The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 932 The Golden Knife Contract
News of Jia Lian's return to the mansion had already spread, so when Jia Lian arrived at the main building, he saw a large crowd gathered under the "Heavenly Realm" archway.

All women.

Led by Sister Feng, a large group of maids and servants from the main building, along with many young ladies who had arrived early for the banquet, all bowed and said:
"This humble servant respectfully welcomes the Duke back to his residence in triumph."

"Welcome back in triumph, Duke."

The welcoming voices of hundreds of women, though not perfectly synchronized, created a strong sense of ceremony.

Jia Lian liked this feeling very much. He stepped forward to help Feng Jie up, ignoring all the eyes around him, and looked up at her bright and beautiful face.

He quickly said, "Why have you lost weight?"

"With so many people here, why are you getting physical?"

Sister Feng slapped Jia Lian's hand away, not daring to look at the eyes around her, and said with feigned generosity, "Go back and change your clothes quickly. The banquet has been prepared for a long time, just waiting for you to come back."

Jia Lian smiled and nodded, looked around at the people in all directions, and then personally lifted one of Feng Jie'er's arms, and together with Ping'er, helped her walk forward.

This scene was the envy of everyone.

Although Feng Jie was very grateful for Jia Lian's heartwarming gesture, being supported by Jia Lian, who was dressed in a bright golden general's armor, still made her feel a little uncomfortable.

So he pulled his hand away and whispered, "I can walk by myself..."

"Don't shake it. Watch out for the children."

Jia Lian ignored Feng Jie'er's resistance and forcefully grabbed her arm.

She gave Ping'er a look, and the two of them worked together to practically carry Feng Jie away.

"Hehehe, Brother Lian is so considerate to Sister-in-law Lian."

"It's just..."

Hearing the snickers of the younger sisters-in-law around her, Sister Feng could only smile helplessly and then followed the two men toward the main hall.

"Ping'er, you stay here and take care of the girls. Qingwen and Xiangling, come back and help your Second Master remove his armor."

Ping'er was left in the main hall to greet the guests, while Feng Jie led her maids and Jia Lian from the back hall into Jiaying Hall.

As the main hall's former residence, Jiaying Hall was naturally chosen by Jia Lian and Feng Jie as their sleeping quarters.

As soon as she crossed the platform and entered the bedroom, Sister Feng stopped putting on airs.

She grabbed Jia Lian's arm, and while asking Qingwen and the others to fetch Jia Lian's everyday clothes, she stared intently at Jia Lian.

Jia Lian laughed and said, "What, you want to eat me now?"

"Pah, you're so irresponsible."

Sister Feng was a little embarrassed, but still revealed her true feelings: "You really look like a great general in this outfit!"

"That's natural, because I was originally a great general."

Sister Feng curled her lips and laughed, "Don't think I don't know, there are no great generals in this dynasty."

Your title of General Who Conquers Liaodong was only bestowed on you during the campaign; now that you've returned and reported back to the imperial decree, it naturally disappears.

Jia Lian praised, "I didn't realize you'd improved so much; you even know this."

"That is."

The couple chatted and laughed as they sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

Jia Lian reached out and touched Feng Jie's already swollen belly, then naturally squatted down and leaned his head close to hers.

Sister Feng immediately broke into a happy smile.

"Don't get too close. Your armor is so cold. Don't let it chill the child."

"Don't worry, I'm not taking off your clothes right now, so he won't get cold."

Sister Feng rolled her eyes in annoyance.

What do you mean by not taking off her clothes now? We haven't seen each other for half a year, and you're still the same heartless person, talking nonsense.

Just as she had a thousand words she wanted to say to Jia Lian, the maids came up to help Jia Lian undress.

She then wanted to personally remove Jia Lian's armor, but Jia Lian refused.

So she could only sit on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), watching the maids remove Jia Lian's armor one by one, revealing Jia Lian's increasingly robust body, while asking Jia Lian if his journey had gone smoothly and if he had encountered any danger.

Jia Lian glossed over these questions with jokes and did not give Feng Jie and the others a detailed description of what the battlefield looked like.

