Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 308: The whole city welcomes the return of the hero

May 18, the 14th year of Jiazhao

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

When the witchcraft incident broke out in the East Courtyard, Mrs. Xing was implicated by Wang Shanbao's wife and was increasingly neglected by Lady Jia.

In the past two years, Mrs. Xing has rarely come to Rongqing Hall except for daily etiquette and rules, but today she has been sitting here for a long time.

Today Daiyu and other sisters are not here, only Yingchun is sitting at the lower table.

But Yingchun looked somewhat uneasy, her face slightly pale, her bright eyes lowered, and a soft, pale pink silk handkerchief was tangled into a ball between her slender fingers.

Mrs. Xing said with a smile on her face: "Old lady, the man's name is Sun Shaozu, his father is Sun Zhanying, the hereditary fifth-rank commander of Datong, and he is the third son of the main wife.

He has always had contacts with the master, and is also an old friend of our Jia family. I have met him once. He is handsome and can be considered a considerable figure.

He heard that the second girl was still unmarried, so he asked the official matchmaker to come to propose marriage. My master and I both like this match very much, and my master asked me to come and ask the old lady for her opinion."

When Lady Jia heard that he came from a family of hereditary military service and was the eldest son of the wife, she began to feel somewhat fond of him.

For a big family like the Jia family, marriage is very particular about dignity. It is generally difficult for a concubine's daughter like Yingchun to marry into the official's family as the principal wife.

Most of the time, they can only marry minor officials with no background, or the illegitimate sons of aristocratic families. Their married life is mostly miserable, and they will not have the same luxury as when they were in the boudoir.

This Sun Shaozu was not only from a hereditary official family, but also an old friend of the Jia family. More importantly, he was the son of the main wife.

It is very rare for Yingchun to marry a husband of such status, and the Jia family will not lose face if the news gets out.

Grandmother Jia asked: "What is the character of this person? This is the most important thing. He must be kind to the second girl. It doesn't matter if he has a low position or a poor family.

At most we can give more silver as a dowry, but this is not worth it."

After all, Yingchun was raised by Grandmother Jia, so she still cares about her granddaughter. Now that she has found a suitable family, she naturally wants to ask more questions.

Madam Xing smiled and said, "Don't worry, old lady. This man knows how to talk and act, and he is sensible and careful. He is currently waiting for a vacancy in the Ministry of War, and he will get a real vacancy soon. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it."

Mrs. Xing knew that Jia She’s business outside was closely related to the Sun family of Datong.

Therefore, Jia She attached great importance to the relationship with the Sun family, and said that as long as he formed a close relationship with the Sun family, he would surely make a lot of money in the future.

Mrs. Xing had always been greedy for wealth, so with such a reason, how could she be unwilling? Naturally, she spoke well of Sun Shaozu in front of Lady Jia.

As for whether Yingchun could marry a good man, Mrs. Xing didn't care at all. She was just a concubine's daughter, not her own, so what was the value of her? It would be better to have one less eyesore if she married him off.

If she marries well, it is her blessing; if she marries badly, it is her fate. In short, it has nothing to do with me.

……

When Grandmother Jia saw Yingchun standing there in a daze, her body tense and her face pale, she knew that her granddaughter was taciturn and timid, and she must be a little scared when she heard about the important matter of marriage.

"Second girl, from what I heard, that man is from an official family and is the legitimate son of the first wife. He must be a good person. You don't have to be afraid. I'm here and I won't let you suffer any loss."

Yingchun mustered up her courage and said, "I don't want to get married. I want to...stay at home and be filial to my old lady for a few more years."

Grandmother Jia was stunned when she heard this, but she was still happy in her heart. This second girl was a wooden girl who didn't even cry out in pain when she was pricked by a needle, but she actually said such a kind word.

Grandmother Jia laughed and said, "You are also a silly girl. How can a girl not get married? Your wife said that Sun Shaozu was a position he found in the capital, and he will settle down in the capital in the future.

