A stew of the Red Chamber

Lixiangyuan.

Aunt Xue recounted the events in the carriage to Baochai, omitting only the detail of her hand being touched.

Fang pressed her hand to her chest, revealing a glimpse of her ample bosom beneath her pale yellow bodice, and said with a resentful expression, "Qing-ge'er is so vague and won't explain himself clearly, leaving people guessing and unable to figure him out."

"Mother doesn't need to worry about this. Officials never speak directly..."

Baochai hesitated for a moment, then pursed her lips and said, "The old lady and my aunt have both spoken, and he hasn't given his word. He must apologize for this offense. Since we can't figure it out, it's better to be polite."

Aunt Xue looked puzzled: "What do you mean?"

Even if you're not short of money, who would complain about having too much?

At this point, Baochai smiled knowingly, saying, "In my opinion, it's just that they don't want to accept it openly."

"That's true!" Aunt Xue nodded in agreement, then asked, "So, how should we deliver it?"

Baochai frowned slightly and said thoughtfully, "Why don't we send Xiangling over there and buy her some clothes and jewelry while we're at it?"

"This..." Aunt Xue quickly said, "If we send Xiangling there, who knows what kind of trouble your brother will cause!"

Baochai shook her head dismissively, saying confidently, "I don't think brother would dare to make a scene! In the past, when brother suffered a loss, he would always be furious. He's never been like this, hiding at home without uttering a sound."

Seeing that Aunt Xue remained silent, Baochai continued, "Even if you lose ten thousand or eight thousand, brother might not care. Besides Xiangling, what else can teach brother a lesson? Perhaps losing Xiangling this time will help him learn a lesson in the future."

Besides, Brother Qing has mentioned time and again that my brother has a murder on his hands, and Mother is still worried about it. If he's willing to take Xiangling in, not only will he be less likely to bring it up again, but he'll also be able to cover it up if anyone mentions it in the future.

"this……"

Xue Pan's identity as a living dead has always been a source of worry for Aunt Xue.

If it weren't for the fear of the Rongguo Mansion, the Xue family would probably have swarmed in and devoured them all long ago.

Even so, the businesses outside the capital were completely divided up.

Xue Pan was extravagant, which was his nature, but the mother and daughter were well aware of their family's predicament and began to cut back on food and clothing.

But Wang Qing used the pretext of searching for thieves to clear out idle personnel...

A local official is more powerful than a distant one. Wang Qing was clearly not a kind person, and even Jia Lian had to avoid his sharp edge, so he was hastily sent away from the capital by Grandmother Jia.

If they insist on the son's status as a living dead, even if we can pay to avoid trouble, we'll probably suffer a lot.

If we can send Xiangling away, he can help cover things up in the future, and that will truly solve everything.

Seeing her mother clearly wavering, Baochai quickly added, "Anyway, there's no harm in mentioning it. Brother was also instigated by Lian Erge. If we tell him the inside story, he'll realize he's been used as a pawn, and it can shift some of the blame. Mother can also tell him that the Old Madam made Lian Erge apologize and send him away from the capital. Even if he insists on refusing, he'll know the consequences and won't provoke Qing Dage again in the future!"

"Alright! We'll do as you say!" Aunt Xue finally stopped hesitating.

The mother and daughter discussed some more details until almost midnight before finally going to bed.

……

Wang Qing's Study.

Ping'er lay on her back on the desk, staring blankly at the beams, feeling as if everything before her was a dream.

Suddenly, a series of rapid breathing startled her awake, and Ping'er unconsciously turned her head to the side.

Just then, we saw Sister Liu lying on the table, looking like a deflated balloon, utterly lifeless, like a dead fish.

Looking at the undisguised satisfaction in Sister Liu's eyes, Ping'er felt a lingering fear in her heart.

Since she was a newcomer to the Emperor's favor and not as tall and robust as Sister Liu, Wang Qing inevitably had to adapt to the situation, treating her relatively gently, while putting all his strength into kicking Sister Liu without any pity.

