Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Jia Zheng was anxious to see Jia Lian because he knew that Jia Lian had led troops to arrest a group of members of the imperial clan.

Jia Zheng was a true scholar with his own integrity and principles. He was not a sycophant. However, as a young master raised in the Duke's mansion, his reverence for imperial power and the royal family was something he had accumulated throughout his life.

This is quite easy to understand. For the Duke's Mansion, the only thing that could pose a fatal threat to it was anything related to the word "Emperor".

Therefore, when he learned that Jia Lian had violated regulations by arresting a group of members of the imperial clan, especially since several of them were sons of princes, he was nearly horrified. Upon learning that Jia Lian had returned to his residence, he immediately sent someone to summon him.

Jia Lian understood Jia Zheng's timidity and fear of trouble, so he patiently explained the situation at the time, saying that he had no choice but to do so.

After hearing this, Jia Zheng sighed and said, "Even so, you should have given in when the Imperial Clan Court stopped people in the street to demand their release. Our family has been under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Clan Court for generations. If you offend them this time, I'm afraid it will bring disaster to our Jia family."

Jia Zheng's words came from the heart, but he also knew that Jia Lian was now more determined than him and was afraid that Jia Lian would not listen to his advice. Therefore, his tone was very calm, as if the father and son were discussing and considering the future of the family.

Jia Zheng was so afraid of the Imperial Clan Court, but Jia Lian didn't take it seriously.

Putting aside the fact that the Imperial Clan Court is an agency that works for the emperor, as long as he doesn't lose the emperor's trust, the Imperial Clan Court won't dare to cause him trouble! As for the future structure of the Imperial Clan Court, it's still unknown.

Based on Jia Lian's judgment, since Princess Zhaoyang chose the Imperial Clan Court as her first step into the center of power, she would not easily back down.

Although Jia Lian didn't naively believe that Princess Zhaoyang could completely rival Prince Zhongshun simply by entering the Imperial Clan Court, given Princess Zhaoyang's status, the Empress Dowager's backing, and his own covert financial support, it wouldn't be easy for Prince Zhongshun to oust her.

As long as Princess Zhaoyang remains in the Imperial Clan Court, even if Prince Zhongshun wanted to make things difficult for the Jia family, it wouldn't be so simple.

Therefore, Jia Lian was not afraid of the Imperial Clan Court at all, much less of Prince Zhongshun. Given the opportunity, he even wanted to seize control of the Imperial Clan Court…

Jia Lian wouldn't go into these details with Jia Zheng. To put his mind at ease and to avoid him nagging, Jia Lian bluntly asked, "Second Uncle, do you know where I had lunch?"

Jia Zheng was surprised that Jia Lian would suddenly say such a thing. He thought to himself that it was either in the back office of the Military Command, in the kitchen of the Divine Machine Battalion, or eating at a restaurant outside, but what did that have to do with what they were talking about?

Where did you have lunch?

"Daming Palace, side hall of Yangxin Hall, imperial meal."

Jia Lian looked at Jia Zheng and said solemnly, "Does Second Uncle understand what I'm saying? My actions today were entirely based on loyalty to the Emperor, which is why His Majesty praised me and bestowed this meal upon me. Therefore, Second Uncle need not worry about me. If you were in my position, you would have made the same choice."

Jia Zheng remained silent, only able to look at Jia Lian with a complex gaze mixed with envy.

The emperor bestowing a meal upon him was undoubtedly a sign of favor and trust. Consider that Jia Zheng had served as an official for over a decade; aside from the annual banquet hosted by Emperor Ningkang for all officials, where he could barely manage to sit at a table in the square, he had never once dined at the imperial palace.

It was the Hall of Mental Cultivation, which he naturally knew was where the emperor usually rested and cultivated tranquility. Why would the emperor allow someone who wasn't extremely close and trusted to go to such a forbidden place?

