Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 660: Staden’s family
At the street stall,
A few scattered people gathered around and had a few bites. They must have had something urgent at home, so they left in a hurry.

Several people from the Taiping Sect were sitting at several tables scattered around, lazily drinking noodle soup and looking around from time to time. No one noticed that they didn't care.
On the main table,
Everyone in the Taiping Sect almost lost their voice when they heard what the hall leader said. No one knows the name of Liu Chen, Qianhu, Fusi, North Town, these days. He is ruthless and insidious. The brothers who fall into his hands have almost no chance of survival, but there is no way. I thought that one day he would be ambushed and killed, but unfortunately, his success fell short.
If it really succeeds, Beizhen Fusi will lose one of its generals. In the capital, they will have a better time. I don't know who is so bold and summoning experts. It will not be easy.

"Brother, could it be that group of people who did it? That night, the people from the Imperial City Division ambushed them, but they let us step into a trap. Fortunately, we came out from behind and caught the Imperial City Division people off guard. Otherwise, I don’t know how many brothers would have been killed.”

The incense master sitting in the west lowered his head and asked in a low voice. After all, that group of people was really powerful, and they fought back and forth with Beizhen Fusi.

"As far as I know, no. That group of people has been hiding since that night. There is no news now. There are not many masters among them. This time is different. There are seven top masters. If he hadn't been disturbed by the Hou Mansion's soldiers, Liu Chen would have been in trouble this time. "

The hall master shook his head,

I really didn't expect that there are so many masters in the world. He himself has been thinking about this issue these days. The capital is not calm now. There are more and more forces secretly. It cannot be said that they are the forces of the feudal kings. After all, those feudal lords The king's background is much better than those of these unruly people. Even those sects in the world have experts, but they dare not interfere in the affairs of the court.
So

Thinking of the vassal king, I was shocked. Maybe this is right. Maybe the vassal kings from various places and even the Jiedu Envoys have ideas.

"Brother, what should we do next?"

Wan Xiangzhu put down the bowl of noodle soup, as if he was not full. He lowered his head and drank the hot soup. Then he felt his belly with satisfaction, feeling that he was full.
"What else can be done, of course, is to hide. In the capital, we will just be like turtles and make way for anyone who comes. I think it won't be long before it becomes lively. There are so many people coming from north to south who want to come to the capital to participate in the cooperation. We should also give way to them, otherwise it won’t be too crowded, haha, let’s go.”

Leader Chu is not in a hurry, he has already thought of where to go next.

As the Taiping Army captured Lin Yue Mansion, they took over the young men in the city and replenished the losses of various ministries. In a short period of time, the number of the Taiping Sect returned to more than 200,000. Although the good and the bad were mixed, the number remained there, and in the end, It’s daunting.

"Okay, we have enough armor, so we are not afraid. The main thing is armor. We have captured so many people, so we will drag them all over to mine. The weapons workshop cannot stop, and priority is given to supply."

"If you are uneasy, please remember that I made an agreement with Zuo Feng, the commander-in-chief of the former prince, that Linshan County will be given to us. Therefore, the troops must be quick. Today, we will raise troops to go north. As for Lin Yue Mansion, from Li Jiming led 20,000 troops from his headquarters to stay behind and supervise the building of armor. The rest followed the army and went straight to Linshan County. I think Linshan County should have changed hands."

"Report, Master Chu, the armory in the city has been opened, and there is still a lot of inventory, which is enough for our brothers. Although the government does not have much food, there are many wealthy merchants in the city, which can solve our urgent need. ah."

The eyes of Du Shaoqing, the left guardian, were even brighter. With the armor, who would be afraid of the people in the court? Thinking of so many people living for free, it would be useless to use all the things and keep them. It is better to contribute a little strength to the Taiping Sect. He also knows , those furnaces used for smelting iron cannot be allowed to cool down.

Hall Master Luo grinned and thought of the wonderful thing. It would be much better if he took action again at that time. Only in troubled waters can he fish easily. He casually threw a few big coins on the table. Looking around, there were not many people. He led a few Pretending to be a diner who had eaten enough, he wandered onto the street, turned into an alley, and disappeared. If it weren't for the fact that there were a few sets of bowls and chopsticks left on the table of the small stall, I would have thought that no one was there just now. Come here.

