Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Outside the Empress Dowager's sleeping quarters, under a side window.

After the Empress Dowager placed a black piece, she asked Yuan Chun, "What do you think Jia Lian's intentions are in coming to see me?"

"He is grateful to the Empress Dowager for her favor in giving him Princess Zhaoyang in marriage. He has come to express his gratitude for her kindness."

Yuan Chun replied without hesitation.

The Empress Dowager paused slightly as her slender fingers, which were probing into the Go set, glanced at Yuan Chun, and wondered whether Yuan Chun truly didn't understand Jia Lian or was deliberately feigning ignorance.

"So, you're saying you support him marrying Zhaoyang?"

"It is his good fortune and the honor of the Jia family to be able to marry a princess."

The Empress Dowager smiled. "That's what I think too, but I hope he feels the same way."

Yuan Chun paused slightly, looked up at the Empress Dowager, and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, my cousin has always been the most sensible person."

However, he is still young, and sometimes he may be a bit stubborn. I and the elders in the family will try to persuade him, and I humbly request that Your Majesty be more lenient with him.

"You don't need to be nervous. He saved me once, and even just because of that, I will be more lenient with him."

However, I hope he is, as you said, someone who can listen to advice, otherwise…”

Although the Empress Dowager had not finished speaking, Yuan Chun felt a slight chill in her heart.

She sighed inwardly, hoping that Brother Lian would not disobey the Empress Dowager; otherwise, she couldn't help him.

The small garden in the back.

Faced with Princess Zhaoyang's increasingly direct and frank words, Jia Lian cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. With Your Highness's handsome appearance, there are countless admirers in the capital. Your Highness may choose freely and will eventually find a suitable husband."

Princess Zhaoyang laughed and said, "I've already made my selection, but unfortunately, they seem to look down on me."

In response, Jia Lian said earnestly, "Your Highness is too kind. Your Highness's heroic bearing and demeanor are unmatched by any man in the world."

I also greatly admire him.

However... if today, I were to break my promise and abandon my wife who has shared my hardships because of Your Highness's charm and status.

In the future, I may do something that offends Your Highness because of other people or things.

Such a person who so easily trusts and breaks promises is surely someone Your Highness would disapprove of, so I hope Your Highness will understand.

"What you say makes sense, but..." Princess Zhaoyang chuckled, casually brushing a strand of hair that had blown into her eyes behind her ear. She placed her hands on the stone table, leaned forward, and looked directly at Jia Lian: "I ask you, if it weren't for Lady Wang, would you still have refused the Empress Dowager's bestowal of marriage upon us today?"

All those high-sounding words are nothing but excuses.

Just like her, she herself did not like to force others to do things against their will, and she did not want to steal someone else's husband, but because it was Jia Lian, the first man in her life that she liked and admired, she acquiesced to the Empress Dowager's actions.

It is clear that Jia Lian was unwilling to violate his principles and abandon the not-so-excellent Wang Shi simply because she was not attractive enough to him.

Jia Lian had no idea what Princess Zhaoyang was thinking. He thought about what Princess Zhaoyang was saying and shook his head inwardly.

To be honest, Wang Xifeng was not the best steward in his mind, and he had spent a lot of effort in the past two years to suppress her.

However, if she were truly not there, or if he were to divorce her now, the person he most wanted to marry was...

Lin Daiyu seems a bit too young.

Xue Baochai, perhaps.

In short, it won't be a princess, even if this princess has the charm and allure of Qin Keqing.

Thinking about it this way, Jia Lian suddenly realized that he wasn't someone who judged people by their appearance; he valued a woman's soul more.

Facing Princess Zhaoyang's earnest and expectant gaze, Jia Lian said softly, "No."

Since you need someone's help, you should give them the answer they want to hear.

As expected, Princess Zhaoyang immediately laughed. She sat back down and smiled at Jia Lian: "Thank you for your frankness, General Jia. I understand what you mean. However, the Empress Dowager is not as easily fooled as I am."

"I'll ask you again, if the Empress Dowager insists on bringing us together, what will you do?"

Jia Lian frowned slightly. What could he do?

However, all we can do is try to reason with them and persuade them.

Fortunately, he had done the Empress Dowager some favors, and judging from her previous attitude towards him, she was not an overbearing person.

Fortunately, Princess Zhaoyang herself was of excellent quality and did not necessarily need him to be a "savior".

Therefore, this matter has not yet reached the point of being irreversible, but it will certainly anger the imperial authority.

"The Empress Dowager is wise and righteous, and Your Highness is reasonable and understanding. We hope that Your Highness can help persuade the Empress Dowager to rescind her decree."

He even asked her for help. Didn't he know that what he said was very hurtful?

