King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 431: Generously Helping Princess Rui

"The empress entertained me so warmly, and I want to let you go home with all your joy. How can I bear to live up to my empress' love?"

"That's it. Every time I come to the palace as a guest, you can see the subtle differences. It can be seen that the empress..."

Good guy, the flattery started right from the beginning, which made Baochai feel a little bit tongue-tied, secretly thinking that she used to think highly of these civil servant wives.

There were all female relatives present, and after the initial flattery, the conversation returned to the inner chamber, where everyone was telling interesting stories about managing the family.

"Baochai, why are you so frowning?"

"No...no!"

Normally, Baochai can definitely manage her expressions well. At this moment, Chen Zhi noticed that she was worried, which was entirely intentional on her part.

Chen Zhi immediately said: "If you have any difficulties or grievances, just tell me. Are you still seeing my sister-in-law?"

"Sigh... they are all tedious household chores. It would be disappointing to talk about them, so why not talk about them!" Baochai shook his head helplessly, fully grasping the essence of playing hard to get.

Chen Zhi said with a smile: "Who here is not talking about family matters. We are not men busy with political affairs. What else can we talk about if we don't talk about family matters?"

In fact, her sister-in-law's words had attracted the attention of everyone present.

"It's not just about the money..."

Just listening to Baochai's words, Chen Zhi felt that something was not good, but the matter was irreversible.

Now that she has spoken, Baochai has no chance of stopping, so she goes on to say: "Sister-in-law, you know that our house has a huge expenditure, and the treasury is getting worse every day..."

"A few days ago, I told the prince to find some people to open a few shops and supplement the house to some extent. Sister-in-law, what do you think he said?"

Here Baochai specifically emphasized that it was her idea to make money. Such a "notorious reputation" for being greedy for money would fall on her, and it would not affect Zhu Jinghong in this regard.

"What did Thirteenth Brother say?" Chen Zhi asked with a smile, but she was already cursing in her heart.

Different from Chen Zhi's mood, the ladies present wanted to know what Zhu Jinghong said.

Baochai said helplessly: "Our prince said that money is an external possession, so it's not a big deal. He said that even if the money is really short, you can just ask your brother to borrow it. He also said that the sixth brother said that if you have any trouble, you can come to him!"

"Haha... The thirteenth brother is really, really well said. Isn't that money just a thing outside the body?" Chen Zhiqiang said with a smile, and changed the subject along the way.

"Sister-in-law, you must be praising him. He is not a rich man and doesn't know how to make money. He doesn't know how hard it is to find a hero with just a penny!"

Seeing that Baochai didn't directly ask for money, Chen Zhi felt relieved, but she was also nervous about the money in Prince Rui's house.

"This is correct. Their men are happy outside, but they don't know the difficulties we women are in!" Chen Zhi looked at everyone present and said.

Baochai smiled, nodded and said, "That's exactly the truth, so I told him at that time that Sixth Brother was just being polite, how could you take it seriously!"

Chen Zhi's smile froze when she heard these words, but in an instant she resumed her smile, and at the same time she began to scold Zhu Laoliu in her heart.

"Every family has problems that are difficult to recite, so I advised him not to trouble Brother Six, so I asked him to find someone to open a shop!"

After Baochai's words, Chen Zhi was completely shaken up and was in torment both physically and mentally.

With so many people watching, if she didn't show her expression at this time, Prince Rui's Mansion would become a laughing stock.

He usually boasts in front of his younger brother, but now he doesn't care if he is really in trouble. If these words spread to Prince Rui's palace, the loss will be great.

"What are you talking about, brother and sister? Even if our palace is in trouble again, we can still find some money, so just tell us how much money you have!"

Of course the ladies present did not know how much money the Prince Xiang's Mansion had, but thinking that Zhu Jinghong was not good at management, they would naturally believe Baochai's words.

Only Chen Zhi had a general understanding and knew that even if Prince Xiang's Mansion could not make ends meet, it still had at least 10 taels of silver in savings.

"Sister-in-law, why are you so embarrassed? We can survive no matter how difficult it is, but we can't drag you down!" Baochai looked like he couldn't bear it, but he became more and more comfortable in dealing with it.

She and Zhu Jinghong have been married for a long time, and she often hears her husband complain about how many times she has been dug into by the sixth man before, and today Baochai just takes the opportunity to take revenge.

Even after being invited here today, Baochai knew that Chen Zhi had no good intentions, so she came even more prepared.

