Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Ningrong Street, Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

Sitting in the hall were Lady Jia and Lady Wang, with Wang Xifeng standing beside Lady Jia serving her.

Sitting at the lower seat was a middle-aged woman wearing elegant and refined clothes. She was Liu Xianjia, the housekeeper of the second branch of the Zhen family.

She was accompanied by two maids, and there were several black and red lacquered gift cabinets in the hall.

Liu Xianjia said: "When our third daughter arrived in Shenjing, she had to go to the mansion to pay her respects to the lady.

It's just that the old concubine has been unwell these days, and the third lady has been serving her since she entered the palace, so she couldn't spare the time to pay a visit to the old lady, which was a breach of etiquette for the younger generation, so she specially asked me to come to the old lady's house to apologize."

Grandmother Jia asked: "She is filial in serving her elders, which is very good. What is there to apologize for?

But how come you came to Beijing all of a sudden? Your daughter has been here for a few days, but we didn't know anything about it. We were really negligent."

Grandmother Jia thought that Miss Zhen San would most likely become her granddaughter-in-law in the future, and also because of her connections with the palace, so her words were kind and polite.

Liu Xianjia naturally knew that Zhen Fangqing had hurried to Shenjing to meet the old Concubine Zhen in the palace because she was critically ill, but this was too taboo and she would never say it in front of outsiders.

"The third young lady has been raised in the palace by the old concubine since she was a child. Now that the old lady is old, she wrote a letter asking to see the third young lady, so the young lady came."

Liu Xian's wife's somewhat confusing reply had a different meaning to Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang.

It was felt that the old Concubine Zhen was planning the marriage. She had summoned Jia Cong before, and now she even summoned the girl from far away to the capital and specially sent her to the palace to serve.

Now that things have gotten this far, I'm afraid the arranged marriage will be imminent.

When Lady Jia thought of Xiangyun, she felt very regretful; and when Mrs. Wang thought of the honor of marriage that Jia Cong would receive, she couldn't help feeling depressed and jealous.

……

When Zhen Fangqing received the letter from Shenjing, he set out from Jinling the next day.

Because she left in a hurry, she did not have time to prepare the gifts for visiting her elderly relatives in the capital.

It was not until two days after Zhen Fangqing set off that the Zhen family prepared a cart of gifts and gold and silver and asked Liu Xian's family to escort it to Shenjing.

The Zhen and Jia families are old friends. Now that Zhen Fangqing has arrived in the capital, although it was due to the old Concubine Zhen, it was a bit rude for him to remain silent for many days after arriving in the capital.

What's more, her relationship with Jia Cong is subtle and ambiguous. Jia Mu is Jia Cong's grandmother and a respected state lady, so it is inevitable for her to pay respects at the mansion.

As soon as Liu Xianjia arrived in Shenjing yesterday, she received a message from her, asking her to pay a visit to Lady Jia on her behalf, because the old concubine's condition in the palace worsened and she could not leave the palace for a while.

Liu Xianjia pointed to several boxes of gifts in the hall and said, "Here are the gifts from the old lady to the Madam, and there are gifts from the third girl to the girls and sisters in the mansion. The last box is for Earl Weiyuan."

Liu Xianjia explained the gifts one by one, and Jia Mu and Wang Fu-ren thanked them. Everyone chatted for a while, and then Liu Xianjia said goodbye and left.

Wang Xifeng saw several boxes of gifts in the hall and said with a smile, "Grandfather, Miss Zhen San is quite clever. Although she hasn't arrived yet, her etiquette is impeccable."

Grandmother Jia sighed and said, "The old concubine called her all the way from Jinling to the capital. I think the marriage may be imminent, so our family should make some preparations.

Feng girl, your two sisters are still living in the East Mansion, and Cong brother is about to come down to get married, you should arrange for Yuer and Tan girl to move here first, so as to avoid this hurdle, it is necessary. "

In Grandmother Jia's view, Jia Cong's marriage is approaching, and Daiyu, Tanchun and Yingchun are different after all. Although they are sisters and close relatives in the eyes of the people in the two mansions, it is nothing for them to live in the Earl's Mansion.

