Love of Friends in the Red Chamber

Unconsciously, spring has passed and autumn has come, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Few people remember the Second Master Bao who was held in the hands of everyone in Rongguo Mansion in the past. If there are still people who know him, they just lament that Mr. Pian Pianjia has become a slovenly man in Huangye Village outside the city. wack.It is said that he is strange because although he is too poor to even drink alcohol, he is willing to give and does not care about money.

Baoyu now only makes a living selling paintings. If he has any other hobbies, he is addicted to alcohol. Perhaps only in the drunken country will he forget the cruelty of reality and return to the Grand View Garden in his memory.However, his paintings were not easy to sell, because everyone at that time loved fine brushwork, but Baoyu was freehand, with ink and wash all over the paper.Don't say that those arty ordinary people can't understand it, even among the literati, there are few people who appreciate it.So it is said to be selling paintings, but in fact he did not sell a few paintings. He usually relies on a few friends to help him buy a painting and leave a few taels of silver.How do you live like this?But only by Baochai, Yinger, Sheyue and others making needlework for people day and night, can they get some money to buy rice, oil and salt.

Among relatives and friends, apart from New Year's festivals and sacrifices, few people had contact with Baoyu, and Jiang Yuhan was the only one who often visited him.It's just that Jiang Yuhan felt ashamed of her humble status and never dared to enter the hall. She only dared to invite Baoyu to drink outside and talk about old things and poems.

Baoyu once took advantage of the wine and wrote a drama called "The Story of Nanke". The diction is elegant and lingering. Whenever there is a banquet for guests, Jiang Yuhan's team is always invited to perform "The Story of the Southern Ke" as a romantic and elegant thing.However, although this play was famous for a while, no one knew who made it, so someone questioned Jiang Yuhan, and Jiang Yuhan also laughed and kept secret.He once tried to divide the remuneration from acting with Baoyu, but Baoyu smiled and said: "You just have to play for a while, just treat me to a meal of roast mutton and a pot of lotus white." Jiang Yuhan did not dare to blaspheme, I will not mention it anymore.

It's just that in the study room of his house, apart from the scriptures and dramas on the shelves, the walls are gradually covered with paintings, all of which are stones of various sizes.He never mentioned attacking people with Baoyu, and Baoyu didn't ask, maybe he had forgotten it long ago.However, Xiren knew who Jiang Yuhan was drinking with when she went out all day.Whenever Jiang Yuhan went out, she would sit alone in the study, staring at the paintings on the wall, the stones, and the handwriting beside the stones.She is illiterate, but that is not important, what is important is that those handwritings are familiar to her, she has rubbed ink countless times, and watched Baoyu write the same handwriting with a smile, although at that time, Baoyu never drew stones .

Three years later, Daiyu became more and more expensive.When Jia Mu was newly mourned, Jia Cong wrote a letter to Ding You, because the river regulation was a serious matter, and the emperor personally decreed to win the favor.Naturally, Jia Cong also knew that after the initial results of the river control, he arranged the follow-up matters, and once again asked Ding You to make up for the three-year period. Compared with Li Mi's "Chen Qing Biao", the emperor was moved by it after reading it, so he agreed to his request.Jia Cong was able to return to Beijing, stayed with Daiyu for three years, and enjoyed three years of quiet and warm time.

Jia Amnesty's entire family is counting on this son now, at first they complained about his extravagance, but after seeing the positive comments from the government and the public, he stopped worrying about it. He is old, and he is always favored by others, so he doesn't have the heart to think about his son.In fact, Jia Cong's request to fix the worry was a deliberate move after discussing with Lin Jiarui.Because Jia Cong saw the initial results of river governance, which is a world-class achievement since the founding of the country, but not rewarding great achievements has always been a deadlock between ancient and modern monarchs and ministers.Therefore, Lin Jiarui advised him to retreat bravely and take a step back for the future, Jia Cong deeply agreed.Seeing that Jia Cong was so knowledgeable, the emperor was really pleased with the Sacred Heart, so he praised Jia Cong and added a posthumous title to Jia Mu again, and every year at the sacrificial ceremony, officials were sent to present the ceremony, and the rewards were very generous.

Beijing officials have always been the best at waiting and watching, so although the Jia family lost its official status, the family became more and more prosperous, Jia She was enjoying life, and Mrs. Xing was also very satisfied.After three years in this way, when Jia Cong was about to get rid of his clothes, an earth-shattering event happened. In the spring of that year, the emperor led his officials to enshrine Mount Tai. On the way back to Beijing, the emperor passed the Yellow River. He was inspecting the embankment of the Yellow River, which he was most concerned about, when he suddenly heard a commotion on the bank of the river. Several ministers ran over in a wild manner, knelt down and kowtowed, shouting long live.The emperor was puzzled and asked what was going on, only to realize that the water of the Yellow River had become clear.

