Infrastructure masters in the red building

When the south was still vigorously rioting, the weather in Beijing had turned cold, the first snow had fallen, and the snow beads had been sprinkled for half a day, and the big woolen clothes could already be worn.

The winter slack season is the best day for weddings. The Rongguo Mansion is also preparing for the marriage of the second son, Jia Zheng, the daughter of a Jiangnan family, and the younger sister of Li Shouzhong, the Imperial Academy's sacrificial wine.

It's just that this marriage, which is in preparation, has been cast a shadow because of the rampant banditry in the south.

Jia Fang, the envoy of the Pingnan Festival proclaimed by the Holy Majesty, promoted "Zhangtian" in the ten states in the south, and the "New Deal" of "standardization" with county officials and "cultivation of honesty". banditry.

This kind of incident was unheard of, and caused countless criticisms between the government and the opposition.Think about it, Jia Fang in the south actually got nothing without making any achievements, but even if he received the autumn Fu once, the autumn Fu was not half a stone more than in previous years, but it brought so much trouble to the southern states and counties.

There are also people who want to describe this "bandit trouble" as a "civilian uprising", but unfortunately they have no evidence.

The vast majority of people are very pessimistic about Jia Fang's prospects in the south, and even mutter in their hearts that His Majesty the Emperor is ignorant and nepotism.However, the relationship between Jia Fang and the royal family has never been brought to the fore, and the courtiers can't say anything clearly, so they have to focus all kinds of attacks on the Jia family.

For a while, Rong Guogong Jia Daishan became the target of public criticism, and he carried a "thick pot" for His Majesty the Emperor.But Jia Daishan's military achievements are outstanding, and his status cannot be easily shaken.In addition, the former prince Taifu Xia Shengshen, who was in the south, personally wrote a letter to speak for Jia Fang's "New Deal", which calmed down the public opinion in the court and turned his attention to the situation of "suppressing bandits" in the south. come up.

Jia Fang's most impeccable point in the whole matter is that he handed over the main force of the Pingnan camp, guarded the gate of the country, and allowed the three passes and two villages to successfully block the provocation of Nanyi. The siege of Taoyuan Village became a kind of self-sacrifice in order to save the country.

This increased Jia Fang's reputation in the court, but it could not change Jia Fang's situation in which he was in danger.The prince of Jian Guo kept saying that a loyal minister like Jia Fang must step up his rescue, but although the prince spoke loudly, he didn't seem to have any actual actions.

Although everyone in the capital believed that Jia Fang, as a second-rank official, must have a way to protect himself, the emergency calls for help from Wuyuan County, where his government office was located, were sent out one after another, which was really frightening.

Both the Rongguo Mansion and the Jiangnan Li family even made preparations for the possible postponement of the wedding when they were preparing for their marriage—although many people knew that Jia Fang was actually a prince, but in name Jia Fang was still Jia Zheng’s brother. If there is something wrong with it, Jia Zheng's marriage will not be married for a while.

Fortunately, the day before Jia Zheng's wedding date, Jingli received an urgent report from eight hundred miles, saying that the eldest prince rushed to Wuyuan with 200 soldiers under his command, where he joined Jia Fang and commanded the Pingnan camp. The officers and soldiers broke the siege of Wuyuan County, killed 4000 enemies, and captured about [-] bandits alive—Wuyuan and Taoyuan were both safe and sound, with minimal casualties.

At the same time, there was news from Sanguan and Liangzhai that Nanyi saw that they could not shake the South Gate of the country, and gradually retreated.

Jia Fang encountered successive crises in the south, and finally resolved them one by one.

There was an uproar in Beijing: It turned out to be the eldest prince who was transferred from the northwest to the south? ——As soon as the answer to this mystery was revealed, the people in Beijing finally understood.No wonder Prince Jian Guo didn't say much, and he didn't seem to be in a hurry, but in fact, the Tian family's behavior was "fighting tigers as brothers, fighting with father and son as soldiers".

When Jia's family and Li's family heard the news, they all heaved a sigh of relief: It's great that Jia Fang is safe, and the marriage can finally be concluded smoothly.

The next day was the day of Jia Zheng's wedding, and the Rongguo Mansion received the congratulatory gifts for a while, and they were soft-hearted.The congratulators who were originally waiting and watching, deliberating whether to go to Rongguo Mansion to congratulate them, all made up their minds at once and flocked together.As a result, the Rongguo Mansion was not prepared enough, so they temporarily borrowed a cook from the Wanqing Building, and also filled the banquet in their home Ningguo Mansion to receive a steady stream of congratulatory guests.

