Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Rongxi Hall.

After listening to Shi Ding's words, Jia Cong was secretly shocked. The breech-loading rifle had only been successfully developed not long ago, but already someone was secretly coveting it.

As the firearms workshop needed to complete the construction of 500 rear-hall guns before the end of the year, Emperor Jiazhao ordered relevant ministries to fully assist in the matter.

At that time, the Ministry of Revenue had selected skilled craftsmen from all over Yongzhou. Before entering the firearms workshop, these people had to be assessed and selected by Jia Cong and the workshop's master craftsman.

Two of them were top-notch blacksmiths, and their skills were judged by the workshop's master craftsman to be of high standard.

However, in order to protect the secrecy of the breech-loading rifle, the workshop had to sign a contract with all new craftsmen, prohibiting them from leaving the workshop within six months. Violators would be treated as traitors and sentenced to prison.

Most of the selected craftsmen had no objection to this. They valued the fact that the workshop was run by the government and paid high salaries.

Craftsmen who make a living do not leave one place for half a year, but most people take it lightly and do not care.

However, when Jia Cong approached and questioned the two craftsmen, he discovered that they seemed somewhat panicked and resistant to not being able to step out of the workshop for half a year.

Moreover, these two people only expressed satisfaction with the high salaries paid by the workshop and did not show much excitement, which was quite different from the other selected craftsmen.

Jia Cong felt something was amiss, and in order to avoid having too many unqualified ones, he acted cautiously and eliminated these two craftsmen at the final stage of selection.

Perhaps it was his decision that made the Jinyiwei target the two craftsmen, and they were detained after a brief interrogation. Unexpectedly, the Jinyiwei really dug out the truth.

Jia Cong asked, "The breech-loading rifle has just been successfully developed, but it has already been coveted by others. This is a serious matter. Uncle, have the Jinyiwei caught the person behind this?"

Shi Ding said: "The Jinyiwei tortured the two craftsmen and they confessed that someone promised them a large sum of money to let them enter the firearms workshop to explore the workshop's firearms manufacturing secrets.

At first, the two men were just greedy for the huge amount of gold and silver, so they accepted part of the other party's reward and intended to sneak into the workshop.

Later, when the workshop was selecting craftsmen, they learned that after entering the workshop, they were not allowed to step out of the workshop within half a year, otherwise they would be charged with a serious crime by the government. So they began to feel a little scared and regretted agreeing to this. "

Shi Ding smiled and said, "Yu Zhang is still cautious. He saw the clues in them and eliminated them from the selected craftsmen even though they have good skills.

According to the names and appearances of the people behind the scenes confessed by these two people, the Jinyiwei searched all the medicine shops and clinics in the city a few days ago, but could not find this person. "

Jia Cong asked, "Uncle, why did the Jinyiwei search the pharmacy and the clinic?"

Shi Ding said: "According to the confessions of the two craftsmen, the person behind them had a strong smell of herbs. The Jinyiwei speculated that this person was running a medicine shop or often went to the clinic."

Jia Cong did not find it strange to hear this. The person behind the scenes ordered the craftsmen to sneak into the workshop in an attempt to steal the secrets of muskets, which was a matter of confiscation of property and extermination of the clan.

He must have been very careful in everything he did. The name and identity he told people must have been fictitious. Once he found out that the two craftsmen had been arrested, he would have disappeared early or concealed his whereabouts, making it impossible to catch him.

Shi Ding continued, "The emperor was furious about this matter and asked Xu Kun, the commander of the Jinyiwei, to continue to investigate the matter. He also asked me to take part in it. If the Jinyiwei is short of manpower, they can draw personnel from the five military camps.

In order to prevent any possible mishap and to leave nothing out, the Emperor ordered the Imperial Guard to step up investigations into old cases of stolen firearms and privately manufactured weapons, and to show no leniency if any were seized.

Yuzhang, the breech-loading musket you developed is incredibly powerful and unprecedented, and can be called a national treasure. Now you are in charge of the large-scale production of breech-loading muskets, and you have a heavy responsibility.

Once the breech-loading rifle is shown to the world, the Ministry of Industry's Firearms Workshop and you will be the focus of world attention, and I wonder how many evil spirits and monsters will react.

I tell you these things to remind you to be cautious in everything and not to be careless. "

……

The reason why Shi Ding could say these words to Jia Cong was not only because of the close relationship between the Jia and Shi families.

Ever since Jia Cong rose in the Jia family, he has made great achievements step by step. Now he has passed the imperial examination and been appointed as a Hanlin. His future is limitless.

