The Second Master of the Red Chamber

The sound of flowing water and the voice of a beautiful woman outside the window awakened Jia Lian.

"Sister, I'll head back now. Remember to tell the Prince later that he absolutely mustn't forget."

"Keep your voice down, don't wake the prince. Don't forget, you still need to serve tea to the princess later."

"understood."

The sound of footsteps on the wooden floor indicated that the beautiful woman who had spoken had left the room.

When Jia Lian opened his eyes, he saw a bright, kind, and gentle face close at hand, seemingly observing him.

"Your Highness...you're awake. Did we disturb you?"

Jia Lian shook his head, his gaze unwavering.

Sister You was surprised. She looked down and quickly tugged at her crooked bodice to cover up a large expanse of her private parts.

Seeing this, Jia Lian finally spoke up: "What time is it?"

"At the beginning of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM) immediately."

Upon hearing that it was almost dawn, Jia Lian immediately sat up.

Sister You quickly helped him up and gently advised, "It's still early, and it's not even dawn outside. Your Highness worked so hard last night, why don't you get some more sleep?"

"No, please help me change."

Seeing that Jia Lian had already sat down on the edge of the bed, You Erjie had no choice but to get out of bed and fetch the clothes that the maids had prepared for Jia Lian the night before.

She was barefoot, wearing only a bodice and underpants, and her movements made it impossible to conceal the beauty of her youthful body.

Jia Lian, of course, wouldn't hold back in admiring it.

You Erjie noticed that Jia Lian's gaze followed her. Although she was a little shy, she wasn't embarrassed.

As she helped Jia Lian up and dressed him, she remembered her sister's instructions and said, "Your Highness promised to take my sister on the expedition last night, were you serious?"

If this puts Your Highness in a difficult position, please don't worry, I will explain it to her.

Jia Lian shook his head: "It's not difficult at all. I promised her, so I will take her there."

You Erjie nodded, frequently glancing up at Jia Lian, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

Jia Lian saw through her meaning and laughed, "What, you want to go too?"

"May I?"

Jia Lian patted You Erjie's head and shook his head, saying, "Forget about it, the army isn't suitable for you."

If your sister gets angry and dares to stab someone with a sword, would you dare?

Upon hearing this, Sister You's expression froze, and she finally realized the gravity of the situation.

She wouldn't dare stab anyone. Occasionally, when she went to the kitchen and saw the cooks killing live chickens, she couldn't bear it and would quickly walk away.

So he quickly shook his head.

"That's right, that's a good girl."

Jia Lian affectionately ruffled You Erjie's hair.

Sister You Erjie and Sister You Sanjie are two sisters with very different personalities.

Second Sister You was gentle by nature and submissive to adversity.

In this respect, she is similar to Yingchun.

But You Sanjie was completely different; she was born with a rebellious spirit.

If you disagree, I'll do whatever it takes to get you, no matter who you are.

Even Qingwen wasn't as irritable as her.

Indeed, someone who dares to cut his own throat with a sword would be more than capable of stabbing others.

After You Erjie put on her shoes, Jia Lian helped her up, kissed her forehead, and pressed her back onto the bed, saying:
"No need to see me off, it's still early, you can sleep a little longer."

"It's time to serve tea; the maids will come to call you."

"Uh-huh."

Seeing her obedient appearance, Jia Lian couldn't resist pinching her cheek again before turning to leave.

Watching Jia Lian carefully close the door, You Erjie turned around and glanced again at the bridal chamber that she hadn't had time to examine closely the night before.

The bright red carpet, the colorful silk curtains, and the exquisite silver screen all testify that she resides in a land of gentle luxury.

With a soft sigh, she realized that this was the day she had been dreaming of.

But it is clear that her husband and sister are both restless and unruly.

……

In Hengwu Garden, Daiyu and Baochai shared a pillow last night.

The two sisters ate breakfast together in the morning and then sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) to play chess.

During this time, Xiangyun ran in to watch them play chess. After being criticized by Daiyu for "not speaking while watching chess, a true gentleman," Xiangyun felt even more bored.

