The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 5 Minutes (seeking tickets for collection)
Taking advantage of Wang Xifeng's company with Jia Baoyu and others, Ping'er had no time to take care of him, so he asked someone to pack up pillows, quilts and other things, and brought them to Jia Lian himself.

Jia Liansu knew that although Wang Xifeng had a bad personality, Ping'er beside her was a good person, so she treated Ping'er's arrival in a friendly manner.

While Ping'er let the women go in to help Jia Lian make the bed, he held Jia Lian back and handed him a small box at the door.

"This is the medicine for trauma brought by our grandma. After a while, the second master will ask Zhao'er and the others to rub it, and the wound on the second master will heal soon."

Jia Lian took it and said "Thank you".

Seeing that Jia Lian didn't mention Wang Xifeng at all, Ping'er knew that she was still angry, so she whispered, "Second Master, don't worry about Second Grandma, she actually cares about Second Master. Second Master doesn't know, but at noon I heard that Second Master Grandpa was beaten hard by the master, the second mistress is worried, and Wang's daughter-in-law and the others are about to go over to inquire about the situation, and asked me to go to the old lady's room to inform the eldest wife, so that the eldest lady can go back to help you intercede in front of the master. "

Jia Lian smiled and looked up at Ping'er seriously.

He just talked about how Wang Xifeng suddenly kindly sent him "warmth". Now that Ping'er kept saying good things to her master inside and out, he was even more convinced that this was not what Wang Xifeng meant.

It's hard for this girl to be loyal. Doesn't she know that she came to look for him behind Wang Xifeng's back and gave him something, so Wang Xifeng would easily misunderstand that she had ulterior motives?

But Jia Lian knew that Wang Xifeng was a jealous person. Not only did she try her best to get rid of the "remnants" in Jia Lian's house, but she also took precautions against those who came with her as a dowry, preventing them from having too many opportunities to contact her.

Maybe it's because this girl stands upright and is not afraid that Wang Xifeng will suspect her, that's why she is like this.

With the help of the light on the eaves of the corridor, Jia Lian took a deep look at Ping'er.

The girl in her twenties or eighth age exudes a youthful atmosphere, and her appearance is impeccable. Grandma Liu called her "beautiful and moon-like", which is not an exaggeration at all.

The most rare thing is that his eyes are clear and peaceful, his manners are decent, and his demeanor is all over his body. His demeanor does not look like a maid, but more like a young lady in charge.

It's no wonder that even Li Wan teased Wang Xifeng, saying that she was not worthy of serving such a maid, and that she and Ping'er should change their identities.

Ping'er wanted to make peace for Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng, and didn't want them to have more quarrels.

I thought that Jia Lian was an easy-going person who would go down as soon as there was a step, but who would have heard her words today, but just smiled without saying a word, his expression was very different from before, and he couldn't grasp Jia Lian's meaning for a while.

Seeing him looking straight at him again, he couldn't help being a little overwhelmed, so he quickly dodged inside and helped make the bed.

……

Jia Lian stayed in the study outside like this, but his daily itinerary was reported to Wang Xifeng in detail.

"Second Master went to the Grand Master's courtyard early in the morning to say hello, but the Grand Master did not see him. Then Second Master took Wang Er, Zhao Er, Xing Er and the others out.

The second master didn't seem to have any purpose, he just walked around the street for half a day and bought some gadgets.After eating, I went to drink tea and listen to music near the Imperial College. I happened to meet two classmates I knew, and Er Ye sat with them and drank tea for half an afternoon, and then returned home. "

"After the second master greeted the elder master, he went to the Imperial College again..."

"The second master still went to the Imperial College..."

For three or four days in a row, Jia Lian's itinerary was not only simple, but also surprisingly consistent. He wandered around the Imperial College, inviting others to drink tea and wine whenever he met, and chatting together. He didn't even go to his favorite flower house on weekdays.

This time made Wang Xifeng think, did Jia Lian know that she had planted an eyeliner beside him, so he deliberately did it for her to see?

Immediately she shook her head, with Jia Lian's temperament, even if she knew, she couldn't pretend to be like this, what is he trying to do?
Is it possible that he has really changed his nature, wants to make progress, study and gain fame, so he re-associates with scholars?
Eh~ Wang Xifeng shuddered in his heart, shaking his head like a rattle.

As far as Jia Lian's level is not much different from hers, she can't point at his nose and scold him if he can utter half a sentence of politeness.

Wang Xifeng, who couldn't figure out the joint, felt abnormally upset and irritable.

This is the first time that Jia Lian gave her a feeling that she couldn't see through when we met when I was a child. She couldn't sleep well in the past few days, and she couldn't eat well. She, who has always been vigorous and energetic, felt that her spirit had declined.

Even Mrs. Wang asked her if she had too many family affairs recently and forgot to rest?
Only then did Wang Xifeng realize that she wanted Jia Lian to come back.

