The Splendor of the Red Chamber

The next morning.

Wang Xifeng hurriedly summoned Laiwang and his wife and announced that she would completely give up the usury business.

Laiwang's wife was still somewhat unwilling, grumbling about things like "other families are doing it too," "we finally managed to get the channels open," and "nothing has gone wrong yet," subtly trying to get Wang Xifeng to retract her order.

Clearly, this usury not only concerned Wang Xifeng's interests, but also the interests of Laiwang and his wife.

"Shut up!"

Forced to acknowledge a mistress, Wang Xifeng was already in a bad mood. Hearing the woman's incessant nagging, she immediately raised her eyebrows and snapped, "Dare to utter another word, and I'll have someone put a bit in your mouth!"

Laiwang's wife was so frightened that she immediately shut her mouth.

Laiwang figured he couldn't keep the benefits of this loan sharking, so instead of pestering his second mistress and angering her, he decided to take the opportunity to ask for some compensation and benefits.

So he bowed and said, "Grandma, please don't be offended. She was just worried and confused. My son, Lai Shun, is learning how to do lending, and he's almost ready to graduate when this suddenly..."

"I knew it."

Wang Xifeng knew, of course, that the two men had also secretly taken benefits, but she also knew that such things were inevitable. If she kept a close watch on everything, who would be willing to do their best to serve her?

So he readily agreed, saying, "What's so difficult about that? Second Master is in need of manpower right now. Let me have Ping'er go and tell him to let Lai Shun follow Second Master. Wouldn't that be ten or a hundred times better than working outside?"

Laiwang and his wife both knew that Jia Lian had been granted an important position and would soon be taking up his post, so they were naturally very satisfied with this arrangement.

After thanking her profusely for a long time, he finally followed Wang Xifeng's instructions and went to finish up the matter of lending money at exorbitant interest rates.

After all, they were the stewards who helped manage things inside and outside the house, so Wang Xifeng valued Laiwang and his wife quite a bit.

So after Laiwang and his wife left, she instructed Ping'er to tell Jia Lian about Laiwang's situation and see what Jia Lian's plan was.

Ping'er went outside to inquire and heard that Jia Lian was receiving guests in the front yard, so she left the inner courtyard and rushed to the side hall that Jia Lian often used.

On the way, she bumped into a maid from the east courtyard and called out to her, "Where are you going, sister-in-law?"

When the maid saw that it was Ping'er and looked around to make sure no one was there, she whispered, "When Master heard that the garden was to be renovated, he kept sending people to beg the old lady to lift the confinement order. I heard he even sent someone to plead with the second master."

Ping'er understood immediately and secretly took out a gold bean: "Second Master just gave me this the other day. Auntie, take it as New Year's money and give the children good luck."

These gold beans were worth about a qian (a unit of weight), which is equivalent to about one and a half taels of silver.

"How can this be allowed? How can this be allowed!"

The old woman kept saying no, but she was quick to collect the money.

Once she had passed the old woman, Ping'er quickened her pace, preparing to inform Master Lian of the news as soon as possible.

To their surprise, they bumped into another person near the side hall.

"A precious pearl?"

Seeing that it was Baozhu, Qin Keqing's attendant, Ping'er feigned surprise and asked, "What are you doing here? Do you have something to discuss with our Second Master?"

"N-No!"

Baozhu wasn't sure if Ping'er knew the inside story, so she didn't dare to give her any ammunition. She quickly said, "I'm just passing through on my way to the East Mansion."

This reason is somewhat far-fetched.

But Ping'er didn't intend to expose her, and nodded, saying, "Oh, then you go ahead and do your thing."

After watching Baozhu walk away in a hurry, Ping'er snorted coldly before continuing her journey to the front hall.

Upon arriving at the side hall, Xing'er, who was waiting under the eaves, saw her and quickly said with a smile, "Second Master is receiving guests inside. If you have anything important to say, Sister, I will go in and inform him right away."

"There's no rush."

Ping'er casually asked, "Who is the guest? Why are they here so early in the morning?"

Xing'er answered vaguely, "Hehe, I met him in Yangzhou, Second Master."

"Yangzhou?"

