Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The western side of the imperial palace, opposite Chonghua Palace.

In the meditation room of Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager gently twirled her prayer beads while listening to the Buddhist boy beside her chanting Buddhist scriptures.

An old nanny bowed and approached her, reporting, "Your Majesty, His Majesty went to Weiyang Palace again today."

The Empress Dowager paused in her prayer beads, opened her eyes to glance at her, and then closed them again.

After a while, he finally asked, "How long have you been here?"

"About half an hour."

Another silence fell, then the Empress Dowager continued, "Where is the Emperor now?"

"It seems they received some news and have already left the palace."

"I do not know exactly where we are going."

The Empress Dowager hummed in acknowledgment.

"Alright, you may leave now."

"Yes."

Just as the old nanny was about to leave, she heard the Empress Dowager's cold, warning voice: "You should understand what you should and shouldn't say after you leave."

The old nanny's heart trembled slightly, and she quickly replied respectfully, "Yes. This old servant understands."

"Okay, go ahead."

After the old nanny left, the Empress Dowager lost her will to continue chanting Buddhist scriptures, so she dismissed the boy as well.

Once there was no one else in the quiet room, she sighed with a sorrowful expression.

My son is good in every way, and he is also a very competent emperor, living up to his father's expectations.

She's just a bit too flirtatious.

However, a man who isn't a bit of a playboy in his youth is wasting his life, especially since he was the emperor.

So even when Yuan Chun was taken away from her at the very beginning, she was already somewhat aware of the problem.

But she did not stop her.

She thought that, in any case, Yuan Chun was just a concubine that the late emperor had taken in his later years to balance the court.

Even after being granted the title, he was consistently neglected.

Since my son likes women with the character "Jia" in their hair so much, let's just turn a blind eye to it.

In return for his kindness in not betraying her after she had served her purpose, she continued to treat her with the respect due to her own mother after ascending the throne.

Gradually, she realized something was wrong.

At first, she didn't think much of it when she let the person into Weiyang Palace, assuming that the Empress Dowager was only willing to help take her in because of Princess Zhaoyang's feelings.

After all, keeping people in Weiyang Palace can effectively prevent one from "taking action".

However, she swore that she had only asked someone to observe the movements inside Weiyang Palace out of curiosity.

Then she discovered that every time her beloved son went to Weiyang Palace, he spent far more time in the main hall than in the side hall where Yuan Chun served!

Although the informant didn't know what was happening inside the main hall, the constant sound of music coming from within made it easy to report.

She knew that the Empress Dowager was skilled at playing the zither.

After all, the Empress Dowager had previously summoned renowned figures such as Yuan Chun and Gu Qingyi to Weiyang Palace to exchange ideas on the art of playing the zither.

But this is clearly not a matter of being good at something or not.

It's quite outrageous that she, as the Empress Dowager, would frequently play the zither for her own son.

It's hard not to associate it with romantic and frivolous things.

The Empress Dowager herself was still very young and her beauty had not diminished.

This put her in a difficult position.

If we're talking about Yuan Chun, that's one thing; she was just a pitiful person.

But the Empress Dowager was Emperor Taizong's empress! She was someone even she had to kneel and bow to...

Wouldn't this disrupt the natural order and moral principles?

She had subtly reminded him of this when Jia Lian came to visit her before.

It was said that the Empress Dowager preferred quiet and disliked being disturbed, so she should be mindful of etiquette when she went to pay her respects.

It meant that he shouldn't stay in Weiyang Palace for too long.

She knew Jia Lian would understand, because he would tell her in return that the Empress Dowager simply didn't like being disturbed by irrelevant people, but he was different.

In the heart of the Empress Dowager, he and Princess Zhaoyang had long been regarded as her closest relatives.

She cared for him just as much as his mother did.

Moreover, before Princess Zhaoyang left the capital, she repeatedly entrusted him to take good care of the Empress Dowager.

Therefore, even though he was burdened with state affairs, he had to go to Weiyang Palace to fulfill his filial duties to Zhaoyang whenever he had the chance...

