Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Shenjing, west of the city, Chunhua Tower.

The elegant rooms on the second floor are decorated in an exquisite and simple style. Through the windows, one can see a corner of the bustling west city.

There was only an elm round table in the private room, on which was a small red clay stove. A black iron teapot was roasted by the reddish flames, constantly emitting milky white smoke and exuding a pleasant tea fragrance.

Jia Cong was sitting opposite a young man.

Since he learned that Jia Lian was escorted to the Dali Temple, he made an appointment with Yang Hongbin, the right chief of the Dali Temple, to meet here.

Jia Cong and Yang Hongbin had been to Jinling together twice, worked together to solve cases several times, and went through hardships together. The two were close friends.

The last time Jia Cong returned from Jinling after receiving the imperial edict, Yang Hongbin stayed in Jinling to handle the final affairs of a major case, and only returned to the capital half a month ago.

In the case of Jia Lian's selling of salt and iron, after being interrogated by the Embroidered Uniform Guards and confessed, the case was sent to the Dali Temple for final trial. Yang Hongbin, as the presiding judge of the Dali Temple, naturally knew the whole story very well.

Jia Cong reached out and filled Yang Hongbin's cup with fragrant tea, and asked, "Brother Yang, my brother was involved in a case of trafficking in salt and iron, and he has suddenly been sent to the Dali Temple. I don't know what crime he has been charged with now?"

Yang Hongbin said: "I have read your brother's confession. He confessed to the case of selling salt and iron in Datong, and his signature and seal are complete.

Yuzhang, you and I are old friends through thick and thin. Please forgive me for being frank. When I left Jinling half a month ago, I heard rumors coming from the Jinling Jinyiwei.

It is said that during a raid on a private firearms shop outside the city of Jinling, two wooden boxes were found with the words "Hongchun Leather Goods" on them, which were related to your father.

After I returned to the capital, I heard that your father had passed away suddenly, so I didn't take the rumors in Jinling to heart.

But yesterday I saw your brother's confession, in which the words about Hongchun Fur Shop opened by your father were consistent with the words on the two wooden boxes of the private firearms workshop.

I felt that there must be something fishy about this matter. Yesterday I read the confession carefully and pondered it privately, and concluded that your father was also involved.

With the harshness and efficiency of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, they were able to interrogate your brother without touching upon anything. Yu Zhang is smarter than I am, and he must be able to figure out what's going on.

In fact, you and I both know that your father's death is the best for Yu Zhang."

Yang Hongbin drank the tea in his cup, smiled, pointed upwards, and said, "In my humble opinion, they must have taken into account Yu Zhang's many achievements, and they don't want to affect you this time because of the death."

When Jia Cong heard that in Jia Lian's confession, he took sole responsibility for the crime of selling salt and iron and did not involve Jia She at all, he felt slightly relieved.

But at the same time, he also thought of many things. With the harsh punishments of the Jinyiwei, a playboy like Jia Lian would not be able to hide anything. However, his confession was full of lies, and his purpose was very clear.

With this result, the influence and impact of Jia She's guilt on himself have completely vanished.

The damage to Jia Rong’s mansion was also reduced to a certain extent.

Because the conviction of Jia She, the heir to the title of Rong state, and the conviction of an ordinary Rong state son are two completely different concepts.

The former involves the confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire family, while the latter is even just an ordinary criminal case.

Now it depends on the sentencing standards of the three judicial departments for Jia Lian's case, which ultimately depends on the sentencing standards of Emperor Jiazhao for this matter.

In fact, in Jia Cong's heart, although Jia Lian was wrong for colluding in Ping'an Prefecture, he was almost suffering on behalf of his father this time, so he could be considered somewhat innocent.

……

Jia Cong asked, "Brother Yang is well versed in law. How will my brother's case be judged in the end?"

Yang Hongbin said: "Your brother is involved in the salt and iron trade, but the amount and silver involved are not huge, and he is the legitimate grandson of the Rong Kingdom after all, so according to common sense, the palace will be lenient.

But a sentence of exile for more than ten years is probably unavoidable.”

After hearing this, Jia Cong was silent. This was probably what he expected. The death penalty could be avoided, but the living punishment could not be escaped no matter what.

Yang Hongbin added: "But the current situation is a bit tricky. When your brother was interrogated by the Jinyiwei, he confessed that there were three noble families in Shenjing who had participated in the reselling of Datong salt and iron.

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.

It is said that the emperor was very angry when he heard about this matter, and has ordered the Jinyiwei to conduct a thorough investigation. Once it is proven that these three noble families are indeed guilty, the situation will become serious.

