King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 522 Whipping

After chatting with Xue Pan for a while, Baochai focused on asking about Jinling, especially the family's business and land.

Business is an imperial mission, and land involves national policy. These two are the most likely to cause problems, but they must not cause problems.

So every once in a while, Baochai would write to Jinling, just to remind everyone in the Xue family not to be stupid.

After carefully asking about the situation, Baochai saw that her brother had a strange look on his face and couldn't help but ask: "Brother, what's wrong?"

Xue Pan's face became even weirder. He looked around and then said, "Something happened!"

Although Xue Pan said it was a trivial matter, looking at the way he hesitated to speak, Baochai knew that it was definitely not a trivial matter.

She was originally in a good mood, but now her face became ugly.

"What's going on?" Baochai asked calmly.

Xue Pan was also extremely afraid of his own sister.

Seeing her tone change, Xue Pan was even more frightened and stood up from the chair unconsciously.

"You all stand down!" Baochai said, looking around.

At such a critical moment, he did not dare to hide anything.

"Sister...you have to save me, you have to save me..."

In his heart, Zhu Jinghong was almost like the living king of hell. He was really scared to the core. This time it could be said that he was doing it to save his life.

The reason why Xue Pan was afraid was not that he felt he was wrong, but that he was worried that Liu Xiang would expose the matter to Zhu Jinghong.

"There are still some rough edges..." Xue Pan answered honestly.

"I don't want to die...I'm not married yet..."

"It's important to pick it up!" Baochai said in a cold tone.

Baochai knew very well what kind of virtue her brother had. She just heard her scolding: "Don't you have any brains? Then Liu Xiang is the person that the prince wants to use, and you can provoke him at will?"

After everyone left, Baochai stared at his brother with bright eyes and said in a cold voice: "You can say it now!"

"If we really want to discuss it, we can say...it's a misunderstanding!"

Looking at his brother kneeling in front of him, Baochai couldn't help but sigh, and finally said: "Go back and reflect on your own first. Whether you can save your life this time depends on how sincere you are!"

Before Xue Pan finished speaking, he heard Baochai scold: "Get out!"

After scolding him for a few times, Baochai felt a little calmer, thinking that he could take advantage of this incident to teach his brother a lesson.

Baochai knew Zhu Jinghong's character, and it was hard for her to interfere directly in this matter. If a few girls intervened, wouldn't they be courting death?

"You are going to cause trouble yourself, what can I do? If you are really good, I will take care of your mother!" "As for family inheritance, I will adopt someone from the clan to your name, and I will not let you lose your incense. !”

Standing there with his waist bent, Xue Pan said cautiously: "Last night, because I was thinking about going to the capital, I could finally relax a little faster, so I drank a few more drinks..."

"Princess, actually this matter... is just..."

Doesn't his sister really want to help him?

Seeing Baochai's indifferent expression, Xue Pan became more and more worried, and felt a chill on his back.

Xue Pan looked around, but hesitated for a moment.

Xue Pan kowtowed and cried: "Brothers and sisters, you and I, blood is thicker than water, you can't just die without saving me!"

The guy immediately shut up, bowed to Baochai honestly, and then retreated tremblingly.

Although Xue Pan called her "sister" affectionately, the latter's first identity was the prince's concubine, and Xue Pan could not bear the angry scolding at this moment.

"Sister, you must help me... I have been able to protect you at home these years..."

After thinking for a moment, Baochai said: "It's your fault after all. If the prince intervenes then... I won't be able to protect you!"

"Just verbal offense?" Baochai's eyes almost burst into flames.

"Sister, you have to save me... We are the only brother in this family. Now my mother is old. If I really have any bad intentions, what do you want her to do!"

After he left, only Ying'er and Wen Xing entered the palace because they were worried about the princess's anger.

If it were anyone else, they might have complied because Xue Pan was the elder brother of the princess, but Liu Xiang would not give in even to death.

"I talked too much when I drank too much, so I went to talk to Liu Xiang who was traveling with me in a daze. I didn't know that I offended him with my words, so he... gave me a beating!"

"Sister... Actually, this matter can be big or small..."

"Yes!"

Of course, Xue Pan was not just verbally offensive. This guy was a drunkard and a coward. He coveted Liu Xiang's "beauty" and wanted to use force, so he was beaten up in the end.

Hearing this, Xue Pan was almost frightened to death. He knelt down on the ground with a plop, and then crawled to Baochai.

At this time, Baochai's anger was still lingering, and she only heard her say coldly: "This is not something you should interfere with!"

It was rare to be scolded by his own sister, but Xue Pan didn't even dare to raise his head, let alone argue with Baochai.

Hearing Baochai say these words, Xue Pan was so frightened that he was so confused that he became a little incoherent.

