King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 707 Xiangyun, I can help you get what you want!
"Miss Lin, you can't go in!"

Holding a round fan, Daiyu looked at the two maids blocking the way and asked calmly, "The princess just sent someone to call me over, why is it so difficult to go in again?"

Although she was a guest of Prince Xiang's Mansion, she could move around freely in the mansion because Zhu Jinghong valued her.

Strictly speaking, she has more freedom than Yang Jingting, and is second only to Princess Baochai.

So normally, no one would block her way, let alone step out of the way after she explained the situation.

Ying'er, who was guarding outside the study, rushed over upon hearing the noise, waved her hand to ask the two maids who were blocking the way to move away, and then explained: "Miss Lin, it is indeed not very convenient right now, please wait a moment!"

Just when Ying'er was about to ask someone to serve tea, she heard Zhu Jinghong's voice coming from the study.

"Let Lin girl in!"

Zhu Jinghong's words were equivalent to an imperial decree in Prince Xiang's Mansion. Although Ying'er was puzzled, she had no choice but to give way.

Daiyu was a little hesitant, but driven by curiosity, she slowly walked towards Baochai's study.

When she appeared outside the door, she saw Zhu Jinghong sitting in the study drinking tea, and Baochai standing beside the tea table.

Daiyu secretly thought that she was overthinking and felt a little ashamed, then she walked into the study.

Holding a round fan to cover her chin, Daiyu said, "It seems... I came at a bad time!"

Baochai had already come out to greet him, and replied with a smile: "What are you talking about? Just because he is here, can you not come?"

"Sister Bao is the beloved of His Royal Highness Prince Xiang. Even if we are sisters, I'm afraid he will be jealous when he sees us... I shouldn't come!"

Zhu Jinghong laughed out loud, raised his head and said, "Lin girl, if that's the case, you really came at the wrong time!"

"Now that I'm jealous, how are you going to make amends to me?"

Pulling Daiyu past Zhu Jinghong, Baochai said, "Apologize to you? We had an appointment to meet up, and you ruined our plans by coming uninvited. I'm lucky I didn't cause you any trouble!"

Zhu Jinghong laughed even more happily, and the heavy mood he had felt during the conversation just now disappeared in the process.

In the blink of an eye, a few days passed and the capital was still as peaceful as before.

The case in Hunan was basically tried. Under Wang Pei'an's iron-fisted approach, the Hunan provincial governor, deputy provincial governor, three prefects, seven associate prefects, five assistant prefects, and twelve county magistrates were all arrested and punished.

However, the emperor handed over the subsequent case review tasks to the newly appointed imperial envoy, and then asked Wang Pei'an to return to Beijing to report on his work.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the emperor was worried that Wang Pei'an would continue to dig deeper, which would paralyze government offices at all levels in Hunan.

In fact, by allowing Wang Pei'an to investigate to this point, the emperor had already shown his great support for him. Strictly speaking, this had broken the tacit understanding between the monarch and his subjects.

Wang Pei'an arrived in Beijing on November 13. He first went to the palace to meet the emperor and receive his orders, and then returned home in the afternoon.

His home in the capital is still on the northeast side of Prince Xiang's Mansion.

Land in the capital is extremely expensive, and it is simply impossible for Wang Pei'an to own a complete courtyard house in a location like the Prince Xiang's Mansion with his salary.

Of course, if he, the Deputy Censor-in-Chief, wanted to, he could easily get not only this small courtyard house, but also a courtyard with three or five entrances.

Wang Pei'an is honest and upright, so of course he would not do those things.

In fact, this house was not originally his, but the "dormitory" of the chief historian of the Prince Xiang's Palace.

As a Deputy Censor-in-Chief of the third rank, he now also serves as the Chief Clerk of the Prince's Palace of the fifth rank. He is the only one in the world to do this.

Wang Pei'an had been away from home for a year and a half. When he returned home, the environment had changed a lot. Generally speaking, it was a bit luxurious.

Of course, the so-called luxury is relative to the Wang family's past. Horizontally, they are not even as good as the eunuchs in charge of the palace, let alone the chief eunuchs above them.

"Master, please come in first!" said Wang Pei'an's wife Wang Xu.

Wang Pei'an is 35 years old this year, and he has already become the Deputy Censor-in-Chief, a third-rank official in the imperial court. Wang Xu naturally looks at him with great respect.

Before she came to Beijing a few years ago, she could never have imagined that her husband, who had encountered setbacks everywhere, would have such an opportunity.

"Ok!"

Wang Pei'an has a son who got married last winter and returned to his hometown at the beginning of this year to take care of his elderly mother on his behalf.

So there was no one else in this courtyard except a few maids hired by Wang Xu.

After returning to the house and sitting down, Wang Pei'an took the tea handed to him by his wife, but he realized something was wrong after taking a sip.

