Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

In the sixteenth year of Jiazhao, it was August and the golden osmanthus was fragrant.

Autumn arrived earlier this year than in previous years. The heat in the capital city gradually dissipated, the sky was high and the air was clear, and the weather became cooler.

Girls who are afraid of cold, such as Daiyu and Yingchun, would wear extra padded jackets in the morning and evening to avoid catching a cold as the season changes.

But when Jia Cong received letters from Nanjing and Suzhou, he learned that the heat was still lingering in Nanjing, and many places in the south of the Yangtze River had not seen rain for two months, and signs of drought were already showing.

However, Zhou Guangcheng from Liaodong Xinchunhao sent a letter saying that the autumn wind in the north was getting stronger and the cold was getting more intense.

Since the Jurchens were pacified in Liaodong, the Great Zhou expanded its territory beyond the Great Wall by a thousand miles. Liang Chengzong, the Marquis of Pingyuan, led a large army to garrison there, and the situation was relatively calm.

However, in the nine towns in the north of the Great Zhou, as autumn approached, the weather outside the Great Zhou was getting colder, and the elite cavalry from the grasslands were ready to make a move.

Except for the two towns of Liaodong and Jizhou, where foreign threats were pacified, the army was intimidated and as stable as a rock.

In the rest of Xuanfu Town and Datong Town to the west, there were still small groups of elite Mongolians who kept harassing people.

……

The nine towns outside the Great Zhou Pass have been guarded by generations of soldiers and soldiers, and each important pass is heavily guarded, which can be said to be impregnable.

However, the nine-border defense line is too long. Even with hundreds of thousands of border troops guarding it, it is impossible to cover it one by one, and it is inevitable that some gaps will be left.

These places are either sparsely populated or have rugged terrain, and are not worthy of heavy military garrisoning. They are only patrolled and guarded by border troops on a daily basis.

Every year when autumn arrives in the desert outside the Great Wall, the remnant Mongolian nomads would engage in plundering and pillaging in order to collect food and clothing for the winter.

Small groups of elite cavalry would often invade the gaps between the towns in the nine borders, rob food and people, and run away quickly, coming and going like the wind.

The pursuit and fighting between the patrol cavalry and elite nomadic troops in the surrounding areas were mostly carried out in these narrow areas of the border. The battlefields were stained with blood and the dead were wrapped in horsehide, unknown to the public.

Ever since Datong's hereditary commander Sun Zhanying surrendered to the enemy outside the Great Wall, Datong's general Qian Shaoyang colluded with the Sun family, was convicted of harboring corruption, and was eventually executed by Emperor Jiazhao.

The middle-level officers of Datong border army were also purged and replaced. Many generals under Liang Chengzong of Liaodong Town were transferred to Datong Town to fill the vacancies.

Many of these generals were Jia Cong's comrades in the army, and they occasionally exchanged letters on a daily basis, so Jia Cong knew a lot about the situation in the nine borders.

……

In contrast to the changing situation in the outside world, the east and west mansions of the Jia family, in the clear autumn, are still peaceful and harmonious.

During the month of August, several good things happened to the Jia family one after another, and both families were filled with a festive atmosphere.

On the third day of August, it was Lady Jia's 70th birthday. Although the Rongguo Mansion had its successive generations of nobles, the family's prosperity and glory continued to grow.

Because the newly promoted lord Jia Cong not only held two titles and passed the imperial examination, but also was appointed as a Hanlin scholar at the age of fifteen. He was good at both civil and military affairs, and his reputation was growing.

Today, the Rongguo Jia family is not only a wealthy and powerful family, but also a noble family, attracting more and more attention in the capital.

Therefore, on the day of Jia's mother's third birthday celebration, the house was packed with guests, more than ever before.

……

At this time, Baoyu had been living in the East Courtyard for a month. Doctor Hu used all his skills and changed several prescriptions to try his best to cure Baoyu's impotence.

