Red Mansion, Ningfu Scholarly Family

Chapter 332: Hiring a Gold Miner
……

Jining, Weishan Lake.

In recent years, due to the court's vigorous crackdown on bandits, the White Lotus Sect has become much more honest and rarely comes out to rob ships. The Jining wharf has also gradually become busy, with not only restaurants, but also teahouses, brothels, gambling houses and even escort agencies.

The owner of the escort agency is a gangster, known as Master Bai, who is responsible for escorting goods on the canal. You can also hire ships for escort.

On this day, a group of guests came to the escort agency.

No, they are a group of uninvited guests!
"Oh, I'm sorry for not welcoming you, gentlemen..." When Lord Bai saw the visitors, he stepped forward frightenedly and smiled.

Shen Ye, the leader of the Jinyiwei, sneered, "Master Bai, we checked and found that your last name is Bai, so you are a member of the White Lotus Sect, right? You are just running an escort agency here to cover up your tracks, right? Surrender now!"

The owner of the Bai Manor was shocked, terrified and angry: "Master, what did you say? The surname is Bai... There are many people with the surname Bai in the world. I am just a escort..."

"Take them all!"

Shen Ye was too lazy to talk nonsense and just waved his hand.

"Yes!"

A large group of Jinyiwei rushed forward like wolves and tigers, not caring about gender, age or seniority, they arrested anyone they saw and took anything they saw.

"Clang, crack..."

"what!"

Screams, exclamations, the sound of things being thrown, the sound of porcelain breaking, the sound of children crying...

Master Bai's eyes were bloodshot, and he broke free from his restraints, drew out the sword from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and with two "clicks" he chopped down two men.

"This is too much! The officials are forcing the people to revolt!"

"Follow me to kill the dog officer!"

There were already quite a few gangsters in the escort agency who lived on the edge of a knife and did not take the imperial court seriously. Now that they saw the owner of the manor being wronged, they could no longer tolerate it and drew their weapons.

"Kill the dog officer!"

"I've been displeased with these people for a long time!"

Shen Ye, a captain of the Jinyiwei, was stunned. He didn't expect that these people would dare to resist. He trembled all over and said with a pale face: "You, you dare to attack the Jinyiwei, are you going to rebel? Wait for the whole clan to be killed!"

"Kill the leader!"

"kill!"

At once, several "escorts" came to kill him.

Shen Ye was so frightened that he turned around and ran away. The other Jinyiwei also saw that the situation was not good and fled away, leaving the gold and silver items they had stolen all over the ground.

"You guys, just wait!"

"Wait for your entire family to be exterminated and all nine generations of your clan to be killed!"

There were a few who were unwilling to give in and turned back to shout harsh words.

When everyone was about to chase after him, Master Bai quickly reached out to stop them: "Don't chase me. I'm in big trouble now. It's better for you brothers to leave quickly."

"Master Bai, you saved my life. I will follow you through mountains of swords and seas of fire!" One of the big men stepped forward and said in a firm voice.

"Yes, we all follow Master Bai!"

"At worst, I'll just fight them!"

"The imperial court is unkind, just rebel!"

Everyone below started to make a fuss.

Master Bai nodded to the men imperceptibly, then said loudly: "The imperial court is unkind and treacherous officials are rampant. Today, I, Bai Renxi, will enforce justice on behalf of heaven. Brothers who are willing to follow me will be my brothers from now on, sharing happiness and hardships together!"

"Blessings and hardships are shared together!"

"Blessings and hardships are shared together!"

At one time, there were many responses.

……

"What? A rebel has captured Jining Prefecture?"

Just half a day after sailing past Jining Prefecture, Jia Rong received some bad news.

I felt a little relieved.

Fortunately, he didn't encounter it, otherwise it would be very difficult to protect all the aunts on this ship.

"Was it done by the White Lotus Sect?" Jia Rong asked.

Xiao Xiao said, "It's probably true. It is said that the man who started the rebellion is called 'Master Bai Zhuang'. He is using the same old tricks in a new bottle but the same substance. He incited people to join the rebellion, and then burned and killed the people along the way."

