King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 374 Return to Prince Xiang’s Mansion

[There is a picture easter egg at the end of the chapter, the floor plan of Prince Xiang’s Mansion! 】

When Aunt Xue came to Jia's house, she was naturally entrusted by Baochai to ask her sister, Mrs. Wang, for help.

Now that the greetings were over, Aunt Xue was silent for a few moments, then she looked at her sister and said, "Madam, do you know that a few days ago, the Ministry of Rites issued an order to select a princess in Gyeonggi and surrounding prefectures and counties!"

Hearing this, Mrs. Wang wondered what this matter had to do with your family.

"It seems like this is the case!"

Picking up the teacup, Aunt Xue took a sip and then said: "My Baochai is already in her prime years, and I intend to send her to run for the princess!"

Hearing this, Mrs. Wang was particularly surprised and even put down the beads in her hand that were chanting constantly.

She almost thought she heard wrongly. Her niece was going to choose the princess. Wasn't she already the princess's attendant?

Thinking of this girl's refusal to be engaged to Baoyu, Mrs. Wang finally understood. It turned out that she didn't like her son at all.

His daughter is the crown princess, and his son is the future uncle of the country. Why should the Xue family look down on her?

Thinking of this, Mrs. Wang became furious, but she still kept calm on the outside.

"Baochai wants to choose the princess, but I'm afraid... it won't be in line with the rules!" Mrs. Wang said slowly.

"Why?"

Mrs. Wang looked at her sister and said slowly: "My brother-in-law died young, and she lost her father when she was young... How can a person who is not blessed be able to enter the royal family?"

One sentence immediately choked Aunt Xue and touched her pain point.

"That's what I said, but..."

"Sister, Baochai is young and confused. Are you also confused?"

Putting on the posture of the eldest sister, Mrs. Wang then lectured: "The same goes for Baochai. After entering the palace and being with the princess, he became aristocratic, so he thought that he too would ascend to heaven!"

"In the final analysis, this so-called royal attendant is just a slave serving the princess!"

To say that Mrs. Wang is really stupid, she just refuses to agree to this matter. She also has to belittle Baochai in public, which does not save her sister any face.

At this moment, Aunt Xue was also aroused with anger, but she had to hold back her displeasure because she was worried that the person in front of her was the princess's mother.

"This is what I mean. It's not that Baochai wants to cling to me. Madam, please don't blame her!"

Mrs. Wang originally liked Baochai very much, but since this girl looked down on her son, she disliked him as much as she liked him before.

The most important thing is that her impulsive words were overheard by a group of girls in the hall. They were only interested in enjoying themselves and did not save any face for their sister.

Aunt Xue's expression was extremely ugly, and she couldn't stay in this place any longer, so she stood up and said goodbye: "It's really presumptuous to come here today. There are still some trivial matters in the house that have not been dealt with, so I can only leave now!"

As if she felt that she had gone too far, Mrs. Wang stood up with a smile and said: "I was a little more outspoken just now, so don't take it to heart... I'm doing it for the sake of Bao girl. She can't make a choice in this situation. Why bother becoming the laughing stock of others!"

Boy, this explanation is more embarrassing than no explanation.

Aunt Xue smiled implicitly, and then left with a few girls.

Although the Jia family was unwilling to help, Aunt Xue felt embarrassed, but it also made her determined not to let Baochai run for the election.

As Mrs. Wang said, if you run for election and lose, you will become the laughing stock of others.

"Don't tell anyone what happened today, otherwise I won't let you go easily!" Mrs. Wang glanced at the girls in the room.

Although the sisterhood was hurt today, it was considered as venting bad temper on Baoyu, which was worth it in Mrs. Wang's opinion.

At worst, she would go to apologize to her sister in person some time later.

But in fact, she herself felt that it was right for Baochai not to run for election. After all, it would be in vain if she did.

"Yes!" The maids agreed.

Let's talk about Aunt Xue leaving Jia's house. She and Baochai made an appointment to receive news in the afternoon, so she could only return home first with resentment.

But what happened at Jia's house, despite Mrs. Wang's strict order not to be reported outside, was spread very quickly and efficiently.

