Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 2 First-Class Divine Might General

Inside the small study, Jia She sat at a dark sandalwood table, admiring and playing with a Ru ware teapot in his hand.

He was dressed in a magnificent robe and wore a long black crown with a jade hairpin on his head, giving him a rather imposing appearance.

However, his hunched back, graying beard and sideburns, and empty, listless eyes all revealed his frail, old physique, a result of being corrupted by wine and women, and outwardly strong but inwardly weak.

He was the hereditary Duke of Rongguo and a first-class general of divine might, as well as the owner of the East Wing of the Rongguo Mansion.

What he held in his hand was the treasure he had just bought for three hundred taels of silver.

Three hundred taels of silver would be enough for a commoner's family to live on for ten years. But it was nothing to Jia She. He bought the porcelain pot without hesitation simply because he heard that it was a relic from the previous dynasty and had an inscription by a scholar who had achieved the third rank in the imperial examinations.

Before he could figure out what was wrong, he heard someone running loudly in the outer corridor. Just as he was about to reprimand them, he saw the steward rush to the door in a panic, panting, "Master, Master Lian! Master Lian is coming towards the study..."

Jia She roared in fury: "So, this little beast dares to come see me... Huh? What's the panic?"

"Second Master, Second Master is carrying a sword!"

Jia She asked in surprise, "What sword?"

"It's just that... someone saw Second Master Lian come out of his room with his sword in his hand, and immediately came to tell me, so I rushed to tell Master."

The butler stammered in response, his face betraying his fear and worry.

In the morning, Master Lian had been severely beaten by the master and nearly lost his life. He had just woken up when he came to find the master with a sword in hand. Moreover, it is said that Master Lian's "face was gloomy and he looked very frightening."

Lian Erye's unusually violent outburst made it easy for him to think of bad things.

"Alright, I'd like to see what this rebellious little beast is up to!" What the steward could think of, Jia She could naturally think of as well.

Although he didn't believe Jia Lian had the audacity to lay a hand on him, he couldn't suppress his fear and hurriedly shouted at the steward, "What are you still standing there for? Go and call someone!"

The butler accepted the order and turned to leave, but then hesitated and stopped.

Jia She felt a sudden tremor in his heart. Following the steward's gaze, he indeed saw a faint figure slowly moving through the paper window and finally appearing at the doorway.

Who else could it be but that rebellious little beast? And in his hand, he was actually holding a gleaming sword!

"Second Master Lian, you..." The butler took a step towards the door, trying to stop and advise him.

"roll!"

The cold rebuke and the seemingly trembling sword made the butler immediately step back, his words abruptly cut off.

His old arms and legs were no match for the young and vigorous Second Master Lian's sword. Besides, the other party was his master; if he were to be killed, it would be a pointless death.

"You beast, do you intend to kill your father?"

The steward stepped back, and there was no one else in the room. Jia She's voice trembled as he watched Jia Lian walk in with his head down and without saying a word.

Perhaps stunned by his shout, Jia Lian finally raised his head.

He glanced first at Jia She, who had moved behind his chair and was staring at him warily, but said nothing and remained expressionless. Then, his gaze fell upon Jia She's study.

Calling it a study might not be accurate, because the bookshelves here, apart from a few scattered, forlorn books, are filled with all sorts of trinkets and treasures, polished to a gleaming shine.

Beneath the bookshelves, rows of large wooden chests were arranged, locked with brass locks. Jia Lian knew that they were filled with treasures collected by Jia She over the years.

Therefore, this place is both Jia She's study and his "treasure trove".

It must be said that compared to this place, the furnishings in Jia Lian's room seemed shabby. No wonder "he" had tried countless times to sneak in and steal a few treasures to exchange for money.

Of course, in the end, they all didn't dare to actually take action because they were afraid of the old man's tyranny.

He chuckled inwardly, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Jia She's expression was filled with rage, almost bursting with barely suppressed anger. Outside, in the corridor, numerous footsteps echoed, clearly indicating that a large group of people had arrived upon hearing the news.

Knowing the time was ripe, Jia Lian didn't hesitate for a moment. He knelt on the floor with a thud, raised his sword above his head with both hands, and shouted, "Your son has committed a grave error and has come here to beg Your Excellency to grant me death!"

His actions stunned not only the maids and servants crowding at the door, but also Madam Xing, who rushed over to reprimand Jia Lian.

