Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The next day, Jia Lian arrived at the Zhen family as promised.

Master Zhen Yingjia of the Zhen family gave Jia Lian great importance and personally received him in the main hall.

"It's only been three years since we last met, but I never expected my nephew to have risen so high in his career. It would be no exaggeration to say that he is now famous throughout the land. Indeed, heroes have emerged from among the young since ancient times."

Zhen Yingjia was a somewhat frail, elegantly dressed middle-aged man whose temperament was somewhat similar to Jia Zheng's.

In fact, three years ago, when Jia Lian went to Jiangnan to bring Daiyu to the capital, he visited the Zhen family once when he went to Jinling to look for Xiangling.

At that time, although Zhen Yingjia received him out of consideration for the friendship between the two families, Jia Lian was merely a scion of an obscure family, and was known for his lack of education and only for his cunning in worldly affairs, so he was not valued by Zhen Yingjia.

Therefore, the meeting was brief, consisting of only a few pleasantries. As for the other members of the Zhen family, they didn't see any of the important ones.

But things are different today.

Besides Zhen Yingjia, Zhen Yingfu, the fourth master of the Zhen family, and Zhen Yutang, the eldest son of the Zhen family, were also among the guests.

This Zhen Yutang is not Zhen Yingjia's son, but rather the eldest son of Zhen Yingfu, the fourth master of the Zhen family. Zhen Baoyu, whom I saw on the street yesterday, is Zhen Yingjia's legitimate son.

This simple detail reveals that the relationships within the Zhen family are quite complex, unlike those of ordinary families which are simple and clear.

Because Jia Lian held official positions, titles, and even the status of an imperial envoy, the Zhen family had no intention of simply treating him as a junior.

After exchanging a few polite words, Zhen Yingjia asked Jia Lian to sit in the first seat of the guest section, while Zhen Yingfu sat opposite him in the guest section. On the other hand, Zhen Yucheng, the eldest son of the Zhen family, could only stand and keep him company.

"I heard that my nephew accomplished several important things in Yangzhou, and even faced life and death several times as a result. I wonder if everything is going smoothly now, or if there have been any troubles?"

"If there is anything, please feel free to speak up. Our Zhen family has a decent reputation in the Jiangnan region, and if there is anything we can do to help you, we will certainly not refuse."

After chatting for a while, Fourth Master Zhen suddenly said with a smile.

Jia Lian cupped his hands in thanks. "Thank you for your kindness, Uncle. Although I encountered some trouble, thanks to His Majesty's blessings and protection, I managed to complete the task. In a few days, I will prepare to return to the capital."

"So fast?"

Zhen Yingfu and Zhen Yingjia exchanged a glance, and then Zhen Yingjia laughed loudly, "Since my nephew has taken care of everything, we can only congratulate him in advance and wish him a speedy return to the capital to receive his reward."

After saying a few polite words, Zhen Yingjia added, "Speaking of your job, my dear nephew, I also remembered something."

I heard that the Wang family, salt merchants who had dominated Yangzhou for over a decade, have been executed and their property confiscated by my nephew for corruption, disregard for human life, and audacious attempt to assassinate an imperial envoy.

"That is indeed true."

Although it was a preordained fact, seeing Jia Lian's indifferent and frank admission in the face of their questions, the two masters of the Zhen family couldn't help but feel a slight tremor in their hearts, knowing that the rumors were true. This Master Lian, though young, was certainly not a simple character.

He is decisive and ruthless, daring to fight and kill; one cannot be deceived by his glamorous appearance. No wonder even His Majesty often entrusts him with some thorny matters.

"That's right. As you should know, our Zhen family has been stationed in Jiangnan since the early years of the late Emperor Taishang, dealing with the prominent families and clans throughout Jiangnan year after year."

The Wang family had some dealings with our Zhen family in the past... However, we later discovered that the Wang family acted arrogantly and that we often heard rumors of illegal activities, so we gradually cut off all contact with them.

Who would have thought they would end up like this? Although it is the Wang family's own fault, I am afraid that the Wang family still has some items that were part of our business back then.

Although these are all normal exchanges, if the imperial court finds out, it might inevitably doubt the Zhen family's loyalty.

Therefore, I have a request...

"Please speak, Uncle."

"Since you are the imperial envoy in charge of this matter, I suppose the items confiscated from the Wang family all passed through your hands."

My dear nephew, as you know, our Zhen family has been in charge of the textile industry in Jiangnan for the Emperor Emeritus for many years, which has made us the object of envy and jealousy among many in the court. To avoid any suspicion or unnecessary trouble, I would like to trouble you with this matter: if you truly find anything or any letters related to our Zhen family at the Wang family's residence…

Of course, we would never allow our nephew to do anything illegal. Nephew, please examine it first. If you determine it is insignificant, we would be extremely grateful if, for the sake of our family relationship, you could destroy it or return it.

