The Red Mansions

Chapter 275

Chapter 275

Ningguo Mansion

It was already dark early in the winter moon, and at the end of the Shen Dynasty, the last rays of the setting sun were driven away by the dark and thick night, and the cold wind enveloped the earth, sweeping over the blue walls, eaves, and sycamore trees that had lost their leaves.

There are a few tall cedar trees in the backyard, their branches swaying in the wind, making a rustling sound.

In the inner hall, the lights are bright and the figures are graceful.

Jia Heng was having a dinner with Qin Keqing, with You Shi, Second Sister You, and Third Sister You as companions.

To celebrate Jia Heng's return, Qin Keqing ordered the kitchen to prepare food and wine, which was considered a private celebration at home.

Qin Keqing obviously just took a bath not long ago. The twenty-eight-year-old beauty has changed into a goose yellow palace dress jacket and skirt. The hibiscus jade face under the cloud temples covered with jewels and emerald jewelry is radiant, her eyes are as bright as water, and her peach cheeks are flushed. , A soul-stirring spring charm in the corners of the brows and eyes will not fade.

A woman like You Shi, who has gone through human affairs, saw the clue at a glance, pursed her cherry lips, took a peek at Jia Heng, and saw the young man with clear eyebrows, her face paused slightly.

Ever since Jia Heng came back from the West Mansion after lunch, he took Ke Qing and made love with him for a while, to comfort Ke Qing's suffering of lovesickness.

At this moment, several people were trying to get together in one place. Compared with the bullshit going on in the West Mansion, the East Mansion seemed more or less calm.

It's just that the news about the commotion in the West Mansion spread to the East Mansion as time passed and the exchanges between the maidservants of the two mansions.

Of course, compared to the horrific story of Jia Lian stealing his mother, the nature of Jia Lian stealing the big maid in Jia She's room is not too bad.

In view of this, Jia Heng didn't deliberately issue a gag order. As for the West Mansion, there was even an indirect intention of appropriately indulging the spread of rumors.

The purpose... is naturally to cover up the truth.

During the dinner, Youshi put down the chopsticks in his hand, raised a soft face, and asked with gazing eyes: "I just heard from Caidie that when Aunt Xue's wife came over, something happened to Feng girl and her family. The servants have a nose and an eye, and they can say everything, what's going on?"

Jia Heng looked at Youshi, secretly thought, gossip is really a woman's nature, thought for a while, and said casually: "According to what the elder said, it was Lian Er who hooked up with a maid in the room, and finally rewarded that maid to Lian Er as a concubine , I am not easy to deal with."

Youshi said softly: "I heard that the father and son were screaming and beating and killing?"

Jia Heng said: "I don't know. Sister-in-law You has been in the mansion for so many years, and she knows what's going on in the West Mansion. Lian Er...don't worry about it."

At the end, he shook his head and didn't want to say more.

You Shi sighed, and said: "Feng girl is also strong, even if there is no such incident, there will be a scene in the future."

Second Sister You put down the spoon in her hand, and said softly, "Elder Sister, look at Second Mistress Lian, she is usually very kind to others."

You Shi laughed and said, "Second Sister, how long have you known her?"

Second Sister You lowered her beautiful eyes and didn't say much.

Youshi turned his head to look at Jia Heng, and said softly: "You are the patriarch now, if you do something shameless over there and ruin the reputation of the clan, will it hinder you outside?"

Jia Heng was stunned for a moment, then pondered: "That's not true, the two prefectures only have some overlap in the matter of worshiping ancestors and children."

Third Sister You took over the conversation, and said in a pretty voice: "Everyone in the house says that Second Master Lian is a promiscuous person, and I heard that he is as good as Long Yang..."

Jia Heng frowned, glanced at Third Sister You, and said, "You don't find it disgusting to say such things while eating."

Third Sister You's Yurong was slightly stunned, she lowered her bright and charming eyes, and her red lips curled up. Although she was being blamed, she felt an inexplicable sweet feeling in her heart. She glanced at Jia Heng, lowered her head, picked up her chopsticks and went to With rice in his mouth.

