Years pass by, seasons fly by, and the stars come and go. In the blink of an eye, it is the day for Jia Heng to leave Beijing. With all the plans, Jia Heng actually did not stay in Beijing for long. He came back for more than ten days, lingering among the flowers.
Could it be that after going out to fight for a few months, you can't come back and enjoy yourself?
On this day, the weather was sunny, the willows were clinging to the trees, the breeze was blowing, and the lake was rippling with blue waves. In the morning, the Lingyan Crossing in the east city of Shenjing was crowded with people and the flags blocked out the sun.
There were boats with sails hoisted on the river. Groups of guards wearing flying fish uniforms and embroidered spring knives stood on the boats and on the shore, with solemn faces and holding knives to protect them.
On the lucky ship, the second floor of the cabin
Daiyu is wearing a white-based printed jacket with a bright red collar and a bright red floral pleated skirt. The red and white skirt undoubtedly gives the young girl a bit more graceful and quiet beauty.
The girl was holding a book with a blue cover. Under her smoky eyebrows that seemed relaxed and curled, her bright starry eyes were gently moving the bamboo curtain, peeking at the farewell person.
But I saw the young man in python suit and mountain crown standing with his sword in his hand, like a tall and straight pine and cypress. His side face was illuminated by the mid-day sun, with cold lines, and his sword-shaped eyebrows slanted into his temples. He frowned occasionally, and then turned to the side. The military attache in brocade clothes ordered.
Today is the day when Jia Heng leaves the capital. Because he told Princess Xianning and Princess Jinyang in advance that they do not need to see each other off, the only ones to see him off are some generals from the Beijing camp.
Just when Daiyu was staring blankly, Yuanyang had already picked up the cut red watermelon and brought it to Daiyu. The girl with a duck-oval face had sweaty temples and a crystal luster, and a smile on her white and jade face. With a bright mind, she said softly: "Girl, eat a piece of watermelon."
Daiyu turned to look at Yuanyang and said softly: "Thank you, Sister Yuanyang."
Because she was a maid from Jia Mu's house, Daiyu usually called Sister Yuanyang, but this time Daiyu went south to Yangzhou, not only did she have an extra maid to serve her, Yuanyang, but also Xiren.
Xiren held a fan at the side and gently fanned Daiyu's side. He smiled and said, "It's been very hot these days. Don't let the girl suffer from heatstroke."
Zicuckoo took a wet towel with water and handed it to Daiyu, saying softly: "After the boat sails, the wind will blow and it will be cooler."
"Xiren, you should also eat a piece of melon and take a rest. It's quite hot today." Daiyu looked at Xiren with rosy cheeks and said softly.
Somehow, she just went back to Yangzhou, how come these maids were taking care of children.
At this moment, the sound of stepping on the stairs came from outside the cabin, followed by a familiar cold voice, "Is Sister Lin in there?"
"Brother Heng." Daiyu looked at the young man in python suit who came in through the curtain, and stood up. Her gloomy eyebrows were like the misty rain in Xiaoxiang, just like the vast mist of the Dongting, slightly dissipating, and she saw a sparkling light.
"It's quite hot today." Then he saw the young man reaching out to untie the black string under the mountain crown tied under his chin. His stern and delicate face was like melting ice and snow, and he said with a gentle smile: "I've cut the melon. I'll try it." Together."
Qingwen pouted her pink lips, twisted her waist, followed suit, opened the bead curtain, entered the wing, and said softly: "Sir, give me your official hat."
Daiyu looked at the sweat on the young man's forehead and said softly: "Brother Heng, wipe away the sweat. There is sweat on your face."
I don’t know why, but after I came out and just looked at the scenery on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, my mood seemed to feel much brighter and lighter.
Jia Heng picked up a handkerchief to save the sweat on his face, and said with a chuckle: "Wash your face with water later. It's quite hot today."
At this moment, the boatman's "Sail" call came from outside, and then the sound of "Crash" gradually came. A ship began to go down the water, and a ship set sail along the Guangtong Canal. Riding the wind and waves, ships carrying more than a thousand brocade-clad cavalry followed.
