Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 514 How could it be such a coincidence?

With this remark,

Not to mention Lin Daiyu, even the three girls in Sanchun and sister-in-law Li Wan stopped joking and looked up to see what they meant. The tone was obviously different, as if they meant something.

Lin Daiyu was also puzzled. How could she ask about this matter? What did her grandmother mean by this? As the saying goes, marriage is a major event, a matchmaker's words, and parents' orders. Besides, she was a worshipper that day, and she also accepted the imperial edict. this

"Grandma, of course I am satisfied. The Marquis is still kind to Yu'er. Besides, this is the order of the parents. How can Yu'er be unfilial, so from the beginning to the end, I am the only one who recognizes you."

This statement is perfect. Everyone knows that Dawu rules the world with filial piety, which is the cornerstone of the imperial rule. The fate of parents is greater than heaven. If one is an unfilial person, his reputation will spread and he will have no chance to live. Jia's mother is the Duke of the country. The talker in the mansion knew how powerful it was. Looking at Lin Daiyu's face, he was extremely surprised. She was really different from the young lady raised by the noble family. Lin Ruhai's good daughter, her mouth trembled, and she couldn't say anything. , when it reaches the mouth, it changes;

"Well, that's good. As long as Yu'er is satisfied, grandma just asked,"

Mother Jia knew in her heart that Baoyu really had no chance, and she didn't even want to think about that title. She could only hope that her ancestors would bless her and let the rich Baoyu go to Enke High School and have a wealthy family to protect her throughout her life. That's enough.

But I don’t know why, but I’m also complaining in my heart. My daughter Jia Min doesn’t send a letter to the capital for many things. Jia Lian is the one who did this. How to deal with the matter? A trip to Jiangnan has no effect at all and can’t interfere in anything. It's possible that he did it intentionally.

What she was thinking in her heart showed that Mother Jia still cared about the Jia family. After all, her sons and grandsons were more important. Her daughter had been gone for so many years without even saying to take a look, and she still complained a little before she left.

The happy expression faded, and the matter was not discussed.

"Come on, don't be stunned, come on, you all have a taste, Yuanyang, give these to a few of them and share some, remember to leave some for Feng Yatou and Mrs. You."

"Yes, old lady."

Yuanyang responded and divided the remaining cakes.

Li Wan also saw that the old lady was a little unhappy, but he didn't know why, so he could only get up, sit over, and came to the rescue and said,

"Look, our ancestors are partial. Now, Daiyu will eat it first. We have been here for so long to get this little bit."

"That's right, our ancestors are partial."

Sanchun was also making noises there, and the dullness in the hall was swept away. There was a smile on Jia Mu's face again, but she was no longer as cheerful as before.

"I can't even stop your mouths with food. By the way, where's Feng Yatou? Why hasn't she come yet?"

"Ancestor, don't worry, I must have something to discuss with Sister-in-law You from Dongfu."

Li Wan still made his words come true.

"Oh, look at my memory. In the morning, Girl Feng sent someone to come to Dongfu. Why haven't you come back after so long? Do you know anything?"

Seeing that the matter ended without any problem, Jia Mu stopped thinking about it and looked at other ways. If it didn't work, she dragged her face to other Duke's mansions to see if there were any young ladies of the right age. As for Feng Yatou being gone for so long, the old lady was still a little surprised. , these days, the Ning Mansion is surprisingly quiet, and even the boss of the Rongguo Mansion is no longer noisy. Although it is a lot quieter, he always feels that something is worrying him.

Li Wan didn't expect the old lady to ask him something, but how did he know, and she didn't invite him to come over. Besides, Mrs. You was not close to him, so even if he went there, he might not dare to say some things.

"Back to the old lady, what you said is embarrassing my grandson's daughter-in-law. I haven't seen Feng Yatou in the past few days, let alone Sister-in-law You of the Ning Mansion. I don't know what happened. Let me tell you, the two of them, It must be something you have to say, let alone let outsiders hear it,"

Li Wan's words were somewhat plaintive, and the people in the room looked sideways frequently. Xichun couldn't help but laugh after hearing this.

