The Red Mansions

Chapter 978 Baochai: It's me...not worthy.

Taimiao
In the morning, on the square made of white marble in front of the solemn and solemn palace, it was bright and blazing, and the civil and military officials of the Han Dynasty in various official robes stood in line. start.

At this moment, all the civil and military officials of the great Han Dynasty inside and outside the palace looked enviously and jealously at the boy in the python suit who accompanied the emperor.

The name is a foreign relative, but it is actually a thigh. Weng and his son-in-law are no different from each other. It is almost foreseeable that the next 20 years will be the era of this Duke of Wei.

In other words, as long as Jurchen survives, Duke Wei's power will never decline!
The cabinet ministers Zhao Mo and Han Huang felt a deep worry in their hearts.

However, it is difficult for such worrying words to gain broad consensus, because when Chen Han founded the country, the King of Guangjun appointed four of them, and he did not see any disobedience from them, so where did Jia Heng go?

And as the voice of the ceremonial officer sounded, it also interrupted some people's thoughts. The civil and military officials held ivory jade wats, strode solemnly into the hall of the palace, and paid respects to the ancestors of Chen Han.

After three kneeling and nine kowtows, the ceremony official opened his mouth to recite the essay written by Lu Li, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, mainly describing the whole story of the fall of Liaodong, accusing the Jurchen of blood debts, and in addition to describing the great victory in Ping'an Prefecture, the slave chieftain Conferring the head, the power shocked the four barbarians, and it was a national humiliation of Liaodong.

Accompanied by a complicated etiquette process, Chen Han's ceremony of presenting captives at the Taimiao for the great victory in Ping'an Prefecture was completely over, and there was not much difference in the process from the ceremony of presenting prisoners at the Taimiao at the beginning of the year.

The civil and military officials of the great Han Dynasty slowly left the wing room and came to the hall, their minds could not help but be immersed in the shock just now.

Just now, on a table with red lacquer strips in front of the portraits of the ancestors of the Chen and Han royal families in the Taimiao, the heads placed in the brocade box, from the slave chieftain down, Jurchen Prince Duoduo, Jurchen Prince Duoluo County Dege All kinds, Belle Adali are in the box, and the heads of the enemy captives are like cattle and sheep, for the ancestors of the Chen and Han Dynasties to enjoy and read.

It's spectacular!

Looking at it one by one now, the Duke of Wei is like the Jurchen's nemesis. Since the Jurchen confronted the Duke of Wei, he has repeatedly broken his halberd, until he lost the life of the captive chief Taiji.

The King of Chu and the King of Qi Chen Cheng came out of the corridor, and among the vassals, most of them looked at the boy in python with complicated eyes.

And the middle-aged scholar who was dressed as a retainer and had a straight nose and cheeks beside Qi County King Chen Cheng, at this moment, looked at the boy in the python suit beside Emperor Chongping, feeling inexplicable hatred in his heart.

If it wasn't for the Duke of Wei's insistence on using the public to benefit his own interests, how could he be dismissed because of the case of Xue Pan beating Feng Yuan to death, and just do these trivial things under the command of the Duke of Qi.

Emperor Chongping looked around, with a slight smile on his face, and said: "Zhuqing Zhixi and the Palace will have lunch first."

At this point, the ceremony of presenting the prisoners is over, and it is expected that the entire northern and southern provinces of the Han Dynasty will be shocked by the war in Monan.

And the people watching outside the hall still looked at the carts of Jurchen heads with unsatisfied interest, running over the blue stone road with a single wheel, and built a Jingguan in front of the hero monument at the end of Taimiaoqian Street.

When everyone entered the palace, an inner eunuch said: "The Supreme Emperor ordered the Duke of Wei to go to the Chonghua Palace to make a statement."

The group of officials who had just sat down and were about to have lunch all cast their gazes at the boy in the python suit.

Emperor Chongping and Jia Heng looked at each other and said, "Ziyu, you can go."

Jia Heng cupped his hands and didn't say much, followed the inner eunuch, walked to the corner, looked slightly stunned, but saw Princess Xianning and the little Princess came hand in hand by the palace wall shaded by the plane tree.

Jia Heng arched his hands, saluted and said, "Your Highness, little princess."

It is said that since the marriage was given the day before yesterday, Princess Xianning should not see him again, but it is not that strict.

Princess Xianning paused, her clear eyes showed joy, and said softly: "Sir, let's go together, the emperor has been waiting for a long time."

