A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 56 Undercurrents

Rongguo Mansion, East Wing.

Madam Xing, swaying her slender waist, arrived at a warm pavilion in the backyard and bowed, saying, "Master!"

Jia She kissed the delicate red woman in his arms, then asked without looking up, "What is it?"

Madam Xing said with a fawning smile, "The old lady invited Qing-ge to dinner the other day, and yesterday the second branch of the family invited him to a banquet. Shall we also...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Jia She snorted and interrupted, "The second son has always prided himself on being a scholar. How could he possibly look down on a mere warrior like him? In my opinion, he probably sensed some shift in the political climate and thought that the Emperor Emeritus and His Majesty might remember Wang Meng's good deeds and extend that affection to him, so he wanted to use this favorable wind to send him on his way."

As brothers, Jia She saw through Jia Zheng's intentions at a glance.

Madam Xing hurriedly said, "Then haven't we been beaten to it by the second branch of the family again?"

Jia She scoffed, "The second son has gone astray. Our family isn't like those poor folks who insist on studying diligently by the light of fireflies in the snow, striving for academic success to finally hold their heads high. Now he's going to fawn over some greenhorn? Doesn't he feel ashamed?"

Madam Xing asked, puzzled, "Didn't Master just recently sing Qing'er's praises, saying he was meritorious in preventing thieves and was a promising talent?"

Although Jia She had also planned to take advantage of the situation to make a profit, he felt that no matter what, the second branch of the family would still take more than their share.

Wang Qing's thorough cleaning of the Rongguo Mansion and his series of actions not only made Jia She feel very proud, but also indirectly prevented the second branch of the family and Jia Lian and his wife from playing the victim with Grandmother Jia, lining their own pockets, and embezzling money from the government.

Otherwise, Madam Xing might not have bothered to ask such a question.

Upon hearing this, Jia She's lips twitched involuntarily. He glared at her irritably and said, "Since ancient times, there has been an order of seniority. Instead of coming to me first, he went to drink with the second brother. Since he doesn't know what's good for him, don't blame me for making him look bad!"

"Master!" Madam Xing hurriedly advised, "Lian'er and Wenlong both got into trouble the other day, what if the old lady blames us..."

"What's there to be afraid of? The higher you climb, the harder you fall! Others are bullish, I'm bearish, I'll just do things differently."

Jia She blew on his mustache, confidently saying, "That brat has been ruthless, leaving no stone unturned, not even sparing the manor or the Xue family. He's only keeping quiet because we've done a good job guarding against thieves. With just a little trickery, I can not only bring him to ruin, but also leave Second Brother with nothing!"

Fearing trouble would escalate and that Grandmother Jia would blame herself, Madam Xing quickly advised, "This won't do us any good, so why is Master doing this?"

"How can there be no benefit?"

Jia She paused, then said indignantly, "Back then, it was because the second son followed the crowd and stirred up trouble, blindly echoing what others said, that he ended up losing more than he gained. He still hasn't learned his lesson! I'm doing this for the sake of the whole family, to prevent him from making the same mistake again!"

Seeing that he was taking it so seriously, Madam Xing dared not try to persuade him any further.

Jia She then asked, "How are the preparations going regarding the matter I asked you to instruct Qin Fu on?"

Madam Xing quickly took credit, saying, "I gave the order long ago. I even prepared a ladder so Qin Fu could climb over the wall and run a few steps. I also prepared a soft cushion to put in the alley so he could jump down..."

She paused, then hesitated, "But the thief hasn't come yet, has he?"

"Well done!"

Jia She nodded slightly, praised him, and said with a shake of his head, "Since we can't wait for the thief to come, we can only force him to do it. The thief has always been heading towards the second brother's side, it's about time it was our turn."

At this point, he paused for a moment, then continued, "However, those thieves always travel in groups of three or five. Qin Fu alone is inevitably less formidable. Call Wang Shanbao over, and have him find one or two trustworthy men. Tell them that once the matter is resolved, the master will reward them handsomely!"

