Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

The emperor sat steadily in front of the dragon desk, like a steady mountain, his face as calm as water. He held a pen in one hand as he dealt with the mountain of government affairs on the desk, while his other hand tapped the table lightly, while he was also listening attentively to the eunuch's report.

Prince Zhongshun sat leisurely at the bottom, leaning against the back of the chair, his legs crossed, a faint smile on his lips, like a lazy cat, nonchalantly savoring the exquisite snacks on the table while listening to the eunuch's words.

The eunuch first reported in detail to the emperor and Prince Zhongshun about the officials attending the birthday banquet at the Lin Mansion today, focusing on the performance of the four kings and eight dukes.

"What did that old man, Eighth, look like when he saw you? Was he horrified? Ashamed and angry?" Prince Zhongshun asked eagerly, a hint of amusement on his face. He looked like a child who had caught the scent of gossip, brimming with curiosity.

As the emperor's long-serving servant, the eunuch was well aware of Prince Zhongshun's position in the emperor's heart. Therefore, he simply glanced up at the emperor, and seeing that his expression remained unchanged, he immediately lowered his head and replied respectfully, "Your Highness, when I met the Eighth Prince, he maintained his usual calm demeanor, with no change in his expression." "Tsk, the virtuous prince, he's always been pretentious!" Prince Zhongshun muttered to himself, curling his lips in disdain. He didn't have much affection for this virtuous prince, believing him to be merely superficial.

Seeing Prince Zhongshun's expression, the emperor gently waved his hand, signaling the eunuch to withdraw. Then, he turned his gaze to Prince Zhongshun and, with a hint of a smile, teased, "At least he has the reputation of being a 'virtuous prince.' What about you? All you do all day is laze about like a dandy, watching operas and cockfighting. If you have that much time, why don't you think carefully about how to deal with these people for me?"

Prince Zhongshun's lips curled up slightly, revealing a flattering smile. He quickly responded, "Royal brother, you are so wise and brave, and you've already made up your mind. Why should I bother with this? You know me well. I hate thinking. If there's anything you need me to do, just tell me. I promise I'll get it done perfectly every time!"

The emperor couldn't help laughing when he heard this. He shook his head and said, "If it weren't for the fact that you've done your job well, how could I tolerate you doing nothing every day? All you do is eat, drink and have fun!"

Upon hearing this, Prince Zhongshun quickly protested his innocence, retorting with a look of grievance, "Royal brother, you are truly wronging me! When did I become as unbearable as you say?"

"Really? Who caused such a stir in the city a few days ago because of an actor?" A teasing smile appeared on the emperor's lips.

"Royal brother, you still call me idle? You're even interested in listening to such a trivial matter." Prince Zhongshun sighed helplessly. "The ancient saying 'actors are heartless' is true. How many people in this world can truly treat each other with sincerity?" Prince Zhongshun said with deep emotion.

On weekdays, the master was very caring towards him and provided him with good food and drink, but he dared to collude with that kid, the eighth brother, and was also having a passionate affair with Baoyu from the Jia family.

Not to mention that he is just an actor, even if he is a dog raised by me, he wouldn't dare to run away without my permission, right?

Even if he's at the ends of the earth, I will definitely bring him back." Prince Zhongshun said angrily.

"Is a mere actor worth getting so angry?

From what I see, it's probably because he and Lao Ba are very close friends.

Do you care so much about his reputation being better than yours?" the emperor couldn't help laughing.

"I'm not a woman, why should I care about my reputation?" Prince Zhongshun jumped up and defended himself like a cat whose tail was stepped on.

"I just can't stand that guy. He has a pretty face and attracts bees and butterflies everywhere!"

The emperor was both angry and amused by Prince Zhongshun's reaction. But to be honest, he also disliked Prince Ba's behavior.

Seeing that the Zhen family is doomed, he now has ulterior motives and is trying to win over the Lin family.

In fact, he could also guess Lao Ba's intention.

Since he ascended the throne, he has entrusted important tasks to Lin Ruhai and others. These people have lived up to his expectations and served him wholeheartedly.

