Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Su Yun, one of Li Wan's two main maids, was deeply trusted by Li Wan.

Although her status was not as high as Yuanyang's, and her power was far less than that of Ping'er by Fengjie's side, as Li Wan's chief assistant, the eldest grandson's wife of the Rongguo Mansion, she was not an unknown figure in the Rongguo Mansion.

After hanging Li Wan's personal clothes in a secluded corner of the courtyard to dry, she went to the main house, intending to serve tea to the master and mistress if there was no one there to serve them.

She found it strange that the house was so quiet when Second Master Lian came to see his grandmother.

Could it be that Master Lian has already left?

Su Yun, filled with suspicion, prepared to go inside to check on the situation, but when she reached the door, she pushed it open...

Ok?

It won't budge!

The door was bolted from the inside.

Su Yun's clean and beautiful face was immediately filled with doubt.

Admittedly, if it's something very private for the eldest mistress, such as changing clothes, using the restroom, or taking an afternoon nap, closing the bedroom door isn't a big deal.

But the key point is that she clearly saw Master Lian enter the room just now, so she can't be sure whether Master Lian has left or not!

If Master Lian had left, that would be fine, but if he hadn't...

Thinking about this, even the most obtuse person should know that things are not simple.

Therefore, Su Yun stood at the door of the main room with an absolutely suspicious look on her face. After hesitating for a long time, she finally composed herself and stood at the door.

As time went by, the doubts in my heart not only did not dissipate but gathered, even becoming heavier and heavier, until they became like thunder and lightning.

If the eldest mistress were just changing clothes, it wouldn't take this long at all. If she were sleeping, she would usually tell them so they could arrange for someone to guard the door; she wouldn't just close the door so quietly.

This is because if someone comes looking for them, should they bother them, and how should they respond?

Just then, Li Wan's other head maid, her little friend Biyue, strolled over.

"Where's Grandma?"

"Grandma...she's sleeping. She said not to disturb her. Is there anything you need?"

"It's nothing, I just came to check."

As she spoke, Biyue moved closer and giggled, "Since Grandma is sleeping, I'll leave this place to you for now. I'm going back to my room to rest. Call me when Grandma wakes up."

"Okay, go ahead."

After seeing Biyue off, Suyun breathed a slight sigh of relief. But her heart tightened even more. She knew that it would be fine if she guessed wrong, but if it was really as she imagined, and Master Lian and her own grandmother were both in the house at this moment, then things would be very serious.

One wrong move, and it could lead to a catastrophe. As a maid, she could be crushed into dust in an instant amidst such calamity.

Moreover, she had a strong intuition that her guess was probably right. Because she always felt that in the quiet room, there was always a faint, oppressive sound that made people's imaginations run wild.

Fortunately, after Biyue, no one came for a long time.

Just as Su Yun was filled with anxiety and even suspected that something had happened to her grandmother, and couldn't help but want to knock on the door to ask, she finally heard faint footsteps coming from inside the room, thanks to her sharp ears.

Su Yun quickly turned her head to look.

As she gazed intently, the wooden door opened from the inside, revealing Jia Lian's handsome and dignified face.

Upon seeing Jia Lian, Su Yun's pupils involuntarily contracted. She then realized what was happening and quickly stepped forward to curtsy.

"This servant greets Second Master..."

"Um."

Jia Lian responded almost inaudibly.

Looking at the maidservant in front of him, whose head was bowed and whose small body showed obvious signs of trembling, Jia Lian's eyebrows twitched, but he did not rush to say anything. Instead, he walked out of the room and turned back to close the door again.

During this time, one could clearly hear the increasingly urgent voice of the maid beside them.

"Where is your room?"

Upon hearing this, Su Yun subconsciously looked at Jia Lian.

Seeing that Jia Lian was also looking at her, she blushed, lost in thought, and said weakly, "This servant...this servant lives in the small courtyard next door..."

"Take me there."

"Yes."

After responding, Su Yun glanced at Jia Lian several times to make sure he wasn't just talking, then bowed and led him to her lower quarters.

She was also a maidservant of eighteen or nineteen, old enough to understand human affairs. Putting aside what Jia Lian might have done in her mistress's room just now, the fact that he was suddenly coming to her room now was enough to make her heart flutter.

As she led the way, she even worried that Jia Lian might suddenly rush up and hug her, then forcibly do something indecent to her that she wouldn't dare to resist.

Fortunately, none of these speculations came true until she opened her room and invited Jia Lian in to sit down.

"Please, Second Master..."

Su Yun had no idea what Jia Lian wanted to do in her room, and she was also suspicious of what Jia Lian had done in her grandmother's room earlier. In addition, there were rumors that Second Master Lian treated his maids very well.

Therefore, when she presented the tea to Jia Lian at this moment, she finally couldn't help but look up and take a serious look at Jia Lian.

Second Master Lian is indeed handsome and charming. No wonder some shameless maids in the manor gossip that they would be willing to die if they could be favored by Second Master Lian even once!

Perhaps that's why the eldest mistress, who had remained chaste and virtuous for so many years, went astray...

Su Yun's face flushed instantly. Standing beside Jia Lian, she couldn't bear to take a single step back.

Sitting there, Jia Lian paid little attention to Su Yun's changing expression.

