Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Jinling, Yuminfang, at night, a bright moon is in the sky.

There was a coffee table in the courtyard of Qu's house, on which were placed tea, candied fruit, fruits and other items.

Several people sat around admiring the moon. The atmosphere was leisurely and relaxed. Qu Hongxiu and Qin Keqing were laughing in low voices.

Three days ago, Guo Lin's memorial on the major case in Nanjing had been urgently sent to the capital. Jia Cong only had to wait for the emperor's order before returning to the capital to submit his report.

Jia Cong was reading a letter, which was a family letter sent by Yingchun, which mentioned the arranged marriage.

The letter was sent to the Jia family's old house in Xinglongfang, and Jiang Liu just specially forwarded it to Mingze Lane.

Yingchun's heart is filled with her brother Jia Cong. Although Jia Cong had been in Nanjing for only two months, she had already received several letters from home.

In this letter, Yingchun not only asked about Jia Cong's current situation and when he would return, but also talked about the recent rumors in the two mansions.

As Jia Cong grew older, his reputation became more and more famous. Among the elder relatives in the aristocratic families, there was often talk of marriage. As the eldest sister, she was naturally very concerned about his marriage.

Some time ago, the Zhen family in Jinling sent a letter expressing their intention to discuss marriage, and the old Concubine Zhen in the palace gave gifts to Lady Jia to show their closeness.

Later, news spread in the palace that the old Concubine Zhen was trying to match up Jia Cong and the third daughter of the Zhen family, and the emperor wanted to grant a marriage between them.

This news spread like wildfire in the East and West Palaces. Yingchun even knew that Daiyu had been ill for a few days.

Yingchun's mind is always on Jia Cong, so she naturally sees how Lin Daiyu feels about her brothers. She also knows that Jia Cong treats Daiyu very differently from other sisters.

She hoped that they could be a happy couple and that Jia Cong could get what he wanted. The incident of Miss Zhen San showing up halfway made her a little worried.

Moreover, Jia Cong was far away in Jinling and probably knew nothing about the rumors about the arranged marriage.

That was why Yingchun informed him in the letter home, letting him be aware of the situation and be careful about his words and actions in Jinling so as not to cause trouble.

……

After reading the letter, Jia Cong felt a little strange. He and Zhen Fangqing didn't spend much time together in Jinling, but he didn't expect that such a thing as an appointed marriage would happen in the capital, thousands of miles away.

Qu Hongxiu noticed that Jia Cong looked strange and asked, "What did Miss Yingchun's letter say? You look so uncomfortable."

Jia Cong handed the letter to Qu Hongxiu, and Keqing next to him also came over to take a look curiously.

Qu Hongxiu was also slightly dumbfounded after reading the letter, and murmured, "The palace wants to grant you a marriage with the third daughter of the Zhen family. How did this come about?"

Qin Keqing said with some jealousy: "I have met Miss Zhen San several times. She is not only very smart, but also in charge of the Zhen family's business.

She is a top-notch beauty, and knowing this, Brother Cong is so proud. "

Jia Cong's face turned stiff, and he smiled apologetically to Keqing, "Look at what you said. Miss Zhen San and I have only met a few times, and I definitely don't have that kind of thought. This rumor of an arranged marriage is really ridiculous!"

Qin Keqing's pretty face was slightly annoyed, with an expression of disbelief, and she deliberately turned her head away from him.

Qu Hongxiu looked puzzled and said, "The old concubine of the Zhen family lives deep in the palace, how could she suddenly think of bringing you and Miss Zhen San together? Someone must have mentioned this to her.

The elders in your house shouldn't have taken the initiative to stir up this matter. It must have been the Jinling Zhen family and the old concubine who sent the message, but why did the Zhen family suddenly have such thoughts? "

Qu Hongxiu narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, looked at Jia Cong with a somewhat unfriendly expression, and said: "Brother Cong, I heard that not long after you arrived in Jinling, Miss Zhen San personally went to Xinglongfang to visit you.

Later, you went to the Zhen family to celebrate the birthday. Tell me honestly, did you secretly flirt with the girl because she was pretty? Otherwise, why would her family be so excited to arrange a marriage for you? "

Keqing was puzzled as she listened on the side. What did Sister Xiu mean by flirting with another girl? Could it be that Brother Cong had flirted with other girls before...?

