The Red Mansions

Chapter 1200 Queen Song: ...It’s so heartless.

Palace Garden, Zhuixia Palace
Empress Song called Princess Xianning, Li Chanyue, Song Yan and others to sit down in the palace. She smiled slightly on her beautiful face and said softly: "Why are you so free today?"

Princess Xianning said in a sweet voice: "Mother, my husband went to Anhui a few days ago and I don't know when he will come back. My aunt has returned to Beijing, so we came to see the queen."

The eldest princess of Jinyang has already returned to the capital by boat, accompanied by Xia Houying, Jinyi Mansion Guards and Jiangnan Daying Xiaoqi.

Queen Song's snow-skinned face was slightly absent-minded, she pursed her glossy pink lips and said softly: "I am here, but I haven't seen your aunt once. Is her illness cured?"

Previously, the eldest princess of Jinyang had been pretending to be ill, but she was actually confinement in her house.

Princess Xianning said softly: "Auntie, her body has healed. Before she left, she asked my mother when she would return to Beijing."

Queen Song was silent for a moment and said quietly: "I will stay here for a while and wait for your sixth brother to come back."

Princess Xianning nodded and said softly: "It's not peaceful on the road. How about waiting for your husband to come back before escorting the queen to Beijing?"

Empress Song nodded and said, "That's fine. By the way, Ziyu is over there in Anhui. How are things going?"

Princess Xianning mused: "Things in the military camp are a piece of cake for you, sir."

Since Jia Heng defeated the Jurchens, Heshuotes, and Junggars in the 16th year of Chongping, the Han Dynasty had almost no doubts about Jia Heng's ability and means in military affairs.

Queen Song's beautiful eyes sparkled under her curved eyebrows, and she said softly: "That's true, but we can't be careless."

The little fox is not only clever in speech, but also talented in literature, military skills, and martial arts. I heard that he was just a young boy from the common family in Liutiao'er Hutong, but now he is a first-class Duke.

In fact, this most noble beauty is not tempted by Jia Heng's so-called first-class dukedom, but more by her current status due to her talents.

Seeing that Empress Song was suddenly distracted, Princess Xianning's beautiful face showed a trace of surprise, and she said in a charming voice: "Mother, sir, he will be careful. Mother, you might as well go out to relax in the past two days, so as not to stay at home all the time, which is easy to get depressed. It’s not good for your heart, it’s not good for your body and bones.”

Empress Song regained her thoughts and said softly: "Just walking around casually by yourself is not interesting."

As he said that, his eyes were lost for a moment, and he didn't know who he thought of.

"Didn't Yan'er, Chanyue, I, and I come to accompany our mother?" Princess Xianning said softly, her eyebrows filled with water, her crystal clear eyes smiling.

When Queen Song heard this, she chuckled and said, "It's a lot warmer today, so we can go to the palace for a walk together."

Then, accompanied by Princess Xianning, Li Chanyue and Song Yan, they went to the backyard garden to enjoy the scene of early spring.

In fact, there is nothing to appreciate. It is early spring, the spring is cold and the breeze is blowing the bare branches of the trees. In the octagonal pavilion, the yellow curtains hanging from all directions are swaying in the wind.

Princess Xianning's crystal jade face was as beautiful as snow, and her clear eyes were bright and clear under her curved willow-leaf eyebrows. She said softly: "Mother, the flowers haven't bloomed yet, so I'm still looking a little dazed."

"With another few months, the flowers will bloom." Empress Song said softly, with her fair and smooth skin and jade face showing some lightness.

Song Yan suddenly said happily: "Cousin, look at that old tree, it seems to have sprouted."

Empress Song: "..."

What old tree has sprouted?Who are you talking about?

However, the beauty followed Song Yan's slender fingers and saw that an old tree near the lake had indeed sprouted some new buds on its branches.

The beauty's heart moved slightly, and her beautiful eyes as moist as water were filled with complex light. Maybe she was that old tree?

Princess Xianning said softly: "Maybe the weather has warmed up a bit, and in a while, spring will arrive."

Under Li Chanyue's green-feathered eyebrows, her eyes were as bright as water, and she couldn't help but pursed her pink lips.

She didn't care whether the old trees sprouted or not. She missed Mr. Jia a little.

Everyone was talking and playing in the garden.

……

……

Anhui, Anqing Prefecture
Accompanied by Dong Qian and other generals, Jia Heng inspected the city defense and camp garrison conditions in Anqing Fucheng. In the next few days, he sorted out the military personnel in Anqing Fucheng and organized military affairs.

