Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The Shi family, with two marquises in one family, appears extremely illustrious, but only a few people know that the Shi family is actually weak inside and out.

This is not only reflected in the fact that the historian no longer holds an important position in the court, but also in his home life.

Who would have thought that the once prestigious Marquis of Baoling's mansion had secretly fallen to such a ridiculous state that it had to rely on its female members to do needlework to supplement its household income!

After bidding farewell to the hospitable Lady Baoling, Jia Lian left the Shi family residence and boarded his carriage.

The carriage that Jia Lian specially commissioned was very large and luxurious, inspired by his trip to Yangzhou earlier this year when he visited the south of the Yangtze River. At that time, the prefect of Yangzhou and others specially commissioned a luxurious "campervan"-style vehicle for him to use for his daily travel in Yangzhou.

Although Jia Lian did not refuse at the time, he was not foolish enough to brazenly bring the stolen goods to the capital.

However, he did feel that such a carriage was more comfortable and convenient than the standard carriages used by the Jia family. Considering that Sister Feng was a show-off, Jia Lian simply had a luxurious carriage made that was basically no less luxurious than the one in Yangzhou, specifically for him and Sister Feng to use when traveling.

Anyway, given his status as the Marquis of Zhenyuan, having such a carriage is nothing special, as long as he doesn't foolishly tie six, seven, or eight horses to it...

Inside the carriage, the young maid Shi Xiangyun was curiously studying the interior of the carriage when she saw Jia Lian enter. She immediately straightened her appearance and demeanor.

Jia Lian smiled slightly at her, then sat down, lifted the carriage curtain, and ordered the journey to begin.

Although it was Shi Xiangyun's first time sharing a carriage with a man other than her brothers and elders, she didn't seem particularly awkward. After a moment, noticing that Jia Lian hadn't spoken, she asked first, "What did my aunt say to you earlier?"

"It's nothing, just some instructions."

Xiangyun hesitated for a moment, then said, "She must be pestering you to help my two brothers get official positions. Just ignore her."

Shi Xiangyun knew that although the Shi family and the Jia family were both among the four great families, and outsiders all said that the four great families were closely related, only those within the family knew that the relationship between the Shi family and the Jia family was not very close. At least in recent years, it was far less close than the relationship between the Shi family and the Jia family of the other three families.

The reason seems to be related to the fact that her two uncles and the Jia brothers, Jia Zheng and Jia She, didn't get along very well. In short, they didn't seem to have much private contact.

If it weren't for Grandmother Jia's influence, the relationship between the two families would probably be even more distant.

Therefore, Jia Lian rarely visited the Shi family.

Everyone knows that Jia Lian is highly regarded by the emperor and is about to establish a new Imperial Guard headquarters. Even if outsiders don't know the intricacies of the matter, the mere fact that he's part of the "Imperial Guard organization" is enough to make many people desperate to get in.

Her two cousins ​​were almost grown up, but neither of them were good at academics nor martial arts. Her uncle and aunt had long been planning for their future. After the news spread that Jia Lian was going to establish a firearms battalion and that he would be the commander, Xiangyun had heard her uncle and aunt discuss more than once that she wanted to follow in Jia Lian's footsteps.

Especially her aunt, who is the most materialistic person.

Now that Jia Lian has come to pick her up in person, how could her aunt not seize the opportunity? She must have sent her away before because of this.

As the saying goes, it's hard to refuse a favor. Xiangyun felt that if Jia Lian came to pick her up and put him in a difficult position, she wouldn't be at ease. That's why she said that. Perhaps deep down, she also considered herself a member of the Shi family, knowing that with her aunt's words and actions, Jia Lian would easily look down on her.

She has self-respect too.

Jia Lian smiled as he looked at Shi Xiangyun, who was looking very serious. Although he didn't know what she was thinking, he thought that this girl was indeed quite sensible.

To be honest, he had indeed found the Lady of the Bowling Marquis quite annoying before; she was mercenary and obsequious, not befitting the behavior of a marquis's wife.

It's remarkable that Xiangyun, at such a young age, can understand the complexities of the adult world.

Recalling that this girl, though young in the original work, was the most quick-witted and talented, her intelligence rivaled that of Xue and Lin, and even surpassed that of the three spring maidens, I couldn't help but feel even more fond of her.

So he casually patted Xiangyun's head and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll listen to you, we'll just ignore her."

Jia Lian's doting words and actions made Xiangyun slightly uncomfortable, and her face flushed red, a rare occurrence for her.

Seeing this, Jia Lian did not make any further moves. After all, Xiangyun was still a young lady from a respectable family, and she was not his own sister. It would be inappropriate to be too intimate with her. Therefore, after stopping, he leaned against the carriage window to rest.

Xiangyun was naturally lively, and seeing that Jia Lian wasn't upset because of his aunt, she felt happy and moved closer to him, asking him about other things.

