The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 840 Secrets of the Princess's Residence (Part 4)
Princess Zhaoyang gathered her clothes together, pinched Jia Lian's waist hard, and then snuggled into Jia Lian's arms.

After a while, still feeling unsatisfied, she pinched Jia Lian's waist again and said in a coquettish voice, "You've ruined me!"

That's true.

Princess Zhaoyang finally made up her mind to only have a spiritual relationship with Jia Lian from now on and never do anything inappropriate again.

To this end, she even went so far as to use maids to deal with Jia Lian, thereby reducing the probability of the two of them having a falling out.

Unexpectedly, the scheming woman turned out to be so vulnerable, completely collapsing the moment Jia Lian forced himself on her.

Feeling both ashamed and guilty, she couldn't accept her own incompetence and could only blame Jia Lian for everything.

Jia Lian, of course, did not refute, allowing Princess Zhaoyang to vent her dissatisfaction on him.

Once Princess Zhaoyang had calmed down, he hugged her and comforted her, saying, "Alright, alright, what's done is done, there's no point in saying more. Let's think about how to keep it from His Majesty in the future."

Unlike Princess Zhaoyang, Jia Lian knew his origins and therefore had no psychological burden.

However, he couldn't withstand the physical elimination of his father-in-law, Emperor Ningkang!
Although Emperor Ningkang has not yet discussed this issue with him in detail, he is not naive enough to think that Emperor Ningkang is not concerned.

Therefore, they can act recklessly within the secluded princess's residence, but once outside, they should restrain themselves and not give Emperor Ningkang any opportunity to cause trouble.

Princess Zhaoyang naturally understood this principle. She looked at Jia Lian with a smile and said, "What, are you scared now? Weren't you quite imposing when you were bullying me just now?"

As she spoke, Princess Zhaoyang glanced disdainfully at Liu Rushi, who was still kneeling on the ground.

Liu Rushi, of course, dared not meet Princess Zhaoyang's gaze, but simply lowered her head, trying her best not to give Princess Zhaoyang an opportunity to settle scores later.

Faced with Princess Zhaoyang's mockery, Jia Lian replied affectionately, "I just feel sorry for Qingran. Qingran went to so much trouble just to make me happy, how could I let Qingran be alone in her loneliness?"

"Who...who's lonely? Pshaw, that's indecent."

Princess Zhaoyang spat at Jia Lian, her face turning red.

This surprised Jia Lian. He had thought that Princess Zhaoyang was so generous that she would even have a beautiful woman play the flute for him.

I didn't expect that just mentioning loneliness would make her feel embarrassed.

She's a complex and interesting woman.

Princess Zhaoyang saw that Jia Lian no longer spoke, but simply held her tightly with both arms, his hands on her lower back tapping a rhythm, as if coaxing a child to sleep.

She felt an immense warmth in her heart and wished that time could stand still at this moment.

But she knew it was impossible.

Since the Iron Net Mountain incident, she had been trying to avoid physical distance from Jia Lian, but she never expected that Jia Lian would break her resolve so easily this time.

She was a person who could take things in stride and let them go. She knew that regret was useless and understood that she would never be able to distance herself from Jia Lian again.

So she began to think about how to deal with herself next.

She quickly realized that only by standing higher could she minimize the constraints imposed by worldly conventions.

She had to help her own younger brother get into that position.

So she sat up and said to Liu Rushi, "What are you still kneeling for? Go and fetch water to clean the Duke."

After Liu Rushi left, she nestled back into Jia Lian's arms and asked softly, "I heard that Father Emperor issued an edict ordering you to continue overseeing the construction of warships in Tianjin?"

"Yes, I'll be leaving in a couple of days."

Princess Zhaoyang nodded and said, "In this incident at Tiewang Mountain, both the Imperial Guards and the Beijing Garrison suffered heavy losses."

If it weren't for the fact that the imperial court had confiscated many officials' residences in recent days, replenishing the national treasury, they would probably be struggling to even pay the pensions for the soldiers.

Erlang should also know that his father is an ambitious man.

It is conceivable that once the political situation stabilizes, he will definitely make some big moves.

To accomplish great things, the national treasury must be well-funded.

