The Red Mansions

Chapter 1701 Jia Heng: Is this learning from foreigners to defeat them?
In the fourth year of Qiande, spring
On this day, the spring was bright and beautiful. The willow trees formed shades and swayed in the wind. Butterflies fluttered among the grass, chasing nectar, creating a beautiful and romantic spring scene.

Daming Palace, Hanyuan Hall——

Outside the hall, a group of eunuchs and palace maids were coming and going between the vermilion eaves, while a large number of dishes, bowls, plates, chopsticks and chopsticks were placed in the hall.

Chen Luo, the Qiande Emperor of the Han Dynasty, sat on a pearwood chair in front of the screen in the Mingtang. His heroic and handsome face looked as white as jade, clear and transparent under the sunlight.

Jia Heng sat down on a pearwood chair nearby and said, "Everyone, I want to offer a toast to the soldiers who led the troops to Tibet and died in the service of the king. May the spirits of the heroes in heaven bless our great Han to prosper and bring glory to the four barbarians."

As he spoke, Jia Heng lifted up a blue and white porcelain wine cup and gently poured it onto the floor. The wine made a "splashing" sound, and then a layer of clear and attractive wine formed on the floor.

The officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp present also raised a wine cup, and the atmosphere in the whole hall became solemn and dignified.

After Jia Heng paid respect to the fallen soldiers, he glanced at the generals present and said in a clear voice: "For this expedition, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War will record and file the relevant meritorious officers and soldiers, and reward them according to their merits, without any mistakes."

At this moment, the Chief Minister of the Cabinet Qi Kun and the Minister of War Shi Jie stood up and bowed to Jia Heng in response.

Afterwards, Jia Heng and all the officers and soldiers from the Beijing camp raised their glasses and drank happily, both the host and the guests were in great joy.

In this campaign, more than a hundred officers and soldiers who followed the Tibetan expeditionary army were promoted to varying degrees and rewarded with titles.

After the crowd left in groups of three or four, Cao Bianjiao, Marquis of Shanhai, followed Jia Heng and walked quickly along the winding corridor with blue bricks and black tiles.

Jia Heng looked surprised and asked, "Lord Cao, what has Ezhe Khan been doing recently?"

Cao Bianjiao said, "Reporting to Prince Wei, Ezhe Khan has stationed his troops in Lhasa and gathered about 20,000 Khoshut troops. I wonder what his intention is?"

Jia Heng said: "Ezhe Khan should not have the desire to establish himself, but he has some selfish desires for the survival and reproduction of his own tribe."

This year, Yaruo also became pregnant with his child. In the blink of an eye, the child is about one year old. After having the child, her bond with the Khoshut people became deeper.

Cao Bianjiao nodded, then followed Jia Heng step by step.

Jia Heng said, "Lord Cao, you must be exhausted from the long journey. Go back and rest first, and reunite with your family."

Cao Bianjiao cupped his hands and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

After watching Cao Bianjiao leave, Jia Heng didn't say anything else. He turned around and left the palace to look for Zhen Qing.

In the palace, in the palace——

Zhen Qing was wearing a scarlet palace gown, her lush green hair was combed into a bun, beautiful and graceful. The bright sunlight shone through the window lattice onto Zhen Qing's snow-white face, and her snow-white skin was as translucent as jade.

Not far away, Yinyin and Qianqian were sitting on a soft couch covered with a mattress. The two sisters were playing cat's tuck, talking and laughing.

Zhen Qing's fair and delicate face, which was somewhat cold and elegant, flushed as if she were drunk. When she turned her head with long black hair like a waterfall, she looked at the daughter of Queen Song with eyes as bright as water. She couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion in her heart, not sure whether it was resentment or irritability.

That bastard, what time is it and why hasn’t he come over yet?
At this moment, a slender and beautiful palace maid quickly entered the palace, stared at Zhen Qing, and could not hide her joy and cuteness in her voice: "My queen, the prince Wei is here."

Zhen Qing's face, as white as snow, was as bright as the clouds, and an inexplicable joy welled up in her crystal clear heart.

At this moment, the young man in the python robe came quickly from outside, with clear eyebrows and eyes, and an imposing heroic look.

"You're here." Zhen Qing looked at him with her beautiful eyes under her emerald eyebrows, and her tone was filled with surprise and a bit of joy.

Jia Heng smiled warmly and said, "I just came to see you."

At this moment, Yin Yin also called out softly, her voice was soft and sticky, and she said, "Godfather."

