Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Hearing that Jia Lian was spending money lavishly at the Rongguo Mansion, the servants of both mansions were naturally delighted.

The Ningguo Mansion, in particular, was overjoyed.

Historically, the Rongguo Mansion had more masters and more distinguished people, so it always distributed more rewards than the Ningguo Mansion.

They could only envy him before, but who would have thought that when Second Master Lian returned to the capital this time, even they would benefit from it.

As expected of a distinguished person, Master Lian has a truly magnanimous heart.

Therefore, if Master Lian ever needs their help in the future, they should serve him wholeheartedly and strive to become his people, for that would bring them many benefits.

The people of Rongguo Mansion, who received more reward money than those of Ningguo Mansion, not only had no complaints, but also felt a sense of superiority.

It's clear from the fact that Master Lian allowed the servants of the Rongguo Mansion to take an extra portion that he still favored his own people.

The servants were all delighted, but the masters of the two households had differing opinions.

For example, when Madam Xing learned of this news from her servants, her first reaction was confusion.

"Do they really have that much money? Are the Second Master and Second Madam really willing to spend so much money on rewards?"

Madam Xing knew that the various branches of the family had pooled their money to build the Imperial Garden, but because she didn't have any money, she couldn't get a say in it.

But she had her own plans in mind, and her eyes were always fixed on the Rongguo Mansion's treasury.

She knew that Madam Wang and Wang Xifeng had become increasingly stingy, frequently using the excuse of tight budgets to cut back on the treatment of each household.

"Madam, you don't know? This has nothing to do with Master and Second Madam. It was Second Master Lian and Second Madam Lian who paid for it themselves; they didn't take any money from the government."

"They paid for it themselves? When did Feng become so generous? Besides, didn't she say she had no money?"

Madam Xing was even more puzzled and somewhat dissatisfied.

After Jia She died, of the treasures he left behind, only a small portion was hidden away beforehand; the rest were all sold off by Jia Lian and his wife.

As for the few other fixed assets, they were transferred to the Rongguo Mansion's official treasury by Jia Lian after the merger of the two mansions' accounts.

Originally, she was determined to divide the inheritance with Jia Lian and his wife, but who knew that Jia Lian would later agree to let Grandmother Jia and others set aside all the money from the sale for the budget of the garden later on...

She didn't contribute a single penny to the construction of the garden, and naturally, she was too embarrassed to object at the time, so the matter was dropped.

But in her heart, she still felt that Jia Lian was too honest and didn't calculate things, so easily handing over tens of thousands of taels of silver...

As for Wang Xifeng saying she had no money, it was because when Jia Lian left the capital, he reminded her that there might be unforeseen problems with the construction of the garden, so she made it seem like she had already spent all the money.

Who is Wang Xifeng? In this respect, she naturally did it perfectly. So much so that not only did Madam Wang feel embarrassed to ask her for help when there was a shortfall in the garden's budget, but even Madam Xing thought that Jia Lian and his wife were really broke.

After all, she knew that Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, and Jia Lian and his wife had all contributed tens of thousands of taels of silver to the garden.

Seeing Madam Xing's naivety, her maidservant sneered, "Does the First Madam really believe Second Madam's words? In previous years, that might have been true."

But ever since Master Lian became an official, does Madam know how much silver he's sent home?

"How much?" Madam Xing said she really didn't know. Wang Xifeng was too shrewd; by intentionally keeping it from her, she naturally wouldn't let her notice too many flaws.

"Well, I don't know the exact amount, but my wife said that Master Lian is definitely not short of money!"

The first wife probably could guess that those officials all made money very easily.

Moreover, our second master is still the seal officer of the Military Command. Putting aside everything else, there are countless people who show him respect on a daily basis.

Master Lian has changed his ways again. If his money isn't managed by his second wife, who else would?

I heard from an old woman who had done some business in Lian Er Nainai's house that the several side rooms behind Lian Er Nainai's courtyard are now locked all year round, and no one is allowed to enter them.

She peeked through the crack in the window; it was piled high with valuables!

"this……"

Madam Xing was shocked.

If the old woman hadn't told her, she really wouldn't have known that such a thing existed.

"That makes sense. In the past two years, Lian'er has received countless rewards from the palace alone. Not to mention, men like him hold official positions outside the palace; they have countless ways to make money that we women don't know about, and he can't possibly tell everyone about them!"

Madam Xing nodded in sudden realization, her eyes lighting up.

