Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Jia Lian declined the Third Prince's offer to stay for a meal, took the plaque, and left.

Jia Lian is a person who doesn't like taking risks.

With the title of Crown Prince already secured, the Third Prince's attempt to seize the throne clearly makes him a dangerous figure.

Although anything is possible before the outcome is certain.

But since Jia Lian wasn't even willing to serve the Crown Prince, he naturally wouldn't take a risky approach and help the Third Prince.

Taking unconventional and risky approaches is something that only those who can't get ahead do when they're desperately trying to fight to the death.

He had already gained the trust of Emperor Ningkang and had a smooth future ahead of him, so he was naturally not included in this category.

Upon arriving at the Xue family's residence, we presented them with the plaque.

Aunt Xue was quite excited.

Looking at the blackened wooden plaque and touching the large gold-painted characters "Family of Accumulated Virtues," she couldn't hide her heartache.

The Xue family has not received any imperial favor or recognition for many years.

Unexpectedly, due to a series of unforeseen events, he received commendation from the imperial court because of his son's misconduct, which is quite ironic.

Upon seeing the reason for the imperial court's bestowal of the plaque written on the back and the words "Ministry of Revenue" at the end, Aunt Xue hurriedly had the old plaque on the ceremonial gate removed and replaced with this one.

Jia Lian did not mean to mock Aunt Xue.

Given the Xue family's current situation, such a plaque of commendation officially issued by the imperial court is also a talisman for them.

It can deter petty thieves.

"The plaque has been delivered, so I'll head back now."

Jia Lian stepped forward to say goodbye to Aunt Xue.

Upon hearing this, Aunt Xue finally realized she had neglected Jia Lian and quickly pulled him aside, asking, "Have you eaten yet?"

"Fang has just returned from the capital and hasn't eaten yet."

"Hehehe, in that case, please eat here. You've helped our family so much, and this time you even helped deliver the plaque. Auntie must thank you properly."

"Ahem, no need, Auntie has already thanked me so many times..."

"You don't need to do anything here, come in with me quickly."

Under Aunt Xue's warm hospitality, Jia Lian stopped being coy.

Anyway, he really enjoyed eating at the Xue family's house.

As Aunt Xue pulled Jia Lian toward the main courtyard, she instructed the kitchen to prepare the finest food and wine.

Once inside the main room, Aunt Xue realized it was inappropriate to keep holding onto Jia Lian and let go of him.

"Please sit down."

"Auntie, please sit down too."

"Hehehe, good, good."

Aunt Xue smiled, but did not sit down. Instead, she looked at Jia Lian with a smile on her face.

After Jia Lian won over Baochai, she had secretly asked her daughter and learned that the two had confided in each other, and that the matter was settled.

Therefore, when she looks at Jia Lian now, it's exactly like a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law—the more she looks, the more satisfied she becomes.

How could she not be satisfied? Not to mention how much Jia Lian had helped her in the past.

Take, for example, the murder committed by his son Xue Pan. Without Jia Lian, how could he have survived?

Now Jia Lian has sent their family a congratulatory plaque.

It's conceivable that with Jia Lian as her son-in-law, she wouldn't have to fear any trouble or turmoil the Xue family might face in the future.

Even though Jia Lian was used to the gaze of beautiful women, he couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by Aunt Xue's undisguised affection.

To break the ice, he chuckled and said, "Although I know I'm somewhat good-looking, I'm not worth Auntie looking at like this."

"Hehehe, it's worth it, it's worth it..."

After responding with an unconscious laugh, Aunt Xue realized something was amiss.

Therefore, she couldn't help but recall that night in Tianjin when she cried and begged Jia Lian to save her son, which had been quite improper, and she felt ashamed and dared not look at Jia Lian any longer.

The noblewoman, shy yet unparalleled in her charm, is something that Boss Cao can attest to.

Although Jia Lian was not Boss Cao, that did not prevent him from appreciating the beauty that Boss Cao saw.

Then the situation reversed. Jia Lian sat leaning against the tea table, looking back at Aunt Xue with great interest.

