The Bookish Scholar of the Red Mansion

When Lin Ruhai received Chen Heng's letter, it was already the end of January of the second year of Jianping. During this season, the temperature in Yangzhou also begins to gradually warm up. At noon, the prefect, who had just walked out and was sweating a little, took off his coat and sat in the study, opening the letters sent by the students.

He was only halfway through seeing it when the door to the study room was opened from the outside. Lin Ruhai guessed the identity of the visitor without even looking up, and said with a smile: You got here quickly.

Lin Daiyu wrinkled her nose, shook the towel in her hand, and said in surprise: What is daddy talking about? My daughter is here to give something to daddy.

When Lin Ruhai heard this, he looked up from the corner of his eye and saw it was a handkerchief used to wipe sweat. He said disapprovingly: Oh, it seems that dad misunderstood. He looked at it again and saw that the embroidery on the handkerchief was exquisite and tasted interesting. , You asked your servants to do it, right?

This is the bad thing about talking to smart people. Lin Daiyu pursed her lips, but she was not embarrassed at all, and still said in a strong voice: My daughter has also had her stitches patched up.

Yeah, yeah. Lin Ruhai nodded, looking down at the letter, Put it down.

Then you have to let it go. Lin Daiyu narrowed her eyes. He smiled and walked to his father's desk to help arrange the furnishings on the table. After a while, she said curiously: Ah, someone wrote a letter to dad again.

Lin Ruhai turned sideways and pretended not to hear.

Unwilling to give up, Lin Daiyu walked behind the desk again and slowly organized the books scattered on the table. During the gap, she turned her peripheral vision and saw that Lin Ruhai had folded the letter and looked directly at her precious daughter.

father----

After all, she was not as thick-skinned as her brother. Lin Daiyu's face turned red visibly when her father caught her like this.

Hahahahahahaha. Lin Ruhai laughed again and again, until she choked on her laughter, her voice gradually slowed down.

Seeing this, Lin Daiyu stopped pretending. He piled up the books in his hands and threw them on the table. He raised his hand and gently squeezed his father's shoulder. Dad, what did brother say in the letter?

Seeing her daughter acting stupid, Lin Ruhai hummed twice and raised her finger to her sore neck, signaling her daughter to have some more snacks.

As the saying goes, people who ask for things are inferior to others. Lin Daiyu had no choice but to be a good girl. Lin Ruhai knew the temperament of the charming girl and knew that it was not good to control her too much. The rabbit would bite people when it was anxious. Wait until Daiyu speaks again. He smiled and said, Just talking about common things.

Lin Ruhai paused for a moment. It was hard to mention the illness of Zuodu Yushi. He picked something he could tell and prepared to send his daughter away quickly. Heng'er is following the people from the Ministry of War, heading north to the capital, and is about to head to the border.

When Lin Daiyu heard this, her face was startled, and she even stopped moving her hands. She just exclaimed: Why is that? Isn't there still a war over there at the border?

Border, what a far away place it is. Even though Lin Daiyu is well-read, she knows very little about this place. The words about the border that can come to mind in my memory are mostly words such as remoteness, sparsely populated, and snowy.

That's why they went there. Lin Ruhai was also a little worried, but after thinking about it carefully, he knew there was nothing he could do. They all say that when you are away, your orders will not be accepted. In the officialdom, this person sometimes can't help himself.

Lin Ruhai was afraid that her daughter would have random thoughts, so she added, Heng'er was very happy in the letter and said that she would write me a good description of the scenery in the border area.

Daiyu nodded, somewhat noncommittal. I just wanted to go back to the temple and pray for my brother's peace in front of the Buddha.

You shouldn't tell Heng'er's family about this, Lin Ruhai warned.

My daughter saved it.

Lin Daiyu thought for a while and asked curiously, What else was said in the letter? She had just glanced at it and found that the letter was long and densely packed with words. She couldn't not mention herself at all.

Chen Heng really didn't mention that most of the letters he wrote to Uncle Lin were about trivial and serious matters. Lin Ruhai had no choice but to deal with some of the trivial matters, Nothing else. He said in the letter that he had a dispute with Baoyu from the Jia family.

Chen Heng told Lin Ruhai this matter not to file a complaint. The original meaning is to let the teacher know that he and Jia Baoyu are not getting along. If several families meet in the capital in the future, it can save the time for the teacher to introduce them.

