Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

As dinner was drawing to a close, Zhuang Shi noticed Jia Lian glancing at the sky and seized the opportunity to say with a smile, "It's getting late, and the city will soon be under curfew. I've already had the rooms cleaned. Why don't Lian-ge and Miss Lin stay at our house tonight? I think Baoqin is also quite reluctant to see you go."

Following Zhuang's words, Baoqin nodded in agreement, staring at Jia Lian with her big, bright eyes, like those of a two-dimensional anime girl.

Everyone else, including Xue Ke and the Second Madam, looked at Jia Lian expectantly. Moreover, Jia Lian felt his calf being kicked again with the same force, and this time, he couldn't find the culprit. Even the Second Madam sitting opposite him showed no intention of apologizing.

Amidst everyone's gaze, Jia Lian looked at Daiyu. He knew that Daiyu had mild social anxiety and disliked being in unfamiliar environments.

Daiyu, however, assumed that Jia Lian was simply embarrassed to refuse the Xue family's offer. With a composed expression, she wiped her hands with a handkerchief before softly saying, "Second Brother, didn't you say you were going to visit the Zhen family first thing tomorrow morning?"

The implication was that Jia Lian had important business to attend to and could not linger outside.

To everyone's surprise, Madam Zhuang laughed and said, "The Zhen family, is it the Zhen family of the Imperial Textile Bureau? It just so happens that the Zhen family is not far from here, only two or three streets away. This will save us a lot of trouble. Tomorrow morning, Lian-ge'er can go to the Zhen family from here, which is much shorter than going from Gonghou Street."

Baoqin immediately chimed in, "That's right, that's right, Brother Lian, please agree to stay. It's my first time meeting Sister Lin today, and I'd love to have a long talk with her all night long. Please grant our request!"

As Baoqin spoke, she took Daiyu's hand, showing their deep sisterly affection.

Daiyu felt embarrassed to refuse Baoqin's enthusiasm, and also felt that she had made a fool of herself and misled Jia Lian, so she gave Jia Lian an apologetic look and then stopped talking.

Jia Lian could tell that Daiyu didn't mind staying overnight at the Xue family's house, so he nodded in agreement.

Since we've decided to stay overnight, dinner can naturally be longer, so everyone can gather around the table to chat and catch up.

However, there is a limit to how long it can last, as most of the people present were women and children who did not drink much. Even Xue Ke, being too young, had a very limited capacity for alcohol. Therefore, even though his mother instructed him to toast Jia Lian more, he did not last long before becoming dizzy and flushed.

Seeing that Daiyu, Baoqin, and the other women were already sitting, Jia Lian felt embarrassed to continue teasing Xue Ke and said with a smile that they had finished eating.

So Lady Zhuang had someone send Xue Ke down to rest. After leaving the dining hall, she instructed the Second Madam to take Jia Lian to his room, while she herself led Daiyu, Baoqin, and Daiyu's two maids to Baoqin's small courtyard.

Originally, Lady Zhuang had prepared a separate room for Daiyu, but Baoqin pulled Daiyu aside, saying that she wanted to sleep with Daiyu so that they could talk more at night.

The Xue family's mansion was quite large, but as Jia Lian walked around, he noticed that there weren't many servants. The grandeur of the house paled in comparison to that of the Rongguo Mansion.

For example, this second wife seems to have only one maidservant by her side.

"My lord, you need not worry about your attendants and guards. My sister has already instructed the steward to settle them all in the outer courtyard."

If the Marquis has any orders for them, they can simply go out from here; it's only a dozen or so steps to the main courtyard.

After turning twice along the long corridor under the dining hall, before they had even left the main courtyard, the Second Madam gracefully stopped and pointed to the moon gate next to her, speaking to Jia Lian.

Seeing Jia Lian nod to indicate that he understood, she smiled and took a few more steps forward, arriving at a brightly lit side room.

"This is the room my sister arranged for you, my lord. It's rather simple, so please don't find it offensive."

In addition, both rooms on the left and right have been cleaned and are fully equipped with bedding. You two sisters are welcome to choose whichever room you prefer. Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality.

The second wife first apologized to Aqi and Aqin, who were beside Jia Lian, and then pushed open the door.

The room was slightly more spacious than a typical private room, and judging from the clean and intact candles and the brand-new and expensive cups, saucers and tea sets on the table, it was easy to guess that much of the furnishings had been recently replaced.

After pouring Jia Lian a cup of tea, the Second Madam, together with the maids, made the bed and checked whether the other furnishings and utensils in the room were complete.

Upon discovering that the incense in the cauldron had burned out, the second madam hurriedly instructed her maid, "Go to my room and fetch the finest lily incense to burn!"

Jia Lian watched the maid leave, then turned back to look at his second wife, who was the only other person in the room besides him, and his expression suddenly became profound.

Perhaps feeling uneasy under Jia Lian's gaze, the Second Madam smiled shyly, and then, seemingly to avoid looking directly at Jia Lian, turned around and continued making the bed.

