Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Baochai, as one of the two extraordinary women in Dream of the Red Chamber, is as famous as Daiyu and is undoubtedly a unique talent in the world.

As a visitor from a later era, Jia Lian had long admired his name from another time and space.

When I was born into this world and had the chance to catch a glimpse of her beauty, I was first moved by her appearance, and then I observed her character. I found that her character was like the white snow on a high mountain, and her nature was like the moon in the empty mountains at night.

I can only sigh: No woman in the world is more elegant than this.

If such a person could be obtained through legitimate means, why would one willingly hand him over to another?

Therefore, Jia Lian spared no effort in winning Daiyu's heart, treating her with the same seriousness he would show her.

Judging from the current results, he may have already succeeded more than halfway. If he puts in a little more effort, he may very well achieve his goal.

Perhaps we can try to get more help from Aunt Xue next. No one knows a daughter better than her mother, especially a filial and good child like Baochai.

After leaving the Xue family, they entered the Grand View Garden again through the back gate. They followed the path around the main mountain and passed through Daoxiang Village when they suddenly heard a clear and loud reading voice.

Looking up, the village of Daoxiang at night, with lanterns hanging from a few tiled houses, illuminates the hazy fields and graceful fences, truly resembling a delicate corner of the countryside.

Jia Lian took a step forward, hesitated for a moment, and then led his maid Xiangling and turned to head towards Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

Just as Jia Lian turned to leave, Li Wan, who was doing needlework by the window in Daoxiang Village, seemed to sense something. She looked up at the dark night sky outside with a melancholy expression.

Then she glanced at the shadow of her son reading a book, projected through the paper window on the west side, and her heart calmed down.

……

The Rongguo Mansion suddenly became restless after nightfall.

This commotion lasted for a long time, disturbing everyone in the Rongguo Mansion, including Jia Lian, who was enjoying peace and quiet in the Grand View Garden.

Xiao Hong lifted her skirt and climbed up the white stone steps in front of Longcui Nunnery step by step. When she arrived at the mountain gate, she squinted and looked through the crack in the door. It was so dark that she couldn't see anything.

So she took a step back and gently knocked on the wooden door.

A moment later, the old woman guarding the gate opened the mountain gate and looked at the maid outside with surprise and suspicion. As a servant who had served Miaoyu since she was a child, although she had lived with Miaoyu in the Longcui Nunnery for more than a year, she did not often walk around the mansion and did not know Xiao Hong.

"My name is Xiao Hong. I serve in the room of Second Master and Second Mistress. May I ask if Second Master is here? I have been instructed by Second Mistress to invite Second Master back to handle important matters."

"Oh, so it's Miss Hong. Master Lian is currently in the nunnery discussing Buddhist teachings with the abbot. Please wait a moment while I go and inform him."

Xiao Hong hesitated for a moment, then nodded, watching the maid close the mountain gate again, and then the footsteps faded into the distance.

Xiao Hong couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, thinking that if it were Sister Ping'er who came, this person would definitely not dare to lock her outside the mountain gate.

On second thought, this person might not necessarily be looking down on her; there might be other reasons involved.

Thinking back to what people in the manor had said, Master Miaoyu of Longcui Mountain was not only exceptionally beautiful, like a fairy, but also possessed profound Buddhist knowledge and a far-reaching reputation. Perhaps she was a Bodhisattva reincarnated; otherwise, how could someone like Master Lian be willing to call himself her disciple?

Others might not care, but the maids who served in the room naturally understood that their masters and mistresses were not really Buddhists.

Why does Master Lian specifically praise Miaoyu? Could it be...?

Xiao Hong's expression turned serious as she thought about it, and she dared not let her mind wander any further. Just then, the mountain gate creaked open, startling her, and she quickly looked inside.

The old woman had already put on a warm smile. "Little Red, are you? Please come with me."

Xiao Hong nodded and followed the old woman into the nunnery, but she became nervous. She wondered if she should pretend to be stupid if she saw something she shouldn't have seen.

However, things were not as complicated as the little girl had imagined. The old woman in the nunnery led her straight in from the central courtyard, and after a few steps they arrived at a place full of flowers.

Through the lattice wall covered with ivy, you can see candlelight emanating from under the rose trellis on the other side.

Handsome men and beautiful women sat around a stone table, brewing tea and admiring the moon, each with a servant fanning them to keep away mosquitoes.

