Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The next morning, Yingchun, Tanchun, and others came to Jia Lian's courtyard to visit him.

"Why did you arrive so early?"

At that moment, Sister Feng was setting up the banquet venue in the flower hall. When she saw her sisters-in-law coming over, she quickly greeted them with a smile.

After exchanging greetings and pleasantries, Yingchun and the others inquired about Jia Lian's whereabouts.

"He went to his maternal grandfather's house early this morning. But before he left, he repeatedly told me to prepare plenty of wine and food to treat you well."

How could I dare refuse? I thought that although the main courtyard was spacious, it wasn't suitable for a banquet. It would be better to open all four doors in this hall, so we could enjoy the various flowers and plants in the courtyard.

Upon hearing this, Yingchun and the others couldn't help but look around.

They had naturally seen the flower hall that Sister Feng had built. Although it was not as big as the one behind Rongqing Hall where Grandmother Jia lived, it was still well-managed by Sister Feng.

Now all the flowers and unnecessary furnishings in the hall have been moved out by Sister Feng, and the space has suddenly become much more spacious.

The most crucial point is that this flower hall is built on a stepped platform, giving it a higher elevation. Now, with its doors wide open on all four sides, the view is incredibly expansive.

It must be said that having a banquet in this flower hall, where one can look up and admire the flowers outside, is indeed more elegant than in the main courtyard.

"Second Madam, we've brought the screen you requested. Where should we put it?"

"Just put it in that corner, clear out a space, and put a low table there."

"Qingwen, go to Tianxiang Tower and find Gu Dajia. Tell her I'd like her to come over at noon and play a few pieces for us. Please do me the honor of attending."

After making some quick arrangements, Sister Feng returned and saw Yingchun and the others looking at her. She smiled and explained, "Now that the country is in mourning and the family is in mourning, it's inconvenient to invite an opera troupe to perform. But it's too boring for the whole family to just sit and drink. So we invited Ms. Gu over. With her playing music in the back while we drink in the front, it won't feel so dull. It will also allow us to indulge in a bit of refinement."

As Sister Feng spoke and laughed, she demonstrated her ability to handle mundane affairs with great skill, which made Baochai, Tanchun and others nod in approval.

At the same time, a question inevitably arose in my mind.

I've heard people say before that Sister Lian (Sister Feng) is very jealous and a typical vinegar jar.

Everyone could see that Lady Gu was incredibly beautiful; such a rare beauty was hard to believe, even for the young girls like them.

However, judging from the tone of her second sister-in-law's words, she was quite polite and respectful to him.

So it seems that either others misunderstood or misjudged Lian Er's sister-in-law, or Lian Er's brother's brilliance over the years was too dazzling, so dazzling that Lian Er's sister-in-law put aside all her prejudices and only wanted to serve Lian Er's brother peacefully.

It was still early, Jia Lian was not at home, and Feng Jie was busy, so Ying Chun and the others decided to go to Rongqing Hall first to pay their respects to Grandmother Jia.

As it happened, Grandmother Jia was entertaining guests, so Yingchun and the others hid in the inner hall to wait, secretly eavesdropping on the adults' conversation.

In the main hall of Rongqing Hall, there were quite a few guests who came to visit Grandmother Jia.

They were all prominent wives of wealthy and influential women in the capital.

Most of these people were relatives and friends of the Jia family, who came to inquire about the rumors surrounding Jia Lian.

Grandmother Jia's answer to these people's questions was the same as what she had said to Jia Lian the night before, only more tactful and subtle.

In short, everything the Emperor Emeritus said is true and correct.

This result naturally caused many housewives to sigh with regret, and even secretly envy.

In fact, for noble and official families like them, how important is a clean bloodline?

If the Jia family were to raise a child for another family, it would certainly be a huge joke and invite ridicule if word got out.

But if the child is of royal lineage, and a legitimate prince or grandson of the emperor, then that's a different story.

After all, their connection with the royal family alone is something that no other family can match.

Not to mention, this prince is famous throughout the land and has first-class abilities. If he is granted the title of prince or duke in the future, the Jia family will surely prosper because of this connection.

Although the Jia family is quite prosperous now.