Yuzhang, so many noble families of the imperial court are reselling prohibited items such as salt and iron in the border areas, which is tantamount to aiding the enemy in rebellion. This is a great violation of His Majesty!
I am worried that once these three nobles are found guilty, His Majesty will strictly enforce the national law to the nobles in the court and the public, and execute one to warn the rest. The verdict on your brother's case will be unpredictable!"

After hearing what Yang Hongbin said, Jia Cong felt a chill in his heart. He never thought that Jia Lian would do such a thing and expose other nobles for being involved in the salt and iron trafficking. This was a case of speaking ill of others and would definitely lead to a big disaster.

Jia Cong knew very well that Emperor Jia Zhao was disgusted with the old nobles such as the Four Kings and Eight Dukes. Now that the news of the nobles colluding to sell salt and iron in violation of the ban had been exposed, he would definitely not let it go easily.

If the method of killing one person to warn the rest is carried out, Jia Lian might even lose his life in such a turmoil.

Seeing Jia Cong's solemn expression, Yang Hongbin naturally knew his mood at the moment and said, "Yu Zhang, the situation is unclear. You can only wait and see, and don't act rashly.

Once the three families' crimes are proven and the palace has a plan, you can then act accordingly and try to find a way out for your brother..."

……

Rongguo Mansion, Baoyu Courtyard.

Ever since Jia Lian was arrested, Grandmother Jia asked Jia Zheng to keep an eye on the news of her eldest grandson, and to participate more in official affairs in order to find ways to reduce Jia Lian's guilt.

The old lady knew her youngest son's temper and didn't expect him to have the ability to rescue a grandson. However, there was no other man to take over the Rongguo Mansion, so she was helpless.

Originally, the evil creature in the East Palace was a capable person. In Jia's grandmother's mind, the only one in the Jia family who was capable of rescuing Jia Lian was probably that boy.

However, on that day, when Lady Jia heard in Rongqing Hall that Jia Lian was captured by the Embroidered Uniform Guards, she was so furious that she told Jia Cong about it.

As a result, this stubborn grandson didn't understand the ways of the world, and he didn't beat around the bush when answering. He just kept talking straight and ended up in a stalemate. Now Grandmother Jia couldn't bring herself to beg that little bastard.

However, Grandmother Jia knew Jia Cong's weak spot, which was her own son Jia Zheng. If she asked Jia Zheng to take care of her eldest grandson's affairs, he would definitely ask Jia Cong for help, and the boy would have to help.

But Grandmother Jia also understood one thing clearly. The emperor personally issued an order to arrest Jia Lian, which meant that Jia Lian’s case would not end well and her eldest grandson’s future was ruined.

In the future, the family title will be transferred to the second branch. Although his son Jia Zheng is ordinary, he has always had a good reputation and there is absolutely no problem in inheriting the title.

In the future, Baoyu will inherit the family title. This is easy for Grandmother Jia to accept, and she is even happy to accept it.

Grandmother Jia thought about how she had doted on Baoyu since he was a child, and now it seemed to be true. She was somewhat grateful for her foresight. Although it was not appropriate to bring up the topic of holding the jade in her mouth again, she knew that Baoyu was indeed blessed.

With such thoughts in her mind, although Grandmother Jia was still worried about Jia Lian, she cared more and more about Baoyu. She would go to Baoyu's room three times a day, morning and evening, hoping that his injuries would heal soon.

When Mrs. Wang saw the old lady's behavior, she naturally understood what she was thinking. Now, Mrs. Wang's heart was filled with joy every day. Her years of expectations had come true, and her lifelong plans had come true.

She heard that Wang Xifeng was ill, so she went to see her with Lady Jia and helped to invite a doctor to diagnose her, which was considered as doing her best.

After returning, Mrs. Wang thought again that now that Jia Lian was in trouble, the wind in the mansion had shifted to the second house. It would be sooner or later that her niece would not be able to manage the household, so she might as well make plans early.

So she called Tanchun from the East Palace, and because Wang Xifeng was ill and could not work hard, she asked Tanchun and Li Gongcai to take care of the household affairs first.

Grandmother Jia is an old fox in the inner house. She can see the plan of her second daughter-in-law. Now that the first wife's house is in decline, the second daughter-in-law is working to weaken the power of the first wife as soon as possible.

This will also make it easier for Baoyu's future wife to take over Wang Xifeng's position.

Her second daughter-in-law is also a cruel person. After all, Feng Jieer is her niece.

But Grandmother Jia pretended not to see Lady Wang's behavior and let her do whatever she wanted.

