Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

"This servant is here on the princess's orders to deliver fruit to General Jia."

Outside Jia Lian's tent, the maids who had been asking questions along the way were stopped by the guards at the door.

"Give it to me."

A female voice suddenly appeared, which surprised the maid.

Looking up for a closer look, I realized that the two armored and sword-wielding guards in front of me were actually women in disguise.

Can women also wear armor and serve as soldiers?

"Um?"

"Oh, okay."

The maid was somewhat disappointed. She had originally thought she would be able to see General Jia in person and see what kind of handsome man he was that could have captivated our princess!

Seeing the female guard suddenly become suspicious, he reluctantly handed the plate to her.

Inside the tent, Jia Lian put his response to Miaoyu back into the paper tube she had brought and sealed it.

Looking up, she saw Ah Qin carrying grapes in and asked, "Where did they come from?"

In front of Jia Lian, Aqin instantly reverted to her girlish demeanor and said with a smile, "Your Excellency, these grapes were specially bestowed upon you by the Princess."

"A reward from the princess?"

Jia Lian was somewhat confused.

He glanced at the fruit Ah Qin had placed in front of him and noticed that it was still emitting a cold mist. Out of curiosity, Jia Lian reached out and touched the bottom of the plate; it was icy cold.

It was obviously just taken out of the ice jar.

In such hot weather, and while on the road, the rarity and preciousness of such chilled fruit are self-evident.

This made Jia Lian feel increasingly strange...

What's the meaning behind sending him this? Grapes, there shouldn't be any other meaning, right?

Having just racked his brains to guess Miaoyu's thoughts, Jia Lian subconsciously thought about it for a while, and then found it amusing.

Princess Zhaoyang and Miaoyu are definitely different. The other party was probably just giving him some fruit as a reward.

"Take this out and have Zhang Yong give it to that nun."

"Yes."

Ah Qin accepted the order but didn't move. Instead, she smiled and picked a grape from the plate and put it in her mouth.

Noticing Jia Lian's surprised gaze, she smiled and said, "Last night, Second Madam specifically instructed us that anything of unknown origin must not be put into the adults' mouths first."

They were just following orders.

Jia Lian smiled, it seemed that the incident with Yang Shi had left a deep impression on Wang Xifeng.

However, can the things bestowed by the princess be called things of unknown origin?

Why not...

Jia Lian took a deep breath. Sure enough, women are the easiest way to make men lower their guard. Even he was no exception.

To be honest, he and Princess Zhaoyang didn't have much of a relationship. On the contrary, they had some grudges against each other!

But deep down, he secretly trusted Princess Zhaoyang a great deal!

Sometimes, trust based solely on feelings without factual support can put you in a disadvantageous position.

For example, he still doesn't understand why Princess Zhaoyang wanted him to be the envoy for the wedding.

After a moment's reflection, Jia Lian remained silent and took out a map from the side to examine it.

Jia Lian's actions left Aqin somewhat bewildered.

Are you angry?

It doesn't look quite like it.

Suspicious, he dared not act rashly again and got up to carry out the order.

She returned shortly after and reported, "Zhao'er said that Lord Xiang just sent someone to deliver a carriage, saying it was specially for your use and could provide shade."

Jia Lian was about to refuse when he suddenly remembered that the hot weather would last for at least another half month.

If you were to travel on horseback all the way, your face would definitely get tanned, or even sunburned.

As a general, he naturally wanted to share weal and woe with his soldiers in order to enhance his prestige.

But besides his prestige, his face is actually one of his most important assets!

If you don't cherish it and damage it carelessly, you will definitely regret it in the future.

Putting aside other things, the little nun Miaoyu probably valued his looks a lot.

Therefore, being slightly darker is fine; in fact, it can be said to be more dignified. However, one should not be excessively dark.

"Since it was sent by Lord Xiang, then accept it."

After replying, Jia Lian casually picked a grape and put it in his mouth while continuing to study the route map.

Suddenly, he felt a woman's unique scent. It turned out that Ah Qin had washed her hands, turned around and walked to his side, peeled a grape and put it to his lips.

