The Red Mansions

Chapter 1504 Jia Heng: He and Tianniuer are indeed somewhat unlike each other.

Chapter 1504 Jia Heng: He and Tianniuer... are indeed a little inappropriate.

Shenjing City, Hanyuan Palace

Queen Song knelt down beside Concubine Duanrong and was mourning for Emperor Chongping. At this moment, looking at the coffin placed in the hall, she felt a sense of inexplicable sadness in her heart.

Or it could be said that being in such a sad atmosphere with deafening crying would inevitably be affected and feel inexplicably gloomy.

Zhen Qing stared at the beautiful woman with a rosy face and a gorgeous bun. As she lowered her eyes, a sense of suspicion arose in her heart.

He thought to himself, I'm afraid he hated the late emperor in his heart, otherwise, how could he not only look too sad, but also look so cheerful?

At this moment, there were cries of grief in the hall, and King Chen Qin of Chu, who was kneeling in front of the coffin, was still wailing.

On the other side, Jia Heng also came to Hanyuan Hall to mourn for Emperor Chongping. He knelt among the civil and military officials and looked at the coffin parked in the hall, feeling somewhat guilty.

During the period of national mourning for the emperor, he and the sweet girl... were indeed a little inappropriate.

In this way, the mourning continued until noon.

Several eunuchs helped the new emperor to a side hall to rest. At this moment, Chen Qin's leg was still a little lame. The imperial physician had corrected his bones, but he still had a slight limp.

The King of Chu looked at the eunuch beside him and said softly, "Go and call Zi Yu to come over for lunch."

The eunuch responded softly and called Jia Heng over.

While Jia Heng was speaking, he quickly walked into the hall, looked up at the King of Chu, and said, "Your Majesty."

When the King of Chu heard the word "Your Majesty", he couldn't help but feel joy in his heart, but his expression remained unchanged. He said, "Zi Yu, let's sit down and have dinner together."

Jia Heng thanked him and sat down.

The King of Chu said, "Zi Yu, the troops of the Beijing camp have been delayed in Liaodong for a long time. We should transfer some of them back in the spring of next year to strengthen the defense of the capital."

Jia Heng responded softly and said in a gentle voice: "Then when the spring comes next year, not only Liaodong, but also the nine border towns will adjust their troops according to the focus of defense."

This King of Chu had not yet ascended the throne, but he had already begun to centralize power. Perhaps this was the nature of an emperor, with his absolute sense of security and desire for control.

……

……

Time flies, and four days have passed before I knew it.

It has been seven days since Emperor Chongping's death, and the atmosphere of grief in the capital has eased somewhat.

It has been some time since the new emperor of the Han Dynasty ascended the throne, and it seems that all the political situations in the Han Dynasty have begun to stabilize.

The second edict drafted by the cabinet and issued by the new emperor was also circulated at home and abroad and delivered to local prefectures and counties.

That is, an imperial edict was drafted, making Crown Princess Zhen Qing the empress and her son Chen Jie the crown prince.

At the same time, the reign title was changed to Jianxing, but of course we would have to wait until the beginning of next spring to use the new reign title.

Afterwards, Zhen Qing and relevant personnel from the Prince of Chu's Mansion gradually moved into the palace. Because Kunning Palace was temporarily occupied by Queen Song, Zhen Qing had to live in other palaces temporarily.

However, Zhen Qing sent trusted female officials to take over the affairs of the six palaces, so that she could gradually become familiar with the palace affairs.

On this day, just after the Little New Year, more than a dozen riders on fast horses could be seen galloping past in the direction of the west gate of Shenjing City, stepping on the streets covered with thick snow. The snow was left with deep horse hoof prints. Among the shops lined up on both sides, except for some grocery and cloth shops, all others had closed early.

On the saddle, the two men in the lead were wearing cloaks, their faces looking dusty and weathered from the long journey.

It was Zhen Qing's father, Zhen Yingjia, and the two brothers Zhen Shao, followed by Zhen Lin and other children of the Zhen family.

The biting cold wind in the cold winter of December blows in your face like a knife, causing pain on your cheeks.

The Zhen family originally had a mansion in the city of Shenjing, which was guarded by a special person. However, after the Zhen family was raided, the mansion was sealed and handed over to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Now that the King of Chu has ascended the throne and become the new monarch, Zhen Yingjia has become the Minister in Charge of the Imperial Household Department, and the original mansion has naturally been returned to Zhen Yingjia.