He looked at the inner eunuch and said, "Go back and report to your orders first, and Ben Gong and Princess Qinghe will send Duke Wei off."

The inner eunuch didn't dare to be negligent, he quickly responded and left quickly.

Jia Heng nodded, and followed Princess Xianning as she walked along the two high palace walls. Under the sunlight, the vermilion walls were as bright as clouds.

Princess Xianning said softly: "Sir, the emperor has been very happy these two days. Yesterday he looked at the head of Huang Taiji and drank two glasses of wine. He heard from the maid of Chonghua Palace that the emperor was crying and laughing alone in the inner hall. "

In fact, you can understand that the Supreme Emperor, who had made extraordinary achievements in Wenzhi and martial arts, suddenly became precarious because of the Battle of Liaodong.

Jia Heng nodded, and said softly: "With my national strength, the victory in this war came much later."

Princess Xianning said softly: "Sir, I will marry you in a few days."

Jia Heng said: "It's been three years since we left at the beginning."

Since he came to this world, although he has made great strides towards the meritorious ranks, there is almost no room for time, from the court to the border affairs, from south to north, and if he and Xianning first met in the suburbs of Chang'an, now there are three more than a year.

Li Chanyue pursed her pink lips, looked at the two of them, her gaze was slightly sad, one of the three people's love was always superfluous.

Chonghua Palace

The Taishang Emperor Longzhi was obviously much older than when the imperial mausoleum collapsed last year, his beard and hair were all white, and the age spots on his face now appeared on his face, making him look more and more aged.

On the left side of the palace are Empress Dowager Feng, Empress Song, Concubine Duanrong, and nobleman Zhou, who accompanied Empress Dowager Feng to talk.

The Supreme Emperor asked: "Go and send someone to remind you."

At this moment, Empress Dowager Feng asked someone to prepare a watermelon, and then took a piece of melon, saying: "The summer heat is getting hotter, use some watermelon to relieve the heat."

The Supreme Emperor nodded, took the watermelon, and said with emotion again: "Jia Heng is really amazing, amazing."

No matter how colorful the text on the battle report is, it is even more shocking not to see the head of the slave chief who was the old enemy of the Han Dynasty.

Empress Dowager Feng said softly: "If we go down this time, northern Xinjiang should be peaceful for a few years."

The Supreme Emperor put down the skin of the melon, with complicated eyes, and said with emotion: "What is the situation in the Jurchen country now, I will ask Wei Guogong later, and I don't know if I can see my big man recover Liaodong in my lifetime, so I can go to see my ancestors Zong."

Empress Dowager Feng looked at the Supreme Emperor, opened her mouth, but did not say words of comfort after all.

As soon as Princess Xianning and Princess Qinghe entered the palace, they bowed to Emperor Longzhi, and then went to the side of Empress Song and Concubine Duanrong. The two girls approached and held Empress Dowager Feng's shoulders.

Jia Heng raised his eyes to look at Emperor Longzhi who was sitting on the soft couch, walked quickly a few steps, saluted and said: "My minister Jia Heng has met the emperor, long live the emperor, long live the emperor."

The person in front of him is also his father-in-law.

Looking at the young man with a handsome appearance and a tall and straight figure, the Supreme Emperor nodded, with a look of satisfaction in his eyes, he stretched out his hand and said, "Duke Wei, please get up."

After all, he is a generation of talented and generous Emperor Longzhi, although he is old now, he still has a little air of looking forward to himself.

The Supreme Emperor's burning eyes fell on the young man's face, he smiled and praised: "Wei Guogong is really a handsome young man with a dignified appearance. I remember the last time we met, Zi Yu came back from Jiangnan holding the head of the real Prince Duoduo. It was the first time in half a year. , and created such an amazing achievement again, I am so relieved."

"The emperor is worried that Jurchen will not be able to recover after this battle within three or two years. We, a big man, are trying our best to govern and accumulate people's strength, so as to sweep the acupoints for the Li Court in the future and lay a solid foundation for the recovery of Liaodong." Jia Heng said loudly.

The Supreme Emperor nodded and said with a smile, "Zi Yu, sit down and talk."

As he spoke, he ordered an internal supervisor to come to Xiudun and asked Jia Heng to sit nearby.

Jia Heng thanked her, put on a facelift, and sat upright without looking sideways.

