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

Speaking of which,

Having not seen Jia Jing display his power in the mansion for some time, Grandmother Jia had almost forgotten the ruthlessness of her third grandson.

They actually went to him to plead for mercy! Grandmother Jia couldn't help but curse herself for being so foolish!

At the same time, she felt deep regret; if only she had known it would end like this...

It would have been better to have Baoyu's father beat him up yesterday and settled the matter, instead of letting things escalate to this point!

At that moment, all thoughts of smashing jade, vital organs, and ominous signs were forgotten; only regret and fear remained in his heart.

In fact, when people first encounter problems, they tend to avoid the important issues and take a chance, hoping to find the easiest excuse to get away with it.

But things often don't go as planned. As the negative consequences drag on and become uncontrollable, when the iron fist comes crashing down, people either regret it deeply or are furious.

Grandmother Jia began to make excuses for Baoyu, saying things like, "He's just a child," "You're a duke, why are you arguing with him?" "Thirty strokes of the cane would kill him," "For my sake," "It's all because his mother spoils him," "Without the privileges of a legitimate son, how will Baoyu live?" and so on...

Besides summoning her deceased husband, all sorts of excuses came out, showing that Grandmother Jia was indeed quite anxious!

Yuan Chun, standing to the side, also had a worried look on her face. The beating and confinement to the clan school were not bad.

But canceling the privileges of the eldest son... you know, once you lose something, it's not easy to get it back!

Even if Baoyu is his only legitimate son, and even if Jia Jing says that Baoyu will recover after he makes progress, will outsiders still recognize Baoyu after seeing so many of Lan'er's sons?

Since ancient times, only names and tools should not be lent to others!

Yuan Chun's cherry lips twitched as she tried to speak, but she found her elbow being tugged by her third sister.

Startled, she turned around and heard Tan Chun whisper in Yuan Chun's ear:

"Big sister, don't you understand?"

Yuan Chun's fair and delicate face froze for a moment, then she said softly:

"Understand what?"

Tan Chun sighed and said:

"Big sister is just worried and confused. The more you try to persuade her now, the harsher the punishment third brother will give her!"

"Elder sister, think about it. Yesterday, Brother Bao smashed the jade, which was a very minor matter. When I found out, I only thought that Brother Bao should apologize to Sister Lin and let the matter rest!"

"But Second Brother Ke Bao pretended to be mentally challenged and foolish, and the Old Madam and Madam coaxed and pampered him in every way, making a huge fuss and even going so far as to defend him unreasonably, pushing the blame onto Sister Lin and the other sisters, to the point that I had to send someone to call the Master to handle it!"

"Father originally only wanted to give his second son a beating. In fact, it's not a big deal for a father to discipline his son in an ordinary family."

"But while the old lady and the wife said it was just children playing around, their actions showed the exact opposite."

"She cried and made a scene to stop her father from disciplining her, and she made all sorts of excuses to justify herself, which escalated and caused unrest throughout the household."

"As a result, small things turned into big things, conflicts intensified, and eventually the father and mother became estranged, the legitimate and illegitimate children became estranged, and the family members fought to the point of shouting and killing each other."

"Now, it is even more necessary for my third brother, a Duke of the current dynasty, to personally handle such a trivial matter!"

"To put it bluntly, the old lady and her wife bear the main responsibility for how this matter has developed to this point."

"What was originally a trivial matter has blown up into a huge fuss because the more they defended and pleaded for leniency!"

"If we still don't wake up now and try to defend or stir up trouble, then we're just repeating the same mistakes we made yesterday."

"I'm afraid the more we act this way, the harder and more severe my third brother's beating will be!"

"Because in the eyes of the third brother, this was no longer just about Bao Erge smashing the jade, but a serious problem of the family's educational atmosphere and discipline not being implemented!"

Because Tan Chun had worked as a housekeeper for a period of time, she gained a clearer understanding of this matter.

She believes that Jia Jing's severe punishment of Baoyu was primarily to uphold the authority of the family rules!

As he just said, managing a family is like managing an army; under family rules and clan regulations, no one can be an exception.

If one cannot maintain impartiality, and makes an exception today because this person pleads for leniency, and tomorrow avoids punishment because that person uses connections, then this family can be left to its own devices from now on!

Upon hearing Tan Chun's words, Yuan Chun suddenly understood something.

This incident not only punished Baoyu, but also the old lady and the madam, who disregarded family rules!

Just as the third sister said, what was originally a simple matter became complicated because of the old lady and others' obstruction!

At this moment, the more people plead for leniency, the more determined Jingdi will be to uphold family rules!

Thinking of this, Yuan Chun sighed inwardly, pursed her cherry lips, held Tan Chun's hand, and chose not to interfere any further!

At this moment, seeing that Jia Jing was unyielding and heartless, and that all her pleas were useless, Grandmother Jia slapped her thigh in frustration and said in a huff:

"Very well! This old lady has no face left in front of you, the Duke!"

"I know you've always disliked me and Baoyu, so don't hit him. I'm not in your way."

"You men of the Jia family may be all high and mighty in your mansion, but tomorrow I'll pack up with Baoyu, his mother, and I and head back to Jinling. We'll leave you as soon as possible, so everyone can have some peace and quiet!"

This is also a phrase that Grandmother Jia often says when Jia Zheng beats Jia Baoyu! And once this phrase is uttered, Jia Zheng has no choice but to kneel down and kowtow to beg for forgiveness!

In her desperation, she instinctively shouted out, hoping it would have some deterrent effect on her third grandson!

Even if you are a Duke, you still need a reputation!

If you actually force your own grandmother to pack her bags and go back to her hometown, will you be able to save face?

To everyone's surprise, Jia Jing merely nodded indifferently, his expression slightly cold, and calmly said:

"If the old lady wants to go back to Jinling, Baoyu can go with her."

"From this day forward, Baoyu is no longer a member of the Jia family or the Rongguo Mansion!"

"The second master and I will no longer interfere with him; we'll let him fend for himself. He can do whatever he wants from now on!"

"Whether he indulges in womanizing or commits murder and arson, it has nothing to do with the Jia family anymore!"

"At the clan meeting later, I will remove him from the clan register and write to all clan members, relatives, and friends in Jinling, declaring that this person is no longer a member of the Jia family!"

"In this way, we can cut ties cleanly, saving me the trouble and hassle of worrying about that pampered playboy!"

You want to be clean? Then expel them from your ancestral home and kick them out of the house—that's what true cleanliness is!

He is a military and legal expert, and now that things have come to this, Jia Jing will not back down!

When Grandmother Jia heard Jia Jing's resolute words, she was struck dumb, her mind going blank for a moment!

At the same time, a huge panic surged in my heart, and I felt cold all over and trembled with fear.

Her eyes even reddened for a moment, tears of grievance welled up in her eyes, and her lips trembled unconsciously!

"You...you..."

Upon seeing this scene, Yuan Chun was stunned, her expression slightly alarmed. She couldn't help but feel a little fortunate that she hadn't pleaded for mercy earlier!

Third Sister was right after all. The more we try to protect and plead with them, the more fiercely Jingdi will attack us!

However, Jingdi's cold and dignified expression was truly intimidating, making her feel as if she had returned to the palace and was facing the emperor!

Tan Chun's expression shifted slightly, her beautiful eyes fixed on the unapproachable young man in the hall, her gaze seemingly lost in thought...

At this moment, the inner hall fell into a long silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop!