Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 336 Marrying Secretly
But in recent days, Li Weijian has been working hard for the reconstruction of the capital. Shuntian Prefecture has benefited from water and cement, and is now rich. Every New Year, officials at all levels have their own tributes, and even the yamen runners who work under them have benefits.

Li Weijian and Shuntian Prefecture Governor Yan Chengzhang were close friends, and after a while of negotiation, Li Weijian pointed out the pros and cons. Yan Chengzhang nodded in agreement, thinking that he would not lose money but would make a lot of money. He then found an official to impeach the chaos in the capital...

The prefect is old and has no desires or ambitions at this point. He is only waiting to complete this term and then retire to his hometown, so he has no qualms about such self-degrading means.

In the past few days, officials have impeached Shuntian Prefecture for being in disarray. Yan Chengzhang has always apologized and said nothing else. This is to build momentum. Once the momentum is established, he can take advantage of it to propose the reform of the capital.

This Shuntian Prefecture was naturally no problem, but the Ministry of Works and the Imperial Household were the difficulties. Li Weijian ran around for two days and finally explained the pros and cons to the King of Loyalty and Bravery in person. The King of Loyalty and Bravery had no selfish motives, but he was also wondering if reinforced concrete could be used to build a hall? So he discussed this matter with officials from the Ministry of Works and the Imperial Household, and then the Ministry of Works and the Imperial Household joined together to oppose it.

Li Weijian was so angry that he scolded the deputy minister of the Ministry of Works to his face for being conservative... Then he realized that this was not conservative at all, it was clearly because he was reluctant to give up his kindness!

To rebuild the hall, we need big trees to support it. There are no big trees in the Central Plains now, so if we want to cut them down, we have to go outside the Great Wall or look for them in the deep mountains and old forests of Yunnan and Guizhou. This alone accounts for at least 30% of the cost of the hall.

The remaining wood, stone, brick, tile, ash, rope, hemp knife, fish glue, tung oil, glutinous rice, white flour, colored clay, wax, charcoal, cloth, grass, glass, which one is not silver? Eight years ago, the renovation of the East Six Palaces cost 50,000 taels of silver just to replace a few beams. It would cost more than 100,000 taels of silver to rebuild the Fengxian Hall!

If Li Weijian's method was used and all the steel bars and cement were used, then where would we get the hemp knives, isinglass, tung oil, glutinous rice, flour, clay, wax, charcoal, cloth and other items?
Thinking about this, Li Weijian was depressed for half a day. He couldn't help but secretly admire the reformers of all generations. Judging from their character, Chen Hongmou, who seemed unreliable, was probably a hundred times better than him.

This reform and innovation is indeed not a job for humans!

On this day, he went to the inner government office perfunctorily. The King of Loyalty and Bravery sat in the hall and argued with the Construction Department. It was decided that the construction of Fengxian Hall would be the responsibility of the Construction Department. Li Weijian thought that this time there was no hope, but before they left, the King of Loyalty and Bravery suddenly said, "The steel bars and cement are too new to build Fengxian Hall. The emperor has ordered that Guanghan Hall on Qionghua Island has been abandoned for a long time. It should be demolished in the near future and Guanghan Tower should be rebuilt with the new method."

There is a bright future!
This task fell on Fengchenyuan, and Doctor Wang of Fengchenyuan went to find Li Weijian and said, "Master Li, what are the rules of reinforced concrete? I am completely clueless now, and I will need your advice in the future."

"Easy to say, easy to say!"

Li Weijian suddenly became in a good mood!
Before leaving, this Taoist tried to get close to King Zhongyong, but the prince seemed to dislike him very much in the past few days, so Li Weijian had to leave in embarrassment.

As it was still early that day, Li Weijian returned to the Wubei Academy. As a result, as soon as he got out of the carriage, Xue Ke came running over to him.

"Uncle."

"Ok?"

Xue Ke lowered his voice and said, "The King of Jin is here."

Li Weijian paused, looked at Xue Ke and asked, "When did you come?"

