The Bookish Scholar of the Red Mansion

After finishing the reception banquet, Chen Heng sent Baoqin and Chunyan back to the inn to rest. Considering that on the next day, Li An would entertain these businessmen from Yangzhou on behalf of Liaodong Dusi and Shenzhou Prefecture. Chen Heng only told a few people to have a good rest, and then went back with Xinda and Liu Xianglian first.

When the sound of horse hooves downstairs faded away, Baoqin asked Chunyan to close the window. He sat in front of the dressing mirror and wiped off the covering on his face bit by bit.

Chun Yan brought a basin of hot water and while helping the young lady wash herself, she complained: Miss, this is so annoying.

During today's meal, this maid didn't say much during the entire meal. Seeing her sudden conversation, Bao Qin couldn't help but laugh and said, What's wrong? You didn't say a word during the meal, and when you get to the room, you can't hold it in any longer?

You came all the way here, and this guy surnamed Chen only asked you about business the whole time. He didn't even care about you. Are you tired from the journey? Did you eat well? Chunyan wrung out the towel before coming to Baoqin. , be careful to help.

Feel the steaming towel and the comfort of the wiped skin. Bao Qin, with his eyes closed, chuckled and said, Didn't I ask before?

Are you just saying that you are afraid that you are in danger? Chunyan got angry when he mentioned this, How can it be worth it? Miss has suffered a lot of injustice and hardship.

Chunyan knows best how much opposition the family's master had when Bao Qin proposed that she come to Shenzhou. Safety on the road is one thing, but the good reputation of my daughter's family is another.

Now that things have happened, how could Chunyan, who is getting older, fail to see that the young lady is just interested in the person named Chen.

Such a thing is not difficult in her opinion. The man is unmarried and the woman is unmarried. One is for Jieyuan's fame, and the other is for his unique appearance. The friendship between Chen Heng and the young master was so good that he wished he could wear a pair of trousers. It would be a great thing to really get married.

But these two people, one didn't know, the other pretended to be confused, so they worked together to hide the matter. This made Chunyan get angrier the more he thought about it, feeling that it was not worth it for his young lady.

Bao Qin guessed what she was thinking and comforted: There are some things that are better not to know than to know. Besides, who said that I came to Shenzhou just to see him? Could it be that in your eyes, Miss, I am just so demented and dizzy? people?

Why is that? Chun Yan didn't believe in evil and went to change the towel.

Leaning on the chair, Bao Qin closed her eyes for a long time before saying quietly: I have been traveling around with my father since I was a child. I thought I would be trapped in the courtyard like my mother for the rest of my life. If my eldest brother hadn't given me a chance several times...

She paused for a moment and then said again, Yan'er, tell me, I want you to choose. Do you want to stay at home all day, or do you want to follow me around like now?

Chunyan walked to Baoqin again, raised his hand and gently rubbed her acupuncture points. After thinking for a while, he said with a guilty conscience: If you really want to tell me, stay at home when you want to, and come out when you want to, that's the best thing.

Baoqin laughed and commented, You, you.

But to be honest, it's uncomfortable for me to stay at home every day. Chun Yan still said the truth, No matter how beautiful the yard or the wonderful scenery is, it can't compare to the beauty of the sunrise over the river and the sea.

The little maid couldn't help but recall the scene she saw on the ship. The majesty of the rising sun and rippling waves cannot be seen with one's own eyes, nor can one imagine it just by relying on the words in the book.

Baoqin nodded and hummed in agreement, wondering if the maid was too comfortable serving him. She changed her posture and then said: You don't have to blame brother. Even though he doesn't say anything, he will definitely be thinking about it when he goes back tonight.

Miss, how do you know? You can't say for sure. He drank a few glasses of wine today and fell asleep as soon as he got home?

Bao Qin smiled and did not continue to explain.

Seeing this, Chun Yan said unwillingly: If he is so smart, then why can't he see the lady's thoughts? Instead, he calls people here and there and drinks them. He only knows how to order people.

Yan'er——

Miss, don't be angry, Yan'er knows you were wrong.

