Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Because Jia Lian had promised him that he wouldn't fight with this side for the family property, Grandmother Jia felt reassured.

Although Lady Wang had heard about this from Grandmother Jia, she hadn't heard it with her own ears and couldn't judge whether Jia Lian was just making excuses or if he truly meant it.

Hearing Jia Lian speak like this, Madam Wang couldn't help but feel a little nervous, but she didn't show it. She simply said calmly, "We're all family. Just ask whatever you want. Who would care about your business?"

Lady Wang's intention was to emphasize the concept of "family," which was a reminder to Jia Lian not to say anything excessive that would make everyone uncomfortable.

Jia Lian then said, "Thank you very much, Madam. What I wanted to ask you, Madam and Grandmother, is it true that my father and Master have truly separated their households all these years?"

As expected, Jia Lian's words caused both Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang to change their expressions, unsure of how to respond.

If we're talking about division, that's definitely correct.

After all, their finances are divided, and their houses are completely separate and not connected. Isn't this how brothers divide their households?

If we say there was no score, that seems plausible.

Although the two families lived separately, they were both still on the Rongguo Mansion's territory. The most crucial evidence is that all social interactions with other families were handled by Jia Zheng's side. Jia Zheng was the master of the Rongguo Mansion, and Jia She was the eldest master.

This is the biggest mess in the Rongguo Mansion. Jia Zheng and Jia She are completely different in personality, knowledge and cultivation. After enduring each other for so many years, the old Duke finally died and they were both in their forties or fifties. They had to separate as soon as possible so that everyone could be clean.

But neither of them could kick the other away!

As the eldest son and holding a noble title, Jia She should naturally move into Rongxi Hall to support his mother, Jia Mu.

However, both Grandmother Jia and the old Duke favored Jia Zheng and his wife, so in their later years they preferred to be supported by Jia Zheng and his wife, and jointly decided to sideline him...

Filial piety is of paramount importance. Although he was unwilling in his heart, Jia She dared not go against his parents, so he simply hid to the side to find some peace and quiet.

As for Jia Zheng, although he defeated his brother and gained ownership of the main courtyard of the Duke's mansion, he still dared not kick Jia She away!

Because he got everything except the most important title.

The title of nobility and the imperial-built Duke's mansion were inseparable. At home, Jia She could be said to be serving his mother and temporarily managing the household.

Once Jia She leaves the Rongguo Mansion with his title, the outcome is predictable. Not to mention whether the imperial court will intervene, Jia Zheng himself will have no face to continue issuing orders from home.

Therefore, Jia She and Jia Zheng had a relationship where neither could do anything about the other.

The relationship between Jia She and Jia Zheng is the root of the problem between the two branches of the Rongguo Mansion.

Fortunately, Grandmother Jia lived a long life, so the two branches of the family have managed to live peacefully together for many years.

Now that Jia She is dead, Jia Zheng and others no longer need to worry about Jia She's counterattack after Grandmother Jia's death, but the fundamental problem remains unresolved.

With Jia She's death, his son Jia Lian's impending inheritance of the title undoubtedly introduces a new variable—one even more unpredictable than Jia She himself. After all, no matter how confident Jia Zheng and Lady Wang are, they don't believe they can outlive Jia Lian…

There was nothing that could be done about it. For Jia Zheng and his men, although they had won temporarily, they had lost the most crucial thing, which determined their final fate.

As long as the eldest branch of the family still has bloodlines and offspring, their lineage will eventually have to move out of the Rongguo Mansion.

Jia Zheng had long prepared for a clean exit, so in his early years he forced his eldest son, Jia Zhu, to study relentlessly, while simultaneously sending his eldest daughter, who was outstanding in every way, to the palace. The Jia couple, determined to preserve their wealth and status, hoped their eldest daughter could also contribute to their family's prosperity.

After Jia Zhu's death, he placed his greatest hope on his second son, Jia Baoyu, hoping that Jia Baoyu could study hard and become an official, so that their lineage would not be reduced to a commoner family after his death!

A way out is the last resort. At least for now, Jia Zheng has no intention of handing over the Rongguo Mansion.

Before Grandmother Jia passed away, Jia She was not capable of overthrowing him. Jia Lian, a generation younger, was even less capable, at least not at the moment.

Lady Wang would not and dare not change Jia Zheng's will at will.

Therefore, faced with such a sensitive question from Jia Lian, she did not speak rashly before figuring out Jia Lian's meaning.

Jia Baoyu and Daiyu listened obediently to the side, not daring to utter a single word.

They even found it strange that Grandmother Jia and the others did not drive them away.

After a long silence, Grandmother Jia asked, "What's the matter if we divide the family property, or not?"

As if discussing a very ordinary matter with Grandmother Jia and others, Jia Lian replied calmly, "If the family hasn't separated, there's really nothing to say."

But if they have already separated, I really have a few thoughts I want to make clear to the old lady, the old man, and the wife.

