Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

"come over……"

Hearing Jia Lian order her again, Xi Ren subconsciously took a step back, her face finally breaking down. She said softly, "Second Master, I only came down to relieve myself. I didn't see anything, I don't know anything. Please, Second Master, let me go..."

Xi Ren was not a naive fool; she knew perfectly well what what she had just witnessed meant.

She was terrified; if she took a step forward, she would face an unimaginable nightmare.

Seeing that she wanted to run away, Jia Lian wasn't in a hurry. He simply said, "Do you think I won't be able to find you if you run away?"

Xi Ren's face turned pale, and she clenched her fists.

At this moment, Lady You had also come over, but she only hid behind the stone wall, not daring to show her face, and looked at Jia Lian with worried eyes.

Jia Lian glanced at her, then continued to say to Xiren, "My patience is limited. If you don't come over by the time I count to three, you should understand the consequences."

Xi Ren was torn between her inner turmoil and her own desires. Having been sold into the Jia family as a slave since childhood, she couldn't muster any rebellious thoughts in the face of Jia Lian at this moment.

She knew that even if she managed to escape now, given Jia Lian and Madam You's status and position, they would definitely not let her go if she couldn't put their minds at ease.

She couldn't imagine how Jia Lian and the others would deal with her; she only knew that she would have a chance to survive if she could dispel their suspicions.

Fortunately, neither Master Lian nor Madam You were vicious people.

Having figured all this out, Xiren obediently returned as soon as Jia Lian finished reading the word "one".

When she arrived here, she saw You Shi's face, but she didn't dare to look up and look directly at her.

When Madam You realized it was Xiren, she breathed a slight sigh of relief. She recognized this maid and knew she was an honest and dutiful person who wouldn't gossip...

However... while the logic is sound, since it concerns her own life and fortune, she has to consider whether she should be ruthless and have Jia Lian silence Xi Ren to ensure everything goes smoothly and once and for all.

Ultimately, she couldn't bring herself to make that decision, so she could only watch Jia Lian and hope that he could make the right choice himself.

Jia Lian wasn't too worried from beginning to end. He looked down at the girl in front of him.

With her beauty comparable to Ping'er and Yuanyang, and her high status in the Dream of the Red Chamber, ranking second in the secondary register of the Twelve Beauties of Jinling, only after Qingwen, Xiren was undoubtedly a truly "good maid." Both her appearance and her character were of superior quality.

Unfortunately, I wasn't very lucky.

This maid keeps stumbling upon his good deeds; she'll have to be dealt with.

Although Xiren didn't look up, she knew that Jia Lian and You Shi were both looking at her. Seeing that they remained silent for a long time, she couldn't bear it any longer. She knelt down with a thud and kowtowed, saying, "Please, Second Master and Madam, forgive me! This servant really didn't see anything..."

Obviously, neither Jia Lian nor Lady You would believe that.

Jia Lian calmly said, "Now, I'll give you two choices."

Xiren then raised her head, her eyes filled with tears, and looked at Jia Lian with pity.

"First, the Huifang Creek behind you has icy cold water that can shut people up forever."

Xiren felt a chill run through her body, and she couldn't stop trembling.

As expected, the Second Master wanted to kill her... Only the dead can shut up forever...

Lady You felt a little sorry for him and gently tugged at Jia Lian's sleeve.

Jia Lian held her hand, looking at her soft-hearted expression, and sighed inwardly.

The exposure of the affair would have limited impact on him, but Lady You, who lacked any real power base, would have to pay a heavy price. Therefore, if Xiren hadn't died, it should have been Lady You who was most worried.

Being in a high position and not being ruthless enough is a major flaw... but as a woman, he likes her very much.

Xiren also noticed that You Shi intended to plead for her, and she was very grateful. Therefore, she quickly bowed to Jia Lian and said, "Please, Second Master, show me the second way..."

"The second way is to surrender to me, both body and mind."

Xiren was taken aback by what she heard, but You Shi immediately understood and couldn't help but roll her eyes at Jia Lian.

Then he looked down and carefully examined the little girl in front of him, and snorted. So she had taken a liking to her!

But this is for the best; it's the only way to put our minds at ease for now.

As a woman, she knew that given the status of these maids, once they were chosen by Jia Lian and even taken in by him, it was almost impossible for them to betray him.

Lady You thought this way because she subconsciously believed that a maid of such young age, who had grown up by Grandmother Jia's side, must still be a virgin. She assumed that after giving her virginity to Jia Lian, she would be extremely loyal.

