The Red Mansions

Chapter 242 Not a strategy, but a strategy

Chapter 242 Not a strategy, but a strategy

In Daming Palace——

Emperor Chongping was kneaded by Empress Song's slender hands, and his face was a little happy and comfortable, and he said: "In short, it depends on him. If everything is ready, I can push the boat along the way, and I am willing to become a Weng with him." Son-in-law, right now, the time is not ripe, but we can only take one step at a time."

Empress Song said: "Your Majesty's words are true."

Emperor Chongping thought for a while, and then reminded: "Zitong, he has just been married for a long time. If he doesn't have this intention, even I can't make things difficult for others. Don't make decisions on your own, and then turn good things into bad things... In addition, you also ask Ask Xianning and what her mother and concubine think, so as not to make up her own mind and get resentful."

Compared with the two kings of Qi and Chu and Chen Ran and Chen Wei, who were born by Empress Song, Emperor Chongping's marriage to his daughter Princess Xianning was good, and his daily behavior was also good. He was considered enlightened and gentle.

"The concubine is also worried for Zhi'er, she is not too young." Empress Song smiled lightly and said, "As for Jia Ziyu, the concubine is just thinking about it. Hearing what your majesty said, it seems to be nothing. The concubine can't open her mouth anymore."

This is the case with marriages in the Tian family, and everything must be decent.

Emperor Chongping pondered for a while, and said: "It can't be said that there is no shadow, even if I bestow a marriage, they must always fall in love with each other."

Empress Song said softly: "The concubine sees that Zhi'er has been holding the book of Three Kingdoms these days and can't put it down. I asked Ran'er and the others about some of Jia Ziyu's deeds, and the concubine paid attention. As for Jia Ziyu, I will wait until next year. After leaving Chun'er, and then when he opens the house, Zhi'er can also meet him, let's see if there is any sign of this."

When Emperor Chongping heard the words, he was silent for a moment, and a bit of coldness surged in his heart.

His queen was probably looking for an arm for Ran'er.

The matter of establishing a heir, which involves the great Han Dynasty, needs to be observed slowly. If he does not appoint a prince early, he will learn from the lessons of the Longzhi period and give several princes a chance to display their talents.

Emperor Chongping looked deeply and thought, "If a prince is appointed, one heir will be determined early, and his heart will be negligent and slack, and the other will be envied by the princes, causing disasters. The princes of all dynasties will be deposed early. , It is precisely for this reason, this is also a lesson from the fierce battle of seizing the heir during the Longzhi period, and I cannot repeat the same mistakes."

"Forget it, as a mother, although Zi Tong is a queen, she is also a mother..."

Thinking of this, and the sense of comfort on his shoulders, the coldness in Emperor Chongping's heart dissipated by seven or eight points.

Empress Song didn't know that her little thoughts had already been seen through by the emperor who was sleeping beside her. It was only because of her love for the relationship between husband and wife and a trace of indebtedness in her heart that Emperor Chongping tolerated it.

But it was said that Jia Heng left the palace, rode on his horse, and walked along Zhuque Street, intending to return to Ningguo Mansion.

At that time, it was almost evening, and the sky was full of sunset.

"Let's go to the eldest princess's mansion first." Jia Heng looked up and saw that it was still early, and couldn't help thinking.

Going to the eldest princess's mansion, there is no need to buy any gifts. Firstly, it is difficult to prepare in a hurry, and secondly, it seems intimate and casual to come to the door empty-handed.

About a quarter of an hour later, Jia Heng drove his horse to the front of the princess mansion with a majestic gate and vermilion eaves.

The porter under the eaves was taken aback when he saw the young man sitting on the maroon horse, and asked, "Who is this general?"

Because Jia Heng wore the robe of a third-rank military officer, he could recognize it at a glance to the servants in front of the Princess Jinyang's mansion.

Jia Heng got off his horse, with a calm face and a clear voice, and said: "Jia Heng asked to see His Highness Jinyang, I am very troubled."

When the servant heard this, he was taken aback for a moment, then he reacted and said with a smile: "So it's Mrs. Jia. Your Highness has something to say. If your lord comes to visit in person, just go to the flower hall."

As he said that, he called a few servants to come up, and while holding the reins in Jia Heng's hand, he said with a warm smile: "My lord, please."

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, his complexion paused slightly, and his cold eyes showed a bit of gentleness.

Even if this eldest princess of the Han Dynasty intends to do so, she can be regarded as a caring person who is considerate.

However, he was keenly aware of the words "visit in person". If he sent a servant from the Ningguo Mansion to visit, he would not be able to get such a courtesy.

