The Splendor of the Red Chamber

They arrived at Baoyu's outer study.

Jia Lian then recounted the entire process of meeting the emperor to Jia Zheng in detail, omitting only the details of Lin Ruhai's silver and the emperor's final instructions.

When Jia Lian said he hoped the virtuous concubine would give birth to an imperial heir and inherit the throne, Jia Zheng was stunned into silence.

When Jia Zheng heard that Jia Lian was taking Prince Zhongshun as his role model, he became even more anxious.

"How could you...?"

He stood up and paced a few steps, pointing outside and saying, "Do you know what people outside are saying about Prince Zhongshun? Even if Prince Yong and Prince Yan succeed to the throne, and even if His Majesty really gives birth to an heir, he will probably be infamous for eternity!"

You're going to copy him? Aren't you afraid of being condemned by everyone?! Aren't you afraid that the Prince of Yong and the Prince of Yan will take power in the future and retaliate against our family?!

"uncle."

Jia Lian straightened his back, stared into Jia Zheng's eyes, and retorted, "Haven't you figured out His Majesty's meaning yet? His Majesty wants to find a dagger among the nobles. If I don't agree, I'm afraid I won't even have time to wait for the future; disaster will be imminent!"

"this……"

Jia Zheng pondered for a moment, then questioned, "Since no one else has expressed their opinion, why do you...?"

"It's different!"

Jia Lian interrupted him directly: "Our family has produced a virtuous consort, so we should naturally repay kindness. If we were to follow the example of other nobles who are two-faced, then in His Majesty's eyes, that would be betrayal, that would be ingratitude!"

He paused, then added, "If His Majesty can use the capital inspection to deal with civil officials, surely he can deal with the families of nobles and officials as well?"

Jia Zheng's expression changed several times, clearly convinced by Jia Lian's words.

He sat back in his chair, looking utterly dejected. After a long while, he let out a sigh of relief and said with a bitter smile, "How am I supposed to face Prince Bei Jing now? How am I supposed to face the other families?"

Jia Lian retorted bluntly, "If Uncle is unwilling to face Prince Bei Jing, he may have to confront Prince Zhong Shun in the future. Does Uncle prefer to face the latter?"

Recalling Prince Zhongshun's arrogance and unbridled behavior, Jia Zheng couldn't help but shudder, and his acceptance of the matter increased considerably.

After a long pause, he sighed again, "You must never mention the matter of your sister giving birth to an imperial heir again, or you'll be seen as a thorn in the side by the Prince of Yong and the Prince of Yan."

Even if we don't mention it, we'll inevitably run into each other sooner or later.

However, his second uncle had already endured enough psychological pressure today, and Jia Lian didn't want to put any more pressure on him, so he kept his words to himself.

The uncle and nephew chatted for a few more minutes before returning to the main hall of the fourth courtyard.

Upon entering, one sees Jia Zhen looking indignant, with Madam Xing and Madam You constantly echoing his sentiments.

Jia Zheng was puzzled, so he asked Jia Zhen, "Zhen-ge'er, what's happened now?"

"master!"

Jia Zhen hurriedly said, "News just came from outside that Consort Rong's family has applied to the palace for permission to visit her family, and they are now making preparations to build a separate residence for the visit."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng's expression immediately turned sour.

Consort Rong was the emperor's favorite concubine. She had been promoted to the rank of Noble Consort a few years ago. Because she was given the title "Rong" and came from a lowly background, the Rongguo Mansion inevitably harbored resentment towards her.

At this moment, Madam Xing said from the side, "Her family comes from humble backgrounds, yet they still want to hold such a grand celebration. Our eldest daughter has just been promoted to the rank of Virtuous Consort; we can't let her be outdone in this regard!"

Jia Zhen and You Shi also chimed in, adding their own encouragement:

"Yes, we can't let the Rong family outdo us!"

"Who does her family think they are, daring to compete with our family?!"

Consort Rong's ancestors for three generations were bricklayers in the capital, and she came from a truly poor background. Yet, she managed to rise above Yuan Chun and even received the title of Rong. This was precisely the reason why the Rongguo Mansion was unhappy.

Jia Lian wanted to say something, but remembering the emperor's instructions, he ultimately chose to remain indifferent and observe—if the emperor could plant spies in Lin Ruhai's mansion, he could naturally plant spies in Rongguo Mansion as well.

"We need to repair it too, and it must be even better than the Rong family's!" In the end, Jia Zheng made the final decision in front of everyone, and the repair of the Imperial Residence was decided.

The hall became lively for a while, and then everyone dispersed.

On the way back to Wutong Garden, Wang Xifeng, arm in arm with Jia Lian, couldn't stop smiling.

First, she was happy that Jia Lian had been appointed to the Imperial City Guard, becoming the most powerful official of the fifth rank; second, she was delighted that the mansion was about to undergo a major construction project, at which time she, as the head housekeeper, could naturally take charge.

