Xian Sun of the Ning Mansion of the Red Chamber

Chapter 325: Daming Lakeside
Honor Hall.

Dressed in luxurious palace attire, Princess Lijun sat on the main couch, followed by Mother Jia and Mrs. Wang.

Because the princess had something to say first, Daiyu sat down next to the princess on the other side, and everyone was talking and laughing.

I only heard the princess of Lijun look at Jia Mu and said: "I went back to the mansion last time after the Nongzhang Banquet in Jingning Bo's mansion. For some reason, I couldn't sleep day and night, and my mind was restless. I invited the imperial doctor to come and treat me." , only a few doses of soothing prescriptions were prescribed, although they seemed to improve, but in the end it didn’t cure the root cause.”

Jia's mother said, "The emperor is blessed by heaven, and auspicious people have their own celestial features. Did the imperial physician tell you why?"

"According to the auspicious words of the old lady."

The princess first smiled back, then shook her head and said: "It is because I can't tell the reason that it is annoying."

"It's actually like this." After hearing this, Jia's mother paused, pondered for a while, and then said, "Please forgive my old lady for talking too much. Your mother is just young, and it shouldn't be like this. It doesn't seem to be any symptoms. Mostly it is caused by thoughts and mental exhaustion, maybe you can invite a few more imperial physicians to have a look, the empress might as well talk to people in your spare time, pass the time, have nothing to worry about, and when you are tired, you will naturally be sleepy."

The concubine smiled and said: "The old lady is from here, so what you said is naturally insightful. To tell the truth, I don't know where the prince got the news, saying that there is an old man in the Qingyang Temple outside the city. The Taoist priest, who has achieved success in practice and is also good at medicine, so he accompanied me to take a look. What the old Taoist priest said is just like the old lady."

The voice turned around and said again: "That Taoist priest is really as rumored, he has practiced himself, and he can see my crux at a glance."

While speaking, there was a worried look on his face and he said: "I have been married into the palace for nearly three years. Fortunately, the prince loves and takes care of me. However, I have not had a son and a half daughter. This is the crux of what the Taoist priest said. I met the son of your mansion at the banquet, and after returning to the mansion, I often thought about it day and night. That’s why the prince asked the Taoist priest how to solve this dilemma. The Taoist priest said that the crux of seeking a son can be eliminated, and the Taoist priest said I am destined to have two sons, but it is not yet ripe, and I also said that if I want to avoid being disturbed by worries, I might as well adopt an adopted son, please stay in the mansion for a few days, this is what is called 'introduction'."

"I was just remembering how I saw the young master of your mansion that day, and I liked it very much, so I wanted to recognize him as my adopted son, so I took the liberty to visit you today."

Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

In addition to the primrose green velvet, the old servant Zhou Siwu was also invited over.

Daiyu told Baochun the intention of Princess Lijun's visit. Now that Chang Sheng's biological father is not here, no one can make the decision, so she can only ask Baochun for her intentions.

"But the girl said that the second master sent us a letter to let us go south. If Shou'er is taken into the palace by the princess, wouldn't it be impossible to leave?" Baochun worried.

Daiyu also nodded, and said: "I also hear this strange thing, not to mention whether what the princess said is true or not, but why did she come to the gate at this gate? It has been more than a month since Shou'er's birthday."

"How did the girl and the old lady return?" Zhou Siwu asked.

Daiyu said: "After all, the matter is related to the palace. I also heard Er Ge Ying talk about the court affairs. Although everyone thinks that our family is close to the Palace of Li, it is not the case. I dare not accept it, but It’s not easy to refuse explicitly, just say that Second Brother Ying is not here, no one can make the decision, and I’m afraid that the princess will call you to ask you face to face, so I can only say that Shou’er has met a happy couple recently, so I can’t see anyone, so I push it away.”

"In this way, how can the concubine fail to hear the meaning of evasion, and if she hates the prince of Li, will she cause trouble to the second master?" Baochun worried.

On the contrary, Daiyu comforted her and said: "Second brother Ying's thoughts, I can more or less guess, it may not be a bad thing. Even if it is as she said, it is a matter of courtesy to the king of the county to ask for an heir. If he really recognizes Shou'er, there will be How can the two families be separated at this level of relationship? If the palace listens to it, it will cause more trouble. At that time, Brother Ying will only be on the side of Prince Li. There is no choice at all.”

"Take a step back, don't say that his family is just a county prince's mansion, even if he really became the prince of the East Palace, can he still be able to force others to do what is difficult? Without the consent of the father, he used the power of the situation to make decisions without authorization. How can this be half-sagely? .”