Because Grandmother Jia knew the current situation, it was a foregone conclusion that the second branch would be in charge of the mansion and the title, and such a thing was bound to happen sooner or later, so she didn't need to say anything herself, and let her stupid daughter-in-law bear the notoriety, wouldn't it be better?

However, seeing Mrs. Wang's actions made Grandmother Jia think about Baoyu's marriage, because in the future Rongguo Mansion will be under the charge of Baoyu, so it is very important to find a suitable wife.

The candidate for granddaughter-in-law that Grandmother Jia has been dreaming of is her own precious granddaughter Daiyu, but Daiyu is currently taking Sansheng Yanghun Pills, and it will take two years to truly cure the root of her congenital disease.

My son-in-law even specifically mentioned this matter in the letter, so this marriage will definitely not be possible at the moment and can only be discussed in a few years.

Although the old lady was just watching the show, she was not idle. She asked Yuanyang to pick out a few good ginsengs from her collection and give them to Wang Xifeng for her health.

He also specifically told Wang Xifeng to take good care of herself and not to mistreat herself. She was still young and had a long life ahead of her. Even if Jia Lian could not resolve the situation, she would not let him suffer as long as he was around.

……

Recently, apart from Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang, Aunt Xue is the one who comes to Baoyu's room most frequently. Not only because Baoyu is Aunt Xue's nephew, but also because the blood relationship is very close.

Moreover, after the accident of Jia Lian, the eldest son of the Jia family, the wind direction of the Jia family has completely changed. How could Aunt Xue not see the uncontrollable joy on her sister's face?

Now, Baoyu has become more and more rare in her eyes. Not only is he the legitimate son of the Jia family, he also has a good temper and personality, and he can inherit the title in the future.

In Aunt Xue's heart, Baoyu might have had some flaws originally, but now that such a big thing happened in the Jia family, all of Baoyu's shortcomings have been made up for. Otherwise, it is said that the world is unpredictable.

Although people like Jia Cong who can achieve great things are even rarer, there are only a few people like Jia Cong in the world, and it is really difficult to reach such a high level.

Apart from Jia Cong, it would be hard for Aunt Xue to find a son of a wealthy and powerful family like Baoyu, even with a lantern. Besides, Baoyu's personality would make it easy for her daughter to control him in the future...

Therefore, Aunt Xue visited Baoyu almost every day recently. Most of the time she came with her sister. When she came alone, she would bring some medicine for wounds or some nourishing tonic.

Originally, Aunt Xue wanted Baochai to accompany her every time so that the siblings could be closer, but she rarely got what she wanted.

Every time Aunt Xue went to visit Baoyu, Baochai either had a headache or a stomachache, or she disappeared early in the morning and went to the East Palace with her maid to talk to her sisters, and often did not return home until sunset.

Although Aunt Xue was somewhat helpless, there was still a long way to go. Her daughter's thoughts were ultimately wishful thinking. The only woman that Cong could marry in the future was a daughter of an official or noble family, who was not compatible with the Xue family. As long as some time passed, her daughter would have to give up. Baoyu was the right match for her daughter.

These days, Aunt Xue and Mrs. Wang have been discussing their children's marriages in private, because Baoyu will be old enough to dance with elephants next year, and Baochai has also passed the age of coming of age...

……

Ever since Baoyu was beaten by Jia Zheng and couldn't get out of bed, Jia Cong has only come to see him twice, and both times he came with Yingchun and other sisters.

Given his personality, he really had no intention of visiting Baoyu often.

It's not that he particularly dislikes Baoyu, he just feels that the two of them are poles apart and are not the same kind of people at all. There would be nothing to talk about if they met, so there's no point in forcing himself and wasting time.

Besides, Baoyu had lied this time and was beaten by Jia Zheng so hard that he couldn't get out of bed. It was all his own fault and there was really no need to sympathize with him. The fact that so many people were surrounding him and caring about him only blinded him to the truth.

Originally, he was at home in mourning and also had the excuse of studying for the spring imperial examination. Even if he didn't come to the West Palace for a few days, no one would gossip about him.

But what happened next made Jia Cong feel gradually strange.

Because Tanchun was called by Mrs. Wang to be the housekeeper, although she still lived in the East Palace, she could only manage affairs in the West Palace most of the day, so naturally she had to visit Baoyu every day.

It was just that Baoyu didn't take Tanchun's advice to heart the last time, and Tanchun didn't want to say anything offensive anymore. The brother and sister had less topics to talk about, and their interactions were cold.

Therefore, whenever Jia Cong was taking a break, Tanchun would often ask Jia Cong to keep him company.

Recently, Grandmother Jia has become more and more sympathetic to Daiyu, and invites her to Rongqing Hall every day to talk and have meals.

