The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Just as Jia Lian and Miao Yu were playing the zither under the plum blossoms, deeply in love, Hu Yuanyao sent an old woman from the second gate to invite him.

Seeing that Miaoyu was somewhat reluctant to leave, Jia Lian could only soothe her by stroking her pretty face and saying with a smile, "Alright, I have something to do and need to go out for a while."

I'll come see you again when I get back.

Having received this promise, Miaoyu gave a soft "hmm".

When Jia Lian arrived at the outer courtyard and got into the carriage with Hu Yuanyao, he found that the carriage was not heading towards the imperial city, but rather seemed to be heading out of the city.

Meeting Jia Lian's gaze, Hu Yuanyao obediently handed over a note.

The inscription reads in delicate small characters: See you at Huangzhuang in the northern suburbs.

Jia Lian recognized the handwriting as Princess Zhaoyang's. With a smile, he put his arm around the slender waist of the beauty beside him and slapped her round, firm buttocks.

Hu Yuanyao knew perfectly well that this was a warning her master was deliberately concealing from her, so after a soft moan, she explained in a low voice:
"The princess had already told me that if the master wanted to go there, he needed to send someone to inform her in advance so that she could make arrangements."

Now that the princess has arranged to meet the prince outside the city, in my opinion, it is also to avoid attracting attention.

After all, the master just returned to his residence yesterday, and I'm going to take a carriage back to the princess's residence today; it might lead to speculation.

Jia Lian nodded, agreeing with Hu Yuanyao's statement.

As a senior member of the Princess's residence and with the Princess's special permission, Hu Yuanyao was naturally allowed to return to the Princess's residence at any time.

She could even enter the capital without the escort of guards, with just a carriage and a driver, in order to avoid attracting attention.

However, with Jia Lian in the car, it was clearly impossible to do so.

With at least a dozen bodyguards accompanying Jia Lian on his travels, it would be impossible to maintain complete secrecy.

Of course, Jia Lian could also choose not to have his personal guards accompany him in order to avoid attracting attention.

He could do it at first because no one would expect him to be hiding in Hu Yuanyao's car.

But as the saying goes, there are no secrets that stay hidden forever. There's always someone who might have caught up in his secret and habit and use it to plot against him.

Although given the current situation, it's unlikely that anyone would be foolish enough to attack him at this critical juncture, Jia Lian never entrusts his safety to the assumption that his enemies won't act foolishly.

Moreover, even if they didn't plot against him, they guessed his whereabouts and leaked the matter to Emperor Ningkang.

It would be quite embarrassing if Emperor Ningkang sent people to ambush them inside the carriage on their way to the princess's residence.

So it was a good idea for Princess Zhaoyang to arrange to meet him outside the city.

It would probably be better if things stayed this way from now on. After all, the Princess's residence was under Emperor Ningkang's nose, so going there was a bit too much of a risk.

……

Princess Zhaoyang's imperial estate in the northern suburbs was bestowed by the Empress Dowager and is an excellent place for leisure.

It was only about thirty miles away from Jia Lian's "Qinglian Horse Ranch".

Qinglian Horse Ranch was the first horse ranch that Jia Lian built, and it was also the place where he had previously brought beauties to play and enjoy the spring scenery.

The name Qinglian was given by Princess Zhaoyang.

The implications are self-evident.

Inside the imperial palace, Princess Zhaoyang was enjoying a relaxing soak in the hot springs, sipping fine wine and receiving massages from beautiful women.

Upon hearing of Hu Yuanyao's arrival, she immediately put down her wine cup and stood up from the hot spring pool.

Warm spring water cascaded down her tall, graceful body, creating wisps of white mist.

Two maids who were already prepared rushed forward and quickly dried her off with a large bath towel.

Four more maids followed closely behind and draped the enormous phoenix robe, which they had unfolded together, over her body.

