Detective in the Red Chamber

When there was no one around, Wang Xifeng made another show, and Ping'er immediately stepped forward to close the door, came back and asked in a low voice, "Grandma, do you have something private that you want me to do?"

"It's not really a big deal."

Wang Xifeng sighed, and said helplessly, "The old man let out the wind at noon, saying that in a few days he would ask the old ancestor for a mandarin duck to be his concubine—but I always knew that he was an arrogant master, so I'm afraid he might not agree to it." According to this matter, there will be another disturbance when the commotion arises."

Ping'er and Yuanyang are the best friends, and she once heard that Jia She belittled pigs and dogs as inferior, so when she heard this, she suddenly became nervous and asked, "What does grandma mean?"

Wang Xifeng lowered her voice and said, "You go and tell Yuanyang that if she is willing, she can pay it back. If she is not willing, then quickly find a suitable master, find an old lady and ask for a favor and get married—otherwise, wait until the elder master clarifies this matter." , it won't be so easy for her to get away again."

If it was the maidservant next to her, it might be difficult to ask the master to marry her, but the mandarin duck is the most favored by the old lady, and I am afraid that she is closer than Yingchun and Tanchun's two granddaughters.

Therefore, as long as Yuanyang makes up his mind, it is not difficult to ask Jia Mu to marry him.

But when Ping'er heard that it was so reasonable, he hurriedly prepared to report to Yuanyang.

"return."

But Wang Xifeng stopped her again, and ordered, "Take one of the silk gauze that your mother rewarded you two days ago, and take it with you."

Ping'er is a bit puzzled now, the crocodile gauze is a tribute from the South China Sea, also known as dragon gauze, the most precious, one piece costs hundreds of taels of silver.

If Concubine Xiande hadn't rewarded a few horses in the past two days, even a family like Rongguo Mansion might not have been able to get them.

But since it was awarded by Concubine Xiande, the old lady is naturally the first one, so there is absolutely no reason to give it to her again.

But if you say it's for the mandarin ducks...

How can a mere maidservant afford this precious thing of a hundred taels of silver?

"It's not for mandarin duck appreciation."

Wang Xifeng saw Ping'er's hesitation, so he frowned and said, "Laiwang has been going south for more than half a month, but he hasn't even heard a word of trouble. It just so happens that Brother Bao is going to have a banquet with Sun Erlang, so you brought the silk gauze over there , just say that he was asked to bring it to the second girl, and by the way, I can also ask about the situation in the south."

"This……"

Although Ping'er was very eager to meet Sun Shaozong, but Jia Lian made a lot of nonsense with jealousy and jealousy several times. As his nominal housemate, how could he blatantly associate with Sun Shaozong?

"What are you afraid of?!"

Seeing Ping'er showing hesitation, Wang Xifeng immediately straightened her delicate body, regardless of the trembling in the robe, she raised her eyebrows and scolded, "If he still dares to mess around, I'll live in the ancestral hall and see him come." How can I tell my ancestors when the time comes!"

Seeing that she was annoyed, Ping'er didn't dare to say anything more, so he hurriedly took a piece of silk gauze from the private storehouse, let the little maid help hold it outside, and hurried out of the courtyard.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he went out, he bumped into Jia Lian head-on.

Just as Ping'er was about to bow his luggage, Jia Lian's face sank first, and he scolded angrily, "Where do you want to fool around this late at night?"

Since the last time Ping'er sang against him in front of everyone, Jia Lian's attitude towards Ping'er has plummeted.

"Back to the second master's words."

Ping'er calmly pointed at the back, and said, "It's the second mistress who asked the servants to send some things to the old lady."

Where did Jia Lian know about "shrimp gauze"?

Seeing that the little maid was holding a piece of silk, she didn't pay much attention to it, she just sneered and said, "You are really attentive, now I am afraid that there is only the second grandma in your eyes, and there is no second master like me? Forget it, wait for someday If someone stepped on you, don't blame the second master for not thinking about the old love!"

