Chapter 367: Weighing the View of Jiangnan

De-De Ward, Earl's Prefecture, Yingchun's Courtyard.

The courtyard was filled with flowers and trees, lush and green. On the wind-and-rain corridor outside the house, two orioles were jumping up and down and singing.

Sitting under the corridor were several maids in red clothes and green jackets, who were Jin Chuan, Zi Juan, Shi Shu, and others chatting.

At the door of the main hall of the courtyard, a bead curtain of Qihai fragrant wood was hanging. A large red felt was spread on the seat kang by the south window. On the east side of the wooden wall, a brocade backrest and pillow were placed, and a light pink satin seat cushion was spread.

On the table on the kang, a hollowed-out jade incense burner was placed, and a chess manual was placed next to it.

A lacquer tea tray contained five small covered cups, one of which was open, revealing a refreshing tea fragrance.

In the hall, beautiful figures were moving, pearl hairpins were shining, fragrance was lingering, and laughter was ringing like bells.

Daiyu, Baochai, and Seeing Tan Chun were surrounding someone talking, while Yingchun was sitting on the kang, smiling and looking at them.

"Good, you guys are really ghosts. When did you all move to the East Prefecture to live? You play together every day. It's thanks to the old lady for picking me up; otherwise, you wouldn't remember that I exist."

Baochai smiled: "I wanted to come over and play with the sisters, but it's not good to leave my mother alone. Besides, it's very convenient to go back and forth between the two sides."

They all understood Xiangyun's personality. If this girl knew the truth, even if she was open-minded, she would inevitably be shy. In the future, she would never be at ease in front of Jia Cong, and she might not even dare to go to the East Prefecture.

Although Baochai was intelligent and experienced, and handled things in a flexible and appropriate manner, this kind of thing was still not something she, a boudoir girl, could control.

Why did I still go to the door to be enthusiastic? It was really a waste of shame....

Xiangyun smiled: "I don't want to be so troublesome. I'll just live in this courtyard. It's spacious and fragrant here. It's fine to be with Second Sister, and it's lively."

Although Baochai did not show any traces in front of people, she was anxious and helpless in her heart.

It could only be that everyone lived their own lives, counting one day at a time.

Xu Shi had heard how the Jia family young ladies addressed that Marquis Lord Weiyuan.

Moreover, that little mouth of hers is extremely glib, coaxing Jia Mu into great delight; in her speech, she never goes three sentences without mentioning her "Third Brother," and her words are filled with intimacy.

Hanging on her chest was a bright yellow golden unicorn, revealing a pleasing liveliness and agility. It was Shi Xiangyun who had just arrived at the Jia Prefecture today.

Yingchun and the others heard this and felt it was a principle. Xue Yima was a widowed woman, and Xue Pan was a son after all. She only had one daughter, Baochai, to accompany her, so it was indeed not good to live over alone.

A crisp and pretty voice was dashing and bright. Although they were complaining words, the tone was overflowing with joy and openness.

It was just that Daiyu, Yingchun, Seeing Tan Chun, and others sent Baoqin out of the prefecture, and because of this, they all went to the East Prefecture and did not return to Rongqing Hall. This Miss Xu San had no one to talk to, and was a bit bored.

She herself had deep feelings for Jia Cong, but she knew that the family status of the two was now very different, and it was mostly a mirage.

Even if her aunt wanted to promote the marriage between her and Baoyu, the old lady turned a deaf ear and never answered.

Perhaps Jia Cong was not ennobled, just a Jieyuan talent, and could still make people have some lucky thoughts.

In previous years, Jia Mu would pick up Xiangyun to stay for a while at the beginning of the eighth month to accompany her to celebrate her birthday, but the wind direction of birthday wishes in the past few days was a bit different, so she picked up this niece-granddaughter early.

The wife of Marquis Cheng Yang heard that the one who came was the eldest young lady of the Lady Bao Ling Marquis Prefecture, which was Jia Mu's maternal granddaughter.

Now every time Xiangyun came to the Jia Prefecture, she felt a bit uncomfortable in her heart, not to mention there was a Daiyu who was close to Jia Cong.

This person had a beautiful appearance, a slender figure, hair black as ink, and a flexible waist.

Jia Mu sent a carriage to pick up Xiangyun early in the morning.

She wore a bright red gold bamboo leaf pattern cross-collar jacket on the upper body, a white thin cotton cross-collar small shirt, a white dark flower pleated skirt on the lower body, and pine green embroidered Lingxiao flower shoes.