"It's just that there is only one thing that needs to be re-planned at the moment."

Daiyu frowned slightly, and said in a helpless voice: "At that time, I just wanted to quell the thoughts of Princess Li, so I used the excuse that Shou'er met happiness, and since it was happiness, I couldn't leave her, let alone go south to avoid disaster."

Both parties knew in their hearts that the talk of "Yuxi" was just an excuse, but because it was an excuse, it was necessary to do a full set of dramas. If the whole family left Beijing and went south, the excuse would be self-defeating. That's what really disgraceful the other party.

Moreover, when everyone left the capital, they wanted to be quiet and not disturb anyone, but now that they were being targeted by that side, how could they still move lightly.

But I heard the old servant say: "Miss, there is no need to worry. You have handled this matter properly. There are some things that the second master did not tell the girl because he was afraid that the girl would worry. We are not on the same side as the Prince of Li County."

Hearing what the old servant said, Daiyu felt at ease. Jia Ying never talked too much about the affairs of the court with her. All matters, big or small, cannot be separated from his handling, and Jia Ying is the most trustworthy, so he naturally knows what Jia Ying thinks in his heart.

I just heard the old servant continue to say: "Going south is just the safest way to avoid disaster. It is the first choice, but not the only one. Even if the girl and the two aunts stay in the capital, the old servant has his own way to protect the house. Right now, we still need to write a letter to Second Master as soon as possible to let him know about the changes in Beijing, so we should prepare early."

Daiyu nodded, and said: "Remember to send someone to the county lord's mansion to inform, sister Qi is still waiting for our letter."

"The old slave knows."

A few days passed in a blink of an eye, and on the [-]th day of the seventh month, the [-] troops from Laizhou Prefecture were divided into three batches and marched northward.

"Pass down the order, the army will camp and set up camp every thirty miles." Song Lu ordered to the people beside him on his horse.

"My lord, if this happens, we won't be able to arrive at the agreed place on time, the king of Lijun." The subordinate was stunned after hearing this, and reminded.

The person who spoke was the battalion commander of Beiwa soldiers, who was also Song Lv's confidant.

I saw Song Lu frowned and said: "What kind of etiquette is the king of the county, I only listen to the court."

"The lower official made a slip of the tongue." The confidant said repeatedly.

Song Lv's face turned better, and he said: "I have spoiled my daughter-in-law and offended my mother. This official is in trouble at both ends. The king of Li County is far away in the capital, but another ancestor is watching from Shandong now. You think I should Who do you listen to?"

The subordinates said: "I don't understand, Jia Ying is just an earl, not a world lord. His Excellency is a second-rank official. Even if there are differences in civil and martial arts, we don't need to look at his face."

Song Lu snorted coldly and said, "What do you know, just pass the order."

Song Lv naturally had his own plans in mind. His family had been military households for generations. It wasn't until his father and uncle's generation that they worked for an official position in the guard. At the age of 16, he inherited his father's position as an alternate guard guard , After ten years in the army, he was transferred from the alternate Wei Zhen Fushi to the alternate Wei Commander Tongzhi. His younger brother Song Lun inherited his uncle's position as a thousand households.

Naturally, Song Lv didn't want to be just an alternate for the rest of his life, but he was born in a military family with a low status, and he couldn't cling to those powerful families in Beijing, let alone princes and county kings like Yang Bi.At the beginning, he went to Beijing with the mentality of giving it a try. After bumping into a wall a few times, he met Jia Ying in front of the Yamen of the Ministry of War. As a result, he successfully got rid of the word "candidate", and he also served as the commander of the guard. Leap to become the commander of the guard.

It was only two or three years ago, and they were already commanding colleagues, not to mention tens of thousands of troops under their command, and Jia Ying never asked him anything from the beginning to the end.

There is never anything in the world that blindly gives without asking for anything. Song Lv naturally understands this truth. The favor he owes Jia Ying will have to be repaid sooner or later.

It's not that he, Song Lu, can sell his life to Jia Ying because of this, and he is determined, but compared with Yang Bi, he still trusts Jia Ying more.

Just like what I said just now, with their Song family background, maybe they are considered a famous person in Laizhou Prefecture, but in the eyes of those nobles in Beijing, he is still a small person. If it is not because of Jia Ying, he is not qualified to contact people like Yang Bi. the prince.

But why did Yang Bi suddenly throw an olive branch at him, and it was Guan Xu who gave him a gift? Isn't it because of the Japanese soldiers in his hands? , but when marching northward, they rushed to Baoding Mansion to set up camp at the appointed time.

