The Red Mansions

Chapter 1616 Qianqian: Mother is fine, why is she crying?

Chapter 1616 Qianqian: Mother is fine, why is she crying?

Bashu, Chengdu Prefecture

Jia Yun, wearing a suit of black iron armor, stood on the city wall, looking at the officers of the Shu army who were asking for surrender in the distance. Under his thick eyebrows, his eyes were filled with joy.

With this merit of accepting surrender, it was a foregone conclusion that he would be conferred the fifth-rank title.

At this moment, a military officer with a rough face and a beard quickly entered the hall and said to Jia Yun, "General Jia, should we send someone to open the city gates and welcome the surrendered troops into the city?"

Jia Yun's face turned serious, and he warned, "Lieutenant General Li, take three thousand men out of the city to accept the surrender. Be careful of any fraud."

At this time, the Shu army might still be plotting something, so he needed to be on guard.

The officer, who had dark complexion, burly figure and looked like a black tower, became serious when he heard this, clasped his fists and said yes, then took a few steps and went down the city gate tower.

The Shu army officers below, under the supervision of the imperial troops, abandoned their weapons and entered the city of Chengdu.

Not long after that, Jia Yun also saw Gao Yong's body. He ordered his men to cut off Gao Yong's head and put it in a wooden box, intending to send it to the capital by express horse to report the victory to the court.

Meanwhile, Xie Zaiyi, the third-rank Duke of Liao and the Great Han, was leading his troops on a rapid gallop along the Jinniu Road, and was rapidly approaching the city of Chengdu.

……

……

In Shenjing City, a mansion two miles away from Ningguo Mansion——

In the side room, the sound of zither music could be heard. Xingzi was playing the zither at the moment, and the goat-hair brush in his hand was lightly drawing lines on the rice paper.

At this moment, a tall female official entered the study room and said in a charming voice, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Wei is here."

When Xingzi heard this, an inexplicable joy suddenly appeared on her gentle and charming face.

Immediately, Xingzi looked up and saw the young man in the python robe walking quickly from outside. A warm smile seemed to appear on his cold face under the strong sunlight.

"Xingzi." Jia Heng called out and looked at the beautiful woman who was wearing a kimono with a maple leaf pattern and had a graceful figure.

"Mr. Jia, you're here." Xingzi's eyebrows were as beautiful as black ink, curved like a crescent moon, and there seemed to be a faint smile on the corners of his raised mouth.

Jia Heng walked closer, held the beauty's slender hand, looked at the beauty wearing a maple leaf kimono, and said, "Xingzi, long time no see."

Xingzi turned her charming and bright face, and under her willow-shaped eyebrows, her soft and beautiful eyes seemed to be overflowing with charming emotions. She asked, "Jia Jun, are you done with the official business outside?"

Jia Heng nodded and said, "Yes, I'm done."

After finishing official business, now I am busy with mother's affairs.

Xingzi turned her head with long black hair, and stared at him from under her two dark green eyebrows. Her soft and beautiful eyes were full of infatuation, and she said in a trembling voice, "Jia Jun, um~"

But she saw the young man put his hands around her voluptuous waist, and then she felt a ball of warm breath suddenly approaching her soft and slightly moist lips.

At this moment, Jia Heng stretched out his hands and gently embraced Xingzi's plump waist, and in three or two steps, he walked towards the warm room in the inner room.

After an unknown amount of time, Jia Heng turned his head and looked at the beautiful woman with a rosy face and charming temperament. Her eyes and eyebrows were full of spring feelings. He couldn't help but feel happy.

Xingzi's beautiful eyes, with their emerald eyebrows, showed endless attachment. She said, "Jia Jun, are you leaving?"

Jia Heng reached out and stroked Xingzi's smooth and soft shoulders, saying, "Yes, I have something else to do later. I'll come and accompany you when I'm free in a couple of days."

Xingzi said "hmm" softly, and then she gently closed her charming eyes, as if immersed in the afterglow of some stormy waves, and said: "I hope Mr. Jia will enjoy it and come often in the future."

Jia Heng: "..."

This statement gives me a sense of "Uncle will come to visit often" in the future.

However, considering the male-loving nature of Japanese women, this is understandable.

While Jia Heng was speaking, he stood up, put on a pair of black Chaoyun boots, and walked quickly out of the hall.

When Jia Heng returned to Ningguo Mansion and just entered the study, he saw Chen Xiao head-on.

Chen Xiao's beautiful eyes were as bright as water under her emerald eyebrows. She looked at the young man in the python robe and said, "Yes, it's a letter from Jianmen Pass."

As he spoke, he handed over a piece of paper in his hand.

