The Concubine Wushuang of Red Mansion

Chapter 246 For the first time, they have it, but Baoyu doesn’t.
When Jia Zheng heard this, he was so angry that he saw Baoyu running out of the house quickly, and a maid with bright eyes and white teeth followed behind, holding a delicate bamboo basket in her hand, shouting, "Two Master, slow down..."

Before she finished speaking, she bumped into the back of Baoyu who suddenly stopped. Just as she was about to complain, she realized something was wrong, and Baoyu seemed to be stunned, looking ahead like a statue.

At the entrance of the courtyard, Jia Zheng stood like a door god, face to face with Baoyu. The father and son looked at each other, and their souls flew away. One or two Buddhas ascended to heaven. After a long time, Baoyu finally moved and lowered his head. He knew that he could not be kind today, but he was also unhappy. Terrified, because at this moment, he was not in the front yard, but in the backyard, which was the old lady's territory.

Sure enough, in an instant, the sound of messy footsteps was heard. Mother Jia and Mrs. Wang led the maids, wives and daughters-in-law over in a large group.

Before Jia Mu could speak, Mrs. Wang had already stepped forward and begged, "Master, Qiu Gan Wu Cao, don't get so angry over this evil beast..."

Mrs. Wang wanted to help Jia Zheng, but Jia Zheng didn't wait for her to get close, so he pushed her away and said, "Don't worry, from now on I will never care about this evil obstacle again and let him go to heaven and earth! He has already If he is not filial, why should I recognize him as his son?
Today, Brother Cong also said that if you are over six years old and do not enter the academy, you are not qualified to worship your ancestors. It just so happens that I am ashamed to let my ancestors see that I have raised such an unfilial thing! "

After saying that, Jia Zheng bowed to Jia Mu, turned around and left.

Mrs. Wang was pushed by Jia Zheng and staggered. Fortunately, she was supported by the maids. Otherwise, she might have fallen on her butt. She felt that she had lost face and felt bitter in her heart. After hearing what Jia Zheng said, Mrs. Wang staggered. , panicked again, did Jia Zheng actually deny Baoyu his son?

Mrs. Wang chased after two steps and shouted miserably, "Master!"

But Jia Zheng ignored him. Mrs. Wang turned to look at Baoyu and saw that he was frowning and frowning. Even though he was so angry, she could not tell that he was unhappy. There was even some joy hidden in his expression. Mrs. Wang's heart was extremely complicated. .

Baoyu was indeed very happy at this time. The master would no longer care about him, how could he not be happy?As for not participating in ancestor worship, Baoyu didn't think there was anything wrong. Anyway, he didn't want to worship the images one after another. He had never seen where his ancestors were. He didn't know whether they were beautiful or ugly. Good or evil, it's just boring to mention.

The next day was the academy's holiday. Early in the morning, the servants of the Jia family went to the Jia family academy and brought Jia Huan and Jia Lan back. When the uncle and nephew arrived home, Jia Zheng was in the study with While the Qingke ministers were talking, the housekeeper came to report that Master Huan and Brother Lan were back and wanted to pay their respects to the master.

"Let them come in and see me!" Jia Zheng said to the Qing guests, "Let's see how the teachings at Jia's Academy are going."

After the Jia family's private school failed, the family's support for it also stopped. Jia Dairu, his father and his grandson wanted to find a job at the Jia family academy, but Jia Cong refused. These days, Jia Dairu came to him frequently to complain.

"There must be great progress!" one of them said.

While they were talking, Jia Huan and Jia Lan came in. Seeing that they were polite and courteous, their demeanor changed drastically. Even Jia Huan, who had always been described as wretched, had an air of solemnity. Jia Zheng was already happy. .

"You two have been in school. What books have you studied in the past half month?" Jia Zheng said with a straight face.

Perhaps because he had some food in his stomach, Jia Huan was not afraid to reply in front of Jia Zheng. He raised his head and chest, and a faint aura of awe-inspiring righteousness supported him, making his face glow and his voice clear, and he said, "Reply." According to my father, the academy is divided into three levels: the outer wing, the inner wing and the upper wing. There are currently only 200 people in the outer wing, 55 in the inner wing and ten in the upper wing.

My son and Langeer were assigned to the sincerity class in the outer building because they were not knowledgeable enough. The teacher asked us to memorize "Poetry" in the past half month and start the general lecture after class tomorrow. "

When Jia Zheng heard this, he was very happy. This progress was very rapid, but he said, "You said that you have finished memorizing it, please recite it to me."

As he said that, Jia Zheng took down a book of "Poetry" from the bookshelf, flipped through it, and found the section "Wei Feng. There are Peach in the Garden". He clicked and said, "Just memorize this "Peach in the Garden." "

Not to mention Wei Feng.

