Chapter 300

Rongguo Prefecture, East Road Courtyard, Yingsong Hall.

When the Sun family of Datong was down and out, the head of the Sun family, Sun Zhanying, once curried favor and defected to the Duke of Rongguo; Jia She had seen Sun Zhanying several times back then and had heard of his eldest son, Sun Shaoming.

But he was very unfamiliar with the name Sun Shaozu.

The young man in front of him was in his twenties, tall and sturdy, with a straight nose and wide mouth, prominent cheekbones, and bright eyes, revealing a kind of shrewdness and capability.

After some pleasantries, Sun Shaozu took out a handwritten letter from Sun Zhanying, and Jia She knew that Sun Shaozu was the third son of Sun Zhanying.

In a family with hereditary military positions, only the eldest son can inherit the position; Sun Shaozu is the third in the family, so naturally, it is not his turn.

He currently has no real position in Datong, and he has always disliked the wilderness of the Datong border, only envying the prosperity of the Love Shenjing.

Sun Zhanying found a way to let Sun Shaozu hang his name in the Ministry of War to wait for a vacancy, but there are countless people waiting for vacancies in the Ministry of War every year, and only a few can get a real position.

Sun Zhanying had a way to let his son hang his name to wait for a vacancy, but he had no connections or ability to let his son win a real position, so he wrote a letter asking Jia She to help plan.

The Sun family has hereditary military positions in Datong, and their power is deeply rooted in the local area; it is not difficult to get rid of a criminal in prison.

Sun Shaozu saw Jia She mention this, and the uneasy expression on his face was obvious; he knew the root of the matter when he came, so his confidence was a bit stronger.

When Sun Shaozu first came, Jia She just perfunctorily dealt with him; now that the Sun family had solved such a big hidden danger for him, he really wanted to plan a position for the other party.

Jia She was overjoyed when he heard this, and before he could say anything, he suddenly died, so there was no proof of death; he had actually escaped a disaster.

And the Sun family doing such things is not just this one case; regardless of the reason, they have a reason to silence the Assistant Regional Commander Xu.

Sun Shaozu said again, "Father also asked me to tell the Uncle, the Sun family will handle the aftermath of Datong, but during this period, the business must stop, wait until the current storm passes."

Jia She heard that Sun Zhanying would handle the aftermath in Datong, so he had no more worries, and his mood was very good, and he agreed to help Sun Shaozu plan the position.

Sun Shaozu smiled slightly, his eyes flashing with cunning light, looked left and right; Jia She understood and called the maids who were serving tea in the hall to retreat.

He said, "Father asked me to pass a message to the Uncle; although that Assistant Regional Commander Xu was imprisoned, he didn't have time to say much, and I don't know why he suddenly... died of sudden illness in prison!"

Saying, "As for the vacancy, nephew, don't worry, the old man will definitely try his best."

……

Sun Shaozu smiled slightly and said, "Before I left Datong, Father told me personally; there are some things that Father is not convenient to write in the letter."

Jia She's face changed when he heard this name, and he looked at Sun Shaozu in surprise.

Moreover, Jia She's sale of forbidden items was based on the relationship with the Sun family of Datong, and the business kept growing, and the Sun family was already involved.

"Recently, I heard from guests coming from the north that the Nine Provinces Controller is patrolling the border in Datong, and there are officers in the army who have been involved in the case; nephew, you just came from Datong, have you heard about this?"

Jia She was burning inside because of the Assistant Regional Commander Xu being caught in Datong, so where would he have the heart to help others plan official positions.

It's just that his business in Datong is closely related to the Sun family, and people know his details clearly, so naturally, it is not easy to offend them.

However, Jia She is not someone who hasn't seen the world, and he soon thought of something, his face couldn't help but turn pale; what sudden illness and death? It must have been silenced by the Sun family's means.

"The Rongguo Jia family is a noble clan of the Great Zhou, with old acquaintances all over the court, and the Uncle is a leader among people, with eyes and hands reaching the sky; nephew's vacancy in the Ministry of War, please ask the Uncle to spend more effort."

Holding the tea bowl, he took a slow sip and said, "There are indeed officers in the army who have been caught; is the Uncle talking about Assistant Regional Commander Xu Hongchang of Datong!"

No matter what, Assistant Regional Commander Xu is dead, and his disaster of selling forbidden goods in Datong has finally been covered up; thinking of this, Jia She breathed a sigh of relief, quite lucky to have survived.

After all, he and the Sun family are now grasshoppers on the same line, so it is very necessary to make friends and win them over.

……

Sun Shaozu is not the eldest son, living in the shadow of his eldest brother all his life, and the hereditary military position in the family was also inherited by his eldest brother, so it has nothing to do with him at all.

He is a person who is vengeful and poisonous, but he is quite scheming and can please Sun Zhanying, otherwise, he wouldn't have spent so much effort to help him wait for a vacancy in the Ministry of War.

And Sun Shaozu has always envied the prosperity under the Emperor's feet, and he is determined to stay in the Love Shenjing as a capital official, so as to cover his eldest brother and vent the resentment in his heart.

Therefore, he is very concerned about seeking a real position in the Ministry of War.

He also saw that Jia She was very satisfied with the Assistant Regional Commander Xu incident, so he began to strike while the iron was hot, took out a 5,000-tael silver note from his bosom, and pushed it to Jia She from the table.

Jia She's eyes lit up involuntarily when he saw the silver note, but he said in his mouth, "Nephew, what do you mean by this?"

Sun Shaozu smiled and said, "The Love Shenjing is not like Datong; under the Emperor's feet, even a piece of paper is expensive; letting the Uncle plan a real vacancy for me, it is inevitable to ask for help and associate, how can I let the Uncle spend money."