Her words at this time have completely pushed Chen Zhi into a "desperate situation". She can't do anything today without helping her.

"Look, what are you talking about? How can brothers be a drag?

"Baochai, you have just become a director of the government. It is normal that you are not well-off. It's just a matter of how much money you need. As a brother-in-law, can you help me?"

At this time, the fateful woman spoke up and said: "Mother Xue, Prince Rui's palace is famous for its righteousness, justice, and wealth. It is known to both the government and the public... Ordinary people can help when they are in trouble, so how can they not help their biological brother!"

Obviously this person didn't see the situation clearly, and he didn't forget to flatter Prince Rui's Mansion at this time, but it happened that most of the people present had this idea.

Obviously, Baochai and Chen Zhi's high-end game is not something ordinary people can understand, let alone participate in.

"This..." Baochai still looked troubled.

Seeing that Baochai didn't speak, Chen Zhi took the initiative and said: "A few days ago, Zhuangzi sent 1 taels of silver. You can take it and use it first!"

Chen Zhi felt extremely painful when 1 taels of silver were given out in one sentence.

Of course she could say three thousand five thousand, but she couldn't afford it, so she shouted out ten thousand taels of silver.

After hearing this, Baochai felt a little regretful for a moment, and secretly thought that he shouldn't delay, otherwise he could squeeze out at least [-] silver.

Now that Chen Zhi had opened her mouth, Baochai naturally couldn't ask for more.

"This...such a lot of money, why don't sister-in-law discuss it with Brother Six?" Baochai said hypocritically.

"He loves his brothers the most, how can he still say that I did something wrong?"

Then Chen Zhi said with a smile: "Besides, our relationship as sisters is closer than that of siblings. I am not afraid even if he says anything!"

She was cutting her losses and emphasized the good relationship between her sisters-in-law at this moment, in order to show it more forcefully to the outside world that she, Chen Zhi and Baochai, had a much better relationship than Yuanchun.

After borrowing money here, Baochai's frown naturally relaxed, and she started talking happily with Chen Zhi.

As for repaying the money, Baochai never thought about it. After all, Prince Rui's Mansion would not be embarrassed to ask for it.

Even if he comes to ask for money, according to Zhu Jinghong's temperament, he may not want to pay back the money he borrowed based on his ability.

There were people laughing and talking at the banquet, and the atmosphere was harmonious and cheerful. However, Zhu Jingyuan, who was dragged to Shanglin Garden, felt that his days were like years.

Zhu Jingyuan didn't like any of Zhu Jinghong's so-called fun things, such as horseback riding, archery, guns and cannons.

But Zhu Jinghong wanted to take him to play. After all the hard work, his whole body was sore and his ears were buzzing from the sound of cannons.

Looking at his dumbfounded brother, Zhu Jinghong felt a little ashamed for a moment.

When he fired off the cannon just now, he forgot to tell Lao Liu to open his mouth. The key point was that this guy was close to the muzzle of the cannon, and that's why it became like this.

Zhu Jinghong stepped forward and said with a slight embarrassment: "Brother Six, it's getting late, let's go back!"

"What? What about taking a bath?" Zhu Jingyuan replied loudly.

So Zhu Jinghong could only approach Lao Liu's ear and shouted loudly: "I said it's getting late, let's go home!"

"Oh, it's time to go back, I'm covered in stinky sweat!"

Even though the temperature is low now, Zhu Jingyuan was sweating after riding a horse and shooting arrows, and his body was already smelly.

"Brother Six, please come!" Zhu Jinghong helped his brother get on the horse.

However, when they left Shanglin Garden, Zhu Jingyuan, who slowly recovered, left first. Looking at Zhu Jinghong was like looking at the God of Plague.

"Brother Six, I had a lot of fun today. Let's get together next time!"

Looking at the sedan chair going away, Zhu Jinghong shouted loudly, as if the relationship between brothers was good.

After saying this nonsense, Zhu Jinghong walked towards his sedan chair, surrounded by eunuchs and Jia Yun.

Today he went to Shanglinyuan, mainly to personally inspect the newly made guns. Now it seems that the parameters were indeed correct, and even Jia Yun's report was a bit conservative.

After getting on the sedan, Zhu Jinghong lifted the curtain and said to Jia Yun outside: "In these two days, the Holy Emperor is going to visit Shanglin Garden in person, so you must be well prepared!"

