Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 72 Four pretty maids are drunk and Chen Hongmou comes to Beijing

Li Weijian had fun watching it, but he didn't know that the Shuntian government officials went crazy that day and went around arresting people.

Although the saint only mentioned it in the early morning court, Shuntian Prefecture Yin knew that this matter was of great importance.After the court arrived at the Yamen, they immediately sent out their men. Not to mention those who had committed many evil deeds on the waterway. Even those who had no bad deeds were found to find a reason to imprison them first.

As a result, there was a solemn atmosphere on the ground in the capital, which looked like a Qingming Festival.

Li Weijian took a carriage and went to Yan's Mansion first. During these days, Yan Fenzhen had been busy building the rifling broaching machine. However, the idea was good, but the transmission device was extremely unreliable.So I stayed at home for two days, thinking carefully about how to improve.

Li Weijian just mentioned a few words and didn't say much.What is missing now is the power device. When his steam engine is built in the future, the transmission device will have to be modified according to the steam engine. There is really no need to design it again now.

Yan Fengzhen thought hard in the study for a long time and came up with nothing, so he simply put aside his pen and ink and said: "My father told me yesterday that the saint was full of praise for the new fire blunderbuss. As soon as the rifling broaching machine was built, he would purchase [-] more blunderbuss." Jingying.”

"That's a good thing." Li Weijian said with a smile.

"There is something even better. Thanks to the blessing of resurrection, the saint granted him the title... first-class general." As he spoke, Yan Fengzhen looked at Li Weijian, but saw that there was nothing strange on his face, so he said curiously: "Hey ?Why don’t you ask for your reward when you are resurrected?”

Li Weijian smiled and said: "Isn't that [-]% a reward? Besides, my mentor and Brother Jingwen are running through it, so how can I have the chance to meet the saint?"

Yan Fengzhen blinked and sighed: "No wonder my father likes Fu Sheng... My father once said privately that Fu Sheng is a man of good character and will probably achieve more than him in the future."

"Haha, that's all my teacher said."

"Where did it go?" Yan Fengzhen pushed up his glasses and said: "My father only realized this truth when he was 30 years old, and his official career has been prosperous since then. He will not be reborn until he is thirteen or fourteen years old. As long as he enters the official career in the autumn, he will definitely be Don’t worry about the future.”

Li Weijian smacked his lips and said honestly: "I don't think about the future for the moment, but I envy Brother Jing Wen's title. If in the future the saint also rewards a duke or a marquis, I will be able to comfort myself for the rest of my life."

Yan Fengzhen was choked for a long time before he said: "Are you a big cabbage when you become a prince? The court has a long-standing tradition. If a craftsman enters the body, he will be granted the title of viscount at most... Unless he is reincarnated and leads the army to defeat Junggar in the future, don't even think about it in this life!"

"Is there any other explanation?" Li Weijian thought to himself. Now that Chen Hongmou has not entered the capital, the reform has not yet begun, and the national treasury is empty, he thinks he will still have to fight with the Junggars for a few more years.

As long as the reform is successful, especially when Li Weijian secretly promotes the industrial revolution, the situation will be decided.

In the era of agricultural civilization, barbaric military groups that relied on plunder were often more effective than military groups that relied on construction, probably because rewards and punishments were clearly defined.When we entered the industrial age, barbarism no longer had any use.The two military groups are competing for industrial capabilities and even the overall national strength behind them.

Dashun is a huge country with a population of [-] million, and even if it is only partially industrialized, it is not something that the Junggars can afford.

Since Li Weijian wanted to enter the inner palace and act as the mastermind behind the scenes, he naturally knew a lot about the inner palace.In the inner government, the lowest-ranking official is the chief official, who is the sixth rank; above him is the Yuanwai Lang, who is the fifth rank; above that is the doctor, who is the fifth rank; and above that is the deputy prime minister of the inner government, who is the fourth rank.

Cuo Fei is now the King of Zhongyong and the minister in charge of the inner palace. The highest rank of the inner minister is only the fourth rank, which is two ranks lower than that of Shuntian Yin.

King Zhongyong was in the prime of life, so it was naturally impossible for Li Weijian to survive for decades and become only a fourth-rank minister of the internal affairs.

In addition to clinging to the gentry to protect themselves, they had to think of other ways, such as promotion.If he was promoted to a duke based on his ability to create things, a fourth-grade official would be doing this, and a super-grade duke would be in front of him. Those who knew the inside story were afraid of Li Weijian's strength, and laymen would not dare to provoke him easily just because of his super-grade title.

To put it bluntly, if the situation changes due to the industrial revolution, there is no way that Li Weijian's title will be promoted.

Now that he knew that the viscount must have military merit in order to advance, Li Weijian began to think and plan secretly.

