Red Mansion, Ningfu Scholarly Family

Chapter 164 Rejection of Marriage
……

"That's unreasonable!"

That day, Jia Jing read a letter from Kyoto and became furious.

He had only been away from Kyoto for a few days when something happened at home.

Although things in Lianghuai are not yet perfect, he has to go back.

Otherwise, the consequences will be disastrous!

Jia Jing thought for a moment and then hurried to find Lin Ruhai.

"Ru Hai, I have to go back to Beijing!"

Lin Ruhai was stunned, then he guessed something: "Something happened in Beijing?"

Jia Jing shook his head and sighed, "Something happened at home."

Lin Ruhai: "Private matter?"

Jia Jing: "It's a private matter, but it's not a private matter either."

"The Emperor wants to marry my daughter from the Jia family!"

"what!"

Lin Ruhai was shocked!

Isn’t this too beastly?
"Miss Jia is so young, how can she..."

Jia Jing shook his head: "It's not Xichun, it's Yuanchun, the eldest maid in the West Mansion."

Lin Ruhai breathed a sigh of relief.

The ones in Xifu are better.

Jia Jing slammed the table and said angrily: "What a bunch of fools! The wealth of the in-laws is not so easy to fight for. If you are not careful, the whole family will be killed without a burial place!"

Lin Ruhai nodded.

With the current power of the Jia family, they have already established a firm foothold in the court and there is no need for Yuanchun to enter the palace to seek wealth and fame.

That would be like adding fuel to the fire.

Good times don’t last long!

"This matter is of great importance. We must return to the capital as soon as possible. Don't worry, Lord, I will do my best to take care of the affairs of Lianghuai!"

Jia Jing nodded and said, "After returning to the capital, I will report to the emperor to promote you to the governor-general of Zhizhe. You can do your job here without any worries. Remember to be ruthless and sharp. I will take care of the court."

……

After explaining the situation to Lin Ruhai, Jia Jing went straight to find Dai Quan.

"Eunuch Dai, we have been away for quite some time, we have to go back to Beijing."

Dai Quan also wanted to return to Beijing as soon as possible, so he said with a sad face, "It would be a great achievement if Jia Ge Lao could reform the salt tax smoothly. But it would be a pity for our family. We didn't catch anyone and didn't get the money. It would be a relief to get scolded when we return."

Jia Jing comforted him, "Don't worry, Eunuch Dai. The Lianghuai Coastal Defense Forces have been dispatched one after another. I believe they will find the perpetrators soon. Also, the news of the house raid was leaked in advance. You can't blame Eunuch. We should check the salt merchants' connections in the court. Who knows, it might be those people who hid the stolen money."

Dai Quan slapped his thigh!
"Mr. Jia is absolutely right."

"We will return to Beijing to prepare now."

Jia Jing hurriedly called Dai Quan and said with a smile: "There is no rush to return to Beijing. I have something I would like to ask for your help, father-in-law."

Dai Quan was very happy to hear that Jia Jing wanted his help again.

In the past, every cabinet minister was arrogant, self-righteous, and looked down on the Imperial Household Department.

Jia Jing often asked him for help, which clearly showed that he thought highly of him. He felt that the two of them could become good friends.

The internal and external ministers make for a good story...

Dai Quan smiled and said, "If you have anything to say, please tell me. We will never refuse anything we can do."

Jia Jing whispered, "My Lord, do you know that there is a girl in my Jia family who works as a female historian in the Queen's palace?"

Dai Quan thought for a moment and said, "It seems that this is the case. What's the matter? Lord Jia wants to find a relative?"

"No!"

Jia Jing waved his hand and said firmly: "Please, Eunuch Dai, find a way to send her out of the palace. My Jia family does not need that kind of wealth now."

Dai Quan praised: "Mr. Jia is very insightful."

Jia Jing is now almost in the highest position among the ministers and is highly regarded by the retired emperor. What does it mean that he sends his family daughter to the emperor?

"This matter is easy to handle. When we return home, we will find a reason to release the girl from the palace. Lord Jia can rest assured."

This is a small matter for Dai Quan.

Jia Jing smiled again and said, "Don't worry, sir, there is something else going on here."

Dai Quan: "Oh? What's the matter?"

Jia Jing: "The emperor has taken a liking to her!"

