Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

A moment later, sure enough, the daughter-in-law's incredibly graceful figure walked in.

She was still as beautiful and charming as ever.

Jia Zhen had long since put those unpleasant things behind him, stepped out of his study, and went to greet Qin Shi.

Qin instinctively took a step back.

Jia Zhen then stopped in his tracks, glanced at the two old women who had followed Qin Shi in and were standing at the door, and composed himself, asking in a pretentious tone, "Why have you come? Are you feeling any better?"

"Thank you... thank you for your concern, sir. My wife is feeling much better. I heard you were injured, so I came to visit you."

"Haha, it's just a minor injury, nothing serious. It's kind of you to show your filial piety."

"Furthermore, Rong'er said that he offended you yesterday, sir, and knows that he is guilty. He begs you to forgive him. Please forgive him this time, sir, considering that he is young and ignorant."

"It's a gentle voice," Qin said. She needed a legitimate reason to see Jia Zhen, such as pleading for Jia Rong.

Therefore, she spoke up immediately to avoid the old women behind her speculating too much about her.

"Hmph, that wretched child... He's back in the manor?" Jia Zhen casually expressed his dissatisfaction with Jia Rong, but his sharp eyes glanced at the two old women at the door, gesturing for them to leave.

Upon receiving Jia Zhen's instruction, the two old women quickly bowed and obediently withdrew.

With no one else in his way, Jia Zhen felt less apprehensive and took a few more steps forward to stand in front of Qin Shi, scrutinizing his daughter-in-law, whose eyes showed signs of nervousness.

I feel a little regretful.

Nowadays, the Qin family's attire is far too formal.

He still preferred Qin Shi's cool and glamorous attire when she first married into the family.

He remembered that Madam Qin also liked to wear clothes made of silk gauze. Especially in summer, the light gauze that draped her shoulders and revealed her delicate beauty was absolutely alluring.

From that moment on, he vowed to himself that he must get this woman...

Facing Jia Zhen's menacing gaze, Qin Shi couldn't help but tighten her clothes and softly remind him, "Master..."

Jia Zhen snapped out of his daze and noticed that Qin Shi's attitude was somewhat different today than before. He guessed that it must be that little beast Rong'er begged her to plead for mercy.

Otherwise, this heartless and ungrateful woman would never have come looking for him!

Jia Zhen felt a surge of excitement and laughed, "You have no idea what that little beast did. Even if I beat him to death, it wouldn't be enough to quell my hatred."

However, since you're here to plead for him, it's not impossible for me to spare him out of respect for you. It all depends on... your performance...

Faced with Jia Zhen's shameless blackmail, Qin Shi remained silent.

After a while, Fang Rourou said, "Didn't you say last time that you found a famous painting by Zhao Mengfu? I've been feeling better lately and would like to take a look. I wonder if you would allow me to?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhen was initially taken aback, but then his face lit up with joy: "Are you telling the truth?"

Madam Qin glanced at him and said, "If it's inconvenient for you, sir, then forget it."

"Haha, convenient, how could it not be convenient? That was specially found for you, and it's currently upstairs at Tianxiang Tower."

Since you want to see it, I'll take you there now.

Jia Zhen was so happy that he immediately reached out to take Qin Shi's hand, but Qin Shi quickly said, "No, it wouldn't be good if someone saw us."

"Wait, after dinner, I'll go out for a walk to clear my head. You can come over after dusk, sir..."

vertex

"Haha, okay, okay, whatever you say, whatever you say."

Jia Zhen was overjoyed. Qin Shi's thoughtful consideration clearly showed she had truly come to a conclusion.

After more than two years of scheming, he finally succeeded and felt like he could fly.

"Then, about Rong'er..."

"Haha, of course I'll do whatever you say, good boy..."

Jia Zhen couldn't resist trying to touch her, but Qin Shi quickly stepped back, glared at Jia Zhen, and turned to leave.

"Hehehe."

Seeing this, Jia Zhen not only wasn't angry but laughed, stroking his lips and beard and nodding repeatedly.

……

The Lin family mansion is located four or five miles away from the Jia family mansion.

As Daiyu's father and one of Emperor Ningkang's most trusted confidants, Lin Ruhai was someone Jia Lian would never forget to maintain a good relationship with.

Every now and then, he would visit the Lin residence, and Lin Ruhai would also take the opportunity to inquire about Daiyu's condition.

However, today, it was not Jia Lian who took the initiative to visit him, but Lin Ruhai who sent someone to invite him.

The purpose, well, it's still about matters within the palace.

Jia Lian never expected that, when Grandmother Jia and the others saw that they couldn't persuade him, they would actually think of asking for outside help.

