Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

When he came out of Daiyu's room, he ran into Daiyu's wet nurse, Granny Wang.

"Greetings, Your Excellency..."

Granny Wang was a woman in her thirties with a gentle and kind face. She was slightly reserved when she saw Jia Lian.

Jia Lian glanced at her, thinking that given Daiyu's warm heart and cold exterior, and her tendency to keep everything bottled up inside, someone like Granny Wang would probably find it difficult to get close to her. Perhaps only a clever and perceptive maid like Zijuan could truly understand Daiyu's thoughts.

Then she thought of Xueyan, who was also a maid that Daiyu had brought from the Lin family to the Jia family, but she was also silly and simple-minded and not very close to Daiyu.

Jia Lian thought that perhaps his aunt Jia Min was also a gentle and intelligent woman, which was why the wet nurse and servant she chose for Daiyu seemed so harmless.

He returned the greeting with a half-bow and said to her, "I have important matters to attend to, so I will be leaving Suzhou tomorrow. During my absence, I would like to trouble you, Mother Wang, to take good care of Lin Daiyu and be mindful of everything."

"Yes……"

"If there's nothing else, don't let anyone else from the Lin family bother Sister Lin. I'm taking Steward Lin with me this time, but I'll leave ten guards in the outer courtyard. If anything happens or there's any trouble, Mama Wang can send those men to handle it, or have them notify me."

"Yes."

Granny Wang nodded repeatedly, perhaps realizing that given her status, she shouldn't wait for Jia Lian to give the order. So she quickly bowed and said, "Thank you for your concern for our young lady, Your Highness. I will do as you instruct."

Jia Lian hummed in agreement, nodded, and left.

Once outside, Lin Youquan summoned the main members of the Lin family to the main hall to announce Lin Ruhai's will and the arrangements for the Lin family's assets.

The Lin family branches were not prosperous either; there were fewer than ten people capable of managing their own affairs, and they were scattered throughout the hall.

Jia Lian didn't stand on ceremony with them and plopped down in the head seat, noticing their slightly surprised expressions before most of them seemed relieved.

He turned his head to look at Lin Youquan and said calmly, "Tell them."

Lin Youquan bowed in agreement, then faced the crowd in the hall and said solemnly, "Gentlemen, I have gathered you all here for two reasons. First, I have some good news to share with you. Second, before his death, our master made arrangements for some matters concerning the clan, which we would also like to share with you."

"At this point, what good news could possibly come out?"

"Yes, what's the good news?"

After everyone had finished complaining, Lin Youquan continued, "Although our master has passed away, the Emperor has bestowed extraordinary favor upon our eldest daughter, conferring upon her the title of Lady of the Township, a rank of fourth grade. Therefore, from this day forward, our Lin family will remain a family of noble lineage and will not decline into an ordinary, impoverished household!"

"What is a village head...?"

"What?! How could such a thing happen?!"

"Oh my god, is this really true...?"

Even in the Rongguo Mansion in the capital, the title of nobility for a woman could cause quite a stir. In a prefecture like Suzhou, it was naturally even more unfamiliar to the Lin family branch, a family that hadn't produced an official for generations. Just hearing about a fourth-rank title shocked and excited them all.

A fourth-rank official might not be considered unusual in the capital. But in Suzhou, he was definitely a figure people could look up to!

Even the most powerful official in Suzhou, the Prefect of Suzhou, who was known as the Prefect, was only a fourth-rank official.

The Lin family ancestors were marquises, and although the title could only be passed down for three generations, it was still a noble title. Later, the emperor bestowed favor and extended the title for another generation, but by the time it came to Lin Ruhai, the title was still lost, and the plaque on the gate of the Lin family ancestral home changed from "Marquis's Mansion" to "Lin Mansion".

Fortunately, the clan leader was a brilliant scholar who achieved the third-highest rank in the imperial examinations, continuing the Lin family's glory for over twenty years.

Now that Lin Ruhai has also passed away, no one from the other branches of the Lin family has been able to hold an official position. It was originally thought that the Lin family had completely declined, and that in the future, when people mentioned the Lin family, they would only talk about their ancestors, but would no longer show them respect and awe.

There has been a general term for families like this, whose ancestors were once glorious but whose descendants have declined.

Poor family background.

Yes, the Lin family is about to become a poor family.

Although they felt a hidden resentment, there was nothing they could do. Who knew that at this moment, Lin Youquan would suddenly tell them that the eldest young lady, Daiyu, had actually been granted an official title by the emperor, a proper official rank, and even a fourth-grade one?

