Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 859: Confused at night and shocked during the day
"Ding, slam the palace gate shut."

As the sound of the gong came to life,
The palace gate slowly closed, and the imperial guards who were guarding the city were divided into two groups, standing guard inside and outside. The people inside left the main gate, and only the side door was half open.

Jia's mother and her group went out from the side door.

After leaving the palace, he gave a few instructions and arranged for the people to return. After all, it was night and it was not necessary to stay in the palace for long.
At this time, the night is as if the dark clouds have all gone, leaving only a bright moon hanging in the sky, just like daytime, shining on people, and making people feel so comfortable.
Just when the Jia family left,
However, this news spread very quickly in the harem. After all, there were many concubines and spies inside the harem gate.
The first place to receive the news was Kunning Palace.

Empress Jiang Yuqing had just finished her meal and was learning embroidery in her room when a palace maid came to report. Chunhe went outside to inquire. After hearing the news, her eyes condensed and she was a little shocked. Jia Yuanchun was actually made a noble concubine.
"Go back and keep watching. This will be credited to you."

"Thank you, Minister. I will be there soon."

There was a sound of footsteps, and the people were sent away first. Chunhe sorted out her thoughts. She had always heard that Concubine Zhou was promoted to concubine, but she never thought that it would be Jia Yuanchun, who she had lived with day and night before. No wonder she was arranged to go out and live alone in a palace. Although no one was arranged to serve her, she didn't know what impact it would have on the queen.
Then he returned to the inner temple.

"My lady, it's late at night and the lights are dim. It's not good to hurt your eyes."

"Well, that's true. I've been in the palace for a long time and it's too quiet. It's hard to kill time if I don't find something to do. If I don't do it, then I won't do it."

Empress Jiang put down the half-embroidered Shu brocade in her hand and wore a crimson brocade robe with a golden phoenix. Under the candlelight, it seemed as if it would flap its wings and fly into the sky at any time. The collar and cuffs were trimmed with a circle of white fox hair, which set off the strand of black hair that fell on it, giving off a warm and moving charm.
Chun He came forward, put away the empress's embroidery, placed it on the table on the right, and brought a bowl of ginseng soup to the empress.
"My lady, please drink a bowl of the ginseng soup."

"it is good,"

Jiang Yuqing took the soup bowl, stirred it with a spoon, and took a sip. It was quite warm. Seeing the queen drink it, Chunhe smiled and told her the news she had just received.
"My lady, my spy just reported that the old lady of Rongguo Mansion came with her family to kneel down and thank God for His grace. She also knelt down three times in front of the harem gate to thank God for His grace. She said that Jia Yuanchun was given the title of Imperial Concubine and Virtuous Concubine."

Chun He was also extremely surprised when she first heard the news. Now that it was said, Queen Jiang was only slightly stunned for a moment and continued to drink the ginseng soup. After a while, she put down the bowl and praised;
"It's a good item. This person is from outside the customs."

"My Lady, it is a tribute from outside the Great Wall."

Chunhe didn't understand what the Queen was doing.

Seeing Chunhe's puzzled look, Empress Jiang also wanted to tease her, but when she thought of the four maids following her closely, she felt that it would be a pity to waste her talent and looks if she stayed in the palace at her age. Who could understand the difficulties of the harem?

"Well, Yuanchun will be made a concubine, and this is a matter of course. I arranged for her to go out alone so that everyone would notice it. As for the rumor that Concubine Zhou was going to be made a concubine, it was also spread by the Inner Court's Ministry of Ceremonies. I think it was done by Your Majesty. Since she has been made a concubine, you must know the etiquette when you meet her in the future. I will send some gifts to her tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Madam, Yuanchun has finally gotten what she wanted."

Chun He muttered to herself, and suddenly thought of Luo Yunhou's figure in her heart. How could she forget his rogue appearance during those times? The jade pendant he gave her was still hanging on her chest.

Queen Jiang saw his dazed look and seemed to be thinking about something.
"Chun He, who are you thinking of?"

"No, I haven't thought about anything. I'm just thinking about tomorrow's outfit. I'll let you change your appearance and bring all the things you've prepared. I'm just waiting for your Majesty to make arrangements. But the poetry meeting will be in the evening, so I don't know what it will be like."

When asked by the empress, Chun He blushed immediately. Thinking that she would have to leave the palace tomorrow, she suddenly felt very happy. She twisted her hands together.
Seeing this, Queen Jiang did not ask any further questions and smiled;
"Okay, a poetry gathering is a poetry gathering. You should prepare a change of clothes early. Wait until tomorrow to see when Luo Yunhou will come. When he comes, you can leave."