In her panic, Aunt Xue, just like Jia Lian had done earlier, began to speak: "About you and Bao-ya... I saw Bao-ya the other day, and from her appearance, it seemed that she had already agreed."

I wonder what the young master's plans are, when he will set a wedding date and sign the marriage certificate...

And what about Feng Yatou...?

Jia Lian then laughed and said, "What, Auntie, are you afraid I'll change my mind?"

"No, I'm just worried... Feng'er has a strong personality, I'm afraid she won't agree to this..."

When Aunt Xue spoke of Sister Feng, her tone became more serious.

Jia Lian replied, "Don't worry, Aunt. Baochai is Feng's cousin. Feng can tolerate Lin Daiyu, so how could she not tolerate Baochai?"

I've just been too busy lately and haven't found a suitable opportunity to talk to Feng Yatou yet.

Moreover, given the current state of national and family mourning, it is not appropriate to discuss this matter.

Otherwise, in my opinion, I would like to settle this matter as soon as possible and marry Bao'er into my family as soon as possible..."

As Jia Lian spoke, he stood up and walked to Aunt Xue, his words carrying a hint of deeper meaning.

Aunt Xue glanced up at him and immediately understood Jia Lian's meaning.

My daughter is just sixteen, in the prime of her life, and possesses unparalleled beauty. If I were to marry her, it would be a great blessing for any man.

This made her unsure of what to think about, and Aunt Xue felt her heart pounding.

For a moment, she thought it was because Jia Lian was too close to her, and the scent of his youthful body was disturbing her peace. But then she thought, discussing such important and private matters naturally required close proximity to avoid being overheard by outsiders…

Therefore, it does not move.

Looking at Aunt Xue, who was standing with her head down and not saying a word, Jia Lian's brow furrowed.

Aunt Xue was the quintessential aristocrat of her time. Graceful and elegant, she was in the prime of her life, and remarkably, she retained immense charm in both appearance and figure.

No wonder she is a woman who could give birth to Baochai.

Jia Lian was a young and impetuous man, and in this situation and atmosphere, it was inevitable that he would have some unusual emotions.

Moreover, judging from Aunt Xue's demeanor, she seemed completely unguarded towards him, which made him even more eager to try.

But he hesitated.

Aunt Xue is no ordinary person, and this place is not Tianjin. If this thrill-seeking mentality is allowed to continue, one day an uncontrollable situation will arise.

After all, compared to other girls, Bao Yatou is still more appealing.

"Is your wife inside?"

A woman's voice resolved Jia Lian's dilemma and caused Aunt Xue, who had been bowing her head, to hurriedly retreat.

As he backed away, he kicked the stool behind him, making a frantic scraping sound on the ground.

The sound caused the exotic beauty who had just entered the room to immediately cast a scrutinizing glance at him.

Jia Lian looked over immediately, but he saw the person who appeared inside the room.

Even after a year apart, the Second Madam remains as radiant as ever.

No, it seems the charm has only intensified.

Aunt Xue, flustered and clumsy as she grabbed the stool, met the Second Madam's gaze and tried her best to appear calm as she introduced her to Jia Lian, "This is Qin's mother..."

Before Aunt Xue could give a detailed introduction, Jia Lian bowed and said, "Greetings, Second Madam. Back in Nanjing, I was deeply grateful for the kindness and sincerity shown to me by both the First and Second Madams. I will never forget it."

Aunt Xue didn't sense anything unusual in Jia Lian's words; she just realized that the two of them had met before.

But how could the second wife not understand the meaning behind Jia Lian's words?

For a moment, she thought Jia Lian was bold, daring to flirt with her in front of Aunt Xue. At the same time, she also thought that Jia Lian was indeed a romantic and amorous man, and had not forgotten the kindness of that night.

In short, I couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

Not daring to let Aunt Xue notice, she quickly bowed and returned the greeting.

Seeing that the two were familiar with each other, and feeling nervous herself, Aunt Xue asked the Second Madam to receive Jia Lian while she excused herself to go to the kitchen to keep an eye on things and slipped away.

