Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 334: Deep Courtyard Love

The palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the clothing bureau.

After Emperor Jia Zhao finished the banquet, Jia Cong was taken by the eunuchs to the palace's clothing department to be measured for clothes.

The emperor bestowed the dragon robe as a sacred grace and honor, but everyone has a different body shape and it is impossible for everyone to wear it in a manner that conforms to the rules, so they can directly use the existing bestowed robe.

Anyone with a different body shape, such as being too tall or too short, or too fat or too thin, needs to have their clothes tailored to their body.

The emperor bestowed clothes, which needed to be worn at every court meeting or ceremony to show the emperor's favor. If the clothes were not the right size, it would damage the royal dignity.

However, the female officials and eunuchs in the Shangyi Bureau had seen countless officials being given robes, but they had never heard of one as young as Jia Cong.

These people were accustomed to the glory and favor, and knew that anyone who was so outstanding must have something extraordinary. When they learned that the person who was measuring clothes today was Jia Cong, they became even more respectful.

He took Jia Cong's measurements and tailored the clothes meticulously, and even took out a pre-made dragon robe to try on, noting any areas that didn't fit so that he could make modifications.

At this time, a palace maid came into the clothing department. She was beautiful, graceful, and elegant, with an outstanding appearance.

The female official from the clothing department recognized her and said with a smile, "So you are Miss Baoqin from Fengzao Palace. What do you want me to do today?"

The female official in the Imperial Clothing Bureau was of a rank, but she was quite polite to Baoqin, a palace maid of no rank.

This is because the popularity of Ms. Jia from Fengzao Palace has been rising recently. I heard that she has been rewarded several times by the Queen. And she has a capable younger brother, the young man in front of you.

Jia Cong saw Baoqin, dressed in palace clothes and smiling sweetly. Although he hadn't seen her for almost two years, she hadn't changed at all.

Baoqin glanced at Jia Cong with a smile, took out a shiny silver plate, and said, "Chen Shangguan, I have received the Queen's order to invite Lord Jia to the Fengzao Palace for an audience."

When Chen Shangguan heard this, he was also surprised. This young man was really favored. The emperor gave him clothes and the empress summoned him. No wonder the lady of the Jia family was so popular in the palace.

Chen Shangguan smiled and said, "Please go ahead, Lord Jia. I have just measured the size of the clothes. Lord Jia has a first-class appearance. As long as we make a minor change to the clothes made by the warehouse, it will be ready in an incense stick of time.

I will send someone to deliver it to Fengzao Palace, so Lord Jia won’t have to travel back and forth.”

Jia Cong thanked Chen Shangguan with a smile, which made the other party feel flattered and he even said that there was no need to be polite.

Along the way, Baoqin kept looking back at Jia Cong. She hadn't seen Jia Cong for two years and felt that he had changed a lot. He had lost a lot of his childishness and had more manliness. He seemed to be more proud than before...

Jia Cong smiled and said, "It's been a long time since we last met. Sister Baoqin is still as charming as ever."

Baoqin blushed slightly and said, "The palace is profound and youth fades easily. In a few years, the Third Master will not say that. On the contrary, the Third Master has grown a lot taller and his demeanor is even better than before."

Jia Cong felt a little amused when he saw that Baoqin was only seventeen or eighteen years old, while people in later generations would be as beautiful as flowers, yet she would also say that youth fades easily.

Baoqin said, "After the Third Master saw the girl, she often thought of him. The Third Master went to the palace to see the emperor several times, but the palace rules were strict and they were not allowed to meet. The girl missed her family very much."

When talking about this topic, both of them seemed to agree that it was a difficult question with basically no solution.

The noble families who wanted to enjoy the emperor's continued favor and honour would always try various means, and sending their own ladies to the palace to serve the emperor was an important means.

However, only one in ten thousand can truly gain the emperor's favor and be granted a title, while most people waste their years.

When she is old and ugly, she will either be sent back home or become a low-ranking female official like Chen Shangguan to spend the rest of her life.

……

When Baoqin and Jia Cong entered the main hall of Fengzao Palace, they saw Li Chongmao, Prince of Zhao, whom they had met in the morning.

There was also a slim and graceful woman with a flushed face. She looked at him with a pair of bright eyes that showed tenderness and care. It was Yuanchun, whom he had not seen for a long time.

On the phoenix throne in the center was a graceful woman, over thirty years old, with her hair full of pearls and jade, and she was wearing a straight-collared, wide-lapeled, right-fronted robe with five phoenixes.

The sunlight that shines into the room illuminates the golden pattern on the phoenix robe, reflecting a dazzling and brilliant light that catches the eye in an instant.

Jia Cong knew, of course, that this person was the current Empress, so he stepped forward and paid his respects without Baoqin's reminder.

Empress Jingde was quite curious about this young man who was famous in the capital, and looked at him with great interest.

Although I heard that he was no more than the age of dancing elephants, I saw that he was already tall and slender, like a jade tree orchid, with calm manners and a dignified bearing. He had an unparalleled handsome appearance and a refined and extraordinary appearance.

Empress Jingde smiled and said, "Although I have always known that Weiyuan Bo was very successful at a young age and was good at both civil and military affairs, I have never seen him before. Chongmao praised you so much just now, but I still don't believe it.

