Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 521 Sister Feng (Part 3)

"Look at what you've said. Not to mention that I wouldn't dare to treat Lin girl badly because of the old lady's influence, she's already engaged to you, so naturally she's my own sister. Once she's married into the family, I will love her and protect her."

I don't know how many times I have to say it before you really believe me.

Fine, fine. Since you consider me a common person, I'll do things the common way.

"As you said, from now on, for the sake of all this gold, I will treat her like my own sister, my own daughter, and my own God of Wealth, how about that?"

Wang Xifeng always spoke in long, rapid-fire sentences.

Fortunately, his words were logical and reasonable, and not annoying to everyone, so Jia Lian and the other two laughed.

However, neither Fengjie nor Ping'er, who were sitting in Jia Lian's lap, noticed Qingwen's pouting lips behind Jia Lian.

Fengjie and Ping'er had already taken up Jia Lian's embrace, leaving her no room to squeeze in, nor daring to. And yet, she dared not, nor did she want to, open the door to leave this "place of luxury."

Unwilling to be ignored, she walked behind Jia Lian and, under the guise of massaging his shoulders, vigorously pinched the flesh of his neck and shoulders to signal her presence to him.

At the same time, she secretly admired how amazing the Second Master was! His ability to make money was beyond her wildest imagination. Looking at the Second Madam's pathetic appearance, it was hilarious.

With her like this, how could Second Madam possibly question the beauties Second Master brought back? Let's see how she dares to speak now.

Whether he had overheard Qingwen's thoughts or not, Jia Lian immediately lifted Fengjie's chin with one hand and asked in a deliberately flirtatious tone, "You didn't believe me before, and you even dared to bite me. What do you say now?"

Fengjie knew perfectly well that Jia Lian was referring to the four beauties, and she immediately understood what Jia Lian meant.

No wonder he said he would give her a satisfactory answer before going to the master's study; it turns out it was this!

He actually tried to bribe his mother with money!

It's so frustrating, yet I can't bring myself to be angry; all I feel is a mix of shock and delight.

So it seems he understands me better than I understand myself?

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Compared to the ten chests of gold in front of them, a few geishas are really nothing.

"Fine, I admit I was wrong, okay? You pinched my mouth too, and besides, I didn't bite you that hard... Who told you to bring back so many prostitutes without saying a word!"

"I'll repeat myself: she was a geisha who had left her profession and returned to a respectable life, and she was also the teacher I invited to instruct the young actors."

"Yes, yes, yes, she's a geisha, not a prostitute. Everyone knows that our Master Lian is a very upright and self-disciplined man who never goes to brothels."

Wang Xifeng was just teasing Jia Lian out of habit, but then she admitted she was right. Even when she was newly married, this devilish man frequently went to brothels and drank with Master Zhen and his ilk.

But ever since he made a "three-point agreement" with her that year, he has indeed stopped going to brothels. At least she has never caught him or heard about it again.

Even those four beauties, according to the servants, were given to Jia Lian by someone.

There were originally more than ten, but Jia Lian only chose four, saying they were for training the young actors.

She didn't know exactly what those beauties looked like; she hadn't had a chance to see them yet. She only instructed Qingwen and the others to take a look for her, and they said that each one was more alluring than the last! They were incredibly beautiful.

She was initially somewhat skeptical; beautiful women were indeed hard to find. How could Jia Lian be so fortunate as to have acquired so many?

But at that moment, she believed it.

If Jia Lian could bring her back so much gold, what's a few beauties compared to that?

So she laughed and said, "My lord, there's no need for you to hold a grudge against me. I was just thinking that you were still in mourning and that if you took four concubines at once, it would ruin your reputation. I was just worried about you, that's why I was like that."

Now that I know they are teachers brought back to instruct the actors, I have nothing more to say. I just wonder, what does the Marquis plan to do with these teachers after the young actors graduate?

Should we send them back, or simply keep them in the manor, like the old master did, keeping them by his side to drink and amuse our Marquis?

Hearing Jia Lian and Feng Jie arguing again, Ping'er couldn't sit still any longer. She quietly slipped out of Jia Lian's embrace, leaving the battle entirely to her two masters.

Jia Lian didn't stop Ping'er at this moment, but smiled at Feng Jie and said, "I haven't thought about that much yet. The young actresses are still young, and it's unknown how long it will take for them to complete their training. We can talk about it later."