Baoqin sat on the chair again and said slowly: A real man swims in the blue sea in the morning and in the sky at dusk. This is also my ambition.

Chunyan often studied with Baoqin, so he naturally knew that these words were said by Xu Xiake.

Okay, okay. Chunyan just made Baoqin angry, and now she is extremely careful when speaking, Miss, you can swim wherever you want. Anyway, Yan'er will accompany the lady.

Although I don’t know about this, what conflict does it have with getting married? But if the lady says this, the slave will just listen to it. Chun Yan tried to help again, but the master refused to move, and she had nowhere to use her strength.

Okay, go to bed and rest, don't delay tomorrow's things. After enjoying it, Baoqin got up from his position and neatly pushed the maid towards the bedside.

She probably had just freshened up. When she passed by the mirror, she couldn't help but take a look in it. That breathtaking face flashed across the mirror.

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Chen Heng, who had just washed up, was listening to Xinda continue to talk about Yangzhou. Most of the caravans coming this time were for his sake. Mainly jewelers and car dealers in Yangzhou City. These people also have other livelihoods, so they can sell Shenzhou's goods if they take them back.

Liu Xianglian listened carefully and heard that Bao Qin had made many efforts and acted as a lobbyist for many employers. I couldn't help but admire: Sister Xue Biao is really a strange woman in the world.

She is not just Xue Biao's sister, she is Xue Baoqin. Chen Heng added something in his mind, but he couldn't say too much for the girl who had not left the court. He could only say: Those who can regard Xu Xiake as a role model must be somewhat extraordinary.

You should also rest early.

Seeing that things were almost settled, Chen Heng sent them to bed early. I was at the table, writing and thinking. The atmosphere in Yangzhou is indeed more open than other state capitals. But if Bao Qin goes out and runs around like this, Uncle Xue may be very angry.

Bao Qin kindly helped her, but she couldn't accept it with peace of mind. The tip of the pen in his hand dipped again and again in the inkstone. Chen Heng also had a headache, wondering who he should go to for help.

Li Zhi? Your Majesty has so many things to do every day, it would be unsightly to bother him with such a trivial matter. Chen Heng shook his head and rejected this option.

Where are Uncle Lin and Father Weber? Even a second-grade official cannot take care of other people's family affairs.

How about looking for the prince? Chen Heng's image of Li Xian suddenly popped into his mind. Thinking about his usual style of dealing with things, he suddenly felt that there was a lot to be done in this matter.

Thinking that I happen to have a royal palace token in my hand, let's see if I can borrow it to ask for Baoqin's will.

With an idea in mind, Chen Heng immediately leaned over the case and wrote a letter. It wasn't until Xinda came over to urge him several times that he finally put away his writing and went to bed to rest.

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The next day, Li An held a banquet at Dusi Yamen to entertain distinguished guests from afar.

This is just a private banquet, the standard is not high, but it also makes the businessmen from Yangzhou very happy. After all, if you can enter the yamen and meet the prince of the clan, how many times can you brag about it when you go back?

This is what Li An hopes to see. Since he has received an errand in front of the emperor, he naturally hopes that the more businessmen coming to Shenzhou, the better. If you don't make a profit, if you don't earn some fame, your grandma's family will really lose.

As a native of Yangzhou, Chen Heng naturally invited the caravans from his hometown in person. After groups of people were sent to Dusi, it was Baoqin and Chunyan's turn who were dressed up.

The group of people chatted and laughed before passing through the Dusi gate. Liu Xianglian, who was uneasy, suddenly frowned, looked at Baoqin who had changed his clothes, and said suddenly: Not good.

Chen Heng was talking to Bao Qin in front, introducing him to the etiquette of meeting Li An. Hearing this, he turned around and asked, What's wrong?

The anxious Liu Xianglian winked at him frequently, but saw that this stupid brother still didn't notice. Then he leaned close to the other party's ear and said, Qiguan.

Chen Heng was shocked by this statement. Looking at Bao Qin next to her, after a night's rest, her face showed no signs of fatigue, and her face was full of radiant beauty. Even if he is wearing men's clothing as a cover, it is impossible to tell the difference between male and female.

