The Red Mansions

Chapter 1577 Jia Heng: Can’t Always Linger in the Land of Tenderness

Chapter 1577 Jia Heng: I can’t always linger in the land of tenderness…

Grand View Garden, Hengwu Garden

In the summer afternoons, the sound of cicadas chirping can be heard in the woods, making the summer days seem even hotter and longer.

In the side room, the heat was not too stuffy because there were ice cubes all around.

The pale yellow curtain hung down a little, and Jia Heng gently embraced Daiyu's soft and delicate body. While speaking, he moved closer to the beautiful woman's neck, sniffing the faint fragrance floating there, and his heart was inexplicably moved.

From the copper incense burner with three legs and six ears, you can see green smoke curling up and the aroma floating in the air.

Daiyu leaned her soft and tender body against Jia Heng's arms, and her white face, which was as big as a palm, was charming and bright, and her eyes were like flowing stars, and she said shyly, "Brother Heng, you can't have a child like this, right?"

At this moment, I just feel my lower abdomen is swollen and I am in a daze. I hope I will have a child in the future.

Jia Heng gently stretched out his hand to graze a plump, soft lamb. He felt the softness flowing from his fingers and was overwhelmed with joy. He smiled and joked, "It's just right to have a child. It's just right to give birth to it and let Sister Lin raise it."

I don’t know what the picture would look like if Daiyu brought a few children with her.

Daiyu groaned softly. Her face was plump and lovely, but for some reason, the image of herself with a big belly emerged in her mind, and she felt shy.

Baochai also leaned her delicate body, which was as soft as a silkworm, against the arms of the young man in the python robe. Her face, which was becoming more and more plump and fair, was filled with spring love and charm at the corners of her eyebrows and eyes.

Jia Heng nodded and said gently, "Sister Xue, please take good care of the business in the capital."

Baochai frowned and asked, "Don't worry, Your Majesty."

Jia Heng thought for a moment, then held Baochai's soft, plump hand and whispered, "How have you been these past few days? Has your stomach moved?"

Baochai's eyebrows were as bright as emerald feathers, and beads of sweat were rolling down her eyebrows. Her beautiful eyes were as bright as water. Her voice was delicate and soft as she whispered, "My lord, it's not your period yet."

She wants a child, too.

But my stomach is still not moving.

As she spoke, she nestled her beautiful head in the arms of the young man in the python costume, and her plump and lovely face was full of charm and spring love.

She is a princess now, and when she has a child, the child will become a prince in the future.

Jia Heng gently hugged Baochai and Daiyu's shoulders and said in a gentle voice, "I will feel relieved if you have children sooner."

Baochai's beautiful, bright face blushed on both sides, and she said in a trembling voice, "My Lord."

At this moment, outside the light yellow curtain bounded by two golden hooks, Ying'er's face, as white and tender as jade, was flushed, and waves of anticipation surged in her heart.

I don’t know when she will be able to be with the prince.

Jia Heng lay on the bed with Chai and Dai for a long time without saying anything else.

At this moment, Jia Heng looked up at the dark sky outside and said loudly, "It's getting late. It's time to get up."

Baochai responded softly, and without saying anything else, she helped Jia Heng get up.

Jia Heng put on a black and red satin dragon robe with gold thread, lowered his head to put on a pair of black Chaoyun official boots, tied a rhinoceros horn and white jade silk belt around his waist, and left the room.

At this moment, Ying'er brought a basin of steaming warm water, and then came over quickly, with a hint of shyness and eagerness in her tone, and said loudly: "My lord, come and wash your hands."

Jia Heng didn't say anything else. He washed in the warm water, a dazed look on his calm face.

Then, he took a towel from Ying'er and wiped his hands.

On this side, Ying'er asked with a mysterious look in her eyes under her curved eyebrows, "Would your Majesty like a cup of tea?"

Jia Heng looked solemn and said softly, "Go pour the tea."

Jia Heng nodded and sat down on a small table nearby. Zijuan came forward and massaged Jia Heng's shoulders.