Instead, they used the conversation as a pretext to ask about family matters.

When it comes to family matters, Sister Feng can talk on and on.

Her little mouth chattered on and on, as if she wanted to tell Jia Lian all the family matters clearly and thoroughly.

Her lips, painted with bright rouge, opened and closed incessantly, captivating Jia Lian's heart.

Unfortunately, before Jia Lian could dismiss the maids and have a brief moment of intimacy with his wife, Ping'er sent her maid Caihua (one of the four young girls selected at the same time as Huixiang, Tanyun, and Hongling) to report that Grandmother Jia, Jia Zheng, and others had arrived.

So, Jia Lian, having changed into his everyday clothes, took Feng Jie with him and returned to the main hall.

Since it is the dead of winter, it is not appropriate to hold a banquet in the square outside.

Fortunately, the main hall is spacious enough that after removing the various screens and partitions, there is more than enough room to set up a dozen tables.

The reason for using a round table instead of a more formal side table was actually something that Sister Feng had considered.

Because Grandmother Jia is coming.

Over the past ten years, the Jia family had established a rule that no matter the scale or form of the banquet, Grandmother Jia would always sit at the head of the table.

However, Jia Lian's status and position are already so prestigious, and the key point is that he is not even a legitimate descendant of Grandmother Jia.

Of course, Jia Lian didn't care about this at all; he always treated Grandmother Jia with respect.

But today is a welcome banquet for Jia Lian's triumphant return, and Feng Jie is unwilling to wrong her man.

Therefore, it was specially changed to a table-style seating arrangement.

In this way, there would be no need to distinguish between Grandmother Jia and Jia Lian as master and servant, and they could be seated at separate tables for men and women, each on one side.

Since there were very few men left in the two mansions, they simply stopped using separate seating arrangements.

Four tables were set up inside the main hall.

There were three tables for the women and one table for the men.

When Jia Lian came out and saw Grandmother Jia and the others, he quickly smiled and said, "I should have gone to pay my respects to Grandmother and Grandfather and Madam as soon as possible, but I was delayed by many things in the palace and just got back, so I was unable to go immediately."

"I never expected that our ancestor would come to the banquet at my place first; this makes me truly uneasy."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, the people who were already looking at Jia Lian's family with admiration in their eyes became even more impressed.

Even though Master Lian is so powerful now, he is still so polite and filial. His magnanimity and character are truly unmatched by anyone else.

Of course, a few people also know that Jia Lian actually went to Xiaoxiang Pavilion as soon as he returned.

But at this point, even the most clueless person wouldn't dare to expose Jia Lian's excuse.

Grandmother Jia quickly helped Jia Lian up, looked at him with her old eyes, and sighed from the bottom of her heart, "Good, good indeed. He is becoming more and more promising and outstanding."

"Having you in our family is a blessing from our ancestors, and a great fortune for all of us, young and old."

Grandmother Jia's words were straightforward, but even the usually conservative and old-fashioned Jia Zheng nodded repeatedly in agreement.

He has already taken up his post in the Ministry of Rites, and during this time, he has heard news of Jia Lian's great victory over the Jurchens in Liaodong from everyone he meets.

He went from initial shock to doubt, back to shock, and finally to a sense of pride.

What do some people say again?

A figure like the Duke of Rongguo is one in a hundred years. How fortunate it is to live in the same era as him.

Hehe, that person who is highly respected by the world and has the potential to be deified not only lived in the same era as him, but also lived under the same roof!

Not only did they live under the same roof, but he had also watched them grow up and had been called their second uncle and master for twenty years.

Even now, the other party still treats him with great respect.

Those who knew the details of this relationship naturally envied him greatly, believing that Jia Cunzhou must have accumulated great virtue in his previous life to have been blessed by the heavens.

Even those unaware of these relationships only need to reveal a little bit to garner countless exclamations and admiration.

Therefore, during this period, he took advantage of Jia Lian's influence to become one of the most influential figures in the court and among the people, and his vanity was completely filled.

Now he's satisfied with everything about Jia Lian.

