Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

With the Lantern Festival over, the festive atmosphere of the New Year has suddenly faded, and households in Beijing are slowly returning to their usual tranquility.

After Jia Lian completely expelled his deputy from the Military Command, everyone in the Military Command was in awe and obedience, and no one dared to outwardly comply with him or do anything against his will.

Jia Lian himself was not complacent or ambitious. He still went to the government office every day to familiarize himself with the affairs of the office and to examine the many officials in the office. He selected all the usable people to use for his own purposes and tried to take complete control of the West City Military Command as quickly as possible.

That evening, Jia Lian went home from his official post as usual.

After dinner, Wang Xifeng instructed Ping'er and Xiao Hong to turn over half of the twelve bolts of satin, preparing to make new clothes for Yingchun and the others.

While calculating which piece of horse, which color, which person it would suit, and how much material would be needed, he sighed, "With such fine material and such thickness, even dozens of taels of silver wouldn't be enough to buy just one piece. Your master is so generous; he gave it all away in one go."

After sighing, he turned around and saw Jia Lian still calmly leaning against the kang drinking tea. He immediately became annoyed and walked over and asked with a smile, "Do you think it's too hot to keep good things at home? You just got them and you're already looking for a place to throw them out?"

"Yingchun and the others don't lack clothes. Every year, the government allocates money to make clothes specifically for them. Why are you taking on this project? What's your motive?"

"The officials are officials, and if they want to show their gratitude, it's to the mistress. What does it have to do with you and me?"

This is just a small token of our appreciation, why are you so reluctant to part with it?

Jia Lian laughed it off, completely unconcerned.

When Fengjie heard Jia Lian's words, she realized that he really wanted to discuss things separately from Lady Wang. She had some thoughts in mind, but she couldn't say them in front of the maids. So she just said, "What do I have to be reluctant about? Anyway, it's what you earned. You can make clothes for whomever you want."

As Wang Xifeng spoke, she suggested, "In that case, let's make one for each of Ying'er and the others, plus Lin Daiyu, Baochai, and my sister-in-law and Lan'er... We should always keep some for our eldest sister to make clothes for in the future..."

That's just how Sister Feng is; she always speaks with absolute certainty, but always leaves room for maneuver in her actions.

Such a bolt of cloth, if not used to make a complete set of inner and outer garments, but only for outerwear, could make at least four or five garments for Yingchun and her companions. In other words, twelve bolts of cloth would be enough to make two garments for each of the masters in the household!

If he hadn't known this, Jia Lian wouldn't have readily agreed on the night of the Lantern Festival.

When it came to Sister Feng, it seemed as if she was short of funds. This was evident from the fact that she only brought out half of the goods; she only intended to settle the case with half of the goods, and even wanted to deduct a portion from that half, ostensibly to reserve for her daughter.

He truly is a master of calculation.

"I have no objection to what you do. Anyway, I'm not often at home, nor do I often meet with Yingchun and the others, so I'm not afraid of them saying I'm stingy behind my back."

If you, as the sister-in-law, are not afraid either, then it's alright.

Feng Jie immediately knew that Jia Lian was being sarcastic, and her face flushed slightly. Actually, she didn't mind being called stingy, as long as she got the benefits.

Besides, how is it stingy to give one piece to each person? It's not just about cutting out the satin and calling it a day. With such fine material, we'll definitely need to hire skilled embroiderers to design the style, embroider the patterns, and finally piece together a complete garment. There's a lot of skill involved.

Finally, at least one piece of clothing could be worth more than ten taels of silver. Humph, you call that stingy? I've never owned more than that many pieces of clothing in my life!

However, it was also clear that Jia Lian didn't want to break his promise. That evening, Jia's mother said that it was fine if she didn't make any for her, but only two pieces each for Yingchun and the others, and they all agreed at the time.

So he changed his mind and said, "Okay, okay, whatever you say. Each of the sisters in the family will get two pieces. Is that alright?"

Feng Jie's words still left room for negotiation; two pieces for the sisters was fine, but no one else had agreed to give them two pieces. Just like Jia Baoyu, Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang made countless clothes for him every year, so naturally they didn't need to be generous.

And then there's my sister-in-law, who earns several times more than me each month, so she and Lan don't have to be generous with each other.

Well, we still need to give the old lady and the madam a gift. That way, the wages for hiring the embroiderer and the cost of the silk thread can all be covered by the government funds, saving us a lot of money...

Jia Lian only cared about Yingchun and the others, because they were the only proletarians in the family, and the others didn't need anyone to make clothes for them, so he nodded.

Seeing the calculating look in Sister Feng's eyes, she couldn't help but laugh. She patted the warm kang next to her and told her to sit down, saying, "You don't need to feel sorry for yourself. There will only be more of these things in the future, not less. Why act like a miser and make the maids laugh at you?"

Ping'er and Xiao Hong quickly lowered their heads upon hearing this, thinking to themselves, "Second Madam isn't a miser; it's just that Second Master doesn't know the value of money since he's not in charge of the household. Even we servants feel a pang of heartache seeing these things being thrown away..."

Feng Jie'er's focus was different from the maids'. She looked up and asked, "This was bestowed by the Emperor, and you risked your life to get it. There's more than one of these. Do you perhaps want to lead troops outside?"

Jia Lian simply smiled.

Imperial gifts were naturally rare and hard to come by, but in reality, most of the things the emperor bestowed were actually tributes from imperial merchants like the Xue family, who were essentially purchasing agents within the palace. As long as you had connections and money, you could buy them outside.

