Red Mansion, Ningfu Scholarly Family

Chapter 87 How can a real man be under someone else’s control for long?

Chapter 87 How can a real man be under someone else’s control for long?
……

"What? You want to live in Jia's mansion?"

Wang Ziteng's expression changed.

Could it be that my sister was pressed too tight today?
Wang Zisheng was also anxious, and hurriedly asked: "What should we do? If the third sister goes to the Jia Mansion, the money issue might be exposed. How can our family afford to pay her back?"

Even if there is,
How could the Wang family’s money be given to the Xue family?
Upon hearing this, Wang Ziteng was so angry that his mouth twisted. He raised his hand and slapped Wang Zisheng hard.

"Snapped!"

"Ouch!"

"Brother, you hit me again?!"

Wang Zisheng covered his face and glared at Wang Ziteng!
Can an older brother slap his younger brother at will?
"Fool!"

"It's all your fault!"

Wang Ziteng's eyes were filled with anger. He felt that one slap was not enough to satisfy his anger, so he slapped him again with his backhand.

"How come the Wang family produced two prodigal sons like you!"

In just half a month, they squandered 100,000 taels of silver from the Xue family, which was the life-saving money for their sister's son. The word "prodigal" is not enough to describe this uncle and nephew.

What a beast!
How can the Wang family afford to pay back the Xue family now?

Because of this incident, Wang Ziteng had to help his family conceal the truth and deceived his sister against his conscience.

But, the truth will eventually come out!

What if something happens someday...

Who knows who Wang Zisheng and Wang Ren are?
Everyone would think that Wang Ziteng, the governor of the Beijing camp, was cheating on his sister!
Wang Zisheng was slapped twice in a row, and immediately became a jerk. He gritted his teeth and said, "I will go and kowtow to Third Sister to apologize. My sister-in-law also knows about this matter, and she has taken a lot of it. At worst, our Wang family will be known as a relative who cheated us, and we will lose face together!"

After saying that, he walked out with an attitude of a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water and broken jars.

Wang Ziteng was shocked and angry!
He finally understood why Jia Jing beat his son so hard that he was bedridden all day long. This idiot who was unable to do anything good but always caused trouble and brought trouble to the family deserved to be beaten to death.

"You, come back first."

Wang Ziteng's voice seemed to have softened a lot.

Wang Zisheng was actually too embarrassed to see the mother and daughter of the Xue family. Upon hearing this, he immediately ran back and said with a smile, "Brother, can you think of another way to hold my sister back? As long as she is raised in our house, the mother and daughter will not know about that. When my sister remarries with Baochai, there will be nothing to do with the Xue family..."

Before he could finish his words, a slap as big as a palm fan came at him.

"Snapped!"

"Ouch!"

Wang Ziteng really didn't hold back this time. He slapped the man so hard that he sent him flying!

"Someone, come and watch over him!"

"He is not allowed to leave this study without my permission!"

After saying that, he strode out of the door without looking back.

"Yes!"

Two personal soldiers came immediately and stood guard at the door.

"Brother, I was wrong."

Wang Zisheng didn't care about the pain on his face and tried to run out by crawling. The two guards at the door immediately stopped him on the left and right, with serious faces and no words.

"Brother! I'm your brother!"

"You can't do this to me! I want to go back to Jinling!"

"Wang Ren, you beast, you sneaked back to Nanjing by yourself, why didn't you take me with you?"

……

On the other side, after the prince had some time off, he went to the place where the Xue mother and daughter were staying.

I saw Aunt Xue and her daughter had already started packing their things, and they really looked like they couldn't wait to leave.

"Third sister, everything is fine, what are you doing?" Wang Ziteng hurriedly stepped forward to stop her and asked.

Aunt Xue forced a smile and said, "I have disturbed my brother for many days. Today, I will go over there and bother my sister while she is back home."

Baochai also smiled and said, "Uncle, we will come to bother you again in a few days."

Wang Ziteng said seriously: "Don't worry, there is something I need to explain to you in detail."

Aunt Xue saw Wang Ziteng's serious expression and asked hurriedly, "Brother, what's the matter?"

Wang Ziteng said, "Pan'er's matter may have a turn for the better. Let's talk about it in detail."

Aunt Xue, Baochai had no choice but to follow her inside.

After entering the house, Wang Ziteng asked the two to sit down, ordered the servants to serve tea, and then dismissed the people. Then he said earnestly: "Sister, you must know that everything I do is for our Wang family. Baochai is also half a daughter of the Wang family. No, Baochai is now a daughter of our Wang family..."

Although Aunt Xue didn't want to hear this, she still listened patiently and quietly, then asked, "Brother, you said there is still hope for Pan'er's matter? I wonder what it is?"

Although Baochai lowered her head, she was listening attentively.

Wang Ziteng said solemnly: "Pan'er's autumn trial is still more than half a month away. I plan to find an opportunity in a few days to enter the palace, meet the emperor, and plead for mercy!"

“Maybe there is a glimmer of hope!”

"real!"

Aunt Xue stood up excitedly!