But the future granddaughter-in-law might come to your house sooner or later, so it’s always right to be cautious in front of outsiders.

……

After leaving Rongqing Hall, Wang Xifeng returned to her own courtyard to change her clothes, and then she wanted to go to the East Palace to discuss the matter in person.
Just then, Wang'er's daughter-in-law came to talk about the debt collection outside. Wang Xifeng was unable to leave for the moment, so she asked Ping'er to go to the East Palace to pass on the message.

After receiving the instructions, Ping'er left the courtyard, passed through the corridors and alleys, and headed towards Lixiang Courtyard. The small courtyard gate connecting the two mansions was just to the left of Lixiang Courtyard.

As soon as they arrived at Lixiang Courtyard, they met Baoyu coming towards them. He saw Ping'er dressed in silk and satin, with gold and silver belts, and had a very beautiful face.

He stepped forward and asked, "Sister Ping'er, where are you going?"

Ping'er smiled and said, "Our grandmother asked me to bring a message to Miss Lin and the third Miss. The old lady has sent a message, asking the two girls to move back to the West Mansion first. I was just about to go and tell them about this."

Baoyu had just gone to Lixiangyuan to talk to Baochai. Now among the sisters, only Baochai still lives in the West Mansion.

But when he arrived at Lixiang Courtyard, he heard Aunt Xue say that Baochai had gone to the East Palace early in the morning to chat and joke with her sisters.

Baoyu was greatly disappointed after hearing this. He felt that the East Palace was really weird. The sisters and girls in the family would run there when they had nothing to do, leaving him alone in everything.

He saw Jin Chuan'er still in Lixiangyuan and wanted to go up to her and say a few nice words to her.

But Jin Chuan'er had seen ghosts before, so how could she not be afraid of the dark? When she saw Baoyu coming, she hid eight feet away from him, making Baoyu feel very frustrated.

Baoyu was just leaving Lixiang Courtyard in a daze, but when he met Ping'er and heard such good news, he couldn't help but be overjoyed.

Daiyu had moved to the East Palace for several months, and Baoyu felt extremely uncomfortable. He wanted to talk to Daiyu and ask her to move back to the West Palace as soon as possible so that they could talk together on a daily basis.

But it was difficult for him to enter the inner courtyard of the East Palace. The ordinary sisters were all together, and Baoyu had no chance to be alone with Daiyu. He also had no time to beg her to go to the West Palace.

Although Baoyu was a bit of a dandy, he was not stupid. He knew that even if he begged Lin Daiyu, she would probably not pay much attention to him.

If Ping'er heard that the old lady had ordered people to move back to the West Palace, how could he not be extremely happy? He would immediately ask Ping'er to go to the East Palace to discuss the matter.

He hurried back to the yard and looked for the exquisite things he had obtained in Prince Beijing's Mansion the day before, preparing to give them to Sister Lin when she returned to the West Mansion to please her.

……

On the northern outskirts of Shenjing City, there is a workshop built by the Firearms Division of the Ministry of Works.

After Jia Cong returned from Jinling, he spent a lot of time every day reviewing the classics and essays in preparation for the imperial examination in late spring next year.

Although he knew that Jia She's fur shop was involved in the theft of muskets, he could only wait and see what would happen in the current situation.

This morning I took some time to visit the firearms workshop in the north of the city and brought back a concept sketch of a breech-loading rifle.

Today, the construction of firearms in the Great Zhou Dynasty has evolved from imitating the Ottoman Rumi gun to the new and improved Rumi gun. A group of craftsmen in the Firearms Department of the Ministry of Industry have accumulated rich skills in making muzzle-loading guns.

Although with the current forging technology level of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it is still too early to immediately enter the research and forging of breech-loading rifles.

But Jia Cong believed that before taking any action, it would be more effective to create a storm in concepts and understandings and break down the old cognitive barriers.

