Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The Qiu family, a family of fourth-rank military officers, was considered a middle-class official family in the capital. Qiu Tianyin was the Left Commandant of the Imperial Guard Battalion, a mid-to-high-ranking officer in the Imperial Guard.

"Cry, cry, all you do is cry! Do you think crying yourself to death will bring Pan'er back to life?!"

In the back room of the Qiu family, Qiu Tianyin looked at his wife who had been crying in front of him for a long time and cursed her in annoyance.

"Master, you must avenge our Pan'er! Pan'er can't die in vain! That bastard from the Xue family must pay with his life! Waaah, my poor Pan'er..."

"Don't worry, Pan'er will not die in vain! The Prince Zhongshun's Mansion has already agreed to supervise the Ministry of Justice to handle this case impartially. With the Prince Zhongshun's Mansion here, no matter how powerful the Xue family is, they can't escape their crimes. I will make Xue Pan pay for Pan'er's life!"

"Alright, you can go now. Let me have some peace and quiet."

Just as Qiu Tianyin was wearily sending his wife away, the steward rushed over and shouted, "Master, something terrible has happened! The Marquis of Zhenyuan, Jia Lian, has attacked..."

"What!?"

Qiu Tianyin immediately stood up and walked outside, questioning the steward about what had happened.

"Reporting to Master, the Second Young Master was receiving guests in the outer courtyard on your orders when Jia Lian suddenly arrived with his men, saying he had come to pay respects to the First Master. The Second Young Master remembered Master's instructions and refused to receive any of the four great families of the old capital or their relatives and friends, so he kindly persuaded him to leave."

But Jia Lian not only ignored the Second Young Master, his personal guards also blocked our gate. The Second Young Master dared not act on his own and came to ask you, sir, for your intervention.

"You bastard!"

Qiu Tianyin was furious.

The reason he ordered the Xue family and their relatives not to enter was mainly because many people had initially come to plead on their behalf at the Xue family's request, which annoyed him greatly. So he simply instructed all families that had long-standing friendships with the Xue family to be turned away, which indeed saved him a lot of trouble.

He felt that Jia Lian dared to act this way because he was relying on his family background and official rank, and that he didn't take his enemies seriously at all.

He stormed to the outer courtyard, where he saw his second son jumping up and down at the gate, cursing, "Jia Lian, don't think you can act so recklessly just because you're a marquis! I'll make sure my father reports this to the Prince of Zhongshun's mansion and to the imperial court, so you can be punished for your arrogance and rebellion..."

Hearing his son's shouting, Qiu Tianyin couldn't help but glance at the housekeeper: Is this what you call "kind advice"?

He unconsciously slowed his pace, suppressed his anger, and walked over with a composed demeanor.

Upon reaching the gate, one sees two rows of neatly dressed, solemn-looking armored soldiers lined up on either side of the main entrance. Surrounded by these soldiers, several tall horses stand at the head, with a young man in a black crown and splendid robes, his face as bright as the moon and his eyes as bright as new stars.

He simply rode calmly on his white horse, yet he exuded boundless power, causing all who met his gaze to feel ashamed.

Qiu Tianyin felt a chill run down his spine, thinking to himself that this person was indeed no ordinary person, having made such a name for himself and been entrusted with important responsibilities by the current emperor!

"What happened?"

"Father, you've finally come! This is the man! Not only did he trespass into my enemy's house, but he also had his son beaten! Waaah, Father, you must avenge me!"

Qiu Tianyin, who had been pretending to be nonchalant, felt his anger rise again after seeing his son looking at him pitifully with a faint handprint on his face.

Do these four powerful families really think their enemies are weak and easily bullied?!

He glared at his son, ordering him to leave, then turned to Jia Lian and asked in a deep voice, "May I ask, Lord Zhenyuan, what is the meaning of this?"

As Qiu Tianyin sized up Jia Lian, Jia Lian also noticed him. Jia Lian had only been in the court for a short time and spent most of his time on official business, so he didn't recognize many of the officials, especially military officers like Qiu Tianyin.

