Picturesque Rivers and Mountains in the Red Chamber

Chapter 502
postscript
Sanshengqingyuan

In the first year of Wu Zheng, on the morning of the [-]th day of the first lunar month, I was in the Imperial Study Room.

"Is the news confirmed?" Zhou Yang turned over the materials in his hand and asked Zhao Qiying seriously.

"Almost all the gentry in Jiangnan are unclean." Zhao Qiying said with a wry smile, "I won't talk about the leading ones, but the backbone ones can also be ignored. Even if the rest are not directly involved, most of them have paid their salaries, especially The remaining five salt merchants gave their full support at all costs and were completely desperate."

"Since His Majesty openly produced salt in various places based on the name "Xue" under the name of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the harvest of the salt merchants has plummeted." Seeing his eldest sister turning over the materials and explaining to Zhou Yang, Zhao Yanling was not idle, "Now In fact, most of the 'salt tax' went directly into the royal cabinet, and a small amount was taken from the court salt works. On the one hand, the salt merchants' income collapsed, and on the other hand, the relationships between various parties needed to be maintained. How could there still be the good old days? They didn't It’s weird to go all out, but it’s the gentry, what are they doing for that?”

"The benefits in this world are all certain. If your majesty can take more, they will naturally take less." The Jiangnan gentry had always had a high status in the court, but now there was no room for them to speak.

Lords in the court, let's just pay it back. For those whose families only have minor officials or even quit the court altogether, the benefits that could have been distributed to them have either been reduced or simply disappeared. How can we not offend them?As far as salt products are concerned, at the beginning of the Jiangnan business, which one did not lend a hand in this?Now if they want to, can they go beyond the Ministry of Internal Affairs? "

"There is only one thing you are wrong about. The wealth in the world is not fixed. The total amount has actually been rising, but the change in distribution is the fundamental factor that affects these turbans." Zhou Yang said with a smile, "It's like a piece of oil cake. Let's work together. When it comes to eating, there are always people who can eat more, and some who can only eat less, but the general direction should be that most people are full, a small part is full, and some people are full of oil.

But what is the state of the world now?The vast majority are hungry, and only a few are full. A handful of people are just mouth-watering, and they are so unwilling to give up anything to let the people who are about to starve to death have a bite. Do you know who I am talking about? ? "

"This..." The expressions of the three girls changed, and Zhao Qiying said worriedly, "Your Majesty, if this happens, you will be the enemy of the world!"

"No." Zhou Yang smiled and shook his head. He didn't have the guts to be like the teacher, who pretended to be nothing but the common people, and didn't even care about his own family. "I raised the status of generals and the army, and forced those people with turbans to Concession, or even deliberately causing them to cause trouble, is to force money out of their hands and then build the world, not to completely abolish them."

"That's good!" The girls finally felt relieved.

"Qiying, is there any other information from Jiangnan?" Zhou Yang then asked.

"In addition to these, there are also contacts with some branches of the Guo family." Zhao Qiying flipped through the materials and said, "Especially the Leshan County Prince lineage, they have the most frequent contacts now. Sister Dongfang said that they have already discussed the candidates. , most likely the second or third legitimate son, who is going to be quietly sent to Aurous Hill."

"Just tell Dongfang and let her intercept it as she wishes. Don't take it too seriously." Zhou Yang said lightly, "It's been delayed for so long, it's time to close the net."

"Your Majesty, don't worry!" Zhao Qiying nodded.

"Your Majesty, let's have tea!" Just as he was saying this, Qingwen came in with a tea tray, placed teacups for the three of them to pour, and put down a stack of snacks, "This plate of sweet-scented osmanthus cakes was poured by the second girl herself. The imperial kitchen has been practicing for a long time, and finally made it. I originally wanted my sisters to try something new, but Miss Lin reminded me that I sent a plate here."

The name this girl now refers to the whole family has basically remained the same except that Zhou Yang has changed it to "Emperor" here. Even though she also wears the title of "Li Fei", she still does the girl's thing. , she is also the only one among the several maids with the title of "concubine". Most of the others have the title of "concubine", such as Suyun next to Li Wan, who is now the "spring concubine".

