The King of Beijing in the Red Mansion

Shui Rong smiled and waved his hands, saying, "Mr. Qin, you are joking. Jing Qing is Ke'er's brother, so he is also my brother. There is nothing to be rude about."

As he spoke, Shui Rong made a gesture, and the thoughtful Ying Luo understood immediately and hurriedly brought a tray. On the tray was a piece of blue silk and six small gold ingots with the words "Top Scholar" in them.

"This is a meeting gift, Jing Qing, please accept it."

Since he loves Qin Zhong, Shui Rong naturally treats him kindly and it is reasonable for him to use the same courtesy name as Qin Zhong.

Qin Zhong looked hesitant, and glanced at Qin Ye. When Qin Ye nodded slightly, Qin Zhong took it over. His face was slightly flushed, and he said in a soft voice, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Shui Rong raised his eyebrows slightly when he saw this. He knew that Qin Zhong was shy and timid by nature, but this timidity revealed a bit of girlish charm. A closer look made people feel quite moved.

Male homosexuality was prevalent among high-ranking officials and it was common for servants to relieve their sexual desire. Considering Qin Zhong's romantic charm, it was likely that Da Lian Bao was homosexual with him.

Not to mention Da Lian Bao, even Shui Rong, who is not interested in men, can't suppress the excitement in his heart and wants to find another way.

Thinking of this, Shui Rong suddenly felt a chill in his heart. Before, when he was with Qi Guan, Shui Rong thought it was a woman disguised as a man, but now he clearly knew that Qin Zhong was a man. How could he still have such a mood?

It must be because Qin Zhongsheng was too romantic, which caused Shui Rong to be unable to tell the difference between male and female, and was in a trance for a moment.

Chapter 39: The True Keqing

In the flower hall, tea and fruits were placed on the tables. Shui Rong and Qin Ye sat separately and chatted.

Shui Rong caught a glimpse of Keqing and Qin Zhong, the brother and sister, standing beside him. Keqing was smiling as sweet as a flower, and her white jade hands were helping Qin Zhong straighten his wrinkled robe. Her charming eyes were filled with a hint of warmth, and she exuded a different charm than before.

How to put it, it was as if the Concubine Beijing treated him.

Seeing the deep affection between the sister and brother, Shui Rong felt a little strange. Keqing was adopted by Qin Ye from Yangshengtang, and she was not Qin Zhong's biological child.

But they are siblings after all, so there would be no violation of etiquette between them. Shui Rong couldn't say much about it. Maybe he was just a little narrow-minded.

Qin Ye seemed to have noticed Shui Rong's abnormality and thought that Shui Rong was still bothered by Qin Zhong's previous impoliteness and did not lose his temper because his daughter was present.

Thinking of this, Qin Ye bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to deal with at home. I have already met Ke'er this time, so I won't bother you anymore."

Hearing that Qin Ye was leaving, Ke Qing felt reluctant to let him go. She looked at Qin Ye with eyes full of smiles and said softly, "Father, lunch is ready. Why don't you eat before leaving? We can't let Jing Qing go with an empty stomach!"

As she spoke, Keqing looked at the shy Qin Zhong with eyes full of pity.

Keqing knew in her heart that Qin Ye could not stay in the palace for long. Her demands were not high. She just wanted to have a meal with her family. If she missed this opportunity, she didn't know when she would have to wait again.

Qin Ye looked hesitant when he heard that. Although he wanted to agree, he vaguely noticed that Shui Rong was acting strange, so he didn't want to stay for long.

Shui Rong saw that Ke Qing was reluctant to leave, so he immediately invited her, "Ke'er is right. Nothing is more important than a family reunion. Old Master Qin, please have your meal first. It won't be too late to leave then."

Shui Rong said without waiting for Qin Ye to respond, "Yingluo, ask the kitchen to prepare some fine meals and send them over."

Yingluo responded and went down to prepare. Qin Ye saw Shui Rong had spoken and he certainly couldn't refuse him. Besides, he also wanted to stay, so he said, "Since the prince is so kind, I will obey your order."

