Dream of the Red Chamber: Daiyu and I swapped clothes

Chapter 15 A Stern Rebuke of Baoyu
The prostitute sang softly, but the atmosphere inside the private room remained stagnant.

Jia Baoyu's face was gloomy, and he remained silent.

Li Chen, however, seemed oblivious, enjoying his meal with gusto as if the events on the table were none of his concern.

Wei Ruolan and Feng Ziying, two shrewd women, couldn't help but feel uneasy at the sight. They truly couldn't understand why Li Chen would deliberately provoke the Rongguo Mansion's precious young master.

That's the Jia family, a family with two dukes!
If Xue Pan were someone who understood social etiquette, he should have sided with them and tried to appease Baoyu. However, Xue Pan was also a spoiled brat, and he got along very well with Li Chen, completely forgetting that his family was still staying at the Rongguo Mansion.

The two were eager to come up with a topic to liven up the atmosphere, but while they were racking their brains, Li Chen spoke first.

"Brother Ziying, what I said when you first joined the sect was no empty formality. Your arms look noticeably thicker than they were a few months ago. You must have been diligently practicing martial arts lately. After the New Year, will you join the army to serve your country?"

Seeing that someone was offering a way out, Feng Ziying quickly seized the opportunity to say, "My father has been very strict with me lately, probably because he wants me to join the army next year for training."

"Is it the Beijing Garrison, or the Nine Garrisons?"

"With peace reigning over the land for so long, the capital garrison has no opportunity to hone its skills in real combat compared to the nine border regions. It should be sent to the nine border regions."

Li Chen rose to pour wine and exclaimed, "A true man's ambition lies in all corners of the world! When you achieve great feats on the battlefield and are ennobled as a marquis or general, do not forget the friendship we shared today."

“From now on, we’ll be strangers to those of us who only know how to eat, drink, and have fun. I have to toast you first.”

Feng Ziying accepted the wine cup, saying, "Brother Li, you flatter me. I am merely a border guard; I cannot accept such high praise."

As they chatted and drank, Li Chen asked Wei Ruolan, who was standing beside him, "Brother Wei, what are your plans?"

"I don't have Ziying's martial arts skills. I'm only passable in archery and horsemanship. My father might donate a position for me as a Dragon Guard, or I might stay and work in the capital garrison."

Li Chen poured him a cup of wine and invited him to drink. Then, feeling sentimental, he sighed, "Time flies, and we've all reached the age where we're going our separate ways. I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to get together for a drink again in the future."

Upon hearing this, Xue Pan couldn't help but laugh and said, "Those two martial artists will naturally join the army. Aren't there still the three of us in the capital? Could it be that you also have some great future ahead of you?"

Li Chen feigned seriousness, "My father has already hired a tutor for me, and I will be taking the imperial examination in the spring."

The three men froze, their hands halting as they raised their wine glasses, all turning to look at Li Chen. "The imperial examination?"

While the nobility and the civil service were not exactly irreconcilable enemies, their rivalry in the court was evident. The sons of nobles were naturally discriminated against by the gentry when taking the imperial examinations. Previously, there had been instances where examiners ranked sons of nobles highly, leading to student unrest and accusations of bribery, prompting the court to investigate.

From then on, examiners became extremely cautious when selecting officials from among the sons of noble families for the imperial examinations.

After all, nobody wants to cause trouble for no reason.

Even the Jia family, one of the most prominent families, could not avoid this problem. Jia Jing, the eldest master of Ningguo Mansion, passed the imperial examination but ultimately failed to become an official. Instead, he abandoned worldly affairs and became a Taoist.

The rumors were related to the persecution by civil officials.

Facing the three people's surprised gazes, Li Chen elegantly finished the remaining wine in his cup before saying, "Nowadays, the civil and military affairs of the Great Jing Dynasty are not on equal footing. The trend of valuing literature has swept across the north and south. Even though we nobles started our careers with military achievements, we have no choice but to make some changes."

"Changing course and taking a different approach could be very rewarding!"

Judging from Li Chen's demeanor, it was hard to tell what was real about him. The three of them looked at each other, and for a moment they didn't know what to say.

Jia Baoyu, who had been observing coldly, finally found an opening to retort.