"My Lord, they are here before noon, and they are galloping and firing guns right now." After a pause, Xue Ke hesitated and said, "How about you hide first?"

Li Weijian sighed and said with a smile: "They have come to my door. Can I hide for a while, or forever? You go ahead and do your work. I'll go over and take a look."

Li Weijian walked quickly and entered the shooting range from the back. He heard bursts of gunfire in the distance. After turning around Xuantang, he saw a horse galloping through the fenced shooting range. The rider wore a veil hat, a bright red short coat, and a horse-faced skirt with scattered flowers.

There were targets set up all around the shooting range. The woman was circling around with one hand holding the reins and the other holding the pistol. She pulled the trigger when she was about six or seven steps away from the target, and there was a "bang" and the iron target started spinning with a clang.

Li Weijian paused for a moment, his expression dazed, as he vaguely recalled the fierce women in Jinling who rode their horses through the streets.

There was a low wall next to the fence, and in a shed behind the wall there stood a sturdy young man in white clothes who kept cheering. He was surrounded by several eunuchs and guards. Suddenly one of the eunuchs whispered something, and the young man came over to look.

Li Weijian took a deep breath, stepped forward, bowed and said with a smile: "I didn't know that His Royal Highness Prince Jin was here. I apologize for the impoliteness."

The sturdy young man had an ordinary appearance. He smiled innocently and said, "Doctor Li, you have gone too far. I am sorry to bother you because of my excitement." He paused and pointed to the center of the field, "We will talk later. Let's take a look at the heroic figure of the sixth sister first."

Li Weijian smiled and bowed without saying anything.

The King of Jin turned around, looked at the field and said, "Oh, the Sixth Sister is the apple of Uncle Wang's eye. I think Doctor Li has also met her before."

Have you met before? Li Weijian pondered for a moment and then remembered the kite-flying figure he had seen from afar before. It turned out to be Princess Yongshou, Li Mengqing.

He looked over and saw Li Mengqing turning his horse, opening his arms and aiming at the last target. Bang! But the shot missed.

A clerk had already raised a black flag and reported: "Six out of ten hits, good!"

The King of Jin immediately clapped his hands and praised: "Great! Sixth sister is indeed as brave as a man!"

At this time, Li Mengqing rode over on horseback, and when he reached the low wall, he smiled and snorted, "I lost. Second brother, please send someone to get the red eagle later."

King Jin was immediately delighted and said, "Ah, this is a bit unfair."

Li Mengqing allowed the maid to help her get off the horse, then handed the revolver to the guard and said with a smile through her veil: "I admit defeat. Besides, I am a girl, and I don't think I will ever fight in the battlefield. As the saying goes, a good horse is a gift to a hero. Since my second brother intends to fight on the battlefield one day, this good horse is indispensable."

Prince Jin thought: "I'm afraid Uncle Wang will come back..."

"I will take care of what my father has to say." As he spoke, he came closer with a small horsewhip in hand.

Li Weijian hurriedly bowed and said, "Greetings, Princess."

Li Mengqing took a look and said with a smile: "So you are the Earl of Jingling. How is Yu'er these days? I haven't seen her for a while, and I miss her. If she is free, can you ask her to come to the palace to find me?"

Li Weijian smiled and agreed, saying, "My wife will be delighted to hear that the princess has invited me. I will definitely send her to visit you in a few days."

Li Mengqing smiled and nodded, then said, "I heard that Jingling Bo is the contemporary Tao Zhugong." As he spoke, he moved closer to King Jin and said, "I wonder if we can find a way to make a fortune."

Li Weijian pretended to be surprised and asked, "The princess is also short of money?"

Li Mengqing said, "I don't lack money, but my second brother might start a government office this year, so it's better to have some money on hand to be prepared."

Li Weijian pondered and said, "Does Your Majesty know what the princess said today?"

Li Mengqing shook his head and said, "Father will definitely not allow it... But who told me that I owe my second brother a favor? I know Uncle Li is worried, so I might as well make it clear today. As long as I discuss the way, my second brother will definitely not bother me in the future."

