Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

After meeting with Grandmother Jia, Jia Lian went to the east wing to accompany Zhang Yong and the others in exercising their legs.

But I couldn't calm down.

Although she knew that Grandmother Jia was a shrewd person and had always been the person that Sister Feng respected and flattered the most, she believed that with Grandmother Jia's intervention, Sister Feng should be able to be appeased.

Knowing that today's events would have a significant impact on Sister Feng, she decided to go home early.

When they got to the courtyard, they found that Sister Feng had not returned yet, so they went to the bathroom to take a bath first.

When he returned to the main room, he saw Sister Feng, dressed in a long red embroidered dress, sitting quietly on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). She glanced at him as he entered, pretending not to see him.

Jia Lian breathed a sigh of relief.

First, there was no commotion.

Second, I didn't cry.

These two points are sufficient to prove that Grandmother Jia's summons of her was effective.

So he pretended nothing had happened, walked over, and sat down next to Sister Feng.

"Hmph!"

Jia Lian wanted to embrace Feng Jie, but Feng Jie was in a bad mood. When she noticed his lewd hand, she snorted, turned her buttocks, and sat away.

Jia Lian didn't mind, and sat down again, forcefully pulling Feng Jie's slender body into his arms.

Feng Jie struggled desperately, but how could she possibly win against Jia Lian now?

After many attempts failed, he finally sneered, "Second Master Lian is quite capable now. He can even coax the daughter of a descendant of four generations of marquises and a high-ranking official of the second rank into becoming your concubine!"

"If that's the case, why are you bothering me again? If you had a fairy-like Lin Daiyu to marry, would you still want my burnt-out exam paper?"

Hearing these resentful words, Jia Lian chuckled, turned Feng Jie's face towards him, and pretended to examine it closely, saying, "Hmm, she is indeed a bit dark-skinned and a bit curly. It's rare that you have such self-awareness."

Upon hearing this, Sister Feng could no longer control her anger and struggled incessantly in Jia Lian's arms.

Jia Lian immediately put his arms around her and warned, "Alright, stop fooling around, or you'll hurt yourself!"

Before leaving the capital last time, the couple had been enjoying themselves so much that Jia Lian almost broke Feng Jie's arm. From then on, Jia Lian knew that although Feng Jie looked strong, she was actually quite delicate and couldn't withstand his brute force.

"I'm making a scene? Ha!"

Wang Xifeng let out a cold laugh, finally unable to hide her emotions.

"You still say I'm making trouble? You yourself found a second wife without saying a word, while I, the first wife, didn't hear a thing beforehand."

If things hadn't been done now and I couldn't be kept in the dark any longer, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be qualified to know now!

I ask you, in your eyes, what am I? Am I still considered your lawfully wedded wife, Second Master Lian?

Sister Feng had been holding back her tears for a long time, but when Jia Lian held her tightly in his arms, she couldn't help but let them flow.

Actually, she hates to cry easily, and she herself rarely sheds tears.

In other words, she now truly regards Jia Lian as her lifelong support and the person she trusts most.

Now, Jia Lian is secretly plotting to marry a second wife, and one of them is someone of Daiyu's extraordinary status. Naturally, she has every reason to feel heartbroken and aggrieved.

She felt that even if Jia Lian had discussed it with her beforehand, she wouldn't have acted this way.

Jia Lian's actions clearly showed a lack of trust in her, which is why he acted first and informed her later.

That's true, although men have the right to take concubines.

However, as a wife, she also had the right to know! In large families, it was usually the head of the household's mother who handled the matter of a man taking a concubine, in order to conform to the rules and propriety.

What Jia Lian did not only made her feel that her husband's kindness had diminished, but also infringed upon her rights as a wife.

Wang Xifeng's reaction was exactly what Jia Lian had expected.

He wiped away Feng Jie's tears with his hand, pretending not to feel anything when she slapped his hand. He just held her tightly and laughed, "So that's why you were so worried."

Well, I didn't tell you about Lin Daiyu's matter beforehand, and I really feel bad for you.

However, it's not that I intentionally wanted to hide it from you.

As you know, Lin Daiyu's status is different after all. I never thought about marrying her before, nor did I dare to have such an idea.

This matter, in a way, was a coincidence...

Jia Lian glanced around the room. No one had come in for so long, so he knew that it must have been Feng Jie who had made special arrangements to hear his "explanation".

