Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Inside Princess Zhaoyang's luxurious carriage, the maidservants served tea and stepped aside, leaving the space to their princess and the renowned Marquis Zhenyuan.

"Is Erlang silent because he finds my carriage too simple and the tea too coarse?"

Hearing Princess Zhaoyang's teasing, Jia Lian shook his head helplessly, picked up the tea in front of him, and drank more than half of the cup in one gulp.

Princess Zhaoyang, who had been sitting upright, bent down to add tea for Jia Lian upon seeing this, and then said softly, "Second Brother, are you upset that I took it upon myself to reveal our relationship to the Emperor?"

"no."

Princess Zhaoyang clearly didn't fully believe Jia Lian's words. She presented the teacup to him with both hands, and after he accepted it, she looked into his eyes and softly explained, "There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. Our affair cannot be kept from the world forever. It doesn't matter to others, but to my father..."

Now that Father Emperor intends to give Erlang an important position, even if he has guessed something, it might be a good thing for us.

Moreover, since the marriage alliance, I no longer wish to entrust my fate to others, but rather to control it myself. Therefore, I wish to test Father's intentions; I wonder if Erlang understands my heart.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian reached out and embraced Princess Zhaoyang, sighing, "I understand Qingran's feelings. I have wronged you. You should have been a star shining high in the sky, but because of me, a mere mortal, you have been tarnished. What virtue or ability do I, Jia Lian, have to receive such favor from Heaven?"

Princess Zhaoyang's words were very clear. She was willing to give herself to him as a princess, and she was not afraid of any words or obstacles from the world.

However, her father, the emperor who held the power of life and death over the entire nation, could not be bypassed or avoided. Rather than deliberately deceiving him and then being met with thunderous rage when discovered, it was better to let Emperor Ningkang notice something now. In any case, Emperor Ningkang needed her now, and he probably wouldn't make a big fuss over some insinuations.

In this way, when the truth finally comes out, Emperor Ningkang will not be truly enraged.

As for Princess Zhaoyang saying that she no longer wanted to entrust her fate to others, Jia Lian didn't quite understand the meaning of those words, but he could guess at the implications.

Having gone through some things, Princess Zhaoyang must have come to understand some things. The imperial family's kinship is cold and indifferent; even Emperor Ningkang, who doted on her since childhood, would choose to sacrifice his daughter when faced with matters of state.

No one willingly chooses to be powerless. The first time, she obeyed fate and chose to shoulder the responsibilities of a royal princess, but she did not want to do it a second time.

Holding Jia Lian so tenderly in her arms and listening to his sweet words, Princess Zhaoyang's cheeks flushed slightly.

She tilted her head back and rolled her eyes at Jia Lian, then leaned into his arms and chuckled, "If Erlang is just an ordinary mortal, then all men in the world are just commoners, shallow and unworthy. Erlang, by saying this, you not only belittle yourself, but also belittle other people's taste in men."

Jia Lian remained silent for a long while before releasing the beauty from his embrace, lifting her jade-like cheek, and then asking questioningly, "Many times I've wondered myself, when exactly did I bewitch you, making this precious daughter of a noble family so infatuated with me?"

Princess Zhaoyang was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing. Even the maid in the corner couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

"Who can say for sure? Perhaps it was the first time at the eldest brother's villa, or maybe it was on the way to the Western Regions, or perhaps it was in a previous life..."

Okay, Jia Lian admits that this princess is just as good at sweet talk as he is, and he feels like he's about to be won over by her.

Princess Zhaoyang nestled sweetly in her lover's arms for a while, then, realizing they were almost at the princess's residence, she forced herself to sit up and said, "Since Father Emperor has agreed to let you establish the Firearms Battalion and even placed it under the Imperial Guard, then you can certainly set up the Firearms Battalion within the Imperial City. Ideally, it should be close to the Grand Princess's residence..."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian knew that this was Princess Zhaoyang's main reason for inviting him to the carriage.

This dynasty did not have an inner city, so the imperial city was very large and vast, encompassing the Forbidden City at its center and almost all the princely residences. The imperial guards, who served as the emperor's personal troops, were stationed in the imperial city.

