Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

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

As time enters the twelfth lunar month, the gentleness of early winter in the capital has disappeared, and the weather is getting colder and colder day by day.

The extreme climate that has been plaguing the country in recent years occurred again in the winter of the 14th year of Jiazhao.

The place where Emperor Jiazhao reviewed memorials on a daily basis was also moved from the main hall of Qianyang Palace to the eastern warm pavilion in the rear hall.

As there was no floor heating in the front hall, it was still hard to bear the severe cold when sitting for a long time in severe winter even with several braziers lit.

Not to mention that since Emperor Jiazhao ascended the throne, he had been concerned with state affairs and had only slept for more than two hours a day. As time went by, his body had never been strong.

There was a fire wall and a ground dragon in the east warm room behind the palace. Every day when Emperor Jiazhao's morning court was halfway through, the eunuchs would burn top-quality red charcoal in the ground stove outside the east warm room.

The heat from the charcoal fire will circulate in the ground dragon fire channel and the fire wall cavity. Even in the coldest days of winter when your breath turns to ice, the Southeast Pavilion can still be as warm as spring.

On the imperial desk of Emperor Jia Zhao were several reports on the development of breech-loading rifles in the firearms workshop. These were sent to the palace regularly by Qian Huai, the workshop manager, at the order of Jia Cong.

These excerpts were always placed on the emperor's desk, and Emperor Jiazhao would read them whenever he had free time.

From these excerpts, he could see that the development speed of the breech-loading rifle, although not fast, was steady and progressive, and everything seemed to be in order, without arrogance or impatience.

Some time ago, Jia Cong resigned due to mourning and did not get involved in the affairs of the firearms workshop. The workshop was groping for the breech-loading rifle according to the blueprints, and it was as disorganized as a blind man groping in the dark.

Since Jia Cong returned to the workshop and took charge of the overall situation, the development of breech-loading rifles has taken on a completely new look. Comparing the two, the difference is obvious, which made Emperor Jia Zhao very satisfied with him.

It also made the emperor realize once again that Jia Cong's outstanding talent in the development and supervision of firearms was irreplaceable in the entire Great Zhou.

……

After the morning court session that day, Emperor Jiazhao's anticipation for the development of the breech-loading rifle soon faded from his mind, and his attention was diverted to the report submitted by the Ministry of War on the mission to the Tuman tribe.

As soon as he received the memorial, he summoned the Minister of War Gu Yankui, the Minister of Rites Guo Youchang, the commander of the Five Military Camps, Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding, and the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard Xu Kun to the palace to discuss the matter.

A few days after receiving the imperial edict and entering the East Warm Pavilion, Emperor Jiazhao ordered the eunuchs to give them seats respectively.

Gu Yankui said first: "Your Majesty, I and Minister Guo of the Ministry of Rites, in accordance with the imperial edict, selected Peng Runan, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of War, and Zhang Youzhi, the doctor of the Ministry of Rites, as the chief and deputy envoys to the Mongolian Tuman tribe a month ago.

Thirteen days ago, the envoys of the Great Zhou arrived at the Beiting royal tent of Anda Khan of the Tuman tribe, met with Anda Khan to negotiate every matter, and demanded the return of Sun Zhanying and his sons, the commander of the traitorous Datong Army.

However, Anda Khan and his generals flatly denied that Sun Zhanying and others had defected to the fleeing Tuman tribe.

The two sides had a big dispute, but our delegation consisted of only a hundred people, and it was impossible for us to search for the whereabouts of Sun Zhanying and his son nearby.

According to the investigation of the surrounding military scouts and the search by the Datong Jinyiwei, the traces of Sun Zhanying and others' route to the north did lead them into the Gulun Grassland controlled by the Tuman tribe.

According to the documents and accounts of the Sun family seized by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the places where the Sun family's business went out of the border for trading in recent years were all within the sphere of influence of the Tuman tribe.

"I firmly believe that Sun Zhanying and his son must have colluded with the Tuman tribe long ago. They must have surrendered to Anda Khan when they escaped from the border. The Tuman tribe deliberately shirked responsibility, and there must be some hidden reason."

