The Red Mansions

Chapter 641 Qin Keqing: Sister Xue, what did the mansion report say?
Huai'an Mansion, Qingjiangpu

Jia Heng asked the cabinet ministers and Governor of Liangjiang Shen Fang, Governor of Jiangzuo Xu Shikui, Governor of Huaiyang and Governor of Water Transportation Du Jitong to briefly explain the matter.

"The Jianghuai River has been raining continuously for the past few days, and it is necessary to release the flood in the middle reaches to relieve the pressure on Hongze Lake. Otherwise, Fengyang, Huainan, and Huai'an in the lower reaches are in danger of breaking the embankments." Jia Heng said in a deep voice with a serious expression on his face. , and then asked the scribe Zhang to hang up the map of the Huaihe River he brought, and introduced the water potential of the Huaihe River.

"Huaiyang prefecture is a land of great wealth and wealth, so there is no room for loss!" Jia Heng emphasized the seriousness of the matter, and finally concluded.

The governor of Liangjiang, Shen Fang, and Xu Shikui, who was on the side, looked at each other, and they could see the solemn look on each other's faces.

Zhao Mo's eyes were deep, and he asked solemnly: "Uncle Yongning, is the embankment of Hongze Lake really in danger of collapsing?"

Jia Heng said: "If the rain falls like this, there is a danger of overflowing within five or six days at most. Hongze Lake was originally a hanging lake, and it is only a matter of time before Huai'an Prefecture is flooded. Once Huai'an Prefecture is flooded, water transportation will naturally stop. .”

As he spoke, he glanced at Du Jitong, governor of Huaiyang and governor of water transportation.

"As for the river course, I can't wait for the water conservancy to be constructed. Whether it is blocked or dredged, Yongning Bo decides everything." At this moment, the governor of Liangjiang, Shen Bing, said calmly.

If the flood discharge goes awry, and Hongze Lake collapses again, the government and the opposition will inevitably be raging.

Although it is not necessary to blame the young man in front of him for the incident on the river embankment, the reputation of competent ministers and officials is bound to decline, and perhaps the family members of Beijing and China will also decline.

When Xu Shikui heard the words, he hurriedly said: "If Uncle Yongning has orders, I, Jiang Zuo Chief Envoy, will definitely cooperate with all my strength."

Du Jitong, the Governor of Water Transportation, also said: "Uncle Yongning rectified the river affairs in Henan, so that the Central Plains would not suffer from floods. Now he is in charge of the Nanhe River, and he should stop it with one word."

It looks like you are in charge of this matter.

Zhao Mo said: "If there is an emergency, then release the flood, the land of Huaiyang cannot be lost!"

Jia Heng nodded and said: "Since all the adults agree, later on, you and I will jointly submit a report to the imperial court, and then I will immediately go to Yingzhou to let the Jingying cavalry evacuate the flood discharge area. For the common people living together, Xu Shi said, and wrote memorials to the court."

Xu Kai, who was also in charge of the river reservoir road at the side, responded, then picked up the notebook and began to write.

Shen Fang: "..."

After Jia Heng finished speaking, he also felt a little thirsty, picked up the teacup on the small table, and took a sip.

Although this is a matter of public interest in him, it is inevitable that he will find fault with some people, and even sit back and watch the matter fail.

Then, none of the people present should try to stay out of it.

Shen Fang pondered for a while, and said: "If the Hedao Yamen thinks that they can discharge the flood in the middle reaches to protect the downstream, the Liangjiang Yamen will follow the arrangement of the Hedao Yamen."

Jia Heng stared at Shen Fang and asked, "Apart from this, does Mr. Shen have any other good strategies?"

Up to now, this Shen Fang is still leaving a way for himself to defend himself in the future. This is an old bureaucrat. When something happens, the person in front of him is the first to guarantee that Yongning Bo said that this matter is feasible.

Shen Fang said: "I don't know about the water conservancy affairs of the river, so I can follow the arrangement of the river yamen."

Jia Heng said: "For the follow-up resettlement of the people of the flood discharge, Jiangzuo Chief Secretary's Yamen will be responsible for post-disaster reconstruction matters, and all expenses related to relief of the people will be coordinated by Jiangzuo Chief Secretary's Yamen."

The flood discharge in the middle reaches is only to reduce the pressure on Huainan, Fengyang Mansion and Hongze Lake in the lower reaches, so these prefectures will naturally have to make some compensation.

Xu Shikui glanced at Shen Bing, saw that his expression was normal, and said, "This is what it should be. Huaiyang and other places belong to the Jiangzuo feudal clan. Not only do they benefit from flood discharge, but they should also be responsible for post-disaster reconstruction."

