The Second Master of the Red Chamber

"Lin Daiyu~"

Jia Lian walked up to Daiyu and looked down at this fairy who had descended to earth.

Seeing this, Granny Wang and the others secretly smiled, then called for the maids to leave the room.

At this moment, Daiyu was naturally shy and dared not look Jia Lian in the eye.

However, when she saw Jia Lian cupping her face in his hands and lowering his head to kiss her, she immediately pushed him away, saying, "No, you'll wrinkle my clothes..."

Although Daiyu was unconventional, this wedding dress held extraordinary significance for her.

Moreover, it was indeed valuable, and even for her, it was an extremely rare find.

She wouldn't dare let Jia Lian break it for her.

Jia Lian chuckled and didn't insist. Instead, he took her hand and led her into the boudoir.

Although Daiyu had redecorated the room, Jia Lian couldn't help but recall the scene where he took Baochai's virginity here when he entered.

Sitting on Daiyu's small bed, seeing that she preferred to stand rather than sit down, Jia Lian regretted letting Daiyu wear this wedding dress now.

Judging from her expression, she definitely didn't want him to touch her.

If we make her take it off now, it would seem too deliberate.

Helpless, Jia Lian could only hold Daiyu's small hand, playing with her delicate fingers while praising her beauty.

Daiyu listened shyly, then suddenly remembered something and asked Jia Lian, "Does Sister Bao have this dress that you gave me?"

Having anticipated that Daiyu might ask this question, Jia Lian seemed completely oblivious to the trap, nodding and smiling naturally:

"Her dress is similar to yours, but yours is embroidered with hibiscus, while hers is embroidered with peony."

"Oh, by the way, her dress is still in the carriage outside. Shall I bring it in so you can see it?"

Perhaps it was because Jia Lian acted so naturally that Daiyu felt a little jealous but was too embarrassed to show it.

However, upon hearing that Baochai was still in the carriage outside, Daiyu suddenly felt much better.

This at least proves that Jia Lian brought the clothes to her first.

In front of Feng Jie and Baochai, she could give Jia Lian face, and was even willing to compromise herself for Jia Lian's sake.

However, she needed to be certain that she was first in Jia Lian's heart and could not be inferior to anyone else. This was the premise for her to be polite to Feng Jie and Baochai.

As for the distinction between hibiscus and peony, Daiyu was already used to it.

Jia Lian had long compared her to a hibiscus and Baochai to a peony, both privately and publicly.

She didn't object to that.

While most people in the world prefer peonies, she alone favored hibiscus.

I also feel that the qualities of the hibiscus flower are more in line with her.

Compared to the hibiscus's purity and aloofness, the peony seems vulgar.

Leng Qiuqiu replied to Jia Lian, "No need. Why would I look at it for no reason? It's not too late to look at it after Sister Bao puts it on."

"Alright."

Jia Lian, being quite cunning, did not dwell on this issue.

He then began to explain the arrangements for the wedding day to Daiyu, including how to deal with the complicated etiquette, and that the phoenix crown was quite heavy, telling her to be smart and not to put it on her head too early, but to wait until he came to fetch her.

Daiyu agreed to all of them.

"In short, I will have someone explain the specific procedures to Wang Mama and Zijuan. Just listen to them when the time comes."

"Ah."

Although Daiyu was touched by Jia Lian's meticulous care, she was also a little annoyed because Wang Mama had already talked to her about these topics many times over the past few days.

Seeing that it was getting dark, she thought she should urge Jia Lian to go back, but what came out of her mouth was: "Tomorrow is Baochai's birthday, are you going or not?"

Jia Lian laughed and said, "I had almost forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it. It's Bao'er's birthday again. Time really flies."

My Lin Daiyu is so smart, she remembers everything.

"How about I pick you up tomorrow, and you come with me to celebrate your older sister's birthday?"

Daiyu pouted, "I'm not going."

Normally it would be fine, but at this critical juncture, she wouldn't bother going to celebrate Baochai's birthday.

It makes it seem like I'm inferior to her and need to fawn over her.

Moreover, she didn't believe Jia Lian would really forget.

"Alright, it's getting late, you should go back now. Don't keep Sister Feng worrying about you every day!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian chuckled. Daiyu's words had a bit of a matronly tone to them.