Despite his extreme envy, Jia Zheng tried to remind himself that as a civil official, he should prioritize integrity and moral character, and that as long as he was devoted to public service, he didn't need to be overly concerned with the imperial edict's honors.

……

Rongqing Hall has a rare guest today.

Grandma Liu, a countrywoman, brought her grandson Ban'er and a cart full of fresh fruits and vegetables to visit Sister Feng, to express her gratitude for Sister Feng's help to her family that winter.

Originally, this was just a trivial matter. In fact, the reason why Sister Feng helped Granny Liu and gave her twenty or thirty taels of silver was not out of kindness, but simply to save face for a distant relative.

Speaking of distant relatives, we must explain the underlying reasons. It turns out that Granny Liu was not a distant relative of the Jia family, nor even a relative of the Wang family.

It was simply because she had a daughter who married a man named Gou'er. Gou'er's ancestors had served as minor officials and happened to become acquainted with the Wang family of Jinling, who were serving in other places. Since both families shared the surname Wang, Gou'er's ancestors intended to establish a connection, and thus they became relatives.

Later, the Wang family moved back to Beijing and prospered, while Wang Gou'er's family quickly declined and became ordinary people, and the two families lost contact.

Granny Liu had no sons, only a daughter. After her husband died, her daughter and son-in-law took her in and cared for her.

That winter, the family was so poor they couldn't even afford to eat, which is why they remembered this relative. Wang Gou'er couldn't bring himself to beg for help from such a high-ranking family. Fortunately, his mother-in-law, Granny Liu, had met Madam Wang when she was still the second young lady of the Wang family, so she persuaded Granny Liu to bring her grandson to pay her respects to Madam Wang.

As for why they didn't ask the Wang family for help but instead asked Madam Wang, it was because they knew that the patriarch of the Wang family was away on a border patrol post and not in the capital at the time.

When Madam Wang heard that this poor relative, whom she hadn't contacted for many years, had come to visit, she vaguely guessed his intentions. Therefore, she was too lazy to see him and left the task to Sister Feng to handle.

Sister Feng knew nothing about the families' backgrounds, and also wanted to show off her wealth, so she treated Granny Liu and her grandson to a meal, gave them some silver, and then sent them away.

Originally, everyone thought the matter was over, but it turned out that Granny Liu was a person who understood the importance of reciprocity. Perhaps because her family had a good harvest this year, she specially picked the first batch of fresh fruits and vegetables and sent them to the capital by donkey cart to show her respect.

Unexpectedly, Grandmother Jia had recently been feeling somewhat saddened by the matter of her old sister.

In the end, Granny Lai did not choose to live with her second son, but instead chose to go north with her eldest son.

He did this not because he disliked his second son, but for the sake of his beloved eldest grandson!

Unfortunately, Lai Shangrong was extremely reluctant to go north with his father for the sake of his own career. He wanted to stay at his second uncle's house with his grandmother so that he could continue to participate in the imperial examinations next year.

However, after this lesson, Granny Lai and Lai Da understood that since Jia Lian had specially ordered Lai Shangrong to accompany his parents north to fulfill their filial duties, if they dared to disobey, it would be tantamount to angering Jia Lian again.

Because of Grandmother Jia's kindness, Jia Lian showed them some leniency this time. If they were to be ungrateful and continue to be an eyesore, it would only be a matter of a moment before Second Master Lian had to deal with them again.

The Lai family even worried that if they didn't take Lai Shangrong with them, not only would his career be hopeless, but he might even lose his academic achievements!

This is quite possible. If Jia Lian were willing, he only needed to write a letter to his son's tutor or the education official, announcing that the Lai family had embezzled a huge amount of the master's property. Even if these people wanted to protect their own reputation, they would do Jia Lian a favor and strip Lai Shangrong of his scholar's degree.

If that were the case, then it would truly be the end. Therefore, to dispel Lai Shangrong's wishful thinking, Granny Lai simply abandoned her old bones and followed Lai Da to the north.

