Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Earl's Mansion, Jia Cong Courtyard.

It is October, late autumn is coming to an end, and the weather in the capital is getting colder day by day, with the early morning being the coldest time of the year.

It was dark outside the house. The night wind blew over the porch, making a strange whimpering sound on the window frames.

Compared to the chill of early winter outside, Jia Cong's bedroom was warm as spring. The gorgeous red quilt embroidered with round flowers on the bed tightly wrapped the two bodies.

In the sweetly scented quilt, Zhishao's warm and silky body was leaning on Jia Cong, sleeping with their necks intertwined, her breath as fragrant as orchid.

Her black hair piled up beside the jade-like pillow, intertwined and fascinating.

After a joyful and loving night last night, the two fell asleep in each other's arms. It was a very sweet sleep, and the room was filled with an unusual tranquility and peace.

It was past midnight when Jia Cong woke up. He slightly opened the bed curtains and glanced at the Western clock on the wall.

Zhishao's smooth, fragrant and soft body was moved by his movements. She trembled slightly and was awakened by him very sensitively.

She raised her head with her starry eyes and asked, "Third Master, are you going to get up?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "It's still more than two quarters to the hour of Yin. You can still lie down for a while longer. It's better to wake up early so as not to miss the time."

Unlike later times, there are not many things to waste time at night. Jia Cong does not need to light a lamp to study. He turns off the lights and goes to bed at 11 p.m. every night.

Otherwise, if you have to get up before dawn every day to attend the early morning court, even if you are young, your body will not be able to bear it in the long run.

As he said this, he lay down a little straighter and held Zhishao in his arms again. The bed was soft and fragrant, and the two of them whispered, talked and laughed, and chatted about some small things.

In just a moment, he could not hold back his emotion and he attached himself to her, lingering tenderly, swaying and rubbing against her, tilting his neck and sobbing, until the hour of Yin when he stopped.

At this moment, she was no longer willing to leave the gentle quilt, and forced herself to get up. She stopped Zhishao who wanted to get up, and got up to clean herself and put on her clothes.

But just as he put on his underdress, Zhishao struggled to sit up despite her tiredness, wrapped herself in the brocade quilt, picked up the clothes scattered on the couch and put them on.

Jia Cong laughed and said, "After I leave you, won't I know how to dress and live? Why are you getting up? Just lie down quietly."

Zhishao's pretty face turned pink, and she said, "The Third Master has already stood up, I can't lie down any longer, or Wu Er and the others will come in later, and I'll look so unhappy."

……

She put on her clothes and tied her hair casually with a hairband, then came over to help Jia Cong get dressed and comb his hair.

After she finished taking care of Jia Cong's affairs, she sat down in front of the dressing table to put on her makeup.

He said, "Third Master, I will go back to Muni Temple tomorrow. Winter is about to come. I will go to see Master and help Senior Sister with the preparations."

Jia Cong asked, "How is Master Xiushan doing recently?"

Zhi Shao sighed, "After taking the medicine prescribed by Doctor Zhang last time, my symptoms have stabilized. Although it is not serious, it is sometimes better and sometimes worse, which makes me afraid to be careless.

Compared to Gusu, the winter in Shenjing is too cold. Last year, my master had a hard time spending the winter in Shenjing.

My senior sister was worried that Master was working too hard, and she advised him to return to Suzhou to recuperate before winter. Although I was reluctant to leave Master and my senior sister, I also meant the same thing.

But the master said that her destiny was in the north, and there was no need to migrate any further. He also said that he was old and sick, and might not be able to endure a thousand-mile journey.

My sister and I had no choice but to give up after hearing this. We always have to prepare more for the master before winter comes, so that we can spend this winter peacefully. "

Jia Cong thought for a moment and said, "I have been to Muni Temple many times. Although the building is solid, it is a bit old.

Monks emphasize purity and asceticism, so their meditation rooms are built in a very simple style, which makes them less likely to withstand the severe cold of winter.

