The Prince's Mansion was gifted by the previous emperor. It has a vermilion gate and a glazed roof. There are many rockeries and rocks in the courtyard, and pavilions and terraces are winding and towering.
The housekeeper followed respectfully, took a sneak peek at Rong Xi, and seeing Qin Ke's gentle expression, he realized that this young man was an honored guest of the mansion and should not be neglected.
"Uncle Zhao, go and clean up the side room," Qin Ke ordered.
Zhao Bo took the order and withdrew.
The sun was setting, and Qin Ke led Rong Xi to the bathroom. After they each took a bath and changed into clean clothes, the dinner table was set.
Before this, when Qin Ke presented the cooking method to the emperor, he also kept two copies for himself. One copy was given to the cook in the mansion to study, and the other copy was given to the marquis's mansion so that his parents could also taste it.
Now that the cook in the mansion has learned some skills, the meals are quite delicious and both of them enjoy them with relish.
After the meal, and after half an hour of digestion, Qin Ke took him to the study.
The study is elegant and bright, with a complete desk and chairs.
Rong Xi looked surprised and asked, "If others knew about this and accused you of not following the ancient etiquette, what would you do?"
Rong's house is remote and desolate, and no one cares about it. But there are many people secretly spying on the Shengjing County Prince's Mansion, and if you are not careful, you will be attacked.
"Since ancient times, etiquette has not remained unchanged," Qin Ke said calmly, "Do you know that today's etiquette will not be abolished in the future?"
Rong Xi was slightly surprised.
Of course he knew it, but he was surprised by Qin Ke's forward-thinking. It seemed that there was no barrier of time and space between the two of them. The sparks of the collision of their thoughts were even more exciting.
"I don't know what will happen in the future, but I know," Rong Xi couldn't help but kiss him loudly, his eyebrows and eyes full of surprise, "you are very good."
A beautiful person has a beautiful heart.
It is difficult to find a true friend in life. Now that he has both a true friend and a lover, Rong Xi feels very relieved.
After all, he is luckier than others.
Rong Dalang became more and more skilled in sweet talk and his behavior became more and more bold. Although Qin Ke enjoyed it, he often couldn't control himself.
He suddenly stood up, turned his face away from Rong Xi, and said, "The bedroom is ready. You've been busy for the past few days, you should go and rest first."
Without waiting for Rong Xi to respond, he opened the door, called Zhao Bo and ordered, "Take Rong Langjun to his bedroom to rest, don't neglect him."
Zhao Bo obeyed the order respectfully.
Seeing this, Rong Xi had no choice but to follow Zhao Bo to the bedroom.
"Young master, if you need anything, just tell this old servant." Zhao Bole said with a smile.
Rong Xi nodded obediently, "Thank you, Uncle Zhao."
He was born with a smart appearance and a gentle face, and was quite loved by the old man. When Zhao Bo saw that he was well-spoken, gentle, polite and respectful, he actually felt a little bit of pity for him.
"I am not worthy of this, young master, please have a rest early."
After saying this, he bowed and left.
After Rong Xi left, Qin Ke sat alone in the study, his face hidden in the backlight and could not be seen clearly.
After a while, Zhao Bo came to report.
"Prince, the young master has gone to bed."
Qin Ke nodded and suddenly said, "Where is Chen Chuangu? Ask him to come see me."
Zhao Bo took the order and retreated. In a moment, Chen Chuangu came excitedly.
"Qin Sizhi, you didn't even tell me you were coming back!"
He sat down and asked, "What do you want from me?"
Qin Ke's face was cold, and he said, "I asked you to investigate the doctor earlier, how is it going?"
"I found that person and used some tricks to force him to tell the truth," Chen Chuangu sighed, "Da Lang is really pitiful. His stepmother bribed the doctor and deliberately prescribed a tonic medicine, which made Da Lang become weaker and fatter."
Qin Ke's eyes suddenly turned cold and stern, and after a while he asked, "Besides this?"
"You also know that there are many dirty things in the deep mansion," Chen Chuangu shook his head and sighed, "She doted on him on the surface, but slandered him behind his back. Later, she schemed to make Rong Weijing angry and sent Dalang to the ancestral home in Linxi. Only Dalang, who experienced it firsthand, knows the details."
He appears kind on the outside but harbors selfish thoughts at heart. I don't know how Rong Dalang has endured this for more than a decade.
"It's alright, go back to your room."
Qin Ke gave some instructions and stood up to leave the study.
He walked lightly to Rong Xi's bedroom and saw that the candle in the room had been extinguished. He stayed in the yard for a long time before leaving.
The next day, Rong Xi felt refreshed. When he got up, he saw that Qin Ke had finished his morning exercise.