Dai Quan looked bitter.

"This doesn't seem to be easy to handle."

Jia Jing smiled and said, "I dare not trouble you with something that is easy to handle. After all, we are outsiders and it is not convenient for us to interfere in the affairs of the palace. You must help me with this matter. I owe you a favor."

Jia Jing said this, Dai Quan naturally would not refuse, and thought for a while and said: "There is a way, but it may not be good for the girl's reputation."

Jia Jing asked: "How do you do that?"

Dai Quan said: "The emperor is extremely strict in selecting concubines in all aspects, especially in terms of fate and physical condition."

"We think we can ask the imperial physician to find out that the girl is not in good health, or ask the people from the Imperial Observatory to calculate that the girl's fate is not suitable for the emperor. Both methods are feasible."

Jia Jing said: "Then we should do both at the same time, it will be safer!"

Dai Quan smiled and said, "We have a godson who works at the Imperial Hospital. It won't be difficult to find a symptom for the girl. As for the Imperial Observatory, Lord Jia can go there and make arrangements himself."

"it is good!"

"Then I'll bother you, father-in-law."

Dai Quan said with a smile, "Mr. Jia is too polite." As he spoke, he said with a smile, "We also happen to have a very difficult problem here."

Jia Jing understood and said with a smile, "Please speak, sir."

Dai Quan sighed, "This time we came to Jiangnan, we only got one million taels of silver. The emperor will probably be unhappy."

Jia Jing said: "You worry too much, eunuch. One million taels is not a small amount. With this amount of silver, the treasury will be well-off."

Dai Quan shook his head and said, "It's far from enough. When I came here, the emperor said that at least five million taels would be needed!"

Jia Jing was stunned for a moment.

"So many? For what?"

"The imperial mausoleum was only repaired last year, wasn't it?"

"It's not about the imperial mausoleum." Dai Quan looked at Jia Jing and sighed, "Lord Jia is not one of those clean people. I can reveal something in advance... The emperor wants to build a pavilion in the harem!"

Jia Jing: “!”

This matter is no small matter!

Jia Jing's expression changed involuntarily.

"Emperor, are you refining the elixir?"

Throughout history, many emperors with great talent and strategy have ended up taking the same path.

Refining elixirs in an attempt to achieve immortality!
Dai Quan said worriedly: "There are some, but I am not so obsessed with them yet, so you outsiders don't know yet, even I only know a little."

Jia Jing said solemnly: "Eunuch Dai, this matter is of great importance. Others may not have a say. You must remind the emperor to take care of himself!"

Dai Quan smiled bitterly and said, "How dare we speak nonsense? No one can change the decision of the emperor. We just hope that the emperor can live a long life!"

Dai Quan is very worried!
As the saying goes, a new emperor has his own ministers.

This is especially true for eunuchs. After a new emperor comes to power, he will generally reward civil and military officials to show his great grace.

They were not so polite to the eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department and directly launched a large-scale purge!

It is conceivable that once the new emperor is in power, Jia Jing may be able to continue to hold power in the cabinet by virtue of his prestige.

There is a 99% chance that he will be benched, or even kicked when he is down, which is the real reason why he tries so hard to befriend Jia Jing.

I don't ask to continue to control the Imperial Household Department and have all the power over the world, but at least I should leave a way out.

Jia Jing was also a little worried.

Although his current status and position are inseparable from his own abilities, one thing is undeniable.

The grace of the retired emperor is truly immense!
Once the retired emperor dies, the new emperor takes power.

Will he continue to favor the Jia family? He has been giving the new emperor a hard time in recent years, and this time he refused to marry... Although he has not refused yet, Jia Jing will never allow a girl from the Jia family to marry into the palace!

Rejection of marriage is a foregone conclusion.

Excuses like incompatible fate and poor health may deceive everyone in the world, but they cannot deceive the person involved... the emperor!
The emperor must have remembered the Jia family and him deeply in his heart.

But there is nothing we can do about it.

Allowing Yuanchun to marry the emperor and become a royal relative would be a real disaster for the Jia family.

In other words, the new emperor had no good intention in marrying the daughter of the Jia family. It was unknown which sinister person gave the emperor this vicious idea, clearly intending to plunge the Jia family into an irretrievable situation!