When I was younger, I didn't really understand the reasons behind it. Whenever I heard others say that Feng and I were helping our uncle with the housework, I didn't take it seriously.

But in another month, I will be twenty years old, the age of coming of age.

Since ancient times, a man's coming-of-age ceremony (or coming-of-age ceremony) has marked him as a fully grown adult. Surely the grandson can't continue living at his second uncle's house forever without ever having a home of his own?

Therefore, I have already discussed it with Feng'er. After the master's funeral is over, we should move out and stop relying on the master and mistress for our lives.

Grandma and Grandma don't need to worry. Their grandson is now a minor official and has his own place in the world. You don't need to worry about how much hardship and exhaustion they will suffer after they move out.

This is actually my response to what my wife just told me.

In the past, we didn't manage affairs here, so the interactions between relatives and friends relied entirely on the husband and wife.

From now on, we also need to shoulder our responsibilities. So please rest assured, madam. This time, our relatives came to pay their respects to my father and brought offerings. As for returning the gifts, you don't need to worry about it. Feng'er and I will take care of it ourselves.

Yeah, that's about it.

Jia Lian's words were like a mountain gust of wind and a tsunami exploding in the ears of Grandmother Jia and the others.

Neither of them expected Jia Lian to make such a decision; it was highly unusual and contrary to the nature of both him and Wang Xifeng.

If you say that the two of them are particularly principled and unwilling to "live under someone else's roof," that would be understandable.

But clearly, neither of them are.

In order to avoid living with that old devil Jia She, Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng happily agreed to come and help manage the household here. Moreover, they worked hard without complaint and were determined not to go back to the east wing!

Grandmother Jia, Jia Zheng, and others, out of concern for the stability of their household, were also happy to see this happen.

In fact, this was a conciliatory strategy devised by Jia Zheng and his mother, allowing the two future masters and mistresses of the Rongguo Mansion to temporarily assume the power of managing the household, so that the special circumstances of the Rongguo Mansion would appear more normal.

They had considered that after Jia She's death, Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng would have no worries and wouldn't cling to this place anymore, but they hadn't expected them to be so impatient. Jia She had only just died, and they already wanted to go back?

Could it be that their previous humility and filial piety were all an act, just waiting for this day to leave their elders so they could go back to their small towns and become kings and tyrants, just like Jia She, who was so unambitious?

Therefore, Madam Wang was almost instinctively delighted, but then she began to ponder.

If Jia Lian and his wife could truly be completely rid of them, Lady Wang would be more than happy. But she could only dream of it; she wasn't naive and knew it was impossible. If things really went as Jia Lian suggested, the problems that would follow would likely be numerous…

Madam Wang began to seriously consider the matter.

Both Jia Baoyu and Daiyu were surprised by Jia Lian's sudden decision.

Daiyu stared blankly at Jia Lian, feeling extremely reluctant to part with him. However, she had no intention of persuading Jia Lian, because she knew that he would not have made such a significant decision without careful consideration.

She was determined to stay by Grandmother Jia's side, so if Jia Lian moved away, she wouldn't be able to see him so easily in the future—her cousin who had always been very caring towards her, and who, although he didn't bother her all the time, was still very considerate.

As a result, staying at home became increasingly uninteresting.

The boy next to me, Baoyu, doesn't understand anything...

Seeing Daiyu's tear-filled eyes and her silence, Jia Baoyu knew that she was reluctant to part with Jia Lian.

Although he felt a little jealous, he couldn't care less at the moment. He turned to Jia Lian and pleaded, "Second Brother Lian, are you really going to move out? Isn't it good for us all to live together like this? Please, you and Second Sister-in-law Lian, don't move out..."

Baoyu spoke up for Daiyu, partly because he himself was truly reluctant to part with her.

He was most reluctant to part with the exquisite maids in Jia Lian's courtyard, such as Ping'er, Xiangling, and Qingwen.

If they lived together, he could sneak into Jia Lian's room every few days to see them and talk to them, which would be enough for him. But if Jia Lian and Feng Jie moved back to the east wing, he might not be able to see those beautiful girls so easily anymore.

Secondly, he couldn't bear to part with Wang Xifeng. Wang Xifeng was not only his cousin but also his sister-in-law, and she had always been very kind to him. She had even held him when he was a child, and he still remembered her fragrance!

Finally, there was a slight reluctance to part with Jia Lian.

Lian Er Gege is at least much cuter than Zhen Dage and Huan Ge'er...

"No!"

Grandmother Jia stared at Jia Lian for a long time, but couldn't figure out what he meant, so she slapped the armrest of the high couch and said in a serious voice.

Jia Lian looked at her, waiting for an explanation.

"Now that you're an official, just like your master, you're impatient with these trivial matters at home. It's not a big deal anyway, and managing a household isn't really necessary. You can just hand over your old responsibilities to Lai Da and the others."

It's not impossible for you to move back to the east wing.

