Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 732 Xue Pan is confused

Under the city of Chizhou,

the fire blazed into the sky,

The White Lotus Sect's troops had already taken control of the city, and the defending general Tang Qingbao had already surrendered with his soldiers. The words just now made Bai Shuiyue feel that the opportunity was right in front of him, a godsend opportunity.

"Since General Tang can think clearly and restore order, I will accept you. However, what about the other two cities?"

"Please rest assured, Master. I will lead the troops there, and everything will be accomplished smoothly. However, Master, I have a request. Please do not confiscate my property. The silver I have collected did not come easily."

With a face full of grievance, he begged Bai Shuiyue to show mercy. He really wanted money over his life.
"Okay, as long as we take over the two cities, your Tang family's things will not be touched, and you will be in charge of the government affairs of the three cities. However, we will be responsible for the garrison and tax collection. As for the government, Lao Ying, arrange for our own people to go there."

"Yes, Master."

Yingxian just realized the leader's plan, which was to train his own officials. Tang Qingbao, who was standing there, knelt down and kowtowed.
"Thank you for your kindness, Master. There is no time to waste. Master, this place is not far from the county town. If we gallop, it will only take one day. It is better to go there overnight. The earlier the better. Jiangzhou is a little far away, but we will definitely receive news within three days."

Without waiting for Bai Shuiyue to speak, Tang Qingbao started to make arrangements on his own. Ying Xiancai was still a little unconvinced and looked at the leader to inquire, but saw Bai Shuiyue nodded.
"Let Zhu Jianming divide his troops, send 10,000 troops to Jiangzhou directly, and let him personally lead 30,000 troops to the county city. After taking it, stay there to guard it. Lao Ying, you and I will lead 5,000 elite troops and go back overnight. The fun in Jingnan should begin."

"Yes, Master, I obey your command."

Ying Xiancai's face darkened. Time waits for no one. The overall situation in Qiongshan County has been decided, but the future of southern Beijing is still unknown. Although everyone is watching the Taiping Sect's troops and the imperial army to fight to the death, the White Lotus Sect is not a pushover either. Runan will definitely be taken.

The silent night passed by quietly.
All the plots and intrigues are hidden in the darkness,

Beijing,

After a night's rest, the city regained its vitality, but the morning light faded, and thick clouds pressed over the capital. A drizzle fell from the sky, landing on the tiles on the roofs of the capital, wetting the rain and creating layers of crystal clear water droplets, reflecting a faint light.
Hanyuan Hall,
In the central tent, Zhang Jinyu got up sleepily. He almost didn't sleep last night. Many officials came in and settled in rooms. It was already three o'clock in the morning. The key point was that the three princes brought almost nothing with them. They came here stupidly. Zhang Jinyu immediately arranged Ningbian to settle the three of them in one tent, and asked Xiangyang Hou to do nothing but sleep with the three brothers. Including him, there were four people in one tent.
I don't know what His Majesty is thinking. Is the purpose of calling the three princes to supervise the candidates or to monitor himself? Isn't that just causing trouble?

Yawning, Zhang Jinyu took the water bag and took a sip of water. Then he washed his face with the water. He felt much more awake. Then he straightened his clothes and

Then he lifted the curtain and walked out. Not far away, several large pots were set up with flames rising. They were used to cook porridge. Looking at the side hall, many officials had just gotten up to wash.
"My Lord, you are awake. I am cooking the porridge. It will be ready soon. I also steamed some crispy meat for you."

Ning Bian pointed to several large pots in the west, and saw a steamer covering one of the pots. It must have been hard work for them.
"Divide the food into several portions and send them to the three princes and Marquis Xiangyang. Send one portion to Lord Chu Nian as well. Take out the naan, pickles, and cooked meat and give the brothers a good meal. We have things to do today."

"Yes, Lord Marquis,"

Ning Bian clasped his fists and sent someone to make arrangements. Zhang Jinyu took a look and asked;

"All arrangements have been made for the three princes,"

"My Lord, everything has been arranged. They will all be guarded by the royal guards. If you hadn't asked me to bring more tents, I'm afraid they wouldn't be enough. But the tents used to store food are gone. It's raining today."

Ning Bian was helpless. Last night, he finally managed to move the sundries out of the tent. This morning, the sky was not only overcast, but it also started to rain. He didn't know if it would rain heavily.