However, I think they are all rare beauties. If their character is acceptable, it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep them by our side to serve us in the future. What does Second Madam Lian think?

Sister Feng's eyes revealed a look of certainty, and she then said jokingly, "Me? Of course I'll listen to my master."

"However, I have a question. Since the Marquis says they are rare beauties, then the Marquis brought them all the way to the capital. The journey must have been lonely. Did you invite them to entertain you?"

"My lord, please don't take offense at my overthinking. Since you have no children of your own, if they are fortunate enough to conceive, then as your wife, I must pay close attention. If they give birth to a son, he can inherit the family business."

Wang Xifeng originally intended to make fun of Jia Lian, but at this point, her eyes couldn't help but become serious.

Given the current situation, she could allow Jia Lian to have several more courtesans and playthings around him, but she would never disregard her own core interests by indulging Jia Lian. This is why, even though she had already placed Ping'er, Qingwen, and others in Jia Lian's room, she still cried because Jia Lian was marrying Daiyu.

Because of Daiyu, her position might be threatened.

Similarly, those beautiful geishas themselves are not much of a threat, but if they become pregnant with the eldest son, they can be a problem.

Now that she and Jia Lian are enjoying a loving and intimate time together, it's best to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

Therefore, she quietly observed Jia Lian's reaction and then used it as a basis for her subsequent response.

She could tolerate Ping'er, or even Qingwen, giving birth to the eldest son first, but she would never allow outside women to do so. This was not only for her own sake, but also for the peace and tranquility of her household.

Jia Lian could tell what Feng Jie was thinking just by looking at her.

He touched Sister Feng's smooth, jade-like face and laughed, "You're overthinking it. Without you by my side, I've remained chaste."

"Pfft, you'd be a fool to believe you."

"Hahaha, even if you don't believe me, you have to believe Lin Daiyu, right? You know what kind of person Lin Daiyu is. I've been with her almost all the time. If I really did something to wrong you, that little girl would definitely be angry with me."

She might have even complained to you. Don't think I don't know; before you left Beijing, you urged her to keep a close eye on me on the road.

Sister Feng was taken aback; she had forgotten about Daiyu. Indeed, Daiyu was a proud and arrogant person. With her by Jia Lian's side, if Jia Lian really did something frivolous, Daiyu would probably have already sulked and ignored him.

However, I previously saw that Daiyu and the heartless man seemed quite close. This suggests that either Jia Lian deceived Daiyu, or the heartless man genuinely didn't do anything inappropriate on the way...

"So, you shouldn't be so jealous. I really didn't do anything to them. You can check for yourself if you don't believe me."

Upon hearing this, Sister Feng felt relieved.

She still trusted Jia Lian quite a bit, because given how much he acted like a lord in front of her now, there was no reason for him to tell her such an easily exposed lie.

Then she smiled too.

"What a joke! Would I be jealous of a few geishas? Not to mention for the sake of the Marquis, just considering the wealth of the Marquis, let alone four beauties, even forty or four hundred, as long as the Marquis dares to bring them back, I'm willing to support the Marquis."

With all this gold, we're not worried about not being able to support them.

The Marquis is often away from home, so he probably doesn't have much time to waste on them. I'm different; I stay home every day, and when I have nothing to do, I can call them over to listen to them play a tune or sing a song to amuse myself. Isn't that wonderful?

"Are you men allowed to keep beauties at home, but we women aren't allowed to have our own entertainment? So, my lord, please don't stand on ceremony with me. If you encounter any beauties outside in the future, don't bother yourself. Just let me know, and I'll personally lead people to bring them back for you, how about that?"

As Feng Jie spoke, she tried to deliberately show some of the dashing manner of a man, but she was not speaking from the heart, and with her stunning beauty, how could she possibly put on that kind of expression? On the contrary, in Jia Lian's eyes, she was quite playful and cute.

Therefore, Jia Lian laughed and said, "I originally thought you were just greedy for money, but I didn't expect you to be lustful as well? As expected of Second Mistress Lian, you have both greed and lust. My apologies."

"Get out of here! Who's greedy for money? Who's lustful?"

Sister Feng was ultimately too shy to admit defeat in this regard, and blushed as she gave up.

