Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Ningrong Street, a small courtyard with a single entrance.

There are two tall locust trees at the gate of the courtyard, standing tall and majestic. When the autumn wind blows, the leaves often fall slowly.

The persimmon tree in the yard has a strong trunk and many green fruits are hanging on its branches. When the winter frost comes, the fruits will turn into persimmon red.

There was a small table under the tree, with several ceramic cups on it filled with hot fragrant tea. Jia Cong and Zhi Shao were talking to Nanny Zhao.

Last time, Jia Cong and Wei Yongzhou talked about Guo Zhigui. Because he was assigned to lead the Liaodong Musket Battalion, he was unable to return to Shenjing for a while.

Jia Cong thought that Nanny Zhao had not seen her son for several years, so he returned from the workshop an hour earlier that day and took Zhishao to visit Nanny Zhao.

When Nanny Zhao saw him bringing Zhishao with him, she was very happy. Jia Cong grew up in the East Courtyard, and the three of them lived together day and night, and their relationship was special.

Zhao Ma Ma smiled and said, "I heard that my brother has started attending court now, and he is very busy, leaving early and returning late.

Why are you leaving the yamen at this hour? I also want to see you more, but I don’t want to delay your work.”

Jia Cong smiled and said, "It's not that I'm too busy. It's just routine work at the government office. I haven't seen my mother for a long time, so I brought Zhishao here for a walk.

Zhigui is highly valued in the army during the rotation in Liaodong this time, so he is left in Liaodong to guard the old camp and cannot return to Beijing to visit his relatives. I will come to see you more often on his behalf.

I took Zhigui to Liaodong, but he didn't come back for several years. Mom won't blame me, right?"

Aunt Zhao laughed and said, "What are you talking about, brother? Zhigui didn't have much education since he was young. Since he can succeed in the army, we should let him go and make his own way.

What future can a little boy have if he stays at home every day? I'm in good health and I don't need him to be around me all the time.

I hope he can make progress in the army and become my brother's right-hand man in the future. This is his great future, and I am counting on this for my whole life."

……

Zhao Ma smiled again and said, "My brother, you came by chance. Yesterday someone sent me a golden pheasant, and I went to pick some top-quality bamboo ginseng.

I slaughtered it this morning and cooked it slowly on the stove. I wanted to send it to the East Palace so that my brother could have a taste. You loved this when you were a kid."

As Nanny Zhao said this, she went into the kitchen and started busying herself. She also held down Zhishao, who wanted to get up to help, and asked him to talk to Jia Cong.

Jia Cong smiled at Zhi Shao and said, "This pheasant stewed with bamboo ginseng is Madam Zhao's specialty. We all loved this dish when we were young.

This kind of Jinshan chicken can only be found on Yanshan Mountain in the northern suburbs of the city. It is naturally alert and can only be captured by experienced hunters. It is not easy to get it.

Only occasionally will hunters take them to the market to sell, so you can pick bamboo ginseng yourself, but Jinshan chicken is rare.

Even for dignitaries, it is not easy to eat it, and the price is not cheap. I don’t know where Aunt Zhao learned the cooking skills.

She used to make it once every Chinese New Year and she said you loved this dish so much when you were a kid that you would lick the soup bowl dry when you ate it."

Zhishao blushed at what Jia Cong said and said, "I didn't expect that I was so greedy before, but I don't remember it at all."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "It's not a big deal. You will definitely remember it when we serve it to you later."

When Nanny Zhao brought the food over, the three of them ate and talked happily.

Nanny Zhao now lives in Ningrong Street. She often interacts with the side rooms of the Jia family and talks about gossip in the streets.

But Zhishao was beside him, a young and graceful girl, so some things were not easy to say. However, Jia Cong was careful in his heart when he heard them.

It was not until sunset that Jia Cong and Zhi Shao left.

……

Earl's Mansion, Tanchun Courtyard.

Jia Cong returned home from Nanny Zhao's house. As he had something on his mind, he walked to Tanchun's courtyard.

He pushed open the half-moon gate of the courtyard. The sycamore trees in the courtyard had lost all their leaves, making the courtyard look a little bleak. However, the banana trees were lush and green, full of vitality, and bright to the eyes.

