Xian Sun of the Ning Mansion of the Red Chamber

Outside the long pavilion on Banpo.

The style of the send-off procession is always a little different. Most of the migrants and poets gather with friends, set up a table or two of light wine, and write poems to recite farewell. Lost as a story through the ages.

At this time, outside the long pavilion, there were horse-drawn carriages parked side by side. The curtains of the windows of the carriages were lifted, and one could vaguely see a graceful figure inside each carriage.

In a carriage, Sister Feng did not know when she got into the carriage and joined the procession to see her off, but the original plain silverware, moon-white satin jacket, blue satin cape, and white silk skirt were gone, replaced by Dressed in a golden white butterfly wearing a red satin narrow jacket with flowers, a multicolored silk engraved stone blue and silver mouse jacket, a jadeite flowered crepe skirt, a pea green palace sash around the skirt, a red gold plate Chi Yingluo ring on the neck, and a red gold plate on the head. Wearing a golden silk bun with eight treasures and pearls, and a beaded hairpin tied with Chaoyang and five phoenixes.

Colorful embroidery is brilliant.

In the carriage, Dufeng's sister, Ping'er, is a master and a servant, but Ping'er's eyes are all focused on Sister Feng at this moment. It's been a long time since I've seen such a second mistress.Ping'er's eyes were looking forward, shining brightly, thinking about something in his heart, but he didn't say anything.

Sister Feng also noticed Ping'er's strangeness, and she still had a little bit of confidence in her heart.

"Sinny, why are you always staring at me, and you can still tell if the flowers are coming or not?" After finishing speaking, she hurriedly looked away, and put down the curtain feet she was holding with one hand.

"Where have you been?" Ping'er stared at Sister Feng and asked.

Suddenly mentioning this, Sister Feng couldn't help but her cheeks warmed up, but she said in her mouth: "Where am I going, I have to go back to you first, why don't you come and be this Lao Shizi's grandma, and how about I be your maid."

Ping'er sneered: "You don't have to press me with your words, it's not the time when I went to Huangquan with you."

Sister Feng only thought that Ping'er had really heard it, and she was very ashamed, so she leaned over again, took Ping'er's hand and said in a harmonious voice: "Good sister, it's my fault, I shouldn't have said that, you Hit me twice if you get angry."

"I'm a servant girl, and I can only be scolded and beaten, but you're flattering me." Ping'er pretended to ignore her.

Sister Feng gently shook Ping'er's arms and begged: "My aunt, you can do anything, just don't be angry with me. What kind of grandma and maid, you don't know, the decent grandma has gone to the west long ago, I'm just a lonely ghost that no one wants, and now even you hate me, how can I live." The words touched the truth, and it was inevitable that they were a bit decadent, and the words were full of sadness.

Ping'er felt touched in his heart, but his expression remained the same, and he said: "You want to be a lonely ghost, I'm afraid someone will disagree." As he spoke, he looked across the curtain of the car to the southwest, and said: "Last time I snatched you back from the king of Hades, so next time I don’t want to make a big fuss in the palace of the underworld? If you want to be a ghost, you have to have ghosts and gods who dare to accept it. Which one is the one that no one wants?”

Being exposed to the secrets in her heart, even the clever and pungent Sister Feng became dumbfounded at this time, she lowered her head and blushed and said: "What nonsense are you talking about, let people listen to it first, I'm afraid our mother The three are not to be disliked."

"I don't know who it is. It's only been half a day since I left, and I even changed my clothes, and I dare not get out of the car to meet people. I look like a thief stealing fish." Ping'er said.

Sister Feng half-acted and said angrily: "Little hooves, you lied to me about your feelings."

The master and the servant are like one body, of course Sister Feng is not afraid that Ping'er will know something, but there are some things that are difficult to talk about if they are as close as sisters.

She is no longer the second mistress, so why should she still be the widow for that person, only allowing him to mess around outside, but she hides her face in tears in her boudoir.

While dodging, Ping'er giggled and said, "Who told you to have ghosts in your heart."

