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

Jia Jing paused before finishing speaking, then picked up the teacup beside him and took a small sip.

A thoughtful expression appeared on Baochai's fair and snow-white face. Her almond-shaped eyes flickered slightly, and her gaze was lowered.

She pursed her pink lips, thought for a moment, and couldn't help but speak:

"When Third Brother spoke of a virtuous person, he probably meant not only a person of moral character, but also someone with martial virtue!"

"According to the imperial court's system of hereditary conferment of military merits, military ranks and noble ranks are distinguished based on military achievements, and the rank is reduced by one grade when the eldest son inherits the title."

"Others, such as sons of concubines, need to obtain their titles through examinations, and in the process of inheritance, the title decreases by one rank with each generation."

"Generally, the examinations for official titles include three aspects: martial arts, archery and horsemanship, and military strategy. The virtuous person that Third Brother mentioned is probably someone who is proficient in martial arts, archery and horsemanship, and military strategy!"

Daiyu's performance just now clearly made Baochai feel a sense of crisis, prompting her to take the initiative to speak and show off her own talents.

This move was also to show Jia Jing that not only was Lin Daiyu intelligent, but he himself was just as clever!

but,

Despite the public eye, her willingness to display her talent so readily still made her somewhat shy.

After all, she wasn't the one Jia Jing specifically asked questions about, and her personality wasn't like Xiangyun's.

In public, she has always been reserved and taciturn, so her current enthusiasm seems somewhat unusual.

Faced with Baochai's sudden "quick answer," the people in the hall reacted with various expressions.

Aunt Xue glanced first at her beloved daughter beside her, and saw that Baochai's fair cheeks, as white as lychees, were flushed, her eyes were lowered, and there seemed to be a hint of shyness in her brows.

This……

Aunt Xue's faint smile faded slightly, her heart filled with complicated and unfathomable emotions.

If the daughter's proactive performance in front of everyone could win Jing-ge's appreciation, that would be good.

If not, then even the option of Baoyu is gone!

Aunt Xue immediately glanced at her elder sister, Madam Wang, and sure enough, she saw Madam Wang staring at her beloved daughter with a furrowed brow and an expression of barely concealed surprise.

At this moment, Madam Wang seemed to sense Aunt Xue's gaze, turned her head and met her eyes, her gaze filled with shock and resentment.

No wonder,

I've brought up the topic of a "perfect match" with my younger sister several times, but she hesitates and remains evasive.

It turns out that she still harbored feelings for the eldest son of the concubine.

She had previously thought that Baochai was dignified and elegant, and could be a candidate for her daughter-in-law. But for her to marry her own Baoyu was a great honor for her family!

Now it seems that they actually look down on their own precious jade!

They wanted to climb the social ladder by marrying the eldest son of a concubine, yet they were still keeping their own side hanging on, clearly indicating that they also considered Baoyu as a potential replacement!

This is absolutely outrageous!

Fine! Since they are blind to true value, choosing the inferior over the superior and failing to appreciate their blessings, I cannot force them to accept it!

However, they will regret it one day!

It seems that the only daughter-in-law we can choose now is the girl from the Nian family!

Madam Wang turned her head away with a look of resentment in her eyes that said, "Today you ignore me, tomorrow you'll be begging for my attention." She silently suppressed her anger deep inside.

Grandmother Jia, who was standing to the side, also took a deep look at Baochai, who had grown into a beautiful young woman.

Although she often couldn't figure out Jia Jing's thoughts, she had seen countless people in the inner quarters and had a clear understanding of Baochai's mind!

She even knew that Lady Wang intended to match Jia Baoyu with Xue Baochai.

In her opinion, Baochai was actually not bad either.

In terms of looks alone, she could rank in the top three among all the girls she had ever seen!

Especially if the baby is born with a plump and round face, it is a sign of good fortune and the ability to have sons!

If Daiyu weren't her own granddaughter and hadn't had a personality that suited her better, she might have chosen her to be her beloved Baoyu's wife!

But now it seems that this girl is clearly interested in her own wretched third grandson, and Grandmother Jia has mixed feelings!

If intermarriage within the four great families was common, the Wang family would marry their daughter to the Xue family, the Wang family would marry their daughter to the Jia family, and so on...

Yes! It's mainly because the Wang family gets married off more daughters!

However, no matter how much Grandmother Jia disliked her own unfilial third grandson, she had to admit that the Xue family was far inferior to him in terms of social standing!

It should be noted that Grandmother Jia originally intended to marry her maternal grandniece Shi Xiangyun to Jia Jing, but why did she never mention it again later?

It was because so many wealthy and noble families came to propose marriage to that wretched child that Grandmother Jia belatedly realized that her own family was actually not good enough for her!

If Xiangyun, who came from a noble family, was like this, then what about Baochai, who came from a family of imperial merchants!

Therefore, Grandmother Jia believed that the Xue family had miscalculated this time. Unless she became a concubine, there was absolutely no possibility of her becoming the principal wife!

Grandmother Jia pondered to herself, but her face remained impassive.

She couldn't be bothered with her grandson's marriage; let him marry whomever he wanted, as long as he didn't interfere with her getting the two Yu'er's together!

Xiangyun, who was sitting to the side, was eating melon seeds. She looked at Daiyu beside her, who was biting her pink lips with her pearly teeth and had a slightly gloomy expression, and seemed to be thinking about something.

Her eyes darted around, she tugged at Daiyu's delicate hand, and whispered jokingly in her ear:

"Sister Lin, what Sister Bao said makes perfect sense. It seems she's just as intelligent and knowledgeable as you! What do you think?"

Daiyu clenched the handkerchief in her hand, her delicate eyebrows slightly raised, and glanced sideways at Xiangyun with her eyes that seemed to be weeping but were not.

She then covered her lips with a handkerchief and chuckled softly, a laugh carrying a subtle chill.

"Hehe! Your Bao-jie is naturally dignified and well-mannered, how could someone like me, a 'petty' person, compare!"

Daiyu's tone carried a hint of self-deprecation, emphasizing the words "dignified and polite," as if she were speaking lightly and casually.

But the fleeting sadness in her eyes did not escape Shi Xiangyun's notice, making Shi Xiangyun's smile even more peculiar.

Because of Baochai's words, everyone in the hall was lost in thought, and for a moment, an eerie silence fell over them.

Baochai sat in the chair, her eyes lowered, her cheeks slightly flushed, receiving scrutiny from different gazes from all directions!

The way Jia Jing looked at her made her feel particularly uncomfortable.

"Third Brother, did I say something wrong?" Baochai blushed, looked up at Jia Jing, and asked softly.

She didn't really care what others thought; she only cared about Jia Jing's opinion of her.

Before Jia Jing returned to the mansion, she had already made up her mind that she would take the initiative to seize her own happiness while he was back.

Jia Jing perfectly matched her criteria for a partner in terms of status, ideals, talent, and appearance. If she missed out on such a good man, she would truly regret it for the rest of her life!

Jia Jing remained silent for a moment, gazing at the slightly flushed, fair face of the girl opposite him, then nodded and slowly said:

"Sister Xue is very knowledgeable and absolutely right!"

As soon as Jia Jing said this, he immediately drew Xue Baochai's attention to him!

In particular, one of his bright, cunning, lively, and deep eyes, adorned with black lacquer, appeared even more sharp and piercing.