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

At the entrance of the courtyard,

Madam Xing's expression was warm yet stiff, and the smile on her face, hidden beneath her thick makeup, resembled a half-open flower.

Madam Wang forced a smile, which appeared somewhat insincere.

Only Aunt Xue's smile was genuine, and her attitude was warmer. Seeing Jia Jing's gaze, she smiled softly and sweetly:

"Jing-ge'er is back? How have you been in the Northwest? You look a bit thinner!"

Her gaze held the affection of a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law, and her fair face was full of smiles.

It must be said that Aunt Xue was clearly superior to Madam Wang and Madam Xing in speaking such polite words.

Madam Xing is stupid and doesn't know how to say nice things. Sometimes she even gets caught off guard by Madam Wang's subtle sarcasm!

Lady Wang, on the other hand, was known for her gentle and virtuous nature when she was a young girl.

As a result, after becoming a wife, she put on a bit of a bossy attitude, appearing somewhat clumsy and tongue-tied, and not good at speaking!

Aunt Xue possesses a naive and carefree nature like Xiangyun, and can also be witty and humorous like Sister Feng. Her emotional intelligence is mostly on point.

Despite the warm and friendly attitude shown by the women, Jia Jing did not display the same amiable demeanor he had towards the Jia family sisters.

Instead, his expression became slightly more solemn, his face calm as still water, his gaze unwavering. He nodded slightly to Aunt Xue, Sister Feng, and the others, and said in a deep voice:

"Thank you for your concern, Aunt and Sister-in-law! I'm doing well! Let's go in and see the old lady first, then we can talk!"

Without paying any more attention to Xing and Wang, he headed towards Rongqing Hall on his own!

Rongqing Hall was brightly lit, with newly replaced candles filling the candlesticks, their flames dancing steadily, illuminating every corner of the hall.

Inside the hall, Grandmother Jia lay reclining on a couch, wearing a dark blue silk brocade jacket and a red gold headband with a piece of jade inlaid in the center.

Her hands rested on the armrests of the couch, her fingers slightly curled, her body leaning forward slightly, her eyes fixed on the doorway.

After hearing Jia Jing's voice and footsteps coming from the doorway.

Suddenly, Grandmother Jia reached out and supported Amber's arm behind her, slowly standing up.

"Grandma..." Amber, not knowing what Grandmother Jia was planning to do, called out softly and helped her up.

Grandmother Jia ignored Amber and slowly raised her hand to begin straightening her clothes.

The plain dark blue jacket she wore wasn't particularly luxurious, but she dressed herself very slowly and meticulously, as if she were attending a grand event.

He smoothed out the collar, straightened the belt, tidied the cuffs, and even readjusted the position of the jade pendant at his waist.

Amber was stunned, somewhat confused as to why Grandmother Jia had done this!

The other old women, maids, and servants in the room were all stunned, only the old woman, who had little experience of the world, understood the intricacies of the situation.

They knew this was called "tidying up one's clothes and gathering one's lapel." In the past, when distinguished guests came to the mansion or when Grandmother Jia went to the palace to pay homage to the Empress or the Empress Dowager, they would tidy up their clothes in this way to show their respect!

What they didn't expect was that now that Jia Jing, a grandson, had returned, Grandmother Jia would treat him with such solemnity!

Although Jia Jing is indeed of high status and noble identity, as the most senior elder in the Rongguo Mansion and Jia Jing's own grandmother, there is no need for such a grand welcome!

To put it bluntly, even when the emperor in the palace goes to see the empress dowager or the grand empress dowager, only the emperor kneels before them.

The latter need not stand up, nor need they straighten their clothes to show solemnity; they only need to sit upright to receive the greeting!

Now that Jia Jing is merely a Duke returning to the mansion, why should Grandmother Jia go to such lengths?

However, the old women and maids of Rongguo Mansion, whose family traditions had been rectified, all knew that Jia Jing was coming, so no one dared to speak out of turn. They could only watch as Grandmother Jia smoothed out the wrinkles on her cuffs step by step.

