Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Daiyu's shopping trip was completely different from Princess Zhaoyang's.

On that day, while accompanying Princess Zhaoyang to stroll through the border market, she wanted to look at and examine everything, and buy anything that caught her eye and was easy to carry.

But Daiyu was different.

Walking with Jia Lian through the bustling streets, Daiyu mostly just looked around. Except for the occasional thing she found interesting but didn't understand, which she would ask Jia Lian about, she rarely spoke, let alone said anything about what she wanted to buy.

For example, when a street vendor selling candied hawthorns walked by, Jia Lian noticed that Daiyu's eyes were fixed on the bright red candied hawthorns, so he called out to the vendor.

"Sir, would you like to buy some candied hawthorns for the ladies to try? These are all homemade. I've been selling candied hawthorns in Jinling City for almost ten years. The taste is absolutely delicious. I guarantee that the ladies will want more after they try them..."

Leaving aside Jia Lian and Daiyu's style and appearance, even the two maids, Zijuan and Xueyan, were of superior temperament and dressed in luxurious clothes, so the vendors automatically classified them as young ladies from prominent families.

Jia Lian waved his hand to interrupt his self-praise and bought three candied hawthorns.

Zijuan and Xueyan quickly thanked her and accepted the gifts, but Daiyu hesitated for a moment before slowly taking them.

She didn't really want to eat this kind of food; she only glanced at it a few times because it looked pretty. Most importantly, the street was crowded and dusty, and she felt it wasn't very clean.

"Girl, why aren't you eating?" Xueyan took a bite of a candied hawthorn, chewed it and found it delicious. Seeing that Daiyu was just holding it, she asked.

Daiyu felt embarrassed to disappoint Jia Lian, so she picked up the candied hawthorn and was about to try it when she suddenly heard an excited voice from ahead.

"Fourth sister, what brings you out here?"

A boy of about thirteen or fourteen, with a slightly tipsy face, swayed over to greet them, looking very happy.

Jia Lian and Daiyu looked up and were both surprised.

Jia Lian was alright; after a brief moment of surprise, he immediately remembered something, and his expression became quite interested.

Daiyu opened her mouth wide in surprise, staring at the newcomer in disbelief.

The reason was that the boy running towards her was exactly the same as Jia Baoyu from the Rongguo Mansion in the capital, in terms of appearance, temperament, and clothing.

If Daiyu hadn't been so perceptive and knew it was impossible to run into Jia Baoyu here, she would have almost called out.

Upon closer reflection, it becomes clear: if it were Jia Baoyu, he would definitely address her as "Sister Lin," not "Fourth Sister."

She looked at Jia Lian, wanting to see if he also found it unbelievable. Unfortunately, Jia Lian didn't seem shocked at all; it was the two maids beside her, Xueyan and Jia Lian, who were just as astonished, their mouths agape. Xueyan even turned to look at them and murmured, "How could Second Master Bao be here?"

"stop!"

Unlike Jia Lian and the others, Zhang Yong and the others also felt that the drunken young man in front of them looked similar to the young master Bao in the mansion, but they quickly realized that the newcomer was not Jia Baoyu, but just looked like him.

Seeing that he wanted to get close to Daiyu, he immediately stepped forward to stop him.

"What are you doing? Why are you stopping me! And where do you think you're taking my fourth sister?"

The boy was probably only focused on Daiyu in front of him and didn't see Zhang Yong and the others beside him. In his haste, he bumped into Zhang Yong's arms and was thrown back like a little chick by Zhang Yong.

"How dare you! Do you know who my master is?" The servant beside the young man quickly stepped forward to protect him and loudly rebuked Zhang Yong.

In response, Zhang Yong and the others glared at them, which frightened them so much that they retreated repeatedly.

Meanwhile, the guards who were far behind on Jia Lian's orders, seeing that something was amiss, quickly sped up and surrounded them.

At the same time, a hundred paces away, several richly dressed young men came out in front of the gate of a brothel. One of them said to another with a face full of apology, "I'm sorry, Brother Ziling. I invited you here today, but when I heard Miss Qiyun's ethereal voice, I didn't know that Miss Qiyun would refuse to see guests in order to prepare for the Flower Queen Competition. Alas."