"Let the Uncle use this as a gift for welcoming and sending off; the Uncle must not dislike it."

Jia She laughed and said, "Nephew, you are really too polite."

Solving the hidden danger and getting 5,000 taels of silver for nothing made Jia She very happy, and he looked at Sun Shaozu more and more pleasingly; this young man is shrewd, can speak, and is sensible.

……

Sun Shaozu asked again, "Uncle, my father asked me to ask, is there any room for maneuver regarding the Firearms Office mentioned last time? After all, the main official of the Firearms Office is the Uncle's own son...."

Jia She's heart jumped when he heard this; he had just escaped a disaster and was already a bit empty in his heart; at this moment, he was still frightened and didn't dare to provoke the Firearms Office.

Since the firearm soldiers of the Five Armies Camp entered Liaodong last year and showed their power on the battlefield, they have attracted the attention of many people.

Among them, there are many big figures or forces who want to explore the secrets of firearms, and the Supervisor of the Firearms Office is Jia She's own son, so many people cast their eyes on Jia She.

Last year, Sun Zhanying entrusted Jia She to mediate, so Jia She instigated Jia Qiang to enter the firearm workshop and let Jia Lian come forward to talk to Jia Cong; it's just that Jia Cong was vigilant and refused on the spot.

After that incident, Jia She gave up his thoughts in this regard; he and Jia Cong had long since broken off their father-son relationship, and Jia Cong had become more and more outstanding in the past few years, making Jia She subconsciously unwilling to provoke him.

So he said, "Nephew, although the main official of the Firearms Office is my son, the court strictly manages firearms, and those who enter the Firearms Office and workshops will be strictly screened; the risk is too great, and the old man is powerless."

……

Rongguo Prefecture, Qingzhi Studio.

The green paulownia in the courtyard has grown many tender leaves, and a row of bamboo planted along the powder wall has faded from the deep green of the severe winter, dyeing out the light green of spring.

Today the sun is bright, and many robes and skirts are hung in the courtyard; looking at the weather, it will be time to change into spring clothes in a few days.

Baochai took Ying'er, holding boxes of gifts of all sizes, and entered Qingzhi Studio.

Just in time, Zhi Shao came out of the main house, wearing a light purple dark-patterned vest, a white round-neck jacket, and a moon-white dark-patterned long skirt, standing gracefully, swaying and beautiful.

Seeing Baochai and her maid, she smiled and greeted, "Miss Bao is here, come in and sit."

Baochai smiled, "Sister Zhi Shao, don't be polite; my brother just came back from the north and brought some local products, so I sent some for you to taste something fresh."

Baochai had not been in the Jia Prefecture for long, but she often heard people mention those people in Jia Cong's room; after all, those people in his room were the top-notch ones in the prefecture, and the rumors about Zhi Shao were the most.

It is said that she has served Jia Cong since she was a child, is most valued by Jia Cong, and has even received gifts from the Empress, and even the Old Ancestor has to look at her differently; the monthly allowance she receives is the same as the young ladies in the prefecture.

Baochai is meticulous and appropriate, and she has put her heart into Jia Cong, so she naturally loves the house and its crow, and her etiquette is comprehensive.

"These are apricot preserves, berries, yellow rice, hazel mushrooms, and several branches of top-grade Korean white ginseng from Datong; these things are the most nourishing when boiled daily, suitable for Brother Cong to maintain his health."

"There is also a box of top-grade Balin stone, which Brother Cong can use when writing and composing lyrics...."

Baochai said all the things she sent, and the purpose of each one, and unknowingly said it all, quite like a mistress.

Baochai was a bit forgetful, but she found that Zhi Shao on the side was listening carefully, and her face turned slightly red.

The two chatted for a few more words, and Zhi Shao and Qingwen took two squares of imperial wine as a return gift; these were things rewarded by the palace when Jia Cong made military achievements last time.

Baochai hurriedly thanked her and smiled, "We don't drink much at home, and we only drink a little when guests come."

Her thoughts moved slightly, and she said again, "I heard that the Great Master of the East Road Courtyard loves this elegant way; I think Brother Cong will often go to show filial piety."

Qingwen, who was serving tea on the side, was the most sharp-tongued and said, "Our Third Master moved to live in the West Prefecture; the Old Ancestor set the rules, and he only pays respects to the Second Master and the Lady on this side!"

This sounded a bit sharp, and a bit hot.

When Qingwen was first given to Jia Cong as a maid, she happened to meet Jia Cong who was seriously injured by Jia She.

The little maid still remembers the grudge; although Jia She is the Great Master of the prefecture, Qingwen is a maid and dare not overstep.

However, she has a hot temper in her bones, loves and hates clearly, and feels sorry for the suffering Jia Cong suffered back then, so every time she mentions Jia She, she can't help but say some strange things.

Baochai is extremely smart; she had heard about the father and son of Jia Cong, and after hearing Qingwen's slightly uneven tone, how could she not understand.

Brother Cong only pays respects to the Aunt and Uncle, which means he is raised in the second branch like Yingchun, and is very estranged from the East Road Courtyard; thinking about it, it is not surprising; this pair of father and son originally had resentment.

Ever since Baochai heard from her brother that the person was selling forbidden items like sea salt, tea, and ironware to Datong, she worried that Jia Cong would be implicated because of the father-son relationship.

So she deliberately brought up the topic of whether Jia Cong had sent imperial wine to Jia She; after hearing Qingwen's words, she knew that the father and son were like strangers and didn't have much contact, so she finally breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

(End of chapter)