The carriage shook lightly for a while, and the noisy sound of a woman like a silver bell caused several people in the nearby carriage to look at it. Seeing that it was Sister Feng Ping'er's carriage, they secretly wondered when Sister Feng would return, and at the same time, they were also worried about the long-lost "no one has seen, I am happy to hear "laugh first". Since this year, the laughter in the mansion has decreased too much after all.

On the way back to the city.

Daiyu and Qi Sixian were in the same car, only to hear Qi Sixian say: "I haven't congratulated my sister yet, but now you are also an official."

Daiyu would smile, but there was always an indelible melancholy on her delicate face.

"What's wrong?" Qi Sixian asked heartily.

"I heard from my father that this title was begged from His Majesty by Brother Ying, and my sister is also familiar with poetry and books. Why have I never heard the story of Marquis Wu Cheng? Others have only seen the majesty of the emperor's grace, but they don't know the danger behind it. .” The girl’s crescent eyebrows added to her melancholy.

Qi Sixian is also an extraordinary woman. When the man in the palace suddenly gave her a reward today, she felt that it was unusual. She was born but not raised. Apart from the trace of indebtedness to the deceased in her heart, how much true love can be left to be worthy of his concern? of.

He didn't know how Jia Ying mentioned her in the memorandum, but now it seems that he has become a tool in the hands of that person to preface Jia Ying, and the relationship between father and daughter is nothing more than that.

Seeing that Qi Sixian was silent, Daiyu thought about it for a while and understood what was going on. There was a softness in everyone's heart, and she just took the other party's arm lightly, keeping everything silent.

"Second Master, which way shall we go?" Xi'er asked as he approached the three-way intersection heading towards Shanxi.

Looking at the road ahead, Jia Ying waved his whip and pointed: "Go to Zhending Mansion, pass through Taiyuan, join Liu Bolian and the others in Shanxi, exit from Yansui, and go west to Hami. According to the news from the Ministry of War, the Northern Expedition Army is preparing to leave Hami. Come on, let's go straight to the army."

It’s already mid-August now, and it’s going to snow on the grassland in October, and it’s snowing heavily in early November. The army will die if they spend the winter on the grassland. Frozen, it is a pile of scrap iron.

Fortunately, fortunately, there are still [-] cavalry in Liaodong. When dealing with the Huns, the cavalry is more dominant.

This is also the reason why he took the risk to save the [-] rebels. In the face of severe cold, among the major towns on the nine borders of Dagan, no large army can match the Liaodong cavalry.

In fact, the shortest way was to go directly out of Xuan Mansion. Unfortunately, on the vast grassland, it is easy to get lost without a guide. The old soldiers who know the way have already accompanied the army on expeditions. This is the only safest route left.

"Second Master, can people like Liu Bolian be trusted?" Xi'er asked worriedly.

"Those who have rebelled, always have a leeway." Jia Ying shook her head and said: "However, they are fighting for themselves, and only blood and military exploits can wash away their sins, otherwise they would be so cruel." I'm afraid I will never see my wife and children again in my life."

The first thing Song Lu did when he arrived in Liaodong was to enslave all the soldiers who participated in the rebellion. At this time, forgiveness is the most powerless. Only the fear in people's hearts can ensure the stability of a place.

If you have to ask why, it may be because of the "ignorance" of the people, or maybe this is the criterion for a dynasty to stand.

"Furthermore, without these generals, the Liaodong cavalry would not be the Liaodong cavalry."

Will be the courage of the army, this is not empty talk.

And just one day after Jia Ying and his party left Beijing, a [-]-mile express horse flew into the capital from Xuanfu.

Yan Huasong was walking on the way to the Huagai Palace through the cabinet again, but this time, the minister of the Ministry of War had a trace of sadness in his eyes.

After successive victories, the Western Army finally encountered a disastrous defeat.

"What's going on?" In the main hall, Jiade's complexion was not good, of course not only because of this failure, in fact, since Yang Yi's rebellion, several close ministers in the cabinet have discovered that the emperor's complexion is getting worse day by day , and the number of times they were summoned was much less than before.

Jiade is a diligent king, which is second to none among the four generations of monarchs in the Dagan Dynasty.

