Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 31 Returning on a Snowy Night

Zhou Junxing still did not give up. While arranging personnel to work with the troops from Zhen'an Prefecture, he also conducted another round of search of Shuyun Villa.

He also asked Wang Dong to gather all the maids who were not on duty in the villa and personally interrogate them, but in the end he found nothing.

In the stone pavilion, Prince Jiashun had a gloomy face. His villa was searched by a large group of messengers, which made this wise prince feel ashamed.

But he could not stop these people from taking action, because if he could not catch the murderer, he would not be able to explain to the capital and the scholars of the world. This literary gathering would be the last Nanxi literary gathering.

A group of great scholars and celebrities who attended the literary gathering felt very uneasy when they saw a large number of messengers running around in the villa like wolves and pigs, with swords, knives, bows and arrows flashing coldly. They wished they could leave the villa as soon as possible.

But the murderer had not been caught yet. If they proposed to leave now, they were afraid of arousing suspicion. Zhou Junxing was a well-known cruel official who was accustomed to fabricating charges. If they were implicated by him, it would be too late to regret.

Everyone was suffering.

In the end, even Zhou Junxing gave up hope. He and Zhang Shouan concluded that the murderer must have quickly left the villa after committing the crime, and they could only investigate further in the future.

Zhou Junxing glanced at Wu Jinrong's body, as if thinking about something. He then looked grimly at the people attending the literary gathering, then turned and left with more than a dozen black-clad followers.

Zhang Shouan earnestly begged for mercy and said goodbye to Prince Jiashun, Liu Yanxiu, Zhang Tianshi and others, and asked the coroner Ge Wu to carry the body away.

Ge Wu has been working as a coroner in Zhen'an Prefecture for twenty years. Handling corpses is a family skill, and this time he brought two apprentices with him.

One is his son Ge Chunjiang, and the other is his wife's nephew Xiao Qin.

Ge Chunjiang was a simple-minded man with a strong build. He effortlessly picked up Wu Jinrong and put him into the coffin, which was specially used by coroners to transport corpses and was similar in shape to a modern stretcher.

It was already past noon, the sky had turned gloomy again, and heavy snow began to fall again.

Ge Wu tightened his collar and cursed in a low voice: "This damn weather, snowing and raining, it still won't stop, Xiao Qin's spinning top butt is going crazy again!"

"Dad, Xiao Qin has to pee urgently. He just went to the bathroom and will be back soon."

Ge Chunjiang grew up with his cousin and they had a very good relationship, but he knew that his father looked down on Xiao Qin and thought that he was unstable and would hardly achieve anything.

Because of this, Ge Chunjiang often covered up for his cousin.

The snow was falling heavier and heavier, and everything was white as far as the eye could see.

Ge Chunjiang was afraid that his father would urge him again, so he looked at the growing snowstorm and muttered, "Xiao Qin is such a lazy bastard, why don't you just get back here now?"

Suddenly, a thin figure flashed into sight, with a dog-skin hat wrapped tightly on his head. He ran over and lifted one end of the bier.

Ge Chunjiang quickly lifted the other end and smiled, "Where did you get all this from? Let's quickly carry the things down, Dad's carriage is still waiting downstairs.

Let me tell you, when I went out, my mother cooked a pot of mullet and mutton soup, so we hurried back to enjoy it."

Xiao Qin's clothes were a little thin, and his body was a little hunched in the wind and snow. After hearing what Ge Chunjiang said, he responded tremblingly.

Ge Chunjiang laughed: "I told you to wear more clothes when you went out, but you didn't listen. Now your skin is frozen."

……

As soon as Zhou Junxing and others left, the group of old Confucian scholars who participated in the literary gathering said goodbye to Prince Jiashun one after another, and soon most of them had left.

Today's literary gathering was really too dramatic. Someone was actually killed in court. It was really horrifying, but there was also a strange incident like the one involving Jia Cong from Rongguo Mansion. As the scholars who attended the gathering dispersed, in a few days, the strange incident of Jia Cong and the poem "Ode to Plum Blossoms" by Bu Suanzi that shocked everyone would surely spread throughout the capital.

There have been many people who have become famous in the scholar world thanks to the Nanxi Literary Society, but there has never been anyone as young as Jia Cong, and I am afraid there will be no one like him in the future.

He was born into a noble family and his mother was of humble origin, but he had amazing talent and ability, which in itself is extremely legendary.

When they left Shuyun Villa, they happened to hear some eunuchs and maids in the villa talking about how Jia Cong had been despised by his family since childhood because of his lowly mother, and it was not easy for him to live to this age.

This made these sentimental scholars feel very emotional, and many of them even said a few words of wisdom that God has given great responsibilities to such people.

Many of the scholars who participated in the Nanxi Literary Society came from poor families who studied hard, and many came from middle-class or upper-class families, but none of them came from a wealthy family like the Jia family.

There are many people in the world who despise the poor and love the rich. The hidden psychology of "hatred of the rich" is the same in ancient and modern times. They are still happy to talk about the anecdotes and unbearable gossip of the rich and powerful families in their spare time.

I think after they go back this time, this story about the extraordinary person and deeds of the Jia family will become an important topic of conversation when they gather with relatives and friends.

Liu Yanxiu and others called Jia Cong to the stone pavilion to chat, and praised Jia Cong's poem "Bu Suanzi Ode to Plum Blossoms" again.