Jia Cong smiled bitterly and said, "Sister Xiu, you are overthinking. I really have never provoked Miss Zhen San. It is common for aristocratic families to form alliances to gain power.

The Zhen family is probably just attracted to the Jia family's status, but the Zhen family is facing a disaster right now, so a marriage like this, a favor from the emperor, will definitely not be possible."

After hearing this, Qu Hongxiu and Qin Keqing looked at each other in surprise.

Jia Cong recounted in detail what happened yesterday outside the city's west suburbs, and added: "The Ottoman fine iron in the private workshop came from the Zhen family's Haiyun Pavilion warehouse, and the Jinyiwei has been keeping an eye on this matter for a long time.

Jinyiwei Qianhu Ge Zhicheng's behavior and words clearly implicate the Zhen family, and Zhen Shiwen of the Zhen family is closely related to this matter."

Qu Hongxiu smiled and said, "That Miss Zhen San is a rare beauty. Something is going to happen to her family. Brother Cong, why don't you show some mercy to her and help her?"

Jia Cong sighed and said, "Privately making muskets is a taboo for the emperor and the court. If the Zhen family is really involved in this, I'm afraid no one can help them.

As long as the Jinyiwei found an excuse, they would put Zhen Shiwen in the Qianhu Suo. Even if they didn't torture him, they would use many methods to make Zhen Shiwen confess the truth.

Zhen Shiwen is just a spoiled son of a noble family. He acts rashly and carelessly. He may not be able to withstand the methods of the Jinyiwei, and things will be difficult to handle.

However, Miss Zhen San is extremely intelligent. It is impossible that she is unaware of the events in Haiyun Pavilion. Perhaps she has already found a way to evade the situation. Who knows…”

……

Jinling, Xiguan Wharf.

This is not a large wharf like Longtan Port, where large ships of more than 500 tons can enter and exit freely.

Xiguan Wharf is just an ordinary water port near the river in Jinling City. On weekdays, only small and medium-sized merchant ships come and go. It is an inconspicuous small wharf in Jinling City.

At night, the pier was quiet. Except for a few empty small boats docked, there was no one on the pier.

On the plank road along the river, Manager Zhao took Sun Dacheng towards a passenger ship docked at the pier.

A dim wind lantern was hung on the bow of the passenger ship, swaying slightly with the waves, becoming the only light at the pier at night.

Before boarding the ship, Shopkeeper Zhao said to Sun Dacheng: "This ship will take you along the river to Shenjing. We have people there who will arrange for you to return to Datong."

Sun Dacheng asked, "The Jinyiwei raided the workshop. The firearms from Liaodong were stored in the warehouse. I'm afraid they will find out that the firearms were transported to Nanjing via Shenjing."

Shopkeeper Zhao said, "Have you mentioned the matter of Hongchun Fur to other people?"

Sun Dacheng said, "How can I tell others about this? Shopkeeper Zhao can rest assured. The other party doesn't know the details of the goods. He just thinks it is a specialty shipped from Datong to the south. He has no doubts at all."

Shopkeeper Zhao smiled and said, "That's great. You can go on your journey with peace of mind."

Shopkeeper Zhao watched as Sun Dacheng walked into the cabin. A sturdy, dark-skinned water man quickly untied the ropes, poled out from the shore, and the boat slowly sailed towards the river mouth.

Sun Dacheng looked at the departing figures of Shopkeeper Zhang and Zhao at the dock, and the city of Jinling moving farther away behind him, and heaved a sigh of relief.

He was just thinking about having some quiet time after returning to Datong, when suddenly someone strangled him by the neck, followed by a piercing pain in his back.

"What are you doing? My father is the commander of Datong, and your family..."

Before he could finish, someone covered his mouth. The sailor's sinister voice came from behind him: "I'm in the water business, I take money to do the work, you're talking to the wrong person!"

Sun Dacheng was stabbed several times in the waist and ribs, his eyes rolled back and he soon died. Then his face was slashed and he was put into a sack.

The passenger ship seemed to have nothing happened and it still swayed out of the dock.

When the boat reached the entrance of the river, sacks filled with stones were thrown into the river and soon sank to the bottom of the river...

……

Jinling, Xicheng, Xiuchun Street.

Yu Niang urged Zhen Shiwen to drink, and Zhen Shiwen was already drunk with red eyes. He pulled Yu Niang to be intimate with her.

