Red Mansion Beijingwang

Beijing Prince's Mansion, Hengwu Garden.

Baochai got up early in the morning and was helped by Ying'er and the others to wash and dress. At this moment, the girl was wearing an apricot-yellow satin dress embroidered with peony branches. Her hair was tied up in a bun and pearl flowers were inserted in her temples. Her cheeks were as white as snow without any makeup, and her graceful eyes and eyebrows exuded a graceful and elegant look.

"Miss, I'll go prepare breakfast." Ying'er smoothed the girl's skirt and said softly.

When Baochai heard this, her sparkling almond eyes twinkled under her willow-shaped eyebrows, and she said in a gentle voice, "No need. I saw Pin'er drank a few more glasses of wine yesterday, and I don't know if it's a problem now. Let's go over and have breakfast with Pin'er."

Baochai was really curious about the relationship between her brother-in-law and Daiyu, so she took this opportunity to go over and test it out. If Daiyu was safe and sound, she would think she was overthinking it. But if she was unwell or staggering, Baochai would be sure.

Ying'er didn't notice him and nodded, "Ms. Lin must have just woken up. I'll notify the kitchen and have them send breakfast to Xiaoxiang Pavilion."

Baochai thought about it and said, "Don't worry, let's go over there and talk about it."

The breakfast was fake, but the purpose was to find out the truth. If it turned out to be as she expected, the breakfast would be embarrassing.

Ying'er didn't say anything when she heard that. She followed Baochai out of the door. But just as they were out of the yard, Baochai seemed to remember something. She turned around and looked at the group of maids and said, "Ying'er can follow me. You all go downstairs and do your own things."

Since we are going to investigate, it is naturally a secret matter. What if there is really something going on between my brother-in-law and Pin'er, it would not be good if the news leaked out with so many people around.

After all, my brother-in-law kept it a secret because he didn't want anyone to know.

The maids naturally retreated without any response after hearing this, and Ying'er didn't care either. She followed Baochai along the corridor towards the direction of Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

After passing through a vertical archway, Baochai saw Shui Rong walking out of the courtyard of Xiaoxiang Pavilion, which made her heart startled.

Coming out of Daiyu's courtyard early in the morning, could it be that her brother-in-law stayed at Pin'er's place last night? Doesn't that mean that Pin'er has been taken advantage of by her brother-in-law?
Shui Rong had just walked out of the door when he saw Bao Chai. He was slightly startled, then he moved closer, stared at the graceful and elegant girl in front of him, and asked, "Why is Baochai here?"

Baochai calmed down after hearing this and replied softly, "I thought that Pin'er drank too much yesterday, so I came to see her."

As she spoke, Baochai looked at the young man with her sparkling almond eyes, blinked, and asked softly, "Why is brother-in-law here with Pin'er? Could it be that brother-in-law was too busy to celebrate Pin'er's birthday yesterday, so he came to apologize so early in the morning?"

Shui Rong smiled when he heard that, and went forward to hold the girl's soft little hand, staring at her snowy face, and said jokingly: "Precious girl has always been very smart, brother-in-law doesn't believe that you didn't guess it."

With Baochai's intelligence, it is impossible for her not to see the trick. She must have noticed something was wrong and was afraid that her brother-in-law would be embarrassed, so she deliberately found some lame excuse for him to come and apologize.

It has to be said that Baochai's gentleness, courtesy and frugality are indeed endearing, and those who are considerate enough know how to find a way out for her.

When Baochai heard this, two rosy blushes appeared on her plump face. From under her willow-shaped brows, her bright almond-shaped eyes glanced at the young man with anger, and she secretly cursed in her heart.

Just don't cover it up and throw the jar into the ground.

Tilting her head slightly, Baochai asked in a low voice, "Are you brother-in-law and Pin'er?"

"Yes, that's right, my brother-in-law and Pin'er have secretly decided to spend their lives together, just like Bao girl." Shui Rong spoke frankly without hiding anything.

Since he was caught, Shui Rong had no need to hide it. Anyway, his affair with Pin'er was going to be made public, so it would be good for Baochai to know about it. After all, given her character, she would help him in private.

When Baochai heard this, her plump cheeks flushed slightly, and she thought to herself that it was just as she thought. Just like her, this meant that Daiyu was no longer a virgin.

Hey~ For sisters-in-law like them, the coming-of-age ceremony is their rite of passage into adulthood, which is engraved in their hearts.

