The Second Master of the Red Chamber

After tidying up her room, Zhen Yuhuan came out and found that Daiyu had gone to take a bath.

She then said to Zijuan, "Sister Zijuan, I'm new here and don't even know where you all live. Could you show me around?"

Zijuan said, "I need to serve our mistress. Let Xueyan accompany you."

"Thank you, Sister Zijuan, thank you, Sister Xueyan."

"Hehe, Miss Zhen, you're too kind."

So Xueyan put down what she was doing and took Zhen Yuhuan and her servants for a stroll around the manor.

After learning where all the other sisters lived, Zhen Yuhuan casually asked, "What about my sworn brother? Where does he live? I didn't see him in Sister Feng's room."

Xueyan smiled and said, "The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess do not live together."

The Crown Prince lives in the Hot Spring Palace, over there, just behind it.

Xueyan had been to the Hot Spring Palace with Daiyu, so she knew its general location.

Zhen Yuhuan glanced towards the northeast, made a mental note of it, and didn't ask any further questions. She continued to let Xueyan lead her around for a tour.

After a while, thinking that Xueyan was probably a little tired, she took the other's arm and said with a smile, "Sister Xueyan, thank you so much for today."

I'm fairly familiar with this villa, and it's still early. I'd like to explore the area further, so I won't trouble you, sister."

Xueyan wanted to be polite, but seeing Zhen Yuhuan's sincerity, she took her leave and went back.

After Xueyan left, Zhen Yuhuan immediately followed the direction Xueyan had pointed out, and soon saw a separate palace standing in front of her.

Without hesitation, she immediately led Manxue forward to inform them.

In the rear hall of the Hot Spring Palace, Jia Lian had just finished soaking in the hot spring and was summoning twelve officials to accompany him.

He sat on a soft chair wrapped in a warm robe, with the leading female role Fangguan on his right and the young male role Wenguan on his left.

At his feet, to his left and right, stood the young male lead, Ou Guan, and the young female lead, Di Guan, both in full bloom like lilies.

The "husband and wife" sit facing each other, but with different roles.

Ou Guan lightly raised her fist and massaged Jia Lian's legs.

A low table was placed beside Di Guan, and she knelt down to serve tea with her delicate hands.

However, Jia Lian's gaze was not on any of them.

In the empty space in front of the low table, Lingguan, with a clear and melodious voice like a nightingale, was dressed in a theatrical costume and was singing a solo for Jia Lian.

Behind her, apart from two or three people squatting in a corner with music playing, the other young actors were all wearing only a few pieces of clothing and crowded together in the warm pool.

They were all intently watching Lingguan perform, unaware that in Jia Lian's eyes, they themselves were also part of the play.

This scene perfectly embodies the phrase "the rouge is thick and the powder is fragrant," a blend of the vulgar and the refined.

"Sir, please have some tea."

Di Guan brewed a small cup of tea and presented it to Jia Lian with both hands.

Jia Lian lowered his eyelids slightly and, as he took the teacup, he took Di Guan's small, delicate hands in his other hand and played with them.

Di Guan blushed slightly and subconsciously looked at Ou Guan opposite her.

Ou Guan's gaze was also fixed on Jia Lian's large hand, which could completely cover Di Guan's hands. Her clear eyes were slightly lowered, and it was unclear what she was thinking. However, her hands, which were massaging Jia Lian's legs, did not stop for the first time.

Suddenly, a delicate little teacup appeared in front of me, with about half a cup of clear tea remaining.

She looked up in confusion and heard Jia Lian's nonchalant voice: "This was left for you. This tea was poured by your 'wife' herself. I won't enjoy it alone."

Upon hearing this, Ouguan and Diguan blushed deeply. Fangguan and the other woman in Jia Lian's arms couldn't help but burst into laughter.

However, since Ou Guan identifies as a man, he is naturally not as shy as a typical little girl.

She knew that Jia Lian didn't mind her relationship with Di Guan, and even found it amusing.

So he happily accepted the tea from Jia Lian, thanked him, drank it all in one gulp, and even deliberately smacked his lips as if savoring the taste.

This action indeed caused Jia Lian to glance down at her, smile, and then look up to continue watching the play.

After Lingguan finished singing, she gracefully stepped forward.

As the head of the twelve officials, the civil official knew that Lingguan was their most important person and did not compete for favor with her, so he immediately gave up his position.

