Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Baoyu Courtyard.

Mrs. Wang told Baoyu a lot of small things and was about to get up and leave when she smelled a strange smell in the room.

Said: "Xiren, the smell of medicine in the room is a bit strong, ask the little maid to open the window more often to ventilate, don't let Baoyu vomit."

When Baoyu heard this, his face turned red and he gently kicked a pot of Duruo beside the desk to the bottom of the table. He had poured too much medicine into the pot, and the soil had turned black.

Mrs. Wang walked to the door and suddenly remembered something. She asked, "I have been here for a long time and have seen all the other maids. Why is Musk Moon the only one missing?"

Xiren was also stunned when she heard this. She hadn't noticed this. Baoyu, who was standing by, looked a little flustered and said, "I just asked Sheyue to do something. She will be back soon."

After hearing what Baoyu said, Xiren felt a little suspicious. Baoyu usually ordered the maids around in the yard and rarely asked them to go out to do things.

Even if a maid was ordered to go out of the yard to run errands, it would most likely be a third-class maid who did the job. There was no reason to let a senior maid like Musk Moon run errands?

Mrs. Wang thought that Xiaohong, who was originally in Baoyu's room, was a scheming person. She often went out for fun and ended up getting involved with the man from the East Palace.

She drove Xiaohong out because she was restless, but the boy from the East Palace promoted her and forced her to be the manager and maid of Rong Xi Tang, which made Mrs. Wang lose face.

This incident left a shadow in Mrs. Wang's heart, causing her to have considerable doubts about the maids around Baoyu, and she felt somewhat suspicious of them.

Mrs. Wang felt a little uneasy when she heard Baoyu's words and frowned slightly. She knew that her son had always indulged the maids and often protected them, so she didn't say anything to them for the time being.

He said, "Xiren, you must keep an eye on the people in the courtyard and make sure they don't cause any trouble. Things in the mansion are different now than before. Don't let them give people a chance to talk about you. It will embarrass me and the master!"

Xiren quickly agreed, and Mrs. Wang asked Baoyu to stay in the room to rest, and she took Xiren out of the room.

When the two of them reached the entrance of the courtyard, Mrs. Wang asked in a serious tone, "Has Baoyu been well in his room these days? Is there anything else?"

Xiren's heart skipped a beat when she heard this, and she said, "There's nothing else to do, except that the Second Master is concerned about Miss Lin's condition, so he asked me to go out and inquire about her a few times.

However, Miss Lin has been recuperating in the East Palace recently and hasn't been to the West Palace much."

Mrs. Wang was furious when she heard this and said, “The Lin family thought that because I had read a few more books and had some achievements, they said such things about being good at both literature and martial arts and ridiculed my Baoyu.

Baoyu is also a simple-minded person. It is really unnecessary for him to still think about that girl. If Baoyu asks you to inquire about something next time, just deal with it and don't let him get involved again."

When Xiren heard this, she felt relieved. She had mentioned this topic in front of Lady Wang because she had been thinking about this topic. It was a pity that the lady no longer mentioned Miss Bao...

He said, "Don't worry, Madam. I will do as you wish. Master Bao is a man who values ​​friendship and loyalty. He is young now, so he is like this.

Now that Second Master is 15, once he gets married in a year or two, his mind will be stable and he won’t have these distracting thoughts anymore.”

Mrs. Wang nodded and smiled: "You are quite knowledgeable, and what you said makes sense. According to Baoyu's status, he should be married to the daughter of a noble official.

But there is some truth in what the master said. The long-term plan is to find Baoyu a woman who is well-mannered and respectful, regardless of her noble family background, so that he can live a stable life.

Besides, the Jia family is a family of dukes. When a family like ours is planning a marriage, the status of the other party’s family is not a big deal.

Unlike those small families, who always seek to marry a noble lady from a high-class family to enhance their status..."

Xiren seemed to automatically filter out the boasting in Mrs. Wang's words, but the words such as "not being particular about family background" and "knowing etiquette and doing one's duty" also touched her heart.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongxi Hall.

Musk Moon quickly entered the gate of Rong Xi Tang and saw two maids in the yard, sweeping the courtyard with brooms. The doors, windows and railings in the courtyard were all clean and bright, and it was very refreshing and bright.

The walls around the yard are planted with lush green bamboos, and the rest of the flower beds and rockery are planted with many flowers and trees such as lychee, wisteria, dahlia, and wind lotus.