Ying'er, who was standing by, was also stunned at this time. When she saw the prince coming out of Xiaoxiang Pavilion earlier, she was suspicious, but she didn't think much about it. As the prince and the girl had a conversation that was ambiguous and like a riddle, she was also ignorant. It was not until the prince said it without any hesitation that she understood the reason.

It turns out that the prince and Miss Lin are not sworn brothers and sisters?

At this time Ying'er also understood. No wonder her daughter came to Xiaoxiang Pavilion so early in the morning without bringing anyone else. It turned out that she came to catch the prince in the act!
Shui Rong looked at the girl with her eyebrows lowered and eyes drooped, holding her soft hand, and whispered: "Precious girl, Pin'er is still sleeping, let's not disturb her, let's go back first."

Baochai's heart paused, and her bright eyes couldn't help but look towards the bamboo-covered Xiaoxiang Pavilion. There was a hint of shyness lingering between her graceful eyebrows.

She was still asleep at this moment, most likely because Pin'er was tired from working out last night. However, based on her understanding of her brother-in-law, how could she tolerate Pin'er's petty appearance?
Thinking of this, Baochai's heart trembled, but before she could react, warmth came from her palm, making the girl feel at ease.

How could a gentle man like my brother-in-law make things difficult for Sister Lin?

The two walked hand in hand along the corridor. After walking for a while, Shui Rong looked at the girl who lowered her head slightly and suddenly asked, "Precious girl, what do you think about the matter between your brother-in-law and Pin'er?"

Baochai was so ashamed and angry when she heard this. Her moist almond eyes were filled with shame. Her brother-in-law had taken advantage of her, so how could she look at him? He even had the nerve to ask.

Pursing her pink lips, the girl said softly, "Pin'er has always been innocent and straightforward. Since she has secretly decided to spend her life with brother-in-law, she has made up her mind from the bottom of her heart. Brother-in-law, please don't let Pin'er down."

Baochai admired Daiyu for her extraordinary talent and her ability to compose poems and songs.

In addition to admiration, Baochai also feels pity for Daiyu. Daiyu had to go to Beijing since she was young. Even though Grandmother Jia treated her like her own granddaughter, there was still a difference between her and others, and she was living under someone else's roof.

However, Daiyu is sentimental and sensitive to these details. Her straightforward character makes her unlikable, and her life in the Jia family is not very happy.

With both parents dead and no brothers to rely on, he is already all alone and helpless.

Fortunately, after she got her brother-in-law, he adopted Daiyu as his sister, so she had a brother to rely on. She saw with her own eyes how comfortable Daiyu was in the palace, which could not be false. It can be seen that it was most suitable for Daiyu to live in the palace.

Now that the relationship is legitimate, Baochai is still happy for Daiyu. Otherwise, she would have felt that Daiyu and Baoyu were not suitable. Just based on Mrs. Wang's dislike for them, Daiyu would have been in a worse situation than Baoyu.

Thinking about it now, perhaps it was because of the sense of security given by her brother-in-law that Daiyu fell in love with her, and even made Lin Daiyu, who has always been self-respecting and self-loving, secretly decide to spend her life with her brother-in-law.

If her brother-in-law lets down Sister Lin, I'm afraid she will be so angry that she will die.

Shui Rong understood what he said. As both of them were outstanding girls and grew up together, they naturally admired each other. It was probably the same for the two of them in the original novel. They quarreled on weekdays, but they were convinced of each other in their hearts.

Of course, unlike the original work, there is no conflict of interest between the two, nor is there any so-called conflict.

Because Shui Rong is different from Baoyu, not to mention that the mistress of Prince Beijing's Mansion has been decided, the two do not need to fight for anything. How can the status of a concubine in the second room of the Duke's Mansion compare to that of a concubine in the prince's mansion?

Simply put, Baoyu's concubine is just a maid of a more noble status, but Shuirong is different. Not only does her father Jia Zheng have to respect her, but even the old lady of the Rongguo Mansion has to be polite to her.

Besides, if she didn't have the title of mistress, she would still have a concubine. And what did Baoyu have? A first-class maid? A second-class maid?

Haven’t you seen that the concubines in Prince Beijing’s mansion are either ladies from respectable families or illegitimate daughters of powerful families? How can Baoyu compare to them?

After squeezing the girl's soft little hand, Shui Rong nodded and said, "Brother-in-law will not let Pin'er down. After some time, brother-in-law will discuss it with your elder sister."

