Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

When Lady Jia saw that what she said was rejected by Jia Cong outright, she was shocked and did not even give her any way out in front of the old and young in the family.

Grandmother Jia was so angry that her face turned pale, and she said fiercely: "Are you really so cold-hearted? I know that the eldest master and the eldest mistress are a little unkind to you, but there are no parents in the world who are not kind.

Even if they have some bad points, that's fine. When you were ten years old and came to Xifu, I, your grandmother, have never treated you badly. Zheng'er treated you better than his own son. Have you forgotten that?

Your brother committed such a serious crime, but you saved his life with a memorial. Inheriting the title of Rong State is only a matter of course. Is it more difficult than Lian'er's case?

You really don't care about the relationship between our family members and leave them alone so cruelly!"

The tone of Jia Mu's words was sharp, and the atmosphere in Rongqing Hall suddenly became difficult and cold, and the hearts of everyone present became solemn.

With Jia Cong's rapid rise in the Jia family in the past two years, he has now set up his own household and his official rank has become increasingly high. Except for his grandmother, Jia Mu, no one in the Jia family has the confidence to say a harsh word to him.

When Wang Xifeng heard Lady Jia showing off her grandmother's power, she could only sneer in her heart. The third brother Cong appeared to be polite and well-behaved on the surface, but inwardly he was a cold and unyielding person who would not be persuaded by any persuasion.

Not only did the old lady not just do things according to the will of the situation, but she also spoke in a very stiff way. If the third son of Cong still cared about this matter, it would be really weird.

Tanchun, who was standing by, heard what Lady Jia said and felt secretly anxious. Why did the old lady say such harsh words? Ever since her third brother established the East Palace, the couple had been gradually becoming estranged from the West Palace.

It's just that he's on good terms with his sisters at home, so he doesn't neglect the daily etiquette. By saying these harsh words, the old lady is pushing my third brother further away.

After hearing what Lady Jia said, Mrs. Wang felt somewhat pleased, thinking that the boy had been granted a title and a mansion, but the old lady was his biological grandmother.

Even if he was granted the title of duke, marquis or king, he could not go beyond the filial piety and etiquette of his grandmother. Otherwise, he would be known as a disobedient person and even the palace would find it difficult to protect him.

After hearing what Grandmother Jia said, Jia Cong seemed to be unconcerned and said calmly, "Now that my second brother has been convicted and lost the qualification to inherit the title, the title of Rong State will most likely be passed down from elder brother to younger brother, and the master will inherit it.

The old lady asked me to write a letter to the palace, but it is not right for a younger generation to ask for a title for an elder. Not only is it against etiquette, but it would also embarrass the master.

If the master is the heir to the title, there is no reason for him to write a petition to ask for the title, so this matter is inappropriate and Cong cannot do it. "

Everyone present thought Jia Cong's words made sense. It would be ridiculous for a nephew to write a letter to ask for a title for his uncle.

As soon as Jia Cong's memorial was released, he would probably become a laughing stock in the court and the country. People would not only laugh at Jia Cong's ignorance of etiquette, but also at the Jia family's stupidity and lack of community.

When Tanchun, Wang Xifeng, Li Wan and others heard Jia Cong's nonchalant reply, the tense atmosphere aroused by Jia's mother's just tense words was immediately eliminated.

They all heard that Jia Cong didn't want to get involved in this matter at all, but his reasons were quite reasonable and there was nothing wrong with them.

Wang Xifeng secretly complained in her heart that in recent years, whenever the third brother Cong was unhappy, he would say something in this way, and he could never find any sore spot to attack, which always made people feel helpless.

The old lady was not angered to death by him, which meant she was blessed with a long life and good health.

……

Grandmother Jia was filled with depression, with a breath of anger stuck in her chest that wouldn't dissipate.

If it weren't for the fact that this kid had face in front of the emperor, why would I ask him for help?

Mrs. Wang, who was standing by, listened to what Jia Cong said. Although she could find no fault with his words, she thought that Jia Cong was frustrated that his first wife was exposed and was jealous of the second wife's dominance.

It was obvious that he deliberately did not help the second branch to seek the title, which made Mrs. Wang very angry. Her master had always treated him better than Baoyu and even gave him the family heirloom green rhinoceros armor, but he was so heartless.

