The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 878 Looking for fragrance in the middle of the night (1)

Jia Lian had several studies.

The first one is the outer courtyard of the East Wing, which is usually used to gather subordinates and receive visitors.

The second one is still under construction, near the gate of the Grand View Garden, which is the study at the second gate of his mansion.

Jia Lian ordered the construction of this large study, intending it to serve as the future "administrative center".

The current study is not only smaller, but also too far from his sleeping quarters (the main hall in the Grand View Garden).

Once the large study is completed, his activities will completely revolve around it.

The third study is on the main building, next to the inner study on the east side of the Sanshengshi Residence (main hall).

This place originally consisted of three small side rooms. Jia Lian connected the three rooms and arranged them into his study.

This inner study was naturally where he usually rested.

The first half of the layout is nothing special; it's a complete study with a small tea room.

The interior of the room is different from that of a typical study.

Not only was the territory large, but Jia Lian also divided it into two main parts.

Walking out of the study, you enter a small bedroom, furnished with a daybed, a tea table, and a simple bed.

However, lifting the back curtain on the west side of this bedroom leads to a very spacious "inner sanctuary" that occupies most of the area of ​​the entire inner room.

The inner hall was not furnished much, except for a large round bed that hung down from the roof beam in the middle.

This was an inspiration Jia Lian got from Princess Zhaoyang's residence. However, his was larger than Princess Zhaoyang's, and could comfortably accommodate more than a dozen people lying on it at the same time.

At this moment, Jia Lian, after taking off his clothes, sat on the swaying round bed, one hand gripping the yellow silk connecting the roof beam and the bed, the other hand resting on Xiang Ling's head as he pondered.

He still finds it somewhat novel.

It has been five years since he last had to sleep in his study because he couldn't go home.

At that time, he had just transmigrated and was arguing with Wang Xifeng, so he slept in the outer study for several days in a row.

The difference was that at that time, he was a newcomer to this land, with no foundation at all, and could only live alone in the study.

And now...

It's impossible to stay alone in an empty room.

After taking a bath and returning to his room to undress, he immediately asked Xiangling to stay and keep him company in bed.

But he was not satisfied.

He was overjoyed, perhaps because his years of hard work had finally paid off again with Sister Feng.

It was the first time that Wang Xifeng had ever made him sleep outside, which gave him a sense of novelty and made him somewhat excited.

Xiangling is a good girl, but she's right beside me, and I can eat her food anytime.

On such a fine night, he still longed for some extra excitement.

He longed to sneak into Hengwu Garden right now and steal a kiss from Baochai in her room.

He hadn't favored Baochai for only two days, and he already missed her body.

However, he also understood that, given Baochai's personality, even if he didn't frighten her by sneaking into her room late at night, he probably wouldn't be able to get her to obey.

If I were to waste more time and energy trying to coax her, I would only lose interest.

Why not go to Longcui Nunnery...

Just before noon, I accompanied Daiyu to Longcui Nunnery for tea. I observed that the girl appeared indifferent to him on the surface, but her every move exuded elegance and aloofness.

Especially the way she lifted her cup and gently parted her lips to blow on the tea leaves—that slightly parted mouth—made him linger in his memory.

He hadn't expected that the aloof and proud Miaoyu would have such exceptional talent in both the qin and xiao, just like Gu Qingyi, who was known for her mastery of both.

She was naturally no match for Gu Qingyi in the zither, but in the flute, she was exceptionally talented and far surpassed Gu Qingyi.

Just do it when you have thought it through.

Jia Lian lowered his head and gently patted Xiangling's little face. When Xiangling stopped serving him in confusion and looked up at him, he smiled and said, "Little girl, Second Master has to go out for a while, so let's stop here."

"Oh."

Xiangling didn't suspect anything. She immediately stood up, helped Jia Lian to his feet, and after helping him put on his robe and trousers, she asked with a smile, "Where are you going so late, Second Master? I'll accompany you and even carry a lantern for you."