But since August, everyone in the cabinet has discovered that the emperor no longer personally intervenes in many important matters, and the power of the supervisor of rituals is also faintly breaking through. , This made everyone in the cabinet faintly uneasy.

That's why the DPRK and Central Committee had the voice of establishing a reserve position early after Yang Yi's rebellion.

It's not that no one from Shangshu objected, but Jiade ignored these remonstrances, if the persecution was too much, the imperial staff would be thrown outside Fengtian Hall to settle the matter.

A snake cannot fly without a head, and a bird cannot fly without wings.Even the cabinet will feel constrained in many matters. After all, courtiers are courtiers, and eunuchs are the emperor's domestic slaves. If there is a prince, the courtiers will have the capital to compete with the ceremonial supervisor for the right to wear red seals.

Fu Donglai calmed down the miscellaneous thoughts in his heart, and signaled Yan Huasong to speak.

"Returning to Your Majesty, Prince Tengjun, Governor of the Nine Changes, reported that the army was ambushed by the main force of the Xiongnu King's Court when they passed through Yibula Mountain on their way to the north. The forward Xiang army battalion lost more than half of the troops and retreated to Turpan."

The imperial court was about to order the prince to return to the capital. At this time, the army suffered a disastrous defeat. Jiade didn't know what was going on in his mind, but his expression was as bad as ever.

"What else did you say?"

"It is said in the military newspaper that the Huns buried a large amount of gunpowder in the Yibula Valley, and the commander of the Hunan Army, Mu Enci, carelessly underestimated the enemy and rashly entered the valley, which led to his defeat." Yan Huasong replied cautiously.

Everyone in the hall frowned after hearing this.

Dagan’s ban on gunpowder and firearms is almost harsh. The Bureau of Armaments has recorded every stone of gunpowder produced, including the final flow and use. The iron smelting and forging technology of the Huns is the most backward. How did they have so much gunpowder?

"check!"

"Let me check it out. The Ministry of Punishment, the Procuratorate, and the Embroidered Clothes Guards will all check it out for me!" Jiade tightly held the handle of the dragon head on the throne with both hands, trying to maintain a calm face, but there was boundless anger. It is not allowed to see the great cause of success ruined in one go.

"Give the horse to Jia Ying and let him rush to Hami as soon as possible."

Yang House.

Different from Yang Jing's low-key and indistinct power in the court, the mansion of Yang's mansion is comparable to few officials in the entire capital. It's not that Yang Jing is greedy for pleasure, it's just that the emperor put him in the position of a clay sculpture, perhaps In order to appease him, he issued several decrees to expand and repair the mansions of Yang's mansion. Only the mansions in the capital have already been given seven or eight places.

Today Yang Jing just returned to the mansion, the housekeeper who was the first outside the door whispered something in his ear, Yang Jing nodded as usual, but went straight to the back garden after entering the mansion.

In the octagonal pavilion in the garden, Mu Hong was facing a chess game alone, frowning and thinking from time to time.

Yang Jing looked at the footsteps in the pavilion and paused slightly, with a complicated expression on his face, and finally walked over.

"Mu Hou is here, why didn't you send someone to tell you in advance, the old man happened to come back late today, so Mu Hou has been waiting for a long time." Yang Jing in the octagonal pavilion cupped his hands towards Mu Hong.

"Ting Jing, you and I have known each other for many years, so why bother to see each other like this? Now that you are the chief minister, let alone waited for an hour, no matter how old you are, don't you have to wait?" Mu Hong didn't get up, He just said with deep meaning: "The body is getting more and more reluctant, so I can't get up."

Looking at Mu Hong who was smiling but not smiling, Yang Jing kept guessing the other party's intention in his heart, and said in his mouth: "Master Hou has already said, old acquaintances, don't need to see outsiders."

Said and sat down opposite.

"At the beginning of the month, I heard the news that Lord Hou had come to Beijing. However, there have been too many affairs in the court recently, and I haven't had time to visit. Lord Mu Hou also knew about it. The world said that I, the first assistant, was a clay puppet, but I still kept everything. You have to be present, even if you want to push it, you can’t push it away, alas.”

