Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Earl's Mansion, Jia Cong Courtyard.

Yinglian walked back and forth, helping Jia Cong tidy up the desk. She curiously watched Jia Cong write and draw on the paper, her beautiful eyes sparkling with interest.

She wore a scarlet bodice with an embroidered collar, a pink stand-up collar and a side-breasted jacket, and a green lotus-embroidered handkerchief. She looked very pretty and lovely.

Since she entered the Jia Mansion, she was loved by Jia Cong and taken care of by her mother. She lived a comfortable life with good food and sleep.

Although she is only fourteen, she has changed a lot in the past six months. She has become tall and graceful, with a slender figure, a slender waist, and an enchantingly charming appearance.

At that time, Jia Cong studied poetry and books hard and devoted himself to the imperial examinations. He spent most of his time in the study. Yinglian served him in the study and spent more time with him than anyone else.

Reading and writing, in their spare time, the two of them were intimate, whispering in each other's ears, chatting and laughing without restraint, it was a daily routine.

Whenever Jia Cong did not leave the study, Yinglian would stay there. In spring, the girl was sleepy and often took a nap while leaning on Jia Cong.

It was not uncommon for her to fall asleep in his arms, because Yinglian was younger and more immature than Zhishao, Wu'er and others, so they were not surprised by such intimate things.

Now Jia Cong has restrained himself. This girl has grown too fast in the past six months. She has a graceful figure and her flower buds are just beginning to bloom. She is really quite attractive.

But she herself has not realized it yet, and she still speaks and acts in a naive manner, and still has no scruples towards Jia Cong.

Although Jia Cong enjoyed playing and being intimate like before, he felt it was a bit torturous...

It was noon, the sun was shining brightly, and the air was warm. Yinglian's slender figure swayed beside the desk, distracting Jia Cong a little.

He needed to concentrate slightly to focus his attention, and used a custom-made compass and ruler to carefully trace and write on the kraft paper.

……

After finishing the sketch, he took out the telescope given by Noyan Taiji and played with it.

This telescope is made of fine copper and its surface is polished as smooth as a mirror. It shines brightly under the sun and is very eye-catching.

The handle of the lens barrel is carved with intricate and exquisite patterns to increase the friction of the grip.

The edges of both ends of the lens are inlaid with a circle of tiny rubies, and the golden and red colors complement each other, which is extremely luxurious and beautiful.

The lenses used inside are not the fired glass of later generations, but are made of polished natural pure white crystal, with excellent light transmittance and clarity.

The last time Jia Cong customized a Rubik's Cube, he went to the Orosi shop in the east of the city and saw several telescopes.

But whether it is the materials, workmanship, or precision and clarity, they are extremely different from the one in my hand and cannot be compared.

Noyan Taiji said that this was a tribute from the Oros Palace, and it must be the best of the best, and ordinary goods naturally could not compare to it.

Jia Cong looked out of the window with a telescope in hand. Every blade of grass and every tree in the distant garden was clear and detailed.

……

Yinglian said, "Master, you have been fiddling with this thing all day. It looks so exquisite, even brighter than my gold necklace."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "This is not made of gold, but of fine copper. It is called a telescope and can see things far away."

Yinglian was very interested and walked over to Jia Cong and sat down, saying, "Master, let me see it too."

Jia Cong handed her the telescope with a smile, and taught her step by step how to adjust the focus.

Yinglian couldn't adjust the focus correctly for a moment, so she leaned back subconsciously and leaned on him involuntarily.

Jia Cong felt the fragrance and softness in his arms, and gently supported her slender waist.

Seeing that Yinglian seemed to be unaware of anything, he held up the telescope and exclaimed in amazement.

I can't help but laugh. This girl has such a good appearance, but she is really naive and hasn't fully figured it out yet.

"Master, I saw Master Miaoyu and Sister Xiuyan in the plum forest at the bottom of the south slope, but I couldn't see Sister Zhishao. I could see them clearly."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Most likely they are weeding and loosening the soil in the plum orchard so that it can bloom more abundantly at the end of the year. We can go and take a look."

Yinglian smiled and said, "Okay, Master has been sitting for a long time, it's time to go out and walk around."

The two of them left the study, but there was no sign of Qingwen. Yinglian thought Jia Cong was walking too slowly, so she grabbed his hand.

The afternoon sun is warm and dazzling, and it feels warm on people.

Jia Cong couldn't help asking, "Yinglian, did you put on the perfume I gave you?"

Yinglian smiled and said, "No, I took a bath with perfume soap this morning. Master, smell it. Doesn't it smell good?"

Jia Cong smiled slightly and said, "I'll hear about it when I get back."

When Yinglian saw Jia Cong's brilliant smile, she realized that she had spoken too quickly and got carried away, and her pretty face turned red.

