Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the mansion gate.

Mrs. Zhen, who had been waiting, rushed forward to greet him. The carriage curtain was lifted, and Jia Lian's tall and handsome figure appeared first.

She was slightly taken aback, but still smiled and said, "It's such a long way, why bother you to deliver it personally?"

Jia Lian jumped off the carriage, turning back to help Zhen Yuhuan down, and said nonchalantly, "I promised my aunt yesterday, so I must keep my word."

Mrs. Zhen smiled and glanced down at her daughter, who walked to her side somewhat embarrassedly. This made Zhen Yuhuan's heart tighten, worrying that something on her body might not have been properly treated, and that her mother might have noticed something amiss.

Fortunately, Mrs. Zhen soon spoke to Jia Lian again.

"It's kind of you to go to so much trouble for her. By the way, have you had dinner yet? If not, why don't you stay for a meal?"

Mrs. Zhen was just being polite; she hadn't expected Jia Lian to agree.

Zhen Yuhuan's originally rosy face fell instantly upon hearing this, knowing that she was about to part ways with her sworn brother.

Looking at the enthusiastic Mrs. Zhen, and then at the clearly reluctant little maid, Jia Lian asked with a smile, "Has Aunt not eaten yet at this hour?"

"Our ship is tomorrow morning, and we need to tidy up a lot of places at home, so we were a little late," Mrs. Zhen explained casually.

Actually, she mainly wanted to wait for her daughter to come back so that the two of them could have their last dinner together in Beijing.

Jia Lian nodded and then said, "We did eat something earlier, but it's been a while, and we're actually quite hungry now. If Aunt doesn't mind the trouble, I'd like to stay and have a meal."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, Zhen Yuhuan, who had been hanging her head and looking sullen, immediately looked up and gazed at Jia Lian with delight.

She couldn't help but tug at her mother's sleeve, urging her to agree quickly.

Mrs. Zhen naturally couldn't refuse; it was a great honor for them that Jia Lian, given his status, was willing to stay and freeload a meal.

"Don't mention it. I'm overjoyed that you're willing to stay. I'm just worried that the food at home is simple and the care isn't adequate."

As Mrs. Zhen spoke, she gave her daughter, whose thoughts were written all over her face, a subtle glare before beckoning Jia Lian inside.

The Zhen family was a prominent clan in Jiangnan, and their manners and pomp were in no way inferior to those of the Jia family.

Even though this trip was merely to Beijing to discuss marriage with his daughter, the number of people and items he brought along was considerable.

This trip back south naturally caused quite a stir at home.

Under these circumstances, the Zhen family was indeed unprepared to have guests. If Jia Lian were well-mannered, he shouldn't have agreed to stay for dinner at this time.

But Jia Lian stayed. Given the Zhen family's etiquette and Jia Lian's status, the Zhen family would never actually accept a simple meal as a way to get rid of him.

In the main hall, while her mother was instructing the servants, Zhen Yuhuan leaned close to Jia Lian and whispered, "Brother, I'm so happy you agreed to stay for the meal..."

"Silly girl."

Jia Lian patted Zhen Yuhuan's head, his expression a mixture of doting affection and tenderness.

Zhen Yuhuan was very pleased, but fearing that her mother would see it, she dared not get too close to Jia Lian.

Thinking that it would take some time for the family to prepare dinner, she decided to go downstairs to take a shower first. Before leaving, she repeatedly told Jia Lian not to leave early.

After a while, Mrs. Zhen walked in, exchanged a few polite words with Jia Lian, and then sat down at the head table, where they were rather silent.

Firstly, it was due to their social status, and secondly, they weren't really close to each other.

Just as Madam Zhen was about to leave under the pretext of preparing dinner and have a servant accompany her, she heard Jia Lian say, "Actually, I'm staying tonight because I have two important matters to discuss with my aunt."

Mrs. Zhen was taken aback, then realized that this made sense.

Seeing Jia Lian's signal, she dismissed the servants who were attending to her in the hall.

"I wonder which two things you are referring to, young master?" Mrs. Zhen asked earnestly.

She knew that for someone of Jia Lian's status to take something so seriously, it must be no small matter.

