Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Jia Lian walked around the camp and when he returned to Sister Feng and Princess Zhaoyang, he found that the two women got along very well.

Two tall, beautiful women strolled slowly across the grass, chatting idly. Feng Jie, usually so spirited and with an air of strong womanhood, was now meek and submissive, as kind and approachable as Ping'er, who used to be by her side.

Jia Lian then realized that this girl was most likely being manipulated by Princess Zhaoyang, and she didn't seem to be resentful at all.

Seeing Jia Lian approach, Princess Zhaoyang smiled at him, then took Feng Jie'er's hand and said with a smile, "I have an estate about seven or eight li west of here. Although it's not as big as this place, it's still quite spacious. Would you like to visit my estate, sister?"

Sister Feng glanced at Jia Lian, then at the dozen or so female guards who had been leading the horses behind them the whole time, and took a deep breath.

"Since the princess has invited me, I would not dare to refuse. However, the princess is currently pregnant, and I dare not trouble her further."

Moreover, I have been out of the city for half a day and am somewhat worried about my young daughter at home. I can only humbly thank the princess for her kindness.

Even Sister Feng rarely leaves the city. If she's just accompanying Jia Lian out for fun today, she naturally won't be in a hurry to go back.

But upon seeing Princess Zhaoyang today, her heart was far from at peace. Although the princess was friendly towards her, she felt a certain apprehension about being near her.

Moreover, after so long, she has finally seen the other person's appearance and character with her own eyes. Now she just wants to go home as soon as possible and think about how she should face the other person in the future.

She also realized that she had acted rather poorly today. Many of the ideas she had prepared beforehand, such as being "neither humble nor arrogant" in front of the other person, were not expressed.

Seeing that Sister Feng refused, Princess Zhaoyang did not insist. Instead, she smiled and said, "Sister's daughter is named Qiao'er, right? I heard from Erlang that she is very well-behaved and cute. I have long wanted to see her in person."

How about this, after some time, Erlang will bring his sister and her to visit my home?

After hesitating for a moment, Sister Feng accepted Princess Zhaoyang's invitation.

She happened to see that Jia Lian had brought the carriage, so she decided to take her leave and return to the city.

Jia Lian then asked Princess Zhaoyang, "Your Highness, are you in a hurry to return after leaving the city?"

"I came out here to see my sister. Now that things are settled, I should naturally go back."

Jia Lian then said, "Since that's the case, why don't we go together?"

Princess Zhaoyang laughed, glanced at Feng Jie who was already standing by the carriage, and shook her head, saying, "My lord, you don't need to worry about me. Just take my sister back to the city."

Feng Jie, who was standing nearby, realized something and quickly said to Jia Lian, "You and the princess must have not seen each other for a long time, so why don't you stay and keep the princess company? I can go back by myself, you don't need to see me off."

Seeing Feng Jie'er's somewhat anxious appearance, Jia Lian couldn't help but smile.

Well, instead of being jealous of each other, these two women actually started to defer to one another!

Ignoring what they were saying, Jia Lian walked directly to Princess Zhaoyang, took her hand, and said in an unquestionable tone, "You are a twin, how can you ride a horse? I didn't see you before, but now that I have seen you, I will not tolerate your nonsense."

Come with us back in the carriage.

Jia Lian knew perfectly well that neither of these women was simple. The current harmony was probably due to Princess Zhaoyang's gentle approach in keeping Feng Jie in check.

But all of this is predicated on him, the man, sitting firmly in the middle, making them wary and cautious of each other.

The simplest point is that we must not make them feel disheartened; we must make them feel that the concessions we made were worthwhile.

Whom he sends back to the city may seem like a minor issue, but at this critical juncture, it is not to be underestimated.

For Sister Feng, she was already at a disadvantage in front of Princess Zhaoyang. If she were to return alone, her sense of loneliness would only intensify along the way.

As for Princess Zhaoyang, she came alone and left watching her beloved escort another woman back, leaving her all alone. Even with her broad-mindedness, she must have felt incredibly inferior, or perhaps doubted her true place in her beloved's heart.

If you want to enjoy the blessings of multiple wives but don't want trouble at home, you must pay attention to these details.

Therefore, the best solution is to take them with us.

As for whether others would gossip if they saw Princess Zhaoyang with them... given the current situation, there's probably no need to hide it anymore.

