The Second Master of the Red Chamber

It was already very late when Jia Lian came out of the Princess's Mansion, so he went directly back to Rongguo Mansion.

When he got home and was changing clothes, Qingwen asked him: "Why did the second master take the second grandma out of the city today? I think the second grandma was not in a good mood after she came back. I asked Ping'er, but she didn't say anything."

Jia Lian sat by the kang and replied with a smile: "Why do you care about this?"

"People are just curious."

Seeing that this girl was full of gossip, Jia Lian asked Xiang Ling next to her: "What about you, are you the same as her?"

Xiangling shook her head and nodded again.

Seeing this, Jia Lian said perfunctorily that the weather was good and he would take Sister Feng out for a walk in the city. However, he sent Sister Feng back in advance because he had something to do.

Qingwen understood, and immediately squatted down next to Jia Lian very attentively, beat his legs, and said seductively: "Second Master, we haven't been out of the city for a long time. Xiangling is okay. Second Grandma went to the temple to fulfill her vows a few years ago. She even went out with him.

I'm so pitiful. I don't know how long it's been since I left the city.The second master will take me out of the city for a walk sometime..."

Because she was pitiful, Jia Lian said, "Well, it's not impossible. It depends on your performance."

"My behavior is not good. In the past few days since the second master came back, I haven't been out of the courtyard very much. I wait at home every day for the second master to come home so that I can serve him. I haven't even gone to ask them to gamble and play..."

"That's right. He's really well-behaved."

"When will the second master take us out of the city? I promise not to run around and cause trouble to the second master."

Jia Lian became happy and said with a smile that as long as she remained so good, he would take her with him next time he had a chance, making Qingwen smile.

She turned on the kang, kicked off her shoes, and massaged Jia Lian carefully until Sister Feng came back.

"Okay, you go out first."

Qingwen felt a little suspicious when she heard that Jia Lian asked her to go out.When the second master talks to the second grandma, he usually doesn't avoid her and Xiangling.

Even if the second master wanted to be intimate with the second grandma, he would do it directly and let them avoid it automatically.

There must be something weird like this today.

So after going out, Qingwen walked to the west window, stood under the window and eavesdropped.

Her appearance made other people who saw her complain: She was the only one in the whole courtyard who dared to eavesdrop on the second master and second grandma so blatantly.

In the room, Jia Lian called Sister Feng over, let her sit on his lap, kissed her, and said with a smile: "I never had the chance to ask you before? I just heard Qingwen say that you were in a bad mood. Did the princess bully you this morning?"

Sister Feng scolded me: "With one of her eyes, she saw that I was in a bad mood. Damn her little hooves, she loves to talk."

After scolding Qingwen, Sister Feng saw Jia Lian's serious expression and hesitated for a moment, then said: "Princess, she is a very nice person and she did not bully me.

She just told me a lot, including what happened when you sent her to get married.

She said that if she were not the princess of the Tian family, she would not compete with me for anything. Even if she did not have any status, as long as she could be by your side, she would be satisfied.

She also said that as long as I gave up my status as the main wife, she would always call me 'sister' and would not enter the house to argue with me in the future.From now on, she will help you gain a future outside, and I will serve your elders at home.We two sisters will help you together..."

Despite his speculations, Jia Lian couldn't help but be moved when he heard these words of Princess Zhaoyang from Sister Feng.

So he held Sister Feng's waist tightly with one hand, supported her head with the other hand, pressed it on his chest, and then sighed: "I have wronged you."

Sister Feng didn't cry all day, even when faced with Princess Zhaoyang's powerful aura, she didn't want to cry.But now, nestling on her husband's chest and listening to his apologetic comfort, Sister Feng felt like crying for no reason.

But she forced herself not to cry.She knew that crying at this time had no other purpose than to show her weakness and incompetence and embarrass Jia Lian.

So he forced a smile and said: "What's wrong with me? It's my blessing to be able to match the dignity of the princess and sisters. Speaking of which, I have to thank the second master for giving me such an opportunity."

Jia Lian turned his head and glanced at her, not knowing whether the woman was joking or mocking him.

Even if it is ridicule, Jia Lian will not be angry.This woman likes to mock him even when she has nothing to do. What's more, he really owes something like this.

Although the two women decided on their own status, he did not come forward.This preserved his dignity to a certain extent and prevented him from reneging on his original promise to Sister Feng.

But he has to accept this love.

So after a moment of silence, Jia Lian said seriously: "No matter what, you will always be my Jia Lian's wife in my heart. This will never change."

Hearing what Jia Lian said, the last bit of grievance in Sister Feng's heart disappeared.