The Imperial Guard and the Beijing Garrison were the two major military systems in the capital, one responsible for internal defense and the other for external defense. Of course, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which was regarded as a lackey by the court and the public, was not included in these two systems.

Jia Lian currently lacks the ability to shake these systems and institutions, so he doesn't care much about them. He only thinks that once the firearms battalion is truly established in the capital, it will be more convenient to connect with the inside and outside.

As for choosing a location closer to the Princess's residence, Jia Lian had no reason to object.

……

After leaving the imperial city, Jia Lian returned to the Shenji Camp for a final look. This was solely to scout out a few more elite members to take with him in the future.

As for the eager congratulations and flattery from Bian Hong and others, Jia Lian could only temporarily decline by saying that he would invite all his colleagues to dinner another day.

After a busy day, as Jia Lian rode his horse back to his residence from the north of the city, he passed through a quiet avenue and caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye, so he slowed down.

Seeing this, Zhao'er and the others followed Jia Lian's gaze and couldn't help but laugh, "Isn't that Mingyan, the servant of Master Bao? What's he doing over there?"

"Should we call him over and ask him, Second Master?"

"Hmm." So one of Jia Lian's attendants, Zhu'er, rode over and called Mingyan over.

Mingyan, who had jogged over, seemed a little nervous, and greeted them timidly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Little one, little one..."

"Is Baoyu inside?"

Perhaps sensing Jia Lian's displeasure, or perhaps knowing she couldn't hide it any longer, Mingyan quickly knelt down and said, "Second Master, please forgive me. Second Master Bao is indeed inside. Because Sister Xiren recently went home to visit her family, and Second Master Bao was bored, this servant brought him here. It's all my fault, please punish me, Second Master..."

"Is this the Hua family's residence?"

"It is indeed Miss Xiren's family..."

Mingyan was extremely uneasy. She knew that Jia Baoyu was a true darling of the Jia family; if he disappeared even in the blink of an eye, the old lady and others would grumble about it.

Besides, they went out without permission today, sneaking out without even announcing their arrival, and were caught by Master Lian. If the old lady and the others blame him, he'll be in big trouble.

He glanced up at Jia Lian discreetly, but saw that Jia Lian showed no intention of pursuing the matter. Instead, he frowned as if deep in thought. After a while, Jia Lian rode past him and headed towards the Hua family's residence.

Mingyan was unsure of Jia Lian's intentions and dared not ask further, nor did she dare to bypass Jia Lian to inform Jia Baoyu. She could only follow closely behind Jia Lian and the others.

The Hua family was an ordinary family in the capital.

Hua Zifang is the current head of the Hua family and their sole pillar. At the age of thirty, he is married and has a son. Although he cannot claim to be wealthy, he is making his family's life more and more promising.

He knew that besides his own diligence and hard work, the most important thing was that he had a good younger sister.

Over the years, because his sister has done well in the prestigious Duke's mansion, she has caught the eye of nobles. Whether it's relatives, friends, or neighbors, everyone treats the Hua family with great respect! Not to mention, his sister is excessively sensible. She says that she doesn't have to spend any money on food and clothing in the Duke's mansion, so she sends all her saved monthly allowance home.

His sister's understanding nature made him feel even more guilty.

It turned out that after his father died, the family was struggling financially. Just then, the Rongguo Mansion on Gonghou Street was buying maids. He and his mother discussed it and sent their young sister, who was only a few years old, to work there.

Now that the family is doing well, he doesn't want his younger sister to continue suffering and being bossed around. He has inquired and learned that the Rongguo Mansion is a virtuous family and will no longer make things difficult for its servants. As for the servants who come to buy supplies from outside, as long as they are willing to beg for favors, they are often sent home.

Therefore, he discussed with his mother and prepared to raise money to redeem his younger sister from prostitution. His sister had already reached marriageable age, and redeeming her would allow her to marry into a good family and live a good life, which would also make up for the years of neglect he had caused her.

Using his mother's birthday as an excuse, he went to the Rongguo Mansion to request an audience with the Madam. As expected, she granted him a few days' leave, and he brought his sister home. He originally thought that if he told her about redeeming her from her servitude, his sister would be happy, but to his surprise, she didn't react at all and remained silent.

He and his mother didn't want to press him for details, so they put the topic aside for the time being and planned to talk to his sister about it in detail after the children who had stayed to play had left and the house was quiet.

Who knew that just two days after my sister returned home, people from the Rongguo Mansion came after us, and it was none other than the dignified Second Master of the Rongguo Mansion!

Hua Zifang naturally knew Jia Baoyu, after all, he was the master served by his younger sister. He just didn't expect that such a distinguished person would actually come to his humble abode in person.

As a man, Hua Zifang keenly sensed that something was amiss. He also had a guess about his sister's previous reaction.

After respectfully welcoming Jia Baoyu into the main room, leaving his mother and sister to look after him, he came out again to receive Mingyan. Even a mere attendant to a noble person like Jia Baoyu could not be ignored; otherwise, offending him could lead to endless trouble.

As soon as they approached the courtyard gate, they saw a large group of people standing outside. The man at the head of the group had handsome features and a piercing gaze. Coupled with his extraordinary attire, he seemed as noble as someone from another world.

After a moment of stunned silence, Hua Zifang instinctively took a step back and asked warily, "Who are you, and what brings you here?"

"Brother Hua, Brother Hua!"

Seeing that Hua Zifang didn't recognize Jia Lian, Mingyan quickly ran out, waving to him repeatedly, and said, "This is our Second Master, the elder brother of Second Master Bao. Why don't you come forward and pay your respects!"

Upon hearing Mingyan's introduction, Hua Zifang's expression changed. He reacted quickly, fearing he might offend someone of importance, and promptly knelt down, saying, "This humble one was blind and did not recognize you, Second Master Lian. I beg your forgiveness!"

His words caused Jia Lian to involuntarily raise an eyebrow. "You know me?"

Mingyan did not mention the character "Lian".

Hua Zifang quickly replied, "Second Master Lian's reputation is so great that even three-year-old children in the capital sing his heroic tales. Although I am uncouth, I have also had the honor of hearing about him."

In fact, Hua Zifang had inquired about most of the Jia family members quite thoroughly, since he still wanted to redeem his sister. He certainly wouldn't overlook Jia Lian, one of the most important figures in the Jia family.

Jia Lian smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Brother Hua, please rise. There's no need for formalities. I just happened to pass by this place today and found my younger brother playing here, so I came to check on him. I'm sorry for coming uninvited, Brother Hua."

"No, no..."

Upon hearing Jia Lian address him as "Brother Hua," Hua Zifang's mind jolted. He didn't have the extra nerve to think about why Jia Lian knew his name and order of precedence, or why he was being so polite to him. His thoughts simply followed Jia Lian's lead.

When he came to his senses, he found that Jia Lian had already entered his courtyard. However, none of the menacing attendants behind him had followed him in, as if they had planned it all along.

With no time to think of anything else, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and hurriedly caught up, bending over to follow behind Jia Lian. At the same time, he wondered what day it was, and why all the young masters of the Jia family were coming to his house...

The Hua family's courtyard wasn't large, but it was renovated quite nicely. Besides the row of spacious black-tiled main houses on the north side, there was a brand-new thatched shed on the east side, which seemed to be a place for storing firewood and an outhouse. The whole courtyard looked very homey and was also very clean and tidy, which made Jia Lian, who was used to being in halls and palaces, feel a bit of rural sentiment.

"Second Brother Lian... what brings you here..."

The people inside the main house finally heard the commotion outside and came out to see what was happening.

Jia Lian turned his head and saw that Jia Baoyu was still the same chubby, fair-skinned boy, but now he seemed more restrained and apprehensive. Beside him, besides Xiren, was another woman, undoubtedly his mother.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed several small heads, seemingly well hidden, peering at him through the slightly ajar east window. His gaze swept over them, and they scattered, eliciting a series of clear, sweet cries.

Jia Lian smiled and walked towards them.