It's no exaggeration to say that even if Jia Lian were to kick him and his wife out right now, he would do so willingly without uttering a word.

But Jia Lian obviously wouldn't do that; he's not that kind of person.

Thinking of this, Jia Zheng couldn't help but recall the suggestion that Lady Wang had made to him not long ago.

Although Daiyu was his niece, there was still a distance between them.

If Lian'er really likes her, why not give the third girl to him in marriage?

Anyway, Tan'er is also born out of wedlock, so it's not unfair to her to become Lian'er's concubine.

He has two daughters.

The eldest daughter, born of the principal wife, married the emperor and is now a concubine.

If his illegitimate youngest daughter were to marry Jia Lian, the greatest hero of the time... Just thinking about it made Jia Zheng feel a little arrogant.

After exchanging pleasantries, everyone returned to their seats.

Jia Lian originally wanted to exchange pleasantries with Jia Zheng, but Jia Zheng didn't give him a chance to be polite at all. He pulled him and made him sit in the due north position, and then sat down next to him with a smug look on his face.

Jia Lian apologized and then looked at the group of brothers and nephews who were sitting down in a scattered manner.

It was still those familiar faces.

Jia Baoyu, Jia Cong, Jia Huan, Jia Lan, and Jia Yun.

The male population is dwindling.

When he leaves in the future, he will take Jia Cong and Jia Yun with him, and then these two mansions will truly be left with only a few big cats and small cats.

Some might ask, since Jia Yun isn't a proper member of the Jia family, why does he follow Jia Lian?

Ha, Jia Yun suddenly had a crazy idea: he insisted on recognizing Jia Lian as his godfather.

Now the boy no longer calls him Second Uncle, but calls him Father.

Jia Lian originally did not want to acknowledge this godson who was only four or five years younger than him.

However, this kid is indeed clever and sensible. He's sly in small matters but principled and loyal in important ones.

Secondly, we've gotten used to him over the years, and we entrust him with many things at home, which he handles very well.

That's why I agreed.

"Second brother, let us also raise a toast to you. Congratulations on your great victory on the battlefield and your triumphant return home."

The three sisters, along with Xiuyan, Baoqin, and others, lined up to toast Jia Lian.

Each young lady held a small wine glass with an air of elegance, and when it was their turn, they would offer words of congratulations, whether generously or shyly, which made Jia Lian very happy to drink several cups with them.

His delight naturally made the young ladies even happier and more overjoyed.

If it weren't for the presence of elders like Jia Zheng, they would have surrounded them long ago, bombarding them with questions.

Seeing that his sisters only had eyes for Jia Lian, their "Second Brother Lian," and completely forgot about him, their "Second Brother Bao," Jia Baoyu felt very resentful.

Watching Jia Lian's large hands take the wine cups from the sisters' small hands one by one, occasionally touching their small hands, he couldn't help but think to himself.

Although Lian Ergege's hands are long and slender and quite beautiful, they must have been stained with blood on the battlefield long ago.

Now, he is using these blood-stained hands to touch the pure and innocent hands of his sisters, which is nothing short of a desecration and a poison.

Just as Jia Lian saw Tan Chun and the other maids off, he turned around and noticed that Jia Baoyu looked a little off, so he asked with a smile:
"Brother Bao, is your butt injury healed yet? If not, remember to drink less alcohol."

"Yes, it's all healed now. I've remembered your teachings, Brother Lian."

Jia Baoyu had not expected to respond to Jia Lian's concern in such a humble and ingratiating manner.

But no sooner had Jia Lian finished speaking than Jia Zheng's gloomy gaze descended upon him.

In his panic, he had no choice but to quickly beg for mercy.

Jia Lian nodded and turned back to continue chatting with Jia Zheng.

Without entertainment, the atmosphere of drinking cannot last.

Knowing that Grandmother Jia was present, the younger generation couldn't relax even when there were entertainment programs available.

After eating and drinking for a while, they got up to say goodbye.

She also specifically instructed the maids and servants not to disturb Sister Feng.

