Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

After meeting with Grandmother Jia, Jia Lian returned home.

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, I heard a maid from the east wing call out into the house, "Second Mistress, Second Master is back!"

Upon hearing the sound, Jia Lian turned and walked towards the east wing, where he saw Feng Jie carrying Qiao Jie in her arms, rocking and coaxing her.

Seeing the little girl's face streaked with tears, Jia Lian asked, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing, I just accidentally bumped into the doorpost, I've already applied some medicine."

As they spoke, Feng Jie handed Qiao Jie to Jia Lian, then said with a smile, "Lord Marquis, you must be tired today? I've already had the bathtub filled with water. You can take a bath first, and then have dinner."

"Qingwen, why aren't you helping your second master to take a bath?"

At this moment, Jia Lian had confirmed that Qiao Jie was alright. He wiped away her tears with his thumb and then looked at Feng Jie.

Since Grandmother Jia already knew about what happened in the palace, and had just summoned him to give him a "lecture," there's no reason why Sister Feng wouldn't know.

Since she was so composed, Jia Lian wasn't in a hurry to talk to her, since it wasn't exactly a respectable matter anyway. So he nodded, handed Qiao Jie'er over to the wet nurse, and headed towards the west bathhouse.

Inside the steamy bathroom, everything was already prepared.

After removing Jia Lian's clothes, Qingwen pointed to a small bruise on Jia Lian's shoulder and neck and exclaimed, "Why is there a bruise here, Master?"

Jia Lian glanced down at it and said nonchalantly, "It's just from the vibrations during gun practice, it's nothing."

"Practicing shooting? How could practicing shooting cause this injury?" Qingwen asked, her face full of confusion, unable to understand.

Jia Lian didn't blame her. This girl probably didn't even know whether he meant a red-tasseled spear or a gunpowder gun, so he was too lazy to explain too much to her.

"Does Second Master feel pain?"

"a little."

"Then I'll give Second Master a good massage later, and the bruises will go away."

After stripping Jia Lian naked and putting him into the water, Qingwen went to the door, glanced outside, closed the bathroom door, and then walked to the shelf next to her to start taking off her clothes.

Seeing Jia Lian turn around and look at her, she explained, "It's inconvenient to rub you while squatting outside, it's easier to get down and apply more pressure..."

The truth is, even when Jia Lian and Feng Jie were at home, they didn't take baths in the bathhouse every day. Now that it was still chilly in spring, being able to soak in a bath of hot water was such a comfortable and luxurious thing, and Qingwen also wanted to bask in Jia Lian's warmth.

And what she said was true; it wasn't very convenient for her to squat on the edge of the pool, whether to wash Jia Lian's body or massage her shoulders and neck.

There's nothing to it as presumptuous or not. In the past, Second Master would often drag her and Xiangling into the big wooden tub to play when he took a bath, let alone this big pool.

Seven or eight out of ten times, he would voluntarily let them bathe with him, which saved them the trouble of bathing alone.

As expected, Jia Lian showed no sign of blaming her; instead, he asked, "Where is Xiangling?"

At this moment, Qingwen had already stripped herself down to only a jade-white bodice to cover her body, and with her exquisitely small feet, she stepped into the water from the edge of the pool.

Hearing this, he said, "I know her. She's been acting strange today."

"How so?"

"I don't know either. She just went to the East Mansion with Second Madam and came back acting strangely. She doesn't talk much. When I asked her if Second Madam had scolded her, she wouldn't say. She just looked at me and smiled, which was really creepy."

Seeing that Qingwen couldn't give a clear answer, Jia Lian didn't pay it any mind. Instead, he turned his head and stared at the little girl's figure underwater, and laughed, "Since you want to come down and bathe with me, what's the point of wearing just a piece of clothing?"

"You've seen me completely naked, and you're still hiding something? Is that even acceptable?"

Qingwen was immediately embarrassed. Facing Jia Lian's scrutiny, she hesitated for three seconds before shyly reaching behind her back to unfasten the silk clasp of her bodice.

The jade-white bodice, now free of its restraints, leaps out of the water like a lively little rabbit, swaying gently with the waves in the pool, looking incredibly alluring.

Jia Lian smiled slightly and beckoned to the little maid. The pretty, petite girl obediently snuggled up to him.

……

Knowing that Sister Feng was waiting, Jia Lian didn't make a fuss with Qingwen in the bath room.

After getting dressed, he returned to the main room, where, as expected, Sister Feng had already arranged the meal and served him to sit down and eat.

"Knowing you don't like sweet things, I specifically asked the kitchen to use less sugar in these dishes. Try them, how's the taste?"

Seeing the table full of dishes, all of which were his favorites, and noticing that Sister Feng was unusually virtuous today, not only standing up to serve him food but also speaking to him with unusual gentleness.

Jia Lian tried to adjust for a moment, but found he still wasn't quite used to it, so he said, "You should go back to your original self. I'm not used to this virtuous version of you."

