Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Latest URL:

"Tongxi, you stay." Late at night, after Tongxi and Tonggui had helped Aunt Xue to bed, they were about to leave when Aunt Xue, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, called out to Tongxi.

Tongxi's expression changed slightly, and he seemed a little uneasy. Tonggui, on the other hand, quietly breathed a sigh of relief, gave his good friend a look that said "good luck" and "I can't help you," and then quickly left the room with the foot-washing water.

After pouring out the foot-washing water, Tong Gui didn't dare to go into the inner room to eavesdrop. Instead, he fetched water to wash himself. After leaving some water for his companions to wash up, he closed both the front and back doors of the main room and checked all the lights and candles before going to sleep in the maid's night watch room.

But how could she sleep? Her mind was filled with thoughts of why Aunt Xue had kept Tongxi around. Had she really discovered something good about Tongxi?

If that's the case, what should we do? Won't Madam kick Tongxi out? Thinking of this, Tonggui was worried about his longtime friend, and his face turned red. He secretly spat.

She deserved to be chased away; she was too audacious to openly seduce the Marquis! Although the light was dim and she was quite far away, she wasn't stupid. While she couldn't be entirely sure what her friend and the Marquis were doing, it certainly wasn't anything good.

For a moment, Tong Gui's mind wandered again. If it had been Tong Xi, not him, carrying the lantern, would he have been the one to help the Marquis to relieve himself? Would the same thing have happened then? Thinking this, Tong Gui tossed and turned on the small couch. He reached out and touched his face and features, then his body. Just as he was about to touch between his legs, he suddenly stopped himself.

Damn it, what am I thinking! Tongxi doesn't even know how his wife will deal with him, and I still dare to think about these things. I'm really asking for death.

So, he forcibly banished his wicked thoughts and silently awaited the outcome from the main room. After a while, he indeed heard someone return from the main room. Without lighting a lantern, they groped their way to another small couch nearby.

Knowing it was Tongxi returning, Tonggui immediately sat up and asked with concern, "Are you... alright?" A brief silence fell in the darkness, then Tongxi's soft voice replied, "I'm... alright..."

"Does Madam know about your affair with the Marquis? What did she say about how to deal with you? Don't misunderstand, I didn't tell Madam about this!" In the darkness, on another small couch, the little girl sitting fully clothed had just calmed down, but her emotions began to fluctuate again.

Through Tong Gui's words, she naturally understood that Tong Gui had indeed seen what had happened before! She did not suspect Tong Gui of betraying her, because she had been coaxed and frightened by Aunt Xue while kneeling in that room, and had only confessed everything honestly after losing her courage.

Looking back, she realized that Aunt Xue must have been uncertain at first, and that she was just too inexperienced. If she had been calmer, she might have gotten away with it.

After thinking for a while, Tongxi shook his head and replied, "No, Madam didn't punish me, she just scolded me..."

"How is this possible!" In the darkness, his friend's voice was filled with shock. Tongxi blushed furiously, but at the same time, he felt a surge of relief.

He realized he had indeed committed a serious crime; even his friends were shocked to hear he hadn't been punished. His wife was truly kind; from now on, he would definitely repay her kindness.

While feeling grateful for Aunt Xue's magnanimity, Tong Xi couldn't help but recall the scene of kneeling in front of Aunt Xue to reply.

Aunt Xue wanted her to honestly recount what happened when she helped Jia Lian to relieve himself. She could understand that, but what still puzzled her was that after she had honestly recounted everything, Aunt Xue still wanted her to describe the whole process in detail... This made her very shy and somewhat confused.

Could it be that the wife is worried that she is lying and wants to determine whether she has lost her virginity through this method?

Of course she didn't! It wasn't that she was unwilling; she was willing to offer herself completely. However, the Marquis either suddenly realized the stakes or his interest in her was only superficial. After taking liberties with her all over, he pretended nothing had happened and left.

However, even now, recalling what Jia Lian had done to her still made her heart flutter, and she felt as if Jia Lian's presence permeated her entire being.

It was truly shameful; even the wife looked quite strange while listening to her story. Fortunately, the wife was kind and, after confirming that she hadn't been defiled, let her go.

Although she's passed the wife's test, it wouldn't be good if this young lady in front of her revealed her secrets.

At that time, not only will the wife's reputation be affected, but the wife might also change her mind once she finds out.

