Chapter 774: Signs of Wind and Clouds

Count's Mansion, Jia Cong's Courtyard.

The night outside the window was dark blue, the candles in the room were bright, the incense burner was shining with dark red light, and the intoxicating fragrance of orchid and musk permeated the air.

Zhi Shao heard Jia Cong's words and felt happy, holding Jia Cong's palm resting on her shoulder.

She smiled: "Cong Sanye, you must keep your word and not go back on it."

Jia Cong smiled: "What's there to go back on? I said that the South Slope Courtyard will be empty in the future, left for the Abbess and Miss Miao Yu to live in."

Zhi Shao smiled: "I'm not talking about this. I'm asking if the Cong Sanye really has time to accompany me to send the master and senior sister on the tenth day?"

"You were so busy a few days ago, often going to the workshop outside the city on your days off."

Jia Cong smiled: "That's because the workshop had important matters at the end of the year, and the Emperor issued a special edict, which must be finished before the end of the year. I naturally didn't dare to be the slightest bit negligent."

"This important task was completed yesterday. Other official business at the end of the year is just icing on the cake, and I don't need to stare at it all the time, so I can be a little free."

"Not going out to toss on days off is naturally no problem. This year will definitely be comfortable."

"Tomorrow, let the steward go to the Mouni Nunnery to see what common things are missing and prepare them first."

"The Abbess and Miss Miao Yu moving back can also save some worry, and everyone can spend a good year peacefully."

Zhi Shao smiled slightly and said: "The Cong Sanye is still thoughtful. Yesterday, the master also said that I have a full complexion since I followed you, and I will definitely have good fortune in the future."

Jia Cong smiled: "Since this is the case, you should treat me even better."

Zhi Shao felt her waist tighten slightly, being hugged by Jia Cong's arm, her face leaning against her messy hair, rubbing against her soft cheeks a few times.

Zhi Shao felt her body getting hot, a blush appeared on her pretty face, and she said: "Look at what the Cong Sanye said, am I not good enough to the Cong Sanye?"

Jia Cong inhaled slightly. Zhi Shao's temples and neck were full of fragrance, emitting the refreshing fragrance of a daughter.

The intoxicating breath lingered, fragrant and soft, slowly infiltrating every inch of his chest and abdomen.

He smiled: "I see that you are most intimate with Miao Yu, inseparable all day, as if you are better to her than to me."

Zhi Shao found it interesting to hear him say this and couldn't help but burst into laughter, saying: "Cong Sanye, the senior sister is a girl, can you still be jealous of her?"

Zhi Shao reached out and stroked the cheek against her temple, saying: "I am doing well now, but the senior sister's family gate is withered, and she became a nun since childhood."

"She is still so young, and she has to spend her life with green lamps and ancient Buddhas. I feel a bit unbearable in my heart. I am much luckier than the senior sister, so I want to accompany her more."

"If the Cong Sanye wants me to accompany him, I will accompany the senior sister less and accompany you more, okay?"

Jia Cong smiled: "This is naturally good, but you also have to keep your word and not go back on it."

Zhi Shao was teased by him into giggling, and inadvertently, the plate buttons on her collar were untied by Jia Cong, and one hand had already reached into her underwear.

The silver bell-like laughter was intermittent, mixed with shy scolding of avoidance, sweet struggle, and refusing to welcome.

Zhi Shao's pretty face was flushed, and she muttered: "Cong Sanye, you are not allowed to make trouble."

It was just that the words were half-muddled, disrupted by Jia Cong's movements, and disappeared without a trace in an instant, silently winning over sound.

Gently rubbing in his arms, her whole body felt soft, sitting on the makeup stool as if looking back, and then her flower-like cherry lips were sealed.

Until the candles on the candlestick were blown out one by one.

In the ignorant darkness, there were gradually trembling groans, the charming and slender figure joined the mandarin duck tent, and the brocade quilt surged to the Wushan Mountain.

…………

Shenjing, Honglu Temple, Tongwen Hall.

