A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 53 Bargaining

Wang Qing rode his tall horse ostentatiously through the city, only dismounting when he arrived at the government office.

He patted the horse's thick rump before tossing the reins to the yamen's groom.

There was no shortage of skilled horse breeders in the army, so he didn't need to give much advice on how to take care of this horse.

Besides, horses are meant to be ridden. He's not an animal rights activist, so there's no need to be overly cautious. Some things are better left unchecked; pampering a horse can actually spoil its temperament.

If you spoil him, you might even break up with him.

As soon as Wang Qing entered the duty room, he saw Zhuang Ze walk in carrying a stack of accounts.

"My lord! These are the accounts of Huichuntang... I have seen them, and some medicines have not yet been delivered. Please take a look, my lord."

Wang Qing took it, glanced at it briefly, then tossed it onto the table with a look of disgust, muttering, "What the hell is this?"

He hadn't looked closely yet, but all he saw were names like "Five Sons Progeny Pill," "Rejuvenating Pill," "Rejuvenating Powder," and "Golden Lock True Essence Pill." Just looking at the names, they seemed shady. Wang Qing felt that if he took another look, he might be suspected of having kidney deficiency.

Zhuang Ze looked troubled and said, "Sir, these medicines were all purchased by prominent officials in the court, and the money has already been paid. Yet, Huichuntang has been shut down by us..."

"I see!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Qing's expression immediately changed. He grabbed the catalog and examined it carefully before instructing, "Those already made, have them delivered to the various prefectures as soon as possible. For those yet to be made, have Manager Hu work overtime to deliver them quickly. Also, call those shop assistants over to help him!"

Flattery is secondary; I'd like to take this opportunity, while delivering the medicine, to give a reminder to all the esteemed officials.

Everyone knows you don't want to take medicine, right?

Zhuang Ze accepted the order and left.

Nie Chong peeked in, closed the door, and lowered his voice, saying, "Good news, my lord! Yesterday, Eunuch Xia sent word to me that the court is recommending you to take over the remaining four cities. His Majesty intends to strike while the iron is hot and merge the five city garrisons. He has also issued an edict summoning you to the palace for an audience!"

"Oh?"

No matter how many facts are accomplished, nothing compares to giving a report to the leader, which has a significant impact. Wang Qing was overjoyed.

However, the more critical the period, the less careless we can be. He then instructed Nie Chong, "You must keep a close eye on things during this time, and make sure nothing goes wrong."

Power is the best aphrodisiac for men. After seeing Nie Chong off, Wang Qing hurriedly began preparing his performance review materials.

Reporting on his work was not difficult; he had already prepared a draft in his mind before coming to Beijing.

The difficulty lies in how to express oneself in a way that demonstrates one's dedication without making the emperor feel that one is seeking credit.

He spent most of the day carefully crafting his words, and it wasn't until dusk that he finally mounted his tall white horse and went home.

Because Jia Zheng promised that he would only be responsible for riding, Wang Qing entered the Rong Mansion through the West Corner Gate, threw the horse into the stable in the South Courtyard, and then walked through the passageway east of the Second Gate, preparing to go home.

Upon reaching the quiet courtyard in the northeast corner, he hesitated for a moment, then turned around and went to Wang Xifeng's courtyard.

Wang Qing arrived at the screen wall, just about to let the little girl go in to announce his arrival.

Then a fair-skinned, beardless, handsome young man with an effeminate appearance stepped out; it was Jia Rong.

Upon seeing each other, both of them were taken aback.

Jia Rong quickly bowed and said, "Nephew greets Uncle Qing!"

Wang Qing spoke first: "Rong-ge, no need for formalities. Is your wife home?"

"I'm here! I'm here!"

Jia Rong bowed and scraped, acting as a maid, and called out into the courtyard, "Auntie, Uncle Qing is here."

"Hey! Brother Qing's here? Please come in!"

Wang Xifeng's cheerful voice rang out in the courtyard.

Jia Rong quickly gestured for them to enter, and said humbly, "Uncle Qing and Aunt, please go inside and discuss things further. I'll take my leave now."

"Hmm!" Wang Qing nodded and stepped inside.

