Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 362: The Heart of a Solitary Minister

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

When Yingchun followed Yuanyang into the hall, she saw it filled with pearls and jade, with fragrant air floating in the air, and many people were already sitting there.

Several of the women were unfamiliar faces, so I knew that the female guests from the Zhen family had arrived.

Daiyu, Tanchun, Xichun and other sisters were all present to entertain the guests. Baoyu, who always liked to appear with his sisters in the past, was not in the hall.

Although Baoyu did not avoid his own sisters in the inner house of the Jia family, he was a foreign man to the women of the Zhen family.

Besides, the unmarried young lady of the Zhen family was present. Even if Grandmother Jia doted on him, she would never let him appear in Rongqing Hall at this time, otherwise the Jia family would lose the great gift of protection between men and women.

Yingchun entered the hall, and Grandmother Jia smiled and said to a middle-aged woman in luxurious clothes, "This is my second granddaughter Yingchun, who lives in the East Palace with her brothers."

When Yingchun saw the noble lady, who was in her thirties, with an elegant appearance, graceful manners, a head full of shining pearls and jade, and an air of wealth and nobility, she guessed that she must be the wife of the Zhen family.

Mrs. Zhen seemed to care a lot about Yingchun and looked her up and down carefully.

She was a few years older than the other young ladies of the Jia family. She had quiet manners, was beautiful and dignified, had a fair complexion, and was graceful and elegant. She had grown into a very outstanding woman.

She asked Lady Jia, "Madam, since this second young lady lives in the East Mansion, she must be the biological sister of Earl Weiyuan."

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "That's right. They have been good friends since they were young. My grandson is a troublemaker, and only my second granddaughter can control him."

Mrs. Zhen smiled and said, "The old lady's second granddaughter is really outstanding in appearance and bearing. It is said in the capital that Jia's Cong brother is amazingly talented and beautiful, outstanding in both literature and martial arts, and rare in the world, but I have never had the opportunity to meet him.

If the elder sister is so proud, I wonder how proud the brothers must be."

Although Grandmother Jia really wanted to say that her son Baoyu was also very successful and not much worse than Jia Cong, she could only utter a few polite words.

Just now, Daiyu and other sisters had already met the female guest from the Zhen family, and Jia's grandmother introduced Yingchun to the greetings.

Sitting on the left of Mrs. Zhen was a beautiful and graceful woman with a dignified manner and wearing a phoenix-patterned palace gown. She was the second daughter of the Zhen family, now the Princess of Beijing.

In fact, Yingchun had noticed the woman sitting on the right of Mrs. Zhen as soon as she entered Rongqing Hall, because in Yingchun's eyes, she was really different.

This third daughter of the Zhen family, who Yuanyang described as very powerful, looked to be about the same age as herself.

Although she came from a noble family, there was no trace of luxury about her. She did not wear gorgeous clothes, but a solid blue shirt and long skirt with a loose belt, which was simple and unpretentious.

She has delicate facial features, is beautiful and elegant, has a graceful demeanor and a very beautiful appearance.

A pair of beautiful eyes are as clear as water, shining brightly, as if they can see into people's hearts at a glance, making it impossible to look directly at them.

Her long hair was simply tied up in a bun. She wore no other jewelry except a pearl hairpin. She was dressed simply and freely. Although she was a girl, she exuded an extraordinary aura.

When Yingchun and Miss Zhen San saluted, the girl also returned the greeting with a smile. There were slight dimples on her snow-white and crystal-clear face, and she was charming and graceful, without any of the reservedness of a girl in the boudoir.

Miss Zhen San smiled and said, "Sister Yingchun has a good brother. I have read the poems of this brother Cong in Jinling. They are excellent. I also heard that his calligraphy has reached the level of a master.

I like his Linjiangxian the most. Since I am a man from another family, it is inconvenient for me to meet him. I wonder if you can help me and ask Brother Cong for a copy of his calligraphy. I will be very grateful. "

Princess Beijing said angrily, "Third sister, you are a guest here, why do you ask for Weiyuan Bo's calligraphy at the beginning? How can you be so rude?"

Mrs. Zhen's face was also a little embarrassed: "Old lady, our third daughter is very dear to you. She has been spoiled since she was a child. She speaks and acts a little strangely. Please don't be surprised."

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "They are all old relatives from aristocratic families, and their younger generations are all brothers and sisters. What's so worthwhile about this?"

