Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The Xue family had few members, and since they only invited Jia Lian, there was no grand ceremony; they simply set up a table for a banquet in the entrance hall.

Although the dishes were not numerous, each one was extremely exquisite, and the rare ingredients used were even more precious than those used in the Jia family's daily banquets.

It is conceivable that Aunt Xue specially ordered someone to purchase these items in order to host a banquet for him.

However, Jia Lian knew that Aunt Xue was a frugal person. How could Jia Lian not remember such kindness? Before leaving the capital, he specifically instructed Zhao Sheng and others to take care of the Xue family.

"Come here, Lian'er. I know you like to eat this. Bao'er brewed two more jars not long ago, and she only opened them when you came."

And this crab soup, she made it herself too. This girl came back a long time ago and has been busy in the kitchen preparing this meal. Anyway, I didn't interfere at all; she took care of everything. If there's anything wrong with it, please don't complain.

"Tadpole, why didn't you pour your brother some wine?"

Aunt Xue remained as warm and welcoming as ever.

Jia Lian also wore a warm smile. Of the more than ten dishes on the table, he could almost immediately tell which ones were made by Baochai herself.

Besides the fact that Baochai's dishes were more exquisite and delicate than the cook's, the main reason was that he had been to the Xue family for meals more than once or twice. Whenever he praised or expressed his liking for a dish in the previous meal, it would inevitably appear on the table the next time.

Regardless of whether Baochai personally prepared the dishes last time, the next time they would all be made by Baochai.

Jia Lian casually picked up the wine cup that Xue Ke had filled and offered, and said with a smile, "Auntie is too kind. Not only is Sister Baochai intelligent and virtuous, but she is also an exceptional cook. Whichever family marries her in the future will be extremely fortunate."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Xue's smile grew even brighter, while Baochai lowered her head slightly in embarrassment.

Young Xue Ke stood beside Jia Lian, holding a wine pot. He noticed that Jia Lian's gaze was fixed on Baochai, and the affection and fondness in his eyes were undisguised. A thoughtful look flashed across his face.

But he didn't feel there was anything wrong with it. Jia Lian was not only his idol, but also the perfect man in his eyes.

Only a man like him deserves a woman like his cousin.

If his cousin really does marry Jia Lian in the future, then Jia Lian will be his brother-in-law. In that case, he can ask Jia Lian for more life advice and have him guide him in the direction of his life…

At this moment, Xue Ke had no idea about the Mei family's troubles, nor did he know what had happened at Rongqing Hall that morning; otherwise, he might have had a different perspective.

Seeing that Jia Lian had drunk half a cup of wine, Xue Ke quickly bent down and refilled Jia Lian's cup.

His actions made Jia Lian withdraw his gaze, which he had been admiring endlessly, and glance back at him.

"What are you standing for? Sit down."

"Yes, sister... no, Brother Lian Er..."

Xue Ke mumbled something, gave an apologetic smile, and obediently sat down.

Fortunately, Jia Lian and the others didn't know what he was thinking, so no one cared.

Taking advantage of the increasingly pleasant atmosphere, Aunt Xue asked with a smile, "Lian'er, weren't you always highly regarded by the current emperor? Why did he suddenly dismiss you from all your official positions?"

Aunt Xue smiled sincerely, trying to make her question seem less deliberate.

But Jia Lian still glanced at her and then explained, "Didn't I say at noon that I've been serving in the court for so many years, and I haven't properly observed mourning for my father?"

Perhaps it was the passing of the Dowager Consort that made His Majesty deeply realize how difficult it is for children to fulfill their filial duties to their parents. Therefore, he specially granted me a long leave, firstly to allow me to properly fulfill my filial duties in the last year of my life, and secondly to reward me for my contributions over the years and allow me to rest.

Jia Lian didn't really think too much about it. Aunt Xue had already given him her precious daughter and was so eager to please him. It was obvious that she had placed most of the Xue family's hopes on him, so it was normal for her to care about his future.

The reason he did not reveal the real reason for his dismissal was twofold: firstly, it was quite complicated, and secondly, there were indeed many things that were inconvenient to explain to others.

"Is that so?" Aunt Xue asked with a look of suspicion.

"What, Auntie doesn't believe me?"

"Not at all, I just feel that it's a loss for the court that the emperor doesn't use such a talented person as Lian'er..."

Afraid of revealing her true intentions, Aunt Xue quickly offered a compliment.

"Hehe. Actually, His Majesty didn't remove me from all my official posts..."

My aunt probably doesn't know that in addition to being the Commander of the Military Command and the Commander of the Firearms Battalion, I also held the position of Assistant Commander of the Tianjin Naval Force.

His Majesty has reserved this position for me, so I can't say I'm completely free of official duties now.

"Is that so..."

