A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 33: Gold will always shine.

Wang Qing, along with Feng Ziying and the others, returned to the front hall first.

Having ability means being valued everywhere, receiving much more polite treatment, and inevitably being asked to say some polite words.

A short while later, having made a small profit, Jia Zhen, feeling refreshed, stepped inside and greeted everyone with a smile: "The food and wine are ready. Please follow me to the side hall so we can eat and chat."

Guests followed the host's lead, and everyone moved with Jia Zhen to a side hall.

After the guests and hosts took their seats, Jia Zhen picked up his wine cup, looked at the somewhat dejected Liu Xianglian, and said with a smile, "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war, my good brother, don't take it to heart. Brother Qing is one of us, you two became friends through martial arts, so you can be considered to have become acquainted through fighting. Come, let's have a toast."

Everyone echoed his sentiments, but Liu Xianglian seemed to still be reeling from his crushing defeat.

However, he did not refuse Jia Zhen's good intentions. Without saying a word, he picked up the wine cup, tilted his head back, and drank the bitter wine in the cup.

Having made the best of a show, Jia Zhen ignored Liu Xianglian and turned to Wang Qing with a smile, saying, "Hahaha! My brother is indeed quite skilled. I was a little skeptical when I heard that you had injured the thief, but now it seems that you will surely catch him with ease."

Contrary to his boastful attitude in front of Grandmother Jia, Wang Qing humbly said, "Brother Zhen, you flatter me. There are many outstanding people in the capital. I only managed to defeat Brother Liu by a small margin. I dare not make any arrogant remarks."

Making such a boast in front of Grandmother Jia was a sign of his sincere intentions, and besides, he had no intention of letting it slip out.

If this gets out in front of Feng Ziying and others, where will it put all parties in the capital?

It should be noted that among those who fell victim to the bandits in the capital were many military commanders and nobles.

As the saying goes, "The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind." Even if he really catches the thief, it will only highlight the incompetence of his peers and make him a thorn in their side.

Wang Qing already had reservations about Jia Zhen, so naturally he wouldn't leave any ammunition for criticism.

"Brother, don't be so modest. I don't think there are many in the capital with your skills!"

Jia Zhen, however, didn't seem to care. He smiled and looked at Feng Ziying, saying, "Brother Feng, you've fought those thieves before. What do you think?"

Feng Ziying nodded with a smile: "Although a martial arts contest cannot compare to actual combat, Brother Qing's effortless skill is something I, Feng, am afraid to admit I am no match for!"

He paused, then asked, "Judging from Brother Qing's skills, he seems to have the bearing of a soldier. I wonder about your father...?"

Wang Qing only tries to show off and attract attention; where is the military demeanor he displays?

However, while laymen see the spectacle, experts see the details. Feng Ziying did notice some clues, and coupled with the remark during their greeting that he was also from a military family, he asked this question.

Wang Qing said with embarrassment, "My father was originally just the garrison commander of Tianjin. Four years ago, he died a loyal service to the country and was posthumously awarded the title of Light Cavalry Captain by the imperial court. I am not worthy of being the descendant of a military family."

Upon hearing this, the expressions on everyone's faces instantly became interesting, and they exclaimed in unison, "Brother Qing, could you be a descendant of Wang Meng, General Wang?"

"Yes!" Wang Qing nodded heavily, his face filled with sorrow.

Having received confirmation, everyone looked at Jia Zhen with suspicion, and Feng Ziying could not hide the doubt in his eyes.

Jia Zhen gave Feng Ziying a guilty look, then awkwardly smiled and said, "It's a rare occasion for us brothers to gather together today. We should be drinking and having a good time, why make Brother Qing feel sentimental?"

Despite Jia Zhen's feigned politeness, he was secretly cursing You Shi to the core.

Wang Qing's maternal grandmother was not a proper young lady of the Shi family, and was even a step removed from Grandmother Jia.

Moreover, it is uncertain whether Jia Zhen was born when she got married. Even if he was born, he would only be a half-grown child. Even if he occasionally had some contact with Grandmother Jia, it would be impossible for him to specifically inform the Ning Mansion, so she knew very little about him.

When Prince Yizhong rebelled, Jia Lian was not yet twenty years old and was only a few years older than Jia Baoyu, while Jia Zhen was already over thirty and had begun to manage the household affairs.

I thought Wang Qing was just a distant relative who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, but I never expected him to have this other identity.

Jia Zhen could not possibly admit his negligence, and secretly cursed You Shi for missing such important information.

Not only did it expose him in front of Feng Ziying and others, but it also almost backfired.

Thinking of this, he felt an even stronger urge to gnash his teeth.

Although Jia Zhen tried his best to hide it, Wang Qing still noticed something.

The reason he dared to raid those gambling dens in such a high-profile manner was not only because of his thin, paper-thin relationship with the Rongguo Mansion.

Although Huiwen was not bestowed by the retired emperor, it is an indisputable fact that his father died while suppressing the rebellion.

Before Prince Yizhong's rebellion, there were many people coming and going in the court, making it difficult to say for sure, and the gambling business was not something that could be openly discussed.

As long as he acts legally and in accordance with regulations, anyone who wants to target him must consider whether the retired emperor and the emperor will suspect that they are trying to revive the spirit of Prince Yizhong and deliberately retaliate against him, a loyal and virtuous prince.

