Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

When Jia Lian came out of Miaoyu's meditation room, the moon was nearly high in the sky, indicating that it was already late.

Just as he was wondering whether he should climb over the wall as he had come, he heard someone blowing on a fire tumbler on the veranda next to him. As the fire lit up, Jia Lian could see that Zhi Neng was squatting in the corner.

She lit the lantern and saw Jia Lian walking towards her, so she quickly stood up.

Perhaps because she had been squatting for a while, she staggered slightly before giving Jia Lian a sweet smile: "It's getting dark, let me escort the Marquis down the mountain."

Seeing that Jia Lian remained silent, she assumed he was afraid of making a fuss and attracting attention, so she said softly, "Don't worry, my lord, everyone in our nunnery goes to bed early. I checked for you, and they're all asleep. They won't know anything. The path down the mountain is steep; be careful not to fall."

Seeing that Jia Lian finally hummed in agreement, Zhi Neng happily led Jia Lian out of Longcui Nunnery and down the mountain.

She felt a little nervous, but mostly she was worried about Ji Dong.

She was nervous because she knew that Jia Lian was following behind her, no more than a few feet away.

Ji Dong's condition was mostly due to this, but it was also partly caused by listening to erotic plays beforehand.

Originally, she hadn't intended to spy on Jia Lian and Miao Yu, because she remembered the embarrassing scene at the Muni Temple where her desires were stirred by her spying, and she did something shameful under the curtain, only to be caught by Jia Lian...

Those were memories that filled her with shame and indignation every time she thought about them.

But she couldn't just leave it alone and go straight back to her room. If Jia Lian was the greatest and most grateful person in her heart, it was because when she was despised by the world and in utter despair, it was Jia Lian who gave her new hope, the hope of living.

So Miaoyu was the master she was determined to follow for the rest of her life. On the very day Miaoyu agreed to take her as a maid and allowed her to return to secular life, she vowed to repay Miaoyu's kindness with a lifetime of loyalty.

Therefore, she naturally cannot leave at this time tonight. She must stay outside so that if anything happens, she can inform the two people inside whom she would give her life to repay.

However, her curiosity was hard to suppress. Although she didn't go inside to peek, she couldn't help but listen to a lot through the wall.

And so she realized that tonight was actually her young mistress's first time! She had thought that her young mistress had already given herself to the Marquis, otherwise why would she be thinking about the Marquis day and night?

She glanced back at Jia Lian. She couldn't discern any emotion from his face, but she imagined he must be quite pleased.

So she mustered up her courage and struck up a conversation, "This servant thought that the Marquis would come to see our young lady tomorrow or the day after, but I didn't expect him to come tonight. On behalf of our young lady, I thank the Marquis."

She didn't hear Jia Lian's reply, but the person behind her seemed to chuckle, which gave her even more courage to speak.

"Our young lady is pure and immaculate, with the beauty of a fairy. Only someone like the Marquis could be worthy of her. I am truly happy for our young lady..."

After saying this, she suddenly felt the person behind her stop. Zhi Neng turned around and looked at Jia Lian with some trepidation, thinking that she had said something wrong and displeased Jia Lian.

"At such a young age, he hasn't learned anything, but he has learned to flatter and fawn."

Seeing that Jia Lian had given her such a perfunctory reprimand, and then walked down the stone steps to face a plum tree beside the steps, she lifted her robe.

Zhi Neng'er instinctively turned her back, her heart pounding. The thrill of speaking with Jia Lian was overshadowed by shyness, and she replied, "This servant isn't flattering the Marquis. In this servant's heart, the Marquis is the most powerful, the strongest, and the best person in the world, better than anyone else. It's our young lady's blessing to be with you. Tonight, our young lady will definitely be the happiest woman..."

The slightly immature child's words were full of admiration and affection, making her words almost a confession.

The man in the darkness seemed to pause for a moment, but did not react.

Zhi Neng'er was waiting for Jia Lian to relieve himself, but when she didn't hear the sound of water, she wondered if it was too dark for him to do so. He was such a noble person, and his clothes were very precious; she figured it would be a sin to get them dirty or wet, so she turned around to find a light.

But then she wondered if Jia Lian would misunderstand her and think she was deliberately trying to pry into his privacy. She suddenly remembered the novel she had mistakenly bought from a street stall in the West Market for three coins, in which the young masters and landlords of noble families all needed maids to serve them when they ate, slept, and relieved themselves at night.

If those people are like that, what about Jia Lian? He has no maids by his side now. Since I am willing to serve him as his master, I should do such things with him.

Though the story is long, the thought of it only takes a moment. Zhi Neng'er turned around, placed the lantern on the ground, and then, disregarding the dirt on the steps, knelt down, saying, "My lord, please carefully clean your shoes and trousers so that I may serve you."

Her actions caught Jia Lian completely off guard. He instinctively flinched, but seeing her already kneeling devoutly beside him, he didn't dare to reprimand her.

Although he didn't have a good impression of this girl at first—after all, she was blind to have taken a liking to someone like Qin Zhong, who was far inferior to Jia Baoyu—his opinion changed after she started following Miaoyu.

Needless to say, tonight's wonderful events are partly thanks to this little girl.

So Jia Lian remained calm and didn't show any emotion. He wanted to see how this little girl, who had grown up in a Buddhist monastery, could even know such skills in serving men.

It should be noted that even Xiangling and Qingwen, his two favorite and closest maids, would not normally serve him in this way.

After a while, Jia Lian shook his head inwardly. He had indeed overestimated her; she was nothing but a pretty face.

Not only is his behavior extremely unruly, but he doesn't even understand the proper way to shake it at the end, which shows that his skills are nothing more than hearsay.

However, her movements in untying and fastening her clothes were so gentle, skillful, and devout that even Jia Lian felt embarrassed to mock her.

At the same time, she felt that this girl's ability to gain Miaoyu's trust was not entirely due to her. Miaoyu, who had lacked love since childhood, probably needed someone as considerate and loyal as her by her side.

Suppressing her trembling heart, Zhi Neng'er straightened Jia Lian's clothes, making sure there wasn't a single mistake, before glancing up at him. Seeing that Jia Lian was also looking down at her, she smiled somewhat embarrassedly and was about to pick up the lantern and get up.

Do you still remember Qin Zhong?

The sudden remark instantly turned Zhi Neng'er's already restless mind into a bucket of ice water.

She lowered her head, and after a long while, she whispered, "This servant doesn't know why Your Highness asks this, but in this life, this servant will never have anything to do with this person again. If I do, this servant is willing to die immediately."

Jia Lian was surprised by her strong reaction and had no intention of probing further. He simply stated, "If you have truly forgotten that man, that's fine. Stay close to your young lady and take good care of her. If you can do that, when you grow up a bit, I will not hesitate to find you a good husband so that you can have someone to rely on for the rest of your life."

Everyone has moments of youthful ignorance, and besides, Zhi Neng'er was merely deceived by Qin Zhong. If she could change, putting everything else aside, just her handsome appearance alone would make many men in the world vie for her.

Jia Lian's words were meant to reassure her, allowing her to stay by Miaoyu's side with peace of mind.

Zhi Neng'er hadn't expected Jia Lian to say that. She looked up at Jia Lian and saw that his expression was calm and composed, without any pretense or falsehood. She was quite certain that Jia Lian wasn't lying to her, nor did he have any reason to.

She dared not meet Jia Lian's bright eyes, and could only lower her head again. Not daring to keep Jia Lian waiting, she replied, "Thank you for your concern, Lord Marquis, but I will not leave our young lady. I do not wish to serve anyone other than our young lady in this life, let alone any other man."

"This servant has long since made up her mind that wherever our young lady is, I will be there for the rest of my life. If I break this vow, it will be an injustice to Heaven."