The famous general Wei Guogong of the Han Dynasty, who had been powerful in the world in recent years, was stationed in Anqing Fucheng to organize the affairs of the army. The army was motivated and the generals were afraid, but it did not cause any big commotion.

Time flies. On this day, Jia Heng is in the military camp, inspecting the Anhui Dusi recruitment and training drill.

Dong Qian is currently working with a group of generals to train soldiers who will join the Anhui Dusi.

"Captain, here's the news from Xuanzhou Mansion." At this time, Jinyi's personal guard Li Shu walked a few steps quickly, bowed and cupped his fists, and handed a piece of paper in his hand to Jia Heng.

Jia Heng put down the tea cup, took the paper, and quickly read it. Then he frowned and said in a deep voice: "There was a mutiny in Xuanzhou Guard?"

It turned out that just two days ago, the soldiers of the Xuanzhou Guard, under the "instigation" of the commander Wei Huaizhong, confronted the officials of the prefecture and county who were going to clear Zhang's fields, and the two sides had a violent conflict.

There was a small mutiny in the Xuanzhou Prefecture Guards, and the Prefecture Guards kidnapped the Prefecture and County officials who came to clear their land.

However, the guard commander Jiang Licheng led his troops to stop them in time.

But after all, this was a vicious incident.

Li Shudao: "Previously, General Jia Lingjia had led the cavalry to Xuanzhou, cooperating with the local guardsmen to suppress the rebels. The Xuanzhou guards ordered the men to commit suicide at home."

At the current status of the Jia family, there is no need to do everything personally.

Jia Heng sneered and said, "It's really a big show to force someone to die!"

I'm afraid there are some hidden calculations here.

Jia Heng pondered for a moment and then ordered: "Send a message to Jia Ling, asking him to lead the troops to suppress the situation, take over the Xuanzhou Guard, properly handle the internal situation, capture all the commanders involved, and hand them over to the competent authorities for questioning. Although the former commander committed suicide in fear of guilt. , but the crimes of embezzlement of grain fields are numerous, and all of them should be disclosed and made public."

These are not big things, they are nothing more than the local health office system facing the backlash from Qingzhang Tianmu, and they want to use this to shake the determination of rectifying the military settlements.

"I have recently informed the military generals of Anhui Province that any general who has invaded the grain fields of the military camp and surrenders, regrets and pleads guilty, will have all the gains from corruption returned, and will only be dismissed from the military post, and will no longer be held accountable." Jia Heng thought about it. Think about it, said in a deep voice.

It was not for the sake of Anhui Province, but for the follow-up inspection of the affairs of the guards and military camps across the country, so that they could be fully rectified.

However, I will write a detailed memorial to Emperor Chongping later to explain this matter.

In fact, when he captured Yue Tai, the commander of the Anhui capital, he had already informed Emperor Chongping and explained the reasons behind the troops in Anhui.

Speaking of which, after being in Jiangnan for a long time, it's time to return to Beijing.

When Jia Heng thought about this, his calm face couldn't help but trance, and his eyes were stunned for a moment.

This time Jiang Nan and Tian Niuer had what happened before... He still felt a little guilty.

Jia Heng pondered for a moment, then ordered the guards of Jinyi Mansion to prepare the memorial and prepare to write the memorial.

The memorial roughly stated the necessity of conducting a nationwide investigation of military affairs and the hidden worries that the New Deal might cause unrest in the provinces. He also advised not to rush forward at full speed, but to move quickly in small steps and to be prudent.

The memorial was sealed in a sealed box and delivered to Beijing by the guards in brocade robes.

As time went by, the officials of various guards in Anhui Province were implicated in the case of corruption in military camps. Many low-level officials such as Wei commanders and Wei Tongzhi were dismissed one after another. The entire Anhui capital guard system was almost completely destroyed by Jia Heng. Cleaned once.

The local guard station suddenly had many official positions vacant, which in turn was used to appease the hearts and minds of the generals at the local guard station.

During this period of time, Jia Heng used integrity and diligence as the standard to examine candidates, carefully identified the good and the foolish, and reported them to the Ministry of War, without taking the opportunity to install cronies.

In fact, there is not much need. The local guard soldiers will play a very small role in the game stage of the power pyramid.

Moreover, the act of planting party members in this way would also attract the attention of interested people, give people leverage, and arouse Emperor Chongping's vigilance.

In fact, there was no need for him to do anything extra. These generals and commanders he promoted would consider themselves his disciples when he gained power.

This is enough. When it comes to life and death in the core circle of power, it is a great advantage for local officials to maintain a neutral attitude.