"Why are you so stupid? Aren't there still some vacant rooms in those side halls? Arrange people to move now. There are still several days left. What will we eat if the food goes bad?"

Zhang Jinyu glanced at the supplies on the open ground. They were covered with tarpaulin, but it was only for light rain. If it got heavy, all the supplies would be gone.

"Yes, Lord, come here, hurry up and move all the things to the side hall, everyone come here."

Ning Bian shouted, and a large number of personal soldiers gathered around, hurriedly carrying the things onto the car and transporting them over. It was a mess, and Zhang Jinyu had a headache looking at it.
Not long after,
But the eldest prince Zhou Ding, dressed in luxurious robes and holding a folding fan, came out and shouted towards us;

"My Lord, what are you doing?"

Zhang Jinyu turned around and saw the trouble. He looked like a decent person and was holding a folding fan. He was not going to a brothel. He was very upset.

"It's your Highness. I greet you."

When the man came closer, Zhang Jinyu bowed. After all, they were the emperor and his subject. The eldest prince quickly raised his hands.
"You are too polite, Commander-in-Chief. I got up early, so I hope I didn't disturb you, Lord."

How could Zhou Ding dare to really let Marquis Luo Yun perform the ceremony? His mother had instructed him not to put on airs in front of Marquis Luo Yun. But the Marquis was a little unhappy, and he didn't think it was because of him.

"That's not true, Your Highness. One more person means more strength. After the examinees enter, Your Highness, please take people to patrol to see if there are any smugglers. Of course, they will be checked before entering the hall. We are just taking precautions."

Zhang Jinyu had no choice but to explain. If the three of them were left with nothing to do, they might get into trouble again. It would be better to assign work to them so that they would have something to do.
Just thinking,

The other two princes also rushed over excitedly and asked anxiously;

"Great Commander, this won't do. My elder brother is going to inspect the examinations. What are we going to do? You won't favor us, will you?"

The little fat man who was talking was naturally the second prince Zhou Chong, who came over with a bulging belly. Behind him was the third prince Zhou Long, who didn't say much but kept yawning, obviously not awake yet. At the end was the Marquis of Xiangyang, who had a pair of panda eyes and was obviously not asleep.

Seeing Bai Guangju's look, Zhang Jinyu felt secretly happy. Fortunately, he was assigned to the position.
"Greetings, Second Prince and Third Prince. I have just made arrangements. Two people are needed to inspect the examination. The First Prince and the Second Prince will go. The Third Prince will have it easier. There are several large pots on the west side. The Third Prince will supervise them and make sure the food is cooked well. Otherwise, we will go hungry."

It wasn't that Zhang Jinyu did this on purpose. The first and second princes were obviously restless. The third prince liked quietness, was young, and was sleepy, so this was an excuse.

The three of them listened to Zhang Jinyu's arrangement and were all delighted.

"Your Highnesses, don't be in a hurry. Wash up first, then drink some porridge and eat something. I think it will be late by then, and the examinees will be here. The three of you will follow me and inspect first, okay?"

After Zhang Jinyu finished speaking, he winked at the Marquis of Xiangyang behind him. Seeing this, Bai Guangju nodded, knowing what the Marquis meant.
The three princes were obviously interested. They had always known that the imperial examinations were strictly enforced, but they didn't know how strict the law was. Today they decided to take a good look.

The three of them actually responded with disciple etiquette,
"Receive the order,"

It looked so presentable, which made Zhang Jinyu feel relieved. It was easy to take it with him, otherwise, he would really send it back to His Majesty. Seeing more and more officials coming out of the side hall, he thought that they had finished their meal, so he shouted loudly,
"Hurry up, let's eat. After eating, everyone should do their job."

moment,

Whether it was the officials or the soldiers, their steps quickened.

"Your Highness, let's go back to the big tent and have some food."

"it is good,"

The three of them nodded, and followed Marquis Luo Yun to the central tent. Their personal soldiers brought a large plate of white porridge, hot naan, crispy meat and pickled vegetables.

As soon as the three of them sat down, they saw that they had to eat these in the morning. Such simple meals were something they had never seen before. In the palace and the prince's mansion, not to mention the fine clothes and delicious food, even in the morning, there were all kinds of snacks and buns. How could there be only these black-looking things? They immediately lost their appetite.

