Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 213 The old man is angry and the old man is angry

Suddenly, Li Weijian couldn't stay any longer and went out early in the morning. I was thinking about going to Zunhua Iron Factory, but now that King Zhongyong is not here, I have to discuss this matter with the two associate ministers.

The two associate ministers of the Imperial Household are both senior-level officials, one is in charge of review matters such as the Kuaiji Department, and the other is in charge of specific yamen such as the Armed Forces Academy. As for the elder Jia She's invitation, Li Weijian was too lazy to grind his teeth with him, so he simply pointed at Wu Haiping, handed the piece of paper to him, and let Wu Haiping go.

Li Weijian walked out of the house, while Fu Qiufang and Hongyu took care of household matters. They sat around and did some makeup work unhurriedly, chatting casually.

Hongyu said: "Auntie, I carefully observed the new Bitong, and it seems that he hasn't gone through any personnel matters yet. Qianxue also asked about it, and said that the master helped a businessman named Xue in Guangzhou, and the businessman was grateful. Out of my kindness, Baba bought a Xiyi maid and sent it over."

Fu Qiufang scraped the needle on her head, recognized the needle carefully, and then said: "My wife has to worry about these things, so why should we take care of them? At this age, the master has only one seedling, so he should pay more attention to it." It's normal for a concubine to spread her branches and leaves. Besides, if she doesn't show her face now, can she still manage the future?"

Hongyu smiled and said, "Auntie, you are quite reasonable."

Fu Qiufang smiled and glanced sideways, carefully embroidered the lotus on her bellyband, and said leisurely: "Humanity is always happy when it is content. I, the family member of a criminal official, came into the house by chance. How could there be such a chance? It's hard to say. , I don’t know how many girls from good families outside want to join the Li family. It’s hard to say that I am the envy of others. "

How could Hongyu not know what Fu Qiufang said? Hong Yu had already made up her mind before the fourth master became successful. Unfortunately, she was still a third-class maid at that time, so Qingwen guarded her as much as she guarded against thieves... Thinking back on it made her very angry. Last year, when I became more mature and my mind became a little more stable, it was inevitable that I would have a longing for Shu in my heart.

Hongyu secretly thought that although she was not the first, she was at least ahead of Qingwen. Now she has the fourth master's trust so much that he leaves many external affairs to her to take care of. In this way, being more decent than the young lady from a wealthy family is really beyond the realm of possibility.

Thinking about it, Hongyu smiled and said: "My aunt said this, what else can I say? As long as my aunt doesn't take it personally, that's fine."

After hearing this, Fu Qiufang paused and said seriously: "After all, the master is still young, but we can't let him go and accept everything."

Hongyu's face suddenly turned red. She had indeed been a bit wild that night before. The next day, the maids at home were whispering and teasing her behind her back. Hongyu hurriedly said: "I know, it's still the same as before."

Fu Qiufang nodded slightly and thought about it: "Yesterday, when my second sister-in-law came home, I spent one hundred thousand taels of silver to expand the business in the greenhouse. At that time, I forgot to ask, since I spent so much money, Just redistribute the shares, why do you have to lend them to the second sister-in-law?"

Hongyu murmured slightly and lowered her voice: "I don't know, my aunt. I am afraid that this is because I want to befriend the second grandma for the sake of the eldest grandma."

Fu Qiufang wondered: "Isn't Grandma living a good life now?"

Hongyu said: "That was now, it was not like this earlier." She then briefly talked about the past, saying that before Li Weijian came, the widow Li Wan, the eldest grandmother, was unemployed and guarded her young son Jia Lan like a dead tree. He was so gray and lifeless, how could he be as energetic as he is now?

After hearing this, Fu Qiufang sighed and said: "The master is a kindhearted person... That's right, the master said that he would find a teacher to teach Lang Ge'er in the next few days. There happened to be a small courtyard built near the family temple. I went back to tidy it up. Let sir stay here first."

Hongyu agreed and then said: "Auntie, there are more than 30 people in our family, and some of them can't spread out. The fourth master is also short of money. I think it's better to buy the second-in house in the west."

Fu Qiufang thought about it and said: "Let me discuss this matter with the master... It seems that the master doesn't want to deal with the next door."

More than just unwillingness? Whether it was Xue Pan in the early days or Mrs. You who lived there now, Li Weijian didn't like to see him.