When Lin Daiyu heard this, her delicate and beautiful eyebrows knitted together, and she immediately said crisply: But it's my second cousin who started it.

Lin Ruhai secretly cried out in his heart that it was bad, it was bad, he had forgotten that this girl was a biased and petty person. He shook his head. It was hard to defend his nephew and he didn't have time to speak.

Lin Daiyu had already nodded to herself and began to think about what happened, Brother's temper is never like that of others. It must have been that the other party went too far, which caused the commotion.

The more she talked, the angrier she became. Lin Daiyu didn't even have time to ask follow-up questions. She suppressed her concern for her old friend and ran back to the boudoir angrily. She picked up a pen and wrote a letter at the table.

When Zijuan came in with tea, her lady had already written three letters in one go. They are for Tanchun, Xiangyun and Baoyu respectively. Seeing Daiyu's angry look, Zijuan couldn't help but ask Xueyan, What's wrong with Miss? But why are you so angry?

The latter shook her head, she didn't know either. All I know is that the young lady went out happily and then came back angry.

Zicuckoo couldn't figure it out, and waited until Daiyu finished checking the letter before she asked attentively. When she heard that Chen Heng and Baoyu were arguing, Zijuan didn't know what to say. Maid Hui thought it would be better to let the young lady continue to be sulky, so she suggested going to the temple to pray for blessings in the afternoon. Lin Daiyu's eyes turned from anger to joy, and she prepared to go out.

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When Lin Daiyu was busy going out, Chen Heng had just arrived in Ningyuan Prefecture. The road to the north is only halfway gone. It's winter and spring in the south, but it's still snowy here in the north. Not to mention this group of people are still chasing the tail of the winter wind.

The days are short in winter, so there is not much time to travel along the way, and there is snow blocking the way. The official roads in the countryside are rarely repaired, so you can imagine how difficult the road conditions are. The high spirits when I left Beijing have turned into the fatigue of the journey today.

Chen Heng and the others were doing relatively well. They were still able to hide in the carriage without the cold northern wind blowing in their faces. Liu Xianglian's bodyguard was in a miserable situation, and even knives from the sky had to ride horses to protect them. After all, there are two serious ministers sitting in this line.

The carriage drove hard on the snow, and the occasional cold wind blew in through the door, which made the drowsy colleagues wake up a lot. Naturally, a low-level official like Chen Heng cannot have one person and one car like the minister.

Three or four officials were huddled together, and the servants accompanying them hugged each other for warmth. There was a half-awake Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs. When he saw Chen Heng flipping through the pages of a book, he put his head over, looked at the words on the paper, and read slowly: Forty miles from the capital to Tongzhou, twenty miles To Yanjiao, twenty miles to Xiadian and thirty miles to Sanhe County...

Hearing the faint voices, other people who were not asleep opened their eyes and looked at the two of them, and said to Chen Heng among them, Chi Xing's travel diary is very detailed.

Just to pass the time. Chen Heng replied that this was his habit. Love to read and remember. After getting along for a long time, people who travel with him also know the boy's quirks.

Some people nodded in agreement, and some people sighed, Today we know about Xu Xiake's difficulties.

Others asked why. This person said: When I read books before, I always thought that the Xu family was well-off. Traveling with a servant like Xu Xiake should be fun and comfortable. Now when I go out to Beijing, I feel...

While he was talking, the carriage jolted, shaking everyone again. Everyone burst into laughter that made them happy, and some said: It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. Read thousands of books and travel thousands of miles.

Chen Heng also smiled. The journey was boring after all. Just like a climber who wants to see the sunrise, until the last moment when the sun rises and the sea of ​​clouds rolls, the efforts he has made and the darkness he has endured will not be rewarded a hundredfold.

Seeing that all the colleagues were awake, everyone was picking up their household chores or the scenery of their hometown, chatting and laughing in a low voice. Chen Heng listened silently, thinking about Ning Yuanzhou's information.

Ningyuan Prefecture, where Ningyuan Guards were set up in the early Ming Dynasty. The leader has seven commanders, one chief and six deputies, and twenty-four thousand households. These things are all recorded in the documents of the Ministry of War. The situation in the Yong Dynasty was different. Li Zhi only set up one general, nine generals, and 3,888 Hakka soldiers.

