Picturesque Rivers and Mountains in the Red Chamber

Chapter 227 Chapter 4.23 My elder brother has already connected with Ningguo Mansion
Volume Four

4.23 My eldest brother has been connected with Ning Guofu
July [-]th, Zhou’s courtyard.

"Such a courtyard, I really want to live here forever." After entering the door for the first time, Qin Keqing looked around with a complicated expression and said, "Unfortunately, this is just a thought in my heart, I don't know if I have any more There is no chance to come again next time - Mr. Zhou, long time no see!"

"Everyone who has nothing to do with it, get out!" Zhou Yang was not as relaxed as she was. He frowned and shouted to everyone in the main courtyard until everyone except Baozhu went out. Even Qingwen was sent away. , he said in a helpless tone, "I did promise you back then that I would save you from that fiery pit, but with my current ability."

"I know, that's why I said it just now, it should be difficult to come back to this yard." Qin Keqing interrupted him with a wry smile, "If not, you think I would like to do this? The servants who were blocked in the front yard just now are not the only ones sent by you." In the past, fortunately not everyone in the Ningguo Mansion was daring, at least the ones I brought were all timid and timid people specially picked out, so it’s okay to keep them from talking too much.”

"Come in!" Zhou Yang sighed softly, and hugged Qin Keqing with some distress. Together with the orb that followed, the three of them entered the study room in the main courtyard. "You took such a big risk to come here this time. You must have something wrong." Right? You might as well talk about it now, I will go south to take up a post in early August, and it’s hard to say when I’ll see you next time.”

"I was forced to have no choice." Qin Keqing was very helpless, "I have only been here for a month, but things in the Ningguo Mansion have exceeded my expectations. Let's not talk about other major events. Jia Zhen forced her step by step. It’s very tight, but my nominal husband-in-law has never come to the door even once.”

"Master Zhou, I have never thought that there is such a father-son relationship in this world!" After serving tea to the two of them, Baozhu said angrily, "I entered the family as a daughter-in-law just to entertain my father-in-law; it's so frustrating. The news about Tianliang is known to all servants with some status in the mansion, this is simply..."

"Okay!" Qin Keqing interrupted her impatiently, "Mr. Zhou, it's not that I have to be like this, it's just that the situation in the mansion is far more than what Baozhu said. After all, these things don't count among everyone in the capital. What, it’s hard to say whether other families have it or not. The most troublesome thing is that my brother has now partially achieved his goal!"

"Wait a minute!" Zhou Yang stopped her in confusion, "Since you know your relationship and your brother's affairs, why are you still doing this? Logically speaking, with your ability, you should be able to understand."

"If, as outsiders know, I marry the next head of the Rongguo Mansion and become a sect's wife in the future, even if my family is ruined and my family is destroyed in the future, it's just a life, so I'll take it as long as I get it." Qin Keqing said quietly, “Anyway, this royal matter is always about success or failure, not right or wrong.

However, I am not willing to die in the future and have to bear the reputation of "picking up ashes". Women have a harder time than men in this world. With such a reputation, how can I live in peace?Even if I spent that night with you, it was more of a momentary impulse, but I still had a man. Is it possible that I will fall for another man again?"

"Hmph, Mr. Zhou is also cruel. Our grandma has already shouldered such a thing for you. Today is just here." Baozhu said with a sullen face on one side, feeling sorry for his girl.

"Okay!" Looking at Zhou Yang's serious expression, Qin Keqing interrupted her maid angrily, "Master Zhou, in addition to these things, I also heard these days that my eldest brother has been connected with Ning Guofu. Okay, in just this month, a lot of things have been done.”

"Huh -" Zhou Yang breathed a sigh of relief. As a normal man in all aspects, he doesn't like the woman he has had a relationship with to be with another man. Although the situation is special, it is like this now, so he can help as much as he can. It should be, "What is it that makes you so nervous?"

"Master Zhou, have you ever heard of Ping'an Prefecture?" Qin Keqing asked softly.

"Ping'an State?" Zhou Yang frowned. He had only heard of it in the original novel, but after entering this world, he had never heard of it. "What is that?"

"When the Supreme Emperor went north to wipe out the foreign races, on the one hand they were the remnants of the Jian slaves in the White Mountains and Black Waters, and on the other hand there were the Tatars on the northern grasslands." Qin Keqing saw that he really didn't understand, so he explained naturally, "Among them, the Jian slaves Because of the pseudo-Qing Dynasty, the Supreme Emperor issued a special decree that he would never allow any mercy and would only destroy them. However, he was lenient to the Tatars on the grassland and agreed to many conditions, such as mutual trade on the border.

Ping'an Prefecture was originally named Zhangjiakou. Because it was designated as a place for mutual trade, the Emperor specially issued a decree and renamed it 'Ping'an Prefecture'. The original intention was to gain a good fortune. However, over the years, this place has indeed facilitated the flourishing exchanges between the Zhou Dynasty and the Tatars. Winning peace for the people on both sides; at this time, the Jiedu envoy of Ping'an Prefecture was named Yun, and his ancestor was a general in the Ningguo Mansion. "

Zhou Yang immediately understood that the "Ping'an Prefecture" mentioned many times in the original work was actually like this. This also explained the reason why Jia Lian went to this place many times - smuggling. With Jia She's persistence in silver, such a "good opportunity" He definitely wouldn't miss it, he really didn't expect that this "path" actually started from Ningguo Mansion!

