King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 688 Three Urgent Orders
Feng Yuan recalled the past events, and there was someone like him on the other side of the palace.

Standing at the edge of the parade ground, watching Zhu Jinghong drawing his bow and aiming at a target a hundred steps away, Jia Yucun's thoughts drifted back to five years ago.

At that time, he had just taken office as the prefect of Yingtian. It was under this palace wall that he was almost shot to death by Zhu Jinghong.

Perhaps it was because of that arrow that he became related to Zhu Jinghong.

In just five years, he was promoted from the prefect of Yingtian to the deputy envoy of Nanjing, then to the provincial governor, and now to the governor!

Every step he took was supported by Zhu Jinghong, the greatest benefactor in his life.

Thinking of this, Jia Yucun looked to the left and saw Zheng Xianlin and He Gujin there.

These two were able to turn danger into safety and rise to prominence thanks to the support of Your Highness... Jia Yucun sighed secretly.

While Jia Yucun was thinking, he heard He Gujin's voice from the side: "Hit it again... Hit the bull's eye from a hundred steps away. I really don't know how Your Highness practiced!"

Zheng Xianlin continued: "This is a gift from heaven, beyond human power!"

Jia Yucun turned around, looked at the two elders and said, "Yes... Your Highness has been granted the mandate of heaven, and no one in the world can compare to you!"

At this point, the three of them all smiled, and everything was self-evident.

Honestly speaking, the conversation between the three of them could be considered subtle compared to that between the generals playing along on the field.

The admiral, lieutenant general, commander-in-chief, and deputy commander-in-chief who were present... they really used all their knowledge and flattered the emperor to the sky.

They are fawning like this and are suspected of forming a clique for personal gain. Aren't they afraid of being reported to the Jinyiwei?

Of course they were not afraid, because Jia Zhiping, the current commander of the Northern Pacification Division, was following Zhu Jinghong with a teacup in his hand, looking more like a slave than the eunuchs around him.

"Your Majesty, please have some tea!"

After taking the teacup, Zhu Jinghong took a sip and then praised: "I didn't expect that Captain Jia is not only good at handling cases, but also good at making tea!"

Jia Zhiping replied: "Apart from official duties, I love drinking tea and have some knowledge of it. Now I can serve the prince and it is worthwhile for me to learn it!"

Hearing this, Zhu Jinghong burst into laughter, and the other generals present also laughed. Of course, Jia Zhiping also laughed happily.

"Okay...I have to go change my clothes, please help yourself!"

The dinner is a more formal occasion, so Zhu Jinghong of course had to wear formal attire.

Everyone bid him farewell. After Zhu Jinghong left, they each looked for their companions and went to Yunjin Palace together.

The place where Zhu Jinghong changed his clothes was in a palace behind the Yunjin Palace. It was heavily guarded and extremely quiet.

Inside the main hall, Daiyu was carefully examining the ancient painting in front of her, while Baoqin was examining her.

Although it was not the first time that Baoqin met Daiyu, she did not know much about her, and the opportunities for her to be alone with her like this were extremely rare.

Even Sister Baochai said that she was a talented woman and praised her noble character which was rare in the world. Is she really that good?

Baoqin was suspicious. In her opinion, the sister in front of her was just good-looking, had an okay temperament, was talented, and could handle things...that was all!

"Sister Baoqin, why do you always look at me?"

Baoqin denied it flatly and quickly said, "Who said I was looking at you?"

"Is there something written on my face?" Daiyu said with a faint smile.

"No words!" Baoqin denied again.

"What's that?"

Baoqin did not remain on the defensive. She ignored Daiyu's question and changed the subject, asking, "Sister Lin, are you going to the capital this time?"

"Maybe!" Daiyu did not comment.

Baoqin walked closer, picked up the jade carving on the desk, and then asked, "Sister Lin, what do you think of... my brother-in-law?"

Knowing that the girl had bad intentions, Daiyu asked back, "What do you think of your brother-in-law? Is he worthy of entrusting your life to?"

"Sister Lin... Could it be that you..."

Baoqin was very surprised. She didn't expect Daiyu to be so bold and have no intention of hiding anything.

Daiyu continued, "Sister Baoqin, you keep calling him 'brother-in-law', and it's so affectionate. I think... he is a man worthy of trust. You can enter his palace and become a concubine!"

This time it was related to her and it touched upon her inner thoughts, Baoqin blushed almost instantly.

Baoqin is not an ordinary person. Although she feels very shy at the moment, she can still organize words to fight back.

"Sister Lin, please stop teasing me. You are the one who should be entering Prince Xiang's mansion!"

"I saw it all. My brother-in-law looked at you with such affection. That's what we call deep love!"

"You little girl, you are clearly talking about your lifelong event, why do you drag me into this!" Daiyu pretended to be angry.

