Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 340: Discussion on the Northern Tour
"Brother Jian?" Jia Lian suddenly stood up, extremely surprised.

You Erjie's shoulders were half exposed, and she said angrily, "My Lord, you are so startled that it's frightening. What's so surprising about that?"

Jia Lian lay down a little, tilted his head and said, "I wonder why Third Sister likes Brother Jian?"

You Erjie stammered for a long time, there were some things that she couldn't say to Jia Lian. They had been urged by Old Lady You to go to Li Weijian's house a long time ago, but this man was so self-righteous that he would rather hang out with the maids and didn't even look at them.

You Erjie was broad-minded, and she put aside all feelings and love, and decided to marry a man for food and clothing. Since Li Weijian didn't like her, she would look for someone else. After many twists and turns, she first stayed with Jia Zhen and his son for two years, and now she finally became Jia Lian's concubine.

Third Sister You was different. She had been thinking about Liu Xianglian, a handsome man whom she had only met once a few years ago. However, Liu Xianglian was also a playboy, and they had no contact afterwards. Then she ran into Li Weijian, who was successful at a young age and handsome. Second Sister You was fine, but Third Sister You couldn't help thinking about him even though she didn't say it.

The three of them had been discussing behind closed doors for the past few days, thinking that the third sister was getting old and she would have to find a suitable family to marry into. Old Lady You knew what the third sister was thinking and discussed it with Second Sister You in private.

In this situation, the third sister will definitely not be able to become the main wife of a wealthy family, let alone the main wife, I am afraid that it will be difficult to become a concubine. But there is a saying that goes, a wife is not as good as a concubine, and a concubine is not as good as a mistress. With the third sister's appearance, it is not bad for her to become the mistress of Mr. Li.

After hearing what Old Lady You said, You Erjie immediately remembered it in her heart. She also thought about how her Third Sister had thrown a tantrum and chased Jia Qiang away in the afternoon, so she started to persuade him.

She then repeated what Old Lady You had said, and at the end she said, "I think Master Li is not a pushover. In the past two years, even though his wife hasn't married yet, he has taken in many beautiful concubines and maids. Third sister's appearance is outstanding even in the Master's mansion. When Master invites us to drink later, Third sister will come out to answer questions. Who knows, maybe these two will fall in love with each other?"

Jia Lian put himself in other people's shoes and felt a little reluctant to leave his sister-in-law, but then he thought that Li Weijian was extremely powerful now, so becoming a brother-in-law in secret... might not be without benefits, right?

Yin lay down and thought for a long time before answering, "This matter needs to be considered carefully... Fortunately, the old concubine has been sent away, and the situation in the capital is not that urgent now. I will invite Brother Jian to come over when the time comes, and then I will let Third Sister act according to the circumstances."

The second sister immediately smiled as bright as a flower and began to flatter Jia Lian, even using alley girl's tricks, and only stopped when Jia Lian was so fawned that he was out of his wits.

But the next day, Li Weijian went to the yamen first.

Now that the victory in the Western Regions has been decided, the Dzungars have been largely destroyed, and what remains is only a small-scale security war. Rumors have come from the front that General Yue Zhongqi has let his troops cause trouble, and if the people in various tribes do not surrender, the Taiji of each tribe will be beheaded at the least, and the whole clan will be slaughtered at the worst!

There were censors who occasionally impeached, but their actions were mostly loud and little effective. Not to mention presenting the case to the emperor, even the cabinet could not get it past the impeachment.

Everyone knows that the newly occupied land must first be subject to harsh laws before it can be stable. Moreover, if the Western Regions return to Han territory, it will be difficult to maintain long-term stability if customs are not changed. Therefore, General Yue Zhongqi had already submitted a memorial to the court, begging the court to settle immigrants on the border.

Prime Minister Chen Hongmou calculated that if the Western Regions were to be stable, perhaps one million immigrants would be needed. Even if the imperial court only paid five taels of silver for each immigrant, that would be five million!

Fortunately, the national treasury is now full, otherwise the cost of stationing troops in the six garrisons alone would be unbearable.