Baoqin was looked at by them like this, and he didn't even know why he was here. Thinking that something was wrong with what he was wearing, he put away his folding fan and lowered his head to check for any irregularities in his clothes.

Chen Heng was getting worse and worse. Bao Qin's dressing up might be more lethal to Li An.

No, no. He clasped his hands behind his back, a look of anxiety appeared on his face, and stood still. If Baoqin made a mistake, Xue Biao would not be able to chop himself with a knife.

Cinda.

yes.

Take her to my room. Chen Heng said urgently. He didn't care about whether she had something or not at the moment. He had to hide her first.

Xinda was always obedient and never asked his brother why he did things. Baoqin was very puzzled. Just as he was about to say something, Chen Heng had already interrupted: Second brother, you go hide in my room first. No matter who comes after a while, they all say they don't feel well.

Okay. After all, it was his trust in Chen Heng that prevailed, and Bao Qin nodded hurriedly.

Seeing Xinda leading Baoqin and Chunyan away in a hurry, Chen Heng took Liu Xianglian to the corridor to plan a plan. In fact, it can't be said to be a strategy. The incident happened suddenly, and the two of them had to adapt to the situation and could only find ways to deal with the situation.

You go and ask the imperial doctor to come to my room first. I'll go talk to the prince. Thinking that he could still say something to Li An, Chen Heng hurriedly ordered Liu Xianglian.

Okay, be careful. If it doesn't work, I'll take her back to the inn first.

You can't go. Now the more you make, the more mistakes you make, and the more flaws you make. Chen Heng shook his head and made a decisive decision, There are many people in the inn, so hide in my room for now.

Hearing laughter coming from the front hall not far away, Chen Heng said hurriedly: Go and do your work first.

The two men divided into two groups, but Chen Heng stepped into the front hall. Seeing him coming alone, Li An couldn't help but asked strangely: Zhixing, why are you here alone? Where is the Xue Dong's house you are talking about?

My lord, don't blame me. It's my good brother who has bad luck. Chen Heng said the words he had just thought of. Brother Xue was overworked at sea. Just walking to the corridor, he suddenly felt unwell and vomited on the spot.

When Li An heard this, he couldn't help frowning and was about to speak. Chen Heng said first, Your Majesty, I just made my own decision and asked Guard Liu to invite the imperial doctor without permission. Please forgive me for being rude.

It is the honeymoon period between Chen Heng and Li An. Although Li An is usually a bit arrogant and domineering, he will not blame Chen Heng for this matter. He just said it was a pity and said that he still wanted to see the Xue family.

Chen Heng was trembling with fear when he heard this. He was deeply afraid that the prince had heard about the reputation of a stunningly beautiful young man. Seeing that Chen Heng was still bowing stiffly, Li An hurriedly said: Sit down, we are guests from afar. We will have dinner later. You accompany me to check out the situation.

Ah...yes. Chen Heng was shocked and had to force himself to sit down. I hope Liu Xianglian over there can get the imperial doctor from the palace to help cover it up.

Chen Heng in the front couldn't eat. Liu Xianglian behind him was also worried. Since we have said that we should invite an imperial doctor, we can't just let the imperial doctor come to our house and not treat the patient.

They had to do everything in their acting. Seeing Liu Xianglian's anxious look, Xinda and Chunyan were also affected by their emotions. Only Baoqin was still looking around energetically.

In Chen Heng's house, apart from the books he usually reads, there are also documents from the Ministry of War. There are very few interesting things, and they are all monotonous. There is really nothing to say. Baoqin looked around with relish, and then heard the sound of Huh from the imperial physician taking the pulse.

This girl Baoqin just remembered that she still wanted to pretend to be sick. He pretended to cough a few times and looked weak.

It's rare. Seeing her like this, the imperial doctor teased, I have been practicing medicine for decades, and this is the first time I have found out the pulse of Kui's incident in a man.