"So, your eldest brother is already connected there?" Zhou Yang frowned. Border smuggling has always been very profitable. Whenever Prince Yizhong has some thoughts, he will definitely spend money. "If that's the case, it should be It shouldn’t make you so nervous, no one of the nine military towns in the Great Zhou Dynasty can do without this kind of activities, one more is not more, and one less is not less.”

"Master Zhou, I heard from you that the prince is not just for the money." Baozhu said anxiously, "It seems that he took advantage of the opportunity to sell goods and sent a group of people there. And for this kind of thing, it is inevitable to have to deal with it. I can’t tell you how many slaves there are in the connection with the Tatars. I only know that most of the goods obtained from the Tatars are war horses.”

This is actually the biggest reason why the Zhou Dynasty turned a blind eye to smuggling in the Jiubian Army Town. In the legal Ping'an Prefecture Mutual Market, war horses accounted for only a small proportion. The largest Tatar goods were all kinds of furs, medicinal materials and Or bones, etc. What is most needed is tea, salt and ironware.Tea is easy to say, but salt and ironware are things that are strictly controlled or even embargoed by foreigners in any Central Plains dynasty. It is impossible for the Tatars to obtain sufficient quantities in the legal market, so they will naturally control them "reciprocally" The war horse trade, and then turned his attention to smuggling, the black market, etc.; the problem is that the purpose of Prince Yizhong buying so many war horses is definitely not to serve the Zhou Dynasty.

"Brother, he used these war horses, plus money and other things, to arrange a lot of means in the Nine Borders. I can't tell you the details, but I think it will be too little." Qin Keqing said quietly, "I heard that he also We have won over many people, otherwise we would not have been able to achieve such results by relying on ourselves alone.”

"So... that's it!" Zhou Yang let out a long sigh of relief, and once again figured out one thing, that is, the Jia family did not actually participate in the rebellion of Yizhong County Prince. Jia Zhen and Jia She both thought that they were "making extra money." "; The Yun family, the governor of Ping'an Prefecture, is hard to say. We can only look at it later.

Therefore, the fundamental reason why Jia's family was able to escape from this incident was not the so-called "ancestral merits", but that they did not participate; in other words, with the strength of Jia's family, they were no longer able to do this kind of "good deeds". "Big things" started, and Jia's house was eventually ransacked. This incident was just one of the incentives.

"Master Zhou," Qin Keqing said softly.

"Your elder brother's relationship with the Tatars must not be just for smuggling, right?" Zhou Yang thought of another thing, "For example, his methods in various places in Jiubian can only raise a few dead soldiers at most. There is no way it will be too big, but if we get to the Tatar territory, many things can be changed, such as - horse bandits!"

"This -" Qin Keqing and Baozhu were both stunned. They obviously didn't think so much.

"Okay, these things are beyond your control. You might as well tell me what you need my help with." Zhou Yang sighed softly, feeling powerless again, "For example, I just saw three maids dressing up. A girl with a hidden weapon, right?"

"Thank you for your arrangement!" Qin Keqing said softly, "It's just that with Baozhu and the three of them alone, it's hard for me to say whether I can sustain it in the future. If there are more, with the abilities of the servants in Ningguo Mansion, I'm sure It will save a lot of trouble in the future.”

"That's no problem. I'll just give Qiying a few words." Zhou Yang nodded and approved Qin Keqing's proposal, "How about doubling the amount you want?"

"If possible, it would be best to have more." Qin Keqing said softly, "Four more in the mansion is indeed enough, but it is not enough to guarantee absolutely. Can you see if you can arrange a yard nearby in Ningguo Mansion and add more With the manpower here, if anything happens to me in the future, I can arrange for them; even if it is a last resort, there will be someone to take care of me."

"Money is not a problem, but I don't have the manpower to help you make arrangements." Zhou Yang frowned and said helplessly.

"Fortunately, I still have some tricks up my sleeve." Qin Keqing breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "My nanny and her family were released from the palace a few years ago and are now in the capital. They have relied on me to support them all these years. I am still in the Qin family's house. Sometimes, I rely on them to help with foreign affairs. As long as I have money, I can trouble you to help recruit some people, and I can arrange the rest."

"Is 1 taels enough?" Seeing the problem solved, Zhou Yang also laughed.

"That's enough." Qin Keqing nodded and said with a smile, "I still have some foundation, and there are more than a dozen shops in the dowry. If you can help me connect with the southern goods of the Xue brand, I won't have to do it again in the future. It’s causing trouble.”

"You even know this?" Zhou Yang was really a little surprised.

"Master Zhou, do you think I am willing to know?" Qin Keqing sighed softly, revealing his difficulties, "Brother, after all, he wants to be a rich and virtuous king, who in the court will believe it? Now that the Supreme Emperor is still here, Of course everything is fine; if something happens in the future, who can't guess the outcome?
These are not things that the boudoir should be concerned about, so I just said a few words in vain - Mr. Zhou now knows that, I don't dare to expect anything extra, I just hope that you don't think that Ke Qing is a person who is greedy for wealth, wealth and power! "

"As long as you promise not to communicate with that side in the future, my promise at the beginning is still valid." Zhou Yang sighed softly. Now is the feudal era, so is it possible to blame these crimes on women?

Qin Keqing's face was filled with joy, and she gently pulled Baozhu, her personal maid, and threw them into Zhou Yang's arms.

(End of this chapter)