Jia Heng put away his thoughts and followed the servant into the courtyard.

And the servants of the Princess Jinyang's mansion had already reported to the inside.

But it is said that in the back garden with rugged rockery and rustling autumn scenery, there is a two-story attic, under the west window, behind the desk, Princess Jinyang wears a light yellow palace dress with a slender waist and high girdle, with a thin appearance. Fen Dai, with the buns combed by the women of this era, reveals a forehead that is as clean as jade, with three petals of flower tinsel painted in the middle, bright and charming with a little bit of bright red in the white.

At this moment, the beauty is sitting behind a desk, holding a brush with brush, concentrating on painting.

On the drawing paper, a girl in a fiery red dress is sitting in a gazebo surrounded by peach blossoms, stroking a Yaoqin, facing a waterfall hanging in the distance, and white cranes fly by in the blue sky.

I saw the inscription on the upper right corner of the drawing paper, "If life is just like the first time you see it, what is the autumn wind and sad painting fan..."

After finishing the last stroke, Princess Jinyang put down the pen and murmured softly: "Waiting for the old man's heart to change, but the old man's heart is easy to change."

Lianxue, the maidservant serving the pen and ink, said softly: "His Royal Highness's painting techniques are becoming more and more rounded, and the distant and near scenes are intertwined. It's just a pity that there is only one person sitting alone in the empty mountain."

Princess Jinyang smiled lightly, but did not answer Lianxue's question, and said: "It's just scribbling, it can't be called the Fang family, but it can't compare to your family's long history and superb skills."

Lianxue lowered her clear eyes, and said softly: "The servant girl has not painted for two years, and her skills have long since become rusty."

"That should be picked up. For people like you and me, in this life, we must always find something to put our thoughts on." The eldest princess of Jinyang said softly, but sighed faintly.

Lianxue said: "The servant girl swore an oath two years ago that she would stop painting before her father was wronged."

Princess Jinyang Yurong paused for a moment, looking at the young girl with a sense of inexplicability, and said: "What happened back then was turbulent, so you shouldn't be too persistent, you need to look forward, you It's the age of youth, and there are still great years."

Lianxue said: "Then... Where is Your Highness?"

As he spoke, he stared at Princess Jinyang.

Princess Jinyang washed her hands in the golden basin of clean water brought by the maidservant, wiped them with a towel, took a cup of tea, took a sip, and waved her hand to signal the maidservant to go down.

Raising her head, she looked at Lianxue who was tidying up the scrolls in front of the desk with a pair of shining eyes, and said: "The things of the previous generation, many years have passed, and Chanyue has grown up, so if you don't let go, you can still hold on to it." How about it? Your father was wrongly killed, but your father was not the only one who was wrongly killed in the old part of the prince? If you want to be rehabilitated, it may take decades."

Decades later, when the descendants of Emperor Chongping ascended the throne, he would rehabilitate and pity those who were wronged and implicated at the beginning. This is the king's demeanor from the winner.

When Lianxue heard this, she was silent for a while.

She knew that the big Han princess in front of her was not as she said, she had completely let go of the past, otherwise she would not have written a painting and put it in meditation.

As for who this meditation is for, she also has some vague guesses.

The girl under the peach blossom tree is clearly the eldest princess who is still in the boudoir, so why can't I see the figure of the former son-in-law of the prince Zhan Shifu?

Thinking about it here... probably there is a hidden secret that she doesn't know about.

"The tree wants to be quiet but the wind doesn't stop." Lianxue said softly with her eyes lowered.

Sighing softly from the bottom of my heart, I framed the painting in my hand.

Princess Jinyang frowned, but pretended she hadn't heard this, and asked, "Jingzhong, is there any news recently?"

Lianxue's busy hands did not pause, and she said in a clear voice: "In the past month or so, except for the subdued war in the north, the imperial court has been paying attention to the disposal of goods in the east city. The soldiers are about to leave Beijing to go to the border, and they will pay compensation to the fallen generals at the border, Wang Ziteng, the governor of the Beijing camp, and return to Beijing from the three towns in the northwest to check the border."

When Princess Jinyang heard the words, her clear eyes flickered, and she said softly: "This time, the court situation is also lively. By the way, where is Jia Heng? Is there any news about Jia Heng recently?"

Lianxue pursed her cherry lips, and said softly: "Not recently...but Your Highness, I don't know if I should say something or not?"

Princess Jinyang's smile froze for a moment, and she asked, "What should I say?"