As soon as the words fell, apart from Xinda, who looked confused, Baoqin and Chunyan, who were originally calm and composed, immediately blushed. Liu Xianglian coughed desperately, suppressing the smile on her lips, and hurriedly begged: Imperial doctor, I...

Okay. The imperial doctor packed up the medical tools and didn't want to listen to Liu Xianglian's nonsense. Take a good rest in the house these days. Don't go out to blow the wind or walk around. You are too tired, and evil wind has entered your body recently. I'll turn around and start talking. A few recipes, you take this opportunity to adjust them.

Seeing that the old doctor didn't give her a chance to speak, Liu Xianglian hurriedly chased him away. When the two walked out of the door, they bumped into Chen Heng leading Li An over.

As soon as Xinda heard Chen Heng's voice, he hurriedly ran forward and closed the door. Just lie on the door and listen carefully to what's going on outside.

Your Majesty.

Mr. Kong, how is my guest doing? Is there any serious problem?

His body...

As the voice of the words faded away, the blush on Baoqin's face gradually faded away. The three of them waited in the house for a long time before finally seeing Chen Heng and Liu Xianglian return.

Five people gathered in the room, and Chen Heng explained the matter clearly in a few words. When they learned that Li An was still a rabbit, even Xinda became uneasy.

What's wrong with you? Maybe it was because Xinda's expression was so subtle, Liu Xianglian raised her hand with a smile and slapped the other person on the forehead, I'm not worried about him being dark and handsome, so you should be more tolerant.

Brother. Bao Qin glanced at Chen Heng who was hesitant to speak.

Chen Heng shook his head hurriedly, It's okay, don't worry, I'll take care of everything. Hearing what he said, Bao Qin felt relieved unconsciously.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Heng said, The imperial physician just told the prince that you need to rest. The prince also told you to stay in Dusi so that the imperial physician can consult you at any time. If we insist on going back to the inn, say no. Fortunately, people can see the clues.

Chen Heng looked at the objects in the house and said, I'm sorry for you first. I'll make do here for the next few days. If you need something, just ask Xinda to go out and buy it for you.

Okay. Baoqin nodded.

Chen Heng was also in a mess right now. He only gave a few instructions and took Liu Xianglian out. The two of them stood under the door, busy talking about how the other party managed to win over the imperial doctor.

What, Chi Xing, I thought you said hello to the imperial doctor.

Hearing what Liu Xianglian said, Chen Heng was also speechless. He only thought about it in his mind for a while and then said: Since he saw that my second brother is a girl, he is willing to cover it up for us. He won't complain to the prince afterwards. Let's take one step first and take another step.

This is the only way. Liu Xianglian also nodded. There was no way, the other party was an imperial doctor from the Imperial Medical Office after all, so he couldn't pull out his mandarin duck sword and put it against someone's neck to threaten him.

The two people were short-term and let out long sighs. Annoyed: What is this?

Baoqin in the room couldn't help laughing when he heard their sighs.

Only Chun Yan sat on the wooden chair and whispered in disbelief, The people in the capital are really scary.

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That night, Chen Heng originally wanted to go directly to Liu Xianglian's room to rest. But I thought that Baoqin and Chunyan were in Dusi, if something happened at night. No one could go out before and after him, so he had to lead Xinda back.

The room Li An arranged for Chen Heng was two side rooms side by side. The hall in the middle is used not only for entertaining guests, but also as a simple study room. Originally, Chen Heng slept inside and Xinda slept outside.

Now that Baoqin and the others were there, the two grown men had no choice but to squeeze on Xinda's bed and block the screen in the hallway so as not to affect the rest of the people inside.

At this point, it's still early to go to bed. Chen Heng had no choice but to hold the paperwork, sit at the desk and continue working. Xinda, who was supposed to be accompanying her, was boiling medicine in the fire room.

He didn't know how Baoqin was doing, so he actually asked the imperial doctor to give him a prescription. Chen Heng, who had no intention of flipping through the book, simply frowned and thought. Fortunately, by chance, Bai got an imperial doctor to treat Baoqin, hoping that the medicine could cure the disease and turn the bad luck into good luck.