"I understand!" Jia Yun replied.

Then the curtain was lowered and Zhu Jinghong left. As for Jia Yun, he returned to Shanglin Garden again. He planned to stay in the workshop for the next two days.

Let's say that Zhu Jinghong returned to the palace and hurried all the way to the palace.

However, after entering the palace gate, Zhu Jinghong saw several large boxes, which appeared particularly abrupt in the center of the main hall.

"What's in this? Who told you to put it here?" Zhu Jinghong looked at the eunuch on duty in the palace.

However, before the eunuch could speak, Baochai's voice came from the side hall: "I ordered the box to be placed here!" Zhu Jinghong became more and more confused, secretly wondering why this girl was so crazy, how could she place so many things in such a good way? .

A few breaths later, Baochai appeared from the side hall and said calmly: "I went to Prince Rui's Mansion, but I didn't come back empty-handed!"

After saying this, Baochai glanced at the people on duty in the hall and said: "You all go down!"

"Yes!"

After everyone retreated, Zhu Jinghong opened a box and was struck by the silver ingots inside.

Then he opened the second and third mouthfuls... There was no doubt that they were all filled with silver.

The silver ingots were the same size. Zhu Jinghong picked them up and weighed them. He estimated that they should be at least ten taels.

Just when he was estimating how much it was, Baochai said: "It's 1 taels!"

"1 taels? Was it given by Sixth Sister-in-law?"

"I can't be the one who robbed him!" Although he said this, in Baochai's opinion, his behavior was not much different from that of Ming Robbing.

"Sixth sister-in-law? She is so stingy and stingy, how can she give us so much money?"

Baochai smiled and replied: "Don't talk nonsense. My sixth sister-in-law is very arrogant. When she saw my frown, she immediately asked why..."

Next, Baochai told the story again, and Zhu Jinghong also laughed at the end.

"Baochai, if you keep pressing forward like this and asking Sister-in-law Six to shell out so much money, I'm afraid she'll get sick from anger!"

"Didn't you say that the two of them always framed you, and now that they are helping you vent your anger, is it still wrong?" Baochai said angrily.

Zhu Jinghong quickly hugged her into his arms, and then said: "I have never said this before. It is best for the two of them to be angry to death, so that the world will be pure!"

"Forget it, let's not mention them. You have made great achievements today. How should I reward you?"

"Reward? How dare I ask for any reward? I just hope that the prince will pay more attention to the relationship between husband and wife, and don't forget about the old one when there is a new one!"

Seeing Baochai's plump figure and playful face, Zhu Jinghong suddenly felt bad.

So he hugged Baochai and said to the latter's exclamation: "Since you said that, then I have to love you very much!"

Knowing what Zhu Jinghong wanted to do, Baochai wanted to push him away and said: "No, Your Majesty, the sky is clear..."

"You and I, husband and wife, can't just spend the day..."

Since Zhu Jinghong took the initiative, Baochai's rejection was not only ineffective, but also had the effect of adding to the excitement.

Yin'an Hall is Zhu Jinghong's residence. Although he rarely spends nights here, all the beds are available.

He arrived at the house in a few steps. Although he needed help getting dressed, he was very good at taking off his clothes.

Seeing that Baochai could not escape, he knew that he could not escape today, so he had no choice but to refuse and welcome.

The two of them were living happily, but when Zhu Jingyuan returned to the palace, he still felt his ears ringing.

I was really upset today, so Zhu Jingyuan didn't like anyone. When he entered the palace, a young eunuch ran too fast, so he ordered someone to drag him down and punish the twenty-eunuch.

All the way into the study, Zhu Jingyuan was sulking. When Chen Zhi learned that he was unhappy, he came over.

There was no one waiting in the study, so Chen Zhi came up behind her husband and gently held his shoulders for him.

In Zhu Jingyuan's rage, she was the only one in the palace who entered the study.

"what is it today?"

"Didn't you say you were going to present a gift? Seeing that you were scolded by the old man like this? Is there something wrong with the book?"

"It's Lao Shisan..."

Zhu Jingyuan's voice was so loud that Chen Zhi was startled.

"What's wrong with Old Thirteen?" Chen Zhi had a strange expression.

"I went to present a book today, and I didn't even say a few words to the old man when this kid barged in and introduced him to what kind of bullshit gun he was looking for to make!"

"That's good. The old man listened to the boast for a while and told him to get out and let me go. I haven't said a lot to the old man yet!"

