The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 848 A whim
The next morning, Jia Lian arrived at the main building of the Grand View Garden to make arrangements for the banquet.

Ping'er suddenly came back and said that Aunt Xue had declined the invitation and refused to come.

It turned out that Aunt Xue felt that Jia Lian's banquet was a family gathering, and it was inappropriate for her, an outsider, to attend.

After all, Jia Lian was still in mourning, so it was impossible for him to host a large banquet for foreign guests.

Most importantly, now that the two families are engaged, as the mother-in-law, it is inconvenient for her to visit the Rongguo Mansion as freely as before before her daughter marries into the family, as it would seem unreserved.

Therefore, she declined Jia Lian's invitation, citing that she had already received lychees from Sister Feng the previous day.

Jia Lian didn't say much after hearing this. After arranging everything with Ping'er, Qingwen and others, he personally went to Hengwu Garden to find Baochai.

After meeting, Jia Lian said, "I sent someone to invite my aunt to the banquet, but she refused."

I'm about to go and invite her myself, but I'm afraid she won't give me face.

"Knowing that my aunt listens to you the most, why don't you come with me?"

At this moment, in front of several people in the room, Baochai naturally did not become intimate with Jia Lian, and instead offered her proper advice:
"Since my mother refuses to come, she must have her reasons."

Given his status as the second brother, if he were to personally invite her, it would likely make her uneasy.

It's better not to work.

Baochai probably understood why her mother was unwilling to come, so she naturally spoke up for her.

However, Xiangyun, who was standing nearby, chose to speak up for Jia Lian.

She ran over and took Baochai's hand, laughing, "It's rare for Second Brother Lian to host a banquet, especially a lychee banquet. How could Auntie be absent from such a fun and novel event?"
Since Brother Lian'ai has said so, Sister Bao, you should go back with Brother Lian... and make sure to invite Aunt over.

If it were any other elder, Xiangyun wouldn't care whether they came or not.

Unfortunately, Aunt Xue was a person who was respectful and flattering to her superiors and kind and compassionate to her subordinates. In any situation, having her around would only bring benefits and not harm.

Since she was also the mother of her favorite character, Baochai, she naturally wanted her to be there so she could offer an extra toast.

Even Xue Baoqin, who was usually well-behaved and didn't talk out of turn, nodded vigorously in affirmation at this moment.

In fact, they didn't need each other's help; Jia Lian had no intention of giving Baochai any room to refuse.

"Let's go, I've arranged the carriage. It's right at the back gate, just a few steps away. There's no need for any work."

Baochai was somewhat embarrassed.

However, seeing Jia Lian's outstretched invitation and his determined expression, and meeting the hopeful gazes of her two younger sisters, she nodded.

“Great! We have nothing else to do anyway, why don’t we come along? We haven’t seen Auntie for days…”

Seeing Baochai nod, Xiangyun was very happy and immediately wanted to go with her to invite the people.

Jia Lian reached out to hold Baochai's hand, but seeing that Baochai was not cooperating for a long time, he knew that she was reserved in front of her friends, so he did not force her.

He happened to hear Xiangyun say that, so he stopped and lightly tapped her on the forehead.

"What's the rush? We're just going to invite Auntie over, it's not like we're going out for dinner!"

After saying this, Jia Lian gave Baochai a look that she should follow him, and then walked out.

Behind her, Xiangyun waved her fist at Jia Lian's retreating figure.

Hmph, all she wants is to be alone with Bao-jie, why is she being so fierce?

Thinking this, Xiangyun took Baoqin's hand and they agreed to go down the mountain together to see how Jia Lian's venue was being set up.

Outside Hengwu Garden, Jia Lian stood for a while and then saw Baochai and her maid Ying'er come out.

Jia Lian smiled slightly at the two of them, then turned and headed towards the north gate.

The north gate of Rongguo Mansion is not the same as the back gate of Grand View Garden.

The Grand View Garden was built within the newly constructed walls of the two mansions. Although it was built almost against the west and north walls of the Rongguo Mansion, a width of one or two zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) was left in the middle to accommodate servants or carriages.

Therefore, just a few steps from the back gate of the Grand View Garden is the north gate of the Rongguo Mansion.

Inside the North Gate, Jia Lian had already arranged two carriages.

But he had no intention of sitting in a separate carriage from Baochai.

Without waiting for the servants to bring the carriage bench, he jumped onto the carriage and then turned around to extend his hand to Baochai and the other person.

Baochai hesitated only slightly before extending her delicate hand and letting Jia Lian lead her into the carriage.

With her young mistress acting this way, Ying'er naturally had no chance to be reserved. She readily took Jia Lian's hand and walked over.

"Let's go to the Xue family."

Jia Lian gave a brief instruction and then climbed into the carriage.

Seeing that Baochai was about to get up, he quickly pressed her down and then sat down in front of her.

He glanced at Baochai, who sat upright on his left with bright eyes and white teeth, her hair perfectly styled, and then looked at Ying'er, who was standing on the other side, and said, "You can sit down too."

Ying'er glanced at Jia Lian, then at her own mistress, thought for a moment, and shook her head, saying, "No, thank you, Second Master. I'll stay here."

