Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

After Jia Zhen's funeral, Jia Lian devoted all his energy to preparations for the trip to the Oirat Mongols.

The first thing was the construction of the Grand View Garden.

Jia Lian wasn't too worried about this.

After half a year of planning, the Grand View Garden has taken shape.

As for the remaining routine matters, Jia Zheng could handle them without any problems.

The only worry is that Jia Zheng is a wealthy and powerful man. With his indulgence, the embezzlement that he has suppressed among the servants may soon rise again.

But it doesn't matter.

In any case, Jia Lian had already fulfilled his promise and taken out Jia She's inheritance, totaling more than 20,000 taels of silver. He had also instructed Wang Xifeng on how to deal with the potential funding shortage for the construction of the garden.

If Jia Zheng condones the embezzlement of his servants, and the deficit increases, he and Lady Wang will naturally find a way to deal with it. At most, they will add another scapegoat, Grandmother Jia.

This was originally Jia Lian's idea to deplete their respective wealth, so even if the servants embezzled it, Jia Lian wouldn't feel any remorse for them.

Who knows, if we fatten up the rats, they might be able to eat even more meat when it's time to slaughter them.

The other important matter is the Western City Military Command.

Since the Ministry of War did not send a new commander to take over his position, it was clear that the emperor was still reserving this position for him.

Therefore, Jia Lian appointed his trusted confidants, Fan Jin and Xie Jun, to take charge of the daily affairs of the yamen.

These two men, one a scholar and the other a warrior, could check and balance each other, and would not neglect their duties due to mutual hostility.

After all, one was a civil official and the other a military general; their futures would not interfere with each other's.

Even so, to be on the safe side, Jia Lian made a special visit to his second maternal uncle and asked him to take care of his Xicheng Military Command.

Given Zhang Song's position as the head of the Military Affairs Department, if he were to keep an eye on the Western City Military Command, even if Fan and Xie were incompetent, the Western City Military Command would not have any major problems.

With the princess's wedding approaching, the auspicious day is fast approaching.

The imperial court also immediately focused its attention on this matter, making various coordinations and preparations.

As the young imperial envoy and imperial messenger personally appointed by the emperor, Jia Lian's popularity among the court and the public has increased significantly.

On this day, Jia Lian, as agreed, sent Daiyu back to the Lin family.

Upon entering the mansion, Daiyu, without having time to lead Zijuan, Xueyan, and the others to rearrange and tidy up her room, put on her deerskin boots and headed towards the main hall.

As expected, Brother Lian Er had not left yet.

Hiding behind the screen, Daiyu touched the thing hidden in her sleeve to calm herself down.

After her father and Jia Lian finished talking, she gracefully stepped out, greeted them, picked up the teapot to refill their cups, and then stood respectfully to the side.

Lin Ruhai saw that Daiyu was growing up to have the demeanor of a great lady, and he nodded to himself in approval.

Sending Yu'er to her maternal grandmother for upbringing was indeed the right decision.

"Alright, I know you've been busy these past few days, so I won't keep you any longer."

Remember my words: while leading troops in the field, be mindful of everything, and prioritize the safety of the princess and yourself.

Hearing Lin Ruhai's words, Jia Lian thought to himself that Lin Ruhai was indeed a model of being well-read, loyal to the emperor, and patriotic.

Even at this moment, they didn't forget to include the princess's safety.

He couldn't help but complain, "What if protecting the princess means I'm not safe?"

There was no need to ask anymore; in Lin Ruhai's view, it was naturally a matter of protecting the princess's safety to the death!

"Yes, nephew remembers."

Uncle, you should take good care of yourself. Lin Daiyu asked me to send her back because she was worried about your health.

Even if Uncle wants to avoid worrying Lin Daiyu, he should still take better care of his health...

Lin Ruhai smiled and looked at Daiyu: "Yu'er is indeed becoming more and more sensible."

Lin Daiyu blushed slightly, feeling embarrassed by Jia Lian's flattering words.

"But you don't need to worry, I know my own body well..."

As soon as Lin Ruhai finished speaking, he couldn't help but frown slightly and cough twice, which caused Daiyu's expression to change drastically. She quickly stepped forward to pat his back.

Seeing this, Jia Lian was also helpless.

He did everything he was supposed to say and do. But everyone has their own destiny, and given Lin Ruhai's health and his strong ambition, it's hard to say how many more years he can hold on!

After offering a few words of concern until Lin Ruhai had fully recovered, Jia Lian finally got up to take his leave.

