Chapter 833: Fragrant and Warm Rongxi Hall

The night grew thick, the north wind whistled, and the snow became increasingly dense.

The mountain hollow was full of mess, emitting a heavy smell of blood.

Only a short time had passed, and the corpses of people and horses on the ground were mostly covered by the falling snow.

Even if there were survivors, they wouldn't survive the freezing cold of the whole night, and the wild beasts attracted by the smell of blood.

Guo Zhigui asked people to collect the uninjured warhorses. These Mongol mounts were all top-grade military horses, and it would be a pity to discard them at will.

The collected warhorses were used to add to the grain carts, which could increase the dragging speed of the grain warehouse and leave this dangerous place as soon as possible.

Because Guo Zhigui was not very literate, he couldn't understand the small book he searched for, so he called Jia Lian to check.

Jia Lian flipped through the small book and said, "Zhigui, this is an account book. It writes place names, shops, people's names, as well as things bought and sold and money.

It is used by this person to record accounts, and it looks quite ordinary, with nothing strange."

The two flipped through it left and right, unable to see any abnormality, so Guo Zhigui stuffed it into his bosom.

He said, "Bao Er Ye, according to Sun Yu Xiu's confession, Sun Dali knew we were a Liaodong grain team and knew our return path even better.

This person opened a charcoal shop in the town. We bought fire charcoal in his shop and had met him, but we couldn't see anything suspicious at all.

He could do such a big thing in Donggang Town; he is a very powerful person, so don't take him lightly.

Sun Yu Xiu didn't return, so he must send people to investigate. We are carrying a large team of grain carts, and our pace is slow, so we can't avoid the pursuers at all.

The Donggang Town military grain warehouse incident happened, and the supply of grain and grass to various towns in the Nine Borders will definitely be difficult for a while. These grains are now precious things.

To keep this batch of grain, we can't return along the original path to Liaoyang. I want to ask Bao Er Ye to lead the grain team and change the route to the nearest Jizhou Town.

Go there first to avoid the limelight. I will send a single horse to report to Liaoyang. The Commander will know about the Donggang Town incident and will definitely send troops to support, and will also urgently report to the imperial court."

Jia Lian asked, "Zhigui brother, you are not going to Jizhou Town with me?"

Guo Zhigui said, "I am a battalion commander in the army. Since I already know about this, I cannot ignore it.

Third Brother often says that the victory of using troops is in speed. The occupation of the Donggang Town military grain warehouse and the Mongols stealing into the pass are all major events that pierce the sky.

The news must be passed on as soon as possible; otherwise, it will be uncontrollable. If the Mongols have planned it for a long time, once they drive straight in, how many people will die?

Xuanfu Town is closest to Donggang Town. The Mongols stole the pass at night, and the path into the pass is closest to Xuanfu Town. Someone must warn them in time."

Jia Lian saw that he was at such an age, and even though he was not very literate, he was meticulous and full of bravery, and couldn't help but admire him in his heart.

Third Brother is not ordinary himself, and the people he brought out are also not ordinary. No wonder he could become a battalion commander in the army at such an age.

He said, "I will listen to Zhigui brother. I will take the grain team to Jizhou Town. You must also be careful on this trip."

Guo Zhigui selected four musket soldiers, let them unload their muskets, only carry sabers and bows and arrows, and left the mountain hollow to the west. The sound of horse hooves rang out, and they disappeared into the dark night in a moment.

Jia Lian looked up at the sky, as if it was approaching the hour of Zi. Thinking of the dangers of the north, what kind of excitement should it be at the prefecture?

He sighed, took the grain team out of the mountain hollow, changed the original route, and chose a small road to go toward Jizhou.

The mountain hollow returned to calm, with corpses all over the ground. At first, there was still a slight groan, but as the heavy snow covered it, it soon became a dead silence...

Shenjing, Rongguo Prefecture, Rongqing Hall, New Year's Eve, just past the hour of Zi.

In the Great Flower Hall of Rongqing Hall, the banquet was half over, laughter was joyful, and the opera troupe had sung the whole book of "The Western Chamber," and then sang plays like "Lute Picking" and "Eighteen Beats of Hu Jia."

The female relatives listened with great interest. Fewer hot dishes were served on the table, but soup, tea, and fruits were never broken, and the festive atmosphere did not decrease.

After the last act was sung on the stage, Jia Mu was getting on in years and felt that the cold air in the flower hall was getting heavier.

She asked, "What time is it now?"

Yuanyang replied, "It's already the third watch."

Jia Mu said, "No wonder it's cold, it's a bit uncomfortable."

Yuanyang hurriedly took thick wool clothes and put them on Jia Mu.

Wang Xifeng said, "Old Ancestor, why not move to the warm pavilion on the heated kang? Although it's not as spacious as here, as long as you put a few tables together, you can sit down."

Jia Mu smiled and said good, and everyone got up and entered the warm pavilion. It was not as spacious as the flower hall, so everyone's personal maids were left in the flower hall, waiting to be summoned to serve.

Qingwen ran to Wu'er's side and whispered. Wu'er smiled and nodded, then went to discuss with Zhi Shao and Ping'er. Several people had the same idea.

The three entered the warm pavilion to apologize to Jia Mu, saying that the East Prefecture was all maids and servants, and the men and girls were all on this side, so there might be omissions on New Year's Eve.

So they went back to patrol and check first, lest any accidents happen, and would come to pay respects at dawn tomorrow.

