Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Ningguo Mansion, inner hall.

The two wet nurses brought the baby in and then left.

Holding Jia Wu in one arm, Madam You smiled at Jia Lian and said, "Second Uncle, do you know what the two little ones each grabbed at their first birthday celebration?"

Jia Lian's expression shifted, and he straightened his clothes. You Shi then naturally placed little Jia Wu into Jia Lian's arms and continued, "Wu'er is alright; she grabbed a writing brush and a book. It's Heng'er who ignored all those other girly things and specifically picked out a wooden sword."

Qin Keqing, who was teasing Jia Heng nearby, heard You Shi complaining about the little cutie in her hand and immediately stood up for her: "What's wrong with a wooden sword? Who says girls can only grab things like rouge and powder? In my opinion, our Heng'er is perfect! She will definitely learn from her second uncle's spirit and become a majestic female general in the future."

As she spoke, Qin Keqing pressed her beautiful face against Jia Heng's cheek and coaxed, "Heng'er, be good. Your mother doesn't understand you at all. Let's ignore her. Why don't you come back with me and sleep with your sister-in-law tonight?"

Jia Heng was only one year old and didn't understand social etiquette. When Qin, the beautiful woman, tried to win her over, she simply clasped her little hands together and smiled sweetly at her.

Such a sight almost melted Qin Keqing's heart, and she couldn't help but keep showering her face with fragrance.

However, faced with the beautiful woman's kiss, young Jia Heng not only didn't cherish it, but was actually annoyed. He pushed Qin Keqing away, then stretched out his arms towards Jia Lian beside him, trying to escape the vixen's advances.

Despite feeling somewhat resentful at the maid's lack of appreciation, Qin Keqing still went along with the maid's wishes and handed the item to Jia Lian.

Jia Lian had never placed much importance on the matter of carrying on the family line, but at this moment, looking at his two children sitting on his lap, their rosy cheeks and big, bright eyes gazing at him, the heartfelt joy still made Jia Lian involuntarily grin.

Suddenly remembering something, Jia Lian turned to look at Madam You and said, "I was busy with things earlier and didn't have time to come back to preside over the children's first birthday ceremony. Are you angry with me?"

Madam You shook her head. "How can the children's first birthday celebration compare to Second Uncle's important business outside? I am already content that Second Uncle remembered and came to see the children after returning to the capital."

Lady You was not exaggerating. In fact, it would have been better if Jia Lian had made a special trip back from Tianjin to preside over the first birthday celebrations of his two children.

Although Jia Lian was entrusted by Jia Jing to teach Jia Wu, he was nominally Jia Lian's uncle, and showing excessive concern would be inappropriate.

Intelligent and virtuous, with few desires, these were the qualities Jia Lian admired about You Shi. Seeing her beautiful face, bright eyes, and luscious lips, he couldn't help but feel a desire to taste her, so he beckoned to her.

Knowing her intention, Lady You hesitated for a moment, then moved her stool closer to Jia Lian. Sure enough, Jia Lian hooked her head around her, and her lips were immediately covered by his.

In front of her children, Madam You couldn't help but feel a little ashamed, but thinking that Heng'er and Wu'er were still young and didn't understand, she gradually relaxed, opened her mouth, and shyly enjoyed the pleasure.

Seeing the two kissing so passionately, oblivious to everyone else, Qin Keqing's beautiful face flashed with a hint of jealousy. Earlier, she might have voluntarily stepped aside, but by now, she and You Shi had served Jia Lian intimately countless times, becoming true mentors and friends, and she was unwilling to leave.

After Jia Lian parted the beautiful You Shi's red lips, he turned around and saw the beautiful Qin Da Mei Ren's deep gaze. Jia Lian smiled slightly and casually put his arm around her slender waist.

Qin Keqing, naturally charming, knew Jia Lian's intentions and smiled as she bent down to offer him a kiss.

