Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 823 Invitations arrive at the same time
Luoyunhou Mansion,

Zhang Jinyu was in the house, drinking a little. After he was full, he was ready to go to the side room to rest. As the saying goes, when you are full, you will think about lust. He couldn't help but think about the plump body of Miss Xu in the Jiaofangsi.

When I thought of this, the skin on the back of my hand still ached slightly. I had already fought, but I hadn't touched the person yet. I felt like I was at a loss.
Just thinking,

Outside,

The front yard manager came.
"My Lord, there is a girl outside the mansion. She said she is an old friend and came to deliver an invitation. I wanted to ask her a few more questions, but she ignored me, threw the invitation away, and kicked me into the mansion."

When Zhang Jinyu heard this, he was shocked. Who is this person? He is so arrogant and so pretentious.
"Damn, who is this person, so arrogant?"

Now there are still people who are giving cold shoulder to my own house. They don’t know what is good for them and how disrespectful they are.

Seeing the Marquis was angry, the steward did not dare to neglect and quickly put a gilded invitation on the table. Zhang Jinyu glanced at it and exclaimed, this is, seeing that it is somewhat familiar, he quickly took the invitation back, only to see that it said that the eldest princess will return to the capital tomorrow, and will hold a poetry meeting and a courtesan election in four days, and the location is Yanchun Tower. The signature is Princess Yueru Zhou Xiangxue, and there will be a housewarming celebration tomorrow. The person who sent the letter, who can have such a temper, that lady Wei,

"Quick, you little dog slave, you're trying to stir up trouble, invite the people in."

"Uh, yes, sir."

Zhang Jinyu's heart warmed up. It's better to come at the right time than to come early. There are some things to talk about. When the steward saw that the attitude of the Marquis changed drastically, he knew that the person who came was not simple, so he kowtowed and apologized, and then ran out to invite the person in.
Who knows,

outside the door,

Wei Shuyun stood there alone with a reluctant look on her face. She wanted to just leave, but when she thought of His Highness' instructions that she needed to present it to the Marquis in person, she couldn't move her feet. She made up her mind to wait a while, see Marquis Luo Yun, and leave after she finished speaking.

At this time, another voice came from behind.

"Oh, isn't this Sister Shuyun? I haven't seen you for a long time."

A burst of enchanting crisp sound made Wei Shuyun turn around extremely alertly. Looking back, she saw a pretty woman getting off the carriage. She was wearing a green satin skirt and a sunken wood hairpin. She looked so familiar. This was Ge Qing, the Shangshu beside Princess Yongcheng. How did she get here?

"Huh, who am I? It turns out to be Sister Ge Qing. What brings you here?"

There seemed to be a look of disdain in her expression. Ge Qing was no stranger to him. She was Princess Yongcheng's confidant. Even Manchun Courtyard was under her control. It was obvious that she had power. Why would she come to Marquis Luo Yun's Mansion for no reason? There must be something hidden inside. Her original intention to leave faded a lot.

"Oh, sister, what are you talking about? I was just passing by here and saw you standing here alone. I felt sorry for you, so I came to check on you."

Following the voice, the person came closer. Wei Shuyun didn't believe it at all. Not only was she dressed up gorgeously, but she even brought two sachets with her. She was obviously dressed up carefully, so how could she say she was just passing by?
"That's really a coincidence. Sister Ge Qing doesn't seem to be sincere. Now that you have seen it, let's go back."

Wei Shuyun deliberately used words to put pressure on people, trying to drive them away. How could Ge Qing not know what she was thinking? Seeing that Wei Shuyun was still dressed the same way, which had not changed for more than ten years, she was really stubborn. He didn't know why she came here. He had many guesses in his heart. He didn't know what situation the princess was setting up, and she was determined to disrupt it.

Therefore, he did not take out the invitation in his arms, but waited for the people from the Marquis' Mansion to come. Coincidentally, the steward of the Marquis' Mansion came out hurriedly and asked;

"Miss, the Marquis has someone to invite you to the west courtyard. Please come in."

But when I looked up, I saw two people here, and when I was puzzled, I asked;

"May I ask, young lady, what are you doing here?"

"What else could it be? It must be an old friend who came to visit the Marquis, right, sister?"

Ge Qing even teased deliberately and followed Wei Shuyun in. The steward wanted to stop them, but seeing the Marquis's attitude just now, he shrank his head and followed behind.