Jia Heng's face became stern and he reached out to take the paper from Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao said: "Xie Zaiyi broke through Jianmen Pass, Gao Cheng and Gao Bo, brothers of the Gao family, died in the battle, Chen Yuan was captured alive, and King Wei Chen Ran... died in the chaos of the army."

Jia Heng's heart was shaken, and he exclaimed, "This... this King Wei is dead."

I remember that the first time I met King Wei was in the 14th year of Chongping. Then, with the King Wei's overt and covert matchmaking, he and Xianning got married.

Unexpectedly, the King of Wei died in the chaos of war.

It's really like that, things change so fast, things and people are no longer the same, and it suddenly occurred to me that six or seven years have passed.

"Where is Chen Wei?" Jia Heng suddenly remembered something, frowned, and asked.

If Prince Liang Chen Wei also died, I'm afraid Tianniu would be heartbroken.

However, because she had twins, a boy and a girl, she was not in so much pain.

Chen Xiao shook her beautiful head and said, "Chen Wei's situation is still unknown, I'm afraid it's more dangerous than good."

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then said, "It's time to end the war in Sichuan."

He did not participate in this battle at all, and he did not know how Xie Zaiyi and others carried out the specific operations. Now that he has won a great victory, it can be considered a successful conclusion.

There were not many subsequent battles.

Chen Xiao glanced at the young man in the python robe, surprised, and said, "Such a big thing has happened, but you don't want to go to the palace to talk to the two ladies?"

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "I have to go to the palace to talk."

Having said that, without further ado, he quickly left Ningguo Mansion and headed towards the palace.

……

……

Kunning Palace, in the hall——

Zhen Qing was wearing a dress embroidered with red and white silk threads. Her long black hair was tied into a bun that was gorgeous and elegant. Her face was as bright as the clouds. At this moment, she was teasing her daughter Yin Yin with her delicate hands.

Yinyin raised her chubby face with a little baby fat. Her lively eyes under her beautiful eyebrows rolled around like black grapes. She asked in surprise, "Mother, why didn't I see my godfather come into the palace today?"

Zhen Qing pinched her daughter's rosy cheeks and said with a smile, "Yinyin, your godfather is busy with things outside."

Yin Yin curled her lips and said in a soft voice, "My godfather said last time that he would take me to Ningguo Mansion to play with my two sisters, but now I haven't seen him."

The beautiful lady had a gorgeous face. Although she was not wearing any makeup, her eyes and brows were filled with joy, which showed a hint of maternal love.

At this moment, a young female official with a bright appearance entered the palace and said in a charming voice, "Your Highness, the Prince of Wei is here."

Zhen Qing's beautiful face was extremely serene. She parted her red lips and uttered a word softly: "Xuan."

Then, the young man in the python robe walked into the warm room in the west wing, bowed, and whispered: "Your humble servant greets the Queen Mother. May the Queen Mother live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years."

Zhen Qing looked at Jia Heng and said teasingly, "Prince Wei, how come you have the time to come to my place?"

Jia Heng whispered, "My Lady, Jianmen Pass has been breached by the Duke of Liao."

When Zhen Qing heard this, she couldn't help but look inexplicably happy and asked, "When did this happen?"

Jia Heng said in a deep voice: "Just now, the Jinyifu received a pigeon message from Jianmen Pass, saying that the Duke of Liao had already breached Jianmen Pass, the Gao brothers were both killed, Chen Yuan was captured alive, and Chen Ran died in the chaos."

Zhen Qing sighed and said in a trembling voice: "Duke Liao is really brave and good at fighting. Chen Ran is finally dead."

Thinking of this prince who once competed with the King of Chu for the position of Crown Prince, his mother is now competing with her for a man, no, she even wants to snatch the throne from her son Jie'er. Now he is really doing evil and eventually he will perish.

Thinking of this, Zhen Qing couldn't help but feel an indescribable sense of joy in her heart.

Jia Heng said, "My lady, the rebellion in Bashu has been quelled, and the world is now at peace."

Of course, the recovery of the Western Regions and Tibet was something that would happen two years later.

In recent years, the Han Dynasty has been engaged in continuous wars. Although the national treasury is extremely rich due to the implementation of the new laws, the soldiers have long been tired of war.

Zhen Qing's white and glossy face was filled with joy, and she asked in a coquettish voice, "Yes, no, what about the northwest? Are they celebrating their victory?"

Jia Heng said, "The Khan of the Dzungar Khan, Baturhui, was killed in battle earlier, and Galdan is also withdrawing his troops now. I think the military information that the siege in the northwest has been lifted should be on the way."