"Haha, Brother Tangcun, there's no need for that. A peerless beauty like Miss Qiyun is someone you can only meet by chance and cannot force.

Strangely enough, in previous years, before the Flower Queen Contest was about to begin, the top Flower Queens from each prefecture would usually travel around to perform, so it was easier to see them at that time. But this year it was the opposite.

When I came from Yangzhou before, the young lady Su Xiaoxiao from Yangzhou also said she was fully focused on the Flower Queen Competition and refused to see any guests. Now, the young lady Qiyun from Jinling is doing the same thing. How strange!

"Oh, Brother Ziling, you just came from Yangzhou? I heard there's a lot of trouble with the salt administration there, and the imperial court sent a powerful imperial envoy. Do you know what's going on, Brother Ziling?"

"Tsk tsk, that's more than just impressive, let me tell you..."

Just as the group was about to begin their conversation, a servant rushed back and shouted to the young man, "Master, something terrible has happened! Second Master has been surrounded! You'd better come and take a look!"

The young man's expression changed drastically. He quickly glanced ahead, and without saying anything more to his friend, he led his entourage and ran forward at a fast pace.

The young boy was startled by the sudden appearance of the soldiers where Jia Lian and the others were.

As a direct descendant of one of the most powerful families in Jinling City, he was usually accompanied by a large entourage when he went out. Today, however, he only brought a few trusted servants because he had secretly gone to visit a brothel with his cousins ​​and others without his family's knowledge.

Therefore, he could understand others traveling with many attendants and guards. However, this was the first time he had ever seen someone accompanied by dozens of soldiers while strolling through the streets, so he was somewhat bewildered.

If he was like this, one can imagine how his arrogant servants, who had been so domineering just moments before, all turned pale.

"What do you want? My second master is the son of the president of the Jinling Provincial Academy of Humanity, personally appointed by the Emperor, and the younger brother of the Princess Consort of Pingjun. If you dare to disrespect my second master, you'll regret it!"

Upon hearing the other party introduce themselves, Zhang Yong and the others appeared completely unconcerned.

Comparing status with their master?

Although it was unclear what kind of official the Imperial Envoy of Jinling Province was, there was a general consensus among people at the time: the longer and more unusual the title, the less valuable it was. After all, a truly powerful position wouldn't need such a string of intimidating suffixes!

Besides, no matter how powerful they are, can they compare to the Rongguo Mansion or our own Marquis?

As for the so-called Princess Consort of Pingjun, sorry, it just so happens that there is a Noble Consort in the family, whose rank is even higher than that of a Prince's wife. Naturally, a mere Princess Consort of Pingjun is not worth her attention.

Daiyu frowned, seemingly not expecting that she would encounter such a scene from a play while simply accompanying her second brother on a stroll.

She disliked it, but seeing Jia Lian's smiling, somewhat sinister expression, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Second Brother, do you know them?"

Jia Lian laughed and said, "Although I don't recognize it, I have some guesses. Don't worry, Sister Lin, allow me to go and ask. Maybe the flood has washed away the Dragon King's temple?"

No sooner had the words been spoken than a handsome young man pushed through the crowd, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Please forgive me, young master and young lady. It turns out that my younger brother had been drinking and must have offended you. I apologize on his behalf."

The young gentleman was very polite.

In truth, he was also somewhat surprised, for with his knowledge, he could tell at a glance that Jia Lian and the others were not locals of Jinling.

Given their family background, few people from Jiangnan would dare to disrespect them. Only those from the capital whose origins are unknown are not to be trifled with.

Moreover, the leading man was not only handsome and extraordinary, but also possessed an air of authority that exuded a sense of power without anger, making him feel that the other party's identity was definitely not ordinary, which is why he adopted such a humble posture.

Jia Lian looked at the two brothers in front of him, smiled, and returned the greeting with a cupped hand. "You're too kind, it's just a misunderstanding."

After saying that, he casually waved his hand, and his personal guards lined up in two rows and jogged away.

Seeing this, the young man relaxed and was about to step forward with a smile to strike up a conversation, but then he saw Jia Lian looking at him with a smile: "If I'm not mistaken, you and this young master are both from the Zhen family in the city, aren't you?"

"Oh, does this young master recognize us?"

