Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

When Jia Lian came out of Xiaoxiang Pavilion, he wondered if he should go to Longcui Nunnery to see Miaoyu.

Many times, after visiting Daiyu, he would also stop by to see Miaoyu, which is why he headed towards Longcui Mountain.

Before they had even passed the winding path, they saw Li Wan leading her maidservant from the other side of the main gate.

The pale yellow light cast long shadows on them, but it still couldn't hide their graceful figures.

The other party seemed to have noticed them as well. The taller master paused for a moment before continuing to walk over.

"Greetings, Second Uncle. Where have you come from so late?"

Li Wan's voice, like her figure, was clear, elegant, and pleasing to the ear.

Jia Lian glanced at the two women. Although Li Wan's maid, Su Yun, was quite pretty and had the advantage of youth, and from a distance, she and her mistress seemed like a perfect couple, now, upon closer inspection, she appeared quite pale in comparison standing next to her mistress.

"I went to see Lin Daiyu."

As Jia Lian spoke, he said to Su Yun, "Go and wait at the front. I have a few words to say to your eldest mistress."

"Yes." Su Yun said without hesitation, glanced at Li Wan quietly, and then walked forward with her head down.

"Second Uncle, is there anything you want to tell me...?"

When the maid was present, Li Wan remained relatively calm. But after Su Yun left, Li Wan's expression became unusually restrained. She turned her back to Jia Lian, her voice timid and hesitant.

Jia Lian took a step forward, and Li Wan quickly took a step back. Just as Jia Lian was about to laugh, he suddenly felt the surroundings darken. He turned around and saw that his personal maid had turned her back to them at the same moment he moved.

At the same time, the lantern in her hand naturally moved to the other side, and with her own body as a barrier, the pale yellow light of the lantern turned the fan-shaped area where he and Li Wan were into darkness.

Ironically, even in the darkness, they could see each other clearly. This made Li Wan's heart pound even harder; she had no idea what Jia Lian intended to do.

"Where did you come from so late, sister-in-law?"

"I went to see Lan'er..."

"Lan'er? Doesn't he live with you in Daoxiang Village?"

"They moved out yesterday. Master found a new tutor for Baoyu and Lan'er and settled him in the mansion for convenience."

"I see."

Jia Lian suddenly remembered that Jia Zheng was to be transferred to another post. Jia Zheng was a wealthy and powerful official who had entered officialdom early in his career and had hardly moved from his post for more than ten years.

Now that his daughter has become an imperial concubine, he will naturally benefit. He heard that the emperor is going to send him to a local area as an educational commissioner. Although it is a promotion, it is still a challenge for Jia Zheng, who has never served as an official outside the capital.

He should be setting off after the New Year. It seems he couldn't bear to leave his young son and grandson's studies behind and was making arrangements in advance.

A smile appeared on Jia Lian's face, which Li Wan keenly noticed, and her heart suddenly panicked.

In a daze, she seemed to return to that night before they moved into the Grand View Garden. That secluded backyard, under the desolate flower trellis, especially that stone table, whose coolness she could still feel now.

He dared to treat me like that back in the manor, under the very noses of Lan'er and so many others. Now, I live alone in the garden. What should I do if he acts recklessly?

Jia Lian had no idea what Li Wan was thinking about him. Seeing her lost in thought, he quietly stepped forward, opened his arms, and embraced Li Wan, who was half a head shorter than him.

In early winter, Li Wan's body was slightly cool, but very soft and hot, and her reactions were also very intense.

"What are you doing, Uncle? Please..."

"Shh~"

A finger placed vertically between Li Wan's lips, the unusual sensation made her swallow back the words "self-respect".

She glanced quickly around, then tried to intimidate Jia Lian with a stern look, but she crumbled the moment their eyes met.

"Sister-in-law, don't panic. It's cold, I just wanted to give you some warmth." Jia Lian's voice was unexpectedly gentle and sincere.

Li Wan was momentarily stunned, and after a long while she spat out, "Bah, how could you be so warm to me? You even called me 'sister-in-law'..."

Li Wan wanted to show some attitude, but the more she spoke, the less assertive she became. She even noticed a hint of coyness in her voice, which made her feel extremely ashamed.

Jia Lian's eyes gleamed with smugness. Come to think of it, this was the first time he had been close to Li Wan since that night, feeling the warmth of her body.

Thinking of Li Wan's wariness these past few days, Jia Lian subconsciously raised his hand, preparing to teach her a lesson like he had taught Feng Jie. In the end, however, the slap only landed lightly on Li Wan's buttocks, and upon noticing that Li Wan's body stiffened, he quickly diverted her attention.

"Why do you spit on me, sister-in-law? Do you think I don't know that you actually wanted me to do this? I'm just fulfilling your wishes."

"Pah! Who, who wants you to give them anything... Stop spouting nonsense and slandering people! Let go of me..."

Li Wan reacted suddenly and strongly, clearly indicating that she did not acknowledge Jia Lian's words.

Jia Lian then laughed and said, "Oh, am I slandering someone? Then tell me, sister-in-law, from the mansion back to Daoxiang Village, it's clearly the main road that leads through the winding path, which is not only flat but also shorter. Why did you come this way, sister-in-law?"

In the darkness, Li Wan's expression faltered, and she even stopped struggling. She could only say, "I... I just wanted to see Lin Yatou on the way. She's frail, and the old lady instructed me to take extra care of her."