Young people can still resist a little, but the elderly and sick people have a hard time.

Don't worry about this, it's not difficult to solve.

The last time we renovated the East Road Courtyard, we used a group of construction craftsmen who were originally recommended by Mr. Shan Ziye and had very sophisticated skills.

The lists of these people are now kept in Xifu Gong. I think there is still a month or so before winter, so it's a good opportunity to take advantage of this time.

It would be better to rebuild the golden statue of Muni Temple and repair the house. At the end of the year, it can also be regarded as accumulating some blessings for the family.

I will talk to Wu'er later and let Lin Zhixiao take care of this matter, and all the expenses will be allocated from the East Palace.

Let the craftsmen build a fire wall in the Zen room in the courtyard, dig a ground dragon, and set up a fire pit, so that no matter how cold the winter is, the nun will not be afraid and spend the winter safely. "

……

After hearing this, Zhishao was delighted and stood up and said, "Third Master must have a solution. This way, my sister and I don't have to worry about Master's wintering.

It’s just that it’s inconvenient for Master and Sister to live here while the Zen room is being repaired, so I asked the housekeeper to help find a suitable place to stay, and we can move back after the repairs are completed.”

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Don't bother yourself. The last time Master Miaoyu came to pray for Sister Lin, she stayed in the courtyard on the slope near Dengxian Pavilion.

The place was elegant and quiet, and everything inside was ready-made. With just a little tidying up, it could be turned into a nunnery.

You can let Master Xiushan and Master Miaoyu stay here temporarily, so they don’t have to stay outside during the New Year. You can also visit and take care of them on a daily basis.”

Zhishao was delighted to hear this. She was a quiet and reserved person, even shy in bed, but at this moment she was somewhat carried away.

She glanced at the tightly closed door, stepped forward and kissed Jia Cong on the cheek, her pretty face flushed, charming and charming, she smiled and said, "Third Master is really nice."

This made Jia Cong hold her in his arms and rub her affectionately.

After a while, the two let go of each other's hands. Jia Cong helped Zhishao button her shirt, and Zhishao helped him wipe off the rouge. They both found each other funny, and Zhishao's pretty face became more and more red.

……

After the two men had finished dressing and grooming, there were two knocks on the door. Wu'er brought in hot water and helped Jia Cong wash his face and rinse his mouth.

The three of them went into the main room to have breakfast. Although it was not yet bright outside, the girls in the courtyard had already gotten up.

Since Jia Cong had to attend the morning court every day, they also changed their daily routines and went to bed early and got up early every day.

Lingguan brought two little maids, each carrying a food box in their hands, and walked into the main room one after another.

Qingwen was the most efficient. She brought out the food in the boxes and set the table. Yinglian and Ping'er then distributed bowls, cloths and chopsticks. Soon everyone sat around the table.

Jia Cong also told Ping'er and Wu'er about the renovation of the Muni Courtyard and asked them to inform Wang Xifeng and get the matter done as soon as possible.

He also asked Qingwen to pass a message to Yingchun after dinner, explaining that silver would be allocated from the East Palace for this matter, and also asked about the recent events in the West Palace.

Ping Erh said, “There has been nothing unusual happening in the West Mansion recently. The rice we bought from the grain store in the North City in August has been praised by people everywhere after they have tasted it.

The market situation outside is exactly the same as what the Third Master said. The price of rice has been rising in the past two months, although Zhen'an Prefecture has cooperated with grain merchants to transport some new grain from other provinces.

However, the population of the capital was too large, and the number of merchants traveling between the north and the south, and the number of students coming to the capital for tourism and examinations did not decrease at the end of the year, but increased instead.

No matter how much new grain the government supervised and transported, it was just a drop in the bucket, but it did somewhat suppress the rising trend of grain prices.

The day before yesterday, Second Mistress went to Aunt Xue and followed Uncle Xue's path to buy ten carts of rice from the grain shop in the north of the city, enough for the two mansions to use until the beginning of next spring.

