The King of Beijing in the Red Mansion

Yuanchun smiled and said, "My husband is the same. Third sister is not a child. Why are you crying?"

At this moment, Tanchun's face was slightly drunk, and her bright big eyes flickered. Looking at Shuirong's eyes, she couldn't help but feel annoyed. She was not a child anymore, but the prince always treated her like a child.

Thinking of this, Tanchun looked at Yuanchun's grandeur, then lowered her eyes and looked back. Suddenly, she felt a little timid. After all, she was indeed much smaller. No wonder the prince had a different attitude.

Shui Rong didn't care about it. The atmosphere in the carriage was a little quiet at the moment, so it would be a good idea to chat for a while.

The carriage galloped along the way, and after about two quarters of an hour's ride, it arrived at the gate of Duke Rong's Mansion.

At this time, people from the Rongguo Mansion had been waiting at the door for a long time. When they saw the carriage coming from the Beijing Prince's Mansion, they hurried forward to greet them.

As soon as Shui Rong got off the carriage, Jia Zheng and his party came up to greet him and bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Shui Rong naturally would not use his status to treat Jia Zheng, so he stretched out his hand to hold him, and said softly: "Father-in-law, there is no need to be polite."

Jia Zheng said solemnly, bowing his head: "State etiquette comes before family etiquette. How dare a minister overstep the boundaries?"

Shui Rong said nothing more when he saw this. After all, Jia Zheng was born square and dull, and having a father-in-law like Jia Zheng who was self-aware was also a good thing for Shui Rong. It was a hundred times better than those who took advantage of their relationship with the royal family to make a big deal out of nothing.

Yuanchun got off the carriage. Shui Rong helped her down. When she saw her father, Yuanchun's eyes turned red and she bowed and said, "Hello, father."

Jia Zheng naturally treated her with state courtesy, but Shui Rong looked at Yuanchun's rosy eyes and couldn't help complaining in his heart. She had said before that she would not shed tears, but now she was showing her true feelings. She was really embarrassing herself!

Shui Rong was not going to make sarcastic remarks at this time. He greeted them and the group entered the Rongguo Mansion surrounded by the Jia family's relatives.

Men and women sat at separate tables. Yuanchun and Tanchun were female relatives, so they naturally went to the inner courtyard. As for Shui Rong, since the banquet had not yet started, he came to the guest room of Rong Xi Tang accompanied by Jia Zheng.

In the guest room, Shui Rong sat at the first seat, and next to him was his father-in-law Jia Zheng.

After taking a sip of tea, Shui Rong suddenly asked, "Is my father-in-law doing well in the Ministry of Industry?"

Jia Zheng is the second son of the Rong family. He has no title, but he has loved reading since he was young. He originally wanted to pass the imperial examination. However, when the Rong family was dying, they left a will. The retired emperor, out of sympathy for his predecessor, gave Jia Zheng an extra title of chief official and promoted him to the rank of Deputy Director of the Ministry of Works.

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng paused stroking his beard and said with a slightly embarrassed look, "My Lord, everything is fine."

Shui Rong understood what was happening. From the record in the original novel that Jia Zheng "respects the wise and humbles himself, helps the weak and the needy, and follows the tradition of his ancestors," it can be seen that Jia Zheng is a man who wants to do practical things. It's just that the so-called Yuanwailang is usually a starting point for the sons of aristocratic families. For example, Jia Zheng's position as Yuanwailang of the Ministry of Works is a fifth-rank official, which is neither high nor low. He has no real job in the Ministry of Works, so Jia Zheng just reads books, plays chess, and chats with a group of guests every day, which shows how free he is.

After a pause, Shui Rong said, "Father-in-law, to be honest, I am about to take over the Central Military Governor's Office. However, the staff in the Governor's Office is slack, so I will start to rectify it when I take office. However, I have no one under my command. If you don't mind, I would like you to serve as the judge. What do you think?"

Don't think that Shui Rong was just asking casually. Since he asked, he must have something in mind. The Central Army Governor's Office has left and right judges, who are of the fifth rank and are in charge of the prisons in the Governor's Office. They are stronger than the so-called Yuwenlang of the Ministry of Works.

Of course, Shui Rong's real purpose was not to promote Jia Zheng, his father-in-law. The main reason was that Jia Zheng was too pedantic, ignorant of the ways of the world, and very idle. He liked to make friends with idlers, a mixed crowd of good and bad people, and it was easy for him to be deceived.