As a trusted minister of Emperor Jia Zhao, Shi Ding knew that Jia Cong was a man of extraordinary talent and was highly valued by the emperor. He believed that Jia Cong's career would not stop at the fifth rank and his weight in the court would increase day by day.

Shi Ding's talent and strategy far surpassed that of his brother Shi Nai, and he was the actual helmsman of this generation of historians.

Whether it was because of the blood relationship between the Jia and Shi families, or the special relationship between Shi Xiangyun and Jia Cong, he would have the idea of ​​being close to Jia Cong and regard this outstanding younger generation as a great help to the Shi family's future.

That was why he put aside some of his concerns and took the opportunity to reveal his knowledge of the secrets of the Jinyiwei to Jia Cong, so that Jia Cong could be more vigilant and take precautions.

……

After listening to Shi Ding's words, Jia Cong felt a chill in his heart.

Shi Ding's words not only made him more cautious about the firearms workshop, but he also heard a lot of hidden meanings in his words.

At that time, Emperor Jiazhao personally visited the firearms workshop and was very pleased after watching the breech-loading rifle drill.

Shi Ding, Marquis of Zhongjing, once suggested that the theft of the improved Rumi gun in Liaodong had led to the private manufacture of firearms in Nanjing. Now that the breech-loading rifle had been successfully manufactured, we should take precautions against it. Emperor Jiazhao agreed with him.

Now that the two craftsmen who were selected by him have caused such trouble again, I am afraid that the fear in Emperor Jiazhao's heart will become even deeper.

He asked the Jinyiwei to investigate the matter and to step up the investigation of the old case of privately manufactured firearms in Nanjing. He also asked Zhongjing Hou Shi Ding to participate in the matter and provide assistance at the critical moment.

Emperor Jia Zhao's move was to put pressure on Xu Kun. As long as he was not competent enough, the emperor would significantly reduce the power of the Jinyiwei even if he did not replace them.

As the imperial court's eunuchs and the emperor's lackeys, the Jinyiwei derives all their power and glory from the emperor's recognition and appreciation.

Jia Cong could imagine that Jinyiwei commander Xu Kun would go all out to investigate the major firearms case in order to keep his official position and power, and he would even resort to any means to achieve his goal!
Jia Cong recalled the news Qu Hongxiu had sent back from Nanjing, that the new captain of the Jinling Jinyiwei, Wang Zhangjiang, had been pursuing the case of privately manufactured firearms in Nanjing relentlessly since he took office.

They also investigated Zhen Shiwen, a member of the Zhen family who was involved in the case, and seized all of the Zhen family's shops and properties in Jinling City. They even broke into the Zhen family mansion to search.

Jia Cong believed that Wang Zhangjiang's actions were definitely not groundless.

The court replaced Ge Zhicheng, a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guards who was not good at solving cases, and replaced him with a figure like Wang Zhangjiang. I'm afraid there was a hidden purpose behind this. Wang Zhangjiang must have received some kind of instructions before taking office.

Now something unexpected has happened in Shenjing again, the case of privately manufactured firearms in Jinling has come to the fore again, and Jinling King Zhangjiang is in a dilemma. Adding fuel to the fire, he is likely to get even more outrageous.

At this time, Jia Cong thought about how half a year had passed since Old Lady Zhen passed away, and about Zhen Fangqing who was still in mourning at the Imperial Mausoleum in the east of the city. He also heard from Jinling that the Zhen family's fleet had mysteriously disappeared in the open sea...

He gradually sorted out a clear line of thought from these complicated events. Although these were all his speculations, he vaguely felt that this should be the truth closest to the facts.

Since he could think of these things, Zhen Fangqing, who was guarding the imperial mausoleum in the east of the city, must have been able to think of them as well.

Although Zhen Fangqing is a woman, she is no simpler than any man Jia Cong knows.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

It was almost noon when Lady Jia and the elderly female relatives in the hall went to the large flower hall behind Rongqing Hall to have a banquet.

Mrs. Wang sat at the table feeling restless, for she was worried about her son. Her own Baoyu was so precious, the legitimate son of a duke, how could he kneel down like this?

She asked Caiyun to bring a cushion for Baoyu to use under his knees.

After the banquet, when they returned to the hall, the women came back to chat.

Mrs. Wang couldn't help asking, "Old lady, why don't you meet Cong'er? Ask him to meet the female elders. It would be a courtesy."

