Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 463: Matchmaking
In the divine capital, at Hongde Gate, the sun rises in the east.

Three carriages were connected end to end, and under the protection of seven or eight knights, the horses' hooves were galloping, the wheels were rolling, and they passed through the city gate and followed the flow of people into the Shenjing City.

Zhen Fangqing looked haggard in the carriage. After all, she was just a frail woman, and her body was exhausted after several days of long-distance and accelerated travel.

Zhen Fangqing half-opened the curtain and looked at the prosperous and bustling city of Shenjing. A few months ago, she had come to pay homage to the old Concubine Zhen. At that time, the old Concubine Zhen was still in good health and everything was fine.

In just a few months, the situation took a sharp turn and the old concubine became terminally ill and was in critical condition.

Not only will he lose an elder who loves and cares for him, but the Zhen family will also lose its greatest support, and the entire family will face unpredictable risks.

She suddenly thought that according to the time, Jia Cong should have returned to the capital.

When they first met in Xinglongfang, Jinling, Jia Cong left her with an unforgettable impression. Her uncle's plan for a marriage between the Zhen and Jia families aroused her feelings.

Later, Jia Cong came to warn her under the pretext of mourning Zhen Shiwen, which made Zhen Fangqing feel even more tender.

She had originally hoped that the old Concubine Zhen would arrange a marriage for her so that she and he could be a happy couple. This thought was lingering in her mind, and her anticipation and longing for him grew day by day.

But what no one expected was that news suddenly came that the old concubine was critically ill.

If the old empress dowager were to encounter misfortune, the matter of the arranged marriage would no longer be mentioned. As the saying goes, when a person is gone, the tea gets cold to him. By that time, the Jia family in the capital would no longer be interested in marrying into the Zhen family.

Jia Cong is such an outstanding person, and there are so many daughters of noble families in the capital, he can marry any of them, so how could he remember himself?

When Zhen Fangqing thought of this, she gritted her teeth, felt an unbearable pain in her heart, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

The maid Bei'er looked worried and said, "Young lady, we have already entered the city. It will take some time to go to the palace for investigation and to pass on the message. Why don't you take a nap first? You haven't had a good rest all the way."

She did not listen to the advice of her maid Bei'er and said, "How can I sleep now? I can only feel at ease if I see the old concubine as soon as possible."

The carriage turned a corner, Zhen Fangqing asked a guard to go to Prince Beijing's Mansion to report the news, and he himself rode in the carriage straight to the Meridian Gate.

……

Shortly after the Zhen family convoy entered Hongde Gate, two other unremarkable carriages also entered Shenjing from Hongde Gate.

The first one was carrying passengers, and the one at the back was filled with stacked sacks and gave off a strong smell of herbs.

After they passed through the city gate and walked for half a cup of tea, the two carriages separated at the intersection, and the carriage in front headed straight for Anfengfang.

Anfengfang is home to many of the capital's theaters, taverns, and brothels. It is crowded with people every day, noisy day and night, and the people are of mixed character.

The carriage drove into a blue brick-paved street in the town and stopped in front of an inconspicuous tavern on the side of the street.

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a man in a green robe stepped out. He was of medium build, with a straight back and a bright look in his eyes.

He quickly went up to a private room on the second floor of the restaurant, where a handsome man was already sitting.

When the man in green robe came in and sat down, he asked, "Did Shopkeeper Zhao have a safe journey?"

The shopkeeper Zhao, who was wearing a green robe, replied, "Something happened in the workshop, but it did not involve me, so there was nothing unusual along the way."

The man asked again: "Except for Zhen Shiwen, have all the others in Jinling been dealt with?"

Manager Zhao replied: "Before Lord Liu left Jinling, all the people who were in the way had been dealt with, and no one in Jinling knew the origin of the workshop.

As for the craftsmen and guards in the workshop, although they were all in the hands of the Jinyiwei, they were only doing the work for the money and had no idea about the details of the workshop. No matter how much the Jinyiwei tortured them, they could not get anything out of them.

Those craftsmen have learned how to make new muskets, and the Jinyiwei will definitely not let anyone escape alive, so this is a very clean way.

Several batches of muskets made and shipped by the workshop have been shipped to Texas and are currently near Yunyan Mountain. They need to find a remote and suitable place to settle down.

As long as we find new technicians and craftsmen, we can quickly create new muskets."

The honest-looking man said, "Did you find out who kidnapped the English technician?"

Shopkeeper Zhao said, "I have spent a lot of effort but still cannot find out the identities of these people. There is no trace of the Englishman either, so I have delayed my trip to Shenjing.

However, the two wooden boxes in the Jinling workshop left traces. Now the Jinyiwei have been searching in various states in the southern province according to the traces. I am afraid that one day they will find the capital.

