Picturesque Rivers and Mountains in the Red Chamber

Chapter 55 2.32
Volume Two

2.32 What the princess said is absolutely true
"That's it - here?" He jumped off the horse first and looked at the post in his hand repeatedly. Zhou Yang looked up several times at the tall gate in front of him, but never came forward to say hello, especially the simple words on the gate. A plaque of "Guo Mansion" and a simple configuration with an empty door and no servants made him really understand. "Although Dongfang is a second-class guard of the fifth rank, he is not worthy of such a high mansion, let alone Besides, the surname here is not Dongfang."

The mansion in front of you is located in the core area of ​​the inner city, less than two miles away from the palace. According to modern customs, it should belong to the "Qianmen Street" category. Although you can't see the inside, the vermilion copper-nailed door and the doors on both sides With the complete configuration of a cross-courtyard, main entrance, side entrance, and corner entrance, coupled with the deserted environment of the entire street, it is not something Dongfang Bing can control.

"This young master has been lingering for a long time, but has something happened?" When he was having a headache, he walked out of the courtyard and asked, "If nothing happens, please don't stay here."

"Sorry, I received a post, and it's about this place." Zhou Yang hurriedly handed over the red post in his hand. Wandering around in places where you shouldn't be these days might really kill people, "But in the future As I am, I should not be qualified to visit you at home."

"Sir, please wait a moment!" Fortunately, the servant was very polite and knew how to read. After a brief look, he looked surprised, "It turns out to be a post from the Eastern Guard. Sir, please come in. My master and the Eastern Guard are enjoying tea in the living room. , I think it’s the young master who is waiting for me!”

"Master? Living room? Oriental guard?" Zhou Yang's heart moved, and he had vaguely guessed the true source of this post. He could also see the "Guo Mansion" plaque at the door, especially since it was not obvious on the surface along the way after entering. However, every piece of equipment that was very important to his identity, such as the white marble pillars in front of the house and the phoenix-patterned window frames, made him more sure of his guess.

"Young Master, please forgive me, I can only send you here!" Just as he was thinking that there was nothing left, the voice of the servant who had just greeted the door sounded again, bringing him back to reality, especially the familiar figure at the door of the inner courtyard, which made him completely understand. The real owner of this invitation.

"Here? Come with me." With the same cold voice as always, Dongfang Bing waved his hand casually after seeing him, gesturing for him to follow, "Normally no outsiders are allowed here, so you have to invite them in my name. You’ll know when you see me later.”

"I have met Her Highness the Princess!" A moment later, with the bright candlelight that was still dazzling in broad daylight, Zhou Yang saluted immediately after seeing clearly the figure sitting in the living room.

"Sit down, I invite you to come today. Firstly, I have recently received the Mingqian Longjing as a gift from the Emperor's brother, and I would like to find someone to try it with me." Princess Yongchang waved her hand and motioned for him to take a seat on the right hand side, "And I have something else to do. If you want to talk to someone, Dongfang recommended you.”

"Thank you, Princess!" No matter what others said, Zhou Yang still adhered to the idea of ​​"it's not strange to be polite to many people". He bowed first and then sat upright on the chair. When he saw Dongfang Bing's lips slightly raised across from him, Zhou Yang Yang knew that he might have made a fool of himself.

"Xiangong Zhou, it is indeed good to express your gratitude when a noble person offers you a seat, but after sitting down, you cannot directly lean on the backrest. It depends on what I do." Sure enough, Dongfang Bing "kindly" helped introduce, but she just sat down He moved half of the chair, and his back was at least two punches away from the backrest. "It's so embarrassing, but I still know that I have to straighten my body."

Zhou Yang:.
"Okay Dongfang, after he passes the martial arts examination, someone will naturally teach him these things." Princess Yongchang smiled slightly, but she didn't mean to blame him. "It was the first time that Mr. Zhou came to visit. I didn't send anyone to explain. It was indeed rude. , just apologize here."

"I don't dare!" No matter how stupid Zhou Yang was, he knew he couldn't admit it at this time. He quickly stood up and clasped his fists in a salute, only to find that Dongfang Bing opposite was laughing again, so he had to send him over and glare.

"Princess, let me tell you the situation directly." Dongfang Bing suppressed a smile, looked at Princess Yongchang who had the same smile on her face, and simply skipped the "tea tasting" procedure, "It is indeed right for Mr. Zhou to stand up and salute now. , but remember one thing, holding a fist is a courtesy, and when saluting a noble person, you must at least bow down; another point, you must not make any small movements at this time, it is a very rude performance!"

Zhou Yang:.
"Giggle--" Princess Yongchang couldn't maintain her demeanor at this time. She gently covered her face and burst out laughing. Then she ignored the blushing Zhou Yang and turned to Dongfang Bing and said, "Dongfang, just say it."