It was noon, and King Rui Zhu Jingyuan had just returned home after entertaining, when he saw Chen Zhi brows happy and playing with the maids.

Seeing that Zhu Jingyuan was back, the maids dispersed to the side, and Chen Zhi also greeted Zhu Jingyuan.

"It's rare to see you so happy!" Zhu Jingyuan said in surprise.

The two walked to the living room together and heard Chen Zhi say: "I heard an interesting thing today!"

"What's the matter?"

After the two sat down, Chen Zhi still couldn't help but smile and said, "I really don't understand why there are such stupid people in the world!"

"What's going on?" Zhu Jingyuan became more and more curious.

Signaling the serving eunuch and maidservant to go down, Chen Zhi just said: "Today there was news from the Rongguo Mansion that the wife of the Xue family in Jinling came to visit and wanted to invite..."

Prince Rui's Mansion already had spies in Rongguo Mansion, and after Yuanchun was granted the title of concubine, more manpower was added, among which Mrs. Wang was the key target of surveillance.

Just because this woman is really stupid is the biggest flaw of the Jia family and Yuanchun.

After telling the story about Rongguo Mansion, Chen Zhi concluded: "Tell me... how could the prince's mother-in-law be so stupid!"

Zhu Jingyuan nodded, but he was not very interested in this matter. After all, it was someone else's family matter, and it would not be able to offend the prince if he put it on the table.

What's more, he was more concerned about another point at the moment.

"You mean... the daughter of the Xue family whose father died young wants to choose the princess?"

"Ok!"

Picking up the teacup, Zhu Jingyuan said in a deep voice: "Then let her choose, the best one can be chosen!"

"Ah? How could she choose someone who lost her father at such a young age!" Chen Zhi poured cold water on him directly.

After blowing on the hot air in the tea cup, Zhu Jingyuan continued: "Didn't you say... Old Thirteen loves this girl very much?"

"Well...that's true!" Chen Zhi nodded.

She went to the palace frequently, and it was certainly obvious.

"So let her choose. If Old Thirteen is stupid, that would be great!" Zhu Jingyuan said solemnly.

Thinking of these days, Zhu Jinghong started military training again, and had constant interactions with generals everywhere every day, which made Zhu Jingyuan extremely vigilant.

If Zhu Jinghong hadn't behaved like a bastard on weekdays, there would have been no chance of succeeding him. Zhu Jingyuan couldn't help but want to deal with him.

Now, knowing that Zhu Jinghong loves Baochai, and that the girl wants to climb a high tree to choose the princess, Zhu Jingyuan can use this matter to test Zhu Jinghong.

Baochai will definitely be able to pass the first few hurdles in the election, but in the end, the emperor will be chosen and he will not let the young fatherless people in.

If Zhu Jinghong could still act foolishly at that time, Zhu Jingyuan would never doubt his ambition again.

"Will Old Thirteen do something stupid for her?" Chen Zhi didn't believe it.

Zhu Jingyuan said slowly: "Let's take this move first. There is no loss for us. We will see the result later!"

"The best result is that Old Thirteen innocently marries the daughter of the Xue family. In this way, he has offended the old man and has to accept our love!"

Although he was shocked by this absurd idea, Chen Zhi is also a very smart person, and then said: "If the Xue family girl is really chosen, because of what happened in Rongguo Mansion today, there will be a conflict between the old thirteenth and the prince... …”

Having said this, Zhu Jingyuan and his wife looked at each other and smiled. This feeling of killing three birds with one stone is certainly not bad.

But she was still a careful woman, so she heard Chen Zhi ask: "But if the thirteenth man doesn't act stupid...this is actually normal!"

Normally, a son would not contradict his father when it comes to marriage matters, especially when his father is still the emperor.

Zhu Jingyuan said, "Did you know that now he has raised a woman in his palace? After this woman became a prisoner, she was going to be sent to the army and exiled, but the old man was saved because of Old Thirteen's strong support."

"Lao Shisan has put a lot of effort into this girl. He was busy with this last year, and even went so far as to clean up the Jia family twice in a row and embarrass the prince..."

Putting down the tea cup, Zhu Jingyuan said slowly: "A woman he has never met a few times can be so painstaking and at all costs... What do you think he can do for this girl from the Xue family?"