And this kind of major marriage matter, without final settlement, if the wind leaked, if there was a change, it would be difficult to clean up.

The little girl just chatted with Jia Mu for a few words, and then said she was going to the East Prefecture to find her sisters to play. Jia Mu just smiled and let her go quickly. Wasn't that East Prefecture the Earl's Prefecture?

The wife of Marquis Cheng Yang saw the expression on Jia Mu's face and suddenly understood. This old lady's threshold was really ghostly, and she had set up the carriage and artillery for a long time.

Xiangyun often came and went in the Jia Prefecture, with a sparse and romantic personality, and did not know the roots, and often talked and laughed without restraint with Jia Cong. Even if Daiyu and Seeing Tan Chun were intelligent, they did not notice anything unusual.

Therefore, the few old women who knew the roots mostly just beat around the bush, and never broke the matter. Even Lady Wang and Wang Xifeng did not know Jia Mu's thoughts.

She would never let her noble grandson have a relationship with the daughter of a merchant family....

Yingchun smiled: "Since Cloud Sister is here, as long as you like it, you can naturally live here. I will let someone clean up the room for you. Third Brother will go down to Jin Ling in a while, and we will have more people to accompany us."

This Shi Xiangyun was the direct granddaughter of her Shi family, and she was so close to the Jia family's East Prefecture. Whether it was family status, appearance, or blood kinship, how could outsiders compare?

When Xiangyun arrived at the prefecture, she went to Rongqing Hall to see Jia Mu. At that time, the wife of Marquis Cheng Yang was still talking to Jia Mu in the hall, and that unmarried Miss Xu San had been accompanying her obediently.

Xiangyun knew nothing about this, and did not know that she had been used as a gun by her great-aunt once.

It was hard to say that a play of imperial marriage would be caused in the future.

But Baochai understood Jia Cong's temperament. Thinking of the plum branch moon shadow sachet on his body, she felt that this Brother Cong was probably not a person who would listen to others' manipulation.

Yingchun said: "Sister Baochai, the sisters are all here. Why don't you move here to stay for a few days? It will be lively."

Although the two Marquis wives of the Shi family supported the marriage between Jia Cong and Xiangyun, Xiangyun was still young, and Jia Cong's status was now extraordinary.

But now that Jia Mu in the prefecture, who had been a super-grade State Lady for half her life, always valued the dignity of a wealthy family extremely highly.

Jia Mu had an ideal abacus early on, fertile water not flowing into outsiders' fields, and near water towers getting the moon first.

As long as Baochai was in Rongqing Hall that day, she heard the conversation between the two Marquis wives and Jia Mu, but she had already guessed the tricks of the elders of the Jia and Shi families.

The little girl was beautiful and romantic, her red clothes were bright, her words were pleasant, and she was generous. As soon as she entered the hall, it seemed that the whole room was full of spring, making her own delicate and shy third girl lose color.

Although Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding also supported this matter, he also felt that the time had not yet come, so it was just that Jia Mu and the two Shi family wives knew it well, but did not break the matter.

Yingchun and Seeing Tan Chun both had parents in the hall, and Daiyu was living in her maternal home, and her father was not in front of her. In daily life, Jia Mu arranged everything for her, and she didn't think too much about it.

Only Baochai's mother was widowed, and her brother was extremely unreliable, so she was used to thinking about everything since she was a child, being thoughtful and appropriate, and making up for the family's shortcomings.

At this time, Zi Juan's voice came from outside the door: "Third Brother, you are off work. The young ladies are all in the room."

As soon as Jia Cong entered the door, Xiangyun greeted him.

She smiled: "I heard that Third Brother is going down to Jin Ling to handle imperial business again. Uncle and Aunt said that the Shi family's main family is in Jin Ling, but I have never been there. Third Brother, why don't you take me to visit? Wouldn't that be good?"

Jia Cong smiled: "Taking you is naturally no problem, as long as the family is willing."

Xiangyun giggled when she heard this, and didn't take it seriously. At the age of youth, there was naturally no reason to travel thousands of miles alone.

Not to mention that Uncle and Aunt would not agree, the old lady would also never allow it. She just took this kind of thing as a joke and said it for fun.

Yingchun asked: "It's not yet noon today, why did Third Brother get off work so early?"

Jia Cong replied: "There is nothing to do in the government office today, so I came back early. Hearing Zhi Shao say that Cloud Sister is visiting the prefecture, I thought she must be at Second Sister's place."

