Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Just as the second wife couldn't kick out the first wife, Jia Lian also couldn't get rid of Jia Zheng and Lady Wang.

Knowing this, Jia Lian naturally wouldn't force a division of the family property, lest a fight to the death end and he still not get what he wanted.

Therefore, Jia Lian had only one goal.

That is, to first take over the legitimate right of residence in the main courtyard.

This is a matter of great principle. After today, the main courtyard of the Rongguo Mansion will no longer belong solely to Jia Zheng, but also to him, the eldest grandson.

Although Jia Zheng is still the master, as the eldest son, he at least has a voice now, so he can act legitimately when dealing with family matters in the future.

With this legitimate title, the power in the family will now depend on each person's abilities.

When Grandmother Jia passes away in the future, those who can continue to live together will do so, and those who cannot will move out. The outcome is self-evident.

This is why Jia Zheng is a harmless person. If Jia Zheng were as disgusting as Jia She, Jia Lian would probably be eager to stay away from him, or find a way to reunite him with his brother Jia She...

Therefore, Jia Lian knew that he would probably have to maintain this "mixed living" situation for a long time to come.

While Jia Zheng and others might not be aware of Grandmother Jia's longevity, Jia Lian knew that barring any unforeseen circumstances, the old lady would live to be over eighty, and was far from dying.

Seeing that Madam Wang was looking at him with a complicated expression, and knowing that she might have seen through his thoughts, Jia Lian didn't care and even gave her a simple smile.

Then he said to Grandmother Jia, "As you just said, since there is no distinction between the main courtyard and the east wing, I have another matter I would like to discuss with you and your parents."

Grandmother Jia felt a bit tired. Since Jia Lian became an official, the family seemed more prosperous than before, but there were also many more things to deal with.

Every now and then, Jia Lian would always find something to cause her trouble, making her never have a moment's peace.

After everyone was seated again, Grandmother Jia asked, "What is it? Tell me. Should we invite your master in?"

"There's no need to trouble you, sir. It's not a big deal. As long as the old lady and madam agree, I'll just go and tell you myself later."

"Yes." Grandmother Jia nodded.

"That's right. After my father passed away, my wife, my sister-in-law, and my sisters had to take a car to the east courtyard every day to kneel in mourning. It was inconvenient for them to get up and sit back and forth."

Moreover, the old lady also instructed that after the 27th day after the funeral, the scale of the eldest master's funeral should be increased. At that time, more and more people of all kinds will enter and exit through the front door. If I accidentally bump into my wife and sisters, how can I live with myself?

Therefore, the grandson thought it would be better to open a side gate between the backyard of the east wing and the east garden here.

In this way, not only will it be more convenient for my wife and the others to get around and save time regarding my father's matter, but it will also be more convenient for our family to travel in the future.

For example, when Sister-in-law You and others come over to pay their respects to the old lady and madam, they no longer need to detour through the west corner gate every time; they can simply pass through the east courtyard.

Of course, the most important thing is for my own convenience. I'm thinking that after my father's funeral, I'll set aside a piece of land in the east wing and build a place for myself to practice martial arts. That way, I won't have to make so much noise every day in the study next to Rongxi Hall, disturbing the master and mistress's peace and quiet.

What do you think, madam and lady?

As soon as Jia Lian said this, before anyone else could react, Jia Baoyu clapped his hands happily.

"Okay, that's how it should be. Before, I had to walk from here to Xijiaomen every day and then take a car there. It was such a hassle to go back and forth."

If a side gate were opened in the East Garden, Lin Daiyu and I could simply slip through behind Madam's house and go to pay our respects to the Master.

"Brother Lian's consideration is truly thoughtful!"

Since Jia Baoyu had already said so, Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang had no room to refuse.

We just said that we are one family. If we refuse to let the two sides communicate now, wouldn't Jia Lian doubt their sincerity?

Madam Wang, however, immediately thought of an opportunity to turn the tide. She said to Grandmother Jia, "Grandmother, Lian'er's consideration does make some sense. We should just leave it at that. As long as it makes it convenient for you to go over, we should open a door."

Seeing that Grandmother Jia nodded, Lady Wang continued, "However, as the old lady just said, both sides were originally one family. It was fine when the eldest master was around."

