Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 384: Discussing the Same Ride

Jinling, the Ministry of War in the secondary capital.

A clerk from the Ministry of War entered the official residence of Zhang Kangnian, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, holding a document.

Because He Yongzheng, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, was old and ill, he mostly stayed at home for recuperation, in a semi-retired state.

Therefore, the decision-making of the daily affairs of the Ministry of War was mainly made by the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

The previous Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War died suddenly due to illness. When some people are unlucky, others will be lucky.

Zhang Kangnian happened to be in the right place, so he had the opportunity to be transferred to the Ministry of War in the secondary capital, which was considered an honorable promotion by outsiders.

Zhang Kangnian has not made any outstanding performance in the one year since he took office, and he has been doing his job step by step in the affairs of the Ministry of War in the secondary capital, but he is a shrewd and resourceful official.

In addition, he came from the Jinling Guard system and once served as the assistant commander of the Jinling Commandery. He had extensive connections in the guards of various states in the south of the Yangtze River.

The main duties of the Temporary Capital Military Department are to coordinate and manage military affairs with the military guards of various states in the south of the Yangtze River. Zhang Kangnian has a unique advantage in this regard.

Therefore, since he was transferred to the Ministry of War of the Temporary Capital, all official duties have been carried out smoothly and his prestige in the Ministry of War of the Temporary Capital has been growing day by day.

Therefore, since Zhang Kangnian took charge of the Ministry of War, the chief officer of the Ministry of War in the secondary capital, He Yongzheng, the left vice minister in Rongyang Mansion, has become less and less visible.

Although Zhang Kangnian acted in a steady and fair manner, he was quite strict with his subordinates. Therefore, the officials working under him were very cautious in their daily actions.

What the clerk had to report today was quite difficult, so he felt quite nervous when he reported it to Zhang Kangnian.

"Your Excellency, the Jinling Military Command Office has sent an official letter stating that before the five new-style cannons sent from the capital are deployed in Suzhou and Songjiang Guards, two artillery teams must be formed.

The Jinling Command Office reported the list of selected sergeants for the two guards artillery, and asked the Ministry of War to contact the Ministry of Works' Firearms Department, and the Firearms Department of the Temporary Capital compiled an artillery training plan to train the two guards artillery. "

Zhang Kangnian took the document presented by the clerk, read it carefully, and said, "This is a common practice. Go to the Firearms Department of the Ministry of Works and ask Jia Jianzheng to formulate a plan for the training of artillery.

After the Ministry of War receives the training proposal, it will implement it according to the usual practice. Go ahead."

The clerk looked embarrassed and said, "Before I reported to you, sir, I had already been to the Firearms Department of the Ministry of Works to coordinate some matters related to the preparatory work for the training.

But the clerk of the Firearms Department said that Lord Jia of the Firearms Department went to Gusu this morning and will not be in the government office for the next few days, so the relevant official business needs to be postponed. "

Zhang Kangnian was stunned when he heard this, frowned and asked, "Why did he leave his daily duties and go to Gusu? Is he going to Gusu for official business of the Firearms Bureau?"

The clerk looked a little strange when he heard this, and said, "I thought so at first, but later I heard a colleague talk about this matter and found out there was another reason."

Zhang Kangnian looked a little surprised and asked, "What's the reason? Tell me quickly."

The clerk replied, "That colleague often goes to Qingyin Pavilion to meet friends, so he knows the latest news about Qingyin Pavilion.

He said that since Jia Jianzheng arrived in Jinling, he often lingered in Qingyin Pavilion.

There was a new pipa musician from the Shenjing Music Bureau who had come to the pavilion. She was ordered by the Ministry of Rites to go to the Jiangnan area to purchase female opera singers and dancers. Somehow she became in love with Jia Cong, and the two of them often met in the elegant room in the pavilion.

Because this music lady was going to Suzhou to select female actors and musicians, Jia Cong followed her all the way.

