The Second Master of the Red Chamber

The Xue family had few members and they were inviting only Jia Lian, so there was no ceremony and they just set up a banquet table in the hallway.

Although there were not many dishes, each one was extremely exquisite and the raw materials used were rare, which was inferior to even the daily banquets held in the Jia family.

It can be imagined that Aunt Xue must have sent people to buy things specially in order to entertain him.

But Jia Lian knew that Aunt Xue was a frugal person. How could Jia Lian not remember such friendship? Before leaving Beijing, he specifically asked Zhao Sheng and others to take care of the Xue family.
"Come, Lian'er. I know you like it. Baoyatou brewed two more jars not long ago and waited for you to come before opening them.

And this crab soup was also made by her. This girl came back very early and has been busy in the kitchen preparing this meal. Anyway, I didn't care about it at all. It was all arranged by her. If there is anything wrong, please don't complain.

Tad, why don't you pour wine for your brother?"

Aunt Xue is still as enthusiastic as ever.

Jia Lian also had a warm smile on his face. Of the more than ten dishes on the table, he could tell at a glance which ones were made by Baochai herself.

In addition to the fact that the dishes prepared by Baochai are more exquisite and delicate than those prepared by the cook, the more important reason is that he has come to the Xue family for dinner more than once or twice. Any dish that he has praised or expressed his love for last time will definitely appear on the table the next time.

Regardless of whether it was prepared by Baochai herself last time, the next time it would definitely be all made by Baochai.

Picking up the wine glass that Xue Ke had filled, Jia Lian said with a smile, "Aunt, you are joking. Sister Baochai is not only kind-hearted, but also a great cook. No matter which family marries her in the future, it will be a great fortune for that family."

Aunt Xue's smile became even brighter when she heard this, while Baochai lowered her head slightly in shame.

The young man Xue Ke stood beside Jia Lian holding a wine pot. Seeing that Jia Lian's eyes were always on Baochai, and the love and fondness in his eyes were not concealed at all, a thoughtful look flashed across his face.

But he didn't think there was anything wrong. Jia Lian was not only his idol, but also a perfect man in his mind.

Only a man like this is worthy of a woman like his cousin.

If his cousin really follows Jia Lian in the future, then Jia Lian will be his brother-in-law. In this way, he can ask Jia Lian for more life philosophy and let him guide him in the direction of life...

At this time, Xue Ke had no idea about the incident at the Mei family, nor did he know what happened in Rongqingtang in the morning, otherwise he might have come up with other ideas.

Seeing that Jia Lian had drunk half a glass of wine, Xue Ke hurriedly bent down and filled Jia Lian's glass.

His action made Jia Lian withdraw his gaze, which he never tired of watching, and look back.

"What are you standing for? Sit down."

"Yes, sister... No, Second Brother Lian..."

Xue Ke cleared his mouth, smiled apologetically, and sat down obediently.

Fortunately, Jia Lian and others didn't know what he was thinking, so no one cared.

Aunt Xue took advantage of the atmosphere and asked with a smile, "Lian'er, haven't you always been highly regarded by the current emperor? Why did the emperor suddenly dismiss you from all your official positions?"

Aunt Xue smiled sincerely, trying to make her question seem less deliberate.

But Jia Lian still glanced at her, and then explained: "Didn't I say it at noon? I have been working in the court for so many years, and I have never properly observed mourning for my father.

Perhaps it was the passing of the Concubine Dowager that made His Majesty realize how difficult it is for children to be filial to their parents. Therefore, he gave me a long vacation, firstly to facilitate me to fulfill my filial duties in the last less than a year, and secondly to reward me for my contributions over the years and let me rest. "

In fact, Jia Lian didn't think too much about it. Aunt Xue had given her precious daughter to him and was trying to please him. It was obvious that she had placed most of the Xue family's chips on him. Therefore, it was normal for him to care about his future.

The reason why he did not reveal the real reason for his dismissal was, firstly, because it was rather complicated, and secondly, there were indeed many things that were inconvenient to explain to others.

"Is that so?" Aunt Xue looked suspicious.

"Why, Auntie, you don't believe it?"

"No, I just think that if the emperor doesn't use a talent like Lian'er, it would be a loss to the court..."

Aunt Xue, who was afraid of exposing her thoughts, quickly flattered him.

"Haha. Actually, His Majesty did not dismiss me from all my official positions...

My aunt may not know that in addition to being the commander of the Bingmasi and the commander of the Firearms Battalion, I also serve as the lieutenant commander of the Tianjin Navy.

His Majesty has left me this position, so I am not completely free from official duties now."

"That's it..."