According to clan etiquette, it is only natural for the second branch to inherit the title. With this kid's mischief, who can stop it?
Mrs. Wang was holding her breath, and suddenly an idea came to her mind, allowing her to think of something quickly.

Her words were filled with joy as she said, "Since Cong said that he is a junior and is not suitable to write a petition to ask for a title, there is a more appropriate way.

Among all the Manchus, only the old lady is a super-rank lady of state, with the most noble status. It is only natural for her to write to the court and ask for a title for her son to inherit the family business."

Upon hearing this, Lady Jia's eyes lit up. After all this time, she had been trying to find a way out. Her position as the Queen Mother was not just for show. This evil creature was making excuses to shirk her responsibilities. It would be better for her to do it herself.

Wang Xifeng was also a little surprised when she heard this. She didn't expect her aunt to be so clever.

After hearing what Mrs. Wang said, Jia Cong's mouth corners twitched slightly, but he didn't say a word. He didn't want to leave any handle for gossip, so as to avoid talking about it in the future. When Lady Jia wrote a letter to the court, he also gave the idea.

Jia Lian was convicted and sent north to serve his sentence. There was no information from the palace about the inheritance of the title of Rongguo Mansion. Even the distribution of rewards for the spring sacrifice by the Ministry of Rites was delayed.

Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang had no idea of ​​the situation and could only make wild guesses, but Jia Cong knew very well the reason why the inheritance of the title of Rong had been put on hold.

Emperor Jia Zhao, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and Jia Cong all knew that Jia She was the mastermind behind the theft of the stolen muskets in Liaodong and the sale of furs, salt and iron by Hongchun.

Although Jia Lian was involved because of his father's order, he was actually just Jia She's scapegoat.

Emperor Jia Zhao wanted to use Jia She's death to break up the marriage between Jia Cong and the Zhen family of Jiangnan, so he had to hide Jia She's crime.

The inside story can only be understood, not explained in words, and Jia Cong would never tell the inside story to foolish women in the inner chambers like Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang.

If they caused trouble, ruined Emperor Jiazhao's career and hurt the reputation of the retired emperor, even he would find it difficult to clean up the mess.

Since Mrs. Wang was so enthusiastic about the second branch inheriting the title that she even went so far as to instigate Lady Jia to write a letter, there seemed to be no reason for her to stop her. So she let them do what they wanted.

When Mrs. Wang saw that she had come up with a good idea, the old lady looked satisfied, while Jia Cong on the side seemed dumbfounded and could not say a word.

She couldn't help but feel proud, thinking that her idea had broken Jia Cong's attempt to secretly obstruct the second branch's inheritance of the title, which really made her feel happy.

Although this kid has been sailing smoothly in the past two years and has been granted a title and held an official position, he is only a teenager after all. How can he be experienced in everything and occupy all the places in the world?

When his master inherits the title, the title and property of Rongguo Mansion will be given to the second branch. Baoyu's future foundation will be very solid, and the two mansions in the East and the West will be on par with each other, with neither one inferior to the other.

Grandmother Jia did not have the narrow-minded thinking of Lady Wang. She thought that Jia Cong was deliberately doing bad things to prevent the second branch from inheriting the title.

She just thought that Jia Cong had been abused by his biological father and stepmother since he was a child, so he had never been close to his family. He also had a shrewd and cold temper, so this evildoer would never get involved in anything that might harm him.

However, she still recognized Jia Cong's ability in her heart. Seeing that he remained silent in response to Lady Wang's proposal, she felt a little worried.

I couldn't help but frown and asked, "Brother Cong, since you have so many concerns, I won't force you. Let me ask you, you often go in and out of the palace, do you think the method proposed by the Madam is feasible?"

Before Jia Cong could answer, he saw Mrs. Wang looking at him with a burning gaze. There was a hint of indifference in her eyes, as if she was worried that he would object.

Jia Cong said, "It is not my place as a junior to speak on matters concerning the succession of titles in our family. Since this is the idea that Madam has in mind, it is probably a good idea."