Zhang Kangnian showed a sarcastic look on his face, and said with disdain: "I am the Earl of Weiyuan, a fifth-rank official, and I am here to do my duty in Nanjing under the imperial decree.

It was absolutely ridiculous that he left his post and took his beauty to travel around the south of the Yangtze River just to please a musician in the imperial music troupe.

I originally thought he was a capable man, but I overestimated him. The sons of noble families are no more than this... "

"Reply to the Command Headquarters and tell them that Jia Cong of the Firearms Department is not in his position and the Ministry of War is powerless. The artillery training can only be postponed..."

……

Jinling, Longtan Port Terminal.

An exquisite and neat single-sail passenger ship cut through the rolling waves, slowly sailed out of the dock, and meandered up along the Yangtze River waterway.

Such passenger ships are very common on the southern waterways. Although they are not very large, they can easily carry more than ten people.

However, apart from the boatman, there were only five people on the boat, led by a young couple, and the other three were dressed like servants.

The young man and woman had outstanding looks and extraordinary demeanor, like a golden boy and a jade girl. They looked and spoke intimately. As soon as they appeared at the dock, they attracted a lot of attention.

Moreover, they were accompanied by three distinguished-looking attendants. This must be a trip by a young man or young lady from a noble family in Jinling.

Such situations were not uncommon at the dock. Others only marveled at the outstanding demeanor of these young men and women, but that was all they saw.

By the time the ship left the dock, no one cared about it anymore.

……

Jiang Liu sat at the stern with two firearms soldiers, looking at Jia Cong and Madam Zhou with some curiosity.

As Jia Cong's trusted follower, Jiang Liu is one of the few people who knows Jia Cong's real purpose of going to Nanjing.

He followed Jia Cong in and out every day, so naturally he knew the relationship between Jia Cong and Madam Zhou.

He knew that Jia Cong met Madam Zhou when he first came to Qingyin Pavilion. After that, Jia Cong asked him to book an elegant room on the third floor of Qingyin Pavilion so that he and Madam Zhou could meet at any time.

The last time Jia Cong went to Jinling, Jiang Liu had not yet started to follow Jia Cong, so he did not know the details of the major case of the Jinling Water Supervision Bureau. Jia Cong also never told him about the unique and bizarre background of this Miss Zhou.

Therefore, Jiang Liu only thought that Madam Zhou was sent by the Shenjing Jiaofang Bureau to work in Jiangnan, and he knew nothing else.

He has known Jia Cong since childhood and has been following Jia Cong for the past two years. He is Jia Cong's most trusted confidant and knows Jia Cong's character very well.

Although he knew that there were often women around Jia Cong, he was not a simple lustful person.

Especially since he was sent to Jiangnan on secret missions, it was impossible for him to rashly leave Jinling and go to Gusu just to please Miss Zhou.

But from Jiang Liu's perspective, he really couldn't imagine what kind of relationship this delicate and graceful Miss Zhou had with the important matters they were doing in Jinling.

When the passenger ship sailed out of Longtan Port, the harmonious appearance between Third Master and Madam Zhou disappeared in an instant. Madam Zhou became cold to Third Master, which made Jiang Liu a little confused.

Jia Cong knew that although Zou Min'er had fallen into the status of a lowly servant in the Music Bureau, the dignity and reserve of a young lady from an official family had not been completely lost.

Although he used the excuse of bringing a beautiful woman to Suzhou to conceal his true identity, it tarnished Zou Miner's reputation and seemed like a frivolous mockery.

That's why she is unwilling to look at me in a good face when she leaves others.

However, Jia Cong didn't care at all. He just wanted to make his actions easier and avoid alerting the enemy to the inside story that had not been revealed.

In order to investigate a state secret case, Zou Miner is not asking to sacrifice anything extraordinary, just some false reputation.