All kinds of precious medicinal materials came crashing down, water and fire complemented each other, dragon and tiger attacked each other, and Mrs. Wang was full of confidence. She would not give up until she was seriously ill.
Doctor Hu was determined to cure the disease and save the patient. He examined the patient every three days and revised the prescription every five days, without any complaints.

I often asked Baoyu about his feedback after taking medicine, carefully observed his appearance and facial expressions, and weighed and considered how much medicine to give him. I gained a new understanding of medicine...

Mrs. Wang privately asked Caiyun about what happened in her room, but Caiyun just said with a blushing face that everything was the same as usual.

Naturally, she was too embarrassed to say it out loud. Every time they slept together, Baoyu would still be busy alone until midnight, but in the end, he accomplished nothing.

Caiyun was often so bored that she fell into a deep sleep and slept until dawn. She had been in Baoyu's room for several months, but she was still a virgin, which made her feel quite ashamed.

However, Doctor Hu's medicine was not completely useless. After taking the medicine, Baoyu became full of energy, his face was rosy, and even his voice became louder.

In addition to his original feminine demeanor, his behavior now took on a masculine and rough air. Baoyu often looked at himself in the mirror and was disgusted by this tacky look.

After many days, Baoyu's sexual performance was still useless, but his appearance became more and more energetic, as if he had been reborn.

He began to have frequent nosebleeds, and every morning when Xiren or Caiyun woke up, they would find a lot of bald hair beside his pillow...

The two were frightened and quickly told Mrs. Wang secretly.

Mrs. Wang was also very worried after hearing this. Even though they didn't know much about medicine, they knew that this was a bad sign. Could it be that Baoyu had other hidden illnesses?
……

Doctor Hu was called by Mrs. Wang to diagnose the patient again. After seeing Baoyu's complexion, he felt a little scared.

He really hadn't expected that Baoyu, at such a young age, was so useless that he couldn't withstand his superb medical skills.

Doctor Hu was worried that he had given too much medicine, and if Baoyu got hurt, the Rongguo Mansion's lady-in-waiting would expose his own guilt.

In desperation, he removed most of the precious herbs in the prescription and replaced it with a method of clearing heat and relieving qi.

I couldn't help but sigh in my heart, missing a good opportunity to study medicine...

After all, Baoyu was young and strong, so after taking the medicine for another five or six days, his irritability subsided, the strange symptoms disappeared, and he began to recover as usual, but he was still useless in bed.

When Mrs. Wang saw that the medicine was suddenly effective, she asked Doctor Hu about it during the follow-up visit. Doctor Hu only said that Xiao Shi's illness was gradually improving and would take a long time, so she shouldn't rush it.

From then on, the medicines prescribed by Doctor Hu no longer had the original miraculous effect of invigorating qi and blood, and seemed to become mediocre. Baoyu took them every day just like drinking water.

Seeing this situation, Mrs. Wang couldn't help but feel anxious again. After August, it would be deep autumn, and Baoyu and Miss Xia's wedding was approaching. How could she not be anxious?

Only Baoyu did not want to suffer like Mrs. Wang. He just kept fooling around in his mind, trying to please himself with romantic things and forget about his annoying inability to get by in bed.

The medicine that Doctor Hu prescribed again, because it lacked the power of a fierce beast, was mixed with some heat-clearing herbs such as platycodon, licorice, forsythia, and mint.

Whenever Caiyun makes medicinal soup, it always emits a strong herbal fragrance.

Baoyu would occasionally smell it and self-indulgently say that among all the fragrances, only the scent of medicine was the most elegant.

He also asked Caiyun to bring medicine to the room to boil, making the whole room full of smoke and fire. He still thought he was elegant and outstanding, quite like a merchant woman who did not know the shame of losing her country.

Caiyun felt uncomfortable when she saw this. Since she entered Baoyu's room, she became more aware of the absurdity that she was previously unaware of.