By all accounts, Jia Lian is her son!

Since the two families started sharing the funds, they encountered the major task of building a garden. Especially after learning that Lady Wang had personally asked Madam You for tens of thousands of taels of silver, she worried that the Rongguo Mansion's treasury would be depleted and the whole family would have to live a hard life in the future. So she started planning early on to save more money for her own household in case of emergencies.

Over the years, through her scheming and thrift, she has only managed to accumulate a few thousand taels of silver!

She originally thought it was pretty good, much more than the ancestral property of her Xing family, but it also depends on who you compare it to.

For example, according to this old woman, Jia Lian had at least five thousand taels of silver and copper coins placed in the front yard...

There's simply no comparison.

The maidservant, seeing through Madam Xing's thoughts, smiled and said, "Now Madam can rest assured. With Second Master Lian's abilities, he will only become more and more wealthy in the future. And you, Madam, are Second Master Lian's only legal mother. If Second Master Lian doesn't take care of you in the future, who will he take care of?"

Hearing this, Madam Xing was overjoyed and smiled, "Of course..."

Madam Xing wasn't too worried about this. Since Jia She's death, her relationship with Jia Lian had improved considerably.

Before Jia Lian left the capital, he even asked her to take good care of his younger brother, Jia Cong.

The wealthier Jia Lian became, the happier she was.

She thought it would be even better if Wang Xifeng weren't around. She felt that if Wang Xifeng hadn't interfered, Jia Lian would have been even more filial to her, and perhaps he would have entrusted all his money to her for safekeeping.

Thinking about it this way, she even began to feel sorry for the money Jia Lian was currently spending.

"Don't just stand here with me, all of you. Go to Lian'er's place and collect your rewards. Call everyone in our courtyard and Cong'er's courtyard too, so that no unrelated people get all the money..."

Hearing Madam Xing's instructions, the old women obeyed without much worry. They had already found out that everyone would get a share.

At Ningguo Mansion, Madam You didn't react much after hearing the servant's report. She just smiled and instructed Yindie, "Go and tell Laisheng's wife to go to the accounting office and get three hundred strings of cash to distribute to everyone in the mansion. It's also a way to celebrate Second Master Lian's birthday."

Lady You didn't want her servants to think that she, as their mistress, wasn't being fair.

As for whether three hundred strings of cash is too little...

The Ningguo Mansion already had a much smaller population than the Rongguo Mansion, and after the Jia Zhen and Jia Rong incident, she sent away many more people.

So three hundred strings of cash is enough to give everyone a little something.

……

The Rongguo Mansion was still bustling with activity.

"Lin Zhixiao's family received a total of fourteen portions. In addition, the Second Master gave Lin Zhixiao an extra five taels of silver, Lin Zhixiao's family received five taels of silver, and Lin Hongyu received one tael of silver, totaling eleven taels of silver and seven strings of cash."

As Lin Zhixiao's wife and her two sons kowtowed to express their gratitude and receive the reward, Lin Zhixiao, who was standing next to Jia Lian reading the list, also put down the list and kowtowed deeply to Jia Lian.

Jia Lian waved for him to get up and looked at Lai Da, who had been standing by for a long time.

"Manager Lai..."

Lai Da walked to the center, knelt down and replied, "My wife is currently serving the old lady and cannot come to receive the reward, so I can only receive it on her behalf. Please forgive me, Second Master."

Jia Lian glanced at him, casually waved his hand to indicate that he didn't mind, but asked with some curiosity:

"I've heard that Steward Lai has three sons?"

"Second Master, this servant has three sons..."

"I heard that your eldest son, Shangrong, passed the county-level imperial examination a long time ago and is now studying diligently to prepare for the provincial-level examination?"

"Yes……"

"Oh, then I must congratulate him in advance. If he is truly promising and passes the provincial examination, it will bring honor to our Jia family."

Lai Da was delighted to hear this and quickly said with a smile, "Second Master is too kind to him. He was originally destined to be a servant. If it weren't for the Master's grace in letting him go out from birth, he would never have had the chance to study."

It's already a stroke of luck for him to have this opportunity to visit the examination hall; we never imagined he would pass.

Jia Lian smiled and said, "You don't need to be modest. There are plenty of people in the world who have the opportunity to study, but not everyone can seize it."

I'm not trying to flatter him, but ask around the whole world, which servant's household has a scholar in charge?

