Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

As the horse galloped to the gate of the horse farm, Zhao Sheng jumped off and said to the people who came to greet him, "Is everything ready? Second Master and the girls will be here soon."

"Everything has been cleaned up according to Brother Zhao's instructions. There won't be a single horse manure on the roads of the entire estate, so it will definitely not disturb the pleasure of Master Zhao and the young ladies in the manor."

The notice was also given to the other dozen or so tenant households, informing them that, except for women and children, no men were allowed to leave the house today.

"By the way, Second Master and the ladies rarely get to go out for fun. What would you like to eat or do? We'll prepare accordingly..."

Zhao Sheng said, "No need to make any special preparations. Just stay here. I will let you know if Second Master needs anything."

"Yes……"

Shortly after he finished speaking, several light cavalrymen in silver saddles and silver armor appeared on the yellow mud road.

Behind them came a line of luxury cars, their wheels creaking as they rolled across the muddy ground.

Upon seeing this scene, dozens of people outside the wooden gate, except for Jia Lian's personal guards who were also in armor, knelt neatly on the road to welcome him.

It was Jia Lian's rule that his personal guards did not kneel.

The duty of the bodyguard is to protect his safety. Since it is to protect safety, he must always maintain sufficient vision and vigilance and not be distracted by other things.

Another point is that Jia Lian said all his personal guards were his brothers, and since they were brothers, they naturally didn't need to kneel before him all the time.

Perhaps it was because Jia Lian gave his personal guards such great honor that everyone, whether servants of the Ning and Rong mansions or grooms like those at the horse farm, longed to become Jia Lian's personal guards.

Some clever ones started looking for connections yesterday.

Given the precedent set by Jia Lian when he was granted the title of Marquis and expanded his personal guard by fifty men, it is highly likely that he will also expand his personal guard after being granted the title of Duke!

……

"Wow, this hillside is huge! It must be more than ten times bigger than the peony garden in the Grand View Garden!"

The carriage procession drove along the dirt road and stopped at the foot of a grassy hillside.

The girls, who had been chattering and gossiping, got off the bus one by one. Then, Shi Xiangyun, who was the most talkative and had the loudest voice, took off with her short legs and rushed up the hillside on the grass. All that could be heard was her exclamation.

Daiyu and Xiangyun were about the same age, and Xiangyun was the one who cared least about Daiyu's status, so the two of them often bickered.

Seeing Xiangyun's loud and boisterous manner, as if she wanted to roll around on the grass, she pouted and said, "She's supposed to be a young lady from a noble family, yet she's so spineless."

Everyone smiled silently, then admired the vast sky and the gentle breeze of the natural landscape before them.

At this moment, Jia Lian gave Ping'er a few instructions, then turned around and saw Daiyu and others, along with Qingwen and more than ten other maids, scattered on the hillside. The green grass and summer flowers reflected their youthful faces and bodies, truly a beautiful picture of the rising sun.

"This hillside will be our main activity area today. Your lunch and poetry club activities will both take place here."

Jia Lian walked to the group and said this.

All the women nodded, and then Tan Chun sighed, "Second Brother Lian, this place is truly wonderful. Nestled against the mountains and beside the water, it is a veritable paradise."

"By the way, how big is this place?"

Looking at the fields below the hillside and the stream winding into the distance, Tan Chun asked a question.

"It's not very big, only a little over two thousand acres in total."

At this moment, Xiangyun ran back, slightly out of breath, and said, "This hillside is too big, I'm too lazy to run over. Second Brother Lian, what's on the other side of the hillside?"

"Behind the slope is where we came from, which is also the main part of the horse farm. My personal guards usually train there. Of course, since it's a horse farm, there are naturally many horses."

Not counting ordinary guards, Jia Lian had more than sixty personal guards. In a place as small as the training ground in the east courtyard, it was naturally not enough space for them to train.

Moreover, Jia Lian required all his guards to be proficient in using firearms, and it was impossible to keep banging and clanging all day at home, so they had no choice but to come here for training.

