Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

As I walked to Qinfang Bridge, I happened to meet a young girl.

"Greetings, Your Highness..."

Looking at the elegant and composed young woman before him, who bore a resemblance to Baochai, Jia Lian asked with a smile, "Why aren't you calling me cousin anymore?"

The young girl gently changed her address: "Greetings, Cousin Crown Prince."

Jia Lian nodded and asked, "Where are you headed?"

"Let's go to Longcui Nunnery to see Miaoyu."

"I was just about to go to Longcui Nunnery, let's go together."

"Yes……"

Xing Xiuyan stepped aside, intending to let Jia Lian go first.

The small, slightly frail figure stood by the roadside, appearing both sensible and endearing.

So Jia Lian took a few steps, then couldn't help but turn back to look at her a few more times, and asked again, "If I remember correctly, you and Ping'er share the same birthday. Are you turning 18 this year?"

"Uh-huh."

Jia Lian looked slightly apologetic: "I haven't been a very good cousin; I couldn't even attend your coming-of-age ceremony."

Xing Xiuyan quickly replied, "My coming-of-age ceremony is nothing special."

My cousin is a man of great things, and even if he were at home, I wouldn't dare trouble myself with such a small matter, let alone since he's not in Beijing.

Moreover, my cousin has already helped me and my family a lot, and Xiuyan is truly grateful for his kindness.

Her cousin's words made Xiuyan uneasy.

Xiuyan's tone was unusually reserved.

After all, strictly speaking, Jia Lian couldn't really be considered a close cousin.

Madam Xing was Jia Lian's stepmother, and it was quite obvious that their mother-son relationship was very ordinary.

Although Madam Xing was her aunt, she was not born of the same mother as her father.

They were desperate and had no other choice but to shamelessly seek refuge with Madam Xing.

Madam Xing was stingy and petty, and she looked down on them completely.

On the contrary, Jia Lian, her cousin whom she had met once in her childhood, was very friendly to her family.

Not only did they help her family find a house in the alley in front of Ningrong Street, but they also arranged a decent job for her father, allowing her family to truly establish themselves in the capital.

Not to mention that, for the past two years, she has lived in the Grand View Garden, sitting and eating with Yingchun, and her food, clothing and daily necessities are the same as Yingchun's.

This allowed her, a commoner girl, to live the life of a noble lady.

All of this made him deeply respect and grateful to Jia Lian, so he naturally lacked the composure he displayed in front of outsiders when facing Jia Lian.

Looking at the girl in front of him, Jia Lian recalled the first time he went to Jiangnan, when she was just a little girl who barely reached his waist.

In the blink of an eye, they've grown so big.

"The coming-of-age ceremony is very important. After the coming-of-age ceremony, you are considered an adult."

By the way, our Xiuyan is so beautiful, have your uncle and aunt found her a suitable husband beforehand?

If you have any, tell me about them.

"Let me make this clear first: my Xiuyan is so beautiful. If the other person isn't good enough in terms of looks and character, I, as her cousin, can't agree to it."

Jia Lian looked like an older brother teasing his younger sister.

Xing Xiuyan immediately blushed and stood there, too embarrassed to speak.

She was shy not only because Jia Lian complimented her on her beauty and talked about her marriage.

More importantly, Jia Lian's words reminded her of the things her parents had repeatedly told her.

In fact, her parents had no intention of arranging a marriage for her at all!

Although Xing Zhong and his wife were honest people, they were also grateful people.

The fact that Jia Lian helped their family so much and insisted on keeping their daughter in the Grand View Garden made it clear to the two elders that Jia Lian had taken a liking to their youngest daughter.

It's not their fault, after all, their daughter is indeed very beautiful.

Especially after living in the Grand View Garden for the past two years, spending every day with Daiyu and other members of the Begonia Club, she has cultivated an even more refined temperament.

Most importantly, there had long been rumors within and outside the Jia family that Jia Lian was fond of his cousin's type.

This is not groundless.

If you really think about it, both Sister Feng and Daiyu were actually Jia Lian's cousins. Before they married him, they could all call him their cousin.

Because of these speculations, the two elders had long considered their daughter to be Jia Lian's woman.

Although their daughter had been in the Grand View Garden for two years without being promoted, the two elders only thought it was because their daughter was too dull and Jia Lian was too busy.