Jia Lian frowned, surprised that this little girl was so stubborn. Looking at her kneeling before him, Jia Lian suddenly recalled that night at the Muni Temple, when he saw this woman reading to herself. If Aqi hadn't stopped him then, he might have done something beastly.

I remember back then she had short, bushy hair that felt prickly to the touch, but now it's big enough to cover her face.

Thinking of this, even Jia Lian couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. He stopped chatting with her and said, "I'll leave you here and go back now," before walking straight down Longcui Mountain.

Zhi Neng'er remained kneeling, watching Jia Lian's retreating figure until it disappeared. Only then did she touch her cheek, her gloomy expression dissipating, and she actually laughed.

She was remembering how the young marquis had grown up in her hands.

When Jia Lian returned to Feng Jie's courtyard, he saw that everyone was still active, and he knew that Feng Jie was working overtime again tonight.

Upon inquiry, it turned out that Sister Feng had just returned home and was taking a bath.

Without hesitation, Jia Lian headed straight for the West Garden, past the flower hall, and arrived at the last three main rooms side by side.

Sure enough, the inside was brightly lit, and you could see figures moving around through the paper windows.

Ignoring the slightly mocking look in the eyes of the maid guarding the door, Jia Lian pushed the door open and entered. After passing a screen, a fairyland-like scene came into view.

Inside the small wooden house, white mist swirled and heat filled the air. In the center, in a bathtub six feet wide and ten feet long, the fairy princess was taking a bath.

Most of her body was submerged in water sprinkled with red flower petals, with only her delicate head and shoulders exposed. Behind her, there were no other maids. Apart from Ping'er, who was kneeling beside her in a thin robe, handing her towels and soap, there was also a young maid standing properly in the corner, clearly waiting to receive a message.

This is Sister Feng. Her bathing is a grand affair, but few people actually get to see her bathing. The other maids are all in the east and west rooms, each performing their duties.

Feng Jie was naturally the first to see Jia Lian barge in.

In the past, she would have scolded him, but now she didn't bother with futile efforts. She just glared at Jia Lian, shrank her body a little further into the water, and then turned to chat and laugh with Ping'er, pretending not to see Jia Lian.

Jia Lian didn't need her to stand on ceremony; he stepped forward and began to undress. The young maid, who had just started growing her hair, immediately rushed to serve him.

Sister Feng finally couldn't hold back any longer and turned around, spitting, "People are taking a bath, what are you doing here again!"

"I'll take a shower too."

"Pah, why rush things? You're only happy when the servants and maids laugh at us."

As always, Jia Lian dismissed such remarks with disdain, saying, "Who dares to laugh at us? Who would laugh at us? You and I are a harmonious couple, inseparable. They are envious of us more than they can bear."

Feng Jie couldn't argue with Jia Lian, nor was there any point in arguing, because Jia Lian had already stepped onto the stone steps in the water and was walking towards her. As she expected, this immoral man would soon come over and embrace her.

The pool is so small, there's no way to hide...

She even felt a little regretful, thinking that she shouldn't have asked Jia Lian to build a living water bath here, imitating the imperial concubine's palace.

This place is separated from the Grand View Garden by only a wall, and the water is drawn from a tributary of the Qinfang Creek. Fortunately, this bath is much smaller than the Hanfang Pavilion, so there is no need to build such large-scale water intake, hot water and drainage facilities. Two boilers were built in the west room, and the water was heated and flowed through bamboo pipes, which was enough.

The room on the east side was used as a changing room, which was very convenient.

Ever since the bathhouse was built here, Sister Feng no longer wanted to use that big wooden tub and would come here to soak every time she took a bath.

Although it took some manpower, considering she is the wife of a marquis and works so hard every day, what's wrong with her enjoying herself when she comes home at night?

Unfortunately, the man was a frivolous fellow who always liked to disturb her peace and quiet. Even after he had already showered, he would still come over and play in the water with her when she came back for a bath, claiming it was to deepen their marital bond...

