Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Princess Zhaoyang's residence was still under renovation, so there wasn't much to see. Therefore, Princess Zhaoyang had prepared a pot of tea in advance and brewed it for a while in a tea pavilion next to the martial arts field. Seeing that the Fourth Prince found it really boring, she smiled and suggested going out of the city for a spring outing.

It is said that when Emperor Ningkang bestowed the house upon her, he also granted her many estates, so she should go and take a look.

Indeed, such a large princess's residence could hardly be sustained by the annual stipend of ten thousand taels of silver alone. It would require some imperial estates to provide support in order to create a healthy cycle.

The fourth prince didn't seem to like the activity and suggested other activities. Princess Zhaoyang also didn't want him to come along, so she told him to go by himself.

Upon hearing that his elder sister intended to take Jia Lian out of the city for a spring outing, the Fourth Prince had no choice but to agree immediately.

He has to keep an eye on things and not let his elder sister repeat the same mistake.

After visiting two imperial estates with Princess Zhaoyang and the Fourth Prince, it was nearly dusk when they returned to the city.

Jia Lian then went to the Lin residence to see Lin Ruhai.

The Lin family has now moved to a residence not far from Lantai Prefecture. The residence isn't very big; after all, for Lin Ruhai, it's just a temporary place, and he still plans to return to his hometown.

Jia Lian originally thought that Lin Ruhai, having put aside his political affairs and fulfilled his children's wishes, could focus on recuperating and perhaps his condition would improve.

But when he arrived, he found that Lin Ruhai's complexion was even worse.

Although Lin Ruhai looked unwell, he seemed to be in a good mood. Seeing Jia Lian squatting in front of his hospital bed with a sad look in his eyes, he even managed a forced smile and patted the back of Jia Lian's hand.

"Don't be sad for me; birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural course of life. Now that you're here, I have a few more things to entrust to you."

"Uncle, please speak."

"First, it was originally said that after you went to Jiangnan, I would assist you in investigating the Yangzhou salt administration case. It seems that I will not be able to hold out until that day. However, I have already petitioned His Majesty to entrust the people around me to you. With their help, it will be just as good."

Therefore, you only need to wait until after the grand court assembly to pay your respects to His Majesty, and he should then agree to allow you to travel south.

"Secondly, although your sister Lin is a concubine, you said you wouldn't mistreat her. Therefore, you should ask a matchmaker to write another marriage certificate as soon as possible and accept it from your sister Lin."

"Yes……"

Seeing that Lin Ruhai was on his deathbed, yet still so earnestly concerned about these matters, Jia Lian couldn't help but feel saddened and obediently nodded in agreement.

He understood Lin Ruhai's meaning: while he was still alive, they should finalize the marriage agreement. Even if Daiyu married under his care, with her parents' blessings, she wouldn't be considered an orphan who had lost both her mother and father.

"Thirdly, my Lin family ancestors were marquises, and I have served as an official for many years. To be honest, I can't be considered particularly honest. Over the years, my family has accumulated quite a bit of wealth."

I have instructed the steward and others that after my death, all my affairs should be handled by you. As for the ancestral property of the Lin family, I will temporarily entrust it to a few respected members of the clan.

As for my personal property, half will be given to you, Lin Daiyu, as her dowry, and the other half you can keep for yourself. When your child with Yu'er grows up, he can inherit it. The specifics are up to you; I trust you'll handle it better than I could have planned.”

"Yes, I will follow your instructions, Father-in-law."

Lin Ruhai spoke as if he were making arrangements for his own funeral, and his words revealed his complete trust in him.

In other words, with Lin Ruhai's "will" in hand, Jia Lian could rightfully inherit all of the Lin family's assets. If Lin Ruhai hadn't truly considered him his own son, why would he have been so completely unguarded towards him?

Moreover, Lin Ruhai's arrangement was quite reasonable.

He was unsure whether Jia Lian and Daiyu would be able to have a son, given Daiyu's frail health. Therefore, he entrusted the Lin family's ancestral property to a respected elder in the clan for safekeeping.

Therefore, if he is truly destined to have no descendants, he does not want anyone to carry on his lineage. Instead, he allows the Lin family to elect a clan leader to handle the family's ancestral property.

However, if Jia Lian and Daiyu really have a son and he recognizes the Lin family as his clan, then with Jia Lian's abilities, there is no need to worry that the Lin family would dare to occupy the ancestral property and the position of clan leader without returning them.

Moreover, Lin Ruhai's private assets are definitely much more than the Lin family's ancestral assets. With half of that going to his beloved grandson, his grandson will be guaranteed a life of comfort and security.

Of course, before his grandson grew up, his private property was essentially all given to Jia Lian.

He wasn't worried at all. If Jia Lian's official career had continued to be successful, he wouldn't have seized his own son's property.

If Jia Lian were to fall from grace in the future, then all talk would be meaningless. Therefore, he really didn't need to be wary of Jia Lian and create unnecessary discord.