Therefore, I often call my daughter home to remind her to be more proactive...

Xing Xiuyan was well aware of her parents' most straightforward expectations.

However, she was a well-educated and sensible person, and her personality was one of contentment with a simple life and indifferent to vanity.

Naturally, she wouldn't do something like actively seducing someone.

But she was, after all, a young girl just beginning to experience love, and she wondered if her place also existed in the heart of this dazzling cousin.

This cousin is just too busy. Even when he occasionally comes home, his attention is drawn to the girls like Daiyu and Baochai.

Even Xing Xiuyan felt that these two girls of the same age were truly outstanding.

So outstanding that it makes you feel no desire to compete.

Therefore, before Jia Lian expressed his feelings for her, she neither dared nor wanted to cross the line.

Because she didn't want to be looked down upon by Jia Lian and the group of virtuous and noble sisters in the Grand View Garden.

Jia Lian looked at the shy girl with her eyebrows lowered in front of him.

Admittedly, her beauty was neither as enchanting as Daiyu's nor as dazzling as Baochai's.

But she possesses an innate, serene, and elegant temperament that sets her apart from others.

The more I look at it, the more my heart flutters.

However, Jia Lian only glanced at it a few more times before turning around and continuing to walk towards Longcui Nunnery.

For Xing Xiuyan, getting what she wanted was very easy.

If he were to express even a little bit of his feelings to Mr. and Mrs. Xing, he would surely be more than happy to help them.

However, he still needs to observe mourning for the retired emperor, so it is not appropriate for him to expand the palace complex.

Moreover, Xing Xiuyan lives with Yingchun, right under his nose, so she can't escape.

So there's no need to rush into a formal relationship. Just like now, teasing your little cousin occasionally is a very fun thing.

Miaoyu has a withdrawn personality, and it is difficult for ordinary people to get along with her.

Xiuyan only respected her and visited her occasionally because she was grateful to Xiuyan for enlightening her and had a mentor-student relationship with her.

However, Xing Xiuyan soon regretted it.

She had just seen Jia Lian preoccupied with other things and had forgotten about this.

Although the relationship between Miaoyu and Jia Lian has not been made public, it is obvious to anyone with eyes that Miaoyu is Jia Lian's woman.

Why did she just obediently follow me?

Sitting at the stone table under the rose trellis, drinking the tea personally brewed by Miaoyu, and seeing Miaoyu's eyes trying to cover up her embarrassment and avoiding eye contact with Jia Lian, Xing Xiuyan wished she could slap herself.

"Um, cousin, I suddenly remembered that my second sister Yingchun told me something before, and I almost forgot about it."

"Please have your tea first, I must excuse myself."

Jia Lian withdrew his gaze from Miaoyu's face and looked at Xiuyan with a half-smile: "What is it that needs to be done now? You don't even have time to have tea with us?"

"It's nothing serious..."

Miaoyu said, "Since it's not a serious matter, let's finish this cup of tea first and then discuss it."

It's rare for you to come all the way here, so we can have a chat.

Seeing that Miaoyu's expression did not seem to be feigned, Xiuyan wondered if she had misunderstood.

The two people in front of us are perfectly fine; it's all just hearsay.

Just as I was hesitating whether to stay and be a third wheel, a maid announced from the front: "Miss Qingyi is here."

Upon hearing that Gu Qingyi had arrived, Miaoyu was taken aback at first, then involuntarily glanced at Jia Lian, her fair face immediately flushing red. She lowered her head, forgetting even to try and stop Xiuyan.

Unlike Miaoyu, Jia Lian's eyes suddenly brightened.

Jia Lian glanced at Xiuyan, who was standing to the side lost in thought, paused for a moment, and said, "Since you have other matters to attend to, you should go back first. You can enjoy this tea another time."

"Yes."

Xiuyan nodded, glanced at Jia Lian and Miaoyu, and turned to leave.

As they passed by the front yard, they brushed past Gu Qingyi and her servant who were entering.

They nodded to each other, and even Xiuyan couldn't help but be amazed by Gu Qingyi's face, which everyone praised.

At the same time, she understood why her cousin no longer cared about her.

There is a beautiful woman like Miaoyu, and a beloved concubine like Gu Qingyi.