Musk Moon saw that these green plants had been carefully trimmed and grew lushly in mid-spring. Everything was green, which was pleasing to the eye.

She saw Xiaohong sitting on the porch at the door of the main house. She was dressed neatly, had a fair complexion, a lively expression, and a silver hairpin inlaid with emerald green in her black hair. She was embroidering a silk handkerchief.

Musk Moon said with a smile: "You are really free and easy now, hiding in this yard, not knowing the sun and moon outside, are you almost forgetting my existence?"

Xiao Hong looked up and saw Sheyue, and said with a smile: "Sister Sheyue, how come you have time today to come here for a stroll?"

Musk Moon smiled and said, "I got the Second Master's order today and came out to do some work for him. I came to see you when I passed by."

Xiao Hong asked curiously, "Why are there so many little girls in the Second Master's room? Why did he ask my sister to come over when he went out to run errands?"

Musk Moon said, "What else could it be? The Second Master has been ill these past few days and has been staying in his room. I want to inquire about Miss Lin's condition and whether she has been to the West Mansion recently.

The Second Master didn't dare to publicize this matter. Perhaps he felt that the little girl was unreliable, so he asked me to go out and inquire.

You know the current situation. I can't visit you often on weekdays. Today I have the convenience of going out, so I came to see if you are feeling comfortable.

Besides, I think that now you are the Third Master's maid, and you often go in and out of the East Mansion, so you must know everything about Miss Lin.

If I go to someone else to ask, it will be no good, so I'd rather come here and ask you. It's quiet and convenient."

Xiao Hong smiled and said, "I just went to the East Palace this morning to deliver some fruit to the Third Master. On my way back, I went to see Miss Lin. She looked very healthy and energetic. Sister is a smart person and must know the reason."

Musk Moon smiled and said, "Isn't this clear enough? Miss Lin is such a perceptive person, recuperation is just an excuse, I guessed it a long time ago.

What happened in Rongqing Hall cannot be kept secret. The Madam and the Old Lady must have arranged a marriage for the Second Master and Miss Lin got the news, which led to all these things. "

Xiao Hong smiled and said, "Since my sister is an intelligent person, she knows that Miss Lin is a woman with a wealth of knowledge, and she has been influenced by a father like Master Lin since she was a child.

The Second Master has a casual and wealthy personality. He and Miss Lin are not the same type of people, and there is no way these two can get along.

A person like Miss Lin must be matched with someone who is successful in his youth and outstanding in both literature and martial arts in the future. Don’t you think this is reasonable?”

When Musk Moon saw Xiao Hong talking, there seemed to be a gleam in her eyes, and a hint of pride.

Suddenly, she thought of the master of the East Mansion, who had been very kind to the sisters in the mansion since childhood. Miss Lin still lived in the East Mansion. She blurted out, "You are not talking about the Third Master!"

Xiao Hong smiled and said, "I didn't say anything. It's you who said it, sister. Actually, if you don't think about some things carefully, it's okay. If you think about it carefully, it will be different.

Since no one else mentioned this topic, we naturally didn't say anything. My sister is a smart person, and Master Bao was still thinking about this matter, but it was all in vain in the end.

I have served him, and I always hope that he will be well. If he keeps dwelling on this, and then makes a scene like last time, it will only make him lose face. Why bother?"

Sheyue smiled and said, "Sister Xiaohong is right. I will go back and tell Master Yu about it. I think he will become indifferent over time..."

……

Musk Moon looked around the courtyard and said with a smile, "You are a diligent and capable person, managing Rong Xi Tang so well inside and out.

The Third Master picked you as his maid, and he really made the right choice. I heard that the Third Master studies in the East Palace every day and rarely visits Rong Xi Tang. It would be quite refreshing for you to live alone."

Xiao Hong's pretty face fell, and she said, "You make it sound so easy. If the Third Master doesn't come to live here, no matter how well I manage this place, who can I show it to? I am almost a decoration as a maid."

Musk Moon teased, "Are you hoping that the Third Master will come every day to see you so that you can be competent and efficient, and feel comfortable?"

Xiao Hong laughed shamelessly and said, "That's what I think. The Third Master is good-looking. I feel comfortable and beautiful when I see him."

Sheyue pinched Xiaohong's face and scolded her with a smile: "You are really outrageous now. You just say such shameless words without hesitation."

The two people's beautiful and light laughter rang out in the yard...

Musk Moon usually stays in Baoyu's courtyard and doesn't have much to say to Bihen Qiuwen, but Xiren sometimes comes to talk to her about her innermost thoughts.

