Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The next afternoon, when Jia Lian rode his horse out of the east courtyard, he indeed saw You Sanjie waiting outside with a horse in her hand.

She changed her outfit again yesterday, but it was still as fitted and light as ever. Combined with her exquisite figure and outstanding appearance, she looked cute and lively.

When Sister You saw that Jia Lian had indeed not lied to her and had left on time, she was in a great mood.

He glanced at Jia Lian, then looked at the guards behind him. Seeing that there were only a few people, he couldn't help but ask, "Is this all the people you brought with you?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian retorted, "Otherwise what?"

"It's nothing, just asking..."

Faced with Jia Lian's gaze, which seemed to see right through her, You Sanjie's eyes narrowed, and she dared not make any further statement.

Upon seeing this, Jia Lian smiled. Today's departure from the city was intended to test firearms; he had ordered Liu Xianglian to lead a group and set off in the afternoon.

"Can you ride a horse?"

"Of course! I've been riding horses since I was a child!"

"Then follow along."

Jia Lian took the lead and rushed towards Ningrong Street, with Aqi and Aqin following closely behind.

Seeing this, Sister You panicked. While frantically trying to mount her horse, she noticed Zhao'er and the others also trying to ride off. She immediately shouted at them, "Don't move!!"

Zhao'er and the other guards stopped. They all knew about You Sanjie's background; she was the younger sister of the eldest mistress of the East Mansion. They also saw that she was close to Jia Lian and was a trusted confidante who often followed Jia Lian. So, even though they were scolded, they just smiled and did not dare to offend her.

Zhao'er even rode her horse to block the way for the others, then smiled at You Sanjie and said, "Third Aunt, don't be in a hurry, I'll wait for you to go first..."

Only then was Sister You satisfied. After finally mounting her horse, she couldn't wait to slap its rump and chase after Jia Lian.

Outside the city gate, You Sanjie, who had been nervous and cautious the whole way, finally rode alongside Jia Lian. Her face was flushed, a mixture of nervousness and joy.

Nervousness filled her as she left the city, the constant movement of shops and pedestrians making her quite anxious. But she was also delighted; it had been a long time since she'd ridden a horse, and the feeling of riding through the streets was incredibly exhilarating—a first for her.

"How about that? I caught up with you after all." Sister You wiped the fine sweat from her forehead and said with a hint of pride.

Jia Lian glanced at her, thinking to himself that if he hadn't deliberately slowed down his horse, this novice wouldn't even have been able to get a taste of the dust he kicked up.

Seeing her smug look, Jia Lian didn't bother to explain, and simply said, "We were in the city earlier, so we couldn't go all out. Now that we're on the main road, let's see how good your riding skills really are. Since you're a woman, I'll let you go first."

After saying that, Jia Lian slapped her horse's rump hard. Startled, the horse instinctively bolted forward, causing You Sanjie to cry out in alarm, but she could only hold on tightly to the reins.

Seeing this, the others became somewhat worried. Aqin even asked Jia Lian if she should go forward to protect them.

Aqin laughed and said, "Sister, you're meddling too much. Even if someone needs to go up and protect him, it should be the Marquis himself. How could you, sister, try to steal the Marquis's thunder when it's time for a hero to save the damsel in distress?"

Aqi was taken aback, then looked thoughtful and spurred his horse to retreat.

Aqin then said to Jia Lian, "My lord, why don't you chase after them? If you fall and get hurt, it will be too late to feel sorry for them."

Jia Lian already realized he had gone a bit too far, and seeing the lone rider swaying away into the distance, he felt a little worried. After all, if something really happened, he wouldn't know how to explain it to Madam You and Second Sister You, would he?

So he turned around and glared at Zhao'er and the others who were whispering and chuckling. After they stood at attention and said "at ease," he cracked his whip and spurred his horse to catch up.

They had only walked two or three miles when they caught up with Sister You.

As expected, the girl couldn't rein in the galloping horse. She just managed to cling tightly to its back and hold onto its neck, relying on her relatively agile body.

Hearing the sound of horses' hooves, he turned around and saw Jia Lian, and he almost burst into tears.

"Please help me! It keeps running away and won't listen to me anymore..."

His aggrieved and frightened appearance was a far cry from his previous arrogant and smug demeanor.

Jia Lian suppressed a laugh, spurred his horse forward, and finally understood why the horse was "disobedient".

Anyone whose fate is firmly gripped by the throat would struggle desperately, wouldn't they?

Seeing that You Sanjie's horse was almost rolling its eyes from being held so tightly, Jia Lian put aside his joking thoughts and immediately went to have You Sanjie hand him her hand.

"I...I dare not..."

