Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Since the second day was the busiest time for accompanying his concubine, Jia Lian did not dare to stay at the Iron Threshold Temple for long. He rushed back to the Rongguo Mansion before noon to help Sister Feng with internal and external affairs.

Throughout the day, countless groups of officials and guests were welcomed and sent off, with hundreds of carriages and sedan chairs coming and going, creating a truly lively and bustling scene.

As night fell, only members of the clan and their families remained, along with close relatives from the Shi, Wang, Xue, and Lin families. That night, the lights burned continuously, and no one slept; everyone stayed up to keep company.

Fortunately, Sister Feng had made preparations in advance, hiring several troupes of actors, storytellers, and acrobats to rehearse programs inside, so that her family and friends could have some fun. Otherwise, the long night would have been unbearable.

As dawn broke, the auspicious time arrived, and all those waiting immediately sprang into action.

A procession of 64 men in blue robes, carrying the spirit of the deceased, arrived with a white banner bearing the inscription: "The coffin of the eldest grandson of the First-Class Duke of Rongguo of the Great Wei Dynasty, the hereditary First-Class General of Divine Might, who enjoyed a long and healthy life."

Subsequently, all the servants, furnishings, and entertainment items were newly made, all dazzling and bright.

Those who attended the funeral, including the ladies of the household and those with official titles, rode in large sedan chairs carried by eight men, totaling about ten or so, including Grandmother Jia and others. The rest, without official titles, rode in sedan chairs carried by forty or fifty men, and with the sedan chairs carried by the household servants and other family members, the number of vehicles used by the family and close relatives alone was no less than a hundred!

With the procession stretching out in this way, the coffin alone already covered four or five miles.

Other officials and guests who came to attend the funeral included Niu Jizong, the current First-Class Earl of the Duke of Zhenguo; Liu Fang, the First-Class Viscount of the Duke of Liguo; Chen Ruiwen, the hereditary Third-Rank General of Weizhen of the Duke of Qiguo; Ma Shang, the Third-Rank General of Weiyuan of the Duke of Zhiguo… as well as the Prince of Xining and the Prince of Nan'an…

Of the ten families that were listed alongside the Jia family as one of the four founding kings and eight dukes, apart from the Duke of Shan's mansion which was also holding a funeral, the heads of the rest were all personally involved.

In addition, there are Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding, hereditary second-class baron Jiang Zining (grandson of Marquis Pingyuan), hereditary second-class baron Xie Jing (Marquis Dingcheng) and concurrently serving as the guerrilla general of the capital garrison, the residences of the Marquis of Xiangyang, the Marquis of Jingtian, the Earl of Shoushan, the General of Divine Martial Arts, and the Marquis of Jinxiang...

And so on, a whole host of families in the capital with official titles and ranks arrived in droves, their carriages and retinues countless.

They all erected colorful tents, set up banquets, played music, and paid their respects to the deceased along the route of the funeral procession from Rongguo Mansion, which was called a roadside memorial service.

The first is the sacrificial tent of the Prince of Dongping's Mansion, the second is the sacrificial tent of the Prince of Nan'an's Mansion, the third is the sacrificial tent of the Prince of Xining's Mansion, and the fourth is the sacrificial tent of the Prince of Beijing's Mansion...

Of these four royal mansions, the first three are still relatively well-off, having been reduced to the status of noble families. Only the Prince of Bei Jing's mansion stands out. At the beginning of the dynasty, among the four princes and eight dukes, the Prince of Bei Jing had the greatest merit and the most prestigious position. Therefore, even now, in its fifth generation, his descendants still inherit the title of prince!

A five-generation royal title is a rare honor even within the Great Wei imperial family.

Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that the Prince of Beijing's mansion is the foremost family of non-royal relatives in the world.

Although Prince Shui Rong of Beijing is not yet twenty years old, he is gentle in nature, virtuous and talented, and highly regarded by the current emperor. He has already been appointed to a position in the court.

Therefore, while Jia Lian was born into a noble family and had already reached the fourth rank at a young age, making him a rare and promising young man in the dynasty, he was still completely incomparable to the Prince of Shui.

