Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

"While Liu Chun is still away, shall we continue for the next half hour?"

Seeing that everyone was too quiet, Jia Lian couldn't help but raise his head and ask with a smile.

Upon seeing this, even Lai Da's eyelids couldn't help but twitch violently.

Master Lian is really too ruthless. Is he not satisfied until he has tormented them to death?

Unfortunately, no matter what they thought, their master's will remained unchanged. Jia Lian had already picked up the booklet, which resembled a death list, again, his gaze sweeping over it as if he were selecting the next person to die.

Many people even considered turning around and fleeing the Rongguo Mansion immediately...

"well……"

Jia Lian suddenly let out a strange sigh, then looked at everyone and said, "How about I give you another chance? Is there anyone who wants to change the numbers they reported earlier?"

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, those whose spirits had already collapsed felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They hurriedly agreed and then rushed forward to correct their previous incorrect numbers...

Jia Lian smiled. In a life-or-death situation, money really isn't that important.

Aside from those who consider themselves highly capable and have powerful connections...

Jia Lian glanced at Lai Da without showing any emotion. Sure enough, the man had no intention of coming up to make any changes at all. He stood at the head of the servants, seemingly nonchalant.

Jia Lian glanced at it only once and then ignored it. After all the people who came to change the numbers left, he sat quietly and enjoyed Xiangling's timid but gentle massage for a while before Liu Chun returned with his men.

Unsurprisingly, they also failed to find a batch of assets of dubious origin.

There's not much to say. My family was appointed to a high-ranking official position, and I was sent to the south to look after houses.

Compared to Shan Daliang, this was already a very good ending. Not only did he not get beaten, but he also didn't have to involve his wife, children, or elderly parents.

Everyone knew that this was a preferential treatment given to Wang Xin for choosing to cooperate with his master.

After Wang Xin and his wife left, expressing their profuse thanks, the scene became quiet and eerie once again. Even the light emanating from the lanterns swaying in the wind under the eaves dimmed considerably, creating a chilling atmosphere in the quiet night.

Everyone waited in silence, waiting for Master Lian to call out the next person's name.

Finally, Jia Lian stood up, cracked his neck as if nothing had happened, and turned to ask Lai Da, "What time is it?"

Lai Da hurriedly took out his pocket watch, glanced at it, and respectfully replied, "Reporting to Second Master, it is already two quarters past the second watch."

"Is it already this late?"

Jia Lian sighed and then said, "In that case, let's end the game here for tonight. If you haven't had enough fun, we can continue when we have time in the future."

"Oh, by the way, those of you who just reported your numbers, go back and prepare the corresponding amount of silver. Have your wives deliver it to the west wing of my courtyard before this time tomorrow, and personally hand it to Xiangling... that's the clever maid."

Jia Lian casually patted Xiangling's head. Under the gaze of two or three hundred eyes, Xiangling's face turned red with nervousness.

"After you've paid your dues, I'll compile the list and help you get promoted. That way, the master and mistress won't know which of you is a corrupt official and which is an honest one. This is for your own good."

"Is everyone okay with this?"

This was exactly what everyone expected, and the servants, suddenly relaxed, naturally did not raise any objections.

After everyone agreed, they were about to disperse when Jia Lian called out to Lin Zhixiao.

Just as they were wondering if Second Master Lian was going to take action against the dignified Second Steward, they heard Jia Lian simply instruct him to personally arrange for people to register and store the items confiscated from the Shan and Wang families.

Lin Zhixiao was originally in charge of the accounting and treasury, so there was nothing wrong with that.

"You reported too much. When you get back, have your wife send half of the silver over. The other half is a formal reward from the manor today. Take it back and use it to repair your house."

Honestly, look at your Lin family's mansion. Compared to the other head stewards, what's so impressive about it?

"You've managed the treasury for twenty years; I'm ashamed for you."

Lin Zhixiao, who was originally filled with anxiety, broke down in an instant upon hearing Jia Lian's reprimand, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Originally, he had made a great decision before writing down the amount of three thousand taels of silver.