Therefore, Shui Rong felt that instead of indulging Jia Zheng, it would be better to keep him under his supervision. This would give him something serious to do, and it would also prevent Jia Zheng from being deceived and making mistakes, thus dragging him down.

Moreover, Jia Zheng is an upright person with a clean reputation, so he is suitable for this matter.

Jia Zheng was moved when he heard this. It was not because of the official position, but because he wanted to make a difference. Besides, since it was his son-in-law who suggested it, it was difficult to refuse.

After thinking for a moment, Jia Zheng said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I only have a basic understanding of Daqian Law, and I am afraid I am not qualified for the job."

Shui Rong understood what Jia Zheng said. He didn't refuse outright, which meant that he was tempted. However, he was not familiar with the Daqian laws, so he had some concerns.

As for the fact that Jia Zheng was not familiar with the Daqian Law, or that he had no courage to make a decision, Shui Rong didn't care. After all, there were two judges, and he didn't really rely solely on Jia Zheng.

When facing an unconfident person, it is natural to give him confidence, so Shui Rong smiled and said, "How can you know if it will work if you don't try it, father-in-law? Besides, the most important thing for the prison is experience, father-in-law, you can put it into practice. With your ability, shouldn't it be easy for you to take on the position of judge?"

As expected, Jia Zheng's expression brightened when he heard this. He stroked his chin with his right hand and said, "Since the prince has requested it, I will obey your command."

Shui Rong was satisfied when he heard this. He knew it would not be difficult to get Jia Zheng, a man who was willing to do things, to take up the position. Now he could not only promote his father-in-law, but also solve a hidden danger, killing two birds with one stone.

After finishing the discussion, it was already late, so the banquet officially started, and Shui Rong went to the front hall with Jia Zheng.

Chapter 104: Fate with Mandarin Ducks

Because it was the new son-in-law who was "returning home", most of the cousins ​​from the Rongguo Mansion were here, for example, Jia She, Jia Lian, and Jia Baoyu, who inherited the position of first-class generals, were all present.

In addition, there are also relatives by marriage, including uncles, aunts, and uncles, such as Wang Ziteng and others.

Everyone sat down at the dinner table. Shui Rong was the center of attention today and was naturally respected. All the younger generation of relatives came to toast him, and this was also a recognition gift for the new son-in-law.

Not long after, a big-headed man named Xue Pan came over with a wine cup in his hand. He looked nervous and his voice was slightly trembling.

Seeing this, Shui Rong understood. You know, Xue Pan had offended him and was imprisoned in prison, where he suffered a lot. Now many elders were here. If Shui Rong said anything wrong, Xue Pan would be skinned alive.

However, Shui Rong didn't care about this matter at the moment. Instead, he thought of the bright and charming sister Bao. He remembered that last time the mother and daughter of the Xue family came to the palace to apologize, Shui Rong had the intention of taking them into the palace, and even mentioned this matter in words. It was only because of Yuanchun that he delayed it.

Baochai has a beautiful appearance and elegant manners. It is pure nonsense to say that Shui Rong has no thoughts in his mind. Moreover, Baochai is one of the Twelve Beauties of Jinling. He has heard of her name for a long time, so naturally he has some curious thoughts.

That day Shui Rong also saw that both the mother and daughter of the Xue family were interested in him. If that was the case, why should Shui Rong be shy?

However, it was inappropriate for Shui Rong to be thinking about his sister-in-law so soon after getting married to Yuanchun, so he did not take any action recently.

He chuckled. Now was not the time to think about these things. Even if it was legal and reasonable in this era, it was still too cruel. At least it would take some time until everyone looked better before making any plans.

After encouraging Xue Pan a few words, Shui Rong said no more.

Xue Pan was overjoyed to see that Shui Rong was not going to make a fuss about it. He toasted and ran away, fearing that Shui Rong would go back on his word.

An unknown amount of time had passed before the banquet ended. Shui Rong had drunk a lot of wine, and his handsome face was a little rosy, so he went back to the guest room to rest for a while. The servants had already prepared sobering soup for him.

Shui Rong drank a few sips of the hangover soup and felt better. He looked at Wang Ziteng and asked with a smile, "Uncle, is the reorganization of the Beijing Camp going smoothly?"