This was agreed upon beforehand, and Madam Xing dared not raise any objections, lest she offend Jia She.

Thinking that as long as the trouble was confined to his own little corner of the world, it wouldn't give anyone any ammunition against him, he quickly obeyed the order.

Jia She spoke eloquently, but in reality, he wanted to cause trouble for Jia Zheng.

One's own failure is certainly terrible, but the success of others is even more heartbreaking.

In particular, this person was the younger brother who had received Jia Mu's favor.

Since he failed to act early and instead allowed Jia Zheng to seize the opportunity and win over Wang Qing, he might as well strike at the root of the problem.

At that time, Jia Zheng will not only be disappointed, but if he also brings up the matter of Jia Zheng's attempts to win over Wang Qing, reminding him that he once fawned over Wang Qing, it will probably be even more painful for Jia Zheng than swallowing a fly.

Thinking of this, Jia She felt completely at ease, and the thought of being able to make another fortune made him even happier.

With one arm around Cuiyun and the other around Jiaohong, he stumbled into the main room, embracing both of them.

He rummaged through the bedside table for a medicine bottle, gritted his teeth, poured out two pills, tilted his head back, and swallowed them in one gulp.

……

"Hmm! ~ Hmm..."

Sister Liu knelt on the bed, panting heavily, and stammered, "Master... I have an older brother, and I hope you can help him out..."

With one hand around Liu's neck and the other roaming over her full, firm back, Wang Qing said with a double meaning, "That depends on your skills. As long as you can get this old man to agree, everything will be fine!"

"Mmm!~ Mmm!~" Sister Liu nodded hurriedly, like a chick pecking at rice.

He didn't even bother to open his mouth, only letting out two "hmph hmph" sounds from his nose and shaking his protruding buttocks to indicate that he understood.

Although Sister Liu was a robust woman, her mouth was unusually small.

Granny Liu's suggestion that Wang Qing eat slowly was a kind gesture, and Wang Qing, always considerate of his subordinates, naturally couldn't refuse.

At dinner, they only ate a little. Although Sister Liu was a bit clumsy with words, Wang Qing didn't mind. On the contrary, he became even more fond of her little mouth.

When the night was deep and quiet, they focused on finding alternative paths so that Sister Liu could become more skilled.

After an unknown amount of time, the faint sound of gongs could be heard from afar.

Wang Qing frowned, and unconsciously straightened his back, sitting up slightly.

"Beep...beep beep beep!"

Suddenly, a series of urgent whistles were heard.

The whistle was his own creation, with one long and three short whistles, and it was also a secret code he and Nie Chong had agreed upon.

Wang Qing was startled, his face instantly darkened, and he grabbed Liu's head with both hands, pressing it down firmly.

He exhaled a heavy breath, calmed himself down a little, and then gently pushed Sister Liu, who was still swallowing, away from him.

Immediately, with a somersault, he sprang up from the bed.

Sister Liu assumed her unconscious gagging had displeased Wang Qing, so she hurriedly swallowed hard, lay prone on the bed, and said in a trembling voice, "Master...Master, I...I just have a shallow throat, it's definitely not..."

"Alright!"

Wang Qing didn't have time to explain to her. He waved his hand, interrupting Liu's words, and said, "I know about your brother's matter. If something happens outside, you should go back first!"

After saying that, he grabbed the clothes from the head of the bed, put them on, tied his belt and buttoned them up, slipped on his shoes, and stepped out of the room.

Sister Liu then realized that Wang Qing wasn't dissatisfied with her.

Previously, she had been engrossed in her work and had no time to think about anything else. Only now did she recall that she had vaguely heard a few gong sounds, which seemed to be an alarm signaling the approach of a thief.

Worried that the thief would lead people to the backyard, she dared not delay. She quickly put on her clothes, slipped out of the room, and braved the cold wind to put on her clothes in the corner before walking along the wall to the backyard gate. Under Granny Liu's cover, she seized the opportunity and blended into the crowd of onlookers.

……