The Famous Detective of the Red Mansion

On March 14th, the night was dark.

Ping’er came out of the room with half a basin of warm water in her hand and casually splashed it absentmindedly. Unexpectedly, someone in the darkness uttered a ”whoops.”

"Who? Who's there?!"

Ping'er was startled and quickly took the copper basin to protect her.

A timid figure appeared from under the porch and said, “Sister Ping’er, it's me."

"Second Lady?!"

Ping’er took a closer look. Who else could it be if it wasn't Jia Yingchun who was about to get married?

She hurriedly lifted the copper basin and greeted her, saying, “It’s so late at night, why did you come here by yourself? You didn't even bring a lantern!"

Jia Yingchun lowered her head slightly and hid the flustered look on her face. "There are only a few steps left and right, so there's no need to bother anyone else. Sister Ping’er, is my sister-in-law in there?" she asked.

As soon as Ping'er looked at her, she knew that it was probably Siqi who had caused some trouble again. She wanted to say something to Jia Yingchun that she should never be caught by a servant girl.

But her own identity was awkward, and she was neither a master nor a servant. Jia Yingchun was about to get married, and the Sun family would be there deciding for her.

So Ping’er hesitated for a moment, then pretended to be confused, sidled in, and smiled, saying, “You can head in directly, Second Lady. Our Madam has been waiting in the hall for a long time."

Jia Yingchun took a few steps inwardly when she heard the words but hesitated at her feet again. She turned around and whispered, “I've delayed so long, is my sister-in-law angry?"

It turned out that after dinner tonight, Wang Xifeng sent someone over and called her to come over to ”chat about family matters.”

Jia Yingchun received a greeting and originally wanted to call Siqi to head over immediately. However, after a thorough investigation, she realized that Siqi had left before dinner, and no one had seen her since then.

This was not a rare event at first. After all, since that day when she was rejected for her confession, Siqi has been wandering around all day.

However, this time it was different because another big servant girl, Xiuju, found that not only did Siqi leave, but also a significant portion of the clothes and jewelry in Siqi's room were missing.

Jia Yingchun got the report and thought about what she had said that day. She almost fainted from fear. After she recovered, she hurriedly urged the servant girl to search around.

However, after everyone was searching around, she remembered Sister Feng's appointment to talk to her at night. She couldn't find a spare lantern for the moment, so she had to rush over in the dark.

Although she was her sister-in-law, Jia Yingchun had always been afraid of Wang Xifeng, so she arrived half a step late and felt uneasy.

Ping’er knew that Wang Xifeng had called the Second Lady to come here today because she had something to ”ask” for. Since she had something to ask for, she would never care about these trivial matters.

So she smiled and said, “What are you talking about, Second Lady? You are now the bride-to-be, and everyone in the family must be careful in serving you. No one would be angry with you."

As she spoke, she gently pushed Jia Yingchun's back and said, "Hurry in, serious good things are waiting for you!"

Jia Yingchun listened to her words with ease, and her heart was relieved. As she was about to lift the curtain to enter, Ping'er suddenly pulled her back and whispered, "By the way, have you heard from the Sun family? I heard that the Second Master of the Sun family was injured in the Jinmen Mansion."

Jia Yingchun felt a bit surprised when she suddenly asked about this matter. However, she has always been a good person to do more than to do less, so she didn’t delve into it. She only shook her head and said, "I only know that Elder Master Sun rushed to Jinmen in a hurry, and the others didn't know."

"I see."

Ping’er tried to hide her uneasiness and disappointment, released Jia Yingchun's arm, and watched her enter the living room. She couldn't help but fold her palms together and silently recited, Amitabha, Buddha, please protect him and give your blessings.

Not to mention how Ping’er was worrying about Sun Shaozong's safety in the courtyard.

When Jia Yingchun entered the hall, she saw Wang Xifeng reclining lazily on the couch, wearing a baggy purple skirt trimmed with gold lace, and a pair of feet barely touching the legs of the servant girl, as if she had already entered summer ahead of schedule.

A fiery red fox fur shawl was draped over her lower abdomen, revealing a sense of restlessness in the cool.

Seeing Jia Yingchun coming in from outside, Wang Xifeng immediately put those two long legs together on the ground and said in a fit of feigned anger, "This Ping’er is getting increasingly ignorant. Our bride-to-be is here, how could she not call me out to greet her?"

