The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Baochai's footsteps had been silent for a long time, and no one in the room spoke again.

Until Jia Lian raised his eyelids and coldly said, "Kneel down."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Xue, who had been sitting upright, immediately shrank from her chair to the ground and knelt down in a very proper manner.

The natural and swift movement even surprised Jia Lian, who then frowned and asked, "Was that intentional?"

Aunt Xue blinked but did not answer the question.

Jia Lian was somewhat speechless.

Although her dissatisfaction dissipated considerably, she still waved to Aunt Xue.

At this moment, Aunt Xue was like a child who had been forgiven by an adult. She was very happy and knelt down in front of Jia Lian, looking up at him expectantly.

Seeing Aunt Xue in this state, Jia Lian couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

Actually, it wasn't his intention for the other person to become like this.

He was also forced into it.

……

"You don't need to worry about Bao'er and Lin'er's positions. I have my own considerations, and it's not your place to interfere."

"Yes."

Having been reprimanded, Aunt Xue, now completely convinced of her mistake, appeared incredibly obedient.

He placed his hands on his knees and listened attentively to the instruction.

"You must not do this again."

Bao'er is getting married soon, and I don't want her to suffer any injustice.

"Yes~"

"Get up."

With Jia Lian's permission, Aunt Xue dared to stand up and gently patted the gorgeous dress that had been pressed down by her knees, intending to erase all traces.

Then she stood with her hands clasped in front of Jia Lian, like a servant.

Her docile demeanor made Jia Lian reluctant to be harsh with her, and after thinking for a moment, he said:

"Pan'er... You don't need to worry about Xue Pan's matter. He can come out after the first month of the lunar calendar."

He can also help Bao Yatou with her wedding.

If her previous obedience was mostly an act, then upon hearing Jia Lian's words, Aunt Xue was genuinely overjoyed and almost wagged her tail.

Xue Pan had Qiu Duwei's son beaten to death in full view of everyone, yet he was only sentenced to one year, all thanks to Jia Lian.

Now, a year has finally passed, and my precious son can finally start anew.

"After he gets out, you must not spoil him too much."

I'm not afraid to tell you.

Xue Pan is now someone whose name has been recorded before His Majesty.

Although I spared his life for the time being because of me and the 50,000 taels of disaster relief funds.

But if he dares to do it again, not even a god can save him, I'm telling you.

"Yes, yes, I understand, Master... Lian'er, don't worry, when your brother Pan comes out, I will definitely discipline him strictly and dare not let him do anything bad again."

Jia Lian nodded, not too worried about Xue Pan.

That kid is no good at anything, but he is quite filial.

With Aunt Xue's supervision and having suffered a great loss once, he will surely be more restrained.

If all else fails, I'll just grab him and send him to the army to give him a good lesson in discipline.

"Alright, Bao'er should be almost better now. I'll go check on her."

"Take care of yourself, so she doesn't notice anything amiss."

"Yes……"

Aunt Xue chuckled and said, "The meal is about to be served, why don't we eat first and then go see Bao'er?"

Jia Lian's reaction was exactly what Aunt Xue had expected.

No one knows better than her how alluring her daughter is.

That's why she was certain that Jia Lian would stay for dinner before leaving.

Jia Lian didn't like Aunt Xue's expression of knowing everything, so he ignored her and went straight out of the main room to Baochai's boudoir.

Baochai had already finished washing up and was now in her boudoir putting on makeup.

Seeing Jia Lian walk in, she quickly got up to greet him, looking at him with some concern.

"Don't worry, it's nothing."

Seeing that Jia Lian's expression didn't seem to be lying, Baochai finally felt relieved and personally served him a cup of tea.

Jia Lian took the teacup but did not drink it.

He sighed and said, "Lin was with me before you. It's not fair to judge her by age."

If we follow the rules of etiquette, it will inevitably mean that you will have to compromise a bit.

As you probably know, I genuinely like you and Lin Yatou, and I don't want either of you to be subservient to others or suffer any injustice.

That's why I chose to marry you both on the same day.

So let's leave it at that for now.

Both of you are of the rank of Noble Concubine, regardless of seniority.

Of course, if you have the ability to win someone's heart with sincerity and make Lin Daiyu willingly call you "sister" all the time, I would be happy to see that.

Otherwise, I would not force any of you to bow down to the other.

As for how the servants are addressed, it's the same as how you address Sister Feng.

