Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Earl's Mansion, Jia Cong Courtyard.

It was already evening, the sun was setting in the west, and the sky was hazy and unclear. Qingwen went into the study, lit the candlesticks, and then left the study.

After listening to Daiyu's words, Jia Cong thought about it seriously and said, "Sister, what you said makes sense. I will go to Sheyue to have a chat and have some fun tomorrow.

Otherwise, it would be a pity to let down my second sister who loves me so much and my second sister-in-law who is so kind to me.

I remember that Sheyue was quite pretty, maybe she really likes me."

After hearing Jia Cong's boastful words, Daiyu couldn't help but frown, snorted, and reached out to grab the corners of Jia Cong's mouth.

He said, "Third brother is really shameless. He just says all kinds of nonsense without any shame. I will tear your mouth to pieces."

Jia Cong begged for mercy: "My dear sister, please let go, please let go, it hurts..."

Daiyu snorted, then let go of her hand and rubbed the corners of Jia Cong's mouth twice.

Jia Cong said, "Sister, I have something serious to say to you. Yesterday, Xiao Hong came to tip us off that the Second Madam wanted to chase She Yue away, and it seemed like she had bad intentions.

I then told my second sister-in-law to take care of the housework. Although I don't take care of the housework myself, I can't let the house be disrupted and something ugly happen.

I didn't expect that my second sister-in-law would misunderstand me and think that I fell in love with Sheyue and led my second sister astray. This is none of my business.

However, when Wu'er went to be the housekeeper of the West Mansion, he took away the second sister's steward and maid to help, so there is still a vacancy by the second sister's side.

I heard that Musk Moon is smart and capable, so letting her fill in as the second sister's maid is just the right thing to do. It's not a mistake at all."

Daiyu smiled and said, "I knew Third Brother's nature. He would easily get involved with any pretty girl or good-looking maid.

Third brother, are you particularly proud of this? Just tell your sister the truth from the heart. At worst, I won’t laugh at you.”

Jia Cong looked at Daiyu's flower-like lips and could not help but say, "Sister, you are so eloquent that it really makes me angry.

Come here and let me give you a hand, so I don’t have to be embarrassed by you every day.”

As he said this he stretched out his hand to pinch Daiyu's little face, but Daiyu giggled and dodged nimbly, and the two of them dodged back and forth in the room.

Daiyu panted and laughed: "Third brother, I dare not make fun of you anymore, please forgive me this time..."

Qingwen, who was chatting with Zijuan outside the corridor, heard the laughter and noise in the room. She started to walk in a hurry and stuck out her tongue in glee.

Zijuan's pretty face also blushed. She glanced towards the study, but did not go in to dissuade them. She just covered her mouth and smiled.

When night fell, Jia Cong asked Qingwen to go to the kitchen and tell her to add a few dishes that Daiyu liked and invite her to join them for dinner.

When everyone sat down to eat, Daiyu was from Suzhou and liked the sweet and fresh taste of southern dishes.

I saw that except for the dishes I ordered for myself, the other dishes were also southern dishes, and they tasted quite delicious.

She saw that the steamed rice was light green in color, soft in the mouth and fragrant.

He smiled and said, "The green-stemmed rice that Third Brother uses is actually better than the one that the mansion usually uses."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "This was given to me by Sister Bao a few days ago. She said that Brother Xue got it from the Duan family grain shop in the north of the city.

It is still new rice from Yutian County, Northern Zhili. This year, Northern Zhili suffered a natural disaster and the rice production dropped sharply.

The new green-stem rice from Yutian County is very expensive on the market now, and it is hard to buy even if you have money.”

The meal was quite delicious. The two of them bickered and told jokes from time to time at the table. The atmosphere was very happy and made others laugh.

After dinner, the two had evening tea and the night was getting darker.

The north wind was howling outside the window, and the night became even colder. As it was getting late, Daiyu got up and wanted to go back.

Jia Cong added charcoal to her hand warmer, and asked Zhishao to get a cloak, and put it on her and tied the strap himself.

The two of them left the yard, Zijuan led the way with a lantern in her hand, and Qingwen followed behind with a lantern in her hand.

The bright yellow light illuminated the stone path in the garden. Daiyu held the warm hand warmer in her arms and watched the two shadows overlapping and intimate on the ground.

