Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 447 Jia Mu feels lost
Cining Palace,
Queen Mother Lu was sitting on a chair in the Dongnuan Pavilion, enjoying her dinner.

There was only a table and a chair in the center of the room. There were no delicacies on the table. There were only four ordinary dishes and one soup, and there were no meaty dishes. He just sat there quietly eating. meal.

I was still accompanied by my old grandma. When I was eating, the room was completely silent except for the sound of chopsticks touching the porcelain bowl.

Perhaps after a long time, Queen Mother Lu put down her bowls and chopsticks when she was full, and asked,

"Where's Eunuch Zhou? Is he here?"

"Go back to the master. Manager Zhou is waiting outside the palace. He was afraid of disturbing the master's meal, so he didn't come in."

The grandma next to me walked over and replied, and then started to clear the dishes on the table.
"Well, let him in,"

"Yes, ma'am."

The old grandma took the tray and packed up the things and carried them out. Before leaving, she also made a pot of tea for the Queen Mother for digestion.

After a while,

Under the dim firelight from outside, an old eunuch with a withered face kept coughing and limped in, like an evil ghost.

Queen Mother Lu's eyes narrowed and she asked,

"What did you do? You got yourself into this, but you're in trouble."

"Ahem, don't worry, Master, the old slave is not going to die yet. He suffered from a bit of cold. He took medicine and felt better. Then he came to see the Queen Mother."

There were more wrinkles on Eunuch Zhou's face, but he could still see a happy look on his face, and his dry bark-like face softened. Empress Dowager Lu seemed to be feeling something, looking at Eunuch Zhou's trembling hands. asked,
"But what has been discovered?"

"Master, the secret guard under Lao Nu has sent the news first. Something happened in the southern area of ​​Jingnan, and Lao Nu's adopted son is there. He seems to have noticed something. Now he will personally take people to check. I believe there will be news soon. Rumor has it, Queen Mother, there may be hope,"

Although Eunuch Zhou was not sure, the message from his adopted son said that he had discovered the old subordinates of his young master. Since he could send a message to him, there must be conclusive evidence. Eunuch Zhou knew that his adopted son Qin Yong was bold and careful. , and he would not talk nonsense without evidence, so he actually asked him to look for traces. After so many years in Jingnan, he thought that his efforts were in vain, and finally found clues.

Queen Mother Lu suddenly sat up, then stared into Zhou Jing's eyes and asked excitedly,

"This is true. There has been no news for so many years. How could it be possible now? The Jingnan area, if it's not Qingchuan and Linshan counties, how could it be there? It's a poor place."

"Master, you also know that it is a poor place, and not many people are willing to go there. Maybe it was a way to survive at that time. Queen Mother, the old slave has already sent people to investigate, but there is another thing, which is really shocking."

On the contrary, Eunuch Zhou felt that if the prince was really alive, after escaping from the capital, he would definitely find a stable and clean place to recuperate and live as a backup plan. How could he hide in a place like Jiangnan where there were so many informants.

"Oh, what's the matter?"

Empress Dowager Lu is focused on this matter at the moment. As she gets older, she will inevitably have a lot of thoughts when she first hears this matter. However, in almost 20 years, how many times has the news been true or false? She is used to hearing it, and her heart is just excited. For a moment, it was calm now.

"To report to the Queen Mother, the reason why the prince's traces were found in the south of the capital was because of the chaos in the south of the capital. Although I don't know the specific situation, the letter said that Linshan County suffered from a severe drought, there was no harvest, and hungry people were everywhere, and they exchanged sons with each other. Eat, now if someone climbs up and shouts, the thieves will take advantage of the situation. The southernmost Lin Yue Mansion has been surrounded by thieves, and it was discovered that the Taiping Sect people were making trouble among them, and the old man of the secret guard mixed in with them to investigate. At that time, I found the figure of the prince's old subordinates. Although I was not sure, I thought it would be unmistakable.

"Haha, Jingnan, I haven't heard this word for a long time. Chaos is good. Chaos is the only way to fish in troubled waters and hide the truth.

In the early years when the White Lotus Sect was rampant in the Central Plains, they did not let the corrupt officials and local powerful people understand that rabbits would bite people when they were anxious.

It took a lot of effort and a lot of money from the court to put it out. Now almost 20 years have passed, and now there is the Taiping Sect. Oh my, old lady, you know that if people are weak, they will always regret it. one day.Now, what are the details about Jingnan? "

"Back to the Queen Mother, the chaos in the hinterland of southern Beijing has been decided. It's just a matter of time. As long as the rebels capture Lin Yue Mansion and gain the advantage of soldiers and armor, it will become a climate. As long as they find ways to obtain food, the capital can only be the same. , send reinforcements, otherwise it may be another disaster of the White Lotus Sect.

