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Chapter 19

Baoyu was sent back.

Lady Wang waited until she couldn't stand.

Finally, she heard someone say, "He's back, he's back." She was overjoyed.

She got up and was about to go out to welcome him.

Who knew that the chair would be carried in.

The person sitting on it.

He was wearing Baoyu's clothes, but his face was so swollen that she couldn't even recognize him.

Lady Wang was stunned. Her mouth and tongue seemed to be numb. She couldn't say a word.

"How's Baoyu? Didn't Second Master come?" Mother Jia asked.

However, Mother Jia could only hear the maidservants making a fuss.

She was immediately unhappy. She asked Wang Xifeng and Yuanyang to help her stand up and walk forward.

Baoyu's face crashed into Mother Jia's line of sight.

Mother Jia was shocked.

Then she realized that Baoyu had been beaten. "Baoyu, my Baoyu."

Mother Jia's heart was filled with grief. "Baoyu."

She couldn't care about anything else.

She just hugged Baoyu and cried.

Wang Xifeng was also frightened.

He hurriedly shouted, "Old Ancestor,

Old Ancestor, don't be sad. Quickly get a doctor to take a look. "

"Go and call Second Master." Mother Jia gritted her teeth and said.

As soon as she finished speaking,

Mother Jia fainted, which gave everyone a fright.

The whole room was in a mess.

The cries and shouts shook the sky.

It was as if someone had lost their life.

He Shen's mansion.

In the study.

He Lin was whispering to He Shen about his studies.

Liu Quan came in from outside.

He said, "Master, someone wants to see you."

"Someone from Rongguo Province."

"No."

"Then who is it?"

He Shen was slightly surprised.

He didn't often interact with people in the imperial court. Because he was now in a high position and had a lot of power in his hands, he had to show that he was completely dependent on Qianlong.

Having close ties with colleagues was not a good thing.

Fortunately, Rongguo Province was a thorn in Qianlong's side.

That was why he was able to freely approach Rongguo Province.

Therefore, other than people from Rongguo Province, it was unlikely that anyone would come looking for him.

"He said he's from the Ministry of War."

He Shen stood up and said, "Please wait in the hall."

Liu Quan called for a servant and went out to invite them.

He Shen was not in a hurry. He said a few words to He Lin first. After settling He Lin down, he turned around and left the study, heading to the living room.

There were already people inside.

It was a man who was much older than He Shen and shorter than He Shen.

Seeing He Shen enter, the man hurriedly said, "Assistant Minister He, this humble one is An Ming from the Ministry of War."

An Ming from the Ministry of War.

He Shen felt that the name sounded familiar. However, based on this person's status, he usually wouldn't meet him.

He Shen didn't want to make small talk with this person and immediately asked, "What do you want?"

The man was slightly restrained, but then he said, "I would like to ask Assistant Minister He to put in a good word for me in front of Minister He and recommend me for the position of Minister."

After saying that, the man handed over a box. The box was wrapped in a gray cloth, but it looked heavy. The man seemed to be struggling to hold it with both hands.

This was a bribe.

He Shen felt that it was a novelty.

He Shen sat down and asked, "You want me to recommend you to Feng Sheng?"

Although one of them was standing and the other was sitting, He Shen's imposing manner made An Ming unconsciously shrink his shoulders.

"Yes." An Ming hurriedly smiled and said, "This kind of small matter should be exceptionally easy for Assistant Minister He."

He Shen just looked at him and didn't say anything.

An Ming's heart trembled. He hesitated whether he should say something.

On the other hand, He Shen had already remembered who this person was.

In history, the first bribe He Shen received in his career was from a person named An Ming.

He Shen agreed immediately and indeed let An Ming be promoted to Minister by Feng Sheng.

However, the consequences were extremely bad.

An Ming's father passed away at this time. According to the system, An Ming had to go back to his hometown to attend the funeral and observe mourning for three years.

An Ming had just been promoted to Minister at this time. How could he bear to lose his position? Therefore, he concealed this matter.

However, Feng Sheng found out later.

