The Second Master of the Red Chamber

"what happened?"

Jia Lian asked with a smile, then moved his buttocks in a little further, half-coaxing and half-forcing Daiyu out of the bed.

Daiyu, who was initially somewhat angry, began to have her heart pounding as soon as she touched Jia Lian's body.

She suppressed her embarrassment and pouted, "How dare you ask? You bullied me, and now you're... flirting with my Zijuan."

"What do you mean 'yours' and 'mine'? What's yours is mine."

"Pooh."

Jia Lian chuckled, pulled Daiyu's slender body into his arms, and whispered in her ear, "Besides, I just love teasing my Lin sister. Who told her to be so beautiful?"

Without giving Daiyu a chance to speak, Jia Lian kissed her rosy cheeks.

This trick always worked on Daiyu; every time he kissed her, she would become confused.

This time was no exception; the little girl quickly nestled softly in his arms, letting him do as he pleased.

Daiyu probably hadn't left the house all day, as she was only wearing two undergarments, and through the soft, thin fabric, one could directly feel her beautiful body.

Daiyu was exceptionally beautiful, and her body was exceptionally supple.

In the past, Jia Lian would have been quite restrained, but now that he had opened the bottle and tasted it, he was like a cat that had stolen fish, unable to control himself.

Seeing that Jia Lian was about to succeed again, Daiyu finally reacted and pressed down on Jia Lian's hand tightly.

Jia Lian looked up and asked, "What's wrong?"

Daiyu was a little shy, and a little resentful: "Why do you always want to do that kind of thing whenever you see someone...?"

Jia Lian chuckled and asked with a smile, "What kind of thing?"

Daiyu didn't answer, but forcefully grabbed Jia Lian's mischievous hand and held it tightly in her arms. She also changed her head to a more comfortable position, nestling in Jia Lian's embrace.

At this moment, she appeared exceptionally docile.

Seeing this, Jia Lian couldn't continue to seduce her. He just lowered his head and said affectionately, "Silly girl, I always do this, which means I really like you."

Don't you like being pampered by your husband?

Daiyu lowered her head shyly, then whispered, "It has a certain charm."

Jia Lian was startled, thinking to himself, "Could it be that he's been running around all day and his body smells of sweat, which has made Daiyu sweat?"
So he quickly raised the arm that wasn't being held and sniffed it.

When Daiyu saw this, she realized that Jia Lian had misunderstood and quickly explained, "It's not on your body, it's the smell of alcohol. Have you been drinking?"

Jia Lian felt relieved; he had indeed had tea and drunk quite a bit of wine with several groups of people today.

So he deliberately breathed on Daiyu, which made Daiyu turn her head away in disgust before he smiled and said, "Then I'll go back, take a bath, and rinse my mouth before I come back."

Daiyu looked up at Jia Lian, making sure he wasn't joking, and then buried her head back into her bosom.

After a while, she said, "Aren't you going to keep Sister Bao company?"

"You just recovered yesterday, so I'll stay with you a little longer."

Upon hearing the word "pèi shīn," Daiyu's face once again showed an embarrassed expression.

But she still shook her head and said, "The day before yesterday was also Sister Bao's wedding. You didn't go to accompany her yesterday. If you don't go today, Sister Bao will be suspicious."

You wanted me to get along well with Baochai, right? If she misunderstands and thinks I stopped you from going, she might not like me anymore.

As Daiyu spoke, seemingly afraid that Jia Lian would misunderstand that she was deliberately trying to get rid of him, she glanced at Jia Lian and then shyly added:

"Besides, didn't you say that the old lady told you not to stay here for three... three days? So... go to Sister Bao's room."

There's another important point about Daiyu that she hasn't mentioned.

That means she was genuinely a little afraid of Jia Lian.

In the morning, she was young and fearless, and thought it wouldn't be a big deal, so she indulged Jia Lian this time.

As a result, she didn't dare to go out all day and stayed in bed all day.

Therefore, she had no complaints about Grandmother Jia's order.

Jia Lian didn't say anything, but just held Daiyu's petite body tightly, recalling the bet he made with Baochai yesterday afternoon.

As expected, neither he nor Baochai were wrong; Daiyu was indeed a kind person to the core.

Although she sometimes acts coquettishly and throws tantrums, it's because she's sensitive and sentimental, and wants others to understand her inner thoughts.

Once you've won her over, you'll find that she'll also use her sensitive heart to take care of other people's feelings.

No wonder she and Jia Baoyu, that romantic soul, were able to stay together until the end and become close friends.

Both of them are people who can empathize with all things.

