Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

"What did you say?"

Mrs. Zhen looked at the man before her, making sure she hadn't misheard, and immediately frowned: "What do you mean by that, young master?"

Faced with Mrs. Zhen's scrutiny, Jia Lian felt somewhat uncomfortable, but in order to achieve his goal, he could only maintain a composed demeanor.

He rolled up one sleeve and said seriously, "As Aunt has heard, Huan'er is now my woman. I have promised Huan'er that I will marry her in a few years."

It is my fault for not consulting my aunt about such an important matter beforehand. I apologize to my aunt in advance.

However, I humbly request that, in consideration of Huan'er's deep affection for me, and my own great love for her, you grant her this wish.

As Jia Lian spoke, he stood up and bowed to Madam Zhen.

Mrs. Zhen's expression was quite interesting.

She knew that her daughter had feelings for Jia Lian; after all, she could see her daughter's dependence on and trust in her sworn brother if she wasn't blind.

She didn't think much of it at first; it's quite normal for a young girl, just beginning to experience love, to feel admiration for a young man who seems otherworldly and exceptional.

She just didn't expect that, in the slightest moment of inattention, things seemed to develop in a direction she hadn't anticipated.

Jia Lian had just said that Huan'er was already his, and now he's making it even clearer that she's already his woman!

The other person has explained things so clearly, what else could she not understand?

The beautiful cabbage she painstakingly grew was stolen without her knowledge!

No wonder Jia Lian got out of his daughter's carriage just now, no wonder the look in his daughter's eyes when she looked at Jia Lian was full of tender affection, and no wonder she was so happy when she heard that Jia Lian wanted to stay for dinner that she almost jumped for joy.

She opened her mouth, as if to say something.

But what should we say?

Give the other person a good scolding?

Putting aside whether she would dare to defy Jia Lian given his status, given the Zhen family's current predicament, she wouldn't dare to offend Jia Lian, a person who could speak to the emperor at any time.

Furthermore, judging from how much more dependent her daughter had on Jia Lian than before, she knew that this matter was probably not Jia Lian's fault; perhaps her own daughter was even more proactive.

However, no matter what, this matter involves my daughter's innocence and her future, so it certainly cannot be easily dismissed.

After pondering for a while, Madam Zhen said with a cold and stern face, "Young master, do you know what you are saying? I entrusted Huan'er to you because of the close relationship between our two families and out of my trust in you."

Now you say such things to me, don't you think that's the behavior of a despicable person?

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian's expression became even more humble and sincere: "Aunt is right to reprimand me. This matter was due to my lack of consideration, and I beg your forgiveness. However, since things have come to this, I do not intend to shirk my responsibility. Please give me any instructions, Aunt, as long as they are within my power, I will do them without hesitation."

The grandson of the emperor, the first duke, bowed and paid homage to her, a fourth-rank noblewoman, with great respect, which made Mrs. Zhen feel somewhat overwhelmed.

The things she originally wanted to say became illogical. She coughed lightly and said, "You should get up first..."

"Thank you, aunt."

Seeing that Jia Lian had straightened up, she remained standing in the same spot. His tall figure standing beside her put a lot of pressure on her.

But the other party seemed to be waiting to be punished, willing to be beaten or scolded at will, and she really didn't know how to deal with it.

After a moment of silence, she said, "Please sit down..."

His tone had unconsciously returned to its previous gentleness.

"Yes."

Jia Lian didn't put on any pretense. Upon hearing this, he plopped back down, as if his previous subservience had been an illusion.

Seeing this, Madam Zhen knew perfectly well that she had fallen for Jia Lian's delaying tactic. However, given the current atmosphere, it would seem too deliberate for her to feign anger.

Then she vaguely understood why families like the Lin and Xue families were willing to marry their eldest daughters to Jia Lian.

With sufficient status, talent, and proper manners, what goal can't such a person achieve?

Thinking of the Lin and Xue families, Mrs. Zhen sighed again for her daughter.

To be honest, if Jia Lian's inner quarters hadn't already been occupied by a "strongman," and after her daughter's dream of becoming the Crown Prince's concubine had become a pipe dream, she really wouldn't have minded facilitating this good thing.

"When did your relationship with Huan'er begin?"

"It's today."

"today?"

Mrs. Zhen was speechless. They were supposed to leave for the south tomorrow morning, and just this one day's delay had resulted in this whole mess. How was she going to explain this to her father and grandmother when she got back…?

"What are your plans for Huan'er?"

"With all these things happening in the capital, I'm sure Auntie is worried about leaving Huan'er here."

I still have some things to take care of right now, so why don't you and Huan'er go back to Nanjing first? Once I've finished what I need to do, I'll go to Nanjing myself to bring Huan'er into the family.