He secretly thought to himself: Could this guy be eyeing Wang Xifeng and planning to take advantage of Jia Lian's absence?

As he entered the courtyard, Jia Rong looked up and muttered to himself thoughtfully, "Could he be harboring the same thoughts as Master Rui?"

Wang Qing was unaware that while he was suspecting the other party, the other party was also suspecting him.

He exchanged a few pleasantries with Wang Xifeng, then entered the main room. Taking advantage of a moment when Wang Xifeng was instructing the maids to pour tea and water, he looked at Ping'er with deep affection and asked gently, "How is Sister Ping'er?"

Ping'er lowered her head in embarrassment.

Wang Xifeng retorted, "How dare you ask!"

She grumbled, but didn't know where to begin. Her face flushed slightly, and she adopted a stern expression, saying sullenly, "Now you know how to care for people."

"I wanted to come over this morning, but the second master insisted on inviting me and even gave me a fine horse, so I really couldn't get away."

Wang Qing offered an explanation, then bowed slightly and said, "Thank you for your kindness, sister-in-law!"

"What do you mean by 'accepting' or 'not accepting'? You yourselves did this, and I'm not taking responsibility for it!"

Wang Xifeng raised an eyebrow, looking as if she was about to renege on her promise.

Wang Qing wasn't annoyed and laughed, "Look at what you're saying, sister-in-law. We're both holding something against each other now, and it's a win-win situation. You're so shrewd, how could you not understand that?"

Wang Xifeng remained silent.

Wang Qing continued, "Yesterday was too rushed, so it was inconvenient to come to see you, sister-in-law. Since you are willing to help, why not go all the way and let Sister Ping'er come to my place?"

Once Ping'er is with him, the so-called mutual leverage will no longer exist.

Wang Qing knew perfectly well that Wang Xifeng would never agree, but he couldn't afford not to put on a show.

It makes it easier to negotiate the price later, and it's also a matter of attitude.

Ping'er was by Wang Xifeng's side, and he couldn't reach her from a distance. If he wanted to develop feelings for her over time, he would naturally have to visit her frequently.

In addition, this can also show that he does want to, warm Ping'er's heart, and incidentally sow discord between master and servant.

After he finished speaking, he looked at Wang Xifeng with a solemn expression.

Wang Xifeng pretended to be hesitant: "Let's not even talk about whether it's appropriate for me, as the sister-in-law, to put someone in my brother's room. Ping'er is, after all, the Second Master's concubine, and the Second Master isn't home. Let's put it off for now and discuss it when he comes back."

Wang Qing sighed with a conflicted expression and said, "Since you say so, I can't force you. However, you'll have to help cover things up so that Sister Ping'er and I can visit each other often."

"No way!" Wang Xifeng refused decisively. "If you walk by the river often, you're bound to get your shoes wet. If someone catches us in the act, I might not be clean either."

"No way!" Wang Xifeng refused decisively. "If you walk by the river often, you're bound to get your shoes wet. If someone catches us in the act, I might not be clean either."

Wang Qing's face darkened, and he said coldly, "Whether she's a concubine or not, my sister-in-law knows perfectly well! If she insists on refusing, then I'll have no choice but to go to the old lady and the second wife to demand her back!"

"you……"

Wang Xifeng hadn't expected his attitude to be so resolute. Her expression changed instantly as she laughed, "I was just testing you to see if you were truly sincere towards Ping'er. Look how anxious you are!"

"My feelings for Ping'er are truly sincere!" Wang Qing said sincerely. "I thought we were destined to be apart, but fortunately, sister-in-law, you have made our relationship possible. I will never forget this kindness!"

Wang Xifeng twirled her handkerchief, smiled for a long while, and then slowly said with a sidelong glance, "Look at your flustered appearance, you must have really fallen for her. It's no wonder Ping'er talks about you to me all the time. She's been with me for so many years, and I'm happy for her that Brother Qing treats her like this."

She verbally expressed her happiness for Ping'er, but always used the excuse that "if you walk by the river often, you're bound to get your shoes wet" to bargain with her frequent visits.

Finally, after Wang Qing's insistence, he reluctantly agreed to let Ping'er visit him once every ten days.

……