Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 101 Ingenuity
In the early morning, Li Weijian woke up from a deep sleep and felt his right arm was sore and numb, and his back was feeling hot again.When he opened his eyes, he saw Qingwen in his arms with her temples scattered. She turned her head slightly and saw her pink jade neck and jade arms, and her figure was pressed tightly against his back.

After thinking about it, it seemed that he had vomited again yesterday. Seeing the two maids' eyes turning red, Li Weijian forced Qingwen and Hongyu to rest, but they refused, so Li Weijian simply stopped. The two of them slept together.

Forgetting the charm, I just fell asleep due to sleepiness.This bed is narrow, just enough for two people, but a bit crowded for three people.

Li Weijian turned around and lay down on his back. He caught a glimpse of the eyes under Hong Yu's eyelids moving around. He knew that the girl must be awake, and he didn't know if it was because of shame, so he didn't open his eyes.

Li Weijian stretched out his left arm and held Hongyu in his arms.Er, Qingwen on the other side woke up.He stood up and rubbed his eyes, yawned and was about to get up.But he was pulled back by an arm.

"Fourth master?"

Those smart eyes were looking at the person coming over.

Li Weijian said vaguely: "It's still early, let's sleep a little longer."

"Fourth Master, are you not going to practice this morning?"

"Well, my whole body is sore. Let's rest for a day."

Qingwen said: "You must let Xiu Ying know."

"Don't worry, Xiu Ying still needs to practice even if I don't get up."

Qingwen thought for a while, and it seemed that it was indeed the case, so she said no more.

She moved her body and pressed against Li Weijian's chest. She picked up a strand of hair with her green onion-like fingers and wrapped it between her fingers. The small rhombus foot in the brocade quilt climbed up, but it touched the other slightly larger foot. , and immediately shrank back.

Looking up and seeing a lazy smile on Li Weijian's face, Qingwen asked curiously: "Fourth Master seems to be in a good mood, but did something good happen to him yesterday?"

"Well, it is."

After a junior financial feast, the winner takes all. Li Weijian only invested 10 taels of silver, and in the end only made a small profit.And he was alone, so what was the difference between a few hundred thousand taels and a few million taels?You can't eat dragon liver and phoenix brains every day, right?
Li Weijian responded with a smile, looked above his head and said, "Yesterday King Zhongyong served wine and met an adult during the dinner."

"Who?"

"Shi Ding, the Marquis of Zhongjing."

Qingwen blinked and said: "Zhongjing Hou? That's the nephew of the old lady. I heard that Zhongjing Hou is very trusted by the saints, so it's a good thing that the Fourth Master got to know him. I wonder if I can support him in the future. The Fourth Master will It will save you a lot of detours.”

Li Weijian smiled and said nothing.

During yesterday's dinner, Shi Ding, the Marquis of Zhongjing, was extremely cordial. He exchanged cups with Li Weijian, calling him his nephew, and inviting Li Weijian to sit in his mansion in the past few days.Afterwards, Li Weijian and Dr. Liang returned together. The two of them got into Li Weijian's carriage. Maybe they drank too much. Dr. Liang started talking more and briefly mentioned Shi Ding's background. Li Weijian thought about it and figured out the cause and effect.

The family of historians has two marquises: Shi Nai, the Marquis of Baoling, and Shi Ding, the Marquis of Zhongjing.I don't know if it's Dashun's bad taste, but this account can tell a little bit about it.

For these two people, the title of Marquis Baoling was passed down, but the title of Marquis Zhongjing was earned by himself!
Looking at the fact that Shi Ding has such a good personal relationship with King Zhongyong, we know that this person must be from Jinshang Dang ten years ago.Perhaps Shi Ding played a big role in the Chengtianmen incident that day, and in order to repay his contribution after ascending the throne, he was granted the title of Marquis.

And unlike Baoling Hou Shi Nai who only had a title, Zhongjing Hou Shi Ding also served as the third-rank Taipu Temple Minister.Although Dashun and Ma Zheng are now under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and Taipu Temple is just a Qingshui Yamen, everyone can see that Shi Ding is just transitioning into the position of Taipu Temple Minister and is just waiting to survive. Qualifications will be of great use.

Li Weijian reflected on the few words he had exchanged with Shi Ding. He saw that this man was gentle and courteous, not as arrogant as the princes of the aristocratic family. His words were like a spring breeze turning into rain, making people feel like they were bathed in the spring breeze.He secretly thought to himself that Shi Ding was a man worth making friends with, and he might as well come to visit him with gifts in two days.

While he was thinking about it, he suddenly felt a hand from his left hand quietly reaching out, groping slowly along the way, but in an instant it touched Qingwen's knee, and he immediately retracted it.

Li Weijian came back to his senses, tilted his head slightly, and saw Hongyu slowly opening her eyes, pretending to be confused and saying: "Fourth Master is awake? Well, I have to get up...ah, why are you here too?"

Seeing Hong Yu's face full of surprise, Li Weijian couldn't help but secretly feel happy. Just for this acting skill, he wouldn't change it even for an experienced actor!
Qingwen snorted and was about to say something, but was patted on the back by Li Weijian. She immediately held back her words and just rolled her eyes at Hongyu.

