Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

"It's only right, but you benefited from my fame, shouldn't you at least show some appreciation?"

Jia Lian sat at the head of the kang (a heated brick bed), holding Feng Lazi in his arms and whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

Wang Xifeng couldn't take it anymore and finally gave in: "So what do you want?"

Jia Lian then whispered in his ear with a smile, "You've worked hard this past month. Get ready tonight, I'm going to treat you properly."

Wang Xifeng could easily understand the meaning behind the words "reward," so her ears and cheeks flushed red at a visible speed, yet she had no reason to refuse.

During the month of mourning, she didn't even have the chance to share a bed with Jia Lian, and her anger had been building up for a long time.

Hearing Jia Lian say this, her heart melted, and she could no longer refuse. She simply nodded silently.

"Call Ping'er here..."

Jia Lian suddenly added this sentence, which startled Wang Xifeng. She immediately turned around and looked at him.

Seeing that he was shameless and didn't blush at all, he immediately spat and said, "I knew you had bad intentions!"

He secretly regretted that he shouldn't have been misled and watched Ping'er make a fool of herself.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been dragged into the war. Now, he can openly make such an excessive demand!

Thinking about it, she couldn't help but pinch Jia Lian's arm.

Jia Lian chuckled, hugged her tighter again, and said with a smile, "Isn't it because she's been running around for you these past few days, working so hard? She's your woman, and I've been so selfless in helping you win her over. You're not grateful, but you're spitting on me?"

Believe it or not, helping you once will be more effective than rewarding her with money or clothes. She'll be even more loyal to you in the future.

"Pah, only a fool would believe you."

Wang Xifeng was ultimately too ashamed to discuss this matter. She pretended to bite Jia Lian, then obediently nestled in his arms and asked, "Tell me, what do I need to do when the Imperial Clan Court gives their reply? Do I need to go to the palace to express my gratitude, like you did?"

Although there were many noblewomen in her family, Wang Xifeng was too embarrassed to ask about the procedures, so she didn't quite understand them.

Jia Lian smiled and shook his head. "No need. The Imperial Clan Court will inform Her Majesty the Empress. Once Her Majesty the Empress approves, she will have someone register you. In the future, if there are any benefits in the palace, they will remember that you will have a share. You don't need to go to the palace to express your gratitude, and you don't need to go to the Imperial Clan Court."

"Then, what about my official robes? Won't the palace send them to me?"

"No, but the palace should send you flower patterns. Once you get them, you can find someone to make them yourself."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng immediately complained, "I finally got an official title, but I still have to pay for my own clothes. The palace is so stingy."

Wang Xifeng had seen Grandmother Jia and others making their official robes, so she was not completely ignorant of the matter.

She was very resentful just looking at the official robes and noble attire Jia Lian wore, all of which were issued by the imperial court.

Men are just different; there's no such thing as fairness here. Even though she's a titled lady, she still has to put up with this disdain!

Jia Lian laughed heartily. The system of bestowing titles upon imperial consorts was originally established by the court to incentivize and reward its officials. For example, Wang Xifeng's title of second-rank imperial consort was a derivative power derived from her noble rank.

To put it bluntly, they are completely dependent on him, so naturally they don't need to do anything on their own.

As for not even being willing to send a set of phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, it wasn't that the court was stingy; it was simply to avoid trouble.

A woman's height and other physical attributes are considered private matters, and it's not very convenient to have them custom-made in the palace. Besides, families that can be granted the title of Lady of the Palace probably don't lack the money to make custom-made clothes for a Lady of the Palace, even if it's only a few dozen or a few hundred taels.

Seeing Jia Lian mocking her, Wang Xifeng pouted.

She originally thought that by being granted an imperial title, she would have a formal rank and could travel in a grand sedan chair carried by eight men, which would be very impressive and different from before.

Seeing how the court is treating me this way, I realize that from now on, I'll be even more dependent on those heartless people.

No wonder both the First Madam and Sister-in-law You from the other household are so obedient to the Master and Brother Zhen, daring not to disobey them in the slightest. I originally thought it was because they lacked temper, but now it seems that's not entirely the case.

To gain this honor, one must bow down to men...

That's fine, at least the heartless ones are much better than them. After all, they are reasonable people and wouldn't bully others for no reason!

While Wang Xifeng was still contemplating the Tao, she heard Jia Lian say, "Once you become a Lady of Imperial Decree, you should pay even more attention to your words and actions."