"Oh, look at what my sister-in-law said, how sad she is. Maybe I didn't invite my sister-in-law to come over. This is just jealousy."

Xichun made a joke and asked Jia Mu to slap her on the thigh.

"Oh, my old lady is gone. If you don't want to go, I won't go. If there is anything to discuss, it is just a trivial matter in the house. If you hear it, you will be annoyed. It doesn't matter if you don't listen. It doesn't matter if you don't listen."

Jia Mu also knew how to say this in front of Li Wan. She wanted to say that it was nothing more than a man's business, but since Li Wan had been a widow for so many years, she must not mention this, and the matter passed away.

The people in the room talked lively about some interesting things about the house, and laughed constantly.

Ningguo Mansion,

After handling some trivial matters, Wang Xifeng no longer waited.

"Sister-in-law, don't hesitate. Come with me to see the old lady today."

"This,"

Mrs. You was still a little hesitant, wondering if she was too anxious to go today, but Wang Xifeng was anxious, so without saying a word, she took Mrs. You's hand and went to Rongguo Mansion, urging,

"Sister-in-law, walk faster, the old lady is waiting impatiently,"

Mrs. You, who was being dragged along all the way, was so tired that she couldn't even say anything. The red clouds were already rising from her plump body, especially her upper body, which was plumper than Wang Xifeng's. There was still some sweat on her forehead. I I feel pity for you,

"Girl Feng, you look like you're in a hurry. Aren't you tired from walking in such a hurry?"

Wang Xifeng turned around and saw fine sweat on her sister-in-law's forehead. She blamed herself and took out a handkerchief to wipe Mrs. You's sweat, blaming herself.

"Oh, look at me, I'm walking in a hurry, do you want to take a break?"

"No, just walk slowly. I haven't been feeling well these days."

Mrs. You shook her head, but she couldn't let it dampen the old lady's interest. Besides, Feng Yatou also had good intentions.

Then the two of them continued walking to Rongguo Mansion. After crossing the bridge, they were at the side gates of the two mansions. As soon as they opened the door, they saw Jia Qiang and Xue Pan, who were about to go out with a group of people. They were all dressed in bright clothes. A bunch of young men.

But it happened to happen at this time.

Both sides were stunned when they saw it. Xue Pan and Jia Qiang, who were the leaders, reacted quickly. When they saw it was the Second Grandma and Mrs. You, they hurriedly stepped forward, bowed and shouted

"Xue Pan (Jia Qiang) sends his regards to Second Mistress and Mrs. You."

The two men answered in unison, which brought Wang Xifeng back to his senses. Isn't this Xue Pan? How could he be here with Jia Qiang? The people behind him were from the school. They were all rushing to go somewhere.

In the past few days, Xue Pan has been in the limelight, and now he is surrounded by people. He is worthy of being a descendant of Huangshang.

"Hey, it turns out to be Brother Wenlong. Where are you going here? And Baochai, why haven't you seen her in the past few days?"

Xue Pan was even more confused. He looked at the two beautiful women in front of him. They were much prettier than the top ones he had ever seen. They were comparable to the courtesans of the four major brothels, but he didn't dare to mess with them.

When I heard Sister Feng's question, I didn't feel comfortable opening my mouth. Today I discussed with Jia Qiang and others that we should go to Chunlou to have some fun. If we were lucky, we could meet Hu Ji and have an eye-opening experience. As for Hu Ji, I apologized, but I didn’t think about it. I had almost spent the money, and I was too embarrassed to ask my mother for more. After all, my sister was always at home taking stock of the accounts, so I could only order a dancer to listen to the music and smile with her, but it was also a kind intention, so I made an appointment. Yesterday's group of people were going there together. In order to be more concealed, they took the side door and passed by. Unexpectedly, they met the second mistress and Mrs. You, the head wife of Dongfu, and he hesitated in replying.