"Second sister's craftsmanship?" Zhou Yang was stunned for a moment - in fact, his name for his family members has basically remained the same. "Then I want to try it. By the way, why did she think of learning cooking skills?"

"Isn't it the last time the emperor met their poetry club and made a joke of 'the hall is the hall and the kitchen', and the second girl remembered it." Qingwen replied with a smile, seeing that Zhou Yang had already taken a piece of paper. After tasting it, he picked up one and put it into his mouth. He squinted his eyes for a moment before saying, "Some are too sweet. If you eat too much, you will get bored easily."

"You!" Zhou Yang smiled and hugged her for a gentle kiss, "What are they doing?"

"The servants came from the Changchun Palace of the eldest girl (Shu Fei Yuanchun). The four girls, plus Miss Yun who came to play, and several other girls watched the pots of lilies that the emperor admired. Miss Yun listened to I also wanted to set up a poetry club, but the older girl suppressed it." Qingwen said with a smile.

"Oh? Maybe they misunderstood what I meant." Zhou Yang immediately understood that Yuan Chun had misunderstood the phrase "you can go to the hall and go to the kitchen", "Okay, today's business is over, I'll go there right away" ——Huh? Girl Qing, why isn’t there Sister Lin? I remember that she should be indispensable for things like flower viewing and grass fighting, right?”

"Miss Lin went to the Empress. It seems to be a matter of Rongguo Mansion." Qingwen thought for a while and replied, "Well, I remembered it. When I came from Fengzao Palace, I saw Sister Xiren and said a few words. , it should be Second Grandma Bao who is here, but I really can’t tell what it is.”

"Oh?" Zhou Yang's heart moved and he turned to look at Zhao Qiying.

"Your Majesty, don't worry." Zhao Nuxia nodded simply.

"Your Majesty, Sister Qiying, what are you talking about?" Qingwen said blankly.

"Okay, girl Qing, you go to Fengzao Palace first, just say I'll be there in a while." Zhou Yang sent the maid away with a smile, and asked after seeing her go out, "Is there anything missing?"

"After he was sent to the Jinyi Army Prison the night before yesterday, I personally asked him to 'commit suicide out of fear of crime.'" Zhao Qiying said with a smile, "Fortunately, he mentioned the problem of his sister immediately after meeting me. It must be delusional. In exchange for a chance to live, he didn't know that it was because of this that he had to die."

"It's okay if Fu Shi just has an idea for something he's not familiar with, but he still has the guts to hook up with Jiangnan." Zhou Yang smiled coldly, "What about the outside world?"

"I originally wanted to talk about it today, but since Second Grandma Bao is here, I can only say that it was the Lantern Festival last night, and the people below were negligent." Zhao Qiying said helplessly, "Your Majesty, it's true, with so many sisters in the family, there are many girls in the world. , why did it happen to be against the Rongguo Mansion? Nowadays, among the young grandmothers from the two mansions, none of them are..."

"Ahem!" Zhou Yang glared at the girl in embarrassment. Seeing that she didn't say anything more and only pursed her lips and smiled, she said angrily, "How could I have imagined that I would sit in this position so quickly? I just thought about it. You should have more fun while you are busy. Besides, I am friends with the second brother Lian, but the one with jade is always short-sighted, how can I not take care of him?"

"Second Grandma Lian is also in the palace," Xing Xiuyan said quietly.

"Concubine Wen?" someone asked through gritted teeth.

"I obey!" Xing Xiuyan pursed her lips and lowered her head, but her shoulders were shaking with laughter.

"You!" Zhou Yang hugged the girl and gave her a long kiss, and then said helplessly, "It's not like you haven't seen that girl before. You really are not a person who can take the responsibility. I forgot about it at the beginning. In short, I just didn't control myself. , if there is any problem, just take care of it.”

"Your Majesty, the imperial court's requests for the 'harem general election' are getting higher and higher, so we can't keep procrastinating like this?" Zhao Qiying adjusted his direction in time, "Even if the general election is not possible, we should choose a few to come in anyway. Even the Empress doesn’t have the guts to be called ‘jealous’, and she can’t stand the pressure now.”