"Wow, they even keep horses here! How many do they have?"

Jia Lian looked at Xiangyun, who was full of amazement and had a great talent for being a straight man, and couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her hair again before glancing at the grass.

The perceptive Qingwen immediately took out a handkerchief she had prepared beforehand from her sleeve and spread it on the ground.

Seeing Jia Lian sitting on the ground, the other maids followed suit, taking out handkerchiefs for their young mistresses to sit on.

"I keep warhorses here for my personal guards and me; there are probably about a hundred of them."

Wow, so many!

"Is that a lot? I think it's not enough. I was just planning to buy another batch."

The Rongguo Mansion also kept horses; the Nanyuan Horse Stable in front of Rongxi Hall alone kept about ten horses.

However, those were just ordinary horses, only suitable for travel.

After Jia Lian inherited the title, he began to replace his guards with larger and stronger warhorses.

Just like his old white horse, which he had long since discarded. However, he quite liked white, so he chose a white horse with an even whiter mane for himself.

As for more than a hundred horses, that's not a lot for him. Among them, the emperor has given him twenty or thirty horses in the past few years alone.

"Speaking of horses, apart from Baoyu, none of you probably know how to ride one, right? Would you like to learn later?"

Most of the women frowned upon hearing this, as horseback riding, a rough activity, seemed quite incompatible with the refined ladies of their families.

Of course, there were also those eager to try it out.

Other elders are not as open-minded as Jia Lian, who supports them in everything they do. Since there are no other elders around today, how can they not be unrestrained?

At this moment, Xiangyun suddenly raised her hand: "I can ride a horse! Last year when we went to the temple fair, my cousin and I sneaked out and rode one..."

Then, Xiangyun recounted how, last year, when the adults weren't looking, she had persuaded her younger cousin to spend several hundred yuan on a literary gathering and horseback riding.

Because she described the wonderful feeling of riding a tall horse in such vivid detail, it really piqued the interest of many people.

However, Jia Lian poured cold water on her hopes.

"What kind of horseback riding is that? It's more like sitting on a horse. Would you dare to gallop if no one was holding the reins?"

Xiangyun was initially unconvinced, but then she realized that compared to Jia Lian, a general who was undoubtedly an expert in horse handling, her skills were nothing more than child's play.

But Jia Lian continued, "If we're really talking about riding horses, you're definitely not one of you. She's barely one."

When Jia Lian pointed at Xue Baoqin, everyone suddenly realized what was happening.

I've often heard that Baoqin traveled to many places all over the country with her father when she was young, so it's not too surprising that she could ride a horse.

When Baoqin saw that Jia Lian was using her to put down Xiangyun, she quickly said, "I can hardly be considered a rider. It's just that I often traveled with my father, and in some places the roads were difficult and the carriage ride was very bumpy, so I could only ride a horse. Gradually, I learned a little bit."

Everyone was convinced by what they heard, and some even envied Baoqin's childhood.

The girls were indeed very uninhibited in front of Jia Lian, and they immediately asked him to teach them how to ride horses.

Therefore, Jia Lian could only order someone to bring over a batch of relatively docile foals.

Learning to ride a horse is not difficult, especially with the guidance of skilled equestrian instructors like Jia Lian and the sisters Aqi. In addition, Jia Baoyu was eager to help with the teaching, so Yingchun and the others quickly learned to ride horses.

The girls learned how to do it, and a few of the bolder maids, with Jia Lian's permission, took the extra foals to practice on.

Perhaps riding a horse really is related to courage, because before long, some maids dared to ride horses in the fields.

This undoubtedly made the young ladies, who were still being very cautious, feel somewhat ashamed.

Jia Lian let them practice on their own, since they were all docile ponies and the terrain here was not dangerous at all; at most, they would just fall and get covered in mud.

He asked Aqi to keep an eye on things while he rode his horse toward Daiyu, who was alone and beautiful on the hillside.

This girl actually moved a small stool and sat on the hillside all by herself to enjoy the scenery!

"What are you doing here?"