Saying that, he flicked his sleeves, and went to the outer study without entering the door.

Watching Jia Lian drift away, Ping'er pondered for a while in silence, thinking to himself that what he said seemed to mean something, could it be some maid in the courtyard who climbed Gao Zhi'er silently?

The reason why she suspects is that there are maids "stealing" inside, not that Jia Lian wants to "introduce" some newcomers from the outside, because if the aunt is hired from the outside, it is of course more expensive than the common maid, and there is no need to "step on" at all. Below' four words.

Since these four words are used, it is obvious that the person Jia Lian refers to is not as good as Ping'er in his original identity.

Having figured out this verse, Ping'er intends to go back and report, but is afraid of delaying the meeting with Sun Shaozong.

So after a little hesitation, he put the matter to the bottom of his heart for the time being, picked up the lantern and hurried to the old lady's place.

But when it came to the old lady's courtyard, Ping'er entrusted someone to call out Yuanyang, relayed what Wang Xifeng said one by one, and said with concern, "This matter must not be delayed. You have to make up your mind quickly about where to go."

"What else is there to make up your mind about?!"

After hearing the news, Yuanyang was so annoyed that her lower lip was swollen. At this moment, she said resolutely, "Even if I twist my hair and become a sister-in-law, I will definitely not be his aunt!"

"It's already this time, what's the use of being ruthless?"

Ping'er shoved her, and said angrily, "Hurry up and think about which one you like, and ask for the grace of the ancestors as soon as possible, that's the right thing to do!"

Speaking of "Zhongyi" and "Grace", Yuanyang's face suddenly showed some blush, holding a handkerchief Qi Qiai Ai, no longer the crisp look in the past.

After a long while, I saw her put a name on her lips.

But Ping'er was the first to say, "This is not possible! Don't forget that he was taught by the second master just now, and now he is the ancestor, so I'm afraid it's not easy to put women in his room!"

It turned out that the person who was held in the mouth by the mandarin duck and almost revealed it was Jia Baoyu, the popular lover in the Rongguo Mansion.

It's just that after being denied by Ping'er, how can Yuanyang agree to admit it?

He hurriedly stamped his feet and said coquettishly, "What nonsense are you talking about, Second Master Bao is three years younger than me, how could I think of him?!"

That's what she said, but when she thought that what Ping'er said was not unreasonable, she couldn't help showing a bit of disappointment on her face.

He remained silent for a while, then suddenly shook his head and said, "It's not that I'm pretending to be noble, but I can't find anyone who can catch my eye all over the house."

In the past, Ping'er might not have agreed with her statement, but if Sun Shaozong was used as the criterion, this statement was not false at all.

"Then pick outside!"

Ping'er urged without hesitation, "Choose a poor scholar with good character and good knowledge, and be a scholar lady first. With the dowry you have accumulated over the years, you may not be able to confess a master in a few years!"

After a pause, she continued, "But you have to choose someone with a strong bone. The old master's disregarding temperament may not give up just because you are married, and maybe you will come to the door to threaten and lure you."

"You said it lightly."

After hearing this, Yuanyang couldn't help but smiled wryly and said, "We sit and watch the sky in this deep house all day long, where can we find a scholar with good knowledge, good character, and hard bones? Besides, if there is such a person, I'm afraid it has already been settled. People, how could it be my turn!"

Ping'er thought about the same reasoning, if it wasn't for what he had been hearing and seeing all day, it was all crooked melons and dates in this mansion, how could the maids treat Jia Baoyu like a heavenly man?

So I didn't know what to do for a while.

The two looked at each other in silence for a while, Ping'er looked back thoughtfully, his eyes swept over the silk gauze held by the maid, and suddenly said happily, "Yes, I have a way here, I will let you find it Ruyi Langjun!"

As she spoke, she leaned into Yuanyang's ear and whispered a few words...

