The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 833 The Secrets of That Year (Part Two)

Jia Lian was speechless.

According to Granny Lai, she only knew that Jia Daishan and Lady Anyang had an affair, but she didn't know exactly when it happened, whether it was before or after Lady Anyang became pregnant. So how could she be sure whose child Jia She was?
Indeed, even those directly involved, such as Jia Daishan, might not be entirely certain, let alone a mere servant like Granny Lai.
After all, unlike in later generations, it wasn't possible to pinpoint the exact time of conception in a pregnant woman back then.

Moreover, even if an investigation were to be conducted, it would only be something the retired emperor would do if he had some suspicions.

Considering that Jia Daishan died a peaceful death and that he had met with the Emperor Emeritus before, and the Emperor Emeritus so confidently and openly believed that he was his grandson, it is likely that the Emperor Emeritus had no doubts.

This at least proves one thing: the timing of Jia She's birth and the time when the retired emperor conceived his child match up.

But here's the problem: why didn't the Emperor Emeritus suspect anything? Logically, since Jia Daishan had an affair with the Lady of Anyang, things should have become suspicious over time...

Thinking of this, Jia Lian immediately grasped the key point and pressed on, "And then what happened? Why did the Lady of Anyang die?"

"later……"

Granny Lai's expression turned to one of reminiscence, as if recalling some past events, before she spoke:
"After the Emperor Emeritus ascended the throne, he did not visit the Jia family again until the Grand Master's full moon banquet."

Unfortunately, he still did not take Lady Anyang away.

Later, he never came again…

Granny Lai sighed.

"It is said that you can only be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against thieves for a thousand days."
Despite the young lady's careful precautions, the Duke still made a mistake once again.

Moreover, this time he seemed to no longer heed the young lady's advice.

Enraged, the young lady decided to go all the way and, taking advantage of the Duke's absence with his troops, plotted to poison the beauty.

Jia Lian was slightly shaken. So that's how it is? It really is!

A hint of pleasure appeared on Granny Lai's face.

Clearly, she had been loyal to Grandmother Jia her whole life, but in the end, she ended up in this state, so she still harbored some resentment.

She said, "Perhaps because she was worried that the Emperor Emeritus would still remember the Lady of Anyang, Miss did not dare to poison her directly, but instead treated her harshly first. The Lady of Anyang was already delicate and was also weak after childbirth, so she soon fell ill."

At this point, adding a trace amount of poison would naturally make the illness terminal. But Miss is suppressing the news, not letting any outsiders know…

Jia Lian couldn't help but ask, "Isn't she afraid that the old Duke will find out? The old Duke will eventually come back, and I'm afraid these methods won't be able to hide them from him, will they?"

"Afraid? Why would Miss be afraid?"

"Miss deliberately chose the moment when the Duke returned to have someone kill her!"

Jia Lian frowned, then suddenly realized what was happening.

Granny Lai explained, "After the Duke returned, I have no idea what the young lady said to him."

However, on the eve of the Duke's return, the young lady made a special trip back to her maternal family's residence, the Marquis of Baoling's mansion...

In short, after the Duke returned, he did not make things difficult for the young lady, but he distanced himself from her for quite some time afterward.

The Duke even helped the young lady conceal the truth, claiming to the outside world that she died of postpartum insufficiency.

Jia Lian narrowed his eyes.

Decisive and ruthless!

No wonder the Emperor Emeritus did not suspect Jia Daishan. As long as the ill-fated beauty died quickly enough, she would not reveal any flaws!
He could probably guess what had happened back then.

Jia Daishan deceived his superiors and subordinates, and stole the Emperor Emeritus's woman.

Fearing that the matter would be exposed, Grandmother Jia took it upon herself to kill the beauty.

When Jia Daishan found out, although he was angry, he was probably still afraid and felt that his mother was right.

Even more alarmingly, it's highly likely that Grandmother Jia had a backup plan, threatening that if Jia Daishan dared to lay a hand on her, her father, Marquis Baoling, would expose the affair, causing the entire Jia family to be dragged down with him...

It's uncertain whether Grandmother Jia actually told Marquis Baoling about this crucial matter.

Jia Daishan certainly wouldn't dare to gamble.

For the sake of a dead woman, risking the lives of his entire clan, it is believed that Jia Daishan knew how to make the right choice.

Sure enough, he had long suspected that Grandmother Jia was no ordinary woman; he never imagined she had done such crazy things in her youth.

No wonder that as soon as his background was exposed, Grandmother Jia couldn't wait to silence Granny Lai.

Perhaps in Grandmother Jia's view, once the news that Jia Lian is the grandson of the emperor reaches the north and reaches Granny Lai's ears, it is hard to guarantee that Granny Lai will not reveal anything to outsiders.

If even the slightest word of these things were to get out, not only would Grandmother Jia be in trouble, but the entire Jia family would suffer.

Finally, Jia Lian asked, "Did the Emperor Emeritus really not have any doubts about any of this?"

"I think should not be……"

Granny Lai glanced at Jia Lian: "To be honest, the Lady of Anyang Marquis really did die of illness, and Miss even had records kept of her long-term medical consultations and treatments."

As for the matter between the Duke and the Lady of Anyang, because the Duke acted secretly and the young lady intervened in time, only the young lady and I knew about it.

Others, at most, only knew that the death of the Lady of Anyang was related to the young lady.

Therefore, the retired emperor should have had no doubts.

After all, most men in the world are fickle and heartless, let alone emperors.

The Emperor Emeritus probably didn't like that Lady Anyang very much, otherwise he wouldn't have gone so long without visiting her..."

Granny Lai looked at Jia Lian with a smile, appearing to have seen through the ways of the world.

