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

The sun at Chenshi (7-9 AM) had already risen above the eaves of the ancestral hall, illuminating the blue brick ground in front of the courtyard gate until it appeared white.

The black lacquered gate of the Jia Clan Ancestral Hall was wide open, and the plaque above the gate, inscribed with the words "Starry Brilliance Assists the Emperor" by Emperor Taizu, gleamed with a dark gold in the sunlight.

Several old cypress and pine trees are planted at the base of the courtyard wall, their branches and leaves dense and rustling in the wind.

Several folding chairs inlaid with bluish-white jade are placed on the cobblestone path in front of the main gate of the courtyard.

Jia Dairu, Jia Daixiu, Jia Zheng, and You Shi sat on both sides, leaving the middle seat at the head of the table empty.

In the open space in front of the ancestral hall, more than two hundred members of the Jia clan from the eight branches of the Shenjing family were either squatting or standing.

People either huddled together in small circles whispering to each other, or found shady spots to avoid the sun's rays.

Jia Daixiu leaned on an ebony staff, his beard and hair all white, his cloudy eyes sweeping over Jia Zheng and You Shi, who sat opposite him, their faces seemingly somewhat dejected.

Then, glancing again at the densely packed clansmen in the ancestral hall courtyard, his expression shifted, and he whispered to Jia Dairu beside him:

"Dai Ru, do you know why the Duke summoned the clansmen today?"

When Jia Jing returned to his mansion after being enfeoffed as a marquis, he immediately performed three good deeds for the clan after offering sacrifices to his ancestors: showing respect to the elderly and caring for the young, reorganizing the clan school, and training young men to manage affairs.

However, despite being granted the title of First-Class Duke, Jia Jing has yet to reunite with his clansmen. Even when he was elected clan leader a few days ago, he only made a brief appearance.

The fact that the entire clan has suddenly gathered today, creating such a grand spectacle, is probably no small matter!

Furthermore, seeing that Jia Zheng and You Shi looked unwell, Jia Daixiu felt that the people who came to this clan gathering might have ill intentions!

Upon hearing this, Jia Dairu's expression hardened slightly. He frowned, his graying eyebrows furrowing, and his gaze involuntarily drifted to the half-closed door of the ancestral hall.

You can vaguely see a boy kneeling in front of the offering table, head down, body curled up, occasionally shifting his position and rubbing his knees.

"I heard that yesterday, Baoyu from the West Mansion smashed his jade, causing unrest throughout the entire mansion. He was then forced by the Duke to kneel in the ancestral hall all night."

"Is he going to be dealt with today?" Jia Dairu guessed.

Jia Daixiu was stunned for a moment, then said with a mixture of surprise and doubt:

"What? He smashed jade again?"

They also knew about Baoyu smashing the jade last year, after all, they lived on the same street as the Rongguo Mansion.

In the east and west prefectures, any news, no matter how small, would easily spread.

Moreover, at that time, the homes of several long-time servants, including the Lai and Wu families in Ningrong Street, were confiscated. Jia Jing even used his troops to enforce the law in the West Mansion, ordering the deaths of dozens of people and the execution of one or two hundred others.

Such a commotion was bound to be discussed behind the backs of the Jia clan.

Jia Daixiu even heard that the story of Baoyu smashing the jade last year had been spread more and more outrageously by the clansmen below.

So much so that a local storyteller was inspired by this and created a play called "A Bloodbath Caused by a Piece of Jade"!

This shows how influential this matter was in Ningrong Street!

A hint of melancholy crossed Jia Dairu's aged face as he sighed softly:

"Old sister-in-law has indeed spoiled Baoyu a bit. It is said that Zheng-ge originally wanted to punish Baoyu with a beating."

"But his sister-in-law and Madam Wang stopped him, and later the Duke learned of this and ordered his personal guards to bring him to kneel in the ancestral hall!"

"When women discipline their sons, they easily spoil and pamper them, raising纨绔子弟 (spoiled brats)!"

Jia Dairu's words not only referred to Jia Baoyu, but also alluded to his own family's situation.

His grandson, Jia Rui, was also spoiled rotten by his old lady. Every time he wanted to discipline him, it was as difficult as climbing to the sky!