Jia Lian didn't mince words and went straight to the point: "The first matter concerns your family's current situation."

Mrs. Zhen immediately felt a pang of anxiety. The reason she was in such a hurry to return home was precisely because the Crown Prince had died in a rebellion, and the Zhen family was in a precarious situation.

"But what does my son know? To tell you the truth, ever since the Crown Prince's accident, I have been living in fear every day. If it weren't for the promise I received from the Empress, I'm afraid I wouldn't even dare to go south."

Therefore, if you know the inside story, please don't hesitate to tell us, so that we can be at ease.

Mrs. Zhen spoke very sincerely. She was indeed very afraid of being implicated by the Crown Prince.

Although the Empress told her not to worry too much, she didn't tell her much about the details of the Crown Prince's matter, so she could only speculate based on rumors from the outside world.

Although she guessed that they should be safe from the fact that the Empress had agreed to let her take her daughter back south, guesses are just guesses. If Jia Lian were willing to reveal more inside information to her, she would be more than happy to do so.

Going back south would allow me to explain things clearly to my family.

"I do know some inside information about the Crown Prince. But please forgive me, Aunt, this is a very important matter, and I dare not reveal it to outsiders casually. After all, even a little bit of information leaked out would not be good for either of us."

I could only tell my aunt that as long as your family severs all ties with the Crown Prince's faction and doesn't get involved anymore, you'll most likely be unaffected.

Jia Lian made a promise.

No one knew the inside story of the Crown Prince's case better than him. All those implicated by the Crown Prince, except for those caught on the spot at Iron Net Mountain, were those who jumped out to stir up trouble after this incident.

In other words, they offended Emperor Ningkang or were in his way.

The Zhen family's roots are in the south, and their connection with the Crown Prince's residence has only been in the last year or two. There is absolutely no conflict between them and Emperor Ningkang.

As for the saying "hating someone because of their family," and then indiscriminately implicating others...

If the Crown Prince betrayed him, Emperor Ningkang must have been furious at the time, but all of that must have faded with the Crown Prince's death.

This can be seen from the fact that most of those whose homes were confiscated and who were purged in Cifan City were old ministers from the reign of the retired emperor, while the number of those from the crown prince's faction was very small.

Otherwise, given the Zhen family's flamboyant attempts to curry favor with the Crown Prince's residence over the past six months, they would have been ordered to be eliminated long ago.

With the turmoil of raiding houses in the city almost over, the fact that the Zhen family hadn't run into trouble meant that nothing would happen to them.

Although Jia Lian didn't say anything specific, with the assurances from both the Empress and Jia Lian, two heavyweight figures, Madam Zhen finally felt relieved, and a smile appeared on her face.

However, Jia Lian continued, "That's not what I wanted to talk about, but rather..."

Faced with Madam Zhen's questioning gaze, Jia Lian asked, "May I ask, Aunt, does the Zhen family owe any money to the national treasury or the government treasury?"

Mrs. Zhen was somewhat taken aback. "What do you mean by that, young master?"

Instead of answering, Jia Lian asked, "If it is owed, how much is owed?"

Mrs. Zhen fell silent, unsure how to respond.

Seeing this, Jia Lian said meaningfully, "His Majesty has been on the throne for seven years, and he is determined to reform and govern diligently. There are many areas where money is needed. If His Majesty has not paid attention to the Zhen family in the case of the Crown Prince, but for some other reason the Zhen family's name comes to His Majesty's attention again, then it would be a great loss."

Although Jia Lian didn't say it explicitly, anyone who wasn't completely stupid would understand the implication.

Mrs. Zhen became nervous again.

Jia Lian was a close advisor to Emperor Ningkang, with intricate connections to the imperial family. Since he made such a hint, could it be that he had heard some rumors?

After thinking for a moment, he said, "I dare not hide it from you, sir, but our family does indeed have some financial dealings with the national treasury and the government treasury..."

However, most of these are things from the past, and the relationships involved cannot be explained in just a few words.

Seeing Mrs. Zhen's hesitant and tight-lipped appearance, Jia Lian knew that the amount of the Zhen family's deficit was probably larger than he had imagined.