The sky was clear, the cold wind was biting, and the Chief Clerk Liu Xiaoping walked through the pavilion corridor with a stack of documents.

Recently, the peace talks have caused waves. The Remnant Mongol mission suddenly changed its original intention and increased the quantity of border trade demands originally discussed by 30%.

The Da Zhou Ministry of War, which is in charge of the peace talks, naturally had to refuse decisively. In the past few days, both sides have entered a new round of tug-of-war.

Wang Shilun, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, and Gu Yankui, the Minister of War, who are in charge of the peace talks, no longer participate in the daily consultations and negotiations between the two sides.

Showing disdain for the Remnant Mongol mission's lion's opening, the Remnant Mongol mission's attitude is tough and does not give an inch, and the three leaders of the mission do not show up at the negotiating table.

In the past few days, the consultations and negotiations between the two sides have been participated in by several fourth and fifth-rank officials of the Da Zhou Ministry of War, and those who appeared on the Remnant Mongol mission were also second-rate goods.

A group of small fry who couldn't make decisions were nagging and arguing in the main hall of Tongwen Hall every day, wasting time every day, each saying a bunch of useless nonsense.

Every day, a pile of record documents would be produced. Although they were useless waste paper, the peace talks between the two states were a major national event, and the relevant documents could not be ignored.

This gave the translators and case-clerk officials of both sides complicated and trivial document affairs.

Every day when the consultations and negotiations between the two sides ended, the translators of both sides would translate each other's transcripts and then submit them to their own superiors for review.

Once there was any inaccuracy in the translated documents, the translators and case-clerk officials of both sides would have a second round of tug-of-war, which was truly cumbersome.

Liu Xiaoping, as the newly appointed Chief Clerk of the Honglu Temple, was responsible for the document affairs of the peace talks between the two sides every day, so he had been very busy in the past few days.

But as a new Jinshi official, regardless of the enthusiasm at the beginning of his official career, or the perseverance honed by years of hard study.

In the eyes of outsiders, it was complicated and headache-inducing, and meaningless affairs, but he could treat it calmly, repeat the labor tirelessly, and never make mistakes.

Just this perseverance and patience in handling affairs made him quite approved by the superiors of the Honglu Temple, and they privately felt that he was a talent that could be created.

Today, he finished organizing several documents and was about to take them to the Temple Assistant for review when he inadvertently saw a carriage with a wide and neat shape parked at the entrance of Tongwen Hall.

He had been in Shenjing for half a year and was already familiar with the city's customs. This shape of carriage was different from the carriage of the carriage company and different from the carriage of ordinary households.

Only the noble families in the city had the financial resources to build this kind of carriage, and it was just a common carriage for wealthy households, and the carriage used by the head of the family was even more gorgeous.

He slowed down his pace thoughtfully and saw a man dressed as a steward in front of the carriage, talking to the Imperial Guard guarding the hall gate.

In the biting cold wind, the words came out faintly: "The villain is the steward of Count Lord Weiyuan's mansion, and I am ordered by my Count to send return gifts to Nuo Yan, the mission leader."

Liu Xiaoping heard the words "Count Lord Weiyuan" and felt awe-struck in his heart. He stopped his pace completely and thought for a moment before walking towards the gate.

He walked to the gate and asked: "What is the noise?"

The Imperial Guard guarding the gate recognized Liu Xiaoping and said: "Master Liu, this person says he is the steward of Count Lord Weiyuan's mansion and wants to send gifts to Nuo Yan Taiji of the mission."

"But the superior has an order that the mission members staying in Tongwen Hall must be strictly guarded to ensure safety, and no one other than peace talk officials is allowed to enter without authorization."

The Count's mansion steward had a calm expression and said: "My Count is a Hanlin scholar and a court official. Since he sent me to handle affairs, he naturally knows the rules."

"Please give this adult a convenience. This is my Count's visiting card. Please take a look."