Jia Heng smiled and said softly, "Yinyin, why didn't you practice the piano today?"

Yin Yin's voice was soft and charming, and she whispered, "Godfather, I've been practicing calligraphy at home these days."

Jia Heng smiled, and suddenly picked up Yin Yin, and there was a "smack" sound on his face, and he was kissed by Yin Yin. The fragrance, softness, and wetness hit his face.

Jia Heng smiled and said, "Yinyin has grown taller and heavier."

Yinyin's voice was soft and charming, and she said coquettishly, "Godfather, I'm grown up."

Jia Heng smiled, put Yin Yin aside, and turned to look at Zhen Qing.

Zhen Qing said, "Just have fun with your daughter."

Jia Heng stared at Zhen Qing standing beside him, and said jokingly with a smile: "You are jealous of your own daughter."

When Zhen Qing heard this, her snow-white face changed slightly, and she said angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about in front of our daughter?"

My daughter is very smart, and she might have caught some suspicious points from this kind of conversation.

Jia Heng turned his head to look at his daughter Yin Yin's rosy face, feeling somewhat happy.

Yinyin's voice was soft and charming, her eyes like black grapes were crystal clear, she called out and whispered, "Godfather."

Jia Heng smiled and said, "Yinyin, go to the side hall to practice calligraphy first. I want to talk to your mother."

Yin Yin raised her beautiful head, said "hmm" softly, then turned around and followed a female official to the majestic and magnificent side hall.

Zhen Qing said coquettishly: "My daughter is getting older, and you don't know how to restrain yourself."

Jia Heng smiled to himself and said jokingly, "How can I restrain myself? Then I will leave?"

Zhen Qing snorted coldly, gently grabbed Jia Heng's arm, and said tenderly: "How dare you!"

As she spoke, Zhen Qing pulled Jia Heng's arm, looked surprised, and asked, "The Tibetan area has been recovered. What are you going to do in Beijing? When will you make the next step?"

Jia Heng said: "Once the Western Regions are recovered, it should be almost done."

Zhen Qing opened her lips slightly, and a faint breath was exhaled from under her beautiful, straight nose. The sides of her snow-white face were flushed. She gently put her arms around Jia Heng's neck, and her beautiful, crystal-clear eyes were charming under her emerald eyebrows.

Jia Heng then lingered with Zhen Qing for a while, and without lingering in the palace for long, he left the palace and returned to Ningguo Mansion.

When Jia Heng returned home, he quickly entered the study and saw Chen Xiao and Gu Ruoqing taking care of the baby in the cradle.

Chen Xiao stepped forward and said, "The Academy of Sciences has improved the steam locomotive to the point where it can be put on the rails for trial operation. When are you going to take a look?"

Jia Heng said, "I'll go to the Imperial College later to have a look. The railway tracks will be laid in the next few years, and by then it will be accessible to all directions."

Chen Xiao said: "If you want to ascend the throne, you still need time."

Jia Heng put down the blue and white porcelain teacup in his hand, stared at Chen Xiao, and asked in surprise, "What has the Eighth Prince Chen Ze been doing recently?"

Chen Xiao looked strange for a moment, and said, "Now he is in the capital, making friends with scholars everywhere. I heard that he is also interested in studying new knowledge and is preparing to become a disciple of Xu Jijiu."

Jia Heng asked with interest: "This is really strange."

Is this learning foreign skills in order to defeat them?
Jia Heng thought for a moment and said, "Let the Jinyifu people continue to monitor him, and give Chen Ze some opportunities, so that he can get together with the opposition forces in the court and then catch them all in one fell swoop."

Chen Xiao picked up a blue and white porcelain teacup, took a sip, and whispered, "You have fished for them many times, and they have become alert. It may not work if you use the same old trick again."

Jia Heng nodded and said in a gentle voice, "That's right. We have to use a heavier bait this time."

Chen Xiao hummed softly, then placed the teacup in his hand on the small table beside him. Under her emerald green eyebrows, her beautiful eyes were sparkling and as soft as water.

Jia Heng reached out his hand, gently put his arm around Chen Xiao's shoulder, and said, "Yes, once bitten by a snake, one will be afraid of ropes for ten years."

Chen Xiao said softly: "So what are you going to do?"

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Among the governors of the provinces, the governor of Huguang will be replaced. I have decided to let Duke Ying go to Huguang to serve as the governor-general."

Before usurping the throne, it is undoubtedly a good idea to let trusted people govern the local areas.