A feeling of comfort, peace and warmth arose in my heart. As the light of the lantern faded away, the group slowly walked through the night.

……

The capital, Tongwenguan of Honglu Temple.

Four large carts loaded with grain were lined up at the gate of the library. Several clerks from the Tongwenguan climbed onto the grain carts and counted the grain themselves.

Duan Chunjiang looked respectful and had a flattering expression on his face as he negotiated with an official while holding a document for selling grain.

The official was Liu Xiaoping, the newly appointed chief clerk of the Honglu Temple. Not long after, several minor clerks counted the amount of grain and reported to Liu Xiaoping.

Liu Xiaoping checked the quantity of grain and found it consistent with the document presented by Duan Chunjiang, so he signed and stamped the document.

Four grain carts entered the Tongwenguan one after another. The attendants on the carts and the Tongwenguan servants came forward to carry the grain into the warehouse.

Liu Xiaoping saw Duan Chunjiang enter the Tongwenguan, followed by a young man who was dressed in luxurious clothes, had big eyes, a square mouth, and a handsome appearance.

Liu Xiaoping had met Duan Chunjiang several times because of the purchase of grain for Tongwenguan, but this young man was a stranger, so he couldn't help but look at him a few more times.

Duan Chunjiang was a very shrewd man. When he saw Liu Xiaoping's look, he guessed what he was thinking.

He smiled flatteringly, "Master Liu, this brother is the second shopkeeper Xue from our grain store."

When Liu Xiaoping heard that he was also the owner of Duan's grain store, he didn't care too much and turned to leave with the documents.

……

Xue Pan is a commoner and cannot enter government offices like the Tongwenguan on normal days, but today he came here with Duan Chunjiang to meet the world.

Duan Chunjiang smiled and said, "Thanks to Brother Xue's wide network of contacts, he helped me get to know some great people, so that I could do the big business of Tongwenguan."

Xue Pan smiled carelessly and said, "Brother Duan, what you said is out of context. I also own a share of this grain shop. I am also making money for myself."

Duan Chunjiang said with a smile, "Brother Xue said last time that his family likes to eat the green stem rice. I have asked the waiter to allocate ten bags and sent them to Rongguo Mansion this morning."

Xue Pan smiled and said, "Thank you very much, Brother Duan."

Duan Chunjiang said with a smile: "We run a rice shop, so a few bags of fine rice are nothing to us. It's not worth your saying thank you."

The two were just chatting casually, and Liu Xiaoping, who was about to leave, suddenly heard the three words "Rongguo Mansion" and his heart moved slightly.

He turned around and looked at Xue Pan for a few times before leaving without saying a word.

……

Tongwenguan was the inn of the Tuman tribe, where the heads of the three major diplomatic missions gathered.

They are Aletang, the leader of the Tuman tribe, Gaiertai of the Yongxielun tribe, and Noyan Taiji of the Ordos tribe.

Aletang is a middle-aged man in his forties, of medium build, strong physique, and with a thick gray beard.

He was a close minister of Anda Khan of the Tuman tribe. Not only was he shrewd and eloquent, he was also a brave warrior of the grassland.

This time, the three remaining Mongolian tribes came to the capital to seek peace, and all negotiations and approvals on peace matters were led by the Tuman tribe.

The fact that Altang was chosen by Anda Khan as the leader of the Tuman tribe delegation shows how much trust and reliance he had on him.

Aletang said: "After the delegation arrived in Shenjing, the Emperor of the Great Zhou sent Gu Yankui, the Minister of War, and Wang Shilun, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and the Minister of Revenue.

They have discussed peace matters with us many times. These two men, one civil and one military, are important ministers of the Emperor of the Great Zhou. They are smart and capable and very difficult to deal with.

In response to our proposal to reopen the tea-horse trade, they repeatedly reduced the annual trading volumes of rice, cloth, tea, salt, iron and other items.

When it comes to important items like salt and iron, the requirements are extremely harsh.

We requested to trade 2,000 wrought iron pots per year, but the Zhou people proposed to trade only 300 raw iron pots per year, and the number will decrease year by year. "

Noyan Taiji said: "Cast iron pots are made of inferior iron, they are heavy, easy to break, and not durable.

We Mongolians live near water and grass, and it is very inconvenient to carry these cast iron pots.