Unfortunately, the national treasury is currently empty, so some people have proposed to recover the official silver owed by nobles and ministers since the reign of the retired emperor…

"Oh, has His Majesty agreed?"

Seeing that Jia Lian showed no surprise, Princess Zhaoyang looked up at him and then said, "Although Father has not yet expressed his opinion, it's only a matter of time. What do you think, should I take the initiative to take on this matter when the time comes?"

Although it's something that will offend people, if done well, it will definitely earn me credit with the Emperor and the court.

"Whether you do it or not is up to you, Qingran can decide for herself."

Jia Lian thought it was something that could be done, but since it would offend people, he couldn't encourage it.

However, when this matter was mentioned, Jia Lian found it rather rare that the Jia family, a bunch of parasites, had never embezzled funds from the imperial court or government!
It can only be lamented that the wealth left by the Jia family's ancestors was too great, causing them to exhaust it until now and only now are they showing signs of decline.

At the same time, Jia Lian prayed for the Zhen family in his heart, hoping that Zhen Yingjia could make a tough decision and do as he suggested, otherwise he could only save Zhen Yuhuan and other female relatives at most.

Princess Zhaoyang spoke to Jia Lian about several matters concerning the court, and Liu Rushi also entered carrying water and a towel.

"Wipe it off for him, I'll just take a shower later."

Upon hearing Princess Zhaoyang's instructions, Liu Rushi took a wrung-out towel and came behind Jia Lian to wipe away the sweat that was still wet on his face.

Princess Zhaoyang saw that Liu Rushi's movements were gentle and her attitude was sincere, so she nodded and said, "From now on, you can stay in the princess's residence with peace of mind. I will send someone to negotiate with Meixiang Tower."

Upon hearing this, Liu Rushi paused slightly in her hand.

For a famous courtesan like her, renowned both inside and outside the capital, earning the money to redeem herself was actually quite easy.

But having the money to redeem oneself is one thing, whether the brothel will allow it is another.

Especially for those with such great fame, each one is a cash cow, so how could their owners easily let go?
Only someone with immense power like Princess Zhaoyang could command the silence of those behind her.

This is also why she went to great lengths to please Princess Zhaoyang after they met.

So he was about to kneel down and kowtow to Princess Zhaoyang to express his gratitude, but Princess Zhaoyang stopped him.

Then Princess Zhaoyang said to Jia Lian, "Do you like this girl? If you do, I'll give her to you."

Jia Lian pondered silently.

Princess Zhaoyang sent Hu Yuanyao to him purely to have her act as a matchmaker for them. Apart from that, Princess Zhaoyang had never given him a second woman. Moreover, she had been keeping this woman as a trump card until today, when she was only using her to protect herself.

This shows how much she values ​​this woman.

In other words, if she really wanted to give it to him, she could have packed it up for him to take with him when he left. This meaningful question is clearly a test.

So Jia Lian laughed and said, "Let's forget it. Didn't you say she's good at singing, dancing and playing musical instruments? She can stay here with you and help you teach those maids."

Liu Rushi, who was wiping Jia Lian's chest, suddenly looked gloomy.

Compared to the emotionally unstable Princess Zhaoyang, she was more willing to follow the renowned Jia Lian.

Liu Rushi was still young and lacked composure; Princess Zhaoyang noticed all her changes in expression.

Princess Zhaoyang snorted inwardly, thinking to herself, "Ignorant fool, do you know that the situation on his side is a million times more complicated than the situation here?"

Even for you, there may not be much room for you to flourish after you've passed away.

However, Princess Zhaoyang didn't care too much about this. A woman with a bit of ambition is easier to control, isn't she?

"That's fine too. It just so happens that Erlang has several maids who are just as good as her. I'll borrow them all sometime and have them rehearse a few dances for me, so I can also enjoy the fun that men have."

"When the time comes, Lord Rong, please don't be reluctant to lend it to me."

Jia Lian smiled and said, "Anytime is fine."

Jia Lian was not worried about what might happen to Gu Qingyi and the others if they fell into Princess Zhaoyang's hands.

Princess Zhaoyang could accept even Daiyu and Baochai, let alone a few famous courtesans.