This was not much different from what Li Weijian had considered, so he smiled and nodded, saying, "In that case, I will go back and think about it."

Li Mengqing smiled and bowed: "Thank you very much."

He stood up and looked at King Jin again, saying, "Second brother, this time I have paid back the principal with interest."

The King of Jin said with a smile: "Not only did I pay it back, this time I will also owe Sixth Sister a favor."

Li Mengqing chuckled for a while and said, "That's it. We can't disturb the Wubeiyuan Office. Why don't we leave now?"

Prince Jin was somewhat reluctant, but was pushed twice by Li Mengqing, so he had to leave with a helpless smile.

Li Weijian respectfully escorted Prince Jin and Princess Yongshou out of the yamen. He stood at the gate and watched the carriage go away, and couldn't help but think about something.

Li Mengqing was very sensible. Perhaps it was because he could not refuse the King of Jin's request, so he had to bring him to find him. However, he also made it clear that he would have no contact with the King of Jin in the future. This really put a stop to the King of Jin's thoughts.

He couldn't help but wonder in his heart that the Prince of Jin's lobbyist had already arrived, but he didn't know when the Crown Prince's lobbyist would arrive.

At the end of the day, Li Weijian returned home.

After entering the mansion and meeting all the concubines, he turned around and took a walk with Daiyu in Huifang Garden. Daiyu said, "The middle of next month is the birthday of Princess Yongshou. Although it is a national mourning now, the Princess's coming-of-age ceremony cannot be delayed."

Li Weijian walked with his hands behind his back, nodded and said, "I actually met the princess today."

"Ok?"

Li Weijian looked at the lush greenery in the distance and said, "The princess asked me to come to the palace when I have time."

Daiyu smiled and said, "In a few days the old concubine will prepare for the funeral. It will take another ten days to go back and forth. I think we should wait until later."

Li Weijian suddenly became distressed and said, "I'm afraid I will have to go there too. When I come back this time, I'm afraid I will have to go to Tianjin and Liaodong."

Daiyu paused, pouting a little reluctantly, and took Li Weijian's hand. After a long while, she said, "Fourth brother is now eating the emperor's salary, so naturally he must be loyal to the emperor... Don't worry, I will take care of the family."

Li Weijian agreed with a smile, and took Daiyu to stroll through Yuechun Tower. Qianxue came up from behind and replied, "Master, Master Lian from Rong Mansion is here."

Li Weijian frowned slightly and exchanged glances with Daiyu, who then said, "Maybe Second Brother Lian is here to see Fourth Brother for something. Fourth Brother, go quickly."

Li Weijian smiled, gave Daiyu a few words of advice, and then walked quickly forward.

Daiyu said goodbye to Li Weijian and went to the Zhijue Studio at the back. When she entered, she saw Xing Xiuyan reading a book.

Seeing Daiyu coming, Xing Xiuyan hurriedly stood up and bowed. Daiyu smiled and said, "It's unfortunate. Fourth brother has been very busy these days. I was going to come over here just now, but was held back by something."

Xing Xiuyan smiled calmly and said, "Sister, you don't have to be like this. As long as you can tolerate me, I am already satisfied."

Daiyu smiled and said nothing. When she got closer, she saw that the book Xing Xiuyun had just read was "History of Women".

In the study.

Jia Lian sipped his tea, feeling very happy. Yesterday, the Crown Prince sent someone to tell him to mediate the situation. He couldn't let the Crown Prince and Li Weijian really have a quarrel.

Jia Lian thought about it all night, wondering what excuse to use to invite Li Weijian out, when he suddenly remembered what Youshi had said a few days ago. He immediately went to find Jia Qiang and told him that he wanted to marry You Erjie.

After receiving the order, Jia Qiang hurried to find Old Lady You to plead the case. At noon, he came happily to congratulate her, saying that Old Lady You had agreed.

Jia Lian was immediately very pleased, thinking that he had achieved two goals at once. Not only did he secretly marry You Erjie, but he could also use this as an excuse to invite Li Weijian out.

Just as he was jumping for joy, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching. He looked up and saw Li Weijian walking towards him.