People are not afraid of being affectionate and giving, but what they are afraid of is that they will not be understood by the other party.Now that Jia Lian can say this, it shows that he understands her in his heart.

In that case, what else could she say?

The matter was a foregone conclusion, and she was not a blaming person.On the contrary, her shrewdness allows her to know what to do to put herself in a favorable position in adversity.

Knowing that Jia Lian felt a debt to her at this time, and discussing this matter further would deepen Jia Lian's debt, but it was not enough to go too far, so she changed the subject in time.

"Okay, let's not talk about this for now. My aunt sent someone to invite you earlier, saying that she wanted to thank you for saving Uncle Xue's life and that she wanted to host a banquet for you.

It's getting late, just pack up and go over. It's not good to keep people waiting. "

Aunt Xue has always been a good person, so it is reasonable to hold a banquet to thank him, and Jia Lian is not surprised at all.

Nodding, he asked Sister Feng: "Aren't you with me?"

"They specially invited you, what should I do? I can't help you with Uncle Xue's matter."

"Are you still a heretic with your own aunt? You and I are one husband and wife, so inviting me doesn't mean I'm inviting you?"

Jia Lian originally intended to take Sister Feng to Xue's house for a banquet to relax her mood.Unexpectedly, she insisted on not wanting to go, and Jia Lian did not force her.

After changing my clothes, I was about to go out, but Yingchun and Tanchun came to visit me hand in hand.

They went to greet Mrs. Wang and then returned to the garden. Seeing the scene in the small courtyard, they guessed that Jia Lian had returned to the house, so they came in to visit.

Seeing Jia Lian's outfit, Tanchun asked: "It's so late, where is the second brother going?"

Sister Feng smiled and said, "Aunt Xue invited him over for a drink."

Tanchun showed a look of understanding when he heard this, but Yingchun sighed: "I heard that Brother Xue's case was sentenced to one year. My aunt must be sad, so why did she invite my brother to have a drink?"

"What's sad or not? In the case of Uncle Xue, someone else would have died eight hundred times earlier. Now that the sentence is only one year, I don't know how lucky I am.

It's all thanks to your brother's help, that's why aunt invited him. "

Sister Feng has a certain degree of stupidity.In Jia Lian's eyes, Yingchun is innocent and kind, but in her eyes, she is not.

Among the three sisters, the one she rated lowest was Yingchun.If it weren't for the fact that she was her man's biological sister, she wouldn't want to talk to him.

Jia Lian was nearby and glanced at her.Yes, I can still criticize people. It seems that I am in a much better mood.

Nodding with his two sisters, Jia Lian was about to get up.

But he saw Tan Chun walking next to him with a smile as bright as a flower: "Since my aunt is hosting a banquet, maybe my second brother will take us along? Speaking of which, we haven't been to our aunt's house for a long time.

Brother Bao and I have missed the bad goosefoot, duck and apricot made by my aunt's family. "

Tanchun became less and less afraid of Jia Lian after he discovered that Jia Lian was doting on his sister.Seeing Jia Lian's hesitation, she quickly added: "After Sister Bao and her brother had an accident, Sister Bao went out to live with her aunt.

Now that Brother Xue's matter is over, it's time for Sister Bao to move back, right?These days, the garden is deserted without her, and no one is interested in opening a poetry club.

She has always been thin-skinned, and if we didn't invite her, she would definitely be reluctant to come back.

The second brother took us along. We were not here to drink from our aunt, but to invite Sister Bao back to the garden. "

It turns out that the case of the Xue family was over today, and the sisters in the Grand View Garden discussed inviting Baochai back.Among them, Xiangyun is the most popular.

After Baochai left, she felt lonely in Hengwuyuan, so she went down the mountain to live next to Tanchun, which made Tanchun never tire of it.

Seeing this, Sister Feng also smiled and said: "They are fine anyway, just take them with you. I don't think my aunt will dislike them."

Seeing what else Jia Lian could say, he waved his hands to his two sisters to follow, and walked out of the room first.

The carriage outside the east cross-yard is ready. It is the special luxury carriage for Jia Lian and Sister Feng to travel.

Because it was getting late and there were only a few steps to Xue's house, Jia Lian did not make a special trip to prepare additional carriages and horses for Yingchun and Tanchun.

Arriving at Xue's house, the door of Xue's house was indeed wide open, and Aunt Xue and Baochai were waiting outside.

As soon as the two parties met, Tanchun, who was riding in Jia Lian's carriage, didn't bother to look at the shy Yingchun, so he took the lead and trotted towards Aunt Xue and said with a smile: "I heard that aunt is hosting a banquet, and my second sister and I came uninvited. , please don’t blame me, aunt."