As for the palaces of other concubines, it was late at night and many people had already gone to bed.

Luoyunhou Mansion,

East Garden Main House,

Zhang Jinyu and Qin Keqing, with Baozhu's help, finished washing up and returned to the inner hall of the East Warm Pavilion to rest.

Just lying down, Zhang Jinyu hasn't started yet,
He heard a knock on the door outside. The hand on Qin Keqing's body trembled, and his face was full of anger. Who is so blind? But suddenly he thought that some of the things he had arranged before seemed to have received news.
His face turned red, thinking that he was shooting himself in the foot, he pulled his hand back and whispered;
"Madam, please take a nap first. I will be back soon."

I took the robe from the bedside and hurried to the outer hall. Inside the door, the little girl Baozhu and several inner hall maids were blocking the way. What was going on?
"Hey, get out of the way first,"

"Son-in-law, it's the middle of the night, how can this happen?"

Baozhu pouted. It was not easy for the son-in-law and the young lady to sleep together for one night, but then something disturbing happened.

"You dead girl, what do you know?"

Zhang Jinyu glared at the little girl and told her to open the door. Baozhu reluctantly gave way and opened the door.
Outside, Ning Bian looked a little embarrassed, and a few servants looked anxious. They must have come back from gathering information.

Zhang Jinyu wrapped his robe tightly, took a step forward, and asked quickly;

"What news did you hear?"

Seeing the Marquis asking questions, the servants were so scared that they didn't dare to answer. Ning Bian was so angry when he saw how cowardly they were, that he raised his leg and was about to kick them.
Zhang Jinyu however stretched out his hand to stop him and scolded him;
"What are you doing? I'll give them a reward later. It's understandable that they're running in such a hurry."

When the three servants heard the Marquis's kindness, their knees softened and they knelt down and kowtowed. The leader replied:
"My Lord, I ran so fast that I had a little hysteria. I found out the news that my Lord asked me to find out. The team that went to the palace was led by Xia Zongguan from the Six Capitals of the Inner Court. They went to Rongguo Mansion to read the imperial edict, saying that Jia Yuanchun of Rongguo Mansion was to be appointed as a concubine."

"Yes, my Lord, it seems that she was given the title of Imperial Concubine, and the title was Concubine Xian De."

Another person behind him quickly added, and the last servant, fearing that he would be blamed by the Marquis if he did not speak, quickly spoke up as well.

"My Lord, when we came back, the head of Rongguo Mansion took a sedan chair to the palace to express his gratitude."

The three people's words made everyone around them understand that after all this time, wealth and honor had fallen into the hands of the Rongguo Mansion. Even the little maid Baozhu in the room opened her eyes wide with disbelief on her face.
Zhang Jinyu's mouth twitched. It was so soon. There was no sign that Jia Yuanchun would be made a concubine, and she hadn't heard the emperor or the empress mention it. She remembered when Jia Yuanchun was made a concubine in "A Dream of Red Mansions". She couldn't remember the exact time, but the construction of the Grand View Garden shouldn't be too late. She wondered if there would be any more of these things. After all, the money in the Ning and Rong mansions was almost gone.

"My Lord, in this case, Rongguo Mansion will be a royal family. I'm afraid that after the nobles gain power, we will have to deal with Jia Zhen's exile..."

Ning Bian also had a worried look on his face. In the blink of an eye, the status of the Jia family in the capital had changed. They were extremely wealthy. Even if Jia Zhen was exiled, he was still the main branch of the Jia family.
"What are you worried about? Follow the plan and act quickly and accurately. As for Rongguo Mansion, prepare the gifts from the Marquis' Mansion and send them over early tomorrow morning."

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

Ning Bian clasped his fists and replied, "It seems that the Marquis has made up his mind. It is better to make arrangements as soon as possible. I am afraid that Shen Baoan will not be able to do it."
Seeing the three men still kneeling there, Ning Bian took out some silver, gave it to the three men, and asked them to leave. However, after the leading servant took the silver and thanked them, he hesitated and turned back.
"My Lord, I have something to report."

"Oh, what else, tell me?"

Zhang Jinyu was still thinking about the Rongguo Mansion. Seeing the servant who had left come back, he asked casually,
"My Lord, there is one more thing. It is not about Rongguo Mansion, but about Jia Rong of Ningguo Mansion. I heard rumors from the people on the street that Jia Rong took his servants and started to move out of Ningguo Mansion overnight and moved to the Nantou Mansion. They said that they were dividing the family."