"I also want to ask you, everyone else is studying hard, what are you doing here all by yourself?"

What I do is none of your business.

Unfazed by Daiyu's usual aloofness, Jia Lian looked her up and down and suddenly said, "You wouldn't be here making up lines by yourself, trying to outdo everyone else later, would you?"

Jia Lian's surprised expression immediately made Daiyu blush with embarrassment.

Just now, looking down at the scenery before her, she had indeed been silently crafting her words.

She could tolerate losing to Baochai occasionally in the past, but today was the first competition after Baochai publicly revealed her identity as her rival in love. This was a silent battle, and she had to win.

Daiyu was incapable of lying; her expression immediately revealed everything to Jia Lian, who couldn't help but chuckle.

His laughter infuriated Daiyu: "Get away from me, you're so annoying! I don't need you here. If you have so much time, why don't you go teach your little sister Baochai how to ride a horse? I think she quite enjoys learning this nonsense!"

Jia Lian also glanced back. He hadn't really wanted to learn, but he couldn't resist the persuasion of Xiangyun and the others. At that moment, Baochai was riding steadily on the back of a colt, moving slowly forward.

"She's almost finished learning, now it's your turn." Jia Lian dismounted and walked towards Daiyu.

As if sensing something, Daiyu suddenly cried out, "What are you doing? Get away from me! Don't touch me!"

While talking, he dodged and punched Jia Lian repeatedly with his small fists.

Unfortunately, it was all in vain. As gentle as a beauty's lamp, she was effortlessly picked up by Jia Lian and placed on the horse's back.

Needless to say, Daiyu dared not move.

Jia Lian genuinely wanted to teach Daiyu how to ride a horse. After all, it's always good to have more skills. Who says that Lin Daiyu can only write poetry and play the zither, but can't ride a horse at full gallop?

However, seeing that Daiyu didn't seem to have much interest in riding a horse, an idea popped into his head. So he patted the horse's back, grabbed the reins, and jumped on, embracing Daiyu from behind.

Daiyu's face turned genuinely red.

She originally thought it would be like when she was nine years old, when Jia Lian would lift her onto the horse and then lead her by the reins. Little did she expect that Jia Lian would also mount the horse.

But thinking about it, it seems quite reasonable.

She was just a cousin back then, so naturally she couldn't overstep the bounds of propriety.

Now that they've been officially married for over a year, even the old lady has made me sit at the same table as my future daughter-in-law...

"Get down there, they'll laugh at you..."

Daiyu offered her advice in a low voice, fearing that if she spoke too loudly, she would attract the attention of the people below the slope.

Little did she know that Jia Lian had been the focus of most people's attention from the very beginning, so their every move had already been discovered.

When they saw Jia Lian hugging her, someone quietly tugged at the sleeve of the person next to them, reminding them to turn around and watch the show.

When Daiyu became shy, Jia Lian adopted the same attitude he used with Qingwen: "You're my wife, what's wrong with me embracing my own wife?"

With that, he spurred his horse and headed down the slope.

Daiyu lost her will to speak, carefully sitting on the horse's back, feeling the horse's speed increasing beneath her...

The horse Jia Lian used was the strongest among the batch of "teenagers" sent by Zhao Sheng, so there was no need to worry about it being unable to support the weight of him and Daiyu.

With one arm around Daiyu's petite and soft waist, he felt extremely happy, so he started riding and galloped towards the country path with Daiyu.

The rapid speed and whistling wind forced Daiyu to cling tightly to Jia Lian's arms for a sense of security.

She felt extremely embarrassed, but there was nothing she could do.

As the horse galloped past those people, she could vaguely see them laughing, but because the horse was going too fast, they disappeared before she could see them clearly.

Suddenly, I felt at ease: Oh well, let them laugh if they want to. It's not like I haven't been made fun of by them before!

Once she stopped worrying about that, she immediately felt the thrill of speeding away.

It was completely different from the feeling of her sitting on horseback with Jia Lian leading the way back then.

Light and airy, so exciting!

