Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Having figured out the problem, Jia Lian couldn't help but hug You Shi and kiss her hard twice.

Upon receiving Jia Lian's response, Lady You naturally understood that Jia Lian believed her, and a weight was lifted from her heart.

Only then did she dare to discuss other issues with Jia Lian.

"When I arrived just now, I heard that Rong'er had already hanged herself in prison?"

Suddenly, Ms. You asked a question.

Jia Lian nodded and said, "That's true. He probably knew he was going to die anyway, so this was a more dignified way of doing things."

A look of reluctance appeared on Madam You's face as she glanced at Jia Lian twice.

Jia Lian looked back at him calmly.

Madam You wisely refrained from asking further questions and nodded, saying, "Our master had this in mind after returning last night."

Everyone says that the family will probably choose a disciple from the clan to be adopted by the master or your elder brother Zhen, so that they can continue the Ningguo Mansion's lineage.

Originally, I didn't have much of an opinion on this; I left everything to the family to decide.

only……

Now that I'm pregnant, if it's a daughter, that's fine, but if it's a son, how will he cope with himself in the future?

Yu tried his best to use a calm and seemingly unemotional tone to say these words.

Although she usually keeps a low profile, she has a bright mind.

She knew that even if Jia Zhen died, she could not go and follow Jia Lian.

Therefore, her only fate was to grow old and die in this Duke's mansion.

She was very fortunate and grateful that Jia Lian gave her hope at the last moment.

It was indeed the final moment. With Jia Zhen dead, she was destined to live a lonely life. Even if she continued her secret affair with Jia Lian and even became pregnant, she would have no way to keep the child.

But she happened to get pregnant a month ago, and she felt that this was God's reward for her years of perseverance.

Since it is a reward from God, how could a mother not think about her child?

She is the eldest mistress of the Ningguo Mansion, and her children are the rightful heirs.

If someone from the family were to be adopted to inherit the Ningguo Mansion, how would she cope with the birth of her child?

That's why, after learning she was pregnant, the first thing she did was to consult with Jia Lian.

Because only Jia Lian could protect them at this time, and only Jia Lian could help them preserve the Ningguo Mansion.

Jia Lian easily understood Lady You's thoughts.

He raised an eyebrow and laughed, "Actually, you don't need to worry at all. What I was thinking before was to find a well-behaved child from the Cao generation and adopt him under Brother Zhen's name."

Therefore, when he inherits the Ningguo Mansion in the future, he will have to regard you as his legal mother.

Madam You hurriedly said, "It's not that I'm being paranoid, but it's hard to get along with someone who isn't your own flesh and blood. It's alright for now, but when he grows up, I'm afraid he might not respect me."

"Hehe, I understand what you mean."

Don't worry, that was just my previous thought.

Now that you are pregnant, this matter will naturally be put on hold.

Let's talk about it after you give birth. If it's a boy, you just need to focus on raising him. What's rightfully yours will not be taken away by anyone else.

If it's a girl, we'll consider it later.

Jia Lian is not a selfless person. On one side are his own women and bloodline, and on the other side are strangers. He knows which choice to make even with his eyes closed.

With Jia Lian's words, Lady You was finally relieved.

She nestled into Jia Lian's arms and said softly, "If it weren't for our child, I wouldn't have bothered with all this."

I'm just worried that things won't go so smoothly.

Seeing that the mansion was empty, countless members of the family had designs on it.

I come from a small, unaffiliated family and have no powerful connections.

I'm afraid I can't fight them alone. If they harbor ill intentions, I'm afraid I won't be able to protect the child in my womb..."

As the sages said: "A cliff that stands a thousand feet high is unyielding because it is free from desires."

In the past, Lady You was free from desires and ambitions, so she didn't need to care too much about anything or put much thought into scheming.

Now, her desire to secure the inheritance of a ducal mansion for her child has forced her to seriously consider all possibilities.

The Jia family has a total of twenty sons and daughters, a large number of people, so there must be many who have their eyes on the Ningguo Mansion.

She has no family to rely on, and her child is not yet born. If someone wants to harm her, she will probably have a hard time dealing with them.

She could even easily imagine from where those people might attack her and her child.

For example, Jia Zhen had not had children for nearly twenty years, so how did she suddenly become pregnant?

