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

Grandmother Jia was dumbfounded when she heard Jia Zheng's words. She hadn't expected that Jia Zheng knew so much!

Madam Wang's face was somewhat gloomy at this moment. It was unclear whether she was confused with anger or thinking of the incident when Baoyu smashed the jade and was falsely accused of rape by Jia Huan. She said sternly:

"It's that wretched Huan-ge'er again who caused all this trouble! Last time, it was his nonsense that drove a wedge between Master and Bao-yu."

"How dare he speak ill of Baoyu in front of the master? He harbors treacherous intentions and deserves to be punished!"

"These illegitimate sons and daughters are all ungrateful wretches; all they do is spread rumors, slander, and defame Baoyu..."

"Shut up, you fool!" Before Madam Wang could finish speaking, Jia Zheng forcibly interrupted her.

His face turned ashen as he pointed at Madam Wang and angrily rebuked her:

"I haven't even said anything to you for your indiscriminate accusations against Sanya, and now you're becoming even more unreasonable!"

"Look at yourself! Where is there any semblance of a mother? Where is there any magnanimity a legal mother should possess?"

"You're blind to right and wrong, you distort the truth, and you're spoiled and indulged—Jing-ge'er is absolutely right to call you that!"

"You've spoiled us with such a wretched child as Baoyu; in the future, it will surely be you and your son who bring chaos to my family!"

"I think you should go find a rope, and the three of us should hang ourselves right here in front of this door. That way, we can avoid bringing trouble to the clan and disgracing our ancestors!"

Jia Zheng's stern rebuke was undoubtedly a great shock to Lady Wang.

This was not a private conversation between husband and wife, but a public reprimand in front of everyone in the household. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it caused Madam Wang to lose face.

In particular, accusing her of "not knowing right from wrong and distorting the truth" is tantamount to fundamentally denying Lady Wang's virtues and integrity.

In a society where the husband is the head of the household, this is a far more serious accusation than Jia Jing's previous insults to Lady Wang.

The phrase "spoiled and indulged" directly points to Jia Baoyu, the "golden nugget" in Lady Wang's heart. This is not simply a disagreement about the education of children, but rather a direct indication of the selfish motives behind her doting.

Not to mention the phrase, "Anyone who causes trouble in my house in the future will be you and your son," which is an extremely harsh insult!

Madam Wang felt dizzy from the scolding, and for a moment she could hardly keep her balance while kneeling on the ground.

This was the first time Jia Zheng had scolded her so mercilessly since she married into the Jia family, especially in front of so many people.

Yuan Chun hurriedly stepped forward to support Lady Wang, weeping sadly:

"Father, Baoyu is useless. You can beat him or scold him, but why do you have to scold Mother like this too!"

"Your mother is almost fifty years old, and Baoyu is her only biological son. It's inevitable that she's a little spoiled, and she might say something without thinking. Why take it so seriously!"

Tan Chun's eyes also reddened, and she whispered to Jia Zheng:

"My mother always treated Huan and me as her own children, and she always showed us a lot of love and care."

"It was just a moment of passion today. If Father blames Mother because of us, I will truly lose all face!"

Although Tan Chun felt somewhat disheartened by what Madam Wang had just said.

But no matter what, Madam Wang is the legal mother, and she must protect her at this time!

Beside her, Daiyu's usually ethereal features now held a hint of melancholy as she softly offered her advice:

"My second uncle's deep affection is something I, his niece, am deeply ashamed to accept! But there's really no need to upset yourself over such a small matter!"

Seeing that Jia Zheng and Lady Wang were on the verge of a marital breakdown, Aunt Xue spoke up:

"Every child has their mischievous moments, why say something so in a fit of anger!"

Baochai's face, as white as a pear blossom, also carried a hint of inexplicable emotion as she sighed softly.

Even on Xiangyun's apple-shaped face, a hint of sorrow could be seen, despite her usually straightforward and open-minded nature.

Seeing that Baoyu had caused so much trouble by smashing the jade, she couldn't help but feel a little dissatisfied with her second brother!

Xing Xiuyan watched the dramatic farce unfolding today, her beautiful face paused slightly, her eyes flickered, and she sighed softly in her heart.

There's no shortage of infighting even within these wealthy and powerful families!

My aunt even said she wanted to marry me to the Duke of Jing. I wonder if I will be able to live such a rare peaceful and quiet life in the future!