Princess Zhaoyang glanced at Jia Lian one last time before turning and walking down from the tea pavilion.

"Let's go, I'll take you to see the Empress Dowager."

……

With Princess Zhaoyang leading the way, they soon arrived at the Empress Dowager's bedroom.

Almost in the same place and in the same situation as before, except that after Jia Lian paid his respects and got up, he found that there was a woman in palace attire sitting inside.

It was hard to see clearly through the beaded curtain, but at first glance she looked to be around twenty years old, with a dignified demeanor and elegant temperament.

Based on his predecessor's memories and a little guessing, Jia Lian judged that this should be Jia Yuanchun, the head of the four springs of the Jia family, who is very famous.

As expected of the woman ranked third in the official list of the Twelve Beauties of Jinling, one could tell from her figure and silhouette alone that she was an exceptionally beautiful woman.

Unfortunately, with the Empress Dowager present, I dared not scrutinize her too closely.

Inside, the Empress Dowager's expression was not good. She asked directly, "Jia Lian, what brings you to see me?"

"I have come here to implore the Empress Dowager to have mercy and rescind her decree."

"Jia Lian, how dare you!"

When the Empress Dowager got angry, all the palace maids and eunuchs inside and outside the palace fell silent. Yuan Chun didn't dare to sit still either, and hurriedly stood up, giving Jia Lian a quick wink.

Jia Lian hesitated for a moment, but then knelt down respectfully to beg for forgiveness.

……

Ningrong Street, Rongguo Mansion.

Grandmother Jia and the others went to the palace to express their gratitude in high spirits, but when they returned, they did not show much joy. Their smiles were masked by an underlying sense of dejection.

In particular, Lian Ersaozi, who always loved to join in the fun, didn't come to Rongqing Hall to tease and amuse Grandmother Jia. Instead, she went home and hid in her own courtyard.

Li Wan and her sisters in the family couldn't help but feel suspicious.

After making some inquiries, I learned the truth.

It turns out the palace is demanding that Second Brother Lian divorce Second Sister-in-law!

When the news spread, all sorts of opinions emerged.

谷陞

There were two versions of what the sisters, including Sanchun, had heard.

One possibility is that a princess in the palace took a liking to Jia Lian, so she asked the Empress Dowager to grant them a marriage.

Wang Xifeng naturally became a stumbling block and could only be abandoned.

Another possibility is that Wang Xifeng did something wrong outside, which was discovered by the palace. They believed that her moral character was flawed and that she was not qualified to be a titled lady, so they demanded that Jia Lian divorce her!

As for marrying the princess, it was because Jia Lian had saved the emperor's life, so the Empress Dowager bestowed this marriage upon him as an extra favor...

Wang Xifeng is strong-willed and acts decisively and ruthlessly. After being married into the Rongguo Mansion for several years, she has the power to manage the household and has offended quite a few people. There are countless people who hate her behind her back.

Now that people hear she's in trouble, it's no surprise that all sorts of rumors are being spread about her.

However, the sisters still had a good impression of Wang Xifeng because although she was ruthless to the servants, she was very considerate and tolerant to her family.

When they heard that Wang Xifeng had been treated this way, they were shocked and sympathetic, and some even couldn't help but shed tears.

After leaving Rongqing Hall, the three sisters and Daiyu agreed to visit Wang Xifeng.

Walking into this courtyard, the once bustling Fengjie Courtyard was now in a state of desolation.

All the maids seemed to be under a spell; their expressions were remarkably similar—they were all silent and withdrawn.

Upon seeing them enter, they all instinctively moved away.

Ping'er heard the commotion and came out.

"Sister Ping'er, where is Sister Lian? Let's go see her."

Ping'er's face was also streaked with tears. She shook her head and tried to remain calm, saying, "Grandma said she appreciates everyone's kindness in coming, but she's not feeling well and would be sad to see you all. She asks you all to go back, she..."

As Ping'er spoke, thinking of her grandmother's current situation, she couldn't help but shed tears.

Seeing Ping'er like this, Daiyu and the others were deeply moved and also wiped away their tears with handkerchiefs.

Daiyu and the others, along with their respective maids, were all women, so they could naturally empathize with Wang Xifeng's situation.

So I truly cried for her.

Seeing the young ladies and maids weeping, Ping'er feared it would only make things worse and cause more distress in the room. So she quickly wiped away her own tears and forced a smile, saying, "Ladies, please go back now. Our mistress will personally come to thank you another day..."

Tan Chun and the others saw through Ping'er's thoughts and felt that there was no point in them crying there, so they gradually stopped, each leaving a few words of comfort before taking their leave.