Behind the thin screen, the faint voices of the master and servant could be heard. Chen Heng didn't know what they were going to say, so he had to turn sideways to avoid the sight of his peripheral vision.

In the lampshade on the table, fireflies danced around the light. A few small shadows are disappearing through the wall, which is really interesting. I don't know what Chunyan said, but Baoqin glared at the girl, and then said to Chen Heng outside: Brother, are you too nervous?

Ah?! Chen Heng was stunned and said, I'm not nervous. Why am I nervous? I'm very fine.

But you haven't read your book for a long time. Chunyan quickly added, and she even laughed out loud when she finished speaking.

Hey. Chen Heng sighed, rolled up the book and knocked on his forehead, secretly annoyed that he had exposed his secret here.

Suddenly there was the sound of light footsteps behind him. Baoqin led Chunyan out of the screen, stepped in front of the lamp step by step, smiled at Chen Heng and said: Brother, it's better to relax. If you are so stiff, brother, what else can I do? Rest.”

My fault, my fault. Chen Heng hurriedly stood up and handed over his hands. When he raised his eyes, he saw Bao Qin taking off her makeup. The clothes are still the same as men's clothes, except that the hair crown on the head has been removed, and the soft black hair is fixed with a hairpin. It is really free and easy and natural.

Bao Qin looked around at the decorations in the house. She had probably been hiding in the house for a day. She was still very energetic and asked directly: Brother, can't he play chess? Is there a chess board in the house?

Yes, yes. Chen Heng nodded hurriedly, Just wait for me, and I'll get it right away.

He rarely uses this thing on weekdays. Only when Wen Yu, a free man, comes to the door, will he take it out to entertain guests. By the time Chen Heng came out with the chessboard, Bao Qin and Chun Yan had already packed up their desks, and they were sitting side by side, smiling brightly at the visitors.

Brother, come quickly. Let's chat with your brother tonight.

When Chen Heng talked about the things he was good at, Chen Heng couldn't help but relax. He didn't have a coy temper, so he immediately threatened: If you lose in a while, don't cry.

Bao Qin said openly: When I was in Yangzhou, Sister Lin often told me that my eldest brother's chess skills are extremely bad. Today I just got to see him.

Chen Heng shook his head when he heard this: I don't believe she would say that.

Does the eldest brother also know about the affairs of my daughter's family?

Bao Qin's natural and magnanimous appearance further contained Chen Heng's thoughts. He also used his usual chatting energy, laid out the chessboard, took the initiative to pick up the black pieces and dropped them, and said with a smile: With her temperament, no matter who she talks about, she will only say good things. Unless others don't open their eyes and offend her...

This is true, Bao Qin nodded, That's why Sister Lin said that my eldest brother's chess skills are like bamboo shoots in the spring rain.

What does this mean? Chen Heng frowned slightly and reacted again. The bamboo shoots are growing higher and higher in spring, which means there is a lot of room for improvement in my chess skills.

Haha. He chuckled and placed another piece on the chessboard.

Chen Heng really didn't expect that this girl Bao Qin could also play chess, and she played the game well, and she looked like she had studied it.

The two of them played dozens of hands again, and both fell into a long test. The positions on the chess board had been moving from the corners to the center. Baoqin suffered a slight loss, so he simply gave up the white stones in the corners and took the initiative to place the stones in Tianyuan. In the blink of an eye, we have all grown up.

Yes. Chen Heng saw the attack and retaliated here, Looking back at the time when we admired the moon together during the Mid-Autumn Festival, it actually happened so many years ago.

Baoqin held the chess pieces and thought about everything in his hands. Finally, he landed next to a sunspot and asked with a smile: Does the eldest brother know how Sister Lin feels about you?

Chen Heng raised his eyebrows suddenly and looked at Bao Qin in surprise. The latter's face still showed a calm smile. The two of them looked at each other in silence, and the room fell into silent silence.

Only the noisy frogs croaking outside are shouting about an ordinary autumn night.

I'm a little stuck today. I drank some wine yesterday and didn't get a good rest. Ah, I've kept you guys waiting for so long, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.