It will take about five years for his trusted followers to be everywhere in the area and he will be able to control the area.

"Governor of Huguang?" Chen Xiao asked with a look of surprise on his frosty face.

Jia Heng said: "Huguang is the hub of the Yangtze River, the key point between the north and the south, and the main thoroughfare between the two provinces. Now Liaodong, Liangjiang, Henan, and Sichuan are all in my hands, and Huguang must send trusted people to guard it."

Li Shouzhong, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, and Shi Ding, the Governor-General of Sichuan, were his confidants who helped him to guard the area.

Huguang is also a strategic location, so he naturally needs his trusted men to guard it.

Chen Xiao said: "Not only the local governors, but also the local prefectures and counties. The more students and old friends you have, the stronger your control over the local prefectures and counties will be."

Jia Heng nodded and said, "We can't just appoint people based on personal connections, otherwise it will easily lead to trouble in the local area."

Over the years, he had won over many scholars under his command, and began to assign them to serve as officials in local prefectures and counties, gradually gaining control of local power.

Chen Xiao nodded and said, "That's good."

Jia Heng said, "In the next two years, I want to go to Jiangnan for an inspection."

Chen Xiao was surprised and asked, "Go to Jiangnan?"

Jia Heng said, "I promised you that if the world is at peace, I will go to Jiangnan to have a look."

Chen Xiao was silent for a moment, and said: "After the situation in the capital has stabilized, now is not the time to go to the south of the Yangtze River to travel around."

Jia Heng nodded and said gently, "That's right. I'll take another look."

As he spoke, he looked at Chen Xiao intently and asked, "How is Rui'er?"

Originally, Jia Heng wanted to use a character with a cursive radical, but Chen Xiao rejected it, thinking that it would be unreasonable to follow the Jia family's rules.

Speaking of her son, Chen Xiao's beautiful and gentle face also showed a sweet smile, and said: "He has been doing well these days, eating well and sleeping well."

Jia Heng said, "I'll spend more time with him these two days."

Chen Xiao's eyebrows were as beautiful as willows, and her eyes were as clear as rainbows. Her eyes were as bright as water, and she whispered, "People in the capital are already spreading the news about your life story."

During this period, news of Jia Heng's background had begun to spread in the capital, that is, Jia Heng was not actually a son of the Jia family, but the son of Su Ming, a general of the former deposed crown prince.

Jia Heng said: "Now that the situation in the capital is gradually stabilizing, it would be fine if I could restore my original surname."

Chen Xiao was silent for a moment, then said, "It's time to restore your original surname. Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun in your house are not young anymore. If you have a child later, they can also take your surname."

Whether it is for the purpose of seeking legitimacy to usurp the throne in the future, it is time to make his own life story known to the world.

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then said in a gentle voice, "Yes."

In the past few years, Yingchun, Tanchun and Xichun have not married off in the mansion, and Jia's mother in the West Mansion has asked Yuanyang about his intentions.

Although he did not say it explicitly, Grandmother Jia obviously understood what he meant, which was that Sichun should stay in the mansion to accompany him.

As the patriarch of the Jia clan, he "occupies" so many girls of the Jia clan. I'm afraid that in the eyes of Grandmother Jia, he is no different from a demon.

However, because he was so powerful and had led the Jia family forward a great step forward, Grandmother Jia "dared to be angry but not to speak" and showed him the greatest tolerance.

If he could restore his original surname, all these problems would be solved.

He will also be able to give Yuanchun, Tanchun and others a status later.

The plan to usurp the Han Dynasty could also start with changing back to one's original surname.

Jia Heng said: "Then let Jinyifu spread the news in Shenjing City to test the direction of the wind in the capital."

Chen Xiao responded softly with "hmm", and a hint of thought seemed to appear on that fair and delicate face.

At this moment, there was a jingling sound of jewelry, and then Gu Ruoqing, holding a baby, called out, "Prince."

Jia Heng stood up and walked closer to Gu Ruoqing. He took the delicate baby girl from Gu Ruoqing's arms and asked, "Did Ping'er feed her today?"

Gu Ruoqing's emerald eyebrows were as beautiful as black ink, her crystal clear eyes were soft and moist, and she said softly, "Your Highness, I have already fed you."

Jia Heng nodded, walked closer, held the baby girl in his arms, and stared at the fair face, feeling an inexplicable joy in his heart.

Gu Ruoqing's beautiful face was full of smiles, and she whispered, "Your Highness, Ping'er has been talking about you a lot these past few days."

