Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Shenjing, Qingyufang, Xia Mansion.

When Mrs. Xia heard that Princess Zhao had passed away suddenly, she was shocked and confused.

Mrs. Xia had some dealings with Princess Zhao and knew that the princess came from a prominent family in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Zhang clan of Jiangling. She was the eldest daughter of the eldest son of the Jiangling clan and had a very noble family background.

Princess Zhao is only in her twenties this year, and is at the peak of her vitality. A few days ago, she only heard that her brother had passed away. The princess was so sad that she has been in poor health.

But it was not an acute or serious illness at all. As the wife of the eldest prince, the princess had a noble status. Whenever her health was unstable, she would be treated by the skilled imperial physicians. It was not a big deal at all.

Mrs. Xia never expected that Princess Zhao would pass away due to such an unexplained minor illness. Thinking of how she and her brother had such a deep affection for each other, she couldn't help but sigh in surprise...

The Guihua Xia family was a large imperial merchant family that had been listed in the Ministry of Revenue for two generations. When Miss Xia's father was alive, he was a man who was good at networking.

Relying on the gold and silver wealth in his hands, he established friendships with some princes and nobles of the time, and used the Xia family's business to launder gold and silver for those powerful people and make profits.

After the death of the master of the Xia family, these powerful people who had made friends with him at that time continued to use the Xia family's business stalls to secretly earn gold and silver profits, while also providing the Xia family with necessary protection.

This is also an important hidden reason why the Xia family's huge business is still standing firm even though the master has passed away, leaving only orphans and widows in the family.

When Prince Zhao Li Chongmao first started to make a name for himself, the master of the Xia family tried to make friends with him in a roundabout way. Over the years, a lot of idle gold and silver in the Prince Zhao's mansion was invested in the Xia family's business to make a profit.

In the past, all these gold and silver transactions were handled by Mrs. Xia and Princess Zhao's trusted nanny, so Mrs. Xia and Princess Zhao had a good relationship.

Now, hearing of her sudden death, the mother and daughter of the Xia family were naturally very surprised. It was not because of the deep friendship between the two sides, but the first thing they thought of was the gold and silver transactions with the Zhao Palace.

After Princess Zhao passed away, how should the huge wealth that Prince Zhao's Mansion left with the Xia family be delivered?

Although Mrs. Xia was a merchant woman, she was a woman with considerable means and scheming. She knew very well that the most important of the connections left by her master was that of Prince Zhao Li Chongmao.

Prince Zhao is the eldest son of the present Holy Emperor. He is a man of both civil and military talents, has made many military achievements, and is highly respected both inside and outside the court. It is said that he will be the one to take over the throne in the future.

The Xia family was able to form a bond with such a prince when they were in the palace. Once King Zhao ascends the throne in the future, the Xia family will surely rise to prosper. How glorious and honorable that will be.

Although the Xia family has lost their heirs, they still have an only daughter. Even if she is a grandson in the future, he will be a close blood relative of the Xia family and can still inherit the Xia family's property.

However, with the blessing of the new emperor, his daughter and her bloodline will surely continue to enjoy wealth and prosperity for several generations.

Therefore, Mrs. Xia has always been very dedicated to maintaining her relationship with King Zhao.

The Zhao Palace invested gold and silver in the Xia family's business. Even if the harvest was poor that year, Mrs. Xia would never let the Zhao Palace suffer any loss, even if she had to use her own money to supplement the gold and silver, so as to accumulate more loyalty.

Now that Princess Zhao has suddenly passed away, there will be some discrepancies and changes in the gold and silver transactions between the Zhao Palace and the Xia family.

Mrs. Xia was naturally extremely cautious about this. She would never let the Xia family lose this huge network of contacts at this critical juncture.

Mrs. Xia said to Mrs. Chen, "Tomorrow morning, prepare a set of high-quality memorial items and get ready the carriage and horses. I am going to the Zhao Palace to pay my respects."

Then he said to Miss Xia, "My daughter, now that Princess Zhao has passed away, I'm afraid that the family business will be busy for a while, and there will definitely be a lot of things to do.

What mother just said was all carefully planned for you, and the decision for you must be correct. You should think about it carefully.

Now this matter is just our own idea. I guess Mrs. Jia hasn't thought about it yet. As long as you make up your mind, mother will definitely find a way to help you get it..."

……

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

It was dark at night, and at regular intervals in the hall, there was a tall Ming-tile palace lantern placed to dispel the deep darkness in the hall.

On both sides of the imperial desk, there were two large bronze candlesticks, lit with bright palace candles, illuminating the area around the desk as if it were daytime.