Daiyu seemed to realize what Jia Lian was laughing at, glared at him, and seeing that he remained motionless for a long time, urged, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and go..."

Before, when Jia Lian hadn't mentioned it, Daiyu hadn't noticed, but now she really felt that the phoenix crown on her head was quite heavy.

I've only worn it for a short while, and my neck already feels a bit sore.

She was thinking that after getting rid of Jia Lian, she would quickly take off the clothes she was wearing.

Jia Lian stood up with a smile, adjusted Daiyu's golden crown, and said with a laugh, "Let me kiss you, and I'll leave."

"Rogue..."

Daiyu blushed and glared at Jia Lian, but after hesitating for a moment, she obediently closed her eyes, looking like she was ready to be taken.

Daiyu was already beautiful to begin with, and now with her exquisite makeup, phoenix coronet and wedding gown, it's really hard not to be captivated.

Jia Lian could feel his heart beating faster than usual.

He carefully cupped Daiyu's incredibly small face in his hands, and then kissed her rosy, bright lips.

A tender and lingering kiss finally ended amidst Daiyu's disgruntled punches.

Jia Lian glanced deeply at Daiyu, whose eyes were glazed over from his kiss, and who seemed both melancholy and resentful. He suppressed the urge to carry her to bed right then and there, and turned to leave.

After returning home and answering Feng Jie's questions, Jia Lian prepared to work in his study for a while.

After leaving Jiaying Hall and stepping off the platform, he did not continue eastward but instead stepped into the main hall.

The main hall, the Three Lives Stone Residence, is a spacious hall in front of it, and there are also some partitioned spaces behind it. These spaces were originally used as tea rooms, changing rooms, and other similar facilities to support banquets and events.

Jia Lian didn't want Feng Jie to vacate Jiaying Hall, but he also wanted to show how much he valued Daiyu and Baochai.

Therefore, setting up the bridal chamber inside the main hall became the best choice.

Originally, Qin Keqing's idea was to prepare two rooms, one on the left and one on the right, behind the main hall, to be used as the wedding rooms for Daiyu and Baochai respectively.

However, Jia Lian rejected the idea.

What a joke! The reason he married both Daiyu and Baochai on the same day was to prevent them from competing with each other.

If we were to give each of them their own wedding room, whose room he would enter first would become a problem and a test.

He wouldn't create trouble for himself.

So we'll just set up one bridal chamber and send the two of them there, which will save us a lot of trouble.

Since it was already late at night, Qin Keqing and the others were naturally not there. Therefore, Jia Lian only briefly looked at the results of their arrangements before taking Qingwen and Xiangling back to the east side room, which was his inner study.

The inner study was merely a place for him to read and rest.

Official business was actually handled in the outer study or the main study.

So after he sat down, he had two young maids massage his shoulders, one on each side, and then he pulled out a stack of unfinished blueprints from the drawer.

Seeing this, Qingwen and Xiangling both craned their necks to look.

The painting depicted strange and unusual things, some resembling clothing, others not quite.

The main problem is that there aren't any clothes that are that short and have so little fabric.

Jia Lian, unaware of the speculations of the two maids behind him, asked Qingwen to brighten the candle beside him, then took out his homemade pencil and began his unfinished design.

It's called a pencil, but it's more appropriate to call it an ink pen.

Jia Lian simply crushed natural graphite, mixed it with clay, and imitated the later pencil by wrapping it in a wooden shell.

This kind of basic technology was naturally not difficult for Jia Lian, who was already guiding the industrial progress of the entire country.

It must be said that even though it was slightly rougher than the pencils of later generations, it did have an advantage that the brush could not match in terms of drawing and designing uniforms.

As for why Jia Lian designed the uniform, that's even simpler.

Qin Keqing has become obsessed with making clothes. She has copied many styles, including the battle robes of the pre-Qin period, the curved hem robes of the Han Dynasty, and the palace dresses of the Tang Dynasty.

She also used the many beauties that Jia Lian kept in Tianxiang Tower as free models, and occasionally invited him over to give his critiques.

Although Jia Lian felt that Qin Keqing was quite intelligent and that what she did was indeed quite impressive.

However, they were ultimately limited by the perspective of their time, and could only imitate what they saw, unable to make bold innovations based on the clothing of previous dynasties.