When I walked into Tanchun's room, the familiar air of spaciousness and brightness hit me in the face.

Tanchun's boudoir is different from that of her other sisters, and Jia Cong specially renovated and decorated it according to her wishes.

The three main rooms are connected without obvious partitions, making the space bright and spacious.

On the far right is Tanchun's bedroom, with a couch on the east side and a lush green gauze curtain embroidered with flowers and insects hanging above the bed. It is neither gaudy nor too plain.

Embroidered pillows and brocade quilts were neatly stacked on the couch, which was gorgeous and elegant, and filled with a faint fragrance. On the sunny wall opposite the bed hung Jia Cong's Xizhou Ci.

The room in the middle is the main room, furnished with a round table, embroidered stools, tea cups and a table screen. The sisters often gather here.

In the middle of the west wall hangs Mi Xiangyang's "Mist and Rain", and the couplets hung on the left and right are also authentic works by famous artists of the early Song Dynasty, and were collected by Jia Cong and given to Tanchun.

On the rosewood stand was a large kiln viewing plate, with dozens of delicate yellow Buddha's hands in the plate. On the right was a white jade chime hanging on a lacquer stand, with a small hammer hanging next to it.

Compared with the elegant boudoirs of Yingchun and Daiyu, Tanchun's boudoir is more gorgeous and grand, which is quite consistent with her personality.

Jia Cong entered the house and turned into the room on the left, which was Tanchun's study where she practiced calligraphy.

Among the sisters in the garden, only Daiyu and Tanchun's residences have independent study rooms, which is rare among the boudoirs.

There was a large rosewood marble desk in the study, on which were piled various famous calligraphy works. Jia Cong saw Tanchun sitting at the desk, practicing calligraphy with great concentration.

Jia Cong saw that Tanchun was wearing a golden chrysanthemum-patterned satin front-collared jacket, a white cross-collared coat, and an ivory-white chrysanthemum-branched horse-faced skirt, which looked very elegant and pretty.

Her hair was jet black, and her hair was as light as clouds. She wore a phoenix hairpin with a red jewel and a blue dot, which sparkled with precious light.

……

When Tanchun saw Jia Cong come in, she quickly put down her brush, a bright smile spread across her cheeks, and she looked refreshing, beautiful and charming.

He said with a smile, "Third brother left the government office early today, how come he thought of visiting me?"

Jia Cong replied, "I left the government office early today and took Zhishao to visit Nanny Zhao. It was still early when I came back, so I came to visit my sister."

At this time, the maid had come in with a tea tray. Tanchun was smiling and personally handed the teacup to Jia Cong. Her sleeves fluttered, and the girl's fragrance like orchid and musk spread.

He smiled and said, "Third brother is very busy now. I didn't see you all day yesterday. I wanted to go to your courtyard to talk later."

Jia Cong suddenly asked, "Third sister, has Auntie come to visit recently?"

Tanchun was slightly stunned when she heard this. She didn't know why Jia Cong mentioned Aunt Zhao. Her aunt was not a worry-free person, and Jia Cong seldom mentioned her to her.

Tanchun felt a little uneasy and asked, "He came once last month and hasn't come for a long time. Is there something wrong with Third Brother?"

Jia Cong said, "I just went to visit Aunt Zhao. She now lives in Ningrong Street. She has some connections with the concubines in the family and told me some gossip from outside.

There seems to be something wrong with Brother Huan recently, has Third Sister heard anything?"

After hearing what Jia Cong said, Tanchun's heart was already hanging in the air, and she said, "I usually stay in the East Palace. When I go to the West Palace, I just pay my respects to the old lady and then leave.

I haven't been to the East Courtyard for a while, and I haven't heard any rumors. Third brother, has Huan'er caused any trouble again? Tell me quickly."

……

Just as Jia Cong was about to speak, he heard hurried footsteps outside the house and a voice shouted, "Third Miss, is Third Miss home?"

He saw a teenage maid running into the room breathlessly, but Jia Cong looked unfamiliar and had no idea who she was.