However, those familiar with the Jia family know that the current prosperity and success of the Jia family is largely due to Jia Lian.

Otherwise, given the unworthy offspring of the Jia family, it wouldn't be long before this once powerful family with two dukes completely fell into ruin.

The person who saved the Jia family from ruin was not even a member of their bloodline, but someone they picked up from the royal family. The more I think about it, the angrier I get.

Why don't they have that kind of luck?

Of course, besides those who were just trying to gather information, there were also a very few with ulterior motives.

Sure enough, a woman of average looks standing below suddenly said to Grandmother Jia, "I've heard that the Xue family of Jinling and your family are old friends, and one of their young ladies is currently staying at your residence?"

The women in the hall did not all arrive together as agreed, but rather one after another.

In light of the recent events in the capital and at Tiewang Mountain, they naturally seized the opportunity to gather inside information from each other.

Believe it or not, these ladies did indeed reveal quite a few surprising secrets during their conversations.

As everyone was having a lively conversation, Mrs. Mei suddenly brought up an unrelated matter, immediately stopping them from talking.

Grandmother Jia also became more serious.

Although she had long since stopped interfering in family affairs, she knew that the prestigious Mei family and her family had little interaction.

There must be a reason why Mrs. Mei suddenly came to visit and spoke to her with such respect and flattery.

"You're right. Our family and the Xue family have indeed been friends for generations, and there is indeed a young lady from their family living in our household right now."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Mei smiled and said, "To be honest, my husband and the second master of the Xue family are quite close friends. They had agreed years ago that their children would be in-laws."

In that sense, our family and your esteemed household have quite a history.

"Oh, I was unaware of such a thing. If that's true, it certainly has quite a history."

Grandmother Jia replied indifferently.

Of course she knew about this marriage; after all, she had originally planned to match Baoqin with her precious darling.

She knew that the Mei family had long intended to break off the engagement. She simply didn't know why they had suddenly changed their attitude.

Madam Mei seemed oblivious to Grandmother Jia's attitude and continued with a smile, saying, "Although the Second Master Xue is no longer here, our master still remembers this marriage and dares not forget it."

Having learned that Miss Xue is currently at your residence, my master sent me to pay you a visit and discuss the marriage arrangements.

Grandmother Jia said, "Madam Mei must be mistaken. Although Qin'er is currently living in the mansion, it's only because I find the child to be well-behaved that I keep her here to keep this old woman company and relieve her boredom."

However, Madam Xue is no longer in our humble abode; they have long since moved to another residence nearby.

"If Madam wishes to discuss the marriage agreement, she should go to the Xue family. If Madam does not know where the Xue family is, I can send someone to guide you."

Although the Mei family held considerable influence among the Qingliu faction, it meant little to Grandmother Jia.

Moreover, the Mei family's behavior of wanting to break off the engagement and marry another when they saw that the other party was weak really displeased Grandmother Jia, so her attitude became increasingly cold, and she was almost ready to kick them out.

Madam Mei, however, seemed completely oblivious to Grandmother Jia's attitude and continued to smile, saying, "Please don't be offended, Grandmother. As I just said, the main purpose of this visit is to pay our respects to you; discussing marriage with the Xue family is secondary..."

However, since the old lady said the Xue family lives nearby, why not send someone to invite Mrs. Xue to come over for a chat?

As the saying goes, one cannot hit a smiling face. This Madam Mei was, after all, a lady of high rank, so Grandmother Jia could not simply send her away. After hesitating for a moment, she still ordered someone to invite Aunt Xue.

Before the servant could even leave to carry out the order, an old woman came to announce, "Madam Xue has arrived."

Aunt Xue often came to pay her respects to Grandmother Jia and keep her company while she talked and played cards, so Grandmother Jia wasn't surprised and simply ordered someone to greet her.

When Aunt Xue arrived at Rongqing Hall, she was startled to see that the hall was full of people.

"Greetings, madam... I was unaware you had distinguished guests today; I apologize for the intrusion."

"What are you saying, Auntie? Please have a seat."

Since Aunt Xue arrived later, and to be honest, among all the guests, Aunt Xue was indeed the lowest in rank, so Grandmother Jia did not arrange for her to sit in another seat. Aunt Xue herself also tactfully took her seat at the very end.

