The Splendor of the Red Chamber

After leaving the east courtyard, Jia Lian then led Lin Daiyu to Jia Zheng and Lady Wang's courtyard.

On the way, Baoyu continued to pester him relentlessly.

However, once he reached Jia Zheng's door, he hesitated to enter.

Jia Lian glanced back at Bao Yu, hesitating whether to bring his cousin along to "go to court," when Lin Daiyu whispered, "Brother, has something troublesome happened?"

"Well..."

Before Jia Lian could speak, Jin Chuan came out and said, "Master and Madam invite Second Master and Miss Lin inside to talk."

Jia Lian then said, "I'll talk to you later," and went into the main hall first.

Just as Lin Daiyu was about to follow him inside, Baoyu grabbed her arm and asked, "Sister Lin, why are you calling Second Brother Lian 'brother'?"

Daiyu gave him a cold, sidelong glance, and only after he sheepishly released her hand did she scold him, "Second Brother Lian did what an elder brother should do, what about you?!"

After saying that, he hurriedly followed them inside.

Uncle (maternal uncle) and Aunt (maternal aunt)

The brother and sister stepped forward and bowed to greet him. Jia Zheng didn't find anything wrong with it, but Lady Wang frowned secretly.

In the past, Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng would usually address her and Jia Zheng as "Master" and "Madam," but now they addressed them as "Uncle" and "Aunt."

This is not just a change in address; it also reflects Jia Lian's current confidence and self-assurance.

At this moment, Jia Zheng glanced at Lin Daiyu briefly and nodded, saying, "I see that Lin Daiyu has grown quite a bit taller and her complexion has improved a lot. It's clear that your second brother Lian has taken very good care of her."

"My brother is extremely considerate."

Lin Daiyu bowed slightly and said earnestly, "I will remember the kindness my brother has shown me this past year for the rest of my life."

"Okay, okay."

Jia Zheng was increasingly pleased and turned to praise Jia Lian a few more times, but then he heard Jia Lian cup his hands and say, "Uncle, please dismiss the servants first."

Jia Zheng was taken aback, thinking he had some secret to reveal. He quickly dismissed Jin Chuan and the other maids, then asked, "Did something happen on the way?"

No, not at all.

As Jia Lian spoke, he took out a small booklet from his sleeve and said to his uncle, "This is the last list of rare books. Since they were all treasured by Uncle Lin for many years, I decided to keep them and not sell them."

Jia Zheng and Lady Wang on the opposite side froze, and unconsciously looked at Lin Daiyu beside them.

According to their agreement with Lin Ruhai, Lin Daiyu should not have known about this money. Lin Ruhai should have also instructed Jia Lian, so how did Jia Lian reveal this matter in front of Daiyu?

"So that my uncle and aunt will know."

Before the couple could catch their breath, Jia Lian raised his voice again: "Although Uncle Lin instructed that it was best not to tell my cousin about this, lest she overthink things."

But the nephew thought that since this was ultimately the Lin family's property, it was better to let his cousin know about it in advance so that she could learn some economic knowledge and ways of life, rather than letting her be caught off guard in the future, so that she could avoid squandering the family fortune.

So, for every single expense, I gave my cousin a copy to keep on file. She does have a knack for managing money, and now she's quite methodical when it comes to keeping accounts.

numb!

Jia Zheng and Lady Wang on the other side were completely stunned; the couple never expected Jia Lian to do such a thing.

Especially Lady Wang, who was convinced that Jia Lian would embezzle the money, and since they were on the same page, they should join forces to deceive Daiyu.

Who would have thought that Jia Lian, who is known for his greed and lust, would act completely out of the ordinary this time?!

Jia Zheng's feelings were also quite complicated. He hadn't originally intended to take the money, but Jia She was urging him to build a separate residence for his daughter's family visit, and Lady Wang also wanted to give her daughter some face. Even the old lady felt that it was time to make arrangements.

He gradually began to consider misappropriating the money.

Who knew that as soon as Jia Lian returned, he immediately overturned the table!

Yes, Lin Ruhai never said that this was Daiyu's dowry, and he generously stated that the Rongguo Mansion could use it for expenses as they pleased.

But how could Jia Zheng possibly say such a thing in front of Lin Daiyu?!

The atmosphere became quite awkward for a moment.

Lin Daiyu also vaguely sensed something, and unconsciously twisted the handkerchief into a rope.

After a while.