"Eunuch Dai, please be sure to keep this matter confidential. I will go back and think of a solution!" Jia Jing said worriedly.

Dai Quan said, "Don't worry, Lord Jia, we will keep it a secret. But let's get back to the point. Where can we get five million taels of silver?"

Jia Jing thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Are you sure that the emperor wants to use this money to build the Dengxian Pavilion?"

Dai Quan: “Very sure!”

Jia Jing said: "That's easy!"

Dai Quan asked: "How can we solve this problem?"

Jia Jing said: "It will take at least one or two years to build the Dengxian Pavilion. The one million taels in your hand will last for a few months. By then, the salt merchants who have fled for fear of crime may have been caught."

Dai Quan said: "I'm just afraid that I won't be able to catch it soon."

Jia Jing said: "If we can't catch him right now, we can use this year's salt tax to pay for it, and then make up for it when we catch him."

Dai Quan seemed to be waiting for this sentence, clapping his hands happily and laughing: "Then we thank Lord Jia for his generosity!"

Jia Jing waved his hand.

"You're welcome, sir."

"They all serve the Emperor."

Dai Quan smiled: "You are right, Lord. We all serve the Emperor."

……

"What, you want to go back to Beijing?"

Jia Rong was almost the last one to get the news, and it was Lin Daiyu who came to tell him.

Lin Daiyu: "You still don't know?"

Jia Rong: "I really don't know."

Lin Daiyu: "Didn't the master tell you?"

Jia Rong: "I really didn't say that."

"Maybe you forgot me?"

Lin Daiyu: "..."

Jia Rong: "Wait here, I'll go over and ask."

Of course Jia Jing did not forget his precious grandson, but he did not inform Jia Rong because he did not want to take him back and forth.

"This year is not the year for the provincial examination. You don't have to rush back to Beijing to study hard. Just stay in Jiangnan first and exchange knowledge with the students in Jiangnan. I think you will benefit more."

Jia Rong nodded: "I will listen to you, Master."

"Grandpa, why are you back so urgently this time? Is there something wrong?"

Jia Jing said: "It's about the West Mansion."

"The emperor has taken a liking to your aunt!"

Jia Rong: “…” So much has changed, but some things remain unchanged.

Is there going to be another Concubine Jia?

Jia Rong sighed and said, "This is not a good thing for our family, right?"

Jia Jing nodded and said with a pleased smile: "It's great that you can think of this immediately. Rong'er, remember, our family must not have any contact with relatives outside the family!"

"I'm going back this time just to stop some people in the West Mansion from thinking about this!"

Jia Rong laughed and said, "I'm afraid the old lady will be unhappy."

Jia Jing smiled faintly.

"It's not up to her!"

"I have the final say in the Jia family!"

"If you don't keep quiet... I don't mind having another vegetarian in the Jia family ancestral hall!"

Women still want to control the fate of their family?

You must be kidding!
Jia Rong: “…”

The master is so domineering!

I am the only one!

Alas, the old lady is nothing!

Lin Daiyu had been waiting in Jia Rong's courtyard. When she saw Jia Rong coming back, she immediately asked with a smile, "What did the master say?"

Jia Rong gave her a strange look.

Lin Daiyu asked, "Why? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Jia Rong asked, "Don't you always call me uncle?"

Lin Daiyu: "..."

How come there are such stupid people in the world?

"What do you care about me? I do!"

"Okay, whatever you want, okay?"

Jia Rong knew very well that he could not reason with his aunt who was older than him.

"What did the master say?" Lin Daiyu continued to ask.

Jia Rong said, "Tell me, I don't need to go back to the capital with you."

Lin Daiyu was delighted.

"Oh? So you still live here?"

"No." Jia Rong smiled and said, "I plan to go to my hometown in Jinling for a visit."

Qinhuai River!

I don’t know if I will meet Xie Jiwen by chance.

Lin Daiyu frowned slightly and said, "Haven't you remembered the lesson you learned from running away last time? Listen to your aunt and study hard at home. That's better than anything else."

"By the way, you haven't written your novel for a long time. You are not allowed to go out until you finish it!"

Jia Rong: “…”

"aunt!"

Lin Daiyu: “Hmm?”

Jia Rong said seriously, "You should take a rest. It's so hard for the old man to leave, and now you are here to take care of me again."