Aunt Xue knew that Jia Lian held several positions and that he had official business in Tianjin. After all, at the beginning of the year, she went to Tianjin in person to invite Jia Lian back to save her son.

I originally thought that the emperor had removed all Jia Lian, but I didn't expect that he still kept one. Why is that?
Could it be that her previous judgment was wrong?

She wanted to get to the bottom of it, but she knew that given Jia Lian's intelligence, he would become suspicious if she asked any further.

So he smiled and said, "That's good. You are so young, it's time for you to serve the country. Don't think about 'being free from official duties'. Wouldn't that be a waste of your talents?

As long as the emperor is still willing to employ you, that is a good thing. You should do your job well and not slack off."

"Aunt is right."

Baochai felt very uncomfortable when she saw her mother's "fake" smile.

Just then, she had almost finished her meal, so she said to Aunt Xue and Xue Ke, "Mom, brother Ke, please take good care of Second Brother Lian. I'll be leaving for a while."

Seeing Baochai leave the table, Aunt Xue thought for a moment, then stood up and said, "Ke'er, stay with your second brother Lian. I'll go see your sister."

After saying this, Aunt Xue followed Baochai and came to Baochai's room.

But she found that Baochai just wanted to take a bath. Aunt Xue felt relieved, comforted Baochai a few words, and went back to the room.

……

There were only two maids following Baochai.

One is Ying'er and the other is Wenxing, both of whom were brought from Nanjing.

Among them, Wenxing is relatively young and not smart enough, so almost all the matters big and small around Baochai are handled by Ying'er alone.

Fortunately, Baochai is a very independent person, so Ying'er does not feel pressured when serving Baochai, but rather feels a little relaxed.

Because she didn't need to search the whole garden for Jia Baoyu like Zijuan did, nor did she need to worry about whether Daiyu was cold or hot all the time like Zijuan did...

Many times, it was her master who taught her how to do things, which helped her develop a cute and lively personality.

But one thing she has in common with Xiren and Zijuan is that they are both extremely loyal to their masters.

Perhaps in their hearts, there will never be a better master in the world than the one they have now.

But Ying'er seemed a little worried tonight.

After she sent Baochai's clothes to the bathroom, she went out and found Tonggui going to his room, so she stopped him and asked, "Where is Madam? Isn't she outside with Master Lian?"

"Mr. Lian is accompanied by his mistress. Madam said she felt a little tired, so she went back to her room to rest. She asked me to go outside and look after these things. When Mr. Lian has finished eating, he should come back and call her.

I was just planning to go back to the house to change clothes and go out..."

Tonggui spoke the last sentence in a low voice, as if afraid that Ying'er would think that she changed her clothes in order to seduce Jia Lian or Xue Ke.

Ying Er smiled and said, "In that case, you can go back. It just so happens that our girl asked me to look after things a little more ahead. I'll go first and you can come back to take over my shift."

After saying that, Ying'er went straight to the entrance hall. After walking out of the back hall, she found that the hall was quiet.

Jia Lian was alone, looking at the courtyard outside the courtyard, sitting and drinking in silence. Beside him, their second master Ke was lying on the table, drunk and unconscious.

Ying'er hurried forward and, while greeting Jia Lian, she ordered the two maids standing nearby to help Xue Ke back.

Although Jia Lian drank a lot of wine today, he slept for a whole afternoon and was fully recovered.

Aunt Xue and Baochai didn't drink much, so they knocked Xue Ke down without using even 30% of his strength.

If it were at another family's place, Jia Lian might not be willing to eat much when someone toasted him, but at Xue's house, Jia Lian was in a very good mood.

A person can appreciate the scenery outside the courtyard and the night sky, he can also sip slowly and enjoy this rare solitude.

Ying'er came over and attracted her attention.

This girl was also very good-looking. Although she was small, she was pretty and charming, and very cute.

"My Lord, let me pour you some wine..."

"Ah."

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

The little girl bent down to pour wine. Her youthful body, wrapped only in a layer of yellow silk, gave the tipsy man a great sensation.

Jia Lian suddenly reached out and took her whole body into his arms, then with both hands he held her small body and made her sit on his lap.

"Master Hou..."

"Shh~"

Jia Lian put his index finger in front of his mouth, making a gesture to keep quiet. He found that the girl really didn't dare to move, so he couldn't help but smile and asked, "How old are you?"

"Reply, reply to the Marquis, it's the fifteenth..."

"She is about the same age as Qingwen."

Jia Lian laughed, and seeing that he was shrinking his neck and seemed a little timid, he comforted him, "Don't be afraid. You should know that your wife promised your daughter to me, right?

You have been with your girl for so long, and when your girl gets married in the future, she will definitely take you with her.

How about you two, master and servant, become my women together?"

