Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The beauty's voice was melodious, and her body was supple, which made Jia Lian feel happy both physically and mentally. Before he knew it, he was actually sleepy and fell into a light sleep.

In a daze, he finally developed firearms that were the most advanced in the world, and his navy also became very powerful. As a result, the Tatars on land submitted to him, the countries at sea were subjugated, and he himself rose to great heights.

However, conspiracies and assassinations also arose from this. Amidst the flashing blades and shadows of swords, blood stained the palace walls, and countless familiar faces slowly fell into the crimson as if from phantoms. The boundless heaviness roused him from his reverie.

She slightly opened her eyes and saw a beautiful woman's profile, clear and bright, with a touch of nobility. Her brows were furrowed, and her expression was somewhat worried, but she looked more sorrowful than usual, making her even more touching.

Jia Lian enjoyed admiring beautiful women, and upon seeing this scene, he silently appreciated it. However, the beauty quickly noticed his gaze and took it as displeasure. Jia Lian felt her body tense up, and he hurriedly said, "My lord, please forgive me. I only saw sweat on your forehead and dared to wipe it for you. I did not mean to disturb you..."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian shifted his gaze to her left hand, and sure enough, in her slender, jade-like hand, she was clutching an embroidered handkerchief, which was light green.

Jia Lian felt the color was familiar. After thinking for a moment, he realized that many young girls liked to use this color for their undergarments. His beloved Xiangling was one of them, and in his memory, he had never seen her wear a bellyband of any other color.

As Jia Lian's thoughts cleared, his furrowed brows relaxed, and his expression returned to calm and peacefulness, which also eased the tension in the woman's arms. She hesitated for a moment, then placed her delicate hand on Jia Lian's chest and asked softly, "Did you have a bad dream just now, Lord Marquis? I saw that you looked very unwell, and I was very worried."

Jia Lian paused slightly, then nodded calmly.

Hu Yuanyao asked with some worry and confusion, "Does someone like the Marquis have nightmares?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Jia Lian, then lowered her body further and said softly, "I've heard people say that if someone has a nightmare, they should tell another person about it, and then they won't have that nightmare again... If Your Excellency doesn't mind, you can tell me about it."

Seeing Hu Yuanyao's serious expression, Jia Lian laughed, "It's all because of you, you little girl. You're so heavy, you're making it hard for me to breathe. No wonder I have nightmares."

"ah??"

Hu Yuanyao stared in shock, her mouth agape. She hurriedly propped herself up, trying to get off Jia Lian.

Jia Lian, however, had already put his arm around her waist, and one hand slipped inside her clothes. He had only intended to check whether she was wearing a bodice or a tube top, and if possible, to see what color it was.

Seeing the beauty's utterly humiliated expression, seemingly oblivious to his thieving hand, he couldn't resist taking advantage of the situation.

Unable to leave, Hu Yuanyao could only say with great embarrassment, "If the Marquis finds me too fat, I will only eat one meal a day from now on, and only a small amount at each meal..."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian couldn't help but chuckle. Worried that the beauty might actually be starving herself to lose weight, he quickly said, "Alright, I was just joking. If you can be considered fat, then there's no one fat in the world, let alone..."

A mischievous glint flashed in Jia Lian's eyes. "Take this place for example. I always thought you were much 'thinner' than others, and today I've seen it. Sure enough, you can be grasped in one hand."

As he spoke, Jia Lian deliberately gave the beauty a mischievous squeeze, and Hu Yuanyao let out a soft moan, collapsing limply into his arms. When she looked up again, she was met with a stunningly beautiful face and a tender, affectionate gaze. She whispered in Jia Lian's ear, her breath sweet as orchids, "This humble concubine has already felt your burning passion, my lord. If my humble form requires it, I, with my willow-like beauty, am willing to give myself to you and die beneath you..."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian's spirits lifted once more. He watched as the beautiful woman's delicate hand moved behind her buttocks, about to probe him more deeply. Just as Jia Lian was about to make a move, he heard the voices of the Aqi sisters coming from outside the study.

"Greetings, Madam!"

"Hmm, is your lord inside?"

"Yes."

Hearing the commotion outside, without Jia Lian saying anything, Hu Yuanyao flipped over and stood up from Jia Lian, quickly straightened her clothes, and also pulled Jia Lian's robe a little, before standing to the side.

So when Wang Xifeng brought Ping'er and Xiangling into the room, what she saw was Jia Lian bent over his desk, writing furiously, while a beautiful woman quietly ground ink in the corner of the desk.

Hu Yuanyao seemed to have just noticed Feng Jie'er, and quickly stepped forward to give her a full bow.

Sister Feng frowned and glanced at her, then looked away. Hu Yuanyao wisely withdrew, closing the door behind her as she left.

From beginning to end, Jia Lian only glanced up at Feng Jie when she first entered the room. This made Feng Jie chuckle, and she had Xiang Ling and the other woman open the food box. She took out a bowl of soup and steadily placed it next to Jia Lian, saying with a smile, "I was worried that Second Master would be hungry, so I specially brought him some food. Who knew I was overthinking it? Our Second Master has a beautiful woman with him. In his words, it's 'a feast for the eyes.' Second Master must have already eaten his fill, so why should I worry about him?"

