Red Mansion Beijingwang

Prince Beijing’s Palace, Qiu Shuang Zhai.

At dusk, the sun retracted its dazzling light and turned into a golden ball. The surrounding clouds became more colorful, interweaving into a floating picture, which was very magnificent.

Liu Wuer, wearing a light green dress and double buns, walked in along the corridor. Her pretty cheeks were fair, and under her small and delicate nose was a pair of cherry lips, which were slightly pursed.

Liu Wuer looked at Xiaohong, who was wearing a pink dress and directing the maids to sweep the yard with brooms. She stepped forward and said, "Xiaohong, it's almost dark, why are you still sweeping?"

Xiaohong pursed her pink lips, rolled her eyes at Liu Wuer, and said, "It's not dark yet. If we don't clean up the fallen leaves in the yard quickly now, it will be too late later."

"Hey, you stupid hooves, where are you going to sweep? I tell you, if you still can't sweep it clean by dark, you'll be punished."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiaohong saw a little maid sweeping the fallen leaves under the upright banana tree. She immediately raised her eyes and started scolding her mercilessly.

When the maids heard this, they trembled and started cleaning carefully.

They were just servants doing menial work, but Xiaohong was a first-class servant and they could not afford to offend her.

Speaking of which, Xiaohong and Liu Wuer's circumstances were quite enviable in the palace. They were originally just second-class maids, but who would have thought that after accompanying the third lady and the prince on a trip to Jiangnan, they served the prince well and were promoted to first-class maids when they returned. Not only did their monthly salary increase, but they were also treated respectably.

Liu Wu'er didn't care about these. She looked up at the room and asked, "Is the third lady still busy in there?"

Xiao Hong nodded and replied, "Yeah, I've been busy for several hours."

As she spoke, Xiaohong's eyes twinkled under her willow-leaf eyebrows. She leaned in front of Liu Wu'er and whispered, "It's strange. Today is the third lady's birthday, but the mansion didn't prepare a celebration. I don't know what the prince means."

Everyone in the palace knew that the girls were all good at planning birthdays, but who would have thought that when it came to their own girl, there was no celebration? If they hadn't known that Tanchun was in charge of all matters in the palace, they would have thought that Tanchun was being neglected!
When Liu Wuer heard the prince's name, her pretty face was startled, her eyes narrowed under her willow-leaf eyebrows, and she whispered, "How can we guess what the prince is thinking?"

Listening to Liu Wuer's inexplicable tone, Xiaohong roughly understood what was going on.

For them, it was indeed because their treatment had been improved after they followed the prince to Jiangnan. However, years have passed since then, and there has been no progress. How could they not feel resentful?

It would be fine if they had nothing to do with the prince, and they could just be maids. However, they all had ties with the prince, and how could they turn a blind eye when they saw him in person?

Xiaohong pursed her pink lips and said no more, her crystal eyes dimmed.

"Your Majesty."

At this moment, Liu Wu'er suddenly shouted in a tender voice, which made Xiaohong's heart pause. She raised her eyes and saw the prince in a brocade robe walking in. Her face lit up with joy.

Speaking of the prince, the prince came immediately. What a coincidence!

At that moment, Xiao Hong and Liu Wuer came forward, their pretty faces smiling softly, their beautiful eyes and eyebrows filled with joy, and they greeted him and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Shui Rong looked at the two people in front of him, especially at the pretty Xiao Hong. He paused for a moment, and then thought of the scene of her receiving the rain and dew. His heart moved slightly, and he smiled and said, "It's Xiao Hong and Wu Er!"

Seeing that the prince remembered them, the two were delighted, and Xiaohong was even more delighted, saying in a coquettish voice: "The prince is here to see the third young lady, right? The young lady is in the room now."

Shui Rong nodded, but he was not in a hurry. His eyes fell on Liu Wu'er who was hanging her head. He stretched out his hand to pinch the beauty's chin and gently lifted it up. After looking at her for a while, he said, "Not bad, you look much better."

He doesn't need to be polite to those who have served him.

Liu Wuer's cheeks flushed, her beautiful eyes and eyebrows showed a bit of shyness, but her heart was full of joy. She said with a trembling voice: "Thanks to the grace of the prince, my mother told me to remember the prince's kindness and serve him wholeheartedly."

