Red Mansion, Ningfu Scholarly Family

Chapter 178 Baochai cried.

……

The moon is bright in the sky and the autumn wind is cool.

Xichun led Lin Daiyu back along the winding path in the garden, "Sister Lin, let's have a long talk tonight. Tell me about Jiangnan."

"Things about Jiangnan." Lin Daiyu looked up at the moon. Perhaps the biggest change after this trip to Jiangnan is... her father has arranged a marriage for her.

There's nothing else.

I just read books and do needlework at home, and read the novels written by Rong Ge'er when I'm bored.

Actually, the novels written by Rong Ge'er are quite good, much better than those sold on the street. There are swordplay and swordplay, grudges in the martial arts world, tender love between men and women, and the rise and fall of a country...

Seeing Lin Daiyu suddenly in a daze, Xichun covered her mouth and laughed, "Miss Lin, what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing, just..."

"What did you just call me?"

Lin Daiyu said this and suddenly reacted.

Xichun smiled and said, "Miss Lin."

"Don't you call me aunt?"

Lin Daiyu blushed and said shyly, "I've already told you that I said it by mistake because I heard Rong'er talking about it all day long. Please don't misunderstand me."

"Oh, I see!" Xichun smiled and said, "Were you together all day long when you were there?"

Lin Daiyu hurriedly shook her head: "No, no."

Xichun smiled and said, "You just said it yourself. I've been listening to him talking about it all day long."

Lin Daiyu: "..."

"Sister Lin." Xichun pulled Daiyu's arm and shook her, saying, "Just tell me, when did you start? How come I don't know?"

Girls are always full of curiosity.

Especially these things, I can't stop.

Lin Daiyu was shaken helplessly, thinking that Xichun was her elder and would know the truth sooner or later.

Daiyu: "Let's go back and talk about it."

Xichun: "Okay, lie on the bed and tell me in detail."

Soon, the two returned to Xichun's courtyard, and were helped by maids to wash and dress, and then lie on the bed.

The candle on the windowsill had gone out.

The moonlight outside the window is bright, shining through the curtains, casting a layer of silver in the room.

Behind the bed curtains, Lin Daiyu was covered with an apricot-colored brocade quilt, with her long black hair spread on the pillow, and she seemed to have fallen asleep quietly.

Xichun, however, had her eyes wide open and looked very energetic. She felt as if she was being scratched by a cat in her heart and could not sleep at all.

"Good sister, just tell me. I really want to know about you and Rong'er."

Lin Daiyu opened her eyes, raised her hand to tidy up her messy hair, and said, "It's late, let's rest. We can talk about it tomorrow."

"no!"

Xichun rushed over to tease Daiyu, and said coquettishly: "You just said that when you come back, tell me about Rong'er."

"Okay." Lin Daiyu said, "Let me tell you a story. It was written by Rong Ge'er."

"No!"

"I want to hear your story."

Xichun was very persistent.

Lin Daiyu had no choice but to speak.

"It's Grandpa and my father... Do you understand?"

Xichun blinked and shook her head.

"don't know."

"Sister Lin, tell me more details."

I know you don’t understand!

Lin Daiyu touched Xichun's loose black hair and said with a smile: "Aunt, you are still young. You will understand it naturally when you grow up."

Xichun was obviously dissatisfied.

"Girl Lin!"

Lin Daiyu: “Hey!”

Xichun: "How did you trick my nephew away? Tell me the truth!"

"Otherwise I will make you see how powerful my aunt is!"

Lin Daiyu: "..."

……

at the same time.

The Xue sisters also slept together today.

After they washed and changed their evening make-up, Baochai sat on the bed and said with a smile, "Qin girl, come here!"

Baoqin was looking in the mirror and turned around and asked, "What's the matter?"

Baochai said seriously, "I want to interrogate you."

"Haha."

Baoqin laughed and said, "Why are you interrogating me?"

Baochai chuckled and said, "You are still pretending to be silly. What's going on between you and Rong'er? I saw you sneak out tonight and put something on him."

"Oh."

Baoqin nodded and said, "It's a..."

Baochai: "What?"

Baoqin: "I won't tell you."

Baochai:"……"

"It doesn't matter what it is, it's not good if someone sees you like this, they will misunderstand you." Baochai reminded earnestly.

Baoqin didn't care too much and smiled, "It's okay, Daddy said he would come to the Jia Mansion next year..."

Baochai was shocked.

"What is Second Uncle doing here?"

Baoqin smiled and said, "Talking about business, what else can we do?"

Baochai:"……"

This girl!
"So you're here to discuss business. Looking at your appearance, I thought you were here to deliver a marriage certificate."

Baoqin's face suddenly turned red.

"Sister, how do you know?"

Baochai: “……!”

In order to curry favor with the rich and powerful, the second uncle actually took Baoqin as his...

"Sister, what's wrong with you?"

"nothing."

Baochai raised her hand to straighten her temples, hiding her sadness, and reminded Baoqin: "You have such a good marriage, of course my sister bless you."

