Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 326 Moving to the Earl's Mansion

The palace city of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Qianyang Palace.

It is June now and midsummer is approaching in the city of Shenjing.

It was just after noon, the hottest time of the day.

The bright blazing sunlight outside shone in through the palace door, casting black and white shadows on the black Beijing bricks.

It was a bit stuffy in the hall. A plate of chilled honeydew melon was placed on the imperial desk. Two palace maids were sweating profusely as they stood behind Emperor Jiazhao and fanned themselves with round fans.

Guo Lin held a gray-white secret book in his hand and walked into the hall with small and quick steps.

"Your Majesty, the Central Vehicle Department of Shenjing sent a secret letter from the Rong Kingdom."

Emperor Jiazhao waved his hand behind him, and the two palace maids who were fanning him left the hall.

"Read!"

"On June 10, Qin Ye from the Ministry of Works entered to seal up Ningguo Mansion and discuss the reform. Jia Cong said that all the extravagant things in the mansion should not be kept, and all the extravagant things should be changed to simple and elegant."

"On June 10, Mrs. Jia wanted to place Jia Zhen's widow, Youshi, and the prisoner Jia Rong in the Earl's Mansion, but Jia Cong refused on the grounds that unmarried people should not be accepted as relatives and it would not violate the court's opinion."

"On June 12, Jia Cong met with Cai Xiaoyu, the third son of Cai Xiang, a university student in the cabinet, at Chunhua Tower in the north of the city. The details of their conversation are unknown, but it was found that the two were classmates at Bingwen Hall of Qingshan Academy."

"June 14th was the day for Jia She's concubine Yingchun to discuss a date for marriage. The proposer was Sun Shaozu, the descendant of Sun Zhanying, the hereditary commander of Datong. But he did not come on time, and the people in the Jia mansion were secretly angry."

"On June 16, Sun Shaozu entered the Jia Mansion and sent a letter to ask for an audience with Jia Cong. Jia Cong refused to see him and passed on a message: A noble lady of the Jia family shall not marry a pig or a dog. If he enters the house again, his legs will be broken..."

When Emperor Jia Zhao heard this, his face turned strange. Jia Cong was a learned and elegant man, but no one knew why he would speak so badly to others.

But this matter did not arouse his interest. What he was concerned about was that Jia Cong completely blocked all the requests made to Rongguo Mansion before he established the mansion.

"On June 17, the Jia family sent an official matchmaker to the house and handed over the document of cancelling the engagement, saying that Sun Shaozu had broken his promise and was canceling the engagement. The money for the fine was used to distribute charity porridge in the west of the city..."

"On June 18, Jia Cong went to Liu's residence at Luocang Mountain to pay a visit to Liu Jing'an. He stayed at Liu's residence for two days. Liu Jing'an gave lectures and was suspected of having thoughts about the Spring Examination."

When Emperor Jia Zhao heard this, his eyes flashed and he pressed his hand down, and Guo Lin stopped tacitly.

Guo Lin was a little surprised and said: "Your Majesty, Jia Cong is already an earl and a fifth-rank official. I really don't understand why he still wants to take the imperial examination.

Even if he passed the imperial examination and won the first place, he would only be granted the rank of sixth-rank imperial scholar. Isn't it unnecessary for him to do this?"

Emperor Jia Zhao smiled coldly: "Most people would think like you, but Liu Jing'an is not an ordinary person. He knows that if Jia Cong does not pass the Spring Examination, he will be a fifth-rank official for the rest of his life!

He regards Jia Cong as his successor. If his disciple is not even a Jinshi, wouldn't it be a loss to his reputation as a literary saint? Perhaps he has seen through my thoughts, who knows... "

"continue."

"On June 20th, the Ministry of Works completed the renovation of the mansion. Rongguo Mansion reported that on June 23rd, Jia Cong moved to the Earl's Mansion."

Guo Lin added: "According to the old rules, the Imperial Chariot Division needs to send someone to the palace, but Jia Cong refused Madam Jia's request to assign the Rong family's slaves, and the slaves used are all newly contracted people, so they can't find anyone for the time being."

Emperor Jia Zhao smiled slightly and said, "It seems that Jia Cong has a strong hatred for Rongguo and is unwilling to leave him even the slightest opportunity."

This was also what Emperor Jia Zhao was happy to see, as it meant that everything was developing as he expected, but Jia Cong was a very meticulous person...

