Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Holding the beauty in his arms, feeling her gentleness and submission, Jia Lian found that the annoyance and anger in his heart had completely disappeared.

I don't know if I've fallen into her trap of gentleness.

That's fine, but a woman like Wang Xifeng is shrewd, capable, knows how to handle things, knows how to get along with people, and most importantly, her looks and figure are top-notch hot!

Given these stringent conditions, her minor flaws are therefore worth forgiving.

I've explained the reasons to her countless times. Those who can listen have already listened, and those who can't, no matter how many times I say it, it's useless.

Jia Lian even realized that if Feng Jie were to truly become a woman of great understanding and exceptional foresight, her boundless ambition would likely follow. Just imagine the destructive power that would be if Wang Xifeng and Xue Baochai, the two cousins, were united as one!

Wang Xifeng alone is actually not bad; even if she is a little disobedient, at least she admires the strong.

As long as she can maintain her strength, Wang Xifeng will not dare to act recklessly.

For example, after just a few slaps, she became obedient. Therefore, for a woman like Wang Xifeng, it's best to use force to suppress her and directly tell her what she can't do.

Wang Xifeng nestled in Jia Lian's arms, feeling very peaceful and content, but she was also afraid of provoking Jia Lian's anger and wasting time, which would inevitably make her a laughingstock. So she propped herself up and said with a smile, "It's getting late, you should go back."

As Wang Xifeng helped Jia Lian stand up, she felt guilty and tried her best to behave, tidying his clothes and ornaments. After observing that Jia Lian's anger had indeed subsided, she tentatively asked, "That matter, are you really not going to reconsider? Five thousand taels..."

Before she could finish speaking, she saw Jia Lian raise his hand, which startled her so much that she immediately stepped back. Then she said with a forced smile, "Alright, alright, I know you are a noble man and don't care about earning such money. From now on, let's not mention it again."

Honestly, I've been worrying for nothing. I sit at home every day, and even if I had money, I wouldn't know where to spend it. I only prepared this for the sake of our family, thinking that you'd be an official outside and would need to spend money in the future.

What did I gain? I didn't get anything in return, and I even got beaten up by you for nothing. Am I wronged?

Sister Feng habitually started to distort the truth, but when it came to being beaten, she couldn't help but blush.

I found it strange. I've never imagined I'd be beaten in my life. Today, this heartless guy hit me so many times, and instead of wanting to get revenge, I feel even closer to him... Ugh, I'm not that shameless.

That is to say, he caught me in a mistake; otherwise, no one would dare to hit me!

Faced with Sister Feng's explanation, Jia Lian only said, "Whether you truly feel that way or are just pretending to exonerate yourself, I won't argue with you; it's pointless anyway."

I've already told you, from now on, if you dare to meddle in other people's business behind my back again, it won't just be a few spankings that will get you off the hook. Don't blame me for not warning you then.

Wang Xifeng was good at finding fault in other people's words and refuting them, but Jia Lian's attitude made her feel like she had nowhere to vent her anger.

Seeing Jia Lian's malicious gaze, she pretended to spit, then couldn't help but ask, "What if there's a next time? Don't think I'm easy to bully. If you dare hit me again, I'll definitely scratch you..."

Jia Lian just smiled and looked at her, making her feel guilty before asking, "Oh, judging from your tone, you don't actually have something to hide from me, do you?"

Feng Jie's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately raised her eyebrows: "Just because I'm a thief once doesn't mean I'm a thief every day, does it? You don't trust me that much? If that's the case, then from now on I won't care about anything at home. I'll leave everything to your Ping-girl. My eldest daughter and I will stay in the house all day, relying on each other for survival, letting others bully us. Are you satisfied now...?"

Jia Lian wasn't buying it. He raised his hand as if to hit her, and only after she dodged did he say, "If you're truly willing, that would be my good fortune. But I'm afraid our ambitious Second Mistress Lian isn't content with an ordinary life."

Feng Jie was speechless. She glared at Jia Lian with her phoenix eyes and finally cursed, "You heartless man!"

How could Wang Xifeng be without power for even a day?

Jia Lian had seen through her long ago. This woman could endure sleeping a few hours less or eating two fewer meals each day, but if you asked her to do nothing for a day, her heart would be scratched like a cat's claws. In short, she was miserable!

Without saying anything more to her, Jia Lian finally said, "Whether you have a conscience or not, I'm still your man, and you'll never be able to leave me in this lifetime."

So I'm putting this out there: if you really have something to hide from me, I advise you to be honest with me as soon as possible; it will benefit you.

otherwise……"

Finally, Jia Lian gave her a deep look, then turned and went out the door.

