The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Before long, Lingguan entered, led by Jiang Yun.

At this moment, Jia Lian naturally did not allow Fangguan to continue serving him. Instead, he took off his outer robe and sat expressionlessly by the couch.

There was already a charcoal fire burning in the room, and after watching the erotic scenes for so long, Jia Lian naturally felt a bit hot.

"Kneel down."

Jiang Yun nudged Lingguan's shoulder, wanting Lingguan to apologize to Jia Lian.

Jia Lian valued her, which is why he entrusted her with the management of so many beauties, including actresses and maids, at Tianxiang Tower. He never expected that such a troublemaker would emerge.

She couldn't do anything to Lingguan before because it seemed that Jia Lian himself didn't care about Lingguan's feigned aloofness.

Everyone speculated that Jia Lian was showing extra leniency because Lingguan's features resembled Daiyu's.

However, Jia Lian is clearly running out of patience. If they can't appease Jia Lian, then none of them will have a good outcome.

Jiang Yun actually couldn't understand Ling Guan's behavior.

If she were as young as Lingguan and had Jia Lian's special favor, she would definitely stay by Jia Lian's side and spend her life with him.

Wouldn't it be better than anything else to get a moment of Jia Lian's tenderness?
Lingguan was initially half-pulled over, and knowing that Jia Lian seemed angry, she was also apprehensive.

However, upon suddenly seeing the girls' clothes scattered on the ground, and seeing Ou Guan and Di Guan, who were hiding under the covers behind Jia Lian and were clearly naked with flushed and satisfied expressions, she suddenly hardened her face.

Completely ignoring Jiang Yun's pushing and shoving, she tilted her little head back and looked up at the sky, with an "I don't care" attitude.

Seeing this, everyone admired her courage.

Fangguan, who was standing beside Jia Lian, noticed that Jia Lian's expression had become even more gloomy. She quickly took small steps to Lingguan's side, tugged at her sleeve, and whispered, "Lingguan, don't be like this. Quickly apologize to the Second Master..."

Lingguan said, "What mistake are you making? It's just that I didn't come to pay my respects to him."

I didn't know he would come today, and he didn't send anyone to tell me.

If Second Master is angry about this, he may punish or beat you as he sees fit.

Hearing this, the young ladies secretly admired Lingguan for daring to say anything. Jiang Yun also subconsciously took two steps back, wanting to keep her distance from this obviously spoiled and arrogant girl to avoid being implicated.

Then Jia Lian suddenly laughed.

He said slowly, "It seems that staying with me is indeed a disservice to you."

Very well, you must have your own plans.

Therefore, I will not force you to stay.

Pack your things, and either your parents or your lover will come to pick you up. Just ask them to come and take you away.

I don't want your indenture money; consider it a reward.

As soon as Jia Lian said this, a large number of the maids in the room knelt down and pleaded for Lingguan's life.

Some of them had a good relationship with Lingguan and didn't want to see her kicked out.

Some did so out of consideration for mutual dependence.

Regardless, Lingguan is one of the leading actresses among them, and one of the most prominent.

She possesses a singing voice that is unmatched by anyone.

If she were to be kicked out for offending Jia Lian, not to mention whether Jia Lian would hold a grudge against them, their appeal to Jia Lian would certainly decrease after losing the prestige of Lingguan.

Even Ou Guan and Di Guan, who were still lying in bed, couldn't stay still. They looked at each other and crawled out of the covers.

Although being naked was still a bit embarrassing, I figured I'd already done the deed in public, so it didn't matter.

So the two of them each grabbed one of Jia Lian's arms and pleaded coquettishly:
"Good sir, please forgive Lingguan this time."

You used to be very lenient with her, so why are you taking it personally with her today?
If you want someone to serve you, Di Guan and I are both available.

"Don't worry, sir. We'll definitely have a good talk with her later. She'll be obedient the next time you come over."

