Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Jia Lian, of course, had no idea that his simple invitation to come and watch the excitement would make him a target of unwanted attention.

He sat with the Fourth Prince and the others for a while, drinking tea and looking at the beauties, and found it quite interesting.

No wonder people were so enthusiastic about this; indeed, this kind of bourgeois sentiment is most likely to sway one's emotions and nature.

Well, after seeing several dancers in various poses, even he started to have the idea of ​​keeping a few at home...

It is clear that a comfortable and affluent lifestyle can easily lead to decadence.

"The Crown Prince has arrived."

"The Third Prince has arrived."

"Princess Zhaoyang has arrived."

"Prince Bei Jing has arrived."

A series of announcements indicated that the most key figures had arrived.

Jia Lian followed the gaze of the crowd, his eyes focusing on the woman beside the Crown Prince.

This is indeed the real Zhaoyang!

Perhaps noticing Jia Lian's gaze, or perhaps seeing where her younger brother was, Princess Zhaoyang broke away from the Crown Prince and the others and walked straight towards them.

"Royal sister..."

The fourth prince was somewhat uneasy and subconsciously hid behind him.

He thought that his elder sister had come to punish him because of the time she had insulted her.

To everyone's surprise, Princess Zhaoyang didn't even glance at him, but walked confidently and boldly to Jia Lian.

"You're Jia Lian?"

"Your Highness, it is indeed your humble servant."

"Thank you for what happened before noon."

"I dare not. That was merely my duty, and I would not presume to accept the princess's words."

Princess Zhaoyang glanced at Jia Lian a few times.

Aside from being handsome and tall, I didn't notice anything unusual about him.

Moreover, according to Xiaoling, he has already married, so it seems that I can only disappoint my grandmother's good intentions.

"I have had your horse well taken care of, General. You can retrieve it from Tingfeng Garden when the event is over."

"Thank you, Your Highness. I understand."

Princess Zhaoyang nodded, glanced at the people around her, and then walked back.

Even though Princess Zhaoyang only walked over and didn't say much, her actions still attracted a lot of attention!

Some people even glared at Jia Lian with eyes full of envy and hatred.

Most of these people did not recognize Jia Lian and were wondering what merits he had to make the princess condescend to come and speak to him.

Moreover, is this person perhaps ill, coming to participate in the Crown Prince's grand gathering dressed in official robes?

Is he afraid people won't know he holds an official position?

Those who knew Jia Lian's identity were naturally surprised, but then breathed a sigh of relief.

A married man shouldn't pose a threat to them!

That's what Feng Ziying and Zhang Tao were thinking...

The fourth prince, seeing that his older sister hadn't even glanced at him the entire time, knew that she was truly angry, and felt a little guilty.

Seeing Jia Lian frowning and staring at his older sister's back with a lecherous look, he immediately became anxious, pushed Jia Lian, and said very seriously, "Hey Jia Lian, you wouldn't happen to have taken a fancy to my royal sister too, would you?"

I'm warning you, if you dare lay a finger on my sister, I'll beat you to death... Even if I can't beat you, we're no longer friends!

Jia Lian was slightly taken aback. Could this fourth prince be a sister-obsessed brother? How did he figure out that he was after his sister?

He had just been wondering what that woman's identity was, that the royal princess Zhaoyang would personally rush to his rescue and now come specifically to thank him for it...

However, after listening to the Fourth Prince's words, he realized that there were indeed quite a few people pursuing Princess Zhaoyang.

"Your Highness is joking."

Let alone the fact that I am already married, even if I were still single, I would not dare to have any improper thoughts about Her Highness the Princess.

Princess Zhaoyang's elegance is like the bright moon in the sky, while I am not even worthy of being compared to a firefly. How dare I presume to compare myself to her?

If Your Highness does not believe me, this humble subject will return immediately…

The fourth prince was stunned by Jia Lian's words.

Her sister, the bright moon in the sky?

Well, aside from being a bit harsh on him, he does seem quite outstanding.

Moreover, Jia Lian was clearly quite to his liking before, so why did he suddenly become so "sinister"? That's right, trying to be pretentious in front of him is just being a lunatic.

It was clear that Jia Lian seemed displeased, so he asked suspiciously, "You really didn't have any designs on my sister?"

Jia Lian smiled slightly, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Please forgive my impudence, I shall take my leave."

Seeing Jia Lian and Zhang Su nod in greeting before turning to leave, the Fourth Prince realized that Jia Lian wasn't being sarcastic, but genuinely intended to leave.

Although there was a moment of stunned silence, it was rare to see a foreign official who dared to be angry with a prince.

"Stop right there."

The fourth prince grabbed Jia Lian, his eyes blazing with anger, and said, "Even if I misspoke for a moment, are you going to give me this little bit of face?"

Jia Lian shook his head. "Your Highness is overthinking it. I know that many people have come here today because of Your Highness's name. I am only expressing my feelings to Your Highness."

The fourth prince curled his lip, "Nobody would believe that."

She even changed how she refers to herself, which clearly shows she's angry and wants to distance herself from him.

Although he secretly thought Jia Lian was stingy, the Fourth Prince couldn't help but think more highly of him.

Sure enough, Jia Lian was just like him, straightforward and honest, much better than those who only knew how to flatter and scheme!

"Okay, I believe you then. The real show hasn't even started yet, why leave?"

The fourth prince's foul language was a habit he developed in his youth, and now that he has been granted the title of prince, he has long since toned it down. After all, his father, the emperor, had certain conditions for bestowing upon him such a pleasing title.

He was also afraid that one day he would be fired for swearing.

Moreover, as they mature, they begin to understand human nature and realize that someone like Jia Lian is probably extremely proud and would run away if scolded.

So she smiled and skipped over what had just happened, pulled Jia Lian to sit down again, and then leaned closer and whispered with a smile, "To be honest, if you weren't already married, I would really like to ask you to help me take my older sister away."

You don't know, she kicked me today. She's no good person.

If it were someone else, I'd really worry I wouldn't be able to handle her.

Jia Lian smiled upon hearing this. Although the Fourth Prince seemed to be speaking ill of his elder sister behind her back, he could tell from the Fourth Prince's attitude just now that the Fourth Prince was protecting Princess Zhaoyang.

It's often said that there's no affection between family members in the imperial family, but this brother and sister seem to be a bit different.

On the other side, at the northernmost part of the venue, below the observatory, four long tables were set up.

The Crown Prince, the Third Prince, and Prince Bei Jing, Shui Rong, were dealing with people who came to chat with them when they saw Princess Zhao Yang return, and the others all retreated.

The Crown Prince then invited Shui Rong and the others to take a seat.

Princess Zhaoyang said, "I will not sit. Today, I will trouble my eldest brother, third brother, and Prince Shui to take care of me."

The Crown Prince hurriedly said, "Aren't you going to sit here? I was thinking that if there's a fine piece of work later, I'd like to invite my younger sister to appreciate it together."

Princess Zhaoyang shook her head. "I was feeling unwell at noon and wanted to rest. Besides, I'm not of much use here. When it comes to appreciating literature and poetry, no one can surpass my third brother."

If there is indeed a masterpiece, please have someone send it to me, Third Brother.

Upon hearing this, the eldest prince and the third prince knew that Princess Zhaoyang was going upstairs to accompany the Empress Dowager, so they said no more.