Jia Lian quickly stood up and bowed, "Brother Jian."

"Brother Lian, please sit down quickly."

The two of them sat down as host and guest, and Jia Lian smiled and said, "Thanks to Brother Jian's advice last time, otherwise I would not know how to deal with it. This time I came to your house to invite Brother Jian to have a drink."

"Drinking?" Li Weijian said in surprise, "During a national mourning period... isn't it a good idea?"

Jia Lian said indifferently: "The emperor's decree originally banned banquets and entertainment, so what does it matter if we drink behind closed doors in private?" Seeing that Li Weijian was silent, Jia Lian made up his mind and said: "In fact, my brother is planning to settle a woman outside-"

Li Weijian blinked and thought, could it be that Jia Lian was going to secretly marry You Erjie?

As expected, Jia Lian complained, "You also know what kind of temper my family has. My second sister is a gentle person. I invited Old Lady You this morning. Although Old Lady You was reluctant to leave, she finally agreed because of the mutual affection between my second sister and me. Brother Jian, please do me a favor."

Li Weijian said with a smile, "I heard that the second sister is pretty and gentle, second brother is so lucky."

Jia Lian smiled with some pride and said, "Lucky, lucky. Maybe God has a favor on me because I married a tigress before, so my second sister is here before me."

Li Weijian pondered secretly for a long while before he smiled and nodded, "Second brother, if you ask me, I will definitely be there to watch the ceremony."

"Okay, it's a deal."

Jia Lian then told them the date, and the wedding was scheduled for seven days later. The two chatted for a while, and Li Weijian finally escorted the happy Jia Lian out of the house.

Turning around, he walked towards the inner house, thinking to himself. This Jia Lian is really asking for trouble! Marrying You Erjie secretly during the national mourning and family mourning period, if the saint doesn't care, it's fine, but if he really talks about this matter, I'm afraid it would be a big sin. Then he thought of Feng Jieer, who is now pregnant. Although this woman loves him, she is too power-conscious and can't bear to give up the third-rank imperial edict.

The child in the belly was his own, and Li Weijian had no intention of usurping the throne - Jia Lian was now a third-class general, and his inheritance would come to an end. With a mere fifth-rank cavalry captain, he might not even be able to keep the Rongguo Mansion, let alone the family business.

If Li Weijian rashly intervenes, he will end up in trouble for nothing. Instead of doing this, it is better to let nature take its course.

Well, if it rains, it will rain, and if my mother wants to get married, let her do as she pleases. If Sister Feng does get into trouble someday, it won't be too late for me to help her.

............................................................

Xue family.

But that day Xia Jingui revealed the secret, and Xue Pan and Baochan naturally lost face. In the past two days, Xue Pan no longer dared to ask Baochan to serve him tea in person.

Xia Jingui was quite scheming. She kept Xue Pan company for two whole days. One day, when they were resting, she finally let out a grudge and deliberately asked Xue Pan to sleep somewhere else.

He teased, "It will save you from being greedy."

Xue Pan suddenly burst into laughter.

Xia Jingui added: "Tell me what you want to do, don't be sneaky and useless."

Xue Pan was overjoyed. He knelt on the quilt, pulled Xia Jingui's hand and said, "Sister, if you want to give Baochan to me, I will do whatever you want. If you want, I will even give you the brain of a living person."

Xia Jingui laughed and said, "That doesn't make sense. If you love someone, just tell them and keep it in your room so that others won't see it. What do I want?"

Xue Pan was so happy to hear this that he thanked her endlessly. That night, he acted like a real man and flattered Jin Gui. The next day, he did not go out, but stayed at home, becoming even bolder.

The next afternoon, Xia Jingui saw Xue Pan and Bao Chan flirting with each other, so she found an excuse to avoid them. As soon as she left, Xue Pan started to talk to Bao Chan. Bao Chan had already received Xia Jingui's consent, so she was half-hearted and half-hearted about having sex with Xue Pan.