The Hakka soldiers in the Ministry of War are not talking about the Guangxi children who fight bravely, but that the soldiers and horses here are from outside the country, so more attention should be paid when dispatching them. In addition to the people, there were thirty-two wheelbarrows, one hundred military horses, and three thousand three hundred and sixty-eight mules.

Chen Heng remembered all this information. When they arrive at the place, their immediate superiors will order them to take charge. This trip involved both negotiation and armament inspections along the way. Ah, people in the Ministry of War, life is so stressful.

Chen Heng's profound knowledge and strong memory have already left an impression on Yao Ziran. Sure enough, as soon as they got off the carriage, they, together with Chen Heng and other junior officers from the Ministry of War, were called to inspect various armaments.

Colleagues like Chen Heng the most at this time. If you don't remember any data, just ask the young man and you will get a detailed answer in no time.

By the time they finished counting Ning Yuanwei's things, it was already dark. But the people in the Ministry of War cannot rest. These gangsters were not very literate. Occasionally, a few mules died, and they only used their knives to draw a line on the wall to record the deaths. Chen Heng and others wanted to update the news and just wait to return to Beijing to record it. Whether to make up for it or to release it, we have to go back and discuss it.

After resting like this for a night, it was dawning the next day and it was time to set off again. The few people who had stayed up late for a long time naturally fell asleep in the carriage.

After half a month like this, they finally arrived in Shenzhou. It is said to be Shenzhou, but actually it could also be called Shenyang. The Ming Dynasty established the Shenyang Zhongwei here, so the locals often called it Shenyang.

This place is still some distance away from the border, but it is already the last majestic city in the north. The two ministers naturally wanted to rest here to coordinate the overall situation. The doctor and chief of the Ministry of War, headed by Yao Ziran, had to continue heading north for more than a hundred miles until they could stop in Tieling County.

Sixty miles behind Tieling County is Kaiyuan County, and behind it are dotted villages and military stations. The Northland is vast, mostly with endless mountains and ridges, and there are a lot of people.

The magistrate of Tieling County was very enthusiastic about these distinguished guests who came from afar, and asked people to beat the deer deer in advance to entertain the guests. This is the best meal Chen Heng has eaten recently, and I am very impressed.

Yao Ziran was chatting with the county magistrate in the inner hall. Low-level officials like them could gather together and enjoy themselves. The next thing is to find a way to contact the grassland ministries. This matter was too confidential and important for Chen Heng and others to intervene.

These people were brought here just to complete the inspection of armaments assigned by the Ministry of War. Whether it is war or peace, find out how much wealth you still have and how long you can continue to fight. This is the way to know oneself and the enemy in the art of war.

This matter requires the hard work of running out of the city gate. Fortunately, the weather is showing signs of warming up. The official with Chen Heng is named Yan. The two unlucky guys drove a carriage and, escorted by Liu Xianglian, began to inspect the area they were responsible for.

After passing three military stations in a row, on the tenth day, at the retreat station, Chen Heng finally saw Xin Suzhao, who was wearing armor and frost. Not seen for several years, Xin Suzhao is already the commander of the military station. He has hundreds of people in charge.

When the two met for the first time, the latter was very surprised.

Brothers told me that an old acquaintance from the capital came to see me. I was still wondering which enemy came to visit. I thought it would be You. Brother Heng, this fate is such a coincidence.

Before Chen Heng could say anything, Liu Xianglian had already laughed, Brother, you really think it's a coincidence. He said proudly, Chixing has already seen your location in the Ministry of War documents, and I came here specifically to see you today. .”

Brother Heng, you are working in the Ministry of War now?! Xin Suzhao raised his eyebrows, not expecting that his friend would have such an opportunity. He looked around Chen Heng, who happened to be looking at him too.

The two of them looked at each other's changes, and Chen Heng's height had begun to catch up with Xin Suzhao's. The latter has gone through a lot of vicissitudes compared to the past. On the chin, I don’t know when I started growing a beard. Her originally pretty and dazzling appearance was now rough and heroic with a dusty face and frosty temples.

Yes. Chen Heng said with emotion, Brother Xin has changed so much.

Stop acting like a child. Xin Suzhao smiled, raised his hand and patted Chen Heng on the back. The sudden strong force caused the young man's body to sway again and again.

