Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

"I heard Lan'er was sick the other day, is she feeling better now?"

Feeling bored walking around with Li Wan, Jia Lian asked a question.

Hearing Jia Lian speak, Li Wan breathed a sigh of relief. She slowed her pace and walked alongside Jia Lian three or four steps away, replying, "Thank you for your concern, Second Uncle. He's fine; he just caught a slight cold and is almost better after taking the medicine."

"Thanks to my second uncle for opening a door here, it's much more convenient for him to go and kneel before the master's coffin now. The journey back and forth isn't long, and there's hardly any problem."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian nodded secretly.

Li Wan originally lived in the eastern part of the Rongguo Mansion. In the past, when she went to kowtow to Jia She, she would always go west, exit through the west corner gate, and then go east to the east wing.

Now that this door is open, the most convenient people are Li Wan and her son.

Going this way shortens the distance by more than three times.

Seeing Li Wan walking alongside him, he felt embarrassed to turn his head and look at her, so he casually smiled and said, "It's good that you're alright."

I heard the old man at the school say that among all the children in our family, no one can compare to Lan'er in terms of being studious.

It seems that Lan'er will be the one to carry on the master's legacy. Therefore, my sister-in-law is the greatest contributor to our family.

Li Wan blushed upon hearing this. If she hadn't known that Jia Lian wasn't a mean-spirited person, she probably would have thought that Jia Lian was mocking her.

As the eldest grandson's wife of the Rongguo Mansion, besides serving her parents-in-law and raising her son, she had only one other task: managing the younger sisters-in-law in the household. Household management was entirely none of her business.

As the only legitimate great-grandson of the Rongguo Mansion, Lan'er was not favored by her elders at all.

If not, why would she place her hopes on her son to be self-reliant and urge him to study hard so that he could have a bright future?

She knew that with Jia Lian and Jia Baoyu in charge, the Rongguo Mansion's estate was not something her Lan'er could possibly inherit.

So, while forcing her young son to study, she also tried her best to save money for him. She didn't spend a penny on things she shouldn't have, and Wang Xifeng even mocked her for being "stingy," but she didn't care.

Knowing the bitterness in her heart, Li Wan simply said, "Thank you for your kind words, Second Uncle. But I only pray that he can grow up healthy and safe. As for inheriting Master's mantle, I don't dare to hope for that. Putting aside everything else, Baoyu is much smarter than him. Master and Madam are pinning their hopes on Baoyu..."

Jia Lian glanced at her and saw a hint of melancholy on her face. He then smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, do you think I'm joking with you? If you don't believe me, I can bet you that in ten years at most, Lan'er will definitely be successful and bring honor to our Jia family."

At that time, it shouldn't be difficult for him to win an official title for his sister-in-law.

"this……"

Li Wan was shocked. She stopped and looked at Jia Lian.

If it were someone else saying that, she would just smile and take it as a compliment.

But Jia Lian's words made her start to overthink.

Who is Jia Lian? He is a man who, in just two or three years, transformed from a spoiled young man into a fourth-rank official in the imperial court, holding the seal of a local government office, and now enjoys immense prestige!

Li Wan would not believe that Jia Lian had nothing unusual about him.

Now that Jia Lian is saying this, does he have some kind of evidence?

Could it be that Lan'er truly has the appearance of wealth and nobility, and that Jia Lian noticed it?

Li Wan couldn't help but care. Her greatest wish was for Jia Lan to study hard, pass the imperial examinations, and become an official. This was Jia Lan's only chance to achieve a bright future, and also her only chance to rise in status through her son.

After all, Jia Lan wasn't Jia Zheng. Even if he hadn't achieved much in his studies, the old Duke could still submit a will before his death, allowing him to legitimately enter the Six Ministries of the Imperial Court as an official...

If Jia Lan doesn't succeed in her studies, she will end up as an ordinary citizen, and she will go from being the eldest daughter-in-law of the Rongguo Mansion to a commoner.

Jia Lian's words easily struck a chord with Li Wan, hitting the spot she cared about most.

"Is Second Uncle serious? Lan'er, can you really pass the exam?" Li Wan raised her hand somewhat in a daze. If Jia Lian weren't her uncle, she probably would have grabbed his arm and pressed him for an answer.

The imperial examination system was like a thousand troops crossing a single-plank bridge; before success, no one dared to say they would definitely succeed!

Seeing Li Wan's strong reaction, Jia Lian realized the faith people of this era held in entering officialdom through the imperial examination system.

Jia Lian nodded, indicating that he had no intention of deliberately keeping Li Wan hanging.

Then I thought of Li Wan's judgment: "Powerful and illustrious, she rose to high rank and wealth. Dark and gloomy, the road to the Yellow Springs is near."

It is clear that Li Wan did not live a long life. She endured so many years to finally raise her son, but she did not have time to enjoy her life. It is truly tragic and lamentable.

Then he advised her, "So, sister-in-law, you should take good care of yourself. In the future, you will have countless blessings to enjoy."

Li Wan paid no attention to the following sentence. Seeing Jia Lian's certainty, she couldn't help but feel a surge of confidence.

I thought to myself, when I get back, I must give Lan'er more homework!

Poor little Jia Lan, if he knew that all those years of inhumane suffering he would endure were caused by a few words from Jia Lian, he would probably be unable to resist the urge to take revenge.

……

Before entering Rongqing Hall, Li Wan deliberately kept her distance from Jia Lian and did not go in with him.

However, she was clearly overthinking it. No one in Rongqing Hall paid any attention to her. As soon as Jia Lian came out, they all fixed their gaze on him.

Li Wan then stood silently to the side.

Jia Lian also walked to the center and greeted Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, and Aunt Xue.

Seeing the row of empty embroidered stools on the ground, Jia Lian knew that there were guests at Grandmother Jia's place. Sure enough, a casual glance revealed several women from the clan peeking out from behind the silk screen, half-hidden away.

Seeing his gaze, they all sheepishly shrank back a little...

"Lian'er, your master has been taken in by people from the palace. We don't know what happened, and your wife and I are both a little worried."

Now that you're an official, do you know anything you don't?

Without beating around the bush, Grandmother Jia got straight to the point.

Jia Lian replied, "Grandma and Madam, there's no need to worry. It might be a good thing, a very good thing indeed."

"Oh, what do you mean?" Both Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang were startled at the same time.

At this point, Madam Wang no longer needed to be polite with Jia Lian. She sat up straight and asked, "Lian'er, do you really know something? If you do, please tell us in detail..."

Jia Lian shook his head again: "The specific reason why it cannot be said will only be known after Master returns home."

Madam, please be patient. It won't be long before the news comes back from the palace. Why should I say anything more?

We'll just wait and see.

Although Jia Lian was about 80% certain it was about Yuan Chun being made a concubine, he wasn't 100% sure. If he said it beforehand, and then Jia Zheng came to the palace for something else, wouldn't that be a slap in the face?

As for whether a good thing will be proven wrong...

There are only good and bad things in the world.

Given the Jia family's current situation, the possibility that a personal summons from the emperor is a bad thing is extremely low. Moreover, if it were a bad thing, it would be a catastrophe, a major event like an earthquake or landslide. At that time, everyone would be busy protecting themselves, and who would care if he said something wrong?

Grandmother Jia and the others were clearly dissatisfied with Jia Lian's statement, but seeing Jia Lian's relaxed expression and indescribable confidence, they felt much more at ease and began to speculate in their hearts.