Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 449 The wind will eventually rise
Beijing,

On the way back to Luoyunhou Mansion,

Zhang Jinyu wrapped her clothes around her body and took Ji Yunhui with her. The two of them actually walked back to the Hou Mansion. Although it was not far, their legs were trembling all the time and they were a little numb from exhaustion.

I couldn't help but secretly curse, this was a mistake, I thought it was such a short distance, but I was so tired after walking.

Fortunately, not long after, Ji Qianhu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the gate of the Hou Mansion, and finally sent Master Hou back safely.

Arriving at the gate of the Hou Mansion, Ji Yunhui bowed his hands and said,

"Master Marquis, please go back and rest first. I will go back temporarily to make arrangements for my brothers to be on duty. I will take my leave now."

"Hey, wait, here comes someone, bring a horse out for Ji Qianhu."

Zhang Jinyu stopped Ji Yunhui and called to the soldiers guarding the gate of the Hou Mansion. The steward of the porter had already entered the house under his command, went to the stable and led a good horse out.

"Master Marquis, the horse has arrived."

"Ji Yunhui, you have also seen this today. I am afraid that the wind is blowing in the capital. In addition to the affairs of the three princes and palaces, you asked the brothers under Lu Baihu to pay attention to the movements in the capital at all times. They must not relax at all. If anything happens, they will report immediately. .”

With that said, he handed the horse's reins to Ji Yunhui.
"Mr. Marquis, I understand. Don't worry. As long as there is any movement in the city, we will definitely report it. Mr. Hou, please rest early. I will take my leave."

After finishing speaking, Ji Yunhui saluted again, took the reins, climbed onto the horse, and completed the movements in one go. Then he clamped his legs and rode away.

Watching the person go away, Zhang Jinyu sighed. He is a go-getter, but it is a pity that he is not in his hands. However, as time goes by, he can always find a way to win people's hearts.

There are also those generals of the royal guards in the imperial city. They are all good at spying, elite guards and assassins. Not to mention other things, these 2000 troops are really in their hands. Not to mention anything else, everything in the capital has nothing to do with it. In the eyes.

It's just that I can only think about this matter. Those old eunuchs must be very sensitive to this. Don't make it self-defeating. You can rest assured that you can use it.

He shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

He turned around and entered the mansion gate, walked through several courtyards, and went to Dongyun Tower to greet his mother, Wang, and changed his clothes. Before he could rest and have a meal, he saw Ning Bian walking in with a solemn expression.
"Reporting to the Marquis, outside the mansion, Shen Baoan is anxious to see him,"

Zhang Jinyu's butt was stiff before she could sit down, and her expression was quite unnatural. Today was also unlucky. She didn't look at the almanac when she went out, and she didn't sit idle all day. She couldn't solve any of the things that happened, but when she heard what Ning Bian said was Shen Bao'an must be an emergency. The Shen family can still trust it. Then he thought about what he told Ningbian before. Could it be that the guy from Zuixianlou found out?

"You asked him to be in my study, and then he arrived,"

"Yes, Lord Hou."

I thought I could get some rest early tonight and talk to Qin Keqing to express my feelings, but it was all in vain. Thinking of Qin Keqing's figure, my body felt hot. They hadn't been together for a while.

He took a piece of clothing and put it on himself, then left the building and went to the east courtyard.

After opening the door to the study room, he walked in and saw Ning Bian and Shen Qianhu already waiting here. Shen Baoan knelt down on one knee and said,
"The humble Shen Baoan has met the commander-in-chief."

"Get up and reply. You are very clever. Commander, where did you hear this?"

After not seeing each other for a few days, this kid turned glib. Looking at Shen Baoan, who was wearing ordinary clothes, presumably to cover up, Shen Baoan grinned.
"Master Marquis, your majesty today has spread throughout the Imperial City of the capital. I think all the officials in the court will know that you have served as the commander-in-chief of the three palaces. It seems that someone is behind you to add fuel to the fire, so the news spread very quickly."

