Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Daiyu frowned slightly. The intelligent girl keenly sensed that Jia Lian was not telling the truth, but she did not dwell on it. She simply sat there without saying a word, her expression melancholy, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

Jia Lian sat down beside her and asked with a smile, "Didn't you say you were having a poetry club meeting today? How did it go?"

"What can we do? You're not here, and Sister Zhen isn't here either. It's just the few of us. We'll just give you a perfunctory response."

Daiyu lied too; in fact, they had a great time that afternoon. After all, it was the first poetry club to be established, and everyone was in high spirits. If it weren't for Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang returning home in low spirits, which inadvertently affected them, their good mood for starting the club and composing poems might have continued until now.

Jia Lian smiled and said, "So who won? I'm sure it's Lin Daiyu."

Daiyu twitched her delicate nose, and although she didn't speak, the slight arrogance and sense of entitlement on her face were so obvious.

Jia Lian was surprised: "You really won first place? What was the topic of your essay? I wonder if I could have the honor of hearing Lin Daiyu's masterpiece?"

Daiyu was displeased with Jia Lian's surprise, as if it were something extraordinary for her, Lin Daiyu, to have won first place! Who was it that had borrowed someone else's poem to answer the Empress's questions back then?

"Yesterday you gave us so many crabapple blossoms, so everyone used crabapple as the theme. As for the essays we wrote, Sister Tanchun has been copying them down. If you want to see them, you can ask her to show you one tomorrow, because I can't remember them."

Jia Lian smiled as he watched Daiyu hang the birdcage on the windowsill. He knew that Daiyu was rather proud and aloof.

In other words, she knows she's excellent, but she won't say it herself, and she doesn't even bother to show it. But if you take the initiative to discover this and praise her, she'll be very happy and consider you a close friend.

For example, when Yuan Chun returned to her hometown last time, she discovered that Jia Lian had "quoted" her poem. Instead of being angry at all, she was secretly delighted, thinking that Jia Lian's ability to think of her poem under such circumstances meant that he must highly approve of it.

Moreover, the fact that he used his own poems so freely clearly shows that he felt close enough to me and was certain that I wouldn't expose him, which adds another layer of meaning.

At this point, Daiyu was clearly very confident in her winning poem, but she was unwilling to tell Jia Lian directly. Instead, she asked Jia Lian to ask Tan Chun for the manuscript himself, so that Jia Lian would be even more impressed with her thoughts and talents after finally seeing her masterpiece.

However, Jia Lian didn't actually need to ask Tan Chun for the manuscript; he already knew roughly what Daiyu's masterpiece was.

That's why he was surprised that Daiyu had won the poetry competition. If he remembered correctly, in the original novel, when the girls of the Grand View Garden held a poetry gathering, Baochai won first place in the competition for composing poems about crabapple blossoms.

Because the president of the literary society, Li Wan, felt that Baochai's poem about crabapple blossoms was more dignified, more subtle and powerful, and superior in character to Daiyu's elegant and unique crabapple blossoms, she judged Baochai to be first and Daiyu to be second.

Unexpectedly, after he intentionally gifted crabapple blossoms to the girls of the Grand View Garden, and they indeed composed poems about crabapple blossoms, Daiyu won first place.

Could it be that he ultimately forced a change, resulting in their writing about crabapple blossoms differing from the original? I should take a look at their manuscripts when I have time.

Actually, there's a detail hidden here that Jia Lian overlooked.

This version of Daiyu is ultimately different from the original. Putting aside her relationship with him, Daiyu's noble and rare title of duchess already set her apart from the other daughters in the Grand View Garden.

Therefore, although the three sisters and Daiyu still addressed each other as sisters, beneath this intimacy, they held a deeper respect for Daiyu.

Even Li Wan, the eldest sister-in-law, was no exception.

In the original novel, Daiyu was merely a favored younger sister-in-law of Grandmother Jia. Li Wan usually showed her some consideration, but she would not change her principles or act timidly because of Daiyu. Therefore, when faced with works by Baochai and Daiyu that were roughly equal in quality, Li Wan could unhesitatingly praise Baochai's more upright and elegant poems.

