Chapter 377: The Majestic City is Full of Strange Waves

Jin Ling, Xinglong Fang, Jia Family Old Mansion.

Jin Cai and his wife, along with the stewards and servants of the mansion, had been waiting at the west corner gate for nearly half an hour.

The midsummer heat in Jin Ling was unbearable. Although the eaves of the corner gate provided a large area of shade, standing for a long time still made people feel hot and sweaty.

But there was no sign of impatience on Jin Cai's face; he still stood there respectfully with his wife and several stewards.

Since the direct line of the Ning and Rong households moved to Shen Jing, the old mansion in Jin Ling had been in a semi-closed state and hadn't received any distinguished guests for a long time.

Jin Cai was the chief steward of the Jia family's old mansion and was considered a person of status in Xinglong Fang. The younger generation of the Jia family's side branches had to respectfully call him "Grandpa Jin" when they saw him.

In the eyes of the twelve branches of the Jin Ling Jia family, although Jin Cai was a servant born in the family, his status in the clan was not much worse than that of an ordinary master.

Everyone knew that when he was young, he was a page for the old Duke of Lady Rongguo, and his daughter, Sister Yuanyang, was the personal maid of the Jia family's Old Matriarch and the confidant the Old Matriarch trusted most.

The twelve branches of the Jin Ling Jia family, because they were a side branch of the Jia family, could not move to Shen Jing with the direct line back then, and the two sides had become estranged over time.

Jin Cai smiled: "The old servant is very healthy. News of the Cong Sanye often comes from the north. The Cong Sanye is capable, rare in the world, and was granted a title at a young age. It is something to celebrate."

Therefore, Jin Cai would welcome Jia Cong into the mansion so solemnly. In his view, no matter how cautious the etiquette was, it was not too much.

A carved glass screen was placed in the inner room, crystal clear and dazzling. Jia Cong had seen one at Wang Wang Xifeng's place, which was said to be a rare tribute from the Western Sea.

When Jia Cong sent Zhi Shao to Gu Su, he had Jiang Liu take fifteen musketeers as guards to arrive in Jin Ling first, and had agreed on the return date in advance.

Now, besides the Old Matriarch, there were two old masters in the Jia family who inherited titles, and no one was more noble and glorious than this Cong Sanye.

Two years ago, when Jia Cong first came to Jin Ling, he was also on imperial business. Jin Cai knew that he had emerged in the imperial examinations and was valued by the Emperor, but he was still young and couldn't hold a proper official position.

A nine-treasure jade ruyi made of dark agarwood was offered on the case in the main hall, carved from a whole piece of brown-red dark jade, inlaid with rubies the size of dragon eyes, and embedded with turquoise, agate, and red beads.

Everyone had followed Jia Cong to fight in many places in Liaodong and had participated in the great battles of Yafu Pass and Qiu Qingyuan Collection, so their trust and loyalty to Jia Cong were extremely high.

He was worried that if he got too close, he would be branded, borrow an excuse to cause inconvenience to the Shen Jing Duke mansion, and was even more worried about causing gossip for his daughter.

Jin Cai looked at the horse team coming with a smile and led the servants to greet them first.

A look of joy appeared on Jin Cai's face, and he said to his wife: "Did you see that? That must be the Cong Sanye's horse team. You go to the second gate to arrange it, prepare wine and food and accommodation, and welcome the Cong Sanye."

However, Jia Cong was granted a title at such an age. Not to mention the younger generation of the Jia family's twenty branches, even in the whole world, one couldn't find a second one.

But Jin Cai was a seasoned old man who had seen the world. He knew clearly that those twelve side branches were not fuel-efficient lamps.

The Jia family descendants in Xinglong Fang were already very unfamiliar with this kind of military-merit scene, and they didn't expect it to reappear today.

Therefore, whenever they encountered such things, they would just give a face, try not to stir up trouble, and close the old mansion gate to live their own lives.

When the sun was about to climb over the crowd, the sound of dense and neat horse hooves came from the Fang gate, the sound coming from far to near, containing a bit of arrogance and power.

This scene made the neighbors of the side branches in Xinglong Fang feel very rare. They didn't know what kind of big figure Old Man Jin was welcoming today.

Jin Cai saw from afar that a carriage was driving toward them at the high Fang gate.

The Old Matriarch of the Lady Rongguo mansion had left Jin Ling for I don't know how many years. The descendants of the "Wen" generation in Jin Ling had almost never met her. To say how deep the kinship was, it was barely enough.

The Jia family members in Jin Ling wanted the Shen Jing branch to help them, and sometimes they had to ask Jin Cai to pass a word to the Shen Jing mansion, which was more useful than them begging for help themselves.

