Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 12 Qingwen's Thoughts

The reason Jia Lian discussed the family property dispute with Wang Xifeng was because he knew that although Wang Xifeng had many flaws, she was a truly intelligent person, and she would not reveal anything to others about matters concerning her own interests.

Therefore, telling her in advance will help reduce the obstacles and troubles that Wang Xifeng will cause him in the future.

After all, no matter how immature Wang Xifeng was, from a purely self-interested perspective, he was unlikely to divorce her.

It must be said that this woman has the right to be arrogant. Not only is she Lady Wang's niece, but after marrying into the family, she also managed to win over Grandmother Jia. In other words, the two most powerful women in the Rongguo Mansion are on her side.

In addition, she was born into the Wang family, and her uncle, Wang Ziteng, was a well-known and powerful figure in the capital.

This environment and background gave her the confidence to be flamboyant.

From this perspective, Jia Lian really can't do anything to her, at least not for now.

Therefore, the only option is to win them over.

However, it's impossible to do business with a self-centered woman like Wang Xifeng on an equal footing, as she might always try to take the initiative!

The only way is to subdue her!

Fortunately, this era has given men natural privileges and advantages.

If he can demonstrate sufficient strength and ability to make Wang Xifeng believe that he can accomplish many things that she herself cannot, and even earn fame, fortune, and status that she could never earn on her own, then it is not impossible for him to submit to him.

Wang Xifeng is currently in a state of great success and self-satisfaction, and what Jia Lian needs to do now is to break her in this state as much as possible. This was the case before when they were in a cold war, and it is the same now that he is revealing his ambitions. Even his hints about Yuan Chun possibly becoming a concubine are all deliberately done by Jia Lian.

When Yuan-chun is eventually made a concubine, proving his words true, Wang Xi-feng will naturally have even greater respect for him. People at the time believed that only extraordinary people could possess extraordinary abilities, and the ability to effectively predict the future was certainly an extraordinary means.

Jia Lian felt that his prophetic abilities might be one of the most effective tools he could use to win over Wang Xifeng.

Wang Xifeng was very dissatisfied with Jia Lian's habit of only saying half of what he meant and deliberately keeping her in suspense.

She pressed him repeatedly, but Jia Lian refused to answer, so she gave up in frustration. Then she looked Jia Lian over carefully again and asked in a low voice, "Are you still the same Second Brother Lian you used to be?"

She and Jia Lian had known each other since childhood; they were childhood sweethearts.

From a young age, she knew that Jia Lian was not a person with great ambitions; she only married him happily because of his appearance and status.

Her many grievances against Jia Lian were nothing more than the result of accumulated feelings over time in her daily life.

Until today, she suddenly realized that she might have been wrong all along, and that she had underestimated her husband.

Jia Lian smiled slightly: "So, you're willing to give me money now? Without money, your man can't even move his hands and feet outside. Let alone making you a mistress in the future, even if you were granted an imperial title, it would be impossible for you to earn it back."

Wang Xifeng smiled, clearly annoyed.

The matter of being a titled lady was also a thorn in her side. She had complained about it to Jia Lian before, and now that he was making fun of it, she felt a little embarrassed.

Although she was feeling dizzy from Jia Lian's actions, she subconsciously felt that she shouldn't go along with his wishes too much.

"A thousand taels is too much, and besides, I don't know if you're just making this up to fool me..."

I'll give you a maximum of five hundred taels.

I'm warning you, you better not lie to me. If I find out you've been using my money to fool around outside, you can forget about getting a single penny from me again!

She still believed Jia Lian's words to some extent.

Although she didn't know why Jia Lian suddenly became ambitious, if it was true, it would be a pleasant surprise for her!

That's why she was willing to take out the money.

She also wanted to try and see if Jia Lian had really turned into a human! Anyway, even if she was deceived, it would only be this once, and it was only five hundred taels of silver, which she could afford to lose.

"Five hundred it is."

It wasn't easy to get money out of Wang Xifeng, so Jia Lian didn't say anything more.

As dawn broke outside, Jia Lian, ignoring Wang Xifeng who was about to put on her clothes, pulled her close and kissed her passionately.

"Go away, you haven't even brushed your teeth yet..."

Wang Xifeng never expected Jia Lian to launch a sneak attack, and quickly pushed him away.

Jia Lian shook his head. This woman just lacked a bit of romance.

He turned and went out, called Ping'er to help him wash up, and then set off for Rongqing Hall.

Jia Lian couldn't help but smile when he recalled Ping'er's blushing face when she saw him.

Being a maid in ancient times was a pitiful experience, especially for someone as close as Ping'er.

You can clearly see and hear it, but you just can't participate. Just thinking about that feeling is agonizing.

When they arrived at Rongqing Hall, Grandmother Jia had not yet gotten up. She had already instructed the old woman not to wait and to get ready and set off immediately.