On the other hand, Jia Lian was also a kind and understanding person.

However, he could not empathize with all things; he could only try to understand the feelings of a beautiful woman like Daiyu.

Moreover, he was more cunning than Jia Baoyu and could anticipate events, which is why he was able to completely crush Jia Baoyu, not only successfully replacing him but also doing ten times better.

That being said, although I knew Baochai would win.

However, the fact that it came true so quickly still moved Jia Lian deeply.

As expected, Daiyu is not just a fairy who only seeks emotional value; she is also a good younger sister who thinks of Gege.

There was nothing to say, so I kissed her.

And so, a repetitive yet exhilarating and satisfying routine continued.

Daiyu grabbed Jia Lian's hand again: "No..."

"Don't be afraid, I won't do anything, I'll just watch."

"Didn't Zijuan say you were injured? I just learned a massage technique to reduce swelling and bruising; it's guaranteed to work."

"spit……"

After some polite exchanges...

Daiyu ultimately refused to let Jia Lian give her a massage.

Jia Lian wasn't discouraged, after all, he had already been very successful and felt great.

We've waited so many years, what's wrong with letting her rest for a few days?

Once Daiyu has fully recovered, there will be plenty of opportunities to enjoy this exquisite delicacy.

Back at Jiaying Hall, Sister Feng asked, "Why are you back so late again? Has something big happened outside?"

Given Feng Jie's excellent performance over the past few years, Jia Lian did not hide it from her.

He briefly explained the situation in the imperial court to her, so that when she interacted with other noble ladies, she would know what she should say and do, and what she should not say or do.

At these times, Sister Feng would always behave very well and be eager to learn.

All that's missing is a small table and stool to make them look like elementary school students listening to a lesson.

To be honest, Jia Lian felt quite vain seeing her like this.

He knew that this woman was completely convinced of his authority, regarding his actions outside the home and his views and insights on officialdom and economics as golden rules, without any intention of questioning or disobeying him.

"So, if the Emperor still chooses the Third Prince as his successor, won't you be in big trouble?"

"Probably. What, are you scared?"

"Hey, what am I afraid of? As the old saying goes, 'A woman follows her husband wherever he goes, whether he's a chicken or a dog.' Being able to live such a glorious life with you for the past few years, this life has been worthwhile."

It's just a pity for the child in my belly; he hasn't benefited from his father's fame yet, and hasn't enjoyed much happiness.

Jia Lian cursed speechlessly, "Hey, what are you saying? It's like your man is destined to fail."

Over the years, in all the major events outside, when have I ever let you down?

This time, I will definitely win too.

"You ignorant and foolish woman, just stay home and enjoy your wealth. Don't give me any more ideas that might affect our young master's talents."

Feng Jie was initially a little annoyed after being scolded by Jia Lian.

However, upon hearing Jia Lian jokingly refer to the child in her belly as "Young Master," a radiant smile and maternal glow immediately spread across her stunningly beautiful face.

His hands unconsciously cupped his increasingly round belly.

Seeing this, Jia Lian pried one of her hands open, pressed his face against hers, and listened carefully to the movements inside her belly.

Upon seeing this, Sister Feng felt even sweeter and pushed her belly forward so that Jia Lian could hear her more clearly.

……

When I returned from my bath, I saw Ping'er leading the maids and servants to sort and put away the things and utensils from before.

Jia Lian spent tens of thousands of taels of silver to marry Baochai and Daiyu, so naturally he couldn't have wasted it all.

There are many other good things that have high recycling value.

Thinking it would be a waste to leave so many things lying around, Jia Lian took a look at some of the better items that the girls in the garden or the beauties he kept could use, and had them sent to them.

There was no way around it; having just married Daiyu and Baochai, he wanted to pamper these two women first, both psychologically and physically.

As for the other beauties, they could only be given more gifts to prevent them from feeling too disappointed.

Upon arriving at Hengwu Garden, Baochai was leading people to inventory the dowry.

I couldn't find the time for the first two days, and although Baochai's dowry was not as valuable as the one Jia Lian prepared for Daiyu, the variety of items was just as good, and even more so.

Since she had some free time today, Baochai naturally wanted to make some plans herself.

This calculation took a whole day.

In fact, the only comparison with Daiyu's dowry is that its value is less than that of Daiyu's dowry.

A sum of money, goods, fertile land, and shop deeds worth a total of 100,000 taels of silver would be an enormous fortune for any family.

It can be said that with Baochai's dowry, even if the Rongguo Mansion has no income from now on, everyone can rely on this wealth to make a living, which will be enough to support them for at least seven or eight years.

