diymy Chapter 30 The Feast at Hongmen
Chapter 30 The Feast at Hongmen
West City Military Command.
Two soldiers "invited" Ni Er out.
Wang Qing turned to Lai Wang: "This must be your relative, right?"
"Yes, yes!"
Laiwang bowed and scraped, but this aggravated the whip marks on his back, causing him to grimace in pain.
Wang Qing waved his hand and said, "Alright, go over there to sign and put your fingerprints, then take the person away!"
Laiwang asked in astonishment, "Do I need to sign and put my fingerprint on it?"
Wang Qing lowered his voice and said, "The thief appeared at his gambling den, didn't you know that? There has to be a formality."
"Understood, understood." Laiwang had been whipped twenty times for this, so he was well aware of the situation and dared not ask any more questions.
Ni Er shouted, "My men, and my money..."
He wanted to bring it up yesterday, but was worried about complications. Seeing Laiwang gave him confidence.
Unexpectedly, before he could finish speaking, Laiwang grabbed him and dragged him out.
It wasn't that Laiwang was afraid that Ni Er's demands for people and money would anger Wang Qing, but rather that Ping'er was worried that Laiwang, unaware of the situation, had already given prior notice of the matter by drawing money from the Second Mistress's account.
Little did Wang Qing know that there were so many twists and turns involved; he simply assumed that Wang Xifeng was worried that Ni Erkou might speak recklessly and reveal the secret of usury.
After carefully signing and affixing his seal, he said goodbye to Zhuang Ze and then hurried back.
……
At the side gate of Ningguo Mansion, Wang Qing pressed the long sword at his waist, grabbed the writing implements he had prepared in advance, and calmly got out of the carriage.
The gatekeeper had obviously been instructed beforehand, and without asking any questions, went straight in to announce his arrival.
Before long, a young man of about twenty years old, with a fair complexion, no beard, handsome appearance, and rather effeminate features, came to greet them.
He bowed slightly to Wang Qing and said, "Nephew Jia Rong greets Uncle Qing. Master and all the uncles have been waiting for a long time."
His voice was somewhat shrill, and his tone was rather flippant. He spoke with a smirk, giving off a shameless vibe.
However, his shameless demeanor actually fits Wang Qing's stereotype.
Putting aside the issue of incestuous relations, it's impossible for a normal person to mistake Jia Rui for Wang Xifeng, kiss and hug her, and then shamelessly say, "Uncle Rui wants to have sex."
Although Jia Rong was a few years older than him, the grandfather who was learning to walk and the grandson who was using a cane were very common in large families.
Wang Qing adopted the demeanor of an elder, gave him a cryptic look, nodded, and smiled, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, my dear nephew!"
The overall layout of Ning and Rong prefectures is largely the same.
They walked in silence, and soon arrived outside the hall.
A middle-aged man, around forty years old, dressed in fine clothes and with a thin face, came out to greet them. He was clearly surprised when he saw Wang Qing's figure.
Jia Rong quickly lowered his head and said, "Master!"
Jia Zhen didn't look at him, but smiled at Wang Qing and said, "I heard from your sister-in-law yesterday that Brother Qing has an extraordinary appearance. After seeing him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved."
This was naturally just a polite remark; otherwise, Jia Zhen wouldn't have looked surprised when he saw him.
Although she had found out Wang Qing's background, Madam You was afraid of making a big fuss and worried that if she told Jia Zhen that Wang Qing was physically strong, he would escalate the situation.
"Brother Zhen, you are too kind; I am truly unworthy of such praise!"
Wang Qing naturally didn't take Jia Zhen's politeness seriously. He humbly replied and handed over the inkstone, saying, "It's just a small token of my appreciation, Brother Zhen, please don't find it offensive!"
Jia Zhen casually took it and tossed it to Jia Rong with a hint of disdain, but said, "Brother Qing, you're too kind."
He pulled Wang Qing inside and said with a smile, "I invited some brothers over for drinks and a show a few days ago, and just then I heard you were coming, brother. I thought you were unfamiliar with the area and might have some trouble getting things done, so I thought I'd introduce you. Don't think I'm being nosy, brother!"