Grandmother Jia glanced at the hall, and since she was thinking of Baoyu, she naturally understood what Lady Wang meant.

Baoyu was punished by his son Jia Zheng for speaking a taboo. Only when the head of the family Jia Cong spoke up and exempted Baoyu from kneeling, could the family rules and etiquette be followed. Even if the words were spread out, Jia Cong, the head of the family, would be responsible...

Grandmother Jia thought that Baoyu had been kneeling for an hour or so, and with his weak body, he really couldn't kneel any longer.

Said: "Yuanyang, is Congge entertaining guests in the East Mansion or the West Mansion now?"

Yuanyang said, "I just came in from outside and heard that the Third Master went to Rong Xi Tang. Many old gentlemen were serving tea there. The Third Master must have rushed over to entertain the guests."

Grandmother Jia said, "Go and ask Cong to come over and talk to me, and tell him that it was my words."

Yuanyang quickly agreed and walked out of Rongqing Hall quickly.

Caiyun, who was beside Mrs. Wang, walked out of the hall without making a sound and whispered to Baoyu who was kneeling there, "Second Master, if you can hold on a little longer, the old lady will ask Third Master to come and save you."

After hearing this, Baoyu became more depressed and aggrieved. He wondered what kind of world this was. He had suffered such a misfortune for no reason and even had to rely on the mood of Jia Cong, a parasite, to escape. Where was justice!
……

As Yuanyang just walked out of the hall, she saw Jia Cong's maid Xiaohong coming towards her.

She smiled and said, "Why is Sister Xiaohong here? She is not waiting by the Third Master's side. The old lady is just asking me to go and invite the Third Master."

When Xiaohong heard this, she thought that the Third Master was really good at predicting things. Just now, when he accompanied the Second Master of the Shi Family to the table, he gave her some instructions, as if he had predicted that the old lady would come to invite her.

Xiao Hong smiled and said, "I got the Third Master's order to tell the old lady."

As the two talked, they each walked into the hall. When Lady Jia saw Yuanyang coming back just after she went out, she felt a little strange. When she saw that she did not bring back Jia Cong but brought back his maid instead, she felt even more strange.

Xiao Hong said, "Madam, the Third Master was entertaining guests in Rongxi Hall just now, and now he is accompanying a group of old gentlemen to sit in Songxuan Hall.

Originally, the Third Master wanted to come to Rongqing Hall to greet the old lady and the elders in the inner court, but they had just taken their seats, and it would be rude for the Third Master to leave now, so he asked me to come and apologize to the old lady and the elders. "

Madam Wang asked hurriedly, "Brother Cong is sitting over there to entertain guests. How many hours will it take for him to be free?"

When Mrs. Wang said this, the noble ladies in the hall were all smart people and they knew what she meant.

The second wife said nicely that she wanted Weiyuan Bo to greet us, but in fact, she wanted someone to rescue her precious son. Xiaohong's voice was refreshing and pleasant: "Second wife, I can't say for sure, but now that the feast has just started, it will take at least half an hour to get ready."

Baoyu had already been kneeling outside the hall, his face pale and his whole body covered in sweat. His knees felt like they were being pricked by needles and he was gradually losing sensation. He felt extremely distressed and his heart was filled with grief that was beyond words.

At this moment, listening to Xiaohong's beautiful and clever voice was like listening to the most ironic mockery, and his heart was filled with resentment.

This bastard Jia Cong only cares about drinking and socializing, playing with his career and economics, and doesn't even care about his own life or death. It's really outrageous!

He thought that he would have to suffer for another half an hour, so he might as well die and avoid ruining his innocence. He became more and more angry, and his head was spinning...

……

Earl's Mansion, Daiyu Courtyard.

In the study, incense was burning, books were half-closed, the chessboard was empty and quiet, and the curtains were fluttering in the wind.

Daiyu was bending over her desk, writing with her slender wrist moving and her brush fluently writing, concentrating on writing something.

Zijuan brought in a cup of warm tea, tilted her head to take a look, and asked, "Miss, are you writing poetry again?"

Daiyu smiled and said, "I'm not writing a poem, I'm writing a letter to my father, telling him that my third brother won the second place in the imperial examination and was appointed as a Hanlin scholar. My father will be very happy to know this."

Zijuan smiled and said, "Of course, Master Lin was also very successful in the imperial examinations. He was as outstanding as the Third Master and was also a first-class Jinshi."