Second Sister You said angrily, "Third Sister, I don't even pick up any food with chopsticks."

As he said that, he picked up a chopstick of green vegetables for the third sister.

Third Sister You said softly: "This green rice is sweet and delicious."

Seeing this scene, Qin Keqing smiled, her heart moved slightly.

She is not Feng's sister-in-law, and she cannot allow her husband to be called a jealous wife by having other women by his side.

Besides, the Youshi sisters did not pose any threat to her at all.

Qin Keqing said softly: "Husband, I watched the plum blossoms in Huifang Garden bloom. If you don't know how to call the old lady, sister-in-law Zhu, and some sisters and sisters, by the way, Aunt Xue's wife came to enjoy the plum blossoms together."

Jia Heng nodded and said, "Are the plum blossoms in Huifang Garden blooming? It's an elegant thing to come here to enjoy the plum blossoms."

"What about my husband? Is your husband still on business tomorrow afternoon?" Qin Keqing asked with a sweet smile.

Jia Heng thought for a while, then said softly: "Not in the afternoon, maybe I will go to the Wucheng Bingmasi Yamen and the Ministry of War Yamen in the morning."

After returning to Beijing, although he can rest for a few days, he can't really ignore everything. The soldiers and horses of the five cities need to go and see, and the government of the Ministry of War is a matter for the emperor.

In addition, there is also the birth of Princess Jinyang, and he is thinking about what to give.

With a change of mind, I somewhat had an idea.

The husband and wife chatted about the household chores and had dinner. Afterwards, several people sat together to drink tea and talk.

Jia Heng asked Third Sister You, who was on the side, and asked softly: "Your script, I told the shopkeeper of Hanmozhai when I left, it can be published, and your manuscript is finished, show it to me."

Before that, Sanjie You wrote a book about the background of the Sui and Tang Dynasties. It has been a long time, and it has not yet been printed.

Third Sister You said: "I was not satisfied with what I wrote before, but after I carefully read Uncle's Three Kingdoms, I revised it again, and I would like to ask Uncle Heng to correct it."

As she spoke, she ordered her maid, Qiaoyue, to bring over a stack of manuscripts.

Jia Heng stretched out his hand to take the manuscript, and saw the four big characters "Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties" written on it, and frowned.

"In the past month, I have read a lot of history books, and I was also inspired by the old man's Three Kingdoms story book. It was also very difficult to write, and now there are only three chapters." Third Sister You explained, her beautiful eyes fell on the boy's face opposite her. face.

Jia Heng nodded, quietly flipping through the pages.

Compared with the past, although the writing method is still immature, but it is indeed based on historical books, and the layout is a bit higher.

Jia Heng finished reading, looked at Third Sister You, and said approvingly: "Yes, although the narrative style is a little immature, but the idea is correct, but you have to find a context, after all, based on what Li Jingzhi has seen and experienced, it is a bit cramped , you can give the Wagang Army some more ink and ink to describe the struggle for the top in the late Sui Dynasty, but how did you find the history books to read?"

The traditional script is different from the single-perspective narrative of the later web novels, the story structure is more complex, and there are more clues.

Third Sister You seemed to feel the surprise and affirmation of the young man opposite, and she was also very happy, and she said softly: "Just looking at the Three Heroes, I found this ancient story quite interesting, but the old and new Tang books are difficult to understand. It took a lot of work, I don't know the fifteenth chapter, how much more work will I have to do?"

Jia Heng nodded and said with a smile: "Don't worry, the story is just a small way of making a living. You can see the ups and downs by looking at history, but if you have one or two gains, seeing people and things, it's a different world."

Third Sister You said: "Remember the teaching of the uncle."

Seeing the two talking happily, Youshi smiled with a smile on his face.

Several people talked for a while, and when it was nearly Xu, You Shi, You Second Sister, and You Third Sister bid farewell and left.

The husband and wife returned to the wing room to rest.

In the wing room, the candles flickered, and the husband and wife sat side by side on the edge of the bed soaking their feet.

