The Second Master of the Red Chamber

At the Princess's residence, Jia Lian stepped out of the warm bath, and immediately seven or eight maids came forward.

They worked together to carefully wipe away every drop of water from Jia Lian's body with clean handkerchiefs.

Then he draped a loose and comfortable robe over Jia Lian and led him to the warm pavilion.

In the warm room was a reclining chair covered with a tiger skin, with a tall table in front of it.

A few steps away is a small hall covered with a red carpet.

Just by looking at this very romantic setting, Jia Lian could easily imagine that Zhao Yang, after taking a bath, would lie here drinking wine, listening to music, and watching dances.

Sure enough, not long after Jia Lian sat down, Princess Zhaoyang walked in from the entrance hall with a smile.

Behind her followed four or five palace maids carrying fine wine and delicacies.

"Brother Wang, you've worked hard. I've prepared some wine and dishes for you to enjoy."

Princess Zhaoyang led the palace maids to set out the dishes. She glanced at the two maids wiping Jia Lian's hair and said to Aqi and Aqin, who were standing nearby:

"You two have worked hard following Brother Wang. Go and have your meal."

"Yes~"

After Aqi and her sister left, Princess Zhaoyang sat down next to Jia Lian and personally served him his meal with chopsticks.

Seeing Jia Lian's gaze drift toward a cup of sweet wine beside her, she smiled and said, "This is a new kind of fermented rice wine that I've learned to make. I don't know if it's good or not. Brother Wang, would you like to try it?"

Seeing Jia Lian nod, she served him half a bowl.

After feeding Jia Lian with a porcelain spoon, he asked expectantly, "How does it taste?"

Jia Lian replied with great satisfaction, "Very good."

"Then... compared to what your sister Xue made for you, whose tastes better?"

"Cough cough..."

Jia Lian nearly choked on his fine wine, looking at Princess Zhaoyang in astonishment.

Princess Zhaoyang, however, showed no sign of letting him off the hook, twisting her body as she pressed on, "Tell me, whose tastes better..."

Jia Lian's mind raced. He figured this girl must have found out somewhere that he liked Baochai's fermented rice wine, so she specially learned how to make it, hoping to kill him.

"Well... I don't think my royal sister made this wine herself, did she?"

Upon hearing Jia Lian's question, a fleeting look of guilt crossed Princess Zhaoyang's face.

"Brother Wang not only dared not answer, but also questioned others."

"Hmph, Brother Wang is really boring."

Jia Lian chuckled, turned around Princess Zhaoyang who was feigning anger, and soothed her:
"Okay, I didn't mean anything by it."

I just feel that no matter how skillful Qingran is, since it's a new skill, she definitely can't make the taste so authentic.

Look at you, why are you getting angry and embarrassed?

Princess Zhaoyang could be considered intelligent, but let's not even go there as to her being skillful with her hands.

She was a princess who never did needlework and was waited on hand and foot.

Even with exceptional talent, without proper training and improvement, one's dexterity will certainly not be very high.

This can be seen from the fact that she frankly admitted she didn't know how to make tea when we first met.

"Who got angry out of embarrassment?"

Princess Zhaoyang said angrily, "I only did this because I was afraid you would find it unpleasant and I was also afraid of making you feel wronged."

"If I'd known you wouldn't appreciate it, I should have brought out what I made myself and made it so sour it would have made you sick of it."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Jia Lian let out a hearty laugh, then looked down at Princess Zhaoyang with deep affection and said, "As long as it's made by Qingran herself, even if it's sour to death, I, your foolish brother, would be willing."

"Really?"

Princess Zhaoyang was eager to try.

Jia Lian swallowed hard and said dryly, "Really...really."

While they were in the Jia family, Ping'er, Qingwen, Baochai, and others all possessed strong practical skills.

Even Daiyu, if she puts her mind to something, is actually quite capable.

So he wasn't afraid at all that they might cook some terrible food to ruin his life.

However, he wasn't really confident about Princess Zhaoyang's abilities.

