Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The Imperial Horse Ranch, the hillside where Jia Lian once led Miaoyu.

Although it is autumn and not as vibrant as spring, the grassy hills are turning yellow, the forests are dyed in color, and the gentle stream flows away, connecting with a few wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys, which has a unique and serene beauty.

Princess Zhaoyang sat there with her knees drawn up to her chest, taking in the view before her and uttering words of praise.

Not hearing Jia Lian's response, she turned her head and found him looking at her with his head tilted to the side. He was leaning back with one elbow, his slender figure reclining, his hands unconsciously twisting a dry blade of grass, his eyes full of smiles.

Princess Zhaoyang blushed slightly. "What is Erlang looking at?"

"I'm admiring a beauty, a beauty I never tire of looking at."

Jia Lian smiled sincerely.

To be honest, Princess Zhaoyang was not a stunning beauty at first glance, unlike Qin Keqing or Gu Qingyi, whose beauty could be recognized by anyone who wasn't blind.

This is because such beauties possess extremely perfect individual and combined features, coupled with a radiant and clean complexion and a slender figure, making them exceptionally perfect from every angle.

However, Princess Zhaoyang was different; simply put, she possessed a beauty that grew on you over time.

With delicate features, bright eyes and white teeth, and clean, radiant skin, his calm confidence and elegance, especially between his brows and eyes, are truly captivating.

It's no wonder that the proud sons of princes and nobles in the capital would be captivated by him.

Thinking about it this way, either it was because he was dressed in ordinary men's clothing, or because his brilliance was overshadowed by the stunningly beautiful Empress Dowager, that he was instructed not to see her face at a glance.

Princess Zhaoyang was not a woman easily deceived by her lover's words. She smiled and shook her head, saying, "Second Master is trying to sweet-talk me again. I certainly don't qualify as a beauty. Otherwise, it should have been Second Master who fell in love with me at first sight, instead of..."

He knew he couldn't get over this hurdle. But thinking back, even if Princess Zhaoyang was a stunningly beautiful woman, he probably didn't provoke her unintentionally.

At that time, his own situation was not stable, so how could he dare to defile the princess?

Knowing that Princess Zhaoyang was still upset about his pursuit of him, Jia Lian sat up abruptly and said with a flippant smile, "Back then, you were blinded by a leaf and couldn't see Mount Tai."

Unexpectedly, his unintentional actions and words caused Princess Zhaoyang to misunderstand his meaning.

Princess Zhaoyang had arrived earlier in a tight-fitting outfit on horseback, wearing a silver-gray cloak. She had now removed the cloak, revealing her figure wrapped in the tight fabric.

Princess Zhaoyang was already nineteen, approaching the age of blossoming youth. Not only was her figure fully developed, but she was also naturally endowed with ample curves. As such, she was already quite voluptuous, so how could she bear Jia Lian's sidelong glances and teasing?

Princess Zhaoyang looked down and, despite her generous nature, blushed. She turned slightly to the side, partially obscuring the view, and then said reproachfully, "No wonder Erlang said he didn't like writing, it turns out he's been using his mind on these improper things."

Jia Lian, though misunderstood, didn't seem to mind. He wasn't new to Princess Zhaoyang, and he readily put his arm around her, leaning closer with a smile, "Oh? Then I wonder if Qingran prefers the serious me, or the unserious me?"

Princess Zhaoyang turned around and glared at him. When she saw Jia Lian raising an eyebrow at her, she burst out laughing.

"I like anything that's Jiro..."

"loquacious."

Jia Lian mimicked Daiyu's usual tone when she scolded him, and after a playful laugh, he pressed his lips against Princess Zhaoyang's seemingly unadorned lips, taking advantage of her irresistible presence. Only then, through the faint floral fragrance, did he realize that she had indeed worn rouge, but it was so light that it was almost imperceptible.

After Princess Zhaoyang's lips were wet and ruffled from the kisses, and she was panting softly, seeing Jia Lian straddling her and seemingly wanting to go further, she wiped her mouth lightly, lay down on the grass, looked at Jia Lian, and said softly with a smile, "Since leaving the palace, I've been much freer. I was planning to stay at the temporary palace outside the city for the night before returning tomorrow. I wonder if you, Second Brother, would like to come along?"

