The Red Mansions

Chapter 254
Jinling, Xue's house

And when Jia Yucun was entangled in whether to handle the "favorable case" for the case of the Xue family, the Xue family was already full of gloom. Wipe away tears and sigh.

The woman has fair skin and a plump figure. Although she is well maintained, the crow's feet at the corners of her eyebrows and eyes still silently accuse the cruelty of time.

Sitting on the back chair beside her was a plump, muscular girl who was comforting Aunt Xue.

The girl wears a light yellow silk skirt, a lotus-colored jacket inside, and a beaded flower hairpin pinned between her temples. A pair of bright apricot eyes, as moist as water.

"What should we do now? Everyone has sued the magistrate's yamen." Aunt Xue looked anxious, turned her head, and looked at the chair on the other side, where a dejected young man was sitting.

Xue Pan was wearing a yellow-brown silk shirt. He was tall and majestic. He was sitting sideways with one arm resting on the table, his big head drooping, and the pink kerchief on his hair bun was brightly colored.

"I told you to take care of the things you need to go to Beijing. You are fine. You can go and buy some girl. Now that such a disaster has happened and you will be sued for life, what do you think should you do?" Aunt Xue cried with tears in her eyes. .

Xue Pan was obviously left behind for a while, and said angrily: "Kill him, I just pay for my life, mom don't have to cry anymore."

When Aunt Xue heard this, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She shook her head, looked up at Xue Pan, and said, "My son, you are talking nonsense, what is going to happen to you, what will your sister and I do?" ?”

Baochai frowned, her plump, white and pear-like face was also worried, and she reached out to caress Aunt Xue's back, comforting her.

The mother and son were chattering, and suddenly, the voice of the mother-in-law came from outside, saying: "Madam, young master, officials from the Jinling government office have come to the door."

Aunt Xue was startled when she heard the words, her hands and feet felt cold, she said in panic, "Don't you come here to catch Pan'er?"

Hearing this, Xue Pan jumped up from his seat, with an earthy face, and went to the closet beside him, yelling, "Mom, sister, I'll hide first."

Aunt Xue and Baochai: "..."

Fortunately, at this time, the woman said anxiously: "The man said that he was a clerk from the prefect's yamen in Jinling, and that he had a case to discuss with his wife."

When Aunt Xue heard the words, she suppressed the fear in her heart, looked at Baochai beside her with a puzzled expression, and asked, "My dear girl, this..."

Baochai's watery apricot eyes were full of thought, and after a while, she said softly: "Mom, I thought that if the one who came to arrest brother should be sent by Jinling officials, it's not as good as appointing a scribe to come. What kind of negotiating words?"

Aunt Xue's eyes lit up when she heard the words, and she asked, "That's the reason, you wait here, mother, go ahead and have a look."

Saying this, he called the servant girls Tongxi and Tonggui, walked around the screen, went out of the wing room, and went to meet the Duke of Jinling Mansion.

Listening to the commotion outside, Xue Pan poked out his big head, his black and white pupils the size of copper bells rolled around.

Baochai frowned, with crystal clear apricot eyes, quietly looked at her brother, and sighed quietly.

Ying'er at the side took a cup of tea and said in a low voice, "Girl, drink tea."

Baochai said softly, "Ying'er, go and call that girl over."

Yinger answered yes, and then went to call Xiangling.

Xue Pan opened the closet, hesitantly said: "Sister, didn't this official arrest me?"

Baochai raised a pair of apricot eyes, looked at Xue Pan who was facing him, was silent for a while, and said softly, "Brother, come out first."

Xue Pan lowered his big head, opened the closet, took a cup of tea poured by Yinger, and drank it all.

Not long after, Ying'er led a slender girl in a blue pomegranate skirt into the inner hall. The girl was about eleven or twelve years old, with a timid temperament, and the rouge mark between her eyebrows was as bright as a peach pistil.

Baochai looked the little girl up and down, seeing her blank eyes, tears still on her pale face, she pulled her arm, and said, "Where are you from?"

"I don't remember." The little girl looked up at the girl opposite and shook her head slightly.

"How old?"

"Can not remember."

"What about the name?"

"Can not remember."

Xue Pan laughed and said, "Sister, she has been sold here and there by kidnappers, how do you remember that? Look at the color and figure, is my money worth it?"

Baochai turned her head, her apricot eyes gave Xue Pan an annoyed look.

Xue Pan smiled awkwardly, and said: "My good sister, how did I know that the boy sold her twice, and I spent money on it, and it is said that I took the person first, but the one named Feng insisted on asking for it, so stubborn Give me the same."

