The King of Beijing in the Red Mansion

The King of Beijing in the Red Mansion

Author: The skinny guy who is dying of hunger

Summary:

Described as beautiful and humble, he traveled through time and space to become Shui Rong, the perfect man Beijing Wang, as described by Cao Gong, and began a different life.

Chapter 1: Prince Shui Rong

In the ancient-style room, bead curtains were hung, incense smoke was curling, and the fragrance was refreshing. The walls on all four sides were exquisitely carved, covered with brocade gauze, and shimmering with gold and pearls. Even the bricks on the ground were carved with emerald green. The couch was a step-out bed with a green gauze curtain embroidered with flowers and insects. Beside the couch, there was a copper-carved plum blossom three-nipple incense burner, emitting a faint fragrance. On the couch was a large autumn-scented golden python mattress, and a handsome man was sleeping peacefully on the couch.

A young girl wearing a pearl hairpin and a dark blue dress walked in quietly. She had a double bun on her head, beautiful eyebrows and eyes, a face as white as powder, and lips as white as rouge. Her natural charm was all between her eyebrows.

"Your Majesty, it's time to get up." The young girl stepped forward and said softly.

The man uttered a soft sound, looked at the person in confusion, and said softly: "Yingluo, what's wrong? You disturbed my sweet dream for no reason."

It is really wrong to disturb someone's sweet sleep, but fortunately the man doesn't have the so-called morning grumpy temper, otherwise, he would definitely scold you.

Yingluo replied softly, "My Lord, there are relatives coming to the mansion, and the princess wants you to meet them."

As she spoke, Yingluo waved her hand, and the maids standing not far away, some holding copper basins, some holding handkerchiefs, some holding green salt, and some holding tea, came forward to serve.

Reluctantly, the man took the longan soup brought by the maid, took two sips, and spit it into the exquisite oil-painted enamel spittoon with melon petals and flowers. His energy and spirit were restored a lot, and then he got up from the couch.

Yingluo went forward to help Shui Rong tidy up his clothes. When she reached out to fasten his belt, she felt a cold and wet area on his thigh. She twisted her hand and realized that she was a smart woman and was not young anymore. She had already understood the ways of the world. Moreover, this was not the first time. She blushed, spat lightly, and dared not say much. She lowered her head and helped Shui Rong change his clothes.

Seeing this, the man coughed lightly to hide his embarrassment. When the water is full, it overflows; when the moon waxes, it wanes; it is perfectly normal.

The man was enjoying the maid's service peacefully, his thoughts were in a mess. Who could have thought that an ordinary worker, just because of a nap, his eyes went dark, and when he opened them again, he came to this world of the Red Mansion in a daze, and traveled to the body of Shui Rong from Prince Beijing's Mansion.

The history of the world of Red Mansions is basically the same as what Shui Rong knows. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the people were dissatisfied with the corruption of the government and revolted. The difference was that the revolt was not contained. Emperor Gaozu of Daqian emerged as a rising star, and a single spark could start a prairie fire. The rebels responded one after another, united as a force, and replaced the Ming Dynasty.

At this point, Emperor Gaozu established his capital in Shenjing and lavishly rewarded his meritorious officials. The Four Kings, Eight Dukes, and Twelve Marquises came into being, and it has been nearly a hundred years since then.

Among the four princes, the ancestors of Prince Beijing's Palace were the nephews of Emperor Gaozu of Daqian. They followed Emperor Gaozu in his campaigns and made great military achievements. Therefore, Prince Beijing's Palace is a legitimate royal family member.

While Shui Rong was lost in thought, Ying Luo had already tidied Shui Rong's clothes, smoothed the hem of his robe, and took a step back to look at him. Shui Rong, the Prince of Beijing, was the perfect man described by Cao Gong. He was as gentle as a beautiful jade and could be called a "girl killer". He had beautiful eyebrows and eyes like mountains and flowing water, lips like peach blossoms in March, bright and lively eyes, and was very handsome. He was dressed in a plain white snow robe, like a banished immortal.

"What relatives have come to the mansion?" Shui Rong asked.

Yingluo smiled and turned her eyes slightly, saying teasingly, "It's my cousin's family from Jinling who brought the second girl to visit the princess."

"Cousin aunt from Jinling? And she brought our second daughter with her?" Upon hearing this, Shui Rong knew who the person was. She brought her own daughter with her, so she had no good intentions.

Shui Rong looked at the teasing Ying Luo and raised his eyebrows slightly. The little girl was becoming more and more unruly and dared to laugh at him.