At noon that day, Li Weijian said goodbye to Yan Fenzhen. He first went to Xianlu Residence to order a banquet, and then went to buy some ribbed satin and green silk. Now that the four maids' deeds were in his hands, Rongguo Mansion no longer took care of them. When the seasons change, I always want to buy some cloth and satin to buy clothes for the four maids - and then I return to Rongguo Mansion early.

Today is March 22nd, Qingwen’s baby is born.

The carriage stopped in front of Rongguo Mansion, and disciple Yu Liu immediately greeted the general with a smile.After saying a few words and seeing Wu Haiping unloading a lot of silk and satin from the car, Yu Liu sent two young men to take them to the small courtyard in the northeast.

Li Weijian walked along the narrow road to the door of his house, and saw two young men returning happily carrying a bunch of money each.When they entered their small courtyard, it was Qingwen who came to greet them first.

"Fourth Lord!"

There was a glimmer of autumn water, and since she ate rouge last night, Qingwen and Li Weijian have become closer.

"Why did you buy so much brocade?"

Li Weijian smiled and walked with his hands behind his back, and said: "The season has changed, so I have to cut some clothes for you. Oh, that piece of green rhododendron was given to you alone. It is considered a birth gift."

"Yes." Qingwen responded, following suit.

Arriving at the door of the main room, Li Weijian paused briefly and said: "By the way, we just made a reservation at Xianlu Residence. I'll deliver it in time, along with two jars of rice wine. I won't go to work today and close the door." Come celebrate your birthday.”

"Fourth Master doesn't have to do this, just have a few glasses of wine with me." Qingwen said this, but she felt very at ease in her heart.

She spent two years in the Lai family, but no one ever thought to ask when she would give birth to a baby, let alone congratulate her.When he comes to Li Weijian, he just treats others tolerantly. He even thinks about such trivial things. What else can he ask for when meeting such a beloved person?
In the main room, several maids pulled the brocade and laughed happily, and the usual tension between Qingwen and Hongyu was gone.

After Li Weijian washed his hands and sat down, Qingwen came over and bowed politely.Li Weijian smiled and agreed. He searched the silver box and found two silver barley coins to reward Qingwen.

The three maids joined forces again and bought a pearl hairpin for Qingwen, which made Qingwen's eyes red.Even at home, her parents never treated her like this.

At the end of the day, the waiter from Xianluju delivered two food boxes and two jars of rice wine.The food box was spread out, and inside it was a mixture of dishes from Beijing and Jinling. They were cool and hot in four directions. Although they didn't have the delicacies of mountains and seas, they were still exquisite.

Li Weijian drank a few drinks with Qingwen, then quietly left the table, leaving the maids to laugh and laugh.He felt that he couldn't calm down even after entering the study, so he simply went out for a walk.

Without him by their side, the maids became more and more aggressive.Throwing pots, drinking orders, joking and joking, before you know it, the two jars of rice wine have reached the bottom.

When night fell, Li Weijian turned around and saw four maids staggering around, with only Hongyu still holding on.

"Fourth Master." Hongyu's face was full of wine, she stood up to greet him, and then staggered.Li Weijian helped me and said with a smile, "Sit down...Why do you drink so much?"

"It's rare to be happy, so I drank more."

Li Weijian looked at her carefully and found that Xiangling was the quietest and fell asleep at the desk; Xiuying was carefree, and her collar opened at some point, revealing her embroidered bellyband; Qingwen talked in her sleep, but she couldn't understand what she was saying even though she was mumbling. .

Li Weijian shook his head and laughed, and said: "I'm still young, so I won't drink so much in the future." He went back to the main room and called two maids to wait on the three maids who were drunk. It was moved to the west wing and placed there.

When they entered the main room again, they saw Hong Yuqiang holding herself up and packing the dishes.

He said: "Leave it alone, it will be the same thing again tomorrow morning."

Hong Yu just shook her head and said: "The alcohol is too strong, it will intoxicate the Fourth Master."

Li Weijian laughed: "I'm not a clay sculpture, so how can I be so delicate? Just leave it alone."

Hongyu hesitated for a moment and finally let it go.Then he ordered two maidservants to boil water. After a while, they brought hot water in to help Li Weijian wash up.

After a brief wash, it was time to turn on the lamp.Li Weijian went into the study to write and draw, and Hongyu forced himself to stay with him.Li Weijian asked her to rest, but she just smiled and refused.

Li Weijian was not Wu Xia Ameng, so he immediately understood Hong Yu's thoughts.She is not as beautiful as Qingwen and Xiangling, and because of her status as a third-class maid, it was difficult for her to get close to him.It was that time when everyone in the small courtyard got sick, and she had only stayed with him in Nuange for a few nights, but she was also with Xiangling.

So those private words could not be uttered even when they came to my lips.

How could Li Weijian let down such a friendship between girls?As soon as I thought about it, I simply put aside my pen and ink, stretched my body and said, "Maybe I am a little sleepy today after eating wine. Why don't I have a rest early."

