Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

East courtyard, Jia Family Loyalty and Righteousness Ancestral Hall.

Since the construction of the Temple of Loyalty and Righteousness, this place has become a sacred place for the servants of the two mansions. Everyone summoned here by Jia Lian, whether they have contributed to the Jia family or not, will spontaneously feel a sense of solemnity.

Even the most carefree person in the mansion would not dare to be carefree here.

Today, those summoned here are mostly elderly people from the two mansions. Many of them have even faded from the sight of the two mansion masters. They rarely come here, and they are all unable to suppress their excitement and nervousness.

Suddenly, the head steward, Lin Zhixiao, entered, and everyone inquired. Upon hearing that Jia Lian had summoned them, even a frail old man, around seventy years old and needing his grandson's support to stand, couldn't help but speak:

"Since the passing of the old Duke, I haven't shown my face in the mansion for more than ten years. It's kind of you, Second Master Lian, to still remember this old man. Now that you are accomplished in both civil and military affairs, and it seems that our family is about to regain the glory that the old Duke was in. I am truly happy for our Jia family and for you, Second Master."

Unfortunately, my old bones are no longer of any help to Second Master.

As he spoke, the old man looked up at the memorial tablets placed high behind him. The names written on them were mostly simple, even vulgar. He recognized the people represented by names like Chu Dazhuang, Jia San, and Wang Laoyao.

He also wanted to put his name on it, but he didn't know if, given his past achievements, he was worthy of being listed in Jia Lian's eyes.

People say that after Jiao Da dies, his name will definitely be put on display. That old guy will be very proud of himself and won't be as prone to cursing as before.

The old man felt regret and unease, but Lin Zhixiao, upon hearing this, quickly supported his other arm and said with a smile, "Old Master Zhao is too modest. I see you're in good health. Besides, who says you can't help Second Master? Now's your chance..."

"really?!"

Ignoring the slight pain in his hand from the old man's grip, Lin Zhixiao smiled brightly and said, "How could I, a junior, dare to lie to you?"

Lin Zhixiao waved his hand and addressed the crowd in the hall, speaking in a calm yet subtly excited voice: "Our Second Master has been favored by the Emperor and has been dispatched to Tianjin to build a harbor and oversee the construction of ships. He needs to select a group of people from the clan to serve him."

Most of you have done these things with several dukes in the Lianghuai region, which is why the Second Master ordered me to gather you here.

Second Master said that this trip is entirely voluntary. Those who want to go can sign up when Second Master arrives later. Those who don't want to go won't be forced by Second Master.

As soon as Lin Zhixiao finished speaking, the room erupted in excitement. Many people realized why most of the people present today were people they had worked with back in the day.

"Go! Such a great opportunity to serve Second Master—only a fool wouldn't take it!"

"That's right. The task personally assigned to Second Master by the Emperor can't be small, can it? Maybe after we go out this time, even after we die, we can sit here and enjoy some glory. That would be a great honor for our ancestors..."

"I'm going too!"

'

The old man was a little slow to react. Seeing that everyone in the room had expressed their intention to go, he became anxious, his face turned red, and he stamped his foot and shouted.

The crowd chimed in, "Uncle Zhao, you're such an old man, don't try to take it from us. You should give the younger generation a chance."

"Bullshit! Although I'm seventy, I can still eat three catties of rice and five catties of meat at every meal... Let's not talk about those fancy things. Just look at our expertise in shipbuilding. Among you, who can compare to me? I'll give that opportunity to them!"

Everyone was speechless, but they all shook their heads and laughed, saying, "Be careful, you haven't even arrived in Tianjin yet, and you've already sat up here."

The words of the crowd made Old Man Zhao quite happy. It seemed that quite a few people still thought his memorial tablet could be placed there. However, although Second Master did not say it explicitly, there was actually a ranking system in the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness, and it was not based on seniority, but simply on the size of one's merits.

Therefore, he not only had to go, but he had to go even further ahead. He felt that encountering this opportunity before his death was a gift from heaven, and he was determined to seize it even at the cost of his life.