The Zhou people wanted to prevent us from getting the wrought iron pots and forging them into weapons to fight against them, which was a farsighted plan."

Aletang glanced at Noyan Taiji and said, "I heard on the grassland that Noyan has been familiar with Chinese books since he was a child and is indeed familiar with the tricks of the Han people.

I know that among the Mongolian tribes, there are always some people who want to take shortcuts and get what they want through convenient means.

But the Han people are cunning by nature and have deep plans. They will not let us succeed easily.

Our Great Khan once said that the descendants of Genghis Khan, the Mongolian people, are eagles on the grassland.

Our ancestors have known one thing: Changshengtian will not show mercy to the weak. To get what you want, you cannot rely on begging, but only on warhorses and scimitars!

These days, I have been fighting with the officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty. I have given up hope for this peace negotiation. The Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty is treacherous and will not give us a chance to breathe. "

……

Noyan Taiji's eyes were deep and he asked, "Master Aletang, do you mean that we don't need to talk to the Zhou people anymore?"

Aletang smiled grimly and said, "We still have to continue the talks, and we have to do our best.

Even if the Zhou people reduce the amount of trade, it is better to have something than nothing, and we cannot return empty-handed.

Besides, we have been on the grassland braving the wind and snow and enduring too many bitter cold days, while the capital is the most magnificent city in the world, prosperous and majestic, comparable to the heavenly palace.

It would be a good thing to be able to stay here for a few more days, and there is no need to rush to leave."

Noyan Taiji heard that there seemed to be a deeper meaning in Aletang's words, and his eyes flashed slightly.

……

Aletang continued, "I have received news that the Dali Temple and Jinyiwei of the Great Zhou have sent out a large number of spies.

We are keeping everyone in the envoys under surveillance because they are worried that a large number of our troops will come to the capital and take advantage of the peace talks to spy on us.

You should control your subordinates, go out less recently, and be cautious in everything you do. Don't leave any excuses. Otherwise, if the Zhou people find a handle on you and suddenly attack you during the peace talks, things will be difficult to handle."

The leader of the Yongxielun tribe, Gai Ertai, asked: "Aletang, how did you know the movements of the Dali Temple and the Jinyiwei? Is the information accurate?"

Aletang said: "My Tuman tribe has its own source of information. This is absolutely true. The Zhou people are cunning, and this kind of behavior is not uncommon."

After hearing this, Gairtai stopped asking questions. He knew that Andakhan was ambitious and cunning, and had been planning to move south for many years.

In order to achieve his ambitions, Anda Khan made many arrangements for a rainy day and recruited many criminal generals and advisers from the Great Zhou over the years.

Therefore, it was expected that Anda Khan would plant secret agents or some hidden connections in Shenjing.

The Dali Temple and the Embroidered Uniform Guard mobilized a large number of spies. Although they would act in secret, it would cause quite a stir after all, and it would be difficult to hide it from those in the officialdom.

It was not difficult for the Tuman tribe to obtain information about the Great Zhou government through certain connections they had.

Compared with Gairtai's secret speculation, Noyan Taiji had a clearer idea in his mind that Anda Khan must have had a backup plan in the capital.

He immediately thought of the mysterious Duan family grain store. The owner Duan Qingjiang was the Darughachi of Andakhan, and he must have some mission.

A good strategist has always been known to have three burrows. In the huge city of Shenjing, could it be that Anda Khan only has Duan Chunjiang as his secret agent...

……

Noyan Taiji left the Tumanbu Posthouse, passed the corridor of Tongwenguan, and went to his residence.

The biting cold wind blew, making the sleeves of the moon-white Hu robe flutter, making the waist look more slender and straight.

He put his hands behind his back, his slender fingers moving unconsciously.

Suddenly he saw many Tongwenguan servants carrying grain from four large carts. Although he looked at them a few more times, he didn't pay much attention.

When he entered his own inn, he asked his maid to help him change into Han clothes and comb his hair again. He looked like a handsome young man of the Han family.

He named two more guards, and together they left the Tongwenguan, turned two corners, and entered a teahouse on the street.

After sitting down in the private room on the second floor, he gave a few instructions to the guard. Not long after, the man went out and came back with a man.

The man was tall and thin, wearing ordinary clothes and shoes, with a slightly hunched back, making him look inconspicuous.