What does Aunt think?

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhen knew that Jia Lian had not yet figured out how to settle his daughter.

Indeed, she knew from the Rongguo Mansion last night that Jia Lian had just obtained Xue's daughter from the Xue family. If Huan'er were to be kept here now, no matter what methods he used, he would probably find it difficult to resolve the situation.

However, Jia Lian's first statement was correct. Given the current situation, she really didn't feel comfortable leaving her daughter with Jia Lian.

So he snorted and said, "Are you so confident that I would hand Huan'er over to you? Even if I were willing, do you think you could get past her father and the old lady in the family? You've been to our house before, you should know how much the old lady dotes on her!"

unless……"

Mrs. Zhen stared at Jia Lian, "Unless you cancel the marriage between the Lin and Xue families."

Madam Zhen didn't suggest that Jia Lian divorce Feng Jie, because she knew that was impossible. After all, even when the Empress Dowager herself intervened, she couldn't get Jia Lian to divorce Feng Jie.

She had no other choice.

It's highly likely that Jia Lian has taken advantage of his daughter.

At this point, turning against Jia Lian would be unwise, but she absolutely could not accept her daughter becoming someone else's fourth or fifth mistress.

Faced with the conditions proposed by Mrs. Zhen, Jia Lian did not choose to respond directly.

She met the other person's gaze and suddenly smiled, "I know it's a bit much to ask my aunt and the others to accept this so quickly."

How about this, let's make a deal.

"What agreement?" Mrs. Zhen asked suspiciously.

"With the current political situation in turmoil, both my family and the Zhen family are facing our own troubles. It is certainly not a good time for our two families to discuss marriage."

Perhaps a three-year period would be better.

Within these three years, the Zhen family can hold off on responding to my request and carefully weigh the pros and cons.

If, three years from now, the Zhen family is still unwilling to marry Huan'er to me, and still feels that it would be a loss to give Huan'er to me, I will never mention this matter again. At that time, no matter how you decide Huan'er's fate, I will not interfere.

In exchange, you are not allowed to interfere with Huan'er's freedom for the next three years, and you are also forbidden from finding her another husband.

Jia Lian was incredibly domineering. Putting aside Zhen Yuhuan's deep affection for him, he never abandoned her, even though she was just as beautiful as Daiyu.

Three years is just a matter of giving each other some dignity and space.

Even if he wanted to force Zhen Yuhuan to marry him now, the Zhen family wouldn't have much power to resist, let alone three years later.

Given the declining fortunes of the Zhen family, Jia Lian was confident that the further things went, the less leverage the Zhen family would have to negotiate with him.

He could have easily kept this from Mrs. Zhen, as he had told Zhen Yuhuan, that he would marry her once he had the time.

But this would undoubtedly be a hardship for Zhen Yuhuan herself. Not only would this young woman, in the throes of first love, suffer the pain of unrequited love with no one to confide in, but she might also face pressure from her family to get married. He was truly afraid that she, a young girl, wouldn't be able to bear it all alone.

This is the reason why Jia Lian stayed behind tonight and explained it to Madam Zhen.

If he can persuade the other party, with the support of his biological mother, Zhen Yuhuan's life at home will definitely be much better.

As for his promise not to interfere if the Zhen family disagrees after three years, that's obviously not true.

If he remains upright and honest three years from now, the Zhen family will have no chance to resist. If he makes a mistake, he will accept his fate and will not harm others.

Of course, he was confident that such a possibility did not exist.

Mrs. Zhen was unaware of Jia Lian's scheming; she was seriously considering his proposal.

Actually, she herself doesn't oppose this matter.

During her time in the capital, she had come to realize that the rumors circulating among the people were not unfounded. Jia Lian was indeed the kind of person who could stir up trouble, and even in the central government, he still held a pivotal position.

Moreover, no one knows a daughter better than her mother, and she knows where her daughter's heart lies.

However, the daughter is the face of the Zhen family. For her to become a concubine, especially one of the other wives, would really damage the Zhen family's reputation.

If she doesn't handle it well, she herself will suffer a great deal of consequences.

Jia Lian's suggestion gave her room to maneuver!

As long as Jia Lian isn't in a hurry to ask for her, she can even keep it a secret from her family for now.

Anyway, my daughter is still young, and she has just gone through the Crown Prince incident, so I don't think the family will be in a hurry to arrange another marriage for her.

Mrs. Zhen's mind was fully activated.

As the matriarch of a large family, she certainly doesn't think like an ordinary mother; she also considers the family's interests.

If the Zhen family is destined to suffer a calamity, having a daughter and Jia Lian as a connection would naturally provide an extra layer of protection.

If Jia Lian can lend a helping hand to the Zhen family, there will naturally be no problem in marrying his daughter to him in the future.