In contrast to Wang Xifeng's speculation, Wang Qing believes that even if Grandmother Jia did not consider her father to be a close confidant of the retired emperor and therefore a valuable asset, it would be unlikely that she would reveal this to the Ning Mansion.

Thinking of this, Wang Qing was taken aback. Could it be that Grandmother Jia was worried that he was getting too close to Jia Zhen, so she instructed Wang Xifeng to secretly sabotage him to prevent the Ningguo Mansion from taking the credit?

It seems necessary to investigate this feisty woman's background.

While pondering to himself, Wang Qing exchanged toasts with the others and observed them silently.

But everyone kept winking and making faces at Jia Zhen.

If they hadn't managed to make a quick buck during the competition, they could still make excuses now.

At this moment, Jia Zhen was in a difficult position, feeling obligated to help, but he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "There's something I need to trouble you with, brother..."

Jia Zhen carefully considered his words, trying to express his intentions tactfully, and finally added, "I hope you will be lenient, brother."

The others chimed in, "Yes! We hope you'll do us a favor and give him a good talking-to when we get back!"

Unsurprisingly, these families either claimed that their servants were committing misdeeds behind their backs, or that their children were from collateral branches and had become unfilial.

Fearing he might scare them away, Wang Qing immediately raised his wine cup, bowed deeply, and said loudly, "I'm new here and acted rashly, offending you all. I'll punish myself with three cups as an apology!"

Upon hearing this, everyone visibly breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said, "Brother Qing is so straightforward!"

"We can't blame Brother Qing; it's our fault for neglecting to discipline him. We should thank Brother Qing for teaching our family's good-for-nothing a lesson."

Wang Qing, naturally, wouldn't expose their mistake. He smiled and raised his glass, saying, "Who is without fault? The fact that you all pleaded for our brothers and servants shows that you are all loyal and righteous friends worthy of our deep friendship. I must thank Brother Zhen for the introduction!"

Jia Zhen may have ill intentions, but Wang Qing did need a peacemaker, so he could only feign compliance for the time being and wait until later to retaliate.

He praised Jia Zhen, then said with a look of shame, "In principle, the confiscated silver should also be returned. Unfortunately, I didn't know about this connection. I thought I had gained a windfall and always wanted to do what I could for the officials in the West City. I spent quite a bit, which makes things a bit difficult..."

"We're all brothers, why bother with such trivial matters?"

"That's right, consider the money spent as treating my brothers to drinks."

These people are the ones who endorse gambling dens; they're all greedy for money, how could they not be eyeing silver?

But with three monks sharing the same water, none of them wanted to lower their prices, so they waited for someone else to speak first. When Wang Qing took the initiative to propose, they immediately went along with it.

They knew that Wang Qing hired people to do the cleaning, so they didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said, hoping to at least recover some of their losses.

Unexpectedly, Wang Qing shook his head and said, "I feel bad for my rash actions, so the money must not be less."

He paused, then shook his head and said, "There is a way to make up for this deficit."

"Um?"

No one knew what he was up to, but they understood perfectly well that the money couldn't be less, so they immediately adopted a posture of listening attentively.

"Since everyone here today is one of our own, I'll speak frankly!"

Wang Qing, slightly drunk, said, "As the saying goes, what is taken from the people should be used for the people. Now that the streets have been completely transformed, the shops along the street are the biggest beneficiaries."

I know that you all come from wealthy families and have many shops and businesses. If you are willing to take the lead in paying the cleaning and tidying fees... then not only will the deficit be covered, but your elders will also have someone to clear the snow and tidy the roads so they can get up early for court. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?

What was that saying again?

The wealthy and powerful were returned in full, while the common people's money was divided 30/70.

Of course, Wang Qing wasn't so shameless as to prey on ordinary people; he just wanted to secure a long-term meal ticket for the merchants.

Raiding gambling dens is just a one-off deal; it will eventually run out of steam.

However, commercial taxes are too sensitive. After all, the truly profitable businesses are not simple. Not to mention Wang Qing, even the emperor would have to think twice.

Therefore, he took a different approach, organizing a large-scale cleanup and then using it as a pretext to collect city appearance management fees.

As for the returned silver...

It's just using the confiscated money to lure them into setting an example.

Furthermore, Wang Qing only mentioned refunding the gambling den's money, but did not include the gamblers' winnings.

Fearing these people wouldn't take the bait, he added, "This is a last resort. With those people watching on the roadside, I can get the news immediately if any unfamiliar faces come to the West City. It's very helpful in preventing thieves. Please understand my predicament."

"We're all brothers, we should help each other out, you're being too polite."

The gambling den's losses amounted to at least one or two thousand taels of silver, and Wang Qing, being so knowledgeable and sensible, naturally wouldn't ask for an exorbitant amount.

Even if he had to pay a cleaning fee, it would be a drop in the ocean, and since he was using the pretext of preventing thieves, no one would refuse him.

Immediately, everyone expressed their opinions, creating an exceptionally enthusiastic atmosphere.

I thought his identity was already a rare commodity, but I never expected that he would also have such a way of making money.

Jia Zhen, who had been observing coldly, looked at Wang Qing as if he had found a treasure.

……