The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Rongguo Mansion.

After seeing off her brother and sister-in-law, Sister Feng returned to Rongqing Hall and saw Mrs. Wang sitting on a chair with a smile and being kowtowed by others.

After asking, I found out that Mrs. Jia really liked Aunt Xue's niece Bao Qin, so she ordered Mrs. Wang to adopt her as her adopted daughter.

Sister Feng stepped forward and said with a smile: "Congratulations, Madam, congratulations to Madam, we have another good daughter since our noble concubine!"

Mrs. Wang was also very happy. Although it was Mother Jia's order, she also felt that Xue Baoqin's birth was really rare, so after serving tea, she held Xue Baoqin in her arms and cherished her, as if she really had a daughter.

It's a pity that Jia Mu above couldn't stand it anymore, so she snatched Ai with her sword and said: "Girl Qin, come here."

Xue Baoqin obediently came out of Mrs. Wang's arms, walked to Jia Mu, and said with a sweet smile: "Old lady~"

Just this clear childish voice made Jia Mu's dusty motherly love overflow.

She took Bao Qin's green little hands and caressed them, then turned around and smiled with Aunt Xue: "I really like this girl, my aunt is willing to let her stay with me for a few days to keep her company." Shall I relieve my boredom?"

Aunt Xue said: "The old lady loves her so much, it is her blessing."

Jia Mu asked Xue Baoqin with a smile: "Girl, would you like to live here with me?"

Before Baoqin and his brother came, they had received instructions from Aunt Xue and knew Jia Mu's status.

She was happy to be treated like this, so she nodded obediently in agreement.

Jia's mother was so happy that she hurriedly ordered Yuanyang to go down and prepare bedding and other things, saying that she would let Baoqin sleep with her tonight.

When everyone in the Jia family saw this, they couldn't help but feel jealous.

The last time Jia Mu liked a junior so much was when Daiyu came to Beijing for the first time.

Mother Jia didn't care what others thought. After holding Baoqin in her arms, she glanced at the daughters of other relatives and nodded secretly.

They all look good.

So he smiled and said: "I have always liked liveliness. It is rare that everything is complete today. So many distinguished guests came to stay and stayed together. Everyone is in the same place, so it is lively and lively."

Mrs. Xing's sister-in-law, Mrs. Shao, came to Beijing with her husband and daughter this time. She originally came to seek refuge with Mrs. Xing, so she agreed wholeheartedly after hearing this.

On the other hand, Li Wan's widowed aunt, Mrs. Li, said that she had someone build a house in the city, so it would not be too much trouble.

However, Jia's mother insisted on staying, and Li had no choice but to agree to stay.

It turned out that Mrs. Li brought her two little girls to Beijing this time. Halfway through the boat trip, she happened to meet Wang Ren, Sister Feng's brother, and his party, as well as Xing Zhong and his wife.

The three families came together, and they were all related to each other, so they walked together.

Xue Biao of Jinling was about to send his sister to Beijing to get married because his father had promised his sister to the Mei family in Beijing. When he heard that Wang Ren and his entourage were coming to Beijing, he quickly followed his sister Xue Baoqin into Beijing.

After arriving in Beijing, he found Aunt Xue to talk and make arrangements. Aunt Xue took his brother and sister to Jia's house to meet their elders. When the three families of Wang, Li, and Xing came to visit Zhirongguo Mansion, all four families met together.

No wonder Jia Mu and Mrs. Wang are so happy.

Just at this time, the sisters in the garden came after hearing the news. After greeting each other, Xing Xiuyan and Xue Baoqin stayed beside Daiyu, holding Daiyu's hand:

"Sister Lin (Sister Lin)!"

Daiyu was also quite happy and replied: "Sister Xing, sister Baoqin, why are you here together?"

Everyone was amazed when they saw it and asked how the three of them met.

Daiyu briefly told the story of how she met Xing Xiuyan at Xuan Tomb Mountain in Suzhou under the guidance of Jia Lian before arriving at Rongguo Mansion, and how she met Xue Baoqin in Jinling City last year.

Mother Jia smiled from ear to ear when she heard this: "Okay, okay, it's more harmonious this way, hehehe..."

Miharu and others found it incredible. Tanchun also pulled Daiyu and said, "I remember Miaoyu said that she used to seek Dharma at Xuan Tomb Panxiang Temple in Suzhou. Could it be that you all met at that time?"