Seeing that Ou Guan had spoken, Di Guan took the initiative to entangle herself, gently opening her small mouth to kiss Jia Lian's earlobe and neck.

Surprisingly, Jia Lian seemed to fall for their act.

He reached out and patted her delicate buttocks, and the coldness on his face dissipated somewhat.

Seeing that Ouguan and her husband had displayed such extraordinary abilities that they had even managed to win over Jia Lian, Fangguan knew better than to miss the opportunity.

She also smiled charmingly and pounced at Jia Lian's feet, saying, "That's right, Lingguan doesn't know her place, so why should you pay any attention to her, sir?"

"Why don't we just serve you, sir?"

After saying that, she looked at Jia Lian ingratiatingly while touching him from thigh to thigh with both hands, trying her best to arouse him and quell his desire.

Lingguan never expected that Jia Lian would be serious about her this time.

After all, this wasn't the first or second time she had disrespected Jia Lian.

In the past, when Jia Lian came to seek pleasure, she didn't really pay him any attention.

Before Jia Lian went to war, he "coincidentally" met her in a secluded path in the Grand View Garden, but she deliberately rejected him.

Jia Lian wasn't angry at all.

Why is Jia Lian going to kick her out just because she didn't come today?
She disliked this life of being kept in captivity, but she was even more unwilling to be kicked out like this.

Putting aside the fact that she was all alone in the capital, the twelve of them entered the mansion together, and now everyone else is fine, but she is the only one who has been kicked out. I'm afraid the gossip from the outside world could kill her.

Just like when Jin Chuan was kicked out, she tried to commit suicide.

With tears in her eyes and a sobbing voice, she said, "Back then, I was studying opera in the south, but your family insisted on paying a high price to forcibly buy me here."

My parents and relatives are all in the south now. Where do you expect me to call them to come and pick me up?

She was just a young girl and couldn't bear being wronged. She squatted on the ground, crying her eyes out.

Jia Lian remained unmoved and coldly said, "If that's the case, then I'll have your lover come and pick you up."

Don't think I don't know that you've always been thinking about Qiang'er, which is why you've been ignoring me.

He's outside right now; I'll send someone to fetch him to come and pick you up.

Lingguan was deeply shaken by Jia Lian's words.

She hadn't expected that Jia Lian even knew this.

But then I thought, it was probably one of those gossipy girlfriends who told Jia Lian.

After all, everyone had seen how Jia Qiang had been so attentive and ingratiating towards her on the way back to Beijing from Suzhou.

Looking at Jia Lian's utterly indifferent face, Lingguan suddenly had a thought.

Thinking that things had turned out this way, she felt too ashamed to stay by Jia Lian's side any longer.

Why not take this opportunity to see that heartless side of him again?

If he could change his mind, she would follow him out of this prison.

So he stopped talking and squatted down on the ground, tacitly agreeing with Jia Lian's words.

Fangguan had no idea what Lingguan was thinking; she felt things were getting more and more serious.

Although Jia Qiang was a legitimate great-grandson of the Jia family, he was still considered a noble young master outside the family.

But what gives him the right to compete with Jia Lian for a woman?
Compared to Jia Lian, what is Jia Qiang?
So she quickly explained for Lingguan: "Second Master must have misunderstood. Lingguan and I are very close, and I know everything about her."

There was nothing between her and Second Master Qiang.

However, when Second Master Qiang first entered the mansion, he took extra care of Lingguan.

Later, he stopped interfering in our affairs, and Lingguan had no contact with him anymore..."

Jia Lian looked down at Fangguan, who was very anxious, and his liking for the girl increased even more.

Yes, she's a loyal and good girl.

So he touched her little face, said nothing, and only said to Jiang Yun, "Go outside and arrange for a few people to call Qiang'er here."

Tell him I want to see him.

"Yes."

At this point, Jiang Yun couldn't quite understand Jia Lian's true intentions, but he had no choice but to obey orders.