Seeing that Qin Ye agreed, Keqing felt relieved and glanced sideways at Shui Rong. Her eyes were full of water, as if expressing gratitude.

Seeing this, Shui Rong couldn't help laughing in his heart. It was obviously not sincere enough to thank him in this way, but Shui Rong didn't care about it. He would repay him double sooner or later, so there was no need to rush.

Soon, six large boxes of fine food and rare fruits were brought up. Qin Ye was flattered and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, this is too grand. There are only a few of us here, so we can keep it simple."

Shui Rong didn't care, and waved his hand with a slightly generous look, saying: "Master Qin, this is already a simple dish."

Qin Ye looked at the maids who were setting the dishes with a strange look in his eyes. The table was full of dishes, most of which he had never seen before. How could such a rich dish be called simple? The wealth of the palace was really unimaginable.

Shui Rong was not surprised by this. Although the table was full, the dishes were not large in quantity. However, most of them were high-quality ingredients, so it was indeed too luxurious.

But this is the life of the powerful and wealthy, not to mention that the Beijing Prince's Mansion is the most powerful among the powerful. All their food and expenses are extraordinary. What others see as luxury is simplicity for the palace.

Since the concepts were different, Shui Rong simply did not explain further and invited him, "Mr. Qin, please take a seat."

Qin Ye nodded slightly and said, "The guest should follow the host's wishes. This is the way it should be."

Several people sat in different positions, toasting each other and creating a very discordant atmosphere.

Qin Zhong looked at the exquisite meal on the table with sparkling eyes and swallowed his saliva involuntarily. After all, he was still a teenager. Although he came from an official family, it was at best a small family. Seeing such sumptuous dishes, it was inevitable that his appetite would increase.

But Qin Zhong's eyes flickered, and he was hesitating whether to pick up his chopsticks. Seeing this, Keqing smiled. As the saying goes, no one knows a brother better than his sister. She reached out to help Qin Zhong pick up some food. After a while, the pastel porcelain bowl in front of Qin Zhong was already full.

Shui Rong looked at his empty porcelain bowl and felt something strange in his heart. It was not that he liked these few bites, but that there was obviously something wrong with Keqing's attitude. With Keqing's attitude, could she be a "brother-worshiping demon"?

In fact, in feudal society, it was normal for men to be superior to women. Therefore, in families with both sons and daughters, daughters would generally side with their brothers. Regardless of other things, in the original novel, Wang Xifeng treated her brother Wang Ren with all her heart. There were even rumors that she gave him the family fortune of the Duke of Rongguo's Mansion.

Although Keqing was adopted, she was also a member of the Qin family. She only had this one younger brother, so naturally she loved him very much. It was not surprising that she became a "brother-obsessed demon".

However, Shui Rong did not say anything. He was greedy for Keqing and not for anyone else. It would not be a big deal to take care of his brothers.

The meal was quite harmonious. After the meal, Qin Ye took Qin Zhong away. Keqing couldn't try to keep them, so she could only watch her father and brother leave reluctantly. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and her charming eyes were full of autumn water, and her bright pearls were faintly visible.

Seeing this, Shui Rong stepped forward, holding the handkerchief that Keqing had made for him last time, and gently wiped the corners of Keqing's eyes, and comforted her in a gentle voice: "Ke'er, if you can't bear to leave, ask Mr. Qin to come again tomorrow."

Keqing's expression was nothing but reluctance to leave, so Shui Rong gently comforted her.

Seeing her lover's gentle words of comfort and his intimate behavior, Keqing regained her composure for a moment. Her face flushed. After glancing at Shui Rong, she murmured, "I know the prince's good intentions, but my father also has official business to attend to, so there's no need to make this trouble."

If Qin Ye is invited to the palace every other day, people might gossip about him. Even if the prince favors him, he still has to understand the rules.

After saying this, Keqing took the water-soluble handkerchief, turned her back and began to wipe herself.