Seeing his tall stature and steady gaze, one could tell that this man was no good-for-nothing. No wonder he was able to rise from humble beginnings to curry favor with the Prince of Zhongshun's household and eventually become a fourth-rank official.

Upon hearing the question, Jia Lian replied calmly, "Lord Qiu, are you asking about your second son? Oh, this is just my good intention."

The second young master was too agitated and spoke rudely. If it were only rude to me, that would be one thing. I serve in the same court as Lord Qiu and we are colleagues, so I will not hold a grudge against a junior.

However, the second young master spoke recklessly, saying that his enemy was a member of the Prince Zhongshun's mansion, and that if he did not leave, his enemy would report to the Prince Zhongshun's mansion and do something to him.

I think to myself, Lord Qiu is a general of the Imperial Guard, and he bears the great responsibility of protecting the safety of the Forbidden City. Even if he were to acknowledge a master, it should be His Majesty. How could he possibly acknowledge someone else?

Therefore, for Lord Qiu's future and safety, I had someone slap the second young master to teach him a lesson for his momentary slip of the tongue. If Lord Qiu feels that I have done wrong, I apologize to him on this matter.

Jia Lian, mounted on his horse, bowed politely. However, his courteous demeanor made Qiu Tianyin's heart skip a beat.

What a show of force! How could Qiu Tianyin not understand the meaning behind Jia Lian's words? He was implying that Jia Lian's enemies were disloyal to their master, and that Prince Zhongshun was forming cliques and plotting something sinister!

But he really didn't dare to ignore it. If someone else had said such things, Qiu Tianyin could have ignored them, but not Jia Lian.

Rumor has it that this young man is a close confidant of the emperor. If he were to use this as a pretext to slander the emperor, the Prince Zhongshun's mansion might not be able to do anything, but his enemies would likely hold a grudge against the emperor.

Therefore, he slapped his second son across the face, then bowed to Jia Lian and said, "What Marquis Zhenyuan said is absolutely right. My son is young and ignorant, and speaks recklessly. He should indeed be taught a lesson. Although my enemies have connections with the Prince Zhongshun's mansion, it is only because the Prince Zhongshun showed me kindness when I was down on my luck."

As for the ignorant claim that my enemies are from the Prince Zhongshun's mansion, that is utter nonsense. I, Qiu Tianyin, am paid by the emperor and must be loyal to him. How could I not understand the duties of a subject to his ruler? I thank Your Excellency for your understanding regarding today's events.”

As he spoke, Qiu Tianyin bowed deeply. After he stood up, he said expressionlessly, "But I don't know what brings you here today, Lord Marquis. To be honest, my Qiu family has been experiencing many misfortunes lately, and my son has just passed away. If you have no other instructions, please forgive me for not being able to receive you..."

Before Qiu Tianyin could finish speaking, Jia Lian dismounted and casually waved his hand, saying, "Lord Qiu, there's no need for such formalities. I already know about your eldest son's situation. Please accept my condolences."

"Speaking of which, I and the eldest son were old friends. Knowing of his misfortune, I am deeply saddened. I have come here specifically to pay my respects and express my condolences."

As Jia Lian spoke, he took the prepared 300 silver coins as a sacrificial gift from Xue Baochai behind him, placed it in Qiu Tianyin's hands, patted him on the shoulder to comfort him, and then walked into the gate on his own.

Qiu Tianyin opened his mouth, momentarily at a loss for words. Did he really think Jia Lian couldn't understand his refusal to entertain guests, and still claimed to be an old friend of Pan'er? Hmph, if Pan'er truly had a relationship with this person, she wouldn't have been beaten to death by that bastard from the Xue family!

Taking a deep breath, Qiu Tianyin handed the sacrificial offerings to his son and followed Jia Lian. He wanted to see what Jia Lian wanted to say. If he was also here to plead for the Xue family, he would teach him a lesson about the law of the trade: a life for a life, and debts must be repaid!

……

Jia Lian's arrival caused quite a stir among his enemies.