"It's true. Jia Rong agreed to split the family. The old lady is really capable." At this moment, Zhang Jinyu really had to admire the old lady's skills. She could make Jia Rong move out willingly. It seemed that she had given him a lot of benefits. The servant in front of her was also a thoughtful person.
"what's your name?"

"Uh, my Lord, everyone in the mansion is calling for my Guanyan."

The servant was overjoyed and quickly knelt on the ground and kowtowed. Zhang Jinyu touched his chin and found that he was really as good as his name, observing people's words and expressions.

"What a good name. People say that people who read people's expressions are good at reading people's minds. Today is your good fortune. You will be a steward first. Lead the two in front of you and keep an eye on the Jia family and Jia Rong for me. Write down everything you do on a daily basis and report to me if you have any problems. Tomorrow, go to the steward to exchange your badge and your monthly salary will be doubled."

"Thank you for your kindness, my lord. I will remember it in my heart!"

As the servant once again knelt down to thank him, Zhang Jinyu waved his hand and went back into the house.
Baozhu pouted and closed the door. In the courtyard, only the guards were still standing there.

Into the inner room,

Zhang Jinyu took off his robe, opened the quilt and crawled in. He felt a plump and warm body in his arms, and his heart was moved. Just as he was about to make a move, he was stopped by a pair of jade hands.

"My dear, you just went out, but what did you ask? I also want to know, where did the team go?"

Nowadays, Qin Keqing was also curious about these things. After all, the wives of noble families, dukes, marquises and earls sent letters to her house to talk about family matters and interesting things in the capital. Qin Keqing also replied with a letter from the mansion. As a result, even the wife of the Marquis Zhongjing of the Shi family and the second daughter of the Lang family started talking to her. Qin Keqing also took a look at the visiting cards from the mansions of the Duke of Zhenguo and other dukes. The exchange of gifts never stopped.

Zhang Jinyu, how could you leave?

"You are actually concerned about these things. The congratulatory team outside just now has been found out. They are going to Rongguo Mansion. It is said that Jia Yuanchun, the eldest daughter of Rongguo Mansion, has been named a noble concubine. It seems that Rongguo Mansion has risen to the top overnight and become a royal family. Tsk tsk."

Zhang Jinyu couldn't help but sigh, should she congratulate the Rongguo Mansion or should she heave a sigh? Jia Yuanchun was made a concubine, and most of the friendship of her ancestors was used up. After all, all the concubines in the harem had their families supporting them. It was glorious, but all kinds of intrigues came into the picture. Especially since the younger generation of the Jia family had no one to take the lead, they could not stand in the palace.

"Why do you react like this, my dear? Not everyone can be a royal relative. This way, Rongguo Mansion will be in full bloom, double the joy. Tomorrow, the Marquis' Mansion will prepare a gift to send."

Qin Keqing was puzzled. It was a happy occasion, but why did her husband say something so unpleasant?

"It's up to you. I don't have any thoughts. The wealth of Rongguo Mansion is just like flowers and brocade, and there are many favors. But you have heard that everything will decline after reaching its peak. Since the palace has made Yuanchun a noble concubine, where did such a great favor come from? It's the grace of the ancestors. This is considered as repaying the favor. In the harem, without some tricks, the situation cannot be stabilized."

Zhang Jinyu had no time to ask her any questions. The time had come.
"Hey, wait a minute, slave."

At dawn,

The Jiangnan city of Jinling, which had been silent all night, seemed to be gradually waking up from a deep sleep. The bluestone pavement was gleaming green in the dim light.

Suddenly, a loud crowing of a cock broke the momentary silence. Following the crowing of the cock, the streets and alleys gradually became noisy. The early risers, the porters and woodcutters who were preparing to leave the city had eaten early, brought water, and went out of the city to find a living.
but,

Suddenly, there was a loud thunder and dark clouds spread over a hundred miles. The south of the Yangtze River, which had just been sunny for a few days, suddenly became gloomy. A few more lightning flashes streaked across the sky and heavy rain poured down. Those who had gotten up early immediately packed up their things to hide from the rain.

Jinling prefectural government office,

Tongpan Ma Guangcheng looked gloomy, looking at the heavy rain outside. He never expected that even if he sent soldiers to trample the fields, there would still be so many people who disagreed with planting mulberry trees. They were simply unruly people. Time was getting closer and closer, early May, and summer was about to begin. If they dragged their feet any longer, not only would the food be gone, but the mulberry trees would also be gone, not to mention any raw silk.