So Jia Lian decided to draw some beautiful clothing styles from later generations and have Qin Keqing copy them.

He did this partly because he had been away from his "hometown" for too long and missed the local customs and traditions.

Secondly, he also wanted to break free from Qin Keqing's mental constraints. If he could inspire her creative ideas based on these things, he might be able to surprise her in the future.

So Jia Lian decided to replicate his favorite school uniforms that represented purity, seductive flight attendant uniforms, and other abstinent uniforms based on his memory.

In short, he drew out all the details he could remember and gave them to Qin Keqing so that she and her subordinates could study them slowly. He had already personally taught Qin Keqing two sets of techniques, which amazed her.

These are my recent masterpieces, created out of boredom.

After checking everything one by one, and confirming that there were some details he really couldn't remember, he rolled everything up, tied it up, and handed it to Xiangling, saying:
"Take two people with you and take these things to Xiao Qinshi."

Tell her that this is what I gave her as agreed, and that some parts still need improvement, asking her to consider it herself.

Xiangling nodded.

Suddenly remembering something, he turned to Qingwen, who was standing beside him with a curious look on her face and was about to ask a question, and said, "Sister Qingwen, would you do this for me?"

Why were you asked to go?

Qingwen pouted, thinking to herself that Xiangling had really gotten bold, daring to order her around.

Xiangling said, "My feet are a little uncomfortable, could you please help me?"

"OK then."

Qingwen wasn't actually unwilling.

On the contrary, she was very active, so she didn't dislike running errands for her masters.

She was actually quite happy to run errands for Jia Lian, in particular.

Besides, she was indeed curious about what was in the painting, and she figured that even if she asked Jia Lianqi, he might not tell her the truth.

Why not go and ask Qin Keqing? Perhaps she'd be easier to talk to.

Therefore, seeing that Xiangling spoke sincerely, she happily accepted the scroll of paper, and without even bothering to have anyone follow her, she simply carried a lantern and headed towards the East Mansion.

Jia Lian did not interfere in the matter between the two maids.

Only after Qingwen left did he look at Xiangling with a meaningful gaze.

Xiangling felt uneasy under Jia Lian's gaze and lowered her head, not daring to speak.

Jia Lian laughed and asked, "Are your feet really uncomfortable?"

Xiangling might dare to lie to Qingwen, but she certainly wouldn't dare to lie to Jia Lian.

Seeing that Jia Lian seemed to have seen through her, she said nervously, "Second Master, please don't be angry. Actually, I was afraid that Madam Rong would switch identities with me again, so I asked Qingwen to make this trip for me."

"If Second Master also wants to replace Xiao Rong with Madam Xiao Rong, I'm willing to go there now..."

Jia Lian chuckled, pulled the cautious Xiangling onto his lap, and said, "Alright, silly girl. Since you don't like exchanging with her, I won't send you there again."

but……"

As Jia Lian spoke, he stared at Xiang Ling with a malicious look and laughed, "Do you know why I sent you over there and not Qing Wen?"

Xiangling was stunned, thinking to herself, "Didn't Second Master just assign them randomly? Could there be some deeper meaning behind it?"
Seeing that the girl was so adorably naive, Jia Lian realized that even teasing her wouldn't achieve the desired effect, so he spoke frankly:
"I kept Qingwen here because I originally intended for her to serve me."

Now that you've sent her away, what are we going to do?

Jia Lian gently pulled Xiangling's thigh closer to his lap, letting her feel the emotions that Daiyu had stirred within her.

Xiangling finally understood and immediately said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know Second Master meant that..."

"What's the use of saying sorry? Now that you've sent her away, you'll have to finish her work for her, okay?"

"Uh-huh."

Xiangling nodded solemnly.

Then she climbed off Jia Lian's lap and obediently crawled under the desk.

……

On the main road leading from the back gate of the Grand View Garden to the main building, two figures, one tall and one short, walked forward.

One of them was carrying a lantern, and the other was carrying a food box.

"Hey~"

The adult holding the lantern turned around and saw that his daughter had almost fallen. He quickly scolded, "My little darling, is that the ginseng soup that Second Madam Lian wanted?"

It's true that there is more success than failure.

Give it to me quickly.

