The Splendor of the Red Chamber

The Prince of Nan'an's Mansion.

The Princess Consort of Nan'an had been feeling troubled lately. One day, she heard from her maid that the winter plum blossoms in the back garden had bloomed ahead of schedule, so she decided to go to the garden to clear her mind.

Strolling among the winter plum blossoms in a corner of the garden, she felt no sense of relaxation whatsoever; instead, looking at the high wall not far away, she felt inexplicably desolate and irritable.

After a while, she stopped, picked a plum blossom, placed it in her palm, and wrote with feeling: "Light frost congeals on the cold petals, the secluded dwelling is untouched by dust; I cherish my beautiful color, too lazy to wait for the flower seeker."

This poem expresses a sense of self-admiration, but the last line, "too lazy to wait for the flower seeker," seems a bit contrived.

At this moment, a maidservant hurried over, curtsied, and said, "Your Highness, the Second Master Jia from the Rongguo Mansion has arrived again."

Upon hearing that Jia Lian had arrived, the Princess Dowager of Nan'an frowned and pressed, "Where is the Marquis? Didn't he come with Jia Lian?"

She had her son stay at the royal tomb every day to oversee things. Logically speaking, even if her son couldn't make decisions on something, she wouldn't have asked Jia Lian to visit his widowed mother alone.

"My lord..."

The maid hesitated and dared not answer.

The Dowager Princess immediately understood what was going on and pressed, "Did you go to the Prince of Bei Jing's residence, or some other shady place?"

"They went to the Prince of Bei Jing's residence."

Upon hearing this predictable answer, the Princess Dowager of Nan'an couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

The Dowager Consort could certainly understand her son's dislike for his husband, but as the Marquis of Nan'an and the master of the Nan'an Prince's Mansion, he should not and could no longer act like a willful child.

Not to mention, this was during a critical period when the fate of the nation was hanging in the balance.

After regaining her composure, the Princess Dowager of Nan'an instructed, "Send someone to invite the Marquis back—have Commandant Jia wait in the flower hall, and tell him that as a widow, it is inconvenient for me to receive guests alone."

If her son could handle the situation, she wouldn't need to meet with other men at all.

After making the arrangements, the Dowager Consort went to the inner quarters to change her clothes. While waiting for her son to return, she pondered Jia Lian's intentions.

The first two times Jia Lian came by summons, but this time he came on his own initiative, so there must be something important to discuss.

Could there be a major breakthrough in the case?

Just then, her personal maid rushed in, flustered: "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! Our Marquis is fighting with Jia Lian!"

"What?!"

The Empress Dowager was taken aback and hurriedly asked, "What happened? Why did they suddenly start fighting?!"

"This servant doesn't know either. I heard that the Marquis had just returned to the manor and exchanged a few words with Jia Lian when he suddenly got angry and started fighting with him."

Could it be that Jia Lian said something unpleasant?

Influenced by Prince Bei Jing, the son harbored hostility towards Jia Lian. If Jia Lian's words were wrong, it wouldn't be surprising if they came to blows.

The Dowager Consort hurriedly lifted her skirt and rushed to the front courtyard. When she reached the vicinity of the flower hall, she heard the Marquis of Nan'an shouting inside, "Release me! You traitor, release me at once!"

Hearing that her son's voice was strong and didn't seem to be injured, the Empress Dowager felt a little relieved, but she didn't slow down at all.

He hurriedly stepped across the threshold and saw a dozen servants gathered in a circle. In the middle, Jia Lian was sitting properly in a chair, while his own son was kneeling on the ground with his back to Jia Lian.

Beside his son lay two servants, groaning in pain.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out that Jia Lian had used one hand to hold both of the Marquis of Nan'an's wrists, and then used his toes to press down on the back of the Marquis's left knee, forcing the Marquis of Nan'an to kneel there and unable to move.

"stop!"

Upon seeing this, the Dowager Princess raised her eyebrows and sternly rebuked him, "How dare you, Jia Lian, behave so presumptuously in the Prince's residence?!"

When Jia Lian saw the Dowager Consort enter, he immediately relaxed his grip.

The Marquis of Nan'an, who was struggling, was caught off guard and almost fell flat on his face.

He scrambled to his feet, still seething with shame and anger, and lunged at Jia Lian again.

The Dowager Consort quickly stepped between the two, scolding, "You wretched creatures, stop right now!"

Then, she glared at Jia Lian and said, "Captain Jia, if you don't give me a reasonable explanation, I'll take this case to the palace and demand justice!"

Jia Lian wanted to return the greeting with a cupped-hand salute, but since they were too close, bowing would have been impolite.

So he spread his hands and said, "I also want to know what happened. I just said it would be best to wait for the Empress Dowager to arrive before explaining the situation. But the young marquis pounced on me and wanted to fight."