Uh.

Jia Lian was caught off guard; Princess Zhaoyang was clearly inviting him to spend the night at her palace.

I feel like I'm one of his male concubines.

Speaking of which, ever since he made a pact with Sister Feng, he has rarely stayed out overnight unless there was something important to do.

Although he had a fleeting thought of refusing, he met Princess Zhaoyang's bright gaze and smiled frankly, "Yes, that's exactly what I wanted."

As he spoke, he kissed her again.

As I said before, I am deeply grateful to the beauty. I have come all this way to see him, and my request is not unreasonable. If he refuses, I would not be a real man.

As for home... are you kidding me? I'm a dignified marquis, I'm not afraid of my wife, why would I be afraid of not coming home at night?

Find a legitimate reason, and if that woman dares to say anything more, spank her.

To everyone's surprise, Princess Zhaoyang shook her head and dodged the question, saying with a grin, "Let's forget it. Some of your guards have seen me before. If they see their lord disappear as soon as I arrive, they'll surely suspect that I abducted him. I don't want to take that responsibility..."

This woman's fickle nature left Jia Lian unsure of her intentions, so he was about to use his ultimate move to force her to reveal a weakness. However, just as he reached out and unbuttoned one side of her robe, intending to hold half of her breast in his mouth, Princess Zhaoyang turned the tables and took control.

Princess Zhaoyang forcefully restrained Jia Lian, stopping his impulsive actions with a look.

Although she wouldn't mind having a passionate lovemaking session with Jia Lian under the open sky, she felt uneasy, not to mention that her maids were watching from a distance, and that Jia Lian's dozens of personal guards were still practicing on the other side of the hill.

Seeing that Jia Lian understood her meaning, Princess Zhaoyang nestled against Jia Lian's chest like a little bird and whispered, "I wonder if Second Master is paying attention to the recent important events in the court?"

Not really concerned.

As a military officer who primarily pursued a military career, Jia Lian's attitude of not caring about court affairs was evident.

But that's not actually the case. Jia Lian did collect all kinds of information about court affairs, both overt and covert. For example, although Jia Zheng's political acumen was somewhat mediocre, he was still in the court, so he was able to learn about any official news as soon as possible and then discuss it with Jia Lian upon his return.

"Nothing else, just something that happened recently that might have something to do with your Jia family."

"Oh?"

"The population of our Great Wei today is more than double that of Emperor Taizu. However, the annual revenue and grain of this dynasty have grown extremely slowly, and in recent years, they have even begun to decline."

Ultimately, the root cause is simply that the country has enjoyed prolonged peace, leading to increasingly severe land annexation. In particular, members of the imperial family, relatives of high-ranking officials, and scholars with official titles are exempt from paying taxes to the court, yet these are precisely the people who possess the most land… Do you understand what I mean, Erlang?”

Jia Lian, who had been gently caressing the beauty on his body, felt embarrassed to disturb her when he heard her seriously discussing serious matters, and began to ponder the question she had raised.

To be honest, this is nothing new; it's just a cliché.

Which dynasty or era has never seen land annexation? It's just a matter of how the court handles it afterward.

After all, although the Great Wei Dynasty levied commercial taxes, agricultural taxes still occupied a dominant position. Food is the most important thing for the people, and in this era of relatively low productivity, the importance of grain was even more pronounced.

However, even if the imperial court knew that there were drawbacks to this matter, it was difficult to find a perfect solution.

Because those who were able to annex large tracts of land were often the very ones who supported this feudal empire.

Take, for example, the nobles who didn't have to pay any grain taxes. How many of them, who became nobles, hadn't shed blood and sweat for the empire?

In ancient dynasties, such a person would be a meritorious official who would be granted land and fiefdoms with thousands or even tens of thousands of households.

Now that they won't grant me a fiefdom, does the court not even spare my pitiful little plot of land?

If this is the case for those of noble birth, then the same applies to other groups who are exempt from taxes, whether they are relatives of the emperor or scholars with official titles.

