Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 755 Extra 1
The first two chapters are currently in the process of being unbanned, and I now suspect that someone is watching me and reporting me, especially the last chapter.

The world has always been in a turbulent environment. Peace is only possible in a specific country. Human society is divided into different ethnic groups, and they can easily turn into soldiers for their own interests.

If you stretch the timeline of human history, you'll find that wars have always been happening.

People are used to overestimating themselves, and very few people can truly understand themselves after suffering setbacks.

Those who can evolve after a series of failures are like gods.

Jia Lian was regarded as a divine being, not because he lived a long life, but because his deeds were compiled and published.

The real influence lay with the common people, who in many places still had the custom of setting up memorial tablets for Jia Sheng. It is said that Jia Lian forbade it, so the people secretly set up the tablets. Later, when the government cracked down on it, the people changed it to a memorial tablet for Jia Sheng.

In various parts of Southeast Asia, there are still people who worship Jia Sheng's spirit tablet. It is said that worshipping him can ensure good health, after all, he was a centenarian who lived to be 120 years old.

This marked the beginning of a long period of peace. (I can't go into too much detail, otherwise it might be banned.)
A young man is boarding a plane at Kaiyuan Airport.

This young man named Chen Dong is also a time traveler, but he traveled to Donghua. He wants to go back to find traces left by Jia Lian.

It was already quite obvious that Chen Dong knew Jia Lian must be a time traveler, otherwise he wouldn't have created such a chaotic world.

The emperor no longer wields the same high degree of centralized power as in the past, but is instead propelled forward by the tides of history, and the royal family is also bound by law.

The reason for restraining the royal family was a mutiny. The army guarding the capital mutinied, while the troops stationed in other areas remained silent.

The emperor was no longer a supreme god; he had moved out of the Forbidden City. The empire still existed, but most of the power had been relinquished.

The mutinous military accepted the proposals put forward by the new political group and carried out some reforms to the empire.

The military government that people feared did not materialize; after completing the formation of the new government, the top military officials voluntarily retired.

When the book recounts this event, it suggests that the influence Jia Lian left on the army was at play. The army is there to protect the country, not to rely on personal power, and certainly not to oppress or harm the people.

The old saying goes, "Bandits pass by like a comb, soldiers pass by like a fine brush." ​​This historical pattern has not been repeated since Jia Lian established his new military system. Any military leader who tries to do the same will be condemned by the people of the land.

The emperor's power was limited to diplomacy and warfare, while other powers were vested in the cabinet.

The selection of cabinet members follows a strict system to ensure that prime ministers rise from the ranks of prefectures and counties, and generals rise from the ranks of soldiers.

Theory is no substitute for practice. Chen Dong, who came from a well-off family, decided to go and pay his respects to this senior in person.

This time-traveling predecessor accomplished a great deal, leaving Chen Dong, the newcomer, to see the world and realize that he had no place to use his talents.

Chen Dong was curious about why Japan was still a vassal state, given the mutual visa exchanges between Donghua and the Central Empire. He noted that the current ranking of so-called developed countries was: China, Europe, and Donghua; other places didn't even make the list.

This world is quite different. After Donghua became independent, the countries surrounding the Central Empire were still willing to be its vassal states. How amazing!

After takeoff, the passenger plane does not fly directly to Okinawa, but first goes to Okinawa, and then transfers to Nanjing.

The choice is simple: the book says that this is Jia Lian's ancestral home, and there is also the former residence of the Jia family here, which has been developed into a tourist attraction.

After passing through customs with his bag, Chen Dong exited the airport. He had done his research beforehand and knew that taking the subway was the most convenient option, as taking a taxi would result in unbearable traffic jams.

The capital of Jiangnan Province, and the former residence of the Governor-General of Liangjiang.

After getting on the subway and finding a seat, I noticed a woman next to me. She wasn't the delicate type; she looked delicate, but she was actually quite strong and capable. Not only were her suitcases bigger than Chen Dong's, but she was also carrying two. Even though the suitcases had wheels, they weren't a problem or something that required much strength to carry.

When he exited the airport, the subway wasn't crowded yet. Chen Dong took out an officially published copy of "The Biography of Jia Lian" and started reading. He had read this book countless times, and the edges were all frayed, but Chen Dong still read it carefully and repeatedly, hoping to find some clues in it.

The woman next to me was wearing sunglasses and a mask. After settling down, she took off her hat and mask, held down two suitcases with one hand, and looked around nervously.