Song Lu had doubts about this in his heart, Yang Bi, a prince, why did he suddenly intervene in the preparation of Japanese soldiers?
Moreover, Baoding Mansion is not far from Shuntian Mansion and the capital city.

Although it is not a big problem for the army to stay in Baoding Mansion for a few days during the march, it is enough to touch Song Lv's sensitivity.

He wouldn't be bold enough to think that Yang Bi would have the intention of treason, even if he really did, would Yang Bi be naive enough to think that he would cooperate?
But first of all, he really wanted something from Yang Bi. His Dengzhou Navy is still an empty shell, and the new warships of Jiangnan Navy and Longjiang Shipyard make him greedy.Second, there is no luck in my heart, what if Yang Bi succeeds the great treasure in the future?
But luck is a kind of adventure after all, he thanked Jia Ying for appearing instead, shattering the fluke in his heart.

As long as he firmly holds the Beiwa soldiers in his hands, no matter which one the emperor changes next year, he has the capital to bargain. Of course, he understands that it is difficult for him to be like Jia Ying. It is the personal connections accumulated by several generations of noble talents, and Jia Ying was born as a civil servant, so his status naturally has the advantage of contempt for military generals.

He and Jia Ying look at each other like Wei Mo, but he still trusts Jia Ying more in his heart.

As Cai's subordinates said just now, he is already a second-rank official, and his career as a general is about to reach its peak. Being a knight is just a luxury, and he doesn't need to take risks for it.

At this time, Jia Ying was already on his way to Jinan City.

The ninth day of August is the day of the provincial examination. Candidates from all over Shandong Province have come to Jinan one after another, just like the scene he saw when he took the examination in Beijing. The influx of scholars made the whole city of Jinan lively. Discussions about this year's top candidate have already begun in the market, and even gambling houses have placed bets on the street, and the booths are crowded with people.

At this time, the most lively venues are the major guild halls. The guild halls here are different from the local guild halls in Beijing that are funded and built by rich and wealthy gentry from all over the country. They are high-end guild halls exclusively for poets and dignitaries to listen to music and have fun. place.

When Jia Ying arrived in Jinan City, it was already two days later. As the deputy chief examiner of this township examination, the officials of Jinan City naturally couldn't help paying attention, so they stayed in the post house. After a while, the prefect of Jinan rushed to the post house with his government staff and said that he would welcome Jia Ying.

Naturally, Jia Ying understands the principle of being in harmony with the light. He is here to preside over the scientific research, not to be the governor.Although the imperial court has strict regulations on the examiners who go to the localities to preside over the rural examinations, they must leave Beijing to take up their posts within ten days from the date of the imperial decree. When you arrive at the place, you must not contact and collude with local officials.

However, there is no mention of not being able to meet with the same examiner and the field officer.

The co-examiners of the rural examinations are mostly the local magistrates and county magistrates. In addition, there are also supervisors, transfer officers, and other field officials who provide hand-in-hand transcripts and readings.

Supervisors are generally promoted by senior officials from various provinces. If there is a governor-general, the governor-general acts as the supervisor, and one of the two chief secretaries serves as the supervisor.

To put it bluntly, it is a group of officials who preside over the rural examination. It is not a taboo thing for everyone to meet beforehand.

The venue of the banquet was Lixia Pavilion by the Daming Lake in Jinan City, and the time was set at noon of the next day.

Because the news of everyone going south has not yet come from Beijing, and waiting is always anxious. Jia Ying, who couldn't sit still in the post house, took Xi'er early, and the master and servant went to Daming Lake in light clothes. The caring Yi Cheng also specially sent a handyman to lead the way.

I passed by Jinan City several times back and forth, and never stopped. It was just a taste of the customs and customs of the hometown of Confucius and Mencius.

Daming Lake has a long history. Many literati and poets have stopped here again since ancient times, and they have left many famous allusions. Affected by the triennial rural examination, this place is already full of people. What attracts people's attention is the flower boat that passes by every once in a while on the lake.

Jia Ying even encountered a few sedan chairs and carriages passing by, leaving behind the smell of rouge along the way. I don't know which mansion's family members or young ladies sneaked out to look for the favorite scholars before the township examination started.

Just at this time, there was a loud noise, Jia Ying looked up, and there was a flower boat passing by on the lake, and I don't know which oiran candidate was posing on the other side of the bank. Throwing silver and copper coins on the flower boat is not afraid of hitting someone and ruining their food.

"The world is getting worse, people's hearts are not old." Jia Ying shook her head, consciously averted her gaze, and played the part of an old pedant to sneer at the scene in front of her.

