Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

The palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Qianyang Palace.

Emperor Jiazhao sat behind the imperial desk, listening to the report on the case from Xu Kun, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Only one day and one night had passed since Jia Lian was imprisoned in the Jinyiwei prison, but the Jinyiwei had already obtained the confession they wanted. It was unclear whether the Jinyiwei were too efficient or Jia Lian was too spineless.

Xu Kun bowed his head and said, “Your Majesty, after Jia Lian of Rongguo Mansion was imprisoned, he first confessed that his business dealings in Datong were all directed by his father Jia She, in an attempt to shirk his guilt.

After being lightly whipped by the Jinyiwei, he overturned his previous confession and confessed to using Hongchun furs and selling salt and iron, which were prohibited. He pleaded guilty to all the crimes.

After hearing this, Emperor Jia Zhao sneered slightly. Xu Kun must have received his instructions in advance, which was why he deliberately died to prove Jia Lian's guilt. However, the emperor and his subject only knew it tacitly.

Jia Lian, though the prince of Rong State, is a spineless dandy who has long lost the bravery of his noble ancestors. After a few whippings, he can do whatever he wants. He is a useless man.

Xu Kun continued, "According to the Jinyiwei's investigation of Hongchun Fur's accounts, Hongchun Fur went to Datong four times from the beginning of spring to June this year to deliver contraband.

A total of 300 dan of tea, 400 bags of sea salt totaling 1,700 jin, 413 iron pots of various types, and 260 iron farm tools of various types were illegally sold, and 9,520 taels of silver were obtained.

According to the investigation of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Sun Shaozu, the third son of Sun Zhanying, the hereditary commander of Datong, led the sale of salt and iron from the south in Datong. Sun Shaozu left the capital in July this year and his whereabouts have been unknown since then.

As a result, Hongchun Fur Goods' salt and iron business came to a halt, and no new goods were shipped out after July.

When I interrogated Jia Lian, he confessed to some related matters, which are quite involved. The Jinyiwei dare not act rashly and have to wait for the emperor's judgment. "

Emperor Jia Zhao's eyes narrowed slightly and he said, "Speak!"

Xu Kun said: "According to Jia Lian's account, when he was dredging the trade route in Datong, he had a banquet with local merchants and heard people talking about several noble families in Shenjing who were engaged in the salt and iron business in Datong."

Emperor Jia Zhao's eyes flickered with sternness, and he asked in a deep voice, "Which noble families are they?"

Xu Kun said: "According to Jia Lian's confession, they are Xie Jing, a second-class male and guerrilla commander of the Beijing Camp, Qi Jianhui, a second-class male, and Qiu Liang, the commander of the Five Cities Army.

According to the merchants from Datong who had a banquet with Jia Lian, these three families had colluded with the merchants from Datong through their housekeepers and servants since last year to sell contraband items, and their profits were even greater than those of the Jia family.

The specific amount and details involved require further investigation.”

Emperor Jia Zhao was so angry that his face turned pale, and he shouted: "These people are so bold, they hold honorary positions in the Great Zhou, but they actually disregard the laws of the country, sell contraband, and disrupt the border!
Guo Lin, which noble family do these three people belong to?"

……

Since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there have been not only the four kings and eight dukes who are famous and powerful, but also many lesser-ranked founding heroes. Although they cannot be said to be numerous, their number is indeed not small.

No matter how good the emperor's memory is, it is impossible for him to remember the inheritance of every family, so Emperor Jiazhao asked this question.

But as Guo Lin was the emperor's trusted eunuch and the commander of the inner court's chariot department, he had to be fully aware of this information.

When he heard Emperor Jia Zhao ask, he quickly replied: "Xie Jing is the grandson of Marquis Dingcheng, Qi Jianhui is the grandson of Marquis Xiangyang, and Qiu Liang is the grandson of Marquis Jingtian."

Emperor Jia Zhao sneered, "Great! They are all descendants of the founding marquisates. This is truly an insult to our ancestors. Xu Kun, I grant you the power to conduct a thorough investigation. Once these three families are verified, report immediately!"

Xu Kun looked excited and said, "Your Majesty, the Royal Guards will go all out to investigate this matter as soon as possible!"

These three families are considered to be long-established noble families in the capital. Now that their crimes have been exposed, the Imperial Guards have received an oral order from the emperor. The life and death, honor and disgrace of these nobles are all in their hands.