"But you have to know that once you enter the government, it is like entering a deep sea, especially for a top family like the Ningguo Mansion, where Lord Jia has great power. Many rules are naturally not comparable to our Xue family. In the future, you should be more careful and not be caught in any mistakes."

"Luckily, no one except me discovered what happened tonight, but I will never let it happen again."

"Sister, I know."

Baoqin had a shy look on her face.

She once thought so.

There are many gossips in the mansions of officials and nobles.

But after living in this house for more than half a year, she had long discovered that this was a pretty good family home and there weren't so many dirty things going on.

The main reason is that the Ningguo Mansion has too few people.

The grandfather is busy with official duties and is not at home all day.

The master has gone to practice Taoism and is not seen.

Brother Rong spent most of his time studying at the Imperial College.

The housekeeper's mistress, no.

There is only one Xichun, who is considered a housekeeper.

Actually, I don’t really care.

Just play with everyone.

The servants and housekeepers were in awe of the master's majesty and were all very cautious.

In such an environment, there are no conflicts of interest, and even if one wants to do something dirty, one cannot do it.

Seeing that Baoqin didn't seem to be listening, Baochai wanted to persuade her a little more, but she felt a sudden sadness in her heart and tried hard to hold back her tears.

"You've been traveling all the way, and you've been up so late tonight, you should go to bed early." After saying that, he lay down on the bed and fell asleep facing the inner wall.

After a while, Baoqin leaned over.

"Sister, are you asleep?"

"Ah."

"Sister, are you crying?"

"No."

"Sister, do you... like Brother Rong?"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"oh oh."

After a while, Baoqin's breathing became steady and she fell into a deep sleep. Baochai couldn't sleep, so she put on a piece of clothing, got up and went to the window.

Outside the window, the moon is high in the sky and insects are chirping. Perhaps it is the chirping of insects that makes the night so quiet.

My brother should have reached the West Sea by now, right? He must have suffered.

I don’t know whether the mother is asleep or whether she misses her brother.

Rong Geer...

Do you like him?

Baochai covered her chest and asked herself.

It seems that I don’t like it very much.

After all, the two of them don't have much in common.

But why do I still feel sad and want to cry?
……

After everyone in the family had left, the grandfather and grandson did not leave, but continued to drink and chat under the moon.

The maids and servants who were serving were very conscious of standing at a distance, keeping silent.

"You've been away for more than half a year. Where have you been traveling?" Jia Jing took a sip of wine and smiled as he looked at Jia Rong, who had grown a lot taller.

Jia Rong smiled and said, "I have been to many places and have seen a lot. I feel that I have benefited a lot!"

Jia Jing nodded: "Tell me in detail."

Jia Rong stood up and felt the cool breeze, then sorted out his thoughts and said, "I have many feelings, but the most profound one is that I have a more comprehensive understanding of the word 'world'."

"I learned from books before that to the east of the East China Sea there are Ryukyu and Wa, to the south of the South China Sea there is Luzon, to the west of the West China Sea there are the Western Regions, and to the north there are the Tartar tribes. Our Great Xia is in the center, the Celestial Empire, and all the four barbarians are subject to it, and all nations come to pay tribute."

"Now I finally know that Daxia is just one of many countries. Not to mention the countries east of the East China Sea, south of the South China Sea, and north of the Northern Frontier, the European countries west of the Western Regions are now extremely powerful, with guns, cannons, and warships far superior to Daxia."

"Although we captured a lot in the battle of Taizhou, we still lost more than half of our troops when we had 50,000 men against 5,000 men, and Lord Lin was in command!"

"We should pay more attention to the development of the navy..."

Jia Jing was stunned for a long while after listening to Jia Rong's words.

He didn't expect that Jia Rong would express these feelings.

He knew the east of the East China Sea, the south of the South China Sea, and also knew how many countries there were to the west of the Western Regions.

But he never took it seriously.

In his heart, he always believed that Daxia was the orthodox one, and the rest of the places were barbaric lands, especially the little yellow-haired people in Europe. If he divided people into different levels in his mind, the little yellow-haired people were undoubtedly the lowest class.

"Just a barbarian, don't worry about it." Jia Jing waved his hand: "After traveling for half a year, do you have any other feelings?"

Jia Rong smiled helplessly.

Jia Jing doesn't care about these things, but that doesn't mean Jia Jing doesn't have a good vision.

Jia Rong looks at the present from the perspective of future generations, so he can naturally sense that something is wrong. From the perspective of the people of Daxia today, the little yellow-haired boy is indeed a barbarian.

Not only the people of Daxia, but also Xiao Huangmao himself believed that the level of civilization was far behind that of Daxia. Now they only dared to pretend to be Japanese pirates and rob things along the coast.

Invade Daxia?

They don’t even dare to think about it now!

What Jia Rong didn't know was that someone had already thought of it and was putting it into action.

Of course, the result is someday in the future.