At this moment, there was the sound of shivering darts outside, and then there was a buzzing in Li Weijian's stomach. Qingwen stood up and said, "I don't dare to stay in bed anymore. Fourth Master vomited several times yesterday, and this time I'm afraid you're hungry, right? I'll go to the kitchen to see if there's anything to eat, and I'll get some back first for Fourth Master."

Qingwen said this, Hongyu didn't have the nerve to stay in bed, so she had to stand up and said: "You wait for the fourth master to wash up, and I will go to the kitchen."

At that moment, the two maids stood up, combed their hair, and put on their little clothes. Just looking at them was pleasing to the eye.Hongyu went to get breakfast first, Qingwen urged her for a while, and Li Weijian ate some rouge, and then she coquettishly served Li Weijian to wash up.

Having just finished dressing up, the three girls arrived on time to explore the spring.She practiced half a set of sword skills by herself in the courtyard. When she was covered in beads of sweat, she came over and asked, "Brother Jian, why did you stop today?"

Li Weijian smiled and said nothing, so Qingwen said, "Young lady, I don't know, but the fourth master ate too much wine yesterday and vomited several times during the night. His body was not feeling well, so he stopped for a day."

Tan Chun frowned and said in persuasion, "Fourth Brother Jian is still young, so it's hard for him to drink like this."

Seeing Tanchun's consolation like a little adult, Li Weijian's smile grew brighter, and he nodded and said, "Thank you, Third Sister, for your concern. I can save it, but I really couldn't avoid it yesterday."

Tan Chun also laughed and said: "Fourth brother Jian is a measured person, but this time I am talking too much. So, fourth brother Jian, rest for now, I will go back."

After sending Tanchun away, Hongyu came back with the food box.A bowl of pine nut porridge, a stack of clear noodle pancakes, cold bitter vegetables and pu seedlings, as well as smoked duck breast, braised quail eggs, a combination of meat and vegetables, it will make you appetite.

Li Weijian was indeed hungry now. When he was about to eat, Hongyu accompanied him and said, "The kitchen was busy just now and we didn't cook the food. I spent a bunch of money to make these for Fourth Master first."

"Yes, Not Bad."

Hongyu added: "The fourth master came back late yesterday, but he forgot to mention that the eldest master's side... doesn't seem to be well."

"What's wrong?"

"I was sent back to the mansion yesterday. The imperial doctor made a diagnosis and said it seemed like a stroke. Doctor Wang gave me an acupuncture and it got better."

Jia She had a stroke?Could it be that he lost money again yesterday?
"anything else?"

Hong Yu lowered her voice and said, "I heard that the eldest master suffered another loss yesterday. Not to mention the loss of the silver he borrowed from the fourth master, he also owed Shuntian Mansion more than 1000 taels of silver. Tsk tsk, it's only two taels. In just one day, the great master lost more than 5000 taels of silver, which is really shocking!"

Li Weijian paused with his chopsticks and asked, "Since this matter has spread, can the old lady give an explanation?"

Hongyu shook her head and said, "The old lady asked Dr. Wang yesterday, but she didn't ask any other questions."

Li Weijian thought to himself that if he owed so much money, he was afraid that Jia She would cause trouble.The first and second bedrooms of the Rongguo Mansion are already incompatible with each other, so I don't know what the commotion has become.

Jia Zheng has a pedantic face and may not know what to say, but Mrs. Wang is not an economical person.In this case, there will definitely be something good to watch today.After breakfast at the Five Zang Temple, although he still had a hangover and a headache, his appetite was warm and Li Weijian felt much better.

While Hongyu was picking up the bowls and chopsticks, she added, "Fourth Master, it looks like it's already April, and Second Master Bao's baby is coming soon."

"When is it coming?"

"April 24, two days before the awns are planted."

Baoyu is the lifeblood of the whole family, so you have to be careful when giving birth gifts.Li Weijian was thinking about going to the inner palace manufacturing office later to have a look. Then he suddenly came up with a bad idea, so he couldn't help but feel secretly happy.

It was past midnight that day before Li Weijian left the house.He went to the manufacturing office first, and just as he entered the door, the clerk came up to him in a hurry: "Hey, Mr. Li, you are finally here."

"What's going on?" Li Weijian asked with a smile.

The clerk gnashed his teeth and complained, "Have you, Mr. Li, completely forgotten about the jade pendant?"

Jade pendant?Li Weijian remembered it and said with a smile: "Slow work will produce careful work. I can't keep urging you. What, you got the jade pendant?"

The clerk said: "Okay, yes, it's just that two jade pendants were ruined." As he spoke, he led Li Weijian to the shelf. The clerk carefully took out a jade pendant that was stained with chicken blood and said: "Make it." The master craftsman here has not done it for a long time, so he is a little rusty at this craft. The writing on the first two jade pendants is blurry, so it is really difficult to hand it over to Mr. Li. Alas, the manufacturing office will suffer a big loss on your order."

