Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Having already largely agreed in his heart, Jia Lian still feigned modesty and said, "Grandma's suggestion is good, but..."

"My original idea was to build enough houses in the front yard of the newly built house for my personal guards and others to live in, and to build a drill ground and a horse track for the personal guards to use for daily training."

If we follow the old lady's logic, the rooms and space in the east wing are barely adequate, but our mistress still lives here. If the guards train like this every day, I'm afraid it will disturb her peace."

Grandmother Jia and the others frowned, then Grandmother Jia glanced at the map and said generously, "What's the big deal? We can just move your mistress to a different place."

"Since you've moved into the garden, your yard is now empty. You can give it to her to live in."

As I said before, it doesn't matter where Madam Xing lives.

When Grandmother Jia considered this matter, she didn't think about Madam Xing's thoughts at all; otherwise, she wouldn't have refused to invite her to the event.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian seemed to hesitate, but finally gritted his teeth and said, "Since the Ancestor and my elder sister have considered things so thoroughly for me, it would be pretentious of me to disagree."

"In that case, let's do as our ancestors wished."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, the three women, including Grandmother Jia, relaxed.

Lady Wang gave Jia Lian a deep look.

She could easily see that Jia Lian disliked Madam Xing for being in the way of the east wing and wanted to move her out, but he didn't want to ask her directly. So he used Grandmother Jia's words to get the matter settled.

In this way, the entire vast area of ​​the East Wing, which connects to the Grand View Garden, could be completely at his command.

Having achieved her goal, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but say to Jia Lian with some resentment, "I've said it before: as long as family members are willing to discuss things, what problem can't be solved? But you are so stubborn and self-willed, always doing things your own way and never considering the feelings of the family."

Sensing Grandmother Jia's resentment, Jia Lian smiled and said, "Grandmother's teachings are right. This matter was indeed not well thought out by your grandson. I did not expect that you, Grandmother, would be so wise as to come up with such a compromise and appropriate solution."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, Grandmother Jia chuckled.

After thinking for a moment, she continued, "Since you also think this method is appropriate, then after you go down, just do what we discussed today and properly renovate your territory. As for your first wife, don't worry about her; I will explain things to her."

"In that case, thank you very much for your trouble, Ancestor."

"Don't thank me yet, I have something important to ask you."

Seeing that Jia Lian and the other two were looking over, Grandmother Jia asked in a serious tone, "Let me ask you, did you simply want a large enough territory to use before, or were you thinking of taking this opportunity to sever ties with us?"

Jia Lian raised an eyebrow and laughed, "What are you saying, old lady? Of course it's the former."

Grandmother Jia looked at him intently for a long time before saying, "Since that's the case, then I can rest assured."

You two should just consider this a change of scenery; everything in the house will remain the same as before.

The economy and population of both sides were still unified under the official branch.

"How about leaving the household affairs to Feng'er?"

Jia Lian's expression shifted, revealing that Grandmother Jia wanted the household to be united and was very afraid that he would leave to go solo.

"Grandson is willing to follow the old lady's wishes."

Grandmother Jia nodded, then turned her gaze to Sister Feng and Lady Wang.

Madam Wang smiled and said, "What the old lady says is true, that's how it should be."

Sister Feng rolled her eyes and smiled, "With such kindness from the old lady, your granddaughter-in-law is willing to take on the responsibility. I'm just afraid that my abilities are limited, and as the household grows larger, it will be difficult to manage."

"Let me make this clear first: if anything goes wrong, please be understanding, Grandma and the ladies!"

Grandmother Jia was already used to Sister Feng's constant attempts to flatter and ingratiate herself. She tapped Sister Feng's forehead, ignored her, and turned back to sit on the high couch.

When Fengjie saw that Jia Lian had sat back down, she walked over to his side and nudged him with her elbow.

Jia Lian looked up at her, puzzled.

