Chapter 162

The Zhuojiang Tower was located near the Yuanyuan Gate in Jin Ling. It was octagonal on all sides, with five stories of flying eaves, a pointed roof with upturned wings, and covered with golden glazed tiles. Built facing the river, it offered a bird's-eye view of the Yangtze River for a hundred miles east and west of Yanziji.

It is said that when the Great Zhou Taizu, Li Tianling, unified the south of the Yangtze River, gathered troops in Jin Ling, and looked north toward the Central Plains, he was determined to restore the Han people's traditional attire.

He built this Zhuojiang Tower along the river to look out at the Mongol camps north of the river.

In the end, he led his troops across the river, slaughtered the Mongol chieftains, and unified the country.

With the heroic spirit of a king, he looked over the world. After passing through several generations, it was still revered by the descendants of the Han people.

On this day, the wind was cold and the scenery was bright, with clouds and sunset filling the sky. Within ten zhang of the Zhuojiang Tower, Embroidered Uniform Guards stood solemnly on guard. In the distance, the river waves rolled, and a lone sail appeared in the blue sky, a scene of desolation and vastness.

When Guo Zhigui drove the carriage to the Zhuojiang Tower, Jia Cong saw carriages and horses constantly driving into the stone terrace in front of the tower. Officials from various government offices attending the banquet arrived one after another, exchanging greetings and walking hand in hand to the fifth-floor banquet hall.

Those attending the banquet were all officials or celebrities from various departments in Jin Ling, most of whom were people of some age who had experienced the vicissitudes of life. A youth like Jia Cong could not be found a second time, so he was very eye-catching in the crowd.

Some of the guests had attended the Zou family birthday banquet and knew who he was. Jia Cong had led troops into the mansion that day, opened fire and killed people, forcing Zou Huaiyi to commit suicide on the spot, which made these people terrified and unforgettable.

If he hadn't been ordered to go to the Daci'en Temple to copy scriptures that day, he wouldn't have met Prince Ning. If it hadn't been to save Xiang Ling from the fire pit, he wouldn't have been implicated in the matter because of Zhou Suqing.

In the aftermath of the incident, countless people from the Jin Ling Guard, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and various government offices were implicated. The light ones lost their official positions, and the heavy ones suffered imprisonment or even execution after autumn.

Actually, the real root cause was the incident at Longtan Port, which attracted the attention of Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao, eventually leading to the current situation in the Jin Ling officialdom.

And among the people sitting there, many of their relatives and old acquaintances had suffered in this disaster. To say that they had no complaints or resentment about this was impossible.

Afterward, in the annihilation of the ronin, leading troops into the city, capturing the culprits at the Zou mansion, and intercepting information, his exposure was a bit too high, which naturally attracted matching hostility.

Thus, before Jia Cong had even ascended to the fifth-floor banquet hall, almost half of the guests attending the banquet knew of his unusual identity.

Whether or not there was a person like Jia Cong, the Emperor's will would eventually lead to today's situation.

These people were lucky to have come out alive, so they naturally had much resentment toward Jia Cong. Seeing him appear, they all had expressions of anger on their faces, and the people beside them naturally had to ask about it in surprise.

And because Jia Cong was temporarily appointed by Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao as a consultant to Prince Ning, he had been standing at the forefront of the major case investigation ever since the arrest of Zhou Suqing began.

Not to mention that those who attended the birthday banquet that day were all strictly interrogated by the Embroidered Uniform Guard afterward. Among them, those who could still attend Prince Ning's farewell banquet today had all suffered quite a bit at the hands of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The Jin Ling officialdom, which was originally harmonious and noble, and could make a fortune without any trouble, seemed to have been stirred into a mess because of him, a Grade 7 scattered official.

But not everyone had such a far-reaching and thorough vision.

People who were busy and toiling always had to find a target for their resentment and hatred.

The Zou Huaiyi case of the Water Supervision Department this time had a wide range of implications. Not only was the Water Supervision Department almost wiped out, from the chief battalion commander down to the company and squad leaders.

Every action has its consequences; the matter had already been done, and he had a clear conscience. A person who is not envied is a mediocre one; let everything go as it may.

Thus, just as Jia Cong stepped into the fifth-floor banquet hall, he attracted many inexplicable hostile gazes. He thought about it a little, and he could roughly guess the reason.

Although the person in charge of the major case of the Water Supervision Department was Prince Ning, the imperial prince acted according to the Emperor's will, so no one dared to resent him. Besides, even if they did resent him, what was the use?

