Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

"Brother Lian Er..."

Sanchun and the others came out from the back door of Rongqing Hall to greet them. They were somewhat surprised to see Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng coming together.

Jia Lian smiled and asked, "Where are the old ladies?"

"They're all in the main hall, waiting for Second Brother... and Second Sister-in-law Lian too. You should go over there quickly."

Tan Chun spoke quickly, while a doubt arose in her mind.

Why does Lian Ergege look so relaxed at this moment?

Could it be that Second Brother Lian has already decided to marry the princess, and that's why he's so happy?

Tan Chun shared the same thought as Daiyu and Li Wan, who almost simultaneously frowned.

Sure enough, even Brother Lian couldn't escape the trend. Faced with the princess, he readily decided to divorce Sister-in-law Lian.

But then Jia Lian turned around and glanced at Wang Xifeng. Then, amidst the surprised gazes of the sisters, maids, and old women, he took Wang Xifeng's hand and walked into Rongqing Hall.

Wang Xifeng felt embarrassed and quickly shook her head a couple of times. Seeing that Jia Lian was holding her tightly, she had no choice but to lower her head and follow Jia Lian into the room.

At that moment, she suddenly felt like a newlywed bride being led into the house by her husband.

In the main hall, when Grandmother Jia and the others saw that Jia Lian had brought Wang Xifeng along, they all frowned.

They had all heard Yuan Chun's message and knew that Jia Lian was unwilling to divorce Wang Xifeng. Upon hearing this, their hearts sank.

With Wang Xifeng present, some things became even more inconvenient to say, making it even more difficult to persuade Jia Lian.

Wang Xifeng was also a clever woman. She could tell what Jia Mu and the others were thinking just by looking at their expressions. Therefore, after exchanging brief greetings with Jia Mu, Lady Wang, and Lady Xing, she consciously stood to the side.

"Lian'er, about things in the palace..."

As an elder, Grandmother Jia decided to make the opening remarks.

Standing in the center of the hall, Jia Lian cupped his hands and said, "Grandma, I know what you want to say."

However, I'm making this clear first: no matter what you say, I will not divorce Feng'er, unless I die.

Jia Lian's voice was devoid of grand pronouncements or passionate enthusiasm; it sounded quite bland.

But it is precisely this unwavering determination and undeniable authority that sounds like a morning bell and evening drum, leaving people in awe.

Wang Xifeng felt it most deeply. Her eyes suddenly widened, and a surge of emotion she had never felt before rushed from her heart to her brain, making her dizzy and speechless.

She stared blankly at Jia Lian's tall, sturdy back, a foolish expression she usually despised appearing on her face, muttering to herself: Heartless bastard...

"Lian'er, you..."

Grandmother Jia and the others were naturally speechless for a moment.

Behind the large wooden screen behind her, Daiyu, Tanchun, and the others looked at each other, all of them clearly shocked.

Xichun wanted to say something, but Tanchun put her index finger to her lips and shushed her.

On Daiyu's exquisitely beautiful face, she was more moved than others. Her misty eyes turned slightly, but slowly became relieved.

Then he turned around and walked into the inner hall, ignoring the gazes of Tan Chun and the others.

She had already heard the answer she wanted, so why listen any more?

Inside the hall, Jia Lian's attitude made things even more difficult for Grandmother Jia and the others.

With Wang Xifeng also present, he felt even more helpless in offering advice.

"Grandma, in the few years since Feng'er married into the family, has she done anything that you're dissatisfied with, or rather, has she done anything that makes you feel she doesn't deserve the status of the second young mistress of our Rongguo Mansion?"

Faced with Jia Lian's words, Grandmother Jia remained silent for a moment.

Actually, she didn't really want Jia Lian to marry the princess; she was just purely cowardly and afraid.

Therefore, he felt guilty towards Wang Xifeng.

"She's fine. Feng'er has always been fine. If this hadn't happened, even if you wanted to get rid of Feng'er, I would never have allowed it."

However, Lian'er, you must understand that this matter is not something that you or I can decide.

That's the Empress Dowager! Right now, she's speaking to you politely. But what if she really gets angry?

so……"

Jia Lian smiled and said, "Nothing in this world can escape the principle of reason."

Since even the old lady thinks Feng is right, and you also think she is a good granddaughter-in-law, then no one has the right to advise me to divorce her.

Our Rongguo Mansion has been glorious for a hundred years since the founding emperor. How can a grandson, as the heir of the family, do something that is disloyal, shameful, and disgraceful to our ancestors?

As for the Empress Dowager, she was a person of great wisdom and understanding.

Just now, I explained the facts to the Empress Dowager in the palace. The Empress Dowager also accepted her grandson's statement and did not force her grandson to divorce Feng Yatou.

Even the Empress Dowager is like this; I think this matter should end here.

Jia Lian's words brought a sigh of relief to Yingchun and the others behind the screen.

谷蔋

Since the Empress Dowager has been persuaded by Lian Er, then this matter should just be a false alarm, and Lian Er's wife doesn't need to leave home.

"Hehe, Brother Lian, you say the Empress Dowager agrees with your statement? I'm afraid that's not necessarily true."