Just as he was arguing with the others, someone announced that Jia Lian had arrived. At this moment, Old Man Zhao disregarded all formalities and rushed to Jia Lian, bowing deeply and saying, "This old servant Zhao, Zhao..."

Perhaps it was because of his age, or perhaps because he was too excited, but he couldn't even pronounce his name clearly. Fortunately, the Second Master was indeed as kind to his servants as rumored. Seeing him like this, he not only wasn't angry, but also bent down and helped him up with one hand, and said with a smile, "Zhao Xiuyuan, right?"

"Yes, it is indeed this old servant..."

Old Zhao became even more agitated. After finally managing to catch his breath, he choked up and said, "I never expected that Second Master would still remember this old servant's humble name."

"I have long said that I, Jia Lian, will remember all those who have made contributions to my Jia family. Not only will I remember them, but in the future, I will also have them engraved in the Jia family's Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness, so that future generations can pay their respects."

Besides, this isn't a lowly name. I've heard that the words "Cultivating Fate" actually came from the old Duke, haven't they?

"Yes, yes, yes, my humble name... no, this old servant's name was bestowed upon me by the Duke. I was foolish and offended the Duke. Please punish me, Second Master!"

Zhao Xiuyuan was filled with remorse and wanted to kneel down to beg for forgiveness. Jia Lian gave Lin Zhixiao and his grandson a look, signaling them to help him up, before walking past him and slowly arriving at the head of the ancestral hall. He turned to face the crowd and said, "Steward Lin should have already told you everything. I'll just say one thing: this trip to Tianjin will take quite a while, and everything will be kept simple. Those who wish to go can register with Steward Lin after the meeting."

Now, you shall report to me in detail your positions, experiences, and major achievements under the old Duke. Do not conceal anything, nor fabricate anything; violators will be severely punished.

"yes!

'

……

Preparation is always a tedious and energy-consuming process.

After receiving the servants, Jia Lian still couldn't rest, but instead returned to his study.

"My lord."

Wearing a palace dress, Hu Yuanyao, whose attire was somewhat different from that of the women in the Jia family, walked over carrying a stack of documents.

"My lord, I have already roughly selected the files that were sent before. These are the things that you should know first, including the size and structure of the Tianjin naval force, its history, and the names and resumes of its officials."

"Okay, put it here."

At noon, Jia Lian went to the Ministry of War and obtained a document on the Tianjin Navy from his second uncle. Unexpectedly, the Ministry of War delivered it to him that afternoon.

He casually picked up a document to examine and noticed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Jia Lian didn't mind, but quietly changed his posture to one that would bear more weight.

Although the Tianjin Wei Navy was not large in scale, it still had dozens of officials, and reading through their resumes would be quite a tedious task.

Perhaps sensing Jia Lian's distress, the beauty behind him suddenly said, "I wouldn't dare deceive you, Lord Marquis. I have already read through this entire file. If you trust me, please let me tell you. It would be good for you to rest..."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian immediately perked up and turned to look at the beauty. He saw that the beauty looked slightly uneasy.

"Alright." Jia Lian smiled slightly, took the beauty's delicate hand in his back, and with her puzzled but extremely obedient attitude, pulled her to the desk, then gently put his arm around her waist and held her in his lap.

Hu Yuanyao tensed up. As a maid given to Jia Lian by Princess Zhaoyang, she had long been prepared to become Jia Lian's woman.

However, whether Jia Lian looked down on her appearance or had reservations about her status, he never took her in, even after Princess Zhaoyang hinted at it.

I never expected him to make such an intimate gesture towards her today.

She glanced back at Jia Lian and found that he was indeed leaning back in the armchair, pretending to sleep with his eyes closed. Even with a slightly weary expression, his face still looked so heroic and full of captivating charm.

Feeling her soft body being held tightly in his arms, Hu Yuanyao felt an overwhelming joy, knowing that her silent efforts to please him had finally paid off. So she suppressed her excitement and whispered the information she had spent several hours compiling into Jia Lian's ear.

……