Therefore, he did not mince words and slowly revealed the "true situation".

"You might not know this, but after Master Lin fell seriously ill, he considered discussing marriage with the Second Master and Second Madam, betrothing Sister Lin to Brother Bao. Have you heard about this?"

Huh? Is that true?

Feng Jie'er's innate curiosity prompted her to look up at Jia Lian.

Jia Zheng and Lady Wang kept this matter very well hidden; even Grandmother Jia only heard about it much later.

Wang Xifeng didn't care much about the Lin family, so she never heard about it.

Jia Lian nodded solemnly and continued, "Uncle Lin knows that his days are numbered and he is worried about Lin Meimei, so he wants to arrange a marriage between his family and Second Master. He thinks that if Lin Meimei is taken care of by our family in the future, he will feel at ease."

Upon hearing this, Sister Feng nodded silently; she understood this point quite easily.

Daiyu was sickly and frail from a young age, which worried Lin Ruhai. It was understandable that he wanted to entrust his daughter to the Rongguo Mansion for care.

Putting everything else aside, marrying a daughter into the family means that at least with her maternal grandmother, Grandmother Jia, watching over her, she certainly won't be bullied.

"However, I don't know what the second master and the others were thinking. They seemed reluctant and kept putting off Uncle Lin for several months. In the end, Uncle Lin lost his patience."

Upon hearing this, Sister Feng abruptly interjected, "So, as soon as you saw an opportunity, you immediately asked Master Lin for your Lin sister?"

Wang Xifeng was a shrewd and calculating person, so of course she understood the schemes in Madam Wang's mind as soon as she heard it.

Putting everything else aside, even if she had a son in the future, she wouldn't want him to marry a woman who was frail and sickly since childhood and could be blown away by the wind!

Not to mention, now that the eldest daughter of the family has become a concubine, Baoyu is practically half the emperor's brother-in-law. What kind of good marriage couldn't he find? Why does he have to marry a sickly woman who has lost her mother and is about to lose her father?

"You're right."

Jia Lian showed no embarrassment whatsoever. Hearing Feng Jie tease him, he instead pointed to her forehead, and as she grew angry, he said softly:

"We've been married for so many years now, and we've been through so many ups and downs to get to where we are today, so I won't hide it from you."

I truly feel sorry for Lin Daiyu, so if I had the chance, I would love to take care of her for the rest of my life.

Lin Daiyu's mother passed away early, and now her uncle is so ill. What will happen to her if something bad happens to her? What will she do if she is all alone in the future?

Therefore, I begged Uncle Lin to give Lin Meimei to me in marriage, and I also personally promised Uncle Lin that I would take good care of Lin Meimei for the rest of my life.

"Feng girl, do you understand what I'm thinking?"

Jia Lian seemed to be speaking sincerely, but Feng Jie only responded with a cold laugh.

"Hehehe, I understand, how could I not understand? Which man wouldn't like a beauty like Lin Daiyu, who is as beautiful as a fairy?"

And what's more, it's our lecherous and lustful Second Master Lian!

Wang Xifeng would never completely believe Jia Lian's words...

Who says that loving your sister means you have to marry her? With a cousin like him, a marquis, around, no matter where Lin girl marries in the future, as long as he gives the word, who would dare to bully her?

To put it bluntly, it's just that he's fallen in love!

They spoke with such sincerity, but who were they trying to fool?

Seeing that Feng Jie wasn't buying it, Jia Lian smiled, pinched her nose affectionately, and then frankly admitted, "What you said is true, I have indeed fallen for Lin Daiyu. I just don't know if our Second Mistress Lian, who is known for her jealousy, would be willing to grant my wish?"

"Pooh!"

Feng Jie naturally knew that the talk of being a jealous person came from the two years before she married into the Rongguo Mansion.

The reason, of course, was that she controlled Jia Lian too tightly, which even amazed the servants, so they made up those stories.

But now, who in the mansion would dare to call her a jealous person?

She not only allowed Jia Lian to openly keep two concubines in his house, but also gave Ping'er to Jia Lian. She even told Jia Lian that he could take any respectable woman he fancied as his second wife.

She has already done so much, who the hell would dare to spread such rumors about her?

It is only now that Jia Lian is deliberately putting her down in this way in order to achieve his goal of having two wives.