Everyone was immediately excited. Even the two old, thin men stood up, leaning on their canes, and kept asking questions.

Lin Youquan certainly understood the thoughts of these clan elders; he himself felt the same way.

He glanced at Jia Lian and saw that Jia Lian was sitting quietly drinking tea without urging him, so he smiled and explained the matter to the clan elders in detail.

After a long while, the excited discussions among the Lin family members subsided somewhat.

Lin Youquan was also afraid that Jia Lian and the others would become impatient, so after everyone returned to their seats, he straightened his expression and said, "The second thing I need to tell you gentlemen is still about the eldest young lady."

Before his death, the master had already betrothed our eldest daughter to our wife's nephew, the dignified Marquis of Zhenyuan, as his second wife. Therefore, from now on, the Marquis will be the son-in-law of our Lin family.

Furthermore, the master instructed that the Marquis be in charge of handling all his funeral arrangements and disposing of the Lin family's assets. Therefore, the Marquis will now handle the remaining matters with you gentlemen.

Another bombshell announcement shook the Lin family patriarchs, whose minds had just begun to settle.

They looked around, seemingly wanting to say something. But after glancing at Jia Lian, who, despite being dressed in mourning clothes, still exuded an air of nobility and imposing presence, they hesitated to voice any doubts.

So they all lowered their heads and whispered among themselves.

They all knew Jia Lian's identity, so compared to the matter of Daiyu becoming Jia Lian's second wife, they were more concerned about Lin Youquan's last words.

The Lin family had been marquises for four generations and possessed considerable family property. How could they, the members of the Lin family, be willing to hand it over to Jia Lian to manage?

Jia Lian was well aware of their thoughts, so he put down his teacup and said frankly, "It seems that you all have some doubts about Uncle's arrangements before his death."

The members of the Lin family exchanged glances, finally realizing that if they didn't speak up now, they would never have another chance.

Therefore, a middle-aged man quickly stood up, cupped his hands to Jia Lian, and said, "Please forgive us, Lord Marquis. It is not that we disrespect the clan chief's last wishes, but... but this matter is of great importance. After all, we all know how much the clan chief loved his niece Daiyu, how could he... So, I wonder if the Lord Marquis has any written instructions from our clan chief, or anything else that can convince us?"

Jia Lian smiled calmly, glancing at the middle-aged man. If he remembered correctly, this was Lin Ruhai's generation from the Lin family, the one with the best chance of entering officialdom. Hmm, the only scholar among them. He certainly had some skill in speaking. Clearly, what they cared about most was the Lin family's property, yet they only mentioned Daiyu, making it seem as if they had no ulterior motives.

"Those who served by my uncle's side before know about my uncle's betrothal of Lin Daiyu to me. If you are really worried, Lin Daiyu still has the marriage certificate signed by my elders and my uncle himself. If you really want to see it, I can immediately send someone to Lin Daiyu to get it for you to see."

However, I think it's unnecessary. I don't think you really care about that.

Uncle Quan, let's take out the handwritten letter from my uncle before he passed away and show it to all of you gentlemen.

"Yes."

Lin Youquan was prepared. To be honest, Lin Ruhai still cared about these relatives. In fact, Lin Ruhai didn't need to write this letter at all. With these people around him as witnesses, and with Jia Lian's own status, even if these Lin family members had doubts, they were not a big deal.

Therefore, Lin Ruhai wrote this letter not for Jia Lian, but for the sake of these members of the Lin family.

He took out the handwritten letter from his pocket and presented it to the elders of the Lin family one by one.

After reading the above, the Lin family members naturally had different expressions, some unwilling, and others with even greater doubts.

Could it be that Jia Lian, in order to seize the Lin family's assets, conspired with Steward Lin and others to forge the letter...?

They had been eyeing this family business for far too long. They didn't even consider that even if Lin Ruhai died, the Lin family's direct lineage should be inherited by Daiyu, and had little to do with them, the collateral relatives.

It would have been perfectly reasonable for Lin Ruhai to give all his assets to Daiyu as her dowry.

However, Lin Ruhai still cared about his relatives and thought of distributing the Lin family's ancestral property to his clansmen, firstly to provide relief, and secondly in the hope that their children would have money to study and that there would still be some hope for the future.

Looking at these people in front of him, who seemed to fear that he would seize their Lin family's assets, Jia Lian felt a little displeased.