Originally she was pulling Jia Cong to walk quickly, but in the end Jia Cong was pulling her to walk.

……

The two of them walked to the plum grove on the south slope of Dengxian Pavilion, and saw Miaoyu and Xing Xiuyun holding short-handled hoes, loosening the soil and digging weeds for the plum roots, and carefully sprinkling incense ash on them.

The dozens of plum trees planted here were transplanted from Xuanmu Mountain in Gusu when Jia Cong and Zhi Shao returned from the south last year. They bloomed once last year.

Miaoyu grew up on Xuanmu Mountain. She is very grateful for her hometown Meilin and cares about it a lot.

She had lived in Xuanmu Mountain for many years. Under the influence of Master Xiushan, she learned to make tea with the dew of plum stamens and to make soup with plum petals. Naturally, she also knew how to care for plum trees.

Today, I heard Xing Xiuyan talking about the plum forest at Nanpoxia, so I came here with her to sort it out.

Although she entered Buddhist monastery at a young age and was cold and eccentric, not tolerated by the world, her heart for worldly affairs was still not completely cut off.

Ever since meeting Zhishao and Jia Cong, after several twists and turns, his mood became disordered and shaken, and his thoughts of anger, ignorance, and love gradually lost control.

I have developed many attachments to the things and people around me that I didn’t have before…

Yinglian went up to help Xing Xiuyan. The two little girls were at an energetic age, so they had no taboos when doing the work.

Jia Cong saw that Miaoyu's light-ink white skirt was stained with mud. She had been loosening the soil and weeding for a long time. Her pretty face was flushed and a thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead.

He went up to Miaoyu and took the short hoe from her hand, saying, "Let me do it. You take a rest first."

Miaoyu didn't say anything, but just handed him the hoe. She thought that Jia Cong was pampered and well-fed, and there was no way he could do such rough work.

Standing aside and watching for a while, I saw that he was just a little unfamiliar at first, but soon he became familiar with it. He was really capable of doing things that no one else could do. A smile appeared on my face.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "There are maids at home who take care of the flowers and trees. Just ask them to do it. You are a guest here, so how can I let you do the hard work?"

Miaoyu said, "There are many plum trees planted in Panxiang Temple. There are not many people in the temple. Jinghui, Xiuyan and I have done these things. It's nothing."

After a while, they had tidied up all the plum trees on the slope.

Jia Cong wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve and asked, "Why is Zhishao nowhere to be seen, and my second sister and the others didn't hear anything?"

Xing Xiuyan said: "Sister Zhishao was talking to the nun. After lunch, the old lady from the West Mansion came to tell her that it was cold and the days were short.

The old lady didn't dare to take a nap, fearing that she wouldn't be able to sleep well at night, so she asked her sisters if they were free to chat and play mahjong with her, and then the second sister and the others all went over. "

Jia Cong knew that Lady Jia attached great importance to health preservation and did have the habit of not taking a nap in the winter, so he did not take it seriously.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

The incense cauldron emits fragrance, light smoke curls up, the incense burner turns slightly red, and warmth rises.

Grandmother Jia was sitting opposite Wang Xifeng, Yingchun and Tanchun playing cards, while Daiyu and Xiangyun were sitting nearby drinking tea.

Yuanyang stood behind Lady Jia, pointing her finger at the other three people with a smile on her face.

Wang Xifeng, Yingchun and Tanchun are all smart people, so they understand what she means.

The three of them just kept calm and played cards in an unusually harmonious way. They often won one game from Lady Jia, and then lost the next three, which made Lady Jia very amused.

The maid outside came to report that the Second Madam came to pay her respects. When Lady Jia heard this, her expression froze.

Now she really annoys the second daughter-in-law. Every time she comes over, she says bad things, which makes people feel uncomfortable.

I was playing cards with my granddaughters just now, and I was feeling very happy. I don’t know what my daughter-in-law is going to say here. I must not ruin the mood and delay everyone’s fun.

But since she's here, how can I chase her away? He smiled and said, "Please invite her in. I'm happy today. I won't talk about anything else. Just come and play cards."

After a while, Mrs. Wang came into the inner hall with a smile on her face, which surprised Lady Jia.

In the past, the daughters-in-law here always came here with a lot of grievances and hatreds, but today they are so happy, which is really a good thing.

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "Since you are here, sit down and play a game. I am in a very good mood today."

Wang Xifeng quickly stood up and offered her seat. Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "I'll play cards with you another day. Today I'm here to tell you the good news."

Everyone in the hall was surprised to hear this. What kind of happy event would the second wife have now?
Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "Where does happiness come from? Tell us so that we can have fun."

Mrs. Wang said, "Today I went to Baoyu's courtyard and saw that he was fine, but Caixia looked a little unwell. I asked her a few more questions in private, and she said that her period was seven or eight days late and that she was feeling a little strange. I didn't know why."