Ping'er, recalling what Wang Xifeng had said last night, whispered, "Is it related to the Second Master's mistress? I heard she's a merchant's daughter and was previously married—how was she divorced?"

"Your sister already knows?"

Xing'er's eyes widened, then she said awkwardly, "Then why don't you just ask Second Master directly? Why are you asking me?"

"good!"

Ping'er put on a stern face: "Then I won't ask anymore. And if you ever anger Second Master again, don't ask me to plead for you!"

"Oh my goodness~"

Xing'er's attitude immediately softened, and she said with a smile, "Sister, what are you saying? Since you already know about this, there's nothing for me to hide."

He immediately recounted the story of Sun Juren and Sheng Shulan, and added, "It was because our Second Master intervened and helped the Sheng family divorce the Sun family that the eldest daughter of the Sheng family took a liking to our Second Master and insisted on bringing a dowry of 100,000 strings of cash to become his concubine."

Ping'er ignored the mention of 100,000 strings of cash and instead pressed, "So, she really can't have children and is being neglected and rejected by her husband?"

"That should be the case."

Ping'er nodded, feeling a little relieved for Feng Jie, and then waited quietly outside the door for the guests to leave.

In the side hall.

The guest Jia Lian was entertaining was none other than his brother-in-law, Sheng Changwu.

Sheng Changwu and his sister Sheng Shulan have settled in the second branch of the Sheng family. Although it is not a separate courtyard, it is close to the side gate, and the gatekeeper has been replaced by a member of the first branch, making it very convenient for them to come and go.

After hearing the arrangement, Jia Lian nodded in satisfaction and said, "Go back and tell your sister that I will go to see her tonight. However, it's not appropriate for me to stay overnight since I just got back. I have to come back around 2:30 in the morning."

"I will definitely pass on the message."

Sheng Changwu said cautiously, "Knowing that you, Second Master, are coming, my sister will definitely be happy."

"Just call him brother-in-law in private."

Jia Lian waved his hand and said to him, "When you leave, take my invitation with you and deliver it to the home of Commander Chen of the Five Cities Garrison. Tell him I'm inviting him to lunch at Fanlou."

If his family asks, just say it's for my upcoming post, and I'll inevitably have to deal with the Five Cities Military Command, so I'm trying to build rapport beforehand.

This was exactly what Sheng Changwu had been thinking about. Upon hearing this, he happily stood up and bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you, brother-in-law!"

Then it dawned on her, and she asked, "Brother-in-law, you've already assigned someone?"

"Hmm~"

Jia Lian said calmly, "His Majesty summoned me to the palace yesterday to give an audience and appointed me as the Commandant of the Imperial City Guard."

Since it was the emperor's word, the matter was set in stone and there was no need to hide it.

Sheng Changwu couldn't quite grasp the significance of the title of Imperial Guard Commandant, but he could understand the meaning behind the emperor personally summoning him to the palace to assign him an official position.

He immediately felt proud and excited, thinking that it was a stroke of genius that his sister was able to marry the young master.

After chatting for another fifteen minutes, Jia Lian asked Xing'er to bring his name card, and only then did he send Sheng Changwu away.

Seeing that the guests had left, Ping'er hurriedly came in and told Wang Xifeng what she meant.

Jia Lian didn't have much of an impression of Lai Shun, but for some reason he always felt a bit disliked him and was even more unwilling to have him work by his side.

So he said, "I'm going to the Imperial City Guard to do some business. When will I have time to take care of the new servant? Isn't the coal yard short of people? Let him work as a junior manager first. If he can't handle it, send him to the estate to find a quiet job."

Ping'er nodded in agreement and then told them about how Jia She had sent people everywhere to plead for the lifting of the confinement order.

Jia Lian wasn't too worried about this.

Before he officially entered officialdom, the old lady was always on his side and put her cheap father in solitary confinement.

Now that he has caught the emperor's eye and is about to take up a post in the crucial Imperial City Guard, it shouldn't be too difficult for him to ask his grandmother to intervene and suppress Jia She for a while longer.

As for Jia Zheng, it's even easier to say. Just make up some reason to intimidate him. Given Jia Zheng's current paranoid mentality, he definitely wouldn't dare to get involved in the affairs of the eldest son's family.