Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 56 Petition

Inside the hall, Zhang Songzheng, a senior official in the Ministry of War, was receiving his colleagues who had come to offer their birthday wishes.

Upon seeing her son enter, she immediately knew something was amiss, so she apologized to the others and went to the back room.

Zhang Su followed closely behind and reported Jia Lian's uninvited arrival to Zhang Song.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Song frowned deeply.

Of course, the people most angry about what happened back then were the eldest brother and the father. As an official of the imperial court, he and Jia Zheng saw each other all the time. In fact, he also wanted to ease the relationship between the two families, but there was never an opportunity.

Of course, this doesn't mean he could forgive Jia She; it just means he didn't want to completely destroy the Jia family.

Moreover, the fact that his nephew came in person to wish the old man a happy birthday shows his thoughtfulness.

However, he dared not make the decision on his own. After thinking for a while, he instructed his son to keep watch outside while he went to the inner courtyard to ask the old man for his opinion.

Only if the old man is no longer angry can he meet with his nephew and fulfill his blood ties.

Inside the Zhang family mansion, in a martial arts training ground of moderate size, an old man with a full head of white hair but vigorous spirit, wearing only very thin clothes, was practicing slow boxing.

He was Zhang Changling, the Earl of Linzi.

Although the old man was old, he was still unwilling to admit defeat. He was unwilling to accept that the court had left him idle at home, so he continued to practice archery and horsemanship, hoping that he could come out of retirement and show his prowess again if the court encountered any major events in the future.

Zhang Song didn't dare to disturb the old man at this moment, and only went up to tell him what had happened after the old man finished his set of punches.

"What kind of damn grandson? I won't see him! You little brat, why didn't you come to celebrate his birthday earlier? You've been waiting all these years, you're heartless. You're not allowed to see him, and you're not allowed to see him either. Just give him a meal, and then get rid of him as soon as he's done!"

The old man, who had been quite calm, suddenly became agitated after hearing Zhang Song's words.

Zhang Song said helplessly, "He was still young and didn't know any better before. And with his father like that, how could he dare to come on his own?"

Perhaps he's grown up and matured, and understands right from wrong, which is why he came. If we don't see him, we might hurt his feelings.

"Stop babbling! I said I wouldn't see you, and I won't. If you keep babbling, you'll get what's coming to you. Get lost!"

The old man clearly wouldn't listen to advice. After Zhang Song spoke, he became even angrier and launched an indiscriminate attack.

Zhang Song reluctantly cupped his hands in greeting and wisely left.

The old man stood under the eaves, took the towel handed to him by the servant and wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. He then drew a knife, intending to practice again, but he had no interest in it. So he threw the knife on the ground and went back inside.

……

Although he didn't receive the Zhang family's courtesy, Jia Lian still had a pleasant time at the mansion.

Most of the nobles in the capital are related by blood or marriage, so many of the people who came to the Zhang residence to offer birthday wishes today are people that Jia Lian knows.

In addition, he claimed to be the eldest grandson of the emperor and helped the household receive guests in a seemingly professional manner. Before long, he was able to command the servants and young men in the house.

However, Jia Lian also discovered that this emerging circle of nobles was still somewhat isolated from the established circle of nobles like the Jia family.

For example, Jia Lian noticed that among those who came to offer birthday wishes, only a few of the founding noble families, led by the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, came, but almost all of the newly emerging noble families did, or at least sent their sons or disciples.

If it weren't for that, he might have been able to dominate the game today! After all, in the old elite circles, the Jia family holds a very high position.

"Please, please come in..."

Zhang Su welcomed the last two families into the mansion. Upon entering, he found Jia Lian still helping out, even arranging seating for the stewards, which left him speechless.

This cousin of mine is so presumptuous, acting like he's part of the family.

So he walked over, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "The banquet is about to begin, Cousin Lian, please take your seat."

Jia Lian raised an eyebrow, finally admitting his identity?

How could he not press the issue further? He smiled and said, "Brother Su, where would you like to sit? We brothers haven't seen each other for many years. I'd like to sit with you, Brother Su, to catch up and offer you a toast as a token of my respect."

"this……"

Zhang Su seemed to have a hard time saying no. He blushed slightly, nodded, and said, "Okay, come with me."