Moreover, now that Zou Min'er has joined the Imperial Carriage Department, she should understand that she is no longer an ordinary woman, and Jia Cong will not be so pedantic as to consider the concerns of those young ladies from official families. Zou Min'er saw that she treated Jia Cong coldly, but Jia Cong seemed to be indifferent. She couldn't help but feel angry and sad, knowing that he didn't take her seriously at all.

In his eyes, I am just a tool of the China Railway Corporation.

But since she was demoted to the Imperial Music Bureau, she has suffered hardships that were unimaginable in the past, and her mind is no longer the same as the spoiled official lady she used to be.

She knew that it was difficult for her to escape from the lowly status of the Jiaofangsi, and the only way to retain her dignity was to take this position in the Zhongchesi.

It can give her more autonomy, and she doesn't have to survive like other musicians in the Jiaofang Bureau, who have to rely on selling their arts and bodies to survive.

Therefore, she will not let temporary dissatisfaction confuse her reasoning and the purpose of doing things.

So he patiently asked, "Now that we are on board, can you tell me what kind of person you are looking for in Gusu this time?"

It was clearly written in the imperial edict of the Imperial Chariot Department that Zou Min'er was under the control of Jia Cong during her stay in Jinling, and the control in the officialdom was based on a strict distinction between master and servant.

Jia Cong can arrange for Zou Min'er to do things, but Zou Min'er cannot ask Jia Cong about it.

At the beginning, Jia Cong wanted to go to Gusu under the name of Zou Min'er, just saying that he wanted to go to Gusu to find an important person. This person might be very helpful in investigating the Zhou Zhengyang case.

As for what kind of person this person is, Jia Cong never elaborated. Moreover, since he decided to go to Gusu, Zou Min'er has always been unfriendly to Jia Cong, so Jia Cong naturally didn't bother to say more to her.

Now seeing her suddenly put aside her pride and come to ask him, Jia Cong was a little surprised. However, since they were working in the same industry, there was no need for him to hide it from Zou Miner.

He said, "Miss Zou traveled by water from Shenjing to Jinling, and should have passed through Yangzhou, Gusu, Changzhou, Zhenjiang and other places. Did you encounter any inspections by the military ships along the way?"

Zou Miner replied: "Of course there are. This section of the waterway has been checked by military ships four or five times because pirates and Japanese pirates have often harassed along the river in recent years.

As for those Japanese pirates who burned, killed and looted, only a part of them were Japanese ronin and samurai. Many of the others were thugs from our Great Zhou. They sneaked in in disguise and were hard to guard against.

That’s why the navy troops along the way strictly inspect passing ships.”

Jia Cong smiled and said, "But I traveled all the way from Yangzhou to Gusu. The waters around here are strictly inspected by the military ships of the garrison. Normally, I would encounter many military ships checking three times.

But my ship never encountered one!"

Zou Min'er asked curiously, "How come I haven't encountered it once? What's the reason?"

Jia Cong said: "Because I accidentally found a special boatman in Yangzhou, I spent 40 taels of gold to charter his boat from Yangzhou to Gusu.

In order to avoid the risky waters invaded by Japanese pirates, the ships set out from the ancient ferry of Guazhou, went upstream through Zhenjiang and Changzhou, and then went downstream to dock in Gusu.

The boatman's surname is Zheng. He has been sailing in these waters for half his life. Not only is he an excellent boat driver and extremely familiar with the water conditions, but he is also a very caring person.

Perhaps because he had been sailing on these waterways for a long time, he knew the time and place of inspections of military ships by garrisons along the way.

This man was kind-hearted. Since I paid a lot of money to charter his boat, he didn't want me to be searched by the military ships and robbed by the soldiers, so he sailed the boat so that I could avoid all the inspections."

After listening to what Jia Cong said, Zou Miner finally understood why he was looking for this person, but after thinking about it carefully, she felt that something was wrong.