Feng Jie lowered her voice and said, "I have no objection to you wanting to move the First Madam out of the East Wing, but could you please find her another place?"

I'm a little reluctant to leave my yard...

Sister Feng never really wanted to change territories.

She had developed a deep affection for that courtyard over the years, especially after the expansion with the addition of the flower hall and bathhouse.

Jia Lian saw through his wife's thoughts and replied in a low voice, "What is there to be reluctant about? We are going to move into the main hall of the garden this time. That was originally where the Imperial Concubine lived. Isn't that better than this small courtyard?"

Putting everything else aside, you forgot about the bathing pool in the Hanfang Pavilion to the west; its size alone is several times that of this one. Moreover, the entire pool is constructed of white jade—it's on a completely different level!

When Fengjie heard Jia Lian say this, she remembered when Yuanchun returned to her hometown last year and took a bath in Hanfang Pavilion. She had been so envious of her at the time.

Although she had higher expectations for moving into the main building of the Grand View Garden, she was still reluctant to give her current courtyard to Madam Xing to cause trouble.

"It's not necessarily good if it's too big. How much water will it use each time? And in winter, who knows how much firewood will be wasted!"

Please, don't give this courtyard to the first wife.

Even if you don't need it, I'll still need to come to the manor to manage affairs in the future, so I'll need a place to stay, won't I? I really like this place, so please agree."

In order to save her courtyard, Sister Feng went to great lengths, even clinging to Jia Lian's arm and acting coquettishly.

Fortunately, her movements were subtle and her voice was low enough that others could only see her pulling Jia Lian aside to plot something, but they didn't know the specifics.

Jia Lian thought that moving Madam Xing to the courtyard they were currently living in, as suggested by Grandmother Jia, was a good idea. After all, it was the place they had lived in when they were still the Marquis and his wife, so it wouldn't be considered mistreating Madam Xing, and it wouldn't cause any criticism.

However, since his beloved wife rarely acted so affectionately towards him, Jia Lian couldn't refuse. So he simply said, "Alright, even if we were to move into the garden, it wouldn't be a matter of just a day or two. There's still plenty of time. We can discuss these things slowly when we get home."

Upon hearing this, Sister Feng stopped pressing the matter. She glanced at Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang, who were watching them with profound meaning, and silently withdrew.

Seeing this, Lady Wang suddenly said, "Since Her Majesty has already given you the garden, and you are going to move in, then it is not appropriate for Yaozhu'er's wife and Baoyu to live in the garden anymore."

What I mean is, relocate them all and resettle them..."

Before Lady Wang could finish speaking, Grandmother Jia frowned.

As someone who unconditionally dotes on Jia Baoyu, Grandmother Jia knows how much Jia Baoyu wants to stay in the Grand View Garden.

Because of Daiyu's matter, they wanted to move him out, and he almost had a hysterical episode because of it...

In short, Grandmother Jia was unwilling to wrong her beloved grandson.

However, she also knew that Madam Wang's words were not just empty talk, but rather made some sense.

So she turned her gaze to Jia Lian.

Jia Lian laughed and said, "Madam, there's no need for that. We're just dividing up the land, not splitting the family property."

Since we're all family, what difference does it make which side my sister-in-law and Baoyu live on?

Anyway, there are plenty of pavilions and halls in the garden, so it doesn't matter if there are two more, like Daoxiangcun and Yihongyuan.

Besides, there are so many maids in the garden who need to be looked after and supervised by the eldest sister-in-law. Feng'er probably doesn't have the energy or patience to manage this matter.

Jia Lian was indifferent to whether or not Jia Baoyu should be moved out. He said the same thing: Jia Baoyu was a harmless person, and keeping him in the garden wouldn't cause him any major trouble.

The key point is that if Jia Baoyu is kicked out, he will have no reason to keep Li Wan!

Is he the kind of irresponsible person who took advantage of Li Wan and then turned his back on her?