"Pfft~"

Jia Lian's words not only froze Feng Jie's bright smile, but even Ping'er, who was standing beside her, couldn't help but smile.

But the snicker didn't come from Ping'er; it came from outside the curtain. Jia Lian raised an eyebrow. Apart from Qingwen, he didn't know which other maid in the room was so bold as to laugh at Fengjie.

But based on just one voice, Jia Lian still couldn't tell who it was.

After being "sarcastically" by Jia Lian, Sister Feng lost face and glared at him before finally sitting down.

Ping'er then stepped forward and took over Feng Jie'er's job, serving the dishes to the two mistresses.

Although Sister Feng had already set up a separate area in the east wing to serve as a dining room in order to match her status.

However, the couple still habitually ate their meals at the kang table in the west side room, just like before.

This kang table is only suitable for two people to sit facing each other, so if Jia Lian is not at home, Ping'er can still receive Feng Jie's favor and sit with her to eat.

Once he returned, he could no longer do it.

However, Jia Lian was always considerate of his family members. Fearing that Ping'er might be tempted by the dishes on the table, he picked up a small piece of fish, made sure it was boneless, and then held it to Ping'er's lips.

Although Ping'er was embarrassed, it wasn't the first time Jia Lian had done this, so she glanced at Feng Jie'er's expression and obediently opened her mouth to hold it in.

Chewing on the fish that Second Master personally fed me, the meat was fragrant, and my heart was even more fragrant.

Having witnessed the whole thing, Sister Feng secretly rolled her eyes twice, thinking to herself that Ping'er had always been inclined to side with Jia Lian. If this continued, the girl's heart would be completely won over, and she wouldn't even recognize herself anymore!

After a peaceful and harmonious dinner, and as Ping'er and the maids cleared away the tableware, Feng Jie spoke up, "I heard the old lady was looking for you..."

Seeing that the women had finally lost their temper, Jia Lian stopped pretending to be ignorant.

He nodded and said, "It's about matters in the palace."

Sister Feng's expression also turned serious. "The old lady also summoned me before... The Imperial Concubine sent out a letter, saying..."

Feng Jie asked in a calm tone, "Is what the Imperial Concubine said true? Did the Emperor Emeritus really reject your marriage to the princess outright?"

Jia Lian nodded again: "That's right."

Feng Jie's expression tightened, her eyes darting around. She tried to suppress her inner joy and appear more sorrowful in order to empathize with Jia Lian.

But then I thought, wouldn't that seem too hypocritical? With Jia Lian's intelligence, he would definitely be able to see through it!

Therefore, I was extremely conflicted.

Jia Lian glanced at her; how could he not see through her little schemes?

Not intending to argue with her, Jia Lian said, "So, let's leave the matter of the princess as it is for now. You don't need to hold it in; if you're happy, just laugh it off. It's not good for your health to hold it in."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, Feng Jie knew that her thoughts had indeed been seen through.

Thus, she completely suppressed her inner joy and sighed, "You've always thought of me as an ignorant woman, so naturally you'd think I'd only be happy to hear this news."

But in fact, when I heard the old lady talk about this, I felt indescribably sad.

It wasn't for myself, but for the princess.

Although I've only met her once, just from what you and she said to me, I know how much the Princess likes you and cares about you!

Although she was a princess, her life had been quite difficult. As a princess, she was willing to follow you for so long without any official status or title, completely disregarding her reputation and how others viewed her.

To be honest, I couldn't do that.

I finally had your child, and a legitimate opportunity to be with you, but my hopes were dashed just as they were beginning.

Such a blow, I don't know how the princess can bear it. Thinking about this, I only feel sad, not happy.

Besides, do you think I don't know that if the princess were to marry you, her assistance would be of immense benefit to your career? If I didn't even have this much foresight, I would have wasted all these years as the young mistress of the house.

As Sister Feng spoke, her voice grew increasingly emotional, and her eyes even welled up with tears, clearly indicating that she was about to shed them.

Jia Lian saw this and, although he didn't know how much of Feng Jie's statement was true or false, he appreciated her kindness for saying it at this time.

So he reached out and wiped her eyes, comforting her, "You don't need to worry too much, she's much stronger than you think."

"I know she's an outstanding person, and I can't compare to her in that respect."

Sister Feng nodded, then suddenly asked, "And the child in the princess's belly?"

The child... Since the Emperor Emeritus rejected their marriage on the grounds that it would damage the face of the imperial family, it is naturally impossible for them to keep the child.

The Empress Dowager had already made this clear to him.

Although Jia Lian didn't answer, Feng Jie already knew the answer. She quickly took Jia Lian's hand and said, "You don't need to be too sad. There's still a long future ahead. Even if you and the princess lose this child, there will still be opportunities in the future..."

Sister Feng was genuinely afraid that Jia Lian, in a moment of impulsiveness, would go against the imperial family for the sake of his child with Princess Zhaoyang.

