Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Jia Lian was worried that something might happen if Wang Xifeng and Daiyu met, so he came to check on them.

Seeing that the two of them had a harmonious relationship, just like sisters, Jia Lian felt relieved.

Although he knew that Wang Xifeng must have used some "methods" on Daiyu, such as trying to win her over, he didn't mind. As long as Wang Xifeng was willing to restrain her temper and not embarrass Daiyu, he could be tolerant of her.

Besides, given Daiyu's intelligence, it would be quite an achievement if Fengjie could truly win her over and make her a well-behaved younger sister. But with Daiyu's aloof and unapproachable nature, Fengjie would have to show genuine sincerity to win her over.

Just look at him and you'll know. It took him years of devoted care to win the young girl's heart, especially when Daiyu had lost her mother and her father was busy with government affairs and lacked affection.

Moreover, this kind of tactic can probably only be used once, so even if Wang Xifeng wanted to imitate it, it would be difficult.

Just as the three finished their pleasantries and looked at each other in silence, the housekeeper's wife rushed over, saying that some eunuch Dai from the palace had come to offer condolences.

Neither Daiyu nor even Wang Xifeng reacted much. Given the Jia family's current status, they had dealings with many eunuchs in the palace, and even the chief eunuch of the palace had heard about it quite often.

However, upon hearing the words "Eunuch Dai," Jia Lian immediately stood up, exchanged a few words with Wang and Lin, and hurriedly left.

Upon arriving at the mourning hall, they indeed saw a row of eunuchs. Dai Quan was inside, offering incense to the coffin, while Jia Lian waited beside him.

"Lord Zhenyuan, how have you been?"

After Dai Quan finished offering his condolences, he turned around and saw Jia Lian, so he walked over with a smile.

Jia Lian quickly returned the greeting.

"This old servant has come today on His Majesty's orders to pay respects to Lord Lin. Furthermore, His Majesty has decreed that the Marquis be summoned to the palace. Please come in."

Jia Lian was not surprised by Emperor Ningkang's summons. Lin Ruhai had mentioned that he had submitted a memorial to the emperor recommending Jia Lian for a trip to the south to investigate a case.

He should have gone to see Emperor Ningkang after the grand court assembly, but he was delayed because of Lin Ruhai's funeral.

He thought that this matter was quite complicated, so he should let the people in the court sort it out and clarify things so that he could get a clearer picture of the situation and make it easier to act.

Therefore, he asked Dai Quan to wait a moment while he went inside to change his clothes, and then followed Dai Quan into the palace.

On the way, he couldn't help but ask Dai Quan about the situation.

Based on the tacit understanding he and Dai Quan had developed over their many visits, Dai Quan would be happy to tell him about such insensitive topics. If Dai Quan were to hesitate or stammer at him one day, he should probably reflect on his actions and become more cautious.

As expected, Dai Quan did not mince words: "Does the Marquis not know? It's all because of An Siyuan, the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai. An Siyuan was ordered by His Majesty to be detained and brought back to the capital for trial because of his ineffective supervision of the salt administration, but he died of illness on the way."

This matter was the subject of much debate among the ministers at the grand court assembly, and it was discussed again at this morning's assembly. Some argued that since His Majesty reformed the salt administration, the burden on salt merchants had increased due to the need for them to transport grain to the border in exchange for salt permits, thus justifying a decrease in salt taxes.

Others questioned that even with a reduction, it shouldn't have reached more than 30%. Furthermore, if the salt officials were truly honest, how could An Siyuan have died so suddenly? Therefore, they advised His Majesty to issue an edict for a thorough investigation…

His Majesty is also quite troubled by this matter. Remembering that Lord Lin had recommended the Marquis to His Majesty not long ago, he sent this old servant to summon the Marquis.

Jia Lian understood. In fact, he had inquired about this matter from Jia Zheng.

Jia Zheng thought it was just a high-profile corruption case with an uncertain future, but Jia Lian saw through the clues and realized it was a factional struggle.

As for which factional struggle it is, there are only a few conflicts of interest in the current government.