"Moreover, such incidents have occurred all over the country recently. It may be that the news of the White Lotus Sect leader's death can no longer be concealed, and the subordinates have begun to have their own thoughts and fight on their own."

Jia Rong thought for a while, and suddenly had an idea. He smiled and said, "After we get to the shore, you can go find Bai Caier and ask her and her master to find a way to gather the people together..."

Xiao Xiao blinked: "Catch them all in one fell swoop?"

Jia Rong said, "Superficial, they are all good children of Da Xia, how can they kill each other? I want to pay them to help me do something."

Xiao Xiao: "What's the matter?"

Jia Rong said seriously, "Let's go to Luzon Island to dig for gold. There is a big gold mine there. Jiao Da and his men are short of manpower, and they have to fight a guerrilla war with the yellow-haired guerrillas. They can only guard the gold mountain without anyone to dig for it."

Xiao Xiao: "..."

It has to be said that the little yellow-haired navy on Luzon Island was really powerful. Several attacks by the Great Xia Navy ended in failure. Not only did they suffer heavy casualties, but they also lost nearly a hundred warships.

Faced with such huge losses, Jia Rong changed his strategy in time and decided not to fight a naval battle. It was impossible for the Dutch to defend the thousands of miles of coastline of Luzon Island, so he quietly transported people there to cause sabotage and wage guerrilla warfare.

The effect is remarkable.

At present, the Western yellow-haired people on the island are suffering. They have been shrinking their defenses and abandoning most of the outer areas, including a small gold mine.

……

"Rong'er, has something happened?" Tanchun quietly found Jia Rong and asked.

Jia Rong was puzzled for a moment: "What's the matter?"

Tanchun said seriously, "Rong'er, you don't have to hide it from me. I have heard that Jining Prefecture has been occupied by rebels."

"Oh." Jia Rong laughed and said, "Third aunt is talking about this matter. Even if the rebels gain power, how long can they last? Once the imperial army arrives, they will be wiped out."

"But..." Tanchun frowned, looking at the autumn leaves outside the window, and said softly, "The court is in trouble right now. The northwest has suffered a series of defeats, and the interior is unstable. It can be said that there are internal and external troubles. I'm afraid the end of the world is approaching."

"Our Jia Mansion..."

"Don't worry, Third Aunt." Jia Rong waved his fan and smiled to comfort her, "Grandpa will take care of everything. You just need to write poems and paint."

"Rong'er!" Tanchun said seriously, "Actually I don't want to write poems and paint with them. I want to..."

"What are you thinking about?" Jia Rong asked with a smile, "Does Third Aunt want to be Hua Mulan? A heroic woman?"

"Why? Can't I?"

Tanchun tilted her neck high, trying hard to look heroic and valiant.

Jia Rong: "Ah, this..."

"Aunt has lofty ambitions, and I admire her."

"But there are men in my Jia Mansion, so you should go in and write poetry and paint."

"Hate!"

Tanchun suddenly showed her little girlish attitude, raised her hand and clenched her fist to hit Jia Rong: "How dare you underestimate Third Aunt!"

Jia Rong hurriedly said, "I have absolutely no intention of looking down on you."

Tanchun sneered and said, "I have no intention of going to the battlefield. I just want to know what our Jia family is doing. I want to work with you to contribute to the prosperity of our family and the country, instead of just wasting my time in the boudoir."

Jia Rong listened for a while, then said in fear: "Fortunately, Third Aunt is a girl."

Tanchun was suspicious: "What do you mean?"

Jia Rong said seriously, "You have such ambitions at such a young age. If you were a man, you would definitely be more popular than me in the Jia family. At that time, I would be jealous and sigh: Why did we have Rong when we have Tan?"

Tanchun clenched her fists and gritted her teeth: "Rong'er, did I not hurt you enough just now? How dare you tell such a joke to your aunt."

Jia Rong hurriedly said, "Aunt, calm down. I was just joking." Then he laughed and said, "What a pity. Aunt, you are a girl. If a female Zhuge gets married in the future, it will be a huge loss for our Jia family..."