Jia Mu smiled, "The three of you are quite clever, knowing how to help Cong Ge'er look after the family property. You have accompanied us for a night, so go back early to take care of things and rest.

Tomorrow is the first day of the New Year, there is nothing to do, so come over early to eat and listen to plays, so we can have fun for another day."

Xue Yima smiled at Jia Mu, "Cong Ge'er knows how to train people. The girls in his room are not only first-class in appearance, but also meticulous and know how to live."

Jia Mu smiled, "Cong Ge'er has always had this nature, which can be considered his good fortune."

Lady Wang felt unhappy listening from the side and couldn't help but look at Xi Ren and Caiyun. Seeing Cai Xia had long disappeared, saying she was going back to rest.

The people in Baoyu's room were all wooden blocks, and they didn't know how to do things like others.

Her own sister was flattering that boy, and she didn't feel that her words were cold.

What kind of background did these girls have? She thought others didn't know, and she was worthy of being flattered and praised like this.

Except for Ping'er who had some background, one was a nun, and the other was the daughter of a kitchen servant. It was truly decent to say it out loud.

The boy from the East Prefecture was a lustful person, but as long as there was some color, he didn't care about the background and pulled them to his bedside. He didn't have half the style of a young master of a great family.

When Ping'er and the others left, they waved to Jia Cong. Jia Cong nodded, prepared to respond slightly, and would return to the prefecture after the hour of Zi.

After all, he was now the head of the West Prefecture, and leaving too early didn't seem very appropriate.

After Jia Mu and the female relatives went to the warm pavilion, Jia Cong couldn't follow, so he went out to change clothes, and just happened to meet Xiaohong coming out of the flower hall.

He asked, "It's not over inside, where are you going?"

Xiaohong smiled, "How much space is there in the warm pavilion? I won't go to squeeze in. I'll go back to Rongxi Hall to take a look.

Yu Chuan is alone in the room, it must be a bit boring. The maids and old women in the hall are drinking and gambling, I don't know how they are making trouble, I'll go over and see."

Jia Cong smiled, "I've been idle for a while and want to get some air, so I'll go back with you to take a look."

The two entered Rongxi Hall together. Xiaohong went to patrol various places, and Jia Cong returned to the three side rooms in the east alone.

Just as he pushed open the door, he found that the light inside was dim. The two outer rooms had extinguished their candles, and only the left side room was lit with a candle stand.

Jia Cong lifted the door curtain and entered, smelling a sweet and clear scent. Yu Chuan was lying on the small couch, fully clothed.

The green silk fine-flower cotton quilt was half-covered, covering her slender waist, and she was sleeping quite sweetly.

Jia Cong stepped forward to look closely and saw her cheeks were flushed, her eyebrows were graceful and beautiful. Under the reflection of the lamp, her long, curved eyelashes cast pretty shadows on her eyelids.

Yu Chuan slept quite alertly. Although Jia Cong's footsteps were light, she was still startled when he walked close, sat up, and rubbed her eyes.

She said, "Third Brother, have you finished the New Year's Eve banquet?"

Jia Cong smiled, "It's just the hour of Zi, how could it be so fast? The Old Ancestor and the others moved to the warm pavilion, and I came out to stroll."

"Are you bored alone? What did you eat at night, and why did you sleep so early?"

Yu Chuan lit the candle stands in the room one by one and went to the warm stove to make tea for Jia Cong.

She smiled, "I won't be bored. When Xiaohong went out, she ordered the kitchen to send New Year's Eve dinner, all of which were top-grade dishes.

I ate dinner, and my sister came over to talk. We stayed for a long time before she went back to serve Miss Bao.

I was bored alone, and I was worried that there were too many lights in the room, so I extinguished the candles in the outer room. I originally only wanted to lie down for a while, but I didn't expect to fall asleep."

Jia Cong smiled, "It's not comfortable to sleep too early tonight. Wait until the hour of Zi passes, and the firecrackers and fireworks will ring together. You will definitely be woken up.

It won't be easy to fall asleep again in the second half of the night, and you won't have any spirit during the day tomorrow."

Yu Chuan smiled, "Then I won't sleep, and I'll accompany Third Brother to talk."

Jia Cong asked Yu Chuan to make tea for him too. The two sat there chatting casually. Occasionally, the lamp flowers on the candle stand burst, and the room was full of laughter.

Baoyu felt that Yu Chuan didn't like to tease, like a clam that couldn't be pried open, but Yu Chuan had a lot to say to Jia Cong.

The two sat for a while, and Xiaohong came back after patrolling. Just as they were about to talk together, they suddenly saw Hearing Zi Juan come in.

She smiled, "The Old Ancestor said she wanted to set off firecrackers and fireworks to make it lively and drive away the wine."

The men in the side room of Songxuan Hall had all gone home to spend the New Year. The Old Ancestor asked to call the Bao Er Ye, as well as Baoyu and Huan Third Brother.

The girl said she didn't see Third Brother, so he must have strolled to Rongxi Hall, so she asked me to call Third Brother to watch the fireworks together.

Xiaohong smiled, "Miss Lin is truly able to calculate. She knew where Third Brother was without leaving the door."

Hearing Zi Juan smiled secretly in her heart, thinking of what the girl said to her before she came out:

Third Brother has a new maid, and he is fresh now. He must be bored and went out to get some air. He must be looking for a little girl to talk to. You will find him as soon as you go... ===== CHAPTER 834 =====