The others had no idea what Jia Lian was thinking. When they heard Jia Lian say that she was impatient, Feng Jie rolled her eyes.

But she didn't respond. She knew very well that she really didn't have the patience to manage those sisters-in-law, whether they were delicate, mischievous, or naughty.

Grandmother Jia was quite pleased to hear Jia Lian's words.

"He's right. Since we're family, why make such a big deal out of it? In my opinion, let them all live there for now. We can move out together in a few years when Baoyu and the others have grown up."

Grandmother Jia's meaning was simple: when the children in the garden grew up, those who were to be married off would get married, and then they could move out.

She did this not just for Jia Baoyu.

She knew that Jia Lian cherished his brothers and sisters, and wanting to firmly bind the Jia family and Jia Lian together, she couldn't wait for her grandchildren to get closer to Jia Lian and deepen their relationship.

Since both Grandmother Jia and Jia Lian had such attitudes, Lady Wang naturally didn't say anything more; she had only mentioned it out of courtesy.

With the important matter settled, Jia Lian did not linger in Rongqing Hall, as he needed to cancel the original plan to avoid making others do unnecessary work.

Fortunately, the new housing project has just been implemented, and only a few people need to be sent to make the announcement.

After giving his instructions, he went home, where Sister Feng was already waiting for him.

It's still about the future ownership of this small courtyard.

Jia Lian tried to persuade her: "Why not just give it to her? After all, she is my legal mother in name only. If it weren't for the fact that she occupies the back half of the east wing, which would make it really inconvenient for me to do things in the future, I wouldn't have moved her out."

You know she's not a sensible or tactful person. If she refuses to move, and then throws a tantrum, it'll be both of us who lose face.

If we were to give her this courtyard, I think she would be willing. Even if she wasn't, no one would think we were mistreating her.

The old lady must have considered this as well, which is why she made this decision.

Jia Lian's words made a lot of sense, and Feng Jie was not unaware of it.

But she just wouldn't agree.

If Madam Xing were Jia Lian's birth mother, she wouldn't be so stingy for her husband's sake.

Or perhaps Madam Xing was a wise elder, worthy of respect, and thus she tolerated it.

But none of these are it.

The thought that her home, which she had carefully designed and decorated over the years, would one day belong to someone like Mrs. Xing, a lowly person, made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

Seeing that neither coaxing nor reasoning could win over Jia Lian, she suddenly had an idea.

Turning around and sitting on the couch, Sister Feng's anxious expression changed, and she smiled and said, "Actually, if you insist on giving it to her, I don't mind. It's just a courtyard."

Just like you said, in every way, the main hall in the garden is better than this one.

I'm only thinking of you, and all the women in this house.

Feng Jie's words not only made Jia Lian frown slightly, but also made the "Yingying and Yanyan" standing beside him look over in confusion.

Faced with everyone's scrutiny, Sister Feng's cheeks flushed almost imperceptibly, and then she explained in a deliberately annoyed tone:

"Don't you even think about how many times you've favored them in this courtyard over the years!"

"Not to mention those far away, Ping'er, Qingwen, Xiangling—weren't all of them taken from you in this very courtyard?"

Feng Jie was unaware that Xiang Ling's virginity had actually been taken by Jia Lian in Suzhou. She only suddenly realized that Xiang Ling was serving the emperor in a proper manner, and assumed that Jia Lian had done it quietly in the courtyard.

She was completely unaware that the three people she listed were actually all the people Jia Lian had taken in at the courtyard.

In her eyes, more than half of the forty or so maids on duty in this courtyard were quite beautiful. Given Jia Lian's nature, how could he not have an affair when he had the chance?

It's just that she wasn't as favored as Qingwen and others, so her secret wasn't exposed and discovered.

Little did she know that while Jia Lian wasn't entirely celibate towards the other maids, his actions were limited to using unusual skills and tricks.