After talking about these trivial matters, the two chatted for a long time, and suddenly they mentioned Qingwen and Xiangling from Yangzhou, and naturally they talked about the future wife Daiyu.

Fu Qiufang said: "I only met Miss Lin once, and I don't know what her temperament is like."

"Miss Lin -" Hong Yu was slightly worried and said: "Miss Lin lives in Rongguo Mansion, so she doesn't care about external affairs. But she is very strict with the maids and nannies around her. Last year, Miss Lin's nanny After drinking wine, the nanny was led by some women to play dominoes for a while, but Miss Lin found out about it and lost her temper. The nanny repeatedly begged and swore that she would never play dominoes again. Only then did this matter come to light.

I thought about it, Miss Lin is probably a person who can't get rid of the dirt in her eyes. "

Fu Qiufang smiled and said, "If the wife in charge is always good-tempered, the family will be in chaos."

Hongyu nodded and said, "It seems that Miss Lin is just like this. She is very kind to her servants. Sometimes I send things to Miss Lin on behalf of Fourth Master, and Miss Lin rewards me a lot."

"That's it." Fu Qiufang thought to herself after hearing this.

Although her nanny Qu Shi had been dismissed by Fu Qiufang earlier, the house Fu Qiufang lived in was hidden from others. Qu Shi overheard that this was Li Caishen's house and was immediately upset. A few days ago, she came over again with a shy face. Fu Qiufang didn't give him a good look. Due to his character, he would never be allowed to enter the house again.

Just when Li Weijian came back a few days ago, Fu Qiufang thought that the mistress Xu was Lin Daiyu, so she gave Qu some things and asked her to find out about Daiyu's temperament.

Yesterday, Mrs. Naqu came again and said that Lin Daiyu was a bit petty and a sick child. Fortunately, Fu Qiufang never said that Daiyu was the future mistress, otherwise the Qu family would have congratulated Fu Qiufang on his good luck.

Hearing what Hongyu said, Fu Qiufang thought to herself that this rumor was indeed not credible. Furthermore, from the master's point of view, if Miss Ruo Lin really only knows how to be petty and lose her temper, how can the master see her in his eyes?

According to Hong Yu's statement, this Miss Lin has no sand in her eyes and is a housekeeper. From now on, she will do her duty and she will not be targeted by her mistress.

Fu Qiufang let go of her worries for a moment, then saw the maid Nian Xia coming to report: "Auntie, Miss Hongyu, the master is back."

It was not yet noon, so Fu Qiufang wondered: "The master said early in the morning that he would not be able to come back until evening. Why are you back now?"

The two of them hurriedly got up to greet him. Before he was discharged from the hospital, they saw Li Weijian walking in with furrowed eyebrows and striding like stars. The two greeted each other, and then looked at each other, and both saw the displeasure on Li Weijian's face.

Immediately, the two of them followed Li Weijian into the main room, and hurriedly asked the maid to bring water, put a handkerchief on it and wiped it briefly, and then served tea.

Fu Qiufang served him personally, and then he asked casually: "Where did the master get angry?"

"Huh? What happens in the yamen has nothing to do with you."

Li Weijian was secretly lucky. It was true that there were no tigers in the mountains and the monkeys were the king! I went to the Neifu Yamen this morning and first met with Zhao Kui, the associate minister in charge, to discuss the matter of visiting the Zunhua Iron Works. Zhao Kui was hemming and hawing, but he couldn't say anything right.

Later, he said that Li Weijian had just returned from the south and was afraid it would be too hard. It would be better to take out the strategy of the iron factory and then send another doctor to deal with it.

Oh, Li Weijian is not a three-year-old child, how could he be deceived? Isn't this just taking credit?

Li Weijian only wanted to promote industrialization. Normally, he would not have cared about it, so he could not take the initiative to share the responsibility. The problem is, this is iron smelting. He thought about it carefully. With just some diagrams, how could the officials in the inner government handle it well?

Furthermore, Li Weijian is now in puberty, and perhaps due to the influence of hormones, his temper is getting worse. Being bullied like this by Zhao Kui, how could you feel at ease?

What I give to you is yours. If I don’t give it to you, you fucking grab it and try!

