Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

After Zhen Yuhuan left, Jia Lian finally raised his head, glanced indifferently at the Crown Princess in front of him, and turned to leave.

Given her status, at least on the surface, a subject cannot do anything to the Crown Princess.

However, this did not mean that Jia Lian was afraid of her. On the contrary, Jia Lian felt a little pity for this domineering woman.

I heard that Xiao Jing is the Crown Prince's great-grandfather-in-law, which means he is the grandfather of this woman in front of me.

Although Jia Lian couldn't see it with his own eyes, he could guess with his eyes closed that Xiao Jing, the Crown Prince's great-father-in-law and the core leader of the Crown Prince's group, had led the way in delivering a heavy blow to Emperor Ningkang at the Emperor Emeritus's birthday banquet.

Regardless of Xiao Jing's own considerations, this self-destructive behavior will certainly be a huge blow to the Crown Prince's standing in Emperor Ningkang's heart.

Now it's even worse. Xiao Jing has just finished his business, and his granddaughter has completely disregarded the overall situation by pushing the eldest daughter of the Zhen family, who was invited to the capital by the Empress, into the water.

It's easy to imagine that if nothing bad happens today, all will be well. But if Zhen Yuhuan really suffers some mishap, not only will the marriage alliance between the Crown Prince's residence and the Zhen family of Jiangnan be null and void, but the Empress, as the matchmaker, will also lose all face!

It's safe to say that any woman with a modicum of shrewdness wouldn't do something so foolish as to cut off the Crown Prince's two powerful allies, at least not openly. But this Crown Princess did just that!

Recalling the incident where the Crown Prince had vouched for the Zhou family's gambling debt of ten thousand taels, only to have two thousand taels embezzled by his subordinates upon delivery to the Rongguo Mansion, Jia Lian harbored a negative opinion of the Crown Prince for a considerable period.

On the surface, the Crown Prince seems to have no problems, but why are the people around him always holding him back?

I don't know whether to sympathize with him for having such terrible teammates, or to scold him for being incompetent: he can't even control the people around him.

But regardless, these are all causes. It's just like the saying goes: when an avalanche occurs, no snowflake is innocent.

Jia Lian didn't know if the Crown Prince's snow-capped mountain would collapse under the weight of these snowflakes; he wasn't particularly concerned. However, he was certain that if the Crown Princess continued to act in this way without remorse, her end would be very tragic.

Although Jia Lian thought this way, the Crown Princess did not think so.

Even when she heard Princess Zhaoyang say she would complain to the Empress Dowager, she wasn't too afraid. Given her status, she wasn't afraid of anything, not just simply teaching Zhen Yuhuan a lesson, but even accidentally killing that woman of "lowly" birth.

She is the Crown Princess, the future Empress, and comes from a prestigious family. Her grandfather is a first-rank minister of the court. Surely he wouldn't give his life for the daughter of a mere fourth-rank official?

Therefore, when she saw Jia Lian trying to leave, she assumed he was scared and immediately exclaimed, "Trying to run away? No way!"

"What are you lackeys standing there for? Arrest this person who has trespassed into the Forbidden City and caused trouble, and hand him over to the inner court for punishment!"

Upon hearing the Crown Princess's words, the eunuchs who had been observing the situation from a distance considered for a moment and then came forward in a group.

"Let's see who dares."

Princess Zhaoyang stood beside Jia Lian. Seeing the commotion around them, she gave a cold shout, and all the eunuchs stood still.

While the Crown Princess is indeed of high status, the Princess's status is no lower, and she was once a mistress of Weiyang Palace. Even now, no one in Weiyang Palace dares to disobey her orders.

Therefore, when faced with the Crown Princess and the Eldest Princess, the eunuchs could easily make a choice: no matter how much the Crown Princess scolded them, they would just stand by as pillars.

Princess Zhaoyang glanced at the Crown Princess with disgust, then turned to Jia Lian and said, "Marquis Zhenyuan's clothes are wet too. He should change his clothes before leaving the palace to avoid catching a cold."

Jia Lian considered it for a moment after hearing this. To be honest, it would be a lie to say he wasn't cold wearing wet clothes in this weather.

However, he relied on his martial arts skills and strong physique. He thought that after leaving the inner palace, with his status, he could easily get any clothes from various departments within the palace.

Do you have anything here that I can wear?

Princess Zhaoyang smiled and said, "I naturally don't have men's clothes, so I can only trouble you, Marquis, to try on the eunuch's uniform."

When he heard that Princess Zhaoyang wanted him to wear eunuch's clothes, Jia Lian frowned but did not refuse.

Just as Princess Zhaoyang was ignoring the Crown Princess and preparing to take Jia Lian to change clothes, and the furious Crown Princess was about to send someone to summon the inner palace guards, an old palace maid from the Empress Dowager's side came over.

