Chapter 734 Daily Life in the Sun Mansion (XI)
As it turned out, Sun Shaozong was worrying too much this time.
To him, Jiang Yuhan was at most a hot potato; but to Jia Baoyu, she was a rare treasure in the world.
He likes it so much that how could he give it to others?
This time they came to us, saying they wanted to settle Jiang Yuhan, but in fact they came to solicit investment.
As Jia Baoyu said, 'It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish'. Now that Qi Guan has finally escaped from the cage, how can he bear to follow the old wisdom of King Zhongshun and continue to detain Qi Guan at home?
To put it bluntly, he went to Sun Shaozong just to borrow some money to help Jiang Yuhan set up a troupe.
Opera troupes are on the rise these days. This is not like the Qing Dynasty when there were makeshift troupes roaming the streets everywhere.
As the saying goes, scarcity makes things valuable. If you want to organize a theatre troupe out of thin air in the capital, it is not something that can be done with just a few dozen or a hundred taels of silver.
Besides, Jiang Yuhan has such a great reputation in the capital now, how could he be willing to set up a makeshift team to mess around?
The cost of this will naturally increase.
Therefore, when Jia Baoyu opened his mouth, he offered four thousand taels of silver!
“Three years!”
He counted carefully with his fingers: "Not counting the things on the public account, the odds and ends I have saved over the years, if put together, are worth four or five thousand taels in total - if Qi Guan can't pay back the money in three years, I will use these things to pay off the debt..."
"Who wants your junk?"
Sun Shaozong rolled his eyes in annoyance, then turned to Jiang Yuhan who was standing beside him and said, "I remember that Boss Jiang has bought a lot of properties in the Rosewood Castle outside the city. Now that he is free and has the heart to support the troupe, why not sell them and exchange them for some money? It will be better than living in debt."
Jiang Yuhan met Sun Shaozong's scrutinizing gaze with a wry smile. Just as she was about to answer, Jia Baoyu took the lead.
"Second brother underestimated Qi Guan!"
Then he said anxiously: "In order to completely cut off ties with the Prince Zhongshun's Mansion, he left the house with nothing this time. Apart from a few changes of clothes, he didn't even take a single copper coin with him!"
As he spoke, he bowed deeply again: " Qi Guan is so upright, how can I let him down? I have no choice but to be thick-skinned and ask for help from my second brother."
This Jiang Yuhan is really smart!
Since Prince Zhongshun wanted to make up for past discord, he would definitely not take the initiative to deprive Jiang Yuhan of his "private wealth".
But King Zhongshun was well-known for his love of money. After giving away such a large piece of property, he would probably feel the pain for a long time.
If the Rongguo Mansion really rises to prominence in the future, the two sides will naturally live in peace.
But if anything goes wrong, according to King Zhongshun's vengeful nature, he will most likely dig up old scores. Then Jiang Yuhan will naturally be in trouble, and even Jia Baoyu will be implicated again.
Jiang Yuhan took the initiative to donate his private wealth, which not only showed his integrity openly but also avoided future troubles secretly. It can be said that he killed two birds with one stone.
As for the lost goods...
With the support of Jia Baoyu, the popular "uncle of the emperor", and his fame in the capital, what does a mere manor outside the city mean?
Sun Shaozong was thinking about the benefits of Jiang Yuhan's action, but he said, "Money is nothing, but Brother Bao is thinking wrongly about this matter - you are the only good friend of Jiang Banzhu, but Feng Ziying and Xue Pan are not good friends?"
"In my opinion, we should gather everyone together, brainstorm, contribute money and manpower, and spread the word. Then, it will be easier to open up the situation if friends ask friends for help."
This statement sounds as if it is made with Jiang Yuhan in mind, but to be honest, the central idea is nothing more than the word "passing the buck".
If this troupe is organized by everyone together, there will be "idle people" who can work together.
But if Jia Baoyu's idea is followed and Sun Shaozong is the only investor, then the troupe will be under his name. It would be fine if there is no trouble, but if there is trouble, he will definitely be implicated.
Jia Baoyu obviously didn't understand the twists and turns in this sentence. He slapped his forehead, causing his hairpin to tremble.
"So, I was really mistaken! Right, right, let's follow Second Brother's idea and gather everyone together - especially Brother Liu and Brother Feng!"
Sun Shaozong was talking about Xue Pan and Feng Ziying just now. After all, both of them are wealthy.
But when Baoyu mentioned it, he deliberately replaced Xue Pan with Liu Xianglian.
Logically speaking, they are cousins, so it is reasonable for Xue Pan to be ranked first...
Could it be that they became enemies because of something?
