The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Jiaying Hall.

Because there were so many gifts that they filled the house inside and out, Sister Feng was leading her entourage to quickly count and put them away.

Before Feng Jie could even speak, her daughter Qiao'er rushed to Jia Lian's side when she saw him enter the room.

Jia Lian picked her up, and she pointed to the gold plates that were piled up on the cabinet, the stool, and even the couch, saying, "Father, gold, so much gold!"

Jia Lian chuckled and, seeing that she was clutching a gold ingot in each of her small hands, asked, "Qiao'er, do you also like gold?"

Qiao'er picked up the gold ingot in her hand, looked at it, and nodded, saying, "Hmm, gold can buy lots of delicious food."

"Hehehe, just like your mother, a money-grubber."

Seeing the maids and servants laughing in the room, Sister Feng said somewhat irritably, "Go away, you'll corrupt the children."

After saying that, he said to Lai Wang's family and the others, "You may all go down now."

Upon hearing this, the maids and servants knew that their mistress had something to say privately, so they all respectfully withdrew.

Seeing Feng Jie walk into the house, Jia Lian handed the child to Ping'er to hold and went into the inner room.

The inner room was also crammed full, with glittering gold displayed wherever there was space to put things.

Jia Lian laughed and said, "Why not just find a few boxes and dump them in? Why bother arranging them inside and out?"

Sister Feng blushed slightly and retorted, "Everyone is like you, not treating gold as a treasure."

These are all imperial gold ingots; if I just dump them into the box haphazardly, they'll get damaged.

Jia Lian didn't expose it.

Knowing Sister Feng very well, she knew that the other party had deliberately put this up to be pleasing to the eye.

Although the ten boxes of gold I gave her before were more than these fifty trays of gold, they were all gold bars, and in terms of design, they were not as beautiful as these small gold ingots specially made in the palace.

He instinctively beckoned to Sister Feng, signaling her to come closer and speak.

Suddenly remembering that she was pregnant, he took the initiative to walk over, sit down next to her, and put his arm around her no longer slender waist.

At this moment, Sister Feng also displayed the qualities of a doting wife, snuggling into Jia Lian's arms and whispering with delight, "You are truly living the high life now."

Even though I am just a woman, I know that such a generous reward must be extremely rare throughout history.

From now on, countless people will envy you.

The wealth bestowed by the emperor in a single instance was enough for other aristocratic families to accumulate over several generations.

Emperor Ningkang had previously rewarded Jia Lian several times, with each reward ranging from several hundred to several thousand taels of silver.

At that time, Sister Feng was so happy she was completely lost.

Her current wealth and status have truly overwhelmed her.

Even after all the gold and treasures appeared before her, she still felt as if she were floating on clouds.

She is very rich.

The ten chests of gold she kept under the bed and behind the cabinet alone were worth more than 500,000 taels of silver.

But that gold cannot compare to what's before us.

Even if she was oblivious, she knew that the origin of those ten boxes of gold was somewhat shady.

However, the emperor's rewards were different.

There is no wealth in the world with a more legitimate and upright origin than this.

With these ten thousand taels of gold, when she spends money in the future, others will envy her, feeling that her wealth surpasses the glory of others.

She no longer knew how to express her feelings at that moment.

I just feel that in this world, you have to give up something to gain something.

When Jia Lian was about to go to Liaodong, she cried and tried to dissuade him, and afterwards she was extremely worried.

Unexpectedly, Jia Lian not only returned safely, but also with great glory.

Now they are extremely wealthy.

It seems that heaven is indeed looking out for her.

Suddenly, another question came to her mind. She looked up at Jia Lian and asked, "You said that the emperor first made a big show of your return to the capital, and now he has bestowed such a generous reward upon you. Does this mean that he is no longer wary of you and is about to start to rely on you again?"

Sister Feng speaks much more directly than Jia Zheng; she says whatever comes to mind.

Not wanting Feng Jie to worry unnecessarily, Jia Lian went along with her and said with a smile, "Not bad, you've learned to analyze things."