The words are divided into two parts.

Just when Ping'er and Yuanyang were whispering.

In the study outside, Jia Lian was drinking wine alone, and just when he was three points drunk, the silver pot on the table was already empty.

"Zhaoer? Zhaoer!"

Jia Lian yelled twice, but he didn't see Zhao'er, his close servant, coming in. He became annoyed suddenly, thinking to himself that these slaves are getting more and more outrageous. In the past, Xing'er was tortured but reported on himself, but now Zhao'er just The superior, actually slacked off!

"A blind dog!"

He was cursing, and was about to go out and yell loudly. He called Zhao'er back to scold him, when he saw a person come in from the outside with the opening of the door curtain, and said with a smile on his face, "Second Uncle, don't blame him, I coaxed him to go somewhere else." .”

As he said that, he put two small wine jars on the table, patted one of them exaggeratedly and said, "The authentic tribute wine was just rewarded to me by my godfather a while ago, but what position am I, how can I Are you able to enjoy such precious items? After thinking about it, it is better to send it to your second uncle, it is not considered a waste of things!"

Jia Lian heard what he said, so he pointed out his finger and laughed and scolded, "You really know how to do things, no wonder everyone in the kitchen praises you."

Immediately, he straightened his spine again, and said seriously, "Tell me, what do you want Second Uncle to do for you if you are so willing to pay?"

"Second uncle is right!"

Jia Yun raised her eyebrows and said angrily, "It seems that my little nephew has something on his mind!"

As he spoke, he gritted his teeth, and sat across from him unceremoniously, and said with a gloomy expression, "To tell you the truth, my second uncle, my nephew really feels the same way as you, that's why I want to get closer to my second uncle."

"Empathy? What empathy?"

Jia Lian was a little puzzled.

But seeing Jia Yun tugging the empty sleeve again, she said through gritted teeth, "Second uncle, think about it, if it wasn't for that Sun who accidentally injured Jia Qin's arm, how could I have let this happen for nothing? Now even the woman I like is rushing to commit herself to others!"

Jia Yun's pursuit of Xiaohong was done in secret, and after Xiaohong hooked up with Jia Lian, she naturally wouldn't reveal the matter.

Therefore, Jia Lian didn't have any doubts at all, and immediately scolded in unison, "Isn't it! There were no such bad things in our house earlier, it was all instigated by that surnamed Sun..."

"That's right, that person surnamed Sun is really not a thing!"

Jia Yun agreed with her mouth, and slapped the tribute wine away, and gave Jia Lian a full bottle, but he drank another jar...

Chapter 419 The Rongguo Mansion under the Night 【Part [-]】

In the Grand View Garden, beside the peach blossom forest.

More than a dozen red candles, as thick as an arm, reflected the gazebo like daytime. Sun Shaozong and Jia Baoyu sat facing each other in the gazebo, and on the stone table in front of them were more than a dozen kinds of dipping sauces with different flavors.

And on the edge of the stone table, in two oval dinner plates half a meter long, there were dozens of full-bearded and full-tailed shrimps lying quietly, but stripped of their armor.

Steamed, fried, salt and pepper, spicy...

Almost every conceivable cooking method has been tried on these Pippi shrimps, and they are listed on the dinner plate in groups of six.

Every time the two picked one up, there would be maids stepping forward to fill it up again, and in order to do this, there were more than a dozen little maids in the peach grove, fighting with the hideous hard shell. Fight to the death.

In addition to the maid in charge of taking care of the river lantern, this seemingly simple banquet with only one main course required more than [-] people to serve, and they were all young and beautiful girls in their teens—because according to Jia Baoyu, The things peeled out of those dead fish eyeballs are really hard to swallow.

Although he scoffed at Jia Baoyu's statement, Sun Shaozong's service to the maids was gratifying, and he didn't feel guilty about being an exploiter at all.

Sure enough, it's getting worse and worse.