Qin Keqing, one of the Twelve Beauties of Jinling, was in the prime of her youth, possessing unparalleled beauty and charm. At this moment, she took the initiative to intertwine her arms around his neck and offer him a fragrant kiss. Jia Lian found her breath sweet and delicious, and he could hardly resist her allure.

Suddenly, I heard a child's cheerful voice, and then I felt a very delicate wetness on my face.

Little Jia Heng, who was tied to Jia Lian's leg, saw You Shi and Qin Keqing kissing Jia Lian and found it very amusing. So he climbed up Jia Lian's chest, gave him a "smack" on the face, and then made a pleasant childish sound.

This made Lady You and Qin Keqing, who were initially a little embarrassed, smile broadly.

Jia Lian chuckled heartily. Seeing his son Jia Wu belatedly wanting to kiss him, he picked him up and gave him a big kiss on his chubby little face, then pressed his cheek against his own, displaying the affection of a loving father. This scene made You Shi's smile even wider.

Just as the family of five was enjoying a happy time together, an uninvited guest rushed in.

Dressed in light-colored clothing, Sister You San had a slightly suspicious look on her face, seemingly not expecting such an unbelievable scene before her.

But she didn't seem to care too much. With a smile, she walked up to Jia Lian and the others, pretending to be obedient, and said, "Sister, brother-in-law..."

Although Jia Lian and You Shi had never been honest with her, the intelligent girl was already fairly certain that Jia Heng and Jia Wu were Jia Lian's children. The current scene only strengthened her conviction.

Therefore, she boldly and directly called Jia Lian her brother-in-law. She wasn't afraid of being scolded by Madam You, because until now, Madam You still thought that Jia Lian had taken a liking to Second Sister You, and had no idea that Third Sister You had already beaten her to it.

Therefore, judging from Sister You's perspective, she could certainly call him "brother-in-law."

Although she was her own younger sister, she should logically be closer to her than Qin Keqing. However, when she entered the room, Madam You's smile faded somewhat, and she only gave a perfunctory nod in response to her greeting.

You Sanjie didn't think much of this, and her attention wasn't on You Shi at all. After bending down to tease Jia Heng and his sister, You Sanjie stepped between Qin Keqing and Jia Lian, took Jia Lian's arm, and asked him with a smile when he had returned.

After receiving Jia Lian's reply, she immediately smiled and said, "During this time, I had my soldiers practice a sword formation. Would you like to go and take a look, brother-in-law?"

Seeing that Jia Lian didn't seem to mind, she immediately tried to pull him away. Then, remembering something, she turned back to You Shi and Qin Keqing and said, "Sister, and Little Qin Shi, would you like to come along and take a look?"

Madam You took the child from Jia Lian and shook her head, saying, "You all go ahead. I'm not used to watching swordplay, so I won't go."

"I'd like to see the sword formation that Third Aunt is practicing, but I need to go back and take a bath, so I won't keep you company."

Qin Keqing spoke softly and gently, her words unintentionally sparking the imagination, not to mention the way she glanced at Jia Lian as she spoke. Unfortunately, Jia Lian could only pretend not to notice.

The West Garden, which Madam You arranged for Old Madam You and her two daughters, was located west of the main hall of Ningguo Mansion, and was mainly divided into two courtyards.

Normally, Old Lady You lived in the back, while the front yard had long been the domain of Third Sister You. She trained her dozen or so subordinates in this yard almost every day. Because of the location and the fact that the Jia family ancestral hall was right next to it, she didn't usually worry about disturbing others.

On the west side of the courtyard, adjacent to the ancestral hall, there is a two-story pavilion. Standing on the pavilion, one can take in most of the Ningguo Mansion.

As Jia Lian stood there, he suddenly heard a clear sword ringing from below. He looked down and saw a lithe and beautiful figure leap out from the corridor, flip in the air, and then touch the flower bed with her toes, landing steadily in the middle of the courtyard.

Then he stood with his sword on his back, displaying a truly heroic and dashing figure.

However, it was Sister You San who had changed into a fitted white dress.