So he quickly lowered his voice and said to Tong Gui, "Nothing happened between me and the Marquis. He was just drunk and... teased me a bit. Madam only let me go because of that. Good sister, please don't spread this around. Otherwise, I'll die, but if it implicates Madam, I'll really go to hell! Good sister, as long as you keep this a secret, I'll listen to you from now on..." After Tong Xi finished speaking, there was no response for a long time, so he asked again anxiously.

Of course, she had no idea that Tong Gui's mind was racing. Tong Gui truly hadn't expected that Aunt Xue wouldn't severely punish Tong Xi for such a shameless act.

If Aunt Xue didn't know, that would be one thing, but judging from Tongxi's tone, Aunt Xue clearly did know!

Could it be that Tongxi used clever words to deceive the madam? She's too lucky. What do you mean she was just drunk and only made a few flirtatious remarks? She clearly saw Tongxi kneeling in front of the Marquis for a long time without getting up.

She's still hiding between the Marquis and the wall behind him. Does she really think she can't see him? Does this mean that nothing will happen to her?

If I were to meet the Marquis again, and he were to do something to me, wouldn't I be able to...? Stopping his wandering thoughts, Tong Gui knew that Tong happy was very nervous at this moment.

After thinking for a moment, she chuckled softly, "You said it yourself, that you'd listen to everything I say, I didn't force you... Okay, starting tomorrow, you'll fetch the foot bath water every night."

"Yes, yes, thank you so much, sister~"

"Hehe, alright, alright, I was just teasing you..." Tong Gui laughed as he rolled off the bed and jumped onto Tong Xi's bed, pinning Tong Xi down. He asked with a smile, "Tell me, you said the Marquis flirted with you, how did he flirt with you? Tell me. If you tell me, I'll not only keep your secret, but if the Marquis 'flirts with you' again next time, I'll cover for you, how about that?" Tong Gui deliberately emphasized the words "flirt with you," which made Tong Xi very embarrassed. However, he was at the mercy of others, so Tong Xi had no choice but to endure the shame and reveal the shameful yet exciting story to the others again.

The two sisters argued for who knows how long, almost causing them to miss their wake-up time the next day.

...The minor incident at the Xue family's banquet was really nothing to Jia Lian. After returning from the banquet at the Xue family, he stayed at home, taking care of some trivial matters, until the day of the Fourth Prince's invitation arrived.

On this day, Jia Lian got up early to prepare, and when the time was right, he rode his horse into the imperial city and arrived at the residence of the fourth prince.

I originally thought the Fourth Prince was just throwing something on a whim.

The "Du Juan Banquet" would invite members of the imperial family and princes to attend. However, when they arrived at the Fourth Prince's residence, they found the entire mansion to be very quiet.

Just as Jia Lian was wondering if he had remembered the date wrong and arrived too early or too late, the guards of Prince Xiao's mansion very attentively and respectfully invited him into the mansion.

"Hahaha, Jia Lian... no, now I should call you Lord Jia." The Fourth Prince, still with that carefree attitude, suddenly appeared out of nowhere and rushed to Jia Lian in a few strides, punching him on the shoulder.

Jia Lian could tell that the Fourth Prince was in a good mood, so after taking the punch, he cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Your Highness is joking. In front of Your Highness, this humble subject is not worthy of the title 'Marquis'." The Fourth Prince pursed his lips, too lazy to correct Jia Lian's politeness, and turned around to order his attendants and guards to fetch his horse, seemingly preparing to go out.

Jia Lian was puzzled: "Didn't they say that His Highness was planning to hold a Du Juan banquet at the mansion? Why...?"

"Sigh, don't even mention it. We were going to do it, but now it's not going to happen."

"What's wrong?"

"What else can we do? Du Juan has been taken away. How am I supposed to host the Du Juan Banquet?" Upon hearing this, Jia Lian fell silent.

There are only a handful of people who dare to steal from the Fourth Prince. As expected, the Fourth Prince wasn't one to keep things in suspense; seeing that Jia Lian remained silent, he immediately spoke up himself.

"It's all because of my domineering elder sister. She heard I had acquired a lot of precious azaleas, and since she was decorating her princess residence, she brought her people and took all ten-odd pots of my azaleas away. Tell me, without the azaleas, how am I supposed to hold an azalea banquet? I had no choice but to tell the people I had invited not to come. As for why I didn't tell you..." The Fourth Prince nodded and sighed, seemingly quite displeased that Princess Zhaoyang had taken his flowers.

