The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 191 Discord (Bonus Chapter)
Tubishan Villa.

Qingwen and Ping'er, carrying food boxes, passed by Mirror Lake, causing koi to leap and creating ripples. Fresh water gushed from the cracks in the rocks, making a tinkling sound, and carrying moss fragments into the square pond.

Ping'er was still not used to eating three meals a day, but she knew the rules of the village.

The two, who usually had endless things to talk about, didn't say a word today. Ping'er had been talking to Qingwen since morning, but Qingwen ignored her. Ping'er felt guilty and was too embarrassed to bother Qingwen.

Back inside, Wang Xin was looking at a booklet.

The booklet was sent by Zijuan. It's a math booklet that Lin Daiyu recently compiled, progressing from simple to difficult and from easy to hard. It's already ready to be used as a teaching material. We'll find a suitable opportunity to release it.

When Ping'er and Qingwen came in, the two took out food from their food boxes. It was still four dishes and a soup. After they were arranged, Qingwen tidied her food box without saying a word, while Ping'er said to the inside, "Master Xin, it's ready."

Wang Xin then put down the booklet, read half of it, found no errors, and finished reading the remaining half in the afternoon.

The three people sat around a small round table, not too close together or too far apart. Sensing the tense atmosphere, Wang Xin laughed and said, "What's wrong with you two? Did you have a fight?"

"No," Ping'er quickly denied.

Qingwen remained silent.

Wang Xin laughed and said, "It's normal to have disagreements. Even the tongue and teeth sometimes fight. Don't get stuck on one thing."

Qingwen didn't know if Wang Xin was doing it on purpose. Knowing that she wasn't, she couldn't resist the provocation and said, "We didn't quarrel at all."

Qingwen finally spoke, and after she breathed a sigh of relief, Wang Xin smiled and said, "If you don't have any, then eat properly. It's a loss to starve yourself." After saying that, he started eating by himself.

Seeing Wang Xin's expression, Qingwen ate her meal in a huff.

Ping'er hesitated, like a wronged young wife, slowly and deliberately picking up her chopsticks, which only made Wang Xin and Qingwen's actions seem more rude.

Wang Xin couldn't help but glance at Ping'er, who was also looking at him pitifully.

After what happened last night, Ping'er's attitude towards Wang Xin changed again, and she became extremely dependent on him. Wang Xin couldn't stand Ping'er's gaze, so he quickly buried his head in his food and ate properly.

Qingwen sensed the silence, raised her head, and looked around suspiciously. She couldn't see anything wrong and thought she might be mistaken, but something felt off. So she could only continue eating in a huff.

The atmosphere became ambiguous and somewhat stiff.

Wang Xin began to think about his salary. His salary was more than 140 taels of silver a year. From officers to soldiers, regardless of whether the court's military pay was paid on time or in arrears, it was all made up by the public treasury.

Therefore, Qingwen and Ping'er's annual wages were twenty-four taels, which they could afford. Wang Xin let them do as they pleased, as long as there were no problems in principle. Besides, they did work diligently.

Just like when I first arrived at Hexi Camp, I did my best to improve the lives of everyone, regardless of age or physical condition, as long as I was able.

Those soldiers who meet the requirements are not only provided with improved living conditions and stable support for their families, but their military pay is also increased. As long as it is within our capabilities and does not violate our principles, we will meet their needs as soon as possible.

In the same nine years, some people learned from Liu Bei, some learned from Cao Cao, some learned from Sima Yi, some learned from Jia Xu, and some learned from Dong Zhuo.
Regardless of what others do, Wang Xin remains true to himself and will never let down the people of the world.

"This person is really something, eating a meal is like he has a deep-seated grudge." Wang Xin didn't speak, but Qingwen couldn't help but speak up again.

Wang Xin laughed and said, "If I talk while eating, you complain about me; if I don't talk while eating, you complain about me again. You have such a mouth; you've said everything."

Before Qingwen could speak, Ping'er interjected, "It's only because Master dotes on her."

Qingwen rolled her eyes, and the awkward atmosphere from before vanished. It wasn't the first time Ping'er had eaten with Wang Xin, but this time the three of them were eating together, so she was a little reserved.

After this commotion, they actually loosened up.

After finishing their meal, Wang Xin went for a walk outside the courtyard. Ping'er and Qingwen packed up the food boxes and carried them back to the main kitchen. The old women were happy to save themselves trouble and went to find places to slack off even more.

Qingwen couldn't help but move closer to Ping'er. Seeing Qingwen's attitude, Ping'er said speechlessly, "What do you want to say?"

Upon hearing Ping'er's words, Qingwen immediately asked, "What did you and Master Xin do last night?"

"Did nothing."

“I don’t believe it.” Qingwen shook her head and retorted, “Taking a bath for so long? Master Xin used to take baths very quickly. You must have done something behind my back.”

Ping'er was unwilling to mention it in the first place, even though Qingwen was still a maid, and said with a smile, "Believe it or not."

Qingwen hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but ask again, "You really didn't do anything else?"

Ping'er deliberately asked, "What do you think Xinye and I will do?"

Qingwen had no idea and couldn't figure it out.

Seeing that Qingwen couldn't speak, Ping'er couldn't help but laugh.

When Jia Zheng returned from the Wang family, he was followed by another person. Wang Ren was brought back from outside by someone sent by Prince Teng. He was also very shocked to learn that the Emperor Emeritus wanted to see Wang Xin.