"Haha, then sister-in-law is taking a bit too good a liking to Lin Daiyu. I don't care much about Lin Daiyu and rarely come to Xiaoxiang Pavilion, but coincidentally, in the past month or so, I've bumped into sister-in-law on this quiet path quite a few times..."

Jia Lian's somewhat teasing words made Li Wan feel utterly ashamed. She hadn't expected Jia Lian to be so perceptive, noticing even this small detail, and then pointing it out to her face. How could she not want to cover her face and flee?

In fact, there was a reason why she avoided the main road and instead always walked towards the Dripping Green Pavilion. Knowing that Jia Lian doted on Daiyu, she would subconsciously head this way every time she entered the garden. She didn't have any other intentions; she simply wanted to see if Jia Lian was at the Xiaoxiang Pavilion at that moment…

Now that Jia Lian has said that, it seems as if she came to Jia Lian specifically to steal from him!

Just as she was about to organize her thoughts in rebuttal, she suddenly felt her head tilt to the side, and then Jia Lian's face, which she had been trying to describe and conjure up day and night, suddenly came close to her.

She felt a coolness on her lips, her heart skipped a beat, and her entire body went numb, completely out of control. All that remained were her wide, beautiful eyes, staring blankly at the person in front of her.

It turned out that when Jia Lian saw Li Wan, whose face was flushed and more beautiful than plum blossoms after a snowfall, he couldn't suppress his impulse and kissed her while holding her in his palm.

Originally intending only to have a taste, and prepared to be pushed away or even reprimanded by Li Wan, he noticed that Li Wan was actually in a daze! This emboldened him, and he no longer held back, taking the opportunity to knock on the beauty's door and enjoy the pleasure.

After an unknown amount of time, Jia Lian sighed softly, looked down at Li Wan who had collapsed into his arms, and then looked back at the Dripping Green Pavilion behind him.

Just now, Jia Lian almost couldn't resist and carried Li Wan into the Dripping Green Pavilion. It was a pavilion built in the middle of a pond, with a cool couch inside, perfect for young men and women to secretly try their luck.

He never expected that Li Wan, who had rejected him countless times and whose defenses seemed impenetrable, would be so vulnerable tonight.

It seems that ten years of widowhood have left her outwardly strong but inwardly weak; beneath the high dam, a massive torrent has been surging. This torrent, finally channeled out tonight, has become unstoppable.

However, after thinking for three seconds, Jia Lian gently released the soft-spoken Li Wan from his embrace, then cupped her shoulders in his hands and looked at her, saying, "Lan'er is still young. Sister-in-law, you don't need to be too strict with his studies. As the old lady said, our family doesn't rely on studying to secure our future."

Before, I might not have dared to agree with the old lady, but now I can confidently assure my sister-in-law: as long as I'm alive, regardless of whether Lan'er succeeds in his studies or not, his future and your official title will be as easy as taking candy from a bag.

Li Wan didn't know if she had heard Jia Lian's words clearly. She glanced past Jia Lian's figure at A Qi, who was motionless like a sword sheath, glared at Jia Lian one last time, and then turned and ran away quickly.

Her light, erratic steps no longer resembled those of a young mistress from a noble family, but rather those of a young girl in a panic, wandering aimlessly.

Only after watching Li Wan's figure merge with the distant lights and finally disappear into the night did Jia Lian turn around.

Looking up at the dark, cloud-shrouded Longcui Mountain, Jia Lian shook his head and beckoned Aqi back to the mansion.

Perhaps feeling guilty, he suddenly sensed that Aqi's usually serene expression was "full" of contempt for him, so he stopped and asked in a serious tone, "Are you secretly criticizing me?"

Aqi was taken aback, then said, "This subordinate dares not."

"Ahem, even if you really do have a bad feeling about me, it doesn't matter. Even I think... haha, sometimes, we can't help ourselves, knowingly doing the wrong thing, you know?"

Jia Lian stood in front of Aqi, his gaze both apprehensive and eager, as if afraid that Aqi would not understand his predicament.

Under his gaze, even Aqi's face, which had never blushed before, showed a hint of unease. But in the end, she raised her head, met Jia Lian's gaze, and said solemnly, "My lord, there is no need to explain to me. I only know that she did it willingly. You did not force her. For this alone, you surpass all other greedy and lustful men in the world. Therefore, I have no complaints against you."

Jia Lian's eyes lit up, as if he had met a kindred spirit. Then he reached out and put his arm around Aqi's slender, supple waist, and gave her a quick kiss on her beautiful face.

She sighed inwardly, thinking that Aqi was indeed more straightforward than her sister. If it were Aqin, she wouldn't care about whether it was voluntary or not; she might even have instigated him to force himself on Li Wan, which the girl might have found more exciting.

As for letting Li Wan go earlier, besides the presence of Aqi and Suyun, the more important reason was that Sister Feng specially cooked chicken soup tonight and went to his study to find him, and even promised to reward him...

Neither the circumstances nor the logic of the situation make tonight the right time to take down Li Wan.

Those who cannot plan for the whole cannot plan for a part; there is plenty of time.

Through her clothes, Jia Lian touched Aqi's long, slender abs. After she blushed and backed away, Jia Lian solemnly instructed, "Didn't I already tell you to refer to yourself as 'Qi'er' in private? How could you forget?"

"Yes, it belongs to..."

"Um?"

"...Qi'er, I understand."

"Hahaha."

My maidservant is indeed naturally introverted. Teasing her when there's nothing to do brings out a shyness she never shows in front of outsiders, which is an indescribable pleasure.