These words were exactly what Wang Qing had guessed, but with Ping'er's reminder, he couldn't help but be wary. He smiled and said, "How could that be? I couldn't be happier."
The two exchanged pleasantries and entered the house. Inside the hall, facing the main entrance was a large rosewood table carved with dragons, with an official's hat chair on each side.
On the east and west sides, the sixteen nanmu folding chairs for guests were half full.
Upon seeing him and Jia Zhen enter, they all stood up and glanced at him, but their faces showed little enthusiasm.
Upon seeing this, Wang Qing roughly guessed the identities of these people.
Without revealing his presence, he followed Jia Zhen to the front row.
He then introduced them: "This is Li Yanei, the second son of Grand Commandant Li... This is the third son of Vice Minister Zhou..."
Although Wang Qing had never met these people before, he was very clear about the forces behind the gambling den.
He sneered inwardly, but showed no sign of it on his face. Instead, he put on an act of being flattered and praised everyone's family background.
When they reached the end of the procession, Jia Zhen pointed at the two men and said with a smile, "This is Feng Ziying, the son of General Shenwu, and this is my sworn brother, Liu Xianglian."
"So you're also from a military family, Brother Feng, greetings!"
Previously, they were both the backers of the gambling den, which made the two seem out of place.
However, given their long-standing ties with the Jia family, their appearance was not surprising. What surprised him most was Jia Zhen's use of the phrase "sworn brothers" when introducing Liu Xianglian.
In addition, his ill-fated relationship with Sister You San made him even more curious about Liu Xianglian, who had a delicate appearance and was just as handsome as himself.
Therefore, he greeted Feng Ziying with a meaningful look.
He then turned to Liu Xianglian and said, "Brother Liu, you must have some extraordinary abilities to be able to become sworn brothers with Brother Zhen. My apologies for not being more respectful."
There's nothing wrong with what he said. If one were to nitpick, it's because Jia Zhen only mentioned it briefly. He had also read Dream of the Red Chamber and knew that Liu Xianglian's family was impoverished, so he didn't exaggerate Liu's family background like Feng Ziying and the others.
Unexpectedly, Liu Xianglian seemed to have been stepped on, suddenly bristling with anger and saying with an unfriendly expression, "What do you mean by that?"
Wang Qing thought to himself, "So they really came."
He looked bewildered and asked, "What...what do you mean?"
Seeing Wang Qing's blank expression, Liu Xianglian's lips twitched, and he gritted his teeth and said, "In literature, there is no first place, but in martial arts, there is no second. Judging from the sword at your waist, you are also a skilled fighter. Why don't we have a match so that you can know how extraordinary Master Liu is?"
Seemingly to emphasize something, Liu Xianglian stressed the importance of his extraordinary abilities.
Wang Qing seemed to be deep in thought, remembering how Xue Pan had misunderstood him and been severely beaten.
Could it be that the speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart?
Liu Xianglian misunderstood that he was implying something, which is why he suddenly got angry.
But if Jia Zhen didn't have some bad habit, how could Liu Xianglian have misunderstood his meaning?
This is not a wild guess by Wang Qing; it is also recorded in Dream of the Red Chamber.
It is said that Jia Qiang's parents died early, and he lived with Jia Zhen from a young age. He was handsome and charming.
Because he was very close to Jia Rong and they often spent time together, there were many people around, which led to a lot of gossip and rumors.
Jia Zhen had also heard about this and, wanting to avoid suspicion, ordered Jia Qiang to move out of the Ning Mansion and establish his own household.
Why should I avoid suspicion myself? If there's no suspicion, what's the point of avoiding suspicion? Wouldn't that just be like trying to hide something obvious?
Moreover, given Jia Zhen's attitude towards Jia Rong, if he had nothing to hide, beating him up and then ordering him to be mindful of his behavior would be in line with his style.
Could it be that I misunderstood, or perhaps both, with Liu Xianglian using this as an excuse to make a fuss?
Wang Qing couldn't help but look at Jia Zhen, trying to find some clues on his face.
Jia Zhen thought Wang Qing was asking for his opinion, and said rather helpfully, "It's not mealtime yet, and we're just killing time anyway. But we're all brothers, so let's stop here and not hurt our feelings."
……