Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

He led the Fourth Prince and the others around the Shenji Camp for half a circle, and before they knew it, it was noon.

"I'm dazzled by all this stuff, and I'm starving. Let's go eat."

The fourth prince suggested going out to dinner together. Jia Lian wanted to politely decline, but the fourth prince glanced at him sideways and said, "What? We've come all this way from the capital to find you, and you won't even give me this much face?"

Jia Lian had no choice but to hand over some instructions and accompany the Fourth Prince with only a few personal guards.

I thought I could just find any place, but who knew...

"This place won't do; it's too small, and the houses are too dilapidated."

"Here? This won't do either. The decor is too bright; it lacks any ambiance."

"here……"

Having ridden his horse from the north city to the west city, the Fourth Prince rejected five or six suggestions for dining places from Zhang Shuo and Jia Lian, yet he still didn't know what kind of place he wanted to have this meal.

Suddenly, at the end of the road ahead, a three-story, magnificent building came into view.

Its decorations are exquisite and its style is elegant. The gate tower is inscribed with the three large characters "Jinpin Pavilion".

"Hmm, this place looks nice, I'll keep it here..."

Zhang Tao didn't say much along the way, just following behind Jia Lian and the other two like a lackey. Bored, he was touching the short flintlock pistol case he had placed behind the horse's rump, imagining where he would practice his marksmanship after taking it back, and how he would ask Jia Lian for more ammunition and gunpowder when he ran out.

Upon hearing the Fourth Prince's voice, he looked up and immediately felt embarrassed, along with a strange sense of excitement.

His grandfather had given orders after they were ten years old, forbidding his brothers from visiting brothels. The old man wanted them to learn martial arts, so he needed to cultivate their physical strength and couldn't let them indulge in wine and women.

Now that my eldest cousin has gone to work in another region with my uncle, and my second cousin Zhang Shuo has also earned the title of Juren through his own abilities, my grandfather no longer cares much about my second cousin, and all the pressure is placed on him.

He had heard his buddies boast before about how alluring the women in brothels were, how they were worlds apart from respectable women... He really wanted to go in and see for himself!

Zhang Shuo, naturally recognizing their surroundings at a glance, said with some difficulty, "Your Highness, this place is not quite appropriate..."

Although his grandfather doesn't care about him much these days, as the fourth prince's study companion, the thought of the emperor taking the fourth prince to brothels sends chills down his spine.

"What's wrong? Can't we eat here?"

"Uh, I can eat, though..."

"That's it! The environment here is so nice, this is the place!"

Unfortunately, the fourth prince seemed determined to set his sights on this place and showed no intention of listening to any opinions.

To avoid making a scene, he ordered his close attendants to instruct the guards who had fallen behind not to approach and reveal their identities, and then he took the lead and charged towards the Golden Pavilion.

"Hey, gentlemen, how many of you are here? Dinner or music?"

Seeing that the Fourth Prince had already been welcomed into the building by the discerning prostitute, Zhang Shuo and Jia Lian exchanged a glance and could only shake their heads helplessly before leading the secretly excited Zhang Tao inside.

For Zhang Tao, with the Fourth Prince as a cover above and Jia Lian and his second brother in the middle to protect him, even if his grandfather eventually found out, these people above him would take the blame, and the stick would not fall on him, the subordinate.

"Of course, you're right, I have plenty of money! Quickly bring up your best wine and food, serve us well, and you'll be rewarded."

"Hey sir, you really only want good wine and food? How about a pretty girl?"

"Well……"

Upon entering the hall, one could see the Fourth Prince, who had initially been excited but now looked embarrassed and at a loss, being attacked by two prostitutes.

Jia Lian then asked Zhang Shuo with a smile, "Is this his first time in a place like this?"

Zhang Shuo considered for a moment and explained, "At least since I became His Highness's study companion, this is the first time I have personally witnessed His Highness come to a place like this."

