Chapter 239 Taking advantage of the situation
The light in the dining room had dimmed.

The food and wine on the table were lying cold.

Xue Baochai sat at the dining table waiting patiently.

Aunt Xue kept walking back and forth, stopping from time to time to look out the window.

Xue Baoqin, who was standing by, also had a look of anxiety on her face.

Xue Baochai: “Ying’er, light the lamp.”

Ying’er: “Yes.” She answered, then struck the tinder and lit the lamp on the table.

Finally, the voice of the old woman came from outside the door: “The Second Master is back!”

Before he finished his words, Xue Ke ran in hurriedly, panting.

Aunt Xue looked behind him and asked anxiously, “Where’s your brother?!”

Xue Ke panted and said, “Still, still imprisoned in the Infantry Office.”

Aunt Xue was shocked: “What?!”

Xue Baoqin: “How could that be? Didn’t the Mei family say they had given a new testimony?!”

Xue Baochai stood up and looked at Xue Ke: “What happened?”

Xue Ke took a breath and replied, “Second Master Lian helped me get the news. It was Prince Zhongshun’s Palace that intervened!”

Aunt Xue was so frightened that she trembled and asked anxiously, “What’s going on?!”

Xue Baochai: “Is it because of that incident?”

Xue Ke shook his head: “I don’t know the reason. I only know that King Zhongshun has passed down a message to teach my brother a lesson.”

Xue Baochai suddenly remembered: “That actor.”

Aunt Xue also remembered: “Damn it, this evil creature. No matter how many times I tell him to do this, he just won’t change his bad habits.” She started to cry again.

Xue Baochai was anxious to persuade him, and at the same time asked, “What did Master Lian say?”

Xue Ke was silent for a moment, then answered, “Mr. Lian just accompanied me to Jia Yucun’s place, and then Jia Yucun accompanied me to the Mei family, hoping that the Mei family could give a testimony. Mr. Mei said that he was not feeling well.”

Aunt Xue was immediately panicked when she heard this: “What should I do? What should I do?”

Xue Baochai understood that this was the pressure from Prince Zhongshun’s Mansion on the Mei family.

The laws of Dashun would impose different punishments on fighting according to the severity of the case. If it was just a minor fight, it would generally be punished by fines, imprisonment, etc. If the fight caused serious injuries or property losses, it would be more severely punished, such as caning, exile, etc.

There is another problem. The young master of the Mei family is an official. Although Xue Pan donated money to become a student of the Imperial Academy, he is still a commoner in essence, but his status is higher than that of a commoner. If a commoner hits an official, the crime is even more serious.

“Prince! No matter how unreasonable Prince Zhongshun is, you have to give your brother some face.” Aunt Xue grabbed Xue Baochai’s hand as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw, “Let’s go to the Li family and ask them to plead with the prince to get your brother out as well!” As she said that, she looked at Xue Ke again.

Xue Ke lowered his head.

Xue Baochai gave a bitter smile. Li Hu was not around, and Li San dared to deliver a letter to the prince. Li Hu must have given instructions. Xue Pan was not Xue Ke, and he did not work for the Li family. Li San would definitely not agree, unless he went to Xiangshan to ask Li Hu for help.

Thinking of this, Xue Baochai felt a little regretful. She should have let Xue Pan be in charge of the caravan.

At this moment, a woman from the Xue family came in with an envelope and said to Xue Baochai, “Miss, this is a letter from Mrs. Mei.” Then she handed the letter to Xue Baochai.

Xue Baochai took the letter, opened the seal and read it. After reading a few lines, her face turned pale, as pale as paper!

Aunt Xue, Xue Ke, and Xue Baoqin all looked at Xue Baochai in surprise and suspicion.

After an unknown amount of time, Xue Baochai closed her eyes. Her face had returned to its usual calmness, but the hand holding the letter was still trembling slightly.

Aunt Xue couldn’t help asking tentatively, “Baochai.”

Xue Baochai glanced at Ying’er.

Ying’er understood and told the maids to leave.

Only Aunt Xue, Xue Baochai, Xue Ke and Xue Baoqin were left here.

Xue Baochai looked at the letter, was silent for a moment, handed it to Xue Ke, and signaled him to tell Aunt Xue the contents of the letter.

Xue Ke took the letter and read it. He was stunned at first, then his face turned red and he said loudly: “Shameless! What a poetic and polite family, it’s simply…” He was so angry that he was speechless.

