The Red Mansions

Chapter 1401 Chen Xiao: No one is left behind

Chapter 1401 Chen Xiao: Really not one left behind...

Grand View Garden, Qichiyuan

The two sisters, Zhen Lan and Zhen Xi, were sitting on a low couch covered with soft mattresses under the glass window of the west wing, reading a blue-covered military book in the sunlight that was filtering through the window lattice.

Yaruo was sitting in front of a chessboard, opposite her was Xiangyun.

Baoqin sat down beside Yaruo at this moment, staring at the chess pieces on the chessboard, and urged her, saying, "Sister Yaruo, the horse is about to be eaten by Sister Yun."

When Yaruo heard this, a look of panic gradually appeared on her innocent and bright face, and she said, "Then I'll jump over here."

As he spoke, he jumped a horse under the pawn.

Baoqin stretched out a hand to hold her snow-white cheek. Her almond eyes were sparkling under her emerald eyebrows. She reminded, "Sister Yun, the car is going to be lost."

At this moment, Xiangyun picked up the red cannon and hit the black car with one blow, the sound was crisp and bright: "Eat the car."

"No, I'll go again." Seeing this scene, Yaruo's beautiful and plump cheeks seemed to turn slightly red, and she said hurriedly.

"Oh, sister Yaruo, how can you regret your move?" Xiangyun took Yaruo's hand, smiled, and said softly, "Don't regret your move."

While several people were making noises, suddenly a familiar voice came from outside the corridor, saying, "Why is it so lively in Qichi Courtyard right now?"

Several girls who were playing chess stood up one after another and looked with joy at the tall, resolute-looking young man in the python costume.

Jia Heng walked into the hall, a smile as warm as the sun in early winter appeared on his calm face, and he said, "Sister Yun, Sister Baoqin, why are you having so much fun now?"

At this moment, Zhen Lan smiled, unable to hide her inexplicable joy in her tone, and asked, "Brother Heng, you're back."

Jia Heng chuckled and asked, "Sister Lan, you guys are having fun."

Zhen Lan saw the strange look on the boy's face and asked, "Brother Heng, what's this?"

"I'm leaving for Liaodong the day after tomorrow, so I came to see you." Jia Heng said softly.

Zhen Lan was slightly surprised when she heard this, and asked softly, "Brother Heng, are you leaving?"

Jia Heng responded softly and sat down. At this moment, Zhen Xi came over and massaged Jia Heng's shoulders to relieve the fatigue in the young man's shoulders.

An expression of enjoyment gradually appeared on Jia Heng's sharp and resolute face, and his cold eyes were full of happiness.

"Xier's cooking skills are getting better and better." Jia Heng's face gradually showed a sense of relief and he praised her.

At this moment, Xiangyun's eyes were filled with a smile that was extremely innocent. She looked at the young man in the python costume with an infatuated look and said, "Brother Heng, let me give you a leg massage."

As he spoke, he walked closer, squatted down, and looked at the young man in the python costume.

Brother Heng should know what she wants to say.

Baoqin also came over and helped Jia Heng massage his legs from the other side.

Jia Heng stared at Baoqin and asked casually, "Baoqin, how is your business at sea recently?"

Baoqin's plump face was full of smiles, and she said softly, "Daddy said that business is good."

Zhen Lan paused for a moment and said, "Brother Heng, my uncle and second uncle sent me a letter yesterday saying that they have established a maritime trade chamber of commerce in Jinling. They recently wanted to visit Brother Heng in the capital."

At the beginning, the four brothers of the Zhen family were exiled by Emperor Chongping. When the emperor passed away, the four brothers of the Zhen family were also released and returned to Shenjing City.

Jia Heng thought for a moment and said softly, "I can't catch up here either."

Speaking of which, the King of Chu is now recruiting disciples and winning over people's hearts, so naturally he needs to supply these scholars with silver and money. The source of this money is self-evident, and it should be another supply from the Zhen family.

If the King of Chu can be made the crown prince, and even rule the world in the future, then the Zhen family will be able to make a comeback. Zhen Yingjia, Zhen Zhu and others are royal relatives, and they can all make a comeback and serve as officials again.

Zhen Lan nodded her beautiful head and said, "Well, when uncle and his family arrive, my sister and I will entertain them."

After talking for a while, Baoqin and Xiangyun stood up.

Baoqin looked at Jia Heng with her emerald eyebrows, pursed her pink lips, and said softly, "Brother Heng, Sister Yun and I are a little tired, so we won't stay here any longer."

Jia Heng nodded and said softly, "Okay, you two go."

Baoqin: "..."

Zhen Lan glanced at Baoqin and Xiangyun, vaguely understanding something, and said softly, "Brother Heng, go and see them off."

Jia Heng thought for a moment and said, "Sister Lan, please wait here. I will go and see Sister Yun and Sister Baoqin off."

