Chapter 867 Coveting
"That's good. You have food, shelter, and fun. Your Lu family's hospitality is pretty good. It would be even better if there were a few more maids to serve you."
Lu Zheng saw the satisfied look on "Master Wan's" face and a greedy light in his eyes. It was obvious that he yearned for the days of eating and drinking in the Lu family and even more disdained him.
Now that the business has been settled, they have become partners. The Lu family really doesn't care about entertaining their business partners with money, but just looking at the face of "Master Wan" makes Lu Zheng feel disgusted.
"Lu Xi, send Master Wan and his entourage to the guest house." Lu Zheng turned around with a flick of his sleeves, keeping his sight out of sight.
Pang Xiao took Qin Yining's hand, took Huzi, Bingtang and Jiyun along with him, and followed Lu Xi happily to the guest house.
Even though the Lu family mansion is only home to a branch, it is also a century-old mansion that has been renovated several times. The building in the guest courtyard looks obviously newer, presumably it was built for the convenience of entertaining guests.
Qin Yining and Pang Xiao expressed their admiration for the scenery while secretly remembering the layout and directions along the way.
Lu Xi couldn't help but look at the two of them, and seeing their expressions of surprise, he couldn't help but confirm Lu Zheng's previous guess.
It seems that Guangtonghao Wanjia is indeed a nouveau riche with no foundation, and this Young Master Wan is probably also a loser with few drops of ink in his belly. At first, he thought that this man was deliberately reminding him on the boat and helping the young master solve a problem. Now he understood that he had overestimated this person.
The guest courtyard is in the northeast corner of Lu Mansion and is connected to the outer courtyard. There is a corner door on the back street for easy entry and exit. There are three main rooms in the entire courtyard, with two wing rooms on each side. The back room has been opened up as a small kitchen. This is also a thoughtful consideration of the Lu family. Guests who have been staying for a long time can order food in the large kitchen or turn on their own small stove.
Qin Yining looked around the courtyard and leaned on Pang Xiao, who looked tired.
Pang Xiao then said, "Is the beauty tired?"
"Yeah. I haven't been able to eat well or sleep well in prison these days. How can I not be tired?"
Lu Xi smiled and lowered his head and said, "There was some misunderstanding before. The young master has prepared wine and food for you two and will have them delivered later."
He turned around and introduced the two stout maids behind him and the two pretty maids in their twenties.
"This is specially arranged by the young master for Master Wan and Madam Ning, Mrs. Hua and Mrs. Zhang."
Two ladies in dark green armor came forward and saluted: "I have met Mr. Wan, Mrs. Ning."
Lu Xi added: "This is Sulan and Sufang."
"I have met the young master and the madam." Two maids wearing light green narrow-sleeved coats and dark green armors saluted together.
Pang Xiao's eyes moved around the two girls, and then he shook his head and said dissatisfiedly: "You don't have anyone in your house who is more charming? Like Fuxue?"
Lu Xi clenched his fists for a moment, and the veins on his forehead twitched twice. He smiled softly and said, "It's rare that Mrs. Ning has such an appearance."
Pang Xiao waved his hand and said magnanimously: "That's all, go ahead, you don't need to wait here anymore."
Who still wants to come down and serve you? Lu Xi couldn't help but curse in his heart. Since the other party was a business partner, he could only hold it back, said respectfully, bowed and left.
Pang Xiao put his arms around Qin Yining's waist and entered the house, asking Bingtang to follow the two maids to get the food, while Ji Yun and the two nuns went to prepare the bedroom, leaving only Hu Zi beside him.
When there was no one around, Pang Xiao and Hu Zi checked the surroundings carefully.
After making sure no one was watching or eavesdropping, he relaxed.
Pang Xiao was finally able to sit with his back straight as usual and said with a smile: "Hey, I deliberately ricked my neck. It's more tiring than fighting."
Qin Yining chuckled, "Aren't you tired of me talking in a whiny voice?"
"Actually, I still like you very much."
Qin Yining couldn't help but glare at him, "I'm afraid it will become a habit. I won't be dignified when I go back, and I won't be able to teach the children well."
"That's the same truth." Pang Xiao touched his chin and nodded.
Huzi watched from the sidelines as the conversation between the two happily turned to the children, and couldn't help but chuckle.
Pang Xiao glared at Huzi, who immediately recognized the situation and retreated to the corner in silence.
Qin Yining's face felt a little hot. He cleared his throat with a cough and asked seriously, "Are you going to tell the Lu family about your people and let them make arrangements?"
"That's what I meant." Pang Xiao recalled Lu Zheng's appearance just now and shook his head with a smile, "Although he can be regarded as a gentleman, he is still shallow in practice."
"It's because you acted too similar."
Pang Xiao laughed loudly and said proudly: "As soon as I saw him looking at me with disdain, I couldn't help but laugh. But this deal is really good. You don't have to pay any money, and you can buy one and get one free." "
Qin Yining clasped his fingers to help him calculate, "You don't have to pay now. The Lu family will arrange for people to go to Guangtong in the future. Your people can serve as imperial envoys, and we can have more control over matters in the old capital. . Looking back, as long as our contact with the Qiu family doesn’t reveal anything, everything will be easy to talk about."
"Exactly. After the matter is completed, we step back and withdraw. This will not only allow the Lu family to help me arrange people for free, but also cause the Qiu family to bleed a lot. Afterwards, they will settle accounts with each other, and I am afraid they will become enemies."
Huzi clicked his tongue: "Now they are not being tricked."