Qin Keqing leaned her head lightly on Jia Heng's shoulder, and said softly: "If my husband likes Third Sister, can I talk to Sister You?"

Jia Heng was stunned when he heard the words, turned his head, and said with a smile: "What's the matter? Can you talk about it?"

Qin Keqing sighed faintly, and said: "I thought, it's been so long since I got started, and my stomach doesn't live up to it, and there is no movement at all."

Jia Heng was silent for a while, took Qin Keqing's jade hand, and said in a warm voice: "How long have you just started? Why are you so impatient? Besides, I was worried that giving birth too early would be bad for your health, so I avoided it on purpose. "

"This... avoiding it on purpose?" Qin Keqing said with a trembling voice, her expression changed slightly.

Jia Heng pulled Qin Keqing's shaved shoulders, looked at the terrified jade face, and softly comforted: "At our age, having children too early is not only bad for adults, but also bad for children. The idea is that it will take at least two years until you are eighteen, otherwise, giving birth to a woman is a hell for a woman, I hope you can go smoothly."

In fact, it is true that there is no child in three or five years, and the gossip is not a small harm to Keqing.

Therefore, it will be one or two years at most.

Hearing this explanation, Qin Keqing was both happy and worried, and asked, "How could this hurt your bones?"

Jia Heng said: "This is what is said in medical books, I think it makes sense."

Qin Keqing heard the words, and asked in doubt: "Kefu, how did you avoid it?" Qin Keqing asked in doubt.

Jia Heng smiled and explained: "There is a method in medical books, you forgot, I asked you about Tiankui's life?"

Hearing this, Qin Keqing blushed with icy muscular cheeks, and said in a thin but firm voice, "Husband, I'm not afraid."

Jia Heng smiled lightly and said: "You are not afraid, I am afraid, you are the first wife I am marrying, and you are going to grow old forever."

Qin Keqing's tender body trembled slightly, her heart was filled with sweetness, she looked at the young man, and said softly: "But the husband has only passed on for three generations, if he has no heirs, he is afraid of gossip, or take the second sister into the room first, I think she is about the same age gone."

Jia Heng said: "You... are not the third sister, but also the second sister. I said that there is no one who just walks through the door, and then recruits a concubine for her husband? You are too generous."

Seeing that Qin Keqing was still absent-minded, Jia Heng smiled lightly and said, "Okay, I haven't seen you for a month, let me check myself later."

Hearing this, Qin Keqing's charming cheeks, which looked like crabapple flowers, were hot as fire, and she shyly said: "Baozhu, Ruizhu, these are still there."

Baozhu and Ruizhu, who were helping to wash their feet, felt their cheeks warm.

"When did the two of them not take a peek?" Jia Heng glanced at the second servant girl and said with a light smile.

When Baozhu and Ruizhu heard the words, their hearts jumped, and they felt a little weak when they met the eyes that seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

Qin Keqing smiled lightly and said, "Husband, it's getting cold, so next time I'll let the two of them help warm the bed."

The couple joked, wiped their feet, ordered Baozhu and Ruizhu to blow out the candles, put down the curtain, and lay down on the bed to rest.

After being separated for a long time, even though it was a toss in the afternoon, they were still entangled to death at night.

At the time of the child, a snowflake suddenly fell, but the house was as warm as spring, and the two who were fighting fiercely didn't realize it.

……

……

next day

Jia Heng got up, went out of the inner room, and came to the outer room, which is a multi-layered room with earth dragons underneath, and it is warm inside.

Jia Heng stood in front of the bronze mirror, and changed into several sets of robes for second-rank military officers sent by the Ministry of Officials yesterday afternoon.

Under the eaves of the corridor, Qingwen had a pretty little face flushed, steaming in her small cherry mouth, opened the thick cotton curtain, entered the wing room, bypassed a glass screen, and entered the wing room.

The girl held a black cloak and said softly, "My lord, it snowed outside last night."

Jia Heng looked back at Qingwen and asked, "Is the snow thick?"

"It's as thick as one finger." Qingwen approached the cloak in her hand and put it on Jia Heng, her delicate voice full of joy.