Jia Heng finished washing his face and sat down opposite Daiyu's table. Daiyu's dress with red maple leaves on a white background was quite eye-catching. He looked at the book beside Daiyu and asked, "What book is my sister reading?"
Daiyu handed over the story book in her hand, Liu Mei Xingyan smiled hiddenly, and whispered: "The story book, there are not many good stories in Jingzhong. Didn't Brother Heng tell stories to Sister Yun and the others before? I heard that he told a lot of stories. Intentional stories.”
Jia Heng picked up the watermelon and ate it gently. It was a hot summer day, and the taste was sweet. He said, "Yes, Xiangyun loves to listen to stories. She likes to listen to all kinds of weird stories. He told her a lot. .”
"Brother Heng, please tell me something later, otherwise, the boat trip will be quite boring." Daiyu said smoothly with her starry eyes shining.
At this time, entertainment activities were quite scarce, and listening to stories became an after-dinner thing.
And Daiyu does like to listen to stories. In the original work, Baoyu can tell Daiyu the story of the little mouse stealing the fragrant jade, but Baoyu is bigger, so he just lies on Daiyu's bed.
Yuanyang's jade face, as white as snow, also had some expectations. She picked up the teapot and poured Jia Heng a cup of tea.
Jia Heng nodded, thought for a while, looked at Daiyu, met those star-like eyes, and said, "I will tell you a story about "Flowers in the Mirror" later."
"Flower in the Mirror" was written in the Qing Dynasty, and later became a TV series. It is the story of Tang Ao going to the country of daughters, the country of gentleman, and the country of Wuchang.
After talking about "Flowers in the Mirror", we can actually talk about female-oriented costume dramas such as "Nirvana in Fire". After being baptized by later film and television dramas, what he is most indispensable for is stories. In fact, there are also recent Qing stories, such as "The Kite Error". "Waiting for some stories from Li Yu, well, forget about a certain futon.
Seeing the young man using the watermelon, Daiyu also picked up a piece of watermelon and ate it in small bites. Under her delicate willow leaves and thin eyebrows, her starry eyes looked steadily at the young man.
At this moment, perhaps the girl didn't notice that the further away from Shenjing and the closer to her hometown, the stronger the joy of being free from the cage and being carefree.
After eating the watermelon, Jia Heng picked up a handkerchief and wiped his mouth, picked up the tea cup, took a sip of tea, and narrated the story of "Flowers in the Mirror" in the expectant eyes of several people.
After talking about it for a few times, Daiyu tilted her head slightly and asked softly, "Brother Heng, how can the emperor on earth control the gods in heaven?"
Jia Heng said: "Emperors in the human world have always paid attention to the connection between heaven and man. The emperor is called the Son of Heaven, and the destiny of mankind is the same. The so-called son of the Emperor of Heaven naturally possesses supreme power. As recorded in historical records, my sister should have read the historical records. The Emperors of Yan and Huang even You can command the gods of water and fire, and the gods of mountains and rivers to obey their edicts, to instill power in all the nine states, and to follow your words."
Daiyu thought for a moment and said softly: "In winter, all the flowers bloomed, and the flower god obeyed the order. But later, the flower fairy and the flower god were still punished and demoted to the human world. Did the flower god hear the wrong order?"
Jia Heng smiled and said: "That's pretty much what it means, but it's just a wedge in the story, leading to the subsequent story. There's no need to go into it further."
As he spoke, he picked up the tea cup and took a sip of tea.
Daiyu nodded, cupped one of her cheeks, and looked at the young man who was chatting and talking softly. Compared with the past, he was always a little cold and distant, but he was undoubtedly much more kind and easy-going.
Daiyu suppressed the random thoughts in her heart and said softly: "Brother Heng, please continue talking."
Jia Heng moistened his throat and continued to tell the following story. The journey was slow, so there was no need to skim it, but to tell it eloquently.
Daiyu gradually became quiet as she listened to Jia Heng's story. Her starry eyes showed thoughts from time to time. It was only after a long time that she asked a question. Jia Heng was just drinking tea to moisten his throat.
