The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 927 Water-Soluble Quirks
A farewell bonfire dinner lasted until late into the night.

As the Grand General of the Three Armies, Jia Lian was toasted countless times.

Therefore, even after waking up, Jia Lian still felt dizzy and lightheaded.

He moved his hand and touched a smooth and delicate skin. Jia Lian was not surprised and assumed it was Aqin and the others.

So he wrapped his arm around her, pressed her delicate body close to his, and casually grabbed her.

With a soft moan, a woman's exquisitely sweet voice rang out: "General, be gentle..."

Jia Lian frowned almost imperceptibly, then opened his eyes.

What comes into view is naturally a field of snow-white and delicate skin.

She was definitely a stunning beauty, with a slender and delicate figure that surpassed even that of the Aqin sisters.

But Jia Lian immediately sat up and said in a deep voice, "Why are you here?"

It turned out that this beauty was none other than the one who had poured him wine all night, Shui Rong's beloved concubine, Green Ivy.

Jia Lian rubbed his head, unable to recall what had happened before going to bed last night.

Green Ivy looked at Jia Lian, who had turned his back, with a slightly uneasy expression.

But she still replied in the gentlest and most charming voice, "General, you forgot? Last night you were drunk, and it was Green Ivy and another lady who helped you wash up and go to bed..."

As Green Ivy spoke, she also tried to sit up.

Suddenly feeling a sharp pain in her groin, she quickly covered it with her hand, her brows furrowed as she looked at Jia Lian's broad back, her eyes already filled with tender longing.

"Originally, I was about to leave after serving the general, but the general suddenly carried me to the bed and favored me."

Green Ivy spoke with a shy expression.

But what he didn't know was that Jia Lian, who had his back to her, was frowning deeply.

"Does the Prince know you've come here?"

Although Jia Lian was not afraid of water, it seemed that he had indeed slept with someone else's concubine, and he was in the wrong first.

If this is what water-soluble means, then so be it.

He was afraid that the woman might be lusting after him, which could cause some trouble.

Upon hearing this, Green Ivy knew what Jia Lian was thinking. She slipped her slender, boneless hands under Jia Lian's armpits, wrapped them around his waist, pressed her face against his back, and whispered, "General, there's no need to worry."

This matter... was actually agreed to by the prince.

The prince said that the general had traveled a long way to rescue him from his predicament, and the prince had no way to repay him.

Therefore, he ordered me to serve the general last night, and also said that if the general needs anything, I must not disobey.

Otherwise, how dare I step onto the general's bed?

Jia Lian thought about it and realized that what the other party said was indeed reasonable.

So he pried open the beauty's arms that were wrapped around him, sat down on the edge of the bed, and said, "Your Highness is overthinking this."

This general is here on the Emperor's orders to conquer the Jurchens; this is a matter of national importance, not just for the sake of the prince alone.

The prince has no reason to ask you to express your gratitude.

"Alright, that's all for now. You may return."

Because Jia Lian deliberately spoke coldly, Green Luo couldn't help but worry. She quickly got off the bed, knelt in front of Jia Lian, and asked cautiously, "Is the General angry? Is it because I am not satisfied with my service?"

Looking at the naked, slender, and delicate beauty with a small, oval face before him, he saw her in such a humble manner.

Jia Lian sighed, reached out and lifted her small face to examine her carefully.

She was indeed a stunning beauty, especially considering how she danced in the snow last night, so light and graceful. I'm afraid that among all the beauties in my Tianxiang Pavilion, only Shen Pan'er could compare to her.

Green Ivy was initially a little worried. Although she had heard of Jia Lian's reputation before, last night was the first time she had met him.

She didn't know Jia Lian's habits and preferences. What if he didn't like her?
But at that moment, she knelt carefully in front of Jia Lian, taking in all of Jia Lian's reactions.

Jia Lian was slightly taken aback.

He had been considering whether to re-verify it.

