Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 618 The Overbearing Crown Princess

Inside Chonghua Palace, beneath a crabapple tree, Princess Zhaoyang, dressed in a beautiful long dress, stood gracefully, her beauty surpassing even that of the flowers.

Therefore, when Jia Lian approached, he couldn't help but stare at her beautiful face and scrutinize her.

This action made even the usually poised Princess Zhaoyang somewhat embarrassed, and she couldn't help but lower her head and ask, "What are you looking at, Second Brother? Don't you recognize me after just a few days?"

"Let alone a few days, even if we didn't see each other for a hundred or a thousand years, I would still recognize Qingran. I just feel that Qingran seems to have become even more beautiful after only a few days."

"That's a lie."

Sweet words from her lover were like the sweetest poison, making Princess Zhaoyang unable to resist listening to them even though she knew they were harmful.

"Really, I'm not lying to you. If you don't believe me, just ask my heart; it never lies."

Jia Lian approached Princess Zhaoyang, took her delicate hand, and placed it on his chest. He knew that most women were susceptible to this.

As expected, this made Princess Zhaoyang blush and her heart race. She regretted calling Jia Lian over, leaving her so flustered.

Having finally suppressed her agitation, she glared at Jia Lian and asked seriously, "What is your opinion, Second Master, on what happened in Chonghua Palace?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian frowned. He did not ask Princess Zhaoyang how she knew about what happened in Chonghua Palace, because he knew that this was precisely what Princess Zhaoyang had been working hard on during the past year since returning to the capital.

The fact that she knows so quickly what happened in Chonghua Palace proves the effectiveness of her efforts over the past year. It also shows that giving her 500,000 taels of silver was not in vain.

"The will of Heaven is unpredictable. This is a matter between His Majesty and the Emperor Emeritus. My perspective is not important."

Princess Zhaoyang was, after all, a princess. It was best for Jia Lian not to explain things too clearly to her, since it involved the logic of power struggles at the highest levels of the royal family. It was enough for them to understand each other implicitly.

As expected, Princess Zhaoyang did not press the matter further. She sighed, "Who could have foreseen that things would turn out this way at the very end? In that case, I'm afraid all my previous efforts have been in vain."

"I'm not afraid to tell you this, Erlang, but now I'm almost afraid to go see my father, the Emperor."

Princess Zhaoyang spoke with a hint of self-deprecation. Jia Lian understood her meaning; it was Princess Zhaoyang herself who had vowed to share Emperor Ningkang's burdens and had taken on the important task of persuading the imperial clan.

Who would have thought that such a blunder would occur in the end? Those princes of the imperial clan have all turned their backs on Emperor Ningkang today, dealing a blow to Emperor Ningkang. If Emperor Ningkang takes his anger out on her, Princess Zhaoyang will naturally be held responsible.

To restore Princess Zhaoyang's confidence, Jia Lian comforted her, "Qingran, don't blame yourself too much. Which of those princes from the imperial clan is easy to deal with? Judging from today's events, I'm afraid they've long harbored the intention to use the Emperor Emeritus's power to oppose the land reform."

This cannot be blamed on Qingran. At least Qingran managed to get them to no longer outwardly oppose His Majesty's land survey policy, which is already quite impressive. As for today's unexpected turn of events, even His Majesty did not anticipate it, so how can Qingran be blamed?

Princess Zhaoyang smiled and said, "If only Father Emperor were as fond of and trusting of Qingran as you are."

Jia Lian laughed upon hearing this, but said, "However, it's right for Qingran not to see His Majesty now. His Majesty is definitely not in a good mood right now, and anyone who goes to see him is likely to bring bad luck. It's better to wait until His Majesty is in a better mood before going to pay her respects."

"What Erlang says is right, then I'll listen to Erlang. I'll stay with the Empress Dowager for a few days to relax."

Princess Zhaoyang smiled mischievously, then suddenly asked, "Does Erlang know where this place is?"

Jia Lian glanced around and saw that the scenery was nice, with the artificial hills and plants being trimmed and arranged very cleverly. He guessed that it was a small garden inside Chonghua Palace.

"This is a small courtyard attached to Weiyang Palace, which was specially prepared for me by the Empress Dowager when I was a child. Going past here is Zhaoyang Palace, where I used to live," Princess Zhaoyang explained with some nostalgia.

Jia Lian understood. He knew that Princess Zhaoyang had been raised by the Empress Dowager's side since childhood, so this should be her most familiar territory. No wonder she summoned him here today under the guise of the Empress Dowager.

"This place is beautifully decorated and full of spiritual energy. No wonder Qingran is so elegant and refined. She must have grown up in this beautiful and spiritually rich place and been nurtured by its spiritual energy."