The Supreme Emperor asked in amazement: "When I read the military newspaper earlier, the Jurchen slave chiefs gathered all the soldiers to attack Xuanda, but Wei Guogong did not use the red barbarian cannons before, but led the cavalry to help Ping'an Prefecture, and used the red barbarians to attack Xuan Da. Cannons bombarded Huang Taiji to death, why didn't you use such military weapons when you were in Datong City?"

Jia Heng cupped his hands and said: "My lord, even though the Jurchen army stormed Datong City at that time, I never saw Huang Taiji go to the city with the Dragon Banner in person. Therefore, I didn't let the red cannons be used to avoid the vigilance of the captives. Moreover, I have predicted that most of the slave chieftains will raid Ping'an Prefecture, force Taiyuan with heavy troops, and cut off the food supply of the two armies of Xuanda and Dayuan in one fell swoop."

The Supreme Emperor nodded and said: "What Duke Wei said is correct. When I first saw the map, I felt that Ping'an Prefecture had a relatively large loophole. If the Jurchens attacked violently, the consequences would be disastrous. Who knows that Ziyu deliberately sold Donglu a loophole."

In fact, this kind of national war often does not have complicated strategies. A good fighter has no great achievements, and the more strategies he uses, the more flaws he will have.

Jia Heng said: "The emperor's eyes are like torches, and the candles can illuminate thousands of miles. I admire you."

Hearing the words, the Supreme Emperor had a wry smile on his face, and sighed: "If I can illuminate thousands of miles, maybe there will be no loss of Liaodong, and the Jurchen will not become bigger and endanger my great Han society."

When Jia Heng heard this, he was silent for a moment, and said: "The battle that year was not the responsibility of the emperor."

The Supreme Emperor can criticize himself, but he cannot follow suit.

Hearing the words, the Supreme Emperor was stunned, thought for a while, and said in a Cang voice: "Forget it, all of this is over."

Speaking of this, the Supreme Emperor said again: "This Hongyi cannon is a Hongyi firearm. Previously, Ziyu used it to defeat the enemy in the Jiangnan water battle. Now he uses the Hongyi cannon to strictly guard the city wall. It can be seen that it is really a military weapon. It needs to be fully implemented. It is."

Jia Heng said: "What the emperor said is true."

The Supreme Emperor paused for a moment, and said in a low voice: "In this great victory, not only did the captives lose their lives in Ping'an Prefecture, but even the elite of the Jurchen Headquarters also suffered a lot of casualties. A frustrating."

No wonder King Yong married his daughter to the young man in front of him. If he was still in power, he might betroth Jinyang to the young man in front of him in order to recruit his talents.

Well, if the age difference wasn't too small.

Jia Heng looked at the Supreme Emperor, and said softly: "Your Majesty, this can only be said to be a preliminary victory. If you want to destroy the Jurchens, the current battle is not enough to reverse the passive decline of my big man."

"That's right, Jurchen's prosperity didn't take a day or two, and it didn't take a day or two for me, a big man, to reverse the decline. It's rare that at such a young age, you can still be so calm despite your outstanding achievements." The Supreme Emperor praised Said a sentence, said in a low voice.

Empress Dowager Feng smiled kindly, and said: "This Chanyue is entrusted to you. She has no father since she was a child, and grew up with her mother. After she and Xianning pass through the door, you can't treat one more favorably than another."

Hearing this, Jia Heng turned to look at Li Chanyue who was being held by Empress Dowager Feng, nodded, and said, "Don't worry, Empress Dowager, I will treat Chanyue well."

Li Chanyue lowered her head slightly, but she didn't know what to say in her heart.

Princess Xianning said: "Grandmother, don't worry, sir also loves Chanyue very much."

Empress Dowager Feng nodded and said: "Since this is the case, I am relieved. It has been more than half a year since Chanyue's mother was in Jinling, and she still hasn't said she will return to Beijing. In a few days, it will be Chanyue and her mother." On Xianning's big wedding day, it's time to return from Jinling."

"The wedding date is so urgent, maybe we won't be able to make it in time." Princess Xianning said softly with her beautiful eyes shining like water under her beautiful eyebrows.

Participating in the wedding ceremony with a big belly, it doesn't look like a big deal, no.

Empress Dowager Feng frowned and said, "I don't know why things in Nanmian'er are so difficult? Your aunt can't even keep up with Chanyue's marriage?"

As soon as this remark came out, Princess Xianning couldn't take a look at Jia Heng with a half-smile, and said to herself, isn't this the master's trick?

Jia Heng was a little uncomfortable seeing Princess Xianning's complex look, and quickly took the teacup on the small table, and took a sip.