……

Jia Qiang was an orphan who was raised by Jia Zhen from a young age.

Later, because of rumors that he had an affair with Jia Zhen, Jia Zhen built him a separate house in the alley in front of the gate to avoid suspicion, so that he could set up his own household.

He's living a pretty good life these days.

Since he took the initiative to curry favor with Jia Lian and was arranged by Jia Lian to serve as an inspector in his business, he no longer had to live in fear.

With the male descendants of both mansions now dwindling, he, as a grown-up and legitimate great-grandson of the Ningguo Mansion, is considered quite prominent among the Jia family's "Cao" generation.

He was only one head shorter than Jia Yun, who had recognized Jia Lian as his father.

He was initially quite happy to hear that Jia Lian was looking for him.

But when he was led into Ningguo Mansion and headed towards Tianxiang Tower, he began to have doubts.

If Jia Lian had something important to discuss with him, he wouldn't need to be at Tianxiang Tower, even if it wasn't in the main courtyard.

He was certainly familiar with Tianxianglou.

This is one of the largest buildings in Ningguo Mansion, and it was the preferred choice for holding large banquets and events in the past.

Of course, it was also Jia Zhen's final resting place.

Even though more than two years have passed, the thought of Jia Zhen's tragic death at Tianxiang Tower still sends chills down his spine.

With great difficulty, led by the servant, we arrived at this familiar place.

Looking at the courtyard and tall buildings that remained the same, but the people and things had changed, Jia Qiang couldn't help but feel a little sentimental. Then he bowed even more respectfully and walked inside.

Before he arrived at the main building, the old women ignored him and simply withdrew.

Jia Qiang didn't dare to go in without permission, and just waited outside.

A short while later, a tall and beautiful woman came out from inside.

Upon seeing her, Jia Qiang immediately put on a big smile and stepped forward: "Greetings, Sister Jiang. May I ask what brings Second Uncle to me in such a hurry?"

Even though it wasn't the first time he had seen Jiang Yun, he always felt amazed and regretful every time.

How did such a beautiful flower end up being stuck on that little brat Zhao'er?

Although he was incredibly envious inside, he dared not show it on the surface, and he didn't even dare to show the slightest disrespect to Jiang Yun.

Whether it's Zhao'er or Jiang Yun, they are both Jia Lian's favorites, and not just anyone would dare to offend them.

Rumor has it that the Zhao brothers, Tianliang and Tiandong, were crippled by Zhao'er and several of Jia Lian's personal guards after they offended Jiang Yun. And those were Jia Lian's wet nurse brothers!

Jiang Yun nodded to Jia Qiang but said nothing, only saying, "Go in, Second Master has been waiting for you for a long time."

After saying that, he turned around and lifted the curtain.

Jia Qiang smiled apologetically at Jiang Yun before bending down and walking in from under the curtain.

As soon as I entered the room, I felt it was very hot.

A quick glance inside the opulent hall revealed that, having just entered from the outside world, the eyes were still adjusting and could not see clearly, except for a wide silk screen stretching across the front.

Behind the screen, shadowy figures could be vaguely seen.

Jia Qiang hesitated for a moment, then tentatively stepped forward and bowed to the screen, saying, "Your nephew has been ordered to come and pay his respects to your second uncle."

"Well, I called you here today because there's something I want to discuss with you. I don't know if you'll agree."

Jia Lian's voice came from behind the screen.

Jia Qiang, hearing that there was no malice in his voice, immediately smiled and said, "Second Uncle, if you need anything, just tell me. There's no need for discussion."

"Let alone one thing, as long as it's something for my second uncle, even if it's a hundred or a thousand things, I'm willing to do it."

Because in just a few years, Jia Yun rose from a down-on-his-luck concubine to become the most sought-after person in the Jia family.

His promotion story was thoroughly investigated by countless members of the Eighth Branch of the family, who wanted to emulate it.

