Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

When Jia Lian entered again, Ping'er, who had been dressed in a magnificent brocade dress, was gone. In her place sat a young girl under the north window, dressed in a dark green skirt, a light white thin-sleeved blouse, and a light-colored belt—a maid's attire.

When Jia Lian saw it, he was stunned for a moment.

Although he could not quite remember Ping'er's exact attire that day, Jia Lian knew that she was probably dressed like that.

Thus, Jia Lian realized that this girl's idea was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather something she had long intended; otherwise, how could she have made such preparations? It seemed that today was simply the right day, which was why she made this suggestion to him.

"Second Master Lian is here. You...you've come to see our young lady?"

Ping'er, who was sewing shoe soles, saw Jia Lian and seemed to be in a daze for a moment. She stood up and timidly greeted him.

Jia Lian laughed. This was for the best. He had always felt that Ping'er was excessively sensible, and as her master, he couldn't spoil her too much because of Feng Jie, thus feeling guilty. Since she enjoyed this kind of atmosphere, why not indulge her?

So, Jia Lian also abandoned some of the uprightness he had cultivated over the years, adopting the frivolous demeanor he despised most, and strolled over, laughing, "I originally came to see your young lady, but now, this young master has changed his mind."

"What...what do you want to do? How rude! Our young lady has gone to see the madam and will be back in a little while."

"How rude! How have I been rude? Is it like this, or like this... Hehehe..."

"Waaaaah."

……

While Jia Lian was playing exciting and enjoyable little games with his concubine in his room, the upper-class mansions in the capital received news of a member of the imperial family who had insulted the emperor and been punished by being sent to guard the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

This matter seemed insignificant, and even the emperor didn't seem to react much, merely giving those unfilial sons a minor punishment as a warning.

However, given that this event occurred at such a crucial juncture, it's hard not to speculate. Especially since it's known that those members of the imperial clan were complaining because of their dissatisfaction with the new tax laws the court was about to promulgate, it becomes even more intriguing.

When the Third Prince learned of this news, he pondered for a moment and felt that there was much room for maneuver in this matter!

His advisors, who shared his views, offered their suggestions one after another.

"Your Highness, this is a divinely granted piece of leverage regarding the Crown Prince. If we can handle this matter well, it will greatly benefit Your Highness's grand ambitions!"

"The Crown Prince has always been close to the imperial clan and old officials in the court. These people are conservative, stubborn and foolish, and His Majesty dislikes them greatly. This time, His Majesty wants to implement new policies, but they are obstructing him in many ways. Therefore, His Majesty has long intended to take his anger out on the Crown Prince."

Now this incident has occurred again. In particular, among those imperial clansmen who were punished and sent to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, there are quite a few who frequently visit the Crown Prince's residence. If we spread rumors that their disrespectful remarks about His Majesty originated from the Crown Prince, how could those spoiled brats dare to slander His Majesty?

If this method is used properly, even if the Crown Prince has a hundred mouths, he will not be able to refute it. Therefore, even if it cannot make His Majesty depose him as Crown Prince, greatly disappoint His Majesty, or shake the Crown Prince's position in His Majesty's eyes, it will not be difficult.

"Furthermore, Your Highness should continue to support His Majesty's new policies. In my humble opinion, if His Majesty intends to implement the new tax laws and win the hearts and minds of scholars, nobles, and relatives of the emperor, he must use the imperial clan as an example. However, most members of the imperial clan are conservative, stubborn, and unyielding, and will certainly refuse to submit, thus placing His Majesty in a difficult position."

Therefore, I humbly suggest that if Your Highness can persuade the imperial clan to support the new policies, even if you fail to achieve complete success, as long as Your Highness can see Your Highness's filial piety and loyalty, and compare this to the weak and incompetent Crown Prince, Your Highness's standing in His Majesty's eyes will rise daily, which will also increase Your Highness's chances of future success!

"Finally, with the Emperor Emeritus's birthday approaching, I wonder how Your Highness's preparations are going? If Your Highness can win first place at the Emperor Emeritus's birthday banquet and gain his favor, then the matter can be settled. This is of utmost importance. In comparison, the previous two suggestions are minor matters. Although they may be useful, they are like mountain streams compared to the vast ocean, incomparable."

"That makes sense."

"That makes sense..."

Looking at his trusted advisors gathered below, the Third Prince felt a surge of pride.

As a prince known for his refined and virtuous character, he made friends with many ambitious people from all over the world to serve him. In this respect alone, how could his crude and foolish elder brother compare to him?

However, he was born two years earlier, so he was the crown prince, while this universally praised wise king could only bow down to him and obey his every command for the rest of his life?

That's not fair. Just watch, that position will definitely be his, and it can only be his!

At the Crown Prince's residence, the Crown Prince could no longer suppress his anger.

"A bunch of good-for-nothing bastards who're more likely to ruin everything!!"

The crown prince naturally understood how unfavorable this matter was for him.