Feng Sheng knew that He Shen received benefits from An Ming and recommended him. He also concealed the fact that An Ming didn't attend the funeral and observe mourning for his father.

He Shen was impeached by Feng Sheng and another powerful official, Yong Gui.

Although He Shen cleverly avoided this disaster, he still offended Yong Gui and was demoted by two ranks.

He Shen naturally wouldn't take this old path again.

Moreover, if he wanted money now, he could get it anywhere. Why bother to take this money? It would make Qianlong have a bad impression of him.

He Shen said lightly, "This is not a small matter. Let me think about it. You can go back first. Take this with you."

An Ming naturally knew that bribery couldn't be done in a day. Although Qianlong's methods were not as good as his father, Qianlong's, Qianlong's, bribery had become a common practice.

An Ming thanked He Shen and left without any complaints.

At this time, Liu Quan, who was standing to the side, felt shocked.

On one hand, he was shocked by this person's courage. On the other hand, he was shocked that his master had allowed him to stay by his side. Presumably, his master trusted him very much.

Thinking of this, Liu Quan felt a sense of comfort in his heart. He smiled and said, "This person is a bit arrogant. He doesn't know that our master doesn't lack these things.

How could there be something that our master can't get? "

He Shen just smiled faintly and said, "Get ready. I'm going to enter the palace."

"You're going to enter the palace?" Liu Quan was surprised.

"Yes."

Liu Quan had a vague idea of what was going on. He hurriedly turned around and prepared to leave.

Recently, in order to make it easier for He Shen to report to him about his progress, Qianlong allowed He Shen to enter the palace whenever he needed to meet with the Emperor.

This was undoubtedly a great favor.

After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, He Shen sat in the sedan chair and headed in the direction of the palace.

Qianlong first looked at the booklet He Shen handed to him. Then he slapped his thigh and said, "Good. You did a good job. It seems that your plan will be realized in a few days."

"I have one more thing."

"Speak."

"I'm afraid that if I speak of this matter, it will spoil Your Majesty's mood."

Qianlong paused. He narrowed his eyes and sized up He Shen. "Oh." But then Qianlong said, "It's all right. Speak."

He Shen nodded and bowed. "Today, in the mansion, someone unexpectedly came to seek an audience. He claimed to be from the Ministry of War.

I rarely have any good colleagues in the imperial court.

I've only seen this person a few times. "

Qianlong was silent.

He already understood He Shen's meaning.

"You don't need to worry about this matter. I will deal with it."

After Qianlong finished speaking, his expression became slightly better. "You are my right-hand man. Those people have good eyes for targeting you.

But you did the right thing.

You should take care of your feathers. Don't let these people taint you. "

He Shen bowed and said, "I'll have to trouble Your Majesty to deal with this matter for me."

"What are you talking about?

These people are not tolerated by the imperial court. "Qianlong waved his hand." Okay, go.

Go back and rest. "

He Shen responded and was about to leave.

Qianlong suddenly said, "Wait. Drink a bowl of soup before you leave."

"Yes." He Shen stopped.

"You did a good job. I don't know how to reward you. I can only reward you with soup." Qianlong smiled.

But in fact, although he said so, he must have other preparations in private. It was just that now was not the right time. Naturally, he would not reward He Shen.

Soon, the soup that the imperial kitchen carefully brewed was served.

It was pigeon and wolfberry soup today.

There were also a few snacks. There was a smell of medicine in them, but they were all very nutritious.

"How is the taste? I ate Mosaic's food last time. When I came back, I had the imperial kitchen learn how to make it."

"It's more delicious than Mosaic's food."

Qianlong laughed. "Haha, of course. You're stingy. The food in Mosaic is not as good as the food in the imperial kitchen." While speaking, Qianlong was very proud.

He Shen pursed his lips and smiled. He did not say anything.

Of course, this was incomparable.

If anyone could eat delicacies, the first person to be unhappy would be Qianlong.

He was the emperor, and he could eat the same food as the ordinary people.