After briefly introducing the others, Grandmother Jia pointed to Madam Mei and revealed her identity.

Now Aunt Xue also became serious and politely greeted Mrs. Mei.

When Mrs. Mei saw Aunt Xue, she acted as if she were seeing a close sister. She went straight to Aunt Xue, took her hand, and said, "I've wanted to meet my future in-laws for a long time, but I never had the chance. Today, my wish has finally come true."

Aunt Xue pursed her lips, too embarrassed to say anything.

She wanted to ask, "How could you say something like that?"

Putting aside the fact that I've been in the capital for two or three years and you haven't visited me even once, let's talk about how after Qin'er's mother came to the capital, we sent invitations several times to arrange a meeting to discuss marriage, but your Mei family kept delaying and making excuses.

His remorse for his parents is obvious, yet he says these things now. What does that mean?

"I have come here on the orders of my master to discuss the marriage of our children with my sister."

Qin's father has passed away, and I heard her mother is also ill. It's not that I'm heartless or ungrateful, but I'm just thinking about the children's future. If we don't arrange a marriage soon, what if Qin's mother passes away one day? The child will become a rootless duckweed, with no one to sit with in the family.

Therefore, our master believes that this marriage should be arranged as soon as possible.

Aunt Xue's reaction to this was unclear.

Yes, if it weren't for Madam Zhuang's poor health, the Xue family wouldn't have been in such a hurry to send Baoqin to the capital to discuss marriage, since Baoqin was still so young.

When a concubine's daughter gets married, it is usually the legal mother who sits in the main hall.

Just like Tan Chun, when she gets married in the future, it will be Lady Wang who will be in a high position.

With a sigh, Aunt Xue said, "In that case, let's do as Madam wishes. Qin'er's mother is not in the capital and has asked me to help negotiate this matter."

Once the wedding date and other matters have been discussed and settled, her mother will personally come to the capital to send Qin'er off to her wedding.

Therefore, I will trouble you to take care of everything, Madam, but I will do my best to cooperate and assist you if you have any needs.

Although it was unclear why the Mei family had suddenly changed their attitude, Aunt Xue was still pleased to see it happen, given the Mei family's distinguished lineage and the fact that it was a good match for Baoqin.

At this point, everyone should have been happy, and the ladies present should have offered their congratulations.

"this……"

Mrs. Mei suddenly looked troubled.

Aunt Xue frowned. "Is there some difficulty?"

Mrs. Mei sighed, "I dare not lie to my in-laws, something has happened to Qi'er..."

"What is it?"

"It's like this, it's all our fault for not disciplining him properly. That boy Qi'er somehow caught the Crown Prince's eye, and last time he accompanied the Crown Prince to Iron Net Mountain to participate in the royal hunting activity..."

Before Mrs. Mei could finish speaking, everyone in the hall changed their expressions.

These past few days have been filled with turmoil and numerous events, including the deaths of many prominent figures.

But of all these things, the most shocking and frightening was none other than this:

Iron Net Mountain, the Crown Prince plots rebellion!

Just now they were discussing how the Crown Prince's rebellion had failed and he was dead, causing everyone in the capital to feel insecure, fearing that they might be labeled as traitors and purged by the court for some reason.

I heard that the Imperial Guards were out in the city today, arresting people!

Thinking of this, everyone looked at Mrs. Mei with eyes that seemed to regard her as a snake or a scorpion.

Upon seeing this, Madam Mei hurriedly said, "It's not what you think. We have already found out that my son did not participate in the rebellion. He just went to Iron Net Mountain by chance. In fact, he knew nothing about the Crown Prince's rebellion and did not commit any rebellious act."

After the Emperor returned to the capital yesterday, the palace issued an edict to execute a large number of traitors. I heard that the blood flowed like a river before the Meridian Gate...

But my son wasn't among them. To this day, he's merely imprisoned in the jail, which proves he wasn't involved in the rebellion!

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions softened somewhat.

The so-called detention center was used to temporarily hold prisoners when there was not enough space in the main prison due to a major case involving many people.

After all, the Imperial Prison and the Ministry of Justice's prison are not places where just any Tom, Dick, or Harry is allowed to enter.

