The Royal Merchant of the Red Chamber

"For me?" Baochai took the letter from Mrs. Xue's hand with a surprised face, looked at it for a while, and pointed her fingertips at herself.asked aloud.

"Exactly. The letter written to you by the girl from the Lin family. I hope you will reply soon after reading it?" Mrs. Xue nodded with a smile and said.

Hearing this, Baochai stared thoughtfully at the big characters "Sister Xue" on the envelope, and after a while, said softly, "This sister of the Lin family is too modest and prudent. How can you write a letter with me?" Put the word 'Jing Qi' on it, so respectful, I don't know what to do."

"Then you just reply to her carefully." Mrs. Xue smiled and stretched out her hand to rub Baochai's snow-white neck, sighed softly, and said, "I heard from the master that this girl from the Lin family is a very thoughtful person. Her family's situation is relatively It's special. It's always because the offspring are weak, so it's inevitable that there will be some pressure. Her mother has been lingering and sick all year round, so I'm afraid she can't take care of her wholeheartedly. I think it's because of her delicate personality. When you write back to her, you should be more relieved. .Try to talk as much as possible to amuse the boredom, or talk about wild things outside, don't let her always stick to the trivial things in the house and depress her feelings."

After a pause, he added: "I think that's what Master Lin meant. Otherwise, why would she have sent a letter all the way, and asked Babaer to reply."

The so-called friendship and friendship, only when there is "friendship" can there be "feeling".Now that the Xue family relies a lot on the Lin family in the matter of official salt, naturally they hope that the friendship between the two families will continue.What's more, Master Lin has stretched out such an olive branch, and the Xue family should live up to expectations and take it over.In this human relationship, the inner house has always been far superior to the outer house in terms of cheapness and intimacy in social interactions.Mrs. Xue saw that the two families had become more and more intimate and friendly during this period of time, and she already had the intention of intersecting with each other.It's a pity that Mrs. Lin has such a romantic temperament in her life, and her body is really disappointed.The Lin family has repeatedly emphasized that Mrs. Lin ignores family affairs and has been resting in the inner house...

In this way, Mrs. Xue is too embarrassed to be too intimate.Now it happens that the two juniors have this fate, and it is a good thing to maintain it.

"Don't worry, Mom, I know how to do it." Baochai said, stuffing the letter into his sleeve.After chatting a few gossips with Mrs. Xue, he stood up and left.

She is really busy now.In addition to going to school with my husband every day, I have to practice painting and playing the piano, and I have to manage the rouge and gouache shop. In addition, Mrs. Xue has slowly started to teach her how to manage the house in the past two days. Her mother also began to teach her etiquette... Now she is almost too busy to touch the ground, wishing she could be broken in half by herself.

After returning to her room in a hurry, Baochai opened Daiyu's letter and read it carefully, feeling extremely apprehensive and pleased with Daiyu's modest words.I just didn't expect the eldest daughter of a second-rank official to be so modest, without the slightest arrogance and extravagance between the lines.He was so humble and courteous to the daughter of a merchant family.Although there must have been the instructions of the master of the Lin family, but it is really possible to do so impeccably, I am afraid that it is because there is no such influence in the heart.

After all, although his family is prominent now, his status and family status are still there.After all, it is a family of merchants. Even the eldest daughter of the Zhen family who has a good acquaintance with each other still shows a kind of superiority from time to time when they are in a relationship, let alone the Lin family, which is famous for its clear fragrance?

After seeing the two five-character verses attached to the letter, Baochai was surprised again.She has been in school for so many years, and she is good at communicating with others. Naturally, she has met many ladies from great families, but such poetic works are rare.It's not that this poem is so well written, after all, for a five or six-year-old child who has just entered school, his writing style is still immature.It's just the talent revealed between the lines, which convinced the conceited and intelligent Baochai.All of a sudden, besides the mother's exhortation, there was also a heart of admiration and friendship from the bottom of my heart.

Immediately, I moistened my pen and ink, replied to the letter carefully, and attached back the two poems I thought were the best that I had done over the years.Thinking of what Daiyu said in her heart that she was very happy about the rattan basket and other playthings, she couldn't help calling Yinger.