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Jia Huan holding his hands behind his back, raising his head, his eyes seemed to be looking at Chengchen on the house, and said loudly, "Wei Feng, there are peaches in the garden, and there are peaches in the garden. In fact, the worry in my heart, I sing Let’s talk about the rumors. Those who don’t know me say that my scholars are arrogant. That’s what they are doing. What’s wrong with that, Master said?..."

I finished reciting one article, fluently, word for word, and articulate clearly. The most important thing was the light of confidence that Jia Huan exuded, which almost blinded Jia Zheng. If he hadn't verified it in person, it would be hard for him to believe in Jia Huan. Huan has made such great progress.

Just in case, Jia Zheng picked two more articles in succession, one was "Lao Qiu" and the other was "Ephemera". These two articles were not like "Guan Guan Ju Jiu", and Jia Zheng himself could not recite a sentence. , but saw that Jia Huan recited it in one breath without stopping, with accurate pronunciation and cadence. It sounded soothing to the body and mind, and it was really pleasant to the ear.

The Qingke ministers all looked at each other. They had been in Rongguo Mansion for many years and knew what the children of the Jia family were like. Jia Huan was not the smart and clever one. In such a short period of time, he had changed so much. .

Although Jia Zheng was ecstatic, he did not show it on his face. Seeing Jia Lan eager to give it a try, he asked, "Is it possible that you have also memorized all "Poetry"?"

Jia Lan hurriedly said, "As far as I'm concerned, I can finish the recitation, but I'm not as fluent as Uncle Huan. I'd like to ask you to give me a backstroke."

Jia Zheng nodded appreciatively and picked out three more chapters. Jia Lan's recitation was no worse than Jia Huan's, but why did he say it so humbly?
Jia Zheng asked, "Didn't you say that you can finish memorizing it, but not as fluently as Huan'er?"

Jia Lan said unhurriedly, "I am not lying to you. I told you that at that time, people liked to use the Book of Changes to predict good and bad fortunes. However, they did not know that among the 64 hexagrams, only one of them was for peace and good luck. This is a humble place. The teacher also said that Lao Tzu said, "I have three treasures: kindness, frugality, and not daring to be the first in the world." The teacher said, before studying, you must first be a human being. Third Uncle Huan is older than me, so I Elder, I don’t dare to be ahead of Third Uncle Huan.”

At this moment, Jia Zheng felt as if he had drank a cup of sweet tea, feeling comfortable all over. He proudly lifted his beard under his chin, looked at the uncle and nephew in front of him, and asked Jia Huan, "Huan'er, what do you say? "

"To tell you the truth, my son has never studied hard before, so he should work hard to catch up in the future!" After saying that, he glanced at Jia Lan provocatively, as if to say, Jia Lan wants to surpass him, just dream!
Not to be outdone, Jia Lan glanced back at Jia Huan, lowered his head again, clenched his fists, and mustered up all his strength in his heart. He could not let Jia Huan surpass him, he wanted to earn his life for his mother!
"It took half a month to memorize the entire "Poetry" by heart. It was really not an easy task." One of them, surnamed Zheng, said.

Jia Huan used to think that these husbands invited by his father were all quite capable. Now that he has gone to the academy and has seen two Jinshis, the teachers who teach them are all scholars. In the future, their career teachers will at least be Juren. , now these children's purges are naturally not noticed by him.

"What does this mean? My husband said that we are not very qualified. We have people who have memorized it by memory. It only took my husband less than ten days to memorize "Poetry" back then, half a month is a long time."

Although Jia Zheng was happy, he couldn't let Jia Huan be so arrogant. He scolded, "I've memorized a few poems, so I think I'm not good enough. I won't talk about it until I get to school! Why don't you quit now!"

Jia Huan and Jia Lan hurriedly bowed and left together, then walked to the door and listened to Jia Zheng's instructions, "Give Huan'er and Lange'er some of the ink and paper that my predecessor got."

This is the reward!

Jia Huan and Jia Lan were delighted. This was the first time that they had it but Baoyu didn't.

Jia Huan held Jia Zheng's reward and returned to the courtyard where Aunt Zhao lived happily. He was a commoner and had never been pleased by Jia's mother. He was often tutored by Mrs. Wang and did hard work such as copying Buddhist scriptures. It is said that it is a good thing to cultivate one's moral character, but why isn't Baoyu doing it?

Mrs. Wang is a sweet-faced and bitter-hearted person.

Aunt Zhao was talking to Ma Daopo. Ma Daopo was Baoyu's godmother. She often came to Rongguo Mansion to pay her respects and swindled some money. Only then did she fool Jia's mother into donating five kilograms of sesame oil a day for Baoyu. The lamp is dedicated to the Bodhisattva of Great Light and Universal Illumination, who blesses the precious jade with health and well-being.