But telling her to succumb to defeat was really too shameful, and she couldn't say that.

I thought, could it be that Jia Lian really ignored her from now on?
For a moment, I could not help but scold Jia Lian in my heart for being unfeeling and heartless, and thinking about it secretly hurts my heart.

A woman who has only been married for less than two years, if she doesn't have the idea of ​​living, how can she want to be a stranger to her husband?

On the other hand, Jia Lian did not have Wang Xifeng's complicated thoughts.

He has been wandering around the Imperial College for the past few days, not because he really wants to restart his studies and strive for fame.

His predecessor's foundation was too poor, and he himself studied mathematics, physics and chemistry. In this imperial examination competition, which only tested Chinese and politics, and was more difficult than Tsinghua University and Peking University in later generations, it was too difficult to catch up from the beginning.

He just wanted to learn more about the situation between the government and the opposition through the mouths of those supervisors.

After all, scholars are always the most concerned about current affairs, and they also have the most gossip.

As a student studying in the Imperial College, it is very easy to get close to them by spending some money for tea and wine, so after a few days, I have gained a lot.

As for paying Jia Amnesty every day...

He didn't want to go either, and that old fellow Jia She didn't want to see him either, and he wasn't allowed in even once in a few days.

But he has to go.

Not only because morning and evening is the rule, but after thinking about it, he discovered a back-to-basics truth:

Compared with exhausting all efforts to seek power and position, the simpler situation is that once Jia She died, he might be able to obtain the hereditary title of the Duke's Mansion for nothing.

Once he has this title, his situation is completely opened.

He no longer has to make friends with those scholars, but can directly make friends with big bosses, and even stand directly in the court hall to see the face of the emperor...

That's right, he still wanted to be with the original body in the end, hoping that the old man would die soon.

However, this idea must never be known to others, as long as it is revealed or let others see it, it is a death.The death of discredit is more thorough than sleeping with Jia She's little wife.

People say that the more you want to get something, the less you can express it.So not only can he not curse Jia Amnesty, but he has to show 12 points of filial piety, and let everyone see it.

In this way, one day in the future, if Jia She died suddenly, it would be even more impossible for others to doubt him.

Therefore, even though Jia She expressly exempted him from the morning and evening meditation, and even did not show his face when he passed by, he still insisted on going to pray every day.

He also decided that he must do his best in the future to treat Jia She well, um, the kind that others can see...

……

Knowing that Wang Xifeng was not at home, Jia Lian went back, changed his clothes, and went to the outer courtyard.

The cold war with Wang Xifeng was nothing but to kill her arrogance.

Even if it made people in the mansion gossip because of this, and even related to the incident a few days ago, he didn't care.

Anyway, even if it wasn't the case, everyone who should have heard about it probably heard about it. Contrary to Jia Lian's expectation, after Jia Amnesty didn't pursue him, it hardly had any bad influence on him.

Except that he himself always suspects that others look at him with connotations...

"Second master, the master invites you to go over."

Before reaching the study, the butler Lin Zhixiao stopped him.

"Is it in Mengpozhai?"

"Exactly, the master is waiting over there. Second master, go quickly."

Lin Zhixiao, as the second steward of the Rongguo Mansion, has the advantages of being unsmiling, but also the disadvantage of being unsmiling. No wonder he and his wife are called "deaf and dumb" in the mansion.

But that's good too, at least you don't have to guess whether his eyes have any special meaning...

Jia Lian felt that he was going crazy, and everyone felt that the other party was despising him.This is also one of the reasons why he always goes out. People outside will never know about him.

Meng Pozhai is Jia Zheng's inner study.

Jia Zheng, the head of the Rongguo Mansion, is Jia She's younger brother.

He and Wang Xifeng are housekeepers in Rongguo Mansion, and they are actually working for Jia Zheng, so it is correct to say that Jia Zheng is his big boss.

Mengpo Zhai is located in the east of Rongxi Hall, the main hall of Rongguo Mansion. When Jia Lian came over, he saw that Jia Zheng was alone, instead of the usual swarms of gentlemen, so he knew that Jia Zheng was looking for him for family affairs.

"master."

Jia She is also pitiful, although he is older than Jia Zheng, people in the two mansions often call Jia Zheng the master, but in order to distinguish between the two, they call Jia She the "big master".

Although it is a small detail, it can be seen that Jia Zheng oppressed Jia Amnesty in many ways...

Jia Zheng looked much younger than Jia Shexian, about 40 years old, with a thin body, but with a square face and a dignified appearance.

He was buried in writing something, when he heard Jia Lian's voice, he just raised his head slightly, and then asked: "In two days, it will be the birthday of Mrs. Zhen Guogong's wife. Are all the congratulatory gifts in the house ready?"