……

It was also the first time that Yingchun had seen such a carefree and fearless girl, who was even willing to pursue a man. She couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

But it was just a request for a piece of calligraphy, which was not a big deal, so he said, "You are welcome, sister. I will go back and ask Brother Cong to write a piece of calligraphy for you as a gift."

Daiyu and Tanchun, who were present, looked at each other and felt a little surprised.

This Miss Zhen San was a very beautiful woman, but she did not have the slightest air of a boudoir girl. Instead, she had a carefree and easy-going personality, as if she had been born into the wrong female womb.

Daiyu is naturally smart and intelligent, full of poetry and prose, straightforward and wise, and has a certain kind of noble and aloofness that is different from the common people.

But she came from a remote background and had lived with her parents since she was young, which made her feel depressed and worried, so she couldn't be as free and unrestrained as Miss Zhen San.

Although she somewhat admired Miss Zhen San's temperament, that was all, because she knew that everyone in the world has different destinies and appearances, so how could everyone be alike?

When Tanchun saw Miss Zhen San, she was not only very curious, but even a little impressed.

She is smart and capable, and she compares herself to a man.

Although she was born out of wedlock, she was knowledgeable, intelligent and courageous. Grandmother Jia liked this third granddaughter very much, and Mrs. Wang also valued this illegitimate daughter.

All the servants in the mansion knew that Tanchun, the third daughter born out of wedlock, was a fragrant and beautiful thorny rose, and they never dared to look down on or treat her poorly.

As Tanchun was born out of wedlock, she knew the fickleness of the world at a young age, so she was careful, meticulous, neat and shrewd in her words and actions, not wanting to give others a chance to talk about her.

With obstacles in the heart and rules in behavior, it is naturally impossible for one to be as free and unrestrained as Miss Zhen San, who does what she wants.

Therefore, Tanchun was still quite envious of this strange girl from the Zhen family.

……

The wife of the Zhen family asked, "Madam, is Brother Cong in your house today? He is well-known all over the world. It is the first time in the Zhou Dynasty that he has been granted a title at such a young age."

However, Grandmother Jia understood what Mrs. Zhen meant. She had seen a lot of this kind of thing in the past two years. Every time the old relatives came to visit, they would mostly want to see Jia Cong, who was a great rarity.

Fortunately, he has been in Liaodong for most of the past six months, otherwise he would have been summoned to Rongqingtang every now and then.

Grandmother Jia looked at Yingchun, who understood and said, "Brother Cong did not go to the government office today. He is studying at home."

Grandmother Jia said to Mrs. Zhen, "He is at home, but today the women came to visit, and because of the etiquette that men outside the family should avoid him, he was not asked to come and pay his respects."

If the people visiting today are married women such as Madam Zhen and Princess Beijing, it would be fine for Jia Cong to meet them with the etiquette of a junior.

But now that there is the unmarried Miss Zhen San, there are naturally more things to be cautious about. Grandmother Jia is worldly-wise and will naturally not let people think that the Jia family lacks etiquette.

Mrs. Zhen said with a smile, "You are too polite, old lady. Our two families have been relatives in Jinling for generations, and we are like one family. I heard that Cong is not even old enough to dance with an elephant.

In our eyes, she is still a child, one or two years younger than my third daughter, so why should we care about these things? "

Princess Beijing also laughed and said, "I know that Earl Weiyuan loves reading very much and is a talented person of the time. No wonder he can win the title of first place.

Last time, our prince invited him to his house to meet friends, but he had to go to Luocang Mountain to listen to his teacher's training, so he didn't go. He lives in Shenjing, and I have never seen his true face.

It is a coincidence that I get to meet the outstanding young man of the Jia family today."

When Lady Jia heard what Prince Beijing said, she was also stunned. When did this kid even refuse Prince Beijing's invitation? This was a bit too rude.

Grandmother Jia even heard a hint of dissatisfaction in the words of Princess Beijing.

Originally, Grandmother Jia wanted her Baoyu to show up. This Miss Zhen San is as pretty as her own girl Lin, and is also very good. Baoyu will definitely be surprised to see her...

Now after hearing what Princess Beijing said, she knew that she must let the boy show up to cover up the rumors on Prince Beijing's side.