Baoqin looked aggrieved and said, "Sister Lin, your words really make me sad. I am really putting myself in your shoes and thinking about you!"

"Come, come, come...Sister Baoqin, I'll tell you a secret!"

"What's the secret?" Baoqin looked puzzled, but still moved closer naturally.

"of course……"

"Look, I'm not going to teach you a lesson..."

Daiyu suddenly attacked and scratched Baoqin's waist. The latter screamed and turned to hide, while also putting out her hand to defend herself.

The two of them laughed and joked, and their relationship became much closer, and the atmosphere in the room was very harmonious.

Finally, the two were so exhausted that one sat on a chair and shook his head, while the other hid behind a bookshelf with his hands on his hips. They looked at each other and laughed in embarrassment.

"What's so funny? Tell me!"

Zhu Jinghong's voice sounded at the right time, and then he walked into the hall.

"Master Thirteen, your sister said she wants to..."

Seeing Daiyu hesitate to speak, Zhu Jinghong looked at Baoqin not far away and asked, "What do you want?"

Baoqin was not afraid either. She picked up the teacup that Daiyu had used, handed it to Zhu Jinghong and said, "I want to find a good girl for you!"

"Looking for a good girl?" Zhu Jinghong was confused after taking the teacup.

Walking around Zhu Jinghong's side, Baoqin almost stuck close to him, and the two looked quite intimate.

"Of course... Sister Lin has a stunning appearance and is extremely talented. Isn't she a good girl?"

"Qin girl...you..."

Seeing Daiyu was about to come forward to grab her, Baoqin quickly hid behind Zhu Jinghong and said with a bright smile: "There is only one bad thing... that is, her temper is too bad, look at her..."

Zhu Jinghong was naturally in a good mood watching the quarrels around him, so he took advantage of the chaos to grab Daiyu and Baoqin and said, "You guys are quarreling... Why do you have to involve me? This is too much!"

Daiyu struggled to break free and said, "She dragged you into this. What does it have to do with me?"

"Brother-in-law, look, she is still so fierce now!" Baoqin added at the right time.

Daiyu said angrily, "She is trying to sow discord, and you don't care?"

"Oh~ So it was to sow discord. It turns out that in Sister Lin's heart, I am closer to her than my brother-in-law and I!"

The bickering between the little girls was always fun, and Zhu Jinghong smiled even more.

Being surrounded by flattery all day long made him happy but also painful, and this situation really had a healing effect on him. So much so that at this moment, he didn't even want to attend the celebration party, but instead played with the two lively girls.

Back at Yunjin Palace, the atmosphere gradually became serious as a number of civil and military officials arrived.

Led by the emcee, everyone returned to their seats and spoke to each other in a very low voice.

Xue Pan was also at the banquet today. Logically speaking, as he was a sixth-rank official, he would not have the opportunity to appear here, but he did have another identity.

He is the princess's brother, and because of this relationship, he can sit with high-ranking officials such as the Chief Secretary and the Censorate.

Soon it was Youzheng (6pm), the time when the banquet was scheduled to start, but Zhu Jinghong did not arrive on time.

Everyone was a little surprised by this, but no one took it too seriously. After all, they had to wait for Zhu Jinghong to come.

Of course, with so many participants, many people had different attitudes.

For example, some of the civil servants and local celebrities who make up the majority are dissatisfied, but they will not say it out loud.

"Could there be some unexpected event that delayed His Highness?" Li Ziheng muttered in a low voice.

His speculation was not without basis, because England and France had sent envoys some time ago, hoping that Ming would return some seaports to Spain.

With this kind of request, both parties will naturally part ways unhappily, so it is very likely that a dispute will arise again at this time.

Li Ziheng had no idea that Zhu Jinghong was late simply because he was playing around.

Li Ziheng's guess was listened to carefully by Feng Yuan who was standing beside him. At this moment, the latter was looking at the core area where several governors and imperial envoys from the court were.

Especially Jia Yucun, who left a deep impression on Feng Yuan.

Although it was Hu Jinan who did the evil that day, Jia Yucun allowed it and even fanned the flames, and Feng Yuan was also clear about it.

Later, Jia Yucun was promoted step by step and was regarded as a capable official by the court, but Feng Yuan was very clear that behind his achievements were many people whose families were broken up and displaced.

Such people are more dangerous than corrupt officials like Hu Jinan, and Feng Yuan directly regards them as a cancer.

"Brother Feng, are you listening?"

Li Ziheng's words pulled Feng Yuan out of his thoughts.

"I was thinking about some trivial things and was distracted for a moment... It was really rude!" Feng Yuan apologized quickly.

"Is there something troubling you?"

"Not really, it's just that my family..."

