Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Jinling, Gongyu Street, Qingyin Pavilion.

Qingyin Pavilion is quite famous in Jinling. It is not a brothel, but a proper music hall that specializes in raising prostitutes, musicians and dancers.

Because the female artists here were highly skilled, Jinling's high-ranking officials, nobles, and literati would invite the female artists from Qingyin Pavilion to perform to liven up the atmosphere at banquets, celebrations, festivals, and literary gatherings.

In Jinling, the presence or absence of female artists from the Qingyin Pavilion has almost become a symbol of whether banquets and gatherings are luxurious and elegant.

Jia Cong arrived at the place by carriage. Before his eyes was a four-story attic with an exquisite and magnificent form, standing on Gongyu Street.

Compared with the surrounding shops, it stands out like a crane among chickens.

Under the eaves of the two-story attic, there is a huge plaque with black background and golden characters, which reads "Qingyin Pavilion" in elegant and graceful fonts.

Although the layout of this four-story attic is complicated, it does not have the extravagant atmosphere of ordinary brothels. There are windows and doors on each floor, and the sounds of conversation and the tunes of stringed instruments and singing can be heard from inside.

Jia Cong entered the main hall. In the middle was a patio structure. Looking up, he saw galleries with beautiful poles on various levels surrounding it. Many drinkers and scholars were leaning on the railings and looking down.

In the center of the main hall there is a high round stage. A dancer in colorful feathered clothes is playing the pipa and dancing gracefully. The music and dance are in harmony with each other. Her posture is elegant and pleasant.

Jia Cong walked through the main hall, but was stopped by two strong women in front of a big door.

One of the strong women said, "Sir, the back is where the ladies of the pavilion live and practice. Male and outside guests are not allowed to enter."

In fact, Jia Cong didn't just meet one person here today, but two people.

One of them was a little unusual, and he couldn't help but be more cautious.

As soon as he entered the main hall, he noticed the door guarded by two strong women. The reason he approached just now was just to test the waters.

At that time, he accidentally met the owner of Qingyin Pavilion, Du Qingniang, at Liu Jing'an's house. He then became interested in Qingyin Pavilion and heard many rumors about it.

Qingyin Pavilion is not only a famous music hall in Jinling, but also has a long-standing reputation in the whole Jiangnan area, and is even well-known in the northern capital.

It is said that the owner of Qingyin Pavilion is a reclusive and low-key wealthy man from Jiangnan. Some people also say that he is a retired senior official in the court. There have always been different opinions and no consensus.

However, it is well known that Qingyin Pavilion maintains good relations with the government, especially its relationship with the Ministry of Rites of the Great Zhou.

The Ministry of Rites even hired Du Qingniang, the head of Qingyin Pavilion, as the pipa instructor of the Ministry of Rites' Jiaofang Division.

On the occasion of the 65th birthday of the retired emperor, a banquet was held in the palace. The palace selected female musicians with superb skills from the Qingyin Pavilion to enter the palace for several days to perform music and dance to entertain the audience.

I don’t know if it’s because Qingyin Pavilion has such a special background, or if Pavilion Master Du Qingniang really has extraordinary powers.

There are women everywhere in this music hall, and among them there are even many stunning beauties with both beauty and talent who are easily coveted.

In the city of Jinling, where good and bad people mixed together and the forces were intertwined, no one dared to plot or cause trouble.

……

Jia Cong left the door and went up to a private room on the third floor. When he pushed the door open, there was already someone there.

He was in his twenties, with a handsome appearance and a calm demeanor, and was drinking by himself.

When the man saw him coming in, he said, "Yu Zhang, you really know how to choose a place. You found such a place for singing and dancing."

Jia Cong fluttered his sleeves, looking relaxed and at ease, and sat down opposite the man.

He said with a smile: "Nowadays, everyone in Jinling City knows that Yang Sizheng, who came from the capital, is busy investigating important cases every day. Brother Yang is now a figure in the spotlight.

But I am different. I came to Jinling to do an unskillful job under the imperial decree. Since it is an unskillful job, I should act like one. It is appropriate for me to come to Qingyin Pavilion to listen to music and drink wine."

