The Ring of the Red Chamber and the Nine Heavens

In the dead of night, half a bright moon shines into the house through the folding window. Qi Qian sat up and looked down at Jia Huan who was sleeping soundly with his eyes closed. The moonlight cast bright and dark shadows on his face, his straight nose slightly A little warped, even the shadow has become playful and cute.

If you didn't understand it before, Qi Qian has already realized it at this time: So I fell in love with Huan'er!

Qi Qian didn't understand why he would be tempted by a child like Huan'er. In terms of appearance, Qi Qian had seen many beauties, but Huan'er was not the kind who was so beautiful that people fell in love at first sight. Qian's character would not fall in love with anyone at first sight. In terms of talent, Qi Qian had seen more, but he had never had any fondness for any of them.

However, Huan'er has a special sense of intelligence and agility. He is not full of economics and logic. The ideas he comes up with may sound absurd at first, but they are very practical and effective; he is a bastard from a big family. , suffered a lot of unfair treatment, even in adversity, but he never sighed, nor was he cynical, but treated and tried to change with a positive attitude; the most rare thing is that his heart has always been He is kind and enthusiastic, like a bright mirror that is not stained with dust, and actively helps people around him, showing a blooming life form, in the eyes of Qi Qian who is used to seeing the filth of the court and the strife in the palace, it is simply a clear spring , spread through his long-standing lonely heart...how could Qi Qian not like it?Why don't you want to get closer to him?a little closer...

However, no matter how distracted and infatuated, at this moment when he is about to return and face reality, Qi Qian's overheated mind has to calm down: Yes, he likes Huan'er.However, where should he put Huan'er?

It's not a big deal to like men. The Jin Dynasty favored men, that is, Qi Qian's uncles favored opera singers and favored men a lot. Those who are loyal and obedient Wang Zhongyong have raised ten or eight at home and outside. ?Their wives and concubines cannot have any doubts or worries.

However, Qi Qian is absolutely unwilling to do that, even thinking about it feels like a blasphemy to Huan'er.What Qi Qian likes is Huan'er, whose eyes can talk and every strand of her hair is full of witty and weird ideas. Such Huan'er should be proud, not disturbed by worldly trivialities, and placed in the same position as Qi Qian himself. in an equal position.

The person in that position should be defined as a "partner"—a person who is hand in hand and stays with you.

However, that position has been taken by someone now, and Qi Qian's child is still in her belly.

So, the heartfelt confession "You are the person I care about most" came to my lips, but it turned into "Would you like to be my best friend?"

It's not that Qi Qian is pretending to be stupid and still say such things pretentiously after the intimacy beyond friendship, but that this is the only thing Qi Qian can do now.

Maybe Qi Qian should let go, but how can Qi Qian, who has been lonely for so long, be willing to let go and let himself return to loneliness?Therefore, Qi Qian wants to pave the way for his beloved Huan'er, and at the same time satisfy his own selfishness: he can keep Huan'er by his side, see him all the time, and wait for... a turnaround in the future.

----------Dividing line-----------

No one else knew about King Qin's assassination in Jinling, but some of the guards that King Qin didn't take away were still living in the Lin Mansion, so Lin Ruhai also knew about it, and when he saw Qi Qian came back with Jia Huan, he hurriedly greeted him personally Come in, ask questions with concern, knowing that Qi Qian and Jia Huan escaped unscathed because they hid in the large water tank in the room, Lin Ruhai let out a sigh of relief and said: "It's lucky that Your Highness is safe and sound, otherwise the next The official has no choice but to apologize to the Holy One with death!"

Qi Qian comforted him and said, "This matter has nothing to do with Mr. Lin, let alone Mr. Lin is still ill. I will report to my father when I get back, so don't worry."

Lin Ruhai looked at Jia Huan again and said, "Huan'er is fine, but I'm so worried about my uncle and your sister!"

Jia Huan scratched his head, and said embarrassedly: "I'll go see my sister right now, so that she can rest assured."

Daiyu was practicing calligraphy under the window. When she saw Jia Huan came back, she was overjoyed. When she was excited, she tilted her ink pen, and immediately drew an ink mark on her tender goose yellow clothes.

Xueyan rushed up to make amends, but unfortunately it was too late, and she couldn't help smacking her lips and said distressedly: "This is the new clothes that I just made, the first time I put on the body, the girl is too careless. The ink is not good. Wash it, and a good piece of clothing will be ruined."

Jia Huan smiled and said, "It's not worth anything. It happened that I brought back some special products for my sister in Jinling, including the best ice silkworm cloud silk forging and pomegranate red bead pair peacock pattern brocade. I made them to compensate my sister's clothes." Bar."

Daiyu lowered her pretty face slightly and said Xueyan: "Look at your shallow eyelids, it's just a piece of clothing, but you want to make a fuss, how can you make the third master look good? It was originally a gift for me, but I have to say it's a compensation." Me." As he spoke, he couldn't help laughing again "puchi", and said, "Huan'er, you really know how to play tricks."