Emperor Jiazhao was reviewing the memorials piled on his desk. Almost every night he would be busy until 11:00 p.m., and would only go to rest when reminded by the eunuchs.

The entire hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. You could clearly hear the very slight friction sound of Emperor Jiazhao's red brush writing quickly on the memorial, mixed with the emperor's coughs and gasps.

Deputy Chief Eunuch Guo Lin hurried into the hall. His thin, hunched figure cast a twisted, dark shadow on the golden bricks of the hall.

He walked to the imperial desk, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have received news from outside the palace. Two hours ago, Princess Zhao died in the palace."

When Emperor Jia Zhao heard this, his expression changed slightly, and he asked anxiously, "I didn't hear that she was seriously ill, how could she suddenly die? Are all these people in the Imperial Hospital just for show?"

……

Ever since Jia Cong cracked the Wei Army case in Jinling, one of the main culprits, Zhang Kangnian, was found guilty and died a violent death.

Zhang Kangnian was the direct cousin of Princess Zhao and a legitimate relative of Prince Zhao. They had a close relationship, and it was Prince Zhao who recommended him to serve as an official in Jiangnan.

Because Zhang Kangnian was a third-class Jinshi, and a few years ago, the right vice minister of the Temporary Capital's Ministry of War died suddenly. With the help of Prince Zhao's connections, Zhang Kangnian was able to switch from a military position to a civilian position and climbed to a high position in the Temporary Capital's Ministry of War.

If it weren't for Zhang Kangnian's career changes, which were a bit too dazzling, Emperor Jiazhao would not have had deep doubts about his eldest son, whom he had always valued, after the Jinling Guard case was solved.

The King of Zhao submitted two memorials to plead guilty and defend himself, saying that he had recommended the wrong person and had failed to investigate, but that he knew nothing about Zhang Kangnian's illegal activities in the secondary capital and that it had nothing to do with the King of Zhao's Palace.

At that juncture, if King Zhao did not submit a petition to defend himself, he would not be able to get through at all. But by submitting a petition to defend himself, could he completely clear himself?

If it weren't for the recommendation of King Zhao, Zhang Kangnian would not have been able to hold an important position in the Jinling Guard, let alone have a glorious career and switch from civil to military.

Without these high-ranking positions as support, he would have no power to commit such a heinous crime.

Even though the King of Zhao wrote a book to defend himself and acted extremely grief-stricken, if yellow mud fell in his crotch, it was still shit, no matter how bad it was.

……

After the Zhang Kangnian incident, Emperor Jiazhao mobilized the Imperial Chariot Department and the Court of Advisers to quietly sort out the officials and connections recommended by Prince Zhao, as well as the potential generals in the army.

However, the only people who were not touched were the descendants of the Zhang family of Jiangling in Shenjing. These people were all brothers of the same generation as Princess Zhao. Some of them worked as minor officials in the government offices in the capital, and some were doing business in Shenjing.

Perhaps the emperor felt that he had touched upon the matter of Zhang Kangnian and should not involve too many people. Princess Zhao was the eldest prince's wife and the daughter-in-law who had been approved at the beginning, so he should be able to save some face.

But Emperor Jiazhao did not expect that although he did not touch the children of the Zhang family in the capital, Prince of Zhao Li Chongmao, in order to avoid suspicion, used various means to force these children of the Zhang family out of the capital in a very short period of time.

He used both soft and hard means, transferring officials to remote states and businessmen closing their businesses and moving out of the capital, as if they were in a hurry to distance themselves from the Zhang family of Jiangling.

This move by Prince Zhao Li Chongmao did not win the favor of Emperor Jia Zhao, but instead made him a little disappointed in his eldest son.

My son is such a resolute person. Once something happened to his wife's family, he resorted to such a desperate measure to survive...

……

When Emperor Jiazhao chose a concubine for his eldest son, he did not select one from among high-ranking officials and nobles, but chose the eldest daughter of Zhang from Jiangling as the eldest son's principal wife. This showed the emperor's long-term considerations.

The Zhang family of Jiangling is a prominent family that has been passed down for 500 years. It was a famous family in the former Song Dynasty. Several members of the family had held high positions in the former Song Dynasty, and the family's reputation and glory were extraordinary.

Since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Zhang family has settled in their ancestral home in Jiangling. They have always passed down poetry and literature from generation to generation and have been very well behaved.

Although the Zhang family has been studying for generations, the family is not outstanding in terms of literary talent, unlike the Liu family which had seven Jinshi (imperial examination candidates) in its family.