Mu Hong smiled and said: "The old man thought that Mr. Shoufu forgot about me as an old friend, so he had no choice but to come to the door in person."

"It's also a matter of no choice. I want to see my old friend again while I can still move. Time waits for no one. If I can't guarantee it, there will be a gap between Yin and Yang when we meet again someday."

Yang Jing didn't answer, but waited for the other party's next words.

After several years of being the chief assistant of the clay sculpture, Yang Jing also saw a lot of things. What is arguable, nothing is lost.What's more, the emperor trusted Fu Donglai, and the general situation was not on his side.

Now that I have figured it out, some people naturally don't want to see each other, and I just pretend to know nothing about some things.

Yang Jing didn't feel embarrassed when Mu Hong pointed it out, the fact was like this, and they knew each other well, so why bother to cover up.

What's more, with his current situation, what can he do?

Mu Hong is a man with big plans. Although he doesn't know what the reason is, Yang Jing knows that the man in front of him doesn't want to be so old and weak.

"I heard that the Western Army was defeated?" Mu Hong said leisurely.

Yang Jing's eyelids blinked slightly, the court had just received the news, and it was only known to the few people present at the time, and the tone of the other party seemed to know it earlier than the court.

But after thinking about it, for an old man who has been in charge of the Dongping Palace for nearly 50 years, he doesn't think it's a big deal.
"The cabinet also just received the military report from the Western Army." Yang Jing replied lightly, as if he didn't want to continue this topic, but he couldn't avoid it.

Seeing that there was no more text, Mu Hong also saw the other party's thoughts, but he didn't care, and said to himself: "I'm afraid Fu Donglai will be in trouble."

Yang Jing frowned slightly.

"He is too domineering, but he always takes the people of the world too lightly. When he was in charge of the local government, the local officials could only bow their heads and obey orders. He would not hesitate to suppress anyone who was dissatisfied. , is nothing more than a talented but immoral generation." Mu Hong said without any scruples, because the person opposite him was Yang Jing.

He bowed his head and obeyed Li Endi's orders because Li Endi was his benefactor, but what was Fu Donglai?
"I didn't expect it to be the same after being promoted to the second assistant. In terms of merit, Wang Ziteng is far worse than him, but he indulges his subordinates to suppress him again and again. The Bodhisattva who is always made of clay is also a little bit angry."

As he spoke, Mu Hong raised his eyes and looked at the person opposite.

"What's more, he is going back to court now."

Yang Jing frowned and said, "Winning or losing is a common matter for military strategists. What does this have to do with Fu Donglai?"

Mu Hong smiled.

"It depends on what you think, Ting Jing."

"You want to deal with Fu Donglai?" Yang Jing stared at Mu Hong and asked, then shook his head: "There is no chance of winning, a hundred Yang Jings are not worth one Donglai Gong in my heart today."

"Then add [-]% to the balance."

"What chips?" Yang Jing asked subconsciously.

But Mu Hong changed the topic, and suddenly said: "I heard that the emperor has recently punished several ministers for the matter of setting up a reserve. I don't know, what does Ting Jing think about this?"

Yang Jing frowned, only to realize that he seemed to have fallen into the opponent's trap again, or maybe...
He never looked away.

"Today, there are eight sons in total. The eldest son died early, the second son was imprisoned, and the third son suffered disaster. Of the remaining five sons, only the third son has grown up. The seventh son is still two years away from leaving the palace, and the eighth son is only a toddler. It is only said that among the three princes who are currently adults, two of them are mediocre, the king of Yongping County blindly enjoys pleasure, and the sixth son of the emperor, the general of the country, is fond of literature and Taoism, I am afraid that he is not very popular with His Majesty. The remaining two princes in the palace are hard to say , only a Duke of Lixiao has both qualifications and ability, it just depends on His Majesty's will."

In fact, in the eyes of today's officials, there seems to be nothing indisputable about this reserve position. The fact is that everyone is neither blind nor foolish, but the emperor pretends to be deaf and dumb.