Cui'er, the maid who was serving wine and food, blushed when she saw this.

Yu Niang was teased by Zhen Shiwen, and her voice was shy. She hurriedly asked Cui'er to go back to the room to rest, saying that she didn't need her to serve her here.

Cui'er had seen this kind of drama many times, so she naturally understood what the two people wanted to do. She pouted and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Zhen Shiwen is handsome, rich, and comes from an aristocratic family. Cui'er has seen many of his ways of teasing Yu Niang, and has long been attracted to him.

But although she was in her twenties, her appearance was very ordinary. Zhen Shiwen, who had seen many romantic scenes, usually didn't even bother to look at her.

This made the little maid Cui'er very helpless. Perhaps this was why Yu Niang chose to find someone like her to be her personal maid.

As Cui'er walked out of the room, she saw two figures entangled and pulling each other in the shadow of the window pane, Zhen Shiwen's laughter, and Yu Niang's coquettish voice.

After a while, the candles in the main room were extinguished, and Cui'er went into her own little room angrily.

Because she was Yu Niang's personal maid, her room was right next to Yu Niang's main house, so she could serve her at any time. However, there was only a thin wall between them, so no sound could be hidden.

After a while, the embroidered couch next door shook like a mountain and seemed to be falling apart, with ups and downs, mixed with gasps and groans, and Yu Niang's trembling pleas for mercy.

This kind of erotic scene was not the first time Cui'er had witnessed it, but every time she heard it she still felt flustered, short of breath, and confused.

She covered her ears with her hands, but it was of no use. The sound was like waves coming and going, endless, and piercing her ears like needles.

Cui'er's face was flushed and she was absent-minded, so she naturally didn't notice that a black shadow jumped into the yard silently and tiptoed towards the main house...

Suddenly, Cui'er heard some loud sound of body collision coming from next door.

What followed was a dull cry suppressed in his throat, like a whine, and faintly the pleas of his girl, but the sound soon stopped abruptly.

Cui'er was slightly stunned, but not too surprised. She was knowledgeable and had probably learned a lot from Yu Niang's bed skills.

Every time the girl was fucked hard, she would deliberately make some shameless noises, really showing off to the extreme.

The obscene noises from next door finally died down. Cui'er felt dizzy and soon became tired and fell into a deep sleep.

It was not until dawn that Cui'er woke up from her sleepy eyes and went to the kitchen to boil water.

In the past, the Third Young Master and the girl would toss and turn in the middle of the night, and they would always take a bath with hot water in the morning. Although Cui Er felt unfair, she still did her maid's job in a disciplined manner. She had just left her room when she suddenly saw that the door of the main room was ajar, and she couldn't help feeling strange.

Yesterday the girl was busy with her own things and sent me out of the house. She clearly closed the door when she left.

Cui Er pushed open the door and called out, "Miss, are you up? I'll go and boil some water."

Cui'er called out twice and the room became quiet. She bravely walked into the room and was immediately scared to death by the scene in front of her.

There were two naked people on the embroidered couch, their bodies overlapping and dazzlingly white. What was even more dazzling was that they were covered in blood, staining the entire quilt of the couch red.

Cui Er let out a shrill and twisted scream: "Murder...!"

……

Jinling, Rongyufang, Zhen’s House.

Although the Zhen family is a wealthy and powerful family in Jinling, they have always had strict family education, and their children rarely do evil things or act unkindly due to their wealth. They have a good reputation among aristocratic families.

Although the eldest son Zhen Shiwen had been involved in the smuggling of muskets some time ago, in the eyes of Old Lady Zhen, it was not considered an act of bullying the good and committing evil.

Zhen Shiwen was confined at home for several days by Zhen Yingjia, which was regarded as a lesson learned from the family rules. People thought that he would behave himself from then on.

But I didn't expect that he had caused trouble again recently. I heard that he had kept a mistress outside and often stayed out all night. The third young lady of the first house had complained to the first and old wives several times.

Old Mrs. Zhen also taught her grandson a lesson once, but Zhen Shiwen said that it was just an occasional incident due to business engagements outside, and there was no rumor about it.

After that, Zhen Shiwen still stayed out every few days, but nothing serious happened.

As long as no women of questionable character were brought into the house, Old Madam Zhen would not bother to interfere. After all, those ridiculous things young people did were inevitable for the children of aristocratic families.