Li Shouzhong, the elder brother of the bride, whose family has always been noble, has never experienced such excitement. Seeing the raging tide of congratulatory guests rushing towards him one after another, he really felt a little overwhelmed.

Fortunately, the groom's elder brother, Jia She, is a "human being" who is proficient in general affairs, and he is quite a genius who talks nonsense when he sees people and talks nonsense. The same support is flawless.

That night, the Ningrong Second Mansion hosted a banquet for the guests.In addition to the nobles from various families in Beijing, even the Prince Jian Guo went there in person, stayed for less than half an hour, and congratulated the Jia and Li families in person, giving the Jia family enough face.

Except for the crown prince and the eldest prince, the rest of the princes did not leave, and all of them came.The Rongguo Mansion naturally knew that they had condescended to come here, not to celebrate Jia Zheng's marriage, but to save Jia face.Although Jia Fang was thousands of miles away in the south at this time, the behavior and attitude of the princes at least made the old man who lived in the Li Palace on the outskirts of Beijing feel at ease.

In the Rongxi Hall of Rongguo Mansion, Mrs. Shi was particularly proud today, because her sister-in-law and daughter-in-law from her natal family came to the door and complained to Mrs. Shi together.It is said that the young lady of the Wang family originally appointed by the Rong Mansion to Jia Zheng, who later married the youngest son of the Shi family, secretly urged her husband to fight for the family wealth, to fight for the title, to fight for this, to fight for that... As a bride, it is also true. It didn't really do anything bad, but all the members of the Shi family felt threatened, and the entire family felt uneasy.

"If you want us to tell you," Mrs. Shi's natal sister-in-law whispered, "the Wang family is really only suitable for the second child of your family. Didn't you always despise the second child for being heartless and dare not compete with his elder brother?..."

"Mrs. Baolinghou, please be careful!" Mrs. Shi sat upright, showing the profile of her Duke and Madam, "My eldest son and second son have always been harmonious and friendly, and Miss Wang has never been a good match for my housekeeper."

But thinking about it carefully, Mrs. Shi also felt that the gentle and quiet temperament of the second daughter-in-law, Li Shi, must be like a husband and wife after marrying Jia Zheng.If Jia Zheng had married the brave Wang family, he might have caused some trouble for the title. Now that he married Li family, Jia Zheng and his wife probably wouldn't deliberately fight for anything in this life.Mrs. Shi's wish for many years is probably about to come to nothing.

Mrs. Bishengshi still had to speak for her daughter-in-law at this moment: "My housekeeper has such a temper, and Miss Li's family is a match made in heaven. As the saying goes, Taoism and everything prosper, even if Li's temper is quieter, it is better than married. A troublemaker walks in."

The wife of the Shi family spread the word that day. When the Wang family heard that Mrs. Shi called her daughter a "spoiler", they were naturally furious and decided not to have any contact with the Jia family anymore. Something else.

This side of Ningguo Mansion is used to entertain male guests.Jia Daihua, Jia Daishan and Jia She are all here to welcome the nobles, relatives and friends of various families in Beijing.The groom, Jia Zheng, also had to appear at the table and pay respects from table to table.

There was another one at the table, who rarely talked to others since entering Ningguo Mansion, and poured himself silently from beginning to end.After drinking for three rounds, this man suddenly got up, found Jia She during the banquet, and made a small request.

"Prince Beijing," Jia Amnesty heard, startled, "You want to go to the garden? But it's such a cold day, and the garden is dark."

"I just remembered it suddenly and wanted to take a look." Shui Xian's expression was calm, but there was a bit of pleading in these few words.

Jia She's eyes rolled, thinking that the title of the Beijing Prince's Mansion already overshadowed the Rong's Mansion, and this little Prince of Beijing in front of him has always been on good terms with his third brother Jia Fang, even if he opened a garden to invite people to come over How about taking a look?Anyway, it's a benefit but not a fee.

At that moment, Jia Amnesty called a servant in the mansion, gave him the key, and asked him to open the gate of the Grand View Garden.Shui Xian put on a big cloak outside and went with the young man.Jia Amnesty also didn't forget to ask the boy to lead him to the gate of the garden, and then inform Shuangwen, Sun and others who lived in the Grand View Garden to avoid them, because after all, there are male guests coming from outside.