It seems to be saying that you, as a man, should easily understand the reasoning behind this.

Jia Lian naturally wouldn't argue with an old servant woman, and asked again, "Since the eldest master was born to the Lady of Anyang, how did he become the old lady's legitimate son?"

Granny Lai said, "When the Lady of Anyang gave birth to the eldest master, Miss took him in and raised him. Later, when the Lady of Anyang died, she directly announced to the outside world that the eldest master was Miss's son."

Because of the special status of the Lady of Anyang Marquis, the household had long ago issued an order forbidding any discussion of her, so very few people knew of her existence.

Over time, everyone came to believe that the eldest master was the legitimate son of the young lady and the Duke, their first child.

All the doubts have been resolved.

Jia Lian didn't know what he was feeling. He looked at Granny Lai, who knew he wanted to ask if there was anything else to say.

"That's all I know about the master's background."

There are some other secrets, but I'm afraid Second Master might not be interested..."

Seeing Jia Lian raise an eyebrow, Granny Lai smiled and said, "For example, when Prince Dai visited the Marquis of Anyang's wife, the Duke had his concubines accompany him..."

Jia Lian was speechless. What kind of gossip was this?

His curiosity was genuinely piqued: "That old lady...?"

Granny Lai was stunned for a moment, then began to think seriously.

Although she really wanted to reveal more about Grandmother Jia before she died, she ultimately shook her head and said, "Miss probably doesn't have any. After all, she is the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Baoling's mansion, and even the Duke usually treats her with respect."

Jia Lian was quite disappointed.

If even Jia Zheng is the son of the retired emperor, that would be truly interesting.

Although he knew that Granny Lai must know some secrets about the older generation of the Jia family, Jia Lian was no longer very interested.

He stood up, turned his back, and asked quietly, "Does the old woman still have any unfulfilled wishes?"

Granny Lai told Jia Lian everything she knew, down to the smallest detail.

She wouldn't even mind revealing any other secrets she knew if Jia Lian was willing.

She secretly hoped that Jia Lian would spare her life, considering her old age and loyalty, even if it meant confining her here.

Now, hearing Jia Lian's question, he realized he had been overthinking things.

However, she found that she harbored no resentment and even looked at Jia Lian's back with affirmation and kindness.

Well done, you're definitely a guy who's destined for great things!
So Granny Lai thought for a moment and then said, "This old woman is a bit older than Miss, I'm already seventy-eight this year."

I've lived a long enough life, and following Miss, I've seen all the splendor of the world and enjoyed a lot of wealth.

I don't have any big wishes anymore. My only wish is that my children and grandchildren can live peacefully and safely.

Of course, if they are fortunate enough to bring glory to their family, that would be even better.

Granny Lai seemed to be talking to herself.

Jia Lian understood her meaning, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Although Lai Sheng is cunning, he is still sensible and knows when to advance and retreat. The other household can't do without him now, so you don't need to worry about his family."

As for Lai Da...

"Alright then, I will not only help restore Lai Shangrong's academic record, but I also promise you that even if he is stuck here and never passes the imperial examinations again, I will still recommend him for a position as an eighth or ninth-rank official."

Only by passing the imperial examination can one truly transcend social class and become a scholar.

Similarly, only those who passed the imperial examination were qualified to wait for vacancies in the Ministry of Personnel. Of course, they could only be minor officials of the eighth or ninth rank.

A county magistrate was a position that only those who had passed the imperial examinations were qualified to attain.

There are exceptions, though. A scholar with connections might be able to climb to the position of county magistrate through back channels.

But even if you get a degree through connections, it's not acceptable for a scholar.

However, even if they were only eighth or ninth grade officials, they were still officials appointed by the imperial court, and their status was vastly different from that of clerks and common people.

It can be said that as long as Lai Shangrong became an official, the Lai family went directly from being a wealthy family to becoming an official family.

Granny Lai understood this principle, of course. A gratified smile appeared on her face. After thanking her, she said nothing more.

Jia Lian nodded and walked out of the dark room.

The sun was blazing outside, its rays stinging Jia Lian's eyes.

He was incredibly frustrated.

He originally thought he had transmigrated into a member of the Jia family, but was suddenly told that he was actually of royal blood.

He had just come to believe it when he was told that he could still be a member of the Jia family...

All of this seemed so coincidental and unreal, even somewhat childish.

Rubbing his temples, Jia Lian was too lazy to think about these old stories anymore.

From now on, he will be the emperor's grandson on the surface, but in reality, he will only be himself, an alien from another world.

As for the rest, they are none of his business.

He came into this world for himself, and incidentally for the benefit of this era.

As they approached the courtyard gate, Jin Wenxiang and Wang Wu quickly surrounded them.

Jia Lian asked Jin Wenxiang, "What did the old lady tell you?"

"Reporting to Second Master, the old lady instructed me to tell you after returning to the manor that Granny Lai died from illness due to the arduous journey."

"Let me seal the body in a coffin and temporarily place it at the ancestral temple. The rest is none of my concern."

Jia Lian nodded, then asked, "You know what to do, right?"

"Your Highness, we understand..."

Jin Wenxiang was surprised that even after Granny Lai had been brought here, Jia Lian still made them do it.

Fortunately, when he set off to find Wang Wu, he had already figured out how to kill an old woman without anyone noticing. So he exchanged a glance with Wang Wu and headed towards the wooden house.

A moment later, Jin Wenxiang came out somewhat uneasily.

"Second Master, Granny Lai... she cut her wrists..."

Blood was everywhere; he had already breathed his last.

Jia Lian sighed softly, said nothing, and rode away from the horse farm.

(End of this chapter)