Sister Feng raised her eyebrows and eyes, and obediently lay back on Jia Lian's chest.

Suddenly, Jia Lian said, "Next year I will be out of mourning. I plan to bring Lin Daiyu and Baochai into the family as soon as possible."

Sister Feng paused for a moment, then replied without looking up, "That's a good thing, but do you need me to help you make arrangements?"

Sister Feng had anticipated this matter and was just waiting for Jia Lian to speak up.

Jia Lian raised his other hand and stroked Feng Jie's face to comfort her, then said, "You don't need to worry about this matter."

You can't control that.

Your body will definitely be heavier next year, so you should stay home and rest during your pregnancy.

I've already asked the master for help with the outside matters.

I plan to ask Sister-in-law Wan and Sister-in-law You to help with the cooking.

Thinking about it that way, it's not a problem.

Hearing that Jia Lian had made such proper arrangements, Feng Jie asked somewhat irritably, "How big of a scene are you planning to make?"

"Well... I am now a Duke, after all, and I haven't hosted a banquet for guests for three years..."

Although Jia Lian didn't say it explicitly, Feng Jie already understood that Jia Lian was clearly planning a grand celebration.

She could no longer sit still. She stood up and stared intently at Jia Lian, saying each word clearly, "Is this going to be an even bigger affair than when I entered the family?"

"Back then, I hadn't become a duke yet..."

Let alone the Duke, when he married Sister Feng, the original owner was just a spoiled brat who ran to his second uncle's house to help manage the household in order to escape the torment of his biological father.

Sister Feng stared at Jia Lian, and after a long while, she pinched him hard and said, "I don't care."

"Anyway, if you let those two outshine me and make me lose face, I'll take Qiao'er back to the Wang family!"

"Alright, stop being childish."

If you really care about this, how about I marry you as well?
"At that time, I guarantee our momentum will be no weaker than that of Lin Yatou and Bao Yatou."

Jia Lian pulled Feng Jie back into his arms and coaxed her.

"go……"

Sister Feng spat and fell silent.

Saying she's going back to her parents' home is just a way of being spoiled and throwing a tantrum.

She was reprimanded by the Empress Dowager for not upholding proper wifely virtues and was ordered by Jia Lian to divorce her. Even after such a humiliating incident, she did not return to the Wang family, let alone today.

It's no exaggeration to say that countless people are eyeing her position as the Second Madam Lian.

If she were to utter even half a word about stepping down, countless people would celebrate!

Feeling Jia Lian's strong arms around her, she sighed inwardly.

Oh well, so be it if I lose face.

It's not like I've never lost it before.

The important thing is to let those who are heartless have a real happy ending.

At least, he didn't give these gifts to anyone else, but brought them to her immediately.

Thinking of this, Sister Feng paused for a moment, then suddenly understood.

She looked up at Jia Lian again and said, "Did you wait until the emperor's reward came down before telling me about this?"

Seeing Jia Lian blink, she immediately said angrily, "I knew it!"
What do you take me for? Do you think I won't let Lin Yatou and Bao Yatou in the house if you don't give me any benefits?
you……

"What a waste of being a petty person."

Sister Feng was speechless. What did they take her for?

Every time he wanted her to accept his other women, he would try to shut her up with gold and silver treasures.

Jia Lian chuckled, gently patted her shapely bottom, and said with a smile, "You're overthinking it. It's just a coincidence."

Sister Feng didn't believe him.

Why did you have to say it today of all days? If it wasn't intentional, what was it?
For a moment, I really wanted to find a reason to provoke him, to let him know that she, Second Madam Feng, couldn't solve everything with material possessions.

But thinking about it, I decided against it.

The fact that someone so heartless would specifically choose a time when she's in a good mood to talk to her about this suggests that they still care about her feelings.

So he put aside his fierce thoughts and even began to seriously consider how to handle this important and important matter properly.

"If Bao'er and Lin'er are to move in, they will definitely have to move out temporarily first."

