The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 870 Dog Skin Plaster
"Second Master, why are you up so early..."

Qingwen rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up in bed.

Seeing this, Jia Lian, who was quietly dressing himself, smiled and said, "Today, I need to go to the palace."

"Oh."

Qingwen didn't ask what was going on; she never cared about these things, and they weren't things she should care about.

Seeing that Jia Lian's clothes didn't look quite right, she lifted the quilt and got out of bed, saying, "Let me help you get dressed, sir."

"No need, I'm almost dressed. If you're still sleepy, just keep sleeping."

Qingwen ignored Jia Lian's words and came to him in her embroidered shoes. She quickly straightened Jia Lian's robes and then picked up the belt to tie it for him.

Looking at this clever and adorable girl, Jia Lian sincerely thanked her: "Thank you for your hard work last night."

"Bah~"

Qingwen blushed incessantly whenever this was mentioned.

What kind of good master would wake someone up in the middle of the night to do *that* for him?

However, she only spat once, and then Qingwen laughed again.

Although she was physically exhausted, she felt it was all worth it.

In the past, whenever Jia Lian was at home, he would share a bed with Feng Jie.

The only exception was the night of her coming-of-age ceremony at the beginning of the year, when Jia Lian stayed in the west wing and slept on her bed.

This honor is unique to her; even Ping'er has never received it.

She has now received this honor twice, completely surpassing everyone else except for Sister Feng.

This is enough to prove that she is the first choice for concubine in this courtyard!
Jia Lian was both genuinely grateful and taking the opportunity to tease her.

Who would have thought that after Qingwen spat, she started laughing. He asked in surprise, "What's wrong with you? Why do you react like you've eaten bee droppings when I say you've worked hard?"

"I didn't eat any..."

Qingwen was in a good mood and didn't mind Jia Lian talking about her.

However, in his reply, he suddenly had a brain fart, rolled his eyes at Jia Lian, and blurted out with a laugh, "How could Second Master not know what others have eaten..."

Perhaps seduction is a woman's innate skill, even though Qingwen's original intention was not to seduce Jia Lian.

She just wanted to use this opportunity to protest. After all, she wasn't willing at first; it was all Jia Lian's fault for coaxing her, saying it would make her more beautiful.

In short, Jia Lian was greatly encouraged after hearing Qingwen's coquettish words.

If it weren't for the fact that he hadn't fed Sister Feng yet, he almost couldn't resist taking the girl for a second round.

Therefore, Jia Lian gave her a deep look and instructed, "Judging from the noise, your second mistress has already gotten up, so you don't need to go over there. You can go back to sleep."

After saying this, Jia Lian flicked his sleeves and left the west wing.

Qingwen subconsciously followed and took a few steps forward.

But seeing that Jia Lian had no intention of waiting for her, she stopped.

She could hear the sounds of the maids serving her while she washed up in the main room. After thinking about it, she figured there was nothing she would do if she went over there at this time, so she simply listened to Jia Lian and turned around to lie down on the bed.

After taking two breaths, she shifted her position to make sure it was where Jia Lian had been lying, and then, bathed in the lingering warmth of Jia Lian's body, slowly drifted off to sleep.

On the other side, after Jia Lian returned to the main room, he found that Feng Jie had already gotten up and was doing her hair and makeup.

Hearing the maids' greetings, Feng Jie turned around and immediately smiled, "Oh, isn't this the Duke? I thought you were going to stay in the garden last night, why are you back already?"

He came back without saying a word and even went to sleep in the maid's room.

What, are you afraid I won't open the door for you?
"Your Excellency is just being paranoid. Even if I had a thousand lives, I wouldn't dare refuse you entry."

Her rapid-fire way of speaking is a unique style of Sister Feng.

If it weren't for his magnanimity, anyone more serious would have already started a fight with her.

Therefore, Jia Lian ignored them and went directly to the washbasin stand, asking the maids to help him wash up.

"Why isn't the Duke speaking? Are you angry with me?"
I was wrong. I forgot that our master is now a Duke, and naturally he can do whatever he wants. How could he tolerate a woman like me interfering?
If you don't mind my harsh words and just give me a good scolding, I should be grateful...

If it's a sarcastic or taunting phrase, it certainly doesn't sound very pleasant.

Jia Lian said, "That's enough. You're getting addicted to just giving me a hint."

The reason I slept in the west wing was simply because I was returning late and didn't want to disturb your rest.

If you really can't tell right from wrong, I wouldn't mind giving you a good beating.

As Jia Lian spoke, he glanced back at Feng Jie's shapely buttocks as she sat on the stool.

Sister Feng caught this look in the mirror and was immediately annoyed.

She had deliberately gone home early last night.

As is customary, every time Jia Lian returns from a long trip, he always makes sure to have her train with him.

Unexpectedly, Jia Lian went to Xiaoxiang Pavilion without saying a word last night.

Not only did they run to Xiaoxiang Pavilion, but they also started sleeping there!
She wasted half the night waiting in the house.

Although she agreed with Ping'er's statement that Jia Lian was simply exhausted, which is why he collapsed wherever he went.

This is also traceable.

Tianjin is neither too far nor too close to the capital, about two or three hundred li away.

Traveling in one day is too rushed, and two days is unnecessary.

Based on the fact that Jia Lian arrived in Beijing in the afternoon, it can be inferred that Jia Lian probably set off from Tianjin very early yesterday morning, traveling at high speed and certainly without much rest.

Just like last time, I went straight to bed and slept for several hours as soon as I got back.

That's why she didn't let anyone disturb her.

What really annoyed Sister Feng was that when she woke up early in the morning, she heard that Jia Lian had returned in the middle of the night.

Instead of going inside, he went to the west wing.

Although it was a small matter, it made Feng Jie realize that there would probably be many opportunities for Jia Lian to "sleep in separate rooms" from her in the future.

Especially after Daiyu and Baochai entered the household.

Her sarcastic remarks were also a test of Jia Lian's attitude.

In fact, Sister Feng was quite satisfied with this and grateful to Jia Lian.

If it were any other man with Jia Lian's status and position, he would have so many concubines.

They've long been living a life where they face east today and west tomorrow.

As for going out to sleep with prostitutes, that's just commonplace.

But what about Jia Lian?
Although she kept a group of beauties at the Tianxiang Pavilion, she never spent the night in their rooms, giving her, the matriarch, enough dignity.

As for sleeping among flowers and willows... that's something she admires and even believes in.

Since making a three-point agreement with her, this man has actually completely changed this bad habit!
Furthermore, Jia Lian's decision to stay at Xiaoxiang Pavilion is not unreasonable in itself.

Even if Jia Lian really did spend the night at Xiaoxiang Pavilion, no one could say anything about him; at most, it would be detrimental to Daiyu's reputation.

If she said something inappropriate, and Daiyu's prestige decreased a bit, it might actually be a good thing for Wang Xifeng.

Therefore, Sister Feng would rather Jia Lian have stayed overnight at Xiaoxiang Pavilion than have him return in the middle of the night and run off to the West Wing.

It made her, the mistress, seem less attractive than a little maid.

However, this slight resentment completely vanished when Jia Lian explained that it was because he didn't want to disturb her rest.

She didn't suspect that Jia Lian was deceiving her.

After all, there are facts to prove it.

If Jia Lian were to stay in the west wing every few days, she certainly wouldn't believe this.

Unfortunately, Qingwen had been Jia Lian's nominal "concubine" for three or four years, and Jia Lian had only stayed in the west wing once.

That was still the little girl's coming-of-age ceremony.

It's been like this for so many years, there's no reason why last night would be an exception.

Thinking of how Jia Lian returned late last night, but seeing that she was already asleep, he preferred to stay in the maid's room rather than wake her, she felt a pang of gratitude and a slight regret for her earlier words.

So after Jia Lian finished washing up, she stood up from in front of the dressing mirror, personally helped Jia Lian change his clothes, and asked with a smile:

"Oh right, I was in such a rush yesterday that I didn't have time to ask."

"Didn't you say you'd come back in at least a month? Why did you suddenly come back halfway through?"

Seeing that the large group of maids who had helped with washing and grooming had left, leaving only Ping'er and a few others in the room, Jia Lian replied directly, "It's still because of the war in Liaodong."

