A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 73 With No Way Out, Si Qilie Sacrifices Herself

Since ancient times, favors have always come from above, but even emperors don't starve their soldiers. If those in power cannot provide sufficient benefits to those below, the regime will fall apart.

The emperor's so-called sharing of burdens was nothing more than wanting him to implement commercial taxes and, incidentally, intercept revenue.

Wanli and Wei Zhongxian both did this.

However, if it were the emperor and Wang Qing, they would be at a disadvantage, at least for the time being. Wang Qing did not want to fail before the mission was accomplished, so he had no choice but to reluctantly give up his idea and propose a more appropriate solution to the emperor.

However, as he said to Jia Zheng, one should be responsible for one's duties in one's position. As a military general, it is inappropriate for him to presume to discuss political affairs.

Even if the emperor defied public opinion, it was tantamount to rubbing the faces of all the court officials in the ground.

Even if something benefits the country and its people, it can still become a thorn in the side of others, subject to nitpicking.

As for Vice Minister Zhou, as the emperor's open confidant, there were some things that were inevitably inconvenient for him to do.

Therefore, it would be perfect to have Jia Zheng, who is all talk and no action, serve as a figurehead, while Wang Qing would remain behind the scenes to carry out the actual work, acting as a bedside assistant.

Even if some people are envious, they will only think that the Rongguo Mansion has taken the lion's share of the benefits, and that they can use the Jia family as a cover to give up some of the benefits to those the emperor needs to win over.

In addition, Wang Qing also hopes to do something practical for ordinary people within his capabilities during this journey.

Unlike today, ancient times had reinforced concrete dams. Logging and charcoal production inevitably caused soil erosion, which is closely related to the recent frequent floods.

No matter how good the technology is, it loses its value if it cannot be promoted.

The combination of a coal stove and honeycomb briquettes doesn't require much technical skill; if he can do it, so can anyone else.

While it could certainly add a considerable amount of income to Wang Qing's income, he was not lacking in ways to make money.

Since mineral resources are controlled by the imperial court, bypassing regulation would require relinquishing some of the profits.

Through the imperial court and the Ministry of Works, not only can it be promoted as quickly as possible, but its scale can also be expanded as much as possible.

Moreover, the most important thing right now is to consolidate the emperor's favor, rather than those petty gains.

Furthermore, once the scale is large enough, as long as Wang Qing is willing, he can easily acquire some upstream and downstream industries, which would be more profitable than him hoarding his own resources and working hard.

Wang Qing left Mengpo Studio and walked along the wall beside the private alley.

While lost in thought, a thought suddenly struck him. He continued walking without showing any emotion, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a courtyard gate in the northeast corner.

Just as they reached the gate of the courtyard, a tall and robust figure suddenly darted out of the darkness.

Wang Qing feigned surprise, adopting a wary stance. After a closer look, he hesitated and said, "You are...the one who serves Second Sister..."

"This servant, Siqi, greets Master Qing!"

"Didn't I already tell the First Madam that the marriage with my Second Sister needs to be discussed further?"

Wang Qing feigned surprise and said, "Does Second Sister have something she wants you to tell me? This isn't the place to talk. Come on, let's go inside!"

With that, Wang Qing walked past Siqi and went straight into the courtyard.

"This..." Siqi was taken aback at first, then a look of joy flashed across her face, and she quickly followed.

Wang Qing entered the courtyard and pushed open several doors in succession. Upon seeing this, Siqi quickly said, "Master! There's no one in this courtyard. I've been waiting here for a long time."

"Oh!" Wang Qing stopped and walked straight into a room, saying, "Speak, what does Second Sister want to tell me?"

Siqi knelt down with a thud and said, "Miss, you don't know, but I have a favor to ask!"

Wang Qing reached out and gently helped Siqi up, his arm firm and supple. He said in a gentle tone, "Although the marriage still needs to be discussed in detail, since you are my second sister's person, you can just ask if you need anything. Why go through such a grand ceremony?"

Wang Qing gripped her biceps, and Siqi's cheeks instantly burned.

She wanted to shake off Wang Qing's large hand, but her arm suddenly felt numb. Fearing that she would anger Wang Qing and ruin her plan to save her father, she could only endure the discomfort and let Wang Qing pull her up.

However, being held so tightly by Wang Qing made her feel uneasy, and for a moment she even forgot to speak.

It wasn't until Wang Qing patted her arm that she snapped out of her daze, hurriedly tucking in her clothes and saying, "This servant begs the master to show mercy and release my family!"

"What family?" Wang Qing feigned ignorance.

Siqi pursed her lips and carefully chose her words, "My surname is Qin. The one who was arrested by you, sir, was my father, my maternal grandfather..."

After much hesitation, she ultimately did not mention her cousin.

As a close maid, she was naturally to be part of her mistress's dowry. If Wang Qing hadn't mentioned the marriage, she wouldn't have worried about him being suspicious. But now that she knew about the marriage, she had to avoid any awkward situations.

