Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The grand meeting concluded, leaving behind not only the shock of the Lai family's embezzled wealth but also a profound sense of awe and reverence for Jia Lian, the second master of the Lai household.

From today's events, everyone can probably see that the absolute power in the Jia family now rests with Second Master Lian, who holds the title of Marquis. After all, Second Master Lian took down the Lai family without hesitation, and this was even with the intervention of Madam Jia herself.

With a man like Master Lian, who would dare to defy his will? Probably no one. No one would dare to compare themselves to the Lai family's reputation. If they could, they would also have accumulated a fortune of tens or hundreds of thousands, just like the Lai family!

After seeing that Grandmother Jia had left, Madam Xing dared to step forward and speak. She said with a smile, "Lian'er, you did well. I had long seen that the Lai family were no good people, and I had told your second mistress and the others to be careful, but they didn't take my words seriously, so I stopped saying it after a while."

Only you can completely eradicate these termites.

The more Madam Xing looked at Jia Lian, the more satisfied she became. She never expected that Jia Lian would be able to take down the Lai family. In fact, she didn't even dare to have such thoughts, otherwise, she would definitely have been severely criticized by the protective Grandmother Jia.

But Jia Lian did it. In front of Grandmother Jia, he uprooted the deeply entrenched Lai family... Tsk tsk, their family fortune of over 100,000 taels of silver was far richer than her, the first wife. No, there was no comparison at all; they were not even in the same league. Sometimes it's infuriating to think about it.

The more this happened, the more she wanted to curry favor with Jia Lian, since this nominal son of hers had treated her fairly well. At least her life now was much more comfortable than when Jia She was alive.

She no longer needs to be as frugal and stingy as before when it comes to food, clothing, and other necessities. Because Jia Lian has said that if she needs anything, she can just tell them. That's what gives her confidence! The old Jia She used to spend money recklessly, but if she dared to squander even a penny, she would definitely be scolded, even beaten…

With her inner strength restored, she gained confidence when interacting with other noblewomen. She would tell everyone how wonderful her son Jia Lian was, and others praised her good fortune, comparing her to the matriarch of the family, and showing her even more respect than before. This made her feel that only now did she truly possess the dignity of a first-rank noblewoman!

She deeply regretted not having taken good care of and been close to Jia Lian before he achieved his success. Fortunately, Jia Lian didn't seem to mind, so she thought about making amends. Whenever she had the chance, she would try to curry favor with Jia Lian. In short, she absolutely couldn't let her wealthy son, Jia Lian, become estranged from her.

Madam Xing was so engrossed in talking to Jia Lian that she didn't realize Jia Zheng and Madam Wang were right there. Hearing her words, both Jia Zheng and Madam Wang were speechless. "So, you're the only sensible person in the house, and now with Jia Lian, that makes two. The rest are all idiots, are they?"

Lady Wang was shrewd and never engaged in verbal sparring with her dim-witted sister-in-law. Therefore, Yang sighed and said that she had never expected Lai and Da to be so audacious. Otherwise, she would have advised Jia Zheng to clean up the family long ago.

Indeed, Lady Wang also agreed with Jia Lian's actions today. But she wasn't entirely naive, because before this, she had been prepared to stand by and watch the power struggle between Jia Lian and Grandmother Jia, ready to enjoy the show.

However, when Jia Lian presented the results of the search of the Lai family's property, her attitude immediately changed. Especially after seeing that Jia Lian had no ulterior motives and directly stated that the Lai family's assets should be returned to the government, she wholeheartedly supported him.

Good, the previously strained official treasury is now overflowing again. The Lai family is quite something…

Nobody likes being poor. In the past two years, the government has been strapped for cash, and there have been many things to do at home. She has had to use much of her personal savings to make ends meet! Now things are better. At least she won't have to worry about this for the next two or three years.

Jia Zheng, being a virtuous man, naturally wouldn't hold a grudge against Madam Xing. Seeing that the matter was over and that Lai Da and the other man had already been dragged away by Jia Lian's guards to be flogged, he felt a little sorry for them. So he bid farewell to Jia Lian and prepared to return to Mengpo Studio.

"Master, please wait a moment. There is something else I need to tell you and the second wife."

"What is it?"

"That's right. When I returned from the Western Regions, I heard from the Second Madam that our mansion borrowed a total of 80,000 taels of silver from the East Mansion to build the garden. Is that right?"

Jia Zheng paused in silence. He knew, of course, about the money borrowed from the East Mansion, but unsure of Jia Lian's meaning, he could only reply, "You'll have to ask your Second Madam about this; I'm not entirely clear on the matter."

He wasn't exactly lying, because he didn't personally handle the loan; it was Madam Wang who spoke to Madam You on his behalf.

Lady Wang immediately guessed Jia Lian's meaning. With Lady You present, she wouldn't lie, and said frankly, "That's right. In August of the previous year, we borrowed 50,000, which was originally expected to be enough to build the garden. Later, in preparation for decorations and welcoming the emperor's visit, we borrowed another 30,000, making a total of 80,000."