However, this life is somewhat different. In any case, Daiyu's elegance and cleverness surpass everyone else's, so for the sake of her mistress Daiyu, Li Wan and the others naturally nominated Daiyu as the best.

This is actually consistent with the aura that Jia Lian himself possesses. Even someone as noble as Yuan Chun had the same attitude when reviewing Jia Lian's poems that night.

It is conceivable that even if Jia Lian had not used Daiyu's famous work that night, Yuan Chun would have ranked Jia Lian's poem, which she felt was "not amazing enough," as top-ranked, or even number one.

This is a combination of the celebrity effect and the influence of influential people.

Unless someone can produce a significantly better masterpiece that makes it difficult for the judges to be biased, Jia Lian and Daiyu will obviously have an inherent advantage in future poetry competitions.

After hanging up the birdcage, Daiyu was about to pick up the "big rat" on the ground when she suddenly felt her little hand tighten, and Jia Lian pulled her to sit down next to him.

Her face flushed red, and she quickly glanced out the window before shyly asking Jia Lian what he intended to do.

"Since you've started a poetry club, I'm afraid you've all given yourselves names, right? What's Lin Daiyu's?"

Daiyu, who was nervously thinking that Jia Lian was about to do something indecent to her again, paused for a moment upon hearing this, and lowered her head without replying.

Just then, Zijuan entered the room and, upon hearing this, interjected with a smile, "Our young lady is called 'Xiaoxiang Concubine,' a nickname given to her by the Third Young Lady."

"Mind your own business."

Daiyu felt very shy, partly because of Jia Lian. Being so close to Jia Lian, with his strong masculine aura, made her heart pound.

This is also due to her nickname.

It turns out that this afternoon, when everyone was discussing nicknames, Tan Chun said that the tears of Ehuang and Nüying on the bamboo left spots, hence the name "Xiangfei Bamboo" (Bamboo of the Xiang River Concubine). Since Jia Lian is a general and will inevitably have to go on a distant expedition, and Daiyu lives in the Xiaoxiang Pavilion and is prone to crying, if she misses Jia Lian, the bamboo in the Xiaoxiang Pavilion will naturally turn into spotted bamboo. Therefore, she was given the nickname "Xiaoxiang Concubine".

Although she was extremely embarrassed, Tan Chun's suggestion was unanimously approved by everyone.

"Xiaoxiang Concubine? That's quite an elegant nickname, which shows that Third Sister has a remarkable talent for giving nicknames."

When Jia Lian heard that Daiyu had indeed been given the elegant title of "Xiaoxiang Concubine," he imagined that she probably already had titles like "Old Farmer of Rice Fragrance," "Lady of Fragrant Herbs," and "Guest Under the Banana Tree," which made Jia Lian feel very close to her. He wondered if he could take some time before leaving to join a literary society and experience the kind of enchanting atmosphere that he could only vaguely imagine in books in his previous life.

Daiyu was ashamed to talk about her nickname, and she didn't want to refute Jia Lian's words. Because, putting aside the fact that Tanchun was teasing her, she herself felt that the nickname was quite good, better than everyone else's; otherwise, she wouldn't have tacitly agreed to it.

She secretly tugged at her hand under the table, but seeing that Jia Lian wouldn't let go, she had no choice but to give up and change the subject, saying, "When we were composing poems today, everyone forgot to mention a key person."

Upon hearing the voice, Jia Lian laughed and said, "Is that Xiangyun?"

Daiyu looked at Jia Lian with surprise, admiring his quick wit. She nodded and said, "That's right. Everyone was saying, how could we have forgotten about her?"

"Why are you suddenly bringing her up? Aren't you the one who dislikes her the most? You always argue with her whenever she comes over."

"Who argues with her every time...?"

"Actually, at most once out of three times..." Daiyu retorted indignantly.

Upon reflection, Daiyu realized that she didn't dislike Xiangyun at all. It was just that the girl was straightforward and talkative, and she liked to stick close to her and stay with her whenever she came over, which often made her unhappy. Both of them were also a bit stubborn, so arguing was a common occurrence.