After the war, the remaining tasks of the Wubeiyuan were no longer urgent. They only had to produce a fixed number of muskets, cannons, and various types of Dongfeng rifles every month and replace the equipment of various military towns in Dashun within three years.

Li Weijian had been in charge of the Wubeiyuan for a long time, and the heads of the subordinate departments had become obedient. With Xue Ke, a troublemaker, watching over him, there were not many matters to deal with.

As he had been idle for the whole morning, Li Weijian went to his teacher Yan Xiyao's home in the afternoon according to the time.

Coincidentally, Yan Xiyao returned home early that day. The master and the disciple had a discussion, but Li Weijian heard a big piece of gossip!

"Murdering the prince? Is this true?"

In the study, Li Weijian was shocked and Yan Xiyao was calm.

Li Weijian quickly poured tea for the teacher, then sat aside, stretching his neck and waiting for a long while before Yan Xiyao asked, "Fusheng, do you know the origin of this inner court?"

"I heard that it was created by His Majesty Taizong."

Yan Xiyao shook his head: "I am asking about the origins of the people in the inner court."

"This... I am a dull student. I have never studied it before."

Yan Xiyao talked over tea and explained the origin of the inner court clearly. After Emperor Taizu Li Zicheng passed away, Li Guo succeeded him and then swept across the north and south and unified the world. By the time the Central Plains was settled, Emperor Taizong Li Guo was already seriously ill and could not get up.

Considering the difficulties faced by the Old Camp and the Left Fifth Camp in the battles in the north and south, he issued an order to bring all the old, weak, women and children in them into the inner court, and also set up an inner court to support the royal family.

At that time, not counting women and children, there were a total of more than a thousand people from the Old Camp and the Left Fifth Camp who were employed by the Imperial Palace to do work. A hundred years later, the population has grown and the number of people in the Imperial Palace has exceeded ten thousand!
Men from the inner court could go to various government offices to take up jobs when they reached adulthood, and women could enter the palace to serve as maids or nannies. After more than a hundred years of operation, the family has become so powerful that it cannot be lost!
Not only are the inner court families in various government offices complicatedly connected, but they also collude with the outer court to leak information and murder the prince!

This matter started with the burned down Fengxian Temple. The Construction Department was tasked with rebuilding the Fengxian Temple. As a result, the day before yesterday, the saint suddenly had the inspiration to go to inspect the Fengxian Temple. On the spur of the moment, he randomly asked a craftsman about it, but the craftsman hesitated and did not answer the question.

After checking, it was found that he was not only an impostor, but also had a criminal record... The saint was furious! After a detailed investigation, the gates of various places were checked and it was found that four people who came and went in the past seven days were missing!
Not to mention the saints, even the elders were shocked! They immediately locked the palace gates, replaced the guards, and sent the imperial guards to search the palace. As a result, they found six suspected assassins, three fake maids, and some poisonous substances such as cottonseed oil.

The Saint was furious! Countless officials from all over the inner court were dismissed, more than a hundred palace maids and nurses were sent out, and the Ministry of Punishment was overcrowded.

Later, it was discovered that among the few people who had sneaked into the imperial city, there were followers of the Bagua Cult, who intended to assassinate the king and kill him, hoping to cause chaos in the world and then take advantage of the situation to rebel...

Li Weijian was dumbfounded when he heard this, wondering if the imperial city had been infiltrated like a sieve. Fortunately, Emperor Zhenghe was in high spirits, otherwise, there might have been a big incident.

Eh? It seems that there was an embarrassing incident in my Qing Dynasty where a group of religious followers broke into the imperial city? Dashun was at least stronger than my Qing Dynasty. The imperial guards were rotated from the Beijing camp and all of them were equipped with hot weapons. I don't think there would be an embarrassing incident where a few dozen people broke into the imperial city.

After talking about this, Yan Xiyao said, "Prince Zhongshun has been jumping up and down these days, instigating the censor to impeach Prince Zhongyong. I'm afraid that even if the saint cares about his brothers, he will have to demote Prince Zhongyong's title this time."

Li Weijian said nonchalantly, "The prince became a duke, and then he found an opportunity to be promoted back again. Prince Zhongshun closed the door to visitors a while ago, why is he making a fuss again now?"