"The Empress Dowager has decreed that the Crown Princess, the Princess, and the Marquis of Zhenyuan are summoned to Weiyang Palace for questioning."

Princess Zhaoyang said, "Marquis Zhenyuan got his clothes wet while saving people. Please forgive him and allow him to change his clothes first."

"No need, let's talk about it after we meet the Empress Dowager."

Jia Lian knew that the Empress Dowager must have heard about what had happened, which was why she summoned them. Since it was a confrontation in court, what could be more convincing than their wet clothes?

As for trespassing into the Forbidden City, if he didn't want to expose his relationship with Princess Zhaoyang, he probably would have had no choice but to admit it. There was no other way; when he heard the cries for help, Jia Lian recognized the voice as that of Zhen Yuhuan's personal maid, and he didn't have time to consider that.

The old woman said sternly, "In that case, please proceed."

……

This was Jia Lian's first time crossing the main gate of Chonghua Palace, but this was not his first time visiting Weiyang Palace.

Moreover, this place is very lively today, presumably because most of the imperial consorts and officials who came to the palace to celebrate the Emperor Emeritus's birthday are gathered here.

It was the same familiar bedchamber, but unlike when the Empress Dowager forced him to marry Princess Zhaoyang, there was a beaded curtain hanging in front of him then, but today there were curtains on both sides.

Through the curtains on both sides, one could glimpse the figures of many noblewomen inside.

At the head of the table, besides the Empress Dowager and the Empress, sat two beautiful women.

One of them was Yuan Chun, and the other woman in palace attire, based on her seating arrangement and age, Jia Lian guessed that she must be Consort Wu, the birth mother of the Third Prince.

"Mother, you must do justice for your son..."

Before she could even pay her respects, the Crown Princess, who had just entered the hall, flirtatiously pounced on the Empress, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

"Just now, I was taking a walk in the back when I happened to run into Sister Zhen. I thought that she was the concubine chosen by the Empress Dowager for the Crown Prince, and that she would be my sister in the future. I was very happy and went up to her to have a private chat."

Who knew that, whether it was because Sister Zhen was too happy to see her son, or because she was too thin, a gust of wind suddenly blew her off the Hibiscus Bridge. Fortunately, the Hibiscus Pond was below.

In my panic, I was just about to find someone to rescue her.

Who knew that Jia Lian would suddenly rush out, falsely accusing me of pushing Sister Zhen down the stairs without any explanation? Mother, this is the Forbidden City! This Jia Lian just appeared out of nowhere, and he even dared to be so rude to me!

Later, Qingran arrived too. She didn't help me either, but instead sided with a foreign official. Mother, you must stand up for your son…”

Once inside the Weiyang Palace, the Crown Princess no longer displayed her previous arrogance. She rushed to the Empress's side, weeping and wiping away tears, and in just a few words, she turned the truth of the matter upside down.

As for Jia Lian's name, it wouldn't be difficult for her to know it from hearing the old nanny refer to him as the Marquis of Zhenyuan. Even if she herself didn't know, her subordinates had heard of it.

Jia Lian felt a chill run down his spine. No wonder so many women in his past life's TV dramas died unjustly in palace intrigues.

It turns out that the truth of many things is indeed not important; what matters is the performers, and even more so, the person upholding justice on stage. It's easy to imagine that if those on stage are biased, those below, even with countless grievances, will have nowhere to turn for redress!

However, Jia Lian did not believe that the Empress Dowager and the Empress would favor the Crown Princess. Therefore, all her actions were nothing more than a clownish and clumsy performance.

As expected, the Empress calmly pushed away the Crown Princess's hands that were clinging to her arm, and said indifferently, "With the Empress Dowager here today, let her decide what is true."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Princess felt a sense of unease. The Empress Dowager was young and disliked being disturbed, so even she, as the Crown Princess, rarely saw her. Feeling that she had little connection with the Empress Dowager, she looked at her with a fawning expression.

The Empress Dowager said, "Qingran, you tell me, what exactly happened?"

"Your Majesty, my sister-in-law's words are untrue. According to what Zhaoyang saw at the time, it was indeed my sister-in-law who pushed Miss Zhen into the Lotus Pond."

This can be corroborated not only by Zhao Yang and the Marquis of Zhenyuan, but also by the palace maids serving the Empress Dowager and the personal maids of Miss Zhen.

"You're talking nonsense..."

"Quiet."

Although the Empress Dowager usually didn't concern herself with matters inside or outside the palace, her status was undeniable. With just a soft rebuke, the Crown Princess dared not act recklessly again.

"Marquis Zhenyuan, what do you have to say?"

"Your Majesty, what the princess said is correct. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can summon my sworn sister's maid, Manxue, to give an answer, or after my sworn sister has changed her clothes, she can confront the Crown Princess face to face."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, the Empress became restless and immediately asked, "How is Yu Huan?"

"Your Majesty, although my sworn sister is out of danger for now, she has been greatly frightened. Moreover, she is already frail, and falling into the water in such cold weather, even if she is alright now, may cause her great harm in the future."

