Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Taking advantage of the Fourth Prince's absent-minded enjoyment, Jia Lian asked Zhang Su about the situation of the old man, his second uncle Zhang Song, and others. After a brief reply, Zhang Su said, "I accompanied the Fourth Prince here today because I have another matter to ask of you..."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian knew it was about the Fourth Prince, and Zhang Su was merely a facilitator.

As expected, the Fourth Prince showed a slightly embarrassed expression, but seeing Jia Lian looking over, he still spoke quite frankly:

"It's like this, my elder sister's birthday is coming up soon, and I've been thinking for a long time but I still can't think of a rare or special gift for her... The main problem is that what I think of is something that others can also think of, which is really annoying."

I just overheard someone say that you have a kind of blood ginseng here, which is very rare in our Central Plains, and women love it the most. I was just wondering if you still have any of that stuff here...

As the fourth prince spoke, he looked at Jia Lian with hopeful eyes, clearly afraid that Jia Lian would say no, and then his trip today would be in vain.

It turns out that among the ginseng that Jia Lian brought back from the border, in addition to yellow and white ginseng, there was also a very small amount of blood ginseng, which came from the private collection of a leader of the Yachaha tribe.

Because the quantity was so small, Jia Lian only gave a few to Lin Ruhai and his daughter. Since both of them were sickly, he hoped this would be of some use to them.

But Lin Ruhai couldn't bear to use the ginseng he received. Hearing that the Empress Dowager was ill, he immediately presented the other two untouched ginseng roots to the Emperor.

The emperor naturally sent it to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager used one of the products and found it to be more effective than other products. She was very comforted and praised the Emperor to her attendants for his thoughtfulness.

And so its fame spread from the palace.

Blood ginseng is rare among commoners, but it's not exactly a priceless treasure for the royal family; it's just a matter of chance. Furthermore, the Dowager Consort was always eager to promote the Emperor's good name…

The idlers' boasting about the blood ginseng happened to reach the ears of the fourth prince, who was already worrying about the congratulatory gift for his elder sister.

Thinking that since even her grandmother, the Dowager Consort, liked this kind of thing so much, her elder sister must like it a lot too.

So they secretly went to find Lin Ruhai to see if he still had any stock...

Unfortunately, Lin Ruhai didn't have any stock for him. But seeing how disappointed he was, he gritted his teeth and suggested that he try finding Jia Lian.

Upon hearing that the request was merely for a gift, Jia Lian breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "As for the blood ginseng Your Highness mentioned, I happen to have two left, but I'm unsure if their quality meets Your Highness's requirements..."

Upon hearing that Jia Lian indeed possessed it, the Fourth Prince was overjoyed and immediately stood up, exclaiming, "Really? Let me see it quickly..."

After saying that, fearing that Jia Lian might think he was trying to take advantage of him, he waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, I won't take your things for nothing. As long as the things are good, no matter how much silver you ask for, I will pay you accordingly."

"And if you help me with this today, if you ever have any troubles in the future, just ask me, and I... no, I guarantee I won't even bat an eye."

The fourth prince subconsciously uttered "Young Master," remembering Emperor Ningkang's warning that he should speak with royal dignity, and that if anyone spread rumors that he was using foul language, his dragon legs would be broken.

"Your Highness is too kind. It is my honor to be able to assist you. Please wait a moment, Your Highness and my cousin. I will be right back."

Jia Lian said something and then got up and left the side hall.

He first called a maid in to serve tea, and then went to the backyard to find Aqin.

After Jia She's death, Jia Lian had Aqi and Aqin move from the main courtyard to the east wing, making it more convenient for them to get around.

Upon arriving at the room of the two sisters, Aqin heard that Jia Lian wanted to obtain blood ginseng, so Aqin asked how many she wanted.

"Bring the two best ones."

Without a word, Aqin immediately took out a wooden box from the cabinet behind the bed.

When Jia Lian opened the box, he found two blood-red ginseng roots lying quietly side by side inside, padded with yellow silk, and well-preserved.

Aqin didn't know what Jia Lian was going to do with the ginseng, but she assumed it was another gift. So she reported back, "Master, there aren't many of the ginseng roots left that you entrusted to me for safekeeping. There are only about ten white ones left, and besides these two large red ones, there are only three small ones left..."

Hearing her soft voice, Jia Lian knew that even though she didn't say it, she must still feel a little heartache inside.

After all, this was something Jia Lian had placed with her, representing his trust in her. Every little bit less of it felt like her status in Jia Lian's heart was diminishing.

To be honest, Wang Xifeng knew that Jia Lian had some rare ginseng stored with these two maids.

However, she guessed that the quantity was definitely not large, since Jia Lian had already collected a large amount of ginseng for her, so a few less wouldn't matter.

Secondly, she made an excuse to ask for two white ginseng roots, and Jia Lian sent them to her without saying a word, so she couldn't say anything more.

If someone has no conscience and wants to hoard some private funds, let them be. Pushing them too far will only make everyone unhappy, so why bother?

He had Ah Qin carry the box and led her to the side hall.

Although Aqin left after putting down her things, her attire, which differed from the maids', still drew Zhang Su and the other man's attention to her retreating figure.

