shenjing, explaining Zhou Suqing's background and escort matters.

According to common sense, Zhou Suqing committed the crime in Jinling, and his crime was under the jurisdiction of Yingtian Prefecture and Jinling Jinling Jinyiwei Qianhu Suo.

However, although the Jinling Water Supervision Bureau case had come to an end, many doubts remained, and there were many petty bastards in the Jinling officialdom.

In Jia Cong's speculation, Zhou Suqing was escorted back to Jinling. Who can say for sure whether the incident in which the eunuch Wang En, who was guarding the prison, died suddenly in the Jinyiwei prison, would happen again?

So Jia Cong deliberately turned a blind eye and wrote directly to the Shenjing Jinyiwei Command in the name of the Yafu Pass Military Affairs Office.

This was the best he could do on the matter. After the Military Affairs Office issued the official document, he would completely withdraw from the matter.

When he first experienced the major case of the Water Conservancy Bureau in Nanjing and witnessed Zou Huaiyi, a captain of the Water Conservancy Bureau, committing suicide on the spot, he knew at that time that he was too deeply involved in the case and he withdrew from it in time. The same is true now.

Zhou Suqing bumped into him, he couldn't just sit there and watch, but that was all. Now that he was free, he naturally didn't want to cause himself more trouble.

So, when Jia Zheng asked him if he knew the origin of the serious criminal from Liaodong, Jia Cong naturally said that he knew nothing.

The two were chatting excitedly when suddenly a maid came in to report that the master's disciple Fu Shi had come to visit. Jia Zheng and Jia Cong were having an interesting chat, and the sudden visit was a bit disappointing.

However, this Fu Shi was very respectful and sincere to Jia Zheng, and Jia Zheng took him seriously. Unlike other disciples, since he had come to his house, he still wanted to see him. He just asked Jia Cong to wait for a while and he would be back soon.

……

After Jia Zheng left, the maid came to refill Jia Cong's tea. Jia Cong was feeling a little bored.

Suddenly, I heard a shout from across the yard: "Yuchuan, call your mother and take your sister out!"

Jia Cong recognized that it was Mrs. Wang's voice, with a high-pitched tone, and she seemed very angry, otherwise, as a lady of a wealthy family, she would not have made such a sharp voice.

The meaning of these words startled Jia Cong, and he suddenly recalled a case in his memory...

He also remembered that day in the yard, when he was washing the hair of Zhishao and other maids, and happened to meet Yuanyang and others who came over and saw it.

One of the pretty and quick-talking maids joked, "Qingwen, you are so bold. You are so clever that you tricked Master Cong into washing your hair. You must have had a sweet dream!"

Later, Wu'er told him that the person who was speaking was Wang Fu-ren's maid Jin Chuan!
At this moment, Jia Cong suddenly thought of what had happened. It must be that Baoyu had entered the yard just now and flirted with Jin Chuan, and was caught by Mrs. Wang. As a result, Baoyu escaped first...

Because of my appearance, Zhishao got into trouble and Jia's mother gave Qingwen to me as compensation, which allowed Qingwen to escape the disaster.

But Qingwen was not the only maidservant who fell into the hands of Master Bao. Jia Cong had heard that a maidservant named Qianxue had just been driven away a few days ago...

He hurried out of the room and saw a man walking away in a panic outside the courtyard gate. From his back, it was none other than Baoyu. What a scumbag.

After a while, a maid who looked somewhat similar to Jin Chuan, accompanied by a maid, hurried into Lady Wang's room.

Jia Cong took a step into the courtyard and heard Mrs. Wang scolding from the opposite room: "Look at the good girl you raised, get out, take her out and marry her off to a boy, so that I won't be disgusted by you!"

Afterwards, the voices of several women begging were heard, but Mrs. Wang was very angry and kept cursing, and the curses became more and more unpleasant, including dirty words like "little cousin" and so on, which were unbearable to hear.

This really opened Jia Cong's eyes. Mrs. Wang, who was always graceful and elegant, could actually say such words.

Finally, there was no sound in the room, and the three women came out in a daze. The old woman was crying and slapped Jin Chuan in the face.

The slap was so strong that Jin Chuan fell to the ground. Both sides of her face were red and swollen, and she looked very embarrassed.

When she looked up, she happened to see Jia Cong at the other end of the yard, looking at him with cold eyes, which seemed to contain a hint of pity.

That look was like a needle piercing her heart, making her feel pierced with pain. The most shameful scene of hers was seen by Master Cong San, which made her feel even more ashamed.

She staggered to her feet, rushed out of the yard crying, but bumped into someone.

The person cried out and almost fell to the ground. It was Qingwen.

Just now Qingwen delivered the embroidery pattern to Yuanyang, and then came back to this courtyard to find Jia Cong, and then go back to the East Palace with him.

Qingwen scolded, "Jinchuan, you crazy girl, you are so busy reincarnating, you are going to kill me."

Jia Cong's face changed and he shouted, "Qingwen, go catch up with her! She's going to commit suicide!"

(End of this chapter)