Unlike the Third Prince, who had a mother who was deeply favored by his father, his mother had already passed away. Therefore, if he wanted to keep his position as Crown Prince, he could only rely on the imperial clan and the old officials in the court who valued seniority.

He had been doing this all these years and had tried his best to do it well. But who knew that his father, since ascending the throne, had increasingly shown an attitude of reform and innovation, and disliked those old officials, which put him in the middle and made him very uncomfortable.

Many times, he felt his father's gaze was filled with displeasure. He even doubted whether his father truly loved him as the eldest son and genuinely wanted him to be the crown prince!

Therefore, he was very wary of and suppressed the Third Prince, who was extremely cunning.

The Third Prince initially tried his best to pretend, but later, whether he was completely enraged or felt that he had become powerful enough, he no longer hid his disloyal intentions from the Crown Prince!

He was furious, but he realized that he really didn't have a good way to deal with the current situation, especially with such a third prince.

Indeed, even their father, the Emperor, has only been firmly on the throne for a few years, and is still subject to the control of Chonghua Palace to some extent. Therefore, even if there were to be a struggle, it wouldn't be their turn yet.

However, as the crown prince, he was in the open while the third prince was in the shadows, constantly causing him trouble and putting him in a very passive position.

It's easy to imagine that after today's incident, his third brother will certainly not sit idly by, and he's likely to be in trouble soon.

Over the years, the Crown Prince had naturally cultivated a group of confidants, and seeing his emperor troubled, they all began to offer their advice.

However, with the enemy's weakness exposed, unless one possesses the power to turn the tide, one can only wait for the other to make the first move and react accordingly. What good strategy could one possibly devise?

Suddenly someone said, "I have heard that His Majesty is troubled by his inability to gain the support of the imperial clan for his new policies. His Highness the Crown Prince has always been close to the imperial clan and is deeply trusted by the princes. If he can solve this problem for His Majesty, it will greatly please him and resolve his current predicament."

The Crown Prince shook his head and said, "I have thought about it. But those old fellows in the imperial clan are all very greedy. Over the years, I have never mistreated them, but when it comes to using them, there are always more evasive and perfunctory ones than sincere ones."

They're the kind of people who won't act until they see a benefit, let alone with such a large stake involved. Asking them to willingly give it up is incredibly difficult.

"That's not necessarily true. The reason why the imperial clan insists on opposing the new policies is twofold: firstly, they have the ancestral laws to rely on, and secondly, they are also driven by greed. As the crown prince and the future ruler of the country, if the crown prince is offered generous gifts and made important promises, it is not impossible to persuade him to some extent."

The Crown Prince's eyes lit up upon hearing this. Yes, it seemed he didn't need to persuade all the members of the imperial clan. If he could just convince a few and show Emperor Ningkang his filial piety, wouldn't that be enough?

But then he hesitated. He was almost embarrassed to say it aloud; over the years, to deal with his troublesome third brother, he had cultivated relationships with members of the imperial clan and other powerful families. And which of these people had a small appetite?

This caused even a prince like him to start feeling troubled by money.

This is also why he intervened in the salt administration of Jiangnan. Originally, when the salt administration issue blew up last time, the Third Prince was prepared to take a big bite out of him, but fortunately he was well prepared and was able to get away unscathed. Of course, he also paid a considerable price himself.

At least in matters of salt administration, he had to be more restrained to avoid being discovered by Emperor Ningkang and having the old case brought up again.

As a result, his Crown Prince's residence will have a slightly reduced source of income, which is something he needs to consider.

He suddenly remembered that the Empress had mentioned to him before that she wanted to bestow a daughter of the Zhen family in Jiangnan upon him as a concubine, and she had also made some explicit remarks about how the Zhen family was a prominent family in Jiangnan and how their ancestors had a great connection with the imperial family.

He didn't hear anything else, but when he heard that the Zhen family had been appointed by the Emperor Emeritus to manage the Jiangnan Textile Bureau, the only word that came to mind was: rich.

So he told him about it. (Old age)

"Hehehe, if that's really the case, it would indeed be a great help to Your Highness. Crown Prince, don't be fooled by the fact that the Zhen family neither holds court nor leads troops. However, the old lady of the Zhen family was personally bestowed the title of 'County Princess' by the founding emperor. She is quite famous among the imperial family and nobles. It is even rumored that she has influence in front of the retired emperor. That's why the Zhen family has been able to hold the reins of the textile bureau in Jiangnan for so many years."

No one knows how wealthy the Zhen family is, but anyone who has been to Jinling Province knows that the Zhen family is known as the most prestigious family in Jiangnan!

Therefore, if His Highness the Crown Prince could obtain his assistance, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince finally took the matter seriously. He was secretly pleased; the Zhen family was one thing, but what pleased him was that he had initially thought the Empress was just arranging a marriage for him out of boredom, but he hadn't expected such a deeper meaning behind it. Could it be said that the Empress actually favored and supported him?