She raised her bright face, glanced at Jia Lian above with a smile, then turned her body and drew her sword like a dragon.

As she wielded her sword, four beautiful young women, all dressed in white, emerged from the flowerbeds at the four corners of the courtyard. Each held a sword in her left hand and had its scabbard sheath behind her back in her right, converging on the center from four different directions.

The neat and beautiful movements, coupled with the gleaming sword in their hands, truly gave the feeling of swordplay and chivalrous women leading a rebellion.

No wonder Sister You dared to call it a "sword formation"; just looking at the starting formation, it certainly has some resemblance to the real thing.

Second Sister You walked to Jia Lian's side, also leaning against the railing and looking down at the scene below, and couldn't help but laugh, "Ever since Second Master gave them swords, they've all been so happy. Third Sister even said that with swords, everyone is a heroine, and how can a heroine not have martial arts skills?"

Therefore, the training became increasingly rigorous and demanding, often causing them to complain endlessly.

"This formation is something Third Sister devised herself. I've seen them practicing it for quite some time now. What do you think, Second Master?"

"good."

Jia Lian genuinely thought it was quite good. Looking at the elegant ladies coming and going, who could imagine that just a few months ago, these women were all loose-fitting, delicate, and pretty maids?

Indeed, jade must be carved to become a work of art. In Jia Lian's opinion, the way these sixteen or seventeen women held and wielded their swords already possessed a certain charm.

Although their actual combat ability is certainly not that great, at least they are pleasing to the eye. Moreover, Jia Lian felt that with the current strength of these girls, as long as they were given a little scare in the future, he believed that each of them, with a sword, could easily take down a few of the old women in the mansion who relied on their age and authority.

"Second Master supports Third Sister in training them. Could it be that he really intends for them to fight alongside him in the future?" Second Sister You suddenly wondered.

Jia Lian smiled and turned to look at her.

Second Sister You was a gentle and graceful beauty, the complete opposite of Third Sister You, who wielded a sword and danced below. Such a woman was best suited to nestle in the arms of a strong man, protected by him, so that she could offer her tenderness with peace of mind.

Jia Lian shook his head and, quite unceremoniously, wrapped his arms around You Erjie's soft waist and pulled her into his embrace.

You Erjie was a little shy, but fortunately Jia Lian didn't go too far. Besides, it was just the two of them upstairs, so if people downstairs weren't paying close attention, they probably wouldn't notice anything too suspicious.

Therefore, Second Sister You forced herself to stand up straight and asked, "If that's the case, why did Second Master have Third Sister train them?"

"This is extremely useful."

As Jia Lian chuckled, he whispered in the beauty's ear, "For example, after you marry me in the future, if you need to go out, you will naturally need someone to accompany and protect you. Otherwise, if I lose you, wouldn't I suffer a great loss? But I'm a petty person. You're so beautiful. If I arrange other guards, I'm afraid they might steal from you. So, wouldn't I feel much more at ease having them protect you?"

Jia Lian's words were mostly meant to tease the beautiful woman.

In reality, having You Sanjie train these female soldiers was just a casual, albeit impromptu, move. His main purpose was simply to give You Sanjie something to do, and he didn't really care whether it succeeded or not.

However, seeing that You Xiaosan has actually achieved some results, he has thought of some uses for him.

One was to serve as a guard for the women, and the other was... He remembered that Princess Zhaoyang had a heart that rivaled that of men, and had expressed to him more than once her ambition to fight alongside him on the battlefield.

Jia Lian thought that if such a day ever came, and You Sanjie and the others had truly completed their training, he might as well send them to Princess Zhaoyang as sword attendants. It just so happened that You Sanjie wanted to become an official, so he could use this opportunity to obtain a position from Princess Zhaoyang, which would be a win-win situation.

Although You Erjie had been intimate with Jia Lian in private, she was still a virgin and could not be harassed. Especially now, with just a slight glance, she could see the servants coming and going in the Ningguo Mansion in the distance, which made her feel ashamed of being exposed in public.

