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

Seeing that Lady Wang remained silent, Yuan Chun felt somewhat weary and sighed:

"Does Mother still intend to spoil Baoyu and prevent him from attending the clan school?"

As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and she felt heartbroken, clearly finding it difficult to understand Madam Wang's stubborn attitude.

Madam Wang, her expression blank, said:

"Let's not even talk about the future. Right now, Baoyu is still kneeling in the ancestral hall! Who knows how Jing-ge will punish him tomorrow?"

"If we make a big fuss and it gets out, it will ruin our reputation. What will we do then, get married, or go on to study!"

Madam Wang's words silenced the room for a moment.

Yuan Chun thought for a moment, then gently comforted her:

"Although my younger brother Jing cannot tolerate any injustice, he has always managed the household with a balance of leniency and strictness, and with integrity and fairness!"

"Although Baoyu's smashing of the jade was quite outrageous, it wasn't a heinous crime, so the punishment shouldn't be too severe!"

"Didn't General Lu just say that a minor punishment is the main focus, and education is the priority? I reckon they might give him a light beating, which might affect his reputation a little, but not too much!"

"But... this jade must never be broken again..."

If one repeats the same mistake repeatedly and refuses to learn from it, even the smallest offense can become a major error!

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia quickly nodded and said:

"What the eldest maid says is true. Jing-ge'er is quite shrewd. He probably just wants to discipline Bao-yu, but it won't escalate into a major conflict!"

"It's common for members of our Wu Xun family to be beaten with a cane. Bao Yu is still young, and he is usually polite and filial."

"As long as I don't break jade again, this trivial matter shouldn't cause too much damage to my reputation."

At this point, Grandmother Jia could only try to think positively, while minimizing the negative impact on her reputation caused by Baoyu smashing the jade and being punished by the clan.

Actually, Grandmother Jia wasn't too worried about Baoyu getting married, since Lin Daiyu was already her intended granddaughter-in-law.

As for further education... it's too early to say!

Aunt Xue's eyes flickered, and she chuckled softly:

"Baoyu is young, and boys mature later, so it's normal for him to be a little naughty."

"I've heard that many famous ministers and generals of ancient times were quite mischievous in their youth!"

"Isn't there a saying, 'A prodigal son who returns is more precious than gold'? Clearly, childhood reputation won't affect one's future at all!"

Aunt Xue's words were not only directed at Jia Baoyu, but also at her own son, Xue Pan.

Although her son Pan'er is immature now, he will surely have a bright future if he turns over a new leaf!

Grandmother Jia was quite pleased to hear this and said:

"His aunt is so reasonable; even my Baoyu is considered good. I heard that the heir of the Prince of Nan'an is the real scoundrel; he even snatched a commoner's daughter!"

"And the young master of the Duke of Shan's mansion is always fighting and brawling, indulging in cockfighting and dogfighting; his reputation is completely ruined! And the family of the Marquis of Pingyuan..."

"Compared to them, my Baoyu is already considered extremely obedient and well-disciplined!"

Grandmother Jia gave a series of examples, racking her brains to recall the unruly sons from various families of founding heroes she had heard about, going to great lengths to compare their shortcomings in order to prove Baoyu's goodness.

It has to be said that this sense of superiority comes from comparison! And the philosophy of winning has been ingrained in people's hearts since ancient times!

Hearing Grandmother Jia say this, even Lady Wang felt for a moment that it was not a big deal for Baoyu to kneel in the ancestral hall.

Perhaps I'm just overthinking things and making a mountain out of a molehill!

Even...maybe kneeling in the ancestral hall this time is actually a good thing!

If word gets out that their son has to kneel in the ancestral hall just for smashing a piece of jade, wouldn't that prove that their family has a clean and upright tradition and is strict in discipline?

Thinking of this, Madam Wang felt a little relieved, and even began to think about how to embellish her son's experience and spread it around!

Just as Madam Wang was lost in thought, suddenly her maid Xiren ran out of the side room, exclaiming with delight:

"Grandma, Madam, what a wonderful surprise! The jade has been found! The jade has been found!"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall became even more cheerful. Both Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang hurriedly stood up, their faces beaming with joy, and said urgently.

"Finally found this lifeline! Where's the jade? Show it to me quickly!"

It can be said that ever since Baoyu was born with a jade in his mouth, this magical jade has been extraordinary in Grandmother Jia's heart, becoming an auspicious object symbolizing the prosperity of the Jia family!

Just like the "good grandson of the emperor" who was born according to a dream, Baoyu was also a "good legitimate grandson" of the Jia family who was born with auspicious omens.

This is why every time Baoyu smashed the jade, it caused such a commotion in the Jia family.

Just as Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang were looking pleased, Xiren took out a handkerchief, intending to wipe the dust off the jade and hand it to the two of them.

Before the handkerchief could even land on the jade pendant, Xiren suddenly froze.

Her face showed a hint of shock and fear, her pupils slowly dilated, and her voice was full of panic as she cried out in a broken, mournful voice:

"This...this jade...this jade is broken..."

Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang looked on incredulously:

"What??"

Xiren looked at it carefully, her face filled with fear, and asked again to confirm:

"This jade has really cracked..."

Madam Wang's face suddenly turned pale, and she exclaimed in surprise:

"How is this possible? How could it possibly crack..."

This jade has been fine ever since it was a baby, it's never had any problems, how could it possibly crack...?

The others in the hall also looked at Xiren. Yuan Chun's beautiful and graceful face was filled with surprise and disbelief, and her moist eyes under her delicate eyebrows were full of disbelief!

Isn't this jade the lifeblood of Baoyu? How could it possibly crack?

Sister Feng frowned, her phoenix eyes filled with doubt and disbelief!

The jade broke? Does that mean there's really no more jade to break in the future?

A look of worry clouded Tan Chun's beautiful eyes; the jade had actually been broken.

Now, I'm afraid my wife will never forgive herself and Huan Di... and Sister Lin.

Daiyu's starry eyes flickered as she glanced at Baochai beside her, and a thought suddenly popped into her mind:

The so-called perfect match is now broken. Where will we find jade to match Bao'er's golden lock in the future?

A strange look flashed across Aunt Xue's fair face as she thought to herself:

My sister's jade pendant, like my precious daughter's gold lock, was probably specially made by a craftsman!

However, jade pendants are not as sturdy as gold locks, and since they are often dropped violently, it is understandable that they would crack!

My sister was too careless; she should have just gotten a gold one like I did...

Lady Wang, looking flustered, hurried to Xiren's side, snatched the jade pendant from her hand, and looked around.

The jade pendant was covered with countless cracks.

The original eight characters "Never lose, never forget, may you live a long and prosperous life" were engraved on it, but now only the characters "lose" and "forget" remain intact.

The other characters were covered by spiderweb-like cracks, and some of them were no longer legible!

Grandmother Jia, her aged face close to the jade pendant, looked extremely distressed, tears streaming down her face, and said:

"This jade has always been fine since I was little, how could it have cracked like this? The eight characters have been smashed into the two characters 'Forgetfulness'... This is an ominous sign!"

The crack was so perfectly timed that only two of the eight characters remained, casting a heavy shadow over Grandmother Jia's heart!

Madam Wang stared intently at the jade pendant, her face turning from white to pale, then to a bluish-black tinge, before an unusual flush appeared on her complexion. A metallic rusty smell rose from her throat.

"My son! Ugh..."

Visible blood spilled from her mouth, and Madam Wang's vision went black as she collapsed to the ground.

The jade pendant slipped from her hand and fell to the ground with a sharp "crack," shattering into pieces...