She was graceful and tall. When she bent over to make the bed, her beautiful buttocks, covered by her brocade dress, were inevitably raised high. And coincidentally, they were directly facing Jia Lian, who was sitting quietly at the tea table.

Jia Lian took three sips of tea before putting down the teacup and getting up to walk towards the bedside.

The second wife, who was making the bed, turned around unexpectedly and saw Jia Lian standing almost touching her. Startled, she went limp and collapsed onto the bed, weakly saying, "My lord, you...?"

Jia Lian asked her, "It's just a bed, did Second Madam need to make it so meticulously?"

"Well, I was worried that Your Highness might not be comfortable sleeping there, so I wanted to make the bed even better?"

The second wife replied nervously, and seeing Jia Lian sit down by the bed, she subconsciously stepped back to the other side.

Jia Lian suddenly laughed and reached out to hook her pointed chin, but she turned her head away and dodged him. He didn't mind and just asked with a smile, "Second Madam is so shy now. I wonder who kicked me twice on the table just now?"

Or perhaps someone in your family has a habit of kicking people at the dinner table, or maybe you think I'm eating too much and are trying to remind me to eat less?

"No, it was just an accident that someone kicked you, Lord Marquis. You won't be angry about it, will you?"

The second wife appeared very afraid of Jia Lian, but she did not deny that she was the one who did it.

At this moment, Jia Lian and she were sitting upright and lying on their side, both on the same bed, less than a foot apart. Their young, handsome bodies seemed to act as a primal biological code, bringing them direct anticipation and excitement.

"I'm not angry, but if you have no other plans, please go back first. I'm not a three-year-old child, I can take care of myself."

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Jia Lian, after all, was a seasoned veteran, and his control over his emotions was beyond the reach of ordinary people.

This second wife was constantly making subtle moves, playing hard to get with him, clearly having ulterior motives. Jia Lian, however, was not about to be fooled and fall for her scheme, so he straightened up and said seriously.

The second wife was somewhat flustered and glanced at Jia Lian with surprise and suspicion.

Judging from Jia Lian's earlier observation of her from behind, and his earlier attempts to take action, it's clear he has designs on her.

Why is it like this all of a sudden?

Since things had come to this point, she was unwilling to give up halfway. So she slowly got up, stood on the footstool, and bowed slightly to Jia Lian. Just as she was about to turn around, she hooked her right foot over her left foot, tilted her body, and fell onto Jia Lian.

The beauty threw herself into his arms, and Jia Lian, naturally oblivious to such charms, reached out and caught her, his arms filled with her warmth and fragrance.

"My lord..."

The second wife, her face flushed with embarrassment, lay back in Jia Lian's arms, gazing at him with tender affection.

Those deep blue eyes, so different from those of Han people, paired with a bewitching face comparable to Qin Keqing, were sure to ignite a man's passion.

So Jia Lian stopped being polite, put one arm around the beauty, hooked her chin with his index finger, and kissed her fiery red lips.

Then, Jia Lian realized that this woman was different from women from the Central Plains.

Even Qin Keqing, the most charming woman Jia Lian encountered, kept her eyes tightly closed when he first kissed her.

The second wife, however, stared at him with her clear eyes from beginning to end. After a while, even Jia Lian couldn't help but feel overwhelmed and shook his head away from her.

Seeing the other party unconsciously curl his tongue, Jia Lian's heart trembled. He forced himself to remain calm and asked, "Speak, what is your purpose in going to such lengths to seduce me?"

The second wife smiled upon hearing this, "What purpose do I have? I am simply captivated by the Marquis's majestic figure and grateful for his care of the Xue family. I wish to repay the Marquis."

Jia Lian felt these words sounded familiar. Thinking about it carefully, he realized he'd recently been through a bit of misfortune—a young woman's ordeal!

But when he looked down at the Second Madam's appearance and noticed that her slender arms had already wrapped around his waist, he found it really hard to let her go against his will.

However, since they were relatives, Jia Lian couldn't be as at ease with them as he was with Xu Shi, so he had to show his attitude.

"If you don't tell the truth, I'll take it as fact and deny everything. Don't blame me then."

The second wife glanced at Jia Lian's expression with unusual interest, and found it quite unbelievable that she could detect a hint of shyness on his face.

Given Jia Lian's status, character, and appearance, shouldn't he have a large number of wives and concubines and have been with countless women?

Thinking this, she was overjoyed and couldn't help but reach out her five delicate fingers to stroke Jia Lian's face. She quickly withdrew them when he looked down at her, then whispered, "There is indeed something I wish to ask of you, Lord Marquis. It's nothing important, and if you find it difficult, it's alright to ignore it..."

"Hmm? Tell me about it."

So the second wife arranged a marriage between Baoqin and the Mei family in the capital. Now, all signs from the Mei family indicate that they intend to break off the engagement and want to use the power of the Marquis in the future if necessary.

Jia Lian was aware of Baoqin's engagement and expressed the same regret as Jia Baoyu.

