Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Jia Lian slept soundly, but in his hazy state, he noticed something moving around his eyes and nose.

"Nanny, take the eldest daughter away and let the Marquis rest well."

That was Wang Xifeng's voice. Jia Lian opened his eyes and saw a pair of bright, sparkling eyes staring at him with a mix of childlike wonder and curiosity.

Jia Lian smiled, sat up, and beckoned to the little girl in front of him: "Come here, let your father give you a hug."

It was his and Wang Xifeng's daughter. The little maid was exquisitely beautiful, both in appearance and attire, clearly the family's little princess.

Seeing Jia Lian beckoning to her, the curiosity in the little girl's eyes faded, and after some hesitation, she leaned against the wet nurse behind her.

Seeing Jia Lian's embarrassed expression, the wet nurse smiled and said, "My lord, please don't mind. The eldest daughter is still young and hasn't seen you for a long time, so she's a little shy."

Jia Lian naturally wouldn't mind. When he left the capital, Qiao Jie was still unable to walk. Now, more than half a year has passed, and she probably has an even lower impression of him.

Speaking of which, the name Qiaojie was actually given to her by Granny Liu, as it corresponds to her birth on the Double Seventh Festival (the Qixi Festival).

However, Granny Liu has not yet entered the Grand View Garden, nor has she met Qiao Jie'er, so Qiao Jie'er does not yet have a maiden name.

Jia Lian had considered giving Qiao Jie a nicer name, but then thought better of it. Anyway, people in those days usually named their girls late, so if they missed the chance to have Granny Liu name her, he, as her father, could just give her the name "Qiao Jie".

Wang Xifeng, who was touching up her makeup in the inner room, came out when she heard Jia Lian's voice. She saw that Jia Lian was barely able to hold Qiao Jie'er with the help of the wet nurse, and immediately laughed and said, "Who told you not to come home for more than half a year? The eldest daughter is still recognizing people, so naturally she is not close to you now. You can't blame anyone else."

Jia Lian smiled and asked, "Can you speak yet?"

He just saw that the little girl could walk on her own.

"She can talk, but she's very shy and hesitant, unlike me at all. It takes a lot of coaxing to get her to speak."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, then instructed Qiao Jie'er, who was being forcibly held in Jia Lian's arms, "Quickly, call him 'Daddy,' and tell your daddy to buy you something fun..."

Perhaps Qiao Jie still remembered Jia Lian, because she stopped struggling after a while, looked up at Jia Lian a few times, and saw that Jia Lian was also looking down at her with a smile. Her face turned red with embarrassment, and she hid under Jia Lian's elbow without responding.

"You little brat, hurry up and call me 'Daddy'! It's only been a little over six months, and you don't recognize me anymore?"

Wang Xifeng stepped forward and urged.

She didn't want Jia Lian and Qiao Jie'er to become estranged.

"It's alright. She shouldn't be going on any long trips for a while now that she's back. There's plenty of time for her to speak; there's no rush."

Jia Lian, however, took it all in stride. He picked up the little girl and teased her for a while, making funny faces at her. Soon, the little girl's eyes lit up with joy again, and she started giggling.

Seeing this, Wang Xifeng rolled her eyes, waited a while, and then said to the wet nurse, "Take the eldest daughter away. I have something to say to the Marquis."

The young wet nurse smiled and took Qiao Jie'er from Jia Lian's arms, then led her out.

"I heard from Lin Zhixiao's wife that you instructed them to gather the men from both households and have them assemble in the front courtyard at the beginning of the day?"

"Um."

"So that we can give everyone a reward?"

At noon, Jia Lian returned in a hurry, and she briefly asked if everyone should be given some reward money so that they could all share in the joy of such a happy occasion.

Jia Lian simply told her not to worry about it, as he already had arrangements.

"That's one point, but I have something more important to do, and I need your help with that."

As Jia Lian spoke, he also briefly discussed the matter with Wang Xifeng.