Yuanyang and Xiren are also immersed in
Only Qingwen pouted her little cherry mouth painted with bright red rouge, and looked at the cardamom girl with gloomy eyebrows, who listened attentively.
"Miss Lin's facial features are more similar to hers. Maybe the young master... loves the house and the bird." Qingwen, who had just learned the idiom, thought.
In the city of Shenjing, a Korean house
In the morning, a few cicadas were sucking sap among the leaves of the sycamore tree in the courtyard. Perhaps because of the intense heat, they made noisy cicada calls from time to time.
"He's gone?" In the study, Han Huang, the deputy assistant to the cabinet, was dressed in casual clothes. He slowly put down a book in his hand and turned to look at Ye Yanhong, the director of the Imperial College.
Yan Hong whispered: "We took the boat and led the guards of Jinyi Mansion to the south."
Jia Heng, a military minister in charge of the Privy Council and a well-known commander-in-chief of the Beijing camp, suddenly left Beijing on a ship and headed south. Even though he did not announce it in the imperial newspaper, he still attracted the attention of important officials in the imperial court in Beijing.
"Do you know where you went?" Han Huang asked.
Because Jia Heng received the secret edict as the Commander-in-Chief in Jinyi and did not publicize it in the newspapers, no one knew where Jia Heng was going on official business. It might be to Henan, the land of Chuping, or to Yangzhou, or Probably somewhere else.
Yan Hong's eyes were a little gloomy, and he lowered his voice and said: "Brother, I haven't found out, but I guess it is Yangzhou. The newspaper the day before yesterday said that there was a fire in the warehouse of the Yangzhou Salt Transportation Department and unknown documents were burned. This matter is in the imperial court It aroused a lot of criticism, and officials in the capital had different opinions. The emperor sent Yong Ningbo southward, presumably to investigate the case thoroughly."
The world is connected and developing, so news must not only be read in bound volumes, but also news from multiple channels must be read together. Smart people often deduce clues about policy trends from several news. There is also a discipline in information science. It’s called open source intelligence analysis.
In particular, some bureaucrats in Beijing have a very sensitive sense of politics. Qi Kun started to settle old scores at the Jinling household department, and the fire in the Yangzhou transportation warehouse naturally aroused speculation among some officials, who were all observing the court's movements.
"Your Majesty has endured humiliation and heavy burdens for many years. After the First World War in the Central Plains, the atmosphere of the imperial court has changed completely. It is time for a big war." Han Huang closed the book in his hand, his face showing solemnity.
The long-standing malpractices in the salt affairs were deep and wide-ranging. Although it was mainly related to the relatives of the Supreme Emperor, the Yangzhou salt merchants had weaved a large network. Everyone in Jinling was in this network, and he did not know the details.
Yan Hong whispered: "Brother, why don't you go to Jinling... to send a message?"
The voice that had already been lowered became even lower in the last few words.
Han Huang nodded and said in a low voice: "Don't let the Jinyi Mansion and the inner guards keep an eye on you."
Of course, it is not about sending people to travel thousands of miles to Yangzhou and Jinling to report the news, nor is it to go to the office in Beijing such as the Academy of Music, but to send people to deliver the news to Jinling's guild hall in Shenjing, and then it can be delivered to Nanjing through convenient channels. .
Yan Hong nodded and said: "Brother, with Uncle Yong Ning's temperament, I'm afraid we have to make plans early."
Han Huang was silent for a moment and whispered: "Shen Jiefu sent a letter the day before yesterday, mentioning the salt affairs. The governor's office of Liangjiang is in charge of the salt affairs and can collect an extra two million taels for the court. We will wait for Uncle Yongning to arrive in Yangzhou first." information."
The accumulated deficit in the transportation warehouse was the surplus that had been lost for many years. Jia Heng had to recover the floating wealth that involved many years, but the Yangzhou Salt Affairs was the top priority.
This is an old hen that lays golden eggs.