Is it just because of Yang Yi's lessons learned?But besides Yang Bi, who else can compete with him?
Yang Jing couldn't figure it out, and he didn't care too much. He could still sit in the position for a few more years as the chief assistant. It was Fu Donglai who should have a headache. His New Deal must have a follow-up king.

Yang Jing looked at Mu Hong and suddenly thought of something.

All officials can see the situation, but Mu Hong can't see it?Then why did he ask this question?

"What exactly did Lord Mu Hou want to say?"

Mu Hong said with a smile: "Since Ting Jing is also optimistic about Prince Li, why not follow the trend, Ting Jing doesn't really want to be the chief assistant of the clay sculpture for the rest of his life, right?"

Yang Jing sneered and said, "Since Lord Hou knows that I am a clay sculpture, who will listen to what I say?"

"Why does Ting Jing have to be perfunctory to me? Aren't the old disciples left by Li Endi under your protection now?"

Yang Jing didn't speak, but shook his head slightly.

As long as Fu Donglai is in power for one day, these people can only die of old age in a foreign land, never having a bright future.

"And another Jin Dairen?"

Yang Jing paused, and after a long time, he still shook his head: "Not enough."

Mu Hong casually picked up a piece on the chessboard and said, "Then remove the one standing in front of you."

Yang Jing said with a casual smile: "If this can be done, the old man can be [-]% sure, it's a pity."

"Let Jin Dairen come forward to thoroughly investigate the firearms that flowed into the Huns. If it can be done, then today is the agreement between you and me?" Mu Hong interrupted the other party.

Yang Jing really wanted to know why the other party was so confident, but he still didn't ask. After hesitating again and again in his heart, he finally nodded in a strange way.

Shanxi, Taiyuan City.

"Second brother, when you arrive at Taiyuan Mansion, you have already arrived at your second brother's land, but you have to stay for a few more days. The dynasties have changed for thousands of years, and you have to look at the land of the Three Jins. Although it is in the mountains, there are other places to see it." I can't see the scenery." In a restaurant, Lian Er was toasting for a drink, his words were indescribably free and easy, as if he was a different person.

Jia Ying, who was on the opposite side, was not on the wine table, she was looking at the restaurant with a look of amazement on her face.

"What are you thinking about?" Lian Er's voice brought Jia Ying back to his senses.

Jia Ying smiled and said, "I think you've changed your mind, and this kind of place is actually here."

There is nothing unusual about this restaurant, it cooks authentic Jin dishes, but the problem lies in the fact that it is not surprising.

According to Lian Er's temperament in the past, even if it is not a pavilion or a brothel, there must be a few beauties and singing girls by his side. Now that he is far away from the capital, and there is no Sister Feng by his side, how can Second Sister You control her temperament? him, the result
Lian Er smiled, with a touch of melancholy, like a scholar, a literati, and a poet, and suddenly said: "Acquaintances are ignorant, drunkards are desolate."

He only said two sentences, but got stuck in the middle.

Jia Ying added: "It's not like when I was a teenager."

Lian Er didn't feel embarrassed, and while pouring wine for Jia Ying, he said: "I don't know why, I just feel that Liu Sanbian's words have been written for half my life, and now it's different."

"Second sister is pregnant. I only found out on the way out of Beijing. She willingly gave up Fugui Nest to follow me to this mountainous land. How can I let her down?"

"How many rooms have you taken?" Jia Ying asked suddenly.

"It's only the two of us." After the words had come out, Lian Er could only smile awkwardly.

It is said that Jiangshan is easy to change and nature is hard to change. Why is it not applicable to him? They are all kept at home. How can there be a cat in this world that is not greedy, let alone a situation like him.

It's only been a long time, and we've already married each other. Judging from what he said, it seems that he hasn't planned to stop yet.

That's right, ordinary landlords and lords have seven or eight aunts and wives to carry on the family line, let alone the second master Lian of Rongguo Mansion.

On the side, Lian Er was still waiting for a few sophistry and said: "Don't think about it, I came here alone, and the second sister didn't even have a useful maid by her side. It happened that the local colleagues sent some over, and I picked a few that I needed. I stayed here, just to take care of my second sister's daily life."