Gradually, Daiyu began to straighten her body, which had been pressed tightly against Jia Lian's chest from the beginning, and used her body and mind to feel the sensation of galloping on horseback.

Down the hillside, the other girls saw Jia Lian running wildly with Daiyu, and they were all a mix of joy, envy, and worry.

"Second brother is riding so fast, what if he falls?"

"Yes, Brother Lian is tough and hard, so a fall probably won't be a big deal, but what if Sister Lin falls?"

No one was interested in learning to ride a horse anymore, because they felt that even if they studied for a lifetime, they would never dare to ride a horse as freely as Jia Lian.

When Jia Baoyu, who was patiently teaching Tan Chun how to control a horse, turned around and saw this scene, he felt as if the sky had turned gray, and he was filled with extreme sorrow and remorse.

A short while later, Jia Lian returned with Daiyu. Daiyu's face was flushed, and fine beads of sweat could be seen on her forehead.

Faced with the scrutinizing and teasing gazes of her sisters, Daiyu blushed even more. She forced an explanation: "I said I wouldn't study, but he insisted on forcing me. What kind of person is that?"

After saying that, he jumped off the horse and quickly walked to the side.

At this moment, Daiyu appeared unusually swift.

Looking at the women who were filled with envy, Jia Lian smiled and said, "If any of you want to experience it, you can come up. I'll show you around, just like Lin Yatou did."

Several girls were eager to try it out, but then they thought that they were girls after all, and how could they sit openly in the lap of an adult man?

Even Yingchun, Jia Lian's younger sister, felt embarrassed about this.

Seeing their interest and concerns, Jia Lian offered another suggestion: "Of course, if you're too shy, you can ask your sister Aqi."

To be honest, when it comes to horsemanship, I'm far inferior to her.

"real?"

The women immediately looked at Aqi, who had been acting as their caregiver, with surprise and admiration.

Aqi just smiled at this. Although she was not usually talkative, she was quite willing to befriend these lovely girls.

Ah Qin, however, said somewhat aggrievedly, "His horsemanship isn't bad either..."

"You can also ask her; her horsemanship is a little worse than mine."

Seeing Jia Lian's high praise for Aqi and her sister's riding skills, Xiangyun and Tanchun immediately stepped forward to curry favor with their two elder sisters.

There was no way around it; they longed to experience the feeling of speeding through the fields, and they were simply too afraid to indulge themselves if they were alone.

"My sworn brother..."

Just as Jia Lian was pondering whether he should use the excuse of not showing favoritism to bring Baochai along for a round of visits.

If Baochai's plump body were held in one's arms while riding a horse, it would certainly be a different feeling from Daiyu's, and definitely more satisfying...

Seeing Zhen Yuhuan riding towards him, Jia Lian asked, "Do you want me to take you with me?"

"May I……"

Zhen Yuhuan muttered something, then, noticing that someone seemed to be paying attention, she quickly changed her mind, saying, "Never mind, I just want to try riding it myself, but I'm worried it might not be safe. Could my sworn brother come along and protect me?"

Jia Lian nodded. He could see it too. Zhen Yuhuan was riding a horse all by herself, and she was quite steady. He wondered if she had learned to ride before.

"You go ahead, but don't go too fast. I'll follow behind and watch you."

Seeing that Jia Lian had made way, Zhen Yuhuan hummed in agreement, then called out "Giddy up!" in a sweet voice, flicked the reins, and spurred the horse to trot forward.

Jia Lian was initially nonchalant, thinking that as long as Zhen Yuhuan wasn't riding too fast, there wouldn't be any major problems.

Unexpectedly, the next second, the horse under Zhen Yuhuan neighed and raised its front hooves, leaping into the wheat field in a panic. It galloped away while desperately jumping, as if trying to throw the person off its back.

This scene astonished not only Jia Lian, but also everyone else who saw it from afar.

"Brother, save me..."

Zhen Yuhuan only had time to turn around and shout once before she gripped the reins tightly and was dragged into the wheat field by the horse.