Sister Feng asked in surprise: "The war in Liaodong? Didn't the imperial court win? It seems they won one battle after another. The news has spread throughout the capital..."

Jia Lian sighed upon hearing this.

This is also a challenge.

If it weren't for the court's prior propaganda, defeat wouldn't have mattered.

As the saying goes, victory and defeat are common occurrences in war, and the nation is not incapable of accepting one or two defeats.

But no sooner had they finished making a big fuss than they were told that they had actually been defeated, and suffered a crushing defeat. Where would that leave the court's face?

"Huo Zhao is dead." Jia Lian said casually, which immediately made Feng Jie's phoenix eyes widen.

As the heir to the Nan'an Prince's Mansion, one of the four great non-royal princely mansions, Sister Feng certainly knew who Huo Zhao was. The fact that even such a figure had died in battle meant the war situation was likely very unfavorable…

Seeing the shock in Feng Jie'er's eyes, Jia Lian added, "The news of the defeat in Liaodong hasn't spread yet. You just need to know about this. Don't talk about it outside, or you'll bring trouble upon yourself."

Emperor Ningkang was already at a critical juncture, yet he suffered such a great loss in foreign wars.

Their emotions are likely extremely unstable.

At this time, any mistake could incur the emperor's wrath.

Sister Feng knew some of the implications and nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

Suddenly she realized what he meant and looked at Jia Lian in disbelief: "You're in such a hurry to come back, you don't mean you want to go to Liaodong to replace Huo Zhao, do you?"

The saying goes, "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red."

Now, under Jia Lian's tutelage, Sister Feng has surprisingly developed a keen political sense.

Upon seeing Jia Lian nod, Feng Jie immediately became anxious: "No, I won't allow you to go!"

Feng Jie hadn't realized it at first, thinking that generals like Jia Lian, who led troops into battle, stayed in the rear and weren't in much danger.

Now that she heard that Huo Zhao had died in battle, she belatedly felt afraid.

She couldn't even imagine what she would do if Jia Lian had led the troops into battle during the previous campaigns and something had gone wrong.

Huo Zhao, as the heir to a prestigious royal family, was already on par with Jia Lian in terms of status and position.

Such a person could simply die in battle.

This shows how dangerous the battlefield is; our predecessors were right.

Seeing that Jia Lian remained noncommittal about her objections, Feng Jie coaxed him again:
"Now that you are a Duke, you no longer need to fight on horseback to restore the glory of your ancestors as you used to."

Think about it, even Huo Zhao died in battle. What if something happens to you too? What are you going to do with me and Qiao'er?
Even if you don't care about us, mother and daughter, are you really willing to abandon Lin and Bao?

You cherish them so much.

Oh, right, have you forgotten that you are still the grandson of the retired emperor?

With this status, it's not impossible for you to be granted a royal title if you want.

Just listen to me this once, there's absolutely no need for us to take this risk..."

Seeing that Sister Feng was clearly nervous and worried, yet she tried her best to soften her tone, afraid of arousing his resistance, Jia Lian felt a warmth in his heart.

However, there are some things that cannot be told to Sister Feng or anyone else.

Precisely because he is now the undisputed grandson of the retired emperor, he must be even more vigilant in times of peace.

Historically, people with such special backgrounds and abilities as him would never have had a stable life.

If you don't advance, you fall behind! Or even die.

This is the destiny of someone like him.

For now, Emperor Ningkang can still protect him.

However, judging from Emperor Ningkang's actions, he did not seem to have the appearance of longevity.

Therefore, he must accumulate enough capital in advance to cope with any unexpected crisis.

The Third Prince is currently under house arrest, so it's expected that he won't cause any major trouble this year.

He could take this opportunity to go to Liaodong to gain more merit and enhance his reputation.

This is from a self-interested perspective.

For the public good, he also wanted to eliminate the threat of the Jurchens as soon as possible for the benefit of the people.

Once this nomadic people gain power, it may take ten or even a hundred times the price to make up for it in the future.

He patted Sister Feng's raised head and reassured her, "Alright, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

You have to believe that your man isn't a reckless brute.