Liu Xiaoping saw that the steward responded freely, couldn't help but look at him a few more times, reached out and took the visiting card, browsed it, and returned it to the Count's mansion steward.

He said: "Nuo Yan Taiji of the mission once gave gifts to Count Lord Weiyuan. Count Lord Weiyuan is returning the courtesy, so he sent someone to send return gifts."

"News came from the palace this morning that the Emperor appointed Count Lord Weiyuan as the peace talk recorder. He is also a Da Zhou peace talk official, and he and his subordinates can enter Tongwen Hall."

The Imperial Guard guarding the gate was stunned and said: "The villain is low-ranking, but I haven't heard of Count Lord Weiyuan's new official position."

Liu Xiaoping smiled slightly and said: "I am a new Jinshi and the newly appointed Chief Clerk of the Honglu Temple. Do you think I would falsely pass the imperial edict to you?"

The Imperial Guard heard this and couldn't help but be startled. This Master Liu was a newcomer to the officialdom, smiling but not smiling, and his words were truly too fierce.

He was a small flag of the Imperial Guard, and he could be arrogant in the city on weekdays, but if he dared to falsely accuse a court official of falsely passing an imperial edict, he would not die but would peel off a layer of skin.

As for whether what Liu Xiaoping said was true, the Imperial Guard small flag didn't doubt it at all. Which official would dare to falsely pass an imperial edict? He didn't want his life and future.

He hurriedly said: "Master Liu, your words are heavy. How could the villain have this meaning? Just let people in."

Liu Xiaoping said: "No harm, you are also performing your duties. The ignorant are not guilty."

The Count's mansion steward hurriedly asked the servants to move a wooden box from the carriage and bowed to Liu Xiaoping to thank him.

Liu Xiaoping just nodded slightly, took the documents in his hand, and turned away.

………

Tongwen Hall, Ordos Tribe Hall Station.

Nuo Yan Taiji was still dressed in Han clothes, wearing a moon-white round-flower long robe, a beautiful jade leather belt around his waist, and his black hair was tied in a bun, looking handsome and elegant.

Seeing the wooden box sent by Jia Cong, he opened it with great interest and smelled the fragrance emanating from the box.

Inside were many neat paper boxes stacked, with beautiful patterns printed on them, and some boxes were written with the words "Xinchun Hao."

He came from the desolate desert and had not been in Shenjing for long, so he didn't recognize what these things were.

But the refreshing fragrance emanating from the box was refreshing, intoxicating, and unheard of. The Han maid beside him smiled: "Taiji, the box is full of good things. It is perfume, soap, toothpaste, and toothbrush from Xinchun Hao."

"These are all precious things used by the nobles of Shenjing. Ordinary people can't afford them. I have seen them in shops, but I have never used them."

Nuo Yan Taiji was very interested and smiled: "Han people have many novel things. Perfume and soap are the first time I've heard of them."

He turned to the steward and said: "Go back and thank your Count for me. Thank you for running here to send gifts. Xiao Xia, take ten taels of silver to invite him to drink."

The maid hurriedly went to the back hall to get silver, and the steward hurriedly waved his hand and said: "The villain thanks the noble for the reward, but the mansion has strict family rules."

"I am handling affairs for the master of the mansion, and there is no reason to accept benefits. If I lose the etiquette, and my Count finds out, I will be severely punished."

In fact, in noble families, courtesy exchanges, rewarding servants who send gifts, are just ordinary pomp and etiquette. There is no such thing as the steward said.

It was just that Yingchun knew that her brother had just served as a peace talk recorder, and at the moment, the war and peace between Da Zhou and the Remnant Mongols were unclear.

This kind of sensitive moment, her brother's courtesy exchanges with grassland people, being cautious was always right, and he couldn't lose face in front of grassland people.

Therefore, before the steward went out, Yingchun specially asked She Yue to pass the message to the outer courtyard.

Let the steward only send gifts, not talk too much, not accept benefits, and if there is any violation, family law will be used.

Nuo Yan Taiji smiled at the steward: "Jia Cong's mansion has very good family education. Thank you very much, please go back."

