The King of Beijing in the Red Mansion

Upon hearing this, Shui Rong's hand that was stroking her face paused involuntarily. He stared at the beautiful woman's face that was full of shyness and joy. He already understood in his heart. He still remembered the seduction of this little slut when she was serving him bathing. Is she wanting to do it again?

If you think about it carefully, it makes people nostalgic.

Patting Yingluo's little face, Shui Rong smiled and said, "Okay, go get someone to prepare it."

Upon hearing this, Yingluo immediately smiled like a flower and was extremely proud. The new maid Qingwen was extremely pretty and the prince even took the initiative to ask the princess for her. This made her feel a sense of crisis. As the maid who had followed the prince the longest, she didn't want anyone else to take away the throne of the number one maid.

Yingluo responded and walked to the door with a cheerful step. She glanced at the figure who was trimming the flowers and plants and said proudly, "Qingwen, the prince wants to take a bath. Go and ask someone to prepare some hot soup."

Qingwen frowned. She could tolerate asking her to do rough work because the other party was her "senior", but now she was showing off in front of him, which she really couldn't tolerate.

Thinking of this, Qingwen raised her charming peach blossom eyes to glance at Yingluo, then continued to trim her hair, saying in a clear voice, "I'm busy and can't rest. Miss, please take the trouble for once and be considerate of us maids who do rough work."

Yingluo stared blankly when she heard that. What does 'Miss' mean? She is a Miss, but Qingwen actually mocks her.

Thinking of this, Yingluo couldn't bear it anymore and put her hands on her hips and said, "Hey, you little rascal, what are you saying? I'm going to tear your mouth apart."

Qingwen snorted and retorted, "No wonder! It's not the young lady's, but you still have the nerve to do it. We are all serving the master personally, and no one is more valuable than the other."

Although Yingluo is an "old lady" by the prince's side and is very much favored by him, the prince has touched her chin, which undoubtedly shows that she is also someone by the prince's side and is now a personal maid, so Qingwen is not afraid.

After hearing this, Yingluo became even more furious and rolled up her sleeves to attack, but Qingwen refused to be outdone and revealed her snow-white arms.

At this moment, Shui Rong came out of the house after hearing the noise. Seeing the tense situation, his face suddenly turned black. My goodness, they are about to fight.

When the two of them saw Shui Rong, they immediately wilted and stood there awkwardly, with worries on their pretty faces.

Shui Rong looked at the two of them, was silent for a moment, and ordered: "Qingwen, go ask someone to prepare hot soup, I want to take a bath."

Qingwen pursed her lips when she heard that. She dared to refute Yingluo's words, but the prince was an official master and she didn't have the courage to do so. She was brave, but not stupid.

Putting down the pruning shears in her hand, Qingwen replied, "I understand. I'll ask them to prepare it right away."

Yingluo looked at Qingwen who was twisting her waist and snorted softly, "You little vixen, you want to take my place? Dream on!"

Shui Rong glanced at the smug Ying Luo and without saying anything more, he went into the inner room.

Yingluo had been serving Shui Rong for a long time. When she saw Shui Rong's strange expression, she immediately understood that her master was righteous. She felt a little uneasy and followed him in hurriedly.

Seeing the prince leaning on the brocade couch, Yingluo immediately walked to the table, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to him with a smile.

Shui Rong took it and took a sip, then looked up at the fawning Ying Luo, feeling helpless in his heart. Now that she was so well-behaved, where did her previous spirit of "fighting to the end" go?

After all, they were close friends. Shui Rong sighed and asked, "Yingluo, was it you who arranged for Qingwen to trim the flowers and plants?"

Since Qingwen would not take the initiative to do those rough work, she could only be assigned to do so. Looking at the tension between them before, I think it was Yingluo who assigned them to do so.

Yingluo paused when she heard this. Is the prince going to make the decision for that little slut?

Thinking of this, Yingluo felt aggrieved. She looked at Shuirong with her bright almond eyes, pursed her pink lips, and whispered, "I noticed that the flowers and plants in the yard were a bit messy, so I asked Qingwen to trim them."