Whenever this happened, she would be afraid to meet the eyes of Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang the next day, fearing they would laugh at her for being unruly!

But she wasn't the one lacking manners; she was clearly your good grandson and nephew! Yet she knew that such an explanation was useless, so she could only follow Jia Lian's advice and assume that they were just envious.

Actually, this was also because Sister Feng felt guilty. Everyone who could enter her courtyard was carefully selected by her, and each of them had been given a gag order. Who would dare to spread rumors about her and Jia Lian's romantic affair?

At least for now, neither Grandmother Jia nor Lady Wang are aware of the romantic escapades happening here.

As she was thinking this, she inevitably fell into the stinky man's arms. Feng Jie flinched for a moment, then resignedly turned to Jia Lian: "You must be tired today, practicing martial arts until so late?"

Jia Lian became wary. "No, I just went to the garden to check on Lin Daiyu."

I see……

The slight suspicion in Feng Jie's eyes vanished. It was quite late when she returned from the accounting office, but she found that Jia Lian had not yet come home. She sent someone to inquire and learned that the martial arts competition had already ended.

There was no need to send people all over the world to look for Jia Lian, firstly because Jia Lian would be unhappy, and secondly because it would make people laugh.

However, it's still necessary to inquire about it.

It was perfectly reasonable for Jia Lian to suggest going to the garden to see Daiyu.

From the subtle change in Feng Jie's eyes alone, Jia Lian knew that if he had gone along with her words, he would have fallen into her trap. He could only hope that she wouldn't ask about Daiyu tomorrow... It seemed that this woman wasn't as vigilant as she used to be.

He had planned to visit Xiaoxiang Pavilion on the way, but considering that Daiyu must have been asleep by now, he decided not to go.

"Stop fooling around."

After slapping Jia Lian's hand, which resembled An Lushan's claw, in the water, Sister Feng suddenly sneered again.

"Look what you've done!"

"What's wrong with me now?"

Jia Lian was puzzled. Ping'er, who was behind them, had already blushed and was about to hide.

Feng Jie wouldn't give her a chance. She immediately grabbed Ping'er's wrist, pulled her to the edge of the pond, lifted Ping'er's sleeve, and presented it to Jia Lian. "My lord, look at this!"

"Uh, Ping'er, you're so careless! When did you fall?"

Faced with Jia Lian's clumsy excuse, Ping'er glanced at him with shame, as if to say, "Master, it's my fault that the Second Mistress saw us."

Sister Feng looked at Jia Lian as if he were a fool.

These marks, were they from a fall? I feel like my intelligence has been insulted.

Seeing this, Jia Lian clicked his tongue and said, "Well, I was just joking with her, and I didn't control my strength well..."

"Pah! Who knows what shady things you two have been doing behind my back? Joking? What kind of joke is this?"

Fengjie spat at Jia Lian and Ping'er, but then felt that she couldn't let Ping'er completely side with Jia Lian, so she released Ping'er and gave Jia Lian a private warning.

"Let me tell you, Ping'er is someone I brought from the Wang family. I treat her like a treasure, I can't bear to hit her or scold her. I'm only giving her to you for the sake of having offspring. If you don't appreciate her, I'll take her back, and don't blame me then!"

Sister Feng wasn't entirely sure how Ping'er got her injuries. When she first saw them, she was startled, thinking Ping'er had gotten into a fight with someone.

Upon further questioning, it was discovered that the instigator was Jia Lian.

Would Jia Lian hit Ping'er? How could he! He only spanks his mother's bottom, how could he possibly hit Ping'er, who is well-behaved, obedient, and comparable to Xiang Ling?

In all this time, I've seen Qingwen get beaten and scolded, but I've never seen Jia Lian argue with these two people.

Unfortunately, Ping'er wouldn't tell the truth, so she could only guess and make up a rough idea of ​​what was going on, and she couldn't help but feel ashamed.

"Yes, I will obey your command, my lady. I promise it will never happen again."

"Pooh……"

……