This second master is useless in bed, doesn't know how to cure his worries, and says weird things every day. Life is so long, how can he get through it?

……

At this time, Lady Jia was celebrating her 70th birthday, but Jia Cong usually went out early and came back late, busy with official business in the government office, and even paid his respects to Lady Jia only once every few days.

Grandmother Jia didn't expect him to act like a child. It was rare for a person to live to be seventy, and on the occasion of his longevity, she had to let her most beloved Baoyu sit on her lap.

She sent someone to the East Courtyard to urge Baoyu to move back to the West Courtyard to accompany her on her 70th birthday.

Baoyu has been living in the East Courtyard for more than a month. Mrs. Wang knows that if he continues to make excuses to shirk his responsibilities, the old lady, who is a prominent figure in the inner court, will certainly become suspicious.

She had no choice but to let Baoyu move back to the West Mansion first. The reluctance in her expression would have been unbelievable in the past.

Before Baoyu left, she called him into her room and gave him some instructions, and taught him earnestly and explained the reasons to him, as he was looking forward to returning to the West Mansion.

He was warned not to let Qiu Wen, Bi Hen and the others get close to him when he was on night duty in the room, and not to let them hang out together, so as to avoid exposing his flaws.

Mrs. Wang also had good intentions. It was probably very rare for a mother to plan even her son's sex life.

Baoyu felt very happy in the first few days since he returned to the West Mansion.

As it was Lady Jia's third birthday, all the noble and elderly relatives came to celebrate.

As a result, Baoyu was able to see his sisters every day. Compared with the miserable and dull life he had spent in the East Courtyard last month, he felt extremely happy now.

Although everyone has a different attitude towards him, Yingchun is generous and humble, Tanchun is a little reserved, Daiyu is indifferent, and Xiangyun is still cheerful and romantic.

But Baoyu was still in high spirits and went to Rongqing Hall early every day to accompany Lady Jia.

Because the sisters would also come to the hall early in the morning to accompany Lady Jia and help receive the wives of noble relatives, even if Daiyu felt annoyed with Baoyu, there was no reason for her to refuse.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Jia Cong's courtyard.

The sun is shining, the autumn breeze is blowing gently, beautiful figures are coming and going, and laughter is non-stop.

Lingguan and her maid were washing and drying summer clothes. Colorful clothes were hung on the open space, fluttering slightly in the wind. There were also two camphor wood suitcases next to them.

Yinglian squatted on a sunny spot on the porch, humming a little tune, spreading out many books to dry, and the breeze blew her long black hair into ruffles.

In the main room, Zhishao helped Jia Cong put on a newly made soft robe with dark blue floral patterns, buttoned it up, rolled up the collar and straightened his sleeves, and tidied up his appearance.

As Lady Jia's three-day birthday had passed, Rongguo Mansion welcomed another happy event, which was the full moon celebration of Wang Xifeng's eldest sister.

After a month of nursing, the eldest sister's fetal qi was gone and she grew up to be fair, tender and clean, with clear eyebrows and eyes, and was very cute.

Yingchun, Daiyu and other sisters have come to pay their respects to Grandmother Jia recently. From now on, they have one more place to go, which is to go to Wang Xifeng's courtyard to tease their eldest sister.

Because Jia Lian was exiled to the border, Wang Xifeng was reluctant to hold a grand celebration due to family etiquette.

Only the Wang family's closest relatives in Beijing and family members from the two mansions were invited to the grand hall for a banquet to celebrate. Although it was not too noisy and lively, it was light and simple.

Zhishao changed Jia Cong into new clothes as they were going to the West Mansion to attend the full moon banquet at noon.

At the courtyard gate, Qingwen was holding a red silk brocade box with a letter in it, and she walked quickly into the main room.

He said, "Third Master, the gold bracelet you had made has been delivered, along with a letter from the post office."