"This version is quite abridged. If you want to know more, read the 'Biography of Jia Buqi' published by Jinling Bookstore." The young woman spoke first. Chen Dong took his eyes off the book, glanced at the woman beside him, and subconsciously moved to the side. Although she didn't have Fu's face, he still had to be careful, lest he be accused of indecent assault later.

Oh, this is another time and space, and it's not a library. I'm just having a conditioned reflex.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," Chen Dong quickly explained, but the woman didn't seem to mind, saying, "It's okay. I would have done the same if I had been interrupted while I was reading."

"Isn't it said that 'The Biography of Jia Buqi' isn't accepted by the Jia family? That's what my professor said when I was studying at Donghua University." Chen Dong was very curious as to why one person had two biographies with conflicting accounts. His reaction just now was indeed inappropriate, especially since the woman was so beautiful; he had to apologize.

The woman curled her lips and said, "Old Ancestor Jia was humble his whole life, never fighting or grabbing. Let me tell you, if Old Ancestor Jia had raised an army and rebelled back then, the world would have been within his grasp. The biography of Jia Buqi is still preserved."

The mention of "Old Ancestor Jia" startled Chen Dong, who quickly extended his hand: "Let me introduce myself. I'm Chen Dong, from Kaiyuan Prefecture, Donghua. I graduated from Donghua University with a degree in History and came to Beijing University for graduate studies. My undergraduate thesis was on Jia Lian. The title was 'On the Many Miraculous Aspects of Jia Lian's Life.' I strongly suspect that Jia Lian was born with innate knowledge; otherwise, his story cannot be explained unless he was a time traveler."

The woman couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle softly, her eyebrows curving even more: "You're so funny. What time traveler? I've never heard of that. By the way, Jia Miaomiao, from a collateral branch of the Jia family. Her ancestor was born to a maidservant of Old Master Jia. Oh, and Old Master Jia's memorial tablet is still enshrined at home. Her name is Yuanyang. This time I came back to Jinling to visit the ancestral graves and see places I can't go to."

Chen Dong thought to himself, "This is what you call a surprise. I actually met a descendant of the Jia family on the subway. Wait, be careful, it might be a honey trap."

"I've read *Dream of the Red Chamber*, don't try to fool me. But this woman is so beautiful, even if I were fooled, it wouldn't be such a bad deal." "Uh, what do you mean by 'places you can't go'?" Chen Dong asked curiously. Jia Miaomiao giggled, "Don't even mention me, even the legitimate children of the main wife can't go. It's a tourist attraction now. Grandfather Jia isn't buried there anymore; his grave is on a mountain in the western suburbs of the capital, that's the Jia family's ancestral temple. The Rongguo and Ningguo mansions are also tourist attractions now, and the Jia family doesn't live there anymore. When male members of the Jia family die, their ashes are placed in the ancestral temple for worship, not buried. This is a rule set by Grandfather Jia, saying that when a person dies, they're dead, why occupy such a large area of ​​land? Now it's called changing customs, is burial still common in Donghua?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Dong was shocked and said, "The biography didn't even mention this. The official sources are too careless."

Jia Miaomiao sneered, "What nonsense about official sources! This book was compiled by the emperor himself. It's good enough that it doesn't contain any dirt on our ancestor. Your version is actually better, since it was published by Donghua Publishing House. If it were the original version, there would be a lot of hidden references, subtly implying that our ancestor was the ancestor of traitors."

Chen Dong became even more curious and asked, "Forgive my ignorance, but what do you mean by that?"

Jia Miaomiao said, "Our ancestor compiled a book called 'A Brief History of Society.' At first, it was only circulated among the clan members, but later it was leaked and used as one of the program documents by so-called rebels."

Chen Dong asked, puzzled, "I've read this book; the author is anonymous. How can you say it was written by Jia Sheng?"

That's what they say, but even a fool could tell that Jia Lian copied the book. Don't think that just because you changed the name, I won't know it was your work.

As for the Dragon-Slaying Technique, when I was in college before I transmigrated, my Marxist Philosophy grades were good.

“I still have a copy passed down in my family. The original is kept in the main room,” Jia Miaomiao explained. Chen Dong then realized that she must be a legitimate descendant.

"By the way, how many branches are there in your Jia family? Is Jinling your true ancestral home?" Chen Dong became increasingly interested and pulled Jia Miaomiao aside to ask.

