Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 162 Climbing the Zhuojiang Tower

Zhuojiang Tower is located near Shangyuan Gate in Jinling. It has octagonal sides, five-story eaves, pointed and upturned wings, and is covered with golden glazed tiles. It is built overlooking the river, and one can have a bird's eye view of the Yangtze River from east to west of Yanziji.

It is said that Li Tianling, the founding emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, unified the south of the Yangtze River, gathered troops in Nanjing, looked north to the Central Plains, and was determined to restore the Han Dynasty's clothing and customs.

So they built the Zhuojiang Tower along the river, and people could climb up the tower to overlook the Mongolian camp in the north of the river.

Finally, he led his troops across the river, killed all the Mongolian chieftains, and unified the country.

With his royal spirit and heroic spirit, he dominates the world. After several generations, he is still revered by the descendants of the Han Dynasty.

On this day, the wind was cold and the sky was bright. Clouds filled the sky. Within ten feet of Zhujiang Tower, a lieutenant in brocade clothes stood guard. In the distance, the river was rolling and there was a lone sail in the blue sky, creating a desolate and vast scene.

When Guo Zhigui arrived at Zhuojiang Tower in his carriage, Jia Cong saw carriages and horses constantly driving into the stone platform in front of the tower. Officials from various government offices who were attending the banquet arrived one after another, exchanged greetings, and went up to the banquet seats on the fifth floor hand in hand.

Those who attended the banquet were all officials or celebrities from various departments in Jinling, most of whom were older and had experienced many vicissitudes of life. There was no one as young as Jia Cong, so he stood out in the crowd.

Some of the guests had attended the birthday banquet at the Zou Mansion and knew who he was. On that day, Jia Cong led his troops into the mansion, shot and killed people, and forced Zou Huaiyi to commit suicide on the spot, which made these people terrified and unforgettable.

Not to mention that those who attended the birthday banquet that day were all strictly interrogated by the Jinyiwei afterwards. Among them, those who were able to attend the banquet hosted by Prince Ning today had all suffered a lot at the hands of the Jinyiwei.

These people were lucky to get out alive, and naturally they had a lot of resentment towards Jia Cong. When they saw him appear, they all looked resentful, and the people around them were naturally surprised and asked about him.

So before Jia Cong even went up to the banquet table on the fifth floor, almost half of the guests at the banquet knew about his unusual identity.

The case of Zou Huaiyi from the Water Conservancy Bureau implicated a wide range of people. Not only was the Water Conservancy Bureau's chief officer, but also the officers of the hundred-household general flags and small flags were almost wiped out.

As a result of the incident, countless people from the Jinling Guards, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and various government offices were implicated. The lighter ones were dismissed from their posts, while the more serious ones were imprisoned or even executed.

Among the people present, many had relatives and old friends who suffered in this incident. It is impossible to say that they had no complaints or resentment about it.

Although the person in charge of the major case in the Water Supervision Bureau is His Royal Highness Prince Ning, the prince is acting in accordance with the emperor's will and no one dares to resent him. Besides, even if they resent him, what's the use?

Jia Cong was temporarily promoted by Emperor Jia Zhao to the position of counselor to Prince Ning. Since the arrest of Zhou Suqing, he has been at the forefront of major detective cases.

Afterwards, he surrounded the ronin and led his troops into the city. Zou Fu captured the criminal and sent messages to curb the situation. His exposure was a bit too high, which naturally attracted corresponding hatred.

The Jinling officialdom, which was originally harmonious and noble and was good at making money, seemed to have been messed up because of him, a seventh-rank official.

In fact, the real root of the problem was the Longtan Port incident, which attracted the attention of Emperor Jiazhao and eventually led to the current situation in the Nanjing officialdom.

Whether Jia Cong existed or not, the emperor's will would ultimately lead to the current situation.

But not everyone has such a far-reaching vision.

People who are busy all the time always have to find a target to vent their resentment and hatred.

As soon as Jia Cong stepped into the banquet hall on the fifth floor, he attracted many inexplicable hostile looks. After thinking about it for a while, he roughly guessed the reason.

If he had not been ordered to copy scriptures at the Da Ci'en Temple, he would not have met Prince Ning. If he had not saved Xiangling from the impasse, he would not have been implicated in the matter because of Zhou Suqing.

Everything has been predetermined, and things have been done. Besides, he has a clear conscience and is not envied for his mediocrity, so just let him be.