However, Jia Lian did not think this way. He knew that Xi Ren was loyal to whoever she served, and her loyalty was mostly with Jia Baoyu, and she might not even be a virgin anymore.

But it doesn't matter. Jia Lian already believed that someone like Xiren wouldn't be so foolish as to reveal what she saw today. Taking her in would just be adding another layer of security.

After all, Xiren was quite beautiful, so she wasn't at too much of a disadvantage.

As for Erbao, he dared to covet Qingwen and instigated Grandmother Jia to bully him. Since he was "unrighteous first," it shouldn't be too much for me to take in his Xiren, right?

Although Xiren was inexperienced in sexual relations, as a woman of slavery, she was naturally sensitive to words like "submission".

She understood Jia Lian's words almost instantly, and then her pretty face blushed.

To be honest, her first reaction was to refuse.

After all, Jia Lian was handsome and had a bright future, but a woman's chastity can only be fulfilled once.

She had always believed that her future support would be Jia Baoyu. Even after discovering that Jia Baoyu possessed the qualities of a man, she had wondered what she would do if he made any excessive demands of her in the future. Would she refuse or half-heartedly agree? If she were to submit to Jia Lian today and give her first time to Master Lian, how would she face Master Baoyu in the future?

Although she had worries in her heart, she couldn't afford to be confused when faced with a life-or-death situation.

She knew that although Jia Lian was not a wicked person, he was a man of his word, just like Second Mistress Lian, and could be ruthless in disciplining his servants.

The deaths of Aunt Yang and her brother seemed as if they were happening right before my eyes.

Therefore, Xiren kowtowed and said, "This servant is willing to submit... but I don't know what submission means..."

Both Jia Lian and Madam You could tell that she was pretending to be confused.

Seeing that Jia Lian had complete control over Xi Ren, Lady You's worries were finally largely relieved. She then said to Xi Ren, "You are not allowed to utter a single word about what happened here today. Otherwise, even if he spares you, I will definitely not!"

Xiren hurriedly bowed to Madam You and said, "Don't worry, Madam. I'm tight-lipped and will never dare to say a word to anyone. If I say even half a word to anyone, may I die a horrible death."

Madam You nodded, then turned back and gave Jia Lian a meaningful look. "In that case, I won't disturb your enjoyment any longer, Second Uncle. I think this girl is quite good; please enjoy her at your leisure..."

Hearing her say that, Xiren was naturally embarrassed, and Jia Lian raised an eyebrow and asked in return, "Not together?"

Lady You blushed instantly and glared at Jia Lian with annoyance.

All her desires had long since vanished thanks to Xiren's fright. Now, regaining her senses, she felt a lingering fear. What if the person who had bumped into her wasn't Xiren? What if Jia Lian hadn't noticed the spy?

Therefore, she dared not stay any longer.

With so many people here today, including Grandmother Jia, if she, the matriarch, were to disappear for too long, people might start to wonder.

Since we're all family, if we want to eat Jia Lian, we won't worry about not having the chance in the future, so there's no need to rush.

So she gave Jia Lian a flirtatious wink and was about to leave when Jia Lian grabbed her.

Thinking that Jia Lian was trying to force You Shi to stay, she tried to reason with him, but Jia Lian simply kissed her forehead lightly, patted her plump buttocks, and signaled that she could leave.

Lady You felt immense joy, thinking that even if she were to die in the body of such a man, it would be worth it.

For the sake of long-term stability, she finally stopped lingering, straightened her clothes, restored her demeanor as the matriarch, and walked out of the artificial hill with grace.

In this way, even if someone happens to pass by and sees her, they will only assume that she, like Xiren, came down to relieve herself...

Hidden behind the artificial hill, as soon as Madam You left, Xiren's heart began to pound.

She also saw Jia Lian's tender embrace of You Shi just now, and she even had some of the same thoughts as You Shi.

Actually, it seems that submitting to someone like Master Lian isn't such a bad thing after all...

Although she thought so, out of the instinctive shyness of a young woman, she still tried to deceive him.

"Second Master, please rest assured, from now on I will obey your every command. Please release me. Even if you gave me a hundred and twenty lives, I certainly wouldn't dare to speak recklessly, so you don't need to worry..."

She looked at Jia Lian earnestly, but Jia Lian just stared at her and said, "Didn't you say you were tight-lipped?"

"Yes, this servant is always tight-lipped and would never speak carelessly..."