My grandson is already such a grown-up. I can't just suspect that he has a mistress outside and confine him to the house. If it gets out, it will become a joke.

But early this morning, a message came from outside the second gate saying that the Jinling Jinyiwei had sent someone to the door, asking the Third Young Master to go to the Qianhu Suo for questioning.

When the news reached the inner courtyard, Old Lady Zhen became angry when she heard it. She had turned a blind eye to her grandson's affair outside.

But he has been in trouble with the law time and time again, and has been involved with troublesome government agencies like the Jinyiwei. That's unacceptable.

So he angrily asked someone to call his grandson over for questioning, but the maid who delivered the message came back and said that the third young master had not returned home all night last night and had not returned home yet.

Old Mrs. Zhen became more and more angry, and called her eldest daughter-in-law to question her, but Mrs. Zhen couldn't say where her son had gone.

He could only ask the housekeeper to send more servants out to look for him and bring his son back home to ask him what he was doing outside.

At this time, news came from outside the second gate that a few Jinyiwei officials, after hearing some news, suddenly did not want the third young master to go for questioning. They left the Zhen Mansion in a hurry, as if they were afraid of leaving too late.

After all, Old Lady Zhen is old and experienced. She knows that these Jinyiwei are all stubborn and will never give up easily once they hold on to something.

He came to the mansion early in the morning to call his grandson, but he suddenly left without saying a word.

Old Mrs. Zhen had a bad feeling in her heart.

……

Jinling, Xicheng, Xiuchun Street.

At the door of the rejuvenation medicine shop in the middle of the street, there was a sign saying "The owner is busy" and the door was closed.

A stone's throw away from the Rejuvenating Medicine Shop, at the gate of a small courtyard with two entrances, a large number of Yingtian Prefecture government officials gathered.

Both sides of the street had been blocked by officials, and many passers-by stopped to watch and point.

In the main room of the courtyard, Zhao An, the coroner of Yingtian Prefecture, was carefully examining the corpse.

Outside the main house, Jia Yucun, the prefect of Yingtian, was also there, looking solemn.

Before dawn in the morning, a maid in the house rushed out into the street with disheveled hair, shouting "murder", which alarmed the nearby bailiff, who then called the patrol officers.

When the little maid said that the dead person was the third young master of Jinling Zhen family, everyone was shocked and the news quickly spread to Yingtian Prefecture.

The Zhen family is one of the most powerful and influential families in Jinling, with extraordinary power and background. Zhen Shiwen, the third young master of the Zhen family, is the eldest son of the Zhen family's eldest branch, and has a very special status.

When Jia Yucun heard the news, he did not dare to delay and personally brought the coroner Zhao An to investigate the case.

After examining the body, the coroner Zhao An came out of the main room. Jia Yucun hurriedly asked about the results of the investigation.

Zhao An said: "The deceased, Zhen Shiwen and Yu Niang, are estimated to have died around 3:30 am. They were having sex at the time, so their vigilance should have been very low.

After the murderer entered the room, he quickly killed the two people and stole many of Yu Niang's valuable jewelry."

Jia Yucun said: "That's murder for money!"

Zhao An said, "It does seem like a murder for money, but I have carefully looked at the cause of death of the two people. Zhen Shiwen was stabbed in the neck, and Yu Niang was stabbed in the heart. Both were fatal."

According to Cui'er, the maid who lived next door, the two people were in the room at the time and seemed to be no different from usual. When they were stabbed, they probably didn't even have time to shout for help.

So the maid Cui'er didn't find out that the two people had been murdered until she entered the room in the morning.

The murderer's killing method was so clean and neat, it was definitely not something that an ordinary thief could do... "

……

When Ge Zhicheng, a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, heard the news, he also hurried to Xiuchun Street.

Yesterday he tortured more than 30 prisoners from a private firearms factory but got nothing out of it. He was prepared to bite the bullet and take a gamble by going to the Zhen Mansion to summon Zhen Shiwen and interrogate him at the Qianhu Suo.

He decided that even if he couldn't torture him, he would still use every possible means to get the truth out of this noble family.

However, he did not expect that early this morning, he would receive the news that Zhen Shiwen had been killed. He hurriedly sent people to withdraw the captains who were the heirs of the Zhen Mansion to avoid leaving any room for gossip at this critical juncture.

Ge Zhicheng entered the main house of the courtyard and saw two messy corpses. His face became gloomy and ugly.

