Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Because tomorrow was the day of Jia Jing's funeral, both mansions became lively that evening.

At the same time, Yuan Chun officially issued the decree to bestow the Grand View Garden upon Jia Lian, which caused quite a stir among the eight branches of the Jia family.

However, regardless of how the members of the Eighth Household viewed this matter, given the precedent set by Jia Qin and his son, no one dared to say anything in public that would be detrimental to unity.

At dawn the next day, Jia Jing's coffin left the capital under the escort of Jia's eight sons and relatives. The procession was grand and attracted tens of thousands of onlookers from both inside and outside the city!

Although there were many and varied people, everything proceeded smoothly and without fault, thanks to the excellent domestic management skills of both Madam You and her daughter-in-law Qin Keqing, as well as the assistance of Jia Lian. From the journey to the departure of the funeral guests after lunch, everything was done in an orderly manner.

By evening, almost only the family members remained at the Iron Threshold Temple. Even Jia Baoyu and the others were taken away when Grandmother Jia and the others rushed back to the city in the afternoon.

After arranging several key matters, Jia Lian prepared to return to the city to rest and come back tomorrow.

He had just walked from the mourning hall to the side hall where he was resting, and hadn't even had a chance to sit down and have a sip of tea, when Madam You and her people caught up with him.

Jia Lian initially thought she had something important to discuss with him, but then he noticed that she was followed by another person.

Although she was looking down, it was not hard to tell from her figure, which was shrouded in mourning clothes like Lady You's, that she was a young and slender woman.

Seemingly noticing Jia Lian's gaze, Madam You stepped aside and introduced him with a smile: "This is the third wife of the second son's family, whom Uncle asked about at noon. I noticed she's more efficient than others, so I kept her around to help pour tea for the elders and such."

Then, Madam You instructed the woman, "Third son's wife, what are you standing there for? Go forward and greet your uncle."

The woman snapped out of her daze, quickly glanced at Jia Lian with her flushed face, then stepped forward and gave a graceful bow, saying, "Your wife greets Second Uncle Lian..."

Jia Lian, naturally recognizing her at this moment, frowned and asked, "What do you mean by this, sister-in-law?"

Lady You seemed oblivious to the displeasure in Jia Lian's voice and explained naturally, "I feel truly sorry that you've been so troubled by all the arrangements for my father-in-law's funeral, causing my uncle to be busy and exhausted."

Seeing that her uncle hadn't brought anyone with him this time, she thought it would be nice to have her come over, even if it was just to pour him some tea.

Without giving Jia Lian a chance to feign politeness, Madam You took out a notebook from her sleeve and handed it to him, saying, "This is the schedule and personnel arrangement for the next few days. Please take a look, Uncle. If you feel there is anything inappropriate, you can tell her, and I will rearrange it later."

He turned back to the woman and solemnly instructed her, "Take good care of your Uncle Lian. Remember everything he says, understand?"

"Yes." The woman nodded politely.

Lady You then adopted a respectful tone and said to Jia Lian, "If Uncle has no further instructions, I will take my leave now."

Looking at You Shi, whose expression was calm and who had clearly forced himself on her, and then glancing at the beautiful woman in front of him who looked pitiful, Jia Lian sighed inwardly and waved to You Shi.

After Madam You left, Jia Lian ignored the increasingly awkward woman, picked up the booklet in his hand, and asked as he looked through it, "Is this from Zhige'er's family?"

"Hmm~"

How old are you this year?

"Seventeen~"

Upon hearing that he was only seventeen, Jia Lian finally stopped pretending to be indifferent and looked up carefully at the person in front of him.

Sure enough, although the other person was dressed as a woman, one could still see a childlike innocence in their eyes.

No wonder I've never seen her in the clan before; she must have just become a bride.

Thinking about this, Jia Lian didn't know whether to scold You Shi or thank her.

This woman is really considering his feelings too much!

It was only at midday, when the women were paying their respects at the spirit tablet, that Jia Lian suddenly noticed this unfamiliar face. Not only was her figure slender and graceful, surpassing that of the other women in the clan, but her appearance was also that of a typical girl from a modest family, exuding a pitiful charm.

Those of you familiar with Jia Lian's character should know that he has always been generous in his attention to girls who possess some of Daiyu's charm and cleverness.

Out of curiosity, he casually asked Madam You a question.