The retired emperor had lived in the deep palace for a long time, and many people no longer knew what he looked like. Some astute people speculated that the retired emperor was very old, which was why many people secretly supported the current emperor.

And so it is true. The retired emperor cannot be changed. The longer he stays in the deep palace and does not come out, the more it shows that he is indeed very old. Seeing him makes people more uneasy. So he simply hides in the palace and remotely controls the court through Zhou Daofeng and others.

Speculation is just speculation. Even if most people believe it to be true, it is still speculation. In reality, the fact is that the retired emperor has now regained power, and the fact that Wang Xin was summoned by the retired emperor, such a slim chance, only shows how important Wang Xin is in the retired emperor's heart.

"This person is truly remarkable," Wang Ren remarked.

Jia Zheng was sitting in a sedan chair while Wang Ren was riding a horse. Hearing Wang Ren's remark, Jia Zheng in the sedan chair also said, "It's not surprising that someone with such great abilities could attract the attention of the Emperor Emeritus."

Although Wang Ren was young, he had been in the capital for a long time and knew some things about the retired emperor, including the fact that Luo Ming had also been promoted by the retired emperor from a lower position.

The retired emperor liked to promote talented young people, especially those from humble backgrounds.

Unfortunately, even retired emperors can make mistakes. For example, Luo Ming eventually defected to the emperor, and Prince Teng also did things behind the retired emperor's back. There was no other reason than that the retired emperor was too old.

Thinking of his own family, Wang Ren's attitude changed slightly.

"Will Wang Xin obey?"

"Hard to say."

Facing the younger Wang Ren, Jia Zheng was indifferent, but upon hearing Jia Zheng's reply, Wang Ren felt uneasy, realizing he would have to be careful.

Upon arriving at the mansion, Jia Zheng led Wang Ren to the study, while sending his steward to invite him in.

Just then, Wang Xin was walking around in the courtyard when Zhou Rui came to invite him, so he followed Zhou Rui to the study.

There were snacks and tea in the study. In the north, people eat two meals a day. Wealthy families don't eat lunch, but they will have some snacks to fill their stomachs. Since everyone was a relative, Jia Zheng invited Wang Xin to sit down, and they all ate together.

While eating snacks and sipping tea, Wang Ren secretly glanced at Wang Xin.

It turns out that this officer, whom we haven't seen for a long time, has become increasingly important, his status rising rapidly. If things go smoothly today, the Wang family will soon step in to arrange the marriage with the Xue family.

Jia Zheng carefully explained to Wang Xin that it was not his intention: "Wang Ziteng is in the capital and originally wanted to invite you over, but he learned that the Emperor Emeritus could summon you at any time, and it would be inconvenient for you to leave, so he asked me to convey his message and sent Wang Ren instead."

When Wang Xin saw Wang Ren present, he vaguely guessed that it was about Wang Ziteng.

After Jia Zheng explained in detail, including Wang Ziteng's idea, Wang Xin was speechless at Wang Ziteng's idea, as he actually wanted to take the opportunity to return to Datong.

Wang Ren could see Jia Zheng's attitude; it seemed like he was just going through the motions. So he had to step in himself and asked with a smile, "Brother Wang, do you have any doubts?"

Wang Xin shook his head and said, "The Emperor Emeritus wants to see me, but I don't know what it's about."

"I see," Jia Zheng and Wang Ren breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't an open refusal, everything else was negotiable.

Wang Xin hesitated for a moment, but then said directly, "If Your Highness wishes to return to Datong, this matter will probably not be easy."

Jia Zheng was speechless. Sure enough, you can't write two "king" characters in one stroke; they're both so domineering.

Wang Ren was stunned, not expecting Wang Xin to be so direct and leave no room for negotiation. He quickly asked, "Why is that?"

“My conflict with Feng Yong was intense in Datong. Some people in the court already had a bad opinion of me, thinking that I was arrogant and domineering. They thought that a guerrilla general dared to go against the military governor, and that I would be unbearable in the future. So they thought they should suppress me.”

Wang Xin did not make up an excuse, but said truthfully: "If you return to Datong, and I join you, even if this matter is accomplished, Datong will be more feared, causing more things that could have been accomplished to become impossible."

Whether in Yangzhou, the Beijing Garrison, or Yanmen Pass.

He was not assertive in his actions, but he always kept the direction of things in his own hands, including the development of Yangzhong Island, the development of Hexi Market, and even the agreement between Yanmen Pass and Daizhou.

You must take the lead in the things you are in charge of, because you don't trust others.

Moreover, among the four great families, Wang Ziteng's clear failure was different from Lin Ruhai's. Lin Ruhai died during the rising period of the four families, which was not due to human error.

Another crucial point is Wang Ziteng's personality.

I've been working with Lin Ruhai, and Lin Ruhai has given me a lot of authority. As for Wang Ziteng, from what I know of him to his current demands, he is indeed very assertive. If I work with him at Datong, I'm afraid he won't tolerate me having any ideas.

For both public and private reasons, Wang Xin did not think that Wang Ziteng was suitable to return to Datong.

When I'm in the provinces, Wang Ziteng is in the capital; when I'm in the capital, he's in the provinces. This is the best way for the two to cooperate—they complement each other. Now that Wang Ziteng has failed, how can he possibly rebuild himself on my back?

On his way here, Wang Ren had guessed that Wang Xin would hesitate, but he didn't expect Wang Xin to refuse so directly. He didn't know how to respond and just stood there stunned.

Jia Zheng was also somewhat taken aback.

The atmosphere in the room immediately became serious.

(End of this chapter)