The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

After a night of heavy rain, the weather suddenly became much cooler.

The ten-mile-long street paved with bluestone slabs was washed clean by the rain, and the leaves were also washed clean. The branches near and far were all green and full of vitality.

The whole street was hung with big red lanterns and decorated with big red ribbons.

On both sides of the street, colorful flags embroidered with various auspicious animals were erected under the supervision of the yamen runners.

There were busy crowds of people everywhere. All the shops had changed their couplets, signboards and peach charms, and had repainted their doors and windows, giving them a brand new look.

Jia Lian and Jia Yucun, accompanied by a group of officials from the Suzhou prefectural government, inspected the area.

Jia Yucun nodded with satisfaction, and then said to the Suzhou prefect behind him: "Thank you for your trouble."

The Suzhou prefect smiled widely and said, "It is my duty and my honor. If time is not urgent, I would have replaced these door plaques as well. In addition, I have already informed the people in the surrounding area to stay at home tomorrow."

Jia Yucun nodded.

Jia Lian frowned.

As the Suzhou prefect walked, he said to Jia Lian and Jia Yucun, "The Empress and the Princess will surely enjoy the food. To ensure safety, the utensils used to make the food will be cleaned and guarded by the yamen staff. I have also prepared all the ingredients for making the food. They will be delivered before dawn tomorrow and will be made under the supervision of the yamen staff."

Jia Yucun nodded: "It's rare that you can think so carefully."

As he was walking, Jia Lian suddenly stopped and stared ahead.

The whole group stopped and followed Jia Lian's gaze, only to see craftsmen squatting in front of the shops polishing step stones.

Jia Yucun was stunned: "What is this for?"

Suzhou prefect: "There are many century-old shops in this area, and they are doing a booming business with a constant stream of customers. Over time, the step stones in front of the doors have been polished to a shine. What if someone slips or something unexpected happens? So, I order the craftsmen to re-polish the step stones in front of each store."

Jia Yucun wanted to say something, but didn't know how to start, and stood there for a moment.

Jia Lian couldn't help it, "The royal family is rich, what delicacies are there in the imperial kitchen? Do you think the queen is here just to eat Suzhou delicacies? You are wrong. You are here to look at the bluestone alleys, watch the lights of the market, experience the fireworks of the world, and find the fun of the past. You drove away the common people, what are you looking at?!"

As he spoke, he pointed at the lanterns, colorful satin flags, and then at the craftsmen, "I made it clear yesterday that you are not allowed to disturb the people, and you are not allowed to waste people's money. What are you doing? You are making trouble out of small things, and you are making big things out of small things."

Jia Yucun smiled secretly. If he were the governor of Suzhou, he would definitely do the same, or even more exaggerated. After all, if something went wrong, it would definitely be a big deal and someone would die.

The Suzhou prefect blushed and said, "I am also concerned about the safety of the Queen."

Jia Lian: "What will the common people say about this waste of money and time? Do you want to save the reputation of the Emperor and the Empress?!" After saying this, he flicked his sleeves and strode forward.

The Suzhou prefect's face turned pale and he looked at Jia Yucun for help.

At this time, all the officials showed a trace of timidity and looked at Jia Yucun together.

Jia Yucun pondered for a while and said, "Take away all the lanterns, colorful satins and flags. As for the common people around here..." At this point, he hesitated. If something really happened, no one could take the responsibility!
Thinking of this, he sighed silently. He shouldn't have let the Suzhou prefectural government prepare in advance.

Jia Yucun thought for a moment and said, "I just happened to be going to Xiangshan. I'll ask for your permission."

Lin Daiyu knelt in front of Jia's mother's tombstone and cried.

The paper money burned fiercely.

Li Hu and his daughter added paper money to the fire one by one.

In the distance, the fat boy was leading a group of palace maids and eunuchs kneeling there waiting.

Only Li Hu's family of three came, no one else came. There was no complicated sacrificial procedure, just burning paper, kowtowing, and adding soil.

Li Hu sighed, took out the bright yellow handkerchief from his pocket, wiped Lin Daiyu's tears, and said softly: "Don't cry. Your mother-in-law is in heaven, she definitely doesn't want to see you crying."

Lin Daiyu didn't say anything. She wiped her tears and began to wipe the tombstone, whispering something.

By the time everything was done, it was almost noon.

As soon as she stood up, Princess Shouchang hugged Li Hu's arm and said coquettishly, "Father, hug me."

Li Hu picked up his daughter in one hand and held Lin Daiyu's hand with the other and walked down the mountain.

The fat boy and the palace maids and eunuchs followed closely behind.

From a distance, Jia Yucun and the Governor of Jiangsu were seen talking there and sending Lin Daiyu and her daughter to the sedan chair. Li Hu waved at them and the two of them immediately came over.

Jia Yucun and the governor of Jiangsu walked to about two feet in front of Li Hu and stopped. They saluted to Li Hu together. Then Jia Yucun stepped forward and reported to Li Hu: "Your Majesty, the Guangdong Naval Office has reported that the United States has sent a tribute delegation, and the Vice President of the United States has requested an audience with Your Majesty." As he spoke, he pulled out a letter from his sleeve and presented it.

