Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 86 Departure

The rumors that Jia Lian had spread eventually reached the ears of several members of the Ningguo Mansion.

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhen was furious and vowed to find the rumor-mongers and punish them severely.

In Jia Rong's courtyard, Qin Shi walked to the door and saw Jia Rong drinking alone in the room. She waved for the maid to leave, then lifted the curtain and went in to pour wine for Jia Rong. However, when Jia Rong heard the noise and looked up to see her, his already somber face immediately showed an extremely complex expression.

Upon seeing this, Qin's graceful figure paused, and she stood there, tears streaming down her face.

"Is my lord blaming me? I swear, I have always been a virgin and have never done anything to betray you..."

Qin's voice was soft and beautiful, and her tearful lament, filled with sorrow and fear, was incredibly pitiful. Even though Jia Rong was filled with boundless resentment, he couldn't help but pause upon hearing her words.

But he just kept his head down and kept drinking.

Time ticked by, and Qin's heart ached more and more, but she still forced back her tears and sat down, saying, "I don't know what I did wrong to deserve such anger from you, sir. Now you're holding a grudge against me because of these rumors. I wish I could die to prove my innocence!"

Seeing this, Jia Rong remained unmoved, and Qin Shi finally truly experienced the feeling of heartbreak.

"Since you wish to drink, sir, then I shall drink with you."

Qin reached out to take the wine glass and pour herself a drink, wanting to try the strong liquor and see if it could really relieve her sorrow.

"Bang!"

But Jia Rong snatched the wine cup first and smashed it on the ground with a loud thud, which startled her. She raised her tear-streaked face and looked at Jia Rong in astonishment.

At this moment, Jia Rong had already stood up, glaring at her with a face full of anger, his eyes wide open, filled with astonishing hatred and boundless rage.

This was the first time she had ever seen the usually mild-mannered Jia Rong display such a terrifying expression, and she was so frightened that she dared not move.

How could she know what Jia Rong was thinking at that moment?

Jia Rong's anger and resentment, fueled by alcohol, had reached their peak, even giving rise to a world-destroying ferocity.

No one knew better than him how true the rumors circulating in the manor had been lately!

Because no one knew better than him everything that happened to Qin Shi, from being the adopted daughter of a lowly construction worker to marrying into the Duke's mansion.

No wonder, my father went to great lengths to marry a woman he shouldn't have married.

No wonder he threatened him in every way, forbidding him from having any feelings for this woman, and from touching a single hair on her head.

He had initially thought it was truly because of her noble and special status, and that he had tolerated it for the sake of his family…

Who knew it was all a lie! A complete lie!

Everything his father did was to get this woman in front of him!

No wonder he didn't care whether his son visited him or not, but insisted that this woman visit him regularly.

No wonder, whenever there are good things in the mansion, he would send them to this courtyard and put them in her room.

His own father, in order to obtain a woman of special status, actually treated him, his son, as a pawn to be manipulated at will, and trampled on his dignity as a man.

Doesn't he have reason to be angry?

The anger in his heart made him want to beat this jinx in front of him, but in the end he didn't dare. He knew that if he touched even a fingernail of hers, his father would break his legs!

So he snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and left the house.

……

Unlike the chaos at Ningguo Mansion, Jia Lian immediately got busy after receiving his appointment letter from the Ministry of War.

The amount of military supplies and provisions needed for a large army of tens of thousands to travel is no small matter. Although the specific inventory, handover, and transportation are handled by specialized low-ranking civil and military officials, he is, after all, the head of a battalion escorting the troops, and this is his first time on duty. To avoid any mistakes, he naturally needs to be more careful.

Therefore, he tried to participate in everything, big or small, striving to become familiar with military affairs as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, the Earl of Linzi knew that Jia Lian was going to the border for training and felt that his martial arts skills were still too poor. He thought that once he went to the battlefield, he would just be sent to his death. So he ordered Jia Lian to go to the Earl of Linzi's residence, where the old man wanted to make the most of his last moments to give Jia Lian a formal, hellish training session.

Although Jia Lian was very busy, he knew that the old man meant well, so he tried to find time to go to the Zhang residence to be scolded in his spare time.

So he naturally went out early and returned late every day, which even made Wang Xifeng feel sorry for him.

So much so that when Jia Lian occasionally made any unreasonable requests at night, she would consider whether or not to grant them.

Anyway, she was only responsible for agreeing; the one who endured the humiliation and shame was someone else.

New Year's Eve has passed in the blink of an eye, and the grand ancestral worship ceremony of the Jia family has come to an end. Jia Lian is then preparing to set off.

I went to pay my respects to Jia She first, but unfortunately I didn't see him. The old man had heard that he had a backache and was too lazy to see him.

Madam Xing, however, held him and gave him a series of concerned instructions, telling him to be careful in his actions outside.

After seeing Jia Zheng again, Jia Lian went to Grandmother Jia's courtyard.