Jia Lian then smiled and said, "As the saying goes, even close brothers should keep clear accounts. When our household faced difficulties in building the garden, the East Mansion helped us out; that was their kindness. Now that we've eliminated the Lai family and recovered their embezzled assets, we can use these 80,000 taels to repay the East Mansion. What do you think, Master and Madam?"

At this moment, Lady You also came up from the courtyard. Hearing Jia Lian's words, she hurriedly said, "There's nothing important to do in our household, and we're not in a hurry to use the money, so there's no need to rush."

It would have been better if Lady You hadn't said that, because Jia Zheng immediately said, "Lian'er is right. Although the two families are close relatives, since the money has been borrowed, it should be repaid as soon as possible. Let's do it your way. You can decide the specifics yourself. I'll go back now."

The screams of Lai Da and his wife reached him, but he didn't want to listen, so he finished speaking quickly and walked away.

Seeing that both Jia Zheng and Jia Lian shared this view, Lady Wang naturally couldn't object. However, Lady Xing felt that Jia Lian was too naive; he had money but didn't know how to keep it safe, and was too busy to repay it. The person in charge had already said there was no rush.

However, no one paid much attention to her opinion, and the matter was dropped.

After everyone had dispersed, Lai Da and the other man were dragged up. Jia Lian only glanced at them briefly before ordering, "Send them back to rest for three days. After three days, Lin Zhixiao will arrange for a few people to escort them to the manor in the north."

Furthermore, Lai Da has served my family well in the past, and now that he is getting old, we permit his family documents, especially his son and daughter-in-law, to travel north to our Jia family estate to serve and support him.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhixiao thought to himself that if Jia Lian truly pitied Lai Da, as long as Lai Da wasn't forbidden from carrying his family documents, his children could naturally follow him. After a moment's thought, he somewhat understood Jia Lian's meaning, and quickly asked, "What if his son and daughter-in-law are unwilling?"

The dozen or so farms north of the Jia family mansion were all in extremely cold regions and were not suitable for habitation.

"As human beings, filial piety comes first; what is there to be unwilling about?"

Jia Lian didn't take it seriously at all, and left after saying that. (Iron)

Lai Shangrong, having lost all his confidence after being slapped by Jia Lian, now realized that Jia Lian wanted him to go north to serve his parents. Feeling that his future was greatly hindered, he disregarded everything and hurriedly shouted, "No, I can't go! I still have to take the imperial examination next year. If I go north, my studies will be ruined..."

Unfortunately, Jia Lian seemed not to hear him at all, and didn't even turn his head.

Although Lai Da and his wife were seriously injured, they were still conscious, since Jia Lian's personal guards knew that Jia Lian had no intention of taking their lives.

Although they didn't want their son to ruin his future, they were still disappointed that he showed no filial piety whatsoever while they were imprisoned.

Lin Zhixiao also looked down on Lai Shangrong's character and even wanted to slap him like Jia Lian did.

"A person with not a shred of filial piety dares to talk about pursuing an official career. If your mentor heard what you just said, forget about pursuing an official career, he might easily strip you of your degree. Hmph, you'd better watch yourself."

Lin Zhixiao shoved Lai Shangrong, then escorted the entire Lai family back. (Iron)

……

Now that Lady You had come all this way, she naturally had to go in and pay her respects to Grandmother Jia.

Jia Lian also needed to appease Grandmother Jia. Whether his intentions were genuine or not, it was necessary to put on a show for others, so he went with You Shi.

"I will have someone deliver the 80,000 taels of silver borrowed from the East Mansion after it has been counted tomorrow. Please have my sister-in-law inspect it then."

With nothing to do on the road, Jia Lian casually remarked.

"I already said I'm not in a hurry to spend money, so why are you so busy?"

Even so, Lady You's gaze towards Jia Lian grew increasingly tender and sweet; after all, it was late at night, and she wasn't worried about being seen.

Although it was not easy to lend money that day, it was precisely because Jia Lian was there that she felt safe lending it and was not worried about not getting it back.

Now that things have turned out as she predicted, she is genuinely happy.

Seeing that Jia Lian smiled but did not reply, Madam You continued, "As for you, if you're not busy tomorrow, I'd like to invite you over for a visit..."

Jia Lian was somewhat surprised. You Shi was a cautious person and never dared to invite him. She always waited for him to come and visit her. Why was she like this today?

"Is there something you need?"

"It's nothing much. Tomorrow is my little sister's birthday, and since it's her coming-of-age ceremony, I'm planning to throw her a feast. I haven't invited anyone else. If Uncle is too busy, then forget it; it's not really a big deal."

Jia Lian paused, wondering if it was a coming-of-age ceremony for You Erjie or You Sanjie. (Iron)

Looking back at Madam You's face, Jia Lian secretly wondered from her piercing gaze, "Could it be that she found out about how I bullied her younger sister?"

Nodding, Jia Lian did not give a direct response, but You Shi understood that Jia Lian had agreed, so she stopped talking and silently made her way to Rongqing Hall.