"I know your ingenuity, the things you make up in your free time are my favorites. Now you put aside what you are doing at hand, and just make some small and elegant things, no matter how expensive they are, they must be exquisite. OK. I'm going to give it away."

Yinger immediately responded emphatically.Immediately put down the work in hand, went to the garden to "look for flowers and willows", and started tinkering.Because it was Baochai's special order, Ying'er was more careful, and the little thing made in this way was even more exquisite than the last time, and Baochai was very satisfied when she saw it.

Not only that, Baochai found Xue Pan again.He begged and said: "Brother, when you are playing outside, you will occasionally buy me some clay figurines, a wind stove made of clay, and an incense box made from whole bamboo roots...you can get me some more!"

"Hey, if you want this specifically, I have to go to Mr. Liu's house at the east end of Liujia Village outside the city to ask for it. I heard that he went to the water to watch the dragon boat somehow slipped his waist a few days ago, and he hasn't come out for a few days. Stall." Xue Pan scratched his head in embarrassment, he had a lot of miscellaneous things these days, and he was randomly checking properties one by one.Immediately said: "If you are not in a hurry, it will take two days!"

"This..." Baochai pursed her lips in embarrassment.

"Why, you want it in a hurry, what's the reason?" Xue Pan raised his eyebrows and asked.

"It's not that I want it, but I plan to send someone to Yangzhou to give it to the sister of the Lin family. I thought she would like it because of her temperament. It's a pity that they saw the things you bought for me last time at the Dragon Boat Festival poetry meeting. They all like it too. You take one, I take one, but there is nothing left in my hand."

"Sister Lin from Yangzhou?" Xue Pan couldn't help asking, "Sister Lin from Lord Lin's family in Yanzheng?"

"Brother, why do your eyes shine when you hear a girl?" Xue Baochai covered her mouth and teased.

Xue Pan sighed for a while, looked at Xue Baochai sadly and said, "You can't understand my feelings."

After thinking for a while, he said again: "Since this is the case, then I will go outside the city in the afternoon and collect some gadgets for you and come back!"

"I said yes, but my elder brother refused and didn't have time. I said others wanted it, and my elder brother said bluntly that I would go to Taodeng in the afternoon. It doesn't sound like it would make people angry." Baochai said, pretending to be angry.

Xue Pan smiled in embarrassment, stepped forward and pulled Baochai's sleeve and said: "Isn't it an outsider who wants it! And it seems that my sister is in a hurry, so I just went out. I am still afraid of sweeping my sister's face, otherwise I will never going out of town—”

"Come on!" Baochai rolled her eyes in disdain, and then snapped at her. "Brother is the best at coaxing girls to say nice things. Who knows what's going on in your heart when you tell me that?"

"Hey, this makes me unable to live!" Xue Pan cried for a while, and wailed: "Since my sister misinterpreted my brother's intentions so much, my brother really won't go, won't go!"

"Then don't!" Baochai hurriedly replied: "Brother, don't tease me, I am really in a hurry! Good brother, I know you are the best. But please remember, go to Taodeng this afternoon, in the evening Be sure to bring it back to me!"

As he spoke, he bowed again and again, and looked at Xue Pan anxiously.

Seeing this, Xue Pan raised his eyebrows triumphantly, stretched out his hand to pinch Baochai's fat baby cheek, and said dotingly: "Got it, I will definitely bring it back to you tonight."

As he spoke, he ordered Hongxiu to change his clothes, didn't eat lunch, and took a group of servants out on horseback without mentioning it.

Naturally, he returned home with a full load at night, and he accomplished the task assigned by Baochai very well.Not only that, Xue Pan stopped by to visit his master in the underground palace outside the city, and coaxed his master to teach martial arts with sweet words.After a lot of hard work, he brought back an ancient book with a smile to please Mr. Zhuang.Going proudly to Ruirongtang!When I entered, I saw the whole family except myself and Baochai sitting in the Ruirong Hall, while the fourth master sat on the chair with a blank expression.

"What's the matter?" Xue Pan blinked inexplicably, and Fox asked.

