Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

In the following days, Jia Lian also disregarded the so-called etiquette, visiting the Lin family every day to see Lin Ruhai and Daiyu, and taking the initiative to handle all the affairs inside and outside the Lin family, including preparing for Lin Ruhai's funeral.

This isn't Jia Lian cursing Lin Ruhai to die young; rather, it reflects how people at that time valued making preparations in advance.

For example, Grandmother Jia had already made preparations for her funeral years ago. Because she herself didn't know how long she would live, she didn't want her descendants to rush through her affairs and hastily settle her affairs!

For example, the mausoleum of the retired emperor was started several years ago, but it is still not fully completed...

This is a characteristic of the times: the more distinguished a person is, the more grand the preparations for their funeral will be.

Besides going to the Lin family, he was finally reinstated as the Military Commander.

As an important administrative office in the western part of the city, the Bingmasi (Military and Military Command) did not have all its staff going home for the Spring Festival. In fact, most people did not get a full year-end leave, because the busier and more lively the holidays, the busier the Bingmasi's officers and soldiers were.

Perhaps this is why those in power tacitly allow a few military commands to enjoy appropriate tributes from various merchants in the capital.

As for why Jia Lian didn't go to take up his post a few days ago...

He's the boss, and he's finally returned from an important imperial mission. Can't he even rest at home for a few days?

Besides, he had already made personnel arrangements for the Military Affairs Department before leaving the capital, and since he hadn't heard of any problems after returning, he was naturally in no hurry to go to the yamen to report for duty.

On his first day at the yamen, everyone in the military command congratulated him on his promotion and showered him with flattery until Jia Lian couldn't take it anymore and sent them back to their duties.

However, Jia Lian appreciated the gesture and immediately invited all off-duty civil and military officials to a small gathering at Juxianlou at noon, which he would treat them to.

The next day, after processing some necessary official documents and giving some instructions to his men, he was about to leave when Fan Jin and others stopped him.

Seeing the mysterious expressions on Fan Jin and Xie Jun's faces, Jia Lian guessed what was going on. He followed them to the back hall, where Fan Jin, in front of Xie Jun, presented a yellow envelope with a smile and said, "Sir, you have been on a mission ordered by the Emperor and have made great contributions. We have never forgotten your teachings... This is a gift from your servants during the six months you were away from the capital. Please take a look..."

Jia Lian smiled and accepted the errand without hesitation, inspecting it in person.

He merely glanced at the amount, then laughed, returned the silver notes to Huang Feng, and asked with a smile, "Why is there more? Could it be that you've cut back on the benefits for your men to curry favor with me?"

"Your Honor is innocent! How could we possibly dare to accuse you? We distributed every single share to our brothers, not a penny less."

As for why it's more than before, firstly, the share from last September is also included; secondly, the adults might not know, but every year towards the end of the year, the lower-ups tend to be more sensible and give the brothers more money for their hard work, so the brothers get a larger share of the profits.

Fan Jin hurriedly explained, and Xie Jun, who was beside him, also smiled and agreed.

As for how much tribute Jia Lian received in the latter half of last year while Jia Lian was away, if they were bold and clever enough, it would be possible to trick Jia Lian into revealing it. At least intercepting some of it would be quite easy.

But how could they dare?

Jia Lian was originally a man of absolute authority in the Military Command, even having driven Deputy Commander Cui, who had held sway over the Western City Military Command for many years, to a remote and impoverished place. If someone were to engage in underhanded activities under Jia Lian's nose, they might escape unscathed, but if they were discovered, they would be guaranteed to lose everything, with interest, and perhaps not even be able to settle the matter.

Besides, they never intended to be disloyal to Jia Lian. Jia Lian rose through the ranks and became a close advisor to the emperor. Following him, not only would they have a brighter future, but Jia Lian himself was also very tolerant and generous towards his subordinates.

They have absolutely no need to lose sight of the bigger picture for a small gain.

For example, when the Commander and Deputy Commander Cui were in power, the quarterly tributes were personally managed by Deputy Commander Cui.

At that time, naturally the former commander and Deputy Commander Cui took the lion's share, leaving the rest for themselves and their men. Although it was only natural, sometimes one couldn't help but feel resentful.

But Jia Lian is different. Perhaps it's because he came from the Duke's mansion, so his perspective is different, and he doesn't act as petty as Deputy Commander Cui and his men!

After removing Deputy Commander Cui, Jia Lian used some connections to ensure that the ministry had no intention of appointing a new deputy commander. Logically speaking, even if Jia Lian had monopolized the position previously held by Deputy Commander Cui, no one would have dared to say anything, right?

However, Jia Lian did not. He was too lazy to manage the matter personally and instead delegated it to him and Fan Jingli to handle together.

The first time, they tentatively allocated Deputy Commander Cui's share to Jia Lian, but Jia Lian seemed completely unconcerned about the several thousand taels of silver. Instead, he waved his hand and told them to distribute the Deputy Commander's share as his reward to the more than two thousand brothers...