"Hehehe, Erlang really knows how to talk."

Princess Zhaoyang smiled, then suddenly leaned closer and whispered, "Then, Erlang, would you like to go to Zhaoyang Palace and see what the place where I've lived since I was little is like...?"

"Great! I couldn't be happier."

Princess Zhaoyang simply smiled, but she didn't actually intend to lead Jia Lian into Weiyang Palace.

Her ability to distract the people nearby doesn't mean she can control everything in Weiyang Palace. There are too many people over there right now; bringing Jia Lian there would greatly increase the chances of being discovered.

To express her apology, Princess Zhaoyang looked at Jia Lian's face, suddenly stood on tiptoe, and kissed Jia Lian on the cheek.

As Princess Zhaoyang drew closer, Jia Lian could smell the fragrance emanating from her. The fragrance was faint, yet it easily stirred one's imagination. And when the cool touch came from her cheek, Jia Lian could no longer remain indifferent. He wrapped his arms around Princess Zhaoyang's waist and lowered his head to kiss her.

Under her lover's kisses and caresses, Princess Zhaoyang soon found herself pinned against the courtyard wall, her hands also pinned above her head. She was completely dominated and subdued, which made her somewhat embarrassed. She turned her head and said, "This won't do. Someone might see us."

Princess Zhaoyang had initially worried that Jia Lian might have reservations about her arranging to meet him there privately, but she had underestimated his audacity. How dare he bully her within the boundaries of Weiyang Palace? Wasn't he afraid of being skinned alive by the Empress Dowager?

Jia Lian glanced around. The place was secluded, with dense crabapple trees providing shade, making it as hidden as a grove of trees in later generations.

Moreover, in such an environment, having an affair with the princess of the court would be even more thrilling and exciting. Jia Lian was about to say something flirtatious when he could no longer suppress the desire aroused by the beauty. Suddenly, he heard a familiar shout coming from the other side of the courtyard wall.

Princess Zhaoyang heard it too. She turned around and glanced back. "It sounds like someone is calling for help..."

"Um."

Princess Zhaoyang was just about to use this as an excuse to dissuade Jia Lian from taking liberties with her when she saw Jia Lian release her. Then, he glanced at the enclosed courtyard, stepped on the old crabapple tree next to him, and then leaped over the wall.

Princess Zhaoyang was about to remind him that climbing over the palace walls was forbidden, and the consequences of being caught by the guards would be severe. But she immediately gave up, straightened her posture, adjusted her clothes, and then, mimicking Jia Lian's actions, followed him.

Just as Jia Lian climbed over the wall, he saw a wide road outside. On a wooden bridge not far away, several palace maids were jostling each other, and one of the women was anxiously pleading and calling out.

Jia Lian glanced at it once, his expression changed, and he immediately leaped after it.

"Ah, my lord! Please save our young lady! She's fallen into the water, right there..."

The maid who was being held back by several palace maids was overjoyed when she saw Jia Lian and immediately shouted.

Without her prompting, Jia Lian had already noticed the movement in the river. Almost without hesitation, Jia Lian took off his cloak in a few quick steps, then jumped into the water, caught the girl who was struggling helplessly in the water, and brought her back to the shore.

The girl who fell into the water was actually Zhen Yuhuan! At this moment, she was covered in mud and water, her face was filled with tears, and she was shivering from the cold. She looked both disheveled and pitiful.

Still in shock, she clung tightly to the person in front of her until Jia Lian tenderly brushed away the wet hair covering her eyes, revealing who had saved her.

Overwhelmed by a surge of grievance and confusion, she threw herself into Jia Lian's arms, sobbing, "Brother, waah..."

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Jia Lian held the obviously frightened Zhen Yuhuan in his arms before he had time to look around.

Zhen Yuhuan's maid had broken free and rushed over, and behind her, a young woman dressed in extremely gorgeous clothes walked over arrogantly, surrounded by several palace maids.

She scrutinized Jia Lian from head to toe, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. But when she saw Zhen Yuhuan clinging tightly to Jia Lian, her expression turned incredibly grim.

She looked down at Jia Lian with an air of superiority: "Who are you, daring to trespass into the Forbidden City?"

Although Jia Lian did not recognize the woman, he could make some guesses based on her attire and the obvious fear that Zhen Yuhuan and her servants showed her.

He ignored her, took the cloak from the maid and wrapped it around Zhen Yuhuan, then waited quietly for Princess Zhaoyang to slowly approach from a distance.

"How dare you! I'm asking you a question, why don't you answer?"