After all, this pretty girl kept saying that he had violated her last night, but he himself didn't have much of an impression of it.

But reason told him that this was Shui-Cheng's woman, and clearly the one who was quite favored, and he shouldn't get too involved.

The other party's provocative actions immediately dispelled all of Jia Lian's concerns.

He released her, revealing a cold, stern face that said, "You got what you wanted," before pressing her head down.

……

Half an hour later, Jia Lian stood by the ship's railing, watching the small sampan with a cabin leave the Zhenyuan and head towards the warship he had assigned to Shui Rong.

A girl of about thirteen or fourteen, with a pretty face and dressed neither like a Han Chinese nor a Jurchen, walked out of the cabin carrying a teacup.

Ah Qin stepped forward, took the teacup from her hand, and presented it to Jia Lian, saying with a smile, "Since you were so reluctant to part with her, why didn't you keep her here just now?"

Jia Lian turned around, took a sip of tea, and instead of answering the question, looked at the timid Korean girl beside him.

This was sent to him by the King of Joseon. Although she wasn't a stunning beauty, she was still quite attractive.

Jia Lian didn't know if there were no beauties in Korea, or if the Korean king thought he wasn't worth the price and was unwilling to give him away.

However, since the war was over and the Korean girl seemed quite adorable, she stayed on the ship as a maid.

Aqin didn't care that Jia Lian didn't answer.

In fact, even now she is still a little puzzled, not expecting that Prince Shui would be so generous to her master.

Last night, Jia Lian didn't notice, but she knew very well that the woman had come aboard to serve Jia Lian on Shui Rong's instructions.

If it were any other woman, Ah-Qin and her sister would not have let her up to the rooftop so easily.

However, that Green Ivy girl was not only talented, but also incredibly beautiful and graceful, which even the women admired.

In addition, whether Jia Lian was pretending to be drunk or not, he clearly preferred the Green Ivy maidservant to serve him until bedtime, so they naturally couldn't send her away.

However, for Jia Lian's safety, the sisters took turns keeping watch all night, as was their custom.

...As for the Green Ivy girl, by the time she quietly returned to her own boat, Shui Rong had already sobered up.

Upon seeing her, he immediately dismissed those around him, grabbed her hand, and asked, "So, did he touch you last night?"

Even though she knew this was what Shui Rong wanted, Green Ivy still couldn't help feeling ashamed.

After hesitating for a while, he nodded slightly and gave a soft "hmm".

Shui Rong immediately smiled broadly, pulled the beauty into his arms, and praised, "I knew it. No man in this world can resist the charm of my Luo'er, not even him."

Green Ivy objected, saying, "Your Highness is truly wicked, actually letting someone seduce another man."

Does Your Highness no longer like the pothos?

"No, no, how could I not like my Luo'er?"
But don't try to fool me. I know you too well. If you didn't want to, would you obediently listen to me?

"Oh dear, they're not having it! The prince is bullying them!"

"Hahaha……"

Seeing Shui Rong's hearty and wicked laughter, Green Ivy pretended to punch him in the chest a few times.

To be honest, she was surprised herself, never expecting Shui Rong to think so highly of Jia Lian.

Shui Rong, as he himself said, is not one to nitpick or be jealous.

But he is a man after all, how could he not have possessiveness?
If it were any other woman, it wouldn't matter. But for someone of her looks, like the woman who danced with her last night, Shui Rong occasionally encountered a "great and virtuous scholar" who suited her taste, and it wasn't uncommon for her to have maids or concubines from the royal palace accompany her.

But there are very few people like her who are so favored by water-soluble plants.

Not to boast, but even the princess in the royal palace did not receive as much favor as she did.

Of course, she knew she could never compare to the princess. As youth faded, favor would naturally diminish.

But at least for now, she's riding high, right?

After all, even Shui Rong would find it difficult to encounter a beauty like her.

Therefore, she loved Shui Rong very much because this noble man gave her everything she wanted.

