The bear child of the Red Chamber, Jia Cong

Even though Dong Ming was an old official, he was very interested in watching the excitement when he heard that a lady from the magistrate's family came out alone to find a man.After following someone's words for half a day, it's like listening to a play, and then leave after the show is over.The fifth girl of the Tan family was a little confused just now, but Dong Ming woke up not long after he left, and couldn't help but stumble and feel regretful.

Back home, Dong Ming told his wife, "I have made up my mind to go to the Taiwan government with General Jarvis."

His daughter-in-law was slightly taken aback, and said after a while: "Why is it so abrupt? I was caught off guard."

Dong Ming sighed: "I'm just a small official, I don't even have a rank. It's a compliment to call me 'Master'. Taiwan prefect Jia Lian is the eldest grandson of the Rongguo Mansion, Master Tan is incomparable. Besides, these days, General Jia and Their army division Lin thinks highly of me, and I have a promising future."

His daughter-in-law saw that her husband had made up his mind, so she could only say: "Men have their own ideas, but the mother-in-law has no one to take care of her."

Dong Ming said: "I'll go there first, and after I've settled down, I'll pick you up. The money at home is still available, so I don't need to bring any money with me. The Taiwan government has its own arrangements."

His daughter-in-law persuaded: "As the saying goes, poor families get rich. Since it's the first time to go, bring more silver to be prepared."

"Bring more, how much can you bring?" Dong Ming waved his hand, "I don't need it if I say no." His daughter-in-law has always regarded her husband as her god, so she lowered her head and went down to pack her luggage and comfort her mother-in-law and children.

Dong Ming went to the Yamen to say hello to his colleagues, and said bluntly that he was going to Taiwan.Because Tan Mo was dead, Li Qizhi drafted a booklet and sent it to Beijing, but he didn't know who the successor would be, so he had to ask the uncle of the Tan family to resign.Uncle Tan said happily: "When we arrive at Chengtian Mansion, I hope Master Dong will speak more kindly to Master Jia on behalf of our family." Dong Ming agreed with his hands clasped.

On this day, seeing that he was about to leave home, Dong Ming went to the shop to buy some snacks to coax the children.Huanhuanxi walked home with snacks, passing a street intersection, Dong Ming had a flash of ominous thoughts.Just now I regained my senses, when I bumped into a figure out of nowhere, before I could see his face clearly, I raised my knife to point at him and stabbed him.Dong Ming dodged hastily, avoiding the first blow but not the second, causing a hole in his abdomen.The man ran away, and disappeared from the market in the blink of an eye; the knife was still on Dong Ming's body.

This place is very close to his home, someone immediately called his wife.Dong Ming's daughter-in-law was so frightened that she could not move as if she had lost her soul.His son was 12 years old this year, so he hurriedly asked someone to report to the Jarvis camp immediately, and told them not to touch the knife on Dong Ming's body until the doctor came.Neighbors helped carry him back home.Dong Ming looked at his son and said happily: "Sensible!" His son was still holding on just now, and when he heard this, he took his father's hand and rolled down tears like rain.

Jarvis and the others were packing up their things and were about to set up camp, but they were shocked when they heard the news, and hurriedly led the two military doctors to Dong's house.Seeing him, Dong Ming smiled wryly and said, "I'm ashamed of the general's love, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave." Jarvis waved his hand to tell him not to speak.This time, a Western surgeon was brought in. He was originally a missionary hired by Starship Medical College in Guangzhou, and he was good at surgery.

The doctors in the room were busy saving people, but Jarvis couldn't help, so he went out and saw many spectators gathered outside, and asked if anyone knew who assassinated Mr. Dong.Everyone shook their heads one after another, either they didn't see it clearly, or they didn't recognize it.Jarvis clasped his fists and begged them to help spread the message: If there is any clue about the murderer, a reward of 100 taels of silver will be given.

Back in the house, Dong Ming's son saluted him and thanked him, and said: "Just now I heard from your nurse sister that the medicine my father needs to use is a few hundred taels of silver to make up a little bit, which shows that the general treats my father very much. Dafang, why is the reward only 100 taels?"

Jarvis looked at him with clear eyes, and really wanted to know the reason, and said: "For ordinary people, 100 taels of silver is already a lot. If I offered a reward of 1000 taels, some people who were suspicious would think that there was some other reason behind it. I dare not come here for fear of getting involved." Nai asked his name.

The child said: "My name is Dong Yu."

Jarvis laughed: "Dongpo said, everyone adopts a son to look smart, and I have been fooled by cleverness all my life. I hope the child is foolish and ruthless, and he will be a public servant without any disasters. This name is obviously chosen by Mr. Dong." He thought to himself. Thinking about it, Dong Ming was smart all his life, and he was still a petty official in his 40s, so he couldn't help but feel uneasy. "What do you want to do tomorrow?"

Dong Yu pouted and said, "I want my father to be an official of the punishment room, so I dare not tell him. He just ordered me to study hard."