Xia Jingui was outside estimating the time. When she saw that it was almost time, she called the maid Xiaosheer and said, "Go and tell Bilian to come to my room and get the handkerchief. Don't tell her what I said."

Xiao Sheer went straight to Bilian and said, "Miss Bilian, grandma's handkerchief was forgotten in the room. Wouldn't it be nice if you could get it and bring it to her?"

Bilian was doing needlework at the time and was about to agree when she heard the words, but suddenly she felt something was wrong. She looked at Xiao Sheer and asked, "Who asked you to come?"

Xiao Sheer replied, "Grandma just ordered it casually, but I couldn't go to the room, so I had to come and ask the young lady."

Although the Xue family's rules were not as good as those of the Rongguo Mansion, even maids who did menial tasks were not allowed to enter the master's bedroom.

Xiao Sheer had always known that Xia Jingui was a bad tempered person, and would beat and scold anyone who did not agree with her. He begged eagerly, "Good girl, please help me this time."

Since Bilian was nearly beaten to death last time, she hated Xia Jingui and Baochan. Seeing Xiao She'er like this, she felt that there was something fishy going on. After thinking for a while, she agreed with a smile.

The little girl was overjoyed and left with many thanks.

Bilian put down her needlework and headed for the second courtyard. It was late spring, the window was half open, and Bilian could hear the erotic music from afar. How could she not know that this was another trick set up by Xia Jingui?
Thinking about this, Bilian turned and went into the inner courtyard to look for Baochai. When Xiaosheer came to look for her, she just said, "I didn't find her."

Xiao She'er left in depression and was slapped by Xia Jingui.

Baochai, who was inside, observed Bilian's expression and could not help asking, "Why did my little sister come to see you?"

Bilian laughed bitterly and said, "What else can I do? The girl also knows that grandma can't tolerate me, and this time she wants to use the old man to beat me to death."

Baochai sighed, "How can this go on in the long run? I can protect you for a while, but I can't protect you for a lifetime. If you were pregnant, this matter could be turned around--"

Bilian sobbed, "After all, I was hired into the family. If I really don't like Master and Madam, just fire me and leave."

As it happened, Xue Pan and Xia Jingui arrived at this time. They heard these words from afar. Before Xia Jingui added any exaggeration, Xue Pan was already furious!
Originally, I had just made a good thing with Baochan, but I hurt my penis, and when I was about to enter the alley, I couldn't do anything. I was afraid that Xue Pan was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. I turned around and bit it randomly, and when I finally entered the alley, I ejaculated in a few seconds!

Xue Pan felt humiliated at the moment, and when he heard what Bilian said, he assumed that Bilian was complaining about his inhumanity.

Xue Pan was a reckless person, so how could he hold back his anger? He dragged his lame leg into the room, and without giving Bilian any explanation, he started beating her until she collapsed to the ground. Then he pointed at her and cursed, "You little bitch, you're dreaming! I paid you a lot of money to hire you in. You can only leave if you're dead!"

Baochai desperately held Xue Pan back, and asked in great confusion, "Brother, why are you doing this? How can you hit someone for no reason?"

Xue Pan threw his arms and broke free. How could he say what happened in bed? He just blushed and shouted, "The people in my room, please don't worry about them!" He pointed at Bilian and said, "Get out of here today!"

After venting his anger, Xue Pan left in anger. Baochai hurriedly asked Ying'er to help Bilian up, and she saw that half of her face was swollen.

Bilian cried and begged, "Miss, please forgive me. I have asked my parents to return the betrothal money. If I stay here, I am afraid I will even lose my life!"

Baochai didn't understand what was going on and thought that it was Xia Jingui who instigated the situation again. She frowned and sighed, thinking that she could not let Xia Jingui continue to make trouble, otherwise the Xue family would be finished!
That afternoon, when Aunt Xue returned, Baochai tentatively told Aunt Xue about what happened today, and finally said, "She is so unscrupulous because she took advantage of your weakness. It's just a matter of transferring money from one hand to the other. Why not transfer the money to her name? That way, if she plays tricks again in the future, you will have something to say."

