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

"Grandma, it's probably fallen into some corner; we can't find it right now!"

"Keep searching! Even if you have to turn the whole house upside down, you have to find it!" Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia became anxious and hurriedly gave the order.

Madam Wang stood to the side, stamping her feet in frustration, and echoing her sentiments:

"That jade is Baoyu's lifeblood; it cannot be lost, it cannot be lost! We must find it today no matter what..."

Seeing the anxious expressions on Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang's faces, Yingchun and the other young ladies couldn't just stand there and did their part to help search.

Yingchun bent over and looked around under the table, her skirt trailing on the ground, but she didn't care for that for the moment.

Xichun squatted down next to the chessboard, reaching her little hand under it to feel around. She got her hand covered in dust, frowned, but didn't stop.

Xing Xiuyan couldn't stand idly by, so she also helped look around the windowsill and behind the flowerpots.

Tan Chun stood beside Daiyu, looking at this familiar scene of war and chaos, her brows furrowed. She wanted to speak up and stop it several times, but she held back.

As time passed, seeing that no one could find the Jade of Spiritual Enlightenment, Lady Wang and Grandmother Jia's expressions grew increasingly grim.

Lady Wang was completely flustered and couldn't help but grab Baoyu's hand, asking repeatedly:

"Baoyu, my Baoyu, where did you throw the jade? Do you remember? Why can't I find it?"

But at this moment, Baoyu was lost in thought, staring at Daiyu like a clay sculpture, without uttering a sound.

Following Baoyu's gaze, Lady Wang looked over and her eyes fell on Daiyu. Her face immediately turned cold, and her expression became extremely gloomy.

In her haste, she disregarded the appropriateness of her words and coldly rebuked Zijuan, who was blocking Daiyu's way:

"What's wrong with your daughter? Why did she make Baoyu so angry that she smashed the jade again?"

"You all know that Baoyu has a quick temper. When he speaks to you, just respond politely. Why provoke him?"

"Now that the jade is nowhere to be found, isn't this just trying to kill him?"

Faced with Madam Wang's questioning, Zijuan naturally couldn't argue back. She paused slightly, lowered her head, frowned, and stood in front of Lin Daiyu with a wronged expression.

As Lin Daiyu witnessed Madam Wang's gloomy gaze and cold words, her delicate body trembled, her face turned as pale as snow, and her heart was filled with bitterness!

It's always the same; whenever Baoyu smashes the jade, he's always the one who gets blamed and subjected to harsh words.

Now that the jade is nowhere to be found, he has become the troublemaker and the culprit!

Thinking of this, Daiyu felt a lump in her throat, and the tears she had stopped flowing silently again.

Baochai, standing next to Daiyu, saw her tears and her expression became somewhat complicated.

After a moment of silence, he gently reached out and took Daiyu's hand, then used a handkerchief to wipe away her tears, and whispered words of comfort:

"You've always been a sensible person, what's there to cry about? Everyone knows this isn't your fault!"

"Besides... if you cry yourself sick now, many people will worry about you and might have to go looking for a royal physician..."

Baochai's fair and delicate face was filled with an inscrutable expression. The scene before her reminded her of a similar scene from last year!

At that time, she naively thought that her husband Jinglang's large-scale reorganization of the mansion was a premeditated plan, and that Lin's matter was just a pretext to cause trouble.

But after nearly a year of observation, she realized that she had misunderstood. It might have been right to have a plan in mind, but at the same time, she also wanted to stand up for Lin Yatou.

Otherwise, how would you explain the subsequent consultation with the Imperial Medical Academy, the delivery of books to the two of them, and the "Desert Rose" gift to Lin Yatou this time?

Even... she herself couldn't say a few sour words about Lin Daiyu in front of him.

Although she was unwilling to delve into the deeper meaning behind each of her actions, she had already understood it in her heart.

My own Jinglang probably has... feelings for Lin girl!

Upon hearing Baochai's words, Daiyu looked slightly surprised, and a blush crept across her pale face as she couldn't help but glance at the girl beside her.

Upon closer inspection, the image of Bao Yatou, whom she had previously perceived as "a cunning girl with a hidden agenda," seemed to have become somewhat blurred.

And why does this girl speak with such a sour tone?

However, she wasn't in the mood to say anything more at the moment, and only whispered in a trembling voice:

"I'll cry my own tears; what does it have to do with anyone else!"

Even so, the crying subsided, and the emotions visibly calmed down.

Baochai gave a soft hum and said nothing more.

While everyone in the side room was frantically searching for the jade, amidst the chaos...

"That's enough! Stop looking!"

A sharp, delicate shout echoed throughout the room, dispelling the chaotic atmosphere.

Tan Chun, with a serious expression, took a few steps and stood in front of Bao Yu, blocking his blank gaze from Dai Yu and also blocking the cold stares that Lady Wang occasionally cast her way.

Today, Tan Chun is wearing a silver-red jacket, a jade sash around her waist, and a red-gold phoenix hairpin in her hair.

It made her face look like a freshly peeled lychee, white with a hint of pink, but at this moment there was no smile on her face, only a composure and coldness that did not match her age.

"Grandma, Madam, the jade was smashed by my second brother in a fit of anger, and now it's probably lost somewhere."

"But as long as they're still in this house, they can't run away! What kind of scene is this, with so many people making such a fuss, ransacking everything, and creating such a disturbance? Don't they have any sense of family decorum?"

"Third Brother made it clear last year that Second Brother Bao must never smash jade at home again, causing unrest in the family."

"Brother Bao has caused this trouble again for no reason today. I think the most important thing right now isn't finding the jade, but figuring out how to explain this to Brother San!"

The maids and servants who were originally busy inside the room dared not move at Tan Chun's command, especially when she mentioned Jia Jing, which made the room instantly fall silent.

Even the maids and servants in Baoyu's, Lady Wang's, and Grandmother Jia's rooms stopped what they were doing, stood up, bowed their heads, and stood to the sides, not daring to continue their actions for a moment.

Ultimately, Tan Chun is the rightful head housekeeper of the Rongguo Mansion, wielding life and death power over all the servants.

Moreover, in the past six months, Steward Tan Chun has gained a high reputation among the servants in the mansion due to her impartiality and selflessness!

Grandmother Jia's expression hardened, clearly awakened by Tan Chun's words, stirring up her anxieties about Jia Jing. A hint of panic crept across her face as she spoke in a hoarse voice:

"This is just your second brother and your sister Lin playing around. It's nothing serious, there's no need to bother Jing-ge."

"He's so busy every day, don't tell him about the little things that happen in our household!"

It's best not to talk about this. If my third grandson finds out, who knows what kind of humiliation he'll suffer!

She herself wasn't afraid, but what about Baoyu?

Madam Wang glanced at Tan Chun, whose face was cold and stern, and clenched the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, feeling a surge of dissatisfaction in her heart!

Now that her second brother's "lifeline" has been lost, instead of thinking about asking someone to help find it, she keeps talking about her "third brother".

And what's with this talk of breaking the jade for no reason? Are you trying to shift all the blame onto your precious jade?

Madam Wang spoke with a gloomy expression:

"Third Sister, how can you say that Baoyu broke the jade for no reason? No one provoked him, how could he have broken his manhood?"