The Famous Detective of the Red Mansion-Chapter 402: The Daily Life of the Sun Mansion [Continue]
Chapter 402: The Daily Life of the Sun Mansion [Continue]
When Sun Shaozong came out of the Royal Residence, he saw a naked figure curling up at the foot of the stone lion on the left side.
Those lost actors were indeed kicked out of the Residence!
The other few people should have already dispersed, and the rest of them, who were unconscious, were probably stunned by Guan Yu's knife.
Tch!
It seemed that within this ”Yue Family Army,” there was not much unity, and even comrades who had gone through life and death together could be abandoned like shoes.
Sun Shaozong glanced at the actor a few times and hesitated. He went straight to Lin Delu's carriage, intending to order him to take him to the medical clinic for treatment. Although it was currently in the midst of summer, camping on the streets might not be a big deal. However, if the injury worsened as a result, he might die in front of the residence, fearing that it would be considerable trouble.
Unexpectedly, he arrived at the front of the car and was about to say something when he saw Lin Delu sneaking out of a remote alley across from him. As he ran over, he exclaimed, "Your Excellency, I’m here, I’m here.”
As he approached, he rearranged his hem and explained casually, "I just couldn't find a restroom, so I had to be disrespectful once in that alley.”
This guy's clothes were very neat, but he had to tidy them up in front of him, and the word ”disrespectful” might be unknown.
However, it was also human nature to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, so Sun Shaozong was too lazy to reveal his little thoughts. He turned around and pointed to the thoughtless ”high pet” and ordered Lin Delu to take him to a nearby medical clinic for treatment. He then went to the west wall, untied the reins, flipped over, and rode away.
No words along the way.
At home, the lights were already shining brightly. Sun Shaozong left his mount for the gatekeeper to take care of and was about to go to the backyard to see if his Big Brother was at home. Suddenly, he saw the bright lights in the front hall, and there was a faint commotion.
He suddenly remembered that he had originally planned to see off Cheng Rixing, Liu Quan, and others tonight.
Hurrying a few steps into the living room, he saw two tables arranged inside. One was bustling with about ten people, while the other only had his Big Brother drinking with Cheng Rixing. Although it was a farewell banquet, they still had different levels of honor and inferiority.
Seeing Sun Shaozong coming in from the outside, everyone got up to salute. Only his Big Brother was as steady as Mount Tai. He said, "Why did you come back at such a time, Erlang? Come on, come and drink with Magistrate Cheng of the County!"
Hearing the word "Magistrate Cheng of the County," Cheng Rixing blushed with joy, but he didn’t dare to show off.
Sun Shaozu immediately pretended to be angry and said, "What's the matter? Erlang and I came out to protect you. Can there be any trouble for a mere Magistrate of the County? Is it not the same if "Magistrate Cheng of the County" is called sooner or later?"
Next, Liu Quan, Sun Xi, and others all shouted "Magistrate Cheng of the County" in a hubbub, only to make Cheng Rixing dizzy and full of modest words, and his smile couldn’t be closed in any case.
It seemed that as long as his Big Brother was present, even if he missed this farewell banquet, the effect of winning people's hearts wouldn’t be much worse.
With this in mind, Sun Shaozong also stepped forward and poured himself a full cup. He held it high and said, "Come on, everyone, congratulate Magistrate Cheng of the County!"
"Congratulations to Magistrate Cheng of the County!"
Below were all the servants of the Sun family; naturally, they all made a resounding promise.
Cheng Rixing's hands and feet trembled with excitement. After finally drinking a glass, he bowed with tearful eyes, saying, "I, who am going to Jiangnan, will surely fulfill the trust of the two adults.”
Afterwards, both guests and hosts enjoyed themselves.
When the drunken man dispersed and the wreckage was cleared up, the two brothers each held a wake-up wine soup and sat down under the picture of a pine and crane in the middle.