Her lips twitched as she listened.

She didn't understand either.

Given the relationship between his own son and Zhaoyang, how dare he provoke the Empress Dowager?

Isn't she afraid that if Zhao Yang finds out how filial he is, she'll be furious and make him regret it?

Zhaoyang has the capability.

When the late emperor was alive, he granted Zhaoyang immense power.

Most of these powers were not revoked after the prince ascended the throne.

She was somewhat worried about this, and at first even reminded him that imperial power should not be lightly handed over to others.

What I fear is that one day the prince and his sister Zhaoyang might fall out, and the other party could use their power to threaten the prince.

Each time this happened, Jia Lian would simply reassure her, saying that he knew what was going on.

Over time, she stopped talking about it.

Fortunately, over the years, the relationship between the prince and Zhaoyang did not become distant even after the prince became emperor.

That brat Xiao Wang had long ago adopted the attitude of wanting to be a carefree prince for life.

Aside from running to the Daming Palace every day to clamor for leading troops on an eastern expedition, he completely ignored any important officials in the court.

Unable to figure out the key point no matter how hard she tried, the Empress Dowager had no choice but to give up and think of finding an opportunity to remind her son again.

If you have truly done something to betray Zhaoyang, you should take precautions as soon as possible.

Otherwise, what can we do? Should we use this as an excuse to reprimand the prince?

That's impossible.

Jia Lian was able to legitimately rise to power by using her identity.

Similarly, she herself had a hard time finding a worthy asset to entrust her with.

And the investment was successful.

She knew very well that whether she could truly live up to the title of Empress Dowager and have all the honors that an Empress Dowager should have depended entirely on how much the past relationship was valued in the heart of her son.

Therefore, she would never do anything that would damage the bond between mother and son.

Since we can't touch the prince, are we supposed to go and accuse the Empress Dowager of being a vixen and seducing our own prince?

That would be even more foolish.

Therefore, it seems that there is no better way than to turn a blind eye.

Try to think positively.

If the Empress Dowager really had an affair with the prince, then I would become her elder.

She naturally had no right to put on airs in front of him.

In this way, she easily became the most supreme woman in the palace.

The Empress Dowager chuckled self-deprecatingly, having already prepared a contingency plan for the situation.

……

Outside the west city, on the main road.

Dressed in plain clothes, Jia Lian rode forward, escorted by dozens of royal guards in similar attire.

The official road, which was usually used by people, had been cleared by the soldiers in advance, making it very wide and unobstructed.

The group slowed down only when a three-horse carriage with black sails appeared.

Jia Lian leaped forward on his horse and looked around through the window.

A moment later, the curtains opened, revealing Princess Zhaoyang's signature bright smile.

"Brother, it's been a long time."

Once he was sure it was the right horse, Jia Lian immediately dismounted, stepped onto the carriage, and climbed inside.

Inside the simply yet elegantly furnished carriage, Princess Zhaoyang held a glass of wine, watching him enter with a composed air.

A rectangular wooden box was placed conspicuously in front of Princess Zhaoyang.

Jia Lian glanced at the wooden box and then asked, "Why did you come back so suddenly without telling me beforehand?"

You have rendered a great service to the court this time, and you can be considered to have returned in triumph.

"I should hold a grand return ceremony for you."

Princess Zhaoyang picked up another glass of wine from the small table and handed it to Jia Lian, saying, "This is a foreign wine that those Westerners presented to the royal family of Japan. It is very different from the wines of our Central Plains. Your Majesty, please try it."

Looking at the clear glass and the red wine inside, Jia Lian thought to himself that if this girl were born in modern times, she would definitely be the most fashionable woman.

So he didn't rush into conversation, took the wine, sat down, and tasted it.

Princess Zhaoyang said, "Isn't this my brother's 27th birthday? How could I possibly be absent from such an important day?"

We rushed as fast as we could and finally arrived in Tianjin last night.