"If we don't take action, we will be the unlucky ones in the future." Pang Xiao supported his forehead with one hand and said with a smile, "In the days to come, I have to trouble my wife to continue traveling with me."
Qin Yining smiled and said, "It's an honor."
After putting on a full show, during the following days in the Lu family, Pang Xiao even more fully displayed his role as a petty playboy. On the one hand, he wanted to show off his wealth, but on the other hand, he wanted to take advantage of the Lu family, so he took Qin Yining to visit all the places of interest near Danzhou City.
Qin Yining and Pang Xiao went out to have fun every day, and when they returned to the Lu family, they were entertained with good wine and food. They lived a happy life, and it was simply the most peaceful and sweet life they had ever had since their wedding.
Lu Zheng originally paid attention to and investigated Master Wan, but looking at his appearance, Lu Zheng finally didn't even bother to take a look. Occasionally, he heard Lu Xi talk about "Master Wan" who lived in the guest house and took beauties around all day long. After traveling around the mountains and admiring the scenery, and then looking at my busy days, thinking about Master Wan's despicable face, I couldn't help but feel irritated.
"Master, please take a sip of hot tea and take a break." Lu Xi placed the delicate white porcelain tea bowl next to Lu Zheng's hand.
Lu Zheng nodded, took a sip of tea and said, "What does the man named Wan do when he is out eating, drinking and having fun?"
"I haven't seen him doing anything anymore. He seems to be busy these days to please Mrs. Ning. He bought a lot of gold and silver jewelry, rouge and gouache, and silk and satin. They couldn't fit it in the guest room, so he asked him to arrange people. Sent back to the ship."
"Yeah. So how is Madam Ning's life following him? Are you bored?"
Lu Xi was not surprised. Lu Zheng was attracted to Mrs. Ning and he had already noticed it.
"Ms. Ning is still the same as before. Master, are you very concerned about Mrs. Ning?"
Lu Zheng snorted and said bluntly: "That idiot has defiled the beauty for nothing. But the beauty is blind."
Lu Xi agreed, "The man surnamed Wan is just more lucky and met the beauty first. If the young master likes it, he will naturally find someone with some tricks. Looking at the appearance of Young Master Wan, he only has a skin. Young Master He is handsome and unrestrained, no less impressive than Master Wan, and the Lu family’s background is here.”
Lu Zheng felt a little melancholy, "But the last time I asked, Madam Ning flatly refused."
Lu Xixi shook his head with a smile.
With Lu Zheng's identity, all his women were rushing to get close to him, and there was no need for Lu Zheng to speak. Among the maids and maids in the mansion, whoever is pretty would not want to be Lu Zheng's housemate?
"Young master, you have always been too smooth in your relationship." Maybe the young master has never really admired any woman.
Lu Zheng was stunned for a moment, as if he was lost in memories, and then said after a while: "Yes. Speaking of which, there is really no woman who needs to miss her but can't get her."
The master and servant fell into a brief silence.
After a while, Lu Zheng came back to his senses, "Go and open the warehouse. I remember that someone gave me a set of jade headbands inlaid with gold and jade a few days ago. Together with the several sets of earrings inside, there are a total of 108 lilacs." You can send Mrs. Ning the box as well."
Lu Xi said in surprise: "But the young lady Qian'er has seen that kind of thing before?"
Lu Zheng said: "She has a lot of emeralds and doesn't care about this. Go ahead and see carefully whether Mrs. Ning is happy or not."
"Yes." Lu Xi thought for a while and suggested: "Master, when sending jewelry this time, why not avoid Master Wan? Maybe she sternly rejected Master Wan because of Master Wan's presence, so she couldn't agree to it?"
"That makes sense." Lu Zheng thought for a moment and said, "That's all, I don't want you to go get it. I'll let the young mistress do it. It's easier for women to talk to each other."
Lu Xi hesitated and persuaded: "Aren't you afraid that Young Mistress will find out?"
"What's wrong?" Lu Zheng raised his eyebrows in confusion: "Sooner or later, you will come in, and you won't know it by then? Besides, since she is the legitimate wife, shouldn't she be responsible for handling these matters?"
Lu Xi thought about it and realized that it was the same, so he didn't say anything more.
So when Qin Yining was discussing with Pang Xiao where to go for fun today, someone came to the front door of the guest house to deliver a message.
Not long after, Bingtang walked to the corridor and said, "Ms. Ning, the eldest young lady wants to see you."
Qin Yining raised her eyebrows in surprise: "The eldest young lady is here to find me?"
Bingtang said at the door: "Yes."
Qin Yining and Pang Xiao looked at each other, then stood up: "I'm going to see what she's going to do. Maybe I can get some words out of her."
Pang Xiao pondered for a moment, then shook his head, "No, you better not go. This eldest mistress has never appeared from the beginning, so her sudden appearance must have been caused by Lu Zheng. Lu Zheng has never looked down on me from the beginning, no. If there is any interaction between noble ladies, she must come to you. After all, the Lu family is the only one here, so don’t take risks."
"What you said makes sense. Then let's not go."
Pang Xiao simply blocked Qin Yining's shoulder and went out, "Let's go out first and discuss where to go for fun today."
Bingtang, Jiyun, and Huzi followed immediately.
The group of people walked to the courtyard gate and saw a beautiful woman wearing a bright red coat with full sleeves and a dark green horse-faced skirt standing not far away with her hands folded. The woman was in her youth, dignified and beautiful, with a bookish air between her brows, and she was looking over curiously.