Chapter 166: Not for Outsiders
But ever since Sun Shaozong took a concubine, his step-brother had given him a brand new set of "bedding items", including Burmese bells, silver trays, sulfur rings, and peeping lamps, all of which were meticulously crafted. Even if one didn't know what they were for, they were fine for enjoyment.
After getting these things, Sun Shaozong was not without curiosity, but Ruan Rong and Xiangling refused to cooperate. He was not like his cheap elder brother, who did not care about anything and only wanted to have a good time.
Therefore, the object is like a pearl thrown into the dark, completely useless.
Until this day, Xiangling was so grateful that she gave up her delicate body and let Sun Shaozong do whatever he wanted, which made Sun Shaozong get what he wanted.
There are so many fresh and exciting things in it that it is hard to tell outsiders!
Meanwhile…
Inside Rongxi Hall, the main hall of Rongguo Mansion, a secret conversation was taking place that could not be told to outsiders.
"How is it, did Sun Jia Erlang find anything?"
The person who asked the question was Jia Zheng. He had heavy bags under his eyes and a furrowed brow. Although the few strands of white hair on his temples had been trimmed, they were still clearly visible under the light. He seemed to have aged seven or eight years compared to a few months ago when he was drinking with Sun Shaozong.
"It seems nothing has been found."
Jia Baoyu bowed and said, "But my son dare not test it , so it is difficult to be sure."
At this point, he raised his head and asked nervously, "How is the master doing? Has any news leaked out?"
Jia Zheng shook his head and said, "Although Lai Da is a ruthless person, he is also very thorough in his work. He did not leave any ."
Then he smiled bitterly and said, "To be honest, if that Lai Da hadn't found out by chance, I really wouldn't have known that our shop had helped the He family smuggle gunpowder into Beijing!"
"Fortunately, the Patriarch of the He family never revealed this matter until his death, otherwise..."
When Jia Baoyu heard this, he raised his head and wanted to say something, but his eyes fell on Jia Zheng's mottled hair, and he swallowed the words that were on his lips.
He was silent for a moment, then changed the subject: "Second Brother Sun suggested that I go to my grandmother and plead for Sister Feng. This way, I can avoid a fallout with my uncle's family, and I can also use this opportunity to appease the servants at home."
“As it should be.”
Jia Zheng nodded and said, "Although your sister has been promoted to the virtuous concubine, she still has no son to support her. Our family cannot do without the help of the Wang family at the moment."
"But where is mother..."
"Ignore her."
Jia Zheng waved his hands in a disinterested manner: "It's already this hour, and you still only know how to calculate those trivial things - besides, this Rongguo Mansion should be inherited by your uncle. Even if you rely on your grandmother to be the head of the family, it is still a matter of courtesy."
As he spoke, he stood up and said, "Well, it's getting late, you should go back and rest first. When we find a suitable opportunity in a few days, I will help you to plead for Lian'er's wife."
Jia Baoyu agreed obediently, bowed and walked out of the door.
A silent night...
Freezing rain began to fall in the capital city from the second half of the night. By daybreak, a layer of frost covered the treetops and eaves, which made a rustling sound when the north wind blew.
Sun Shaozong had already been tossing and turning for most of the night, and seeing that it was getting cold, he was even more reluctant to get up.
I lay lazily in bed with my eyes closed, wondering whether I should just take another half day off to make up for the time I spent on investigating the case and filing the report yesterday.
Suddenly I felt a chill on my left shoulder.
He lifted his eyelids and glanced over. It turned out that Xiangling was sitting up quietly, tying the string of her bellyband.
Without thinking, Sun Shaozong raised his hand and reached into the gap under her armpit, grabbing half of his conscience and muttering, "I made you suffer enough yesterday, why did you get up so early?"
Xiangling slightly turned her body to make it easier for him to move inside, but she said, "My mother just arrived yesterday. As a daughter, how can I stay in bed?"
That seems to be the case.
Sun Shaozong sighed helplessly and also straightened up - three younger people had just come to the family, and as an uncle, he didn't want to set a bad example the next day, right?
The two maids outside heard the noise inside, and hurriedly brought the clothes to the front, and then took away the other items with red faces.
Seeing that the two maids were wrapped up like cotton balls, Sun Shaozong asked curiously, "Why, is it so cold outside?"
The two maids nodded vigorously, and one of them said, "Butler Zhao just asked the maid to come over and ask if we should light the kang in the courtyard."
When Sun Shaozong heard this, he hurriedly ordered, "Go ask the concubine first. She must be taken good care of. Catching a cold is no joke."
The maids responded crisply, and Sun Shaozong ordered again: "Tell Butler Zhao to go to the warehouse and see if there is any good wool material for making coats. If not, tell him to go out and buy some!"
"Then find a tailor to make three sets of winter clothes for each of the three brothers and Aunt Zhen's mother. They just came from the south and I'm afraid they haven't experienced the winter in the north."
The maids hurriedly agreed.
Xiangling had just put on her jacket. After hearing this, she went forward and put her arms around his waist, rubbing against him like a cat, and choked up as she said, "It is the greatest blessing in my life that Xiangling follows the master."
Sun Shaozong slapped her on the butt with his backhand and said, "You will have many more blessings in the future, but you'd better put on your clothes first. If you catch a cold, I'm afraid I'll have to send you to the guest room for a while."
When Xiangling heard this, she panicked and hurriedly pulled her clothes over and put them on.
Seeing how well-behaved and lovely she was, Sun Shaozong hesitated for a moment and then asked the maids to go and ask his eldest brother.
After confirming that his eldest brother had rushed back from the military camp at midnight yesterday, he sent someone to pass on the message, asking Sun Shaozu to accompany Yu Qian and others for breakfast. He then went with Xiangling to meet Zhen Fengshi [Xiangling's mother].
At the dinner table, Sun Shaozong expressed some filial piety on Xiangling's behalf and promised to ask someone to help find Zhen Shiyin [Xiangling's father] who had become a wandering Taoist priest. Only then did Sun Shaozong order Zhang Cheng to harness the carriage and rush to the government office to take up his post.
The wind, frost, snow and rain made Zhang Cheng very cold along the way, so when Sun Shaozong got off the car, he threw him a golden bean and asked him to go to the nearby area to exchange it for some liquor to warm himself up.
However, after entering the government office gate, Sun Shaozong regretted it again.
It's not that he was reluctant to part with the golden beans, but there were several large pots set up in the front yard of the government office, boiling a lot of hot soup for warding off the cold - sending Zhang Cheng away would be a waste of time.
Looking further inside, I found that not only was hot soup prepared to ward off the cold, but there were actually more than twenty bald men sitting cross-legged in the lobby of the government office, burning incense and chanting scriptures!
But how come Shuntian Prefecture suddenly became a Buddhist temple?