Originally, I planned to return directly to the capital to surprise my elder brother.

But then I thought, my brother's birthday is going to be celebrated in a grand way, both inside and outside the palace.

If we really go back to the capital, I'm afraid we won't even have a quiet place to talk.

That's why I sent someone to summon my elder brother. I hope he won't blame me for being so inconsiderate and taking up his time.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian raised his hand and flicked her nose, laughing and scolding, "You little rascal, you've gotten even more talkative since you went out."

Princess Zhaoyang chuckled and nestled into Jia Lian's arms, beginning to pour out her heart and express her longing for him.

She was originally scheduled to serve as a military supervisor that year.

Moreover, the key point is to supervise King Xiao's army!

But gradually, the generals realized that this princess was much more reliable in her words and deeds than Prince Xiao.

Gradually, people became more willing to cooperate with her as the military supervisor, and instead ignored King Xiao, the "Grand Marshal".

This is why Prince Xiao became increasingly angry, and in the end, he could only resort to sending Japanese women to Jia Lian in order to disgust and retaliate against his own elder sister.

Women are generally more emotionally sensitive and have a stronger desire to share.

Princess Zhaoyang was leading an army on a formal expedition for the first time, and she wanted to tell Jia Lian everything she had seen and felt throughout the year.

Fortunately, the people below knew that their princess and the emperor had been reunited after a long separation, so the carriage moved very slowly.

After a long while, Jia Lian noticed that Princess Zhaoyang's lips were getting dry from talking, so he poured her half a cup of wine, kicked the box in front of her, and asked:

"Alright, I haven't asked you yet, what is this?"

The fact that a large item was placed in the middle of a spacious carriage is puzzling in itself.

After taking a sip of wine, Princess Zhaoyang winked at Jia Lian and smiled, "Brother, guess?"

"A gift for me?"

"Oh dear, why are you so smart? You make it so hard for others to feel any sense of accomplishment!"

Faced with Princess Zhaoyang's coquettish and persistent behavior, Jia Lian felt both smug and helpless.

I thought to myself, "You've come all this way back, and you've called me out again. You're the only thing in the car."

It's not hard to guess that it's a gift for myself, is it?

But Princess Zhaoyang's coquettishness was only momentary. She immediately sat up from his lap, raised her eyebrows, and smiled, "Then guess again, what is the gift?"

Jia Lian looked down at the box, which was about three feet long, and finally shook his head: "I can't guess."

"Guess! Guess! It's something you like, you'll definitely guess!"

Jia Lian originally thought that even if he could guess it, he shouldn't say it out loud, so as to give the other party a sense of accomplishment.

Seeing this, they could only helplessly ponder the situation.

"Famous foreign calligraphy and paintings?"

Princess Zhaoyang shook her head.

"Fine wine and fishing rods?"

He shook his head again.

Jia Lian said, "With such a big box and without any hints, how was I supposed to guess what it was?"

Princess Zhaoyang wore a smug and satisfied expression. She stopped making things difficult for Jia Lian and pouted, "Then open it yourself and see."

Jia Lian was indeed intrigued by Princess Zhaoyang.

Seeing that the wooden box was not locked, he simply bent down and opened it.

Then he was speechless.

The reason was that a young girl was curled up inside this wooden box, which was neither too big nor too small.

A stunningly beautiful woman with revealing clothes, slender arms and legs.

Seeing Jia Lian's stunned expression, Princess Zhaoyang became even more smug and laughed from the side, "Brother, you're so stupid! I told you it was someone you liked, and you still couldn't guess!"

Jia Lian thought to himself, "You put a living person in a box, who the hell can guess it?"

If you had used a more ordinary wooden crate, I might have been able to guess correctly.

However, it must be true that this beauty is so light and delicate that she wouldn't be able to squeeze into such a wooden box.

Thinking about it, he couldn't help but laugh.

This girl still understands him as always.

When he opened the box and saw the contents, he was genuinely moved by the scene.