Sun Shaozong blew open the ginger shreds floating in the bowl and carefully sucked them away. He felt as if the ginger spiciness had pressed them from his throat to his stomach, and some sweat was seeping out of his forehead. He then casually opened his mouth and said, "Brother, a lot of people in our mansion left at once. Should we fill in a few?”
“Filling in a few?”
Sun Shaozu, however, didn’t like the taste of the awakening wine soup. He furrowed his brows and didn't speak for a moment. When Sun Shaozong started talking, he took the opportunity to put it on the coffee table and pondered, "It's okay to fill in normally, but aren't you checking the number of maidservants in your Yamen? It's probably not appropriate for our family to import them at this time.”
After a pause, he said again, "Actually, I've been pondering these past few days whether to drive out a few of the little maids I bought last year, choose the ones that are long and crooked, or simply sell them to the brothel, so as not to fall into disrespect.”
Tch!
Previously, Sun Shaozong was still lamenting that Prince Zhongshun didn’t treat slaves as human beings and casually abused human lives. However, at present, it seemed that his Big Brother might not be much different.
How could those eleven or twelve-year-old maids, who were all raised by their parents, be sold into brothels because they didn't look as expected? 𝖋𝖗𝖊𝖊𝔴𝖊𝖇𝔫𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖑.𝖈𝖔𝖒
So he hurriedly said, "It's not necessary. The people we buy around us all have formal contracts, and I don't want to violate the taboo above. If you want to eliminate a few, it's better to exchange them with Rongguo Mansion and exchange them for some capable male servants to fill the vacancy of Liu Quan and others.”
“Change? How can I change this?”
“There is no excuse for changing people, but the parents and family members of Siqi and Xiuju all have serious reasons. They are all trained in the Rongguo Mansion. Isn't it better than those who don't know the foundation?”
After a pause, Sun Shaozong lowered his voice again and said, "Besides, taking over their families is at least a means of balance, so as not to let them leak any information.”
At last, Sun Shaozu was immediately moved by the words, so he immediately decided to choose the ugly girl first tomorrow and then go to discuss with Jia She about exchanging the maidservants.
After settling this matter, Sun Shaozong briefly told his Big Brother about the ”pottery, pearls, gold, and shells” matter.
His Big Brother, however, was quite indifferent to this, believing that Sun Shaozong shouldn’t meddle in these affairs and be involved in a dispute between the two Royal Residences for the sake of some greedy and unscrupulous people.
However, he was actually ”madly in love with his younger brother” and didn’t complain about it. Instead, he comforted Sun Shaozong and said, “Although it may be a bit of self-seeking trouble, as long as Prince Zhongshun is willing to expose this matter to His Majesty, it will be beneficial for your future promotion.”
Afterward, Sun Shaozu shared some of his experiences in the Shenji Camp. The two Brothers spoke to each other and didn't give up until midnight.
Seeing that it was getting late, Sun Shaozong also had work the next day, and the two Brothers walked out of the living room side by side.
When they arrived near the outer study, they were about to bid farewell to each other, but Sun Shaozu said solemnly, "By the way, I heard that you are going to add a concubine recently. This is certainly a good thing, but you must not be happy with the new and dislike the old.”
“Enjoy the new and dislike the old?”
Speaking this from his Big Brother's mouth was really awkward.
However, upon second thought, Sun Shaozong understood that his ”old” might refer specifically to Jia Yingchun alone. He said in silence, “Don't worry, Brother. Didn't I just stay overnight in the ”outer study” yesterday? How could I be happy with the new and dislike the old?”
“That's good; that's good.”
Sun Shaozu then said with satisfaction, "On the day you take a concubine, we Brothers can have a feel for more cups.”
The two Brothers said goodbye to each other and went back to the courtyard to rest.
Not to mention how his Big Brother and his concubines were making a ”fuss,” it wasn't until the rooster crowed that he gave up.
