PFC Chapter 24 Pulling
Chapter 24 Pulling
It must be said that Wang Qing has complicated a simple problem.
From Wang Xifeng's perspective, she was only worried that Jia She and Madam Xing would use her money lending at exorbitant interest rates as an excuse to cause trouble, which would displease Grandmother Jia and cause her to lose her management of the household.
As for Wang Qing, a distant relative who had come to seek refuge and was now staying at the Rongguo Mansion, all he had to do was snap his fingers...
No, it's just that if you show a little kindness, he will definitely grant your request.
After all, whether it's increasing the number of people patrolling around the two government offices or launching a large-scale cleanup starting from the two government offices, it's all a deliberate attempt to curry favor.
However, Wang Xifeng was naturally suspicious, so even so, she would not rashly admit to lending money at exorbitant interest rates.
Having Ping'er step forward would also allow them to test Wang Qing's attitude, so they could later extract Huiwen's information.
As for making Ping'er take the blame, it was out of necessity. If Wang Qing were to investigate the usury thoroughly, Ping'er's reasons for pleading for leniency would not be sufficient if she was not involved.
Although Wang Qing failed to guess the beginning, fortunately the result was not unexpected.
Upon hearing that Ping'er had come to visit, he immediately guessed that Wang Xifeng was using a two-pronged approach, sending Ping'er to play the emotional card because he had been hesitant to fall for her tricks.
The reason he didn't associate it with a honey trap was because of a previous misunderstanding. Even with Liu Saozi, a cook, he had the desire but not the courage, let alone Jia Lian's concubine Ping'er.
It's unlikely that Wang Xifeng would use the same tactics.
Therefore, he hurriedly went out to greet her, his face beaming, and said, "Thanks to Sister Ping'er for taking care of me. I was planning to thank you in person after I finished this busy period. What brings you here today, Sister?"
Wang Qing was all smiles, calling her "sister" and thanking her repeatedly, which put Ping'er at ease.
She gave a graceful bow and smiled, "This servant should thank Master Qing. Thanks to you for sending more people to patrol outside the mansion, Madam has one less thing to worry about, and this servant can occasionally take a break."
Taking advantage of the opportunity to exchange pleasantries, he not only praised the other party and shortened the distance, but also found a reason for his sudden visit, and could also test Wang Qing's reaction to determine how much he knew about usury.
Ping'er had been tactful enough, but Wang Qing saw right through her. He made no attempt to hide his smugness and said with a smile, "Sister, you flatter me. This is simply my duty. I am grateful for the old lady's care; I am merely doing my bit."
At this point, he slapped his forehead and gestured for her to come in, saying, "I was so busy talking to my sister that I forgot to invite her inside! Please come in!"
After entering the main room, the guests and hosts took their seats, and then Sister Liu brought in tea.
"Please have some tea, sister!"
Wang Qing picked up his teacup and invited Ping'er to have some tea. He covered his face with his hand and took the opportunity to observe her through his fingers. He noticed that Ping'er's gaze lingered slightly on Sister Liu and she seemed to have frowned a little.
Wang Qing took it as her dissatisfaction with Sister Liu's incompetence, which further solidified his previous suspicions.
So, without rushing to speak, he pretended to be thirsty and took a couple more sips.
Sure enough, Ping'er put down her teacup and spoke first: "There have been many things going on at the manor recently. Is Master Qing finding your stay here comfortable? If there is a shortage of manpower or anything that is not well taken care of, please forgive me. I will make arrangements for you as soon as possible."
Liu Saozi was not instructed by Wang Xifeng, so why would Ping'er be dissatisfied with her incompetence?
However, Wang Qingyuan didn't even have a decent maid, and they still had to rely on a cook to serve tea and water, which made him feel guilty.
Although she had mentioned it to Wang Xifeng, times had changed.
Wang Qing thought Ping'er was testing him, wondering if he was dissatisfied with Sister Liu's status as a servant, which was why he was reluctant to take the bait.
Although he didn't mind seeing what other bargaining chips Wang Xifeng could come up with, he was worried that he might miss out on Liu Wu'er because of it.
So he laughed and said, "They are very attentive, and I'm all alone, why would I need so many people to serve me?"
Thinking that he would still need to ask for Liu Wu'er back later, Wang Qing didn't want to block the way, so he quickly added, "Sister, you don't know, I stayed at the yamen for a few days recently in order to hunt down the thief, and I didn't have time to come back. In a while, I will have to trouble you, sister."
