The King of Beijing in the Red Mansion

Chapter 98 Keqing: Is the princess so addicted to playing cards?

Suite warm room.

Frost walked in with lotus steps and saw Keqing leaning on the embroidered couch with a rather unhappy look on her face. She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Miss, you don't study anymore?"

Ever since the prince got married, Keqing has regarded the book as a treasure and studied it every day. But today, not only did she not study it, but she looked unhappy, as if she was feeling sad.

The master and servant were already accustomed to the matter of books, so they did not feel embarrassed.

Just listening to Shuangjiang's words, Keqing frowned, her delicate face showing a little worry, and sighed: "The prince is not coming, what's the use of the book."

She studied books just to please the prince, but now that the prince has not come to see her since his marriage, there is no point in studying books.

Moreover, what the book said was that you are in me and I am in you, but the prince did not break her body, so many skills could not be used. All she could do was connect the beginning and the end. She had already mastered these skills by heart, so it would be useless to study them again.

Shuangjiang was choked up when he heard this. After all, what Keqing said was true, and he didn't know how to respond for a moment.

After a moment of silence, Shuang Jiang comforted her, "Young lady, the prince and princess have just been married for a short time, and they are very much in love. It is normal for the prince to be busy. After this period of time, the prince will come over."

Keqing felt relieved when she heard this. Shuangjiang was right. The prince had just gotten married and he really needed to spend more time with the princess. Otherwise, it would be difficult for her to behave in front of the princess.

"By the way, is the prince with the princess now?" Keqing couldn't help but ask.

Shuangjiang shook his head upon hearing this and said, "I heard it's at the martial arts arena in the prince's garden."

After hearing this, Keqing pursed her moist lips and couldn't help feeling angry. The prince was really something. When he had free time, he would rather go to the martial arts arena than come to see her. Even though she knew it was not appropriate for the prince to come to see her at this time, it was nice to talk to him. She didn't have to eat anyone.

Just when Keqing was feeling resentful, Yuanchun came in with Tanchun.

Seeing Yuanchun, Keqing's heart tightened, and she hurried to greet her, bowing and saying, "Hello, sister."

Yuanchun looked at Keqing who was paying her respects with her starry eyes. Her every frown and movement was full of love, which made her heart tighten. The lovely girl in front of her made her, a girl, tremble with fear. It was not unreasonable for her husband to dote on her.

With a gentle voice, Yuanchun stepped forward to help Keqing up, and said kindly, "Sister, there is no need to be so polite."

Keqing was a little nervous at this time. She didn't understand why Princess Yuanchun suddenly came to look for her, so she asked carefully: "Sister, do you have any instructions for me?"

Yuanchun heard Keqing's humility and admired her prudentness. She smiled and said, "What's the point of asking you to do that? I just had nothing to do, so I came to see you, sister, to see if there's anything missing in your room so I can ask someone to buy it for you."

Seeing Yuanchun's kind expression, Keqing felt relieved and said hurriedly, "My sister doesn't need anything here. Thank you for your concern."

Yuanchun chuckled and pulled Keqing to sit down. Her words were full of intimacy, which made Keqing feel more relaxed.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Yuanchun suddenly asked, "Sister, can you play dominoes?"

Keqing was stunned when she heard this. She didn't know what Yuanchun meant. She had heard of the game of dominoes, but had never played it. So she answered honestly, "I have never played it before, so I don't know how to play it."

After hearing this, Yuanchun did not think that Keqing was being perfunctory. You have to know that Keqing's family background is simple. In addition to Keqing, the Qin family only has a younger brother and a small family. Dominoes require four people to play, and the Qin family cannot get enough people. Moreover, Keqing is a girl and never goes out of the house. It is normal that she has never played dominoes.

After a pause, Yuanchun said, "We sisters usually don't have much to do in the mansion, so playing dominoes to kill time is a good idea. What do you think, little sister?"

Keqing understood what Yuanchun meant and said quickly, "Sister, you can learn."

Yuanchun felt relieved when she heard that. As early as when her husband told her mother that she liked to play dominoes, she had been planning how to make her mother happy. Now, there were only four of them who were considered the masters of the palace. If Keqing didn't know how to play, then there would be one person missing. How could she then entertain her mother?

