Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Jinling, Gongyu Street, Qingyin Pavilion.

In the private room, the two looked at each other.

On the table was a token of the chief admiral and a handwritten order from the Imperial Vehicle Department.

This is a token of identity verification between two people.

Among the official ranks set by the Ministry of Rides, there is no permanent position of the Chief Superintendent.

Only with the special permission of the emperor, can a person outside the department be allowed to control the personnel of the Central Vehicle Department for special matters and perform important tasks. This person will be temporarily granted the token of the commander-in-chief, and the token will be taken back after the matter is over.

Jia Cong had imagined many times what kind of person the person in charge of the Jinling Central Chariot Department was.

But I never expected that this person was actually Zou Miner.

This girl, Zou Huaiyi's only daughter, was demoted to a lowly position in the Jiaofangsi because of her father's crimes. It is unknown what kind of misfortunes she experienced that led her to become an important member of the Zhongchesi in Nanjing.

Jia Cong said, "I really didn't expect that Miss Zou would be in the Central Vehicle Division."

Although Jia Cong was surprised by Zou Miner's identity as the Imperial Chariot Driver, this was not what he cared about most.

What he cared about was that after Zou Huaiyi was executed, the estrangement and hatred between him and Zou Miner could not be eliminated, and the best policy was not to have anything to do with her.

The current situation was really beyond his expectations.

But Zou Min'er was different. When she left Shenjing, she received a secret order from the China Railway Corporation and already knew the whole story.

Du Qingniang knew about her special relationship with Jia Cong, and was even more aware of her hostility and deep sinisterness towards Jia Cong.

But Du Qingniang still used her to do this because she saw that she had a strange obsession with the major case of the Water Supervision Bureau after her family was destroyed.

This was enough to make her temporarily put aside her hatred and calculations towards Jia Cong, and put all her energy into completing what she should do.

When employing people, it doesn't matter whether they are good or bad, deep or shallow, and the best one is the one who can win their hearts. This is Du Qingniang's extraordinary way of managing her subordinates.

Zou Min'er's expression was calm, but her words were sharp and sarcastic: "Just like when I first met Lord Jia in Ziyun Pavilion, you seemed like a courteous and humble gentleman, and I never expected what happened later!"

Jia Cong's heart trembled slightly, but it was not surprising at all. It would be unreasonable if this woman had no resentment towards him.

However, he did not respond to Zou Min'er's words, because on this topic, they each stood on their own positions, neither was right or wrong, and there was nothing to talk about.

After Jia Cong learned of Zou Miner's identity, another issue became of greatest concern to him.

That day he saw Du Qingniang and Zou Min'er at Liu's house. Zou Min'er was Du Qingniang's new disciple, and Du Qingniang's master and his master's wife were close friends.

The leader of Qingyin Pavilion is known for her heavenly sound of the Jade Pipa. What an outstanding person she is. Her disciple is from the Zhongchesi, so what is her status then?
Although I'm not completely sure, I'm probably right.

But he wouldn't be stupid enough to ask Zou Min'er this question.

The emperor only wanted to increase the chances of solving the case by temporarily relying on the power of the Central Vehicle Division to inquire about these private secrets. This was not a smart move.

When Zou Min'er saw that Jia Cong seemed unperturbed by her sharp words and had no special reaction, she felt a strange sense of loss in her heart.

There was a brief silence in the room, a kind of implicit sharp confrontation, which suddenly arose, but due to many complicated reasons, it quickly faded away like the tide, becoming invisible.

Everyone has anger, ignorance, love and hate in their hearts, but everyone is in the middle of a situation, with many considerations and weighings, and no one can always be happy with revenge.

For Jia Cong, there was no point in gossiping about the two men, since they had already developed a rift and hatred for each other.

He asked directly, "Miss Zou, please go to Jinling before me. The China Railway Corporation has deployed spies in the secondary capital. Have you found any clues about Zhou Zhengyang?

In addition, the Central Railway Department has a wide range of information and may have confidential files on Zhou Zhengyang’s career and his connections with the government in Shenjing…”

……

Shenjing, Earl's Mansion, Yingchun Courtyard.

Since Jia Cong went to Jinling, Daiyu and Tanchun moved into the East Palace. Later, Shi Xiangyun came, and the atmosphere became even more joyful.

Jia Cong always felt sympathy and care for Xichun, the youngest daughter. When he was at home, he often asked Yingchun and Tanchun to bring her to the East Palace to play, so as to prevent her from being neglected too much and developing a lonely and poor personality.