Then, he walked out of the door and saw Baoqin and Xiangyun off as they left Qichi Courtyard.

"Sister Yun, where are we going?" Jia Heng looked at the two little fat girls from under his sword-like eyebrows, with a hint of smile in his eyes, and asked softly.

Xiangyun's plump face, which was like an apple, blushed as she said, "Brother Heng."

Baoqin's face was as red as fire, like brocade clouds, and she said softly, "Brother Heng, come to my side."

Jia Heng nodded slightly, and went to Baoqin's residence with Baoqin and Xiangyun.

At this moment, the wing room was divided into several spaces by a glass mica screen, and on the wall of the central hall, there was a painting of thin pine and winter plum blossoms hanging.

This painter has profound skills. In every stroke of his brush, one can see the rugged character leaping off the paper.

As soon as Jia Heng arrived at Baoqin's room, Xiangyun grabbed Jia Heng's hand, with a silly look in her eyes, and said, "Brother Heng, um~"

Before she could finish, she saw the young man approaching, and the breeze and drizzle turned into a heavy rain, which suddenly submerged Xiangyun in the torrent of rivers.

Jia Heng gently hugged the plump body of the chubby girl and moved closer to her slightly pink lips. He quickly moved in and smelled the fragrance.

This chubby little girl Xiangyun actually smells a bit like milk.

Two blushes gradually appeared on Xiangyun's rosy face. She felt something strange on her collar and said softly, "Brother Heng."

On the other side, Baoqin's plump, fair face also blushed as she said, "Brother Heng."

Jia Heng responded softly, saying, "Sister Yun, let's go inside."

As he spoke, he went to the embroidered couch where Baoqin was.

And at this moment, Baoqin also moved closer, and her plump and chubby face was flushed with red, bright and beautiful.

A pale yellow curtain was hung down, tied up with golden hooks, and on the curtain a large cluster of hibiscus flowers were in full bloom, gorgeous and magnificent.

Jia Heng lay on the bed, gazing at the embroidered patterns on the curtains, thinking about the upcoming war.

The two guards of Gaizhou and Haizhou in Liaodong were on one route, and the troops from Korea were also on one route. In addition, he led troops from Shanhaiguan. In other words, it was a three-pronged attack.

At this moment, Jia Heng's brows were alternately furrowed and relaxed, and a blush seemed to gradually appear on both sides of his resolute and calm face, and his eyes were dazed.

At this moment, the two beautiful heads with black hair seem to be put together, because they are both chubby little girls with pink and chubby skin, just like twin lotus flowers.

It was unknown how long it had been before Jia Heng gazed at Baoqin and Xiangyun's plump faces, a hint of pity flashing in his bright eyes, and said softly, "Sister Yun, Sister Qin, take a break."

The two little fat girls really missed him.

Baoqin responded softly, and then her plump face became flushed, and under her emerald eyebrows, a pair of watery almond eyes shone slightly, clearly crystal clear.

Jia Heng nodded and said softly, "Okay."

As he spoke, he picked up a handkerchief and handed it over.

Baoqin and Xiangyun took the handkerchiefs and gently wiped the corners of their lips. Their eyes and eyebrows were charming, and their plump and chubby faces were blushing inexplicably.

On the other side, Jia Heng moved closer, until a long time later——

Jia Heng stared at Baoqin and Xiangyun's chubby faces, blushing and looking at them with a hint of pity. He said softly, "When I'm not in Shenjing City, you and Sister Yun should take good care of yourselves."

Well, I can’t say take care of the little fat girl…

Baoqin was shivering, her plump and graceful body was trembling constantly. Hearing these words, her fair and chubby face flushed beautifully on both sides, making her as beautiful as a peach and charming.

"Brother Heng must also be careful." Baoqin said softly.

Jia Heng glanced at the darkening sky outside and said, "Sister Baoqin, it's getting late. You two should take a bath. I'm going to go back and rest."

The two little fat girls have been making a fuss for the entire afternoon. What’s the smell now?

These two little fat girls are really plump.

Baoqin's pretty, rosy face suddenly turned red, and then she propped up her soft body and stood up, her eyes as bright as water.

Baoqin looked at the young man who was adjusting his clothes and asked in a soft voice, "Brother Heng, when will you come back this time?"

Jia Heng put on his official boots and said, "I can't say for sure. I'll probably have to wait until next year."

A war to annihilate a country obviously cannot be resolved in three or two months. It is normal for it to drag on for a year or two.

Xiangyun nodded. Under her beautiful eyebrows, her face, which looked like a sleeping crabapple, showed a hint of infatuation. She said softly, "Brother Heng, you should take good care of yourself when you are out there."

Jia Heng said softly, "Well, Sister Yun, don't worry."

While speaking, Jia Heng did not say anything else, but left Baoqin's residence and headed towards the study.

