The Jade Rabbit sets in the west, the Golden Crow rises in the east, and suddenly, the Lantern Festival is coming.
Because it is the Lantern Festival, shops, restaurants, and private houses such as the Jia Mansion on both sides of the streets in the capital are all hung with curtains and colorful lanterns.
The Fire Department of the Five Cities Military and Horse Department, as well as the military and horse commanders of the five cities in the east, west, south, north and middle, dispatched a large number of inspectors to push water trucks in the 108th square of Shenjing City to patrol fire prevention.
Outside Rongguo Mansion, two carriages slowly stopped on the bluestone road and stopped in front of the door.
Fu Shi and his wife got off the carriage and turned around to look at several women surrounding a young woman wearing a light red coat and an azure-colored underskirt.
"Brother, you and sister-in-law are here, why bother calling me?" Fu Qiufang frowned and asked in a low voice.
Fu Shi smiled and said: "My Fu family and Jia family are family friends, and they are very well connected. Didn't you visit the old lady last time, and you just happened to go to say hello? Besides, your sister-in-law and I are here, and it would be boring for my sister to come at home."
It's so tight that it would be better to talk to some of the rich ladies of Rong Mansion together."
He saw that Mrs. Rong Guotai liked girls with good character and good color the most. The last time they met, he heard from his mother that she also liked his sister's character.
On the contrary, it was his wife who was a bit unworthy of publicity and she didn't want to take him with her, but she insisted on coming.
Moreover, he also had some side thoughts in his mind.
"With Jia Ziyu's momentum, he will be granted the title of Duke Hou Bo in the future. Even if my sister is an equal wife, it will not be considered as an insult to his character."
Today, Fu Qiufang is over 20 years old, just like Yuanchun.
Fu Shi's wife smiled and said: "My sister can't leave the front door or the second door at home, so it would be a good idea to come over and pay homage to Mrs. Rongguo's living Bodhisattva."
After listening to her sister-in-law's words, Fu Qiufang didn't know what to say. She raised her eyes and saw her brother handing over the name card and entering the Rongguo Mansion together.
Perhaps because today is the Lantern Festival, Jia Mu's original anger has dissipated a lot, and she came to Tianxiang Tower of Ningguo Mansion.
After all, this old lady is not a depressed person.
At this time, in Tianxiang Tower, except for Qin Keqing, Second Sister You, Third Sister You and other female relatives of the East Palace, the King of the West Palace, Second Madam Xing, Aunt Xue and Baochai's mother and daughter, Sichun, Chai Dai, and others were all gathered together.
There are some maids and women above, who are all beaming with joy and surrounded by pearls and greenery.
Accompanied by Yuanyang and Fengwan, Jia Mu was talking with a smile. Everything she saw was beautiful clothes, and everything she heard was laughter. At this moment, there was only one song "Qingwen Song"
》.
Sister Feng looked at Jia Mu and said with a smile: "My ancestors have been resting in the house these days, so we, mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandson's daughter-in-law, great-grandson's daughter-in-law, biological grandson, great-nephew, great-grandson, and gray grandson, can all be taken care of."
Didada's grandsons, granddaughters, grandsons, aunts' granddaughters, and aunts' granddaughters are all worried."
This was originally a joke on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the original work, but it got together and then dispersed, and was considered "cold and tasteless" by everyone. Now when Sister Feng told it, it lost the ominousness of the prophecy, reflecting the rising sun of the Jia family's revival.
With such momentum, he immediately won the acclaim of the whole house, and everyone was laughing.
Jia Mu smiled and said, "Feng Lazi's mouth shows that he is used to making arrangements."
Qin Keqing also smiled and said, "Sister-in-law Feng's mouth, I know, is sharper than a knife."
When everyone heard this, they laughed again.
However, Baochai was sitting next to Daiyu. Seeing this scene, the slight smile on his face was somewhat profound, and he glanced at the graceful and gorgeous girl.
Maybe this is a conversation between two ladies from the East and West.
Daiyu held a handkerchief, covered her mouth and smiled sweetly, her eyes sparkling with autumn water.