However, because of what happened at the gate, even Qiu Tianyin was "extra polite" to Jia Lian, so the rest of the Qiu family did not dare to offend him anymore. They just secretly and curiously observed this most famous young marquis in the country.

Qiu Tianyin stood outside the mourning hall, watching as Jia Lian slowly walked to his son's coffin, bowed three times, and then took three incense sticks from a servant, reverently placing them in the incense burner.

Seeing this, Qiu Tianyin almost began to doubt whether his good-for-nothing son had really had a deep friendship with Jia Lian before his death!

His hostility towards Jia Lian subtly diminished. It wasn't that he truly believed Jia Lian's words, but rather that it was difficult to evoke life-or-death animosity from someone like Jia Lian.

Therefore, after Jia Lian came out of the mourning hall, Qiu Tianyin bowed and then got straight to the point: "Now that Your Excellency has finished the mourning, I will not keep you any longer. If you have any other instructions, please speak them."

However, I must state beforehand that if Your Excellency is also here to plead for the Xue family, then please forgive my disrespect.”

Despite Qiu Tianyin's blunt warning, Jia Lian remained unfazed, even showing some surprise: "Lord Qiu, what makes you say such a thing? It's an age-old saying that a life for a life, a debt for a debt—it's only right and proper. Why would I, this lord, plead for the Xue family!"

A few steps away, Baochai, dressed as a maid, showed a slight change in expression, but made no comment.

Qiu Tianyin was also stunned. "Then what is this, Lord Marquis...?"

"Oh, but I have come here because I have something important to discuss with Lord Qiu."

Jia Lian glanced around and said, "Lord Qiu wouldn't be planning to speak with me here, would he?"

Qiu Tianyin hesitated for a moment, then clasped his hands in a fist salute and waved his hand, saying, "Please."

Upon arriving at the main hall, Qiu Tianyin had tea served. He initially intended for Jia Lian to speak first, unsure of Jia Lian's intentions. However, Jia Lian seemed unhurried, even taking the time to discuss the Qiu family's tea and brewing techniques. Eventually, Qiu Tianyin's patience wore thin, and he spoke first:

"We'd like to speak frankly, so please state your purpose, Lord Marquis. If there's anything my enemies could do, please give the order. But if you've come to plead for the Xue family, please refrain from speaking."

As he spoke, Qiu Tianyin couldn't help but glance again at Baochai, who was standing beside Jia Lian, and thought to himself that the rumors were true; this Marquis of Zhenyuan was indeed a romantic philanderer. There were rumors that the reason he refused the Empress Dowager's arranged marriage was because he worried that marrying the Princess would prevent him from being as romantic as before, thus betraying all the beauties around him.

Now it seems there was no smoke without fire. One wonders what his intentions were in bringing such a beautiful maid to his enemy's house today.

Jia Lian took another sip of tea before setting down his cup and smiling, "Although I didn't come to plead for the Xue family, what I've said is indeed related to your son's death?"

Just as I thought! Qiu Tianyin said coldly, "Oh, what does Your Excellency wish to discuss?"

Jia Lian clapped his hands with a smile, and a moment later, Qiu Tianyin saw Jia Lian's personal guards bring in a person bound up.

Qiu Tianyin glanced at Sun Shaozu, who was staring intently at Jia Lian and unable to speak due to something stuffed in his mouth, and asked in surprise, "Who is this person?"

Jia Lian laughed and said, "This fellow's surname is Sun, and his given name is Shaozu. He is also one of the main culprits who caused your son's misfortune. However, because he was cunning, he fled on the day of the incident. Fortunately, the officers and soldiers of my military command had been keeping an eye on him, which is why we were able to prevent him from escaping justice."

Today, I was prepared to personally escort him to the Ministry of Justice for severe interrogation. However, considering that Lord Qiu, an elderly man, has outlived his son due to this纨绔 (wan ku, a spoiled, dissolute young man) who caused trouble while drunk, I felt deeply sorry for him. Therefore, I brought him along as well, so that Lord Qiu can vent his pain and anger.

