Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Chapter 655: Discussions
It was during the break, and many students came out of the school and stood in the corridor to enjoy the snow and chat. When they saw Jia Cong, who had an extraordinary bearing, a crane cloak and a sword hanging from his waist, and looked unlike someone from the academy, they all looked at him in surprise.

Jia Cong randomly pulled a student to ask about the location of Mingde Runtang, and then walked away.

The students behind him were curious and asked each other: "Which rich family is this guy from? Is he here to study?"

"I don't know. I've never seen him. He doesn't look like a student. How can someone come to study and carry a sword?"

"It does make sense that a gentleman should wear a sword, but it's a little too contrived."

"Look at his expression and demeanor. He doesn't look like an ordinary person."

"Hey, why not follow him and see what he's going to do."

"Go and have a look."

Jia Cong suddenly heard the sound of dense footsteps behind him, stopped and looked back.

The students were frightened by his sharp gaze and stopped in a hurry, looking around awkwardly, not daring to look him in the eye.

Two older and bolder ones bowed and said, "This gentleman is very polite. We were afraid that you could not find the way, so we came to guide you."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Then lead the way."

"Yes, yes. This way please."

In Derun Hall, students were chatting loudly during the break. What they talked about was not the teachings of sages or national affairs, but rumors and gossip.

"You don't know, Duke Dingguo is indeed a talented and romantic man. Even the widows in his family can't escape his clutches... Hehe, the brother and sister-in-law and the widowed sister-in-law got pregnant without a husband. Can this be called romantic?"

Everyone laughed and asked, "How did you know?"

"My uncle's uncle's nephew's son-in-law lives in Daqiao Hutong next to Ningrong Street. These things have long been spread."

"When awake, he holds a murderous sword in his hand; when drunk, he lies on the lap of a beauty. How enviable!"

"These things are commonplace among the rich and powerful. It would be strange if they were spotless."

"I heard that except for the stone lions at the door, even the cats and dogs in their mansion are not clean."

"The world is in decline, people's hearts are no longer the same as before. Such actions are unworthy of the reputation of the court."

"You are jealous again. He earned his fame through fighting for his place. Now that he is young and successful, what does a few women have to do with you?"

"That makes sense. Hey, I heard that the girls in those two mansions are all as beautiful as fairies, with beautiful faces and graceful fragrance. It's a pity that I can't see them."

"So what if I see you? Can you write a love poem like Shao Bao?"

"No wonder Shao Bao writes such good love poems, with red sleeves and beautiful women adding fragrance and love."

All the students burst into laughter when they heard this. It was a great pleasure to chat about these romantic news after their intense studies.

"You! You are talking nonsense, slandering others' innocence out of thin air, and reading the books of sages in vain!"

With a bang, a young man in the corner got so angry that his face turned red and he slammed the table and stood up.

The two young men nearby also shared the same hatred and cursed angrily: "He is speaking foul language in the academy, slandering the young minister of the dynasty, insulting the reputation of women, and has low character, not worthy of being a son!"

"Let's go find the headmaster!"

Jia Lan, Jia Jun and Jia Zhi were so angry that they gritted their teeth and turned around to complain.

The students were shocked and rushed to stop them. The academy had strict rules and if they reported someone, they would be in big trouble.

"Three junior fellow students, we are just talking about gossip. Whether it is true or false has nothing to do with us. We did not make it up. Why are you going to sue the teacher? Isn't this just wrongly accusing a good person?" The student, who was about the same age as him, said hurriedly.

"Yes, Jia Zilong is a playboy and has a bad reputation. It has nothing to do with us." Everyone agreed.

"Hey, the three junior brothers also have the surname Jia. Could it be that they are also from the two prefectures?" another person asked curiously.

Because Jia Cong didn't want them to show off, he ordered them not to claim to be from the two governments to avoid trouble.