Feng Jie'er's shyness always tempted Jia Lian. He had been holding his beautiful wife for half a day, so he naturally started to touch and kiss her, which made Feng Jie'er object repeatedly, saying that she had things to do and didn't have time to play with him.

Having watched the couple's antics for so long, Qingwen could no longer contain herself. She leaned close to Ping'er and whispered teasingly, "Second Mistress is greedy for money, and our Second Master is lustful. They're a perfect match!"

Upon hearing this, Ping'er burst out laughing, glanced at Qingwen, and thought that her summary made a lot of sense.

"You two little rascals, what are you spouting nonsense about!"

Feng Jie didn't know what Ping'er was laughing about; she just wanted to use the opportunity of scolding them to break free from Jia Lian's control.

Because Jia Lian had already put his hand inside her clothes, what if that stinky man made a sound in front of the two maids? Where would that leave her, the Second Mistress of Lian, with her dignity?

Unfortunately, Jia Lian was prepared and caught her before she could escape.

"Stop fooling around, or you'll lose the keys."

Sister Feng raised her hands, revealing the keys and two small gold bricks in her hands.

"So you've been holding onto them all along. You really are a money-grubber."

Jia Lian chuckled, then took the gold bricks from her hand, giving one to each of them, and tossed them to Ping'er and Qingwen.

Seeing Ping'er and Qingwen looking somewhat stunned after receiving the gifts, Jia Lian laughed and said, "What are you standing there for? Aren't you going to thank your second mistress?"

Qingwen, quick-witted, immediately bowed to the still-unresponsive Fengjie and said, "This servant thanks Second Madam for her generous gift. May Second Madam enjoy a lifetime of wealth and good health!"

Sister Feng glanced at her sideways.

The two gold bricks weren't particularly large or small; each one weighed at least twenty taels, which was worth several hundred taels of silver. It was all stolen just like that, and her heart ached.

"Look at you, so useless! Ten chests of gold aren't enough for you? Don't you understand the principle of 'shared wealth'?"

"It's not that we're not going to reward them, it's just that there are two little girls, and it would be better to give them something else. They have nowhere to spend so much gold..."

"Why wouldn't it work? Let them take it out and have two gold bracelets or other gold jewelry made to wear. When they go out, wouldn't you, as the mistress of the house, look more prestigious?"

Without further ado, Jia Lian picked up Feng Jie'er's light body and carried her into the bedroom.

Wang Xifeng leaned on Jia Lian's shoulder and punched him twice. Seeing that she couldn't stop him, she immediately threw the key in her hand to Ping'er and repeatedly instructed, "Quickly go and lock all the chests, then move them to the inner room. Don't go out to call anyone; you and Qingwen should be able to move them together..."

"Hahaha"

Hearing the urgent voice from behind, Jia Lian laughed heartily. This greedy little wench needs to be taught a lesson.

……

Feng Jie's courtyard had been quiet for a long time.

No one knew what had happened in the main room, not even Xiangling.

When she settled her mother in and returned to the main house, she found the door locked from the inside.

The clever girl didn't make a sound, but silently stood guard outside the door.

Whenever maids or servants came looking for Feng Jie or Jia Lian, she would tell them to be quiet from afar, then walk to the corridor to receive the message.

She made up her mind that unless it was something extremely urgent, she should not disturb the Second Master and Second Madam.

Fortunately, no one in the household had anything important to do to disturb the long-separated couple.

Even the old women who came to consult Sister Feng about trivial family matters, after noticing the situation in the main room, would show knowing expressions, then whisper the matter to Xiangling and ask her to pass on the message before leaving.

As dusk approached, Xiangling and the others who were guarding outside the door heard a creaking sound, and then the door opened, revealing Qingwen's figure.

Her face was rosy and her skin glowed with a rosy light. She seemed surprised by the large number of people outside, so she paused for a moment before saying to the maids, "Second Master wants to take a bath. Go to the kitchen and boil water quickly."

The maid Tan Yun replied, "The water is all boiled, two large pots, just as Sister Xiangling instructed."

Qingwen was taken aback and looked at Xiangling with surprise. Not bad, she has become more clever after going out with the Second Master.

So he gave Xiangling a look, and then said to Xiaohong and Feng'er, "Sister Feng'er, you take some people and fill the water tank. Xiaohong, you stay here and keep watch. Don't let anyone in. Xiangling and I will find some clothes for Second Master to change into."