Yan Xiyao said contemptuously: "What else can we do? With the old concubine gone, the emperor is in seclusion again, this man is uneasy."

Li Weijian smiled and said, "I'm afraid the more noise you make, the more ruthless the saint will punish you in the future."

Yan Xiyao smiled and said, "The saint is careful about his reputation and will never attack King Zhongshun at this time."

That's right, once the old concubine left, the emperor lived in seclusion and didn't come out. There were a lot of gossips outside, and the saint would definitely not want to bear the stigma of "not tolerating brothers". Tsk, that's a good thing for Prince Zhongshun, the old guy probably has a few more years of good life.

Li Weijian pondered and said, "Could it be that the sage intends to reform the inner court?"

Yan Xiyao nodded: "It's time to make some changes."

Li Weijian asked, "Could it be that the officials of the Imperial Household are appointed to the posts of the scholars of the Imperial Household?"

Yan Xiyao said with a smile: "Neo-Confucianism looks down on practical learning, but now Neo-Confucianism is dominant everywhere. Won't those who come from practical learning be excluded? I think the saint had this idea long ago, and this time he just went with the flow." After a pause, he said: "This is actually a good thing for Fu Sheng."

Li Weijian smiled and said, "That's right. The petty officials below were in collusion with each other. When I took over the Wubei Academy, I had to use many tricks to subdue them. Now that a scholar with real knowledge has been appointed, I think it will be better than those pests in the inner court. But now I am also in charge of the Construction Department..."

Yan Xiyao said nonchalantly, "According to the old practice, the wood needed to build the Fengxian Hall was shipped from Guangxi and Liaodong. The construction of the imperial city does not seek merit but only avoids mistakes. On the Qionghua Island, Fu Sheng can still try out the steel and cement construction method."

Li Weijian frowned and said, "I am sure that the beams made of steel bars and cement can be as strong as giant trees. However, we need to find some experts to help with the construction."

Yan Xiyao said, "Why do you need to ask me for such a trivial matter? Fu Sheng only needs to spread the word and an expert will come to perform."

Li Weijian agreed with a smile, thinking that Shan Ziye had returned to the capital now, so he could ask for help and find a few scholars who were proficient in mechanics to do a good job of calculation. Guanghan Tower had invested a lot of money, so it was okay to build nine floors instead of ten. If the elevator couldn't be built, it wouldn't be a problem to build a few hand-cranked elevators.

After saying this, Li Weijian told his teacher about saving Princess Yongshou with a bitter face. But Yan Xiyao looked at Li Weijian for a long time, not smiling, until Li Weijian felt uneasy, and then he said: "I heard someone say in private that the concubine of the King of Loyalty and Bravery took a liking to Fusheng and wanted to marry him as her son-in-law."

Li Weijian blinked and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Given the prince's temper, if I really become a concubine, I'm afraid I'll have a good life in the future." After a pause, he frowned and thought about it, and said, "I was wondering why the prince disliked me so much, and I didn't expect this."

The second concubine did a lot of harm to me. Fortunately, the marriage was decided long ago. I thought that the King of Loyalty and Bravery was so proud that it would be difficult to force a princess in, right?
Thinking about it, Li Weijian said, "I originally wanted to go to Tianjin and Liaodong in the next few days. After this delay, I don't know when I can make the trip."

"Okay?" Yan Xiyao shook his head and said, "I have an errand for Fengxian Temple, so I can forget about resurrection. Besides..." Yan Xiyao lowered his voice and said, "The Saint intends to tour the north."

"Northern Tour?"

When the emperor was in power, he toured the north and south alternately. He went north in the first year and south in the next. He was too wasteful, which drained the national treasury and even the small Dzungar Khanate could bully him.

When the current emperor ascended the throne, he stopped his tours of inspection due to internal and external troubles, and began to prepare for war and reform. It took me 20 years to revive the Dashun Dynasty, and then I would fight a decisive battle with the Dzungar Khanate... But unexpectedly, Li Weijian appeared.

Let's not talk about what Li Weijian did. Just count the silver and money. The shares in various places are not counted. The money sold alone is worth hundreds of millions! Half of this silver and money was invested in the army. The weapons of the Dashun Jingying were innovated, and only then did they destroy the Junggar with overwhelming force.