Bao Yatou is fine; she can just go back to her aunt's house.

What are your plans for Lin Yatou?

"Uncle Lin bought a house near the south of the city before he passed away, and it is still being managed by the Lin family's servants."

"We can let Lin Daiyu go back and stay for a few days to prepare for the wedding." Feng Jie nodded, then asked, "Where do you plan to decorate the bridal chamber? Should...should I clear out this main room?"

When Sister Feng made this suggestion, she still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

After all, since moving into the garden, she had decorated Jiaying Hall inside and out according to her own wishes several times.

Moreover, she is currently pregnant.

At this point, it's no wonder she wouldn't be happy to make room for Jia Lian's other women.

Jia Lian saw through Feng Jie's thoughts at a glance and shook his head, saying, "Alright, you don't need to worry about these things. Just focus on taking care of yourself and our child."

I've already made arrangements for the wedding room.

Although the main hall in front is the venue for banquets, there are also several empty rooms in the back.

If all else fails, temporarily partitioning off a space to create a wedding room is also an option.

Upon hearing this, Sister Feng curled her lip.

She knew that Jia Lian would never be willing to wrong those two.

When she first married into the family, their bridal chamber was in the east wing, and it wasn't even the main house.

Now those two have found a perfect match.

The main hall is a palace built according to the regulations for imperial concubines.

Is there any place more prestigious than this where the wedding room is located?
"I'm afraid that's not appropriate. How can the wedding room and banquet hall be in the same house? Wouldn't that make the guests laugh at us?"
In my opinion, it would be better if I vacated the room.

Or perhaps we could do it in the east wing? Luckily, the east wing is currently empty…

When Lin Yatou and Bao Yatou enter the family in the future, they will also need their own rooms.

In my opinion, the east wing is just right.

Seeing Feng Jie's cunning scheme, Jia Lian laughed heartily, playfully pinched her nose, and said:
There's nothing wrong with it.

I don't plan to hold the wedding in the main hall.

Although our garden is not particularly prestigious, it is a quiet place.

It wouldn't be appropriate for a large number of guests to come in, especially since the girls are staying here.

Therefore, the wedding can be held in the main hall of the front yard.

As for where Lin Yatou and Bao Yatou will stay after they enter the house, there's no need to worry about that.

"It would be fine to let them each stay in Xiaoxiang Pavilion and Hengwu Garden; they're both in the same garden anyway, and they both like it."

When Feng Jie heard this, she felt that Jia Lian had made these arrangements in advance to guard against her.

It's still reasonably reasonable, at least.

After those two entered the household, they continued to live in their own separate residences, thus maintaining a sense of boundary with her, the empress, which was quite good.

However, with the aim of finding fault, she still said, "If it's the front yard, I'm afraid there won't be enough space."

Although the front yard was much larger than the front east courtyard, the area inside had long been thoroughly planned and cleared by Jia Lian.

Such as a martial arts training ground, a royal horse path, a shrine to loyalty and righteousness, a grand study, and so on.

These places have greatly squeezed out space.

So, although it's called the main hall, it's actually much smaller than the main hall in Rongxi Hall.

Not to mention the main hall.

"It's alright, Master said that Rongxi Hall will also make arrangements at that time."

Since the two sides are connected, we can just accommodate any extra guests in the courtyard over there.

Sister Feng pouted.

Jia Lian is so shrewd and calculating. He has already considered everything from all angles, leaving her no chance to find loopholes. What can she say?
……

Because Dai Quan had conveyed a message that Emperor Ningkang did not need to go to the palace to express his gratitude, Jia Lian did not make the extra trip.

After lunch, while Sister Feng was gathering Yingchun and others to make new clothes for them, Jia Lian ran to Hengwu Garden to see Baochai.

Perhaps because Jia Lian was about to leave mourning, Baochai and Daiyu both knew that their marriages were about to be arranged.

During this period, both of them stayed in their own rooms and rarely went out.