Shui Rong frowned when he heard this. There was no rush to trim the flowers and plants, so why bother asking Qingwen, her personal maid, to do it? It must be Yingluo who did it on purpose.

Shui Rong could roughly guess what Ying Luo was thinking, and thought that she was declaring her status as the number one maid.

Originally, Shui Rong had only Yingluo as his personal maid. As time passed, Shui Rong now has Xiangling and Qingwen in addition to Yingluo, a total of three people.

Xiangling has a gentle personality, so Yingluo naturally doesn't care, and so it's natural for them to get along harmoniously. But Qingwen is different. She is competitive and if she encounters something unfair, she will only be "quick" and "straight" regardless of the occasion or the person.

One is trying to assert his status, while the other is brave and fearless. How can they be safe when they are confronted with each other?

To be honest, no one is perfect. These two people have shortcomings, but they serve diligently and loyally, and their merits outweigh their flaws, and they are both good maids.

However, now that the two of them were actually going to fight, they had to correct the situation. Shui Rong didn't want these two to get into a big fight.

Yingluo, who was standing by, saw Shuirong's uncertain expression, her beautiful eyes sparkled, and she stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, I was wrong. I will not quarrel with Qingwen again in the future."

Shui Rong looked at Ying Luo's pitiful expression, and her heart softened. She pulled her to sit aside and said earnestly, "Ying Luo, you have served me the longest and are the maid I rely on the most. As a sister, you should set a good example. If the people below do something wrong, you should tell them. If they are not wrong, you should not find fault with them, and you should not make trouble out of nothing."

In Shui Rong's opinion, the fuse of today's incident was that Yingluo ordered Qingwen to do the rough work of a maid, which was a bit petty.

When Yingluo heard the prince say that she was the maid he relied on the most, she was so happy that she couldn't hear the rest of the words. She quickly responded, "I understand. I will set an example in the future and will not target Sister Qingwen."

She is the maid that the prince relies on the most. That little slut is nothing compared to her.

Shui Rong looked up at Ying Luo when he heard that, but didn't say anything. He just hoped so. He would give her a warning for now, but if she did it again, he would not forgive her easily.

Not only Yingluo, but Qingwen also needs to be warned. They dared to take action when the master was still in the yard. If he was not there, wouldn't they start fighting like a shrew in the market?

After an unknown amount of time, Qingwen walked into the inner room with a cold face. Just as she was about to report, she saw the scene on the brocade couch and her pretty face suddenly turned red. She was speechless for a moment.

Shui Rong lay peacefully on the brocade couch, playing with the pink ribbon dangling from her bun, her heart beating as she looked at Qingwen who was in a daze.

Originally he was about to warn Yingluo, but somehow she ended up like this. Shui Rong was now recalling the scene from the first episode. This familiar feeling was something that even Du Yuejiao, who was good at ventriloquism, could not give him.

Yingluo tilted her head back and sobbed softly, her delicate face flushed red. She raised her beautiful eyes and couldn't help but glared at the prince. Seeing that the prince was looking ahead, she turned her head away, and when she saw Qingwen, she glared at him with her bright almond-shaped eyes, and suddenly realized something.

No wonder the prince seemed strange, it turned out someone was coming.

But before she could open her mouth, Yingluo felt the young man pulling the ribbon on her bun. Her beautiful eyes couldn't help but glare at him. Xiangling did the same thing to her last time, which made her suffer.

Qingwen's peach blossom eyes couldn't help but blush as she watched the scene in front of her. Her embroidered shoes, which were pressed together, felt a little soft. She bit her pink lips with her pearly teeth and spat, "How shameless."

Chapter 137 Leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist

The Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Army.

This yamen was on one side of the corridor between the Zhengyang Gate and the Chengtian Gate of the imperial city. In addition to the office of the Central Military Governor's Office, the Taichang Temple, the Jinyiwei Yamen and the offices of the four governor's offices were also in this area. On the other side were the Clan Court, the Six Ministries and their affiliated offices. The two sides were clearly divided, just like the separation of civil and military administrations.

