Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Seeing how Grandmother Jia managed to raise over ten thousand taels of silver for Jia She's funeral expenses with just a few words, Jia Lian had to admit that Grandmother Jia's family-run philosophy of striving to unite the family was indeed reasonable.

At that moment, even he could clearly feel the warmth radiating from a united family.

In fact, it is precisely because of the existence of Grandmother Jia that the world of Dream of the Red Chamber was able to create so many scenes of fragrant springs and fine wines, and bustling prosperity.

It was Grandmother Jia, sitting at the highest point of the Jia family mansion, who, with her high moral character and refined taste, brought together the entire Jia family, relatives, and friends, providing the fertile ground for the gatherings of the young ladies and the organization of grand events such as poetry clubs.

It's conceivable that without Grandmother Jia, the first and second branches of the Rongguo Mansion would have long since fallen apart, and the Ningguo Mansion would have had its own calculations, not being as close as family to the Rongguo Mansion. The Jia family would have become just like any other aristocratic family.

The simplest explanation is that without Grandmother Jia, Xue Baochai, Lin Daiyu, and later Xue Baoqin, Li Wen, and Li Qi—these young ladies—would not have gathered in the Grand View Garden.

Grandmother Jia's only mistake was that she had become accustomed to wealth and couldn't gracefully step down from her comfortable life, yet she failed to train her children and grandchildren to manage the family business. As a result, the Jia family could only watch helplessly as it declined from its peak right under her nose…

With the money issue resolved, the rest was easy. With so many people in the Jia family, it was simply a matter of proceeding with the funeral in an orderly manner.

After giving them some instructions, Grandmother Jia and the others prepared to leave.

Suddenly a commotion broke out outside. Upon inquiring, it turned out that the Taoist Yuandan, having heard that Jia She was dead, feared that the Jia family would hold him accountable for his crimes, and had committed suicide by running into a wall.

When Grandmother Jia and the others heard this, they were slightly taken aback. They had forgotten that there was such a culprit behind Jia She's death!

Jia Lian roared, "Fine! This scoundrel killed my father, and I couldn't kill him with my own hands. My hatred is truly unbearable!"

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines upon hearing his murderous words.

Madam Xing felt a chill run down her spine. How could she dare let Jia Lian know that they often secretly fed Jia She pills made by the Daoist Yuandan behind his back...

Grandmother Jia sighed, "That's enough. This is all your father's fate. It's no use blaming others now."

Moreover, he has already committed suicide out of fear of punishment, and all his sins have been atoned for.

Your father has passed away; you should calm your mind and pray for him. It is not worth getting angry at such a despicable person.

"Death is a serious matter, so don't make things difficult for him anymore. Wrap his body and take it out of the city for cremation and burial first thing tomorrow morning; this will be a way to accumulate good karma for your father."

Having just received a favor from Grandmother Jia, Jia Lian naturally wouldn't go against her wishes and readily complied upon hearing her words.

So Grandmother Jia and the others had no intention of staying any longer, and left with a large group of people, just as they had come.

At least until Jia She's mourning hall is set up, Lady Wang, Li Wan, and others will need to come and keep vigil. Therefore, most people don't need to stay tonight.

Jia Zhen also said to Jia Lian, "Brother Lian, if there's anything I can help with regarding the master's funeral arrangements, please don't hesitate to ask. I will fully support you."

Jia Lian quickly thanked him as well.

Then Jia Zhen ordered You Shi to stay and help take care of things, and said to Jia Rong, "You stay too and help look after some things outside. If you dare to slack off or be lazy, I'll break your legs when we get back."

Jia Rong took a step back, then nodded shamelessly.

Jia Zhen snorted and glanced at Qin Shi, seemingly wanting to say that she was useless staying here and might as well go back with him. However, seeing Qin Shi following closely behind You Shi, and not daring to show the slightest flaw under everyone's watchful eyes, which reminded people of the rumors from last year that had finally been quelled, Jia Zhen finally bowed to Madam Xing and took his leave.

Jia Lian personally escorted Jia Zhen and Jia Rong out of the ceremonial gate. Seeing that Jia Rong was determined to stay and help, he did not refuse and had the steward arrange a place for him to stay. He then personally escorted Jia Zhen out of the gate of the east wing.

When they returned, Sister Feng and her mother-in-law, Madam You, were no longer in Jia She's room; they must have gone to discuss the arrangements for the mourning hall.

Only Madam Xing and Yingchun were still serving Jia She.

Of course, there was also Xiao Jia Cong, who always hid in the house.

