Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 215 The world is full of dangers

Until this essay on the scholar's lack of moral integrity was read from beginning to end by countless people, every word seemed to be engraved in their hearts, and a grand and solemn enlightenment was difficult to dissipate for a long time.

Zheng Yan asked loudly: "Students, after reading this article, do you still think that Jia Yuzhang is not worthy of being named the top of the list?"

After listening to this wonderful essay, who among the thousands of students present dared to say that Jia Cong was not worthy of being the top of the list?

This magnificent article is as majestic as a mountain and cannot be shaken. If anyone dares to say that Jia Cong is unworthy of it, he will probably be regarded as a literary thief and ruined in an instant.

Zheng Yan sighed: "Confucianism is a sacred learning that aims to explore the relationship between heaven and man and benefit all living things. It should not just be a way to gain fame and official positions!

This article by Jia Yuzhang cuts off the false thoughts about books and classics, reopens the origin of learning, awakens the deaf and enlightens the ears, and is a true method that is not easy for scholars.

Establish a mind for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the living people, carry on the unique teachings of the past saints, and create peace for all generations!

Those who have said these four things should receive my respect! "

Zheng Yan looked solemn. He clapped his hands, bowed his head, and bowed deeply to Jia Cong.

At this moment, Zheng Yan recalled that he did not take up an official position after passing the imperial examination, but retired to study. He was in a depressed and restless mood, which was exactly described by these four words. Now, hearing the four-word method is like meeting a soulmate in the mountains and flowing water.

Several officials from the Imperial Examination Hall behind him also bowed deeply.

There were countless students in front of the Imperial Examination Hall. Seeing their teacher saluting, they did not dare to be negligent and saluted Jia Cong in a crowd.

Jia Cong was greatly shocked and quickly moved away from Zheng Yan, not daring to accept the greeting.

"Master, you are embarrassing me. The four words in this article are not my original ideas. They are the sum of my thoughts and experiences from listening to Master Liu's teachings every day. I dare not claim credit for them."

After hearing this, Zheng Yan's eyes flashed with tenderness. The four-word method is enough to be passed down through the ages. With such a great reputation, this young man is so clear-headed and still remembers to give credit to his teacher.

It is a great fortune for Liu Jing'an to have such a good disciple to inherit his mantle!
……

The two servants following Jia Cong witnessed the whole bizarre scene in front of the Imperial Examination Hall. Thinking that they had received instructions from the second master before going out, one of them hurried back to report the news, leaving the other to serve Jia Cong.

But Jia Cong asked the two to go back together, saying that he had things to do and would return home later.

This time, Cai Xiaoyu and Liu Xiaoping were both on the list, but Cui Anzhi was the only one who failed to make the list. Naturally, he was very depressed.

Jia Cong comforted him, "Ziqian, don't worry too much. Your performance in the academy has always been good. This time you just performed poorly. Fortunately, this is a special exam, so you don't have to waste another three years of hard work.

There will be another provincial examination next August. As long as you work hard for another year, you will definitely pass it, but don’t worry.”

Cai Xiaoyu and Liu Xiaoping also encouraged Cui Anzhi, who finally calmed down and made up his mind to go back to the academy and study hard for another year, so that he could pass the provincial examination next year.

Jia Cong made an appointment with them to meet again, and asked Jiang Liu to drive the carriage to the west city.

When the carriage reached a more secluded road, Jiang Liu said, "Master, I have already found out everything you asked me to find out in the past few days.

A year ago, that man was kicked and injured by Chen Xiong, the captain of the Cavalry Battalion, in a fight for Liu Yuer, the top man in Yicui Tower. This year, he secretly sought for a good doctor to treat him.

He was also very shrewd. He was afraid that the news would get out and it would be bad, so he paid a large sum of money to keep the doctors quiet. He only invited several famous doctors to treat the patient, but they were all unable to save the patient.

I used the young master's method to find the doctor with the best medical skills and the highest consultation fee in the capital.

He found a stranger to investigate, and after spending the three hundred taels of silver given by the young master, he finally got the truth. The doctor said that he had long been a cripple, and even gods could not save him.

At this point, Jiang Liu couldn't help but spit and said, "He is now just fooling around with Liu Yu'er from Yicui Tower. A man like him also got married, harming the girl in vain..."

Last year, Jia Cong, Cai Xiaoyu, Liu Xiaoping and others were drinking in Chunhua Tower, but they saw with their own eyes that Chen Xiong kicked Jia Rong.