Shen Baoan replied respectfully, and Zhang Jinyu sighed. It may not be the rumor in the palace. He thought of the empress's way of protecting the calf, so it would be better not to say anything.

"Don't ask about this matter. When the three princes open the palace, they will know. Why are you here today? Has the person from Zuixian Tower found out?"

Shen Baoan's face suddenly turned pale and he replied,

"Master Marquis, there is always someone around to help cover up the person in Zuixian Tower. I haven't investigated yet. I am here today to report something important. Regarding Jingnan, I was on duty today. By chance, I found a man from Jingnan. The messenger, dressed in gray, hurried into the city, Lord Marquis, something big must have happened."

Zhang Jinyu was stunned.
Looking at the pale-faced Shen Qianhu, he couldn't help but wonder what big event could be like this, and Jingnan himself didn't know where he was and had never heard of it, so he asked, "Big event, what big event, where is Jingnan?" "

"Back to Lord Marquis, the so-called Jingnan area is the collective name for several counties south of the capital, mainly Qingchuan County and Linshan County, which are in the south of the hinterland of the Central Plains. Qingchuan County is better, after all, it is close to Anhu. Linshan County is rich in water and grass, as its name suggests. Although there are many cultivated lands and forests, there are few rivers and lakes, and the population is large, so water is always in short supply. The cabinet once wanted to divert water from Xihe County, but the imperial household department did not have enough money. It has been put on hold until now. The White Lotus Sect’s rampage in the Central Plains began here in the early years.”

Shen Baoan felt deeply uneasy every time he thought about this matter. Although he had no worries in the capital, there was no guarantee that the war would break out, but the situation was very precarious. Although he did not know the inside story, he felt a little frightened in his heart.

Zhang Jinyu sat behind the desk and finally understood that something might have happened in the south. Of course, it might also be this guy's random guess. If it is true and his guess is good, it should be where the people were forced to rebel. As for the so-called cabinet Water diversion, the household department is short of money, this is all nonsense. When will the imperial household department not be short of money? There are so many corrupt officials, even the money they have will be stolen.

Looking at Shen Baoan with a heavy face, he comforted him,

"Okay, when will the imperial household department be short of money? You don't have to worry. If something happens, I will protect you. As for the Jingnan you mentioned, if my guess is correct, according to your guess, Jingnan There should be someone rebelling in the land, but that’s not right. There is no news in the capital. What’s going on? Do you have any basis to prove that what you guessed is correct.”

"Your Majesty, the Marquis is wise. This matter has not yet been investigated clearly. Jingnan has not submitted any documents. In other words, the documents have been submitted but cannot be delivered. Eunuch Zhao in the palace may not know about this matter now.

But it should also be noticed. It seems that the spies of the Imperial City Department were secretly preparing. They sent people south to investigate last night. They were walking through the east city gate and were seen by humble officials. The speculation about this matter was also because there was a messenger yesterday. Taking the warrant from Mr. Zeng, the magistrate of Linshan County, I checked his route and found that he was indeed coming from Linshan County, south of Beijing, so I let him go. The man hurried into Beijing, and I sent someone to follow him. Finally, This person went to the residence of the Minister of Household Affairs, so he came here to report to the Marquis today. "

Shen Baoan regained his composure and gave a complete account of what he saw yesterday. Then he raised his head and looked at Mr. Hou who was still thinking, not daring to disturb him.

Ning Bian looked at Mr. Hou's slightly frowning brows and whispered a reminder,
"Master Marquis, since this matter has spread to the capital, I think the father-in-law on duty in the Imperial City Department must have noticed it. It will only be one day late. He will definitely know by then.
I just don’t know if something happens to Jingnan, it will be the same as the White Lotus Sect, and the world will be shocked. Although the White Lotus Sect has disappeared for nearly 20 years, there is now a Taiping Sect. It is said that although all the counties in the south are still there. Suppressing the Taiping Sect can only ensure the safety of the city, but there is really nothing that can be done outside the city. Therefore, the general believes that the area south of Beijing will be difficult to deal with if the Taiping Sect intervenes. "

Zhang Jinyu was irritated. There were more and more bad things happening in the court. This matter really shouldn't be touched. She just didn't understand how brave these corrupt officials were. Since they had suffered the disaster of the White Lotus Sect once, how could they fall into the same pit twice.