At this time, several people came from outside and said: "Old lady, Mr. Fu from the Fu family has brought his sister here to visit the old lady. There is no one in Xifu. The nuns are leading Miss Fu's family here."
Jia Mu smiled and said, "Just when I was about to add a little more excitement, a foreigner came."
Sister Feng smiled and said: "Ping'er, please go and greet me quickly."
At this moment, Qin Keqing also called his maid Baozhu and went outside to meet him.
Ningguo Mansion, outer study room
Jia Heng saw Fu Shi, frowned after hearing what he said, and asked, "Does Fu Tongpan want to be released?"
Fu Shi stood up, bowed and said: "To be fair to you, the Metropolitan Procuratorate is in charge of the Beijing Prosecution recently, and I want to transfer to another position. I would like to ask you to lend me a helping hand. I would be very grateful."
At this moment, Fu Shi looked respectful.
Jia Heng frowned and said: "There is no need to be more polite, Mr. Fu Tong. Sit down. He is now a sixth-grade subordinate officer. If you want to guard one side at the same level, it may not be easy."
"The lower officials also know that this matter is difficult, so they are willing to be demoted to the county magistrate under Jingzhao." Fu Shi sat on the chair with half his buttocks and said with a smile.
Jia Zheng pondered and said: "If you are a county official, I wonder if there are any vacancies in the counties under Jingzhao's jurisdiction?"
Fu Shi said quickly: "The student belongs to Weinan County under the rule of Jingzhao."
Jia Heng's expression was noncommittal, but he felt a little suspicious in his heart, saying: "Penal Fu Tong was transferred to the lower county. Could it be that he left behind some tricks when he took office in Jingzhao Mansion?"
Fu Shi's face changed slightly and he said anxiously: "I have misunderstood. If I cannot be honest, how could Xu Fuyin allow me to be in charge of prison matters? I am just a close official and a pastor, and I only want to do what I want in my life."
Ear."
In fact, the county magistrate of one side is known as Bailihou, and his power is far beyond that of subordinate officials. In the original book of Red Mansions, Lai Shangrong was the county magistrate and went to the locality.
Jia Heng pondered for a moment and said: "Fu Tongpan, it is actually better to be a subordinate officer in Jingzhao Mansion. It is not impossible to transfer to the six departments in the future."
Fu Shi said: "The new Jing Zhaoyin has not yet been selected. When he takes office, the subordinates will be quite uneasy."
Xu Lu, the former Yin of Jingzhao Prefecture, was promoted, and Jingzhao Yin suddenly became vacant. Now he is in the midst of competition from all parties, and Emperor Chongping seems to be undecided.
Jia Heng pondered and said: "It is actually not difficult to recommend Fu Tongpan as one of the parents. However, the local officials are not colleagues and have important connections. Fu Tongpan has no previous experience in governing a county."
Fu Shi cupped his hands and said, "I hope you can give me some advice."
Jia Heng said: "As the saying goes, one appointment as an official will benefit one party. Even if Fu Tongpan chooses to send foreign officials, he needs to be more cautious in the local area than in the capital."
The local official examination is held every three years. If he scores above average twice in a row, he can be promoted to the same magistrate or magistrate of the same prefecture. From this point of view, Fu Shi is still ambitious.
Fu Shi's eyes were eager and he said: "I dare not say that I have extraordinary talents, but my diligence is commendable. If I fulfill my duties, I will not make any serious mistakes in my administration, which will embarrass me."
Jia Heng was silent for a moment and said: "Fu Tongpan, please let me think about it. Please don't be impatient about this matter."
Fu Shi, as his name suggests, tends to follow the crowd, but in a political group, it is impossible for everyone to be a moral gentleman. The key is how to use Fu Shi.
When Fu Shi saw this, he felt happy and quickly raised his hands and said yes.
Jia Heng didn't pay attention. He looked at Jia Zheng and asked, "Second Master, how are you these days?"
Jia Zheng nodded and said, "It's much better."
After three days, Jia Zheng adjusted his mind and now his complexion looked much better.
Jia Heng said: "Tomorrow, the Yamen Temple in central Beijing will open for office. If the second master is feeling unwell, why not take a few days off?"
Jia Zheng sighed and said, "It's not that serious. There's nothing serious about your body."