"There are still two days until the Queen Mother's birthday," Qin Ke led him to the dining hall, "is there anything you want to do?"
Rong Xi nodded, "Do you remember the fireworks on the Lantern Festival?"
"Remember," Qin Ke asked doubtfully, "you wanted to make fireworks to celebrate your birthday? Aren't the birthday gifts already prepared?"
Rong Xi smiled, "Too much courtesy, no complaints."
At that time, Chen Chuangu walked lazily over, and when he saw Rong Xi with sleepy eyes, he stared at her like a bell, and said in surprise: "Da Lang, you actually came back to Beijing with us!"
Qin Sizhi didn’t tell him again!
"Brother Chen, I haven't seen you for a long time. I miss you so much." Rong Xi said with a smile.
Qin Ke lowered his eyebrows and coughed lightly.
Chen Chuangu, however, smiled brightly upon hearing Rong Xi's words. He took a few steps forward, held Rong Xi's wrist, and praised: "I haven't seen you for a few months. You look even more handsome than before. If the ladies in Shengjing saw you, they would definitely..."
"Chen Chuangu." Qin Ke raised his eyes and looked at him with a rather unfriendly tone.
Rong Xi laughed out loud and replied, "Luckily, Brother Chen helped me. If it weren't for Brother Chen, I would still be as fat as a pig."
His self-deprecating words made Qin Ke extremely distressed when he heard them.
"Rong Dalang, don't underestimate yourself. Even though you are fat, you are still much better than others."
His words were powerful and his expression was extremely serious. Rong Xi stared at him for a few breaths, then replied with a gentle smile, "Thank you, Brother Sizhi."
When they first met at Rong's house on a rainy night last year, Rong Xi was quite fat, but Qin Ke did not show any contempt.
He never cared much about appearance.
When Chen Chuangu saw Zhao Bo coming with a plate, he laughed and said, "Let's have breakfast first. Dalang has been away from the capital for a long time. After breakfast, why don't we go to the market together?"
"Dalang and I have important matters, you go by yourself." Qin Ke refused expressionlessly.
Chen Chuangu rolled his eyes and secretly cursed Qin for being unromantic.
After the meal, Qin Ke ordered people to purchase saltpeter, sulfur, charcoal and other items, all of which were in powder form and placed in the courtyard.
Chen Chuangu had never heard of fireworks, and mistakenly thought that Rong Xi wanted to make fire bombs. He asked in surprise, "Da Lang, fire bombs are military weapons, so they can't be made privately now, right?"
"It's not a fire bomb," Rong Xi replied with a smile, "You will know when the time comes."
Qin Ke assisted silently.
Now that he was skilled in the art, he quickly finished making the fireworks. Seeing that the sun was at its highest point, Rong Xi asked with a smile, "Brother Sizhi, why don't we go to the market together?"
"I'll go too!" Chen Chuangu said hurriedly.
Since there was nothing else to do, the three of them walked to the market.
For Yu Rongxi, it was his first time in Shengjing, but with the help of his original body's memories, he roughly knew the location, so he did not reveal it in front of the two.
Compared with Mengshan, Shengjing Market is more prosperous, with a neat layout and strict control.
Most shops and vendors are concentrated in the West Market.
When the three of them arrived at the West Market, they saw crowds of people, shops lining both sides of the street, crowded stalls, and shouting and yelling filling the streets and alleys.
"Da Lang, look at that tofu shop!" Chen Chuangu raised his hand and pointed.
Rong Xi looked in the direction and saw that the tofu shop was quite large, crowded with people, and business was quite prosperous.
Rong Xi was quite pleased that the people liked him so much.
Seeing that he was happy, Qin Ke felt as if his heart was filled with honey, and the corners of his lips couldn't help but rise.
The three men all had good looks and manners. Many ladies lifted the curtain to take a peek, and some of them were even bolder and threw the delicate silk handkerchiefs in their hands at Qin Ke.
In fact, it was also Qin Ke's first time strolling around the West Market. If Rong Xi hadn't invited him, he would never have come here.
Before the silk handkerchief touched him, he easily dodged it, letting it fall to the ground and be stepped on.
When Chen Chuangu saw this, he felt quite sympathetic towards the young lady.
A few people walked through the crowd and took a rest in a quiet place in the market.
The location here is not good, there are very few people, the shops are deserted, and the shop owners are all sad and worried, spending their days wandering around.
Rong Xi looked up and saw that the plaque was mottled and the door had been ravaged by wind and rain for a long time and had never been replaced. He suddenly had an idea in his heart and stepped in.
Qin Ke and Chen Chuangu naturally followed.
Seeing the three men were of noble appearance, the shopkeeper hurriedly cheered himself up and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, please take a look. The price is negotiable."
The store sells groceries and daily necessities.
