The Red Mansions

Chapter 698 Baoyu: Sister Lin is gone, gone, and will never come back...

Time flies, seasons flow, rabbits run away, stars turn, and in the blink of an eye, it is the day when Jia Heng leaves Beijing. He is full of plans. Actually, Jia Heng didn't stay in Beijing for a long time. He came back for more than ten days, lingering in the flowers.

Could it be that after going out to fight for several months, can't you come back and enjoy it?
On this day, the weather was fine, the willows were soft, the breeze was blowing, and the lake was rippling. In the morning, the Lingyan Ferry in the east city of Shenjing was crowded with people and the flags covered the sun.

There are boats with sails hanging on the river, and teams of guards wearing flying fish suits and embroidered spring knives stand on the boats and on the shore, with solemn faces, holding swords and wings for protection.

On the lucky boat, the second floor of the cabin

Daiyu is wearing a white background with a red collar and a printed pleated skirt, and a red and white pleated skirt. The red and white skirt undoubtedly adds a bit of beauty to the young girl.

The girl was holding a book with a blue cover, under her smoldering eyebrows that seemed to be curled up, her bright starry eyes were gently flipping the bamboo curtain, peeping at the person who was seeing them off.

But seeing the young man in the python suit and the mountain crown standing with his sword, he looked like a tall and straight pine and cypress, his side face was illuminated by the mid-noon sun, his lines were cold, his sword eyebrows slanted into his temples, occasionally frowned, and immediately turned to the side The military officer in brocade clothes ordered.

Today is the day when Jia Heng left Beijing, because he told Princess Xianning and Princess Jinyang in advance that he did not need to send them off, so only some generals from the Beijing camp were sent off.

Just as Daiyu was staring blankly, the mandarin duck had already picked up the brightly cut red watermelon and brought it to Daiyu. The girl with the duck egg face was sweating profusely from her temples, glowing with crystal luster, and her white jade face was smiling. Bright and bright, she said softly, "Girl, let's eat a piece of watermelon."

Daiyu turned her eyes to look at Yuanyang, and said softly, "Thank you, sister Yuanyang."

Because she was a maid who came out of Jiamu's house, Daiyu usually called her sister Yuanyang, but this time Daiyu went south to Yangzhou, not only did she have an extra servant girl, Yuanyang, but also Xiren.

Xiren held a fan at the side and gently fanned Daiyu's side. He smiled and said, "It's been too hot these days, girl, don't suffer from heatstroke."

Zijuan took a wet towel wrung with clear water, handed it to Daiyu, and said softly: "After sailing, there will be wind, so it will be cooler."

"Xiren, you can also eat a piece of melon, just take a rest, it's quite hot today." Daiyu looked at Xiren with flushed cheeks, and said softly.

For some reason, she just went back to Yangzhou, how could the maids look like they were taking care of children.

At this moment, there was the sound of stepping on the stairs outside the cabin, followed by a familiar cold voice, "Is sister Lin in?"

"Brother Heng." Daiyu looked at the young man in the python suit who came in through the curtain, stood up, her brows and eyes were as gloomy as misty rain in Xiaoxiang, like the vast mist in the Dongting, and she saw a glimmer of light.

"It's quite hot today." But the young man stretched out his hand to untie the black string under the mountain crown tied under his jaw, his stern and delicate face seemed to melt ice and snow, and he smiled gently, saying: "I cut the melon, let me taste it." together."

Qingwen pouted her pink lips, twisted her water snake's waist, followed every step, opened the bead curtain, entered the room, and said softly: "Young master, give me the official hat."

Daiyu looked at the sweat dripping from the young man's forehead, and said softly, "Brother Heng, wipe off the sweat, your face is covered with sweat."

For some reason, after coming out, just looking at the scenery on both sides of the strait, it seems that even the mood feels brighter and lighter.

Jia Heng picked up the handkerchief to wipe away the sweat from his face, smiled lightly and said, "Wash your face with clean water later, it's quite hot today."