Zhao Mo pondered for a moment, then said: "Uncle Yongning, I will accompany you to Yingzhou to evacuate the people."

When Jia Heng heard the words, he took another look at Zhao Mo and said, "That's fine, the resettlement of the people in Yingzhou cannot be done without the coordination of Mr. Zhao Ge and transfer to Yuanfu County."

If Zhao Mo didn't go to sit in the township, he would have the suspicion of sitting on the sidelines when questioned afterwards.

Now the eyes of civil and military officials of the entire Han Dynasty are on the entire Jianghuai area. When the flood is over, whoever made the last score will have an evaluation from the court officials.

Zhao Mo turned to look at Shen Fang, and said: "Master Shen stays in Huai'an, evacuates the people of Baoying County, buys grain and rice from Jinling, and checks the grain merchants who have recently set prices on the ground."

Jia Heng's eyes flickered. Recently, according to reports from the Jinyi Mansion, some officials and eunuchs from Nanjing appeared in Huai'an and Yangzhou. They searched for food from Su Song and other places, prepared grain ships full of goods, and waited. Huaibei and Huainan dikes burst, and when rice and grain were scarce, they enjoyed a gluttonous feast.

Now he does not publish it, because he wants to see who jumps out, catches all the ones who should be caught, and makes small reports to the emperor.

Besides, Taicang in Luoyang City still has millions of stone grains and rice. This is an economic means, even if there is no such... Others hoard grain, he hoards knives and guns.

Shen Fang nodded, and said: "Don't worry, Mr. Ge, the Liangjiang Governor's Yamen and the Jiangzuo Governor's Yamen have already prepared relevant materials and sent them to various places in Jianghuai in time."

When the place is settled properly, Jia Heng doesn't do much lingering, and asks Liu Jixian to order Jinyi Mansion Guards to send orders to the generals and schools on river embankments and dams in Huai'an Mansion, Yangzhou Mansion, Xuzhou and other places to guard the dikes and dams strictly to prevent floods. Then, together with Zhao Mo, led the Jingying Cavalry and Jinyi Fuwei to Yingzhou where Wangjiaba is located.

Shen Fang and Xu Shikui, the governor of Jiangzuo, returned to the post house, and Du Jitong, the Governor of Water Transport, returned to the Water Transport Yamen and began to get busy.

……

……

Shenjing Castle, Palace Garden
In Kunning Palace, the lights were brightly lit, shining on the floor as bright as water.

Emperor Chongping sat behind a table, facing the delicacies in front of him, unable to move his chopsticks. Seeing this, Empress Song frowned beautifully, and accompanied her to talk, saying: "Your Majesty, the food is cold. "

Emperor Chongping waved his hand and said with a sad face, "I can't use it anymore."

Turning to look at Dai Quan who was standing by with his hands down, he said, "Send someone to the Secretary of General Administration to see if the memorials from Jianghuai have been delivered?"

In the past few days, with the torrential rain in the Jianghuai area, it has spread to Jiangzuo Huainan, Huaibei and other prefectures and counties. Officials are paying attention to the heavy rain in the Jianghuai area.

Because the hometowns and grain fields of many important court officials are in Huaiyang and other places, not to mention such wealth-rich places, there can be no mistakes at all.

Some officials from Huaiyang and Huaixu in Beijing have already greeted the eight generations of ancestors of Gao Bin, the former governor of Nanhe.

Of course, there are also some cunning people who want to take this opportunity to see Yongningbo's jokes.

Dai Quan quickly responded, left the hall, went outside the hall, and ordered the inner eunuch to go to the General Secretary again.

Emperor Chongping sighed, and said: "In the past few days, according to reports from the northern provinces, it has almost rained, and the sun has gradually cleared up, and many dangerous workers in Henan have also been withdrawn. , the hearts of the people are attached, but there is a growing trend in Huainan, and I don’t know if the embankments built by Nanhe can hold up.”

These days, the threat of floods in Henan receded, and He Gong and Ding Fu gradually dispersed the prefectures and counties. Through word of mouth, the hearts that had been lost due to the rebellion gradually returned.

As the governor of Henan Province, Jia Heng has a growing prestige among the common people and officials, especially in combination with the great water in Sizhou. Compared with the two, he has also been praised by middle and low-level officials from Henan in Shenjing City. .

Empress Song said softly: "Your Majesty, what did Ziyu's memorial say?"

Emperor Chongping said: "The last memorandum in the Huai'an Mansion mentioned that the Jiangbei battalion was dispatched to Huai'an, and coordinated with Zhao Mo, Shen Fang and others to arrange the dikes and dikes respectively, but the dikes were not built by Zi Yu after all. , Nanhe Yamen..."