"This matter has nothing to do with us. It's just a fight. It's not our turn at the moment. Ningbian, we must send someone to find out clearly. Send someone to inform General Kong. Pay more attention to the official roads around Shuoyang, and then notify the outside world. We sent more cavalry to patrol the trade routes, and we also told Chai Yanping, the guard of Luoyue Pass, to send more troops to guard the official roads in the pass to protect the caravans traveling along the way. I will keep this in mind for him."

"Does the Marquis mean that he is afraid of something happening to the trade routes within the pass?"

"We're not afraid of ten thousand, we're just afraid of what might happen. When the mob comes together, some people will become wild-minded, and they're afraid that they will reach out to those who shouldn't."

"Yes, Lord Marquis, I will inform you later."

Ningbian understands the Marquis's worries. After all, he is currently recuperating outside the customs and is in urgent need of a large amount of supplies. If the trade route is cut off, it may hinder the Marquis's arrangements. However, Shen Baoan in the house buried his head low. He is afraid that he knows some things. There are so many people, I never thought that Lord Hou is so powerful. It is his brother outside Guanwai who is so powerful. He has already embraced Lord Hou, so it may not be his chance.

"Master Marquis, I have one more thing to report to you."

"Well, you said."

"Back to the Marquis, you wanted to secretly investigate the man from Zuixian Tower. Although you didn't find out who this person was, you did know part of their activities. Every night, someone went to the inn to meet him on time. And I often see an old man coming here, and every time he sends people from his humble position to follow him, he gets lost. He must be a veteran, and his identity is unusual."

After saying this, Zhang Jinyu became interested. Thinking of the Wu family, is there anything else that could interest the Wu family? Zuixian Tower needs this person to investigate carefully.
"Brother Shen needs to pay more attention to this matter. I will also send people to keep an eye on it. You guard the city gate. If anything happens in the capital, remember to report here. I will never treat my brothers badly, Ningbian."

After saying that, he winked at Ning Bian. Ning Bian took out the thousand taels of silver notes that he had prepared and handed them to Shen Baoan's hand. Shen Qianhu swallowed his saliva and replied;
"Master Marquis, this is too much. What I gave you last time has not been used up at all."

Seeing the way Shen Qianhu in the hall wanted something he dared not ask for, Zhang Jinyu grinned and said,
"Haha, one code equals another. I will never look at this when making friends. Last time it was a meeting gift, and this one is a reward. Since you can come here to report to me, it means that you treat me as one of your own. Man, ask me, when have I ever made them suffer, take it."

"Yes, Lord Marquis, I humbly bear in mind the teachings of Lord Marquis."

Although he said it a little tactfully, his attitude had already been made clear. Shen Baoan put away the banknote with a look of surprise, thinking that with the money he had given him last time and the money he had saved, he could buy the small house he had chosen. , and then find a little lady, which is considered stable. Thinking of this, a smile appeared on his face.

After coming back to his senses, he felt even more grateful. He looked at Mr. Hou who was sitting behind the desk and thanked him.
"Thank you for the reward, Lord Marquis. If nothing happens, I will resign from my humble position. By the way, Lord Marquis, in recent days, there have been obviously a lot more caravans entering and leaving the capital. There are even caravans going to the south of Beijing. Their accents are all from the capital city." person."

"Yes, I understand. Please step back first and be careful."

"Yes, Lord Marquis, I resign from my humble position."

Shen Baoan bowed his hands and exited the study. Zhang Jinyu sat on the stage, looked at Shen Qianhu who walked out of the room, and murmured to himself,
"The wind is blowing!"

(End of this chapter)