Daiyu smiled and said, "Father was very successful in the imperial examinations. After passing the imperial examination, he was appointed as a seventh-rank Hanlin editor, which was considered a glorious achievement among scholars.

Unexpectedly, the third elder brother was even more amazing. Not only did he do one better than his father, he also ranked second in the first class and was also awarded the fifth-rank Hanlin Lecturer.

Our Lin family is considered a scholarly family. I have listened to my father telling stories about scholars since I was a child, but I have never heard of a fifteen-year-old Hanlin scholar. My third brother is really amazing."

Seeing her daughter's face full of joy and pride, Zijuan wanted to laugh but held back her smile and said, "My daughter, Master Lin won the third place in the imperial examination, and Master San won the second place in the imperial examination. Both of them became imperial scholars.

This is also better than the original, and they complement each other, girl, that's what the book says, right?"

Daiyu blushed slightly when she heard the words that complemented each other, and her heart trembled. She said with a little anger: "Stupid girl, you don't read more books in your daily life, how can you use idioms randomly?"

Zijuan smiled and said, "Although I haven't read much, but seeing how proud the girl is, I know that she didn't use the idiom indiscriminately this time."

Daiyu's face was ruddy and she smiled without saying a word. After writing the last few strokes, she took it and looked at it carefully, then folded the letter paper and put it into the envelope.

Daiyu was a little absent-minded, and her mind was a little confused by Zijuan's words just now. After a long time, she sighed.

She handed the envelope to Zijuan and said, "I won't listen to your nonsense. Please help me mail the letter. When it's daylight, my third brother will probably be back from the West Mansion. I have nothing to do, so I'll go over and take a look."

……

Earl's Mansion, Jia Cong Courtyard.

Jia Cong entertained a group of guests in the West Mansion and went to Rongqing Hall to pay respects. At this time, Baoyu was no longer in the hall. Xiaohong said that Baoyu had fainted from kneeling and had been carried away...

When he returned to the East Palace, the sun had already set slightly in the west, and the sky was filled with bright pink glow.

As he approached his yard, he saw from afar Yingchun having two maids carry a red lacquered wooden box into the main hall of the yard.

Jia Cong followed her into the main hall and asked, "Second sister, where did the box come from?"

Yingchun smiled and said, "This was sent by Miss Zhen San. It is a gift to Brother Cong for passing the imperial examination and being appointed as a Hanlin."

Jia Cong was slightly stunned when he heard this. He walked forward to open the box and saw various gifts neatly arranged inside.

In addition to the commonly used high-quality four treasures of the study, there are also exquisite study antiques, as well as some clothes, shoes and socks. Each item is of appropriate style and exquisite workmanship, and does not look like it was prepared in a hurry.

Yingchun picked up a pair of black velvet thick-soled soft boots. She saw that the boots had fine stitching and the uppers were embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns, which added gorgeousness and elegance and showed great thought.

He smiled and said, “Brother Cong, this pair of boots is really well made. It took a lot of effort and it can’t be made in a day or two.

Although everyone knows that Brother Cong must pass the imperial examination this time, to prepare such a gift, one has to prepare it many days in advance so that it can be delivered today.

Since Miss Zhen came to the capital, she sent people to pay tribute to the eldest master twice when he passed away last time. She was in heavy mourning and could not visit him herself, so she sent people to pay tribute to him twice.

In the past six months, every time Brother Cong had a wedding, she was always polite and courteous. Miss Zhen really cares about you."

After hearing Yingchun's words, Jia Cong thought of Zhen Fangqing's personal maid Bei'er.

The little girl once told me that her biological father had just passed away and according to etiquette, she could not take part in the spring examination.

It was because Zhen Fangqing went to the palace to mediate and plead with Emperor Yong'an that she was able to break through the etiquette and take part in the imperial examination.

When he heard the imperial edict, he thought it was a favor from Emperor Jia Zhao, but he didn't know the truth...

Jia Cong looked at the boots in Yingchun's hand and said, "Miss Zhen is quite rare."

At this time, in the main hall, only Yinglian and Qingwen were helping Jia Cong put the gifts away, and no one else was present.

Yingchun didn't hesitate and chatted with her brother casually, saying, "Last time, the old lady mentioned Miss Zhen. She said that the marriage between Brother Cong and Miss Zhen was known to everyone and caused a lot of uproar.

Later, because the eldest master passed away, the arranged marriage was cancelled by the palace. This was not a big deal for Brother Cong, as he could only marry after three years of mourning, but it was quite disadvantageous for the girl.