Jarvis said: "Reading is also necessary. It is not bad to be like your father. If you learn well, you will have a bright future."

Dong Yu glanced at him: "My father is so powerful, why doesn't he have a good future?"

Jarvis said: "It's just that his luck was not good enough in the past." Because he asked him, "I heard Master Dong said that you are staying in Zhangzhou for a while, and you will pick it up in the future. In my opinion, it's better for you to go together."

Dong Yu's eyes were red, and he asked in a low voice trembling slightly: "Can my father still go?"

Jarvis stroked his head and said, "Master Dong will surely survive. With such a good son as you, how could he be willing to leave him behind?"

Dong Yu then shed tears.After a while, he asked, "Look, general, who wants to kill my father?"

Jarvis smiled bitterly and said, "I don't have any clues either. I just took a look. The assassin is not a trainee, otherwise Mr. Dong would not be able to support us. If the assassin himself had a grudge against Mr. Dong, it was the person who hired him." Can't find any suitable assassins. We can exclude some extremely powerful people. Think about it, does Mr. Dong have any enemies?"

Dong Yu bowed his head and said: "There are too many, all the prisoners caught by him are enemies."

"It's not easy to find." Jarvis said sadly, "He is the strongest in handling cases, but now he is the one who is assassinated."

Dong Yu stayed aside for a while, and suddenly asked: "Why did General Jia kill Tan Zhifu?" Jarvis glanced at him.He blinked and said, "My father said that you did it, you must do it!"

Jarvis knocked on his forehead and said: "Things that can't be found out must be analyzed; after the analysis, they will be verified. You can't cheat." Dong Yu pouted.

The Western doctor and his assistants were busy in the room for six full hours. It was already midnight after the operation, and Dong Ming was unconscious.

The next day, many people came to the door and said that they had clues about the assassin, or they saw people they didn't recognize, or they were blind. Jarvis gradually drew the appearance of the assassin according to what these people said.Nai smiled and said: "In the early years, Cong'er made trouble for us to learn sketching from Western painters, and I didn't think it would come in handy now." But Daiyu had never learned it, and secretly thought of learning it when she returned to the island.

Until one day later, a young guy from a grain merchant finally came up and said: "When Mr. Dong was assassinated, I saw the old mullet from Heshui Bridge running away in a hurry, so I called him. He didn’t answer either—it was clearly him.”

Jarvis asked, "Who is the old mullet?"

"He's an idle guy. He doesn't have any serious business, and he doesn't have much ability. He just helps people fight Taipingquan." The guy said, "In fact, he doesn't even have any clothes that can be seen. That day he washed his face and put on his clothes. It was so neatly arranged that I almost didn't recognize it."

Jarvis then showed him the sixteen portraits he had drawn to see if any of them looked like old mullets, and he picked out the assassin with only two or three glances.Jarvis immediately ordered people to look for the old mullet at Heshui Bridge, but the neighbors said they hadn't seen him for several days.Nai then asked the neighbors to pick the old mullet among the sixteen portraits, and immediately picked out the assassin.Jarvis then gave the boy 100 taels of silver.

He went to see the old mullet's house in person.This person's house was completely bare and poor, with two clothes and a pair of shoes casually thrown on the table.The accompanying dibao said: "The old mullet usually only has a few clothes and shoes, nothing more." Jarvis nodded, and asked the neighbors about his temperament, friends, places he often visited, and what happened recently .Several neighbors said that he was really weird these days, and he was very happy, and even said that he recognized fairies.Nai probably decided that the old mullet was the assassin.Jarvis drew a few more portraits of the old mullet, and ordered people to take them to all the tailors and clothing stores in the city to inquire, most of them had never seen this person.Several shopkeepers recognized the old mullet, but he had never bought or made clothes.Someone recognized it. Not long after Dong Ming was assassinated, the old mullet went out from the east gate of the city and never came back.

Jarvis then returned to the camp to discuss with Lin Daiyu with all the information he had found.Daiyu thought: "The old mullet is well dressed, but he can't find a tailor or a shopkeeper. Most likely someone did it for him. Since he recognized the fairy, this woman is either unparalleled in beauty or not low in status. The two are the same Only then can I be called a 'fairy'."

Jarvis said: "Or the famous fans in the city, but there are not many fans who can make clothes."

Daiyu said: "I can't even guarantee that they are the female relatives of a big family."

They had just talked for a while, when someone outside reported: "Mr. Dong is awake." The two of them went out of the tent to pull the horse together, and rushed to Dong's house with the bridle.

Dong Ming is still weak at the moment, and the military doctor can only say a few words.Lin Daiyu said: "Master Dong, to make a long story short, have you ever offended any beautiful woman?"

Dong Ming thought for a while and said decisively, "No."

Jarvis said: "Anyway, Mrs. Dong is not here, do you have any fans who have offended you?"