From now on, one of you will be Second Madam Xue, and the other Second Madam Lin.

Hearing Jia Lian's earnest words, Baochai's eyes welled up with tears.

How could she not see Jia Lian's predicament?

In fact, Jia Lian's statement already showed his pity for her and his favor towards her.

She squatted down and looked at Jia Lian, saying, "I will always remember Second Brother Lian's deep affection and kindness."

But how could Baochai bear to put her second brother Lian in a difficult position?

Everyone knows etiquette and law; how could Baochai not know it?

Originally, Lin Daiyu was engaged to her second brother first, so in terms of seniority, she should have been above Baochai.

Lin Daiyu is kind and unassuming, which is why she is willing to continue calling me "elder sister." How could I take advantage of her kindness to bully her?

Second brother, don't worry about us. I will make the decision with Sister Lin.

If Lin Daiyu is willing, we can naturally become equals.

If she is unwilling, Baochai will, according to propriety, address her as "elder sister."

Jia Lian sighed on the surface, took Baochai's fair hand and stroked it to comfort her, but in his heart he thought that Baochai was indeed very clever.

This girl understands the principle of moderation and never acts in a deliberate way.

She claimed she was willing to change her tune, but only on the condition that she strive to establish an equal relationship with Daiyu.

Based on his understanding of Daiyu, if Baochai really said first that she was willing to humble herself and act like a concubine, that little girl Daiyu would definitely fall for it and wouldn't want Baochai to change her mind.

This has already been proven.

When the two met for the first time after confirming their identities, Daiyu originally intended to manipulate Baochai.

However, when Baochai yielded and wanted to endure the humiliation and change her address, Daiyu softened and took the initiative to continue calling her "elder sister."

Sigh, I feel sorry for Daiyu for a second.

As for why it was only for a second, it's because Jia Lian also felt that maintaining the status quo was the best option.

According to age, Feng Jie is the eldest, Baochai is the second eldest, and Daiyu is the youngest.

Although he was the youngest in the family, it did not mean that he held the lowest position in his heart.

On the contrary, Daiyu, with whom he had developed a deep affection since childhood, held an irreplaceable place in his heart.

As he thought about it, Jia Lian couldn't help but smile inwardly.

Just as Baochai knew that her husband was so incapable of contending with her because he did not compete with her.

Jia Lian naturally understood this principle as well.

Although he wanted Baochai and Daiyu to get along well, he couldn't force them to be ranked, nor could he even show any intention of asking one of them to take a step back.

Otherwise, they will inevitably harbor resentment, making things worse.

Just like now, all he needs to do is express how much he cherishes them and how he doesn't want them to suffer.

These two bright and beautiful young women were naturally understanding of him and took the initiative to back down so as not to put him in a difficult position.

The same was true of Daiyu before, and the same is true of Baochai now.

Jia Lian thought he was a true genius.

Having expressed her feelings, Baochai noticed that Jia Lian was staring at her. Suddenly remembering something, she got up to hide, but Jia Lian grabbed her arm.

"Why are you running?"

Jia Lian, pulling the beauty close, asked with a smile.

Baochai turned her head away, not daring to look at Jia Lian, and said in a low voice, "Don't look, I haven't finished my makeup yet..."

"Hahaha……"

Jia Lian laughed heartily, put down his teacup, and pulled the beauty onto his lap.

Upon seeing this, Ying'er and Wenxing, who were inside the house, both consciously left the house.

"My daughter is naturally beautiful; why does she need cosmetics?"

Seeing that Baochai didn't believe him, Jia Lian continued, "It's true, I'm not lying to you. I just love seeing Baochai without makeup, looking so natural."

More beautiful, pure, and captivating.

Even with Baochai's intelligence, she couldn't help but waver at this moment, asking doubtfully, "Really?"

"Of course it's true, I'll prove it to you if you don't believe me."

After saying that, Jia Lian kissed Baochai's exceptionally clean red lips, which had not yet been rouged.

Baochai was slightly shy, but she had already noticed out of the corner of her eye that there was no one else in the room, so she put her arm around Jia Lian's waist and responded accordingly.

During their passionate kiss, she seemed to catch a familiar scent.

He didn't pay much attention to it, assuming it was just the scent of cosmetics that Jia Lian had picked up from one of the maids in his mother's room.

Her mind was completely focused on Jia Lian's words of praise.

Before she fell in love with Jia Lian, she almost never wore makeup or cosmetics.