But none of them were as interesting as the laughter and chat she and Xiaohong had, so she chatted for a while and then left Rong Xi Tang.

……

She had just walked out of the hall and was heading towards Baoyu's courtyard when she didn't notice a figure flashing around the corner in front of her.

When Musk Moon walked past, the figure at the corner finally came out. It was Xiren. When Mrs. Wang came over just now, she asked about Musk Moon unintentionally. Baoyu looked a little flustered when he answered. Xiren served him closely every day, so she naturally noticed that something was wrong with Baoyu.

She also received instructions from Mrs. Wang, asking her to keep an eye on the people around Baoyu on a daily basis and to prevent any trouble from happening.

After Mrs. Wang left, Xiren still had some doubts in her mind. She didn't dare to ask Baoyu, so she went out by herself to find out what was going on.

Unexpectedly, she saw Musk Moon coming out of Rong Xi Tang. Xiren knew that Musk Moon had been good friends with Xiao Hong before.

But Musk Moon is also a meticulous person. Doesn't she know that Madam hates Xiao Hong the most right now? She still goes to Rong Xi Tang and is not afraid of breaking taboos...

……

Rongguo Mansion, Baoyu Courtyard.

When Musk Moon returned to the yard, she took the vermilion tray inlaid with shells and went to Baoyu's room to get an empty medicine bowl.

Baoyu was delighted to see Sheyue coming back, and asked, "Sister, you came back not long after you left. Could it be that you have heard about Sister Lin's affairs?"

Musk Moon smiled and said, "What a coincidence. Not long after I left, I met Xiao Hong. Although she works in Rong Xi Tang, she is also the maid of the Third Master and knows the affairs of the East Palace best.

I have asked for the Second Master, and Miss Lin's illness is not serious. She is still recuperating in the East Palace and has not come to the West Palace yet.

The Third Master and the Second Miss in the East Mansion will take good care of Miss Lin, and there are also the Third Miss and the First Miss Shi to accompany her. With so many people watching over her, the Second Master doesn't need to worry at all."

Baoyu was a little disappointed after hearing this, and murmured, "Sister Lin has been sick for so many days, and now she is still not well. Xiaohong said that there is nothing serious, which shows that she is not true..."

He heard that so many people were accompanying Lin Daiyu, so why couldn't he be the only one?
When Musk Moon saw Baoyu mumbling to himself, she felt a little sigh in her heart as she saw that he was stubborn and unwilling to change his ways.

She originally wanted to give him some advice, but she was also worried that if she said too much, he would end up like Xiren that day and go crazy, and she wouldn't be able to deal with him.

When she thought about this, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue...

……

Rongguo Mansion, Jia Cong's courtyard.

Jia Cong had just finished bathing and washing up, feeling refreshed. He then took out the topics of the essays he had written in the past two days and sorted them out and pondered them.

Qingwen had already placed a plate of green tangerines on the desk. Wu'er said that Xiaohong had just brought it that morning.

Yinglian peeled the orange peel and picked out the orange segments, placing them neatly on a small plate. Jia Cong took one and tasted it. It was sweet with a slight sourness and was indeed very refreshing.

He casually pulled out the blue booklet from a pile of books on the desk and flipped through the names of the officials written on it thoughtfully.

According to Liu Jing'an's explanation of the rules of the Spring Examination, in previous years the court would announce the chief examiner and relevant officials a few days before or after the Spring Examination.

Starting from the day before yesterday, Jia Cong ordered Jiang Liu to go to the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall every day to check whether there were any notices from the imperial court.

He speculated in his mind that according to the list of officials in this blue booklet, most of the officials who would eventually be announced by the court for the spring examination would have some overlapping names in the booklet.

In the past few days, he asked Jiang Liu to go to the gate of the Imperial Examination Hall to inquire about the news. Jiang Liu also said when he came back that nowadays in restaurants and taverns, whenever there are candidates drinking together, the topic always avoids the discussion of the questions for the spring examination.

It is said that many of the proposed topics copied and circulated among students were written by officials listed in the blue booklet.

Whether Jia Cong was studying at Qingshan Academy or often listened to Liu Jing'an's lectures over the years, he had heard many rumors about the topic of the Spring Examination. This was nothing new.

But this year, there was a strange addition of this blue booklet, which was like an invisible target, providing a reference for many things...

Jia Cong often pondered this matter and always felt that there was a vague suspicion in it, but everything was just groundless speculation and he could not grasp a single bit of solid evidence...