Fortunately, Keqing's attitude was acceptable, which made Yuanchun like her more, so she said gently: "Then I will teach you together with my third sister."

Upon hearing this, Tanchun put the dominoes up and said to Keqing with a smile, "Sister Keqing, playing dominoes is not difficult. If you don't understand anything, I will teach you."

Keqing felt a little warmed by Tanchun's kindness, but she didn't understand Yuanchun's intention of asking her to learn dominoes. She stared at the arranged dominoes in a daze, her heart paused. Even the dominoes are carried with her. Is the princess so addicted to playing cards?

Shui Rong was watching the martial arts performance at the arena. When he saw a middle-aged man among the guards performing the martial arts performance who was very good at archery and horse riding, he suddenly had an idea and pointed at him from a distance and said, "Li Changshi, call him up."

Li Changshi didn't say much after hearing this, and hurried down to call for help. After a while, the middle-aged man stepped onto the stage, looking a little excited, and said respectfully: "Your subordinate Zhou Shun greets His Majesty."

Shui Rong looked at Zhou Shun. He had seen him from a distance before, so he couldn't see him clearly. He only saw that Zhou Shun had a tall and straight figure, a square face, a beard under his chin, and looked quite steady.

Li Changshi, who was standing by, saw that Shui Rong didn't know his name, so he stepped forward and whispered, "Your Highness, this Zhou Shun is a servant of the palace. He has loved wielding spears and sticks since he was a child, and three or five people couldn't get close to him, so he was recruited to be the guard of the palace."

Shui Rong's eyes lit up slightly when he heard this. It was not because he was interested in Zhou Shun's martial arts, but because Zhou Shun was a family-born child. As the saying goes, family-born children have been slaves in the royal palace for generations. The life and death of his entire family depends on Shui Rong's thoughts. His reliability is beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Seeing Zhou Shun's attire, he was obviously just an ordinary guard. Shui Rong immediately had an idea in mind, so he said, "I see that you are good at archery and horse riding, so I intend to promote you to guard commander."

Zhou Shun was delighted when he heard this, and he kowtowed and said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. I will definitely serve you to the death."

Shui Rong nodded with satisfaction upon seeing this. For a family boy like Zhou Shun, Shui Rong did not need any encouragement. As long as he was given some sweet treats, he would naturally be loyal to him.

Shui Rong immediately said sternly, "You will be in charge of the inspection of the guards. Anyone who fails will be dismissed. If I know that you are intentionally protecting them, I will not let you go."

Zhou Shun was startled when he heard this, and quickly responded, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will definitely do my best to fulfill my responsibilities."

Shui Rong nodded slightly. There was no need for Shui Rong to keep an unqualified guard. If Zhou Shun played those tricks, he would be dealt with as well.

After taking a sip of the tea, Shui Rong said, "Pick some good fighters from the mansion and train them to make up forty guards. When the guard commander takes office, you will follow his arrangements."

Zhou Shun heard this and said respectfully: "I obey your orders."

Shui Rong didn't say much when he saw this. The reason why he promoted Zhou Shun to be the commander of the guards and supplemented the mansion with 40 guards was because they were relatively reliable. It's not that he didn't trust Feng Ziying and the others, but the vacancies in the guards must be filled, and those new guards were all outsiders, so he made some arrangements so that the guards from both sides could form a check and not be kept in the dark.

Chapter 99 Hey, it’s confusing

Beijing Prince's Mansion, Ning'an Hall.

Concubine Beijing leaned on the gorgeous brocade couch, covering her red lips with her bare hands, her almond-shaped eyes slightly narrowed, and she yawned lazily.

Seeing this, Aunt Rong smiled and said, "Young lady, if you feel tired, take a nap first."

Concubine Beijing didn't care. She stretched her body, showing off her curvy figure, and asked, "Where's Yuanchun?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Rong raised her eyes and glanced at Concubine Beijing. As someone close to her, Madam Rong naturally knew that the Concubine was not satisfied with the new bride, the princess, and her question at this time was definitely not a word of concern.