The man in the private room was none other than Yang Hongbin, the chief of the Dali Temple.

Two years ago, Yang Hongbin followed Ning Wang Li Chongrui to Nanjing to act as the Water Inspectorate for a major case. He once teamed up with Jia Cong to eliminate the Japanese ronin hiding in the construction site of Da Ci'en Temple.

Afterwards, he cooperated with Jia Cong in the capture of Zou Huaiyi, and the two became friends. They often interacted with each other when they were in Shenjing and became good friends in private.

Jia Cong went to Nanjing this time, ostensibly on the orders of the emperor to set up a branch of the Nanjing Firearms Bureau, but that was just a cover to deceive people.

The real imperial edict he accepted was to work together with Yang Hongbin of the Dali Temple to solve the major case of Zhou Zhengyang in Jinling.

At that time, due to the leak of information by Luo Qingchang, the criminal recorder of the Dali Temple, Zhou Zhengyang, the commander of the Jinling Guard, escaped early, and Yang Hongbin, who was ordered to enter Jinling, was stuck in a stalemate.

Even if the Magistrates' Court conducts a large-scale purge of those implicated in the leak, since the matter involves high-ranking military officials, no one can guarantee that there will be no omissions.

To avoid information leakage again and regain the lost opportunity.

Emperor Jia Zhao listened to Jia Cong's advice and no longer implemented the usual method.

Yang Hongbin is still doing his best to investigate the case in Jinling, attracting the attention of the whole city.

After receiving the imperial edict, Jia Cong was busy with the affairs of the Firearms Department and was slow to arrive, which lost his momentum and reduced his presence.

When he arrived in Jinling, he naturally would not go to the Dali Temple in the secondary capital to meet anyone.

Instead, he chose this place where the voices were clear and made an appointment to meet Yang Hongbin.

Yang Hongbin laughed at himself helplessly: "Back then, when I went to Nanjing with Yuzhang, I helped Prince Ning handle a major case at the Water Conservancy Bureau. It was so smooth and satisfying.

But this time, it was like stepping into a quagmire, with no way forward or backward. Before entering Jinling, it was obvious that we were defeated. After entering Jinling, there were barriers everywhere, making it difficult to take action. "

Jia Cong comforted him, "Brother Yang, don't be discouraged. If the news had not been leaked from the capital in advance, you wouldn't be trapped in your current predicament.

This time, the emperor sent me to Nanjing to help Brother Yang solve the case. With you and I, one in the open and one in the dark, we will definitely be able to seize the initiative and break the deadlock."

Yang Hongbin's expression softened and he said, "I already know the person who leaked the information this time was the criminal recorder who interrogated Zhou Suqing with me. Someone took advantage of him right under my nose.

It's not unfair to lose. Now that the emperor has sent Yuzhang here, I feel confident because you are always resourceful and good at using surprise troops. "

Jia Cong filled Yang Hongbin's glass with wine and asked, "Brother Yang, do you still remember the birthday banquet at the Zou Mansion that year, when Zhang Kangnian, the deputy commander of Jinling, came?"

Yang Hongbing was stunned. When he was investigating a major case involving the Water Conservancy in Nanjing, he had seen Jia Cong's sharp mind and how he could often hit the nail on the head. So when he suddenly asked this person, he naturally wouldn't be asking without purpose.

"Of course I remember. At the birthday banquet at the Zou Mansion, this man persuaded Zou Huaiyi to surrender so as not to implicate his family.

Although I was not present at the time, Yuzhang was recording the case in great detail, which deserves our attention. "

Jia Cong said solemnly, "You only read what happened in the written records, but I saw it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears, which left a deep impression on me.

In the past two years, I have often recalled the scene at that time, and I often feel a chill in my heart.

At that time, Zhang Kangnian persuaded Zou Huaiyi to surrender and promised to do his best to protect his family. Soon after he finished speaking, Zou Huaiyi suddenly committed suicide. It seemed that there was a strange tacit understanding between the two.

Yang Hongbin said: "Yu Zhang described this incident in detail in the transcript, and many people noticed this detail.