Jia Baoyu preferred the wit and charm of young ladies, and the inability to play drinking games while drinking had already made him lose interest. Then, Li Chen started talking about his future.

He had always despised such "parasite" talk, and Li Chen's words hit him right where it hurt.

"This fellow, upon entering the sect, looked down on me. He's a mediocre talent who doesn't even know poetry or literature, yet he dares to speak so arrogantly about taking the imperial examinations! The words of the sages are not for you to use to decorate your own face!"

Moreover, Feng Ziying and Wei Ruolan, who were originally on his side, were both skilled in martial arts and did not belong to the same path as him; they were only taking care of his feelings.

After understanding this, Jia Baoyu felt even worse.

There are no close friends at this table, only soldiers and annoying fellows.

Jia Baoyu grew angrier the more he thought about it, and surprisingly, he confronted Li Er Gongzi directly, saying, "Young Master Li, you haven't been studying for very long, have you? You're already planning to pass the county exam after only three months? You're underestimating the students in the capital. Such arrogant words are fine to say at the dinner table; we'll just take it as a joke and laugh it off."

"If this gets out, it will become a laughing stock and tarnish the reputation of our noble family."

These words caused quite a stir among those present.

As expected, Li Chen's actions angered Jia Baoyu.

Now, no one knows how to end this situation.

Li Chen, however, remained calm and composed, slightly raising his eyes as he said indifferently, "It's not that the practice of nobles being ridiculed by scholars for being ignorant and incompetent started with me; it has been the case since the founding of the nation."

"If you don't dare to compete on the same stage just because others laugh at you, then you'll never be able to change people's prejudices?"

"Wasn't the last nobleman praised by scholars the old master Jia of the Rongguo Mansion? Back then, he was able to find a son-in-law right after the imperial examination and marry into the family of Lin, a scholar from a family with four generations of noble lineage. At that time, how could public opinion have been as unbearable as it is today?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Baoyu's face became unnatural. "This... what does this marriage have to do with the imperial examination? Young Master Li is getting off-topic."

Li Chen slowly picked up the enamel teapot, poured himself a cup of fine wine, smelled its aroma, and said calmly, "What I wanted to say was that my grandfather advocated passing down knowledge and scholarship through generations and practiced what he preached. What's wrong with us, his descendants, following in the footsteps of our ancestors and daring to give it a try?"

"As the saying goes, victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. What's there to criticize about success and failure? But if one is afraid to take the field because of what others say, then that is cowardice before the battle even begins, and admitting defeat."

“I have heard that in the past ten years or so, no one from the Jia family has achieved any official rank. In fact, the number of people registering for the county examination has been decreasing year by year. Isn’t this desertion in the face of battle? They are complacent in both literature and martial arts, and have forgotten the teachings of their ancestors. People will naturally think that we are all spoiled brats.”

Li Chen's words resonated deeply, and Wei Ruolan and Feng Ziying nodded in agreement. Coming from military families, they valued this kind of courage—unafraid of hardship and daring to draw their swords.

This is precisely what military generals strive for.

However, Jia Baoyu's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and because his face was rather round, it looked even more like the likeness. After holding back for a long time, Jia Baoyu finally spoke up again, retorting: "It's that nonsense again about scholars dying for their principles and warriors dying in battle! Military generals rely on their reckless bravery, only seeking empty fame, but have they ever considered the country and the nation after their deaths?"

"Civil officials are even more despicable. They threaten suicide at the slightest flaw in the court, seeking fame and fortune by buying a reputation for loyalty and heroism! These traitors and corrupt officials should be dead!"

As Jia Baoyu spoke, he became increasingly agitated, as if he wanted to vent his anger. He scanned the crowd with burning eyes, seeking their approval.

The prostitutes singing by the wall were so frightened by this scene that they fell silent.

Upon hearing this, Wei Ruolan and Feng Ziying both turned pale, but inwardly they disagreed.

Where did their titles of nobility come from? Wasn't it from their ancestors' bloody battles on the battlefield?
Now they say this is a publicity stunt, but it's not a betrayal of one's ancestors.

Without the blessings of his ancestors, how could he wear silk and brocade?