Li Weijian turned around and went to find Wang Qin again. The associate minister is about fifty years old, speaks calmly, and always complains when he opens his mouth. It is said that although the revenue of the internal government is quite large this year, it has been extracted too much by the saints. Now the internal government warehouse is not sufficient, so it is no problem for Li Weijian to go to Zunhua, as long as Zhao Kui agrees, but as for the iron factory... it is better to wait Last year or two?

Although Li Weijian's expression remained unchanged at that moment, he was already cursing his mother in his heart. After perfunctory for a while, Li Weijian simply got up and left, returning home feeling depressed.

Fu Qiufang comforted him and said: "Why should I be depressed? Is there anything in this yamen that is not unreasonable? I just came back, why don't you rest for a while."

"Hmm...huh?" Li Weijian blinked and suddenly smiled: "That's good, I should rest a little longer."

While he was talking, he picked up the tea cup and drank it down, wiped his mouth, stood up with a smile, and walked away.

Hongyu hurriedly asked: "Hey? Where are you going, Fourth Master? Are you going to eat at noon?"

"I'm not going to eat anymore. I'll go to the Yamen of the Ministry of Works and ask Da Sikong to entertain me very kindly." After saying that, he walked away quickly, leaving only Fu Qiufang and Hongyu looking at each other.

I was depressed at first, but why did I become happy again? What kind of trouble is Master going to make?

Hongyu said worriedly: "Didn't Fourth Master have a falling out with Da Sikong before?"

"Ah? Is there such a thing?" Fu Qiufang had no idea at all and immediately asked again and again. After hearing what Hongyu said, she suddenly frowned.

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Cars and horses pass through Qipan Street between Tianshun Gate and Zhengyang Gate. In front of it are the various government offices. The one on the right is the Huitong Pavilion and the Shuchang Pavilion, and the left is the Liubu Yamen.

The Gongbu Yamen is between the Ministry of War and Honglu Temple. The carriage frame given by the Emperor was parked in front of the door. Immediately, some servants came over to inquire with their heads down.

The accompanying Ding brothers handed over name cards, which made the two families puzzled. Everyone knows that Li Caishen is a disciple of Yan Xiyao, and he and his great Sikong were not happy because of the artillery range table last time. How come Li Caishen came to visit the great Sikong again now?

One of the disciples was left behind to talk carefully with him, while the other disciple hurriedly went inside to report. The disciple who was left behind said, "It's not a coincidence that Mr. Li is here. Da Sikong has just received the order and went to the palace to pay his respects. I'm afraid he won't be able to come back until an afternoon later."

Li Weijian smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. Are the two ministers here? It's the same thing with Minister Xia."

The disciples secretly slandered him. Xia Shi'an was a close confidant of Sikong Gu Weiyue. Could this Li Caishen be here to cause trouble?

Just as he was about to lead Li Weijian to a side hall to rest, he suddenly saw a group of officials coming out of the second gate. The leader was wearing a scarlet robe. He was only forty years old. He was tall and tall, and seemed to be carrying the wind when he walked. Yaoyao cupped his hands and smiled and said: "I have been disturbed by magpies all morning, and I was still thinking about what happy event it was. I didn't expect Li Caishen to come. Hahaha——"

The disciple quickly whispered: "Mr. Li, this is the right servant Zhuang Chaosheng."

Li Weijian hurriedly took two steps forward to greet him and said with a smile, "I've seen Mr. Zhuang before."

Zhuang Chaosheng was from the second rank, and Li Weijian was the second rank, so they were just colleagues. Zhuang Chaosheng returned the gift and said: "I don't know, Mr. Li, but the horseshoe cakes of our Ministry of Works are excellent. It just so happened that I got some Pu'er from Yunnan. You and I can go in and taste the refreshments. I'll ask Mr. Li to try them in a few moments." My Xiao Zao from the Ministry of Works, hey, Dr. Bao Li is satisfied."

Li Weijian smiled and said: "I have long heard that Xiao Zao from the Ministry of Industry is one of the best in the capital. Now I have to thank the Minister of Zhuang for my promotion."

"please!"

"Servant, please come first."

The two immediately walked side by side towards the inner center.

Throughout the dynasties, the Ministry of Works was held in low esteem. This was because the Ministry of Works held lowly positions and was in charge of the system of civil construction, the use of utensils, the method of sparing canals and weirs, and the provision of billions of dollars in mausoleums.