After saying that, Jia Lian didn't give Feng Jie a chance to speak again, and said, "By the way, didn't you say that the main building has been cleaned up?"

Since that's the case, then we should move there as soon as possible.

"It would be best if we moved today, and we can have dinner there tonight, how about it?"

"Of course, it's up to you... By the way, what about the maids and servants in the courtyard? How should they be arranged?"

Should we bring them all in, or select a group and then screen the rest?

As expected, Sister Feng's thoughts were interrupted, and she was asked the question she had long wanted to ask Jia Lian.

"You can make these decisions yourself."

If you really want to ask me, I suggest bringing anyone who hasn't made a serious mistake into the program.

These people, who are used to being served, are easier to order around.

Jia Lian's thoughts coincided with Feng Jie's. She nodded, then remembered what they had said before and wanted to persuade him again.

Unfortunately, Jia Lian had already left first.

"Is it not okay to eat breakfast?"

"No need, I'll just grab something to eat on the street."

……

Because he did not hold court in the morning, Emperor Ningkang only summoned a few trusted confidants to the Southern Study to discuss matters.

There are two main issues.

One issue is how to deal with the Prince of Nan'an's mansion.

Or rather, how to characterize Huo Zhao's actions.

Judging from the actual situation and the battle report from Prince Bei Jing, Huo Zhao's previous battle report was clearly exaggerated.

Even if it wasn't Huo Zhao's original intention, he couldn't escape the accusation of misreporting military intelligence and being overly ambitious.

Not to mention that his greed for merit and recklessness led to the loss of 20,000 of the nation's elite troops!

If these crimes had not been committed by him in battle, the entire Nan'an Prince's Mansion would have been punished by the imperial court long ago.

Yesterday, during the grand court session, civil and military officials debated this issue for a long time.

Some say he was guilty, others say he was meritorious.

This was the opinion of the officials, and naturally it was also reflected in the opinions of these high-ranking officials of the first and second ranks.

These cabinet ministers and high-ranking officials had been arguing in the Southern Study all morning just to determine Huo Zhao's character.

Finally, Emperor Ningkang could no longer stand it.

"enough!"

"Let's leave Huo Zhao's matter aside for now."

After this battle, I will send people to carefully investigate Huo Zhao's merits and demerits, and then I will give him justice!

Hearing the chill in Emperor Ningkang's tone, those who sympathized with Huo Zhao couldn't help but sigh.

Everyone knows that the Prince of Nan'an's mansion is doomed this time.

The facts were pretty much laid out before them, yet Emperor Ningkang insisted on a thorough investigation after the war.

What they were investigating was, of course, Huo Zhao's crime of falsely reporting his military achievements.

Indeed, Huo Zhao has put the court and His Majesty in a very passive position this time.

It's perfectly normal for His Majesty to be angry.

Emperor Ningkang said, "Now, my dear ministers, tell me who you should send to replace Huo Zhao."

Upon hearing this, everyone began to ponder it in secret.

Although the Prince of Beijing was stationed in Liaodong.

However, Prince Bei Jing was still too young, having just come of age!
He had no experience in leading troops; previously, he had only been on imperial tours when he happened to encounter a rebellion by foreign tribes.

The fact that he was caught off guard and trapped in a city by foreign troops shows that the Prince of Beijing was only capable of defending a single city.

If he were asked to lead troops to quell the rebellion, I fear he would be incapable.

Moreover, if the court officials previously thought that these small border tribes were not worth worrying about...

After this battle, everyone gained a deeper understanding of the ferocity of the Jurchens in Liaodong.

Huo Zhao was a veteran general, yet he still lost his ship in Liaodong.

Choosing a successor is really difficult.

If you can promote your own people and turn the tide, that would be a great achievement.

If it fails, or if we follow in Huo Zhao's footsteps and get implicated, it would be a huge loss...

Just as everyone was testing each other and shifting the blame, a eunuch came to report: "The Duke of Rongguo is requesting an audience outside the palace!"

The ministers' eyes lit up upon hearing this.

The candidate has been delivered right to our doorstep.
Only Emperor Ningkang frowned deeply.

It's like a piece of dog skin plaster...

(End of this chapter)