Looking at Jia Lian, who was speaking with a straight face, Qiu Tianyin sneered, "Does Your Excellency think that I, a three-year-old child, would believe you if you just threw a servant in as a scapegoat?"

"He's no servant. This Sun Shaozu was originally a military officer in Datong Prefecture, Shanxi Province. He was dismissed last year for assaulting his superior while drunk."

Speaking of which, the Sun family is a family of military officers; their ancestors were high-ranking generals in the army, and some even served under my ancestor. In fact, Sun Shaozu is a legitimate disciple of my Jia family.

As for taking the blame? Heh, although the Jia family and the Xue family are old friends, if I, Jia Lian, were to say that I would sacrifice a protégé of the Rongguo Mansion for a mere wastrel of the Xue family, I'm afraid even Lord Qiu might not believe it.”

Sun Shaozu, pale from blood loss, felt a surge of hatred upon hearing Jia Lian's words. He still couldn't understand how he had offended Jia Lian so badly that Jia Lian would openly admit he was a disciple of the Rongguo Mansion while simultaneously trying to kill him at all costs.

If it's about taking the blame for Xue Pan, then Jia Lian started targeting the Sun family last year! Could it be that Jia Lian could predict the future and knew that Xue Pan would run into trouble this year?

Qiu Tianyin was also puzzled. He believed that someone of Jia Lian's status wouldn't fabricate such an identity so easily. If this person truly came from a military family, and wasn't a servant of the Jia or Xue families...

"The Marquis claims he is the mastermind behind the murder of my son. What is your proof?"

"It's not difficult to verify this matter, and I wouldn't actually treat Lord Qiu like a child, trying to deceive him with such an easily exposed lie. There were many witnesses present when Young Master Qiu Pan met his demise. Lord Qiu only needs to find a few witnesses to corroborate this, and he will know that what I said is true."

"If Lord Qiu trusts me, I have already sent men to invite the madam of Jinxiang Courtyard and several pimps who were present at the time. They are waiting outside the door. Lord Qiu, you can ask them in and find out the truth."

Qiu Tianyin pondered for a moment, then said, "I appreciate Your Excellency's kindness. However, there's no need for such trouble; I have my own method of verification."

With that, Qiu Tianyin instructed the steward, "Go and fetch Zhang Rang!"

The steward responded and left, while Jia Lian silently took a sip of tea, his brows furrowed, seemingly lost in thought.

After a while, a man dressed as a servant, with bandages wrapped around his arms and head, was brought in by the steward.

"This was my son's personal servant. He was present at the scene on the day of the incident. If this person is truly the mastermind behind my son's death, he must recognize him... Does Your Excellency understand what I mean?"

Qiu Tianyin looked at Jia Lian, who merely smiled casually. He then turned and pointed at Sun Shaozu, solemnly asking the newcomer, "Zhang Rang, do you recognize this person?"

The man approached Sun Shaozu, scrutinized him for a long time, and suddenly exclaimed, "It's him! It's him! Master, he's also one of those scoundrels Xue Pan's men. That day, besides Xue Pan, this man was the most ruthless! I was protecting you at the door when Xue Pan came with several men to cause trouble for you. I tried to protect you, but this man punched me in the forehead, knocking me unconscious on the spot. That's why I couldn't protect you properly..."

Hearing the servant say this, Baochai breathed a sigh of relief. Although Baochai had a detailed understanding of what happened that day, she had never paid any attention to Sun Shaozu.

Since Sun Shaozu was not arrested, she and Aunt Xue and others assumed that Sun Shaozu, like Feng Ziying and others, was merely present and did not take any action.

Therefore, although Baochai knew that Jia Lian intended to use Sun Shaozu to take the blame for his brother, she was unsure of the chances of success, let alone whether her enemies would fall for it. Now it seems that Sun Shaozu was indeed not innocent.