The imperial court is still kept in the dark. There must be courtiers who are blocking it, and even local officials have long been colluding with each other to hide it!It’s a pity for those people.”

Zhou Jing told the story of Jingnan in a calm tone, without any hint of emotion or anger. After so much experience, many things have been forgotten. It only caused suffering to the people of the world, but in the past dynasties, as long as something happened, how could the people escape? ah.

After hearing this, Empress Dowager Lu couldn't help but sympathize. There was no turmoil in which so many people had not died, but no matter how many people there were, they were not as important as her own son. As long as there was news, she might not be able to make a comeback.

"In this case, let our people go to Jingnan to see if the person we are looking for is there.

And you said that Lin Yue Mansion in the south was besieged, so Dingzhou and Zhaozhou further south may have fallen into their hands long ago. Even if the officials there worked together to conceal it, losing the city would be a death penalty. , so there must have been news in the past few days, either by sending troops to exterminate it, or by continuing to conceal it. According to the old lady's opinion, troops must have been sent out to encircle and suppress it. "

"The Queen Mother is wise. The old slave has sent a message to them long ago, asking them to check the truth. The governor of Jingnan, Mr. Yu, has already ordered the garrison general of Jingnan, Gu Ping, to lead his army south to quell the rebellion. It will only take a day or two. time."

Eunuch Zhou was also anxious. If the matter could not be investigated clearly, the truth would not come to light. However, the more he investigated, the more frightened he became. Those officials were so bold and shocking that they were like a country within a country.

"Well, I believe this. I remember that the White Lotus Sect started like this back then. Speaking of the White Lotus Sect, there is no letter from them for so long, as if they really disappeared. You said they were really wiped out at that time, Aijia I really don’t believe it, tell my subordinates to be careful in everything, I’m afraid things in Jingnan are not that simple.”

"Yes, Queen Mother, master, please rest early, I know this."

After Empress Dowager Lu's explanation, Eunuch Zhou was also shocked. He thought of the White Lotus Sect, a behemoth back then. However, this time there was no news about the White Lotus Sect. Instead, it was the Taiping Sect who were doing power and good deeds in the south of Beijing. It seemed that Like the Mountain King, of course, if the White Lotus Sect is really disbanded, it will be a blessing for the court.

However, I was still more cautious in my heart. There were not many secret guards left. If I lost all my manpower in Jingnan, I was afraid that I would not have the energy to train a group, so I left quickly.

outside the palace,

Dai Quan returned to the palace to get the imperial edict, and then led the people, including the Xiaohuangmen and the Imperial Army, as well as the Imperial City Guards' trusted advisors.

He sat in the carriage and quickly headed towards the Rongguo Mansion. To be on the safe side, he asked the little eunuch next to him to inform him first.

Looking at the imperial edict in my hand, I sighed in my heart!
Mr. Lin can rest in peace, but it is a pity that his talents were killed by thieves. Jiangnan Salt Administration is the treasury of the emperor's internal funds, and now he does not know who can take over this important task.

He glanced at the sky and urged,
"Hurry up, the Za family has important things to do."

"Yes, Governor. Drive!"

Immediately, the groom's scolding came, and the entire team obviously sped up.

Rongguo Mansion,
Although they were separated, it was already getting late. How could the old lady rest peacefully? She leaned on the kang and squinted for an hour, then woke up, opened her eyes and asked,
"Yuanyang, what time is it now?" "Old lady, you are awake. It is already Youshi. It has only been an hour."

Yuanyang hurriedly came over, helped Jia Mu up, and then asked the maid to come over with warm water, cleaned the brocade cloth from the basin, and wiped Jia Mu's face with it.

Only then did Jia Mu feel more awake. She thought about it and asked,
"Has Madam Hou Fu gone back?"

"Go back to the old lady, but not long after returning, the county magistrate and the second grandma went to Miss Lin's yard and sat for a while. Then the guards sent the things in, waited for them to finish talking, and then left. Yes Second Grandma accompanied me personally."

Yuanyang talked about everything in detail, and Jia Mu was relieved. A person with such a mark, a noble status, and the little evil star's heart. If something happened in the house, it would be another headache. It’s okay to leave.

I thought about the concubine who came into the house now, and I don’t know what happened.

"What about my aunt and her family? Have they settled in?"

"Going back to the old lady, I have already settled in Lixiangyuan and moved my things there. I think it will take a few days to pack them up. But my second mistress sent someone to ask if we will have dinner tonight for each person or in Rongqing Hall. How many tables will be set up?”

After saying this, Yuanyang remembered that the second mistress asked Ping'er to come over and ask about the matter. Because the old lady was resting, Ping'er had to go back first. He had also forgotten about it just now.

Jia Mu took the crutch and looked at the deserted room. She didn't like it. For some reason, she wanted to see people as soon as she woke up. It would be better to be lively.

