Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Tonight, Jia Lian's martial arts practice was a little shorter. On his way home, passing by Li Wan's courtyard, he saw the entire garden dark and deserted, and a sense of desolation washed over him.

He noticed that ever since Li Wan moved into the Grand View Garden, he hadn't been as enthusiastic about practicing martial arts every day...

He shook his head and smiled, then continued forward. He noticed a figure moving slightly in the corner of the wall, and judging from the shape, it was a maid.

If it were an ordinary maidservant, she should have stepped forward to greet him; why would she be so furtive? Therefore, Jia Lian took two steps forward, blocking the other way, and said coldly, "Come out."

As he spoke, a girl dressed in black and white emerged from the shadows, her head bowed.

"My lord..."

"What are you doing here? What are you doing here?"

Upon seeing Zhi Neng'er at the Longcui Nunnery, Jia Lian's expression immediately softened.

"This servant...this servant..."

Zhi Neng'er seemed very afraid of Jia Lian, opening her mouth a few times but not knowing how to speak. This was completely different from when she was captured and interrogated by Feng Jie and others at Shuiyue Nunnery, where she was not afraid of death and could still answer with a righteous and dignified manner.

She seemed to realize her own timidity and incompetence, and suddenly her expression hardened. She knelt down on the spot, kowtowed, and said, "This servant has come to invite Second Master to come up the mountain and see our young lady!"

That was a very clever remark.

Jia Lian couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with her? Is she sick?"

Jia Lian's voice carried a hint of nervousness. He cared deeply for Miaoyu; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to provoke her back in Suzhou and lure her to the capital.

Although her decision not to return to secular life and become a concubine was her own, Jia Lian still felt somewhat guilty whenever he thought of leaving her alone on the desolate Longcui Mountain.

But then Zhi Neng'er said, "No... no, our young lady is sick. She's lovesick and longs for the Marquis to visit her every day, but he hasn't come to see her for a long time. These past few days, I've seen her lose her appetite. Yesterday, she was drinking tea alone in the courtyard and sat there until midnight. It broke my heart to see her like that."

Seeing her like this again today, I couldn't bear it, so I secretly ran down the mountain, hoping to ask the Marquis to go and see her. I know my voice carries little weight, and I know the Marquis is usually busy, but whether the Marquis goes or not, please give me a definite answer so I can go back and persuade my mistress not to wait so foolishly any longer!

Jia Lian knew from the beginning that Zhi Neng was a bold person, but he still underestimated her. Her next words sounded like a questioning of him.

It can be said that throughout the entire Rong and Ning mansions, whether they were mistresses or servants, whether they were favored or not, very few maids dared to speak to him in this tone.

But Jia Lian wasn't angry. If the girl wasn't lying, then she was a loyal person and had spoken up for Miaoyu, so Jia Lian was naturally forgiving.

Reflecting on my recent busy schedule with the Shenji Camp, I realized that it had indeed been quite some time since I had visited the Longcui Nunnery. Given Miaoyu's aloof and eccentric nature, it's not surprising that she would have wild thoughts and feel melancholy upon seeing the moon.

So he said, "I understand what you mean. Go back now. Although you've returned to secular life, you're still your young lady's maid. Running into the manor so late at night isn't good for your young lady's reputation. I come to the garden almost every day or two. If you want to find me next time, you can wait inside the garden gate."

Zhi Neng'er had only said those words out of desperation, and afterwards she was still somewhat fearful and uneasy. When she discovered that Jia Lian hadn't reacted with the impatience and anger she expected, but instead spoke as she had hoped, she felt overjoyed, knowing that she had come to the right place; Jia Lian would definitely come up the mountain to see their young lady!

So he immediately replied, "Don't worry, my lord. I had already thought it through when I came out. If anyone asked, I would say that I was sent by our young lady to deliver blessings of peace to the ladies in the manor. But no one asked, and the garden gate was deserted, so I slipped out."

As she spoke, Zhi Neng'er gave Jia Lian a fawning look.

She was barely a teenager, with a pretty and fresh appearance. Her short hair made her stand out from the other maids in the mansion. Her timid yet ingratiating eyes made her look exceptionally innocent.

Jia Lian glanced at him again, then turned around, waved, and left.

Zhi Neng'er knelt on the spot, watching Jia Lian's back until it disappeared, before scrambling up, dusting off her cloth skirt, aiming in a direction, and running away as fast as she could.

He groped his way back to Longcui Nunnery in the dark, and just as he was about to return to his meditation room, he heard a cold, eerie voice: "Where have you been?"

Startled, Zhi Neng'er stammered that she had gone down the mountain to play with Fang Guan.