At this time, when they arrived at Aunt Zhao's room, they met. Aunt Zhao ordered the little girl to pour tea for him to eat. He saw some scattered silk and satin piled on the bed of Aunt Zhao, and took a fancy to Zhao again. He was about to ask Zhao Auntie got him a pair of shoe uppers.

Aunt Zhao asked him to choose by himself, so he picked two sleeves and put them up. Aunt Zhao asked her about sending [-] yuan to make an offering in front of the King of Medicine, and complained that she was not easy in doing so, thinking that she would always make an offering. The mind is full but the strength is not enough.

Ma Daopo said, "Don't worry. Brother Huan will be in trouble in the future and he will get an official position. How much merit will you be able to do by then?"

Aunt Zhao couldn't help but think of her son, and was about to ask Jixiang to ask why her brother hadn't arrived yet. Jia Huan entered the yard, holding the ink and paper from Jia Zhengshang in her arms, and came in to say hello to Aunt Zhao.Aunt Zhao was very surprised when she saw that her son was completely reborn. She had some doubts that this was not her son. Because she did not care about Ma Daopo, the old Qianpo left, but Baoyu and Xifeng were saved from disaster. .

Aunt Zhao took her son and asked him if he was tired. It turned out that Aunt Zhao didn't go to school when she saw Baoyu. Her son went to the academy, which was far away and couldn't come back every day. She didn't want her son to go. It was Tanchun who sent someone to force her to go. Jia Huan went.

In the eyes of Aunt Zhao, Tanchun has now climbed a high branch. With the support of Jia Cong, this figure often competes with Mrs. Wang, Baoyu, and even the old lady. She has won the admiration and admiration of Aunt Zhao. She I dare not disobey Tanchun.

"How can studying not be hard? But my son can still endure such hardship. When I came back today, I took the test for me and Lang Geer. This is the reward I gave my son."

Aunt Zhao hurriedly asked, "Did you give Baoyu as a reward?"

Jia Huan was still unavoidably proud, "Second brother Bao didn't pass the exam, how can he get a reward?"

Aunt Zhao was so proud that she clasped her hands together and began to thank the gods and Buddhas, "Fortunately, I listened to your third sister and let you go to the academy."

"Hehe, I wonder if I can earn a living for you in the future!"

"Maggot heart evil barrier, if you have such a good fortune, I can laugh out of my dreams." Aunt Zhao scolded with a smile, and poked Jia Huan's forehead with her finger. Jia Huan tilted her head and avoided it.

Jia Lan returned to Li Wan's courtyard and told Li Wan about being tested by Jia Zheng. Li Wan was not very happy. She asked Jia Lan in detail about her situation in the academy. She heard that she was studying " "Poetry", he was particularly curious, "Why didn't you start reading from Meng Shu? Instead, you started reading scriptures?"

Jia Lan said, "Sir, he said that "Poetry" can also enlighten people. He also said that writing articles focuses on reason, Qi, and words. Now that we are still young, we must first understand the reason. If we want to understand the reason, we must trace it back to the Six Classics. The Six Classics Among them, "Poetry" expresses the meaning, has repeated chapters and repeated sentences, and is catchy. It starts with reciting scriptures and learning to speak. "

Li Wan's heart felt as comfortable as ironing. In just a short period of time, her son had made such progress. It was not in vain that she went to Dongfu twice for her son.

"The teacher said that you still need to read the Mongolian book. However, you should read the "Shi" extensively in the past two months. If you read the Mongolian book again in the future, you will feel suddenly enlightened and get twice the result with half the effort."

"Well, it's better to listen to sir. You sirs are all well-known people. They are all well-educated people. It will definitely not be wrong to listen to them." Li Wan had the idea in his mind to go to Dongfu again to express his gratitude. No mother is happier than seeing her son making great progress.

This incident soon reached Baoyu's ears. At first, Baoyu was worried that Jia Zheng would suddenly take him to school for examination, so he took a book of "Poetry" and read "Tao Yao" before reading it again. Nan couldn't read on and was in a daze for a while. When he heard that Jia Zheng was out, he became happy again.

Xiren came in and said, "Second Master doesn't want to go to school. I heard that Third Master Huan and Lang Ge'er have both been rewarded by the master."

"Whatever, he gets his reward, am I missing something?"

"Can the reward from the master be the same as what we bought ourselves?"

"What's the difference? Aren't they all the same thing? Is it possible that if you take it from someone else's hand, it will be different and appear more precious?"

Xiren didn't dare to persuade her harshly, but when she saw that De Baoyu's voice was getting louder and louder, she stopped talking, thinking in her mind that if the wife was not in a hurry, it would be useless for her to be in a hurry.