Jia Cong was not surprised by this. Although the great man was a great ruler who brought peace to the world, he was also famous for his talent. This poem about plum blossoms was his most innovative work. How could it not be amazing? Liu Yanxiu said, "You have great talent. You should spend more time studying and don't let down this gift from heaven."

Jia Cong replied respectfully: "I will follow Master Jing'an's teachings and study hard."

"What kind of books are you reading now, and who is your teacher?"

"To answer Master Jing'an, I have finished elementary school and have started to read the Four Books. I don't have a teacher, so I study on my own. I got a few annotated copies of the Four Books from my second master, and I study them carefully."

Liu Yanxiu looked unhappy: "You don't have a master. With your talent, your family didn't hire a famous master to teach you. Aren't you afraid that it will delay you?"

Jia Cong looked somewhat embarrassed. Although the Jia family had treated him badly, family disgrace should not be made public. According to clan etiquette, even if he felt aggrieved, he would not speak of it in front of outsiders to avoid bringing disaster upon himself.

What kind of person is Liu Yanxiu? With his life experiences and immersion in the world, he knows everything like seeing through fire. When he saw Jia Cong's expression, he guessed a little bit.

Thinking that his biological mother came from a humble background, she probably lived a difficult life in the family and had heard a lot about the dirty deeds of these wealthy families, so he changed the subject.

It was already past noon, and it would take two hours to get back to the eastern city of Shenjing from here. The days were short in spring, and it would probably be dark by the time we entered the city.

There was a murder at Shuyun Villa today, and something was not right. Liu Yanxiu and others did not want the young man to waste time and travel at night to avoid any mistakes.

After chatting for a few words, Jia Cong said goodbye to Prince Jiashun, Liu Yanxiu and Zhang Tianshi.

Although these three people were close to him because of his outstanding talents, it was only their first meeting after all. Jia Cong was afraid that if he said too much, it would reveal the traces of being too intimate with them, which would be unpleasant.

He was not so naive as to think that just because he wrote a good poem, these people would treat him like their son or nephew and that everything would be fine from then on.

These people who have reached their current status are naturally not such shallow people. I have become famous by writing lyrics at the Nanxi Literary Conference today, and the effect has been achieved, so this trip was not in vain.

It is better to rely on yourself than on others. This is an irrefutable truth in that world.

Since the world is like this, he will use his own methods to gain a firm foothold. Once he has accumulated more foundation, there will naturally be a bright world waiting for him to appreciate.

At least she doesn't have to live under the shadow of people like Jia She and Lady Xing, and spend her days in the granary in the east courtyard.

Zhang Yuzhen looked at Jia Cong's receding figure and said:

"Master Jing'an, I haven't seen such a wonderful young man in many years. I really appreciate his talent."

Liu Yanxiu smiled and said, "This kind of young man is indeed rare. Could it be that Master Zhang wants to accept him as a disciple?"

The sword-wielding girl behind Zhang Yuzhen's eyes lit up as she looked at the little Jia Cong. She thought it would be fun to see him wearing a Taoist robe.

Zhang Yuzhen smiled and said, "I want to take him as my disciple if I lead the Zhengyi Sect. He will have to follow me and become a little Taoist priest, but the Jia family is a wealthy family and will never agree.

But this child's fortune is unpredictable, his three souls are separated, and there is a possibility of unpredictable events. What's more, he has extraordinary intelligence. This kind of fate is one in a million. It will either be very lucky or very unlucky.

Moreover, he will have a difficult life as he grows up, and now that he is still young, he needs someone to teach and guide him."

After hearing this, Liu Yanxiu was horrified. The Tianshi clan has been passed down for thousands of years and has a very profound foundation. The secret Five Phases Technique has unpredictable powers and is definitely not an ordinary trick in the martial arts world.

Ever since the old Taoist priest entered the villa, Liu Yanxiu noticed that he often looked at Jia Cong. Could it be that he saw something?
Zhang Yuzhen added: "Master Jing'an has been in Luocang Mountain for ten years, and the mountain gate is empty. When he saw such an outstanding young man, didn't he have any thoughts about his talent?"

Liu Yanxiu gathered his thoughts and said with a smile, "The Heavenly Master couldn't control him himself, so he set his sights on me. You seem to get along well with this kid and are planning for him like this."

Zhang Yuzhen said solemnly, "It's also possible to be compatible. If such a strange boy can grow up well, he can benefit the world. If there is no one to guide him and something goes wrong, he may bring disaster to the world."

Liu Yanxiu looked surprised and asked, "Is the Heavenly Master exaggerating?"

"This is not an empty talk. His fate is very different from that of ordinary people. He was born into wealth but grew up in humble circumstances. He has a determination to break free from the predicament, so his life is destined to be full of ups and downs."

……

Jia Cong walked out of the gate of Shuyun Villa and found that the wind and snow outside were getting stronger.

Standing on the mountainside, I saw a team of carriages and horses winding through the snow in the distance. Judging from their attire, they should be Zhou Junxing and Zhang Shouan's men.

He fastened his large red felt cloak around his body and walked down the steps.

When he got on Guo Zhigui's carriage and sped towards Shenjing City, he didn't know that a commotion had occurred in Shuyun Villa...

(End of this chapter)