At this moment, the boatman's "boat" chant came from outside, and then the sound of "crash la la" gradually came, and the boats began to go down the water, and the boats set sail along the Guangtong Canal. Riding the wind and breaking the waves, the boats carrying more than a thousand Jinyiti riders followed suit.

After Jia Heng washed her face, she came to sit opposite Daiyu's young couple. Daiyu's white red maple leaf dress was quite eye-catching. She looked at the book next to Daiyu's hand and asked, "What book does my sister read?"

Daiyu handed over the scripture in her hand, Liu Mei staringly smiled, and said in a low voice: "There are no good scriptures in Jingzhong. Didn't Brother Heng tell stories with Sister Yun and the others before? I heard that he told a lot of stories. Intentional story."

Jia Heng picked up the watermelon and ate it lightly. It was a scorching summer day, and the taste was sweet, and said: "Yes, Xiangyun likes to listen to stories, and she likes to listen to all kinds of weird stories, and I told her a lot. .”

"Brother Heng, tell me about it later, otherwise, the boat trip will be quite boring." Daiyu said with staring eyes.

At this time, entertainment activities are quite scarce, and listening to stories for entertainment has become an after-dinner affair.

And Daiyu really likes to listen to stories. In the original book, Baoyu can tell Daiyu the story of a little mouse stealing Xiangyu, but Baoyu has a big face, so he just lies on Daiyu's bed.

On Yuanyang's snow-white and greasy face, there was also some anticipation, and he lifted the teapot and poured Jia Heng a cup of tea.

Jia Heng nodded, thought for a while, looked at Daiyu, met those star-like eyes, and said: "I will tell you a story about "Flowers in the Mirror" later."

"Mirror Flowers" was written in the Qing Dynasty, and later generations also published TV series, which is the story of Tang Ao going to the country of daughters, the country of gentlemen, and the country of no intestines.

After talking about "Flowers in the Mirror", you can actually talk about female-oriented costume dramas such as Langya Bang. After being baptized by later generations of film and television dramas, what he lacks most is stories. "And some stories about Li Yu, um, a certain futon is fine.

Seeing the young man using watermelon, Daiyu also picked up a piece of watermelon and ate it in small bites. Under the delicate willow-leaf eyebrows, her starry eyes fixedly looked at the young man.

At this moment, maybe the girl didn't even realize that the farther away Shenjing was and the closer her hometown was, the stronger the joy of getting out of the cage and being carefree.

After eating the watermelon, Jia Heng wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, and narrated the story of "Flowers in the Mirror" under the expectant eyes of several people.

After talking about it for a few times, Daiyu tilted her head slightly, asked if she didn't understand, and said softly: "Brother Heng, how can the emperor in the world control the gods in the sky?"

Jia Hengdao: "Emperors in the world have always paid attention to the relationship between heaven and man. The emperor is called the son of heaven, and the fate of humanity is favored. The so-called son of the emperor of heaven naturally possesses supreme power. As recorded in the historical records, my sister should have read the historical records. The emperor of Yanhuang even You can order the gods of water and fire, the gods of mountains, rivers and rivers to listen to their edicts, add Vega to Kyushu, and follow what they say."

Daiyu thought for a while, and said softly: "All flowers bloom in winter, and the flower god obeyed, but later Baihua fairy also had a flower god, who was punished and relegated to the world. Did the flower god mishear the order?"

Jia Heng smiled and said: "That's almost what it means, but it's just a wedge in the story, leading to the follow-up story, so don't go into it."

As he spoke, he picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea.

Daiyu nodded her head, rested her cheek on one side, and looked at the eloquent and soft-spoken young man. Compared with the usual indifference and alienation, he was undoubtedly much more kind and easy-going.

Daiyu suppressed the wild thoughts in her heart, and said softly: "Brother Heng, let's continue."

Jia Heng moistened his throat, and continued to tell the following story. The journey was slow, and it didn't have to be fleeting, but rather eloquent.

Daiyu listened to Jia Heng's story and gradually calmed down. Her starry eyes showed thoughts from time to time, but it was only after a long time that she asked questions. Jia Heng was drinking tea to soothe her throat.