Tanchun blushed and stamped her feet: "You still say that!"

"I'm ignoring you, humph!"

As he said that, he turned around and left.

"Auntie, walk slowly."

Jia Rong said something and prepared to go back to his room to have tea, but unexpectedly Tanchun came back, and changed her appearance to be coquettish: "Rong brother, tell me quickly." "Why bother coming here? Isn't it good to be free from worries?"

Tanchun: "Not good!"

Jia Rong: “…”

"What does Third Aunt want to hear?"

Tanchun said seriously, "I want to know why our family moved south."

Jia Rong also said seriously: "Do I need to tell you this? The master is in charge of the commercial tax reform under the order of the emperor, I am carrying the coffin back to the hometown, and the old lady is preparing to return home to spend her remaining years... Don't you know this?"

Tanchun twisted a strand of hair on her chest and said seriously, "What you said is just the surface. I want to know the deeper reasons, such as... our ancestors said that the northwest border is unstable, and the Tartars are moving south. Will the capital be in danger? Is our Jia family moving south to prepare for a rainy day?"

Jia Rong closed his folding fan and sighed with a smile, "That's about the same."

If Tanchun really wanted to know, there was no need to hide it.

"The internal struggle in the court is a bit serious now. Emperor Anping wants to seize power, but Prime Minister Ye naturally can't let him do so. The two of them have been using various means. The Nine Borders were not stable to begin with, and this time they were exploited and lost Yulin Town, the most important gateway to the north."

"If the Tartar cavalry enters the interior, it will be very difficult to stop them. Losing cities and territories is inevitable..."

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

Tanchun was shocked: "Has it really come to that? What about our grandfather? Can he turn the tide?"

Jia Rong said, "If Master goes to the northwest, it may cause suspicion from both the Emperor and Prime Minister Ye, which will be counterproductive. In addition, Emperor Anping is afraid that our Jia family is still above Prime Minister Ye. Unless the Tartars really attack the capital, Emperor Anping will not allow Master to continue to command the army."

"Besides, trying to turn the tide is really not a good thing for Grandpa or our Jia family."

Tanchun was a little dazed for a moment.

"Your Majesty, are you so afraid of our Jia Mansion?"

Since ancient times, families that incite the emperor's jealousy will not have a good ending.

"Third aunt, I've told you that you don't have to worry too much. Just be a rich lady and nothing will happen to our Jia family." Seeing that Tanchun was a little absent-minded, Jia Rong smiled and comforted her.

"Rong'er, is there anything else you haven't told me?" Tanchun looked at Jia Rong with her big suspicious eyes.

Jia Rong took a sip of tea and smiled faintly: "The Buddha said: It cannot be explained."

"Third Aunt wants to know if you dare to go to Southeast Asia with me? To see the customs and practices of foreign countries?"

"Oh?"

Tanchun's eyes lit up: "If you dare to take me, I will go!"

Jia Rong: "Why don't I dare take you with me?"

Tanchun sneered: "Aren't you afraid that Sister Lin will be jealous?"

Jia Rong was puzzled and asked, "Why is she jealous of you?"

Tanchun knew she had said something wrong, and blushed as she said, "I was wrong. So, when you go to Nanyang, take me with you. Huan'er wants to go there too, so it's a good opportunity for us to go together."

"You can only learn to read by following the third brother. If you want to know about the important things in our family, you have to follow me. Just pretend to be my little book boy." Jia Rong said with a smile.

Tanchun neither agreed nor disagreed, and walked away with her head down.

Jia Rong took out the letter that had recently been sent from Nanyang and read it over and over again. Just as he was about to write a reply to Xue Ke to explain the matter of hiring the White Lotus Sect to mine, he suddenly heard loud laughter outside.

It turned out that Xue Pan, Jia Huan, Jia Jun and Jia Zao were the ones who came.

"Rong'er, I just caught such a big fish. We will have fresh fish soup tonight." Xue Pan walked in with a big fish in his hand, laughing.