"You have always responded to the truths I tell you on weekdays, but now it seems that all of them have turned a deaf ear!"

It is said that the person who ties the bell must be tied to untie the bell. In Baochai's view, it is up to Xue Pan himself to calm down the matter.

"Mother, do you really not care about me?" Ying'er looked worried.

"Yes!"

"When will the prince come back?"

"It's hard to say. If you go out hunting... I'm afraid you'll have to come back very late!" Ying'er replied.

In order to save his brother, Baochai did not dare to act rashly.

After thinking for a while, Baochai ordered: "Let my brother stay in another courtyard first and arrange a place for him to stay until the prince comes back!"

"Yes!"

Baochai's decision made Xue Pan's life worse than death. Staying in another hospital made him feel like he was waiting to be punished.

The butcher's knife above his head could fall at any time, making him restless and manic.

At this time, he felt extremely regretful as to why he had been possessed by the ghost and insisted on doing evil things to Liu Xiang.

Therefore, not only did he receive a severe beating, but now he has also caused such big trouble!

If he were in his own mansion, he would have started to curse, hit, and throw things, but in the other courtyard of the palace, he would not dare to do any of that.

In his extreme suffering, time passed extremely slowly.

At noon, the palace servants brought a sumptuous meal, but Xue Pan didn't eat a bite and remained hungry until it was almost dark.

Finally, he heard someone outside announcing that the prince had returned to the mansion, and then all the servants in the mansion got busy.

This news was like a sharp sword piercing Xue Pan's heart. He was so frightened that he fainted.

At the main entrance of the courtyard, Zhu Jinghong has jumped off his horse. It can be seen that he is in a good mood today.

"Your Majesty showed off his power today, and I think I have gained a lot of knowledge!"

"Thirteen badgers, sixteen roe deer, six deer, and a tiger..."

"The most valuable thing is that this tiger was shot in the eye and died, with its fur intact..."

The people who complimented him at this moment were Baihu Gao Hong and Zhang Zhongxiang. They were a bit more "slippery" when compared to the other two.

Throwing the riding crop in his hand to Gao Hong, Zhu Jinghong casually ordered: "Okay, you all divide the other things, but this tiger must be dealt with well. It is best to peel off the tiger skin and give it to the Holy One!"

In other words, after hunting so many prey, Zhu Jinghong only needed one tiger skin, and the rest were given to them as welfare.

Although the royal guards were treated very well, this unexpected fortune was equally gratifying, and several households thanked him and kowtowed. After saying goodbye to all the guards, Zhu Jinghong entered the palace. At this time, Deng An came to him and reported the situation of Xue Pan's visit to the palace.

"What is he here for?" Zhu Jinghong asked in confusion.

Because Baochai retreated from everyone at that time, Deng An didn't know the content of the conversation, so he could only answer honestly that he didn't know.

Zhu Jinghong didn't think much and walked straight towards the bedroom. At this time, Baochai was already waiting for him in the room.

When he entered the house, Baochai took the initiative to welcome him out, and at the same time asked the eunuch and maid on duty in the palace to go down.

Guessing that it might be about Xue Pan, Zhu Jinghong did not take the initiative to ask, but waited for Baochai to tell him.

"How was the harvest of your visit today, Your Majesty?"

"It's not bad. I hunted a tiger. I plan to skin the tiger and give it to the old man!"

Taking the hat that Zhu Jinghong took off, Baochai boasted smoothly: "Your Majesty is so brave, I really admire you!"

Zhu Jinghong did not answer, but said smoothly: "Now that you are pregnant, you can just let them do the work of serving others, why don't you do it yourself!"

"Although I am pregnant, I am still your wife. A wife serves her husband...isn't it a natural thing?"

Zhu Jinghong said with a smile: "You always have your own reasons!"

Having said this, Zhu Jinghong sat on the chair and took Baochai to sit beside him.

Next, after the two chatted for a while, Baochai finally said: "My brother is here today!"

"Oh?"

"This time Liu Xiang went to Jinling and earned a lot of money for the prince's palace. My brother also helped. Does the prince say so?" Baochai turned around and asked.

"Ok!"

"It's just that you also know that he can be stupid at random and do some unbelievable things!"

Seeing that Baochai was having a hard time considering his words, Zhu Jinghong asked directly: "Did Xue Pan get into trouble again?"

"Alas...he can't hold up the wall with mud. I'm so angry with him today!"

"What's going on?" Zhu Jinghong asked.

"Last night, he and Liu Xiang..."

Baochai explained the situation and told her the reasons, which made her feel embarrassed, but she did not favor Xue Pan.

At this time, Zhu Jinghong looked very unhappy, and Baochai did not plead for mercy.