The brothers Zhen Yingjia and Zhen Shao, greeted by servants, walked into this majestic and magnificent mansion, came to the flower hall with a series of rosewood screens and sat down at a small lacquered wooden table. The servants served them fragrant tea and then slowly left.

Zhen Yingjia's old face showed a look of joy as he said, "It has been five years since I last left Beijing. Now that I am back in Beijing, it feels like a lifetime ago."

Zhen Shao couldn't help but sigh and said, "Now it can be said that the situation has changed."

Back then, the Zhen family really fell into poverty overnight, and no one could help them even if they cried out to heaven or earth.

Zhen Yingjia nodded and said, "Let's go to the princess's house later and meet the princess."

Zhen Shao said, "Lan'er and Xi'er are also at Jia Ziyu's Ningguo Mansion."

Zhen Yingjia said: "They are following Ziyu. Isn't Lan'er already a concubine?"

Their Zhen family must have many noble ladies. The eldest daughter and the second daughter are now the queen and concubine respectively.

Zhen Shao said: "The last letter said that Ziyu asked the clan officials to make him a concubine."

Zhen Yingjia said: "Everything Ziyu said at the beginning has come true one by one."

"If it wasn't for Zi Yu's guidance, which allowed us to plead for mercy when the late emperor passed away, we wouldn't have been able to make a comeback today." Zhen Shao sighed as he recalled the past.

Zhen Lin, who was sitting nearby, heard this and took over the conversation with a smile, saying, "Second Master, I heard that the King of Wei sent troops to force the palace this time. At the critical moment, it was Zi Yu who led the troops of the Beijing camp to quell the rebellion."

Zhen Yingjia paused for a moment, and said in a deep voice: "I didn't know what was going on. I didn't expect there were so many hidden secrets."

Zhen Lin said softly: "If it wasn't Jia Ziyu, it would have been the King of Wei and the King of Liang."

Zhen Yingjia praised him, saying, "Jia Ziyu is truly a wise king, loyal to his country and righteous in his heart."

As the saying goes, only in times of crisis can one's true heroic character be revealed.

At this moment, the Zhen family is undoubtedly very grateful for Jia Heng's advice back then. It can be said that Zhen and Jia were old friends, and after all these events, their relationship has become even closer.

Zhen Shao said: "Back then, when Ziyu went to Jiangnan, if the old lady hadn't insisted on marrying Lan'er and Xi'er to Ziyu, there wouldn't be today."

Zhen Yingjia nodded, twirled his beard, sighed, and said, "Mother has always had a sharp eye."

Zhen Shao said: "Brother, after dinner, let's go to the palace together to pay tribute to the late emperor."

Zhen Yingjia nodded in agreement.

Afterwards, the two men finished their meal, bathed, changed their clothes, put on white mourning clothes, and entered the palace accompanied by their entourage.

At this moment, there was a sound of weeping in the hall. King Chen Qin of Chu was mourning in the hall. When he heard the eunuch's report in his ear, his face froze and he was overjoyed.

He was just saying that he lacked reliable men and could not control the government when the Zhen family arrived.

After a while, Zhen Yingjia and Zhen Shao hurried into the hall, and under the guidance of the eunuch, they bowed and burned incense towards the coffin.

After the mourning was over, the eunuch came forward and whispered, "Master Zhen, His Majesty has summoned you in the side hall."

Zhen Yingjia and Zhen Shao looked at each other, and then, while talking, they followed the eunuch to the side hall.

At this moment, the King of Chu was sitting on a pear wood chair beside a small table. He picked up the blue and white porcelain teacup on the table, took a sip, and suppressed the restless thoughts in his mind.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Zhen Yingjia and Zhen Shao entered the warm room of the side hall, bowed to the King of Chu, and spoke softly.

The King of Chu put down the teacup, stood up and said, "Father-in-law, please get up quickly."

Although he was the king of a country, he had just ascended the throne and it was time to win the hearts of the people. The King of Chu fully demonstrated the image of a wise king who respected the wise and humble.

Zhen Yingjia looked at the King of Chu and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The King of Chu said in a gentle voice: "Now that the late emperor has passed away, many things are complicated, especially the affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. No one is taking care of them for the time being. My father-in-law has come at the right time to take over the affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and take care of the subsequent national funeral."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Yingjia's face became solemn, and he cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will do my best to help you."

King Chen Qin of Chu nodded, then he looked at Zhen Shao and said, "I think my second uncle should have heard about the previous incident between the Wei and Liang vassal states."

Zhen Shao's face was gloomy, just like the deep water, and he said, "I heard a little bit about it, but I didn't expect such a thing to happen."