Especially for a craft like brewing that requires experience.

"Hehehe... You're supposed to be a general? Look at how timid you are."

Princess Zhaoyang chuckled and resumed serving Jia Lian his meal.

"By the way, Grandfather's funeral is in a few days. Are you going?"

"Of course I want to go."

Although Jia Lian acknowledged Emperor Ningkang as his father, his status as the grandson of the retired emperor was a prerequisite.

Moreover, regardless of the merits and demerits of the retired emperor, he treated his grandson well in his later years.

Both morally and logically, Jia Lian should act as a filial son and grandson and personally attend the funeral.

“Then I’ll go too,” Princess Zhaoyang said happily.

Before Jia Lian returned, she really intended to continue pretending to be injured and not attend the funeral.

This made her disobedient younger brother realize how difficult it would be to get by without her support.

Now that Jia Lian has returned and Wei Yan has been completely rendered useless by him, she naturally has no need to continue pretending.

It took her just over half a month to recover from her "injury," and she was able to explain the situation to the outside world.

She then served Jia Lian a spoonful of sweet wine, when suddenly Jia Lian grabbed her hand. When she looked up, she saw Jia Lian staring intently at her.

Princess Zhaoyang blushed slightly and said weakly, "What are you doing? We're eating..."

It turns out that Princess Zhaoyang had already bathed and perfumed herself before Jia Lian entered the palace.

In addition, it's not cold today, so she's wearing thin clothes.

Now, with a beautiful and charming princess by your side, chatting and laughing, how could it not arouse a man's lustful thoughts?

As expected, seeing her show weakness, Jia Lian took the bowl and spoon from her hands and placed them aside, saying, "Compared to eating, I would rather eat Qingran now."

As he spoke, Jia Lian had already turned the beautiful woman's body around and slowly pressed down on her.

Compared to Jia Lian, who had not been intimate with her lover for nearly half a year, Princess Zhaoyang was actually more impulsive now that they had finally reunited.

However, being a woman, she is naturally more reserved.

At this moment, Jia Lian's actions were exactly what she wanted, so naturally she wouldn't resist.

After lying down as Jia Lian instructed, she weakly called out, "Brother Wang..."

That address of "Brother Wang" sounded both resentful and longing, making Jia Lian's heart pound wildly.

He couldn't help but smile at the person beneath him and said, "Qingran, do you know that whenever you call me Brother Wang at this moment, it makes me feel unable to control my emotions?"

Princess Zhaoyang was taken aback, and then her face turned completely red.

How could she not understand Jia Lian's meaning?

When she first learned that the two might be cousins, she considered making a decision to sever ties with Jia Lian and only maintain a spiritual connection with him.

However, Jia Lian refused to allow it and forcibly interrupted her resolve.

Unlike Jia Lian, she knew that she still had doubts about her own background.

In her heart, she had already truly regarded Jia Lian as her elder brother.

Therefore, every time she was intimate with Jia Lian, she felt both ashamed and excited.

Of course, she wouldn't say or admit to such a thing.

Since Jia Lian was willing to take on this responsibility, she was naturally happy to let Jia Lian, a man, shoulder it.

So she shyly muttered, "Brother Wang is a bad guy!"

"Hahaha, I wonder if my royal sister likes her wicked brother?"

"Hmph, I don't want to talk to you..."

Seeing that Princess Zhaoyang turned her head to one side, her blushing face betrayed her thoughts.

Jia Lian then put her down completely and reached out to remove her noble princess dress.

Upon seeing this, the young maids standing in the warm pavilion quickly knelt on the ground to ensure that their gaze would not drift to the reclining chair.

They were not required to do anything, nor were they allowed to do anything, without their master's permission.

……

Jia Lian woke up amidst two familiar sensations.

Upon waking, Jia Lian opened his eyes to see Princess Zhaoyang in his arms, teasing him with the ends of her hair. He instinctively turned his head away and was about to pull back the covers.