It was fine a few days ago.
Sun Shaozong didn't have time to think about it, Baoyu asked a lot of details like a machine gun, such as who to invite and who to invite, whether to set up a set of rules in advance, etc.
In fact, it is Jiang Yuhan who should make the decisions on these matters.
But he just seemed to be agreeing from the side, posing like a young handsome guy, and obviously didn't care about Baoyu stealing the show.
Although Sun Shaozong was a layman when it came to the composition of the troupe, he was quite good at preparatory meetings - the morning meetings held by Wei Yi every day were clearly unsatisfactory in Sun Shaozong's opinion.
Stop talking nonsense.
The three of them set up the wine table and talked until the hour of Hai.
During this time, there was continuous snowstorm outside. Sun Shaozong felt it was not convenient for them to leave in the wind and snow, so he asked Wang Jin to prepare guest rooms.
Jiang Yuhan lived in a separate courtyard, while Jia Baoyu was arranged to live next door to Xing Zhong - the pretext was to let him take care of his elders, but in fact, they were worried that the two of them would talk in bed together at night and lose control and make the same mistake again.
Sun Shaozong is now used to seeing people like Long Yang and Duan Xiu, so it's not easy for him to oppose them openly - but at least he can't make them feel disgusted.
After everything was settled, Sun Shaozong did not give Jia Baoyu any chance to object. He pretended to be drunk and went back to the backyard.
As the night deepened, the wind and snow became stronger.
Even in the corridor, there was a thin layer of ice.
Sun Shaozong didn't pay attention at first and almost slipped, so he quickly lowered the lantern, lowered his head and looked around as he walked slowly forward.
As I passed by the study, two lanterns suddenly appeared from the diagonal back and came towards me tremblingly.
Sun Shaozong subconsciously stopped and raised his lantern to take a closer look. But before he could figure out who it was, the person opposite him greeted him and said, "Your servant greets you, Second Master."
Judging from the voice, it was the housekeeper Yuanyang.
Sun Shaozong couldn't help but wonder, "It's already this late, and it's snowing heavily, where are you coming from in such a hurry?"
"Reply to Second Master's question."
Yuanyang said helplessly: "Uncle Xing was vomiting violently in the guest room. The servants were afraid that something might happen, so they hurriedly reported it to the Madam. The Madam got the news and asked me to go over and deal with it."
"I saw that he was in such a bad state that I asked someone to call a doctor back. He gave him a few injections and prescribed some medicine. He finally calmed down a little. I am now preparing to go back and report to the Madam."
After hearing this, Sun Shaozong couldn't help feeling a little guilty - at that time he had asked Zhang Cheng to drink half a gourd of Xing Zhong's old wine.
If anything unexpected happens, he will probably be held responsible.
Thinking of this, Sun Shaozong hurriedly asked, "Is Uncle Xing okay?"
"The doctor said that there might be some recurrences at night, but as long as it's not bloody bile, it won't be too dangerous."
Sun Shaozong felt a little relieved and was about to make way for Yuanyang to go back and report.
Unexpectedly, the little maid behind her suddenly rushed to say, "Sister, please talk to the Second Master clearly. I will go back and report first!"
As he said this, he bowed to Sun Shaozong and left with a crunching step on the ice chips.
There is such a stupid maid in my own house?
Sun Shaozong found it a little unbelievable at first, but after thinking about it, he suddenly realized.
Because of some coincidences that happened back then, everyone in the mansion thought that there was something unclear between him and Yuanyang.
When the little maid saw him blocking her way and asking her all sorts of questions, she probably felt that she was getting in the way, so she quickly found an excuse to avoid him.
She felt that she was helping others to achieve their goal, so naturally she didn't care about etiquette for the moment.
After figuring this out, Sun Shaozong was a little amused at first, but then he suddenly remembered that Jia Yingchun had mentioned Yuanyang that day, and he seemed to have noticed something.
I couldn't help but test him: "I heard that you have become more capable recently. You remember the most detailed things about the big and small things in this mansion that others know about. You also know everything that others don't know about."
Among the women in the backyard, if we only talk about the cleverness of the mind, Yuanyang would probably be the top one.
So when I heard Sun Shaozong's words with hidden meaning, I immediately understood what he meant.
I nodded and said, "Second Master, you are too kind. I am just trying my best to support you. How can I bother to inquire about the big and small things in the mansion? I may be able to tell you something that others know, but I naturally don't know anything that others don't know."
After a pause, she added: "Even if I heard any rumors, I never took them to heart, let alone add fuel to the flames."
He is indeed a man of great eloquence!