Zhen Qing nodded, and then asked, "Tibet?"

Jia Heng said: "The Tibetans are still in the middle of a standoff. I think it won't be long before there will be good news."

Zhen Qing smiled and said in a brisk tone: "After the chaos in Bashu is settled, the northwest and Tibet will be just a handful of scabies. The imperial court can easily pacify them by sending a deputy general to lead the troops to conquer them."

In fact, Zhen Qing wanted to say that in the future, there would be no need for the imperial court to even conquer barren lands like Tibet and the Western Regions.

Of course, this is the drawback of women in power. They don’t have a broad enough vision and only focus on their own little piece of land, becoming complacent and self-contained.

Jia Heng said: "Yes."

Zhen Qing asked, "Why don't you go to the cabinet and talk about it?"

Jia Heng responded softly, saying, "Then I will go to the cabinet and talk to a few ministers about this matter."

Under Zhen Qing's willow-shaped eyebrows, her narrow, clear eyes were filled with a hint of burning desire, and she said, "I still have something to tell you."

Jia Heng was silent for a moment.

Then, without saying much, he followed Zhen Qing into the warm room inside.

Zhen Qing's curved eyebrows and bright eyes seemed to be filled with endless charm. She said in a trembling voice, "I am happy today, so I will serve you once."

As she spoke, the beauty squatted down and moved closer to the young man in the python robe, her slender hands as nimble as a butterfly.

Jia Heng looked out the window with a dazed look under his sword-like brows, and it was obvious that he was thinking about what would happen in the court next.

Xie Zaiyi put down the rebellion in Bashu, which dealt a severe blow to the arrogance of the "anti-Jia" forces.

What followed was a purge of opposition forces in the court, and no one knew what Li Zan and Xu Lu were planning.

He might have to lure the snake out of its hole.

Compared to the Sichuan riot which may have caused some unpredictable changes, this time it happened more in the capital, and everything was under control.

In the afternoon, Jia Heng left the warm room and went to the outer room. At this moment, a look of comfort appeared on his fair and bright face. After thinking for a while, he calmed himself down and went to see Queen Song.

In the palace——

The beautiful lady with fair skin and fair face, with willow-shaped eyebrows and starry eyes, is holding a book with a blue cover in her hands. She is reading the contents of the book with a focused expression.

The beauty did not know that her two own flesh and blood had already died in the land of Bashu.

At this moment, a female official came into the hall and said in a soft and charming voice, "Your Majesty, the King of Wei wishes to see you."

When Queen Song heard this, her eyebrows curved like crescent moons, and a hint of surprise appeared in her sparkling eyes. She said in a trembling voice, "Announce."

After a while, the young man in the python robe came in from the outside, bowed to Queen Song, and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

"Prince Wei, please get up quickly." Queen Song looked at the young man in the python robe from under her emerald green eyebrows and said in a low voice.

Queen Song's beautiful eyes were as bright as water under her curved eyelashes. She asked in surprise, "How did Prince Wei have time to come to my place?"

Jia Heng said, "Your Majesty, I have something I want to report to you."

He really didn't know how to tell the sweet girl.

It is undoubtedly a cruel thing for a sweet girl to see her loved one die.

Of course, he could also pretend to be dead and not act as the crow messenger, and have someone else notify Queen Song instead. In this way, he would not have to bear the torrent of Queen Song's emotions in the first place, but he would definitely be blamed for being heartless afterwards.

Then, the beauty hugged her knees and was suddenly surrounded by darkness. In the end, I took it all on my own...

Queen Song looked at Jia Heng in a daze under her emerald eyebrows. The gentle smile on her fair face faded a little, because she seemed to sense a sense of foreboding from Jia Heng's seriousness.

"What's wrong? Zi Yu." Queen Song slightly opened her pink lips and looked at him intently.

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then said, "My queen, there has been significant progress in the war in Bashu."

Queen Song looked surprised and asked softly, "What major progress?"

"Empress, Jianmen Pass has been breached." Jia Heng adjusted his expression and said in a low voice.

"The Jianmen Pass has been breached. This is good news. The rebellion in Bashu will be put down soon." Queen Song's fair and slightly rosy cheeks were rosy, her eyes were sparkling, and a faint smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.

Jia Heng said expressionlessly, "My queen, the Gao brothers were killed in battle, Chen Yuan was captured, and Chen Ran... Chen Ran died in the chaos."

Upon hearing that Chen Ran had died in the chaos of the army, Queen Song felt a "boom" in her head, as if struck by lightning. The smile on her fair and beautiful face gradually froze, and she said in a trembling voice: "Ran'er..."

As she spoke, the beauty was overcome with grief and was on the verge of tears.