Daiyu nodded and pointed at Xing Xiuyan with a smile: "She is Miaoyu's disciple."

Tanchun was surprised and happy when he heard this. It is joyful to have so many little sisters in the family. Wouldn't it be better if they could also recite poems and compose poems?

Although Miaoyu's character is not entirely likable, the sisters in the Grand View Garden all admire Miaoyu's talent and taste.

Since Xiuyan is a disciple of Miaoyu, he must also be very talented.

So he laughed and said: "There are such coincidences in the world. We people from all over the world have come together today!"

With that said, he pulled Daiyu and others to discuss how to prosper the poetry club...

"Second Master Lian is here."

The maid's call suddenly sounded outside, and the hall suddenly fell silent, all eyes looking towards the door.

As the maid opened the door curtain, the handsome Jia Lian walked in slowly.

Except for Jia Mu and two or three others, everyone else, regardless of host or guest, all stood up, and many even couldn't help but take a few steps forward to greet them.

Being stared at by so many women, old and young, Jia Lian didn't show any timidity.

Glancing at the four girls beside Sister Sanchun, Jia Lian stepped forward and saluted Jia Mu.

Jia Mu seemed a little surprised by Jia Lian's arrival and asked, "Why do you have time to come to my place?"

"I heard that the old lady has a rare visitor here, so I came to take a look."

Jia Mu calmed down and said, "Since your master went south, you have been responsible for welcoming guests.

I just see how busy you are, so I help you. Now that you're here, you haven't met the two elders yet. "

Although Jia's mother said so, Li and Shao, who had already stood up humbly, did not dare to wait for Jia Lian to come forward to pay their respects. They both took the initiative to show kind smiles to Jia Lian.

Jia Mu pointed at Mr. Shao and said, "This is your eldest wife's sister-in-law. She came all the way from Suzhou to Beijing to visit your wife."

"I've met my aunt."

"Don't dare, don't dare, brother Wan'an..."

After Jia Lian bent down and saluted, he looked at Xing Xiuyan next to Shao and said with a smile: "Since we parted ways in Suzhou, after so many years, I didn't expect that sister Xiuyan has become a big girl."

When she was in Xuan Tomb Mountain, Xing Xiuyan was just a little girl in her teens. Now four or five years later, she is already a tall girl.

Jia Lian's words made Xing Xiuyan feel a little ashamed, and Yingying stepped forward to pay homage: "Xiuyan, I have met Lian's second cousin."

The familiarity between them reminded Jia Mu of what Daiyu had said earlier, so she nodded and introduced Mrs. Li.

"This is your sister-in-law Zhu's aunt, and her two cousins."

"I've met Aunt Li and my two sisters."

Although Li is Li Wan's aunt, she still looks very young.

And she was not as restrained as Shao. She bowed and returned the gift with the most standard courtesy, and then took her two daughters.

Her two daughters looked about twelve or thirteen years old, and both looked slender and frail.

The two sisters look alike, they are both golden and jade-like, just like two flowers, which makes people pity you at first glance.

"Li Min has met Mr. Hou."

"Li Qi has met Mr. Hou."

Jia Lian glanced at her two sisters briefly, and felt in her heart that it was not in vain for her to take the time to come and take a look.

It is true as Qingwen said, this Li Min and Li Qi, plus Xing Xiuyan and Xue Baoqin, are really like four onions pinched out of a handful.

Absolutely eye-catching.

Seeing that Jia's mother was going to continue to introduce the Xue Baoqin brothers and sisters, Jia Lian greeted them in advance.

"Brother Xue Biao, sister Bao Qin, we meet again."

Faced with Jia Lian's familiarity, Xue Bian was still a little shy, but Xue Baoqin took the lead and smiled very naturally: "Brother Lian said, since you and Sister Lin returned to Beijing last year, we haven't seen each other for a year. I I miss you and Sister Lin so much."

Xue Baoqin is already young. Not only is she the youngest among the four flowers today, but even with all the golden hairpins in the Grand View Garden, she is only slightly older than Xichun.

Coupled with Yousheng's rare appearance and such open and generous speech, everyone only found him cute and charming, and it was difficult to feel disgusted or harsh.

