Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 53 Earl of Linzi

After returning from the east courtyard, Jia Lian took a list of the birth dates of important figures from the Rongguo Mansion and studied it in his study.

Although he had already set a trap for Jia She, it was still unknown when the old man would die. He couldn't just sit around and wait to reap the benefits. In the meantime, he naturally needed to find something productive to do, preferably a real job where he could make a name for himself.

However, unlike Jia Yucun, he did not have official titles or experience, so he could obtain important positions in the court simply by being recommended by Jia Zheng.

These privileged children have many opportunities, but few opportunities either, because many nobles, relatives of the emperor, and even members of the royal family are eyeing those good opportunities.

Therefore, you still have to find and strive for opportunities yourself.

How could he possibly seize the opportunity? Given Jia Lian's past indolence and less-than-stellar reputation, he couldn't think of a good way to do so. Perhaps he could simply go out more often and attend more high-society gatherings; maybe then he could find a chance.

He took a closer look and found that several families were hosting banquets for guests recently and were preparing congratulatory gifts, including the Wang family, the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, and the Duke of Shanguo's mansion.

When it comes to relationships based on closeness, distance, power, and status, the Wang family is naturally number one.

Wang Ziteng was the military governor of the capital garrison, a position with real power. He was also Wang Xifeng's uncle. Logically, if Wang Xifeng were willing to be ambitious, it wouldn't be difficult for him to ask Wang Ziteng to arrange a mid-to-low-level military officer position for him in the capital garrison.

However, he still had two concerns.

The first point is Wang Xifeng.

Don't be fooled by how docile this woman is now; she's far from obedient, and it's all temporary. If he does anything to displease her in the future, her explosive temper could flare up again at any moment.

The reason she dared to boss people around in the mansion and even defy her husband was because of the Wang family.

Therefore, if he relies too much on Wang Ziteng in his career, it will obviously embolden Wang Xifeng and make her feel that she can't do without him. It will be even more difficult to control her in the future.

Secondly, what Jia Lian actually wanted more was military merit.

As long as one accumulates enough military merits, and then inherits the family's hereditary title in the future, one might be able to elevate their rank and easily achieve a pivotal position in the nation!

However, the Jingying Jiedushi, as the name suggests, was in charge of the troops stationed in the capital. As everyone knows, the troops in the capital were all wealthy and privileged soldiers who usually ran errands for nobles and protected them, earning a little extra money. If they wanted to earn military merit, they might not get the chance to do so even once in ten years!

Therefore, given other opportunities, Jia Lian was not particularly keen on joining the capital's military camp.

But, is it really necessary to go to the border army to gain some prestige...?

Even if we were to go, it wouldn't be a small matter; we'd have to plan it carefully.

With both of these options kept in mind as backups, a name caught Jia Lian's attention.

The Linzi Earl's Mansion, his maternal grandfather's family!

Although he knew it was his maternal grandfather's family, he felt nothing but unfamiliarity towards this Earl of Linzi.

Searching through my memories, I could only recall visiting this place when I was a child. I hadn't been back since I grew up, because the relationship between the two mansions had long since cooled. In recent years, they would only send a token gift during the Lunar New Year, and few people in the mansion dared to talk about the affairs of the Marquis of Linzi's mansion.

The reason...

"Second Master~?"

A crisp sound rang out in the room. Jia Lian looked up and realized that it was Qingwen, who had somehow sneaked into his study.

"What are you thinking about, Second Master? Why are you so engrossed?"

Qingwen walked over to Jia Lian's side and glanced at the desk, but unfortunately, she couldn't read.

"It's nothing." Jia Lian picked up the things on the table, put them aside, and then stared at Qingwen.

Qingwen felt a little embarrassed, but then she snorted and looked at Jia Lian with a hint of resentment.

Jia Lian chuckled, spread his legs, pulled her over to sit on his lap, and laughed, "What's wrong? Your little mouth is pouting so high, you could hang an oil bottle on it."

Qingwen didn't struggle. Her position was already clear: she was a backup concubine in the house, and it was normal for her to be intimate with Jia Lian.

So she leaned against Jia Lian and grumbled, "What did you say last night? Why did you change your mind so early this morning? Did Second Mistress force you to not let me in?"

"So that's what it was about." Jia Lian smiled and lifted Qingwen's chin, teasingly saying, "What, so eager to become my concubine and warm my bed?"

"go……"

Pushing away Jia Lian's teasing hand, Qingwen finally felt embarrassed and blushed.

She remembered that she had kissed Jia Lian first last night...

Qingwen was exceptionally beautiful; even among all the pretty maids in Rongqing Hall, none could compare to her.

At this moment, she was shyly budding, her pretty face as red as a ripe apple. Jia Lian was delighted to see her and couldn't resist hugging her and giving her a kiss.