Although the birthday banquet was lively, the scale of the event was not particularly grand; compared to the grand birthday celebration of Grandmother Jia, it was quite simple.

The old man didn't show up; he must have been in the main hall. However, the second uncle, Zhang Song, came out before the banquet started to toast and greet everyone.

Jia Lian even noticed that when Zhang Song saw him, he didn't seem to have any ill intentions; instead, he nodded to him.

Jia Lian was somewhat surprised.

Actually, when I accompanied Jia Zheng on social outings before, I had one or two opportunities to see this second uncle's golden face.

At that time, Jia Lian was afraid of Jia She and dared not get close to him. He even deliberately avoided the Zhang family. Unexpectedly, this second uncle did not seem to have much prejudice against him, which was a good sign.

Since the older generation didn't come out, the Zhang brothers, Zhang Su and Zhang Tao, naturally took care of the people outside the hall.

After Zhang Su sat down, Jia Lian asked, "I would like to go in and offer the old master a toast and say a few words of blessing. Is that permissible?"

Zhang Su quickly shook his head, seemingly very worried: "Brother Lian, you'd better not go in. The old man is still angry with your father and said he doesn't want to see you. You'd better not go in and bring bad luck upon yourself..."

Jia Lian understood.

Although he was determined to risk everything, he still needed to be mindful of his limits.

This method of striking while the iron is hot might work for Zhang Su, a scholar who passed the imperial examination, but it might not be effective for the old man.

The old man was clearly a hot-tempered person. If he were to anger him and lose his temper in front of so many guests, not only would everyone look bad, but there would likely be no room for reconciliation. This was why he first tested the waters and didn't rush into the hall.

So he nodded and began another plan.

Great figures have shown us through historical facts that when powerful cities cannot be conquered, it is advisable to start from the periphery.

Since the old man can't be won over in a short time, why not start with Zhang Su?

I toasted him with a glass of wine, and while he was still tipsy, I leaned close to his ear and whispered, "By the way, Second Brother Su, do you still remember things from when we were little? I remember quite a few. I remember it was also my eldest uncle's birthday, and I heard that a young lady from the Qian family came. She was very beautiful, and you even took me into the back room so we could peek at her from behind the door..."

"Cough cough~" Zhang Su almost choked on his drink before he could finish it, his face and neck turning red. He quickly pulled Jia Lian aside and whispered, "Don't talk nonsense, she's your cousin-in-law now..."

Jia Lian, with an expression of utter astonishment, gave him a thumbs up: "Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't realize you were so capable, Second Brother Su! You have ideas and the courage to put them into practice, and you've already got your hands on it. I admire you, I truly admire you!"

Zhang Su blushed even more, glanced at Jia Lian, picked up his wine cup and used the opportunity to offer a toast to avoid Jia Lian.

The birthday banquet at the Zhang residence seemed much more casual and less formal than the one held at the Jia family's residence.

The banquet was filled with the sounds of clinking glasses and casual conversation. Jia Lian was just about to take the opportunity to toast his second uncle when the old man came out and, on behalf of the old man, went from table to table to express his gratitude and offer toasts.

Zhang Tao, that kid, quickly followed his dad around, helping to pour drinks.

After going around in circles, they finally arrived at Jia Lian's table. This table was also filled with the Zhang family's nephews and nieces.

After a casual greeting, Zhang Song was about to leave, but Jia Lian seized the opportunity to stand up with his wine glass in hand.

"Second Uncle, please wait. All the past grievances and mistakes were made by my father and me. As the saying goes, a son should not speak of his father's faults, but also that a son should take the blame for his father. I dare not defend my father's mistakes, so I am willing to bear all the blame myself. If you and my uncles are still angry, please take it out on me. I will have no complaints."

After saying this, Jia Lian drank the wine in his cup and bowed his head in acknowledgment.

His sincere statement moved Zhang Song somewhat. Not wanting to embarrass Jia Lian, he patted Jia Lian on the shoulder and comforted him as the others turned to look at him, saying, "Good boy, I'm sorry to have troubled you. Please sit down, we can talk about it after the banquet."

After saying that, he gave Zhang Su a look that said "take good care of him," and then turned and went into the hall.