In addition, the two main rooms of Rongxi Hall in the west mansion and the three small main rooms in the east corridor have been used for a long time and it is time to renovate them.

The backyard of the old lady's main house with east-west corridors is also a bit old and needs to be renovated and repainted and some grass and trees should be planted.

In fact, these things should have been done when the second master moved to the East Courtyard and vacated the space.

It was just that when the Third Master inherited the title of Rongguo, because it was a downgraded title, the West Mansion lost a large amount of property, and it was a bit tight to make room for it, so it was delayed.

During the past six months, my second grandmother has led us in reducing the population and cutting redundant items, and now the public can move around much more easily.

We have to finish these things before the New Year to add some new atmosphere to the end of the year.

Yesterday, the Second Mistress and the Old Lady were talking about the renovation. The Second Mistress was coming over to pay her respects to the Old Lady and mentioned that Baoyu's yard was also a bit old.

Second Grandma said that since there were so many repairs to be done at once, the public expenditure for that month was too high, and she was afraid that she would have to overdraw to make up for it next month.

Baoyu's courtyard is not as important as Rongxi Hall and Rongqing Hall. We will deal with it when we have time in the early spring of next year.

Besides, Baoyu has been very busy with his studies recently, so he has no time to spare even if his yard is being renovated."

……

Jia Cong smiled when he heard this, and he didn't know what Mrs. Wang was thinking. Could it be that Baoyu could live in the West Mansion for the rest of his life?

As for what Wang Xifeng said, Jia Cong also understood what she meant.

Baoyu is going to get married this winter or next spring, and Wang Xifeng said that he would have time to renovate the house next spring, which is obviously an attempt to drive him away.

He asked casually, "Baoyu doesn't like to study normally, so why does he have so many homeworks? Is it that the master has assigned them new tasks?"

Ping'er couldn't help laughing and said, "The Third Master was just asking about this matter, and now that it's spread all over the West Mansion, it's quite funny.

Last time, Master Bao smashed thousands of belongings from two families. The second master wanted to call him back to the East Courtyard to teach him a lesson, but was stopped by the old lady.

The second master couldn't disobey, so he found a way to punish Bao Erye and asked him to copy the "Book of Filial Piety" ten times within ten days.

I heard from Musk Moon that when Master Bao started copying books by night, he couldn't stand the hardship after just a few days and became lax. As a result, he only finished copying eight times after ten days. The second master rushed to the West Mansion and gave him a good beating, and even the old lady couldn't stop him.

Afterwards, Bao Erye was asked to copy the Book of Filial Piety for another ten days. This time, Bao Erye tried his best to copy it ten times. After reading it, the second master scolded him for his sloppy handwriting and blasphemy against sages.

So Master Bao was asked to re-copy it for ten days, and to repeat this process several times. As this matter involved the father's teaching of filial piety and etiquette, even the old lady could not interfere too much.

Now, if we count the time, Master Bao has been copying the Filial Piety Sutra for more than a month, and he is so busy that he can hardly leave his room every day, so Second Madam has such a topic to talk about. "

Everyone laughed when they heard this. Jia Cong smiled in his heart. He had never thought that Jia Zheng was such a clever man. He must have been so angry with his son that he came up with such a weird idea.

He laughed and said, "There is such a thing, but I didn't know anything about it."

Wu Er smiled and said, "Third Master goes out early and comes back late every day, and we find this matter boring, so we didn't mention it, so Third Master naturally doesn't know."

……

Although Wu'er and Ping'er were aware of Baoyu's embarrassing incident, they knew that Jia Cong disliked Baoyu's frivolous and incompetent behavior, so they usually disdained to talk about it.

Zhishao, Qingwen and others seldom go to the West Mansion on a daily basis, so naturally they are not aware of the interesting things happening there.

The sisters often went to the West Mansion to pay their respects to Lady Jia, although they all knew about this anecdote.

