Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

After hearing what Liu Xian said, Miss Zhen San smiled slightly, with a hint of sarcasm at the corner of her mouth.

He said: "I will inform the old lady in advance and let her know that the boss behind the Xinchunhao we are cooperating with is Jia Cong.

The first wife had told the old lady many times that she praised Earl Weiyuan of the Jia family to the highest heavens and that she wanted to marry me off as soon as possible so that I wouldn't have to stay unmarried and get in the way.

Now the old lady has a very good impression of the young uncle of the Jia family.

A few days ago in Rongyu Hall, the eldest wife said that Jia Cong was on business in Jinling, and that it was the old lady's birthday, and the Rongguo Jia family would definitely let Jia Cong come to celebrate the birthday according to the custom of reciprocity.

The eldest wife is eager to add fuel to the fire and make the matter come true as soon as possible!

Now we are using the cooperation with Xinchunhao as an excuse to transfer money to various stores. The old lady and the first wife know about this, and the old lady will definitely not say anything.

The eldest wife has taken advantage of Jia Cong, and now she has killed herself. She can’t say anything about this matter, so there is no need to worry about the third brother’s opinion.”

Liu Xian's face showed admiration. This third girl was truly a person with a crystal heart. She was a master of all plans and took everything into consideration. There was nothing wrong with her.

A shop that was opened on a whim and a small insignificant contract was actually hidden with such a trick by the third girl.

How could the wife of the first wife and the third master be a match for the third girl? If the third girl had not given birth to a girl, how could they have been able to stir up trouble?

……

But Liu Xian still had some confusion in his mind, so he asked, "Since the Third Miss had already made a plan for this matter, why didn't she take the opportunity to sign a big order with Xinchunhao?

Is it too meagre to sell only 20 bottles of high-quality perfume a month?"

Miss Zhen San said: "Miss Qu and Miss Qin of Xinchun are both shrewd and cautious people. They can independently support Xinchun in Jinling and make the business so prosperous.

These two people are not easy to deal with. If I use the sale of the farm as a threat to force them to sign a large contract, they will definitely be disgusted and suspicious, and nothing will be accomplished.

You have to know that behind them stands the famous Earl Weiyuan. There is really no need for me to ruin the relationship between the old relatives of the aristocratic family because of this matter.

That's why I sold the farm at a fair price and signed this small contract with them, which would make it very easy for them to accept.

All I want is a topic to talk about with others.

It is difficult for outsiders to know the true content of this contract. Both Manager Qu and Miss Qin are shrewd people, so they naturally won't reveal it.

Even my opening of Xiuwen Pavilion was just a compromise.”

Liu Xian suddenly realized something and asked, "The third lady is worried that the third master of the first house will be too radical and ruin the business of those shops.

So you continue to open new shops and try to divert money to prevent problems before they happen?"

Miss Zhen San sighed slightly and said, "Although I have tried my best to keep the business left by my father.

But this time I did this not just because I was worried that Third Brother would ruin the business...

When my father was still alive, he had a long-term vision and prepared the Zhen family fleet early on, allowing the Zhen family to catch up with the good time when Your Majesty implemented the maritime policy.

Over the years, the Zhen family has made a lot of money from the maritime trade business. People outside now call our Zhen family Zhen Bancheng.

In terms of wealth alone, the Zhen family is above the four major families in Jinling.

However, in terms of family background and official power, the Zhen family is much weaker than the other four families.

The Jinling Shi family has two marquises in one family. Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding is a loyal minister of the current emperor. The Shi family has been blessed by the emperor for generations and has continued to be honored and favored to this day.

In the early years, the Wang family of Jinling was protected by the Jia family, and a man named Wang Ziteng, the governor of the Beijing camp, who was a first-rank official, was born. Although this was only a temporary measure in the palace, it was enough to protect the Wang family.

The Jia family in the capital had shown signs of decline in the past few years, with their descendants only inheriting idle titles and empty positions. However, in recent years, a man named Jia Cong, the Marquis of Weiyuan, emerged out of nowhere with hidden potential and a bright future.

Although the Xue family of Jinling has fallen into decline, they still have abundant wealth. Now that they have moved in with the Jia family for shelter, this may be a wise way to protect themselves.

In comparison, our Zhen family no longer has the stamina to maintain its family tradition and power.

The master's position as the president of Ti'renyuan is just a nominal position without real power and is of no use at critical moments.

The Zhen family’s greatest support right now is the old concubine dowager in the honorable palace.

But the old concubine was over 70 years old, nearly 80 years old.

This time I went to the capital to pay a visit to the old empress dowager. She is no longer in good health...

If the old concubine passes away one day, the Zhen family in Jinling will have nothing to fear besides the gold and silver in the house.

Faced with the current situation, the children of the Zhen family should keep a low profile and behave without leaks in order to protect themselves and plan for the long term.

However, the eldest master and the eldest mistress still felt that the Zhen family was at its peak, with money and power, and they were very eager to pursue it.