Let's go, I'll accompany you to check everything. Xin Suzhao took Chen Heng out, walking and talking along the way, very neatly. The two of them were relatively restrained, but Liu Xianglian didn't care. She was talking about the guards' clothes and the changes in the capital.

Xin Suzhao occasionally talks about his own affairs, but the winter snow has not yet disappeared. The soldiers in the military station still have a chance to rest and recuperate. When spring comes, they will be engaged in a new round of battle.

Chen Heng asked a few questions about the battle conditions over the years and the casualties of soldiers. Xin Suzhao sighed and only said: Everyone who came with me in the first year died.

When others heard this, they all responded with silence. The war is rotten and the bones are piled high. This heartache can only be known by a man who fights hard. After checking the weapons and equipment, Xin Suzhao invited Chen Heng and others to his residence to greet his friends.

At the banquet, Liu Xianglian saw that Xin Suzhao had not touched any wine, so she persuaded him: Brother, my brother has come all the way here, why don't you have a drink with him?

Xin Suzhao, who was once a heavy drinker, shook his head, I can't drink, I can't drink. When I drink, my brothers will want to drink too. When they drink, they will miss home.

After saying this, Liu Xianglian lost interest in drinking. The hand holding the wine glass stopped in mid-air, and suddenly it felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. When Chen Heng saw this, he picked up the hot water and said, Brother Xin, I respect you.

Xin Suzhao smiled and picked up the water bowl. After the crisp collision sound, the two drank it all in one gulp. Xin Suzhao raised his hand to wipe the water drops on his beard and said with a smile: I thought Brother Zhixing would recite a few lines of poetry.

Chen Heng shook his head and said: A thousand words can't compare to what I saw with my own eyes.

Xin Suzhao didn't care about the complicated emotions in his words, but instead said boldly: Hahaha, why should you care so much? It is a man's lifelong ambition to generously serve his country with songs and die. But if you want to die well, there is no need to return wrapped in horse leather.

Liu Xianglian's blood boiled when she heard this, and she began to say impulsively: Brother, I will resign from this position when I get back, and come over to fight alongside you.

Xin Suzhao couldn't help but frown. The flickering light shone on his face, which was a few years older. He showed a strange look and asked, Aren't you here for peace talks?

Eh? Brother Xin also knows?

You can tell by looking at it. If the fighting continues, neither side can hold out. It's just that they haven't gotten the benefits and can't explain to the people. Our side is the same... Xin Suzhao said this, already showing a few faces. He said with a worried look, Brother Heng, you are from the capital, do you know what it means to go up to the peak? The soldiers have fought bloody battles till now, and it would really hurt the morale of the army to negotiate a peace in a daze. If we want to fight in the future, there will be no one left.

Chen Heng hurriedly comforted the other party and said: Brother Xin, don't worry, the person in charge this time is Mr. Wang Zhongjie, the left minister of the Ministry of War. He will never be so insane and ignore the credit of hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

Once peace talks are decided, the original rewards for winning the war will be discounted. At this time, if the peace talks are blindly compromising, it will truly chill the hearts and minds of the troops.

After hearing this, Xin Suzhao felt a little more at ease. These guys are far from having the opportunity to appear on stage. Your own destiny must also be controlled by others. Apart from complaining and worrying, I can only sit back and watch the tide ebb and flow.

That night, several people slept on the same bed. In the middle of the night, there was a rustle on the window. When Chen Heng, who was awakened by the pit fever, opened his eyes, he could hear Xin Suzhao's snoring and the cry of the wind and snow.

The next day, the snow stopped and the sky was clear. Today I will return to Tieling County to report to Yao Ziran. Chen Heng said hello to his colleagues and asked him to stay with him for another half day at the military station. In the extra time, Chen Heng followed Xin Suzhao around and around, talking and talking before letting the latter send them out of the military station.

It's just a farewell, but we don't know when we will meet again. Xin Suzhao rode Chiguang and sent his friends off again and again. Halfway through the road, Xin Suzhao stopped his horse and tightened the reins in his hands. He pointed with his horsewhip at the patches of white light on the steep mountains, which were accumulated by a night of wind and snow and reflected by the sunlight shining on them.

Seeing the magnificent rivers and mountains, Xin Suzhao said with great enthusiasm: I have to say farewell to you after traveling thousands of miles. Brother Heng, I send you here as a brother. Do you really have no poems to give me as a gift?