Mrs. Wang's face relaxed when she heard what Jia Cong said. Grandmother Jia said, "Then let's do it this way. When Zheng'er comes back, let him write a memorial for me."

After everyone had discussed the important matters, they went their separate ways.

……

Wang Xifeng and Ping'er walked out of Rongqing Hall and saw Tanchun accompanying Jia Cong, going to the East Palace together. She looked at Jia Cong's back, seeming to be thinking about something.

Ping'er said, "The Third Master cannot petition for a title on behalf of the mansion, and there are reasons for that. The old lady's words were a bit harsh, but fortunately the Madam has thought of a way, and the Third Master has agreed to it."

Wang Xifeng sneered, "Third Brother Cong is a man with deep thoughts. I don't think that Madam's method is good, but he just wants to distance himself from the matter and doesn't want to get involved in it at all."

Wang Xifeng is extremely shrewd. Now she regards Jia Cong as her backer and pays more attention to his every word and action than usual.

Thinking of his aunt's suggestion that the old lady should write a letter in person to request the title, Jia Cong's attitude was somewhat vague, and he seemed to be noncommittal. He also made up the excuse that it was not appropriate for the junior to say too much.

She thought about it and felt that there was something fishy going on...

……

Jia Cong and Tanchun passed through the small gate between the two mansions and entered the East Mansion. Tanchun said, "Brother San, do you think it's not appropriate for Madam to ask the old lady to write a letter to ask for a title?"

Jia Cong was slightly stunned, then turned around to look at Tanchun curiously. He saw that her eyebrows were thin and thick, with the ends of her eyebrows slightly raised, revealing a heroic and charming air, and her eyes were bright and full of charm.

Tanchun smiled slightly: "I'm watching from the side. Third brother's thoughts can't be hidden from me."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Third sister is smart. The situation in the West Mansion is complicated now. The eldest master has passed away, and the second brother has encountered trouble. The family title will eventually fall to the second branch.

The old lady and the wife were worried about this matter every day, but the palace had delayed issuing the edict to confer the title, and they were extremely anxious.

Just now, they wanted me to write a letter to the palace to request a title, but I refused. Then Madam asked the old lady to write a letter to the palace to request a title with the honor of super-rank imperial decree.

If I object, the old lady and the mistress will think I am obstructing them, so why should I be a villain?"

Tanchun asked, "Brother San feels that something is going to happen since the title of Rong has not been inherited yet?" Jia Cong was reluctant to explain the reason to Tanchun, so he just replied, "It is unusual, and there will probably be trouble. Anyway, we, the younger generation, can't worry about it."

Tanchun suddenly blurted out, "Although Second Brother Lian is in trouble, the first house still has Third Brother's bloodline. In my opinion, you are the most qualified for this title.

It's a pity that my third brother is so capable that he earned a title early on."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Third sister, be careful with your words. If this gets to the Madam's ears, she may become resentful of you, which will be bad for your future."

When Tanchun heard this, her face turned slightly pale. Although Jia Cong did not say it explicitly, the two siblings had a tacit understanding and naturally understood what Jia Cong meant.

In general, the marriage prospects of concubines' daughters are in the hands of their stepmothers. If Tanchun is partial to Jia Cong and makes Lady Wang dislike her, and if this causes trouble in the girl's marriage in the future, the girl's life will be ruined.

Tanchun bit her red lips with her pearly teeth and said, "I admire my third brother the most. We are both illegitimate children, but you have earned your own future with your own ability. No one can control you.

I only regret that I am not a man, otherwise I would definitely follow my third brother and build a career!"

Jia Cong found that Tanchun was talking, looking at him with her bright eyes, which were full of serious admiration and a hint of indescribable emotion.

However, Jia Cong didn't take it too seriously. He had lived two lives and his inner experience was far beyond that of a teenager.

It is natural to understand that teenage girls, with their youthful vigor, may have strange feelings towards the opposite sex of the same age. It is just a normal thing, and as time passes, it will naturally dissipate.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "People are always prejudiced and think that women can only stay in the inner house. I think that if a girl has ambitions, she can be just as good as a boy."

After hearing this, Tanchun felt at ease, her bright eyes flickered slightly, and she said, "No wonder Third Brother thinks so, I know that Miss Qu is the manager of Third Brother's Xinchun Store.