Jia Lian saw right through her thoughts.

So when we got back to Wutong Garden, I pulled her into the bedroom.

"Second Master."

Wang Xifeng immediately softened and said in a panic, "It really won't work. Please let me rest for a couple of days before we talk about it again."

"That's not it!"

Jia Lian said seriously, "I'm afraid you'll lose your head in a moment of confusion!"

As he spoke, he told Wang Xifeng everything about the memorials presented in the palace, including Lin Ruhai's inheritance and the emperor's instructions.

Finally, he added, "His Majesty knows everything about our honeycomb briquette business and my taking a merchant's daughter as a concubine in Jiangnan."

She specifically told me not to get involved in this matter anymore, saying she wanted to see how the second wife would handle the money.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng's heart pounded wildly. If the Emperor could find out about the honeycomb briquettes, could he also know about her lending money at exorbitant interest rates?

If this gets exposed...

Just as she was filled with panic, Jia Lian suddenly grabbed her wrist and asked in a deep voice, "Are you hiding something from me, and is it something serious?!"

Wang Xifeng's heart skipped a beat, but she forced a smile and said, "How could that be? What could I possibly be hiding from you?"

"Really not?"

"No, really."

"Then tell me."

Jia Lian stared into her phoenix eyes and asked, "You heard that I took a merchant's wife as a mistress in Yangzhou, why aren't you angry at all?!"

"What?!"

Wang Xifeng immediately jumped up and angrily shouted, "Did you really bring back some rotten, stinky horse?!"

"Tell me your story first!"

Jia Lian pulled her back into the chair and said in a deep voice, "Your problem is definitely bigger than this!"

Wang Xifeng wanted to argue further, but she immediately deflated when faced with Jia Lian's extremely serious expression.

After a long pause, she stammered, "I...I used to take the monthly allowance from the manor to lend money out outside."

"What?!"

This time, it was Jia Lian's turn to jump up: "You actually secretly lent money at exorbitant interest rates behind my back?! How dare you do such a thing?!"

Although Wang Xifeng knew she was in the wrong, she still tried to bridge the moral gap between them, angrily saying, "Didn't you secretly take a merchant's wife as a mistress behind my back?!"

"How can these be the same?"

Jia Lian said, "I took a wife as a concubine because she was kicked out of her home for being childless, and I was after the 100,000 strings of cash her family gave me as dowry! And you, you took such a huge risk lending money at exorbitant interest rates, and how much silver did you make?!"

"Uh~"

Wang Xifeng stammered, "Over the years, there must have been at least five thousand taels—did that woman really give a dowry of one hundred thousand strings of cash?! Was she really kicked out because she couldn't have children?!"

You have to admit that the Second Master has high emotional intelligence these days. He pointed out two key factors in one sentence: an extremely large dowry and the inability to have children!

With these two conditions combined, even if Wang Xifeng was extremely jealous, her inner resentment would be greatly reduced.

Of course, the fact that she herself couldn't handle it was also a major reason.

Jia Lian pulled her into his arms, slapped her on the back of the buttock, and scolded, "First, tell me about your loan sharking!"

Only then did Wang Xifeng obediently confess to lending money at exorbitant interest rates, and then cautiously asked, "I only earned five thousand taels. There are plenty of people outside who have much bigger profits than me. It shouldn't be a big problem, right?"

"Have you been involved in any lawsuits?"

"this……"

"explain!"

"Last summer, there was someone who tried to deny it, and Daxing County helped with the case—but they only gave him a lesson and confiscated his land and property; no one was killed or involved in the case."

Hearing that no one had died, Jia Lian was somewhat relieved.

He immediately instructed, "Find out where this family is. I'll send someone to Jinling later and have them arranged a job for them back home to prevent any future trouble."

"Second Master still loves me the most."

Wang Xifeng took the opportunity to act coquettishly in Jia Lian's arms.

Jia Lian slowly pushed her away, scolding her impatiently, "Don't think you can get away with this. If this matter is taken seriously, it won't be contained!"

"But didn't you also take one..."

"Can these two things be compared?!"

"Can't I?"

Wang Xifeng glared with her phoenix eyes, trying to outdo Jia Lian in terms of imposing manner, but she was clearly lacking in confidence and was quickly defeated.

Finally, in a fit of pique, he said, "Then what do you suggest? How about I ask my aunt to get Xiangling for you? That should satisfy you, right?!"

Fengjie's sulking was half genuine and half feigned; the main reason was that Jia Lian had leverage over her, making it unlikely that she would be able to get rid of that mistress from Yangzhou.

Since that's the case, we must strengthen our own forces to prevent Jia Lian from being bewitched by some slut and spending all his time wandering around outside.