Aunt Xue and Xue Baoqin looked at him in surprise.

Xue Ke was still blushing and angry. Xue Baochai smiled faintly and said, “Go ahead.”

Xue Ke swallowed his saliva and said, “Mrs. Mei, that vicious woman from the Mei family wants us to send my elder sister over in a sedan chair at night, saying it’s for the purpose of bringing good luck, and she also wants half of our family property as compensation. Otherwise, she will exile my brother to southern Xinjiang.”

“How dare they do this!” Aunt Xue felt a lump in her chest and then started coughing loudly.

“Don’t worry, mom!” Xue Baochai hurriedly patted Aunt Xue on the back and said, “It’s not the turn of the Zhongshun Palace to cover the sky with one hand under the emperor’s feet!”

Aunt Xue: “That’s right! I will go and beg your aunt now to ask her to plead for mercy with the Empress in the palace. I don’t care how much it costs!” After saying that, she was about to walk out.

“Mom, don’t waste that money!”

Xue Baochai quickly stopped him and said, “The court has rules that the harem cannot interfere in government affairs. The queen in the palace doesn’t have the ability to do so.”

Aunt Xue: “Your Highness, can you please ask the Emperor for mercy? We just need to pay more money.”

Xue Baochai: “Aunt will definitely accept the money. As for Her Majesty, please ask the Emperor for mercy.” Having said this, she shook her head.

Aunt Xue was slightly stunned. She knew that Mrs. Wang was really capable of doing such a thing and would then make up an excuse to fool them.

Thinking about it, she asked again: “Which one should I ask for help?”

Xue Baochai: “The Li family.”

Aunt Xue quickly looked at Xue Ke and said, “You must save your brother~”

Without waiting for Xue Ke to respond, Xue Baochai continued, “I’ll go myself.”

Aunt Xue was shocked: “You’re going there in person?!”

Xue Baochai’s eyes flashed: “I’m going to discuss two business deals with Lord Zhongyong. Not only to rescue my brother, but also to find another supporter for our family.”

At this point, she looked at Xue Ke and said, “You have to work harder. Go to the pawnshop now and exchange 1,500 taels of silver. Send 1,000 taels to the House of the Loyal and Brave Marquis, and ask the Third Marquis to send General Li’s personal soldiers to take me to the Xiangshan Villa early tomorrow morning. The other 500 taels should be used to pay for the Infantry Yamen Prison, so that my brother won’t suffer too much tonight.”

Xue Ke agreed and went.

Aunt Xue hesitated for a moment and said, “Five hundred taels have been spent. Let’s give you another one or two hundred taels so that your brother can be safe tonight.”

After hearing this, Xue Baochai felt really tired. She said, “I’ll go back and think about tomorrow’s things.” Then she walked towards the back hall.

Aunt Xue was stunned for a moment, then turned her gaze to Xue Baoqin.

Xue Baoqin: “That is the territory of Prince Zhongshun.”

As soon as it got dark, the night sky was filled with twinkling stars, and the starlight spread over the small river that surrounded the courtyard.

A bonfire was burning brightly by the stream.

A spark of fire flickered, and another bonfire started, followed by another. Five or six bonfires were lit in succession.

The roaring bonfire drove away the chill of the winter night.

Inside the campfire circle, Lin Daiyu sat on a tiger-skin mattress, holding her chin with both hands and smiling at Li Hu.

After lighting the last bonfire, Li Hu walked back to sit on the tiger-skin mattress, hugged Lin Daiyu in his arms, and said with a smile: “How is it, it’s not cold now, right?”

Lin Daiyu smiled and nodded.

Li Hu spread out a white fox fur mattress, laid it out, and laid down with Lin Daiyu in his arms, looking at the starry sky: “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“nice.”

“If it’s good, look at it for a while longer.”

“嘁~”

“what happened?”

Lin Daiyu curled her lips.

Li Hu laughed: “I want to pick stars for you, but I don’t have the ability.”

Lin Daiyu rolled her eyes at him and asked, “When will you go into the mountains tomorrow?”

Li Hu: “We have to go into the mountains early tomorrow morning. Don’t get up to see me off. Sleep a little longer and let Zijuan and the others accompany you around. I’ll come back and make barbecue for you.”

Lin Daiyu said “hmm” and leaned her head on Li Hu’s shoulder.
(End of this chapter)