So she asked Yuanyang to go to the East Palace to invite Jia Cong to come and talk. Daiyu's eyes moved around, but she saw the eyes of Mrs. Zhen's family, following Yuanyang out of Rongqing Hall, and then looking at the third Miss Zhen, as if there was a vague expectation, and she couldn't help but frowning slightly.

She looked at Miss Zhen San again and saw that she was talking to Yingchun. Her profile was cut, her face was crystal clear and her skin was as white as snow. She seemed not to care about Jia Cong's arrival.

After a while, Yuanyang came back and said that a palace eunuch had just come to the Earl's Mansion to convey an imperial decree, asking the Third Master to go to the palace to meet the Emperor immediately, and he didn't know when he would be able to return home.

When Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang heard this, they were also shocked. How could she be summoned into the palace to meet the emperor for no reason?

At this time, even Tanchun noticed that when she heard that Jia Cong was going to the palace to meet the emperor but was not allowed to meet him in Rongqing Hall, Mrs. Zhen seemed a little disappointed.

Grandmother Jia chatted with the women of the Zhen family about old times in Jinling. Knowing that they would be leaving for Jinling in a few days, she asked Lady Wang to prepare a banquet to entertain them.

……

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

In the morning, Yuanyang came and asked Yingchun to go to the West Mansion to meet a guest. Jia Cong was originally studying peacefully in the mansion, but he did not expect that the eunuch from the palace would suddenly come to the mansion to summon him.

He followed the eunuchs who were summoned into the palace, walked through the houses for a long time, and kept guessing on the way why Emperor Jia Zhao summoned him into the palace, but he had no idea, and before he knew it, he had arrived at the place.

The majestic Qianyang Palace remains the same as before. Every brick, tile, table and chair exudes royal majesty. The empty and quiet hall is filled with the familiar gloom and indifference.

Although Jia Cong had been here many times, every time he entered the hall, the strange majesty and oppression never lessened.

Once you enter the palace, you lose control of life and death, honor and sorrow, and you can take whatever you want at will.

When one loses his mind, his destiny is in the hands of man.

All these feelings made him extremely uncomfortable, and made him feel implicitly resistant and wanting to escape from this supreme position, which lingered in his heart.

This is the majesty and cruelty of imperial power, and it is also the fate of ministers who are on the edge of the abyss.

……

Jia Cong discovered that in addition to Emperor Jia Zhao and Guo Lin, who was always by the emperor's side, there were two other ministers in the hall.

One of them was an acquaintance of his, Gu Yankui, the Minister of War and Commander-in-Chief of Nine Provinces. The other minister was in his forties, but was a stranger face, whom he had never seen before.

When Emperor Jia Zhao saw Jia Cong coming, he asked Wei Guanyao, the Minister of the Dali Temple, to explain to him the whole story of Zhou Zhengyang's case, and prepared to send him to Nanjing to assist in investigating the case.

Jia Cong was also a little surprised when he heard this. When he accidentally captured Zhou Suqing in Liaodong, he ordered the Military Affairs Office of Yafu Pass to escort Zhou Suqing back to Beijing. He then withdrew from the matter in time and no longer asked about it.

He just didn't want to get involved in this matter, but he didn't expect that he couldn't avoid it. Now that the emperor has said so, there is no way to avoid it.

He still remembers vividly the scene when he assisted Prince Ning in solving a case in Nanjing and Zou Huaiyi committed suicide to resist arrest.

At that time, he realized that there must be something hidden behind this matter, and that it was deeply involved. Now that the old case was brought up again, there would be no shortage of tricky issues.

Jia Cong thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, the news of the confession in the Dali Temple has been leaked, and the arrest of Zhou Zhengyang in Nanjing has failed. Now we have alerted the enemy.

The people and relationships related to Jinling and Zhou Zhengyang must have disappeared and escaped long ago.

It is also unclear whether Zhou Zhengyang is the mastermind behind the scenes or whether there is someone else behind the scenes.

Now His Majesty has sent officials to Nanjing to intensify inspections. The situation is so serious that everyone inside and outside the court knows about it. Even if His Majesty uses the Court of Inquisition, he can temporarily catch the person who leaked the information.

But there are so many officials in the capital, and the government offices are densely packed and complicated. Who can guarantee that the news that I am ordered to go to Nanjing this time will not be delivered to Nanjing in advance?

I am afraid that after arriving in Nanjing, I will repeat Yang Hongbin's mistake. Before entering Nanjing, I have already lost the opportunity. It will be even more difficult to find out the truth. "

……

The Water Conservancy Bureau case back then and the current Zhou Zhengyang case were closely linked because of Zhou Suqing. Jia Cong knew the darkness and ambiguity involved better than anyone else.