After a pause, Rong Mama said, "I don't know either. How about I send someone to take a look?"

As expected, upon hearing this, Concubine Beijing raised her eyebrows slightly and said in dissatisfaction, "Humph, when I went to the palace before, I served my mother-in-law every morning and evening. This one is good, relying on Rong'er's love, and doesn't even know the rules. I, as a mother-in-law, am really not decent."

The bride sets rules in front of her mother-in-law. They are the same in every household. When the mother-in-law eats, the bride stands and serves the food. When the mother-in-law drinks tea, the bride tests the temperature first. When the mother-in-law washes her hands and face, the bride holds the basin and wrings the handkerchief, just like a maid. These are the rules.

Rong Mama heard the dissatisfaction of Concubine Beijing, and after thinking for a moment, she said, "The princess is in charge of the affairs of the palace. She is very busy and cannot be away for the time being. When she is done, the princess will definitely come to serve the young lady."

The situation is different, and the circumstances are different. At the beginning, Concubine Beijing was a second wife. After entering the palace, she did not do the work of a housekeeper. She had nothing to do all day long and had to serve her mother-in-law. But now it is different for the princess. After entering the palace, she immediately took care of the affairs of the household. She had things on her hands, so naturally she was not so idle.

Madam Rong knew clearly that it was true that Concubine Beijing was dissatisfied with the princess' age, but she was not completely disgusted with her. At least she was slowly accepting her because the prince liked her.

The main reason is that she feels a little unbalanced and has a little girl's attitude. She just complains a few words and then forgets about it.

Upon hearing this, Concubine Beijing did not refute. It was obvious that she understood in her heart that Shui Rong had proposed to let Yuanchun be the housekeeper long ago, probably to save her this pain. Thinking of the sufferings she had suffered in the past, Concubine Beijing felt more and more uncomfortable. Why couldn't she enjoy the service of her daughter-in-law just because she became a mother-in-law?

Involuntarily, Concubine Beijing felt resentful. Alas, this well-trained person was taken advantage of by someone else, as if she had taken advantage of her dearest love. How could she have been so resentful when she was a daughter-in-law?

Thinking of this, Concubine Beijing's jade cheeks were slightly drunk, and she spat in her heart: "Bah, what nonsense are you thinking about."

Just as Concubine Beijing's heart was trembling, the maid outside the room shouted, "The princess is here."

When Rong Mama heard this, her eyes turned and she smiled at Concubine Beijing and said, "Look, young lady, the princess comes to serve you whenever she has time."

Concubine Beijing came back to her senses and felt a little relieved, but her expression was still cold. She snorted lightly, shook her sleeves, and sat upright on the brocade couch, showing the demeanor of a mother-in-law.

Not long after, Yuanchun came over and bowed, saying, "Your daughter-in-law greets you, mother."

Concubine Beijing looked indifferent. She took a sip of tea and asked in a clear voice, "Have you finished all the work in the mansion?"

Yuanchun's heart skipped a beat when she heard this, because she heard the dissatisfaction in her mother's tone. After some thought, she realized that her mother was blaming her for coming to pay her respects late.

After a pause, Yuanchun hurriedly said respectfully, "My daughter-in-law is slow and can't figure out the affairs of the mansion at the moment. I'm sorry for delaying your greetings, mother. I hope you can forgive me."

Although Yuanchun had the right to manage the affairs of the mansion, she knew that she could not say that she was busy, otherwise her mother would think that the affairs of the mansion were more important than paying her respects, so she could only belittle herself.

After hearing this, Princess Beijing's eyebrows relaxed and she no longer cared about it. However, looking at Tanchun and Keqing who were following Yuanchun, she felt a little confused and asked, "Why did you bring Keqing and San Yatou here together?" ?”

Yuanchun's eyes lit up when she heard that. She was just thinking about how to bring up the topic, but her mother led the conversation instead. So she said, "I remember your teachings and think that we sisters should communicate more. So I plan to play dominoes together in my free time. But there are only three of us sisters, so I would like to ask you to make the decision. I wonder if you are free?"

The purpose of playing dominoes this time is to enhance the relationship between sisters, not to please others.