Fu Shi listened to the conversation between the two, a little curious, but did not dare to ask any more questions.
Jia Zheng turned around and said, "I heard from Brother Lian's daughter-in-law earlier that a garden was going to be built in the house. I heard from Qingke, one of my disciples, that an old gentleman named Shan Ziye is good at this garden and can be responsible for the construction."
Jia Heng said: "I have heard about this person a little bit, so it's no wonder that he designed it."
Shan Ziye is the designer of the Grand View Garden in the original work.
Then the two finalized the matter.
Jia Heng turned to look at Fu Shi who was standing aside and asked, "Now that the Jing Zhao plan is imminent, is there any movement in Jing Zhao Mansion?"
During this period, he was busy with military affairs in the capital camp. Although he paid attention to the movements of the capital police from the investigation in Jinyi Mansion, the specific feelings of the sixth and seventh grade officials are unknown.
Fu Shi said: "Since the beginning of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the six ministries have also been checking the examination results. The lower official heard that Xu Zongxian began to check the imperial censors' impeachment memorials in the past three years by the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and evaluate the censors based on their merits.
"
Jia Heng nodded and said: "It is in line with Xu Deqing's character to check yourself before checking others."
The Supervisory Censor is the seventh rank, and it is a good opportunity to take advantage of the Beijing-Chariot dispute to reorganize the Metropolitan Procuratorate and strengthen its control over the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
But Fu Shi said worriedly: "I'm afraid this time it will be rainy and the wind will be high and the waves will be dangerous."
He wanted to be transferred to another place, but he also wanted to avoid it. He knew very well that Mr. Xu's character was actually restricted in Jingzhao Mansion. Now that he has gone to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, he is afraid that the capital will be turbulent in the next two years.
Just in time to hide.
Jia Heng said: "If you are dedicated to your work and work diligently and tirelessly, you will not be afraid of wind and waves."
A few people were sitting, and when it was almost noon, everyone had lunch together. Fu Shiyin kept drinking wine to Jia Heng, and he was too drunk, so he was led to the guest room by a servant of the Ning Mansion to rest.
Jia Heng and Jia Zheng walked towards Tianxiang Tower.
Over at Tianxiang Tower, Jia Mu, accompanied by the female relatives of the two houses, had just finished lunch and was talking to a few Yingying Yanyan.
Mother Jia looked at Fu Qiufang, who had a quiet demeanor and soft eyebrows, and said with a smile: "Miss Fu, I'll spend the Lantern Festival with you here today, and it's okay to leave tomorrow."
Fu Qiufang said softly: "I appreciate the virtue of the old lady, but it's just not easy to disturb her now."
Mother Jia smiled and said, "There's nothing to bother me about. It's the Lantern Festival and I'll be having a lot of fun with my sisters."
Fu Qiufang had no choice but to agree.
Everyone was secretly surprised when they saw that even though he came from a small family, he was very generous and answered questions fluently.
A woman came in and said, "Old lady, the uncle and the second master are here."
Hearing this, Jia Mu looked around at the crowd and said with a smile: "The two of them are not meeting guests outside, but they have some free time right now."
After a while, Jia Heng and Jia Zheng came in and saluted Jia's mother.
Mother Jia looked at Jia Zheng. Although the smile lines on her face had faded a little, she could not hide the concern in her voice and asked, "Have you felt better these past two days?"
Jia Zhengdao: "It's much better now. It's because my son is unfilial to worry about my mother."
Looking at Jia Zheng's face, Jia Mu sighed: "You and I are both gray-haired people. As the old saying goes, children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. Don't worry too much about it. Brother Heng is here too."
Here, Baoyu will be under his control from now on."
Jia Zheng lowered his head and responded repeatedly.
Mrs. Xing was sitting next to Mrs. Wang, looking at the scene of a loving mother raising her son, and laughed in her heart.
She had also heard about Baoyu's incident the day before yesterday. Thinking about how lustful and ridiculous the men of the Jia family were, she had been childless for half her life and was clean, so she would not be laughed at.
Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit dull, Sister Feng immediately looked at Jia Heng and said with a smile: "Brother Heng, were you and I just talking about building the garden? How can we discuss the regulations?"