In the study -

Chen Xiao was wearing a flying fish suit with exquisite embroidered patterns. He was looking at a map next to the wardrobe. It was a map of Liaodong's terrain and passes drawn by the Ministry of War in its early years, which was originally stored in the Ministry of War's Zhifang Division.

Now, Chen Xiao took it out and started to study it.

When he heard the footsteps on the eaves, Chen Xiao turned his head and looked at Jia Heng's face and asked, "Where are you coming from?"

Jia Heng said, "I went to see Baoqin and Xiangyun."

Chen Xiao snorted and said sarcastically, "Not a single one is left behind."

Jia Heng said: "There are still some left."

For example, Zhen Xue and Xiu Yan...especially Xiu Yan's marriage, I'm afraid I'll have to wait until I return from Liaodong to plan it.

Under his sharp eyebrows, his deep eyes flickered, his face was puzzled, and he said softly: "What is your strategy for advancing the army?"

Xiaoxiao is also a daughter of a general, and she is very capable in leading troops.

Chen Xiao said softly: "You previously thought of sending a large army to Songshan and Jinzhou to fight a decisive battle with the enemy. This strategy is not appropriate in many ways."

Jia Heng nodded and said, "Oh, what do you mean?"

Chen Xiao's face was solemn, and he said, "You mean not to divide the troops, so as not to be defeated one by one by the Jurchens, but the Jurchen cavalry is everywhere, if they attack from behind, our army's food and fodder will be in danger of being cut off."

Jia Heng nodded and said, "You are right. I have considered this before. We should use the cavalry of the Beijing Camp to protect the army so that the baggage and fodder will not be robbed."

Chen Xiao said: "It's not necessarily wrong to divide the troops. The present is very different from the Longzhi period. Although it's not wrong to proceed step by step, we can't just stick to the old ways."

Jia Heng nodded, his cold eyes flashed under his sword-like eyebrows, and he said, "What do you mean?"

He originally wanted to advance step by step, steadily and cautiously, so his style of using troops tended to be conservative. Now it seems that he was a bit too conservative.

Chen Xiao's eyes flashed fiercely under his sword-like eyebrows, as if there were stars twinkling brightly, and he said: "In my opinion, we can let Xie Zaiyi lead a small army and wait for an opportunity. If there is a chance, we can easily defeat the elite cavalry of the Jurchens and then attack Shengjing directly. At that time, the Jurchens will respond with three routes, and Shengjing will definitely be empty and unprepared."

Jia Heng said: "That's fine, but it depends on the situation at the time."

He didn't want to attack Shengjing personally, and a commander like him would not be as good as the young general.

In other words, as long as he could defeat the Jurchens, all the credit for this great achievement would be his.

Just as Jia Heng was lost in thought, a maid entered the hall, looked at the young man in the python robe, and said, "Master, the hot water is ready."

Jia Heng responded softly, and then, without saying anything more, he said, "Xiaoxiao, I'm going to take a bath first."

"Go." Chen Xiao said softly, and then continued to look at the map of mountains and rivers under the light of a candle.

At this moment, Jia Heng entered a steaming bathtub and began to bathe under Qingwen's service.

Later in the evening, Jia Heng thought about it and decided to go to Longcui Temple to take a look. At this moment, the moon was bright in the sky and the spring breeze was warm.

Inside the Longcui Temple, the lights are turned on, and the orange glow brings a sense of warmth and friendliness.

In the nunnery——

Miaoyu was indeed talking with Xing Xiuyun. Since Miaoyu became pregnant, she could only stay in the Rongcui Temple to take care of her baby. Usually, it was Xing Xiuyun who came to talk to her and relieve her boredom.

At this moment, the two were having dinner, and the nanny not far away was holding Miaoyu's daughter Momo. The little girl had not eaten her vegetables properly in the past few days, and now the rice in her bowl was full of vegetables, and she was shedding tears.

Miaoyu picked up her chopsticks and gently ate the rice. She glanced at Momo and said, "Hold it back!"

It has to be said that this once talented woman, who used to look eccentric when discussing scriptures and the law, now scolds her own daughter and has some of the demeanor of a mother in later generations.

Momo couldn't help but shudder when she heard that, and the tears that were originally falling suddenly returned to her eyes.

Xing Xiuyan heard this and said, "Okay, okay, don't be so mean to her. Be careful not to get upset again."

Miaoyu snorted softly, her face as cold as frost, and said, "I was just too spoiled in the past."

"Still crying." Xing Xiuyan looked at the little girl with tears in her eyes and couldn't help but gently touched the little girl's head.

"Auntie." Momo raised her aggrieved pink little face, with resistance in her eyes under her caterpillar-like eyebrows.

Xing Xiuyan paused for a moment, then whispered softly, "How can you grow tall without eating vegetables? Daddy will teach you how to ride a horse in the future."