Jia She suddenly seemed to understand something. The anger on his face lessened slightly. He took a step forward and coldly snorted, "You wicked beast! I didn't kill you just now, but you've become smug and are now making this kind of performance!"

Seeing that Jia Lian hadn't truly come to "avenge his grudges," Madam Xing breathed a sigh of relief. She went inside and said a few words to Jia She to calm his anger, then turned to Jia Lian and said, "Lian Er, get up too. What are you doing in broad daylight?"

"If you have something to say, just talk to the master properly. Don't talk about life and death. You are the master's only son. Why can't you talk things out properly? Why does it have to come to this?"

Jia Lian looked up at the sound, his face full of sorrow, and his handsome, bright eyes were also filled with tears.

He stared at Jia She in front of him and said in a sorrowful voice, "I know I was wrong, but I beg you, sir, to calm your anger. I am willing to die."

On the surface, he appeared filled with remorse and grief, but in reality, Jia Lian was thinking about what Madam Xing had said.

Jia She clearly had another son, his adopted younger brother, named Cong. How could he be described as Jia She's only son by Madam Xing?

Then Jia Lian began to understand that in Madam Xing's heart, although she was a second wife, she was still considered Jia She's legal wife. Therefore, Madam Xing felt that Jia She, herself, and the men born to the original wife were the true masters of this courtyard.

She didn't care about anyone else, including Jia Cong, who was raised by a concubine.

Although there are ways of the world to follow, such erroneous and biased words, which are laughable, should not have come from the mouth of the wife of the head of the household.

No wonder Madam Xing, despite her noble status as a first-rank imperial consort, was treated like a concubine in the original story, hated by everyone.

But this is good, because such people are easier to deal with. In other words, as long as he can get rid of Jia She in this east courtyard, everything will be fine.

Jia She hadn't expected Jia Lian to suddenly have such guts, daring to actually draw his sword and demand his execution.

Judging from his appearance, he didn't seem to be faking it, so he didn't immediately think of killing him, but he was still angry.

Seeing the mocking faces of the people gathered at the entrance, I instinctively felt like I was being ridiculed, and suddenly my anger found an outlet.

"Get out of here, all of you! What are you doing blocking the way?!"

The angry teapot shattered at the doorway, and the servants, concubines, and maids scattered in terror.

With no one else around, Jia She had no more scruples and glared at Jia Lian again: "You scoundrel, doing such a beastly thing! I really wish I could do as you wish and kill you with my sword, so that you, this rebellious and immoral creature, wouldn't live in this world and defile our ancestors!"

Faced with Jia She's insults, Jia Lian thought to himself, "When it comes to defiling our ancestors, who can compare to you...?" But he dared not show it on his face, and only lowered his head and said, "I know I was wrong, please calm down, sir."

Madam Xing was most afraid of further trouble in the family, so when she saw that things were calming down, she tried to reconcile them again.

Jia She could no longer maintain his composure, so he cursed a couple more times and then scolded, "What are you still doing here? Go back over there! Remember this: from now on, unless I summon you, you don't need to come back, not even to pay your respects, lest I get angry."

Upon hearing Jia She's words, Jia Lian knew that he had achieved his goal.

This was a last resort for him.

In this world, Lao Tzu is the law, he is heaven!

To defy Heaven is far too risky; in fact, given his current position, rebelling against Jia She would be tantamount to courting death!

Therefore, faced with Jia She's anger, his only option was to quell it.

That's why they staged this preemptive strike, a desperate tactic to survive.

Fortunately, the outcome was acceptable, and he no longer needed to consider whether to abandon his sword and flee, or to fight back with his sword and then escape, opting for a near-death experience.

"Aren't you going to get lost?"

Jia She was in a bad mood. Seeing that Jia Lian had put down his sword and was still not leaving, he shouted again.

Jia Lian hesitated repeatedly, then knelt down again and pleaded, "I know my sins are grave and I deserve to die. I may die, but my body, my hair, everything on me is a gift from you, Master. Now, not only have I failed to repay your kindness in raising me, but if my mistakes were to tarnish your reputation, even in death, I would be truly uneasy..."

Although Jia Lian spoke subtly, he believed that both Jia She and Madam Xing would understand.

Indeed, if word gets out about what happened today, he will be utterly disgraced.

But wasn't it the same for Jia She?