Jia Heng took the teacup from Zijuan and said gently, "Zijuan, go in and serve your daughter well."

Zijuan responded softly, then turned and left the hall.

After a while, Baochai and Daiyu came out from the inner room. Baochai's plump and lovely face seemed to be covered with a rosy, bright and beautiful charm, which made her look charming and attractive.

Daiyu's face was also full of rosy red, and her sparkling eyes were as bright as rainbows. She whispered, "Brother Heng."

Jia Heng said, "We'll go to the Beijing camp later."

Soon, the imperial court might launch a large-scale military operation against the northwest and Tibet, and he would need to go to the Beijing camp to inspect the officers and soldiers.

A man's ambition should be like the Yangtze River flowing eastward into the sea; he should not always linger in the land of gentleness.

……

……

Beijing Camp, Chinese Army Barracks

Ever since the troops returned from the expedition to Liaodong, the atmosphere in the capital has been renewed. Song Yuan is gathering with Xie Zaiyi, Cai Quan, Cao Bianjiao, Fan Yi and others to discuss the recent training matters of the Beijing camp, or to make preparations in advance for the subsequent expedition to the northwestern frontier.

"The desert is extremely hot in summer. If our army goes out to fight, water sources are of utmost importance." Song Yuan's eyes flickered and he spoke.

Cai Quan stared at Song Yuan with deep eyes, and said loudly: "What Song Zhubu said is very true. In the early stage of our dynasty, the troops were mainly defensive."

Cao Bianjiao took over the conversation and said, "But if we want to sweep the land, we need soldiers to take the initiative to attack."

Xie Zaiyi said: "There should be water in the old places of the Western Regions, but it is not easy to find."

Song Yuan thought for a moment and said gently, "People in the desert mostly use camels to transport water."

Cao Bianjiao said: "Then let Xining send a letter to the Mongolian tribes in Qinghai to prepare a batch of camels to transport water."

Song Yuan said: "This matter..."

Just as they were discussing the military situation, a burly guard of the central army quickly entered the military tent and clasped his fists and said, "Duke, Master Song, His Royal Highness Prince Wei is here."

Everyone in the central army barracks had different expressions on their faces, and then they looked in the direction of the voice.

Xie Zaiyi nodded and said gently, "Follow me to welcome him."

As they were talking, everyone present stood up from their chairs, came outside the barracks, and stared at the young man in the python robe.

Cao Bianjiao didn't say anything else. He stood up and went outside.

Xie Zaiyi paused for a moment, then bowed and said, "Greetings, Prince Wei."

Jia Heng was wearing a black and red satin robe at the moment, his face was dignified and calm, and he said in a clear voice: "No need to be polite."

As he was talking, he was greeted by Song Yuan and Xie Zaiyi and entered the central army barracks. He came to a desk filled with quivers and command arrows and sat down.

Jia Heng looked at Song Yuan and whispered, "Have you received the message sent by Jinyi Mansion earlier?"

Song Yuan said: "Since receiving the message from the prince, the Beijing camp has been actively preparing weapons and food in the past few days, and can go out at any time."

Jia Heng glanced at the officers and said in a loud voice: "Although the Junggar and Khoshut armies are thousands of miles apart, the two places are in close contact and rely on each other. The court is fighting on two fronts, and the Beijing camp must train its soldiers to prepare for the plateau."

During the Tang Dynasty, the Tang army went to war against Tubo and suffered a disastrous defeat at the Battle of Dafeichuan. The general leading the army was Xue Rengui.

Song Yuan nodded and said, "Your Majesty is right."

And Xie Zaiyi also nodded.

Jia Heng said: "During this period, the guards at the gates of the capital city must also step up their patrols. Things like the previous incident where the remnants of the King of Zhao took the King of Wei and the King of Liang and escaped from the capital city must not happen again."

Song Yuan paused for a moment, and assured, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. My guards from the Beijing Camp will take turns guarding the city gate tower and will definitely not let the bad guys cause trouble."