Unfortunately, even after thoroughly understanding Jia Yun's secrets to promotion, he still couldn't get the same opportunities as Jia Yun.

Because most people never even get to see Jia Lian.

Jia Qiang, being in a privileged position, naturally didn't mind learning from Jia Yun.

However, Jia Lian didn't seem to appreciate his flattery at all, and his next words left him speechless.

"You know Lingguan, right?"

Jia Qiang was shocked.

How could he not know Lingguan?

He also knew that Lingguan, along with the other young actresses, was now being kept at Tianxiang Tower by Jia Lian.

If it were any other young actor, he might have believed that Jia Lian was simply taking him in, but Lingguan…

With her looks and voice, she would have been Jia Lian's concubine long ago.

So, what did it mean when Uncle Lian asked him if he knew Lingguan?
Did they somehow find out that Lingguan and I had been together before, and that's why they're causing trouble for me?

Thinking of this, cold sweat broke out on Jia Qiang's forehead.

After hesitating for only a moment, he knelt down with a thud and replied, "In response to your question, Uncle, I do not know any Lingguan."

I don't even know if he's a man or a woman..."

Jia Qiang is also single.

Although he knew Jia Lian would definitely not believe him, because it was he and Jia Rong who had asked Jia Lian and his wife for the job of purchasing young actors.

His purpose in saying this was not to deceive Jia Lian, but to let Jia Lian hear his respect for him and to let Jia Lian know that he had no improper thoughts about Lingguan.

Needless to say, his intelligence and foresight left Jia Lian, who was behind the screen, speechless.

He glanced at the girl who looked incredulous, then ignored her and continued, "Whether you know her or not is not important."

The important thing is that she always thinks about you.

"I've called you here today to ask you if you'd be willing to marry her."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, the young actors surrounding him all felt that Jia Lian was incredibly magnanimous.

Lingguan offended him three or five times, so it's understandable that he didn't punish her.

Now that his patience has run out and he doesn't want her anymore, he's actually being kind enough to find her a husband?

Outside the screen, Jia Qiang felt no joy upon hearing this; instead, a chill ran from his heart to the top of his head.

He didn't believe there was such a good thing in the world.

He pondered Jia Lian's words carefully.

Jia Lian said that Lingguan always thought about her, and that's probably true.

The man's vanity was satisfied for a moment, but he immediately realized that this must be the reason why Jia Lian had summoned him today.

As a man himself, he knew that no man could tolerate his woman still having feelings for another man.

Whether Lingguan revealed it to Jia Lian on her own initiative, or Jia Lian overheard it from the sidelines.

At this point, he had to distance himself from Lingguan.

Jia Qiang would never forget the conjecture that Jia Zhen and his son might have died at the hands of Jia Lian.

After a few words, Jia Qiang's eyes adjusted to the light in the room.

He looked up and through the screen, he could vaguely see a dozen or so graceful figures scattered about.

In the center of them, a noticeably taller figure sat.

Jia Qiang was somewhat envious, wondering when he would be able to be like Jia Lian, surrounded by countless beauties.

Suddenly his gaze froze.

Following his gaze, he could see that between the legs of the seated figure, there seemed to be a small, graceful figure crawling.

Jia Qiang, being from a dissolute background himself, was certainly aware of the situation.

He thought of how Jia Lian had specially summoned him today and asked him if he was willing to marry Lingguan.

Clearly, the figure serving Jia Lian is very likely Lingguan.

I suddenly felt extremely angry.

As expected, actors are heartless and prostitutes are ungrateful.

That wretched woman! I went to great lengths to please her, but she always pretended to be reserved.

Even if he tries to hold her hand, she will pull it away, saying that she must be freed from this prison before she will comply with his request.

Faced with such a reasonable request, Jia Qiang naturally couldn't say much. She was even a little excited, feeling that Lingguan was indeed different from ordinary girls and that she had found true love.