"Ugh, so boring..."

"Hey, how about we go to the Crystal Creek Pavilion and see what Second Brother and the others are doing?"

Baochai looked up at her and shook her head.

Daiyu placed a piece on the board and said coldly, "They had their wedding night yesterday, why are you bothering them so early?"

He already dislikes you enough; if you act like this, he'll dislike you even more.

Xiangyun snorted softly upon hearing this.

It's obviously a lie that Jia Lian dislikes her.

He knew he was just teasing her.

She resolutely refused to move out of Hengwu Garden, but Jia Lian still let her have her way.

Seeing that neither Baochai nor Daiyu intended to move, Xiangyun simply took off her shoes, climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and lay on all fours to watch the game.

She was someone who couldn't keep her mouth shut, but Daiyu forbade her to speak, which made her very uncomfortable.

Suddenly, Zijuan brought a red cloak and draped it over Daiyu. Xiangyun suddenly remembered something and asked:
"Sister Lin, when you came to visit us before, you always had to go back no matter how late it was."

Why did you agree to stay last night, and even sleep next to Bao-jie?

The sisters lived in the same garden, and it was common for them to visit each other and stay overnight.

In the previous month, it was clear that Baochai and Daiyu's relationship had progressed rapidly and was extremely good.

However, they just wouldn't let each other stay overnight, and it didn't work even if they tried to help.

She even stayed at Xiaoxiang Pavilion for two nights, but she discovered that Baochai had not.

Last night was the first time in over a month that Daiyu had stayed overnight at Hengwu Garden.

Xiangyun asked casually, but as soon as she finished speaking, even Baochai stopped making her move.

They looked up at each other simultaneously, glanced at each other, and blushed.

"Hey, what's wrong with you guys?"

Xiangyun was greatly surprised, not understanding why her two older sisters, who were perfectly fine, had suddenly started blushing.

How peculiar!

"What's wrong? You're such a chatterbox, you just can't stop talking."

I'm tired too, you can do it.

Daiyu gave her seat to Xiangyun.

Xiangyun decisively abandoned her doubts and sat down, ready to have a good fight with Baochai.

Unexpectedly, the laughter of the maids came from outside: "The bride has come to serve tea."

The people in the room were somewhat surprised.

It's not hard to guess who the bride is. What's strange is that if she's going to offer tea to Sister Feng, why is she at Hengwu Garden?

Although she hadn't prepared anything, Baochai naturally wouldn't act arrogantly when her younger sister came to offer tea.

She quickly got up, tidied her appearance, and went out with Daiyu to greet them.

As soon as I stepped out of the room, I saw Sister You Er and Sister You San coming together.

Looking at their beautiful and charming appearance, even someone as self-confident as Daiyu had to admit that these two sisters of Sister-in-law You were indeed exceptionally talented.

"Younger sister greets her two elder sisters."

"Don't stand on ceremony, come inside and let's talk."

Baochai helped You Erjie up, and Daiyu also helped You Sanjie up.

Second Sister You and Third Sister You came to serve tea to Baochai and Daiyu only as instructed by Madam You and the dowry maids arranged by Madam You.

Although, according to proper etiquette, a concubine only needs to serve tea to the first wife upon entering the household.

However, the rules of the Prince's Mansion are naturally different.

Moreover, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that although Baochai and Daiyu are only concubines, they are actually no different from princesses.

Didn't you see that Jia Lian made everyone in the mansion address her as "Princess Consort"?

Therefore, in order for them to gain a foothold in the Prince's mansion and to avoid being mistreated in the future, Madam You repeatedly instructed them to observe proper etiquette.

So after serving tea to Sister Feng, they learned that both Baochai and Daiyu were in Hengwu Garden, and came directly there.

Seeing that neither Daiyu nor Baochai were arrogant or domineering, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

After being helped to lift her head, it was the first time she had a close look at Baochai and Daiyu.

Then the two sisters sighed resignedly, realizing why Jia Lian treated these two women so differently.

