Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Inside the Imperial City, in front of the Prince Zhongshun's Mansion.

Jia Lian rode his horse to the carriage and said to Baochai, who was looking at him through the curtain, "Baochai, wait for me here. I'll be right back."

Rumor has it that Prince Zhongshun is a lecherous man, and Jia Lian doesn't want to bring Baochai to him, lest it cause trouble.

"I will leave it to Second Brother Lian to arrange."

Seeing Baochai nod slightly and agree naturally, Jia Lian couldn't help but think to himself, "This girl is truly sensible and delightful."

"Give me the 'Ode to Mount Jiuyi'."

"Yes."

Baochai hurriedly took out the name card that Jia Lian had asked her to prepare from the carriage. At the same time, she realized that her second brother Lian wanted this item to get in touch with Prince Zhongshun's mansion. It was clear that her second brother Lian's thoughts and considerations were far-reaching and beyond the reach of ordinary people.

So Baochai sat in the carriage and watched as Jia Lian entered the Prince Zhongshun's mansion with his visiting card, and came out less than a quarter of an hour later.

Baochai couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Although Jia Lian had acted with great confidence and influential figures had shown him some leniency, the Prince Zhongshun, whom her second brother was now facing, was, after all, a prince of the current dynasty and the emperor's own brother.

Whether Prince Zhongshun would give face to Lian Er Gege is hard to say. If Lian Er Gege loses face in front of the imperial family because of her brother's affairs, then it would be the fault of the Xue family.

Therefore, even with Baochai's composure, upon seeing Jia Lian slowly approaching, she couldn't help but lower her voice and ask, "How is it? Has Second Brother Lian been mistreated?"

Jia Lian was taken aback, then smiled and said, "No, Prince Zhongshun is quite easy to talk to..."

Jia Lian was taken aback because he was surprised that Baochai's focus at this moment was not on whether he had succeeded in persuading her, but on whether he, Jia Lian, had been made difficult.

However, in Baochai's view, it was just a pretense by Jia Lian to avoid making her feel guilty.

Baochai remained silent. She wanted to express her gratitude, but felt that any words of thanks would seem shallow and insincere at this moment. She could only keep this kindness in her heart on behalf of the Xue family.

Judging from Baochai's expression, Jia Lian knew that the girl was overthinking things. In fact, he hadn't been harassed by Prince Zhongshun at all; on the contrary, Prince Zhongshun had been quite polite to him.

This is not surprising. Although Prince Zhongshun is of noble status, with Jia Lian's current momentum, he is not someone that just anyone can trample on.

He was a military general trusted by Emperor Ningkang, and Prince Zhongshun's current power was all due to Emperor Ningkang's favor. In addition, he and Prince Zhongshun had no major conflicts of interest so far, the only unpleasantness was probably that he had captured Prince Zhongshun's second son and imprisoned him in the Imperial Ancestral Temple for a month last year.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Prince Zhongshun was willing to stand up for his enemy; he probably wanted to teach the four major families, led by the Jia family, or rather, Jia Lian, a lesson. Now that Jia Lian has come to the door with gifts, Prince Zhongshun's displeasure has naturally dissipated.

Before leaving, Prince Zhongshun even patted Jia Lian on the shoulder, saying that serving in the same court as a straightforward person like Marquis Zhenyuan was truly a great pleasure in life...

As for Xue Pan's life or death... he, a prince, wouldn't care whether any Tom, Dick, or Harry lives or dies.

Jia Lian had no intention of explaining the reasons to Baochai, but he was happy to let her feel that she had done a lot for the Xue family.

As dusk approached, Jia Lian prepared to take Baochai back untouched. Just as he turned the corner, he saw many palace maids and eunuchs standing in an empty space on one side of the Imperial Street, with a magnificent carriage parked in the middle.

Upon seeing this familiar scene, Jia Lian knew exactly who it was. Therefore, without waiting for a palace maid to approach and announce his arrival, he greeted Baochai and rode directly over.

"Jia Lian greets the princess."

"Lord Zhenyuan, please ascend the carriage to speak." The curtain was not lifted, only a clear and melodious voice, tinged with a hint of joy, rang out from inside the carriage.

Jia Lian glanced around and noticed that both the palace maids and eunuchs had their heads bowed and hands hanging down, their eyes fixed straight ahead. He then realized that these people must be Princess Zhaoyang's confidants.

He smiled, jumped off his horse, and climbed into the luxurious carriage in front of him.

