Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Outside the western city, deep within the Muni Temple, lies a quiet and secluded courtyard.

A beautiful woman with a graceful figure and elegant demeanor stood under the rose trellis, secretly filled with sorrow.

"Miss, this is a letter sent back from the Rongguo Mansion in the capital."

Suddenly hearing the voice of the maid behind her, Miaoyu turned around abruptly and took the things from the maid's hands.

It was a letter almost identical to the one she had sent to the capital that morning. Opening it, she saw a few words neatly written on it:

"Respectfully bowing, Jia Lian, a person within the threshold."

Miaoyu's first reaction was that the characters were not very beautiful, lacking good brushstrokes and strokes.

Then a slight joy welled up in his heart. A high-ranking official like Jia Lian must have scribes by his side. Those people value calligraphy and would certainly write well. Therefore, it can be concluded that this is Jia Lian's own handwriting.

Thinking about it this way, even the neat and concise font on the post seemed elegant and refined.

Of course, these thoughts were secondary; what pleased her most was seeing the words "Jia Lian, the man within the threshold" when she looked up.

She naturally hadn't forgotten the post she wrote herself last night, calling herself "Outsider." The term "outsider" came from a line of poetry she believed in most: "Even with a thousand-year-old iron threshold, in the end, all that remains is a mound of earth."

For wealthy families, high thresholds can remain untouched for a thousand years, but can a person live for a thousand years? In the end, they are nothing more than a handful of dust.

This is the final destination for ordinary, busy people.

She compared herself to someone outside the threshold, someone who claimed to have transcended the mundane world and the cycle of life and death.

This was her stance to Jia Lian, showing that she was not a worldly or mediocre person.

This was because ever since Jia Lian stole her heart, she was inevitably filled with fear, both of the malice of the world towards her and of Jia Lian's contempt for her.

Fortunately, she hadn't misjudged him.

That despicable thief was indeed no ordinary person; he could see through her thoughts at a glance and called himself "a person within the threshold," which meant he humbly referred to himself as a mundane, worldly person.

Even though she knew she was deceiving herself, she was still shocked and happy that Jia Lian could accurately see through her heart.

If true friendship exists in this world, this is probably it.

Indeed, if he were an ordinary person, how could he have written those sentences that made even himself feel ashamed of his own ignorance?

Miaoyu recalled the two poems that had recently been circulating in the capital.

Everyone says it was written by Jia Lian, but no one knows how excited and happy she was when she heard the news.

With her looks, her talent, and her purity, if someone were to steal her heart, it would surely be because that heart-stealer was too outstanding and cunning, not because she herself could not uphold her true self!

Only someone like that could bring her, a fairy-like figure, down to earth.

But even if they are close friends, fate can still play tricks on us.

Today is his twentieth birthday, and his family must be celebrating it in countless ways. But I, his confidante, can only stand behind the high walls of the capital, separated by the vastness of worldly affairs, and secretly write him a letter, worrying whether he will even receive it.

Thinking this way, most of the previous joy vanished. Looking up at the roses blooming in the gentle breeze on the trellis, she suddenly sighed softly:

Having witnessed countless partings and sorrows, I return to find the flowers scattered and fallen...

Before he could finish reciting a poem, he suddenly heard that familiar voice behind him: "We gaze at each other beneath the flowers, speechless; spring and the sky fade together by the green window."

The voice was so resonant, so captivating, and so close that she tensed up and dared not turn around.

Then, her waist tightened, and those strong arms wrapped around her waist as expected. Then, his hot breath pressed against her body, making her tremble.

With difficulty, she turned around, and sure enough, there was that despicable heart thief, who had appeared behind her at some point and had rudely touched her innocent body.

That smile was as captivating as ever. He whispered in her ear, his breath warm and masculine: "I'll pour out my longing under the lamplight, a thread of new joy amidst a thousand threads of old sorrow..."

Miaoyu let out a sigh of despair; she knew she had surely succumbed to depravity.

……

After Jia Lian left the yamen, he realized that it had been quite a while since he had visited the little nun Miaoyu.

That aloof and narcissistic beauty actually went out of her way to find out his birthday and even wrote him a congratulatory card. With such thoughtfulness, he should definitely go and see her.

The main problem is that this woman is even more proud and arrogant than Daiyu. If we don't respond to her kindness, who knows what she might be thinking?

It's best to respond promptly.

In retrospect, his decision was indeed correct.

Judging from the reaction of the beauty in his arms, she must have been overjoyed and completely subdued by him.

After a long while, Miaoyu seemed to wake up with a start, suddenly broke free from Jia Lian's embrace, covered her mouth, and looked worriedly towards the back corridor.