Sister Feng is pregnant and cannot drink alcohol, so Grandmother Jia had already sent her home to rest.

After Grandmother Jia left, Lady Wang, Jia Zheng, and others also took their leave one after another.

This is where the advantage of having a godson comes in.

Without Jia Lian even having to tell him, Jia Yun took the initiative to act as the doorman who saw guests off.

Soon only the sisters who originally lived in the garden remained in the palace.

Baochai and Li Wan were also going to take their leave, because they both felt that Jia Lian had just returned and definitely needed to rest early.

But Jia Lian asked them to sit down a little longer.

The sisters didn't think much of it, assuming that Jia Lian was in good spirits and that they should stay and keep him company.

Unexpectedly, not long after, Jia Lian's two female guards, along with more than a dozen servants and young men, brought in a lot of things.

The sisters' eyes lit up immediately when they saw it, and they all knew that it was their generous and thoughtful second brother Lian who was going to give them small gifts again.

No child dislikes this part.

In the sleeping hall.

Although Sister Feng followed the kind advice of Grandmother Jia and others to go back to her room to rest, she was actually keeping an eye on the situation ahead.

"The old lady, the master, and the mistress have all left?"

"Ah."

Where are the girls?

"The girls were originally going to say goodbye, but the Second Master kept them all."

Upon hearing this, Sister Feng became curious and immediately sent someone to check ahead.

"Second Madam, we've found out. It turns out that Second Master prepared a lot of gifts for the girls and asked them to stay and choose."

Sister Feng smiled and said, "He still cares about the girls in the family as always, and he never forgets to bring them back gifts every time he goes out."

No wonder all the girls in the house, young and old, love to cling to him.

As Sister Feng spoke, her eyes flickered.

It's impossible not to feel a little bit jealous.

However, after so many years and so many things, she had long since gotten used to it and understood that being jealous was pointless except for making herself feel bad.

But soon Sister Feng became happy.

Qingwen came running in excitedly, carrying a rectangular box in her hands.

"Second Madam, this is a gift from Second Master. He asked me to bring it to you."

"Oh? What gift? Why didn't he give me one before?"

Sister Feng completely forgot her earlier disdain, and made no attempt to hide the surprise in her eyes.

Qingwen smiled and said, "Second Madam, you'll know once you open it and take a look."

As he spoke, he handed the box to Sister Feng.

At this moment, Sister Feng was too lazy to argue with Qingwen. She opened the box, and the bright golden light immediately made her squint.

Her first reaction was surprise.

Those heartless people really understand her; they know she just likes these bright yellow things.

My second reaction was that I was a little annoyed.

That jerk really underestimated her, thinking she was obsessed with money.

Every time I give her something, it's gold; it's so unoriginal...

He only saw what was inside the box at the very end, and immediately frowned.

"This is?"

She picked up the heavy object from the box and finally confirmed that it was a short knife.

He set the box aside, grabbed the hilt of the knife and pulled it out, revealing a sharp blade that gleamed coldly inside.

A series of question marks flashed through Feng Jie's mind, and she couldn't help but look at Qing Wen, who was filled with envy: "Is this really a gift from your second master? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

"No mistake. It was specially given to you by Second Master."

Isn't it beautiful?

There are only three in total.

Besides the Second Madam, only Miss Lin and Miss Bao received it.

The other girls only received trinkets and small animals; they didn't get the golden knife.

Feng Jie, who had not yet realized the importance of the golden knife, immediately realized its unusual meaning after hearing that there were only three and that they were given to her, Daiyu, and Baochai respectively.

So he carefully examined the short blade in his hand.

It's called a golden knife, but actually only the handle and scabbard are made of gold.

The blade was clearly made of refined steel and looked extremely sharp.

Near the hilt, the blade is engraved with the character "凤" (phoenix), clearly indicating that it was specially crafted and is unique.

So Sister Feng couldn't help but scoff: "What? Who gives a woman a gift like a knife? Only your Second Master would do something like that."

Although her words were disdainful, Sister Feng's actions of sheathing the knife and holding it tightly in her arms showed that she really liked the gift.

(End of this chapter)