The so-called phoenix robe is just a type of robe embroidered with colorful phoenixes for women in the palace, which is naturally different from the phoenix robe worn by the empress on formal occasions.

Even so, the red and yellow, luxuriously styled, and exquisitely embroidered long robe draped over Princess Zhaoyang's tall figure, trailing its long phoenix tail gracefully, still made the princess, who had just emerged from her bath, appear noble and majestic.

Princess Zhaoyang walked to a mirror, glanced at her current appearance and expression, and revealed a hint of confidence.

After thinking for a moment, she raised her hand and took the hairpin off her head.

Her long, black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall.

Princess Zhaoyang tossed her head slightly, and seeing her smooth, flowing hair like black waves, she was finally satisfied and turned to leave the hot spring room.

The maids on either side looked somewhat surprised.

Although it was Princess Zhaoyang's idea, they still couldn't help but have doubts.

In this freezing winter, won't Your Highness be cold wearing only a phoenix robe?
However, it must be said that Her Highness looks absolutely stunning dressed like this.

Especially since there is no inner lining to cover it, the exposed shoulders and collarbones, combined with the luxurious and elegant phoenix robe, are truly noble yet alluring.

I'm afraid that if Duke Rong saw a princess like this, he would be stunned.

With these thoughts in mind, the maids hurriedly followed Princess Zhaoyang toward the bedchamber, eager to see Jia Lian's reaction as soon as possible.

Just then, Jia Lian alighted from his carriage and, led by the maids, arrived at Princess Zhaoyang's bedroom.

At this moment, the bedchamber was already warm and cozy thanks to the use of high-quality smokeless charcoal.

The maids were very sensible; seeing Jia Lian unbutton his clothes, they immediately stepped forward and worked together to help him take off his outer garment.

Just as Jia Lian turned around, he saw Princess Zhaoyang, dressed in a phoenix robe and exuding elegance, walk in.

Just as the maids had predicted, Jia Lian noticed it immediately.

Princess Zhaoyang had been intentionally trying to show off her charm. Seeing Jia Lian's appearance, she was secretly pleased, but on the surface, she smiled and asked calmly, "Haven't seen you for half a year. Why have you become so dull? Why are you staring at me like that?"

She walked to the phoenix couch next to Jia Lian and sat down, supporting herself slightly with her hands, raising one leg and gently placing it on the other leg.

The raised leg immediately lifted the front of the phoenix robe, revealing the crystal boots on her feet, as well as her fair ankles and a small section of her calf.

Her bright eyes gazed at Jia Lian with a smile, seemingly unaware that the feminine charm she was displaying was enough to turn any man in the world into a wolf.

Jia Lian admitted that even though he had seen all kinds of beauties, he was still tempted at this moment.

This is a high-end feminine charm that is revealed through the ultimate in nobility and majesty, combined with grand and luxurious clothing, and by only revealing a hint of spring.

Most women really can't imitate that.

Jia Lian smiled and sat down next to Princess Zhaoyang, scrutinizing her closely.

Princess Zhaoyang finally felt embarrassed. She unconsciously stopped her flaunting gestures and pulled her phoenix robe collar tighter, saying shyly, "Don't stare at me like that, it's so embarrassing..."

"Hehehehe..."

Jia Lian burst into laughter, then suddenly made his move, pinning the beauty to the couch and kissing her head-on.

"Don't."

Princess Zhaoyang was caught off guard by Jia Lian's sudden appearance and was momentarily at a loss.

Seeing that she was not behaving herself, Jia Lian immediately grabbed the beauty's hands and pressed them above her head.

As for the remaining maids in the bedchamber, Jia Lian paid them no heed.

Since Princess Zhaoyang dared to let them serve her here, it means they are her confidantes.

Moreover, he had handled many of them before.

As expected, the maids reacted differently when they saw Jia Lian suddenly bullying their princess.

A few were stunned, and some even wanted to step forward to rescue their master.

They all thought that their princess had stopped having intimate relations with Jia Lian ever since she learned about their sibling relationship.

