Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

Chapter 315: Taoist Zhang of Qingxu Temple

Wang Xifeng and Daiyu left Lady Jia's courtyard and walked slowly outside, talking in low voices all the way.

"The few who won the prize had been waiting at home for the election. The second master was very happy and would talk with them every day.

"The three brothers were so noisy that they came to me for help. I asked them to go quietly and ask their master for help.

"Now he has gone to the History Museum to do odd jobs, leaving early and returning late, and the Second Master finally can't catch him.

"But the second master, who was idle, started to cause trouble again. Didn't Jia Yucun come back? He got off his horse and took the seal and became an official in the Ministry of Revenue. He is so powerful now.

"Didn't the second master ask for leave? Now that he can't go to the ministry, he sends invitations to Yucun every day, asking him to come to his house. But Yucun is willing to pay attention to him and comes every three or five days. I don't know what the two of them talk about."

Daiyu sneered when she heard this: "Second Master still thinks I'm your nephew!"

"But what can I say?" Wang Xifeng curled her lips.

Daiyu looked around and whispered to her, "Remember, no matter what Yucun instigates the Second Master to do, you must find a way to prevent him from doing it!"

"Do I need you to tell me that?" Wang Xifeng smiled complacently, "As for the second master's legs, he is only showing off at home now."

He hesitated for a moment, looked at Daiyu, and seemed to be about to speak.

Daiyu looked at her sideways.

Wang Xifeng simply pulled her closer and whispered, "Mrs. Zhou did something evil. She got Caiyun drunk. The Second Master has already taken that girl in as his own!"

Daiyu was stunned: "Caiyun is the same age as Baoyu, right?!"

Wang Xifeng sighed.

Daiyu was speechless for a long while.

Wang Xifeng whispered, "This Aunt Zhou is really a dog that bites without barking! It was she who instigated Third Huan to go to Qingxu Temple!"

"What is Huan'er doing at Qingxu Temple?" Daiyu frowned.

Wang Xifeng sneered, "Everyone else won, but he didn't. He feels uncomfortable." Aunt Zhou went to Qingxu Temple to burn incense for him.

"The most despicable thing about Taoist Zhang is that he is good at cheating people out of money. Huan Ge'er was also cheated. Who knows what happened, but he was persuaded.

"When I come back, I'll make a fuss, saying that it's hard to study hard because of the girls at home, and that I should be brave enough to make progress after knowing shame. Anyway, whatever! I just want to go to Qingxu Temple to study.

"The Second Master doesn't care, so just let him go."

"After you left, Baoyu went to the farm to accompany the old lady.

"After Baochai and her sister had been gone for two days, he found an excuse to come back, but he was unwilling to stay at home.

"Since the third brother Huan went to Qingxu Monastery, Baoyu went there too. He just said he was there to tutor his brothers, and no one else could say anything back.

"The old lady was ill a few days ago, and Baoyu and his brother came back to take care of her."

Daiyu was stunned: "Then why didn't I see them just now?"

"When he heard you were coming, Baoyu deliberately dragged Huan Lao San outside." Wang Xifeng curled her lips, "I don't know if he really knows how to behave, or what's wrong with him that he's afraid to see you."

Daiyu remained silent. After thinking for a moment, she whispered to Wang Xifeng, "The old lady just told me that Taoist Zhang is the Northern King's man."

Wang Xifeng was suddenly confused.

Daiyu looked at her strangely. "Actually, if you know about Jia Rong, you should have heard about the Northern King. Why didn't anyone at home ask me about this?"

Wang Xifeng was stunned: "What happened to the Northern King? Wasn't he in Jiangnan to control floods? We just said that he didn't come back with the Queen this time?"

This time it was Daiyu's turn to be surprised: "How could the news be kept secret so tightly?!"

Could it be that Ding Mingyi has this ability?!

Or is there someone who wants to take advantage of the time difference and seize the opportunity to subdue the leaderless dragons under the Northern King?