After what happened to Xiao Junzi, Xiren's monthly silver rose to as high as Aunt Zhao's, twenty taels of silver a month.

And Junzi Xiao heard that since Baoyu was beaten, he left the yard overnight and disappeared without a trace. Baoyu asked Mingyan to inquire, but he didn't find out his whereabouts. He thought Baoyu would have a hard time, but who knows, now he can see it with his own eyes. It's like nothing happened.

In the Ningguo Mansion, after Jia Cong returned from the morning, he met people from the Zhong family in the study. Two months ago, he sent someone to send a letter to the Zhong family. The Zhong family came and prepared to build a seagoing ship according to his instructions. , the matter of collecting food.

This time, the person who came this time was Zhong Yunhui, the head of the Zhong family, the cousin of Grandpa Jia Cong. He was over sixty years old, but he was lean and lanky. Except for a few gray hairs on his temples, he did not look old.

In the past few years, the Zhong family in Jiangnan can be said to be prosperous. The aristocratic family dare not stand out, but the Zhong family has no scruples. Zhong Yun will have no worries, take good care of himself, and live younger and younger.

"Following the order of the Marquis, we have ordered twelve more grain ships, two of which are boats. This time the grain ship is slightly smaller and is 24 feet long. I wonder what the Marquis plans to use it for?"

Jia Cong spread out a Kanyu map, pointed to the location of Liaodong, and said, "I will go to Liaodong soon. The decree will probably come down in the next few days. In Liaodong, the supply used to come from the northeast. , transporting all the way, carts and people, the losses are too great, and every year, these state capitals are also overwhelmed.

I plan to build a warehouse transfer station here to transport grain and wages from the south by sea in the future. "

Also, the most important point is that he can train the navy here in the future and directly attack Jianzhou's lair among the black mountains and white waters. Even if it doesn't work for a while, at least it can put pressure on the old slave and make him vulnerable to the enemy. feeling.

In recent years, the Zhong family has been developing extremely rapidly through Jia Cong's influence. Now that Jia Cong is of use to the Zhong family, Zhong Yunhui's plan is to do his best to support him even if he loses everything and gains no profit.

"You dare to disobey the Marquis' orders, but if you have orders, the Zhong family will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

It's better to use his own people, Jia Cong thought to himself. He hurriedly supported Zhong Yunhui and said, "Although my grandparents are gone, the Zhong family is also my maternal family. Why does my uncle have to be so isolated?"

Zhong Yun would like to hear these words, but he would not dare to rely on them. After all, Zhong Yunzhi's family died tragically back then. The Zhong family was intimidated by the power of Ning Rong's second house and did not dare to try their best. Of course, the Zhong family was also severely suppressed. It's miserable, there hasn't been a character in ten years.

This is also the reason why Jia Cong wants to reuse the Zhong family. With the Zhong family in Jiangnan, his reputation among scholars can be maintained. Coupled with Xiong Bichen, Jia Cong's name as the head of the Jiangning case can become famous and resound throughout Jiangnan.

"In the past few years, with the Marquis here, the Zhong family has been able to obtain wealth and fame without any hindrance. I think back then, the whole Zhong family was ashamed. How dare you not do your best to have the Marquis take care of you like this?"

"Why should one family talk about two families? However, I still have to say ugly things first. When fighting against rich families, as long as the means are legitimate, I will not object, but you must not compete with the people for profit. This is the bottom line. Furthermore, you must fight with the people. good.

With the love of the people, wealth can last forever. All the children of the clan must understand this truth. "

"What the Marquis said is true. I should restrain the children of the clan. If I cannot serve as an official for the benefit of the people, I must not prey on the villagers and harm the hometown."

"When it comes to shipping, we need to seek stability in the first place. We need to find boatmen who know the sea routes. Record the shipping routes in the first one or two trips, and then slowly expand the scale of shipping. In this regard, we need to ask more people who have experience in shipping. A ship It’s not cheap, and you have to be careful in hiring people.”

"Yes!" Although Zhong Yunhui is Jia Cong's elder, he is extremely humble in front of Jia Cong.

After almost talking, Jia Zheng came, met with Zhong Yun, and proposed to invite Zhong Yunhui to have a drink at Rongguo Mansion. Zhong Yunhui politely declined and did not propose to visit Jia's mother. It can be imagined that Zhong Yunhui What happened to the Zhi family made the Zhong family hate Rongguo Mansion so much.

Jia Cong could no longer stay with Zhong Yunhui, and Zhong Yunhui proposed to visit Lin Ruhai. Jia Cong ordered Jia Ping to send Zhong Yunhui to the Lin family. He went to Tanchun's yard and planned to ask Tanchun if he wanted to go to Liaodong with him.

(End of this chapter)