As soon as the person left,
Outside the Yamen,
Shen Zhongxin took the file, got on the carriage at the yamen gate, and then drove away in a hurry. Cao Ji, who was seeing him off behind him, didn't say a word, but had a thoughtful look on his face. It seemed that the civil and military officials were still at odds with each other. ah.

Tang Zheng, the leader of the Five Elements Flag, paused and asked. After all, the five flag leaders are in charge of not only soldiers, but also many people who follow them. There are quite a lot of them.
"What you are talking about is nothing more than food shortage. Even if we collect all the food and grass in the city, it will not be enough for so many people to eat and drink. Therefore, Lin Yue Mansion cannot stay for a long time, and we must leave a large amount of food and grass reserves as the foundation of our rear. "

The people in the hall suddenly looked at each other, wondering what Master Chu was thinking. How could he have gold, silver, food and grass if he didn't rob them? There weren't enough people.

"Also, the craftsmen in those weapon workshops are all here. As long as there are enough mineral materials, armor can be made, and the furnaces are all hot."

Leader Chu wanted to fight with war. Linshan County had plenty of food and grass, and it was a fortified city. He didn’t know how the group of people captured it, so he felt uneasy, so he raised troops in advance.
The rest of the generals didn't know why, but some of them felt it was a good opportunity and eagerly agreed.

Lin Yue Fucheng’s Yamen was filled with people.
Wei Siyuan, the former protector of the Taiping Sect, looked at the account book in his hand and said excitedly in the hall,

"Yes, Master Chu, I will take your orders!"

But most of the generals and leaders were somewhat reluctant.
Thinking of those beautiful women, I felt anxious. Although there was an order from Master Chu not to bully the people, there was chaos in the city. Who still remembers this? He broke into the mansion of a wealthy family and saw a man. Kill, rob women whenever you see them,

At this time, Master Chu became more and more majestic. He thought more about the future. It is easy to destroy but difficult to build. In the end, he must leave a foundation for the Taiping Sect.

Lin Yue Mansion is a big mansion. From now on, only those gentry, wealthy households, wealthy families, etc. will be eradicated. We can no longer treat the common people as we did in the past. We must remember the lessons learned from the White Lotus Sect. "

Seeing the happy faces of everyone in the hall, Chu Yiyue did not stop him. Now he was trying to restore morale. He walked to the main seat and silently straightened his clothes, turned around and looked at the guardians and flag masters in the hall, stretched out his hand and pressed ,
Immediately, the hall became quiet,
"Everyone, this matter should be done step by step. We cannot follow the past style of rogue bandits and cholera the place.

He Qiang, the leader of the Five Elements Banner, his eyes lit up. Could it be that it was Master Chu who had already thought of a countermeasure?
"Master Chu, you mean to think of a place to go. If you leave the food behind, our army will only have one month's worth of food and grass. I'm afraid the army will be uneasy."

Wei Siyuan mentioned this matter deliberately, because for smelting iron materials, the furnace for burning iron materials cannot cut off the fire, otherwise, the entire furnace will be useless.

"Master Chu, if this is the case, our army and the people who follow us will definitely not have enough food and grass. So what should we do?"

Nowadays, the leaders of various ministries have snatched one or two, occupying their houses, and are waiting to be grooms every night. When they heard that Master Chu was in a hurry to leave, their expressions of regret were palpable.
This scene,
They are all imprinted in Chu Yiyue's eyes. How come he didn't know about those embarrassing things, but in order to stabilize the morale of the army, he just turned a blind eye. Now that the imperial army from the south can arrive at any time, he can only take this strategy to maintain combat effectiveness. ,
"In that case, go back and make preparations, bury the pot and make rice, and send out troops immediately,"

"Yes, Master Chu."

Regardless of whether the generals were willing or not, no one dared to object at this time. They all accepted the order with fists in their hands and left.

Only Li Jiming, leader of the Five Elements Banner and close confidant of Leader Chu, remained.
"Master, do you really want to go north to Linshan County with all your might?"