But since Yingluo was a close friend and he knew her inside out, Shui Rong didn't care. He greeted her and walked out of the house. Yingluo led the way, and they went out of the yard, turned east, and passed through an east-west hall, and came to the west wing of the main house. Outside the house, on the corridor, there were a dozen or so well-dressed old women and maids standing in a row, all of them standing with their hands behind their backs, waiting with bated breath. When they saw Shui Rong coming, they all greeted him with greetings.

Shui Rong walked in after drawing aside the curtain. The room was paved with gold bricks, and the brick door was covered with tung oil. The brick floor was hollow. In the middle of the room, a young woman in an apricot-yellow dress embroidered with gold was sitting on a brocade couch.

The plump middle-aged woman in front of him was the current Princess Beijing, Shui Rong's nominal mother.

Why is it nominal? It is because at the beginning of the time travel, the old Prince of Beijing happened to pass away, but he had no children, so he could only adopt one. The Prince of Beijing's Mansion is a royal family, so the adopted person is naturally of royal blood. Shui Rong has a special identity. He is the youngest son of the retired emperor and ranks sixteenth.

As for Shui Rong's adoption, it was the retired emperor who decided it personally, despite all objections.

At this time, the middle-aged woman was smiling and chatting with a young girl.

"My child greets his mother." Shui Rong bowed and greeted.

Seeing Shui Rong, Princess Beijing's eyes softened. She was extremely concerned about her adopted son Shui Rong. If the palace had no heirs to inherit, the title, mansion, etc. would be taken back, and her title of Princess Beijing would also be taken back. Therefore, Shui Rong was the guarantee of the Palace of Beijing. For this reason, Princess Beijing took good care of Shui Rong, treated him like a treasure, and wished she could hold him in her mouth. Shui Rong, who came from the other world, was very cooperative with Princess Beijing's initiative, just like a loving mother and a filial son.

"This must be Brother Rong, I haven't seen him for a few years, he looks even more handsome than before, I wonder which girl is so lucky!!!"

Princess Beijing felt relieved when she heard this, but she said unhappily, "Don't, you don't know that this monkey is very stubborn!!!"

Princess Beijing was right in what she said. Although Shui Rong was very filial to her, he had a stubborn temper and could really kill her.

As she spoke, Princess Beijing called out, "Rong'er, you haven't met your aunt yet."

Faced with his stepmother's complaints, Shui Rong was speechless and turned to look at the woman next to him. He also knew this woman, she was the lady of Jinling Zhen family.

The Zhen family of Jinling, there is no doubt that in the original novel of A Dream of Red Mansions, there is no other Zhen family in Jinling that is qualified to enter the gate of Prince Beijing's Palace.

As for cousins, since the old concubine in the palace was from the Zhen family, she was Shui Rong's grandmother, so the Beijing Prince's Mansion, or the royal family, was related to the Zhen family.

Although Shui Rong had a high status, the other party was considered an elder, so Shui Rong bowed and said, "Cousin aunt."

Seeing Shui Rong's politeness, the lady of the Zhen family showed satisfaction and stood up to return the greeting to show her respect. The young girl sitting next to Princess Beijing raised her head slightly and her beautiful eyes moved around Shui Rong. Shui Rong was handsome and gentle, and the girl's feelings were always poetic, so it was inevitable that ripples appeared in her heart.

"Hua'er, you haven't met your cousin yet." Mrs. Zhen greeted.

Hearing the call from the Zhen family's wife, Zhen Hua came back to her senses, stood up and bowed, lowered her eyes shyly and said, "Hello, cousin."

"Hello, cousin." Shui Rong bowed warmly and then looked at the second daughter of the Zhen family. She had an oval face, large rectangular eyes that looked around, rosy cheeks and red lips, and a very petite figure. She wore a rose-purple satin and water-red brocade jacket with intricate patterns embroidered on it, and a pearl and jade collar on the lapels. She wore a gold-rimmed pipa-collared outer jacket, and a pink lotus silk satin skirt. She looked like a beautiful peach smiling in the spring breeze, very beautiful.

My distant cousin, the ancients were not deceiving me. I remember that in the original novel, it seemed that the second daughter of the Zhen family was the future Princess of Beijing County. Did the daughter-in-law come to the door on her own?

Zhen Hua noticed Shui Rong's gaze, her eyebrows drooped, her cheeks became hot, and her delicate hands, as delicate as peeling onion roots, clenched the embroidered handkerchief in her hands.

Princess Beijing saw that the couple was a perfect match and she couldn't help feeling satisfied.

The wife of the Zhen family saw the two of them "in collusion" and nodded slightly, saying seriously: "Princess, speaking of it, Rong'er is not young anymore, it's time for him to find a marriage to increase his offspring. This is the top priority for the women in our harem..."