The boy leading the way at the side cast admiring glances, as expected of a master from the capital, such a beautiful girl may be a bunch of pink skeletons in the eyes of others, which is worse than those officials and masters I have seen before. It is much stronger, and it is no wonder that he is waiting to be the examiner at a young age.

"It's a pity, this servant of the master is too out of touch." The servant's eyes turned from Xi'er who was still standing behind him, who was still in a daze, and he let out a scorn in his heart.

"Cough, Xi'er." Jia Ying had a keen sense and coughed a few times to remind Xi'er to recover.

"Second Master." Xi'er giggled, regained consciousness and followed.

"Hey, what, you're just embarrassing the second master." Jia Ying slapped her head.

"Isn't your father going to tell you about your marriage? Why haven't you heard anything for so long?" Jia Ying asked.

Xi'er faltered, but didn't see a response for a long time.

"Don't think that I don't know, why are you always running to the West Mansion when you have nothing to do? Did you fall in love with the little opera singer in the mansion? Tell me who it is, is it the big flower face sunflower official? Or is it the Douguanrui official, don't care what it is Guan'er, I begged for it for you, and I will take care of the matter when I get back this time, so as to save you from being out of tune."

Xi'er heard that Second Master was going to arrange a marriage, so she muttered and said, "Second Master, what's so good about those little girls' movies."

This is reluctant.

Jia Ying was really happy.

"Hey, you've learned to pick and choose. Don't you like going to the theater the most? Which one of them has a good voice and a good accent. After marrying back, they let you listen to the opera every day."

Xi'er shook her head like a rattle, and said: "The women in the drama are so lovely, how can they be like those masters, they are all amazing, um, don't."

Jia Ying stared at Xi'er and asked, "So, do you have someone you like?"

The Zhou family father and son are not outsiders to him, he and Xi'er grew up together since childhood, he studied, Xi'er also studied, he practiced martial arts, and Xi'er also practiced martial arts, but the old servant Zhou Siwu was his duty Yes, the son he taught doesn't have much ambition, otherwise Lai Shangrong and others could find a half-job. The old servant Zhou Siwu had a good official status in southern Xinjiang. If Xi'er can calm down , even if he is a scholar, now Jia Ying can get him an official of the seventh or eighth rank.

It's a pity that Xi'er can't sit still. Although she can read a lot of words, she is not suitable for reading.

That's good too, those who are officials may not be able to be rich for several generations, just like the Wang Ergou's family, relying on the uncle's house, at least two or three generations can have no worries and earn a family business.

In the future, he will take over his father's position and manage the huge family property of the uncle's mansion, even if he is an official, he will have to curry favor with him.

In short, the identities of Zhou's father and son are not bad, at least for the maids in the mansion, whoever they want to fall in love with is considered a high climber.

It's a pity that Xi'er refuses to say anything, and it's not the place to say these things right now, so Jia Ying doesn't ask any more questions, and just ask Baochun and Lvrong later. The three of them have known each other since they were young. Not ordinary.

"Master, take a boat from here, and when you get to the small island in the middle of the lake, you will be able to see the Lixia Pavilion."

At some point, the three of them had already walked more than half a circle around Daming Lake, and now they came to the boat ferry by the lake, the young man at the post house turned around and said.

The small island in the lake has already been occupied by people from the magistrate’s yamen, ordinary people can’t get there, although he is from a post house, but he is from a lowly background, and the proprietor of the banquet over there is at the very least a first-level magistrate , he can only send it here.

Jia Ying glanced at the center of the lake, nodded to the boy, but did not rush to get on the boat, but wandered around the ferry, it was still early, so there was no rush to be there.

The ferry was much more lively than other places, and there were many ventriloquists. The master and servant found a tea shop and sat down.

"Scholar, how much money do you get for this painting?"

"Chenghui, a pair of 20 taels of silver."

"20 taels of silver? Scholar, how can you do business like this? You can take a look all over the street. Who is willing to ask for ten taels of silver to paint a picture? It's not a famous work."

Jia Ying heard the sound and looked to the side. Not far from the tea shop, a young scholar set up a booth, with a two-foot wooden table covered with gray linen, and a dozen sets of scrolls stuck in a high-necked bamboo basket next to him. There are also calligraphy and paintings hanging out, paper, ink, brush and inkstone on the desk, and a paper-pasted flag with the words "Han Mo Dan Qing" written on it.

At this time, several Jinyi customers gathered around the booth and looked at the calligraphy and paintings with their hands. They seemed to be moved, but they seemed not very satisfied with the scholar's asking price.

The scholar didn't explain anything, just said with a smile: "If the guest thinks it's expensive, you might as well take a look at these calligraphy and paintings that have been painted. If you like them, you can take them home and hang them in the hall for decoration. "

"What's the price of these?"