Especially when she saw that Aunt Xue loved Baoyu more and more, the old lady felt a greater sense of crisis and started to prepare for a rainy day.

Every time she came to visit Baoyu, she would always bring Daiyu along and try to find more opportunities for the brother and sister to spend time together.

Most of Jia Mu's thoughts about her grandchildren were on Daiyu and Baoyu. She naturally knew that Baoyu threw a jade in front of Daiyu that year, which made Daiyu so angry that she vomited blood.

After that incident, her two Yu'ers began to become estranged, but Grandmother Jia didn't take it too seriously.

Children quarrel with each other as they grow up, which is normal. Now we should find more reasons for them to get along with each other, otherwise they will not get along well with each other when they become husband and wife in the future.

Daiyu had been tricked by Lady Jia twice and was unwilling to be fooled again. Every time she and Lady Jia went to Baoyu's room, she felt uncomfortable when she saw Baoyu's shining eyes.

From then on, whenever Daiyu was in Rongqing Hall talking with her grandmother, Grandmother Jia would think of repeating the same trick.

Daiyu winked at Zijuan, asking her to ask Jia Cong to come over and take the blame, even if it meant delaying her third brother's studies.

So in the end, such strange scenes often appear. When Jia's grandmother often brings Daiyu to visit Baoyu, Jia Cong will often appear, looking very friendly and respectful to each other.

Although Jia Cong and Baoyu are close, Grandmother Jia is happy to see it, but she feels a little uncomfortable in her heart. It seems that every time this kid comes, it is at the right time and the wrong time. It is really strange.

……

That day, Grandmother Jia took Daiyu to see Baoyu again, and saw Jia Cong coming leisurely. He was not followed by his maid, but Zijuan. Grandmother Jia was surprised to see this.

Grandmother Jia felt somewhat annoyed, wondering why this boy was everywhere.

The three of them entered Baoyu's room. Lady Wang and Aunt Xue were there too, and Tanchun happened to come over too. With all these people in the room, Baoyu felt like the moon surrounded by stars, and he felt very warm and satisfied.

Mrs. Wang saw Jia Cong and smiled, "Brother Cong is really considerate of his brothers. It's amazing that he always thinks of visiting Baoyu."

Jia Cong had no choice but to smile, feeling a little strange in his heart. He saw Daiyu standing beside him, glancing at him with a pair of bright eyes. There was clearly a smile in her eyes. Jia Cong could not help but frown and glare at her.

Mrs. Wang smiled again and said, "In the future, the two Jia mansions will rely on you two brothers to support the family business. Brother Cong has experienced a lot of things outside, so you two brothers should support each other. This is the way to prosperity."

Grandmother Jia nodded and said, "Madam, what you said makes sense. Cong is an official. I think he is better than Baoyu.

You are older than Baoyu, so you should take better care of your brothers in the future. You deserve the fact that the master has treated you like his own son since you were young."

Jia Cong felt disgusted after hearing this. Jia Lian was still in prison in the Dali Temple, and his life or death was still uncertain, but Grandmother Jia and Mrs. Wang were already treating Baoyu as if he was going to inherit the title. This was a bit too ugly.

Moreover, he used sweet words to win me over, planning for me to protect Baoyu in the future. He could be said to have a long-term vision, but these tricks in the harem were too childish for him.

Although Jia Cong was full of clever ideas, he didn't know how to respond when faced with such nonsensical tactics and he didn't want to go against his conscience and be polite.

Fortunately, someone spoke up at this time and saved Jia Cong from danger.

Aunt Xue smiled and said, "Old lady, you are still worried. Brother Cong loves his sisters so much, so he will naturally care about his brothers as well. If the brothers work together in the future, the prosperity of the Jia family will be just around the corner."

Aunt Xue was best at saying these nice words, which made Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang feel very comfortable listening to them. The women each sang a few lines of opera, then left Baoyu's room, leaving the sisters to be together.

Jia Cong was relieved to see that several of the most prominent ladies in the harem had left Baoyu's room, otherwise the conversation would have been endless.

……

Although Jia Cong and Tanchun were also in the room, Baoyu only had eyes for Daiyu.

He smiled and said, "Sister has been looking better recently. I heard that she is taking Sansheng Yanghun Pills. This medicine is really good and can produce immediate results. The name of this medicine is even better. It is just right for sister."

Seeing that Baoyu was pretending to be flattering again, Daiyu suppressed her frown and said, "I have to thank my third brother for finding a good doctor for me."