Aunt Xue knew that Jia Lian held multiple positions and that he had official business in Tianjin. After all, at the beginning of the year, she personally went to Tianjin to invite Jia Lian back to save her son.

I originally thought the emperor had completely stripped Jia Lian of his power, but I never expected that one of him would be spared. What is the reason for this?

Could it be that her previous judgment was wrong?

She wanted to get to the bottom of things, but she also knew that with Jia Lian's intelligence, if she continued to ask, he would become suspicious.

So he laughed and said, "That's good. You're so young, it's the time for you to serve the country. Don't think about 'being free from official duties' or anything like that. Wouldn't that be a waste of your talents?"

As long as the emperor is still willing to use you, that's a good thing. You should still do your job well and not slack off.

"Auntie is right."

Baochai felt a pang of discomfort looking at her mother's fake smile.

She had almost finished eating, so she said to Aunt Xue and Xue Ke, "Mom, Ke, please take good care of Brother Lian. Excuse me for a moment."

Seeing Baochai leave her seat, Aunt Xue thought for a moment, then stood up and said, "Ke'er, you stay and keep your second brother Lian company. I'm going to see your sister."

After saying that, Aunt Xue followed Baochai's footsteps and came to Baochai's room.

However, she discovered that Baochai only wanted to take a bath. Aunt Xue breathed a sigh of relief, comforted Baochai for a few words, and went back to her room.

……

Baochai only had two maids with her.

One is Ying'er, and the other is Wenxing; they were both brought from Nanjing.

Wenxing was the youngest and not very clever, so Ying'er handled almost all the big and small matters around Baochai by herself.

Fortunately, Baochai is a very independent person, so Ying'er doesn't feel pressured when serving Baochai; on the contrary, she feels quite relaxed.

Because she neither needed to search the garden for Jia Baoyu like Zijuan did, nor did she need to constantly worry about whether Daiyu was cold or hot...

Often, it was her mistress who taught her how to do things, which in turn fostered her charming and lively personality.

But like Xiren and Zijuan, she was extremely loyal to her master.

Perhaps in their hearts, they can never find a better master in the world than they do now.

But tonight, Ying'er seemed to be preoccupied.

After delivering Baochai's clothes to the bathhouse, she went outside and saw Tonggui heading towards his room. She called out to him, "Where is Madam? Isn't she outside keeping Master Lian company?"

"Master Lian has Master Lian to keep him company. Madam said she was a little tired, so she went back to her room to rest. She told me to go outside and watch over these things. She told me to call her when Master Lian finished eating."

I was just about to go back inside to change my clothes before going out...

Tong Gui spoke the last sentence in a low voice, as if afraid that Ying'er would think that she was changing her clothes to seduce Jia Lian or Xue Ke.

Ying'er smiled and said, "In that case, you should go back. Our young lady also asked me to keep an eye on things up ahead. I'll go first and wait for you to come back and relieve me."

After saying that, Ying'er went straight to the entrance hall.

Stepping out from the back hall, I found the room quiet and still.

Jia Lian sat alone, gazing at the courtyard outside, silently drinking. Beside him, his master, Ke Er, was slumped over the table, completely drunk and unconscious.

Ying'er hurried forward, greeting Jia Lian while instructing the two maids standing nearby to help Xue Ke back.

Although Jia Lian had drunk quite a bit today, he slept for a whole afternoon and was already fully recovered.

Neither Aunt Xue nor Baochai drank much, so Xue Ke was knocked out with less than 30% of his strength.

In other households, Jia Lian might not be willing to drink much when others offer him a toast, but in the Xue family, Jia Lian is in high spirits.

As he admires the scenery and night sky outside the courtyard, he can also sip his drink slowly and enjoy this rare solitude.

Ying'er came over and caught her attention.

This girl is also exceptionally beautiful. Although she is petite, she is charming and lovely, and very cute.

"My lord, let me pour you some wine..."

"Um."

The young maid bent down to pour the wine; her youthful body, wrapped only in a layer of yellow silk, gave the slightly tipsy man a great sensory experience.

Jia Lian suddenly reached out and pulled her whole body into his arms, then with a quick movement of both hands, he lifted her small body and sat her on his lap.

"My lord..."

"Shh~"

Jia Lian put his index finger to his lips in a shushing gesture, and seeing that the girl really didn't dare to move, he couldn't help but laugh and ask, "How old are you?"

"Yes, Your Excellency, it's fifteen..."

"She's about the same age as Qingwen."

Jia Lian chuckled, noticing the man's hunched neck and fearful expression, and reassured him, "Don't be afraid. You should know that your mistress has promised your daughter to me, right?"

You've been with your daughter for so long; when she gets married in the future, she'll definitely take you with her.