Jia Lian then bowed towards the door and turned to leave.

As soon as they stepped down the long corridor, they were surprised to see a maid standing at the corner.

With its head drooping and feet twisted, it appeared even more frail in the morning breeze.

Jia Lian paused for only a moment before walking towards her.

It was obvious that this girl had waited for him here on purpose.

Qingwen tried to bolster her courage, but she still couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

Hearing the voice and sensing Jia Lian approaching, her heart pounded even harder.

But after waiting for a while and still not hearing Jia Lian speak, she looked up and immediately met Jia Lian's scrutinizing gaze, her face turning bright red with embarrassment.

Why did you ask the old lady to send me over?

Although it was a fierce voice, it sounded childish and melodious.

Jia Lian, naturally unperturbed, retorted, "What, are you not happy about it?"

"Who told you I was willing? Second Master has a formidable woman like Second Madam Lian in his household, why would he bother with our little girl?"

Once the conversation resumed, Qingwen relaxed considerably and was no longer nervous.

She barely slept all night, just so she could catch Jia Lian this morning and ask him in person.

With so many girls in the mansion, why was she chosen?

Why did they reject three first-class maids and specifically ask for her?

They were complete strangers, they'd never even spoken a word to each other...

Seeing Qingwen's serious expression, Jia Lian finally couldn't help but laugh. He reached out and grabbed her delicate chin, saying, "What are you going to do? Of course, you'll be my concubine, warming my bed every day."

"Pah! Shameless..."

Qingwen's face turned blood red, and she hurriedly stepped back.

She hadn't expected Jia Lian to be so blunt, and for a moment she was speechless, only able to glare at him angrily.

Jia Lian then laughed and said, "I have important business to attend to right now, so there's no use in you being in a hurry. If you want to come in, we'll talk about it when I get back from Yangzhou."

He then made a move to leave.

Seeing this, Qingwen became very anxious and quickly stepped forward to stop her, almost scolding, "Stop dreaming! Who wants to come in? Who wants to be your concubine?"

I'm telling you, when the old lady wakes up, I'll go to her and beg her to let you choose someone else. I'm definitely not going to your room!

Jia Lian's face darkened as he looked down at Qingwen and approached her.

"Are you really unwilling?"

Facing Jia Lian, who was much taller than her, Qingwen seemed somewhat intimidated. However, her inherent courage allowed her to hold her head high, showing no sign of weakness.

Jia Lian looked around to make sure no one was there, then suddenly bent down and scooped Qingwen up in his arms, laughing, "You dare speak to me like that? Believe me, I'll take your body right now, and see how you'll plead with the old lady then!"

The little girl is very light and gentle, but she looks very fierce.

She was already struggling when Jia Lian picked her up, and when she heard Jia Lian's words, she was even more terrified and let out a scream. Her claws then began to swing wildly and without any regard for technique.

Ultimately, Jia Lian was afraid that she would scratch his face, and he was also afraid that the passing servants would see it, so he had no choice but to let her go.

As soon as Qingwen was free, she ran away in a panic. After making sure she was safe, she turned around and spat at Jia Lian.

Seemingly afraid that Jia Lian would catch up, he immediately ran away in one direction like the wind.

Jia Lian shook his head on the spot, not taking this incident to heart.

With Grandmother Jia's approval, he was not afraid that Qingwen could escape his grasp.

No matter how kind Grandmother Jia was, she would never allow a young maid to bargain with her. Qingwen would not be foolish enough to actually go to Grandmother Jia and ask her to give her another maid.

Furthermore, if Qingwen truly loathed him and had no desire to serve him, she wouldn't have deliberately waited for him here early in the morning to "express her feelings." Instead, she should have gone directly to plead with Grandmother Jia.

The little girl's thoughts are indeed quite interesting.

Thinking of this, Jia Lian couldn't help but take another look at his own figure.

It has to be said that this body's handsome appearance and high looks have brought him a lot of convenience.

No wonder Wang Xifeng was so worried about him; even a young girl like him could be captivated by him, let alone those ravenous young women...

He started humming a little tune and walked forward. After a few steps, he noticed a maid standing behind a large flowerpot, looking at him awkwardly. After hesitating for a moment, he stepped forward and greeted her, "Second Master Lian..."

She turned out to be "Madam Hua," who would remain Jia Baoyu's chief maid for many years to come.

But at this moment, she's just a little girl who's not much older than Qingwen.

However, perhaps because she had always been raised in the Jia family, she seemed to have developed much better than Qingwen...

They didn't ask her why she was there; she must have just happened to bump into her, or she must have seen Qingwen sneaking around and following them. In any case, it didn't matter.

Jia Lian nodded casually to him and then left.

……

Note: It's strange, since there are toothbrushes in Dream of the Red Chamber, why do they all say "wipe teeth" instead of "brush teeth"?