Sister Liu took the food box from her daughter's hands. Looking at her daughter, who almost fell down again while trying to stand up, she was both angry and heartbroken.

"I don't know what sins you committed in your past life. You've always had plenty to eat and drink, so why are you the thinnest of the five siblings?"

He's practically skin and bones.

He scolded her a couple of times, but seeing his daughter's pitiful and aggrieved look, he felt even more delicate and vulnerable.

Suddenly, I felt that my daughter's situation wasn't necessarily bad.

She knew that many men preferred daughters like her.

Take Master Lian for example. Even though Miss Lin was as sickly as Xi Shi and as beautiful as a lamp, he still didn't like her.

It is said that Master Lian will be particularly fond of anyone who bears a resemblance to Miss Lin.

Everyone said this was called "love me, love my dog".

Although her daughter doesn't look like Miss Lin, her frail body and sickly appearance are exactly the same as Miss Lin's.

Moreover, the youngest daughter is the most beautiful of all the daughters.

That's why she was reluctant to let him work in the manor at such a young age, and only allowed him to come in when he was thirteen or fourteen.

So she handed the lantern to her daughter and asked in a low voice, "Did you listen to me when I told you to come to the main building more often and play with the girls here?"

"Ah."

"So, have you seen Second Master Lian?"

"Ah."

Sister Liu's eyes lit up, and she smiled, "Has he treated you any differently?"

"I have no idea……"

The girl appeared very shy and turned her back, clearly not wanting to answer the question.

Seeing this, Sister Liu affectionately patted her head and said earnestly, "Don't take my words to heart. I'm doing this all for your own good."

I don't need to elaborate on what kind of extraordinary person Master Lian is, do I?

If you could be favored by the Second Master or Second Mistress and come to serve in the main building, wouldn't that be more comfortable and prestigious than following your mother to the kitchen to cook and tend the fire?

Besides, I've spoiled you since you were little. You were born with this pampered body, and you can't handle the hardships of cooking.

In short, you can't go wrong by listening to me.

Even if you were to be favored by Master Lian and taken in as a concubine, or even just become a maid here, you would still have a better future than your two older sisters.

Originally, I was someone who could speak to Lian Er Nainai quite well.

If you weren't born so well, I could put in a good word for you with Second Madam Lian and get you a job as a maid here.

And yet you were born this way.

If I speak up for you, it will only harm you.

So it all depends on your own destiny.

"Only if you catch the eye of Master Lian, and he speaks up, can you gain a foothold and a stable position here."

As the girl listened to her mother's series of words, which she only vaguely understood, a hint of shyness and longing flashed across her beautiful face.

Seeing that her daughter remained silent, Sister Liu did not press her further.

Since she took charge of the kitchen in the Grand View Garden, she has managed to serve the young ladies in the garden with great care and attention, and thus she has gained some status among the servants of the Jia family.

Naturally, the family's living conditions also improved.

But wherever there are people, there are conflicts; wherever there are interests, there are disputes.

People had been envious of her before, and now that Master Lian and Madam Lian have moved into the garden, the back kitchen has expanded significantly, and countless people are secretly eyeing her lucrative job.

Therefore, she planned to send her daughter to the main building, so that the two of them could rely on each other and their positions in the mansion would be more secure.

Upon arriving at Jiaying Hall, she left her daughter outside and personally delivered the ginseng soup to Sister Feng.

To everyone's surprise, Sister Feng didn't even look at it and directly told her to send it to Jia Lian.

Sister Liu's heart stirred, but on the surface she began to boast about how much effort she had put into making the soup and how good it was, urging Sister Feng to try it.

"I have no appetite right now. This was originally prepared for your second master."

Sister Liu then stopped talking, packed up the food box with a hint of regret, and left.

Seeing his daughter in the corridor, he subtly gave her a wink and led her to the outside of Jia Lian's study.

Seeing that Jia Lian's study was quiet and there wasn't even a maid on duty, Sister Liu thought to herself that this was a godsend.

He then shoved the food box into his daughter's hands and said to her, "Quickly, take this to Second Master. Remember to be clever and sweet-talk him."

The girl stammered, "Mother, aren't you going in?"

"What a lot of nonsense."

She gave her daughter a push, then stood there waiting. (End of Chapter)