After you and I returned to Shenjing one after another, the Dali Temple and the Magistrate's Court of Shenjing both sent agents to handle the finalization of the Water Supervision Bureau case. Based on the case documents, they conducted open and secret investigations on Zhang Kangnian.

This man's family did make some money by taking advantage of the convenience of maritime trade, but it was all within the legal scope, and there was nothing wrong with Zhang Kangnian's daily behavior.

In addition, this person has quite a background. Even the cruel Zhang Junxing of the Magistrates' Court would not dare to take extraordinary measures against such a person. Jia Cong frowned and asked, "What kind of background does this person have that makes people afraid of him?"

Yang Hongbin said: "Zhang Kangnian was born in the Zhang family of Jiangling, which is a famous family in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The wife of the current eldest son, Prince Zhao Li Chongmao, is the eldest daughter of the Jiangling Zhang family and the cousin of Zhang Kangnian. Their fathers are brothers from the same mother and their relationship is very close. "

After hearing this, Jia Cong's heart tightened.

He had met Zhao Wang Li Chongmao several times, and was even given a precious sword by the king.

Even with Jia Cong's vision, he had to admit that among all the princes, Prince Zhao stood out.

There were rumors both inside and outside the court that the Prince of Zhao must be the descendant of Emperor Jiazhao and the heir to the throne, and that his principal wife would be the empress who would rule the country in the future.

Given Zhang Kangnian's special background, it is no wonder that even Zhou Junxing, who was so ruthless and domineering, did not dare to act rashly, otherwise it would stir up royal disputes and the consequences would be unpredictable.

When Jia Cong was taking notes on the case, he described in detail what happened in the Zou Mansion that day in an attempt to attract the attention of the Dali Temple and other three judicial departments, but this matter has never been reported.

He was somewhat surprised afterwards, but at the time he was just an eighth-rank scholar with a nominal title and wanted to stay out of it, so after the incident, he didn't take it to heart.

Now I finally understand the real reason why no one has gotten to the bottom of Zhang Kangnian.

Perhaps Zhang Kangnian said those words to Zou Huaiyi only out of loyalty to his colleagues, and Zou Huaiyi's subsequent suicide was just a coincidence.

If Zhang Kangnian is really as he guessed, he is one of the people behind the major case of the Water Supervision Bureau.

He was double-checked by the Dali Temple and the Court of Inquisition, but still found no flaws. This person must be an extraordinary person.

Yang Hongbin added: "There is one more thing. Last October, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing died suddenly. The court transferred Zhang Kangnian to take over as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War in the Temporary Capital."

Jia Cong was puzzled and asked, "As far as I know, Zhang Kangnian has been working in the Jinling Command for several years. Why was he suddenly transferred?"

Yang Hongbin replied: "We can only find out by looking up the documents of the Ministry of Personnel, but there must be some high-sounding reasons on them, so we shouldn't be able to find anything.

The transfer of a third-rank military post to a third-rank civilian post is a good thing in the officialdom."

Jia Cong couldn't figure out what was going on for the moment, so he put it aside for the time being and deduced other details of the case with Yang Hongbin before leaving the private room one after another.

……

However, Yang Hongbin really left Qingyin Pavilion, but Jia Cong took a detour and went to another private room on the third floor.

Not long after he arrived in Jinling, someone delivered a letter to the old house in Xinglongfang, asking him to meet at Qingyin Pavilion at 3 p.m. today.

There was a strange graphic seal on the letter.

Before leaving Beijing, Emperor Jia Zhao specially authorized the Imperial Chariot Department to assist Jia Cong in his work in Nanjing.

He also asked Guo Lin to allocate capable personnel from the Central Railway Department in Nanjing to be temporarily under Jia Cong's control to facilitate reconnaissance of relevant important matters and intelligence gathering.

Guo Lin once sent his trusted eunuch to pass on the secret keys of the Zhongchesi to Jia Cong, and the information included this secret seal.

Therefore, the person to be met must be a key figure of the China Railway Company in Nanjing.

There was no one in the private room, the doors and windows were tightly closed, and there was no sound.

Only the copper leak in the corner made a dull dripping sound.

There was a pot of freshly brewed tea on the table, which was warm to the touch. It must have been prepared by someone in advance.

