The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 880 Refusal to Submit, Even at the Cost of Death
The next morning, Jia Lian went to the palace again.

Unsurprisingly, the emperor still refused to see him.

He also received very bad news: the imperial court wanted to negotiate peace with the Jurchens!
And it was the Jurchens who took the initiative to propose it.

The Jurchen envoys have now departed from Liaocheng and are about to arrive in the capital.

The residence of the Marquis of Zhongjing.

Marquis Zhongjing took Jia Lian's visit very seriously.

The two entered Shi Ding's study and exchanged pleasantries for a while. Jia Lian then asked, "Uncle, are you aware that the court intends to negotiate peace with the Jurchens?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Ding immediately knew that this was the reason Jia Lian had come to see him.

Hearing rumors circulating in the palace that Jia Lian had repeatedly requested permission from Emperor Ningkang to fight, but to no avail, he immediately revealed an expression of righteous indignation:

“These damned Jurchens invaded our territory and killed our people without cause, and now they want to negotiate peace with us?”
The officials in the court are all spineless cowards, yet they still think this is a great thing.

I, Shi Ding, despise these cowardly bastards.

Faced with Shi Ding's witty and sarcastic remarks, Jia Lian shook his head and said, "The court has its own difficulties, and His Majesty has his own considerations... However..."

Shi Ding immediately sat up straight.

"However, I think that the outcome of this peace negotiation by the court may not be as the officials of the court wish."

"Oh, what do you mean by that, my dear nephew?"

Jia Lian's eyes gleamed: "Uncle may not know the customs of the Jurchen people, but I know them very well."

This is a purely nomadic people who live on horseback in a barren and frigid land, so their habits are extremely fierce.

The Jianzhou Jurchens were able to survive after the Jin Dynasty was defeated during the Song Dynasty.

Now they have not only gained some influence, but they have also won a great victory in their confrontation with the imperial court.

They will inevitably develop a sense of pride.

Although I don't understand why they would proactively propose peace talks to the court, I suspect that even if they do, they will inevitably take the opportunity to impose many harsh conditions.

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, Shi Ding felt he understood what Jia Lian meant.

“I understand. You want me to help you stop the court from negotiating peace with the Jurchens, right?” Shi Ding asked casually.

Jia Lian was speechless. Has this guy always been this blunt?
"It's not about stopping..."

Jia Lian thought about it and realized that Shi Ding was actually right, so he stopped explaining and said directly:
"When the Jurchen envoys arrive in the capital, His Majesty will surely summon them at the court assembly."

I hope that Uncle Shi will act according to the circumstances.

If the Jurchens are indeed as I say, Uncle might as well provoke the envoy with words, making him more arrogant and angering the officials in the court, and preferably even making him anger His Majesty...

But if the Jurchens truly seek peace and are willing to return the wealth and people they seized from Liaodong, and withdraw from the borders of our Great Wei, then that's a different story.

Upon hearing this, Shi Ding smiled and said, "Don't worry, my dear nephew, leave this to your uncle."

Even if it means offending everyone in the court, Uncle will definitely lend his nephew a hand!

Shi Ding secretly admired Jia Lian.

Given their status and royal blood, they still went to such lengths to achieve great things.

Putting aside Jia Lian's kindness to him, just based on Jia Lian's character alone, he had to help the other party achieve his wish.

As for Jia Lian's claim of genuinely seeking peace, he considered it nothing but a joke.

What right did those mere barbarian Jurchen tribes have to invade?
What they were after was nothing more than money, grain, and women in Liaodong.

Now you want them to vomit up what they've eaten? Only if the sun rises in the west.

……

Because Mr. and Mrs. Shi insisted on having him stay for lunch, Jia Lian ate lunch at the Shi family's house.

When he returned home, Jia Lian was preoccupied with something and did not go to the main hall, but instead went to the inner study.

Perhaps because they have just moved here, many systems and personnel arrangements have not yet been put in place.

Seeing that there wasn't even a maid to pour tea in the study, Jia Lian turned and went out. Just then, he saw Xi Ren's cousin, Liu Xinqing, walking towards him, so he called her in to make tea.