"Need not."

Jia Lian smiled, picked up Xiangling, carried her to the bed, took off her embroidered shoes, tucked her into the cool quilt, kissed her forehead, and softly instructed her:
"You don't need to get up and blow out the light. If anyone comes looking for me, just say I'm asleep, understand?"

"Hmm~"

Xiangling is very obedient; she has already realized that the Second Master is most likely planning to go out and do something bad.

A slight sense of disappointment welled up inside her. Had she lost all appeal to the Second Master...?

Unfortunately, she didn't show her disappointment on her face, so Jia Lian didn't know.

After calming Xiangling down, Jia Lian slipped out of the study through the back door.

Shortly after he left, Xiangling also got out of bed.

She went to the back door, saw that it was slightly ajar, and simply closed it a little closer before turning around and going back into the room. She obediently lay on the bed and waited for Jia Lian to return.

……

The Grand View Garden at night has an even more serene and beautiful feel.

The lone half-moon in the sky made the white stone path even more translucent.

Jia Lian left the main building area, originally intending to go to Longcui Nunnery as planned.

But when he reached the jade archway, he suddenly remembered the lively scene that evening when Li Wan led her sisters over.

That figure, which had previously resembled a withered tree and ashes, had unknowingly gained a bit more vitality, making her look even more beautiful and charming.

Then I realized that it had been quite a while since I had visited Li Wan.

Why don't we take advantage of the time tonight and go see her?

So they changed direction and headed west towards Daoxiang Village.

There aren't many houses in Daoxiang Village, and he's very familiar with them all.

They arrived at Su Yun's room without much effort and gently knocked on the door.

That's right, Jia Lian planned to find Su Yun first, and then have her secretly switch her master with him, so as to minimize the risk of being discovered.

Even if his whereabouts were discovered, it could be said that he came to steal his sister-in-law's maid, so as not to ruin Li Wan's reputation.

However, he waited for a long time but did not hear a response.

Pushing the door open, I found it unlocked. By the moonlight streaming in, I discovered that the house was indeed empty.

There was no other way. Jia Lian could only go directly to the back of Li Wan's room, find the second window, and gently push it open...

It can still be pushed forward!

"Who~"

From the darkness, a voice rang out, a mixture of alertness and joy.

Jia Lian coughed lightly, then replied in a low voice, "Su Yun, it's me."

Before Jia Lian could finish speaking, the window in front of him was immediately pushed open from the inside out, and a small face appeared through the crack in the window.

Seemingly recognizing him, her face immediately lit up with barely suppressed joy.

But she immediately remembered something and closed the window she had just opened. Then Jia Lian heard footsteps coming from inside the room, and then the back door opened from the inside.

Su Yun poked her head in: "Come in quickly..."

Seeing this, Jia Lian thought to himself that this girl was becoming more and more intelligent, as she actually knew to avoid addressing him directly.

So he walked into the house with a smile.

The room was dark, but with Su Yun, the mole, supporting him, Jia Lian naturally wouldn't stumble or fall.

Su Yun laughed and said, "What brings you here tonight?"

"If you miss your grandmother, you'll naturally come."

Su Yunjiao laughed and said, "You only think about our grandmother, and don't you think about this servant?"

What awaited her was a slap on the buttocks.

"You heartless sir. People always remember to keep this window open so that it's convenient for you to steal their fragrance."

To ensure that you could enter the room immediately, they even moved the night watchman's bed right under the window. Otherwise, why do you think they responded so quickly?
She was sleeping soundly...

Jia Lian ignored the coquettish maid.

This girl had clearly acted as a matchmaker for him several times, which emboldened him.

Reaching Li Wan's bedside, and seeing no movement inside, Jia Lian asked in a low voice, "Is she asleep?"

Su Yun laughed and said, "Master, you're joking. Don't you even know what time it is? Of course, Grandma is asleep..."