Mandarin ducks and attackers are also immersed in

Only Qingwen pouted her small cherry mouth, which was painted with bright red rouge, and looked at the cardamom girl with gloomy eyebrows and serious ears.

"Miss Lin looks a little more like her. My son may be... Aiwujiwu." Qingwen, who had just learned idioms, thought so.

In the city of Shenjing, the Han residence

In the morning, a few cicadas in the courtyard were sucking the sap between the leaves of the sycamore tree. Perhaps it was because of the scorching heat that they made noisy cicadas from time to time.

"He's gone?" In the study, Han Huang, the second assistant to the cabinet, was dressed in casual clothes, slowly put down a book in his hand, and turned to look at Yan Hong, the Secretary of the Imperial College.

Yan Hong whispered: "Take the boat and lead the guards of Jinyi Mansion to the south."

Jia Heng, a military minister in charge of the privy secretaries and a well-known commander in chief of the Beijing camp, suddenly took a boat to leave Beijing and head south. Even though he didn't announce it in the residence newspaper, he still attracted the attention of important officials in the central and central courts of Beijing.

"Do you know where you went?" Han Huang asked.

Because Jia Heng accepted the secret decree accepted by the governor of Jinyi, and did not publicize it in the mansion newspaper. No one knew where Jia Heng was going to do business. It might be to Henan, a land of early peace, or to Yangzhou, or Probably somewhere else.

Yan Hong's eyes were dim, and he lowered his voice and said, "Brother, I didn't find out, but I guess it's Yangzhou. It was reported in the daily residence newspaper that a fire broke out in the warehouse of the Yangzhou Salt Transport Department and burned down unknown books and documents. It caused a lot of criticism, and the officials in Beijing and China had different opinions, and the emperor sent Yongning Bo to the south, presumably to thoroughly investigate the case."

The world is connected and developing, so news should not only be read in bound volumes, but also news from multiple channels should be read together. Smart people often deduce clues to policy trends from several news. There is also a subject in informatics It's called open source intelligence analysis.

Especially some bureaucrats in central Beijing have a very sensitive sense of politics. Qi Kun started to turn over old accounts in the Jinling household department, and the fire in the Yangzhou storage warehouse caused some officials to speculate, and they were all observing the court's movements.

"The Holy Majesty has endured humiliation for many years. After the First World War in the Central Plains, the atmosphere of the court has changed, and it's time to go to war." Han Huang closed the book in his hand, his expression dignified.

The salt affairs had deep-rooted malpractices and were widely involved. Although it was mainly around the relatives of the Emperor Taishang, the Yangzhou salt merchants weaved a large network, and everyone in Jinling was on this network, and he did not know the specifics.

Yan Hong whispered: "Brother, why don't you send a letter to Jinling?"

In the last few words, the voice that had been lowered was lowered a little again.

Han Huang nodded, and said in a low voice, "Don't let people from Jinyi Mansion and the inner guards catch you."

Of course, it is not sending people thousands of miles to Yangzhou and Jinling to report the news, nor is it going to the Beijing office like Zuoyuan, but sending people to deliver the news to Jinling's guild hall in Shenjing, so that it can be delivered to Nanjing through convenient channels .

Yan Hong nodded and said, "Brother, with Uncle Yongning's temperament, I'm afraid we have to make plans early."

Han Huang was silent for a moment, and said in a low voice: "Shen Jiefu sent a letter the day before yesterday, mentioning the matter of salt affairs. The yamen of the governor of Liangjiang will take care of the salt affairs and can collect 200 million taels more for the court. Let's wait for the news of Yongningbo's arrival in Yangzhou .”

The accumulated debts and shortfalls of the warehouse are the surpluses that have been deficient for many years. Those involving a lot of floating money have to be recovered by Jia Heng, but the power of Yangzhou Salt is the most important thing.

This is an old hen that lays golden eggs.

