The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 866 Returning home
Jia Lian and his party traveled quickly.

Worried that Baochai wouldn't be able to withstand the bumpy ride, he even lifted her onto the horse and rode with her.

Thus, they finally made it back to the capital before the palace gates were closed.

He ordered his men to send Baochai and her maid back to the Xue family, and immediately rode into the palace to request an audience with Emperor Ningkang outside the Daming Palace.

Dai Quan immediately came out and replied, "His Majesty has decreed that the Duke of Rong should return to his residence first and is not allowed to linger in the palace."

Just as Jia Lian was about to speak, Dai Quan stepped forward and walked to his side, lowering his voice to say:

"Lord Rong, you should go back first. We can discuss this tomorrow."

His Majesty has been unwell for several days, and is also furious about the war in Liaodong...

Last night, several Grand Secretaries and Ministers were reprimanded by His Majesty. It would be best for Rong Gong to refrain from provoking the Emperor for the time being.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian took a deep breath, thanked Dai Quan, and then turned to leave Daming Palace.

……

Xue family.

When Aunt Xue heard that Baochai had returned, she was overjoyed.

Before Baochai could eat or wash up, she pulled Baochai into her room, sat her on the kang (a heated brick bed), and looked Baochai up and down.

"Good good..."

It's unclear what Aunt Xue noticed, but before she could say anything else, she greeted Baochai with three "good"s.

This made Baochai very embarrassed.

"My son, you've been gone for more than half a month without even sending back a few letters. Don't you know how worried your mother is about you?"

Baochai explained, "It's not that I'm unwilling, but that I'm going to Tianjin this time with no one else besides Ying'er."

If you wish to write a letter, I will have to trouble my second brother Lian to send someone to escort it.

My second brother Lian is very busy with work, and I don't want to trouble him with such trivial matters all the time.

That's clearly an excuse.

She rarely goes out alone, and she and Jia Lian were having so much fun that she forgot to regularly let him know she was safe.

Aunt Xue had no doubts.

Xue Ke had already reported the situation to her that day and knew that none of the people she had arranged for Baochai, except for Ying'er, had been able to go to Tianjin.

Therefore, Baochai's argument is valid.

"Tell me about what happened after we went to Tianjin... Did your second brother Lian bully you?"

“My second brother Lian never bullied me; he was very good to his daughter.”

Baochai thought about how she had spent the last half month with Jia Lian.

Aside from his insatiable demands on her, Jia Lian mostly went along with her in other matters.

He even went to great lengths to please her.

Thinking of these things, a happy smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

Aunt Xue nodded and smiled, "It seems he really treats you very well. Look, my precious girl is growing more and more beautiful. Her skin is fair and rosy, it's obvious that he takes good care of her."

Perhaps because the mother and daughter were so familiar with each other, Baochai understood the meaning behind Aunt Xue's words as soon as she heard them.

She immediately felt ashamed and said, "What is Mom saying? The more she says it, the less plausible it becomes. I'm not talking to you anymore."

With that, Baochai stood up and ran away, feigning shyness.

Seeing this, Aunt Xue laughed even more heartily.

She immediately stood up and chased after her daughter. She had more important things to ask.

……

Rongguo Mansion, East Courtyard, Rongguo Duke's Mansion.

When Jia Lian stepped back through the gate, he felt that everything was different from before, yet it also seemed that nothing had changed.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out that many places had been renovated and repaired, giving them a brand-new look.

So Jia Lian wasn't in a hurry to go home to see Feng Jie. Instead, he led the steward and others north along the path until they reached the main gate of the Grand View Garden.

Very good. Except for the study that he specially ordered to be built, which is not yet completed, all the other places that needed to be renovated have been renovated according to his requirements.

The front courtyard of the entire "Rongguo Duke's Mansion" is a bit long and narrow, but it still has the grandeur of a duke's mansion.

It has all five internal organs.

Moreover, it is long and narrow. Although it is narrow, it is long.

If we consider the main gate of the Grand View Garden as the "second gate" separating the front and back courtyards, then the front courtyard of the entire "Rongguo Mansion" is more than one-third longer than the front courtyard of the adjacent "Imperial Rongguo Mansion".

The front yard alone could be divided into seven or eight sections.