Dong Mingdao: "I never offended you. I helped a few fans when I investigated the case last year."

"Where are the female relatives of the big family?"

Dong Ming said with a smile: "Not much more, I don't recognize you at all. To be honest, a few days ago, the five girls from the Tan family who were at the gate of your camp were the first one I had seen. , why are you so curious?"

While talking, someone came in and replied: "I just got the letter, and the Tan family is going to have a funeral again."

"What?" Everyone in the room was taken aback.

The soldier said: "The sixth girl of the Tan family disappeared last night, and was found drowned in the well early this morning."

Lin Daiyu said: "She is a rich lady, and she doesn't need to fetch water by herself, so why is she going to the well?"

The soldier said: "Nowadays, it is said that Mr. Tan's lingering spirit tricked his daughter into throwing himself into the well."

Jia and Lin looked at each other, Lin Daiyu frowned and said, "I thought it would be cheaper to go to Zhangzhou without fighting, but who knows that there are more things going on than other places."

Jarvis said: "Ordinary women have their own stories about throwing themselves into wells, but it's rare to see ghosts lingering on them."

Dong Mingdao: "Master Tan has ten sons and thirteen daughters, and five or six of them died young. There are countless concubines, and the inner house is extremely chaotic."

Daiyu said: "Since it was a young lady who died, I will personally go to the Tan Mansion to express my condolences. My father was the Minister of the Supreme Emperor when he was in office, so I should be able to meet many female relatives in this capacity."

Dong Ming said: "Even if they don't rely on this status, they will definitely surround the military adviser." Nai laughed and said, "Uncle Tan even entrusted a small official to Chengtian Mansion to speak kindly to Master Jia on his behalf."

Daiyu nodded and said, "Since that's the case, just say he's Jarvis' military advisor."

Fortunately, she was originally wearing plain clothes, and did not go back to the camp, so she went to the Tan Mansion to express her condolences in a Confucian robe.Because a group of heroic soldiers followed behind him, there were people waiting and watching along the way.

When they arrived at the Tan mansion, Mrs. Tan came out to greet her in person. Lin Daiyu said a few words of relief, ordered someone to sacrifice some paper money on her behalf, and then went to the back to have tea.The Tan family had long overheard her talking to Jarvis, and knew that she was the daughter of Lord Shangshu, and all the female relatives wanted to stand in front of her.More than a dozen girls and five or six grandmothers squeezed into a room.

The wives and grandma held Daiyu and chatted some gossips, and then some girl asked about Jarvis.Daiyu sighed: "General Jia originally intended to marry your family, but now there are a lot of strange talks outside, so he doesn't dare."

As soon as this remark came out, the whole hall fell silent for a long time.Mrs. Tan tremblingly said: "Why did I hear the master say a few days ago that he went to General Jia's camp to propose a marriage, but he refused?"

Daiyu said gracefully: "Although I am a girl, I am still a military advisor. If you accept a wife before the battle, you will be beheaded on the spot according to the military law." Everyone in the room took a deep breath. "If you take a wife before the battle, you will be beheaded" is a common drama in commentary dramas, and no one among the female relatives suspects it.Lin Daiyu said as if nothing had happened, "General Jia intends to send people to Zhangzhou to talk about this matter after returning to the island, but now he has stopped thinking about it." She shook her head, "After all, their leaders value luck, I'm afraid Master Tan won't rest, and it will be a burden on the battlefield."

I saw a girl who was described as delicate and beautiful sitting on the chair slumped like dead ashes, suddenly jumped up, screamed and rushed to another girl, shouting: "You killed the sixth sister! Broken my marriage! I'll kill you and kill you..." There was a sudden chaos in the room, and the soldiers outside didn't care about whether men and women would kiss or not, and rushed in to protect their military advisor.Mrs. Tan shouted, "Stop!" It took a long time for a group of maids to separate the two girls.The face of the one who beat him was ferocious, he had long lost sight of his delicacy just now; the cheeks on both sides of the beating were already swollen and high.

Lin Daiyu stood among several soldiers like a sharp sword out of its sheath, and calmly asked Mrs. Tan, "May I ask what's going on?"

Mrs. Tan was speechless, so she asked the beating girl: "Fifth girl, you said that the seventh girl killed the sixth girl, do you have evidence?"

The fifth girl pointed at the seventh girl and gritted her teeth: "I heard people saying in the past few days that because the brothers think that Mr. Li is a talent, they want to choose one of us to promise him. She and the sixth girl secretly peeped on Mr. Li, and all of them In love! The day before yesterday, I heard that Mr. Li has agreed to the marriage, but the brothers have not yet decided who to marry. The sixth sister is dead, so she just happened to marry Mr. Li?"

Seventh girl shouted: "What do you have to do with me! Ma'am, you are wronged, wronged! She is bleeding!"

Lin Daiyu frowned: Li Qizhi agreed to marry a girl from the Tan family?Could it be that he didn't come to Zhangzhou for the firearms business?