So when Shui Rong first asked her to "thank" Jia Lian, she certainly didn't fall for it.

She thought Shui Rong was testing her.

However, Shui Rong's request was very sincere, and his reasons were all so legitimate: to repay Jia Lian for saving their lives.

Who in the capital doesn't know Jia Lian's name?

Not to mention others, even Shui Rong often talked about Jia Lian's many extraordinary qualities in front of them.

Unfortunately, Jia Lian visited the Prince of Beijing's residence very infrequently, so most of the beauties in the residence had long heard of Jia Lian's name but had never seen him in person.

She was very smart; even last night, she was still unsure whether Shui Rong truly wanted her to accompany Jia Lian.

So while she was pouring wine for the two of them, she was carefully observing them.

It wasn't until she saw her prince looking at Jia Lian with an unprecedented gaze, like a devoted fan looking at a great hero, that she suddenly understood.

Although the prince himself was not as fond of homosexuality as the rumors suggested, he did indeed show great favor to those handsome young men who followed in his footsteps.

For example, the prince often invited people like Jiang Yuhan and Jia Baoyu to his residence for gatherings.

As for whether they did such a thing, Green Ivy had no idea.

However, their relationship is definitely ambiguous.

Jia Lian was not only a renowned handsome man, but his elegant demeanor was unmatched by any other man in the world.

The prince probably also harbors feelings for Jia Lian, but because the other party's status is not much lower than his, he dares not be presumptuous.

So they took a different approach and had her serve Jia Lian once, so that the two of them could be considered to have established a connection.
After having this guess, Green Ivy dared to snuggle up to Jia Lian. She found that Shui Rong was not angry at all, but instead looked at her encouragingly, which finally put her at ease.

After Jia Lian got drunk and was helped onto the boat by his personal guards, the guards took the initiative to come up and serve Jia Lian as he washed, bathed, and went to bed.

In order to complete the mission smoothly, she sweetly called Aqi and her sister "sister" repeatedly, making it difficult for the two girls to lash out at her.

Sure enough, after a while of playful fighting, Shui Rong hugged her and whispered in her ear, "Now that you've succeeded... I wonder... how good is the General in that area?"

"Oh dear, Your Highness is so wicked, she's ignoring you now."

The green ivy stood up, as if to leave.

But Shui Rong wouldn't let her have her way. She grabbed her and brought her back, demanding, "You little hussy, still putting on airs in front of me."

Countless women in this world yearn for a night with him but cannot have it. Now I have granted your wish; shouldn't you reciprocate?"

Green Ivy thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll tell you, Your Highness, but you can't be angry."

"Don't worry, you know my temperament perfectly well."

Having received the promise, Green Ivy leaned close to Water Melon's ear and whispered in his sweet breath, "He... is very strong..."

Shui Rong's face immediately showed an expression of surprise mixed with not being surprised.

He nodded and said, "I knew it. A man like him is better than others in every way."

Rumor has it that he has many beautiful and talented women in his life, but they have never been seen.

Shui Rong had investigated Jia Lian, so he naturally knew about the women Jia Lian liked the most.

Unfortunately, although he had never tested Jia Lian, he could tell that Jia Lian was probably not as generous as him and would definitely not share.

With a sigh, seeing that the beauty in his arms had been trained to speak her mind freely, he stopped beating around the bush and asked in a low voice:
"Then, in Luo'er's opinion, if I were to invite him to my residence to admire the beauties together, would he be willing?"

Upon hearing this, Green Ivy blushed deeply.

She understood perfectly well what it meant to "enjoy beauty together".

Moreover, judging from the seriousness with which Shui Rong asked the question, the beauty being admired is probably her.

Her heart pounded for a moment, she thought carefully, then, meeting Shui Rong's earnest gaze, she shook her head and said:
"I'm afraid that won't work; he seems like a respectable person."

"Yeah."

Water solubility is not unexpected, but it's still a bit of a shame.

(End of this chapter)