In the Dashun Dynasty, some of the errands were assigned to the inner government. However, due to the current emphasis on practical studies, the Ministry of Industry yamen is still very popular.

While the two were chatting and joking, they arrived in front of the second hall, and suddenly a group of people walked out of the second hall. The leader is also in his forties, wearing a scarlet robe, and is followed by the official Wu Xunwai... Looking carefully, it is Jia Zheng from the Rongguo Mansion.

Li Weijian was startled for a moment, and hurriedly raised his hands in salute. Before Jia Zheng could say anything, the scarlet-robed official smiled and said, "Why is Fusheng here? When I heard that Fusheng was here, he hurriedly left his work behind to greet him. Unexpectedly, he was still a step too late. "

Li Weijian bowed his hands again and said, "I have seen Shilang Xia."

Xia Shi'an spoke in Fujian Mandarin and said: "Fu Sheng, please don't be polite. It just so happens that I got some new oolong tea. Come and try it together, Fu Sheng."

Before Li Weijian responded, Zhuang Chaosheng on the side said: "It doesn't make sense for Mr. Xia to be so angry. The tea invitation must be on a first-come, first-served basis, right? Is the Pu'er that I serve inferior to the oolong tea that Mr. Xia has?"

Xia Shilang laughed: "Hey, I heard that Fu Sheng was coming, and I was eager for a while, but I had never seen Zhuang Shilang... In that case, Fu Sheng went to talk to Zhuang Shilang first, and I went to make oolong tea first, and waited for a while. Drink it after Huizi is resurrected."

Li Weijian felt strange in his heart, and he slightly agreed, but secretly thought to himself, these two are in this situation, they are not saving face, they are probably going to fight, right? Thinking about it, Gu Weiyue is getting older and will be serving as an official in two years. The two ministers on the left and right are fighting for the position of minister, so it is good if they don't fight.

As Zhuang Chaosheng walked to the side room, before leaving, Li Weijian nodded slightly towards the astonished Jia Zheng, who had mixed feelings in his heart. On weekdays, I didn't think much of Li Weijian when I saw him at home. After all, he was a junior, so he had to greet him first. Now it's different in the outside world. He is not only a doctor of the fifth rank, but also a baron of the second rank!

In front of the minister, he could only lower his hands and obey his orders, and even Xia Shi'an never gave him a good look. Looking at Li Fusheng again, if Da Sikong comes, these two ministers won't be so eager, right?

Just as he was thinking about it, he suddenly heard Xia Shi'an say in a cold voice: "Vice Lang Jia (the honorific title of Yuan Wai Lang), you can discuss this matter later."

Jia Zheng hurriedly said: "Shilang Xia, we are still waiting to repair the Qing Dynasty. I wonder if you can be accommodating."

Xia Shi'an glanced sideways and said, "The Hangzhou government office was renovated five years ago, so why is it being renovated now? Could it be that the government office is made of paper?"

Jia Zheng said with a bitter face: "The minister doesn't know that the Hangzhou government office was originally a relic of the Ming Dynasty. Now that it has been a hundred years, it has fallen into disrepair and the beams have rotted."

"It's not urgent... I'd like to ask you, is Vice Lang Jia and Lang Zhong Li related to each other?"

"This...is." Jia Zheng honestly explained the relationship.

After hearing this, Xia Shi'an immediately said with a cheerful face: "I see that's the case -" he then said in awe: "-Vice-Mr. Jia is close to the water, so his family must have bought a lot of shares in the water business, so I'm happy to congratulate you, haha."

Jia Zhengwei only agreed, feeling bitter in his heart. If I had known that water services could spread like this, I would have sold everything on that day. Holding it firmly in hand, the stock price alone has increased by more than 20%!

Xia Shi'an added: "In that case, the deputy general of Lao Jia turned around and invited Mr. Li here. I have important matters to discuss with him."

"This... I will try my best."

Xia Shi'an smiled and said: "Vice-general Jia is too modest. Such an in-law relationship is not a matter of just a word from you? That's it. I will take the first step and wait for the good news from Deputy Lang Jia."

Xia Shi'an walked away, leaving Jia Zheng lingering. Ask him to invite a junior? How could this make Jia Zheng lose face? But the servant has given orders, and it seems that it won’t work if I don’t go...