Jia Cong got off the carriage, saw Jin Cai and several stewards, and laughed: "Steward Jin, have you been well?"

This courtyard was where Jia Cong lived two years ago. The rooms were still the same, but the furnishings and supplies were much more luxurious than before.

Not to mention Jin Cai's affection for the old Duke back then, just his precious daughter Sister Yuanyang—if she said a word in the Old Matriarch's ear, it would be of great use.

Behind the carriage followed more than a dozen mounted guards, wearing Da Zhou military uniforms, each with a strong build, carrying muskets on their backs, with a brave and majestic momentum.

Such a shrewd and thoughtful person who didn't care about outside affairs was now waiting respectfully at the corner gate to welcome guests. The respect and patience on his face were unusual.

Entering the bedroom, a red jade cloud-pattern longevity incense burner was placed on the table, the jade color was moist and warm, and milky white green smoke was spraying out, refreshing the heart.

The fifteen musketeers who accompanied the guards to Jin Ling this time were all elites from the five hundred musketeers.

Since the two Dukes of Ning and Rong passed away one after another, their descendants were mediocre and were all wealthy idle officials who inherited titles.

Since the horse team entered Xinglong Fang, it had attracted the attention of many people.

Although the Jia family had pearls in front, they already had the glory of two Dukes in one family.

As a hereditary count, he was on imperial business in Jin Ling, and bringing more than a dozen military guards was a common scene for military merit, which was not an eye-catching move.

Because there were no masters or female family members in the old mansion now, Jin Cai specially sent Jia Cong to the courtyard where he lived inside the second gate.

Now, after only two years, he had become a fifth-grade official, one grade higher than the Second Master of the mansion, and was even granted the hereditary title of Earl Lord Weiyuan by the Emperor.

Therefore, Jin Cai, an old servant of the direct line who stayed in Jin Ling, became very special.

But this scene, in the eyes of Jin Cai and the neighbors of the side branches in Xinglong Fang, was a bit shocking.

Therefore, whenever the side branches in Xinglong Fang encountered weddings, funerals, or holiday gifts, most of them would send invitations to Jin Cai, seizing the opportunity to pull closer.

Therefore, Jiang Liu had been waiting at the pier with people for two days, and this morning he picked up Jia Cong and returned to the mansion.

When Jia Cong returned to Shen Jing from Liaodong, he brought five hundred musketeers from Liaodong to Shen Jing for garrison rotation.

The courtyard where the Cong Sanye lived before was cleaned up a few days ago, and two first-class maids and two rough-work maids were assigned, all of whom were family-born and would definitely serve the Cong Sanye attentively."

……

……

A gilded Western clock was placed on the desk.

There was also a jade flower bonsai, inside which were vines and gourds carved from jade, with grapes lined with green leaves hanging below, jade light flowing, lifelike.

Jin Cai said: "The old mansion has no masters or young ladies on a daily basis, and many precious things are stored in the warehouse. Now that the Cong Sanye's status is very different, it shouldn't be as simple as before."

"I made my own decision to take a few items used by the Old Master from the warehouse to add some vitality to this courtyard."

Jia Cong had seen many rare things in the Lady Rongguo mansion in the past few years, so he still had some vision. These precious furnishings in the room were rare even in the Lady Rongguo mansion.

Only the Rongqing Hall of the Old Matriarch, or the courtyard of Fengjie, who had plenty of family wealth, would see this kind of antique.

The old mansion in Jin Ling was now empty, and eighty percent of the good things in the mansion had been transported to Shen Jing. These few things were estimated to be the best things at the bottom of the old mansion's box. This Jin Cai was truly attentive to him.

This lineup was much better than his own Earl mansion.

……

Jin Ling, Fengle Fang.

It was not as noble as Xinglong Fang, where the old mansions of the Da Zhou noble princes were located.

But since the vigorous development of maritime trade in Jin Ling, this Fang district in the east of Jin Ling city, which was not famous before, had also risen rapidly in a few years.

Many small and medium-sized officials relied on the power in their hands to make a fortune in the maritime trade business and built houses here one after another, so it was also called the Official Fang in recent years.

Some of these officials were steady, only letting their families go out to operate foreign goods business, relying on the power in their hands to do some edge-ball business that did not violate the law.

Another kind was truly abusing the power in their hands, colluding with maritime merchants, and seeking huge profits.

Since the major case of the Water Supervision Office was detected two years ago, the ripples radiated from it were like a touchstone for the officialdom in Jin Ling.

Many officials living in Fengle Fang were involved in the major case of the Water Supervision Office, with light ones losing their official positions and heavy ones falling into prison and losing their lives.