Nodding, Chen Zhi finally asked: "This time it's business, it's different after all... What if he does his job honestly?"

Hearing these words, Zhu Jingyuan's eyes flashed with coldness, but he didn't say a word.

………… Even though Zhu Jinghong is jumping up and down, he seems to be supported by a large number of people.

However, because the power was exerted for such a short period of time, the so-called support was largely false. People looked more at the emperor's face, so his base was large but not deep.

If he really wants to solidify his foundation, a large number of generals must be promoted or made rich because of him, and only then can a relatively stable interest alliance be formed.

Of course, when he really gets to that point, Zhu Jinghong will have the ability to change the world, and everything in the world can be said.

The current emperor Zhu Xianming is a living example.

Different from the path taken by Zhu Jinghong, King Rui Zhu Jingyuan ostensibly presided over the revision of books in recent years, but he also used this to establish a large number of personal connections.

He sought out promotions for the officials he interacted with, and spent a lot of money to win people's hearts. He was able to compete with his eldest son, the prince, and he was absolutely powerful both inside and outside the court.

It is precisely because of this that he can easily handle Shui Rong and become a dignified prince.

As for the prince, because of his status as the eldest son, he is widely recognized by the government and the public, and his influence cannot be underestimated.

Of course, all the above were caused by the emperor's connivance. The only real god in the Ming Dynasty was Zhu Xianming.

Now, Zhu Jingyuan feels threatened by Zhu Jinghong again, and it is really easy to attack him.

After all, Zhu Jinghong has too much black material. As long as he can be impeached by Yan Guan and build momentum, he can be easily driven into a place of eternal destruction.

But this would also cause Zhu Jingyuan great losses, so he could not be so "reckless" easily. As long as he confirmed that Zhu Jinghong was a "reckless" person, he could deal with the prince calmly.

Zhu Jinghong didn't know anything about the current plans of Prince Rui's Mansion. At this moment, he was sitting in a sedan chair outside Dong'an Gate under the protection of his guards.

In view of the fact that he had been assassinated twice before, his travel protection this time was stronger, and the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division and the Jinyi Guards all sent people.

Regardless of whether the White Lotus Sect was wiped out, Zhu Jinghong arrived safely this time, and his sedan chair was parked outside the palace gate.

The emperor had asked him to come over before, but after that, he had to do all kinds of chores, and it was only today that he had time to come.

Outside the palace gate, the left, right and nearby areas have been cleared to ensure Zhu Jinghong's absolute safety.

After getting out of the sedan chair, Zhu Jinghong raised his head and looked at the plaque. At this moment, he could only see a piece of red silk.

At this moment, he was wearing a sapphire blue cloud pattern and a black futou hat, almost like an ordinary young man from aristocratic families.

"A lot of people have been harmed for this plaque!" Zhu Jinghong couldn't help but sigh.

But just to express my feelings, there are too many people who deserve pity in this world, and the officials who were punished are by no means the worst among them.

Stepping towards the palace, Zhu Jinghong observed carefully and discovered that the people guarding the palace had been replaced by flag-bearer guards, who were the real palace guards.

"See Thirteenth Master!" The two hundred households saluted respectfully.

"Ok!"

Zhu Jinghong responded and asked, "You have been in the palace for two days. Are you familiar with the situation?"

"Back to the Thirteenth Master, the ministers and others are already familiar with the situation in the palace. Guards have been arranged at all entrances, and several patrol teams have been set up to patrol inside and outside!" Zhang Youliang replied.

Slowly walking up the steps, Zhu Jinghong asked again: "How many people are there every day? How to arrange the rotation!"

Naturally, it is impossible for all of these two hundred guards to be available 24 hours a day, so there must be a scheduling system.

Hu Jinbao followed up and replied: "Reporting to the Thirteenth Master, there are about 130 people on duty every day, and more than 60 people take a break. If there is a major season...all the people will be here!"

Nodding, Zhu Jinghong said: "So...are the guards on duty for three days and one day off? Or four days and two days off?"

Zhu Jinghong easily came to this conclusion based on his mathematical attainments in his previous life.

Hu Jinbao replied: "Back to the Thirteenth Master, I will be on duty for four days and take two days off!"

