Chapter 22

"Zhi Shao, Zhi Shao...."

Jia Cong looked at Zhi Shao who was stunned at him and called out.

Zhi Shao was like being woken up, her little face flushed red: "Cong Sanye, what's the matter?"

"Today you go out with me. I'm not at ease with you at home alone. I'll send you to a place first, and when I come back from Nanxi, we will return to the mansion together."

Usually when Jia Cong is there, Jia She and his wife will not find Zhi Shao to lobby and force her, although in their eyes, Jia Cong is not as good as the mud on the ground outside the second door.

But in front of his son, asking for his son's personal maid to be a concubine is too embarrassing and too hard to say. Although Jia She is arrogant, he still needs a basic face.

Moreover, if it spreads to the Old Lady, it will only make her dislike them more. In the future, they will never have a turn in the Jia family, and they will be burnt rolls in the East Courtyard for a lifetime.

Jia Cong saw through these, so he tried his best to avoid Zhi Shao being left alone in the mansion, guarding against being drilled by Jia She and Lady Xing.

Zhi Shao knew that Jia Cong cared about her, and took her with him even when he walked away, so as not to be forced by the Master and Lady at home alone. Thinking of these, she felt sweet in her heart.

Jia Cong pushed open the door and found that everything was white. Tan Chun said yesterday that the dark clouds were heavy, and it would definitely snow today. It really was said, and this snow fell all night last night.

This carriage was not from the East Courtyard. Jia She would never be confused and arrange a carriage for Jia Cong to let him go out to show off.

Jia Zheng usually sits in his carriage when he goes out, because Guo Zhigui is smart and drives fast and steadily.

The carriage had already stopped outside the black oil gate of the East Courtyard, and two accompanying servants followed on horseback.

The carriage drove out of Jude Square in the wind and snow that covered the sky and the sun, and ran for half an hour, but stopped near Chunhua Building in the Xicheng.

Stepping on the snow, it sank half a finger deep, making a creaking sound.

Guo Zhigui is the same age as Jia Cong.

Don't look at him young, I don't know where he learned a skill of driving, no matter how explosive the animal is, it can be obedient in his hands.

Jia Cong saw that although he was the same age as himself, his stature was tall and strong, like a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy.

Jia Cong helped Zhi Shao into the carriage. At this time, the sky was still dim, and most people in the East Courtyard were still in their dreams, and no one came out to bother them.

This is the carriage of the West Mansion, which was arranged by Jia Zheng a day in advance, and even let the carriage go to Shuyun Villa in advance, so as not to delay things because of not knowing the path.

The driver is Aunt Zhao's son Guo Zhigui, who is Jia Cong's milk brother. Theoretically, this relationship is very close, but Jia Cong has only seen Guo Zhigui a few times since he was a child.

Seeing Jia Cong coming, Guo Zhigui grinned honestly, revealing a mouth of white teeth. He jumped off the carriage shaft and took down a small stool: "Cong Sanye Cong, please get in the carriage."

With this skill, he has been a driver in the West Mansion for a year at a young age.

Jia Cong saw his milk brother sitting steadily on the carriage shaft, his face dark, wearing a felt hat on his head, and the brim of the hat was already covered with snow. He must have been waiting here for a long time.

Shuyun Villa, where the Nanxi Literary Gathering is held, is located on Qifeng Ridge in the suburbs of the Xicheng. After leaving the city from Hongde Gate in the Xicheng, the carriage runs for another hour before arriving.

Jia Cong and Zhi Shao got off the carriage and let Guo Zhigui wait in place.

This milk brother of his has a simple face, looking like he is not a treacherous person, but the water in a wealthy family like the Jia family is too deep, so it is always right to be careful.

The two passed through two streets and came to a small alley with few people, and stopped in front of a small courtyard gate at the end of the alley.

Zhi Shao was surprised to see Jia Cong take out a key, open the pillow lock on the courtyard gate, and push open the door. It was a small courtyard with four rooms, and a tall mulberry tree was planted in the middle of the courtyard.

This is the foothold Jia Cong rented in the Xicheng a few days ago. He settled Zhi Shao, closed the courtyard gate, and walked back to Guo Zhigui's carriage.

When the carriage drove out of Hongde Gate, Jia Cong saw several carriages running past, these carriages were either simple and plain, or luxurious and wealthy.