When Jia Lan was asked this question, his momentum suddenly weakened by three points, and he scolded: "It's ridiculous! If we were born in a duke's mansion, why would we come to study? It's just that we will speak out when things are unfair!"

"In that case, we can chat about what we have seen and heard in the capital when we have nothing to do so that we won't offend our brothers.

We are not talking behind his back. We admire Duke Dingguo's great military achievements. However, his reputation as a talented and romantic man is known to the world. How can you blame us for ruining his reputation?" said the senior student with a smile.

At this point, everyone burst into laughter.

Another person laughed and said, "Let's not talk about the distant past. Let's just talk about this recent incident. Everyone knows about it. In order to save his beloved concubine, the Duke did not hesitate to use public resources for personal gain, mobilized tens of thousands of troops, searched the capital, and even disobeyed the emperor's order. This incident can't be said to be false, right? He is indeed a talented and romantic man."

Everyone laughed and asked, "Do the three Jia brothers have any opinions on this matter?"

"You...you guys..." Jia Lan and the other two were speechless, but they couldn't swallow this anger and were choked with anger for a moment.

"What's it worth! Only great heroes can be true to themselves, and only true celebrities can be elegant!"

Suddenly, everyone heard a clear voice coming from the back door, and saw a handsome and tall young man striding in, followed by many students from other dormitories.

"Third Uncle!" Jia Lan and the other two were overjoyed and hurried to pay their respects.

Jia Cong smiled slightly, helped the three people up, and glanced at everyone, saying: "In the school, we don't discuss the sages' scriptures or national affairs, so why are you so concerned about the romantic affairs of Duke Dingguo? Are you also yearning for it?"

Seeing that he was handsome and well-dressed, the crowd did not dare to offend him and hurriedly explained, "We are well-versed in the books of sages, so how could we aspire to such rude behavior?"

"Yes, we are just talking and laughing about praise and criticism, using it as a mirror, but we are not envious of him."

"The ancients said that if a person is rich and noble and knows how to be polite, he will not be arrogant or licentious. Although the Duke of Dingguo holds a high position, he does not know much about etiquette. We do not agree with this."

Upon hearing this, Jia Cong shook his head and laughed. These students were more hypocritical than people in later generations. At least the losers in later generations dared to frankly admit their desires.

Just as he was about to ridicule them, an old scholar who had heard the news came in hastily. Seeing Jia Cong, he showed a bit of panic in his eyes. He hurriedly walked up to him and bowed, saying, "My student is naughty and ignorant. I hope you will forgive me if I have offended you. Don't take it personally."

He turned back and pointed at me angrily, "You guys live together all day long, talking about things that are not righteous, and you like to show off your cleverness. It's hard for you to be good at this!"

The sentient beings were frightened by the teacher's harsh words and scolded, and they bowed and apologized again and again.

"Those who just spoke nonsense will be punished to copy the Analects ten times after school."

"Yes..." Everyone nodded with a bitter face in agreement. The Analects of Confucius has more than 16,000 words, and one might be afraid that one's hands would break if one copied it ten times.

"Look..." The old man turned around and looked at Jia Cong and smiled.

How could Jia Cong, with his current status, have the same views as these students? He smiled and said, "The old gentleman has a rigorous style of study, and I admire him.

I think that academies are places for teaching the sages’ classics, and that the students are impetuous and shallow-minded, and that it is not the right way to study if they rashly praise or criticize the officials in the court.”

"What the young master has taught us is correct. We should take this as a warning and mend our ways to do better." The old man bowed hurriedly and felt relieved. Jia Cong meant that he would not pursue the matter any further.

Although the academy has a very high prestige among the literati and has a long history, it would not be a good thing to offend the current Shao Bao, the Duke, and the Jinyi Admiral. Moreover, it is even more unworthy because of a few stupid students.

"Goodbye, old sir." Jia Cong waved his hand and led Jia Lan and the other two away.

"Sir, take care." The old man saw him out, turned around and said with a frosty face, "What are you still standing there for? Don't you think it's embarrassing enough?