This feeling of controlling other people's life and death in the palm of one's hand always makes Xu Kun's blood boil.

Emperor Jia Zhao's view on this matter was completely different from Xu Kun's superficial desire for power. The thoughts and concerns that arose from this were much more profound.

He did not expect that the interrogation of Jia Lian would lead to the exposure of three noble families involved in the reselling of salt and iron.

Xie Jing, a second-class male and guerrilla commander of the Beijing Camp, Qi Jianhui, a second-class male, and Qiu Liang, the commander of the Five Cities Army. These three families have declined due to generations of demotion, and the titles and official positions they hold are not worth mentioning.

Perhaps it is their family's decline that makes them take risks and do these prohibited things in the attempt to make huge profits.

These three noble families are at the bottom of the nobles in Shenjing, but their family backgrounds and experiences are also a microcosm of the present and future of the nobles in the Great Zhou.

Jia Lian only occasionally heard at banquets that these three noble families had violated the law, so he wondered if there were other nobles who were also committing the same crime, encroaching on the border towns to enrich themselves.

There was even the act of selling contraband such as salt and iron to the nine border areas. Among the top nobles such as the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, were there other people involved besides Jia She and his son from the Rongguo Mansion?

If things were just as Emperor Jia Zhao speculated, then there would already be a black hole of rebellion against the emperor and the country among the nobles of the Great Zhou Dynasty. If this continued, state affairs would surely be in chaos!
When Emperor Jia Zhao thought of this, he felt as if his heart was burning with flames, and he fell into anxiety and anger.

He said in a deep voice: "Xu Kun, in the border towns, the salt and iron resale is rampant, which not only erodes the stability of the nine borders, but also poses a threat to the enemy's insufficient support. I will never tolerate it.

I have already agreed with the court officials that an edict will be issued today to dismiss the commander of Datong, Sun Zhanying, and bring him back to Shenjing for interrogation. The general of Datong, Qian Shaoyang, is suspected of harboring illegal criminals, so he is ordered to return to Shenjing to report on his work.

You must dispatch the elite members of the Imperial Guards to take the imperial edict to the north and escort Sun Zhanying, Qian Shaoyang and others back to the capital!"

Xu Kun was awed. Qian Shaoyang, the general of Datong, was a high-ranking official in the Nine Frontiers. If he was involved in the sale of salt and iron, the emperor would not tolerate it at all.

Your Majesty wants to investigate the case of Datong reselling salt and iron to the end!
As the chief officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and working in the capital, Xu Kun has spies all over the capital.

In the nine border areas, salt and iron are in short supply, as they are important military supplies. There have always been rumors in the streets of Shenjing that some high-ranking officials and nobles in the court are involved in reselling salt and iron for profit.

But these are all hearsay, and there is no actual evidence. As the chief officer of the Jinyiwei, Xu Kun naturally knows that anyone who dares to get involved in the salt and iron trade is a powerful person in the court.

Unless it is necessary, even though Xu Kun is the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and holds a high position of power, he is unwilling to easily get involved in this mess.

He really didn't expect that the confession of the spineless Rongguo Mansion in the Jinyiwei prison would arouse the emperor's anger and murderous intent, and he was determined to uncover the shady dealings in Datong's salt and iron trade.

Xu Kun could already foresee that as long as Sun Zhanying was escorted back to Beijing, there would be another general who would be ordered to return to Beijing to report on his duties.

Under the torture of the Imperial Guards, the case spread and many people were implicated. I don't know how many powerful people in the government and the country would suffer the disaster.

……

Earl's Mansion, Yingchun Courtyard.

Ever since Jia Lian was questioned by the Embroidered Uniform Guards a few days ago, there was a huge uproar in the Jia family's West Mansion.

After Xiangyun entered the East Palace, she told her sisters Yingchun, Daiyu, Tanchun and others what she had seen and heard in Rongqing Hall that day, which also caused a wave of fear and worry.

However, a few days had passed, and apart from Jia Lian being imprisoned by the Imperial Guard, no other incidents occurred in the two mansions.

Although Lady Jia, Jia Zheng and others were still worried, they were somewhat relieved that at least the matter did not spread further.

Compared to the worried atmosphere in the West Palace, the East Palace remained calm.

After Jia Cong returned from the West Mansion that day, he behaved normally and did his homework every day as usual.

Regarding the arrest of Jia Lian from the West Mansion, all he could do now was to wait and see what would happen, and just let Jiang Liu go out the next day to find out what was going on outside.