Chen Heng stood on the carriage, feeling the howling winter wind. After pondering for a moment, he said: When I said goodbye to Yangzhou in the past, my brother did think of the words of a sage. I didn't have time to read it to my brother that day, so let's say parting words today.

good.

The long wind rustled, blowing the cloak behind the armor. Xin Suzhao raised his chin and signaled his friend to read it quickly.

Chen Heng cleared his throat and said loudly: In the prime of life, banners are held by thousands of men, and brocades suddenly ride across the river at the beginning. Yan soldiers sing at night with silver beards, and Han arrows fly towards gold servant girls. Chasing the past, sighing about the present, the spring breeze will not stain the white mustache Must. But I exchanged ten thousand words for the military strategy, and exchanged it for my boss to plant a tree book.

After hearing the end, Xin Suzhao was already smiling, and his wind-stained face was filled with the excitement of surrendering to those around him. He raised his whip and pointed at the road ahead: Brother Heng, Youdao has been a hero for many years. Huo Qubing is like this, Xin Qiji is like this...

He whipped his whip vigorously and his horse was flying fast. As the man left, his heroic tone resounded throughout the deserted Northland, You and I are the same.

Chen Heng had no words to answer and just bowed to say goodbye on the carriage that was leaving.

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After returning to Tieling County, he reported the situation of various military stations to Yao Ziran. The latter frowned deeply when he heard the situation and only sent his subordinates to rest first. Another half month passed and the sun became warmer. Only the tops of the mountains are left with some white color.

I don’t know what Yao Ziran did, but finally waited until a group of people from the grassland tribe arrived. When the two parties came together, the Ministry of War dispatched another 500 guards to serve as both surveillance and escort. The two parties returned to Shenzhou Mansion Office together, and the door here was immediately closed tightly.

This negotiation lasted more than a month. In the middle, the two sides fought intermittently, with no sign of stopping. What I hear most in the government office is that each other accuses the other party of breaking promises and using the name of peace talks, which is really insensitive.

Because of his good calligraphy and the fact that he was the Ministry of War's official history book, Chen Heng and two other colleagues participated in the entire process. They had no right to speak. They just wanted to record the words and deeds of the two parties in a book for Li Zhi to read after returning to Beijing.

This can be regarded as an indirect eye-opener for Chen Heng. Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of War has a very hot temper, and he is not inferior when it comes to scolding people. The right minister of the Ministry of Rites is too bookish. When speaking to others, he is still polite. Often at a disadvantage or being ignored.

I originally thought that all the high officials in the court were disciples of some shady theory. After seeing it with his own eyes, Chen Heng realized that all of them were normal people eating whole grains. He may be happy or angry, he may draw his sword in anger and want to kill people, but he may also urge himself to calm down and not ignore the overall situation.

This went on and on until the beginning of May. Due to the poor weather on the grassland, the frontier troops frequently attacked and resisted, and the opponent was unable to hold on at first. Sometimes, there are some things that you just have to put yourself to death and survive. The progress of the negotiations soon entered into the specific details of bartering.

Naturally, the trading items of those border merchants cannot be put on the table. They were talking about important things such as tea, horses, salt, and silver. Among them, Chen Heng from Yangzhou in the south of the Yangtze River was questioned privately by Yao Ziran and the Minister several times.

In the entire Dayong Mission, Chen Heng was the only person who had actually done business and succeeded. Report the economic data and opinions collected by you to Shangfeng one by one.

Towards the end of May, after several rounds of back and forth, the two parties finally reached an agreement. What was left was the exchange of credentials, which was the most important matter. The two ministers accompanied the grassland envoys in simple clothes and took the lead. Small miscellaneous fish like Chen Heng can spend a day or two in Shenzhou and then go back.

It is worth mentioning that in order for this negotiation to go smoothly. Under the unification of caring people, all the grassland tribes came together and established a country called Jian.

This is really bad news.

Maybe looking back, they might not have planned it out with this idea in mind from the beginning. Chen Heng wrote his conjectures on paper, only for future enlightenment, and did not dare to show them to outsiders.

I was so hungry that I couldn't stand it. I hadn't eaten anything for a day, so I went to eat first. Remember to vote, go go go go.