When Sun Shaozong arrived in the backyard, he saw that the courtyard was pitch black, except for a night-duty long light in the living room. He silently called out the duty maid, Furong, and used the lantern to drive away evil spirits up and down.
Because he didn't want to wake Ruan Rong up, Sun Shaozong had originally thought about staying all night on the outdoor couch.
Who knew that as soon as there was some commotion, Ruan Rong raised her voice and asked, "Furong, has the Master returned?”
Sun Shaozong just picked up the curtain and saw that she was already dressed and sitting up. He called for Furong to come in and light a lantern, saying strangely, "How come you haven't slept soundly at such a time? Isn't it something in your heart?”
“It's nothing.”
Ruan Rong shook her head, but then sighed faintly, "It's my father's birthday soon. It's been a long time since I heard any news. It's really…...”
It has been more than half a year now, and there has been no news of Qian Xiang's nationalization. Even the servant sent by Sun Shaozong to deliver the letter has never returned. Sun Shaozong has also pondered whether there might have been any mishaps with Ruan Liangshun.
However, these thoughts naturally couldn’t be expressed to Ruan Rong. Therefore, he sat down side by side with Ruan Rong on the bed, hugging her slender waist and softly saying, "I estimate that there may have been some natural or man-made disasters on the way. You should write another letter tomorrow and send it back to Qian Xiang Kingdom. It's good that the messenger can also go south with Cheng Rixing and others.”
“This... is it too troublesome?”
“There's no trouble.”
Sun Shaozong said, "I feed these servants to eat and drink well normally; isn't it just for the sake of command?”
“Then I'll write the letter now.”
Ruan Rong got up with joy, and due to the hot weather, she didn't even bother to wear clothes. She was only wearing a small coat and her long legs were bare, which were deceiving frost and snow. She went to the table and dug out pens, ink, paper, and inkstones.
As Sun Shaozong watched her write on the desk with her flesh visible, she raised her buttocks high. He couldn't help but feel a lot of dryness in his heart and leaned over to put his paw on it. He chuckled and said, "You should mention to my father-in-law in the letter how lovely we are so that he doesn't think I'm bullying you.”
Feeling the restless swaying of his paws, Ruan Rong quickly sidled away and chatted, "I'm afraid the Master will have to endure it for a while. It's a bit inconvenient for me today.”
Oh great~
As soon as he got excited, he bumped into the exemption token!
Sun Shaozong returned to bed dejected and was about to call for Furong to come in and take care of him for a while. However, he heard Ruan Rong say again, "Master, first keep your spirits up. After tomorrow, someone will bring Second Lady You to the Mansion. It's not too late for you to be in good spirits.”
She finally took the initiative to mention this matter. It seemed that home letters were really worth writing!
Sun Shaozong was secretly pleased in his heart, but he couldn't show it on his face. He only said, "What comes one day early and one day late? Everything is up to you.”
Spit!
Ruan Rong spat and said, "I haven't mentioned this for a long time. I'm afraid you have already blamed me in your heart, right?”
As she spoke, she took out a few letters from the drawer and threw them into Sun Shaozong's arms, saying, "This is from Sister You. Master, please take a closer look and see if I am the one who is good at picking sour and jealous, and can't tolerate anyone at all.”
Sun Shaozong took it over and took a glance at ten lines at once under the lamp. It turned out that since the Wangjiang Tower reunion, Ruan Rong had been helping Second Lady You decorate her new house and changing the style of Xiangling's mother's small courtyard to prevent them from getting into a fight with each other.
In the letter, Sister You praised Ruan Rong even more. She addressed Sister Ruan Rong and called her very affectionately.
After seeing it, Sun Shaozong couldn't help but become more and more fond of Ruan Rong, so he disregarded it and went clinging to her again. When Ruan Rong refused with a shield, he blushed and begged for some tricks, such as using delicate hands to make shuttles and savoring the essence.