Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

"You!" Daiyu turned her head and glared at Zijuan angrily, looking like a cat with its fur standing on end.

Zijuan suppressed a laugh, straightened her expression, and said seriously:

"Then I'll tell the girl what's different."

"When the Marquis first returned, he only gave the young lady precious items such as ginseng and deer antler. He didn't give any to the other young ladies. That's one reason."

"Xiangling was clearly a gift from Madam Xue, but the Marquis forbids Miss Bao from teaching her poetry, yet he insists that you, Miss, teach her. That's the second point."

"When the young lady vomited blood and fainted, the Marquis not only beat Master Bao and scolded the Second Madam, but also forbade Master Bao from coming to the young lady's courtyard in the future. Countless servants were also punished. This is the third point."

Daiyu's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't.

Zijuan continued:

"The young lady is ill, and the Marquis has gone to great lengths to invite a physician from the Imperial Hospital to treat her, showing his deep concern. He also said that if the young lady ever needs anything, I should report it to him. That is the fourth point."

"The master is in danger, and the marquis has even sent his personal guards there. Isn't this all for the sake of the young lady? That's the fifth point."

"The Marquis is such a busy man that he has never visited the other young ladies' courtyards. Today, he has been sitting in the young lady's room for more than an hour and has been very concerned about her. This is the sixth point."

"I wasn't lying, was I? Although the Marquis didn't say anything, his actions towards the young lady are clearly different!"

Daiyu's face flushed again, this time even her neck turned pink. Her eyes held an undisguised joy, and her fingers unconsciously twisted the corner of the quilt.

He snorted and said weakly:

"That's all just speculation! If I believed you, I'd be crying my eyes out!"

Zijuan was stunned upon hearing this, her eyes wide with disbelief. After a long while, she sighed and stammered:

"My dear aunt! You're still teasing me at a time like this!"

"I even gave up my noodles for your sake, my head is numb from thinking so much, all to find you a reliable and good family, and what do you do...?"

Seeing that Zijuan seemed a little anxious, Daiyu knew that the other woman genuinely cared about her, so she smiled apologetically and said:

"Sister, please don't be really angry. How could I not know how kind you are to me?"

"I have never had any brothers or sisters. It is a blessing from past lives that I met my older sister, who has always taken care of me and worried about me."

"If it weren't for my sister, I probably would have died of illness here in this manor long ago..."

At this point, Daiyu's expression became much more serious, and she continued:

"My third brother is an extraordinary person. You may only know that he's powerful, but you don't know his true abilities!"

"He is more capable than anyone we have ever met before! To be ennobled at a young age is rare even in history books, and he also commands the military power of 100,000 troops in the Ba Shang camp. He is truly in a high position and has great power."

"What's even more remarkable is that his literary talent is no less than his martial prowess; he can be described as a master of both. In addition, he is quite handsome..."

Daiyu seemed a little shy as she spoke, her pretty face flushing slightly. She lowered her eyes, her voice growing softer, and she sighed gently:

"But he's a man with high aspirations, and I'm not sure if he truly feels differently about me than about others."

"But after reading the poem he wrote today, I think he probably doesn't care that much about marriage and relationships."

"He's like the Marquis of Champion from the previous dynasty; he probably thinks to himself, 'How can I have a home if the Xiongnu aren't destroyed?'"

"He puts national affairs before family matters. Now that the country is facing difficulties, if I were to pester him about personal feelings, he would only look down on me!"

Upon hearing this, Zijuan shook her head and said:

"National affairs are important, but starting a family can't be neglected!"

"I think the young lady is overthinking things. State affairs can't be resolved in a year or two. The Marquis is already twenty years old; he can't stay unmarried forever!"

"Alright, let's set aside what the Marquis thinks for now! I'll just ask you, young lady, are you interested?"

Daiyu lowered her head and stammered for a long time:

"I...I..."

Daiyu wasn't entirely sure if she had feelings for Jia Jing. It would be a lie to say she had no feelings at all, but it wouldn't be accurate to say she was deeply in love with him either.

She felt that she had a vague, budding attraction to him.

With such an outstanding man by her side, it's hard to imagine any woman remaining completely unmoved.

Especially Jia Jing's concern and care today gave her a special feeling.

Seeing Daiyu's slightly reddened earlobes and her hesitant expression, Zijuan understood what was going on.

She gently took Daiyu's hand and said:

"Whether the girl knows it or not, I just want to tell her that many things are up to her to control."

"If you're interested, you should act sooner rather than later. The Marquis has been receiving a constant stream of marriage proposals. If someone else beats you to it, it will be too late!"

"It's not easy to find someone like the Marquis. Not only is he a good person, but what's even more rare is that he doesn't have a mother-in-law to control him."

"With a health condition like yours, I'm really afraid that if you marry into another family, your mother-in-law will torment you to death."

Daiyu remained silent for a long while, her face slightly flushed. She buried her face in the quilt, and after a long while, a sound came from her lips:

"But what... what can I do?"

The sound was uttered very softly, as if afraid of being overheard.

Seeing Daiyu's appearance, Zijuan felt reassured. After thinking for a moment, she said:

"Miss, you don't need to do anything. Just let the Marquis know your heart. If the Marquis is interested, he will surely sense it and respond accordingly."

Daiyu peeked half her face out from under the covers, her eyes bright and sparkling with a hint of shyness. She looked at Zijuan and whispered:

"How can I give it to them?"

Looking at Daiyu's shy and bashful appearance, Zijuan felt both pity and love, and said:

"Everything else is the same. Just treat the Marquis the same way you usually do."

"Young lady, you are talented, beautiful, knowledgeable, and dignified. Third Master is not blind; he can see that. You only need to give a slight response to the Marquis's concern."

Daiyu pondered for a moment, then suddenly said:

"Zijuan, could you please bring me the net I made the other day, and also the jade safety buckle I brought from Jiangnan?"

Zijuan was taken aback: "Which knot?"

Daiyu's face flushed again, and her voice was so low it was almost inaudible:

"It's that red swastika knot we made the other day..."

Zijuan suddenly realized that it was a knotted cord that Daiyu had learned to weave a few days ago when she had nothing to do. She said it was a gift for the old lady for the New Year, but she never expected it to be like this now...

Zijuan suppressed a laugh, went to the cabinet and took out a tassel and a jade pendant, which she handed to Daiyu.

After Daiyu took it, she carefully tied the knot to the safety buckle, then looked at it over and over for a while before handing it back to Zijuan, saying:

"You...you go and give it to my third brother, and say...it's a return gift for him to thank me for arranging a doctor for me today."

"I made this knotted cord myself. It's not expensive, but it's a token of my affection. I hope this safety knot will protect him in the future."