Jia Zheng slowly stood up and said, "Lian'er, come with me."

As he spoke, he led Jia Lian outside.

Jia Lian knew he was trying to avoid Daiyu's notice, but since things had already been made clear, whether Daiyu was present or not didn't matter much.

So Jia Lian gave Daiyu a reassuring look, and calmly followed Jia Zheng out of the living room to the inner study not far away.

After entering and taking his seat, Jia Zheng remained silent for a while before frowning and asking, "Did your father mention the Imperial Visit Villa to you?"

"I told him, but my nephew felt it was inappropriate."

Jia Lian bluntly stated, "By the time of my uncle's generation, the Lin family had already fallen into decline. The fact that they were able to accumulate 700,000 strings of cash must have been related to the salt tax—Uncle, you've been through this, you should know how the Yongyi Marquis's mansion fell into ruin."

The Marquis of Yongyi's mansion was implicated in the salt scandal, which led to its decline and eventual downfall.

"How can these be lumped together?!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng immediately changed his expression and said, "I know your uncle better than you do. He would never leave any trouble for Lin girl or for our household!"

If he hadn't known the building was about to collapse, Jia Lian might have been convinced by these words, but now he dared not believe them completely.

"uncle."

Jia Lian earnestly advised again, "Perhaps nothing would have happened before, but the court is currently in a turbulent period, so I think it would be best to be cautious."

"You don't need to worry about that."

Jia Zheng waved his hand and said firmly, "Our household has always remained neutral and will never get involved in the struggle for the throne."

Jia Lian immediately pressed on, "Then what was the reason that the four princes and eight dukes all came to offer sacrifices to Rong-ge'er while His Majesty was still seriously ill?"

"This is precisely to avoid being drawn into the struggle for succession."

Jia Lian said, "What the princes mean is that many noble families are now showing signs of decline, and we must show unity in order to avoid being defeated one by one like a scattered pile of sand."

"Didn't you even consider what the emperor would think?!"

Jia Lian's voice unconsciously rose, tinged with anger at his son's incompetence: "His Majesty has just lost his beloved son and is now seriously ill, yet civil officials are forcing the abdication and vying for the throne, while nobles are forming factions to protect themselves. Is this still His Majesty's empire?!"

"this……"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng hesitated and said, "Back when the current emperor was vying for the throne with Prince Yizhong, our families did the same thing, which is why we weren't affected by the succession struggle."

Times have changed!

Jia Lian retorted loudly, "Back then, regardless of who won or lost, the one who inherited the throne was the late emperor's bloodline—but what about now? If His Majesty wanted power to relinquish itself, why would he promote so many young concubines all at once?!"

"Have you ever thought about that?"

Jia Zheng asked seriously, "What if we take the initiative to stand on His Majesty's side, and His Majesty asks us to follow the example of Prince Zhongshun and suppress the power of Prince Yong and Prince Yan?"

The two princes and their offspring are ultimately the closest to the throne. If things were to come to a head in the future…

At this point, Jia Zheng shook his head vigorously: "Although it is not in accordance with the principle of loyalty to the emperor, it is the safest thing to do at present. Even if something goes wrong, there are several princes to take the blame."

It must be admitted that Jia Zheng's words made a lot of sense, and it was even something that Jia Zheng himself could not have thought of—perhaps this was the reason that Prince Bei Jing used to persuade the various families.

If Jia Lian hadn't known the ultimate fate of the Rongguo Mansion, he might have agreed with the approach of sticking together and remaining neutral.

But the final result proved that doing so was tantamount to waiting for death!

However, Jia Lian realized that Jia Zheng would not easily change his mindset, so he did not argue with him any further and instead decided to do things his own way according to the plan.

In any case, as the future heir of the Rongguo Mansion, he is more qualified than Jia Zheng to represent the Rongguo Mansion's position!

Just then, Jia Zheng suddenly said, "If we follow your suggestion, then this Imperial Residence should not only be built, but also built in a grand manner. This way, we can show our respect and awe for the imperial family, and avoid being drawn into the struggle for the throne."

what?

Can things be argued in this way?

Although Jia Zheng's words seemed to make some sense, Jia Lian still felt that something was amiss.

He hesitated and said, "What about Lin Daiyu...?"

"You don't need to worry about that, I have my own ideas!"

Jia Zheng said without room for argument, "As long as you keep your mouth shut and don't talk about the money, it will affect the Empress's reputation."