Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The joy of Yuan Chun being made a concubine completely overshadowed the somber mood brought about by Jia She's funeral.

This is quite normal.

Although Jia She was the eldest master of the Rongguo Mansion, he had only a title but no reputation or virtue, so he was not respected by others.

When he died, most people pretended to be sad on the surface, but were actually unmoved inside, and even cursed inwardly: "That old bastard is finally dead!"

However, Yuan Chun was different.

When Yuan Chun was the eldest daughter of her family, she was dignified, quiet, beautiful, and generous, and was deeply loved and respected by her family.

Later, she entered the palace, which could be seen as a contribution to her family, making her even more admirable. Now, after years of hard work, she has finally reaped the rewards, naturally inspiring immense respect!

To the servants, the fact that the young lady was selected to enter the palace proved her excellence, and now that she had been made a concubine by the emperor, she was truly a dragon among men, a person with great fortune and blessings.

Such people deserve to be praised.

Most importantly, it's about your own interests!

It's better that Jia She is dead than alive. Passing the title to the capable, responsible, and glorious Lian Er Ye might actually be a good thing!

Yuan-chun's elevation to imperial concubine status was tantamount to bestowing upon the Jia family the status of imperial relatives out of thin air. This not only benefited the Jia family and the lineage of Bao-er, but also the entire family, allowing everyone to benefit from the honor.

This is far more direct and effective than having Second Master Lian lead troops to fight on the border or serve as an official in the military headquarters to handle affairs for the emperor!

Everyone knew that the Jia family would be honored if the eldest daughter were made a concubine. And with the family's honor came greater benefits for everyone!

Didn't you see that Second Master Lian, who has been worrying about the master's affairs for days, doesn't look so gloomy these days?

Second Master Lian was truly an outstanding person. To be considerate of the family's feelings, he didn't burden them with his own grief over his father's death, nor did he blame or complain about anyone amidst the celebrations of his eldest daughter's ascension to the rank of imperial concubine. He simply devoted himself to diligently handling his father's funeral arrangements and quietly preparing for the proceedings…

With the day of the funeral fast approaching, the Jia family was busy once again.

Jia Lian and his wife were extremely busy. On one hand, they had to prepare to receive relatives and friends from near and far who came to pay their respects at the funeral; on the other hand, they had to prepare the funeral procession, carriages, and attendants; and on yet another hand, they had to go to the Iron Threshold Temple outside the city to set up a temporary mourning hall for the body and select a burial site…

In short, things suddenly became several times more numerous than in the previous ten days.

Just then, someone came to report that the young master of the Zhang family had come to offer condolences and asked Jia Lian to go out and receive him.

Jia Lian asked instinctively, "Which young master of the Zhang family?"

"That's Second Master's cousin, Young Master Zhang Su."

Jia Lian was immediately surprised, as not a single member of his maternal uncle Zhang's family had come since the funeral began.

Jia Lian knew this must be the old man's intention. As a military man, he didn't care about such things; if he disliked someone, he disliked them and didn't care about maintaining the family's dignity.

Jia Lian naturally didn't care about this, but he didn't expect Zhang Su to come in person today.

He rushed out of the study and, sure enough, saw Zhang Su's distinguished figure in the passageway in front of the mourning hall.

However, Jia Lian's expression immediately hardened, and he took two steps at a time to stand in front of Zhang Su. He bowed deeply to a young man dressed in plain clothes beside Zhang Su, who was shorter but looked much stronger.

"Haha, Lord Jia, no, General Jia, it's been a long time!"

The boy seemed to have anticipated Jia Lian's reaction. His bright, mischievous eyes stared directly at Jia Lian, and before Jia Lian could bend over, he stepped forward to help him up, laughing heartily as he spoke.

At this time, there were no guests coming and going in the east courtyard, only servants from the two mansions and a few clansmen. When they heard the boy's laughter, they all looked over in surprise, thinking, "Who is this person, daring to laugh loudly in front of our master's mourning hall?"

Moreover, the Second Master wasn't angry at all; in fact, he treated him with great respect!