He looked out through the window and saw the twilight clouds hanging low outside, the river wind and blue waves boundless, and the end of the water and sky was misty and boundless, which made one's chest expand.

Before long, Prince Ning arrived, followed by Yang Hongbin, a judge of the Court of Judicial Review.

Yang Hongbin was shrewd and capable, dedicated to his duties, and also quite righteous. In the Zou Huaiyi case, he had shared risks and hardships with Jia Cong, and Jia Cong was also very compatible with him.

In this detection of the major case of the Water Supervision Department, Yang Hongbin had made significant contributions. The Love Shenjing had already issued an imperial decree to promote him from a judge of the Court of Judicial Review to a senior judge of the left Court of Judicial Review.

Like Jia Cong, who had been promoted continuously in less than half a year, although he was only a scattered official, he was still an extremely rare exception in the officialdom.

For a normal official career promotion, every step up requires years of effort.

Yang Hongbin was able to be promoted to a senior judge of the Court of Judicial Review because of his merits, which could be considered a very important step in his official career. Jia Cong saw that there was a hint of joy in his expression, and he thought his mood must be quite good.

Although many people in the hall treated Jia Cong with cold eyes, there were also those who were familiar and enthusiastic, such as Jia Yucun, the Prefect of Jin Ling.

Jia Yucun had always felt that Jia Cong was somewhat extraordinary. In the Longtan Port case, he had seen his many methods and he was highly valued by Prince Ning, so he naturally became more and more deliberately close to him.

At this time, Prince Ning took his seat, and the banquet began. Delicacies, fine wines, and spirits were sent up like flowing water. The people attending the banquet exchanged toasts, discussed freely, and sipped their drinks.

Such a banquet to entertain superiors would naturally not have scenes of shouting and wild drinking. Coupled with the blowing river wind and the lightly fluttering curtains, the atmosphere was scholarly and harmonious.

At this time, from behind the pearl curtain on the left side of the banquet, the sound of a clear pipa rang out, accompanied by a clear and beautiful voice like a phoenix, rising leisurely, fresh and ethereal, seeping into the heart.

"The luxury of the six dynasties, spring has gone, and there is no more news. Vainly looking at the mountains and rivers, it is no longer the past..."

Jia Cong was startled in his heart. The ethereal and beautiful female voice was actually singing his "Full River Red."

Jia Yucun smiled: "I also just heard that this 'Full River Red: Jin Ling Nostalgia' is actually a new work by Brother Cong. A few years ago, Brother Cong made a poem about plum blossoms at the Nanxi Literary Gathering, which stood out and made him famous in the Love Shenjing.

It's just that there have been no new works for many years. Once a chapter is completed, it shows the posture of a work that will be passed down through the ages. This talent is truly enviable.

Brother Cong's 'Full River Red' is now widely sung in the brothels and entertainment venues of Jin Ling. I'm afraid it will spread north and south before long."

Jia Cong hurriedly expressed his humility, but he was somewhat puzzled in his heart. He had only written this poem as a return gift for the Xue family, so how could it have spread so quickly?

He had been copying scriptures at the Ding'an Temple these days, and when he returned to the city, he stayed at the old mansion in Xinglong Lane. He never went out, and he had no social engagements, not even catching the invitation from the Xue family.

So he really didn't know much about what was happening outside.

Few of the servants and old women in the old mansion were literate, and none of them had the hobby of going to brothels and entertainment venues to listen to songs, so naturally, no one told him about these things.

Jia Yucun said again: "The one singing this song is Lady Qing from the Qingyin Pavilion. She is the music director of the Qingyin Pavilion and has the reputation of having the 'Jade Pipa Heavenly Sound.' It is usually extremely difficult to invite her to perform."

Suddenly, someone at the table next to them muttered: "Singing what kind of bird poem, chirping and chirping, it makes people's heads ache."

When Jia Yucun heard this, he frowned. He was a top-three scholar with the heart of a literatus. In his eyes, such poetry and singing were elegant matters, but they were slandered as chirping and headache-inducing.

He looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the person speaking was a man in his thirties, with a strong build and a face full of alcohol, drinking cup after cup.

For some reason, Jia Cong felt that this drunkard looked a bit familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

This banquet was to send Prince Ning back to the capital, not an ordinary official social gathering. No official present dared to be negligent, and everyone sipped their drinks. It was rare for someone to be so greedy for the cup like this person.

"Experience Officer Cui, you have had too much to drink."

The person speaking was an official beside this man. Most of the officials attending the banquet were in casual clothes, but this person was neatly dressed in a Grade 5 official robe. He was over forty years old, and his temples were already somewhat gray.

(End of chapter)