The attendant behind him yelled, "Little Jixiang, why are you running? The girl is talking to the Third Master and she didn't even wait for me to report. You have no manners at all."

When Tanchun saw that it was her aunt's maid running towards her with such a frightened look on her face, she knew that something was wrong.

He blurted out, "Little Jixiang, why are you here? Did something happen to Auntie and Huan'er?"

Xiao Jixiang was about to speak, but when he saw Jia Cong was also present, he hesitated. After all, Master Huan San's story was unpleasant and it would be embarrassing for others to hear it.

Tanchun was very perceptive. Seeing the little girl's expression, she guessed what she was thinking and said, "It's okay, Third Brother. Just tell me what you want to say."

Little Jixiang swallowed his saliva and told the whole story of what happened between Jia Huan and Jin Rong.

On that day, Madam Huang went to the East Courtyard to argue. Aunt Zhao heard the rumor and asked little Jixiang to eavesdrop on it, so the little girl knew the whole story.

Jia Cong only listened to a few words, among which was Yu Ai's name, and his expression changed slightly.

When others first heard this name, they would think it was a girl's name, but Jia Cong knew exactly what kind of person it was...

That little Jixiang was just a little girl. She didn't have much knowledge and didn't have any restraints with her words. She just said whatever she knew, and her words were not pleasant to the ear.

Tanchun knew that her brother, who was only thirteen years old, had already been involved in prostitution, was jealous of others, and even beat someone severely.

She blushed with shame and trembled with anger. She cursed, "Huan'er is so young, yet she caused such a scandal. Damn it!"

……

Little Jixiang said, "The master already knew the reason for the incident and had someone arrest Master Huan San and beat him to death according to family rules.

Auntie said that no one else can persuade the master, only the girl's words are useful, the girl should not rush to scold, go and save lives first. "

Although Tanchun hated her brother's absurd behavior, they were brothers from the same mother after all, so how could she just sit back and watch?

His father was a stern man and would not bear to see his sons causing such a scandal. If the family rules were violated, his brothers' lives would be in danger.

At this moment, she did not dare to delay at all and hurried out with Shishu.

Jia Cong said, "Third sister, this kind of thing is too ugly. It will be very inconvenient for you as a girl. How should you talk about it then? I'd better go with you." Tanchun had revealed her brother's ugly deeds in front of Jia Cong, and she felt extremely ashamed.

But Jia Cong didn't care at all and even accompanied her to clean up the mess. She suddenly felt an indescribable sense of support and tears began to fall from her bright eyes.

Thinking of the unbearable conditions of her biological mother and brothers, she couldn't help feeling aggrieved and wanted only to throw herself into Jia Cong's arms and cry, but she was forcing herself to restrain herself.

……

In the east courtyard, in the main hall of the inner courtyard, Jia Zheng's face was filled with anger, while Mrs. Wang was sitting beside him, looking a little uneasy.

As Jia Huan was brought into the main hall by Li Gui, Jia Zheng suddenly stood up and slapped Jia Huan to the ground.

He cursed, "You shameless beast, you are so young, yet you are doing evil things outside and doing these obscene things.

The noble reputation of the Jia family has been completely tarnished by you, a beast. Today I will take your life, and then go to the ancestral temple to apologize to our ancestors!

Tie this beast to the spring stool and beat him severely according to the family rules. Don't stop without my order."

Jia Huan was so frightened that his legs went limp, and he kept shouting, "Master, I am innocent. I was not the one who crippled Jin Rong. I am innocent."

Jia Zheng said angrily, "Shut up, you beast! Everyone in Ningrong Street knows about this. Are they all out to harm you?

You are usually cunning and dissolute, rarely read books, and wander around everywhere, which is extremely hateful, but you actually do such dirty and filthy things.

Even if you don't talk about Jin Rong's matter, how can you argue about your scandal with Yu Ai? If you tell me, I will dirty my mouth. Hold me down and beat me hard!"

Mrs. Wang advised, “Master, last time Huang’er’s daughter-in-law came to argue, I had already explained everything to her, and the matter is now settled.

