Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

After leaving the palace, Lin Ruhai still had to return to Lantai Temple to arrange and handle government affairs.

The Lantai Temple was responsible for overseeing the entire realm, and at this sensitive juncture, he had many more things to attend to. So much so that, while sitting in the sedan chair, he pondered the importance and urgency of various matters and the order in which they should be dealt with, and before he knew it, drowsiness crept over him, so he sat in the sedan chair intending to take a nap.

"Master~ Master~~?"

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Ruhai was awakened by the old steward's voice. Coming to his senses, he realized the old steward had already climbed into the sedan chair and was looking at him with a worried expression.

"arrive?"

"We've been here for a while... Sir, if you're tired, why don't you go back to your residence and rest? You..."

The old steward had no words to express his frustration.

Lin Ruhai waved his hand. The emperor was currently overwhelmed with problems, and it was precisely the time for his ministers to share the burden. He had received great favor from the emperor, so how could he shirk his responsibilities at this time?

Supported by the steward, Lin Ruhai shakily stepped out of the sedan chair, feeling incredibly heavy and unlike his usual self. He already had a guess in his mind, but he didn't reveal it.

He paused briefly, glanced back to the west, and then said to the old steward, "Go to the Rongguo Mansion and tell the old lady that there is new news from beyond the Great Wall. Lian-ge'er is safe and sound, and she should not worry too much."

He then gave the steward a few more instructions, such as how to respond when he met the Jia family.

After the old steward left, Lin Ruhai sighed softly.

Life passes by in a flash, and time flies by too soon. Perhaps it's time to start thinking more about what happens after we're gone.

……

The Jia family breathed a sigh of relief thanks to the emperor's sudden decree of commendation and the message delivered by Lin Ruhai.

"Feng girl, now you should be able to relax a bit, right?"

If you are still worried, send someone to move last year's grain out and distribute it to the poor. This will also be considered a good deed for Lian'er.

In that case, Lian'er will surely return safely.

These days, rumors are flying around the family.

Because both Jia Zheng and Lin Ruhai adhered to the principle of reporting good news but not bad news, Jia Mu and the others only knew that something had happened to the wedding delegation, but they did not know the specifics of the situation.

Wang Xifeng, on the other hand, was resourceful and had a wide network of connections. She secretly gathered a lot of seemingly plausible information, but most of it was not good news, which made her lose sleep and appetite.

They were as if they were afraid that bad news about Jia Lian would come at any time.

Today's news finally eased some of her worries, so she quickly thanked Grandmother Jia.

For the Rongguo Mansion, which owns over 100,000 mu of fertile land, even with a large family to feed, they don't need to spend money to buy grain.

The land rent generated by the estates in various places each year is more than enough to consume them all.

The Duke's mansion wouldn't bother selling off this surplus grain, as it wouldn't fetch much money anyway.

Therefore, when the new grain was stored, the Rongguo Mansion's usual practice for the old grain from the previous year was to either donate it to Buddhist temples or health centers, or distribute it to the poor.

This is what is meant by "a family that accumulates good deeds will have abundant blessings to offer."

If there is good fortune, then God will bless the family and ensure their safety and prosperity.

This was the greatest belief of people at that time.

Nobody thought there was anything wrong with it.

"Sister Lin, do you know, Brother Lian is alright..."

When Tan Chun and the other sisters saw that the adults had made their decision, they remembered that Daiyu had been so worried about Jia Lian that she had fallen ill, so they hurriedly went to tell her the good news.

"real?"

Sure enough, Daiyu, who was lying on the couch, looked much brighter upon hearing this.

Tan Chun then proceeded to tell Daiyu everything that had happened outside.

Following behind his sisters, Jia Baoyu sneaked in. Seeing that Daiyu's spirits had improved, he felt even more distressed than when he saw that Daiyu was seriously ill.

Lin Daiyu, you're being too biased.

It's been so long, and she's been indifferent to him, but whenever it comes to Lian Erge, she shows him such concern.

The Rivers and Mountains of the Five Dynasties

Why are there such tormenting people in this world? And why do I, a handsome young man in this turbid world, find myself unable to forget this one person? Alas…

The innocent and naive young man didn't feel much jealousy between men and women; he just lamented and was saddened that his painstaking efforts had come to naught.

