A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 70 The warmth and warmth of human relationships

"You may dispense with the formalities, my dear subject!"

Inside the imperial study, after Wang Qing had paid his respects, the emperor smiled and said, "Excellent! Truly a descendant of loyal and virtuous officials; indeed, heroes emerge from among the young!"

The emperor was around forty years old, lean and capable.

He deliberately emphasized the words "loyal and virtuous," clearly intending to make people think that this favor was due to Wang Meng.

While this is indeed the case in reality, there are still significant differences.

Wang Qing, understanding the implication, quickly bowed again and said, "Your subject is willing to serve the Emperor Emeritus and His Majesty to the death, just like my father!"

"Your family is loyal and virtuous, and you are young and promising. I am very pleased. What other rewards do you desire? Just say the word!"

"I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's great favor in allowing me to serve the court; this is already an immense blessing, and I dare not ask for any reward!"

Loyalty itself is a reward, and Wang Qing quickly seized the opportunity to express his loyalty.

"Hahaha! Well, you're still young. You'll have plenty of opportunities to make your mark, so there's no need to rush. Come and have dinner with me!"

Wang Qing then got up, lowered his head and walked forward carefully to the small table next to the imperial desk, where he sat down with half of his buttocks turned to the side.

Offering food is merely a gesture; it doesn't mean they'll actually eat and drink to their hearts' content.

Wang Qing ate a few bites and then, following the emperor's questions, answered them one by one according to his prepared remarks.

After the meal, the emperor rose and said, "Accompany me to the Imperial Garden to see if the winter plum blossoms have bloomed yet!"

Wang Qing quickly accepted the order and followed.

After leaving the imperial study, the emperor waved to the accompanying eunuchs, and only after creating some distance did he slowly speak: "You've done a good job facilitating the merger of the five city garrisons so quickly!"

Wang Qing quickly replied modestly, "I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's boundless virtue!"

The emperor waved his hand indifferently and said, "Don't feel wronged, Deputy Envoy. You are too young. Even with your father's achievements, it is not appropriate for you to be promoted too quickly. The yamen has just been established, and your rank is too low to be suitable for you to do the work."

Therefore, I have designated it as a fourth-rank government office and have deliberately left the position of Commander vacant. When the time is right, it will naturally be yours!

The emperor abruptly changed the subject, asking, "Have you met Minister Zhou?"

Wang Qing hesitated before asking, "Vice Minister Zhou?"

"Zhou Qing is Consort Zhou's brother. I only decided to issue this decree today because he mentioned that he was going to a banquet at the Rong Mansion."

The emperor did not offer much explanation, but his words contained a great deal of information.

Wang Qing was also puzzled as to why the emperor would mention Vice Minister Zhou. Just as he was wondering if the emperor was looking for outside help for him, he heard the emperor continue to ask, "Do you know why I sent him to work in the Ministry of Works?"

"Your Majesty, I dare not presume to know your intentions!"

The emperor lamented, "In recent years, floods have been frequent. The retired emperor has rebuilt the Daming Palace and is also constructing the imperial mausoleum, yet taxes have decreased instead of increased. The court is in trouble, but I am in even greater trouble!"

As a person in a position of authority, one should be responsible for governing. Wang Qing dared not speak carelessly about the court's financial issues.

The emperor paused for a moment, then said, "I never expected you to think of using sweeping and cleaning as a method to collect commercial taxes!"

Wang Qing humbly replied, "It's just a little bit of cleverness; I hope Your Majesty won't laugh at me."

The emperor shook his head slightly and said, "Even clever tricks can be useful! Since you've come up with this excuse to collect commercial taxes, do you have any way to alleviate my burden?"

When the emperor mentioned commercial taxes, he did not mention replenishing the national treasury. Combined with the previous lament that the court was in dire straits, and that the emperor himself was in even greater straits, Wang Qing astutely grasped the hidden meaning in his words.

He quickly followed up, saying, "I would be more than happy to share Your Majesty's burdens!"

……

In ancient times, security was a concern, and there was no modern lighting. Unless guests intended to stay overnight or lived very close by, dinner was generally not served.

Usually, depending on the distance, a meal of tea, fruit, and snacks is served between 1-3 PM and 3-5 PM, after which the guest is sent off.

Although the western part of the city has changed dramatically, many of the guests who came to the banquet lived far away and brought their families with them.

Therefore, following the old custom, the Rongguo Mansion ordered tea, fruit and snacks to be served early, but the guests lingered and were not in a hurry to leave.

Jia Zheng and Lady Wang were well aware that the people were not actually craving the tea, fruit, and snacks from the Rong Mansion, but rather had ulterior motives. They wanted to see when Wang Qing would return, thereby assessing the extent of the Emperor's favor.

Didn't the two of them have the same thoughts?

However, Jia Zheng's mind was filled with thoughts of how to bring good fortune to himself through Wang Qing's imperial favor.

Madam Wang thought to herself that Wang Qing was indeed blessed with good fortune, and even a little favor from him would be enough to make her feel completely satisfied.

Madam Wang was casually chatting with the ladies when she suddenly heard someone outside announce, "Madam! Master Qing has returned from the palace. The gentlemen are just about to leave, and he's seeing the guests off with his master!"

There are no coincidences; it was all premeditated.

Upon hearing this, the women quickly took their leave, while Madam Wang, along with Li Wan, Wang Xifeng, the three sisters, and others, rose to see them off.

Although the Xue family mother and daughter and Madam You did not need to travel, one was a junior member of the Jia family and the other was living under someone else's roof, so they had no choice but to accompany them with gifts.

Upon arriving at the second gate, he saw the dignitaries and nobles in the front courtyard and politely bid farewell to Wang Qing.

The Xue mother and daughter exchanged a glance without realizing it.

Although they lived in the Rongguo Mansion, they were not members of the Jia family.

Previously, upon hearing of the imperial decree, even though he was eager to join in the fun, the women who came to visit remained unmoved, so he could only regretfully give up.

When Madam Wang and her party returned, they learned that the imperial decree was not issued to the Rong family, but to Wang Qing.

The emperor even summoned him to the palace and bestowed upon him a royal meal. Remembering that they had offended him, the mother and daughter couldn't help but feel a sense of lingering fear.

Ironically, those arrogant wives of officials who looked down on the Xue family were full of praise for Wang Qing, and they also subtly inquired about whether he was married.

The coldness and warmth of human relationships inevitably left the mother and daughter with mixed feelings.

Just as I was wondering if Madam Wang would ask Wang Qing to come back and talk, I thought I might as well get closer to Wang Qing and ease the tension.

Then the two ladies of the Shi family returned, and said with some embarrassment, "Master said that Qing-ge was summoned to the palace, but after saying only a few words, he decided not to leave. We'll have a couple more drinks with Qing-ge at dinner."

Aunt Xue was feeling disappointed.

Then Yuanyang came running up, breathless, and gave a graceful bow, saying, "The old lady said that since there are no more guests now, she would like to invite the two gentlemen and Master Qing to dine at Rongqing Hall as well!"

Aunt Xue subconsciously looked at her daughter, only to meet Baochai's deep gaze.

The mother and daughter were of one mind and thought at the same time that although there was a separation between the inner and outer quarters, and the addition of the two men from the Shi family meant that they would probably have to separate from the women, the two families were right next door, so they could take advantage of the proximity and travel together, just like last time.

The two ladies of the Shi family exclaimed with delight, "That's wonderful! Let's go to the old lady's place quickly!"

Madam Wang hurriedly ordered the servants at the second gate to go ahead and announce the arrival, while she led the entourage in a grand procession toward Rongqing Hall.

……