Dream of the Red Chamber: Daiyu and I swapped clothes

Chapter 37 Moving to Rongqing Hall

"The person is currently in the Pear Blossom Courtyard..."

The maidservant was startled by Xiren's sharp gaze and shrank back, stammering in response.

Upon hearing this, Baoyu felt a slight tremor in his heart.

It's one thing for that playboy to associate with Xue Pan outside, but how did he manage to sneak into the Pear Fragrance Courtyard?
Suppressing his frustration, Jia Baoyu couldn't help but press for an explanation, "What was he doing at Pear Fragrance Courtyard?"

"Reporting to Second Master, I heard that it was the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion that came to deliver New Year's gifts. The concubine was delighted and specially prepared a banquet to entertain Young Master Li."

Baoyu's brows furrowed involuntarily.

Aunt Xue values ​​that纨绔 (playboy) so much; isn't that putting Baochai in danger?

In particular, this playboy was also sharp-tongued, always talking about economics and official career, which suited the tastes of the concubine, Sister Bao.

Compared to the slightly changed Lin Daiyu, the Xue family preferred this type, especially if she were to be bewitched by that纨绔 (playboy)...

Thinking of this, Jia Baoyu couldn't help but shiver, his mind immediately in turmoil.

The absurd dream I once had seems to be coming true now, only the object of my dream has changed from Lin Daiyu to Jia Baoyu.

The sisters in the manor have always revolved around him; how could they allow an outsider to get involved?

This has absolutely crossed his line!

"No, absolutely not! We must not let him have his way!"

Baoyu was so anxious that he wrung his hands and stamped his feet, pacing back and forth in the room like a frightened beast.

Xiren had just calmed Baoyu down when this sudden news disrupted her plans, and she was naturally annoyed.

With a cold face, Xiren waved away the maidservant, took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, and then stepped forward to gently support the agitated Baoyu.

"Master, please don't panic. This is the Rongguo Mansion after all. As a son of a duke, he has come to pay his respects as a junior. It is only proper and reasonable for him to go to Rongqing Hall to greet the old lady and the ladies."

Xi Ren spoke gently and clearly, and the reasoning in her words was straightforward, which enlightened Bao Yu.

This is his territory; his elders will make the decisions for him.

"The old lady has seen at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, younger generations from all the families. But which one can surpass the master? Once the old lady has seen them with her own eyes, it will be clear whether they are dragons or worms. At that time, no matter how arrogant they are, they will naturally be defeated."

Baoyu seemed to suddenly understand, and the gloom on his face vanished instantly.

Climbing onto Xiren's shoulder, Jia Baoyu shook her with delight, "Sister, my dear sister, you are truly my female Zhuge Liang! Before, outside, those people were like mud pigs and mangy dogs, how could they understand my heart? But now that we're in front of Grandmother, she naturally knows who is good and who is bad!"

Seeing him happy, Xiren added, "Even in terms of learning, I have seen how diligent you have been these past few days. How could you possibly lose to a spoiled brat who has just started school?"

Baoyu clapped his hands and laughed, "That's right! That's exactly the point!"

He was immediately dressed in his most magnificent attire under the care of Xiren, wearing a brocade outer robe, a jeweled purple-gold crown to bind his hair, and a gold headband with two dragons chasing a pearl. He was radiant and hurriedly went to Rongqing Hall.

……

As for Lixiang Courtyard, Xiangling's situation is already set in stone, with no room for maneuver.

Although Lin Daiyu remained seated at the table, the delicacies on the table tasted bland to her.

With her mind in a daze, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but reflect. "Could it be that I can only read to that纨绔 (spoiled brat) and can't do anything else? It was the same with bribing the Xue family before, and now it's the same with Sister Xiangling. Whenever I do something extra, it's bound to backfire. How can that be reasonable?"

The only thing that could bring Lin Daiyu some comfort was the thought that Li Chen was currently on top of her, enduring the pain of menstruation on the bed.