Therefore, Xichun had long been accustomed to coming to the East Palace, and became increasingly close to Jia Cong and Yingchun.

Now, all the sisters have gone to the East Palace, and Xichun is left alone in the West Palace. She is very bored. She spends almost every day in the East Palace having fun. When it is late at night, she stays in Yingchun's courtyard.

After Jia Cong went to Jinling, Yinglian, Wu'er, Qingwen and others had nothing to do in their daily lives, so they often visited Yingchun, Daiyu and Tanchun to talk.

Baochai would come over every now and then to meet with her sisters, and often brought some fresh fruits and vegetables from the Xue family's shop, as well as peculiar little trinkets from the market, for the sisters to play with and have fun with.

When it rains, everyone will gather in that person's yard, drink tea, listen to the rain and chat.

When the weather is good, we can choose a time when the sun is setting, pick flowers and plants in the garden, go boating on the lake and enjoy the breeze, which is also a pleasant experience.

Although Jia Cong had gone on a long journey, the East Palace was not lonely at all. Instead, it was more lively than before.

In the flower garden and embroidered building, under the bamboo curtains of the windows, there are always graceful figures and the sound of laughter and bells.

Naturally, there are always people wondering how Jia Cong is doing in Jinling and how long it will take for him to come back...

……

That morning, a female guest came to the main hall of Yingchun Courtyard.

She has a slender and graceful figure, and wears a soft, moon-white gown embroidered with magnolia flowers. A dark blue sweat towel is tied around her waist, which ties her slender waist perfectly. She has picturesque eyebrows, deep eyes, and looks very heroic.

It was Ai Li who was in charge of managing Feiyu for Jia Cong in Shenjing.

Perhaps people really can't stand being nagged. As Jia Cong was away from home for a long time, Daiyu and other sisters began to nag and worry about him. As a result, Ai Li sent him his flying feather message.

When the news spread, Daiyu, Tanchun and Xiangyun all came to meet the guest so that they could know Jia Cong's situation in Jinling as soon as possible.

In addition to a letter from Jia Cong, the letter that Ellie brought also included a medical record of Lin Ruhai.

In the letter, Jia Cong instructed Yingchun to arrange someone to go to Huaxi Village to look for Zhang Youpeng. If Doctor Zhang was at home, he should be given Lin Ruhai's medical records and asked to make a diagnosis based on the records.

If Zhang Youpeng has not returned from his travels, we can only wait and think of other ways.

In the main hall, Yingchun asked Xiuju to serve tea, and she and Ai Li found some topic to talk and laugh happily.

Daiyu and Tanchun sat together and read the letter carefully.

In his letter, Jia Cong mentioned that he met Lin Ruhai in Yangzhou.

Lin Ruhai had been suffering from health problems over the past six months due to the rampant smuggling of salt in Yangzhou and excessive government work. He had some symptoms of deficiency, but the condition was not serious.

Jia Cong told Daiyu to relax and not worry too much. Daiyu then carefully read her father's medical records and saw that there was no emergency mentioned in them, so she felt relieved.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

Grandmother Jia was sitting idly in the hall, while Yuanyang was sitting beside her, massaging the old lady's legs with a beauty's rope.

After a while, Mrs. Wang brought Aunt Xue over to pay her respects and talk to Lady Jia.

The three of them chatted for a while. Grandmother Jia estimated the time. At this time in the past, all the granddaughters would come to pay their respects, but today none of them showed up. She felt a little puzzled.

But then they heard a shadow swaying outside the hall, and Wang Xifeng came in wearing a gorgeous embroidered dress.

When she saw Lady Jia, she smiled and said, "Madam, I just went to the East Mansion to see my second sister, Sister Lin and the others. I happened to see them meeting a female guest. I'm afraid it will be a little late for me to come and pay my respects to you, Madam."

After hearing this, Jia's mother finally understood the reason for her granddaughters' future and asked, "As a sister-in-law, I don't usually see you visiting them, but today you want to go and see them."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "I was worried that Brother Cong was not at home, and my second sister and the others were all young girls. I was afraid that they would not be able to control the servants in the mansion, and there would be some inconsiderateness.

So I went to take a look today to see if there was anything I could do to help, and to make my sisters live more comfortably in the East Palace.

But when we arrived at the East Mansion, we found that everything was in good order, not even a bit worse than our West Mansion. We didn't expect that our second sister was really capable. A young girl managed such a large mansion so well. It's just like what is said in the opera, a scholar looks at others with new eyes every three days. This brother is a powerful one, and his sister is no slouch either."