Jia Lian took the soup bowl from her hands. "If you're bringing me food, I appreciate it. But if you're here to vomit at me, you'd better go home now. I have things to do."

As he spoke, Jia Lian began to savor the fragrant ginseng and black chicken soup in his hand, as he was quite hungry.

Feng Jie was initially just suspicious, but as Jia Lian received the soup, she took the opportunity to lean closer to him and sniff him carefully. Then, with a knowing look on her face, she sat sideways on the table and smiled at Jia Lian: "Second Master, you still don't want to admit it? This stench hasn't dissipated yet."

She sat on the table, which placed her higher than Jia Lian, and her expression gave her a distinctly condescending air.

Jia Lian didn't pay any attention to her. He ate a few more mouthfuls of soup and meat before putting the bowl aside, taking a handkerchief from Ping'er to wipe his mouth, and then beckoning to Feng Jie in front of him.

"what?"

Although Feng Jie sensed Jia Lian's ill intentions, she still righteously leaned closer. She wasn't being unreasonable, so she wasn't afraid of Jia Lian hitting her. If Jia Lian was truly in the wrong and still laid a hand on her, she would feel much more at ease.

But clearly, her every display of confidence and certainty crumbled in front of Jia Lian. The moment she shifted her hips, Jia Lian pulled her over, placed her across his lap, and slapped her twice.

"you………!"

Enraged, Sister Feng retorted, "You've done something wrong, and you won't even let people say a few words about you? There's no such logic in the world! Let me go!"

Clearly, Sister Feng had no intention of being submissive in this situation. She started wriggling and scratching at Jia Lian, obviously wanting to teach him a lesson.

Ping'er and Xiangling, though worried that Jia Lian might get scratched, also felt that Feng Jie'er was right. Under these circumstances, it was somewhat unreasonable for the Second Master to hit the Second Mistress, so they didn't feel comfortable offering any advice.

But their worries were unnecessary. No matter how much Sister Feng lashed out, she was easily defeated in the face of Jia Lian's absolute power.

Feng Jie's hands were grabbed by Jia Lian, her body was raised high, and although her beautiful face was flushed from struggling and even sweat was soaked, she was still full of defiance.

Ping'er rushed forward to support him and advised Jia Lian, "Second Master, be gentle, or you might hurt Second Mistress."

Wang Xifeng struggled helplessly, feeling both angry and aggrieved. Ping'er stepped forward and became her punching bag.

"Pah, you little vixen, stop pretending to be a good person. You're all a bunch of snakes and rats, would you really be sincere for me? You probably just want me to fall into her hands so you can run the household!"

Although she knew it was said in anger, it was still quite heartbreaking to hear, so Ping'er could only quietly retreat.

Jia Lian was truly enraged. He grabbed the ungrateful woman with one hand and used the other to slap her firm, elastic buttocks several times. Then he whispered in her ear, "You ignorant, wicked woman, what do you know? You think I'm staying here to steal women? Humph, let me tell you the truth, with my current abilities, if I wanted, I could bring all the beauties in the world into my mansion one after another. At that time, you might not be able to do anything to me! So, don't be so sarcastic and jealous in front of me. If there's anything, I'll tell you clearly. Why hide it and let you find fault with me?"

Feng Jie was clearly not accepting of Jia Lian's explanation, and still held her head high, saying, "Then what about the fragrance on you? You dare say it's not hers?"

"It's definitely hers."

At this, Sister Feng and the two maids beside her were stunned. Seeing that the Second Mistress was still kneeling on the Second Master's lap with her hands tied behind her back, they all felt sympathy for her plight.

But then Jia Lian leaned close to Feng Jie's ear and whispered, "Do you know who she is?"

Sister Feng curled her lip and said, "Isn't she just a woman the Princess gave you... What, am I not as good as the Princess? Even one of her maids is more noble than me. It's a crime for me to even ask you a question, and you hit me?"

She looked very aggrieved as she spoke.

Seeing this, Jia Lian decided not to keep her tied up any longer and untied her. She stopped struggling and instead lay on Jia Lian's chest, punching him twice.

Jia Lian put his arm around her and laughed, "I've been promoted."

"I know... that's why they finally settled your god-sister and her maids in, and even ordered the kitchen to make you some nourishing chicken soup. They came all this way to congratulate you, and here you are, all lovey-dovey with your beauty. They were just teasing you a little, and instead of comforting you, you hit them..."

"Two more were added."

"Um??"

Feng Jie, who had been rambling on and on, as if she was not going to be coaxed today, suddenly raised her tearful eyes and stared blankly at Jia Lian.

It was quite late when Jia Lian summoned the old servant who was in charge of shipbuilding. Feng Jie was busy working behind the scenes and didn't know anything. She only assumed that Jia Lian had been promoted to a third-rank official position, something related to what he had previously mentioned about guns and cannons. That was all she knew.