Jia Lian was also made to laugh by her bright smile and cute appearance. Looking at the little girl walking in front of him, he almost couldn't hold it back. In front of Sister Feng and Baochai Daiyu, he reached out and touched her little head.

"Where is your mother? Is she feeling well?"

Hearing Jia Lian's question, the smile on Xue Baoqin's face fell a little, and she said quietly: "My mother is not in good health. We came to Beijing this time to find a good doctor for her..."

Of course Bao Qin knew that this trip to Beijing was mainly for her marriage. But no matter how generous she was, she would never mention this in public, so she only responded with these words.

But Jia Lian heard something else.

Baoqin only said that Mr. Zhuang was not in good health, and also said that we went to Beijing. It seemed that the second lady might also come to Beijing... It was not easy to ask at this time, so Jia Lian smiled and said: "You don't have to worry too much about this. It's just right." I know several famous old miracle doctors in Beijing.

When I have time, I will give them a generous gift and ask them to go south for a consultation. "

Those in the Jia family who knew him didn't find it strange what Jia Lian said.

Only the Li family, Shao family and other foreign guests were a little surprised. If Jia Lian did not say this casually, then he would be too impatient for justice.

The two places in Beijing and the south are thousands of miles apart. Under normal circumstances, which good doctor would be willing to travel like this just to save a stranger?

Perhaps it was because of Jia Lian's status that he could not offend others, so he reluctantly agreed.

But this will also consume Jia Lian's affection and energy. Is it worth putting in such effort just for a relative?

Regardless of what others thought, the two Xue brothers and sisters were deeply moved.

Xue Biao even knelt down on the spot, kowtowed and said, "I'm here, thank you so much for brother Lian's kindness."

Seeing Xue Biao's expression so moved, Jia Lian was sure that Mr. Zhuang was probably seriously ill.

No wonder they were so anxious to send Bao Qin to Beijing. The Mei family already had the intention of regretting their marriage, but they were afraid that if her aunt died, the Mei family would have even more reason to delay and repent.

After helping Xue Biao up, Jia Lian said: "Brother Xue doesn't have to be like this. It's all what I should do."

After chatting, Jia Lian also sat down here.

Although because of his presence, the atmosphere in Rongqing Hall was not as lively as before, but after a while, under the leadership of Jia Mu and others, they were still chatting.

Jia Lian also looked at Xing Xiuyan and her daughter and said, "My aunt and his family are coming to Beijing this time. Are they planning to stay permanently or for a short time?"

Hearing Jia Lian mention this, Shao said with some shame: "To be honest, brother, when we went to Beijing this time, we really lost our livelihood in the south, so we decided to go to Beijing and join his eldest sister."

Shao said, looking at Mrs. Xing next to her with a flattering look.

Mrs. Xing just frowned slightly and said nothing.

In fact, Jia Lian had already guessed it when he saw that the clothes and decorations of Shao and Xing Xiuyan were as simple as before.

Speaking of which, he was a little worried back then because with his, especially Daiyu's, support, the Xing family would take root in Suzhou and would no longer go to Beijing in the future.

After all, Grandma Liu's family was able to improve their family's situation and live a better and better life because Sister Feng rewarded Grandma Liu with twenty taels of silver. .

But back then, he and Daiyu gave Xing Xiuyan and the Xing family far more than twenty taels of silver.

Unexpectedly, the Xing family was still impoverished.

It seems that the Xing Zhong couple really don't seem to be calculating.

But that's just right. Jia Lian thought for a while and said, "I wonder if Uncle Xing has made a living in Beijing?"

Shao was even more ashamed: "I haven't..."

Jia Lian smiled and said: "In that case, it happens that I have a winery under my name and I am short of some labor. If Uncle Xing doesn't mind it, how about you come to my place to help temporarily?

In addition, my uncle and aunt will live in the mansion for the time being. When I send someone to find a suitable house to rent outside, my uncle and his family will move in. It can be regarded as settling in Beijing. "

"I don't dislike it, I don't dislike it, it's just that this is too much trouble for you..."

After hearing Jia Lian's arrangement, Shao looked very moved.

If their livelihood was not really difficult, why would they choose to go to Beijing?

After all, they and Mrs. Xing have not corresponded for many years, let alone met.

Frankly speaking, Xing Zhong also knew that there was not much brother-sister relationship between him and Mrs. Xing.