Shi Ding, Marquis of Zhongjing, said: "Your Majesty, Anda Khan is a great hero of the grasslands, he is courageous and has a long-term vision. He is not fully prepared for the invasion of the south, and he will never easily become enemies with our Great Zhou.

Even though Sun Zhanying smuggled salt and iron into the Tuman tribe in violation of the ban in order to make huge profits, to Anda Khan, he was nothing more than a greedy businessman.

Under common sense, Anda Khan would never let our Great Zhou develop resentment and be on guard against such a person. This would do Anda Khan no good in any way.

I believe that Anda Khan's protection of Sun Zhanying must not be due to the fact that the Sun family once sold salt and iron to the Tuman tribe, but for other reasons."

Xu Kun, the commander of the Jinyiwei, said: "I agree with what the Marquis Zhongjing said. According to the investigation of the Jinyiwei Liaoyang Qianhu, Sun Zhanying's second son, Sun Shaowu, opened a fur shop in Liaoyang City two years ago.

Sun Shaowu's fur shop was engaged in purchasing medicinal materials and furs from Liaodong. According to the investigation of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, three days before Sun Zhanying escaped, Sun Shaowu suddenly left Liaoyang City and disappeared.

All the assets in his shop were emptied out, and the store owner and his employees were nowhere to be found.

Jinyiwei concluded that Sun Zhanying must have informed Sun Shaowu in advance before the incident, so that he could clean up the mess in time and follow his father out of the pass to join the enemy.

Several merchants in Liaoyang City who had close business dealings with Sun Shaowu also disappeared for no reason and their whereabouts are unknown.

I believe that the Sun family has been in Datong for three generations and has deep roots in the nine border areas. Several years ago, Sun Zhanying stationed his two sons in Liaoyang and appointed assistants under them. He was far-sighted and had a good understanding of the situation.

These spies were able to move quickly and escape unscathed after the incident, which is really thought-provoking.

This time, Sun Zhanying brought his family to the north to surrender to the enemy, so there is no guarantee that he would leave such spies stationed inside the country.

Therefore, I privately speculate that Anda Khan has always been wild and unruly, and he is warlike. The reason why he sheltered Sun Zhanying may be that he valued the Sun family's roots in the interior of the country.

If the Sun family's spies inside the pass are used by the Tuman tribe's Anda Khan, there will be great hidden dangers."

When Xu Kun said this, Emperor Jiazhao, Gu Yankui, Shi Ding and others were all shocked.

At first, I thought Sun Zhanying had just gone out to surrender to the enemy because of his salt and iron business.
But the fact is just as the Jinyiwei detectives inferred. The Sun family has been operating in the Nine Borders for several generations. Even if Sun Zhanying took his relatives out of the pass to surrender to the enemy, he still left hidden forces inside the pass. This possibility is almost certain.

If this is the case, then Sun Zhanying's case will not end with his escape from the country, and the consequences of this incident will cause considerable harm.

Emperor Jia Zhao looked stern and said, "Xu Kun, I order you to coordinate the Jinyiwei Qianhu Divisions in Datong and Liaodong, select capable officers and lieutenants, and conduct a strict investigation of the shops, personnel, and secret forces left by the Sun family.

Once caught, they will be severely punished and there will be no leniency. You must do it immediately!"

……

When Xu Kun left the East Warm Pavilion, Emperor Jia Zhao said, "In recent years, the winters in the north and south of the Great Zhou have been extremely cold. A few days ago, scouts from the nine border towns reported that snowstorms occurred in the Mobei grassland area.

The northern barbarians will probably have a hard time making a living, and disturbing the borders in the south is commonplace. The nine border areas may not be peaceful any more."

You, my dear ministers, are all familiar with Jia Cong's battle to pacify the Jurchens. Against the fast horses and sharp swords of the grassland tribes, only the power of firearms can be the decisive factor.

Jia Cong is currently developing a new type of breech-loading musket. He has given me a deadline of May. Once this musket is successfully manufactured, it will surely add another powerful weapon to the Great Zhou!"

Gu Yankui, Shi Ding and other military officials were slightly surprised when they heard the excitement in Emperor Jiazhao's words.

The firearms workshop has always been an important military and national location, and daily security is very strict. In addition to Emperor Jia Zhao, a group of craftsmen including Liu Shizhen from the firearms workshop were also involved in Jia Cong's development of the breech-loading rifle.