Firstly, she disliked makeup, and secondly, she knew she was naturally beautiful.

However, once a girl has someone she likes, she will always doubt herself and wonder if she is not pretty enough or good enough. She will always want to improve herself.

Now that Jia Lian has said so, she should just go back to her old ways.

After a passionate kiss, she sat on Jia Lian's lap, panting softly, and looked up to meet his clearly aroused gaze.

She shook her head somewhat shyly: "I'm afraid Mother's family is going to have a meal soon..."

The implication is that it's not possible now; we need to eat first.

Jia Lian, who was already hesitant, immediately abandoned all preconceived notions upon hearing the beauty's words.

Anyway, Aunt Xue wouldn't blame him; she'd even cover for him.

So, holding Baochai's delicate body, he turned around and placed her on her bed.

Seeing that the beauty was somewhat unwilling but still showed no intention of resisting, Jia Lian then leaned forward and began to untie her clothes.

At the same time, Jia Lian couldn't help but think to himself.

Fortunately, Baochai was unwilling to kneel down and serve him. If it had been a vixen like Qin Keqing, who always liked to suck people's marrow first, she would have easily discovered the truth.

……

Just as Jia Lian had predicted.

When Aunt Xue finished preparing dinner, but the two of them didn't come out for a long time, she didn't send anyone to urge them. Instead, she told the kitchen to wait a while before serving the hot dishes.

They waited until almost midnight before they saw Jia Lian leading his rosy-cheeked, radiant daughter out.

Aunt Xue was both gratified and envious of her daughter's condition.

"Now that everything is ready, please take your seats."

Aunt Xue gave a signal, and immediately the maids and servants who had been waiting there set the table and served the dishes.

Xue Ke arrived at this time as well.

Even though he was still young, he could guess what was going on when he saw his cousin's current state.

He was both envious and admiring.

Envy stems from the fact that Jia Lian has such a beautiful woman as his cousin by his side, and admiration naturally comes from the idea that a true man should be like that.

Adhering to the attitude of learning from Jia Lian, after taking his seat, he was the first to raise his glass to toast Jia Lian.

Aunt Xue said, "Ke'er, don't try to get your second brother Lian to drink."

He has to attend a banquet at the palace tomorrow, so he can't drink too much.

"Uh, okay, Auntie..."

Xue Ke felt somewhat helpless.

You were the one who used to make me drink, and now you're the one who won't let me drink.

He realized that his son-in-law was practically a son to him, much closer than his nephew.

The banquet lasted for nearly an hour, and Jia Lian was still somewhat reluctant to leave.

By this time, Aunt Xue and Xue Ke had already made an excuse to leave, leaving only Jia Lian and Baochai, along with two maids, to serve in the hall.

Baochai advised, "It's getting late, Second Brother should go back. If you're late, Sister Feng will worry."

Jia Lian nodded, took the hangover tea that Baochai handed him, took a sip, and then looked at Baochai and said, "Tomorrow night is New Year's Eve. You and your mother should come to the mansion together, and we can celebrate the New Year together."

Although Baochai felt that given her current status, now that she had returned home, she shouldn't easily go back to the Jia family mansion.

But she thought that Grandmother Jia would definitely send someone to invite her tomorrow night.

My mother is determined to attend the banquet. If I don't go, it would seem pretentious and frivolous.

So he nodded.

Seeing that Jia Lian finally got up, she instructed him again, "Now that you've drunk the wine, don't ride a horse. Take a carriage back."

As she spoke, Baochai asked someone to inquire whether the carriage outside was ready.

Before the servants could reply, she had already fallen into Jia Lian's arms, and in front of several maids, Jia Lian's large mouth, reeking of alcohol, sealed her red lips.

Seeing this, the maids were both shy and happy. Although their expressions varied, they did not make any extra sounds or movements, but just watched with smiles.

At this moment, Baochai was naturally not as compliant as she was inside the room, and she tried her best to push Jia Lian away.

So Jia Lian could only take a small bite, and with a chuckle, he turned and walked towards the outer courtyard.

As for saying goodbye to Aunt Xue, there's no need for that.

He and the Xue family were so familiar with each other that these formalities could be completely omitted.

……

"Why did you drink so much?"

Inside Jiaying Hall, when Sister Feng came to greet him, she smelled the strong smell of alcohol on Jia Lian and couldn't help but complain.