"Sister Feng, I don't have anything else to do today. I just took them out to have a cocktail party, have some banquets, talk and chat a few words. As for my sister, I looked at the account book this morning, and I haven't had time yet. Now I'm alone and bored, so I invited them to join me, so I might as well go out for a walk."

Xue Pan said it sincerely and considerately, but he was wearing a coquettish purple coat and a purple scarf on his head. Even Jia Qiang next to him was wearing bright clothes, let alone the one behind him. Some of the children of the family even put on bright red new clothes, and those who didn't know better thought they were marrying the eldest lady.

Wang Xifeng took a second look. The capital was not peaceful these days. It would be too ostentatious to go out like this.

"Isn't it too much to just show off like this when you go out?"

Wang Xifeng thought about it again and again, but felt something was wrong, and then pointed at Xue Pan's clothes and asked.

Xue Pan had a cheeky grin and didn't care. He dressed like this when he was in Jinling. Anyone who didn't recognize him could see him from afar.

"Sister Feng, this is still conspicuous. When students gather together to talk about poetry and read scriptures, it is natural that they have to dress more decently. That's why I dress like this. How can I be as shabby as those students who come to Beijing? Isn't it like losing the country?" The public’s reputation, besides, people strive to take a breath of Buddha and receive a stick of incense, just to show it to those poor outsiders.”

These reasons are what Xue Pan has thought about a long time ago. Literati are elegant, so it is no wonder that there are charming things among restaurants and brothels. These are places frequented by literati and poets, and it is also a place that poor students yearn for. Among the people from the three major academies, no matter who doesn't want to go, they have no choice but to be short of money, so they can only angrily denounce this kind of behavior, not to mention how envious they are in their hearts.

I also wanted to go to the academy, but I didn’t pass the entrance exam even once, so I lost my name to Sun Mountain and Wuyu Academy. Of course, I could have entered if I had received the money from the competition, but Xue Pan couldn’t let it go. He couldn’t learn even if he went there, so he just died Got the idea.

But if you can't go to the academy, you must have the dignity of a scholar. The clothes of Confucian students are all in a suitcase.

Xue Pan had long wanted to blend in with the scholars. With this Confucian uniform, he would not just go to the brothel casually and get to know students from all over the place. If he became famous, he would still have a nickname to leave behind. It would not be an illusion.

Looking at Xue Pan's grand words, although I don't quite understand the scholar's anger, what he said makes sense.

Wang Xifeng believed it to be true and thought about it for a moment. Since this is the case, it doesn't matter, but so many people are not good after all. They still need to explain themselves.

"That makes sense. My sister-in-law and I are in a hurry to go to the old lady's place. Brother Wenlong, since you are the one who started it, then restrain them. The capital is no different now than before. Be careful about everything and just go. Don’t cause any trouble, please remember.”

Xue Pan knew that Sister Feng had good intentions and agreed wholeheartedly.

"Don't worry, Sister Feng, I will definitely keep this matter in mind and won't cause trouble. Besides, just after having fun, how can I provoke those people."

Those people naturally refer to people from the official family. Xue Pan is not a fool. As the saying goes, one will gain wisdom after a cut. He is almost swollen in the south of the Yangtze River. The capital is deeper than Jinling. If he offends the enemy, he will not wait. People save you, but you still have to bear the physical pain yourself.

"Then I won't keep you, sister-in-law, let's leave quickly."

"Well, here we go." Mrs. You was not familiar with Xue Pan, so it was hard to interrupt, but looking at the group of people, they didn't look like they were going to a poetry party, but rather like they were going to a brothel with Mr. Zhen. , although the leader looked at the atmosphere, he always felt that his words were insincere, but Feng Yatou didn't care, so he simply kept silent, walked onto the bridge with the maid beside him, crossed the threshold, and entered the Rongguo Mansion.

I saw the two heads of family leaving,

Xue Pan and Jia Qiang looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

"Brother Qiang, didn't you say that almost no one leaves this place? Why did you meet the heads of the two houses just after you came out?"