Baochai sighed and didn't want to talk to Xue Pan at all, but just looked at the little girl with a pair of silent eyes, thought for a while, and said softly: "From now on, call me Xiangling, follow me."

Xue Pan was in a hurry, and said, "Hey, sister, what do you say? She is the one I want to fill in the house!"

Baochai turned a face with smooth skin and white as snow, her voice was soft but firm, and said: "I will tell my mother later that I am short of people around me. She has caused such a big disaster, let her stay with me for a while, and let's wait a year or two to talk about the rest."

When Xue Pan heard the words, his big face suddenly collapsed, his head was downcast, and he was depressed, but it was hard to say no.

"Little beauty, wait for another year or two, and I'll show you off again." Xue Pan thought for a while, looked up at Xiangling, smiled, and wanted to reach out and pinch Xiangling's pink face.

But Xiangling dodged to the side in fear, like avoiding a snake and scorpion, under the curved eyebrows, her eyes were as weak as water, like a frightened deer.

Baochai frowned, and pretended not to hear Xue Pan's "nasty talk", but called out, "Ying'er, take care of her."

Ying'er pulled Xiangling behind her and scowled at Xue Pan.

Xue Pan snorted softly, turned his head away, sullen.

Yue Mo waited for a while, but saw Aunt Xue coming in from the outside with a happy face, chanting the Buddha's name, and said to Xue Baochai: "Bless God and Buddha, your brother's case is settled."

Xue Baochai's apricot eyes moved slightly, and asked, "How?"

And Xue Pan was already scratching his ears and cheeks with joy, grabbed Aunt Xue's arm, and said anxiously: "Mom, what did the clerk in front say?"

"Jia Yucun, the prefect of Jinling, was recommended by your aunt and uncle in Beijing to come to Jinling to serve as the prefect. He has a close relationship with us. People say we are here, so they will report to Wenlong. This one suffers from intestinal colic... Said that the person is gone, so pay a lot of money to the family for burning and burial. The family didn't have a sufferer, and it was all servants who were making trouble. They just wanted a few more money, so let's give up some more money. That's it." Aunt Xue said with a smile as the worry in her brows disappeared.

Hearing this, Xue Pan's face was happy, he clapped his hands and smiled and said, "Okay, Mom, from now on, you will only think of me as dead."

Aunt Xue: "..."

Baochai's apricot eyes flashed, and he sighed softly from the bottom of his heart.

Xue Pan smiled and said: "Mom, you said last time that our business in the southern province is not easy. Uncle has just been promoted to the capital control of the nine provinces. We just moved our business to Beijing. This time, we can also do business." Stay out of the wind."

It turned out that when the Rongguo Mansion was copying and inspecting the family assets of Wu Xindeng, Shan Daliang and other evil slaves, because Jia Heng was using the accountants of Jinyi Mansion, he had to borrow some accountants from the Xue family's shop in Shenjing City, and the two sides communicated. As soon as this matter was mentioned, Aunt Xue paid attention to it.

In addition, after hearing rumors from the Zhen family, the president of the Jinling Provincial Institute of Physical Education, the Ministry of Rites will select the daughters of famous eunuchs in the world after the year, and all of them will be named as Dabu, so as to prepare for selection, to accompany the princess and princess in school, and to serve as talents. A job of praise.

Speaking of which, this is also the strategy that Queen Song came up with to choose side concubines and Guangyan heirs for several princes when Wei Wang Chen Ran and Liang Wang Chen Wei were about to leave the palace to open their residences. Women's excuses.

If it is said to be choosing a concubine for the prince, it would be too ostentatious, not so silent.

"Even if we go to Beijing, our family's relatives are also there. Your uncle was promoted to the capital of the nine provinces, and a cousin of your Ningfu was also named a third-class general Yunhui. Now he seems to be in charge of the Wucheng soldiers. Ma Si." Aunt Xue said briskly, and suddenly asked Baochai beside her, "What does Ma Si, the soldier from the five cities, do?"

She doesn't know much about the affairs in Beijing's officialdom.

When Xue Pan heard this, he also cast a pair of hopeful eyes on his younger sister.

Baochai thought for a while, then said softly: "According to the Dahan Huidian, Wucheng Bingmasi is a third-rank military officer at the foot of the emperor. He is in charge of public security and robbery, and has tens of thousands of people under his command."

She was also a little curious about this elder brother called Jia Heng, she heard that he was not very old, he was just like his elder brother, and he was a third-rank military officer.

Xue Pan was overjoyed when he heard this.

