Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Inside the main hall of the enemy's residence, the atmosphere was quiet.

Qiu Tianyin had completely understood Jia Lian's meaning, and his mind raced.

He knew that the Xue family had a powerful background, and Xue Pan's maternal uncle, Wang Ziteng, was already a first-rank military officer, one of the most powerful military officers in the country.

But he wasn't actually too afraid of offending Prince Teng. To put it simply, Prince Teng was unlucky. Although he was in his prime, he was a military officer promoted by the retired emperor. Now that Emperor Ningkang was in power, he clearly intended to marginalize him, otherwise he wouldn't have sent him to the border every now and then.

To put it bluntly, Wang Ziteng is in an awkward situation. Even if he offends someone, it won't have much impact on his enemies.

But Jia Lian is different. Jia Lian is at the height of his power. If he is offended too much today and Jia Lian holds a grudge, even if the enemy has the Prince of Zhongshun's mansion as a backer, his future may not be so good.

After considering for a moment, Qiu Tianyin said, "I am aware of the purpose of the Marquis of Zhenyuan's visit. However, although my Qiu family is the aggrieved party, we cannot interfere with the Ministry of Justice's proceedings, so I am afraid we will disappoint the Marquis of Zhenyuan."

In my humble opinion, whether Young Master Xue lives or dies in this case depends entirely on the outcome of the Ministry of Justice's investigation. Even if I, Qiu, wanted to show the Marquis some leniency, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to.”

Qiu Tianyin bowed apologetically to Jia Lian, but his words already conveyed his refusal.

Jia Lian smiled slightly. Wasn't this already a concession? As if he had misunderstood, Jia Lian smiled nonchalantly and said, "Lord Qiu is too kind. Lord Qiu has already done more than enough by not pursuing the Xue family's faults after losing his beloved son. How could I dare to ask Lord Qiu to plead for Xue Pan?"

"To be frank, Lord Qiu, the reason I've come here is not only to present the true culprit who killed your son for your review, but also to represent the Xue family in atoning for Xue Pan's sins."

"Oh?"

Jia Lian said, "Lord Qiu, you may not know this, but besides being a long-time friend of the Jia family, Xue Pan's mother, now Madam Xue, is also my wife's aunt. Madam Xue is discerning and kind-hearted, and she was deeply saddened to learn that her son had committed murder."

She also told me that, as a parent herself, she deeply understood the pain that Mr. and Mrs. Qiu felt at losing their son. However, what was done was done, and she couldn't undo the harm she had caused them, but she wanted to do everything she could to make amends.

Qiu Tianyin raised an eyebrow. He knew the Xue family had been imperial merchants for generations and must be very wealthy. But if they thought his Qiu family was the kind of people who would swallow their pride for a few taels of silver, they would be sorely mistaken.

For his son's case, he sent out several thousand taels of silver in one go, wanting Xue Pan to pay with his life! The bulk of the money, of course, came from asking Prince Zhongshun to intervene.

Looking at Qiu Tianyin's expression, Jia Lian continued, "Although any compensation would be superfluous for Lord Qiu at this time, it is still the only thing we can do."

I have heard that Lord Qiu has three sons, the third of whom, though young, is exceptionally intelligent and shares the same lineage as Lord Qiu. It just so happens that I have been entrusted by His Majesty with the important task of establishing a new firearms battalion, which is currently lacking some junior officers. If Lord Qiu is willing, you might consider sending your son to join my firearms battalion.

"I dare not speak of others, but if the Third Young Master is truly a promising talent, I can guarantee that he will be promoted to a sixth-rank military officer within three years. It's not impossible that he will reach the same level as Lord Qiu in the future."

Qiu Tianyin, who had expected Jia Lian to offer compensation in silver, was stunned. Even with his composure, he couldn't help but show a look of surprise and doubt: "Does Your Excellency truly mean this?"

Although Qiu Tianyin didn't know much about the Firearms Battalion, its status as a part of the Imperial Guard was enough to make people aware of its importance.

