serious man in the red chamber

Chapter 364
The gates of the capital were opened at the beginning of the Chen hour. Although they were guarded by officers and soldiers, they were open to all who came in and out.

At the end of the afternoon on August [-], the fifth year of Jianwu, the defenders at Chaoyang Gate began to evacuate people entering and exiting, and the officials at the Hedao Yamen also began to drive away the crowds on the dock.

The guard of Chaoyangmen personally came with hundreds of officers and soldiers. At this time, the Chaoyangmen Pier was secured as if it were ironclad.

At the beginning of Weishi, the postmaster of Xianliang Temple came with four postmen and a large green cloth sedan.

Immediately afterwards, a red eunuch who was the chief eunuch led four young eunuchs and stood on the dock to greet them.

According to regulations, this is a governor-level feudal official entering Beijing.

The people who were blocked were all curious, so they didn't leave. They gathered there from a distance, talking about it, and waiting to see.

At this moment, there was a sound of horse hoofbeats from Chaoyang Gate, and a group of cavalry escorted a large luxury carriage slowly driving out of the city.

The crowd watching from a distance immediately became a sensation.

Someone could tell at a glance: "It's the Prince of Beining County!"

An idle man said: "Hey! Which governor came to Beijing today? Such a big pomp!"

Another idle man said: "It must be Lin Ruhai, the governor of Liangjiang, who has come to Beijing. He is the son-in-law of the old lady of the Jia family."

Another idle man said: "Then the Prince of Beining County will not come to greet him personally!"

An old Beijinger spoke: "You didn't know this. Lin Ruhai, the governor of Liangjiang, is not only the son-in-law of the Jia family, but also the future father-in-law of the Beining County Prince. This time he came to Beijing to marry his daughter. Ha, Beining County Prince's Mansion There are so many carriages and mule carriages coming, it seems that the Lin family has a lot of dowry!"

On the other side, Jia Hu's carriage stopped at the pier.

The guard of Chaoyang Gate, the red eunuch of the Supervisor of Ceremonies and the postmaster of Xianliang Temple were already standing there respectfully.

The carriage door opened, and Jia Hu walked out in casual clothes.

The guard of Chaoyang Gate and the postmaster of Xianliang Temple knelt down: "See you, Your Majesty!"

The eunuch in red bowed and saluted: "Your Majesty!"

Jia Hu smiled and nodded: "Don't be polite." After saying that, he turned and looked towards the river.

The eunuch in red came over and smiled apologetically: "Your Majesty, our ancestors said hello to Your Majesty. I haven't seen you for many days and I really miss you."

Jia Hu smiled and said: "He doesn't miss me. It's the Mid-Autumn Festival again, so he misses my things."

The eunuch was not angry, but laughed happily.

Jia Hu: "We will send it to Xinglong Street tomorrow for Boxing Day. It will be an increase of [-]% according to last year's standard."

The great eunuch was overjoyed: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward."

Jia Hu waved his hand and looked at the guard of Chaoyang Gate and the postmaster of Xianliang Temple: "Thank you for your hard work, go back."

The two looked at each other and replied, "Yes."

At this time, Lin Zhixiao came over, took out two banknotes from his sleeves and handed them over: "This is what the prince rewards you. Take it for everyone to have a cup of tea."

The two of them glanced at the eunuch in red subconsciously, and then said with a smile: "What have we done, how dare we receive such a generous reward from the prince?"

The big eunuch spoke: "You can just take it with peace of mind. This is the lucky money."

The two of them smiled and took the banknote, then turned around and shouted loudly: "I still haven't thanked the prince for the reward!"

The four postmen and all the soldiers knelt down and shouted loudly: "Thank you, Your Majesty for the reward!"

Jia Hu smiled and waved his hand: "That's all. You all go back to your errands."

Everyone responded in unison: "Yes."

The guard of Chaoyang Gate and the postmaster of Xianliang Temple bowed their hands to Jia Hu again, and then led the postmen and soldiers to retreat.