Zhishao took the brocade box from Qingwen's hand and saw a golden bracelet inside, which was very dazzling and beautiful.

The bracelet is carved into intertwined lily branches, the joints can be retracted, it shines with golden light and has an exquisite design.

Zhi Shao smiled and said, "Third Master is really thoughtful. This little gold bracelet is so unique. My sister can wear it even when she grows up."

This gold bracelet was a gift from Jia Cong to Qiaojie for her full moon, but she didn't have the name Qiaojie yet. People in the mansion only called her by her nickname, "Big Sister", because she was the eldest daughter of the eldest son's family.

Jia Cong naturally would not meddle in other people's business and quickly named her Qiaojie. He was very interested in the original trajectory.

I don’t know if there really was a Granny Liu, and I don’t know when she would enter the Jia Mansion. Perhaps with the changes in the world and the confusing plot lines, this character no longer exists.

……

Jia Cong was somewhat curious about the letters Qingwen brought. The so-called post office was a government-run post station that could send items and letters for ordinary people.

But when Jia Cong was outside the capital, he mostly communicated with Nanjing and Liaodong, usually via Feiyu, and few people sent him letters by post.

When he opened the letter and read it, he was surprised to find that the letter was written by Zhen Fangqing and sent from Changzhou Post Office.

Because the official postal service was slow in delivering letters, the letter took half a month to arrive on the road.

Another thing he could think of was that Zhen Fangqing's use of the post to send the message was unexpected and therefore less likely to be leaked.

Since the last time Wu Hongtu, the judge of the Dali Temple, visited him and asked him about the whereabouts of Zhen Fangqing, he also revealed that the palace had issued an order to arrest Zhen Fangqing.

Jia Cong has been following the development of the matter closely. A few days ago, he had a drink with Yang Hongbin and asked him bluntly about the progress of the matter.

Given his special relationship with Zhen Fangqing, it is understandable that he is concerned about this matter. If he pretends to be indifferent, it will only arouse suspicion.

In addition, he and Yang Hongbin have a close relationship, and the other party is a shrewd and experienced person. It is more straightforward to speak frankly in front of him than to beat around the bush.

……

Yang Hongbin did not hide the truth from Jia Cong, saying that since the beginning of autumn in August and the approach of winter in the northern desert, the number of elite Mongolian cavalrymen sneaking through the border and looting has been increasing.

Because autumn arrived earlier this year than in previous years, the Da Zhou military's routine transportation of food, fodder, winter clothing and other supplies was also started a month earlier than in previous years.

The troops of the five military camps in the capital were frequently transferred and sent to the nine important border towns for rotation and reorganization. The two key places were Xuanfu Town and Datong Town.

The current emperor has always been very wary of Anda Khan, the ambitious leader of the remnant Mongolian and barbarian tribes, who is accumulating strength and preparing for war.

They were worried that the transportation of food and fodder on the roads and the rotation of the various armies would be discovered by the remaining Mongolian spies inside and outside the capital.

He ordered the Imperial Guard, the Court of Inquisition, the Dali Temple and other government offices to increase their responsibilities for inspection, vigilance, trial and adjudication in the capital and the cities to the north.

Anyone who leaks important state secrets will be investigated thoroughly, but if caught, they will be killed without mercy.

Last month, the Dali Temple sent a group of agents to the south to search for Zhen Fangqing's whereabouts, but a month has passed and nothing has been found.

It is the time of autumn and winter when the nine borders are preparing for war. The imperial court is searching for treacherous spies on a large scale. The Dali Temple is short of staff, and some of the officers who went south will be transferred back.

……

After listening to what Yang Hongbin said, Jia Cong knew that Zhen Fangqing had been hiding and was still safe and sound.

I just didn't know her exact whereabouts, so I couldn't help but worry about her. Now that I've read this letter, I finally feel relieved.