In the past few days, the firearm workshop in the north of the city had news of gunpowder becoming damp. In fact, the firearm workshop was a confidential place. How could such news spread if the gunpowder really became damp?

But this news spread, making the time for Jia Cong to go to Jin Ling to handle business delayed for a few more days.

Until the morning when he went to the Ministry of War for routine observation of government affairs and learned about the troop movement thirty miles north of the city, the talk of the workshop's gunpowder becoming damp could probably come to an end.

Jia Cong smiled: "Since Cloud Sister is visiting the prefecture today and the sisters are all here, why don't we set up a banquet now, so everyone can enjoy half a day? I will go down to Jin Ling in a few days, and I'm afraid I'll have to wait a long time for such an opportunity."

All the sisters agreed in unison, and Xiangyun was even more high-spirited.

Jia Cong let people set up two bamboo tables in Ningxi Pavilion, one with meat and vegetable wine and dishes, and the other with tea whisks, tea basins, and other tea sets.

Beside Ningxi Pavilion was the waterway connecting the back garden. Jia Cong and the sisters listened to the wind by the water, raised their chopsticks and invited cups, talked and laughed, and ate and drank at will.

The banquet was more than half eaten. Daiyu had been sickly since she was a child, and she was used to cautious maintenance in her daily diet. She drank a small cup of yellow wine and dared not drink any more, and stopped her chopsticks after eating sixty percent of the dishes.

Jia Cong let people take a stool and let Daiyu sit by the railing, and found a fishing rod from the room for her to fish and play.

Baochai saw Jia Cong being meticulous to Daiyu, and felt very envious in her heart. She thought it was because they had been together since childhood that they had this fate, but she didn't have this fate.

She paced to the flower tree by the pavilion, broke off a fresh flower, picked a flower and inserted it on her temple, and tore the rest and threw them into the clear waves, teasing the fish at the bottom of the water to come up and nibble.

Yingchun was making tea. When the water boiled, she let the maid fill the tea cups and distributed them to everyone to relieve the wine.

Xiangyun was more playful. Although her little face was flushed by the wine, she was still playing finger-guessing games with Seeing Tan Chun, but she lost to Seeing Tan Chun every time and was poured several cups by Seeing Tan Chun with a smile.

Daiyu's fishing rod had been hanging on the water for a long time. Although no fish took the bait, she still sat quietly and patiently.

Suddenly she asked Jia Cong: "How long will Third Brother take to go down to Jin Ling this time?"

Jia Cong smiled: "Short as one month, slow as two months, I will definitely come back."

Daiyu's delicate eyebrows raised slightly, and she pouted and laughed at him: "I don't believe your words now. Last time you went to Liaodong, you said you would come back in three months, but you coaxed me for half a year before coming back."

Jia Cong smiled: "Jin Ling is not as troublesome as Liaodong, it won't take too long, and I have to come back as soon as possible, so I can't delay next year's spring examination.

This trip south will pass through Yangzhou. If you have letters or items to send, I will help you transfer them to your uncle."

Daiyu suddenly looked worried and said: "My father's letters in the past six months seem to show that his health is not good. I am a bit worried. Third Brother, please go and see for me. It will be fine if it's not serious."

Jia Cong felt a jump in his heart when he heard this, and comforted: "Uncle is in his prime, I think it's caused by busy official business. Just maintain it a little, and you don't need to worry too much, Sister."

Divine Capital, Prince Beijing's Prefecture.

Prince Beijing Shui Rong had always had a reputation for elegance in literary affairs, so his study was decorated with antique fragrance and color, and all kinds of rare books were neatly placed on the bookshelves on all four sides.

In the purple copper incense burner on the desk, top-grade dragon saliva incense was burning, and the milky white smoke lingered and did not dissipate, covering Shui Rong's handsome face with a bit of solemnity and mystery.

The most popular incense on the market now was the refined smokeless incense produced by Xin Chun Hao of the Imperial Household Department. Now many noble and wealthy families used Xin Chun Hao's smokeless incense as a fashion.

But Shui Rong still liked this kind of traditional burning incense. Xin Chun Hao's incense was made of refined fragrant flowers or spices, but it could not make the strange fragrance of dragon saliva incense.

And there were rumors in the market that Xin Chun Hao had an unclear relationship with Marquis Lord Weiyuan of the Jia family, and Shui Rong did not have much good impression of Jia Cong.

It was not that Jia Cong was not capable and not worthy of his friendship, but that Jia Cong did not give him a chance at all. He had invited him several times, but was declined by the other party with various strange reasons.