As he spoke, he picked up a piece of green vegetables and put it in Momo's porcelain bowl of rice, and chuckled, "Momo, okay, let's eat the green vegetables together."

"Yeah." Momo responded softly, and her black grape-like eyes were suddenly filled with tears. She picked up the chopsticks and ate the vegetables in small bites.

At this moment, Miaoyu had a calm expression. She picked up the chopsticks, picked up the vegetables, and then started eating.

At this moment, a pretty maid entered the room and whispered, "Miss, Master Heng is here."

As soon as these words were spoken, the two people who were originally talking showed joy on their faces.

After a while, the young man in a blue shirt and a straight gown could be seen crossing the threshold. Facing the gazes of Miaoyu and Xing Xiuyan, he said softly, "Eating! I was just saying I hadn't eaten yet."

"Daddy~" At this moment, when Momo saw her daddy coming, her eyes immediately filled with tears. She shouted towards the young man, her voice undoubtedly filled with tears.

The little girl finally found someone who can make decisions for her.

Jia Heng smiled and said, "What's wrong with Momo? Why are you still so aggrieved?"

While speaking, he glanced at Miaoyu's changing expression and was able to grasp some of the reasons, which was that most likely the mother and daughter were having a quarrel.

Children can be really annoying sometimes, and Miaoyu is not a good-tempered person.

Xing Xiuyan looked at the young man in the python costume and said softly, "Momo doesn't eat vegetables."

Jia Heng came forward, picked up the sweet-smelling little girl, and asked, "Momo, are the vegetables not tasty?"

Then, looking at Miaoyu beside her, she said in a somewhat reproachful manner, "The child is so young, it's hard for her to digest these. Don't be so mean to her."

Miaoyu said softly, "I thought she was a few years old now, so it's a good time for her to grow taller."

Jia Heng said softly, "There's no need to rush."

As he spoke, he pinched his daughter's rosy cheeks, looked at the little girl's eyebrows, and said with a smile: "Momo, come, let's eat this tofu."

"Hmm." The little girl took a light bite and a smile reappeared on her face.

"Just spoil her every day." Miaoyu's beautiful eyebrows were like a crescent moon, and her bright eyes were slightly surprised. She asked, "Why do you have time to come to my place?"

This man came to see her and her daughter a few days ago, and I heard that another marriage had taken place these days.

Jia Heng nodded and said softly, "I will lead the troops to war the day after tomorrow, so I came to see you and Momo. It can be regarded as saying goodbye a day in advance."

When Miaoyu heard this, her crystal clear heart was inexplicably surprised. She said softly, "You are leading the army to the battle? So hasty? What about Xiuyan's marriage?"

As he said this, he looked at Xing Xiuyan, who was biting her cherry lips with her pearly teeth. Her eyes and brows, which looked like those of a fairy from the clouds, undoubtedly showed some surprise.

Momo was now nestled in Jia Heng's arms, eating with a small spoon. Her little face was rosy and chubby, and she exuded an innocent and lovely aura.

Jia Heng nodded, took the bowl of rice that Xing Xiuyan scooped, lowered his head and ate it, and said: "Xiuyan's marriage, let's put it on hold for now. If we return with a great victory, I will be named the Prince of the County, and Xiuyan can be named the Consort of the Imperial Court."

Miaoyu heard this, nodded and said, "That's good."

Jia Heng put down his chopsticks, looked at Miaoyu intently, and said softly, "Oh, and you, too. I'll ask for you to be given the title of Madam of Imperial Concubine when the time comes."

At that time, not only Xing Xiuyun, but also Miaoyu would be conferred the title of Lady of Imperial Concubine.

Miaoyu paused for a moment when she heard this, her chopsticks in her hand showing a hint of worry as she said, "It won't affect your reputation, will it?"

Obviously, this beautiful woman also wanted a status for the sake of her daughter and the fetus in her womb.

Jia Heng smiled and said self-deprecatingly, "My reputation as a playboy and a womanizer is well known in the capital, but what kind of reputation can I have now? I'm afraid that all kinds of stories about the Duke of Wei's visit to the Longcui Temple have been printed and are all over the streets. The first chapter is about the first encounter with You Tanni in the Longcui Temple, and the second chapter is about just a steamed bun after all..."

Miaoyu's cheeks flushed with joy when she heard this. Her crystal clear heart was filled with shame and anger. She rolled her eyes at the young man in the python costume and said angrily, "The child is still here, don't talk about this."

This guy is just so out of tune sometimes.

Jia Heng smiled, and under his handsome eyebrows, there seemed to be a trace of thoughtfulness in his eyes. He said, "Let's stop talking and eat."

As he spoke, he picked up a pair of bamboo chopsticks and started to pick up the food.

……

……

(End of this chapter)