Zhen Fangqing said in the letter that he had sailed from Haishanzhu, Changzhou, half a month ago and was heading to a place to stay in the East China Sea. Everything was fine and there was no need to worry.

Although the letter is short, its meaning is clear and exudes a sense of peace and confidence.

Jia Cong originally wanted to send Zhen Fangqing to Fuzhou to escape disaster through the channels operated by Xinchunhao, but he didn't expect that she would find a different way and settle down by sea on a boat.

But after thinking about it for a while, he was not surprised that Zhen Fangqing went to sea to avoid disaster.

The second branch of the Zhen family was already the richest in Jiangnan in terms of foreign trade, and controlled the largest private maritime fleet in Jinling.

It is not surprising that the second branch of the Zhen family has established a back-up plan and foundation in the overseas market after years of experience in overseas business.

The East China Sea is dotted with islands, most of which are unowned. After years of sea voyages, it is not difficult to find a few places to take shelter.

Even relying on the many years of maritime trade connections of the second branch of the Zhen family, Zhen Fangqing could go north to Ryukyu, south to Sulu, or to other maritime island countries.

Those places have long been influenced by the legal system of the Central Plains, their language and customs are no different from those of the Central Plains, and their hiding places are vast and boundless.

I am afraid that even if the imperial court mobilizes all the troops in the country, it will still not be able to find Zhen Fangqing's whereabouts.

At this moment, Jia Cong suddenly understood why the Zhen family's considerable fleet went out to sea and disappeared at the right time before the Zhen family faced a disaster.

This must be the way of retreat that Zhen Fangqing had planned long ago. No matter what, Zhen Fangqing is out of danger and can rest assured from now on, which is also a good thing.

But from now on, we are separated by huge distances, and I don’t know if we will ever see each other again.
Jia Cong recalled the time when he saw her off outside the city, their heartfelt conversation, their intimacy and tenderness, and he felt an indescribable sadness in his heart.

……

As it was approaching noon, Jia Cong went to the Grand Flower Hall in the West Palace for a banquet.

After entering the flower hall, he first paid his respects to Lady Jia, then personally put a full-moon gold bracelet on the eldest sister. After sitting and chatting for a while, he went to the men's seat in the porch of the flower hall.

At this time, Baoyu also arrived at the banquet. It was the full moon banquet for his eldest sister. He wanted to sit with Jia Cong at the men's table outside.

But he stayed at the women's table and chatted, making Lady Jia very happy. She asked the maid to set up a seat next to him and let Baoyu sit at the women's table.

Jia Cong saw several tables full of beautiful women, except for Baoyu, a man, and felt a little mocking.

When Xia Jingui marries into the second wife next year, I wonder if Baoyu will still be able to do the same thing. He is a jealous person...

Because Wang Xifeng kept a low profile, she only invited relatives of the Wang family in Beijing as guests, so there were not many people.

Jia Cong saw Wang Ziteng sitting at the same table with him. As Wang Xifeng's second uncle, he was naturally included in the invitation to his niece's granddaughter's full moon celebration.

When other relatives encounter a full-month banquet for a new baby, they will often bring their daughters and children to offer congratulations, to show that the family is prosperous and auspicious.

Only Wang Ziteng attended the banquet alone. Wang Xifeng's second aunt Zhang and cousin Wang Yi were nowhere to be seen.

This was not because Wang Ziteng was impolite, because that year when Wang Zhang was congratulating Lady Jia on her mother's birthday, she made a big joke by mocking Jia Cong for his humble birthday gift.

Because of this incident, Grandmother Jia was extremely disgusted with Wang Zhangshi. Later, Wang Zhangshi secretly framed Jia Cong, causing the Jia and Wang families to treat each other with cold respect from then on.

From then on, Wang Ziteng lost the support of the Jia family's connections, and was trapped in the empty title of Jiedushi of the Beijing Camp, and was used as a club by Emperor Jiazhao.