Seeing Jia Lian smile, Princess Zhaoyang knew perfectly well that her gift had touched her heart.

She pouted and nestled into Jia Lian's arms, explaining, "This is the daughter of a noble family in Japan, only fifteen years old."

I saw that she was beautiful, and I felt pity for her.

So I took her in.

Because I returned to the capital in a hurry, I did not have time to prepare a gift for my elder brother.

Knowing that her elder brother liked beautiful women, she thought of presenting her to him as a birthday gift.

"How about it? Aren't they prettier than the three princesses that brat Ling'er gave you?"

Jia Lian looked back.

Although the beauty in the box did not move, her face could still be partially seen as she lay on her side in a tender embrace.

She had delicate willow-leaf eyebrows, a small face, and a slender neck.

Her delicate features subtly revealed a hint of unease and shyness.

She truly looked so pitiful that I felt sorry for her.

With just one glance, Jia Lian judged that among the princesses Xiao Wang had brought back, the most outstanding one was eight points or above, similar to Yuanyang and Xiren.

The one in Princess Zhaoyang's hand can be rated nine out of ten; it already possesses unparalleled beauty.

Despite his inner thoughts, Jia Lian appeared aggrieved: "I never asked Ling'er to send me any Japanese princess. What he sent back, I had it returned to his own residence."

"Didn't you leave one behind?" Princess Zhaoyang blinked.

Jia Lian sighed helplessly, "I'm just a little curious about what Japanese women look like... You know, I haven't even come back yet, but you know everything about what's going on around me."

"You're doing such a good job with intelligence; I really should put the Military Intelligence Division under your command as well."

Princess Zhaoyang smiled and said, "That's wonderful."

Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will definitely help you gather all the intelligence on the enemy country.

"Brother, tell me, after Fusang, who will we attack next?"

"Who else should we fight... This battle has cost the court a great deal, and it will take some time to digest the gains from the war. It is not advisable to start another war for several years." Jia Lian tapped Princess Zhaoyang on the forehead.

Princess Zhaoyang raised her eyebrows and then jumped up, pulling Jia Lian along and pointing to the box, saying, "Isn't Your Majesty curious about what a woman from Fusang looks like? This is a woman from Fusang. Your Majesty can take a good look and study her slowly."

Jia Lian clearly sensed something was off about Princess Zhaoyang's tone. He turned around and saw a familiar mix of excitement and anticipation on her face.

Jia Lian said, "Since she's someone you brought back, she can stay by your side as a maid."

"They don't lack maids. Besides, this is a birthday gift for my elder brother, how can we take it back?"

"We'll talk about that after we return to the palace."

"No, no, please watch it now..."

Princess Zhaoyang grabbed Jia Lian's arm and shook it.

Before leaving, he added, "Rest assured, Your Majesty, she is not an assassin, and I have checked her entire body; there are no sharp weapons on her."

This carriage is very stable; no matter what you do here, Your Majesty, no one outside will be able to tell.

Jia Lian stared speechlessly at the eager young girl.

What do they take him for? A male actor for entertainment?

I wanted to give her a flick on the forehead, but then I thought about how considerate she was to me.

He finally managed to go on a long trip, and he even remembered to bring back a beautiful woman for himself.

They certainly deserve recognition.

So he squatted down, first carefully observed the Japanese-style beautiful girl in the box, and then reached out his hands to take her out of the small space.

Seeing Princess Zhaoyang's increasingly excited expression, he said irritably, "What are you still standing there for? Go sit over there."

Princess Zhaoyang chuckled and obediently sat back down on the soft seat next to her.

Like a student who has just sat down in a movie theater, ready to watch a film.

As she watched Jia Lian meticulously unravel the gifts she had brought back, just as she had expected, and then deliberately savor them with an entertaining air, her expression gradually changed.

From a playful expression to nonchalant indifference, and then to barely suppressed anxiety and tension.

He gripped the soft cushion beneath him tightly with both hands, and even his ten toes inside his boots clenched involuntarily.

……