Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Shenjing, Honglu Temple Huitong Hall, Tuman Tribe Inn.

In the early morning, the cold wind was biting. Just past Chenshi (7-9 AM), officials entered the office one after another to take their duties, while the other clerks and servants began to busy themselves with their respective tasks.

Liu Xiaoping, the registrar of the library, arrived at the library on time for his duty as usual.

As he entered the building and passed the stables, he saw the grooms laying hay in the mangers. He glanced at them casually, then suddenly stopped.

The Huitongguan has a dedicated stable, which is well-maintained and mainly used to house the horses of VIP guests.

However, the manor is not always packed with VIPs. Although the stables are spacious, not many horses are usually tied up there, and most of them are idle.

However, ever since the Mongol delegation arrived in Beijing, the main members stayed at the Huitongguan, and the stables there were always filled with more than thirty warhorses.

Because the people of the grasslands cannot live without horses, almost everyone in the mission rode a horse, except for those who were in charge of carriages and other miscellaneous tasks.

These thirty-odd warhorses were tethered in the stables inside the building, as they belonged to key members of the mission; the other warhorses were placed in temporary stables outside the building.

Liu Xiaoping passes by this stable every day when he goes to work at the museum. He is a meticulous and cautious person and pays close attention to things in his daily life.

Therefore, he was already very familiar with the appearance of the horses in the stable, but today there were two more spotted warhorses in the stable, which looked very unfamiliar.

I asked casually, "Old Chen, I didn't see these two horses yesterday. Has someone from the delegation recently moved in?"

Old Chen, the groom, laughed and said, "Lord Liu is truly observant. Among so many horses, he immediately recognized these two as newcomers."

Before dawn, just as the city gates were opening, two men on horseback hurriedly entered the building.

Some people were urging me to feed them, saying that these two horses must have been on a long run and had lost a lot of weight, and they would be ruined if I didn't take good care of them for a couple of days.

I heard these two came from the north, messengers from the Mongols, and they seemed to be in a great hurry.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiaoping's heart stirred slightly, but his face remained impassive as he went straight into the registrar's office.

As they walked through the covered walkway, they encountered a group of people coming towards them. The person in front of them was dressed in gorgeous clothes, tall and elegant, with handsome features and an extraordinary demeanor.

Liu Xiaoping knew that the entire Mongol delegation was composed of rough and unruly grassland men.

Only Noyan Taiji, the leader of the Ordos tribe, was handsome and refreshing, with an elegant demeanor, quite different from ordinary grassland people, and had a bit of the Han Chinese style.

Although he was a civil official clerk, he did not participate in the specific peace negotiations. He and Noyan Taiji only met frequently and were familiar with each other.

The two passed each other, and he simply nodded in acknowledgment. Noyan Taiji returned the gesture, and the two brushed past each other.

Liu Xiaoping returned to the chief clerk's office, walked to his desk, and pulled out a small booklet from an inconspicuous spot on the bookshelf behind him.

He picked up his pen and wrote: "On the 18th of December, the city gates opened. Around 3:45 a.m., two Mongol riders rushed into the city with great haste."

The horse was missing its hindquarters and was emaciated, likely due to the long-distance raid. It is speculated that the messenger was sending an urgent message northward, possibly related to the peace negotiations between the two states, but this remains to be investigated.

……

Noyan Taiji walked along the corridor under the eaves, watching people come and go in the building, each going about their business.

It was an ordinary morning, everything was running smoothly and uneventfully, just like always, and it seemed that it would continue to be so.

However, Noyan Taiji was in a gloomy mood, as if there was a heavy pressure on his chest, and too many questions arose, giving him the illusion of suffocation.

Not only has he not received a reply from his father, Jirang Khan, but the urgent arrival of the Tuman tribe's messenger in the city has also raised concerns that the peace talks may be in jeopardy.

Anda Khan of the Tuman tribe was a ruthless and powerful figure with a sinister and fierce nature. He had long harbored the ambition to take advantage of the situation and move south.

If the trade volume, which is to be increased by 40%, cannot be reached in the end, Anda Khan may use this as an excuse to abruptly terminate the peace talks.

A war between the Great Zhou and the Mongols is inevitable. The appeasement treaty between the Great Zhou and the Ordos tribe will be affected as a result, and all my plans will come to naught...

He entered the main hall of the guesthouse and was slightly surprised to see that in addition to Yongxie Lunbu Gai'ertai, there were also six or seven members of the delegation sitting there.