Feng Jie was somewhat alarmed by Jia Lian's rather impolite words to Princess Zhaoyang. She didn't understand why Jia Lian spoke to the princess like that, and what if he offended her?

What surprised Sister Feng even more was that the princess, who was of noble status, simply smiled meaningfully after hearing Jia Lian's words, and then obediently replied with "Okay".

The princess then turned and called over two maids, instructing them to go to the estate and inform the others to return to the city on their own.

Clearly, the princess did not bring just the dozen or so people in front of her when she left the city.

Without thinking twice, Sister Feng quickly stepped aside and said respectfully, "Princess, please get in the carriage."

"Please, sister."

"Princess, please go first."

After a few simple pleasantries, Sister Feng helped Princess Zhaoyang into the carriage, while Jia Lian, standing by her side, saw them both off before following them inside.

Back on Ningrong Street, after sending Feng Jie to the mansion, Jia Lian got into the carriage again and saw Princess Zhaoyang smiling at him.

Jia Lian raised an eyebrow and plopped down next to her with a nonchalant air.

Princess Zhaoyang raised her hand to straighten his collar, then said, "Did you worry that I would bully her, Erlang?"

"A little," Jia Lian readily admitted.

Princess Zhaoyang then pouted and complained, "Do you think I'm the kind of person who bullies others in Erlang's eyes? It's clearly you who's been bullying me all along."

Jia Lian smiled with narrowed eyes, pulled Princess Zhaoyang into his arms, lowered his head and kissed her ear lightly, whispering, "Thank you for today. I have no way to repay you but to treat you and the child well for the rest of my life, so as not to let down Qingran's kindness to me."

Princess Zhaoyang deliberately teased Jia Lian, thinking he was about to do something to her. But upon hearing those words, she suddenly felt that everything she had done was worthwhile.

She nestled in Jia Lian's arms like a cat, and after a long while, she sighed softly, "Sister is a very intelligent person."

"How so?"

Princess Zhaoyang offered no further explanation.

She meant that Sister Feng had clearly been prepared to relinquish her status as the legal wife, so when she brought it up today, the other party readily agreed, saving both of them a lot of trouble.

However, she had not discussed this matter with Jia Lian beforehand and did not know his attitude towards it.

Some things are best left to happen naturally; there's no need to put on a show.

Moreover, she didn't lie to Sister Feng; she didn't really value this title as much as the other party imagined.

When she gave herself to Jia Lian in the desert, it was like a moth drawn to a flame, recklessly throwing herself into the fire.

From the moment she embarked on her journey to marry a foreign ruler, she had fulfilled her duties as a royal princess. For the rest of her life, she would live according to her own wishes.

So, Princess Zhaoyang changed the subject, asking, "What does Erlang think of my maids?"

"maid?"

"Those guys following outside."

Jia Lian laughed and said, "Oh, they must be the sword servants that Qing Ran has just trained."

Princess Zhaoyang had practiced martial arts since childhood and had some sword attendants by her side, which Jia Lian knew when he first met her.

"Erlang guessed correctly. My grandmother was afraid that I would have no one to serve me outside, so she selected a lot of people from the palace for me. I saw that they were idle anyway, so I followed the old method and had them all learn to ride horses and shoot arrows."

As someone close to me, it wouldn't do if you were weak and helpless. Nowadays, almost all the maids in my household, except for a few particularly clumsy ones, can ride horses and draw bows.

The sixteen girls Erlang saw today are the best of them all. I brought them here specifically for Erlang to see. What do you think of them, Erlang?

Hearing Princess Zhaoyang say this, Jia Lian smiled. In truth, how could he not see that Princess Zhaoyang's bringing so many dashing swordswomen today was meant to give Sister Feng a hard time?

However, disputes between women are hard to avoid. At least Princess Zhaoyang's actions were aboveboard, so how could he blame her?

Furthermore, their explanation is plausible.

So, a fair assessment: "They all look pretty good. Judging from how they rode horses before, they have quite a bit of Qingran's charm."

It seems Qingran put in a lot of effort to train them.

"It didn't take much effort. With Erlang away in Tianjin, Qingran couldn't stay idle all the time, could she?"

Princess Zhaoyang said with a smile, "Second Brother, don't underestimate them. Although we don't expect them to fight on the battlefield, they are more than capable of serving as guards. If used well, they can be a force to be reckoned with, and they won't attract much attention."

Jia Lian understood Princess Zhaoyang's meaning.

