serious man in the red chamber

Chapter 116 Be a villain
Today is November 23, the winter solstice.

The Winter Solstice Festival is also known as the Winter Festival and Jiaodong. It is not only one of the 24 solar terms, but also a traditional festival. There is a folk saying that "the Winter Solstice is as big as a new year", and both the royal family and the people attach great importance to it.

The winter solstice, a day of great auspiciousness.

The royal family worships the sky, the folk worships the ancestors, and the literati cool off the cold!

On the day of the winter solstice, the emperor will hold a grand ceremony to sacrifice to heaven, and then hold a congratulatory ceremony to accept congratulations from all the officials.

Every year, Mother Jia organizes a big cold-elimination party.

Heavy snow is falling down one after another.

Since the beginning of the Wei Dynasty, Andingmen has been under martial law, and Feng Tang, the deputy commander of the forbidden army, came with thousands of forbidden troops.

Inside and outside the Anding Gate were crowded with spectators, waiting to welcome the Yongwei Camp who returned in triumph.

The Anding Gate corresponds to the Desheng Gate. When sending out troops, walk through the Desheng Gate, and when the triumphant troops walk through the Anding Gate, implying the stability of the world.

The cars and sedans on both sides of the street stopped for a long time.

Outside the Anding Gate, the snow on the official road was filled with a queue of officials welcoming the triumphant return.

In the middle is the cabinet minister headed by Song Chengliang, the chief assistant of the cabinet, behind him are the officials of the Six Departments, and on both sides are officials of the fifth rank and above in the Beijing Yamen.

After calming down the cold wind all morning, it suddenly blew up.

The cold wind brought snowflakes and slapped everyone's faces and bodies. The people watching the excitement in the distance stomped their feet to avoid the cold, but they stood awe-inspiring and silent.

Wrapped in the flying snow all over the sky, a cavalry rushed to this side.

The officer of the Ministry of Rituals issued an order loudly: "Fire the cannon! Play the music!"

The eighteen guns lined up on both sides of the doorway fired in unison, nine times in a row, resounding over the entire capital.

After the salute, the [-] giant drums lined up on both sides made a loud noise like thunder under the beating of [-] big men. Then, the trombones blared, and the suona and sheng flute played the "Triumph of Triumph"!
The horse team approached, and the common people standing by the suspension bridge waved and cheered, shouting: "Wan Sheng, Great Zhou!"

Liu Kun, deputy general of the [-] Battalion, took the lead and led more than [-] generals in front.

Chief Assistant Song Chengliang led the three cabinet scholars and six ministers onto the suspension bridge and greeted them.

Liu Kun jumped off his horse, led the generals and officers quickly onto the suspension bridge, and greeted Song Chengliang and others.

As soon as he stepped onto the suspension bridge, Song Chengliang was startled for a moment. He keenly noticed that Liu Kun and the others had wrong expressions. In an instant, he regained his smile, looked at the horse team, and asked Liu Kun who was coming over: "Where are you handsome people?" ? Please come up and accept our congratulations!"

Liu Kun saluted Song Chengliang first, and then replied: "Looking back at Shoufu, our commander-in-chief was lying in the carriage and walked through other city gates. Tell me to tell Shoufu and the adults that such a grand ceremony, the commander-in-chief is lying in bed. In the carriage, let the common people see it, and lose the dignity of the imperial court."

As soon as these words came out, all the officials were stunned.

After a long time, Song Chengliang sighed, and asked again: "Where are the Zhao supervisor soldiers?"

Liu Kun made a serious face: "Supervisor Zhao fell ill when he crossed Yinshan Mountain. It has been three months. He walked through other city gates with the commander-in-chief."

Song Chengliang took a deep breath, the commander of the army and the supervising army were both ill, and this was too ill for the time.

The ashen-faced second assistant Zhang Shangwen came over and asked coldly: "Your commander-in-chief won't even plan to attend the triumphant banquet in the palace, will he?"

Liu Kun: "Don't dare. Going to other city gates is for the dignity of the court. The triumphal banquet is His Majesty's recognition of the 8 soldiers of the Yongwei Battalion, and it is also the honor of the Yongwei Battalion."

Only then did Zhang Shangwen's face relax, and he asked Song Chengliang, "Shoufu, shall we start?"

Song Chengliang: "Let's get started."

Zhang Shangwen waved his hand.

The officer of the Ministry of Rites trotted over and congratulated Liu Kun loudly: "Congratulations to the general for defeating the Tartars and returning to the court triumphantly. Your Majesty has held a triumphal banquet for the generals in Fengtian Hall. Please."