Jia Lian laughed upon hearing this.

Having stayed in Yangzhou for so long, he could at least have a clear understanding of the backgrounds and relationships of all the salt merchants there, if not the exact details. He certainly knew everything about the three salt merchants whose businesses he raided.

He understood why the Zhen family had suddenly brought this up. He knew that before the Wang family established connections with the Crown Prince's residence, their biggest backer was the Zhen family of Jiangnan!

Perhaps some people don't quite understand how the Zhen family, which has no hereditary titles and no one holds an important position in the central government, could act as a protector of a major salt merchant.

In fact, this can be understood from the three words "Emperor Emeritus" that Zhen Yingjia just mentioned.

That's right, the Zhen family was the family that the retired emperor had sent to the Jiangnan region in his early years to oversee the various textile bureaus!

All the textile bureaus in Jiangnan were under the supervision of the Jinling Tiren Academy.

The current head of the Zhen family, Zhen Yingjia, holds the official position of "Imperial Envoy and President of the Nanjing Provincial Academy of Humanity".

This official position, just from the name, suggests it was bestowed by imperial decree. It wasn't particularly high-ranking, as it only involved overseeing the textile bureau, and the rank was only around fourth or fifth grade.

However, it's not insignificant either, since it carries the title of "Imperial Envoy," representing the imperial court, the emperor, or more precisely, the retired emperor.

As for why the Zhen family was so trusted by the Emperor and given a hereditary official position, we need to go back even further. Perhaps we can understand it from what Grandmother Jia mentioned in Rongqing Hall about the origin of the Zhen family's old lady's title of "Princess Xiu'an".

In short, the Jia family, which had two members holding the title of Duke, and the Zhen family, which had been on equal footing with the Zhen family for a century, possessed sufficient wealth and cultural heritage.

This is evident from the fact that when others mention the Zhen family, they usually refer to them as the "Zhen family of Jiangnan" rather than the Zhen family of Jinling. The Zhen family's influence has long since extended beyond Jinling City, radiating across most of Jiangnan.

This is also why Jia Lian never underestimated the Zhen family.

However, times have changed, and like the Jia family before them, what the Zhen family once took pride in is gradually dissipating and crumbling. Their current wealth seems more like a castle in the air, teetering on the edge.

This explains why even a small-time salt merchant dared to abandon the Zhen family and instead seek refuge with the Crown Prince's household.

That's right. The relationship between the Zhen family and the Wang family is not as Zhen Yingjia said, that the Zhen family took the initiative to sever ties because they saw the Wang family heading into the abyss. Rather, the Wang family took the initiative to seek new social connections to attach themselves to because they saw the Zhen family becoming increasingly unreliable!

In other words, the Zhen family was "betrayed" by the Wang family.

Among powerful clans, such behavior should be deeply abhorred, but the Wang family has recently attached itself to the Crown Prince's residence.

Therefore, the Zhen family, though wanting revenge, dared not act rashly and could only harbor their resentment, which naturally made them very uncomfortable.

Who knew that before the Zhen family could find an opportunity to deal with the Wang family, the Wang family was uprooted by Jia Lian due to the collective recklessness of the salt merchants. At this time, while the Zhen family was overjoyed, they were also somewhat worried, because the Zhen family's old relationship with the Wang family was exposed, which aroused the court's dissatisfaction with the Zhen family.

It just so happened that the imperial envoy in charge of this matter, Jia Lian, had been a family friend of the Zhen family for centuries. Therefore, it was only natural that they wanted to use their connections to have Jia Lian destroy the evidence of the two families' dealings.

Seeing Jia Lian smile, the two masters of the Zhen family couldn't figure out what he meant, so they could only wait quietly for him to speak.

"Uncle, there's no need to worry about this."

Speaking of which, when the Wang family was searched that day, my nephew did find two letters related to your family among a group of letters.

However, I have already seen them; they are just ordinary correspondence. At the time, I thought it best to avoid trouble, and considering the friendship between our two families, I naturally put them away for your family and did not show them to outsiders.

If you are truly worried, Uncle, I can have someone deliver the letter to your residence later, and you can handle it as you see fit.

Zhen Yingjia and Zhen Yingfu were delighted upon hearing this and immediately said with a smile, "In that case, thank you very much for your kindness, my nephew!"

Once this matter, which involved mutual interests, was settled, the atmosphere in the main hall became even more harmonious and friendly.

Suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps outside. Jia Lian turned his head and saw that it was Jia Baoyu, whom he had seen yesterday, who rushed to the door for the second time. His eyes quickly swept over him, then looked left and right, and a clear look of disappointment flashed across his face.

"evil creature!"

Zhen Yingjia, who felt that Jia Lian's future was limitless and wanted to maintain a good relationship with him, saw his son being so rude to Jia Lian. He immediately roared, startling Zhen Baoyu, and then shouted angrily, "I sent someone to tell you that distinguished guests were coming and asked you to come and entertain them earlier. Why are you only arriving now?!"

After hesitating for a while, Zhen Baoyu bowed and said, "The old lady made a soup with water chestnuts, dates, and walnuts in her room and insisted that I eat it. I dared not refuse, so I am late."

Seeing Zhen Yingjia's face frozen with anger, seemingly unable to vent it, Jia Lian almost died laughing.

This scene is so damn familiar.

"Hurry up and come over to pay your respects to your brother Lian!"

Not wanting to go against the old lady, Zhen Yingjia could only glare at Zhen Baoyu with a murderous look on his face and give the order.

Zhen Baoyu obediently stepped forward to greet Jia Lian. As Jia Lian rose to return the greeting, he couldn't help but ask, "Second Brother Lian, why isn't Cousin Lin, whom I met yesterday, here?"

"Brother Baoyu, please forgive her. She is in poor health. She spent the whole day in Jinling yesterday and felt unwell when she got back. It was really inconvenient for her to go out, so she stayed at home to rest."

"What? She's sick? What's wrong? Is it serious? Can we get a skilled doctor to take a look?"

Zhen Baoyu looked very nervous; anyone who didn't know better would think he and Daiyu were very close.

Jia Lian finally figured it out. Well, this guy not only looks exactly like Jia Baoyu, but his personality is even better!

"You wretched creature, what kind of ghost image are you making now? Get down here!"

When Zhen Yingjia saw Zhen Baoyu immediately interrogating him about the women in his family upon meeting him, and even displaying that lecherous look, he was furious. If it weren't for Jia Lian being there, he would have almost jumped up and kicked Zhen Baoyu.

It wasn't until Zhen Yucheng had finished laughing and pinching his nose that he explained to Zhen Yingjia in a seemingly serious manner that Jia Lian's cousin and his own cousin looked very similar, which was why Zhen Baoyu was "extra concerned." This made Zhen Yingjia save face a little.

Having arrived full of excitement, but not seeing the person he wanted to see, and being repeatedly scolded by his own father, Zhen Baoyu was in a very low mood. He consciously stood next to Zhen Yucheng and stopped looking up and speaking.

Thus, the atmosphere gradually returned to its previous state. The two masters of the Zhen family chatted with Jia Lian for a while, such as greeting Grandmother Jia and Jia Zheng, and occasionally discussing some current affairs. It seemed that both host and guest were having a good time.

Before long, a young maidservant came with two servants to deliver a message: "The old lady was very pleased to hear that the young master of the Rongguo Mansion in the capital has come to visit, and has asked Master Bao to invite the distinguished guest to Shouxuan Hall for a meeting."

Zhen Yingjia and Zhen Yingfu both stood up to listen, and then said to Jia Lian, "My mother is getting old and rarely receives guests. She must have heard about your heroic deeds, nephew, and that's why she wanted to see you. I hope you won't take offense."

"Since my elders have summoned me, I dare not refuse. However, as a junior, I am not from the same family and fear that I might offend your family."

"Nephew, you are overthinking it. Given the relationship between our two families, even the term 'close family ties' is not enough to describe it, so how could you say that it is abrupt?"

"Baoyu, why don't you invite your brother Lian in and let the old lady see him!"

"Yes."

……

After leaving Zhen Yingjia, Zhen Baoyu's spirit and demeanor were completely different.

They followed the maid who had come to deliver the message, calling her "sister" this and "sister" that, trying to please her.

Judging from her clothes and the attitude of Jia Baoyu and the two servants towards her, the maidservant must have a high status in the Zhen family. She must be a capable head maidservant of the old lady of the Zhen family.

She was probably used to Zhen Baoyu's flattery, but now, mindful of Jia Lian's presence, she secretly glanced at Jia Lian, then glared at Jia Baoyu before pretending to be angry and walking away quickly.

Feeling awkward, Zhen Baoyu thought of Daiyu again and went up to Jia Lian to inquire about Daiyu's situation.

Jia Lian was just giving perfunctory answers.

The Zhen family's residence was indeed quite large; it took quite a while to walk from the main hall to the so-called Shouxuan Hall.

Moreover, the houses and courtyards along the way were either magnificent with carved beams and painted rafters, or lush and verdant, all exuding elegance. Overall, they were in no way inferior to the Rongguo Mansion, and in fact, in terms of details, they were even more exquisite!

