Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Princess Zhaoyang had been waiting for Jia Lian outside the palace. Her villa was not far from the imperial palace, and she led Jia Lian there after he came out.

The two exchanged information.

Upon hearing that Emperor Ningkang had given Jia Lian two choices, and that Jia Lian ultimately chose the second, Princess Zhaoyang suddenly asked, "Did Erlang not choose to return to his ancestral home because of Qingran?"

Jia Lian slowly stopped talking and took a sip of tea.

He never expected that Princess Zhaoyang, who was always clear-headed and discerning, would also have such a love-struck moment.

That seems to be true. If he were to accept the title of Prince of Ningkang and acknowledge his ancestry, Princess Zhaoyang would truly become his cousin.

In the minds of people at that time, a cousin and a female cousin were ultimately different. Although, according to the blood relations of later generations, Daiyu, as a female cousin, and Zhaoyang, as a female cousin, were the same.

However, while marrying Daiyu was a reasonable and legal marriage between relatives in this era, marrying Princess Zhaoyang would be taboo.

Oh, by the way, if that old bastard Jia She really is the illegitimate son of the retired emperor, then his relationship with Daiyu is completely out of the question.

"What does Qingran think?"

Faced with Jia Lian's doting question, Princess Zhaoyang lowered her head shyly.

Although she wouldn't simply believe that this was the only reason, it didn't stop her from being delighted that Jia Lian had chosen an outcome that offered them endless possibilities.

She couldn't help but stand up, snuggle into Jia Lian's arms, and gently kiss him on the cheek.

When she noticed Jia Lian's hand reaching inside her clothes while she was being intimate with him, she immediately stopped him and shook her head at him.

"If Erlang wants it, I'll have two people come in to serve you."

Princess Zhaoyang naturally wanted to get closer to Jia Lian, after all, she and Jia Lian had been separated for a long time, and after this, she didn't know how long it would be before they met again.

However, the Emperor Emeritus's words ultimately shocked her greatly, making it difficult for her to truly let go of them for a while.

Meeting Princess Zhaoyang's gaze, Jia Lian naturally understood her state of mind.

He touched Princess Zhaoyang's beautiful face, then stood up. "That's enough for tonight. I have important matters to attend to and plan to go down the mountain tonight to try to bring back good news to His Majesty before he returns to the capital."

Jia Lian then explained that he was going down the mountain to represent Emperor Ningkang in pacifying the foreign armies.

Princess Zhaoyang was somewhat worried upon hearing this: "Then Erlang must be careful. The situation is very complicated right now, and no one knows what those generals are thinking. Erlang should prioritize his own safety. In any case, Father has decided to set off for the capital early tomorrow morning. Even if we can't defeat those foreign troops in a short time, it won't matter."

Listening to Princess Zhaoyang's words, Jia Lian suddenly thought of the phrase "girls are outgoing".

Patting Princess Zhaoyang's head, Jia Lian comforted her, "Don't worry. With my status, even if I fail this time, I won't be in any danger."

Princess Zhaoyang immediately understood Jia Lian's meaning.

Indeed, these foreign troops were sent to the capital to protect the emperor and quell the rebellion on the orders of the retired emperor. So even if they had other intentions, they would definitely use the retired emperor's name.

Jia Lian was the emperor's grandson, publicly acknowledged by the retired emperor, so they would never harm him.

Princess Zhaoyang then said no more and personally saw Jia Lian off at the door.

As Jia Lian and several guards were about to return to their military tent, they were suddenly stopped by a frail-looking young man.

The frail scholar stared intently at Jia Lian for a long while before bowing and saying, "Ruolan greets Marquis Zhenyuan."

Jia Lian and Wei Ruolan were naturally acquainted, and even had some friendship in their earlier years.

After all, Wei Ruolan, Feng Ziying, and Chen Yejun were known as the "Three Heroes of the Broad Righteousness," and the three were very close friends. However, among the three, only Feng Ziying's talent truly caught Jia Lian's eye.

Therefore, Jia Lian stopped his horse in front and asked, feigning ignorance, "I wonder what brings Young Master Wei to stop me so late at night?"

Wei Ruolan's fair face suddenly became colorful, and after hesitating for a moment, she seemed to have mustered up her courage.

"As the sage said: 'Propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame are the four pillars of a nation; if these four pillars are not upheld, the nation will perish!'"

Marquis Zhenyuan, being a renowned scholar of the dynasty and of imperial lineage, should understand this principle better than I do, therefore…

Regardless of the fact that Princess Zhaoyang is now engaged to me, the fact that Marquis Zhenyuan and Princess Zhaoyang are siblings means that entering and leaving Princess Zhaoyang's villa in the middle of the night would likely cause controversy.

It is hoped that Marquis Zhenyuan will henceforth be mindful of his conduct and maintain a distance from Princess Zhaoyang, so as not to cause her any inconvenience.

Wei Ruolan came to Tiewang Mountain with his elders, but his main purpose was for Princess Zhaoyang.

Despite the rumors circulating about Princess Zhaoyang, he was overjoyed when he learned that she had chosen him from among many competitors.

