Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

The Jinling Military Command Office.

Early that morning, the personal soldiers sent by Jia Cong traveled day and night to deliver his handwritten letter to the headquarters office shrouded in the morning light.

In the commander-in-chief's official residence, Du Hengxin frowned after reading the letter sent by Jia Cong, and a hint of anger appeared on his usually warm and calm face.

There was another person in the official residence, who was in his thirties, with a square face, black beard, and bright eyes. This person was Sun Zhongxing, the deputy commander of Jinling.

Since Zhang Kangnian was transferred to the Ministry of War in the secondary capital as the right vice minister.

Sun Zhongxing, formerly the commander of Songjiang Guard, was recommended by Du Hengxin and promoted to the deputy commander of Jinling Commandery because of his meritorious service in resisting the Japanese pirates' attacks on Songjiang.

Although Sun Zhongxing came from a military background, he had achieved the title of scholar in his early years and was known for his wisdom among the troops in the garrison.

Seeing Du Hengxin's unhappy expression, he asked, "Sir, this Weiyuan Earl has never had any contact with you, why did he suddenly send you a letter from Gusu?"

Du Hengxin was furious: "This Luo Xiong is already a fourth-rank guard commander, but he still doesn't know how to behave in public. Jia Cong said in the letter that he acted wildly in Gusu and even forced a female actor to perform on the troupe.

It just so happened that this female opera performer had outstanding skills and was noticed by the people from the Imperial Music Bureau. Jia Cong wrote to me and asked me to mediate so that Luo Xiong would give up.

Sun Zhongxing said: "It is rumored that this young master of Rong State is a playboy. Not long after arriving in Jinling, he hooked up with a musician from the Imperial Music Bureau of Shenjing, and often hung out in the elegant room of Qingyin Pavilion.

This time he went to Suzhou, under the pretext of accompanying the musicians from the Imperial Music Bureau to purchase female performers, but in reality he was just having some fun.

Suzhou is a place with flourishing opera art and abundant talents. It is impossible for two families to compete with the same female actor.

Jia Cong has done many absurd things when it comes to women. The last time he came to Jinling, he seduced a beautiful nun from a nunnery and made her return to secular life, which became known to everyone in the court and the country.

This time I think he is repeating his old tricks. He is probably attracted to this actress again. He even had the crazy idea to use the name of the Jiaofangsi selecting actresses to let the adults take the blame for his dirty deeds. "

After hearing this, Du Hengxin's expression relaxed slightly and he said, "If Jia Cong was just a womanizer, he wouldn't have achieved such success at such a young age.

This man became famous at a young age and is now in the emperor's favor. He is someone who should not be underestimated. The emperor sent him to Nanjing to do a job, ostensibly to set up a branch of the Firearms Bureau in the secondary capital.

But don't forget that the current emperor is wise and far-sighted. He sent such a person to Nanjing. Who can tell what he wants to do specifically?

When Zhou Zhengyang was involved, the Jinling Commandery, which was in charge of all the garrisons in Nanzhili, could not escape responsibility. Now was a turbulent time.

In the past two years, the various guards under the Jinling Command have been short of talent and there is a lack of successors. Many of the outstanding ones in the past have suffered accidents, either died, fled, or were transferred.

Luo Xiong is a little inferior in comparison. He is indeed capable, but he is careless and sometimes too domineering, which easily leads to trouble. "

Sun Zhongxing heard the sadness in Du Hengxin's words, his eyes flickered, and he said, "Your Excellency, don't worry too much. These past two years have indeed been turbulent. Once you get through it, everything will be smooth sailing.

You are His Majesty's loyal follower. His Majesty has entrusted you with the important task of being the Commander of Jinling. This is a sign of His Majesty's special reliance on you. Even if there are some flaws and setbacks, it will not affect His Majesty's grace and favor."

After hearing this, Du Hengxin's eyes became solemn. The four words "servant of the dragon" lingered in his mind for a long time...

He said, "Write a letter to Luo Xiong for me, asking him to stop bothering that actress and not to provoke someone like Jia Cong for such a trivial matter."