"Could it be that the imperial court plans to levy taxes on members of the imperial family and their relatives?" Jia Lian was somewhat surprised. Princess Zhaoyang frequently entered and exited the palace, so it was normal for her to know some news in advance. Wasn't this precisely why he gave her money to build up her power base?

"While direct taxation may not be necessary, it is certain that efforts will be made to prevent the continued wanton annexation of land throughout the land."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian knew that this must be the achievement that Emperor Ningkang wanted to accomplish. However, the matter involved a wide range of people, and the obstacles to achieving anything were considerable.

To be honest, Jia Lian didn't want the current Emperor Ningkang to do this, because the risk was too great. If it were to be done, it would be best to wait until after the retired emperor passed away.

However, Jia Lian still replied, "If this matter is successful, it will be a good thing for the country and the nation."

Princess Zhaoyang smiled at Jia Lian upon hearing this: "Oh, so Erlang also hopes this matter can succeed? I've heard that the Jia family owns thousands of acres of fertile land. Aren't you worried that this will be affected?"

Jia Lian smiled slightly, "This concerns matters of great importance to the nation and its people. How could I care about the gains and losses of one family or one person? Qingran underestimates me."

The Jia family's two mansions did indeed own two to three hundred thousand mu of land. Some of this land was bestowed by the founding emperor during the founding of the dynasty, while the rest was accumulated by subsequent generations of family heads. Although it seems like a lot, it was only considered average within a distinguished family like the Jia family, and not an exaggeration.

Moreover, as long as Emperor Ningkang and his court officials retain even a shred of clarity, it's highly unlikely they would actually take drastic measures against the most powerful forces in the land: the imperial family, the nobility, and the scholars. Even if they intend to set an example for new policies, it will likely amount to nothing more than a symbolic levy on these individuals.

The Rongguo Mansion, with all its vast lands, only generates a total annual income of twenty to thirty thousand taels of silver. Even if the imperial court were to impose an additional twenty to thirty percent tax, it would only amount to a few thousand taels of silver...

Several thousand taels of silver were naturally nothing to him.

Moreover, Jia Lian firmly believed that this matter would not be easily accomplished; perhaps the court would simply recoup some of the several thousand taels of silver by taking it from one place and finding other ways to make up for it. Those who spoke in court were all of the aforementioned types; how could they possibly claim that their own people were mistreating them?

Therefore, Jia Lian naturally had no reason to worry.

Princess Zhaoyang wasn't really worried that Jia Lian would care about the gains or losses of the estates and lands, after all, the 500,000 silver notes that Jia Lian had given her were all real money!

But hearing Jia Lian say that still made her deeply happy. She lay quietly in Jia Lian's arms, enjoying the warmth of her lover's embrace, while her eyes moved as if she were thinking about something.

Suddenly, she felt Jia Lian pick her up. "Let's not talk about these important national matters for now. It's getting dark. Qingran, you should think about how to bring me into the palace and hide me away without anyone noticing."

Hearing Jia Lian's teasing, Princess Zhaoyang punched Jia Lian in the chest and then laughed, "I was just joking with you, Erlang. You took it seriously. I also need to get back to the city before dark."

Although I am more free than before, if I am too willful, and this reaches the Empress Dowager's ears, she will scold me, and I don't want to be scolded.

Princess Zhaoyang spoke with apparent sincerity, but in reality, she had indeed intended to test Jia Lian. If Jia Lian had shown any reluctance, she might have actually detained him to spend the night with her. But now that Jia Lian had behaved so well, she no longer had any such intentions.

There's plenty of time in the future, and it would be easy for the two of them to meet now, so why rush things and cause each other unnecessary trouble?

"Are you really not going to?" Jia Lian looked somewhat surprised.

"No need at all. If Erlang really cares, he can just carry me to the horse..."

Once he was certain that Princess Zhaoyang was not acting against her will, Jia Lian picked her up and carried her to the group of maids who were leading the horses. Ignoring their different appearances, he helped the light-bodied Princess Zhaoyang onto the horse, and then, in front of them, he hooked his arms around her body and gave her another deep kiss.

"Be careful on the road."

Princess Zhaoyang glared at Jia Lian, then glanced at the maids. They immediately stopped laughing and quickly mounted their horses. With a shout from Princess Zhaoyang, they followed her.