The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 244 Rumors

Chapter 244 Rumors
In the capital city, at the Prince of Beijing's residence, Feng Ziying strode into the flower hall and saw Prince Shui Rong of Beijing already bowing, "Your Highness~"

"Get up quickly!"

Shui Rong hurried over and personally helped him up, saying, "We're family, why all this formality?"

He thought highly of Feng Ziying. "I've heard General Feng mention you before. We hit it off today. How about I call you Brother Ziying?"

"No, no, Your Highness flatters me."

I had long heard my father, brothers and friends gossip about him, praising him as a wise king who was both talented and handsome, elegant and unrestrained, and never bound by official customs or national norms.

When I saw it today, it certainly lived up to its reputation.

"To be any more polite would be unconventional."

Today, Prince Bei Jing, Shui Rong, wears a white hat with silver wings and tassels, a white python robe with five-clawed dragons riding on the river and sea, and a jade belt with red leather straps. His face is like beautiful jade and his eyes are like bright stars. He is truly a handsome man.

"I have come to see you today for one thing only: the author of 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes', Jin Yong... I wonder if you could introduce me to him?"

what?
Feng Ziying was stunned. "Your Highness, it's not that I don't want to, but I don't know Jin Yong's name or where he lives."

"How could this be?"

"Water-soluble, still not convinced," he said. "Didn't you say he also gave you authorization documents?"

"Yes!"

Feng Ziying said helplessly, "Master Jin did give me an authorization document, but he gave it to me through Madam Shen of Ningguo Mansion."

"I see!"

Shui Rong had already found out that the book was sold at the You family's bookstore in Ningguo Prefecture, but he didn't expect that Madam Shen was also involved.

To this person...

"It's a pity that Xiao Wang loves this book so much. He thought he would be able to meet the great master Jin Yong, but he never expected that he could only hear his name and not meet him in person."

Shui Rong said with some regret, "However, the fact that Brother Ziying was able to obtain the exclusive storytelling authorization from Madam Shen for Master Jin shows that both Master Jin and Madam Shen greatly admire Brother Ziying."

"Don't dare!"

He was tricked by Jia Zhen.

"To receive an exclusive authorization letter from Jin Yong is truly a great honor bestowed upon Madam Shen."

Although it was Jin Yong who donated the money, Feng Ziying felt that he must have been influenced by Madam Shen.

According to the investigation by the Feng family, she has been funding the orphanage in Datong all along, and this has never changed over the years.

Last year, he took the lead in repaying the national treasury's debts and donated a lot of money. There was also the Mantou Nunnery, which not only took in many poor women and gave them a way to make a living, but also continues to distribute steamed buns to poor people.

In any case, as far as Feng Ziying knew, the Ningguo Mansion had restricted the diet of both her and Jia Zhen, with only four dishes and one soup per day.

"Haha, Brother Ziying really admires Madam Shen!"

Shui Rong smiled and said, "It's a pity that I only met her once when I was young. Last year, I was ill and couldn't attend the Emperor Emeritus's birthday celebration, so I never got to see Madam Shen's beauty."

The four kings and eight dukes were old friends.

His father died early, and the Prince of Beijing's mansion could only close its doors and keep to itself.

I originally thought the Jia family...

"Your Majesty~"

The chief secretary rushed in, saying, "The Qing envoy requests an audience."

what?
Shui Rong and Feng Ziying were both stunned for a moment, “…Please!”

"Your Highness has guests, so Ziying will take his leave!"

"I'll see you off."

Shui Rong personally saw the guests off.

When the Qing envoys arrived at this time, it was undoubtedly to ask the Prince of Beijing's mansion to speak favorably of them to the Emperor and request that they send troops to jointly fight against the Russian Kingdom.

Well, about this matter...

Shui Rong also knew that the emperor had not refused on the spot, or even expelled him from the country, because he had considered this idea.

The Prince of Beijing's mansion was the main force in dealing with the Jurchens back then.

now……

When Wohe dismounted in front of the palace, he saw the Prince of Beijing, dressed in a python robe, seeing someone off, and quickly bowed.

As the saying goes, people under the roof have to bow their heads.

The Jin Dynasty was facing a life-or-death crisis and sought help from the Mongols. The various tribes there, for their own interests, agreed on the surface but in reality kept arguing and stalling.

Emperor Da Zhao...

The official letter has been presented for several days, and they have been given good food and drink, but they still haven't seen it.

Woch originally wanted to use Jia Wen again to create an opening in the Jia family, but unfortunately his old lady fell ill, and when Jia Wen went there, she couldn't even see Jia Wen, who had divorced and returned home.

I wish the sky would clear up, so she could be exposed to the eyes of the nobles of Da Zhao, but alas, the heavens still refuse to clear up.

With no other option, Woch had to turn the tables and take Jia Wen to visit a few families first.