Noyan Taiji asked, "Shuergan, has there been any movement in the Duan family grain store in the past ten days?"

Shu Ergan said: "Reporting to Taiji, Xue Pan and Duan Chunjiang have been in and out very frequently recently, and he often takes him to interact with the children of the nobles in the capital.

Either they would gather for a banquet or go to the 16th floor to look for prostitutes. In short, they all tried to win over and become familiar with these young men from wealthy families.

Recently, Duan Chunjiang was introduced by Xue Pan and has been in close contact with Chen Ruichang, the second grandson of Duke Qi. It seems that he is doing everything he can to curry favor with this man.

He never stopped eating, drinking and having fun in his daily life. He even bought a famous singer from the 16th floor and gave her to Chen Ruichang as a concubine.

Chen Ruichang used his connections to help Duan Chunjiang start the rice business at Tongwenguan."

Noyan Taiji's heart moved, and he remembered that he had just seen four large carts carrying rice in Tongwenguan.

He asked, "Besides being the second grandson of Duke Qi, does Chen Ruichang have any other background?"

Shu Ergan said: "I have secretly inquired that Chen Ruichang is an official in the Military Governor's Office of the Five Great Zhou Dynasties, and his duties involve the transportation of military rations.

I think Duan Chunjiang deliberately befriended this person, he must have ulterior motives. "

When Noyan Taiji heard that Chen Ruichang was an official in the Five Military Commandery and was involved in the transportation of military supplies, his heart suddenly jumped.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Shu Ergan, stay away from the Duan family grain shop in the future, and slow down the surveillance of Duan Chunjiang.

We must be extremely cautious in our actions and not let anyone notice any clues and think that the Ordos tribe has any connection with the Duan family grain shop."

Shu Ergan looked confused and asked, "Taiji, what does this mean?"

Noyan Taiji said: "Today, Aletang said that the Dali Temple and the Jinyiwei sent a large number of spies to investigate the actions of the members of the delegation.

In order to guard against spies in the delegation, Duan Chunjiang approached officials of the Five Military Commandery. He must have some agenda. How could Altang of the Tuman tribe be completely unaware of this?
I think the Tuman tribe must have had this planned in advance. Aletang warned us and the Yongxielun tribe to restrain our men and not to act rashly, because he was worried that something might happen to them.

In this game, the Great Zhou and the Tuman tribe are the ones playing chess. It is already very good that our Ordos tribe has not become a pawn.

Since we can't get any benefits at the moment, we might as well watch the game and say nothing, avoid getting into trouble, leave more ways to retreat, and wait for the general situation to change."

……

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

Duan Chunjiang was using an abacus at the counter, counting and recording accounts while humming a tune. He seemed to be in a good mood.

The busy shop assistants in the store did not find it strange to see their boss looking satisfied.
The shopkeeper has made great business of Tongwenguan. The profit from this transaction alone is equal to the income of the store in half a year. It is natural for him to be happy.

At this time, a customer came into the store. He was sturdy, dressed in bright clothes, and had an ordinary appearance. He looked like a wealthy businessman.

Duan Chunjiang smiled and said, "It's Boss Sun. The new rice from Yutian County that you requested just arrived yesterday and is waiting for you to come."

Boss Sun said with a smile: "Then please trouble Boss Duan to show me the goods."

Duan Chunjiang put down the abacus in his hand, asked the waiter to find a business for the store, and took Boss Sun into the back hall with a smile on his face.

However, the two men did not enter the warehouse, but turned into the room next to the warehouse.

When Duan Chunjiang closed the door, Boss Sun said, "Manager Duan, I heard rumors that the Dali Temple and Jinyiwei sent out a large number of spies.

I have been secretly investigating the movements of the Mongolian envoys in the city these days to see if they will be implicated in the grain shop."

Duan Chunjiang said: "Brother Dali, don't worry. After the delegation arrived in Beijing, they only purchased grain for the first time, and someone went to the grain store once.

But by then they had been to all the grain stores in the city, and the Great Zhou military department had issued a ban on the purchase of grain, so the matter was left unresolved.

Because of this incident, the government officials would not pay attention to the Duan family grain store. Apart from this, I have never contacted the delegation.

All the information is only communicated to you, the Dali Temple and Jinyiwei are working hard on the delegation, and the Duan family grain store has nothing to do with it."