……

Jinling, Mingdefang, Zhen family mansion.

Miss Zhen San had looked at the account books sent from the shop early in the morning, and was about to take a rest after taking the boiling tea brought by the maid.

Liu Xianjia came in hurriedly and said, "Third Miss, our master is in Hongxuan Hall outside the second gate. He said he has something urgent to report to you in person."

When Miss Zhen San heard this, she was slightly stunned.

Because she was taking care of the business left by her father, she could not stay at home like other girls in the boudoir. She always had to deal with people and talk a lot.

But the Zhen family is a prominent family after all, and they have to pretend to abide by the rule that a daughter of a wealthy family cannot marry a man from outside the family.

Under normal circumstances, if Liu Xian had something to report, he would ask Liu Xian's family to pass the message through the second gate.

Even when Miss Zhen San went out with Liu Xian to handle business matters, she would change her hairpins and hat to cover herself up. This was considered extremely tolerant according to the etiquette of the aristocratic families.

The reason was that there was no male heir in the second branch of the Zhen family, and the third Miss Zhen was born with a heart of a woman. She managed the business left by her father meticulously and seamlessly, making it difficult for others to interfere.

Moreover, since the third Miss Zhen took over the business, the profits of the Zhen family's business have not decreased but increased. No one in the Zhen family can match her ability.

Ever since the accident of the second master Zhen Yingquan, the Jinling Zhen family has become rich and powerful, and the public treasury's deposits have increased year by year, all thanks to the third Miss Zhen.

A huge family like the Zhen family has many concubines and distant branches, and the situation is complicated and chaotic. Many people rely on the business of the second branch for their livelihood.

After the second master of the house got into trouble, most people were naturally happy to see someone maintain the Zhen family's wealth and prosperity. Who cared whether she was a man or a woman? Although there were a few people who coveted her, they did not have the strength to openly challenge her.

In addition, the third Miss Zhen was brought up by the old Concubine Zhen since she was a child and has close and profound relations with the palace. This background is extraordinary and makes her position in the Zhen family very special.

Therefore, Old Lady Zhen, who was in charge of the inner house of the Zhen family, would tacitly allow the Third Miss Zhen to show her face in public and independently manage the business of the second house.

After the old lady spoke, even the wives and sons of the first house did not dare to say a word. The most they could do was to make more plans and worry about the marriage of the third Miss Zhen.

Therefore, as long as she is at home, Miss Zhen San will most likely abide by the rules of a daughter of an inner house and behave a little to save face for the elders in the family and prevent gossip from happening.

As the trusted steward of the second house, Liu Xian was well aware of this, so under normal circumstances, he would ask his wife to go into the second gate to pass on the message.

But today Liu Xian was waiting outside the second gate, wanting to talk to her in person, and Miss Zhen San knew that something was unusual.

So she asked her maid to serve her, put on her hair and tied her chest, changed into men's clothes, and then followed Liu Xian's family out of the second gate.

……

Miss Zhen San entered the Hongxuan Hall and saw Liu Xian had been waiting for a long time with a serious expression on his face.

She waited for the maid to serve tea and asked, "Is there something urgent, Uncle Xian?"

Liu Xian waited for the maid to leave the hall with the tea tray before saying, "Third Miss, there's something wrong with the silversmith at Xianghefang!"

When Miss Zou San heard this, her eyes narrowed slightly.

That day, she specifically asked Liu Xian to find an old silversmith, who found out that the Englishman brought back by the eldest son's third brother was not a silversmith at all.

Miss Zhen has always been concerned about why the third brother of the eldest wife concealed his identity.

Besides, the third brother of the first wife recently borrowed the ship of the second wife and smuggled muskets twice. Although the number was only a few, it could still cause trouble.

Therefore, this Englishman who came to Nanjing with the smuggled muskets attracted even more attention from Miss Zhen San.

These days, she has been asking Liu Xian to arrange reliable people to keep an eye on the movements of the Englishman.

Now that Liu Xian has come to report to me in such a serious manner, something must have happened.