The other party surpassed Jia Lian by a large margin in terms of background, rank, and official position.

Moreover, the other party was a year or two younger than Jia Lian...

All of this is fine. Jia Lian himself doesn't want to compare himself with others. After all, being born into the right family is a skill; there's always room for improvement.

If you can't compete with someone's family background, all your struggles will be in vain.

What infuriated Jia Lian the most was that three days after Jia She sent the obituary, Shui Rong came to pay his respects in person. The Jia family received him with the utmost respect that day, and Jia Lian noticed then that the other man was even more handsome than him…

She's even fairer than him!

After that day, Jia Lian decided that he would work even harder and practice martial arts diligently.

Because he discovered that the water-soluble properties were abnormally good in every aspect, just like Jia Baoyu, making him a weakling.

Hmph, what good is a pretty boy? He'll probably be done in three minutes. Only a strong, muscular man can conquer all the women in the world…

Despite his young age, Shui Rong was not arrogant or extravagant, nor did he display any conceit.

Remembering the friendship between his ancestors and the ancestors of the Jia family who had shared life and death, he attached great importance to the relationship between the two families.

On the day Jia She laid the coffin to rest, he personally visited the funeral and offered sacrifices. Today, he also personally led officials from the Prince's Mansion to offer sacrifices.

In an instant, the grand funeral procession of the Jia family arrived in a magnificent and imposing manner, like a silver mountain pressing down on the ground. The messengers from the Rongguo Mansion had already spotted Shui Rong's royal carriage and hurriedly flew to report to Jia Lian, Jia Zheng, Jia Zhen, and others.

Jia Lian and the other two dared not be negligent. They quickly ordered the funeral procession to stop where they were, and then personally went forward to greet them with state greetings.

Shui Rong did not act arrogantly. After returning the greeting with a smile, he stepped out of the sedan chair, exchanged a few pleasantries with Jia Lian and the other two, and then ordered the head of the household to preside over the sacrificial ceremony on his behalf.

After the ceremony, Shui Rong was not in a hurry to get up. Instead, he raised his eyebrows and smiled at Jia Lian, and started chatting.

"Last time I met with you, my brother, I was deeply impressed by your insightful views. Unfortunately, the timing was not right, and we only had a brief meeting."

After returning home, Xiao Wang pondered his brother's unique insights into all things in the world and the laws of heaven and earth, and was greatly inspired. He wanted to invite his brother to his private residence again several times so that they could brew tea, discuss philosophy, and share their feelings.

However, considering the many troubles my brother's family is dealing with, I dared not trouble him.

When Shui Rong said this, both Jia Zheng and Jia Zhen were taken aback.

Given Shui Rong's status, even if she and Jia Lian hit it off immediately, she shouldn't have acted so humbly.

Besides, when Shui Rong came to pay his respects to Jia She last time, the two of them accompanied him. Although Shui Rong talked to Jia Lian about topics they weren't particularly interested in, it shouldn't have led to them becoming so close.

Is it really because they're old and can't understand the world of young people anymore?

Jia Lian himself was a little surprised, but he didn't care much.

He knew he had only met Shui Rong once. Perhaps it was because he had always been a marginal figure in the Jia family, spending his days idly. Shui Rong, on the other hand, was younger than him and had only just inherited the throne two years prior, so they hadn't had the chance to meet before.

But they must have heard about each other before their last meeting.

As for Shui Rong's insightful views, they probably came from a casual conversation during their last meeting, where they discussed topics like astronomy and geography. Perhaps he inadvertently revealed a few "scientific viewpoints" he had brought from later generations, which is why Shui Rong found them refreshing and insightful.

However, Jia Lian knew well the ignorance and folly of people in this era regarding these unknown and unsolved matters. He did not believe that he could make someone as high-ranking as Shui Rong submit by simply offering a different perspective!

Shui Rong's behavior may be mainly due to his own humility, or perhaps he sees him as a capable person and wants to befriend him.

Just like how he befriended Gu Danfeng, the young master of the Gu family. People of their status mostly befriend those below them, because only those of lower status are easy to recruit and use.