Seeing that things had escalated to this point, Grandmother Jia's eyes welled up with tears, and she said in a hoarse voice:

"Zheng'er, how could we have let a single wicked child cause such estrangement between husband and wife, and bring such unrest to the whole family!"

Jia Zheng gave a bitter laugh, his expression filled with desolation and indignation, and said:

"An unvirtuous wife and unfilial son! It's one thing for Wang to have spoken ill of Jing-ge'er and had sordid affairs with the eldest son's family."

"If they treat their children so unfairly and unjustly now, I'm afraid they'll cause countless more disasters in the future."

"Baoyu is incorrigible, behaving frivolously. It would be better if the three of us hanged ourselves now to prevent future trouble; that would be the right thing to do!"

At this point, Jia Zheng no longer cared about hiding the family scandal and brought up the fact that the eldest and second wives, as well as Lady Wang, harbored resentment towards Jia Jing.

These words left everyone present horrified.

Unexpectedly, the Second Master not only wants to beat Baoyu, but also wants to hang himself and Madam Wang!

Lady Wang was completely stunned. She stopped crying and was truly frightened by Jia Zheng's words and resolute attitude!

That was no longer anger, but despair and collapse under the weight of discouragement!

For a moment, the room fell eerily quiet.

Just then, a maidservant suddenly came running from outside the room, stopped, and called out loudly:

"Grandma, Second Master, Third Miss, the Duke has sent his personal guards!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng's eyes turned increasingly cold.

He seemed to find strength from nowhere, broke free from Yuan Chun's support, and charged straight at Bao Yu with a stick in his hand:

"It must be this wicked beast who has disturbed Jing-ge'er again, so I'm taking his dog's life today."

"This will save Jing-ge from having so many important court affairs every day, and from having to worry about this wretched child!"

Grandmother Jia's expression changed drastically, and she quickly stepped forward to stop her, saying:

"The man Jing-ge sent hasn't said anything yet, why are you trying to kill him! Stop right now..."

"Let Jing-ge'er discipline him. If he thinks Bao-yu deserves to die, I'll accept whatever punishment he demands, whether it's beating or killing him!"

Grandmother Jia was astute and knew that if things continued to escalate like this, who knew what kind of trouble might arise.

Even setting aside the possibility of Jia Zheng's health deteriorating, the marital discord between Jia Zheng and Lady Wang, and the resulting chaos within the second branch of the family, would be a significant problem.

It would be better to let Jia Jing be the referee. Even if he just gives Jia Baoyu a beating, it would allow Jia Zheng to vent his anger and put an end to this matter!

She knew her son's temperament well. From what he had just said, she knew that Jia Zheng was probably most worried and concerned about Jing'er's negative opinion of the second branch of the family.

After all, both Baoyu and Lady Wang had been beaten or scolded by Jingge'er, and now this has caused trouble again.

If this grudge isn't made public, it will only fester and deepen, making it impossible to get along in the future!

Of course, no matter what Grandmother Jia said, if Jia Jing really wanted to beat Jia Baoyu to death, she would definitely not be happy!

However, she also believed that Jia Jing had always managed his household with a balance of leniency and strictness, and that Bao Yu's little matter was certainly not serious enough to warrant beating him to death!

really,

Upon hearing Grandmother Jia's words, Jia Zheng slowed his pace, glanced at Jia Baoyu who was trembling like a leaf, and slowly instructed:

"Guards! Take this beast out and hand him over to Jing-ge'er! He can be beaten to death without complaint!"

Afterwards, Grandmother Jia, Jia Zheng, and others left the side rooms and entered Rongqing Hall.

Lady Wang was also helped out by Li Wan, while Jia Baoyu was watched over and escorted out by maids and old women!

At this time, it was naturally inappropriate for young ladies like Daiyu and Baochai to go out and meet men. Instead, they gazed at each other from behind a screen in their rooms.

Meanwhile, outside Rongqing Hall,

As dusk settled, the soft, tinkling sound of the beetles colliding grew clearer as it approached.

Before long, fifteen soldiers, clad in black armor and with embroidered spring knives at their waists, filed in, their steps perfectly synchronized.

It emitted a dull, heavy sound, striking the hearts of everyone in the hall with each beat.

The last rays of the setting sun slanted across the west wall, illuminating the rows of dark, bronze knife handles like a layer of stagnant frost.

Xuanwu arrived last, standing on the line where light and shadow clearly defined the threshold, his face cold and hard, his voice deep and solemn:

"By order of the Duke..."