The Red Mansions

Chapter 109 Qingshan Academy, Qingshan Party
In the attic, Jia Yun watched Qin Keqing stumble downstairs, but did not leave in a hurry.

After going to Tiekan Temple to get silver, he was afraid that Qin Keqing would be waiting for a long time and would be in a hurry to come back, so he didn't count carefully how much silver he had.

Now that I'm free, I naturally need to clean it up, so I know what's going on.

Dodging to the space, silver was piled up in a corner.

Jia Yun picked up a silver ingot and weighed it in her hand. The silver weighed about 100 taels each.

New casting is a necessary procedure, after all, official silver is marked.

Jia Yun counted them one by one, and there are a total of 800, that is to say, there are a total of [-] million taels of silver here.

When Jia Yun learned of this amount, Jia Yun took a deep breath.

At the same time, I am very sure that this money is definitely not the money they embezzled in a day or two, or even a year or two.

That is to say, the four kings and eight princes have been working with Qin Ye on the construction of the imperial mausoleum for a long time, maybe it started after Prince Yizhong's accident.

This also shows that the power of the four kings and eight princes is really strong, which makes them very courageous. Under the eyes of the new emperor, they embezzled the new emperor's money.

It also shows that these guys have reached the point of fearlessness. Of course, it may also be because they stand behind the Supreme Emperor and have the support of the Supreme Emperor.

And Qin Ye pretended to be poor all day long, except to show others, most importantly, to show the new emperor. It is estimated that the family really didn't have much money, after all, there was no time to divide the money right now.

According to Jia Yun's guess, besides seeking a higher position for himself, Qin Ye also wanted to leave a considerable fortune to his son.

As for where the money that Qin Ye distributed in the original book went, it is still a mystery.

As for the money distributed by the Jia family, it is estimated that in addition to filial piety to the Supreme Emperor, the rest of the money should be the start-up capital of the Grand View Garden.

After Jia Yun stepped out of the space, she went to Jia's mansion for a while, and found that the silver treasury of the Ningrong Second Mansion added up to less than 10 taels of silver, so she felt relieved.

Going back to the attic again, Xiren just boiled the water, and Jia Yun was thinking while taking a bath:

"It's no wonder Wang Xifeng called him poor. The Jia family is really poor now, and it's no wonder they are desperately grabbing money everywhere. It is estimated that Jia Yuanchun is having a hard time in the palace now, and needs a large sum of money every year."

In addition, the interior of Jia's mansion is empty, the more so, the more important it is to maintain dignity and ostentation.

The key point is that apart from the big harvest from the farm, although they also have some other income, they are all negligible. Therefore, under the vicious circle, it is foreseeable that Jia's funds will break.

Perhaps nearly 10 taels of silver is a huge sum of money for ordinary people, but it is not enough for the Jia family who wants to maintain a decent appearance.

After bathing and changing, Jia Yun took Xi Ren's hand and walked slowly towards the house.

At this time, he thought again: "Oh, Jia's mansion lost the money from Tiekan Temple today, so where will the start-up funds for Grand View Garden come from in the future?"

Right now, there is only one way for them to get money quickly in the capital, and that is to borrow money from Xue's family.

Whether it's coercion or temptation, or both hard and soft tactics, only the Xue family can easily come up with a large sum of money.

"It seems that the rectification of the Xue family trade route is also on the agenda." Jia Yun thought to himself, "The Xue family trade route will be of great help to me after I become an official. The combination of government and business is the kingly way."

"Having a ready-made business route is much easier than building a new business route for me, so I can investigate the stewards of the Xue family first, and give them a thunderous blow when the time comes."

"To fight against the outside world, we must first secure the inside. This will not only save a sum of money and eliminate the cancer in the trade route, but also use certain methods to separate the trade route from the Xue family and become an important force under my control."

Jia Yun thought in her heart: "There is still enough time. In the original book, after Qin Keqing's death, Jia Yuanchun chose Fengzao Palace and conferred the title of Xiande Concubine, and the Grand View Garden, the family-visiting villa, was put on the agenda."

"Jia Yuanchun's appointment as a concubine is a temporary event. Before the imperial decree comes down, the Jia family will not believe it. Before that, I can calmly arrange it, but by then I should not be afraid of the Jia family."

……

The first day of June.