Fangguan was a young actress learning opera at the Pear Fragrance Courtyard. Because of her lively nature and righteous actions, she got along well with the maids in the garden. Although Zhineng rarely left the Green Bamboo Nunnery, she recognized her and used this as an excuse.

Under the rose trellis in the darkness, it was unclear whether the beautiful woman believed her or simply didn't care. After a moment of silence, she was instructed, "Go and boil a pot of water for me."

"Yes."

Zhi Neng'er accepted the order and left. The small courtyard, with its scattered potted plants, fell silent once more, with only a soft sigh emanating from the beautiful woman.

Suddenly, faint footsteps approached, and then a person sat down on the stone bench beside her. This made the beautiful woman, who was gazing at the moon, frown and say unhappily, "Didn't I ask you to boil water and make tea for me? You've become more and more lazy these days, and you don't even listen to me."

"Who disobeyed you? Tell me, and I'll teach her a lesson."

A familiar voice lingered beside her, startling her. After a long while, she slowly turned her head and, in the dim moonlight, finally saw the face she had longed for day and night.

He remained as clean as ever, with a captivating yet melancholic playfulness.

A sudden stiffness appeared on the jade-like woman's calm face as she abruptly stood up and lifted her leg to leave.

How could Jia Lian, who had just climbed over the wall, agree to this? He immediately grabbed the beautiful woman's soft hand and pulled her into his arms.

"Let me go..."

Jia Lian easily understood from the woman's struggles and words that she was angry and needed to be coaxed.

So he laughed and said, "I heard the moon's call, saying that there is a stunningly beautiful woman here who longs for me day and night, so I came to find out."

Why is this stunning beauty leaving so soon after I arrived?

Upon hearing this, Miaoyu realized that Jia Lian had seen her gazing at the moon in deep thought and was using it to make fun of her.

Growing increasingly dissatisfied, he struggled and tried, but to no avail. He could only angrily curse, "Who is longing for you day and night? I am not some peerless beauty, just an ordinary monk in a Buddhist temple!"

Let me go, you stink!"

Miaoyu was angry and annoyed at this moment. The reason for this was naturally that Jia Lian had not come to see her for so long, and she felt resentful.

However, despite the thousand grievances in her heart, they all vanished the moment she saw Jia Lian's face, and her heart was filled with joy.

This joy, contradicting her instinctive anger, left her speechless. Suddenly, she caught the scent of Jia Lian's sweat; the scent, usually faint, became so intense on her lover, mingling with the tingling, trembling sensation of his embrace, making her mind reel.

To get rid of this feeling of unease, she could only resort to verbal rebuke.

Jia Lian chuckled.

He knew that Miaoyu was a clean freak, and originally intended to go back and bathe before comforting her.

But just before entering the courtyard, he thought that if Sister Feng was home, he would have to make up stories to deceive her, which would only cause trouble. So he simply turned around and came directly here.

He wasn't worried about offending Miaoyu; it wasn't like he hadn't bathed in days. He figured it was just sweat, the kind that would dissipate with a breeze. Who knew Miaoyu was so sensitive to smells, scolding him like that the moment she landed in his arms.

He didn't care at all. In fact, he also felt that Miaoyu had a few quirks and was not very sociable, so he, the lover she longed for day and night, should help her get rid of them.

So he deliberately hugged Miaoyu tighter, pressing his mouth and nose against her neck and ear, and laughed, "I just finished practicing my martial arts. Hearing the Moon Goddess's call, I rushed here to see you without even going home. Don't you appreciate it at all?"

"Pah! Who wants to appreciate your kindness? You... heartless person..."

Miaoyu originally wanted to be firm, but when it came to the point of being "emotional," she was overcome with sadness and grievances, and not only did her voice lower, but her body also became docile.

Jia Lian then lightly kissed her neck, and as she trembled, he asked with a laugh, "How am I a heartless person?"

Miaoyu refused to answer, turning her head away to indicate that someone knew the answer.

"Are you perhaps upset that I haven't come to see you lately?"

"Hmph. Who am I to trouble you to come and see me? What does my life or death have to do with you?"

Hmm, why does this tone feel both familiar and strange to Jia Lian? Right, this seems to be the tone of that little girl Daiyu!

Perhaps I've been too kind to that girl; I haven't heard her say anything like that in a long time. It seems I need to find an opportunity to leave Daiyu out of the public eye for a while before going to see her again, so I can hear the real, sarcastic remarks.

While indulging in some self-amusement, his physical pursuit of Miaoyu continued unabated.

He said, "You don't need to blame me. The fault for not coming to see you is not mine, but yours."