Princess Zhaoyang immediately stopped her, and said coquettishly, "Brother, you're awake. Don't look, guess who it is."

Jia Lian was speechless; this girl was still as playful and mischievous as ever.

He glanced at the sky outside and asked, "What time is it?"

"I don't know, it's probably close to dusk, anyway, it'll be dark soon."

When Princess Zhaoyang answered, she glanced at Jia Lian's face and said, "I know you're anxious to go back and see Sister Feng and the others, so I wanted to wake you up as soon as possible."

But they saw you were sleeping so soundly and didn't have the heart to wake you so early. You won't blame them, will you?

Jia Lian smiled.

He barely rested last night in order to keep up with the journey.

After returning to the capital and being busy for half a day, he was indeed quite tired. Therefore, after indulging in a round of pleasure with Princess Zhaoyang in the afternoon, he fell into a deep sleep.

He raised his hand and gently patted Princess Zhaoyang's head, saying softly, "How could that be?"

Qingran is also my home. When I hold Qingran in my arms, I feel very safe and comfortable.

That's why I slept until now.

Jia Lian's words made Princess Zhaoyang very happy.

Although she hadn't intended to compete with Sister Feng and the others for Jia Lian's affections, she would still feel disappointed if Jia Lian was in a hurry to return to the mansion and didn't want to stay with her.

Now that Jia Lian had rushed back to the capital early because he was worried about her, and had stayed with her peacefully until dark, she was already satisfied and had no intention of bothering Jia Lian any further, lest he have something to report back to.

So she clung to Jia Lian's arm and continued to whine, "You haven't answered me yet, guess quickly."

You definitely can't cheat this time; I don't believe you can really tell the difference.

Princess Zhaoyang enjoyed observing Jia Lian's preferences, and over time, she naturally discovered that Jia Lian liked to be woken up by a beautiful woman in this way.

As a princess, she was of noble status and naturally didn't mind indulging in romantic escapades with Jia Lian when she was in a good mood.

However, she generally doesn't like to do that. Firstly, it's indeed tiring, and secondly, it seems too condescending.

So when she didn't want to serve him but still wanted to make Jia Lian happy, these maids she had given to Jia Lian to have slept with could do the job very well.

Jia Lian was surprised that Princess Zhaoyang still remembered the little game from back then.

Although Princess Zhaoyang looks childish in this way, she is still very likable.

So he quietly nudged the person under the covers with his right knee.

Then, a short while later, he felt a small, hot finger gently writing words on his right thigh.

Jia Lian pretended to ponder for a moment, then smiled and said, "Is it Yuanxi, the maid?"

"Huh, you can really sense it?"

Princess Zhaoyang was greatly surprised, and involuntarily straightened up.

However, seeing the increasingly undisguised smile on Jia Lian's face, she quickly understood the situation.

He reached out and slapped the girl's bottom under the covers, laughing and scolding, "It must have been this little hussy who reminded you, otherwise I don't believe you could have guessed it from that."

"Hahaha……"

Seeing Jia Lian laughing heartily, Princess Zhaoyang also smiled.

He kicked the maid in the quilt and ordered, "Alright, you can leave now. Your prince is in a hurry to go home and doesn't have the time to enjoy your service."

As soon as he finished speaking, a little girl quickly emerged from the other end of the blanket.

Her face was flushed, whether from shyness or lack of oxygen, it was hard to tell.

After bowing and nodding to Jia Lian and the other man, he crawled off the bed, picked up his clothes, and left.

Watching the girl's beautiful figure disappear behind the curtain, Jia Lian hugged the person in his arms and sighed, "Qingran is too considerate to me."

"Brother Wang is also very good to me."

I'll treat you even better from now on!

"Okay, I'll wait and see, hehe."

Jia Lian managed to get out before the imperial city closed.

When he returned to Ningrong Street, the street was brightly lit from one end to the other.

Countless people from the two gates and three mansions knelt on the north side of the street to welcome him back to his residence.