"Reporting to the master, the preparations have already been made, and the list has been written. Do you want to have a look at it?"

Although he and Wang Xifeng came together to help the housekeeper, Wang Xifeng was in charge of the inside and he was in charge of the outside, but how could the inside and the outside be completely separated?
Wang Xifeng also loves to seize power to show off his strength, so in terms of housekeeping, Wang Xifeng has already surpassed him in authority.

Now, except for some things that really need to be dealt with by the man's family, or those that Jia Zheng directly ordered him to do, Wang Xifeng handles almost all other big and small things in the mansion, and then reports to Mrs. Wang.

Naturally, Jia Lian had no intention of competing with Wang Xifeng for the housekeeping power, so in the past few days, he only needed to handle these two or three matters, and naturally there would be no delay.

Jia Zheng didn't mean to ask too much, nodded, and buried his head in writing for a while, then sighed, and said: "A letter from Yangzhou, your aunt has died."

Jia Lian's heart skipped a beat.

Jia Min, did he finally die?
In other words, Daiyu is going to Beijing?
Unable to express his feelings, Jia Lian could only ask, "Does the old lady know?"

Jia Zheng nodded, "Your wife has delivered the letter."

Seeing that Jia Lian remained silent, Jia Zheng sighed again: "She has been sick for so long, and now that she is gone, it may be a relief for her, but the old lady may not be able to let go. Back then, the brothers and sisters in the family, she What the old man loves the most is your sister-in-law."

"You don't have to be too sentimental. People can't be resurrected after death. I came here to tell you something.

Your aunt has gone, the old lady may be very sad, you should take care of her in the future, and choose a safe person from the mansion to go to Yangzhou to worship on her behalf.This matter is important and cannot be neglected. "

As Jia Zhengzheng explained, a servant's voice came from outside the door: "Master, the old lady called you over."

Jia Zheng sealed the envelope in front of him, handed it to Jia Lian, and said, "This is a sacrificial oration written by me. You ask the leader to take it to the south and burn it in front of your aunt's grave. I will go to see her personally."

"You can go there too."

……

He and Jia Zheng went out of Meng Po Zhai one after the other, and before they had passed the Rongxi Hall, they saw a light woman bumping into them.

"I was just going to look for the master, I don't want to meet here..."

The woman made a fake salute lightly, then stood beside Jia Zheng, pushing Jia Lian to the back.

Jia Zheng was a little displeased, "Why are you looking for me?"

The woman hooked her mouth and began to act like a baby: "Master~"

Jia Zheng scolded: "Nonsense, when is it? If you have something to say, hurry up, the old lady has something to do!"

The woman didn't dare to be a demon, and said cryingly: "It's not because of Huan'er, sir, Huan'er has reached the age of school, why doesn't the master let Huan'er go to school with Baoyu and the others? Master, Huan'er is also your biological son..."

Jia Lian was behind, quietly looking at Jia Zheng's little wife—Aunt Zhao.

Pure white skin, big eyes, thin lips, melon-shaped face, and particularly protruding figure, she is indeed a beautiful young woman with extraordinary charm.No wonder even the prudish Mr. Jia Zheng could melt his heart, he gave birth to a son and a daughter in succession, and became the only servant in this mansion who dared to challenge Mrs. Wang, the head wife...

"It's a good thing that Huan'er is going to school, why don't you ask your wife?"

"My wife said that Huan'er is still young, so it's not appropriate to start school too early. Besides, the gentleman in Xiyuan is a bachelor hired by the master with a lot of money. Huan'er is naughty, so I'm afraid it's not good to run into each other. It's better to wait another year or two and go directly to study at home." Studying here is the best..."

When Jia Zheng heard the grievances and cried, he felt that Mrs. Wang had selfish intentions.

Although there is a difference between the concubine and the concubine, they are all his sons after all, and it is not a big deal to put an extra desk in the school.

But Jia Zheng never liked trouble, and it was impossible for him to embarrass his wife for such a trivial matter, so he said: "What the wife said is also reasonable. I have made arrangements for Huan'er to go to school."

"Master~"

Aunt Zhao is a little bit reluctant, and she still wants to fight for it.Xu Shi knew how to impress Jia Zheng most easily, so he unconsciously called out the inner tone.

Old Jia Zheng blushed, and subconsciously looked back.

At this glance, Jia Lian seemed to be looking at Aunt Zhao.

Suddenly recalling the recent rumors in the mansion, Jia Zheng straightened his face and said to Aunt Zhao: "Zhao Shi, you go back first!"

The tone was so severe that Aunt Zhao was stunned, and after looking at Jia Zheng, she didn't dare to make a mistake after all, so she had to leave aggrieved.

Jia Lian naturally noticed Jia Zheng's abnormal reaction.

God is sorry, he didn't do anything from the beginning to the end, and he didn't say anything.

(End of this chapter)