If you want to be filial to me, it only takes a few days to travel, and it's very cheap. I think this marriage is good, so let's settle it. I will feel relieved when you have a good family."

Yingchun couldn't help herself any longer and said, "Old lady, can you wait for Brother Cong to come back..."

As for why she had to wait for Jia Cong to come back, even she herself couldn't explain the reason.

She was afraid that she would suffer because she promised it to a man she had never met before. She only wanted her most trusted and closest brother to be by her side to make her feel at ease.

When Mrs. Xing heard Yingchun suddenly mention Jia Cong, she felt sick. Most of the reason why she ended up in the current situation in the Jia family was because of that evil creature.

He frowned and said, "What are you talking about? Marriage is a matter of life and death, and it's up to your parents. He's just your brother, how can he have a say?"

Mrs. Wang, who was standing by, saw that the situation was not right and hurried out to smooth things over.

Said: "This is nothing. The second girl and Congge are good siblings. She wanted to let her brother know about the happy event."

In fact, Jia Zheng felt that the marriage between Yingchun and Sun Shaozu was inappropriate, and he once told Mrs. Wang in private that the Sun family was a group of people who curry favor with the powerful and it was not worth making close friends with them.

But Yingchun was Jia She's daughter, and they were from different families after all, so Jia Zheng couldn't say much. Seeing that Lady Jia was willing, Mrs. Wang didn't say much either.

However, Grandmother Jia was well aware of the affairs of the inner house and knew that Yingchun and her brother had been close since childhood, and that the shoes and socks that the boy wore were all made by her herself.

"I know you miss your brother. Now you are only engaged, not married yet. Your brother will be back soon. Then I will ask him to carry you out."

When Yingchun heard the engagement, her heart trembled and tears filled her bright eyes, but she didn't dare let them fall.

...June 3, the 14th year of Jiazhao.

Yesterday, the military post express along the way delivered a message that General Jia Cong, the Director of the Firearms Department, would lead his troops to arrive in Beijing the next day to report.

Early that morning, five hundred elite cavalrymen from the five military camps in Shenjing received an imperial edict from the palace and went five miles out of the city to congratulate Jia Cong on his achievement in wiping out the Jurchens and establishing the dynasty.

Leading the welcoming team was Lin Zhen, a fourth-rank lieutenant general from the Fifth Army Battalion.

In the past, when a victorious general returned to the capital, officials of equal rank would go out of the city to welcome him, depending on the size of his military exploits. For example, if the commander was a high-ranking noble, he would be greeted by officials of equal rank.

If all the officials welcome him, it means he has accomplished great feat of saving a nation from extinction, which is rare throughout history.

Jia Cong is currently a fifth-rank official. Although he has made great contributions, his age and military experience are still too shallow.

However, Emperor Jia Zhao dispatched a high-ranking military officer, led by the most outstanding elite ceremonial cavalry, to welcome him five miles outside the city, which shows how much he was favored and valued.

This was not only the great favor and honor bestowed upon Jia Cong by the emperor, but also the purpose of highlighting and exaggerating the supreme glory of Jia Zhao's opening up of the border areas.

All under heaven shall not be the king's land, and no one within the four seas shall be the king's subject.

With a glorious victory and the expansion of the territory by thousands of miles, the most shining jewel on the crown of glory naturally belongs to the almighty king.

Early in the morning of that day, the 550-man army camp had a ceremonial guard of elite cavalry, wearing gilded iron helmets with phoenix-wing tassels, fine armor inlaid with fish scales and gold, ceremonial long-handled goose-feather swords, and riding tall and fine horses.

We followed the central avenue of the capital and headed straight for Xiande Gate in the east of the city. Along the way, the sound of horse hooves thundered, and the golden helmets and armor shone brightly in the sun, looking as majestic as soldiers from heaven descending.