The steward saw that Nuo Yan Taiji was dressed in gorgeous clothes, outstanding in character, and surrounded by slaves, thinking that he must be a noble like the Count.

But he didn't expect him to be so kind and polite, somewhat flattered, and hurriedly bowed and left.

……

After the steward left, the guard leader Hu Ergan came in in a hurry.

He said: "Taiji, the Tongwen Hall Chief Clerk passed the message to all tribes, saying that the Da Zhou Emperor appointed Jia Cong as the peace talk recorder of the two states, and he will participate in all matters of the peace talks in the future."

Nuo Yan Taiji's eyes lit up and said: "Strange, why was Jia Cong appointed as such an official at this time?"

"He is a fifth-rank Hanlin scholar. I heard that he is quite noble in Da Zhou. Why would he be appointed as a recorder?"

"The day before yesterday, I drank with him, and yesterday he was appointed as an official. It sounds too coincidental……"

He walked back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, and couldn't think of a clue for a while, so he waved his hand at Hu Ergan, and the latter bowed and left the room.

Nuo Yan Taiji turned to look at the dazzling box, a smile appeared on his face, as if he had obtained a pile of toys.

He picked up a paper box from the box, took out a delicate white porcelain bottle with painted flowers, carefully pulled off the bottle cap, and a fragrance hit his face, and he couldn't help but exclaim.

He said: "Xiao Xia, what is this? It can be so fragrant, better than the top-grade musk on the grassland."

The maid on the side smiled: "Taiji, this is called perfume. It is refined with Xinchun Hao's exclusive secret recipe, and other shops can't buy it."

Nuo Yan Taiji smiled: "Perfume, can it be drunk?"

Xiao Xia smiled: "This thing can't be drunk. We Han people like to light incense, smoke incense, and wear incense bags."

"But this perfume is much more fragrant than all the line incense and incense bags. Just apply a few drops on the pulse and behind the ears, and the fragrance will not dissipate all day."

"I heard that the secret recipe for making this perfume was thought of by Count Lord Weiyuan after reading many ancient books. Everyone in Shenjing knows it."

"I heard that the imperial merchant Xinchun Hao can exclusively sell perfume and soap, and it also has a lot to do with Jia Cong……"

Nuo Yan Taiji didn't care much about what Xinchun Hao was, but hearing that the perfume was made by Jia Cong, he became more and more interested.

He smiled: "There is such a magical thing, but it is such a small bottle. You Han people can really play."

"No, it should be Jia Cong who can really play. I didn't expect that besides playing with knives, he has these strange skills."

He picked up another paper box, took out an oval object from it, it felt light in his hand, and it also emitted a very good fragrance.

He asked: "What is this rare object?"

Xiao Xia smiled: "This is soap, used for bathing. Using it to bathe the body not only makes the whole body comfortable, but the whole body is also fragrant and smells good."

Nuo Yan Taiji's expression became more and more amazed, and he asked: "Is this thing for bathing also made by Jia Cong?"

Xiao Xia smiled: "How is it spread on the market? Whether it is true or not, the slave doesn't know."

Nuo Yan Taiji played with the soap back and forth, seemingly unable to put it down.

Suddenly he smiled: "Xiao Xia, hurry up and prepare hot water for me to bathe."

Xiao Xia's pretty face flushed, and she burst into laughter, saying: "Taiji, wait a moment, I will prepare it."

……

Love Shenjing East, Yuping Street, Back Alley.

The weather was freezing, the cold wind was wailing in the alley, the doors and windows of the houses on both sides were tightly closed, and the small alley was quiet.

A man wearing a light brown fur cloak, with a wind hood on his head, covering most of his face, walked alone to the quiet end of the alley.

He stopped in front of a neat small courtyard and knocked on the brass door knocker of the courtyard gate. The monotonous and regular metal knocking sound echoed in the small alley.

A tall woman opened the door, with a beautiful appearance and a light expression, and let the man into the courtyard.

