Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 465 Lust is my coat

Prince Beijing Shui Rong had never been a guest at the Prince Qin's Palace.

He was relatively young and had no experience in fighting on the battlefield, so he did not have much interaction with Emperor Longyou when he was still a prince.

Moreover, in terms of both civil and military talents, he was more inclined to be pretentious rather than wielding swords and sticks.

Today, as he stepped over the threshold of Duke Dingguo's Mansion and walked across the covered bridge, he was quite impressed by the colorful paintings on the columns everywhere and could not help but slow down his pace.

Thinking that this mansion was worthy of being the Palace of the Prince of Qin, Shui Rong was also a little envious of Yue Ling, who, as an external official, could have such favor and was granted a royal mansion.

Even he, as the only iron-hat prince among the four kings and eight dukes, and the Beijing Prince's Palace, which inherited the title for generations, did not dare to dream of such an honor.

"Your Majesty, please come in. My master is in the main hall. I will take my leave now."

After opening the door for Shui Rong, Jia Yun tactfully left.

When Shui Rong lifted his robe and stepped into the hall, when he raised his eyes again, the smile on his face, which had been warm and gentle, froze, and he seemed dazed for a moment.

The first thing you see is a tiger-skin chair in the center of the lobby. Yue Ling is sitting astride it, surrounded by more than a dozen young girls.

Rubbing shoulders, pressing heads, beating legs, making tea, feeding fruit, each girl had her own duties. There was also a little girl with the most outstanding appearance, who looked less than 28 years old. She was holding the account and seemed to be calculating something with Yue Ling.

Shui Rong couldn't help but twitch his lips. He was still thinking about Chai Pu's reminder to be careful with Yue Ling, but it turned out that the Duke Dingguo's Mansion was just as filthy as the rumors said.

No, it's even worse!

If not for the fact that many of the girls were dressed neatly, Shui Rong would have thought that Yue Ling had just walked out of a night of feasting and drinking.

Thinking of this, Shui Rong frowned slightly and realized that something was wrong.

If Yue Ling was really as unrestrained as the rumors said, his body movements should have no rules. Even if he didn't put his hands in the women's arms, he should have placed them on their bodies instead of letting them hang naturally like they do now.

Perhaps this scene before his eyes was intentionally presented to him by Yue Ling, with the purpose of making him misjudge Yue Ling.

But if that’s the case, does that mean Yue Ling already regards him as an enemy?

For a moment, Shui Rong's mind was filled with thousands of thoughts, and he thought they were a bit confusing. He simply shook his head, temporarily putting aside the distracting thoughts in his mind, bowed first, and said, "Duke Dingguo is indeed a refined person."

Upon hearing this, Yue Ling opened his eyes slightly.

Being surrounded by a group of beautiful women and filled with the scent of rouge and powder, Yue Ling found it difficult to adapt for a while.

But in order to maintain his persona, he tried his best to disguise himself.

Looking down, Shui Rong was wearing casual clothes. Although his clothes could not be called luxurious, the white jade ring around his waist and the dragon-patterned jade pendant hanging from his waist showed his noble status.

Especially Shui Rong's elegant and noble temperament could not be faked.

With red lips and white teeth, in Yue Ling's eyes, he looks like Jia Baoyu, a man with achievements, abilities, and a noble bearing. No wonder the two of them share similar interests in the original novel.

"Your Majesty, you have condescended to come to my humble residence. I am sorry for not welcoming you in person. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Yue Ling also clasped his fists in return, then spread his arms and was caught by the girls again.

Shui Rong smiled awkwardly, "Duke Dingguo, you are joking. Although I am a prince, I am still far from being as good as Duke Dingguo. As early as when Duke Dingguo was conferred the title, I wanted to pay him a visit, but at that time I heard that Duke Dingguo did not see outsiders, so I didn't dare to disturb him. I was also afraid of causing gossip and causing trouble for Duke Dingguo."

Yue Ling waved his hand and said calmly: "Your Majesty, please don't be polite. Please take a seat."

Shui Rong forced a smile as he walked over to face Yue Ling. Even though he covered his mouth and nose with his sleeves, the strong smell of watercolor made him cough uncontrollably.

Yue Ling asked in surprise: "Is the prince feeling unwell?"

Yue Ling frowned and said to the little girl behind him: "How can you be so blind? The prince is not feeling well, why don't you serve him tea quickly?"

The girls said yes sweetly, but when they tried to get closer, the strong smell on their bodies made Shui Rong's face look even uglier, and he quickly declined, "No, no, I'll do as I please. Let them serve Duke Dingguo."

Yue Ling smiled and said, "Your Highness, please forgive me for making fun of you. You know I am a rough man, and I come from the military. There is nothing interesting in the military camp, so my hobbies are just like ordinary people."