No sooner had Jia Lian finished speaking than a commotion came from behind the curtain. Jia Lian glanced over and figured that Madam Zhen was probably among them.

The Empress heard it too, and her expression turned very sour. She glared at the Crown Princess. She had clearly explained the implications to her beforehand, and the Crown Princess had readily agreed. She never expected that on their first meeting today, the Crown Princess would cause such a huge commotion!

The phrase "disappointed and frustrated" is insufficient to describe the Empress's feelings at this moment.

Seeing this, the Crown Princess felt a pang of guilt, knowing she couldn't hide it from the Empress and the others any longer. She decided to steer clear of the matter and pointed at Jia Lian, shouting, "Him! It's him! How could a mere official suddenly appear in Weiyang Palace? Could it be that he's having an affair with someone in the harem and is taking advantage of the Emperor Emeritus's birthday to secretly meet his lover? I beg Your Majesty and Grandmother to investigate thoroughly..."

"presumptuous."

The Empress Dowager's expression finally darkened. She looked at the Crown Princess and retorted, "Are you referring to the people in my palace, or are you referring to me personally?"

Upon hearing this, the Empress's expression changed, and she quickly gave the Crown Princess a meaningful look. If the Empress Dowager's words weren't answered properly, it could lead to a terrible disaster!

To say that the Empress Dowager had an affair with a foreign official? Let alone the Crown Princess, even the Empress herself couldn't escape such a serious charge.

The Crown Princess, thankfully not being an idiot, quickly replied, "No, no, Your Majesty, you've misunderstood. I meant palace maids, no, not the maids of Weiyang Palace, but maids from another palace..."

The Crown Princess was also caught off guard by the Empress Dowager's sudden remark and stammered.

That's enough.

The Empress Dowager glanced at Princess Zhaoyang and then said, "I sent someone to summon Marquis Zhenyuan to the inner palace."

At today's birthday banquet, the Emperor Emeritus ordered Marquis Zhenyuan to compose a poem on the spot. Marquis Zhenyuan immediately composed a poem entitled "Ode to the Pine Tree," which greatly pleased the Emperor Emeritus.

I was very pleased, so I had someone summon him in, intending to praise him and give him a small reward on behalf of the Emperor Emeritus.

"The Marquis of Zhenyuan was summoned to the palace, how did you come to claim he had an affair with a palace woman? What are your intentions?"

The Empress Dowager's words surprised Jia Lian. He looked up at the radiant Empress Dowager, not understanding why she would say such a thing.

The Crown Princess was also stunned, and subconsciously said, "But if the Empress Dowager summoned him, why didn't he dare to speak when I asked him before? Also, my maids said they saw him climb over the palace wall from the west courtyard of Weiyang Palace, and Qingran also..."

The Crown Princess hesitated somewhat; what she really wanted to say was that Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang were having an affair. Her maid had witnessed Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang climbing over the wall earlier.

But they were afraid that if they spoke out directly, they would anger the Empress Dowager even more.

Jia Lian said, "Your Majesty, I was ordered to come to Weiyang Palace by the guidance of the palace servants. On the way, I met Her Highness the Princess. Because the Princess remembered my merit in protecting her in the past, she condescended to chat with me for a few words. Who knew that I heard a cry for help from the side, so I climbed over the wall to rescue the person."

Although the matter was urgent, I have ultimately violated the palace prohibitions, and I beg the Empress Dowager to punish me.

Having said that, everyone has pretty much figured out the cause and effect of the matter.

Yuan Chun stood up and said, "My second brother is young. I beg Your Majesty to consider his eagerness to save lives and to treat him leniently. It's so cold, and his clothes are still wet. Please allow me to take him away to change into clean clothes before he comes back to await Your Majesty's judgment."

Seeing Jia Lian soaking wet, Yuan Chun was already extremely worried. When she heard the Crown Princess accuse Jia Lian of trespassing into the Forbidden City, although she didn't know the reason, she had already prepared a reason for Jia Lian to escape.

She claimed that she missed her younger brother and took advantage of the birthday banquet to summon him to the palace for a visit. Little did she know that Jia Lian had not broken in, but had been summoned by the Empress Dowager.

Seeing that the matter had been discussed sufficiently, and fearing that Jia Lian would catch a cold, she immediately came out to plead for him.

Not to mention Yuan Chun, Jia Lian's current appearance—wearing a damp robe, his hair wet and dripping with water, water droplets covering his clean and spotless face—showed a handsome face tinged with a touch of desolation, which had already caused countless women in the palace to secretly feel heartache.

"Phoenix Palace is too far from here."

The Empress Dowager glanced at Jia Lian and called out to the person beside her, "Su Quan."

"Your servant is here."

"Take the Marquis of Zhenyuan away to change into clean clothes, then bring him back."

"Yes."

……