Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Ningguo Prefecture.

In the main hall of Tianxiang Tower, amidst emerald curtains and red silk, songs and dances filled the air.

Jia Lian sat on the only bench in the due north direction, with his left arm around You Sanjie and his right arm around You Er.

Both sisters had drunk quite a bit of wine, and their faces were flushed and hazy, one as beautiful as a peach blossom reflected on a mountain, and the other as gentle as a lotus reflected in water.

They nestled in Jia Lian's arms, showering him with tenderness, all believing that with their beauty and charm, it wouldn't be long before Jia Lian couldn't resist dismissing his concubines and taking them into the warm chamber for a passionate encounter.

Looking up, they noticed that Jia Lian's eyes were fixed on the beauties dancing in the hall, and both sisters showed a hint of jealousy in their eyes.

They exchanged a glance, and the bolder You Sanjie gave her sister a playful smile, then quickly turned her little hand down.

This scene not only made You Erjie's beautiful eyes widen, but even Jia Lian, who was enjoying admiring Shen Pan'er's figure, couldn't help but look down at her.

Seeing that Jia Lian was finally drawn to her, You Sanjie smiled slyly, her small hand softening into a gentle touch while she cast a provocative glance at Jia Lian.

You Sanjie possessed a beauty that would make even peach blossoms envious. Her age, appearance, figure, and even personality were remarkably similar to Qingwen's. In fact, her figure was far more shapely and attractive than Qingwen's.

It can be said that she was a beautiful young woman who was in no way inferior to Qingwen. If she hadn't come from a respectable family and was the younger sister of Lady You, Jia Lian would have taken her in long ago and made her a bed warmer for Qingwen.

Even to Jia Lian, a beauty of this caliber would be considered a treasure.

The reason Jia Lian didn't pamper and coax Qingwen like he did was simply because he knew that this girl had a bit of a temper, and if he didn't control her, she might cause trouble sooner or later.

In reality, he really liked this girl.

Therefore, seeing his mischievousness, Jia Lian simply patted his pert bottom affectionately and then paid him no further attention, continuing to enjoy the series of dances that Shen Pan'er and others had carefully choreographed for him.

Having worked diligently for several years, now that the emperor has dismissed him from public life, he naturally wants to take the opportunity to enjoy himself.

Seeing that she still hadn't managed to win over Jia Lian, You Sanjie pouted. Besides being somewhat displeased, she also felt a surge of competitive spirit.

She looked around and saw that, apart from Gu Qingyi and her three female companions and their personal maids, there were only a few young actors in the huge hall.

Gu Qingyi and the other three beauties were definitely Jia Lian's women, and their respective maids were treated like playthings.

Even those young actresses who served as maids, though still quite young, were rather beautiful. It's likely that everyone who could serve here was someone who caught Jia Lian's eye; there were no outsiders involved.

The atmosphere in the hall was so enchanting, and coupled with her drunkenness, Sister You was exceptionally bold and open.

After teasing him for a while and realizing that Jia Lian could indeed resist, she steeled herself and tucked her hair behind her ear...

The first to notice her actions was naturally Jia Lian, but the cunning Jia Lian pretended not to know anything and didn't even look down.

The next one to be discovered was You Erjie, who was closest to them.

The older woman was truly shocked. She had thought that the woman had already been quite bold, acting in the attic in front of her younger sister and the maids.

But she was not there voluntarily at first, and there were railings blocking the view, so other people couldn't see her at all.

We're in the main hall now, and although most people's attention is on the dancers performing energetically, it's hard for them not to notice your cute little head if they glance at the Marquis...

Shocked, Sister You resigned herself to her fate.

Sure enough, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't compare to my younger sister.

She was clearly the one who pledged her life to the Marquis first, but it was actually the younger sister who ended up having a relationship with him first.

And more than a year has passed, and the two sisters have even slept together, yet she, the older sister, still remains a virgin.

According to Jia Lian, at least one of the two sisters was a virgin, and only after he married them the following year would they bleed to prove their status as respectable women.

Although she didn't understand what was wrong with Jia Lian, it was still causing her a lot of trouble.

It was clearly the two sisters who always worked together to arouse Jia Lian's interest, but in the end, only the younger sister ever truly enjoyed herself.

Fine, from now on I'll just honestly assist my sister. Anyway, she's better than me in every way. If the sisters work together, we can secure a place in the Marquis's inner court.

Just as Sister You had predicted, Sister You's little tricks could not escape the eyes of everyone in the hall.