In this situation, she felt more comfortable standing.

Jia Lian didn't press the matter, and looked at Baochai, saying, "I'll be going back to Tianjin first thing tomorrow morning." Baochai was filled with thoughts of whether Jia Lian would take this opportunity to do something to her, but then she thought that even if Jia Lian wanted to do something to her, he would probably restrain himself, given the short distance.

Unexpectedly, Jia Lian's sudden remark disrupted her peace of mind, and she immediately retorted, "We've just returned, why are you leaving again?"

Only after I finished speaking did I realize that I had been a little too concerned.

Jia Lian found it very thoughtful and said with a smile, "I only came back during a break in the middle of the trip."

Baochai didn't say much, thinking that a man should ultimately prioritize his career. Especially for someone like Jia Lian, every action he takes could potentially affect the nation's future.

She also knew something about what Jia Lian was doing in Tianjin.

On a smaller scale, it means reforming the navy's equipment; on a larger scale, it means strengthening the nation's military power, a matter of great importance concerning the stability and prosperity of the country.

Even for him personally, if he does well, he can achieve lasting fame.

Therefore, Baochai naturally had no intention of having Jia Lian abandon his official duties and stay at home.

Before she could figure out how to respond, Jia Lian said, "Otherwise, why don't you come with me tomorrow?"

Baochai thought she had misheard and looked up at Jia Lian in confusion.

The oriole next to her suddenly perked up its ears, feeling that it had heard crucial information.

Jia Lian laughed and said, "I say, why don't you come with me to Tianjin tomorrow?"

"It just so happens that your calligraphy is superb; you can also help me with copying and processing some files and documents."

Baochai stared blankly at Jia Lian, feeling that he wasn't joking, so she shook her head: "I'm afraid this is inappropriate."

The matter concerning Brother Lian is of utmost importance; how could a young woman like Baochai possibly be of any help?

Besides, Second Brother Lian is going out on important business; wouldn't it cause gossip if he brought Baochai, a mere young lady, along?"

Baochai's second reason was modified.

In reality, what she meant was that although she was engaged to Jia Lian, she was still a young lady from a respectable family, and how could she rashly follow a man to another place?

Even if this man is her future husband.

Ying'er, perhaps because she was an outsider, heard more of what was said and her mind worked quickly.

She almost immediately thought of the many benefits Baochai would have from going to Tianjin with Jia Lian, so when she heard Baochai politely decline, she immediately interjected:
"Miss, please don't be modest. Ever since our master passed away, Madam has been in charge of the household affairs. Haven't you been helping Madam manage so many things at home?"
Even now, your wife still often calls you back to help with some tricky matters.

Although the Second Master is doing something important, given his position in charge, he must have some tedious tasks involving copying and transcribing. These girls will definitely be able to help him.

Ying'er chattered on and on. Only when she saw Baochai's increasingly stern gaze did she reluctantly stop.

Baochai glared at Ying'er before turning back and saying, "Second Brother, don't listen to her nonsense; it's all untrue."

Jia Lian simply smiled upon hearing this.

His suggestion was originally just a whim.

Mainly, seeing Baochai's bright and beautiful face, and her fair skin and delicate features, and knowing that he would not see her for a long time after this trip, he felt uneasy and had the idea of ​​abducting her.

But after a few words, he found it increasingly feasible.

If it were last year, when he had just arrived in Tianjin, and was dealing with matters like port construction, factory building, and shipbuilding that required his personal involvement and on-site command, he naturally wouldn't have brought Baochai with him.

But now that the foundation there has been laid, he is more of an overall manager, and no longer needs to do everything himself.

Furthermore, Emperor Ningkang has now reduced the budget, forcing him to find his own way, which has led to a shift in some of his work focus to making money.

Although a clear direction has been established and some funds have indeed been raised.

However, economics is inherently complex, involving many intricate tasks that require repeated calculations.

For example, figuring out how much money someone borrowed from him, how to distribute interest, how to keep accounts, and how to report to the court to ensure smooth execution all required sitting at his desk and carefully considering all of these things.

Admittedly, this matter is not difficult for him, but that doesn't mean he can't find a trustworthy person to share the burden!

It just so happens that Baochai comes from a wealthy merchant family, and Aunt Xue used to say how sensible she was from a young age and how she could help her solve her problems.

This is a good opportunity to test Baochai's true abilities.

Even if Aunt Xue exaggerated, with him around, nothing would go wrong.

If Baochai were truly exceptionally talented and could help him with accounting, compiling documents, or even just transcribing manuscripts, he could save a considerable amount of time.

When this money is saved, it can naturally be used to support Baochai.

Jia Lian was already envisioning how he would spend the rest of his time in that undisturbed foreign land, repeatedly indulging in Baochai's tenderness.

So Jia Lian said, "We'll find out soon enough whether she's talking nonsense or not. I'll tell my aunt about it soon."

Baochai didn't expect Jia Lian to be serious.

For a moment, I felt both nervous and worried, yet also vaguely tempted.

Going to Tianjin with him doesn't seem so unacceptable after all...

(End of this chapter)