However, when Li Weijian and Zhuang Chaosheng entered the side hall, a clerk served them refreshments and they exchanged some greetings. Zhuang Chaosheng mentioned the cement business in Jiangnan and couldn't help pretending to be dissatisfied: "Mr. Li is not good at favoring one over the other when it comes to construction. It should be an errand of my Ministry of Industry. Now that the cement business is under the management of the inner government, this... It's hard to say, but I and my colleagues have been dissatisfied with Mr. Li for a long time."

"Haha!" Li Weijian put down the tea cup with a smile and said, "Shilang Zhuang also knows that the gentry from the south of the Yangtze River is the one who makes the most of the cement business. Seeing that the war is imminent, I have no choice but to do it."

"Yes, yes, it's not easy for Mr. Li. On the one hand, you have to make money, and on the other hand, you have to do practical things. The best thing is to make everyone praise you."

"Eh? It just happened to be the right time." Li Weijian smiled and said, "If Mr. Zhuang is interested in doing the cement business, he will be willing to give you the cement recipe."

"Oh? What Mr. Li did, it seems that I am a villain."

Li Weijian smiled and said: "It's all for the country, it's just a cement prescription, what's the point? Furthermore, when I visited today, I heard that the people at the Ministry of Industry were slandering me, so I came here to make up for it. .”

"Oh?" Zhuang Chaosheng suddenly became more energetic: "Could it be that Li Caishen is going to take action again? What business is he going to do this time? Our Ministry of Industry... Well, I'm afraid it's not as rich as the inner government, but I have the money and the strength to contribute. !”

Li Weijian thought about it and said, "To be honest, I am interested in handling railway affairs."

"Iron affairs?" Zhuang Chaosheng frowned when he heard this.

Li Weijian looked through government records and found that during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, official and private pig iron production was roughly 40,000 to 50,000 tons. When we arrived in Dashun, there was a mining ban in the early days, and then it was gradually relaxed. Although the output of official ironworks is rising steadily, the amount that can be counted as private reductions is still roughly this figure.

Regardless of the steel frying method or the steel filling method, the steel produced cannot be regarded as steel in the true sense because there are too many impurities in it. And the quality is extremely difficult to maintain!

If this pot of steel passes the test, it cannot be said that the next pot will have another performance. To solve this problem, we must find a way from the source - iron smelting.

The current short and fat blast furnace can only produce about one ton per day. It consumes high energy and has low output. It has lagged behind Xiyi.

Li Weijian said: "Now we are smelting iron in Dashun. In the north, we mainly focus on Zunhua. Last year we produced nearly one million kilograms of iron."

Zhuang Chaosheng nodded.

One million kilograms sounds like a lot, but if you calculate it, it's only six hundred tons... Even if there must be concealment and private sales, doubling it is only one thousand two hundred tons. Such a small amount of pig iron, two Even the small steel plants contracted by private parties are not as good.

"I just thought that the amount of iron produced is still too small. Now that Xiyi has used a new blast furnace to smelt it, the small country of Danwan can compare with what I, Dashun, produce in a year."

If nothing unexpected happens, in about twenty years Sweden will export 30,000 tons of pig iron every year. How many people will Sweden have?

Li Weijian continued: "Because I am planning to go to Zunhua to improve the technology, find iron ore and coal mines, and set up a new iron factory, and strive to increase the output of Zunhua Iron Factory to 20 million kilograms within three years."

"Pfft..." Zhuang Chaosheng spit out a mouthful of tea, coughed twice and asked, "How much...how much?"

"Twenty million pounds."

Does twenty million kilograms sound like a lot? Calculated at just over 10,000 tons, for Li Weijian, it was just a few more blast furnaces.

Zhuang Chaosheng took a breath and looked over suspiciously, but saw that Li Weijian looked calm and didn't look like he was joking at all. That is to say, the well-known Li Weijian, if it were someone else, Zhuang Chaosheng, he would have walked away long ago.

Twenty million jins. The several iron smelting plants in Hanzhong together produced only 80 million jins of pig iron last year. Good guy, that’s 20 million jins. Is there that much iron ore in Zunhua?