Baochai nodded slightly and said "hmm" softly, but didn't say anything. After all, Daiyu often stayed with her for a short time, and there was no difference. It was just a slight change in her status.

Wait, if Daiyu enters the palace, what will her status be?
It is true that Daiyu is now alone and helpless, but she is at least the legitimate daughter of a marquis's family. Her status is much more valuable than hers, the daughter of an imperial merchant. At the very least, she should start as a noble concubine.

Judging from the love that Concubine Beijing had for Pin'er and her brother-in-law's daily doting on her, there was a great possibility that she became a concubine.

Good sisters hope for the best for each other, but they are also afraid that someone will be better off than them. She assisted her elder sister wholeheartedly in the palace, but she could get Pin'er without any effort. Even the gentle and respectful Baochai felt a little disgusted. The girl's mood was complicated, and Shui Rong was not very clear. After thinking for a while, he said, "Bao girl, when you are free, help your brother-in-law take care of Pin'er."

Baochai frowned, looked at the young man's sparkling almond eyes, and suddenly said in a flash of understanding: "Brother-in-law wants me to help comfort Pin'er?"

Shui Rong nodded and said, "You know Pin'er's personality well. She tends to have wild thoughts. She has always treated you as her sister. It may be better if you comfort her."

Compared with the original novel, the relationship between Chai and Dai at this time is even deeper. Both of them are ambitious people. If they want to live in peace with each other or even achieve a certain goal, one of them must give in, and Baochai, who has always been gentle, is the most suitable candidate.

If you ask why, it is because well-behaved and sensible people always suffer more losses.

When it comes to handling interpersonal relationships, Baochai is still more suitable. It’s not that Daiyu is inferior to Baochai, but Daiyu’s temperament is not suitable for handling interpersonal relationships.

Although she understands, Daiyu is not as good as Baochai in doing it. Baochai has just lived in the Mansion of Duke Rong and received praises from everyone in the mansion. Do you think these are all fake?

Baochai was not upset when she heard her brother-in-law's words of "favoring one over the other". Instead, she was delighted. Her bright eyes were filled with joy. She said, "Although Pin'er is a little narrow-minded, she is well-educated and sensible. She won't make a fuss over this. Don't worry, brother-in-law. I will take good care of Sister Lin."

In the brother-in-law's mind, he obviously felt that he was steady, so he said this. Isn't this what the eldest wife should do?
Shui Rong stared at the girl's plump face, his eyes flickering slightly under her delicate eyebrows.

He just knew that Daiyu would quarrel with her over trivial matters, and that was just the clingy nature of a little girl, but she was very sensible in big matters.

Otherwise, Daiyu would not have been so ambiguous with her sworn brother even though she knew that he had many younger sisters around him. What he cared about was that Daiyu could not let go of her shame and was hesitant to move forward. In this case, wouldn't his little thoughts be in vain?

However, Shui Rong did not expose it. With Baochai as an example, he would just let it go if the two of them were brought together one day.

Suppressing the throbbing in his heart, Shui Rong suddenly said, "As for your elder sister, Bao girl, please help your brother-in-law keep it a secret. Now is not the time to make it clear to Yuanchun."

When Baochai heard this, she understood. Not to mention that Daiyu was her elder sister's cousin, just because of the disputes between her and Baoyu, it was difficult for her brother-in-law to bring up the topic.

Baochai narrowed her bright almond eyes, hesitated for a moment, and whispered, "Brother-in-law, I think my elder sister seems to have vaguely noticed the matter between you and Pin'er."

In fact, he was not the only one who felt that there was something fishy between the two of them. Baochai felt that Yuanchun had probably seen through it a long time ago but had not exposed it.

Shui Rong paused, and started to think about it. He had carefully tested Yuanchun before, and although she did not express her opinion, from her few words, Shui Rong felt that Yuanchun had noticed something.

But guesses are always guesses, and Shui Rong didn't feel comfortable bringing up the issue, hoping for a lucky break.

Thinking of this, Shui Rongfu came to his mind. He looked at the elegant and graceful young man and said softly, "Precious girl, how about you help your brother-in-law to test Yuanchun's intentions?"

I can't open my mouth to ask for it, but now there is a suitable candidate.

Baochai:"."

At this moment, the girl was speechless. She just wanted to remind her brother-in-law to prevent him from being blinded by one thing. Who would have thought that her brother-in-law would actually throw the problem to her?
If she had known this, why would she have said so much?