Rong Xi walked around and suddenly asked, "What's your name, shopkeeper?"
"My surname is Du. What can I do for you, young master?" asked the shopkeeper Du with a smile.
Seeing that Rong Xi had a kind face, he felt a sense of goodwill towards him for no reason, so he smiled very kindly.
"Is this shop owned by Shopkeeper Du?"
Shopkeeper Du shook his head quickly, "I am just looking after the shop for the master."
Rong Xi smiled and asked, "May I ask who your master is?"
Shopkeeper Du hesitated for a moment and then sighed, "The master's surname is Zhang."
"Zhang?" Rong Xi looked around the shop and asked, "I wonder how much profit this shop makes every month?"
If it were someone else, they would definitely be angry when hearing this. How could someone ask for interest so directly? I'm afraid it's not to ruin the party?
But Shopkeeper Du saw Rong Xi's expression and saw that he had no intention of finding fault, so he asked, "May I know your name, young master?"
Rong Xi's eyebrows were curved, and a smile filled the corners of his eyes. He said in a gentle voice: "My surname is Rong, I am the first in my family, and my mother's surname is Zhang."
His surname is Rong, his mother’s surname is Zhang, and he is the eldest in the clan.
Shopkeeper Du's mind suddenly exploded as if by thunder. He stared at Rong Xi for a long while, and finally understood why he felt that he looked familiar.
"Please forgive my poor eyesight for not recognizing you, Mr. Dalang!"
He bowed sincerely, his eyes almost filled with tears.
Rong Xi helped him up and said gently, "Mr. Du, there's no need to be so polite. I have some confusion in my mind and would like to ask you for advice."
Shopkeeper Du dared not neglect him, and hurriedly said, "If you don't mind, you may follow me to the back to drink some tea. Please do me the honor of serving you two distinguished guests."
With Rong Xi's consent, he quickly closed the shop, led the three people to the back room, and served them tea one by one.
"Mr. Du, why don't you join us?" Rong Xi invited sincerely.
Shopkeeper Du knelt down in response and could not help asking, "My dear, you should be at the ancestral home in Linxi, right?"
"I came to the capital for an important matter," Rong Xi asked with a smile, "I was walking through the market just now and saw that several shops of the Zhang family had replaced old employees with new ones. Why is that?"
Qin Ke and Chen Chuangu were suddenly shocked. It turned out that Rong Dalang's wandering around the market was not random, but he had a plan in mind.
The Zhang family was a family of merchants, and in the eyes of people at that time, marrying into the Shangshu was really marrying up. But if it weren't for the money from the Zhang family, Rong Weijing's path to promotion would not have been so smooth.
Rong Xi's mother was an only child, and all the shops under Zhang's name were her dowry.
According to the laws of the Wei Dynasty, a woman's dowry belonged to her and her husband's family was not allowed to take it without permission. When a woman dies, if she has children, the dowry will be inherited by her children; if not, it will be returned to her mother's family.
Rong Xi is the only son of Rong Zhang. His grandparents have both passed away. Now, the several shops should all be Rong Xi's personal property, and no one else is allowed to interfere or touch them.
Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Du sighed and said, "My dear, you were young and ignorant of worldly affairs. The shops that Madam brought as a dowry were all in the hands of Madam No. 2, so a change of owners was inevitable."
"This is too much!" Chen Chuangu said angrily.
Although Qin Ke's expression was calm, his eyes were sharp.
It originally belonged to Dalang, but now it has fallen into the hands of others. When Dalang first arrived in Linxi, he was penniless and had to work hard to make tools to earn money to support his family. However, the people in Rong Mansion secretly used Dalang's property to live an extravagant life!
Anger surged up, and the cup in his hand was crushed in an instant.
"Let me take a look!" Rong Xi was startled and quickly turned over his palm. Seeing that there was no wound, he felt relieved.
Seeing that he was frightened, Qin Ke looked apologetic and felt secretly annoyed.
"Why does your shop..." Rong Xi asked curiously.
Shopkeeper Du was both helpless and relieved, "Business is bad, and we can't make ends meet. She just doesn't care."
“Do you have an account book?”
Shopkeeper Du stood up quickly and said, "Yes, yes, yes. Please wait a moment, sir. I will bring it to you for your inspection."
After a while, the account book was placed on the table.
As business was bad, there were not many account books. Rong Xi had a good memory and strong mental arithmetic ability, so he could flip through them very quickly.
Shopkeeper Du stood there in shock. If it weren't for Rong Xi's serious expression, he would have thought Rong Xi was just joking.
Qin Ke's eyes were extremely gentle. Dalang looked so serious and it was really nice to look at.
After finishing one, Rong Xi put down the account book and praised, "Well done."
Shopkeeper Du waved his hands quickly and said, "I am really ashamed that my shop is not doing well."