Xueyan hurriedly said: "The girl taught you very well. It was the servant girl who was impatient for a while and was rude to the third master." Then, Xueyan bowed to Jia Huan and said, "Forgive the third master, yes The servant girl is abrupt."

Jia Huan smiled and waved his hands, and said, "It's nothing. Take Miss Lin in and change."

When Daiyu came out after changing into clean clothes, she pulled Jia Huan and laughed and said, "Huan'er, you scared me to death, but fortunately you came back with full beard and shadow."

Daiyu turned her head to Xueyan again and said, "Hurry up and serve tea to the third master, what are you doing here?"

Xueyan smiled and started to walk away, but Jia Huan stopped her and said: "No need, no need, the prince and uncle are still waiting for me over there, I just came to talk to my sister, so that you can rest assured."

Daiyu refused, insisting on Jia Huan sitting down to drink tea, and said mysteriously: "Huaner sit down, so that I can tell you something confidential."

Jia Huan loved to listen to gossip, so she couldn't move any more, so she sat down and urged Daiyu to speak quickly.

Daiyu frowned slightly, twisted a handkerchief in her hand, and said hesitantly: "My father may marry a stepmother, do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing?"

Jia Huan was really taken aback, and hurriedly asked: "What's going on, what's going on? Tell me in detail!"

Only then did Daiyu clearly explain what happened: Ever since Jia Huan told Lin Ruhai that day that he hoped to help their old Lin family continue to burn incense, Lin Ruhai's health has improved day by day, and now he can I went out to run an errand, but I just needed a cane.

Because the father and daughter are dependent on each other now, Lin Ruhai discusses everything with Daiyu.What Lin Ruhai meant was that since it is expected that there will be an heir in the future who can inherit the family business, if there is another string, Daiyu will need to be taught, so that she can talk to others in the future.

Although Daiyu has some doubts and fears about her father's remarriage, but to be honest, remarrying her stepmother is not only good for the Lin family, but also a good arrangement for Daiyu.Because Daiyu is now 13 years old, and in two years she will be at the age of Jiji, and she must meet for a marriage.Lin Ruhai originally planned to ask Daiyu to marry Jia Baoyu just like the old lady Jia said, so she deliberately did not renew her relationship with the Jia family so as to maintain her relationship with the Jia family. Although a stepmother is not as dedicated as her own mother, Lin Ruhai is a man who is busy with official duties all day long and is not in good health. If there is a serious stepmother who takes care of Daiyu and helps choose a suitable family You must know that the woman Lin Ruhai will continue to marry will soon be a third-rank imperial order. She can attend the gatherings of officials and wives in Yangzhou City, and handle the matter of welcoming guests in Lin's residence. is much better.

However, the idea was made, and the actual operation was also very difficult. What Lin Ruhai cared most about was the woman's age, knowledge, and bearing, and the most troublesome thing was age.According to Lin Ruhai's status as an ex-scientist and a third-rank official, it would not be difficult for her to marry a woman from an official family with a lower family status. Not how old she was, Daiyu was uncomfortable not to say, and she couldn't bear the responsibility of teaching Daiyu, so she hesitated.

Daiyu suggested that Dad should not pick one of the original concubines to help him.Lin Ruhai disagreed, not because he disliked those concubines who were old-fashioned, but because Lin Ruhai thought that concubines were just concubines, they couldn't be elegant, they were neither literate nor reasonable, how could they teach Daiyu?Half of the reason for the continuation is also for Daiyu's good, if you act hastily like that, it will lose its meaning.

This matter has been put on hold for a few days, but the day before yesterday, the official matchmaker reported good news, saying that there was a family named Wu, whose ancestors were also officials, and there was a second daughter born in the family. The expert commented that it is necessary to practice on behalf of the Buddha and devote oneself to worshiping the Buddha until he reaches adulthood before he can hope to be fully healed.It turned out that the second girl of the Wu family had entered a nunnery outside Yangzhou city and practiced for more than ten years. Now she is 25 years old and her health is fine.The two girls originally said that they would stay with Qing Deng for a lifetime, but how could Mrs. Wu be willing to do so?I still took it home, thinking about finding a proper family to marry.It's a pity that as I get older, I can't be high or low. In the end, the girl got angry because of being picked by other people.Only then did the Wu family spread the word that it doesn't matter what the foundation of the man's family is, as long as the son-in-law has some knowledge and cultivation, and also believes in Buddhism, it will be fine. It happened that when he met Lin Ruhai, he also asked someone to be a matchmaker.