Otherwise, why did Her Highness go to such lengths to have them seduce Jia Lian at the Princess's residence last time?
They were unaware that Jia Lian had already forced himself on their princess in the inner palace. They only believed that it was the courtesan Liu Rushi who had served her that time.

As for why the princess also stayed in the inner palace, that's easy to explain.

The princess was definitely observing or peeking from the sidelines...

As Princess Zhaoyang's closest maids, they knew a little about their mistress's hobbies.

After all, before Rong Gong's true identity was revealed, the princess and Rong Gong were quite affectionate.

Occasionally, when he was in a good mood, he would even allow those around him to serve Jia Lian.

According to these lucky sisters, the princess enjoyed watching them being bullied by Rong Gong, and would even join him in bullying them.

This makes some girls who want to be favored hesitate.

I originally thought those were all old precedents.

Since the Iron Net Mountain incident, the princess and Duke Rong had become noticeably distant; at most, they were seen embracing each other, but no longer displaying any affection. Unexpectedly, their former glory has reappeared today.

As for the maids who already knew the whole story, they all lowered their heads, glancing upwards from time to time, looking as if they wanted to see but dared not.

As for Princess Zhaoyang, she was never able to bring herself to sever her ties with Jia Lian.

After receiving the same reply from Jia Lian, who also refused to let her go, she had no choice but to decide that from then on, she would only communicate with Jia Lian on a spiritual level.

But that undoubtedly caused her some pain.

Therefore, after being forced by Jia Lian once, she came to terms with it.

She was an unconventional woman by nature, not easily bound by worldly conventions.

She researched countless sources and pondered for an unknown amount of time before finally concluding that as long as she and Jia Lian disregarded societal opinions, then societal norms would have no impact on them.

The only one who could suppress them by force was her father, the emperor.

However, she had already tested her father, the Emperor Ningkang, and it seemed that the Emperor was also helpless about this.

I believe that as long as they restrain themselves and don't make a big fuss, Emperor Ningkang will turn a blind eye.

In any case, their romantic affair was already well-known throughout the land, and the royal family had already lost all face the moment Jia Lian's true identity was revealed.

The only unavoidable issue is the problem of bloodline and offspring.

She had verified this information from the documents and also sought confirmation from experienced elders.

Although she felt a little regretful, she thought that as long as she could be with Jia Lian, it wouldn't matter if she didn't have children.

Anyway, Erlang has so many women, so it doesn't matter who has a child with him and raises it under his own name.

This way, one doesn't have to endure the pain of childbirth.

Having figured out all these key points, that's why she no longer rejected Jia Lian.

Jia Lian, of course, had no idea that Princess Zhaoyang was under so much pressure in order to continue being with him.

Of course, even if he knew, there was nothing he could do.

The inside stories that Granny Lai revealed before her death were of paramount importance.

Even though he trusted Princess Zhaoyang completely, he couldn't tell her.

There's no need for that; it only increases the risk.

Noticing that Princess Zhaoyang was no longer resisting, Jia Lian, whose desires had already been aroused by her, was naturally not satisfied.

Not only did he easily lift Princess Zhaoyang's already loose phoenix robe, but one of his large hands also struck directly at her heart like a surprise attack.

However, this move of his ultimately aroused Princess Zhaoyang's vigilance.

She grabbed Jia Lian's large hand, pushed away his attempt to kiss her, and whispered quickly, "No, Erlang, I'm on my period..."

"That one? Which one?"

Jia Lian raised his head slightly, looking at her with a puzzled expression.

It wasn't that Jia Lian was slow to react, but rather that Princess Zhaoyang's attitude upon meeting him today was so courtship that it was hard for him to feel that coming for sex was reasonable.

Princess Zhaoyang found Jia Lian's expression amusing, so she tilted her head back and kissed him on the cheek, laughing, "Silly Erlang, who else could it be?"

"My period has started..."

