A stew of the Red Chamber

After finishing his breakfast, Wang Qing, accompanied by the servant who had come to announce his arrival, strode confidently and proudly to the front courtyard of the Rong Mansion.

Just then, Jia Zheng, looking dejected, stood in the center of the courtyard, while Lady Wang stood to the side with her head bowed, looking both resentful and embarrassed.

Last night, Jia Zheng got so drunk that he was completely unconscious, not only making Lady Wang happy for nothing, but also keeping her busy all night.

They had hoped that once Jia Zheng got up, he would finally be able to catch his breath a little.

Unexpectedly, he asked about Wang Qing again and learned that it was Wang Qing who had carried him back. So he hurriedly sent someone to invite him.

Fearing that Wang Qing would reveal the embarrassing incident from the previous night, Madam Wang had no choice but to follow him with trepidation.

Upon seeing Wang Qing, Jia Zheng perked up and pointed to a tall, strong horse with a glossy white coat beside the stable, laughing, "Nephew, come and see my prized steed!"

Looking at it, Wang Qing saw that the white horse was pawing the ground with its four hooves, its neck was long and its muscles were well-proportioned, and its eyes were bright and piercing.

Wang Qing took it as Jia Zheng showing off and immediately showered him with praise.

Jia Zheng was increasingly satisfied, stroking his beard and laughing, "This horse is quite spirited, my dear nephew, why don't you try riding it?"

Whether the horse understood human speech or not, it raised its neck defiantly and snorted.

These days, horses are quite valuable, and a top-quality steed is priceless.

Although Wang Qing came from a military family, such fine horses were usually kept in the homes of wealthy and powerful families as a status symbol. Wang Qing had never even seen one, let alone ridden it, so he couldn't help but feel excited at the sight of it.

He quickly stepped forward, grabbed the reins, and mounted the horse.

The horse was indeed fierce. When it saw someone riding on its back, it suddenly reared up, its front hooves pawing the ground, trying to throw Wang Qing to the ground.

Wang Qing remained calm and steady, and after several attempts, the white horse gradually exhausted its strength, puffing out hot air, wagging its tail and quieting down.

Jia Zheng, watching from the side, clapped his hands and laughed, "What do you think of this horse, my dear nephew?"

"Master Zheng's horse is naturally a fine horse!"

The ever-cunning Wang Qing, while lovingly stroking the horse beneath him, cast his gaze toward Lady Wang beside Jia Zheng.

But then I saw her clutching her chest, her lips slightly parted, unable to hide her nervousness.

Lady Wang saw that the horse was sometimes standing on its hind legs and sometimes kicking its hooves, and was unruly and difficult to tame. She couldn't help but worry that it might hurt her timely rain.

Her concern clouded her judgment, and she remained anxious and worried for a long time, following Wang Qing on horseback.

Even after Wang Qing tamed him, he was still filled with lingering fear.

Before she could even catch her breath, she saw Wang Qing's meaningful gaze. Already feeling guilty, she was immediately filled with shame and embarrassment. Without even trying to decipher the meaning in Wang Qing's eyes, she hurriedly lowered her head.

Seeing Madam Wang lower her head and look down, Wang Qing smiled even more like a fox.

The playful look I gave you just now wasn't something I did on a whim.

Last night, he noticed Madam Wang's predicament.

The saying goes, "When the enemy retreats, we advance; when the enemy is exhausted, we harass." Since Lady Wang considers this a major stain and is ashamed of it, why not take advantage of this mentality?

It might even provide some assistance when dealing with Wang Xifeng or other matters.

Jia Zheng did not notice this detail and laughed, "I have never ridden this horse before. Since I got it, it has never been so clever. A fine horse is a gift for a hero. If my nephew likes it, I will give it to him."

Wang Qing was a horse lover, so he didn't even bother to refuse. He spurred his horse forward, bowed slightly from his horse, and said, "Thank you, Uncle!"

At this point, he frowned slightly, looking troubled, and said, "It's just that my place is too small..."