He also said, "Gu Yankui was investigating fraud in the Datong patrol army. Sun Shaozu is a descendant of the Datong hereditary frontier army, but he is related to Jia She. Check this person."

……

June 23, the 14th year of Jiazhao.

The day before yesterday, the thirty domestic slaves purchased from Jiangnan arrived in Shenjing.

These domestic slaves were carefully selected by Xinchunhao from all over Jiangnan.

Today, Xinchunhao has branches in Yangzhou, Suzhou, Ningbo, Jinling, Fuzhou and other places.

Orphans adopted in the capital will be raised for two years and then sent to shops in various places to be apprentices when they turn thirteen to train them to be future manpower.

At present, the areas and connections covered by Xinchunhao are growing day by day, so it is not difficult to recruit some outstanding people.

Qin Keqing was born into a family of officials and had been the wife of a wealthy family. Now that Jia Cong was granted a title and established his own mansion, this first batch of slaves who sold themselves was related to the establishment of the Earl's Mansion, which made her very concerned.

The population in the south of the Yangtze River is large, and its products and culture are superior to those in the north. The quality of its domestic slaves is actually much better than that in the north.

In recent years, many people have been reduced to slavery due to natural disasters, family disasters, exile and other reasons.

It was enough for Qin Keqing to select people with clean family backgrounds, stable personalities and decent looks. Some of them even knew how to read and count, which was extremely rare.

After the thirty servants arrived, Jia Cong asked Sister Liu to lead them and spent two days cleaning the Earl's Mansion inside and out.

Moreover, along with the thirty household slaves, a large number of exquisite and elegant Jiangnan items were also shipped over by ship.

There are not only various types of furniture such as beds, tables, racks, chairs, stools, etc., but also various daily porcelain utensils, antique ornaments, curtains, quilts and other things.

If Jia Cong had not advised in the letter that the new residence should not be too ostentatious, Qu Hongxiu and Keqing would probably have sent more things.

When the Ningguo Mansion was ransacked, many valuable pieces of furniture were confiscated, and the remaining damaged items were cleared away by Jia Cong.

He even ordered someone to throw away the two stone lions at the door.

……

Early in the morning of that day, several large trucks were parked on the back street, and boxes of luggage were being moved out of Qingzhizhai and loaded onto the trucks.

Wang Xifeng asked Ping'er to bring five or six skilled maids to Qingzhizhai early in the morning to help with the work.

After all, Wang Xifeng is Jia Cong's sister-in-law, and when her brother-in-law moves out to set up his own household, the proper etiquette must be observed.

Daiyu, Tanchun, Yingchun, Xiangyun, Xichun and other sisters also came early in the morning to see them off. They were all smiling and talking, and the atmosphere was very cheerful.

Baochai and Ying'er also came early in the morning. According to the customs of Jiangnan, they also brought many exquisite bonsai flowers, bed curtains, gauze pillows, brocade mattresses, and tea sets as housewarming gifts.

Zhishao, Wu'er, Qingwen, Yinglian and others were all filled with joy.

Now they have to move to the new Earl's Mansion, where the population is simple and their Third Master is the eldest. He no longer needs to please anyone.

There aren't as many elders and masters there as in the West Mansion. Coming in and out is clean and refreshing, and life will definitely be more enjoyable.

Moreover, the Earl's Mansion was the former Ningguo Mansion. They had never had the opportunity to be here, but they heard that it was as big as the Rongguo Mansion, or even better.

After everything was packed up and loaded into the car, Wu'er locked the courtyard door again. The morning sun shone on the black plaque with gold characters under the eaves of the door, and the words "Qingzhizhai" sparkled brightly.

Jia Zheng was quite reluctant to see Jia Cong leave the mansion and live on his own, as he always felt that the Rongguo Mansion had lost a talented scholar. However, since this was a reward from the imperial edict, it was a good thing after all.

However, as the heir to the Rongguo Mansion, he had already instructed that from then on Qingzhizhai would be locked and no one else would be allowed to move in, leaving it for Jia Cong to live in when he occasionally returned home.

……

On the back street, seven or eight carriages started one after another. Some of them were loaded with the luggage of Jia Cong and others, while the others were filled with the sisters in the mansion.

The sisters had told Grandmother Jia the day before that their third brother was moving into a new house today and they were going to the East Palace to celebrate.

In fact, it is just to take advantage of the convenience to go to Dongfu for a day.

