High-class maid

"Brother Rong, are you still troubled by Duan Laohu's matter? But you didn't catch him that day," Song Wenyang asked with concern.

The Second Prince waved to the steward behind Song Wenyang, signaling him to step back. After the steward closed the door, the Second Prince said...

"To be honest, Brother Song, this tiger is cunning and treacherous; he actually managed to escape!"

Song Wenyang was not surprised by this result at all, because the tiger in his previous life was extremely difficult to catch, and he later found out that the Crown Prince was the one who interfered. In this life, it was possible that the Crown Prince was also involved.

“As long as he remains in Jinling City, he will never escape Brother Song’s grasp. The problem is, someone might be there to help him…” Song Wenyang subtly warned.

"Brother Song, do you mean someone helped him escape?" the Second Prince asked.

"If you do this job well, you will gain favor with the Emperor and the court officials will take notice of you. But, won't that get in the way of certain people?"

After hearing Song Wenyang's words, the Second Prince did not reply, but the fact that he kept turning the writing brush in his hand showed that he was also thinking about this matter.

“Brother Song is right. I was too optimistic about him. No matter how brave and skilled Duan Laohu is, he is just a bandit. How could we not catch him?”

"It's better to be safe than sorry. It's always good to be cautious." Song Wenyang picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and thought, "As expected of a prince, even his tea is so delicious."

"Thank you for reminding me, Brother Song. Some people certainly won't let me complete this task so easily." The Second Prince quickly understood Song Wenyang's implication.

"I don't deserve such praise, Brother Rong. You're just too close to the situation to see it clearly," Song Wenyang said modestly.

"Haha, let's have lunch before we leave. If we can't drink alcohol, we'll have hot pot!" The Second Prince patted Song Wenyang on the shoulder happily and said.

"Then I, Song, will humbly accept your offer." Song Wenyang clasped his hands and bowed respectfully, a gesture that elicited a helpless wry smile from the Second Prince.

Soon, a waiter brought over the pot broth and the chopped ingredients. In this early winter season, it was truly delightful to enjoy a hot pot meal.

"Brother Song, please try this. It's a specialty hot pot base from Jinling City," the Second Prince said, pointing to the pot in front of him.

Under the Second Prince's expectant gaze, Song Wenyang took a bite and said, "Hmm, it's really delicious. Unlike the spicy hot pot in our capital, this is sour and appetizing!"

"Haha, we're both injured and can't handle spicy food, so we'll have to settle for this sour soup base. If we could have a pot of fine wine, that would be even better," the Second Prince said.

"Brother Rong, there's no need to feel sorry. There's plenty of time in the future. Think of it this way: once you go to the capital, you won't be able to eat such authentic sour soup base anymore."

"Brother Song is right. You didn't come to visit me today just to remind me, did you?" The Second Prince changed the subject and asked Song Wenyang.

Song Wenyang paused in his chopsticks, then said, "As expected, nothing can be hidden from Brother Rong. To be honest, I'd like to ask Brother Rong to help me invite an imperial physician."

"Oh? Is it because the doctors in Jinling are not skilled enough? Or...?" the Second Prince asked.

"Don't laugh at me, Brother Rong, but I have poison in my body. Ordinary doctors can't even diagnose it. Only the imperial physician can see me. I don't trust anyone else, so I've come to trouble you, Brother Rong."

Then, Song Wenyang told the Second Prince what Doctor Jin had said that day. Although the Second Prince was born into the royal family, he had his birth mother's love, so he was deeply moved by Song Wenyang's plight, and even his words were tinged with a softness.

"Brother Song, rest assured, this is a matter of life and death. I happened to bring two imperial physicians with me to Jinling this time. After we finish eating, I will have them take your pulse."

"Thank you so much! If the poison in my body can truly be cured, then Brother Rong, you will be my savior!"

"Oh, I can't accept being called your savior. You've helped me with so many things. Calling a royal physician is nothing," the Second Prince said.

Then the two of them ate the steaming hot pot, and for a time everyone was happy and the atmosphere was lively.

Back at the Xiao residence, after Wang Shi finished her duties, she went to the front courtyard to find Shen Kun. Shen Kun was currently temporarily in charge of the Xiao residence's steward, and when Wang Shi arrived, he was still inside looking at the account books.

"My lady, what brings you here?" Shen Kun looked up and saw Wang Shi, quickly put down the account book in his hand, and hurried to greet her.

Looking at his thin face, Wang touched his face with heartache and said, "You've worked so hard. You've lost so much weight in just a few days."

"In the years that Zhu Zide has been the steward, he has not only embezzled money, but also replaced the things used by the masters with inferior ones. These past few days, he has not been eating properly in order to find more evidence."

“No matter how busy you are, you still need to eat. If Xing’er saw this, I’m afraid she would feel sorry for you,” Wang said reproachfully.

"Yes, yes, I know I was wrong. Is there something you need, my wife?" Because Wang rarely came to the front yard to see Shen Kun, Shen Kun asked this question.

"There are some things I'd like to discuss with you."

"Please speak, my lady," Shen Kun said, pulling Wang Shi's hand and helping her to a chair.

"The First Madam gave out a reward today, saying that Xing'er had made a meritorious report. Guess how much she gave her?" Madam Wang said in a low voice.

"One hundred taels?"

"How boring. How did you guess it so easily, my husband?"

“If it weren’t for so much money, you wouldn’t have come all the way to see me. Besides, Madam and Master have always been generous to us servants,” Shen Kun said.

"What are we going to do with so much silver?" Wang asked.

"Why don't we buy a courtyard house in the capital? And use the remaining money to buy fertile land," Shen Kun suggested.

“That’s what I think too, and I’m sure Xing’er will agree,” Wang said.

"We should discuss this with Xing'er. Our daughter always has a plan. Go back and ask her; perhaps she has better suggestions."

"Oh, right, these are the steamed buns I brought for you. Eat them while they're hot." Wang took out two steamed buns wrapped in oil paper from her sleeve and handed them to Shen Kun.

"My wife still loves me the most," Shen Kun said with a grin as he took the steamed bun.

"Stop talking nonsense. There's never enough work to do. No matter how busy you are, you still need to eat, you hear me!" Wang glared at him and said.

"Okay, okay, I'll do whatever my tigress says."

"Who are you calling a tigress?"

After the two of them played around for a while, Wang returned to the inner courtyard. After all, she was a woman and dared not stay in the front courtyard for too long.

While a family was discussing where to spend the money in their mansion, on the other side of Jinling City, a ragged, disheveled woman huddled in front of a dilapidated temple on the main street.

If you look closely, the woman has a pretty face, but the dust on her face covers her original features. She is hugging her knees, and the October weather has turned cold, so even the sun doesn't warm her.

Her lips trembled from the cold, but her eyes scanned every person on the street, as if searching for someone.

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Thank you so much, Liangming from Xigua Xue, for the generous donation! I appreciate your encouragement to update, and I'm working hard to write more!