As he spoke, Yue Ling added body movements. He raised his hand and touched the chin of Rui Guan in front of him, turning her face towards himself.

Rui Guan gently patted Yue Ling's wrist, and said shyly, "Master, there are guests here, why are you teasing me like this?"

Yue Ling was slightly stunned, thinking that this little girl was truly self-taught and could act out the charm and affectation of a prostitute so vividly. If Shui Rong were to say that Yue Ling was in a brothel at the moment, he would not doubt it.

Yue Ling would not be surprised if Qin Keqing could act so delicate and artificial. After all, she studied this art and wrote articles every day. But even this little girl was like this.

And after Rui Guan reluctantly accepted the offer, the other girls around came forward and took the initiative to seek pleasure, completely ignoring Shui Rong who was standing aside.

The constant chattering made Shui Rong, who was always pursuing elegance, even more so, with goose bumps all over her body, and she didn't know what to do.

After a light cough, Shui Rong finally stated his purpose and said, "Duke Dingguo, I came here today to ask for advice on something. I hope you can lend me some time to talk."

"hold head high……"

Yue Ling nodded repeatedly, as if he had suddenly realized something, and sent away all the girls from the small opera troupe, leaving only Xue Baoqin standing behind him, making tea with her bare hands in front of the hall.

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Your Majesty. I've revealed my true feelings for a moment."

Shui Rong shook his head awkwardly, "No, no, I still admire Duke Dingguo's true nature. It was I who rashly interrupted him today and ruined Duke Dingguo's mood. I should apologize."

As he spoke, Shui Rong took off a string of wagtail scented beads from his wrist, placed them on the table, and pushed them in front of Yue Ling.

"This is an offering from a foreign country. It is made of rare materials and has a unique fragrance. I like it the most and am giving it to Duke Dingguo today."

As he spoke, Shui Rong was still coughing. He raised his hand as if to pour tea, but then paused and withdrew his arm.

"Strange fragrance?" Yue Ling pondered for a moment, thinking that the Prince of Beijing had never smelled any good fragrance before.

The thing that is most lacking in his mansion is incense.

The sweet, dry and refreshing fragrance of Lin Daiyu is refreshing and sleep-inducing.

The medicinal fragrance of the Lengxiang Pills on Xue Baochai's body was mixed with the scent of various flower petals, making it even stronger and lingering for a long time.

The others, such as Qin Keqing, Xiangling, and Xueyan, all have their own fragrance. How good can the fragrance of a bead be?

Noticing Shui Rong's little move, Yue Ling did not take it and asked instead: "How many years older is the prince than me? Can we call each other brothers?"

Shui Rong heaved a sigh of relief, his brows raised with a hint of joy, "How could I refuse your kindness? I am ashamed to say that I am a few years older than you, but I still have something to ask you."

"Brother, just say whatever you want."

Shui Rong nodded slightly, and then said: "I wonder if you have heard, my dear brother, that right now, at the foot of the imperial city, a group of students are causing trouble, and they have even brought out the image of the sage in the Confucian Temple, making it quite difficult for the imperial guards to move. They cannot do anything about it."

"Especially these days, the noise has not subsided, but has become more and more intense. I can't help but worry about you." "I know you care about the world, but I'm afraid such a huge fight cannot be ignored, and it will be detrimental to your reform."

Yue Ling nodded very sincerely, "Brother, what you said is very true. To be honest, I just closed my eyes and rested my mind to think of a countermeasure."

Shui Rong leaned forward involuntarily and asked, "Is there any solution?"

Yue Ling shook his head and sighed, "The statue of the sage is their amulet. Even if it is Your Majesty, it is not good to fight against them. What can I do now?"

Shui Rong also sighed, "Yes, it's really hard to handle, but if it goes on like this, I'm afraid it will become more and more unmanageable."

Yue Ling nodded and pondered, then remained silent as if in deep thought.

Xue Baoqin slowly walked around Yue Ling from behind, then lifted Yue Ling's wrist and put Yue Ling's hand into her arms through the lapel of her clothes.

Yue Ling's pupils shrank slightly, and he instinctively wanted to break free, but with Shui Rong in front of him, he couldn't do anything as he had to continue to maintain his character.

After just blinking, Yue Ling frowned and asked, "What's this for?"

Xue Baoqin smiled and said, "When the master is thinking, doesn't he need a girl to accompany him? Now there is no one else in the room, so I have to help the master. Unfortunately, my body is not fully grown yet. If I make the master uncomfortable, I hope the master can bear it..."

Xue Baoqin spoke in a delicate voice, as if it were really true, which further strengthened Yue Ling's romantic personality.

Shui Rong didn't even bother to look at it and turned his head away.

"My dear brother, you really have a refined taste. No wonder you always have unrealistic wishes. It turns out you have unrealistic hobbies."

