Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

"Two thousand is missing? How could that be?"

Faced with this unexpected result, Jia Zhen was somewhat alarmed and hurriedly asked, "Could it be that the Crown Prince embezzled some of it?"

"If this is the Crown Prince's intention, then it's probably not as simple as just losing two thousand."

Jia Lian smiled and said casually.

Jia Zheng nodded upon hearing this, "You're right. As the Crown Prince, he shouldn't do something so unbecoming of his status."

Most of these two thousand taels were intercepted by Han Zhe.

However, regardless of the circumstances, he is someone close to the Crown Prince, and it's not wise to offend him over such a trivial matter.

Jia Zheng was worried that Jia Lian would act impulsively in anger, so he advised him against it.

If you offend these close advisors to the Crown Prince, who knows when they might trip you up? It would be a huge loss.

In response to Jia Zheng's concerns, Jia Lian laughed and said, "What you say is true, sir. It's just a mere two thousand taels of silver; it's really nothing."

In Jia Lian's opinion, if it really was Han Zhe who did it alone, then it would be easy to handle. However, he feared that Han Zhe alone might not dare to do it, and who knows how many people around the Crown Prince might have profited from it.

Making a big fuss over two thousand taels of silver could indeed bring unnecessary trouble and offend many people. Perhaps that's why the other party dares to take his two thousand taels of silver.

Two thousand taels, no more, no less, within the range that a normal person can tolerate.

Jia Lian really didn't intend to argue with these people, because it wasn't worth it.

But this small incident made him realize that the Crown Prince might not be worth risking his life for.

The Crown Prince clearly wanted to win him over that day, which is why he promised three thousand taels of silver along with Prince Bei Jing. He also intended to establish a better relationship with the Crown Prince, and even specially sent him a famous painting to appease the Crown Prince.

And that's how it ended.

If the Crown Prince ordered the withholding of these two thousand taels, it shows that the Crown Prince is a narrow-minded and short-sighted person.

If not, then it was done behind his back by his subordinates, which also shows that the Crown Prince is not good at managing his subordinates.

The saying goes, "one should not interfere with one's own relationship with a stranger." Since his relationship with the Crown Prince was not very close, there was no point in complaining to the Crown Prince. So he had to suffer in silence... well, it wasn't really a loss. Consider it a guarantee fee for the Crown Prince.

After all, even if he asks the Zhou family for it himself, they might not necessarily give it to him!

So he didn't argue much and had someone carry the silver home.

Wang Xifeng is becoming increasingly obedient; in her words, she has nowhere to spend money. So why not let her manage all of this, keep that woman happy, and we might even reap some unexpected rewards.

……

Two days later, another large amount of silver, which required several people to lift, was being carried into Sister Feng's courtyard. Naturally, this commotion attracted the attention of the entire household.

Lady Wang was numb, yet also somewhat relieved. She remembered how she had said that Jia Lian wouldn't be able to collect the ten thousand taels of gambling debt, but who would have thought that he hadn't intended to collect it himself at all, but instead had sent the Crown Prince to collect it...

Fortunately, she shut up early that day, otherwise she would have lost face as a wife.

However, it's as if Jia Lian is possessed by a demon; in such a short time, he has already established a relationship with the Crown Prince.

If this continues, who will be able to control him in the future...?

With the old women who carried the silver in spreading the word, the matter of the two chests of silver in Sister Feng's courtyard quickly became known to everyone.

With Wang Xifeng absent, Ping'er took it upon herself to carry all the belongings into the inner room and rewarded them with two strings of cash. The old women who had done the hard labor then happily left.

Upon seeing this, Tan Chun smiled and said to Daiyu, "Now, Sister-in-law Lian's family is quite wealthy!"

Daiyu and Tanchun were playing chess when she heard this. Daiyu glanced at her and replied, "This may not be a good thing."

"What do you mean by that?"

"As the saying goes, one should not flaunt one's wealth, and it is also said that when one person becomes rich and powerful, many others will demand it."

Now that everyone knows they've made a fortune, won't they attract unwanted attention?

Putting aside everything else, even the occasional plea for alms from afar is enough to annoy people, so it's better not to be rich.

"Heh, that's a fallacy."

Jia Baoyu overheard the two sisters' gossip.

"What Lin Daiyu said is true. Money is just an external thing. Why do you need so much? Enough is enough."

Tan Chun, unconvinced, quickly asked, "Then, according to Brother Bao, how much would be enough?"

"I have no idea. Xiren manages all the money in my room, and I don't know how much I spend each month. Besides, if I want to buy something, I just tell my wife and grandmother; I don't have to spend my own money."

In my opinion, it wouldn't cost more than one or two hundred taels of silver a year.

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener.

Jia Baoyu only needed to tell Grandmother Jia and others what he needed, but Tan Chun only had two taels of silver a month to spend as she pleased.

From childhood to adulthood, she often felt strapped for cash because she didn't have enough money.

In particular, she has a shallow and greedy birth mother who tries to take advantage of her whenever she sees her doing well!