After saying that, as if afraid that Jia Lian wouldn't understand her charm, she immediately leaned close to Jia Lian's ear and whispered sweetly:

"However, our grandmother is a light sleeper, so she must have been awake when we spoke to her like that."

She's just being shy and pretending to be asleep. Master, you can just pretend you don't know anything..."

As she spoke, she released her grip on Jia Lian's arm and pushed him onto the bed.

Sure enough, as soon as Jia Lian touched the bed, he felt a soft body against him.

Perhaps because his hand was pressing down on her, she let out a soft groan and turned over to the inside, clearing the space outside the bed for him.

How could Jia Lian not know that what Su Yun said was true?

He immediately stripped off all his clothes and pounced onto the bed.

After a fierce storm, the person who had been pretending to be asleep and groaning finally couldn't hold back any longer and opened their eyes to cooperate.

At this moment, she was completely curled up in Jia Lian's arms, pretending to be angry as she punched him a few times, and said resentfully:

"Second Uncle, you've really made me unable to face anyone..."

Jia Lian lay on Li Wan's bed, holding the beauty in his arms, feeling extremely content.

Hearing this, he laughed and said, "What are you afraid of? No one will know anyway."

"Of course there will be someone, Su Yun knows that..."

"You mean, you still want me to silence her?"

Su Yun, who was squatting at the foot of the bed eavesdropping, trembled, wondering if her two masters were going to abandon her after using her.
Fortunately, they immediately heard Li Wan's coquettish voice.

She seemed to pinch Jia Lian, and then said, "Stop joking. I think Su Yun likes you a lot too. She's loyal, so why don't you take her in as well?"

Su Yun was deeply moved upon hearing this, and thought that she would be willing to die in Li Wan's place in the future.

Then she held her breath and listened intently to Jia Lian's reply.

Jia Lian seemed to ponder for a moment, and then those heavenly words rang in her ears: "It's possible, it's possible..."

At this moment, Su Yun felt refreshed and invigorated, and suddenly reached the highest realm.

So much so that she didn't hear what Jia Lian and Li Wan said to each other later.

She only heard Ah Li Wan suddenly call her name.

So she didn't have time to tidy up. She immediately propped up her weak legs, came to the bedside, and whispered, "What did Grandma want me to do?"

Li Wan propped herself up from Jia Lian's embrace and said with a smile, "I'm going to offer you to your second master. Are you willing?"

Su Yun didn't speak, but blushed and silently twisted the hem of her clothes by the bed.

Seeing this, Li Wan laughed and said, "So you're unwilling? Then forget it..."

Su Yun immediately said urgently, "No, this servant is willing, this servant is willing to serve Second Master..."

As he spoke, fearing that Li Wan might change her mind, he began to take off his own clothes.

Jia Lian watched with a tilted head and a smile from beginning to end.

Even though it was pitch black and the woman's beauty was not clearly visible, the atmosphere itself was pleasant enough.

So when the little girl removed the extra things and stood by the bed with her arms crossed, looking lost, he finally spoke up with a smile: "What are you still standing there for? Why don't you come up?"

Upon hearing this, Su Yun mechanically climbed onto the bed.

Before she could figure out what to do next, Jia Lian suddenly grabbed her arm and threw her toward his grandmother.

She was a native of the Jia family and knew the hierarchy well.

How could she dare to ride on Li Wan's back? Fearing she might hurt her, she quickly braced herself with her arms and turned to scold Jia Lian, who had run behind her, "Second Master, what are you doing? You almost hurt Madam..."

Before she could finish speaking, her little face was gently turned back by a pair of soft, motherly hands.

She looked down and saw that her grandmother's face was also flushed, but she still spoke softly to her:

"Stop struggling. You've eavesdropped a few times already, don't you know that what he likes most is to humiliate people?"

I can only obey him, let alone you.

Since you've agreed, you should behave.

Su Yun nodded as if she understood, and indeed relaxed her body, letting Li Wan hold her, preparing to welcome the most important moment of her life.

(End of this chapter)