After a while, they arrived at the west courtyard, opened the door, and entered the main house.
Zhang Jinyu, who was in the room, was still looking at the invitation card. The beautiful handwriting was obviously from His Highness's hand. It was indeed a beautiful handwriting. He secretly praised it.

Just at this time,

The door was pushed open.

Zhang Jinyu looked up and saw two women coming in one after the other. The figure of the manager was at the back, and she replied with a trembling mouth;
"My Lord, there is a woman outside the door who insisted on coming in. She said she is an old friend of yours, and I didn't stop her."

What did he mean by not being able to stop it? It was because he himself did not dare to stop it. How could it be so strange? The people who came were all old friends.

Zhang Jinyu smiled. He had never thought that both of these masters would come. They were indeed old friends. He waved his hand.

"Go back."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

The steward quickly agreed, left the room and closed the door.

Inside the room, only three people were left looking at each other. The atmosphere was a little weird. Zhang Jinyu coughed and gave in.
"You two have come from afar, please sit down and rest for a while."

"Thank you, Lord Marquis."

Ge Qing smiled and deliberately walked to the seat next to Luo Yunhou and sat down. Wei Shuyun snorted coldly, cursed her in her heart as a bitch, and sat down with her.
After the two of them sat down, Zhang Jinyu asked curiously;

"I wonder what orders you two have for me. I have done what I promised to do. I wonder when the food will be shipped to the border."

Zhang Jinyu was still worried about the food. If he really planted mulberry trees outside the Great Wall, with so many servants, he would still have to rely on the food and fodder transported by the two princes for food.

"Don't worry, my Lord. The grain your Highness bought from Jiangnan has been shipped north."

Wei Shuyun's voice was cold and she spoke without hesitation. Ge Qing smiled and glanced at Wei Shuyun. She was still as stubborn as ever, but the princess was really quick to respond.
"Don't worry, my Lord. My Highness has remembered everything. The grain bought from the capital has been shipped out of the dock and will soon reach the border. I came here today for no other reason than to send you an invitation. My master will move back to the capital tomorrow and has prepared a banquet at home. Please do me a favor, my Lord."

Weiwei's voice was accompanied by a scent, and she took out an invitation from her plump breasts and placed it on the table. Zhang Jinyu gasped when she saw it. Wow, this place is well placed. It still has body temperature when touched slightly. Her heart was moved, and her hands were not slow. She opened it and saw that it was really written by Princess Yongcheng. Although the handwriting was not as good as that of the eldest princess, it was also exquisite and neat, a model for everyone.

However, the dates chosen by the two princesses were too coincidental, both were tomorrow.

"Excuse me, sirs, when will the banquet be held for your Highnesses?"

Unexpectedly, the two girls answered at the same time.

"Three quarters after noon."

After saying that, the two girls looked at each other, both with warning expressions.

Even Zhang Jinyu was a little confused. Wasn't it three quarters after noon that they were supposed to drive the ducks to heaven? Why did they choose that time? What was the idea behind it?

"Your master is good at choosing the time. Tell me, it's 15:30, a banquet for two people. I don't have the ability to clone myself, so how can I go? Forget it, you go back and tell His Highness that I am busy with official duties and cannot attend the banquet. I hope Your Highness will forgive me. Of course, I will send you a token of my gratitude."

It was not that Zhang Jinyu was deliberately shirking responsibility, but she did not want to get involved with these two princes at this time. One was that the noble families had many spies, and the other was that Princess Yongcheng had a prince consort, and the eldest princess was a widow. If she was entangled with them, it would affect her reputation. Besides, she had not yet arrived at the Beijing camp, and she had no idea about the soldiers and generals.

Thinking of the Beijing camp, people feel a little uneasy, but in the eyes of the two girls, it is clearly an excuse, so they are not willing to let it go.
Ge Qing smiled and replied;

"You are joking, my Lord. The Imperial Examination is over, so why would you be busy? My Highness has something to discuss with you, my Lord. I hope you can go and have a look."

"My Lord, don't listen to her. Princess Yongcheng is back in the capital, so there must be many people coming, and her husband is also coming with her. If you go, it will be bad if rumors spread. But my prince has invited many old friends. My Lord, please go there when you are free."

I don't know whether Wei Shuyun has come to her senses or is quick-witted and good at talking. She squeezed Ge Qing so hard that he couldn't say anything.

"What a joke. My Highness is pure and innocent. Who dares to say anything? The Prince Consort has to manage the property in his fiefdom and it is inconvenient for him to return to the capital. But my sister, you know there is a saying among the people that there are many troubles in front of a widow. The master's affairs should be resolved by the master himself."