She was quite upset about this.

With this thought in mind, Tan Chun lost all interest in discussing this topic with Jia Baoyu.

Daiyu saw through Tanchun's thoughts and whispered to her, "Don't pay attention to him. He's a rich and idle person. How would he know about the lives of us poor people?"

In my opinion, money is never enough. One hundred taels a month isn't much, and one tael isn't little either; it's enough to get by.

Although Daiyu meant well, Tanchun was still speechless after hearing it.

She looked at Daiyu and thought to herself, "You are from a poor family too."

Don't think we don't know. Uncle Lin is afraid you'll be mistreated in our home, so every two weeks he sends you money and gifts!

The old lady used to worry that you wouldn't have enough money, so she would often give you extra. But now even the old lady knows you're well-off, so she doesn't give you any extra money anymore...

Unaware of Tan Chun's thoughts, Daiyu quietly glanced back, her gaze innocent.

"The concubine and Miss Bao have arrived."

Hearing the commotion at the courtyard gate, Tan Chun and the others hurriedly looked out and saw that it was indeed Aunt Xue bringing Baochai over. They quickly got up to greet them.

……

After Jia Lian finished his coming-of-age ceremony, he did not stay outside for long and returned home.

As soon as you enter the courtyard, you are greeted by a fragrance that fills the air: the scent of flowers, the aroma of wine, and even the fragrance of beautiful women.

"Brother Lian is back!"

When everyone in the courtyard saw Jia Lian return, they all rushed up to offer their congratulations, each saying auspicious and celebratory words.

Jia Lian responded to each of them, then went to the head of the table and bowed to Aunt Xue, saying, "Greetings, Aunt."

"Today is your special day, no need for formalities. It's us who are bothering you again."

"Auntie is joking. Both Feng'er and I would love for Auntie and Baochai to come and bother us every day."

"Haha, he's right. I've wanted to invite Aunt and Sister Baochai over several times, but you've both declined. Today, I've finally managed to invite you both."

Wang Xifeng had already prepared lunch. At this moment, she echoed Jia Lian's words and turned to Jia Lian, saying, "Go back and change your clothes quickly."

Jia Lian was still wearing the crown and ceremonial robes prepared by Jia Zheng. Although they looked quite impressive, they were not suitable for dining.

谷値

Jia Lian nodded and went inside as instructed. Wang Xifeng then asked Ping'er to attend to those outside, and followed Jia Lian inside as well.

Once inside, Wang Xifeng helped Jia Lian undress while her eyes lit up as she stared at the two boxes, asking, "How much are these in total?"

"Eleven thousand taels."

"Hmm, how come it's eleven thousand taels? Wasn't this ten thousand taels sent by the Zhou family?"

"And the three thousand taels given by the Crown Prince."

"Oh... um?"

Wang Xifeng immediately sensed something was wrong. How could 10,000 plus 3,000 equal 11,000? Did they think she couldn't do math?

Jia Lian glanced at her and said, "What, you think it's not enough?"

Wang Xifeng paused slightly, then smiled and said, "How could that be? I'm already burning incense with joy that Second Master Lian is willing to bring these home. How could I complain that it's not enough?"

I was worried that two thousand wouldn't be enough for you, so I was asking. If it's not enough, you can take more. Anyway, Master Lian has taken so much silver home that there's no room left to put it; he needs to spend some of it.

Jia Lian smiled. This Sister Feng always had a set of witty remarks. She was clearly questioning why he was deducting two thousand. Seeing that he was displeased, she immediately changed her tune.

"Stop being sarcastic. I'll tell you where the two thousand taels of silver went later."

"There's something I need to ask you. What about the clothes we said we'd make for Yingchun and the others during the New Year? I think Ping'er told me the other day that they're finished. Have you sent them to Yingchun and the others?"

"Not yet, but they're all ready and stored in the west wing room. They're prepared to be taken home by each of them after today's event."

"Yes, that's good."

After changing his clothes, he came out to prepare a meal.

Because in this courtyard, apart from the central cross-shaped road that is paved with bluestone, the four areas that are separated by it are all dirt ground, where some flowers, grasses and trees are planted.

Wang Xifeng then placed the three tables in the east, west, and north directions. Although the layout seemed reasonable, it did not suit Jia Lian's taste.

"Since there's no opera troupe or storyteller today, why set the tables so far apart? Why not put the three tables together and have us all sit around them? That would create a better atmosphere."

Upon hearing Jia Lian say this, Jia Baoyu was the first to raise his hand in agreement.

"Haha, I wanted to say that before, but seeing how hard Sister-in-law Lian had arranged it, I was too embarrassed to disrupt her plans."

"Sitting like that is really no fun. It's better to put everyone together in a circle. We can chat and laugh, and even play drinking games. Wouldn't that be more interesting?"

Jia Baoyu almost clapped his hands in approval.

Actually, there were three tables, but Daiyu had already sat at one with the three sisters (the three sisters of the Spring and Spring Festival), so he couldn't join them. He was afraid that sitting with Baochai would upset Daiyu…

It's better if everyone sits together.

