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

In Rongqing Hall,

After everyone was seated, they all turned their bright, serene, gentle, fiery, sorrowful, or indifferent gazes toward Jia Jing.

Jia Jing sat on a rosewood armchair inlaid with celadon and white jade, took a sip from the celadon covered teacup handed to him by a maid, and stood ramrod straight.

His gaze swept over everyone in the hall, his expression calm and unhurried.

Grandmother Jia, seated high on the couch, spoke first to Jia Jing with a beaming smile:

"Young master, your successive victories in the Northwest have earned you the title of Duke and the Imperial Robe, bringing great honor to the entire household. You have worked hard!"

Jia Jing said in a deep voice:

As the ancients said, "On the day one receives orders, one forgets one's family; when facing battle, one forgets oneself."

"Now that I have donned armor, I dare not speak of family, of myself, or of hardship. My only wish is to serve my country with this life and not tarnish the glorious name of my ancestors!"

"Moreover, my grandson is merely guarding the border on behalf of the emperor, relying on the legacy of his ancestors and the bravery of his soldiers."

"If we're talking about hardship... those brothers who died on the battlefield truly deserve the word 'hardship.' It's already a great blessing that my grandson was able to come back alive."

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia's eyes twitched slightly. She always felt uncomfortable whenever she spoke to Jia Jing.

These three grandsons keep talking about ancestors and heavenly grace; that familiar feeling is back!

Just as Grandmother Jia was at a loss for words, Feng Jie, who had been watching Jia Jing closely, turned her phoenix eyes beneath her willow-leaf eyebrows and parted her cherry lips, which were painted with rouge.

Her plump, fair face was full of smiles as she praised him:

"He who obeys orders forgets his family, he who forgets himself in battle! Third Brother's words are truly... profound!"

"No wonder he always wins battles; his way of speaking is so different from us women confined to our homes!"

Although Sister Feng didn't quite understand the meaning of those words, her years of experience entertaining her parents in colorful clothes allowed her to quickly find the right words to flatter them!

Now that Jia Jing has returned to the mansion, Feng Jie has made up her mind to do everything she can to curry favor with this powerful third brother!

Especially after witnessing that grand scene at Lugou Bridge, Sister Feng was even more determined not to miss another opportunity! She absolutely had to latch onto Third Brother's powerful backer!

Aunt Xue, whose fair face was also full of smiles, quickly chimed in:

"What Jing-ge said is indeed well said; it's truly inspiring!"

"Seeing Jing-ge reminds me of my own wretched child. How can people be so different!"

"To be honest, if our Pan'er had even a fraction of Jing'er's ambition, I wouldn't have to worry and shed tears every day."

"Grandma, you are truly blessed. In the whole capital, who doesn't envy you for raising such a wonderful grandson? This honor is something that even mountains of gold and silver couldn't buy!"

Although Aunt Xue seemed to be saying auspicious words to Grandmother Jia, she was actually subtly praising Jia Jing, and her eyes were constantly fixed on Jia Jing's expression and reaction.

To be honest, Aunt Xue didn't quite understand some of the words Jia Jing used, but her desire to get closer to Jia Jing was the same as Sister Feng's!

Whether her daughter Baochai can become a prince's concubine depends on this opportunity, so she has to say some nice things and quickly build up some goodwill towards her future son-in-law!

After all, it's no exaggeration to say that it's not easy for her to see Jia Jing on a regular basis.

Just like when Jia Jing returned home after being ennobled, she repeatedly invited him to sit at Pear Fragrance Courtyard, but she never managed to arrange it!

Every time Jia Jing replied to her, he would politely say, "I will definitely bother you when I have time," but in the past six months, he hasn't been able to find the time even once!

Now that Jia Jing is a first-class duke, it is conceivable that his affairs will only be busier, and it will be even more difficult to see him!

We must take advantage of this limited opportunity to show as much goodwill as possible!

Meanwhile, most of the people in the hall couldn't help but chuckle as they listened to Aunt Xue and Sister Feng praising Jia Jing back and forth.

The smile on Grandmother Jia's face stiffened as she sat on the high couch, and her gaze lingered beneath her aged features.

She doesn't understand!

How come this third grandson only said one stiff, cliché sentence, and it attracted such a barrage of flattery!

Seeing that Madam Xing beside her looked eager and seemed about to speak, Grandmother Jia's expression changed, and she quickly steered the conversation back on track, saying:

"Jing-ge'er, I heard from Bao-yu's father that you've been appointed as the military governor of the Twelfth Battalion in the palace, an extremely high and powerful position!"

"You've been promoted and given titles in the last few months. How about we find a good day to host a banquet for our relatives, friends, old acquaintances, and colleagues?"

"While you've been away, quite a few people have come to offer their congratulations, especially from the Prince of Bei Jing's residence and the Nian family, who have been visiting frequently!"

"You must be aware of the varying degrees of closeness and distance among these officials in the court!"

Grandmother Jia was worried that Jia Jing was too young to know how to cultivate relationships, so she gave him some pointers on this matter.

Upon hearing this, Jia Jing nodded slightly and said:

"I know everything that has happened in your household! Third sister has managed the household very well, especially the matter of sealing the gate with Qin Ji."

"This procedure can be followed even when I am not in the capital! As far as possible, do not visit, receive, or accept gifts from irrelevant people in the Western Residence."

"As for Prince Bei Jing and the Nian family and other relatives, I will find an opportunity to host a banquet for them after the ancestral worship ceremony in a few days!"

A banquet should still be held, but there's no need to rush. Let's give these military officers a chance to take the initiative and get closer to us first.

While we're at it, let's also take this opportunity to probe the strength of the Shenjing Martial Clan, to see which ones we can unite with and which ones we must resolutely crack down on!

Jia Jing will soon be reorganizing the Shenjing Wuxun group. At this time, he needs to consolidate his base first, while distinguishing between friend and foe, and keeping a clear understanding of the situation.

Seeing that Jia Jing did not refuse her kind offer, Grandmother Jia's brows relaxed a little, and she smiled:

"Third Miss is indeed a good person! She is polite and courteous in her dealings with others, handles matters of the household fairly, and has considerable knowledge of affairs in the imperial court!"

At this point, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

The eldest son's third grandson and the second daughter's third daughter were both born out of wedlock and were the third in their family, yet they were close friends; there was a certain fate involved.

Jia Jing glanced at Tan Chun and the dignified Yuan Chun beside her, and said:

"Both the older and younger sisters are quite good, and the old lady's approach to raising her granddaughters is commendable!"

Yuan-chun, Tan-chun, and Xi-chun were all raised by Grandmother Jia from a young age, and Ying-chun was also raised near Grandmother Jia's courtyard.

Although Madam Xing frequently interfered in her life, she was also significantly influenced indirectly by Grandmother Jia.

The fact that these individuals possessed remarkable talents in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and were all kind and courteous, is largely due to the efforts of Grandmother Jia.

It's hard to say that the character development of both Lin Daiyu and Shi Xiangyun was not influenced by Grandmother Jia.

Even if Jia Baoyu were a girl, he might not necessarily be a bad girl!

Grandmother Jia's doting parenting methods did have some positive effects in raising daughters in a wealthy family!