This made Shui Rong a bit depressed and unbalanced.

On the desk was an opened letter, which had just been sent by a servant, and the content of the letter made him very unhappy.

At this time, a beautiful and graceful woman, dignified in demeanor, wearing a phoenix palace robe, entered the study alone. It was the Princess Beijing, the second daughter of the Zhen family, who also held a letter in her hand.

She said: "Prince, Third Brother sent a letter from Jin Ling. Several of the Prince's students in the government office have been rotated by the Ministry of Personnel this time, and they cannot sit firmly in their original positions, and some are even idle at home.

Third Brother said that these students of the Prince have always been very capable, and have given a lot of help to the family business over the years.

He wants to know if the Prince can communicate with the Ministry of Personnel to let these people stay in office as much as possible, so that they can be relied upon as arms in the future."

Shui Rong frowned and shook his head, pointing to the letter on the desk, and said: "Marquis Cheng Yang also sent a letter. Several of the old Marquis Liu's subordinates back then served in the Jin Ling Guard, and they were also rotated this time.

Also asked me to mediate on his behalf, but at this time, these things are very hot, how can I easily reach out?"

Princess Beijing had always been very concerned about her maternal family, and her brother mentioned it cautiously in the letter, so she asked unwillingly: "Then the Prince's students can only be left idle?"

Shui Rong said: "Zhou Zhengyang's incident in Jin Ling, a third-grade military officer in the guard, with five thousand people under his command, was revealed to be the mastermind behind the Water Surveillance Department case!

The current Emperor is deep in schemes and heavy in suspicion, and has always been wary of the rampant military power. And Jin Ling is the secondary capital of the Great Zhou, involving half of Jiangnan. How could he not be vigilant?

Two years ago, because of the outbreak of the Water Surveillance Department case, the Jin Ling officialdom had already experienced turmoil. Now the Emperor's large-scale rotation of Jin Ling officials is to stir up the old forces, cut off connections, and draw the salary from the bottom of the pot!

If I'm not mistaken, the Emperor will definitely have major moves in Jin Ling later. The poem of transgression last year has already made the Emperor have estrangement from me.

At this time, I come forward to recommend officials who have lost power. You say, how will the Emperor look at me? There will be no way back in the future...."

Shui Rong sneered again: "Look at this Marquis Cheng Yang Liu Hongzhong. Since the poem of transgression appeared in the Prince's Prefecture last year, he didn't even dare to come to the door, and he had to sneak to send letters when he said something.

The old nobles of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes are really living in grievance!"

He asked again: "I heard that Marquis Cheng Yang's third daughter is unmarried. The Liu family wants to climb the marriage of the Jia family's Marquis Lord Weiyuan. Didn't you say that the family wanted to promise this marriage to the third sister? How is it now?"

Princess Beijing looked a bit helpless and said: "You don't know my third sister, who can guess her thoughts?

That day, my mother and I took her to visit the Jia family, but Jia Cong happened to enter the palace, and the two didn't meet. After she came back, she didn't wait for a few days before she insisted on returning to Jin Ling, and my mother couldn't help her.

If she doesn't want to marry, who can force her?"

Shui Rong smiled: "Your third sister is very extraordinary. It's a pity that she was born a woman. If she were a man, she would definitely be an extraordinary person."

Shui Rong said this, and suddenly looked dazed, and asked: "You said that day you went to the Jia Prefecture, you happened to meet Jia Cong being summoned into the palace?"

Princess Beijing replied: "Exactly, I heard that he was suddenly summoned, and there was no wind before. Is there anything wrong here?"

Prince Beijing's tone was a bit suspicious: "From the time, it was the second day after Jia Cong was summoned into the palace, the Emperor issued several imperial decrees, one of which was to rotate officials in various government offices in Jin Ling.

And another imperial decree was to let Jia Cong go down to Jin Ling to establish a branch of the secondary capital's Firearm Department."

Princess Beijing said: "Prince, these two things seem to have no connection, it's just a coincidence."

Prince Beijing asked again: "Which day did your third sister return to Jin Ling?"

Princess Beijing replied: "Three days after visiting the Jia Prefecture."

Prince Beijing muttered to himself: "I said, your sister is not simple...."

Prince Beijing also sent a trusted family member to give careful instructions.

After two cups of tea, the family member came back to report that Jia Cong had received the decree for many days, but because he was busy with the official business of the Firearm Department, he had not yet gone down to Jin Ling.

Prince Beijing heard this and shook his head, feeling that he was a bit overthinking.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 368 =====