The King of Chu raised his eyebrows, his face was gloomy, and he said in a deep voice: "These two people have no king and no father, and they dare to be so rebellious and do such a rebellious act. It is really shocking. Moreover, the early death of my father is also related to these two people."

When Zhen Shao heard this, his heart skipped a beat. It was obvious that the King of Chu's words had led him to some bad associations.

The King of Chu changed the subject and said, "Now, the guards in the palace are all the guards of the palace when I was in the palace, but I would like to ask my second uncle to take charge of the Five Cities Military Division in the capital for the time being."

Zhen Shao said: "The late emperor originally said that I should go to the capital to serve as the commander of the military training camp, in charge of the troops and horses, and the tasks of the Beijing camp..."

Previously, in order to cultivate the wings of the King of Chu, Emperor Chongping re-employed the Zhen family. At the beginning, he gave Zhen Shao the title of Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Minister of Military Affairs, and allowed him to work in the inner study.

The King of Chu looked thoughtful and said in a deep voice, "He will also be the commander of the Five Cities Army. Just like what happened with Jia Ziyu, Second Uncle should keep an eye on the capital for me. We must not allow the bad guys to cause trouble again."

The King of Chu had previously thought about letting Jia Heng take charge of the Five Cities Military Department, but the scene of Jia Heng single-handedly mobilizing the Beijing troops and entering the palace to serve the king ultimately frightened the King of Chu.

In other words, this was originally the emperor's way of checks and balances. With Zhen Shao controlling the Five Cities Military Department and Jia Heng in charge of the Beijing Camp, the King of Chu would feel more secure.

Upon hearing this, Zhen Shao's face became serious and he said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty."

Zhen Yingjia changed the subject and asked, "Your Majesty, where is the Queen?"

"She is still crying now. I will ask the eunuch to call her over." The King of Chu said as he gave orders to the eunuch serving beside him.

The eunuch responded and went to look for Zhen Qing.

After a while, Zhen Qing, accompanied by several eunuchs, came closer, looked at Zhen Yingjia intently, and said softly, "Father."

"Your humble servant greets the Queen." Zhen Yingjia stood up at this moment, bowed to Zhen Qing and said.

This is the kneeling ceremony of the royal family. The hierarchy is extremely strict. Even relatives are no exception. Nobles can be approachable, but the person concerned cannot be arrogant.

Zhen Shao also stood up at this time and saluted Zhen Qing.

Zhen Qing quickly stretched out her two slender hands, helped Zhen Yingjia up, and said, "Father and Second Uncle, please get up quickly."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Yingjia turned to Zhen Qing and thanked her, saying, "Thank you, Madam. May you live a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand years."

Zhen Qing said, "Father, you have come from a far distance and have worked hard all the way."

Zhen Yingjia said solemnly, "Since I received the order from the late emperor, I did not dare to delay and traveled day and night to finally reach the capital."

It can be said that we traveled day and night.

Zhen Qing sat down and said, "It's good that you're here. Your Majesty is in need of trusted people right now, so it's just right that father and second uncle are here."

The King of Chu took over the conversation and said, "Zitong, I have just asked my father-in-law to go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to help with the national mourning and the affairs of the royal palace. My second uncle has also been assigned to supervise the Five Cities Military Department."

Zhen Qing's beautiful eyes were like dew under her embroidered eyebrows. She looked at the King of Chu solemnly and said, "Your Majesty, the palace guards must also be replaced to prevent the vassal kings of Wei, Liang, Qi and others from colluding with each other."

The King of Chu nodded, his bright eyes flickering beneath his sword-like brows, and agreed: "What Zi Tong said is very true. Zhen Jue is now in charge of the troops in the palace to guard the palace."

Previously, when the King of Chu was the Crown Prince, he still treated Zhen Jue with courtesy and addressed him as brother. But now that he is the emperor, he no longer addresses him as brother.

Zhen Qing said: "The guards in the palace also need to be replaced, otherwise, I won't be able to sleep well at night."

If that bastard let her hold him while sleeping, she would feel at ease.

The King of Chu said: "That's exactly what I mean. We need to select a group of trusted people to take up the post."

A few people exchanged pleasantries and discussed some personnel arrangements, mainly consolidating personnel.

……

……

Godly City, Ningguo Mansion

Just before noon, several maroon horses pulled up in front of the Ningguo Mansion. The servants who were sweeping the snow with brooms in front of the door were startled and quickly turned around to return to the Ningguo Mansion to report.

The prince is back...

Jia Heng and Chen Xiao dismounted from their horses together and threw the reins to the attendants beside them.