Aunt Xue hurriedly held her hand and showed her classic aunt smile, "No wonder, no wonder, you can come, it's not too late for aunt to be happy."

Tan Chunhui gave a sweet smile, then walked to the side and took Baochai to talk.

Aunt Xue walked up to Jia Lian. She originally wanted to say a few polite words, but after meeting Jia Lian's eyes, she felt that with the current relationship between the two parties, there was no need to be too polite.

So he just smiled and said: "I know you are busy, so I don't dare to send anyone to rush you. But the banquet has been prepared a long time ago, and it was all organized by your sister Baochai herself. Last time you praised the delicious sweet wine she made, now She also specially prepared it."

"Auntie and sister Baochai are interested."

Jia Lian glanced at Aunt Xue, who was smiling and still charming, and then glanced at Baochai, who was lonely and cold next to her, but turned away when she caught his eye.Xin said that it would be a good choice to come to Xue's house to eat and drink occasionally.

……

The rooms in the Xue family's house are not very big, so Baochai chose the banquet place on the verandah in front of the main house.

I also invited a troupe of actors.

Because I didn't know that the Tanchun sisters would come, I thought that Jia Lian alone or Jia Lian and Feng Jie'er would come. There were only a few people there, and there would be no drama. I was afraid that it would be boring if I couldn't sit for an hour or three.

It was just a little-known theater troupe that performed a few elegant pieces.

It must be said that Baochai has very high taste.

A small courtyard, a few lonely lanterns, a stage and a few actors.There were clearly no complicated or gorgeous arrangements, and the host and guests were enjoying the banquet separately, but they felt at ease.

Tanchun and Yingchun, who had been talking to Baochai and Aunt Xue, did not realize that they had lost their conversation. Facing the cool evening breeze of early spring, they listened carefully to the sad songs sung a cappella by actors with beautiful voices.

"It's really nice to sing."

After the song, Tanchun was the first to praise it, then turned his head and asked Baochai: "How come I haven't heard such a beautiful song before? Sister Bao, where did you hire the team from?"

Tanchun originally thought that as a young lady from the Duke's mansion, she should have listened to all the famous songs in the world.But she didn't expect that right here, there was music that was completely unfamiliar to her, but she found it extremely beautiful.

Aunt Xue smiled and said: "This is a local tune in the south. Most of the troupes in Beijing don't sing this song. I just invited them last year, and your sister Bao remembered them, and invited them again today."

Baochai added: "This song is called "Pian Pian", and it belongs to a Suzhou water town tune called "Eight Immortals Tune." When I went to Suzhou with my grandfather, I heard it once, and it is still fresh in my memory.

Unexpectedly, I heard it again in the capital after many years, so I paid more attention. "

Baochai sat next to Aunt Xue, and next to Aunt Xue was Jia Lian, and on the other side were Yingchun and Tanchun.Therefore, when Baochai and Tanchun were talking, they could not look past the middle.

While she was talking, she noticed an appreciative gaze peering at her. When she looked away, it was not Jia Lian, so she quickly straightened her body and her heart beat a few times for no reason.

She didn't know Jia Lian's feelings for her before, but she was still somewhat calm when facing Jia Lian's eyes.

After her mother told her about Jia Lian's ambition towards her, she found that she could no longer face Jia Lian calmly.

Jia Lian took her reaction into consideration and smiled.

Baochai was already more knowledgeable than Tanchun and the other two.Not to mention, the old lady Jia Mu of the Jia family likes to listen to lively dramas, and the Jia family's actions follow the example, and most of them listen to the same kind of drama during the holidays.

It seems that this kind of Jiangnan graceful tune has become a new tune.

But it’s not surprising either.

Although, the Jia family was born in Jiangnan.Tanchun and other girls were also among the twelve beauties of Jinling.

However, Tanchun and others were not ashamed that Jiangnan people did not know the music of Jiangnan. They only deeply praised Baochai for being well-informed.

The banquet continued.

The host and guests were all elegant people, and although there was gossip among the guests, it was not noisy.

Suddenly, they heard that the silver bottle underneath was broken. Everyone looked up and saw a petite actor leaping on the stage with a green sword on his back.

Then he spread out his arms and danced, bringing out little bits of cold light under the night.

Sword dance is naturally not new to Jia Lian.But for Yingchun and Tanchun, they are very attractive.

After all, the Jia family has long been a scholarly family, and those who wield swords and swords are taboo.It's only in the past few years that there have been some changes.