In his previous life, he was a researcher at the Provincial Museum. He had assisted the garrison in hosting an exhibition of modern and contemporary cold weapons. He collected and studied a large amount of relevant information and even came into contact with a large number of physical exhibits.

Therefore, a conceptual sketch of a breech-loading rifle was just a piece of cake for him.

The reason why he suddenly withdrew the concept of breech-loading rifles from the firearms workshop at this time was not just because he wanted to push the firearms forging industry of the Great Zhou to a new height.

There is another deeper meaning to this, which is to firmly establish his irreplaceable forward-looking leadership position in the manufacture of firearms in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

This was a different strategy that Jia Cong adopted after he discovered that Jia She had stolen muskets and was suspected of manufacturing firearms illegally, and he had lost control of the situation.

Ever since Jia Cong used various firearms to pacify the Jurchens in Liaodong in one fell swoop, the emperor has regarded the manufacture of firearms as a national defense technique.

Considering people's current understanding of muskets, the breech-loading rifle is an eye-catching and ingenious idea.

Once such a construction concept is proposed, it will definitely greatly increase Jia Cong's weight and importance in Emperor Jia Zhao's heart.

Once the incident of Jia She's smuggling and privately manufacturing muskets came to light, Jia Cong, as Jia She's biological son, would be implicated and impacted to the minimum because of his irreplaceable position in the emperor's heart.

He will also have more energy to ensure the safety and security of those close to him...

……

When Jia Cong summoned Liu Shizhen, deputy director of the Firearms Bureau, and several core firearms craftsmen, he explained the conceptual drawing of the Houtang gun.

Liu Shizhen and several others looked at Jia Cong with an expression of disbelief.

He didn't know what the brain of this young supervisor was made of to be able to come up with such a strange and ingenious firearm structure.

As soon as Jia Cong finished explaining the blueprint, they rushed forward and surrounded the concept map, their eyes filled with madness and obsession, and everyone seemed to be possessed.

Jia Cong successfully lit the fire and then left the firearms workshop.

He was not naive enough to think that this heavily guarded firearms workshop would not have any spies from Emperor Jiazhao or the Imperial Chariot Commission.

I believe that the news about this breech-loading rifle blueprint will reach the palace soon.

……

Jude Square, Earl's Palace.

After Ping'er passed the gate between the two mansions and entered the East Mansion, she wanted to go to Daiyu's courtyard.

On the way, I met a little maid. She was wearing a snow-blue printed cross-collar vest, a peach-red stand-up collar jacket, and a pink long skirt. She had delicate and sharp eyes. She was Xiuju, Yingchun's maid.

When he saw Ping'er, he smiled and said, "Sister Ping'er, how come you have time to come here today?"

Ping Er smiled and said, "You have become more beautiful since you came to the East Palace. It is obvious that people are kept here. I am delivering a message to the girls. Where are you going?"

Xiu Ju replied, "The girls are all in the Second Miss's Courtyard now. The Second Miss asked me to invite Miss Lin to come and talk."

Pingren smiled and said, "This is convenient. It saves me a trip."

As she spoke, she went straight to Yingchun's courtyard. Just after entering the courtyard, before reaching the main house, she heard the voices of young girls talking. When she went in, she saw Yingchun, Tanchun, Xichun, Baochai, and Xing Xiuyun were all there.

He said with a smile: "It's impossible to post a message today, but everyone is here so fully."

Yingchun smiled and said, "Sister Ping'er, it's a rare visit for you. Come in and have a seat."

Ping'er came in and sat down with a smile, saying, "I got instructions from our grandmother to bring a message to Miss Lin and Miss San. The old lady said that the two girls should move back to the West Mansion first." Yingchun was surprised and said, "They are living well here, why did the old lady suddenly think of moving the two sisters back?"

Ping Erh smiled and said, "There is a reason for this. It is a happy event indeed. Before this matter was not confirmed, the old lady did not allow the servants to spread it. Now that it is confirmed, there is no such concern.

