Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

After being ambushed by Qingwen, Jia Lian was slightly stunned before bursting into laughter.

This was only the second time he had enjoyed such a pure and sweet kiss since he had taken liberties with Miaoyu at Panxiang Temple.

Jia Lian gave Qingwen a hard slap on the bottom and strode into his own courtyard, arriving at the west wing room, which was dimly lit.

"Second Master..."

Xiangling was sitting under the lamp lost in thought when she saw Jia Lian come in, and she quickly got up to greet him.

Qingwen, who was burying her face in Jia Lian's arms, finally raised her head and saw Xiangling. She seemed to be taken aback for a moment.

Jia Lian walked to the bedside, sat down himself, and placed Qingwen on the ground, saying, "From today onwards, you will live here with Xiangling. You two must get along well."

The west wing is the best room in the courtyard besides the three main rooms. It has two partitioned rooms, which are just right for two people to live in.

Qingwen was stunned. Didn't the Second Master say he was going to "open her face" and make her a real concubine? Why was she put here...?

Seeing Xiangling agree to Jia Lian's request and then give her a friendly look, Qingwen asked, "Does Second Master mean that she will be my maid from now on?"

In Qingwen's opinion, if Jia Lian didn't kick Xiangling out, it could only mean that he wanted to make Xiangling his servant!

After all, she had heard that when men favored their wives, there were always personal maids serving them...

Although she felt very embarrassed that strangers saw her the first time, she would have to get used to it sooner or later, right?

As long as it's my own daughter, it's never a problem.

Jia Lian shook his head. "If it were any other maid, I would naturally give it to you if you wanted it, but unfortunately it's not possible with Xiangling."

She's my only maid right now. If you want her, you'll have to show me what you can do for her.

Qingwen then pouted.

Jia Lian laughed and pulled Qingwen over to slap her on the bottom again.

In fact, Jia Lian did have such feelings for her, but he was afraid that someone with a strong personality like Qingwen would bully Xiangling because of her status, so he didn't agree to her request at first.

"Alright, if you want to order around a maid, I'll talk to your second mistress later, and you can choose any of the maids in this courtyard."

Xiangling is new here and doesn't know many things, so please take good care of her. It would be best if you treated her like your own sister; that would make me very happy.

One is first in the supplementary register, and the other is first in the supplementary register again. It would be interesting if they became inseparable sisters.

"Alright, I'll listen to Second Master and take care of her." Qingwen nodded. She could tell at a glance that Xiangling was a weak person who looked at everyone with timidity.

She also guessed why Jia Lian wouldn't give Xiangling to her; he must have his eye on her too.

She has no time to be jealous of Xiangling now. She's not stupid; she's never forgotten who the biggest threat to her turning the tables and becoming the master is.

She didn't believe that the notoriously jealous Second Madam Lian would let her off so easily; who knew what schemes she might use to deal with her in the future? Having an ally would be quite nice.

Having made this decision in mind, she smiled and took Xiangling's hand, introducing herself: "Your name is Xiangling? I'm Qingwen. From now on, we're sisters."

Xiangling trusted Jia Lian a lot. She thought Ping'er, who had previously asked her to consult with Jia Lian, was a really good person. Now that he was asking her to get along well with Qingwen, he must be doing it for her own good. So she hurriedly said, "Thank you, sister... I didn't know you were going to stay here too. I'll move my things out right away. You can sleep inside from now on."

"Okay..." Qingwen didn't know what politeness meant. She was now of a higher status than Xiangling. Even if Xiangling wasn't her maid, there was no reason for her to sleep outside and "keep watch" for Xiangling.

Jia Lian smiled, stood up, and said, "Alright, you two chat first. Later, Qingwen, you can take Xiangling to Rongqing Hall to get your things, and give Xiangling directions while you're at it. I have something to do and will be back in about an hour."

Qingwen agreed to Jia Lian's words, her beautiful eyebrows and eyes looking at Jia Lian with a hint of resentment.

He promised to make her a real concubine, but Second Master is just bluffing again...

……

Although Jia Lian had her heart pounding, Qingwen didn't have the same desires as a sheltered young woman. So, once Jia Lian left, she breathed a sigh of relief and forgot about it.

First, she took a good look at the house. It was indeed much more spacious than the place she had lived before. Xiangling, who was also pretty, was there to keep her company. She was not repulsive to Xiangling.

So, after exchanging only a few words with Xiangling, he pulled her toward Rongqing Hall, intending to bring all his belongings back with him.

