Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 722 Whatever comes to mind

The noise from Ningrong Street,

Spread far and wide,

Whenever someone walks down the street,

How could it not attract attention? Many spies mixed in. Knowing the inside story, it was understandable that they mixed in the crowd and listened to the general situation. Then they shook a few times and disappeared.
Zuixianlou on Dongshou Street,

Bai Ganda, a captain of the Imperial City Department, had already led his men to the second floor and found Liu Chen, a captain, and shouted,

"Sir, there's something wrong on Ningrong Street,"

"what's up?"

Liu Chen immediately became alert. The governor had told him not to keep an eye on Ningguo Mansion. Something happened on Ningrong Street, and there must be a thief eyeing Ningguo Mansion. But Bai Bai shook his head, walked forward, and told him what the brothers on the street had heard.
When Liu Chen heard that it was all about Rongguo Mansion, and all of them were stupid things that were not worthy of being shown to the public, his face darkened. At this time, they were still making such gossips. The head of the Jia family did not even arrange for anyone to appease them, and they still made trouble at the critical moment.
Suddenly, I thought to myself that the Jia family was really going downhill. If it weren't for the marriage to the Wang family and the relationship with Marquis Luo Yun, the Jia family would have collapsed long ago. But this is exactly what happened, which shows how powerful the old lady Shi from Rongguo Mansion was.

"Is what you just said true? How could the master of Rongguo Mansion stop the young men of the family from participating in the imperial examination? This would make the entire Jia family enemies. Isn't this just a self-defeating act?"

Liu Chen was really a little suspicious. Was there someone spreading rumors? The old lady couldn't be so short-sighted. If a clan had a good seedling, it was possible that he would be promoted to the direct lineage to ensure the succession of family power and not be left behind. Especially through the imperial examination, those good seedlings who studied were discovered. With the old lady's shrewdness, how could she commit such a big family taboo? Was it someone else who instigated it and then put the blame on the Jia family just to punish Ningguo Mansion?

Thinking about this, I feel that it is not impossible that some people among the civil servants would take action at this critical juncture. Who would it be?
"Your Excellency, I also feel something is a little strange, so I stayed there for a while. It shouldn't be fake. This year's imperial examination is being held. The court is showing mercy. As long as you are registered, you can get two taels of silver with your signature. This is not a small amount. No matter whether you can pass the exam or not, as long as you meet the requirements, the registration is almost full.
"I checked and found that only Jia Baoyu and Jia Lan registered for Rongguo Mansion. Jia Lan used the recommendation letter from Qin Ye, a doctor in the Ministry of Works. Baoyu also followed the path of Jia Zheng in the Ministry of Works. Rongguo Mansion's recommendation was useless. This is strange."

When Bai Baihu found out about this, he felt something was wrong. What those people said might be true. If the Jia family's behavior got out, their reputation would be ruined.
"What, this is true?"

Liu Chen naturally thought of these things. If it was really as he said, the rumors would spread tomorrow. Of course, these were not just rumors. The reputation of the Jia family would be in jeopardy.

"Send someone to keep an eye on this matter first. Also let the spies in Shuntian Prefecture keep an eye on it. We will not interfere in this matter. As for the Governor, you go and report this matter to him in person. After all, Rongguo Prefecture involves the Wang family and Luoyunhou Mansion, so this matter will be difficult."

"Yes, sir, I understand."

Bai Bai clasped his fists in response. He also knew that at this time, Rongguo Mansion and even the Jia family had to be safe. The army heading south had just left. Not to mention the Wang family, Luo Yunhou was also involved. If something really happened, it would be suppressed. After all, Ningguo Mansion had already been touched. If Rongguo Mansion was touched again, the nobles would not sit idly by. Thinking of this, Bai Bai turned around and left.

Only Liu Chen was left sitting on the chair, constantly looking through the secret letters and intelligence sent by various departments, frowning from time to time. The capital was too quiet.

Wucheng Bingmasi, in the East City Yamen,
Lieutenant Ji Ping, who was leading the patrol, hurriedly led his men back to the yamen, and when he entered the gate, he shouted;

"Quick, close the door. This is the end of today's patrol. Brothers, go back and rest first."

"Yes, my lord,"

Seeing the soldiers dispersed, Ji Ping quickly trotted into the inner hall and the backyard.