Jinyang Princess Mansion
In the waterside pavilion, the eldest princess of Jinyang, dressed in a bright red dress and a bun, sat on a wicker chair, holding a fishing rod in her slender hand. Li Chanyue on the side also picked up the fishing rod, but the girl's beautiful face Yan Shang is somewhat absent-minded.
"Mother, why don't you let me see Mr. Jia off?" Li Chanyue turned around, Zangxing Yunyue's eyes were crystal clear and asked.
The eldest princess of Jinyang gently raised the fishing rod and said: "There are so many people watching, what are you going to give me?"
Li Chanyue said softly: "But Mr. Jia often comes to the princess's house, and there is no gossip."
"He is here for the Ministry of Internal Affairs." Princess Jinyang said softly. She looked at Li Chanyue and said softly: "It's true that no one is left behind."
As the eldest princess of Jinyang spoke, she looked at the little princess with an almost half-smiling smile with her beautiful eyes painted with rose-red eyeshadow, and joked: "It seems that little Chanyue has tasted the sweetness and is enjoying it endlessly?"
Li Chanyue's cheeks turned red with embarrassment, she threw away the fishing rod and said angrily: "Mother, don't you always make fun of me."
"Mom, I'm just curious about how he flirted with our Chanyue. I haven't even done anything yet, but I've already started to miss her." Princess Jinyang said softly with a smile.
Li Chanyue's cheeks turned red with embarrassment, and she said angrily: "Mother~"
What else can I do? Mr. Xiao Jia is very articulate. Every time they meet, they hug and kiss each other whenever they disagree with each other, and whisper embarrassing words in their ears.
Seeing that Li Chanyue was so embarrassed, Princess Jinyang didn't ask any more questions. She just sighed softly in her heart. Don't forget your mother if you really have a husband.
Li Chanyue calmed down, changed the subject, and asked curiously: "What did my mother and cousin Xiao say that day?"
The day before yesterday, Jia Heng led Chen Xiao to the eldest princess's house in Jinyang. At that time, the aunt and nephew met without any surprises, and then everyone retreated. The aunt and nephew talked alone, and then Chen Xiao followed Jia Heng to Yangzhou.
The bright smile on Princess Jinyang's beautiful face gradually faded away, and she whispered: "I didn't say anything, just ask her to follow you, Mr. Jia."
She just told Chen Xiao a lie to calm her down.
At this moment, the female official said from outside: "Princess, Your Highness Xianning is here."
"Your cousin is here too, waiting for you to play with her." Princess Jinyang chuckled, hiding the quiet light in her beautiful eyes.
Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall
Mother Jia is sitting on the Arhat bed, with Mrs. Xing and Mrs. Wang sitting on the embroidered piers on the left and right, and Feng Wan, Aunt Xue, Baochai, Yingchun, Tanchun and Xiangyun are all sitting on the left and right, and they are beautiful. , the pink-haired cloud servant girl.
Jia Mu took Lao Junmei's green tea from Hu Hu's hand, lowered her head and took a sip, and asked, "Girl Feng, Brother Heng is gone?"
"I left, but I didn't let him see me off. I said it was too conspicuous on the ferry." Sister Feng said softly with a bright smile on her beautiful face, and there was something strange in her heart. The man actually left like this again.
Jia Mu sighed, with emotion on her old face, and said, "It's hard for him. He has just returned to Beijing and has to travel far away for ten days."
In the past two days, I felt a little regretful in my heart. I shouldn't have allowed him to take the mandarin duck with me. Without the mandarin duck waiting by my side, I couldn't be happy no matter what.
In fact, even Jia Mu herself didn't know whether it was Yuanyang or Daiyu.
Aunt Xue smiled and answered from the side: "Brother Heng is busy with national affairs. If he comes back and makes great contributions, he might be promoted to a noble title."
As soon as she said this, Jia Mu smiled and said: "This is not a war. It is not so easy to rise to a noble title. If you really want to make meritorious service, you might get other rewards. You can't think about any rewards. Why?" It is his duty to share worries in the palace."
Baochai was sitting aside. Hearing these words, his plump and soft face lifted up slightly, and there was a faint thought in his moist apricot eyes.
He has mentioned this before, and if he gets the chance, he will ask for grace.