Unexpectedly, this maid was also sensible. After brewing the tea, she saw that Jia Lian was deep in thought and not paying attention to anything else, so she knelt down at Jia Lian's feet and started massaging his legs.

Jia Lian glanced down at her, not paying much attention, but simply raised one hand naturally and placed it on her small shoulder, gently stroking it to appreciate the beauty of her female body.

However, his mind was entirely focused on external affairs.

The Jurchens took the initiative to propose peace, which suited the court's desire to avoid escalating the war.

It seems that his request to fight has completely failed.

But Jia Lian was ultimately unwilling to accept this.

That's why he instructed Shi Ding to help him find an opportunity.

The Xia people had already experienced the harm caused by the Jurchen people during the Song Dynasty and paid a heavy price for it.

Furthermore, if things had progressed normally according to historical records, the Jianzhou Jurchens might have made a comeback.

Jia Lian truly did not want the Xia clan, with his prophet status, to repeat the same mistakes.

Therefore, a war with the Jurchens was inevitable. The sooner the war began, the greater the chance of victory.

Since the Jurchens must be destroyed, why can't they be destroyed by their own hand?

The previous strategy is no longer effective. If he continues to harass Emperor Ningkang frequently under the current circumstances, the emperor will surely become angry, which will not help the situation.

Just as Jia Lian was racking his brains, connecting all the people and things he might need, he suddenly heard a soft moan beside him.

He looked down and saw that the maid who had been massaging his legs was now blushing and her eyes were filled with longing as she looked at him with pleading eyes.

It turned out that, without his notice, his wicked hand had grown tired of her fragrant shoulders and neck, and had found a way to slip inside her clothes.

Jia Lian looked apologetic and quickly withdrew his hand.

However, his actions only made the young lady's maid even more resentful.

It turned out that not only was Jia Lian's mind racing, but the little girl squatting beside him massaging his legs was also filled with countless thoughts.

As a maid personally chosen by Jia Lian to serve him, she, like Xiao Hong, thought that Jia Lian had designs on them.

Therefore, when facing Jia Lian, he naturally thought more deeply.

Just moments ago, she was kneeling beside Jia Lian, massaging his legs, and could smell without restraint the unique masculine scent emanating from him.

Looking up, one can clearly see Jia Lian's face, his brows furrowed in thought, making him even more handsome and extraordinary.

Her heart started pounding, and her mind began to wander.

Given Jia Lian's naturally restless hands, she thought today might finally be the day to accomplish something truly significant. Her speaking up was also a way of reminding Jia Lian to stop provoking her and that it was time to make his move.

Seeing that Jia Lian seemed to be frightened by her, Liu Xinqing felt both resentful and happy: it seemed that the Second Master still respected them as maids and did not mean to belittle her.

But she didn't want to miss such a good opportunity.

Therefore, faced with Jia Lian's apology, she mustered her courage, looked up, and whispered, "Second Master~ If Second Master wants me to serve you like Sister Qingwen, I... Qing'er is willing~"

Before she could finish speaking, she turned her head away in embarrassment and lowered her head, her hands changing from pounding her legs to unconsciously stroking them.

When Jia Lian heard the little maid's slightly trembling voice recommending herself, he was momentarily tempted.

But then he shook his head, hooked the pretty girl's chin with his index finger, and teased, "Oh? Serving like Qingwen? What kind of serving?"

Liu Xinqing lowered her eyes and whispered, "Second Master is bad..."

"Hahaha……"

Jia Lian chuckled softly, stood up, and walked directly out of the study.

The young maid was left kneeling alone on the ground, feeling bewildered yet deeply moved, and secretly filled with melancholy.

……

Jia Lian arranged to meet Princess Zhaoyang outside the city, and judging by the time, it was about time to set off.

Therefore, after leaving the study, he went directly to the front yard.

Just as she stepped into the secluded path inside the garden gate, she bumped into a little girl even younger than Liu Xinqing amidst the artificial rocks.

