Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 4 A stroke of luck amidst misfortune

Wang Xifeng was right; Jia Lian did indeed come to the study.

Wang Xifeng was undeniably beautiful, but she was too strong-willed and jealous. In this era, few men could handle her.

Clearly, the predecessor was particularly unable to control it.

They've only been married for two years, and they're still in the honeymoon phase. If they're like this in the future, what will they be like then?

Therefore, Wang Xifeng was both clever and not so clever. In this era, when couples are at odds, it is always the woman who suffers in the end.

It's no wonder that as one of the twelve main beauties and the most vividly portrayed woman in the Dream of the Red Chamber, her ending was "too clever by half, and she ruined her own life."

As far as Jia Lian is concerned, Wang Xifeng is a woman who needs to be properly disciplined and her temperament must be curbed. Otherwise, she will definitely be a huge stumbling block in his future work and life, causing unpleasantness from time to time.

But then again, that woman felt really good being carried on my shoulders—slim yet voluptuous…

Sitting on the simple, cool kang (heated brick bed) in the study, Jia Lian shook his head.

She's just a woman after all. We can deal with her later. Right now, the most important thing is to think about how to change her current situation.

First and foremost is his reputation; he'll do everything he can to salvage it, as he doesn't want to become a pariah.

Secondly, of course, it is to improve one's strength and status as soon as possible.

This was a feudal era, where human rights were disregarded. Without power and status, one was at the mercy of others, living a life devoid of dignity.

Moreover, the Jia family faces the crisis of future destruction, and he doesn't want to be unable to do anything when that time comes.

Thinking about what his predecessor left him, apart from his status as the young master of the Duke's mansion, he only had the official position of Assistant Prefect of a Prefecture, which he bought. He didn't have any real power and couldn't earn an imperial title for his wife.

The Jia family, a large clan, had many women with imperial titles, four of whom were from the Ning and Rong mansions alone. Yet, Wang Xifeng, a prominent figure in both mansions, was the only one without one. Perhaps this is why that woman was so presumptuous in front of him.

It can be said that he currently holds no official position or title, and even his status within his family is somewhat awkward.

How can you not feel awkward?

Even his own father was chased away to cool off. How could he, a brat who was beaten and insulted by his father every few days, possibly have any dignity?

He only gained some prestige and influence among the servants after he begged and pleaded to come here to help his second uncle manage the household and control the lives of the ordinary servants.

Taking a deep breath, Jia Lian sensed the difficulty.

In fact, in any era, without special opportunities, it is very difficult to stand out and make a name for oneself.

This is also the main reason why wealthy young men like Jia Lian choose to live a life of luxury and ease. It's not that they don't want to, but that they don't know how.

Although he possesses memories of two lifetimes and has a more advanced perspective and vision, he is not yet capable of emerging from the abyss and soaring into the sky immediately. He also does not have a definite and feasible plan, and everything still needs to be planned slowly.

If one were to become a plagiarist like those time travelers throughout history, gaining fame and position by attracting the attention of powerful figures...

Putting aside whether it's shameful or not, the memories left to him by the guy he transmigrated with are mostly about how to play with women!

When it comes to academics, he was a complete academic failure who got into the Imperial College through connections but ultimately couldn't graduate normally. He was a total good-for-nothing.

How could such a person, suddenly possessed by the God of Literature, produce masterpieces one after another, not arouse suspicion from others?

He himself was completely ignorant of the Four Books and Five Classics and the Eight-Legged Essay, and had no real knowledge or skills. Once he answered questions on the spot, he would definitely be exposed.

In contrast, it would be better to honestly rely on the family's influence to find a reliable official position, focus on building a career in government and the economy.

Just like Jia Zheng, Baoyu's father, who was a winner in life.

By the way, the economy...

Jia Lian suddenly jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed), went behind the largest bookshelf, and pulled out a hidden compartment. Instantly, beams of yellow and white light shone through.

This is all his secret stash of money!

Having been accustomed to wealth and extravagance in the past, and with her finances constrained by her husband, it was truly remarkable that she had managed to save this much.

After carefully counting, it added up to more than two hundred taels of silver.

According to Granny Liu in the original story, twenty taels of silver is enough for an ordinary family to live on for a year, so this small drawer of gold and silver is enough for an ordinary family to live on for ten years!

However, Jia Lian's joy quickly dissipated.

He realized that his meager wealth couldn't even compare to that of a maid in the protagonist Jia Baoyu's room.

In the original story, when Qingwen died, she left behind an estate of three or four hundred taels of silver.

Compared to him, the dignified Second Master Lian looked utterly pathetic.

Perhaps we need to think of ways to make money; otherwise, it's difficult to get things done without money.

The family was indeed wealthy, but it was all in Wang Xifeng's hands. If even a penny was lost, Wang Xifeng would make a fuss about it, and he was too embarrassed to even think about taking the family's money.

After all, most of the money Wang Xifeng had was her dowry from her family, and the rest was money she had painstakingly "saved" over the past two years by taking advantage of the steward's position...

"Bang bang~"

There was a knock at the door. Jia Lian hurriedly grabbed a handful of silver from the drawer, stuffed it into his money bag, then put the drawer back and stepped out.

"Come in."

It was his servant Zhao'er who brought him food.

Generally, after the kitchen prepares the meal, it will be delivered to each master's room.

Having been kicked out by Wang Xifeng, he naturally wouldn't go back for a meal, but not wanting to go hungry, he instructed his servant to fetch food in advance.

As a Duke's mansion, Rongguo Mansion did not practice the virtue of frugality, and its meals were always lavish. In addition, the cooks in the house were quite skilled, so Jia Lian had a hearty meal.