At the end, there was still a bit of anger on his face.

Fang Xiu's embankment in Henan has not broken a single place, but the embankment built by Nanhe Governor's Yamen collapsed as soon as it rushed. Well, among the princes above the court, many of them have household registrations in the land of Jianghuai.

This is also the reason why some officials did not cause an uproar by sweeping up the river officials.

Empress Song said with relief: "Ziyu is sitting in the Jianghuai area, so I think there will be a way, Your Majesty."

Emperor Chongping nodded, and said: "Now we can only look at Ziyu, and I can't do anything in Shenjing."

While talking, he seemed to be a little hungry, picked up his chopsticks, suddenly remembered something, and asked: "Jinyang posted a memorial the day before yesterday, and mentioned that she and Xianning had returned to Luoyang first, and they had been sitting in Kaifeng mansion before, and I have added her." I heard that there are still a few girls from the Jia family?"

Empress Song smiled sweetly and said, "Your Majesty, they belong to the historian Baoling Hou and the two daughters of Jia Zheng from the Rongguo Mansion. They were here to visit Ziyu. Xianning wrote yesterday that Ziyu's sons Younger sister, as expected of Wu Xun's daughter, Ziyu was in Kaifeng Mansion at that time, asked them to go back, but they still didn't go back."

A gentle look appeared on Emperor Chongping's face, and he said: "It's rare, it's rare."

As he spoke, he was about to pick up the teacup, but suddenly paused, and said: "Speaking of which, Ziyu has been in Kaifeng for a long time, and his family's Qin family is also worried at home. The queen will reward her with something."

Empress Song said with a smile: "The concubine will pick a few items from the real country and reward them as tribute."

Emperor Chongping didn't say anything anymore and was about to have dinner.

At this moment, Dai Quan came from the outside, with a look of surprise on his face, and said: "Your Majesty, the six-hundred-mile courier just received by the General Secretary was delivered from Qingjiangpu, Huai'an Prefecture, please Your Majesty will take a look."

When Emperor Chongping heard the words, his face was startled for a moment, and then he became happy. He quickly put down his chopsticks, and said in an urging voice, "Bring it here, let me have a look."

Dai Quanlian delivered the memorial.

Emperor Chongping concentrated on reading the memorabilia, and under the concerned eyes of Empress Song, he stopped reading, covered the memorabilia, and sighed softly with a complicated expression.

"Your Majesty." Empress Song pursed her cherry lips and said in a low voice.

Emperor Chongping's complexion changed, and he sighed: "Hongze Lake can't hold it anymore. Ziyu and the others jointly signed the title. The land of Huaiyang should not be lost. It was agreed to release the flood in Yingzhou in the middle reaches to divide the flood. It’s already four days ago, and I think the flood discharge has already started in Yingzhou.”

When Empress Song heard the words, Yurong changed slightly, she was a little shocked for a moment, and said, "Flood release?"

"Ziyu and Zhao Mo went to Yingzhou to resettle the evacuated people. Ziyu also asked me to save autumn food for the people affected by the flood in Yingzhou." Emperor Chongping said softly, his face turned livid, and said: "This Gao Bin, if he can properly supervise the repair of the embankment, is there any danger of the Hongze Lake embankment breaking? How can he be forced to such a degree? check!"

Seeing this, Empress Song comforted her and said, "Your Majesty, calm down."

Emperor Chongping got angry, asked Dai Quan to find a Zhubi, and made an imperial criticism in the memorial, and then he had dinner.

Ningguo Mansion, Back House, Dou Feng Xuan

With lush temples, the beauty in a light red dress stood in front of the window, looking at the vast night outside.

"Sister Qin." At this time, Baochai approached and called out softly. On the girl's snowy face, there was a look of concern, and the plump face in the past had somewhat faded away.

Under Qin Keqing's beautiful eyebrows, the beautiful eyes full of autumn water saw the misty look, and said sadly: "My husband left, it has been more than two months in a blink of an eye."

As Jia Heng has been away from Beijing for a long time, it turns out that Qin Xue and Qin still have some subtleties in their hearts. They have long put aside the awkwardness in the past, and instead they often communicate with each other and become much closer.

Baochai said in relief: "According to the report in the mansion, brother Heng is also under the command of the governor of Hedao. Since summer, there has been heavy rain on the Jianghuai side. I am afraid it will cause floods. Brother Heng is busy now. Let’s wait until the end of the month for this matter.”