Therefore, even though the young actor's swordsmanship is not sophisticated, his costumes are novel and his moves are exquisitely designed, which is a feast for the eyes of the women present.

Yingchun turned around and glanced at Aqi who was standing behind her, and then said: "I once had the honor to see sister Aqi dance with a sword. Her sword was as sharp as a stray rabbit, as quiet as a green pine, and as fast as a dragon entering the sea.

Each move is like carrying a cold light.Even though we only met once, I still have lingering fears when I think about it..."

Yingchun originally wanted to praise Aqi, because she knew that Aqi was a bodyguard that her brother valued very much.

But in the end, I still expressed my truest feelings.

Indeed, among Jia Lian's many subordinates, Aqi was the most murderous.

Not to mention that she once took her sister to escape the enemy's pursuit on the grassland, but after joining Jia Lian, she took the lead in every battle.

Even Jia Zhen, a powerful third-grade general, died in her hands.

Seriously, in terms of murderous intent, perhaps no one under Jia Lian can compare to her.

And she specializes in swordsmanship. For such a woman, even if she dances with a sword, the harshness of it is beyond the ability of a well-behaved lady like Yingchun to withstand.

What Yingchun said is a different feeling when heard by others.

Aunt Xue and Baochai both looked at Aqi in surprise.They all say that Yingchun is clumsy, but the way he just described it shows that he has a deep memory of the opponent's swordsmanship.

Tanchun quickly asked: "Is it true? I have never seen him. It would be great if I could take a look."

As he spoke, Tanchun glanced at Aqi with admiring and pleading eyes, and his purpose was obvious.

Aqi frowned.

She understood what Tanchun meant, but she had never been used to lively scenes, so she only wanted to stand quietly behind Jia Lian.

Moreover, she doesn't like performing with others.

Especially swordsmanship.Even Jia Lian rarely lets her dance swords for fun.

When I was a kid, I practiced swordplay just for fun and not to be looked down upon by others.Later, it was to protect my sister and clan members.

Now, it is to become a useful woman beside Jia Lian.

It would be nice if my sister was here. With her personality, she is very willing to show her face in front of others.It's a pity that she went down to eat with the Xue family's maid.

Outsiders don't know Aqi's personality, how can Jia Lian not know it.

Knowing that she was in embarrassment, Jia Lian smiled and said to Tan Chun: "When it comes to swordsmanship, I am not much worse than her. If my third sister wants to see it, how about I dance for you?"

Tanchun probably saw that Aqi was unwilling at this time, and regretted his recklessness. Hearing this, he quickly said: "My little sister is just joking for a while, my second brother doesn't have to be like this."

"It's okay."

Jia Lian waved his hand, stepped back from his chair and stood up.

The wine Baochai brewed was sweet and intoxicating, and Jia Lian drank a lot.

In addition, everything has been going well recently, and in front of Baochai and his two sisters, he felt a little bit mad.

He untied his cloak, and when Aqi stepped forward to take it, he took off the sword from his waist, stumbled quickly down the steps, and walked onto the stage.

When the people in the theater troupe saw that Jia Lian was about to leave, they had already cleared the stage quickly.

Jia Lian was seen with his back to the main corridor and his body slumped in the middle of the stage.The dim light shone on him, making his shadow appear very long, disappearing beside the stage and flying out of the hall.

The originally dazzling man, now drunk and in such a bleak environment, actually exuded a stronger charm than usual, making the young women and girls watching unable to take their eyes off him.

They then saw Jia Lian slowly raise his left arm, and the sword in his hand also rose up, over his shoulder and across his head.

Immediately, Jia Lian pulled out the sword with his right hand, pointed the sword's edge at the night sky, and at the same time, his slender figure also retreated sharply.

As the figure retreated sharply, a majestic and melodious drunken song followed.

"In drunkenness, watch the sword with the light on!"

"The dream returns to the Trumpet Company Camp."

"Eight hundred miles away, the soldiers under my command are burning, and the sound of fifty-stringed strings rolling outside the Great Wall. On the battlefield, the troops are ordered in autumn!"

The poem was only half-sung, but the sword that followed was like a rainbow soaring into the sky.

But I saw that Jia Lian was like thunder and running as fast as flying.The long sword in his hand was invisible, only the cold light flickered.

Although one person has one sword, he has a powerful force.

Such a sword dance, not to mention Aunt Xue and other girls, even Ah Qin, who had returned from dinner, could not help but slow down when he saw it.There was a lot of sparkle in her eyes, and she deeply regretted that she shouldn't have gone to eat, so she missed the whole process of watching the Marquis dance with his sword. (End of chapter)