"A letter from Beijing, fourth master wants to go home." Xue Zhizhang stroked his beard and said.

"During this time, I would like to thank Master Xue's family for taking care of them. I originally thought that after the Dragon Boat Festival, I would go to Beijing with Master Xue's caravan and take care of each other. Unexpectedly, just as my family urged me, I sent another person to pick me up. , so there is no need to bother Mr. Xue, I will just reverse it." Fourth Master Long cupped his hands and said softly.At this time, his mood was a little complicated, and he was delighted that his father knew his danger and sent someone to contact him.He also regretted missing an opportunity to tie the Xue family to himself.Even more at a loss to leave this comfortable environment.With the constant changes in the situation around him, he vaguely knew that after returning to Beijing this time... I am afraid that this kind of comfortable life will no longer exist.

Although the big guys are well aware of each other's identities, they still hide their faces.For Fourth Master Long's state of mind, Xue Zhizhang naturally had some calculations in his heart.Although he is not afraid of Fourth Master Long's tricks, it is not a pleasant thing to be magnanimous when he knows that he is being calculated by others.But after all, we have been together for a few months, and apart from the little tricks in our hearts, the whole process was very pleasant.Xue Zhizhang couldn't bear to watch Fourth Master Long lingering like this, so he had to say in a cryptic manner: "Everything is good outside, but it's not as good as at home. Parents are thinking and looking forward to it. As a child, Fourth Master should also consider the state of mind of his parents to be filial piety." .In fact, if you think about everything, it’s just the word loyalty and filial piety. As long as you can complete these two words, what regrets will there be in the world?"

Fourth Master Long silently nodded.

After pondering for a while, Fourth Master Long said again: "During this period of time, I have known Pan'er, and I feel that Pan'er is talented and innocent. It also coincides with the opportunity to cooperate with Pan'er. After thinking about it, I will often be disturbed. "

After all, he was still a little reconciled.So I took the matter of cooperation as a raft, and tested Xue Zhizhang's reaction again.

Xue Zhizhang naturally sighed softly, he couldn't tell whether it was boredom or other emotions, but now that the fourth master has broken his face, he can't refuse too much.After thinking about it for a while, I finally opened my mouth and said: "After this period of time, I watched with cold eyes, and saw that the relationship between the fourth master and the puppy is still harmonious. Besides, the exchange of money should be treated with the most strictness. After the fourth master returned to the capital, After all, this matter is a little far away, so it's reasonable to inquire from time to time. It's just that the fourth master has a high status, so he doesn't need to inquire in person, just send one or two trustworthy stewards back and forth."

After all, he had already played it right in front of the Holy Majesty.Hanging up the name, the Holy Majesty didn't have any other reactions.I don't care if I think about it.Even if Fourth Master Long used this method to contact Xue Pan, as long as the Xue family maintained their position, there would be no suspicion now.What's more, from his point of view, although this Fourth Master Long is still young and immature in means, he is not as slick and scheming as the other princes.But it is rare that it is a "pure" word, and the occasional cautiousness is forced to helplessness, so that people can't help but feel pity when they read it.

The most important thing is that he has inquired about it secretly, because the current empress is very respected and loved by the Holy Majesty. Although she has no children, she has successfully tricked the Holy Majesty into adopting the fourth master from a baby.Now that the queen's mother's family is growing in power, and the fourth master is very pleased with the holy will... Presumably the queen will not be satisfied with being a "mother, empress dowager" after hundreds of years of sainthood.

Throughout the ages, the so-called seizing the heir and seeking the reserve is nothing more than "the one who wins the Sacred Heart wins the world".The fourth prince is pure and filial, and he has heard a little about the reputation of filial piety by nature.It is precisely because of this that he has been praised by the Holy Majesty many times, and it is also because of this that His Highness the Crown Prince has caused the Fourth Prince to become a confidant.To act against the fourth prince regardless of the consequences...

Such a move naturally aroused Longyan's fury.Xue Zhizhang does not know how the situation above has changed.It's just that after thinking about it three times and discussing it secretly with Mr. Zhuang, he felt that the possibility of the fourth prince taking the throne was not small.In order to protect their century-old plan, their Xue family doesn't care about any meritorious deeds, but it doesn't hurt to do it a few more times.