Hearing Shui Rong's question, Wang Ziteng hurriedly replied: "Your Highness, the old and weak soldiers in the Beijing Camp have all been dismissed, and the vacancies have been filled. Currently, the Beijing Camp has a total of 80,000 soldiers, all of whom are elite soldiers."

Shui Rong remained silent after hearing this. The army was organized into "battalions", and the coordination of soldiers was crucial. Although the Beijing Battalion seemed elite at this time, it was actually a loose group. If they wanted to give the Beijing Battalion a new look, they had to train hard.

However, this is not something Shui Rong should worry about at the moment. Since the reorganization of the Beijing camp was going smoothly, the governors must have put in a lot of effort. Otherwise, Wang Ziteng would not have been so successful.

Since the generals in the Beijing camp were sensible, Shui Rong would naturally not treat them unfairly. He remembered that he had promised them the position of the governor of the Central Army Governor's Office.

Thinking of this, Shui Rong nodded and said, "Very good, please tell Commander Feng that after a while, I will take control of the Central Army Commander's Office to let him calm down."

Wang Ziteng's eyes lit up when he heard this. Since the prince had said this, it must be the promise of His Majesty. Now this nephew-in-law is no longer an idle prince, but a prince in power. This is also a good thing for him, so he agreed: "I understand, please rest assured, Your Majesty."

Shui Rong nodded, and without saying anything more, he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and placed it on the table.

Wang Ziteng's eyes flickered, and after hesitating for a moment, he cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I will be ordered to inspect the border soon, and I need your full support for this matter."

Shui Rong understood what he said. The situation of the soldiers in the Nine Borders was probably worse than that of the Beijing Camp. Moreover, they had been fighting with foreign enemies for years and had bandit spirits. Most of them were unruly. This time, Wang Ziteng was ordered to inspect the border. Even if he had real power, he might not give face. In the end, if Wang Ziteng failed to do his job well, he would be the one who would be in trouble.

At this time, Wang Ziteng asked Shui Rong for support because some of the nine important border towns were under the control of the Central Military Governor's Office, which could also be said to be the old subordinates of the Prince of Beijing's Mansion. With Shui Rong's support, the border investigation would be much smoother.

After a pause, Shui Rong said with a smile, "I am the nephew-in-law of my uncle, so they will still give me some face. As for those who don't give me face, my uncle should be cautious and not cause any trouble."

As for the soldiers in the Nine Borders, they are different from the Beijing Camp. The Beijing Camp is low-key and cannot cause big trouble. But it is different in the Nine Borders. Not to mention that they are not strong enough, the Nine Borders are not all under the jurisdiction of the Central Army Governor's Office. It is still unknown how much mercy they can show, so they need to be cautious.

Wang Ziteng understood what Shui Rong meant. What Shui Rong meant was simply that he should not be too impatient and ruin things.

After discussing with Shui Rong for a few words, Wang Ziteng felt it was inconvenient to stay for long, so he left.

At this time, the effect of Shui Su's alcohol had eased a lot, and he seemed much more sober, but his head was still a little dizzy, probably about three-quarters drunk!

After thinking for a while, Shui Rong couldn't sleep. He had nothing to do, so he decided to go look for Yuanchun and those sisters-in-law. So he called Xiao Fuzi and walked towards the inner courtyard.

When they walked to the corridor, Xiao Fuzi tried to help him. Shui Rong noticed how cautious Xiao Fuzi was and said with a bad smile, "I'm not drunk. Who are you pretending to be?"

Although Shui Rong drank a lot, he was conscious and didn't stagger when he walked, so he was really fine.

Xiao Fuzi smiled bitterly. Not to mention that she was afraid that the prince would fall, even if she was just putting on an act as the prince said, she would still be putting it on for the prince to see.

But Xiao Fuzi was not stupid enough to speak directly. When they reached a fork in the road, Xiao Fuzi asked, "Your Majesty, we don't know where the princess is now. Where should we go?"

Shui Rong frowned upon hearing this, and looked at Xiao Fuzi with an unfriendly look, raising his eyebrows and saying, "What a fool, you forgot what we did last time. There are so many maids in the mansion, you can just ask any one and they won't know."

Xiao Fuzi shrank her head when she heard this. The prince was right. This was what happened last time.

Xiao Fuzi, realizing her mistake, looked up and saw a tall maid not far away. Her eyes lit up and she took the initiative to greet her.

The maid heard the greeting and saw that it was Prince Beijing. She lifted her skirt with her bare hands and hurried over, saying respectfully, "This servant greets the prince."