Lin San waved his hand, and all the soldiers surrounded the dock.

The great eunuch came forward and whispered: "Your Majesty, the man from Longshou Palace often leaves the palace to read the Bayeux Scriptures recently. I heard that he stays in the quiet room for most of an hour."

Jia Hu: "Oh? No one is following?"

Grand eunuch: "Yes. It's just that the quiet room cannot be entered. Someone from the Chief Eunuch has been watching the quiet room, and no one has entered or left it except that person."

Jia Hu smiled: "You can keep an eye on the ground, but what about the underground?"

The Great Eunuch: "That's exactly what I said. But Daxiangguo Temple is not an ordinary temple. Emperor Taizong, Emperor Gaozong, Emperor Taishang and His Majesty have successively inscribed or made praises for the temple. The imperial edict that His Majesty bestowed upon you when he ascended the throne is still placed in the imperial edict hall.

Without an imperial edict, who would dare to conduct a large-scale search, let alone dig deep into the ground?Your Majesty has been feeling unwell lately. Our ancestors don’t want to bother Your Majesty with these things, and he is currently worrying about this matter. "

After a pause, "Your Majesty, it's not the Zajia who dares to say anything wrong about Your Majesty. Your Majesty is good in every way, but he is too tolerant and too soft-hearted. He has to care about the opinions of the world in everything. If you shut him down, let him go, and if you let him go, he will take care of the Zajia family's wishes. , the Dragon Head Palace was sealed, copper water was poured into the door lock, and everything was over."

Jia Hu smiled.

The Great Eunuch: "As our ancestors have said, please ask your Majesty to take care of your Majesty's worries."

Jia Hu shook his head: "I will not get involved in royal affairs. However, I do have an idea."

The great eunuch: "Please enlighten me, Your Majesty!"

Jia Hu smiled and said: "I watched the sky at night yesterday. It's past the Mid-Autumn Festival, and there will be strong winds on the night of the [-]th. If a Kongming lantern falls into the Daxiangguo Temple at this time,"

The great eunuch was startled: "God! This is the Buddha's dojo, this, this"

Jia Hu: "Is your Chief of Ceremonies still afraid of this?"

The great eunuch: "But there are so many monks."

With a sneer, Jia Hu said, "Their kindness is not as great as that of your ancestors."

The great eunuch was startled for a moment, then smacked his lips: "Indeed. Either our ancestors don't accept money, but as long as they accept payment, they are reliable! They are the living Bodhisattva who saves the suffering!"

Jia Hu looked at him: "I didn't say anything."

The eldest eunuch smiled: "The Za family still wants to serve the next master!"

Jia Hu smiled lightly.

"Coming." Lin San whispered.

A huge official ship appeared on the moat, with several large flags hanging on the huge mast. The big flag on the bow mast was embroidered with "Governor of Two Rivers", and the two big flags on the stern mast were embroidered with "Governor of Two Rivers". Embroidered with "Ministry of War" and "Ducha Yuan", a large flag in the middle of the mast only has a huge word "Lin" embroidered on it!

There is still a mighty fleet behind the big ship!
Jia Hu: "Let's go." He walked off the pier and greeted him.

The chief eunuch, Lin San and others quickly followed.

On the official ship, Lin Ruhai, wearing casual clothes, stood on the bow and silently looked at the majestic city of Beijing.

Behind him, Niu Ershou held the handle of his knife motionless, and a dozen soldiers around him stood motionless like boulders.

Butler Lin came over holding a cloak, nodded to Niu Er, stepped forward and tied the cloak on Lin Ruhai: "It's windy, master, you better go in."

Lin Ruhai smiled faintly: "Yu'er will get married in a blink of an eye. Time flies so fast."

Butler Lin: "Yes. In the old slave's impression, the girl is still the little girl who loves to cry. Haha, she is about to get married after not seeing each other for a few years. She is still married to the wife's nephew, who has a different surname in the current dynasty.

