The Red Mansions

Chapter 725 Jia Heng: I have three strategies...

Ningguo Mansion

As night fell, the lights were brightly lit, and the rain fell gently in the sky, bringing some coolness to the hot summer night.

After Jia Heng took a bath, he changed into a blue shirt and colorful gown. After thinking for a while, he walked quickly towards the Kuayuan where You Shi lived.

Because, when Youshi went south to help the spirit, there were child servants from Jingzhong Jinyi Mansion and Rongguo Mansion secretly guarding, and Jinling could not control the attitude of Jia's mansion. In addition, Qin Keqing gave Youshi Ningguo The half of the mansion is a match, so Youshi was able to live in Ningguo Mansion.

Yindie was carrying hot water, intending to serve Youshi to wash his feet, when he suddenly saw the figure standing in the corridor, he was surprised and delighted and said: "Master Heng, are you here?"

Because she met her in Beijing, the little girl didn't have much fear of Jia Heng.

"Where's your grandma?" Jia Heng smiled and asked, looking at the girl with a bun and an oval face with baby fat.

Yindie hurriedly put down the copper basin in her hand and said: "Master, wait a moment, I'll call it right away."

However, You Shi, who was sitting in the room, had already heard the voice of the conversation outside, hesitantly, moved lotus steps, went out of the inner room, and stood gracefully under the eaves of the corridor.

The beauty is less than [-] years old, wearing a plain skirt with bamboo leaves and cloud patterns, the fabric is as white as frost and snow, almost filial piety, the young woman is plump and exquisite, her white cheeks are as white as jade without any makeup, but if you look carefully, you can still see her lips. The face was still painted with light red rouge, and the cloud-like hair was fastened with a white bead flower hairpin.

The eaves of the corridor are illuminated by lights, the breeze is light and the rain is light, the beauty stands leaning on the railing, her eyebrows and eyes are full of the charm of a wife like water.

At this moment, You Shi has a calm and graceful face, and under the curved and beautiful eyebrows, he looks at the young man quietly, as if he is imprinting the lines of the young man's stern face.

Jia Heng looked at Xiang Suya's dress, the widow with a trace of melancholy in her eyes, nodded, and said softly: "Sister-in-law You, after the recent years, are you okay?"

This sister-in-law doesn't know where to write about it, but it's not easy to call it by other names.

Youshi suddenly heard the young man open his mouth, and for some reason, he felt his nose sore, and the beautiful eyes under the beautiful eyebrows were misty, and said softly: "Thank you, Master Heng, for your concern, let's talk inside."

While talking, Xiang invited Jia Heng into the room to sit down, controlled his emotions, took a handkerchief and gently wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.

Jia Heng nodded, stepped into the hall, sat down on a chair at a round table, looked around at the simple and elegant furnishings, and wondered if it was a few wisps of smoked sandalwood, and there was a faint fragrance floating in the air. Bluegrass aroma.

Youshi turned his eyes to Yindie and said: "Yindie, go and make this year's new Biluochun."

Said, sat down, looked at the young man with beautiful eyes, and asked: "When did you come here, have you eaten?"

Jia Heng withdrew his warm gaze, and said softly: "In the evening, I had dinner with the welcoming clansmen."

At this moment, Yindie took the teacup and passed it over. Jia Heng thanked her, looked at the beauty who was staring at her affectionately, and said, "Sister-in-law You, you have been in Jinling for more than half a year. Second sister and The third sister misses my sister-in-law very much."

Facing the warm and jade-like eyes, You Shi turned his eyes slightly to the side, looked at the bamboo and stone screen not far behind the young man, and said softly: "I'm fine in Jinling, I can eat and sleep, and they don't have to worry about it too much." miss me."

After a moment of silence, he said softly: "Second sister and third sister wrote last time that you made great contributions when you arrived in Henan, and you were named earl."

In the blink of an eye for more than half a year, the title of the young man in front of him has risen again. It is said that he is now a first-class uncle of a big man. Even when Duke Daihua was alive, he was far behind.