Liu Kun turned his body sideways, and led the generals to bow back.

The officer of the Ministry of Rites raised his hand: "Fire the cannon! Play the music!"

The salute rang again, and then the "Order of Triumph" was played again!
A group of people walked to Andingmen.

The people on both sides cheered like thunder!

Xie Qiong and Niu Jizong walked side by side, feeling a little uneasy, and asked in a low voice: "In the past, the celebration banquet was held in the Imperial Garden, why is it changed to Fengtian Palace today?"

Niu Jizong: "Today is the winter solstice. Your Majesty is receiving the congratulations from all the officials in Fengtian Hall, and you are making your triumphant return, so you have decided to hold a banquet in Fengtian Hall. First, to celebrate the achievements of the Yongwei Camp, and second, to give a banquet to the officials."

As he walked, he asked in a low voice, "Is Jia Hu really sick?"

Xie Qiong said angrily: "Can this be fake? The commander has actually been ill for a month, and he didn't lie down until after Changping."

Although these words were light, they were clearly heard by Song Chengliang and the others. They were all startled and looked at Xie Qiong.

Xie Qiong went on to say: "In this battle, the commander-in-chief is under tremendous pressure, and the weather on the grassland is very severe. Heavy wind and heavy rain are the norm. After snowing, the weather becomes even colder. After taking Suiyuan City, the commander-in-chief I fell ill and just kept going."

Niu Jizong: "It doesn't matter?"

Xie Qiong sighed: "For those of us who fought with our heads tied to our trouser belts, it would be great to come back alive. Compared with those who died in battle on the grassland, this is nothing!"

Niu Jizong nodded, and everyone fell silent.

Song Chengliang and Liu Fang looked at each other.

The group stopped talking and walked into the Anding Gate.

On the Winter Solstice Festival, it was time for the triumphant return of the Yongwei Battalion. Emperor Jianwu was delighted to hold a banquet in Fengtian Temple to celebrate the victory of the Yongwei Battalion, accompanied by princes and ministers.

The bamboo shed outside Dong'an Gate was crowded with servants in charge of the families of princes and ministers. They gathered together and discussed a lot, which was very lively.

In mid-November, Xu Maochun, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and other core members of the Pei Party confiscated their homes and exiled them. The rest of the Pei Party officials were demoted or dismissed. property, of which the Pei family accounted for more than half.

The criminal minister worked day and night, and it only took half a month to send the Pei clan of Qiantang to the capital. The emperor ordered the execution of Pei Yan, the imperial envoy, and the three clans, and all the rest were exiled.

In the entire Pei Party, only Qian Shangshu, an honest and honest official, was pardoned by special decree, demoted to two levels of punishment, and still served as an envoy from the official department.

The emperor gave a banquet in Fengtian Hall today, and he was telling everyone that the case of Pei Dang ended here.

Heavy snow is falling down one after another.

At this time, there was the sound of horseshoes and wheels pressing snow, and everyone paid attention to it.

In the snowstorm, a group of cavalry guarding two carriages gradually approached.

Lin Sanyi took the lead, leading more than [-] riders in front, and a group of criminals followed behind the carriage.

Walking to the stele of getting off the horse in front of Dong'an Gate, the carriage stopped.

Lin San and the others jumped off the horse together.

At this moment, Dai Quan, the chief eunuch of the Qianqing Palace, led two big eunuchs out of the doorway.

Chao Linsan and the others waved their hands, Dai Quan walked to the carriage and lifted the curtains: "Master Hou, His Majesty has a decree for you to enter the palace in a carriage."

Inside the carriage, Jia Hu leaned on the carriage and closed his eyes to rest, with a thick quilt covering his body. The battle pushed his physical and mental strength to the limit, and he fell ill the second day after arriving in Suiyuan City. In order to stabilize the morale of the army, they had no choice but to ride on horseback, and finally couldn't hold on in Changping, so they lay down in the carriage.

Dai Quan was taken aback for a moment, this is still that high-spirited young general!
Jia Hu was still wearing that armor at this time. He was very tired after traveling thousands of miles, and fell asleep leaning on the carriage. After a few months, he lost a lot of weight and looked very haggard.

A voice rang in his ears, Jia Hu opened his eyes suddenly, it was Dai Quan.

Jia Hu quickly sat up straight, cupped his hands and said, "Director Dai."

Looking at Jia Hu's thin cheeks and haggard face, Dai Quan sighed silently, and said to Jia Hu: "I heard that Lord Hou was ill, and His Majesty asked Lord Hou to enter the palace in a carriage. waiting."