She had been weak and sickly since childhood, and was basically always on medicine. This was a real burden to her poor family. But after she came to the palace with the third lady, the prince saw that she was weak and asked the doctor to treat her. She was promoted to a first-class maid, and her monthly salary was increased. She no longer had to worry about the medicine she took, so her health naturally improved, and the family gradually became more affluent.

If you think about it, the prince is her great benefactor!
Shui Rong understood after hearing this. Although Liu Wu'er's body is similar to Daiyu's, there is an essential difference between them. The most important thing about Daiyu is her heart disease, and heart disease needs to be treated with heart medicine.

Liu Wu'er's condition was purely due to poor health. As long as she takes enough medicinal herbs and pays attention to maintenance, her health will naturally get better.

Of course, he also understood why Liu Wuer's parents told her this. In addition to the so-called kindness, Shui Rong's identity and status were also a great weapon.

For Liu Wuer's family, being able to serve the prince is a great honor.

But Shui Rong didn't care about these. Liu Wuer's family was after his money, and he was after Liu Wuer's body. It was just an equal exchange, so there was nothing to worry about.

At the side, Xiaohong saw the prince pinching Liu Wu'er's chin and showing concern in his words. Her heart was full of envy. She didn't think of comparing herself with maids like Shishu and Qingwen, but Liu Wu'er always felt a little jealous.

Shui Rong released the hand that was pinching Liu Wu'er's chin, and looked into Xiaohong's sparkling eyes, which were sparkling in the afterglow of the setting sun. He roughly understood what was going on in his heart.

How should I put it? This feeling of being expected to be pampered makes one feel at ease.

After a pause, Shui Rong looked at Xiao Hong and asked, "What did the third girl do today?"

Seeing the prince's eyes on her, Xiaohong was delighted. Two dimples appeared on her pretty face. She said, "Today, the third lady met with Miss Bao and Miss Lin for a while, and then she stayed in the house to deal with the affairs of the mansion. She didn't do anything else."

Shui Rong raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this, and then chuckled.
This Tanchun acts as if today is not her birthday. I really don’t know what to say.

Shui Rong thought for a moment, then instructed the two of them, "Go to the kitchen and tell them to prepare a table of delicious food and send it over."

Since Tanchun doesn't care, Shui Rong, as her brother-in-law, can't just turn a blind eye.

"Hey, I understand."

Xiaohong and Liu Wu'er responded with a smile upon hearing this, their eyes filled with joy. For maids like them, the more favored their masters were, the happier they were.

Shui Rong said nothing upon seeing this. He walked towards the house, went around a screen and entered the inner room. He saw Tanchun sitting sideways on the soft couch by the west window. On the table in front of her was a stack of blue account books.

The girl was wearing a pink dress embroidered with broken branches of bright red morning glory. She still had her lush and smooth hair with airy bangs, which exuded a warm and unrestrained feeling. She was flipping through an account book in her bare hands. Her bright face was whiter than snow, with handsome eyes and thin eyebrows. She looked around with a spirited look, and she exuded a capable aura from head to toe.

The secretary was holding an abacus in her hand. When she looked up, she saw Shui Rong at the door. She was startled. When she was about to speak, she suddenly saw the prince made a gesture to keep quiet. He turned his head to glance at Tanchun who was concentrating, and his bright eyes under his willow-leaf eyebrows turned around and he smiled knowingly.

Tanchun was calculating the accounts when she heard the secretary's chuckle. She looked up and asked with a slightly frown, "What's wrong?"

The secretary was startled, blinked, and said with a smile: "Nothing, young lady, it's getting dark, do you want to light the lanterns first?"

Tanchun glanced at the setting sun outside the window, then lowered her eyes and flipped through the account book in her hand. She didn't notice anything unusual, so she nodded and said, "Okay, go and light the lamp."

The secretary looked at the focused Tanchun and felt speechless.

My dear girl, please at least look up. The prince is standing at the door, watching you make a fool of yourself. How can you be so careless?

Pursing her pink lips, the maid did not light the lamp, but said meaningfully: "Miss, today is your birthday, I think the prince will come tonight!"

Hearing this, Tanchun paused, her eyes twinkled as she looked at the account book, and she said without raising her head: "We just need to do our own duties, why think so much."

Having said that, the girl still had great expectations in her heart. After all, her brother-in-law said that he would prepare a big gift for her, but she didn't know what the gift would be.