Liu Xian said: "These days I have arranged capable people to keep an eye on the movements of the Englishman, and everything has been calm in the past few days.

But this morning, three people suddenly came to visit the Englishman, two of them spoke with northern accents, and the three of them carried a box into the yard.

After staying there for a meal, he carried the box out again and got on the carriage heading south of the city.

Our people did catch up, but the other carriage was running very fast, so we lost it halfway. Before I came here, the Englishman had not returned to his residence. "

Miss Zhen San murmured to herself: "People from the north..."

Liu Xian continued, "One of the two guys I sent over was a spearman who was injured and was sent out to fight. He said that the two men with northern accents looked like soldiers.

The other clerk was an old man in the shop. He recognized another person, who seemed to be Liu Xuan who accompanied the second master to sea that year! "

When Miss Zhen San heard the name, her eyes widened and she asked in surprise, "What did you say? It's Liu Xuan who disappeared with my father!"

Liu Xian said with a serious expression: "I asked the clerk, he had seen Liu Xuan in the store many times back then, although his appearance has changed a bit in five years, but I still recognize his appearance.

Moreover, that person has the same feature as Liu Xuan, with half of the little finger on his left hand missing. Such a coincidence would never happen in the world."

Miss Zhen San has always been smart and quick-witted, and she is calm in the face of emergencies. However, when she heard the name Liu Xuan, her expression changed drastically. Her face turned slightly pale, and her eyes were red, as if tears were flashing.

He said: "Uncle Xian, you should know that Liu Xuan and you are both the people that father trusts the most. One is responsible for external affairs and the other is responsible for internal affairs. You are both father's left and right arms.

Five years ago, Liu Xuan went out to sea with his father and has not been heard from since. No one knows whether he is alive or dead.

Not only did our Zhen family send out our own fleet to search for him, we also offered a reward and asked the Commandery to send out two warships.

We spent more than a year searching the thousands of miles of sea between Nanjing and Luzon, and made several round trips to search, but there was no news. The two ships my father brought with more than a hundred sailors and attendants were all missing.

Everyone concluded that they were caught in a storm, the ship sank, and everyone on board died, but now this Liu Xuan appeared alive in Jinling!"

……

When Zhen Yingquan got into trouble, it had a huge impact on the Zhen family in Jinling and also changed the fate of Miss Zhen San forever.

Before this, she had been living in the capital and was raised in the palace by the old Concubine Zhen. She was a noble lady of the Zhen family in Jiangnan and the most beloved great-grandchild of the old Concubine Zhen.

Even the retired emperor liked this little girl from the Zhen family. He thought she was gifted and although she was a girl, she had the spirit of a man.

If her father had not gone to sea five years ago, she would have had to return to Nanjing to serve her parents and fulfill her filial duties. She would still be staying in the palace to accompany the old concubine.

Perhaps in the next few years, the old concubine will definitely plan to make arrangements to marry her to a prince, so that the Zhen family can have another princess and protect the Zhen family's wealth and prosperity.

Although Miss Zhen San hates having her fate controlled by others, she is willing to sacrifice herself if it means her father's safety.

But over the past five years, even though she had made countless wishes and cursed, begging God to let her father live, all she got in return was endless disappointment year after year, and even despair.

But now Liu Xian told him that Liu Xuan, who had gone to sea with his father that year, was found in Jinling.

Liu Xuan is still alive, so is his father Zhen Yingquan alive or dead?

And the most important point is, since Liu Xuan was able to come back alive, why didn’t he return to the Zhen family to explain why he disappeared at sea?

Now he has returned to Jinling, but he has hidden his whereabouts and avoided being seen!
Moreover, why was Liu Xuan involved with the Englishman who pretended to be a silversmith, and this Englishman was the third brother of the eldest wife, who was brought to Jinling from overseas by ship?

So can we indirectly infer that there is some vague connection between the third brother of the eldest wife and Liu Xuan?

Too many questions flooded Miss Zhen San's mind. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that there was an unfathomable and terrifying danger hidden behind this matter.