Lianxue said softly: "My servant thinks that Jia Ziyu seems to have intentions these days... In alienating His Royal Highness, since Cuihua Mountain suppressed bandits and returned to Beijing, he has not visited the house for more than a month. If he is busy with official duties, but this month, It’s impossible not to spare half a day, right?”

Princess Jinyang was silent for a while, then said quietly: "He has been busy with the errands assigned by the palace recently, so he may not be free, even if...he intentionally distances himself from me, I don't have anything to blame him for."

After all, her identity is somewhat sensitive.

Not only the emperor's sister, but also some past that are not easy to mention. If Jia Heng asked Mrs. Rongfu about it, with his mentality, he would probably think of some secrets of the Tian family and avoid her like a snake.

However, at this moment, the woman outside called out: "Your Highness, Jia Yunhui asked for an audience outside the door, and has been welcomed to the flower hall in the front yard."

Princess Jinyang was thinking to herself, when she heard the news, she looked at Lianxue, both master and servant were surprised.

"Lianxue, some people really don't talk about it, let's go meet together." Princess Jinyang couldn't help but smiled, but she was clearly in a happy mood.

Lianxue nodded and followed Princess Jinyang down the attic.

in flower hall

It is spacious and elegant, the windows are bright and clean, and the decoration is exquisite and luxurious.

Jia Heng sat on the pear-wooden chair, taking in all the furnishings in the hall. After a few months, he visited Princess Jinyang again, but his state of mind was quite different.

"Now that I think about it, there are quite a lot of doubts about this big Han princess, such as why she guarded an orphan girl and set up her own family. The emperor and Queen Mother Feng never thought about choosing another husband for her? A widow for more than ten years In [-], if you were like the sister-in-law Zhu in the West Mansion, your heart was like a withered wood and ashes, but you had a lot of friends in Beijing. However, I haven't heard of any banquets in the past month or so, presumably because of the corruption in the north and the military situation. , and felt out of place."

While Jia Heng sipped the tea, various speculations arose in his mind.

But at this moment, the bead curtains in the inner hall rattled, and then the fragrance floated, and the rings jingled.

Putting down the teacup, looking around, I saw Princess Jinyang stepping out, the beauty's delicate and flowery face was filled with a smile, and said: "I don't know Jia Yunhui's visit to the humble house, and my palace is not far away. , and hope Haihan."

This is a joke, just like Jia Heng teased Cai Quan earlier.

But Jia Heng's complexion remained unchanged, neither worry nor fear, he got up from his seat, his calm eyes fell on the beauty's smile, he looked at those clear eyes for a while, and said in a warm voice: "Your Highness, I haven't seen you for a few days, have you been okay?"

The smile on Princess Jinyang's face stagnated, Qiu Shui's bright eyes blinked, and she said softly, "Not good."

Lian Xue: "..."

This conversation is like an old lover meeting.

Jia Ziyu's question was nothing, it was her princess...

Jia Heng knew that Princess Jinyang was joking, thought for a while, and asked, "Why?"

Princess Jinyang's beautiful eyes twinkled, and she said with a light smile: "Mr. Xiao Jia promised to go to the mansion to give lectures on history on a regular basis. I have been waiting in the mansion for many days, but I have not seen Mr. Jia. There is also the script of the Three Kingdoms. , I have already finished watching it, and I am thinking about the follow-up review, do you think this palace will be better?"

As she said that, even though she was sitting on the chair in the main seat, she didn't know if it was because she was sitting so hard, her plump chest seemed to tremble slightly.

"What has Mr. Jia been up to lately?" Li Ren asked with a smile.

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then turned to Princess Jinyang with clear eyes, and said, "Since your highness knows it well, why bother to ask?"

He didn't come to visit, and the princess didn't come to call. When he came, she ordered the servants to lead into the flower hall.

Women's hearts, sea needles, sometimes they don't even know what they are thinking.

Because mental activity changes instantaneously, there is a window of opportunity for later generations.

Of course, this is an inappropriate example, in short, we should not follow their rhythm too much.

When Princess Jinyang heard the words, her heart shook slightly, and she didn't know why she didn't dare to look at the burning eyes that were looking straight at her, and she put away her joking attitude for a while.

Jia Heng's expression was indifferent, and he seemed to say something commonplace: "Recently, the affairs of the family and the court were intertwined, and there was no time for it to happen. Today, I have leisure. I came back from the palace and stopped by to see His Highness. Of course, there is just one thing to discuss with His Highness."

When Princess Jinyang heard the words, her bright eyes shone softly, a trace of curiosity appeared on her face, and her round and jade-like voice couldn't help but softly asked, "What's the matter?"