Before he died, the man surnamed Sun said that he had never revealed his true identity to anyone. When he shipped the goods in Shenjing, the other party thought they were just furs from Liaodong. "

The man said: "We have been planning this for many years. If we fail, countless people will die, so we must not make any mistakes.

I have received news that the emperor wants to replace Ge Zhicheng, a captain of the Jinling Jinyiwei.

Elite members of the Imperial Guard have been dispatched to Nanjing. They have already left the capital today. They must conduct a thorough investigation into the Zhen Shiwen case. Otherwise, someone might find out about it. To prevent any trouble, we also need to sort out the matter in the capital.

Besides, Jia Cong has returned to the capital. He knows a lot about the affairs of Jinling. He is more difficult to deal with than anyone else. We cannot give him a chance to take advantage of us. This matter is left to you!"

When Shopkeeper Zhao heard this, his expression changed slightly.

……

The palace city of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Qianyang Palace.

After the morning court session, the sun gradually rose higher. The golden paint on the palace door reflected a cold and gorgeous light in the sunlight. The heavy palace door cast a large shadow on the black gold bricks.

After Emperor Jiazhao retired from court, he had a quick meal and then sat at his desk to review the piles of memorials. An hour had passed and he had not stood up once.

Since he ascended the throne, imperial power has been highly centralized, his majesty has overwhelmed the world, court meetings have never stopped, and there are always endless memorials to review.

The king is addicted to beauty and lingers in the harem, but this is rarely seen in Emperor Jiazhao.

He raised only three princes and four or five princesses, most of whom were born before he ascended the throne.

Even though the court officials may have had some complaints in their hearts or privately about the emperor's severity and gloominess, no one could deny that Emperor Jiazhao was an extremely diligent and pragmatic monarch.

Guo Lin walked into the hall holding an imperial edict in his hand.

He said to the emperor behind the imperial desk: "Your Majesty, Jia Cong's imperial edict has been checked and proofread by the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Imperial Clan Court. If Your Majesty has reviewed it and found it correct, you can use the seal to announce it."

Emperor Jia Zhao picked up the imperial edict, glanced through it, and said, "Ask the Imperial Household Department to use its seal to announce the edict."

Guo Lin quickly took the imperial edict, took two steps back, and replied: "I obey your order."

Emperor Jia Zhao thought for a moment and asked, "Has the condition of old Concubine Zhen improved in the past few days?"

Guo Lin replied, "Last night, the old Concubine Zhen fainted once. After the imperial physician's emergency treatment, she is now fine. Li Mingcheng from the Imperial Hospital said that the Concubine is too old and can only be taken care of with all her strength."

Emperor Jia Zhao understood the meaning. The so-called maintenance of Rong Yu was just a day-to-day basis. Once a man in his eighties was seriously ill, he would most likely not be able to escape.

Guo Lin said, "There's news from Qinghe Palace that the Concubine Dowager had asked the Prince of Beijing's Mansion to send a message to Nanjing a few days ago, asking Zhen Fangqing to come to Beijing to pay a visit. According to the time calculation, Zhen Fangqing will arrive in Beijing in the next few days."

Emperor Jia Zhao said calmly, "I didn't expect that the old concubine would care so much about this great-granddaughter of her family. She wanted her to come and see her for the last time..."

……

Rongguo Mansion.

Jia Cong and Yuanyang passed through the small door between the two mansions, walked through the wind and rain corridor, and went to Rongqing Hall.

Yuanyang suddenly said, "The girls were all here just now, so there are some things that cannot be said. In fact, in the past six months, the wife of the Marquis of the Shi family has been coming here frequently, and she has mentioned the marriage of the Third Master several times.

They often mentioned that Miss Shi and Third Master were close. Yesterday, the old lady sent Lin Zhixiao's family to the Shi family to give Miss Shi two rolls of tribute silk. Third Master is smart and must know what she meant. "

Jia Cong paused slightly. Yesterday, Jia's grandmother sent her trusted maid to deliver something to Shi Xiangyun. Today, the wife of the Marquis of the Shi family came to visit. Normally, Shi Xiangyun would come along, but she didn't.

Yuanyang could see this matter clearly, so Jia Cong could naturally understand the mystery behind it.

The incident with Xing Xiuyan just happened, and now there is Shi Xiangyun. The old Concubine Zhen in the palace is still holding on to the idea of ​​granting him a marriage with Zhen Fangqing. Jia Cong smiled bitterly, wondering if his love star was really moving.

Jia Cong said to Yuanyang: "Thank you sister Yuanyang for your advice, otherwise I would be confused when I entered the hall and would not know how to respond appropriately."