Princess Beijing understood what she said. The Zhen family lady came to visit Shui Rong on the day of mourning, and brought her own daughter with her. It was to express her intention of marrying in. Although it was a bit inappropriate, it was nothing. After all, it was only a matter of two days. The Beijing Palace was small, and even if the Zhen family lady didn't say anything today, she would start looking for someone. As for Zhen Hua, she also liked her in her heart. However, although Shui Rong had always been well-behaved and filial, she knew that Shui Rong had his own ideas in mind, so it was not easy to make a decision.

PS: There is no definition of Prince Beijing’s background in the original novel, so setting him as a relative of the royal family is also a possibility. It depends on the readers whether they can accept it.

Chapter 2 Marriage Event

"Rong'er, what do you think of Miss Zhen?" Princess Beijing took a sip of fragrant tea and asked softly.

Princess Beijing did not give a direct answer to Mrs. Zhen. After chatting for a while, Mrs. Zhen tactfully said goodbye and left, as if she was really visiting relatives and friends.

Shui Rong was quite satisfied with what his cheap mother did, so he did not hide anything and said, "My cousin is as pretty as a flower, her manners are good, and she is a person of both talent and beauty."

Zhen Hua is indeed a rare beauty, there is no doubt about that, and Shui Rong has no need to lie.

Princess Beijing nodded when she heard this and said, "He is well-educated, well-mannered, and handsome. I like him too."

Shui Rong understood that Zhen Hua was his favorite. Not only Princess Beijing, but Shui Rong was also attracted to her. How could he not be attracted to such a beauty? Plus the blessing of her distant cousin, she was very tempting, but...

"Mother, I think this is inappropriate."

Princess Beijing frowned upon hearing this. Although Shui Rong was close to her, it was not her decision after all. She could only remind him in a gentle voice, "Madam Zhen had met with the old concubine before coming to the mansion. I guess the old concubine has tacitly agreed to this matter. Everything else is up to you. Don't mess around with this matter."

Shui Rong raised his eyebrows when he heard this. If the old concubine acquiesced, this would be a difficult situation.

Shui Rong liked Zhen Hua, but she was born in the Zhen family, which made Shui Rong unhappy. Shui Rong was not happy with the daughters of not only the Zhen family but also most of the noble families in the capital. The reason was because of the situation in the court.

Although Shui Rong observed mourning in the palace for three years, he was not ignorant of the situation in the court. The emperor retired ascended the throne at a young age and reigned for fifty years. He worked hard to govern the country and made Daqian prosperous, which was quite like a golden age. However, in his later years, he became lazy, extravagant and confused. Shui Rong's "brothers" fought openly and secretly, fathers and sons turned against each other, brothers fought against each other, and they were either deposed or imprisoned. Finally, after Prince Yi Zhong messed up things, the emperor retired was exhausted. In order to avoid another "succession struggle", the emperor retired abdicated to the current Emperor Yongkang and lived in the Daming Palace to spend the rest of his life.

Although the retired emperor lived out his days in the Daming Palace, he only handed over political power to the current emperor, Yongkang Emperor, before abdicating the throne. The military power was still in his hands. All military and national affairs had to be approved by the retired emperor, and those who supported the retired emperor were the old ministers headed by the Four Kings and Eight Dukes. The ancestors of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes were the ones who had fought with Emperor Gaozu to establish the country and had been deeply involved in the court for decades. Half of the forces in the court were headed by them, and from the local to the military, they were basically their disciples and old friends, and their power was huge.

Now, with the sun and the moon hanging in the sky, filth and dirt are rampant in nature, while fathers are loving and sons are filial, and the whole place is thriving.

In Shui Rong's opinion, the action of the retired emperor was reasonable. "The imperial family is the most ruthless." In the face of power, family affection pales. Moreover, the retired emperor had experienced the "succession to succession" incident, which made him fearful. Since ancient times, which retired emperor could enjoy his old age in peace? The retired emperor probably took control of the military power in order to enjoy his old age in peace, otherwise he would not have handed over the power.

A new emperor appoints his own ministers. This is an eternal truth. With Shui Rong's status, as long as he does not commit suicide, he can be rich and noble for the rest of his life. If this is the case, why add to the trouble? Therefore, Shui Rong felt that being an idle prince would not easily lead to disaster.

Among the wealthy and powerful families, marriages are all arranged through alliances. If something goes wrong, they will be punished together. However, most of the nobles are useless teammates, and the house is a mess. How can you get married to such a Yue family?