Seeing this scene, Lianxue's heart skipped a beat, she didn't know if it was an illusion, she always felt that the eldest princess at this moment regarded Jia Heng opposite as a peer.

Jia Heng thought to himself, sure enough, this is the result of his intentional creation just now.

In fact, with the promotion of his status, the relationship with Princess Jinyang has become somewhat delicate, not the subtlety of men and women.

It's about equality and possibility in relationships.

In the past, he had no official status, and the gentleness, kindness, and generosity of Princess Jinyang were all a kind of overlooking from high to low. Perhaps it can be said that alms with good intentions are just one aspect of a nobleman.

And after he was ennobled, no, or after he was honored by the emperor, this kind of overlooking from high to low gradually descended from the clouds, and there was some real sense of equality.

"Or the reason why I avoided this single mother before was because I subconsciously... had this strange feeling of being overlooked, and Princess Jinyang deliberately created an old acquaintance's conversation and laughter, which was more like precaution and vigilance She is also adjusting and adapting, this is a period of rapid turbulence in interpersonal relationships, and I just..."

Thinking of this, Jia Heng's eyes moved slightly, and a strange feeling surged in his heart.

No, I was faintly attacking her just now?

Because the adjustment of social positioning is precisely vague and turbulent, in other words, the direction is uncertain.

And because of his habitual dominance during this period of time, he is trying to dominate the interpersonal relationship, faintly creating an effect that is not a strategy, but a strategy.

Jia Heng's thoughts turned, suppressed the strangeness in his heart, looked at Princess Jinyang, and said: "When I was interviewing the saint just now, I spoke to the saint and handed over some of the work I copied from the Sanhe gang in Dongcheng to His Highness. operate."

When Princess Jinyang heard the words, her jade face changed suddenly, and she said in surprise: "Is it run by me? Mr. Xiao Jia... I don't understand what you mean?"

Jia Heng said: "There are some businesses that are very profitable. It would be a pity if they were all sold off. I think His Highness can take over part of it and take care of it for the Holy One. Last time in Chang'an County, His Highness's grain shop was given to you." I was very impressed."

Princess Jinyang listened to Jia Heng's words, and for a moment, her face showed thinking, as if she was also thinking about the feasibility, and said softly: "Shouldn't those livelihoods be included in the Ministry of Internal Affairs? Oh, yes, some Shops cannot be filled into the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

Looking at the Princess Jinyang who suddenly asked and answered by herself, Jia Heng nodded and praised: "Your Highness is extremely intelligent, and he hits the nail on the head."

Even if he knows that the way of getting along with the dominance of interpersonal communication is easy to cause a negative effect of attacking and conquering a noble man, but his behavior habits and temperament do not allow him not to try to compete for the dominance of interpersonal communication.

Princess Jinyang hesitated for a while, and said softly: "My palace is not good at breeding merchants and merchants."

"I see that His Highness has quite a number of shops, and they are running quite impressively. Could it be that His Highness...is still ashamed of words?" Jia Heng's voice was extremely gentle, but his words were already somewhat oppressive.

Princess Jinyang paused slightly, her bright eyes flickered, and she couldn't help feeling strange, or it was Jia Heng's attitude that triggered the noble lady's psychological defense mechanism.

But Jia Heng's attitude was sincere, which formed a kind of contrast. Although there was something strange in the heart of Princess Jinyang, she was not unhappy, so she fell silent for a while.

Jia Heng said slowly: "Nowadays, the treasury is not enough, and there is too much internal money to make money. The Holy Majesty is devastated by it. His Highness Jinyang is the Holy Majesty's younger sister. If he shares his worries, the Holy Majesty must be very happy."

Upon hearing this, Princess Jinyang raised her eyes to look at Jia Heng, and said with a light smile, "Zi Yu, are you here to be a lobbyist for Brother Huang?"

In the end, fixing the unshakable appellation on the table is just like the mood of a beautiful woman.

Jia Heng said: "This was originally my suggestion. I originally thought His Highness was the most suitable. Of course, His Highness felt that there was something difficult to do, so just pretend that I didn't say it."

After hearing the words, the eldest princess of Jinyang sized Jia Heng up and said, "The courtier is running around to share the worries of the emperor's brother. I am the eldest princess of the Han Dynasty. How can I fall behind others? I have accepted your invitation."

It's also a good thing for her, it's hard for Jia Heng to think of her.

The reason why she hesitated just now was because she was worried about the Ministry of Internal Affairs, her brother Wang is not the one who suffers.

Thinking of this, looking at the young man opposite, I felt a little suspicious.

She remembered that the Second Ningrong Mansion had a festival with her brother Wang...

(End of this chapter)