The ingredients used were naturally carefully selected. It was better to exchange a thousand gold coins for one tael.

After He Shen finished the soup and snacks, he looked up and found a few palace maids standing beside him. The palace maids were holding a box in their arms.

"It's all for you." Qianlong said.

He Shen smiled and said, "What's inside?"

Qianlong pretended to be angry and said, "Now you dare to ask directly what I gave you.

Forget it, it's all cloth, silk, gold, and silver. "

"But there are some beautiful palace flower hairpins."

"You're not married yet. There's not even a woman in the manor. What do you want these for? Could it be that you've taken a fancy to some girl?" At this moment, Qianlong appeared to be gossipy.

He Shen smiled but did not say anything.

Qianlong looked at him and did not get angry. He smiled and said, "Forget it." He randomly picked a eunuch and said, "Go to the empress and get some beautiful palace flower hairpins."

"Yes." The eunuch smiled and hurriedly ran out.

This wait lasted for quite a while, but He Shen didn't show any signs of impatience.

Qianlong looked at him and shook his head. He said, "You look like you've taken a fancy to some girl. If you're really engaged, you should tell me and make me happy."

He Shen bowed and said, "Of course."

He Shen was young, but Qianlong was much older. Seeing He Shen's attitude, he felt pity for the younger generation.

Soon, the eunuch came back with a few palace maids.

The palace maids were also holding boxes in their arms. There should be a lot of things inside.

"How is it? Are you satisfied?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Qianlong smiled and picked a few people. He put them in a carriage and sent He Shen back to the manor.

When other people saw this, they were naturally envious. They only knew that He Shen was getting more and more valued by the emperor.

After hearing this, the official from the Ministry of War was full of joy. He felt that his promotion to Division Chief was set in stone.

On the other side of Rongguo Province, Jia Zheng heard this and couldn't help but sigh.

Fortunately, he didn't offend He Shen.

This person was smart and capable. It was hard to make friends with him.

It was rare for him to become good friends with He Shen. He also thought about him wholeheartedly. How could Jia Zheng not recognize his good intentions? If he lost his friend, he would probably regret it to death.

Just as he was thinking, Jia Zheng heard that Old Mistress had sent someone to invite him.

Immediately Jia Zheng did not have the least bit of guilty conscience; on the contrary, he left with vigor. He was thinking that he should tell Lao Taitai that in the future when he was disciplining Baoyu, other people must not interfere; otherwise, his prestige as the head of the Rongguo Mansion would be affected.

When Jia Zheng went, Baoyu was also with Old Mistress Jia. Lady Wang was also there.

Lady Wang didn't dare to offend Jia Zheng directly. She lowered her head and pretended that she didn't care.

Old Mistress Jia stood up for her.

In Jia Zheng's heart, she was not as agreeable as the other concubines. Naturally, she had to be careful.

"You're here." Hearing footsteps, Old Mistress Jia lazily lifted her eyelids.

Jia Zheng paid his respects.

Then he looked at Old Mistress Jia's arms. Baoyu was leaning there. His face was still swollen, and he was still complaining incoherently.

But when he saw Jia Zheng, Baoyu trembled and didn't dare to say anything.

"Look at how you've scared him," Old Mistress Jia scolded.

However, Jia Zheng did not act like he did in the past, immediately making a gesture of apology.

Instead, he stood there motionlessly. He even looked at Baoyu and scolded, "How old are you? Why are you still in Grandmother's arms?"

Baoyu quivered in fright and quickly stood up.

Old Mistress Jia felt even sadder. She immediately pressed the corners of her eyes and said, "Why do you have to scare him like this? That day, you beat him until he fell seriously ill. He hasn't recovered yet, and now you call him over to teach him a lesson.

You, why don't you know how important face is? How can you beat Baoyu up like this? "

Jia Zheng's mind was full of what He Shen had said to him. He said coldly, "All of you, leave. I have something to say to Old Mistress."

Old Mistress Jia thought the same. Some things could be said between mother and son, but in front of the servants, daughter-in-law, and son, it was hard to say.