On the one hand, the matchmaker told the girl's family that Mr. Lin's knowledge and cultivation base, I am afraid that there is no second one in Yangzhou City, and he is in a high position. There is nothing to choose about the girl's appearance, but she has a meek temper, doesn't like to make trouble, and is very quiet.However, at this age of 25 and [-], he knows how to read and write, and still devotes himself to the Buddha, and his calm and courteous personality is also in Lin Ruhai's favor.Isn't it just that the conditions of both parties just agree, is it that sleepiness meets pillows, and everyone is happy?

Jia Huanjie said: "It's really a match made in heaven. She is more than ten years older than her sister, and she is worthy of being a stepmother, so as not to be too young to cause gossip, and she is not sensible and angry with her sister. Letter Buddha's general kindness, she is not an ordinary believer in Buddhism, she has really practiced for more than ten years, presumably her personality must be in the right mood of her elder sister, in this way, her elder sister has an excellent companion, and I will Feel free to go back!"

Daiyu hurriedly said, "Huan'er, why are you leaving?"

Jia Huan said: "That's right, Uncle Lin is getting married, and his health is getting better. If I don't go back, can't I ask my mother to scold me?"

Daiyu held Jia Huan reluctantly and said, "Didn't Daddy say that he would guide you to take the exam?"

Jia Huan said: "That doesn't matter. I'm still young. Even if I can't catch up this time, I can catch up next time." In fact, Jia Huan's real intention is not to cause trouble for others. There must be a lot of things. It is really inconvenient for him to have a relative with a foreign surname here, but he is kind to the Lin family. Lin Ruhai and Lin Daiyu will not say anything no matter how troublesome they are, but people have to be more conscious, right?

Moreover, Qi Qian's situation, although he didn't say it clearly, was very attached, which made Jia Huan feel itchy in his heart, and wanted to be impulsive, why not try him again today?Jia Huan secretly made up his mind.

When Jia Huan entered the inner courtyard to comfort Lin Daiyu, Lin Ruhai was still chatting with Qi Qian.Jia Huan listened for a while, but he realized that his uncle was tactfully implying that Qi Qian should go back to the capital. If something happened in Yangzhou, how could my uncle be able to take this responsibility!

Qi Qian must have understood the meaning, but he just continued to drink tea as if nothing happened, and did not say when he would leave Yangzhou.

After a while, a servant came to report that the prefect of Wu had invited Mr. Lin to go to the government office to discuss matters. After these days of recuperation, Lin Ruhai's health has improved a lot, and he can occasionally walk around the government office with a stick, so the prefect Wu has something important to do. When the time comes, I will invite him to make decisions together.

As soon as Lin Ruhai left, Jia Huan smiled and said, "When are you leaving? My uncle almost said, 'Your Highness, please hurry up'!"

Qi Qian said calmly: "That depends on when Huan'er leaves. Has the luggage been packed? We'll leave right away after packing. If not, we'll wait for you to pack it."

Jia Huan deliberately pretended to stomp his feet in anger, and said, "When did I say I was leaving with you?"

Qi Qian immediately had a gloomy and lonely expression on his face, which made Jia Huan laugh secretly, and did not let go for the time being.

After dinner, Pang Qiang, the chief guard, came with a group of guards, knelt down on the ground, and begged King Qin to return to the capital immediately.

Pang Qiang nodded his head and said: "When His Highness went to Jinling, the Emperor sent someone to inquire whether His Highness's errands could be completed and when he would return to Beijing. His subordinates took great pains to cover it up. If the news that His Highness was assassinated in Jinling Once it reaches the emperor's ears, and the previous crime of deceiving the emperor, the subordinates will be smashed to pieces. Now, the murderer is unknown, I'm afraid they will do it again, so we can't stay here for a long time, it's better to return to Beijing as soon as possible! Subordinates Our lives are all at the mercy of His Highness, please be merciful!"

Pang Qiang knew that Jia Huan was on good terms with His Royal Highness, so he took a few steps forward, knelt at Jia Huan's feet, and begged, "Master Jia, please help persuade our Highness? I know, you say a word, better than ours." It’s still useful to say a hundred sentences.”

After the guards retreated, Qi Qian looked at Jia Huan with a gloomy face, and said, "Let me tell you exactly what you plan to do. If I don't go back in two days, there will be an imperial decree. I don't want to leave." I have to go too."

Jia Huan decided to make him depressed first, and then give him a surprise in the evening, so he deliberately said with a sad face: "You go back to the capital first, my uncle is not fully recovered here, since I am here to accompany him , at least wait until he is better before leaving. "

Qi Qian said disapprovingly: "Isn't your uncle able to go to the government office to do errands? It's healed. This 'illness goes away like a silk'. You have to wait until he is fully recovered before you are willing to leave. How long will you have to wait?" went?"

Jia Huan had nothing to say, but Qi Qian saw that there was no one else around, so he came over and took his hand, saying, "Let's leave the day after tomorrow. If you don't speak, I will accept it as you."

Sure enough, Jia Huan didn't say anything else, and Qi Qian was overjoyed.