Inside the familiar carriage, a faint floral fragrance filled the air. Princess Zhaoyang, dressed in a yellow palace gown, sat regally at the head of the table, with a maidservant serving tea at her feet.

Meeting in a private room, Jia Lian naturally didn't need to put on airs. He simply plopped down to one side, took the tea from the maid's hand, and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing his casual demeanor, Princess Zhaoyang's smile deepened. She opened her lips and said with a smile, "This morning I received a letter from Erlang, asking me to keep an eye on the Xue family's case. I thought Erlang was too busy to return to the capital. Why did you suddenly change your mind?"

"It's hard to refuse my elders' earnest request. Now that I've finished my business, it's time to go back to the capital for a visit."

"Is that so?"

Princess Zhaoyang took a sip of fragrant tea and smiled, "Judging from the letter between Erlang and me, Erlang doesn't seem to have any connection with Xue Pan. Yet he made a special trip all the way from Tianjin to save his life; there must be some reason behind it."

Let me guess. I've heard that although Xue Pan is naturally dull-witted, he has a younger sister who was rejected by the imperial concubine selection process. She is said to be exceptionally beautiful and virtuous, surpassing many other ladies from prominent families in the capital. I wonder if it's true.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian's heart skipped a beat. If he hadn't known Princess Zhaoyang's temperament and wisdom, he probably would have suspected that this girl had planted a spy by his side.

"Yes, the rumors are true. Xue Pan's sister is indeed quite different from her brother."

Seeing Jia Lian readily admit it, Princess Zhaoyang smiled but didn't pursue the matter further. She waved for the maid to leave, then stared intently at Jia Lian, making him feel uneasy.

"What's wrong?" Jia Lian finally couldn't help but ask, feigning concern.

"Hehe, Erlang, you don't have any male heirs yet, do you?" Princess Zhaoyang asked whimsically.

Jia Lian was puzzled as to why Princess Zhaoyang would ask such a question, but he replied without batting an eye, "Yes, I only have a daughter who is one or two and a half years old."

"How about Qingran gives birth to a son for Erlang?"

Jia Lian was stunned. Looking at Princess Zhaoyang, who was smiling at him, his gaze involuntarily shifted to her abdomen. He said incredulously, "You...?"

"What, Erlang is unwilling?" Princess Zhaoyang said softly, touching her lower abdomen with one hand.

Jia Lian smiled brightly, lifted his buttocks, and pulled Princess Zhaoyang into his arms, laughing, "What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly be unwilling? I was just too excited. When did this happen?"

"It was only discovered a few days ago. The doctor said it's been almost two months," Princess Zhaoyang said softly, leaning against Jia Lian, her face radiant with maternal glow.

When Jia Lian heard Princess Zhaoyang confirm it, he was both surprised and delighted.

The unexpected turn of events was that, two years later, Princess Zhaoyang would be the first to bring him good news. The joy stemmed from the fact that Jia Lian wasn't struggling to have children; it was simply that his wife, Feng'er, was being unhelpful!

Yes, Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng had been married for many years but only had one daughter. Although Jia Lian always felt it was Wang Xifeng's fault, he occasionally wondered if she also had some kind of problem.

This is not unfounded worry. In contemporary times, especially in aristocratic families, many men suffer from premature ejaculation or have damaged their reproductive health through excessive sexual activity, which can easily lead to difficulty in having children.

For example, Jia She, Jia Zhen, Jia Rong, and others from the past.

In comparison, although his predecessor was slightly less unrestrained, he was far ahead of the three in some unique and unconventional approaches.

Jia Lian had reason to suspect that his predecessor had ruined his body. In fact, this was one of the reasons why he insisted on joining the army and engaging in martial arts, training his body year after year without interruption.

Now that Lady You and Princess Zhaoyang have both brought him good news, Jia Lian can finally breathe a sigh of relief. As long as he's not infertile, there shouldn't be any major problems.

So, alas, poor Feng'er.

Jia Lian felt relieved immediately. If he really thought about it, even now, the only women in his household who could rightfully bear him children were Feng Jie, Ping'er, and Xiang Ling.

First of all, both he and Wang Xifeng were fertile; otherwise, they wouldn't have had Qiao'er.

Secondly, at first, Sister Feng was against Ping'er getting pregnant. Even though she later changed her mind and stopped forbidding it, Ping'er was a loyal and insightful girl. She did not want to give birth to Jia Lian's eldest son before Sister Feng! Therefore, she always had the intention of preventing pregnancy when she was with him. Jia Lian and Sister Feng knew this, but they could only feel sorry for her.