Although Wang Xifeng was surprised by Jia Lian's idea, she had no objection. She simply said, "Speaking of which, nowadays the family doesn't distinguish between the eldest master's side and the second master's side; both sides are combined into one."

"For things like distributing rewards to everyone for a joyous occasion, the money should have been drawn from the government coffers, but you selflessly paid for it out of your own pocket."

Wang Xifeng had a very clear understanding of the situation. Seeing that Jia Lian didn't seem to care, she immediately said, "You don't know, this afternoon, the Empress and the Empress Dowager in the palace bestowed rewards upon you. Madam also said that the government's silver is not enough, and that all those things should be transferred to the government."

They even instigated the old lady to join in. If I hadn't reacted quickly, those things would probably already be in the government treasury by now.

Jia Lian raised an eyebrow: "So how did you deal with it?"

Wang Xifeng then briefly recounted what had happened at Rongqing Hall.

Seeing that Wang Xifeng still looked a little aggrieved, Jia Lian took her hand and helped her sit on the kang (a heated brick bed), then laughed and said, "As expected, our Second Mistress Feng is really shrewd. Even the Old Madam and the Madam can't outwit you. Well done."

Wang Xifeng was unwilling to accept such high praise and said somewhat anxiously, "It's not that I can't beat you. The old lady and the madam are only doing this because of you. They all know that you are the one who can earn the most money in the family now. They are afraid that if they push us too far, we will make a fuss about dividing the family property."

However, the family is not as well-off as it used to be.

Last winter, as soon as the money from the villages in various places was handed over, it immediately found its own destination.

And you don't know, the garden behind, under the master's supervision, was built to perfection. I went in for a look a while ago, and it truly felt like entering a celestial abode.

However, it was built so well that the money spent far exceeded the budget.

Not only have they almost exhausted the government's funds, but the lady also borrowed 80,000 taels of silver from Sister-in-law You in the East Mansion, which is how they managed to get by until today!

"Eighty thousand?"

Jia Lian was initially puzzled, as everyone said the garden at the back was basically completed, only lacking decoration.

In Jia Lian's calculations, if Jia Zheng, a kind and benevolent gentleman, were to be in charge of the entire construction project, it would be strange if the servants below him didn't embezzle funds.

Therefore, the previous budget was probably insufficient.

However, when he returned, he did not find that his family had become poor. On the contrary, judging from the celebration banquet held for him, it was clear that his family was still as wealthy as ever.

It turned out that the money had been borrowed from the East Mansion.

"Yes, a full 80,000 taels! At first, when we were short of money, Madam had someone borrow 50,000 from Sister-in-law You, and later borrowed another 30,000."

As Wang Xifeng spoke, her eyes lit up.

Eighty thousand taels of silver! In the past, that was a sum he wouldn't have dared to even dream of.

After all, with her dowry and the money she had worked hard to save in the first two years after marrying Jia Lian, she had less than eight thousand taels of silver in total.

But now, she doesn't care much anymore.

She currently possesses over 100,000 in readily available gold and silver alone, not to mention other valuables and fixed assets.

These silver coins came from various sources, but they were all wealth that naturally accumulated in Jia Lian's household after he succeeded in his endeavors.

Now, she even complains that her yard is too small. Because, besides the main house, the several empty rooms in the backyard are now piled high with all sorts of valuables!

She is a real rich woman.

Moreover, she also knew that Jia Lian's assets were not entirely under her control.

Putting everything else aside, she knew that the two sisters, Aqin and her sister, kept a lot of Jia Lian's private savings in their room.

And Zhao'er's place, there must be some too. They even opened a restaurant called Zuixianlou in the west of the city behind their mother's back.

She didn't see a single penny of the money coming in and out of there.

Not dwelling on these things, she exclaimed, "I used to think that Sister-in-law You was a quiet, timid, and naive person."

"I never imagined she would have such boldness, lending us the entire treasury of the Ningguo Mansion."