No matter whether it is Zou Huaiyi or Zhou Zhengyang, they are both from the garrison army, and the whole incident cannot avoid being related to military power and military authority.

Throughout history, major cases, as long as they are related to the military, are extremely dangerous. No matter how you overestimate the difficulties involved, it is not an exaggeration.

Since Emperor Jiazhao wanted him to go to Nanjing to assist in handling this matter, it was inevitable. He had to convey the risks and difficulties involved to the emperor in advance, at least to minimize his expectations.

Don't let the emperor think that he can easily turn the world around just by arriving in Nanjing. Even if Jia Cong has this ability, he will never give the emperor this illusion.

Gu Yankui, who was standing by, nodded secretly after listening to Jia Cong's analysis. He was also a veteran in officialdom, so he naturally knew that in order to accomplish something, the most important thing was to seize the opportunity.

The confession was leaked, the wanted criminal escaped, and the initiative was lost. If we did not try to reverse the situation, even if we sent even the most capable men to Nanjing, they would most likely still be helpless.

Emperor Jia Zhao said: "What Lord Jia said makes sense. What good strategy do you have for dealing with it?"

Jia Cong replied, "I believe that secrecy leads to success, while disclosure leads to failure.

When the Nanjing maritime trade case occurred, its root cause was the overseas maritime trade, which involved a huge amount of silver flow. Money corrupted people's hearts, causing corrupt officials in the Waterway Inspectorate, the Maritime Customs Office and other government offices to take risks.

Now that Zhou Zhengyang has escaped, most of those who were affected by the Water Supervision Bureau's major case have become alert and will surely be careful to hide.

Zhou Zhengyang is a high-ranking official of the third rank. He not only has the power to promote cheating in the performance appraisal in the Ministry of Personnel in Shenjing, but he must also have connections in various government offices in Nanjing.

Your Majesty can be more relaxed on the outside but more strict on the inside, allowing Yang Hongbin to handle the case normally in Jinling, proceeding step by step, not showing impatience, demonstrating weakness, and easing the situation.

On the other hand, we can take the opportunity to rotate the officials in the relevant offices of the Jinling Maritime Administration and assign them to important positions, so as to appoint loyal and trustworthy people to serve in this way, which can not only prevent omissions and plug loopholes, but also break the old trend of collusion and harmony.

We can also send more agents to Jinling to assist in the investigation and use the method of responding to emergencies... "

……

Gu Yankui and Wei Guanyao, who were standing by, looked at the young minister beside them, who was talking to the emperor with clear thoughts, rigorous logic, bright eyes, and dense and persuasive words.

Gu Yankui had seen Jia Cong's outstanding abilities many times, whether in firearms strategy or in leading troops in battles in Liaodong. Although his plan this time was still surprising, it was nothing new.

Wei Guanyao had only heard of Jia Cong's reputation for a long time, but had never had any official contact with him.

Now, seeing him analyze a difficult matter thoroughly in a short moment and come up with a very wise countermeasure, I was secretly impressed by his wisdom at such a young age.

However, both Gu Yankui and Wei Guanyao have experienced a lot and have met countless people.

As they watched Jia Cong's demeanor while he was answering the questions, they all felt a little horrified in their hearts, because they felt that Jia Cong's behavior was very similar to that of someone else.

It was Zhou Junxing, the most cruel official in the court, who recently caused a stir in the Court of Inquisition in the capital.

They have the same handsome appearance and are full of wisdom and strategies; they are equally meticulous and rigorous, and exude an extremely pragmatic calmness; even the instigation and persuasiveness in their words are so similar.

This kind of trait revealed in the bones cannot be disguised. It is the original and true side of a person.

This young man is younger than Zhou Junxing and more talented than Zhou Junxing. He has a top family background in the Great Zhou and a noble status of lord, which are beyond Zhou Junxing's reach.

The loyal ministers whom His Majesty trusts seem to have certain things in common.

After all, Gu Yankui had a good personal relationship with Jia Cong, so he didn't want to think about it anymore.

Wei Guanyao had already thought that Jia Cong's talent and potential were far superior to Zhou Junxing's. The emperor valued him so much. If one day he became a lone minister like Zhou Junxing...

(End of this chapter)