Anyone who offends China will be punished no matter how far away he is!

"My grandson participated in several literary gatherings in Jiangnan, where he exchanged ideas with Jiangnan students. He personally felt the beauty of Jiangnan's literary style and benefited greatly..."

Jia Rong specifically picked out some words that Jia Jing would like to hear.

Sure enough, Jia Jing smiled and nodded in approval, saying, "Yes, this is what you should learn."

He added, "You must be exhausted from the journey. Go back and rest. You have missed a lot of your studies. Remember to go to the Imperial College tomorrow."

Jia Rong agreed and walked back.

Xiaoxiao had been with Jia Rong recently, so she gave up her seat and went back to her own room. Ping'er had waited on Jia Rong in the study during the day, so she was too embarrassed to compete with him, so she went to keep Xiaoxiao company.

The two maids, Qingwen and Xiangling, were busy in the house for half the night, tidying up the already tidy and spotless house again, making the bed, preparing the bathtub, and boiling hot water, just waiting for Jia Rong to come home.

"Master!"

"Master!"

"you are back!"

"you are back."

The tone and voice of the two people's speech are exactly the same.

Jia Rong was delighted and hugged each of them with his hands, saying with a smile, "Have you two practiced before?"

"No."

"No."

They both shook their heads and spoke together.

"I just thought about it."

"I just thought about it."

Jia Rong laughed.

"Look, I told you it was a rehearsal, otherwise how could it be so neat?"

Qingwen pursed her lips and smiled, "Master, you guessed it right. We have practiced other things before. Do you want to try it?"

"Oh?"

"What else?"

Xiangling lowered her head shyly.

Qingwen pulled Jia into the house and said, "Master, you must be exhausted from the long journey. Let us help you take a bath first."

"Xiang Ling."

"Hey, here we come."

Xiangling changed into a thin gauze dress and lowered her head. Her originally small figure looked particularly slender under the light.

"Wait a minute, Master. I'll go change my clothes too."

Qingwen hurried into the inner room and changed her clothes.

Jia Rong sighed.

This day!
I wouldn’t change it even for a god.

……

Let’s not talk about how lucky Jia Rong is.

After returning to his study, the hard-working old man Jia Jing did not rest, but stared at the letter written by Lin Ruhai in a daze.

These are letters seized during the capture of Taizhou Island.

Three hundred thousand taels of gold, six million taels of silver, and all the other things added up to a huge amount of tens of millions of silver!
Even he was shocked!

The Western barbarians are so rich!

The problem is coming!

How to distribute so much silver?

First of all, he works for the retired emperor. His current power and status are inseparable from the support and favor of the retired emperor.

Therefore, we must give some to the emperor emeritus to please him.

but!
Jia Jing also knew very well that he must not give too much at one time.

Giving the emperor 10 million this time will naturally make him very pleased.

What about next time?
Where can I get another ten million?
Once arrogance and extravagance expand, it is difficult to bring them back.

In addition to giving one copy to the retired emperor, one copy also had to be given to the national treasury, as an explanation for the foreign war he advocated this time.

Indeed, if all this money were deposited into the national treasury, it would immediately alleviate the financial difficulties facing the imperial court.

but!
Jia Jing knew better that this was impossible.

Even if another 10 million taels of silver were received, it would not be able to alleviate the court's financial crisis.

Is Daxia really poor and has no money?
Do not!
Daxia has plenty of silver!
But it is not in the hands of the court.

These ten million taels entered the national treasury, but within two months, due to various things, there would be no trace of them left.

After repeated consideration, Jia Jing finally decided:
Give the Emperor Emeritus one million and five hundred thousand taels.

Let the emperor squander his money, whether it's building the Ascension Pavilion or repairing the imperial mausoleum.

Give one million taels to the Ministry of Revenue’s treasury.

I guess the Minister of Revenue Liu Yan was so excited that he was about to cry. This was the first time he didn't ask the Ministry of Revenue for money to fight a war, but instead he got money from the Ministry of Revenue.

The soldiers of the Lianghuai coastal defense fought bravely and made great contributions, and were awarded 3 million taels of silver.

One is the dead and injured soldiers Fu Xujin.

The second is to reward the three armies after winning the battle.

In addition, as a cabinet minister of the current dynasty, he must commend the meritorious soldiers and promote them to higher positions!

Why do soldiers risk their lives to fight on the battlefield?
Isn’t that all?

Although Jia Jing didn't pay much attention to what Jia Rong said tonight, he still thought about it.

He planned to make the Lianghuai coastal defense his own.

The remaining portion should be given to Lao Dai.

Lin Ruhai...

Forget it, he doesn’t necessarily need it if you give it to him.

After all, I only have one daughter, and I guess there is nothing much for her to pursue in this life.

Whatever is left at the end, keep it for yourself for the time being.

In the future, I will share the worries of the Supreme Emperor and serve the country.

As for the money Rong Ge'er used to marry his wife, he would never use it.

……

(End of this chapter)