Therefore, neither Wei Ruolan nor Feng Ziying responded to Baoyu's words immediately, but instead glanced towards the door, fearing that others might overhear.

Xue Pan, who was slightly drunk, was mostly sobered up by the fright. Although he was a playboy, he knew how troublesome civil officials were after getting into a lawsuit.

Even his sister's failure to be selected as a concubine might be related to his lawsuit, so he no longer dares to cause trouble recklessly.

If Jia Baoyu's words today were to reach the ears of the censor, everyone present would likely be in trouble.

"Get out! All of you get out! Keep your mouths shut!"

"Yes."

After all the bystanders had left, Xue Pan wanted to step forward to comfort Bao Yu, who was still trembling with anger, but he didn't know where to begin.

"Don't... you all think it's a big deal?"

Seeing that no one responded, Baoyu asked blankly, his face full of disappointment and confusion.

Li Chen drained the remaining wine from the pot, then gently slammed it onto the table, making a crisp sound.

He looked up at Baoyu, a faint, cold smile playing on his lips. "Brother Bao, why get angry?"

Jia Baoyu frowned and looked at him, "It's not that I'm angry! It's just that you're full of self-interest and you're going to corrupt Brother Ruolan and Brother Ziying."

Li Chen shook his head.

"Brother Bao, whether others agree with your profound insights is another matter. I have a question for you."

Li Chen's gaze was sharp and piercing, directly targeting Bao Yu.

"If you believe that civil officials offer advice for personal gain and military generals fight to the death for profit, then what would you do?"

"If you feel that this world is corrupt and the officialdom is despicable, why not stand up and cleanse the world, restoring integrity to the world?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Baoyu was taken aback at first, then his face flushed red, and he turned his head away and snorted coldly, "I disdain to associate with such people."

"Hahaha."

Li Chen burst into loud laughter, his laughter full of sarcasm. "Since you disdain to associate with them and are powerless to change anything, all you do is hide in your inner chambers, complaining and criticizing others? Brother Bao, your 'innocence' is far too easy!"

"In my opinion, if you're interested, you should register first and test him. Even if you don't pass, you'll have personally witnessed what the battlefield you despise is really like. Then you can come back and talk big!"

Those words are too harsh.

Wei Ruolan and Feng Ziying couldn't help but frown and raise their eyes.

Although they did not agree with Baoyu's words, Li Chen's direct rebuke of them was almost humiliating and truly alarming.

When had Jia Baoyu ever been so humiliated in person?
When he stared wide-eyed in disbelief at Feng and Wei, he saw that they tacitly avoided his gaze.

"you?!"

Originally intending to embarrass Li Chen, Jia Baoyu didn't expect that he himself was the laughingstock in their eyes. How could he possibly stay here any longer?
A surge of heat rushed to Jia Baoyu's head, and he abruptly grabbed his crane cloak, ordering his servant to prepare the horse.

Feng Ziying quickly stood up and persuaded, "Brother Bao, don't be impatient. We haven't finished drinking yet. We'll head back together later."

Wei Ruolan also said, "Disputes over principles are common. We are all brothers of the same blood, why argue until we're red in the face? Brother Chen, you should say less. We are all upright men, let's just let it go once we've talked it out."

Upon hearing words like "brothers" and "men," Baoyu seemed to be greatly provoked. He stamped his foot, turned around, and angrily retorted, "Who are you 'brothers'? Who are 'men'? You're nothing but a bunch of filthy men!"

"Don't stop me! I'm leaving!"

Feng Ziying and Wei Ruolan were speechless, stunned on the spot.

As Baoyu passed by Li Chen, he glared at him fiercely, then said nothing more and turned away.

"Brother Chen, why did you have to offend him?"

"I was simply advising him not to live in a fog forever."

"Sigh, he's pampered by the old matriarch in the Rongguo Mansion, how could he possibly consider his future? Brother Chen, you're talking too much."

Left with no other choice, the two hurriedly put on their coats and chased after him out the door.

Xue Pan, however, did not move. Instead, he ordered someone to heat up another pot of good wine, personally filled it for Li Chen, and patted him on the shoulder: "Brother Chen, you're a real man! I, Xue Pan, am determined to be your brother!"

(End of this chapter)