As she spoke, her snow-white feet, like lotus flowers, were just hanging from her shoes, not really stepping on them and standing up to greet her.

Jia Yingchun, however, didn’t dare to pick on her, and with a shy smile, she said, "My sister-in-law is joking again."

Wang Xifeng knew her temperament and has never been an active person. If she waited for her to start a conversation, it would be impossible.

So she waved affectionately and said, “Quick, come here, sit down and talk.'"

When Jia Yingchun obediently sat down on the couch, she took up Jia Yingchun's arm again, rubbed it on her warm jade-like hand, and murmured in praise, “Our family managed to raise such a valuable lady, but you have to be married over to the Sun family. Those men are willing to marry you off, but I, as your sister-in-law, really can't bear it."

"Sister-in-law... What are you saying?"

Jia Yingchun was used to being transparent and was a bit uncomfortable with her enthusiasm. She smiled a little embarrassed and said, "Sister-in-law is valuable. I... I can't compare with you."

Originally, she just casually said it, but when it got to the end, she couldn't help feeling a bit sad.

After all, when Wang Xifeng married, she also saw the grand scenery with her own eyes. However, when it came to her wedding, even if she exchanged all the silver in the box for scattered copper coins, it would be difficult to compare it in weight.

As for other objects, they were even more pitiful.

With such thinking, even if she tried to hide it, her face inevitably showed a look of desolation and embarrassment.

Wang Xifeng was the most observant master. How could she not guess what she was thinking? She immediately sighed. "I don't know what the Old Master and Old Lady thought. They haven't bought any decent dowries for my sister yet."

As she spoke, she secretly signaled at the little servant girl who was pounding her legs, and the little servant girl immediately withdrew quietly.

After the servant girl left the hall, Wang Xifeng clasped her hand around Jia Yingchun's waist and said sternly, "Don't underestimate yourself for this. I'll add a dowry to you. I'm sure you'll be a bit more valuable than all the other people's possessions combined!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Yingchun only felt puzzled and dubious. It was not uncommon for her sister-in-law to add some dowry to her. But to say that Wang Xifeng would be generous enough to add something valuable to herself, she had been incredulous from the very beginning.

But Jia Yingchun didn't dare to show it. She just pretended to be curious and said, “What dowry will my sister-in-law add to me?"

"A way to make money, one big way to make money!"

Wang Xifeng proudly said, "I heard that Elder Master Sun has three good qualities in his life, one is lustful..."

Speaking of this, she pinched Jia Yingchun's tender little face and joked, "This one, you naturally are properly occupied."

Then she said, "As for his second hobby, he is addicted to alcohol as much as his life. You have always been considerate, and I'm sure you won't spoil the interest of General Sun."

"As for the last good thing..."

Wang Xifeng paused and wanted Jia Yingchun to ask a question. However, after waiting for a while, she saw that Jia Yingchun was just waiting in a daze, with no intention of asking.

She secretly winked at this blind lady, and she continued saying, “His last good deed is greed!"

In fact, Sun Shaozu's other hobby was ”greed for power.” But to elicit her method, Wang Xifeng had to make a change for Sun Shaozu.

"In my opinion, this one is the most important! Just imagine, if you can grasp the financial power of the Sun family like me, are you still afraid that you won't be able to gain a foothold in the Sun family in the future?" Wang Xifeng said solemnly.

If it were other women, they would have been moved right now.

Jia Yingchun was silent for a moment, but she voiced up and said, “How can I compare myself to my sister-in-law? It's impossible, it's impossible!"

This baggy girl!

Wang Xifeng was so depressed in her heart that she doubted whether she had found the wrong person.

But thinking of Sun Shaozong's ”cunning mind,” if there was no one who could balance it, how could she rest assured?

So she could only grit her teeth and say, "You can rest assured that if there's anything you can't do, I'll naturally teach you. Just remember my advice and don't make a mistake!"

Even if she said it simply, it was still ”a problem” for Jia Yingchun.

But Jia Yingchun was also a person who wouldn’t refuse people, so she hesitated a while and eventually accepted Wang Xifeng’s plan of ”a big shot at making a fortune.”