After hearing this, Sun Dali put his mind at ease and asked, "Can you find out any information about the grain route from Chen Ruichang?"

Duan Chunjiang shook his head and said, "Among the children of the noble families, although Chen Ruichang is not outstanding, he is very cautious in his words and deeds.

I often invite him out for dinner and fun, and although I sometimes hint at him, he is very strict in his words and never mentions the official business of the government."

Sun Dali looked a little disappointed and said, "He is just a child of an aristocratic family. How can he be so perfect and impeccable?"

Duan Chunjiang smiled and said, "That's not the case. All the sons of these secondary branches of noble families will not be able to inherit the family business in the future.

It was extremely rare in the Great Zhou Dynasty for a concubine's son to become the legitimate heir, like Jia Cong of the Rongguo Mansion.

It is difficult for a descendant of a noble family like this to shoulder such a heavy responsibility. Even if he is careful and prudent, he is not invulnerable. We can only attack his weak points. Thank you for your trouble.

There are two main problems with these young men: either they are greedy for money or they are lustful. Chen Ruichang is a pervert.

Every time I asked him to go to the 16th floor to sleep with a girl, he was always happy to do so, although he still didn't care about official business.

But one time, he was having a great time with the girl and had a few drinks, and he accidentally said a few more words.

It is said that he went to the north on business a month ago, passed by Yaoshan Posthouse and stayed for a day, and occasionally went to a private dormitory with a half-open door there.

He said that the ladies sitting in the rooms there were extremely beautiful, charming and alluring, and he still remembers them to this day. The girls on the 16th floor were inferior to them.

At that time, he spoke with great enthusiasm and looked very excited, which showed that he had a deep impression of that place.

I paid attention to this matter and later found out through various sources that Chen Ruichang had indeed gone out on business a month ago, and was escorting grain northward.

With just a simple guess, it can be concluded that this batch of grain must be the military rations for the war on the front line of Datong. As a general in the Five Military Commandery, he was most likely one of the officers escorting the grain at that time.

Escorting military rations is a matter of strict military discipline, and there are strict regulations along the routes. He would never dare to leave privately to stay with prostitutes.

Therefore, Yaoshan Posthouse must be the stopover for the military rations escort along the Datong front line.

Afterwards, I asked someone and learned that Yaoshan Posthouse not only had an official posthouse, but also a fairly large military posthouse, which must be the midpoint of the military rations route.”

Duan Chunjiang took out a map from a hidden place in the room and unfolded it on the table.

There was a place on the map that was circled and marked with a red pen, with the three words "Baotunli" written on it.

Sun Dali said, "I sent someone to investigate last time. In the past few months, a large number of military vehicles have passed through Baotun. The area within a few miles is heavily guarded, so it is difficult to get close to investigate."

Duan Chunjiang found Yaoshan Posthouse on the map, circled it with a red pen, and then connected the two places with a red line.

A clear grain route appeared before the two men. The red line ran east of Datong, in the core area of ​​several border towns.

Boss Sun said: "It's at least seven or eight hundred miles from Yaoshan Post to the border town, and we will pass by four or five military posts along the way.

The closer we got to the Jiubian Military Town, the denser the post stations in the towns along the way became. We only knew of two places, Baotunli and Yaoshanyi.

We still cannot determine the direction of the grain route, where the military rations are finally stored and distributed, and it is difficult to spy on the key points of the troop stations in the various towns of the Great Zhou.

At least one passing point needs to be discovered in order to accurately infer the direction of the Great Zhou's grain route.

This matter is extremely important to the Khan's deployment of troops. Boss Duan, do you have any other ways to find out information about other grain routes?"

Duan Chunjiang said: "Yesterday Chen Ruichang suddenly left Shenjing and his whereabouts are unknown.

The actions of the Five Military Commanderies Office involve important military secrets, and relevant information will take a long time to obtain.

Now that it is happening, it is difficult to know the specific reason, but most of the guesses are that it is to escort military rations. "

Sun Dali looked anxious and said, "Now that Chen Ruichang is not in Shenjing, where can we go to get information?"

Duan Chunjiang smiled complacently and said, “I said this man is lustful, so even if he is not in the city, it won’t be a big obstacle.

I have already made another hidden move, hoping for good news... (End of this chapter)