Jia Heng said loudly: "There has been a lot of turmoil in the capital recently."

After thinking for a while, his eyes flickered, and he looked at his trusted officers and said in a gentle voice: "According to the intelligence from Jinyifu, there may be unusual movements in Bashu in the near future. Our army must be prepared to use troops."

Song Yuan looked surprised and whispered, "Sichuan?"

Xie Zaiyi's resolute and calm face also seemed to show surprise, and asked: "Sichuan? The Sichuan where the Gao family stayed before?"

Obviously, as a minister of military affairs, he has a clear understanding of the current power situation in the court and knows that Sichuan belongs to the Gao family's sphere of influence.

Jia Heng's face was solemn as he explained, "Some time ago, the King of Wei and the King of Liang fled from the capital, probably to Bashu, and the Gao family secretly escorted them. The remnants of the White Lotus demon are also in Sichuan. If they start a rebellion, there will be chaos in Shu."

As soon as these words came out, Xie Zaiyi's expression changed slightly, and he asked in a deep voice: "Gao Family and White Lotus Sect?"

Jia Heng's expression paused slightly, his eyes were fierce, and he said in a cold voice: "According to the Jinyi secret agent, the third son of the Gao family may have been bewitched by the White Lotus Demon and wanted to use the King of Wei and the King of Liang as their banners to rebel in the local area."

Song Yuan said: "Your Majesty, does Lord Gao know about this?"

Jia Heng raised his eyebrows, his eyes sparkling, and said in a gentle voice: "Whether Mr. Gao knows about this matter or not is still unclear, but let's not worry about it for now, I have already made arrangements."

Song Yuan nodded and said in a gentle voice: "If that's the case, we should be careful about military preparations."

Fan Yi said, "We must be careful that someone in the capital may tip off Sichuan."

Jia Heng said, "The spies from the Jinyifu have been closely monitoring the traffic between the capital and Shuzhong, just in case something unexpected happens."

Afterwards, Jia Heng instructed Xie Zaiyi, who was standing by, to select soldiers from the Beijing camp for training in preparation for the next day.

……

……

Chengdu Prefecture, Sichuan

Jinguan City is a majestic city with a dense population. The houses on both sides of the streets are bustling with people.

The Governor's Mansion is located in the hall. Two wooden signs with gold-painted characters are hung on both sides of the door lintel. They sparkle brightly under the summer sunlight, illuminating people's eyes.

At this moment, a street paved with white bluestone slabs made a "clattering" sound, and then dozens of riders on horseback came, coming and going like the wind. Pedestrians on both sides of the street hurriedly avoided the way.

At this moment, in the Governor's Office, in the back hall of the government hall——

In the study, Sichuan Governor Zeng Shuhong, Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Kou Shanchao, and Commander-in-Chief Gao Cheng sat down and chatted.

On the red lacquered wooden table next to him, steam was rising from the teacup, and the emerald green tea leaves were stretching out like young bamboo shoots, floating up and down.

Outside the study, the guards with knives on their waists looked alert and had cold eyes.

Zeng Shuhong was a man in his early forties, with a clear face and a dignified demeanor. He cast his eyes towards Gao Cheng and Kou Shanchao and asked, "According to the letter from the cabinet minister, the situation in the capital has changed drastically. The Prince of Wei has abused his power and has placed his cronies in positions of power."

The Censor Kou Shanchao said: "The Prince of Wei is the son-in-law of the emperor. Throughout history, there have been many cases of foreign relatives usurping the throne and gaining control of the country. We must be on guard."

Sichuan General Kou Shanchao is Gao Zhongping's second son-in-law, and the commander-in-chief Gao Cheng has been in charge of troops in Sichuan for many years. It can be said that this is Gao Zhongping's biggest reliance in Sichuan.

Gao Cheng pondered for a moment and said, "The Prince of Wei is now rejecting dissidents, and his ambition is obvious. My father's intention is to send my second and third brothers here. If there is any change in the capital, we will lead the army to support the country."