Seeing that Sister Feng wanted to persuade him to be content with his current wealth and not to take any more risks, Jia Lian shook his head and said, "Even if I wanted to go out again, do you think it would be so easy? I currently hold a position in the Military Affairs Department, which carries great responsibility. Do you think the Emperor, having appointed me as the head, would so easily remove me from my post?"

Sister Feng was finally relieved. Indeed, being an official in the capital was wonderful…

So he decided to listen to Jia Lian and take out the money to make two decent ones for himself and Jia Lian.

Jia Lian didn't object, and even laughed, "If there are any left, get one for Ping'er and the other two, so they can also enjoy it and have a taste of something new."

"Alright, alright, I'll do whatever you say. They're all your precious darlings, you can't let them go without anyone! Even if I don't have any myself, I have to make room for them."

Hearing Jia Lian and Feng Jie bickering and then settle the matter, Xiao Hong was naturally envious of Ping'er and the others. Ping'er, however, was a little uneasy and quickly said, "Grandma, you don't need to worry about me. I have more clothes than I can wear in previous years, so don't waste this kind of material on me."

Ping'er's attire was absolutely top-notch among the maids in the Jia family. In previous years, whenever Feng Jie felt that a piece of clothing was a bit old or didn't suit her taste, she would first give it to Ping'er. So it was true that Ping'er said she had more clothes than she could wear.

It would have been better if she hadn't said anything, because once she did, Sister Feng was really determined to get her a new one, so that others could see whether she was bullying Ping'er or genuinely treating her well!

Now that the decision had been made, Sister Feng, being the most capable and clever person, immediately instructed Ping'er to lead the old women to personally measure the heights of Yingchun, Daiyu, and others.

Girls of their age change size every year, so they are measured again every year to make clothes for them.

"Oh, right, remember to go to Pear Fragrance Courtyard and have the measurements taken for Miss Bao as well. Her family certainly doesn't care about our two pieces of clothing, but just tell her it's a small token of my appreciation. Her sisters all have them, and I can't leave her out. I'm sure she'll accept it."

Sister Feng then gave Ping'er a special instruction, and Ping'er accepted the order and left.

Wang Xifeng then instructed Xiaohong: "Take all these satins inside and put them on that empty cabinet. We'll need them tomorrow. Remember to wrap them in clean cloth first, so they don't get dirty."

"Yes, Second Madam."

Xiao Hong obeyed orders and worked diligently and steadily.

After all, Jia Lian had personally recommended her to Sister Feng, so he took a second look at her.

Sister Feng sat down next to him, waved her hand, and asked with a smile, "What, you've taken a fancy to this one too? I knew it. You brought her in here with ulterior motives. You said it was for me, but you almost fooled me."

Jia Lian knew that Feng Jie was testing him again, so he ignored her and simply asked, "How is it? Is your goddaughter easy to use?"

Sister Feng then laughed.

She was in charge of the household affairs, and the housekeeper's wife, Lin Zhixiao's wife, was her right-hand woman. Because Lin Zhixiao's wife was obedient and respectful to Feng Jie, just like a daughter to her mother, others laughed at her, saying that she should just recognize Feng Jie as her mother.

Although it was a joke, it reflected the loyalty of the servants and the harmonious relationship between masters and servants in the Jia family, and that's why it spread.

Xiao Hong is Lin Zhixiao's biological daughter, hence Jia Lian's joking remark.

"Don't joke around. I'm asking you, I heard that Uncle Xue has invited you to drinks several times these past few days, why haven't you gone?"

Feng Jie heard about it from Aunt Xue, so she asked specifically. She knew Aunt Xue's concern: did Jia Lian dislike Xue Pan in some way?

Jia Lian understood immediately and replied, "I'm swamped with work at the yamen, where would I find the time to attend those meaningless banquets? Besides, isn't the master still ill? Not to mention Xue Pan, there have been countless invitations from Master Zhen and other families we have a long-standing friendship with these days. Didn't I ask you to turn them all back for me?"

When Jia Lian was promoted to the Military Command, it was clear to everyone that his future was limitless. Moreover, the Military Command was connected to the interests of various families and clans, so everyone wanted to curry favor with Jia Lian.

Jia Lian only gave perfunctory answers to the most important people, and basically ignored everyone else.

Since Jia She was seriously ill, he had every reason to refuse all kinds of banquets.

Feng Jie was just asking; what kind of fancy banquet could someone like Xue Pan possibly throw? It would just be a frivolous affair, and it would be better if Jia Lian didn't go.

She had already figured out what to say to Aunt Xue next time she saw her, while gently pounding and massaging Jia Lian's crossed legs.

Wang Xifeng usually doesn't serve others, but occasionally she'll playfully pinch Grandmother Jia. Now that she's using it on Jia Lian, it's clear they're mutually attracted...

After Xiao Hong left, the handsome couple exchanged a glance, almost understanding each other's thoughts. Just as they were preparing to make something of themselves, a maid rushed in to deliver news from the east courtyard.

"Second Master, the servant from the second gate says that the Master has woken up and is in a hurry to see you."

Feng Jie quickly got up from Jia Lian's arms, looking at him with some worry. This was because every time Jia Lian was summoned by Jia She, it was never for anything good.

Jia Lian could tell that something must have happened over there, but seeing Feng Jie'er's appearance, he still reached out and cupped her pretty face, gently stroking her cheek with his warm thumb to comfort her, and said with a smile, "Don't worry, things are different now, I'm fine."

Indeed, given Jia She's current state and the fact that the East Wing is completely under his control, it's impossible for Jia She to discipline him as before. Even Jia She's lingering life is in his grasp; if he wants him dead, he will die.

Let's see what kind of trouble the old man is up to this time.