After all, Baoqin was so beautiful and adorable that it was only natural for him to be attracted to her. Even Jia Baoyu, who prided himself on being a noble gentleman in this turbid world, who would only choose Daiyu from among all the beautiful women in the world, and who even found it difficult to stay with Xue Baochai, who was like a hermit in the mountains, once said that only Baoqin could replace Daiyu.

(In the original story, Zijuan tricked Jia Baoyu into thinking that Daiyu was going back to the Lin family, and Jia Baoyu pretended to be stupid and made a scene. After sobering up, he heard that Zijuan suspected that Grandmother Jia and others wanted to marry Baoqin to him. Jia Baoyu sighed: "Everyone says I'm stupid, but I think you're even more stupid than me. She has already been promised to the Mei family. If it were really her, I wouldn't have to suffer from this illness.")

The above is merely my personal, one-sided understanding; different opinions are welcome.

"This matter is not difficult. As long as Baoqin doesn't make any serious mistakes, the Mei family has no reason to back out of the engagement."

Jia Lian's words brought a smile to the Second Madam's face, which surprised Jia Lian. He stroked her face and asked, "I'm quite curious, why is Baoqin's life so important to you that you're willing to make such a sacrifice for her?"

"Of course she's important. She's my daughter. What's wrong with me thinking about her?"

The second wife replied matter-of-factly, but noticing Jia Lian's furrowed brow, she immediately changed her tone and smiled, "However, I am truly moved by the Marquis's dashing appearance. In fact, I was already less worried about this matter when the Marquis mentioned that Qin'er knew the current Princess."

Therefore, please believe me, Your Highness, that I truly admire you.

Jia Lian supported the Second Madam's delicate body with one hand, and touched his nose with the other. "Um, you said Baoqin is your daughter? Isn't she the First Madam's daughter?"

"No, Qin is my biological daughter."

As the second wife spoke, she pulled Jia Lian up a little, wrapped her arms around his neck, and looked at him, asking, "Does the Marquis dislike that Baoqin is not the daughter of the first wife?"

"no."

"So, you're saying you despise me for having given birth? If that's the case, then naturally I wouldn't dare disturb Your Highness. I'll take my leave now..."

As the second wife spoke, tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Jia Lian, then she got up to leave.

Jia Lian couldn't let her leave like that. He grabbed her hand and pulled her back, letting her fragrant body fall back into his arms.

But I couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

He genuinely didn't know before that Baoqin was actually the daughter of the Second Madam.

Because they had always known that Xue Ke and Xue Baoqin were siblings, and they were unaware of the existence of the Second Madam, they had preconceived notions that they were all Zhuang's children.

Even when Baoqin and Xue Ke greeted the Second Madam together at the dinner table, one called her "Second Madam" and the other should have called her "Mother," he didn't pay much attention to the distinction at the time.

Most importantly, this second wife was so stunningly beautiful and looked so young that he would never have guessed she was the mother of a ten-year-old child!

Looking back now, it actually makes sense. Baoqin's exquisite and beautiful appearance must have been derived from this second madam.

However, judging from her appearance, Baoqin doesn't resemble her mother. At least she doesn't have her mother's deep blue eyes, so at first glance, it's not easy to tell that she has foreign ancestry.

Feeling frustrated, he had no interest in asking the Second Madam's true age. He simply rolled her over and pinned her to the bed, leaning close to her and asking, "Since you are Baoqin's mother, how dare you do such a thing? Aren't you afraid of being found out by the First Madam and Baoqin?"

These words made the second wife blush and her heart race, forcing her to turn her head away to hide her expression.

Jia Lian chuckled, and as he drew near to smell the exotic beauty's scent, he disregarded everything else and began to savor the fragrance emanating from her beautiful, well-defined neck.

"No, not here. Someone will be here soon."

The second wife sensed that Jia Lian was getting serious, and finally got scared and ran away.

Jia Lian didn't force her, but simply lay down on the bed, propping his head up with one hand and smiling as he watched the panicked Second Madam.

Seeing Jia Lian's expression and his disheveled robes, the Second Madam burst out laughing again.

Looking back at the half-open door, she walked up to Jia Lian, put her hand on his shoulder, and said with a smile, "I live in the middle room of the east wing of the main courtyard. If you walk west from the back corridor of this room, and then north to the end, the door with the colorful flower baskets hanging on the ceiling is my back room."

"If Your Excellency is willing, I will leave the door open for you at midnight tonight."

Ah, they were indeed well-prepared.

Jia Lian smiled slightly, appearing neither agreeable nor disagreeable.

The second wife was unsure of Jia Lian's intentions, but she didn't have more time to confirm with him, because clear footsteps could be heard outside.

Therefore, the second wife quickly leaned close to Jia Lian's ear and whispered, "My lord, please come over tonight. I will prepare a surprise for you, and perhaps you will like it."

After saying that, she quickly stepped back and just then saw the maid carrying an incense box come in. She straightened her appearance, personally burned incense into the censer, bowed to Jia Lian, and then left with the maid.