Jia Rong laughed and said, "Why didn't you accompany your wife today? Did you go fishing?"

Jia Huan laughed and said, "His wife chased him out and wouldn't let him go home at night."

Xue Pan said embarrassedly: "No, my wife went to see my sister, so we brothers will have a long talk tonight."

Jia Rong was speechless: "A ghost wants to have a long conversation with you. You four can have a chat. I am too busy. I am busy with official duties. I am sorry that I cannot keep you company."

Xue Pan asked: "You are in mourning now, what official business do you have?"

Jia Rong laughed and said, "Do you think I am as idle as you and am fishing? Although I am in mourning, I have not forgotten to work hard day and night on state affairs and share the worries of the emperor!"

Jia Huan, Jia Jun and Jia Zao were all in awe.

"Thank you for your hard work, Brother Rong!"

Jia Rong said seriously: "It's not hard to share the emperor's worries. You should go back and study hard. Don't play with this fool. Be careful not to get fooled and affect your future imperial examinations."

Upon hearing this, Jia Huan, Jia Jun and Jia Zao moved a little further away from Xue Pan. They all wanted to study hard and get their names on the imperial examinations in the future, and they couldn't let their reputation be tarnished by a big fool.

Xue Pan is so boring.

"Brother Rong, you are so bored on the boat all day, can't you stay down for one night?"

Jia Rong thought for a moment and said, "Maybe in two days."

……

"What? Gold mine?"

Bai Caier's eyes were full of little stars.

Gold mine!
Isn’t that a huge mountain of gold?

"Where is it? Doesn't the court care?" Bai Cai'er asked suspiciously.

Xiao Xiao smiled and said, "Of course the court doesn't care, because the gold mine doesn't belong to Daxia, it's on Luzon Island."

Bai Caier was speechless when she heard this.

"Luzon...isn't it too far?"

Xiao Xiao chuckled and said, "How can it be your turn if it's this close? The court has already sent a large army to guard it."

"Too!"

Bai Caier was moved.

You can't blame her for being greedy for money. The gold mine is really too attractive. Even the emperor would be jealous if he knew about it.

"I'll talk to Master and gather all the hall masters. Can you wait for us here for two days?"

"Okay." Xiao Xiao nodded: "But you can't tell others about your relationship with the eldest master. As for how to make up a story that people will believe, it depends on you and your master."

"Don't worry, I understand."

……

"What? Overseas gold mines!"

Lady Bai Lian was also shocked and covered her mouth: "Are you sure the eldest master didn't lie to us?"

Bai Cai'er thought about it and said, "It shouldn't be. The eldest master has been very trustworthy in recent years. We can send a group of people to investigate the situation first, and then send more people if it is true."

"it is good!"

Lady Bai Lian suppressed her excitement and said, "Let's do as you say. How do we divide the profits from the gold mine?"

Bai Caier said, "We are number two, and the eldest son is number eight."

Lady Bai Lian: “…”

"Isn't this too harsh? You didn't bargain?"

Bai Caier said shyly, "I don't feel comfortable bargaining for the eldest master's business."

Lady Bai Lian was so disappointed with her that she poked her forehead in anger and said, "You are really promising!"

Bai Caier said: "Master taught well."

Lady Bai Lian said speechlessly: "Don't say I taught you from now on, it's so embarrassing!"

Bai Caier nodded and said with a smile, "Yes, whatever the master says is what it is."

"Master, should we issue a call for the troops now? If those people know that the leader has passed away, I'm afraid some of them will be unruly and may not come obediently."

"Humph!"

Lady Bai Lian sneered: "If you don't come, you will die. Now that the leader is gone, I have the final say in the White Lotus Sect!"

Bai Caier clapped her hands and laughed, "Master is so powerful, he has unified the martial arts world!"

"What a bullshit!" Lady Bai Lian spat, "It's just mining for others!"

……

"What! Overseas gold mines!?"

Bai Cai'er's worries were obviously unnecessary. When the Bai Lian leaders heard the word "gold mine", they almost took a boat out to sea to take a look.

……

(End of this chapter)