Jia Heng picked up the teacup, took a sip, looked up at the pretty and dignified beauty in filial piety, and said softly, "Thanks to the grace of the palace, I was granted the title."

Youshi raised his eyes and took a peek at the young man, and said: "You are a dragon and phoenix among people, and in the future you will be granted the title of Duke like Duke Ning and Rong."

Jia Heng said: "Sister-in-law You is too famous."

You Shi turned his eyes away again, and under the table, clutching a white handkerchief, repeated back and forth, and asked softly: "How are the third sister and the second sister at the house, do you have a letter?"

Hearing this, Jia Heng took out the letter from her bosom, and said softly: "The third sister and the second sister each entrusted me with a letter, sister-in-law You can read it."

Saying that, he delivered the envelope.

You Shi hurriedly reached out to take the envelope, but waited for the fingertips with nails to touch the palm of the man, as if getting an electric shock, his heart trembled, he quickly took the letter, and began to open the envelope by the light.

Jia Heng got up, took the candlestick at the side, put it on the table, the candle was close, and said: "It's a bit dark, be careful not to damage your eyes."

Hearing the young man's soft words, You Shi couldn't help trembling her delicate body, she quickly lowered her beautiful eyes like water, and the white beads between the lush hair on her temples shook slightly, thanked in a low voice, and stared at the letter , The beautiful and graceful text came into view.

As the letter paper was "swipe" one after another between the palms and fingers, Youshi was slightly startled, and immediately read it quickly. For some reason, her cheeks flushed into a glow, she quickly covered the letter paper, and raised her moist and soft eyes Ding Ding looked at the young man, and said softly: "What about you and the third sister? Is this... settled?"

For some reason, the young woman's voice trembled a little.

Jia Heng nodded and said: "Well, Third Sister is quite a nice person, but Qing also likes her quite a bit, by the way, what did she write in the letter?"

Keqing likes her, and he doesn't reject her, so let's give Keqing a helper.

Youshi's eyebrows were curved, and her beautiful eyes were soft and wavy. There seemed to be a touch of panic, and she quickly hid the letter in the envelope, and said softly: "She didn't say anything."

The third sister was crazy, what did she say in the letter, wouldn't it be beautiful for the three sisters to serve one husband and compete in the same bed?The third sister is really... Is there too much in the storybook?
Jia Heng looked at the widow opposite who blushed for some reason, and said softly, "Sister-in-law You, why didn't you return to Beijing after you finished your work here?"

Youshi glanced at the young man, and said in a low voice: "After Fu Ling was buried, he stayed here to observe his filial piety. He originally thought that he would go back after the end of the year when it was more peaceful. The roads in Henan are not stable, and Huaibei heard that there was a flood. , I have the Jinling Mansion newspaper here, and the news is also well-informed."

Did he want her back?

"Dibao?" Jia Heng asked in surprise.

It is not surprising that Youshi can read and understand the mansion newspaper, perhaps he learned the news in Beijing through the mansion newspaper.

Seeing that she missed the point, You Shifang's heart skipped a beat, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly explained: "Turn it over in your spare time."

Jia Heng pondered for a moment, changed the subject, and asked: "But Qing, Third Sister, and Sister-in-law Feng are all thinking about you. By the way, there have been a lot of incidents in Beijing recently. Second Brother Lian was involved in an incident. The smuggling case, and the elder was exiled to Guizhou."

"The third sister told me in a letter earlier." When Youshi said this, he sighed softly, and said in a low voice: "Feng girl, she always wants to be strong, and she doesn't know what to do when something like this happens in the family." How to be angry."

You Shi and Sister Feng have a very good relationship with each other, and they have a lot of contacts in the original novel of the Red Chamber. They usually laugh and curse, and tell nasty jokes about women, which are normal things.

Jia Heng said: "Here in Jinling, what's the situation in the clan?"

Mrs. You made up his mind, and said: "In Ningguo, Jiazi is in charge, and the generations of Daizi are all old, and they are all raised at home, while in Rongguo, Jialong is in charge. Jia You and his son, I heard that you whipped them in Huai'an Mansion?"

