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

In Lixiangyuan,

Aunt Xue repeatedly comforted Xue Pan:

"It's not your fault, it's not your fault. You're still young, and it's inevitable that you'll make mistakes when you do things."

"It'll be fine once you get married. Mom has already found you a husband. The Xia family has a daughter, and I think she's quite good!"

Watching the tender scene between Aunt Xue and Xue Pan, Xue Baochai sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in her eyes.

Everyone says that the old lady of the Jia family dotes on Baoyu, but her own mother dotes on her brother just as much.

However, she could understand, since her brother was the only male heir in her branch of the family.

Her mother only has this one biological son, so it would be strange if she didn't spoil him!

"I'm not in a rush to get married! The most important thing for our family right now is to finalize my sister's marriage!"

As Xue Pan listened to Aunt Xue's description of the Osmanthus Xia family, a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes.

But after a moment's hesitation, he decisively severed his ties and waved his hand, saying...

"Mom, let me tell you, brother-in-law... he's in high demand right now!"

"Every noble family in the capital city wants to marry him! Our family better hurry!"

"It's rare that my sister likes it too, so you'll have to put some thought into this, Mom."

Xue Pan's expression became unusually serious as he solemnly instructed his aunt.

Aunt Xue's expression was complicated upon hearing this, a mixture of joy and worry.

The good news is that Xue Pan is now considering his sister's future, but the bad news is that Jia Jing is too popular, making this marriage difficult to arrange!

Aunt Xue thought about it for a while, but still didn't intend to tell Xue Pan about the secret plan she and her daughter had been plotting.

Although she doted on Xue Pan, she also knew that her son couldn't keep things to himself, and that it was better not to let him know too much about certain things.

Faced with Xue Pan's eager gaze, Aunt Xue didn't say much, but simply nodded and said:

"Okay, okay! Mom understands!"

Seeing Aunt Xue's evasive attitude, Xue Pan assumed she hadn't taken his words to heart and frowned, saying:

"Mom, you're not still thinking about marrying my sister to Baoyu, are you?"

"Let me tell you, don't be fooled by how much Baoyu is favored in their household. Outside, people don't even recognize him as the second son of the Rongguo Mansion."

"Only his old lady treats him like a treasure; he's nothing but a nobody, completely unreliable."

"Even his uncle's sworn brother and his brother Li are much more prestigious and influential than him outside."

"My sister is beautiful, kind-hearted, and talented. Marrying her off to Baoyu would be a waste of her potential!"

"Mom, you can't make a mistake at this time! You'll ruin my sister's life!"

Xue Pan had recently heard that his mother seemed to intend to marry his younger sister to Jia Baoyu, and there were even rumors of a "golden and jade marriage".

Seeing her being perfunctory, he assumed that his mother had already decided on Jia Baoyu, the phoenix egg of the Jia family.

Aunt Xue smiled wryly, unsure how to explain it to her son.

Jia Baoyu is currently her backup option, and when Lady Wang chatted with her recently, she didn't give a definitive answer.

In her opinion, although Jia Baoyu was not as good as Jia Jing, he was still quite good.

Especially with Madam Wang's connection, their daughter would at least not suffer any mistreatment after marrying into the family.

Although Jia Jing's offer is good, there's no certainty about it. If it doesn't work out in the end, we won't be left with no other options!

Having more options and more paths is the best way to be prepared, because who knows what the future holds!

"mom,……"

Xue Pan was still saying something when Aunt Xue, impatient with his rambling, interrupted him:

"Alright, alright! Mom knows everything you've said. It's getting late, you should go home and rest!"

After saying that, he pushed and pulled Xue Pan back to his room.

The room fell silent again.

Xue Baochai was left alone by the window, gazing at the pear trees in the courtyard that were pale in the moonlight, silently pondering her own thoughts.

…………

The night grew deeper!

The light was still on in Fengjie's courtyard, deep in the east wing of the Rongguo Mansion.

Two ram's horn lamps hung under the eaves in the courtyard, casting a dim, warm light.

The shadows of the pomegranate trees beside the steps were cast on the window paper, appearing indistinct and vague.

Ping'er sat on the steps under the eaves, holding an embroidery hoop in her hand, embroidering haphazardly.

He would occasionally stop to listen to the low murmurs and laughter coming from inside the house, a hint of worry on his face.

The night breeze gently lifted her hair, which she smoothed down before lowering her head to embroider the still-unfinished peony.

Inside the side room, Sister Feng lay reclining on the couch.

She was wearing only a rose-red nightgown with a dark blue vest over it.

Her hair was loose, held up only by a red gold hairpin with pearls.

Her face appeared exceptionally white and smooth in the candlelight, her phoenix eyes slightly upturned, and her gaze held an indescribable sharpness and charm.

After experiencing the emotional ups and downs of the day, and then helping Grandmother Jia entertain the guests in the evening, she looked a little tired.

Besides Sister Feng, there was another person in the room.

Wearing a light purple shirt and covered with a plain, unembroidered gauze robe of the same color, Qin Keqing lay on the bed behind the gauze curtain in the room, her face full of sorrow.

Her eyes were fixed on the ceiling, lost in thought.

Her beautiful face, as white as porcelain in the candlelight, possessed a transparent and fragile beauty.

Sister Feng shook the round fan in her hand, sighed deeply, and looked at Qin Keqing, who had been lying motionless on the bed for a long time.

He laughed angrily:

"You're really treating this place like your own home now! I, the host, am still awake, and you're already resting!"

As she spoke, Sister Feng put down the round fan in her hand, slowly got up, walked to the dressing table, and began to remove the makeup and rouge from her face.

Qin Keqing, who had been lost in her own thoughts, was brought back to her senses when she heard Feng Jie speak, and suddenly realized:

"Why are you so late? Have you taken care of everything at Grandma's?"

Qin Keqing didn't stay at Rongqing Hall for long that night and returned very early.

Even though today is the joyous day of Jia Jing's conferment of a dukedom, she has no mood to flatter and exchange pleasantries with the respectable ladies and wives of various families.

Wang Xifeng smiled and said:

"You've been back for a while now, and you've been lost in your own thoughts, completely oblivious to everyone else."

"The ladies of noble birth from all the families at Rongqing Hall have also been seen off!"

"The old lady is getting on in years; she couldn't stay awake for long after watching just one play, so she went back to her room to rest!"

"The guests behind us were entertained by my wife, sister-in-law, and me. After that, I went to see the master."

"When Lian Er isn't home, I have to go check on him every morning and evening."

Speaking of the two masters, Jia She and Jia Lian, Wang Xifeng sighed again, her expression inevitably showing a hint of regret and resentment.

Today, the Duchess of the First Rank and immense wealth have flown away from her before her eyes—what a regrettable thing!

Just thinking about it makes her feel incredibly anxious and restless!

Qin Keqing, lying on the bed, nodded gently, paying no attention to Feng Jie's emotions.

A faint sadness still lingered in her eyes, and she wasn't particularly interested in talking to Sister Feng.