The King of Beijing in the Red Mansion

My husband is really something, why is he "biting" me again?

Shui Rong didn't think Meng Lang was frivolous. After all, the woman in front of him was his legally married wife, and it was normal for husband and wife to be intimate with each other.

After tasting the sweetness of the orange petals, Shui Rong suddenly said, "Yuanchun, you used to live in the palace, what do you think of our emperor's sister-in-law?"

Yuanchun was stunned when she heard this, not understanding why her husband mentioned the Empress. She groaned for a moment and said softly, "The Emperor's sister-in-law has always been virtuous and kind. Everyone in the palace praises her as a virtuous Empress."

Shui Rong looked at Yuanchun's twinkling eyes and couldn't help but smile. He stretched out his hand to pull the beauty into his arms, looking down at Yuanchun, whose jade-like face was lightly smeared with rouge. He rubbed his index finger on her moist lips and put his other hand on her chest, jokingly saying, "My lady, you are not saying what you mean."

"Virtuous Queen", this title shows how highly she is evaluated. However, who can tell the virtuous from the not? Although Shui Rong was once the heir to the throne and lived in the palace for several years, he was adopted when Emperor Yongkang ascended the throne, and then stayed in the prince's palace to observe mourning for three years. Therefore, he did not know much about the secrets of the current palace.

On the other hand, Yuanchun has served in the palace for many years and should know more than Shui Rong.

When Shui Rong met Queen Zhou today, he saw that she had a kind attitude and even invited Yuanchun to visit the palace more often on the pretext of being sisters-in-law. This made him alert. He asked Yuanchun about Queen Zhou, which was a reminder for Yuanchun to be on guard and not to have any other thoughts.

Yuanchun was attacked in two vital places, her cheeks turned pink, her white neck flushed, and she said angrily, "How could I do that?"

Shui Rong didn't take it seriously, he put his hand inside, feeling the tenderness of her toes, and said with a smile: "Husband and wife are one, there is no need to hide anything between you and me, just say it directly, can I blame you for this?"

Since they are husband and wife, Shui Rong doesn't want Yuanchun to have any reservations in front of him. Besides, he has seen everything, so why should he hide anything?

Yuanchun's face was full of spring, and her starry eyes narrowed a little. She saw Baoqin and others kneeling beside her with red faces. She ignored Shuirong's question and quickly pressed down her index finger, saying angrily: "Husband, Baoqin and the others are here, stop making trouble."

The carriage was spacious enough to accommodate several maids, so maids such as Baoqin also served in the carriage.

Shui Rong raised his eyes and looked at the people holding the zither with their brows lowered. He did not seem embarrassed at all. Instead, he was interested in what Yuanchun said. This would not work if there were people around, but if there was no one around, wouldn't she be able to do what she wanted? So Yuanchun was still happy in her heart.

However, Shui Rong was a little disappointed with Yuanchun's performance. After all, she was too conservative. If it were Keqing in this situation, she would probably stir the soup with her bare hands. She would not be as passive as Yuanchun now. It seems that she needs to be educated more.

"They are not outsiders, so it's okay." As he said that, Shui Rong peeled off his clothes, clenched his hands, leaned over and took a bite.

The hearts of the people holding the harp trembled when they heard it. The prince said that they were not outsiders. Could it be that...

Yuanchun hummed softly, and her crystal hairpin began to sway gently. Although she felt shy, she couldn't help but feel happy about her husband's obsession. Besides, her husband was right, Baoqin and the others were all personal servants, and they were indeed not outsiders.

"Madam, just respect the matters concerning the Emperor's sister-in-law. As for other matters, you don't need to pay too much attention to them, and don't promise anything to the Empress."

Although Shui Rong was immersed in the soft fragrance, he did not forget his business and gave instructions while speaking.

Yuanchun's neck rolled slightly, and she recalled Shui Rong's seriousness when he met Empress Zhou before, and the words of advice he gave her. Suddenly, she understood, and said in a sweet voice, "My husband, do you think this is not a coincidence to meet the Empress's sister-in-law?"

Facing Shui Rong's obsession, Yuanchun not only opened her heart, but also her heart opened and closed slightly.

After hearing this, Shui Rong knew that Yuanchun understood what he meant. The fact that the emperor was presiding over the wedding demonstrated the superior status of the Prince of Beijing's Mansion, and also showed the attitude of Emperor Yongkang. As a result, Shui Rong now seemed to be the emperor's "favored brother" in the eyes of others.