In the early morning, the sun has not yet risen, and the air is still cool.

In the back street, nearly a dozen carriages lined up, filled with various supplies.

Jia Yun and Xue Bao came to the street, complaining: "I brought too many things, we only stayed there for less than two months, it was like moving house."

Xue Baochai smiled and said: "There is always a time when it is useful, and we don't need to carry it on our shoulders, husband, please bear with it for a while."

After finishing speaking, with the help of the maid, Xue Baochai got into a carriage.

Jia Yun didn't follow, because his mother-in-law Xue Wang was also in the carriage.

This time when I went to Qingshan Academy, Xue Baochai and the others were going to live in the farm, so Xue Wang and Xue Pan also went to escape the summer after they got Xin'er.

At this time Xue Pan rode over from the front and said condescendingly, "Brother-in-law, you are ready to leave."

Jia Yun nodded, got on her horse, waved her whip, and the convoy began to move forward.

Jia Yun and Xue Pan walked side by side, Jia Yun asked, "Have you delivered all the salutes?"

"I sent them away together with your family's big items yesterday." Xue Pan nodded.

Jia Yun asked again: "Have you sent all the account books of Xue's business route over these years?"

Xue Pan shook his head and said, "It's not that fast. You have a lot of account books, and you need some time to sort them out. Besides, you don't have so many accountants to get them together so quickly."

"We need to remind you as soon as possible. We must sort out the account books within one month, so that we can have time to investigate one by one during the year, and strive for the beginning of next year to rectify the business routes. It is no good to delay it for a long time." Jia Yun warned.

"Okay, I will pay special attention to this matter." Xue Pan nodded.

Jia Yun and Xue Baochai also analyzed the situation facing the Xue family before, and it is not an exaggeration to say that Xue Pan is at a critical moment, so no matter how messy Xue Pan is, he must take it seriously.

After the convoy left the city, the sun came out.

The sun in summer is very venomous, and after only a short exposure, it is hot and sweating profusely.

"Husband, go and sit in the car. I asked Xiang'er to prepare ice cubes, so it's cool in the car." At this time Xue Baochai lifted the curtain and shouted.

Jia Yun turned around and asked, "Is there any ice in your car?"

"Yes, sir, don't ask any more questions, go back to the car and stay there!" Xue Baochai smiled.

Jia Yun nodded, and got into the car with Xue Pan.

"Oh, Shu Tan..." Xue Pan stretched his waist and said with a smile.

Jia Yun smiled, took out a jug of red wine from the car, added some ice cubes to it, and drank slowly with Xue Pan along with a large bag of spicy beef jerky.

"Tsk tsk, the beef jerky you made is so spicy and numb, you can't even feel it after taking a bite." Xue Pan said, breathing out, sticking out his tongue.

Jia Yun said with a smile: "If the food with wine is tasteless, it will be boring."

Xue Pan smacked his lips a few times, nodded and said: "It makes sense, although it tastes strong, it's really delicious, and I can't stop talking."

The two drank and chatted all the way, and the time passed quickly.

An hour later, the convoy stopped in a small village.

This place is called Dazhu Village because a lot of bamboo is planted in the village.

After getting off the carriage, Xue Pan pointed to the southeast and said, "Look, Qingshan Academy is three miles away, very close to here."

Jia Yun turned her head to look, nodded and said, "It's very convenient to be so close, and we'll arrive soon by riding a horse."

After entering the village, stewards and servants came to welcome Jia Yun and his family into a three-entry house.

Xue Baochai and Xue Wangshi commanded the maids and servants to salute at home, while Jia Yun and Xue Pan wandered in the village.

"That house was built when my father was there. At that time, as long as he was in the capital, he would come to the countryside to live for a while every summer." Xue Pan said.

"When I was young, my father took me to the capital several times and spent several summers here."

"My younger sister has never traveled far, so when I was preparing for the dowry, I distributed the fields here to her. After all, there are footprints left by my father here, which can be regarded as a thought for her."

Jia Yun nodded and asked, "How much land here belongs to our family?"

"It's more than 1000 acres, and another [-] acres for my sister in Suzhou and Jinling. They are all small fields, but there are not many fields. The main reason is that there are other courtyards where you can go to the countryside to play." Xue Pan replied road.

