A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 55 Taking Action Upon Hearing the Rumor

Ningguo Prefecture.

Jia Zhen put a mouthful of food in his mouth, then turned to look at Jia Rong kneeling on the ground, and berated him, "Useless! You can't even handle such a small matter, what use are you? Guards..."

Jia Rong panicked immediately and hurriedly said, "Master! It wasn't like I gained nothing at all..."

"Spit it out!"

"My aunt asked my son to do something today..."

He recounted how Wang Xifeng had instructed him to deal with Jia Rui, and then added, "When I came out of my aunt's place, I happened to see Uncle Qing going to see her..."

"Hmm?" Jia Zhen raised a beard.

Jia Rong quickly crawled forward a couple of times and lowered his voice, saying, "Could it be that Uncle Qing was also having the same idea as Master Rui, and Uncle Lian noticed it but was too embarrassed to say anything, so..."

He paused, then added, "My son remembers that Uncle Lian moved into the outer study after Uncle Qing moved into the West Mansion. Could it be that Aunt and Uncle Qing really have something going on?"

Jia Zhen categorically denied it, saying, "No! He's only been here a short time. Feng'er is completely devoted to Lian Er; how could she change her mind so easily? Besides, if something really happened, wouldn't Lian Er moving out just give him an opening?"

He stretched out his index finger, touched the mustache at the corner of his mouth, squinted his small eyes, pondered for a long time, and then shook his head and said, "However, Lian Er is also a jealous person. Perhaps the King of Xiang is interested, but the Goddess is indifferent. He saw the signs, but was too embarrassed to make a fuss, so it's understandable that he was angry with Feng Yatou."

The more he talked, the more likely it seemed. He thought to himself, "That's just youthful arrogance! He's always thinking about showing off in front of the woman he likes."

It's possible that Wang Qing's outburst at Jinxiang Courtyard was a deliberate attempt to escalate the situation, so that Wang Xifeng would know that Jia Lian was indulging in illicit affairs, thereby embarrassing Jia Lian and allowing him to flaunt his masculinity in front of Wang Xifeng.

Jia Rong, eager to redeem himself, quickly echoed, "Master is right!"

Jia Zhen nodded, told him to get up, and instructed him, "Don't tell anyone about this. Be careful. If you can find some solid evidence, I'll give you credit."

"Yes! Yes!" Jia Rong quickly agreed.

Just then, Lady You walked in. Jia Zhen waved his hand, and Jia Rong quickly took his leave.

After he left, Madam You hurriedly asked, "What did Rong-ge find out?"

"Useless thing!" For reasons unknown, Jia Zhen did not tell You Shi his suspicions.

Madam You quickly said, "We can't blame him. I just asked Brother Qing, and he was completely clueless too."

Being a stepmother is difficult. Since Lady You has no children of her own, she doesn't want the relationship between the two to become too strained, lest Jia Rong feel that she is stirring things up.

Jia Zhen looked at You Shi noncommittally and asked, "What did Brother Qing say? Is there anything we can do to help?"

Madam You hurriedly said, "I couldn't go to see him later. I saw that he didn't have any decent maids in his courtyard, so I thought of sending two over, but he used the old lady as an excuse."

"Hmm?" Jia Zhen frowned unconsciously.

Upon learning that Wang Qing might be after Wang Xifeng, Jia Zhen already considered him one of his own kind and couldn't help but project his own feelings onto Wang Qing.

He asked himself if he were Wang Qing, he would never refuse such a good thing, and he couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

Madam You, however, thought he was dissatisfied with her, and quickly tried to make amends, saying, "However, he did want me to stay for dinner, and I thought that since we had to have a reason, I decided to save this meal for another time."

While Lady You was still basking in her own satisfaction with her actions, Jia Zhen frowned and said, "He wants you to stay for dinner? Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Something's not right?"

Lady You glanced at the food in front of Jia Zhen, somewhat bewildered, and said, "Isn't it mealtime? What could be wrong?"

As if demonstrating, Jia Zhen squinted and traced the gourd-shaped curves of You Shi's body back and forth, then said in a deep voice, "I'm asking him if he sees anything wrong with you!"

Being suspected by Wang Xifeng is one thing, but being suspected by Jia Zhen is no joke.

Madam You was already feeling uneasy under his gaze, and upon hearing this, she panicked and hurriedly said, "Absolutely not, sir! I saw him in the front hall, with a bunch of people watching!"

While it's hard to say whether Wang Qing is having his cake and eating it too, he still managed to get his hands on some.