Thinking of this, Tanchun, who had been calm, suddenly became flustered. She looked at the teacup on the table with her sharp eyes, stretched out her delicate hands to pick it up, and was about to drink it when she found that the teacup was empty, so she ordered, "Shishu, go and pour a cup of new tea."

After a while, a cup of new tea was served. Tanchun didn't care. She took a sip without raising her head, and then lowered her eyes to look through the account book. The servant who was lighting the lamp in front of the elevated platform saw this scene and became a little anxious. She was so old, and the girl couldn't raise her head to look?

Originally, she saw that the prince asked her to be quiet and not say more, but she didn't expect that her own girl was so focused that she didn't even notice the prince. She really didn't know what to say.

After thinking about it, the secretary felt that she still had to give a reminder to avoid any mistakes, so she said, "Miss, would you like me to ask the people in the kitchen to prepare dinner first?"

Tanchun replied: "No, I'm not hungry yet."

After saying this, Tanchun seemed to come back to her senses. Listening to the voice of the servant, it was clear that he was not by her side. Then who was the person standing next to her serving tea?
When she raised her eyes, what came into her sight was that pretty face. His face was full of smiles, with a hint of teasing between his eyebrows. He was looking at her, which made Tanchun's heart tremble.

"Brother-in-law, why are you here?"

Tanchun cried out in surprise, her bright and heroic eyes slightly widened, and her heart was filled with bewilderment.

Shui Rong stared at the girl's bright and beautiful face, with a smile on his face and eyebrows curved, and said with a smile: "Come and see you, Third Girl."

He didn't expect that the girl would be so focused. If the maid hadn't reminded her, Tanchun would have been kept in the dark for a while.

A faint blush appeared on Tanchun's cheeks. She quickly stood up from the couch. Her crystal clear eyes glanced at the boy in reproach and she said shyly, "When did my brother-in-law come over?"

She didn't even know when her brother-in-law came over. The maid was lighting the lamp there. So, wasn't it her brother-in-law who personally served her tea just now?

Oh my God, how could she do this.

Shui Rong smiled and said, "I haven't been here for long. I just came when the little hoof of the secretary reminded you to light the lamp."

Hearing this, Tanchun recalled that since the maid reminded her to light the lamp, there was nothing wrong with her, and she couldn't help but feel relieved. But then she remembered that she didn't notice her brother-in-law, and she guessed that her brother-in-law must be laughing at him, and she couldn't help feeling shy.

She raised her eyes to glance at the servant who was lighting the lamp and said angrily, "Brother-in-law is here, why didn't you remind me?"

Upon hearing this, the hand that was lighting the lamp paused slightly, and she raised her pretty face. The bright eyes beneath her willow-leaf brows showed a bit of grievance and helplessness.

It's not that she didn't remind him, it's that the prince didn't let her remind him, and he pointed it out several times himself. It's you, the girl, who was too focused. How can you blame me?

But having said that, who made her a maid?
Shui Rong chuckled, stared at the aggrieved Shishu, and echoed: "Shishu is a very stupid guy, you have to teach him a lesson, Third girl."

Don't think he didn't know about that inexplicable reminder. He originally wanted to appreciate the grace of Tanchun in handling affairs, but it was all ruined by the maid. Not to mention a lesson, a whipping would not be too much.

Hearing this, Shishu felt even more aggrieved. This made him unpopular among everyone.

Tanchun came back to her senses. Listening to the boy's tone, she felt speechless. She glared at him with her bright eyes and said, "Brother-in-law, please sit down first."

Although she blamed Shishu, she was just saying it verbally. After Shishu's reminder, she understood what was going on. She thought that given her brother-in-law's temperament, he must have prevented Shishu from speaking.

If it weren't for the maid's repeated reminders, she would still not have come to her senses.

Shui Rong didn't care. He sat down on the couch, lowered his eyes to look at the account book on the table, reached out and picked up the book that Tanchun had read before, and said softly, "How are the accounts in the mansion recently?"

Tanchun sat down on the other side and said loudly, "The shops in the capital have made good profits recently. In the past three months, we have collected a total of 50,000 taels. Brother Lian also sent us a bonus from the goods, which is a full 20,000 taels. Add to that the sea trade, and we estimate that the profit is 100,000 taels, which is enough to cover the expenses of our palace."