Thinking of this, her heart beat wildly and her thoughts were in turmoil, although she had always hoped that her father was still alive.

But reason told her that the possibility was very small. Even if Liu Xuan was alive, it did not mean that his father was safe.

If my father were alive, it would be impossible for him to cut off contact with his family for five whole years, leaving his wife and daughter to struggle in public for the family business.

Miss Zhen San asked, "Uncle Xian, I asked you to find out the relationship between my third brother and this Englishman. Did you find out the details?"

Liu Xian said: "I asked the steward Chen who is beside the Third Master, and several sailors on the ship, and they all said that they received the Third Master's order to go to Nanyue to pick up this Englishman.

According to them, the Third Master was also entrusted by someone to take a ship to the West Coast to do business, and he picked up this person by the way. "

Miss Zhen San frowned and said, "What's wrong with Third Brother? Why do you always accept the entrustment of others to do these unclear things? I don't believe it..."

"Uncle Xian, send all the people you can use out to look for this person who looks like Liu Xuan. You must find his whereabouts!"

"If he is really Liu Xuan, we can probably find out the whereabouts of my father from him."

……

Jinling, Xinglongfang, the old residence of the Jia family.

Jia Cong and others took Zheng Xiaohai's passenger ship and returned to Jinling from Suzhou.

Now that Zheng Xiaohai knew that Jia Cong was an official, he didn't dare to use his ability to evade patrolling warships in front of him.

However, Jia Cong asked him to follow the old method to avoid the inspection of military ships along the way.

However, every time Zheng Xiaohai went ashore or sailed into the reed marsh to avoid waterborne military ships, Jia Cong always paid attention to the corresponding time, as well as the location and reference objects where the ship avoided.

With Zheng Xiaohai, a water navigation expert who was almost an expert along the way, the journey was naturally smooth and the return to Jinling was safe and sound.

After getting off the dock, Jia Cong told Zou Min'er that he wanted to settle Lingguan and Douguan in the old house of the Jia family.

In fact, Lingguan and Douguan were actresses purchased by Zou Miner for the Jiaofangsi, and it was only right for them to be settled with her back in Qingyin Pavilion.

But Jia Cong said that it would be safer and more appropriate to relocate them to the Jia family's old house in Xinglongfang.

Along the way, Zou Miner naturally noticed that Jia Cong was very sympathetic and fond of Lingguan. He must have felt that Qingyin Pavilion had a complex flow of people and was reluctant to let Lingguan stay there.

Moreover, it was somewhat unreasonable that Lingguan's leaving the troupe would attract so much attention from Luo Xiong, the commander of Suzhou Guard.

If I stay in Qingyin Pavilion, I am just a weak woman. If something happens, it is hard to say whether I can protect Lingguan.

It would indeed be less troublesome to place it in the old house of the Jia family.

Xinglongfang is known as Guixunfang in Jinling. Those who live here are all old nobles from aristocratic families. Without the courage of a superstar, no one would easily cause trouble here.

When Lingguan heard that she was going to stay at Jia Cong's house, she naturally felt at ease and had no objections.

As for Douguan, she is just a girl of eight or nine years old. She has always been fond of making trouble and is not afraid of it. She is at the age when there are no taboos.

Besides, she felt that since Jia Cong was able to protect Lingguan from being bullied, he must be a very capable person, and it would be no harm to follow such a person.

Lingguan looked willing, so she was naturally happy to follow him.

When they arrived at Xinglongfang, Jia Cong took Lingguan and Douguan out of the carriage. Zou Miner glanced at Jia Cong, then at Lingguan, whose face was rosy and attractive, shook her head slightly, and took the carriage back to Qingyin Pavilion.

Jia Cong had just entered Xinglongfang and had not yet reached the west gate of the old house when the gatekeeper saw him coming back and ran in to report to the housekeeper Jin Cai.

Just as Jia Cong and the two little girls entered the west corner gate, Jin Cai and her wife came out to greet them.

As for bringing his wife along to greet him, it was because the servant who brought the news said that Master Cong San had brought home another unfamiliar girl this time... (End of this chapter)