Although Wang Qing showed some favoritism, Ping'er and Sister Liu were happy with it.

Ping'er unconsciously thought of her own grandmother. If Jia Lian were like the eldest son... no! If he were even a fraction as vigorous and energetic as the eldest son, would her grandmother still dare to eat alone?

Thinking of this, she quickly shook her head, dismissing the inappropriate thought.

At the same time, she secretly rejoiced that she had Sister Liu's help to cover for her, otherwise... Ping'er dared not think too deeply, but unconsciously gave Sister Liu a guilty look.

Sensing the kindness in Ping'er's eyes, Sister Liu's heart was filled with conflicting emotions.

Although she originally had the same purpose, when she heard Wang Qing calling "Sister Ping'er" at the door, she still cursed him in her heart for being shameless, trying to seduce the master as soon as Jia Lian left.

But when she turned back to beg for mercy, she happened to catch a glimpse of Ping'er putting away a brocade handkerchief. She immediately thought of the arrest of Jia Lian's servants and the related rumors.

It was common practice for wealthy families to escort their concubines, so Sister Liu suddenly realized that Ping'er had been sent as an apology to appease the master.

Although he didn't understand why Ping'er was so panicked when she saw him, he figured it was probably because Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng were worried that if word got out, they would lose face.

Therefore, they did not want anyone to know.

Originally, she thought that Ping'er had stolen her thunder, but when she realized that the other party had come on orders, she was afraid that Ping'er would blame her for ruining her good thing.

However, without comparison, there is no harm. Her body had been deprived for a long time, and faced with that deeply moving and exhilarating experience, she was ultimately unable to extricate herself.

Putting aside the initial misunderstanding, even after learning that Ping'er had come on orders, she did not show any humility. Even though her legs were so weak that she could not even kneel down, she still forced herself to stand up.

Unexpectedly, Ping'er repaid evil with kindness, and Sister Liu felt both ashamed and embarrassed, mixed with a bit of being flattered.

Although Ping'er was only a concubine in name only, she still held the title.

If I were to serve the master alongside her, wouldn't I also become one of the people in the house...?

The two were exchanging glances, conveying goodwill, when suddenly they felt a chill.

But then Wang Qing burst through the door, carrying a basin of hot water in one hand.

Whether it was due to time travel or his martial arts training from a young age, he was immune to the cold and disease from childhood.

Although the hot water that Sister Liu had prepared had long since cooled down, Wang Qing used it to clean up.

Considering that the two women did not have their own bodies, he went out to boil some water.

He placed two basins of water between the two of them, grabbed a piece of brocade cloth with one hand, squeezed it hard, and instantly squeezed out the water from the cloth.

Immediately, he pressed the hand holding the brocade cloth onto the two people, and began to wipe them along the undulating curves of their bodies, one in front and one behind.

Since Sister Liu had never served in the house before, she only felt that Wang Qing was a considerate person.

Ping'er was quite apprehensive. Even Wang Xifeng and Jia Lian had never cleaned up the mess like this before. She always had to clean up after her grandmother herself.

She struggled to get up, but her limbs were too weak, and she could only blush and silently endure it.

After a long while, the two turned over, finished wiping themselves again, and were finally able to struggle to sit up.

They then grabbed their clothes and tried to patch themselves up.

Wang Qing picked up the somewhat murky basin of water and said to the two women, "It's almost dawn, so I won't escort you back, sister, to avoid being seen by anyone. After you've rested, the Liu family will take you home. Please tell your sister-in-law that I won't mention Lian Erge's matter again!"

Upon hearing this, Ping'er immediately showed gratitude: "I wouldn't dare trouble you to see me off, sir!"

She expressed goodwill towards Sister Liu not only because the other woman was sharing her burden.

Sister Liu could explain that she was dragged into this mess. Although she came under orders, she was unable to explain herself. However, Wang Qing's words saved her from the embarrassment of being misunderstood and looked down upon.

Sister-in-law Liu thought to herself, "Just as I thought."

……