At this time, although there were still people outside who privately spread rumors that the current emperor had not come to power legitimately, the fact that Emperor Zhenghe was far superior to the emperor in both civil and military affairs was undeniable. Not to mention the hinterland, even the Mongolian princes in the north were all convinced!
The purpose of Emperor Zhenghe's reform was to destroy the Dzungar Khanate. Now that the Dzungar Khanate has been destroyed, the reform has only been half completed.

This great event was already accomplished, so the sage could not help but feel lazy. As for the reforms that followed, now the Prime Minister Chen Hongmou was pushing them forward with gritted teeth, and the sage no longer had the decisiveness he had back then.

It was for this reason that the sage came up with the idea of ​​a northern tour. Chen Hongmou thought that when the sage went on a northern tour, the crown prince would be regulating the country, and he, the prime minister, would be continuing to implement the new policies in the court, so he strongly agreed.

Li Weijian heard what Yan Xiyao said and asked in surprise, "Is this matter... related to students?"

Yan Xiyao said, "How can it be irrelevant? The sage intends to lead the nobles and their families to inspect the north. Fu Sheng is the new noble of Dashun. I'm afraid you two will go together this time."

Li Weijian bared his teeth and said, "Sister...would you two go together?"

Yan Xiyao smiled and said, "Not only you, but also the four princes and the royal family will follow you in the future."

This is as it should be. The four kings and eight dukes have great influence in the army. Now the eight dukes are weak. Except for the defeated Dongping king, the remaining three kings have lost their power but their foundation has not been shaken. The saint is probably afraid that these people will take advantage of his absence to cause another Chengtian Gate Incident, so he simply took them with him on the northern tour.

Li Weijian frowned and asked, "Has the plan been finalized? When will we set off?"

"The Saint intends to inspect the thirty-three surnames in Beishan. This round trip will be at least three thousand miles. The initial plan is to set off in July. Return before the heavy snow blocks the road."

Li Weijian suddenly became unhappy, worrying whether Daiyu's body could handle it.

Seeing that his master's wife wanted to keep him for dinner again, he came to his senses and hurriedly said goodbye. When he returned home, Li Weijian told all his concubines about this matter with a sad face.

Daiyu's expression remained unchanged, but Baoqin and the others were full of envy. The last time she accompanied the emperor on a tour of the north was nearly twenty years ago. Not to mention that it was an honor, just seeing the scenery along the way was worth mentioning. How many times do these girls have the opportunity to go out and see the world?
After Li Weijian mentioned this, he said, "Sister, you are weak and I am afraid you cannot stand the cold. If you set out in midsummer, you may not be able to return until the end of October. Outside the Great Wall is different from the capital. Snow falls in August in the Hutian area. If you really can't do it, you can just ask for leave."

Daiyu smiled and said, "I heard that the scenery outside the Great Wall is rough but magnificent. I also want to go out with my fourth brother to have a look. Besides, my body is not as weak as before in recent years... Why don't we take a look when the time comes?"

Li Weijian smiled and agreed: "Okay."

The young couple decided on this and did not think about it any more, but the remaining concubines had some thoughts. Baoqin, needless to say, had traveled all over the country, even to the coast of the West Sea, but had never been outside the Great Wall. It was inevitable that she had some thoughts at this time. Fu Qiufang was very regretful. She had just given birth to Lian Jie'er and was in the period of breastfeeding. The child was too young for her to accompany. There was also Xiangling, who did not want to accompany her because her mother, Aunt Zhen, was in poor health.

The remaining Hongyu, Qingwen and Xiuying were all thinking about forming an escort.

However, the number of guards in the noble families is fixed, and someone has to be left at home to guard the house, so it is inevitable that everyone has to show their skills to decide who goes and who doesn't.

But Hongyu, Qingwen and Xiuying were arguing in private. Li Weijian and Daiyu stayed in the room and started gossiping. Daiyu said, "Qin Qiaoer was picked up by the Qin family in the afternoon."

"The Qin family? Not the Fang family?" Daiyu sneered, "I'm afraid the Qin family knew when she came, otherwise how could they find her here by such a coincidence?"