Even worse, he was just a young master from the Duke's mansion. If he caused such a mess, he could simply stay home and let others laugh it off.

But for Jia She, it was a terrible situation.

He inherited his ancestral title and held the rank of first-grade official, so even when he entered the court to listen to government affairs, he was always among the first to arrive.

The more noble a person is, the more they care about their reputation. He didn't believe that Jia She would be happy to let outsiders, or even his colleagues in the court, point fingers at him.

Sure enough, Jia She's chest heaved several times after hearing his words.

Suddenly, he grabbed the jade-white teacup in front of him and smashed it hard against Jia Lian's head.

Even though Jia Lian was on guard and dodged immediately, the teacup still landed on his shoulder.

The intense pain made Jia Lian quickly lower his head, trying not to let the two people in the room see the coldness in his eyes.

Indeed, only by personally experiencing such oppression and humiliation can one truly understand the original owner's anger and resentment.

No one will retain any fatherly affection when faced with a father who beats and scolds them at the drop of a hat, showing no regard for their dignity or life and death.

In the original owner's heart, she had long wished for the old man to die as soon as possible...

That's good, it suits his wishes, and he won't have to worry about so many things in the future.

"You damned beast, how dare you say that? You've completely disgraced our ancestors!"

Jia She continued to curse and rant, glancing around the table.

Fortunately, apart from the old porcelain teapot he had just bought and was reluctant to throw away, there was nothing else of value on the table.

Seeing Jia She's renewed anger, Madam Xing quickly advised, "Even if Lian'er was wrong, Master has already punished him, and Lian'er himself has admitted his mistake. As the saying goes, family scandals should not be aired in public. The best course of action now is to find a way to prevent today's events from getting out."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

Compared to dealing with Jia Lian, Jia She clearly cared more about his own reputation.

Madam Xing was already lacking in talent, and when asked this question, she stammered for a long time and was unable to answer, so the scene fell silent for a moment.

"I have no intention of offending you, but only for your reputation. When we get back, if Feng asks about my injuries, I will say that I accidentally broke the precious amethyst and jade bottle that you have kept in your study for many years. You were angry and hit me twice." Jia Lian raised his head, his expression calm.

Upon hearing this, Jia She and Madam Xing both subconsciously looked towards the corner, where a small but incredibly rare jade vase stood, and understood Jia Lian's meaning.

Indeed, after calming Jia She's anger, Jia Lian was not in a hurry to leave.

He also wanted to salvage his reputation.

There are always many disputes in wealthy and powerful families, and much of it is based on rumors and speculation.

Therefore, as long as Jia She stops pursuing him and is even willing to cover for him, he can cover up today's events to the greatest extent possible.

The disturbance that has occurred in the east courtyard today has surely been heard by many in both mansions. They must provide a reasonable explanation.

Whether you believe it or not, I don't know, and anyway, no one will come to verify it.

As for whether Jia She would be willing to cover for him, Jia Lian believed that Jia She would agree for the sake of his own reputation.

As expected, although Jia She became angrier the more he thought about it, he eventually acquiesced to Jia Lian's statement. However, he became increasingly hostile towards Jia Lian, giving him a long and stern scolding.

Despite this, Jia Lian was not angry at all. He humbly accepted the insults and waited until Jia She had run out of steam before taking his leave.

……

Seeing that things had calmed down and there was no one else in the room, Madam Xing said to Jia She, "Master, Concubine Mei is unfaithful to you and even dares to seduce Lian'er. This shameless woman will only cause trouble sooner or later. It's better to get rid of her as soon as possible, or even kill her..."

Jia She said, "I already asked her, and it was that beast Lian'er who coerced her."

"But……"

"Alright, after something like this just happened, you're going to just send her away like that? Won't that be obvious to everyone? What about my reputation?"

Madam Xing was disappointed, but dared not say anything more. She turned to look at the jade vase and said, "Master, if what Lian'er said is true, it is probably not appropriate to leave this vase here any longer, lest people become suspicious. It would be a pity to smash it for nothing. Why not give it to me? I will have someone secretly take it out and exchange it for some silver."

Although Jia She was reluctant, he had no choice but to comply for the sake of his own reputation.

Madam Xing then beamed with joy.

Today wasn't a complete waste of time. Although she had to hand over the silver she received to Jia She, there were still some benefits to it after it passed through her hands.