Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Suzhou, Rong Xiang Inn.

The inn is located in a bustling street in Suzhou. It is not yet noon and the summer sun is not yet scorching hot.

The streets are bustling with people, shops along the road are doing a booming business, and roadside vendors are shouting their wares, creating a prosperous scene of a large port in the south of the Yangtze River.

Suddenly, a group of dozens of garrison soldiers came running down the street, looking so imposing and eye-catching.

Suddenly there was chaos on the street, pedestrians avoided the area one after another, and several vendors along the way had no time to dodge and were knocked to the ground by the running garrison soldiers.

This team of garrison officers and soldiers rushed to the front of Rong Xiang Inn. Some soldiers went around to the back door of the inn, and the rest stayed in front of the inn, forming a vague encirclement.

The innkeeper and the guests were startled by the sudden scene and had no idea what was going on.

Fortunately, these officers and soldiers seemed to have some reservations and all stayed outside the inn. Only the general flag-taker who led the team entered the inn.

The general flag said to the shop owner, "Boss, is there a little girl of twelve or thirteen living in your shop, named Xiaofu?"

The shopkeeper said tremblingly, "Sir, yesterday Young Master Jia who lives in the backyard brought back a little girl. She looked to be about twelve or thirteen years old. I don't know whether she is called Xiaofu or not."

The general's eyes lit up and he said, "It's this little girl. She was bought by our commander. She ran away yesterday. Go and bring her out to me!"

When the general came, he was told that Mr. Jia in the store was an important figure, so he should be careful in handling the matter and not to cause conflict easily.

Just get that girl back. Otherwise, keep a close eye on her and don't let her escape. The people above can think of other ways.

The shopkeeper replied, "Sir, Mr. Jia left with his family early in the morning and is not in the shop now."

The officer asked hurriedly: "Where did they go? Did they leave Gusu?"

The shopkeeper quickly replied, "They haven't settled the bill yet. It seems they are out doing some business. They probably haven't left Gusu yet."

……

At this time, two people were walking towards the inn at the corner of the street. The man in front was Jiang Liu. When he saw a large group of soldiers surrounding the door of the inn, he immediately stopped in alert.

Early this morning, Jia Cong took Zou Min'er and Lingguan to find Zheng Xiaohai.

Jiang Liu then took another personal soldier named Liu Zhen with him to the Wu County government office to buy six new operas and change the indenture documents.

As soon as they returned to the vicinity of the inn, they saw this scene. Jiang Liu took Liu Zhen and went up to the second floor of a nearby restaurant.

Jiang Liu had seen the attire of the garrison officers and soldiers in Jinling. These soldiers who suddenly surrounded the inn must be the soldiers of the local Suzhou Garrison.

Yesterday, Jia Cong bought a young actor in Jinge Garden, and Jiang Liu was beside him. He knew that the young official he had just bought had some connection with the commander of Suzhou Guard.

The other party also wanted to buy Xiaofu and even paid half of the deposit.

Now seeing the scene before him, Jiang Liu naturally guessed the general reason.

Jiang Liu felt that Jia Cong was very foresighted. If he had not brought Lingguan with him, he would have been intercepted in the store by the officers and soldiers of Suzhou Guard.

If Lingguan was abducted by the people from Suzhou Wei, it would be difficult for Jia Cong to get her back.

The people from Suzhou Wei would go to Rong Xiang Inn to look for Ling Guan, so they must have been to Jinbi Garden and learned about it from the troupe owner named Chen Youcai.

Jiang Liu asked Liu Zhen to go to Jinbi Garden to find out what was going on, while he himself headed for Tielingguan Ferry, preparing to intercept Jia Cong and others halfway.

Otherwise, Jia Cong and others would have run into the officers and soldiers of Suzhou Guard when they returned to the inn without knowing the truth, and they would have had no way to turn around.

……

Suzhou, Jinbi Garden.

The theater, which has been losing popularity over the past six months, has a somewhat unusual atmosphere today.