Ping'er had been worried that he wouldn't make any requests, but after hearing the last sentence, her brows relaxed, and she smiled, "Master Qing is a guest, there's no need for any trouble."
Although Ping'er had come under orders, it would be inappropriate for a lone man and woman to stay for too long. So she went straight to the point and said, "If we're talking about trouble, I have a favor to ask of Master Qing."
Wang Qing had been waiting for these words, and immediately patted his chest, saying, "Sister, you're too kind! Thank you for taking care of me. Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything, and I will never refuse!"
These words reassured Ping'er, who then hesitated for a moment before asking, "When Master Qing was hunting down thieves recently, didn't he arrest someone named Ni Er?"
Wang Qing hesitated for a moment before nodding: "It seems there is such a person."
Then, somewhat puzzled, she looked up at Ping'er and hesitated, "Sister, do you perhaps know this person?"
Ping'er pursed her lips and said, "Well... I wouldn't say we know each other. It's just that this person is related to Wang'er in some way."
Seemingly worried that Wang Qing hadn't heard of the name Wang'er, she quickly explained, "Wang'er is also one of Madam's maids. We see each other all the time. Yesterday, Wang'er's family came to see me, wanting to ask what his relative had done wrong. Could you please ask Master Qing to be lenient?"
Without saying a word, Wang Qing got up and went to the door. He looked around and returned to the room, but instead of going back to his seat, he went straight to the seat below Ping'er.
He sat down close to her across a small table, leaned his arm on it, and whispered mysteriously, "Sister, do you know who this Ni Er is?"
"this……"
Ping'er had followed Wang Xifeng since childhood. Apart from Jia Lian, when had she ever had such close contact with a man?
The strange man's aura, the hot breath he exhaled when he spoke, and his enigmatic expression all made Ping'er feel uneasy.
Unfortunately, since it concerned Wang Xifeng's orders, and Wang Qing was acting very seriously, as if there were other hidden reasons, she dared not act rashly, lest she appear unfamiliar with him.
Wang Qing seemed to realize something was amiss, and quickly shrank back, saying somewhat awkwardly, "I acted rashly in the heat of the moment, please forgive me!"
Upon hearing this, Ping'er became somewhat embarrassed and quickly said, "Master Qing, please don't flatter me!"
Seeing that Wang Qing seemed to be in a dilemma, she quickly turned to the side, put her arms on the edge of the small table, and moved closer.
However, this placed the burden on her forearms, further emphasizing the fullness of her breasts.
She took the initiative to close the distance, finally easing Wang Qing's predicament. She followed suit, leaning over the edge of the small table and closing the distance again, lowering her eyes and saying, "Sister, you don't know, this Ni Er is a rogue and scoundrel. He not only runs a gambling den, but also lends money at exorbitant interest rates, causing countless families to be ruined and killed."
"Your position determines your perspective," and Ping'er didn't see anything wrong with lending money at exorbitant interest rates.
She originally thought that Ni Er was arrested for lending money at a gambling den, but she didn't expect him to be the real deal.
Although opening a gambling den had nothing to do with Wang Xifeng, since Ni Er was helping with lending and opening a gambling den, how could he not use it to make money, and even to gain the reputation of Wang Xifeng and the Rongguo Mansion?
Of course, none of this is the point. Even if Wang Xifeng really did open a gambling den, would they arrest and punish her for such a trivial matter?
The key lies in Wang Qing's attitude. Since he is taking this so seriously, he obviously doesn't think it's a trivial matter, which inadvertently increases the difficulty of pleading for leniency.
What I thought was a sure thing has now become uncertain.
She is not Wang Xifeng. If Wang Qing is impartial and incorruptible, once she is forced to take the blame, she will probably not have a good outcome.
Thinking of this, she disregarded the fact that the two were too close and looked at Wang Qing with a nervous expression, trying to find some clues on his face.
Wang Qing looked conflicted and pondered for a long time before slowly speaking: "If it were just this, it would be fine. Even if we were to take some responsibility, we would release them for my sister's sake. But as luck would have it, the thief has appeared at Ni Er's gambling den, which is really troublesome."
Ping'er was well aware that this gang of thieves had caused widespread anger and resentment in the capital. Not to mention herself, even Wang Xifeng might not be able to escape unscathed once she got involved.