After everyone else left, Jia Zheng picked out some of He Shen's words and said them to Old Mistress Jia.

"No matter what, I can't let Baoyu go on like this.

In the future, Old Mistress will still dote on Baoyu. But as Baoyu's father, I have to treat him strictly and not be soft-hearted. "

Old Mistress Jia was not stupid. She was just frightened by Baoyu's appearance and lost her rationality. Now that she had regained her rationality, she naturally sighed and said, "It's good that you know what to do."

Jia Zheng had achieved his goal, so he accompanied Old Mistress Jia and said some warm words. When he saw that Old Mistress Jia was no longer so sad, he left.

Baoyu and Lady Wang did not know what was said inside. Baoyu was still waiting for Old Mistress Jia to teach his father a lesson.

Unexpectedly, Old Mistress Jia and Jia Zheng had reached a consensus.

Lady Wang and the others later found out from Old Mistress Jia that this matter had been brushed aside. She was immediately angry, but it was not good for her to tell others.

She could only go to Aunt Xue to complain.

Zhou Rui could not find Lady Wang anywhere, so he went to Aunt Xue's place.

When he entered the door, he said a few words.

Aunt Xue suddenly remembered something.

She ordered Xiang Ling to go into the inner room and take out a small box.

When the small box was opened, she saw that there were ten or so brightly colored gauze flowers lying inside.

Aunt Xue smiled and said, "This is a fresh sample from the palace. There are twelve gauze flowers."

It was a pleasant surprise that Jia Zheng was so easy to coax.

He Shen took in Jia Zheng's expression and walked forward. Only then did a slight smile appear on his indifferent face.

"Brother Cunzhou." He Shen called out.

As expected, Jia Zheng did not seem offended at all. Instead, he smiled amiably at He Shen and said in surprise, "Brother Zhizhai is also on leave today. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to invite Brother Zhizhai."

"I've been sick recently. The Emperor empathized with me and ordered me to rest at home.

Yesterday, I went to the Taoist temple to ask the Taoist priest for medicine. "

Jia Zheng came to a sudden realization and said, "I went to that Daoist temple only because it was quiet.

But if I really wanted to ask for medicine, I'm afraid the Taoist priest doesn't have the ability. "

At this point, Jia Zheng seemed to want to say something, but stopped.

"Brother Cunzhou, if you have something to say, just say it. There's no need to hold back." He Shen's tone was neither cold nor warm, but it always made people feel a sense of closeness. They could not help but want to get closer to He Shen.

"There's a doctor who often comes to the residence. He's not a miracle doctor, but he does have some ability.

If Brother Zhizhai doesn't mind, I can ask someone to invite him over. "

He Shen didn't lack a doctor.

Not to mention that he himself was a doctor.

Even if he was really sick, with his current status and power, it would be easy for him to find a good doctor.

If Jia Zheng said this to others, they would probably laugh at him.

But He Shen could tell at a glance that Jia Zheng was sincere in wanting to be friends with him and see him as a confidant.

But He Shen didn't take it to heart.

After all, there were too many people who wanted to treat him as a confidant with just a few words.

"Why would I mind?" He Shen smiled, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

"Coincidentally, the doctor is in the residence today."

"Oh."

Without waiting for He Shen to say another syllable, Jia Zheng said angrily, "It's all because of my unfilial son. He's not motivated at all and only knows how to be stubborn all day long."

Baoyu was being beaten up.

He Shen wanted to laugh.

Jia Zheng scolded, "He's really unbearable."

Of course, He Shen wouldn't agree with Jia Zheng.

The reason why Jia Zheng always lectured Jia Baoyu was because he had high hopes for Jia Baoyu.

Naturally, he could only tolerate himself being beaten and scolded, but he couldn't tolerate others' comments.

He Shen said lightly, "I've long heard that there's a young master who was born with a jade in his mouth in Rongguo Province. He must have great luck. Brother Cunzhou, why are you so anxious?"

Jia Zheng scolded and beat him, but after hearing He Shen's comforting words, his expression became much better.