Miaoyu had expected Jia Lian to try and sweet-talk her, or say he was too busy with important matters. The latter was the last thing she wanted to hear, but the former… if it was genuine, she could reluctantly forgive him…

To everyone's surprise, Jia Lian didn't choose any of them and instead started blaming her.

Even though she considered herself intelligent, she didn't understand what Jia Lian meant for a moment. She could only stare blankly at Jia Lian, as if asking, "Did I hear wrong, or have you really changed your mind and decided to part ways with me?"

In light of this, even the simplest reaction, anger, was forgotten.

Seeing this, Jia Lian lightly pecked its lips. Cool and delicate, filled with the fragrance of a hundred flowers and the faint aroma of tea, it was a delightful and refreshing taste.

Knowing that the beauty might react at any moment, he didn't dare to linger. He looked up and stared intently at her, "What are you daydreaming about? Do you think I'm joking with you?"

It was your fault to begin with. Who told you to be so graceful and beautiful, making a common man like me lose my mind and lose control of my emotions every time I see you, as if my heart is being cooked by fire, suffering unbearable torment.

I dared not be too forward with the beauty, for fear that she might get angry and break off our relationship, which would be a huge loss for me and I would regret it too late.

Tell me, if you were me, would you still dare to come and see me?

Jia Lian finished speaking in one breath, secretly applauding his own wit, feeling that with such sweet words, this naive young girl would be easily won over.

As he had roughly predicted, Miaoyu's expression froze for a moment, then she immediately lowered her head in embarrassment, struggling to get up, and said indignantly, "Who, who's with you? Bah! Shameless, rogue, lecher..."

For Miaoyu, Jia Lian's words still put too much pressure on her.

It would have been fine if he had just complimented her beauty indirectly, but the real issue was that Jia Lian's words about how her beauty had caused him to be distracted and tormented were incredibly shameful to her.

She understood the reasoning behind it all; after all, a long time ago, she had almost let Jia Lian succeed in his ways. If Jia Lian hadn't shown her some respect, she would have lost her virginity long ago.

At this moment, Jia Lian's behavior left her wondering whether he was merely lying to deceive her or if his words contained a hidden meaning, a reproach or complaint.

She suddenly became nervous.

Could it be that he's angry because she hasn't given him her body, even though he doesn't say it out loud, which is why he hasn't come to see her for so long?

As she pondered, she suddenly felt something beneath her buttocks. Although she and Jia Lian had already been intimately close, and she knew perfectly well what was disturbing her peace, her womanly instincts still rendered her suddenly powerless. She slumped limply into Jia Lian's arms, her lips tightly pressed together, afraid to move or utter a word.

Unlike Miaoyu's incompetence, Jia Lian sat upright and remained as steady as Mount Tai.

Anyway, this wasn't the first time he'd disturbed the beauty. After all, that night in the meditation room at the Muni Monastery, he only needed to be a little ruthless to completely invade her body and soul.

Noticing this, Jia Lian, adhering to the principle of not making things worse, continued to laugh in his ear: "I've always been a lecher, you didn't just find out today. Back in Suzhou at Panxiang Temple, when we first met, you were already cursing me like this. How come after all these years, you're still cursing me like this? You have no originality at all, you're such a little fool."

Poor Miaoyu, who lived a life of strict discipline and purity, how could she withstand such provocation from a thief?

She let out a soft moan, expressing her shame to the fullest extent, and finally wrapped her jade-like arms around Jia Lian's head, turning her face to whisper in his ear, "If...if it's...I'll do as you say..."

Although the beautiful woman's words were unclear and as soft as a mosquito's buzz, Jia Lian, with his keen ears and sharp eyes, immediately noticed something different.

He quickly looked down at the beauty in his arms, and saw that her jade-like cheeks were radiant, her eyes were full of spring, and a burning breath emanated from her fair face.

Under these circumstances, even if Jia Lian were a fool, he would know that the beauty had been moved...

This suddenly put Jia Lian in an awkward position.

He had only intended to appease the beauty and keep her from being angry with him; he hadn't planned to take her today. He hadn't even taken a shower yet.

His clever mind raced through a thousand thoughts, and finally, Jia Lian hardened his heart, embraced the beautiful woman's reclining body, stood up, and headed smoothly towards her meditation room.

Opportunity knocks but once; if you consider yourself smart, you must make smart choices.

After the two men left, a maidservant emerged from the darkness under the eaves, her face filled with envy and joy.

She held the delicate little teapot in her hand, secretly clenching her fist, feeling that on this auspicious night, the lovers' happy occasion was partly due to her efforts.

()

.