More than 1000 mu of land is still a lot, because this is a mountainous area, all the flat land in sight belongs to Xue's family, no, it is now Xue Baochai's, and it also indirectly belongs to Jia Yun.

As for why it is said to be indirect, it is because the dowry in ancient times was a woman's private money, and the husband could not interfere.

She can use it as she likes. If her husband wants to make dowry ideas, outsiders will poke her back.

So even though Xue Baochai had confessed the truth to Jia Yun, Jia Yun never inquired about the exact amount of her dowry after she passed the door, and even used her own money for daily expenses.

Because Dazhu Village is next to the capital, the people here can get by. In addition to farming, there are also odd jobs in the family. The source of income is extensive, and the income will naturally be more.

There is also a private school at the east end of the village, with [-] to [-] students, and the master has a reputation as a scholar. Jia Yun and Xue Pan listened for a while by the window of the private school, and the lectures were not bad.

The master saw that Jia Yun was wearing a Confucian shirt, so he knew that Jia Yun was famous, because he was still in class, so he bowed to him and continued teaching students.

Jia Yun also knew what was interesting, so she didn't stay there, so as not to distract the students in class, she took Xue Pan back.

Back at the residence, the maids at home are busy, cleaning, arranging the room, disinfecting and killing insects, etc. There are too many things to do.

When they came to the study room, Xiren, Meiren and Xiangling were arranging the books brought by Jia Yun one by one. As for Xianger and the others, they were making beds and tidying up in the bedroom.

Seeing Jia Yun enter the room, the charming man stepped forward and said, "Brother Yun is back, please sit down for a while, I'll make you a pot of tea."

"I'm not thirsty, you are busy with your work." Jia Yun pulled a chair and sat down and replied.

Charming nodded and went to work again.

After sitting for a while, Xue Baochai walked in gracefully, and said with a smile, "Husband, are you going to Qingshan Academy this afternoon?"

"Well, go and meet Master." Jia Yun nodded.

Xue Baochai said: "Do you need to prepare anything? The slave's house is free right now."

"Just sign up today, you don't need to bring anything with you." Jia Yun shook her head.

Xue Baochai stepped forward and sat beside him, and asked, "Grandma Zhu seems to be in Qingshan Academy, do you want to see her?"

"Going to see her, I haven't seen her for a long time." Jia Yun replied truthfully.

Xue Baochai pursed her lips and said, "If she is willing, you can invite her to come and play with us. It's also good to talk with more than one person."

Jia Yun glanced at her and asked, "You really think so?"

Xue Baochai nodded and said with a smile: "Of course, she is not a threat to the status of the slave family, so the slave family will not guard against her, but will make friends with her. By the way, it will also win your heart."

Jia Yun sighed, and said, "Baochai, to be able to marry you is really a blessing that I have cultivated in eight lifetimes."

"Don't say that, it should be the blessing of my family to meet your husband." Xue Baochai replied.

After a pause, she continued: "My family is telling the truth. If I hadn't met my husband, then my family would be racking their brains to find a way to marry Jia Baoyu right now."

"However, Jia Baoyu seems to be a master who can't afford a family. Even if the slave family marries her, they probably won't be happy."

"It's ridiculous that my family just entered Jia's house at that time, and sister Lin was still very wary of my family. Don't you know that if my mother insisted on marrying with Jia's house, my family would not want to marry Jia Baoyu in every possible way."

"Speaking of which, my family is a bit confused. How can a girl like Sister Lin, who is so beautiful and beautiful, want to marry someone like Jia Baoyu?"

Hearing what she said was funny, Jia Yun said, "How could Jia Baoyu be as miserable as you said? But then again, each person has his own fate, and many things cannot be explained in one or two sentences. "

……

Under the clear blue sky, there is a continuous stretch of green hills and green trees. Various unknown wild flowers bloom in the jungle, blooming with gorgeous colors like clouds.

After lunch, Jia Yun rode to Qingshan Academy.

He was not in a hurry to see his master, because there was an hour off at noon, and it would be impolite to disturb him at this moment.

So Jia Yun went to the dormitory first.

In the dormitory where he used to live, Jia Yun opened the door and walked in, and saw Zhou Kun drinking again, with a few dishes on a low table, just like the first day Jia Yun came to the academy to study.