The highest-level power struggle between the retired emperor and Emperor Ningkang, the struggle between civil and military officials, the nobles and courtiers, the upright and the corrupt, the crown prince and the third prince...

By simply eliminating possibilities based on the development of events, one can roughly guess the answer.

However, Jia Lian had no intention of getting involved in these struggles. His goal was clear: to become a trusted military general of Emperor Ningkang, command troops, achieve merit and be ennobled, and reach the pinnacle of his life.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, he only needs to consider Emperor Ningkang's thoughts.

From the fact that Emperor Ningkang sent Dai Quan to summon him, one could roughly guess that Lin Ruhai's prediction was correct. Emperor Ningkang, just like Lin Ruhai, indeed wanted to thoroughly investigate the case.

With this information, Jia Lian confidently entered the Daming Palace.

……

"I heard you're handling Lin Ruhai's funeral arrangements?"

"Your Majesty, my uncle has no children and has always treated me with great kindness. Therefore, it is only right that I take care of him in his final days."

After asking Jia Lian a simple question, Emperor Ningkang, who was practicing calligraphy behind the dragon desk, remained silent for a long time, seemingly lost in thought.

Jia Lian did not press further and stood quietly in the main hall waiting.

"Having no children..."

After a long while, Emperor Ningkang let out a deep sigh.

As his retainer during his time as a prince, Lin Ruhai, though not necessarily the closest to him, was certainly among the most talented and loyal to him.

But it wasn't until Lin Ruhai's illness became critical that he learned that Lin Ruhai didn't even have a son to care for him in his old age and see him off in his final days.

Thinking of the memorial Lin Ruhai submitted to him before his death, filled with his earnest loyalty to the emperor and the country, he was deeply moved. Perhaps only a well-read and educated minister like Lin Ruhai could possess such integrity.

Even on his deathbed, Lin Ruhai was still thinking about how to be loyal to him. Having heard of a major incident involving the salt administration in Jiangnan, he eagerly recommended someone to go south to oversee the investigation, promising to assist him as well…

Even in death, he wanted to entrust the salt administration experts to Jia Lian, so that Jia Lian could complete this task in his stead. Therefore, if he was willing to send Jia Lian as imperial envoy, he was very confident that the case would be thoroughly investigated.

He tore aside the four large characters "Loyalty to the Emperor and Serving the Country" on the table, picked up his brush again, and continued talking to Jia Lian without looking up: "I heard that Lin Ruhai has a daughter..."

When Jia Lian heard Emperor Ningkang ask about Daiyu, his heart skipped a beat.

It wasn't that he was afraid Emperor Ningkang would take a liking to Daiyu, but rather that, under normal circumstances, Emperor Ningkang wouldn't care about the orphan of a deceased minister. However, whatever the reason, since Emperor Ningkang had already inquired about Daiyu, he couldn't guarantee that Emperor Ningkang didn't know that he planned to marry Daiyu as a concubine with great ceremony.

While it's rare for other officials to marry daughters of officials as concubines, it's not uncommon.

But he is different. Last year, he put on a show of "deep affection between husband and wife" and sternly refused the Empress Dowager's arranged marriage. This year, he has made a high-profile move to marry the daughter of a high-ranking official as his concubine.

What, are you looking down on the imperial family, or on the Empress Dowager?

Knowing full well that he shouldn't harbor any illusions in front of Emperor Ningkang, Jia Lian immediately nodded and replied, "Your Majesty is right. Uncle Lin has only one daughter."

Because his younger cousin was frail and sickly from childhood, and medicine could not cure her, Uncle Lin was worried that she would be left alone and helpless after he passed away. So, on his deathbed, he entrusted her to me and even willingly allowed her to become my concubine...

"I could not bear to refuse my uncle's request, so I had no choice but to agree."

Emperor Ningkang looked up at Jia Lian and suddenly snorted, "What, you've taken a concubine too? I remember last year the Empress Dowager wanted to marry the Eldest Princess to you, but you refused to submit even unto death. I thought you and that Wang were truly bound by love, and would never betray each other even in death."