Li Hu's eyes flickered. The United States came to pay tribute? Or was the Vice President leading the team?

This is not the past, we have airplanes. The time it takes for a sailing warship to cross the Atlantic varies greatly, ranging from six to eight weeks. If there is bad weather, it will take ten to twelve weeks, and there is a high probability that the ship will be destroyed and people will die.

Thinking about it, Li Hu took the letter, opened the seal and read it. Then his eyes lit up. It was Chinese characters. This beautiful Vice President of the United States is really good at handling things!

Adams?
Li Hu thought for a long time before he remembered this person. The first vice president of the United States, the second president, and one of the founding fathers. The only achievement of this old guy was that he was the first president of the United States to live in the White House.

The current capital of the United States is Philadelphia, and it was he who moved the capital from Philadelphia to Washington.

After reading a few lines, Li Hu's face suddenly became serious.

Jia Yucun's heart suddenly began to tighten. Could it be that those barbarians had written something outrageous in the letter? !
After reading the letter, Li Hu understood that the United States had accumulated wealth over the past decade, and England was first defeated by the Tang Dynasty in South Asia and then dragged into a war with the Ming Dynasty, which severely damaged its vitality. This gave them the courage to challenge the English.

There is another important reason: the greedy American people have set their sights on Canada and want to expand northward.

The United States wanted to conclude a peace treaty with the Tang Dynasty and become a military ally to jointly deal with the English and purchase warships and army weapons and equipment from the Tang Dynasty.

Li Hu looked up and thought for a moment, then realized that the United States was preparing to take action against England's colonies.

Through this war, they wanted to break England's monopoly on maritime trade and occupy Canada, drive the English out of North America completely, replace the English, and become the decision-makers in North America.

The Tang Dynasty has been collecting intelligence on the United States. Now the United States is just a small Karami in front of the Tang Dynasty. The number of their regular army is less than 10,000, and the number of militias in each state is unknown. In terms of the navy, apart from some gunboats with questionable combat effectiveness, there are only a dozen sailing warships.

Perhaps they have been secretly expanding their military in preparation for war in recent years. By the way, they also have hundreds of commercial ships that can be converted into warships at any time.

As for the English, they have only more than 5,000 regular troops in Canada, and the rest are all Canadian militia with little combat effectiveness. The main force is now being dragged down in West Asia by Shui Rong.

The butterfly's wings flapped again. In the history of the past, the United States dared to turn the table with the English only when the war on the European continent became intense, which was more than ten years in advance.

The beautiful country is here to cling to the thighs!

Li Hu smiled and read again the letter which was obviously ghostwritten. It even had a legitimate reason.

The reason was quite good. The English did not abide by the Treaty of Paris reached by both sides in 1783 after the War of Independence, refused to transfer military fortresses in the western region, and armed the Indians, threatening the western border of the United States.

Just like in their previous life, they were still so shameless. They clearly robbed the Indians' homes, but they said that the other side threatened them and they were forced to fight back.

How shameless!

Seeing a smile on Li Hu's face, Jia Yucun felt relieved.

Li Hu folded the letter, handed it to the little fat boy, and said, "Let them come."

Jia Yucun: “Yes.” Then he told Li Hu what happened on the ten-mile-long street.

Li Hu was silent for a moment, then said to Jia Yucun, "The governor of Suzhou has been demoted two levels, but he is still in office. If he cannot benefit the people and win back their hearts, he should be dismissed and investigated."

"Yes." Jia Yucun answered, but he sighed in his heart, wondering who would dare to work for the royal family in the future.

The governor of Jiangsu swallowed his saliva dryly, secretly thanking himself for not competing for this hot potato! At this time, Li Hu said to the fat man: "Pick two Western toys sent by the Guangdong Navy and give them to the governor of Suzhou."

Little Fatty: "Yes."

Jia Yucun's eyes lit up. This was telling everyone that public and private affairs must be clearly distinguished. It was okay to flatter, but one could not abuse public power for personal gain and harass the people.

"Your Majesty is so wise and enlightened that I am deeply impressed!" The Governor of Jiangsu rushed to praise him.

"Old thing!"

Jia Yucun cursed inwardly and said hastily, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Li Hu waved his hand and said to Jia Yucun, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When the Vice President of the United States arrives in Suzhou, you should first teach him how to perform the three bows and nine kowtows to me, and then bring him to see me."

Jia Yucun: "Yes."

Li Hu: "Okay, let's do what we need to do." After saying that, he turned around and got on the chariot.

The chariot started moving, slowly heading towards Suzhou City.
"Father, eat~" Princess Shouchang put a grape into Li Hu's mouth.

"You are really father's good daughter!" Li Hu stretched out his hands and held his precious daughter on his lap. "Father's love for you is not in vain." As he said this, he looked at Lin Daiyu proudly.

Princess Shouchang giggled.

Not only was Lin Daiyu not angry, she even had a smile on her face.