Zhang Jinyu simply paid no attention to it. It was up to him to eat it or not. The officials hadn't had anything to eat yet. He first picked up the porridge and slurped two mouthfuls. Then he picked up the naan, put a few pieces of crispy meat and pickles in it, and took a bite. He was so savoring it.

While eating, he said;

"Your Highness, whether you eat or not, that's all. We have to stay here for seven days. The Dragon Gate will not be opened within three days, so just make do with it." These words of consolation were also words. After all, it was past mealtime and there was nothing to eat. We could only eat cold food. There was no time for lunch yet.
"My Lord, please be at ease. I can eat."

The eldest prince Zhou Ding reached out and took a piece of naan, imitating Marquis Luo Yun, and wrapped the meat and vegetables in it. He took a bite and found that it was not that bad.

When the other two saw this, they could only follow suit and started eating in small bites. They felt uncomfortable in their hearts because their father didn't tell them that there was nothing to eat here.

While several people were having dinner,
Many officials outside had finished their meal and gathered in groups of three or four. The young censors in particular were very excited.
At that moment, Yan Cong also came out from the side hall. As soon as he walked out of the door, he was pulled by Qi Liang and Lu An.

"Brother Yan, I finally found you,"

Qi Liang sighed, pulled Yan Cong to the side, and made way for the gate.

"That's right. If it wasn't so late last night, the three of us could have just stayed together."

Lu An also complained, but it was too late and he had no time to look for it. Yan Cong smiled slightly and bowed.

"My dear friends, I didn't thank you last time. I feel ashamed to see you now."

Although the three of them were close friends, Yan Cong felt a little guilty because he almost implicated two of them last time. Moreover, he was afraid of implicating others because of the Ningguo Mansion incident, so he had not looked for them until now.

"Brother Yan, this is wrong. If we retreat when faced with difficulties, how can we be regarded as scholars?"

Qi Liang didn't care. Nowadays, who are the censors in the capital afraid of? It seems that many officials in the capital are afraid of them. It was Brother Yan who changed the situation by himself.

"That's right. I just don't know what the Marquis thinks. There is something strange about this year's imperial examination. You saw it. Just now, I seemed to see three princes in the big tent."

Lu An did not say anything polite, but told what he had just seen. The figures of the three princes also startled him.
"What? The three princes are here too. Is this true?"

Qi Liang was also a little surprised. He stretched his head and looked towards the big tent, but saw patrolling soldiers walking back and forth and didn't see anything at all.

"Why would I lie to you? Don't you see the Imperial Guards and the Imperial City Bureau over there?"

Lu An pointed his finger and saw a group of imperial guards and people from the Imperial City Department lined up outside a large tent. It was obviously different from the ordinary ones.

Yan Cong also looked over there and saw that it was indeed the case.

"My two friends, please be careful when you inspect the exams. I think this year's exam will not be easy."

"This"

Rongguo Mansion,
The sky was bright, but the drizzle outside made people feel gloomy.
Li Wan and Madam You and the others got up early, and woke up Lang Ge'er as well. They glanced out the window and saw that it was still raining.
Li Wan leaned against the window, staring at the sky outside. From time to time, thunder could be heard from the gloomy sky.
"Suyun, have you packed your things? Bring an oil umbrella and a raincoat for Lang'er."

"Yes. Grandma, everything has been packed, and Lang'er has already had his meal. Should we go to Lixiang Garden now or at noon?"

Suyun's voice came from the hall. On the bench in the flower hall, there were two large packages, one containing writing brushes, inkstones, and paper, and the other containing food wrapped in a fox fur robe. There was also an oil umbrella leaning against the chair.

At this time, Madam You also came over from the flower hall.

"Sister, are you worried?"

Hear the voice,

Li Wan looked back and saw Madam You in bright yellow clothes, with a worried look on her face. She had troubled Sister-in-law You a lot in the past few days.

"I am a little worried. I didn't expect that it would be cloudy and rainy today, even though it was sunny yesterday. It looks like it's going to rain soon."

"Hey, don't worry, we have a carriage to escort you. Don't worry. Just now a maid came back and said that there was some movement in the old lady's room. I think Mr. Bao has also gotten up."