The front and back gates of Jinbi Garden were guarded by soldiers from the garrison.

On the left side of the pink wall of Jinbi Garden, a thin and nimble figure poked his head out from the top of the wall and looked at the movements in the alley outside the wall.

She was a girl about eight or nine years old, with two buns on her head, thin eyebrows and big eyes, and a weird and elf-like look.

The alley was quiet and empty. This alley was the passage between Jinbi Garden and the restaurant next door, and few people passed by.

Although the girl was young, she had learned opera and martial arts since she was a child, so she was very agile. Seeing that there was no one in the alley, she easily climbed over the wall.

The little hands scratched the cracks in the wall and slid down the wall in no time like a little gecko.

Then, he stretched out his legs and ran towards the alley entrance. As soon as he reached the alley entrance, he bumped into someone.

The man rubbed his chest which was hurt from being hit and asked curiously, "Aren't you a little actor in the theater?"

Liu Zhen followed Jia Cong to Jinbi Garden that day and knew that he had bought several little actors, and this girl was one of them, but he could not remember her name.

The girl was also dizzy from the collision. She pouted and rubbed her forehead. She glanced at the man and found that he was an acquaintance.

He said quickly, "I know you. You are Master Jia's follower. You went to Jinbi Garden with him that day. Your master is there. I want to go and tell him the news!"

……

When Jia Cong's carriage was halfway there, Jiang Liu stopped him. Seeing that Jiang Liu looked unhappy, he quickly asked, "What happened?"

"Third Master, the officers and soldiers of Suzhou Guard have surrounded the inn. It seems that they are looking for Lingguan. Third Master, you should not go back yet and wait and see what happens."

Jia Cong and Zou Min'er were both shocked when they heard Jiang Liu's words, and Lingguan's face turned pale.

The few of them found an inn to stay in. Jiang Liu went out for a while and then came back with Liu Zhen and a little girl with thin eyebrows and big eyes.

Jia Cong and Zou Min'er were surprised that the girl turned out to be Douguan.

As soon as Douguan saw Jia Cong, he said, "Master Jia, I climbed over the wall to tell you the news. It just so happened that Commander Luo sent someone to pick up Lingguan early this morning.

When they found that the person was missing and found out the reason, they sent many soldiers to block the front and back gates of Jinbi Garden.

No one in the troupe was allowed to go out, and the troupe owner was forced to reveal Lingguan's whereabouts.

The boss said that the young master is also an official. Those people under Commander Luo seem unwilling to give up. They must have gone to the inn to look for you.

Master was worried that Lingguan was captured by Commander Luo, so he asked me to sneak out to tell you the news. Fortunately, you are all fine. "

After hearing this, Jia Cong and Zou Min'er were very surprised and felt that something was wrong.

He asked Douguan to go to the inner room to accompany Lingguan, and asked Jiang Liu and Liu Zhen to go out and find out the news.

Zou Miner said to Jia Cong: "Don't you think this is very strange? Luo Xiong is the commander of the garrison, a fourth-rank military officer, and a man who has seen a lot of things. How can he act like he has never seen a woman before?

Although Lingguan was beautiful, he would not mobilize such a large army and send soldiers to surround the inn and Jinbi Garden.

The owner of the opera troupe has told you your identity. Even out of official rules and concerns, as a local official, he should not challenge the emperor's favored Earl Weiyuan for a little opera girl.

If he is such a person who doesn't know when to advance or retreat, he can't be a fourth-rank commander. This is too unreasonable."

Jia Cong glanced at Lingguan and Douguan who were talking in the inner room. The two were mumbling something and no one knew what they were talking about.

Lingguan is 70% similar to Daiyu in appearance, and is even more elegant, delicate and graceful with her own unique charm. She is only twelve years old now, and I wonder how proud she will be when she grows up.

