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

It was already late afternoon.

The gauze curtains of Rongqing Hall were half-rolled up, and sunlight slanted in from the west window, spreading a warm, golden glow on the blue brick floor.

In the hall, there was a square table made of rosewood, covered with a felt mat, and stacked with layers of dominoes.

Grandmother Jia sat at the head of the table, wearing a dark blue silk brocade jacket and a gold headband, with a cup of tea beside her.

The tea had gone cold, but she didn't bother to drink it. Instead, she held two dominoes in her hand, intently pondering which one to play!

Li Wan sat to her left, wearing a light purple jacket and only a silver hairpin in her hair, looking very simple and plain.

She was also holding cards in her hand, but she seemed a little absent-minded, glancing at the door and then at the sky. As the sun gradually set, her expression became anxious and worried.

Fengjie sat to the left of Grandmother Jia, wearing a bright red jacket and a red gold filigree phoenix hairpin with a string of rubies hanging from the end, swaying back and forth.

She waved a round fan in her hand, unhurriedly, but her phoenix eyes darted around the card table.

Aunt Xue sat to the left of Sister Feng, wearing a dark purple jacket, with a smile on her face, neither vying for nor competing with anyone.

"Sister-in-law, what's wrong with you today?" Fengjie played a card, glanced at Li Wan with a smile, and said meaningfully:

"You didn't play your cards as cleverly as usual; I even feel sorry for you for wasting money."

Li Wan came to her senses and looked down, only to find that the card she had played had been won by Aunt Xue.

Aunt Xue smiled broadly as she spread out the cards on her fair face: "Oh my, what a coincidence!"

Li Wan forced a smile, her mind uneasy, and picked up the cards to rearrange them, still somewhat flustered.

Seeing this, Grandmother Jia slammed the cards down on the table, leaned back in her chair, looked at Li Wan, and asked curiously:

"Lan-ge'er's mother, what's wrong with you today? If you don't pay attention, all the money will be won by Feng-ya and Auntie!"

It's rather unusual to see my granddaughter-in-law looking so absent-minded today!

Before Li Wan could speak, Feng Jie blinked her phoenix eyes beneath her willow-leaf eyebrows, and in a flash, she answered with a charming laugh:

"Grandma, is there even a need to ask? Sister-in-law must be worried about Lan-ge'er!"

"Lan Ge'er and the others went out with Third Brother a day ago and haven't returned yet. I heard they went on horseback, and we haven't heard from the East Mansion where they went. How can she, as their mother, not be extremely worried?"

As Sister Feng spoke, she waved her round fan, revealing the charming young woman's captivating beauty and radiant complexion. She continued:

"However, I think my sister-in-law is just worried and confused. With Lan-ge and the others by my third brother's side, what danger could they possibly be in?"

Aunt Xue, standing to the side, smiled and nodded, saying:

"What Feng'er says is true. Jing'er is a steady and reliable person; nothing will happen to him!"

"But all mothers are like this. Lan-ge'er is still young, and this is the first time he's gone so far away. It's understandable that he's a little worried!"

Grandmother Jia came to her senses, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and gently put it down, her aged eyes filled with a dazed look.

She sighed, a hint of bitterness in her voice, and said softly:

"The original plan was just to have a meal together, chat, and test each other's knowledge, but who knew that troublesome Jing-ge would suddenly have another idea and take Lan-ge and the others somewhere!"

"He's always been a troublemaker, a whirlwind wherever he goes, never a moment of peace. I'd rather stay far away from him, but you insist on treating him to a meal!"

"Sigh... Lan-ge'er is still so young, I hope he doesn't go out and get into any trouble!"

"Luckily, I didn't let Baoyu go with us today, otherwise he'd probably be feeling quite anxious right now!"

Grandmother Jia's words were laced with a hint of resentment towards Jia Jing.

Today, all the young masters from the West Mansion were taken out by that wretched third grandson to broaden their horizons, but her own precious jade was not taken along, which she found somewhat unacceptable.

She would give Jia Jing leeway in other matters, but when it came to her beloved Baoyu, she would argue over every single detail!

As I said before, given Jia Jing's current status, every move he makes carries a deeper meaning and is easily speculated upon by everyone in the household!

As a result, Jia Jing took all the boys studying in the clan schools of the West Mansion out for encouragement and admonishment, but not his own Baoyu. This inevitably led to gossip about Baoyu behind his back!

Therefore, besides complaining, Grandmother Jia also made a few excuses for Jia Baoyu, saying that it was she who didn't want Jia Baoyu to go, not that Jia Baoyu couldn't go.

Everyone in the hall understood Grandmother Jia's thoughts. Fengjie paused slightly, her eyes flickered, and she smiled:

"Grandma's words are somewhat biased! I'm not flattering my third brother, but to be honest, if he weren't so capable and resourceful, how could he have accomplished so much?"

"I've heard that the more troublesome a man is, the more capable he becomes. If he's as obedient as a girl, he's unlikely to amount to anything."

Fengjie is now a loyal supporter of Jia Jing. No matter the occasion in the mansion, she will stand up to refute and defend Jia Jing immediately if anything is unfavorable to him.

These days, she has become increasingly clear about who is truly in charge of the Jia family!

What's more, she still needs to ask her brother-in-law for a favor later...

However, she didn't mean to offend Grandmother Jia, and seeing that her expression wasn't very pleasant, she added:

"Of course, Baoyu's good fortune is a different kind of innate blessing. In any case, it's something we mortals can't compare to..."

Aunt Xue reacted instantly and laughed:

"I'm not trying to flatter Jing-ge, but extraordinary people do extraordinary things!"

"It's normal for someone as young as Jing-ge to act differently from ordinary people; otherwise, wouldn't everyone have his abilities?"

When Grandmother Jia heard this, she almost laughed in anger. These two people were like completely different people when they talked about their third grandson.

I just made a casual complaint, and they're already showering me with compliments!

This isn't flattery or praise? Pshaw! It's utterly shameless!

Grandmother Jia inwardly cursed, but said in a hoarse voice without expression:

"Jing-ge is indeed capable and ambitious! But it's enough for a family to have one person like him who can cause trouble."

"As long as Cong-ge and Huan-ge study hard, grow up well, get married, have children, and live peacefully, I'll be content!"

"Feng is right! Baoyu is the one who was born lucky. He will live a peaceful and wealthy life, and inheriting the family business is better than anything else."

Grandmother Jia skillfully used the words "well-behaved," "honest," and "content" to describe Jia Cong and Jia Huan.

This is clearly saying that there is a difference between legitimate and illegitimate children, and that illegitimate sons should behave themselves and not be too capable!

Aunt Xue understood Grandmother Jia's meaning; she didn't want to get involved in the Jia family's dispute over legitimate and illegitimate children, so she smiled and smoothed things over:

"The old lady is right! But Jing-ge is also a sensible person; it's rare that he's willing to mentor his younger brothers and nephews."

"My son Pan'er, I wouldn't be so fortunate as to have him teach him!"

While Aunt Xue said this, what she was really thinking was: when Jingge becomes her son-in-law in the future, he might have a chance to help her own Pan'er!