They were going in the same direction as him. I think they should also be going to participate in the Nanxi Literary Gathering. As time passed, there were more and more carriages traveling on this road.

Jia Cong's carriage had the logo of the Rongguo Mansion. On this road, Jia Cong noticed that people in many passing carriages often lifted the carriage curtain to look at this side.

I guess some people are strange in their hearts. The wealthy family passed down by martial arts is usually mixed in the military, and has always been vulgar and unbearable.

Under such family influence, it is extremely difficult to produce a decent scholar. What kind of character has the Rongguo Mansion produced, and he is also going to participate in the Nanxi Literary Gathering.

However, some people thought that the Ningguo Mansion, which was in the same line as Rongguo back then, produced Jia Jing, who was a clean and noble Jinshi.

A martial arts family produced a Metropolitan Graduate who sang at Qujiang. In the past fifty years of the country, it has been the only one. Is the Jia family going to do this again?

Jia Cong didn't know that he hadn't arrived at Shuyun Villa yet, and had already caused quite a stir among the great scholars and celebrities participating in the literary gathering.

Ten miles out of Hongde Gate, villages and people were no longer visible. Jia Cong lifted the carriage curtain, and as far as his eyes could see, it was a vast snowy field covered in silver.

Not far away, a large river was covered with solid ice, and some broken ice blocks floated slowly with the dark current at the bottom of the river, colliding with each other, making a sharp and shocking sound like gold and iron.

In the dense woods by the river, the branches stretching towards the sky were covered with jade snow and beautiful jade-like flowers, looking unusually clear and enchanting in the cold wind.

Seeing the scenery in front of him, Jia Cong couldn't help but think of the great man's poem: Northern scenery, thousands of miles of ice, ten thousand miles of snow, looking at the inside and outside of the Great Wall, only the vastness remains; up and down the river, the surging waves are lost....

However, he would only recite this poem in his heart in this life, and would never dare to read it out.

The carriage ran for less than ten miles before arriving at the foot of Qifeng Ridge. Servants from Prince Jia Shun's mansion had already been waiting there to lead the way for the arriving carriages.

Jia Cong's carriage followed the leading servant around a mountain col and saw a tall archway standing in front, with a huge black-bottomed gold-lettered plaque "Shuyun Villa" hanging on it.

Behind the archway was a neat stone staircase extending to the mountainside, with white walls and blue tiles at the end of the staircase, and the flying eaves of the pavilion looming, like a palace in the sky.

Dozens of various carriages were already parked under the archway. The owners of these carriages should all be here to participate in the Nanxi Literary Gathering.

People who got off the carriages were familiar with each other, and they clasped their fists and greeted each other, or made acquaintances through others' introductions, expressing their long-standing respect.

When Jia Cong's carriage stopped under the archway, it immediately attracted the attention of many people, because the Rongguo Mansion logo on the carriage was too eye-catching.

Like the owners of the carriages met on the road, the people under the archway were all very surprised that such a prominent martial arts family as the Rongguo Mansion was also invited to participate in the literary gathering.

When the people on the carriage came down, everyone's eyes became even stranger.

Because it wasn't a steady and proper adult who came down, but a teenager in his teens. When did the Nanxi Literary Gathering start inviting children?

Everyone saw that the teenager wore a bright red scarlet felt cloak, with a silver bamboo pattern moon-white long robe visible inside, black velvet thick-soled cloud-stepping boots on his feet, and a purple copper inlaid blue hand warmer in his hand.

His attire was clear, noble, and elegant, without being extravagant.

His oily black hair was only tied with a Xiuyu hairpin. Although his cheeks were a bit thin, his features were extremely handsome and exquisite, and his warm and clear eyes carried calmness and tranquility in his gaze.

His body was straight, his jade tree was standing, and his bright red scarlet felt cloak fluttered in the cold wind, reflected by the snow light everywhere, as eye-catching as a plum blossom in the snow.

Many people sighed in their hearts. Although he was a child, such a magnificent appearance was truly rare to see. When did the Rongguo Mansion produce such a teenager, and why hadn't they heard of it?

"Eh, isn't this Brother Cong? Why are you here!" A young man's voice broke the somewhat strange atmosphere at the scene.

Jia Cong turned his head and saw a young man in his early twenties walking towards him quickly. Wasn't it Liu Bi, whom he had just met a few days ago?

(End of this chapter)