Their beauty goes without saying, but what's rare is the ethereal aura they exude naturally, which even girls like them can sense.

With the desire to outshine each other fading, the focus naturally shifts to politeness and flattery.

However, they were not from the same social class and had no prior interaction.

When they're being polite, it's all just empty talk.

As time went on, they both found it boring. Xiangyun, on the other hand, was quite outgoing and kept asking the You sisters all sorts of questions.

To some extent, this eased the awkwardness between Daiyu, Baochai, and the four You sisters.

Sister You was alright; she had long been prepared to integrate into the big family and adopted a very humble attitude.

Sister You San was never good at pleasing others, especially since she had important matters on her mind.

Therefore, after only a quarter of an hour, he apologized to Daiyu and asked to take his leave, leaving his sister You Erjie alone in Hengwu Garden and running away.

She did not return to Aojingxi Pavilion, but instead traveled along the East Road of Daguanyuan, passing Tianxiang Tower, and returned to the West Garden of Ningguo Mansion.

At this moment, her sixteen soldiers had gathered in the West Garden and were chatting idly in front of the corridor.

They said their military lord had just gotten married yesterday, and wasn't he in his bridal chamber with the prince, so why had he summoned them here so early in the morning?
"The captain is here!"

After all, You Sanjie was determined to "become an official," so although she had complained about the poor quality of the soldiers that You Shi had given her.

They were all so delicate and pretty; I wonder what Madam You was planning back then.

But in the last two years, even a bunch of pigs can be trained to look decent.

Therefore, when You Sanjie pretended to be sullen and walked to the corridor without saying a word, the sixteen female soldiers still consciously went down and stood in two rows.

I must say, it's quite neat and tidy.

Only then did Sister You's expression soften somewhat.

"I called you all here today because there is a very important matter."

Before announcing this, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you.

The female soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment.

I felt that the way You Sanjie looked at that moment really resembled how Jia Lian was disciplining his personal guards.

"My first question is, do you know who you are?"

The female soldiers exchanged glances and said in unison, "We know, we are the captain's people."

Some people said, "We are a soldier, a female soldier."

The person who spoke later was initially somewhat unsure of himself.

After all, the phrases "women in the army" and "female soldiers" just sound unreliable.

To everyone's surprise, Sister You looked at her with great appreciation and nodded, saying, "That's right, you are soldiers."

But they're not my soldiers.

You've forgotten who issued your swords.

Who pays you your monthly allowance?

The female soldiers were stunned for a moment, then they all realized what was happening.

They all knew, of course, who their real employer was. After all, when Lady You selected them, she said it was to help Jia Lian train a group of female soldiers.

In the past two years, they didn't have to do any work in the mansion. They only needed to listen to Sister You San and train regularly to receive a monthly allowance.

Moreover, they received a higher salary than ordinary maids.

It was precisely because the work was light and the pay was good that none of them quit halfway through.

But they were too embarrassed to say that they were Jia Lian's personal guards.

Because Jia Lian had given them all a physical examination last year when he bestowed upon them swords...

Yes, they say the body cannot have any defects and a thorough full-body examination is necessary.

That was the only time she had any close contact with Jia Lian.

Normally, Jia Lian had no time to pay attention to them; it was mostly You Sanjie who trained them.

Moreover, no tasks have ever been assigned.

This is why they were embarrassed to admit they were Jia Lian's soldiers at first.

Reminded by Sister You, they immediately replied in unison, "It's the Prince! We understand, we are the Prince's soldiers."

Hearing her subordinates' suddenly raised voice, Sister You smiled for the first time.

"Very good, it seems you all know your identities."

But do you know how much the prince's personal guards earn each month?

A female soldier raised her hand and said, "I know! The prince's personal guards, the ordinary ones are paid two taels of silver a month, and the captains and squad leaders are paid even more!"

Everyone who heard this was envious.

Jia Lian's personal guards were known for their good treatment and high status.

What's two taels of silver a month?
I heard that those who went on the expedition with the prince last year each received at least several hundred taels of silver as a reward.