You must have all heard about the palace's arrangement of a marriage between the Third Master and Miss Zhen. Now it's basically settled.

A few days ago, the Third Master was in the palace and had been summoned by the old Concubine Zhen, who said that she was very satisfied with the Third Master's character. Today, the Zhen family came to give gifts and said that the old Concubine had sent a message to Jinling that the girl from the Zhen family had entered the palace a few days ago.

Looking at the situation, the old lady estimated that the arranged marriage was most likely going to happen soon, so the two governments had to make some preparations.

As long as the marriage decree comes down, the East Palace will have a new grandmother, and the two families will inevitably have some visits and exchanges. The old lady asked Miss Lin and the third lady to move back to the West Palace to take shelter at this juncture.

When this period is over, and the sisters like to play together, it won’t be too late to move back.”

Ping'er's words surprised Yingchun and others. Hadn't the issue of the arranged marriage been settled a long time ago? Why was it brought up again now?

And judging from the situation, it should be coming true soon, otherwise the old lady would not have let Daiyu and Tanchun move back to the West Mansion to avoid suspicion.

……

After hearing what Ping'er said, Tanchun's heart instantly became empty and cold. Although she knew that her third brother would get married sooner or later, she didn't expect it to be so soon.

When the third brother marries Miss Zhen San, the Earl's Mansion will have a mistress. At that time, the brothers and sisters can no longer be as close and carefree as before.

Originally, in Tanchun's eyes, the Earl's Mansion was a delightful place, with green trees and fragrant flowers, beautiful stones and beautiful waters. Not only did she have her sisters to keep her company, but she could also learn calligraphy and chat with her third brother.

Now, everything has become cold and distant in an instant. The brilliant and colorful light that originally filled my heart has been punctured in an instant like an unclean and beautiful dream...

When Baochai heard the news, her face turned pale uncontrollably, although she knew in her heart that she and Jia Cong were not a good match and there was not much possibility.

These days, she can see him from time to time and chat with him in her spare time. She feels relaxed and happy every day. This is a status quo that she does not want to break.

The rumor of the arranged marriage in the palace had been forgotten for a while, but it was unexpectedly brought up again, and it was about to come true. The old lady even took the action of welcoming the bride to avoid suspicion.

Baochai felt unbearable pain in her heart, but she was intelligent and calm, and acted with dignity. Her sisters and Ping'er were in front of her, so she didn't dare to let her emotions run wild, but her bright eyes turned red in an instant.

Among the people present, only Xing Xiuyun could remain calm. Although Madam Xing had planned to marry her to Jia Cong, she was smart and wise, and had already determined in her heart that it would not work.

Later, the promised marriage did not come to fruition. Although I was disappointed, it was not difficult to accept it.

Later, when Xing Xiuyan learned about the words "promise his wife to be a concubine", she felt somewhat confused.

But Yingchun, as Jia Cong's eldest sister, settled her in her own courtyard and treated her kindly and specially.

This comforted Xing Xiuyan and gave her a vague expectation, so when she heard the rumor that Jia Cong had arranged a marriage, although she was inevitably sad, she was not so sad that she couldn't control herself.

……

Ping'er noticed that as soon as she finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy, making it seem like she was suffocating.

Especially Baochai's strange expression, which was full of sadness that was difficult to conceal. She was also a very smart woman, full of youthful feelings, so she could easily understand the meaning.

Yingchun was also very surprised when she heard the news, but as Jia Cong's eldest sister, this was also a happy event for her brother after all.

Moreover, Yingchun had also seen Miss Zhen San in person, and she was indeed an extremely outstanding girl, and a good match for her brother.

So he calmed down and said, "Sister Ping'er, did the old lady say that the two sisters should move back to the West Mansion that day?"

Ping'er heaved a sigh of relief when she heard Yingchun's words, and said, "The old lady didn't say anything, but this matter is not too urgent, it can be done in a day or two, and then I will transfer some maids and old women to help."