When Mrs. Wang said this, Yingchun, Daiyu and other girls were unable to react for a while.

Wang Xifeng was stunned for a moment, and Jia's mother looked even more happy, blurting out, "Are you pregnant?"

Mrs. Wang laughed and said, "I guessed the same thing, but I was unsure, so I quickly asked a doctor to come and see her.

After the doctor's diagnosis and questioning, he said that this is already 70% to 80% accurate. If you still don't have your period after five or six days, it's 100% certain."

Yingchun, Daiyu and the others then understood what was going on. Their pretty faces turned red and they quickly stood up and went to sit in the outer hall.

Grandmother Jia laughed heartily: "This is really a happy event, a great happy event. My Baoyu will also have many children."

Wang Xifeng, who was standing by, was stunned and shocked. No wonder her aunt was so eager to stuff Caixia into Baoyu's room. Her vision was truly vicious.

Unexpectedly, Caixia was so useful. Baoyu had only slept for half a month and she became pregnant.

Could it be that this girl ate Laojun's elixir? This is too true...

At this time, Baochai brought her maid Jinchuan into Rongqing Hall, followed by two maids carrying several bags.

It was said that the Duan family grain shop in the north of the city had just received a batch of high-quality green-stem rice, and his brother Xue Pan got quite a bit of it and gave some to the old lady to try.

When Grandmother Jia heard this, she was very happy and told her about the pregnancy in Baoyu's room. Baochai was also surprised when she heard this.

……

In the north of Shenjing City, Yongxuan Street.

The streets were bustling with people, and the roadside shops were doing a booming business with people coming in and out without interruption.

A few months ago, a big incident happened at the Hongxing Southern Goods Store on the street. The store sold pickled turtle meat, which caused a major case of poisoning an official.

Although the matter has been settled now, the murderer who poisoned Huang Hongcang, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, has not yet been arrested.

Although the turtle meat sold by Hongxing Southern Goods Store was found to be non-toxic after inspection by Li Chengming, the director of the Imperial Medical Bureau, the store owner was acquitted by the Magistrate's Court.

For an ordinary businessman with no background, being able to walk out of the magistrate's court alive after being imprisoned is already a great blessing.

But even so, the southern goods store could no longer do business. The southern goods in the store were suspected of poisoning officials, so no one dared to buy things there.

The shop owner and his wife were released from the magistrate's court covered in wounds. A few days later, they sold the shop, packed up their business, and returned to their hometown to recuperate.

Today, this Hongxing Southern Goods Store has been transformed into a Jiujin Cloth Shop, and its business is booming.

I heard that recently the Honglu Temple Huiwenguan, in order to receive a delegation from the three remaining Mongolian tribes, purchased a large amount of cloth from this cloth shop.

Because of the frequent business dealings with Huiwenguan, officials from the Chief Clerk's Office of the Honglu Temple often went in and out of the cloth shop to handle various sales documents.

In bustling streets like Yongzhen Street in the capital, the rise and fall of life behind the prosperity are played out almost every day.

In the past few months, few people remember that there was a Hongxing southern food store on the street.

The most prosperous shop on Yongzhen Street today is not the southern goods store, nor the cloth shop, but the newly opened Duan’s grain store.

The reason why Duan's grain shop is doing a booming business is not only because the grain prices in Shenjing are skyrocketing.

Moreover, because the owner of the grain store had extensive connections, many wealthy families in the capital bought and stored grain at the grain store, making the Duan family grain store famous in the market.

As a result, the yamen runners, ruffians and hooligans roaming the streets of Yongzhen did not dare to harass the Duan family grain shop.

On this day, Duan Chunjiang, the owner of the grain shop, was busy with several business transactions and was settling accounts at the counter with the clacking sound of his abacus.

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

At this time, a middle-aged man with a strong build, bright clothes and ordinary looks came into the store. He looked like a wealthy businessman.

The Duan family grain store was doing a prosperous business, with countless merchants coming in and out every day. The appearance of such people in the store was a very common thing, and no one would pay special attention to it.

……

When Duan Chunjiang saw the person coming, his expression changed slightly and he put down the abacus in his hand.

With a smile on his face, he said, "It's Boss Sun. The high-quality green stem rice you asked for has arrived and is stored in the backyard. I'll take you to have a look."

The two entered the backyard room, Duan Chunjiang carefully closed the doors and windows, and Boss Sun asked, "Have you found any clues about the grain issue?"

Duan Chunjiang shook his head and said, "How can such important military matters be found out in the market? Only people in the officialdom know the details.

The Han people are not like us Mongolians. They have a lot of bullshit rules. Officials and merchants are distinguished from each other, and the boundaries are clear. Merchants seldom make friends with officials.

