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

Rongqing Hall

At Madam Xing's words, everyone present had different expressions and didn't know what to say.

The mood of Grandmother Jia, which had just improved a little after being coaxed by Sister Feng, suddenly soured again. She stared coldly at Madam Xing, wishing she could have her dragged out and slapped!

If you can't speak properly, shut your stinking mouth. What nonsense are you spouting?

Jia Jing, however, put down his teacup, his expression remaining calm, and said meaningfully:

"The Ningguo Mansion's title may not be lost after all! Let's wait and see!"

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia's expression changed, a hint of surprise appearing on her aged face. She hurriedly asked:

"Jing-ge'er, what do you mean by that?"

Jia Jing didn't mince words and spoke frankly:

"His Majesty has shown the Jia family immense kindness, and out of consideration for the merits of the late Duke Ning and myself, he has bestowed this favor upon us."

"If any descendants of the Rong and Ning families become outstanding and contribute to the country in the future, I should be ordered to report this to the emperor, and he will, at his discretion, restore the stripped titles!"

The reason Jia Jing revealed this matter was that there was nothing to keep secret. After all, having rendered meritorious service to the country, the restoration of his ancestors' titles was in accordance with the imperial system.

Secondly, the title of Ningguo Mansion was also used as a carrot dangling in front of Grandmother Jia and others, so that they could have expectations and better unite around him.

We can't just criticize Grandmother Jia and the others without giving them any incentives!

The spirit of PUA is to both hit and pull!

In any case, the specific time for the Ningguo Mansion's title to be presented and to whom it will be awarded will be entirely under his control.

He will personally handle this spot!

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia was both surprised and delighted.

Besides Baoyu, what she valued most was the inheritance of the titles of the Rong and Ning families.

Now that he learned that the title of Ningguo Mansion still had a chance to return to the Jia family, he was overjoyed, and his old face couldn't help but smile broadly.

She couldn't help but repeatedly ask Jia Jing:

"Jing-ge'er, you've really given me a pleasant surprise! Did the Emperor himself say this?"

The prayer beads in Madam Wang's hand below paused slightly, and a strange look appeared in her originally gloomy eyes!

If she hadn't misheard, the eldest son of the illegitimate branch seemed to have said that the descendants of the Rong and Ning families all had a chance to inherit the title.

Doesn't that mean Baoyu also has a chance?

Lady Wang automatically ignored the two prerequisites: being outstanding and having made contributions to the country.

After all, in her heart, Baoyu was a lucky man! All the good things in the Jia family should belong to him!

However, it's somewhat inappropriate that the matter of reporting to the emperor is controlled by the eldest son of a concubine! He has a prejudice against his own son, Baoyu!

Madam Wang frowned slightly, pondering to herself.

Tan Chun was casually sipping her tea when she heard Jia Jing's words. Her beautiful eyes flickered, and her delicate features furrowed slightly.

Faced with Grandmother Jia's questioning, Jia Jing calmly replied:

"Could the Emperor's words be false? Wouldn't that be considered a false imperial edict? Why is the old lady talking nonsense again?"

At this moment, Grandmother Jia showed no displeasure at Jia Jing's accusation. On the contrary, her smile deepened upon hearing Jia Jing's confirmation.

She smiled and nodded somewhat humbly, saying:

"Yes, yes, yes! Jing-ge is right, I was confused!"

This submissive and "obedient" attitude stunned everyone in the hall! Where was the righteous indignation they had felt just moments before when they were scolded for being senile!

Jia Jing's expression remained unchanged as he continued:

"Jia Zhen committed such a grave mistake that the entire court was watching. The three judicial departments decided on a death sentence with reprieve, but His Majesty withstood the pressure and spared Jia Zhen's life."

"They even made an exception for the Ningguo Mansion to be granted a noble title; what an immense act of divine grace!"

"His Majesty has treated our Jia family with the utmost kindness and righteousness; how can we not be deeply grateful and repay him with all our sincerity!"

"This is also why I am determined to remove Jia Zhen from the clan and rectify the illegal activities within the clan."

"Otherwise, if there are more members of the clan who violate the law or commit wrongdoings, how could I possibly have the face to beg His Majesty for leniency?"

Upon hearing this, a hint of embarrassment appeared on Grandmother Jia's face. She could only swallow her anger and say with her head bowed:

"Jing-ge'er is right! They should be removed from the register! A cleanup is necessary..."

Upon seeing Grandmother Jia's sudden change of attitude from "arrogant to obsequious," the people in the hall reacted with varying expressions!

Baochai frowned slightly. Seeing this scene, she couldn't help but look at Jia Jing's dignified and cold face, and a thoughtful look flashed in her bright almond eyes!

Third Brother's combination of threats and stern words, his initial intimidation followed by kindness, was probably intentional!

However, given my third brother's solemn nature, he shouldn't have done that; perhaps it's just a coincidence!

Daiyu's delicate brows furrowed slightly, her bright, dark eyes fixed on Jia Jing, and she thought to herself:

Third Brother must have done it on purpose! Instead of taking action against the clan first, he immediately made the old lady obedient upon returning home!

Their thoughts and methods are too difficult to fathom!

If I were to become his... bedmate in the future, would I be able to withstand his methods?

Just as Daiyu was gazing at Jia Jing, Jia Jing seemed to notice her gaze and turned to look at her.

Facing Jia Jing's calm gaze, Daiyu felt a strange sense of shame. Her bright, snow-white face flushed slightly, and she turned her head away.

After a moment of silence, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but ask:

"Jing-ge'er, since His Majesty has entrusted you with the bestowal of the title upon the Ningguo Mansion, could Bao-yu inherit it in the future...?"

Although Grandmother Jia felt that Jia Jing was unlikely to agree to Jia Baoyu inheriting the title, and Jia Zheng had also firmly expressed his opposition, Grandmother Jia still wanted to give it a try!

Just as in the original novel, when Jia Zheng beat Jia Baoyu, Grandmother Jia once advised Lady Wang with the following words:

"You don't need to cry anymore. Baoyu is still young. You love him now, but when he grows up and becomes an official, he may not even think of you as his mother. If you don't love him now, you might as well save yourself some trouble later."

Of course, this does not mean that Grandmother Jia thought Jia Baoyu would be unfilial in the future.

Instead, it was a veiled criticism, using the hypothetical scenario of "Baoyu being unfilial in the future" to satirize Jia Zheng's current harsh treatment of Baoyu.

He was accused of disregarding the bond between mother and son, which hit Jia Zheng's sore spot as a son for being "unfilial". The ultimate goal was to force Jia Zheng to admit his mistake and stop beating Jia Baoyu.

The key is the phrase "to serve as an official" in this sentence. These four words may well be Jia Mu's true expectations for Jia Baoyu!

Because Grandmother Jia knew very well that after she passed away, the second branch of the family would definitely move out of the Rongguo Mansion.

What will become of her beloved Jia Baoyu then? Relying on Jia Zheng is certainly unreliable, and relying on Jia Jing is even more out of the question.

Therefore, Grandmother Jia was undoubtedly eager to arrange a good future for Jia Baoyu before she passed away.

Marriage is one aspect, and her idea is for the two Yu'er to be paired up, but Madam Wang seems unwilling, so this matter is still under discussion!