Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Lady Wang was stunned when she heard Jia Lian say that. Suddenly, she felt a burning sensation in her heart, a feeling of shame.

She was unwilling to admit it, so she quickly said, "It's rare for you to be so kind; how much can you afford?"

Madam Wang thought to herself, if it were only a few thousand taels, then it wouldn't be unfair to him, but it would just be a nice way of putting it.

She even shed thousands of taels of blood when Jia She held his funeral!

"Some items haven't been completely sold yet, but I've already had them appraised by several masters in the antique trade. If I sell them all, I should be able to get at least 25,000 taels of silver."

As Jia Lian spoke, he turned to look at Wang Xifeng, "Feng'er, how much money do we have left?"

"What?"

Wang Xifeng's heart skipped a beat, and she almost lost her composure. Had that heartless man taken the wrong medicine again?

Hearing him say that just now made her very anxious, but she couldn't figure out Jia Lian's plans and didn't express her opinion.

Now that he has taken out that large sum of money, he still isn't satisfied and is even calculating the family's savings.

After glancing at Jia Lian a few times, she finally said weakly in front of her elders, "There's still... there's still five thousand..."

There was nothing she could do; she had already stated the number, and it wasn't appropriate to change her mind at the last minute.

Jia Lian laughed and said, "That's perfect, that'll make up 30,000 taels of silver."

After all those items have been converted into cash, I will send them to the government office specifically for my elder sister's visit home.

As soon as Jia Lian said this, Grandmother Jia, Jia Zheng, Lady Wang, Lady Xing, and Jia Zhen and his wife all stared at him with wide eyes.

Is Lian'er (Lian Brothers) really not joking?

My cousin, she's not even my biological sister...

It's perfectly reasonable for the old lady and her wife to contribute money, so why are you, a cousin, being so generous?

What's the point?

Lady Wang felt very uncomfortable. She would rather Jia Lian have been a hindrance or a hindrance in this matter... at least not acted so selfless, which made her feel very bad.

It seems that her personality was completely crushed by Jia Lian. In front of Jia Lian, she became the one who judged a gentleman with a petty mind.

After remaining silent for a long time, Grandmother Jia took a deep breath, gave Jia Lian a few serious looks, and finally waved her hand, saying, "You can handle this matter without worrying about the money."

Even if we're still short 100,000 in the end, it doesn't matter...

Grandmother Jia's meaning was very clear: she would be willing to spend another 100,000 taels of silver to get this done!

Everyone stood up and bowed to Grandmother Jia, while Jia Zheng was about to offer some words of advice.

For the sake of the family, it was already unfilial of Grandmother Jia to use Tiji's money, especially such a large sum.

Grandmother Jia waved her hand dismissively, stopping Jia Zheng from speaking.

She had already prepared her coffin money; the rest she could leave for Baoyu or spend on Yuanchun—it was all the same.

He forced everyone to sit down, and Jia Zheng still looked ashamed.

Jia Zhen couldn't sit still any longer, so he stood up again, cupped his hands, and said, "For our lady's joyous occasion, even Brother Lian has contributed so much silver. How can I, as the elder brother, not do my part?"

But the old lady, the master and mistress all know that our mansion is no match for this one...

"Enough said, there's no point in saying more; everyone should know that already. Anyway, I should be able to come up with another 30,000 taels, which I'll prepare for our mistress's visit home."

Jia Zhen was also forced into this situation; Jia Lian's selflessness had put him in a precarious position.

He was the eldest brother of the fourth generation of the Jia family and the clan head. Even Jia Lian took out 30,000 taels of silver to deal with this great family event. If he sat still, where would his face be?

However, he said it was for future use, not for immediate use in the government coffers. In other words, if the government doesn't run out of money in the end, he might not actually spend this sum...

Jia Lian had been waiting for this moment. He immediately feigned admiration, stood up, bowed to Jia Zhen, and said:

"Brother Zhen is so righteous. With such a generous person as Brother Zhen as our clan leader, how can we worry that all the brothers in the clan cannot unite as one? How can we worry that our Jia family will not prosper?"

However, we do know the situation in Brother Zhen's mansion, and we really dare not let Brother Zhen empty the treasury for this matter.

As the clan leader, Brother Zhen bears the heavy responsibility of taking care of all the clan members, so the eldest branch of the family cannot be short of money…”

After being flattered by Jia Lian, Jia Zhen's heartache lessened considerably, replaced by a feeling of relief. He then became more polite to Jia Lian, assuring him that there was no need to worry about him, as things were going well on his end...

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Jia Zhen to take back his promise, Jia Lian seemed very distressed. Finally, he said, "Since Brother Zhen is so determined, I dare not go against Brother Zhen's wishes."

Well then, Brother Zhen really doesn't need to pay such a large sum of money. But if Brother Zhen is willing, I have a favor to ask.

After saying this, Jia Lian sent someone to fetch the maps of the two mansions from the steward.

"What do you need the map for? I happen to have one here..."

Jia Zheng had been repeatedly surveying the terrain of the two mansions over the past two days, so he happened to be carrying a simple document with him.

Jia Lian then moved a tall stool over and placed it in the middle, unfolded the map, and pointed to the latter half of the two mansions, saying:

"Brother Zhen, please take a look. In our mansion, Rongxi Hall is the name of the hall built by imperial decree, and Rongqing Hall is where the old lady lives. These two courtyards cannot be moved."

The east wing could be moved, but it is so long and narrow, and sandwiched between Rongxi Hall and the ancestral hall, that it simply does not meet the conditions for being incorporated into the imperial palace.