Among the Zhang family, only one or two top-three talents would emerge in every generation or every other generation, and they would serve as officials in the court, thus maintaining the Zhang family's tradition of poetry, literature and officialdom.

Moreover, since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Zhang family has not produced any high-ranking officials above the second rank, so they can be regarded as a noble family that does not show off.

Such a family with outstanding reputation but few official entanglements was undoubtedly very pleasing to the emperor.

Choosing the eldest daughter of the Zhang family as the eldest son's principal wife not only makes the family backgrounds suitable, but also the eldest son will inherit the throne in the future. The daughter of the Zhang family will be the mother of the country, and there will be no worries about the power of foreign relatives.

From this point of view, Emperor Jia Zhao did have high hopes for his eldest son, who was very talented, and had far-reaching plans for him...

However, no one expected that only a few years after Zhang's daughter became the Princess of Zhao, the direct line of the Zhang family in Jiangling produced an outstanding son.

Princess Zhao's cousin Zhang Kangnian, with the support of King Zhao, was only in his thirties, but he had already reached the high position of third-rank military official in the secondary capital.

It is just like this now. We can only say that Zhang Kangnian is quite talented, which is fine.

What is even more unexpected is that Weiyuan Bo Jia Cong went to Nanjing twice and after a lot of beatings and kicking, he uncovered a huge case that had been plaguing Nanjing for a long time.

Zhang Kangnian used his seniority in the Jiangnan officialdom to collude with Du Hengxin, the commander-in-chief of Jinling, to control the military power of the Jinling Guard, causing great harm in the secondary capital Jinling.

This incident alone touched the sensitive nerves of Emperor Jia Zhao...

……

From that time on, the changes in the behavior of the Prince of Zhao's Mansion became a routine record in the secret notes of the Imperial Chariot Department. Emperor Jia Zhao naturally knew that not long after the incident in Nanjing, the Princess of Zhao fell ill.

Guo Lin replied: "When the news came from outside the palace, I had already retrieved the medical records from the Imperial Hospital. Last year, Li Chengming from the Imperial Hospital went to the Prince Zhao's mansion to diagnose and treat the patient.

According to Li Chengming's medical records, Princess Zhao was just grief-stricken, which led to the invasion of external evil. It was just a very common disease, not a critical or emergency condition.

Li Chengming also prescribed a prescription for replenishing qi and calming the mind. After the year, Li Chengming visited the Zhao Wang Mansion twice. According to the medical records, the princess's ailment was the same and there was no drastic change. The medication was taken as usual. "

Guo Lin paused for a moment and continued, "According to the medical records of the Imperial Hospital, the last time Li Mingcheng entered the Zhao Palace was half a month ago, when the princess's condition was normal.

After that, the Zhao Palace did not invite Li Mingcheng to the palace for treatment. According to common sense, the princess's illness was just a mental illness, not a serious illness. Since she did not call the imperial physician, she was probably recovered. But she died suddenly..."

After Guo Lin finished speaking, he handed over the secret note from the Imperial Chariot Division that recorded the incident and the two medical records that had been requested to be transferred to the imperial desk with both hands.

Emperor Jia Zhao flipped through the book of demerits for a few times and then threw it on the imperial desk, snorting with a hint of sarcasm. The sound echoed in the empty hall, casting a hint of gloom on the quiet night.

He really didn't expect that his son would be so decisive and scheming, in order to protect himself and for the future throne.

Once something happens, everything can be abandoned. Today it's a member of the Zhang family, or even his first wife, but tomorrow it might be himself, his father!
……

Guo Lin, who was bowing in front of the imperial desk, understood the emperor's actions and intentions best. This deep and cold snort seemed to imply an unpredictable danger, which made the hairs on his back stand on end.

Guo Lin spent almost his entire life in the imperial palace, so he naturally knew a lot about royal affairs.

As long as it involves risks and disputes over imperial power, even the kindness between father and son for many years will become as cold as iron overnight, the affection between relatives will be overturned, and they will become like enemies.

Emperor Jia Zhao said coldly: "I didn't expect that my son is such a capable person. I didn't know this before and really underestimated him!"

Guo Lin summoned up his courage and said, "Your Majesty, although there are doubts about this matter, there is no concrete evidence. Can you summon Li Mingcheng from the Imperial Hospital to the palace to ask for the truth?"

Emperor Jia Zhao looked tired and said, "There is no need for that. Li Mingcheng is the director of the Imperial Hospital and has superb medical skills. How could he have misjudged Princess Zhao's common illness?