Even Gu Yankui, Shi Ding and other close ministers of Emperor Jiazhao knew nothing about it.

They saw that Emperor Jiazhao was calm and rigorous, and the enthusiasm and confidence in his words when he mentioned the newly made muskets were also extraordinary.

From this we can see that the power of this newly made musket must be very outstanding, otherwise the emperor would not have placed such high hopes on it.

Moreover, they would not have any doubts about Emperor Jia Zhao's reaction because they had witnessed Jia Cong's magic in the development of firearms many times.

From the earliest three-stage attack method, to the improved Rumi gun, from the extremely powerful porcelain mine, to the new red cannon that can be called the national treasure.

Therefore, they would not have any doubt or surprise that Jia Cong could develop a more powerful musket.

Emperor Jia Zhao looked at Shi Ding who was sitting below him and said, "My dear Shi, I want you to recruit 5,000 soldiers for the Shenji Camp before the end of next spring.

All soldiers will not be selected from various guards, but will be chosen from young and strong people in the society by the notice of the Ministry of War, in order to make preparations in advance for the threat from the northern barbarians in the nine borders.

I predict that by the end of next spring, Jia Cong's new musket will be successfully tested. By then, the Five Armies' Divine Machine Battalion will have enough soldiers, and we can train a stronger army!"

He then said to Gu Yankui: "I want to expand the Firearms Construction Workshop in the eastern suburbs of the city to ensure that after next spring, the workshop's firearms construction capacity can be greatly improved.

Gu Aiqing, you will work with Li Dekang from the Ministry of Works to handle this matter, and it must be completed before the end of next spring."

……

Emperor Jia Zhao took the Firearms Workshop Digest from the imperial desk, flipped through a few pages, and said, "A few days ago, Mrs. Shi of Rongguo wrote to the court to request that her second son Jia Zheng inherit the title of Rongguo.

On that day, I discussed the matter of the title of Rongguo with all of you dear ministers. Although the Grand Secretary and Minister Guo each held their own views, I felt that each of them had his own reasons.

At that time, Sun Zhanying of Datong had surrendered to the enemy, so the matter was delayed. Now, in order to set the record straight, this matter needs to be settled as soon as possible.

The position of noble honor is a treasure of the country, and it must be granted in a reasonable and legal manner. It must not be given to the wrong person, so as to avoid the recurrence of Xie Jing, Qi Jianhui, Qiu Liang and other absurd and perverse people. "

...When the Minister of Rites Guo Youchang heard what the emperor said, he remembered that Emperor Jiazhao and Prince Zhongshun of the Grand Zongzheng decided to strip Rongguo of his title.

Out of ethics and morals, he was unwilling to agree to this, so he pointed out that the eldest branch of the Rong family still had blood, and used this as an excuse to resist the objection.

Could it be that my helpless act would really be accepted by His Majesty...

When Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding heard the words of Emperor Jiazhao, his heart skipped a beat, and he remembered the idea of ​​two titles in one body mentioned by Minister of Rites Guo Youchang when they were making careful preparations in Qianyang Palace that day.

The Lady Dowager of Rongguo Mansion was his aunt. The Jia and Shi families were connected by blood, and for both public and private reasons, Shi Ding hoped that the title of Rongguo would be passed on smoothly.

However, in the Qianyang Palace that day, the words of the eldest prince Zhongshun were very aggressive, and he denounced the Jia Zheng lineage of the second branch of the Rongguo Mansion as worthless.

The current emperor almost acquiesced to the words of the Grand Chancellor. Shi Ding had also experienced many twists and turns in the court, and he was still unaware of the emperor's will. The Rongguo Mansion was actually on the verge of being stripped of its title.

The Minister of Rites Guo Youchang temporarily proposed the idea of ​​"one body with two titles", which was like pouring a basin of water in time when the situation was critical, making Shi Ding feel that this was a way to have the best of both worlds.

For Shi Ding, it didn't matter who from the Jia family inherited the title. As long as the title of Rong could be passed on and the Rong Mansion didn't fall into decline, the Jia and Shi families could continue to help each other.