Wang Xifeng was surprised, but Jia Lian sighed inwardly.

As one of the people who knew You Shi best, how could Jia Lian not understand why You Shi was willing to lend this silver, and even lend so much of it?

It was just a last resort.

Now, there isn't a single male in the Ningguo Mansion.

However, the You family itself had a weak foundation, and naturally dared not offend the Rong family if it wanted to protect the Ningguo Mansion.

Therefore, even if it meant emptying the official treasury, she had no choice but to borrow.

After all, the Rongguo Mansion's financial difficulties are only temporary, and they will naturally recover in the future.

By then, given the prestige of the Rongguo Mansion, it would be highly unlikely that they would not repay the borrowed money.

But if they don't lend it...

Now that the Rongguo Mansion is using all its resources to build the Grand View Garden, and the Ningguo Mansion clearly has the money but doesn't help, I'm afraid the Rongguo Mansion won't help either if the Ningguo Mansion is in trouble in the future.

This woman, Madam You, couldn't possibly be blind to these things, so she lent them out very decisively and generously.

He immediately won the favor of a group of people, led by Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang.

Of course, Jia Lian also knew that there might be another reason why Lady You was not afraid that the Rongguo Mansion would not return the money.

She's pregnant with his child; the Ningguo Mansion's money is essentially the money of orphans and widows like them. Even if the Rongguo Mansion doesn't want to repay it, Jia Lian probably won't allow it.

If Lady You truly thought that way, Jia Lian would be even happier.

"Since she is so kind and righteous, we will naturally return the money once our household recovers."

Without saying much on that point, Jia Lian returned to the previous topic.

"As for Madam's desire to have the Empress Dowager's rewards deposited into the official treasury, it doesn't matter if you didn't stop her at the time."

I have my own reasons for not using the government's money this time.

But if they're even envious of a small reward, then I certainly won't be polite to them.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng immediately asked, "How much silver did you bring out this time?"

"About eight thousand taels," Jia Lian said frankly, without hiding anything.

"So many!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng felt a pang of regret. She should have asked Madam Wang to take the Empress Dowager's reward back at the Rongguo Mansion. That way, they could have immediately withdrawn eight thousand taels of silver from the government, which would have been a profit for them.

She felt a pang of sympathy: "Actually, whether you're distributing rewards, providing compensation to those who died in battle, or building some kind of 'Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness,' it's all official business. Official business should naturally be handled officially, and we should still get the money from the government."

Wang Xifeng earnestly tried to persuade her, but Honglan's face showed the shadow of a money-grubber.

Jia Lian couldn't help but pinch her nose. Since it was still early, he explained to her in detail.

"First, although the two branches of the household have lived together, my husband and I are both officials in the court, so there will inevitably be conflicts in some areas."

Now I'm willing to give in to my wife and her family, simply because, like the old lady, I want to maintain stability at home.

However, this does not mean that I will give up my right to speak.

Now, the family has spent almost all the official money on building the garden, and even the old lady and the wife have contributed a considerable amount of their private savings.

We are different from them. The money they save is dwindling with every penny they spend, while we are still young and have plenty of opportunities to make money in the future.

Whether it's distributing rewards to everyone, providing compensation to the guards, or building a shrine to loyalty and righteousness, these are all opportunities to win people's hearts, and I don't want the master and mistress to get involved.

Secondly, the government is short of money these days. If we were to ask the government for money, we would inevitably have to compete with the master and mistress, which would be troublesome and we would certainly not be able to get enough money.

As for matters such as compensating my guards, these are matters of my prestige, and I don't want anything to go wrong. It would be better if we paid for it ourselves.

third……"

When the third point was mentioned, Jia Lian laughed.

"Haven't you always been eyeing my secret stash of money? This time, I'm not asking you to pay for it; it's all my own money."

"Now that I've run out of money, isn't that perfect for you to control me?"

Wang Xifeng had been listening attentively, but upon hearing the third point, her willow-leaf eyebrows immediately shot up, and she sat up, glaring at Jia Lian.