At this time, Princess Shouchang grabbed a handful of grapes from the jade plate and brought them to Li Hu, "Father, peel them~"

The smile on Li Hu's face became even wider. He took the grapes from his daughter's hand and was about to put them into his mouth.

Princess Shouchang hugged Li Hu's arm and looked at the grapes he brought to her mouth: "I'll eat~"

Lin Daiyu burst out laughing, and looked at Li Hu with eyes full of ridicule and pride.

Li Hu was stunned for a moment, then realized that it was no wonder that the girl asked him to "peel" the grapes, because she wanted to eat them. He was just wondering why the girl was so well-behaved today, but it turned out that she wanted to use a grape to exchange for a "laborer" to peel the grapes for her, and remove the seeds!

This is a very smart calculation!

I played with eagles all my life, but got my eyes pecked by a house sparrow!
Li Hu smiled bitterly, and seeing Lin Daiyu's eyes full of ridicule and pride, he gritted his teeth and tapped Princess Shouchang's head with his finger, "I love you in vain!" He gritted his teeth and said to Lin Daiyu, "Like mother, like daughter!"

Lin Daiyu smiled proudly: "Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty."

Li Hu laughed angrily: "You!"

"Father~" Princess Shouchang's face was full of unhappiness.

Li Hu had no choice but to become a "laborer" and said: "Grapes are not a good thing. Eating too much is not good for you."

After dealing with his precious daughter, Li Hu told Lin Daiyu about the Ten-Li Long Street.

Lin Daiyu sighed softly: "It was because I didn't think carefully and forgot my identity that this happened."

After a pause, he said, "No."

Li Hu: "Really not going?"

Lin Daiyu: "I'm not going."

Li Hu could hear Lin Daiyu's disappointment from her tone: "After dusk, let's change into ordinary people's clothes, and I'll take you to the night market on Shili Changjie, just the two of us."

Lin Daiyu's eyes lit up: "Really?"

Li Hu smiled and said, "Which of the things I promised you, have I not done?"

Lin Daiyu hesitated: "I'm afraid this is not a good idea."

Li Hu: "Bring more guards and go back before the second watch."

Lin Daiyu thought for a moment and said, "Okay."

"Father, have some grapes." Princess Shouchang put a peeled and seeded grape to Li Hu's mouth, blinking her eyes.

Li Hu: “No.”

"Father~"

"Don't eat."

"Father~Father~"

Li Hu was about to speak when Lin Daiyu spoke up: "If you make her cry, comfort her yourself."

Li Hu then remembered that this girl had a killer move.

He had no choice but to eat the grape with a purpose reluctantly.

Sure enough, Princess Shouchang looked at him with wide eyes.

Li Hu sighed: "Okay, you go too."

Lin Daiyu: "Le An should go too."

Li Hu: "Let's all go."

Without the ban, the street has regained its usual liveliness and vitality. It is even more lively after nightfall, with the street lit up by colorful lights as bright as day.

The streets were bustling with people, with stalls of all kinds set up on both sides, people hawking goods, bargaining, and speaking the soft Wu dialect, making the place very lively.

Li Hu, dressed as a nobleman, was walking in front holding Princess Shouchang. Lin Daiyu and Xiangling, both wearing white veils, were following closely holding Princess Le'an. Behind them were Feng, the fat man, Wang Yaozu, who was dressed as a follower, and four guards who were keeping an eye on all directions.

Around them, many guards in plain clothes were on high alert, staring closely at Li Hu and others, not daring to take their eyes off them for even a moment.

The food is mainly snacks, and there are several stages in the spacious space, where opera, tanci and juggling performances are performed, and the place is crowded with people who come to join in the fun.

The group went from house to house to eat. Shouchang was greedy for everything and wanted to eat everything, but she was young and had a small stomach, so she couldn't eat many things or could not eat much. In the end, Li Hu and the little fat man took on everything.

After walking only halfway down the street, Li Hu and the little fat boy both had bulging bellies and couldn't eat any more.

It happened that this place was very close to Renqing Lane. Thinking of Jia Yucun's words, Li Hu led everyone into Renqing Lane.

Soon, the group arrived at a temple.

Jia Yucun and a monk were already standing on the stone steps outside the door, smiling, apparently waiting for Li Hu and others.

Looking at the plaque on the mountain gate with the three characters "Hulu Temple" inscribed on it, Feng felt dazed for a moment. Then he subconsciously looked to the side and saw two lanterns with the characters "Zhen Mansion" on them swaying in the night wind.

"Mom, mom, we're home!" Xiangling was surprised and happy, and pulled Feng and walked over quickly.

Lin Daiyu looked at Li Hu.

Li Hu whispered in her ear, "It's Jia Yucun." As he spoke, he glanced at the monk again. It was the little novice monk back then, and later a disciple. He had married and had children, but he was able to become a monk again. It was obvious that he was a person who liked to take advantage of opportunities.

And Jia Yucun also put a lot of effort into making further progress!
Thinking of this, Li Hu said, "Let's go and take a look." Then he carried his daughter to the Zhen Mansion. (End of this chapter)