"It's not Duong's fault."
Rong Xi smiled faintly and stood up, bowing sincerely, "Mr. Du, you are willing to stick to your shop, I am very grateful."
"I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it. My lord, you are too kind to me." Shopkeeper Du quickly returned the greeting.
Rong Xi smiled and said, "I have something else to do, so I won't bother you any more. However, this shop will be closed for a few days, so Mr. Du can have a rest for a few days."
"My dear?" Shopkeeper Du was puzzled.
Rong Xi comforted his anxious heart, "Don't worry, Mr. Du, I will come back to discuss business matters with you when I have time."
Shopkeeper Du felt slightly relieved and respectfully saw the three people off.
"Da Lang, you came to the market just to look at the shops?" Chen Chuangu asked curiously.
Rong Xi nodded, "These are all my mother's relics. They have been controlled by others for more than ten years. I have to take them back."
He had this plan long ago, and fortunately he had the help of his original body's memories, otherwise he really wouldn't know which ones belonged to Zhang's shops.
"If you need anything, just tell me."
Qin Ke expressed his opinion in a low voice.
"Thank you, Brother Sizhi." Rong Xi replied with a smile.
He looked up and saw the golden wheel slightly setting in the west, it should be noon, so he asked the two people: "I want to pay homage to my late mother, I don't know..."
"I'll go with you." Qin Ke responded immediately.
Chen Chuangu said with a shrewd look, "Da Lang, I have something else to do, you two can go together."
After parting, Rong Xi bought some offerings and paper money, and took Qin Ke to a cemetery on the outskirts of the city.
The tomb of Rong Zhang was next to that of his grandparents. After Rong Xi paid his respects to them one by one, he saw the desolate scene and felt sad.
The people in the tomb certainly don’t know that their own children have also passed away.
Qin Ke saw that he looked sad, and couldn't help but hold his hand. He felt very distressed when he noticed that his palm was cold, and he comforted him softly, "Don't worry, if your mother is still alive, she would definitely hope that you are safe and happy."
Rong Xi smiled faintly, "Go back."
The next day, it was the Empress Dowager's birthday, and the Emperor held a banquet in the Qifeng Palace. Court officials of the third rank and above, along with their relatives, entered the palace to celebrate her birthday.
At noon, the palace servants began to get busy, and at noon, the court officials and their relatives slowly entered the palace, paid their respects to the emperor and the empress dowager in the hall, and sang the ceremony to them one by one.
After the ceremony, the emperor, the empress dowager and court officials shared a birthday banquet. Needless to say, there was singing and dancing at the banquet.
Princess Mingyi was the elder sister of the late emperor and had a close relationship with the empress dowager, so she came to the palace early.
The two chatted for a while, and the Queen Mother asked with a smile: "Ake is now twenty-five, why haven't you married yet?"
When mentioning this, Princess Mingyi sighed, "In a few days, he will be twenty-six. He doesn't want to get married, and there's nothing I can do about it."
The Queen Mother smiled dignifiedly and said, "No matter what, we have to find someone who understands him."
"Forget it, let him decide for himself. I'm too lazy to worry about it." Princess Mingyi shook her head and sighed.
After a while, a palace servant came to report that the Prince of Qin and the son of Rong were coming to pay a visit.
The Queen Mother was delighted and ordered an immediate announcement. She then said to Princess Mingyi, "Brother Rong created such a rare thing as glass. I have long wanted to see it."
"The glass is indeed exquisite." Princess Mingyi agreed.
After the palace attendant gave the order, Qin Ke and Rong Xi entered together.
The tall man was handsome and had an imposing manner, which was amazing. Looking at the thin young man next to him, he has a handsome face and gentle temperament, making people feel like they are in the spring breeze.
The two of them walked side by side, with completely different styles, but extremely harmonious. One was cold and the other was gentle, complementing each other.
The Queen Mother and Princess Mingyi both admired in their hearts.
After the two knelt and saluted, the Queen Mother kindly asked them to stand up.
Although Rong Xi entered the palace for the first time, he did not show any sign of panic. He stood in the palace, as lush and elegant as a green bamboo.
"Are you Rong Dalang?" asked the Queen Mother.
Rong Xi bowed his head and replied calmly: "I am Rong Xi, and I wish the Queen Mother good health."
"He is a handsome boy," the Queen Mother smiled even more broadly, and suddenly asked, "Is he married?"
The author has something to say:
The Queen Mother is probably a mom fan, hahahaha!
PS: The official name has been changed to "Everyone Loves Rong's Son", which is better than Little Cannon Fodder. Because it's quite troublesome to change the name on Vwen, I can't do it by myself, and need the editor's help. I don't have the heart to trouble her anymore, so this is it!
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