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

The name "Hengzhi" comes from Wang Bo's "Ode to the Seventh Night of the Seventh Month": "Hengzhi wafts fragrance, and the wind and smoke are full of beauty."

The two characters "蘅" and "芷" here are both fragrant herbs. "蘅" is Asarum and "芷" is Angelica dahurica. The two characters together mean that they are both fragrant and beautiful, and have a graceful appearance.

Wang Bo's "Ode to the Seventh Night" tells the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meeting on the seventh night of the seventh lunar month.

Qixi Festival is a traditional Chinese Valentine's Day with a long history. The phrase "fragrant herbs and sweet-scented flowers, graceful smoke and mist" describes the beautiful scenery of the night of Qixi Festival...

The fragrance of herbs wafts in the wind, the smoke curls and rises in countless shapes.

Baochai used these two words on the jade pendant, and her meaning was self-evident.

This is already the ultimate expression she can make within the bounds of current etiquette and rules, without overstepping any boundaries!

For young ladies, no matter how passionate their feelings, it's impossible to recite straightforward verses like "Guan Guan the pheasant" like men of today. They can only express their feelings implicitly, keeping them hidden.

At the same time, "芷" is a homophone of "知". "蘅芷" can be read as "蘅知".

Jia Jing guessed that there might be another layer of meaning here, namely: "Heng" refers to Baochai, and "Zhi" means to know or understand.

Baochai may also be subtly saying, "I am willing to be someone who understands you."

Sometimes, the word "understanding" carries more weight than "love" and is deeper than "affection."

She understands his aspirations, his ambitions, and everything about him. No matter what he wants to do, she is willing to understand and support him from behind.

Faced with Baochai's sudden expression of affection, Jia Jing remained silent for a moment, for he did not have many options at that moment.

If she had tactfully returned the jade pendant, Baochai probably wouldn't have brought it up, nor would she have continued to pester her.

Given her temperament and the state of the world, no matter how much she liked or resentful she was, she could only sever her ties with her sword.

From now on, we'll probably be strangers when we meet, keeping our distance, and gradually drifting apart as time goes by!

Then she obeyed Aunt Xue's arrangement and married someone else. Well, it's probably unlikely that Jia Baoyu would marry her.

If Jia Jing accepts the jade pendant, it means that his relationship with Baochai has moved from the ambiguous stage to the romantic stage, which can be considered a major breakthrough!

Either neither accept nor reject, pretending not to understand, keeping a distance to lure Baochai!

Of course, Jia Jing would not choose the third option, as it would be too beneath his current status!

Actually, things have come to this point, and there's nothing to hesitate about.

If it were unintentional, Jia Jing would not have given Xue Baochai the "Yan Family Instructions" in the first place.

He just didn't expect Xue Baochai to confess her feelings so quickly, especially since this was his first day back at the manor!

However, upon closer reflection, it's understandable.

After all, as his status rose and more and more people came to propose marriage, Baochai inevitably felt pressured.

She no longer has time to test the waters or make further contact. If she doesn't take the initiative to express her feelings now, it might be too late, and her future status will become a big problem.

of course,

It must be said that in Jia Jing's mind, feelings were feelings, official career was official career, and status was status.

Even if I accept Baochai now and establish a relationship, it doesn't mean I have to marry Baochai as my legal wife!

It could even be said that Baochai's background determined that the possibility of her becoming the principal wife was extremely small!

To reiterate, his marriage is no longer a personal matter, but a political event concerning the state of the court!

The specific arrangements for the future will depend on the development of the political situation and the feelings and interactions with Baochai after further contact.

Furthermore, since he had chosen to accept Xue Baochai, he had no choice but to deal with the Xue family's problems.

Aunt Xue is alright. Although she has many little schemes, she is a woman confined to the inner quarters and can't cause any major trouble!

But Xue Pan, this "foolish tyrant," is different. Not only is he rough and reckless, making him prone to trouble, but he also has a murder case on his hands.

Back in Jiangnan, Xue Pan, in his attempt to seize Xiangling, accidentally killed Feng Yuan while using his servants.

The reason they escaped trial was because Jia Yucun "bent on personal feelings and made a wrong judgment in the case."

His verdict stated that "Xue Pan had contracted an unknown illness and was pursued to death by the spirit of Feng Yuan," and the government concluded the case as "Xue Pan died suddenly."

Xue Pan changed his name and continued living his life as before, which meant that he was legally a "dead man".

In this way, the case was indeed closed, but not cleanly, leaving hidden dangers.

This matter may be exploited by Jia Yucun or others in the future, so we must be careful!

Jia Jing's intention was naturally to find an opportunity to proactively defuse this potential problem and, incidentally, send Xue Pan to jail for a few years.

Firstly, it relieved him of any worries, and secondly, it prevented Xue Pan from causing trouble outside. It also gave him a chance to undergo labor reform and temper his character.

However, we still need to think carefully about how to proceed.

One should play an active role in this matter, rather than doing something thankless and attracting complaints.

Just as Jia Jing was pondering how to send Xue Pan to prison,

Seeing that he remained silent and his expression was somber, Xue Baochai's heart sank to the bottom!

Was I just imagining things? Did my third brother have no other feelings for me at all?

Baochai's plump and beautiful face gradually turned pale. She bit her cherry lips and forced a smile.

Her almond-shaped eyes, though moist, held a hint of sorrow, loneliness, and despair. Her delicate body trembled, her nose tingled, her eyes reddened, and she choked out, "..."

"If Third Brother doesn't like it, just give it back to me. Don't make things difficult for me. I just thought Hengzhi sounded nice, that's all..."

Baochai was trying to make amends in her words, but before she could finish speaking, her heart ached, tears rolled down her cheeks, and she was like a pear blossom in the rain.

There was no sound, no sobbing, not even a disordered breathing. The tears seemed to overflow from a stagnant pool, silently streaming down her cheeks.

One drop after another.

The moonlight shone on the tear stains, making them sparkle like two thin silver lines that stretched from the corners of the eyes to the chin, dangling there and trembling.

Then it dripped down, landing on the lapel and spreading into a small, dark stain.

Looking at Baochai, who turned her head away and silently shed tears, a strange light flashed in Jia Jing's calm eyes.

Even the seemingly heartless but charming Baochai was moved to tears at this moment, which touched even his heart of stone.

As the saying goes, when a woman sheds tears for you, she already belongs to you!

At this moment, Baochai's calmness and rationality seemed to have vanished completely in front of him!

He knew perfectly well what that meant!

Jia Jing remained silent for a moment, then slowly extended his right hand and gently stroked Baochai's fair and smooth cheek.

That hand had distinct knuckles, thin calluses on the fingertips, and a rough texture left by the battlefield and the elements.

His thumb brushed across Baochai's eye, a teardrop landing on his fingertip, cool and wet, before tracing down her cheekbone and cheek.

He didn't wipe it away directly, but instead gently smoothed away the tear stain, his fingertips brushing against skin.

The warmth traveled from that hand, and Baochai's eyelashes trembled violently, like the wings of a startled butterfly.

She didn't flinch or close her eyes; she simply looked up at Jia Jing, her gaze questioning.

Tears still clung to her eyelashes, glistening like dewdrops on the grass in the morning.

"Third brother..."