However, his unfinished words left Wang Xifeng with no choice but to be filled with suspicion.

Ping'er came in again after Jia Lian left, and pleaded with Feng Jie, "Second Mistress, the matter with the Zhang family really wasn't something I told Second Master..."

Wang Xifeng was lost in thought when Ping'er interrupted her. Too lazy to listen to her explanation, she simply said, "Alright, I understand."

I know it wasn't you. I was just asking you casually because I was in a hurry. I may not trust anyone, but I won't distrust you.

It's most likely that your second master planted a spy among us..."

Ping'er was startled and quickly said, "No way, how could Second Master...?"

"Hmph, what's impossible about it? He guards against me like a thief, forbidding me from doing this or that! Isn't that normal?"

Otherwise, how come he knew about what I did so soon after?

Could it be that he really has become a deity?

Wang Xifeng said bitterly, and then another wave of powerlessness washed over her.

Even though she had people spying on Jia Lian before, she only knew the general outline of his actions. Now, the situation has completely reversed.

Leaving aside the plot twist, she now feels like she's invisible in front of Jia Lian!

If she hadn't known that Ping'er had been right beside her the whole time and hadn't had a chance to tip off Jia Lian, she really would have suspected Ping'er.

"Let's leave this matter aside for now. We'll find out what happened when we interrogate Wang'er and his wife later."

There's something else I'm worried about...

Wang Xifeng looked at Ping'er with a serious expression and said, "Ping'er, tell me, does your second master know about our loan sharking business?"

Upon hearing this, Ping'er's expression changed slightly.

"Why does Grandma say that?"

During the year that the Second Master was away, the Second Madam heard from somewhere that most of the noble families in the capital had secretly invested in many money shops and gambling dens. These money shops and gambling dens would use the money to lend to others and then distribute dividends to each family's residence on time.

Depending on the amount of capital invested, the annual interest alone can be several thousand to tens of thousands!

Grandma Er couldn't resist and invested all her spare money. Now, in less than a year, she has already made a considerable amount of profit.

If it were the Second Master from before, he probably wouldn't have done anything if he found out, and might even have asked the Second Madam for some interest to spend.

But nowadays, the Second Master clearly forbids his wife from getting involved in outside affairs, especially anything unpleasant. If he were to find out that his wife had done such a thing behind his back, he probably wouldn't let it go easily.

"I don't know either. Logically speaking, we've kept this so secret that even Madam doesn't know. Your Second Master has only been back for two or three months, so he shouldn't know either."

However, from his words just now, it seemed as if he already knew about this, and he even told me to confess to him.

Wang Xifeng pondered.

Seeing that Feng Jie was suspicious, Ping'er quickly advised, "In that case, Second Mistress should take the initiative to tell Second Master. Look how much Second Master dotes on Second Mistress. If we tell him, even if he gets angry for a moment, he probably won't do anything about it."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng immediately turned her gaze to Ping'er with hostility. "What will happen? He won't do anything to you. He can't bear to hit you anyway. Miss Ping, come here."

Wang Xifeng beckoned Ping'er to come closer. Ping'er subconsciously sensed something was wrong, hesitated for a moment, and then stepped forward obediently.

Wang Xifeng hadn't forgotten the scene of her being beaten before, which Ping'er had witnessed.

Although the girl pleaded for her at the time, I still feel uneasy about it. How could a mistress be made a laughingstock by a servant?

So he raised his hand and slapped Ping'er's buttocks.

"Second Madam~!" Ping'er immediately took a step back, her hands behind her back, looking at Wang Xifeng with a flushed face.

Seeing her like this, Wang Xifeng laughed and said, "What's wrong? Didn't you say before that you were willing to take the blame for me? Now that I've only hit you once, you're already like this?"

Ping'er had nothing to say, turned her head away, and refused to argue with the unreasonable woman.

Wang Xifeng then smiled and said, "Alright, go and fetch me some water to wash my feet."

After Ping'er left, Wang Xifeng looked at her hands and thought to herself, "I don't feel anything..."

After leaving Wang Xifeng's room, Jia Lian turned back and headed towards the back, intending to take another look at Daiyu and the others.

It was past midnight, and the night was pitch black.

Led by a nun, Jia Lian, Aqi, and Aqin walked along the dimly lit corridor of Shuiyue Nunnery.

As I walked down the next long corridor, I saw a figure running swiftly past beneath the latticed window across a small courtyard.

Although Jia Lian couldn't see clearly, he knew that at this moment, apart from the Jia family members, the only people in the Shuiyue Nunnery were the nuns inside.

A nun probably wouldn't run around like that inside a nunnery. Based on their approximate height and build, Jia Lian judged that it must be Jia Erbao.