He sipped his tea intermittently, his mind still replaying the scene from Li Wan's room.

As expected of a beautiful young woman who has been celibate for a long time, when she gets going, she can be really deadly!

And perhaps because it took the most patience and was the hardest to win him over, Li Wan, compared to some other pretty women who were reserved, coy, and even somewhat resistant, gave him an unexpectedly good feeling!

So much so that he almost forgot about the passing years. If Li Wan hadn't been urging him, he would have wanted to stay in Li Wan's bed and completely feel the feeling of being drained.

"Second Master...?"

"Um."

Jia Lian looked up at Li Wan's personal maid beside him, his expression gradually shifting from contemplation to seriousness.

"I heard from your eldest grandmother that you've been her maid since you were little, and that you're the person she trusts most?"

"This servant has indeed been with our grandmother since I was a child, but I don't deserve to be called the most trusted..."

He's quite humble.

How old are you this year?

"Reporting to Second Master, I am... nineteen this year."

Su Yun originally wanted to say she was two years younger, as she had heard that men preferred younger children. However, she considered that her own situation was clearly recorded in the manor, and if she tried to curry favor and displeased Second Master Lian, it would be a loss.

"Nineteen years old, almost at the age to be betrothed."

Jia Lian chuckled lightly, then immediately became serious and said, "Since you are the closest and most trusted person to your eldest mistress, you should know that only when your eldest mistress is well can everything be well for you."

So I won't go into too much detail with you; you seem like a smart person.

I only have one thing to say to you: from now on, you must serve your grandmother even more diligently. You must always keep in mind what you must keep to yourself and what you must not tell others.

If you behave well, your great-grandmother and I will definitely make proper arrangements for your future marriage and will not treat you unfairly.

Upon hearing this, Su Yun knelt down with a thud. "Second Master, rest assured, I understand. As for you and the eldest mistress... no, about our eldest mistress, this servant will keep a tight rein on it and will not dare to say a single word to anyone."

If you disobey, I'd gladly let Second Master beat you to death!

Su Yun was not stupid. As soon as she heard Jia Lian's words, she understood that there was indeed a relationship between her grandmother and Jia Lian that could not be told to others.

She didn't know when it started, nor did she dare to ask. But she knew that once this matter was exposed, not only would her grandmother be unable to stand in the mansion with any face, but she, who served her, would also have a hard time ending her life peacefully.

Therefore, even without Jia Lian's instructions, she never intended to reveal it to anyone.

She was filled with regret. She had thought that Jia Lian had come to her room because he wanted to take her as a concubine.

As a maid in the mansion, the best outcome would probably be to be noticed by the master and become his concubine in the future.

The next best thing is to gain the master's favor, either by marrying out or by being matched with a capable servant.

Finally, when they reached a certain age, the household would arrange for them to be randomly assigned to one of the servants or young men in the household.

If that were the case, then we would have absolutely no say in the matter.

In the household, maids could usually be married off after they turned twenty. However, if they were favored by their master, it was not uncommon for their marriage to be delayed for several years.

I thought that today was a lucky day and I might be able to get that first-class treatment, but who would have thought that Master Lian probably didn't think much of me.

After her initial disappointment subsided, Su Yun's mind began to work again.

Given how useful she was to Li Wan, it shouldn't have been difficult for her to obtain a favor in the future.

Now, by sheer coincidence, I've uncovered the affair between Second Master Lian and his wife. Judging from Second Master Lian's intentions, he probably also wants me to act as his protector in the future.

In this way, with repeated interactions in the future, there might be an opportunity for him to be taken in by Master Lian. At the very least, as Master Lian said, he could seek a better life and future.

Because Jia Lian was looking down at Su Yun at this moment, he naturally saw the expression that flashed across her face and knew that she was aware of the stakes involved.

In truth, Jia Lian himself wasn't too worried about his affair with Li Wan. With his current power and influence, unless someone caught him in bed with another woman, who would dare to make baseless accusations and slander against him?

Li Wan was timid. Just now, when she heard Su Yun talking to Bi Yue outside, she was so frightened that her pretty face turned pale and her body shrank, almost causing him to lose control on the spot.

Her subsequent anxious and uneasy demeanor deeply distressed Jia Lian, which prompted him to temporarily conceive the idea of ​​winning Su Yun over and calming her down.

The best and most convenient way to win over a powerful maid like Su Yun in the mansion is to do what Xi Ren did back then: directly take over her body and make her one of their own.

That's why Jia Lian wanted to come to Suyun's room.

This has another advantage. What if someone sees him frequently visiting Daoxiangcun and staying for extended periods...?

Therefore, his coming out of Suyun's room was less shocking than coming out of Li Wan's room.

Even a flimsy cover-up is better than nothing.

The plan was to take Suyun in as well. After all, Suyun, like Yuanyang and the others, was one of the best among the maids who had grown up in the same batch over the past ten years. Even if she wasn't as good as Yuanyang, she wasn't far off, so taking her in wouldn't be a loss.

However, firstly, he had already had his fill with Li Wan, and secondly, Su Yun seemed to be a sensible person, so he wasn't in a hurry.

So he touched Su Yun's face and hair, and while she shyly looked up at him with affection, he gave her a smile that would haunt her for life, then turned and left.