Not to mention the scholars who passed the imperial examinations.

If he truly succeeds, it will indeed bring honor to our Jia family, and I will reward him accordingly.

I'm afraid... Manager Lai is used to being rich and might look down on my few copper coins..."

Lai Da's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly said, "Second Master, what are you saying? My family is able to live like this today entirely thanks to the grace of our masters generation after generation."

As for my son Shangrong, even if he actually passes the imperial examination one day, let alone before he has passed, if he dares to be ungrateful and betray his master, this old servant will be the first to break his legs!

Lai Da was taken aback by Jia Lian's words.

Although he was convinced that, given the Lai family's generations of service to the Jia family and his mother's standing in front of Grandmother Jia, even Jia Lian couldn't possibly do anything to his family.

However, that doesn't mean he dared to go against Jia Lian.

This is still the Jia Lian of yesteryear. Now, Jia Lian is even more esteemed as a marquis. If things were to turn ugly, even Grandmother Jia might not be able to protect the Lai family!

He was naturally cautious in front of Jia Lian.

Second, regarding his son Shang Rong...

Even if my son were to pass the imperial examination and become an official, he would still have to rely on the Jia family's support.

As the chief steward of the Duke's mansion, serving Jia Zheng year-round, Lai Da was well-versed in officialdom.

Given their family's wealth and influence, even if their son passed the imperial examination, only through the Jia family's power could they secure him an official position...

As for passing the imperial examination, they never dared to hope for it, let alone hope for it.

You should know that all Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) had to go through the palace examination, which meant they might have to meet the emperor!

What should the son say if the emperor asks about his family background?

My father and grandfather were both servants of the Rongguo Mansion?

If that were to happen, he could imagine how unpleasant the emperor's expression would be.

Although the imperial examination system in this dynasty is not as strict as that of the previous dynasty, people from all walks of life, including scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants, can participate in the examinations.

But this certainly doesn't include lackeys!

Although his son Shangrong was released from his family at birth and was considered a commoner, the emperor might not necessarily think so.

All those who passed the imperial examinations were guaranteed to become officials appointed by the imperial court.

The relationship between ruler and subject is essentially the same as that between master and servant.

The parents of a high-ranking official were actually servants in someone else's household? How could the emperor possibly think of that?

He might not be furious, but he's definitely annoyed.

By displeasing the emperor, the Lai family's fate was sealed.

Therefore, the Lai family never intended for Lai Shangrong to pass the imperial examination. They only hoped that he could pass the provincial examination and then, through the connections of the Jia family, secretly obtain an official position. From then on, the Lai family would rise from the servant class to the scholar class.

As long as he doesn't catch the emperor's eye, it's unlikely anyone will relentlessly pursue him and his family.

It can be said that Lai Shangrong was the Lai family's only chance to turn their lives around. They carefully nurtured him from a young age and valued him more than anything else.

Lai Da dared not let Jia Lian harbor any resentment. If he ruined his son's future, the entire Lai family would never have a chance to recover.

Faced with Lai Da's humble expression and words, Jia Lian felt no ripples in his heart.

To be honest, if he hadn't just returned to Beijing and had a lot of things to do at home, he really would have liked to take this opportunity to uproot the Lai family completely.

It's not that the Lai family is that important to him; he just doesn't want a family that wasn't loyal to begin with to keep clinging to the Jia family.

As for why the Lai family wasn't loyal enough...

In fact, many facts have proven this.

The most important point is that the Lai family nurtured Lai Shangrong's education for the imperial examinations!

When Grandmother Jia was still in charge of the household, she spared the eldest grandson of her old friend Granny Lai from slavery, which was an act of favor.

At least, Grandmother Jia certainly never imagined that the Lai family would raise an official!

I ask you, besides the imperial family, which other family is qualified to be the master of an official?

For example, after the Lai brothers, Lai Da and Lai Sheng, the Lai family never again allowed their children to do hard labor in the two prefectures...

This is a stark contrast to Lin Zhixiao, who arranged for his son and daughter to enter the household early on, starting as third-class servants.

Therefore, many things are not without clues, it's just that people like Grandmother Jia and Jia Zheng couldn't see them.

Of course, given the Lai brothers' and Granny Lai's shrewdness, it's not surprising that Grandmother Jia and the others couldn't see through it. After all, they were in the thick of it, and even thought the Lai family was incredibly loyal, entrusting them with many important matters, which made them feel very relieved.