"That's right,"

"I was almost scared to death just now."

The people around him were chattering away, and Jia Qiang looked aggrieved. He used to go to school by himself in this place, but he didn't meet anyone there. Why was he so evil today?

"Boss Xue, everyone, conscience of heaven and earth, I went to the school earlier, but I am not the only one walking this way. You can see which master walked here. Today is just a coincidence. I wonder if something is wrong. Look, the second mistress is leaving in a hurry. , otherwise it will take some time for cross-examination, okay."

Everyone thought about it, but Xue Pan stood there without saying a word. Although his words were reasonable, there was one point. What could happen to make the second mistress so anxious today? You know, in both Jia's houses, Xue Pan could have I found out clearly and found out that Sister Feng was right. Many clan members depended on her to make a living. Although they were working for the Hou Mansion, it was Sister Feng who found her. If she offended her, I might not be able to stay in Ningrong Street any longer. This is embarrassing for the second brother Lian. The second brother has been thinking about taking a concubine. I'm afraid the second brother really won't be able to take a concubine if Sister Feng doesn't nod.

"Okay, this matter is over. Jia Qiang, why has your Ningguo Mansion been away for so long? All the servants have taken it away, and not even a single servant can be seen."

The rest of the people were curious and looked around. Sure enough, they saw no one, not even a yard sweeper. Looking at the ground in the yard, it was messy. It must have been a long time since anyone had cleaned it.

Jia Qiang's face suddenly turned ugly and she came over in a low voice and said,

"Boss Xue, everyone in the house has gone to offer incense and offer sacrifices. What the Immortal Master asked for is now the key to practicing Taoism and alchemy. You can't offend the Immortal Master, otherwise Mr. Zhen will get angry."

Xue Pan looked at Jia Qiang's careful face in disbelief, and thought that practicing Taoism and refining alchemy was just like practicing meditation and worshiping Buddha, which was popular in the south of the Yangtze River.

"Really or not, why do you need to offer incense to make elixirs?"

Xue Pan was even more curious. Taoist alchemy has existed since ancient times, and there are many in the south of the Yangtze River. They are especially popular among dignitaries. However, it is hard to find an elixir. I have never heard of it. There are also Buddhists, but they are not spread among the outside world. This immortal master makes alchemy. But rare.

Jia Qiang didn't even know how to explain.

"I don't know. The immortal master said that the clan members need to offer their luck and absorb the yang energy in order to make the elixir. I can't explain the details."

As soon as they heard that they wanted to absorb Yang Qi and gain good luck, everyone suddenly felt bad. A gust of wind blew by and they shivered all over. Xue Pan's face changed slightly. There was such a way. As expected, the Yin Qi here was too strong.

"Boss Xue, why do you need to absorb yang energy and luck to make a pill?"

There was a bold person behind him who asked with a pale face. The others were also worried and curious. These words did not come from a serious source. How did Xue Pan know about yang energy and luck? Let alone what he had absorbed. , this was also the first time I heard about it. Jia Qiang looked at the inner palace with some fear, which seemed to be the higher attic.

Could it be that the elixir was refined there? It was too conspicuous.

"Jia Qiang, the elixir was refined there."

Everyone followed Xue Pan's fingers and looked towards the attic not far away, and shouted in recognition,

"Isn't that Tianxiang Tower!"

"Let's go, go quickly, the yin energy is a bit heavy."

Before the words were finished, a group of people left in a hurry.

Wang Xifeng was anxious and the old lady of Rongqingtang was impatient and followed closely.

After people leave,

Seeing the person walking away, Xue Pan felt uncomfortable in his heart. Every time he wanted to go to Chunlou, something would always happen to him. I don't know if it was bad luck or the evil nature of Chunlou, so it would be better not to go.

"Brother Qiang, I think Sister Feng is right. Something doesn't feel right in Beijing now. Otherwise, I won't go to Chunlou. Every time I go, I can't go. It's better to have me as the host today. Wine shop, how about a nice glass of wine."