What is he doing running around all alone so late at night?

He asked the nun what the courtyard over there was for.

The nun, however, did not notice anything unusual and simply replied, "Reporting to Master Lian, this is the courtyard where our temple stores miscellaneous items, as well as where we wash and store cups, saucers, and teaware."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian told them to stop where they were and then walked towards the moon gate.

Sure enough, this was a separate courtyard, with the east and west sides connected by arched doorways, and only a few houses on the north and south sides.

A faint light emanated from a room to the south.

Jia Lian tiptoed over there, and soon he understood why Er Bao had run over there.

Outside the cold, quiet doorway, the clear breathing of a young child could be heard.

Jia Lian smiled inwardly. He wasn't planning to pay much attention to it; Erbao liked bald heads, so it wasn't worth his time.

But as soon as I stepped down into the corridor, it suddenly occurred to me that Lin Daiyu seemed to be at the Shuiyue Nunnery today as well. Perhaps she should know about something so important, something that concerns her future choices…

……

Jia Baoyu was extremely happy today. Although it was already evening when he arrived at Shuiyue Nunnery, he still managed to wander around inside for quite a while and had a great time with several young and beautiful girls, including Zhineng and Zhishan.

However, he always kept an eye on his good friend Qin Zhong's movements.

Because he knew that Qin Zhong and Zhi Neng'er, the disciple of Abbess Jingxu and the most beautiful female disciple of Shuiyue Nunnery, were lovers. Now that they had this opportunity, they would definitely engage in some elegant "romantic activities under the flowers and moon".

Therefore, when he couldn't find Qin Zhong, he began to investigate secretly.

He knew that Zhi Neng'er had been assigned by her master to tidy up the cups, saucers, and teaware, so he easily found Qin Zhong and Zhi Neng'er.

However, Jia Baoyu was a man of refined tastes and was not in a hurry to disturb the lovers' private rendezvous.

So just hide in the shadows and observe quietly, for the sake of spying.

Before he could even overhear a few private words, Qin Zhong forcibly carried Zhi Neng'er to a couch inside, blew out the candles, and began to experience the pleasurable experiences taught to him by the Fairy of Illusion in his dream.

Jia Baoyu was also twelve or thirteen years old, an ignorant and naive boy. He was ultimately unable to truly help others achieve their goals. Just as the two were enjoying themselves, he suddenly pounced on them from behind, pinning them down and preventing them from moving.

Qin and Zhong had no idea that it was Jia Baoyu who was up to no good. At the crucial moment, they were so frightened by this earth-shattering shock that they were completely stunned and dared not move an inch.

It wasn't until Jia Baoyu found it amusing and couldn't help but chuckle that Qin Zhong and the other man breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly begged for mercy.

"Let's see what you say now, you've got me caught!"

Jia Baoyu was naturally very pleased with himself, while Qin Zhong and Jia Baoyu were both extremely embarrassed and pleading with each other.

The bed was pitch black, and her clothes were nowhere to be found. Just as she was panicking, she suddenly heard a noise outside, followed by a loud bang as the door was kicked open...

Jia Baoyu's triumphant laughter abruptly stopped.

The three hurriedly got out of bed, only to see the lights flashing in the room, and a group of people had already rushed in.

……

When Wang Xifeng heard Jia Lian call her out, she was puzzled. They had just met, so why was he in such a hurry to call her out?

So he didn't even bother to wash his feet before taking two people with him when he went out.

Just then, Mrs. Qin from next door heard the commotion and came out to check, so they came over together.

When Fengjie and Qinshi first heard Jia Lian say that they wanted to watch a good show, they didn't understand. But when they saw that she didn't allow the nuns from Shuiyue Nunnery to follow, and only allowed herself and the other servants of the Jia family to follow, they began to have doubts and speculations.

When Jia Lian kicked open the hidden door, they followed him inside and witnessed a scene that neither Feng Jie nor Qin Shi could believe.

Jia Lian was naturally the first to enter, and he was stunned for a moment when he saw the scene inside.

The situation is a little different from what he imagined...

Looking at the three panicked people who shrank off the bed one by one, even Jia Lian couldn't help but think to himself: They really played a trick.

"Brother Bao, you guys...!"

Wang Xifeng felt a little dizzy; she never imagined such a thing would happen!

Jia Baoyu, Qin Zhong, and Zhi Neng'er!

Although Jia Baoyu's clothes were still in relatively good condition, Qin Zhong and that little vile woman were both disheveled and barely covered.

One last look at the dark little room and the messy bed curtains—anyone could tell what those three had been up to in there.

Good heavens, what will happen if the old lady and the madam find out!