Hengwu Garden is more lively now than before.

Because Grandmother Jia assigned Xiangyun and Baoqin each an extra maid and a governess, and with the addition of the Jin Chuan and Yu Chuan sisters whom Jia Lian had previously brought in, the total number of people in Hengwu Garden finally exceeded twenty.

And this is actually not much.

After all, three masters live here.

Whether it was Daiyu's Xiaoxiang Pavilion or Jia Baoyu's Yihong Courtyard, the number of servants had long exceeded that.

When Jia Lian walked out of the artificial hill and appeared in front of the corridor, Jin Chuan and her sister, who were teasing the owl on the corridor, were stunned for a moment, and then quickly stood up and bowed.

In just six months, the owl has grown much bigger.

It seems to belong to the category that can grow very large.

It won't be long before it can display its majestic and domineering presence as a bird of prey.

Uh……

Probably not.

What can someone who grows up surrounded by women accomplish?

Let's shift our gaze from the birds to the Jin Chuan sisters.

It must be said that beautiful sisters are a sight to behold, especially twin sisters like these.

Although Da Shuang and Xiao Shuang are both good-looking, they are still too young.

"Is Bao'er inside?"

"The young lady is in the west room, and Ying'er and Zhen'er are helping her wash her hair."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian glanced at the small side room on the west side and sighed deeply at Baochai's self-discipline.

It's very difficult to find any fault with this girl in her daily life.

Even in winter, they insist on only washing their hair in the afternoon.

Nodding, Jia Lian stepped into the house.

Jin Chuan and Yu Chuan exchanged a glance and followed them into the house.

After the two sisters brewed the tea, Yu Chuan specially handed the teacup to Jin Chuan and gave her an encouraging look.

Although Jin Chuan blushed, she still accepted the tea and presented it to Jia Lian, saying, "Second...Second Master, please have some tea."

Jia Lian took the teacup, took a symbolic sip, then put it down. Looking at the somewhat flustered maid standing in front of him, he feigned ignorance and asked, "Is there something you need?"

"Ah, no, no, Second Master has no other instructions. This servant will take her leave..."

Jin Chuan felt embarrassed and quickly tried to run away.

Jia Lian chuckled and, before she could move, grabbed her small hand and pulled her back.

The little girl was so light that she almost naturally fell into Jia Lian's arms.

"Second Master, please don't do this, Miss Bao will see..."

Jin Chuan's heart raced a little.

After being rescued by Jia Lian and sent to Hengwu Garden to serve Baochai.

She was initially quite disheartened, after all, she had lost face so badly.

But her sister comforted her, saying that one should look forward.

Compared to Master Lian, what is Master Bao?
Since Master Bao is irresponsible, why not follow Master Lian? That would be a better outcome for him in the future.

What? Second Master Lian doesn't like you?
Give me a break.

Who is Master Lian? If he didn't like you, would he have taken us out of Madam's room and specially given us to Miss Bao?
Who is Bao-guniang?
That must be Master Lian's second wife.

Serving Baochai is essentially preparing her for him to do as he pleases. Who in either household doesn't understand this?
Jin Chuan thought her sister's words made sense, and she also noticed that after entering Hengwu Garden, some people still looked at her strangely.

But no one dared to openly bully her.

In addition, she liked or was grateful to Jia Lian, which is why she decided to leave the past behind and start a new life.

What supported her decision was the guess that Jia Lian liked her.

Unfortunately, before she could verify this guess, and before she could even see Jia Lian a couple more times, Jia Lian left the capital.

Now, six months have passed, and she's starting to lose patience.

After all, it was quite awkward for the sisters in Hengwu Garden.

They were older than Ying'er and the others, and in terms of status, they were first-class maids.

Unfortunately, he wasn't one of Baochai's confidants.

Given Baochai's magnanimity, she wouldn't make things difficult for them.

Yet, it's also difficult to get close to them.

This is why her sister had encouraged her to go forward and offered to keep watch outside for her. (End of Chapter)