"Hehehe, I am Jia Lian, from the Rongguo Mansion in the capital. Brother Yutang, I have long admired you."

The young man was taken aback at first, then slapped his forehead and stepped forward with a hearty laugh.

"So it's Brother Lian in person! Haha, forgive my poor eyesight, I didn't recognize you! I deserve a beating!"

The joy on the young man's face was not perfunctory at all, but genuinely delighted!

Leaving aside the nearly century-long friendship between the Zhen and Jia families, even though he and Jia Lian had never met, they had seen each other's names more than once or twice.

This was simply because his status and situation were almost identical to Jia Lian's in the previous few years.

In the Zhen family, he helped his eldest uncle manage the family business, while Jia Lian helped his second uncle with household affairs in the capital.

The two families maintained frequent exchanges, such as exchanging gifts during festivals and receiving greetings from each other. However, because the two capitals were far apart, although they had known each other for several years, they had never met.

But he knew that Jia Lian had already risen to great heights and become famous, while he was still helping manage the household in his uncle's house. Thinking about it, he couldn't help but feel envious and jealous.

The local people, who had initially thought they were in for a good show of a power struggle among the sons of the powerful, found it boring after watching for a while and then dispersed when they realized the family was actually one family.

"Come, Baoyu, why don't you step forward and pay your respects to Brother Lian!"

Zhen Yucheng was genuinely happy, but he was afraid of being abrupt if he wanted to pull Jia Lian forward. So he turned around, pulled over Zhen Baoyu who was still looking at the other woman's scroll, and introduced him to Jia Lian: "This is my cousin Baoyu, my uncle's son. I'm sure you've heard of him, Brother Lian."

"I've heard of him, I've heard of him. Brother Baoyu is quite famous, I've heard of him before."

"Hahaha……"

Zhen Yucheng burst into laughter. He knew Jia Lian was mocking Zhen Baoyu, because his cousin, though young, had quite a few tricks up his sleeve. Especially his "famous sayings," such as, "I must have two innocent girls by my side to learn to read and understand, otherwise I will be completely confused," not only frequently drew scolding and punishment from his uncle, but some of them even got out and became the subject of ridicule.

Unaware that Jia Lian was mocking him, Zhen Baoyu continued to stare at Daiyu, who was slightly hiding beside Jia Lian, and murmured, "Aren't you Fourth Sister?"

Seeing this, Zhen Yucheng tugged at him again, and fearing that Jia Lian would blame him, he quickly explained, "I dare not deceive Brother Lian. If I did not know that my fourth sister had stayed at home all day and had not gone out, I would probably think that the young lady behind you is my fourth sister."

Their appearances are indeed very similar, which is why Baoyu mistook them. I hope Brother Lian will forgive my rudeness.

Although Jia Lian had some idea of ​​Zhen Baoyu's character, he was still somewhat displeased by his behavior, so he ignored him and simply introduced him to Zhen Yucheng: "This is my cousin Daiyu, the daughter of the former Lantai Ling, Lord Lin, who was conferred the title of Fourth Rank Lady Lin by His Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Yucheng's expression turned serious, and he immediately bowed to Daiyu.

Daiyu quickly returned the greeting.

Jia Lian had intended for Daiyu to experience social interactions, which is why he took her to Yingtian Prefecture to meet Jia Yucun today. Only by broadening her horizons and seeing more different people and things could she avoid becoming trapped in her own little world and becoming depressed.

"Brother, what brings you here today?"

"I had some personal matters to attend to, and after finishing them, I had some free time, so I took my cousin to stroll around the streets of Jinling City."

"Haha, that's great. I happen to have nothing to do today, so how about I act as your guide and show you around the city?"

Jia Lian didn't care at first, but when he glanced at Daiyu, the little maid frowned. Following her gaze, he saw that it was indeed because of that boy Zhen Baoyu.

Jia Lian then said to Zhen Yucheng, "There's no need to trouble Brother Yucheng. We've just arrived in Jinling and are planning to visit relatives and elders later, so we won't bother you."

"I see, then so be it."

Zhen Yucheng also realized that Jia Lian seemed to dislike Zhen Baoyu, so he stopped pursuing him.

When Zhen Baoyu heard that Jia Lian and the others were leaving, he became somewhat anxious: "Brother Lian, it's rare for you to come to Jinling City. Why don't you come to my house as a guest?"

