King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 693 Zhu Jinghong's Debt
After wandering around the garden for half an hour, Zhu Jinghong and his companion returned to Tongxin Hall.

Here, Zhu Jinghong played with his son for a while, and then it was time for dinner.

He returned to Beijing a year later, and of course he had dinner at Baochai's house, there is no doubt about that.

After dinner, Zhu Jinghong ordered someone to take Zhu Muzhen away, and he took the initiative to walk into the inner bedroom.

This situation made Baochai blush, although she was also looking forward to this happening.

"Baochai, come in quickly...I have something to tell you!"

There were maids busy in the dining room, and Zhu Jinghong's loud shouting made Baochai feel embarrassed.

But she had been a princess for several years after all, and her face was as ridiculously thick as Zhu Jinghong's, so she walked into the bedroom as if no one was around.

In fact, there were several maids in the bedroom. They were responsible for helping with washing and changing clothes, and they were busy surrounding Zhu Jinghong at the moment.

Baochai sat in front of the dressing mirror, and a maid came to help her remove her makeup and wash up. She just had to sit there and not worry about anything.

A few minutes later, Zhu Jinghong finished his work, and she lay down on the bed, looking at Baochai's plump figure in the candlelight.

I have to say, this is top quality, Zhu Jinghong’s favorite.

A few minutes later, Baochai finished washing up and several maids left the bedroom on their own initiative.

"Princess, come here quickly... I have a treasure to give you!"

If they had just gotten married, Baochai would have asked what the treasure was, but now she is already familiar with these dirty words.

"Look at how anxious you are. Don't tell me... you haven't found anyone to have fun with in the past year you've been away!"

"No one else can compare to you, princess. You have worked hard this past year, princess. I will serve you well tonight!"

Hearing this, Baochai sat down beside the couch and said while combing her hair, "Serve me... I'll be thankful if you don't mess around later!"

The next moment, Zhu Jinghong rushed over and said with a smile: "That's not up to me!"

Zhu Jinghong hugged Baochai's waist and dragged her onto the bed.

"Oh...I haven't taken off my shoes yet..."

"This is new material, please don't tear it..."

In the bedroom, the couple was in love, and they were in a state of ecstasy...

A night of spring is so beautiful that it is difficult for mortals to describe it.

The next morning, Baochai got up first because someone from the mansion came to report something.

The Prince Xiang's Mansion was large and powerful, and the things she had on hand were extremely complicated. She had been listening to the report for more than half an hour and still hadn't finished.

After Zhu Jinghong got up and had breakfast, Baochai came over after finishing her words.

"What are you busy about?"

"They are all trivial matters, such as the warehouse and the farm. I have a headache listening to them one by one!"

"Is the mansion still short of money?"

"It's gotten much better recently. Liu Xiang just sent back 70,000 to 80,000 taels of silver. North Korea also sent 20,000 taels two months ago. There's also the reward from my father, the emperor, and my mother..."

When talking about these things, Baochai could talk endlessly, and Zhu Jinghong would nod in response.

Obviously, the latter did not take these things too seriously.

When Baochai finished speaking, Zhu Jinghong looked up and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Princess!"

Although the matter is not important, it still needs to be done by someone trustworthy, so Zhu Jinghong wants to affirm Baochai's contribution.

"I don't deserve the hard work, as long as the prince doesn't find fault with me!"

"How dare I!" Zhu Jinghong replied with a smile.

The couple continued to eat. Neither of them was too pretentious, so the maids serving in the hall were very relaxed.

"There's something...I think you should handle it yourself!"

After taking a sip of porridge, Zhu Jinghong looked up and asked, "What's the matter?"

Putting down her chopsticks, Baochai said solemnly, "Yingchun!"

Zhu Jinghong was stunned for a moment, then put down his chopsticks.

He had been enjoying the food, but now he felt it was not tasty.

"She was so depressed after her miscarriage that she almost committed suicide several times!"

"To put it bluntly, this matter...is all caused by you!"

When saying the latter sentence, Baochai was extremely cautious in her wording.

After all, this is a patriarchal society, and as a princess of noble status, she must be extremely careful when touching upon her husband's real faults, and not point them out casually out of emotion.

Only in this way can she protect herself and go far.

"You can't give her a name for now, but you should go and see her!"

In fact, Baochai knew that Zhu Jinghong might not be willing to see Yingchun.

What happened between him and Yingchun was an accident and should not have happened.

Now that they have cut ties with the Eastern Palace, they should not get involved with the people and affairs of the Jia family, and not meeting Yingchun is the reasonable choice.

However, Baochai still made suggestions, just to make Zhu Jinghong more like a human being.