Mother Jia asked Sister Feng with concern: "How is Brother Heng's daughter-in-law doing?"
Sister Feng smiled and said with a sweet smile: "Old ancestor, Keqing is a little disappointed. I have been chatting with her for the past two days, and it was not long before we came back that we parted again."
As soon as Jia Heng left, Sister Feng naturally got another opportunity. She could sleep in the same room with Qin Keqing and talk in the future. In the wing of Mrs. Gaoming of the first grade, although it was not an exaggeration to say that she was Mrs. Gaoming, in the quiet of the night The self-reward, atmosphere and realism are unparalleled anywhere else.
Li Wan was sitting quietly at the side. The young woman Hua Xin was wearing a dark blue silk dress with semicircular pattern collar and dark blue pattern. She was wearing a light blue dress. As a widow, naturally she couldn't wear a red dress, even her jewelry. Some styles are old and dull in color.
Only in the middle of the night can I put on the clothes from earlier years, but then I feel endless sadness.
The young woman has a serene face, and a pair of slender jade hands folded in front of her. In her jade hands, there is a silk lake blue handkerchief playing with it. Because it is not a pink handkerchief, it is quite suitable for the widow's austere temperament, but it does not Causing suspicion.
Li Wan listened to Jia's mother talking about Jia Heng's affairs. In his clear, watery eyes, he suddenly lost his concentration, but then returned to his thoughts, his face expressionless.
While everyone was talking and laughing, a nun came from behind the screen and said, "Old lady, Second Master Bao is back."
It turns out that since Jia Heng gave Baoyu a poem to encourage him to study, Jia Zheng became more and more strict in urging Baoyu to go to school, but no one said it was easy.
Today was not a day off in school. Baoyu only felt restless. He came back from school and quickly entered the hall. He saw the hairpin skirt and coat in Rongqing Hall, looking for that familiar figure.
"Ancestor, where is Sister Lin?" Baoyu suddenly asked as everyone looked around in surprise.
Jia Mu smiled, looked at Baoyu kindly, and said, "Have you forgotten? Your sister and your elder brother Heng went to Yangzhou to see your uncle."
When Baoyu heard this, it was like a thunderbolt in the clear sky, as if he was struck by thunder. For a moment, his soul flew out of the sky, and he was as dumb as a chicken. For some reason, an indescribable feeling of loss suddenly arose in his heart, as if he was completely empty.
"Baoyu, my Baoyu, my darling, what's wrong with you?" Seeing Baoyu standing there in a daze, his eyes straight, Jia Mu felt something was wrong and called out quickly.
Because Yuanyang was not there, Amber was still stunned for a moment, and then watched Ping'er pull the dumbfounded Baoyu to lead him to Jia's mother.
Mrs. Wang was shocked when she saw Baoyu's lost look. She got up and said urgently: "Baoyu, what's wrong with you?"
Baochai placed the tea cup delivered by Ying'er on the small table aside, pursed her pink lips, and looked quietly at the young man who was being held in Jia Mu's arms and calling her affectionately, He sighed softly in his heart.
Baoyu burst into tears, with a look of sadness on her face like a full moon. She raised her face and looked at Jia Mu and said, "Sister Lin is gone, gone, and will never come back again."
Everyone in Rongqing Hall looked at each other in confusion, not knowing why.
Sister Feng's willow-shaped eyebrows, and Danfeng's shrewd eyes blinked, with a vague understanding in her heart.
Sister Feng is so exquisite and clear-minded about the thoughts of these little children. How can she not know that Baoyu, who has grown up eating rouge since childhood, has those... colorful intestines?
It's just that Brother Heng shouldn't be in trouble? Sister Lin is so young, but Brother Heng can't even see two beautiful beauties, so he can't deal with a little girl.
Well, speaking of it, it seems that Brother Heng is not that big. No, Brother Heng is...
Thinking deeply, the calm lake in her heart couldn't help but reflect the Buzhou Mountain that day. The young woman's narrow phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and a light blush appeared on her face as bright as rose petals.
I usually can’t think about this…
(End of chapter)