What's more, I am a foreigner and I don't have much roots in the capital. How can I make friends with officials in such a short time?

A few days ago, I thought hard and, under the pretext of selling and transporting grain, I won over several drivers from a carriage company in the north of the city.

Because they were temporarily requisitioned by the Ministry of Revenue some time ago, they had transported a large amount of military rations out of the border, and their destination was the important town of Jiubian. "

Boss Sun was delighted when he heard this and said, "Shopkeeper Duan is indeed very capable. You can even find a way to do this. You are truly omnipresent."

Duan Chunjiang smiled bitterly and said, "Don't be too happy too soon. Although I have found the people who transported the grain, they don't know where the grain will be stored.

After they were conscripted by the Ministry of Revenue, they transported food with the army for several days. After the food transport team left Zijing Pass, they stopped at a place called Baotunli.

Soldiers and food carts from the nine borders had gathered there. After both sides counted and handed over the food, they returned to Shenjing along the same route, without knowing where they would finally store the food.

I have used various circuitous means to find several other car dealerships whose personnel had been requisitioned by the Ministry of War, and the news I got was the same.

I served under the Great Khan and served as a Darughachi. I knew best the principle of sending food and fodder before troops moved.

Food routes and military garrisons have always been of paramount importance to military strategists, and it is common sense to act cautiously.

But this time the Zhou people were so cautious and thoughtful, which was very unusual. It shows that the Zhou people were very eager and determined to prepare for war.

……

Duan Chunjiang took out a map from the cabinet, found the location of Zijing Pass, and pointed his finger to a place in the north.

He said: "This place is Baotunli, which is conveniently located to Datong, Xuanfu, and Jizhou, and is suitable for the transfer of grain and grass from various places.

I am not familiar with this place, is Brother Dali familiar with it?"

Sun Dali said: "Last time there was a drastic change in my family, many of our clan's businesses were seized, but those were all on the surface.

The family has been doing business in the north for generations. There are still three pounds of nails in the broken boat. There are also many secret agents and manpower left in various places in the nine towns and along the capital.

Although I don't know the details of Baotunli, I know that the Great Zhou army has set up many small military settlements along the line from Shenjing to Jiuzhen.

Hundreds of soldiers were stationed in each village to transport food and fodder and to mobilize troops. I think it was the same in Baotunli.

I will revise the letter and send it out as soon as I get back. In two or three days at the least, and five or six days at the most, I will be able to find out the situation in Baotun.

Maybe we can follow the clues and make some other gains..."

Duan Chunjiang was secretly delighted after hearing this, but he suppressed the urge to ask about the secret agent. This was the foundation of the other person's life, so naturally he would not reveal it to him.

When this man and his family moved north, they were able to be taken in and treated favorably by the Khan. It was because of these assets that they relied on.

The Khan also had a long-term vision and knew that since they had so brazenly surrendered to the north, they must have laid an ambush inside the Great Wall long ago, which was why he had the confidence to make the most of their valuable assets.

Sun Dali said: "If Manager Duan wants to take root in Shenjing and gain some military intelligence, making friends with officials is the only way, otherwise it will be difficult to move forward.

I wonder if Shopkeeper Duan has made any progress on the matter of Xue Pan we talked about last time. If we can get in touch with Jia Cong through this person, it will be very beneficial to us."

Duan Chunjiang smiled bitterly and said, "I originally thought that Xue Pan and Jia Cong were close relatives, so it would be easy to get in touch with them.

I have asked him about this several times, but he always avoided the question and looked a little embarrassed.

I think he told Jia Cong that it seemed that others did not give him face as a cousin.

I have said that the Han people in the Central Plains have a lot of rules, and there is a clear distinction between officials and businessmen, even among relatives.

Jia Cong's reputation is well-known. People say that although he is young, he is cunning and intelligent, with sinister means and unpredictable reactions, otherwise how could he accomplish so many great things.

Therefore, it is not advisable to urge Xue Pan on this matter any further. It is best to let nature take its course.

Xue Pan is arrogant, stupid, and has no scheming. I am worried that if he talks about this too much, Jia Cong will get wind of it and create trouble. We have to be on guard."

After hearing this, Sun Dali had no choice but to give up. The two talked about other matters, agreed on a date to meet again, and then left the inner courtyard together.

When Sun Dali left, he took away several bags of high-quality green-stem rice without leaving any trace.

However, when he left Duan's grain store, he did not notice that a man was casually selecting goods at a stall across the street.

The man was tall and thin, with a slightly hunched back. Although he was buying something, his eyes were glancing towards the door of the grain shop intentionally or unintentionally.

When he saw Sun Dali's appearance clearly, a look of surprise and astonishment appeared on his face... (End of this chapter)