He couldn't help thinking, if he arrived in Shenjing City, he would not only be able to see the most prosperous place in the world, but also be blessed by his uncle and brothers, how happy he would be!

It's like being on tenterhooks now.

At this moment, Xue Pan's heart has already drifted to Shenjing City.

Aunt Xue breathed a sigh of relief, and said with a smile: "The housekeeper, Uncle Fu, will settle this matter, and we will leave for Beijing."

Xue Pan happily responded, and said, "Then I'll go and pack my luggage."

Saying that, without waiting for Aunt Xue to call, she ran away happily.

Baochai's apricot eyes sparkled, and she said softly, "Mom, this is the Xiangling that brother bought."

At this time, Aunt Xue also looked at Xiangling, and saw that the girl had a graceful figure, soft eyebrows and eyes, and a spot of rouge on her forehead that was as bright as a peach pistil, which was quite flattering, but her small face was sad, Can't help but sigh with emotion: "Your brother is going to have a life lawsuit because of such a girl."

Baochai said softly: "Mom, I just told my brother to let Xiangling stay with me first, so as not to cause any trouble again."

Aunt Xue nodded with a smile: "Yes, yes, I said it just now, don't let this girl stay in your brother's house, let's talk about it in a year or two."

Baochai nodded and said nothing more.

Aunt Xue sighed, and said: "When we get to Beijing, his uncle is here, so he should be able to restrain him a bit."

Baochai said softly: "Mom, uncle, the last letter said that he went to check the border?"

Aunt Xue said with a smile: "Yes, your uncle served as Jiedu envoy in the Beijing camp last year, and this year he went to inspect the border. It must be of great use when he comes back this time."

This is not Aunt Xue's deduction, but something that the brothers and sisters of the Wang family said in letters.

"The one from the East Mansion that Mom just mentioned, wasn't the direct descendant of the Ning Mansion? But now... I'm thinking about going to Beijing, and I don't know if I don't know, so I don't offend other people's taboos." Baochai's apricot eyes were as bright as water. , with a somewhat charming voice, asked softly.

Aunt Xue heard the words, and the smile on her face slowly faded, and she said: "I'll tell you, I have to tell your brother later, the correspondence is vague, probably the one in the East Mansion is Ning Guogong. The concubine of that generation..."

After speaking, he briefly described Jia Heng's deeds, and with the knowledge of Aunt Xue's housewife, she couldn't tell much about it.

"For some reason, he fell into the eyes of those officials in the court. Originally, brother Zhen in the East Mansion, I met once when I came to Beijing with your father in the early years, but for some reason he lost his title. I was exiled...Remember, dear girl, when we arrive in Beijing, don't inquire about him openly."

"Mom, how can you not open which pot and carry which pot?" Baochai said dumbfounded.

Aunt Xue took Baochai's slender hand, and said with a smile, "I'm also confused. My good girl is smart and smart, which reassures me the most. It's your brother who is not worrying."

At the end, he sighed and looked sad again.

Baochai said with relief: "After my brother gets married in two years, I think he should be more stable."

Aunt Xue also smiled when she heard the words: "I think so too, dear girl, I heard that your aunt's family was born with a jade title. Their old lady is so spoiled like something. Their Jia family is now very powerful, and they are officials. There are several butchers."

In the end, there is a bit of envy.

When Baochai heard the words, her cheeks were a little shy, and because of her inner beauty and hidden heart, she naturally heard some implication.

Moreover, this is not the first time Aunt Xue has said that Aunt Xue often mentions Baoyu at home.

Aunt Xue chuckled and said, "I'm still preparing for next year's affairs with the Ministry of Rites. I'm thinking for my mother that even if it's not a draft, it will be the same as what happened to the Zhen family a few years ago."

What happened to the Zhen family a few years ago was certainly the matter of Princess Chu.

Baochai pursed her cherry lips, unable to answer the words, but raised her head, and looked into the distance with a pair of eyes that were as moist as water, as if clouds of smoke passed through the mountains and rivers of the southern country, and landed in the city of Shenjing thousands of miles away.

Not to mention how the mother and daughter of the Xue family discussed in Jinling City——

But on the second day, Jia Heng was refreshed, changed into his home clothes, had breakfast, and received the imperial decree in the hall not long after.

"Eunuch, why did you come to pass the decree in person?" Jia Heng looked at Dai Quan and asked.

Dai Quan smiled and said: "You lead the army to go out, and others pass the decree. Don't worry about it. You can make preparations in the next two days, and then you can go to suppress the bandits."