Jia Lian didn't explain. He glanced at the piles of brocade and cloth inside and outside the house, then sat down and asked a question.

Sister Feng replied, "Sigh, isn't it because you're too capable and respectable?"

Over the years, our family has hardly bought any cloth. Every year, the rewards from the palace and the tributes from the servants have almost made our house collapse.

Since it's almost Chinese New Year, I was thinking of digging out all the old clothes from before and making new clothes for the maids.

I never imagined I'd find so much! Even if I made two sets for each of the maids in the manor, I'm afraid we still wouldn't have enough.

Jia Lian got up and inspected them; they were indeed all high-quality fabrics.

Thinking that Qin Keqing had recently become obsessed with making clothes, he said to Feng Jie, "The number of clothes for the maids is fixed by the government. If you want to reward them, you might as well just give them money. That would be more practical for them."

Moreover, most of these fabrics are thin and not suitable for making clothes for the New Year.

Why not send the extra fabric that you don't need to Madam Qin?

You probably already know that she's been hiding in her room all day lately studying needlework.

Feng Jie'er originally felt that it was a waste to give these high-quality fabrics to the maids to make clothes; she only intended to use them to benefit the maids in her own courtyard.

As for the other maids in the mansion, sorry, Wang Xifeng wasn't that generous and accommodating.

Since there was indeed too much fabric, it would be a waste to leave it lying around. So, going along with Jia Lian's suggestion, he smiled and said:

“Our Duke has spoken, how can I possibly refuse?”
"I'll pick out a few thick bolts of silk to make two new outfits for the old lady and the other ladies, and the rest will all go to Little Qin."

Jia Lian nodded, helped Feng Jie sit down on the soft kang, and scolded her, "Your belly is getting bigger and bigger. At this time, it is the right thing to do to take care of your pregnancy."

"These trivial matters can all be left to Ping'er; why bother with so much?"

Sister Feng laughed and said, "Now that I don't care about the affairs of the mansion anymore, if I also hand over all the household matters to Ping'er, after I finish my confinement period, who here will still recognize me?"

"Won't we have to put in a little more effort?"

Fortunately, Sister Feng said it in a joke, and she was also pregnant.

Otherwise, Jia Lian would definitely arrest her and give her a good spanking.

Looking at his wife, who was heavily pregnant and radiating maternal glow, Jia Lian suddenly asked the maids, "Is the bathwater ready?"

Sister Feng interjected, "Is that even a question? I knew you were going to the palace tomorrow, so I had you prepare everything for yourself."

Jia Lian nodded, then suddenly moved closer to Feng Jie and whispered with a smile, "I want to hold you while I sleep tonight."

Sister Feng immediately shook her head, her face flushed with embarrassment, and said, "No..."

"Don't worry, I promise I won't touch you tonight. I just want to sleep next to you."

Upon hearing this, Sister Feng thought that if Jia Lian could truly behave himself, it wouldn't be a bad thing.

She also wanted to sleep next to her husband.

But can Jia Lian really be honest?
Seeing that he seemed to be sincere, Sister Feng suddenly realized what he meant and sneered, "I was wondering why it took so long to send someone back properly."

It turns out they had eaten their fill at the Xue family's house before returning home.

Using double entendres is one of Sister Feng's specialties.

Although she didn't know whether Jia Lian had slept with Baochai, the Xue family did have two rather beautiful maids.

Not to mention, Jia Lian was so thoughtful that he snatched two of the best maids from Lady Wang to serve Baochai.

Although Jia Lian did indeed suggest sleeping with Feng Jie because he was full and wanted some peace and quiet that night, he was actually quite satisfied.

But to everyone's surprise, Sister Feng not only didn't appreciate it, but also made sarcastic remarks.

Feeling somewhat annoyed, he snorted coldly, muttered "ungrateful wretch," and then got up and went to the bathhouse.

Seeing that Jia Lian was angry, Feng Jie appeared tough on the surface, but she was still somewhat regretful inside.

After all, it was a great favor for her husband to want to sleep next to her; only a fool would genuinely refuse.

So after the other maids had all left, she quietly instructed Ping'er to bring in an extra quilt and told her to invite Jia Lian to his room to rest after he had finished washing up, and not to actually let him go to the study.

Ping'er nodded earnestly.

It's alright if the master and grandmother are arguing; this is precisely the time for her, a maidservant, to step in and mediate, so that the family can live in harmony and happiness. (End of Chapter)