Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 73 The Jia Family's Anxiety

On Ningrong Street, Jia Zheng rushed into the east courtyard and ordered the servants, "Quickly go and call your master out!"

The servants all knew that Jia Zheng rarely set foot in the east wing, and seeing that he looked unwell, they panicked and rushed in to announce his arrival.

A moment later, Jia She strolled out and saw Jia Zheng pacing in front of the hall. He adjusted his loosely worn jade crown, walked up to him, and asked, "What happened? Why are you in such a hurry to see me?"

As soon as Jia Zheng saw Jia She, he immediately said, "Brother, something has happened to Lian'er!"

Jia She asked, "What could have happened to that little brat? Did he get drunk and get beaten up?"

"No, he hit someone..."

Jia She was even less concerned and said with dissatisfaction, "So what if he hit me? When have we ever been afraid of such things? You're getting more and more impatient as you get older. You're telling me this as a big deal. No matter who he hit, he'll only have to pay a few taels of silver."

"No, Lian'er hit Prince Duan's heir!"

Jia She was fiddling with his ever-loose jade crown when he heard this. He stumbled, almost falling, and quickly grabbed the railing beside him, asking in surprise, "Who did you say he hit?"

"He is the heir of Prince Duan. I heard it from someone sent by a colleague in the department. They said that Lian'er has been summoned to the palace by the Emperor, but I don't know the situation inside. What do you think we should do..."

Jia Zheng seemed somewhat anxious.

Prince Duan was of such noble status that Jia Lian beat his son, who was also a prince. This was no small matter.

Jia She's expression had long since changed from nonchalant to pale. "Are you sure you're not mistaken? That little beast, how dare he do such a heinous thing?"

Having asked a seemingly casual question, Jia She realized Jia Zheng wasn't joking. Completely flustered, he stamped his feet repeatedly, lamenting, "What am I going to do? I knew he was a troublemaker, I should have killed him long ago! Now I've gotten myself into this mess..."

The two brothers, one holding an official position and the other a noble title, were both around fifty years old. Yet, when faced with even slightly significant matters, they were like headless flies.

Jia Zheng said, "The deed is done, there's no point in talking about it now. The important thing is to think about how to rescue Lian'er and how to handle the aftermath."

Upon hearing this, Jia She immediately became furious. "Save him? This kind of wicked beast should just die! Let's think about how to appease Prince Duan's anger..."

"Someone, quickly send someone to inquire, and once you've found out, return immediately!"

Jia Zheng had no better options, so he sent people to inquire about the specifics from old friends and acquaintances who were on duty in the palace that day...

Unlike the east courtyard, Rongqing Hall was filled with joy today.

Although Wang Xifeng thought Jia Lian was overthinking things, she couldn't help but ask a doctor to take a look, and the result made her overjoyed.

She is really pregnant!

If you calculate the timeline, it really was around the time Jia Lian returned that she conceived...

Grandmother Jia was also very happy. She leaned back in her high chair and smiled at Wang Xifeng, saying, "You've been married for two years now, and your belly is finally showing some signs of pregnancy. In that case, I'm much more relieved. Firstly, Lian'er is pregnant, and secondly, you don't have to worry about those petty people talking about you behind your back anymore."

Upon hearing Grandmother Jia's words, Wang Xifeng felt a pang of sadness.

Being a steward is a job that offends people. The servants resent her, and they bring up the fact that she hasn't conceived yet, saying that she has done too many mean things and that God is punishing her for not being able to give birth to a son!

She put a lot of effort into this.

Now, we can finally hold our heads high.

"This is all thanks to the blessings of our ancestors..."

As soon as Wang Xifeng finished speaking her usual opening line, Grandmother Jia waved her hand to interrupt her: "I wouldn't mind if you said that at other times, but not today. Your pregnancy isn't thanks to me; you should really thank your Lian Er."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

The servants in Grandmother Jia's room burst into laughter upon hearing this. Yingchun, Daiyu, and the other young ladies, though also laughing at Wang Xifeng, still blushed slightly, their expressions ambiguous.

They could probably also sense something unusual about what Grandmother Jia was saying.

"Grandmother~!" Wang Xifeng blushed with embarrassment for once and called out in a slightly coquettish tone.

"Hahaha." Grandmother Jia held Daiyu's hand and chuckled.

Of everyone present, only Madam Wang remained expressionless, her face bearing a half-smile. But no one paid her any attention; in their eyes, Madam Wang had always been like this, unsmiling and stern.