Shui Rong nodded slightly when he heard that. The Beijing Prince's Mansion had more than ten shops in the capital, and the palace's accounts were put together with Yuanchun's dowry, adding up to more than twenty shops, all of which were popular shops in the capital. The profit of 50,000 taels in three months was quite good.

Moreover, the palace has more than just shops. The cooperation with Jia Lian in shipping goods from Liaodong and the maritime trade are all ways to make money. All in all, the Beijing Prince's Palace is not short of money and is very wealthy.

After a pause, Shui Rong said, "Just take care of these."

Of course he understood Tanchun's abilities and character. Besides, judging from the profits of the palace, it can be seen that Tanchun was doing her job very diligently and conscientiously.

If not, I estimate that the palace will not only make no profit, but it would be good if it does not suffer any loss. All that money will most likely end up in the hands of evil servants who will exploit them and suck their blood out of them.

To be honest, with Tanchun's ambition, it was unfair for her to be in charge of the affairs of the rear house.

Tanchun understood the trust in the young man's words and was naturally happy. How could she be dissatisfied when her hard work was recognized?

Pursing her pink lips, Tanchun raised her bright and handsome eyes to look at the young man, and asked, "Has my brother-in-law eaten yet?"

Shui Rong shook his head and said, "Not yet. I'll ask Xiao Hong and Liu Wu'er to go to the kitchen and prepare a table of delicious food to celebrate for the third girl."

When Tanchun heard this, she felt happy and sweet in her heart. She knew that her brother-in-law would not forget this and came here specially to celebrate her birthday.

Shui Rong took the girl's soft little hand in his own and said softly, "I feel sorry for you. It's such a good birthday, but it turned out to be so cold."

Although this was Tanchun's own request, she still had to say what needed to be said.

Tanchun's eyebrows were curved, and there were faint dimples on both sides of her cheeks. She said in a gentle voice: "My little sister is not wronged, brother-in-law, don't worry about it."

In fact, it doesn’t matter whether it’s cold or not. She is already satisfied that her brother-in-law has this thought.

Shui Rong chuckled, but didn't say much. He lay on the couch and said lazily, "Third girl, dinner will probably take some time. You do your own thing, and I'll rest here."

Seeing this, Tanchun's bright eyes flickered under her handsome eyebrows, and she said softly, "I have almost dealt with those accounts. How about I help my brother-in-law rub his shoulders?"

Shui Rong lay on the couch, his delicate eyebrows and eyes looking at the girl's bright face with a smile, and said with a smile: "No, let the servant do these small things, you do your own thing, brother-in-law, I like to see you work seriously."

The girl's focused look exuded an air of competence, which was quite pleasing to the eye.

When Tanchun heard this, her snow-white face heated up slightly. From under her willow-shaped eyebrows, her heroic eyes looked at the boy with a reproachful look, and her heart was filled with shyness.

Bringing this up for no reason reminded her of her previous embarrassment, and she felt awkward for some reason.

Besides, it would have been better if she didn’t know her brother-in-law was coming. Now she knew that her brother-in-law was sitting next to her and watching, so how could Tanchun calm down and calculate the accounts?

My brother-in-law is such a troublesome person. He always likes to make things difficult for others.

Shui Rong was very interested at this time, and regardless of whether Tanchun agreed or not, he glanced at the servant standing on the side, raised his eyebrows and said, "Stupid hoof, you have no vision, why don't you come over and rub my legs."

This little bitch, I haven’t taught her a lesson yet!
The secretary's delicate body trembled. She glanced at Tanchun, and seeing that she was indifferent, she glanced at the prince again. Her pretty face flushed slightly. She took light lotus steps, picked up a small table from the side, and sat down in front of the prince. She held the prince's legs with her slender hands, held them in her arms, and gently massaged them.

Tanchun raised her eyes and met the young man's smiling gaze. She secretly spat in her heart, then let out a breath, calmed down, reached out and picked up the blue account book and began to flip through it.

In fact, Tanchun was quite happy that her brother-in-law could stay in the house with her.

But in the past, her brother-in-law always handled official business in the study, and she watched by the side. But now it was the other way around, and for a moment, she felt a little strange.

This is considered as "adding fragrance to the red sleeves"! (End of this chapter)