Jia Lian could see that Feng Jie was worried, but in reality, these people were overthinking it. As a descendant of the future, Jia Lian cared about his bloodline, but a life yet to be born was just an embryo, not something that would make Jia Lian lose his mind.

Now that Sister Feng knew everything she needed to know, Jia Lian didn't want to say anything more to her and stood up to leave.

"Where are you going so late?"

"Let's go outside and take a look."

Jia Lian gave a casual reply, simply because Feng Jie had stopped restricting his movements a long time ago, and he assumed that Feng Jie was just asking casually.

But he realized he was wrong. Feng Jie quickly grabbed his arm and said with a smile, "Second Master, if you don't have anything urgent, please rest at home. There's something interesting I'd like you to guess?"

"Something interesting?" Jia Lian looked completely bewildered.

Without beating around the bush, Sister Feng pulled Jia Lian back to sit down, clapped her hands, and said to the door, "Xiangling, come in."

As soon as Sister Feng finished speaking, Xiangling walked in from the main hall.

She wore a pale yellow long coat, over which was a blue satin vest with quilted lace trim, and underneath was a moon-white pleated skirt. The whole look was both simple and clean.

This was Xiangling's usual attire.

Therefore, Jia Lian didn't notice anything amiss at first glance, but when he saw the meaningful look in Feng Jie'er's eyes, Jia Lian became suspicious.

This suspicion led to the discovery of some clues.

First of all, although Xiangling's attire and even expression were no different from before, upon closer inspection, it was not hard to notice that the girl seemed to have suddenly grown taller.

Secondly, given Xiangling's personality, although she is a bit slow-witted, she has learned all the rules she should know after being in the manor for so many years, and is even more sensible and obedient than Qingwen and others.

Xiangling, who was standing in front of him, had only stared at him and Fengjie with seemingly innocent eyes since she came in, and stood there blankly without knowing how to greet them.

Once you have doubts in your mind, it's not so easy to be fooled by her other behaviors.

Jia Lian raised an eyebrow: "You are... Rong'er's wife?"

Heaven knows what Jia Lian was thinking the moment he asked that question. He almost instinctively turned to look at Feng Jie, hoping to find the answer in her.

Upon hearing Jia Lian's question, Xiangling's honest yet somewhat wooden expression instantly became lively.

Confused, she retorted, "What did you say, Second Master? What Rong's wife? Young Master Rong is in the East Mansion. I am Xiangling!"

Well, it could be convincing without her saying a word, but once she did, Jia Lian was immediately convinced.

Although this girl was trying to imitate Xiangling's voice in a high-pitched voice, the timbre was ultimately somewhat different.

Others might not be able to tell the difference, but how could Jia Lian, who was used to their babbling and whining, be fooled?

Then, Jia Lian looked at Feng Jie with a questioning expression.

Da Ni'er, what do you want to do?

Sister Feng, however, wore a smug expression. She glanced at Jia Lian discreetly, then said to Ping'er, "See? I told you your Second Master is quite cunning. How could our little tricks fool him?"

Ping'er smiled knowingly and offered no comment.

Sister Feng beckoned Xiangling forward, took her hand, and looked her up and down. Then she turned to Jia Lian and said, "Her makeup was done with great effort by Ping'er and this girl. To me, it's indistinguishable from the real thing. How did you know at a glance?"

Jia Lian smiled and looked at the "Xiang Ling" in front of him. To be honest, he didn't recognize her at first glance.

After all, the two girls already looked seven or eight parts alike. Now that they had changed their makeup and clothes, if it weren't for the fact that they were a few years apart in age, resulting in some difference in their size, even he probably wouldn't have been able to confirm their identities so quickly.

Without answering Feng Jie'er's question, Jia Lian asked, "Why are you dressing her up like Xiang Ling? Where is Xiang Ling?"

Sister Feng chuckled. She didn't believe Jia Lian was unaware of their intentions; that scoundrel was just pretending to be ignorant!

"Since you care so much about your Xiangling, why don't you go to the East Mansion to find her? I'm just idling around, and I was thinking that Rong'er's wife and Xiangling look so alike. If they dressed up, I wonder if you could guess who they are?"

I didn't expect you to see through me so easily. How boring. Weren't you just about to leave? It's been a while since I've spoken to her. You can go now, and it's best if you don't come back tonight. Let her sleep next to me!

Listening to Sister Feng's words, Jia Lian thought to himself: These women are truly ruthless in their actions.

They originally thought it was just a game of pretending to be Xiangling, but they never expected that the real Xiangling had already been sent to the East Mansion.

It's easy to imagine that Xiangling over there must have become another "Qin Keqing".

What a blatant case of substitution and misrepresentation!

Seeing Qin Keqing pouting pitifully at him because of her failed performance, Jia Lian moved his legs slightly, finally picked up a cup of tea beside him, and squinted his eyes to sip it.

Even if he were alright, he couldn't leave now; leaving would be foolish.