Just listen to her say: "We should punish him well and let him have a better memory, otherwise I'm afraid he will get into trouble!"

Zhu Jinghong nodded, and then said: "It's already late today, just ask Liu Xiang to come over tomorrow and take care of this matter!"

"Ok!"

This matter was of great importance to Zhu Jinghong, so he didn't worry much about it, and he didn't even think about summoning Xue Pan.

After talking to Baochai, Zhu Jinghong had dinner with her again, and then went to Keqing's residence and summoned Qiqigenuomin to have a heart-to-heart talk.

That night, Liu Xiang received a message from Prince Xiang's Mansion and learned that he had to go to a court outside the city for an audience the next day.

He knew that Xue Pan had left early, so being summoned at night really worried him.

In any case, Xue Pan is the elder brother of the princess and Zhu Jinghong's uncle.

The so-called lack of intimacy, he Liu Xiang is an outsider after all, how can he worry if he angers Xue Pan.

Of course, he trusted Zhu Jinghong's character and knew that this person was not someone who only listened to and believed, so although he was flustered, he felt much better than Xue Pan.

That night, Liu Xiang slept peacefully, but Xue Pan stayed awake all night.

Early the next morning, Liu Xiang rode to the annex of Prince Xiang's Mansion. An hour later, he arrived outside the annex.

After passing the news, Deng An personally greeted him and led him to the palace.

The two chatted for a few words before walking into the gate of the palace, when Liu Xiang heard screams.

When he was doubtful, he followed Deng An into the second door, and then discovered the source of the screams.

I saw a man on the west side of the second door, his shirt had been taken off, and he was lying on a bench being whipped.

Taking a closer look, Liu Xiang was almost shocked, because the person who was beaten was Xue Pan.

"Eunuch Deng, what is this?"

Deng An replied: "Uncle Xue did something wrong, and the prince was furious... and ordered him to be whipped twenty times!"

Although Deng An didn't know the inside story, he understood that Xue Pan must have offended Liu Xiang and was punished here and now.

Therefore, at this time, Liu Xiang's status in Deng An's mind was once again elevated, and he could basically equal Jia Yun's level.

Because Zhu Jinghong summoned them, the two of them did not stay here, but were taken directly to the living room.

Because of Zhu Jinghong's strict orders, the chamberlain did not let go. Xue Pan's screams were really heartbreaking, and this was the result of his patience.

Only this real pain made Xue Pan reflect further and completely put an end to certain thoughts in his mind.

As for Liu Xiang, when he was introduced to the study, Zhu Jinghong was sharpening his knife.

Yes, on the desk where he was supposed to be writing and painting, he placed an exquisite whetstone and was sharpening the knife he carried with him.

Although the painting style is a bit weird, Liu Xiang's expression remained unwavering and he reported to Zhu Jinghong consciously and smoothly.

"Kowtow to the prince!"

"No gifts, no gifts, get up!"

Liu Xiang is a capable person. To be more precise, he is extremely capable and his value is several orders of magnitude higher than Xue Pan.

After signaling Liu Xiang to sit aside, Zhu Jinghong said: "I heard that Xue Pan offended you, so I ordered him to be whipped twenty times. If you still feel uncomfortable... I will punish him again!"

Although he was not ashamed of Xue Pan, Liu Xiang also knew the principle of giving up when something is good, and immediately replied: "Thank you for your love, Your Majesty. Now that Xue Pan has been punished, let this matter be over!"

"It's also my fault that I tolerated him on weekdays, which makes this guy bold. I'm also at fault for this!"

For people like Liu Xiang, you have to behave like a polite and virtuous corporal in order to make him truly return to his heart.

Seeing Zhu Jinghong apologizing for this matter, Liu Xiang, who had just sat down, stood up again and said with a look of fear on his face: "Your Majesty's words really make this villain feel ashamed!"

"Your Majesty is very kind to this little man. He has helped and cared for many of you many times. Such a kind little man..."

Liu Xiang said a lot, and these words were all inspired by his feelings, so they are so sincere and touching.

This is a man who knows how to repay his kindness... Zhu Jinghong said secretly.

After signaling him to take a seat again, Zhu Jinghong asked about maritime trade, especially about Western countries.

In nearly a year, Liu Xiang went to sea twice. Although the furthest he went was Luzon, he also saw a lot of things with his own eyes.

From him, Zhu Jinghong gained a more precise grasp of the profits of sea trade and the threats at sea.

Facts clearly prove that without sufficient maritime power, today's maritime trade will be a castle in the air.

Westerners dominate the oceans, and they decide the rules of trade. It is basically impossible to continue to make big money from these people.

The construction of the navy must be accelerated... Zhu Jinghong feels increasingly urgent.

(End of this chapter)