Baochai was prepared to be rejected, but the result surprised her.

"I'll go there in the evening so there will be less noise!" Zhu Jinghong replied.

"Okay!" Baochai nodded.

After the matter was settled, Zhu Jinghong stood up and said, "The emperor passed away, and I was unable to perform my filial duties in front of his coffin. Now that I have returned to Beijing... I must do something!"

"What are you going to do?" Baochai's eyes followed Zhu Jinghong.

"How about guarding the tomb of the Emperor?"

"This……"

"Let's do it!" Zhu Jinghong made the decision immediately.

Instead of letting others stir up trouble and then letting the emperor suppress him, it is better to take a step back and stay away from the capital, which is a place of trouble.

Zhu Jinghong replied: "How long do you plan to stay? At least three months!"

Baochai nodded. Three months was not a long time. As long as Zhu Jinghong was in Beijing, she could accept it.

"Why don't we go together!"

"No need... What will happen if you go?" Zhu Jinghong refused directly.

"Okay, take your time eating... I'm going to go out for a walk!"

After saying this, Zhu Jinghong walked out with his hands behind his back, and Baochai was so anxious that she reminded him, "Have you finished eating?"

"All right!"

Zhu Jinghong's voice came from outside, indicating that he had gone far away.

Holding a spoon and stirring the porridge in the bowl, Baochai said unhappily, "What do you mean by going out for a walk? I'm afraid you've gone to find someone else!"

In fact, she guessed it right. Half an hour later, Zhu Jinghong went to Zhen Qin, where he received service beyond the normal level.

Zhu Jinghong spent the whole day in his harem, truly putting the principle of "treating everyone equally" into practice.

At night, Qingning Pavilion.

This is a Taoist temple, located west of Prince Xiang's Palace, less than fifty meters away.

At this time, in the attic of the courtyard, Yingchun was sitting in front of the window in her pajamas, looking in the direction of Prince Xiang's Palace in the night.

To prevent her from committing suicide, the window was opened very small, making it difficult to even stick her head out.

"Girl, you are crying again!" Siqi appeared at some point, holding hot water and a towel in her hands, obviously preparing to help Yingchun go to bed.

Yingchun did not reply. At this moment, she really became a "wooden man".

"Girl, don't look... I'm afraid His Royal Highness Prince Xiang is very busy and will come to see you in a few days!"

Siqi could only comfort her in this way, as she knew what Yingchun was thinking best.

Seeing Yingchun was unmoved, Siqi could only busy herself while saying, "Miss, wash up... It's time to go to bed!"

Like Yingchun, Siqi has been imprisoned here for more than half a year, and she also wants to go out with Yingchun as soon as possible.

Yingchun remained there, allowing Siqi to manipulate her. After washing up, she was laid down on the bed.

Siqi covered her with a thin quilt, and just as she was about to blow out the light, she heard a noise outside.

This place is not far from the prince's palace, and it has been included in the "security system", so there are guards patrolling here every day. Siqi is very familiar with the patrol movements.

But today, she noticed something obviously different, because the noise outside was louder, or perhaps there were too many people coming.

"What's going on? Go and check..." Siqi shouted down the stairs.

In addition to the two of them, there were two maids and two strong women in this small courtyard, who were responsible for the most basic chores such as washing clothes and cooking.

However, there was no movement below. Siqi was so angry that she went down herself. She was very angry at the moment.

The two women, relying on their age and seniority, never took her seriously, and she had to urge them repeatedly before many things could be done.

When she went downstairs, she found that there was no one downstairs, so she could only look outside.

"Where are they going? Go outside and take a look!"

Siqi called out in the inner courtyard, but no one responded. When she looked outside, she found through the door of the inner courtyard that the gate to the outer courtyard had also been opened.

What was even more unexpected to him was that not only were there guards from Prince Xiang's mansion inside the door, but there were also several eunuchs standing there with their heads lowered.

The next moment, Siqi covered her mouth, then her legs went soft and she knelt down, knocking her head to the ground like several maids outside, not daring to move at all.

That’s right, Zhu Jinghong appeared at the gate of the outer courtyard. Siqi’s status was too different from his. To her, Zhu Jinghong was no different from a ferocious beast.

At this time, Zhu Jinghong walked into the yard in casual clothes, looking around as he walked.

Soon, he entered the inner courtyard and looked at Siqi who was kneeling on the ground.

"Where is your girl?" Zhu Jinghong asked.

Siqi trembled, but still answered carefully: "My Lord, the young lady...she is upstairs!"

"Take me to see her!" Zhu Jinghong said calmly.

"Yes Yes!"