Therefore, she turned her head tightly to the side, and the skin from her cheeks to the back of her ears turned red.

You Sanjie's skin was delicate and almost flawless. With her head turned away, a large expanse of her snow-white neck was exposed to Jia Lian's eyes, making him unable to resist lowering his head to smell it and kiss it. Noticing the beautiful woman's body trembling slightly, he couldn't wait to follow her face with kisses until he captured her two thin, cool lips.

Fortunately, the dozen or so maids downstairs were all focused on practicing the sword formation with Sister You San and had no time to spare. Otherwise, if they had even glanced up and seen the scene upstairs, they probably would have lost all interest in practicing their swordsmanship.

Jia Lian had a fondness for the allure of beautiful women, but You Erjie was equally captivated by the masculine charm emanating from Jia Lian.

But her intoxication lasted only a short while before she realized where she was. Taking advantage of Jia Lian's momentary lapse in attention, she mumbled, "Second Master, please, it wouldn't be good if someone saw us..."

Originally, it was just a helpless outburst, and as far as she was concerned, she couldn't refuse whatever Jia Lian wanted to do to her.

But to her surprise, Jia Lian actually released her upon hearing the sound.

She had just shown Jia Lian a grateful look when she noticed that he was staring at her intently. Then, the hand that had been around her waist loosened and placed on her shoulder, pressing down on her with some force.

You Erjie obediently squatted down. Not understanding why, after meeting Jia Lian's hopeful and encouraging gaze, and considering the suddenly narrow space, she finally had some understanding.

Although she didn't know how to serve a man, she had seen Jia Lian bully her younger sister in various ways, including similar scenes!

She felt ashamed, but even more so, she was panicked, realizing that Jia Lian's intentions were clear.

If it were a private affair, she would certainly be willing to offer herself entirely to Jia Lian. After all, the reason she has remained a virgin is not because she is unwilling, but because Jia Lian has not taken her.

She and her mother secretly believed that Jia Lian wanted to preserve her virginity until the day she married into the family. Although she was grateful for this, she actually hoped that Jia Lian would treat her as roughly as he had treated her younger sister as soon as possible.

But I never imagined it would be under such circumstances.

Deep down, she didn't want to refuse any of Jia Lian's requests, because Jia Lian rarely made demands of her. She wasn't sure if Jia Lian would get angry and become cold towards her if she went against his wishes.

In her haste, she looked around frantically. Fortunately, the railing of this attic was not a fence, but rather made of neat wooden planks joined together without leaving a single gap. Thus, when she crouched down, neither people below nor those in the distance could see her.

She and Jia Lian were the only two people in the attic, so she figured the maid wouldn't come up without her permission. Even if she did, the stairs behind her were made of wooden planks, so her footsteps would be quite noticeable.

While these factors were rapidly swirling in her mind, You Erjie quietly hid herself between Jia Lian's legs and the railing. Then, following the experience her younger sister had given her, she tried to reach out her delicate hand towards Jia Lian's belt, trousers, and robes.

Jia Lian, who originally thought that You Erjie would need guidance and instruction, was surprised to find that You Erjie was actually self-taught. He couldn't help but sigh, "This girl looks dull and honest, but she is actually very intelligent and understands things very quickly."

So he didn't urge her, quietly took half a step back to give Sister You some space, and then turned his gaze back downstairs.

He wasn't actually a lustful person, nor did he really want to humiliate Sister You, but the girl's shy demeanor was simply too alluring. Having already experienced the temptations of Qin Keqing and others, he couldn't help but find it difficult to resist her beauty now.

Moreover, at this moment, watching the girls' sword dance while having beautiful women hidden inside the fence serving him, there is an irresistible sense of excitement.

Sizzle! Let's just indulge ourselves for a little while, anyway, they're all my women.

As the gentle, warm spring breeze blew, Jia Lian looked down at the maids diligently rehearsing their sword formation, and his feelings were somewhat different.

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