Four plus two sounds similar to five plus two, but in fact, during the four days that the guards work, they eat, drink, and have sex in the palace, and the working hours are much longer than working from nine to five.

Of course, their job is still in the middle and upper levels of the pyramid in this era, and many people can't ask for benefits.

After asking these things clearly, Zhu Jinghong probably felt confident.

Just when he was about to enter the palace, his eyes glanced at the edge of the entourage, but he accidentally discovered an uninvited guest.

"Call them two over!" Zhu Jinghong ordered Zhang Lin beside him.

After a few breaths, Jia Lian and Jia Rong were brought over.

"See Lord Thirteen!"

Facing the Jia family, Zhu Jinghong was in a complicated mood at the moment, and he didn't know what to say to these two people.

"Get up!"

Turning around and walking towards the palace, these two people followed him.

"Why are you here?"

Jia Lian immediately replied: "I learned that the Thirteenth Master was traveling, and I came here to protect him!"

"Jia Rong, how is your father?" Zhu Jinghong asked suddenly, turning around and looking at Jia Rong.

"Back to Thirteenth Master, my leg has been broken and I can only stay in bed now!"

Jia Rong expressed calmly and seemed to have no trouble at all. This expression management really surprised Zhu Jinghong.

"I taught your father a lesson, do you have any grudge?" Zhu Jinghong's eyes became sharper.

Unexpectedly, Jia Rong remained calm, and just answered with her waist raised: "My father must have behaved inappropriately, which led to the Thirteenth Master to be questioned and punished. I, father and son, are afraid of neglecting the Thirteenth Master, how can I hold a grudge?"

The speech was straightforward, but also seemed sincere, which really made Zhu Jinghong marvel at Jia Rong's acting skills.

But if he was familiar with the original work, he would know that with a father like Tan, Jia Rong really didn't care what happened to him, so he was telling the truth at this moment.

Now that he is in charge of the house, he has the final say on all matters in the house, and he is completely the singing serf. From this point of view, he has to thank Zhu Jinghong.

Of course, Jia Lian didn't know these inside stories, so Jia Rong's words just now really surprised his uncle.

"Lian Er..."

Suddenly being called upon, Jia Lian immediately took two steps forward and said, "Your nephew is not bad, he has a bright mind!"

"How dare you be rude in front of the Thirteenth Master!"

Zhu Jinghong then asked: "Are you ready for the selection of conferees by the Ministry of War in March?"

"Go back to Master Thirteen, I will do my best!"

Trying their best means that they are not fully sure of passing the assessment, after all, they have been wasted these years.

"Go back and practice hard!"

After saying this, Zhu Jinghong walked into the door, but Jia Lian stayed where he was. They were very embarrassed at this moment.

The two of them came over to kneel and lick Zhu Jinghong because they wanted to use the back door to get selected.

It is said that the Ministry of War is responsible for the selection of Dragon Guards. In fact, the Ministry of War only sends personnel to supervise the selection, and the specific assessment items will be handled by professionals.

Who are the professionals?Of course they are the guards who have been selected!
Therefore, as long as Zhu Jinghong says hello to them, it will definitely not be a problem for these two to be selected.

At this moment, Zhu Jinghong asked them to go back and practice more, but obviously he had no intention of helping.

There was nothing they could do about this, so they could only go back and practice honestly on their own, as Zhu Jinghong said.

"Thirteenth Master, I said these two people are just thick-skinned. Why are you talking to them?" Zhang Lin couldn't help but speak.

Every year there is a new generation of nobles, and they are all eager to continue to occupy high positions. Naturally, they do not want a declining family like the Jia family to rise again.

From another perspective, the noble military generals who now hold real positions and hold real power are instinctively defensive and even hostile to those who have not yet taken power. Soon they will be like the declining military heroes of the Jia family.

Of course, Zhang Lin could say these words, but Lu Yuxin on the side was not qualified. Just because he was selected and awarded by the local capital secretary, he was not qualified to become a member of the martial arts.

Walking in front, when he heard Zhang Lin's complaints, Zhu Jinghong said: "Okay, stop talking nonsense, follow me in and take a look!"

He couldn't wait to go in and find out.

(End of this chapter)