On the way, she happened to run into Wang Xifeng, who was returning home. She immediately pulled Xiangling to stand by the roadside, and when Wang Xifeng approached, she respectfully greeted her: "Second Mistress."

"Where is your second master?"

"Second Master has gone out on some business..."

Although Qingwen was not afraid of Fengjie from the bottom of her heart, she was not the kind of troublemaker who would deliberately cause trouble for herself.

Wang Xifeng took a good look at the two young maids in front of her.

Goodness, so quickly, these two little girls are already inseparable, strolling around the mansion hand in hand.

She could tell at a glance that this was definitely Jia Lian's special arrangement, with the aim of setting up his own faction to oppose her!

She scoffed inwardly. These two immature girls dared to defy her. If they were obedient, it would be fine, but if they dared to disobey, hmph…

Nodding casually, Wang Xifeng said nothing more and led a group of maids and servants into the courtyard.

Seeing that no one was around, Qingwen tugged at Xiangling's arm and whispered, "Let me tell you, you have to be careful of Second Madam Lian in the future. She's not a good person."

Xiangling turned around with a slight surprise. Seeing Qingwen's solemn expression, she immediately believed it to some extent, but still had doubts: "But, she is our mistress."

Qingwen glanced at Xiangling with disdain. As expected, she was just a clueless little girl!

She didn't explain further; given their current relationship, offering a reminder was already a sign of her care for Xiangling.

……

Wang Xifeng, following Jia Lian's instructions, delivered the food and supplies that Jia Lian had brought back to the various households, including Grandmother Jia.

Although even Li Wan's room had quite a few, which made her very suspicious, she didn't really care.

Even if Jia Lian were bold, he wouldn't dare to make a move on his sister-in-law, would he?

After a hurried bath to wash away all traces of the afternoon, Wang Xifeng lay softly on the warm kang in the side room and called two maids to massage her legs.

She had to manage the household, set rules for her two sets of in-laws, and endure her husband's endless pampering every day. It was exhausting.

Hearing that Jia Lian had returned, she got up and told the two maids to leave.

This was a habit she had developed; whenever Jia Lian was home, she wouldn't allow the other maids to stay in the main room for long.

"Why are you all sweaty? What have you been doing?"

Welcoming Jia Lian into the house from the doorway, I was quite surprised to see that Jia Lian was not only dressed very thinly, but also that there were damp marks where his clothes touched his skin, obviously from sweat.

"It's nothing. I practiced some martial arts with Zhang Yong and the others in the courtyard behind the study. The cloak I wore earlier is still in the study; you can send a maid to fetch it later."

Fengjie hurriedly agreed and then ordered someone to fetch hot water to prepare to wipe Jia Lian clean.

"I think I should take another shower."

Sister Feng then sent someone to prepare the bathhouse, before turning back to ask, "Zhang Yong? The ones you brought with you to Jiangnan?"

Seeing Jia Lian nod, he circled around Jia Lian halfway and then laughed, "I wondered why Second Master was different from before. It turns out you've started practicing martial arts like those peasants outside. You've certainly made progress."

Faced with Wang Xifeng's mockery, Jia Lian sneered inwardly.

Still dare to talk back? Wait until I've trained to the point where I can lift a cauldron, and I'll take care of you with a single finger. That's when you'll know how powerful I am.

After a quick bath, the couple went to bed. When Wang Xifeng saw that Jia Lian still wanted to have sex with her, she refused.

"Stop messing around, go to bed early..."

She dared not let Jia Lian act recklessly again; tonight at Rongqing Hall was the most humiliating moment she felt.

She rushed over at dusk. Although Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang didn't say anything, the subtle glances they exchanged were clear to everyone, and even Wang Xifeng could see through them.

She still feels a bit unwell. If she has to go through two more bouts, she won't have to manage anything or serve Grandmother Jia tomorrow. She can just sleep soundly in her room!

But Jia Lian wouldn't give up, and seeing that he was going to force the issue again, she quickly said, "Didn't you just take in a new concubine? Why don't you have her come and serve you?"

Wang Xifeng was still angry about this. That night in Rongqing Hall, Jia Lian scolded Qingwen in front of everyone for her sake, which was unprecedented and she would never forget it.

Moreover, the reason she rushed back earlier was because she suspected that Jia Lian was favoring Qingwen at home!

But no, which made her suspicious. How could this heartless person have really changed his habits?

But we need to test him properly. Also, we didn't have time to deal with the hurtful things he said this afternoon, so we should take this opportunity to talk to him about them and distract him from his desires.