Lin Ruhai had done so much, Jia Lian felt that it was only right to call him father-in-law at this time.

As expected, Lin Ruhai's expression grew even more gratified upon hearing this, but he was too weary to say anything more. After a long pause, he continued haltingly, "As for the people around me, give the idle ones some travel expenses and send them on their way. Keep the useful ones for yourself, or give them to your son or my grandson in the future; you can decide for yourself..."

"Yes, I will remember."

……

Jia Lian emerged from Lin Ruhai's room with a heavy heart, shook his head, and chatted with the steward Lin Youquan for a while before heading to Daiyu's room.

Daiyu was still as thin as ever, but her face showed even more sorrow. She was clearly deeply worried about Lin Ruhai's critical illness, yet felt helpless to do anything about it.

Jia Lian didn't have a good way to comfort her, so he could only gently comfort her and tell Daiyu about Lin Ruhai's arrangements for the two of them.

Normally, Daiyu would have been ashamed to listen to such things, but Lin Ruhai's illness was so serious that she was at a loss and could only listen quietly to Jia Lian speak.

When Jia Lian spoke of his concern and held her hand, she became somewhat overwhelmed with emotion, collapsing into his arms and bursting into tears.

She was so worried that her father was about to leave her too...

"Don't be afraid, you still have me, I've got you covered."

For the first time in so many years, Jia Lian held Daiyu in his arms, yet he felt no romantic thoughts whatsoever, only an intense and overwhelming tenderness.

Hearing her sobs, which sounded like broken strings and were filled with anguish, Jia Lian could not even imagine the grief and pain that Daiyu experienced in the original story. She went to Yangzhou alone, with no one to rely on, watched Lin Ruhai die in front of her, and then carried his coffin back to her hometown for burial all by herself.

However, when she returned to the Rongguo Mansion, she had already returned to normal. Moreover, she brought gifts for Jia Baoyu and the sisters in the family.

It's clear that Daiyu was also a strong girl. She didn't reveal her vulnerability to outsiders.

Thinking about it this way, even without Lin Ruhai's request, Jia Lian was determined that if anything happened to Lin Ruhai, he would definitely accompany Daiyu to Suzhou.

"Second brother..."

After crying for a while, Daiyu responded to Jia Lian's comforting words. Once she came to her senses, she felt extremely ashamed.

While Jia Lian was speaking, she could still pretend to be unaware. But after Jia Lian finished speaking, she finally couldn't hide it anymore. She pushed herself up, quickly glanced at Jia Lian, and then sat back down on the kang, her face and neck flushed.

She was overjoyed after Jia Lian confided his feelings to her that day. Of course, she had some worries, but joy outweighed her worries.

It wasn't until Lin Ruhai's condition worsened that her joy turned to sorrow, and she became sad all day long.

She longed for Jia Lian to visit her more often and comfort her, but she knew that it was inconvenient for Jia Lian to visit her frequently at this time, so she became very depressed and almost fell ill.

She had so much to say to Jia Lian, but when he actually came to her and sat on the edge of her kang (heated brick bed), she couldn't utter a single word.

All her words turned into silent tears. She then noticed that the maids, including Zijuan, had left after serving tea, and hearing Jia Lian's earnest words, she couldn't contain her emotions and leaned into Jia Lian's arms for comfort.

Looking back now, she felt extremely ashamed and remorseful, fearing that Jia Lian might think she lacked self-respect...

But at this time, who else could she trust and rely on besides Jia Lian?

Jia Lian, of course, understood Daiyu's feelings at that moment. Seeing her so embarrassed and unable to face him, Jia Lian's heart pounded uncontrollably. Just looking at Daiyu's back, he understood why he had gone to such lengths to marry this woman.

This is a spiritual pursuit, a kind of emotional connection and attachment at the level of the soul. Currently, no other woman has given him the impulse to give everything.

The most obvious example is that, with any other woman, he could have simply pulled her into his arms and comforted her. But faced with Daiyu's delicate back, he reached out several times, but ultimately withdrew his hand.

He took a deep breath, stood up, and said, "Sister Lin, you should rest well. I have something to take care of as soon as possible."

"Wha...what is it?"

Upon hearing that Jia Lian was leaving, Daiyu finally couldn't help but turn around and ask him.

Her face was flushed, and her eyes were misty with tears, which stirred Jia Lian's heart, and he forgot to speak for a moment. It wasn't until he saw Daiyu's eyes turn into a coquettish look that he regained a smile: "My father-in-law instructed me to quickly write the marriage certificate, and after he signs and affixes his seal, I can take you away."

"Pah, shameless!"

How could Daiyu bear to hear such words? She turned her head away, refusing to acknowledge Jia Lian any further. Her huffy yet delicate demeanor was very much like Lin Daiyu's.

Jia Lian smiled, then bent down to gently touch Daiyu's shoulder. As she instinctively flinched, he said tenderly, "Take good care of your uncle. I'll come to see you again tomorrow."

Daiyu paused for a moment, then nodded, watching Jia Lian leave with longing eyes.