Thus, only the eastern courtyard behind could be used to build the imperial palace. Even if the servants' quarters in the western area were included, the length on both sides would not exceed two li, and the depth would definitely not exceed two and a half li.

"Building a simple garden for sightseeing would be fine. But as a palace for our Lady, it's far too small and unbecoming of her status."

Jia Lian performed this whole set of actions in one smooth motion, giving Jia Zhen no room to react. Jia Zhen just stood there blankly in the hall, listening to Jia Lian's pronouncements.

"But Brother Zhen, look, if we demolish these two sections of the wall between the two mansions, we don't need too much. We just need to extend the area to the foot of Tianxiang Tower. In this way, the total length on both the east and west sides will be three and a half miles."

A piece of land that is three and a half miles long and two and a half miles wide is enough to build a decent imperial palace.

If we design and decorate it more carefully to welcome our lady, it won't seem so shabby anymore. What do you think, Brother Zhen?

"this……"

Jia Zhen started cursing under his breath.

He even suspected that Jia Lian had done all that before just to set a trap for him!

Although Jia Zheng and Lady Wang had their eyes on Huifang Garden, they were too embarrassed to speak up, and he could pretend not to understand.

But Jia Lian was different; he made it clear right from the start!

How could he refuse under such circumstances?

First of all, the two families are one family, which is the result of the efforts of the two families of Jia over the past hundred years. He dares not bear the blame for splitting the two families.

Secondly, he has already made a promise to contribute to the family's important affairs. If he goes back on his word for personal gain, what will become of his credibility as the clan leader?

Moreover, Jia Lian was so considerate that he said he didn't need to pay the 30,000 taels of silver, but rather he could contribute some territory. It sounded like he was the one who got the better deal!

Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang were stunned by Jia Lian's actions. Seeing Jia Zhen frozen in place, speechless, they wisely chose not to disturb him.

"Of course, I also know that if that's the case, Brother Zhen will be at a disadvantage."

Sigh, to be honest, if it weren't for the joyous occasion of my elder sister returning to her hometown, how would I dare to make such a suggestion?

Honestly, given our current situation, this is the best and cheapest option.

We all know how beautiful the scenery of Brother Zhen's Huifang Garden is. If it were included in the scope of the imperial palace, not to mention anything else, most of the things in Huifang Garden alone would not need to be changed. In this way, it would directly save the family a lot of expenses!

The only damage was that Brother Zhen's Huifangyuan was reduced in size...

"Alright then, to make up for Brother Zhen's losses, we are willing to compensate him, no matter how much money it is. As long as Brother Zhen asks, we will not renege on our offer."

Jia Zhen thought to himself, "What do you mean by 'shrinking a portion'? By pulling things around like this, my Huifang Garden has shrunk by more than half!"

"Brother Lian is joking. How could I possibly accept your money..."

But is this really the only way? It's not that I'm reluctant to part with a garden, it's just that it's the ancestral home passed down from my ancestors, and I...

Jia Zhen hesitated.

"This is the best way at present. Otherwise, we can only follow the example of Consort Wu's family and go outside the city to scout out places. However, that would not be as convenient as staying at home, and it would also cost more money."

Given our current situation, it would be too much of a strain to keep things afloat.

However, if Brother Zhen really has concerns, then so be it. We are all family and close relatives. It would be bad to create distance over such a small matter.

Perhaps we should look outside the city to see what's going on.

Jia Lian said with some regret.

Jia Zhen's expression became extremely conflicted.

Undoubtedly, Yuan Chun's elevation to imperial concubine is a great joy for both Jia families. If he does not support or cooperate at this time, the relationship between the two families will become distant, and more importantly, how will Ningguo Mansion benefit from Yuan Chun's favor in the future?

When going out, how can one presume to be a member of the royal family?

This is why he was willing to take out a full 30,000 taels of silver! Because in large families, it is true that everyone prospers or suffers together.

Logically speaking, considering the value of most of the Huifang Garden that Jia Lian removed, it probably wouldn't exceed 30,000 taels of silver.

His hesitation stemmed from the fact that the Rongguo Mansion was already slightly stronger than the Ningguo Mansion, although, according to the map, the two mansions were still considered equal. Now that Huifang Garden had been removed by the other side, this balance had been shattered.

Jia Zhen kept calculating in his mind.

Refusing would be unwise; it would be cutting myself off from my family. Therefore, I have no choice but to agree.

Fortunately, compared to other things, the scope of the Rongguo Mansion is actually larger. As long as Yuan Chun is not seen as the Yuan Chun of the Rongguo Mansion, but as the concubine of the Jia family, it is much easier to accept.

After briefly considering two reasons that he could accept, Jia Zhen straightened his face and said, "Brother Lian is joking. Since we are family and this is the best solution, how could I not agree?"

Let's do as Brother Lian suggested.

Starting from the garden in our mansion and going around to the westernmost part, a total area of ​​three and a half li (approximately 1.5 kilometers) has been designated to build a temporary palace for our lady's visit home.

"Thank you very much, Brother Zhen. As promised, this is the compensation..."

"Hmm... Stop talking about compensation. If you keep saying that, it means you don't consider me family, and that will make me angry."

Jia Zhen actually laughed.

In response, Jia Lian could only bow with his hands clasped in gratitude on behalf of the Rongguo Mansion.

With the two major issues of site selection and funding resolved, all that remained was to prepare for construction to begin.

However, these trivial and complicated matters could not be explained in a short time, so when it got late, after agreeing to discuss them again the next day, Jia Zhen and You Shi took a carriage and went back.