Although this was her private backyard, which was off-limits to outsiders, this did not include her maids and servants.

"Don't worry, I've called all your men away. Only my men are guarding the outside; no one else will come in."

谷侓

Jia Lian laughed.

The people at the Muni Monastery are very easy to get along with; as long as you give enough money for incense, they will treat you as "Buddha".

As for Miaoyu's own two servants, that goes without saying.

He just bribed Miaoyu's maid to catch her off guard.

Upon hearing this, Miaoyu knew that Jia Lian had come with premeditation. Although her worries subsided, she felt ashamed and angry.

"You treacherous and wicked villain!"

Jia Lian chuckled. He wondered who it was that got so carried away with the kiss that they started biting back now that they were satisfied!

However, Jia Lian couldn't help but laugh when he saw the smudged lipstick on Miaoyu's exquisite face.

What a fine monk! He hides away in his monastery in quiet meditation, yet he still manages to paint his lips a beautiful, glossy pink. Although his overall attire is very simple, the embellishments are just right. In Jia Lian's opinion, his makeup skills far surpass those of most noblewomen.

That's why he couldn't resist tasting it as soon as he saw it.

Seeing the beauty's embarrassment and anger, Jia Lian naturally wouldn't argue with her. He simply took her beautiful, soft hand and said with a smile, "Let's go inside and talk."

Jia Lian's voice was very gentle, which pleased Miaoyu greatly.

But she still cautioned, "Just speak, you must not be rude to me again, and you must not..."

Although the rest of the sentence was not spoken, any man could understand it.

But Jia Lian, not understanding, asked, "What else can't you do?"

Miaoyu got angry and tried to shake off Jia Lian's hand.

Jia Lian chuckled, "Don't worry, I want more than just your body, I want your heart too."

Upon hearing this, Miaoyu felt a sense of peace and warmth welling up inside her, even though the words sounded quite shameful.

So she snorted coldly and reluctantly followed Jia Lian to her clean and cozy meditation room.

……

Miaoyu was indeed an extremely elegant and refined person.

This can be seen from her tea-making techniques and procedures.

"Miss, here's your tea."

A clear, slightly childlike voice rang out, and Jia Lian, who was sitting cross-legged on a futon watching Miaoyu brew tea, couldn't help but look over.

Although Miaoyu skillfully arranged the intricate tea set in her hands, her attention was largely focused on Jia Lian.

Seeing him looking at the young nun before him, he offered a seemingly casual explanation: "This was sent by Jingci. She said you sent someone to deliver it to our temple. How come you don't recognize her?"

That nun Jingci was a shrewd person, and she knew exactly how to deal with important people.

That day, the servants of the Jia family brought Zhi Neng over. When Jing Ci saw that she was so beautiful and delicate, she guessed that she was also someone that Jia Lian valued.

Such a young maid was not suitable to be placed elsewhere, so she was simply given to Miaoyu to serve.

"She was from Shuiyue Nunnery next to our family temple. Later, the nunnery could no longer accommodate her, and I felt sorry for her, so I found her a place to live."

Jia Lian gave a casual explanation, then looked at Zhi Neng'er, who seemed much more obedient, and said, "I'm sure you can also see the extraordinary qualities of your new master."

Since you've chosen to be with her, serve her well. Your future will be yours.

"Yes……"

Miaoyu didn't care about a little nun; she was more concerned about whether Zhineng had any connection with Jia Lian.

Seeing that Jia Lian spoke in a calm tone, and that Zhi Neng'er looked at him with respect, without any disrespect, she was relieved of her doubts.

As for why it was not tolerated by the previous nunnery...

She understood this perfectly. Originally, she didn't like to associate with other nuns, so her family spent a lot of money to build a Buddhist temple for her to cultivate in seclusion.

Even after she came to the Muni Monastery with her master last year, she still couldn't get along with the nuns there.

The reason why the people in the courtyard have become so respectful to her in the past two months is simply because they know that she has caught the eye of a nobleman from the Rongguo Mansion!

However, when Jia Lian was giving instructions to Zhi Neng'er, he didn't forget to praise her as "extraordinary," which pleased her greatly. So she carefully poured a cup of the best tea for Jia Lian and said, "Please."

Jia Lian smiled and accepted the tea, took a sip, savored it, then looked at Miaoyu and chuckled, "The tea is fragrant, but not as fragrant as a beautiful woman."

"Pah, you lecherous scoundrel."

Upon hearing this, Miaoyu assumed Jia Lian was expressing something lewd, and quickly wiped her mouth with her embroidered handkerchief. She thought to herself, "Next time, I won't let him get away with it so easily!"

Jia Lian was speechless. Was Fairy Miaoyu overthinking things? He was simply praising her as a beauty.

……