Hearing this, Jia Lian felt it was difficult to refuse. After all, he had just said he was going to visit relatives and elders. If he hadn't run into them, that would have been fine, but since he had, and given the relationship between the two families, it was only right that he pay his respects to the elders of the Zhen family.

Seeing that Jia Lian couldn't refuse, Zhen Baoyu quickly tugged at his cousin's clothes, asking him to help out, but Zhen Yucheng just smiled and didn't say anything.

The two families were so close that there was no need to be overly polite. Moreover, he knew very well why his brother had invited Jia Lian and his brother to be guests, and he didn't want to offend Jia Lian for the sake of his foolish younger brother.

Just from the distance between Daiyu and Jia Lian, he knew the general relationship between the two, and naturally he wouldn't interfere.

"Now that we've arrived in Jinling, it's time to pay our respects to the old lady and your uncle and aunt. However, we already have plans for today. How about this, I will personally visit your residence tomorrow morning."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's agreement, Zhen Baoyu quickly said, "Then could you bring Lin's sister over as well tomorrow? She really looks just like my fourth sister. Brother, you must bring her over tomorrow, you must let her meet my fourth sister."

Jia Lian couldn't bring himself to get angry at this brat's obvious little scheme. He simply looked down at him condescendingly and said, "Oh, if you really want them to meet, you can bring your fourth sister to our residence as a guest. We live in the Rongguo Mansion on Gonghou Street; it's easy to find."

"Ah, but my wife and grandmother rarely allow me to go out, let alone let me take my fourth sister out..."

Zhen Baoyu clearly had this idea, but found it difficult to implement, which troubled him.

Zhen Yucheng noticed that Jia Lian was somewhat displeased, so he quickly changed the subject, saying, "Alright, then I'll go back and tell my elders that I'll be waiting for you at home tomorrow at noon."

……

After leaving the Zhen brothers, Jia Lian glanced back at Daiyu. Daiyu, whose brows were still furrowed, finally broke into a wide smile after her eyes met Jia Lian's smiling gaze.

Their laughter finally made Zijuan's two maids unable to hold back any longer, and they started chattering away.

"Sister Zijuan, that guy named Zhen Baoyu just now really looks just like our Second Master Bao! And they're both named Baoyu! Isn't that a coincidence?"

"That's quite a coincidence."

Zijuan said something, and then cautiously glanced at Jia Lian.

As Daiyu's head maid, she was not as naive as Xueyan, but she was very clear about Jia Baoyu's feelings for Daiyu.

The only thing we don't know now is that Daiyu has already been betrothed to Jia Lian. If he finds out, who knows what Master Bao will do?

Daiyu also found it somewhat unbelievable. After hearing the maids' discussions, she couldn't help but ask Jia Lian, "Second Brother didn't seem surprised at all just now. Did he know beforehand that they looked alike?"

"Pretty much. I've heard some things from the maids of the Zhen family who came to visit the old lady before."

"I see."

Daiyu nodded, her bright almond-shaped eyes darting around, clearly lost in thought.

"Isn't Lin Daiyu quite pleased with herself?"

"Um?"

"Look at him, Baoyu in the family adores Lin Daiyu so much, and now there's this 'real Baoyu' who can't take his eyes off Lin Daiyu at first glance. Shouldn't Lin Daiyu be proud of that?"

"Second brother, what nonsense are you talking about!"

Although Jia Lian said it with a smile, Daiyu was still embarrassed and ashamed when she heard it, and immediately glared at Jia Lian and scolded him.

Jia Lian's words made it sound like she was a womanizer. She was Jia Lian's woman; how could she possibly have any involvement with any other man!

Jia Lian, however, didn't care at all: "What's the big deal? The fact that they can't take their eyes off Lin Daiyu only proves that my Lin Daiyu is incredibly beautiful and has a face that can topple kingdoms. It's my good fortune that I, Jia Lian, am so lucky."

"Pah! If you keep doing that, I'm not talking to you anymore!"

Daiyu was not one to blindly follow conventions; in fact, she felt the same way herself. However, it was hard for her to accept that Jia Lian had said it aloud, so she pretended to be angry and walked away quickly.