Then I thought about it, the previous Jingshi Water Affairs and the Xishan Island Cement Affairs were all created by Li Caishen out of thin air. Is it possible that they really have this ability?

Zhuang Chaosheng asked: "Mr. Li——"

"Eh? The minister is older than me, so just call me cousin Resurrection."

"Okay, resurrection, I wonder how our Ministry of Industry can get involved in this matter?"

"For example, in the past, the water affairs regulations were under the name of the Ministry of Works. In addition, the tool-making workshop of the Ministry of Works had to deploy craftsmen to make some ironworks tools."

Although the mining ban has been lifted, there are no yamen like the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Works to carry it, so it will inevitably be made difficult by the local authorities. If this is the case, it is better to sacrifice 30% of the work department to launch the water.

"That's it?" Zhuang Chaosheng was doubtful.

Li Weijian smiled and said: "Not to mention the distance, the Xishan Island Cement Service, the inner government only provided some manpower and equipment. I guess Mr. Zhuang knows about it."

Zhuang Chaosheng immediately frowned: "Okay, I strongly agree. When Da Sikong returns to the Yamen, I will report the matter immediately." After a pause, he added: "If Da Sikong does not agree, I will certainly Report to the emperor!"

This is like saying it clearly. If Gu Weiyue dares to disagree, Zhuang Chaosheng will dare to make trouble in the court. The minister is nominally the deputy of the minister, but he can go to court and participate in politics based on his ability. He has a certain degree of autonomy and is by no means a second-in-command official who can be manipulated at will.

Li Weijian struck while the railway was hot: "In this case, I would like to ask Mr. Zhuang to dispatch craftsmen who are looking for ore and prospecting. We will set off for Zunhua in the next two days. We must see it in person before we can make a decision on this matter."

Zhuang Chaosheng happened to be in charge of this matter, and he immediately nodded and said: "This matter is simple, I will immediately adjust the writing, and I guarantee that there will be only a little more."

The two of them decided on this matter, and just when the clerk came in with a food box. Zhuang Chaosheng invited Li Weijian to use the Gongbu small stove together. Not to mention, the Gongbu small stove was indeed full of flavor, and Li Weijian couldn't help but have the idea of ​​poaching the cook home.

After lunch, Zhuang Chaosheng politely sent Li Weijian out of the Yamen of the Ministry of Industry. In the meantime, there was a small official who was looking for help, but because Zhuang Chaosheng was also there, he never dared to come forward. It wasn't until Li Weijian got on the carriage that the clerk cursed and asked Jia Zheng to return to his life.

Jia Zheng couldn't lose face, so he sent the clerk to invite Li Weijian, but the clerk did not dare to come forward. After Jia Zheng heard this, he scolded the little official, but he thought he was aloof and didn't take it seriously. When Xia Shi'an didn't see Li Weijian arriving the next afternoon, he was very angry. In the following days, he caused Jia Zheng some embarrassment from time to time, so he didn't mention it.

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Two days later, Li Weijian still didn't know what Grand Sikong Gu Weiyue was thinking. The right servant Zhuang Chaosheng had already prepared all the prospecting personnel. Li Weijian immediately informed his mentor that Yan Fenzhen would return before his wedding next month, and immediately led him More than thirty craftsmen, together with the Ding brothers, Wu Zhong, etc., headed towards Zunhua.

As for Wu Haining, Li Weijian simply sent him to the yamen of the Ministry of Industry as a janitor. He stayed there for a year and a half to learn how to interact with people.

It just so happened that Chen Shi had just said goodbye to Li Weijian. Before he arrived, Zheng Haoshi, a servant of the Rongguo Mansion, came to the house to invite him. He only said that Mr. Jia Zheng had invited Li Weijian to come over to the house.

Wu Haiping only said that Mr. Li Weijian had left the house early in the morning. Zheng Haoshi sighed for a long time and had to return without success.

When I returned to Rongguo Mansion, I found out that Master Jia Zheng was still in the study outside. Zheng Haoshi hurriedly went to report it. When the lieutenant came to talk about the matter, Jia Zheng was lost in thought for a long time, but he also knew that he could not resent Zheng Haoshi, so he had to send him to retreat first.