Now that the master is gone, Lian'er doesn't need to move there anymore. What about those dozens of people over there? And what about the annual allowance they receive each year...?"

Lady Wang knew she had been wronged, and thought that since Jia Lian was living in the family home, shouldn't the east wing also be under the jurisdiction of the extended family?

Don't underestimate the East Wing; it used to be a large part of the Rongguo Mansion garden, and its ground area accounted for one-fourth to one-fifth of the entire Rongguo Mansion!

Since Lian'er wants to share the things here, then the east courtyard can no longer be counted as his alone.

As soon as Lady Wang finished speaking, Grandmother Jia understood what she meant.

Knowing that these were matters that needed to be discussed to change the family's course, she was not in a hurry to make a decision and waited for Jia Lian's response.

Jia Lian smiled and said, "Madam means that the dozens of people in the east wing will also be managed by the government, and their monthly allowances will be paid by the government. The allowance that the government used to allocate to the Master will no longer be paid, right?"

Lady Wang was ultimately afraid of pushing Jia Lian too hard, so she said, "Just like in your and Feng's courtyard, the houses there will still be for your use. However... you have been managing the household for many years, so you should know the situation in the government. Every year, the income is insufficient to cover the expenses."

For the sake of our family, it would be best to keep this money in the government office to prepare for important family events in the future. What do you think, Lian'er?

Madam Wang passed the buck back to her.

The Rongguo Mansion was a super-rich landowner, with an enormous income from rent and land taxes each year, amounting to tens of thousands of taels of silver in cash alone. The gifts and valuables sent to them by their subordinates every year were countless. The reason why the Rongguo Mansion was so extravagant was because it was supported by countless tenant farmers and tenants...

Although in previous years, Lady Wang and others had not actually distributed the goods and money to Jia She according to the one-third quota, it was still a considerable expense.

Madam Wang immediately felt that she hadn't lost out.

Although Jia Lian forced them to deny the division of the family property, he was able to use this opportunity to bring the money into the government's coffers, which was a good thing.

When Grandmother Jia saw that Lady Wang had turned the tables on Jia Lian, she remained silent, thinking that Lady Wang was right.

Since we're family, all the money should naturally be pooled together, and we should discuss how to use it.

"What you say is absolutely right, madam. Let's do as you say."

From now on, matters over there should be handled according to the family rules; there shouldn't be any special treatment.

Jia Lian is not like Madam Xing, so why would he care about such small gains and losses?

What he wanted from beginning to end was just that piece of land in the east courtyard, which he could use to do many things.

As for Jia She's share of the allowance he receives each year, what is it worth?

Madam Wang took it back, thinking she had gotten a good deal, but little did she know that with everyone's money tied up together, it was hard to say who would lose out...

By building the training ground, he could legitimately ask the government for money.

Well, it seems we should start construction sooner rather than later, otherwise we might really suffer losses.

Yuan Chun should be made a concubine soon. If the Grand View Garden is still to be built, it might completely empty the Rongguo Mansion in an instant!

It doesn't matter, this is something everyone can benefit from. Besides, as long as his share of the money is used, wouldn't he also get a share of the Grand View Garden in the future? It's not unreasonable for me to go in and have a look, is it?

Fortunately, Yuan Chun had not yet been made a concubine at this time, so Lady Wang and Jia Zheng lacked confidence and dared not confront him directly.

Otherwise, Madam Wang would not have been so agreeable today, and she kept backing down in order to prevent him from causing trouble.

Lady Wang was quite surprised that Jia Lian agreed so easily. She even thought that Jia Lian might really have no bad intentions and was thinking of the family.

So he put aside most of his displeasure and asked Jia Lian where he planned to open the side door.

Jia Lian then shared his pre-planned ideas with Grandmother Jia and the others. Seeing that Jia Lian's plan was thorough and sound, Grandmother Jia and the others did not say anything more and let him handle the matter on his own.

From beginning to end, no one thought it was wrong to demolish the wall at Jia She's funeral.

No one mentioned that since the two sides are one family, should Jia She's mourning hall be moved to Rongxi Hall?

Ultimately, reason and interests must be weighed against each other.

With Jia She dead, everyone could simply weep and that would be enough. Since Jia Lian, as Jia She's son, had no intention of fighting for his rights, Lady Wang and the others would certainly not bring it up themselves.