On Jia Heng's side, he reached out and took the baby girl from Gu Ruoqing's arms, and sat down on the bed covered with a mattress.

Gu Ruoqing pinched her daughter's rosy cheeks and said, "I met Master yesterday, and she said she wanted to see you."

Jia Heng couldn't help but feel a little surprised and asked, "Your master wants to see me?"

Well, I wonder what the White Lotus Mother thinks about his proposal.

But until now, there is still no movement in Keqing's stomach.

Gu Ruoqing said: "Master said he wanted to see you."

Jia Heng thought about it, nodded and said, "Wait for the next two days, I'll meet him when I'm free."

In this way, Jia Heng teased his two children for a while, but did not linger for long. He walked quickly towards Hengwu Garden, intending to see Baochai.

……

……

Grand View Garden, Hengwu Garden——

In the side room, Baochai and Aunt Xue were sitting around a soft couch and chatting. Their plump, fair faces seemed to be covered with a layer of blush.

Aunt Xue chuckled and said, "Precious girl, look at our Mu'er. When he smiles, he looks so much like his father."

Baochai called out in a reproachful tone, "Mom."

She naturally knew what her mother meant by saying this.

Aunt Xue smiled and said, "This is not just a casual remark."

At this moment, Ying'er was standing nearby, her eyes sparkling like water under her willow-shaped eyebrows, and she whispered, "Miss, the prince is here."

When Baochai heard this, a look of surprise appeared on her snow-white face, and she said softly, "I'll go and take a look later."

After a while, the young man in the python robe came out from outside and said in a loud voice, "Sister Xue."

Under Baochai's green and beautiful eyebrows, her watery almond eyes were soft and shimmering, and she said softly, "My lord, you are here."

Jia Heng smiled widely and said, "Come and see you and the child."

At this moment, the wrinkles on Aunt Xue's fair and sparkling face were almost about to burst into laughter, and she said softly, "Brother Heng, you are finally back."

Jia Heng smiled and said, "Come and see Sister Xue and the child."

As she spoke, she took the child from Aunt Xue's hands, and an inexplicable joy appeared on her fair and bright face.

At this moment, the baby in the cradle had a very bright smile on his rosy face.

Jia Heng walked forward and kissed the baby's rosy and chubby face, feeling a surge of joy in his heart.

Aunt Xue smiled and said, "Brother Heng, look how much Mu'er looks like you."

People often say that if a child looks like his father, the father will love this child the most and may make Mu'er the crown prince in the future.

Jia Heng's heart was also filled with fondness, and he said, "Mu'er, call me daddy."

Mu'er babbled and stretched out her two little hands, as if gently stroking Jia Heng's face, her bright eyes as clear as black grapes.

Just as they were talking, a maid with a bright face walked into the room quickly and whispered, "Miss Baoqin is here."

After a while, accompanied by gusts of fragrant wind and silver bell-like laughter, Baoqin and Xiangyun entered the room and said, "Brother Heng, you are here too."

Jia Heng nodded, looked at Baoqin and Xiangyun with a smile, and said in a gentle voice: "Sister Baoqin, Sister Xiangyun."

Baoqin and Xiangyun responded softly and said in a gentle voice, "Come and see Mu'er."

As they were talking, Baoqin came closer, hugged Jia Zhuo, and whispered, "Mu'er, let your aunt take a look."

Baochai's face, as white and flawless as a pear blossom, was watching this scene with a bright smile.

Aunt Xue smiled and said, "Baoqin, you have been married for quite some time now, it is time for you to give birth to a baby boy soon."

Baoqin's snow-white face was clearly blushing, and she said angrily, "Aunt~~"

Aunt Xue laughed and said, "Having children is a major event in a woman's life. Why are you still shy about it?"

At this moment, Xiangyun, who was standing by, looked at Jia Heng with a bright smile and asked, "Why didn't Brother Heng go to see Sister Lin?"

Jia Heng smiled and said, "I'll go check it out later."

Well, I wonder why Daiyu is so sad again at this moment.

Baochai's snow-white face was full of smiles, and she said, "Sister Yun, come here, I want to talk to you."

Xiangyun came closer with a bright smile and sat on the soft couch beside Baochai. Her plump, fair face was as red as rouge and very beautiful.

Baoqin stretched out a slender hand, picked up the baby in the swaddling clothes, looked at Jia Heng, and said softly: "Brother Heng, Mu'er's eyebrows and eyes are like you."

Jia Heng smiled and said, "My aunt said the same thing just now."

Everyone started laughing.