These words also aroused everyone's interest. They turned away from Baoyu and looked over.
Jia Heng couldn't help but glance at Yuan Chun and said warmly: "The second master said that there is an old man named Shan Ziye who is an expert in garden layout. He will first make some drawings and then calculate the materials."
There was a bit of joy on Jia Mu's old face, and she said, "I've been looking at these two gardens, with vegetation, trees, mountains and rocks for ten or twenty years, and I'm a little tired of them."
Originally, in order to maintain the huge daily expenses, Rong Ning's second house had to make ends meet. Sister Feng was so worried that she was almost losing her pants. How could she talk about building a garden? Now after repeated rectifications, the finances are sufficient, and there is no need to use Daiyu's family wealth as in the original novel.
For a time, everyone was talking happily about the garden.
After waiting for a while, Lin Zhixiao's family smiled and said: "Old lady, the theater troupe has arrived. What show do you want to watch?"
Jia Mu took the red gilded playbill, handed it to Qin Keqing who was standing aside, and said with a smile: "Brother Heng, daughter-in-law, you are welcome to host and guest. Take a look and see what play you want."
Qin Keqing took the playlist and said with a smile: "I don't usually listen to plays, but if I want to be lively, I might as well order Journey to the West."
Jia Mu smiled and said, "Festival days should be more lively."
At this time, Baochai took a deep look at the girl surrounded by Second Sister You and Third Sister You, her moist apricot eyes flashed thoughtfully.
At this moment, the opera troupe set up in front of Tianxiang Tower started singing a opera with gongs and drums.
Jia Zheng was not in the mood to listen to a show. He said a few words and then stood up and left. Seeing Jia Zheng here, Jia's mother made everyone feel uncomfortable and did not say anything to persuade him to stay.
Jia Heng went downstairs to see Jia Zheng off, and the two walked slowly along the garden covered bridge.
Jia Zheng sighed and said: "In the past few days, Ziyu has been worrying about a lot of things in the big clan."
"Second Master, one family does not talk about two families." Jia Heng said, and then asked: "The Master is in the Dushui Department of the Ministry of Industry. Now that the Beijing Procuratorate is about to come, and the officials of the imperial court have been dismissed, I don't know if Fanfan will be dismissed. Does Mr. Zheng have any external posts?"
Thoughts?"
Just now I saw Fu Shi looking for a foreign post. Jia Zheng is now a member of the Department of Water Resources of the Ministry of Industry. If he can be transferred to a foreign post, he can also be promoted to the prefect.
Jia Zhengdao: "I originally had this idea, but the old lady is now in the spring and Autumn period, and it is difficult to make external arrangements for a while. Now the Beijing inspection is coming, and the Ministry of Industry is now panicked."
Jia Heng pondered for a moment and said, "Master, please stay here for now. I hope we can free up some seats this time."
Jinyi Mansion's investigation into the corruption case of constructing the imperial mausoleum has entered deep waters. When clues are found, not only King Zhongshun but also the Household and Work Ministries will face a turmoil. I don't know how many positions will be vacant at that time.
Rather than giving it to others, it is better to plan something for your own family.
Jia Zheng also needs to give some rewards. When Jia She falls in the future, it will appear that... he is not targeting Rongguo Mansion.
When Jia Zheng heard this, his expression paused and he said, "What does Ziyu mean by this?"
Jia Heng said: "I have been in the Ministry of Industry for many years, so it's time to move up."
When Jia Zheng heard this, his heart was shocked. He looked at Jia Heng with some surprise and said, "What is Zi Yu's plan?"
Jia Heng said: "It is appropriate to be promoted to the first rank, but I am not good at common affairs, so I need to hire a capable staff to help. However, the few Qing guests in the master's study can only sit back and talk, and are not very involved in common affairs.
"
Not only Jia Zheng, who is now the deputy envoy of the Jingying Festival, also needs to recruit some assistant officials to help process documents.
When Jia Zheng heard that the young man mentioned the several Qingke guests in the study, he felt a little ashamed and whispered: "What Zi Yu said is true."
Jia Heng didn't say much.
