Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

"Grandfather, my elder sister made a great contribution to the court by marrying someone to another. She went through many hardships to return from the Northern Desert. You can't treat her like this; it's too heartless."

In front of Chonghua Palace, the Fourth Prince was shouting loudly, causing the surrounding eunuchs to turn pale and urge him, "Oh dear, Fourth Prince, young master, please stop shouting..."

The Fourth Prince paid no heed to them. Perhaps fearing that the Emperor Emeritus inside the palace couldn't hear him, he shouted even louder.

He had gone to Weiyang Palace intending to complain about his elder sister's misdeeds. However, he learned that his elder sister and Jia Lian wanted to marry because she was pregnant, but the Emperor Emeritus opposed it.

He didn't think much of it at first, and he wasn't optimistic about the marriage between his elder sister and Jia Lian.

However, seeing her elder sister's distraught state at Weiyang Palace just now, she couldn't bear it, so she ran to Chonghua Palace to help her and persuade the Emperor Emeritus to rescind his order.

The idea is good, but the courage is lacking.

He had just presented his ideas to the Emperor Emeritus when the Emperor Emeritus gave him a sidelong glance, which frightened him so much that he could not speak. The Emperor Emeritus dismissed him with a few words.

But when he walked out of Chonghua Hall and could no longer see the retired emperor, his courage returned.

Realizing he couldn't be so unreliable, he immediately turned around and knelt at the entrance of the main hall, expressing his thoughts to the retired emperor from afar.

His efforts finally paid off.

The main hall slowly opened a crack, and an old, decrepit eunuch walked out.

The fourth prince recognized the old eunuch and immediately shut up, putting on a docile expression.

The old eunuch chuckled, "The Emperor Emeritus says that the Fourth Prince is playful and neglects his studies, and orders you to come to Chonghua Palace at Chenshi (7-9 AM) every day to study for four hours..."

Upon hearing the old eunuch's words, the fourth prince immediately shuddered.

Good heavens, he is terrified whenever he sees the Emperor Emeritus. If he has to study at Chonghua Palace every day, it would be better to just kill him!

Moreover, after kneeling for so long, he knew that the Emperor Emeritus wouldn't listen to him anymore, and it wasn't worth getting himself involved instead of helping his older sister.

Therefore, before the old eunuch could finish speaking, he quickly interrupted, "No, Grandpa Feng, please stop. I understand."

As he spoke, the fourth prince quickly stood up, supporting himself with his hands on the ground, and said loudly to the people inside the hall, "Grandpa, it doesn't matter where I study. You prefer peace and quiet, and I dare not disturb you every day. I'd rather study at home."

"Well, Grandpa, I'm fine now. I'm going home to study. I'll come see you another day."

After saying that, he casually cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the old eunuch, then turned and ran away quickly.

Having escaped death, the Fourth Prince patted his chest as he ran out of the Chonghua Palace gates.

Just as he was about to leave, he saw Jia Lian and his older sister approaching together not far away. His face immediately darkened, and he walked toward the two of them menacingly.

"Jia Lian, this is all your doing. Even at a time like this, you still dare to bring my imperial sister here. Do you even know what you've done...?"

The fourth prince wanted to vent his anger on Jia Lian, but when he met his older sister's gaze, he couldn't say anything more.

With a soft sigh, he stepped aside to make way.

Jia Lian, however, stopped and asked in surprise, "Why is Your Highness here?"

"How did I get here? Of course I'm here to plead with my grandfather on behalf of my older sister and my unborn nephew!"

You two are here to plead with the Emperor, aren't you? I advise you not to waste your energy. Once the Emperor has made up his mind, no one can go against it!

"Hmph, it's all your fault. If you had obediently agreed to marry my elder sister back then, then... hmph."

The Fourth Prince now finds Jia Lian displeasing from every angle.

Princess Zhaoyang was initially annoyed by the Fourth Prince's slanted eyebrows and eyes, but when she heard that he had come to plead for her, her heart softened.

She knew the Fourth Prince's temperament; he was most afraid of meeting elders. That he had come to Chonghua Palace alone today for her sake, even though his efforts seemed fruitless, still deeply moved her.

Therefore, she withdrew her stern gaze from him and looked at Jia Lian: "Why don't we go back? He's right, in all these years, no one has ever been able to disobey the Emperor Emeritus's wishes."

He was already against us; if we plead for him again, we might anger him.

Princess Zhaoyang's biggest worry was that Jia Lian would offend the Emperor Emeritus.

No matter what, she and the Fourth Prince were the grandchildren of the Emperor Emeritus, his descendants by blood. Even if the Emperor Emeritus was angry for a moment, he wouldn't do anything to them.