Speaking of this, the beauty frowned and looked at the boy opposite.

Jia Heng said in a deep voice: "They don't know the general idea. They take advantage of the flood in the north of the Yangtze River to hoard goods and make a lot of money in the country's calamity. I used to punish them with small punishments."

Now all the way here, the impact of the flood in Jiangbei is almost unnoticeable. Along the way, many local officials wanted to board the boat to ask for an interview, but they were all ordered by him as an imperial envoy, so they could not stay and refuse politely.

"Jinling talked about it for a while before, but there was nothing good to say. They were all slanderous words, so it's okay not to say anything." Youshi exposed the matter, looked at the young man, and said, "You are right about this matter."

Jia Heng looked at the young woman, smiled, and said softly: "That's fine, I won't ask."

Taking a look at the sky, he said: "It's not early today, so I'll be here first. In the past two days, sister Lin was thinking about looking around. Sister-in-law You knows where there is fun, so she can be a guide."

You Shi was surprised and said, "Madam Lin is here too?"

Jia Heng smiled and said: "Yes, I came here from Yangzhou. Jinling is the capital of several dynasties, and there are many places of interest here."

Said, did not stop much, got up and left.

You Shi returned to the wing room again, sat on a few stools beside the round table, looked at the half-cup of remnant tea that was emitting steam, and sighed inwardly.

Picking up the letter in his hand, his eyes were lost for a moment.

The third sister got what she wanted, and the second sister could have a place to live if she wanted to, but she... Maybe she has been a widow for the rest of her life.

Jia Heng left the You's courtyard, and was taken aback for a moment, looking at the girl in Tsing Yi standing with her sword in her arms, wearing a bamboo hat, and the green smoked gauze hanging down on both sides of her shoulders, it was really quiet.

"Why are you so elusive?" Jia Heng frowned and asked.

Chen Xiao glanced at the brightly lit mansion behind him, and said in a low voice, "Wang Shouqi really went to Liangjiang Governor's Yamen to meet Shen Bing."

Jia Heng said: "This Wang Shouqi may not know that we are monitoring him. He is so ostentatious, and he did it for me. The governor of Liangjiang, a big official in the frontier, is a good backer."

This is the survival wisdom of merchants in this land, using officials to control officials.

Chen Xiao looked thoughtful and asked, "Then what should you do?"

"Look again, be safe and don't be impatient." Jia Heng said in a low voice with gloomy eyes. Immediately, he walked towards Daiyu's courtyard, and suddenly paused, looking at the slim and beautiful Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiaoqing's eyes flickered, and she asked with a puzzled expression, "What's wrong?"

"Bamboo hat, veil, and heroine's attire are quite suitable for you." Jia Heng said softly, and lightly patted Chen Xiao's shoulder to wipe off the rain on it.

Chen Xiao glanced at Jia Heng, but didn't knock down the hand, and said angrily, "I don't know why."

Is it just a compliment anyway?This is actually heard.

As Jia Heng said, he came to the courtyard where Daiyu was, the lights in the wing room were like beans, and there was no sound, he nodded towards Xiren and entered the wing room.

Daiyu sat behind the desk and read a book, her delicate and picturesque eyebrows were full of thoughts, when she heard the voice of conversation from outside, she followed the prestige and saw the familiar figure, she couldn't help but feel happy.

"Sister, you haven't fallen asleep yet." Jia Heng looked at Daiyu and asked gently.

Because Yuanyang went to Ningguo Mansion and reunited with Jin's father and Jin's mother who were looking at the house, Jia Heng lost a little bit of "everyone with a straight face..." uncomfortable.

Daiyu put down the collection of poems and essays in her hand, staring at the young man with dewy starry eyes under her beautiful eyebrows, and said: "Can't sleep, Brother Heng finished his work?"

Jia Heng nodded and said with a smile, "I'm done."

Then, walking slowly to Daiyu's side, Zijuan quietly left the wing room at this moment, obviously going to watch the wind under the eaves of the corridor.