Among the twelve officials, Lingguan had the best singing voice, like a nightingale in a secluded valley.

This is what Jia Lian once said to Daiyu: "If there are three categories of noble ladies, they are already the most beautiful protagonists in the world."

The twelve actresses were young performers whom the Jia family had purchased at great expense. In their childhood, each of them was a beautiful budding flower with graceful figures.

Now, after two or three years of training, although not every one of them has blossomed into a stunning beauty, they are generally more beautiful and have better figures than the head maids of the Jia family.

Especially the two or three leaders, whose looks alone could rival Ping'er's.

Ping'er was, in Jia Lian's eyes, a stunning beauty who met the standard of a perfect 90 out of 100.

Lingguan seemed quite surprised to run into Jia Lian in such a cramped space. After a slight pause, she mechanically bowed and greeted him, "Greetings, Second Master Lian."

After greeting him, she ignored Jia Lian's reaction and turned to walk past him.

Unexpectedly, he bumped right into Jia Lian.

She looked up, somewhat annoyed, and said, "What is Second Master doing?"

Jia Lian raised an eyebrow, feigning authority: "You're quite bold."

Lingguan sneered, "Then I wonder if Second Master intends to punish me?"

Jia Lian frowned.

However, she quickly felt relieved.

This girl's most distinctive trait is her three-part personality: fearlessness of authority and a lack of ambition.

Even Jia Baoyu, a living dragon, was given the cold shoulder by her, a lowly actress of the lowest birth. How much more so would he, a villain who had bullied others in the past?
So he didn't bother arguing with a little girl and instead asked, "What are you doing here?"

Seeing Jia Lian's change of expression, Lingguan was still somewhat afraid.

But because she cared about her image, her deep-seated pride made her pretend to be calm.

Jia Lian's tone became calm again, which surprised her, and his tone softened: "This servant came to find my bracelet."

I fell here last night, but it was too late, so I went back first.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian laughed and said, "If you lost something, why didn't you come looking for it this morning?"

Lingguan immediately looked guilty, but still insisted confidently, "I'm busy this morning~"

Upon seeing this, Jia Lian immediately realized that the girl either wanted to sneak into the garden to play with someone and was afraid of being scolded, so she used looking for something as an excuse.

Either she really lost something and came looking for it at this particular time, or she heard that Second Master Lian had returned to the manor...

Perhaps she didn't expect to have to go out again so soon?

Over the years, there have been quite a few young women, both at home and outside, who have wanted to be with him occasionally.

If he finds a girl he likes among these girls, he might as well give her a smile.

If he doesn't think highly of someone, he usually won't pursue the matter and will simply pretend he doesn't know anything about it.

Looking at the young girl in front of him, Jia Lian's expression gradually turned malicious.

He stared at the other person's small mouth, which was exactly like Daiyu's, and felt somewhat tempted.

Putting aside her looks, this girl's opera singing skills are undoubtedly the best among the twelve officials.

Even Jia Lian, who was used to seeing beautiful women, was amazed when he saw her heavily made-up and dressed up as various famous actors on stage, her small mouth slightly open and closed, yet a melodious voice like heavenly music flowing out...

There is nothing we can do about it.

Most people watching such a pretty young woman perform will focus their attention on her small mouth.

Jia Lian unconsciously moved closer.

Lingguan immediately retreated, and seeing that Jia Lian was about to close in again, she hurriedly shouted, "Second Master, please stop being rude!"

Although Lingguan was an actress, she was not one to be treated lightly by others.

Unless the Second Master can grant Lingguan a formal title, Lingguan would rather die than comply.

She bit her lip hard, staring intently at Jia Lian.

Faced with Lingguan's extremely serious expression, Jia Lian actually stopped in his tracks.

"Rather die than submit?"

Jia Lian muttered to himself.

This was the first time he had ever heard these words from a girl since he started wearing this mask.

It seems they really aren't bluffing...

interesting.

He suppressed his desire to kiss her, gave Lingguan a deep look, and turned to walk out of the secluded path.

……

(End of this chapter)