He had thought that Altan had only invited the leaders of the three major tribes to discuss important matters concerning the peace between the two states, but he did not expect that he would also invite other officials of the delegation.

These six or seven members of the delegation were also key figures in the delegation, responsible for negotiating peace with the Ministry of War of the Great Zhou.

Of course, their daily consultations were conducted entirely according to the instructions of the three leaders of the mission, or more precisely, according to the instructions of Altan.

When Altan saw Noyan Taiji take his seat, he said, “We have been negotiating trade with the Zhou people for over a month, but so far there has been no progress.”

The Zhou people were cunning by nature and feared the growing power of the Mongols. They repeatedly squeezed the amount of trade quotas we proposed, refusing to budge an inch.

If this continues for so long, we will surely return empty-handed from our trip to Beijing, and we will also waste manpower and food resources.

I have received a message from the Great Khan that there is no need to waste any more time with the Zhou people. We should sign a peace treaty between our two states according to the trade amount proposed by the Zhou people.

All matters concerning the peace agreement should be finalized within five days, and the mission members should return north as soon as possible. As for the shortage of supplies in various departments, other methods should be devised to address the issue…”

As soon as Aletang finished speaking, everyone present looked surprised and shocked, as the news was too sudden.

Of the three remaining Mongol tribes, the Tuman tribe was the most powerful, and neither the Ordos tribe nor the Yongxielun tribe could contend with it. The Tuman tribe almost single-handedly decided the peace negotiations.

It was the Tuman tribe's insistence on increasing the trade volume by 40% that caused the peace negotiations between the two states to stall.

Now they've lowered the trade volume again and want to use it to sign a peace agreement; their words and actions seem rather childish.

The Mongol officials present whispered among themselves, while Yongshelun's Gai'ertai spoke in a loud and boisterous voice, his dissatisfaction already evident in his words.

Noyan Taiji was the only one present who remained silent, his mind churning with turbulent thoughts.

The fact that Aleppo had significantly increased the trade volume would inevitably prevent the peace agreement between the two states from being implemented; this was almost an obvious outcome.

Altan had once declared that since the mission had arrived in Shenjing, as long as they achieved the desired trade volume, they did not need to worry about the length of the peace negotiations.

At that time, Noyan Taiji had doubts and vaguely felt that the Tuman tribe seemed to be deliberately wasting time by using the peace talks.

Noyan Taiji pondered the purpose behind this action repeatedly in private, but could not find the answer.

The Tuman tribe has suddenly changed its demands, not only accepting extremely low trade amounts, but also being eager to sign peace agreements so that the delegation members can return north as soon as possible.

The stark contrast in their actions before and after made Noyan Taiji increasingly suspicious. He was certain that the cause of the incident must have come from the messenger who arrived at the inn at dawn.

As for what news the messenger brought, Altan, for whatever reason, could not easily reveal it to the public.

However, as long as the Great Zhou and the Mongols sign a peace agreement, the imminent border war can only be temporarily relieved.

This was undoubtedly good news for the Ordos tribe, which did not want to get involved in the war and was secretly communicating with the Great Zhou. Noyan Taiji had no reason to refuse.

……

Although Gerthai had some complaints about Altan's fickleness, he could not find any reason to object.

The Zhou people refused to budge an inch and their attitude toward peace was clear; even if they delayed any longer, it would still be in vain.

Al-Tan saw that Noyan Taiji and Gairtai had no objections, so it seems that even if they were dissatisfied, they tacitly agreed to the matter of making peace as soon as possible.

He said, "Since everyone has no objections, this morning the two states reached an agreement, and we will clearly state our purpose with the Great Zhou and draft an initial peace treaty, which will be submitted to the Zhou Emperor as soon as possible."

The signing of the peace treaty and the details of the mutual trade between the two sides have been followed up and supervised in the last three days to finalize the matter as soon as possible.

Our main force outside the city, including the eight hundred men who entered the city, can leave Shenjing in batches over the next few days, carrying their supplies.

Otherwise, once the peace treaty is signed, the two thousand troops will gather and leave, causing traffic congestion and delaying their return north...

Upon hearing this, Noyan Taiji felt increasingly puzzled. Why was the signing of the peace treaty and the withdrawal of troops being carried out in such a hurry?

Moreover, he had an even more pressing concern: whether his father's reply would arrive within three days.