Despite the ensuing rift between Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng, Wang Qing rushed to visit Wang Xifeng the moment he left. However, Wang Xifeng showed no ill will towards Jia Lian's side, instead frequently extending friendly gestures, yet never taking the initiative to visit Jia Lian's side.

Jia Zhen had only asked casually, but seeing that You Shi was flustered, he didn't press the matter further and waved his hand, saying, "I just asked, why are you panicking!"

You thought to herself, "If you suspect me in this way, how can I not panic?"

She verbally declined, saying, "If you, sir, find it inappropriate, I will not go again..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jia Zhen interrupted him with a raised hand, saying, "Go! Not only do you have to go, but you have to go a lot, and while you're at it, test him out for the master!"

Ever since he learned about Wang Qing's background, he has been keeping a close eye on his movements and those of the court.

Last time, I tried my hand at something and hosted a reconciliation banquet, which earned me over two thousand taels of silver and a lot of favors.

Upon hearing that officials in the court were submitting memorials recommending Wang Qing to take over the remaining four cities, Jia Zhen began to consider taking action.

Although, having learned from the previous experience, Wang Qing is unlikely to act recklessly again, and most of the families in the other cities will also avoid his wrath.

But Wang Qing's targeting of Huichuntang opened up a new avenue for him.

If you can target a few wealthy businessmen who don't have much of a foundation, you can make a fortune.

However, Wang Qing had no need to share in this kind of thing.

Moreover, times have changed, and now the Rongguo Mansion is clearly paying more attention to him.

Upon learning that Wang Qing might be after Wang Xifeng, Jia Zhen's mind began to race.

The Rongguo Mansion is full of people and eyes. If we can create some opportunities for him and then use this opportunity to curry favor, Wang Qing, with his shrewdness, will surely reciprocate.

Wouldn't that be beneficial without costing anything?

But guesses are just guesses. Wang Xifeng is always meticulous in her work, and Jia Rong couldn't even find out a single word about the cause of the conflict. Even if he was trying to figure things out, he might not be able to find any clues.

Wang Qing, on the other hand, is more likely to make a breakthrough because Jia Lian has noticed his potential.

Madam You took it as a test and immediately shook her head vigorously.

"If you have nothing to hide, why are you panicking?"

Jia Zhen's face darkened, and he said coldly, "Or are you saying you won't listen to my orders anymore?"

Lady You was momentarily confused about his purpose, and could only stammer, "I...I don't understand, what do you mean, sir?"

"Sir, you have your own reasons!"

Jia Zhen stroked his beard, striking a mysterious pose, and waved to You Shi.

Madam You quickly hunched her shoulders and shrank back, taking small, quick steps to approach, bowing her head to listen attentively.

Jia Zhen then slowly spoke: "You just need to visit him every few days..."

He paused slightly, then used his hand as a knife to forcefully slice into You's concave waist, grinning wickedly, "Lower your stance a bit, and use some of your usual wanton methods... They say it's easy for a woman to pursue a man, I don't believe he won't slip up!"

"This..." Madam You froze, dumbfounded.

Jia Zhen was also taken aback for a moment, then his gaze swept over You Shi's curvaceous figure with ill intent, and he said with a wicked smile, "If he can't control himself, even if you give him a little something sweet first, you must keep him in check before reporting back to the master!"

Previously, he only thought about catering to their preferences and didn't have time to think about anything else.

At this moment, she realized that Wang Xifeng had benefited from this, and she might even want a share of the spoils. If You Shi could handle Wang Qing, wouldn't she be able to enjoy the spoils all by herself?

Madam You looked panicked and horrified.

Seeing this, Jia Zhen frowned and said coldly, "I'll have Yindie ask him about this later. Don't even think about shirking your duties and dawdling!"

Lady You could no longer contain herself and said, "My lord! How can this be? What about my reputation?"

"That's enough!" Jia Zhen waved his hand and said, "Later, the master will say that there is something important for you to discuss with Brother Qing. He also told Yin Die not to come near you after she goes, so that you can act freely."

Upon hearing this, Madam You breathed a sigh of relief.

Although she could see that Jia Zhen had ulterior motives, this matter was more harmful than beneficial to her.

Jia Zhen's words just now reminded her.

Since I can't refuse, I might as well just go through the motions without putting in any effort.

He would casually fool them a few times, then come back and make excuses that Wang Qing was acting normally, thus completing his mission while preserving his reputation.

So that it wouldn't be used and then discarded by Jia Zhen.

……