Actually, she didn't take the "conflict" with Xiangyun to heart, because many times afterward she felt that she was the one in the wrong, or that it was just a trivial matter. She never expected that others would think that way, even her most understanding brother Lian Er thought so.

I will never argue with her again.

Unintentionally trying to change Jia Lian and the others' opinions, Daiyu deliberately said, "Although I argued with her, to be fair, that girl is second to none when it comes to composing poems. She's also close to us... to San Ya and the others. Now that we're starting a poetry club in the garden, if we don't invite her, she'll definitely make a fuss when she finds out."

"You're right. Why don't you just have the old lady send someone to bring her over? With her joining, your poetry club will definitely be more lively in the future."

Daiyu said, "Originally, this would not have been difficult, but when the old lady and the madam came back in the afternoon, they seemed to be in a bad mood, so we didn't dare to disturb them."

"Then it's up to you."

Daiyu looked up at Jia Lian and suddenly said angrily, "You said this morning you would bring Sister Zhen back, but she hasn't come yet!"

Daiyu could tell that Jia Lian clearly understood her meaning, but he pretended not to.

"Hahaha, I understand. What Lin Daiyu means is that I lost your perfect sister, and you want me to go and bring back Xiangyun to atone for my sins?"

Daiyu snorted softly, and when she met Jia Lian's smile, she actually nodded. Then, she couldn't help but laugh, but quickly stopped herself.

"Bringing Xiangyun here is no problem, but I've noticed a problem. Lin Daiyu, why do I, a dignified marquis, feel like I'm being bossed around by a little maid like you all day long? It makes me lose face."

Jia Lian's sudden words left Daiyu bewildered, and she immediately retorted angrily, "If you don't want to, then so be it. I didn't force you."

With that, Daiyu flicked her hand and was about to get up and leave.

With a smile, Jia Lian took advantage of Daiyu's movement to pull her into his arms and leaned down to say intimately, "Look how anxious you are. When did I say I was unwilling? It is my honor to serve the great Lady Lin."

……

After leaving Xiaoxiang Pavilion, Jia Lian saw that it was still early, so he headed towards Yingchun's residence.

As Jia Lian led Xiangling into the territory of Zilingzhou, he found everything here unfamiliar and realized that he had neglected his sister for a long time.

The maids of Zilingzhou were overjoyed to see Jia Lian arrive, and they all rushed to inform Yingchun.

"Why is my brother here?"

"Little sister greets second brother."

In front of the main house, Jia Lian looked up and saw Tan Chun, and said with a smile, "Third Sister is here too."

Tan Chun said, "It's early today, so I came to play a couple of games of chess with Second Sister. Did Second Brother Lian come here specifically to see Second Sister? In that case, I won't disturb you any longer and will take my leave now."

Tan Chun was tall and slender, with bright eyes and delicate eyebrows. Not only did she appear intelligent and graceful, but her demeanor also exuded a clever and witty air. After smiling and bowing to Jia Lian and the other man to take her leave, she departed with her maids.

Yingchun welcomed Jia Lian into the house, personally served him a cup of tea, and then asked gently, "What brings you here so late, brother?"

"I finally had some free time today, so I came to see you."

As Jia Lian spoke, he asked Yingchun a few questions, then glanced at her room and said, "Is there anything you need in your room that you usually lack? If so, just tell me and I'll have someone bring it to you."

Yingchun sat opposite Jia Lian and said with a smile, "Thank you for your concern, brother, but I don't lack anything in this house. Sister-in-law Lian always takes good care of me here, and even if there is anything missing, she has already sent someone to deliver it."

Jia Lian nodded. Feng Jie was the most considerate in matters big and small, so naturally she wouldn't mistreat Ying Chun.

But that's probably all there is to it. Yingchun is much closer to him now, calling him "brother," but she still addresses Fengjie by her full name, just like everyone else. This shows that the relationship between the two sisters-in-law is probably only at the level of mutual respect.

Jia Lian was quite clear about this point. Feng Jie was more of an egoist, and she probably wouldn't pay much attention to Ying Chun, her sister-in-law who was neither loved by her uncle nor her maternal grandmother.