Moreover, Shui Rong is the heir to the title of Prince Beijing's Mansion, and his military power cannot be underestimated. Now that the position of Crown Prince is vacant, he naturally becomes the target of his cousins. This is something that happened by chance in the palace, so it is better to be on guard than to turn a blind eye.

It’s not that Queen Zhou necessarily had the intention of winning over Xu Zhen. As Xu Zhen said, they became close because of their relationship as sisters-in-law.

But as the saying goes, one must always be on guard against others. If Queen Zhou did not invite Yuanchun to the palace, Shui Rong would not have thought too much about it. He guessed that Queen Zhou felt Shui Rong's attitude was cold and wanted to go the lady route.

Seeing that Yuanchun understood, Shui Rong smiled and said, "My wife can understand your husband's meaning. It is true that husband and wife are one. I am very pleased."

Yuanchun spat softly when she heard this. Shui Rong had already pointed it out so clearly, how could she not understand? She was still happy. If she was happy, she should not humiliate herself.

However, when Yuan Chunfang heard Shui Rong say that husband and wife are one, she felt a warm current flowing through her heart.

Shui Rong seemed to have sensed something, so he reached in to check, and it felt slightly cool. He suddenly realized something, and then he looked at Yuanchun, who was hiding her head in shame, and whispered softly, "My wife, your husband is here to serve you."

Yuanchun was already feeling shy, and when she heard that her husband wanted to serve her, her heart trembled slightly, and she hurriedly said, "No, husband, we are in the carriage!"

At this time, the carriage had already left the palace, and the cries of peddlers could be heard. In this situation, how could such nonsense be allowed?

My husband is really something. How can he not mind the dirt? Even if I want to serve you, at least I have to go back home!

Shui Rong looked into Yuanchun's sparkling eyes when he heard that. Women always say one thing and mean another. When they say no, they actually mean yes.

Moreover, the situation was just right at the moment, it didn't matter whether it was a carriage or not, so Shui Rong turned a deaf ear and opened Yuan Chun's belt with his sharp fingers, then leaned down and pushed aside the clouds and mist to see the dawn.

Yuanchun groaned, her delicate body leaning against the wall of the carriage, her bare hands clutching the gorgeous brocade. The noisy sounds of peddlers came to her ears, making her feel shy and inexplicably fluttering in her heart. She could only bite her red lips tightly and not make a sound!

Chapter 97 Qingwen: What is Your Majesty laughing at?

In the Beijing Prince’s Palace, inside the martial arts arena.

On the high platform, Shui Rong, dressed in dark black, sat calmly on a yellow wood chair in the middle. Beside him was a table with fruits and snacks on it.

Although there were vacancies in the palace guards, there was not a single guard missing. At this moment, there were 44 guards in the palace, and they were performing martial arts exercises under Shui Rong's arrangement.

Shui Rong was cracking melon seeds and watching with great interest. Some of the people missed the target, and some couldn't even pull the bow. It was really funny.

The guards were in disarray, and most of them had been withdrawn. Among the remaining people were family guards from Prince Beijing's Palace. Most of them were people with a good background, and some were sons of the palace's family who came here to earn a salary. They had no idea how to do archery or horse riding, so their levels were uneven, and it was not surprising to see such performance.

Standing next to Shui Rong was the Chief Clerk of the Palace, Li Changshi. As the Chief Clerk of the Palace, he was in charge of the government orders in the palace and led his subordinates to handle the affairs of the palace. Currently, the palace's guards were loose, and it was probably because of him that he was in charge.

Li Changshi looked at some of the palace guards who were behaving awkwardly, and felt panic in his heart. After hesitating for a moment, he stepped forward and said carefully: "I failed to discipline the guards, please punish me, Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Shui Rong looked at Li Changshi in silence. As for this Li Changshi, he was the aide of the old Prince of Beijing and had a long seniority in the palace, so he was quite prestigious.

When Shui Rong was adopted, he was unfamiliar with everything, so he focused on mourning and ignored many things. However, he was not completely ignorant of everything. Li Changshi had some problems, but these were minor matters. He managed the palace in a very orderly manner.

After a pause, Shui Rong said, "Li Changshi, I have my own plans for the palace guards. You don't have to worry about it anymore."

Shui Rong did not intend to pursue the matter of the guards' laxity. Firstly, the master of the palace did not care much about the guards, which might make people feel negligent. Secondly, the guards were mostly servants who knew the ways of the world, so it was not good to vent anger on them.