Jia Heng said: "We have made preparations before, and we can order soldiers to set off tomorrow, and we will enter the palace in the afternoon to face the Holy Spirit, so I need to trouble my father-in-law to tell the Holy Spirit in advance."

Dai Quan smiled, patted Jia Heng on the shoulder, and said: "Zi Yu, although the Holy Majesty has not given you a deadline to prevent you from urging you, he still has some expectations. The three auxiliary bandits should be put down sooner, the Holy Majesty You can also feel at ease earlier, seeing the Holy Majesty can't eat because of these scabies, the miscellaneous family feels uncomfortable."

Jia Heng cupped his hands and said, "Eunuch, don't worry, I will do my best."

"Jia Ziyu's ability is admired by the miscellaneous family." Dai Quan laughed, trying to make a bold and heroic gesture, but his laughter was shrill and feminine.

"Elder-in-law, why don't you go inside and have a cup of tea?" Jia Heng paused and raised his eyes to ask.

Hearing this, Dai Quan chuckled, understood, and followed Jia Heng to the side hall.

Jia Heng asked: "Last time, did you entrust your father-in-law?"

As he spoke, he stuffed a wad of banknotes in the past, exactly 1 taels.

Dai Quan's face was full of smiles, and he said softly: "I'm trying to figure out a solution for the matter you entrusted. The empress seems to be taking care of that person, but it doesn't look like that. The miscellaneous family thought about it, Xu Is it because of you? I heard rumors in the palace that the third prince will leave the palace next year to open the palace, and it seems that he will go to Wucheng to watch the government."

The last sentence was said in a low voice.

When Jia Heng heard this, he had some guesses in his heart, and said in a low voice: "Eunuch is bothering you."

"What kind of trouble is this?" Dai Quan smiled, as if a little sorry, after all, he didn't get things done, and even collected money twice, but said in a low voice: "The property in Dongcheng is in vain, the House of Internal Affairs Some are not very happy, and there are complaints from the household department, but you have done that matter really beautifully, and you can't say anything strange."

Jia Heng understands, knowing that Prince Zhongshun is slandering, but he...has Princess Jinyang.

Dai Quan said with a smile: "Zi Yu will do his job well, as long as he is loyal to the king's affairs, he will be as secure as a rock, and no one can shake him."

Jia Heng looked solemn, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, father-in-law, for your suggestion."

Dai Quan smiled, hesitated for a moment, and said slowly: "There is one more thing. You transferred a thousand households of Jinyi Mansion to Liaodong. Qiu Liang and Lu Jingyao gave a performance and said that you meddled in the personnel affairs of Jinyi Mansion. The Holy Majesty said you He attached great importance to spying on the military situation, and said that it was a good proposal to prepare the Department of Economics and Appeasement to prepare the Department of Military Intelligence, but he reprimanded Lu Jingyao and Qiu Liang for not understanding military affairs and being short-sighted."

When Jia Heng heard this, he said hello to himself.

This is exactly what he intends to do.

He used Qu Lang to tune a Jinyiwei Lan surnamed Qianhu who was sent to Jiangxi Mansion by Lu Jingyao, and sent additional people to Donglu to investigate. .

The purpose is fishing.

If he can't catch it, then he will put this patch on when he faces the saint. If he catches it, it will be even better.

When Lu Jingyao impeached him to intervene in Jinyi's personnel affairs, and he then emphasized intelligence, this would give the emperor a strong psychological hint.

The current people at the helm of the Jinyi Mansion don't pay much attention to the collection of intelligence on the enemy and the coordination of military intelligence.

And he, Jia Heng, whether he set up the Military Intelligence Division [-] in the sub-division structure of the Economic and Strategic Appeasement Division, or cooperated with the Jinyi Mansion, he paid special attention to intelligence.

That creates an impression.

However, Emperor Chongping's will still let him use the Tianzi Sword to control the Jinyi Mansion. Originally, this sentence did not need to be mentioned, because when the Sanhe Gang was suppressed earlier, he had already used the Tianzi Sword to control the Jinyi Mansion.

However, it is necessary to add a sentence in the imperial edict, which is actually a subconscious recognition of his leadership of the Jinyi Mansion, making it easier for him to act.

"So this time, if we can make the Jinyi Mansion shine again, and then sell my theory of intelligence warfare to the emperor, the Jinyi Mansion will be in the bag smoothly." Jia Heng's thoughts turned, his face remained calm.

Facing the emperor, the more you want a position, the more you can't be impatient, because the more urgent you are, the more suspicious the emperor will suspect that you have other plans and schemes.

(End of this chapter)