He asked, "Although this man has such a strange ability, the waters in this area are vast, and I'm afraid there are more boatmen with this ability than just him.

It doesn't mean that he took Zhou Zhengyang to avoid the inspection of the military ships along the way. It's a bit hopeless for you to cross the state to find this person. "

Jia Cong smiled and said, "You may have a point, but it is risky for boatmen to avoid being checked by the navy. If you are discovered by the garrison ships, you may be charged with collusion with the Japanese pirates.

A small boatman could lose his life, so the boatman would never do such a thing easily. Only a big customer like me who spends a lot of money to charter a boat would think it is worth the money and take the risk.

This is also the way these boatmen make money and survive. Just doing this once a year is enough to feed and clothe the whole family.

More importantly, after my boat arrived in Gusu, just as I was leaving, the boatman's wife said something unintentionally:
"Boss, we have been very lucky these past two months. We have met such a good customer. If we have more business like this, we will have enough food and clothing for two years..."

……

At this time, night had fallen on the river. Jiang Liu entered the cabin with a lit oil lamp, put down the oil lamp, and left the cabin, closing the cabin door.

The light from the oil lamp illuminated Jia Cong's handsome face and the meaningful smile on his face when he just finished speaking.

Under the light, Zou Miner's eyes were flowing and sparkling.

Wei Wei said excitedly: "The boatman's wife said that she met such a good customer again. Before you, someone paid a lot of money to charter a boat, and the boatman also helped him avoid the inspection of the soldiers and ships along the way!

You suspect that this person is Zhou Zhengyang!"

Jia Cong said: "My intuition tells me that this possibility is very high, otherwise there would be no such coincidence in the world."

Zou Miner looked confused, not knowing what "self-awareness" was, but she understood what he meant and did not dwell on this small issue.

He then asked, “If it was really this boatman who helped Zhou Zhengyang avoid being checked along the way, why didn’t he kill the couple to silence them?

You should know that when Zhou Zhengyang fled Jinling, he killed seven suspected accomplices in order to cover up some truths. His methods were brutal, not to mention killing two civilian boatmen to silence them!"

When Jia Cong heard Zou Min'er say these words, a hint of coldness appeared on his face, which gave her pretty face an unusual coldness, and he couldn't help but feel a little startled in his heart.

This seemingly delicate and weak woman, when it comes to the crux of the matter, will naturally think of killing to silence the witness. I'm afraid she is also such a cold-blooded person in her bones.

If she were Zhou Zhengyang, she would probably do the same thing?

Jia Cong couldn't help but recall the scene when he first met Zou Min'er at the Xue family's Ziyun Pavilion. She was still an innocent and shy young lady from an official family, but now she seemed like a completely different person...

Thinking of this, he felt an inexplicable sense of loss in his heart.

Jia Cong calmed himself down a bit and said, "According to my guess, although the boatman helped Zhou Zhengyang avoid being checked, he will eventually go ashore and find another place to hide.

The boatman had no way of knowing his final destination, so there was no need to kill them to silence them.

Besides, since Zhou Zhengyang escaped from Jinling, Jinling Yingtian Prefecture, Jinling Jinling Military Command had dispatched a large number of personnel to conduct intensive searches in various places.

If he kills someone to silence them at this time, it will probably cause more trouble.

You have to know that the boatman couple has been sailing in this area for many years, and there must be many people who know them. What if they disappear for no reason?

There will definitely be someone who will notice it. If they report it to the authorities and let people follow the clues to find out the cause, it will be very disadvantageous to Zhou Zhengyang.

So there is no need for him to make a big show of killing people to silence them. Instead, he should act as if nothing happened, so that the matter can be buried without anyone noticing."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "But, in this world, as long as you do something, there will always be clues left. Who would have thought that I just happened to hire this ship for a large sum of money.

If we really find out the whereabouts of Zhou Zhengyang from some boatman, then it will be a testament to the law of justice!"

(End of this chapter)