Baochai bit her pink lips with her pearly teeth. Her radiant almond eyes hid a hint of shame and resentment. She replied softly, "Then I'll go and try."

Since her brother-in-law had already said it, how could she refuse? She could only bite the bullet and continue, and find a time to test her elder sister's attitude.

Shui Rong looked at the helpless, even somewhat resentful eyes of the girl, and an unnatural look appeared on his face. He took the girl's soft little hand and squeezed it, then said jokingly, "I'm just joking with you. I'll find a time to clarify the matter of Pin'er with Yuanchun."

Well, he asked Baochai to comfort Daiyu, and asked her to help him test Yuanchun. She did all the dirty and tiring work. He really treated Baochai like a beast of burden, which made Shui Rong feel embarrassed.

Isn’t this bullying an honest person?

Baochai felt relieved when she heard this. She raised her plump face, her bright almond eyes reflecting the young man's handsome face, and said softly, "Let me help my brother-in-law to find out what elder sister has to say first."

Since my brother-in-law understood my difficulties, I had no resistance to doing this. Anyway, my elder sister was so tolerant and generous that she wouldn't argue with her about it.

Shui Rong paused and felt happy. Baochai's gentleness, courtesy and frugality were truly lovable. What else could he say about such a thoughtful and considerate person?

Shui Rong turned around, lowered his head and kissed the girl's pink lips, gently pinched Baochai's rosy face, and chuckled, "Okay, you don't have to worry about this, let your brother-in-law solve it himself."

It is convenient to let Baochai find out the truth, but with Yuanchun's intelligence, it seems impossible to hide it from her. After all, it was his fault that he couldn't control himself. It would be better for him to point it out himself. This would also show respect for Yuanchun.

Those who use crooked means will ultimately be considered unworthy and may easily backfire.

Baochai's cheeks flushed, and she looked around with her eyes filled with shyness and joy. Seeing that there was no one around, her heart relaxed, and she turned to look at the young man shyly, saying angrily, "Brother-in-law, stop making trouble."

She knew that her brother-in-law was being absurd. If they were inside the house, she would have followed him reluctantly. But this was outside, and in broad daylight, it would be embarrassing if someone saw them.

Looking at the shy and flustered face of the girl, Shui Rong's lips curled up, and the unhappiness in his heart was swept away. He grabbed the girl's soft little hand and said with a smile: "What are you afraid of? I saw it, so I saw it."

Although Baochai has always called him brother-in-law, in fact she has long been half the master of the palace. What can the people below say if they see Shui Rong being close to his woman?

As he spoke, Shui Rong looked at Ying'er who lowered her eyebrows and eyes, and said jokingly: "Ying'er, do you think what the king said is right?"

Ying'er blushed, and looked at the young man shyly with her beautiful eyes. There seemed to be a hint of complaint in her voice as she spat, "Why are you asking me about the matter between the prince and the young lady?"

What opinion could a maid have? The prince just wanted to play a trick on the girl, and he was teasing her, an outsider. It was obvious that he had no good intentions.

As for why Ying'er could see it so clearly, it was because when she and the young lady were serving the prince, the prince was always like this, as if she was a concierge between the two of them.

Of course, as a maid, this was as it should be, and she had no complaints, it was just very embarrassing.

Shui Rong raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "You little slut, you still dare to talk nonsense, I'll poke your mouth into pieces."

When Ying'er heard this, her delicate body trembled, her pretty face flushed like a rosy cloud, her beautiful eyes under her willow-leaf brows were full of water, and her heart was filled with shame.

I have been serving for so long and have suffered many times. I know how the prince pokes people in the face.

Baochai knew that her brother-in-law was a casual person, so she did not argue with him. She glared at the young man with her bright almond eyes and said, "Brother-in-law, please stop bullying Ying'er."

To be honest, she witnessed with her own eyes how her brother-in-law bullied Ying'er. Those shameful tricks were enough to make her smack her mouth just thinking about them.

Fortunately, Ying'er is by my side, otherwise all the evil would come upon me.

Having said that, the fact is that Baochai still tried some embarrassing things reluctantly, such as cushions, standing independently and riding a horse, which she would not tell others about.

Shui Rong curled his lips and said nothing when he heard that. He was still bullying. He saw that Ying'er was very happy. He really didn't know how to appreciate what he had. Or maybe the master and servant were just being hypocritical.

But Shui Rong did not expose the truth. He held Bao Chai's hand and walked along the corridor. (End of this chapter)