The Red Mansion in its bustling glory

Jia Jue came out of Wang Xifeng's courtyard and turned to walk east.

Although Ningguo Mansion and Rongguo Mansion are close to each other, they are still two separate residences, separated by a wall.

But must the two governments always have to go out the main gate and then come in again each time they travel between them?

Isn't that too inconvenient?

Therefore, when these two mansions were built, a path was left for people to pass through, so that people could travel between the two mansions.

Jia Jue entered Ningguo Mansion through this small path.

Unlike the Rongguo Mansion, which had numerous masters and complex relationships, the Ningguo Mansion did not have many masters.

The only true leader among them was Jia Zhen.

Whether it was his son Jia Rong or his new wife You Shi, they all obeyed him without question.

However, the entire Ningguo Mansion was also filled with a decadent and dissolute atmosphere because Jia Zhen was so addicted to wine and women.

As Liu Xianglian aptly put it, only the pair of stone lions in the entire mansion were clean!

Jia Jue walked toward the place where Jia Zhen usually stayed.

Upon reaching the door, one could hear a series of seductive sounds coming from inside.

At this time, Lady You had only recently married into the Jia family and was still graceful and charming, and Jia Zhen still doted on her.

Upon seeing Jia Jue arrive, a head maidservant hurriedly went in to report, but Jia Jue stopped her.

"No need, I'll just wait."

The maid gave a sneer and led him to another side room.

At this time, Jia Zhen was inside the house, naturally "working".

Ever since he met Qin Keqing that day, Jia Zhen has been unable to sleep day and night. Whenever he is having fun with his wives and concubines, he can't help but think of her.

Even now, Jia Zhen still murmurs words like "Ke'er" softly.

After a short while, the room became quiet.

The maids and servants who were waiting outside knew that the matter was over, so they hurried in to wash and clean up You Shi and Jia Zhen.

While wiping, he reported to Jia Zhen that Jia Jue had arrived.

Jia Zhen was puzzled—what was Jia Jue doing here?

Without giving it much thought, he sent Madam You back and ordered someone to summon Jia Jue.

As Jia Jue entered the room, he happened to see You Shi leaving.

At this moment, Lady You's face was rosy, her eyes sparkling. She glanced at Jia Jue, and her face turned even redder.

This is certainly not because of emotional attachment.

It's because of shyness.

Seeing Jia Jue enter, Jia Zhen smiled and said, "Brother Jue, why didn't you let anyone know you were coming? I would have liked to entertain you."

Jia Jue then laughed and said, "Why be so formal between brothers?"

Jia Zhen smiled and quickly gestured for Jia Jue to sit down.

After chatting for a while, the two finally got to the main topic.

"I heard Rong'er is getting married?" Jia Jue asked.

Jia Zhen said, "He's already seventeen, which is considered late. He should get married by now."

Jia Jue asked, "May I ask which family's daughter she is?"

Jia Zhen said, "She is the daughter of Qin Ye, the official in charge of construction, and her name is Keqing."

Jia Jue nodded and smiled, "I wonder how Brother Zhen plans to organize this wedding?"

Jia Zhen said, "Naturally, just like when I remarried, I will trouble you again, Madam."

He seemed to have thought of something else and said, "Brother, don't worry, I will definitely send you some good things."

Jia Jue was both amused and exasperated. He said, "Let's put aside the good stuff for now. It seems this girl has won Brother Zhen's heart?"

Jia Zhen, already harboring a guilty conscience, naturally felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing Jia Jue's question. He forced a smile and asked, "How did you figure that out, Brother Jue?"

Jia Jue laughed and said, "Don't even mention me, in a few days everyone in the mansion will know. Just look at the supplies Brother Zhen has prepared, and you'll know."

Jia Zhen was never a very meticulous person.

Because he loved Qin Keqing, he hoped the wedding would be grand.

Even the dowry that Qin Ye's family couldn't afford, Jia Zhen generously provided.

Leaving aside everything else, just considering the jewelry alone, there are thirty-four pairs of earrings, thirty-eight pairs of hairpins, sixteen pairs of rings, plus three pairs of saddle rings, as well as jadeite, pearls, gemstones, tourmaline, kingfisher feather inlays, and so on.

This standard was already the standard for the dowry jewelry that the Empress's family would prepare when the royal family got married.

Moreover, the dowry given to him by the Jia family was even more extravagant, including ten fine horses, ten silver basins, and countless silks and satins.

Even when His Majesty gets married, he only gets four horses!

Although the current dynasty has abolished many restrictions on wedding customs, recognizing only privately organized weddings, and even if a wedding lasts for three days, no one will care, Jia Zhen's overstepping of his bounds is still evident.

However, Jia Jue did not want to stop him, because he knew it would be useless.

So he said, "If Brother Zhen is looking for a wife, these things will definitely need to be replaced."

After listening, Jia Zhen thought about it and realized that it made sense.

My wife is usually very particular about rules and regulations. If she were to help manage things this time, we would definitely have to cut a lot of money.

After all, his wife was his elder. Although he tried his best to protect many things, he still couldn't save face.

This presents a thorny problem.

Jia Zhen then looked at Jia Jue and said, "Rong'er is all grown up now. He's my only son, and I know how much I love him. Qin Shi is virtuous and has won the hearts of your sister-in-law and me. Of course, we want to hold a grand celebration. But now that you've said this, it doesn't seem quite right. But Jue-ge, you've always been clever, so please give your brother some advice."

Jia Jue laughed and said, "It's certainly reasonable to hold it in a grand manner. Now, I have an idea, and I wonder if Brother Zhen would like to hear it."

Before Jia Jue could finish speaking, Jia Zhen interrupted, "Tell me quickly!"

Jia Jue then laughed and said, "Brother Zhen, you should know that the mistress of the West Mansion is gradually letting go of worldly affairs, and the management of the household is gradually being handed over to Sister-in-law Lian."

Jia Zhen nodded and said, "Of course I know that. I met Feng the Lazi when I was young. She's even more cunning than a man!"

Jia Jue replied, "In that case, why don't you ask the old lady to let your second sister-in-law handle it? She certainly won't skimp on the things if she does it for you."

Jia Zhen was naturally somewhat tempted upon hearing this.

If Wang Xifeng were in charge, there would be three advantages:

Firstly, since it was her first time, she was unlikely to say anything about his overly attentive behavior and preparations.

Secondly, they are of the same generation, and she has to call him "brother." Even if she has any complaints, she might have to give in to him in the end.

Thirdly, he knew Wang Xifeng's personality; she liked grand occasions, and who knew that the two of them might organize something even bigger than what they were doing now!

However, she had only recently married into the household, and this was her first time handling such matters...

Seeing the hesitation in Jia Zhen's eyes, Jia Jue smiled and said, "Brother Zhen, are you perhaps doubting your sister-in-law's abilities?"

Jia Zhen remained silent.

Jia Jue continued, "You know Second Sister-in-law. Although she is a girl, she was raised as a boy when she was in the Wang family. Her skills are unmatched by any man. The servants in both mansions say, 'Even ten thousand men are not as cunning as her.' I don't believe Brother Zhen hasn't heard of this, nor do I believe that Brother Zhen thinks this statement is unfounded."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhen felt a surge of determination. He turned to Jia Jue and said, "I know Feng Jie'er's abilities, but how do we ask for her help in this matter? Won't Madam be displeased?"

Jia Jue smiled and said, "Of course Madam won't be unhappy. But I do have a plan on how to get the person back."

Jia Jue chuckled inwardly, thinking to himself, "The Dream of the Red Chamber actually records your method for successfully getting people."