They had only been gone a short while when Li Wan, Baochai, Jia Baoyu, and several others arrived together.

Wang Xifeng didn't see them either, and Li Wan and the others didn't disturb them much. After they came out, they heard that the sisters were talking in Tan Chun's room, so they went over there.

After walking a few steps, they arrived at the three-room annex behind Madam Wang's courtyard. Sure enough, Daiyu and the others were talking in Tanchun's room, and what they were discussing was naturally about Wang Xifeng.

"Sister-in-law, Sister Bao, you've come at the right time. What do you think we should do about Second Sister-in-law Lian now?"

Li Wan was always in charge of managing the sisters-in-law in the family, and was responsible for their lives.

Because Baochai was the eldest, knowledgeable, calm, and rational, she was deeply respected by Tanchun and the others. So, when faced with a problem that they couldn't reach a conclusion about, she naturally wanted to ask them for advice.

Li Wan and the others sat down, accepted the tea offered by the maids, exchanged glances, and finally Li Wan sighed, "This matter is not something we can discuss, much less decide."

Everything is up to the old lady and her family to decide; we just need to wait.

Baochai drank her tea in silence, without saying a word.

Xi Chun cautiously asked, "If... if Brother Lian really marries the princess, then Sister-in-law Lian won't be able to live at home anymore. What will happen to her?"

What else could we do but go back to the Wang family?

However, Wang Xifeng's parents have both passed away, and her only brother, Wang Ren, and his family are currently in the south. If she is really divorced, she will probably have no choice but to return to her second uncle's house.

Since ancient times, abandoned women have not even been treated well by their own parents, let alone their uncles and aunts.

Upon reflection, everyone felt even more sorry for Wang Xifeng.

"I heard that Brother Lian is still in the palace, so perhaps there is still a chance for this matter to turn around."

After all, Lian Er and Lian Er had a deep bond, and he certainly wouldn't want to abandon her.

Tan Chun said.

However, many people find this hard to accept.

It's somewhat plausible that Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng have a good relationship, but to think that this alone could lead to any positive developments is wishful thinking.

That's a princess, the emperor's daughter!

Moreover, this princess has the Empress Dowager backing her up and can persuade the Empress Dowager to make decisions for her.

Who can disobey the Empress Dowager's decree?

As women, they could sympathize with Wang Xifeng's plight and even felt unwilling to see her fall into misfortune. However, as members of the Jia family, or rather, people related to the Jia family, they had to consider the interests of their clan.

In fact, if Jia Lian were to marry a princess, it would be a great joy for the Jia family, comparable to Yuan Chun's promotion to Imperial Concubine!

The benefits to the family are self-evident.

After all, it goes without saying how glorious it is to have royal blood integrated into one's own family.

If the princess were to give birth to an heir, at least the family could maintain the closest relationship with the royal family for generations to come!

Because of these unspoken reasons, the discussions inside the room always fell silent.

Tan Chun suddenly noticed that Jia Baoyu, who was usually very lively and loved to discuss important matters and express his opinions, was sitting blankly in the corner, so she asked him, "Brother Bao, what are you thinking about?"

Jia Baoyu snapped out of his reverie, looked at Tan Chun, and replied absentmindedly, "I just heard in the old lady's room that the princess is an exceptionally outstanding and beautiful woman... I was wondering, such a woman is naturally a person endowed with the finest talents of heaven and earth, so why would she want to compete with Sister-in-law Lian for Brother Lian?"

This was Jia Baoyu's way of covering up his true feelings; in reality, he was a person with the broadest range of emotions and the most prone to fantasies.

The fact that she was a princess was one thing, but when she was also showered with love and had an exceptional appearance, it immediately put him in a different state of mind.

This is because such people are the kind of people who can be recorded in unofficial histories, and those who can have entanglements with such people are destined to be extraordinary.

But why is it Lian Erge and not him?

From childhood, because he was born with a jade in his mouth, he was always the most favored person in the family. He also felt that he was extraordinary and could not be compared with ordinary people in the world.

However, since Jia Lian rose to prominence, his confidence has waned.

Because he discovered that the Duke's mansion, which had always revolved around him, now revolved around Jia Lian most of the time.

Even now, a princess with such a renowned reputation has developed a close relationship with Jia Lian.

This made Jia Baoyu feel inexplicably sad.

Could it be that I am truly not the only darling of this world?

Jia Baoyu was somewhat obsessed.

Seeing his dazed look and his simple-minded remarks, Li Wan and the others were not surprised at all.

Jia Baoyu was an unconventional thinker, and he couldn't stand the words "daughter" or "beautiful," especially when they were used together. He would definitely go crazy upon hearing them and say some silly, incoherent things.

……