It seems that the Imperial Concubine has changed her cosmetics again; the scent is completely different from the last time.

It's normal for women to change their cosmetics, but it's a bit abnormal for a widow to change hers every few days—at least Li Wan never did that.

Could it be that this dignified, elegant, and noble-looking Imperial Concubine is actually...

When the Princess Consort of Nan'an heard Jia Lian's explanation, she was taken aback and turned to ask her son what had happened.

"Hmph~"

The Marquis of Nan'an tilted his head, stiffening his neck, and said, "He's a man from out of town coming to see my mother. What's wrong with me beating him up if I can't stand it?!"

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

The Princess Consort of Nan'an was so angry that she wanted to slap her son.

Even if you don't directly refute Jia Lian's statement, don't bring up matters of love and sex.

The Prince of Nan'an's Mansion already has a poor reputation in this regard, and if any more rumors spread...

Thinking of this, the Dowager Consort quickly took two steps back and bowed deeply to Jia Lian, saying, "This child has been unable to control his temper lately because of the theft of the royal tombs. I beg you, Commandant Jia, to consider the friendship between our two families and the memory of my late husband, not to hold it against him."

"Mother!"

Before Jia Lian could say anything, the Marquis of Nan'an objected, jumping up and down, saying, "I'm the one who's clearly at a disadvantage, he..."

"Shut up!"

The Empress Dowager scolded, "Captain Jia's martial arts skills are renowned throughout the capital. You've brought this upon yourself, so who can you blame but yourself? Apologize to Captain Jia at once!"

At this point, the Dowager Consort was somewhat exasperated. You know Jia Lian defeated Liang Han and Zheng Xiao, right? Even if you want to deal with him, you should find a different way, even if it's just putting laxatives in his tea.

But this foolish son only knows how to overestimate himself and rush headlong into the flame like a moth to a flame.

"No way!"

When the Marquis of Nan'an got a childish temper, he simply turned around and ran away.

"Lan'er, Lan'er!"

The Empress Dowager called out twice, but seeing that her son didn't turn around, she stomped her feet several times in anger, causing her robes to tremble violently.

However, as soon as she turned to face Jia Lian, she regained her solemn demeanor.

She first ordered her servants to drag away the two injured men who had fallen to the ground, then apologized to Jia Lian a couple of times, before sitting down in the main seat and casually changing the subject, asking, "I wonder what brings Captain Jia here? Has there been any progress in the case?"

"Well, actually I was asked to deliver a message..."

Jia Lian repeated his conversation with Qiu Jing without changing a single word, and then said, "Whether or not to agree is entirely up to Her Highness the Dowager. I will convey Her Highness's wishes to Prefect Qiu."

In fact, Liu Bangchang was also involved, but as a member of the Imperial City Guard, why wouldn't Jia Lian be happy to shift the blame onto Qiu Jing?

"Well done, Qiu Jing!"

After hearing this, the Princess Consort of Nan'an gritted her teeth in hatred. After hesitating for a long time, she waved her hand and dismissed her attendants. Even if people would gossip, she had to find out the truth first.

"Captain Jia."

Once only the two of them remained in the room, the Dowager Consort of Nan'an demanded sharply, "This isn't what we agreed on before. Shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

"I don't understand what Your Majesty is saying."

Jia Lian calmly replied, "Prefect Qiu is offering to help arrange Consort Li's funeral because he fears that her body will not rest in peace if it remains in state for too long. If Your Highness is unwilling, you may simply refuse. What does it have to do with me?"

The Princess Dowager of Nan'an met his gaze for a moment, then said, word by word, "Then I will refuse this matter!"

"Your subordinate obeys."

Jia Lian immediately got up to take his leave.

"return!"

Seeing him walk out without hesitation, the Dowager Princess subconsciously called him back. She stared at Jia Lian for a moment, her expression shifting between anger and uncertainty, before changing her tone: "The funeral for Consort Li has been postponed again and again, all because of your incompetence in handling the case. How can you use this as a bargaining chip now?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian knew there was room for discussion.

So she cupped her hands and said, "If the Prince's residence has any other needs, please let the Dowager Princess know, and I will convey them to Qiu..."

The Dowager Princess interrupted rudely, saying, "That man surnamed Qiu is not worthy to bargain with me. I'm negotiating terms with you!"

Although Qiu Jing's official rank was far higher than Jia Lian's, it was insignificant in the eyes of the Princess of Nan'an. On the contrary, Jia Lian was connected to the Rongguo Mansion on one end and Grand Commandant Wang on the other, giving him more leverage to negotiate.

"That……"

Without hesitation, Jia Lian straightened his back and said, "Then this humble official will go and refuse on behalf of Your Highness."

After saying that, he turned and left, not even turning back when he heard the Empress Dowager calling after him.

Are you kidding me? He's not in charge of the case, why would he sacrifice his personal and family interests for the benefit of the government?