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

Jia Jing turned his head and glanced at the fair face illuminated by the bright moonlight. She possessed a virtuous and gentle demeanor, with bright almond-shaped eyes, and was intently inquiring.

I couldn't help but sigh:

"With countless officials in high positions, who governs the country? A few women can manage a household!"

"If Sister Xue were a man, even if she didn't pass the imperial examinations and become an official, it wouldn't be difficult for her to at least revive the family fortune!"

Xue Baochai's talent and insight are indeed quite remarkable!

Compared to Sister Feng's reliance on coercion and enticement, Xue Baochai possesses not only the insight to connect knowledge with worldly affairs, but also the composure to manage emotions with reason, and the discerning eye to judge people and situations.

The decline of the Xue family was not due to external threats, but rather to internal strife.

With his father's early death, Xue Pan became muddle-headed, and with no one in the clan capable of managing the household, the trading bureaus in various provinces, seeing that their master was gone, took advantage of the situation to start swindling people, and the business in the capital gradually declined.

This is not a natural disaster, but a man-made one.

The root of the problem is that such a large imperial merchant family has no capable men to manage affairs. Although the sister is talented, she is not good at showing her abilities.

Given Xue Baochai's young age and her insightful mind, if she were a boy, inheriting the family business would be a piece of cake, and it would be very possible for her to revive the Xue family!

Upon hearing Jia Jing's words of praise, Baochai's heart trembled, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of joy!

This is what Jia Jing himself said: "With thousands of officials in high rank, who can govern the country? A few women can manage a household."

Such praise did not come from an unknown person, but from the personal commendation of a first-class duke of the current dynasty, so its weight can be imagined!

At the very least... Lin Daiyu probably never received such praise!

At the same time, Baochai also gleaned two other important pieces of information from Jia Jing's remarks:

First, her third brother really does have the idea of ​​postponing the marriage for the time being, which is good for her because it gives her a chance to compete!

Secondly, the third brother did not have a high opinion of his own brother, believing that he was incapable of reviving the family business!

Of course, that's... indisputable!

Baochai remained silent for a moment, looking at Jia Jing's cold and stern face, then suddenly smiled.

Her long, curved eyelashes trembled slightly, and she whispered:

"It was nothing more than showing off my limited skills before an expert... To receive such words from my third brother is already enough to comfort me for a lifetime!"

Jia Jing chuckled:

"You're so young, yet you've already achieved so much! You have a long life ahead of you!"

Baochai raised her eyes to meet Jia Jing's calm gaze and said softly:

"Life may be long, but it's rare to find another person as virtuous and outstanding as my third brother!"

Although he changed his words, these words still subtly revealed his true feelings!

Upon hearing this, Jia Jing's heart stirred slightly, and he couldn't help but gaze into those moist almond eyes, as if he could catch the hazy, lingering affection hidden within them.

Jia Jing fell silent, and the two of them walked slowly along the long stone-paved road of Rongguo Mansion without speaking.

Under the moonlight and in the night breeze, accompanied by the sounds of frogs and insects, a tall and a petite figure walked slowly.

Behind her, her maid Ying'er followed with a smile and expectation, carrying a lantern, keeping a respectful distance.

Soon, the gate of Pear Fragrance Courtyard was not far ahead.

The lanterns had already been lit, and their dim light swayed slightly in the night breeze, casting the three characters "Lixiangyuan" on the lintel on and off.

Baochai slowed her pace, almost to the point of stopping.

She knew that once she reached the door, the beautiful night would come to an end.

Some things, if not said today, may never be said again!

Baochai hesitated and slowly stopped.

Jia Jing took a few steps, then stopped when he noticed the footsteps behind him had stopped and turned around.

Baochai stood in the shadows of the moonlight, her honey-colored jacket almost blending into the night.

Her face was illuminated by the lantern light, half-lit and half-shadowed, her features as soft as a traditional Chinese painting.

Her gaze was lowered, her eyelashes trembling slightly, like a butterfly flapping its wings.

Her fingers clenched and unclenched in her sleeve, then clenched and unclenched again. After several hesitations, she finally took something out of her sleeve and held it in her hand.

"Third Brother, we've arrived. Thank you for seeing us off!" Baochai said softly, her cheeks flushed like the evening glow, her head bowed.

Jia Jing glanced at her hand, frowned slightly, and said:

"No need to be so polite. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now!"

As Jia Jing spoke, he turned to head towards the Jingwu Academy.

Xue Baochai blinked her watery almond-shaped eyes, raised her head, hesitated as if to speak, but finally couldn't help but call out:

"Third brother, wait... I..."

Baochai took out a jade pendant from her handkerchief and handed it over. Her almond-shaped eyes were brimming with tears, and she pursed her pink lips, saying softly:

"Third brother, this...you should take it."

When Baochai handed over the jade pendant, her fingers were trembling slightly.

She didn't speak, but simply held the jade pendant between the two of them, lowered her head, and dared not look at Jia Jing.

The moonlight fell on her profile, illuminating the faint blush on the back of her ear.

Jia Jing took the jade pendant, his fingers touching her fingertips for only a moment.

Baochai's hand recoiled as if burned, but she didn't move.

She stood there, her eyes lowered, her eyelashes trembling like butterfly wings in the wind, her breathing quickening slightly.

Her back was ramrod straight... a unique straightness reminiscent of Baochai, a straightness that never bowed her head or bent her waist.

Jia Jing raised his head and examined the jade pendant in his palm by the moonlight.

The jade plaque is made of warm, lustrous jade with a calm and serene color, making it a fine example of Hetian jade.

There are no extra decorations, only two characters engraved on the front... "Hengzhi".

The characters are in seal script, with smooth and flowing lines, showing excellent carving skills.

A light blue silk ribbon was tied at the top of the jade pendant, with the end of the ribbon tied in an exquisite love knot.

"Hengzhi." Jia Jing paused slightly, then uttered the name softly, his voice tinged with a hint of doubt.

The character 蘅芜 was changed to 蘅芷, a difference of only one character, but the meaning is completely different!

Baochai hummed in agreement, mustered her courage, and said softly:

"I brought it from Nanjing last year. It's not anything valuable, but... I find it warm and smooth, and it's engraved with the words 'Hengzhi,' so it's a keepsake."

"My third brother is often away on business, so he carries this with him as a token of his sister's affection."

As he spoke, his voice gradually became barely audible.

Upon hearing this, Jia Jing finally understood completely!

He never expected that on his first day back at the mansion, Baochai would confess her feelings to him.

If the previous unusual actions of wearing makeup and earrings, taking the initiative to engage in conversation, and the vague mention of "good man" just now were all still unclear and left some room for interpretation.

At this moment, the jade plaque engraved with the words "Hengzhi" has completely revealed her feelings!

In today's context, men and women don't usually confess their feelings or express their emotions directly.

They wouldn't directly throw themselves into your arms; instead, they would give you tokens of affection that subtly express their feelings.

The knee pads and the peace buckles with swastika knots that Baochai and Daiyu gave as gifts were actually alright. Although they were hand-embroidered, they could still be interpreted as a younger sister's gift to her older brother.

However, this jade plaque engraved with the characters "Hengzhi" is clearly different.