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

In Rongqing Hall,

Faced with Grandmother Jia's question, Shi Xiangyun, thinking she didn't believe her, quickly nodded her head vigorously, the crimson-gold tassel at her temple swaying from side to side, and giggled:

"Of course! So many people there saw it with their own eyes!"

Tan Chun glanced at Grandmother Jia's expression, which was a mixture of joy and worry, and her eyes revealed a look of understanding.

Her beautiful face beamed with joy, and her voice, with the delicate charm and melodiousness unique to a young girl in her prime, sang:

"Grand Ancestor, although it was His Highness the Eldest Prince who carried the whip and drove the carriage for our Third Brother, we heard about it from others when we returned."

"My third brother declined the Emperor's offer of such courtesy; he was forced onto the imperial carriage by the Emperor's orders from the eunuchs."

"This shows that Third Brother has not overstepped any bounds of propriety!"

Tan Chun's words not only pointed out Emperor Jingsheng's trust in Jia Jing, but also showed that Jia Jing was humble and had not overstepped his bounds!

A slight smile appeared on Yuan Chun's beautiful, plump face as she spoke:

"Grandma, there's no need to worry about my third brother. He's so young yet he's accomplished so much; he's no fool."

"Moreover, I think His Majesty values ​​him far more than others. Not only is his attitude very warm, but his behavior is also unusually kind."

"From the moment I met my third brother, I held his hand the whole time, asking him how he was doing."

"I've been in the palace for years, and I've never seen His Majesty so close to anyone else!"

Yuan Chun's tone carried a hint of sighing.

In fact, in her opinion, Emperor Jingsheng was not as affectionate towards Empress Zhou, the head of the harem, as he was towards Jia Jing.

Hearing their conversation, Grandmother Jia breathed a sigh of relief, and the worry on her face lessened considerably.

She looked at everyone in the hall and finally smiled broadly:

"Excellent! Excellent! This is truly a great favor from the Emperor! It seems that Jing-ge'er has indeed won His Majesty's favor."

"If he can maintain this favor with the emperor, the Jia family will truly prosper in the future!"

Aunt Xue, who was standing to the side, was also stunned by what Sister Feng and the others said, and her face remained blank for a long time.

Even though she had already guessed that Jia Jing's triumphant return to the capital would be a grand affair, she never expected it to be such a "grand occasion" with hundreds of officials welcoming him, everyone riding in the dragon carriage, and princes driving the carriage!

Even she, a woman confined to the inner quarters, had heard of the name of the eldest son of the emperor.

That was the eldest son of the Empress, the destined Crown Prince, and the future Emperor. I never expected that someone of such noble status would be driving for Jing-ge!

Jing-ge'er's current power, status, and favor in the palace are truly remarkable!

Aunt Xue smiled slightly and said to Grandmother Jia in a playful tone:

"Gong'er is so trusted by the Emperor, I think he will be entrusted with important responsibilities upon his return!"

"Even at such a young age, Jing'er has already been granted the title of First-Class Duke. It's not a pipe dream for him to be made a king in the future. His future is truly limitless!"

At the age of twenty-one, he is a first-class duke, and the emperor's favor remains strong. If he wins a few more battles, he will be granted the title of king in no time!

Taking advantage of Jing-ge'er's return to Beijing this time, we must find a way to make our precious daughter catch his eye.

Aunt Xue was secretly making plans in her heart.

Although Xue Baochai told her not to interfere, Aunt Xue was worried that her precious daughter might not be able to handle the situation and miss out on this good marriage, so how could she really not care at all!

Especially now that her own brother, Wang Ziteng, is in dire straits, Aunt Xue has no family to rely on.

He was determined to use his daughter's marriage to find a new powerful backer for the Xue family and his own Pan'er.

Baochai gently pursed her full, moist lips. After hearing her mother's words, her expression was inscrutable, and a hint of urgency flashed in her eyes!

Given how fast my third brother is being promoted, it seems that being made a king is really not far off!

If you're determined, you can't delay...

Just as Xue Baochai was feeling unsettled, she saw a pair of meaningful eyes cast her way, with a hint of cleverness in them—it was Lin Daiyu's bright eyes!

Hearing Aunt Xue's words, Madam Xing paused slightly.

Previously, she only thought about making her niece Xing Xiuyan a concubine for Jing-ge'er, so as to strengthen their kinship and bring her closer to Jia Jing.

She hadn't even considered the possibility of Jia Jing being made a prince, but Aunt Xue's words suddenly enlightened her!

Right!

With Jing-ge'er's current title, he's only one step away from being made a king!

If he is granted a princely title in the future, wouldn't my niece be able to become a prince's concubine? That would be much better than being a noble concubine!

With my connections, Jing-ge should at least give me some face!

Thinking of this, Madam Xing quickly looked at her niece, Xing Xiuyan, who was standing to the side.

With her quiet and gentle temperament, good looks, and good personality, everyone in the Jia family has been praising her these days. It seems that she is worthy of being a concubine!

However, her moon-white shirt, though worn and not new, looked rather shabby amidst the dazzling array of colorful embroidery!

Madam Xing frowned, gritted her teeth, and decided to spend a lot of money to buy her niece some clothes and accessories to add some luster to her. Now was not the time to be stingy!

Of course, you should keep a record of how much money you spend in advance.

If my niece really becomes the prince's concubine in the future, I'll make her pay back double the money I've spent now!

While everyone in the hall had different thoughts about Aunt Xue's words, the only one who was somewhat unhappy was probably Madam Wang!

Although Madam Wang's expression remained unchanged, she secretly tightened her grip on the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, feeling extremely troubled!

Her older brother, Wang Ziteng, is still in prison, and the Wang family is still trying to find connections and favors to get him released.

But the eldest son of the concubine, whom she disliked, was becoming more and more prominent, and people were even saying that he was not far from being made a king!

This is absolutely outrageous!

And now that her own younger sister is so eager to congratulate her, it seems she has also developed feelings for the eldest son of the concubine.

Could it be that she looks down on her own Baoyu and wants to match Baoya with that illegitimate son?

Bao Yatou is dignified, virtuous, and sensible; she is the daughter-in-law I have long valued.

Originally, I thought that if the girl from the Nian family didn't work out, I would marry Bao'er to my own Baoyu, which would be a good match.

Is this cooked duck about to fly away?

Ironically,

Just as Aunt Xue was keeping Baoyu as a backup option, Lady Wang was also being considered by Baochai as the second choice after Nian Shilan!

On this point, the two sisters were of the same mind!

At this moment, facing Aunt Xue's auspicious words, Grandmother Jia smiled and said in a hoarse voice:

"I hope my aunt's words will be auspicious! However, I dare not presume to be granted a royal title."

"The titles of duke and marquis can be promoted based on military merit, but to be enfeoffed as a king involves far too many complexities!"

"Aside from the four non-royal princes conferred titles at the founding of the dynasty, the imperial court hasn't conferred any more royal titles for nearly a century. There are profound considerations behind this!"