It should be known that the most difficult army to enter in the world is the Imperial Guard. Even a high-ranking general like him cannot directly arrange for all his sons to join the Imperial Guard; there are criteria such as priority.

Moreover, even if he could arrange for his son to enter the Imperial Guard, he would still have to start as a common soldier.

Only the newly established artillery battalion had many vacant officer positions, which were certainly being eyed by many. Just look at the fact that Shi Nai and his wife, despite their marquis status, wanted to put their two sons into Jia Lian's artillery battalion, and you'll know that.

Qiu Tianyin was surprised that Jia Lian would offer this condition, but in an instant, he knew he was tempted. Parents who love their children plan far ahead, and for a family like the Qiu family with a weak foundation, it is especially important for their son to have a bright future.

"I would never lie to Lord Qiu. Moreover, the Xue family is willing to offer 10,000 taels of silver as compensation to the Qiu family, hoping to secure a way out for Xue Pan."

As Jia Lian spoke, he looked at Qiu Tianyin with a very serious expression for the first time: "Lord Qiu must have heard of the legends of the four great families of Jinling. My Jia, Shi, Wang and Xue families have been related by marriage since the beginning of the dynasty. Over the past hundred years, we have supported and looked after each other. We share the same glory and the same loss."

Although Xue Pan is incompetent, he is currently the sole heir of the Xue family's direct line. Therefore, we need him to live.

We humbly request Lord Qiu's understanding of the reasons behind this. If Lord Qiu has any other requests, please feel free to speak them. If the Jia and Xue families cannot fulfill them, the Shi and Wang families will also be happy to oblige.

Qiu Tianyin's eyelids twitched slightly upon hearing this. Jia Lian's meaning was easy to understand: if he agreed to spare Xue Pan's life, all four major families would owe him a favor; if he insisted on Xue Pan's death, it would mean becoming sworn enemies with all four families. And as a member of one of the four major families, even if he was forced into this situation, he would still consider his enemies as adversaries.

What a fine example of using courtesy before resorting to force! Even so, Qiu Tianyin found himself helplessly to the fact that he felt no anger, probably because Jia Lian had gone too far with the "courtesy."

He even tried to put himself in Jia Lian's shoes and felt that if he refused, he would seem ungrateful.

Haha, they're clearly the ones who suffered the most!

Shaking his head, Qiu Tianyin said with a wry smile, "It is not that I disrespect the Marquis's wishes, but as soon as my son died, I reported the whole matter to Prince Zhongshun, and even begged Prince Zhongshun to bring me to the Emperor to plead my case."

If we were to go back on our word now, I fear the Prince of Zhongshun would be furious…

Jia Lian said, "Lord Qiu need not worry about Prince Zhongshun's side. I will personally go to Prince Zhongshun's residence later. Moreover, I am not asking the Qiu family to back out and withdraw the lawsuit. Since the matter has already alarmed the Emperor, it cannot simply end without a trace."

"As long as Lord Qiu observes this case quietly from today onwards, then no matter what the final outcome of the Ministry of Justice's trial is, I will not go back on my promise to Lord Qiu."

Qiu Tianyin breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, no matter how rationally he considered it, from the perspective of saving face alone, he would not agree to Jia Lian asking him, the old father who had just lost his son, to back out and withdraw the lawsuit.

But if he simply observed the situation without appealing, he wouldn't feel so much pressure. Moreover, he wanted to see how these four powerful families would operate, and how Jia Lian would exonerate Xue Pan after he had already pleaded his case before the emperor!

"In that case, I will follow your wishes, Lord Marquis. Rest assured, even if the eldest son of the Xue family is found not guilty in the end, my enemies will not say anything more."

Having made up his mind, Qiu Tianyin felt much more relaxed. He even thought that Jia Lian was quite interesting; perhaps his second son had offended him at the door earlier, which was why he had omitted his second son and instead brought up his own youngest son when making his demands.

However, this also shows that Jia Lian's promotion was genuine, rather than just a perfunctory promise.