Jinyang Princess Palace
Among the waterside pavilions, the eldest princess of Jinyang, dressed in a red dress and a cloud bun, sat on a rattan chair, holding a fishing rod in her slender hand, and Li Chanyue who was beside her also picked up the fishing rod, but the girl's beautiful jade Yan Shang, somewhat absent-minded.

"Mother, why don't you let me go see off Mr. Jia?" Li Chanyue turned her face and asked with Zang Xingyunyue's eyes crystal clear.

Princess Jinyang raised the fishing rod lightly, and said, "There are so many people staring at you, what did you give as a gift?"

Li Chanyue said softly: "But Mr. Jia often comes to the Princess Mansion, and he hasn't seen any gossip."

"He's here for the Ministry of Internal Affairs." Princess Jinyang said softly, looked at Li Chanyue, and said softly: "It's really a girl who doesn't want to stay."

Princess Jinyang said, with her beautiful eyes painted with rose-red eye shadow, charming and flowing, she looked at the little princess with a half-smile, and joked: "It seems that Xiao Chanyue has tasted the sweetness, and she can't get tired of it?"

Li Chanyue blushed into a glow, threw away the fishing rod, and said in embarrassment: "Mother, don't make fun of me all the time."

"My mother is just curious. How did he tease our family, Chanyue? It hasn't happened yet, and I have already begun to obsess over it." Princess Jinyang said softly with a smile on her face.

Li Chanyue's cheeks were blushing, and she said angrily, "Mother~"

What else?Mr. Jia is eloquent. Every time we meet, if there is a disagreement, he hugs and kisses and whispers embarrassing words in his ear.

Seeing that Li Chanyue couldn't restrain herself, Princess Jinyang didn't ask any more questions, but just sighed softly from the bottom of her heart, don't really have a husband and forget your mother.

Li Chanyue calmed down, changed the topic, and asked curiously: "What did mother and cousin Xiao say that day?"

The day before yesterday, Jia Heng led Chen Xiao to the Prince's Mansion in Jinyang. When the aunt and nephew met, there was no surprise, and then they retreated from the crowd. The aunt and nephew had a conversation alone, and then Chen Xiao followed Jia Heng to Yangzhou.

On the beautiful and beautiful face of the eldest princess of Jinyang, the bright smile gradually disappeared, and she said in a low voice: "I didn't say anything, just let her follow you, Mr. Jia."

She just lied to Chen Ling to calm her down.

At this moment, the female official said from the outside: "Princess, His Highness Xianning is here."

"Your cousin is here too, waiting for you to play with her." Princess Jinyang chuckled, hiding the quiet light in her beautiful eyes.

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall

Jia Mu sat on the Arhat bed, Mrs. Xing and Mrs. Wang sat on the embroidered pier on the left and right, and Fengwan, Aunt Xue, Baochai, Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xiangyun all sat on the left and right, with beautiful pearls and beautiful jewels. , pink hairpin cloud servant girl.

Mother Jia took Lao Junmei's green tea from Hu Po, lowered her head, took a sip, and asked, "Girl Feng, Brother Heng is gone?"

"I left, but I didn't let him see me off. I said it was too ostentatious at the ferry." Sister Feng said softly with a smile on her gorgeous jade face, and a strange feeling surged up in her heart, and the man left just like that.

Mother Jia sighed, with emotion on her old face, and said: "It's hard for him, I just returned to Beijing and have to go out for ten days."

In the past two days, I felt a little regretful in my heart, I shouldn't have let him take the mandarin duck with me, since the mandarin duck was not by my side to serve me, I couldn't be bothered.

In fact, even Jia Mu herself didn't know whether it was a mandarin duck or a Daiyu.

Aunt Xue smiled, and said from the side: "Brother Heng is busy with important national affairs, and he will make great contributions when he comes back, maybe he will be promoted to a noble title."

As soon as this remark came out, Jia Mu smiled and said: "This is not a war. It is so easy to get a title. If you really want to be able to make meritorious service, you may have other rewards. You can't think about any rewards. Why?" It was his duty to share worries in the palace."

Baochai was sitting at the side, upon hearing these words, a plump and soft face was lifted up slightly, and thoughts were faintly seen in the moist almond eyes.