"What? If you gentlemen still don't believe it, you can always ask a professional to examine it and see if it really is your uncle's fingerprint."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's slightly cold words, the Lin family members, who were still studying Lin Ruhai's handwritten letter, finally realized what was happening and looked somewhat embarrassed.

Some people wanted to agree to the inspection, but were immediately stopped by others. Someone finally realized that given Jia Lian's status and position, even if it were outright robbery, what could they possibly do?

If we were to have someone authenticate the fingerprints, it would be fine if they were genuine, but if they were found to be forged, it's hard to say how an enraged Jia Lian would treat them...

Therefore, it was the scholar who stepped forward, looking at Lin Youquan awkwardly, and said, "Well, we can understand the clan head giving half of his private property to his niece Daiyu as a dowry, but we don't know why the other half must also be given to the Marquis, to be managed by the Marquis..."

At this moment, Lin Youquan couldn't help but feel some disdain for these collateral relatives of the Lin family. Fortunately, his master had made a wise decision to let his son-in-law handle the funeral arrangements. Otherwise, if it had been left to these people, they would probably have already started fighting over the family inheritance, and wouldn't have cared about his master's funeral at all!

Jia Lian's patience had finally worn off. Without waiting for Lin Youquan's reply, he said directly, "This is very simple. Because I promised my uncle that the first child I have with Lin Meimei, who carries my uncle's direct bloodline, will be adopted by my uncle and inherit the Lin family lineage."

Therefore, that half of the family property was left by my uncle for my son, who is also his own grandson.

Do you understand now?

Jia Lian continued, not giving the Lin family any time to discuss, "However, your uncle still pities you and knows that you are not living a good life. So he instructed me to select an acting clan leader from among you before my child and Lin's child grow up and inherit the position of clan leader. He will then be responsible for distributing the Lin family's ancestral property to each of your branches."

That's the whole situation. Do you have any further questions?

Everyone noticed that Jia Lian's attitude had turned cold, and the Lin family members also became somewhat uneasy. Jia Lian was not only a high-ranking marquis, but also an imperial envoy who was sent out of the capital and whom even the prefectural magistrates feared and fawned over. If they really angered him, who could withstand his wrath?

An elder stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "We have all understood what the Marquis said. Since the clan chief has made these arrangements, we elders will naturally comply."

I just don't know who the Marquis intends to appoint as the acting patriarch of my Lin family during this period.

Furthermore, if I may be so bold as to ask, what will happen if, in the future, the Marquis and his second wife, do not have a son?

The clan elders are highly respected figures in the clan. Their previous silence wasn't due to indifference, but rather a weighing of the pros and cons, allowing the younger generation to test the waters.

Now that Jia Lian and the old steward have explained everything clearly, they know what to do.

Although somewhat resentful that the Lin family's affairs had to be decided entirely by an outsider, what could they do? None of them were capable. A scholar? In the countryside outside the city, he might be quite respected.

But in front of Jia Lian, they are probably nothing at all.

Therefore, they really had no room for negotiation.

Fortunately, it seems that Jia Lian has no intention of encroaching on the Lin family's ancestral property, and is even willing to let the income from the ancestral property be distributed among the various branches of the family.

What else is there to say?

Originally, even if they wanted to fight for it, they were only qualified to fight for the ancestral property. As for the private property accumulated by the direct descendants? If Lin Ruhai died without saying a word, then of course they might also fight for it.

However, Lin Ruhai had already made arrangements, so they had no right to say anything.

Moreover, most members of the Lin family only see the ancestral property of the Lin family. As for Lin Ruhai's private property, who knows how much there is? They have no concept of it, so naturally they are not so attached to it, and being attached to it would be useless.

"I will convene you again to discuss the acting patriarch and the management of the Lin family's ancestral property after my uncle's funeral. Right now, the most important thing is for you all to work together to ensure that my uncle's funeral is well-organized and dignified."

As for your concerns about the possibility that Lin Daiyu and I will have no children in the future...

If that's the case, then there's nothing more to say. As long as the acting clan leader performs well and wins the hearts of the people, he will become the new clan leader in the future.

As far as Jia Lian was concerned, the meager inheritance from the Lin family was nothing to him.

The reason she was even willing to talk so much with these concubines of the Lin family was simply because they would become her son's relatives in the future, and she wanted to make proper arrangements for them.

He already felt somewhat guilty about giving his son away for adoption, and even Jia Lian would feel embarrassed if he were to leave him with a mess. That's why he was being more patient with these meager members of the Lin family.