Shui Rong didn't say anything when he heard this. Although Qin Ye had white hair and beard, he was still an official and handled his official duties normally. But seeing Keqing with her back to him, Shui Rong couldn't help but smile. As the saying goes, "a beautiful face blooms with shyness", Keqing's shyness made her even more charming and attractive, which made people's heart beat fast.

It’s just strange that in the original novel, Keqing’s verdict is that she is famous for being “good at romance”, but after getting to know her, we find that Keqing is not like that, and being shy is her nature. This shows that “Don’t believe everything written in books” is a famous saying.

Regardless of Keqing's personality, Shui Rong likes her very much.

Seeing that the beauty was too shy to face people, Shui Rong reached out and put his hand on Keqing's shoulder. Her body trembled, and soon became soft again. He turned him over. Keqing lowered her eyebrows and eyes, not daring to look at her directly. Her pretty face was as red as blood, like a peach blossom blooming in the wind, bright and lovely.

Shui Rong swallowed softly and said in a gentle voice: "Ke'er, have I been rude today?"

Keqing raised her eyes and glanced at Shui Rong. When she met Shui Rong's fiery gaze, her heart trembled. She lowered her head and replied softly, "Your Highness is humble and polite. I did not do anything impolite."

Given Shui Rong's status and position, it was really too grand for the prince to condescend to entertain Qin Ye. She knew in her heart that the prince loved Qin Ye because of his love for him. This touched her deeply, and it was sweeter than eating honey.

Shui Rong chuckled when he heard this and said, "Why do you think he treats Qin Ye so well? It's just to please the beautiful woman."

Seeing that Keqing was no longer sad, Shui Rong said, "Ke'er, let the servants clean up here, and we will go to the partition to rest."

Keqing raised her eyes to look at Shui Rong, her jade-like cheeks stained with rouge. Why were they, a single man and a single woman, going to the private room?

Shui Rong chuckled upon seeing this, reached out and took Keqing's soft hand, leading her towards the compartment. Keqing did not refuse and went in with him.

Entering the compartment, Shui Rong led Keqing to sit on the Luohan bed. The maid served them tea, fruits and other things and then left.

Shui Rong took a sip of the fragrant tea and said, "Ke'er, how old is Jing Qing?"

Judging from Qin Zhong's appearance, he should be around ten years old, but Shui Rong wasn't sure exactly how old he was. After all, he couldn't determine his age based on his appearance.

Keqing was in a panic. When she heard Shui Rong talking about Qin Zhong, she felt a little disappointed. She had prepared herself and thought that the prince was going to

After taking a deep breath, Keqing replied, "Jingqing is eleven years old this year."

Shui Rong pondered for a moment after hearing this, and then said in a clear voice: "If Mr. Qin is willing, how about letting Jing Qing go to the Imperial College to study next year? What do you think, Ke'er?"

Since the brother and sister have a deep affection for each other, Shui Rong naturally has to please her. One has to be twelve years old to enter the Imperial College, either by passing the official examination or by recommendation. With the power of the Beijing Prince's Mansion, recommendation is not a problem and it is not difficult at all.

Keqing was delighted when she heard this. If she could enter the Imperial College, she would be called a scholar and would not have to take part in the county examination. This was a great thing for ordinary people.

Thinking of this, Keqing thanked him and said, "Then I will thank the prince on behalf of Jingqing."

Shui Rong laughed and said jokingly, "Ke'er's brother is my brother, so there is nothing to thank him for."

Keqing's cheeks turned slightly drunk when she heard this. What brothers? What relationship does Jingqing have with the prince? It's just that he is related to her.

Thinking of this, Keqing lowered her eyebrows and eyes. How could she respond to the prince's words?

Seeing this, Shui Rong reached out and grasped Keqing's smooth chin. When he lifted it gently, he saw a face as beautiful as a peach blossom, like a piece of red clouds, charming and beautiful.

Involuntarily, Shui Rong rubbed it with his index finger and joked, "You're just saying thank you, but Ke'er is being too perfunctory!"