Yingchun said, "Sisters, please move. I will take care of the arrangements in the East Palace. Please don't bother Sister Ping'er."

After delivering the message, Ping'er prepared to return to the West Mansion. At the end, she said, "Miss Lin will come over later. Second Miss will tell her that Second Madam has something else to do, so I will leave first."

As soon as Ping'er left the main house, she saw a graceful figure walking away at the courtyard gate. It was Daiyu in the background, but her steps seemed a little unsteady.

……

Jinling, the Jinyiwei Qianhu Division.

Liu Hai walked into the residence of the Jinyiwei captain with a stack of documents in his hand, feeling a little uneasy.

A few days ago, Liu Hai, on the orders of Jinyiwei Captain Ge Zhicheng, mobilized capable personnel from the ten Jinyiwei Captain's Offices throughout the city of Jinling to screen all the vehicles, horses, and goods in the city.

Jinling is a huge city where the northern and southern trade routes of the Great Zhou meet. There are countless carriage and horse businesses in the city that make a living by transporting freight, and conducting a large-scale investigation is a very arduous task.

However, everything has always been in the hands of human beings. No matter how complicated the task is, it cannot withstand the force of too many people.

In order to meet the three-day deadline set by Ge Zhicheng, Liu Hai selected hundreds of elite Jinyiwei from the ten Jinyiwei thousand-household offices to conduct a thorough check of the entire carriage business.

Finally, before sunset on the third day, they found carriage records matching those of Sun Dacheng and Hongchun Fur at a carriage and horse shop in the north of the city, and also located the location of Hongchun Fur.

This should have been a happy thing, but when Liu Hai learned the results of the investigation, he felt complicated and even regretted getting this result.

However, he was acting on orders from his superiors, and the final results of the investigation were known to the Jinyiwei who handled the matter, so it was impossible for him to hide it.

……

In the residence of the Jinyiwei captain, Ge Zhicheng saw Liu Hai coming in with a stack of documents, and he was delighted, because this meant that Liu Hai had found something.

He could hardly wait to take the document from Liu Hai and open it to read it.

Liu Hai said: "I and others have found a Fuyuan carriage and horse shop in the north of the city. This carriage and horse shop has been open in Jinling City for more than ten years. It has a considerable business and also has a branch in Shenjing.

We have been doing freight trading between Shenjing and Jinling for many years. We found the pick-up records related to Sun Dacheng and Hongchun Fur in the account book of this carriage and horse company.

The Hongchun Fur Shop is located on Hongping Street in Shenjing. The owner of the shop is Zhang Chenggui, but the owner of the Fuyuan Coach and Horse Shop is familiar with the details of this shop.

He said that Zhang Chenggui was actually just a shopkeeper, he was a servant of a nobleman in the capital, and the real owner of the shop was... "

Before Liu Hai could finish his words, Ge Zhicheng stared at the document and exclaimed, "It turned out to be Jia She of Rongguo Mansion. He is a first-class general of Rongguo in Shenjing!"

Liu Hai felt a slightly bitter taste in his mouth. The document contained the record of the Jinyiwei's questioning of the owner of Fuyuan Coach Company. In addition to him, there were also signatures from other Jinyiwei present. It was clear in black and white.

At that time, Liu Hai was a general flag of the Jinling Water Inspectorate. His second uncle was killed by a Japanese ronin in the Longtan Port massacre.

In order to find out the cause of his parent's death, Liu Hai secretly investigates the truth of the Longtan Port case. However, he is feared by Zou Huaiyi, a captain of the Water Conservancy Bureau, and is transferred to Da Ci'en Temple to guard the construction site.

Because of this, Liu Hai got acquainted with Jia Cong, and later assisted Jia Cong in capturing and killing dozens of Japanese ronin, and the two became friends.

This time, Jia Cong went south to Nanjing to handle a case, and the two of them had a lot of interactions and cooperation. They had a close personal relationship with each other, and Liu Hai also admired Jia Cong's strategies and tactics.