Seeing this, should we kill a chicken to scare the monkey? Unfortunately, although they are the soldiers borrowed from Yangzhou, if we really give the order, General Xiang will not agree. Even Eunuch Yang will not agree. But now,

He frowned. Did he really have to dig the canal embankment? This would be extremely dangerous. If things went wrong, his life and property would be in danger.

I wanted to ask the prefect, but unfortunately, he backed down because of the difficulty. Only the cowardly deputy magistrate Hu Wenxuan was left, who only knew how to nod and fawn behind my back. It seems that I have to find a way myself.

By chance, outside the government office, a manager came to report;
"Report, sir, word has been sent from Lord Jing's mansion that the people of Anning County and Shangyu County have gathered at the government office to cause trouble again. The county magistrates Tang Qingwen and Li Zhengchuan are not concerned with worldly affairs and are writing memorials to send to the capital. The county magistrate of Chunyang County has been transferred to the Jinling official warehouse grain station. Now the magistrate positions of Chunyang County and Yongning County are vacant, and they can only wait for the Ministry of Personnel in the capital to fill the positions. No one has asked about the remaining government orders, so Lord Jing brought the message."

The manager looked pale. Although he didn't know what happened, the messenger didn't dare to look up. Everyone in Jinling City knew about the things happening in Jiangnan.

"What did you say?"

Ma Guangcheng asked coldly with a gloomy face. The steward couldn't help but shiver and replied;
"Your Excellency, Lord Jing said that in the prefectural office, only Lord Ma is talented. Lord Jia, the prefect, is timid and is now focusing on the jade mining in Jiangbei. Although Lord Hu, the co-prefect, has taken over the tax collectors, that will be a matter for the future. The entire Jiangnan Dynasty's policies still need Lord Ma's efforts. This is what Eunuch Yang hopes for. If you don't make a decision, you will suffer the consequences!"

"Hmph, what a good saying. If you hesitate to make a decision, you will suffer the consequences. I'm afraid Lord Jing can't hold on any longer. You should go back."

"Thank you, sir,"

Just as the steward was about to leave, Ma Guangcheng stopped him again;
"Wait, go call Feng Si and Li San over."

"Yes, sir."

The steward nodded quickly, turned around and left, calling the patrol chiefs, Feng Si, and Li Si, in the back hall.

The two men and Lord Ma were old acquaintances. They were both famous bandits in Xihe County. They saved Lord Ma's relatives on the canal and got to know Ma Guangcheng. After a few visits, they were summoned to the police station to serve as fugitives. After a few years, they became leaders and their subordinates came to them one after another to help Lord Ma solve many problems. This time, they were obviously using the same old tricks again.

Only they can do such a thing.
The two of them walked into the house in the rain, each clasping their fists. Li San smiled slightly and asked first;
"Greetings, sir. What do you want me to do?"

The two were familiar with the process. After all, the matter they were going to do might not be Lord Ma's. Ordinary matters were also conveyed by Lord Ma. After the matter was completed, they could get a lot of reward money, which would make them rich for many years. Therefore, since Lord Ma had called them, it was obvious that the matter was a bit tricky.
"Well, there are some things I need you to do, and you have to do it quickly and secretly. I have already said that this matter must not be disclosed. Here is the silver you need, you can divide it among yourselves."

After saying that, he took out five thousand taels of silver from his bosom and placed it on the table, pushing it forward. This action actually shocked the two. What could be done with five thousand taels of silver? In the past, it was nothing more than threatening merchants and defrauding people, which were all tens or dozens of taels of silver. There were cases of more than a hundred taels of silver, but they were few after all. Now, five thousand taels of silver was so huge that it might cost someone's life.

The two looked solemn. Feng Si was confused and had some questions. He said;

"I don't know what the master needs me to do, but five thousand taels of silver is not something I can take."

Although they wanted to refuse, they did not dare to disagree. In Jinling, their supporter was Lord Ma. Without Lord Ma's care, how could they go back to that remote place and become bandits? After all, in Jinling, they already had a house, a wife, and children.

"This is the hard work fee. If you succeed, you will get another 5,000 taels of silver. It's not a big deal. It's raining heavily now, and the water level of the canal is high. Many embankments are dilapidated and will eventually break. There is no one to take care of the upstream of Anning County, so it will break."

The words sounded somewhat casual, but the two people in the hall had already turned pale and were trembling with fear!
(End of this chapter)