Shui Rong helped Qin Zhong, and Keqing had to pay a price in return. This is called equal exchange.

Keqing felt something strange on her lips and trembled slightly. After hearing Shui Rong's meaningful words, she suddenly understood. Her voice became a little charming as she trembled, "How do you want me to thank you, my Lord? Hmm."

As soon as he finished speaking, a hot breath hit him in the face, and his lips were already being held.

After a while, Shui Rong paused, looked down at Keqing with a slightly surprised expression, his eyes full of confusion.

Taking this opportunity, Keqing took a few breaths. The previous surge made her a little breathless. Seeing that someone was staring at her, her cheeks felt hot as fire. She quickly turned her head away, not daring to look directly at him.

Seeing Shui Rong staring at her without making any movement, Ke Qing asked in a whisper, "My Lord, what's wrong?"

The voice was soft and charming, with a hint of laziness, which made one's heart surge and feel as if the sun was shining brightly in the sky.

Shui Rong had a complicated expression on his face as he stirred the spoon with his bare hands. Ke Qing actually asked him what was wrong. Wasn't this asking a question she already knew the answer for?

During this period of contact, I found Keqing to be gentle, timid and shy. I originally thought that Keqing's personality was not as good as described in the book, but I didn't expect that she was really as described. It is true that "there is beauty in the book".

Just when Keqing was feeling uneasy, her body suddenly shook, her beautiful neck slightly raised, a sweet hum came from her nostrils, and her slender jade fingers started to stir the soup.

After an unknown amount of time, Yingluo came in holding a basin of clear water. She looked at Shuirong, who had an open-minded expression, and her heart was full of resentment. She said that the prince was in high spirits, but he said he was tired, but he didn't mean it. What was going on now?

Shui Rong was unaware of his presence, his mind still immersed in the work. He still remembered that when Keqing was helping him to make the web, Shui Rong praised her for her dexterity. Now it seemed that she was really a miracle worker.

Yingluo only said a few words of resentment in her heart, and looking at Keqing's blushing face, she hurried forward and said, "Miss Qin, wash your hands first."

Keqing lowered her head and eyes, and after hearing what Yingluo said, she responded in a low voice: "Sorry to bother you, Sister Yingluo."

Yingluo didn't notice him, she brought the basin of water and said with a smile, "Miss Qin, you are too polite, just call me by my name."

Yingluo had a clear understanding of status and position. She was just a maid and could not compare to Keqing.

Keqing nodded and dropped her hand into the basin. A shallow layer of water stains floated on the surface of the water. Keqing lowered her head and remained silent for a long time.

Chapter 40: The Heavenly Palace Falls to Earth

Time flies, and February has passed in the blink of an eye.

Shui Rong drove to the gate of a courtyard. The courtyard had white walls, mandarin duck tiles, red doors and animal ornaments, which was quite elegant.

In front of the courtyard gate, a beautiful figure was looking forward to it. When she saw the carriage approaching, her heart was filled with joy and she hurried forward to greet it.

Shui Rong got off the carriage and looked at the beautiful figure in front of him. She was wearing a translucent princess-colored smoke-gray gauze dress, which showed off her exquisite and seductive figure. The blue striped bodice outlined her grandeur. Her jade-like face was lightly made up, her eyebrows were as curved as willows, and there was a touch of vermilion on her forehead, which made her look charming and attractive.

"Miss Du, long time no see." Shui Rong greeted her kindly.

Hearing this, Du Yuejiao's dark eyebrows slightly raised, her red lips slightly parted, and she said with a somewhat resentful tone: "It's been a long time since we last met. Young Master is really a thorough manager. I have been very busy these days."

Shui Rong looked slightly embarrassed. After redeeming her, he had handed over all matters concerning the guild hall to Du Yuejiao, and Shui Rong had not participated in the process. He came today because the guild hall had been decorated, so he came to take a look and also to conduct an inspection.

But Du Yuejiao's angry tone really made people feel uneasy. People who didn't know her feelings might think Shui Rong was an unfaithful man!