Letting him come over to ask questions would only expose his own shame, so why bother? No matter what the truth is, the person is gone now, so is there any need to pursue it? "

Emperor Jia Zhao thought for a moment and said, "On the seventh day, we need to send someone to the Zhao Palace to pay tribute to the princess."

Guo Lin was surprised when he heard this. When Princess Zhao passed away, the emperor actually sent people to pay tribute to the princess. This courtesy was no small matter.

Although it was not explicitly stated that they were offering sacrifices on behalf of the emperor, people in the palace openly offered sacrifices to a princess.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that it was the emperor's instruction, and that it was the emperor's way of expressing his attitude to the world.

Emperor Jia Zhao seemed to see Guo Lin's doubts and said, "The Zhang family of Jiangling is a prominent family of the Great Zhou Dynasty. They have great prestige and influence in Jiangnan and are known for their virtue among the scholars and people.

The eldest son of the Zhang family had just committed a serious crime and died a violent death. The eldest daughter of the Zhang family, who was the legitimate wife of Prince Zhao, also died suddenly. This is bound to arouse suspicion. I don't want the royal family to be smeared.

If he really did this, he did something stupid..."

……

When Guo Lin left the hall to do his work, Emperor Jiazhao sat alone on the throne, looking at the pile of memorials on the desk, with a strong feeling of fatigue in his heart.

The eldest son, who was regarded as the successor to the throne in the past, turned out to be such a person. He had such a strong desire for the throne.

In order to protect the future throne, he even did not hesitate to attack the person who slept with him from the beginning. Is his heart really that cruel?

Even if I own a vast territory, my successors are all short-sighted and foolish. I am extremely disappointed...

……

Ningrong Street, Earl's Mansion, Jia Cong Courtyard.

In the early morning, before dawn, Jia Cong got up early. Wu'er had prepared a bathtub with hot water. She helped him bathe and comb his hair.

Zhishao took out the azure blue robe that Qingwen had just made for him and helped him put it on and put it neatly in place. She looked him over from front to back and only stopped when she felt it was suitable.

Wu Er helped Jia Cong comb his hair while saying, "Third Master, yesterday I heard from the maid who went out to buy things in the West Mansion that the news of Princess Zhao's death has spread widely in the city.

They also said... they also said that the death of Princess Zhao was related to the Third Master. If that's true, and the Third Master comes to pay his respects, will the King of Zhao... In my opinion, it's better not to go.

It would be fine if any of the Jia family's men went, the Second Master or the Second Master Bao would be fine, why must the Third Master go in person?"

Jia Cong said: "It was possible in the past, but not now. I have inherited the title of Rongguo and am the head of Rongguo Mansion.

When Princess Zhao passed away, the high-ranking officials and nobles in the court, including the four kings and eight dukes, would all send people to pay their respects. If the Jia family only let the master or Baoyu come forward, and I, the head of the family, was lazy, it would be too disrespectful.
After all, King Zhao holds the title of king. He and I are of the same generation and we know each other.

The precious sword in the study was a gift from King Zhao. It is necessary to pay respects to him both publicly and privately, otherwise it would be too presumptuous. "

Zhi Shao, who was standing by, asked curiously, "The Third Master has nothing to do with Princess Zhao, so how come the death of the Princess still involves our Third Master?"

Jia Cong smiled slightly and said, "Now that Wu'er has said that, I can probably guess what the rumor is. It's nothing more than that I solved a big case in Jinling, and Princess Zhao's brother was caught and killed because of it.

Princess Zhao died of excessive grief over her brother's death, but this doesn't make sense. Even if the princess was sad about her brother's death, she wouldn't have lost her life because of it.

Even if she died because of this, it has nothing to do with me. I came to Nanjing to do my duty. The princess' brother has violated the law of the country and needs to be punished. This is the law of nature."

Jia Cong squeezed Wu'er's little hand and said with a smile, "So you don't have to worry about it. After all, the King of Zhao is a prince. Don't you know the importance of this state gift?

I'm only here to show courtesy, it's not a big deal, I'll be back in a moment."

Wu'er has been in the West Mansion these past two days, and has heard a lot of gossip from the old women because of her daily management of household chores. And since it involves important figures like the prince and princess, she is afraid that her third master will suffer.

After listening to Jia Cong's explanation, they felt relieved. After helping Jia Cong put his clothes and appearance into order, they had breakfast together and watched him leave the inner courtyard.

……

Northern City of Shenjing, Yulong Street, Prince Zhao’s Mansion.

Jia Cong rode in a carriage into Yulong Street. White banners were flying and white lanterns were hanging high at the gate of Prince Zhao's mansion. The guards of the palace were on guard at the gate, with white mourning belts tied around their clothes, weapons and sword handles.