However, Zou Min'er was right. A high-ranking military officer like Luo Xiong, holding the military power of a state, was no different from a local emperor in Gusu City. Suzhou and Hangzhou had been home to many beauties since ancient times. He had seen all kinds of beauties and would never mobilize such a large army just to covet Lingguan's beauty.

There must be other reasons. He came in and asked Lingguan a few more questions. Lingguan said that the day Luo Xiong came to Jinbi Garden to book a private theater to watch a play was the only time she and Luo Xiong met, and they had no other interactions.

Jia Cong asked about Lingguan's family again. According to Lingguan, his father was just an ordinary farmer.

In the past few years, there were continuous droughts and floods, and the fields had no harvest. In order to raise money for the family to escape and visit relatives, they sold her to an opera troupe.

It doesn't sound strange.

Jia Cong and Zou Min'er thought about it, but had no clue for a moment.

After a while, Jiang Liu and Liu Zhen came back one after another.

Speaking of the situation outside, Jinbi Garden and the inn were still guarded by garrison officers and soldiers, and the number of soldiers patrolling in the city suddenly increased.

When Jia Cong and Zou Min'er heard this, their faces turned solemn. They didn't expect that Luo Xiong cared so much about Lingguan. It was really too strange.

After learning about Zhou Zhengyang's whereabouts from Zheng Xiaohai, they realized that the purpose of their trip had been achieved, so they decided to return to Jinling first and gather personnel to conduct further investigation.

Luo Xiong has caused quite a stir now. Although Jia Cong and Zou Min'er's identities are enough to protect themselves in Gusu, they have no other helpers around them, and there are many unpredictable risks in taking Lingguan with them.

Moreover, there is really no need to confront this local emperor of Gusu head-on. Not only is it meaningless, it is also not the purpose of their coming here.

The two discussed for a moment and decided to leave Gusu immediately. Fortunately, when they left in the morning, they had important items such as official documents with them, so it was very cheap to leave.

……

Jia Cong asked Jiang Liu to go to the ferry first and rent a boat from Zheng Xiaohai. Zheng Xiaohai was familiar with the waterways along the way and had the ability to avoid patrols by military ships along the way.

Jia Cong didn't know why Luo Xiong cared so much about Lingguan.

This man is the commander of the guards who controls 5,000 troops in Suzhou. In the Suyang area, he has considerable power.

Jia Cong couldn't predict how he would react to this matter, so it would be better to be more prepared.

The officers and soldiers of the garrison who were waiting at the Rong Xiang Inn never saw Master Jia, who lived in the backyard of the inn, come back.

The officers and soldiers guarding Jinbi Garden also did not notice that a girl of eight or nine years old from the opera troupe had escaped by climbing over the wall.

Jia Cong took Zou Min'er, Lingguan and Douguan in a carriage and drove along the waterway for half a cup of tea.

Half a mile away from Tielingguan Ferry, at a remote estuary, Jiang Liu was already waiting there on Zheng Xiaohai's boat.

After several people got on the boat, Jiang Liu said that when the boat set sail from Tielingguan Ferry, many soldiers from the garrison had already appeared at the ferry, setting up checkpoints and patrolling.

This made the expressions on Jia Cong and Zou Min'er's faces become more solemn, and they looked into the cabin almost at the same time.

Lingguan, who was talking to Douguan excitedly in the cabin, had an expression of joy and excitement as if he had escaped from death.

……

Shenjing, the palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Qianyang Palace.

In the empty and gloomy hall, before the imperial desk, there was a man kneeling with his head bowed. He was tall, with gray hair and beard, and was over fifty years old. His aura was even stronger with age. It was none other than the Minister of War, Gu Yankui.

The bronze cranes of longevity and happiness on both sides of the imperial desk flashed a heavy, dark yellow light, and from their sharp beaks came out milky white ambergris smoke, which was refreshing and lingering.

Behind the throne, Emperor Jiazhao's face was shrouded in mystery and solemnity.

The atmosphere in the hall was extremely solemn, and it seemed to be suffocating.