The thin armor, which was purely decorative and offered little in terms of defense, covered most of the woman's alluring figure, but it couldn't hide her slightly exposed neck, collarbone, and ten slender fingers.

"No need, you can leave."

Rejected by Jia Lian, Aqin immediately looked aggrieved and sad as she gazed at him.

Jia Lian sighed helplessly: "Well, just serve me food. Remember what you promised me before you left: don't be naughty, and definitely don't try to seduce this general."

Otherwise, I will send someone to take you back.

It wasn't that Jia Lian was being hypocritical; he had only originally planned to bring Aqi along.

My older sister, Aqi, is taciturn and agile, making her a great helper at home and on the go, with absolutely no side effects.

But the younger sister is much more mischievous.

This trip was all about maintaining a good image, and Jia Lian naturally didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble because of a woman.

However, after Ah Qin's persistent pleas and promises, Jia Lian reluctantly took her out.

"Hehe." Ah Qin smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you, sir. I would never dare to seduce you."

Thus, Jia Lian was able to enjoy Aqin's service while attending to his business.

A little while later, realizing that the little girl was about to break her promise, Jia Lian waved his hand and rolled up the map.

"Hmm, aren't you eating, sir?"

"I'm not eating anymore. You can take the rest and share it with your sister."

With that, Jia Lian strode out of the tent, called Zhang Yong and Zhao Sheng, and went to discuss matters with Xiang He and others.

……

Princess Zhaoyang's private chamber.

Princess Zhaoyang listened quietly to the Fourth Prince's suggestion, then looked at him, trying to discern from his eyes whether he genuinely had such an absurd idea or was merely seeking momentary pleasure.

After making the Fourth Prince uneasy, she calmly said, "First, Jia Lian is in the central command tent, surrounded by thousands of soldiers. With only one or two hundred men, the chance of raiding the camp and capturing him is less than one in a hundred."

Secondly, even if you act meticulously and your guards are all highly skilled in martial arts, you still won't be able to tie up Jia Lian.

How can you send me and him away together and ensure that no one suspects you?

Do you know that if you can't get out of here yourself, even if you send us away, it will all be in vain?

"At that time, do you know how severe the punishment you will suffer?"

Upon hearing this, the fourth prince wanted to say that he was not afraid.

Princess Zhaoyang had already seen through it all. "Even if you are not afraid of punishment, if the court threatens your life or the life of Jia Lian's family, do you think we will show up or not?"

Third, even if you have extraordinary abilities, you can still deceive everyone.

Are you sure Jia Lian will let you and me manipulate him?

Do you mean I should keep him tied up and wander the world forever?

If he insists on not complying, or even reports us to the court, what should we do?

Kill him?

fourth……"

The Fourth Prince was rendered speechless by Princess Zhaoyang's question. He couldn't bring himself to say anything foolish in front of his elder sister's calm face.

"Fourth, as a prince of the Great Wei Dynasty, I should naturally prioritize the interests of the country in my actions."

Do you know that if you break the alliance between the court and the Oirat, and if this leads to the Tatars, the Oirat, and many other vassal states of the Western Sea forming an alliance to invade our dynasty, then not only you, but even my father will likely be blamed and criticized for it.

Therefore, such ignorant and foolish words are only uttered by commoners. You, a prince of the Great Wei Dynasty, cannot utter them.

I have a mission that belongs to me.

And you are the same.

Princess Zhaoyang looked at her younger brother with a deep gaze, feeling somewhat worried about his future.

The emperor did not have many sons, so compared to the previous dynasty, each prince received relatively more attention.

She could tell that the reason her younger brother was going further and further down the path of debauchery was probably because he was trying to signal to his elder brothers that he had no intention of following the proper order.

However, throughout history, the struggle for power in the imperial family has often been accompanied by bloodshed and cruelty.

Without strategy, simply hiding one's ignorance and feigning ignorance is useless. One might even become more easily manipulated and lose something that belongs to them.

Even life itself.

Unfortunately, even if her elder sister could foresee something, she couldn't help him.