Jia Cong's indifference also made Yingchun, Daiyu, Tanchun and other sisters gradually put their minds at ease.

As for Xiangyun, she was the most concerned and had an inexplicable admiration for Jia Cong. Seeing that her third brother took it calmly, as if nothing had happened, she thought that this matter was not serious and had already put her mind at ease to play and have fun.

That day, Jia Cong finished his morning homework, had lunch in his own yard, and then went to Yingchun's yard to sit around.

After a while, Daiyu, Tanchun and other sisters also came over. Jia Cong and Yingchun set up the chessboard in the house. Except for Xing Xiuyun who sat aside to watch the game, the other sisters went to the yard to chat.

Whenever Jia Cong had some free time in recent years, he would play chess with Yingchun. Originally, he just wanted to entertain his sister, but over time, he developed an addiction to chess.

However, Jia Cong has a good talent for reading and writing, but his chess skills are slightly inferior to Yingchun. He has always lost more than he wins. Maybe the worse he gets, the more he likes to play. He never gets tired of playing chess with Yingchun.

But the situation today seemed a little different. The two had walked less than a hundred steps when Jia Cong occupied a corner of Yingchun and took a large piece of her.

Jia Cong laughed and said, "What happened to Second Sister today? She was so distracted that her chess moves were messed up, allowing me to take advantage of her."

Yingchun lost a game, but she didn't care at all, and said, "I went to the West Mansion this morning to see the old lady and Sister Feng. Although the old lady's spirit is worse than before, she looks fine.

These past few days, she has been in and out of Baoyu's room all day, hoping that Baoyu will recover from his injuries as soon as possible."

After hearing this, Jia Cong sneered in his heart. The old lady knew that there was no hope for her eldest grandson, so she simply put all her attention on Baoyu, the second son.

Yingchun continued, "But Sister Feng is not well. She has been ill for several days and has been taking medicine all the time, but she is not getting better. The old lady and the mistress are concerned about Baoyu's injury and have only invited a doctor to see her.

The doctor said that my second sister-in-law was too worried, and her qi and blood were dried up. Taking medicine is only a temporary solution, and worrying will slow down her recovery."

……

Jia Cong sighed slightly after hearing this and said, "It's no wonder that my second sister-in-law is so depressed. Once my second brother gets into trouble, his family will have no hope, and my second sister-in-law is a strong-willed person."

Yingchun frowned slightly and said with some worry, "When I came out of my second sister-in-law's yard, I happened to hear a few maids in the mansion talking about how my second brother went to Datong to sell salt and iron because of the eldest master's order.

Brother Cong, I have always known the temper of my second brother. He is most afraid of the eldest master. If it were not for the eldest master's order, he probably would not have run so far and made such a fuss. He would not even have enough time to drink and watch opera every day.

I heard from others that the Jinyiwei prison is not a place for people to stay. The torture inside is unbearable. Second brother is a young master who has never suffered. How can he withstand this? He must confess everything. I heard that selling salt and iron to the border is tantamount to treason, which is a serious crime. If the eldest master is convicted, you, as a son, will definitely be implicated. "

After hearing Yingchun's words, Xing Xiuyan's pretty face turned slightly pale, and she looked at Jia Cong with worry in her bright eyes.

Jia Cong laughed and said, "I was wondering why Second Sister's chess moves were all messed up today. It turns out it was because of what you heard. Now Second Sister doesn't need to worry about this.

"My younger brother knows what is going on. The matter of my second brother this time will not involve the eldest master openly, and it will definitely not involve me. The West Palace may experience some turmoil, but the East Palace will definitely be safe."

Yingchun's expression relaxed and she said happily, "That's the best. I've been worrying for nothing."

Jia Cong saw that Yingchun listened to him and did not ask why. It seemed that she believed him without any reason, which was somewhat blindly superstitious.

However, the situation on the chessboard suddenly changed. Yingchun changed her strategy and was no longer careless as before. She killed Jia Cong after just a few moves.

Xing Xiuyan, who was standing by, was relieved when she saw Jia Cong's confidence and Yingchun's peace of mind. She smiled and poured a cup of tea for Jia Cong.

Jia Cong was racking his brains to turn the tide in the chess game when he suddenly heard Xiu Ju's voice outside: "Sister Ping'er, why are you here?"

Jia Cong heard Ping'er's crisp voice: "I have something to ask your Third Master. I went to his courtyard and Qingwen said he was at the Second Miss's place."

