The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

Jiangmi Lane is the longest alley in Beijing. It runs parallel to Chang'an Avenue, starting from Chongwenmennei Street in the east and ending at Beixinhua Street in the west.

There is a water gate in the south of this lane, with water from the Imperial River flowing through it. In summer, with green willows swaying and cicadas chirping, it is a good place to escape the heat and cool off.

Jiangmi Lane is further divided into Dongjiangmi Lane and Xijiangmi Lane. Since important government offices such as the Ministry of Clan Affairs, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, the Honglu Temple, the Shanglinyuan Supervisor, and the Zhanshi Mansion are all located in Dongjiangmi Lane, Dongjiangmi Lane is also known as the "Five Government Offices and Six Ministries".

In comparison, Xijiang Mixiang is somewhat unknown.

However, with the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Xijiang Mixiang finally ushered in its own glory and was nicknamed "Street of All Nations" by the common people in the capital.

Members of the Aisin-Gioro clan, the Korean royal family, and Mongolian princes who were defeated and captured by Li Hu lived here. The former leader of the Xilinguole League also lived here. They were all ordered to move here after Li Hu ascended the throne.

In order to ensure their safety, the imperial guards patrolled non-stop for twelve hours, and there was martial law outside the archway at the entrance of the alley, strictly prohibiting outsiders from approaching.

It was snowing heavily, and the imperial guards on duty all wore wide-brimmed winter hats and stood on both sides of the archway.

The officer on duty walked back and forth under the archway with a knife slung over his shoulder, stopping and starting, looking back and forth from time to time.

At this moment, the sound of horse hooves and wheels pressing snow could be heard in the snow.

The officer on duty quickly looked over.

A carriage with the royal emblem drove over here.

As they got closer, they saw that the person driving the carriage was Liu Quan.

The carriage stopped in front of the archway. Liu Quan brushed off the snow on his body, put on the whip, jumped down from the front of the sedan chair, took down the low stool he was sitting on and placed it next to the handlebars, and lifted the thick cotton curtain: "We're here, sir."

Heshen appeared from the sedan chair, and Liu Quan helped him get off the carriage on a low stool.

Heshen was a smart man and was very clear about his identity. He was Li Hu's household slave, a Jurchen, the head military minister and first-class duke of the former Jurchen court. He did not hold any position in the court. Wherever he was needed, he would go there to serve with Li Hu's imperial edict.

He had just come out of the palace, and this carriage was the respect given to him by Li Hu, and it was also the foundation for Heshen to gain a foothold in the capital.

The officer on duty recognized Heshen and nodded to him with a smile.

Heshen smiled and nodded, then led Liu Quan into Xijiang Mixiang.

Suddenly, a melodious flute sound was heard amid the howling north wind.

Soon, Heshen walked to the entrance of the courtyard with a cross lantern hanging at the door and stood still.

The sound of the flute came from this courtyard.

Liu Quan walked forward and knocked on the door knocker hard.

Soon a voice came from inside: "Who is it?" The door creaked open, and a woman poked her head out. When she saw that it was Heshen, she immediately laughed (in Manchu): "He Zhongtang, bah! The master is back."

Heshen frowned.

Liu Quan started to curse: "I spit on you, the lowly slaves of your ancestors for eighteen generations! I think you don't want to eat anymore with your stinky mouth! What do you mean by 'master' or 'young master'? If you keep talking nonsense, I'll tear your mouth to pieces! Also, if you dare to speak Manchu again, I'll smash your mouth to pieces!"

The old woman was so frightened that she knelt down and kowtowed in panic.

Liu Quan: "Why don't you go back to the house and wait for your reward?"

The old woman quickly retreated back to the gatehouse.

Liu Quan gave way: "Sir, it's snowing heavily outside, please go in."

Heshen: "Let's change it." After saying that, he strode in.

Following the sound of the flute, Heshen came to the back hall, where the door was ajar. He walked to the door step by step and stopped there. In the crack of the door, a young girl was dancing to the sound of the flute.

The girl's dance was light, graceful and elegant. She was the Tenth Princess who almost became Heshen's daughter-in-law.