"If he could be half as good as Brother Zhizhai, then I wouldn't be like this." Jia Zheng sighed.

He Shen didn't reply.

If Jia Zheng saw He Lin and saw that He Lin was already full of poetry at such a young age, wouldn't he be even angrier?

Wouldn't Baoyu be beaten to the point that he couldn't get out of bed for ten days?

Seeing that He Shen didn't reply, Jia Zheng felt that something was wrong. He hurriedly led He Shen inside, "Brother Zhizhai, this way please."

After passing through the main gate, they could see even more wealth and grandeur inside.

Many female servants were bowing with their heads lowered. They looked extremely well-behaved.

However, He Shen's expression didn't change.

He wasn't surprised at all that he could enter and leave the Imperial Palace. Even the splendor of the palace didn't surprise him at all.

What's more, it was just Rongguo Province.

After passing through the Yi Gate, He Shen opened his mouth again. He seemed to ask casually, "I heard that Rongguo Province and the Lin family of Gusu are in-laws."

Jia Zheng was stunned. He didn't understand why he suddenly brought this up, but he still nodded and said, "Yes."

Jia Zheng paused, then said, "Brother Zhizhai should know my brother-in-law. He is the Yangzhou Salt Patrol Imperial Censor.

My youngest sister in the family married him. "

Speaking of this, Jia Zheng sighed, "My sister passed away a few years ago. Her remaining daughter had no one to take care of her. She didn't even have an elder to discuss marriage with.

The old lady was very concerned about her. As a matter of fact, a few months ago, she brought my niece over from Gusu. "

He Shen said, "Not only do I know, but I also recognize her.

Imperial Censor Lin wrote a letter to me a long time ago, mentioning that his daughter was coming to our maternal grandfather's house. "

The smile on Jia Zheng's face deepened, "It's really fate. Brother Zhizhai and my brother-in-law are friends."

It wasn't that Jia Zheng was close to his brother-in-law, Lin Ruhai.

But there was something strange about the way people interacted with each other.

As long as there were people who knew each other, their friendship would instantly become many times closer.

At this moment, Jia Zheng felt that He Shen's appearance was becoming more and more intimate.

Although he was a bit young, it was really rare to meet a bosom friend.

Jia Zheng felt that he and Assistant Minister He had the feeling of meeting a soulmate in the mountains and flowing water of the previous dynasty.

Jia Zheng laughed, "Shouldn't my niece also call Brother Zhizhai uncle?"

He Shen's face almost twisted.

Uncle?

What kind of seniority was this?

But when he thought about it, it didn't seem wrong.

After all, he had been friends with Jia Yucun and Lin Ruhai for a long time. The former was a smart person, while the latter was a wise gentleman. Neither of them looked down on him because of his young age.

Especially Lin Ruhai, who had a lot of correspondence with him. They didn't seem like elders and juniors, but more like good friends.

He Shen wasn't satisfied with this title, but when he thought about it, if he wanted to meet Daiyu as his uncle, it would be much easier than meeting Daiyu as an equal.

The former was an elder meeting a junior, so there was nothing wrong with it.

The latter was a man meeting a woman in the backyard. There was a difference between men and women, so it was very inappropriate.

Thinking of this, He Shen was no longer dissatisfied with this title.

He also laughed, "That's right.

I should take care of her. "

Jia Zheng waved his hand, "That's my niece. She's in Rongguo Province, so I won't let her suffer."

Is that so?

He Shen didn't take Jia Zheng's words to heart at all.

Although Jia Zheng controlled the power of Rongguo Province, how could he spare time to care about the affairs of the backyard?

Although he was close to his niece, he wouldn't let Jia Zheng take care of her too much.

He Shen laughed again, "Of course.

But I should also take care of her, so I won't let you down. "

Jia Zheng didn't see He Shen's distrust at all. Instead, he laughed and said, "Brother Zhizhai, why don't you send someone to take a look?"

He Shen nodded and called Liu Quan, "Go and take a look at your sister."

Jia Zheng was slightly surprised, "This is …"