There is still no news, and the Ordos tribe and the Great Zhou are unable to continue negotiations, thus ending their appeasement and trade relations.

If that situation were to occur, what reason would I have to continue staying in Shenjing...?

The Honglu Temple's Hall of Meeting, the main hall for peace talks between the two nations.

Originally, it was past mid-morning when the peace officials from both sides entered the hall to begin a new day of negotiations and wrangling.

Jia Cong usually attended the morning court session and would arrive at the meeting hall around 11:30 or nearly noon to fulfill his duties as the recorder of the peace negotiations.

In reality, he was merely going through the motions, because the peace talks between the two sides were like a tree without roots, having lost their practical significance, and his role as the peace clerk was essentially meaningless.

He came to the meeting hall every day to maintain contact with Noyan Taiji and wait for a reply from the Ordos tribe so that they could promote the private trade between the two sides in the Hetao region.

However, when he arrived at the meeting hall at 9:00 AM today, the officials in charge of the peace negotiations were late, and he waited a while before they filed into the hall.

After the officials from both sides were seated, the Mongol official spoke frankly and proposed that, after consultations within the mission, they agreed to the amount of trade demanded by the Great Zhou, and that both sides could sign a peace agreement based on this.

The officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty present, including Jia Cong, were all astonished by these words. The two sides continued their heated debate yesterday, neither willing to back down.

Overnight, the attitude of the Mongol delegation changed dramatically, as if by a sudden shift in the weather.

When officials from the Great Zhou inquired about the reason, the Mongol officials only said that the two sides had been negotiating for a long time, but the Great Zhou insisted on its own opinion and continued to talk nonsense.
It was the dead of winter on the grasslands, and all the tribes were short of supplies. If a peace agreement was reached as soon as possible, even if the trade volume was low, it would still be enough to alleviate their immediate needs.

Seeing the impatient explanation from the remnant Mongolian official, Jia Cong was both amused and exasperated.

The two sides were locked in a tug-of-war for a long time. The Mongols had initially made exorbitant demands and appeared quite aggressive.

The Great Zhou went all out, responding head-on and refusing to yield an inch, but unexpectedly the Mongols loosened their grip first, leaving the Great Zhou feeling as if they had punched cotton.

The peace negotiations between the two nations skipped many procedures and quickly entered the stage of drafting the peace treaty edict.

Fortunately, the amount of trade determined by Da Zhou had been carefully considered beforehand, and the relevant regulations for trade had been drafted in a relatively complete manner.

Officials from both sides spent two hours drafting a peace treaty between the two nations.

As the chief clerk in charge of the peace negotiations, Jia Cong not only had to participate in the drafting of the edict, but also had to work with other peace negotiation officials to report the draft edict to Gu Yankui and Wang Shilun.

Once the two peace negotiators had drafted the edict, it still needed to be submitted to Emperor Jia Zhao in the palace for his review.

As the chief clerk in charge of the peace negotiations, Jia Cong was originally somewhat idle, but the progress of the peace negotiations was strangely accelerated, and he suddenly became busy.

He had intended to find an opportunity to meet with Noyan Taiji to inquire about the reasons for the change of heart of the Mongol delegation, but he couldn't find even a moment of free time.

……

Rongguo Mansion, East Courtyard.

Inside the main room of the inner courtyard, Guanyin Bodhisattva is enshrined on the Buddhist shrine, and a white porcelain three-legged incense burner is placed there, with high-quality red silk incense sticks burning.

Madam Wang held Buddhist prayer beads in her hand and silently recited Buddhist mantras, but recently her mind had been in turmoil, making it increasingly difficult for her to concentrate on the recitation.

She was feeling somewhat agitated when her trusted confidante, Granny Wang, entered the room, seemingly having something important to say.

Since Qin Xian and his wife were sent to the farm, the East Wing courtyard has been left without any managers, both inside and outside.

Lady Wang was worried that Wang Xifeng would interfere, so she transferred experienced stewards from the West Mansion to manage the affairs inside and outside the East Courtyard, planting a spy by her side.

As soon as Qin Xian and his wife were sent away, she rushed to tell Grandmother Jia to have Granny Wang take over the management of the East Wing Courtyard, so as not to let others take the lead.

Granny Wang was Lady Wang's dowry maid, unlike Zhou Rui's wife who used to be very prominent; she only followed Lady Wang around running errands.