No matter how much Emperor Ningkang usually tried to maintain his imperial dignity, he was still a normal person.

Normal people have normal emotions.

Jia Lian turned down the opportunity to marry her daughter and instead took Lin Ruhai's daughter as his concubine. It's no wonder he had some objections.

Jia Lian hurriedly knelt down and explained, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger and allow me to explain your situation."

These two things should never be confused. Her Highness the Eldest Princess is such a celestial being that the Empress Dowager favored her and wanted to choose me as her husband. What an honor it is for me!

However arrogant I may be, I know that there are distinctions between the honorable and the wicked.

If I wish to marry Her Highness the Princess, I must first divorce my wife. However, Lady Wang is shrewish and has a strong sense of self-respect; if she is divorced, she will surely die.

I dare not do such a treacherous and unconscionable thing; doing so would only disappoint the Empress Dowager's great kindness.

However, my uncle entrusted my cousin to me with only the requirement that I take care of her for the rest of my life. Although my cousin is my uncle's daughter, she is still a delicate woman from a wealthy family. I am confident that I can shoulder this responsibility, which is why I did not refuse my uncle.

I hope Your Majesty will discern the true meaning behind this.

Emperor Ningkang was merely making a sarcastic remark; in fact, he didn't take the matter to heart.

Moreover, as Jia Lian said, his daughter is naturally worlds apart from the daughters of his subjects.

If Jia Lian dared to make Lin Ruhai's daughter his concubine, could he possibly dare to make a princess his concubine? If he really dared to think that way, I'll chop off his head.

This topic also allowed him to glean some of Lin Ruhai's thoughts from his lifetime.

Lin Ruhai must have loved his only daughter dearly, otherwise he wouldn't have been so worried about her on his deathbed, willing to sacrifice his reputation to find someone he could trust to take care of her for the rest of her life.

It's hard not to feel heartbroken when you think about it.

In truth, he could have come to me. With just a decree from me, surely I could guarantee his daughter a lifetime of peace, health, and wealth?

Emperor Ningkang was somewhat reproachful, for Lin Ruhai had refused to beg him even at the very last moment.

This is what is meant by a pure stream, and perhaps this is the true pure stream. They are wholeheartedly loyal and will never trouble the emperor with their own private affairs.

Emperor Ningkang was moved by Lin Ruhai's loyalty and pitied him for having no heir, which is why he thought this way afterwards.

In fact, if Lin Ruhai really came to him for his daughter's sake, he would probably be somewhat unhappy even if he agreed.

After all, the favor comes from above, so how could a subject actively beg for it?

He is the ruler of the world, with hundreds of millions of subjects. If he sets precedents arbitrarily, there will be many unruly people in the future.

That's just how people are. They might be unhappy when others ask them for favors, but they'll feel guilty and resentful when others don't ask them for help.

"Get up. I don't want to dwell on the past."

However, Lin Ruhai dedicated his life to public service, neglecting even his family, and it is no exaggeration to call him a national hero.

Since you have been entrusted with this task, you should keep your word and not betray it…

Emperor Ningkang originally intended to admonish Jia Lian, telling him not to fail Lin Ruhai's trust, but then he suddenly remembered that Jia Lian was a military general and would be of great use in the future.

If one is leading troops in the field, it is common for them to be away for three to five years.

It sounds like Lin Ruhai's daughter is also frail and sickly, just like Lin Ruhai, and Jia Lian's shrewish wife, Wang, is rumored to be a difficult person to get along with.

If Jia Lian were at home, he could naturally keep things under control. But if Jia Lian were away on a military campaign, it would probably be Wang Shi who would be in charge of the household.

After a moment's hesitation, he changed his words and said, "Lin Ruhai has served me for half his life, but has never received much reward from me."

Since he died young and only had one daughter who was worried about him, I will grant him a reward.

Guards, convey my decree:

The daughter of the former Magistrate of Lantai, gentle and quiet, a lady of noble birth, a model of a refined young lady, was granted the title of "County Lady" and the name "Lin".

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