But after drinking five flavors and eating three rounds, Sun Shaozong began to insinuate, inquiring about Jia Zheng's matchmaking for him, but judging by Jia Baoyu's ignorant appearance, it seemed that there was no trouble in this matter.

Could it be that after Jia Zheng came back, he just died down?

Originally, Sun Shaozong was quite contradictory in his heart, and he was quite in a dilemma about this marriage, but now the silence has disappeared, but it made him feel lost.

He slandered Jia Zheng a few words in his heart, and suddenly remembered Jiang Yuhan's entrustment, and hurriedly said, "By the way, I met Brother Jiang at the palace a few days ago, and he..."

"How is Qiguan now?!"

Jia Baoyu quickly got up and looked at Sun Shaozong excitedly.

"I was punished by the prince, but I am still a good person."

Sun Shaozong thought about it for a while, and used a slightly more tactful and elegant way of saying, "The meaning in his words is that he wants to forget you in the rivers and lakes from now on."

"From then on, forget each other in the rivers and lakes?"

Jia Baoyu chewed these words several times in a daze, and then sat back down, with his head lowered in frustration, like a primary school student about to be expelled from school, and muttered to himself, "That's true, where am I now? Do you still have the face to meet him?"

As he said that, his eyes turned red, and he beat his chest and said, "It's all because I'm spineless, but I was forced to ask a few words, and I betrayed my friend! I...I really..."

Seeing that he became more and more excited as he spoke, he raised his hand to greet his face.

Sun Shaozong hurriedly said, "In fact, he didn't mean to blame you, but he said such heartless words under the pressure of the prince."

slap~

Who knows that Baoyu slapped herself in the end, and said with a mournful face, "Qiguan is so generous, doesn't it show how despicable and wretched I was back then?"

As he spoke, the tears that were so big were dripping down.

When I was almost beaten to death by my own father, I didn't see him crying like this. Now that I heard that my friend is going to cut off his robe, I just...

As a pure man, Sun Shaozong was feeling awkward in his heart, and he didn't know whether he should continue to comfort him. Suddenly, he heard Xiren report outside the pavilion, "Master Sun, our second grandma sent someone over and said yes Please forward it to my aunt Jia Yingchun."

Wang Xifeng sent someone to bring things over?

Sun Shaozong's heart moved, and he immediately thought of Ping'er, and hurriedly asked, "Where is the man? But is there any letter to send back together?"

"This servant doesn't know."

Xiren shook his head, as expected by Sun Shaozong, and said, "Either I invite Sister Ping'er to come over, and you can ask me yourself."

"That's work."

But when Baoyu next to him heard that Ping'er was coming, he also wiped away his tears and put on a serious appearance, obviously unwilling to lose face to Jia Lian.

Not long after, I saw Ping'er arrived outside the pavilion, stopped not too far away, bowed and said, "If you go back to Mrs. Sun, I don't have any letters to entrust to you. It's just that my aunt said in the letter two days ago that your family wants Send people to the south to buy Taihu Lake stones so that we can rebuild a rockery."

"Second Mistress asked the maidservant to ask if she has already left for the south. If she hasn't gone south yet, our house has some preparations. When the aunt is free, she might as well go home and see each other."

Yesterday, Sun Shaozong hid in Jia Yingchun's house for a whole night. He naturally knew that she hadn't sent a single word to Wang Xifeng recently, let alone buying Taihu stones.

Therefore, he immediately guessed that what Wang Xifeng wanted to inquire about was actually the progress of the 'timber business'.

only……

Why didn't Ping'er find other excuses, but why did he say that he wanted to build a rockery?

Thinking suspiciously in his heart, Sun Shaozong replied casually, "Actually, the servants in our mansion arrived in the south of the Yangtze River half a month ago, and sent a letter back yesterday, saying that they have ordered a lot of good stones, and the price is not bad. Appropriate - so I'm afraid I can only live up to the kindness of Second Mistress."