Siqi stood up tremblingly, and then, under the guidance of Zhu Jinghong, led him to the inner courtyard attic.

"Girl... His Royal Highness Prince Xiang is coming!"

When going up the stairs, Siqi reminded Yingchun of this so that she could be prepared.

But she had no idea that she was even more sad when she learned that Zhu Jinghong came to Yingchun. At this moment, she pulled the quilt to cover her face in bed, tears streaming down her face.

So, after Zhu Jinghong went up to the attic, he saw Yingchun hiding under the quilt, twitching slightly, and he could faintly hear sobbing.

"You go down!"

Siqi was the only outsider here, so she responded tactfully and went downstairs.

Zhu Jinghong then sat down beside the bed and reached his hand directly into the quilt. After exploring for a few times, he held Yingchun's hand.

"Don't cry, I'm back!" Zhu Jinghong said softly, trying his best to comfort Yingchun.

But when he opened his mouth, Yingchun cried even harder, which made Zhu Jinghong feel deeply ashamed.

The woman in front of him was the one who made him want to protect her the first time, but he hurt her the most.

He took her body, didn't give her a name, and even left her with no children...

Zhu Jinghong is a political machine, but he still has normal human emotions and desires. He feels deeply ashamed when he thinks of these.

"Yingchun, I'm back. Everything will be fine. You don't have to worry anymore!"

As he spoke, Zhu Jinghong slowly pulled the quilt, allowing Yingchun to reveal her face from underneath.

At this moment, Yingchun's pear blossoms were wet with rain, and her hair was scattered on her face, looking so pitiful...

Zhu Jinghong already felt guilty, and when he saw Yingchun like this, he felt even more indebted.

"Don't cry, I'm back!" Zhu Jinghong said while wiping Yingchun's tears.

Tears were still flowing, Yingchun choked up and said, "I thought... you didn't want me anymore!"

After saying this, she continued to cry, which made Zhu Jinghong feel extremely distressed.

"Silly girl, why would I not want you!"

As he spoke, Zhu Jinghong picked up Yingchun and wrapped her in a quilt.

Curled up in Zhu Jinghong's arms, Yingchun gradually calmed down.

"The child was not saved!"

"I know...it's just that the child is unlucky. This matter has passed, don't be too sad!" Zhu Jinghong continued to comfort her.

"It's all my fault for not being careful. It's all my fault for not..."

Before he could finish his words, Yingchun started crying again. Zhu Jinghong could only stay close to her, patting her back and comforting her.

He was seldom so gentle, but at this moment he did it with ease because it was what he was supposed to do.

About half an hour later, Zhu Jinghong finally calmed Yingchun down. At least she stopped crying and talking about the past.

"Master Thirteen, what should we do next?"

Siqi downstairs was also concerned about the question asked by Yingchun, so she pricked up her ears to listen.

"I will give you a position and will never let you down, just rest assured!"

After making the promise, Zhu Jinghong continued, "But right now... the timing is not right, you have to be patient for a while!"

Yingchun was undoubtedly disappointed with this result, but she had a good temper after all, and she chose to endure it despite feeling aggrieved.

Zhu Jinghong hugged Yingchun tighter and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry... I will come to see you more often in the future and will never let you be too lonely!"

"You can also go around the palace. Baochai will arrange everything!"

Zhu Jinghong had discussed these matters with Baochai. As long as Yingchun was not openly taken into the mansion, there would not be much problem in keeping them company secretly.

After all, apart from the Emperor and the Crown Prince, no one would keep an eye on his house all the time, let alone delve into his daily interactions in his house.

Of course, you should try to be as low-key as possible!
"I heard that you have been unhappy these days. How can this be possible? You have to know that only when you are happy can your body be healthy, and only then can you grow old with me in the future!"

"You don't want to leave me and go away alone!"

"I'm telling you, don't ever think of committing suicide again. It's not a pleasant feeling to be dead and buried alone..."

Zhu Jinghong was trying every way to open Yingchun's heart and make her as cheerful as possible. This happened every time they met before.

In these words, Yingchun found the feeling she once had. The sense of security that swept over her and enveloped her rekindled her hope for life.

Looking at Zhu Jinghong in front of her, the only person she cherished, Yingchun hugged his neck tightly.

"Master Thirteen, you are so nice!"

Hearing this, Zhu Jinghong felt relieved and secretly thought that he had finally comforted her.

At this moment, I feel so deeply that I should do something...

Zhu Jinghong lowered his head and kissed Yingchun on the lips.

After a slight struggle, Yingchun stopped resisting and instead hugged Zhu Jinghong even tighter.

(End of this chapter)