He had just returned from the Linzi Earl's residence at noon when Lin Ruhai summoned him again.

However, Lin Ruhai couldn't completely follow Grandmother Jia's wishes. After carefully listening to Jia Lian's explanation and seeing that Jia Lian had a clear plan, he completely abandoned his intention to persuade him and instead praised him:

As Mencius said: "Wealth and honor cannot corrupt him, poverty and hardship cannot sway him, and power and force cannot subdue him; this is the conduct of a great man."

It is remarkable that at such a young age you are able to put the words of the sages into practice; for this alone, you surpass millions of people in the world.

"Uncle, you flatter me. I am truly unworthy of such praise."

Because of my nephew's stubbornness and inflexibility, not only are my elders worried, but His Majesty also seems dissatisfied with me. Yesterday, he specifically issued an edict to remove my nephew from his official post.

Lin Ruhai knew about Jia Lian's dismissal but retention of office beforehand. Having been in officialdom for many years, Lin Ruhai naturally understood such a punishment, which precisely shows that Emperor Ningkang was not truly angry.

This is also one of the reasons why he did not strongly persuade Jia Lian.

"You don't need to worry too much. His Majesty can distinguish right from wrong. Since what you did was not a big mistake, I think His Majesty will not really blame you."

Therefore, the most crucial factor is whether the Empress Dowager in the palace is willing to change her attitude. If the Empress Dowager does not take any further action after seven days, then the matter can be considered over.

If the Empress Dowager is truly resolute, I fear His Majesty will not go against her wishes and will surely summon you personally. At that time, you can then act accordingly.

As the ancients said, "Do your best and leave the rest to fate." You have already done your best. If things are beyond your control, you should go with the flow.

Lin Ruhai looked at Jia Lian; although he didn't say it explicitly, the meaning was clear.

If the emperor summons you and wants to take you as his son-in-law, then there is no turning back. At that time, those who know when to yield will be the wise ones.

Jia Lian nodded in agreement.

After leaving the Lin residence, Jia Lian went directly to the Military Affairs Office.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

All the officers and soldiers in the military command knew that Jia Lian had been dismissed, but no one dared to oppose him or disagree with him at this time.

Although only a few months have passed, Jia Lian has already established a relatively high level of prestige within the military command.

That's right. Generally speaking, every mountain has a top leader and a second leader.

Take the Military Commandery as an example. The commander and deputy commander are the top two leaders. The deputy commander's main role is to check and balance the commander, so as to prevent the commander from becoming too powerful in the government office!

However, ever since the former Deputy Commander Cui was removed by the Commander with powerful connections, the department has either forgotten about him or is genuinely unable to spare any manpower, and has yet to send a Deputy Commander to the West City Military Command.

In this way, the vast Xicheng Military Command, with its twenty or thirty officers and generals, would be at least three or four ranks lower than Jia Lian in terms of official rank alone!

Not to mention, Jia Lian also holds the title of general!

In this situation, who would dare disobey Jia Lian's orders?

Although Jia Lian has been dismissed from his post, he remains in office and is still their leader. Moreover, given Jia Lian's background, he might be reinstated any day. It would be too risky for him to cause trouble at this time, and anyone with a modicum of sense would not do so.

Some well-informed individuals even knew the real reason for Jia Lian's dismissal—goodness, he's definitely a prince consort...

Therefore, aside from Fan Jin and others expressing their concern for Jia Lian when he first appeared in the morning, and Jia Lian not saying much afterward, everything returned to normal. Of course, some private gossip was still inevitable.

"The curfew and patrol arrangements for tonight are all in place."

"Everything has been arranged. Tonight, Commander Zhou will be on guard at the city gate, while Commander Xie will be patrolling inside the city."

The Military Command governs a wide area and has many affairs, so more than half of the officers and generals are usually stationed in the office.

Although Jia Lian, as the eldest son, could go home to rest every day, he would still choose to stay at the military headquarters every few days to set an example.

But in reality, no one in the Military Command wanted Jia Lian to set this example.

When Jia Lian isn't around, they can slack off a bit during their night shifts and skip a couple of patrols. But when Jia Lian is there, everyone has to be extra careful.

Therefore, when Fan Jin and the others saw Jia Lian arrive near dusk, they knew that they couldn't slack off tonight.

Especially after nightfall, when Jia Lian decided to personally lead the patrol, even Fan Jin, a civil official, had to perk up and follow Jia Lian out for some night air.

There was no other way; the boss had gone out to work, so how could I, as the younger brother, not go with him?

... (To be continued)