They simply asked who he was.

Little did they expect that Lady You would remember it.

Not only did they remember it, but in less than half a day, they delivered the person right to his doorstep!

It's hard to tell whether he should praise You Shi's thoughtfulness or marvel at the benefits of power and status.

At the same time, Jia Lian was also pondering whether he should accept Madam You's kindness.

If he refused decisively, Jia Lian was a little worried that it would hurt You Shi's feelings.

If I accept the offer, it feels somewhat awkward.

After all, she's a member of the same clan, but from a different generation.

Besides, they're newlyweds, so we don't know if they're willing to accept this.

Jia Lian remained silent for a moment, but the young bride was becoming increasingly impatient.

She stole several glances at Jia Lian, then suddenly said, "Second Uncle, you must be tired after a long day. How about I pour you a cup of tea and give you a shoulder massage..."

Her voice, like her appearance, was soft and delicate. Though it might seem forced, it undeniably aroused a man's desire.

Jia Lian nodded subconsciously.

So, as if she had a goal in mind, the young bride quickly walked to the tea table, carefully poured a cup of tea, and carried it towards Jia Lian.

"Uncle, please have some tea."

Just as Jia Lian was about to accept the tea, he was suddenly startled. The words sounded somewhat familiar.

Perhaps it was during this moment that Jia Lian felt the teacup he hadn't even touched suddenly tremble and flip over, spilling tea all over him.

Jia Lian was almost startled, but fortunately he could feel that the tea was only lukewarm, so he was able to sit still.

But the person in front of him was so frightened that he hurriedly knelt down, begging for forgiveness while taking out a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiping Jia Lian's body in a panic.

Naturally, the rubbing reached the area below the dantian.

"I'm sorry, Second Uncle. I didn't mean to. I hope you weren't burned. Please punish me..."

The young bride paused noticeably, but after glancing up and seeing that Jia Lian was indeed not blaming her, just as Madam You had assured her, she dared to continue wiping, only now her movements were gentler.

……

Outside the side hall, Qin Keqing sullenly peeked from the shadows.

Although Madam You had not consulted her about the arrangements for tonight, she was, after all, the second-in-command of the Ningguo Mansion, and had been almost inseparable from Madam You all day.

In the afternoon, Madam You specially called the new daughter-in-law of the third branch to her side and put her, a mere maid, in charge of managing the maids and servants who served tea and water. Now she has brought her here alone to see Jia Lian. What is the meaning behind this? How could she not understand?

Actually, if it were just a woman, she wouldn't care, since Jia Lian already has so many women around him.

Who could blame them? The new bride was indeed quite beautiful, and like her, she was Jia Lian's nephew's wife.

She didn't know that this whole thing was orchestrated by Madam You; she thought it was Jia Lian's order.

The thought of having another person share this relationship with her made her instinctively uncomfortable.

I feel that my position in my uncle's heart has weakened even further.

Several times she almost couldn't resist finding an excuse to rush into the living room.

But thinking about it carefully, even if she really went in, she certainly wouldn't ruin Jia Lian's plans; she would just be an extra burden.

It would be unwise of her to needlessly expose her relationship with Jia Lian to outsiders.

Just as she was imagining the scene inside the hall, she suddenly noticed that the lights at the entrance of the hall had dimmed, and then a petite figure wrapped in white mourning clothes walked out.

The figure lingered on the steps, looking back for a long time, seemingly reluctant to leave, but finally lifted its leg and walked away.

Qin Keqing was startled.

Driven by her boundless curiosity, she immediately wanted to rush into the kitchen, use a bowl of soup as an excuse to go and find Jia Lian to ask him for clarification.

But she quickly dismissed the idea—she knew that Jia Lian was rushing back to the city.

Always stay with me.

So he glanced around the courtyard and, finding no one around, went straight down the corridor to the side hall.

Jia Lian was quickly flipping through the notes, preparing to return them to Madam You before leaving.

Suddenly he caught sight of Qin Keqing approaching and looked over in surprise.

Qin Keqing didn't say anything, but walked straight to Jia Lian's side and looked him up and down.

When she saw the clear water stains on Jia Lian's brocade robe, which stretched from his chest to his knees, she was completely distraught.

"What a little slut! In such a short time, she's already covered me in all sorts of messes!"