There are two big stone lions in front of the yamen, and five large characters "Central Army Commander's Office" are hung on the eaves of the corridor. Below them stand a team of imperial guards wearing gold and silver fish-scale armor, holding swords.

In the official hall, Zheng Xian, the deputy governor of the Central Military Governor's Office, was sitting on a red lacquered wooden-back chair in the main hall. Below him, the deputy governor, his subordinates including the experience officer of the Experience Department and the chief clerk were all there.

Wu Tong, the deputy governor, groaned for a moment and said, "Prince Beijing is appointed as the left governor. How should we respond now?"

The emperor has already issued an edict, placing Prince Beijing Shui Rong in charge of the Central Army Governor's Office. Originally, the Governor's Office was headed by Prince Beijing's Mansion. Logically speaking, if Shui Rong was in control, they should have supported it. However, these people remained silent and went against the grain when Prince Beijing's Mansion called for the payment of the silver owed by the Ministry of Revenue.

When Shui Rong got married, he summoned a group of people into the inner hall and excluded them. Needless to say, they had already been abandoned.

Now that Prince Beijing's Mansion has regained power, they cannot help but feel worried.

One of them sighed and said helplessly: "If we had known this would happen, we should have paid the money owed to the Ministry of Revenue."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent. They had thought that Shui Rong would not get involved in the affairs of the court, so they had played some tricks, but they did not expect that the situation would change drastically in the blink of an eye.

The governor's co-governor Zheng Xian waved his hand and said, "It doesn't matter. We are old subordinates of the palace after all. We have a relationship of kinship. If we behave ourselves a little, the prince won't mind it too much."

Everyone nodded slightly upon hearing this, but didn't say anything else. After all, the rift was just because of the issue of paying household silver, and the worst that could happen was that they would just pay it again.

At this moment, Shui Rong, dressed in a python robe, walked in, followed closely by Feng Ziying, dressed in armor.

Everyone was shocked when they saw this. They never expected that Prince Beijing would come to the Central Army Commander's Mansion without any warning. For a moment, everyone stood up to greet him, and the voice of "Prince" was heard everywhere.

Shui Rong ignored everyone, walked to the main desk and sat down in a dignified manner, scanning everyone with sharp eyes, and said in a clear voice: "Everyone, this commander-in-chief is now the left commander-in-chief of the Central Army Commander-in-Chief's Office. From now on, I will address you by your official title."

Shui Rong didn't need to be polite when facing these people. Given his status and position, there was no need for him to be hypocritical. Today he was going to give them a heavy blow.

Everyone's eyes flickered when they heard this. Governor is the title of an official position, which is no match for the honorific title of prince. However, Shui Rong asked to be addressed by his official title, which showed his attitude of speaking in public.

Moreover, these people are the old subordinates of Prince Beijing's Mansion. Now they can't even call him Prince, which also means that they are no longer considered the old subordinates.

Zheng Xian, the deputy governor, was silent for a moment, then he bowed and said, "Greetings, Lord Left Governor."

Everyone had different expressions when they heard this. If the prince asked them to call out their official titles, they should just call out their official titles. Are they so stubborn?

Shui Rong raised his eyes and glanced at Zheng Xian, not caring. Don't think they are great just because they are high-ranking officials of the Central Military Governor's Office. In the face of absolute status, everything else seems unimportant. Without them, who knows how many people will take over.

After a pause, Shui Rong said in a deep voice: "You all know about the Marquis of Haining, right? He is the right commander of the Central Army Commander's Office. What do you think?"

The leader in the Governor's Office at the moment was the Governor's Associate Zheng Xian. He groaned for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency the Left Governor, I think the Right Governor is just jealous, so just give him a light punishment or a severe warning."

Shui Rong sneered and said meaningfully, "What a jealous guy! You don't know yet, but the Marquis of Haining has been transferred from the Wucheng Bingmasi to the Jinyiwei Yamen."

Everyone in the hall was stunned when they heard this. It was just jealousy, why would it alarm the Jinyiwei? The Jinyiwei was an independent office that was only responsible to the emperor. Since the Jinyiwei got involved, it was no longer a small matter.