Remembering that in the original story, Yingchun was so gentle and kind that even the servants in her room dared to bully and despise her, Jia Lian ordered that all the maids and servants serving Yingchun's courtyard be summoned.

"We, your servants, pay our respects to the Second Master..."

Jia Lian sat at the table, looking at the maids and servants kneeling before him in varying ranks. He glanced at them and found there were only seven.

So Jia Lian asked, "If I remember correctly, you originally had two maids and two servants. When you moved into the garden, the old lady said that the garden was spacious and there might be areas that couldn't be taken care of, so she specifically ordered that two more maids and two governesses be added to each of your rooms, not to mention the people responsible for cleaning. So, each of you should have at least ten servants in your room, how come they only have seven?"

Yingchun didn't know how to respond.

A young woman below quickly replied, "Reporting to Second Master, our young lady's room is not as spacious as other places, but with us serving her, it's more than enough..."

"Did I tell you to speak? Slap yourself."

Jia Lian suddenly became angry, which not only startled the young wife who was speaking, but also made everyone else look at each other in surprise and suddenly become nervous.

"Do you want me to do it myself?"

Hearing Jia Lian's cold voice, the young wife trembled, hesitated, and raised her hand to slap herself.

"Brother..." Yingchun stepped forward, wanting to plead for him. Jia Lian gently patted the back of her hand to calm her down, and then looked at one of the honest-looking old women.

"You tell me."

"In response to Second Master, when our young lady and the third young lady moved into the garden, they needed manpower everywhere, and the mansion couldn't spare the manpower for the time being. Second Madam did say that the place where the second young lady lives is small, and one old woman who is in charge of cleaning is enough..."

Jia Lian said, "Even so, the person is still wrong."

"One of them took leave a month and a half ago, and then there's Zhu'er's mother... who is also our girl's wet nurse. Including these three, there are a total of nine people in our girl's room who are at our beck and call."

Jia Lian laughed upon hearing this: "She took leave half a month ago? I had no idea. When has our Jia family ever given a servant a half-month leave? Did her family members take turns being buried?"

No one dared to answer Jia Lian, and Jia Lian didn't say much either, instead asking, "Why isn't Zhu'er's mother here?"

"She's getting old. Ever since before our young lady moved into the garden, she's hardly ever come to our young lady's room. Our young lady is considerate of her, so she's never said anything..."

Seeing that things were getting out of hand, the young woman who had just been slapping the girl couldn't help but say, "My mother-in-law was your wet nurse and raised you from a young age. Now that she's old and frail, it's only because you're kind that you've let her stay home to rest. Right, girl? Please say something."

Yingchun looked worried. "Brother, it's really okay. I have enough people here to serve me. Brother, you don't need to get angry over this and hurt yourself for nothing."

Yingchun had a gentle appearance and fair, delicate skin. At this moment, her face was full of worry, and one hand unconsciously tugged at Jia Lian's sleeve, making her look extremely sad and pitiful.

This caused Jia Lian's eyes to involuntarily reveal a look of pity.

Such a kind and beautiful woman should have been cherished and protected, but because she had no parents to love and support her, and because she was also a bit weak-willed, she suffered neglect and unwarranted grievances from a young age.

She finally grew up, only to be married to a vulgar and wicked man, suffering endless abuse until she died in less than a year. How cruel the author must be to write such an ending!

Therefore, in this life, Jia Lian not only has to protect her, but also has to vent his anger!

He has already had Sun Shaozu brought to the capital; now it's time for him to properly prepare him.

As for these people in front of me...

Although it was just a small matter like skipping work, it reflected their usual attitude towards serving Yingchun.

Jia Lian had long known that there were unruly servants in Yingchun's quarters, the ringleaders being her wet nurse and her mother-in-law. He had originally thought that with him around, these people wouldn't dare to cause trouble, so he hadn't rushed to deal with them. Now it seems he was too merciful.

It's time to clean things up and let others see that Jia Lian's sister will not be allowed to be slighted or bullied.