"What good would it do if I said I didn't want to make it happen?"

Whether it's Mr. and Mrs. Lin, you've persuaded them, so what can I do even if I don't want to?

"If I say I don't want to, will you agree to not let Lin girl in?"

Sister Feng stared straight at Jia Lian with her eyes slightly moist with tears.

Jia Lian paused for a moment, then released Feng Jie, stood up to face her, and squatted down in front of her under her questioning gaze.

"What are you doing?"

Feng Jie shrank her feet, because Jia Lian, who had squatted down, picked up one of her feet.

Jia Lian ignored her and simply removed the embroidered shoe from her feet, then removed the other one as well.

Feng Jie was very uncomfortable, thinking that Jia Lian wanted to engage in some kind of debauchery. In the past, when she and Jia Lian argued, if Jia Lian was dissatisfied, he liked to pick her up and put her on the kang (a heated brick bed) or press her down on the table, bullying her and forcing her to obey.

She thought that Jia Lian wanted to use the same trick again today, so she tried her best to retreat onto the kang (heated brick bed).

Minor matters are one thing, but she's not about to give in easily to a "major incident" like today! She has to be in the right first!

Unexpectedly, although Jia Lian grabbed her ankle, he did not do any foreplay such as tickling her. He just looked up at her with eyes full of affection.

"I remember when the Empress Dowager threatened and pressured you, and I helped you take the blame, you were grateful for my protection and once gave me a very thoughtful foot massage."

Today, I also want to give you a proper foot massage.

Not for any other reason than that I, as your husband, will love you in the same way you love me.

I also hope that this will dispel the grievances in your heart.

As Jia Lian spoke, he gently removed Feng Jie's snow-white and clean silk stockings, revealing her fair and smooth feet.

Even though this wasn't the first time Jia Lian had admired Feng Jie'er's beautiful feet, he couldn't help but sigh at this moment. Although Feng Jie'er had flaws in her personality, her body was undeniably beautiful from head to toe.

Therefore, what was originally intended as a way to soothe Sister Feng's resentment and grievances through such intimate marital fun has now become quite serious.

He pulled over a low stool and sat down, holding Feng Jie'er's feet in his lap. He then massaged Feng Jie'er's feet, following the acupoints he knew, with varying pressure.

Wang Xifeng's eyes widened. When she first heard Jia Lian mention the Empress Dowager's past, she thought he wanted to "repay her kindness" and ask her to let the matter drop because of how he had protected her in the past.

Even so, it is still the right thing to do.

Thinking back to what happened last year, she still feels lingering resentment. If it weren't for Jia Lian protecting her back then, she doesn't know what would have become of her now, or even if she would still be alive.

Therefore, if Jia Lian uses that incident as leverage to negotiate with her, she will definitely choose to settle things peacefully.

Originally, she only wanted Jia Lian's attitude. From the moment Grandmother Jia told her about this, she knew that "the arm can't twist the thigh."

However, it seems that Jia Lian did not mean that.

He simply remembered how he had expressed his gratitude by massaging her feet in the past, so he wanted to express his love and gratitude to her in the same way.

Sister Feng blushed slightly.

She naturally remembered that Jia Lian, in order to protect her, not only withstood the pressure from the Empress Dowager but also took all the blame for her mistakes, claiming that he was a man and could bear those sins. For this, he was dismissed from his post by the Emperor.

Overwhelmed with remorse, she returned home and immediately knelt before Jia Lian to express her regret. Compared to that, massaging his feet seemed like a trivial matter.

Thinking of this, Feng Jie's last trace of dissatisfaction and grievance vanished. Looking at Jia Lian sitting below, holding her feet, his earnest expression melting her heart.

Suddenly, I felt a sense of enlightenment.

Putting aside the pros and cons that Grandmother Jia explained to her, let's just consider her true feelings. With such a universally acknowledged extraordinary man as her husband, who not only remained devoted to her but also showered her with love, what could she possibly have to hold onto, or what could she possibly complain about?

So she completely put aside her trivial matters, then propped herself up on her arms and sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), blushing as she enjoyed Jia Lian's superb skills.

She couldn't help herself and cried out "Ah~" when she felt a pleasurable sensation from the pressure. This made Jia Lian look up at her, which made her blush with embarrassment. She repeatedly said, "That's enough," and "No more."

In the end, Jia Lian did not comply.