Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Because of the undercurrents and open conflicts stirred up at the top of the power structure of the imperial court over the birthday banquet, Jia Lian had no time to pay attention to them.

After leaving the palace, he barely stopped for a moment, visiting all the important military strongholds he hadn't finished visiting that morning, and then went to the Ministry of War and the Imperial Household Department to handle the relevant procedures for the establishment of the firearms battalion.

By the time he returned home, it was already dark.

"Second Master, Second Master, the Old Madam instructed that you should see her after you return to the manor. The Master also instructed that you should go to Mengpo Studio."

Jia Lian nodded in agreement to the steward's message, but did not immediately head towards the main courtyard. He handed his beloved horse to a servant to lead away, and then went to his study.

In Jia Lian's outer study, Jia Yu, Jia Yun, Xie Jun, and others were already waiting.

After explaining the recent arrangements to his trusted confidants, Jia Lian looked down at Jia Yu and Xie Jun.

Needless to say, Xie Jun is a commander in the Xicheng Military Command, and also the person he has worked most smoothly with in the Military Command over the past few years.

Jia Yu is a member of the twelfth branch of the Jia family in the south. He once served as a captain in the Xishan Camp in Jinling. Later, he was seconded to the capital and is now temporarily serving in the Beijing garrison.

"Jia Yu, Xie Jun."

"Your humble servant is here!"

When their names were called, Jia Yu and Xie Jun clasped their hands in greeting, both with a hint of anticipation in their eyes.

Jia Lian did not disappoint them. After nodding, he said, "I have already reported to the Ministry of War and transferred the two of you to my firearms battalion. Jia Yu will serve as the commander of the musket battalion, and Xie Jun will serve as the commander of a thousand men."

Upon hearing this, Jia Yu and his companion both showed expressions of joy and excitement. Xie Jun, in particular, immediately knelt down and bowed, saying, "This humble servant thanks Your Highness for your great kindness in promoting me; I am willing to serve you to the death!"

Seeing this, Jia Yu hesitated for a moment, then followed suit and knelt down to perform a military salute, expressing his loyalty.

Jia Lian smiled and told the two of them to get up.

After Xie Jun stood up, he greeted Jia Yu with a smile and said, "Your subordinate greets Commander."

In Xie Jun's eyes, Jia Yu would not only be his immediate superior, but also Jia Lian's cousin. It was rumored that Jia Lian had specially transferred him from the south to the capital, which showed how strong their relationship was, so he naturally needed to curry favor with him.

Jia Yu responded with a smile, but inwardly he couldn't help but feel that his decision back then was correct; indeed, it's easy to be an official if you have a powerful backer.

Take Xie Jun for example. He was just a sixth-rank commander before, but because he gained the appreciation of Brother Lian, he was promoted two ranks and became a fifth-rank commander. He really hit the jackpot.

But thinking about himself, Jia Yu smiled. Wasn't he the same? In less than a year, he had miraculously risen from a lowly local commander to the dignified commander of the Imperial Guard. He himself felt it was all a dream come true.

Seeing the two of them congratulate each other, the others in the study all cast envious glances at them.

Jia Lian waved his hand and said, "Now that the Firearms Battalion has been newly established, the first step is to build the military camp. I have already selected the camp, but I am recently ordered to go to Tianjin Wei and have no time to personally handle this matter. Therefore, during my absence, you two will represent me and do your best to assist Lord Su Keguang in building the Firearms Battalion's camp."

Su Keguang was originally the commander in charge of firearms in the Divine Machine Battalion, and he was transferred to the firearms battalion by Jia Lian this time.

As the saying goes, "When one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven," and now that his official position is rising higher and higher, his subordinates naturally benefit as well. However, although he has a great deal of autonomy in the establishment of this firearms battalion, Jia Lian is not so sure that he would smuggle in all his own personal agenda.

There are still some rules in officialdom that must be followed. For example, Su Keguang's transfer to the firearms battalion as a captain is a legitimate transfer, and no one can say anything about it.

He handed a copy of the construction drawings for the firearms camp that he had personally designed to Jia Yu, asking the two of them to study them carefully. Only then did Jia Lian look at Jia Yun, Sun Zairen, and the other head managers in the study.

Although the commercial affairs that Jia Yun and others were in charge of seemed less urgent compared to the firearms battalion and the new warships, they were still part of his plans for the future of his power. Therefore, he naturally had to make full arrangements before leaving the capital.

Fortunately, with his ample financial and human resources support, both the restaurant and the grain store are operating well and showing a new look every day, so Jia Lian doesn't need to spend too much energy on them.

After dismissing his men, Jia Lian sat in his study for a short while. Just as he was about to get up and return to the main courtyard, Zhao'er approached him and whispered, "Second Master, that brat surnamed Sun has arrived in the capital!"