However, Jia Lian is different. If he truly offends the Emperor Emeritus, his future will be in jeopardy, or worse, his life and fortune will be at stake.

Jia Lian saw Princess Zhaoyang's worry. He held her hand and said, "Man proposes, God disposes. If I do nothing today and abandon you and the child in your womb, I will regret it for the rest of my life."

Moreover, if I don't even have the courage to try today, I would be letting down Qingran's sincere feelings for me all this time.

Upon hearing this, Princess Zhaoyang's eyes immediately welled up with tears as she looked at Jia Lian with deep affection.

This scene made the Fourth Prince, who was watching from the side, jump in his heart.

Oh no, my elder sister is doomed! She's been completely captured by that bastard Jia Lian!

The Fourth Prince wanted nothing more than to jump up and kick Jia Lian. However, he also knew that if he dared to make a move, he would definitely be kicked away by his bewitched elder sister first, which is why he did not act rashly.

Jia Lian had no idea that the Fourth Prince was having so much going on in his mind; at this moment, his heart was indeed somewhat heavy.

Although he was able to handle Emperor Ningkang with ease, it was because he had had enough contact with the emperor and had long since figured out his habits.

However, he was completely unfamiliar with the retired emperor.

The only real meeting was last year at the Emperor Emeritus's birthday banquet. Other impressions of the Emperor Emeritus come from information gathered indirectly.

Most importantly, his affair with Princess Zhaoyang would be considered improper even among common people, let alone in the imperial family!

Out of consideration for their relationship, Emperor Ningkang and the others turned a blind eye and let it pass.

However, if the retired emperor were to oppose him based on etiquette and the dignity of the imperial family, it would be perfectly justified. Not only would he not oppose him, but even if he and Princess Zhaoyang were severely punished, the world would have no grounds for objection.

Therefore, he truly had no confidence whatsoever in this audience.

Releasing Princess Zhaoyang's hand, Jia Lian straightened his clothes and walked to the gate of Chonghua Palace.

The guard on duty coldly raised his sword, signaling him to stop.

Jia Lian then knelt down on the spot, kowtowed, and solemnly said, "Jia Lian, grandson of Jia Daishan, First-Class Duke of Rongguo, requests an audience with the Emperor Emeritus."

……

It is rumored that the retired emperor and Jia Daishan had a very close relationship. Jia Lian specially requested an audience as Jia Daishan's grandson, hoping that the retired emperor would consider some of their old friendship.

Time passed by, but the retired emperor did not receive him.

He also did not receive Princess Zhaoyang.

The one who came out of the palace was Wang Fu, the chief eunuch whom Jia Lian was somewhat familiar with.

Wang Fu, accompanied by a group of eunuchs and palace maids, strolled out of Chonghua Palace and walked up to Jia Lian, his nose in the air.

When he realized that Jia Lian didn't even look up at him, he slowly turned his gaze to Princess Zhaoyang, who was also kneeling beside him, and his expression became more composed.

Clearing his throat, Wang Fu said, "By imperial decree, Princess Zhaoyang has acted recklessly and disgraced the imperial family. From this day forward, she is to be confined to Weiyang Palace and placed under the strict supervision of the Empress Dowager."

Upon hearing this, both Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang felt a chill in their hearts.

Unexpectedly, the retired emperor didn't even give them a chance to explain, and directly imposed punishment.

The Fourth Prince, who had been watching from a distance, also became anxious and jumped out, saying, "This is unfair! It's clearly Jia Lian's fault. My elder sister was bewitched and deceived by him. Why is Grandfather punishing her instead!"

Wang Fu showed significantly more respect to the Fourth Prince. Seeing the Fourth Prince acting arrogantly, he quickly hissed and said, "Your Highness, please calm down. The Emperor Emeritus doesn't really intend to punish the Eldest Princess."

The Emperor Emeritus said that as long as the Princess repents, her confinement will be lifted...

As he spoke, Wang Fu glanced meaningfully at Princess Zhaoyang's belly.

At that glance, not only Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang understood, but even the Fourth Prince.

Princess Zhaoyang's face immediately fell into sorrow. She knew that the Empress Dowager had not lied to her; this truly was the Emperor Emeritus's will.

She simply couldn't understand why the Emperor Emeritus, with his magnanimity, couldn't accept her child. After all, the child in her womb carried the blood of the imperial family!

Could it be that, in the eyes of the retired emperor, the face of the imperial family was truly so important that there was no room for sentimentality?

But why were the Empress Dowager and even the Emperor able to tolerate it...?