"Two? Which two?"

Jia Lian said, "His Majesty has heard that our ancestors were ordered to build seagoing vessels and repair sea dikes. At that time, the court needed to develop a new type of navy, so he ordered me to go to Tianjin to build a new seaport and supervise the construction of new warships."

"So, you're going to Tianjin!?"

Sister Feng seemed unusually anxious. Jia Lian had finally managed to stay at home for half a year, why did he have to leave the capital again?

"Is there no one else in the court? Why does the emperor have to make you do everything? Any of the ministers could go to shipbuilding, why does he have to do it..."

"hehe."

Jia Lian put his arm around Feng Jie's shoulder. "Look at you, Tianjin isn't far away. I rode back in half a day. If you miss me, it's only a two-day journey by carriage. What I wanted to talk about is something else, about His Majesty's appointment of me as the commander of the Firearms Battalion..."

When Sister Feng heard Jia Lian say that he could return in half a day, she was finally less anxious. Then she realized that her husband was about to take off.

She was overjoyed that he had been given a commanding position, since from now on she would not only be the wife of a marquis, but also the wife of a general! That's why she came to see Jia Lian so late at night; she didn't really like coming here.

Who knew that adding one commander wasn't enough, there was another? Putting everything else aside, even she, a woman, could see the honor bestowed upon her.

"What official position are you going to in Tianjin? An imperial envoy sent to a remote area? What about your newly acquired command post? I heard it's a new government office, not even set up yet?"

"Setting it up isn't difficult; His Majesty has instructed me to select elite troops from any of the Imperial Guard's various camps. The key point is, do you know that this newly established firearms battalion not only falls under the command of the Imperial Guard, but will also be stationed within the Imperial City..."

"this……"

On the surface, Sister Feng seemed suspicious, but in reality, she wasn't quite clear about the relationship. To her, being stationed inside or outside the capital made no difference; it just meant walking a few more steps to get to work.

Jia Lian looked at her carefully and knew that she wasn't pretending. In terms of political acumen, she was far inferior to Princess Zhaoyang.

So he didn't intend to discuss it further with her, and simply said, "I have now risen to the third rank, which is considered high-ranking in the country. I also hold military power in the central government, so my position is of paramount importance. Once..."

Jia Lian lowered his voice: "Under such circumstances, if there is any change in the palace, I will inevitably be involved. Do you know how dangerous that is?"

Sister Feng's lack of political acumen doesn't mean she's stupid. Hearing Jia Lian's words, she quickly grasped his meaning. Since ancient times, power struggles and coups within royal families, with kill-and-grab tactics, have been commonplace. If Jia Lian were to become involved, then…

Realizing the danger involved, Sister Feng quickly said, "Since that's the case, you should petition the Emperor to set up the yamen outside the capital. After all, the Emperor trusts and likes you so much. Or, you could simply give up this official position. You already have many other positions, so one or two more won't make a difference..."

If other women heard Sister Feng say this, I don't know whether they would laugh at her or envy her. I've always heard of women advising their husbands to strive for success, never advising them to lose their official positions.

Jia Lian laughed and said, "You want me to be an official under the emperor? Is that a business deal? You can do it whenever you want and not do it whenever you want? You don't need to worry too much. The court is stable now, and it's not easy for anything major to happen. I'm just taking precautions."

Hu Yuanyao's father is the garrison commander of the west gate of the imperial city. Although he is currently only a deputy commander, I can make him a commander at any time if I want. Do you understand the significance of this?

"you mean……"

Sister Feng's eyes lit up. "You're trying to form a clique for personal gain?"

Seeing that the two masters were talking in an increasingly secretive manner, Ping'er beckoned to Xiangling and retreated to the doorway.

"Forming cliques for personal gain? You really know how to fabricate charges against your man."

It's just a way to secure my future and make things easier for myself. From now on, I'll be in charge of both the Western Military Command and the Firearms Battalion, and I'll inevitably be entering and leaving the Imperial City at any time. Putting everything else aside, for safety's sake alone, it's best if the commander of the western gate of the Imperial City is one of my own. I don't need to remind you of this simple principle, do I?

Sister Feng nodded quickly, her eyes darting around, and then said, "So, you want to use Hu Yuanyao's father, which is why you decided to take her in? And the reason the princess bestowed her upon you wasn't just... You all foresaw this day?"

Sister Feng felt that she seemed to have finally figured things out.

Seeing her like this, Jia Lian finally patted her head with the satisfaction of an old father, and Feng Jie also nestled in Jia Lian's arms, her eyes darting around, sometimes shrewd, sometimes jealous, and finally turning into gentle composure.

In fact, she had long understood that the help the eldest princess of the royal family gave to Jia Lian was definitely greater than that given to Jia Lian by herself, or even by the entire royal family.

However, she felt a tinge of resentment. Oh well, if the princess truly and sincerely helped her man, she would not only stop targeting her, but would also try to win her over, flatter her, and please her, so as not to let her change her heart towards her man…