Wang Ziteng looked at Baochai, and seeing that she still had a calm expression, he couldn't help but look up to her again.

This girl has a very powerful character!
"Mom, you are weak, so you can't be too happy or sad now." Baochai stood up and helped Aunt Xue sit down, smiling, "Let's just listen to what uncle has to say."

Wang Ziteng nodded and said with a smile: "You two should stay at home for the next few days and wait for my news."

"I have some official duties to attend to today, so I'll go to the front first. If there's anything you need in the mansion, just tell me."

Aunt Xue: "..."

Xue Baochai: “…”

……

East study.

Wang Ziteng called his most trusted adviser, Wenfang.

He didn't lie to his sister or Baochai just now.

Today he has something very important to do, which concerns the life and death of the Wang and Xue families.

The two of them had some tea first.

half an hour.

Wang Ziteng suddenly spoke.

"Wenfang, how many years have you been with me?"

Wenfang was stunned.

"My Lord, it has been five years. At that time, you were just promoted to the governor of the Beijing camp."

Wang Ziteng smiled.

"It's been a long time..."

"Tell me, can I go further?"

The Jiedushi of the Beijing Camp would go a step further and enter the court to assist in important military affairs.

Wenfang said: "My Lord, I'm sure you can..."

"I want to hear the truth!" Wang Ziteng interrupted.

Wen Fang usually tried to figure out Wang Ziteng's intentions. Seeing him suddenly act like this today, although she was a little surprised, she was not surprised at all. She smiled and said, "With the Minister of War, Lord Jia, here, Lord, if you want to take another step... Difficult! Difficult! Difficult!"

Three difficult words in a row,
It can be seen that the road to Shu is really difficult, harder than climbing to the sky.

"hehe."

Wang Ziteng took a sip of tea and said with a wry smile: "The master has also noticed it."

Jia Jing has been suppressing him for a long time!

Without Jia Jing, he should have been promoted long ago with his ability.

Wenfang thought for a moment and continued, "If Lord Jia is promoted to the cabinet this year, he will definitely continue to suppress you in order to avoid suspicion."

Wang Ziteng deeply agreed with this.

He wants to go further, unless...

Jia Jing, step back!

or……

Wenfang had already understood most of what Wang Ziteng meant by this time, so she took a sip of tea and said with a smile, "How can a man be under someone else's command for long?"

Wang Ziteng frowned.

"What do you mean, sir?"

Wenfang smiled and said, "The Emperor has just ascended the throne and is in need of people. Why don't you give it a try and win a bright future?"

"I heard that Elder Wu Nan has already joined the Emperor."

"Oh?" Wang Ziteng's eyes lit up: "Sir, who told you this? Is there any confirmation?"

Wenfang shook her head and smiled, "It was just a drink with friends, and I heard a rumor occasionally. It's hard to say whether it's true or not."

"But there is one thing, the emperor is old after all. Although the sunset is beautiful, it is almost dusk!" "If you are interested, you should make plans early. Giving timely assistance is better than adding icing on the cake."

Wang Ziteng was still a little hesitant: "Changing the alliance hastily..."

Wenfang smiled and said, "Sir, there is a saying that goes 'A wise bird chooses the right tree to inhabit!'"

……

Rongguo Mansion.

In the evening, Jia Rong brought Xue Ke back to the mansion and happened to meet Jia Qiang.

"Brother Rong."

Jia Qiang hurried forward and saluted.

Jia Rong saw that he looked embarrassed and walked unsteadily, so he asked with a smile, "What's wrong with you?"

Jia Qiang said bitterly, "I played for a while on the way home from school, but I happened to meet my master coming home from the government office. He stopped me and asked me about my homework, and then... I got two strokes on my buttocks.

Jia Rong laughed and said, "Aren't there several old scholars teaching in the clan school? How come you still can't learn it?"

Although he had never been to the clan school, he knew that Jia Jing attached great importance to the education of the disciples of the two mansions. In addition to Jia Dairu, he also hired three other learned old scholars to teach the children of relatives of the two mansions to read and enlighten them in the clan school.

Jia Qiang sighed and said, "I did learn some, but Grandpa didn't ask me what I learned. Grandpa asked me which ones I didn't know."

This unlucky kid.

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Do you want to go back to study or have a drink first?"

Jia Qiang thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Anyway, I've been beaten once today, and the master won't beat me again, so I'll just have a drink with my brother first."

"Okay." Jia Rong looked at Xue Ke and said with a smile, "It's a good opportunity for you two to get to know each other. You are both brothers."

"My younger brother Xue Ke, nice to meet you, Brother Qiang."

"Hello, Brother Xue."

So the three of them set up a table with dishes, two jugs of wine, and had a few drinks.

Xue Ke had traveled a lot and had seen a lot. While drinking, he told some interesting stories about the martial arts world, which deeply attracted Jia Rong and Jia Qiang.

"Years ago, a group of merchants came from Persia, and they were accompanied by several guards. They were really powerful. It was said that they were from some religion. My father often traveled around the country, and he had several powerful people under him. But they were beaten to the point of breaking their hands and feet, and they almost suffered a great loss."