Xiu Ju said, "The Third Master is playing chess with our girl in the inner room. Sister Ping'er, please come in."

Jia Cong, who was in the room, heard the noise outside and stopped playing chess. He just happened to see Ping'er entering the inner room.

Her long black hair was braided at the back of her head. She wore a long vest with an embroidered collar and an emerald green background, a beige cross-collared top, a beige long skirt, and a light green sweat towel tied around her waist. She looked very pretty and neat.

She saw Jia Cong's face blush involuntarily, and her heartbeat quickened. She said, "Our grandmother got news about the Second Master outside, and asked the Third Master to come over to discuss things."

Jia Cong was stunned for a moment and said, "I have also sent people to wait for news from outside, but I haven't received any report yet. Second sister-in-law is more informed than me. Let's go there now."

Ping'er quickly agreed and followed Jia Cong out of the house. When Yingchun saw Ping'er's back, her snow-white ears turned red.

Yingchun felt a little strange. What was wrong with Ping'er? Why did she blush so much when she saw Congdi? Even her ears turned red. She had never been like this when she saw Congdi before. What was going on?

……

Earl's Mansion, back garden.

Jia Cong took Ping'er and walked towards the corridor connecting the two mansions.

Jia Cong was tall and had long legs, and he walked briskly. After walking a few steps, he reached the front. When he found that Ping'er was no longer around him, he stopped to wait for her.

Only after Ping'er quickly caught up did they walk side by side.

Ever since Jia Cong moved to Qingzhizhai in the West Mansion, whenever Wang Xifeng had something to ask him, Ping'er would pass on the message. Over the past few years, the two of them had become very familiar with each other and would chat for a while whenever they met.

But Wang Xifeng's harsh words that day created an inexplicable layer of awkwardness between the two people who were usually very familiar with each other.

Fortunately, this strange feeling does not make people feel uncomfortable. To Jia Cong, the pretty and lovely Ping'er is not the shrewd and sharp Wang Xifeng, so he is still willing to get close to her.

When Ping'er saw that Jia Cong deliberately slowed down his pace and walked leisurely beside her, she felt an indescribable sweetness and satisfaction in her heart.

In the past, she and Jia Cong had often exchanged messages in the mansion. Although she had some ideas, she did not dare to take them seriously.

In Ping'er's eyes and heart, Jia Cong is the young master of the mansion, the earl of the East Mansion, and the top figure in both the East and West Mansions of the Jia family. She is just a dowry maid from the second house, and Jia Cong seems a little distant to her.

But today, as I walked beside him, the alienation from the past seemed to have melted away, even though neither of us said a word.

When Ping'er thought of what Wang Xifeng said that day, she felt for the first time that she could be so close to him...

The two of them passed through the small gate connecting the two mansions and went to Wang Xifeng's courtyard.

Along the way, Jia Cong was wondering what news Wang Xifeng had received about Jia Lian, while Ping'er followed him, feeling as if she were walking on cotton, her mind in a daze.

……

The two men entered Feng Ji's courtyard and then the outer room of the main house. Jia Cong saw Wang Xifeng leaning on the kang, her face was slightly yellow and she looked tired, with a plum blossom plaster on her temple.

When Wang Xifeng saw Jia Cong and Ping'er coming in, she sat up straight and said, "Third brother is here, please sit down. Ping'er, go and pour some tea.

I asked you to come here today because I got news about your second brother. He was taken out of the Jinyiwei Yamen at noon today and has been taken to the Dali Temple for detention."

Jia Cong was a little surprised when he heard this and said, "I also sent people to watch outside, but I didn't expect that they were not as well-informed as my second sister-in-law."

Ping'er brought in tea and said casually, "Grandma asked Wang'er to rent a house opposite the Jinyiwei Yamen and asked Wang'er to live there with two servants and guard day and night, so he got the news."

Jia Cong said, "Second sister-in-law is really thoughtful. I can't do anything with the Jinyiwei, but I have acquaintances in the Dali Temple. I will try to get the news as soon as possible. Once we get the result, we can make a plan."

Wang Xifeng was delighted when she heard this and said, "In that case, I will have to trouble you, Third Brother."

After Jia Cong finished speaking, he stood up and was about to leave. Suddenly, he thought of something and said, "Sister-in-law, my second brother is the prince of Rongguo Mansion. Now he is in prison. It must be a hot topic in Shenjing.