"There's no need to ask. I will naturally set up a few tables here and call Yu'er and my concubine's family here. I'll give my concubine's family a break here. Let Baoyu come after school and come with the Sanchun girls to make it more lively, Yuanyang. You go and tell the Second Mistress to make the banquet better without losing face. Send someone to the First Mistress and the Second Mistress to inform them and come over first."

"Yes, old lady, please save me."

Yuanyang responded, got up and left the house, and sent people to start informing people in various courtyards. He himself went to find the pear garden where the second mistress lived.

Not long after, I arrived at the yard and heard laughter coming from inside the house. I couldn't help but slow down and wanted to listen. Unexpectedly, before I could get closer, the door of the house suddenly opened and Ping'er ran out with a smile. , and Yuanyang actually bumped into each other. The two of them bumped into each other, and said "Ouch", they both covered their chests and looked at each other.

The second mistress Wang Xifeng heard the commotion and walked out of the house and asked hurriedly,

"What happened,"

But when he glanced at the two of them, he said angrily,
"Ping'er, I'm not telling you that you are careless and careless."

Wang Xifeng opened his mouth and came. Ping'er's face turned red with embarrassment and he replied in a hurry,
"Grandma said something casually and made the slaves laugh, so she ran out and bumped into Sister Yuanyang. Now she started to blame the slaves."

Seeing that Ping'er was still making excuses, Wang Xifeng cursed,

"You little hooves, how dare you talk back."

If he wanted to scold him again, he was stopped by Yuanyang and he persuaded him,

"Second Grandma, forget it, it's not a big deal. The old lady has said that she will set up a big banquet at the old lady's place. She will entertain my concubine's family tonight. She also said that she should do it better so as not to lose face. "

Wang Xifeng naturally wanted to give Yuanyang face. If nothing else, she would be regarded as the concubine of Marquis Luo Yun from now on. She has a pretty face. Even the old lady now does not let Yuanyang do the work of serving, but only manages the inner hall. Those maids and women sent a message to each room in the house, and now all other tasks are done by the maids.

Wang Xifeng also divided the importance. Although he didn't know whether the Marquis really wanted it or just said it. Since the words were thrown out, he must pay attention to them. His attitude was completely different between the two people.

"Yeah, my concubine is still so proud. Tonight we are taking advantage of my concubine. Cheng, I made a note of it, Ping'er, let's go to the kitchen and have a look."

"Yes, grandma."

Just when everyone was preparing for the family dinner, the concierge of the mansion rushed in, shouting along the way,
"Old lady, second grandma, the angel from the palace is here."

Hearing the shouts, everyone in the Jia Mansion became panicked. Wang Xifeng even asked people to set up incense tables and other items in the yard.

Having said that, since the old Duke Rong passed away, in the normal years, no one from the Rongguo Mansion came to pass on the imperial edict for a long time or even many years. Even the old lady did not see the imperial edict. It seems like I almost forgot.

When I heard the good news, I couldn't be more excited.
"Quick, quick, Yuanyang, send someone to call everyone over and prepare to receive the order."

"Yes, old lady, but Mr. Zheng went to the Ministry of Industry. I heard that Mr. Zheng went to the Taoist Temple, but he hasn't come back yet."

Yuanyang wanted to call someone to inform someone, but he thought that the eldest master and the second master were not here, so he had to tell Jia Mu.

"That's it, go and call the second wife and the eldest wife. If they don't come, we won't come."

"Yes, old lady."

Yuanyang nodded in agreement and sent his maid to inform the two ladies.

Wang Xifeng, who came out of the Liyuan, was also anxious. After all, he had not accepted the imperial edict and was afraid of negligence, so he called for people to assign tasks.

He took Ping'er to Rongqing Hall, preparing to help Jia Mu out to greet the imperial edict. However, as soon as he entered the room, a young eunuch walked in first.
"Old lady, there is no need to place this thing. The imperial edict is a grace edict for Miss Lin. Just read it in the room."

There was a look of disappointment on Jia Mu's face, and she looked a little lost, not that of a big girl.

But when I think of Yu'er, I am also happy.
"Little father-in-law, I know this and have sent someone to inform you. They will be here shortly. May I ask who came to convey the order?"

"Back to the old lady, it was our ancestor who came in person."

The little eunuch bowed respectfully and said.

Mother Jia's face changed greatly, and she naturally understood. It turned out to be the Prime Minister Dai Quan who came in person. I'm afraid the emperor had an explanation. Could it be that the eldest girl Yuanchun had a turn for the better.

I still wanted to ask again, but at this time there was movement from people outside the house. When I heard people coming from the palace, just like Jia Mu thought, they all seemed to think it was Jia Yuanchun who had the letter. They looked anxious and entered the house, but After being stopped by Jia Mu's look, she naturally didn't dare to speak casually when she saw that there was a servant in the house.

(End of this chapter)