After being frustrated by the Xia Shilang for two days, even though Jia Zheng was upright and pedantic, he couldn't bear it. He couldn't help but talk to several Qing guests. After some persuasion, the Qing guests thought about it and sent the servants to invite Li Weijian. Come here and introduce him to Xia Shilang. Unexpectedly, Li Weijian walked out of the door!

The Qing guests are good at talking, but they don't know how to deal with such a situation. They only know that Li Weijian will be able to return next month, and it won't be short of ten days.

Jia Zheng felt bitter in his heart and could only nodded slightly with a stern face. Even so, there was no interest in talking. After sitting for a while, he excused himself from fatigue and got up to go to Aunt Zhao's courtyard.

Enter the Yimen, pass through the south hall, and go up the corridor from the right side of the hall. In front of it is Mengpozhai, and to the south is the Grand Master Jiashe's Courtyard. Jia Zheng was lost in thought all the way, when suddenly he heard a noise coming from Jia Sheyuan. However, Jia Zheng was old and his eyes and ears were not very clear. He could still hear some words clearly, but it was not clear what was being said.

After turning around the alleyway and entering Mrs. Wang's courtyard, I happened to catch a glimpse of a person walking out of the courtyard next to her. Looking at the age difference between Mrs. Wang and her, she looked full of resentment. When he caught a glimpse of Jia Zheng, he just had a cursory blessing and returned to the courtyard.

This person is Jia Zheng's other concubine, Aunt Zhou. She was originally Mrs. Wang's dowry maid, and she is brother and sister with Zhou Rui. In the early years, Mrs. Wang strictly guarded her, and the two only got together once or twice a year. When Aunt Zhou became old and beautiful, Jia Zheng took Aunt Zhao in while Mrs. Wang was giving birth, and naturally ignored Aunt Zhou again.

Jia Zheng just pretended not to see her and went into Aunt Zhao's courtyard on her own. Xiaoque and Xiao Jixiang'er saw Jia Zheng and hurriedly called to Aunt Zhao. Aunt Zhao hurriedly dropped her work, twisted her body to come out, and said with a smile on her face: "Why are you here at this moment?"

Jia Zheng said, "I'm a little tired today."

Aunt Zhao hurriedly ordered the maid to make tea, then led Jia Zheng inside and rubbed his neck carefully. Master Jia Zheng was so worried that he asked Jia Huan briefly, and couldn't help but said: "I just passed through the hall and heard that there was a lot of noise in the eldest brother's room. I don't know why."

"Is there such a thing?" Aunt Zhao was concerned. After waiting for Jia Zheng to go to the bed to take a nap, she hurriedly called Xiao Que over and ordered him to go and have a look.

Xiao Que was in a dilemma. Aunt Zhao didn't give any money to people every time she called people. She just made up stories out of thin air. How could anyone say it casually?

So he casually said, "Auntie, the ladies in the house are always wary of us now."

This statement immediately made Aunt Zhao curse a lot, saying that those women were used to cheating, flattering others, and never taking their mother and son seriously. After scolding for a long time, he finally gritted his teeth and looked for a bunch of money from the bottom of the box, and then ordered half of it back, and then ordered Xiao Que to go and check.

With more than a hundred copper coins, it was easy to do things. Xiao Que had only been there for two moments before he understood the situation clearly. When he came back, he excitedly said to Aunt Zhao, "Auntie, for some reason, the old man in the front yard got into a quarrel with Duke Xiu Guo's Mansion over the squares for the greenhouse."

"Ah? Please tell me carefully, what happened?"

Xiaoque lowered his voice and said: "Those women stood in the corner and listened. The old man scolded Shi for being shameless. He poached Fourth Master Jian's vegetable farmer and spread the recipe around. All.”

Aunt Zhao's mind was focused on dealing with Mrs. Wang and Baoyu, and she rarely paid attention to what was going on in the front yard, because she was confused and said: "This... Let's not talk about whether the matter between Li and the second girl didn't work out, even if it did. Well, the eldest master is not so angry, right?"

Little Ji Xiang'er came over and said, "I don't know, my aunt has been pestering Fourth Master Jian for a long time, and finally got the recipe for making a living in the warm shed. In the past two days, I have been feasting with relatives and friends, and I want to use this recipe to make a living." I made a fortune, but then the Shi family was sold everywhere... Not to mention the eldest master, anyone else would be very angry."

　Mid-term is almost here, please give me some monthly passes.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)