Little did Baochai know that Sun Shaozu, eager to curry favor with Xue Pan, was going to great lengths to impress him, almost treating Xue Pan like his own father. Given the circumstances that day, he naturally took the lead, hoping to gain favor with Xue Pan!

Qiu Tianyin had not expected things to turn out this way. Although he knew that Xue Pan had not been the only one to kill his son that day, he assumed that the other participants were merely Xue Pan's servants and lackeys, and therefore he would not care.

All he wanted was for Xue Pan to die.

Knowing that Sun Shaozu was indeed one of the participants that day, and considering that Jia Lian had revealed Sun's identity from the beginning, Qiu Tianyin roughly understood Jia Lian's meaning.

Waving the servant away, Qiu Tianyin said, "Many thanks to Your Excellency for capturing and bringing to justice the murderer who harmed my son. The entire Qiu family is deeply grateful to Your Excellency. However..."

Even if this person participated in beating my son that day, it doesn't mean he's the main culprit. Everyone knows that Xue Pan is the real murderer who killed my son. As the saying goes, every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor. This concerns my son's life and death. If I, as an official, listen to only one side of the story and let the real murderer go unpunished, I fear my son, if he knew this in the afterlife, would not rest in peace.”

Qiu Tianyin did not want to offend Jia Lian, nor did he want to let Xue Pan go, so he used tactful but clear words to try to shut Jia Lian down.

Jia Lian nodded and said, "Lord Qiu is right. I didn't mean to exonerate Xue Pan. What I said just now was that he is one of the main culprits."

Qiu Tianyin's eyes showed gratitude. He felt a little admiration for Jia Lian. To be honest, if he were in Jia Lian's position, he wouldn't be able to remain so calm and composed, speaking in such an unapproachable manner.

With a wave of his hand, Jia Lian ordered Sun Shaozu to be taken away, and continued, "To be honest, when Sun Shaozu was an official in Datong Prefecture, he was an arrogant and domineering person who committed all sorts of evil deeds. Last year, his family suddenly fell into ruin, and he wandered to the capital, where he met Xue Pan by chance."

Xue Pan was only seventeen or eighteen years old, young and inexperienced, and easily misled. Sun Shaozu, being in dire straits himself, naturally tried his best to curry favor with Xue Pan, hoping to use Xue Pan's influence to turn his life around.

I was not present at the time of the incident, and I dare not make any rash judgments about the situation. But Lord Qiu, please consider this: your son, no matter what, is a son of a military family, while Xue Pan is nothing but a dissolute playboy, addicted to wine and women, obese, and quite stupid.

How could such a person, especially one who had been drinking, possibly be a match for Young Master Qiu? Let alone beat him to death. There must be some suspicious circumstances that most people overlook.

When Baochai heard Jia Lian's critical remarks about Xue Pan, even though she knew Jia Lian was intentionally trying to appear weak in front of Qiu Tianyin, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. It turned out that in the eyes of outsiders, her brother was truly so despicable; even her second brother, Lian, viewed him in the same way.

Qiu Tianyin was no fool; he knew Jia Lian was subtly pleading for the Xue family. Even so, he felt there was some truth to what Jia Lian said.

It's common for young masters of powerful families to have conflicts and cause trouble after drinking. Unless there's a deep-seated hatred, who would actually kill someone? That's why he was so furious when he learned that his son had been beaten to death, vowing to make the Xue family pay for their blood debt.

But now, looking back at Jia Lian's words and considering Sun Shaozu, whom they had just met, this man was so strong and powerful. If he was one of the perpetrators that day, he might very well be the mastermind behind their son's death.

Seeing that Qiu Tianyin remained silent but his eyes clearly showed he was deep in thought, Jia Lian said, "I know that given the relationship between the Jia and Xue families, no matter what I say, it will be suspected of being a smooth talker in front of Lord Qiu. Here's what we'll do: Sun Shaozu wasn't the only one who went to Jinxiang Courtyard for drinks with Xue Pan and the others that day; there were several other princes and nobles, including Feng Ziying, the young master of the Shenwu General's Mansion."