When he came to the gate of the Grand View Garden, Shui Xian saw that the Grand View Garden was indeed as Jia She said, full of darkness and nothing to see.

Although the Rongguo Mansion held a grand banquet today to celebrate Jia Zheng's wedding, the Ningrong and Rongfu Mansions had no intention of using the Grand View Garden in the first place.Therefore, in addition to the bright lights at the gate of the Grand View Garden, there are only a few scattered lights in the garden, which looks extremely quiet and deserted.

What contrasts with it is the hustle and bustle of people in the Rongning Second Mansion, and the sound of silk and bamboo can be heard from time to time. Those who hear it can imagine what a prosperous scene there is; but the Grand View Garden in front of them is completely left behind. And the independent famous garden, admiring oneself alone, is hard to tolerate in the world.

The boy who brought Shuixian earlier has already left in a hurry, leaving Shuixian alone at the gate of the Grand View Garden, standing alone under the high hanging lights at the gate, looking at the garden in the night.

Shui Xian was able to be alone, enjoying the garden in the night quietly and comfortably.He stood at the gate of the garden and noticed that there was an extra green peak at the entrance to the garden compared with the last time he came.It is difficult to get a full view of this emerald peak in the night, and it can only be vaguely seen that it is composed of flowers and trees, but Shui Xian realized that it is this emerald peak that successfully obscured the sight of the garden, making the garden more beautiful. Very charming.

At this moment, Shui Xian suddenly felt a chill on his face, and when he looked up, he knew that it was snowing again.

He stretched out his hand, felt the slight coolness in his palm, and couldn't help but sighed lowly, thinking: I'm afraid the weather in the south is still not cold now, so there is no need to wear such thick clothes, let alone snow.

At this moment, Shui Xian saw a lantern in the garden shrouded in an orange halo, from far to near, bypassing Cuifeng, and slowly coming here.He only thought that it was because the young man had left and returned, and he didn't realize that something was wrong until he got closer.

It wasn't the boy, but a young man in thin clothes who walked faster and faster in the light snowy night, shivering and stomping his feet as he walked.

"Zi Fang?" Shui Xian suddenly made a sound tentatively.The person on the opposite side stopped, recognized Shui Xian immediately, and smiled happily: "Zi Heng?!"

It was Jia Fang who came.He approached quickly, and the lantern in his hand illuminated his young and handsome face.The weather was cold, but his clothes were thin, so that his whole face was flushed with cold.But he has a self-contained expression, after recognizing Shui Xian, those dark eyes are sparkling and extremely energetic.

Shui Xian took big strides to meet Jia Fang, and said happily, "I knew you would come back today."

When he came to Jia Fang, he looked at Jia Fang's thin clothes and frowned.

"Yes! My brother got married today, and I thought I would come back and say hello to my second brother." Jia Fang was also very happy to see Shui Xian at first sight, "I haven't seen you for a long time, how are you?" Once Jia Fang opened his mouth to speak , Immediately exhaled a cloud of water vapor from his mouth.

"That's how you are, dressed smartly, and came back from the south as if you were unleashing a horse?" Shui Xian stretched out his hand suddenly, took off the lantern that Jia Fang was holding, and threw it at his feet.He casually took off the cloak on his body, put it on Jia Fang's shoulders, then held Jia Fang's two hands, brought them close to his mouth, and breathed lightly for warmth.

Jia Fang instantly felt enveloped by warmth.He also never expected that it would be Shui Xian who came back to Jia's mansion so unexpectedly and stood at the gate of the Grand View Garden to greet him.

"I didn't expect Beijing to be so cold..." Jia Fang said apologetically, but his hands were greedy for the temperature in Shui Xian's hands, and he couldn't pull them back for a while.

The siege of Wuyuan County had just been lifted, and Jia Fang was so busy that it was dark. He suddenly remembered that Jia Zheng got married today. Grand View Garden.But when I went to the southern country, it was the golden autumn season with a warm climate, and winter had already entered central Beijing.

He didn't want to disturb Sun and Shuangwen, he just wanted to find Jia Zheng, say congratulations to his second elder brother, send him a specially prepared congratulatory gift, and then rush back to Taoyuan Village immediately.Unexpectedly, the more we walked, the colder it became, and there were still snow beads sprinkled in the night sky.

Then he met Shui Xian here, who put his cloak on Jia Fang, grabbed his hands that were almost frozen, leaned forward to take a breath of warmth, and then rubbed his hands repeatedly, hoping that Jia Fang could bring him A little bit of heat.

