Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 179 The Slave's Aggression

After Jia Cong set out from Jinling, he passed through Suzhou to pick up Feng, passed by Yangzhou to thank Lin Ruhai, and then headed north.

He was not in a hurry to travel, and whenever he came across beautiful scenery on the way, he would take Jinghui, Wu'er, Qingwen, Yinglian and others to visit it.

On this day, the group finally arrived at Hongde Gate in the west city of Shenjing. A servant sent by Jia Zheng had already received the news and returned to Rongguo Mansion to report.

However, Jia Cong did not return to the Jia Mansion directly, but went directly to the Ministry of Rites in several carriages.

He was ordered to go to Nanjing on business this time. It was correct for him to not visit his home when returning to Beijing, but to submit his report to the Ministry of Rites first. This was also the basic etiquette in official circles.

Moreover, this time he copied the twelve volumes of Buddhist scriptures according to the imperial list, which did not mean that everything would be fine after copying. It also required the Ministry of Rites and the Buddhist Registration Office to select eminent monks to check and approve it before it could be truly completed.

For example, Abbot Xu Ming of Anding Temple was one of the monks responsible for checking the scriptures.

The documents that Jia Cong submitted to the Ministry of Rites to report on his work included the inspection records and signatures of these eminent monks.

Because it involves etiquette, royal dignity, and all kinds of procedures must be extremely strict and no mistakes are allowed.

It took Jia Cong nearly an hour to hand over all the matters and documents of the imperial mission to Liu Jizu, the doctor of the Ministry of Rites, after which the Ministry of Rites submitted a report to the emperor.

After completing the handover matters, he took a car back to the Jia Mansion.

Jinghui looked a little uneasy in the car, because this time she was really going to follow Jia Cong "home", and she had no idea what that place was like.

Jia Cong saw the expression on her face and knew that she was a little nervous. He smiled and held her hand, telling her not to worry about anything.

Wu Er smiled and comforted her: "What's there to worry about? We have Third Master here. We will have a long and good life ahead."

……

Jia Zheng's servant learned the news that Jia Cong had entered the city at Hongde Gate, and hurried back to report it to Jia Zheng. Not long after, the news of Jia Cong's return spread throughout the Rongguo Mansion.

In the past six months, Jia Cong has been copying Buddhist scriptures in Jinling on the orders of the emperor, helping Prince Ning solve a major case in Jinling, and has also written several wonderful poems. Now his reputation has spread throughout Jiangnan.

These astonishing deeds first appeared in discussions between Jia Zheng and his guests, and then spread by word of mouth, until even the maids and old women knew about them.

But in addition to these good things, the maids and old women also knew that Master Cong had done something else extraordinary. He actually seduced a nun from the temple and wanted to bring her back to the mansion.

The old lady was really angry and said that she would rectify the family tradition and not allow the third master to do such a thing. She would never allow any woman of unknown origin to enter the Jia family.

Just now I saw Zhou Rui's wife, who went to the west corner gate with five or six maids.

Old Chen in the mansion has seen this scene before. It is the way to punish the women and maids who have made mistakes in the inner house.

More than ten years ago, a maidservant of the old duke behaved improperly and was tied up by the old lady and sent by several maids to do the same. She was beaten half to death with a board and died within a few days.

This is a sign of big trouble. Master Cong has only been feeling proud for a few days, but after being scolded by the old lady, he might be brought back to his original form. How can he hold his head up in the Jia family in the future?

The old lady is the sky in the Jia family. All the servants in the house have to obey the old lady's wishes. The servants follow the old lady's example. Those who are shallow-minded and powerful among them naturally look down on Jia Cong for being a prostitute and having a low status.

In the past two years, Jia Cong has become more and more outstanding, and with the support of the second master in the mansion, these people usually dare not show disrespect in their faces.

But now that Jia Cong is about to get into trouble, he has lost all scruples in his heart. He is gloating over his misfortune or pushing down the wall when it falls. All kinds of low and despicable dark thoughts are emerging in his mind.

Zhou Ruijia is one of these people. He appears to be warm and kind on the surface, but is actually mean and vicious behind the scenes.

She was Madam Wang's chambermaid, so naturally she knew her master's thoughts best.

When she sent Wu'er to Jia Cong's room to be a maid, it was on Mrs. Wang's orders to check Jia Cong's background.

Afterwards, with the instruction of Mrs. Wang, she went to Wang Ziteng's house to visit the frightened Wang Yi, and deliberately gave Wang Zhang a hint, killing with a borrowed knife, which led Wang Zhang to come up with the vicious plan of suing Jia Cong.