Jia Lian believed Zhang Shuo's words because the Fourth Prince's pretense of being a seasoned brothel patron, which was actually full of flaws, was seen through by all the welcoming prostitutes at a glance. In addition, his extraordinary attire made them all vie to curry favor with him.

It's understandable that the royal children are strictly disciplined, and now that the Fourth Prince is grown up and carefree, it's not unusual for him to want to come to places like this for leisure. Perhaps it's because of his relationship with his sister that he always feels an urge to discipline the boy.

In the end, Jia Lian did not actually do that.

Some women, seeing that Jia Lian and Zhang Shuo were both handsome and talented, wanted to approach them to flirt and win their favor, but after being glanced at by Zhang Shuo and Jia Lian, they wisely stepped back.

"Hey, what are you all standing there for? What do you want to eat and drink today? Just name your price, it's on me!"

Having finally shaken off the girl's advances, the Fourth Prince rushed up to Jia Lian and the other two, feigning composure as he spoke.

At this moment, the madam finally noticed these important clients and quickly ran forward to greet them. Seeing that things had come to this point, Zhang Shuo only wanted to finish his meal as soon as possible and leave with the Fourth Prince, so he waved his hand and said to the madam, "Give me the best private room, and the finest food and wine, as soon as possible."

"Okay, sir... one private room in the top tier on the third floor."

After receiving her orders, the madam was about to make the arrangements when Zhang Shuo and the others escorted the Fourth Prince upstairs. However, the Fourth Prince, lost in thought, suddenly turned to the madam and called out, "Don't forget the girls we've arranged! Make sure there are plenty; there are four of us!"

One sentence made Jia Lian and the other two pause. Zhang Shuo almost slipped on the stairs and then quickly covered his face, afraid of being recognized.

Just as Zhang Shuo and his group had predicted, everyone else upstairs and downstairs, whether customers or prostitutes, looked over with curiosity.

The madam reacted quickly, immediately laughing, "Sir, I guarantee you'll get the most and best girls, hehehe."

The fourth prince entered the private room with his face covered, feeling that even the boy who had led the way was laughing at him.

"Gentlemen, please have some tea. The wine, dishes, and ladies will be here shortly..."

After the boy bowed to everyone, he bowed and left through the closed door. Only then did the Fourth Prince feel less embarrassed. He looked up at Jia Lian and the other two and said with a laugh, "Well, please make yourselves at home today. Don't be so polite with me."

Zhang Shuo thought to himself, "There's no need for us to be so polite. With that shout, the whole building knows what the four of us are here for."

If his former classmates and teachers found out about this, he would be too ashamed to show his face in Shilin.

Seeing that Jia Lian and the others remained silent, the Fourth Prince touched his chin, which was still bare of beard, feeling somewhat embarrassed, but he didn't say anything more and sat down to drink his tea.

There was silence for a moment, and then suddenly we heard faint voices coming from next door.

Jia Lian and the others didn't think much of it at first. In a place like this, it was perfectly normal for other people to drink and make merry, and to talk loudly after drinking.

But the Fourth Prince, with his sharp ears, immediately recognized one of the voices. He paused, then slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Well, what a small world! I even found a bug in my food, and now I run into him here. How unlucky!"

Jia Lian and Zhang Shuo also recognized the voice; the loudest and clearest voice belonged to Wei Xian, the Prince Duan's heir who had almost been beaten half to death by Jia Lian and was the boy the Fourth Prince had mentioned.

The Fourth Prince seemed to have some new grudge against them, and he appeared to want to go and cause trouble.

Jia Lian didn't care much. As long as the Prince of Duan's heir stopped provoking him, he didn't want to go against the imperial family. However, while things were quiet on their side, the voices on the other side didn't seem to be quieting down. As more and more voices came over, Jia Lian's brows furrowed even more.

……

The No. 1 private room of Jinpin Pavilion welcomes a group of distinguished guests today.

More than ten members of the imperial family gathered here, drinking and chatting. Among them was the heir of the Prince of Duan, whom the Fourth Prince disliked intensely.

Of course, the dignified heir of Prince Duan doesn't seem to be the main character here. The real protagonist appears to be another handsome young man sitting with Wei Xian.