Yue Ling just smiled and had no way to refute, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, brother."

The warmth in my hands is not fake, especially the feeling is even lighter than kneading dough. Although it is very immature, it is a wonderful thing to play with it.

Yue Ling openly obeyed Xue Baoqin's arrangement, but Xue Baoqin's face turned red. She didn't expect Yue Ling to really act out the fake play, but she could only force herself not to make any embarrassing sounds.

"Brother, you should be quite famous in the literary world. You often hold literary and poetry gatherings. If you can invite some great scholars to support me, wouldn't that win the trust of the students?"

Yue Ling asked tentatively.

Shui Rong smiled helplessly, thinking Yue Ling was really naive, but he still politely refused in person: "I have connections with those great Confucian scholars, but people with great knowledge are not bound by fame and fortune. Moreover, the new school that you are advocating now is denounced as a foreign school by Confucian scholars. How can they stand up and preach for you against their conscience?"

"I think if you can convince them, there might be a chance. If you lure them with friendship and benefits, I will be helpless."

Yue Ling sighed a few times, "Brother, you are right. I was not thoughtful enough. However, no one has come to my house to make trouble. Your Majesty should have his own way to deal with it. As your subjects, we only need to take care of what your Majesty tells us to do."

"As the saying goes, one should do his job well in his politics."

The two looked at each other and smiled with relief.

"My dear brother, you are indeed a carefree person. I am sorry for disturbing you today. I should learn from your state of mind, and then many problems can be easily solved."

Seeing Shui Rong was about to leave, Yue Ling hurriedly tried to persuade him to stay, saying, "Brother, it's rare for you to be my guest, so how can I not let this foolish brother be the host? Would you please stay and have dinner?"

Seeing Yue Ling's hands still caressing the little girl's body, Shui Rong rolled his eyes countless times in his heart, and declined again: "No, I won't bother you any more, goodbye."

"Okay, take care, brother. I won't see you off."

Shui Rong waved his hand and strode out of the main hall.

"My Lord, how long are you going to keep kneading?"

Xue Baoqin's face flushed red with embarrassment, even brighter than the flowers outside the window.

Yue Ling suddenly pulled his hand back, scratched his head, and smiled awkwardly: "Sorry, I was too immersed in the role."

Xue Baoqin clenched her collar and shook her head silently, too embarrassed to speak out any more.

But he secretly thought in his heart: "The Marquis is willing to get close to us with just half-hearted push, so why has my sister made no progress over the years? What is she doing?"

"If I continue to pretend to be a rich girl, I'm afraid she will have to call me sister from now on."

"This sister is really useless and annoying."

……

In front of the Dingguo Mansion,

Shui Rong quickly boarded the carriage, no longer having the slightest attachment to Duke Dingguo's Mansion. He didn't even have the heart to appreciate the colorful paintings that were completely different when he left the house than when he entered.

After getting on the carriage, Shui Rong did not rush to start. Instead, he took off his clothes and changed them inside the carriage, as if he could not wait a moment longer.

After changing into robes, Shui Rong threw the clothes he had changed into to the butler beside him.

"Just burn these, don't leave this bad smell in the car."

Then, he asked the servant beside him to light sandalwood and clean his nose.

"Your Majesty, what are you..."

Shui Rong's originally warm face showed a slightly ferocious look, "This Yue Ling is even more lustful than the rumors say. He is simply a demon of lust. A person with such a nature can actually accomplish great things. If the enemy army uses the beauty trap, how can he resist the temptation?"

"You still have to play with women's bodies to think about this. Bah! It's disgusting! Your Majesty can also choose such a minister to govern the country. The students should protest. It is really a treacherous minister who ruins the country!"

The wonderful performances of the little girls obviously made Shui Rong believe it, especially Xue Baoqin's exaggeration, which left a deep impression on Shui Rong.

As the curses continued, a young man's crisp greeting came from outside the sedan chair, "Student Mei Wenhe greets the Prince of Beijing County."

Shui Rong frowned slightly, opened the curtain of the sedan chair, and looked out through the window.

"Who are you?"

Meeting an important person, Mei Wenhe was also very polite, and introduced himself in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "My father is the president of the Hanlin Academy."

Shui Rong hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "So you are a descendant of the Mei family. Why are you here in front of the Duke Dingguo's mansion?"

Hearing this, Mei Wenhe's eyes sparked with anger, "Looking for the student's wife who has not yet married."

"Your unmarried wife is in the Dingguo Mansion???"

Mei Wenhe nodded, "That's right."

But hearing Shui Rong's surprised tone, Mei Wenhe couldn't help but ask, "I saw the prince just coming out of the mansion. Do you know anything about the inside story?"

Shui Rong smiled coldly and told someone to drive the car. "I don't know the inside story. You can do whatever you want."

(End of this chapter)