Entering the cold winter, most of the flowers and plants carefully configured in the courtyard in spring and summer had withered. The withered branches left in the flower pots were concentrated and placed in the sunny place.

The soil in all the flower pots was slightly moist, showing that even in the twelfth lunar month, they were still carefully taken care of, just waiting for the next spring to bloom again!

The man in the cloak walked into the spacious main room facing south. A pear wood round table was placed facing the door, with cups and utensils on it, and a marble table screen was placed.

A incense table was placed against the north wall, worshiping a spirit tablet alone, but it was covered with silk white satin.

A earth-fixed bottle was placed on the spirit tablet, worshiping a branch of red plum with an elegant posture. The plum stamens on the branches were competing to bloom, revealing a hint of spirit.

A white porcelain incense burner was placed next to the earth-fixed bottle, lit with three clear soul incenses, the smoke was curling, and the dark fragrance was floating.

A sandalwood desk was placed on the right side of the room. A middle-aged man wearing a light gray fur long robe was reading a book at the desk, and a map was spread out on the desk.

The warm sunlight shot in from the window lattice, shining warmly on him, like a piece of jade suddenly glowing, appearing elegant and not vulgar.

Seeing the man in the cloak enter the room, he asked: "Liu Xuan, do we have any new news about our affairs recently?"

The man took off his cloak and said: "Master, two days ago, the fifteen capital official positions we planned, the last two have arrived in the capital from afar to take office."

"Now these people are all in their positions, and the situation is normal."

The middle-aged man put down the book in his hand and said: "After all, the planning was not in vain. Unless it is a last resort, these people cannot be used for the time being."

"Let them be capital officials peacefully for two years. When they become ordinary people, the role they can play in the future will be greater."

Liu Xuan said: "The batch of new Jinshi we supported, only two entered the Hanlin Academy, and the rest entered various departments to observe politics."

"Only two had some accidents and were sent to the Zhejiang and Fujian areas to be county magistrates."

"Because besides us, it is very common for Shenjing nobles and families to support new scholars in the examination field."

"Some people have deeper connections than us, so these two were squeezed out of the position of staying in the capital."

The middle-aged man smiled coldly and said: "Noble families are best at planning ahead. In previous years, there were also things like catching sons-in-law under the list."

"Now supporting a few new heads, leaving them as idle pieces, waiting for future use, is also a common thing. This result is already considered very good."

Liu Xuan continued: "It's just that among the fifteen people we supported, none are positions in the Ministry of War. Although we have exhausted our means, we still didn't get our wish."

"This time, two people in the Ministry of War were involved in the spring examination fraud case. Besides us, there were others recommending candidates."

"But the Minister of War Gu Yankui is an old and strong character who politely refused all human relationship requests with various reasons."

"Now the two vacancies in the Ministry of War have been filled. One is an official transferred from the Ministry of Justice. It is said that he has been a capital official for three years and is an old man in the Shenjing officialdom."

"The other vacancy, it is said that Gu Yankui selected and transferred from the border army to serve as the main official of the Ministry of War Armory Department."

"This old man Gu acts very cautiously and manages the Ministry of War like an iron bucket. It is very difficult for outsiders to insert needles."

The middle-aged man's mouth showed a sneer and said: "Gu Yankui is loyal and sophisticated, but he is not lacking in scheming."

"When the Emperor first ascended the throne, he was just a sixth-rank inspector in the Ningxia border army, unknown."

"Just because of the change of the imperial throne, there was chaos in the border army, and he was appreciated by the Emperor for his merit in quelling the chaos by imperial edict."

In these dozen years, he had risen rapidly, weathered many storms, and unexpectedly climbed to the high position of Minister of War, being regarded by the Emperor as a trusted pillar of the state.

"Now that the Remnant Mongols and Da Zhou are in a confrontation at the Nine Passes, the role of the Ministry of War is constantly highlighted."

"At this very juncture, an old fox like Gu Yankui naturally acts very cautiously……" (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 775 =====