He looked out the window and saw low evening clouds outside, the boundless blue waves of the river, and the endless horizon at the end of the water and sky, which made people feel open-minded.

After a while, His Royal Highness Prince Ning arrived, accompanied by Yang Hongbin, the judge of the Dali Temple.

Yang Hongbin is smart and capable, loyal to his duties, and quite upright. He and Jia Cong had shared risks and hardships in the Zou Huaiyi case, and Jia Cong got along very well with him. In this case, Yang Hongbin made a great contribution to the cracking of the Water Supervision Bureau case. The Emperor Shenjing has issued an imperial decree to promote him from the Dali Temple judge to the Left Dali Temple chief.

For someone like Jia Cong to be promoted continuously in less than half a year, even though he was only a casual official, it was still a rare exception in the officialdom.

Normal career advancement requires years of hard work to advance to the next level.

Yang Hongbin was promoted to the position of Dali Temple Chief due to his merits, which was a very important step in his official career. Jia Cong saw the joy in his expression and thought that he was in a very good mood.

Although many people at the table treated Jia Cong coldly, there were also some who were familiar and enthusiastic, such as Jia Yucun, the prefect of Jinling.

Jia Yucun had always felt that Jia Cong was somewhat remarkable. He had seen his many methods in the Longtan Port case, and he was highly regarded by Prince Ning, so naturally he tried to get closer to him.

At this time, King Ning took his seat and the banquet began. Delicacies and fine wines were served like water. Those who attended the banquet clinked glasses, talked and sipped.

At such a banquet for Shangguan, there would naturally be no shouting and drinking. With the river breeze blowing and the curtains fluttering, the atmosphere was elegant and fragrant.

At this time, from behind the pearl curtain on the left side of the banquet, the sound of a clear pipa was heard, accompanied by a clear and beautiful voice like a blue phoenix chick, which sounded leisurely, fresh and ethereal, and touching the heart.

"Six generations of luxury, spring is gone, and there is no news. I look at it in vain, the beautiful mountains and rivers are no longer what they used to be..."

Jia Cong was shocked when he heard this, because the ethereal and graceful female voice was actually singing his own song "Man Jiang Hong".

Jia Yucun smiled and said, “I just heard that this poem, “Man Jiang Hong, Nostalgia for the Past in Jinling”, was actually a new work by Brother Cong. A few years ago, Brother Cong wrote a poem about plum blossoms at the Nanxi Literary Society and made his mark, becoming famous all over the capital.

It's just that I haven't seen any new works from him for many years. When he occasionally produces a chapter, it's so worthy of being passed down from generation to generation. Such talent is truly enviable.

Brother Chong's song "Man Jiang Hong" is now widely sung in Jinling's brothels and theaters. I'm afraid it will soon spread across the north and south."

Jia Cong quickly spoke a few humble words, but he was somewhat puzzled in his heart. He had only written this poem as a return gift to the Xue family, but how could it have spread so quickly?

He had been copying scriptures in Anding Temple these days, and whenever he returned to the city he stayed in his old house in Xinglongfang. He never went out and had no social engagements. He even missed the invitation from the Xue family.

So I really don't have a clear idea of ​​what's happening outside.

Few of the servants and maids in the old house were literate, and no one had the interest to go to brothels to listen to music, so naturally no one told him these things.

Jia Yucun added, "The one singing the lyrics is Lady Qing from the Qingyin Pavilion. She is the chief musician of the Qingyin Pavilion and is known for her heavenly voice when playing the Jade-Valley Pipa. It is very difficult to invite her to perform."

Suddenly, someone at the next table muttered, "What kind of nonsense is this? It's so babble-like, it gives me a headache."

When Jia Yucun heard this, he frowned. He was a graduate of the third class of the imperial examination and had the mind of a scholar. In his eyes, writing lyrics and singing in harmony were elegant things, but he heard people slandering them as a waste of time.

He looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person who spoke was a man in his thirties, with a strong build and a smell of alcohol on his face, who was drinking one glass after another.

Somehow, Jia Cong felt that this drunkard looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere.

This banquet was to see Prince Ning off back to the capital, and was not an ordinary official social event. No official present dared to be careless, and everyone drank lightly. It was rare to see someone as greedy as this man.

"Cui Jingli, you've drunk too much."

The person who spoke was an official standing beside the man. Most of the officials attending the banquet were wearing casual clothes, but this man was neatly dressed in a fifth-rank official robe. He was over forty years old and had some gray on his temples.

(End of this chapter)