Seeing that Grandmother Jia was about to stand up and get off the couch, Amber whispered a word of advice:

"Grandma, the Duke is your own grandson, and you've already sent Sister Yuanyang to greet him at the door."

"Why bother doing this yourself... You can just sit and wait for him."

"You don't understand." Grandmother Jia's voice was a little hoarse, and her expression was slightly solemn.

"He is indeed my grandson, but he is also a first-class duke of the Han Dynasty, and the new duke of my Jia family."

"He destroyed the Northern Yuan royal court and pacified the grasslands. Such achievements and such a title would make even the late Duke personally welcome him out of his mansion."

"I'm not respecting my own grandson! I'm respecting the imperial title and the achievements he made!"

As she spoke, Grandmother Jia straightened her collar, then slowly stood up and stepped down from the high couch. Although she was old, her back was ramrod straight.

In fact, Grandmother Jia's actions not only showed respect for Jia Jingguo's dukedom, but also demonstrated the demeanor of a first-rank noblewoman who knew etiquette and was sensible!

This is the kind of family that is well-educated and courteous, where the upper class sets an example for the lower class!

Today, her polite and considerate greeting to her grandson Jia Jing must have been noticed and appreciated by everyone in the household!

If someone of her status as the Dowager Lady of a State is so proper, who else would dare to be so ignorant of etiquette and follow proper manners?

Even Jia Jing himself, having been treated with such great respect by his grandmother, couldn't very well scold her for being senile in the future!

Grandmother Jia had only been in her bed for a few breaths when she arrived.

Jia Jing lifted the curtain and slowly walked into the hall. The first thing he saw was Grandmother Jia standing under the couch, dressed in a solemn manner. He couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly!

Grandmother Jia immediately noticed the python robe Jia Jing was wearing, her expression inscrutable.

It should be noted that although her husband, the late Duke Rongguo, Jia Daishan, was also a first-class duke, he never wore a python robe during his lifetime!

The only person in the entire Rongguo Mansion who was qualified to wear a python robe and jade belt was the Duke of Rongguo, Jia Yuan, who was also the father-in-law of Grandmother Jia!

In other words, the rank of this third grandson is now almost the same as that of the former Duke of Rong!

As Grandmother Jia watched Jia Jing slowly walk in from behind the curtain, it was as if she saw her former father-in-law arriving amidst clouds.

Especially under the candlelight in the hall, Jia Jing's python robe was plated with a layer of gold, as if it had come alive, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws!

Grandmother Jia's gaze was somewhat unfocused, although she still believed in her heart that Baoyu was a person of noble character and would surely achieve great things in the future.

But at this point, it must be admitted that this grandson of the eldest son is indeed a genius. It is truly remarkable that he has reached such a level in such a short time!

Before Jia Jing could speak, a broad smile spread across Grandmother Jia's aged face as she said in a hoarse voice:

"Jing-ge'er, you're back?"

Jia Jing stepped forward, his face solemn, and bowed slightly, saying:

"Grandson is back! Greetings, Grandma!"

Nowadays, the only person in the Jia family who can make Jia Jing bow down is Grandmother Jia.

Or rather, as long as Grandmother Jia is still alive, even if he is promoted to a prince, the outward etiquette should still be observed!

Moreover, since Grandmother Jia treated him with such respect and he behaved himself well during his time at the mansion, Jia Jing was willing to treat him like royalty!

"Alright, alright! No need for formalities! You've come all this way, please have a seat!"

Grandmother Jia looked Jia Jing up and down and saw that he had hardly changed from a few months ago. She smiled and invited him to sit down.

After the two exchanged a few pleasantries, Madam Xing, Madam Wang, Aunt Xue, and the sisters of the Jia family all entered the hall.

The hall was filled with laughter and chatter, and during the break between serving the meal, Grandmother Jia began to chat with Jia Jing about family matters!