People outside say that she is the only female imperial merchant in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Her third brother handed over the entire business to her to manage. In just a few years, Xinchun has achieved such a big success. Miss Qu is really amazing.

Just like what my third brother said, if a daughter has ambitions, she can be just as good as a boy. I really admire Miss Qu and I wish I could be like her one day."

Tanchun looked a little gloomy, and said: "But I was born in a wealthy family, but I don't have the freedom like Miss Qu, and I can only stay in the inner courtyard all my life.

Although I have an aunt and brothers, they are not intelligent people. I worry a lot about them secretly, but it is useless in the end. I will have no support in the future. "

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Don't worry, Third Sister. I will protect you in the future and make sure you are happy. However, the man who can match Third Sister must be a great man in the world.

Even if you want to be like Miss Qu in the future, it might not be impossible... "

When Tanchun heard Jia Cong say, "I will protect you in the future," she felt indescribably happy and proud. She also heard him say that only the most talented man in the world was worthy of her.

After all, she was still young, and was somewhat shy when talking about marriage. She muttered the words "the most handsome man in the world" unconsciously, and her heart was pounding. She couldn't help but turn her head to look at Jia Cong.

Seeing that he had unparalleled beautiful eyebrows and eyes, and was looking straight ahead, and did not notice that something was wrong with her, she felt slightly relieved, but her pretty face had flushed, making her look even more charming and handsome.

Tanchun said seriously, "Third brother, I will remember these words in my heart. Don't fool me with them. You must keep them in mind in the future."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Don't worry, dear sister. I will definitely do what I say."

Tanchun clenched her soft, white, and slender little hand, then stretched out a delicate little finger and raised it in front of Jia Cong with a smile.

Jia Cong smiled and stretched out his little finger. Under the bright sunshine, the two of them hooked their little fingers together, smiled at each other, and looked very free and easy.

……

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

It was the dead of winter in the twelfth lunar month, and the spacious hall was chilly and chilly.

The warmest place in the hall is around Emperor Jiazhao’s desk.

There are two large dragon-head gilded enamel braziers on the left and right of the imperial table, burning ambergris, pine and cypress incense, and red peat, exuding this warm and fragrant scent.
At this moment, besides the emperor, there was also a man in plain clothes kneeling on the ground without saying a word.

He shuddered slightly. The large and empty Qianyang Palace seemed even colder than outside the palace. Only waves of warm air were pushed over from the direction of the imperial desk.

Jia Cong would definitely recognize this person when he saw him, because he was Qian Huai, the manager of the firearms workshop.

Emperor Jiazhao asked the kneeling man, "Qian Huai, how is the development progress of the breech-loading rifle in the firearms workshop recently?"

Qian Huai replied: "Your Majesty, since Jia Jianzheng returned to the firearms workshop half a month ago, the development of breech-loading rifles has become more methodical than before.

In just half a month, we have seen more results than in the previous month.”

Upon hearing this, a look of relief appeared on Emperor Jiazhao's face, and he seemed to be in a good mood all of a sudden.

Qian Huai continued, "Jia Jianzheng made a major improvement to the breech-loading rifle this time, because the original version of the construction drawing made it extremely difficult to forge the key parts of the breech-loading rifle.

At present, the primer firing that was difficult to forge has been changed to the firing pin firing, and the copper shell bullets that were extremely difficult to make have been changed to paper shell bullets.

I and the craftsmen of various disciplines in the workshop have all deduced that these two improvements by Jia Jianzheng can be said to be so ingenious and incredible.

Not only does it greatly reduce the difficulty of building a breech-loading rifle, but the power of the finished rifle is only slightly lower than that of the original breech-loading rifle, but its range and lethality are still much higher than that of the improved Rumi gun. "

Emperor Jia Zhao had heard these words from Jia Cong on that day. Now that they had been verified by Qian Huai and the craftsmen in the firearms workshop, their credibility had been greatly enhanced, indicating that Jia Cong had not exaggerated on that day.

Qian Huai continued, "Jia Jianzheng asked Minister Guo of the Ministry of Works to recruit two top needle craftsmen from Jiangnan and seven first-class paper pulp masters from Shandong."