"Alas... In the end, I am the one who has let Xiangling down. If she were to enter the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion, wouldn't she be like a lamb entering a tiger's den, being taken advantage of by that纨绔 (wan ku, a spoiled brat) with impunity? This is quite different from Zijuan and Xueyan!"

Just as she was feeling frustrated and annoyed, she heard a maid knocking on the door.

“Madam, the old lady was delighted to hear that a distinguished guest had arrived at the manor, the second young master of the Zhenyuan Marquis’s manor. She would like to invite him to Rongqing Hall for a chat.”

Grandmother Jia always enjoyed seeing the younger generation from other families, but Aunt Xue saw nothing special about it.

However, Xue Pan knew the feud between Li Chen and Jia Baoyu, and upon hearing this, he immediately became vigilant, secretly spitting out, "Could it be that Jia Baoyu is behind this, trying to make things difficult for my brother Chen in court?"

Thinking of this, Xue Pan suddenly stood up, downed the remaining wine in his cup in one gulp, slammed the cup down heavily, and said to Lin Daiyu, "Brother Chen, don't panic, I'll go with you!"

Then she turned to Aunt Xue and said firmly, "Mother, I have to stay with Chen-ge!"

Aunt Xue frowned. How could she not see something amiss with her son's tense and anxious demeanor?
First, she scolded him to stabilize the situation, "I just praised you for being sensible, and now this scoundrel has returned? Is Rongqing Hall a place where you can run wild? Not to mention that the old lady and madam are here, your uncle might also be here. How can you be allowed to act so recklessly?"

Xue Pan, this fearless and domineering tyrant, only feared a handful of people in his life.

He had experienced firsthand the strictness of his uncle Jia Zheng, but the imposing presence of his maternal uncle Wang Ziteng intimidated him even more.

Xiangling's case had already troubled her uncle once, and he had been scolded severely. If her mother hadn't stopped him, he would have been in for a beating.

Upon hearing that Jia Zheng might be present, Xue Pan's arrogance naturally diminished, and he muttered, "Mother, you don't understand the intricacies of this matter..."

"Go away! You'll only cause trouble!" Aunt Xue refused sternly. "With Chen'er's character and appearance, the old lady will only like him. How could she make things difficult for him?"

Turning to Lin Daiyu, Aunt Xue put on a warm smile and said gently, "Chen-ge'er, since you are in the Rongguo Mansion, it was already impolite of you not to pay your respects to the old lady when you came. Now is the perfect time to make up for it. Just go ahead, the old lady is the most kind and gentle person."

Lin Daiyu's mind was already in turmoil, a complete mess of internal conflict.

When I heard that I was going to Rongqing Hall, my mind was filled with nothing but a buzzing sound.

As Li Chen, he must face his beloved maternal grandmother...

How should she conduct herself? And how should she respond?
Will someone notice something amiss?
Despite her awkwardness, Lin Daiyu could find no reason to refuse.

When the maid outside urged her again, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and get up to say goodbye to Aunt Xue and Xue Pan.

"Aunt...Madam, Brother Xue, then I'll take my leave now."

Aunt Xue glared at Xue Pan first, then said to Lin Daiyu in a gentle tone, "Alright, alright, go quickly, don't keep the old lady waiting."

After everyone left, Xue Pan's reckless nature resurfaced. He sat down on the ground, rubbing his legs, and said, "Letting Brother Chen go to the hall alone to deal with it makes me seem too disloyal!"

Aunt Xue frowned and said, "Pah, what nonsense."

Taking a deep breath, Aunt Xue called to her maid Tongxi and whispered, "Now that Brother Chen has been summoned to the main hall, the girls in the room will naturally be eager to join in the fun. Go tell Baoya to go and see for herself. If anything happens, she can come back and let us know."

"If something really goes wrong... our Xue family has to give the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion an explanation."

(End of this chapter)