"So what happened later?" Jia Qiang asked nervously.

Xue Ke smiled and said, "Thanks to my father's carefulness, one of his veterans had been hiding in the dark and suddenly attacked and injured two of them. We were able to escape. Later, we asked the government to bring soldiers to block them. Those Persian merchants had already fled."

Jia Rong frowned and said, "Aren't these merchants here to do business? Why are they fighting with your family?"

Xue Ke said: "Some are businessmen doing business honestly, and some are just trying to take advantage of the situation. They all have blond hair and blue eyes, and it's hard to tell who's the good and who's the bad."

"Golden hair and blue eyes?" Jia Qiang was surprised: "What about the women over there? Are they the same?"

Jia Rong couldn't help but pat Jia Qiang on the shoulder and said with a smile: "No wonder you are not good at studying. We were talking about business, but you were thinking about the blonde and blue-eyed woman. It's obvious that your mind is not on studying."

"hey-hey."

Jia Qiang touched his head and just smiled.

Jia Rong said to Xue Ke, "Please continue to tell me what happened to the blonde woman?"

Xue Ke laughed and whispered, "It's true that she doesn't look very nice at first glance, but after a while I think she's okay. Her skin is as white as snow, her hair is as silky as silk, and she's tall and big."

Jia Rong took a sip of wine and smiled.

Xue Ke looks serious, and he is actually a serious guy.

"Tall and big?" Jia Qiang chuckled, "I know tall means big, but what does big mean? Where is it big?"

“It’s huge here!”

"How big is it?"

“It’s this big!”

Xue Ke gestured.

"what?!"

Jia Qiang shook his head repeatedly to show that he didn't like it.

Being tall and big actually does not conform to Daxia's aesthetic standards.

The women of Daxia all consider petite and delicate to be beautiful.

Jia Rong felt a little hot, probably because of the wine, so he waved his fan and said, "Brother Xue, how do you know so much? Is there a blonde with blue eyes around you?"

"This one……"

Xue Ke's face suddenly turned red, and he said awkwardly: "Brother, what are you talking about? How can I, a handsome man from Da Xia, keep blonde hair and blue eyes around me..."

Jia Rong interrupted, "Then how do you know so much?"

Xue Ke laughed and said, "Brother, you don't know that women in Daxia are reserved and all wear cloth. Western blond and blue-eyed women don't have that. Summer clothes are thinner, so when they walk... especially when they run, they sway back and forth."

Jia Rong: “…”

"Not only that!"

Maybe because he drank a little, Xue Ke became more and more excited as he spoke: "That blonde girl was very open-minded. She hugged and kissed me as soon as we met. I was stunned at the time and felt that I was taken advantage of."

Jia Qiang suddenly felt his nose getting hot. He reached out to wipe it, looked carefully, and was shocked.

"I'm bleeding!"

Xue Ke: “…”

Jia Rong waved his hand.

"Go and wash up quickly."

What a loser!
"Brother Xue, please continue to explain in detail."

Xue Ke smiled and said, "That's all I know. I don't know many blondes with blue eyes. Bao Qin knows more, and there are a few foreign friends."

"Oh……"

"Then let's get down to business. In addition to doing business with Persia, which other Westerners does your family do business with?"

"The Dutch and the French."

"What kind of business are you doing?"

"Mostly tea, silk and other things."

"It's a huge profit!" said Jia Rong.

Xue Ke shook his head and said, "It's not that profitable. The imperial court has banned sea voyages to prevent Japanese pirates. The sea route is blocked and the land route to the West is too far. It's also very unsafe along the way, so we rarely have caravans going to the West. Most of the time, the West comes to us to collect the goods. The price is kept low, so there's not that much violence."

Jia Rong nodded.

"So that's it."

The Japanese pirates are indeed a bit annoying!
It's blocking the future financial path of the young cabinet minister.

At this time, Jia Qiang came back and said with a smile, "I'm fine now. Let's get back to business."

"..."

They talked for a while, drank some wine, and discussed some serious matters. It was almost the end of the hour of Xu, so the three of them dispersed.

When Jia Rong returned to his own courtyard, the two maids had already washed and dressed and were sitting on the bed talking.

"My Lord is back."

The two of them came out of the house.

Jia Rong was a little tipsy. He held Xiaoxiao's waist with one hand and Qingwen's slender shoulders with the other. He smelled the faint fragrance of the girl and unconsciously became a little distracted.

hateful,

It was all because of what Xue Ke said about blonde hair and blue eyes that ruined Jia Rong's gentlemanly heart.

"I'm sweaty. I need to take a shower first."

Jia Rong grabbed Xiao Xiao and spoke seriously.

Xiao Xiao hurriedly broke free, took two steps back, and said with a smile, "I just happen to have something to do today, Qingwen will serve me."

"What's the matter with you?"

"I want to practice swordplay."

Jia Rong's eyes lit up: "Will I play with you later?"

Xiao Xiao smiled and said, "No, I'm not feeling well and I'm afraid I can't handle it."

Jia Rong: “…”

At this time, Qingwen came.

"Master, the water is ready."