The sage said, "If you are generous to yourself and lenient to others, you will avoid resentment." Duke Dingguo has made many great contributions to the country. How can you criticize him?

Ask yourself, if you were in their place, how dissolute would you be? Those involved today, if they don't do well in the monthly exam, will be demoted to the outer dormitory! "Teacher, please have mercy." Everyone wailed. It was so hard to get into the outer dormitory, it would be hard to go down.

The Imperial Academy was not divided into classes or grades, but into dormitories. From the bottom to the top, they were the outer dormitories, the inner dormitories, and the upper dormitories, which were used to measure the students' level of classics. The teaching staff and treatment varied greatly among the three dormitories.

For example, the lecturers in the outer dormitory were only candidates of the Juren degree, while those in the inner dormitory were the best candidates among the Juren degree, and those in the upper dormitory were famous scholars who were Jinshi degree holders but did not hold office. Other conditions such as accommodation, allowances, and canteens were also different.

This will encourage students to strive for excellence and study hard.

The old man snorted coldly, ignored them and walked away.

Two of the people who followed Jia Cong in looked at each other with strange expressions, then burst into laughter and fell down, leaning against the wall, gasping for breath.

Everyone was busy asking why.

The two laughed enough, pointed at the students who had just "regarded the former marquis as dirt", and said sarcastically with a look of gloating on their faces: "You guys have great integrity! You are not flattering the powerful, and you are strong-willed. I admire you!"

Another person laughed and said, "You all have the spirit of Li Bai. How can you be so humble and serve the rich and powerful and make me unhappy? Not to mention you, even we bystanders are happy."

Everyone was even more confused and asked hurriedly: "What do you mean by this?"

"What do you mean? You pointed at the monk and called him bald, and you still asked me what I meant."

The people who had just pointed out the situation felt a sinking feeling in their hearts, and said in a trembling voice, "You are saying... you are saying... that person..."

"Hehe, it's none other than Jia Zilong, the current Shao Bao, Duke Dingguo, Left Commander-in-Chief and Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Princess Ruyi's consort."

With a thud, seven or eight students fell onto their stools, their faces pale and their bodies ashen.

One person didn't believe it and asked, "Do you know Duke Dingguo?"

"I don't know him, I just saw him."

"My two brothers live in Shenjing. On the day of Duke Ding's wedding, he rode past our house on horseback. We were lucky enough to meet him, hehe."

Zhu Sheng's forehead was covered with sweat, and he said with a forced face: "We didn't say anything, and I don't think the Duke will bother with us."

"That's it."

The man teased, "I say you are too rude. The Duke is good to us scholars. Last time he was invigilating, a candidate's exam card was damaged, and he had to send someone to the Ministry of Rites to retrieve the original file."

"Also, during the exam, a candidate was framed and his brushes were destroyed. No candidate wanted to borrow them, so he sent someone to borrow a brush for him so that he could take the exam."

"Also, the cheating case in the imperial examination was investigated by the Jinyiwei. If it weren't for the Duke's efforts, the imperial examination would have long been a place for the rich and powerful to share the spoils. How could the poor students have their names on the list?"

"Yes, that makes sense." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Those people were filled with fear and regret, and were so scared that they were about to cry. How could they say anything?

"Don't panic, he won't bother with you." A handsome student in the corner sighed.

"Brother Baoyu, what do you mean by this?"

"Could it be that Brother Baoyu knows the Duke?"

Zhen Baoyu smiled bitterly, shook his head and said, "I don't know him." Then he turned and left.

"Uncle San, why didn't you teach those crazy students a lesson just now? They always talk nonsense in school, which is very hateful." Jia Lan asked in a low voice as Jia Cong came out.

Jia Cong shook his head and laughed, "How can a lion bother with ants? Let them be. If they are really annoying, just slap them to death. Why bother talking so much?"