After sending Jia Zheng to Rongguo Mansion to rest, Jia Heng turned back and was about to go to the inner study when he saw Qingwen coming from the opposite side and said: "The eldest lady is waiting in the study in the west wing."
Jia Heng was a little surprised for a while. Since Brother Heng's incident yesterday, he thought that Yuanchun would be so embarrassed that he wouldn't see him for a few days.
Did you adjust it so quickly?
In the small hall of the study room in the west wing, I happened to see Yuan Chun, who was wearing a red jacket and a light yellow skirt. She was sitting on the pearwood chair yesterday, seeming to be sipping tea, because she was facing him sideways.
, but I can’t see any kind of expression.
At this moment, when he raised his eyes, his snow-skinned and jade-faced face was full of surprise.
"Brother Heng." Yuan Chun stood up and called softly.
Jia Heng nodded to Yuan Chun and asked, "Eldest sister, what do you want from me?"
Seeing his warm eyes, Yuan Chun breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Brother Heng, did you just send your father back?"
Jia Heng nodded and said: "The second master is a little tired, so I sent him back."
As he said that, he came closer, sat down, looked at the girl with gentle facial features, picked up the tea cup, and asked: "Sister, if you have something to do, you might as well speak up."
Yuan Chun glanced at Qingwen and said in a low voice: "I just want to tell Heng brother that Zi'er from my uncle's family has been included in the talent list of the Wei Palace. Heng brother said before that our family is not in a good position to compete with these clans."
I have in-laws, but I don’t know where my uncle is, will it have any influence?"
When Jia Heng heard this, he paused while holding the tea cup, stared at Yuan Chun, paused for a moment, and said seriously: "I know something about this matter, where did eldest sister hear this?"
Yuan Chun met the clear gaze, pursed her lips, and felt panicked. She lowered her eyebrows slightly, as if it was difficult to speak, and murmured: "Yes... it was my mother who mentioned it to me yesterday..."
Jia Heng put down the tea cup and solemnly thanked her: "Thank you very much, sister."
It was almost the first time that Yuanchun was able to report the information he heard from Mrs. Wang to him, which shows how important he is in Yuanchun's heart... It may be a bit strange to say this.
In short, Yuanchun has begun to think about him in everything, which still seems a little strange.
Yuan Chun's beautiful eyes were soft and flowing, and he said: "Brother Heng, this matter won't be any hindrance to you, right?"
As he said this, he took a peek at the young man's expression and saw that he was happy. For some reason, he felt an indescribable joy in his heart.
Jia Heng said: "It's not serious. There are still some differences between the Wang family and the Jia family."
There were some plans that he couldn't tell Yuanchun in detail.
Yesterday, the eldest princess of Jinyang made efforts from Princess Xianning to dispel some misunderstandings of Empress Song. Of course, it is difficult to say how effective it will be in the end.
Seeing that the young man was confident, Yuan Chun was relieved. He didn't ask any more questions, but smiled gently and said: "Where are the account books that Brother Heng mentioned earlier? I don't like to listen to the show, so why not take a look now?"
Come on, tell me, I’ll go to the eldest princess’s house tomorrow.”
Jia Heng nodded and said, "Sister, wait a moment."
After saying that, he stood up, took the account book from the bookshelf on the side, and handed it to Yuan Chun: "Sister, the eldest princess was still talking about you yesterday, saying when to go there, it would be better if you can go there earlier."
Yuan Chun took the account book and asked casually: "In the past few days, has Brother Heng been to the eldest princess's house?"
Jia Heng looked a little unnatural and said, "Well, I'll go over and sit down sometimes and talk about business matters."
Yuanchun said "Oh", lowered his beautiful eyes, flipped through the account books, swallowed back some comforting words, and sighed quietly in his heart.
Brother Heng, he has endured humiliation and endured heavy hardships for the Jia family. He has such a strong character that he doesn't want others to know about him.
Jia Heng returned to the desk, picked up the brush, and continued writing the manuscript.
The two of them didn't bother each other, but Yuanchun occasionally glanced at the young man in front of the mahogany desk with his peripheral vision to confirm that he was still there, and a sense of peace filled his heart.