He successfully copied the fire extinguisher and built a private workshop, but did not get what he wanted, so he was about to make efforts on Zhen Shiwen.

I didn't expect this man to be killed suddenly. The time of his death was too timely and really weird.

Moreover, Zhen Shiwen died in his mistress's home, in a private room at midnight, which was filled with the atmosphere of vulgarity and debauchery, and inside and outside it was a common scene of murder for money.

Ge Zhicheng was extremely depressed. He felt that God was so unfair. It was as if there was an invisible hand that cut off all his attempts to escape from his trapped home.

……

Jinling, the official post station of the imperial envoy.

Jia Cong received a letter from Guo Lin early in the morning, asking him to come to the Imperial Envoy's Posthouse to discuss matters.

After he arrived at the official post station, he saw that not only Guo Lin was present, but also the prefect of Yingtian, Jia Yucun, and the captain of the Embroidered Guards, Ge Zhicheng, were present. Everyone had a solemn expression on their faces.

When I learned that Zhen Shiwen was murdered in his outer house on Xiuchun Street last night, I was really shocked.

Ge Zhicheng said: "Eunuch Guo, this time when we raided the private workshop that made firearms outside the city, we found the fine iron used to forge the barrels of muskets, which came from the storehouse of the Zhen family shop.

I wanted to bring Zhen Shiwen back to the Qianhu Division for questioning, but he was killed at this critical moment. Someone must have killed him to silence him. The Zhen family is still involved in this matter!"

Jia Cong stood by and watched coldly without saying a word, vaguely realizing the intention behind Ge Zhicheng's words.

Ge Zhi originally wanted to involve the Zhen family in the private manufacture of firearms, and use this as a credit to achieve his own goal.

Zhen Shiwen was suddenly killed, which made him lose the excuse to implicate the Zhen family, but he still did not give up.

Still in front of the imperial envoy Guo Lin, he framed the Zhen family with words, and tried to confirm the matter by taking advantage of Guo Lin's special identity.

……

In Ge Zhicheng's opinion, as a trusted eunuch of Emperor Jiazhao, Guo Lin would certainly be pleased to see the Zhen family, who had a close relationship with the retired emperor, colluding with the secret manufacture of firearms and plotting treason.

When he discovered the private firearms workshop on the outskirts of the city, he involved Guo Lin and Jia Cong for a similar purpose.

But Guo Lin was not an ordinary person, otherwise it would have been impossible for him to stay by Emperor Jiazhao's side for more than ten years and still enjoy the emperor's favor.

When he first arrived in Jinling, perhaps he did not understand many things, so he was tricked by Ge Zhicheng in an unclear way.

But now Guo Lin has slowly come to his senses. Zhen Shiwen is dead, and Ge Zhicheng has no real evidence, but is still trying to accuse the Zhen family with words. After thinking carefully, he guessed what the other party was thinking.

As a trusted eunuch of Emperor Jiazhao, Guo Lin was naturally aware of the implicit confrontation between the emperor and the retired emperor. That was the most obscure and unspeakable taboo between the father and son emperors, which could not be revealed to outsiders.

There is no need for Guo Lin to take such a risk as Ge Zhicheng did in order to clear himself of the guilt for Du Hengxin's murder and to easily touch this hornet's nest. It's not like he thinks his life is too long.

"Captain Ge, a private firearms workshop has appeared in Nanjing. This is an act of treason. This is a serious matter and we will report it to His Majesty.

You keep saying that the Zhen family is involved in this matter, but there is no actual evidence to confirm it. The relevant words are all speculations. If they can be taken as accurate.

The Zha family's memorial will detail the matter of the private firearms workshop in Jinling, but the reckless remarks made by the Zhen family will not be written there, so as to avoid the suspicion of deceiving the emperor!
As for your Jinyiwei's report, how you want to write it is your business, Captain Ge, and none of our family has any say in it."

After Guo Lin finished speaking, he looked back at Jia Cong and smiled slightly, "Jia Jian thought what you said made sense."

Jia Cong knew that Guo Lin was trying to get him to take sides, so he said sternly, "Eunuch Guo is very discerning and every word he says is reasonable. Jia Cong agrees."

After hearing these words, Ge Zhicheng felt bitter. They were both very tough. He had tricked the other party, but they responded to him so quickly. (End of this chapter)