Wang Xifeng was free today, so she went for a stroll in the East Palace. When she met Yingchun meeting a guest, she took a walk around the palace herself and saw that the servants in the palace were well-behaved and considerate in everything.

The atmosphere inside and outside the mansion was much better than that of the West Mansion, which surprised her a lot.

Wang Xifeng considered herself to be a capable housekeeper. Ever since the Lai brothers and other old servants were implicated in the search of Ningguo Mansion and all of them were implicated, she was able to manage the household even more smoothly.

But she had no idea what was happening in the East Mansion now. She really couldn't understand how Yingchun, who was usually known as a wooden man, could be capable of such a thing.

The reason why Wang Xifeng was confused was that there were some things she was not clear about.

After Jia Cong left the mansion, Yingchun became the leader of the East Mansion. Now, she is familiar with the management of the mansion's affairs, and she has Tanchun and Daiyu to help her.

What is more important is that the servants in the East Palace were all carefully selected by Keqing from Jiangnan. They have good temperaments, words, and manners. As long as Yingchun and others give a little guidance, they can do their daily affairs very well.

Therefore, although the owner of the East Palace was away on a long journey, the huge Earl's Mansion was still managed very well, and it looked much more tidy and worry-free than the West Palace.

Wang Xifeng laughed and said, "In the past we all thought that the second sister was honest, but we didn't know that she was really capable. Now she seems to have become a different person, so thoughtful and capable.

In my opinion, she is the most amazing among the sisters, and I don’t know which lucky guy will marry her in the future.”

Wang Xifeng praised Yingchun generously and spared no effort. First, Yingchun's behavior had indeed changed a lot, which was really surprising.

Secondly, in terms of blood relationship, Baoyu is actually from a different family. Jia Cong and Yingchun are the closest to Jia Lian, and they are legitimate children of the same father.

With Wang Xifeng's shrewdness, she naturally saw that Jia Cong would become the pillar of the Jia family in the future. How could the eldest master's inherited title, which was a downgrade, be compared with the hereditary title of others?

Moreover, the relationship between them and Jia Cong has always been harmonious. Jia Cong and Yingchun are getting closer and closer. As brothers and sisters-in-law, there are naturally only benefits and no disadvantages for them.

Although the second wife in charge is her own aunt, she is not as close to her as her own son.

She knew that her aunt was determined to promote the marriage between Baoyu and Baochai because Baochai was her niece and a very smart and capable girl.

His aunt had a long-term plan. If Baoyu married Baochai, he would be able to take over from her as the housekeeper of the Rongguo Mansion with the surname "Yu".

At that time, the Rongguo Mansion's business would become the iron turf of the second branch, and Wang Xifeng would have nothing to do with it.

Although the wife is her aunt, what use is that? After all, she is the daughter-in-law of the eldest wife.

When the old lady passes away, I will sooner or later be sidelined.

But now that Jia Cong is staying in the East Palace, she and Jia Lian have an extra support.

She knew very well why Lady Jia wanted Yingchun to live in the East Palace.

Now that Yingchun has followed his brothers, she has become quite powerful.

Wang Xifeng praised Yingchun lavishly in front of Lady Jia, just to let her know that apart from Baoyu who didn't like to study, their second room only had Jia Lan, who was still a child.

As for Jia Huan, he can be completely ignored. As for Tanchun, although she is a capable person, everyone can see that she only has her cousin Jia Cong in her heart, and she is not as good as her own brother Baoyu.

Looking at their first wife's family, each of them is a top figure, not to mention Jia Cong and Yingchun, even Jia Lian is much more capable than Baoyu.

Wang Xifeng hinted these ideas to Lady Jia through her words. Although she knew it clearly in her heart, she probably could not overcome the old lady's partiality for Baoyu.

But even if it's a broken drum, as long as you are willing to hit it, you can still hear a few sounds.

She praised Jia Cong and Yingchun in front of others. The rumors in Rongqingtang could not be kept secret and someone would definitely spread them to the East Palace.

At that time, both Jia Cong and Yingchun would naturally know the merits of their sister-in-law and would provide more support and care in the future.

Although Wang Xifeng's plan was sound, she was also worried.

In the Rongguo main house, Jia Cong and Yingchun, himself and Jia Lian, are all capable, but there is one who is incompetent and has even been doing bad things all along.