As Zhao'er was cleaning up the leftovers, she was surprised to see her second master taking a book from the bookshelf to look at.

What kind of grievances and blows must Second Master have suffered to be so despondent as to use these trinkets to pass the time?

Indeed, first she was severely beaten by the master, and now she's been kicked out of the house by the second mistress of the Lian family...

After putting down the food box, she moved closer to Jia Lian and whispered, "Master, would you like me to call someone to keep you company?"

Jia Lian raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Aren't you afraid your second mistress will find out and skin you alive?"

The Jia family has hundreds of maids and wives in its two mansions, and there are bound to be some who are easy to handle. Jia Lian has the memories of his previous life, so he knows this very well.

"As long as Master is happy, your servants are not afraid to go through fire and water."

Despite saying this, hesitation still lingered in Zhao'er's eyes. The formidable nature of Second Madam Lian had become well-known among the servants of both households in the past year or two.

But having already spoken, he couldn't betray his loyalty, so he added, "Or perhaps I should call that boy Fu Shun to serve you, sir?"

"Fu Shun?"

"That's Uncle Long's youngest son. Don't let Uncle Long's appearance fool you, Fu Shun is quite handsome and refined. He's just fifteen this year and has been assigned to the second gate. Judging by his appearance, no one has probably tried to seduce him yet, so I'll..."

Zhao'er was still trying her best to promote the product, her flattering manner undisguised, when suddenly everything went black before her eyes. A copy of the "Great Wei Law" hit her head, startling her so much that she trembled and quickly knelt down, looking at Jia Lian in confusion.

Jia Lian was both angry and furious, but at the same time, he was secretly afraid.

Having read classic literature, he naturally understood Zhao'er's meaning. At the same time, he also understood that people in this era mostly regarded homosexuality as a remnant of ancient customs, a refined pursuit, and not something to be ashamed of.

That damned Jia Lian probably got tired of women and wanted to try something different.

Fortunately, these top-quality rabbits are even rarer than beauties, and with the strict discipline of his wife at home, he hasn't even had a chance to try... After carefully searching his memories and confirming that he has not succeeded so far, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he arrived a few years earlier. If he had waited until Qiaojie developed smallpox before he transmigrated, by then it would have been too late, and how would he have faced this broken body?

"Get the hell out of here."

With nowhere to vent their frustrations, their temper naturally turns sour.

Zhao'er felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She quickly picked up the food box and left the room, feeling extremely wronged.

What's wrong with you, Second Master? Didn't you mention last time when you came back from the Marquis of Xiangyang's residence that your family had two outstanding young actresses, and you seemed quite envious? That's why I kept an eye out for them for you. Why are you hitting me instead of getting any credit?

Sigh, Second Master must have suffered too many setbacks today, which is why he's so moody. It's best not to provoke him.

Just as I was about to close the door and leave, I heard a voice from inside say, "Wait at the door for a moment!"

Huh? Second Master has come to a realization again?

After waiting for a while, Jia Lian came out and handed him a heavy package.

Do you know where your sister He Xiang lives?

"Uh, I know..."

"There are two hundred taels of silver inside. Take it over and hand it to your sister He Xiang personally."

Zhao'er opened his mouth, unaware that He Xiang had been kicked out by Wang Xifeng.

She wanted to ask something, but seeing Jia Lian's bad expression, she didn't dare. She only said, "Besides sending silver, did Second Master have anything else for me to take with me?"

Jia Lian shook his head.

What's there to say? He was just doing his best to make amends for the problems left behind by his predecessor.

Shaking his head, Jia Lian turned and went into the house, picking up the books from the floor.

First, familiarize yourself with contemporary politics and laws. Putting everything else aside, at least be a qualified contemporary person.

……

As night fell, Wang Xifeng returned home after finishing her work and asked her maid, "Has Second Master not returned yet?"

"no."

Wang Xifeng then sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) in a huff, sulking.

Ping'er said, "Wang'er's wife said that Second Master has been staying in his study and hasn't gone anywhere. I heard he's been reading..."

Wang Xifeng rolled her eyes: You actually believe that?

Ping'er didn't know what to say and remained silent for a while: "Should we go and invite Second Master back? It would be difficult to answer if Madam and Old Madam asked about it later."

In the two years since they got married, although the second master and second mistress had quarrels from time to time, the second master would at most go to sleep in He Xiang's room when he was angry. This was the first time he had left home to sleep in the study without any reason.

"I'm not going. What am I afraid of? He did something shameful, and now he's angry and expects me to kowtow and apologize to him?"

No matter who he is, even if we talk to the old lady, he will lose face. Why should I take the blame for him?

If he wants to sleep in the study, let him sleep there indefinitely.

Ping'er had no choice but to say, "We must send some bedding to Second Master. Although it's hot outside, it might get chilly at night, and it wouldn't be good if he caught a cold..."

I don't care if he lives or dies.

Just then, someone outside said, "Master Bao and the young ladies have arrived..."

It turned out that it was Jia Lian's sisters and Jia Baoyu who came to visit him after hearing that Jia Lian had been beaten.

These people were the family's precious treasures, and Wang Xifeng dared not slight them, so she hurriedly got up to greet and serve them.

When asked about Jia Lian, he only said it was a minor injury, nothing serious, and that he was currently delayed by something outside.

Jia Baoyu and the others were simply fulfilling their filial duties, and upon hearing that Jia Lian was unharmed, they were not overly concerned. After having a cup of tea, they returned home escorted by their wet nurse and maids.