Li Weijian said with a smile: "If my sister is still angry, how about I help her vent her anger?"

Daiyu, however, was kind-hearted. She shook her head and said, "Forget it. Considering that it's not easy for her, and I won't fall for her tricks anyway, let it go this time."

Li Weijian smiled and pulled Daiyu's hand, saying, "I know you are a kind-hearted girl."

Daiyu smiled without saying anything, and then said, "Fourth brother will be worried later."

"How to say?"

Daiyu teased, "Now that the matter of the Northern Tour's escort has been exposed, don't you see that all those eyes are on you? Just wait and see, there will be plenty of tricks waiting for you in the future."

Li Weijian smiled and said, "It's not a good thing. Even though they are fighting for it now, if they really go, they will definitely complain." Li Weijian thought to himself that he would naturally accept this method of winning favor... He must ask what the rules of the bodyguard are and how many people he can bring.

After thinking it over, Li Weijian said, "Princess Yongshou's birthday will be in a few days. I'm afraid my sister won't be able to avoid it."

Daiyu smiled and said, "Although I am impatient with the comings and goings, I think it's nothing. For example, if you get along well with the princess, you can be more friendly; if you don't get along with the ladies and the imperial concubines, you can just say less." After a pause, she continued, "Fourth brother is now known as the God of Wealth, and I don't think anyone would be so blind as to mess with me."

On this night, Li Weijian was thinking about the chemical factory and went into the study to write and draw. As expected, the concubines were very active, one brought tea and snacks, the other brought fruits. I thought this would attract a lot of concubines to compete for beauty, but until nightfall, only Baoqin, Qingwen and Xiuying came and went.

That night, Li Weijian stayed at Hongyu's place. While washing up, he couldn't help asking, "Just now, they all came to me to show their courtesy. Why didn't you come? Don't you want to go outside the pass as an escort?"

Hongyu wrung out the handkerchief and came over to wipe Li Weijian's face. She smiled and said angrily, "Whether it's Aunt Qin, Qingwen, or Xiuying, they are all still young. Now is the time for them to play and make noises. To be honest with you, Fourth Master, I also want to go... But Madam is with you, and if I leave, Aunt Fu will be busy taking care of the eldest sister, and I'm afraid the family will be in chaos."

Li Weijian was moved, and stepped forward to stop Hongyu and said, "You are the most sensible one. Haven't you heard that crying children get milk? There are many people in this family, and I am afraid that the sensible one will suffer the most."

Hongyu smiled and shook her head, then raised her face and looked at Li Weijian with a smile: "Fourth Master is not that confused. Fourth Master knows what's going on. What should I be afraid of?"

At this time, Xiuying was invited in and happened to hear the two people talking, so she stood in front of the door, not knowing what to say.

Li Weijian saw this and waved, "Why are you in a daze?"

Xiuying said, "It seems that I am the most useless. I only know some country tricks, but the master can't use them now." After a pause, she said, "Master, please teach me how to fire a gun later. This way, at least I will be of some use."

Li Weijian said sternly: "Your flying knife skill is not useless... Haven't you heard that a gun is faster than ten steps away?"

Xiuying blinked and asked, "What about within ten steps?"

"Within ten steps, the gun is accurate and fast!"

"Huh?" Xiuying was stunned.

Hongyu was so amused that she couldn't stop giggling. After a long while, she said, "Silly sister, the Fourth Master is teasing you."

Xiuying finally reacted and leaned over to Li Weijian's chest, pouting and refusing to give in.

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

Two days passed in a flash, and today was the birthday of Princess Yongshou, Li Mengqing. Daiyu had prepared the gift yesterday, but she didn't know whether the princess had returned to the palace first or returned with the funeral procession.

At noon, a eunuch from the palace brought the invitation, saying that the princess had returned to the palace last night.

Daiyu packed up her things in a hurry, took Zijuan and Xueyan, took the gifts and went to the palace in a carriage. Li Weijian missed Daiyu so much that he didn't go back to the government office until he saw her off.

As a result, just after leaving the outer city, they saw the funeral procession returning to the capital. Jia Lian, who had returned earlier, also went to greet Lady Jia and Lady Xing, and his eyes lit up when he saw Li Weijian.