……

Jia Lian didn't care about the feud between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince. As long as these two didn't cause him any trouble, he didn't want to provoke either of them.

The emperor is still young; clinging to his coattails and avoiding distractions is the key to promotion, wealth, and survival. (Old age)

Therefore, after returning to his residence, Jia Lian completely forgot about the affairs of the palace and focused on enjoying the company of his beautiful concubine.

Seeing the tear stains still on her beautiful, clean face, and the bruises on her raised wrist, Jia Lian felt both sorry for her and amused: "You're so honest, you don't even cry out when it hurts."

Ping'er looked up at Jia Lian, shook her head, and said, "Master, don't worry about me. I'm not in pain. I'm very happy..."

Jia Lian stared speechlessly at the bed curtains.

This Ping'er, if she were alive today, would have been a natural actress. When asked to reenact a scene with him, she truly immersed herself in it, performing so convincingly from beginning to end.

Aside from not shouting for fear of attracting attention, he had actually experienced firsthand what it was like for a playboy to force himself on a respectable maid.

This is why even he was drawn in, unconsciously using some force. It's also Ping'er's fault; she could have just pretended to struggle and wrestle, but she acted as if it were real. Otherwise, with his control, he wouldn't have hurt his beloved concubine.

Ping'er could naturally see Jia Lian's self-reproach. She smiled, reached out her delicate fingers to touch Jia Lian's face, and gave him another look to indicate that she was alright. Then she forced herself to sit up and tidied the bed curtains.

The two of them were caught up in their emotions and didn't care about anything else. Now that they were satisfied, she naturally couldn't leave any evidence and let Sister Feng come looking for trouble.

Jia Lian didn't offer to help, because he wasn't afraid of being discovered by Feng Jie at all. In fact, he thought it would be better if Feng Jie found out, since that girl was too clueless in this area. She had a master-level figure right next to her and didn't know how to ask for his advice; she was truly a fool.

So he simply lay on the bed watching Ping'er's actions. Because of her graceful figure and supple limbs, Jia Lian soon became interested again. He quietly got off the bed and hugged Ping'er from behind as she was preparing to clear away the cups, saucers, and teacups. "Let the maids come in and clean up. Be careful not to hurt your hands."

Ping'er blushed deeply as she looked at the broken cups and saucers on the ground. Although she had tried to protect them, the Second Master had been too forceful; when he pressed her down, many pieces were still knocked over, some broken and some intact.

How could she let the maids come in to tidy up? They might think a thief had broken in.

"Second Master, go find Xiangling. Ping'er, Ping'er can't take it anymore..."

That was a lie; she just wanted to get Jia Lian out of the way so she could finish tidying up the house quickly. She expected Feng Jie to be back soon.

Jia Lian was still unwilling to give up and was about to pick up Ping'er and bully her again when Xiangling's voice rang out from outside the corridor: "Second Master, the second gatekeeper has come to deliver a message, asking you to go to the master's outer study."

Jia Lian then slowly put down the delicate Ping'er, kissed her big kiss between her white teeth and red lips, and then wiped his mouth and opened the door to come out.

The courtyard was no longer as quiet as it had been when he first returned. The sounds of the maids laughing and talking in the water-boiling room, as well as the babbling of his beloved daughter in the east wing, could be faintly heard.

However, there was only one person in the main corridor, and that was the silly maid Xiangling.

The moment the girl saw Jia Lian come out and looked him up and down, she blushed and lowered her head, not daring to speak.

Jia Lian was slightly taken aback, then walked over and said softly, "When did you get here?"

"No, not long after..."

Hearing her hurried denial, Jia Lian was certain that this girl must have been eavesdropping outside.

"Don't make wild guesses. I didn't bully your sister Ping'er, much less hit her..."

Jia Lian tried to explain, but he realized it was unnecessary. He figured that the fact that no one outside had come to inquire despite his and Ping'er's commotion inside must be thanks to this girl.

So he gently stroked Xiangling's head and said softly, "I'm not lying to you. Your sister Ping'er and I were just joking. You'll see in the future."

After saying that, Jia Lian left when he saw that Xiangling didn't react.

Little did he know that only after he left did Xiangling raise her pure and lovely face, her expression filled with panic as she watched his retreating figure.

What should I do? Is Second Master going to treat me the way he treated Sister Ping'er...?

Thinking back to the faint sounds of Ping'er's shame, anger, cursing, and struggle that she had heard before, she could imagine just how tragically Ping'er had been dealt with inside!

Oh, right, Sister Ping'er!

Thinking of something, Xiangling disregarded everything else and hurriedly pushed open the door, rushing into the west wing. There, she saw only Ping'er, neatly dressed, bending over to fold two brocade quilts on the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove). Although she couldn't see Ping'er's face, Xiangling could tell from her skillful movements and natural demeanor...

Ping'er, are you in a good mood?

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