"Your Highness, let's go."

A group of palace maids led by two old nannies stepped out from behind Wang Fu and spoke to Princess Zhaoyang with expressionless faces.

Princess Zhaoyang slowly rose and looked at Jia Lian with sorrow.

Jia Lian was also feeling bad at that moment.

This is imperial power!

A single sentence can determine a person's fate, life or death, leaving them powerless and unwilling to resist.

Even he, a world-renowned hero and a young marquis envied by countless people, was no different.

Faced with Princess Zhaoyang's pleading gaze, what could Jia Lian say or do?

He knew that since the Emperor Emeritus had even confined Princess Zhaoyang to her quarters, it was impossible for him to escape punishment.

Sure enough, Wang Fu turned to look at him and said calmly, "By order of the Emperor Emeritus, Second-Class Marquis Jia Lian of Zhenyuan has deceived the current princess and tarnished her reputation. This is truly audacious and reckless."

Considering his past merits and numerous outstanding contributions to the court, he was given a lenient sentence and demoted to the third-rank Zhenyuan Marquis as a warning to others.

If they do not repent, they will be severely punished without mercy.

"Lord Zhenyuan, did you understand?"

After saying that, Wang Fu saw that Jia Lian was keeping his head down and not speaking, and slowly said, "My lord, don't be ungrateful. The Emperor Emeritus has been very kind to you."

If it were anyone else, committing such a heinous crime, being beheaded would be the least of their worries.

"My lord should be grateful to have such a good ancestor. If it weren't for the old Duke Rong, this time, tsk tsk..."

Wang Fu shook his head, his expression not without mockery.

Actually, he had no grudge against Jia Lian; he simply didn't like Jia Lian.

Perhaps it was because Jia Lian hadn't given him enough respect as the head eunuch of Chonghua Palace in the past, or perhaps he could tell that Jia Lian didn't like him either.

In short, when Jia Lian was enjoying smooth sailing and receiving all the favor, he dared not show it.

Now that he sees Jia Lian in trouble, he naturally doesn't hesitate to kick him while he's down.

It's human nature to fawn over the powerful and belittle the weak.

At this moment, Jia Lian had no time to argue with a eunuch. He said to Princess Zhaoyang, who was standing beside him, "Go see the Empress Dowager first, and I will come to see you later."

Princess Zhaoyang nodded, then quickly added, "Don't be rash..."

This time, the Emperor Emeritus showed leniency, severely reprimanding Jia Lian but only demoting him by one rank, clearly indicating that the warning was the main purpose.

He feared that Jia Lian would further anger the Emperor Emeritus and ruin his future. She knew that Jia Lian had lofty ambitions, and she couldn't bear to let him jeopardize his promising future because of her.

Jia Lian smiled slightly: "Don't worry, I understand."

Princess Zhaoyang was relieved. She glanced at Jia Lian one last time before leaving.

The palace maids who were supervising the enforcement of the law quickly followed. They could all see that the Emperor Emeritus was only warning Princess Zhaoyang, not giving up completely; otherwise, these people who had come on orders would probably not have had this attitude.

Jia Lian ignored Wang Fu, making Wang Fu feel slighted. Once the Fourth Prince and Princess Zhaoyang left, he immediately said in a sinister tone, "What's wrong, Marquis? Why haven't you accepted the imperial decree to express your gratitude? Are you trying to defy it?"

Jia Lian glanced indifferently at the person before him; this man was already courting death.

"Your Excellency is overthinking this. Jia Lian has received the imperial decree and is grateful for the favor. Please convey my message that Jia Lian risked his life to offer this advice."

Whether the retired emperor did so out of consideration for Jia Daishan or because he was useful to the court, the fact remains that he punished him lightly despite the severity of the punishment.

This shows that the retired emperor was not truly angry.

As he himself said, given the current situation, if he couldn't meet the Emperor Emeritus and plead his case in person, giving up would be a disservice to Princess Zhaoyang's deep affection for him.

In other words, one should die knowing why.

"Marquis Zhenyuan, you should know how to be content. The Emperor Emeritus has already shown you leniency this time. Don't push your luck. The Emperor Emeritus will not see you."

"Whether the Emperor Emeritus meets with me or not is entirely up to him. Please grant me permission, Your Excellency. I will certainly remember your kindness and repay you in the future."

"Hmph, since Marquis Zhenyuan won't listen to advice, then he can kneel here."

Wang Fu snorted coldly, turned around and left, clearly having no intention of helping Jia Lian to report.

Jia Lian didn't care. He straightened his clothes and knelt leisurely before the empty gate of Chonghua Palace.

……()