"How about you two, master and servant, both become my women then?"

Jia Lian originally thought that Ying'er would be embarrassed and annoyed to refute him when faced with his teasing, or she would be shy and try to struggle.

Unexpectedly, after hearing his words, Ying'er only glanced at him twice before her whole body relaxed completely.

She nodded and whispered, "Mmm..."

Although slightly surprised, Jia Lian liked this obedient and well-behaved girl the most, so he didn't think of anything else, opened his mouth, which was full of alcohol, and kissed the little mouth of the girl in his arms.

Upon seeing this, Ying'er immediately tensed up and tightly closed her eyes.

She felt Jia Lian's kiss land on her nose and mouth, which were filled with the smell of alcohol, as well as that indescribable yet intoxicating masculine scent!

But she suddenly realized what she had come here for, so she opened her eyes, pushed Jia Lian away, and kept making "woo-woo" noises.

Jia Lian, not being a lustful man, relaxed and laughed upon seeing this, "What's wrong? Didn't you just agree? Are you going back on your word now?"

"No... put me down first, I have something important to tell you..."

Seeing Ying'er's solemn expression and anxious eyes, Jia Lian became genuinely curious and put her down.

Ying'er wiped her mouth with her sleeve, then lightly bit her lower lip and gave Jia Lian a charming wink.

This astonished Jia Lian once again. Aside from the fact that the girl was still young and had a somewhat childlike appearance, her flirtatious wink was truly remarkable.

I'm afraid that when she grows up a bit, only Qin Keqing will be able to keep her in check. Unexpectedly, she really is a treasure.

"Why are you in such a hurry, my lord? Now that you've taken a liking to her, she'll be yours sooner or later..."

As she spoke, Ying'er glanced back at the back hall, and finding no one else around, she immediately leaned close to Jia Lian's ear and whispered, "The person who came to see the Marquis during this time has something very important to tell him..."

Then, Ying'er told Jia Lian about the conversation she had overheard between Aunt Xue and Baochai that evening.

Jia Lian, who had been nonchalant, gradually lost his smile.

After Ying'er finished speaking, he turned his head to look at her: "Really?"

Perhaps because Jia Lian kissed her, Ying'er felt that she was already Jia Lian's woman, so she twisted her body and said coquettishly, "Of course it's true, how could I dare to lie to you about something like this?"

Why are you telling me this?

"You're still asking why... You've already... kissed her. What are we supposed to do if our girl marries someone else in the future...?"

Ying'er said shyly.

In fact, it wasn't because Jia Lian kissed her that she decided to tell him. She had planned to tell Jia Lian from the beginning, and being hugged and kissed by him was just an unexpected surprise.

Indeed, just as men are drawn to beautiful women, young women, once their hearts begin to stir with love, will also secretly seek out men they admire.

Like most of the other maids, Ying'er was overshadowed by Jia Lian's supreme aura and had long been secretly infatuated with him.

Especially after she learned that Aunt Xue had secretly betrothed her daughter to Jia Lian, she made Jia Lian her only goal to strive for.

Given her position above Baochai, she wasn't worried that Baochai wouldn't take her with her when she got married. Her only concern was that with so many beauties around Jia Lian, he might look down on her in the future.

She had long wanted to find an opportunity to test (seduce) Jia Lian's attitude towards her.

Who would have thought that before she could even finish her girlish daydream, she suddenly heard that her mistress wanted to back out and no longer wanted to marry her daughter to Jia Lian.

This is terrible! If the girl isn't going to get married, then she has even less of a chance.

She suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable.

I wanted to advise Baochai not to listen to Aunt Xue, because Jia Lian is a truly exceptional man, one in a million!

But she knew what kind of person her daughter was, and she dared not say such a thing to her.

After much thought, he realized that besides Baochai, the only person who could change Aunt Xue's attitude was Jia Lian himself.

So she decided to find an opportunity to tell Jia Lian about it, lest he be unaware and carelessly let their young lady go.

Jia Lian understood Ying'er's thoughts, patted her bottom, and laughed, "Alright, I know you're loyal. I will definitely treat you well in the future."

Ying'er was no longer shy; she moved even closer to Jia Lian and asked in a low voice, "Then what does the Marquis plan to do? You don't know, our young lady is very decisive. Now that our mistress has changed her mind, you need to come up with a solution as soon as possible, otherwise it will be too late once our young lady also changes her mind."

"I know. Don't worry, none of you girls can escape my grasp."

Ying'er wanted to say something more, but when she noticed that Jia Lian's hand on her buttocks was squeezing her a little hard, she wisely shut her mouth.

Just then, Jia Lian's two henchmen, Aqi and Aqin, returned after finishing their meal. Jia Lian stood up and asked, "Where is your mistress?"

"In the main house."

……