He returned to the mansion today, and because it was a period of national mourning, the plaque in front of the mansion was decorated with a white mourning cloth, and the entire mansion was filled with a sad and solemn atmosphere.

While Jia Heng was speaking, he quickly walked into the hall.

At this moment, Qingwen came closer, twisting her slender waist, with a smile on her increasingly charming and bright face, and said in surprise, "Master, you are back?"

Although Qingwen was also listed as a consort of the Prince's Mansion in the Imperial Clan Bureau's Jade Spy List, she had already gotten used to serving Jia Heng as a maid.

Jia Heng asked, "Qingwen, where is the princess?"

"We are talking in the backyard." Qingwen said in a delicate voice.

Jia Heng nodded and walked towards the backyard while speaking. At this moment, in the hall of the backyard, Qin Keqing was holding her daughter Jia Fu. Her beautiful and gorgeous face was full of maternal tenderness and charm.

Not far away, the three sisters, Youshi, You Erjie, and You Sanjie, were sitting on an embroidered cushion and talking to Qin Keqing.

At this moment, while Jia Heng was speaking, he stepped into the hall, met the gazes of Qin Keqing, Youshi, You Erjie, and You Sanjie, and called out, "Keqing."

"Daddy~" At this moment, Jia Fu, who was in Qin Keqing's arms, saw Jia Heng and called out in a soft and sweet voice.

Jia Heng came forward and hugged Jia Fu, feeling the warmth and tenderness on her face. He said, "Fu'er, I haven't seen you for a few days. You have gained some weight."

Jia Fu's voice was extremely soft and tender, and she asked in a babyish voice, "Why is it heavy?"

Qin Keqing smiled and said, "Daddy is saying that you have grown up."

Jia Heng gently scratched his daughter's nose and said, "Yes, Fu'er has grown up. She changes every day."

Jia Funi snorted, her voice soft and tender, and said, "Daddy scratched my nose, it's time to collapse it."

Jia Heng asked, "Who told you this? Is there anyone with a flat nose in our family?"

Qin Keqing's beautiful eyes sparkled with concern under her dark eyebrows. She asked, "My husband, have you finished handling the national mourning in the palace?"

Jia Heng said, "It's still too early. It will take some time. The late emperor will be buried next year."

Qin Keqing nodded and said, "Husband, how do you plan to spend the New Year?"

Jia Heng said: "In matters of national mourning, everything should be kept simple. There is nothing else to say."

In fact, he was more concerned about how Mopan would fight with Tianniuer after entering the palace.

Jia Heng sat down, picked up his daughter Jia Fu, and looked at the beauty sitting on the pearwood chair, saying, "Keqing, the New Year is coming soon. Have you prepared all the New Year's goods in your house?"

Yu Shi took over the conversation and said, "All kinds of New Year's goods have been prepared in the mansion."

Jia Heng nodded and said gently, "That's good. We will also give some money to the orphans, the old and the young in the clan to prepare for the New Year."

At this moment, Third Sister You's beautiful eyes were as bright as water, and she asked curiously, "My Lord, how long will the national mourning last?"

"About forty-nine days, which is considered a bit simpler than the previous dynasty. However, the late emperor's coffin will be buried in the spring, summer or autumn of next year," said Jia Heng.

Seeing that Third Sister You didn't quite understand, You explained, "The mausoleum is probably not repaired yet, and the body needs to be kept there for a while."

At this moment, a young maid quickly entered the wing room and said, "Princess, Concubine Zhen and Madam Xi are here."

As he was talking, Zhen Lan and Zhen Xi came walking quickly, with joy on their faces. They said, "Brother Heng, someone just came to the Zhen residence in the capital. My father and second uncle have already arrived in the capital."

Jia Heng nodded, and with his sword-like brows, he looked at Zhen Lan with warm eyes and said in a gentle voice: "Yes, it's time to come."

Zhen Lan's beautiful eyes were as bright as water under her two fine eyebrows. She said coquettishly, "Brother Heng, I want to go to your house with my sister to visit my uncle and second uncle."

Jia Heng nodded and said, "At this time, the two of them should go to the palace to pay their respects to the late emperor. It won't be too late to wait until later."

Zhen Lan hummed softly.

Jia Heng said: "It's been a turbulent time in the capital right now, everything will be fine by the beginning of next spring."

Just then, a young maid entered the hall and said, "Madam, lunch is ready."

Qin Keqing smiled and said, "Okay, husband, let's have lunch together first."

Jia Heng responded softly, then sat down at the table beside Qin Keqing, picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

(End of this chapter)