It's just the prince's side...

Xue Zhizhang frowned calmly, only felt that it was too difficult to be right and left, and there was a burst of upset and depressed emotions in his heart.

And this room, Fourth Master Long's eyes couldn't help but brighten up when he heard the words, knowing that all the hard work to win him over was not in vain.Only then did he calm down a little, and said with a smile: "It should be so."

Xue Pan has never been good at dealing with such words on the table.So he obediently stayed on the sidelines without interfering or accosting.Fourth Master Long glanced at him sideways, and could only take the initiative to say with a wry smile: "When I go to the capital, I will inevitably neglect this cooperation matter. You must remember to send me a letter on time so that I know what you are doing gone."

Of course, this was said on the bright side. As for what Fourth Master Long wanted to say, everyone knew it well.

Xue Pan nodded obediently, and said dully: "Don't worry, fourth master! Every month, I will report the progress of the business to you in detail."

After thinking about it, he suggested: "Since it is a three-party cooperative relationship, it is better for all three parties to participate. After the fourth master returns to Beijing, he can also find a trustworthy accountant to come over and follow suit. This is serious."

Fourth Master Long wanted to say it's okay, I can trust you.But after thinking about it, he nodded again.

After that, I reluctantly exchanged a few pleasantries, but I always felt that it was stiff.At the moment, they went back to their rooms without talking.It only said that someone in the team sent by Jingzhong to pick up the fourth master found Xue Zhizhang's head, saying that his master had something to say to Xue Zhizhang.

Xue Zhizhang naturally knew the identity of the visitor, and immediately received him with great care.After the two talked secretly in the room for a long time, the talent from Beijing came out slowly and bid farewell.And Xue Zhizhang behaved as usual, but one day he found Xue Pan and said that he didn't need to worry too much, and just interacted with Long Siye according to his usual habits.

Xue Pan complied ignorantly.

On the day Long Siye set off, Xue Pan sent people all the way to the pier according to the custom.It wasn't until Fourth Master Long boarded the boat that he waved his hand as a sign of farewell.

Fourth Master Long hesitated again and again, but still said: "If you have time, you can come to the capital to play. Let me be the host, and I will definitely let you have a good time."

Xue Pan shook his head dejectedly.

"What?" Fourth Master Long raised his eyebrows in surprise.The prosperity of the capital is even greater than that of Jinling. According to Xue Pan's habits, he should be very excited after hearing this. Why does he seem to be so indifferent?

"I heard that people in Beijing are expensive and money is cheap. Ten people were hit with a brick, eight of them were the sons of officials, and the other two were from the families of princes and princes. Compared to that, what am I?" Xue Xue Pan curled his lips meaninglessly. "I'm afraid I will care about everything at that time. Be careful with every step, it's better for me to be a dandy in Jinling."

He stretched out his thumb again and said to Long Siye: "In Jinling, don't look at my family as a small official, but my Xue family has been running the business for generations. Even first-class relatives are just respectful when they come in front of them. They will never be afraid, but If we arrive in the capital..."

As Xue Pan spoke, he curled his lips in disdain, turned his wrist, and said with his thumb down: "This is me, I'm afraid all the cats and dogs are playing wild on my head."

What Xue Pan said was so vivid and interesting that even the guards who came over from Beijing couldn't help but laugh.Fourth Master Long even shook his head with a smile, looked at Xue Pan for a while, then suddenly leaned forward, put his lips close to Xue Pan's earlobe, and said softly: "If one day, I can make you not be bullied even in the capital." Cold eyes, walking in and out is like in Jinling, so come here!"

Hearing this, Xue Pan looked at Fourth Master Long in surprise.I don't understand which play he is acting in.

"How about it, come here?" Fourth Master Long urged softly.

Scratching his head indifferently, Xue Pan replied in a daze, "Let's talk about it later!"

Hearing this, Fourth Master Long suddenly chuckled.He took a fixed look at Xue Pan, turned around and entered the cabin...