Jia Zhen couldn't help but retort.

"As far as we know, the Empress Dowager has only given you a seven-day deadline. If you do not obey the decree within seven days, the consequences will be more than you can bear alone. At that time, our entire Jia family will be implicated."

Brother Lian, you should think carefully about the pros and cons before you act.

Jia Zhen's tone grew colder and colder as he spoke.

Seeing Jia Lian caught in a pincer movement, he felt much better.

His only worry now is being implicated by Jia Lian, so he must suppress Jia Lian.

Marrying a princess is wonderful! Not only will it bring glory to the family, but with the princess in charge, how will Jia Lian dare to philander in the future?

Jia Zhen suddenly felt that it was a stroke of luck that the princess had taken a liking to Jia Lian. Sacrificing Jia Lian would bring happiness to the whole family. The key point was that Jia Lian would no longer be able to take advantage of his youth and good looks to "do evil."

This kid has quite a few pretty girls around him. If the princess can't tolerate him in the future, maybe he'll have a chance to snag one...

Jia Lian wasn't too surprised that Jia Zhen and the others knew about the situation in the palace.

He just felt that Jia Zhen had no right to bring up the issue of implicating the family.

You knew Qin Keqing's identity perfectly well, yet you still had the audacity to coerce and entice her. Aren't you courting death?

"I think Brother Zhen has misunderstood. The Empress Dowager's mention of a seven-day limit means she suspects I lied to her and wants to investigate my crimes."

Unfortunately, everything I said in the palace was true. I suppose after the Empress Dowager investigated, she saw that I was a loyal and honest person and naturally spared me.

I don't think Brother Zhen believes that the information you got from elsewhere is more accurate than what I, the person involved, know, right?

Jia Lian's casual words made Jia Zhen easily feel slighted.

Jia Zhen was a clever man. He realized that Jia Lian was dissatisfied with him and was startled. He had no intention of confronting Jia Lian directly; he only wanted to sabotage him and seek personal gain.

So he forced a smile and said, "Brother Lian, why do you have to be like this? I'm just worried about you."

"It is the Empress Dowager's kind intention to have you marry the princess; how can you refuse?"

Hearing Jia Lian's words, Grandmother Jia hesitated.

"Lian'er, is this really all the Empress Dowager meant? Why is Your Highness still sending a message asking us to persuade you to obey the Empress Dowager's wishes?"

"My older sister did this for my future, so it's understandable."

However, for Feng'er, let alone giving up a chance to marry into a wealthy family, I would be willing to be an ordinary person.

Therefore, I can only disappoint my older sister's kind intentions.

As Jia Lian spoke, he turned and glanced at Wang Xifeng.

At this moment, Wang Xifeng was lost in thought, her gaze fixed on Jia Lian, but unfocused, so much so that she didn't even notice when Jia Lian looked at her.

However, the maids and wives around Wang Xifeng all felt Jia Lian's love and protection on her behalf.

People from noble families find it hard to believe in undying love, after all, what they see and hear is all filth, greed, and scheming.

In the eyes of these lords and young masters, what are women? When they're seducing women, they're all sweet talk and flattery, but once trouble comes, they cower and deny everything, leaving the women to bear the consequences of their actions.

This kind of thing is all too common in large families.

Unexpectedly, the two of them, who used to bicker and never seemed particularly affectionate, discovered how strong their relationship was during this real test.

Second Master Lian is so protective of Second Madam Lian, he's even willing to go against the palace for her sake!

Putting aside the pros and cons, they all felt that this kind of Master Lian was even more extraordinary than the extraordinary men described in the book.

He is respectable, admirable, and even makes one want to throw themselves into his arms...

Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, Lady Xing, and others were also women. Although they thought Jia Lian was very unwise, it didn't stop them from secretly admiring his sense of responsibility.

It's just a bit strange. Didn't this kid say he was determined to become an official, get rich, and bring glory to his family? Why did he suddenly change his mind?

Could it be that Feng is really that important to him?

Madam Wang asked, "Lian'er, has the Empress Dowager really withdrawn her order, just as you said?"

Whether she wanted to admit it or not, as one of the smartest women in the Jia family, Lady Wang knew how important Jia Lian was to the Jia family.

Didn't you see that even Yuan Chun specifically told them to win over Jia Lian?

Therefore, they did not want to force Jia Lian unless absolutely necessary. Moreover, Wang Xifeng was, after all, a daughter of the Wang family, and it would be disrespectful for her, her own aunt, to be divorced like this.

Just as Jia Lian was about to persuade Grandmother Jia and the others, the sound of hurried running came from outside the Rongqing Hall courtyard.

When Jia Zheng and the others looked up, they saw that several servants had barged in.

The entire Rongqing Hall area was considered an inner quarter, and male slaves were not allowed to enter without permission.

Before Jia Zheng and the others could question him, the head steward knelt down from a distance and loudly reported, "Master, Madam, an eunuch from the palace has come to convey His Majesty's oral decree!"

Grandmother Jia, Jia Zheng, Jia Zhen, and the others' expressions changed abruptly, and they quickly stood up.