The sun shines brightly, illuminating the pretty and delicate faces of the mandarin ducks, making them more charming and beautiful.

He said: "I can only say this quietly to Third Master, but it will probably be in vain. Third Master is so smart, even without my words, Third Master will definitely be able to handle it well."

Yuanyang looked at the elegant Jia Cong with the corner of her eyes, and her heart trembled slightly, thinking of what Grandmother Jia said: Just do as I say, and I will make you happy in a few years. She couldn't help thinking that Miss Shi was actually very good. She had been raised by the old lady since she was a child, and she and she had always been close, and they knew each other well...

……

In Rongqing Hall, besides Lady Jia, Lady Wang and Wang Xifeng were also present. Another noble lady with her hair full of pearls and jade was none other than Mrs. Chen, the wife of Baolinghou.

Li was in high spirits today, looking very energetic, and was chatting with Lady Jia.

"Madam, I heard from our master a few days ago that this time Brother Cong has made great contributions in Jinling again and solved a major case. Even the second-rank official in charge of Jinling was arrested by Brother Cong."

Grandmother Jia was shocked when she heard this: "He is only a fifth-rank official, but he really arrested a second-rank official."

Grandmother Jia did hear some of Jia Zheng's stories about Jia Cong's work in Jinling. He said that he had solved another major case and arrested more than a hundred people.

In Jia's mother's opinion, arresting so many people at once must be petty thieves who have committed crimes.

But he never expected that there was a high-ranking official of the second rank among them.

Grandmother Jia came from a noble family and had some knowledge of the official system of the imperial court.

A second-rank official is considered the highest official in the country and is considered a high-ranking official in any province.

It was really unbelievable that his grandson, who was only a fifth-rank official, could actually climb onto the back of a carrot and capture a second-rank official.

Li replied, "How could it be false? It was written in black and white on the imperial edict, and it has spread throughout the court. Cong has been home for several days, and he has not mentioned it to you."

Grandmother Jia looked a little depressed. When the boy came back this time, he gave her a gift, and she even praised him a few words at that time.

But he didn't think about this important matter. He didn't say a word, and made himself look timid in front of his juniors.

He quickly tried to make excuses for himself, saying, "My grandson is very strange. He greeted me when he came back, but he never mentioned the work he did outside.

I guess he thinks there's nothing to say about these things.

Besides, I don't like to hear about his stories. Every time he goes out, he's either charging into battle to kill the enemy or solving a case to catch a thief. Every time, he creates some bloody things. I'm too lazy to listen to him."

When Li heard this, she was shocked. She didn't understand why Jia Cong didn't tell her about these glorious things when he returned home.

But this old lady of mine clearly knew nothing about this matter, yet she could still speak of it so proudly and with a hint of showing off. It shows that the old is still the wisest.

Li said, "Ah, madam, you should just keep this to yourself. If it gets out, many old ladies in noble families will be ashamed.

Other people's sons want to do these bloody things, and they are awarded titles by virtue of their meritorious service, but they don't have the ability and skills to do so. You don't even want to hear it. Isn't the blessing of the Jia family about to overflow?"

Baolinghou Chen's nice words pleased Lady Jia so much that she quickly said a few more humble words, and in the end the two of them were praising Jia Cong in disguise.

……

Wang Xifeng stood by with a smile on her face, just watching the show.

Mrs. Wang felt extremely uncomfortable when she saw the old lady and Li singing the same tune. She just thought that the boy was really weird, and she asked him to come up with different prescriptions every time to show off.

At this time, Jia Cong and Yuanyang entered Rongqing Hall, greeted the elders in the hall, and then found a seat to sit down.

Li smiled and said, "Brother Cong has been on a mission in the south. He has become more and more capable after being away for several months. Old Madam is so lucky. Now people are saying that this time, brother will definitely be rewarded."

Jia Cong was very polite to Shi Xiangyun because Li was Shi Xiangyun's aunt and had always been kind to him. However, he didn't know how to respond to this and just smiled politely.

Grandmother Jia said, "At his age, he already has such a respectable family. It is truly the emperor's great favor. It is his due for doing a good job. It doesn't matter whether he is rewarded or not.

My dear Cong, if you ask me, you have built up a family business now and have achieved such a success at your age, it is a great favor from His Majesty. You should be content with what you have and cherish your blessings.

Next year you will be old enough to dance like an elephant. Now that you have established your career, it is time for you to start a family.

Normally, people only say that I love Baoyu. In fact, you and Baoyu are both my grandsons. Although I love him more, I will not let you suffer any loss.

Now that you have established your career first, I will focus on your marriage first. Baoyu asked him to wait later. I know you have high aspirations, so I have found a good marriage for you with a noble family, which will definitely make you happy. "

When Li heard this, she felt very happy, as her aunt had finally hit the nail on the head.