Suddenly, Lin Zhixiao's wife walked up to Madam Wang and whispered something in her ear.

"What...!"

Madam Wang was startled and couldn't help but stand up.

Grandmother Jia then asked what was wrong.

After thinking for a moment, Madam Wang did not hide anything: "Reporting to the old lady, people outside are saying that Lian'er beat up the Prince Duan's heir while he was out there."

"ah……?"

A gasp suddenly rang out in the hall, it was unclear whether it came more from the servants or the masters.

Grandmother Jia's brows furrowed, her previous kind smile vanished, and she looked at Lin Zhixiao's wife, saying, "What exactly happened? Explain yourself clearly!"

"People outside say that Second Master Lian went to the capital today to attend a prince's banquet, but during the banquet, he beat up the heir of the Prince Duan's mansion."

"Now that Second Master Lian has been summoned to the palace, the First Master and the Master are both outside, extremely anxious..."

"Oh, he was summoned to the palace by the emperor. Will he be in trouble?"

Wang Xifeng's expression had already changed drastically, and now she seized the opportunity to press Lin Zhixiao's wife for answers.

Lin Zhixiao's wife said with difficulty, "How would this servant know? But the master and master are both out trying to find a solution."

Wang Xifeng's face was filled with anxiety, showing no trace of the joy she had felt when she learned of her pregnancy. Seeing that Lin Zhixiao's wife was useless, she turned to look at Grandmother Jia: "Grandmother..."

In Wang Xifeng's heart, the person with the highest status and the most ability was probably Grandmother Jia.

Therefore, when she heard that Jia Lian was in trouble, her first thought was to ask Grandmother Jia for help...

Grandmother Jia naturally understood her meaning, but if the emperor really wanted to deal with Jia Lian, who could save him?

However, seeing her pitiful appearance, she comforted her, "Alright, we haven't found out the details yet, so don't worry."

Then he asked Lin Zhixiao's wife, "What exactly caused the fight? How badly were the other party injured?"

"This, this servant doesn't know..."

Grandmother Jia said displeasedly, "Then why don't you go and call your master in to give an answer!"

Lin Zhixiao's wife had no choice but to accept the order and go.

Below the hall, Xichun held Yingchun's hand tightly, her little face tense.

She didn't quite understand what serious crime Lian Er had committed by beating the Prince of Duan's heir. In her mind, it wasn't unusual for her brothers and nephews in the clan to fight outside.

But seeing everyone's tense and worried expressions, Xichun knew that this time, things seemed different...

……

On the main road of the imperial city, Jia Lian sat in his carriage, still recalling the scene when he met Emperor Ningkang.

Before even meeting Emperor Ningkang, he had learned from various sources that Emperor Ningkang was a diligent and ambitious emperor...

This is probably how most newly enthroned emperors are.

Seeing it with my own eyes now makes the feeling even stronger and more direct.

He could sense that Emperor Ningkang was a very powerful person with a strong desire for control, and that he would go to great lengths to investigate someone as insignificant as him...

Fortunately, it seems that Emperor Ningkang does not have any prejudice against him and even intends to cultivate him.

Lin Ruhai likely played a key role in this.

Thinking of Lin Ruhai, Jia Lian couldn't help but feel gratitude and respect.

He treated the Lin family with sincerity, and Lin Ruhai reciprocated with the same sincerity, using his unique favor to pave a smooth path for him. Moreover, he helped him quietly, without Lin Ruhai even knowing beforehand.

Therefore, Jia Lian risked offending the emperor by telling him the truth about Lin Ruhai's poor health.

Wang Ziteng is about to leave the capital, so according to the plot, it won't be long before Lin Ruhai donates his mansion in Yangzhou.

Hopefully, the emperor will take his words to heart and transfer Lin Ruhai away from the demanding salt administration so he can recuperate properly. Perhaps then Lin Ruhai can live a few more years.

This was also the only thing Jia Lian could think of that he could do for Lin Ruhai and Daiyu.

The three carriages returned together as they had gone, without encountering any interceptors along the way.

Once outside the imperial city, several servants from the Jia family saw Jia Lian's carriage and immediately surrounded it.

"Second Master, the Master told us to wait here. When we see you, Second Master, tell him to go back immediately."

Zhang and Feng lifted the carriage curtain and, seeing this, knew that the Jia family had heard the news and were worried. They told Jia Lian not to pay attention to them and to just continue on his way.

Jia Lian clasped his hands in a respectful greeting to them and hurried home.