Zeng Shuhong frowned, his face full of worry, and said, "Sichuan is not far from Guanzhong. The imperial court's troops can arrive at the same time. Unless it is an emergency, we should not confront the imperial court to avoid suffering."

Gao Cheng looked fierce and said in a cold voice: "The road into Sichuan is dangerous. Even if the imperial court sends troops, it will be difficult to send troops to reach it in a short time. When the war breaks out, troops from all over the world will rise up and force the King of Wei to retire."

Kou Shanchao said in a deep voice: "Prince Wei is brave and good at fighting, and is good at military strategy. I'm afraid it won't be that easy at that time."

Just as they were discussing, a maid entered the hall and said in a loud voice, "Master Governor, Gao's Second and Third Sons are coming in from outside."

Gao Cheng's face suddenly showed joy. While speaking, he stood up and said, "I'll go to meet him."

Sichuan Governor Zeng Shuhong also stood up and said, "Let's go and take a look together."

After a while, everyone went outside.

At this moment, a large group of people came out from the ceremonial gate of the Governor's Office. Leading the group were the brothers Gao Bo and Gao Yong, and not far away were the King of Wei and the King of Liang.

Gao Cheng had a friendly smile on his face and extended his hand to greet them, "Second brother, third brother."

Gao Bo and Gao Yong walked over quickly and called out to Gao Cheng, saying, "Brother."

The King of Wei and the King of Liang were watching this scene not far away. They looked at each other and saw a sense of safety in each other's eyes.

The geographical location of Bashu is unique. Emperor Gaozu of the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Bang, established his empire here, and the two brothers could also do the same.

Chen Yuan's expression paused slightly, and his eyes flickered under his thick eyebrows. He looked intently at Sichuan Governor Zeng Shuhong and Gao Cheng and others, and a slight movement of light could be seen in his eyes.

After exchanging pleasantries, everyone walked quickly along a corridor with green-painted railings into the living room of the back house and sat down again.

Gao Cheng raised his eyes to look at Gao Yong and Gao Bo and asked, "What did father say?"

Gao Yong said, "Brother, father told me and my second brother to listen to you."

Gao Cheng showed concern on his face and asked, "How is the situation in Beijing? Is father okay?"

Gao Yong's eyes flickered under his thick eyebrows, and he whispered, "Prince Wei is now placing his cronies in positions of power. A month ago, he exiled Cabinet Minister Lu Jiang and Hanlin Academy President Lu Li. For the sake of the court's overall situation, my father can only compromise and flatter that Jia Heng kid."

Gao Cheng frowned and said in a deep voice: "The Prince of Wei is actually the Dong Zhuo of the present age, like Cao Mang, who is rampant and tyrannical in the capital. Our Han Dynasty will never tolerate such treacherous people to commit evil deeds."

Gao Bo introduced them, "These are the relatives of the late emperor, the Prince of Wei and the Prince of Liang."

Gao Cheng turned his head and said softly, "King Wei, King Liang, long time no see."

King Wei Chen Ran stood up, bowed to Gao Cheng, and said, "Brother Gao."

When Emperor Chongping was in the palace, Prince of Wei Chen Ran and Gao Cheng also had frequent contacts.

Gao Cheng pondered for a moment and asked, "I heard about your experience in Shenjing City in Chengdu. Prince Wei was arrogant and domineering in Shenjing City and deceived Emperor Shizong Xian. Your Highness raised an army to fight against the rebellion. Although he failed, many people in the world sympathized with him."

Hearing Gao Cheng mention the old story, the King of Wei said hurriedly: "I am ashamed. If it weren't for the King of Wei's words in the capital, I wouldn't have taken such a risky move and risked my life."

Now, it can be said that everyone blames all the guilt on Prince Wei Jia Heng.

Jia Heng has become an unforgivable devil.

Gao Cheng turned to look at Chen Yuan who was standing aside with a calm expression and asked, "Who is this?"