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then said comfortingly, "My queen, please accept my condolences."

Tears were visible on Queen Song's fair face. She couldn't help but choke up and asked in a sobbing tone, "Where's Wei'er?"

Jia Heng looked solemn, shook his head slightly, and said, "There is no news yet."

Queen Song's body swayed, her heart sank to the bottom of the valley, her two beautiful eyebrows raised, her pair of sparkling eyes seemed to be filled with soft and charming light, she sobbed and said, "Wei'er, my Wei'er."

At this moment, Qianqian looked at her mother with a puzzled expression, and she couldn't help but feel inexplicably curious.

Mother, you're fine, why are you crying?

Could it be that my brother-in-law bullied my mother?

Jia Heng said in a gentle voice, "Please accept my condolences, Your Majesty."

Queen Song's beautiful face showed a hint of sadness, and she said in a trembling voice, "How can I express my condolences? Ran'er, my Ran'er..."

Jia Heng sighed softly and said, "Your Majesty, please accept my condolences. Even if you don't consider yourself, you should still consider Qianqian and Luo'er. Please take care of yourself."

Queen Song's eyebrows were as beautiful as the distant green mountains in spring. Her expression paused for a moment, and her phoenix eyes looked at the young man in the python robe with a gleam of water, and asked, "Who killed Ran'er?"

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then said, "He died in the chaos of the army. It is hard to say who killed him. Madam, this matter is very difficult to investigate, and there is no way to find out."

Queen Song's beautiful eyes were full of charm and she almost cried. She was surprised and asked, "So what are you going to give Ran'er a posthumous title?"

Jia Heng frowned and whispered, "Chen Ran is a commoner, how can he be given a posthumous title?"

"Humanity says that all sins will be forgiven with death. After all, he is the legitimate son of Emperor Sejong Xian. Although he made some mistakes due to his young age and inexperience, his situation is pitiable." Empress Song frowned, her beautiful eyes shining like water, and spoke in a low voice.

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, surprised, and asked: "If the posthumous title carries the meaning of encouragement and sympathy for Chen Ran, how should the court deal with it?"

Giving a posthumous title to a vassal king who rebelled in Bashu would undoubtedly encourage people all over the world to actively rebel?

This matter can only be done by the current young emperor, who, after taking power in the future, will issue an edict to show the royal family's magnanimity and the emperor's great grace.

Queen Song's snow-white face seemed to show a hint of anger, and she said, "I don't care, you think of a solution yourself."

At this moment, the beauty was like a little girl who was acting coquettishly to an adult and asking for candy.

Qianqian widened her eyes that were like black grapes, and looked at her mother in a daze. She was obviously confused. What happened to her mother and brother-in-law?

Jia Heng stared at the little girl with eyes like black grapes, feeling a little strange in his heart.

As he was talking, he thought that if he hugged Tianniu'er, it would not be good if Qianqian saw it.

Well, it’s not good for children’s growth.

Jia Heng said, "Your Majesty, let Qianqian go to the side hall to play first. Your Majesty and I will discuss other matters later."

Queen Song hummed softly and said nothing else. Then she took Jia Heng's hand and walked quickly towards the bedroom.

The two of them came to the palace. Empress Song sat on a soft couch covered with a mattress. She immediately took Jia Heng's hand and asked, "Can you tell me if Ran'er can be given a posthumous title?"

Jia Heng hesitated for a moment, and whispered, "Sweet girl, the posthumous title is too difficult. Let's wait ten years or so, and then let the new emperor take it. At that time, the filial piety and brotherhood of the royal family can be demonstrated."

This was also a common practice in feudal dynasties.

Queen Song's beautiful eyes, which were swollen and red like two peaches from crying, seemed to be a little cold at this moment. She said, "If Wei'er is still alive, how do you plan to deal with him?"

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, and under the pitiful gaze of Queen Song, he said, "Your Majesty, the new emperor will issue a special decree to pardon Prince Liang's death sentence, but will imprison him."

Since Chen Yuan is dead, whether Chen Wei is executed or not is actually not a big problem and it will not cause any chaos.

Queen Song hummed, and leaned her long black hair into Jia Heng's arms. Her snow-white face, with tears streaming down her cheeks, showed a look of sorrow, and she murmured, "Zi Yu, I only have you now."

She has no one else except Qianqian and Luoer.

Jia Heng gently stroked Queen Song's shoulder and said in a gentle voice, "Your Majesty, Qianqian and Luo'er are with you."

Queen Song hummed softly.

Jia Heng turned around and looked at the beautiful lady's face which was filled with sadness, and felt a little pity for her.

(End of this chapter)