He also mentioned this matter before, if he had the opportunity, he would ask for grace.

Mother Jia asked Sister Feng, and asked with concern: "How is Brother Heng's daughter-in-law?"

Sister Feng smiled, and said with a smile: "Old Ancestor, Keqing is a little disappointed. I have been talking with her these two days, and it is only now that we have not been together for a long time, and we parted again."

As soon as Jia Heng left, Sister Feng naturally got another chance, and later on she could sleep in the same room with Qin Keqing and talk, in the wing room of Mrs. Yipin Gaoming. The self-reward, atmosphere and realism are like no other.

Li Wan was sitting quietly at the side. The young woman with Huaxin was wearing a dark blue silk dress with a semicircular pattern and a collar, and a light blue dress. As a widow, naturally she couldn't wear a red dress, and even jewelry Some old and dull styles.

Only in the middle of the night can I change into the clothes of earlier years, but after that there is endless sadness.

The young woman has a tranquil appearance, with a pair of slender hands folded in front of her body, but in her hands, she is playing with a silk-woven lake-blue handkerchief. Because it is not a pink handkerchief, it is quite in line with the widow's poor temperament, but it will not Suspicious.

Li Wan listened to Jia Mu talking about Jia Heng's affairs by his ears, in his watery clear eyes, he suddenly saw a loss of consciousness, but immediately turned back to his thoughts, his face remained unchanged.

While everyone was chatting and laughing, a nun came over from behind the screen and said, "Old lady, Second Master Bao is back."

It turns out that ever since Jia Heng presented Baoyu with a poem to persuade him to learn, Jia Zheng has been urging Baoyu to study in school more and more severely, and no one can say that it is not easy.

Today is not the school resting, Baoyu only feels restless, but when he comes back from the school, he quickly enters the hall, sees the hairpin skirt and jacket in Rongqing hall, and looks for the familiar figure.

"Old Ancestor, where's Sister Lin?" Baoyu suddenly asked when everyone looked around in amazement.

Jiamu smiled, looked at Baoyu kindly, and said, "You forgot? Your sister and your eldest brother Heng went to Yangzhou to see your uncle."

Baoyu heard that it was a thunderbolt in the clear sky, as if being killed by thunder. For a while, his soul flew into the sky, and he was dumbfounded.

"Baoyu, my Baoyu, my darling, what's the matter with you?" Seeing that Baoyu was in a daze, with straight eyes, Jia's mother felt that something was wrong, and called out quickly.

Because the mandarin ducks were not there, Hu Po was stunned for a while, and then watched Ping'er lead the dumbfounded Baoyu to Jia Mu.

Seeing Baoyu's distraught appearance, Mrs. Wang was startled. She got up and said anxiously, "Baoyu, what's wrong with you?"

Baochai put the teacup delivered by Yinger on the small table beside her, pursed her red lips, and quietly looked at the young man who was being called by Jiamu in her arms, He sighed softly from the bottom of his heart.

Baoyu burst into tears, like a full moon with mourning on his face, raised his face to look at Jia Mu, and said: "Sister Lin is gone, gone, and will never come back."

Everyone in Rongqing Hall looked at each other, not knowing why.

Sister Feng's Liu Shao eyebrows, Dan Feng's eyes shone with shrewdness, blinked, and there was a faint understanding in her heart.

The thoughts of these little children, Sister Feng's thoughts are exquisite and clear. How could Baoyu, who grew up eating rouge since childhood, know those...frivolous intestines?
It's just that Brother Heng shouldn't be there?Sister Lin is so young, but Brother Heng didn't even see two beautiful beauties, so it's not a little girl.

Well, speaking of it, it seems that Brother Heng is not very old, no, Brother Heng is...

Thinking about the depths, in the calm and waveless heart lake, I can't help but reflect the inconspicuous mountain that day, the young woman narrowed her long and narrow phoenix eyes slightly, and her face as gorgeous as rose petals couldn't help but blush a little.

I can't usually think about this...

(End of this chapter)