"My aunt is in the south and she is busy with maritime trade recently. In the past two years, as the imperial court has lifted the maritime ban and business has flourished, the Ministry of Internal Affairs also needs to expand its financial resources." Princess Xianning explained.

Empress Dowager Feng nodded and said, "Xianning is now a big girl."

Empress Song smiled and said: "Mother, Xianning has grown a lot in normal times."

The noble concubine Duanrong raised her eyebrows, her eyes seemed angry and angry, and said: "Sister, don't praise her, what else can she improve every day besides playing around?"

Empress Dowager Feng turned to look at the young man, and said: "Ziyu, in the future you, Chanyue and Xianning will get married, and husband and wife should understand and help each other."

With a firm expression, Jia Heng cupped his hands and said, "Empress Dowager, I regard His Highness Xianning and Princess Qinghe as treasures."

His Highness Jinyang is also...

Jia Heng added something in his heart.

Empress Dowager Feng looked at the boy with gentle eyes, and said to Empress Song and Concubine Duan Rong, "Zi Yu is reliable."

Empress Song smiled and said, "Mother, Ziyu is unreliable, and there is no one in the Great Han Dynasty."

At this moment, Empress Song glanced at the boy in python suit who was talking, and saw that the eyes under the firm eyebrows were as calm as a deep.

"Okay, don't talk about this." Queen Mother Feng said.

Jia Heng met Empress Dowager Feng and the Supreme Emperor in Chonghua Palace, and did not stay long. Under the order of Empress Song, Princess Xianning and Princess Qinghe led back to the front hall where they were drinking wine and drinking cups.

At this moment, in Xihe Palace——

Emperor Chongping was chatting with a group of courtiers present, with a slight smile on his cold face, and all the courtiers in the palace were also happy.

"Duke Wei has arrived." An inner eunuch turned out from behind the hanging pillar, walked quickly to Emperor Chongping's head, and reported.

When Emperor Chongping heard the words, he put down the wine cup in his hand, and his expression softened a bit on his cold face.

Jia Heng re-entered the hall, met the gazes of the civil and military officials of the Han Dynasty, and said, "I have seen Your Majesty."

Emperor Chongping nodded and said, "Zi Yu, please get up quickly, let's take a seat and have a meal."

Jia Heng thanked him, sat down straight and sat down. After lunch with Emperor Chongping, he left the palace and strode back towards Ningguo Mansion.

It was nearly dusk, the sky was filled with sunlight, and the sky was glowing golden and red. Jia Heng rode a maroon horse, surrounded by several Jinyifu guards in flying fish suits, and headed towards Ningguo Mansion.

……

……

Ningguo Mansion, Grand View Garden, Hengwu Garden

When Jia Heng came to the outside of the courtyard, his face paused, and he followed the scent and looked at the vines and vines under the flower wall. It was almost midsummer, and the fragrance of flowers and plants permeated the air.

"uncle."

Just as Jia Heng was standing there staring blankly, Ying'er came from the corridor with a string of nets in her hand, and suddenly saw the young man, her eyes lit up, and she quickly approached and said, "Master is here to find a girl, right? Why don't you go in?" ?”

Jia Heng looked up at Ying'er, nodded, and said with a smile, "Where's your girl?"

The Yinger in front of me is not a fuel-efficient lamp. Many times the master may ignore some awkwardness in the back house, but some maids tell stories and provoke.

You need to find a time to beat it.

"I'm in the house, I'll call for you." Ying'er looked at the Qingjun face that was shining in the afterglow of the setting sun, and when her eyes met, she hurriedly avoided her, her heart was pounding, and she hurriedly said in a low voice.

Jia Heng nodded and said, "I'll just go and have a look."

As he said that, he walked towards a side room along a path paved with gravel, and saw that the room was quiet, and when he entered the side room filled with a faint fragrance, he could not see luxurious and exquisite furnishings as far as he could see. He entered the inner room lightly, but saw the girl lying on the bed and taking a nap.

Baochai didn't wear the ancestral honey-colored padded jacket today, but changed into a light summer dress, a long jacket with off-white trim and light purple cross-collar, and a flesh-pink pleated skirt. Her snow-white face was rosy on the inside, and the cherry lips under her straight nose were full and moist.

Twelve beauties in the Red Chamber, Chai and Dai's looks are all over the country, but some people don't like Chai and Dai, is it any wonder?
It's just that she has a young girl's temperament after all, and she's mostly scratching her head, so she might not be as mellow as Feng Wan Qingxue... the blending of desires.