Lingguan nestled down without any hesitation, gazing at Jia Lian with her pretty face slightly sweaty, her longing for praise evident.

Jia Lian touched her lips and smiled, "Your singing skills are getting better and better. If this continues, I'm afraid that soon even Instructor Wan will not be able to beat you."

The four beauties, Wan, Gu, Shen, and Wei, were once the music masters of the Twelve Officials.

After Consort Li's death, the opera troupe disbanded, and the Twelve Officials became mere maids under the names of the Four Beauties.

Lingguan used to have low emotional intelligence, or perhaps it could be called arrogance, and she couldn't get along well with the other twelve officials of the same age.

However, since she became Jia Lian's mistress, she seems to have become much more enlightened.

Hearing this, she was pleased, but still remained slightly modest: "No way... Besides, Mr. Wan is a singer, and she's a traditional opera singer, they're completely different..."

"Haha, it's all the same, the songs have the same origin. You all have nice voices, whether you're singing or reciting songs, they all sound good."

Lingguan was very pleased to hear Jia Lian's praise.

He felt that although he was just a lowly actor, his talent had earned him praise from the crown prince, and that was enough for him in this life.

So she took Jia Lian's arm and asked with a smile, "Would you like me to sing another song for you, sir?"

Jia Lian was about to nod, but looking at the small face in front of him that resembled Daiyu by a significant margin and was also unusually rosy after exercise, he suddenly didn't want to continue with elegance and wanted to be a little more down-to-earth.

So he lifted her chin, intending to have her take off her costume, soak in the pool to clean herself up, and then come up.

But then Yuanyang came over and said in a low voice, "Master, Miss Zhen has come to see you."

Compared to the twelve officials who had always been by her side, Zhen Yuhuan, who looked exactly like Daiyu and whom she hadn't seen for over a year, was naturally more important.

So Jia Lian dismissed the twelve officials and had Zhen Yuhuan brought in.

"My sworn brother~"

Zhen Yuhuan rushed in, completely ignoring the young actresses who filed out, dressed in revealing clothes and with alluring figures.

Jia Lian stood up, opened his arms to take the clingy little girl in, and asked with a smile, "Didn't I tell you to rest today? Why did you come here?"

"He just wants a sworn brother..."

Zhen Yuhuan pulled away from Jia Lian's embrace and secretly peeked into Jia Lian's open robe, then turned her head away shyly.

Then her eyes caught sight of the steaming hot spring pool next to her.

"Oh, there's a hot spring here! No wonder it's called 'Hot Spring Palace'."

Clearly, Zhen Yuhuan, who came from a prestigious family, knew about hot springs.

Jia Lian laughed and said, "Yes. How about it, do you want to go and experience it?"

"This...isn't that a bit inconvenient..."

“There’s nothing inconvenient about it. If you’re embarrassed, you can change your clothes over there behind the screen.” Zhen Yuhuan thought to herself, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about in front of my sworn brother, it’s just that there are other people around.

So she said shyly, "Then tell them all to leave..."

Although she didn't point at the maids, Jia Lian understood perfectly well.

With a smile and a wave of his hand, the palace maids in the courtyard withdrew on their own.

Seeing this, Zhen Yuhuan felt a little relieved. She walked to the edge of the pool, looked around, and then turned back shyly, saying, "I didn't bring any change of clothes..."

She wondered what she would wear if her clothes got wet.

But if you were completely naked, it would be too embarrassing.

Knowing his concerns, Jia Lian smiled and said, "Why don't you just let Manxue go back and get it?"

Jia Lian just saw that girl Manxue pop up.

"no!"

Zhen Yuhuan suddenly raised her voice slightly, and seeing Jia Lian's surprise, she then explained in a low, embarrassed voice, "I don't want Sister Lin to know that I came to see you..."

Jia Lian raised his eyebrows slightly, sat back down in the soft chair, and gave him a look that said, "Do what you want."

Zhen Yuhuan became conflicted.

She really wanted to go down, not to soak in the hot spring, but simply to take a bath.

After all, she had traveled all day and wanted to be in her best and most beautiful condition to welcome this stolen opportunity to date her sworn brother.

After thinking for a long time, she turned around and said in a sweet voice, "Brother... turn your head away and don't look."