But Yingchun knew very well that her brothers disliked Baoyu, and because Baoyu often belittled Jia Cong, she felt alienated from her cousin, so she naturally did not want to mention it.

Daiyu was too lazy to talk about Baoyu in front of Jia Cong. Not only was it boring, it also ruined her mood for talking to her third brother.

Because of the rift between her and Mrs. Wang, Tanchun had become estranged from this brother from the same father. Besides, it was not a good thing and it would be embarrassing to mention it.

As for Shi Xiangyun, since she and Baoyu were raised by Grandmother Jia, they have some sisterly affection after all, so it would not be appropriate for her to tell his embarrassing stories and make fun of him in front of others.

Therefore, Jia Cong knew nothing about Baoyu's scandal, which had been going on in the West Mansion for a month.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

The women of the Jia family gathered in the hall, wearing green clothes and gorgeous outfits, with fragrance blowing in their sleeves and hairpins shining with precious stones, looking rich and leisurely.

Ever since Jia Cong left home to attend court, Yingchun, Daiyu and other sisters came to pay their respects to Grandmother Jia.

Baochai also came over with Aunt Xue and sat and chatted with the sisters, and they didn't leave for a while.

If it were any other time, Daiyu and Baochai would have found an excuse to leave first after paying their respects to Lady Jia.

Because Baoyu always came at the right time, he would show off and talk big in front of the sisters and take the opportunity to get close to them.

But now Baoyu is in dire straits, living a life worse than death. He struggles to copy the Book of Filial Piety every day, so how can he dare to go out for a walk?

Grandmother Jia once asked Xiren about it, and Xiren just said that Master Bao was doing very well now and was working hard in his room every day, so the old lady didn't need to worry.

Xiren was also afraid of Baoyu. Recently, whenever the Second Master went out, something happened. It would be better for her to copy books at home in peace and kill time. She wouldn't be afraid after getting married.

Grandmother Jia often asked Yuanyang to check on Baoyu's room. When Yuanyang came back, she said that Master Bao was working hard in his room, which was quite rare and a blessing for the old lady.

After a few such exchanges, Grandmother Jia put her worries to rest and had people deliver soup, melons and fruits to Baoyu's room every day, and asked the maids to take care of his daily life and sleep.

She also called Xiren over to nag her, asking her to keep a close eye on Baoyu and not to ruin his health by studying too hard, which was absolutely not allowed.

Daiyu, Baochai and the others were free from such shocking and irritating feelings and were happy to spend time in Rongqing Hall with their sisters.

It has been a long time since Rongqing Hall has felt such peace and harmony...

……

After two months of recuperation after giving birth, Wang Xifeng is now able to move freely. She sits below Lady Jia and chats with her and Aunt Xue.

Grandmother Jia smiled at Aunt Xue and said, "I heard that your brother has become successful and opened a grain and rice shop, and his business is very prosperous.

Not only do we both buy rice from there, but several elderly ladies who came to visit our house said that they also bought their rice from your brother's shop.

Rice is the most important food for every household. Your brother is really doing good business."

Aunt Xue laughed and said, "Pan'er is just like a horse without a bridle. He wanders around every day and can easily get into trouble. He is not as good as the old lady said.

He and your brother Cong are just as different as heaven and earth. There is no comparison between them."

After hearing this, Grandmother Jia felt a little strange and somewhat lost.

How can Xue Pan, that troublemaker, be compared with Brother Cong? I'm afraid there are not many young men from wealthy families in Shenjing who can compare with this kid.

In the past, when this concubine mentioned her son, she always said that he was far inferior to Baoyu, but now she doesn't even mention his name...

Aunt Xue continued, "It's not good for relatives to lie to each other. In fact, the grain and rice shop in the north of the city is not Pan'er's property.

It was just that the shop owner and he were old friends, and they had some friendship and face, so he allowed him to invest a portion of the capital.

It was a coincidence that Pan'er went to Datong several times for business two years ago and got to know Mr. Duan, the owner of the grain shop.