At this time, Zuo Anhe, the deputy governor of the East City Military Department, was sitting in the backyard, drinking tea. His son Zuo Fangzhong was changing his clothes in front of him. Thanks to General He's kindness, his son was admitted to the Military Department and given the title of Chief Clerk, which was considered a sinecure.
"You are not fit for fighting, so just stay in the government office and sort out the accounts. Don't get involved in anything. You can use your father's face once or twice, but not three times."

"I know, Dad. I said a long time ago that I would not go to the Imperial Guards. It was you who asked me to go there. If I had come to the Military Affairs Department earlier, I wouldn't have encountered all these problems."

Zuo Fangzhong complained a little, straightened his official uniform, and came closer with a smile on his face. He didn't know until he came here that he regretted it. The people who gave him gifts and the merchants gave him money. In just a few days, he had gained a lot of weight. If he had known earlier, who would have suffered in the imperial guards?

"Dad, you don't know, right after my son came here, those people gave him gifts every day, and he couldn't refuse them, they were really nice."

"Hmph, you are such a loser. It's fine if you don't say anything about the small gifts, but if they are too many, you should be careful, don't let them trap you."

Zuo Anhe lay there, squinting his eyes, and admonished,

This made Zuo Fangzhong, who was sitting next to him, curl his lips and was unwilling to reply;
"I know, father. I know what I can and cannot take. In addition, there is news that a few days ago, many shops in the East City were bought by a group of people, including the Luo Yunhou Mansion. Some people were unwilling to do so and privately found me, saying that they wanted us to act as a link to buy back those businesses. What do you think, father?"

"What are you talking about? What the hell are you talking about? What do you mean by that group of people? Those shops were bought by the Luo Yunhou Mansion. As for the rest, who else could be as rich as Luo Yunhou and buy shops from the Ministry of Internal Affairs? Why don't they go to you to make peace? It's obvious that they can't buy them. What's your response?"

Zuo Anhe suddenly sat up, opened his eyes and looked over, thinking that the things happening in the market were all handled by the people from the Imperial City Bureau. Without the governor's approval, who could touch them? The people from the Imperial Stables have come out, so it must be that the emperor has agreed. In this case, he could not have any objection at all.

"Dad, don't worry. I know what's important and what's not. I didn't dare to agree to their request. I just found an excuse and sent them away. But there's something strange. The largest restaurant in East City was bought by a young woman. She only bought a few shops around it and didn't buy any more. It's not like the Marquis Luo Yun's Mansion, which bought so many. I think it's strange. I've never seen that person before."

Zuo Fangzhong also sent people to investigate, but found nothing. This is the strangest thing.

"Hmph, kid, don't look for trouble. Your father can sit in this position safely because he is blind. He knows what to ask and what not to ask, and what to ask but pretend not to ask. There is a lot of knowledge in this. Just stay in the government office and don't go anywhere else."

"Yes, Dad,"

Zuo Fangzhong nodded heavily. His father had explained it clearly. If he had known this earlier, he would not have been beaten up by Luo Yunhou and lost face.

While the father and son were talking,
outside the house,

Then a man rushed in and shouted;
"Sir, something happened on Ningrong Street. Fortunately, I led my men to run away quickly, otherwise it would be troublesome."

The middle-aged general stood there panting, his speech unclear.

Zuo Anhe raised his eyebrows and muttered to himself, Ningrong Street, could it be that something happened to the Jia family again? Thinking of the Jia family, Zuo Anhe suddenly felt a headache. Something happened, and he could neither ask nor not ask. He signaled his son to give Captain Ji some tea. Zuo Fangzhong saw it and quickly poured a bowl of tea and handed it over;

"Uncle Ji, have some tea and take a break."

Ji Ping saw it and thanked him;

"Thank you, sir,"

After taking the tea and drinking it all, my breath calmed down.
Zuo Anhe rebuked softly in annoyance;
"What young master? Give him face. In the government office, just call him the chief clerk. Ji Ping, what happened over there?"

Ji Ping put the tea bowl back and recounted what he had seen on Ningrong Street, especially the Jia family children, who shouted, "We scholars have no way to serve our country." He also told them that the people from Shuntian Prefecture had gone there before them.