Jia Hu was really shocked. In order to maintain the authority of the royal family, the palace forbids officials to ride in sedan chairs and horses. Generally, only old and infirm cabinet scholars and officials of the Six Departments are allowed to ride on the shoulders by the emperor.

Dai Quan: "Master Hou?"

Jia Hu came back to his senses: "Yeah." After thinking for a while, he gave a military salute in the direction of Qianqing Palace, and then turned to Dai Quan: "It's time for you to take care of Dai Quan."

Dai Quan said with a smile again: "Master Hou won a big victory in the grassland and made great contributions to the court. It's not worth anything."

Jia Hu smiled, took out a jewelry box that had been prepared, and opened the lid.

Inside the box was a gold ring inlaid with pearls. Looking at the huge, plump, round and crystal-clear pearl that exudes multicolored luster, Dai Quan was startled: "Dongzhu?"

Jia Hu smiled faintly: "It's just a trophy, let's ask for a prize."

"Since it is a trophy, the miscellaneous family will not be polite to Lord Hou."

Dai Quan took the brocade box, took another look at the gold ring inlaid with oriental pearls, and then said: "It's getting late, Master Hou please."

Jia Hu nodded, suddenly remembered something, and asked Dai Quan: "Is the imperial concubine well?"

First was Dai Quan, and then the two eunuchs, who were stunned when they heard this.

Jia Hu didn't seem to care about it at all, and continued: "I'm not the kind of person with a small belly, but he's definitely not the kind of good guy who repays grievances with kindness."

Glancing at the two eunuchs, he said to Dai Quan, "Please send a message to Chief Dai, I will wait here. If he doesn't come, I will visit personally."

Dai Quan was slightly startled, and answered "Yes", pointing to a senior eunuch, "You will accompany Lord Hou to the imperial hospital for duty."

Then he said to Jia Hu: "The miscellaneous family must have brought Master Hou's words to Wu Tianyou."

Jia Hu: "Excuse me, manager." After finishing speaking, he put down the curtains of the car.

The great eunuch jumped into the carriage, took the whip from the soldier, patted the horse's butt, and shouted in a low voice, "Drive!"

Under everyone's gaze, the carriage walked slowly towards the imperial city.

Looking at the carriage going away, Dai Quan shook his head and smiled wryly. Shoufu was right. This is a master who will take revenge. It seems that the Wu family can't escape.

Stuffing the brocade box into his sleeve, Dai Quan walked towards Eunuch Zhao's carriage.

Beijing Palace
It was snowing heavily outside, but it was very warm inside.

King Beijing Shui Rong took the medicine bowl, poured the medicine into the spittoon, and asked the housekeeper, "Is there a letter from the south?"

The housekeeper: "I guess it's time to come back, maybe the road is blocked by snow."

Shui Rong sighed, a strange fire disrupted all his plans, the two places were thousands of miles apart, and it was snowing heavily again, he couldn't control the current Cao Gang at all, he could only hope that his cronies would notice Danger, get out in time and save your strength.

The water-soluble illness has long since healed, but in order to concentrate on coping with the great changes in the Cao Gang, he had to pretend to be ill, and he didn't even attend the triumphant banquet at Fengtian Temple.

Ever since Shui Rong realized that the Manchus would be defeated, he began to transfer the belongings of the Cao Gang, and moved all the workshops in Jiangsu to Qufu. With the big Buddha of the Kong family guarding it, even the imperial court dared not reach out easily.

Back then, the Patriarch of the Shui family helped the Kong family during the Northern Expedition, and obtained several Zhuangzi from the Kong family, but outsiders did not know about this.

The forces belonging to the Shui clan in the Cao Gang have all been transferred out, scattered to Henan, Anhui and other places, secretly accumulating strength.

Thinking of Yizhong County King again, Shui Rong scolded "trash" secretly. After so long, he still failed to get the military power to command the yamen of the infantry, and blinded his thousand-year-old wild ginseng for nothing.

At this moment, the door curtain was lifted, and Shi, the head of Prince Jing's residence, walked in, and said to Shui Rong, "My lord, our spies have disappeared in Wanping."

Water soluble: "Oh?"

Chang Shi: "The information of Yizhong County King is correct, eunuch Zhao's family is in Wanping."

After a silence, Wang Shuirong of Beijing said: "This matter is not urgent, we can't have a conflict with the Criminal Prosecution Division right now, just keep an eye on Eunuch Zhao to death."