"Don't say you don't know what's going on." Zhou Yang said angrily, "Even when I agreed to the condition of being dissolved in water, I have now pushed back and changed it to let Xuan'er personally give the order when the Shui family girl goes out. Grant marriage, give more rewards, and the rest of the so-called 'general elections', isn't the real purpose just to create multiple channels for talking?"

"Your Majesty, Wu Xun's side is easy to talk about. Anyway, the benefits you give are rare in the entire history, but Wenchen's side" Zhao Yanling hesitated and said, "Should I also give in? Anyway, there will be opportunities in the future, so delaying it a little bit is not an option." It’s all right.” “Not one step away.” Zhou Yang shook his head coldly, “Even if it’s for Tianzao, it will have to wait until the board is finished, so that they won’t be able to distinguish reality. , or feed the unfamiliar wild dogs——Okay, let’s do this first, the three of you have worked hard, Xiuyan, and Rong’er’s place for me, just say that I can’t go because of something.”

"Your Majesty, don't worry." The three girls nodded.

Fengzao Palace.

"Second sister-in-law, don't be anxious. Don't say I don't know anything about the Jinyi Army. Even if I know, I can't get involved." Compared with Princess Guo Xuan of Yongjing who doesn't need to pay too much attention, Lin Daiyu wanted to push it aside. She couldn't push it away, because among the girls in the palace who were related to the Jia family, she had the highest status, "You heard what sister Li Fei just said, why don't you wait a while."

"Thank you, Imperial Concubine!" What else could Fu Qiufang do?He only nodded with a wry smile, "I don't dare to deceive the two empresses. The common woman knows that my brother's sins are serious, so she never dares to think too much about it. I only hope that your majesty and empress will be kind and can spare his life so that our Fu family will not Just stop smoking."

Fu Qiufang could only call herself a "civilian woman", not even a "courtesan's wife", because she did not have imperial status, and Jia Baoyu was also white.

"I'm afraid only Your Majesty can agree to this. How can there be any reason to speak carelessly in the harem?" When it came time to make a fool of herself, Lin Daiyu was naturally no longer suitable to say more. Guo Xuan responded simply, "Okay, you Don’t think too much, just wait patiently!”

"Second sister-in-law, how is Brother Bao's studies now? Is there any progress?" Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit depressing, Lin Daiyu smiled and started doing her homework.

In mid-September, the Rongguo Mansion officially married Fu Qiufang. However, due to the change of status, it was impossible for someone to fulfill the original "conditions", and he could not even "come to the scene" in person. Jia Baoyu was only in white, and at the wedding He is not qualified to enjoy the "royal grace", nor can he be rewarded. Even the title of "disciple of Rongguo Mansion" at the beginning, the benefits should be given to Jia Lian, and Jia Bao Yulun cannot be included.

Therefore, Zhou Yang found another way and in the name of "supervising his studies", he rewarded Fu Qiufang, who had just started, a pair of Ruyi jade and a golden ruler, which just echoed the "golden and jade marriage" of the past. Yuanchun, who went back to attend his brother's wedding, sent a message, "Study matters should not be ignored."

To put it more bluntly, Jia Zheng was very excited that Fu Qiufang would be able to strictly supervise Jia Baoyu in her studies as "I am here in person". Jia Zheng was very excited about this. Regardless of the fact that the person standing in front of him was his own daughter, he knelt down to thank Jia Baoyu on the spot. Mother and Mrs. Wang looked ugly, but no matter how serious their opinions were, they could only hold back their opinions because Fu Qiufang also had a pair of kodama Ruyi to keep things in check!
"Baoyu's studies" Fu Qiufang smiled wryly again, because she hoped more than anyone else that Jia Baoyu could be named on the gold list and become an official, which is also the foundation of her status promotion. I’m afraid there is a gap between my expectations.”

"If this is my second sister-in-law," Lin Daiyu reluctantly persuaded her, how could she not know Jia Baoyu's urine properties?
"Your Majesty has arrived -" Just as he was saying this, orders from outside the palace gate were already passed into the palace.

"Public woman——" Fu Qiufang stood up quickly after being given a seat.

"Okay, Your Majesty doesn't like this kind of rules." Guo Xuan signaled with a faint look, let her continue to sit, waved her hand to signal all the servants to clear the field, and then continued, "When Your Majesty was not crowned the Great Treasure, you were considered a Those who have served you must have the grace you deserve, but you must also remember your identity and don't have delusional thoughts."