The three sisters, Chun and Daiyu, were fine in other respects, but when they heard about the drinking game, they immediately became interested.

This is because when dining with Grandmother Jia, one is expected to remain silent while eating or sleeping, but today is different.

Today, the only elder is Aunt Xue, and Aunt Xue is an easy-going person. Apart from that, everyone else is of the same generation, so there's no need to worry about so much.

At this moment, with a table full of delicious food, playing a drinking game would be even more fun.

So they all got up and sat down.

Wang Xifeng was not annoyed. She directly instructed the maids to put the tables together and arrange all the chairs in a circle, as Jia Lian had suggested.

"Auntie, please have a seat..."

Jia Lian invited Aunt Xue to sit facing due north at the head of the table.

Aunt Xue smiled and said, "Today is your birthday, so you should sit here. Please sit down and don't mind me."

As she spoke, Aunt Xue took her seat at the head of the table on the right.

Jia Lian then took the opportunity to sit down.

Thus, to his right are Aunt Xue, Baochai, Yingchun, and Xichun, and to his left are Jia Baoyu, Daiyu, Tanchun, and Li Wan.

After greeting everyone, Wang Xifeng sat down at the southernmost end of the table.

There's no way around it; once a woman marries into the family, her status is even lower than that of her sister-in-law, so she can only sit at the back of the table.

Although strictly according to the requirements of filial piety, one should not drink alcohol during the mourning period, alcohol had become an irreplaceable commodity among the nobility. Therefore, very few people in the world could strictly adhere to this rule; only upright and virtuous Confucian gentlemen could do so.

Therefore, people don't really care that much about whether or not one can drink alcohol during the mourning period. As long as one doesn't act like Jia Zhen in the original story, who gathered a crowd to gamble, drink heavily, and cause a huge disturbance during the mourning period, no one will be too harsh on him.

Therefore, yellow wine was also served at the banquet.

After drinking his first cup of wine, Jia Lian glanced around and suddenly smiled at Li Wan, saying, "Why didn't you bring Lan'er along, sister-in-law?"

Li Wan hadn't expected Jia Lian to be paying attention to Jia Lan, so she could only say, "He's very naughty. I told him to stay home and read, and I didn't call him over."

"The way of both civil and military affairs requires a balance of relaxation and leniency. Sister-in-law, it would be best not to be too strict."

As he spoke, Jia Lian turned to Ping'er and said, "Go over there and bring Lan'er over. Tell her I sent him."

Seeing this, Li Wan opened her mouth, but ultimately couldn't say anything more and could only acquiesce.

Jia Baoyu didn't care whether there was one more person or one less; he only wanted to play the game as soon as possible. So he leaned close to Jia Lian and whispered a few words.

Jia Lian glanced at him and nodded. "Please be patient. I have something else to tell my aunt."

Hearing this, Aunt Xue, who was standing nearby, quickly looked over.

Jia Lian then smiled and said, "It's like this, Aunt should know that our mansion is preparing a garden for the imperial visit. Since it's a garden for the imperial visit, it's inevitable that palaces and pavilions will be built."

To build a palace, a large quantity of high-quality timber is indispensable.

Unfortunately, our family's mountain estates and forests are mostly located in the harsh northeastern region or in the south. Sending people to search for them would be troublesome, and we're afraid it wouldn't be enough.

We've heard that my aunt's family is involved in the timber business, so my husband and I discussed it and wanted to ask them to help us collect and purchase some timber, mainly high-quality pear wood and high-quality nanmu. Would that be convenient for you, Aunt?

Aunt Xue didn't want Jia Lian to suddenly bring up business matters, and her mind immediately started racing.

The Xue family, having been imperial merchants for decades, had a wide range of businesses, including timber, though not a large one.

"Our family does deal in timber, but it's not a big business..."

"That doesn't matter. Since my aunt's family has been in this business before, they know more about it than we do."

Please ask Auntie to help us contact some well-known and reputable timber suppliers to order this timber. Don't worry, Auntie, we will cover all the expenses ourselves and won't let you suffer any losses.

"What are you saying? We'll do our best to help you if we can. There's no need to talk about losing out..."

Aunt Xue had already noticed the look her daughter was giving her while she was hesitating, and immediately realized what was going on.

The Xue family, consisting of an orphan and a widow, were all staying at the Jia family's residence. Although it was said that Lady Wang was reluctant to let her sister stay, anyone with eyes could see that the Xue family was actually being sheltered by the Jia family.

Now that the Jia family needs a large amount of timber to build their garden, this is an excellent opportunity to establish a mutually beneficial relationship with them.

So even if they weren't in the timber business, they should still take on this matter and help them get it done, since the Jia family rarely asks them for help.

"Hehehe, write down the types and quantities of timber you need and give them to me later. We'll take them back and calculate them. As long as we have it in our shop, we'll definitely deliver it to you as soon as possible."

Even if we don't have it, we'll have our manager and staff find it for you as soon as possible.

"In that case, thank you very much, Auntie."

……