It wasn't that he couldn't produce the money, but that he knew that once such a "horrifying" amount was reported, his crime of being a "corrupt official" would be confirmed.

If reported to the authorities, this amount would be a capital offense.

However, he felt that he should report it this way because he knew that while Master Lian might not know about those in charge, he certainly knew exactly how much wealth his head stewards had!

If he reported too little, he would definitely lose Master Lian's trust. Although, like Lai Da, he felt that Master Lian would definitely not harm him.

It was a difficult decision, but fortunately, he made the right one.

Although Master Lian appears cold-hearted and cruel, he is actually forgiving.

His position was arguably the most lucrative post in the Jia family's two mansions! If he were a greedy person, he could easily rival Lai Da in terms of wealth...

Of course, if it weren't for his honesty, Grandmother Jia and the others probably wouldn't have let him sit in this position for so many years.

Who knows how many times he has had greedy thoughts over the years, and how many times he has suppressed them?

Even so, he still couldn't help but get involved in quite a bit of illicit activity...

These unspoken ill-gotten gains were often a torment for him, especially as he witnessed the Jia family's decline. Of course, his wife was delighted, even if he merely hid the money; she wished he would take as much as possible!

To compensate for the torment of this "infidelity," he tried many things to make amends, but they were all self-deception.

Therefore, when Jia Lian asked him to report the amount of silver he had embezzled, he almost immediately saw this as his chance to clear his name...

The only worry is that Jia Lian will not understand his feelings and will instead regard his loyalty as the heart of a wolf.

Thankfully, Second Master Lian didn't...

Jia Lian didn't have as many dramatic thoughts in his mind as Lin Zhixiao.

He only knew that Lin Zhixiao was a relatively loyal person.

It wasn't just about the many years of contact; after all, you can't see into someone's heart, and Jia Lian couldn't guarantee that he was 100% accurate in judging people.

However, he has a third eye.

In the original novel, the Jia family was full of heartless and treacherous servants, with very few good ones.

If we really need to find a good one, among the two chief stewards, only Lin Zhixiao is presentable!

In the original work, there are several chapters that depict Lin Zhixiao's loyalty, especially in the seventies, when the Jia family is declining and in turmoil, there is a conversation between Lin Zhixiao and Jia Lian.

First, he advised Jia Lian and others to stay away from wolves and tigers like Jia Yucun to avoid being harmed.

Secondly, he advised Jia Lian to graciously release some of the idle servants in the household, both to show the master's kindness and to save the family a considerable amount of money...

Finally, when he learned that Laiwang's son, who was Wang Xifeng's maid, wanted to force Caixia to marry him, he tried his best to dissuade him.

Because Laiwang's son was not only ugly, but also a gambler and womanizer. In his words, why ruin such a good girl?

Unfortunately, his good intentions were ineffective due to Wang Xifeng's domineering nature and Jia Lian's cowardice.

The details reveal both the loyalty of a feudal servant and his kind character.

Putting all that aside, considering Lin Zhixiao's position in the Rongguo Mansion, he was willing to arrange for his son and daughter to both start as third-class servants in the Rongguo Mansion, and his daughter suffered all kinds of bullying from Qingwen, Qiuwen and others in the Yihong Courtyard, yet he remained silent...

This alone is enough to demonstrate Lin Zhixiao's loyalty.

In contrast, Lai Da had been securing his son's freedom from the moment he was born, and had even arranged an official position for him. Not to mention, after the Jia family fell into ruin, the Lai family absconded with the money—such heartless and despicable acts...

Therefore, Jia Lian naturally did not mind continuing to employ Lin Zhixiao, a man of loyalty and righteousness, and even giving him higher honors.

However, the stark contrast between his attitude towards Lin Zhixiao and that towards Shan Daliang and others left the others bewildered.

Many people understood that it seemed Butler Lin had caught the Second Master's eye, and they should try to curry favor with him from now on...

Lai Da, who had been quite composed, suddenly felt a sense of crisis as he watched Lin Zhixiao humbly kneeling on the ground to thank Jia Lian for his kindness.

Could it be that Second Master wants to support Lin Zhixiao and seize my position?