As a marquis, he was entitled to maintain a private army of 120 men. However, despite his wealth and power, he only officially equipped himself with 50 personal guards according to military standards, treating the rest as ordinary attendants and protectors.

The reason for not filling all the positions is simply a common practice among the nobility, in order to avoid suspicion.

After all, we're all under the emperor's nose, so why are you keeping so many private soldiers?

Princess Zhaoyang's point about not attracting attention is also based on the same principle.

Although Jia Lian never intended to use a group of women to fight for power, he was ultimately grateful for Princess Zhaoyang's kindness towards him. She had promised to help him rise to prominence, and now she was sparing no effort to help him expand his power.

Even the palace maids in her household were employed.

That's not surprising. The Princess's residence was originally very large, and it's likely that both Emperor Ningkang and the Empress Dowager had assigned her quite a few people. With some simple training, these people could indeed become a force to be reckoned with.

According to Princess Zhaoyang, Jia Lian could imagine that before long, the entire princess's residence, even the maids who served tea and water, would be wielding swords and bows. In that case, it would truly be a "household of soldiers."

It doesn't really matter, since Princess Zhaoyang is the only mistress in the entire Princess's residence. It's just a pity that he said he would send You Sanjie's female soldiers as gifts to Princess Zhaoyang once they were trained, but now it seems unnecessary.

In terms of training troops, Princess Zhaoyang was far more skillful and efficient than the half-baked You Sanjie.

He praised Princess Zhaoyang for her thoughtfulness, but Princess Zhaoyang sighed again, propped herself up from Jia Lian's arms, and said with some seriousness, "Second Prince, are you aware of the recent rumors about the Crown Prince?"

I've heard a little about it.

"My eldest brother's situation has worsened day by day since the Emperor Emeritus's birthday banquet. Recently, rumors have spread from who-knows-where that Father Emperor intends to depose the Crown Prince!"

"Is that so?"

Jia Lian couldn't help but glance sideways. He knew that the Crown Prince was in a bad situation, as evidenced by the Third Prince's growing power.

I never expected it to come to this.

The crown prince is the heir apparent of the country; how can he be deposed so easily?

"The truth of the news is unknown, but it's spreading like wildfire, and there's no shortage of discussion about it in the court and among the people. My eldest brother has been extremely stressed these days, and he rushes to Chonghua Palace at every opportunity..."

Princess Zhaoyang shook her head, clearly not understanding the Crown Prince's behavior. He was clearly disliked by his father, and knew perfectly well that his father and grandfather were secretly vying for power, yet he still deliberately provoked them. What did he hope to gain?

Jia Lian was not involved in the situation, so it was difficult for him to offer any opinion. Many things cannot be generalized. From different perspectives, everyone's considerations are different. Perhaps the Crown Prince felt that with the support of the Retired Emperor, his position as heir apparent would be secure, and even Emperor Ningkang would not be able to touch him.

Seeing that Jia Lian did not offer any further opinion on the matter, Princess Zhaoyang did not bring it up again. Instead, she asked Jia Lian about some things concerning Tianjin, which Jia Lian explained in detail.

The carriage arrived at the Princess's residence quickly. Before Jia Lian and his companion could say goodbye, a eunuch came out from inside the gate.

"By imperial decree of the Empress Dowager, the Eldest Princess and the Marquis of Zhenyuan are summoned to the Weiyang Palace for an audience."

The direct and straightforward imperial decree surprised even Jia Lian.

Princess Zhaoyang stuck out her tongue and explained, "My whereabouts can never be hidden from my grandmother. She must know I went to see you today, so..."

Jia Lian understood, but said nothing.

Today, the Jia family's carriage escorted the Princess into the capital in a grand manner; it's likely that rumors will soon spread throughout the capital.

Since even outsiders had no intention of hiding it from her, it was not surprising that the Empress Dowager, as Princess Zhaoyang's closest relative, would know in advance.

Too lazy to change carriages, Princess Zhaoyang returned to her own carriage, only to hear Jia Lian ask, "Um, does the Empress Dowager know that you are pregnant?"

"Does Erlang want the Empress Dowager to know or not?" Princess Zhaoyang asked with a playful smile.

Seeing that Jia Lian had no answer, she chuckled, "Last night I intentionally revealed that I was pregnant to the people the Empress Dowager sent to serve me, and I suppose she knows now."

Jia Lian's lips twitched; he already understood why the Empress Dowager had summoned him.

……()