"Whether it's tight or not, we'll have to try it to find out."

Jia Lian casually interrupted her wishful thinking, took her hand, and walked inside.

When meat is served to you, it's harmless and non-toxic; there's no reason not to eat it.

……

Time passed, and Xiren finally understood why Madam You had knelt on the ground earlier.

Although she didn't understand these crooked and evil practices, it didn't stop her from feeling so ashamed that she wanted to die.

Faced with a life-or-death choice, and under Jia Lian's imposing pressure and irresistible allure, she could only swallow her shame and humiliation, reluctantly complying.

Unfortunately, she didn't know how long this torment would last; her legs were numb from kneeling.

She looked up at Jia Lian a few times, just as Jia Lian was starting to feel the novelty wear off, so he pulled her up and made her lean against the wall.

Xi Ren panicked and pleaded, "Second Master, please spare me! I'm Second Master Bao's woman, you can't..."

Jia Lian then asked with a smile, "What, am I not as good as Master Bao?"

"No, Second Master is a man of great stature. Even the old lady says that Second Master will be the pillar of the family in the future. Second Master is not short of women. Whether it is Sister Ping'er or Qingwen, they are all more beautiful than me. Second Master, please spare me for the sake of Second Master Bao."

"Hmph, I'm fine when you don't mention him, but I get angry as soon as you do."

Back then, wasn't it your Bao Er Ye who wanted to compete with me for Qing Wen? To achieve his goal, he even wanted to use you as a bargaining chip. Have you forgotten all of that? And you're still so devoted to him?

"No, Second Master... Second Master Bao doesn't have any bad intentions, he just..."

Thinking about this, Xiren felt somewhat disheartened, but she still tried to explain to Jia Lian.

Unfortunately, she didn't understand that Jia Lian was only willing to waste time talking to her to temporarily deceive her and avoid unnecessary trouble. By the time she realized what was happening, she only had time to let out a low groan before it was too late for regrets.

The rest is self-explanatory.

Jia Lian was somewhat surprised and pulled her head over. After asking her questions, he learned that Jia Baoyu had just had a passionate dream in his nephew's wife's boudoir that day, which awakened his male consciousness and ability.

If it weren't for him, one can imagine that when they got to the room that night, Jia Erbao, who was already old enough to understand human affairs, would have pulled Xiren to "experience the pleasures of love for the first time."

In this light, it all seems to be fate, allowing him to get there first.

Feeling smug, Jia Lian became even less polite and vented all the anger he had generated from the wet nurse and You Shi on this virtuous Xi Ren!

……

After a long time, the clouds finally dispersed, the rain stopped, and the sky cleared.

Just like Lady You, Jia Lian walked out of the artificial hill with an air of nonchalance.

Although Xiren was slightly less beautiful than Qingwen, she had a unique charm.

Perhaps because it wasn't meant for him, receiving this prize this time was even more delightful than when he received Ping'er.

After thinking about it carefully, Jia Lian couldn't help but smile.

He hadn't thought of it before, but now that he had acquired Xiren by chance, it gave him a bold idea.

Ping, Xi, and Yuan are the three iconic maids of the Rongguo Mansion. Now he has two of them. Could he perhaps plan to get Yuanyang into his hands as well, and stage a real "Ping-Xi-Yuan drama"?

Putting that aside, Xiren was a maid trusted by both Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang, and they both wanted her to help them teach Erbao.

No matter how clever they were, they could never have guessed that Xiren was fundamentally no longer loyal to Jia Baoyu.

In other words, he has essentially planted a spy, an inside man, next to Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang today.

No matter how you look at it, this is a win-win situation.

When they arrived at Tianxiang Tower, the opera had been performed on and off for most of the day, and Jia Zhen and the others were already somewhat drunk.

Upon seeing Jia Lian, Jia Zhen couldn't help but ask, "Brother Lian, why are you only arriving now?"

"I've been delayed a bit at home, please forgive me, Brother Zhen," Jia Lian replied casually. Then, flicking his sleeves, he sat down next to Jia Zhen, greeted by Jia Rong.

Jia Rong, however, had already caught a whiff of the familiar scent of rouge and face powder on Jia Lian, so he crept up to Jia Zhen's ear and whispered a few words.

Jia Zhen then smiled meaningfully: "So that's how it is. I've heard that you keep two exceptionally beautiful maids at home, brother. I suppose that's what's keeping you occupied?"

Jia Lian smiled but remained silent.

……