"Brother Lian, this is Young Master Xiao..." Zhang Su introduced him formally from the side.

Jia Lian understood immediately, stopped his unnecessary movements, cupped his hands and said, "I was unaware of Young Master Xiao's arrival. Please forgive my lack of hospitality."

Seeing that Jia Lian understood so quickly, the young man was even more pleased and bowed respectfully, saying, "Not at all, not at all. I heard that your father has passed away, so I came to pay my respects. Please guide me, General Jia..."

"please"

Jia Lian then stepped aside to invite him, and the young man, without any hesitation, immediately strode towards the mourning hall.

Jia Lian stood behind Zhang Su, looking at him questioningly.

Zhang Su quickly whispered, "Let's find a quiet place to talk later..."

Jia Lian nodded and guided the two to the altar to pay their respects and offer incense. Then he led them to a quiet side hall not far away.

After taking his seat and dismissing the onlookers, Jia Lian solemnly bowed to the young man and said, "Jia Lian greets the Fourth Prince."

It turned out to be the dignified Fourth Prince, who came in disguise.

"Ha, no need for formalities, please sit down."

The fourth prince appeared quite casual, leaning back in a nanmu armchair in the side hall, his eyes casually surveying the layout and furnishings, seemingly somewhat disappointed.

"When I last visited that Xiangyang Marquis's residence, their halls were so grand and glittering, almost as impressive as my own Prince's mansion. As a Duke's residence, you should theoretically be even more spacious than that Xiangyang Marquis's. But when I came in just now, I noticed that not only were your houses cramped, but the halls were also decorated like this—it's so shabby!"

The Fourth Prince's direct question caused Zhang Su to frown and look around.

However, Zhang Su had heard from his elders that Jia Lian's family lived in a side courtyard of the Rongguo Mansion, not the main hall, so it wasn't surprising.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian did not offer any further explanation, but simply replied, "My humble abode is simple and unassuming; I apologize for making you laugh, Your Highness."

But the thoughts in my heart were exactly the opposite.

The Fourth Prince's current state of mind was remarkably similar to his experience during his last visit to the Fourth Prince's residence.

When he last visited the Fourth Prince's residence, he felt that the newly built mansion was a bit small, almost half the size of the Rongguo Mansion...

That makes sense. The Rongguo Mansion was built as a Duke's mansion by imperial decree of the founding emperor, and it was originally built to the standards of a prince's mansion.

The Fourth Prince's residence was relatively small compared to the other princes' residences...

Perhaps it was because he was too mischievous that Emperor Ningkang deliberately did not build his palace too luxuriously!

Fortunately, when the fourth prince entered, he saw the east wing, which was the east wing where a funeral was being held. The whole place was deathly white, so it looked rather shabby.

If he had seen the magnificent Rongxi Hall, the Fourth Prince would probably not have felt the same way.

Rongxi Hall is absolutely comparable to the main hall of a typical royal palace.

The fourth prince was just speaking casually. After arriving at Ningrong Street, he noticed that the layout of the Jia family's residence was different from other places. The gate he had just entered through didn't even have a plaque...

However, he didn't care about any of that. After making a brief complaint, he moved on and said with a smile, "Last time I heard that you had returned from the border, I wanted to invite you to my palace to play, but they said your father was dying, so I gave up the idea..."

Oh, by the way, you didn't know I'd already been made a king, did you? Hey, Prince Xiao, my father gave me this title, doesn't it sound impressive?"

Jia Lian smiled, though he had already heard about it, he pretended not to know and quickly cupped his hands to congratulate him: "Congratulations, Your Highness, on receiving such an elegant title."

In the Great Wei Dynasty, princes are considered adults at the age of sixteen. After reaching adulthood, they can be granted the title of king and do not need to study in the Imperial Study every day. Instead, they can hire famous teachers to teach them in their own royal residence.

Judging from this, the kid is already over sixteen years old.

The fourth prince chuckled for a while, and it was clear that he was genuinely very satisfied with the title.