Not to mention that the Rongguo Duke's Mansion also has the enormous Grand View Garden hanging behind it.

In terms of actual area, it is much larger than Jia Zheng's place.

Instead of rushing to the main building, Jia Lian dismissed the stewards and returned home through the newly opened side gate next to the main gate of the Grand View Garden. Because Jia Lian's return was sudden and without prior notice, Feng Jie hadn't prepared any grand welcoming gifts.

However, she was already at home early in the morning.

When she saw Jia Lian, this radiant and beautiful young woman was immediately captivated.

But she quickly suppressed her thoughts, stepped forward to help him up, and said with a smile, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming back... Have you eaten?"

Jia Lian said, "Let's take a bath before we eat."

"Alright."

Feng Jie smiled and told Jia Lian to take a bath, while she personally arranged the meal.

……

Jia Lian walked to the outer corridor and, seeing that there was no one around, immediately beckoned Xiangling over and took something out of his sleeve for her.

Upon seeing this, Qingwen immediately stepped forward and asked, "What is that? Let me take a look."

But Jia Lian grabbed his ear and dragged him aside.

Xiangling was also puzzled at first, but seeing Jia Lian's attitude, and glancing at the silk-wrapped object in her hand, she guessed it was something from inside a scroll.

Xiangling, who had helped Jia Lian collect "treasures" before, had already realized something.

Sure enough, Jia Lian whispered, "Take it back and keep it safe. Don't let anyone else see it."

He even took the clothes from her hands.

Xiangling nodded and carefully took the things back to the west wing.

Once inside his room, he opened the locked long drawer behind the bed, intending to put his things back inside untouched.

In the end, I couldn't suppress my curiosity.

Looking back, he saw that no one was following him, so he squatted in the corner, untied the silk, and saw that it was indeed a roll of Xuan paper. He immediately rolled it up to take a look.

One glance was enough to make her fair face turn crimson.

I didn't dare look at it for long. I quickly rolled it up exactly as it was, put it upright in the drawer, and locked it.

At the same time, I couldn't help but think to myself:

Who exactly is that beautiful woman in the painting...?

Why does she look a bit like Xiao Rong's great-grandmother?
……

In the bathroom, Qingwen was still upset because Jia Lian wouldn't let her see his secret things.

When serving Jia Lian a bath, she deliberately touched him roughly.

If Jia Lian hadn't been working tirelessly on Baochai for days, and hadn't been slightly tired after a day's journey, he would have definitely given this arrogant girl a good talking-to.

After taking a bath, Sister Feng had already prepared a sumptuous feast in the east hall.

Feng Jie had already eaten, so she took the initiative to take over the maid's job and serve food to Jia Lian.

He smiled and said, "It's good that you're back. I have something important to tell you."

The main building in the garden is all set up. Since you haven't returned, I haven't dared to move there without your permission; I'm just waiting for your instructions.

"What's there to hesitate about? Once it's all set up, just move over. You can't possibly be reluctant to leave this place, can you?"

"I'm really a little reluctant to part with it."

Sister Feng glanced at the fairly bright dining room and sighed, "Ever since I entered your family, I've basically been living in this courtyard."

It's been six or seven years now.

Even plants and trees have feelings, let alone me.

Jia Lian, however, couldn't stand Feng Jie's sentimentality and laughed, "You're talking like it's a matter of life and death."

Anyway, this courtyard will still be yours in the future. If you don't like staying in the garden, you can come back to live here anytime. Who's going to stop you?

Upon hearing this, Sister Feng immediately retorted:

"Of course you'd love for me to come back and live here, so you can legitimately go see your Lin sister and Xue sister."

"Hmph, do you think I don't know what you're planning?"

Jia Lian almost choked on his meat, and looked up to glare at Feng Jie, who had slanted eyes and upturned eyebrows.

"I advise you to talk to me properly."

"I won't be leaving Beijing anytime soon this time. I have plenty of time to teach you a lesson until you submit."

If Jia Lian were to threaten her in a serious and methodical manner, Feng Jie wouldn't be afraid at all.

But she knew that Jia Lian's words about cleaning up most likely referred to that aspect of life.

With many maids present, she was naturally too embarrassed to retort, fearing that Jia Lian would say something even more shameful.

Therefore, he glared fiercely at Jia Lian and then gave up.

(End of this chapter)