So, Jia Lian, who thought he had seen through Shui Rong's tricks, didn't take it to heart, but still put on an honored expression and bowed to Shui Rong, saying, "Your Highness is too kind. I am of average talent and only have some crude knowledge. Last time I spoke recklessly in front of Your Highness, which was a rash act. I am afraid that I have offended Your Highness's dignity."

Therefore, I am truly unworthy of such praise from Your Highness.

When Shui Rong heard that Jia Lian disregarded his previous instructions and still referred to himself as a subject, he knew that Jia Lian was still wary of him.

He could understand Jia Lian's caution, and therefore thought more highly of Jia Lian.

It's just a bit of a pity.

I didn't really care; this kind of scene wasn't exactly a place for making friends anyway.

Then he took out a piece of translucent, radiant green jade from his bosom, held it in one hand, and said:

"We only had a brief meeting last month, and I regret that I did not prepare a token to express our gratitude for our first meeting. Today, I would like to present this to you, my esteemed brother, and I hope you will not refuse."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian frowned involuntarily, thinking to himself, "Isn't this scene supposed to be triggered only when it's directed at Jia Baoyu?"

He doesn't like playing the gay role.

Besides, he doesn't like jade or similar trinkets, and whenever he gets one, he usually just gives it away or resells it.

Otherwise, with so many jade and antiques in Jia She's study, he wouldn't have only allowed Feng Jie to keep a few of her favorites, but instead had Sun Zai Ren take them all out to cash in immediately...

"This jade comes from a gemstone from the Western Regions, which I obtained by chance. Therefore, I ordered the skilled craftsmen in my household to cut and carve it."

To be honest, I hit it off with you the moment we met, so I would like to invite you to visit my humble abode whenever you have some free time.

I have already instructed my gatekeeper that in the future, whenever you bring this jade to my residence, you need not have anyone announce your arrival; you can come directly to me.”

Shui Rong chuckled as he handed a thick jade pendant, about a third the size of a palm, to Jia Lian.

Jia Zheng and Jia Zhen were even more embarrassed and dared not speak, wondering what magic Jia Lian possessed that made Shui Rong value him so much.

Does he mean that if I take this jade pendant, I can enter the Prince of Bei Jing's residence at will?

Jia Lian immediately bowed and said, "This item is far too precious for me to accept. I beg Your Highness to take it back..."

Jia Lian was also somewhat confused about Shui Rong's meaning. If it was just polite formalities, he didn't need to go to such lengths. Jia Lian believed that anyone else, especially someone raised in this feudal society and educated in the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues, would likely have been determined to die for a friend who understood them, after being treated this way by Shui Rong…

Shui Rong seemed to have anticipated Jia Lian's refusal, and immediately said after Jia Lian's reply, "I know that you are no ordinary person, and naturally you do not value worldly things. This small gift is merely a token of our friendship."

If my esteemed brother refuses to accept it, it's probably because he finds my humble status insignificant."

If Jia Lian didn't accept Shui Rong's offer now, he would be seen as making Shui Rong lose face.

So Jia Zhen and Jia Zheng, who were standing nearby, kept giving Jia Lian meaningful glances.

Jia Lian had no choice but to bow deeply and say, "I will obey Your Highness's command. Since Your Highness has said so, I will accept it."

As he spoke, he took the jade pendant from Shui Rong's hand.

Upon handling it, Jia Lian knew it was indeed a superior jade artifact. Observing its translucent material, even Jia Lian could tell that it was of considerable value.

Most importantly, the character "water" is engraved in the center of the front of the jade pendant...

This single word is enough to make this jade pendant an important token.

Therefore, Jia Lian couldn't help but cherish it a little more.

Shui Rong ignored Jia Lian's thoughts and became even happier after seeing Jia Lian accept the gift.

He glanced at Jia Zheng beside him and felt that he had been slighted. After all, Jia Zheng was the son of the Duke of Rongguo, and they knew each other from their time in the court.

Remembering the topic they had discussed when they met with Emperor Ningkang, he nodded to Jia Lian and then turned to look at Jia Zheng.