I originally thought that Jia Lian was so polite and kind to them back then. Maybe Mrs. Xing had been the wife for a long time and she paid more attention to friendship.

Then he came running.

However, when he met Mrs. Xing in Dongkuayuan just now, Xing Zhong also bluntly expressed his intention to defect to her.

But Mrs. Xing was just indifferent. She didn't refuse or agreed to anything.

In fact, smart people should know that they don't really mean to help.

It's just that the reality prevents them from talking about their self-esteem, so they can only try their best to keep smiling. After all, seeing how wealthy Mrs.

Later, when he was introduced to Rongqing Hall and saw Jia's mother who was extremely respected but also hospitable, Shaw's heart arose with more hope.

Sure enough, this time Jia Lian just showed up and solved all their family's difficulties in just two sentences.

In excitement, Shao wanted to kneel down to Jia Lian.

At this time, Jia Lian, in her eyes, is the most noble, friendly and best person in the world.

Mrs.

It's not that she can't spare a few taels of money to help her eldest brother's family, but she doesn't think Xing Zhong is her brother at all.

In her heart, the only real brother is her brother Xing Dequan (the person who was kicked out of the Jia family temple by Jia Lian).

She looked down upon the poor and downtrodden Xing Zhong family.

She loves money and has no good intentions, so she will naturally not be enthusiastic about Xing Zhong's surrender.

But she was still happy to see Jia Lian help.

After all, Jia Lian is her son in name, so it is naturally her love for Jia Lian to take action.

Moreover, Jia Lian was able to take care of her natal family, which also made her happy. She felt that this was a sign of respect for her stepmother.

While Jia Lian was sitting in the hall, chatting with the elders, and occasionally looking at the sisters in the room, Ah Qin pushed aside the obstacles, walked to him with a serious face, and whispered: "Sir, the princess just sent a message saying that Concubine Li is dead!"

Jia Lian's expression suddenly froze on his face.

"what happened?"

Although Jia Lian is a junior, his every move is in the eyes of everyone.

Mother Jia noticed everyone was quiet and couldn't help but look over.

Jia Lian stood up, took a deep breath, held hands with Jia Mu and said, "Something happened. Grandson, go out and have a look."

After saying that, he gave Ah Qin a look and took her out of Rongqing Hall.

When they walked outside, Aqi was waiting. After confirming the authenticity of the news from them, Jia Lian couldn't help but sigh.

He didn't care whether Mrs. Li died or not.

But, it happened to be today.

Jia Lian had no doubt that it was because of what happened in the morning!

Despite what happened in the morning, he was still the victim.

However, ordinary people still have the worry of anger, let alone emperors?

What if Emperor Ning Kang thought that Concubine Li's death was related to him?

If something like this caused resentment between him and Emperor Ningkang and his ministers, and his years of planning were ruined, Jia Lian would really feel unjust and panicked.

Damn old witch, even if she dies, she won’t make people worry!

I went back to the house and changed my clothes, but Sister Feng chased me back sneakily.

"What happened?"

Seeing Sister Feng's suspicious and concerned face, Jia Lian didn't want to hide anything from her, so he told her directly.

Sister Feng was naturally shocked. After all, she didn't know Jia Lian's stakes in this matter, so she didn't say anything.

Jia Lian said: "The obituary from the imperial court may arrive soon. You can tell the old ladies first and let them prepare to come to the palace to express condolences.

Also, make arrangements for the guests at home as soon as possible, so as not to make any mistakes while busy. "

"I know, what are you going to do?"

"I'll go to the Yamen first to explain. At this time, we can't let the people below get into trouble."

"Yes, yes, you are considerate, I will also make arrangements to make the servants in the mansion feel more at ease."

Sister Feng has a sufficient attitude when facing big events.

After she came to her senses, she looked at Jia Lian affectionately and respectfully. As expected, the heartless person was more considerate. She had no idea what she should do at this time, but the other party thought of it immediately.

How did she know Jia Lian's considerations?

Jia Lian's only thought was to be cautious enough and not give Emperor Ning Kang a chance to anger him.

As soon as they left the house and before they got on their horses, Lin Zhixiao also ran over and whispered with a serious face: "Second Master, just now the empress in the palace sent a message saying that the empress Dowager Li in the palace has passed away!"

Jia Lian just nodded when he heard this.

Very good, with these two women in the palace, he has nothing to worry about. (End of chapter)