Jia Heng and Daiyu sat side by side behind the desk, Daiyu leaned her head in the arms of the young boy beside her, and they hugged each other quietly without speaking.

Jia Heng gently grabbed Daiyu's plain hand, and said in a low voice: "Your sister seems to be worried?
In fact, there is no need to look at words and expressions, Daiyu's thoughts are all written on a pair of smoky eyebrows and tactful glances.

"I don't." Daiyu shook her head lightly, the starry eyes under her smoldering eyebrows were condensed, but there was a sweetness in her heart.

Jia Heng picked up the letterhead on the table, said with a light smile, "I just lowered my brows, but my heart is on my mind. These are the words of Lay Yi An, and my sister said that she has nothing to worry about."

In fact, I can guess some of it. It was because he was eating sheep on the boat. This is not the era of fast food and love in the previous life. In this era, anyone who puts it on him will feel uneasy.

What's more, it's a young girl who couldn't hold back before, and naturally she would get burnt if she ate mutton.

Jia Heng's eyes flickered, but he guessed some of the reasons, lightly stroked Daiyu's bangs, and said in a low voice: "Your sister is worried that she won't be able to marry me?"

Daiyu: "???"

The girl's heart was punctured all of a sudden, and she said it in a joking tone, which almost made Daiyu feel ashamed and annoyed, but she didn't know what to say for a while.

Jia Heng smiled, and said softly: "Sister Lin, I definitely want to marry in eight sedan chairs, but I was thinking about one thing."

When Daiyu heard this, she was overjoyed, her cheeks were slightly ashamed, and she said angrily, "Who, who is going to marry you."

As he spoke, he asked again: "What is Big Brother Heng thinking about?"

Jia Heng looked at the candle, and said softly: "My uncle is getting old. For many years, he has no heirs. The ancestors of the Lin family are in danger of extinction. It makes people feel really sad. People say that they will never forget, and there will be echoes." , the incense burns continuously, probably for this reason.”

The reason why people in this era value males is not that there is an inheritance of the throne in the family. Apart from the blood memory of ancestor worship, there is also the continuation of life and the passing of the torch.

Just like the human civilization in the Three-Body Problem, in the end, human courage composes an epic hymn in the universe. Human footprints are all over the universe, and no one can live forever in the world, only death.

If the ancient ancestors did not have such deep-rooted "feudal" thinking, then who owns the world in this land of China?It's really black and white, vacating the cage to change the bird?
He respects the self-selection of personal values ​​in the era of industrial civilization, but looking at the entire ethnic group, life and reproduction, civilization passed on from generation to generation, endless... are eternal themes.

Hearing that her father was mentioned, Daiyu was a little confused for a moment, so she bit her pink lips with her white teeth and said in a low voice: "This father..."

Jia Heng stroked Daiyu's beautiful hair lightly, and said in a low voice, "I was thinking, why don't my sister marry."

Hearing this, Daiyu's small face was snow-white, and her delicate body was trembling non-stop. She felt a pain in her heart, and her starry eyes, which were shining in the past, dimmed.

It turned out that he had lied to her, got her body, and then... just abandoned her.

Don't marry her, don't marry...

Jia Heng looked down at the teary-eyed, grief-stricken girl, pinched that greasy little face, lightly pecked the girl's cherry lips, and said softly, "Sister Lin, why is she thinking wildly again?"

"Ah?" Daiyu's starry eyes moved slightly, and the tears she stored slowly flowed down her cheeks, she pursed her pink lips, feeling extremely wronged.

Are you still making fun of her?

Jia Heng held her pink and soft face, gently wiped Daiyu's teardrops with her thumb, and said softly: "I think my uncle has no children, if I have a boy with my younger sister, then I have to be adopted by the Lin family." Incense, besides, when I have made great contributions to the state society in the future, see if I can get a marriage from the palace, I will still marry my younger sister, but my younger sister is not considered married."

In fact, he can also force Daiyu and Baochai to be appointed wives, and if he really becomes the king of the county one day, he will also become a side concubine.

