Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

After leaving Tianxiang Tower, Jia Lian led two maids from the garden toward Rongguo Mansion.

Because of the beautiful scenery and magnificent architecture in the garden, the two girls, Aqi and Aqin, who came from the grasslands and had never seen a high-quality royal garden before, were able to relax and enjoy the scenery with great curiosity once they entered the garden. Even Aqin, who was a little jealous of Jia Lian's illicit affair, opened her heart and admired the scenery with great curiosity.

Jia Lian, however, remembered that he had arranged to visit the garden with Feng Jie in the afternoon, so he did not look closely.

After returning home and changing into a simple and neat robe, Jia Lian had a room prepared in the east corridor as a place for Aqi and Aqin to rest. Then he went out again and headed to the east courtyard.

When asked about the test results, Jia Lian was not very satisfied; only a little over thirty people passed the test.

These people are either genuinely young and strong, or they frequently travel for work and have exceptional stamina.

In short, only these thirty-odd people truly met Jia Lian's requirements. Everyone else failed completely; according to Zhao Sheng, half of them even collapsed and couldn't move after only ten or so laps.

These people also included the Zhao brothers.

"These 36 people, if they can finish 30 laps, at least show that their physical strength and willpower are quite good."

Zhang Yong, starting tomorrow, you'll take Feng Fei and the others to test their archery, horsemanship, and swordsmanship skills. Anyone who isn't extremely inept—like someone who can't draw a bow, lift a sword, or is afraid to ride a fast horse—can be incorporated into the personal guard. Then, train them intensively using the same methods as before, striving to make them look like soldiers as quickly as possible.”

After Zhang Yong agreed, he asked Jia Lian, "My lord, even if we keep everyone, it still won't be enough. Should we select some more from those who ran more than twenty laps?"

"No need, I've already made arrangements for this."

Jia Lian wanted to form a personal guard of fifty men. With his current wealth, supporting fifty soldiers was a piece of cake.

But there was no rush. If he couldn't find enough qualified people from his own family, he could simply choose from the two thousand-plus men in the military command. He believed that those officers and soldiers would all be happy to become his personal guards.

The reason we hadn't considered this before was simply because they were all paid official salaries, unlike our own servants, whose lives and interests were entirely tied to him—making them more loyal and reliable.

Looking back now, it seems he was a bit narrow-minded.

By having people receiving official salaries replenish his personal guard, he could demonstrate his magnanimity in not nepotism, which would help him win over the hearts of the people.

For example, if he becomes the commander-in-chief on the battlefield in the future, he cannot entrust his safety entirely to his own retainers.

Only when he can win the respect of the soldiers and officers of the three armies, and have them wholeheartedly support and protect him, can he truly be invincible.

As for loyalty, as long as there are enough benefits and sentiments, there's really no difference between them and servants. After all, even servants can be unreliable if they're treated badly or if the servants themselves are ungrateful.

For example, the Lai family.

After leaving the east courtyard, Jia Lian went to Mengpo Studio to find Jia Zheng, intending to ask him about the next steps in the construction of the garden.

He had just returned from the park and saw that many areas were still under construction.

The servant of Mengpo Studio told him that Jia Zheng was still at Rongqing Hall, serving Grandmother Jia, and Jia Lian had come to Rongqing Hall again.

As I passed through the main courtyard, I saw Xue Pan dash past the second gate in a flash, without a single servant by his side.

Jia Lian wanted to greet him, but the other man didn't even see him. Jia Lian shook his head and ignored him. He found Jia Zheng in the courtyard of the inner palace, had a brief conversation with him, and then went home.

Just then, Wang Xifeng returned to change her clothes, and upon seeing Jia Lian, she couldn't resist getting close to him.

The couple sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), and Wang Xifeng said with some delight, "You missed out on going to the old lady's courtyard to watch the play today, that's a real loss."

"Oh, how so?"

"Today, the master invited a troupe of actors. The others were all fine, but one of them, who played both a young male and a young female role, was particularly outstanding. He was clearly a man, and it would be fine if he played a young male role, but when he played a woman, he did it just as well. Even the old lady praised him. It was truly a rare sight."

They said he was invited by Master Lai, and that he was a famous figure in the capital named Liu Xianglian.

Jia Lian didn't pay much attention at first. There were many powerful and influential people in the capital, and many opera troupes that served them, so there were naturally quite a few famous actors from each troupe.

Jia Lian also watched plays, and sometimes he felt that some actors were indeed born with exceptional talent, the kind of people who were blessed by God.