Moreover, Shi Ding and Jia Cong had a close personal relationship. He valued and respected this talented younger generation very much. Moreover, because of Shi Xiangyun, the other party almost became his nephew-in-law.

Both publicly and privately, Shi Ding was happy to see Jia Cong inherit the title of Rong.

When Shi Ding returned home, he talked about this matter with his wife Li. When Li heard that Jia Cong had such a blessing, she was very excited.

The two sisters-in-law of the Shi family have been trying to arrange a marriage between Jia Cong and Shi Xiangyun for a long time.

But Shi Ding did not hold high hopes for this matter. After all, holding two titles in one person was a rare honor throughout the ages. It would not easily appear unless it was an extraordinary time or an extraordinary situation.

However, today, Shi Ding sensed the signs of a turbulent situation.

When Sun Zhanying went out of the country to surrender to the enemy, he thought that the Great Zhou sent an envoy, with the power of a great country, to demand the traitor, and that the envoy would surely follow the law and capture him easily.

No one expected that Anda Khan of the Tuman tribe would deny the matter flatly and make all kinds of excuses, so much so that the Jinyiwei pointed out the hidden risks of this matter.

Since his defeat at the hands of Liang Chengzong, Marquis of Pingyuan, Anda Khan has been preparing his troops and accumulating strength. With the help of Sun Zhanying, the danger of the Tuman tribe has been overcome.

The current emperor is far-sighted and naturally aware of the crisis of the Northern Tartars. That is why he immediately asked me to recruit 5,000 soldiers for the Shenji Camp to prevent danger before it happens.

This decision to increase troops is closely related to Jia Cong's development of a new type of musket. His Majesty wants to use the Great Zhou's latest firearms to expand the armed Shenji Camp's troops to deal with future threats from the Tuman tribe.

In this turbulent military situation, Jia Cong had an unparalleled ability to build firearms and was also a young general with amazing talent. He had an impressive record of pacifying the Jurchens outside the Great Wall.

In such a turbulent situation, the weight of such a person in the emperor's mind will definitely be infinitely increased.

The way an emperor employs people is to drive them with force, use them for achievement, and first show them kindness.

Shi Ding sighed in his heart, maybe it was just fate and time, the fate of the young man from the Jia family was really incredible, some of his words might be presumptuous, he really had a look of indescribable nobleness...

He suddenly thought of the day before when his wife and sister-in-law sent their niece Xiangyun to visit her aunt at the Jia Mansion. The two sisters-in-law also took the initiative to go to the Jia family's East Mansion to socialize and win over the family.

At that time, Shi Ding thought that women were short-sighted and did shallow and funny things, but now he thinks that his wife and sister-in-law are really foresighted.

Shi Ding was lost in thought when he heard Emperor Jia Zhao say, "Guo Lin, summon the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan to the palace to discuss matters immediately. Also summon the Imperial Academy to write an imperial edict for me!"

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

Ever since Baoyu recovered from his injuries and could move around freely, Grandmother Jia and Mrs. Wang were both delighted. They each thought that the second wife would soon inherit the title, and they loved and cherished Baoyu even more.

Today, as usual, Grandmother Jia sat in the main seat and pulled Baoyu to sit next to her. When she saw Baoyu's plump, fair and round face, she found him more and more pleasing to the eye.

But Baoyu looked rather lonely. As he had been recuperating in his room for two months, his daily routine had become somewhat lazy and he got up much later in the morning than before.

After getting dressed, he hurried to Rongqing Hall to pay his respects to Lady Jia. The reason why he was so active was not because he was very filial to Lady Jia.

A big part of the reason was that he knew that every morning, as long as the weather was not rainy or snowy, the sisters in the East Mansion would pay their respects to the old lady.

Baoyu could also take the opportunity to say some intimate words to Lin Daiyu and Baochai.

But I didn't expect that I was still late. The sisters from the East Mansion came to greet the old lady a quarter of an hour ago.

Originally, the sisters wanted to sit around for a while, but Xiangyun insisted on playing Go with Yingchun because she had lost two games yesterday and was not convinced, so she wanted to get back on track today.

Naturally, Yingchun and the others were happy to have Xiangyun come to the mansion as guests. Grandmother Jia had always doted on her niece's granddaughter, so she naturally asked them to go back and have fun.