These cavalrymen in gorgeous attire quickly attracted the attention of everyone in the city, and the news that Jia Cong of Rongguo Mansion was leading his troops back to Beijing spread quickly.

People in Shenjing are very familiar with Jia Cong, the head of Rongguo Mansion. This is mainly because Jia Cong has caused quite a stir in Shenjing City in recent years.

Ever since his excellent works of calligraphy and poetry were published at the Nanxi Literary Society four years ago, they have become famous in the capital city.

After that, he first won the first place in the Yongzhou Academy Examination, and a few years later he won the first place in the Yongzhou County Examination. Several of his poems were famous throughout the country, and he was recognized as a talented person among the literati.

Now he has spread such a strange story again, that a scholar in a tattered robe can stand on his horse, draw his sword, make plans and win battles, and suppress the Jurchens forever. This is truly rare in the world.

Such deeds are the most talked-about legends in the market.

In addition, the government received hints from the palace and intended to exaggerate among the people the grand event of the court's annihilation of the Jurchens in Liaodong and the expansion of territory.

Jia Cong, who was at the center of the incident, attracted more and more attention.

Five hundred elite cavalrymen marched out of Xiande Gate to welcome the returning soldiers from Liaodong. Many people in Shenjing City gathered towards Xiande Gate from all directions.

The imperial army wiped out the Jurchens in Liaodong and made outstanding military achievements, which were praised by the world. Today, the generals who have made outstanding military achievements in Liaodong are returning to the court. No one wants to miss such a lively scene.

……

The teahouse and restaurant near Xiande Gate soon became crowded with people, many of whom were scholars wearing Confucian caps and robes.

Some of the students even had emblems on their clothes. People with more knowledge knew that it was the logo of Qingshan Academy.

This is not surprising. The young general who returned victoriously today is the pride of Qingshan College. These students who came to watch the grand occasion might be Jia Cong's fellow students.

Moreover, news had just come out from Qingshan Academy that although Jia Cong was only a juren and had not yet obtained the title of jinshi.

But when the news of the great victory at Qingyuanji came, the president of the academy, Zhao Chongli, decided to record Jia Cong's name into the Lingxing Pavilion in advance.

Lingxing Pavilion in Qingshan Academy is a place where literary spirit gathers. Only those who have passed the imperial examination have the honor of being listed. Logically, Jia Cong is only a juren and does not have this qualification.

However, the decision of the principal Zhao Chongli was approved by all the teachers and students in the academy. The military merits of fighting for the country and expanding the territory were enough to surpass the glory of passing the imperial examination.

Even the brothels on both sides of the street had 20% more customers than usual, because brothels were definitely not ordinary bungalows, they all had balconies on the second or third floor, providing excellent views.

Suddenly, there were more street vendors and peddlers who took advantage of the busy flow of people to get more business to make a living.

No matter they are students in blue shirts, merchants, peddlers, or even beautiful girls with fluttering red sleeves.

Everyone wanted to see with their own eyes what this extraordinary young man who had accomplished such an amazing feat looked like.

There were also many girls and wives from common families in the crowd, as well as wealthy women wearing veils or riding in carriages. They also found various reasons to come out and watch this rare event.

Because everyone in Shenjing was saying that this young nobleman of Rong State, the young man who had slain thousands of troops, was not only talented in both civil and military affairs, but also had an unparalleled beauty and was unparalleled in handsomeness...

People at that time were not surprised that he passed the imperial examination at an early age, because it was because Chang'e loved young men.

Which young girl does not yearn for the love of her boudoir and admire talented and handsome men?

In the past, the Duke's Mansion was of noble status, and it was difficult for ordinary women from the common people to see his unparalleled beauty. Now that this man has triumphed and led his troops to show off in the streets, it is natural that they want to take a look at the famous Ruyu's appearance.

Is it really as extraordinary and unforgettable as the rumors say?

(End of this chapter)