After saying that, he ran away in a hurry.

Lin Daiyu was so angry that she gritted her teeth and stamped her feet.

"Brother Rong, stop!"

"I'm going to tear your mouth off!"

……

Xiaoxiao held a delicate little crossbow in his hand.

This is a fine steel crossbow that she had someone make at great expense. Not only is it small, but it is also more powerful and has a longer range than ordinary military crossbows!
At this moment, she was like an ordinary maid from a wealthy family, carrying a bamboo basket in one hand and tucking the other hand into her sleeve, walking forward briskly.

Suddenly, there was a commotion ahead.

A large group of guards blew gongs to clear the way.

"All outsiders, please get out of the way!"

"All outsiders, please get out of the way!"

Most people hurriedly got out of the way, but a man carrying dung stopped in the middle of the road, looking as if he was frightened.

Several guards stepped forward, pinching their noses and scolding him: "Old man, are you standing here looking for death? Get out of here now!"

The man woke up as if from a dream, and hurriedly said: "General, spare my life, I will get out of here immediately."

After saying that, he threw two dung buckets at everyone.

"Oh!"

Two dung buckets exploded in mid-air.

"what!"

"vomit!"

"Ugh, you're looking for death!"

"what happened?"

Elder Ye, who was sitting in the carriage, frowned slightly.

He smelled a bad odor.

There was a large piece of unknown stuff stuck on the car curtain.

"Ugh, someone blew up a shit bucket, ugh."

The guard replied while vomiting.

Ye Xiaoge's face turned green on the spot!

Someone actually threw feces at him!

Really looking for death!

"Someone, come here, arrest him!"

"I'm going to kill him!"

"Ugh, yes."

The man who was blowing up the manure had already run into the crowd.

He ran and laughed wildly!
"Haha, ha, here comes Mr. Dung!"

"Try my uncle Bai Lian's poop."

In order to show off in front of their master, thirty or forty guards chased after him desperately.

"court death!"

"stop!"

"stop!"

"stand……"

"..."

"Grip!"

Ye Xiaoge Lao cursed viciously and walked down from the pride.

At this time, the chair was already dotted with dirt, so it was impossible for him to sit on it.

"Someone, go find a new pride!"

"Yes!"

Several people hurried to look for Jiaozi.

The people around who understood what was happening had already hidden away, those who liked the excitement were watching quietly from the corners, and those who were bold and fearless were moving forward.

A frightened girl ran forward in panic.

The guards looked at it but didn't care.

First, the girl was still some distance away.

Secondly, this girl has a very distinctive appearance, and I couldn’t help but take a few more glances at her.

Elder Ye couldn't help but take a few more glances.

That slender waist, the skirt fluttering in the wind, the bare hands slightly raised...

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Ye Xiaoge's pupils widened.

Time seemed to slow down.

slowly!
The first arrow went straight into his eye socket.

There was a splash of blood.

The second arrow lodged itself in his left shoulder.

There was a splash of blood.

The third arrow hit the chest of the guard next to him.

A burst of blood.

The fourth one is empty.

Only then did everyone react.

"careful!"

"There are assassins!"

"Protect the young elder!"

The remaining eye of Ye Xiaoge Lao was still full of disbelief, and blood was gurgling from his mouth: "Save, save me, quickly, I, save..."

How can it be!

He is the young cabinet minister!
How could anyone dare to kill him?
……

Xiaoxiao returned to an inn according to the route that had been prepared long ago.

No one chased after me!
Yes, all of them were frightened. Some were busy protecting the young minister, some were running around like headless flies, some went to find doctors, but no one chased her.

Of course, it could also be that she ran too fast!
But Xiaoxiao was not careless.

He quickly changed his clothes and went straight out of the city to the dock while the city gate was still open.

"Hello, Miss Bai."

Bai Cai'er was obviously confused.

"Sister Xiaoxiao, why are you here?"

Xiao Xiao smiled and said, "The eldest master asked me to come. Is the salt ready? Can we go out to sea?"

"Uh, that's fine."

"Then let's go."

Xiao Xiao sat on a chair in the attic and smiled, "I'll tell you quietly. Someone from the White Lotus Sect just had the audacity to assassinate Young Elder Ye. Soldiers may come to search soon."

Bai Caier: “…”

……

(End of this chapter)