Seeing Jia Yun coming in, Zhou Kun was stunned for a moment, then rubbed his eyes, took a closer look, and jumped off the couch without even thinking about putting on his shoes. He laughed loudly and said:

"Haha, brother Yun, you're finally here, tsk tsk, I'm really looking forward to it!"

Jia Yun stepped forward and shook hands with him, then asked, "Where are those two guys?"

"It's been a bit hot these days, and both of them have suffered from heatstroke, so they asked for leave and went home." Zhou Kun said with a smile, "I'm here today, come, come, there just happens to be wine and food, let's have a good drink."

The two sat down and talked.

Jia Yun shook her head and said, "No, I'm going to see my master later, and maybe the head of the mountain. When I finish my business, I'll treat you to a drink tonight."

"Now I live in a farm not far from the mountain. During this period of time, you are blessed. You can go to my place to drink and have fun at any time."

Zhou Kun said happily: "Haha, that's a good idea. By the way, are there many rooms in your place? If there are many, I will notify the family to send a few maids to take care of them. I might as well move to live with you for a while. Living in the academy is too boring." .”

"There are plenty of rooms, you can move there at any time." Jia Yun nodded and said, "By the way, when are you going to take the exam next year or the year after?"

Zhou Kun pondered and said: "It's really hard to say about this matter. I guess it will be the next year at the earliest!"

"It's better to leave early. Even if you fail the exam, you can increase your experience. There is nothing 100% safe in this world. When you feel safe, you will probably be old." Jia Yun said earnestly.

Zhou Kun disturbed his head and struggled: "But I still want to play for a few more years. My adults also decided for me to pass the scholar exam before the age of 20. Hey, I haven't played enough yet!"

"Since you say that, I can't persuade you. When I am a juren in the future, if someone calls me "Master", you will envy me." Jia Yun spread her hands.

Jia Yun really hoped that Zhou Kun could pass the examination as a scholar as soon as possible, after all, one circle said what the other circle said.

If Zhou Kun does not pass the examination, as Jia Yun grows up, the two will gradually become estranged with each other as their status changes. This is what Jia Yun does not want to see.

But if Zhou Kun passed the examination as a scholar, then he can be regarded as a scholar, and he belongs to the same circle in terms of identity, so the friendship can naturally be maintained forever.

At noon, Jia Yun chatted with Zhou Kun in the dormitory. It was almost time before Jia Yun got up to look for Zhao Jin.

In the office, Zhao Jin saw Jia Yun coming, with a smile on his face, he stood up and said, "Come with me, it just so happens that the head of the mountain is here today, I will take you to meet him."

So Jia Yun followed Zhao Jin to the back mountain of Qingshan Academy.

After walking for a quarter of an hour, Zhao Jin brought Jia Yun to a three-story hall with elegant scenery and magnificent architecture.

Jia Yun had never been here before, and there were countless guards patrolling the gate.

Seeing Jia Yun looking at the guards, Zhao Jin said, "You are still a scholar, and before you pass the exam, I will bring you here only once today, and you will not be eligible to come in later."

After a pause, he added: "Even this time when I came in today, the head of the mountain made an exception and allowed it."

"Is it necessary for our academy to be so tightly guarded?" Jia Yun wondered.

Zhao Jin smiled and said, "Don't inquire, if you can pass the exam in the future, you will know."

Soon, the gatekeeper who went to inform came back and took Zhao Jin and Jia Yun in.

After entering the main hall, Jia Yun discovered that behind the main hall, there are still many buildings hidden among the towering giant trees. If you don't enter here, you can't find it outside.

After arriving on the second floor of the main hall, Jia Yun looked at the buildings in the corridor, and suddenly felt moved.

A few tens of meters away, in a courtyard, more than a dozen people in scarlet official uniforms entered a room.

The crimson official uniforms represent officials from the fourth rank to the first rank, that is to say, the dozen or so people just now were high officials of the imperial court.

At this time, Jia Yun suddenly understood why the guards outside were so strict.

At the same time, he was also wondering why there were so many high officials in Qingshan Academy. It seemed that they did not come here temporarily, but many officials came here every day. Are they plotting something?

But Jia Yun looked at them, it seemed that they were not plotting anything, but came here openly.

"Could it be that Donglin Academy established a Donglin Party, and Qingshan Academy also established a Qingshan Party?"

Jia Yun said excitedly, "If this is the case, it will be so interesting!"

(End of this chapter)