The most rare thing is that after the prince is really kind to our girl, he retires and can come to live in the capital and enjoy the happiness of family. "

Lin Ruhai laughed: "That's it."

Butler Lin: "After the festival, I will go inquire about real estate."

While talking, the boat had already approached Chaoyangmen Pier.

Butler Lin's sharp eyes said: "Sir, my uncle is here to greet you personally."

Looking at Jia Hu standing on the edge of the dock, Lin Ruhai was also a little excited, knowing that Jia Hu was still the same Jia Hu, unchanged!

At this moment, he was completely relieved and believed what Lin Daiyu said in the letter. His daughter could indeed control him.

Soon, the fleet approached the dock, and Lin Ruhai's official ship stopped at the dock.

People from the Hedao Yamen immediately set up the springboard, and a group of soldiers walked over and stood in two rows on the bank.

Jia Hu straightened his robe and walked up quickly.

Lin Ruhai led Niu Er and Butler Lin down.

Jia Hu: "My son-in-law pays homage to my father-in-law!" As he said this, he lifted the corner of his robe and knelt down.

Lin Ruhai quickly reached out to stop him and said with a smile: "This is not a place to salute. We can do it when we go home."

Jia Hu smiled and said, "Yes." He bowed to Butler Lin beside him and said, "Uncle Lin."

Butler Lin looked excited: "Hey!"

At this time, Niu Er came over, knelt down on one knee and saluted: "I will finally meet the commander-in-chief!"

Jia Hu lifted him up with both hands, looked at him carefully, and patted his shoulder, "After all, this is Jiangnan, you can raise a child to a young age."

Niu Er smiled naively.

Jia Hu: "Your sister-in-law and I will remember your love." Niu Eryi patted his chest: "This is what I should do."

"Hey!" A soldier suddenly shouted.

Jia Hu turned around and looked around, slightly startled to see that the men from the Gusu Lin family had also entered Beijing.

Lin Ruhai stroked his beard and said with a smile: "They are all here to get married."

Butler Lin glanced at the pier, "Didn't you prepare a carriage? Several of the girl's aunts and uncles are here."

Before Jia Hu could say anything, the official from the Hedao Yamen immediately said: "I'm going to prepare the carriage right now." After saying that, he ran towards the pier as fast as he could, shouting: "Quick! Hitch all the carriages in the yard. Come on, you must clean it up.”

Without saying a word, those Hedao Yamen officials who were watching the excitement immediately turned around and ran towards the Yamen.

Jia Hu waved to the soldier and looked at Lin Ruhai with some embarrassment: "Well, maybe because I was too excited at the time, I only saw the two ships of dowry and not the others."

Lin Ruhai smiled happily: "You are still so talkative!"

Butler Lin also smiled: "My uncle is right. We only found out about this when we set off, so we didn't tell our uncle anymore because we wanted to give the girl a surprise."

Jia Hu grinned. This was not a surprise, it was clearly a fright. If it was really his mistake, the girl would definitely make trouble with him.

This is no small matter!

They haven't seen each other for more than two years, and they are already a bit different. In addition, Jia Hu's status is different now. The men of the Lin family seem a bit reserved. On the contrary, several young men who have never seen Jia Hu look neither humble nor overbearing, which makes Jia Hu My eyes light up, readers!
After a while of greetings, the great eunuch came over and saluted Lin Ruhai: "Master Lin!"

Lin Ruhai turned sideways and bowed her hands in return.

Grand Eunuch: "Your Majesty said, if there is nothing important, you can have a good Mid-Autumn Festival without entering the palace, and we can talk about other matters after the festival."

Lin Ruhai: "I obey the order." He answered and bowed to the palace with his hands in hand.

The great eunuch looked at Jia Hu: "Does the prince have anything to say to the ancestors?"

Jia Hu thought for a while: "I'll wait."