As she spoke, Qingwen pulled Xiangling into the house.

Once inside, Xiangling didn't notice anything unusual. However, when she went to the inner room, she found the Second Master and Second Mistress embracing and talking on the bed, while Ping'er was by the bedside, putting on her clothes one by one.

Xiangling thought that Ping'er must have gone up to serve the master and mistress just now, but she didn't know if Qingwen had gone up as well.

It seems unlikely. Second Madam is too shy to let the two of them interfere in her and Second Master's good deeds.

"Xiangling, come here."

When Xiangling heard Fengjie call her, she quickly went over and asked timidly, "Grandma, what do you want me to do?"

Then Feng Jie rolled off Jia Lian's bare chest and, supporting herself, rummaged through the small table by the bedside for something.

Because Sister Feng was only wearing a bellyband and pajama bottoms, when she turned over, her snow-white skin, slender figure, and even her exquisite breasts and hips were displayed in front of her, making Xiangling blush and secretly envious.

With such an alluring figure as Second Madam, it's no wonder Second Master dotes on her so much.

"Here, take this, it's your reward."

Just as Xiangling was secretly admiring Fengjie's appearance, Fengjie took out a piece of glittering gold from the small table and handed it to her.

Xiangling instinctively took it, but upon closer inspection, she exclaimed in surprise, "Second Madam, this, I...?"

"What are you standing there for? Just take it if I give it to you."

Sister Feng chuckled, then seemed to realize that she had exposed herself, so she quickly shrank back into Jia Lian's arms, pulled the quilt up to cover herself.

Looking back at Xiangling, who was still holding out her hands, seemingly hesitant to accept the gift, she was quite satisfied with Xiangling. This girl was truly sensible and dutiful, unlike Qingwen, who would probably sit down even if her mother were given the seat.

"Keep them. Qingwen has already accepted them. You two are both your Second Master's precious darlings, so we can't favor one over the other."

As Sister Feng spoke, she glanced at Qingwen.

Qingwen was very clever, and she immediately sensed the dissatisfaction in Fengjie's words. She didn't care and turned to go to the wardrobe to find Jia Lian's undergarments.

Since Jia Lian became an official, he has acquired more and more official robes and noble garments. He dared not store such valuable clothes in a haphazard manner, so Feng Jie had long ago prepared a separate room in the backyard for Jia Lian to store his clothes.

However, most of the underwear worn close to the body is still kept in the bedroom.

A little while later, Qingwen took the clothes and went out, while Xiangling and Ping'er stayed behind to help Jia Lian and Feng Jie get dressed.

Seeing that there was still a fine sheen of sweat on Feng Jie's forehead, clinging to her hair, Jia Lian couldn't help but smile and say, "Second Mistress, would you like to take a bath together?"

"How dare you say that? If you don't go over there soon, my wife and the others will laugh me to death."

Grandmother Jia had said early on that she would be hosting a family banquet tonight to welcome Jia Lian back. She was usually in charge of such matters.

However, Jia Lian kept taking her out for pleasure, which prevented her from going over.

"Oh, are you sure they're dying of laughter, and not dying of envy?"

Feng Jie, understanding the underlying meaning, rolled her eyes at Jia Lian. Having already benefited from the situation, she felt embarrassed to blame him further, and simply said, "Go wash up, and come over early after you're done. I already washed up this afternoon, so it won't bother you."

With that, he pushed Jia Lian out of the inner room.

After Jia Lian went to the backyard laughing, Feng Jie quickly sat down in front of the dressing table, covered up any inappropriate appearance, and then hurried to Rongqing Hall.

Suddenly remembering something, he said to Ping'er, "You don't need to come with me. Qingwen and Xiangling are both immature and dull-witted. Go to the bathhouse and keep an eye on them. Don't let your second master waste time with their antics and make the master and mistress laugh at you."

"grandmother……"

Seeing that Ping'er didn't quite understand her good intentions, Feng Jie immediately whispered in her ear, "You silly girl, your second master clearly wasn't satisfied before... Didn't I tell you that it would be good for us to get pregnant as soon as possible? Go on, don't disappoint me."

After Ping'er shyly accepted the order, Feng Jie was satisfied and led Feng'er, Xiao Hong, and the others to Rongqing Hall.