Baoyu felt a little regretful after hearing this. If he had found this doctor himself, wouldn't it be me who would be thanked by his sister? He said, "It is good for Jia Cong to walk outside every day."

Tanchun sighed slightly when she heard Baoyu's nonsensical topic, and changed the subject and asked, "Third brother, I heard from Sister Ping'er this morning that Second Brother Lian has been taken to the Dali Temple. Do you have any explanation?"

Jia Cong said, "My second brother has confessed to the trafficking of salt and iron. The Dali Temple is now reviewing the case and will make a judgment later. I am afraid that he will be exiled."

Jia Cong's words were meant to downplay the matter so as not to worry Tanchun and other sisters. Jia Lian's exposure of the other three noble families involved in the salt and iron trade had made the whole matter more complicated.

If Emperor Jia Zhao decided to make an example of him, not only would the three noble families be in trouble, but Jia Lian's life would also be in danger.

But even though Jia Cong only talked about the ending of exile, Daiyu, Tanchun and other sisters still felt a lingering fear.

They have lived their entire lives in the inner courtyards of wealthy and powerful families and have seen too many days of splendor and luxury. To them, being convicted, defeated, and exiled thousands of miles away is a fear and horror that is difficult to imagine.

……

Baoyu, who was lying on the bed, suddenly said, "In the past, I always said that a career in politics and economy was not a good thing, and you all said that I was out of touch with the times. Now it seems that there is some truth in it.

Second Brother Lian usually just drinks and listens to operas, and he is quite elegant. If he continues to live a leisurely life like this, the world will be peaceful forever.

But once he started to think about being an economist, he brought such a disaster upon himself. Tell me, what good can this career and economy bring? "

After listening to Baoyu's old talk, Daiyu curled her lips slightly.

After hearing Baoyu's grand speech again, Tanchun felt a headache and rubbed her temples with her jade fingers.

After hearing what Baoyu said, Jia Cong's expression froze. It would be fine if Baoyu was just a rich and lazy person, but why did he have to beat around the bush and make excuses for himself?

He said, "Baoyu, something big has happened in our family. In the future, the title of Rong will most likely be passed from the master to you. In the future, you will definitely be the head of the West Mansion.

You can't escape from this career and economics thing, so don't be too sure now, you have to learn to do these things."

After hearing what Jia Cong said, Baoyu frowned and showed a look of lofty disdain on his face. He said, "Jia Cong, your writing is good, but what you said is really bad."

Tanchun was feeling happy to hear Jia Cong trying hard to persuade Baoyu, but she couldn't help feeling disappointed when she heard Baoyu still insisted on his own way and refused to change.

Baoyu glanced at Daiyu and said solemnly, “It is said in the Nanhua Sutra: The clever ones work hard, the wise ones worry, and the incompetent ones have nothing to ask for.

This is what I like very much. I am destined to be a person who comes and goes without any worries. I don't want to get involved in the title of nobility in my family. Whoever wants this thing can take it. "

When Tanchun heard Baoyu say harsh words again, she was shocked and suddenly remembered what Jia Cong said, that there might be a spy from the inner court sitting in the West Mansion.

Tanchun glanced at the room with lingering fear and saw Xiren and Sheyue serving Baoyu, a few little maids walking around outside, and two old women hanging clothes in the yard.

Tanchun walked to Baoyu's bedside and said anxiously, "Second brother, why are you talking nonsense again? You were punished by the master last time, and this time you are even more cruel. How can you talk nonsense about the family title?"

After hearing what Tanchun said, Baoyu remembered Jia Zheng's furious expression and couldn't help but shudder.

Jia Cong listened to Baoyu's words and said calmly: "Baoyu, it's rare that you have such ambitions. I haven't finished my homework for the imperial examination today, and I have to go back to study. I won't bother you. You should take good care of yourself."

Baoyu felt unhappy when he saw Jia Cong leave. He turned to Daiyu and said, "Jia Cong is good in every way, but he talks about official career every three sentences, which is a bit boring."

Daiyu didn't want to take up the conversation, so she said, "Baoyu, take good care of him. I'm going back now."

When Baoyu heard that Daiyu was also leaving, his round face fell and he said, "Sister Lin, you want to leave too? Why don't you stay for a while?"

He was just about to plead with Daiyu, asking her to stay and talk a few more words, but he saw Daiyu leave in a hurry.

Tanchun looked at Baoyu, sighed, asked Xiren to take good care of him, and followed Daiyu.

Along the way, Tanchun couldn't help but feel worried as she recalled the last time the clan officials came to hold her accountable.

If Baoyu had a bit of his third brother's intelligence and sense of propriety, he wouldn't have caused so much trouble. (End of this chapter)