"Nephew, I understand. Uncle San has millions of soldiers under his command. How could he take a few clowns seriously?" Jia Lan said with a smile.

“Well, you must know what you want and don’t waste your energy on idle people.

"When you are out, it's different from being at home. No one will pamper you. It's true that a real man should repay kindness with kindness and repay grievances with justice, but I hope you can solve the problem with your own ability instead of using me to pressure others." Jia Cong said.

"Yes, nephew will remember the teachings of my uncle." The three of them bowed and agreed.

"Of course, if there are any problems that cannot be solved, you can just bring a letter back. The descendants of our Jia family are not someone who can be bullied by just any Tom, Dick or Harry." Jia Cong said with a smile.

"Yes, I will not lose face for my uncle and ancestors."

In the reception room, Li Wan was waiting anxiously when she suddenly heard a familiar voice. She couldn't help but burst into tears and stood there, not knowing what she was thinking.

"The son pays his respects to his mother."

"Greetings to Auntie."

"Get up, get up." Li Wan cried and laughed. She wiped her tears and hurriedly helped the three people up. She then took Jia Lan in her arms and stroked him gently.

"Mom, don't be sad. Isn't your son fine? He has made great progress in his studies." Jia Lan comforted her.

Li Wan wiped her tears, nodded repeatedly, and said, "Mother is not sad, I am just happy to see you, you have all grown taller."

Jia Cong did not interrupt their conversation and went to wait outside.

About half an hour later, Li Wan and others came out, all with red eyes, obviously having cried.

"Are you done?" Jia Cong asked with a smile.

Li Wan nodded sadly, gave a few more instructions, and told the servant to carry the things she brought to the dormitory.

The three of them straightened their clothes and respectfully saw Jia Cong and Li Wan out.

"Let's all go back. There's no need to see us off." Jia Cong waved his hand.

Jia Lan, Jia Jun and others had just said goodbye at the gate.

"Sister-in-law, why do you have to be like this? Children will grow up and will eventually leave their mother." Jia Cong comforted her in the car.

Li Wan sighed, "I know that, but I feel sad. How can you understand my pain since you are not my mother?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Although I have never been a mother, I have been a son, so I know a little bit."

"You?" Li Wan glared at him, knowing that he had no feelings for Madam Xing, and said, "Your aunt died when you were three years old, so what do you know?"

Uh... Jia Cong laughed dryly and said, "I didn't know it at the time, but now that I've grown up, I understand it naturally. Sister-in-law, how can your son stay by your side forever? When Lan Ge'er flies away one day, won't you be even more miserable?"

Li Wan shed tears and said, "This is a woman's fate."

Jia Cong said with a smile: "Sister-in-law, you are not yet thirty this year. You are still young. Why do you have to torture yourself? Cong is not a moralist. If you want to remarry, Cong will never make it difficult for you. How can the reputation of our Jia family be obtained by restricting women?"

Upon hearing this, Li Wan's face instantly turned red, and she said angrily, "What nonsense! You are the clan leader, and you are teaching a widow in the clan like this? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at? You must be annoyed that I am eating your rice for free, and you want to drive me away."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, I will give orders later that if the widows of the Jia family want to remarry, the clan will treat them as their own daughters and give them a dowry as usual, and will not make things difficult for them."

Li Wan rolled her eyes at him and said, "I had known you were such a heretic. If you were like this, the old lady would have scolded you to death."

Jia Cong sneered, "The family has been prosperous for a long time because of the emergence of talented people. Can it be said that it will prosper if we detain women and let them live in loneliness for the rest of their lives? I will not do such a wicked thing anyway."

Li Wan shook her head silently and said, "A woman's loyalty to one man and her chastity are the virtues of a woman, just like a scholar-official who does not act as a traitor and serves his superior sincerely and respectfully, without being forced to do so."

Jia Cong said: "Of course I understand. It's just to give women one more choice so that those who want to remarry don't have to be criticized."

(End of this chapter)