The flute music stopped, and the Tenth Princess also stopped.

The maid beside her hurriedly stepped forward and wiped the sweat off the Tenth Princess's forehead while whispering, "Princess, take a rest."

The Tenth Princess took a breath, then forced a smile and said, "In two days it will be New Year's Eve. Time is running out. If we are impolite at the palace banquet, our lives will be even more difficult."

The maid said: "They are too bullying. The palace decided on this stunning dance a month and a half ago. They all wanted their daughters to show off in front of the emperor. Now they know their daughters don't have that ability. The stunning dance has become a hot potato. They thought of the princess at this time and wanted you to take the blame."

The tenth princess sighed softly. She was the apple of everyone's eye since she was born. Naturally, some people were dissatisfied. In the past, everyone lived a life of luxury and could tolerate it. Now the situation has changed. Everyone has become a prisoner and lives on the salary from the court every month. "Rice is expensive in Chang'an", and everyone's life is a bit tight.

When life is not going well, there will be conflicts and quarrels. She naturally became everyone's common enemy. Not only was she isolated, but her salary from the court was also withheld.

The maid said: "How about we write a letter to He Zhongtang?"

The Tenth Princess was silent.

Heshen heard about what happened in the capital in the Yangxin Palace. He suppressed his anger and gently pushed open the half-closed door.

The door was pushed very gently, so the people inside didn't notice it for a moment. He Shen coughed lightly.

The Tenth Princess immediately looked over, full of surprise!
He Shen walked in with a smile, saying, "The Jinghong Dance is a court dance that originated in the Tang Dynasty. It was the famous dance of Concubine Mei, the favorite concubine of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. People in the Tang Dynasty often used 'Jinghong' to describe the graceful and light dance.
There is a woodcut illustration at the beginning of Qiu Changjin's Complete History of Concubine Taizhen in the Ming Dynasty, titled "The Dance of the Startled Wild Goose", which depicts Concubine Mei wearing a long-sleeved dance costume, a long skirt that trails on the ground, and a long scarf draped over her shoulders, doing a flying dance, like a startled wild goose.

Listening to Heshen's talk, the Tenth Princess smiled, and her eyes faintly revealed a woman's admiration for a man's talent.

"Princess." The maid whispered in the ear of the Tenth Princess.

The tenth princess came back to her senses, blushed, and said softly: "He Zhongtang, you are back."

He Shen: "The Emperor summoned me back to Beijing to report on my work."

The Tenth Princess asked anxiously, "Are you still leaving?"

He Shen was silent for a moment and said, "I will leave after the first day of the new year."

The Tenth Princess was silent for a moment, then asked, "When will you come back?"

Heshen shook his head slightly.

The Tenth Princess's face was filled with unhappiness.

Heshen was not a fool, so he had naturally seen through the Tenth Princess's thoughts long ago, but he could only pretend to be confused.

"I asked the emperor for grace to grant the princess the status of a commoner of the Tang Dynasty."

He Shen pulled out two envelopes from his sleeves and looked at the Tenth Princess. "One is a document from the Imperial Household Department. With it, you can walk freely in Shuntian Prefecture. No government office will dare to trouble you. The other is a banknote, which is my salary."

Hearing this, the Tenth Princess' eyes lit up.

The maid spoke up: "He Zhongtang, you are well-versed in both the present and the past, and you are very knowledgeable. The princess's stunning dance is beautiful, but it lacks spirituality. There are only two days left until New Year's Eve, please help the princess!"

Heshen was silent for a moment, walked to the musician, took the bamboo flute from her hand, and slowly brought it to his lips.

When the melodious flute sounded, the Tenth Princess stood there in a daze for a long time before she began to dance to the sound of Heshen's flute. Her dance moves were light and graceful, just like flying wild geese. She waved her sleeves, raised her eyebrows, and her every frown and smile was full of affection. Combined with the Tenth Princess's handsome eyes, beautiful eyebrows, and slender dance moves, she was truly beautiful!

The maid looked at the Tenth Princess, then looked at Heshen, and sighed softly: "It would be great if he was not the father of Fengshen Yinde." (End of this chapter)