Jia Zheng waved his hand dismissively and laughed, "No problem! I'll keep it here. My dear nephew, just ride it as you please!"

"Then this junior will accept without hesitation and will ride off to the yamen!"

Wang Qing leaned forward again, pulled on the reins, and spurred the horse's belly.

……

Ningguo Prefecture.

Jia Zhen stirred the meat porridge in front of him thoughtfully and waved to the servants serving him.

After the servants left, he took a sip of porridge and mumbled, "I asked you to visit Brother Duoqing when you had some free time, did you go?"

"This..." Madam You's lips twitched. "Didn't Master say we shouldn't alert them and told me to go later?"

Jia Zhen nearly choked on her words. After swallowing the porridge in his mouth, he said irritably, "I told you to keep a closer eye on them, why don't you learn your lesson? Times have changed. The old lady has invited him to stay for dinner, and the second master has invited him for drinks. Even if you go to his place frequently, people will only think that we've noticed the shift in the wind!"

"Yes, yes, yes! I understand!" Madam You quickly agreed.

Jia Zhen frowned and said, "By the way, when you have time, go to Feng'er's place again and find out what's going on between Brother Qing and Lian Er."

He seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps explaining to Madam You, saying, "I thought that the old lady didn't care about Brother Qing and that Lian Er was too busy to take care of himself, which is why she refused to act as a peacemaker for him."

A couple of days ago, he and Wenlong invited me to Jinxiangyuan for drinks. I asked them a question and realized that they seemed to have some dissatisfaction with Brother Qing, so I declined. Unexpectedly, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Not only did I escape a disaster, but they also caused a ruckus.

Logically, even if the old lady and the second master were extremely protective of their possessions, there was no reason for them not to remind Lian Er. And now that they've clearly changed their approach, why is Lian Er actually arguing with them instead?

Without hesitation, Madam You said, "Could it be that the old lady is biased? Is she deliberately keeping it from the master?"

"Of course I could think of that! But how can I possibly arrive at a conclusion by just guessing here? That's why I asked you to go and find out!"

"Understood! Understood!"

Madam You verbally agreed, but her face showed reluctance as she said, "It's not really appropriate for me, as the sister-in-law, to inquire about my two brothers-in-law... Besides, Feng'er is prone to jealousy and might become suspicious... Rong's wife has always been on good terms with her, so why not let her inquire?"

She was indeed worried about being suspected by Wang Xifeng, but not by Jia Lian, but by Wang Qing.

Last time, when I went to inquire about Wang Qing's background, Wang Xifeng made veiled accusations against me. If I go again this time, I'm afraid something will happen even if nothing else does.

However, out of good intentions, she did not tell Jia Zhen about what happened last time, so she could only use this as an excuse.

"You're only thinking of the immediate problem, not the bigger picture. Sending your wife to inquire—doesn't that make Feng'er suspicious?"

Jia Zhen glared at You Shi, thought for a moment, and then sighed, "Forget it! Let that little beast handle this matter! He and Lian Er are about the same age and get along well. If he cares about his elders, no one will suspect anything."

Lady You only wanted to shift the blame, and didn't care whether it was Qin Keqing or Jia Rong. She quickly chimed in, "What you say is absolutely right, sir. After all, he is your only son. Now that he's grown up, he should learn to share your burdens."

"Share my burdens? What a useless wretch! If he could just keep his wife happy, that would be sharing my burdens!"

Jia Zhen glared and cursed, then softened his tone and said, "Lian Er's matter has served as a reminder to us. Last time we invited Brother Qing over, he served him from the side. We don't need to hide Brother Qing's background from him. We should explain it to him properly so that he doesn't cause us any trouble."

If we can handle this matter well, it will be a way to atone for our mistakes!

As he spoke, he ordered someone to summon Jia Rong and patiently repeated the advantages and disadvantages he had analyzed for You Shi.

Jia Rong was already afraid of Jia Zhen, and he nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice.

After giving him a long and earnest lecture, Jia Zhen finally sent him away.

……