The Famous Detective of the Red Mansion
Ch. 502 - Supreme Emperor Shi's Two Banquets at the Grand View Garden [Part 1]

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More than ten people were bustling around, and with Sun Shaozong, a foreign man, it was not easy to have a meal at the same table.

Therefore, there were three tables arranged in the hall, with a screen partition erected in the middle. Old Lady Jia led Shi Xiangyun, Lin Daiyu, and Xue Baochai to occupy one seat; Old Madam Wang and Aunt Xue sat at the same table as Jia Tanchun and Jia Xichun.

As for the table outside the screen, it was naturally left for Sun Shaozong and Jia Baoyu.

There were also Wang Xifeng and Li Wan, who had to take care of the Old Lady while the other was in front of their mother-in-law. However, they had to wait by the side and wait for everyone to finish eating before sitting down to eat.

Without mentioning what was going on inside, Jia Baoyu said outside that he had picked up a silver teapot and filled the wine glasses in front of the two of them. He couldn't help but curiously scan and listen, "Did you find any clues later, Second Brother?"

"There are two marks of climbing over the wall in the northeast corner, one in and one out, with three pairs of footprints." Sun Shaozong picked up a piece of eggplant with chopsticks and chewed it in his mouth, which had a distinct meat flavor. He couldn't help but praise it, "Every time I come to your house, the dishes are not the same."

"That means you still haven't come much."

Jia Baoyu showed no interest in these dishes and didn't even touch his chopsticks. He said, "So, those thieves have already escaped?"

"Eighty percent of it, they are likely to escape, but it's also a cover-up."

"Then can you..."

Jia Baoyu's face was drooling as if he had something to ask for. However, before he could finish speaking, someone behind the screen shouted, "Old Liu, Old Liu, you have a big appetite like a cow. You don't even look up when you eat an old sow!"

Immediately, everyone burst into laughter as they listened. Jia Baoyu curiously looked around, only to see Shi Xiangyun spewing out a mouthful of rice grains; Lin Daiyu laughed and exhaled, leaning on the table and moaning; Old Madam Wang smiled and pointed at Sister Feng, unable to speak; Even Aunt Xue couldn't hold on, and the tea in her mouth sprayed all over her skirt; Tanchun's rice bowl is tied to Xichun's body; Xichun simply left her seat and pulled the wet nurse to rub her stomach.”

The maids in the room all bent their backs, some hiding and squatting to laugh, while others came up to change clothes for their Sisters, with Feng alone supporting the scene and only letting Grandma Liu continue eating.

As soon as Grandma Liu picked up her chopsticks, she said, "The chickens here are also handsome, and the eggs laid are also small and strange—let me take one!"

Everyone stopped laughing and couldn't close their mouths when they heard these words.

Seeing Old Lady Jia burst into tears as she smiled, Jia Baoyu returned to the table with his mouth wide open, but became increasingly angry and said, "This woman is pretending to be crazy; she has performed a great show!"

Sun Shaozong had already seen Wang Xifeng and Jia Tanchun, pointing at Grandma Liu as if she was calculating something. Therefore, he shook his head and said, "It may not be that she is singing a solo play herself, but it may be that your Second Sister-in-law saw how good the play was and forced an extra one."

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Lady Jia laughed inside and said, "This must have been caused by Feng, a narrow-minded ghost. Don't believe her words."

Seeing that Sun Shaozong had once again exposed the situation, Jia Baoyu couldn't help but admire it and sigh, "Those who rap about the opera are lunatics, those who watch the opera are fools—walls have ears, but we don't know how to talk about it."

Because Wang Xifeng said that the quail egg was worth one or two silver coins, Sun Shaozong used his chopsticks to string two of them and shook them into Jia Baoyu's bowl. He smiled and said, "She sings about herself. Why do you care so much? Isn't this one or two silver coins worth of gold egg enough to block your mouth?"

Jia Baoyu finally couldn't help but burst out laughing, picked up those two quail eggs, ate them, and then finished the whole sentence he had just said.

It turned out that looking at his Sisters, who hadn't mentioned, their hearts were frightened. So he hoped Sun Shaozong could stay in the garden for one night so that everyone would not be afraid.

Sun Shaozong did not immediately respond to this matter. He had originally planned to leave this troubled land with Jia Yingchun in the afternoon. If he had to stay overnight in the garden at night, Jia Yingchun would not be able to go home alone.

After all, Jia Yingchun was pregnant; how could she receive this terrifying fright over again?

Having shared these concerns with Jia Baoyu, Jia Baoyu also felt that his Second Sister should not be implicated, so he quickly stated that having himself in the garden was enough, and there was no need to bother his Second Brother Sun.

After saying this, Baoyu picked up a few delicious dishes and quickly filled his stomach. He watched Sun Shaozong eating on the side, and in the blink of an eye, he finished a few bowls of rice. He couldn't help but envy his appetite again.

"By the way..."

After a while, Jia Baoyu suddenly remembered another suspicion and asked curiously, "What exactly do the words of Second Brother Lian said in the morning mean?"

"Uh..."

Sun Shaozong almost choked and wanted to cover it up, but on second thought, with Jia Lian's attitude alone, this matter might not be able to be hidden for long. Instead of covering it up now and revealing his lewd nature afterward, it would be better to be selective and honest, so as not to embarrass each other in the future.

