Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 38 Recruiting a Novice

As the son of a nobleman, he was going to court against a kidnapper; the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

Even though Jia Lian and the others did not have conclusive evidence, and even though Xiangling only gave a vague and unclear testimony in the end, it was enough to convict the kidnapper.

He will be executed on a chosen day.

When the locals who had come to see what was going on learned of the outcome, they all applauded.

In this era, deciding the life or death of a criminal is that simple!

There is no such thing as justice. Laws are a product of their time. In this society where illiteracy is widespread, only severe punishments can deter people's hearts.

In the main hall, the kidnapper, who had already wet his pants in fear, was dragged away by the constables.

Looking at the lonely girl still standing below the hall, the prefect said to Jia Lian, "Lord Jia, although this case has been solved and the kidnapper has been imprisoned by this prefecture, this girl was still abducted from another place, and this prefecture does not know how to settle her."

Jia Lian cupped his hands and said, "This matter need not trouble you, sir. I am an old friend of Master Zhen. After Master Zhen entrusted me to find his orphan, he went to become a monk and travel around. Therefore, this matter of settling him down can be left to me."

The prefect nodded and smiled, "That's excellent."

……

Upon arriving outside Yingtian Prefecture, Jia Lian turned around and saw the young novice monk still there, so he asked, "Why are you still following us?"

Sun Zairen immediately broke into a smile: "Congratulations, Your Excellency! Congratulations! Your Excellency is truly awe-inspiring, with keen insight, punishing evil and upholding justice. Just now, our Prefect entrusted me to convey his gratitude to Your Excellency for helping our prefecture solve this injustice. He also asked me to inquire whether Your Excellency has the time, as our Prefect would like to prepare a small feast and invite Your Excellency to our residence for a chat..."

Jia Lian immediately understood the magistrate's meaning: he couldn't reveal it in court, but he wanted to make friends with him afterward.

The Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture was no minor official; he held the rank of third grade. If he could advance one more step, he would either become a local governor or one of the six ministries in the central government.

But as I said before, given his status, it's not good for him to make too many connections with local officials who are not related to him. Otherwise, if someone reports it to the capital, it could cause trouble.

Therefore, he smiled and said, "I appreciate your kindness, Prefect. However, my trip to Nanjing has been very rushed, and I dare not stay too long. So I can only apologize for my disrespect. When you arrive in the capital, Prefect, if you would not mind visiting my humble abode, I will certainly treat you to a warm welcome."

But then the young novice stepped forward again, "I will certainly convey your words to you, sir... I dare not take up any more of your time, but there is one more thing..."

Sun Zairen glanced at Xiangling, who was following closely behind Jia Lian, and said, "Now that the kidnapper has been brought to justice, Miss Zhen will probably not return to my dilapidated courtyard. However, there must still be some of Miss Zhen's old belongings there. I wonder if you would send someone to collect them, sir, or if I should collect them and send them to your residence?"

Jia Lian had forgotten about this matter and thought that he should let the young monk handle it himself. Since Xiangling was with him, he would naturally provide her with whatever she needed and she would no longer need the things she had before.

On second thought, Xiangling was abducted as a child, and her abductor must have treated her terribly. Perhaps she misses her parents and relatives, or perhaps she finds solace in some childhood belongings. Judging from Xiangling's appearance, she is probably feeling lost and hopeless about the future. It wouldn't be right for me to make the decision for her to give up her old memories.

"Have your woman pack her things and send them to the Rongguo Mansion."

As Jia Lian spoke, he ignored the young novice monk, mounted his horse, and then reached out his hand to Xiangling, who had followed him off the horse and was somewhat frightened by the large horse in front of her.

Xiangling almost immediately put her little hand on the object and cooperated perfectly as Jia Lian pulled her up.

She was afraid of the outside world. Right now, her only thought was to follow this young master in front of her, who had been showing her kindness. She dared not stray even a step, because she knew that once she lost him, she would have nowhere to go and would be even more pitiful than when she was with her fake father.

Jia Lian held Xiangling in his arms, feeling her cold skin through her thin, coarse linen clothes. He sighed softly and said, "Let's go buy some clothes, thick, warm clothes."

……

Jia Lian spent an afternoon strolling around Nanjing with Xiangling. Besides buying clothes, shoes, and jewelry for Xiangling, he also remembered to buy things for Daiyu and the three sisters in the family that they might like.

As dusk fell, Jia Lian and the others had just returned to the mansion when they saw the young novice monk, dressed in ordinary clothes, carrying a bundle, wandering alone in front of the mansion gate.

Upon seeing that Jia Lian and the others had discovered him, he hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects.

Sitting on his horse, Jia Lian frowned and asked, "What are you doing standing here?"

"As you commanded, I have brought Miss Zhen's old belongings."

Sun Zai Ren delivered the package, and Jia Lian had Zhao'er accept it.

Seeing the young novice monk standing there, rubbing his hands and feet, showing no sign of leaving, Jia Lian understood.

No wonder he was willing to stand here instead of directly delivering the item into the mansion; it turns out he wanted to see me again.

Jia Lian thought that this young novice monk was clever and so attentive, so it might be a good thing to make a good connection with him.

"I haven't asked yet, what's your name?"

"My surname is Sun, and my given name is Zai Ren."

Upon hearing that Jia Lian had finally remembered to ask his name, Sun Zairen immediately became happy, nodding and bowing repeatedly.

Jia Lian smiled and said, "I know you have many questions in your mind. I'll tell you, I have my own methods for finding you, so you don't need to ask in detail."