Jia Heng frowned, turned her head, let Qingwen fasten it, nodded and said: "That's okay."

A finger of thick snow, but it will not cause disasters due to falling snow.

There was a light snowfall half a month ago, but it also slightly eased the drought in Sansuke.

Jia Heng was thinking to himself, when he looked down and saw that Qingwen's fingers were not very flexible, her brows were wrinkled, and when she took the little hand that came over, it felt cold to the touch, and said in a warm voice, "Why don't you wear thicker clothes?"

Qingwen was wearing a emerald white padded jacket and a cotton skirt, her clothes were somewhat flimsy, her melon-seeded face was becoming more and more seductive, it seemed to be flushed red from the cold, and she became more and more charming, she said softly: "Young master, I am not cold."

Jia Heng frowned and said: "It's not cold yet, my hands are almost frozen, and if I freeze these little hands, I won't be able to... do needlework."

Qingwen: "..."

The co-author is just worried that she won't be able to be a female celebrity?

But seeing the "narrow" smile hidden in the young man's cold eyes, she couldn't help but feel hot, this smile is too familiar to her, whenever her young master teased her, she would...

It's just that I don't understand the whole story all of a sudden.

"I remember that there are still a lot of sable fur coats in the warehouse. You go to find Aunt Cai and pick out two clothes." Jia Heng said softly.

"I'm a maid, how can I be blessed to wear that?" Qingwen pouted her cherry mouth and said deliberately.

"Clothes are for people to wear." Jia Heng pinched Qingwen's cheeks, the little girl's cheeks were delicate, smoother than eggs, full of collagen, and said with a smile: "Besides, you are not a maid."

At this time, Qin Keqing was also served by Baozhu and Ruizhu, and she finished her makeup. The young woman still looked a little lazy, and her white and rosy face was like a graceful and luxurious peony, with every frown and smile shining brightly moving.

Seeing the master and servant holding hands, their faces remained unchanged, with a smile on their faces.

Qingwen turned her head and couldn't help taking another look.

"Husband, is it snowing outside?" Qin Keqing asked softly.

Jia Heng smiled, and said warmly: "It's as thick as a finger, and it's the right time to walk in the snow and look for plums in the afternoon. After breakfast, I'll go to the yamen first, and then I'll make a fuss when I come back."

Qin Keqing smiled softly and said, "Then I'll send someone to invite the old lady and a few sisters later."

Jia Heng nodded and didn't say much.

Not long after, the back kitchen came to prepare breakfast. Jia Heng accompanied Ke Qing in the room. After breakfast, he came to the front yard and took two young servants to Wucheng Bingmasi.

Army of the Five Cities

In the government office, there was a crowd, and the charcoal fires were burning in the braziers on both sides, trying to dispel the chill, but people came in and out, and the heat couldn't keep it.

When Jia Heng entered the official hall, the busy clerks and generals met and bowed together.

Jia Heng waved his hand, telling them to stick to their duties and do their own thing.

Then he called his cousin Dong Qian and ordered Guoyong's generals to come over.

Now, he is in charge of the Guoyong Camp and the Wucheng Bingma Division. There must be one side in the future affairs, but now it is the director Fan Yi who is in charge of the daily affairs.

After listening to Fan Yi's report on the affairs of Shenjing during her departure from Beijing.

Jia Heng said: "Since the snow has stopped, we can start to mobilize soldiers to clear the snow. There are also some homeless beggars who can support themselves by helping to work and pay some wages. Porridge at the street corner of Fangshi."

Are there any vagrants and beggars in Shenjing City?

There must be some. In this kind of weather, there may be roads falling down.

Fan Yi cupped her hands and said: "Your Excellency is benevolent, I will let others do it."

Jia Heng nodded and said: "I've finished my orders, I'll discuss matters in the back hall later."

Wang Ziteng rectifies the soldiers of the Beijing camp, he will not be idle, he will start to train the soldiers of the Guoyong camp in a few days, he needs to confirm the regulations, and then find time to go to the military supervisor to have a look.

(End of this chapter)