"Lian'er, shall we prepare the master for his funeral now?"

Madam Xing had already cried for Jia She for a long time, and then she lost face outside, making her look even more weak and frail.

Jia Lian then said to her, "Madam doesn't look well. Why don't you go back to your room and rest? We'll take care of Master's affairs. If you have any questions, please come back and ask for your guidance."

Madam Xing's face turned embarrassed. Normally, she would have thought that Jia Lian was disrespecting her or trying to take away her power, which was why she disagreed.

But she had no time to think about such things. Just now, in front of everyone, Grandmother Jia had clearly stated her dissatisfaction with her ability to manage the household, even going so far as to bypass her and directly address Jia She's funeral arrangements, leaving it to Jia Lian and his wife to handle...

Can she blame Grandmother Jia for being unfair?

No. Without Jia She, Grandmother Jia wouldn't even bother hiring someone to maintain the last shred of dignity for her.

Jia Lian and his wife are not easy to get along with. If she goes against them at this time, she may really lose her position as the first wife.

This is why Madam Xing slapped Jia Cong when she found out he had complained to Jia She.

She was afraid that Jia Lian would think she had instigated it...

Having witnessed Yang's death, she had no intention of using her position as the legal mother to suppress Jia Lian.

So, after exchanging a few polite words, she really did lead her maid back to her room.

Jia Lian bowed as he saw her off, showing no sign of looking down on her.

Madam Xing's shallowness and timidity stemmed from her background and her service to a vulgar man like Jia She.

She had absolutely no confidence.

For example, Lady Wang readily agreed to donate three thousand taels of silver to help with Jia She's funeral.

Would Madam Xing dare to do that?

She didn't dare; she didn't have that foundation.

It's not that she, having been a first-rank noblewoman for over ten years, couldn't even come up with three thousand taels of silver; rather, the time and effort she would need to save up those three thousand taels far exceeded that of Madam Wang...

It's good that Madam Xing is so sensible; it saves him trouble.

The authorities ordered that Jia She's body be carried into the prepared coffin and sealed. Because the mourning hall had not yet been set up, the body had to be temporarily kept indoors.

At this moment, a large group of women rushed over again, wailing and crying...

There's no need to ask how much sincerity is in those cries.

Seeing that there were no powerful figures in the room to bother them, the women began to crowd around Jia Lian, showering him with attention. Even an honest girl like Yingchun could tell that these shameless women were trying to seduce her brother, and blushed, unable to bear watching.

Jia Lian was too lazy to listen to their wailing, but at this moment, it was indeed time for these women to cry to create some atmosphere, so he pulled Yingchun out of the house for some fresh air.

Yingchun is the eldest of the three sisters, along with Daiyu and Xiangyun, and is also the only girl who has truly begun to show her youthful beauty.

Her skin was slightly plump, and her figure was well-proportioned. On her small, oval face, her nose was delicate, and her cheeks were rosy like fresh lychees.

Her eyes were clear and bright, gentle and silent; her eyebrows were delicate and soft like willow leaves, making her approachable.

My eldest daughter is absolutely the most typical and elegant lady of this era.

Beautiful, delicate, and gentle in nature.

Seeing the tear stains on her little face, Jia Lian couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

Of all the people who were crying in front of Jia She just now, perhaps only Yingchun had any genuine feelings for him.

Although Jia She hadn't really taken care of Yingchun, he was still her biological father. Without Jia She, from this day forward, Yingchun would be an orphan, a girl without parents or guardians.

Such a woman, in this era, would be described as helpless and alone, much like Lin Daiyu after Lin Ruhai's death.

"Second brother..."

Yingchun didn't know why Jia Lian was looking at her. When she caught Jia Lian's gaze, she blushed a little, called out softly, and then turned to the side.

Jia Lian smiled inwardly. Sure enough, he had grown up and was now so shy.

Therefore, he gently comforted her, "Ying'er, don't worry. Although your father is gone, you still have me. From now on, I will protect you and never let anyone bully you."

Upon hearing Jia She's name, Yingchun indeed began to weep again.

She looked up at Jia Lian and saw that his handsome face was full of sincerity and care. Hearing him call her "Ying'er" made her feel both warm and touched, but she couldn't help feeling shy. She wanted to say something but couldn't answer. In the end, she could only softly say "Mmm".

Jia Lian said, "Because of Father's matter, Ying'er, you may have to work hard with us for a while."

"I'll have your sister-in-law arrange a room for you here later. Tomorrow, I'll have the maids go back and bring over all your usual belongings. You can stay here from now on; it'll be more convenient that way, saving you the trouble of traveling back and forth."