Upon hearing this, Concubine Beijing's eyes brightened. She was feeling bored, so she thought playing dominoes would be a good way to kill time. She hadn't played for a long time, and her hands were itching.

Keqing, who was standing by, suddenly understood. No wonder the princess specially taught her to play dominoes and invited her to play after teaching her how to play. She thought the princess was addicted to cards, but it turned out that the princess had other intentions!

Yuanchun Courtyard.

The matter of guarding the martial arts performance has ended. Adhering to the principle of newlyweds being inseparable, Shui Rong came to Yuanchun to ask for a cup of nectar. This is not too much, right?

Jin Chuan'er, who was sitting on the corridor in the courtyard, saw Shui Rong coming and greeted him with a smile, bowing and saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

"Is Yuanchun in the room?" Shui Rong didn't think much about it and asked about the main purpose of this trip.

Seeing that Shui Rong seemed to be in a good mood, Jin Chuan'er said with a smile, "My Lord, the princess has gone to Ning'an Hall to pay her respects to the Concubine Dowager. If my Lord misses the princess, he can go to Ning'an Hall to look for her."

Shui Rong burst out laughing when he heard this. What does it mean to miss the princess? They live under the same roof and they met yesterday. What is there for him to miss her? Jin Chuan'er is just teasing him.

Looking at Jin Chuan, who was smiling in front of him, with a kind of innocence and naivety in her, Shui Rong felt happy.

I remember there was a scene in the original novel where Jin Chuan'er knew that master Jia Zheng was happy that day. When Baoyu was called over tremblingly, she teased that she had just put on rouge on her lips and asked Baoyu if he wanted to eat it. It can be seen that she was a little naughty.

However, it was precisely because of his naughty nature that he flirted with Baoyu in front of Lady Wang who was resting, and was eventually slapped in the face by Lady Wang and driven out of the house, where he ended up committing suicide by jumping into a well. This shows that he was ignorant of the ways of the world.

Thinking of this, Shui Rong stretched out his hand and flicked his finger on his forehead, scolding with a smile: "You tease me, I will punish you for not knowing the difference between respect and inferiority."

Jin Chuan'er cried out in pain, covered her forehead with her bare hands, and said aggrievedly, "The prince is kind-hearted. How could he blame me for such a small matter?"

Shui Rong chuckled when she heard this, but didn't say much. Maids like them were supposed to be observers of women, so how could they talk nonsense if they didn't know their masters' personalities well?

Shaking his head, Shui Rong turned and left. Qingwen, who was behind him, looked at Shui Rong and couldn't help but pursed her lips, then followed him with lotus steps.

On the corridor, Shui Rong noticed Qingwen's unhappiness, and he understood in his heart, as he had seen her pouting lips. He just felt that although they were all maids, Shui Rong treated them differently. This was the little girl's competitive mentality.

Shui Rong was quite looking forward to "Yong Qingwen". She had a fair, oval face, lively and attractive peach blossom eyes, a slender waist and thin shoulders. She looked more pretty than others and was a complete beauty.

Since it has come to his side, Shui Rong doesn't need to be polite. He can ask Yuanchun for it when the time is right.

It's just that although Qingwen is in the prime of life, she is relatively immature.

But this is not a big problem. At this age, it is just the right age to learn the rules and it is easy to adjust.

If you think about it carefully, it has some meaning of "cultivation", which makes Shuirong quite interested.

Therefore, Qingwen's competitive spirit needs to be actively guided, which is conducive to promoting Qingwen's enterprising spirit and also to avoid going astray.

Thinking of this, Shui Rong asked knowingly: "You have a stern face, what's wrong?"

Qingwen wrinkled her nose when she heard this. Why did she have a stern face? It was because the prince was partial to one over the other. It was understandable that she was not as good as Xiangling, and she was not even as good as Jin Chuan'er. It was obvious that she was now the maid beside the prince.

Unable to help, Qingwen Fuli muttered: "This is natural for this servant, I hope the prince will forgive me."

Shui Rong raised his eyebrows when he heard this. What do you mean by innate? Is this human language?

This Qingwen is really...stubborn.