"Sir, I was a step too late. When I arrived at the intersection of Ningrong Street, I saw Captain Jiang and his men. Their faces were extremely ugly. I immediately felt something was wrong, so I led my men back to the government office. When I left, I saw that Captain Jiang had arrested a lot of people and brought them back."

After saying this, I felt a little relieved.
But these words,
Zuo Anhe was so scared that he cursed in his heart, what a time to say nonsense,
"You did the right thing in this matter. Less trouble is worse than more. Now that the people from Shuntian Prefecture have taken over, our Bingmasi will have no business. When you patrol in the future, pay more attention to where there are many people and avoid there, especially those places with more troubles." The so-called place with more troubles, Zuo Anhe almost said it was Ningrong Street. From the intersection of Ningrong Street to Dongshifang, there were troubles every two or three days. Just avoid there. If there is any trouble, let the Shuntian Prefecture government take care of it first.
"Yes, sir. I will keep your words in mind."

Ji Ping flattered him, and Lord Zuo's authority became more and more powerful.
"Well, Fang Zhong, give Captain Ji ten taels of silver, and go back to have a drink and rest."

"Yes, Dad."

When Zuo Fangzhong heard his father's words, he took out ten taels of silver from his sleeve and handed it over.

Ji Ping took the banknote in his hand, feeling flattered.
"Sir, this is all my duty. How dare I ask you for money?"

Even so, his two hands tightly grasped the banknotes.
Zuo Anhe reached out and patted Ji Ping on the shoulder, encouraging him;

"We are all brothers. There is no right or wrong. Today's work has been done well. Go back and have a good rest. Tomorrow, the special examination will begin. The dragon gate will be opened, and there will be a lot of work to do."

"Thank you, sir. I will keep it in mind."

Ji Ping bowed again, took the silver, and left.
After people leave,
Only Zuo Fangzhong was confused. They all said that the subordinates were giving gifts to their superiors. He had never seen a superior giving money to the subordinates. He even wanted to ask.
But I heard my father's question,

"Do you understand?"

Zuo Fangzhong was stunned. What did he understand? About giving money? He seemed to not understand. He was stunned for a while. Lord Zuo, who wanted to lie down again, saw his son's confused look and was furious. He scolded him.
"You rebellious son, you don't understand this. Using both kindness and severity is the way to control subordinates. If you don't understand, your father's second half of life will be ruined in your hands. This makes me so angry."

He was not satisfied with cursing, so he took out a piece of brocade from somewhere, took it in his hand, and hit him. Unexpectedly, Zuo Fangzhong lowered his head to avoid it, begging for mercy repeatedly.
"Uh, Dad, stop hitting me, stop hitting me. Son, I understand."

"You don't understand shit, go away, I'm so pissed off."

Zuo Anhe picked up the teacup and threw it in the direction his son was running. With a "bang", the teacup hit the door frame and shattered into pieces. Everyone thought that Lord Zuo would be furious, but after he disappeared, Zuo Anhe smiled, lay down on the recliner, squinted his eyes and fell asleep.

Shuntian Prefecture Government Office.

Still quiet as usual,
This should have been a time to finish their meal and rest in peace, but now the noise had made the whole place uneasy. Captain Jiang had a bitter face as he led a group of people into the yamen. When they reached the main hall, he first placed the person who was carried in on the ground and asked the doctor who followed him to come forward to treat the patient.

"Everyone, disperse. Where is the doctor? Come over here first and see how the person is doing. Don't let him die here."

The doctor called by Jia's family was also brought in by Captain Jiang. The person they carried was unconscious on the road, but fortunately he could still hum, so he should be fine.

"Yes, head catcher."

In the hall of Shuntian Prefecture, the yamen runners helped put the man on the ground. The doctor came over, felt his pulse, and felt his breath. Then he opened the medicine box, took out silver needles, and pierced the two men's heads a few times. He then took out a bottle of pills from the box, poured out two pills, and fed one to each of them.
I asked for two basins of clean water and wiped their heads. I also took out white brocade and wrapped them around their heads. After that, they stopped groaning and looked much better.
"Captain, he's fine, he was just knocked unconscious. I applied some medicine and bandaged him up. He should be fine after he recovers."

"That's good. Why hasn't he woken up yet?"