"Explain yourself clearly. When did I ever try to control you?"

Most of the money in this household was earned by you, I've never denied that. And since you became an official, when have I ever uttered a single word of dissent when you needed to spend money?

Now that you're saying such things, it's clearly an attempt to rip out someone's heart.

"Are you trying to prevent me from managing the family finances? Just say it directly, no need to beat around the bush and insult me ​​like this!"

Wang Xifeng sat beside Jia Lian, her eyes blazing with anger, and she also looked incredibly aggrieved.

Being easily angered is Wang Xifeng's nature.

The feeling of being wronged reflects the insecurity that Wang Xifeng feels now.

Although Jia Lian was incompetent in the past, he was still under her control, so she wasn't afraid that Jia Lian would abandon her.

If Jia Lian were to change his mind now, he could easily kick her aside with a wave of his hand.

That's why I'm a little sensitive.

Jia Lian originally just wanted to play a joke on Wang Xifeng.

He hadn't taken any money from Wang Xifeng before simply for convenience. He was just casually teasing her, but who knew this woman would take it so seriously?

Seeing her tearful eyes, Jia Lian could understand Wang Xifeng's feelings to some extent, so he hugged her and laughed, "Alright, alright, I was just joking with you. What, are you going to cry?"

"Who wants to cry?"

Wang Xifeng elbowed Jia Lian in his arms, but she couldn't break free.

"You say it's a joke now, but I thought you were serious just now."

I'm not kidding you. If you don't like it, just say so. I'm not shameless enough to cling to you.

That's what she said, but thinking back to how she was threatened by the Empress Dowager and disliked by the Jia family, and now being held by Jia Lian and feeling the warmth of her husband's chest, even the hardest heart couldn't help but become fragile, and she couldn't help but shed a few tears.

Who can understand her heart?

She was delighted with the phoenix coronet and wedding gown that Jia Lian had earned for her, but sometimes when she calmed down, she felt that with every gain there was a loss.

She is very possessive. Jia Lian used to belong to her alone, but now, although Jia Lian has become so good, even perfect, it is difficult for him to belong to her alone anymore.

She understood, and she had a strong feeling about it.

For example, when Jia Lian came back last time, he brought back a pair of sisters from the grasslands.

I brought one with me on this trip back to Beijing.

It was a gift from the princess, and she didn't even have the right to refuse.

She was even quite tactful and didn't ask any further questions.

This has always been the case. Now that Jia Lian has been ennobled, how many more such things will happen in the future?

She knew that, apart from the advantage of being Jia Lian's first wife, she had no other advantages.

Take, for example, the princess's attempt to abduct the bride, which led to the capture of Jia Lian for his crimes. If it weren't for Jia Lian's strong protection, she might not even be alive now, let alone be a marquis's wife.

"Hehehe, you really cried?" Wang Xifeng shed tears, but Jia Lian laughed instead.

He cupped her pretty face in his hands and teased her.

Wang Xifeng was furious when she saw this, and in a fit of anger, she turned around and tried to get far away from Jia Lian.

How could Jia Lian grant her wish? He saw his beautiful wife newly adorned in red, looking incredibly radiant and stunning.

He had only been joking around with the young girl before, and hadn't really gotten serious. But he no longer had to endure it, and with one flip, he pinned Wang Xifeng down on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Although Wang Xifeng was mentally prepared, she was still greatly surprised at this moment.

This is the outer heated kang (traditional heated bed); what if someone comes in and sees this?

"Don't worry, Ping'er is outside, she'll be watching the door."

Sure enough, when Wang Xifeng looked up, she saw that Ping'er, who had been arranging cups and saucers in the tea room, had disappeared without a trace.

However, the curtain that had been rolled up at the door was now drawn down.

Now, Wang Xifeng felt a little more at ease, letting Jia Lian peel off the clothes she had just tried on, piece by piece, until they were scattered all over the ground.