Some time ago, the Dali Temple interrogated Zhou Suqing, which reopened the loophole for the original Water Supervision Bureau case. However, the subsequent leak of confessions involved the entire Shenjing in a dangerous and turbulent storm.

Important government offices such as the Dali Temple, the Five Military Commissioners' Office, and the Ministry of Personnel were all implicated, and many officials who had once had successful careers were brought down in the purge of the Court of Inquisition.

When Emperor Jiazhao discussed the matter secretly in the inner court, not only the Dali Temple Minister Wei Guanyao and the Court of Inquisition Director Zhou Junxing were involved.

Gu Yankui, the Minister of War who stayed out of the confession case, was also summoned to the palace for consultation by Emperor Jiazhao. This shows that the emperor, who was always prudent and suspicious, had a special trust in this old minister.

At that time, Gu Yankui was in the position of a bystander and had no involvement from beginning to end. His thinking was extremely clear and he could often see things from a high vantage point and hit the nail on the head.

Compared to Wei Guanyao who was deeply involved in it, Gu Yankui was lucky at that time.

But luck will not always favor a person...

The letter sent from the Liaodong General's Mansion this morning made Gu Yankui's mood plummet.

He raised his head slightly and saw from the corner of his eye that Emperor Jiazhao was looking through the letter from the Ministry of War that he had just presented to him, and his face had turned ashen.

Gu Yankui was not surprised by the emperor's reaction.

Ever since Jia Cong first promoted the use of firearms, the enormous military power contained in firearms, both in actual combat and in drills, has been obvious to all.

Using the power of firearms to strengthen the army and protect the country has become one of the most important matters in the emperor's mind.

As the pioneer of the firearms industry, Jia Cong had ingenious ideas in the research and development of firearms that were beyond the reach of ordinary people. He also repeatedly emphasized to the emperor the importance of keeping firearms technology secret.

In the selection of personnel for the Firearms Department and the construction and management of the firearms workshop, Jia Cong has ensured confidentiality in every detail without any loopholes.

However, no matter how wise Jia Cong was, he could only manage the Firearms Department and the Firearms Workshop. He could not plug all the loopholes in firearms technology in the world.

Finally, a worrying chaos occurred in the Liaodong Yafuguan Arsenal.

According to a letter from the Liaodong General's Office, the Firearms Battalion stationed at Yafu Pass received an order from the Ministry of War in Shenjing last month, leading its troops to exchange guard with the soldiers of the Firearms Battalion of the Fifth Army in Shenjing.

Someone took advantage of the gap between the two armies' changing of guard and stole nine improved Rumi guns from the Yafu Pass arsenal.

During the equipment process, these Rumi guns experienced firing failures due to wear and tear. All of them were registered and stored in the arsenal, awaiting disposal.

When Jia Cong was in Liaodong, he formulated strict rules for maintaining the musket inventory.

These damaged and faulty muskets will either be sent back to the Shenjing Firearms Workshop for refurbishment and repair, or completely destroyed on the spot, depending on the extent of the damage.

No matter what method is adopted, there must be strict documentary records to avoid leaks.

However, even the most rigorous system needs people to implement it. As long as it is a matter carried out by people, there will inevitably be various mistakes and loopholes.

Although these nine Rumi guns were faulty firearms and could not even be fired and used normally, on the surface they did not pose any danger or lethality.

However, they are all improved Rumi guns developed based on Jia Cong's ideas, representing the most advanced firearms technology in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Even if it is an improved Rumi gun with some usage faults, it fully covers all the construction principles, concepts and components of the improved model.

The loss of any such faulty new musket would indicate the leakage of the improved Rumi gun technology developed by Jia Cong.

And nine of them were stolen at once.

If it were just some petty thieves among the people, we would still be somewhat fortunate.

But if someone has ulterior motives, perhaps in the near future, the improved Rumi gun that was copied will appear in some dark corner of the Great Zhou. (End of this chapter)