Xiao Hong quickly composed herself and went forward to greet them.

"What happened?"

"Reporting to Second Master, Zhao Mama's two sons have been beaten, and now Zhao Mama has come to Second Madam crying and complaining. Second Madam can't handle it, so please ask Second Master to return..."

Xiao Hong was rather tight-lipped, clearly indicating that there were some things she couldn't say in front of outsiders.

But Jia Lian had already remembered that at noon, Zhao'er had complained to him, and he had tacitly allowed Zhao'er to take revenge on the Zhao brothers.

It's only natural for Zhao Mama, as a mother, to seek help from Feng Jie after her son was beaten. However, since the assailant was Zhao'er, and there might be other guards under his command, Feng Jie couldn't easily deal with him, so sending him back was understandable.

He knew it! Sister Feng would never stoop to being a waiting-for-her-husband statue. Even before he transmigrated, no matter how late Jia Lian stayed out, she never had anyone go out of their way to find or invite him home.

Sister Feng has a lot of pride; she wouldn't do something so lowly and shameful.

Therefore, whenever she sent someone to find him, it was always for important business. Jia Lian was always quite satisfied with Sister Feng in this respect.

Although he didn't take the Zhao brothers' matter to heart, Jia Lian still had to give Feng Jie face and go back as soon as possible.

Therefore, he finished the tea that Miaoyu handed him and said with a smile, "It's getting late, so I won't bother Fairy Miaoyu any longer. I'll visit you another day."

"please."

Miaoyu remained expressionless, and gracefully rose to her feet, elegantly clasping her hands together in a slight bow.

Her face was aloof and cold, and coupled with her stunning beauty and spotless black robes, she was indeed no different from an enlightened fairy.

Jia Lian couldn't help but take another look before calling his two maids and heading down the mountain.

Jia Lian initially thought that Zhao'er and the others had only taught the Zhao brothers a lesson and didn't take it too seriously. However, when he returned home, he realized that things were not so simple.

When Jia Lian stepped into the courtyard, the first thing he saw was a pair of men sitting on the ground, their bodies wrapped in gauze, looking like mummies.

Meanwhile, the three corridors in front of the main house and the east and west wing rooms were filled with maids and servants watching the spectacle. They were all smiles and chattering away, a stark contrast to the groans and cries below.

His arrival silenced them somewhat, but it also excited the two "mummies." They climbed and tumbled towards Jia Lian, shouting all the while.

Jia Lian was taken aback and slowed his pace to ask, "These two gentlemen? What's going on here...?"

"Lian-ge, you have to stand up for us! We two brothers are in such a terrible situation, our lives are ruined."

"Well……"

"That damned Zhao'er, and Feng Fei, and... and... anyway, they're all your personal guards. We didn't provoke them, but this afternoon, Zhao'er led them to corner the two of us in an alley and beat us up without asking any questions."

"That's right, look at us, look what we've been done to! Ouch, it hurts so much..."

The Zhao brothers, Tianliang and Tiandong, rushed to accuse each other, even trying to produce evidence of broken arms and legs. However, the moment they moved, they broke out in a cold sweat from the pain and could not speak clearly.

Before they could explain, another woman rushed out of the main room.

"Lian-ge'er...you're finally back...you must stand up for your two brothers..."

It was Zhao's mother.

Zhao's mother also cried loudly, and she no longer had her usual good manners. She grabbed Jia Lian as soon as she came up, wiping away tears, and what she said was roughly the same as what the two Zhao brothers had said.

Jia Lian glanced at the injuries of the Zhao brothers to make sure they weren't faking it, then took a deep breath and said to Zhao's mother, "Mother, please rest assured, I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly. If it is indeed Zhao'er and the others' fault, I will not let them off lightly."

After finally calming Zhao Mama down, Jia Lian walked up to the corridor and looked at her with a half-smile, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

"I didn't want to bother you with family matters, but today's incident involved your men who assaulted others, and the victims were two young men. I can't make the decision myself, so I had no choice but to ask you to come back."

Jia Lian nodded, stepped into the room, and immediately saw Zhao'er kneeling in the outer hall.

Hearing the noise, Zhao'er, who had been kneeling with her head bowed, raised her head, revealing several thick, red scratch marks on her face.

"What is this?" Jia Lian asked curiously.