It seems this is fate. From now on, the youngest son will likely be much better than his older brother.

However, if his youngest son were to follow Jia Lian in seeking a future, then he would be able to relax. He could easily find a vacancy in the Imperial Guard.

Thinking back to how she had worried about her three sons' future, she never expected that this matter would be resolved so easily after her eldest son's untimely and tragic death.

Suppressing his heartache, Qiu Tianyin smiled and chatted with Jia Lian for a while, then had his youngest son brought out so that he could see Jia Lian out.

……

After leaving the enemy's house, Jia Lian saw Baochai hesitate before getting into the carriage, and couldn't help but laugh, "Didn't expect this enemy to agree so easily?"

Baochai shook her head and said, "Baochai doesn't think it's easy. It's easy for Brother Lian, but for others, I'm afraid even if you talk until the end, it would be difficult to change the enemy's attitude."

Baochai was not lying; she was telling the truth. For example, many of the influential people her Xue family had previously invited couldn't even get into their enemies' homes, let alone persuade them.

Jia Lian nodded, also feeling that Baochai possessed unique intelligence, and intended to offer her some guidance.

"Actually, the reason why Qiu Tianyin agreed so easily was not only for his son's sake, but also for his own. Qiu Tianyin had been in the position of Left Commandant of the Guards for many years without moving, and the Guards currently had two deputy commanders, one of whom was over sixty years old and might retire at any time."

Qiu Tianyin must be eager to advance further, and he knows that my Jia family still has some influence in the Ministry of War. Therefore, he fears that if he refuses, I will retaliate and ruin his promotion.

Baochai suddenly realized. Indeed, given Lian Ergege's status, it might be difficult for him to promote a fourth-rank military officer without cause, but it would be very easy for him to ruin a fourth-rank military officer's promotion.

She just didn't quite understand: "Since Second Brother Lian knew about this, why didn't he say anything just now?"

Jia Lian smiled slightly: "Why should we say it? Some things that we both know are better left unsaid than spoken."

Baochai nodded, seemingly understanding. Watching her smile, effortlessly resolving what others considered insurmountable difficulties, compared to her own good-for-nothing brother… well, comparing her brother to Lian Er was unfair to him.

Jia Lian eventually arrived at the Ministry of Justice. As one of the most powerful government agencies in the Great Wei Dynasty, the Ministry of Justice was naturally located next to the Forbidden City, deep within a heavily guarded area.

Baochai couldn't help but perk up even more.

As expected, under Jia Lian's guidance, the officer in charge of the duty did not make things difficult for her and had someone take her to see Xue Pan, while Jia Lian stayed in the main hall, obviously having more important things to discuss.

The Ministry of Justice's prison was not as dark as I had imagined, nor were there any screams from the prisoners; the whole place was quiet and orderly.

"arrive."

The jailer leading the way glanced at Baochai discreetly, then lowered his head and walked away. Baochai responded and looked at the cell in front of her.

On that straw mat, a chubby man with disheveled hair and dirty clothes was lying quietly on his side. Who else could it be but her brother, Xue Pan?

Baochai couldn't help but cry out in sorrow, "Brother...!"

It took several calls to wake the person inside.

Xue Pan stared blankly, but when he realized it was Baochai who had come to see him, he immediately jumped up, crying, "My dear sister, how could you be so heartless? Why did it take you so long to come see me? Where is Mother?"

"She didn't come. After you were brought here, we couldn't come to see you anymore. It was Brother Lian who brought me here, which is how I was able to come in."

As Baochai spoke, she took a roast chicken that she had prepared in advance from the food box and handed it to Xue Pan.

However, after hearing Jia Lian's name, Xue Pan immediately lost all interest in his favorite roast chicken.

"Brother Lian Er is here too? Haha, I knew it! So, I can get out now? You guys are really something, it's been so many days and you only just thought to call Brother Lian Er to rescue me. You have no idea how much I've suffered in here..."