The guests browsed casually, there were calligraphy and landscape paintings, and they seemed a little moved.

I just heard the scholar say: "Writing is not negotiable, a pair of ten taels of silver. Well, this painting has a high price and some low prices. The price is five taels lower, and the high price is eight taels."

The guest took a deep breath and said, "Hey, you scholar, you don't know how to do business anymore. Others also sell calligraphy and paintings. The cheap ones are only a few pennies a pair of calligraphy, and the expensive ones are only a few dozen pennies. You This year of the monkey can sell a pair.”

As he said that, he looked at the ones in the bamboo basket again, and took a look at them, but was stopped by the scholar and said: "If the guest thinks that the outside is expensive, then there is no need to look at the ones in the bamboo basket. A thousand pieces of gold won’t be exchanged.”

The tone was unusually loud, and in the end a few customers left with only a tut-tsk sound.

The scholar was not discouraged, he tidied up the booth, and continued to wait for the patrons. It was just their conversation just now, which also attracted the attention of the people next to him. For this price, they all took a detour, not being interested in it.

The scholar continued to pick up the pen and continue the unfinished painting just now.

Jia Ying looked from a distance, and what jumped out on the paper was the current scenery of the lake, with clusters of lotus flowers, flower boats and boats, islets in the lake, pavilions, and tourists and vendors on the shore.

"Scholar, how many days does it take to sell a pair? Don't you want to be hungry?" The owner of the tea shop was also curious about the neighbors next to him. I would come to him to ask for a cup of tea, but after such a few days, I couldn't even earn back the tea money.

The scholar said with a smile: "Every piece of calligraphy and painting of mine is painstakingly made. Naturally, I can't sell it cheaply. The store will ask for a bowl of tea."

The owner of the tea shop was not stingy, he asked Xiao Er to bring a bowl of tea over, and the scholar took out a big coin from his washed white cuffs and handed it to Xiao Er after drinking.

"Scholar, if I invite you, they are all neighbors. This bowl of tea is worth a few bucks." The storekeeper said, and simply asked Xiao Er to bring a pot of tea over.

"You run a tea shop, how can you drink your tea in vain." The scholar insisted on not obeying, and took out three big coins from his sleeve pocket and handed them over.

The shopkeeper was also helpless, and only said: "I'm afraid you can't even earn back the tea money, what are you trying to do, you gave me the tea money, but you still have food money?"

The scholar smiled, and didn't answer any more, just started to work on his unfinished work.

I didn't meet Xia Yuhe by the Daming Lake, but met a poor scholar who sold calligraphy and painting, which can be regarded as fate.

Jia Ying watched the scholar finish the painting, got up and said, "Scholar, I really want to make a painting."

The scholar got up and asked: "Whether the guest is painting landscapes or figures, the guest should have seen it just now. It is not cheap to invite me to paint, and it will take time to wait."

Jia Ying smiled and said: "What kind of painting, what to paint, you, as a painter, decide by yourself. I only want to have a souvenir when I am in Shandong. It is not a problem to finish the painting, but I don't have time to stay here for a long time. , I’ll pick it up after you finish the painting, and I can pay you half of the deposit first.”

"Xi'er."

Xi'er at the side stepped forward and took out ten taels of silver and handed it to the scholar.

"This" was opened with great difficulty, and the scholar naturally cherished this opportunity very much, but the other party didn't mention anything, which made him a little embarrassed. Since the money was collected, the customer must be satisfied.

"Why, you dare not take it?" Jia Ying asked with a smile.

The scholar also smiled and said: "Since Xiaosheng dares to come out to sell paintings, there is nothing to dare to accept. The customer agrees on a time. If he is satisfied, Xiaosheng is considered to be open. If he is not satisfied, the deposit will be returned in full."

Jia Ying nodded, and didn't stay any longer, turned around and went to the ferry, rented a small boat with awning, and headed towards the small island in the lake.

The scholar looked at the direction Jia Ying was leaving, thoughtful.

"Second Lord, you asked someone to paint, but you didn't say what to paint. Aren't you sincerely embarrassing the scholar?" On the boat, Xi'er asked curiously.

Jia Ying smiled and said: "The calligraphy and paintings of the scholar are so expensive, and they don't even pay half a cent, so it can be seen that he is also arrogant, but arrogance requires skill, if he can't even make a painting, it can be seen He deserves to be poor all his life."

"Furthermore, who said I didn't put forward conditions?"

"Why doesn't the little one remember?" Xi'er scratched her head, recalling the scene just now, and murmured.

(End of this chapter)