As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Jia Lian with her bright, sparkling eyes, circled him halfway, and suddenly asked warily, "Tell me, what exactly happened between you and my imperial sister? Why do I feel like my imperial sister is very concerned about you?" Jia Lian's expression remained unchanged, and he replied frankly, "Your Highness is too kind. The princess is of noble birth; what could possibly happen between her and me? I suppose it's because I gave her a few poems back then, and because I escorted her back to the capital, that she treats me differently." The Fourth Prince then fell silent.

He asked this because he genuinely felt that the relationship between Jia Lian and his sister was somewhat strange. Logically speaking, a woman who actively pursues a man and is rejected would most likely feel ashamed and annoyed.

Of course, her elder sister was no ordinary woman. But she was still a woman! Even if she didn't hold a grudge against Jia Lian because of this, shouldn't she at least have kept her distance or ignored him?

Why does it seem like my elder sister is paying more attention to Jia Lian? The other day, Princess Zhaoyang came to rob him, and he couldn't resist at all. He could only let Princess Zhaoyang take all his flowers away, and he sent someone to inform those纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy families) that they didn't need to come to the manor.

Perhaps knowing that he had invited Jia Lian, Princess Zhaoyang instructed him not to inform Jia Lian, saying that Jia Lian had escorted her safely back to the capital, for which she had done a great favor and wanted to repay him.

It just so happens that her princess residence is about to be renovated, so she asked me to bring Jia Lian along today to visit her new princess residence.

This made the Fourth Prince somewhat suspicious. However, he didn't speculate too much; he didn't like to think too deeply about things, and after all, Jia Lian's explanation did make sense.

It's not like my elder sister has been treating Jia Lian differently for the first time. Even when she appointed him as the wedding envoy, I heard it was she who personally recommended him to the Emperor!

Not to mention, Jia Lian deserves much credit for the Princess's safe return to the capital. Isn't that precisely why I personally went to invite him on the second day after his return?

Did he really think that the Prince Xiao, a prince of the court, was approachable and without airs? Thinking of this, the Fourth Prince composed himself, punched Jia Lian on the shoulder again, and said seriously, "Back at Yanmen Pass, I said that as long as you safely delivered my elder sister to the Oirat, I would owe you a second favor... Of course, that Oirat prince was a beastly bastard who dared to plot against my elder sister, so naturally I couldn't let you deliver her to the Oirat, and that promise was invalid. But I, Wei Ling, always keep my word. You protected my elder sister along the way, so I owe you one favor. You killed that Oirat prince and avenged me, so I owe you another favor." The Fourth Prince spoke earnestly, not giving Jia Lian a chance to interrupt.

"Now that you've caught my father's eye and have been granted a title, you must have no shortage of people to do things for you. It's as if I owe you so many favors for nothing. How about this, if you don't mind, from now on, I'll acknowledge you as my brother, what do you say?" Upon hearing this, Jia Lian instinctively wanted to politely decline, but seeing the boy's serious and predatory expression, he knew he was serious, and if he refused, he was afraid he would displease him.

Considering that the fourth prince is playful and active all day long and doesn't participate in court affairs, it seems that he doesn't have many responsibilities. Therefore, there's no need to be so rigid in our interactions with him.

Jia Lian then replied with a smile, "I am honored by Your Highness's favor. Please forgive my rudeness, but I will certainly do my best to be worthy of Your Highness's attention this time. However, the proper etiquette between ruler and subject must not be disregarded. When there are outsiders present, we should still treat each other with the respect due to the state. Otherwise, even if Your Highness does not mind, if it falls into the ears of the censors, I am afraid they will criticize me for being disrespectful to superiors and inferiors."

"It's up to you. Anyway, I consider you a brother. No doubt about it, if you ever need anything in the future, as long as it's not something like rebellion, I'll definitely help you!" The Fourth Prince was even more satisfied with Jia Lian when he saw that Jia Lian agreed so readily, so he patted his chest and said.

As for Jia Lian's point about putting on an act in front of outsiders, he understood, and he didn't like trouble. Jia Lian then cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, feeling somewhat speechless.

This fourth prince is indeed unscrupulous. He's barely done anything yet, and they're already worried about him rebelling? After leaving the mansion through the main gate, the fourth prince's horse was soon brought out, and Jia Lian and the fourth prince headed towards the other side of the imperial city.