"Mr. Zhou, just after the 25th imperial court meeting last month, the current Beijing Camp Jiedushi General Jia Jing specifically asked to see His Majesty, formally submitted a resignation request, and declined His Majesty's request to stay." Dongfang Bing did not laugh again this time, but He directly stated the problem, "Jinggong was born in Ningguo Mansion and is one of the core members of Wu Xun. His concession caught His Majesty by surprise."

"There is no suitable candidate?" Zhou Yang saw the problem immediately. In fact, this kind of thing is not complicated. Arranging the right people in the right positions is one of the most important things for a leader.

"That's right!" Princess Yongchang nodded with a smile and a look of appreciation on her face, "Jinggong was born in the martial arts. Although he didn't perform much on weekdays, he saved the emperor a lot of trouble, not to mention that his father was the emperor. One of the most valued ministers (the Emperor), the post of Jingying Jiedushi has been inherited by the Ningguo line since the dynasty returned to the capital." "The problem now is that if Jing Gong resigns, his son Jia will Zhen has no talents and virtues, and is really not someone who can be cultivated." When it was time to play the bad guy, Dongfang Bing took over, "Your Majesty is in a very difficult situation now. He called Duke Jing into the palace twice to dissuade him, but Duke Jing was devoted to seeking immortality and asked , and even preparing to pass the title to his son, I really can’t stop him.”

"In other words, General Jia is half of His Majesty. If he goes down, there will be no one in His Majesty's circle who can take over." Zhou Yang's straightforward reply made the two women frown at the same time, but they didn't say anything more. "So, what you two are saying is to find a way to get the best of both worlds and let this matter go away?"

"Not bad!" Dongfang Bai nodded.

"If you want to take care of both at the same time, the best way is to find one from Jia's family." Zhou Yang really didn't know how to be tactful at this time, so he went straight to the point, "If you can't find one from Jia's family, you can also find one from Jia's family." You should be able to find one of the forces close to you, such as the so-called 'Four Families of Jinling', right?"

"The Xue family is a businessman and there is no suitable candidate." Princess Yongchang frowned, but nodded and approved Zhou Yang's opinion, but skipped the Jia family directly, "The Shi family is in a special situation and cannot be reused, so only the Wang family, or to put it directly, The current head of the Wang family is Wang Ziteng.”

"Wang Family——" Dongfang Bing, who continued to be responsible for playing badface, frowned, and obviously didn't think much of it. "Ever since Du Taiwei took control of the county uncle, it has always been a subsidiary of Jia's family. Now, although Wang Ziteng is 'Head of the family', but the Wang family has long lost the title. He can be a guerrilla in the capital camp with a thousand households. He is still the care of the Jia family. At least so far, he has not shown anything impressive. something bright."

"The Jingying Jiedushi itself does not require much ability. The most important thing is to be obedient." Zhou Yang was straightforward again. Of course, there is another question here, which is "whose words to listen to?" "If Prince Teng can take over the position, by all means It's all the shadow of the Jia family and His Majesty's favor. He doesn't have much foundation in the capital camp, but it is more convenient for the next arrangements."

"Huh?" Princess Yongchang and Dongfang Bai looked at each other, exchanged glances and said, "Go on."

"Please forgive me for overstepping my bounds!" Zhou Yang did not speak directly, but stood up and bowed first. What he said just now could only add an "upright" persona. If the following content does not say hello, it is easy to give people a "Arrogant" impression, "Presumably the news that General Jia is resigning has not spread yet, right?"

"You can tell us what happened today only in this living room." Princess Yongchang nodded.

"General Jia has been in office for many years and has a great influence on the Beijing camp." Zhou Yang did not hesitate anymore. This was the time to show his ability. "Since he proposed a half-year 'preparation period', I think he is waiting for His Majesty." arrangements, or in other words, to hand over what is in hand.

You might as well first ask the prince to take a vacant position, such as a partial general, and let him be a deputy with General Jia. On the one hand, he can learn from it. As the saying goes, "help the horse and send him for a ride", and also let General Jia use his remaining energy. He will definitely There are still a lot of things that can be handed over at the same time; moreover, half a year is enough time if you want to make any arrangements. "

"Not bad!" Princess Yongchang's eyes lit up with admiration on her face, "Although Mr. Jing has been obsessed with refining elixirs and burning mercury since the past few years, he has not missed his official duties and has always been devoted to his brother. If according to Mr. Zhou What I said, I think it will be beneficial to both parties.”

"If this is the case, follow the rules." After thinking for a while, Zhou Yang decided to bring it up.

"It's natural. The Tian family has no right to treat meritorious ministers unfairly." Princess Yongchang nodded with satisfaction, "It's a pity that I respected the Duke's reputation for a lifetime, but he also responded to the saying, 'A capable minister and an official will inevitably have an unkind wife and unfilial son.' Since compensation cannot be made in terms of official position, it can only be made in terms of title."

"What the princess said is very true."

(End of this chapter)