The officials who could still live here were all cautious and fearful in their actions, making some hard-earned money through family operations, and naturally would not be caught by anyone.

At this moment, in a three-entry courtyard in the Fang that was not conspicuous, in a study room filled with books and antiques and lingering with a clear and ancient atmosphere.

A middle-aged man with an imposing manner was holding a delicate blue and white tea bowl, listening to a young man standing with his hands down. This young man was of medium build, and the little finger of his left hand was missing half.

"My Lord, our relationships in the Shen Jing Sun Dali Temple, Ministry of Personnel, and other official offices have all been cleared by the Pursuit Court this time because of the leak case. Now the news in Shen Jing is not very well-informed."

"In addition, the Ministry of Personnel has rotated personnel in various official offices in Jin Ling this time. The newly assigned officials don't know the original rules, and things are much harder to handle than before."

Some of the rotated officials were found to have clues and were imprisoned, but these people were basically on the periphery and currently do not affect us.

And our business with the Zhen family, the other party wants to stop it temporarily..."

The middle-aged man frowned and asked: "What is the reason they suddenly want to stop?"

The young man replied: "A merchant ship of the Zhen family went to sea for three months. They didn't know the current market in Jin Ling. When entering the port, the new official of the Maritime Trade Office found contraband on the ship."

"That Cong Sanye of the Zhen family is not very brave. Worried about trouble, he asked our people to stop."

The middle-aged man sneered: "The Zhen family is not small in courage. Their family is a fox den. Now there is another little fox. If a family often walks by the river, can they not get their shoes wet..."

"Those few Lumiguns are not worth anything. Have you found the person we are looking for?"

The young man replied: "The person has been found, an Englishman, currently settled in a place in the west of the city."

The middle-aged man asked again: "Where has the stuff we bought from Liaodong arrived now?"

The young man replied: "News came from the north that the stuff has been shipped. When it arrives in Shen Jing, it will find a proper merchant route to go south. Now the ports are all new officials, and the inspection is strict, so this time it is taking the land route."

The middle-aged man said: "From a long-term perspective, this matter is the most important. You take good care of that Englishman and must not let anything go wrong. When it is truly an emergency, don't let him have a chance to speak."

The young man replied: "Subordinate understands. My Lord asked me to pay attention to Jia Cong's whereabouts. Today, at the Longtan Port pier, someone saw that he had arrived in Jin Ling."

The middle-aged man looked a little puzzled: "He is much slower than I imagined. The Emperor asked him to come to Jin Ling to handle affairs, but he actually waited more than a month after receiving the decree to arrive late."

The young man replied: "These days, our people have been paying attention to the movements of officials going south. In fact, a few days ago, Jia Cong's attendants and guards arrived in Jin Ling, and only he arrived in Jin Ling today."

The middle-aged man's eyes lit up and he asked: "With his current status, he didn't even bring his attendants and guards, traveling alone. He must not want people to know his whereabouts. Did you find out where he went?"

The young man replied: "Our people asked the boatman, and the other party said Jia Cong boarded the ship from Gu Su. As for what he went to Gu Su alone for, there is no way to find out."

The middle-aged man said gloomily: "It was he who broke the Water Supervision Office case back then. People like Zou Zou Huaiyi fell into his hands inexplicably. This kind of person must be guarded against."

The young man said: "My Lord, after the Zhou Zhou Zhengyang case came out, it took nearly two months for him to arrive in Jin Ling, and the imperial decree was for him to establish a branch of the Jin Ling Firearm Office. It should have nothing to do with this case, right?"

"Now Yang Yang Hongbin is in charge of the Jin Ling Guard case, and there is no clue so far. When Zhou Zhou Zhengyang left, those who couldn't be taken away were all cleared. Yang Yang Hongbin has already reached a dead end."

"If the imperial court wanted to send Jia Cong to investigate the case, it would be a matter of extreme urgency, and there would definitely be an imperial decree, and he would definitely not be allowed to delay for so long before arriving in Jin Ling."

The middle-aged man nodded when he heard this, and felt that this made some sense, but he was still uneasy in his heart and said: "Let your people watch Jia Cong. If there is anything unusual, be prepared early."

……

Jin Ling, Dazai Gate, Xinchun Hao Jiangnan General Store, Rear Courtyard.

Qu Qu Hongxiu leaned against the door, smiling, watching Jia Cong waving his curved sword in the courtyard.

A figure in the courtyard was agile and heroic, his moves were skilled and sharp, the sword light was silver and dense, leaping and circling around his body, the offensive was like thunder, and the defensive was like green light, making people dazzled.

By the window on the second floor, Qin Keqing was watching Jia Cong practicing martial arts with great interest. This was the first time she had seen Jia Cong practicing martial arts, and she had also heard Qu Qu Hongxiu say proudly that Jia Cong's martial arts were all taught by her.