A few days ago, she overheard from Wang Xifeng that Jia Cong was going to bring the nun back home. She knew what her master, Mrs. Wang, was thinking, so she went to Lady Jia and reported it to her. Now Lady Jia did not bother two masters with the same matter and asked her to take the strong woman to the West Corner Gate to do the work.

……

As soon as Jia Cong's carriage arrived at the west corner gate of Rongguo Mansion, he felt that the atmosphere was a little strange as soon as he got off the car. The several gatekeepers who were originally guarding the main gate and the west corner gate looked at him from afar, and their eyes were also a little strange.

Although they were a little puzzled, they did not take it to heart. If they were riding in a sedan chair, they would usually be carried through the corner gate and get off outside the second gate.

However, they were riding in a carriage, so they had to get off outside the corner gate and enter the mansion.

The several gatekeepers had long heard the rumor that Third Master Cong had found a nun to live in the mansion, and they also knew what the second wife's maid was doing guarding outside the second gate with her maid.

They are usually only responsible for guarding the gate, and do not have the same status as the servants around the wives in the inner house, so they have always been cautious and self-protective, and no master dares to offend them easily.

Even a bastard like Jia Cong, who came from an obscure family, was not someone they could easily provoke, so they just stayed away and watched the fun from afar, not daring to get involved in the affairs of the master of the inner house.

At this time, everyone saw several maids getting off the carriage. They were beautiful and dressed exquisitely. Only the maids serving the master in the inner house could have such demeanor.

Finally, Master Cong was seen helping a very pretty nun come down. She wore a Miaochang bun on her head, a moon-white jacket with plain sleeves, a long vest with green satin trim, and an autumn-fragrance-colored silk ribbon around her slender waist.

The gatekeepers were all stunned. The words that came out of the inner house were indeed true. This Third Master Cong really brought a nun into the house.

I have heard that Mr. Cong passed the imperial examination at a young age. There were also some rumors in the past that he was not someone to be trifled with. Now it’s time to watch the fun.

As Jia Cong, Jinghui and others walked to the second gate, they saw Zhou Rui's wife and several maids blocking the door. They looked down at him and couldn't help but narrow their eyes slightly.

Zhou Ruijia was Lady Wang's trusted concubine. Jia Cong knew that although this woman appeared to be warm and kind on the surface, she was not a good person at heart.

Zhou Ruijia said with a fake smile: "Master Cong, I have received instructions from the old lady to go to Rongqing Hall immediately. The old lady wants to question you.

The old lady also specifically instructed that women of unknown origin should not be brought into the mansion, so as not to damage the reputation of the Jia family! "

She pointed at Jinghui, who was wearing Buddhist robes, and shouted to the maids around her, "Keep this woman under guard until the old lady decides what to do with her."

Then he turned to Jia Cong and said with a forced smile: "Don't delay, Third Master. The old lady is still waiting."

Jia Cong's face suddenly turned gloomy. Jinghui behind him looked pale, and Yinglian beside him supported her with a worried look on her face.

Wu Er stepped forward and said, "Auntie Zhou, this person is not an outsider, she is Zhi Shao, the former maidservant of the Third Master."

Zhou Ruijia sneered, "Wu'er, you think I'm a fool. You're fooling me in broad daylight. Who in the mansion doesn't know that the girl named Zhishao jumped into the river and died two years ago? Who are you trying to fool by telling such nonsense?"

Zhishao was not a maid born in the Jia family. She was bought from outside to serve Jia Cong since she was a child.

Because Jia Cong was disliked by his grandmother since he was a child, he was kept in the storehouse in the East Courtyard and grew up there, and he almost never came to the West Palace.

As Zhishao was his personal maid, she had naturally never shown up in the West Mansion, so Zhou Ruijia had never seen Zhishao before. She only knew her name after Zhishao got into trouble.

In fact, not only Zhou Ruijia had never seen Zhishao, even Daiyu and Xichun had never seen her.

However, Yingchun and Tanchun had seen her.

On the New Year's Eve of that year, they brought Wang Dong from the Jiashun Palace to the Bingkuyuan to deliver New Year's gifts to Jia Cong. It was Zhishao who opened the door for them, and that was how they met.

The maids brought by Zhou Rui's wife were all from Lady Jia and Lady Wang's side. Naturally, they had never seen Zhishao before. When they saw Wu'er come out to talk, they hesitated for a moment.

Zhou Ruijia urged impatiently: "Why are you still standing there? Why don't you take care of the person first!"

(End of this chapter)