My cousin has extremely high standards, so he would never look up to an ordinary commoner like me.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have suddenly let himself leave first...

Xing Xiuyan's envy is normal.

Few young women in the world could resist envy or even jealousy when they saw Gu Qingyi.

This woman truly seemed to be a product meticulously crafted by the Creator.

Both her figure and appearance can be described as perfect.

She led her maid Xiao Zi to the rose trellis and saw Jia Lian sitting leisurely. She was taken aback at first, but then greeted him calmly and slowly: "This servant greets the Crown Prince."

"No need for formalities, please have a seat."

Jia Lian gestured to the spot where Xiuyan had just sat, then took a teacup from the tea tray, poured a cup of tea that Miaoyu had just brewed, and presented it to Gu Qingyi.

Gu Qingyi quickly accepted the gift with both hands, and her gaze towards Jia Lian softened with warmth.

Although it was just a small gesture, it undoubtedly proved once again to Gu Qingyi that she still held some weight in Jia Lian's heart and was not just a pretty toy.

"You've come to visit Miaoyu too?"

"Cough cough..."

Gu Qingyi, who was about to enjoy her tea, almost choked when she heard Jia Lian's sudden question.

Miaoyu also rolled her eyes at Jia Lian.

The way you're saying this makes it sound like they're children playing house.

Moreover, it is inexplicably ambiguous.

Thinking of how Jia Lian had once tricked her into serving him along with Gu Qingyi, and how he had deliberately sent Xiuyan away just now.

A bad premonition suddenly arose in Miaoyu's heart.

"My sisters and I heard that the Crown Prince returned to the mansion yesterday, so we came back early in preparation for his summons."

However, the Crown Prince did not summon us, so I came here intending to discuss the art of playing the zither with Sister Miaoyu.

I didn't expect the Crown Prince to be here. I've disturbed his enjoyment of tea; it's my fault.

Gu Qingyi said very respectfully.

"No disturbance, your arrival is just in time. It would be wonderful to enjoy tea and discuss music together."

As Jia Lian spoke, he picked up a cup of tea, took a gentle sip of the sweet tea, and a smile naturally appeared on his face.

His cunning and malicious demeanor immediately made the two stunningly beautiful women uncomfortable.

Gu Qingyi is better, after all, she has more experience.

So he picked up a teacup and pretended to drink tea seriously.

Miaoyu couldn't take it anymore and said, "You two sit down first, I'll go check if the new water in the kitchen is ready."

After saying that, he tried to get up.

But Jia Lian grabbed her delicate hand that was resting on the stone table.

"This is a small matter, so let Zhineng and the others handle it. Why do you have to go yourself?"

As Jia Lian spoke, noticing the two small blushes gathering on Miaoyu's face, he decided to drop the pretense: "It's been a long time since I've visited your bedroom. Since she's here today, why don't you lead us to take a look?"

"What's so interesting about the bedroom? If you want to see, go see for yourself..."

"Hehe, what's the point of me going alone? It'll be more fun if you come with me."

As he spoke, Jia Lian led Miaoyu to stand up.

Seeing that she was still unwilling to cooperate, he simply bent down and picked her up by the waist.

It's really satisfying and aesthetically pleasing to lift tall and slender girls like Gu Qingyi and Miaoyu in this way.

"Let's go."

Ignoring Miaoyu's feigned struggle, Jia Lian glanced back at Gu Qingyi, who had already stood up stiffly, gave her an order, and then headed towards the main hall.

Since things had come to this point, Gu Qingyi naturally had nothing more to say.

Even if they hadn't done it before, if Jia Lian wanted it, could they refuse?

Jia Lian is already the Crown Prince.

If he were to ascend the throne in the future, he would surely take in a large harem.

When the time comes, among Jia Lian's women, whoever holds a higher position in Jia Lian's heart and whoever wins Jia Lian's favor will surely obtain a higher status.

Now that we're already caught in this vortex, who would want to be inferior to others?

The reason she and her sisters from the women's music troupe returned to the mansion early was precisely in preparation for Jia Lian's possible summons, hoping to receive more favor from him.

Therefore, meeting Jia Lian at Longcui Nunnery was undoubtedly a rare opportunity for her.

There's no reason not to seize it. (End of Chapter)