A few days ago, Jia's mother heard about the marriage arrangement in the palace, but a lot of time has passed and there has been no movement. It is most likely a groundless rumor.

In addition, the rumor of the arranged marriage was circulating in the two mansions, but Mrs. Xing still dug up the matter of Xing Xiuyan, which showed that others also saw that the arranged marriage was unreliable and there was really no need for her to worry about it anymore.

Jia Zheng said that Jia Cong had made great contributions in Jinling this time. If he was rewarded again when he returned to Beijing, the situation would probably change again.

So they sent Lin Zhixiao's wife to deliver tribute satin to Shi Xiangyun, but in fact she was bringing a message to Chen, the Marquis of Baoling.

What it meant was that, although there were rumors of an arranged marriage in the palace, there had been no movement in the past many days, which meant that the arranged marriage could not be accomplished at the moment.

As long as the Jia and Shi families arranged the marriage first, although the old Concubine Zhen had a respected status, the third Miss Zhen was not a princess after all, so there was no reason for her to break off the engagement and remarry.

Li felt that what Lady Jia said made sense, and since she had long been fond of Jia Cong and Xiangyun as a good match, it was natural that they hit it off.

Today, Li came to the house to make things clear with Lady Jia.

She often came to the Jia Mansion and observed carefully. She found that Jia Cong was close to Xiangyun and they were very close. Whenever he got something good, he would not forget to save some for Xiangyun in addition to giving it to his own sisters.

Li was also a married woman. If Jia Cong did not like Xiangyun's personality, he would not have behaved in this way.

Xiangyun of her own family always talks about this cousin, and now she admires and feels close to him in her heart.

These two harmonious young men and women, who love each other, will surely fall in love with each other.

Therefore, Li and Grandmother Jia had the same idea that although this marriage was a union of the two families, it would never be an arranged match or a forced marriage.

……

Grandmother Jia regards Jia Cong's power as a great asset, and using him to arrange a marriage between Jia and Shi is her top priority.

She was well aware of what was going on in the inner palace, and knew that if such matters were leaked early and spread throughout the inner palace, it would most likely lead to complications and even ruin things in the end.

Moreover, although she was old, her eyesight was not blurry. She could clearly see that her second daughter-in-law felt that Jia Cong had stolen the limelight because of Baoyu, and she was somewhat jealous of this boy.

Although her daughter-in-law usually concealed her feelings and still acted kind and compassionate, Grandmother Jia could still vaguely sense it.

Therefore, Grandmother Jia would not spread the news about Jia Cong and Xiangyun at home in advance, so as to avoid any trouble and ruin the reputation of her niece's granddaughter.

The reason why Mrs. Wang and Wang Xifeng were present today was that the fire was about to burn right in front of them, so they were asked to be witnesses.

……

Mrs. Wang and Wang Xifeng were both shocked when they heard Lady Jia's sudden change of tone and looked at Baoling Hou Chen's expression and attitude today.

They were all the most prominent people in the harem. After seeing what was happening, they could not tell what was going on. The old lady wanted to marry Shi Xiangyun to Jia Cong!
Mrs. Wang was even more conflicted. Although the old lady seemed to be unfriendly to Cong'er, she actually valued him in her heart and even betrothed her eldest granddaughter from her mother's eldest house to him.

If she hadn't despised Shi Xiangyun for having lost both her parents and thought it was an ominous sign, and hadn't wanted Baoyu to marry Baochai, she would have been jealous to death now that she knew about this marriage.

But even so, it was inevitable that a bastard like Jia Cong could marry the eldest granddaughter of the Shi family, which made her feel uncomfortable and unhappy.

Wang Xifeng was shocked. She didn't expect the old lady to be so tight-lipped that she had kept this important matter hidden until now. She brought it up so suddenly that she was caught off guard.

However, although Wang Xifeng was surprised, it was impossible for her to have the same thoughts as Lady Wang on this matter. Cong Lao San marrying that woman had nothing to do with her.

Moreover, Wang Xifeng also thought of another level. If the third son of Cong married Xiangyun's sister and became the son-in-law of the old lady's niece, the estrangement between the two generations would be reconciled.

From then on, it was hard to say which one the old lady favored more between Baoyu and Cong Lao San.

Jia Cong is the brother of Wang Xifeng's first wife, so she is naturally happy to see such a situation.

Wang Xifeng understood what was going on and was just about to express her congratulations to liven up the atmosphere and help the old lady accomplish this task.

But Jia Cong, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said, "Old Madam, you have arranged a marriage for me with a rich family. I am grateful for your kindness and care, but it is not appropriate to discuss marriage right now."

(End of this chapter)