Jia Lian originally thought that Ying'er would be ashamed and angrily refute him when faced with her teasing, or would shyly struggle on.

But he didn't expect that after hearing what he said, Ying'er just glanced at him twice and her whole body completely relaxed.

She nodded and whispered, "Hmm..."

Although he was a little surprised, Jia Lian loved such a submissive and well-behaved girl the most, so he didn't think about anything else. He opened his drunken mouth and kissed the little mouth of the girl in his arms.

Upon seeing this, Ying'er immediately tensed up and closed her eyes tightly.

She felt Jia Lian's kiss coming down on her, and her mouth and nose were filled with the smell of alcohol, as well as that indescribable masculine scent that made her extremely intoxicated!
But she suddenly realized why she was here, so she opened her eyes, pushed Jia Lian away, and kept whimpering.

Jia Lian was not a sex-hungry ghost, so he let go and said with a smile: "Why, didn't you just agree to it, and now you regret it?"

"No...put me down first, I have something important to tell you..."

Seeing Ying'er's serious expression and anxious eyes, Jia Lian became really curious and let her go.

Ying'er wiped her mouth with her sleeve, then bit her lower lip lightly and cast a coquettish look at Jia Lian.

This surprised Jia Lian again. Apart from the fact that the girl was still young and looked innocent, the charm of her wink was really remarkable.

I was afraid that when she grew up, only Qin Keqing would be able to suppress her. Unexpectedly, she was indeed a treasure.

"My Lord, why are you in such a hurry? Since you like her, she will be yours sooner or later..."

As she spoke, Ying'er turned her head to look at the back hall. After finding that no one had come, she immediately leaned close to Jia Lian's ear and whispered, "I am taking this opportunity to come to see the Marquis because I have something very important to tell you..."

Then, Ying'er told Jia Lian the conversation between Aunt Xue and Baochai that she had overheard in the evening.

Jia Lian was still nonchalant at first, but slowly the smile on his face faded.

After Ying'er finished speaking, he tilted his head and looked at her: "Really?"

Perhaps because Jia Lian kissed her, Ying Er felt that she was already Jia Lian's woman, so she twisted her body and said coquettishly: "Of course it's true, how dare I lie to you about such a thing."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"You're still asking why... You've already... kissed her. If our daughter marries someone else in the future, what are you going to do with her?"

Ying'er said shyly.

In fact, it was not because Jia Lian kissed her that she decided to tell Jia Lian about this. She had planned to find an opportunity to tell Jia Lian from the beginning, and being hugged and kissed by Jia Lian was just a pleasant surprise.

That's right, just as a man is attracted by a beautiful woman and wants to conquer the whole country, a girl, after she falls in love, will also secretly look for a man she likes.

Like most other maids, Ying'er was enveloped in Jia Lian's supreme halo and had long been secretly in love with him.

Especially when she knew that Aunt Xue had secretly promised their daughter to Jia Lian, she regarded Jia Lian as her only goal.

Given her position above Baochai, she was not worried that Baochai would not take her with her when she got married. Her only worry was that Jia Lian, who had so many beauties around him, would look down on her in the future.

She had long wanted to find an opportunity to test (seduce) Jia Lian's attitude towards her.

Who would have thought that before her girlish dream could be over, she suddenly heard that her wife wanted to go back on her word and no longer wanted to marry her to Jia Lian.

This is outrageous. If the girl doesn't want to get married, then there is no hope for her, right?

She suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable.

I wanted to persuade Baochai not to listen to Aunt Xue, but Jia Lian is a perfect man who is hard to find another one in the world!

But she knew her daughter's character, and she didn't dare say such things to her.

After much thought, I feel that apart from Baochai, the only person who can change Aunt Xue's attitude is Jia Lian himself.

So she decided to find an opportunity to tell Jia Lian about this matter, so that Jia Lian would not be unaware and careless and let the girl go.

Jia Lian understood Ying Er's thoughts, patted her buttocks, and said with a smile: "Okay, I know your loyalty. I will never treat you unfairly in the future."

Ying'er was no longer shy, and she moved closer to Jia Lian, whispering, "What is the Marquis going to do? You don't know, our girl is the most thoughtful. Now that our wife has changed her mind, you need to come up with a solution as soon as possible, otherwise when our girl also changes her mind, it will be too late to say anything."

"I know. Don't worry, you girls can't escape from my grasp."

Ying'er wanted to say something else, but she realized that Jia Lian's hand on her butt was squeezing her a little hard, and it hurt her a little, so she shut up tactfully.

Just at this time, Jia Lian's two generals, Ah Qi and Ah Qin, also came back from dinner. Jia Lian stood up and asked, "Where are your wives?"

"In the main house."

...(End of chapter)