"Brother Lian, please wait a moment..."

Seeing that Jia Lian was about to leave, Daiyu immediately stepped forward and called out to him somewhat awkwardly.

When Jia Lian stopped and turned around, she lowered her head slightly and took out a pair of gloves that she had carefully made from the finest silk over the past half month.

Jia Lian took the gloves and, without even looking at them closely, knew they were valuable and not something an ordinary person could afford.

After all, anything produced by Daiyu is bound to be of high quality.

Seeing that Daiyu had lowered her head after presenting the gift, seemingly too embarrassed to explain further, Jia Lian simply cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Sister Lin."

After saying that, he cupped his hands to Lin Ruhai again, then gripped his gloves, turned and left.

Seeing the harmonious relationship between his daughter and Jia Lian, Lin Ruhai felt a sense of relief in his eyes.

I still remember that my daughter was introverted and quiet, often staring at one thing for half a day. Especially after her mother passed away, she seemed quite depressed and unhappy.

Unexpectedly, not only has she become much more outgoing, but she has also learned to give gifts to her elders...

Although the item is small, it looks like she made it herself, which shows that she put a lot of thought into it.

However, it seems the little girl hasn't made anything for me yet...

Shaking his head, Lin Ruhai found it amusing that he was suddenly overcome with jealousy.

Seeing that Daiyu was staring at the doorway, he smiled and said, "Don't worry, your Second Brother Lian is a smart and capable man. He will definitely return safely this time."

Daiyu snapped out of her reverie. To avoid arousing her father's suspicions, she quickly suppressed her worry and reluctance and responded with a few words of agreement.

"Are you happy living with your maternal grandmother? Do you get along well with her sisters?"

Lin Ruhai asked his daughter about these things with concern, having her sit down beside him.

Daiyu naturally said that everything was fine, and that Grandmother Jia and Jia Lian, among others, were taking good care of her.

"And what about your cousin, Baoyu?"

Seeing Daiyu's sudden look of confusion, Lin Ruhai smiled and said, "In their family, the two most outstanding children of your generation are probably your cousin Jia Lian and Baoyu."

But all I know is you, my second brother Lian.

I don't know much about Baoyu; I've only met him a few times.

When I visited their home before, I saw that the old lady seemed to dote on this grandson very much, but your uncle said that he was very disappointing, so I was quite curious.

You've been living with them for so long now, what do you think of your second uncle's cousin?

Although Lin Ruhai's words made sense, Daiyu was not an ordinary girl after all.

Back when she was in the Jia family, she had a vague feeling that Grandmother Jia seemed to want to marry her to Jia Baoyu. However, her aunt preferred her younger sister's daughter, and because of this, the servants in their household even spread rumors about a "golden and jade marriage".

It refers to Jia Baoyu and Xue Baochai.

Despite her quiet nature, Daiyu is actually quite perceptive.

Besides, if Father really wanted to understand the character of his relatives' children, he could ask anyone, such as their steward, servants, or even Jia Lian directly. Wouldn't that be more appropriate than asking her?

It's clear that the father had that intention to some extent.

It was even because her grandmother and father had said something that her father came to test her.

Thinking of this, Daiyu frowned. "Although I have lived in their house for a long time, I usually only keep company with my sisters."

As for my cousin Baoyu, I rarely see him, and I don't know anything about his character or personality.

As Daiyu spoke, she pouted slightly, revealing a hint of dissatisfaction in her heart.

Thanks to Jia Lian's guidance, which began several years ago, Jia Baoyu has not accumulated much good impression in Daiyu's heart over the years, but rather a lot of bad impression.

In particular, the recent death of her pet Anu caused Daiyu's feelings toward Jia Baoyu to plummet to an all-time low.

He even yelled at me!

Daiyu was incredibly proud and arrogant. Even if Lady Wang didn't particularly like her, and everyone in the Jia family wanted her as a daughter-in-law, it wouldn't work if she didn't approve of her!

Hmph, he's not even half as good as Second Brother Lian.

Moreover, Daiyu admitted in her heart that in the past, because of Jia Baoyu's flattery and Grandmother Jia's deliberate cultivation, she had foolishly held some fantasies and expectations about Jia Baoyu.

However, after Jia Lian's guidance last time, she basically understood.

Sure enough, after she started to see Jia Baoyu as just an ordinary cousin, she became more accepting of all his shortcomings and stopped caring too much about them.