This man originally had a business in Datong, specializing in business of grain, cloth, timber, etc. with people outside the Great Wall.

But since last year, the Mongols outside the Great Wall have repeatedly broken through the Great Wall to plunder and loot, and the situation has become increasingly serious.

Originally, except for salt and iron, businesses in Datong were prohibited, but businesses such as grain, cotton, porcelain, and timber were still allowed.

But at the end of last year, in the cold winter, more than a thousand Mongolian cavalrymen sneaked into Shanxi, looted everywhere in Taiyuan City, and killed many people.

The imperial court was furious, and now all nine borders have been basically closed, and even legitimate business items cannot leave the border.

The boss couldn't make it in Datong anymore, so he had to start a new business and start a grain business in Shenjing.

This man has a good eye for business. He made the right decision in the rice business. Pan'er is just taking advantage of his convenience."

Aunt Xue is the mistress of a wealthy imperial merchant family. When it comes to business matters, she is naturally well-informed.

Although Grandmother Jia only understood half of what was said, she did understand some of it, such as the ban on salt and iron in the nine border areas, which she knew very well.

Her eldest son was involved in this matter, which resulted in her eldest grandson Jia Lian being exiled to Liaodong.

Grandmother Jia sighed, "We haven't heard of this for many years, and now the Mongols are making trouble again.

At that time, Baoyu's grandfather also led troops in the nine frontiers and followed the emperor deep into the desert, defeating the Mongolian soldiers and bringing many peaceful years.

Weren't the Mongols already crippled? Why are they making trouble again now?"

Aunt Xue smiled and said, "Madam, I heard these things from hearsay. How can the women in the mansion know the details?

Your brother Cong is an official who attends court every day, so he must know the most.”

……

In the north of Shenjing City, on Yongxuan Street, there is Duan’s grain shop.

This is a three-room shop. In addition to selling various types of refined rice, coarse rice, corn and other grains, the shop also sells various fresh and dried goods from the north and south.

Yongzhen Street is a prosperous street in the north of Shenjing City. It is lined with shops and bustling with people. It has always been a place with prosperous business.

Even in such a neighborhood, the Duan family grain store has only been open for two months, but its grand facade is still quite eye-catching.

The neighbors and shops nearby knew that the owner of the grain shop was named Duan, from Datong. He was said to be an experienced businessman who had done big business in the past.

Although I don't know the detailed background of Mr. Duan, a foreigner who opens a grain store of this size in the capital, under the feet of the emperor, is no ordinary person.

Because the capital is an important place in the capital, grain is related to the livelihood and food and clothing of hundreds of thousands of people, and the daily price fluctuations are related to the stability of the people's hearts in the market.

Therefore, grain shops are different from other businesses. Although the government will not limit the number of grain shops in the city, the two prefectures in Shenjing have strict inspections on the opening of grain shops.

Any merchant who could open a grain shop in the capital usually had abundant silver and a stable supply of grain, and he must have connections in the officialdom.

The Duan family grain store has only been open for two months, but business is booming, not to mention that many of the people who have come to buy grain recently are wealthy families in Shenjing.

This made the nearby shopkeepers secretly certain that this Shopkeeper Duan must be a person with background.

Therefore, recently, merchants and bosses from the surrounding areas have come to talk and invite me to dinner, mostly with the intention of making friends.

This shopkeeper Duan is a very versatile person, with quick-witted and warm conversation, generous and popular.

This also allowed her to mingle with all kinds of people on Yongzhen Street, and she soon became a familiar face on the street.

On this day, Shopkeeper Duan was calculating accounts in the shop, and the abacus made a crackling sound.

Next to the abacus was a plate of roasted lamb intestines, which were dark red, dry and had a bland smell.

Every time he finished calculating a bill, he would put a mouthful of it into his mouth, appearing to be enjoying himself.

At this time, a waiter came in and said, "Boss, there is a guest visiting outside. He said he is your fellow villager from Datong, his surname is Sun..." (End of this chapter)