Soon, the originally beautiful and uniform dance began to show signs of discord, with the beauties glancing at Jia Lian as they danced.

Some were coquettish, some were teasing, and some pretended not to see but couldn't help wanting to watch.

Although most of them had done similar things, and some had even served Jia Lian in this way from the very first day they met him.

But Sister You San is not like them. She is the sister of the mistress of this household, yet she is so shameless and disregards her dignity...

Of course, they didn't feel any contempt or disdain; in fact, they felt a sense of relief.

Having followed Jia Lian for so long, and despite his consistently good treatment of them, even showing concern for their physical and mental well-being, it's clear that Jia Lian didn't just see them as playthings for amusement.

In matters of pleasure, Jia Lian shares a similar debauchery with the lecherous men in the miscellaneous books, and often even tears apart their self-respect.

Although they were willing to give everything for Jia Lian, they would occasionally wonder if Jia Lian still looked down on them, which was why he acted this way.

Seeing that even the sister of a third-rank noblewoman behaves this way in front of Jia Lian, and is even more depraved than them, his worries naturally lessened considerably.

This was the thought process of the four beauties, Wan Gu, Shen Wei, and the four maids, Lan Zi, Qing Lü, leaving the other maids speechless.

They were girls whom the Jia family had purchased from Suzhou and Yangzhou, thousands of miles away, to learn opera in preparation for welcoming the Imperial Concubine home. In other words, they were the Jia family's domestic opera performers.

Because of the death of the Dowager Consort, the Jia family observed the mourning period according to their rank, so they temporarily made them into maids to serve the four beauties, Gu Qingyi.

They were all young maids, and even though they had seen more of the world than the average maid, they had never seen anything like this before.

Almost all of them blushed with embarrassment.

But perhaps seeing that the older women in the hall seemed unfazed, the more naive girls, after their initial surprise, began to peek more openly than the older women.

However, since You Sanjie was lying on her side next to Jia Lian, they couldn't see much of the sty.

Being stared at by so many beautiful women, big and small, even Jia Lian, with his thick skin, felt a little embarrassed and couldn't help but reach out and pat You Sanjie's head.

You Sanjie glanced at him sideways, giving him a "yes or no" look, and then ignored Jia Lian, focusing instead on her own work, even becoming more diligent and generous than before.

Jia Lian was deeply impressed by her.

He really underestimated her. Among his women, apart from Qin Keqing, there was probably no one bolder than her.

Well, while the princess does enjoy observing, she prefers watching others to having others observe her...

After the song ended, Shen Pan'er waved away the four maids who were dancing with her, and gracefully approached, giggling, "Why don't we sisters step down here, and the Marquis can take good care of the two concubines here..."

Shen Pan'er's sudden voice startled You Sanjie out of her drunkenness.

Only later did she realize how daring her actions had been.

Since things had come to this point, being shy and retreating would be a bad move, so after a pause, he pretended not to care and quietly raised his sleeve to cover his face...

Jia Lian also felt that if he let You Sanjie continue, he would be unjustly labeled as licentious and immoral, so he waved his hand to agree to Shen Pan'er's words.

But then Jiang Yun came running with quick, small steps, looking somewhat nervous as he said, "Second Master, Lian..."

Jiang Yun also saw the little head being stroked by Jia Lian with one hand, and her expression froze for a moment before she calmly said, "Second Master, it's Second Madam who's here, accompanied only by two maids..."

After Jiang Yun finished speaking, without anyone giving her instructions, You Sanjie abruptly raised her head, glanced around at the people staring at her with unfocused eyes, and then casually helped Jia Lian put his trousers and robe back in place. You Erjie, on the other hand, cooperated by tidying up Jia Lian's clothes and appearance.

Seeing her like this, the others realized what was happening and quickly lined up and stood at attention.

Some clever ones even secretly added a garment to cover their graceful figures and skin.

Sure enough, a short while later, Sister Feng came in with Feng'er and Xiao Hong.

As soon as Sister Feng, dressed in red and with stunning beauty, appeared, she overshadowed all the other red and green decorations in the room.

She moved with a swift gait, squinting slightly as she entered the hall, and only after her eyes adjusted to the indoor light could she clearly see the scene inside.

Beautiful women and maids were arranged to one side, their expressions humble, as if welcoming a general back to court.

Jia Lian sat at the head of the table, with two maids sitting on his left and right sides, both of them with their hands on their knees like obedient children.