Although the Lai family had wronged their master first, Grandmother Jia still felt somewhat uneasy about sending her old friend to suffer in the cold north.

Just then, she heard that a relative of the Wang family was coming to visit, and that he was also an old man in his seventies. Grandmother Jia immediately became interested and ordered him to be brought to meet her.

They hit it off immediately at first sight.

It turns out that although Granny Liu was a native of the countryside, she was quite knowledgeable and not a foolish or short-sighted person.

Knowing the high status of Grandmother Jia, she deliberately tried to please her. Because her flattering words and manner of speaking were completely different from those of the ladies and daughters-in-law in other mansions, she often made Grandmother Jia laugh heartily and feel very happy.

Seeing that Granny Liu could please Grandmother Jia, everyone in the Jia family changed their impression of her and greeted her with smiles and laughter. As a result, Rongqing Hall was filled with laughter and chatter all afternoon.

Even when it was time to hold the banquet, Grandmother Jia ordered that a separate table be set up for Granny Liu and her grandson.

This also shows that the Jia family still looked down on Granny Liu for her uncouth manners. Normally, Grandmother Jia and her granddaughters would dine together, but today they had specially changed to a smaller table.

Grandmother Jia sat at one table, Yingchun and others sat at another, and Granny Liu and Ban'er sat at the same table.

But Granny Liu was unaware that this was a special favor for her, or perhaps she knew but wouldn't have cared. She only saw the various dishes, many of which she had never seen before, gradually being placed on the table, and she secretly swallowed a few times.

He swatted away his unruly grandson's paws, bowed and smiled at Grandmother Jia at the head of the table, and waited for her command to begin eating.

Suddenly, a maidservant announced from outside, "Second Master Lian has arrived."

With just one sentence, the hall fell silent. Everyone looked towards the door, and even the young masters and ladies who were already seated stood up in unison, bowing respectfully in greeting.

Granny Liu was puzzled. Who was this person? Why did he make these distinguished people so respectful?

Thinking about it, she couldn't help but pull her grandson up and get off the stool to greet him.

Jia Lian came out of Jia Zheng's outer study; it was already dark. Remembering that things might be lively at Grandmother Jia's place today, he came to check it out.

Upon entering Grandmother Jia's dining room, Jia Lian's gaze unconsciously swept over Granny Liu and her granddaughter, whose attire, demeanor, and expressions were quite different from the others in the room. He then stepped forward to greet Grandmother Jia.

Grandmother Jia said, "Why did you have to come at mealtime? I'm telling you, I didn't prepare anything for you today."

"Grandmother, what you're saying is true. I didn't come here to freeload. I figured that since Feng'er hasn't been home for half a day, she must have been detained by you. So I said that after I paid my respects to you, I would take her back for dinner."

This woman is getting sillier and sillier; she doesn't even know to go home when it's time to eat.

As Jia Lian spoke, he deliberately raised an eyebrow at Feng Jie, who was standing next to Grandmother Jia, causing the others to chuckle inwardly. Everyone knew that Second Master Lian and Second Mistress Lian were probably going to perform a duet to please Grandmother Jia again.

To everyone's surprise, Sister Feng only rolled her eyes at Jia Lian and did not say anything to agree or refute him.

The others were greatly disappointed. Granny Liu, however, scrutinized Jia Lian even more closely, thinking to herself, "So he's Sister Feng's man! No wonder he has such a physique and appearance; he looks like a born nobleman!"

Perhaps Jia Lian's words reminded Grandmother Jia, for she glanced around behind her and said to Lady Wang and the others, "I don't need you to serve me here anymore. You can all go back and have your meal."

"Yes."

Madam Xing, Madam Wang, and Li Wan bowed, and Jia Lian was about to invite his "silly wife" to leave when Grandmother Jia said, "If you're willing, sit down and have a meal with your sisters. If you're not, that's fine, but don't say I'm being biased later."