In the blink of an eye, another half month has passed. In the 17th year of Chongping, it has entered the early spring of February with a cold spring. The climate is getting warmer. The willows on the roads are already showing a little green, and the spirit of spring is high and full of vitality.

On this day, the spring sun was bright, the wind blew the wheat fields, and the blue waves turned into waves.

Governor's Yamen - Jia Heng and Li Shouzhong gathered together with Anhui officials to discuss recent military affairs. It was considered a summary meeting before Jia Heng left Anqing.

After observing and studying affairs at close range during this period, Anhui local government and county officials were mostly convinced of Duke Wei's thunderous methods.

Jia Heng's face was a little gloomy, and he scanned the officials below with sharp eyes, and said in a deep voice: "This time we are checking out the hidden properties in the military villages and sorting out the important personnel matters. You all must be aware of the internal links. After that, the local governments and counties will be strict To carry out the new policy of the imperial court, clear out the land and register it, and pay taxes according to the land during next summer's grain harvest. I am in Shenjing City to hear the good news from you all."

Hearing this, a group of Anhui officials raised their eyes to look at the young man in the python suit, and quickly echoed his words.

Then, Jia Heng looked at Li Shouzhong, who was not far away, and said warmly: "Master Li, the weather will soon enter February, and the New Deal affairs are fully rolled out in all provinces. Anhui Province should also hurry up and not fall behind again." After he saves it."

Now, the season has entered early spring, and I don’t know if Tianniuer has returned to Beijing. She should not be there at this moment, otherwise, there will be flying pigeons passing messages from Jinyi Mansion.

To be honest, he hadn't seen Tian Niu'er for half a month. To be honest, he also missed the softness, waxy and sweet taste of matsutake.

Especially the joy of holding all the plump and soft bodies in my arms, immersed in the snow.

The jade belt is really hanging in the forest, and the golden hairpin is buried in the snow.

In other words, even though I didn't take advantage of the sweet girl, I was just chatting and joking with the beauty, but I was still moved by the charming charm between her plump eyebrows.

Especially the contrast between coquettishness and anger, sometimes he wondered if Tianniu did it on purpose, or if she was just naturally charming.

No wonder Xiaoxiao often says that beauty is Queen Marie.

It's like it's poisonous. Not long after I left, I can't forget it.

Li Shouzhong put on a facelift and calmed down his expression, and said loudly: "Don't worry, Lord Wei, Anhui will definitely catch up with us when it comes to handling the New Deal. We thought that Anhui was the pilot province for the southern provinces, but now it is implementing the New Deal at the same time as other provinces. We are also very ashamed. "

In this matter, his face also felt quite tarnished.

"Master Li, there is no need to blame yourself. Anhui has just been divided into provinces and government agencies have been established. It is understandable that many things are not going well." Jia Heng's face paused slightly and he said loudly: "I asked General Dong to stay here. If anything happens, Mr. Li can describe the situation to General Dong."

At this moment, Dong Qian stood up quickly and looked solemn. He cupped his hands and said, "If anything goes wrong with the new policy, I hope Mr. Li will just give you orders."

When Li Shouzhong heard this, although he was excited, he tried to keep his face as calm as possible. He nodded slightly and said, "Okay, okay."

This is a solid backing for the implementation of the New Deal in Anhui Province.

The Anhui officials headed by Anhui Chief Envoy Yu Zhibang couldn't help but feel a little moved when they saw this scene.

This is to leave the generals to help Li Shouzhong deal with the chaos.

Jia Heng glanced at the Anhui officials present, and finally turned to Li Shouzhong, saying: "In that case, I will not stay here any longer."

It turned out that he came here temporarily to put out the fire. Now that the raging fire has been effectively contained, he cannot stay here forever.

In fact, in his current position, he is more likely to inspect a certain place and then deal with emergencies urgently. In the past, he would personally handle small matters as big as sesame seeds and mung beans, but in fact it is very rare anymore.

Of course, the main reason is that the affairs in Anhui are relatively easy to deal with. The guards stationed the fields and suppressed them vigorously, which did not cause too much trouble.

This is just another test by the Jiangnan gentry.

Li Shouzhong nodded, and then escorted Jia Heng out of the government office. Surrounded by Jin Yi Tiqi, he got on his horse and Jin Yi Tiqi marched out of Anqing Mansion.

As Jia Heng left Anqing Mansion, local officials in Anhui Province also breathed a sigh of relief.

The god of plague was finally sent away.

However, when he saw Dong Qian, who was wearing military attache robes and with a stern face, his eyes flickered, and his heart became a little solemn.