He sent a servant to stop Li Weijian's carriage, and then he came over and said with a smile: "Brother Jian, do you have time this afternoon?"

Li Weijian asked, "Is there anything wrong, second brother?"

Jia Lian smiled and said, "There's nothing else to do, just invite Brother Jian to go to Xiaohuazhi Lane for a gathering."

Li Weijian disliked the You family, so he frowned and said, "It's hard to say. The government office is very busy today. Second brother also knows that I just received a new job. It's better to wait and see when the government office will be dismissed."

Jia Lian smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. We can't keep the court till night, can we? It's settled then. I'll come and invite brother Jian in person when he comes back from the court."

Li Weijian smiled, but didn't say yes, nor did he say anything else. Jia Lian just thought that Li Weijian had agreed, and turned around and left happily.

Li Weijian thought about it and knew that there must be something going on. However, it was not so easy to plot against him now. Let's wait and see. When the time comes, we will stop the enemy with our generals and block the water with earth.

Instead of saying that Li Weijian went to the Construction Department, Daiyu took a carriage to the Zhongyong Prince's Mansion. At noon, she arrived at the Prince's Mansion and was about to get off the carriage in front of the corner gate when a eunuch came up to her with a smile and said, "Madam, the princess has ordered that you don't need to go outside and just get off at the Yimen Gate."

Daiyu said softly, "I will thank the princess, but the rules cannot be changed. It's only a few steps away, so I'd better get off the car."

He got off the carriage from the corner gate, led Zijuan and Xueyan into the house from the corner gate, and in a blink of an eye they arrived in front of the ceremonial gate.

Behind the ceremonial gate, Princess Li Mengqing was already waiting there with a smile on her face.

Seeing Daiyu walking towards him from a distance, he could not help but smile and said, "I knew that Yu'er would not agree. It's a pity that I wasted all my words."

Daiyu came over and bowed, smiling, "Although I am impatient with such vulgar etiquette, there is a difference between the superior and the inferior, and I can't let outsiders gossip about it." Her eyes fell on Li Mengqing's neck wrapped in silk, and she couldn't help but ask worriedly, "Is your injury getting better?"

Li Mengqing took Daiyu's hand and led her inside. "It's okay. The imperial physician has examined her and said that there will probably be no scars. I have only invited you and a few close girls today. No one else has been invited. Your husband is my lifesaver. Even if your father is here, you must show respect to him. If anyone outside talks nonsense, I will ask your father to whip him!"

Daiyu laughed and said, "No matter how capable the prince is, can he control others' gossip?" After a pause, she continued, "I heard my husband talk about the situation the other day. It was really dangerous. And there was the Gossip Cult. I don't know why these thieves just refused to stay quiet and had to make trouble and rebel."

Li Mengqing said, "Father said that the people are too poor. If they can have enough food all day, who would be willing to commit a crime that would cost them their heads?"

Daiyu did not comment, but had other thoughts in her mind.

Li Mengqing then said, "I came back last night, and I got a message this morning that the emperor's uncle will go on a northern tour in July. Father will not be able to catch up this time, but I will ask the emperor's uncle to take me with him." After a pause, he couldn't help but say with regret, "It's a pity that Yu'er is weak, otherwise if she had accompanied him, we could have a good time outside the Great Wall."

Daiyu smiled and said, "How did the princess know I wouldn't go?"

"Yu'er is going too?"

Daiyu was a little hesitant yesterday, just as Li Weijian said, she was indeed a little worried about her health. But on the one hand, she and Li Weijian were newly married, and she missed them after being separated for eight or nine days. How could Daiyu bear to leave him after three or four months?

Besides, the scenery outside the Great Wall is very different from that in the Central Plains, so Daiyu naturally wanted to go and see it with Li Weijian.

Finally, Daiyu's health has indeed improved a lot in the past few years. Perhaps she has been in a very good mood since entering the Bo's mansion, and she has not even had a cough in the spring. Daiyu planned to ask the imperial physician to take a good pulse later. If her health has really improved, she can really go to the border.

Daiyu smiled and said, "It's hard to say now, let's wait and see."