They discovered that Sister Feng, Madam Wang, and Sanchun were all there.

Feng Jie and Lady Wang seemed to be working together to comfort Grandmother Jia, while the three sisters of the Spring Festival sat blankly to the side. They only got up to greet Jia Lian and his companion when they entered.

Grandmother Jia seemed to still harbor resentment towards Jia Lian. Upon seeing Jia Lian enter, her expression changed, and she leaned against the high couch, feigning sleep.

Seeing this, Sister Feng gave Jia Lian a smiling look, which Jia Lian understood. She meant: It's okay, everything's been appeased. Aren't I amazing? Praise me!

"Grandson pays respects to the Ancestor." (Iron)

Grandmother Jia ignored her.

"Everything outside has been taken care of. Your grandson has come to inquire whether there are any other instructions from Grandfather."

silence.

Jia Lian smiled and said, "Since the Ancestor has not given any instructions and it is getting late, I will not disturb the Ancestor's rest any longer. I will take my leave now."

When Jia Lian greeted Grandmother Jia, she ignored him. But when Jia Lian said he was leaving, Grandmother Jia immediately reacted.

"Granny Lai has been with me for most of her life, serving me for far longer than you sons and grandsons have served me. No matter how you deal with Lai Da, she is still someone you should respect."

"The old lady is right. When we searched the Lai family's house before, I specifically instructed them not to offend Old Madam Lai..." Tie

"You can confiscate their huge ill-gotten gains, but you can keep their house for Granny Lai to live out her old age."

Jia Lian paused for a moment. The Lai family's house, after several expansions by the Lai family, was quite valuable. However, it was still just a private residence, and its standards weren't high enough. Since Grandmother Jia had spoken, Jia Lian had to give her face.

"Let's do as our ancestors said, and leave the house to Grandma Lai to live out her days."

Jia Lian's attitude finally appeased Grandmother Jia's anger. She sat back down, looked at Jia Lian, and after a long while said, "I don't know who you took after. In terms of being muddleheaded, you can't compare to your father, and in terms of being kind, you're nowhere near as good as your grandfather. Those who know you say you're a person with your own opinions and who can't tolerate any injustice. Those who don't probably say you're greedy for money, ruthless, and even addicted to confiscating the homes of your servants..."

Jia Lian laughed and said, "Grandmother is joking. If all the servants are dutiful and loyal, and I am generous with my kindness, they naturally won't have to worry about being investigated and their property confiscated. But when it comes to families like the Lai family, we can only act according to the family rules."

"Yes, yes, you're always right."

Grandmother Jia scolded, then couldn't help but laugh herself. Iron

To be honest, she was only upset about saving face tonight; she wasn't really angry about Jia Lian confiscating the Lai family's property.

Did she not know that the family's finances were deteriorating? Yet, a mere servant in the Lai family had amassed an outrageously large fortune. Even a fool could see what was going on. Didn't the matriarch of the Jia family harbor resentment in her heart?

So, after seeing off the weeping Granny Lai, she felt a sense of relief.

Seeing Grandmother Jia's reaction, the others dared to smile.

An old nanny chuckled, "The old lady said she didn't know who Second Master Lian took after. In my opinion, Second Master Lian seems to have taken after both the old Duke and a previous Duke."

The old nannies who were always by Grandmother Jia's side all knew Grandmother Jia's thoughts.

"Second Master Lian's handsome and dashing appearance naturally comes from the old Duke. But his temperament, well, it seems, is more like that of the Duke himself."

Back when we were just maids, a powerful duke like Master Lian ruled his household with military discipline. At that time, all the servants in the mansion were extremely well-behaved, afraid of accidentally violating the rules and being severely punished by military law.

The second-generation Duke of Rongguo was a recognized scholar and the husband of Grandmother Jia, so she was always pleased whenever old acquaintances mentioned or praised him. These old nannies were also shrewd; when they said that Jia Lian's handsome appearance was inherited from the old Duke of Rongguo, Grandmother Jia naturally smiled.

Jia Lian, however, asked curiously, "Oh, when that Duke was alive, did he have servants like Lai Da in his household?"

The old woman was stunned, then said awkwardly, "How could that be? Let alone someone like Lai Da, even taking a small amount could cost you your head..."

As she spoke, seemingly sensing that it might be referring to Grandmother Jia, the old nanny consciously retreated.

Grandmother Jia was certainly aware of this, but she was a magnanimous person, and just hummed and said, "Alright, I know you admire the family management philosophy of a former Duke, but the family management methods of your grandfather and me are not necessarily wrong."

You have no idea what happened back then. Not to mention you servants, even your grandfather and I lived in constant fear, terrified of saying or doing the wrong thing… Iron

"Fine, I'm old anyway, and there's no point in arguing with you. Ultimately, it's your responsibility to manage this family. Manage it however you like, as long as you don't disgrace our ancestors."

As she spoke, Grandmother Jia truly couldn't be bothered with Jia Lian and waved him away.