It's just that there is a faint idea, or a strong impulse in his heart.

Since it is a concubine, one is a princess and the other is a princess, then one is a concubine of the Tian family, and the other is a concubine of the folk.

He had already thought about the reasons. The royal family thought that the etiquette system set an example, and married the princess and the princess. In order to promote the folk plan, it was always a common law.

Because the captain-in-law captain himself has some meaning of becoming a son-in-law.

But after all, this idea is too wishful thinking, too shocking, too perfect...so that heaven is jealous.

It can be said that all of this requires a lot of credit. It can be said that it almost requires the emperor or the officials of the Han court to immerse themselves in the sea of ​​joy after the big victory... and in the blur of Shuang's consciousness, they almost can't help but admit that he is absurd. proposal.

At most, let me say one thing, the hero is sad about the beauty pass, and the next one is not an example.

Then maybe wait until the Jurchen is destroyed, thinking that the way of self-preservation may be like abolishing Duoduo, like killing the captive chieftain Huang Taiji, and take the opportunity to invite each other to "take the captives to self-respect".

Well, of course, the above is an analogy, and it is impossible for him to go to Liaodong to assassinate Huang Taiji himself. In short, if he wants to suppress criticism, he needs a certain price.

For the emperor, in fact, for the sake of the war in the East, he really didn't pay much attention to these etiquettes, and he might not be unwilling to create a good story through the ages.

As far as the courtiers were concerned, they wished that he was absurd, so that his personal virtues would have something more to criticize.

To put it bluntly, you have contributed too much, and other people have turned a blind eye except to criticize your personal morality.

At that time, maybe it was true, "Walk the hairpin and Dai in the southeast, enjoy the day and night together, embrace the palace of the emperor and daughter, and the second concubine Zhen."

Yin and Yang and five elements circulate, he has everything in the southeast, northwest, and Qin Keqing lives in the middle, with Xianning, Qinghe, and Chaidai on the left and right.

Fortunately, Daiyu and Baochai are still very young, and they can still wait for that day.

This is the best policy, um, almost a daydream.

Of course, the second best strategy is to be the side concubine of the county king. Of course, before that, the first son of the Lin family, or "concubine", was surnamed Lin, in exchange for Lin Ruhai's emotional concessions.

It is equivalent to using his price to help the Lin family to be low-key and to prevent Daiyu from being looked down upon by the world. It still needs great achievements to support it, and it is necessary to settle the pressure from the royal family, such as Empress Song and Concubine Duanrong. will be too big.

The worst policy would be, the universe is round and round, and there are rules of its own. If you say what you say, you can do what you say. At that time, maybe Jinyang can also... the former eldest princess, and the current empress.

But that is a road full of thorns, and he has no intention of stealing the country. Besides, for such a small matter of eating and drinking for men and women, it is too childish. Kuang Xianning and Jinyang will not allow him emotionally. Usurping the inheritance of the father-in-law and uncle.

Well, in short, he has three strategies, up, down, and down, which can solve the problem of status, but it really can't. Is there any extinct family in Jinling Twelve Houses?

Then, it may return to the old fan of Romance. Although the best strategy is good, the perfect heaven is jealous, but it can be met but not sought.

In Qing history, only Yu Wenyun, Emperor Xuan of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, established five queens and was scolded as absurd.

In the end, the middle strategy is a combination of firmness and softness, which can be implemented. Although there are some small regrets, if there is no regret in life, then how boring would it be?
But whether it is the three strategies of up, middle, down or other things, there is a premise, let the secular etiquette adapt to him, not him to adapt to the secular etiquette.

The current predicament is still insufficient and unbalanced development, and problems must be solved in the process of development. Even Daiyu's concern is still a problem in his development.

At this moment, Daiyu listened to Jia Heng's "marriage proposal", her originally pale cheeks were already blushing like a rosy cloud, glowing like fire, thinking about the "children" that Jia Heng said in her heart, her mood calmed down for a while.

(End of this chapter)