Li Weijian heard the string and knew the elegant meaning, greeted Wu Haiping, took a five-tael piece of silver barley and handed it to the clerk. He said with a smile: "It's hard work, I will take care of the business of the manufacturing office in the future."

The clerk was immediately overjoyed and bowed his head repeatedly: "Hey, Mr. Li's words are all right."

Li Weijian smiled and nodded, then picked up the jade pendant to look at it.It is shaped like a teardrop, with gold flowers inlaid up and down. It is connected to a chain that can be hung around the neck. There are two lines of writing written on it in small regular script. The color inside is rich and natural, and it looks no worse than the jade piece.

He put away the jade pendant and walked around again. He didn't find anything he liked, so he left the manufacturing office.

Li Weijian turned around and went to Yan's Mansion again. After sitting idle in the study for a long time, Yan Fengzhen came out with a yawning yawn.Even if you don't know it, the second young master must have worked hard yesterday.

"Why did Resurrection come here today?"

"Teacher, aren't you taking a break today?" Li Weijian and Yan Fengzhen were familiar with each other, but they didn't even stand up when they spoke.

Yan Fengzhen walked over indifferently, picked up the tea cup and drank a cup of warm tea. After sitting down, he crossed his legs and said, "Don't mention it. I was called by the saint to ask about it early in the morning." After a pause, he said again: "Resurrection" Didn’t you read the newspaper? Yesterday, a director of the Ministry of Rites hanged himself."

"Obsed?"

"Exactly."

Li Weijian secretly admired his teacher Yan Xiyao. He had concluded early on that clearing the accumulated debts would make the official's life miserable, so he looked for an opportunity to have a big quarrel with Chen Hongmou and remove himself from the matter.I guess the chief assistant is in a state of distress right now, right?

Then I thought about it, this clearing of accumulated debts is probably the instruction of a saint, and you won't stop just because of a small matter, right?
Li Weijian then asked: "Is the saint making a big deal out of a molehill this time?"

Yan Fengzhen sighed and said: "Don't mention it. If he is just a small official, that's it. The long history of King Zhongshun almost hanged himself this morning."

"Ah? Zhou An also hanged himself?"

Yan Fengzhen said: "Yes, it's a good thing that we went to Shuntian Mansion in time, otherwise it would have been another bad debt." He glanced at Li Weijian and teased: "It's a good time to be resurrected and thank Shuntian Mansion, otherwise there will definitely be trouble when I turn around." The historian wrote a letter to impeach the stock exchange."

Li Weijian spread his hands and said: "What does it have to do with me? The one who makes the decision is the saint, the one who manages it is the Zhongyong King, the one who benefits is the Inner Palace and the Shuntian Palace. I am just the one who made the idea."

"Ha, to put it lightly, no matter whether it's a saint, a loyal king, or a censor, you can't afford to offend him. Only you, a little scholar, will be offended if he offends others."

"Well, that makes sense."

Li Weijian naturally heard about the details of the exchange yesterday during the banquet.Poor Zhou An, it would be fine if he died, but he was rescued by chance. With a debt of 10,000+ taels, he is afraid that life will be worse than death in the future.

"I haven't said anything about my resurrection yet. Why are you looking for my father?"

Li Weijian said: "The same goes for Brother Jing Wen. I heard that my senior brother Zhan Chong was a second-ranked Jinshi in his early years. I wonder if he has some writing notes -"

Before he finished speaking, Yan Fengzhen said in confusion: "You are studying for practical studies, what do you want with that thing?"

"It's not for me. Isn't this one who was born with a jade in his mouth about to give birth to a baby?"

Yan Fengzhen blinked and was overjoyed: "Haha, Fusheng is really a bad guy. I have heard that Baoyu only cares about hanging around in the powder pile and never has the patience to read the Four Books and Five Classics."

Li Weijian said seriously: "Since he is a relative of his own, he must be encouraged to make progress."

This second young master is also a man of fun. He couldn't hold it back at the moment. He got up and took Li Weijian away: "Come on, I will take you to find Zhan Chong. Haha, you have to tell me carefully about Baoyu's face when you look back."

The two of them left Yan's Mansion to find Zhan Chong, the censor of the city, not to mention that the Rongguo Mansion, which had been relatively quiet that day, suddenly became agitated because of the visit of two Shuntian Mansion clerks.

Near noon, Jia's mother was sitting on the couch, when Yuanyang came in and reported: "Old lady, are there two book offices from Shuntian Prefecture outside?"

Jia's mother only knew that Jia She had lost money, but she didn't know that she still owed Shuntian Mansion more than 5000 taels of silver.Because he frowned and said: "This... the eldest master is currently ill, so I'm afraid he won't be able to entertain guests. Where is Lian'er?"

"The second master received the order from the eldest lady and went outside to find medicine for the eldest master."

Jia Mu said: "Then send them away first and let them wait until the master comes back."

Yuanyang heard this and did not move her body. She muttered: "Old lady, I'm afraid it's hard to get rid of her."

"What did you say?"

Yuanyang said: "I'm here to collect my debt from the great master. If I don't give you an accurate answer, I'm afraid I won't be able to send him away."

"what?"

(End of this chapter)