More than a month later, when Lady Jia's birthday was celebrated and a banquet was held in the East Palace, he followed Jia Zheng to the banquet, but Jia Zhen said that Jia Rong was ill and could not meet guests.

How could he have the nerve to talk about such things with Keqing when he was in Jinling, and the matter was not certain at the time.

When he returned to the capital from Jinling, he vaguely heard some rumors in the East and West Mansions. After all, there were many gossipy people in the mansion, and it was impossible to completely keep the news secret. There would always be gossipy servants who would let the news slip.

So he asked Qu Hongxiu for Jiang Liu to help him find out various information so that he would have a way to deal with it in the future.

Qu Hongxiu raised five orphans from the Hidden Sect in Dezhou. Jia Cong and Qu Hongxiu started the perfume business in order to find a livelihood for these children.

It can be said that Qu Hongxiu and the five children were the people he trusted most outside the Jia Mansion. Although Keqing kept him at a distance after he returned to the capital, he knew that Keqing was concerned about his reputation and was afraid that it would ruin his future.

In the Red Mansion, an environment with extremely strict patriarchal ethics, Keqing is the daughter of an official and the daughter-in-law of the Ningguo Mansion with three matchmakers and six certificates. There is no other way to cancel the engagement except death.

He understood this, and Keqing understood it even better.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have deliberately distanced herself from me since they parted at Anding Temple. It must be that Qin Ye knew the secret and warned her sternly.

If he gave up everything he had and took her away to the wilderness.

Then those maids who had been with him through thick and thin in Qingzhizhai, and those sisters at home who had always cared for him, would have to be abandoned and never see each other again. He couldn't do it!

But he never gave up, not even for her safety.

He knew better than anyone what Ningguo Mansion was.

Now that Jiang Liu has verified the news, it can be seen how despicable Jia Zhen and Jia Rong of Ningguo Mansion are. They knew that things would turn out like this, but still dragged a girl into the fire pit.

Moreover, Jia Zhen also borrowed three thousand taels of silver from the Western Mansion to hold a grand wedding, which is disgusting just thinking about it.

……

West of Shenjing City.

A tall and thin man wearing a brocade robe with a floral pattern was walking in a quiet alley, and a little girl had been following him for a long time.

The little girl had a slim figure. She wore a white dress with blue flowers printed on it and a headscarf of the same color on her head. She walked with an unusual agility.

She was holding a bamboo basket covered with coarse cloth, and looked like the daughter of an ordinary family in the city.

When the tall and thin man walked to the center of the alley, the girl looked around, approached the man quietly, lifted the coarse cloth on the bamboo basket, and pulled out a short and thick stick.

Although the girl looked frail and skinny, she was very ruthless and hit the tall and thin man hard on the shoulder and neck with a stick.

She performed this move of hitting the man from behind with a club very skillfully, as if she was very familiar with it. The tall and thin man was knocked unconscious without even a grunt.

Seeing the man fainted on the ground, the girl went forward to check on him and then dragged him forward a few steps.

Although the girl was thin, she was very strong. She dragged a man taller than her as if he were nothing.

After dragging the man to a secluded corner, she raised her little feet and stomped and kicked the man, looking a little fierce.

He cursed softly, "How dare you, a black-hearted fellow, to take over our incense shop and even threaten Aunt Feng!"

She hit the man with the stick very skillfully, and even after all this beating, the tall and thin man was still as unconscious as a dead man and couldn't wake up.

After she vented her anger, the little girl looked around again and then quickly ran out of the alley. The hem of her skirt with a white background and blue flowers flashed at the entrance of the alley before she disappeared.

I saw her walking through several streets and alleys before she finally entered through the back door of a shop. Her movements were very agile.

After a while, a handsome young man came out from the inner hall of Xiuniang's incense shop.

Feng, who was busy taking care of customers in the store, saw her and scolded her with a smile: "Baozhu, you are hanging out there again. The store is very busy."

The boy smiled and said, "I went out to do something. Aunt Feng, no bad guys will come to mess up the store anymore..."

　The setting of Red Mansions is an era when ethics and morals were very strict.

　　Three matchmakers and six certificates are equivalent to a death contract.

　　I don’t want to use clichés like elopement and faked death because they are too distracting and perfunctory.

　　That kind of desperate, domineering hero saving the beauty is too brainless.

　　Whether in fiction or reality, people live in an environment.

　　The argument that since you have traveled through time, why do you still care about these things, can only...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)