"So, if you move back, you'll disown your second uncle, your wife, and me, won't you?"

Jia Lian hurriedly said he dared not.

Grandmother Jia continued in a deep voice, "If you make a different decision, I won't interfere."

But you still want to live independently and have separate dealings with your relatives? If so, where does that leave the Rongguo Mansion's reputation, and where does that leave your master's reputation?

Are you trying to make our family a laughingstock in front of everyone?

Just like a country, a family can only have one dynasty.

If Jia Lian also interacted normally with other mansions, sending gifts to them during festivals just like he did here, should they acknowledge Jia Zheng or Jia Lian? And how should they return the gifts to the Rongguo Mansion? Should they actually prepare two sets, labeled "Greater Rongguo Mansion" and "Lesser Rongguo Mansion"? If so, wouldn't that be a joke?

Jia Lian thought for a moment and said, "In that case, I won't go back to the east wing. I also think it's really inappropriate for a noble mansion like the Duke's Mansion to separate out a part and establish a separate household."

Now that my father is gone, the east wing is useless anyway. We might as well tear down the central wall and restore the Rongguo Mansion to its original state. From now on, there will only be one Rongguo Mansion, and people won't laugh at us anymore.

Grandmother Jia was taken aback: "If that's the case, where will you live?"

"No matter where you are, you can easily spend tens of millions of taels of silver to buy a multi-courtyard house to live in without looking shabby."

Jia Lian's words were even more unexpected, and even Lady Wang's expression changed abruptly.

If Jia Lian hadn't remained calm, she would have thought he had gone mad!

He actually wanted to give up his status in the Rongguo Mansion and start his own business outside? Did he know what that meant?

Grandmother Jia was also taken aback, then her face turned furious, and she said in a sorrowful voice, "Lian'er, Lian'er, you're forcing us! Do you really intend to cut ties with us from now on?"

When Grandmother Jia lost her composure, Jia Lian could no longer stand and knelt down, saying in the same manner, "Grandmother, please calm down. It was not my insistence that I made this decision; I was forced to do so."

The grandson just didn't want people to think that he could only rely on his uncle and aunt forever.

All my grandson wants is a home of his own, a home he's willing to dedicate himself to, carefully plan, and make great. Not one where no matter how much he does, all he gets in return is the comment, "I'm just helping my uncle manage the household!"

Actually, I don't want to move out either. But... to be honest, just now when I came to pay my respects to our ancestors, I ran into several old women who were sweeping the main courtyard. They all said that the master and mistress have really lost out by taking me and Feng'er in all these years.

Even my father's funeral arrangements required the help of my husband and wife to be successfully handled...

The grandson is grateful for the kindness of his parents, but he is truly ashamed to continue staying in their home. Therefore, he requests that they move out.

"Don't worry, Ancestor. Even if we move away, we will never forget to be filial to you..."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's next words, Grandmother Jia immediately realized that Jia Lian must have been provoked, which was why he suddenly decided to move out.

So he hurriedly asked for the specific reason.

Jia Lian did not hide anything and told Grandmother Jia what he had heard, adding even more hurtful remarks.

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia immediately guessed that this was very likely the work of Lady Wang. No wonder Lady Wang was reluctant to bring over the remaining silver earlier, making excuses and delaying. It turned out that this was the reason. For a mere sacrificial offering, she was willing to tarnish the reputations of Jia Lian and Feng Jie?

Seeing that Grandmother Jia was glaring at her, Lady Wang dared not sit any longer. She was filled with grievances but could not express them, so she stood there blankly.

Grandmother Jia couldn't very well punish Lady Wang for such unfounded rumors in order to vent her anger for Jia Lian. She turned to look at Jia Lian and sighed, "So that's what it was about. You're supposed to be a fourth-rank official, yet you actually believed the nonsense spouted by those gossipy servants who don't understand right and wrong."

Think about it. For your father's sake, your master and mistress have contributed manpower, effort, and money to help you handle things. Where did they have the slightest selfish motive?

We've already spent a lot of money on this little bit of offering, so why would we care about such a small amount?

You may accept the sacrificial offerings; after all, your father's funeral is still a long way off, and no one knows how much money it will cost. Consider it an extra expense from the government for your use. As for the return gifts, there's no need for you to handle them yourselves. Just send the gift list over later, and the government will naturally take care of it.

I thought something serious had made you react like this. Honestly, even Lin Daiyu wasn't this prone to overthinking. You're really getting more and more like a child.

Grandmother Jia made a joke to ease the atmosphere, so she gave Daiyu a smile.

Even though she knew that Grandmother Jia was teasing her, Daiyu blushed instantly.

There were more than one or two people who said she was being paranoid, but this was the first time that Grandmother Jia had done so, especially in front of Lian Er Gege and others. How could she, who was already so suspicious, bear this?

However, if the old lady could persuade Lian Er Gege to change his mind, then even if she was wronged, it wouldn't matter.

Daiyu thought to herself.