Baoyu came here in a hurry, but he just missed the trip. He was willing to go to the East Palace with his sisters and chat and laugh with them, but he was a little afraid in his heart.

Not to mention that the threshold of the East Palace is too strict, the gatekeeper always says that outsiders are not allowed to enter the inner courtyard.

More importantly, everyone in both mansions knew that Jia Cong was currently studying day and night in the East Palace, preparing for the exam, to be held next spring.

Things like the imperial examination had a great depressing effect on Baoyu. One could say he looked down on it or he felt ashamed of himself.

In short, he wanted to stay away from such things as official career and imperial examinations. Even though there was Sister Lin and many beautiful maids in the East Palace, he still had to stay away from them.

Since he had been bedridden recuperating from his injuries, Yingchun and Tanchun had come to visit him often, but Lin Daiyu and Baochai had come very seldom, and every time they came, they were with their sisters, and their conversations were very distant.

Baoyu really couldn't understand. Even if they were sisters, they grew up together in the same mansion. Why did they have to be so shy about their relationship?

When I thought about this pair of angelic beings being so distant and cold towards me, could it be that I, a man with ugly features, was really unworthy of even a little favor from such a beautiful and graceful woman?

Thinking of these, Baoyu couldn't help sighing and feeling sad. His heart ached, really ached...

……

On the side, Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang were chatting with Aunt Xue. They were already used to Baoyu's strange expression of sorrow and resentment, so they didn't take it too seriously.

Ever since she knew that the title of the Jia family would go to the second branch, her sister's imperial edict immediately increased significantly, and Aunt Xue's visits to Rongqing Hall became more frequent.

But Aunt Xue was depressed because her daughter Baochai was not smart after all. She had reminded her to show up in front of the old lady more often and say more flattering words.

Her daughter turned a deaf ear to everything he said, and even lost much of her former cleverness and intelligence. Every time she entered Rongqing Hall, she looked dazed, which made Aunt Xue frown in anger.

Just now, Miss Shi said that they wanted to play Go and let her sisters go, but her own daughter also foolishly followed them. She really didn't have the ability to judge the importance of things.

His daughter, who used to be smart and clever, has now become so clumsy.

Not to mention that Aunt Xue felt a little uncomfortable because Baochai was disobedient, and she was not in the right state to chat.

In fact, Lady Jia was somewhat absent-minded when talking to Mrs. Wang, because Lady Jia's memorial had been in the palace for several days, but there had been no news of a reply so far, and this important matter was still hanging there.

Just as they were hesitating and confused, they heard Lin Zhixiao's wife lift the door curtain and come in, saying, "Old lady, a person in charge from the Ministry of Rites just came to your house to pass on a message.

It is said that the palace has issued an oral order that at 1:00 pm, officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Clan Court will come to the mansion to announce the imperial edict, and ask the mansion to prepare the ceremony, and all the men and their children in the mansion should go to Rongxi Hall to receive the imperial edict.

When Lady Jia heard this, she was overjoyed. Lady Wang, who was standing beside her, smiled and said, "After all, the old lady's position as the Madam of the State is very important. With a letter of apology sent to the palace, the emperor really granted her the grace of inheriting the title."

When Aunt Xue heard this, she knew that her sister's long-awaited wish of inheriting the title had finally come true. She thought of Baoyu and her daughter Baochai, and her face flushed.

He immediately smiled and congratulated Lady Jia, saying a lot of festive words without repeating himself, and in an instant he had finished speaking half a sentence.

Grandmother Jia was greatly relieved to see that the matter that had been worrying her for a long time had finally been resolved.

She looked at Baoyu beside her, imagined what he would look like when he inherited the family business, and felt that her lifelong wish had been fulfilled.

Grandmother Jia asked Lin Zhixiao's wife to send someone to the Ministry of Works immediately to ask Jia Zheng to return home in preparation for receiving the imperial decree to accept the title. She also ordered the Rongguo Mansion to be decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations inside and outside to celebrate the inheritance of the Rongguo hereditary title.

The entire Rongguo Mansion was soon filled with a festive atmosphere... (End of this chapter)