Good tea, top-notch good tea. Even if he doesn’t know anything about tea, he can taste it.

Knowing her husband's temper, Wang Xu said, "It was a reward from the palace!"

"Over the years, the palace has taken good care of us, and has given us generous rewards during festivals. Now that you're back in Beijing... you should go and pay your respects this afternoon!"

"Besides anything else, you are also the chief historian!"

Wang Pei'an did not refute, which shows that even a conservative person like him also felt that he should go and pay a visit.

"Ok!"

"Okay, change your clothes first, and then we'll talk after dinner!"

After returning home, everything had to be arranged by Wang Xu, and Wang Pei'an respected his wife very much.

About an hour later, Wang Pei'an packed up again and walked to Prince Xiang's Mansion.

When you arrive at the gate of Prince Xiang's Mansion, the first thing you have to do is to pass the guards.

The guards all recognized him, so Wang Pei'an went straight into the palace, looking around as he walked.

Because of his reputation, the eunuchs he met along the way basically tried to avoid him as much as possible.
When he arrived outside the Cunxin Hall, Wang Pei'an was led into a side hall, where he would wait to be summoned by Zhu Jinghong.

Zhu Jinghong was chatting with Daiyu at this time. He was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then said: "Okay...Please invite him to the East Hall of Cunxin Hall!"

"Yes!"

After the eunuch who had reported the incident left, Daiyu asked, "Speaking of which, he is still your teacher, but from the look on your face, it seems that you don't want to see him!"

Zhu Jinghong said bluntly: "Live a comfortable life. Wouldn't it be annoying to meet him?"

Daiyu replied: "There are few people in the world who can speak frankly and point out your faults nowadays... so you should cherish them!"

Zhu Jinghong then smiled and said, "You are also outspoken, which sometimes makes me lose face!"

She stood up and walked to the bedside, and said slowly: "I am a girl in the boudoir, how can I compare with others' knowledge!"

Seeing that Zhu Jinghong was still talking nonsense, Daiyu reminded him, "Go quickly, don't keep people waiting!"

"But I can't bear to leave you!"

Daiyu blushed when she heard this, and then she scolded, "You can't bear to part with me? I don't know how many people you have said this to, but no one would believe you!"

After chatting and laughing with Daiyu for a while, Zhu Jinghong went to Cunxin Hall.

While he was chatting with Wang Pei'an, a banquet was being held on a balcony in the inner residence of the Prince Consort's Mansion, a few miles away.

The theme of the banquet was plum blossom appreciation. It was convened by Zhu Yunsheng. There were more than a dozen noble ladies present, all of whom were wives of first-class nobles and above.

Everyone was chatting and laughing, and the atmosphere was particularly harmonious.

In addition to these noble ladies, they also brought their daughters with them, which was also considered as a promotion to the outside world. This is a very common phenomenon. It is very rare for the Jia family to entertain themselves at home.

"Your Highness, I am late because of…"

The person who was speaking was a lady, Mrs. Lu, the wife of Marquis Zhongjing, and she was explaining the reason to Zhu Yunsheng.

But Zhu Yunsheng's gaze fell on Xiangyun.

"It's okay, it's okay. It's just a casual gathering. There's no need to be so restrained!" Zhu Yunsheng answered casually.

"Thank you for your forgiveness, Princess!"

Zhu Yunsheng was the legitimate princess, and even the top marquise did not dare to be disrespectful in front of her.

Seeing Shi Lu's behavior, the other ladies present were even more respectful and polite.

"Xiangyun, come here, let's talk!"

Xiangyun had been her tutor, and the relationship between the two was extremely close. Others would not envy her the privilege of being summoned to talk alone with her.

Of course, the ladies of a slightly higher rank have already realized that Xiangyun is a good match, and are now planning to talk to Shi Lu.

Taking Xiangyun to the side, looking at her good sister who was a little too quiet, Zhu Yunsheng couldn't help but say: "Looking at you like this, you don't seem very happy... Is there something on your mind?"

"Nothing's on my mind, I just haven't been feeling well these past two days!"

"Don't lie to me. In the past, when you were not feeling well... you were the one who made the most noise. I have never seen you like this before!"

Seeing that Xiangyun didn't answer, Zhu Yunsheng continued, "I know what you are thinking!"

"I... I have nothing on my mind!" Xiangyun turned her head awkwardly, but did not dare to look into Zhu Yunsheng's eyes.

Stopping, Zhu Yunsheng said: "You like my Thirteenth Brother...right!"

“No…no…I didn’t!” Xiangyun covered her face and turned her back.

Walking up to Xiangyun, Zhu Yunsheng put his hand on her shoulder and said, "You haven't changed. You still lie like this!"

"Don't be embarrassed. How could a girl in the boudoir not like a man like Thirteenth Brother!" Zhu Yunsheng sighed. A trace of sadness flashed across her face, but Xiangyun, who was lowering her head, could not see it.