Logically speaking, her nephew Jin Rong was not a good person. He had always behaved in a mean and reckless manner and had a bad reputation in school. Now he had been expelled from the clan school by Feng Yatou.

Huan'er has also been led astray by those people. After all, he is still young. Even if the master wants to discipline him, he must not be too impatient. What will happen if he gets hurt?"

Jia Zheng said angrily, “As his mother, you have the responsibility to educate him, but you don’t discipline him strictly and let him run wild like a wild horse.

He did such a shameful thing outside, and you only knew how to use money to shut people up. Now you want to cover up and protect him. A loving mother often spoils her son.

If I had followed your wishes, I would have raised beasts like Baoyu and Huaner who bring disgrace to our family.

If I don't enforce the family rules today, will they rebel against their father and kill the king in the future? Beat them severely, beat them hard!"

……

Mrs. Wang originally had a worried and reluctant look on her face. She waited for Jia Zheng to turn his head away before a hint of coldness appeared on her face and she looked at Jia Huan indifferently.

At this time, two servants tied Jia Huan to a spring stool, and one of them raised a family stick and whipped Jia Huan on his buttocks.

Even though the servant didn't dare to use too much force, Jia Huan's face turned pale with pain and he kept shouting, which made Jia Zheng feel annoyed.

He went up and kicked the servant who was in charge of the household affairs to the ground, grabbed the stick and started beating Jia Huan hard on the buttocks.

Jia Huan was originally just groaning in pain, but after Jia Zheng's cruel and powerful blow, he suddenly felt the excruciating pain and screamed hysterically.

Li Gui, who was standing by, felt horrified when he heard this, and wondered why the Third Miss hadn't arrived yet. If the fight continued, Third Master Huan would surely die.

At this time, Aunt Zhao stumbled in. She didn't dare to pull Jia Zheng, but just knelt down and begged for mercy.

How could Jia Zheng listen to her? He just scolded her for raising his son but not teaching him, and kept beating him with the stick in his hand.

……

There was a bit of a quarrel going on in the hall when two figures came in hurriedly and the stick that Jia Zheng was holding high was grabbed by someone.

When Mrs. Wang saw that the people coming were Jia Cong and Tanchun, her face changed slightly, and she secretly hated them, wondering who the damned one was who had reported the news...

Jia Zheng shouted, "Brother Cong, don't try to stop him. This vile and shameless bastard should be beaten to death to avoid bringing disgrace to our family."

Jia Cong advised: "Master, Huan'er is still young, you must discipline her well. Even if she is wrong, she will not be punished by death.

If the master really beats him to death, it will confirm his guilt, and he will never be able to wash away such a dirty name. "

Mrs. Wang, who was standing by, was startled when she heard this. She knew Jia Cong was smart, so could he have seen through some flaw?

At this time, Aunt Zhao was hugging Jia Huan and crying loudly, and Tanchun was also crying beside her. Suddenly, she heard Jia Cong's words and looked at Jia Cong with tearful eyes.

Jia Zheng said angrily: "Everyone in Ningrong Street knows about this. Could it be that everyone has wronged him? Brother Cong doesn't need to defend him."

Jia Cong said: "Master, rumors in the market are all false, and it is always difficult to distinguish the truth from the false.

Whether Huan'er hired someone to beat Jin Rong is not discussed for now, but he is only thirteen, grew up in a wealthy family, and has a group of maids around him. It is not surprising that he knew about human affairs.

If it was said that he had become wise, had some admiration for young girls, and had become interested in women, Cong thought that this was normal and he could just discipline him properly.

If someone says that he has a sexual habit at such a young age, Cong will never believe it. This matter is doubtful. Master, please do not easily believe what outsiders say. "

……

The reason why Jia Cong's words were so confident was that he could trace the roots better than anyone else around him and knew the background of everyone in the Red Mansion.

Although many things here have undergone tremendous changes, the personalities of each member of the Jia family have not changed much.

As for Baoyu's indifference to gender, Jia Cong firmly believes that as long as a person is good-looking, both men and women will flock to him.