Sun Shaozong suddenly smiled and shook his head, saying, "That being said, after all, people's words are scary. If a pure and innocent woman like you were to waste her life because of rumors, wouldn't that be a pity?"
As he spoke, he held up Yuanyang's pointed chin with a finger, looked into her eyes and asked, "If you want to find a good husband outside, I will definitely ask my sister-in-law to help you. If you want to make those rumors true, that's fine too."
At this time, Yuanyang was no longer as calm as before. Almond Eyes and Sun Shaozong only looked at each other for a moment, then they moved away in disarray.
His heart was beating like a deer in his chest, and he was secretly annoyed at Sun Shaozong's domineering attitude, not leaving any room for him.
But when the time comes, we can't just stand there like this.
Yuanyang hesitated for a long time, and finally stammered in a low voice: "Although I am not as chaste as a woman, I also know the principle of being faithful to one man. This... this body... naturally cannot be touched by another man."
Seeing her blushing cheeks, it was obvious that it was not just a simple matter of the finger touching her chin.
Yes!
Around the Mid-Autumn Festival that year, when he went to Rongguo Mansion to meet Ping'er in private, because he did not follow the usual path, he mistook her for Ping'er and pounced on her and gave her a good fight...
Sun Shaozong felt relieved and tried to hold Yuanyang's hand, but she dodged and met his gaze again, saying seriously, "Second Master, please give me some dignity for now!"
After saying this , he bowed, turned sideways, walked around Sun Shaozong, and hurried away.
This girl...
It’s quite interesting.
Sun Shaozong laughed a few times and turned away.
When Sun Shaozong arrived at the gate of his own courtyard, he just knocked on the door and a huge pile of snow fell from the eaves, covering his head and face tightly.
What bad luck!
Sun Shaozong hurriedly took two steps back, stamped his feet and pulled his collar, trying to shake off the snow.
At this moment, a maid happened to hear the noise and rushed to open the door. She was shocked to see this fourth-rank official in such a state.
Sun Shaozong glared at her and walked straight into the west corridor, knocking on the door while continuing to shake off the paper.
Soon the door opened slightly and Qingwen came out.
Sun Shaozong handed the lantern to her and signaled her to perform a simple exorcism ceremony as usual.
Unexpectedly, Qingwen took the lantern and pursed her lips and said, "Second Master, my aunt's period came a few days early. I'm afraid I can't serve you."
Xiangling's period came early?
Sun Shaozong felt a little disappointed, but soon turned his attention back to Qingwen.
Perhaps because of the sudden cold wind, Qingwen's cheeks turned a little red, making her look even more sickly, weak, charming and graceful.
"Then tonight, you will share her worries."
As Sun Shaozong spoke, he opened his arms and motioned Qingwen to come forward and serve.
Qingwen's face became more and more rosy, but she shook her head firmly and said, "If I stay in the inner room, I'm afraid I'll disturb Auntie, and if I stay in the outer room, I'm afraid I'll wake up Sister. Master, you'd better go somewhere else."
Before he finished speaking
"Then go somewhere else."
Sun Shaozong stretched out his hand to stop him, and said with a chuckle: "I heard that a new warm room has been built in the plum garden. Let's enjoy the plum blossoms in the snow while..."
"concubine?!"
Before he could finish his words, Qingwen suddenly called out to someone behind him, and then hurriedly bowed her head.
The only one in this courtyard who deserves the title of concubine is Ruan Rong.
Sun Shaozong subconsciously retracted his hand and turned around, but saw that the corridor was empty. Where was Ruan Rong?
Bang~
At the same time, the door in front of him closed twice, and then there was a sound of the bolt falling.
"This little hoof!"
Sun Shaozong laughed and scolded, but he was not really angry. He turned his head to look into the main room on the north side, and saw that the lights had been turned off long ago, so he went to knock on You Erjie's door again.
You Erjie has not given birth to any children yet, so naturally there is no need for her to engage in superstitious things.
So after just a few photos, he was welcomed in by Caixia.
But not long after, the door was opened again.
Sun Shaozong led the way wearing a straw raincoat, followed by You Erjie and Caixia, the master and servant, one excited, the other shy and timid, but both holding oil-paper umbrellas, following Sun Shaozong closely.
Phew!
What a dissolute pair of master and servant!
Seeing the three men pushing the door open and hearing the noise while peeping through the window, Qingwen couldn't help but secretly spit.
Originally, when Sun Shaozong invited her just now, she was extremely reluctant, but now she felt as if something had been taken away from her, and her heart was filled with sourness.
"I'm not afraid of catching a cold. Too much joy can only lead to sorrow!"
She cursed softly and then left the window angrily.