"When I was in the court, I heard that there was a young master in the family of the old man who was born with a jade in his mouth. I wanted to meet him several times, but I was always prevented by busy schedules."

I suppose he must have arrived today. Could you perhaps invite him out for a while?

Upon hearing that Shui Rong had finally remembered the important matter, Jia Lian nodded secretly to himself.

Exactly, you guys are the ones who should be hanging out together...

Jia Zheng, of course, dared not delay and hurriedly ordered someone to summon Jia Baoyu to see him.

……

As Jia Lian had expected, the meeting between Shui Rong and Jia Baoyu was indeed very harmonious.

Shui Rong also gave Jia Baoyu a token and invited him to his mansion, which put Jia Lian at ease.

As long as it's not about taking advantage of him, everything is negotiable.

Once Shui Rong was dealt with, the remaining relatives and friends were easy to handle. Most of them simply bowed and expressed their gratitude in the funeral procession, and that was it.

Once outside the city, things became much easier.

Jia Lian went to check on Yingchun. Yingchun was frail and had indeed caught a cold during the previous vigil.

Then, Jia Lian rode his horse to Feng Jie's carriage, and suddenly his face darkened.

"Second Brother Lian."

Jia Baoyu's face popped out of Wang Xifeng's carriage window, and he was all smiles, seemingly very happy.

"Zhao'er, go and fetch a separate carriage for Master Bao..."

Without hesitation, Jia Lian immediately sent someone to find a carriage for Jia Baoyu.

He had tolerated it when Jia Baoyu was still young.

Now that Jia Lianming knows that Erbao is no longer a simple child, how could he possibly let him crawl into his wife's car and do whatever he wants!

Seeing that Jia Baoyu's expression had changed from sunny to cloudy, and he seemed unhappy, Jia Lian coaxed him, "Alright, go and get a carriage by yourself. Your second sister-in-law has been so busy these days, she barely rested last night and the night before. Why are you bothering her here? Go and have some fun by yourself, be good."

Jia Baoyu then reluctantly jumped off Feng Jie's carriage.

Fengjie looked at him, smiled, and asked Jia Lian, "What are you doing? Brother Bao is still a child."

Jia Lian glanced at her, his eyes sharp.

Sister Feng was startled, then suddenly laughed. Could it be that this heartless woman is jealous of Brother Bao?

Jia Baoyu was the apple of Jia Mu and Wang Furen's eye, and also her cousin. So whether it was to please Jia Mu and others, or because she had indeed doted on him since childhood, Feng Jie cared a lot about Jia Baoyu.

It was a cloudy day, and a cold wind was blowing early in the morning. I had seen Jia Baoyu sitting alone on his horse earlier, and I was worried he would catch a cold, so I asked him to come and ride in the carriage with me. Anyway, her carriage was spacious.

Most importantly, in her eyes, Jia Baoyu, who was only twelve years old, was indeed just a child!

Jia Lian, however, was worldly-wise and insightful, and was not blinded by fleeting illusions.

Back then, he was about the same age as Jia Baoyu, and he was also tricked into getting into the carriage by You Shi and groped...

"You've had a tough two days. There are still a few hours left on the road, so you should rest well in the car. Don't worry about anything outside; I'll take care of things."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, Sister Feng immediately became happy again.

Before she could finish gloating, Jia Lian, sitting on his horse, turned to her and said sternly, "As a woman, you must uphold the virtues of wifely virtue. If I see you sharing a room with another man again, be careful of the family rules."

After uttering these words of warning, Jia Lian spurred his horse and rode away, leaving Wang Xifeng staring blankly.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Brother Bao is still a child..."

Wang Xifeng glanced at Ping'er and Wang'er's wife and the others nearby, her cheeks flushed and her hair became hot!

The way Jia Lian spoke to her just now, not to mention others, at least the people who served her closely must have heard it. Look at their expressions of wanting to laugh but not daring to. How could she bear it?

But Jia Lian had already left, leaving her no room for argument.

"Pooh……"

Spitting, Sister Feng angrily pulled the carriage curtain shut and slammed her fist on the soft bench inside the carriage twice.