Without lingering, Jia Lian dismounted directly in front of the Prince's Mansion.

"Your son greets Your Majesty and welcomes Your Majesty's triumphant return."

"This servant greets Your Highness and welcomes Your Highness's triumphant return."

"Greetings, Your Highness, and we respectfully welcome your triumphant return."

Looking at Jia Yun, Liu Chun, and Zhao Sheng, who were at the head of the group, Jia Lian nodded and asked, "How is everything at home?"

Seeing the anxious and troubled expressions on the three faces, how could Jia Lian not know the reason?

"I have already heard about the poisoning in the manor."

Although it was the enemy's deliberate scheme, you are also partly to blame for failing to properly protect your home.

We'll talk about this later.

"What I'm asking is, how are the princesses?"

Jia Yun quickly replied, "Father, there's no need to worry. Mother and the others are all well."

In early April, the mother successfully gave birth to the crown prince for the father.

In addition, shortly after her father went to war, Consort You's mother also discovered that she was pregnant with her father's child.

The concubines and aunts are all waiting in the main study. Father, please come in quickly.

Jia Lian lifted his leg and walked into the mansion.

The mansion was brighter inside than outside; every door, corridor, house, and eave was illuminated by bright red lanterns.

Upon arriving at the spacious courtyard in front of the main study, a large crowd had indeed gathered there.

Jia Lian glanced around and saw familiar, beautiful faces all around him, illuminated by the lamplight.

Leading the group were Sister Feng, Sister Baochai, Sister Daiyu, and the You sisters.

Sister Feng took the lead and bowed, saying, "This humble servant, along with my sisters, respectfully welcomes Your Highness back to your residence."

Jia Lian quickly stepped forward and helped Feng Jie up.

She was still as beautiful as ever, but upon closer inspection, she seemed to have gained a touch more maturity and elegance.

Hmm, it has a bit of that feeling about Aunt Xue.

After her came Daiyu and Baochai.

These two women still seemed ethereal and otherworldly. They possessed an otherworldly aura, and a single glance was enough to captivate the heart.

Finally, Jia Lian stood in front of You Erjie, looking at her slightly protruding belly that she was unconsciously touching, and said softly, "You've worked hard."

Surrounded by a large crowd, Second Sister You appeared extremely shy and quickly replied, "It's not tiring for me... It's my honor to be able to continue the Prince's bloodline..."

Jia Lian nodded, holding Daiyu's hand in one hand and You Erjie's hand in the other, constantly gazing at the women before him who haunted his dreams.

Therefore, it made someone else unhappy.

"Husband, please help her up. She's leaning forward."

Seeing Jia Lian being helped over, You Sanjie maintained her submissive posture and waited for him to come over.

Who knew that Jia Lian would stop walking when he got to her sister, which annoyed her a little.

Jia Lian glanced at her: "Are you an idiot? Can't you get up by yourself?"

"Hee hee hee……"

Everyone around laughed when they heard this.

Everyone knew that Jia Lian had taken You Sanjie with him on this expedition, and they assumed that she was a favorite of Jia Lian.

When she returned to the manor in full armor that morning, leading a group of female soldiers, her imposing manner aroused envy and jealousy in countless people.

Then, naturally, she was pulled aside by wave after wave of people from the mansion to inquire about Jia Lian's trip.

She didn't shy away from the story, nor did she find it troublesome. She spent the entire day telling Feng Jie and the others about everything that had happened in the nearly six months since they set off in March and returned to the city.

His beaming face, as if he had seen it all before, made Sister Feng and the others feel quite sad.

Feng Jie was originally worried that Jia Lian would spoil this girl too much, but seeing this, she was greatly relieved.

So he stepped forward and smiled at the bitter and resentful Sister You, saying, "Alright, alright, if he won't help you, how about I help you?"

"Hehe, how could I trouble you, sister?"

Seeing that Sister Feng was genuinely trying to help her up, Sister You immediately stopped pretending, quickly stood up, and grinned at Sister Feng. (End of Chapter)