"you."

"Alright, both of you, go back when you're done. I know about this matter now."

Zhang Jinyu quickly interrupted the two of them, saying, "My goodness, the ministers around the two masters dare to say anything. What will happen if it gets out? I don't know how they are so bold. What about wives and widows? This marquis doesn't care.
They pushed and chased the two of them out, but the two girls refused to do so and kept pushing and shoving, which inevitably led to some contact.
outside the house,

Ning Bian suddenly rushed in, saw the situation in the house, and then hurriedly retreated.
"Ahem, Lord Marquis, there is a eunuch from the palace here to deliver an imperial decree. Lord Xuan, please enter the palace to see the emperor."

When Zhang Jinyu was feeling awkward, he heard that the palace had summoned him. He was overjoyed. It would be better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early.

"Hurry, prepare the horses, and go now," he turned around and saw the two women still glaring at each other, so he advised,
"I have something to do so I will go to the palace first. You two can go back and tell them to congratulate the two princes on their return to the capital."

Without waiting for the two to react, he walked out of the house directly, leaving the two women still angry in the house. He waited until the sound of horse hooves outside the house faded away before leaving angrily.

Rongguo Mansion,
There are fewer people on Ningrong Street now. Three days have passed. Those who should have come have come, and those who shouldn't have come will no longer come.

In Rongqing Hall,

Ladies, you can gather here and take a break.
Inside the room, there was a large table, and Wang Xifeng found a few accountants to do the accounting.
After a while,
Several accountants put down their abacuses, wrote down a string of numbers on the paper on the table, stood up and handed the paper to the second grandmother.
"Second Madam, the bill has been settled and all the expenses are spent here,"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng took it and looked at it. She saw a number written on it, about 30,000 taels of silver, and was surprised.

"You finally understand, why are there so many?"

The accountant did not dare to neglect it and replied with a folded hand:
"Replying to Second Madam, I dare not speak carelessly. There are account books to check. The expenses for people coming and going every day, the banquet alone is more than 3,000 taels of silver. We invited Taoist priests and monks from Jing'an Temple. They all need to donate merits, which requires 5,000 taels of silver each. The two add up to 10,000 taels of silver. There are also the expenses for the funeral inside and outside, and the expenses for the burial day, as well as a pair of high-quality coffins. In total, 30,000 taels of silver, no more and no less."

The accountant's words surprised all the ladies in the room. They wanted so much money. Jia's mother knew what was going on. She waved her hand and asked the accountants to go back and rest.
"Well, that's it, Feng girl, give them a reward and let them go back and rest."

"Yes, old lady,"

Wang Xifeng knew that the old lady had something to say, so she took out some loose change and sent a few people away first, then she came back with the account book and sat down.

"Madam, we can't afford this much money now. How can we deal with it?"

Wang Xifeng originally planned to ask Grandmother Li Wan for it, but it didn't matter if it wasn't counted. After counting so many, how could she dare to ask Li Wan for it? She could only bring up the issue and discuss it with everyone.
Mrs. Xing sat aside, looking unhappy. It was too extravagant to spend so much money on a funeral.

"Why would Rongguo Mansion take the money? It's Ningguo Mansion's business. How could they not take out this little money from such a big family?"

Although the words were unpleasant to hear, they made sense, and even the second wife agreed with them, which was rare.

"Now that the account books are well kept, there is a place to ask for money. Now that the family property has been divided, it must be managed well."

Obviously,

There is something in the words,

Wang Xifeng knew what the two ladies meant. The money would still be paid by Ningguo Mansion, but the cash in the Ningguo Mansion treasury had been taken away by Marquis Luo Yun and the Imperial City Administration when they raided the mansion. How could they get it back? As for the properties, Ningguo Mansion had divided them among Madam You and the eldest sister-in-law. As for the family property, no one dared to touch it without the participation of the elders of the Jia family. The future profits could only be settled at the end of the year.

How could Grandmother Jia not know all this? However, since Rongguo Mansion had already intervened in this matter, how could they not contribute a little money?

"You can't write two Jia characters with one stroke. Rongguo Mansion has to help Ningguo Mansion. So, today I'll notify all the mansions that in two days, Jia Jing's body will be exhumed and buried. Thirty thousand taels of silver, Rongguo Mansion will contribute ten thousand, Ningguo Mansion will contribute ten thousand, and the family property will also contribute ten thousand. It should be enough if we gather them together."