She is no naive person; she never hesitates to assume the worst about those with conflicting interests.

As long as those people spread rumors about her indiscretion and that she was carrying an illegitimate child, even without evidence, Jia Jing and others would likely become suspicious, ultimately leading to her downfall.

That's why she had previously instructed her trusted servants not to publicize her pregnancy. She was afraid that if she spoke out rashly, those with ulterior motives would devise schemes against her.

She needed to discuss a plan with Jia Lian and obtain his promise before she dared to take action.

As for how to obtain Jia Lian's promise, it was naturally by displaying the gentleness and vulnerability expected of a woman...

Although Jia Lian could see that You Shi was deliberately trying to steer the conversation, he could understand.

This woman is too cautious, too careful, and even somewhat insecure.

In fact, Ms. You could have used her status as her woman to demand that she protect them and fight for their interests.

However, Yu's concerns were not unfounded.

Putting aside other matters, didn't Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang reveal their true feelings at first glance? Lady You, however, had no leverage to confront these two women of the Rongguo Mansion.

To make Lady You feel safe, Jia Lian turned her plump face towards him, looked her straight in the eye, and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, with me here, no one has the guts or the ability to deal with you."

"Just focus on managing the affairs of the manor. If you encounter any difficulties, just send someone to tell me. Trust me, there's nothing I can't do in these two manors now."

Lady You then smiled and offered a sweet kiss...

After a while, realizing that she had been there for quite some time, Lady You suppressed her desires, stood up from Jia Lian, and asked him, "What do you think of the girl Yin Die?"

Which aspect are you referring to?

Madam You did not answer, but glanced at Jia Lian's slightly bulging trousers and said, "Second Uncle must be tired too. Why don't you rest here for a while? I'll send a maid to serve you."

After saying that, Lady You didn't give Jia Lian a chance and turned around and left the inner room.

To avoid gossip, she naturally couldn't openly spend too much time with Jia Lian.

Jia Lian hadn't expected You Shi to provoke him so much that he decisively ran away. Knowing her cautious nature, he didn't take it to heart and got up to leave as well.

Suddenly, the maid Yindie entered, carrying a tea tray. Her eyes were fixed on the floor, and she looked restrained.

"Second Master, please, please have some tea..."

The little girl's voice trembled as she placed the tea tray on the tea table. She didn't serve it to him, but simply stood in front of him, head bowed, fingers clasped tightly, quite unlike her usual self.

Jia Lian was no fool; recalling what You Shi had just said, he immediately understood her meaning.

This woman definitely has some connections.

She wasn't just looking for someone to put out the fire in her place; she had a deeper purpose.

Even Cui Yingying and Zhang Sheng needed a matchmaker to act as a bridge between them, let alone her and herself.

As her trusted maid, Silver Butterfly knew too much, and absolute loyalty had to be guaranteed.

Giving someone away to oneself is indeed the simplest and most effective way to win them over.

However, Jia Lian didn't really accept just anyone.

Although he knew that Madam You probably just sent it to him to try it out and didn't intend for him to take responsibility, Jia Lian still had reservations.

He's not like Cao Cao, who only liked other men's women.

Unless there are special circumstances, he still prefers someone more innocent. Given Yin Die's appearance, Jia Zhen would most likely not let her go.

But then I thought, since Madam You dared to send the person over without asking his opinion, perhaps it wasn't necessarily true.

It's worth a try.

So he sat up straight with a swagger, lifted Silver Butterfly's chin, looked at the little girl's still-developing face, and laughed, "Did your second mistress send you in?"

"Hmm..." Silver Butterfly was a little uneasy.

"Do you know why I called you in?"

Yindie's face immediately turned red, but facing Jia Lian's gaze, she still stammered, "Madam, Madam told me to serve Second Master well, and I must obey any of Second Master's orders..."

Jia Lian laughed and continued, "So, do you know how to serve people?"

Silver Butterfly was too embarrassed to reply.

She could handle ordinary servants, but that kind of thing... she had only seen it before, and wasn't very confident about doing it herself.

Jia Lian understood from Yin Die's reaction, nodded, took her small hand, and brought her to the front.

"It's okay if you don't know how, I'll teach you."

……