Especially Shui Rong's special identity, he should be more cautious. The relationship between the nobles in the capital is complicated, and they are related by marriage. To put it nicely, it is for support and cover-up, and they all have care. To put it bluntly, it is to form cliques and factions for personal gain. The current emperor is most wary of it. Although the Zhen family is not a noble family, they have long been inseparable from the nobles. Coupled with the old concubine in the palace, the situation is complicated, so he must be more careful.

Therefore, Shui Rong felt that most daughters of noble families were not suitable for marriage. The Zhen family in Jiangnan was a typical example of a bad teammate, and it was even more unacceptable to marry into an alliance with them. Because of the old concubine dowager, the Zhen family acted arrogantly and domineeringly, and was in a mess inside. When the old concubine dowager was gone, the Zhen family was also raided. Now that he knew the fate of the Zhen family, wouldn't marrying into the Zhen family be asking for trouble?

It's just the truth, but how can I say it directly? I can't say that the Zhen family will be confiscated in the future! ! ! !

Moreover, Shui Rong is only fifteen years old now. At this age, he would have been arranged to marry early in the royal family, and even had children. However, this is a little difficult for Shui Rong to accept now. From a scientific point of view, eating the forbidden fruit too early will cause great harm to the human body. For the long-term, he must restrain himself. Otherwise, as long as he waves his hand, all kinds of delicate flowers will be ready to be picked. He estimates that it would be better to delay it for at least one or two years.

Seeing Shui Rong was speechless, Princess Beijing said in a gentle voice, "Brother Rong, stop making a fuss. Your mourning period is almost over and you are not young anymore. It is time to arrange a marriage. Hua'er is well-educated and sensible, and she looks like she can have children. If she marries into our Beijing Palace in the future, she can also give birth to many children."

Shui Rong frowned when he heard this. Judging from the meaning of Princess Beijing, she was very satisfied with the second daughter of the Zhen family. She had already recognized the intention of Zhen Hua's daughter-in-law. After thinking about it, he said seriously, "Mother, marriage is a big matter. I will naturally not disobey you. But you also know that my mourning period will be over soon. Our priority is the title of Prince Beijing's Mansion. From my point of view, the current emperor will not reduce the title of our family because of our hard work and great contributions. But if we marry into the Zhen family, I am afraid something will go wrong."

Prince Beijing passed away, and Shui Rong, as the crown prince, naturally had to inherit the title. However, he had to observe mourning for three years according to the rules. Now that the mourning period is about to end, the matter of inheriting the title is imminent. According to the ancestral system, the titles of clan members are passed down in a descending manner.

Although Shui Rong was originally of orthodox royal blood, he had already been adopted. Shui Rong was a member of the Beijing Prince's Mansion. This was all recorded in the family tree and was difficult to change. Everything had to be done according to etiquette and law. Unless the emperor bestowed grace, he could only be demoted.

There are ten ranks of royal family titles. When there is no title to inherit at the tenth rank, one becomes an idle royal family member. Not to mention the difference in status between a Duke of Zhenguo and a Prince of a County, the rank of the title is related to the salary standard. A Prince of a County can get an annual salary of 5 taels of silver and 5 hu of rice, while a Duke of Zhenguo can get an annual salary of 2500 taels of silver and 2500 hu of rice, which is half less.

In the original novel, the current emperor did not lower his title because of his ancestors' great merits, so it didn't matter whether this marriage was successful or not. However, Shui Rong would definitely not tell the truth.

Princess Beijing looked at Shui Rong with half belief and half doubt after hearing this. Although she was a woman, she also knew some things about the court. The current emperor was indeed "harsh" towards old ministers, and what Shui Rong said was not unreasonable. If something went wrong, it would be too late to regret.

Seeing Princess Beijing hesitate, Shui Rong added fuel to the fire, "We don't need to rush to answer the Zhen family's affairs. My child's mourning period will be over in two days. When the title is decided, if it is not a demotion, mother will listen to her opinion on my child's marriage. If it is a demotion, everything will be up to mother."

Princess Beijing couldn't help but frowned when she heard this. Since ancient times, no one has ever made their own decision on marriage. She knew Shui Rong had his own thoughts, so she couldn't be stubborn. Maybe it would be fine in two days. Thinking of this, Princess Beijing responded, "Okay, let's do as you say."

Seeing Princess Beijing agreed, Shui Rong was slightly delighted. When it comes to marriage, one should always make the decision by oneself. Besides, the age they mentioned was not appropriate for Shui Rong. In his opinion, his body was not yet an adult, so there was no need to be so anxious. Besides, Shui Rong already had a candidate in mind, but because of mourning, he had not been able to say it out loud. Now it was a coincidence that he encountered the Zhen family's matter.