Although she didn't understand at all whether Jia Cong practiced well or not, looking at Qu Hongxiu's expression, it shouldn't be bad. He was capable of both literature and martial arts. In short, in her eyes, it was indescribably good.

After being separated for so long, they finally met again. Qin Keqing's inner joy was self-evident, but in front of Qu Qu Hongxiu, it was not easy to show it too much.

After Jia Cong stopped the sword momentum, Qu Qu Hongxiu stepped forward to talk to her, even gesturing a few moves, and even pinched Jia Cong's hands and feet, which made Qin Keqing feel a bit jealous.

She brought two cups of early-brewed cold tea and went down to the second floor into the rear courtyard.

Jia Cong took the cold tea, but his bright eyes stared at Qin Keqing, with a smile on his face. He looked in a good mood, and Qin Keqing's pretty face flushed, and she had a lot to say.

It was a pity that there was a shining Qu eldest lady on the side, so she had to give up for the time being. The atmosphere at the scene was already a bit strange.

Jia Cong laughed: "I will stay in Jin Ling for a long time. I will come here to see you whenever I have time. If you have any urgent matters, let someone go to the Xinglong Fang old mansion to tell me."

Qu Qu Hongxiu's beautiful eyes turned, and she said: "It doesn't have to be so troublesome. I haven't been by your side for these two years. You haven't learned my martial arts completely. From now on, you must come to me at the third quarter of the Mao hour every day."

"Practice with me for half an hour. After the Mao hour, you can go to the office to handle official business."

"In addition, the farm you want has also been obtained. It is the old property of the Jin Ling Zhen family. When things reach the joint, they can be safely settled."

Seeing Jia Cong's expression slightly stunned, her pretty face was slightly angry: "Why, is it not okay?"

Jia Cong hurriedly laughed: "If Sister Xiu is willing to teach, I can't ask for more. How can it not be okay? I will come every morning. You said the farm you bought is the property of the Jin Ling Zhen family?"

Qu Qu Hongxiu replied: "The Zhen family is a wealthy family in Jin Ling, with many assets. It is also a coincidence. The farm I took a fancy to happens to be their family's, and the procedures and documents are all proper."

Jia Cong just heard that it was the old property of the Zhen family, so he asked casually. It was a common thing to meet an old family in business, so he didn't take it to heart.

He took out a gilded pocket watch, glanced at it, and said: "There is official business to handle now. I will go to your place early tomorrow morning."

Baozhu outside heard Jia Cong's words and asked curiously: "Brother Cong, you just asked me how to get to Qingyin Pavilion. Can you handle official business in that place?"

Jia Cong: "..."

Qu Qu Hongxiu couldn't help but burst into laughter and said: "The Emperor gave you a beautiful job. Qingyin Pavilion is all women. Are you going there to handle official business?"

Jia Cong regretted it in his heart. Baozhu, this fast-mouthed girl, he was dizzy, why did he ask her for directions?

He hurriedly explained: "I didn't lie to you, it really is official business..."

Qu Qu Hongxiu said: "I don't care what you are going to do. You learned my martial arts and know the rules inside. If you can't keep the rules, it won't be good."

Jia Cong's face showed a trace of embarrassment, wanted to laugh but held it back, and then waved to them and left.

Qin Keqing was a little reluctant to see Jia Cong leave in a hurry, and heard that he was going to Qingyin Pavilion, which made her mutter in her heart. That was a place where musicians were raised. What official business could he handle?

She asked curiously: "Sister Xiu, you said the martial arts you taught have rules. What rules are they? Why did Brother Cong look so uncomfortable when he heard them?"

Qu Qu Hongxiu wanted to laugh but held it back, saying: "The sword technique and Qi-moving method that Brother Cong practices are the secret of our Qu family. Before fifteen, he must keep his virgin body, otherwise he will hurt his body and break his skill."

Qin Qin Keqing heard this, her face flushed, and she couldn't help asking: "You can even say this to him!"

Qu Qu Hongxiu looked curious: "My family's martial arts, except for him, I won't pass it on to anyone else. This rule is very important, so naturally I have to tell him."

Qin Keqing heard the stunned expression on her face: "After all, you are men and women, aren't you afraid of taboos..."

Qu Qu Hongxiu looked at Qin Keqing's expression and couldn't help laughing: "When I met him, how old was he? What words were not easy to say?"

She said again: "Qin Keqing, this person attracts women. Jin Ling is a world of flowers. Don't let him mess around. You should persuade him. He will listen to your words."

Qin Qin Keqing: "..."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 378 =====