"I heard you say before that Sister Bao, Sister Lin, and Sister Tanchun started a poetry club in the garden, with everyone acting as a poet and even choosing their own elegant nicknames. Is that true?"

"Um."

"Great, they actually kept something this fun from me!"

Jia Lian didn't open his eyes, his arms half-crossed, and just smiled, "Didn't they send me to call you?"

Jia Lian's casual words left Xiangyun momentarily speechless.

She held Jia Lian in high esteem. After all, she knew that Jia Lian was a man of great ability and capable of holding a high-ranking official position, a fact evident from the way her arrogant uncle and aunt treated him.

But she felt no kindness or sternness from this person; in fact, she felt an overwhelming sense of warmth. He was so casual even when speaking to a young girl like her, mentioning that Sister Lin and the others had sent him…

Based on Xiangyun's limited knowledge, the only people who could assign tasks to Jia Lian, besides the elders of the Jia family, were probably the emperor.

So, does that mean Sister Lin and the others are even more powerful than the emperor?

While she was thinking these absurd thoughts, her eyes were fixed on Jia Lian's face. Since Jia Lian had his eyes closed, he couldn't see her scrutinizing him, so she could take a bold look and see what she thought of her beloved Second Brother Lian, whom everyone said was handsome and unmatched by anyone.

But as she looked, all the random thoughts in her mind vanished, and all that appeared in her big eyes was Jia Lian's handsome and resolute face. Suddenly, she felt very embarrassed, touched her hot cheeks, and quickly sat back down.

Jia Lian knew Xiangyun was easy to talk to. Noticing her quietness, he opened his eyes and found her sitting with her head down. He thought she was unwell and was about to ask when Zhao'er's voice came from outside: "Second Master, we've arrived at the Zhen family."

"The Zhen family?"

Xiangyun raised her head and looked at Jia Lian with curiosity.

Jia Lian explained with a smile, "I just happened to be passing by to pick up your other sister."

Although Jia Lian said that he would pick up Zhen Yuhuan after she recovered from her illness, for Daiyu's sake, Jia Lian felt that unless the girl was really sick, he should definitely take her back to play with Daiyu today.

He himself felt that he really doted on Daiyu, but unfortunately the little girl was not grateful and grew up too slowly.

Since the incident involving the Crown Princess, no one in the Zhen family has been happy.

However, since Jia Lian came in person, the Zhen family still took it seriously.

"Well, it's not good to trouble you any further, Huan'er. It's too much trouble."

Inside the main hall, Madam Zhen sat in the main seat, looking at the handsome Jia Lian below her, and said with some difficulty.

"What's there to worry about? My sisters at home miss her very much and have asked me about her situation time and time again."

I thought that Sister Yuhuan was a very talented and outstanding woman, and my sisters are also quite remarkable. Now that they have jointly established a poetry club, it would be incomplete without Sister Yuhuan as the founding member, so I made a special trip to invite her.”

"this……"

Originally, Madam Zhen had no intention of letting her daughter go to the Jia family again, because she felt that after what happened that day, even if the Jia family did not laugh at the Zhen family like other mansions, she was afraid that Grandmother Jia and others would not have much hope for the future of the Zhen family.

The Crown Princess is jealous and ill-natured; Huan'er will likely face many difficulties in the Crown Prince's residence. Naturally, others will question whether the Zhen family's investment will be profitable and allow the family to maintain its glory…

"Madam, please rest assured. Since I am the one who invited Sister Huan'er today, I will naturally arrange and take care of her after she arrives at my home. If Sister Huan'er suffers any mishap or is wronged in our home, Madam can hold me accountable in the future."

Hearing Jia Lian put it this way, and meeting her daughter's silent yet earnest gaze, Madam Zhen sighed, "Alright, since you, as her brother, have come to welcome her with such sincerity, if I were to politely decline again, she would surely complain about me, her mother."

Madam Zhen knew a great deal about Jia Lian; he was incredibly busy with state affairs. However, seeing that he had actually kept his word and come to fetch her personally, and noticing that her daughter had been listless and increasingly haggard at home these past few days, completely unlike her former youthful vitality, she considered for a while and decided that letting her daughter visit the Jia family for a few days wouldn't hurt. After all, there were many sisters in her family, and it would be a good opportunity for her to dispel her melancholy.

Therefore, he hurriedly arranged for many loyal and reliable maids and servants to accompany his daughter to Jia Lian.

Inside the carriage, having learned from her first experience, Shi Xiangyun obediently stood up when she heard noises outside the curtain. The carriage was spacious enough to be considered a small room.

But when she saw who had come in first, she was stunned for a moment, then happily went up to the person and asked with a smile, "Sister Lin, it's you! Didn't Brother Lian say he was picking up another sister? What are you two talking about?"

……()