"Hey, I'm going to get Fourth Master some water for his feet."

Joy came to her heart, and some of her drunkenness subsided. Hongyu took small steps to get hot water again.When he returned with the copper basin, he saw that Li Weijian had already taken off his outer clothes and was sitting on the bedside in his middle coat.

Hongyu suppressed her heartbeat and put down the copper basin as if she was used to it. She took off her shoes and socks for Li Weijian, soaked her feet in the hot water, raised her head and asked with a smile, "Is this water okay?"

"Well, everything is fine."

The smile on his face was reflected in the girl's eyes, and her heartstrings trembled even more.Hongyu was immersed in scrubbing, but she was thinking in her heart that the fourth master was so handsome.His appearance is not inferior to that of Mr. Lian, but he has a bit more energy.

Hong Yu has always admired the strong, and the Fourth Master Jian is a capable person. He will be ranked high in high school and will have a bright future.Unexpectedly, this future came so quickly. In just ten moonlight, the Fourth Master was able to create such a huge battle.Hong Yu secretly rejoiced in her heart. Fortunately, Fourth Master Jian, who had been transferred early, was with her. Otherwise, where would she have found such a beloved person?

It’s just...it’s all the fault of that foxy Qingwen!
After taking the handkerchief and wiping it, Hongyu took the copper basin to pour water. When he returned to Nuange, he saw Li Weijian leaning on the bedside and reading a book.

Hongyu bit her lower lip lightly and summoned up the courage to say: "Fourth Master, it's cold at night, why not... let me warm the bed for Fourth Master."

Li Weijian nodded: "Okay."

The hands that were tightly clenched on the sweat towel slowly relaxed, feeling shy in her heart. Hongyu turned her back, took off her coat when she reached the pit, and then leaned over lightly.

With a rustling sound, he lifted the quilt and got in.Li Weijian dropped the book and simply got into bed.Hongyu's back was tense, but she saw that Li Weijian didn't move for a long time, so she quietly turned over, and met those sharp eyes.

"Yeah!" Hongyu exclaimed softly, her face looking either angry or happy.

Li Weijian gently scraped the bridge of Hongyu's nose, put his hand around his neck, patted his back gently and said: "Go to bed quickly, we are still young, and we have a long time to come."

"Yes." Hong Yu's voice was like a mosquito or fly, and in Li Weijian's arms, the anxiety in his heart gradually calmed down, and he started ironing.

....................................

After Qingwen gave birth to her baby, everything was calm for several days.On the other hand, Yingchun brought Tanchun here twice, and most of the time Tanchun talked about it. Yingchun was shy and only asked for advice on polishing the book to see if there were any mistakes.

Only when their eyes were turning and they looked at each other quietly, did the two girls show some concern, but they were so embarrassed that they lowered their heads and turned red at the base of their ears.

Both times, Si Qi accompanied him, making Si Qi extremely anxious.Now that Fourth Master Jian has become more powerful, there is no doubt that noble girls from other families will come to him in the future. If this matter is not settled early, how can the second girl, a concubine, be worthy of Fourth Master Jian?
However, the second girl seems to be a dull person, and she agrees well every time, to the point where she never says a word when they meet.If the third girl is here, I'm afraid I'll be suffocated to death!

The situation in the capital's waterways has been changing in the past few days. All the more than [-] wells in the inner palace are producing sweet water, and they are selling it for [-] yuan a load, forcing all the bitter wells to have no way to survive.Ordinary people are the most calculating. They would rather walk an extra street to buy the sweet water from the inner palace. The bitter water can leave a pungent smell even for washing clothes.It was only because he didn't have enough money that he went to buy the bitter water.

I don’t know if there is someone behind the scenes of the waterway. The price of bitter water wells in various places suddenly dropped significantly overnight, and they were sold out for five cents a load. The inner water wells that had been bustling for several days suddenly became deserted.

On this day, King Zhongyong sent his subordinates early to discuss the matter with Li Weijian. Unexpectedly, Li Weijian rushed to the inner palace in a hurry, but King Zhongyong left.

The doctor who stayed behind said: "Unfortunately, the prince received the imperial edict earlier and now he has gone out of the city to greet Chen Duxian on behalf of the saint."

"Chen Duxian has arrived in the capital?"

The doctor stroked his beard and said admiringly: "I came here early in the morning and said that I will arrive today."

Once Chen Hongmou arrives, the capital will be in turmoil.Reformers in the past dynasties rarely have a happy ending, as important ministers like Chen Hongmou know.But this person is still there, even though thousands of people have gone to him, his magnanimity and courage are definitely not comparable to that of Li Weijian.

Thinking that King Zhongyong might not be available today, Li Weijian simply said goodbye and rode out of Chaoyang Gate with Wu Haiping, intending to take a look at Chen Duxian's style.

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(End of this chapter)