After Jia Heng was conferred the title of Uncle Yongning, added the title of Shangshu of the Ministry of War, governor of the Henan military administration, and became a province of border control, Baochai often asked Yinger's trustees to buy mansion newspapers from some yamen clerks at high prices, and read them privately.

I also have an understanding of the major events that happened in the court during this period. From Jia Heng's "Chen He Shishu" to the concurrent leadership of Nanhe Governor, there is a complete context in Baochai's heart.

Qin Keqing's eyes turned to Baochai, her heart moved slightly, and she asked, "Sister Xue, what did the mansion newspaper say?"

Di Bao, she didn't look at those things much before, um, she only cared about the dominoes and mahjong, and she will need to find some to read in the future.

Baochai's moist and shimmering apricot eyes saw the color of thinking, and said softly: "Sister, when I lived in Jinling, when I was a child, there were heavy rains every May and June, and it usually fell until the end of June. The annual rainfall is much smaller, I don’t want to see heavy rains this year, but I think it will only be a few days, there should be news, if there is news, Brother Heng will report it to the court, and Di Baoying will publish it.”

Qin Keqing nodded and said happily: "Then I will send someone to the yamen tomorrow to get a copy, so we sisters can study it."

Baochai was silent for a while, pursed her cherry lips, and said: "Sister, don't worry too much. Brother Heng is planning for rainy days in Henan, and there is nothing wrong with the Yellow River. This time in Huai'an, it will definitely be okay."

Qin Keqing listened to Baochai's words that he was from Kaifeng and Huai'an, feeling unnatural for no reason in her heart, she was silent for a moment, and said softly: "Big sister and third younger sister went there before, I should have found a chance to go there. "

Of course, these words are just a kind of emotion, if given another chance, most likely they will not follow suit.

Baochai sighed softly, she was absent-minded in her almond-rimmed eyes, and Ru Lirui's face also had a hint of loss.

Why didn't she think so?That person has made great achievements outside, and she wants to see him too.

But at the beginning it was the eldest princess of Jinyang who led the people to go south by boat. Firstly, she didn’t know them very well. Secondly, even if she was able to accompany her because of her cousin, and the two prefectures of Rongning and Ningxia were watching, what name would she use to go? ?
Taking a step back, she went to see him, leaving sister Qin here alone?Hmm, there seems to be something wrong.

Just when the two were worried about Jia Heng, Fengyang Mansion, Yingzhou, thousands of miles away——

Jia Heng and Zhao Mo, a cabinet scholar, stood on a high hill, looking at Mengwa and other places that have become a vast ocean in the distance, looking at the roof ridges and poplar treetops protruding from the water, their faces are as mysterious Water, with a heavy heart.

With the help of the Jingying cavalry army and Yingzhou county officials, nearly ten thousand people in the three big towns who originally lived here moved and resettled overnight to other counties in Yingzhou with simple belongings.

In this flood discharge, except for the loss of some property, there were no casualties.

Of course, conflicts with local people are always inevitable. How can there be no resentment when a good home has become a place for flood discharge?

Jia Heng turned to Liao Ye, the magistrate of Yingzhou, and said, "Master Liao, after the disaster victims are resettled, the treasuries in Yangzhou, Huainan and other places will take money from them to respond to the people, so that the people will not be wronged."

This flood discharge is not to ignore everything, but to let the states and counties along the way do a good job of responding, and there will be related compensation for the people thereafter.

Liao Ye's face turned serious, and he cupped his hands and said, "To share the concerns of the imperial court, it is the duty of everyone in Yingzhou."

Jia Heng nodded, looked at the dark clouds rolling in the sky in the distance, turned to look at Zhao Mo, and said, "Old Zhao Ge, I have to go back to Hongze Lake to check the water situation and deploy people, so I won't stay here any longer. Regarding the aftermath here, I also ask the elder Ge to make a handover with the Yamen of Jiang Zuo's chief envoy, and after the flood, I will come to Yingzhou again to take a look at the people here."

Zhao Mo's face turned serious, and he said, "Uncle Yongning just go back to Huai'an first, and this pavilion can just sit here."

In any case, after the flood discharge, the pressure on the lower reaches of the Jianghuai River is much easier, and the compensation is after the event.

"Then I'll be old for Zhao Ge." After this incident, although he still doesn't like Zhao Mo, he still has some ability and structure as a cabinet minister.

Jia Heng didn't delay too much, and under the guard of Jinyi Mansion, he rushed back to Qingjiangpu in Huai'an Mansion in the rain.

When I came to Qingjiangpu, I met the gatekeeper.

With the flood discharge in the middle reaches and the diversion of the Huaihe River, the rising water level of Hongze Lake also stopped.

(End of this chapter)