Li Mengqing suddenly became cheerful, and he jumped up and down pulling Daiyu, saying, "Okay, okay, Yu'er, you'd better go with us. I'll teach you how to ride a horse. I heard there are wild rabbits and pikas on the grasslands, let's go together and catch a few and keep them as animals."

As they were talking, they entered the second ceremonial gate. A female official came to greet them from a distance with a smile. When she came closer, she bowed and said, "My lord, the concubine heard that the wife of Jingling Bo had arrived, so she sent me to invite Madam to a meeting, saying that she was grateful for Jingling Bo's help and she had to thank him sincerely."

Daiyu said in embarrassment: "Aunt, it was my husband who rescued the princess..."

The female official smiled and said, "Husband and wife are one. It is not easy for the concubine to summon Jingling Bo, so she has to come to Madam to express her gratitude."

Li Mengqing also smiled and advised: "When she came back yesterday and told me about the danger, the second concubine was so frightened that she couldn't sleep all night. She checked the warehouses early in the morning and said that she would thank your family this time. Yu'er, don't refuse. If you don't accept the gift, I'm afraid that father and the second concubine will come to thank you again."

Daiyu had no choice but to follow the female official to the second concubine's residence.

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

Wubeiyuan Yamen.

Li Weijian inspected the Construction Department early in the morning. At this time, the Construction Department was in chaos. There was only one chief who was over fifty years old. The other officials were reserved for new scholars, and the doctor had to be transferred from other places. Li Weijian knew that he had no way to start, so he returned to the Wubeiyuan at noon.

When he got out of the government office in the carriage at the end of the Shen period, a servant came to greet him and said, "Master Li, I am here on the orders of my Second Master to invite Master Li to come to the mansion."

Li Weijian was annoyed, and when he turned around, Ding Rusong said through the car window: "Master, it's Long'er, the servant of Master Lian."

I could have avoided this by leaving at dusk, but Jia Lian was relentless and sent people to chase me to the gate of the yamen.

Well, let’s go and see what Jia Lian is up to.

After thinking it over, Li Weijian said, "Let's go and send someone back to tell them that I was out there at night."

Ding Rushong agreed, and the carriage set off again, still heading towards the Earl's Mansion.

At the beginning of the You hour, the carriage stopped at Xiaohuazhi Lane in the back street. Li Weijian only left Ding Rufeng and a few guards, and sent the carriage back home first.

Before Ding Rufeng could knock on the door, the door opened wide and Jia Lian came out with a smile. He bowed from a distance and said, "Brother Jian is finally here. Today we brothers must not leave until we are drunk."

Li Weijian smiled and said, "What happy event has happened to you, Master?"

Jia Lian smiled and said, "Marrying a beautiful wife who is both comfortable and satisfying, isn't that a happy thing?"

Li Weijian smiled and followed Jia Lian into the inner room. In the main room, the table had already been set. When the two of them entered, Old Lady You, Second Sister You, and Third Sister You came out to greet them.

After the greetings, Jia Lian said with a smile: "If it weren't for Brother Jian's efforts, I would have been in trouble for my title. Today is a family dinner, so let's not be too strict about the rules. Let's have some wine and food together."

Li Weijian immediately understood something and said, "The guest should follow the host's wishes."

When everyone sat down, You Erjie sat on Jia Lian's left, You Lao Niang sat next to You Erjie, and You Sanjie sat on Li Weijian's right.

Different from the reception she gave to Jia Qiang a few days ago, today Third Sister You did not have her usual aggressiveness. Instead, she acted like a little girl, just stealing glances at Li Weijian from the side, and serving him attentively with the wine jug.

At that moment, the wine flowed and Jia Lian invited him to drink again and again. After a few glasses of wine, he couldn't help but put his arm around You Erjie's neck and sighed, "To be honest, brother Jian, it is also because of my second sister that I can now enjoy my life. Brother Jian, you don't know that your second sister-in-law is usually quite strict. To put it bluntly... She can even make a fuss about a single turn at night. Tsk, what's the fun in this?"

Li Weijian blinked and agreed casually, but he felt quite strange in his heart... It seemed that Feng Jieer changed several postures those two times and didn't say anything else?
(End of this chapter)