Although she doesn't show off her abilities, she is very loyal to Madam Wang. She was the one who handled the Caixia incident, and she has Madam Wang's trust in her.

Since she took over the management of the East Wing Courtyard, she was even more satisfied and became more and more devoted to her wife.

The skills he had honed over the years were put to good use, and within just a few days, he had managed the inner and outer courtyards meticulously.

Madam Wang was pretending to chant scriptures, but her mind was in turmoil and she was unable to calm down.

Seeing Wang Pozi enter, disturbing the peace, he frowned slightly and asked, "Is there something you need?"

Granny Wang said, "Madam, I've heard rumors these past few days that there's a lot of gossip going around in the West Mansion, with the maids and servants spreading rumors."

Madam Wang's heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "What gossip have you been spreading? Does it have anything to do with our East Courtyard?"

Since Qin Yong's scandalous affair in the East Courtyard has tarnished the reputation of the Second Branch, Madam Wang, as the head of the household, cannot escape blame.

These past few days, she has been feeling really uncertain. Whenever the master sees her, he always has a cold face and speaks harshly, without a trace of warmth.

Yesterday, she went to Rongqing Hall to pay her respects, but she felt that the old lady's words were less warm and seemed somewhat perfunctory.

Even though she chanted sutras and recited Buddhist prayers before the spirit tablet, she could not calm her mind. Her heart was filled with unfounded thoughts, like a frightened bird.

When Granny Wang said that gossip was spreading in the west mansion, her first thought was whether it had anything to do with her...

……

Granny Wang said, "These gossips involve the Madam and the eldest mistress, and they're quite nasty. I wonder which short-lived person made them up."

When Madam Wang heard that it was indeed related to her, her face turned pale. It was just as she feared.

Granny Wang whispered something in Madam Wang's ear for a long time, and Madam Wang's expression changed drastically upon hearing it.

Having been the head of the household for over a decade, she was naturally well aware of the family rules and patriarchal laws. The eldest son inherited the title and property, while the second son became a concubine and moved to the East Courtyard.

She should no longer enjoy the glory and dignity of being a housewife, but it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality, and she is far from having a magnanimous heart.

She pretended not to know anything unless others confronted her directly, and she was unwilling to relinquish even the slightest bit of her original dignity and respect.

Everything had been peaceful and quiet all along. No one dared to say anything, the old lady never brought it up, and most people wouldn't bring it up on their own initiative.

This made Madam Wang proud, feeling that in the eyes of outsiders, she still held the power she once had, which naturally made her feel more at ease.

She used to love wearing Caiyun when she went to Xifu every day, but now she prefers to wear Yuchuan. She looks dignified both inside and out.

……

It's truly unexpected that right now, with Qin Yong's scandalous affair causing turmoil in the second wife's family, someone would kick her while she's down, stirring up gossip at this crucial juncture.

Moreover, these gossips are truly vicious, every word hitting the nail on the head, as if they want to strip one's face bare.

Madam Wang angrily said, "Those servants are spreading rumors and are completely lawless. The West Mansion is becoming more and more unbearable."

I want to go to the old lady and ask her to judge how Feng girl manages the household. When I was in charge, such despicable things never happened.

"The old lady must thoroughly investigate and find the servant who spread these rumors. She should be severely punished with family discipline, and then we'll see who dares to speak nonsense again!"

Granny Wang advised, "Madam, please calm down. The gossip has already spread. Even if we catch the person and beat them to death, we won't be able to stop the conversation."

Besides, if the wife makes a scene, wouldn't she be lifting the lid on herself, making others think she's confessing, and things will only get worse?

The East Courtyard is a separate building, so let's just pretend we didn't hear it and not respond to it. No one else can do anything about it.

Besides, the old lady, out of respect for the old man, would certainly not bring up this topic; how could others find a loophole?

Hearing this, Madam Wang found it very reasonable and said, "These days, you keep a close watch on the inner and outer gates. Anyone in the courtyard who dares to spread rumors or gossip will be beaten to death!"

Granny Wang said, "Madam, please rest assured, I will strictly discipline the servants below, and none of them will dare to act recklessly."

The eldest grandmother was caught up in it, so naturally she wouldn't say a word. But the courtyard was full of people, and the others were anyone's guess..."

Madam Wang snorted coldly, "I know who you're talking about. As long as I'm here, this East Wing Courtyard won't be able to turn upside down!" (End of Chapter)