I don’t know how many eyes are staring at our family right now. The world is fickle and when a wall falls, everyone pushes it. My second brother’s life or death is uncertain now. At this juncture, our family must not allow anyone to find new evidence against him.

If something else happens, it will make matters worse and my second brother’s life will be lost.”

Wang Xifeng was terrified when she heard this, and she quickly said, "Third brother, you are a man of insight. Unlike us women, you are women who can see clearly how dangerous things are. Third brother, please feel free to speak up."

Jia Cong replied: "Some things have nothing to do with me, and I shouldn't say these things, but now is a critical juncture, and I have to tell my second sister-in-law.

In previous years, I heard rumors from the mansion that Second Sister-in-law had taken some of her spare money and lent it out at high interest rates.”

When Wang Xifeng heard this, her face changed drastically. Only Ping'er and Wang'er's wife knew that she had lent money at high interest. Not only did the old lady and the lady know nothing about it, she even kept it a secret from Jia Lian.

Could it be that the third brother Cong is a ghost? How did he know such private matters?

Wang Xifeng immediately looked at Ping'er. She thought that she was going to marry Ping'er to Jia Cong, and this girl was so tempted that she actually told Jia Cong privately.

When Ping'er saw Wang Xifeng's eyes, she knew what she was thinking. Her expression changed slightly and she shook her head at her anxiously.

When Wang Xifeng saw Ping'er's expression, she immediately believed that Ping'er had not leaked the information. Ping'er had been with her since she was a child, so she did have some trust in her.

……

Jia Cong saw the expressions of the two people and didn't know what they meant. He said, "No one in the mansion told me this. Although the matter of my second sister-in-law is secret, many people outside know about it.

As long as you pay a little attention, you will not be able to hide it. Lending money at high interest is strictly prohibited by the government. Although many wealthy families do it, the interest rate is too high and it can easily lead to the ruin of a family, which is really harmful to one's virtue.

Now my second brother is involved in the serious crime of selling salt and iron. Not only will he suffer, but the entire Rongguo Mansion will be implicated. This is a life-threatening juncture if someone catches him lending money at high interest.

With so many crimes combined, I'm afraid my second brother's case will get even more out of control."

After hearing what Jia Cong said, Wang Xifeng's face turned pale. She was a very shrewd and calculating person, and she always loved money and power.

She also had the support of the Rongguo Jia family, so she could make a lot of money by lending money at high interest rates, and the money came easily and quickly.

Many noble families in the capital were doing this secretly. How could someone as bold as Wang Xifeng let it go?

Although Ping'er had advised her privately, she would never take it to heart. In the past few years, she had drawn money from the public treasury as capital and made a lot of money.

Now, after hearing what Jia Cong said, she broke out in a cold sweat. In the past, the eldest master of the mansion was in power, and even if others knew that she was lending money at high interest, they would not dare to make things difficult for her.

But in the current situation, everyone pushes down the wall and steps on the mud. If someone makes trouble, there will be complete failure.

Wang Xifeng said quickly, "Third brother, what you said makes sense. I will have the principal returned as soon as possible today, and I don't want a penny of interest."

Jia Cong said: "That's exactly what we should do. Even if we lose some money, the sooner this matter is resolved, the better."

After Jia Cong left, Wang Xifeng said to Ping'er, "Go and tell Lai Wang's family to get back the money we left outside as soon as possible. Don't keep an eye on the interest, just get back the principal.

And it is imperative to take back the deed, even if you lose some capital. Anyway, you have made a lot of money in the past, so you will lose it all anyway. The sooner you understand it, the better.

In addition, he immediately turned down two lawsuits that he had been working on, returned all the gifts, and asked the other party to write receipts and say that he was powerless to help.

After all, Cong Lao San is an official figure. He can see things more clearly than us women at this critical moment. As long as the Second Master's life can be saved, nothing else matters."

Ping'er's face was full of joy: "Third Master, what you said is reasonable, and grandma is also very insightful. These things are inherently risky, and it should have been done a long time ago. Our family can save some money and we don't need that little bit of money."

Wang Xifeng smiled bitterly and said, "You silly girl, it's easy for you to say that. I can save some money, but can the old lady, the madam, and Baoyu also save money? But I can't care so much now."

Wang Xifeng suddenly realized something and sneered, "You little bitch, you haven't even followed my third brother yet, but you're already speaking for him. I've raised you for nothing for so many years!" (End of this chapter)