They had heard that the East Mansion was grand and luxurious, and that there was a Huifang Garden behind the mansion, which was a great place to go, even better than the Rongguo Mansion. But before, except for the three annual sacrifices to the Jia Clan Ancestral Hall in the East Mansion, the old lady would not allow Daiyu and the three sisters to go to the East Mansion at other times.

As for the reason, only the shrewd and capable Tanchun had heard something about it from the old women below. It was said that the old lady disliked the bad reputation of the East Mansion and that girls going there would cause gossip.

But now there is no such concern at all, because Ningguo Mansion no longer exists and all the original population of the mansion have dispersed.

Today, this is the Earl of Weiyuan's Palace, a brand new renovated and renovated mansion for nobles!

The huge convoy circled Ningrong Street, stopped at the west corner gate of the Earl's Mansion's main entrance, and entered the corner gate one by one.

This scene attracted many of the Jia family's six branches on Ningrong Street, who stopped to watch.

I vaguely saw the carriages driving into the North Corner Gate, and a handsome young man got off the carriages, as well as several beautiful girls in gorgeous clothes and many pretty maids.

The silk is pure and clean, the hairpins are shining, and the perfume is fragrant.

A wealthy family gives birth to a talented person, and the world is full of wealth and prosperity. What a fascinating and magnificent scene.

On this day last year, the Ningguo Mansion was surrounded and searched by countless Jinyiwei and was destroyed in an instant.

Only one year had passed, and a brilliant disciple of the Jia family suddenly rose to prominence and moved back into this magnificent mansion.

Moreover, this illegitimate son of the eldest son of the Rong State was granted the hereditary title of Weiyuan Earl by the Emperor, and his descendants will all live in this mansion for generations.
It makes people feel a lot of emotions out of nowhere, its demise was so sudden, and its rise was so sudden.

……

After everyone got off the bus, Jia Cong came here several times to check on the renovation of the Ministry of Works and was familiar with the route here.

I took the sisters through the ceremonial gate, the main hall, the warm room, the inner hall, the three gates, the inner ceremonial gate and the inner gate, until I reached the main hall.

The residence chosen by Jia Cong was a large courtyard on the right side of the main hall, which was originally the core courtyard of the East Palace.

It was once the residence of Jia Daihua. Later, Jia Jing lived there for a year and then became a monk. Every time he came back from worshipping his ancestors, he would choose another place to live.

Because Jia Zhen and others' biological father was still alive, it was not convenient for them to move in, so the courtyard remained vacant for many years.

Exit the courtyard through the small door at the back porch and walk two steps to reach Huifang Garden. Going further in, you will see magnificent and elegant buildings such as Yishanshui Pavilion, Dengxian Pavilion, Doufengxuan, and Tianxiang Tower.

Later, when Yuanchun came home to visit her parents and built the Grand View Garden, she took away half of the Huifang Garden. Today, the entire Huifang Garden is still intact.

A stream of running water is introduced from outside the east wall and flows through the entire Huifang Garden. Many pavilions and terraces are built near the water, and rockery made of lake stones is built in between.

A small bridge leads to a winding stream, a winding path leads to a bluestone road, clear water rushes through the rocks, and fragrance wafts through the hedges under the trees.

When Jia Cong asked the Ministry of Works to design the mansion, he changed the overly gaudy and extravagant parts of the buildings into something elegant and simple, so that it would blend better with the reflections of the water and the shadows of the trees, and give it a more simple and elegant style.

While Zhishao, Wu'er and the others were busy arranging the courtyard, Jia Cong, on the other hand, was fulfilling his duties as a good host, and took his sisters to wander around Huifang Garden, to look at the water, to climb the tower, to look for flowers, and each of them found the scenery novel and fascinating.

When they returned to their own courtyard, Zhishao, Wu'er and others, along with the servants, had already put everything in order as if it were new.

The sisters each found a place to sit and talk. Daiyu saw Yinglian was still busy in the study, so she walked over to take a look.

Yinglian was seen arranging the bookshelf, but the four treasures of the study, the incense burner, and the sandalwood tripod on the desk were all neatly arranged in order.

There were also two open books with bookmarks inside and notes next to them, as if they had just been opened and read.

Daiyu looked over and saw that one was a collection of annotations on the Four Books, and the other was a collection of contemporary essays, both of which were common books used for the imperial examinations.

"Are these two books by Yinglian the ones that Third Brother is reading?"