It's absolutely terrifying, and I'm so envious!

Of course, being a prince's personal guard could also lead to death.

Every time the prince went on a campaign, his personal guards suffered casualties.

Even so, all the servants, guards, and young men in the two prefectures were envious and desperately wanted to become the prince's personal guards.

Living, they are superior to others; dying, they are enshrined in the Temple of Loyalty and Righteousness, where they are also superior to ghosts.

Seeing everyone's envy, Sister You asked with a smile, "And what about you? How much do you earn each month?"

Uh……

Despite feeling that Sister You Sanjie's words contained an element of humiliation, someone still weakly answered, "Eight hundred coins..."

Eight hundred coins is already quite a lot, okay?

The two households had countless servants and maids who did a lot of dirty and hard work every month, yet they only received five hundred coins.

Of course, some of the maids and guards received a thousand coins or even a tael of silver.

But those are the highest standards in the industry, and they are extremely rare.

Seeing that many people looked ashamed, Sister You felt the atmosphere was just right and asked seriously:
"So, would you like to receive two taels of silver per month from now on?"

The women were stunned again, but one of them, quick-witted as ever, asked with delight, "Captain, do you mean the prince has approved of us and wants to take us as his personal guards?"

"Think beautifully!"

"Don't you even know your own level? You want to be the prince's personal guards?"

"But."

“I have secured an opportunity for you, an opportunity for you to become the prince’s personal guards.”

"The prince has agreed to let us use the imperial horse farm outside the city for training."

"As long as you can train to the point that the prince is satisfied, you will have the opportunity to become his personal guards."

Upon hearing Sister You finish speaking in one breath, the women all had different expressions.

Most of them were very excited.

After all, becoming a prince's personal guard not only offers good benefits, but also obviously allows for close contact with the prince.

The benefits of getting close to the prince are numerous, and everyone has their own way of calculating them.

Some were slightly hesitant.

After all, training is still a tough and tiring thing, even though Sister You's training methods are relatively gentle.

However, no one objected.

You Sanjie is now the legitimate wife of the prince.

She also mentioned that the prince had agreed to let them use the imperial horse ranch outside the city.

They dared not refuse Jia Lian.

So he asked, "If we train at the Imperial Horse Ranch, will we become the prince's personal guards?"

"That depends on whether you pass the assessment."

Hearing that Sister You's words were ambiguous, a lively one laughed and said, "Captain, you said you've already married the prince, can't you whisper sweet nothings in his ear and let us become his personal guards without training or assessment?"
We're all sisters, after all. Now that you've made it big, shouldn't you help your sisters out a bit?

The scene immediately erupted in laughter.

Sister You glared at the man, wanting to give him a cold look, but in the end she couldn't help but blush.

Seeing that everyone was even happier, Sister You San said, "What are you thinking? If being a prince's personal guard were so easy, why do you think those people are so envious?"

Not to mention you guys, even I have to train.

Okay, we'll talk about the nonsense later.

I'm giving you half a day to go back and pack up. Please gather here promptly at the end of the afternoon.

We'll be staying at the Royal Horse Ranch for at least a month, so we're bringing extra training clothes.

No cosmetics or face powder allowed!
Did you remember everything?

"Oh, it'll take a month..."

Everyone looked miserable when they heard that the training would last a month.

After the haggling turned to failure, they could only leave to make their preparations.

After they left, Sister You San remained in deep thought.

The reason she didn't tell these people directly that they were going to war with Jia Lian was that she didn't want them to make a fuss and leak the news.

She somewhat understood why Jia Lian didn't take them away openly, but instead made them transfer outside the city.

Jia Lian has so many women, so many beloved ones.

This time, however, he only brought her along. If it were leaked beforehand, who knows how many people would try to win Jia Lian over.

Jia Lian will definitely be in a dilemma at that time.

Thinking of this, Sister You chuckled to herself.

After thinking for a moment, he left Ningguo Mansion and headed towards the Pingliao Prince's Mansion (east wing). (End of Chapter)