Chen Yuan chuckled, his eyes sparkling like water beneath his thick eyebrows. He stared at Gao Cheng and asked, "Brother Gao, don't you recognize me?"

Gao Cheng's face was extremely solemn when he heard this. He was shocked by Chen Yuan's words and asked in surprise, "But the third son of the Prince Zhao's Mansion is here in person?"

Chen Yuan and Gao Cheng were originally of the same age. When Emperor Chongping, Prince Zhao and the deposed crown prince were competing for the throne, the three of them were still young children and used to play together.

Chen Yuan raised his eyebrows, with a look of emotion on his face, and whispered: "Recalling the time when Brother Gao and I played and had fun in the capital, it seems like yesterday."

Gao Cheng's face was filled with memories, and he said in a deep voice: "In the blink of an eye, more than 20 years have passed."

Chen Yuan was silent for a moment, then said, "Yes."

On the other side, Zeng Shuhong sat on a red lacquered rosewood chair, holding a blue and white porcelain teacup in his hand. As he lowered his eyes to drink tea, a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.

Chen Yuan, the remnant of King Zhao, has been causing a lot of trouble in the past few years. Now, he has come to Shu again. I don't know whether it is a blessing or a curse for the people of Shu.

Gao Cheng raised his eyebrows, his eyes flashed fiercely, and he said in a deep voice: "Second brother, now everything is ready, all we need is a righteous flag."

Gao Bo nodded, his eyes flickered, and he whispered, "Brother, we have made a plan and contacted Khoshut and Junggar. When the time comes, all four sides will attack together."

Gao Cheng pondered for a moment and said, "Have the Khoshut people sent anyone to deliver the message and coordinate the action? Otherwise, if there is chaos in Shu, the Mongolian king will probably send Mongolian troops into Sichuan."

Chen Yuan said: "I have already sent lobbyists, and Junggar has also sent lobbyists. I think it won't be long before we have news."

Gao Cheng said solemnly: "All that remains is to choose a time to start the war."

"It will take time to prepare military equipment and food fodder. The specific military strategy will be introduced by King Zhao." Gao Bo took over from the side.

Gao Cheng looked at Chen Yuan standing beside him with a look of surprise.

Chen Yuan said: "After two months, my White Lotus Society will take the lead in raising an army in Bazhong. The government can use the excuse of suppressing the rebels to stockpile food and supplies and demand military pay from the court, thereby delaying and slowing down the actions of the Han army."

Gao Cheng nodded and said loudly: "This method is good. If it is just an internal White Lotus Rebellion, our Sichuan Dusi can suppress it without bothering the court to send troops. Then, when the troops in the northwest and Tibet are ready, we can raise the banner of rebellion and fight against Jia Ni together!"

Gao Bo said in a deep voice: "Brother, the Prince of Wei defiled the palace and committed adultery with the evil queen Zhen, and the young emperor is also his wicked son."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall showed surprise on their faces.

Gao Cheng's eyes were deep under his thick eyebrows. He asked, "What's going on?"

Gao Bo smiled, his eyes filled with mystery, and said, "There is another story behind this matter. I heard that Prince Wei and the Zhen family colluded to kill Emperor Guangzong, and the young master is not the son of Emperor Guangzong."

Hearing this, Gao Cheng raised his eyebrows, his eyes flickered, and asked in a deep voice, "What do you mean?"

Gao Bo paused for a moment, then said in a clear voice, "These are just some rumors in the capital, which can be used as evidence to punish the traitor Jia."

As he spoke, he told Gao Cheng some of his guesses.

Gao Cheng frowned at first, then relaxed his brows and said, "If this is the case, how can the loyal officials and righteous men of the world sit idly by and watch the traitor Jia cause chaos in the government?"

Chen Ran's heart twitched at this moment, and he couldn't help but think of the various affairs between Jia Heng and his mother, and his heart was filled with resentment.

When he reaches the capital, he will certainly ask his mother why she is so unfaithful to her husband.