Siqi thought to herself, since the three of them had been arrested together, as long as her father and maternal grandfather were released, they would naturally not make things difficult for her cousin.

However, whether or not to release him depends on Wang Qing's attitude. After saying this, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

Wang Qing, however, remained calm and laughed, "I thought it was something serious. They're covering for the master and mistress; locking them up is just for show. Why would I make things difficult for them?"

Upon hearing this, Siqi felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders.

He was completely open with Yingchun, which showed deep affection between master and servant, but with Wang Qing, he had to consider the possibility of betraying his master.

Originally, Siqi was prepared to wait for him to refuse before reluctantly revealing the truth, but unexpectedly, Wang Qing was perfectly aware of the situation.

She let out a long sigh and asked cautiously, "When will you release my father and the others, sir?"

"It's kind of you to have such filial piety. Since you've already asked, we should give your second sister some face. Let them go home first thing tomorrow morning!"

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!" Siqi was about to kneel down again.

But Wang Qing caught him.

Although he was quick-witted and nimble, Siqi was truly falling. Even though Wang Qing stopped her momentum, her silk robe was pulled taut by his raised arm.

It instantly accentuated her full, tall, and robust figure, making every detail of it clearly visible.

When her arm was grabbed again, Siqi was not as flustered as before, and even knew to express her gratitude: "Sir, your kindness is unforgettable!"

"They were just following orders, and they've done their job. Besides, the kid who was arrested with them was doused with a bucket of cold water by the old lady's men before entering the house. Although I took Heaven's mercy in arranging for a doctor to save his life, he still frostbitten. Let's just hold him accountable!"

Upon hearing this, Siqi felt her vision go black and her body go limp.

Wang Qing pretended not to be affected and quickly leaned forward, causing Siqi to fall headfirst into his arms.

Wang Qing seemed oblivious to her unease, instead putting his arm around Siqi's waist and hooking her chin, laughing, "How could I bear to let you make the bed, Miss Siqi, with your loving bed? But the marriage hasn't been finalized yet. If you marry into the family with my second sister, I'll treat you even better!"

"This..." Siqi felt a buzzing in her head.

She assumed that Wang Qing had misunderstood her as throwing herself into his arms, hence his words. Although she wanted to explain, the thought of her cousin dying in prison stopped her, so she could only let Wang Qing hold her in his arms and said in a trembling voice, "That...that's my cousin. Please, sir, have mercy."

"What cousin?" Wang Qing patted Siqi's stiff back and sneered, "You don't know, when this guy was arrested, he pushed all the blame onto your father. He has no regard for the relationship between uncle and nephew, so you don't need to plead for him!"

Siqi hadn't expected Wang Qing to say such a thing, which immediately shut down all her excuses.

She could only plead repeatedly, "Please, sir, have mercy and let him go. I will be eternally grateful and will serve you like a slave to repay your kindness!"

Unexpectedly, Wang Qing suddenly grabbed her arm, pushed her slightly away from his embrace, and said coldly, "He used your father to exonerate you, and you still speak up for him like this. Do you perhaps have some kind of affair with him?"

"No! No, no!" Siqi quickly denied it. "This servant... this servant only did this out of consideration for our kinship. After all, he was brought here by his father, which is why he suffered this calamity. My aunt only has him as her son. If he cannot return... I'm afraid my aunt... I beg you, sir..."

"That sounds nice! I've spoken to your father about this, and he hasn't even pleaded for you, his so-called cousin. Why are you so concerned?"

After speaking, Wang Qing flicked his sleeves and made as if to leave.

Siqi was unwilling to let him leave and quickly grabbed him around the waist.

Caught off guard, Wang Qing quickly reached out to pry it off.

In her desperation, Siqi swore an oath: "This servant is willing to swear that I will never see my cousin again in this lifetime!"

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Wang Qing struggled even more fiercely.

She suddenly remembered Wang Qing's misunderstanding that she had thrown herself into his arms, and the veiled meaning in his words. Gritting her teeth, she steeled herself and said, "This servant is completely innocent. If you don't believe me, sir, a test will prove it!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Qing paused, seemingly hesitant.

Siqi Fulin, deeply moved, continued, "If you, sir, are willing to spare my family, I have no way to repay you but to serve you like a slave. I belong to you in life and in death. If the marriage is reversed, I am willing to die to protect you and the young lady!"

"Snapped!"

A large hand slapped her buttocks, and Siqi felt a burning sensation behind her. Then, the large hand began to move as if kneading dough, and a tingling sensation surged into her heart.

Then Wang Qing's deep voice rang in his ears again: "What do you mean 'die'? Do you think I can't even get a maid like you?"

"Hmm!~"

With a muffled groan that sounded like a response but also like discomfort, Siqi's mind went blank.

……