I always feel that my second sister marrying a prince is the most proud thing, because she can then follow the old empress dowager and use the Prince of Beijing's Mansion as the Zhen family's support.

But I have been in the palace for many years, and I know very well that the current emperor has a deep estrangement from the old heroes of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes.

The line of Prince Beijing, two generations of princes have been mediocre and accomplished nothing, and their dynasty is already on the decline.

Although the second brother-in-law is a prince, he has great ambitions but little talent and no special abilities, and is not liked by the current emperor.

In the past, he had fought for the position of governor of nine provinces and behaved in a disgraceful manner, and was ridiculed and humiliated by the current emperor.

In the eyes of the emperor, Shui Rong, the Prince of Beijing, was not taken seriously at all. The estrangement between them was obvious.

But the eldest master and the eldest mistress could not see this and they highly respected this prince-son-in-law.

The third brother also exchanged letters with Shui Rong on a daily basis, and the communication was very frequent and never interrupted.

This kind of thing can be hidden from others, but it cannot be hidden from the eyes and ears of the emperor.

I have heard in the palace that His Majesty has a chariot officer under his command, who is omnipresent...

Now that he has the protection of the old concubine dowager in the palace, His Majesty will not show any reaction. Once the old concubine dowager ascends to heaven, His Majesty will have fewer concerns and will not have a good face to the Zhen family.

Moreover, the behavior of the third brother in the past two years was extremely perverse. Not only did he smuggle muskets several times, he also brought an Englishman of unclear identity from Nanyue to Nanjing.

Among them, Liu Xuan, who accompanied his father at sea and had been missing for a long time, was also involved.

Although I cannot understand the root cause, the emergence of so many hidden concerns always makes people uneasy and they have to be on guard.

The sooner we prepare, the better to be prepared, so that when something goes wrong it won’t be too late…”

Miss Zhen San's words made Liu Xian understand clearly that the San Miss was worried that the first wife would be too eager for quick success and get involved in some unexpected events. In order to protect the second wife's property, she wanted to take precautions before it happens.

He was the chief steward of the second wife's house, his wife was the steward's wife of the second wife, and even his only daughter was the second wife's personal maid.

Liu Xian's family and the second wife had shared weal and woe for a long time, so he naturally did not want the second wife's property to be ruined and destroyed one day because of the first wife.

Since the third girl had already set up the stage and made all the preparations, he naturally had to find a way to transfer the money from the five shops as soon as possible.

……

On the official road east of Jinling City, a carriage stopped under a lush banyan tree. Jiang Liu was taking a nap leaning against the shaft of the carriage, while the horse was leisurely nibbling on the grass on the ground.

Jia Cong looked through the car window at the flat and spacious official road not far away.

There seem to be a lot more people traveling on the official road today than usual.

Many of them were in groups of three or five. Some of them were individual vendors, some were horse teams escorting goods, there were a few students carrying book boxes, and there were even women riding donkeys to visit their parents' home.

These people gathered on the official road from all directions, some in front and some behind, and set out on their long journey in small numbers.

But their directions of travel were almost the same, all heading towards Changzhou on the east side of the official road.

In the carriage with Jia Cong was Zou Miner, who was wearing a white satin bodice with a dark flowered pattern, a light blue silk blouse, and a solid pleated skirt. Her skin was fragrant and her breath was like orchid.

Jia Cong moved his gaze back from the window. The space in the carriage was not large. When he turned around, he saw that Zou Min'er had a white lily pinned on her shiny black hair. She was graceful and elegant, and more beautiful than the flower.

His gaze couldn't help but linger on the white and delicate lily of the valley for a moment, and the corner of his eyes also glanced at the skin behind her ear and neck, which was as white as jade.

Zou Min'er seemed to feel Jia Cong's gaze, and a hint of pink appeared on her earlobe, but she pretended not to notice his gaze. There was a strange smell in the air.

She said softly, with an imperceptible tenderness in her voice: “The four people I chose this time are all old men from the China Railway Company in Jinling, who are proficient in investigation and spying, and hiding their tracks.

I have instructed them to teach your people the necessary skills to act effectively along the way."

Jia Cong replied: "This is very good. With more than 50 people familiar with detective work, we can divide them into groups and search the states along the river. It may not take long before we can get the information we want.

Yesterday, I had official communication with the Jinling Jinyiwei Thousand Households Squadron. The Shenjing Jinyiwei Command has notified the Jinyiwei Thousand Households Squadrons in various states along the Yangtze River to pay close attention to the movements of personnel at the ports in various states.

According to the information reported by the Jinyiwei Qianhu Offices in various states, there is no sign of Zhou Zhengyang going out to sea, so he must still be hiding somewhere."

……

Jia Cong did not ask Zou Min'er about the names and identities of the four spies from the Imperial Chariot Division that she had selected.