Although Duke Wei left, he still left a knife to Li Shouzhong to help him clear away the obstacles to the new government.

At this time, Li Shouzhong looked at the officials around him and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, this month, all the prefectures and counties in the province will clear out the land and register it. There will be no more perfunctory work. The new policy is the focus of the Holy Emperor and the temple officials. , if this province can lead other provinces, it will not only be glorious on my official face, but also on your resume."

Although Li Shouzhong was not very good at coercion, he was already familiar with the method of "painting a big pie" when he was an academic officer.

"Yes, my lord."

All Anhui officials present cheered up and responded in unison.

……

……

Jinling, palaces and gardens, side halls and attics——

There seems to be harp music playing on the second floor attic, and the sound of the harp seems to float outside the palaces in the beautiful evening. Sometimes there are swallows returning early, pecking at the spring mud between the eaves, and orioles. Chirping among the budding trees.

The orioles are singing and the swallows are singing, and before you know it, spring has arrived.

The Empress of the Song Dynasty wore an elegant dress with lily pigments and wide sleeves. The beauty has a plump and exquisite figure. Under the exquisite cloud bun, her graceful and plump jade face looks like it has been washed with milk. Her skin is white and tender, and she is like a jade. Flawless, and her slender hands gently caressed the piano and harp, as if they were onions.

The right way is to be pretty and be filial.

This graceful and gorgeous beauty, because she was mourning her father, had changed into plain and elegant palace clothes, and there was a sad and sad aura of a wife surrounding her whole body.

Outside the window, streaks of golden-red rays of light fell on her head and shoulders, sparsely falling on her white, shiny earlobes, and the silver earrings sparkled.

On that snow-skinned and jade face as charming as a spring flower, a hint of melancholy could not help but linger.

There was really no news from the little fox for more than half a month.

It's so... heartless to not write a letter to Xianning after being away from home for so long.

The beauty thought like this, and turned to look at the bronze mirror on the table beside her. A blush appeared on both sides of her snow-skinned jade cheeks, as bright as rouge.

Obviously, I cried with joy that day, and the scene of pear blossoms and rain appeared again in the beauty's heart.

Even though she cried, she let the little fox see her.

She was really ashamed...

However, the gentleness that still seemed to remain on her cheeks and the gaze that melted people's hearts made the beauty's heart tremble slightly.

In fact, for such a dead beauty in her thirties, she simply cannot resist the approach of the youthful and lively atmosphere, because it is like a ball of hot flame that can melt the beauty.

I don't blame Song Tian, ​​this kind of thing basically belongs to... you will be numb even if you stamp on it.

At this moment, Nianyun slowly entered the second floor and said softly: "Mother, dinner is ready."

The beauty was feeling ups and downs. When she heard this, she couldn't help but be startled. Her snow-skinned jade face paused slightly, her eyebrows stood upright, and her crystal phoenix eyes couldn't help but show a trace of sullenness. She scolded: "Who asked you to come up?"

When Nianyun heard the words, her jade face turned pale as paper. She knelt down with a pop and said softly: "My Majesty, please forgive me. I didn't mean to come here. Please forgive me."

Empress Song waved her bare hands, her tone became a little more relaxed, and her face returned to a calm demeanor, saying: "Okay, you may have served me for many years. You should know my temperament and like to be alone. Next time, I won't allow you to do so without my permission." , no intrusion is allowed.”

She didn't know why she was a little angry, and she couldn't help but feel irritable these days.

It's all that little fox's fault.

He really didn't return to Anqing Mansion, just wiped out everything and left, right?He promised to give her advice to help Ran'er with her affairs, and then briefly explained the strategy for the military camp and how to operate it in the future, but did not explain everything perfectly.

The beauty's jade face is like a thin layer of frost, and resentment gradually arises in the depths of her heart.

This little bastard did that to her back then.

The beauty took a deep breath and quickly went down to the attic. It was already dusk in the sky. Under the eaves, a team of palace maids picked up the octagonal palace lanterns, lit the candles, and hung them up again.

The beauty sat down behind a square table and glanced at the dazzling array of dishes on the table. Although the aroma of the food aroused her appetite, she didn't have much appetite for a while.

The beauty calmed down, picked up a pair of bamboo chopsticks, and began to eat.

On the other side, in Jinling City in the evening, the western sky is already illuminated by the sunset, and the bright sunset shines on the top of the city, with flaming red flags fluttering in the wind and horses' hooves coming in droves.

A large number of Jinyi Tiqi who were heading to Anhui and now returning were surrounding a young man from the Mang Mansion and hurried to Jinling City.

(End of this chapter)