Brother Cong, the matter of your marriage with Miss Zhen will be brought up again after the mourning period is over. After all, the emperor will take into account the feelings of the old concubine Zhen. "

Jia Cong thought of what Shi Ding said today, and after a moment of hesitation, he said, "Some things are inconvenient to say, but it will not harm my second sister.

In fact, His Majesty did not approve of the marriage between Jia Zhen and his family. The reason why he originally issued the decree to grant the marriage was only out of filial piety to the Emperor. "

Yingchun was surprised when she heard this and asked, "I heard from the old lady that although the Zhen family did not have a title, their ancestors were also ministers who founded the country.

The Zhen family and the Jia family are both families of officials and nobles, and both are prominent families in Jinling. The two families are well matched, so why would His Majesty not want this marriage?"

……

At this time, the sky was filled with bright red sunset glow, shining through the flying eaves and casting a large, swaying light and shadow on the corridor outside the main room.

Daiyu was standing on the corridor, hesitating and not going away, nor entering the house.

She had just finished writing a letter to her father and was aroused by Zijuan's words, so she wanted to go for a walk in Jia Cong's courtyard.

Just as she reached the door of the main hall, she heard Yingchun and Jia Cong chatting, and when they mentioned Zhen Fangqing, Daiyu stopped unconsciously.

She knew that although Miss Zhen's marriage with her third brother had not been completed, she had been living in the imperial mausoleum in the east of the city for the past six months.

She also knew that over the past six months, whenever her third brother took the imperial examination or passed the imperial examination, Miss Zhen would visit him in person, showing her great concern for him.

But she didn't say much. Not to mention that the Zhen and Jia families were old friends, it was not surprising that the children of the two families had polite interactions.

What's more, Miss Zhen almost became the wife of the third brother. Although the marriage between the two did not take place, they had an unusual connection after all.

Besides, the third brother never mentioned Miss Zhen when he was with his sisters. Although Daiyu had this knot in her heart, she naturally didn't mention it. There was still a long time to come, so why bother herself with troubles.

Just now she had just walked to the door and listened to the conversation between the two siblings. She then realized that Miss Zhen had sent a gift to congratulate her third brother on his success in the imperial examination. She felt inexplicably depressed.

When she heard Jia Cong say: Miss Zhen is quite rare.

Daiyu couldn't help feeling sad and wanted to leave in anger, but she didn't want to leave just like that.

When she heard what Jia Cong said next, she and Yingchun were equally surprised and couldn't help but want to listen more out of curiosity.

Jia Cong was heard saying in the room, "Second sister, you don't know that the last time I went to Nanjing on official business, Zhen Shiwen, the eldest son of the Zhen family, was involved in a major case of privately manufacturing firearms in Nanjing, which violated the taboo of the emperor.

His Majesty took the relationship between the late emperor and the dowager concubine into consideration and did not lose his temper for the time being, but he already had a deep prejudice against the Zhen family. I was the one who first proposed firearms, so His Majesty naturally did not like my marriage with the Zhen family.

Although the eldest master died suddenly, the court was bound by filial piety and etiquette, and the emperor just took advantage of the situation and cancelled the marriage, the entanglement is hard to describe in words. "

After hearing Jia Cong's words, Yingchun and Daiyu who were in the corridor were both shocked. They had never thought that there were such complicated reasons for the cancellation of the arranged marriage.

Yingchun looked at the exquisite boots in her hands and said, "So, you and Miss Zhen are really not meant to be together. It is destined to be fruitless."

Jia Cong said, "This matter involves the privacy of the court. I only told my second sister about it. It is inconvenient to tell others. My second sister should not mention it to the sisters, lest the news spreads and causes trouble."

Yingchun said, "Don't worry, brother Cong. I know the seriousness of this matter and will keep it a secret."

She smiled again and said, "As a sister, I am very selfish. As long as the girl treats my brother well, she is good in my eyes. Miss Zhen is really good."

Jia Cong said: "Ms. Zhen is good, but sisters at home, childhood sweethearts, accompanying each other day and night, and being as close as brothers, wouldn't it be better?"

When Yingchun heard Jia Cong's words, her heart moved slightly, and then she thought about what he was talking about. The two siblings understood each other tacitly and smiled at each other, adding to the warmth.

When Daiyu, who was outside the corridor, heard Jia Cong's words, her pretty face turned rosy and she was overwhelmed with joy. She took a few steps back and left Jia Cong's yard with brisk steps.

...(End of chapter)