"A civilian woman doesn't dare!" Fu Qiufang turned pale on the spot and knelt on the ground desperately.

"Second sister-in-law—" Lin Daiyu had no choice but to get up and help Fu Qiufang up, and said with a wry smile, "As long as you have something that catches your eye, Big Brother Zhou will not let you be like this."

"A civilian woman." Fu Qiufang was already crying bitterly, "I regret it."

"Okay, the reason why I'm a little late is mainly to understand the situation." The three of them were talking, Zhou Yang had already strode into the hall, glanced at Fu Qiufang and said, "I guessed what you said, but it's a pity that it's already happened." It’s too late, originally your eldest brother was not the mastermind, and arresting him was just to open a gap, but he was so guilty and cowardly that he actually committed suicide last night out of fear of crime, which is pitiful and ridiculous."

"This-" Fu Qiufang froze on the spot.

"Xuan'er, prepare a small banquet for noon, and the three of us will have a meal together." Zhou Yang did not look at her again, turned to Guo Xuan and asked, "Is there no one in the garden behind?"

"Your Majesty, do you want me to have the conservatory cleaned up?" Guo Xuan asked angrily.

"No need." Zhou Yang's answer made the only thought in Fu Qiufang's heart disappear. "Grandma Baoer, come with me."

A moment later, the back garden of Fengzao Palace.

"Your Majesty -" Seeing that there was no one in the garden, Fu Qiufang immediately knelt on the ground, "Brother, he is serious..."

"I have received news that your eldest brother has private contacts with Jiangnan, and also has many affairs with several branches of the Guo family." Zhou Yang said calmly, "It doesn't matter if he is dead now, at least he will not implicate you anymore. , for the sake of your original service, I will grant you a favor. When the case is over, he will be considered an undercover agent and will no longer be held responsible."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty." Fu Qiufang's face was full of bitterness.

"Get up, are you okay in Jia's house?" Zhou Yang asked after hesitating.

"Your Majesty, thank you for your concern. Thanks to your Majesty's reward, now, apart from the ancestors, the women in the West Road Courtyard of the mansion have the highest status. The servants in the mansion have cleaned up, and there will be absolutely no more unsightly things." Qiu Fang fell two steps behind and started walking in the garden. "Baoyu has finally made some progress these days."

"That's good!" Zhou Yang nodded. After all, she was a used woman. He gave her an iron-clad identity after a moment's consideration. "Well, I have many daughters of the Jia family in my harem now, so I will give her a solid status." As a gift, in a few days the Ministry of Internal Affairs will cooperate with the Ministry of Public Works to open up the gardens of Ningrong's Second Mansion and build a 'provincial residence'.

From now on, if conditions are convenient, I will allow the four Yuanchun sisters to return home to visit relatives according to the rules, and I will specify that you will be in charge when the time comes. Although the four of them will not go back a few times, with this villa as a foundation, even if you are gone, Brother, no one in the Jia family will look down on you anymore. The last thing is that you must supervise Hao Baoyu’s studies. I will personally issue an order to reprimand you. "

"Thank you for your grace!" Fu Qiufang knelt down in surprise and thanked him. "I dare not deceive Your Majesty. Baoyu's academic performance is indeed too ordinary, but his qualifications are excellent. If there is strict supervision, it stands to reason that it will never be delayed to this point. In the future, there will be After obeying His Majesty's will, the common woman has the confidence to make further progress in his studies. However, the ancestor and his wife-"

"I will solve it." Zhou Yang hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Go back."

"Your Majesty, you still want a civilian woman -" Fu Qiufang gritted her teeth and said with her forehead pressed to the ground.

"Have you and Baoyu consummated your marriage?" Zhou Yang asked lightly. He had no interest in "mixing things up".

"The civilian woman understands!" Fu Qiufang raised her head and looked at the retreating figure with a bitter expression.

A few days later, in the east courtyard of the Rongguo Mansion, Jia She and Mrs. Wang died together in the bedroom due to overdose. Jia Zheng fainted on the spot after learning about it. Considering the reputation issue, the Jia Mansion held a hasty funeral.

(End of this chapter)