This can be seen from her attitude towards Liu Rushi. In her eyes, these were all just playthings.

As long as Gu Qingyi and the others don't do anything foolish enough to offend them, Princess Zhaoyang is unlikely to stoop to their level.

"Hehehe, then at that time..."

Princess Zhaoyang smiled and was about to say something when she suddenly blushed and scolded, "Bah! I just fed her once, and you... As expected, Erlang is a lecherous man!"

Liu Rushi below was also somewhat at a loss.

She deliberately wiped all the other areas before paying attention to the key spots.

Unexpectedly, he angered Jia Lian again after only a short while.

Jia Lian, however, was not ashamed but proud: "Qingran underestimates me too much. How could once be enough? Let's go. Didn't you say there's a bed inside? I'll pamper my Ranran a bit more."

As Jia Lian spoke, without waiting for Princess Zhaoyang's consent, he picked her up, who was only wearing her undergarments, and carried her towards the door that Princess Zhaoyang had pointed out earlier.

It's not that he doesn't want to live nearby.

But he could tell that this was Princess Zhaoyang's residence.

If it were just Princess Zhaoyang alone, he would naturally go straight inside.

However, he wanted to bring someone to liven things up, fearing that Princess Zhaoyang might not be happy to be there, so when he turned around, he gave Liu Ruyi a look that suggested she follow him.

Princess Zhaoyang was toughed on by Jia Lian, and after a few blows, she gave up.

Well, since things have come to this, I might as well indulge myself this once in a while...

Princess Zhaoyang's eyes blazed with a flame even more intense than Jia Lian's.

She was different from Jia Lian. If Jia Lian was hungry, he had other beauties to serve him, but she had been alone in her room ever since she was at Tiewang Mountain.

So much so that just now, sitting on the table, she felt an unprecedented joy. That joy was no less than the joy she felt when she first had a tryst with Jia Lian in the vast desert.

After stepping through the door, Jia Lian found himself in a spacious and beautifully decorated room.

The whole room was decorated with many yellow and green ribbons hanging from the beams above, giving it a dreamy and cozy feel.

This is similar to the dressing room that Shen Pan'er helped Qin Keqing set up at Tianxiang Tower.

Princess Zhaoyang saw Jia Lian looking around the room, so she broke free from him and explained in a low voice, "I saw that the maids were learning to dance and it was quite interesting, so I ordered someone to decorate this room. When I have nothing to do, I practice here by myself."

"Hehe, that person is really talented at this. When I've mastered it, I'll perform for Erlang, okay?"

Could Jia Lian say it was bad? He knew that Princess Zhaoyang probably learned this because she knew he liked to watch it, just like Qin Keqing.

However, his attention quickly fell on the large bed in the middle of the room, which was about ten feet in diameter.

The bed had no legs; instead, five or six ribbons grew out from the sides, gathered about ten feet above the head, and then dispersed, tying to the beams on all four sides.

It was a round bed suspended in mid-air; it began to sway at the slightest touch.

This is a real "stepping rocking bed".

Jia Lian suddenly knew how to arrange the inner hall behind his study in the Hall of Respect and Compassion in the Grand View Garden...

Princess Zhaoyang also noticed Jia Lian's focus and explained, "I saw this somewhere else and thought it was quite interesting, so I ordered someone to make a copy."

"You know, when you're tired from dancing, lying on it and having the palace maids gently push you around is like swinging—it's both relaxing and fun."

Jia Lian nodded in agreement: "Yes, I know..."

Princess Zhaoyang hadn't thought much of it at first, but seeing Jia Lian's bright eyes, she realized that he might be going to favor her on this bed later.

She immediately realized that the characteristics of this round bed might bring them additional enjoyment.

She glared at Jia Lian with annoyance and said, "It's getting dark. If you have nothing else to do, you should leave the manor quickly. I'm going to take a bath too."

With that, Princess Zhaoyang turned to leave.

How could Jia Lian let her succeed? He turned around, picked her up, and threw her onto the round bed.

Watching the beauty sway with the round bed, Jia Lian could no longer contain his excitement and pounced on her.

He didn't care about the person who was still in the house.

The other puppies wouldn't dare eat until their owner was full.

(End of this chapter)