Now he had actually found out that his biological father was involved in the theft and private manufacture of muskets, which was a serious crime of treason.

As Jia She's biological son, Jia Cong would definitely be implicated in Liu Hai's opinion. If Jia Cong suffered misfortune, it was indirectly caused by Liu Hai, which made it difficult for him to accept.

……

Ge Zhicheng looked at the documents in his hand, and it seemed as if a surge of blood rushed to his head, and a burst of ecstasy overflowed in his heart.
A private firearms workshop was seized outside the city of Jinling, and Zhen Shiben of the Jinling Zhen family was already a suspect, but he was killed at the critical moment, cutting off the clues of Ge Zhicheng.

Unexpectedly, he found a new way and started from the two wooden boxes seized from the workshop, and actually found out that Jia She of the Rongguo Mansion in Shenjing was related to the private firearms workshop in Nanjing.

It is unbelievable that this major case of a private firearms workshop involved the two great families of Zhen and Jia.

Zhen Shiwen is dead, and it has become very difficult to verify whether the Zhen family in Jinling was involved in the private manufacture of firearms.

However, Jia She, the first-class general inherited by the Jia family in the capital, is much more important than Zhen Shiwen of the Zhen family in Nanjing.

Since the current emperor ascended the throne, he has always suppressed and treated the four kings and eight dukes coldly. When the emperor ascended the throne in a strange way, the two dukes Ning and Rong of the Jia family just watched from the sidelines, which made the emperor feel resentful.

Otherwise, last year, Jia Zhen of Ningguo Mansion's case of misappropriating people's property was just a small case, but it would not have been blown out of proportion, and eventually his property would have been confiscated, his title would have been stripped, and even his life would have been lost.

Ge Zhicheng was furious because Jia She, the heir of the Rongguo Mansion, was involved in the theft and private manufacturing of muskets in Liaodong.

As long as this memorial is delivered to the Jinyiwei Command Headquarters in Shenjing and eventually appears on the emperor's desk, it will be equivalent to giving the emperor a sharp weapon.

Having made such a great contribution, the emperor might not praise me openly, but the guilt of Du Hengxin's assassination would definitely be written off, and my future as an official would be saved.

……

Ge Zhicheng was filled with excitement. He walked to the desk, picked up a pen and wrote a memorial. He revised it twice, re-copied it, put it in a secret box, and sealed it with wax.

He then handed the secret box and the document to Liu Hai and said, "You have done a great deed by finding the location of Hongchun's fur goods. I will definitely commend you to the Commander-in-Chief!

This matter is of great importance. You are a person I trust. I want you to personally deliver this report and documents to the capital. Set out today and travel day and night to deliver them to Commander He as soon as possible."

He Honghui, the deputy commander of the Jinyiwei Command Headquarters in Shenjing, is a fellow townsman of Ge Zhicheng, and they have a close relationship.

Last time, the Jinyiwei Yamen in Shenjing issued an order, giving him a deadline of ten days to capture the murderer who assassinated Du Hengxin. Now, ten days have passed, and the murderer is still at large.

Ge Zhicheng is not sure at the moment whether the Jinyiwei in Shenjing has issued an imperial edict to dismiss and investigate him. If this edict has been issued from Shenjing, he would have been abandoned by his superiors at this moment.

Ge Zhicheng sent his most trusted man Liu Hai to deliver this urgent report, which was then forwarded to Xu Kun, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, by He Honghui, who had a close personal relationship with him.

This is to avoid the possibility of the credit being covered up or misappropriated if something happens to oneself.

The reason why Ge Zhicheng was so scheming was because he was in a critical situation and had to be cautious in everything.

Liu Hai took the secret box and documents with mixed feelings. When he walked out of Ge Zhicheng's official residence, he thought that if Ge Zhicheng knew that he and Jia Cong had a close personal relationship.

Would he still let me deliver this report?

The next morning, Liu Hai changed into casual clothes, rode out of Jinling City alone, and headed towards the capital. (End of this chapter)