Of course, Jia Lian certainly wouldn't covet his wife's dowry now.

Therefore, Jia Lian did not allow Daiyu and Baochai to put these things away in the accounts, but only let them arrange and manage them themselves.

Firstly, it would train their ability to manage household affairs and finances, and secondly, it would naturally allow them to establish two other strongholds within the harem.

Triangles are stable.

Upon seeing Jia Lian approach, Baochai immediately put down what she was doing and came to greet him.

This time, Xiangyun and Baoqin weren't as well-behaved as they were yesterday afternoon, and they rushed to Jia Lian's side together.

Seeing them following Baochai around like little shadows, Jia Lian couldn't help but tease them, "You two little rascals, why are you so eager to please your Sister Bao? Is there something good in her dowry chest that you've got your eye on and want to ask for it when the opportunity arises?"

Upon hearing this, both Xiangyun and Baoqin blushed slightly.

Because throughout the day, they had indeed gotten quite a few good things from Baochai.

It's not accurate to say they were given as gifts; they were all given to Baochai on her own initiative.

It wasn't just the two of them; all the other sisters in the garden had them too.

However, their blushing was only momentary. After all, Jia Lian's generosity far surpassed that of Baochai, so they didn't need to worry that Jia Lian was "reprimanding" them.

Xiangyun even laughed and said, "Brother Ai, you don't know, Sister Bao's dowry is very generous."

I've never seen so many wonderful things in my life. They've filled all the empty rooms in our courtyard, front and back, and we still couldn't fit them all.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian flicked her nose and laughed, "You don't need to tell me that. I knew all along that your Baochai was a rich and powerful lady."

Otherwise, why do you think I went through all that trouble to marry her?

Those around Jia Lian laughed along with him when they heard him say that.

What a joke! No matter how rich Baochai or the Xue family are, can they be as rich as Jia Lian?

The emperor's single reward was ten thousand taels of gold...

It has been rarely heard of since ancient times.

The extravagant scene he put on to marry his daughter and Miss Lin was so lavish that even the legendary Shi Chong in the opera might not have been able to match it.

Who would dare to say they're rich in front of Jia Lian?

Baochai said, "There are too many things. Not only is the courtyard overflowing, but it's also a waste to leave so many things lying around."

My suggestion is to invite my sister-in-law and Tan'er over so they can take inventory and put it into storage.

Everyone was somewhat surprised to hear this.

The maids who came with the Xue family as part of the dowry were especially anxious.

Silly girl, other families are afraid that their husbands' families will try to take advantage of their dowry money, but you're doing this on your own initiative.

Jia Lian glanced at Baochai, then waved his hand and said, "No need. If you really can't bear to leave, I'll have someone build a few rooms behind your courtyard another day, specifically for storing these things for you."

Regardless of whether Baochai's intentions were genuine or merely a facade, Jia Lian would not allow her to do so.

Although he and Jia Zheng were childhood sweethearts, they didn't need to be this close that he would contribute a portion of his wife's dowry money.

Moreover, if Baochai hands it over, will Daiyu hand it over as well?

Good heavens, the Xiaoxiang Pavilion is piled with dowry worth more than 500,000 taels!

The gold, silver, and gold and silver notes alone filled dozens of large boxes.

If this is handed over, according to the gentleman's agreement with Jia Zheng, it would result in an instant loss of nearly 300,000.

Even Jia Lian couldn't possibly be indifferent.

As for why Daiyu's dowry was so extravagant.

Firstly, the Lin family and Lin Ruhai's estate were already quite substantial. According to Lin Ruhai's will, half of it was to be given as Daiyu's dowry, which amounted to nearly 500,000 taels of silver.

Moreover, this is an open and aboveboard way to launder his money and put it into the mansion, so why wouldn't Jia Lian be happy to bring in more?
However, although Daiyu's dowry was of high value, it was easier to handle than Baochai's.

Daiyu didn't need to do anything herself; her wet nurse, Granny Wang, would take care of these things for her.

Jia Lian had observed Granny Wang and was certain she was an honest person.

Of course, even if she wasn't honest, she had to be honest in front of Jia Lian, unless she didn't want her whole family to die.

Seeing Jia Lian's objection, Baochai didn't say anything more. She gave a few instructions to the servants and then followed Jia Lian into the house.

Xiangyun wanted to follow, but Baoqin tugged at her sleeve.

She stopped, looked back at Baoqin, then at Baochai's room, and finally stamped her foot on the veranda.

That wretched second brother! He stole their beloved Baochai away! (End of Chapter)