Enough of the idle talk. Ping'er and the other two, who were just bystanders, blushed when they heard Sister Feng's bold remarks.

Feeling both ashamed and embarrassed, she suddenly decided to stand on Feng Jie's side and cast a "pressure" glance at Jia Lian.

Jia Lian frowned deeply; he was beginning to understand Feng Jie's argument.

Sure enough, seeing that it worked, Sister Feng pressed her advantage, saying, "And the bathhouse behind the flower hall, don't think I don't know what you usually do in there..."

If you really give this place to the First Madam, she'll definitely want to use the bathroom...

"alright."

Jia Lian suddenly interrupted Feng Jie, sitting up and saying, "You win, no need to say anything more."

Jia Lian bent down, lifted Feng Jie'er's beautiful face, pinched her chin, and said with a half-smile, "Not bad, you've improved again. You even know how to use psychological tactics on your husband now."

Feng Jie broke free from Jia Lian's grasp and snorted, "No, I learned all of this from the Duke."

Jia Lian nodded, admitting that he had been persuaded by Feng Jie. The thought of Madam Xing's faded and deformed body wandering around the courtyard all day, lying in the places he had lain, made him feel truly disgusted.

So he began to ponder.

If we don't give this garden to Madam Xing, it seems there really isn't a suitable place in this mansion to settle her.

It should be noted that the construction of the Grand View Garden originally involved taking a large chunk of the Rongguo Mansion's assets.

Now he wants to merge the entire eastern section of Rongguo Mansion, including the East Wing, with the Grand View Garden into his new residence, which is equivalent to cutting off another third of the remaining land of Rongguo Mansion.

As a result, the Rongguo Mansion's territory, which was already not very large, was further occupied by the two behemoths, Rongxi Hall and Rongqing Hall, which occupied the core area!

Finding a suitable place to settle Madam Xing in the remaining nooks and crannies was indeed not easy.

Fengjie, of course, knew what Jia Lian was thinking, and tentatively suggested, "How about we take over the courtyard where my sister-in-law used to live..."

Jia Lian shook his head: "That's not appropriate. Putting aside whether my sister-in-law will move back in the future, it doesn't make sense from a legal standpoint. Besides, my sister-in-law usually uses that courtyard for Lan'er's studies."

"Then, how about those three side rooms next to the back gate of Rongxi Hall, the ones where Yingchun and her two maids used to live?"

Jia Lian said, "The house is a little small..."

"It's a bit small on its own, but wouldn't it be big enough if we combined the three side rooms?"

Seeing that Jia Lian was still considering, Feng Jie laughed and said, "Don't worry, if you still feel it's not enough, we can just spend more money to tidy up the place and make it more luxurious, wouldn't that be great?"

Hearing Feng Jie'er say this, Jia Lian, who couldn't find a better solution for the time being, could only nod in agreement.

Sister Feng became overjoyed and began to plan her affairs in her mind.

She wasn't worried about Grandmother Jia's disapproval; ultimately, how Madam Xing was settled was their family's business. Since Jia Lian's true parentage was revealed, Grandmother Jia had practically no legal authority over their branch of the family.

"So, will the money for cleaning up the area come from the government, or will we pay for it ourselves?"

"It doesn't matter, it's up to you."

Now that things have come to this, the money in the Rongguo Mansion's official coffers is no different from Jia Lian's money.

With the meager annual land rent from the Rongguo Mansion, how many major events could they possibly accomplish?

In particular, Yuan Chun's visit to her family almost emptied the Rongguo Mansion's coffers. Just the money he personally spent to replenish the Rongguo Mansion's official treasury must have amounted to no less than 100,000 taels of silver.

If Madam Wang dares to object to something as trivial as repairing a house for Madam Xing, then he really wouldn't mind living separately from the second wife.

Clearly, given Jia Lian's attitude, Feng Jie would definitely choose to use official funds to get things done.

She is rich, but she won't spend money on strangers.