Before long, they arrived at a secluded and majestic area. It seemed to be a little farther from the palace than the Fourth Prince's Xiao Wang Mansion, but the nearby roads and high walls were even more orderly and solemn.

After circling a long stretch of high walls, they finally arrived at the main gate of a mansion. The Fourth Prince dismounted and looked up at the gate, which had been changed...

The plaque bearing the inscription "Princess Zhaoyang's Residence" held an unspoken envy in its eyes.

"Jia Lian, look! Father Emperor is so biased. He gave such a nice house to my elder sister! When I was about to turn sixteen, he just had a prince's mansion built for me, saying it was to be closer to the palace so that it would be easier to discipline me." Jia Lian heard the Fourth Prince's words and looked towards the gate of the princess's mansion.

Just by looking at the black gate, which was obviously freshly painted but still looked desolate and heavy, you could tell that the house inside was no ordinary place.

The Fourth Prince continued to complain, "You don't know, this used to be the residence of my Imperial Uncle, Prince Yizhong. Legend has it that he almost... Anyway, this house has been abandoned for almost twenty years, and no one dared to ask Father for it until my elder sister returned to the capital. For some reason, Father bestowed this house upon her as her princess residence." Prince Yizhong!

Jia Lian's heart skipped a beat; he finally understood the true value of this house. Even when the incident occurred, he was probably just an infant.

However, nearly twenty years have passed, and his influence still lingers in Beijing, making him a topic that many people are reluctant to discuss.

It was only when Jia Lian was investigating Qin Keqing's identity that he vaguely learned some of the inside stories from back then.

It's fair to say that if this person hadn't caused any trouble, Emperor Ningkang wouldn't have had any future issues. The fact that the former residence of such a sensitive figure was bestowed upon Princess Zhaoyang—it's hard to say whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

However, Princess Zhaoyang is only eighteen or nineteen years old this year, so it is unlikely that what happened back then had anything to do with her. There is no need to be nervous.

It was probably the emperor or empress dowager who felt it was a pity that such a large house had been left empty, so they bestowed it upon Princess Zhaoyang to make amends.

Even the most glorious past is ultimately just the past. With Emperor Ningkang's current strength, there's really no need for him to fear a dead man.

Led into the mansion by palace servants, the Fourth Prince immediately became familiar with Jia Lian, taking him on a leisurely stroll around the princess's residence and introducing him to the various buildings and scenic spots.

It was as if his elder sister's house was his own; he acted so casually. Jia Lian shook his head inwardly, but couldn't help feeling a bit more favorably disposed towards the Fourth Prince.

After all, he's her own brother-in-law. Treating her sister well is the same as treating him well.

"Your Highness Prince Xiao, Lord Jia, the princess is at the martial arts training ground. Please come over." A eunuch hurriedly came to announce.

After hearing this, the Fourth Prince said to Jia Lian, "Let's go. It's quite far from the martial arts arena. Let's ride there on horseback." It must be said that, as expected of the former residence of Prince Yizhong, even after being abandoned for more than ten years, its grandeur is still extraordinary.

Putting everything else aside, just considering its size, judging from the footprints Jia Lian left behind, it was much larger than the original Rongguo Mansion, and probably even larger than the largest princely mansion Jia Lian had ever visited, the Prince of Beijing Mansion.

This isn't some of the major prefectures in Jiangnan, but rather the most precious territory in the world—the Imperial City! Occupying such a vast residence here is a symbol of status and prestige.

Look around here, there are gardens of all sizes, a martial arts arena, a gladiatorial arena, a horse arena, and all kinds of large facilities, it has everything.

Leaving aside the Fourth Prince, even Jia Lian, as he delved deeper, couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. Indeed, there's no way to compare people.

In the past, everyone said that Princess Zhaoyang was the most favored princess in the imperial family and the most dazzling pearl in the world, but Jia Lian didn't really feel that way.

At this moment, he had just made up his mind to leave the palace and establish his own residence, and he directly obtained a top-class prince's mansion!

Jia Lian didn't know if there was any royal residence in the entire Great Wei that was larger and more prestigious than Princess Zhaoyang's residence. Even if there was, it probably wouldn't be more than the top three.

Well... all I can say is, my wife is really amazing.

//www.ishuquge.com/txt/152775/

Mobile version reading URL: wap.