This can also be understood as follows: those who are imprisoned in detention centers are usually those with minor crimes, or those who are merely implicated in others' crimes.

Yesterday, the emperor returned to the capital and issued an edict to execute a group of "rebellious elements of the crown prince" who had been arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The so-called Crown Prince's rebellious faction was naturally mostly composed of the retired emperor's people, with only a small percentage having connections to the Crown Prince.

After all, others may not know whether the Crown Prince has plotted a rebellion, but Emperor Ningkang certainly does.

Even if the crown prince did eventually rebel against him, it was merely a spur-of-the-moment decision. Almost everyone involved was wiped out at Iron Net Mountain.

Next, Emperor Ningkang certainly wouldn't seriously hunt down and kill the Crown Prince's cronies; at most, he would symbolically kill a few to appease the people.

Emperor Ningkang only wanted to kill those who were stubborn and unyielding, or those who posed a threat to him, including the retired emperor's faction.

Despite Mrs. Mei's oaths, the crime of treason was involved, and everyone in the hall quietly distanced themselves from her, fearing they would be implicated.

Aunt Xue's face turned ashen, and she glared at her angrily.

Well, you used to try every means to delay, but now that something's happened, you've suddenly remembered this marriage proposal. Do you really think my Xue family is easy to bully?

If Aunt Xue hadn't been kind-hearted and well-mannered, she would have definitely cursed at Mrs. Mei.

Even so, she asked with a gloomy face, "Since Qi'er is currently imprisoned, what's the point of discussing marriage with me? Shouldn't this matter wait until Qi'er is released from prison?"

Madam Mei pretended to wipe away her tears. "How could we not understand what you're saying, sister? It's just that those henchmen of the Embroidered Uniform Guard are truly hateful. No matter how many methods my husband and I have tried, or how many benefits we've offered, they just won't let Qi'er go..."

At this moment, Lady Wang, who had just been standing beside Grandmother Jia to accompany her in entertaining guests, suddenly understood what Madam Mei meant.

Sure enough, Madam Mei suddenly knelt down before Aunt Xue and said, "My dear in-law, please, for the sake of Qi'er and Qin'er's engagement, save Qi'er's life. Although Qi'er hasn't been punished yet, who knows when the imperial decree to punish her will come down? When that happens, the damned Northern Garrison Command won't care whether you're innocent or not; they'll probably just kill you all..."

Aunt Xue retorted angrily, "If none of you can help, how can I possibly save you? I have no official position, and I have nothing..."

At this point, Aunt Xue suddenly realized something and looked up at Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang.

Madam Mei seemed unable to hold back any longer. Without waiting for Aunt Xue to finish speaking, she immediately said, "Isn't the Xue family and the Jia family old friends? Moreover, my sister is the younger sister of the second wife of the Jia family and the direct aunt of the imperial concubine in the palace."

"As long as you're willing to help, there's definitely a way to save Qi'er's life..."

What could Aunt Xue say? If she still couldn't see through the Mei family's intentions, then she would be incredibly stupid.

No wonder the Mei family didn't go directly to the Xue family to discuss marriage, but instead went to the Jia family.

So that's what she was planning – to use this connection to get the Jia family to step in and help her get her son out of trouble!

A clever and shameless scheme, yet also reasonable.

Indeed, the Xue family is no longer a concern for them.

Aunt Xue remained silent, not only because she felt insulted, but also because she understood reason and knew how to behave appropriately.

If she were to actually beg Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang for this Mei Qi today, the good impression she had painstakingly built up in Grandmother Jia's eyes over the past few years would probably vanish instantly.

Madam Mei didn't seem to care much about Aunt Xue's attitude. Seeing that Aunt Xue didn't express her opinion, she immediately turned around and kowtowed to Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang.

"Your Madam and Madam are merciful. Please, for the sake of our family relationship and for the sake of our shared scholarly background, save my daughter Qi'er's life. My husband and I will forever remember your kindness and will surely repay you in the future!"

Madam Mei was quite clever. She knew that a family like the Jia family (who rose to power through military means) wanted to shed the label of nouveau riche and earn a reputation for a family that valued both farming and scholarship. That's why people like Jia Zheng were so eager to send their sons to school.