This joy was no small matter, because according to ancient books, such a thing could only happen when the Holy Lord came to court.Although the emperor guessed that it was due to the planting of trees, grass and sand in the upper reaches of the Yellow River in accordance with Jia Cong's arrangement in the past few years, the emperor was still uncontrollably happy, and the officials even refurbished their eulogies wave after wave.The emperor was full of enthusiasm, pardoned the world, and rewarded all his officials at the same time.When Jia Cong was discussed, the emperor hesitated.Jia Yucun half-truthfully praised Jia Cong's achievements to the sky, advocating that he should be appointed as a marquis immediately, and he should be appointed as a minister in the cabinet to show the emperor's reward for capable ministers.

After hearing this, the emperor nodded, but remained silent.Recently, for some unknown reason, Jia Yucun has gradually lost his sacred heart. Although the emperor did not expressly express it, he often frowned unconsciously when listening to him, and the emperor often shelved many memorials. He tried his best to promote Jia Cong, but still flattered him on the horse's hoof.

If you talk about trying to figure out the holy will, you can't beat Lin Jiarui.Especially Lin Jiarui knew the emperor's thoughts on this matter very well.So he said at this time: "Your Majesty, although Jia Cong has made great achievements in governing the river, but the water of the Yellow River is clear, it is an auspicious omen that His Majesty has been working hard day and night and working hard to govern it. Above. I think that a little praise is enough, and it can also let all the ministers and workers know to abide by their responsibilities, so that the people of the world can share the merits of enlightenment."

After hearing this, the emperor felt more pleasing to his ears, and said: "Although what Aiqing said is very true, I still think Jia Cong is a useful talent, and it is not impossible to join the cabinet to worship." Lin Jiarui replied respectfully: "Your Majesty loves you." Cherishing talents, ministers and others feel the same, but Jia Cong is still young, and there is still a lot of time to contribute to the court. The promotion of the official position is too fast, which is not good for him. It is better to set aside a little bit, let him also guard against arrogance and impetuosity, in the future No matter how many accomplishments there are, why is the Holy One stingy with high officials and generous salaries?"

The emperor thought so deeply, so he granted Jia She the title of first-class duke, which is equivalent to restoring the title of Duke Rong when he was first conferred. Looking at the rich and powerful families of the dynasty, such kindness is rare. Jia She sat at home and It's really a joy to be promoted again.As for Jia Cong, after he got rid of the service, the emperor gave him a lot of condolences, so he resumed his second-rank official position and appointed him as the commander-in-chief of the inspection of the five provinces. On the surface, he continued to implement the river control strategy. The military, political, and civil powers are all in one body, because the western border has been restless for more than a day. Even today, no matter how dull a person is, he knows that a battle with the Xikou is inevitable.

Jia Cong is considered to be a civil servant and a military official. It is a matter of swords and soldiers. He naturally does not dare to belittle the important affairs of the country. Kou Junqing, and discussing with the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of War about food and grass for the army and horses. He naturally knows this truth when he fights for food and grass.

It is Daiyu who is not used to it. Although she loves quietness, she is also afraid of loneliness. She has been used to Jia Cong's company for the past three years.However, she also knows that the man's life is ultimately to go out and make contributions. If he is always trapped in the boudoir, he will inevitably be despised by the world.So the two servant girls Xueyan and Biye often persuade her to go out for a stroll, which can also relieve her troubles and worries.

Now the only maidservants around Daiyu are Xueyan and Biye. Zijuan and Qingzhi are two years older. Shopkeeper, the two of them are now housekeepers. Although they are not accompanying them day and night, they can still come in every day to manage the housework, so Daiyu didn't add any more staff by her side.Xueyan and Biye can stay for a few more years, Daiyu often laughs at them, if they have a good relationship with someone, she should explain it earlier, so as not to get married blindly and ruin their lives.

As for Jia Amnesty and Mrs. Xing, they simply didn't know how to treat their struggling son, so they thought of a way in unison.It is said that Daiyu went to the Rong Mansion to pay her respects to Mrs. Xing that day, and Mrs. Xing invited her to have tea, and then earnestly persuaded Daiyu to give Jia Congna some aunts: "Yu'er, look, now you have a status like Cong'er. Who is the official who is not three wives and four concubines? What's more, Cong'er will soon go out to send troops and release horses. How can he serve him well if he doesn't have a capable person around him? Those clumsy servants are men after all. Unexpectedly, a woman knows that it is painful and hot."

Daiyu has never thought about these things. When it comes to the matter of a man marrying a concubine, she is actually not against it. When she was still thinking about marrying Baoyu, she fully accepted the fact that Baoyu would accept Xiren and Qingwen as concubines. , and never hated these two maids.She won't and doesn't bother to stop her husband from taking a concubine, but if she pretends to be virtuous as Mrs. Xing persuaded, she can't do it herself-if she wants to marry a concubine, he needs Go to Zhang Luo by yourself.

But of course she didn't want to tell Mrs. Xing directly like this, so she just smiled and bowed her head without saying a word. Mrs. Xing thought she was in harmony with Jia Cong, so she didn't want to, so she simply said: "Men are the most unreliable. If you I've been delaying all this time, maybe someone who is sneaking around outside, I'll bring one in someday, can you tear up your face and beat him out? Why don't you find someone who knows the basics, you can handle it, and put him in the house , captured his heart."

Daiyu then asked with a smile: "Madam said so, is there a suitable candidate?"