If he had not taken advantage of the situation to overthrow the Ningguo Mansion and destroy Qin Keqing's cage and shackles.

As a result, the Qin family and the Jia family were severed from each other, and Qin Zhong must have been involved with Baoyu long ago, and it is possible that both father and son would have died.

But when people said that Jia Huan also had a preference for Long Yang, he did not believe it, because he already had a preconceived impression in his mind.

Besides, if I don't say this now, I'm afraid I won't be able to stop Jia Zheng easily...

……

Jia Cong said, "Master, I have heard about Jin Rong, he is not a good person.

He was ambushed and crippled at night, and he did not see the murderer clearly. He and Huan'er had a grudge, so it was not surprising that he used this to frame someone and vent his anger.

It is even possible that they might use this incident to discredit Huan'er and Longyang, spread rumors, and ruin the reputation of the Jia family.

Now that the matter is still in doubt, the master is going to kill Huan'er according to family rules. Isn't that just confirming his stigma and letting those people who care about privacy be proud? "

Mrs. Wang, who was standing aside silently, could not help but change her expression when she saw Jia Cong talking. She felt a little flustered and secretly resented him...

After hearing what Jia Cong said, Tanchun's beautiful eyes sparkled and her heart trembled. Her third brother was so wise that he could see something strange in a moment.

How could I not have thought that when she saw her father Jia Zheng looking thoughtful, she felt relieved, knowing that her brother had saved his life.

Jia Zheng said: "Although what Cong said makes sense, if this beast had not behaved improperly in his daily life, how could he have gotten involved in such a filthy matter?"

Jia Cong said, "Master, this matter has become a big disturbance. If we investigate it now, it will only make things worse and make it even more difficult to explain.

In Cong's opinion, it would be better to make a big deal out of a small matter, and then make a small matter disappear, and wait until the storm is over and the rumors die down.

Let someone reliable secretly go to the school to inquire. The students there are all from the clan, and not all of them are evil people like Jin Rong.

There are always people who don't talk nonsense and say things that are true and reasonable.

"If two or three out of ten people have objections to the story of Huan Er, then there must be something fishy going on, and it's probably someone secretly stirring up trouble!"

Although Jia Cong spoke calmly, he was thoughtful and confident in every sentence, which was full of decisive confidence and powerful persuasiveness.

When Mrs. Wang heard this from behind, her legs went weak. She felt that this boy was very cunning and used all the tricks he used in the officialdom at home.

There was a gleam in Tanchun's beautiful eyes and her pretty face flushed. She felt that no matter how difficult the situation was, she had no need to be afraid of anything as long as her third brother was by her side.

Jia Cong said: "Master, don't be too angry. Huan'er has been taught a lesson by you and will be warned in the future.

I think he is seriously injured, so why not let Auntie and Third Sister take him back? If he does anything wrong again, it won’t be too late for Master to teach him a lesson.”

……

In fact, as a father, Jia Zheng naturally didn't want his son to be a bad person deep down in his heart.

Jia Cong's words made sense, and he had always trusted Jia Cong the most. Now that he heard what he said, he naturally believed most of it.

He felt a little bit lucky in his heart. If Cong Ge'er had not arrived in time, he would not have been able to stop himself. Not only would it be difficult to clean up the mess, but he would also be stigmatized for the rest of his life.

He said to Jia Huan, "Today, I will spare your life for the sake of Congge'er. If you dare to do evil again, I will skin you alive!"

Jia Cong winked at Tanchun, and Tanchun understood and quickly asked Li Gui to carry Jia Huan back into the house.

Jia Cong chatted with Jia Zheng for a while, and because it was getting late, he said he wanted to accompany Tanchun back to the East Palace.

Jia Zheng smiled slightly and let him go back. He saw him walk out of the main room and glanced at his wife who looked uncertain.

He sighed slightly in his heart. Last time, his wife beat the third girl, and Cong Ge'er had a grudge in his heart.

He was so protective of his daughter that he was afraid that if she stayed overnight in the East Courtyard, she would be blamed by his wife again, so he was eager to take her back.

They are just cousins, but they are closer than real siblings. This is a rare fate... (End of this chapter)