Yingchun nodded, "I will follow my brother and sister-in-law's arrangements."

Before she knew it, Yingchun had removed the two words before "brother".

Just then, Wang Xifeng personally led several maids over with a tung oil jar, twenty-four dishes, and lamp wicks, intending to light them in the room where Jia She's coffin was kept.

Upon hearing Jia Lian ask her to arrange a good room for Yingchun, Fengjie laughed and said, "You know the situation here. All the better courtyards and rooms are occupied by the master's concubines and maids. If we chase them away now, we'll offend them for no reason. Why don't we take the carriage back there to sleep after we're done with our work, and then take Yingchun and the others back with us on the way?"

Sister Feng has high standards for her quality of life; she still wants to live in her warm and luxurious house and doesn't want to settle for this place.

Besides, if she stays here for more than a month, she won't be able to get involved in anything at the Rongguo Mansion...

Although Grandmother Jia told her to focus on her studies, confident as she was, she still felt that she could handle both things well.

"You still want to go back to sleep? It's just the three of us tonight. Do you think it's appropriate if we don't take turns keeping watch?"

In this world, even people like Jia She and Jia Zhen outwardly demonstrate filial piety to the best of their ability, as this is the foundation of a person's character.

Therefore, regardless of whether one is truly filial, what one does for others must be impeccable.

Sister Feng wasn't unaware of this principle, but she took the matter lightly and thought that since it was the first night, no one would dare to nitpick. After all, she had so many "concubines" waiting here...

However, seeing Jia Lian's insistence, he could only nod and then asked Jia Lian where he planned to stay.

Although Jia She's main room is spacious and empty, she definitely wouldn't want to live there. Who knows what that old man has been doing in there...

"Let's stay in the courtyard where I used to live. Besides Yingya's room, there's also Grandma You and the others. They've kindly come to help us with things, so we can't neglect them. Even though they don't live here, we still need to arrange a place for them to stay."

"Okay, okay, I'll do whatever you say. I'll go and arrange it right away, okay?"

Sister Feng smiled and agreed with Jia Lian.

Now that she'd decided to live here, the location was definitely not a problem. Without Jia She, those vixens were no match for her; making room for them was incredibly easy.

Jia Lian then said no more. He discovered that once Wang Xifeng was given a general direction, her execution ability was better than anyone else's, even Jia Lian himself admitted that he was inferior to her in this respect.

……

Jia Cong remained silently in Jia She's room, kneeling numbly beside Jia She's coffin.

Nobody paid him any attention.

Whether it was the concubines dressed in brightly colored clothes, or the maids and old women, they all avoided him when they saw him, and occasionally a look of contempt would flash in their eyes.

Jia Cong was somewhat confused, as he clearly had not offended these people.

Even after his aunt died, these people had never treated him with such hatred.

At only seven or eight years old, he didn't fully understand the dangers of the world, so naturally he didn't realize that in these people's eyes, the former Third Master Cong had now become a complete jinx.

His own aunt did something filthy, vicious, and foolish; she has been executed.

Master Lian didn't punish him out of consideration for their brotherhood, yet he still dared to complain about Master Lian, completely offending him.

The first wife didn't like him either.

Under such circumstances, who would dare to get close to him? They were all afraid that if they showed even the slightest kindness to Jia Cong, they would be implicated by him.

"Third Master Cong, Second Master Lian wants to see you. Come with me."

Suddenly an old woman came over and said to her rudely.

Jia Cong suddenly shivered. Although he didn't know what Jia Lian wanted him to do, he was instinctively afraid.

"Let's go!"

Hearing the old woman's impatient voice, Jia Cong dared not disobey, silently stood up, and lowered his head.

The old woman didn't say much to him and led him towards Madam Xing's room.

After Lady Yang gave Jia Cong to Lady Xing, Lady Xing arranged for him to live in a separate room in her house as a sign of intimacy.

At this moment, only three people were sitting in Jia Cong's room.

Jia Lian, Madam Xing, and Jia Lian's maid, Aqi.

After the old woman brought Jia Cong to the palace, she bowed and then left.

Seeing this, Jia Cong became even more uneasy, his heart pounding in his chest.

Forcing himself to bow, he said, "Greetings, Madam; greetings, Second Brother Lian..."

Madam Xing glanced at him, her eyes filled with undisguised disgust. How could she be so unlucky as to have gotten herself into such a hot potato?

Therefore, he ignored Jia Cong's greeting.

Upon seeing this, Jia Cong's little face immediately filled with tears of grievance...