Perhaps most of the candidates did not realize that this confusing doubt might contain unpredictable risks. They just regarded this blue booklet as a special anecdote of this spring's imperial examination.

……

Lin Zhaorong's villa, Hancheng Street, east of Shenjing City.

There was a piece of rice paper on the desk in the study, weighed down by several rulers, and covered with words written in ink. Lin Zhaohe was writing furiously on the side.

What he was writing down was the proposed topic that Wu Liang brought for the banquet at Chunhua Tower that day.

Although he did not make a copy that day, he was able to win the first place in the Hangzhou Prefecture. He was a man of great talent. He had immersed himself in books for many years. Although he did not have a photographic memory, he had an excellent memory.

After coming back these two days, when I was reviewing the classics, I often thought of the blue-covered booklet circulating in the market and Wu Liang's proposed titles, and strange feelings always welled up in my heart.

On this day he was also in a good mood and carefully recalled the events of two days ago and wrote them down one by one, although they were not word for word.

However, the meaning of each proposed question was written down exactly.

Some of the questions were either profound or novel. I was so impressed that I wrote them out almost word for word.

At this moment he is writing one of the proposed questions:
I have heard that learning is the king's business since the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors until today, and there has been no change. However, there are different times in ancient and modern times, emperors have different governance, and the world has ups and downs. Each one governs according to the time, and there is no fixed theory...

……

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

Emperor Jiazhao was browsing a memorial with a gray-white cover, which was a secret report just submitted by the Central Vehicle Department.

The above records that before the spring examination this year, the candidates who went to Beijing to take the examination talked with great relish about the speculations of the officials in charge of the examination, and compiled them into a book and circulated everywhere.

Candidates from all over the country were keen on paying homage to officials and celebrities, and all kinds of strange and bizarre topics for the spring examination were circulated in the market.

At the end of the secret note, it was also recorded that the Magistrates' Court had secretly investigated the matter, but in the end, nothing was found...

Emperor Jia Zhao said, "Mr. Zhou Xingye noticed this, but he recently came to the palace, and I never heard him mention it?"

Guo Lin, who was standing in front of the imperial desk, replied: "People from the Imperial Chariot Department heard the news and tried to find out what happened. The Magistrates' Court did send people to investigate the matter.

They also searched a bookshop that printed books and intended to arrest a retired official outside the city, but found nothing.

In my opinion, although Envoy Zhou paid attention to this matter, he did not find any solid evidence. The Spring Examination is a grand ceremony for selecting talents, which concerns the candidates from all over the country and the opinions of scholars in the literati community.

Envoy Zhou has no real evidence, so he is hesitant and dares not speak nonsense in front of His Majesty, lest the matter becomes serious and attracts criticism from court officials.

Emperor Jia Zhao smiled and said, "It's strange that Zhou Junxing would care about the criticism of his reputation now.

Although it was common for candidates to guess the examiners' opinions and copy and circulate their proposed questions during the spring examinations every year.

There is no clue about what is happening right now, but the spring examination to select scholars is a major event for the court and we must be on guard.

Let the CRRC Shenjing stall, Solo relevant evidence, pay attention to the words and deeds of the candidates, in case of any unexpected needs in the future! "

Guo Lin quickly replied: "The head of the Shenjing stall is now sitting in the Jiaofangsi. I will arrange for this matter to be handled immediately."

He continued, “Your Majesty, Yuan Jing has reported to me that someone has asked the Internal Affairs Supervisor Xia Shouzhong to recommend several beautiful ladies for selection, and he has communicated with various places in the palace recently.

Yesterday, Xia Shouzhong invited Yuan Jing to a banquet, intending to ask Yuan Jing to help him, and gave him 500 taels of silver, but Yuan Jing refused. "

Emperor Jia Zhao smiled coldly and said, "The selection process that takes place every three years is full of such evildoers and demons.

I know it very well in my heart, but these things are not serious, and they involve many nobles and high-ranking officials. I don't want to pursue it too much, just to save some face."

Guo Lin paused and said, "It's just that among the three women recommended by Xia Shouzhong this time, one is Jia Yuanchun, the female historian of Fengzao Palace."

Emperor Jia Zhao originally did not care about this matter. He had been on the throne for many years and was accustomed to the dark affairs in the harem. There was no need to make a big fuss, so he just watched from the sidelines.

But when he heard Jia Yuanchun's name, Emperor Jia Zhao was stunned for a moment, and then a sharp light flashed in his eyes... (End of this chapter)