Upon realizing that his thoughts had been guessed, Sun Zairen immediately bowed and said, "This humble one would not dare."

Sensing that Jia Lian wouldn't elaborate, the young novice, though disappointed, dared not disturb him any further and prepared to take his leave.

"However, since you helped me this time, and I said I would repay you, I will not go back on my word."

Sun Zairen immediately laughed and said, "You flatter me, sir. It is my honor to serve you, and I would never dare to ask for any reward. Besides, I am an old acquaintance of Master Zhen and have been kind to him in the past. Now that I am able to do my part to rescue Miss Zhen, it is my way of repaying his kindness."

As he spoke, he glanced at Xiangling, who was now wearing a new fur cloak but kept her head down and sat quietly in Jia Lian's arms. He thought to himself: Now, she has finally gotten over her hardships!

Jia Lian looked Sun Zai Ren up and down and said with a smile, "You have now established a firm foothold in Nanjing. Who knows, you may rise to even greater heights in the future. Congratulations in advance."

"This humble one dares not presume to accept such praise from you, sir..."

"However, you will face another calamity in the next year or two. If you cannot get through it safely, you will likely suffer the hardships of the borderlands."

Sun Zai Ren's smile was still on his face, but he froze for a moment. If the person in front of him hadn't been a distinguished person, he would have spat at him. Doesn't he know how to speak properly?

Suddenly, thinking back on all the things that had happened before, it seemed that Jia Lian was truly beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, as if he really had foresight.

I have no grudge against him, and given his status, he would not necessarily be trying to deceive me intentionally.

Having figured this out, he immediately became even more respectful, saying, "Please enlighten me, sir!"

"Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. I will only tell you that if you find yourself with nowhere else to turn, you may come to the Rongguo Mansion in the capital to find me."

As long as Jia Yucun is reinstated to his official position and is transferred to the post of Prefect of Yingtian, Sun Zai's fate will be unavoidable, even without the Xue Pan case.

How could someone like Jia Yucun tolerate a lowly person who had seen him at his most wretched state staying by his side?

It's only a matter of time before we deal with him.

As for sending Sun Zai Ren to find him, it was partly to repay him for his help today, and partly because he saw that this young novice was a talented person.

Putting aside everything else, the fact that he was able to clarify the entire cause and effect of the Xue Pan case for Jia Yucun before Jia Yucun took office, and that he could thoroughly understand the foundations of the four major families, is something that no ordinary person could do.

If he were truly willing to join, Jia Lian would be willing to take him under his wing.

It just so happens that he lacks capable people around him, and the few he has are all servants in his household. Since they are household members, they are more or less influenced by Jia She, Jia Zheng and others, so he needs some outsiders to serve him.

Jia Lian was momentarily tempted to subdue Sun Zai Ren, unaware that this was exactly what Sun Zai Ren wanted.

Although he came from humble beginnings, he was not content with mediocrity!

He had long realized that meeting Jia Lian was a great opportunity in his life. Otherwise, what merit or ability did he, a mere yamen runner, possess to deserve the Prefect's personal instruction?

He had been in Yingtian Prefecture for two or three years, and this was the first time he had spoken to the Prefect. The reason was simply that the Prefect saw that he actually knew Jia Lian, the eldest grandson of the Rongguo Mansion in the capital!

That's why he was willing to brave the cold wind and wait in front of the Duke's mansion, just to see Jia Lian again and look for an opportunity.

Sure enough, the opportunity has arrived!

He immediately knelt down, kowtowed to Jia Lian, and said with a smile, "Since you say that I will surely face a calamity in the future, I believe it without a doubt. Now that you say so, how can I not take advantage of the situation?"

There's no need to wait for the future. As long as you're willing, I'll immediately swear to follow you and obey your every command for life!

With your great power, as long as I stay by your side, you will surely be able to avert this insignificant calamity that befalls me!

"You little rascal, you're too slippery. What do you take my second master for? A monk or Taoist priest to ward off your troubles?" Seeing Jia Lian and a minor constable exchanging words, Zhao Sheng and the others were already very jealous. Now that they saw Sun Zai Ren being so shameless, they naturally spoke up to mock him.

Jia Lian was also surprised. "Now? Are you sure?"

Jia Lian knew that this guy had finally established himself in Nanjing, with a house, a wife and children, and a stable job.

So you're so willing to let go of everything? You decided to follow him to the capital without even considering it?

"Let me tell you, now that you've come to the capital with me, you might not be given any important positions, and you might not have a more comfortable life than you did in Yingtian Prefecture."

It would be a lie to say he wasn't worried at all, but Sun Zai Ren knew he couldn't show it. He smiled decisively and said:

"It's comfortable here in Yingtian Prefecture, but there's no future in it. I'll just be a lowly clerk who's looked down upon by everyone for the rest of my life."

Now that you, sir, have shown such kindness by taking me in, do you think I don't even have this much sense?

When you, sir, rise to great heights in the future, we your children will naturally rise with you and enjoy wealth and glory.

Once you become a clerk, you can make a living, but you and your descendants for three generations are forbidden from taking the imperial examinations. In other words, there is no chance of turning your life around within three generations. Having understood this, Sun Zai Ren had long intended to get rid of this position and find another way to make a living.

Sun Zairen's decisiveness once again impressed Jia Lian; such a person might be of great use in the future.

So he smiled and said, "Alright, in that case, you shall follow me from now on. However, I see that you have a family to support here, so I will give you three months to settle things here. After three months, come to the capital to find me."

"Thank you, sir..."

……