However, even if they don't want to pursue the matter, the matter of rectification still needs to be put on the agenda. Shui Rong had earlier appointed Feng Ziying and others as the commanders of the guards, so the matter of rectifying the guards will be handed over to these young and energetic people. As for Li Changshi, he should not interfere.

Li Changshi felt relieved when he heard this. As long as the prince did not blame him, other things would not be a problem, so he responded, "I obey your command."

At this time, the maid came up with fragrant tea in her hands, and Fu Li said: "Your Majesty, this is the newly brewed Phoenix Marrow Tea."

Shui Rong was feeling a little thirsty after eating melon seeds, so he threw the seeds on the table, took the teacup, looked up at the maid, and found that it was Qingwen, the maid sent by Yuanchun to serve tea and water.

Qingwen was seen wearing scarlet with light beige and moon-white. There was a lively look of joy between her brows, and she looked like a pretty maid.

After taking a sip, Shui Rong looked at the guards performing martial arts and asked casually, "Where's Xiang Ling?"

Yingluo was temporarily loaned to Yuanchun so that Yuanchun could get familiar with the palace as quickly as possible, and Xiangling became the first maid beside Shui Rong. Logically speaking, Xiangling should be the first to serve tea and water.

When Qingwen heard this, her eyebrows slightly raised and her thin lips pursed. The prince started by asking Xiangling if she was dissatisfied with her service.

Thinking of this, Qingwen looked a little unhappy, and ignored Shui Rong's questioning. She couldn't help but ask, "My lord, what did I do wrong?"

Shui Rong raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this, and turned his eyes to look at Qingwen who was standing beside him. Seeing a hint of dissatisfaction between her eyebrows, he suddenly realized that she felt that she was no worse than Xiangling and was feeling unfair!

It was just Shui Rong's casual question, nothing else. Moreover, compared with Qingwen, Xiangling was an "older person", so how could Qingwen be qualified to compare?

"Although of low status, one's heart is higher than the sky." This is indeed true.

Seeing Shui Rong looking at her, Qingwen suddenly felt uneasy. She clenched the embroidered handkerchief in her hand and regretted her previous rash words.

Shui Rong did not care about Qingwen's attitude, but he started to think about it. He remembered that in the original novel, Qingwen had a bad temper. She was arrogant, lazy, irritable, and harsh in her words, all of which were her problems.

But then again, Qingwen is said to be spoiled and lazy, but this maid does her job of serving neatly. Isn't the scene "Yong Qingwen mending the golden pheasant fur coat while sick" a clear proof of this?

It is said that he is impatient and gets angry easily, and gets angry easily when encountering things, which is mainly because he is caught by Qingwen in a wrong way. In other words, he is a person who cannot tolerate any injustice, and his impatient and irritable nature is still ambiguous.

As for those who are harsh and articulate, they even dare to rebuke their masters. However, since they are right, it is hard to say anything. But it is a fact that they have no sense of respect.

If you think about it carefully, Qingwen in the original novel represents the word "real". She is not pretentious, has no scheming, is not servile, and is not good at flattering others. This kind of temperament would not be tolerated by society, not to mention in the feudal era with strict class distinctions, even in Shui Rong's previous life, and would easily arouse jealousy. Perhaps this is the so-called "being charming and clever will lead to resentment."

Of course, it is understandable to say that Qingwen is spoiled and has low emotional intelligence. After all, this is true. But from Shui Rong's perspective, Qingwen is charming and clever, and she speaks her mind frankly, which is quite good. Isn't that exactly the Qingwen presented by Cao Gong?

Now that Qingwen has come to the palace, her temperament will naturally be easy to change as she has not been pampered by Baoyu. Take the current situation as an example, Qingwen has already exceeded the duties of a maid. If she is taken seriously, she will inevitably be scolded. If she is scolded, she will remember it and will be more cautious in the future.

But after her changed temperament, Qingwen was only left with the so-called "charming and clever". In that case, she was no longer the attractive and "brave" Qingwen, and was lost among the crowd.

There are many obedient maids, but brave little girls are rare.

After a pause, Shui Rong said, amid Qingwen's anxiety, "You did a good job. There is nothing wrong with it."

There is indeed nothing wrong with the job of serving tea and water.

Qingwen felt relieved when she heard this. She thought she had said something wrong and would be punished. Fortunately, the prince was not a person who cared about trivial matters.

After taking a breath, Qingwen replied: "Your Majesty, Sister Xiangling is cleaning up the house now, so I will come here to serve you."