As Feng Ziying turned the corner, she saw that the old man, Vohberle, was helping a slender hand out of the carriage.

……

In the Rongguo Mansion, Grandmother Jia is indeed ill.

She dreamed of Jia Daishan, the Duke of Rongguo.

When the crown prince died, the retired emperor became suspicious, and his and his brother-in-law's health collapsed immediately.

She even had several arguments with him because of the noble title her family held.

As it turned out, the Duke was right.

But Jia Wen...

Grandmother Jia was restless and uneasy.

She never lacked anything from her three illegitimate daughters, yet the Duke once treated her like a thief.

Especially this second girl, promised to go to Shenyang...

"Mother!"

Jia Min personally served her her evening medicine, saying, "The imperial physician said you shouldn't overthink things. Don't worry about your second sister anymore; the Emperor will take care of everything."

"Ah~"

The old lady sighed, "Back then, your father and uncle always said that everything was in the Emperor's hands."

But in fact?
Once the royal family turns against you, they won't give you any time to react.

"Now you say that everything is done by the Emperor."

If the Emperor gains something through Jia Wen, that's fine. But if the Jurchens turn against him... then nine times out of ten he'll be furious with the Jia family!

At this moment, the old lady only regretted that she hadn't been ruthless enough back then.

This led to such a calamity for the Jia family.

But she couldn't say this to her daughter.

"Second Girl is ruthless."

If they had any regard for their family, they shouldn't have come back like this!

“If your eldest sister-in-law in the East Mansion were at home, that would be fine. There are some things that I, as her legal mother, cannot say. She is the eldest sister-in-law and was once the matriarch of the clan, so she can speak freely.”

But what about now?
Xing was a second wife, and Jia Wen had never even met her. Even if she taught Xing some things to say, Xing wouldn't listen.

Although Lady You was alright, she was still a second wife, and moreover, a junior.

Jia Wen...

Don't be fooled by her harsh words; they're just for her. She's actually quite soft-hearted.

She'er is useless.

Min'er...

Like San Ya Tou, she also felt sorry for that older sister.

Grandmother Jia was very worried.

"The daughter knows what her mother wants to say."

Jia Min sighed inwardly, "Second Sister came again yesterday, but none of us saw her."

"Min'er..."

"Whatever you want to say or do, your daughter feels it's useless."

Jia Min said, "Second Sister isn't stupid, otherwise she wouldn't have sent out news of her death back then. This time she came back... whether she was coerced or did it voluntarily, her fate... she has long lost control of her own destiny, and so has the Jia family."

Yesterday, she peeked through the back gatehouse.

Before she saw her sister, she even thought of asking Jiao Da from the East Mansion to find a way to make her second sister die sooner.

But when I saw it...

Scenes of reading, swinging, and drawing together in our childhood seem to be playing out before my eyes again.

Jia Min couldn't bring herself to do it.

Was she willing to be abducted by the Jurchens?
Is it wrong to compromise for the sake of the child?

She was no longer alone. "Mother, we've already given the Emperor everything we needed to say. What's next..."

Jia Min paused here, "Zhu'er came back yesterday and told my eldest brother that if possible, our family will try our best to bring my second sister and her child back to Dazhao, even if it's not in the capital, the world is so big..."

"nonsense!"

Grandmother Jia suddenly flew into a rage, slamming her hand on the bed repeatedly, "He's become stupid from studying too much, have you become stupid too?"

She was initially quite at ease with her eldest grandson, but these words...

"What kind of children are Jia Wen's? They're wolf cubs. You want to acknowledge them? Do you think they'll acknowledge you?"

Even if life was terrible for the Jurchens, they were still royalty.

What does going to Dazhao count for?
People might even hate you.

"Go, go, go, quickly call She'er over here."

The eldest son has always been easily swayed.

He also likes Pearl.

What if he actually believed what he said...

"Also, call Pearl back to me."

Grandmother Jia angrily retorted to her daughter, "What? My words have no effect? You won't even call someone when I ask you to?"

"I'll shout, I'll shout, I'll shout, okay?"

Jia Min had no choice but to obediently go find someone to help her mother.

Unexpectedly, Jia She was receiving the Emperor's secret guards.

When Jia Min sent someone to summon him, the guards had already finished explaining what needed to be explained.

The other person patted their behind and left, but Jia She looked at the burned note and was extremely annoyed.

The Emperor told him to treat his younger sister the same way he would treat a normal sister.

But what about my mother...?

Is it said that the Emperor has a secret decree?

But the Emperor also said that the Jia family could not be of one mind.

This is something we can't openly acknowledge!
In short, no matter what the rumors were, the Jia family could only remain silent.

When he was able to protect his second younger sister, he also had to protect her.

Jia She was extremely troubled.