The Eighth Prince naturally knew that these people were difficult to win over, otherwise, he would have taken action long ago and why would he delay until now.

He wanted to use psychological warfare and divisive tactics.

The Eighth Prince was like an ant on a hot pan, anxiously awaiting the Emperor's response. However, the Emperor acted as if nothing had happened, as if he had no suspicions about the Lin family at all. Furthermore, he frequently summoned Lin Ruhai and other trusted ministers and bestowed generous rewards upon them.

Faced with this situation, the Eighth Prince was disappointed, but not surprised. If the Emperor could be so easily alienated by him, then the throne would be too easy to sit on.

Afterwards, the Eighth Prince deliberately approached Lin Ruhai several times, trying to build a closer relationship. However, although Lin Ruhai appeared respectful to him, he actually did not show much intimacy. The Eighth Prince knew that this tactic would be useless for the Lin family and the emperor, so he had to put it aside for the time being and wait for a more suitable opportunity.

Unwilling to be at a disadvantage, the Eighth Prince immediately began to search for a new target. After searching for a while, he realized that in order to achieve his goal, he still had to start with the Jia family.

At the same time, Wang Xifeng was concentrating on counting accounts in the room, while Jia Jiao was concentrating on practicing calligraphy.

Baozhu flew in chirping like a cheerful little bird, holding a gold-stamped invitation in her hand. With a joyful smile on her face, she skipped over to Xifeng and handed the invitation to her, muttering, "Madam, look at this!"

Seeing this, Xifeng gently put the book aside and reached out to take the invitation, as if it were some rare treasure. She looked at the invitation carefully and suddenly let out a surprised "Huh!"

Jiaojiao, who was sitting next to her, heard her mother's exclamation, and hurriedly raised her head and asked curiously, "Mom, what happened?" After that, she walked lightly to Xifeng like a beautiful butterfly and reached out to take the invitation.

Jiaojiao glanced at the invitation and said in surprise, "It's from the Eighth Prince's Palace?" Although she wasn't very familiar with the situation at the court, she knew that her family didn't have much contact with the palace. She was very confused and didn't know why she had received such an invitation.

With a touch of curiosity, Jiaojiao carefully opened the invitation. Inside was an invitation in exquisite handwriting. It stated that the chrysanthemums in the Eighth Prince's Palace were in full bloom, a breathtaking sight. The princess invited the ladies and young ladies of all the palaces in the capital to come and admire them. The entire invitation looked like a blooming flower, making people want to explore its mysteries.

"The Zhen family's affairs haven't been resolved yet, so why is the princess suddenly in the mood to go enjoy the flowers?" Jiaojiao was full of doubts, her heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat, a mess and she couldn't make any sense of it. She walked and muttered to herself, always feeling that something was wrong.

Xifeng, standing by, was equally bewildered. She frowned, her heart filled with doubt. She felt that this banquet seemed to harbor some kind of danger, perhaps a sinister Hongmen Feast. But she couldn't be sure if her suspicions were correct, so she could only take each step cautiously, remaining vigilant at all times.

Their pace gradually slowed, each pondering the true purpose of this banquet. Was it simply a flower-viewing gathering, or a sinister plot? Everything was uncertain, leaving them feeling restless and uneasy.

Xifeng frowned, her eyes flickering as she pondered for a moment before slowly speaking to Jiaojiao, "Jiaojiao, I've thought this banquet over and over again, and I've come to the conclusion that we shouldn't attend. Think about it, our Lin family and the Eighth Prince's Mansion have never had a close relationship, and most importantly, the Zhen family was imprisoned because your father gathered evidence of their crimes in Jiangnan. The Eighth Prince's wife will surely be filled with hatred for us." Xifeng paused, then continued, "If we rashly attend the banquet now, wouldn't we be asking for trouble? We might even bring unnecessary trouble upon ourselves! So, in my opinion, we shouldn't go to this banquet." After saying this, Xifeng couldn't help but sigh, a look of worry on her face. She knew this matter was serious and that if handled improperly, it could bring unexpected consequences to the Lin family. At this moment, Jiaojiao, after hearing Xifeng's words, fell into deep thought, secretly pondering how to deal with this difficult problem...