Zheng Xian frowned and said, "Lord Left Commander, this is the business of the Central Military Commander's Office. If the Right Commander has done something wrong, the judge should investigate it carefully. What does it have to do with the Imperial Guard? The Imperial Guard has stretched their hands too far. Where is the Commander's Office?"

The offices of the Five Military Governors' Offices were also independent offices. If a military officer committed a crime, he would be investigated by the judge. If he committed a serious crime, the case would be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for trial, and the Dali Temple would be responsible for review. The Censorate would supervise the case, which was the so-called "Three Departments".

If the Jinyiwei intervene now, it would be tantamount to a slap in the face of the Governor's Office.

Shui Rong glanced at Zheng Xian. This was such a clumsy way of provoking him. Did he think Shui Rong would be fooled?

Shui Rong took the teacup brought by the clerk and took a sip leisurely. He asked calmly, "Marquis Haining spent 100,000 taels of silver to redeem the courtesan. Do you know where the 100,000 taels of silver came from?"

Zheng Xian's heart paused when he heard this, and his thick eyebrows twitched involuntarily. The expressions of the others also became unnatural.

Shui Rong sneered in his heart when he saw this situation. They all knew where the money came from. Not only Marquis Haining, but they all got the advantage as well.

After a moment of silence, Shui Rong said in a deep voice: "I'm telling you that the 100,000 taels of silver for the redemption of Marquis Haining was obtained by embezzling military pay. His Majesty has learned about this and is extremely angry. He has ordered me to thoroughly investigate the embezzlement of military pay."

Everyone was even more shocked after hearing this. No wonder the Imperial Guards were asked to take action. It turned out that His Majesty wanted to investigate the corruption. The military pay was embezzled, and almost all the officials in the Central Military Governor's Office were involved. If this was thoroughly investigated, no one would escape responsibility. Now that a great marquis had been brought into the Imperial Guards, there was no need for them to talk any more.

"Your Highness, the Right Commander has been loyal to his duties at the government office and has never slacked off. This matter must have been slandered by someone. Please investigate carefully, Your Highness."

Zheng Xian is stubborn, but that doesn't mean that others are stubborn too. The deputy governor Wu Tong, who is standing with his head bowed, is obviously not stubborn.

Shui Rong looked up at him, not caring about his name, and sneered, "Whether there is corruption or not, you all know it. This governor will investigate this matter thoroughly and will not tolerate it."

When these words were spoken, everyone was shocked and fell silent. For a moment, a depressing atmosphere filled the hall.

Seeing this, Shui Rong changed the subject and said in a clear voice: "However, considering that you have all made contributions to the court, this governor can show some leniency. If there are people who report and expose you, this governor will not pursue them. If you are stubborn and refuse to change your ways, then you can do what you want."

Everyone looked different when they heard this. What did it mean to not pursue the matter?

Seeing this, Shui Rong looked at the scene quietly without saying much.

Emperor Yongkang ordered him to thoroughly investigate the corruption, but this matter involved many things and was not so easy to investigate.

The most convenient way at the moment is to let them report and expose the crime. As long as they are willing to confess everything, they will be treated leniently. This is also the reason why Shui Rong explained the matter of embezzlement to them, so that they can understand the seriousness of the matter.

As for the worry that they will collude privately, there is no need to worry about that. People's hearts are complicated, don't expect them to be of one mind. Among this group of people, the amount of military pay they embezzle is not large. Those who take a small piece of the pie know the seriousness of the matter and will certainly balance the gains and losses. As long as a gap is opened, things will be easy.

Even if this group of people agree, Marquis Haining is still in the Jinyiwei Yamen, so there is nothing to worry about.

After a pause, Shui Rong said, "The number of people who can report and expose the truth is limited to two people. You guys should take care of yourselves."

After saying that, Shui Rong stood up and left without staying, leaving everyone looking at each other in bewilderment.

Chapter 138 Keqing: I don’t want to

The Ning'an Hall in Prince Beijing's Palace was filled with laughter.

The Dowager Concubine Beijing, Yuanchun, Tanchun and Keqing gathered together to play dominoes, while Xiangyun watched the game from the side, moving left and right, making it very lively.