This also shows the difference between the Zhen family and the Jia family. Perhaps in terms of "nobility", the Zhen family was already much weaker than the Jia family at this time, but in terms of "wealth", the Zhen family was far ahead of the Jia family.

Like Grandmother Jia's Rongqing Hall, the residence of Old Madam Zhen was bustling with activity and luxuriously furnished. However, the courtyard had a more refined and elegant feel, reminiscent of the water towns of Jiangnan.

Under the gazes of countless maids and wives, Jia Lian followed Zhen Baoyu and the others to the main house with the inscription "Shouxuan Hall" hanging high above.

As soon as he entered, he saw a kind-looking old lady with silver hair sitting in the main seat in the center, leaning on a white jade cane and looking up at him.

Jia Lian knew that this old lady was the famous Princess Xiu'an of the old capital, whom Grandmother Jia had mentioned. Apart from the women of the royal family, there were few in the world whose status was more noble than hers.

Strictly speaking, even his marquisate status is still below that of a county princess.

"Junior Jia Lian greets the old lady and the Princess of Xiu'an." Jia Lian took two steps forward, bowed, and clasped his hands in greeting.

The old lady was taken aback for a moment, then shook her head and smiled, "It's been many years since anyone has called me by that title. It's amazing that you still know it."

"My grandmother often mentioned the old lady when she was at home, saying that the beauty and talent of the Princess Xiu'an in the old capital was the envy of many young women. That's why I was fortunate enough to know about it."

"Hehehe, the eldest daughter of the Shi family is not one to mince words. I don't believe she would speak well of me behind my back."

Despite this, the old lady looked very happy and said with a smile, "How is your mother's health lately? Is she still in good spirits? There aren't many of my old friends left from when we grew up together. I always think about her."

"Thanks to the old lady's care, my great-grandmother is still in good health. She eats well and sleeps soundly every day. When she has nothing to do, she just stays at home chatting and laughing with her granddaughters, and seems very content."

Hearing Jia Lian say this, a hint of reminiscence appeared in Old Madam Zhen's eyes, and then she sighed, "She was a blessed person."

He stopped abruptly at this point.

Judging from the attitudes of the two old ladies when they mentioned each other, Jia Lian guessed that the relationship between these two former noble ladies was probably not as harmonious as the relationship between their families.

That's true; the interactions between families and the relationships between the heads of families cannot be entirely equated.

It seems that as long as there is no complete hostility between them, it will not affect the relationship between the families. As for competing with each other, or even just disliking each other a little, it will not have a big impact.

While Old Madam Zhen remained silent, Jia Lian simply stood quietly with his hands at his sides, making no rash moves or looking around. There was nothing interesting for him to see; he wasn't like Granny Liu, and had little curiosity about such an extremely wealthy family.

However, his demeanor, when observed by Old Madam Zhen, naturally drew a secret nod of approval. After scrutinizing Jia Lian once more, she nodded in praise, saying, "Although I have long since retired from worldly affairs, I have heard of your reputation from others on several occasions."

Seeing him today confirms the rumors are true; he is indeed a man of great manners and handsome appearance.

Your Jia family is truly blessed.

"You flatter me, madam. I am unworthy of such praise."

Old Mrs. Zhen shook her head, seemingly only then realizing what was happening, and introduced Jia Lian to the two women who had been standing by her side for a long time.

However, she was merely the principal wife of Zhen Yingjia and Zhen Yingfu, and Jia Lian had met them both.

Then Old Madam Zhen said, "I'm old and can't stand the wind. It's chilly outside. Since you've come all the way to Jinling, I also have many things I want to ask you about your old lady. Why don't we go inside and talk?"

As she spoke, Old Madam Zhen stood up, took her maid's arm, and prepared to go inside.

This surprised not only Jia Lian, but also the two ladies beside the old lady.

The old lady was curious about what her relative's eldest grandson looked like, so it wasn't surprising that she called him in to take a look.

But it would be fine to just take a look in the main hall. Isn't it a bit inappropriate to call us to the inner hall?

After all, although Jia Lian was a grandson, he was a fully grown man, and quite tall and strong, so entering the inner hall...

Did the old lady not know that at this very moment, almost all the women and young ladies of the Zhen family had already gathered in the inner hall, all wanting to see the spectacle?

If they went in, they would be so frightened that they would scatter and run away.

However, Old Madam Zhen did not explain to them, and they dared not disobey her. They could only glance at Jia Lian again, thinking that perhaps Jia Lian's demeanor and appearance had passed the old lady's scrutiny, making her feel that there was no problem.

(End of this chapter)

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