From beginning to end, Zou Min'er never asked Jia Cong where the fifty men came from. She even instructed the four spies from the Imperial Chariot Division not to inquire about their origins.

There seemed to be a strange tacit understanding between the two people.

When Jia Cong went to Nanjing to investigate an important case, he needed to rely on the power of the Royal Chariot Division, but that didn't mean he wanted to be too involved with it.

It is not a bad thing to maintain necessary respect and distance towards the inner court agencies personally controlled by the emperor.

As for Zou Miner, she always had an unresolved knot in her heart about Jia Cong. She was often in a contradictory state of mind, wanting to get close to him, but resisting and staying away from him.

She wanted to know everything about him, but was afraid of knowing too much.

Because of his responsibilities and status as the CRRC driver, as well as the knot in his throat.

The sharpness and resentment hidden deep in one's heart may one day turn all known things into unpredictable dangers.

Therefore, as long as it is not necessary, she would rather know less about Jia Cong's affairs.

And the strange tacit understanding between the two was not a blessing in the final analysis.

Rather, it is because of the circumstances between each other, the cycles of friction and separation, hatred and intimacy, that have created a chasm that is difficult to cross.

……

Jia Cong looked out of the car window again. Along the official road heading east, at the fork in the road ahead, there was an undulating gentle slope.

On the gentle slope, the shadows of trees sway, revealing a towering wall that surrounds a large piece of land on the gentle slope.

That is the farm that Xinchunhao bought from the Zhen family.

He suddenly asked, "Miss Zou is a native of Jinling. Do you know that fifteen years ago, there was a noble family named Du in Jinling. It is said that they were very famous."

Zou Miner frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "I have heard of most of the noble families in Jinling, but there is no family with the surname Du among them.

Also, why was this family famous fifteen years ago, but not famous now?"

Jia Cong replied, "I heard that fifteen years ago, this Du family was implicated in treason and was confiscated and exterminated by the imperial court, so they disappeared for a long time."

When Zou Min'er heard that the Du family was involved in treason, she was slightly startled and asked, "Why are you suddenly asking about this family? Is it related to Zhou Zhengyang's matter?"

Jia Cong glanced at the farm on the gentle slope and said, "It's nothing to do with it. I was just chatting with someone a few days ago and he mentioned this family. I was just a little curious."

……

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

After Jia Cong came back from the east of the city, he went straight back to his old house in Xinglongfang.

As soon as she reached the gate of her yard, she heard the humming and humming voices of someone practicing singing inside. The tone was crisp and sonorous, but it was not Lingguan's soft and beautiful singing style.

"My heroic spirit goes straight to Niudou, and my homesickness hangs upside down in Yangzhou. I have no home in the world, and the people have no eyes."

"The hero's smile is broken, and the rich family has been used to drinking since childhood. The huge fireworks do not let go of the sorrow, and the locust tree in the courtyard blows the autumn wind...!"

Jia Cong recognized that it was the singing part of Douguan Xiaohualian, which sounded neat, powerful, and full of spirit, and was quite interesting.

He pushed open the gate and saw Douguan standing under a magnolia tree in the yard.

She was wearing a blue floral vest, thin cotton bell-bottom pants, and a washed-out blue waistband around her waist. She looked neat and pleasing, and was practicing singing in front of the magnolia branches.

At the window of the east study, Lingguan was seen sitting at her desk, writing and practicing calligraphy with great concentration.

Douguan was singing facing the magnolia tree with such concentration that she didn't even notice Jia Cong entered the yard.

Jia Cong did not disturb her. He went into the main house alone and then turned into the east study.

Lingguan, who was practicing calligraphy at her desk, was so focused that she didn't notice him entering the study.

Jia Cong saw her sitting upright in front of the desk, with a slender waist and a charming posture. She was wearing a pink embroidered cross-collared vest on the upper body, a pink and white undershirt underneath, and a lavender long skirt on the lower body. She was very pretty and charming.

Jia Cong quietly walked behind her and found that Lingguan wrote every stroke very carefully.

Jia Cong had not been teaching Lingguan how to write for long, but he could already see that she was writing very neatly, although her handwriting was somewhat clumsy, which was normal for beginners.

As for reading and writing, only through daily practice can you gradually get rid of the difficulty.

Lingguan was so devoted to reading and writing that it was only a matter of time for her to get over the rustiness of her penmanship.

Jia Cong stood behind her, quietly watching her writing with her arm suspended, and praised her: "You are really smart. You have only practiced calligraphy for a few days, but you have already written something like it."

Lingguan heard his voice, turned around and said with a smile: "I was so absorbed in writing just now that I didn't see you come back. You haven't been home for several days. Are you staying here today?"

Jia Cong lived in Yuminfang for the past few days. He saw Lingguan looking at him quietly with a pair of bright eyes, and there was a hopeful and gentle expression in her eyes.

Then he said with a smile: "I will stay at your house tonight and test you two to see if you have learned all the characters on the calligraphy copybook." (End of this chapter)