Time passed in silence, and Jia Cong's heart was filled with waves.

Jia Cong has heard many rumors about the China Railway Corporation in recent years.

As the most mysterious internal agency under the emperor's jurisdiction, it is more mysterious and more feared than the Court of Inquiries.

The Magistrates' Court acts in a loud and brutal manner, which makes people terrified, but after all, most of the things happen in public and everyone can hear and see them.

The Zhongchesi was a pure secret agency that operated in the dark. It did not have the power to arrest and investigate that the Magistrates' Court had, which was separate from the Three Judicial Departments.

However, the spies of the Imperial Chariot Division were omnipresent. Most of the nobles who had inherited their titles from generation to generation and high-ranking officials who had been granted official positions had their residences contaminated by corruption.

The servants around the nobles, the maids of the officials' daughters, the gentleman in the accounting office, the coachman, it is hard to tell which one is the spy of the Imperial Chariot Company.

Presumptuous words, treasonous acts, unjust actions, private affairs at home, and connections, which official can guarantee that his background is pure and flawless and will not be recorded in the secret list of the Ministry of Vehicles.

For officials, the most terrifying thing is not the open fighting in the officialdom, but the fact that their own beds and the inner courtyards of their mansions are riddled with holes and impossible to guard against.

After all, those officials whose families were destroyed and whose loved ones were killed by the Magistrates' Court still knew who they should hate.

However, many of those officials who were brought into trouble by the spies of the China Railway Corporation and ended up with a bad ending, will remain confused until their death.

This kind of inner court that is completely insidious and operates in the dark has been criticized in every dynasty and deeply hated by civil and military officials.
However, it can have an immediate effect in consolidating imperial power and forging deterrence.

As for Jia Cong, he really couldn't have the slightest good feeling towards the sinister spies of the Imperial Household Department, and he usually avoided them as much as possible to prevent them from happening.

This is also why, when he first settled in the East Palace, he not only refused to accept gifts from Lady Jia for the servants he employed, but he even dared not to buy any near the capital.

Instead, he went far away and asked Qu Hongxiu and Qin Keqing to help him screen and purchase in Jiangnan.

……

He really didn't expect that one day he would have close contact with CRRC Corporation Limited.

The copper clock in the private room made a slow and steady dripping sound, and the rippling water surface finally approached the Shen time.

The door of the private room was pushed open, and a young woman walked into the room, with a faint fragrance and a graceful figure.

Jia Cong's eyes lit up slightly. The person who came was tall and graceful, with a beautiful face, a pair of bright eyes as bright as lacquer, and a clear look that seemed to move the heartstrings, making people unforgettable.

She wore a green double-breasted jacket with a pattern of plum blossoms, a thin silk cross-collared lining, and a cream-colored horse-faced skirt embroidered with plum blossoms. She was graceful and dazzling, but her elegance shone through a kind of frightening coldness.

There was an old copper hairpin inserted in her dark hair, which looked too plain and dull, and was out of tune with her entire outfit.

Jia Cong's gaze lingered on the old bronze hairpin for a moment, his expression showing indescribable surprise and unexpectedness.

An unusual atmosphere permeated the private room. It was as if an indescribable emotion was colliding and condensing. The sound of dripping water from the copper clock seemed to be swallowed up all at once, and one could hear a pin drop in the room.

Memories rolled back in Jia Cong's mind: the mansion besieged by soldiers, the birthday banquet that was suddenly interrupted, the blood splattered by the knife, and the painful and hateful look.

Although he had a clear conscience about all this, that scene was deeply imprinted in his heart. Two years had passed, and whenever he thought about it, it was as vivid as if he were right before his eyes.

Jia Cong took out a black iron plate from his body and gently placed it on the table.

The iron plate is engraved with fish and dragon patterns, intertwined and entangled, mysterious and exquisite, and there are four negative characters engraved in the middle.

The woman's eyes were calm and cold as she said, "Master Jia, you don't need to reveal your identity. I came to Nanjing to assist in the investigation of Zhou Zhengyang. I received a handwritten order from the Ministry of Rides and am under the control of Master Jia to assist you in your actions." (End of this chapter)