The open space in front of the palace was filled with carriages and horses from various families, and the entrance to the palace was crowded with people of all kinds coming in and out.

There were royal nobles wearing dragon robes, ladies of the imperial family riding in sedan chairs entering the corner gate, and quite a few officials in the yamen wearing official uniforms.

Today, Prince Zhao's wife passed away. Prince Zhao was the eldest prince, so according to regulations and etiquette, all high-ranking officials above the fourth rank in the court would come to pay their respects.

Princes, princesses and royal consorts of the same generation in the royal family will also come to pay their respects in person.

Although the elder princes will not be present in person, they will send their sons or legitimate sons to pay their respects on their behalf.

Jia Cong went to the door and handed over his business card. The receptionist saw the card and his expression changed slightly.

Jia Cong found it a bit strange. Could it be that Wu Er was right? The palace was angry with him because of the death of the princess. After reading his name card, they were ready to treat him differently...

Fortunately, after seeing the name card, the family's expression changed, but they did not compromise on courtesy. While sending someone in to inform, they politely invited Jia Cong into the house.

Jia Cong entered the palace and saw many familiar faces among the crowd.

The four kings and eight dukes were old honorable men, including Prince of Beijing Shui Rong, the first-class baron of Zhenguo Duke Niu Jizong, the first-class son of Liguo Duke Liu Fang, and the grandson of Qiguo Duke Chen Ruiwen.

The other person was wearing a moon-white robe with five dragon patterns on it and a royal hat with silver wings and a hairpin. He was tall and slender, with a noble demeanor. When he saw Jia Cong coming, his eyes were very kind and gentle.

This man was none other than Li Chongrui, Prince of Ning, the second son of the current Emperor Jiazhao, who had once worked with Jia Cong in Jinling.

Jia Cong, Shui Rong and others greeted each other one by one, and King Ning smiled and said, "I worked with Yu Zhang in Jinling back then, and now it seems like yesterday when I think of it.

Yuzhang came to Jinling again, but I was unable to meet him. I feel a little regretful. I heard that Yuzhang was busy taking the imperial examinations in spring. After the examinations, please come to my humble residence and reminisce about the past."

Prince Ning was less heroic and sharp than Prince Zhao, but more amiable and approachable, without any arrogance of a royal title.

He and Jia Cong were old acquaintances in Jinling, and their words were even closer. However, they had met when they were investigating a major case at the Water Inspectorate in Jinling, so it was not easy to talk about this old relationship now.

Because the major case of the Water Supervision Bureau that year and the major case of the Jinling Guards last year were of the same line, and the subsequent events led to Zhang Kangnian's execution, which led to the mourning in the royal palace today.

Jia Cong and Li Chongrui naturally couldn't talk about this matter at this moment...

A few people were chatting together when suddenly a servant from the palace led Prince Zhao over. Everyone was a little surprised because Prince Zhao had already greeted Prince Ning and others when they arrived.

This time he came specifically for Jia Cong. Prince Ning, Prince Beijing and others present felt a little strange, because the cause of Princess Zhao's death had already spread.

Tracing back to the source, it has something to do with Jia Cong...

Prince Zhao walked up to Jia Cong and clasped his fists in greeting. Although his face was a little pale, he was in good spirits and his eyes were gentle, without any abnormality. He showed no resentment towards Jia Cong.

He said in a warm voice: "When I heard that Yu Zhang was about to take the imperial examination, I stayed at home to study and refused visitors. Today I took the time to come to your house to offer condolences. I am grateful for your kindness."

Seeing that his words were warm and the gratitude in them was sincere and peaceful without any pretense, Jia Cong felt a little awe-inspiring.

He quickly replied, "Your Highness is too polite. It is a pity that the princess has passed away. Please accept my condolences, Your Highness."

Ning Wang Li Chongrui, First-Class Earl Niu Jizong and other people who were on good terms with or familiar with Jia Cong were relieved when they saw that Zhao Wang and Jia Cong were greeting each other and communicating clearly without any unusual behavior.

At this time, a servant hurried over to the gate and said, "Your Highness, someone outside has come to report that someone from Qianyang Palace has come to mourn the princess!"

When King Zhao heard this, his expression changed slightly and he said, "Take me to the palace gate to welcome you!"

When Prince Ning and the others heard that the person was from Qianyang Palace, they all realized that it must be the emperor's will, and they did not dare to neglect or be rude, and followed Prince Zhao to the palace gate to welcome the person. (End of this chapter)