Jia Lian was stunned. He stared at her blankly for two seconds before turning over and sitting back down.

Taking the opportunity, Princess Zhaoyang gathered her phoenix robe, stood up, leaned on Jia Lian's shoulder, tilted her head, and asked with a smile, "Are you angry?"

"No."

How could Jia Lian not be angry?
If it's inconvenient for you, why don't we just have a nice date? I'm not the kind of person who'd immediately take a taxi home if you can't handle iced drinks.

But why are you so tempting right from the start?

You should know that in order to save my energy to deal with you, I didn't even touch the beautiful Miaoyu. Instead, I dragged her to play the zither under the peach blossom tree.

And this is what you give me?

However, Jia Lian was unaware that Princess Zhaoyang was actually deceiving him.

Firstly, it was to tease him, and secondly, she wasn't ready to be favored by Jia Lian in front of the maids.

I used to not care, that was just being carefree and unrestrained.

But now, because of the special relationship between the two, it's already enough to stir up people's emotions.

If it happened in front of all the maids, it would be too much of a shock.

It's hard to guarantee that these maids won't secretly cricket at it.

Therefore, in a moment of panic, he told a little lie.

Unexpectedly, Jia Lian believed it immediately.

Based on his past personality, shouldn't he have first expressed doubt and then laughed, "I don't believe it unless I check it myself"?

She smiled inwardly, and seeing Jia Lian's sullen expression, Princess Zhaoyang showed a doting look on her face.

Suddenly, an idea came to him, and he smiled and said to the maids in the hall, "Come here, all of you."

"Yes."

Upon receiving Princess Zhaoyang's order, all the maids in the room put down what they were doing and stood in a row.

There are eight people in total.

Looking around, all eight maids were beautiful and delicate.

Standing in such a neat and orderly row is indeed quite a sight to behold.

Even Jia Lian, who was somewhat angry, couldn't help but have his eyes light up slightly upon seeing it.

Princess Zhaoyang keenly noticed that Jia Lian's attention had been diverted, so she smiled and said:

"Erlang, please don't be angry with me, okay? I'll make it up to you."

"How to compensate?"

Jia Lian subconsciously licked his lips.

Princess Zhaoyang rolled her eyes and laughed, "Since they can't accompany Erlang, why not let them take their place? I wonder if Erlang is satisfied with this compensation?"

Jia Lian looked at Princess Zhaoyang with a puzzled expression, his eyes clearly saying: Are you serious?

However, he immediately turned back to look at the eight maids standing in front of him and shook his head.

Even for someone as gluttonous as him, eight at once was too much.

He couldn't help but consider whether there was a trap involved.

As expected, just as Jia Lian shook his head, Princess Zhaoyang smiled and said, "I am truly willing to compensate Erlang, but whether Erlang can receive the compensation depends on Erlang's abilities."

"Oh, how do you say this?"

Upon seeing Princess Zhaoyang's expression, Jia Lian knew that she was in a playful mood again.

However, romance and poetry are only fun if there's something to add variety; otherwise, doing only that kind of thing is actually quite boring.

"This time, Erlang led a surprise force straight into the heart of the Jurchen territory, and manipulated tens of thousands of Jurchen cavalry at will."

What he relied on was probably Erlang's extraordinary ability to judge the situation.

Therefore, how about we test Erlang's judgment today?

Jia Lian seemed to understand, but still tried to play along, asking, "How do you plan to take the exam?"

"Hehehe, I'll blindfold Erlang later and let them come up one by one."

Erlang cannot speak, nor can he use any other method to probe; he can only use his hands to examine.

If you can accurately state their names or identities, then they are Erlang's people today.

Erlang, remember this well: for every additional person you verify, one more person can accompany you.

The rules for Princess Zhaoyang are described as alluring and strangely exciting.

Jia Lian subconsciously glanced at his hands, then at the eight beauties before him who had also become shy, and couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. (End of Chapter)