It was her father-in-law, Jia She, the biggest scumbag in the first house, but there was nothing that could be done about it.

……

Shenjing, Hongping Street, fur shop.

In a room on the second floor of the store, Jia She was sitting and talking with a young man.

The young man was in his twenties, tall, with a straight nose, a wide mouth, slightly protruding cheekbones, and a bright look that revealed his shrewdness and competence.

It was Sun Shaozu who suddenly left Shenjing some time ago and his whereabouts are unknown.

During these few months, Jia She's life was extremely unhappy.

Because of the payment of the new summer tax, the Rongguo Mansion lost a large amount of silver income, and the share allocated to the East Courtyard was much less.

Jia She's business with Ping'an Prefecture was also temporarily suspended by the Sun family because the Ministry of War was investigating fraud by the Datong border troops.

The reduction in income from both inside and outside the company made Jia She, who had always lived a luxurious life, live a very miserable life.

Because he had no extra money, he had not yet gotten the sixteen-year-old charming singing girl in Xingxiang Tower, whom he had been drooling over.

Just at this time, Sun Shaozu suddenly came to him and said that there was a business that needed his attention, which made Jia She somewhat pleasantly surprised.

Jia She asked, "My dear nephew, why did you suddenly leave the capital last time? What urgent matter did you encounter?"

Sun Shaozu smiled faintly: "My father sent me a letter asking me to go back to Datong to deal with some things, and now the things are done.

This time I brought some northern goods to the south, planning to do some business, and I would like to ask for your help."

When Jia She heard this, his eyes lit up. He was well aware of Sun Shaozu's shrewd calculations and knew that every word and action of his was meant to be sold at a price.

Since the business needs my help, I will naturally share the profits with myself.

He smiled and said, "Nephew, there is no need to be polite. Our two families are old friends and we have had business dealings in the past two years. If it weren't for that evildoer in the family, I'm afraid we would have even become in-laws. Just tell me if you have anything to say."

Sun Shaozu felt a little uncomfortable when he heard him mention Jia Cong.

When he arrived in Shenjing, he heard that after Jia Cong set up his mansion, he had allowed the second daughter to become a citizen of the Earl's Mansion. Now she is the eldest daughter of the Earl's Mansion and has a noble status.

Even this so-called uncle in front of me has no say in my daughter's marriage. After all, I can't marry into this high branch. It's a pity to think about it.

"Uncle, I brought a batch of mountain products from the north this time, and I plan to ship them to Jinling to do some business, but my people are not familiar with the market and channels in the south.

In the past, my uncle's sea salt and tea business was all done with merchants from the south, so he must be familiar with the land transportation routes for merchants from the south.

I would like to ask you to find a reliable southern merchant to ship this batch of goods to Jinling for sale. After the transaction is completed, I can give you a 10% bonus. "

When Jia She heard this, he was delighted. He had been worrying about money recently, and it just so happened that there was income delivered to his doorstep.

He then asked, "My dear nephew, wouldn't it be more convenient to transport goods from Shenjing to Jinling by water?"

Sun Shaozu's eyes narrowed, and he said, "Uncle, you may not know that there have been pirates in the south recently, and the waterways are not peaceful. In addition, there are many inspections and exploitations at the garrisons and ports along the river, which will cost a lot of interest.

This batch of northern goods can earn a lot of money by going by land, which is the safest way."

In fact, Jia She was a playboy who only knew how to indulge in luxury and pleasure. He had no idea about many things happening in the outside world. He had only heard a little about the Japanese pirates in the south and did not know the details.

Sun Shaozu took out a carved wooden box, opened the lid, and found a stack of silver bills inside.

He smiled and said, "Uncle, please accept these two thousand taels. When the southern merchant you are looking for delivers the goods to Jinling, I will reward him with another two thousand taels as a token of gratitude. I will never go back on my word."

Jia She's eyes lit up as he looked at the thick stack of banknotes. He didn't expect that the 10% bonus Sun Shaozu mentioned would actually be four thousand taels.

His Sun family is really generous. They can make a profit of 40,000 taels by doing a business trip from Datong to Nanjing. What kind of business can be so profitable?

The magnificent Rongguo Mansion, with its accumulated wealth and property over the years, had an annual profit of less than 30,000 taels, but it was still considered top-notch among the aristocratic families.

It was not even enough for the Sun family to go to Jinling for business. Jia She was really shocked. He made up his mind that after this storm was over, he would try to continue the business with the Sun family. (End of this chapter)