"The King of the North has been murdered." Daiyu simply told Wang Xifeng what had happened.

Wang Xifeng was so frightened that her face turned pale. She covered her mouth with both hands. After a long while, she grabbed Lin Daiyu's hand and asked in a trembling voice, "My dear sister, that bad guy won't hurt you, will he?"

Lin Daiyu smiled slightly: "I know nothing and I am not involved in anything. Why would they harm me?"

"You have money! You have so much money! To do bad things, bad guys must need a lot of money. What if they target you?

"When you return to the palace, tell the Queen Mother and ask her to send more experts to protect you in and out! Hey, where is your internal official Chu?"

It took Wang Xifeng less than three breaths, or the time it takes to say one sentence, to go from being trembling with fear to being able to talk again.

Daiyu was amused by her and said, "Oh, my eunuch Chu was ordered by the Majesty to stay in Jiangnan to help."

Then he comforted her with a few words and gently reminded her, "There will be a lot of turmoil in the court these days. You should keep an eye on the inner house and don't let people from outside disturb the old lady easily."

Wang Xifeng nodded vigorously and snorted, "Don't worry! It was just my negligence today." She then told Daiyu the whole conversation she had just had with Baochai.

He sneered, "What a coincidence! My parents just wrote me a letter from my hometown, asking me to stay away from my second uncle in the future!"

Daiyu frowned slightly: "Your parents? Why?"

"It wasn't mentioned in the letter, and I asked the person who delivered the letter, but he didn't know. I just wrote back to ask, but he hasn't replied yet."

Wang Xifeng thought about it and shook her head, "I'm afraid it's not a good thing. My second uncle is used to pushing others forward and hiding himself in the back."

Daiyu suddenly thought of the arrogant Xue Family Restaurant and couldn't help asking her, "Do you still have your dowry in Jinling?"

Wang Xifeng shook her head and smiled, "No more. Last time, in the name of raising money for our Second Master Lian, I sold all the farms and shops near Jinling.

"Now my dowry has been moved to the capital. But I don't have the manpower to manage it, so I can only deposit it in a bank and quietly earn the interest."

Then he pulled Daiyu aside and said, "Because the old lady is terribly ill, the eldest master wrote a letter to our second master asking him to return to Beijing. Please help me think about how to stop him and not let him come back!"

Daiyu laughed: "If he wants to go back to Beijing, he has to ask for leave, and he has to get approval from his superiors. Henan is very busy, and the prefect of Kaifeng has always been strict. It is not certain that Second Brother Lian will be able to come back!"

Wang Xifeng was skeptical and put the matter aside for the time being.

Seeing that it was almost time for another watch, Aunt Meng could not help but urge: "You really can't get in. Let's see if the Queen Mother will let you out in the future!"

Daiyu then hurriedly got on the car and went back to the palace.

Wang Xifeng heard a lot of secrets and stood by the second door, unable to go in or out. After thinking for a long time, she still did not dare to spread the news of "the murder of the Northern King".

However, she didn't say anything, but she couldn't resist the idle chatter of the guards who returned to the capital.

Just when it was time to wash up and rest, a message suddenly came in from the outer courtyard:

"Prince Beijing died in a foreign land, and the Queen Mother and the Princess made a scene in the Imperial Study, demanding an explanation from His Majesty!"

Wang Xifeng frowned: "Ask His Majesty for an explanation? Do they want an explanation from His Majesty?!"

Yuanyang felt something was wrong with what she said, looked straight at her face, and asked quietly, "What's the matter? How did you know about this? How did you know it? Did Miss Lin tell you just now?"

"What does it have to do with you, a little girl?" Wang Xifeng threw her handkerchief down, "Stop asking questions! And don't tell anyone about it in front of the old lady!

"If you make the old lady worry too much and become ill again, I will have nothing to say. Miss Lin will ask you first!"

Yuanyang spat at him: "Let's try and see if Miss Lin will support you or stand on my side!"