He didn't care about Princess Zhaoyang's past romantic affairs with Jia Lian, because he knew that if it weren't for those affairs, Princess Zhaoyang, the flower of the empire, would never have fallen into his Wei family.

Therefore, ever since the Empress Dowager issued the decree, he has tried every means to get close to Princess Zhaoyang, hoping to win the beauty's heart.

Although the process was not entirely to his liking, because apart from meeting Princess Zhaoyang once under the arrangement of the Empress Dowager, he requested to see her several times afterward, but was politely refused by Princess Zhaoyang on the grounds that "it is inconvenient to meet before marriage".

He was helpless about this.

During his two weeks in Iron Net Mountain, he tried many times to get close to the beauty, but apart from a few encounters during the hunt, he could not find an opportunity to meet her privately.

Today, the rebellion was finally over, and so many people died. He thought that if his fiancé came to show his concern at this time, Princess Zhaoyang would probably not refuse him again... right?

He had been wandering around the villa for a long time, but had not mustered the courage to go up and announce his arrival.

Suddenly, they discovered that Princess Zhaoyang and Jia Lian rode their horses into the villa from the side of Emperor Ningkang's palace. It was quite a while before Jia Lian came out.

He naturally couldn't sit still.

That's why he stopped Jia Lian and started lecturing him.

He felt he had been polite enough. If Jia Lian had any sense of shame, he should know better than to stay away from Princess Zhaoyang in the face of his warning.

But Jia Lian didn't react at all after hearing his words, and only asked, "Has Young Master Wei finished speaking? I have important responsibilities to fulfill, so I'll take my leave."

Seeing that Jia Lian was about to ride away, Wei Ruolan became anxious, spread her arms and blocked Jia Lian's horse again, loudly questioning, "Don't you think you've hurt His Highness enough?"

Even if Your Highness once liked you, so what? You two can never be together!

"Now that Her Highness has been betrothed to me by the Empress Dowager, only I can give Her Highness true happiness. Jia Lian, if you were a real man, you should let Her Highness go and stop letting her be criticized because of you."

In his excitement, Wei Ruolan forgot that this place was too close to Princess Zhaoyang's villa, and his voice had already attracted attention there.

But before he could regret it, Jia Lian seemed to have finally been provoked by his words.

Jia Lian lowered his hands from the reins, staring sharply at him, and said coldly, "Why don't you say these things in front of the princess?"

"I……"

Wei Ruolan was momentarily speechless when Jia Lian began to explain for him.

"Because you're afraid, because...you're insecure."

The ordinary word "inferiority complex" felt like a sharp blade to Wei Ruolan, piercing his fragile heart.

He panicked, his eyes darting around, but his mouth still instinctively stammered, "Nonsense, I didn't..."

"Your inferiority complex prevents you from saying these words to the princess's face, because you know who the princess truly loves."

As you know, the princess doesn't like you.

Therefore, you didn't even dare to raise your head to speak to the princess. Even after arriving at this villa, you were too cowardly to go forward and ask the guards to inform her, because you were afraid that the princess would not let you through the door.

How can someone so insecure and cowardly, who lacks even the courage to stand up straight and speak to a woman, talk about giving a princess happiness?

Jia Lian's cold gaze and merciless words were almost unbearable for Wei Ruolan.

What he found even harder to bear was the pitying look in the eyes of Jia Lian's guards...

It was a look that any man could understand.

Wei Ruolan felt that he was going crazy. He was clearly the "legal orthodox" one, so why was he the one being ridiculed and attacked in the end?

Overwhelmed by the immense humiliation, he abandoned his scholarly elegance and respect for Jia Lian's status. Just as he was about to unleash a torrent of curses at Jia Lian for his shamelessness, the clatter of hooves sounded.

A graceful figure on horseback slowly approached, shrouded in the night.

Upon seeing Princess Zhaoyang, he instinctively lowered his head, simultaneously concealing his impending hysteria.

Princess Zhaoyang approached and looked at Jia Lian with an inquiring gaze.

Jia Lian shook his head at her to indicate that he was alright. He then remained silent, simply bowing to her with his fists clasped in greeting before leaving with his entourage.

As a victim of his tumultuous relationship with Princess Zhaoyang, Wei Ruolan can be considered a pitiful person.

Jia Lian felt a little guilty towards him.

If the other party hadn't taken the initiative to approach him, Jia Lian really wouldn't have wanted to hurt him like this.

After Jia Lian left, Princess Zhaoyang's face suddenly turned cold, and she looked down at Wei Ruolan.

Wei Ruolan felt as if the air around him had solidified, making him feel somewhat suffocated.

"Your Highness..."

He raised his head, but dared not look Princess Zhaoyang in the eye.

Seeing that Princess Zhaoyang remained silent, he trembled with fear even more.

Under this agonizing gaze, he didn't know how much time had passed before he finally heard Princess Zhaoyang's voice.

Even if you enter the princess's residence in the future, you will not be qualified to interfere in my affairs.

"Recognize your own position."

The cold and indifferent words made Wei Ruolan feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

He looked up as if to say something, but Princess Zhaoyang had already turned her horse around and left, showing no intention of listening to his explanation.

At that moment, all his hopes vanished, and he collapsed helplessly to the ground.