I have already sent someone to invite Young Master Feng here. Perhaps he could recount the events leading up to and following the incident to Lord Qiu in person. I believe that after understanding this, Lord Qiu will have a clearer understanding of the cause of your son's death. I'm sure this is also what Lord Qiu desires—that your son's death not be left shrouded in mystery.

After saying this, Jia Lian sent someone to invite Feng Ziying in. Qiu Tianyin raised an eyebrow but did not refuse.

Feng Ziying was naturally invited by Jia Lian. After meeting Qiu Tianyin, he recounted in detail how they and Xue Pan had met at Jinxiang Courtyard and what had happened there. Of course, the focus was on how Sun Shaozu fawned over Xue Pan and how he encouraged Xue Pan to cause trouble after learning that Qiu Pan had chosen Yun'er.

In short, it was Feng Ziying's task to define Sun Shaozu as the culprit.

"That day, Xue Pan got completely drunk. Although my nephew, Wang Ziwen, Chen Yejun, and others tried their best to dissuade him, Sun Shaozu was encouraging him from the side. We could not persuade him and could only watch as Sun Shaozu took Xue Pan upstairs."

As I didn't witness what happened next, I can't say for sure. However, when we heard about the incident and rushed over, Young Master Qiu was already dead. At that time, besides Xue Pan and his two servants standing there dumbfounded, being arrested by the Shuntian Prefecture constables, Sun Shaozu had long since vanished.

Feng Ziying concluded by saying this.

Qiu Tianyin listened silently, then suddenly said to Feng Ziying, "If I remember correctly, in the third year of Ningkang, you fought with my son in a restaurant, severely injuring him. He was bedridden for half a month."

Feng Ziying looked ashamed: "I dare not lie in front of you, Uncle. I was young and impetuous and made a big mistake. My father punished me severely afterwards and said that if it weren't for your magnanimity, I would have been in prison."

My nephew still remembers his uncle's forgiveness and vowed never to fight with anyone over trivial matters again. Now I have joined the service of the Marquis of Zhenyuan and aspire to become a person like my uncle and my father.

Qiu Tianyin waved his hand, "You don't need to flatter me. Back then, it was just a quarrel between the two of you juniors, and you were both injured. I naturally don't take it to heart. General Feng is a peerless hero and a pillar of the court. I dare not compare myself to General Feng. If you can be like the old general in the future, fighting bravely on the battlefield and making contributions to the country, then you will not disgrace your Feng family."

It was only then that Jia Lian realized that the Feng family and the Qiu family actually had some connection. No wonder Feng Ziying and Qiu Pan were childhood friends.

However, Qiu Tianyin said that it was just a quarrel between juniors, and that both sides were hurt, so he didn't take it to heart... It's probably because both families are military families, and his son couldn't beat Feng Ziying, so he was too embarrassed to say anything more.

But then Qiu Tianyin suddenly asked, "You just said you've joined the ranks of Marquis Zhenyuan?"

Although he was asking about Feng Ziying, his eyes were fixed on Jia Lian. Jia Lian said, "It's like this, Young Master Feng is exceptionally skilled in martial arts and comes from a military family. He volunteered to serve as the martial arts instructor in my newly established firearms battalion, and his performance has been excellent."

I admire Young Master Feng's talent and have already submitted a memorial to the court, preparing to appoint him as a captain in my musketeer battalion.

Qiu Tianyin twitched his lips, thinking to himself, no wonder Feng Ziying ignored his good father and instead fawned over Jia Lian; there must be benefits to it.

Damn it, I worked hard for most of my life to become a fourth-rank Imperial Guard Captain, and this kid went straight to the fifth-rank rank of Captain, only two small steps away from me!

Qiu Tianyin remained silent. Feng Ziying glanced at Jia Lian and quietly withdrew.

Jia Lian wasn't in a hurry; his purpose in coming here was to appease this enemy. Only if this enemy stopped focusing on Xue Pan and even resolved the conflict could things proceed more smoothly.

Therefore, this can be considered the most crucial step in saving Xue Pan.