No need to ask, it is estimated that none of these girls can escape the clutches of the clutches, so Jia Ying simply didn't bother to pay attention to it, she just told her: "I have no objection to you looking for a woman, but you have to be careful in everything, you are noble, but you are simple-minded. Afraid of unpredictable people."

Lian Er's experience is very similar to what Jia Ying heard in her previous life. In front of her, the beautiful woman leads the way with gold and silver, while behind her is an endless abyss that can't be seen at a glance.

"Second brother, you know my temperament. I don't like to cause troubles. But in the officialdom, don't you all pay attention to being in the same place? I am comfortable in Jinyang, and I don't want to leave. If I don't accept women, I can only collect stolen goods. Silver, which one do you prefer?"

Jia Ying shook her head: "I don't care about you. If you need money, you can send a letter to the capital. Yunji also has a warehouse in Shanxi, so there is no shortage of you. It's just that you have a lot of salt and grain in your hands. This is a fat job , How many people are staring, among other things, the Shanxi merchants in Shanxi are famous for drilling, and how many pairs of eyes are watching behind our house, I don’t want to be helpless about your situation one day.”

Jia Lian nodded solemnly and said, "Second brother, I know you have great ambitions. Although you can't help much, you won't make trouble."

Only then did Jia Ying nod her head. Apart from being lustful, Lian Er's nature is not bad. In fact, even if he has some flaws, no one would dare to do anything to him in a place like Shanxi, but he still has to be on the safe side so that he won't be misunderstood. Gun makes.

"By the way, why are you in Taiyuan Mansion?" Jia Ying asked.

Lian Er replied: "Recently, a large army has been traveling westward. The imperial court has issued an order to raise military rations in Shanxi. I came here as an escort. You haven't returned to me. Do you want to stay for a few days? This place is not far from Jinyang. I'll take a look there."

The passing army should be [-] Liaodong cavalry. Jia Ying said, "No, if I hadn't met you, I'm afraid I would have left Taiyuan by now."

The day before yesterday, I ran into the palace envoy who was chasing after him, and urged him to go to Hami as soon as possible, but I don't know what happened. On the way of the march, many news were very inconvenient.

Seeing this, Lian Er didn't say much anymore, and the reception banquet ended hastily.

When parting, Jia Ying suddenly said: "Sister Feng, you can also make a decision someday. When you want to go back to Beijing, you can go back."

"What do you mean?" Lian Er frowned.

Just when Jia Ying was thinking about what to say, Xi'er hurried over.

"Second master, a letter from the Mu family, sealed with three feathers of wax."

Jia Ying's expression changed slightly, she took the envelope, frowned after reading it, and remained silent for a long time.

Tao Dayong and Zhao Hezhong were gone, Wei Datong was seriously injured and comatose, Ma Mingluan was also injured, nearly half of the top generals of the Hunan Army camp were lost, and nearly 6000 soldiers were killed or injured.

"Prepare your horse and march quickly."

The Hunan army battalion is his foundation, and there is no room for loss. If the soldiers are gone, they can be replenished. However, if all the soldiers are in danger, then this big flag is in danger of falling down at any time.

Jia Lian stopped and looked from a distance, somewhat worried in his heart, then remembered Jia Ying's words just now, thought about it carefully, and felt mixed feelings in his heart.

What is this?

But after all, he and Sister Feng have long been in the past, and now they are living happily, so there is nothing wrong with it.

Forget it, let him go.

under night.

In Pianguan County, Shanxi Province, under a Fengsui Fort, a group of merchants were driving their carriages. The light from the torch shone faintly on the Beacon Fort not far away. The soldiers seemed to be accustomed to this, not only did they not stop them, From time to time, he chatted with passing merchants and asked for some wine-making dried meat from Xinghua Village, so as to open the checkpoint for the caravan to go beyond the Great Wall.

This is a secluded but dangerous path leading to the outside of the customs. It is not suitable for large troops to pass through. The Beacon Castle is more like a military camp. It is built on a high slope between two mountain valleys. There is only one team of frontier soldiers on weekdays. They are not afraid of Hu people coming from here, but it has become a little-known trade route.