Taking advantage of this topic, Feng Yuan started chatting with Li Ziheng. Most people present were doing the same.

About ten minutes later, Zhu Jinghong finally arrived, and everyone stood up and greeted him.

At this moment, Zhu Jinghong had changed into a dragon robe and a winged cap, and sat down in the main seat very casually.

"No need to be so polite, everyone. I had to take care of some things at the last minute, so I'm late... Don't mind my arrival!" Zhu Jinghong said with a smile.

Everyone laughed, and no one sang a different tune at this time, because doing so would not cause much harm to Zhu Jinghong, but would definitely bring disaster to themselves.

"Everybody sit down, everybody sit down..."

"This time, we have returned victorious from the expedition, all thanks to Your Majesty..."

There are many rules for banquets of this level. The first one is to thank the emperor, then thank everyone present for their support, and then thank the soldiers for their hard work in killing the enemy...

In itself, this banquet is not very important, because many things have been discussed privately before the banquet started.

Zhu Jinghong had already sent the memorial requesting merit to the capital. Whether the emperor would approve it or not, and how much he would approve...it all depended on God's will.

The atmosphere at this banquet was relatively relaxed.

After completing the established rules, Zhu Jinghong did not just drink, but called together the "opposition" present, mainly some civil servants and local celebrities, to speak.

Zhu Jinghong knew that these people did not hate him for investing in the company, but they definitely disliked him and would never support him in taking the top position.

But Zhu Jinghong still wanted to win over these people, or to be more precise, to show himself to them and show that he was willing to accept them.

As for whether these people would change their minds, Zhu Jinghong did not hold much hope.

He was not the only one busy at the celebration banquet. Others also took the opportunity to socialize and reminisce with their fellow townsmen and classmates, making the whole scene very lively.

After an hour and a half, the banquet officially ended and Zhu Jinghong was the first to leave.

He will not stay in the palace tonight, but will go to the house he "rented", also for the purpose of avoiding suspicion.

Daiyu and Baoqin had already gone back and were waiting for him to come home with Yang Jingting.

It is now April, and Yang Jingting will probably give birth in May, so Zhu Jinghong plans to wait for another two months and return to Beijing after Yang Jingting has finished her confinement.

During this period, he was able to handle the affairs of the southeast, especially the construction of the navy and the deployment of troops, as well as the negotiations with the four countries of Britain, France, Portugal and Spain.

In the blink of an eye, a few days passed. Zhu Jinghong was very busy every day. Fortunately, Daiyu and Baoqin kept him company and relieved his boredom, which made his life comfortable and relaxed.

On April 18, British and French envoys arrived in Yingtian again, and another round of intense negotiations began.

Finally, under Zhu Jinghong's tough statement, Britain, France and Portugal gave up helping the Spaniards and temporarily agreed to the current power structure.

But Zhu Jinghong also realized that Britain and France were unwilling to accept the situation and they might cause trouble at any time.

Therefore, India must be given special attention, and the Southern Pacification Office must send more spies to report any situation immediately.

After this incident, Zhu Jinghong was still very busy, but there was some bad news... Lao Liu was going back to Nanjing.

With the defeat of the Spaniards, maritime trade has gradually been restored. Lao Liu also serves as the director of the Maritime Customs, so it makes sense for him to come back and take charge of related affairs.

Zhu Jinghong was very disgusted with this matter, because although this guy was not capable of accomplishing anything, he was more than capable of ruining his plans.

Zhu Jinghong was very annoyed about this, but before he could last two days, an imperial edict came from the capital.

After borrowing the imperial edict and settling the eunuch who was to deliver the edict, Zhu Jinghong sat in the study, looking at the imperial edict on the desk.

"Tell me to return to Beijing..."

But he had just muttered a few words and before he could even sit down, someone reported that another imperial envoy had come to convey the emperor's decree.

About half an hour later, Zhu Jinghong sat back in the study. In front of him was the second imperial edict, which also asked him to return to Beijing.

According to the eunuch who delivered the decree, the first one was issued in the morning and the second one was issued in the afternoon.

"What does the old man mean? Are you afraid that I will rebel?"

What Zhu Jinghong said was not empty talk.

It has been a year since he left Beijing. He has mobilized troops from several southeastern provinces and made a large number of personnel adjustments during this period. It is normal for the emperor to feel wary.

Could it be because of the petition for merit submitted ten days ago... Zhu Jinghong guessed.

"Your Majesty, another imperial envoy has arrived. Please accept his orders immediately!"

"Again?" Zhu Jinghong was surprised.

While he was surprised, his mood also became solemn, because this showed that the emperor's fear of him was unprecedentedly serious.

"Everything will turn into the opposite when it reaches the extreme!" Zhu Jinghong clenched his fists. He found that he was getting carried away again.

(End of this chapter)