Chang Shi: "Yes." Then he said: "There is news from the palace that Jia Hu is ill."

Shui Rong thought for a while, and said, "Jia Hu is too suspicious of us, so don't move forward for the time being. Also, the people from Xuanzhen Temple should also withdraw."

Chang Shi: "Yes."

Shui Rong remembered something, turned to the butler and asked, "Is Zhen Fu going to Beijing soon?"

The butler thought for a while and replied, "It's not that day yet. In previous years, I would not enter Beijing until the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month."

Shui Rong: "Let people keep an eye on him to see where he has gone and who he has met. This kid has ambitions."

The butler nodded solemnly.

Shui Rong: "You all go down."

The housekeeper and Chang Shi replied in unison: "Yes." Then they withdrew.

During the reign of the Supreme Emperor, there were also banquets, but this year's Winter Solstice Palace Banquet was particularly grand. There were thousands of officials above the fifth rank in the Beijing Yamen, plus princes and nobles.

At this time, the hall was already full of people, and the emperor hadn't come yet. The officials whispered to each other, discussing in low voices, looking up from time to time to the upper left side of the hall. Liu Kun and Xie Qiong led a group of generals Sitting there with a solemn expression, the seat above the head is vacant.

Jia Zheng sat behind the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, and his eyes fell on the empty seat again.

The left servant of the Ministry of Industry next to him persuaded: "Don't worry, the father-in-law, it will be fine."

Jia Zheng sighed, took out his pocket watch from his pocket, it was already the end of time.

At this moment, the deputy head of the Qianqing Palace standing at the entrance of the palace shouted loudly: "Your Majesty is here!"

The whole hall fell silent.

After a while, groups of small yellow gates came in, followed by eunuchs from the brigade of criminal justice. Finally, Emperor Jianwu Wu Rui appeared at the entrance of the hall surrounded by a large group of eunuchs and maids. Emperor Jianwu changed into a normal uniform. He was obviously in a good mood, with a faint smile on his face.

All the princes and ministers bowed and saluted: "See Your Majesty!"

Emperor Jianwu waved his hand, walked up to the main seat and sat down, his gaze also fell on the vacant seat on the left.

At this time, the eunuch who drove Jia Hu to the imperial hospital for duty came in hurriedly, and said something in a low voice beside Emperor Jianwu.

Emperor Jianwu was startled, and asked anxiously, "So serious?"

Everyone heard it and looked at the two of them.

The eunuch: "Return to Your Majesty, Xu Yuanzheng said that Master Jiahou is a general with a body of extreme yang, and he is extremely resistant to wind and cold. However, due to hard work and war, his physical and mental strength have been exhausted to the limit. And it is extremely cloudy, so you get the wind and cold."

Emperor Jianwu: "Is it important?"

The eunuch continued: "It doesn't matter at first, but Master Jia Hou has not been able to recuperate his breath in order to stabilize the morale of the army, and the army lacks a few medicinal materials. But Xu Yuanzheng said, first sweat profusely, then perform acupuncture, and then Drink another bowl of hot porridge, take the first dose of medicine after a stick of incense, and then slowly recuperate and you will be fine."

After a pause, "The stitches are already in progress."

"It's fine!"

Emperor Jianwu nodded, turned his attention to the princes and ministers, coughed lightly, and said: "Today is the winter solstice, just in time for the victory of the Yongwei Battalion. This battle not only wiped out the two tribes of Chahar and Khalkha, It even captured the vast area south of Daqing Mountain.

Let me tell you a piece of good news. I received an urgent call from Yulin Township, and the Yi Kezhao League requested to attach Dazhou. The mission is already on its way to Beijing. "

Everyone was stunned, and then thunderous cheers erupted. Emperor Jianwu stood up with a toast, and said loudly: "This great victory not only swept away the decadence of the Great Zhou Dynasty for many years, but also reversed the situation in the north. From then on, offense and defense have changed! Today is the triumphant banquet, so I should celebrate for my great Zhou soldiers, come and drink this cup!"

With that said, he drank it in one gulp.

Everyone raised their glasses.

Emperor Jianwu took a second glass of wine: "This second glass of wine is naturally to be respected to the commander of the army, the abbot."

Jia Zheng was startled and stood up quickly.

Emperor Jianwu said, "The father-in-law will drink this glass of wine on behalf of Jia Hu." As he said, he took another gulp.

Jia Zheng bowed and said, "On behalf of Jia Hu, I would like to thank Your Majesty for your grace." He picked up the wine glass and drank it.