Zhao'er glanced at Zhao Mama, who was standing next to Jia Lian, and stared fiercely at her before lowering her head and remaining silent.

Sister Feng laughed, "This was a reward from Aunt Zhao. Hehe, I never expected that Aunt Zhao, who usually seems so gentle, would be so capable. If we hadn't held him back, your trusted servant would probably have been torn to shreds by Aunt Zhao."

Jia Lian understood, said nothing, and went straight into the house.

Sitting down on the kang in the west side room, Jia Lian said in a deep voice before Zhao Mama could speak, "Don't worry, Zhao Mama, I will investigate this matter thoroughly and will absolutely not let the two wet nurses suffer injustice."

"Someone come here."

Several maids came in, and Jia Lian instructed them, "Go to the second gate and have someone bring in Feng Fei and all the others involved. Tell them I have something to ask them."

Hearing Jia Lian say this, Zhao Mama calmed down a bit. Feng Jie seized the opportunity to help her up, saying, "Mama, you've been crying for so long, you must be hungry and tired. I've had tea and snacks prepared. Mama, please go and rest to recover your energy. We can discuss everything with Second Master after those people come in."

Knowing that Jia Lian would be extremely annoyed, Sister Feng half-coaxed and half-pulled Zhao Mama away.

A little while later, Sister Feng returned and, seeing the admiring look in Jia Lian's eyes, she sat down beside him with a smile and said, "You always said I was incompetent, unable to control outsiders, and wouldn't let me get involved in their affairs. Now that your men have beaten your grandmother's brother, what do you say?"

Jia Lian knew exactly what Feng Jie meant. Sure enough, this woman still held a grudge against him forbidding her from interfering in external affairs, and would bring it up whenever she had the slightest chance.

In truth, Jia Lian didn't really intend to confine her to the household; it's just that she was fearless and arrogant back then. If left undisciplined, she was bound to cause trouble.

Now, Sister Feng has suffered several great losses and has been trained by him for several years, so she has become much more adaptable.

Moreover, perhaps due to her growing power, this woman no longer clung to outdated ideas and began to try to learn. Although this was not something that could be achieved overnight, at least she learned humility and was no longer as ignorant and arrogant as before.

Therefore, at this time, Jia Lian did not completely exclude Feng Jie from all external affairs; otherwise, he would not have discussed the changes in the court situation with her earlier.

But no matter what, this woman's attempt to challenge his authority cannot be tolerated.

Jia Lian glanced at her sideways and said coldly, "Oh? What would you say if I said this was my idea?"

"Oh no, how is this possible..."

As expected, Sister Feng opened her mouth wide in shock, her face full of disbelief.

Looking around the room, besides the couple and a few trusted maids, Sister Feng leaned closer and said, "Did you really have them do it? You really went to such lengths. Those Zhao brothers weren't just playing the victim. I heard from Zhao's mother that the two brothers were not only beaten black and blue, but also had one of their hands or one of their feet broken."

Zhao's mother also said that she had asked the doctor, and it wasn't just a simple fracture, but a real disability. Without a miracle, she was afraid she would never fully recover...

As she spoke, Sister Feng looked at Jia Lian with a gaze full of awe.

Originally, it was thought that the Zhao brothers had offended Zhao'er and the others, and that's why they were being taught a lesson. Feng Jie knew a thing or two about the brothers' character; if Zhao'er had joined forces with those murderers, it was entirely possible that she would have injured someone in a fit of anger.

But if this is Jia Lian's intention, then... no matter what, the Zhao brothers are Jia Lian's wet nurses. Can he just depose them like that?

Jia Lian looked at him calmly, but inwardly he frowned.

Logically speaking, he only hinted to Zhao'er that he could cripple one of the Zhao brothers' hands, meaning he could only cripple one hand at most. But it seems that Zhao'er and the others did much more than that.

It's understandable if Zhao'er acted impulsively on his own, but it's highly unlikely that his subordinates acted impulsively along with him.

Moreover, they didn't inform me beforehand!

With this in mind, Jia Lian abandoned his nonchalant attitude. As the master, Jia Lian was confident that he had sufficient control over the group of people he was closest to and trusted most.

He did not doubt the loyalty of Zhao'er and the others, and even guessed their motives for doing so.

Therefore, he took the blame in front of Sister Feng without knowing the full story.