Now that Lady Jia had spoken, and the money had a source, it would be easy for Wang Xifeng to make arrangements.

"The old lady is right. As long as we have the money, it's all fine. Rongguo Mansion can still pay out 10,000 taels if we use it frugally. As for the family property at Ningguo Mansion, we have to wait until the end of the year. I'll keep an eye on it here. As for the Ningguo Mansion's account, I'll ask my eldest sister-in-law for it."

After saying this, he secretly glanced at the Second Madam. If he really asked the eldest sister-in-law for it, how would the Second Madam look like?

"You are a poor man, you only know how to ask for money. How can you ask for money from the girl of the Zhu family?"

Grandmother Jia felt that something was wrong and started to criticize him.

Who knows,

Wang Xifeng spread her hands and said aggrievedly;
"Old lady, you can't be partial. One is one and two is two. Money won't just pop up on its own. If you don't ask your eldest sister-in-law for it, who else can you ask for it from?"

This time, not only Wang Xifeng was hinting at something, even Mrs. Xing turned her head towards the Second Madam, as if she was looking at a joke. Who else could she ask for help? The master of the house was sitting right here.
unfortunately,

The second wife didn't say a word from beginning to end.
Jia Mu knew it very well and sighed.

"Let's talk about it after this matter is over."

Outside the hospital,

In the Lixiangyuan,

After Xue's mother and daughter finished their meal, they sat in the inner hall to rest and picked up the needlework on the table to start embroidering.

On the other side of the table,
Xue Pan had calmed down today and sat beside him. He did not look impatient, but rather disappointed.

Xue Baochai took a look and asked:

"Brother, you seem to be in a bad mood these days. Why don't you go out?"

Aunt Xue spoke first, and she had nothing nice to say;

"What else could it be? The Jia family is all helping out in the front yard, so there's no one left to mess around with him."

Xue Pan seemed to be indifferent. He stood up and walked to the bed, lying down directly and sighed.

"I feel depressed. You said Brother Lan, I didn't think he was that good, but he ranked third in the A list and is now a ninth-rank official. Even Jia Baoyu from the mansion didn't pass. I can't understand it."

In fact, deep down, Xue Pan still felt a little regretful. If he had memorized more policy essays before, he would have been the one to make the list when taking the exam this time, thanks to his relationship with Marquis Luo Yun. In the future, he would have been able to rise to the top, which was like a daydream.

"Brother, be careful with your words. This is the matter of the children of the Jia family of Rongguo Mansion. We outsiders should not discuss it. Besides, although Brother Lan is young, he is sensible and may not be a bad writer."

"You bastard, I told you to take the exam seriously, but you got into trouble there. If it wasn't for your sister, I don't know what would have happened to you."

Aunt Xue was furious. Not only had a good thing been turned into a disgrace, but the people involved in the fight were actually from the Yang family in the capital, a disciple of the Prime Minister. How could they, as merchants, dare to offend that?

Xue Baochai put down her needlework, poured tea for Aunt Xue, and said soothingly:

"Mom, calm down. Brother didn't do it on purpose. Some things he did might not be wrong."

She had also heard a little bit about the Yang family, and they were not on good terms with the Marquis's Mansion. They would fight if they wanted to, but there were some things that the Marquis's Mansion could not do.
"Look at you, you just keep saying good things for him. We can't let him hang around in the mansion anymore. Isn't the restaurant ready? Let him take care of it."

Aunt Xue drank some tea and calmed down. She used this incident as an excuse to send Xue Pan away to look after the business.

When Xue Pan, who was lying on the bed, heard this, he was not willing at all.

"Mom, look at you. You just need the shopkeeper to take care of it. It's just a shabby restaurant. Why do you want me to go there? I can stay at home and take care of it. A few days ago, I was still..."

Just want to say something,
Suddenly, there was a voice in the courtyard, someone shouted;

"Is Brother Xue at home?"

Hearing someone shouting, Xue Pan suddenly jumped out of bed, stood up and shouted;
“Yes, here it is.”

Turning back, he left a message to Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai.

"Mom, sister, you two take a break. I'll go see what's going on."

Without waiting for the two to reply, he ran out of the house, leaving the Xue family mother and daughter in the house.

"Look at him, look at him, not only is he not doing anything right all day, but I don't know where he got into trouble."

Xue Baochai frowned slightly.
"Mom, has the marriage you chose for my brother come to fruition?"

(End of this chapter)