Although she was jealous, she still took out her handkerchief, bent down, and gently wiped Jia Lian's face.

Jia Lian hadn't initially grasped Qin Keqing's meaning, but seeing her pouting lips, which looked like they could hold a baby, and recalling this girl's unique skill in the room, he immediately turned black with anger and scolded her irritably:

"What are you thinking about? This is tea!"

Tea?

Qin Keqing was half-believing, half-doubting. She lowered her head, sniffed the tea, and then murmured, "It really does seem to be tea~"

There was a hint of regret in his tone.

Looking up, she saw that Jia Lian's gaze was somewhat unfriendly, and she quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "Alright, alright, I admit I was wrong. But, hmph, Uncle, aren't you afraid that people will go back and tell Auntie about what you did here in broad daylight?"

Jia Lian gazed intently at Qin Keqing, whose stunning beauty and captivating charm far surpassed that of any mere immature maidservant. Suddenly, he turned his head and uttered, "You're overthinking it."

After saying that, he picked up the journal again and looked at it, as if he couldn't be bothered to pay attention to her.

Jia Lian's calm demeanor made Qin Keqing doubt her own judgment.

Without disturbing Jia Lian's browsing, she went around to his side and lowered her head to sniff his neck and robes again, very carefully.

Then she laughed confidently and mocked, "Uncle, you dare to do it but not admit it!"

Qin Keqing had a graceful figure and a fragrant body; no man could resist her close proximity and constant sniffing.

Jia Lian reached out and slapped his pert buttocks hard, warning, "I said no, and I said no!"

Qin Keqing was a woman who naturally possessed the skill to seduce men. When Jia Lian hit her like that, she not only let out a soft "Ouch!" but also fell to the ground, looking at Jia Lian with utter grievance.

Seeing that Jia Lian remained unmoved, she leaned on his thighs for support and said resentfully, "Fine, if Uncle says no, then no. But..."

In a flash, her beautiful eyes changed from anger to joy.

"They want to inspect it themselves."

As she spoke, the beautiful Qin looked toward the place that could prove Jia Lian's innocence.

Jia Lian was completely enraged. He sat up and said fiercely, "An inspection is fine. But I'm furious right now. If it's proven that I'm innocent, you'll be responsible for putting out this fire."

Even though she and Jia Lian were already close friends, Qin Keqing rarely heard such blunt words from Jia Lian.

Moreover, this is under such circumstances.

Knowing that Jia Lian was truly enraged, they knew that this matter could not be resolved without a decisive battle.

However, her deliberate provocation just now was not without the intention of seduction.

After all, she was in her early twenties and had strong sexual desires; it had been a while since she had been intimate with Jia Lian.

With a thought forming in her mind, she couldn't help but glance back at the bright hall and the unusually quiet courtyard outside.

Her actions prompted Jia Lian to sneer, "Don't worry, there are at least eighty or a hundred people in this temple who are just as covered up as you. Even if someone sees you, they might not recognize you."

Qin Keqing was somewhat annoyed by these words.

What does "may not recognize" mean? It's not a question of whether or not it can be recognized.

At this point, it's a very serious problem if anyone does something shameless here!

She wanted to remind Jia Lian that there was actually a resting area behind the hall.

However, she also thought that Jia Lian couldn't possibly be unaware of this, and that the reason he said it was perhaps because he was deliberately seeking excitement.

Forget it, never mind. Anyway, my second uncle sometimes seems absurd, but he's always been shrewd and calculating. He definitely won't let us get into danger.

Thinking about it this way, Qin Keqing's heart couldn't help but beat faster.

She also realized that being in a place where she could be discovered at any moment seemed particularly exciting.

So she adjusted the direction she was kneeling in, making sure that people passing by in the courtyard could only see her back at most, before she began to check if Jia Lian had been unfaithful.

The result is obvious.

The new bride did indeed have a certain allure at first glance.

But perhaps distance makes the heart grow fonder; after Jia Lian examined it closely, it turned out to be just so-so.

She certainly cannot compare to a stunningly beautiful enchantress like Qin Keqing.

Since she was someone else's new bride, Jia Lian generously released her.

But right now, he naturally wants to make up for everything he has lost.

Seeing the apologetic Qin, Jia Lian unceremoniously reached out and pressed her down, forcing her to lower her head in submission.