Shui Rong nodded slightly upon hearing this, and looked at the maid in front of him. She was wearing a smoky pink silk vest with a cross collar, a light green round-necked jacket, an autumn-scented sweat towel around her waist, and a light green long skirt at the hem, which was quite eye-catching.

However, when Shui Rong saw the few freckles on the maid's cheeks, he was slightly surprised. The maid in front of him was Yuanyang.

Although Shui Rong was conscious at this time, he was still a little dizzy. Looking at the tall beauty in front of him, Shui Rong smiled and said, "Miss Yuanyang, what a coincidence that I meet you again. It's really fate."

Shui Rong went to the Jia Mansion twice and met Yuanyang both times. This was not fate.

When Yuanyang heard Shui Rong call out her name, she was slightly surprised. She had not expected that the prince would remember a maid like her. When she heard the prince say the word "fate", her heart trembled slightly, and her plump face couldn't help but become slightly drunk.

What does your Majesty mean by this?

With a light spit, Yuanyang came back to her senses. The prince smelled of alcohol, and perhaps she didn't pay attention to her words. She was just a maid, how could she be lucky enough to be with the prince? After calming down, Yuanyang said politely, "I am not a girl at all. Please don't embarrass me, prince."

Shui Rong didn't care about it. It was just a polite address. He waved his hand and asked gently, "Where is Yuanchun now?"

Yuanyang understood what she said. The prince asked about the eldest lady's whereabouts just to find her, so she replied, "Your Highness, the princess is at the old lady's place now. I will lead the way for you."

Shui Rong nodded when he heard this. This Yuanyang was quite smart. It knew his purpose without him saying much, saving him a lot of effort.

Yuanyang led the way in front, and Shui Rong followed with Xiao Fuzi behind.

After a while, Shui Rong felt some sweat on his forehead. He wanted to take out a handkerchief to wipe it, but he found that the handkerchief was not on him.

After a pause, Shui Rong turned around and told Xiao Fuzi who was following closely behind him, "Xiao Fuzi, give me the sweat towel."

Xiao Fuzi was stunned when she heard that. You know, the prince never liked eunuchs like them to serve him personally, and only the sisters were allowed to do so in the prince's palace.

However, since the prince had given the order, Xiao Fuzi reached out and prepared to take out the sweat towel.

Suddenly, Xiao Fuzi had an idea. He remembered what the prince said about his fate with Miss Yuanyang.

Thinking of this, Xiao Fuzi stuffed the half-exposed sweat towel back and said with a bitter face: "Your Highness, I didn't bring it either."

Shui Rong couldn't help laughing when he heard this. Why was this little Fuzi pretending to be so smart? He clearly saw the sweat towel, but he still dared to lie with his eyes open. It seemed that he was too kind to Shui Rong and became spoiled.

Just as Shui Rong was about to scold her, he saw Xiao Fuzi looking at Yuanyang who was leading the way in front of him. He trotted over and said in a slightly flattering manner, "Sister Yuanyang, do you have a handkerchief on you?"

Yuanyang was startled when she heard this. She did have a handkerchief, but it was against the rules!

But since she was asked, Yuanyang couldn't refuse. After thinking for a moment, she handed the handkerchief tied to her armlet to Xiao Fuzi with a slightly blushing face.

Xiao Fuzi took the embroidered handkerchief, ran back happily, and held the handkerchief in front of Shui Rong.

Shui Rong looked at Xiao Fuzi's face with a wink, and suddenly he understood. No wonder Xiao Fuzi acted abnormally, it turned out to be a misunderstanding.

However, since the handkerchief had been handed to him, it would be a waste of time to refuse it, so Shui Rong took the handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

In an instant, a faint and elegant soft fragrance emerged at the tip of the nose, which seemed to make people feel relaxed and happy.

Shui Rong couldn't help but move forward to take a sniff. It turned out to be the fragrance of chrysanthemums. Yuanyang was as pure as a chrysanthemum, and her heart was as simple as a letter, which was quite a match.

Yuanyang's almond-shaped eyes quietly looked at Shuirong. When she saw Shuirong's actions, her heart trembled slightly and her cheeks suddenly turned red.

You must know that the embroidered handkerchief is a girl's private belonging in the boudoir, and she carries it with her. If the prince sniffed it, wouldn't he be sniffing her...