If the Zhen family hadn't been implicated in anything, and had instead risen to even greater heights in the future, or if Jia Lian's status as a grandson of the emperor had somehow become a bombshell and they hadn't reached their current peak, then the Zhen family naturally wouldn't have needed to engage in a losing proposition.

In summary, given that their daughter had clearly lost her virginity to Jia Lian, allowing a few years of buffer time was advantageous for the Zhen family.

Furthermore, how could Madam Zhen not see Jia Lian's confidence?

Given Jia Lian's status as a grandson of the emperor, she couldn't help but have some wild thoughts.

As the person involved, Jia Lian certainly knows more than outsiders like them.

Whether Jia Lian and Emperor Ningkang completely eliminate their grudges and Jia Lian is given important responsibilities again, or whether the retired emperor returns to power one day, it means that Jia Lian's status will become incomparably noble.

If that's the case, having a princess consort in the family, even if she's not the official wife, would definitely be a good deal...

After pondering a thousand thoughts, Madam Zhen finally said, "Alright, I can agree to this agreement. However, you must also promise that during this period, you must never reveal your relationship with Huan'er to anyone, so as not to affect Huan'er's innocence."

Jia Lian smiled slightly: "That's natural."

The agreement was reached, and the two tacitly agreed not to discuss the issue further.

After a moment of silence, Madam Zhen said, "It seems that what the young master said earlier left something unsaid..."

Jia Lian raised an eyebrow, a smile on his face.

Seeing this, Madam Zhen no longer concealed her intentions and asked directly, "If the Emperor really brings up old grievances, how should we respond?"

If it weren't for the issue of the crown prince, she wouldn't be too worried. Because for such old grievances accumulated over generations, there's already a well-established solution and a plausible explanation.

However, Emperor Ningkang is clearly not as easy to talk to as the previous emperors; he is a ruthless man who dared to stage a coup and force the emperor to abdicate.

If the other party really decides to bring up old grievances now, they might actually use the Crown Prince case to deal with the Zhen family, leaving them with no recourse.

At the same time, she couldn't help but feel a little scared.

At this point, she understood why Jia Lian had only said half of what he meant earlier.

She didn't know whether Jia Lian's mention of "bringing up old grievances" was something he had heard about or simply a pretext to use against her Zhen family.

None of that matters.

It's conceivable that if she had fallen out with Jia Lian over her daughter's matter, regardless of whether the court actually wanted to reopen old grudges, Jia Lian would have been able to make it a reality.

Isn't that right? It's just a matter of folding a fold.

Therefore, he felt a sense of respect and gratitude towards Jia Lian.

Regardless, Jia Lian did not bring the threats to the surface, giving her the final dignity and respect befitting a mother.

Now that she has agreed to Jia Lian's promise, which is tantamount to fulfilling Jia Lian's wish, she naturally wants to know how to deal with this matter, because she feels that this matter is very likely to come true in the future.

Noticing Mrs. Zhen's expression, Jia Lian smiled inwardly. Many things are better left unsaid; mutual understanding is far more efficient than saying them directly.

He stopped beating around the bush and said seriously, "If Aunt trusts me, after returning to Nanjing, please persuade Uncle to do everything possible to fill the deficit in the government. At the very least, the deficit in the national treasury should be completely filled, and then submit a memorial to His Majesty, explaining in detail the origins of all other deficits, so as not to give the palace any opportunity to cause trouble."

This matter must be handled swiftly, because once news spreads that the palace is going to reopen old grievances, His Majesty may not be so forgiving if the Zhen family does this now.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhen's face showed worry.

Even if it's just the palace, it's still not a small amount.

Seeing this, Jia Lian sighed, "At this time, is wealth more important, or is the safety of the family more important? I hope Aunt and Uncle can make that distinction."

Jia Lian did not believe that the Zhen family would be short of money.

As the head of the three major textile bureaus in Nanjing Province, the Zhen family was renowned throughout the land for their wealth and status.

To be honest, Jia Lian couldn't understand why a family like that would have to borrow money from the national treasury and the palace every year.

Perhaps there are too many lazy bums in their families, or maybe they feel uncomfortable if they don't take advantage of it since everyone else is doing so.

In short, the Zhen family, who had enjoyed imperial favor for generations, owed the government money that they themselves could not remember, and perhaps they never even thought of repaying it.

The court currently has no intention of reopening old scores, but given Jia Lian's foresight, he believes it's only a matter of time before Emperor Ningkang starts raising funds from this direction.

Because of his close ties with the Zhen family, Jia Lian did not want the Zhen family to fall, or at least not because of money or other external things.

However, all he could do was give them a heads-up.

If the Zhen family truly values ​​money over life, then they are destined to perish.

……