The eldest eunuch was startled at first, then smiled, "I won't disturb the Zajia family." After saying that, he led the four little eunuchs onto the pier.

Lin Ruhai looked at their retreating figures and asked Jia Hu, "Are you okay?"

Jia Hu: "It's okay."

At this time, the Hedao Yamen official ran over with sweat on his head and panted: "Your Majesty, the carriage is ready. Well, I didn't prepare in advance. I couldn't find such a big curtain to cover it, so I had to suffer all the ladies to ride in a small sedan. Let’s go to the pier to change to a carriage.”

Without saying a word, several soldiers walked down from the pier carrying two small sedans.

Butler Lin spoke: "Don't go to such trouble, ladies and grandmothers wear curtain hats."

The official looked at Jia Hu.

Jia Hu turned to Lin Ruhai.

Lin Ruhai waved his hand: "It's too troublesome and dangerous."

The official was still looking at Jia Hu.

Jia Hu raised his hand: "Go down."

"Yes."

The official bowed his hands, winked at the soldiers, and walked onto the dock again.

The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief and followed with the two empty sedan chairs.

The Lin family looked at each other, was this still the black-hearted Hedao Yamen?
Jia Hu looked at Lin Ruhai again: "The banquet has been prepared at home. Father-in-law, please invite me."

Lin Ruhai nodded and looked at the Lin family's passenger ship: "Is it easy to arrange for so many people?"

Jia Hu followed his gaze and saw that the female members of the Lin family had disembarked. Not too many, but not many. The dozen or so women in curtain hats walking in front should all be Lin Daiyu's aunts and aunts, including the maids behind. Mother-in-law, there is a large area of ​​darkness.

Gee!
It seems that with Lin Ruhai's promotion, the Lin family members have gathered together again.

Unfortunately, most of them are side branches of the fifth server and cannot be used.

Thinking of this, Jia Hu said to everyone in the Lin family: "There are still a few houses on the back street of Jia's family. Let's just suffer for a few days."

Everyone in the Lin family shook their hands: "Don't be wronged, don't be wronged."

Jia Hu smiled: "Father-in-law, please." After saying that, he helped Lin Ruhai and walked towards the dock.

Everyone in the Lin family quickly followed.
Horse whips were waved, and carriages and mule carts filled with boxes of various sizes drove out of the dock.
In less than half an hour, the news that Lin Ruhai, the governor of Liangjiang, came to Beijing to marry his daughter with heavy gifts spread throughout the streets and alleys. The endless motorcade shocked the old Beijingers who were accustomed to grand scenes living under the emperor's feet. , some were envious, some were jealous, and some were doubting the source of the Lin family's wealth, and there was a lot of discussion for a while.

Qianqing Palace

Dai Quan walked in from outside the palace with the urgent delivery from the Supervisor of Ceremonies. As soon as he walked into the side hall door, he saw the deputy general manager of Qianqing Palace squatting in front of a small stove, fanning himself and boiling some medicine.

The palace is filled with the smell of steam and medicine.

Dai Quan walked over and asked, "Didn't you ask me to cook the medicine in the pharmacy?"

The deputy general fan fanned: "Your Majesty's intention."

At this time, Emperor Jianwu coughed.

Dai Quan walked in quickly holding the express delivery.

In the upper study room, Emperor Jianwu was sitting in front of the imperial desk, reviewing memorials, and coughed twice from time to time.

Dai Quan went to the cubicle and picked up the copper kettle, walked to the imperial desk and poured some tea, then placed the urgent delivery on the imperial desk, picked up the bowl of tea and handed it over: "Your Majesty, please take a sip of the hot tea. "

Emperor Jianwu raised his head. His face was pale and dull, and he was very haggard. He took a few sips of the tea and looked at the urgent delivery: "Where did it come from?"