Aunt Xue shook her head and said in a low voice, "My son, your brother is a good-for-nothing, and your sister-in-law is a capable woman. In just over a month, all your brother's floating wealth has fallen into her hands. If the shares are really transferred, I'm afraid she will continue to harass him bit by bit, and sooner or later, Xue Pan will be completely empty-handed."

Baochai had no way to persuade her, and she had no way to deal with Xia Jingui. She was usually good at convincing people with reason, but Xia Jingui was unreasonable, so she really had no idea where to start.

............................................................

But it is said that on this day, when Li Weijian returned home, he saw Daiyu comforting Qingwen in the east courtyard. Qingwen's eyes were red and she kept wiping her tears with a handkerchief.

"What's going on here?"

When Qingwen saw Li Weijian, she felt even more wronged, and couldn't stop crying, shouting, "Fourth Master~"

Li Weijian glanced at Daiyu, who sighed and said, "Qingwen's cousin Duoguan is dead."

"When did it happen?"

"Last night, they said he died of tuberculosis." Daiyu frowned and said, "Qingwen went to Rongguo Mansion after receiving the news. Third sister paid 20 taels of silver for the funeral, and Sister Feng privately gave another 10 taels of silver to buy a grave."

Li Weijian came over to comfort her, "Birth, aging, illness and death are common. Besides, you and your cousin are not close to each other. Why are you crying like this now?"

Qingwen cried and gnashed her teeth, "Fourth Master, I'm not sad, I'm angry!"

It was said that Miss Duo had affairs with half of the servants in the mansion. That night, Duoguan died, and before the funeral had even begun, Miss Duo started flirting with the cook Bao Er.

Qingwen, thinking that they were relatives after all, went to help with the funeral. Seeing the two flirting with each other, she immediately had a big quarrel with Duo Girl. After returning home, she became more and more angry, and immediately burst into tears when she found Daiyu.

Li Weijian didn't know how to persuade her. Miss Duo was a talented person. She had just died, and she was looking for another husband before her body was cold.

He then gently comforted Qingwen for a long time and did not mention it again.

On the other hand, Jia Lian was ordering Jia Qiang around, asking him to look for houses, make jewelry, and buy dowry and bed curtains for his second sister, as well as other items needed for the new room.

In a few days, everything was done. He had bought a house with more than 20 rooms in Xiaohuazhi Lane, two miles behind Ningrong Street. He also bought two maids. However, the family members in the mansion did not dare to move without permission, and they were afraid that buying someone from outside would leak out because they did not know their confidants. Suddenly, he remembered his family member Bao Erlai. Because he had an affair with his woman, Fengjie beat him up and hanged him in shame. Jia Lian gave him 200 silver coins and asked him to marry another one.

Bao Er had never married, but recently he had taken a fancy to Miss Duo, whose husband had just died. Miss Duo had been good friends with Jia Lian, but now they had moved out. Jia Lian suddenly remembered her and thought that he might be able to try some new things from time to time, so he asked the couple to come to the new house and prepare to serve his second sister when she came.

At this point, Jia Lian learned from Old Lady You that his second sister was engaged to Zhang Hua. At this point, Second Master Lian did not care, and immediately found Zhang Hua and his son, and threatened them, forcing them to write a document to break off the engagement with Old Lady You.

In the blink of an eye, it was the fifth watch of the third day. A plain sedan chair was brought in to carry the second sister. Various incense, candles, paper horses, bedding, wine and food were already prepared. At one moment, Jia Lian came in a sedan chair in plain clothes, worshipped heaven and earth, and burned paper horses. When Old Yu saw that the second sister's clothes and hair were brand new and no longer looked at home, he was very proud.

At noon that day, Li Weijian changed into casual clothes, informed his family, and led his people to Xiaohuazhi Lane.

Bao Er and Duo were waiting at the door. When Li Weijian entered, he looked at Duo. The girl did not show any shyness, but instead looked straight at him. Bao Er, who was standing by, was not annoyed, but greeted him with a smile.

Li Weijian thought to himself that this was a perfect match, a tortoise and a turtle.