"Brother Yu, you can't just sit idly by and do nothing about this important matter that concerns our entire clan."

"Ah, well... what can I do about something this serious..."

"How can you not do anything? You are the son of Prince Zhongshun! Prince Zhongshun has been in charge of the Imperial Clan Court for so many years, and he has fought for so many benefits for our clan. He is deeply loved by all of us. Everyone says that Prince Su is old and no longer manages affairs. Once he retires, won't Prince Zhongshun be the one who calls the shots in the entire Imperial Clan Court?"

As his biological son, you will undoubtedly become the crown prince and inherit the throne and the position of head of the Imperial Clan Court. At that time, you will also have to shoulder the heavy responsibility of our entire royal family, just like your father. How can you back down at this crucial moment and ignore the schemes and plots against our royal family?

It turns out that the person Wei Xian and others invited today was none other than Wei Yu, the second legitimate son of the current Prince Zhongshun.

As the current emperor's younger brother born of the same mother, Prince Zhongshun was deeply trusted by the emperor and had always served as the deputy head of the Imperial Clan Court, handling matters concerning the imperial clan and relatives of the emperor for Ningkang. Some even said that if Prince Su were not the emperor's uncle and highly respected, and if Emperor Ningkang had not treated him with great respect and refrained from forcing him, Prince Zhongshun would have long been the de facto head of the Imperial Clan Court.

The Zongling of the Imperial Clan Court is one of the few substantive first-rank positions, equivalent to a Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet, and is usually held by a prince of high rank from the imperial clan!

"Please don't talk nonsense, everyone. The Prince's heir has always been my elder brother. I'm just a nobody..."

"Nonsense! What qualifications does your incompetent, immoral, and sickly elder brother have to be the heir apparent of the Prince of Zhongshun's mansion? Anyone with eyes can see that this position will definitely belong to you, Brother Yu. We brothers... no, not just us brothers, but all the elders in our families support you becoming the heir apparent. After all, the Prince of Zhongshun's mansion is different from other families; we cannot allow a sickly person to manage the affairs of the imperial clan in the future..."

However, although we support you because you are more outstanding and capable than your elder brother, you must also show us all your determination to serve the entire royal family, so that we can all have more faith in and trust in you.

After a brief silence, Wei Yi asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"It's very simple. Go back and persuade your father to speak to His Majesty and abolish the new tax law of the court."

Brother Yu, you have no idea how targeted and insulting that new tax law is to our royal family! It says that each family's residence will be exempt from a certain amount of land tax according to their rank, and any excess will be taxed in the same way as ordinary people and noble families according to the unified tax law!

Think about it, which of our royal families, even those that are somewhat normal, doesn't own hundreds of thousands of acres of estates and land? What are those amounts that the court decided to exempt?

What's even more infuriating is that a prince's mansion can only be exempted from land tax on 200,000 mu, and a duke's mansion only on 150,000 mu. But a mere duke's mansion, whose salary is ten times less than that of a prince of the imperial clan, can be exempted from land tax on 100,000 mu, just like a duke of the imperial clan, which is only half the amount of a prince of the imperial clan. Isn't this a contempt for the imperial clan's royal mansions?

In my opinion, His Majesty must be incredibly foolish to approve such an absurd and ridiculous tax law.

"You can't entirely blame His Majesty; this is all a conspiracy by those ministers, their aim being to weaken and suppress our imperial clan..."

"But I heard that this new tax law was something His Majesty strongly advocated, which is why those far-sighted ministers dared not come out to oppose it."

In my opinion, if things continue like this, the world will inevitably descend into chaos sooner or later. Doesn't Your Majesty consider that if all the meritorious officials and relatives of the imperial family are filled with fear and discontent, wouldn't the country and its people be in grave danger?

"Alas, if only the Emperor Emeritus could speak up at this moment, the court would not be in such chaos..."

……

"Outrageous! These brats have no nerve to slander my father like this!"