Grandmother Jia's food standards were the highest in the entire Jia family. To show their filial piety, Jia Zheng and others compiled a large basket of dishes from all over the country and had Grandmother Jia choose them every day. When Grandmother Jia was too lazy to choose, Lady Wang and Sister Feng would do it for her.

Anyway, there will be no fewer than ten dishes for lunch and dinner.

This is one reason why, throughout the Rongguo Mansion, the masters considered it an honor to receive a meal from Grandmother Jia, while the servants considered it an honor to receive leftovers from her.

Although Jia Lian was not in such a hurry to leave, he was not in a real rush. So he responded to Grandmother Jia and turned to sit down.

He even invited Sister Feng to sit down as well.

Sister Feng didn't appreciate it at all. She thought Jia Lian was genuinely inviting her home for dinner, but to her surprise, he sat down himself instead.

He snorted and stormed off in a huff.

Grandmother Jia said, "Feng'er, please sit down too."

Feng Jie was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to leave or stay. Fortunately, she reacted quickly, smiling as she thanked Grandmother Jia. She then turned and sat down next to Ying Chun, keeping a considerable distance from Jia Lian.

It was only then that Grandmother Jia remembered Granny Liu and introduced her to Jia Lian. Faced with Granny Liu's humble and reserved greeting, Jia Lian simply nodded in acknowledgment from his seat, telling her not to stand on ceremony.

In this era, if people of vastly different status and position are too polite to each other, it would seem hypocritical.

However, after the meal was served, Jia Lian's gaze couldn't help but drift towards Ban'er, who was standing next to Granny Liu.

The young man was thin and dark-skinned. His appearance was not ugly, but rather average. However, his flamboyant and ravenous eating at the table was quite eye-catching, even making Jia Lian frown.

Indeed, I am still just an ordinary person.

How could such a simple-minded and silly boy be worthy of my smart, obedient, and beautiful precious daughter!

We can't give this kid even the slightest chance.

After dinner, Sister Feng was ordered to arrange accommodations for Granny Liu and her granddaughter, while Jia Lian escorted Yingchun and the others back to the Grand View Garden.

Along the way, Yingchun and the others continued to discuss Granny Liu, saying how funny and interesting she was.

As Jia Lian listened, he moved closer to Daiyu and spoke to her.

Daiyu asked, "Are you free tomorrow?"

"What's up?"

"fine……"

After a while, Daiyu replied, "Grandmother is in a good mood today and wants to invite everyone to stroll through the garden tomorrow. Are you coming?"

"I didn't want to go originally..."

He glanced at Daiyu and saw her furrow her brows. He immediately changed his words and said, "But since it was Sister Lin who invited me, I will naturally come, and I will make time to come."

Daiyu turned her head and glanced at Jia Lian. Her lips twitched as if she wanted to say something, but she blushed and quickly lowered her head, taking two steps forward.

"Brother Lian, don't you practice martial arts at this time every day?"

Tan Chun keenly observed that Jia Lian had "annoyed" Daiyu, and since they were about to pass by Feng Jie's courtyard and Jia Lian had no intention of stopping, she smiled and defused the situation.

"It's alright, I'll see you off later."

Tan Chun giggled, "There are so many of us, and you're giving gifts to this and that. By the time you come back, who knows how long it will have been? Or did Lian Er-gege's 'you all' originally refer only to Lin-jie-jie? If so, then I'm the one who's been being inconsiderate."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian finally looked up at Tan Chun. Of the three sisters, this third girl was the most lively, and she would occasionally dare to tease him.

Yingchun and the others chuckled upon hearing this, but Daiyu quickly walked forward, pretending not to have heard.

Jia Baoyu also found Tan Chun's words amusing and smiled, but as he smiled, it became unnatural, so he turned around and looked at the night sky.

In the end, Yingchun was the most considerate, saying, "Brother, you can go ahead and do what you need to do. You don't need to see us off. After we've eaten, we'll probably get together and chat for a bit..."

Jia Lian nodded, glanced at his sisters and maids like Zijuan, and turned to enter the courtyard.