Shui Rong nodded slightly. Xiangling was busy with work, so Qingwen was the one who came forward to serve her.

After a pause, Shui Rong looked at Qingwen with a slightly teasing look in his eyes and asked, "Qingwen, you have also met Xiangling. What do you think of Xiangling?"

It is said that Qingwen has a genuine personality, but he wants to see if Qingwen is as low in emotional intelligence as in the original novel.

Qingwen was slightly surprised when she heard this. She didn't understand what the prince meant. But after a little thought, she felt that since the prince asked, she shouldn't hide anything, so she replied: "Your Highness, Sister Xiangling is pretty, gentle and quiet. The master's daughters can't compare to her. But she is a little soft-tempered and easily bullied. She looks a little naive."

Shui Rong chuckled lightly. Qingwen's evaluation of Xiangling was more accurate. She just said that Xiangling was stupid. She really dared to say that. Even Yingluo, a little prodigal, could only criticize a few words in her heart. How could she say it bluntly in front of others? Qingwen's words are harsh. If Xiangling is a careless person, Qingwen will not be able to do well. She really has no emotional intelligence.

Seeing that the prince did not blame her but just smiled and said nothing, Qingwen could not help but frown and asked, "Prince, did I say something wrong?"

Shui Rong recalled Xiang Ling's innocent appearance when he heard this, and said with a smile: "You are right, Xiang Ling is a gentle and quiet girl, even if she is bullied she will just endure it, but now that she is around me, no one will bully her."

Qingwen felt quite moved when she saw Shui Rong defending Xiangling in his words.

Shui Rong didn't notice him, but continued to ask: "Then what kind of person do you think I am? Tell me the truth, I won't blame you."

Shui Rong was quite impressed by Qingwen's honest answer to the question about Xiangling, but how should Qingwen answer when facing the prince?

Qingwen paused when she heard this, and after a moment's contemplation, she said with a slightly tipsy face, "The prince is handsome, and has a gentle and kind personality. No other master can compare to him."

When it comes to evaluating the prince, Qingwen is straightforward but not stupid, so she naturally only says nice things about him. Besides, she is not wrong. Shui Rong has a beautiful face, and no one she has ever met can compare to her, not even Master Bao. In addition, he has a gentle and kind personality. From Xiangling, she knows that the prince is not a master who is harsh on his servants.

But Qingwen had some things she hadn't said yet. The prince was good in every way except that he had some habits that were difficult to talk about. He liked to show off his eloquence, but he wasn't annoying either.

Thinking of this, a light layer of rouge appeared on Qingwen's delicate face, and her eyes, as bright as peach petals, moved around Shuirong.

Shui Rong naturally had no idea of ​​what Qingwen was thinking. Hearing this "brave Qingwen" saying good things about him, he felt quite comfortable. After all, who doesn't like to hear good things?

But seeing Qingwen's rosy cheeks and her willow-shaped eyebrows trembling slightly, as if she was shy and angry, Shui Rong couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, thinking that she looked like a young girl in love.

After thinking for a while, Shui Rong suddenly realized that Qingwen, this little girl, had feelings for him.

Don't think that Shui Rong is too blindly confident. You must know that he is a royal nobleman, powerful and influential, and has a kind personality and an extraordinary appearance. The overall evaluation is that he is powerful, rich, handsome, and has good character. Basically, he is a perfect man.

Every girl has love in her heart. Such a perfect man would naturally be favored by her daughters. I dare not say anything else, but most of the maids in the palace would regard Shui Rong as Tang Monk's flesh and would wish they could pounce on him and eat him.

Qingwen is now a maidservant beside Yuanchun. As a maidservant's destiny, the best outcome is to become a concubine of her master. Otherwise, she will probably be paired with a male servant in the family as a wife. How could Qingwen, who has such high aspirations, be willing to accept that?

Now that Qingwen has come to serve Shui Rong, how could she not have some ideas? This is also the maid's ambition.

Seeing Shui Rong staring at her, Qingwen was delighted. She twisted the handkerchief in her hand, tilted her head and whispered, "Why are you looking at me, Your Majesty?"

Shui Rong looked at Qingwen's eyebrows and eyes, which revealed a charm that was not in line with her age. He couldn't help but raise his eyelids and chuckled. Without answering, he turned his gaze to the people performing martial arts on the stage.

When Qingwen saw this, she frowned and asked, "What is the prince laughing at?"