Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

After a private conversation with Wang Xifeng, Wang Xifeng went to Rongqing Hall to serve Grandmother Jia her evening meal.

As Jia Lian stepped out of the corridor, he saw Qingwen panting as she approached, her rosy face glistening with a light sheen of sweat.

What are you doing here?

"I was just playing shuttlecock with a few young girls in that alley over there, I'm exhausted. Where did you go, Second Master?"

"I'll go check out the east courtyard..."

"I heard that Second Master is going to build a martial arts training ground and a horse racing area at home, is that right? I'd like to go and take a look..."

Qingwen naturally moved to Jia Lian's side, wanting to go with him to inspect the construction project.

Jia Lian didn't want her to go, though. Jia Yun and the others should have already brought in the craftsmen by now. This girl was naturally beautiful and would easily distract those rough men from their work.

Seeing her flushed complexion and faint panting after exercise, she looked even more like Daiyu, and suddenly a wicked thought came to mind.

Without a second thought, he wrapped his arms around her supple, serpentine waist and lowered his head to savor her fragrance.

Qingwen never expected Jia Lian to launch a sneak attack. Her beautiful peach blossom eyes widened as she stared blankly into Jia Lian's eyes.

The other party's lewd gaze and increasingly outrageous behavior made Qingwen suddenly realize her mistake. While looking around the courtyard, she whimpered and pushed Jia Lian.

Having finally managed to break free, she stomped her foot and spat, saying, "What are you doing...?"

Overwhelmed with shame and indignation, she glared fiercely at Jia Lian, not caring whether anyone in the courtyard had witnessed this shameful scene, and rushed into the west wing with quick steps.

Seeing her like this, Xiangling quickly asked, "Sister Qingwen, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, you bookworm, hurry up and memorize your poems!"

Qingwen casually retorted to Xiangling, then buried herself in her bed in the inner room, lying down to calm her racing heart.

Secretly regretting it, she thought, "If I had known Second Master was going to take liberties with me, I shouldn't have gone to play shuttlecock. I'm all sweaty now. I wonder if Second Master will find it offensive..."

Never mind, he was the one who wanted to kiss her, so he deserves to be bothered by the smell!

Despite thinking this, she still sat up, figuring that Jia Lian should have left the courtyard, before getting up and, under Xiangling's suspicious gaze, going to the small kitchen to fetch hot water for a bath...

……

The next day, Jia Lian set off from the capital before dawn, accompanied by his personal guards, and arrived at the Royal Horse Ranch on the outskirts of the city.

This is the Crown Prince's private property, located in a spacious area with a small royal garden in the middle, featuring a meadow and several woodlands, making it an excellent place for outings, picnics, horseback riding, and hunting.

Jia Lian and his team's task for the past two days was to clear out all the farmers and other idlers from the perimeter and then set up defenses at every level.

As for the areas inside where they could meet dignitaries, those were not under their jurisdiction; the Imperial Guards would set up sentry posts there.

Before dawn, the chief eunuch of the Crown Prince's residence, who was in charge of defense arrangements, summoned all the generals together to explain the various preparations and precautions for the day.

Although this chief eunuch was not of high rank, he was quite arrogant because he was a confidant of the crown prince. He gave a lecture to a group of third and fourth-rank military officers.

Out of respect for the Crown Prince, the generals did not dare to argue with him.

"Haha, has everything been arranged properly, my dear nephew?"

After the chief eunuch finally left, Qiu Liang, the commander of the Central City Garrison, approached Jia Lian with a smile.

Qiu Liang is the current head of the Jing Tian Marquis's mansion and a long-time friend of the Jia family. So even though he looks to be only in his thirties or forties, it is not inappropriate for him to address Jia Lian as his nephew.

Jia Lian quickly clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "Greetings, Uncle."

"Haha, no need for such formalities. My nephew is a promising young man, a leading figure among the younger generation of our founding military heroes. He is also highly regarded by His Majesty. I hope my son will take good care of him in the future."

"Uncle, you flatter me. I am unworthy of such praise."

After a brief chat, Qiu Liang invited Jia Lian to his tent for a talk.

Although the Central City Garrison is of the same rank as the other four garrisons, it has the highest status among the five garrisons because it manages the outer perimeter of the imperial city and has the best opportunity to come into contact with princes and grandsons of the emperor.

Today, it is also a key pass and strategic route in charge of the front.

Upon arriving at Qiu Liang's camp, he found that Qiu Liang had not invited him alone; the commander of the Northern City Military Command was also present. The three sat down, and after exchanging all the usual official pleasantries, they began to brew tea and chat.