"Hey, of course we have to go. Without the food and grass from Linshan County, we can't survive for a few months. The most important thing is that our Taiping Sect dares to be the first in the world. If we suffer heavy losses or defeat the imperial army, then the entire Beijing Nandu is our world,"

Chu Yiyue's eyes flashed. This battle must be fought. He, Chu Yiyue, was not willing to be inferior to one person, especially after seeing the corruption of the court and the hardships of living with the people. The government was simply vulnerable. Only those elite men and horses,

Thinking of this,
Chu Yiyue's face looked a little solemn,
"Leader, why don't you take your subordinates and stay in Lin Yue Mansion to guard the city? Any leader will do."

Li Jiming, the leader of the Five Elements Flag, was still a little reluctant. Everyone left, leaving him alone. He always felt that something was wrong.

"Haha, no one can do it. Only you can make me feel at ease."

Chu Yiyue looked at the reluctant Li Jiming, laughed loudly, then immediately changed his face and said seriously;

"I am keeping you here because I have something important to tell you. You must strictly supervise the craftsmen in Linyue Mansion to build soldiers and armor, and give them all to you. You must keep the city, in case Linshan County cannot do it. , I still have a way out, do you understand?"

"Yes, leader, my subordinates understand and will definitely guard the door," Li Jiming cupped his fists and replied with a firm expression.

"Just remember, no matter who comes, no one can take the armor or food in the city without the order of my leader, so go ahead."

Chu Yiyue said something more with a gloomy face and asked Ji Liming to go down, but his heart could not calm down for a long time. He thought that he and the sect Zhang Shixian had become sworn friends of life and death and co-founded the Taiping Sect. It has been ten years now. For a long time, but with different philosophies, there were always complaints. I finally went north, alas.
Outside the Yamen,
As the generals dispersed to prepare, the flag leader Ji Jiping, who had just walked out, ran after him with a few steps and shouted behind him,

"Brother Han, Brother Han, why are you walking so fast? Brother, I feel a little unwilling."

The flag leader Han Douming, who was walking in front, turned around when he heard the sound and saw that it was him. He replied angrily,
"What are you unwilling to do? If you have a complaint, why didn't you say it in the house just now? Come to me to complain. Otherwise, I, the banner leader, will go to Master Chu on your behalf to complain."

"Oh, look at what you said, brother, I'm not happy. You don't know, when I first entered the city, I stopped a fleeing carriage, and there happened to be a mother and daughter sitting in it. You also know, brother, I I haven’t married a wife yet, so I fell in love with her. I married her and entered the bridal chamber that night. I haven’t had a few days of happiness. I am in a hurry to go north. I feel uncomfortable. "

Ji Jiping was still complaining, still recalling the softness of the pair of women in his heart.
Only Han Douming sneered, Ji Jiping was known as the hungry ghost in sex, and was known as the sex ghost, and he could marry someone out of kindness, but I didn't believe a word of it;

"Bah, you still have the nerve to say that, if my guess is correct, you have ruined both mother and daughter. Whichever song you sing, do you want to give you some advice? If you dare You brought a woman into the military camp and were discovered by Master Chu. You should know the consequences, so don’t say much and leave!”

Han Douming put down his words, turned around and left, ignoring the banner leader who was still calling behind him. He knew in his heart that this trip to the north was not just a sightseeing trip. How certain is it that with the current strength of the Taiping Religion, it cannot defeat the imperial army?

After seeing the leader of Han Banner leave,

Cui Jiping was stunned for a while, but still with a face full of unwillingness, he hurried back to the house, went straight to the inner courtyard, broke into the house of the mother and daughter, and without asking when, he just grabbed the two of them. Got on the bed.

After you're done,
Hearing the trumpet sound outside the city, Cui Jiping looked at them greedily, but the leader Chu's military order was very strict, so he hurriedly put on his clothes unwillingly, led his soldiers and left the mansion. After all, he did not dare to take them to the military camp.
After a while,
The main force of the Taiping Sect gathered together, and began to march northward after finishing the whole army. The right protector Du Shaoqing was the vanguard, the former protector Wei Siyuan was behind the palace, and Chu Yiyue was in charge of the middle army. The army slowly marched towards the Fallen Leaf Valley, and the army covered the sky. The sun is blocked and the momentum is majestic.
Beijing,

Baolinghou Mansion,

A dilapidated small courtyard in the west. There is a tall pine tree planted in the west corner of the courtyard. Its green leaves are shining in the sun. Next to the courtyard, there is a small well. Next to the well is a simple wooden bucket. Next to the bucket There is a wooden terrazzo on it, with several millstones for grinding noodles.