Emperor Jianwu nodded, turned his attention to Liu Kun, Xie Qiong and other generals, then picked up the third glass of wine, and said loudly: "You have lived and died for me, opened up territories, I am grateful to you, come, drink to win!" !"

Naturally, the emperor could not hesitate to give wine. After Emperor Jianwu drank it all in one gulp, Liu Kun, Xie Qiong and others raised their glasses and drank it all immediately.

The palace banquet officially started, and the maids and eunuchs filed in and placed all kinds of delicacies on the short tables in front of everyone.Then, the qin, se, and flute played on both sides of the hall, and a group of court ladies in costumes floated into the hall, dancing in the hall with the sound of silk, bamboo and wind music.

The hall quickly became lively. Emperor Jianwu sat at the head, squinted his eyes and kept looking at all the people, then turned his head and said something to Dai Quan.

Dai Quan nodded, turned and walked out.

When the banquet was half full, Dai Quan walked in: "Your Majesty, Lord Jia is here."

Emperor Jianwu: "Bring it in!"

Everyone was startled.

Dai Quan: "Yes." With a wave of his hand, "Your Majesty has an order, bring it in!"

Everyone looked closely, and two eunuchs came in carrying Jia Hu, who was half lying down, on a shoulder paddle.

Jia Hu's pale and thin face, and his drowsy appearance startled everyone.

Dai Quan said quickly, "Master Hou just took the medicine."

Jia Hu slowly opened his eyes: "Your Majesty." As he spoke, he was about to struggle to get up.

Emperor Jianwu: "Lie down, lie down, and I will just say a few words."

Dai Quan hurriedly tucked the quilt up for Jia Hu.

Emperor Jianwu: "You have made great contributions to the Great Zhou, expanded the territory, and forced the Yikezhao League to beg for internal attachment. The theory is that it is not too much to be directly promoted to Duke Ning, but you are still young and still need to experience in the army. This is also for your consideration, I hope you understand my painstaking efforts."

Jia Hu was struggling to sit up, Emperor Jianwu winked at Dai Quan, Dai Quan understood, and pressed Jia Hu to lie down.

Emperor Jianwu went on to say: "In front of all the princes and ministers, I guarantee that within three years, you will be named Duke Ning!"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was shocked!
Jia Hu was also dumbfounded!
Emperor Jianwu: "Go back and take a good rest and take good care of yourself. When you recover from illness, I will add more burdens to you and let you enter the military department to practice."

Then he asked Dai Quan, "Have the people from Ningguo Mansion come?"

Dai Quan: "I'm already waiting outside the Meridian Gate."

Emperor Jianwu turned his attention to Jia Hu again: "Go back and rest. When you recover from illness, I will entertain you with the imperial concubine. Go."

Jia Hu's eyes were slightly red, and his voice was weak: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

It was snowing heavily.

Jia Hu's carriage drove out of the imperial city, and the cavalry who were waiting not far away rushed forward and protected the carriage towards the west city.

The carriage drove into the west city, and Jiao Da, who was sitting in the carriage, said, "Second Master, we've arrived in the west city."

Jia Hu opened his eyes, sat up slowly, stretched out his hand to pour a cup of tea, took a sip, and then asked, "Is there something urgent?"

"Yes."

Jiao Da nodded: "There is news from the Tongzhou stronghold that a group of craftsmen will settle down in Tongzhou, and their final destination is Shengjing. These people are likely to be the group of craftsmen snatched from the hands of the King of Beijing by the Salt Gang. Mastered the manufacturing process of self-generated firecrackers. With this group of craftsmen, the Manchus could manufacture self-generated firecrackers on a large scale.”

Glancing at Jia Hu, he asked, "Do you want to intercept these people?"

Jia Hu put down the tea bowl and thought for a while, "Be careful, don't let people notice that there is something wrong with Gyeonggi."

Jiao Da nodded, and then said: "There is one more thing. When our people were monitoring the Beijing Palace, they accidentally discovered the spies in the palace. They should not be the criminals."

Jia Hu: "Oh?"

Jiao Da hesitated for a moment, then said, "I suspect it's a spy from Dragon Head Palace."

"Dragon Head Palace?"

Jia Hu showed a smile: "Find a suitable opportunity to be him."

Jiao Da's eyes lit up: "Yes."

Jia Hu leaned on the soft couch wearily, and then said: "Make arrangements, if the Wu family doesn't come to apologize tomorrow, it will start at You Shi, and smash all the Wu family's shops in the West Market."

After all, he gently closed his eyes.

(End of this chapter)