Dai Quan picked up the urgent delivery again and replied: "In the urgent delivery from the northwest, the army led by Shi Ding, the Marquis of Zhongjing, and Zhao Yi, the Bo of Zhongqin, captured Dihua City on the fifth day of July. One day, a rebel army composed of Rakshasa and rebel bandits was ambushed in Xishan, and a total of more than [-] heads were killed in the two battles."

Emperor Jianwu frowned: "So many?"

Dai Quan cleared his throat: "Nearly half of them are civilians who came from the northwest border with the rebels. Their hands are stained with the blood of Han people and local people."

Emperor Jianwu nodded.

Dai Quan continued: "The war in the northwest will definitely not end this year."

Emperor Jianwu nodded and said nothing.

Dai Quan took out a list from his sleeve and handed it to Emperor Jianwu: "This is the list of outstanding students selected by the martial arts school according to His Majesty's wishes."

"Oh?"

Emperor Jianwu took a look at the list and couldn't help but frown. The names and origins of the 30 people were densely written on the paper. Most of them were descendants of noble nobles, and they were all at the front.

As he watched, Emperor Jianwu's eyes flashed and he asked, "Is this Jia Huan the younger brother of Concubine Yuan?"

Dai Quan: "Your Majesty, this Jia Huan is the concubine of Concubine De."

Emperor Jianwu thought for a moment, put the list on the imperial desk, and asked, "Lin Ruhai came to Beijing?"

Dai Quan replied: "Yes. He also brought two large ships of dowry, which caused the whole city to talk."

Emperor Jianwu sighed softly: "There are so many officials in the imperial court, but I haven't seen a few good ones. Either they want to climb up, or they want to grab money in their own pockets. Take Lin Ruhai, for example, both official reputation and popularity Very good, but he also accumulated a lot of money during his tenure as Lianghuai Salt Administration. There is also Wang Hetang, he also brought a lot of money back from Jiangnan."

Dai Quan smiled: "If the water is clear, there will be no fish. Fame and fortune, they always like the same thing."

With a snort, Emperor Jianwu asked: "How is it outside the pass?"

Dai Quan: "I am about to start my report to Your Majesty. If everything goes well, in mid-to-late September, the leaders and nobles of each tribe will enter the capital."

Emperor Jianwu: "Okay, you have to keep a close eye on this matter and don't make any mistakes."

Dai Quan: "Yes."

At this time, the deputy general manager of Qianqing Palace came in from the outer hall with medicine in his hands, "Your Majesty, it's time to take the medicine."

Dai Quan stepped forward and took the bowl with both hands. He took a sip first, then walked to the imperial desk and said, "Just right. It's not hot. Your Majesty, drink it quickly."

Emperor Jianwu was silent for a moment, took the bowl, and drank the bowl of medicine quickly.

Dai Quan smiled and took the bowl with both hands and said: "The Imperial Physician Wang said that your Majesty just got a cough due to the change of season. He will be cured after taking a few doses of medicine. When the disease is cured, he will naturally stop coughing. I can rest now.”

Emperor Jianwu was silent for a moment, and then looked at him: "You, the older you get, the more verbose you become."

Dai Quan smiled.

At this moment, a burst of rapid footsteps came, and then the chief assistant Wang Hetang rushed in like a gust of wind. He raised the military report in his hand and breathlessly said: "Great victory in southern Xinjiang."

Emperor Jianwu stood up suddenly.

Wang Hetang breathed a sigh of relief: "The Annan people mobilized [-] troops to attack Lin'an City on the third day of July. At the end of July [-]th, the east city wall was blown down by artillery, and the city was broken. The defenders and the Annan people started street fighting. At three o'clock in the morning, the Liaodong Army arrived. The battlefield. The officers and soldiers won a great victory."

Emperor Jianwu strode over, grabbed the military newspaper, and hurriedly read it. Then he placed the general newspaper in his hand, patted it twice, and said loudly to Wang Hetang: "Immediately send the news of the great victory in southern Xinjiang to your residence and inform all provinces." .”

(End of this chapter)