Since the Crown Prince went to great lengths to celebrate Princess Zhaoyang's birthday, it's inevitable to mention Princess Zhaoyang herself.

"Haha, my dear nephew, you haven't been in the officialdom in the capital for long, so you may not know that Princess Zhaoyang's status in the royal family is quite extraordinary."

His Majesty originally had four princesses.

The eldest princess married a foreign ruler in Mongolia and is rumored to have passed away. The third princess died young, and the fourth princess was still very young.

Therefore, among the royal family, only this second princess was deeply favored by His Majesty and was given the title Zhaoyang.

Furthermore, because Princess Zhaoyang's mother, Consort Yi, was the current Empress Dowager's niece, the Empress Dowager took Princess Zhaoyang into her care and raised her personally after Consort Yi's early death.

With the favor of His Majesty and the Empress Dowager, Princess Zhaoyang could get whatever she wanted in the palace, and even the princes had to give her a wide berth.

The inner workings of the royal family are difficult to unravel by one person alone; often, it is through conversations and exchanges with others that one can truly discern the truth.

Because those who dare to talk about royal matters have mostly done their research carefully and wouldn't dare to fabricate them casually.

In the palace today, there are a large number of nobles, including the retired emperor, empress dowager, imperial concubines, emperor, empress, and imperial concubines. Given Jia Lian's current situation, it is indeed not easy for him to sort out these relationships. Therefore, he is happy to listen to Qiu Liang and others explain these relationships in detail.

Even Jia Lian immediately understood why Princess Zhaoyang's identity was so special.

The current Empress Dowager is not the Emperor's biological mother; there is another biological mother, a concubine, beside her.

This is inherently unreasonable. Logically speaking, given the emperor's age, even if his mother was not favored, she should have been made empress dowager!

This shows that the Empress Dowager must have held a special place in the Emperor Emeritus's heart; otherwise, she would not have been able to control the Consort Dowager, who had an Emperor as her son.

More importantly, Princess Zhaoyang was the Empress Dowager's aunt-niece granddaughter. Thus, she had a double bond with the Empress Dowager and it was not surprising that she received extra favor from the Empress Dowager.

Moreover, even if it was just to please the Empress Dowager, Emperor Ningkang had to take extra care of Princess Zhaoyang.

In this light, it's not surprising that the Crown Prince went to great lengths to please his younger sister.

Xu Sheng, the commander of the Northern City Garrison, came from humble origins. In terms of family background and rank, he was no match for Qiu Liang, let alone Jia Lian. He had always intended to befriend the two of them.

Seeing that the topic was getting heated, he wasn't about to be left behind and dropped a rumor:

"Now that Princess Zhaoyang is over eighteen, it is said that the palace has long intended to select a consort for her, but the Empress Dowager is reluctant to part with her, so she has been kept by her side all this time."

I heard from others that the Crown Prince invited many outstanding young men from various families in the capital to a gathering today, intending to select a husband for Princess Zhaoyang…”

Gossip is an interest that people of all social classes and ages cannot escape.

Qiu Liang stroked his beard and smiled at Jia Lian, saying, "My dear nephew is young and promising, and so handsome and dashing. Among the talented people in the capital, I'm afraid there are few who can compare with you."

If that's truly the case, my dear nephew, you might as well give it a try today. If you manage to gain the favor of His Highness Prince Zhaoyang, your career will soar to new heights, and your future will be filled with boundless wealth and honor.

Jia Lian took it as a joke, saying, "Uncle, you are too kind. I am already married and would never dare to have such a thought. Please stop teasing me."

"Hahaha... Nephew, you must not have met Prince Zhaoyang. It is said that Prince Zhaoyang is not only handsome, but also has a free and easy personality and is quite heroic, even surpassing the princes and grandsons of the emperor."

If she could be matched with her nephew, they would be a perfect couple.

Therefore, my dear nephew, you might as well give it serious consideration. After all, there is no rule in this dynasty that prohibits princesses from taking concubines...

Qiu Liang's face was beaming like a chrysanthemum, his expression revealing a profound meaning that only men could understand.

Jia Lian simply drank his tea indifferently.

How much effort did it take him to subdue Wang Xifeng, the niece of a first-rank military officer?

If another exceptionally beautiful woman comes along, his harem will never have a day of peace.

Besides, unless the princess is mentally unstable, she would never fall for a married man.

In Beijing, there are plenty of handsome men; given their circumstances, they are naturally free to choose...

Therefore, Jia Lian would never even consider doing anything unrealistic, thankless, or impractical.

Princess? That sounds impressive, but she might not actually look that good.