He still has the nerve to go in and out of the Jia Mansion, which shows that he is extremely magnanimous. How could he dare to bring his wife and son to visit?

If he really did something stupid like this, even if Jia Cong would not turn hostile, Grandmother Jia would probably turn hostile immediately and take the opportunity to cut off all ties with Wang Ziteng...

……

A full moon banquet was full of joy and both the guests and the hosts were happy.

After the guests left, the sisters teased their eldest sister for a while, then Daiyu got up early and returned to the East Palace with Zijuan.

Jia Cong and Jia's mother took their leave and stood up to leave together.

Tanchun felt uncomfortable because of Lady Wang's presence.

Since the family rules of the East Courtyard, she and her stepmother have become estranged, so naturally she didn't want to stay any longer, and took the opportunity to follow Daiyu back to the East Palace.

Although Xing Xiuyun and Jia Cong had a formal relationship, they were only relatives by marriage at the moment, so it was naturally not a good idea for her to stay for long, and she also stood up and said goodbye to Lady Jia.

Shi Xiangyun and Xing Xiuyun were good friends, so when they saw that she was leaving, they naturally left as well, and they could even play two games of chess together when they returned.

In the end, only Yingchun was left to support the situation and chat with Lady Jia.

Baoyu felt aggrieved and upset when he saw his sisters disperse in a moment, but the East Palace was indestructible to him and no one was allowed to enter, so he had no choice.

……

After the remaining banquet was cleared away, Mrs. Wang, Wang Xifeng, Aunt Xue and others accompanied Lady Jia back to Rongqing Hall to chat. Baoyu had nowhere to go, so he followed them to Rongqing Hall.

Grandmother Jia had the eldest daughter brought over, took out the golden lock, necklace and other symbols of longevity and safety that she had prepared earlier, and put them on the eldest daughter herself.

The baby, who had just turned one month old, was covered in gold and silver after a banquet, looking very rich and festive.

The ladies chatted about daily gossip, and Baoyu felt bored listening to them. He was thinking that his sisters would amuse themselves when they returned to the East Palace.

Wang Xifeng said, "Madam, my eldest daughter is now one month old, and I have something happy to tell you about."

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "There are many happy events this month. You actually have another one. Tell me about it."

When Mrs. Wang and Aunt Xue heard Wang Xifeng say that there was a happy event, they didn't think of anything else for a moment.

Even Baoyu, who was feeling depressed, couldn't help but feel curious after hearing what Wang Xifeng said.

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "The old lady must still remember that I arranged for Ping'er to marry me last October and gave her to Brother Cong.

Because I was pregnant and needed Ping'er to take care of me, this matter was delayed.

Now that my eldest sister is already one month old, I don’t want to delay Ping’er’s youth.

I thought that the old lady would pick a day to give Ping'er a family ceremony, and then let her go to the East Palace to be the wife, and maybe she could give birth to a family for the old lady."

Everyone in both the East and West Mansions knew that Wang Xifeng had promised Ping'er to Jia Cong, and naturally Lady Wang and Aunt Xue also knew about it.

After hearing Wang Xifeng's talk about this, they were somewhat surprised, but they didn't take it to heart.

Anyway, Jia Cong wanted to have more people in the house, which was a common thing in a big house.

Besides, Jia Cong holds two titles and has two properties to pass on. Having many offspring is more important to him than to others, so there must be no shortage of women in his room.

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "I didn't think of this for a while. This is indeed a happy event."

When Baoyu heard Wang Xifeng's words, which were again about the many gossips about having many descendants and branching out, he thought of his own hidden illness and immediately felt overwhelmed with shame and hatred.

He was furious for a moment, and blood rushed to his pupils, thinking that the pretty and dignified Ping'er was actually going to be ruined by Jia Cong.

Infinite grief and indignation welled up in my chest, and I was about to blurt out my true feelings: I won't allow this, how can this be possible... (End of this chapter)