In the private room where Jia Lian and the others were, the Fourth Prince was already furious and was about to go over and have a friendly chat with these unfilial sons.

"Your Highness, you mustn't. These people are drunk. If you go alone, you might suffer a loss."

"So what? Are we just going to sit here and listen to them gossip and slander my father?"

Seeing that Zhang Shuo had nothing to say, the Fourth Prince was about to call his guards to arrest these people and bring them to the Daming Palace for punishment.

"Your Highness, please calm down. You did not bring many people with you on this trip. These pampered young masters will definitely bring more people than Your Highness. If a conflict breaks out, it may harm Your Highness's health."

"Bullshit! They'd better try touching a single hair on my head!"

The Fourth Prince was truly enraged, and unusually pointed his finger at Zhang Shuo and cursed him. Zhang Shuo, however, remained unperturbed and exchanged a glance with the Fourth Prince.

The fourth prince then realized what was happening and looked at Jia Lian, who was sitting next to him drinking tea.

Jia Lian knew exactly what the two men meant. He smiled bitterly to himself, thinking, "Oh well, another tough job of offending people."

However, if the Fourth Prince were to actually ask for it, he really wouldn't be able to refuse.

First, as a subject, to remain indifferent to slander against one's ruler or father is disloyal.

Secondly, as the commander of the Western City Military Command, his duty is to maintain order in the Western City. If he allows these people to hold such "illegal gatherings" under his jurisdiction, he, as the enforcer, might as well quit his job, and Emperor Ningkang would probably be greatly disappointed.

Third, from a logical standpoint, he also felt that these people were being unreasonable, not to mention that the Fourth Prince was so angry. If he did nothing, the Fourth Prince might also have a negative opinion of him.

The Fourth Prince, unaware of Jia Lian's thoughts, noticed Jia Lian's silence under their scrutiny and questioned him with some dissatisfaction, "Jia Lian, Father trusts you so much, tell me, what should we do about this?!"

Jia Lian finally put down his teacup, flicked his sleeves, stood up, and replied, "Your Highness means that I should send troops to arrest these纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) and await His Majesty's judgment, is that right?"

"Of course! They utter such arrogant words and slander my father, shouldn't they be punished?"

"Punishment is certainly possible, and I can promise Your Highness that they will all be arrested. However, I also require a verbal promise from Your Highness."

"What time is it? You're still... then tell me!"

Jia Lian, unhurried and composed, cupped his hands and explained, "Although I am the Commander of the Military Command, and have the responsibility to apprehend villains and thieves, I am at most just an ordinary son of a prince or minister."

"I have no authority to arrest anyone holding a noble title, let alone members of the imperial clan. These people fall under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Clan Court. If they are arrested without Your Majesty's and the Imperial Clan Court's consent, I too will be held accountable."

As Jia Lian spoke, seeing that the Fourth Prince was somewhat anxious, he laughed and said, "However, these people are audacious and have slandered His Majesty. Everyone has the right to kill them."

"Your Majesty, I will certainly not let them off the hook. However, to prevent them from turning against me in the future, I would like Your Highness to promise that if His Majesty inquires, Your Highness will testify on my behalf. After all, I have no other evidence against them and can only rely on Your Highness's testimony."

Jia Lian was also in a dilemma. If he handled this matter well, he could certainly further solidify his image as a loyal and devoted servant in front of Emperor Ningkang. However, the downside was also obvious: he would offend the entire imperial clan once again!

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, the Fourth Prince slowly realized that compared to Jia Lian, he was truly incompetent.

The saying goes, "Hearing is believing." They have no other evidence of wrongdoing. As long as the other party denies it afterward, what can Jia Lian do to them? If things go wrong, they might just turn around and bite the hand that feeds them, just as Jia Lian fears.

"Alright, I promise you. Don't worry, although I make many mistakes, I never lie. My father trusts me completely. As long as I testify for you, they will not escape punishment, and they certainly won't distort the truth!"

Jia Lian bowed respectfully and then summoned his attendants to go to the military headquarters to mobilize troops.