As for Xiangling, it was Jia Lian who cherished her because of her young age.

Others, such as Xiren and Qin Keqing, dared not get pregnant.

Princess Zhaoyang knew that Jia Lian had returned to the capital today and guessed that he would definitely be busy with Xue Pan's matter, so she waited here at the opportune moment. Her main purpose, of course, was to bring Jia Lian good news.

But she was very uneasy. Even someone as confident as her only showed insecurity in front of Jia Lian.

Good thing...

She looked up at Jia Lian's face and saw that although he didn't say anything, he was holding her tightly with his arms and had a happy expression on his face. Only then did Princess Zhaoyang feel relieved.

Confirming that Jia Lian showed no sign of reluctance or burden, Princess Zhaoyang brushed a strand of hair from her forehead, propped herself up from Jia Lian's embrace, and said softly, "I don't want this child."

Ok?

Jia Lian immediately lowered his head, looking at him strangely. This girl had just been all smiles, as if she were announcing good news, and had even worried that he wouldn't like the child.

"I remember telling Erlang that I regret being born a girl, because my wish is to ride into the army and protect the vast land of our Great Wei."

I was thinking that when Erlang became a great general, I would follow him into the army and achieve great deeds. I didn't want to be a woman who only cared for her husband and children. Besides, even if he were born, it wouldn't be legitimate; he shouldn't have been born at all…”

The words "the name is not proper and the words are not legitimate" uttered by Princess Zhaoyang stirred up Jia Lian's hidden worries.

What Jia Lian was most worried about was the change in Princess Zhaoyang's mindset. After all, a woman of such status could not be regarded as an ordinary girl. Even he had always been careful to protect Princess Zhaoyang's state of mind.

He thought for a moment and said, "I am becoming increasingly influential in His Majesty's eyes. I think if I were to ask His Majesty to marry you to me now, even if he is displeased, he would not want to kill me. Then you can discuss it with the Empress Dowager, and we will definitely be able to give the child a legitimate status before he is born."

Princess Zhaoyang suddenly laughed and said, "Is it just a legitimate identity? What I want is the identity of a legitimate daughter?"

After saying this, seeing Jia Lian remain silent, Princess Zhaoyang sighed inwardly and quickly said, "I know what Erlang means. Don't worry, Erlang, I won't make things difficult for you."

Jia Lian patted her head, grateful for her understanding. As a person from a later era, Jia Lian naturally didn't care much about the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children. He simply didn't want to be a treacherous person, especially now that Sister Feng was becoming increasingly obedient to him, he didn't want to betray her.

However, Jia Lian also knew that making the eldest princess a concubine would go against the prevailing trend, and he was considering a compromise and a proper solution.

Putting that aside for now, Jia Lian continued, embracing Princess Zhaoyang, "As for your desire to conquer battlefields, it doesn't conflict with the birth of this child. On the contrary, having the child sooner will help your body recover better in the future, and it won't affect Qingran's ability to accompany me on the expedition."

"really?"

"I'm not lying to you."

Princess Zhaoyang laughed and stroked Jia Lian's face, saying, "Alright, since Erlang has said so, I'll listen to Erlang's wishes and give birth to this little darling."

Seeing her relaxed smile, Jia Lian knew perfectly well that this woman had only been testing him with insincere words. He didn't mind, and gently slipped his hand inside Princess Zhaoyang's magnificent robes, pressing it against her stomach through the fabric.

Sure enough, he felt that his stomach was tighter than usual. In a daze, Jia Lian seemed to be able to sense that there was a little life inside that was connected to him by blood, and that it was being intimate with him.

Although Princess Zhaoyang also wanted Jia Lian to spend more time with her, it was getting dark.

She quietly slipped out of Jia Lian's embrace, looked at him, and smiled brightly, "Didn't you say last time that my sister wanted to see me? I said I hadn't thought about it then, but now I have. Please arrange for her to meet me."

Jia Lian was taken aback, then nodded. Seeing that she really didn't intend to say anything more, he lowered his head and kissed her forehead, then lifted the curtain and jumped down.

Back at Baochai's carriage, she lifted the curtain. Though slightly hesitant, she didn't ask any further questions, only asking, "Has Second Brother Lian finished dealing with things?"

"Okay, let's go back."

"it is good."

……()