"Why are you all looking at me? I'm here to talk to your lord about something. You can all go about your business, dance if you want to, play your music if you want to, and don't worry about me."

As she spoke, Sister Feng bypassed all the beauties and came directly to Jia Lian's side.

Second Sister You hurriedly stood up to greet her: "Greetings, Second Madam Lian..."

"Oh, no need for formalities. It's only been a few days, and my two little sisters have grown even more beautiful. Look at their blushing faces, they're like Yang Guifei after a drunken night."

While teasing her, Sister Feng glanced at Sister You, who seemed reluctant to move.

Unable to withstand Feng Jie's gaze, You Sanjie slowly stood up and said, "Greetings, Second Mistress."

"Sigh, I told you not to be so formal. You'll all be coming into the family sooner or later anyway, so just call me sister."

After saying that, Sister Feng didn't bother to be polite with Sister You San and plopped down next to Jia Lian, which, coincidentally, was the spot where Sister You San had been sitting.

Hmph, I won't let you monkeys call yourselves kings when I'm not around. When I come, I don't care what demons or monsters you are, you'll all have to shrug yourselves off.

The beauties in the hall, seeing that You Erjie and You Sanjie, who had previously been sitting on either side like mistresses, could only stand awkwardly to the side like maids, immediately understood the difference between the two.

In the end, it was Jia Lian who was more meticulous. After exchanging a few words with Feng Jie, before Feng Jie could get down to business, he looked up and said, "What are you all standing for? Please sit down."

His bench is extra long and luxurious; it can easily seat seven or eight people.

Second Sister You didn't quite know how to handle this situation, but Third Sister You glanced at Wang Xifeng with considerable resentment and then said, "No, my sister told us to go to her room before noon, so my second sister and I will be leaving now."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Second Sister You bowed apologetically and then followed in her sister's footsteps.

Sister Feng turned around and looked back, her smile fading slightly.

Suddenly, she felt a tightness on her face. It turned out that Jia Lian had reached out and pinched her phoenix-shaped cheek, scolding her irritably, "How old are you? Why are you arguing with a little girl?"

Feng Jie slapped Jia Lian's hand away, indignantly saying, "Who wants to argue with her? She dared to give me attitude before even entering the house. If I don't teach her a lesson, she'll be all over me once she's married into the family!"

The people around almost laughed, because Sister Feng's rapid and loud tone made it easy to tell that she originally wanted to say something like "climb on her head to defecate."

Everyone says that Grandma Lian is unconventional, but no one expected her to be so down-to-earth.

Jia Lian did not find fault with Feng Jie's statement.

Humans have emotions and preferences, and it's impossible for him to make all his women love each other and be a loving family...

Even family members don't necessarily get along, let alone when facing a love rival.

As long as he maintains his dominance and nipps any foolish thoughts a woman might have in the bud, and appeals to her reason and the consequences, even a strong woman like Sister Feng will likely become a sensible and obedient wife.

Sister Feng also knew Jia Lian's temper; as long as his bottom line wasn't crossed, he was actually a very tolerant and magnanimous person.

He didn't take the little You San seriously, and turned to Shen Pan'er and the others, saying, "What program are you going to perform? Let me see what kind of program you usually keep hidden away, the program you specially performed for your Marquis. It made him rush over to see it the day after he returned to the capital."

Although Feng Jie'er's words seemed to imply that they were seducing Jia Lian, Shen Pan'er and the others were actually quite familiar with Feng Jie'er.

Perhaps it was because Jia Lian had told her that he would only enjoy a few of the beauties he brought back for himself, and that most of the time they would be under her care and to give her face.

From then on, whenever Sister Feng had free time or was bored, she liked to invite these four stunning beauties to her side to relieve her boredom.

Although she couldn't enjoy their bodies, she was still quite interested in appreciating their beauty and talents, and incidentally studying what kind of type Jia Lian liked.

Anyway, Sister Feng knew that as long as she didn't beat, scold, or torture these beauties, Jia Lian wouldn't get angry no matter how she tormented them.

She even hoped that some of these beauties would be foolish enough to cause trouble and contradict her, so that she could demonstrate her ability to deal with people.

Unfortunately, these beauties seemed to have conspired beforehand, and they did not object to her orders.

Over time, Sister Feng gave up on the idea of ​​training these beauties. They were already obedient enough, and she wouldn't bother to cause trouble for them.

Just like Xiangling, Sister Feng never thought of doing anything to her.