Putting everything else aside, just based on the commander's openness and generosity, how could the brothers not be wholeheartedly devoted to him and strive for a prosperous future?

Seeing the radiant smiles on Jie Jun and the other man's faces, Jia Lian said nothing more and tucked the yellow envelope into his pocket.

This was also because Xie Jun and his colleague were good at handling things and exchanged the silver for banknotes in advance; otherwise, he really wouldn't have been able to take away such a large amount of silver without making a sound.

As for the fact that Jia Lian shared the deputy commander's share with everyone, it wasn't entirely due to his generosity.

Everywhere, the distribution of benefits follows a pyramid shape. The commanders and deputy commanders of the military garrison, whose ranks are far higher than other officials, have always reaped the lion's share of the benefits.

Putting aside everything else, the two commanders alone accounted for almost half of the tribute paid by the entire military command.

If he had monopolized it all, Fan Jin and the others might not have dared to say much at the time, intimidated by his sudden arrival. But as the benefits were distributed each time, they naturally felt resentful, thinking Jia Lian was too greedy, and resentment would inevitably grow in the long run.

He had just taken office and desperately needed the support of his subordinates, so he was happy to leave the position vacant to demonstrate his magnanimity. This was also a good opportunity; if the Ministry of War were to send another deputy commander someday, who would want to take away everyone's vested interests, he probably wouldn't have a good time here.

It can be seen as preparing in advance for potential obstacles, setting a trap for future problems.

After leaving the military headquarters, they stopped by the Lin residence for a quick look. Then, Jia Lian led Lin Zhixiao and the others out of the city to the place where they had inspected the location of the Imperial Horse Ranch that day.

"Don't worry, Second Master, we have handled everything properly and there have been no unexpected incidents."

According to what Second Master said that day, a total of more than 2,000 mu of land were fenced off here, including the hillside he liked and the forests on both sides.

Looking at the green hills and clear waters nearby, and smelling the fragrance of wildflowers and grass, Jia Lian nodded in satisfaction.

It was a great deal to buy such a spacious piece of land for just over five thousand taels of silver.

"Because there are still several hundred acres of good farmland here, we didn't drive away all the previous tenants. Instead, we selected a dozen or so relatively honest families and let them stay. But don't worry, Second Master, we've taught them all the rules, so they won't wander off to other places."

Jia Lian laughed. Although his initial intention was simply to have a horse ranch and a place for simple hunting, it would indeed be a waste to leave hundreds of acres of fertile land lying fallow.

To be honest, if it weren't for these hundreds of acres of prime farmland, this piece of land wouldn't be worth more than five thousand taels of silver.

In the Great Wei Dynasty, the value of fertile land was roughly four to six taels per mu. Land in the capital region was slightly more expensive, but still only seven or eight taels.

As for the mountains and grasslands, they are too cheap. If no one buys them, they will just remain in the hands of the government. The government doesn't have the manpower and energy to manage them, so it's better to sell them to wealthy families to increase fiscal revenue.

As for his situation, having suitable tenants is actually a good thing, as it ensures that someone is looking after the place and saves a lot of manpower.

Chatting and laughing with Lin Zhixiao, they arrived at the center of the estate. Under the shade of the trees, an exquisite carriage was quietly parked there.

Upon seeing this, Jia Lian said to Lin Zhixiao and the others, "Alright, you can go back now. I'll take a look at how to build this estate, and I'll tell you when I have a plan."

"Yes……"

Lin Zhixiao naturally saw the carriage ahead, but he only glanced at it and didn't even look closely at the people around it before riding back to the city with the two stewards from Rongguo Mansion behind him.

Jia Lian, on the other hand, rode his horse closer to the carriage, took his whip, and lifted the curtain.

A stunningly beautiful figure appeared before his eyes.

She was such a pure and innocent woman, yet upon just one glance at Jia Lian, her beautiful, ethereal face flushed slightly.

Jia Lian laughed and said, "Come down, there's no one else here."

This person was actually Miaoyu, who should have been in the Muni Temple.

This girl and he had been entangled for several years. Now that her master was dead, she was a pitiful person with no one to rely on.

Jia Lian thought that once she moved into the Green Bamboo Nunnery, she probably wouldn't be able to leave the Grand View Garden easily. Now that he had bought this estate, he wanted to follow the example of Princess Zhaoyang's invitation to him and invite her to come and enjoy the spring scenery while it was in full bloom.

Miaoyu was naturally very tempted, but her unique status made her hesitant. Jia Lian then instructed her to dress as a lady of high birth today, and then he would secretly send someone to bring her here, so that no one would know and there would be no problem.

Anyway, Miaoyu was originally a lay disciple with a cascade of black hair. If she changed her clothes, she would look even more elegant than a lady from a prominent family.

Sure enough, when Miaoyu stepped out of the carriage, her light blue dress stunned Jia Lian, not to mention Zhang Yong and the others behind her.

Some of them knew Miaoyu's background, while others did not, but they all understood that she was their lord's woman, so they dared not look at her for long and turned away.