Emperor Jia Zhao was curious and asked, "Why did Jia Cong recruit needle craftsmen and paper pulp masters? They can't forge muskets."

Qian Huai replied: "Jia Jianzheng said that there are no ready-made breech-loading rifle makers in the world today, and the Firearms Bureau must select suitable candidates and train them themselves.

Under Jia Jianzheng's advice, the two top needleworkers have polished the mold for forging the firing pin of the breech-loading rifle and have produced several batches of firing pins.

Although these firing pin samples cannot meet Jia Jianzheng's requirements yet, their accuracy is improving little by little. I believe that after several months of repeated forging and cultivation, suitable bolt firing pins will be produced.

The paper pulp masters recruited from Shandong are also following Jia Jianzheng's instructions to prepare paper pulp suitable for making paper-wrapped bullets, and are now on track. "

The barrel and other parts required for the breech-loading rifle have higher accuracy and strength than the improved Rumi gun. Jia Jianzheng has also arranged personnel to polish and produce them in groups and batches.

Jia Jianzheng not only had brilliant ideas, but was also very proficient in management and coordination. He disassembled the breech-loading rifle into its components one by one and assigned specific people to polish and construct them.

He also developed a so-called panoramic plan, which scheduled the start and completion time of construction for each part of the back hall gun.

The corresponding assigned craftsmen must complete the parts within the scheduled time. Those who complete them ahead of schedule will be rewarded, and those who delay will be punished. Every step is carefully planned and well organized, which really opened my eyes and amazed me... "

Qian Huai was originally an old official in the Ministry of Works. He was valued by Emperor Jia Zhao and was assigned to work in a firearms workshop. Now, when he talked about Jia Cong, there was satisfaction, amazement and admiration in his voice, which made Emperor Jia Zhao quite amused.

He heard Qian Huai talk about Jia Cong's various ingenious ideas in the process of developing the breech-loading rifle, whether in terms of employing people, supervising the manufacturing, or managing affairs. These ideas were novel, bizarre, unheard of, yet very effective.

Emperor Jia Zhao was filled with surprise and amazement. Although he had seen many of Jia Cong's strange behaviors in the past two years, he still couldn't help but be amazed every time he saw him repeat his strange behaviors.

I don’t know what’s going on in this boy’s brain, and why he can come up with so many colorful and fantastic ideas...

Emperor Jia Zhao asked, "What panoramic plan invented by Jia Cong shows when all the parts of the breech-loading rifle will be forged?"

Qian Huai replied: "Your Majesty, according to the plan formulated by Jia Jianzheng, a successful test-firing prototype can be produced in five months!"

Emperor Jia Zhao was cheered up after hearing this. Jia Cong had told him at the beginning that a prototype of the improved breech-loading rifle could be produced in half a year. Now it could be done a month earlier, which was a pleasant surprise.

Asked: "Is Jia Cong's panoramic plan feasible, or is it false and biased?"

Qian Huai replied: "Jia Jianzheng's plan was formulated after repeated consultations with all the participating craftsmen. It is naturally feasible and not false."

After hearing Qian Huai's words, Emperor Jiazhao, who had always had a stern expression, also smiled.

After Qian Huai left, Emperor Jiazhao looked with great interest at the so-called panoramic plan that Qian Huai had copied.

However, the Deputy Chief Eunuch Guo Lin entered the hall, holding a memorial in his hand, and said, "Your Majesty, Mrs. Jia of Rongguo Mansion, as a person of super-rank imperial decree, has submitted a memorial to the Ministry of Public Administration.

I petition the Emperor to grant the title of nobility to the second son Jia Zheng."

After hearing this, Emperor Jiazhao's face darkened slightly. He just flipped open the memorial handed to him by Guo Lin, glanced at it, and threw it on the imperial desk.

The petition from Rongguo Mansion requesting the title reminded Emperor Jiazhao of Jia She's evil deeds such as stealing muskets and trafficking in salt and iron, and he couldn't help feeling disgusted.

As if touched by something, Emperor Jia Zhao looked at the meticulous and detailed breech-loading rifle construction plan on the imperial desk... (End of this chapter)