Jia Qiang was a little hesitant at first. Chunlou was a famous fireworks place in the East City. If something happened there, it would be difficult for her to do anything, especially when she saw her second mistress. If something happened, she would have to turn back. But you have to pay for it,

"Boss Xue is still thoughtful. My brothers and I will naturally listen to Boss Xue's advice, so let's just walk around the street!"

"Let's go, listen to Boss Xue."

"That's right, on such a cold day, it's better to have a sip of hot wine."

People all around also surrounded Xue Pan and left the house.

Outside the house,

Zhang Jinyu had already got on the carriage and headed east. When he was passing by Ningguo Mansion, he deliberately lifted the curtain and looked over. He saw the concierge and others wearing thin jackets and tight breeches, holding brooms and rags. When cleaning the gatehouse of Ningguo Mansion, even the two stone lions at the door were wiped clean. There was no difference from usual. I just felt that the servants were more diligent.

As for the inside of the mansion, we couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Zhang Jinyu didn't care, lowered the curtain, and then the carriage continued to move forward.

"Master Marquis, we're just around the corner,"

"Well, when you get to the place, just buy some snacks, wrap them up and bring them over,"

"Yes, Lord Hou."

As he was talking, he passed by Zuixian Tower and saw the familiar restaurant. Zhang Jinyu suddenly thought that what happened to that group of mysterious people didn't know what happened.

"Ningbian, how are the people in the restaurant doing their investigation?"

Ning Bian secretly glanced at the Zuixian Tower next to him, knowing that the group the Marquis was talking about was the same group of people who were unknown to the Wu family of the Bingma Division, but the other party was too vigilant, and there was no movement since the last time they came out. .

Then, Ning Bian came over and whispered back,

"Master Marquis, the idea is tricky, my vigilance is too high, and there is no progress yet,"

"Humph, if you put your long-term approach to fishing for a big fish, you might not have a chance, but now, the opportunity will come soon."

"Yes, Lord Marquis, I will finally understand."

Although Ningbian didn't understand the opportunities that the Marquis mentioned, he knew that the Marquis would not make a mistake.

Zhang Jinyu silently touched the long knife and looked at the people who were still patient in the restaurant. She must have a big plan. Concubine Wu was still involved, so she must have a big plan. If she waited for an opportunity, then in a few days, the government troops would gather in the capital. Then the army goes south, which will inevitably involve troubles in all directions. At that time, they should leave the cave. It's just that Prince Teng is an old fox who has stayed in the capital for a long time. When he reaches the battlefield, he doesn't know if he will abandon the army like Prince Zhongshun and run away.

Thinking about it, it shouldn't be possible. After all, he has been in office for many years as the Jiedushi Commander of the Beijing Camp, so he still has this prestige. However, what His Majesty meant by calling on the local government troops and the elites under the command of Lu Daiyuan, the Jiedushi Commander of Daliang City, what does this mean? It may be that the vassal state is to be reduced.

Suddenly Zhang Jinyu came to her senses, but then she thought about it and realized that it was impossible. If the vassal was really cut off, the border troops would not be able to move, let alone the two kings. She would definitely not agree to it. Guan Nei Jiedu The envoys are so intricate that one move can affect the whole body. Emperor Wu would not be so unwise, unless this person is a member of the Supreme Emperor. Lu Daiyuan, where is Daliang City?

"Ningbian, do you know where Daliang City is?"

"Going back to the Marquis, Daliang City is located in the south of the important area of ​​Zhongzhou. It is close to the southern part of Beijing. It is an important place to enter Zhongzhou. It is also a city gate built in the southern part of Jingchuan. The imperial court previously stationed a large army here to stop the White Lotus Sect. Bandit troops entered Beijing."

Listening to Ning Bian's explanation outside the carriage, Zhang Jinyu felt reassured. Emperor Wu couldn't feel at ease here.

"No wonder, Lu Daiyuan, I'm afraid it will be difficult!"

(End of this chapter)