It seemed like a reminder. After all, the old lady and the others didn't know that Lang'er went to Enke.
Li Wan suddenly came to her senses. It was time to leave early. The sooner the better. She should leave while no one else was out.
"Sister-in-law You, keep an eye on the yard. I'll take Brother Lan over there."

"Well, walk slowly, the road is slippery."

Madam You gave her instructions, and Li Wan did not delay any longer. She called Suyun and Biyue, and told Lang'er to go out. But as soon as she opened the door, she was stopped by Nanny Wang.
"Grandma, the roads are slippery on rainy days. You should rest in the house. Let the servants handle these things."

Nanny Wang's eyes gleamed. The two maids behind her had already carried their packages on their backs without feeling any encumbrance. They were obviously trained martial artists. Li Wan saw this and understood Nanny Wang's intentions. However, she was worried and could not answer for a while. Nanny Wang said again when she saw this.
"Don't worry, Madam. I'll have the two maids escort Lan Ge'er there personally. Your health is more important now, so I dare not leave your side even a step."

It couldn't be made clearer. Li Wan also knew the nanny's worries and could only nod.

"Suyun, take them along the path we took that day to Lixiang Garden. Once you get there, just follow the instructions. You go with them and come back after you've sent them off."

"I understand, young lady. Don't worry, I understand."

Suyun nodded, holding Lang'er's hand, and went out first with an umbrella. Jia Lan was also a little nervous, so he said goodbye to his mother and followed her out.
After a while,
The rain gradually got heavier, the mist rose, and no one could be seen. Li Wan leaned on the doorstep for a long time, staring at the direction of the courtyard gate.

"Don't worry, Grandma. Lang'er will definitely pass the provincial examination."

It's not that Nanny Wang is good at talking, but Nanny Wang feels that with the Marquis there, it's up to the Marquis to decide whether it will be successful or not. When outside the Great Wall, it only takes a word for the Marquis to arrange a general, or a prefect, or a governor, so she doesn't think it's that difficult.

Li Wan smiled bitterly, said nothing more, nodded, closed the door and returned to the inner room.
Only in the Pear Fragrance Garden,

Aunt Xue stood in front of the table, looking at Xue Pan who looked lazy, and couldn't help scolding;

"You bastard, I told you to get up, but you took so long to get up. Even when you got up to wash up, your sister brought you water. Apart from anything else, the Nancheng Restaurant has been renovated. I'll ask the housekeeper to take a look first, and then you can pick a good day to open it. The staff will all be people we brought from Jiangnan."

After a while of chattering, Xue Pan's sleepy eyelids fluttered and he went to bed a little late.

"I know, mom. As for the restaurant, you can let your sister take care of it first. If it doesn't work, open it first. I'll go take a look when I'm free. Also, what's the matter today that woke you up so early? I'm sleepy."

Xue Pan was still sitting there carefree, holding the bowl of porridge and taking a sip, then he grabbed a large piece of meat and put it into his mouth. He didn't know when he started to like eating greasy food for breakfast. As the saying goes, eating meat in the morning can fill your stomach for the whole day, and a full meal will keep you from feeling hungry for the whole day.
Aunt Xue felt a little distressed when she saw this, but she didn't know how to start what she wanted to say. Only Xue Baochai, who was sitting next to her, seemed to be used to what was happening in front of her. She held the bowl, drank the porridge in small sips, and ate some pickles.

"Brother, this is the Marquis's Eight Treasure Pickles. Eating some of it will at least satisfy your craving."

Xue Baochai hinted at something. When Xue Pan heard that it was something from the Marquis' Mansion, he shuddered reflexively. The meat in his mouth suddenly didn't taste good. He didn't like those pickles at all. He had no choice but to put down the big piece of meat in his hand, and without chopsticks, he directly reached out and grabbed a small handful from the plate and put it into his mouth. He thought it would taste bad, but it was surprisingly fragrant. He drank a mouthful of porridge and it tasted different.
"Sister, you know what, pickles and white porridge are absolutely delicious."

Upon hearing Xue Pan's praise, Xue Baochai smiled and suddenly said,

"That's good. Brother, prepare today. When you go to Hanyuan Palace for the imperial examination, bring pickles and naan with you. It will only take you three days."

"Uh-huh!"

(End of this chapter)