Jia Lian stopped in his tracks, a cold glint appearing in his eyes.

……

Because Jia Lian had other matters to attend to in the afternoon and could not leave, he did not go to the palace to welcome Grandmother Jia and the others.

Of course, Grandmother Jia and the others wouldn't summon him for such a trivial matter. The reason they were so eager to see him was because of what happened at Weiyang Palace today.

In the eyes of Grandmother Jia and others, the Crown Princess was the future Empress, the mother of the nation, and someone who could control their life, death, honor, and disgrace; she was someone who absolutely could not be offended.

But today, because of him, the Crown Princess was punished by the Empress Dowager and the Empress. They were both afraid that the Crown Princess would hold a grudge against him, especially if it implicated the Jia family.

and so……

On the way home from Rongqing Hall, Fengjie noticed that Jia Lian looked unwell. After hesitating for a moment, she stepped forward and said, "How about we do as the old lady and the others said, prepare some generous gifts, and go to the Crown Prince's residence to apologize to her..."

As they spoke, he noticed that Jia Lian's expression was getting increasingly off, so he quickly said, "You're a man, it's normal that you can't bring yourself to do it. Otherwise, you don't need to go, I can go by myself. You know me, I'm best at putting on a smiling face and being considerate. Perhaps the Crown Princess will see my sincerity and her anger will subside, which will save the old lady and the others from worrying."

Jia Lian turned to look at the woman in front of him, who was clearly glamorous and beautiful, yet spoke cautiously. A hint of pity flashed in his eyes, but his expression remained cold and stern. He uttered a few words: "If you dare to go, I'll break your legs."

Sister Feng was taken aback, then smiled knowingly. She knew her husband well; he was always arrogant and wouldn't listen to reason. He would naturally disdain to adopt such cowardly and shameful suggestions as those from Grandmother Jia and others.

However, with the intention of relieving Jia Lian's worries and comforting Grandmother Jia and others, she still wanted to try to offer some words of comfort.

"It's better to avoid trouble. After all, she is the Crown Princess, with a noble status. What am I? It doesn't matter if I smile at her or get a few difficult words from her, as long as it appeases her and she won't make things difficult for you in the future, then it's all worth it."

No one likes to apologize, and this is especially true for Sister Feng. The reason she insisted on apologizing was not only because she, like Grandmother Jia and others, felt that the Crown Princess should not be offended, but also because she had a reason for it.

As Jia Lian's fame and official rank rose, she realized that there was almost nothing she could do to help him. All along, it had been Jia Lian alone striving for fame, fortune, and a promising future.

Although the traditional order of the world is for men to work outside the home and women to stay at home, she, who had always enjoyed the benefits of this arrangement, still felt somewhat uneasy.

Now that this matter has just come to pass, and Jia Lian and Jia Mu and others cannot reach an agreement, she thought that if she could step forward and resolve this trouble, wouldn't it benefit Jia Lian, the Jia family, and herself in three ways?

In the future, she will have more confidence as the wife of a marquis.

Standing in front of him, Jia Lian didn't seem to have noticed Feng Jie's thoughts. He suddenly raised his hand and, under the watchful gaze of Feng Jie's widened eyes, touched her face.

"Who do you think you are? As long as you are still my wife, Jia Lian, you are the most precious woman in the world. No one can make you kneel and smile for no reason, not even the Crown Princess."

Jia Lian stroked his wife's cheek, then changed from stroking to pinching, deliberately using a bit of force, intending to make her understand his unyielding will.

"I have my own plans for this, and you don't need to be so self-righteous. If you disobey me and make me unhappy, it won't be as simple as just a spanking."

After Jia Lian finished speaking, he turned and left.

The Crown Princess is of noble status and cannot be offended? Ha, if she offends Jia Lian, her position as Crown Princess may not be secure.

Of course, Sister Feng was unaware of Jia Lian's wild thoughts. She only watched Jia Lian's departing figure, his words echoing in her ears. Suddenly, a deep shyness appeared on her face. Under the pale moonlight, this shyness seemed more delicate than a flower.

Wuyong rolled his eyes at Jia Lian's retreating figure, then glanced at the maids around him, dismissing their teasing and envious looks with a soft snort, before scurrying off after Jia Lian.

Back home, after a brief moment of intimacy, Sister Feng, true to her restless nature, got busy again.

The Empress Dowager bestowed a great many gifts, almost filling the west side room. Sister Feng loved money and possessions, and although she had some minor complaints about the Empress Dowager, she had no objection to the gifts bestowed upon her.

After taking a bath, Jia Lian saw that Feng Jie was still happily checking the goods and he didn't have much time to pay attention to her. So he took Xiang Ling and went to Xiaoxiang Pavilion to see Daiyu.