Who knows that this little heat is enough.At this moment, the two of them were standing in this deserted garden gate, with the hustle and bustle and silk and bamboo in the distance.

The two looked at each other, and the whole world was quiet and peaceful. Xiaoxue rustled on the ground, and they had each other for a moment.

"I'm fine in the south, don't worry." I don't know how long it took before Jia Fang remembered that he should say goodbye.

Shui Xian raised the corners of his lips slightly, and nodded slightly: "I know, Your Highness."

Jia breathed a sigh of relief and said, "So you know everything!"

"Don't you always have letters?" Shui Xian almost couldn't hold back his laughter this time.

Last time, it was because he hadn't had any contact with Shuixian for a long time. Once Shuixian got up in a hurry, he directly "delivered the goods to the door", broke into the Grand View Garden at night, and found the gate of Daoxiang Village.

After that, Jia Fang didn't dare to do it again. Every once in a while, he would deliver letters back to the Grand View Garden, and then Shuangwen or Li Qingsong would help deliver them to Baigongfang.

"Come on, let's talk in the house." The weather was cold, and Jia Fang naturally couldn't let Shui Xian freeze outside like this, "I have a lot of things I want to tell you."

The dangers I have experienced in the south, the setbacks I have encountered, the luck that I patted my chest when I passed the thrilling pass...all cannot be described in a simple letter or two.Jia Fang now has a deep understanding of Shui Xian's feeling of sitting in the "sit with someone". If he wants to sit with the only person in this world and share his thoughts with him, then this person must be Shui Xian, and there is no one else. Others are optional.

"I still have a lot of things I want to ask you." After being away for so long, and being able to see Shui Xian, Jia Xin also had a lot of questions in his mind—what happened to the other party's garden? He thought about it for a long time, but he didn't think about it. What kind of supernatural powers does Izushuixian have in the back garden of the palace.

He pulled Shui Xian out of the Grand View Garden and stepped onto the alley leading to Ningguo Mansion.

Unexpectedly, just a few steps away, Shui Xian suddenly pulled him back: "No, you must not show up in the capital today."

Babaili has just entered Beijing in a hurry, and reported that Jia Fang and the eldest prince successfully suppressed the bandits who attacked Wuyuan two days ago.

If Jia Fang appeared in Beijing today, the world would definitely think that there was a ghost: they would not think that Jia Fang appeared in Beijing.At that time, Jia Fang was full of mouths and couldn't speak clearly.

Jia Fang had already thought about this.He said: "I just secretly went to see my second brother and had a few words with him."

Shui Xian disagreed: "No, the risk is too great. Jia Zheng is the groom, and there are too many people coming and going around him. If any outsider recognizes him, you will be in trouble immediately."

Jia Fang was silent, he thought what Shui Xian said made sense.

"If you have something to say to your second brother, or if you have any gifts for your second brother, as long as you trust me, you can leave it to me, and I will handle it for you."

Jia Fang was basically persuaded by Shui Xian, but he ran back excitedly, it was a pity that he couldn't even see his second brother.

Unexpectedly, Shui Xian stretched out his hands at this time, gently pressed his shoulders on both sides, and said only one word in a low voice:

"good--"

Jia Fang: ...

Persistence seems to be of no use.

It's better to be obedient.

Besides, he didn't trust Shui Xian, so he took out the "gift" for Jia Zheng from his pocket and handed it to Shui Xian.He reached out to remove the cloak he was wearing, but his hand was held down by Shui Xian.

"No, you go back dressed. Don't be so rash in the future, remember to dress warmly before going out in Beijing." Shui Xian instructed.

"Well, after a few days the matter in the south is no longer urgent, I will release the news that I am going back to Beijing, and then I can see you." Jia Fang seems to be eagerly looking forward to reuniting with Shui Xian and being able to The days of speaking freely.

Shui Xian smiled and said nothing: Now that the eldest prince is in the south, how can Jia Fang find the opportunity to "return to Beijing" so easily?

Unexpectedly, at this moment, footsteps sounded in the distance.Shui Xian was alert, immediately hooked Jia Fang's back, helped him turn around, and whispered in his ear: "You go back now, and I will deal with the coming people. No matter what happens, don't look back."

Jia Fang knew how powerful it was, immediately lowered his head, and walked along the alleyway to the gate of the Grand View Garden.

The third prince's voice sounded behind him: "Ziheng?"