To the east of the yard is a vegetable garden, which seems to have been recently taken care of.

Shi Xiangyun, the direct descendant of the Shi family, lives here, sitting alone in the house, with embroidery on her hands and no smile on her face.
The maid Cui Lu next to her also had a sad face. She was sitting next to her with scissors, cutting threads, her hands trembling.

"Miss, can we take a rest for a while? Look, I have been embroidering all day and my hands are sore. Otherwise, I will make you a pot of tea and have a rest."

The little girl asked carefully. After all, the expenses in the house were Miss Hua's hard-earned money, and nothing should be wasted.

It turns out that after the historian was granted the title of Double Marquis in the early years, the palace was not rewarded with much property, and the Baoling Marquis Mansion inherited most of it. Unfortunately, the entertainment expenses were also large, and the financial resources of the family were dwarfed by comparison, so the expenses were naturally greatly reduced. ,
Except for the head of the family, everyone else, including Shi Xiangyun, only has a measly two taels of silver every month. Even with these two taels of silver, one tael of silver is spent on the daily expenses of this courtyard.

Therefore,
In order to save some money, Shi Xiangyun had only Cui Lu to serve him, and he lived a quiet life. However, as they were both women, they had to live a more refined life.
Although she doesn't look like a legitimate eldest lady, she still embroiders some female needlework on weekdays and sells them in the treasure shop outside. This can save some big money and keep it for personal use, so she has been here like this all these years.

Hearing the complaints from the girls around him, Shi Xiangyun also felt a little bored with the needlework in his hands. He threw the half-embroidered mandarin duck on the small table in front of him, holding his chin with his right hand, his face full of unhappiness.
"It's quite annoying. We have these all day long, but if we didn't have them, how could you and I have the spare money to buy those rouge gouache, as well as pastries, fruits and vegetables? We don't know what to do these days."

finished,

Shi Xiangyun's brows revealed deep thoughts, his eyes were like smoke, full of affection, his nose was high and his thin lips were lightly parted, as if there was a fleeting smile, and a few strands of black hair were lifted on his snow-white forehead, adding a bit of playfulness. Qi.

Although she is still young, her pretty and charming look quietly spreads out between her brows.

The maid Cui Lu stood up, walked to a small cabinet, opened the cabinet, took out a plate of pastries, then carefully placed the dishes on the table, and poured the young lady a bowl of tea.
"Miss, it's my fault for being so talkative. Come, have a cloud cake and have a rest. In the evening, I'll go to the backyard to see what delicious food has been cooked."

"Humph, what else can I get? It's not just to fill my stomach, but I feel sorry for you to follow me."

These days are the same. Every day there is pasta and soup, and every pot of food is filled with a big bowl, just soup cakes or dry food. Sometimes there is not even a fishy taste, so there is nothing delicious.

Thinking of this,

Shi Xiangyun didn't have any energy at all. The master and servant looked at the cakes in front of them and started eating with tea.

And outside Baolinghou Mansion,
Mrs. Shi, dressed in smart clothes, walked on the official road paved with bluestones and walked to the gate of the Hou Mansion.
Looking at the tall and majestic gate in front of him, a complicated look flashed in Shi Tai's eyes.

There are two dragons circling in front of the door, the stone lions are majestic, and the huge copper ring handle on the door is still cold.

Go up the steps,

Knocked hard on the side door,
After waiting for a while, I saw the white-haired concierge, hunched over, opening the side door and asking;

"Who is it? Which family's young master?"

When Shi Tai saw the old man, he was not familiar with it, but he still gave him a salute after all.
"I am the younger brother of the Shi family. I want to see the young lady for something."

"Huh? You are here to see the lady. This is not very convenient."

The steward hesitated a little, looked at the man in front of him, looked a little unfamiliar, and asked again,

"what's your name?"

"Back to the manager, my name is Shi Tai. The third house in the alley next to me is my ancestral home. I'll know if I ask."

Shi Tai also explained generously that the houses in the capital have always been valuable, and he has always lived here and has not moved away. The daily interactions between the neighbors are still the same, and the clan members often get together to get to know each other. After saying this, the steward's expression Feeling better, let down your guard!
(End of this chapter)