Daiyu looked quite well today. When Jia Lian entered, she was busy tending to her beloved pet—the red-beaked, green-feathered parrot he had given her.

In the corner, the little...big squirrel, who had lost its companion, lay alone on the ground, looking lazy.

Daiyu was feeding the birds when she turned around and saw Jia Lian. She glanced behind him first before asking, "When did you get back?"

"I took care of some trivial matters in the evening and took advantage of a free moment to come and check it out."

Jia Lian casually sat down at Daiyu's desk, and kicked the fat ball next to him. It wasn't caged, but it wasn't afraid of people at all.

Upon discovering the heavy, substantial feel, Jia Lian became even more interested, couldn't help but take a closer look, and then couldn't help but laugh.

To be honest, even Jia Lian had never seen such a plump squirrel before. After all, squirrels are known for their agility, but this one had been raised by Daiyu to be so chubby that it lay on the ground, too lazy to move. It was clear that Daiyu's skill in raising pets was quite unique.

Daiyu keenly noticed Jia Lian's actions. She frowned and immediately said, "Why did you kick it? It just ate something and is digesting it."

Lying down to digest? Jia Lian shook his head, then couldn't help asking, "What did you feed it?"

"It's nothing, just seven or eight walnuts, two handfuls of peanuts, oh, and some melon seeds. I had the maids shell them to feed Jingjing, but she snatched quite a few!"

There was some complaint and dissatisfaction in Daiyu's tone. Perhaps she didn't want the greedy squirrel to eat so much and become so fat that it lost the cleverness and cuteness it had when it was a child.

Jia Lian smiled and glanced again at "Jingjing," the parrot that was being fed by Daiyu and occasionally tilting its head to look at him. He hoped that this mimicking bird could resist Daiyu's delicious food; otherwise, wouldn't it be even more ridiculous to have a parrot that was too fat to fly?

Daiyu could see the mockery in Jia Lian's eyes, because Jia Lian had once ridiculed her, saying that if he could fatten up Yu Jiao so much, why couldn't he fatten himself up too?

Pshaw, she doesn't want to be fat, and she can't possibly be fat!

Looking at Yu Jiao's plump body lying lazily at Jia Lian's feet, Daiyu felt a little embarrassed. In fact, she herself didn't understand why Yu Jiao was getting fatter and fatter. You see, she had raised many small pets since she was a child, but none of them had grown as big as this one.

Clearly, this was not the fault of the owner; it was the dog's own greed.

Skipping over that, Daiyu asked, "Where is Sister Yuhuan?"

Jia Lian had anticipated her question and casually replied with a smile, "She has some family matters to attend to and can't come to our house for the time being. However, she's very reluctant to see you go and specifically asked me to apologize to you."

Upon hearing this, Daiyu paused for a moment, then said coldly, "You don't need to coax me. I know something must have happened. When the old lady and the others came back earlier, their expressions were off when they mentioned the Zhen family. But when we asked them, they wouldn't say anything more, nor would they let us ask any more questions."

As she spoke, Daiyu looked at Jia Lian earnestly and asked, "What exactly happened to their family?"

Daiyu didn't care much about the Zhen family, but she did care a little about Zhen Yuhuan, her friend whom she had only known for a few days.

Jia Lian wasn't surprised by Daiyu's words. It was normal for Grandmother Jia and others to keep quiet about matters concerning the Crown Princess and not let the younger generation know.

However, he had no such concerns. Seeing that Daiyu had guessed it, he no longer concealed it and briefly told Daiyu what had happened in Weiyang Palace that day.

After hearing this, Daiyu's face turned deathly pale. Clearly, for the pure and kind-hearted Daiyu, it was hard to understand how a woman could be so wicked as to push someone into the water on such a cold day.

She was more worried about Zhen Yuhuan. She knew that Zhen Yuhuan was just as delicate as she was, and how could she survive such a torment?

Finally, after being comforted by Jia Lian and confirming that Zhen Yuhuan was alright, he felt somewhat relieved. Then he asked in confusion, "Why did that Crown Princess bully her?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian glanced at Daiyu first, and then slowly said, "What else could it be? She probably can't stand seeing that Yu Huan is as beautiful as Lin Daiyu, and feels that she has stolen her limelight, so she harbors resentment and does bad things behind her back."

Jia Lian wasn't prepared to tell Daiyu the truth. He thought that Daiyu was always sensitive, and if she knew that it was the Empress and others who planned to bestow Zhen Yuhuan upon the Crown Prince as a concubine, which aroused the Crown Princess's jealousy and led to her being pushed into the water, Daiyu might extend that knowledge to other matters and never dare to cross the bridge with Feng Jie again, which would be terrible...