Lin Daiyu is too petty. Does she intend to ignore me for the rest of her life because of Anu?

Jia Baoyu thought to himself.

"Brother Bao, don't you think so?"

Tan Chun intended to ease the tension between Jia Baoyu and Daiyu. After all, living in the same mansion, it was quite uncomfortable for everyone if Daiyu kept ignoring Jia Baoyu.

"Well, what Third Sister says is true. Second Brother Lian is a lucky man and will surely be safe and sound."

Moreover, there's Princess Zhaoyang, who is rumored to be protected by the heavens and one in ten thousand; she will surely be safe and sound.

As the eunuch in the palace just said, the Emperor specially rewarded our family because our second brother Lian led troops to rescue the princess from the enemy.

Although I didn't witness it firsthand, it's not hard to imagine how brave Lian Erge was that day; otherwise, the Emperor wouldn't have given him such special praise. It seems that the tales of heroes and beauties recounted in ancient books and unofficial histories are no different.

I think Brother Lian is definitely going to become very famous now.

Jia Baoyu always had such unique views and made surprising remarks.

Yingchun and Tanchun couldn't help but cover their mouths and chuckle upon hearing this, while Daiyu's face darkened slightly. She looked at Jia Baoyu for a long while and said, "You'd better not say such things in front of Sister-in-law Lian."

"Pfft~"

"whee……"

Daiyu's sharp remark instantly broke the defenses of Tanchun and the others.

Jia Baoyu smiled awkwardly and dared not speak freely any further.

……

Unlike the pleasant atmosphere deliberately created in the capital, everyone in the Oirat camp on the Zhanghe River was in a depressed mood.

As more and more of the men who had followed Jia Lian to rescue the princess returned, but still no sign of Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang, everyone's anxiety grew stronger.

On this day, Wu Shiwei's generals successfully brought Aqin, Zhang Yong, and others back.

"Where are the princess and General Jia?!"

Upon meeting, both sides asked questions almost simultaneously.

As time went by, the Oirat royal court finally uncovered the conspiracy and rectified the situation.

With the arrogance of Bahamut's former subordinates gone, Zhang Yong, Aqin, and others, who had been struggling to maneuver within their encirclement for many days, were finally able to meet with Wu Shiwei's men and return to the main camp.

However, Zhang Yong and the others thought that Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang should have returned to the camp long ago.

But no! That can only mean that something might have happened to them!

Zhang Yong and the others immediately wanted to go back to search, but Wu Shiwei sent people to stop them.

"Now the imperial court has issued a new decree, ordering the delegation to withdraw to Ganning Pass and wait for the Oirat side to send someone to discuss the follow-up matters."

As far as I know, the Oirat are somewhat unsure about continuing the alliance because we killed their third prince.

If the princess and General Jia were to fall into their hands, the court would find a way to get them returned.

However, if that's not the case, the princess and General Jia were only delayed on the road. If we launch a large-scale search, it will only put the princess and General Jia in danger.

Therefore, the best course of action now is to pretend that the princess has been brought back by us, so that the Oirat side will lose any intention of using the princess as leverage. Then, we can secretly investigate and search for her.

This decision was made by Wu Shiwei after considering the overall situation.

The Oirats all knew that it was Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang who killed Bahamut. This was a sensitive time when the alliance between the two countries was on the verge of collapse. If the Oirats knew that Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang were still in their territory, it was hard to guarantee that they wouldn't harbor any wicked thoughts that would harm Princess Zhaoyang.

Anyway, Aqin was brought back disguised as Princess Zhaoyang, which was a good way to cover her tracks.

Even though Zhang Yong and the others were very worried, they had no choice but to obey Wu Shiwei's orders and arrangements.

The troops in the main camp, escorted by soldiers from Ganning Pass, slowly withdrew towards Ganning Pass. Only a contingent of troops was left on the Zhanghe River beach to receive Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang, who might return at any time. The Oirat side claimed that this was to pick up the soldiers who had been scattered in the previous battle.