Although Wang Qing also said that the thief only appeared in the gambling house, wasn't Ni Er's opening of the gambling house also a private matter?
It's hard to guarantee they won't secretly help sell stolen goods or even harbor them.
Furthermore, Lai Wang might have knowingly pretended not to know about the gambling den and concealed it from the public.
But did Laiwang not know that the thief had appeared at Ni Er's gambling den, or did he deliberately keep quiet about it?
There's a lot more to this than meets the eye.
Thinking of this, Ping'er felt extremely uneasy and confused, and couldn't help but gasp.
Unexpectedly, Wang Qing exhaled a large, foul breath, and a strong masculine scent instantly filled Ping'er's lungs, making her feel suffocated and anxious. She dared not breathe heavily and could only bury her head deeply.
In a daze, Wang Qing's voice suddenly rang in her ears: "Sister, you've always been kind to others, but you didn't know these people were so vicious. If you don't have a deep relationship with Laiwang, you might as well stay away from him. If..."
At this point, Wang Qing's voice abruptly stopped, as if he were facing some difficult choice.
Ping'er, however, seemed to grasp at a straw and suddenly looked up at Wang Qing.
But then he saw him staring at him with a conflicted expression.
Wang Qinglian had never even heard of Laiwang's name before; it was self-evident who he was agonizing over.
Their eyes met, so close they could almost touch. The meaning behind their gazes, and the consequences of being forced to take the blame, weighed heavily on Ping'er, making her feel short of breath and almost unable to breathe.
She disregarded her shyness, looking at Wang Qing with expectant eyes, and murmured, "I...I..." as she gently parted her lips to help her breathe.
Although Wang Qing did not delve into the matter of usury, the current situation was clearly worse. He was hesitating whether to make a drastic decision and, as Wang Xifeng instructed, take the blame for usury and say something like "I have no way to repay your kindness," so that Wang Qing's mind would tilt in his favor.
Ping'er hesitated as the words were about to come out.
When things come to a head, clearing Wang Xifeng's name is the only way to survive. If she doesn't obey orders, she'll be punished immediately upon returning. Ping'er is certainly not one to be unaware of this.
But Wang Qing is a man of integrity and deeply abhors Ni Er's actions. If he mistakenly believes that the usury was his doing, will he think that he is only after profit?
Unwilling to admit it and not wanting to damage her image in Wang Qing's eyes, she could only come up with a counterproductive and clumsy excuse.
I'm currently struggling with this decision.
Wang Qing suddenly let out a long sigh and said, "Alright, please give me two days, sister. After I've cleaned up the mess, you can have Laiwang go to the yamen to pick up the person."
Upon hearing this, Ping'er finally felt relieved. Her hands, which were resting on the small table, were tightly clasped together. Her eyes, which were looking at Wang Qing, were slightly moist. For a moment, she was too excited to speak.
Wang Qing saw everything, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ping'er's slender fingers tightly clasped together in front of her chest, revealing a rosy blush, and the ripples caused by the trembling of her fingers.
He resisted the urge to reach out and grab her, swallowed hard, and said in a low voice, "Sister, go back and tell Laiwang to keep a close eye on Ni Er and prevent him from doing anything illegal again."
"Thank you so much, sir! I am deeply grateful!"
Ping'er then seemed to wake from a dream, hurriedly got up, and was about to give a deep bow.
Without hesitation, Wang Qing reached out and grabbed Ping'er's forearm.
Even through the layer of autumn clothes, the soft, boneless touch still traveled along his fingertips all the way to Wang Qing's heart.
Ping'er felt a completely different picture. It was clearly an upward lift, but it felt like a huge boulder pressing down on her, making it hard for her to breathe.
Both of them froze, momentarily lost in thought.
After a brief standoff, noticing a slight tremor in his forearm, Wang Qing reluctantly withdrew his hand and said with difficulty, "Although you are kind to others, you should also think more about yourself."
"Thank you so much for reminding me, sir!"
Ping'er was already blushing. She nodded slightly, not daring to raise her head, and after bowing again, she fled in panic.
Wang Qing did not stop her. He watched Ping'er's slender figure, which was a little unsteady, disappear into the courtyard before he withdrew his slightly amused gaze and rubbed the stiff muscles on his cheeks.
……