klisemfg Chapter 193: Red Mansion Lady Xing 13
Chapter 193: Red Mansion Lady Xing 13
The man returned to the solemn and magnificent palace secretly under the protection of the secret guards.
Wearing a blue uniform embroidered with a seven-clawed dragon pattern, he was sitting alone in the study, leaning on a chair with his eyes closed in deep thought.
Suddenly, there was a slight noise outside the door. The man opened his eyes suddenly, with a hint of alertness in his eyes.
"Come in." His voice was calm and authoritative.
A figure in black slowly walked into the study, knelt on one knee, and reported with his head down: "Master, I have found out that the Second Prince's men have appeared in Jiangnan recently and have set their sights on the salt tax."
The man frowned slightly, thought for a moment and said, "Continue to investigate and find out their purpose. Also, send more people to protect Yang Jie's safety."
"Yes." After receiving the order, the black shadow disappeared into the study like a ghost.
The man's gaze turned into the distance again, and the figure of the woman appeared in his mind.
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Jia She returned to the study and saw that there was no one around, which made him feel puzzled.
He thought to himself that his master had privately asked him to discuss important matters here, but now the agreed time had passed and there was still no sign of him.
I always feel like something is happening, something is wrong, and I'm a little worried that something might happen in the palace.
After not staying in the study for long, he immediately rushed to the West Mansion to find Jia Jing.
Xing Yuling sat in the room, looking towards the door from time to time, secretly feeling lucky. It was already late, but Jia She hadn't shown up yet, which finally made her tense nerves relax a little.
She sighed softly and thought, "Maybe something delayed him today." Thinking of this, her mood gradually calmed down.
However, despite this, Xing Yuling felt a little guilty about him.
So Xing Yuling decided not to think about these troubles for the time being. She stood up, walked to the window, opened it, and let the fresh air flow into the room. She took a deep breath of fresh air, feeling the comfortable feeling of the breeze caressing her face, trying to free herself from the anxious mood.
The scenery outside the window came into view, a peaceful and tranquil scene. There were green trees, flourishing flowers and plants, and birds singing happily on the branches. Looking at all this, Xing Yuling's mood gradually became open.
Lichun sent the maids away and asked Xiaoxue and Xiaohan to guard the door.
When he came in and saw his lady standing by the window enjoying the breeze, he calmly took the cloak from the screen and gently covered her with it.
"Ma'am, it's windy outside, be careful not to catch a cold."
"Lichun, I don't know the identity of that person, but looking at his jade pendant, I know that this person is definitely not a simple person." Xing Yuling said solemnly.
"Madam, let's just pretend this never happened and don't mention it again." Lichun knew very well that the dragon-shaped jade pendant belonged to someone in the royal family.
Xing Yuling leaned against the window sill silently.
Time passed quickly, and it was already mid-month. The Jia family began to get busy again, preparing to entertain guests from all sides, and invited a famous opera troupe to add to the joyful atmosphere of the banquet.
Old Madam Jia loves lively occasions, and she invites relatives and friends every now and then to keep in touch with them.
The palace was decorated with lights and there was a bustling scene. The chefs were preparing various delicacies, the servants were busy shuttling between the halls, and Mrs. Wang made sure everything was arranged in an orderly manner.
Guests arrived one after another, dressed in gorgeous clothes, chatting and laughing. Everyone sat together, tasting the sumptuous dishes and exchanging news and interesting stories.
As melodious music sounded, the troupe came onto the stage.
Mrs. Wang looked at the gift list with her eyes narrowed in excitement. She saw a very good white jade Guanyin statue that was as long as an arm. After she took a fancy to it, she secretly asked Zhou Duan's wife to send it back to her residence and hide it.
There were also quite a few antique ornaments and calligraphy and paintings that were sent to him, and he cut corners and kept a few of them for himself.
The complete set of headwear sent by Prince Beijing was worth a fortune. Mrs. Wang did not dare to keep it all for herself and secretly felt sorry for it.
However, looking at the pearl headdress sent by Prince Xining, he planned to leave it to Yuanchun as a dowry.
When Mrs. Wang saw the shabby things sent by the Xing family, the eldest wife's family, she felt no emotion at all, and even felt a little contempt.
The ignorant Mrs. Wang had no idea that these were antiques of great value and that Mr. Xing had specially selected them from his own collection after a long time and gave them away with great reluctance.
The men's section was bustling with people! Jia Jing and Jia She were busy entertaining the guests. Jia Zheng stood aside, watching his elder brother chatting and laughing with the extremely respected Prince Beijing. He was secretly annoyed, wondering why he didn't have such an opportunity to communicate with such a powerful person.
Not only that, but his cousin, Shi Nai, the Marquis of Baoling, also had a great time talking to his elder brother, as if they had endless topics to talk about. All this made Jia Zheng feel envious and jealous. He couldn't help but sigh secretly, feeling that his position in the family seemed to always be inferior to that of his elder brother. At this moment, his mood became increasingly heavy.
There was the same laughter and joy at the women's table as in the front yard. The women were all flattering Old Madam Jia. Her two daughters-in-law were serving her meal on the side. She was talking happily to her good friend, Princess Nan'an.
"Your granddaughter is really dignified and beautiful, graceful and elegant, with a transparent temperament."
Princess Nan'an took Yuanchun's hand with a smile on her face, gently took off the blood jade bracelet on her wrist, and put the bracelet on Yuanchun's hand.
This blood jade bracelet exudes a faint glow, and a touch of bright blood color is revealed in the crystal clear jade, just like the sunset glow in the sky. While helping Yuanchun put on the bracelet, the princess said to Mrs. Jia: "Yuanchun, when you have time, go out for a walk and come to talk to me more often."
Yuanchun burst into tears of gratitude. She knew the value and significance of the bracelet. She said with a trembling voice: "Thank you for your kindness, Princess. I really feel unworthy of such a generous gift."
The princess gently patted Yuanchun's soft little hand, a faint smile appeared on her face, and she said softly: "It's really rare that I can meet such a lovely child. This bracelet can be regarded as my heartfelt gift to you."
Mrs. Wang stood behind her mother-in-law and winked at her daughter anxiously.
Old Madam Jia smiled and nodded slightly to Yuanchun, indicating that she should accept the gift. Then she turned to look at Princess Nan'an, her eyes full of gratitude: "Princess, you are so polite. We are flattered by such a generous gift!" As she spoke, she gently patted Princess Nan'an's hand, indicating that she cherished this friendship very much.
Yuanchun also smiled and nodded, carefully took the gift, lowered her head to look at it carefully, and secretly sighed at the exquisiteness and preciousness of this gift.
Mrs. Wang was very proud of Yuanchun's favor and showed disdain to Xing Yuling beside her. She secretly competed with her daughter and thought that her daughter was the best.
The whole scene was filled with a harmonious atmosphere. At this moment, a little maid ran over in a hurry and whispered something in Mrs. Wang's ear.
Mrs. Wang's face suddenly changed, and she hurriedly stood up to say goodbye. It turned out that Baoyu accidentally fell into the pond while playing in the garden. Everyone was shocked to hear the news. Mrs. Jia hurriedly asked someone to call a doctor and sent someone to take care of Baoyu. A good banquet was disrupted by a sudden accident.