"I asked you, could you please lower your voice? I'm not deaf...Is it so loud that others won't hear?" Chen Zhi said angrily, then walked away and stopped squeezing Zhu Jingyuan's shoulders.

She didn't know that although Zhu Jingyuan had basically recovered his hearing, he was still affected by tinnitus to some extent, so he spoke so loudly.

"Anyway, today, after Old Thirteen interfered, everything went wrong!" Zhu Jingyuan relaxed a little.

"Then your efforts in repairing books will be in vain?" Chen Zhi was also a little worried. After all, repairing books was a top priority for Prince Rui's palace.

"That's not the case. The old man is taking a closer look. He might summon me for questioning in the next two days!"

"That's good!"

Picking up the tea cup and taking a sip, Zhu Jingyuan felt a little calmer and asked: "By the way, you should prepare in advance. This time, all the book-repairing bachelors have made a contribution, and each of them will give a thank you gift... just each person." Just 100 taels!"

The bachelors at Jixian Hall were all selected by Zhu Jingyuan himself, and most of them were scholars of unknown family background.

The so-called family status is not obvious, simply speaking, it is a scholar with less than 5000 acres of land and an annual income of less than [-] taels.

Of course, 5000 taels of silver is not much, but that is for the wealthy. At present, small landowners still account for the majority, and people like Feng Yuan are the mainstream.

Therefore, for an official of this background, although 100 taels of silver is not a huge amount of money, it is still a considerable income.

"100 taels?" Chen Zhi was a little surprised.

There are about a hundred bachelors in Jixian Hall. Zhu Jingyuan asked for 1 taels of silver as soon as he asked for it. Chen Zhi naturally felt extremely hurt after hearing this.

"What? You think it's missing too?" Zhu Jingyuan was a little helpless.

"If it hadn't been for spending too much money on welcoming and sending people there a few days ago, I would have thought of giving each person 200 taels!"

"Bachelors' salaries are not high, and everything in the capital is expensive. There is not much to gain in Jixian Hall now, so I should help you more!"

"Let's do this... add 50 taels to each person. After a few days, the money comes into the house, and then we can make up for the remaining 50 taels!"

Listening to Zhu Jingyuan talking to himself, Chen Zhi finally couldn't help but interrupt: "Your Majesty, let's give it 100 taels... We don't have any money left in the house!"

"Don't have any money left? Didn't I just earn 1 taels a few days ago? With the money already in the treasury, I still have 2 taels!"

Speaking of this, Zhu Jingyuan said with an unhappy face: "You must be reluctant to give up money, right?"

"The [-] silver that was put into the treasury the day before yesterday was borrowed by the Thirteenth Family today!" Chen Zhi said with great shame.

"Thirteen families borrowed it? They are not short of money, why did they come to our house to borrow money!" Zhu Jingyuan thought his wife was joking.

"The thirteenth daughter-in-law came today and said..."

Next, Chen Zhi explained the banquet situation, and then Zhu Jingyuan realized that the 1 taels of silver were really gone.

"You're going to lend me 1 taels of silver without consulting me? Are you crazy?"

"Do you know that our house is not well off, and money is needed in so many places, yet you still lend money to people who are not short of money..."

"How could I deal with a prodigal bitch like you..."

Originally, Chen Zhi felt guilty, but when she heard Zhu Jingyuan's words getting more and more outrageous, her anger suddenly emerged.

"What do you mean, surnamed Zhu? If you hadn't been so boastful, why would I have been forced to be so cruel?"

"Our family pays more than [-] taels in tribute every year, so why are we always short of money? Isn't it because you are facade..."

"I'm a prodigal. When it comes to prodigality, I'm not even ranked!"

So the couple got into a big fight in the study room, and eventually broke up on bad terms.

After Chen Zhi left, Zhu Jingyuan was so angry that he overturned the desk. Fortunately, all the valuable things were smashed, so he didn't lose much by doing this.

But today, the setbacks in his career, family, finances, and body made him more miserable than the lack of money.

If the prince knew about Lao Liu's current situation, he would definitely be happy to have two more bowls of rice.

　Everyone knows the story about this chapter!

　　The authorities are fascinated by the onlookers, and the author is in the middle of the situation. It is difficult for him to see the whole story from the perspective of a bystander. Therefore, after a long time, he will inevitably lose the focus!

　　Next, we will adjust the plot and speed up the pace!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)