As soon as Aunt Xue left, the Second Madam had no more scruples and immediately changed her gaze, looking at Jia Lian with deep affection.

She had come to the capital with Xue Kebaoqin, and it had been several days since then.

However, as she herself said, due to her low status, it was inconvenient for her to accompany Aunt Xue, Baoqin, and others to the Jia family mansion to pay their respects.

Later, it was a time of national mourning, so it was not appropriate to send a private message to Jia Lian.

This also shows that Jia Lian's feelings for her grew stronger.

Therefore, when I heard a noise outside today, I hurriedly came out to see what was going on, and to my surprise, it was Jia Lian who came to visit.

Jia Lian was much more at ease in front of the Second Madam. After turning around and sitting back down on the stool, he beckoned to her.

The second lady immediately stepped forward.

Jia Lian patted his thigh again, gesturing for her to sit down.

The second wife blushed and shook her head, saying with difficulty, "No, if Madam sees us..."

In her heart, she thought, "Jia Lian is really bold. No wonder he dared to sleep with her and her sister when he first came to their house."

She didn't expect that she had clearly seduced the woman first and then presented her to the First Madam, yet now she was shifting all the blame onto Jia Lian, which was utterly unreasonable.

Jia Lian could tell from the Second Madam's eyes that she was more than willing, but was afraid of being discovered by Aunt Xue.

He also happened to have some lustful thoughts stirred up by Aunt Xue, so he took the Second Madam as a convenient excuse.

So he grabbed the second wife's delicate arm and pulled her into his arms, placing her on his lap.

"My lord, no, if my wife finds out, I'll have nowhere to stand..."

When the second wife was in the second branch of the Xue family in Jinling, she acted without restraint and dared to do things that were impossible.

Now, however, she became cautious and timid. Pulled into Jia Lian's lap, she felt extremely uneasy. Her beautiful, emerald eyes kept glancing towards the door, fearing that Aunt Xue might return at any moment.

Jia Lian would not tell the Second Madam, and given his relationship with Aunt Xue, it wouldn't matter even if she found out.

He cupped the beauty's face in one hand and said with a smile, "If your wife kicks you out, come and stay with me. Although I'm not capable, I can still provide you with a separate residence."

It's no wonder Jia Lian was so frivolous towards the Second Madam; in his opinion, she had probably come to the capital to find him.

Have you not heard that in the original story, neither of the two wives went to the capital to summon the emperor?

Moreover, back in Jinling, when they first met, this woman dared to kick him under the table in front of everyone, demonstrating her courage and charm.

However, Jia Lian was unaware that the Second Madam dared to do that because, firstly, the First Madam had given her instructions, and secondly, since it was in her own home, she had no fear and her confidence was different.

Now that I've come all the way to the capital and am staying with my aunt, the situation is naturally different.

However, she was ultimately weak and unable to persuade Jia Lian with words, so she could only sit in Jia Lian's lap with trepidation and let him bully her.

……

After Aunt Xue hurriedly left the main house, she summoned a maid and asked her to go to the Jia family's Grand View Garden and invite Baochai back.

Since she had betrothed her precious daughter to Jia Lian, and knew full well that her daughter's rivals were formidable, Aunt Xue would naturally spare no effort to help her daughter win Jia Lian's favor.

Since Jia Lian rarely visits the Xue family, he naturally wants to seize this opportunity to give his daughter a chance to spend time with him.

Just before heading to the kitchen, he remembered the inappropriateness of the main room.

Jia Lian was young, handsome, and of noble birth. His second wife was also a stunning beauty, and being from the Western Regions, she possessed an exotic charm and was renowned for her beauty in Jinling City back then.

In the heat of the moment, I left the two of them in the room; now I realize that was inappropriate.

So he asked his maid, Tongxi, to serve him tea.

Aunt Xue thought that although Jia Lian and the other man knew each other, they had only met once or twice.

A lone man and woman are prone to trouble, but with a maidservant by their side, there should be no worry.