Jia Miaomiao curled her lip in disdain: "Jinling is indeed our ancestral home, but it belongs to the Southern branch, which the Northern branch doesn't recognize. Our ancestor spent most of his life living in the capital, so the Northern branch is the authentic one. The Southern branch can forget about trying to steal the title of authentic. The past prefects of Jinling were shameless; for the sake of some political achievements, they even wanted to bring our ancestor's ashes into the ancestral tomb, but the main branch absolutely refused, and neither did the prefect of the capital."

Chen Dong instantly understood. Wasn't this just a tactic to claim the former residence of a famous person? Zaozhuang claimed that Zhuge Liang's ancestral home was in his hometown, which was Lanling in ancient times. Nanyang claimed that was where Zhuge Liang emerged from seclusion. The people of Chengdu just smiled and said nothing. If you go to Chengdu, can you not go to the Wuhou Temple to offer incense to the Prime Minister?

"How many branches does your Northern Branch have?" Chen Dong asked with great interest, even taking out his notebook to take notes.

Jia Miaomiao thought this guy was really clueless about romance. "I'm naturally beautiful, isn't this kind of trivial matter more fun than this?"

Could it be that you also look down on the descendants of a maid?

Hmm, that shouldn't be the case. He's so good-looking, he wouldn't have any bad intentions.

"It's a long story. The Jia family is divided into east and west branches. The Rongguo Mansion and Ningguo Mansion are both said to be descendants of the matriarch. On the west side, there are the concubines, the You sisters' branch, two opera singers' descendants, the Lin matriarch's descendants, our family, and the main branch. The other branches are all married-out daughters and are not considered part of the Jia family. The east side doesn't count, it's impossible to tell. However, people on both sides receive money from the Jia family trust fund, so they are not considered outsiders."

Chen Dong understood. Although they were all descendants of the Jia family, they were also divided into those from different places. Those from the West Mansion were definitely one group, while those from the East Mansion were another.

When the subway arrived at the station, Chen Dong had no choice but to get up and get off. Jia Miaomiao got off at a different station. After exchanging contact information, they waved goodbye.

After settling into the hotel, Chen Dong thought of Jia Miaomiao and called her. Making calls from the hotel room phone required going through a switchboard, which was quite inconvenient.

Chen Dong found this quite interesting; it's a retro lifestyle, a life where you're used to doing everything with just a mobile phone, so this kind of life has its own unique charm.

The call was quickly connected, and Jia Miaomiao on the other end was very happy: "I knew it was you calling. Where do you live? I'll come find you."

Chen Dong gave the name of the hotel, and Jia Miaomiao said, "I know that place. It's only two stops away from the ancestral graves. Wait here. I'll treat you to dinner."

More than an hour later, the doorbell rang. When I opened the door, it was indeed Jia Miaomiao. She had changed her clothes; she had been wearing pants before, but now she was wearing a skirt.

It's summer now, and the length of the skirt isn't very satisfactory. Only a small section of the calves is visible, but they are still very white, which is much better than wearing pants before where you can't see anything at all.

That said, isn't the local culture much more conservative than that of Donghua University? How come Jia Miaomiao is so open-minded and confident?

"Hehehe, isn't it pretty?" Jia Miaomiao asked with a smile, satisfied with Chen Dong's reaction.

Chen Dong nodded: "It really looks good, and it really shows off your figure."

Jia Miaomiao's face lit up with a smile: "Let's go out to eat."

Chen Dong followed him out and casually asked, "You seem to know Nanjing very well."

Jia Miaomiao proudly raised her chin: "That's right, I come to stay with you next door for a while every summer vacation."

Chen Dong joked, "You're being a bit too pessimistic. You're coming to stay in Nanjing in the summer."

Jia Miaomiao was amused and laughed, "There's no other way. I have to go to school in the capital. I can only come over to check on the family's businesses during the summer vacation."

"Wow, no wonder they're descendants of Jia Lian, their family has businesses in Jinling." Chen Dong's expression didn't seem surprised, but rather teasing.

Jia Miaomiao could tell, and shook her head to explain, "You're overthinking it. The Southern Branch keeps a tight rein on their possessions. My family's assets were acquired by the Yuanyang Ancestor through her family in Jinling, and have been passed down through generations. In our branch, there have been three generations of only one son, and I'm the only one left in my generation. I can't help but come and see them."

Chen Dong couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why did you take the subway?"

Jia Miaomiao said, "Taking the subway is fast. Driving and getting stuck in traffic can drive you crazy. There are already so many intersections, and the roads are narrow. Even now, there are still two-lane roads everywhere in Nanjing."

(End of this chapter)