When you're at home, things are fine, but when you're out in the world, you must be clear about what you shouldn't do or meddle in, and never repeat the mistakes you made at Shuiyue Nunnery.

Otherwise, if those officials at the Imperial Academy were to target you, not only would your position as a titled lady be precarious, but even I, the General of Zhenyuan, would likely be in trouble. Do you understand the reasoning behind this?"

Compared to the previous flirtatious remarks, this was the condition that Jia Lian truly wanted to tell Wang Xifeng.

To everyone's surprise, Wang Xifeng became somewhat annoyed upon hearing this and said, "I knew it! In your eyes, I'm already a thief!"

It's just that I did one thing wrong. Besides, I've already let you hit me. What more do you want?

"You dare try to scare me with those poor officials from the Imperial Academy? Don't think I don't know, Master Lin is a high-ranking official in the Imperial Academy. With him around, which blind censor would dare to interfere in our family's affairs?"

Looking at the unrepentant Wang Xifeng, Jia Lian suddenly remembered Sun Shaoan's words: "I really want to beat you to death!"

So he gave her a hard slap on the butt, saying with exasperation, "You arrogant little brat, just keep acting like that! Wait till you get into trouble, then don't cry!"

Jia Lian realized that Wang Xifeng had no intention of honestly revealing her loan sharking activities.

He has already given her a chance.

So be it. If Wang Xifeng really gets bolder and bolder in the future, and dares to disobey him or even try to oppose him, then this will be her weakness.

Even a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness. In fact, Jia Lian did not want to use his cunning against Wang Xifeng, but this woman was indeed too arrogant and could easily escape his control. It was better to keep a backup plan.

Her lending business wasn't a big deal, but it wasn't small either. It was small because many wealthy families in the capital were doing the same thing; it wasn't anything new.

To say that it is against the law, to murder for money, and to violate the virtues of a woman.

If this were brought to light, for example, if an imperial censor submitted a memorial to the emperor, it would be a crime punishable by divorce.

Perhaps this was also a bargaining chip that Madam Wang intended to use to control Wang Xifeng, but this foolish woman fell into someone else's trap without realizing it because of her greed.

Fortunately, this matter was within his control, so since Wang Xifeng was unwilling to confess, he took the opportunity to hold this handle in his hands.

Hopefully, I'll never need to use it.

……

Wang Xifeng, of course, had no idea that Jia Lian, who was taking full advantage of her while embracing her, was also plotting against her!

If they knew, they would definitely curse Jia Lian for being heartless.

After snuggling in Jia Lian's arms for a while, she got up and sat back down, smiling as she talked about another happy thing.

"Have you heard what the master said when he came back from court?"

By the Emperor's grace, the families of the Empresses and Consorts are permitted to visit the palace on the 26th of each month. This means that our family members can now also visit our eldest sister in the palace.

The old lady and her wife were overjoyed when they heard the news.

That's true. A daughter who was raised well was sent to the palace, and it's rare to see her alive and well for so many years.

Now things are better. Thanks to this blessing, at least the old lady and the others have a chance to see their eldest sister every month, which is some consolation.

As Wang Xifeng spoke, she seemed to empathize with the situation.

After all, she also has a daughter. If she couldn't see her daughter for seven or eight years after she grew up, she would probably go crazy.

However, she was also secretly pleased.

I'm about to receive my official title, and I'm worried about not having a place to show off. When the old lady and the others go to the palace, I can wear the phoenix coronet and embroidered robes and follow them in with dignity. That would truly demonstrate my status in front of everyone!

Just then, Jia Lian said, "This is nothing. Just wait and see. I reckon there will be even greater and more joyous imperial grace coming down. Just don't faint then."

Wang Xifeng hurriedly asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"It doesn't mean anything. I'm just reminding you in advance to hide the money in the house as well as possible."

Who knows, our family might soon have a huge hole to fill. If we're not careful, all the savings you've painstakingly accumulated over the years might not even be enough to cover that one hole.

Wang Xifeng's curiosity was piqued by Jia Lian's words. She absolutely hated it; he always did this, only saying half of what he meant.

If it were just random talk, that would be one thing, but the words spoken by this heartless person are almost never baseless; they often seem to anticipate events, which makes her feel like she's being scratched by a cat!

Unfortunately, no matter how much she pressed, Jia Lian wouldn't reveal the truth, and she was helpless.

However, she still kept Jia Lian's words in mind. It seemed that she would have to hide her precious children better when she got back.

A thief is eyeing it!

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