From this perspective, the Lai family is very successful.

If they hadn't been born into humble circumstances, with the abilities of the Lai family over generations, it would have been possible for them to develop into a large family, or even a prestigious one.

Jia Lian was quite confident in the abilities of the Lai family members.

However, what can you do when he gave Lai Da a chance back then, but Lai Da failed to seize it?

Since they did not surrender at that time, they were destined to perish.

From the funeral of Jia She and others last year to the construction of this huge imperial garden, although the Lai family was cautious enough, under his careful surveillance, he had long since obtained enough evidence of their embezzlement.

He could eliminate the Lai family at any time if he wanted to.

There's no rush.

The Lai family, including Lai Shangrong, has not yet passed the imperial examination and become an official, so they would never dare to betray the Jia family.

"I can forgive Lai Shangrong, but what about your other two sons? I hardly ever see them throughout the year."

Jia Lian then asked casually.

Lai Da's heart stirred slightly. Could it be that this was what displeased the Second Master?

"Please forgive me, Second Master. In previous years, because they were too young, I did not arrange any jobs for them in the manor."

In recent years, there haven't been any major changes in the personnel in the manor, so I've had the two of them run errands for me alongside the master.

Since Second Master has asked about them, why don't I beg Master to grant them a chance to work under Second Master?

"No need for that. Since they're following the master, let them stay with him. I have plenty of people to serve me."

"Alright, go collect your money."

After dealing with Lai Da, the reward distribution was considered complete.

It looked impressive, but in reality, all the servants combined didn't even spend a thousand taels.

Originally, the Ning and Rong mansions had more than 600 people, and now there are fewer, but still more than 500.

On average, each person received a little over one or two taels of silver, and that included the stewards and their wives. In reality, most people received only about one string of cash.

He waved for Lin Zhixiao to leave, then gave Zhao Sheng and the others a look.

Zhao Sheng and the others understood and immediately led a group of people from a corner of the hall over.

These people were mostly women and children, and each of them had a mourning band tied around their forehead.

When Jia Lian saw them, his expression immediately darkened.

Before these people could kowtow to him, he had already stood up and faced the group of servants who had not yet dispersed.

"Many of you have probably heard that I was ordered to leave the capital this time, and I have experienced many life-and-death crises."

So, the fact that I'm back today is entirely due to the stroke of luck that I escaped with my life!

However, I returned alive, but many of those who went with me to the Oirat did not.

In other words, my life was saved by those who didn't come back alive!

People who are dead cannot be brought back to life. Although I am heartbroken, there is nothing I can do to undo the tragedy.

But I can guarantee one thing: I will take care of their wives, children, and elderly parents in their place! I will ensure that their blood was not shed in vain, and that they will not feel heartbroken in the afterlife.

Therefore, the reason I've gathered you all here today is not only to give you some reward money, but more importantly, to tell you something.

The people before me, their sons, husbands, or fathers, died for me, Jia Lian.

Therefore, I do not want to hear anyone say that any of them has been bullied by others someday.

I especially don't want any of them to point their fingers at me, Jia Lian, and call me an ungrateful person.

Do you all understand?

Although Jia Lian spoke calmly, his words caused everyone in the courtyard to show strange expressions.

Those kneeling people, their faces filled with sorrow and gratitude, couldn't help but cry out again.

They all knew that with Jia Lian's words, no one in the Jia family would dare to bully them in the future!

They were grateful, they were excited.

"Second Master, we are unworthy of your words. Third Brother, he died for you, Second Master. He died a worthy death!"

An elderly man, though frail, was in excellent spirits and shouted loudly, looking up.

"Indeed, my son Zhuzi is the same. We all kowtow to thank Second Master for his great kindness and virtue..."

Such sounds made Jia Lian feel somewhat uncomfortable.

They were the ones who had lost their closest loved ones, yet now they were kowtowing to him in gratitude.

After loudly reassuring them for a moment and waiting for them to quiet down, Jia Lian said, "There's not much I can do, except to treat the family members of loyal and righteous people with kindness."

Alright, everyone who follows me on this expedition will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver.

Those who are seriously injured and disabled will receive an additional 120 taels of silver as compensation.

Those who die in battle will receive a pension of 180 taels of silver.

Wang Teng has followed me for many years and was the bravest in this battle. He is hereby awarded an extra three hundred taels of silver.

"Therefore, each of you send two people up to collect the silver."