When I saw him now, I realized that he was indeed so proud. The lady of the mansion was so lucky, and Yuanchun also had a good brother.

It's rare for you two siblings to meet, so I won't say much. Yuanchun, you can take your brothers down to talk."

It was not the first time that Jia Cong was praised by a woman for his good looks, but he had long lost interest in it. He just thanked the Queen for her grace with Yuanchun. …

Following Yuanchun and Baoqin out of the hall, they meandered for a while and came to the vicinity of Fengzao Palace, where there was a courtyard of the female historian's residence, but it was empty and no one was there.

If Jia Cong had not been underage and the Queen had not shown him special favor, he would not have been able to come to this place.

When the two of them sat down in the courtyard, Yuanchun looked at him carefully with a smile and said, "Brother Cong, it has been two years since we met in the palace.

My little brother has grown a lot taller and has really grown up. I often hear news about you in the palace and I am really proud of you.

Several of his poems became famous in the south of the Yangtze River. Not only did he win the title of Li Yuan, he also made great contributions in Liaodong.

I have never heard of such a capable young man before. It is a great blessing for the Jia family to have a good son like you.

If Brother Cong could have been born a few years earlier, perhaps my family wouldn’t have had to let Sister enter the palace…”

When Jia Cong heard Yuanchun say this, there was an indescribable regret in her tone, but there was no way to persuade her about this kind of thing.

He then deliberately picked up some interesting stories about his sisters at home to tell.

The atmosphere between the brother and sister became relaxed. Jia Cong then said that after he set up his own residence, he had brought Yingchun into the house, and even talked about some of Yingchun's marriage disputes.

There was a look of longing in Yuanchun's eyes. She had been in the palace for eight years, and what she longed for most was the kind of life that Jia Cong described.

The sisters are together all day long, and they have a capable brother to support them and protect them from the wind and rain. Unfortunately, such days are just a dream for her. She can only think about it but cannot take it seriously.

Baoqin came over to change the tea, and seeing that the brother and sister were still chatting enthusiastically, she smiled and sat aside to listen quietly.

Yuanchun and Baoqin have been together for ten years and are as close as sisters. Baoqin is the person she trusts the most, so naturally she will not avoid her in anything.

For Baoqin, this was probably her only chance to get in touch with the world outside the palace.

Yuanchun asked about Baoyu's recent situation and could not help but sighing, she said: "I have taught Baoyu to read and write since he was a child. He has a good talent, but he is a person who likes to enjoy wealth and comfort and does not like to be restricted.

With a head full of weird ideas, I'm afraid he's not the material for the eight-part essay. On the contrary, Brother Cong has been through hardships since childhood, so he can be determined and achieve success. "

After a moment's thought, he said, "Brother Cong, is this your first meeting with the King of Zhao?"

Before Jia Cong could answer, Yuanchun said to Baoqin, "Baoqin, go get another pot of water and make a new pot of tea for Brother Cong."

Baoqin's eyes flickered when she heard this. She had followed Yuanchun for ten years, so naturally she had a mutual understanding with her girl. She knew that her girl wanted to tell the Third Master some private words. The palace was unpredictable, so one had to be careful.

Baoqin picked up an iron kettle, filled it with the prepared mountain spring water, went out of the yard, closed the door tightly, and boiled water on the clay stove at the door, while she sat on the steps waiting.

In the yard, Jia Cong talked about how he and Prince Zhao had just met for the first time, and he also briefly mentioned the incident today when Prince Zhao gave him a knife and asked for a calligraphy.

Yuanchun said: "Although the emperor has four sons, only the prince of Zhao is the eldest son. Everyone in the court and the country says that he is the heir to the throne, and his status is noble and special.

Among the sisters in the family, the elder sister is the oldest and knows many stories about her ancestors.

Back then, my grandfather did not follow the emperor, nor did he betray him. Although he lost the emperor's favor, he was able to avoid great evil and ensure the continuity of the country's prosperity. The succession of the emperor has always been unpredictable. Brother Cong is a talented person of the time, so he needs to be more cautious. "

Yuanchun only said a few words and then stopped talking. After all, at this time and place, such a topic was too risky, so she just had to stop there.

If she did not admire and get along with this outstanding younger brother very much and see him as the future of the Jia family, I am afraid she would have tolerated these taboo words.

The two siblings tacitly turned the topic back to interesting things at home.

Jia Cong was somewhat surprised. He had seen that Prince Zhao was trying to win him over. And given Prince Zhao's special status, getting close to him would easily give him an excuse and might even lead to danger.

What he didn't expect was that Yuanchun, a girl in the boudoir, just based on the conversations between the Queen and Prince of Zhao in the hall, as well as her attitude towards her siblings.

He was able to see the mystery and point out the key points. This kind of intelligence and talent is very impressive.

But if you think about it, it's not too strange. With Lady Jia's half-life experience as a noble and wealthy woman, she must know that the imperial palace is the most dangerous place in the world.

If Yuanchun was a woman of mediocre talent and intelligence, Grandmother Jia would never have sent her to the palace to please the royal family and gain wealth and honor.

Because, when a foolish girl enters the palace, more often than not, she will not gain wealth but disaster.

At this moment, Jia Cong suddenly heard voices coming from outside the door.

(End of this chapter)