Even though Baochai felt sorry for Xue Pan's dirty appearance at this moment, she was still angry at his lack of self-control and scolded him: "How dare you blame others? You caused such a mess yourself, and you don't even know how many tears your mother has shed."

"Unlike your brother Lian Er, he has important matters to attend to; he doesn't have time to care about you! If Mother hadn't personally gone to Tianjin to bring him back, you might as well have waited here to die."

Seeing that his sister was angry, Xue Pan realized he had spoken out of turn. He scratched his head and said a few nice words, then happily picked up the roast chicken and started eating it, saying things like how he never realized roast chicken was so delicious before.

Baochai looked at him quietly, sighing inwardly. She knew that Xue Pan was in prison and probably had no idea about his situation.

I don't intend to say much more; it's a good thing that he can maintain such a good attitude.

After Xue Pan finished eating, Baochai whispered to him that the family would hire a lawyer for him, and on the day of the court hearing, he should not say anything carelessly, but only say that he had been drinking and did not know anything.

Like Jia Lian, Baochai felt that given Xue Pan's intelligence, there was no need for him to collude with her; the less he said, the less likely he was to make a mistake.

Xue Pan initially agreed readily, but upon hearing Baochai's words implying that all the blame should be placed on Sun Shaozu, he immediately became displeased.

"Am I, Xue Pan, such a disloyal person? I'd rather die than betray Brother Sun to save my own life!"

Baochai was furious. She tried to persuade him a few times, but seeing that he still had bulging eyes and an unyielding look, she couldn't help but scold him: "Then you might as well pay with your life! I'll persuade Mother to pretend that she never had a son like you!"

"What's wrong?"

Suddenly hearing Jia Lian's voice, Baochai quickly wiped away her tears and stood up from the ground.

Upon seeing Jia Lian, Xue Pan immediately adopted a fawning expression: "Second Brother Lian, you've come! I knew you would come to save me."

Why should I definitely come to save you?

"Well……"

Xue Pan scratched his head. "Well, you're my cousin-in-law, aren't you? How could you just stand by and watch me pay for someone's life?"

Jia Lian ignored Xue Pan, looked at Baochai, and asked softly, "What happened?"

Baochai remained silent, only glaring fiercely at Xue Pan. Xue Pan said, "It's all her fault. She came up with a way to save me, which was to have Brother Sun take the blame for me! When I refused, she cried."

Second Brother Lian, you don't know, but Brother Sun is my newly sworn brother, named Sun Shaozu. He's incredibly righteous, highly skilled in martial arts, and possesses immense strength. His family even had ancestors who were from your Rongguo Mansion!

"Isn't it perfect that you're looking to recruit personal guards? If you could bring him into your ranks, he would definitely be a formidable general!"

As he spoke, Xue Pan proudly raised his chin and said, "Although I, Xue Pan, am not very capable, I would never betray my brothers. Hmph, otherwise, despite the Ministry of Justice interrogating me several times over the past few days, I haven't confessed!"

Jia Lian, too lazy to waste words with this idiot, said directly, "Either listen to our arrangements, or die. Think it over carefully, and answer me when you've made up your mind."

Realizing Jia Lian wasn't joking, Xue Pan was speechless and stammered, "Isn't there a third option, like arranging someone else...?"

Without saying a word, Jia Lian took Baochai's hand and left.

"Hey, hey, hey, no, no, no..."

"I'll listen to you, okay?"

Xue Pan muttered to himself, genuinely surprised that Jia Lian and Baochai would actually leave.

He pressed himself against the cell door, waiting for a long time without anyone returning. He then slumped to the ground, his face full of regret.

Hmm? Did Brother Lian just hold my sister's hand?

Could it be?

"That's it, that's it, hahaha, I'm definitely not going to die..."

Xue Pan chuckled foolishly. No wonder his second brother Lian had rushed back to save him; no wonder even their mother hadn't come today, only his second brother Lian and his sister; no wonder his sister was willing to let a man hold her hand!

In a short time, Xue Pan understood everything.