As the beauties resumed their formation and the singing and dancing continued, Sister Feng only glanced at them briefly before turning back to Jia Lian and saying, "I almost forgot the important matter. The old lady sent me over; she has something important to discuss with you."

Sister Feng quickly recounted the arrival of many noble ladies at Rongqing Hall, and also briefly explained their purpose for coming.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian asked in surprise, "How come even the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is involved?"

Niu Jizong and Jia Lian of the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion were also acquainted. Niu Jizong was considered a member of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes lineage, and was a leading figure among the Eight Dukes.

The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is now the most successful of the six families besides the Jia family.

Although Jia Lian intended to take a year off to steal a moment of peace, he was also well aware that the political situation in the Great Wei was at a critical juncture.

In order to maintain his current status and wealth, and for the sake of the long term, Jia Lian could not possibly remain indifferent to the outside world.

This morning, he went to his maternal grandfather's house not only to pay his respects to the old man and to communicate with his maternal grandfather's family, but also to take the opportunity to learn about the situation in the capital.

When Emperor Ningkang returned to the capital in triumph, he naturally wanted to purge the disobedient former officials from the reign of the retired emperor.

In just one day and night, countless people were arrested, killed, and their homes ransacked and entire families wiped out.

Although bloody and cruel, this was an inevitable step in the succession of power throughout history, and Jia Lian was powerless to stop it. The only thing he could do was to protect the Jia family and those he cared about.

"I don't know about that. Anyway, the person has already been thrown into the prison, and Qi Jianhui and his son from the Marquis of Xiangyang's mansion have also been imprisoned."

The old lady meant that the Mei family was out of the question, as they were unrelated to us. But these two families had been friends for generations, so we couldn't just ignore them…

However, the old lady also said, "You can decide for yourself. If it's really inconvenient, don't force it. We shouldn't drag ourselves into this for their sake; they can only blame their bad luck."

Jia Lian nodded. Grandmother Jia was quite clear-headed when it came to important matters.

As for the Marquis of Xiangyang's family, forget about them; the father and son are both dead, so saving them is pointless. But Niu Jizong, if possible, could be given a helping hand.

Jia Lian has already decided to oppose the Third Prince and protect the Fourth Prince, so he naturally needs a large number of supporters.

Since Niu Jizong is from the same lineage as the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, he is naturally the foundation of the family, and it is only natural to protect him if possible.

Jia Lian told Feng Jie his thoughts, and Feng Jie readily agreed.

If she weren't afraid of interfering with important matters, she really wouldn't want to deliver messages for the lady of the Marquis of Xiangyang's mansion.

She hadn't forgotten that it was this woman who had lured her into joining the lending business, which led to the Empress Dowager using this as leverage against her, causing her to suffer the biggest setback of her life.

After thinking for a moment, Fengjie hesitated and said, "Those ladies are still staying with the old lady, insisting on seeing you. What do you think we should do to get rid of them?"

Jia Lian smiled, whispered some instructions in her ear, and Feng Jie's eyes lit up, then she asked with some worry, "Are you serious? Has the Emperor really dismissed you from all your official posts?"

"What, are you worried about not getting enough to eat if you stay with me, and you want to pack your bags and run away?"

"screw you……"

Feng Jie was genuinely worried about Jia Lian, as she had long wondered why he hadn't gone to the yamen to report for duty today.

Seeing how relaxed Jia Lian was speaking now, although she didn't understand what was going on, she believed that with her man's abilities being ten times greater than her own, those mediocre people in the court would definitely be no match for him, and he would be able to reach the top sooner or later.

So she obediently nestled into Jia Lian's arms, half-flattering and half-encouraging him, saying, "I believe in my man. No matter what difficulties he encounters, he will overcome them sooner or later and restore the glory of our ancestors!"

The comforting words of his beloved wife were a source of solace.

It's just about restoring the glory of our ancestors...

He used to be a descendant of the Jia family, so he was very confident, but now his status seems to have changed.

If we wish to recreate the glory of our ancestors, I fear...

Shaking his head, Jia Lian stopped thinking about these things and patted Feng Jie's shapely buttocks, saying, "Go on, and get rid of those people for the old lady as soon as possible."

Sister Feng looked up and saw that Jia Lian wanted to linger a little longer, so she stood up and said in an annoyed tone, "Don't forget you said you were treating the whole family to a meal at noon today. It's almost time, you should go home early."

"Okay, go ahead."

……