"I'm willing to accept the loss. Mother, please don't play tricks on me when the time comes." Shui Rong has not changed anything since he traveled through time, so nothing can go wrong. There shouldn't be any problems with the matter of inheriting the title.

Princess Beijing found it quite funny when she heard this. When did she make a bet with Shui Rong? Seeing Shui Rong's confident look, she couldn't help but worry. To ensure that nothing went wrong, Princess Beijing said: "If it is really as my son said, I will accept the loss, but I can't let you do whatever you want. The gate of Prince Beijing's mansion is not open to all cats and dogs."

Shui Rong understood what she said. Princess Beijing could tolerate him to the greatest extent possible, but she would not let Shui Rong do whatever he wanted. For example, if Shui Rong found some "prostitutes" or "actors" for entertainment, it was okay, but they must not be brought into the mansion. There were countless wealthy families who were seduced by vixen and made jokes of themselves. Princess Beijing would not allow this.

"Don't worry, mother. If you don't like her, no matter how good she is, I won't even look at her. But you have to be prepared. I think as long as the girl is good-looking and well-behaved, it doesn't matter if she comes from a small family. If her family background is not so good, mother, please don't despise her."

Princess Beijing was relieved when she heard the first sentence, but the second sentence was intriguing. What did it mean to make her mentally prepared? Could it be that Shui Rong already had someone in mind, and now he said it out loud to test her attitude?

However, Princess Beijing felt that what Shui Rong said was right. For their family, the girl's family background was indeed not that important compared to character and appearance. After all, they were royal relatives. Who else could compare to them?

Princess Beijing couldn't help but be curious about the person who made "her own son" so interested. She took a sip of the fragrant tea on the table and asked unhappily, "Tell me, which girl do you like?"

Shui Rong laughed when he heard that. He pondered for a moment and felt that there was no need to hide it. After this incident, he still wanted to persuade Princess Beijing to propose marriage. If he talked about it later, Princess Beijing might think too much. It would be better to be direct. He was also afraid that something would go wrong, so he said, "I heard from Xiao Fuzi that Qin Ye, the Minister of Food and Beverage of the Ministry of Works, has a daughter who is graceful and delicate, and behaves gently and peacefully. She is a very decent person. I don't know if it's true or not."

The daughter of Qin Ye, the director of the Ministry of Industry, is naturally Qin Keqing. How can one remain indifferent to her when he comes to the world of Red Mansions? Qin Keqing has not yet married into the Jia family. The Qin family has almost no family background and a simple population. They are not the kind of teammates that are used to being pigs. In this case, Shui Rong naturally takes the lead. Not only can he win the beauty, but he can also change the fate of this tragic beauty.

The original novel said that Qin Keqing was a royal family member, but this was not credible. Royal family members had to be registered, so how could they be left alone? As for the claim that she was the daughter of Prince Yi Zhong, this was even more absurd. If Qin Keqing was really the daughter of Prince Yi Zhong, the Jia family and others would not have had time to hide her, so why would they make such a big fuss? Did they think she was not dying fast enough?

Although there was nothing wrong with Qin Keqing's identity, her family background was a hurdle.

As expected, Princess Beijing's face immediately became displeased. For the Beijing Palace, even a "small family" has its own entry requirements. The Ministry of Works' Food Department is a "special department" in the Ministry of Works, responsible for the construction of the imperial palace and the imperial mausoleum. The Food Department Officer is just a low-level official there. For the palace, it is not worth mentioning at all. In the original novel, Qin Keqing was lucky enough to marry into the Jia family, let alone the palace.

But facing Shui Rong, Princess Beijing couldn't get angry, so she said dissatisfiedly: "If that bastard Xiao Fuzi keeps gossiping, I'll have to pull out his tongue."

Chapter 3 Convincing the Widow

Shui Rong coughed lightly. He knew that Princess Beijing was trying to warn him. Don't be fooled by Princess Beijing's kind face. That's because she was facing "her own son". If she said she would pull out Xiao Fuzi's tongue, she wouldn't pull out other parts. How could a mistress who controlled the huge Beijing Palace be kind? Apart from other things, why were Shui Rong and Princess Beijing the only masters of Beijing Palace? It was because since the death of the old Beijing County Prince, all the concubines in the palace had been sent away.

However, Shui Rong had a plan in mind, and said, "Mother, I have been in mourning for three years and have not left the house. How could I know about the Qin family's daughter? Xiao Fuzi mentioned it to me when she told me about interesting things outside, and I was just curious."