"We are sisters, I can help you realize your wish!"

When Xiangyun's heart was churning, she suddenly heard these words, and she suddenly calmed down.

At this moment, she no longer cared about her secrets being discovered, but was eager to grab that life-saving straw.

After more than a year of longing and torment, Xiangyun was very sure that she liked Zhu Jinghong. If she could not be with this gentleman in this life, her life would be meaningless.

Therefore, Zhu Yunsheng's words were indeed a life-saving straw for Xiangyun.

"You still refuse to admit it. Looking at you like this, I already knew you are unreliable!"

Zhu Yunsheng’s words “unreliable” were by no means casual remarks. After all, after Daiyu was seduced away, she regarded Xiangyun as her final “pure land”.

"Princess..." Xiangyun's tone was soft, with a pleading look on her face.

"There will be a polo match at the Qingyang Palace in a few days, and my Thirteenth Brother will also go... Do you want to go with me?"

"I would like to accompany the princess!" Xiangyun replied immediately.

"You can ride a horse. I will suggest that Brother Thirteen teach you polo..."

Zhu Yunsheng started talking, and many of the things he said made Xiangyun blush and she began to back off.

But in the end, driven by her true nature, she agreed to all of them.

"Xiangyun, because of you...I have become a joke!"

The several tutors around Zhu Yunsheng, Baochai, Daiyu, Xiangyun, Yang Jingting, Zhen Qin, and Qiqige, all became women in the Prince Xiang's Mansion.

Overall, this matter is indeed quite...strange!
Zhu Yunsheng was of course opposed to such a thing, but now she took the initiative to promote it, not entirely for Xiangyun.

Zhu Yunsheng knew the general situation, and for her, pleasing Zhu Jinghong was the most important thing.

He has no shortage of wealth and power, and the only thing she can please him about is a beautiful woman.

She knew that Zhu Jinghong was eyeing Xiangyun, so she wanted to make this happen, mainly to make her brother happy.

After the matter was agreed upon, in order to avoid embarrassing Xiangyun, Zhu Yunsheng changed the topic of the conversation.

The two walked for a while and soon returned to the crowd. Zhu Yunsheng then started chatting with the ladies, and Xiangyun got the chance to be alone.

At this moment, her heart was surging like waves, and she could even hear the "thump thump" sound.

"Xiangyun, Xiangyun...you and the Thirteenth Master have already had physical contact, what are you afraid of?" Xiangyun encouraged herself in her heart.

But the more she thought about it, the more empty she felt, and for a moment she even felt a little hot.

So Xiangyun had an extremely torturous time in the second half of the banquet. At this moment, she just wanted to find a place to hide.

About two hours later, after having dinner at Zhu Yunsheng's house, Xiangyun went home with her aunt.

Two days passed in a blink of an eye. As expected, Xiangyun was invited by Zhu Yunsheng. She took a sedan chair to the Prince Consort's Mansion first, and then followed Zhu Yunsheng and the other person to the outside of the capital.

The Qingyang Palace has many properties, so of course there are villas outside the city, and the polo match was held outside the city.

There are six teams participating in the competition today, coming from the Left and Right Dragon Guards, the Left and Right Imperial City Guards, and two teams composed of idle noble children.

When Zhu Yunsheng and his party arrived, the area outside the Qingyang Palace was already filled with carriages and sedan chairs, and there were hundreds of servants from various palaces lingering outside.

Zhu Yunsheng was a distinguished guest, and their sedan chair went directly into the villa. Upon receiving the report, Prince Qingyang Zhu Jingchun went to the front yard in person to greet them.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" The royal consort Liang Yi stepped forward and saluted.

As for Zhu Yunsheng, he looked around at the environment and the thought of saluting did not even occur to him.

"Fourteenth brother, why is your place empty?" Zhu Yunsheng asked.

Zhu Jingchun explained: "It was built not long ago. It was built specifically for polo matches. We haven't had time to add anything else!"

"Third sister, they are all here and have taken their seats at the stadium. You all should go over too!"

After nodding slightly, Zhu Yunsheng asked, "Is Fourth Brother here?"

Zhu Jingchun shook his head. Of course, he had also invited the prince, but the latter refused, saying that he was busy.

Zhu Yunsheng didn't ask any more questions. He took Xiangyun and followed Zhu Jingchun towards the stadium.

Although this place was newly built, the distinction between inside and outside was very well controlled. Wherever Zhu Yunsheng passed, he didn't see a single outsider except eunuchs and maids.

On the east side of the villa, inside the competition field, many people had gathered at this time.

All the warriors present were eager to try, simply because Zhu Jinghong was there to watch today.

As for Zhu Jinghong and other royal guests, they were all staying in the high-rise building on the north side.

The building has three floors. Zhu Jinghong and other men live on the second floor, while the women live on the third floor where the view is better.

(End of this chapter)