Jia Heng came to sit down on an embroidered pier in front of the bed, and looked at the girl who was taking a peaceful nap.

Suddenly, the curled eyelashes kept trembling, and the pair of watery and shimmering almond eyes were blank for a moment, and gradually saw the person coming, his mind was moved, and he asked in surprise: "Brother Heng, when did you come?"

"Just arrived." Jia Heng looked at the girl who was wiping her lips with a handkerchief, and joked, "This time, um, I didn't drool."

Baochai:"……"

Shyly said: "Brother Heng is making fun of people again."

What drooling, I always feel that Brother Heng seems to be talking about the last time...

Jia Heng smiled and stretched out his hand to pinch that greasy face, and said: "Sister Xue lie down inside, and I'll take a rest too."

Baochai was taken aback for a moment, and had no choice but to go up to the mat in the inner room, with a shy and timid face on her pretty face.

Jia Heng stretched out his hand to wrap Baochai's shoulder, and said softly, "I haven't talked with Sister Xue for half a year."

It would be a bit vulgar to just keep the golden lock open as usual.

Baochai's eyebrows and eyes were curved, her jade face was flushed, she pursed her pink lips, and said: "Brother Heng has been born and died in the north for half a year, and it has been half a year in a blink of an eye."

But there was a faint sense of discomfort in my heart, or I was not used to it.

Brother Heng is really tired of her body...is he really tired?

The main reason is that in the past, Jia Heng would go straight to the point in a few sentences.

Jia Heng said: "Yes. Not long after returning from Jiangnan, I went to the north. At first, I thought that I would make a great contribution this time, so I proposed to the palace, but I didn't expect that the palace gave me a marriage right away."

"Brother Heng, now is the best time. His Highness Xianning and the little Princess have a deep love for Brother Heng, and it should bear fruit. I don't care about waiting." Baochai said softly.

Jia Heng turned his eyes to look at the girl, held a ball of plump softness, and said with a light smile, "Your mouth is wrong."

Baochai:"……"

A sense of familiarity struck, and for some reason, the girl's nose turned sour, and mist appeared in her moist apricot eyes.

How can she, a merchant's daughter, be worthy of the Duke of the State? She shouldn't have expected it to be, but the mother made such a big joke a few days ago, it really seems that she is a bit wishful thinking.

Jia Heng stared at the girl with plump cheeks, gently stroked the pearly teardrops on the girl's cheeks, and said softly, "Why are you still crying?"

Baochai said softly, "I didn't..."

As he spoke, he picked up a handkerchief and gently wiped the tears on his cheeks.

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then whispered: "We have been together for two years."

When Baochai heard this, her delicate body trembled slightly, she gave a "hmm" and said in a low voice, "It's been more than two years."

Jia Heng said: "I told you at the beginning, if I am lucky enough to become the county king, side concubine..."

"It's not a name." Baochai raised her pear-blossoming face with rain, her moist almond eyes saw the rare sadness, and said softly: "I... am not worthy."

She is the daughter of a merchant, with a humble background, neither like the father who has a Tanhualang behind her, who will be able to support him in the civil service in the future, and she does not have the background of an imperial daughter.

But the elder brother is dull, and the mother...she can't be his regular wife.

So for so long, he should not admit it.

At the beginning, although Jia Heng said that the two of them would have a long life, so that Baochai could grow slowly in the garden, but in fact, it also buried the hidden danger that Baochai looked at Daiyu, and even Princess Xianning and Li Chanyue came from behind.

Well, the main reason is that Jia Heng's growth rate can be described as rapid. It is inevitable that people think that if the title is determined early, maybe when the palace bestows marriage to the emperor's daughter and the daughter of the clan, it will be considered.

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, held the white and greasy face that looked like a pear pistil, the delicate skin overflowed between his fingers, stared at the spotless red lips, and was imprinted by Baochai's "Uh~" go up.

The soft and moist lips exhale a little fragrance, but one can clearly feel the underlying self-pity and lack of self-confidence.

In fact, Baochai should belong to a stronger person, after all, he can write a sentence like "good wind sends me to Qingyun by force".

But in front of him, he seemed to start to PUA himself, feeling that he was not good enough, not worthy of him...

"We are two people's business. How can we be worthy or not? What do you think about those?" Jia Heng said softly while stroking the golden lock.

(End of this chapter)