Sister You tried twice, but the speed was too fast and the horse was running unsteadily, so she immediately gave up and continued to cling tightly to the horse's neck. That was the only thing that made her feel safe.

Helpless, Jia Lian could only move the two horses closer together, then grab the reins and, after taking control of the horses, seize the opportunity to grab You Sanjie's waist with one hand, pull her lithe body over, and place her on his white horse.

Noticing that You Sanjie had turned around and slipped her hands inside his cloak, clinging tightly to his waist, Jia Lian looked down and sneered, "You're scared already? Weren't you quite formidable just now?"

Once You Sanjie had calmed down, she looked up and saw that Jia Lian had one arm around her waist and was also controlling the white horse beneath her. The horse she had been riding was also being led by Jia Lian with his other hand. Both horses had slowed down, and only then did she feel completely relieved.

At the same time, she also took in Jia Lian's heroic figure as he effortlessly controlled the two horses and safely rescued her.

She also heard Jia Lian's mockery, but at this moment she was powerless and had no mind to refute it. She just leaned against Jia Lian's chest and nudged his chest with her head to show her coquettishness and dissatisfaction.

Suddenly, she felt that Jia Lian's chest was so broad and warm.

This was the first time in her life that she had snuggled so intimately in a man's arms. This feeling made her both shy and unable to stop her from having all sorts of fantasies.

Jia Lian had expected You Sanjie to make a scene, since she wouldn't have been in such a sorry state if it weren't for him.

Noticing that she had actually quieted down, Jia Lian was slightly surprised, feeling that this was not in line with You Sanjie's personality.

But he didn't intend to say much. Sister You was young and beautiful, with a curvaceous figure, slender shoulders and a slim waist. Holding her in his arms like this was quite pleasing to him. He also intended to take the opportunity to touch her breasts, which were so close at hand, as if to collect the interest from that day.

Ultimately, he was a gentleman and felt that taking action at this time would be taking advantage of someone in distress, so he restrained himself and, with one hand holding the horse and the other steeding the white horse, headed towards the Imperial Horse Ranch.

Suddenly, he noticed that You Sanjie had looked up. He hadn't paid any attention at first, but then he realized that she hadn't moved for a long time. Just as he was about to look down to see what mischievous idea she was up to, he heard her say, "With such a handsome and dashing appearance, Lord Marquis, there must be many women throwing themselves at you in your spare time, right?"

Jia Lian, though puzzled, simply smiled and asked, "What do you think?"

You Sanjie snorted, but wasn't afraid to meet Jia Lian's gaze, and continued to ask, "Then how do you view these women?"

His tone was surprisingly serious.

With nothing else to do, Jia Lian jokingly said, "How else can they see it? The fact that they can see my extraordinary qualities shows that they have discerning eyes; the fact that they can seize the opportunity to act on my proposal shows that they are intelligent and decisive."

Such a discerning and intelligent woman is naturally the most adorable…

As Jia Lian continued speaking, the scene of that girl throwing herself into his arms flashed through his mind, and he added in his mind: "The premise is that she has to be a beauty, preferably a great beauty..."

"Is that so?"

Yu Sanjie was skeptical, but suddenly looked up and kissed Jia Lian with lightning speed.

Noticing that Jia Lian shuddered and his gaze became slightly dazed, she smiled playfully, tossed her hair aside, pulled her arms from Jia Lian's waist, wrapped them around his neck, and then gave him another kiss.

This was the first time Jia Lian had encountered such a proactive beauty.

Even Princess Zhaoyang in the desert tested him repeatedly before she tricked him into taking the bait.

He had never encountered a woman who would hug and kiss him like this from the very beginning.

So he pulled her arm off, then looked down at the somewhat dazed beauty, Jia Lian staring at her dangerously: "You're playing with fire, you know that?"

Sister You chuckled: "What's wrong? Aren't you scared?"

"!"

Jia Lian sneered, too lazy to ask her if she liked Liu Xianglian.

If yesterday she kissed him in front of Sister You, it could be said that she was young and ignorant, but today, it was blatant, just as she said, throwing herself into his arms.

This is the kind of woman Jia Lian fears the least.

He glanced around, spurred his horse off the main road, tied the other horse to a tree branch by the roadside, and then looked down at Sister You San, "I'll ask you one last time, no regrets?"

You Sanjie watched Jia Lian tie up the horse quietly, knowing exactly what he was going to do to her next.

She felt no fear. Upon hearing this, she remained silent, simply reaching into her waist to retrieve her silver belt. She waved it in front of Jia Lian, then stepped back and gently laid it on the horse's back...

This action was concise and to the point; what else could Jia Lian say? He reined in his horse, turned it around, and headed towards a secluded mountain path.