However, he himself was also among the most handsome men in the world, and he felt that it wouldn't be too difficult for him to take their jobs, so he didn't care much.

Hearing the name Liu Xianglian for the first time, his expression changed slightly, and he opened his eyes.

Seeing this, Wang Xifeng couldn't help but ask with a smile, "What, you know him? Could it be that he's the Marquis's old flame?"

As the young mistress of the Rongguo Mansion, Wang Xifeng naturally knew quite a bit about the culture of romance and pleasure.

He also knew that many sons of powerful and wealthy families in the capital were fond of men; for example, Jia Zhen and his son were notorious for it.

For those few years, Jia Lian had been following Jia Zhen around, so it was no wonder that Feng Jie had suspicions.

However, as soon as she asked the question, she instinctively covered her buttocks. This was because she had asked similar questions after intimate moments in the past, and each time she had been slapped on the buttocks.

To her surprise, Jia Lian didn't hit her this time, which made her suddenly focus her attention: "Did I really guess right?"

"Snap!"

The familiar feeling immediately deflated Feng Jie'er's arrogance, and she obediently nestled in Jia Lian's arms.

Then Jia Lian said, "I have indeed heard of this person, but I have never met him."

However, I'm not concerned about how well he performs in romantic dramas; I've only heard that he comes from a family with a strong academic background and is quite skilled in martial arts.

As you know, I am currently building my personal guard and need to recruit some people with impeccable backgrounds, preferably those with considerable skills. If I could bring such a person into my personal guard, that would be quite good.

"But you keep praising this person. Has our Second Madam Feng taken a liking to him?"

"Go away, you're getting more and more irresponsible!"

Wang Xifeng looked very ashamed. This was a characteristic of the times: women could tease men because it was considered natural for men to be unfaithful.

However, men cannot joke about their wives; a woman's chastity is more important than her life.

It is only because Sister Feng herself has a generous personality and is deeply influenced by Jia Lian that she only blushes.

After hearing Jia Lian's words, he asked why there weren't enough servants in the house to choose his personal guards, and then said, "Now that you are a marquis, since you have taken a liking to him, just send someone to recruit him."

"For an actor like him to gain the favor of the Marquis is an honor for him. Why would he be afraid of the Marquis's refusal?"

At present, the Great Wei Dynasty is prosperous and peaceful, valuing literature over martial arts, so the fact that Liu Xianglian is skilled in martial arts is not widely known. However, Sister Feng had previously caught a glimpse of Liu Xianglian on the stage from afar. Judging from his delicate and graceful appearance, he seemed like a refined and handsome scholar, not at all like a martial artist.

However, since Jia Lian used serious business as an excuse, regardless of whether he had ulterior motives, she couldn't object and instead offered her advice.

In his eyes, given Jia Lian's current status, many people would rather die than curry favor with him, let alone an actor.

But Jia Lian shook his head and said nothing more.

Although Jia Lian knew that Liu Xianglian was skilled, he still remembered that Liu Xianglian had a close relationship with Qin Zhong and Jia Baoyu, and that he was very capable but only frequented brothels and did not seek fame or fortune. He was probably a "unconventional" gentleman in this corrupt world.

Although Jia Lian wanted to recruit talented people, he didn't want to have arrogant and aloof characters like Jia Baoyu and Qin Zhong by his side.

Just as he was about to get rid of this person, Jia Lian suddenly seemed to remember something, and, leaving Feng Jie'er's delicate body behind, stood up and said, "I was just discussing the finishing touches on the garden with Master, and there are still a few things that need my attention."

Seeing Jia Lian leave, Feng Jie straightened her clothes, her face showing a hint of suspicion.

That heartless person rushed out in such a hurry; something must have happened.

So he called Ping'er over and instructed her, "Tell a little maid to go outside and peek out to see what your Marquis is up to."

Ping'er was curious, since Wang Xifeng hadn't had anyone monitor Jia Lian for a long time. She figured it was just to check on his movements and wouldn't cause any harm, so she obeyed and went to make the arrangements.

Ping'er had no idea that Feng Jie suspected Jia Lian and went to find Liu Xianglian.

Wang Xifeng wasn't afraid of Jia Lian doing these things, but she thought that as long as he caught her in a weakness, she would have something to say to Jia Lian and wouldn't be so humble in the future.

Hmph, the matter of him wanting to marry Lin girl was actually glossed over by him so carelessly.

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Chapter 422: Leisurely Pleasures of Couples (Free to Read)