Upon hearing that Jia Lian was about to depart, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but ask, "Wasn't it said that you would set off on the third day of the month? Today is only the second day, why are you leaving so soon?"

"There are still matters to be arranged in the camp, so tonight we can only rest in the military camp outside the city."

Hearing Jia Lian say this, Grandmother Jia was silent for a while before saying, "You are young, it's good for you to go out and explore, and experience some hardship. Your grandfather and great-grandfather also went through the same thing, which is why our family is so wealthy."

Seeing how motivated you are now makes me happy.

Go ahead and don't worry about things at home. I'll keep an eye on your wife for you, so nothing will go wrong.

I only have one piece of advice for you: be careful in everything you do while you're out and about, don't get into any fights or arguments, nothing else matters, coming back safely is the most important thing.

Although it was just a few simple words, it was clear that Grandmother Jia cared about him. Jia Lian couldn't help but feel a little comforted, knowing that the old lady's heart hadn't completely turned away from him and that she still cared about her eldest grandson.

After agreeing to Grandmother Jia's request, he looked at Yingchun and the others.

Yingchun and the other two were in better condition, though it was clear they were reluctant to part. Only Daiyu had tears welling up in her beautiful eyes, a mixture of reluctance and worry.

Seeing Jia Lian looking at her, she seemed to muster a lot of courage before taking two steps forward. Hesitantly, she took out a pair of exquisite gloves from her bosom and handed them to Jia Lian: "Second Brother Lian, these are for you. I heard it's very cold at the border, you might find them useful..."

Jia Lian's eyes lit up. This was clearly made by Daiyu herself. It was rare that Daiyu, with her lazy personality, would actually put in the effort to make this for him.

Seeing that Daiyu seemed a little embarrassed about giving him the gift, he accepted it and said with a smile, "Since you have such a nice thing, why are you only giving it to me now? Was it because I wasn't looking at you earlier that you weren't planning to give it to me?"

Upon hearing this, Daiyu finally managed to suppress her emotions, smiled happily, and retreated without saying a word.

Actually, she was planning to give it to Jia Lian tonight when she went with Yingchun and the others to see him off, but little did she know that Jia Lian was leaving this afternoon.

Putting aside the fact that the three sisters of the Spring Festival were a little embarrassed when they saw that Daiyu had prepared something for Jia Lian in advance, Jia Baoyu's heart broke again when he saw Daiyu giving Jia Lian gloves.

He discovered several days ago that Daiyu was secretly knitting gloves, and when he saw that they were men's gloves, he thought that Daiyu would give them to him. But today he found out that they were actually given to Jia Lian!

So he stepped forward, cupped his hands to Jia Lian, and said, "Second Brother Lian, have a safe journey and return soon."

Jia Lian glanced at him, nodded, then looked at Yingchun and the others, before bowing to Grandmother Jia, saying goodbye, and turning to leave Rongqing Hall.

Before they had even left the mansion, Ping'er rushed out from the second gate and handed Jia Lian something.

"Second Master, this is a peace charm that Second Madam recently obtained for you at Shuiyue Nunnery. She told you to wear it, saying it would protect you."

Jia Lian naturally didn't believe it, especially since it came from the famous Shuiyue Nunnery.

However, since it was his wife's kind gesture, Jia Lian accepted it without hesitation. He then hugged Ping'er with one arm and instructed her, "Take good care of your second mistress and wait for me to return."

After saying that, he left Ping'er, whose eyes were filled with tears, standing there, and left the mansion without looking back.

Outside the West Corner Gate, a large group of people stood waiting, including servants Zhao'er, Xing'er, and Qing'er, attendants Laiwang, Wang Xin, the Zhao brothers, and five guards including Zhang Yong.

These twenty-odd people basically constituted his entire foundation within the Jia family.

However, he decided to bring only three people with him on this trip: Zhang Yong, Feng Fei, and Wang Dashuanzi.

Zhao Sheng was decisive and ruthless, so he was specially kept behind and given a task. Wang Teng's name was considered unlucky, as it clashed with Wang Ziteng's, so he was also kept behind to assist Zhao Sheng.

Jia Lian turned his gaze to the only person outside the Jia family present—Sun Zairen, the local bully and novice monk he had subdued in Nanjing.

I originally thought he would not come to the capital until after the New Year, and that would mean I would miss seeing him. But to my surprise, he came to the capital before the New Year.

Without a doubt, such a person must be given an important position.

In comparison, he actually considered taking the Zhao brothers, Zhao Tianliang and Zhao Tiandong, away out of respect for Granny Zhao.

However, the brothers were not very willing, so Jia Lian gave up and completely labeled them as hopeless.

After exchanging a few words with Sun Zai Ren, Jia Lian mounted his horse, glanced at the north gate, and said to Zhang Yong and the other two behind him:

"Set off!"

……