At this moment, he really missed his sister-in-law from the East Mansion and Jia Zhen!
Leaving aside how he dragged his heavy steps to see Grandmother Jia, let's just say that Wohe took Jia Wen to several noble families in succession, and openly introduced her to them as his concubine.

Jia Wen accompanied him to the capital. Woch couldn't believe that the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital didn't care about them at all.

These people couldn't possibly be completely unaware that Jia Wen visited the Jia family twice.

He didn't say it explicitly, but the only people who could receive the concubines of the princes were the wives or old ladies of the various families.

The ladies of each family may not know each other, but the old lady...

For example, the Princess Dowager of Nan'an recognized Jia Wen at a glance.

did not expect……

"Mother!"

After the guests left, the Princess of Nan'an saw the Dowager Consort sitting there smiling to herself and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Do you know that concubine?"

Yes! We know each other.

They thought the Jia family had made it back safely, but they didn't expect it to end up like the Nan'an Prince's Mansion.

Despite her hard work and near-death experiences, Shen Shi of Ningguo Mansion was still implicated by Rongguo Mansion.

"Although the Shi family of Rongguo Mansion rarely took her out, they could always see her a few times during the New Year holidays."

At that time, the four kings and eight dukes visited each other and had very close relationships.

Princess Nan'an smiled and took a sip of tea. "Just wait, tomorrow there will definitely be news that the second aunt of the Jia family, who was married off to Shenyang Wei, did not die at all and has returned."

"she……"

Princess Nan'an was shocked. "Is she really the second aunt of the Jia family?"

"Yes, Second Aunt."

Is the Jia family planning to transform its business?

Let's see if the Emperor will give us another chance.

The Zhen family's property was confiscated.

The Zhen family sent gifts to the Jia family, but the Jia family refused them all.

They even went to the Shi family, who had already accepted the gifts.

As a result, the historian reported it to the emperor.

This put her, a daughter of the Zhen family, in a difficult position. She had to take out the things she had already received and put them away, just like the Shi family.

It would be a lie to say that I don't feel bad.

The Zhen family had lived in Jiangnan for many years and had helped each other in a way.

With the fall of the Zhen family, the already precarious position of the Prince of Nan'an's Mansion became even more precarious.

The Princess Dowager of Nan'an had no idea where their family's connections lay.

The retired emperor fell, and what seemed like a farcical coup ultimately benefited only the new emperor.

She had no idea what the future held.

All she knew was that Consort Zhen in the palace, though not actually in the Cold Palace, was practically in the same boat.

It is said that her hair has turned completely white and her face is full of wrinkles. Last year she looked quite radiant, but now she looks older than Madam Shi of the Rongguo Mansion.

"Now, let's see what His Majesty does!"

Since the emperor was lenient with the Jia family, her son should just be more decisive and hand over the military power that had already been partially stripped of him.

The Princess Dowager of Nan'an recently received letters from her son, learning that Prince Teng is making frequent moves in the south and is very popular among the people there.

But how long has it been since then?
The Princess Consort of Nan'an worried that if Prince Teng continued to work in the south, it would only further highlight her son's incompetence.

If they find some fault then... their family might be wiped out immediately.

She's been hesitating lately.

The emperor seemed more lenient than the retired emperor, but as soon as the retired emperor fell, that seemingly frivolous coup... wiped out all his imperial brothers.

Therefore, he may well have played a role in fueling that mutiny.

The Princess of Nan'an worried that if she relinquished her military power, her family would be even worse off than the Jia family.

"If you're lucky... maybe you and your husband will be able to reunite for the Lunar New Year this year."

I do hope that the Emperor can be as tolerant as he appears.

The following day, rumors began to circulate that the concubine of Prince Wohe of the Qing Dynasty was the second aunt of the Jia family.

Some officials attending court would occasionally glance at Jia Lian.

The Chief Physician of the Arsenal.

Jia Lian could have held this position before, but if the concubine of a Qing Dynasty prince were to become his second aunt, then he would be unworthy of this official post.

Jia Lian felt immense pressure.

But he still has things to do.

With war looming again, the Armory Office became the busiest government department.

The firearms of the Russian Kingdom were not bad. After Jia Lian studied several Russian firearms that he had obtained from the Tatars, his heart began to stir with desire.

The wooden gun his aunt showed him... it's been on his mind all along.

"Your Majesty, Jia Lian requests an audience!"

"Xuan!"

Children are still young.

They couldn't even handle such a small amount of attention.

The emperor is in a good mood today and is willing to offer comfort.

"Your subject Jia Lian pays respects to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

"No courtesy, stay on your own!"

The emperor chuckled, "I know you've been quite busy lately. You haven't had a proper conversation with your father yet, have you?"

"I... have not come for matters concerning my family."

"Oh?"

The emperor raised an eyebrow. "Tell me, what is it?"