Besides, this matter was only brought up by Jia Baoyu sleeping with the concubine of Prince Beijing, so he was not afraid of his anger.

So Sun Shaozong hesitated for a moment and said, "Actually, after you got drunk yesterday noon, your maid Xiaohong, who was originally in your house, was ordered to deliver messages to the Yihong Courtyard. It was probably because of the influence of Prince Beijing that Second Master Lian insisted on having Xiaohong serve me. I repeatedly declined, but still..."

"Oh my!"

Sun Shaozong was speaking when Jia Baoyu let out a bird cry. It was not surprising that Sun Shaozong was startled by him. Even Old Lady Jia and Old Madam Wang inside were startled, and they all inquired through the screen.

Jia Baoyu realized that he had caused trouble and quickly explained, "It's nothing, I just suddenly thought of an important thing that I forgot to do."

Turning back with a bitter face, he said, "I had promised to visit Sister Qiulian early this morning, but now... ***sigh***."

It turned out that it was this matter that he remembered.

Sun Shaozong comforted and said, "There was a reason for the incident, and it wasn't intentional of you to do it. Besides, missing one day is nothing."

Jia Baoyu listened to other’s advice, and now he has decided to visit Concubine Qiulian at the Beijing Prince's Mansion tomorrow morning.

As he spoke, he hesitated and said, "Brother, else, I won't go to the full moon banquet tomorrow night, or I might pass the illness to my little niece."

"What are you afraid of?"

Sun Shaozong chuckled and said, "It's cold at night now, and I didn't intend to take the child out and let you guys pass it on."

Thinking about it, he advised, "But a few days ago, Xue Pan fell ill, and his body was still frail. If you come out of Prince Beijing's Mansion, why don't you go home to take a shower and get changed first, before coming over to have some wine?"

Jia Baoyu, however, did not hear about this matter and took the opportunity to inquire about it. He couldn't help but blame Aunt Xue and Sister Bao, who refused to reveal any news. Otherwise, as a cousin, he should have gone to take a look.

With just a few complaints, he turned to his most concerned aspect again, "Second Brother, have you found anything in the past few days?"

Sun Shaozong shook his head and said, "The Yun’er that Big Head Xue took care of does indeed have a lover in private, but he is a powerless scholar, and there is not much influence in his family. He should have no connection to this matter."

"As for the rest... Big Head Xue has been much more honest lately, at least on the surface; he has not offended any enemies."

As soon as he spoke, he heard that the banquet had already ended inside. Old Lady Jia led everyone out and reminded Sun Shaozong to eat and drink enough before going to Jia Tanchun's bedroom to chat about daily life.

Among them, there was no trace of Grandma Liu. It seemed that this rural old lady has not had enough to eat and drink yet—in addition, Wang Xifeng and Li Wan stayed inside to have meals.

Due to being constantly disturbed by Jia Baoyu, Sun Shaozong only ate half full and naturally refused to let himself down. He was about to sit down and continue eating and drinking when Grandma Liu sighed behind the screen, "It's okay with everything else. I only love your family's way of doing things, and the strange way is to say *'Etiquette comes from wealthy families.'*"

What a good way of saying *’Etiquette comes from wealthy families.’*

This was a clear sarcastic reference to the etiquette of Rongguo Mansio.

Sun Shaozong had already looked at the old lady higher than others, but upon hearing these words, he realized that he still underestimated her.

These words concealed needles in a continuous stream, and she was not unaware of the tricks involved, but was merely acting according to the host's wishes.

The timing was precisely right; if these were said a little earlier, it would stir up the scene, and if it were a little later, it would lose its results. If it weren't for those who have insight into the world, they would not be able to grasp such a balance.

At that moment, he could hear Wang Xifeng apologizing and repeatedly instructing the maids to serve tea to Grandma Liu. However, Grandma Liu hid her sharpness and spoke with simple and honest words.

Outside, Jia Baoyu was stunned for a while. He smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "You said yesterday that I am not as good as her. I am still very dissatisfied. Now that I think about it, I really have a dog's eye for people."

Sun Shaozong couldn't bear his cowardly attitude of being indecisive, but he was very fond of his unpretentious nature. He smiled and said, "There is a saying that *'all things in the world, and human relationships are learned through life.'* How many years have you lived? If you have more experience in the future, you will have more understanding."

Jia Baoyu nodded in agreement and suddenly felt that the sentence seemed to have been heard somewhere before, but couldn't remember its source for a moment. He thought it might have been seen in a book, so he didn't put in much effort to think about it.

When Sun Shaozong was 80% full, he saw that Grandma Liu was also accompanied by Li Wan to Jia Tanchun's boudoir. He stood up and said, "Let's go, let's go out for a walk to digest the meal earlier."

"Wait a minute!"

Without waiting for Jia Baoyu to respond, a sudden flash of Wang Xifeng appeared behind the screen. With a cold face, she said, "I have a few words to say to Erlang face-to-face—Brother Bao, please wait outside first."

Although he reluctantly got involved in marriage, speaking in private was still taboo.

If it were a mature and steady person, she should have politely advised him, but Jia Baoyu was not a conventional person and was most disdainful of male and female matters. Therefore, he only hesitated for a moment before lifting the curtain outside.

So in this Xiaocui Hall, only Sun Shaozong and Wang Xifeng remained.