"Oops~"

Qingwen cried out and was about to run away.

Jia Lian wouldn't let go, still holding her, and said with a smile, "Tell me, what did you come to see me for?"

"Sister Ping'er asked me to come and call you. She said that Granny Zhao has arrived and you should go back quickly."

Jia Lian then realized it was almost noon, so he picked up Qingwen and prepared to go out.

"Let go..."

Qingwen refused to accept it and started struggling.

It was alright last night because it was dark, but if Jia Lian had carried her around the mansion in broad daylight, it would have been the talk of the town by the afternoon!

Jia Lian didn't insist, letting her land and allowing her to jog ahead and lead the way.

……

Granny Zhao was Jia Lian's wet nurse. She was very well-behaved and polite, unlike the wet nurses of Jia Baoyu and others who often abused their status in the courtyard. Therefore, both Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng treated Granny Zhao with great respect.

"Gentleman, how are you... Oh, I heard you went to Jiangnan, it must have been tough. Look, you're much darker than before, but you're even more muscular now."

As soon as I entered, I saw an elderly woman, around fifty years old, dressed neatly, who greeted me with a smile.

Jia Lian quickly clasped his hands in a bow and said, "Hello, Mother. It's been so long. You're still as healthy as ever."

"Thanks to my son, everything is fine, everything is fine..."

At this moment, Wang Xifeng had already set out wine and dishes on the kang table and came over to pull Zhao Mama to sit down.

Granny Zhao, however, insisted on sitting alone on the low table and stools that Ping'er and the others had placed there.

Wang Xifeng didn't insist. She personally brought over the braised ham and elbow dish that older people liked to eat, and poured a cup of wine for Granny Zhao, saying with a smile, "Mother, please try some. This is Huiquan wine that your son brought from Jiangnan."

Granny Zhao quickly said, "Grandma, you don't need to be so polite. I can do it myself. Sigh, I know you're all busy, and I shouldn't have bothered you in the first place. But Grandma's actions make me even more hesitant to come again."

Jia Lian smiled to himself upon seeing this.

I vaguely remember watching TV dramas about Dream of the Red Chamber in my past life. Whether it was the wet nurse in Jia Baoyu's room or the wet nurse in Yingchun's room, they were not easy to get along with. They often turned their rooms upside down. Even a "lively dragon" and "tyrant" like Jia Baoyu could not do anything about his wet nurse.

I thought that wet nurses were just there to annoy young masters and ladies, but after seeing how this wet nurse behaved, it seems that's not the case.

It is clear that, regardless of one's status, the most important thing is whether one can be a good person.

After Zhao Mama had drunk two cups of wine, Jia Lian took the initiative to say with a smile, "It's rare for Mama to come to our room these days. If there's anything you need, just tell us, and we'll do our best to help."

Granny Zhao put down her wine cup and said with a smile, "Look at what you're saying, young master. What do you mean by 'give me an order'? I do have something to ask you for help with."

I see that my son is becoming more and more successful these days; he's even going on long trips to handle important matters, and he's doing so well...

Unlike my two good-for-nothing sons, who are both in their twenties and starting to have families, yet still lack any sense of direction and wander around aimlessly all day. So, I'm shamelessly asking you, sir, to consider my connections and, if there are any jobs available, please look after them. Firstly, to keep them focused on their careers, and secondly, to give them more money to support their families, so I can worry less about them.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng immediately understood the reason.

It turns out that when Jia Lian set off from Yangzhou, he instructed Zhao Sheng and Wang Teng to take several servants who could ride horses and ride back to the capital with the horses they had taken with them on their southward journey.

These are all fine horses carefully raised in the manor. Even the worst one is worth a hundred taels of silver. It would be a pity to lose or sell them, and transporting them by boat would be even more troublesome. So, having the servants ride them back to the capital is the best option.

Traveling by land is much faster than by water, so even though Zhao Sheng and his group stopped traveling, they had already returned to the capital half a month ago.

Putting that aside, Wang Teng is an extremely family-oriented man. When he came back, he bought a car full of food, supplies, and clothes for his wife and children, which immediately made everyone envious, and they all asked him where he got his fortune.

He didn't hide anything, saying frankly that they were all gifts from Jia Lian. Not only him, but everyone who went to Yangzhou with Jia Lian received them, causing many to regret their actions. Even Wang Xifeng had heard about these rumors, let alone Zhao Mama's family.

When Zhao Mama's two sons heard about this, they kept complaining to her, saying that what good was it for her to nurse Jia Lian? She had such benefits, yet she didn't care about them at all, instead giving them away to outsiders...

This is why Granny Zhao came to find Jia Lian.