Seeing that Jia Lian ignored her, the woman in palace attire became very angry and coldly rebuked him.

"It seems that the Empress Dowager's sister-in-law's shouting and yelling is not in accordance with royal etiquette."

The woman turned around and saw that it was Princess Zhaoyang who had spoken. A dark glint flashed in her eyes, but she quickly concealed it and then said with a fake smile, "Oh, it's Qingran. What are you doing here?"

"That's what I'd like to ask you first, sister-in-law: what are you doing here?"

"Haha, I'm tired of listening to the operas at Weiyang Palace, so I came out for a walk."

The woman's smiling greeting received no response from Princess Zhaoyang. Princess Zhaoyang walked directly past her to Jia Lian and asked, "How is she?"

"The water isn't deep, they should be fine, just frightened."

Princess Zhaoyang didn't actually know Zhen Yuhuan, but she guessed from her appearance that the girl was related to Jia Lian. Seeing that the girl looked delicate, she said, "It's not far from Zhaoyang Palace, why don't you let her come to my place to change her clothes? It's so cold, it wouldn't be good if she caught a cold."

"Alright, then I'll leave it to you."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian intended to hand Zhen Yuhuan over to Princess Zhaoyang. However, Zhen Yuhuan seemed genuinely frightened; seeing this, she immediately clung tightly to him, looking at him pleadingly, "Brother~"

She didn't know Princess Zhaoyang, or rather, at this moment, within this vast palace, she only trusted Jia Lian.

"My sworn brother?"

"She came from the Zhen family in Jiangnan. The Zhen family and our family have been friends for generations, so she recognized me as her sworn brother."

"So she's the daughter of the Zhen family..."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's simple explanation, Princess Zhaoyang immediately understood. Glancing back at the Crown Princess, whose face was gloomy, she had already sorted out the whole story.

Beside her, the woman in palace attire was furious that Jia Lian and the others ignored her and were only concerned with comforting Zhen Yuhuan.

She merely glanced at Princess Zhaoyang, and dared not do anything. Her gaze shifted, and she saw Zhen Yuhuan clinging tightly to Jia Lian. An idea struck her, and she shouted, "Where did this audacious scoundrel come from, daring to disrespect the future Crown Prince's concubine? I will report this to the Crown Prince and the Empress, and you will be sentenced to death!"

"Since the Empress Dowager knew she was the future Crown Prince's concubine, where did she get the audacity to push her into the water?"

"Nonsense, I never pushed her into the water. She fell in by herself while walking."

"You're lying! You're the one who pushed our young lady off the bridge! She was just relaxing here when you and your men lured her to the bridge and pushed her off when she wasn't looking. I saw it all!"

When Zhen Yuhuan's maid saw that Princess Zhaoyang addressed the Crown Princess as "Emperor's Sister-in-law" and seemed not to be afraid of the Crown Princess at all, she felt that she had a powerful backer and immediately spoke the truth without fear.

"You audacious servant, how dare you slander me! Slap yourself!"

At the Crown Princess's command, the old palace maid behind her rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward menacingly. This scene terrified Zhen Yuhuan, who hid in Jia Lian's arms, too afraid to move.

Suddenly, a loud "bang" was heard, accompanied by the old palace maid's scream. Before anyone could see how Jia Lian made his move, the old palace maid was suddenly sent flying backward, landing five or six steps away, writhing on the ground in pain, her fate unknown.

"You, you, you..."

The Crown Princess had never witnessed such a scene before, for no one had ever dared to strike one of her people in public. This left her speechless, her eyes wide with astonishment.

At this time, many eunuchs and palace maids had gathered around. Princess Zhaoyang was afraid that Jia Lian would lose his temper and cause trouble.

After all, Jia Lian had been summoned into the inner palace against her will, and if he were to beat the Crown Princess, the trouble would be immense. Therefore, she spoke before Jia Lian could, saying, "I will inform the Empress Dowager of the truth and ask her to make a decision. Sister-in-law, you should first think about how to deal with the Empress Dowager and the Empress's questioning."

After saying this, Princess Zhaoyang beckoned to several palace maids from Weiyang Palace and instructed them, "You few, take Miss Zhen back to my bedchamber, change her into a clean set of clothes, and prepare a brazier for her to warm herself."

Faced with an ever-growing crowd, Zhen Yuhuan finally felt too embarrassed to stay in Jia Lian's arms any longer. But as soon as she left Jia Lian's side, the cold wind blew on her wet clothes, sending a chill down her spine, making her shiver and hug her shoulders.

Upon seeing this, Princess Zhaoyang helped her over and personally handed her over to a palace maid to take away.

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