Zhang Su turned around and saw Jia Lian looking at him. His face flushed, and he explained, "Brother Lian, your maid doesn't seem to be a woman from the Central Plains."

Jia Lian said, "What my cousin said is right. She was originally a woman from the grasslands. After her tribe was destroyed, I rescued her. Now she has learned to speak Mandarin and is no different from women from the Central Plains."

Everyone has a love for beauty, so Zhang Su and the other person's reaction was quite normal.

Moreover, Aqin isn't the kind of woman who is stunningly beautiful; she's more about having a unique charm that draws attention.

The fourth prince also looked somewhat shy. To cover up his embarrassment, he immediately jumped in front of the wooden box and opened it.

"Haha, it's so beautiful! I've never seen such a beautiful ginseng before! If my elder sister saw that I gave her something so nice, she would definitely look at me in a new light. Let's see how she'll dare to bully me then..."

The fourth prince, habitually prone to slips of the tongue, realized he had let something slip. He quickly glanced at Jia Lian, chuckled, and hugged the wooden box to his chest. Then, he said generously to Jia Lian, "I told you I wouldn't take advantage of you. Don't be polite with me. Tell me, how much silver do you want for these two ginseng roots?"

Jia Lian smiled slightly. How could one measure the relationship with someone like the Fourth Prince with mere gold and silver?

"I am honored that Your Highness has taken a liking to me. These are just two ginseng roots, nothing special. Consider them my token of respect to Your Highness."

"Hmph, I knew you'd say that."

I only brought five hundred taels of silver with me today. I know that if you were to sell these two ginseng roots, they would definitely be worth more than this amount...

Here's what I'll give you for now. If you like more silver, I'll make up the difference later. Otherwise, you can take this five hundred taels of silver, and consider it another favor I owe you, okay?

Seeing the Second Prince's displeased expression, Jia Lian already knew that the Second Prince really didn't want to take advantage of the situation.

In fact, ginseng is inherently valuable, no matter how high its price. It's just that there are many nobles in the capital, and if they happen to need it, it's reasonable for it to be sold at exorbitant prices!

Five hundred taels of silver is quite a sum. The Fourth Prince's statement suggests either he's oblivious to the cost of living, or he's using it as a gift and naturally wants the most valuable items possible…

The things you get for five hundred taels are naturally different from those you get for three thousand taels.

Fearing that Jia Lian's excessive politeness might offend the Fourth Prince, Zhang Su quickly gestured to him. Jia Lian then smiled and said, "Since Your Highness says so, I shall respectfully comply. However, Your Highness's favor is so precious that it cannot be valued by a mere few hundred taels of silver."

Therefore, I'll waive the money; consider it a favor I'm doing for Your Highness, how about that?"

The Fourth Prince was too lazy to waste words with Jia Lian and sent the plainclothes guard outside the hall to fetch the silver.

He originally intended to buy only two ginseng roots, and he specifically asked his attendant, who told him that two top-quality ginseng roots were worth less than five hundred taels of silver, so he only brought five hundred taels of silver with him.

Just by looking at what Jia Lian took out, he instinctively felt that it was much better than what the palace had given to his mother before, and thought it must be worth more than five hundred, which is why he said that.

Seeing that Jia Lian dared not refuse any longer, the Fourth Prince became happy and began to joke: "You really are not loyal. We have beaten up that brat Wei Xian together. On the battlefield, what are we? Comrades-in-arms, right?"

"And you, you went off to the battlefield to make a name for yourself, without taking me and Jinyan with you!"

On that day, Jia Lian and the Fourth Prince were summoned to the Daming Palace by Emperor Ningkang and reprimanded. When the Fourth Prince heard that Jia Lian could go to the border, he clamored to go to the battlefield with him to kill the enemy and make meritorious achievements!

As a result, he only received a scolding, and almost got beaten up.

Jia Lian simply smiled upon hearing this. In truth, he had only known the Fourth Prince for a day before, and they weren't really close...

However, judging from the Fourth Prince's words that he regarded the battlefield as child's play, it was clear that he had not truly grown up, so Emperor Ningkang would never send him to the border.

Knowing that children of this age are most rebellious, saying things like "the battlefield is dangerous" or "Your Highness is of inestimable worth" to him would not only be useless but would also provoke a rebellious attitude and make him unhappy. So he said, "Your Highness is mistaken..."

After glancing at the Fourth Prince's eyes, Jia Lian changed the subject: "Your Highness is of noble birth, a prince of the dragon. How could I possibly lead Your Highness to the battlefield to kill the enemy and gain merit?"

Since Your Highness possesses such ambition, I only hope that when Your Highness goes to the battlefield in the future, you will not forget to promote me, so that I may serve by Your Highness's side, assisting you in achieving great deeds. Then I will have no regrets for the rest of my life.

Upon hearing this, the fourth prince grinned from ear to ear and said, "Of course, of course, haha, don't worry, my father must still think that my martial arts skills are not good enough, which is why he won't allow me to go to the battlefield."

"After I train for another year or two, I will definitely take you and Jinyan with me, and together we will ride across the battlefield, sweep across the desert, and wipe out those damned Tatars and Oirats completely..."