A smile appeared on Jia Lian's face. Thinking that this girl was a few months younger than Daiyu, he decided to give her face and turned his neck, pretending not to look ahead.

Zhen Yuhuan stared at Jia Lian for a long time, making sure he wouldn't turn around, before walking to the screen to the side and starting to undress herself.

Each time he untied a piece, he would turn around and glance at Jia Lian.

But she herself didn't know whether she hoped Jia Lian wouldn't turn back, or whether she expected him to turn back.

Jia Lian, of course, did not turn back.

After all, he had already seen everything, both what he should and shouldn't have seen.

Although I was curious about whether anything new had happened in the past year or so, my curiosity wasn't as strong as it used to be.

However, it would be a big mistake to assume that he is a virtuous gentleman based on this alone.

After a rustling sound, I caught a glimpse of a blurry, fair-skinned figure moving to the edge of the pool.

After a while, there was a "plop" sound—the sound of a landlubber entering the water!
Jia Lian immediately turned his head and looked over leisurely.

"Hey...didn't I say you weren't allowed to look?!"

After Zhen Yuhuan jumped into the pool, she was about to enjoy the pleasure of the warm water soaking her skin.

She saw Jia Lian's sly gaze fixed on her, and blushing, she immediately crossed her arms again and scolded him coquettishly.

Jia Lian explained, "It's uncomfortable to keep my neck tilted like that. Anyway, you're hiding in the water, and I can't see you, so what's there to be afraid of?"

Zhen Yuhuan blushed, thought about it, and seemed to think that Jia Lian's words made a lot of sense.

So he turned around, with his back to Jia Lian, and began to wash his arms half-heartedly.

Suddenly hearing footsteps, she quickly turned around and saw Jia Lian walking towards her.

"What are you going to do...?"

“Manxue didn’t come in, so I’ll help you wash.”

"No way..."

Zhen Yuhuan is not a child; how could she not know Jia Lian's scheme?

However, Jia Lian did not give her the right to refuse, and immediately began to peel off his warm robe.

Unlike Zhen Yuhuan, he wasn't particular about such things, and he even hung his clothes on his cloak, leaving them on the ground.

Then he was left with only a loose silk robe and trousers.

Zhen Yuhuan pretended to glare angrily at Jia Lian, but in reality, she was staring intently at Jia Lian's figure to ease her longing.

But she seems to have forgotten one thing.

Jia Lian didn't remind her; after taking off her warm robe, he naturally went to take off her trousers.

"Hey, what are you doing? That's filthy..."

Uh……

Jia Lian held up his trousers with one hand, looking down at the girl below who was covering her face with her hands, utterly ashamed, and thought to himself, "Is this what you call vulgar?"

If he remembered correctly, this girl was the one who dared to kneel before him and teach Xiao right after she had given herself to him.

Moreover, this girl seemed to have forgotten that her hands were originally covering her chest.

Wouldn't it be counterproductive to rashly use it to cover one's face?

I took a closer look, but unfortunately, there wasn't much change; it was still just a budding lotus.

It seems that she and Daiyu are indeed cut from the same mold, inside and out.

Jia Lian casually tossed his robe aside, said no more, and leaped into the pool.

The waves stirred up by its enormous body made the small body in the pool unsteady, and it could only shyly fall into someone's arms.

……

Zhen Yuhuan was more outgoing than Daiyu.

Perhaps it's because she was the one who offered herself up, making her much easier to please than Daiyu.

Sitting on the edge of the bed in the inner room, looking down at the little maidservant who was diligently serving him, Jia Lian felt a surge of emotions.

You should know that even today, Daiyu is still very unwilling to serve him like this.

In her words, "No way! It always makes people's faces all dirty..."

Therefore, Daiyu would only deign to offer her hand when she was in an extremely good mood and had been coaxed into a very happy state.

It's not that it's absolutely impossible for her to be like Zhen Yuhuan now; in short, it's very difficult and depends on her mood.

Feeling touched, he couldn't help but gently stroke Zhen Yuhuan's head to show his satisfaction.

Zhen Yuhuan looked up at him with a comfortable, kitten-like expression, her eyes glistening with tears, which greatly boosted Jia Lian's confidence.

"Cough cough."

A faint notification sound came, followed by Yuanyang's voice from the doorway: "My lord, Consort Lin requests an audience." (End of Chapter)