She immediately bestowed upon the Jia family the title of "scholarly family," which was an honorific. After all, few families were more deserving of the title of "scholarly family" than the Mei family, which had produced several Hanlin scholars, and few people held a more authoritative opinion on this matter.

She also made a generous promise, leveraging the reputation of the Mei family.

Given the Mei family's standing in Shilin, she believed the Jia family would value and be willing to help with this small favor.

She felt she had already humbled herself considerably. After all, the Mei family mostly associated with upright officials in the court, and very few of them could speak to the emperor directly. Moreover, when those people heard that the case involved the crown prince, they all avoided him like the plague and refused to help.

Having no other choice, they turned their attention to the Jia family.

The Jia family was not only related to the imperial family, but also had the assistance of a concubine in the palace. Moreover, the Jia family produced a Jia Lian!

Seeing that both Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang remained silent, clearly unwilling to help like the others, Madam Mei knelt down before Aunt Xue and said, "Please, my dear in-law, say a word for me."

"Rest assured, my dear in-laws, if you can put in a good word for me, I swear on behalf of my husband that once Qi'er is released, she will immediately marry Qin'er. If I break this oath, may my Mei family be ostracized from all scholars!"

Hearing this, Aunt Xue hesitated again.

The decline of the Xue family is an undeniable fact, which is actually why the second master of the Xue family tried so hard to establish a relationship with the Mei family.

Given the Mei family's prestige among scholars, if Baoqin were to marry into the Mei family, it would be a great help if any of the Xue family's descendants were to enter officialdom in the future.

If, as Mrs. Mei claims, it's merely a connection and can be easily resolved, then it's not impossible...

Isn't it precisely through mutual assistance that powerful families forge strong relationships?

Aunt Xue looked at Madam Wang, wanting to hear her opinion.

Lady Wang could certainly understand her sister's meaning, but no one knew her daughter's situation in front of the emperor better than she did.

Although her daughter didn't say it, she could guess from her observation that the old emperor probably didn't favor his daughter very much.

My daughter is already struggling to support herself in the palace; how can we let this damned Mei family drain the already limited imperial favor?

Therefore, without giving her sister a chance to speak, Lady Wang coldly said, "The late Emperor Taizu forbade the empress's concubines from interfering in politics. Moreover, this matter involves the Crown Prince's plot to rebel, how could it be something that the concubines of the empress's concubines could control?"

"If your Mei family wants to save your son, you should contact more officials in the court and submit a memorial to the emperor explaining his crimes. That might be more effective."

Madam Mei hurriedly said, "Since the Imperial Concubine is unable to help, why not ask Marquis Zhenyuan to step in?"

Given the Marquis of Zhenyuan's prestige, there's probably no need to plead with the emperor; the Northern Garrison Command would be willing to release him directly..."

Since the Mei family came up with this plan, they must have done their homework.

They had heard that the eldest son of the Xue family had committed murder, killing the son of a high-ranking military officer—a capital offense in any other family. However, thanks to Jia Lian's help, he was only sentenced to one year under the overwhelming power of the emperor!

This is the biggest reason for their actions today.

Since Jia Lian is willing to do such a big favor for the Xue family, it shows that the Xue family and Jia Lian have a very good relationship. As long as the Mei family uses marriage as leverage, they can persuade the Xue family to convince Jia Lian to help.

If Jia Lian could handle such a serious crime, saving her son would be a piece of cake.

Mrs. Mei's words elicited nods of agreement from most of the people in the hall.

Even Lady Wang, who had once opposed Jia Lian, felt that with Jia Lian's abilities, rescuing someone imprisoned in the jail would be a piece of cake.

Who can blame this kid for being so incredibly lucky? Not only did he manage to charm two emperors in the past, but now he's transformed into a respectable imperial grandson!

Just as Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang were pondering whether to use Jia Lian to do the Mei family a favor, an announcement came from outside: "Grandmother, the ladies of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and the Marquis of Xiangyang's mansion are requesting an audience!"

Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang were both taken aback.

What day is it today? Why are all these family friends and relatives coming to visit one after another?

……