Although he knew it would be very difficult to rescue Lingguan from prison, since these young actresses were all purchased for the Imperial Concubine.

She secretly tempted him, wanting him to take her for himself, but even if she had ten or eight times the courage, he wouldn't dare to actually make a move.

However, he thought that given Jia Zhen's favor towards him...

If Lingguan gets a little older, or if the Empress no longer needs her, then I can ask Jia Zhen to help me find a husband, and things might work out.

Unfortunately, he didn't live to see that day.

Less than six months later, Jia Zhen and his son both died.

Out of fear, he fled the two prefectures and severed ties with Lingguan.

But he still had Lingguan in his heart, after all, she was the first girl he truly wanted to be good to.

Unexpectedly, Lingguan, whom I thought was an innocent and good girl, actually debases herself to this extent after meeting Uncle Lian.

He suddenly understood why Jia Lian had asked him that question.

Many people speculate that Jiang Yun was actually Jia Lian's woman, but Jia Lian had a special fetish and therefore deliberately gave her to Zhao'er to satisfy his perverted psychology.

Is it his turn this time?
For a fleeting moment, she felt a strong urge to do so, because if she could satisfy Jia Lian's preferences, her future path would definitely be much easier.

But as a man, he instinctively couldn't accept it.

After thinking for a moment, he replied, "Thank you for your kindness, Second Uncle."

However, thanks to his second uncle's care over the past two years, his nephew has been doing better and better.

Not daring to deceive his second uncle, not long ago, his uncle and aunt arranged a marriage for him with the youngest daughter of Zhang, the head of the Ministry of Personnel.

Now that both sides have met, my nephew is quite satisfied with her, but I'm afraid he'll have to disappoint his second uncle's good intentions.

Jia Qiang wasn't lying when he said that.

Although he had served as Jia Zhen's attendant for many years, he actually still preferred women.

Now he's an adult and has established his career.

Seeing that he was capable, his uncle and aunt took the initiative to arrange this good marriage for him.

Although the position of the person in charge was not high, it was still a real position in the central government, and they were able to get to know many important figures in the Six Ministries.

Given his status as a great-grandson of the Duke of Ningguo, a marriage between the two families would be considered a good match and could potentially benefit both sides.

Behind the screen, the young actors all looked at Lingguan, feeling sorry for her and that she was not worthy of it.

After waiting for him for so long, and even risking offending Jia Lian for him, he tells you that he's engaged!

It's also her own fault for being so arrogant and not knowing her place.

Actors, those lowly people, yet they dare to dream of rising to the top and becoming phoenixes?

Lingguan herself was also in tears.

Although she guessed that Jia Qiang might have changed his mind after ignoring her for more than a year.

But now that she has heard it with her own ears, she is filled with utter despair.

The vows we made back then still echo in my ears, but now, just like in the play, have they all become a joke?
She didn't dare look at Jia Lian's expression; she knew he must be mocking her.

However, Jia Lian only glanced at her before continuing to speak to the outside of the screen: "That's really unfortunate."

Although the person in charge is just a minor official, it is not difficult for them to make the other party break off the engagement.

However, if word gets out, people will inevitably say that the Jia family is too powerful and oppressive.

"Fine, would you be willing to take another concubine?"

Seeing Jia Lian's persistence, and his willingness to settle for second best after failing to arrange a marriage, Jia Qiang became even more certain of his guess.

Otherwise, what virtue or ability does a mere Lingguan possess to make Uncle Lian consider her life's future so much?

Thinking that Lingguan was just an actress, taking her into the family would only make her a plaything.

So, if Uncle Lian has such a hobby, why not go along with it?

He then smiled happily and said, "Since Second Uncle has such a kind intention, how could I possibly refuse?"

Even if the Zhang family knew this was a gift from Second Uncle, they probably wouldn't say anything. (End of Chapter)