The retired emperor reigned for over fifty years. Although he had made outstanding achievements, he could not change the fact that emperors of all dynasties had long reigns.

Ambitious and eager for quick success.

Especially in the later stages, he gradually became arrogant, extravagant, and dissolute.

Actually, this is nothing. The world is at peace, the country is prosperous and the people are safe. What's wrong with me enjoying myself?

However, if one enjoys oneself alone, one will inevitably be advised by ministers, which can become quite annoying over time.

Therefore, the retired emperor, who had always been known as a "sage ruler" and "benevolent," decided that it was better to share happiness than to enjoy it alone, and with a wave of his hand, he allowed his ministers to enjoy the good fortune with him.

Since it's about enjoying life, there needs to be money. What if the officials' salaries aren't enough? Easy, the national treasury is full.

As a result, what was originally a small number of specific groups of people who could take money from the national treasury suddenly became a pie that everyone could share.

This policy itself is not necessarily a bad thing. If it is implemented well and loans are repaid, it can be considered a benevolent policy.

However, as time went on, this welfare policy for officials had long since changed from what it was initially. The amount and amount of deficits accumulated over time were now unknown.

The saying "to see the leopard through a tube" means that one can only see a part of the whole picture.

With these benevolent policies, how could the empire that Emperor Ningkang inherited not be short of money?

Otherwise, he wouldn't have immediately appointed a trusted confidant like Lin Ruhai to take charge of the salt administration upon assuming office.

He wouldn't be so happy that Jia Lian extorted ten million taels of silver from the salt merchants for him.

Jia Lian had always known that Emperor Ningkang was short of money.

As long as Emperor Ningkang does not change his mind and still wants to achieve great things, he will become increasingly short of money.

If you're short of money, you need to find a way to make it.

He couldn't touch those vested interests before, but now that the retired emperor is enjoying a life of luxury, who is there that Emperor Ningkang can't touch?

Therefore, it is not surprising that Jia Lian could guess that Emperor Ningkang would target those who had embezzled the national treasury.

Perhaps sensing Jia Lian's dissatisfaction with her ambiguity, Madam Zhen hesitated for a long time before explaining, "Actually, our Zhen family rarely borrows money from the national treasury. At least, that's how it has been since I joined the Zhen family twenty years ago."

However, I will not hide it from you, sir. When I was managing the household affairs, I also learned that the family did indeed owe the treasury a considerable amount of money and grain…”

Mrs. Zhen glanced at Jia Lian and continued, "If we really want to investigate those accounts, we can trace them back to the time of our ancestors."

Young man, you may not know that our ancestors were greatly favored by several emperors. To put it simply, Emperor Taizu made six southern tours, and he stayed at our house on four of them.

In order to welcome the emperor, our ancestors did indeed borrow money and grain from the government treasury.

According to the elders in the family, these things were customary at the time, not only in our family, but even by the emperor's special permission.

And almost all the debts our family incurred were incurred during that time…”

Seemingly afraid that Jia Lian wouldn't believe her, Madam Zhen spoke very sincerely, and even when mentioning the four times Emperor Taizu stayed there, she didn't have much of a boastful attitude.

Jia Lian smiled, realizing that the Zhen family's wealth didn't originate from the reign of the late emperor, but rather stemmed from tradition.

As for Mrs. Zhen's claim that they had rarely borrowed money in the past twenty years, Jia Lian didn't quite believe it.

Borrowing money can be addictive, especially the kind of money that you don't have to pay back!

However, this was, after all, a secret of the Zhen family, and Jia Lian had no intention of delving into it. He simply said, "Although there is a reason for this, His Majesty cannot tolerate any nonsense."

If old grievances are brought up again in the future, and linked to the Crown Prince's case, it would likely be very detrimental to your family.

Mrs. Zhen immediately became worried and hurriedly asked, "What should we do?"

Jia Lian smiled slightly, offering no reply, but instead abruptly changed the subject, saying, "The other thing I want to talk about is about Huan'er."

Mrs. Zhen was completely unable to follow Jia Lian's train of thought and subconsciously asked, "Huan'er? What's wrong, Huan'er?"

"Huan'er is already mine."

……