"Yes, this is the book that the young master read last night. I put it in the order of where he read it, so that it won't be messy when he reads it again."

Daiyu smiled and said, "What a good girl. Third brother really picked the right person to take charge of the study."

As Daiyu was speaking, she heard steady footsteps coming from behind.

I heard Jia Cong's voice: "Sister, what rare thing did you find?"

Daiyu held up the collection of contemporary literature in her hand and said with a smile, "Third brother is now an earl. Does he still want to win the first prize in the imperial examination? How can others live?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "I do like reading. After returning from Liaodong this time, I wanted to take a few years off, but the times are beyond my control. I may have to fight again next year."

Daiyu asked in confusion: "Is it because of the circumstances that we cannot control?"

Jia Cong didn't want to tell Daiyu about those things, lest she think too much, so he smiled and said, "The master is known as the literary saint, and I am his disciple. If I don't strive to become a Jinshi, I will be ashamed of my master."

After all the relocation and resettlement were completed, the sisters gathered together. Tanchun and Yinglian read and wrote, while Jia Cong, Yingchun and Daiyu played chess and watched the game.

Zhishao and Wu'er each had something to do, either reading scriptures or making tea.

Xiangyun, Xichun and Qingwen are very active and take a few little maids to the garden to play. They play with grass and flowers, and swing on the swings, and they all have their own fun.

When the sun set in the east, Jia Cong asked Sister Liu to prepare the banquet for the guests. According to etiquette, he also asked Zhishao and Yinglian to invite the old lady, the lady, Feng Jie and other female members of the family.

But after they came back, they said that the old lady was not feeling well and asked them to make fun of her.

When Mrs. Wang saw that Jia Cong had only invited the female relatives but not her Baoyu, she felt uncomfortable and naturally did not come.

Instead, Wang Xifeng brought Ping'er to sit at the table.

A housewarming banquet was held, and all the guests were sisters, very close to each other.

Wang Xifeng was also a person who could entertain people and make fun of others. She would clink glasses and talk a lot, often saying lively things.

The atmosphere of the banquet was very good. By the time the wine was served, the night was already dark and blue. Jia Cong personally sent all the sisters and Wang Xifeng back to the West Mansion.

When Jia Cong returned to the East Mansion, he saw Jiang Liu waiting there at the second gate.

That day, he mentioned in Rongqing Hall that Sun Shaozu was from the hereditary frontier army of Datong, and that the Jia family's marriage to him would be seen as making friends with a frontier general. At that time, he noticed that Jia She's expression was very strange.

He began to have doubts in his mind, so he asked Jiang Liu to investigate outside for the next two days to find out whether Sun Shaozu and Jia She had any other connections.

When Jiang Liu saw Jia Cong, he stepped forward and said, "Third Master, I followed the eldest master for two days and saw that he often went to a fur shop on Hongping Street. It was a fur shop with three doors.

It specializes in selling northern furs such as tiger, bear, and leopard, and also sells some northern medicinal herbs. The owner of this store is ostensibly the shopkeeper, but he is very respectful to the master.

The owner behind this store must be the master."

Jia Cong was shocked when he heard this. He had never heard at home that Jia She had a shop outside. Since he kept it secret, there must be something fishy.

What’s more, all the goods sold were northern products such as furs, medicinal herbs, etc., and Sun Shaozu was from Datong in the northern border, which was somewhat of a coincidence.

He remembered that Zhishao had told him that when he was still in Liaodong, Baochai gave him some furs and medicinal herbs from Datong because Xue Pan came back from Datong on business.
It is said that there are a lot of such northern goods in Datong, and Jia She's shop happens to sell these things. So it is very likely that his shop is related to the Sun family in Datong.

Jiang Liu continued, "I heard from the neighbors nearby that the store is doing good business, and there are often foreign merchant caravans coming to pick up goods, but they always come at night and leave after loading the goods.

As for where he came from or where he went, the neighbors didn't know. Moreover, Sun Shaozu came to the store today, and then suddenly left Shenjing in the afternoon. No one knew where he went. "

When Jia Cong heard this, his eyes flickered.

He knew that the Jia family would eventually fall, and one of the charges against them was Jia She's collusion with border generals.

It is not a crime to make friends with border generals, but the word "communication" is debatable, as it implies collusion and perverting the law.
And Jia She was so eager to make friends with the Sun family through Yingchun's marriage. Could it be that the blame should be placed on the Sun family of Datong?
(End of this chapter)