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

The next day.

At the beginning of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the sky was just beginning to brighten.

The courtyard of the East Mansion was shrouded in a thin layer of morning mist, which gently covered the green tiles and treetops, and when it was illuminated by the morning light, it shimmered with a faint golden hue.

The jujube tree that was transplanted into the yard was blown by the wind all night, and countless leaves fell to the ground, covered with dew and slightly damp.

Jia Jing, dressed in a moon-white undergarment, stood barefoot under a tree, intently practicing his boxing.

At this moment, his punches were not as swift and fierce as they were on the battlefield; instead, they appeared very slow, so slow that it was almost impossible to tell that he was punching.

His arms slowly extended, as if he were holding a ball, or pushing open an invisible door, and his feet moved lightly, as if he were walking freely on clouds.

He was relaxed yet not sprawling, like a white crane stretching its body, with sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting shimmering halos on his body.

In this interplay of movement and stillness, harmony and naturalness seem to possess a mysterious and inexplicable quality.

Qingwen stood on the veranda not far away, holding a basin of hot water in her hands. She watched with interest for a while, then asked, puzzled:

"Everyone in the manor says that your martial arts are the best in the world, but it seems to me that you've regressed. You used to be so powerful and vigorous, but now you're so slow and leisurely, even slower than a young prodigy..."

Xiangling, who was holding a dry handkerchief and watching intently, replied softly upon hearing this:

"What do you know? This is returning to simplicity, achieving harmony between man and nature. As the ancient poem says, 'Practice until your body resembles a crane.' The slower you go, the more true skill you reveal."

"My martial arts training now goes beyond just physical conditioning; it's about achieving enlightenment and understanding one's true nature through movement and stillness. I read in a book that this is what true mastery is all about!"

Upon hearing this, Qingwen's expression froze, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes, saying indignantly:

"It just makes you look well-read and able to recite poems, what's so great about that! My needlework is better than yours..."

Xiangling smiled nonchalantly and said:

"You don't understand, I love poetry. Yesterday, Grandpa even praised me for my recent improvement in poetry!"

"I advise you to read more books instead of always thinking about keeping me company in bed..."

Before he could finish speaking, he quickly dodged to the side, avoiding Qingwen's outstretched "poisonous hand".

Seeing that she hadn't hit her, Qingwen gritted her teeth in anger and said:

"You were the one who wanted to be a concubine, yet you dare to frame me!"

Upon hearing this, Xiangling showed no sign of embarrassment or anger, but instead looked at Qingwen with a puzzled expression and said:

"I do think so! What's wrong with our personal maid wanting to become a concubine? Besides, Master is such a good person, I'm definitely going to follow him for life!"

"Do you want to be a spinster for the rest of your life, or do you not want to stay with your husband and want to marry a young man outside?"

Upon hearing this, Qingwen was stunned again. Looking at Xiangling's honest and pretty face, she couldn't understand how she could be so bold as to utter such "outrageous and outrageous words"!

Don't you feel ashamed?

How dare a young woman speak her mind so openly and confidently? If others knew, wouldn't she be seen as a vixen seducing men?

But she didn't know how to refute it for a moment, and she choked on her breath, her face turning red!

Seeing that Qingwen's face was contorted with worry, Xiangling said earnestly again:

"Now I just hope that Grandpa can find an understanding grandmother in the future, and that she can give him... a son or daughter. Then I'll be content for the rest of my life!"

"What a wicked little hussy! She can say anything!" Qingwen's face was flushed, her eyes were like water, and her voice trembled slightly.

As the two were talking, Jia Jing slowly withdrew from his stance, exhaling a long breath of stale air. That breath condensed into a white mist in the morning light, lingering for a long time.

Seeing this, Xiangling quickly stepped forward, handed over the handkerchief in her hand, and said softly:

"Sir, quickly wipe yourself dry. It's chilly this morning, don't catch a cold!"

Jia Jing took the handkerchief from Xiangling and wiped his forehead, then took the warm water from Qingwen and rinsed his mouth, chuckling softly:

"What are you saying? Why is Qingwen's face all red?"

At this moment, Qingwen's beautiful face was unusually red, especially her watery eyes, which were darting around and were not as straightforward as usual.

"Don't say it!" Xiangling was about to speak when Qingwen covered her cherry lips with her slender, white fingers, interrupting her playfully.

Jia Jing assumed it was just the young girls whispering among themselves and didn't pay any attention. After tidying himself up a bit, he turned and went into the main house in the backyard.

He had a lot to do today and really didn't have time to joke around with the maids!

In the morning, he first needed to deal with matters concerning the clan and Jia Baoyu. This matter had already been communicated and could be resolved quickly!

Then he also had to reorganize the Twelve Battalions to ensure their military power was secure, in order to prepare for the upcoming upheavals in the capital!

The political situation is about to change, and we must ensure that the 180,000 troops of the 12th Regiment are kept stable and that no trouble occurs at this time!

Just in time, Suzaku has also done a pretty good job of investigating the situation of the Twelfth Regiment a while ago, and it's time to get rid of those with ulterior motives!

With these matters on his mind, Jia Jing entered the main room.

The window of the main room was half open, and sunlight slanted in through the window, casting a warm glow on the blue brick floor.

The bronze mirror on the dressing table is a new 20-inch makeup mirror from Jingzihao Trading Company, made using advanced silver-plating mirror-making technology.

The entire mirror surface is so smooth that it reflects one's image perfectly, making it infinitely more sophisticated than the original blurry Han Dynasty makeup mirror!

This mirror became an instant bestseller throughout the city upon its release! The trading company also sent many samples to the East Mansion!

Jia Jing sat down in front of the mirror, which reflected his angular face. Qingwen stood behind him, holding a sandalwood comb, and began to comb his hair.

Jia Jing sat quietly, letting her do as she pleased.

Although he does many things himself in life, his hair is too long and it is indeed difficult for him to manage. So most of the time, Xiangling or Qingwen combs his hair!

At this moment, Qingwen, who was combing Jia Jing's hair, couldn't help but be lost in thought, thinking about what Xiangling had just said. She would occasionally glance at the handsome face in the mirror and smile slightly.

In ancient times, women in their boudoirs enjoyed the pleasure of drawing their eyebrows and combing their hair!

Only someone extremely close to you can do this!

If I could spend my whole life combing Third Master's hair, that would surely be an extremely wonderful thing!

"You've eaten honey cake, what are you grinning about?" Jia Jing asked, seeing Qingwen combing her hair while grinning like an idiot.

It's rather strange that someone can't close their mouth while combing their hair.

Qingwen was pulled back to reality by Jia Jing's words. Her eyes flickered, and she responded meaningfully:

"I was thinking that with such a capable man and such a handsome appearance, I wonder which lucky girl will be our grandmother in the future!"

Qingwen had taken Xiangling's words to heart and couldn't help but want to test Jia Jing's feelings.

Xiangling, who was squatting at Jia Jing's feet putting on his shoes and socks, also looked up when she heard this. Her eyes sparkled as she gently looked at Jia Jing's profile, clearly wanting to hear his answer as well.