Captain Jiang was upset at the moment, not knowing how his master would scold him when he got back. Looking at the crowd, he wanted to kick each one of them.
"Captain, these two have head injuries and are unconscious. They need to rest and recover their strength. If you wake them up rashly, they may get hurt. It is possible that they may become demented."

Hearing the doctor's words, how can we try this case? We don't know how to arrange it. Just when we were in a dilemma, the governor Song came out from the inner room and asked impatiently:

"What's going on? Why is there so much noise?"

Looking at the two people still lying on the ground, with brocade wrapped around their heads, looking badly injured, he asked again;

"Who is fighting?"

Jia Qiang wanted to tell Qianqian what had happened, but Captain Jiang took the lead and stepped forward, pulling Lord Song aside and whispering in his ear:
"Sir Song, it was the children of the Jia family who fought each other, and they killed each other, and a lot of things were exposed. I was afraid that the matter would get bigger, so I detained the people first."

"Oh, Jia's family, but Rongguo Mansion?"

Lord Song immediately thought of Rongguo Mansion. There was only one Jia family in the capital now, and that was Rongguo Mansion. It was unknown what Ningguo Mansion would become in the future. Therefore, everyone in the capital knew about Rongguo Mansion, which represented the Jia family.
"Yes, Lord Song, it's about the Rongguo Mansion. It's said that the master's family didn't allow the children of the family to take the imperial examination, and the children of the family made trouble, saying that they had no way to serve the country. Moreover, they also said that the master's master Zhu died strangely after passing the imperial examination. Do you think these things can cause trouble at this critical moment? Now, there are still many people making noise over in Ningrong Street."

Song Changping didn't take it seriously. When he heard about the special punishment, he couldn't help but shudder. When he heard that there was no way to serve the country, his face turned pale and he stared at Captain Jiang as if he wanted to eat him.
"You are so bold that you have to report everything to the government. Why did you bring these people back? Don't you want to die? You are an old man too. How can you do anything?"

Although he was complaining, he was thinking of a solution quickly in his heart. Now he didn't know if he could keep it a secret. He suppressed his thoughts, but when he thought of the Imperial City Guards who had not yet evacuated in Dongcheng Town, he got a headache again. How could he hide it from them when these people were there? Even a dog's nose was not as sensitive as theirs.

I still need to discuss this with an adult.
"Captain Jiang, keep an eye on them first. As for these people, don't let them run around. I'll go to the backyard to discuss this with the adults."

"Yes, Lord Song,"

Captain Jiang clasped his fists in response.

As for Lord Song, he walked down the stairs with a grim look on his face and went to the backyard.

It is said that Lord Xu, the governor of Shuntian Prefecture, has become increasingly listless. These days, he has been drinking to drown his sorrows, and he is always thinking about the fugitive woman from the north. How could such a good woman be lost in his mansion? He has been listless and rarely leaves the house. He had thought before that he would take her as a concubine on an auspicious day.
If I had known this earlier, why would I have looked for a time? I would have taken her directly to my room. Suddenly, I thought of Luo Yunhou. Could it be that he was attracted by her beauty and secretly took the woman away? Thinking that this woman came from the north and could sing northern folk songs, it must have aroused Luo Yunhou's homesickness.

She won't come openly, and I don't know if she will come secretly. But on second thought, although Marquis Luo Yun is lustful, he likes stunning beauties. This woman is so ordinary, how can he be attracted by her? Even if he is attracted, he is only attracted by her voice. Thinking of this, Lord Xu couldn't sit still. For a moment, he didn't know what to do. How can he find out the truth about the Marquis' Mansion?

Thinking about this,

Hearing the noise outside, he became even more furious. He stood up drunk and angrily went to the front hall to see what was going on.

Just left the house,
on the path,
When he met the governor Song Changping, who was walking quickly, he shouted:

"My lord, my lord, something bad has happened to the Jia family on Ningrong Street. The Rongguo Mansion actually stopped the family members from participating in the imperial examination. When the family members' children made a fuss, they even beat them to death. Now the news has spread."

I thought it was a huge trouble.

Who knows,

Lord Xu Jiaqing suddenly woke up with a start, his eyes lit up. There is always a way out, whatever you wish for will come true!
(End of this chapter)