When they entered the courtyard, Jia Qiang came forward first and bowed from a distance, saying, "Fourth uncle is here."

Li Weijian nodded slightly, and soon Jia Lian, Old Lady You and Third Sister You came out to greet him.

When they met, Li Weijian ignored the hot gaze of You Sanjie and went in with Jia Lian. Everyone sat down as host and guest, and the maids served wine and food. During the time, they called You Lao Niang "old lady", You Sanjie "third aunt", and You Erjie "grandma".

Li Weijian frowned upon hearing this, thinking to himself, no wonder Sister Feng was so cruel in the TV series. How would Sister Feng cope with the situation when Sister You became a grandmother? The entire You family is extremely stupid, and they don't even know that they are courting death.

During the banquet, Mr. You and Ms. You Sanjie sat together for a while. Seeing that Li Weijian was frowning and displeased, they said they were going to the back to see Ms. You Erjie and stood up and left.

Seeing that Li Weijian was unhappy, Jia Lian whispered, "I just wanted to please her family. I just said it casually. It's a favor without any cost. Brother Jian, don't take it seriously."

Li Weijian smiled and said, "Brother Lian doesn't take it seriously, but I think others may take it seriously too."

Jia Lian said proudly, "She is just a concubine. Come, come, brother Jian, have some wine."

After three rounds of drinking, Jia Lian was already drunk and winked at Jia Qiang. Jia Qiang stood up and said with a smile, "It's getting late. I have to go back first. If you need anything tomorrow, just tell me."

Jia Lian quickly asked Bao Er to escort him out. When there were only two people left, Jia Lian said after a moment's hesitation: "Brother Jian, there is a saying that enemies should be resolved rather than created."

Li Weijian pretended not to know: "Where did you get this from, Second Brother Lian?"

Jia Lian said, "I met the prince a few days ago. He was quite upset. He said that the Wang brothers had done something wrong and caused a rift between the Jian brothers and the prince."

Li Weijian said sternly, "The prince has misunderstood. I punished the Wang brothers because they had gone too far, but I never thought that this would create a rift between me and the prince."

"really?"

"How dare I offend the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace?" Li Weijian said, "Ah, I have been very uneasy these past few nights, and I was just about to talk to the Crown Prince about it. Unfortunately, everyone is watching me, so it is not convenient for me to meet with the Crown Prince in private, so I asked Brother Lian to bring some words to you."

What is this called? When you feel sleepy, you are given a pillow!

Jia Lian was overjoyed and said hurriedly, "Since it is a misunderstanding, I will help Brother Jian to make amends."

Li Weijian smiled and said, "Let's not talk about the past. Your Highness only needs to check how the Wang brothers deceived others, and you will know that I had no choice but to take action that day." He paused and said, "Recently, I heard a piece of news that Shuntian Prefecture intends to reform the capital."

"Reform the capital?" Jia Lian didn't know why Li Weijian mentioned this.

Li Weijian said, "The capital is small, and now there are probably a million people. Brother Lian knows that during the New Year holidays, not to mention traveling by car, even walking is crowded. I mentioned this to Mr. Yan last time, and Mr. Yan intends to demolish the houses on both sides of the street, expand the street, and then pave it with cement."

Jia Lian asked, "Where will the demolition be carried out?"

Li Weijian said with a smile: "We can just pass this matter on to the people. After all, Shuntian Prefecture is not short of money right now."

"Uh-huh?"

Sent to the people? Jia Lian suddenly realized that this was Li Weijian's way of making the prince rich. In recent years, the imperial court had sent people to do various kinds of work, but if you look closely, which merchant who took on the work didn't have a nobleman behind him to support him?

The capital's most prime location, its transformation cannot be accomplished overnight. Shuntian Prefecture is extremely wealthy due to its water and cement businesses, so it is possible that it will make a fortune by accepting the order.

When Jia Lian saw Li Weijian's smile, he immediately understood what he meant. He immediately stood up and poured wine for Li Weijian, raising his glass and saying, "Come, I'll toast to you, brother Jian."

(End of this chapter)