These days, that wretched child has been getting money from who-knows-where, and has even started drinking and carousing, becoming more and more worthless!

Jia Daixiu also knew about the situation of Jia Dairu's family, and sighed:

"Rui is the only son left in your family, so it's only natural for your sister-in-law to protect him."

Then, changing the subject, she continued:

"In fact, the Duke and Daishan are somewhat similar in temperament; they both cannot tolerate any injustice."

"And then there's Daihua. I remember he once used his belt to hang Jingge from the roof beam and whip him. Otherwise, how could Jingge have passed the imperial examination!"

"It's because we spoiled Zhen-ge'er too much that he ended up like this..."

Just as Jia Daixiu and Jia Dairu were reminiscing about the past, the clansmen below were also whispering among themselves, talking in small groups.

The voices were loudest, especially from the small circle of Jia Qiang, Jia Rui, Jia Qin, and Jia Jun.

"Last time, the Duke bestowed three benefits upon the clan after being granted a marquisate. Now that he's been granted a dukedom, I wonder what good deeds he'll do for the clan this time!"

"I reckon they'll give us at least five benefits this time. As the saying goes, 'When one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven,' and we are the closest relatives to the Duke!"

"Who knows, the Duke might give us a promotion! His retainers have all been ennobled; if we can follow him and accumulate some military merits, it wouldn't be unreasonable for us to be ennobled as earls in the future!"

"I only beg the Duke to let me be a manager. This job really doesn't offer much profit; I haven't made much money even after several months!"

"Or you could just give us more money. We're all worldly people now; we can't go out looking shabby!"

"Rui-ge'er, I heard you're a regular at Fanlou these days. Since we're free today, how about we go to that brothel to listen to music after the clan meeting?"

……

As time went on, and the crowd in front of the ancestral hall grew increasingly noisy...

Suddenly, a sound of metal clattering came from the alleyway, growing louder as it approached, like a shower of iron rain falling on the ground, instantly drowning out the buzzing of the crowd.

Hearing the noise, everyone knew that Jia Jing must have arrived, so they all stood up and looked up.

A squad of armored guards emerged quickly from the alleyway, their black armor, black boots, swords at their waists, and long spears in their hands, their steps perfectly synchronized.

The soles of the boots stomped on the bluestone slabs, producing a dull and even sound, each step seemingly treading on the human heart.

Fifty guards stood in two rows in front of the ancestral hall, facing the crowd, hands on their swords, motionless.

Their gazes were sharp, like a row of iron nails that wouldn't budge in the wind, staring straight ahead, their silence carrying a silent but imposing presence.

The atmosphere in front of the ancestral hall became tense instantly with the arrival of the guards. The previous chattering murmurs completely disappeared, and you could hear a pin drop.

As the guards took their positions, Jia Jing, dressed in a python robe and wearing a jade belt, slowly appeared in everyone's sight.

Sunlight shone on his python robe, and the gold-embroidered python pattern flickered in the light, as if it had come alive.

He walked expressionlessly toward the ancestral hall, followed by Xuanwu and four or five personal guards carrying trays.

As Jia Jing walked, his gaze swept across the faces of the crowd, deep and calm, exuding an imposing aura without anger, like a bottomless well.

After finishing in the inner hall, Jia Jing, Yuan Chun, and Tan Chun had a simple meal. Seeing that it was almost time, they led their men to the ancestral hall.

The final outcome is self-evident; all that can be said is that Grandmother Jia was carried away in tears afterward!

at this time,

Jia Daixiu, Jia Dairu, You Shi, and the others looked at the young man who was slowly approaching surrounded by a group of soldiers, and they were all somewhat surprised and uncertain.

On the one hand, they were impressed by Jia Jing's growing power and influence, but on the other hand, they couldn't help but worry that with such a large gathering, the clan meeting might not be peaceful!

"Duke, you've arrived!" Jia Dairu and Jia Daixiu greeted him.

"Jing-ge'er!" Jia Zheng cupped his hands in greeting.

"..." Madam You curtsied, but for a moment she didn't know how to address her!

We used to call him Third Brother, but that's definitely not appropriate now!

Jia Jing nodded slightly to each of them, but did not stop walking.

Only after standing in front of the main seat did Jia Jing suddenly turn around to face the crowd and stand solemnly.

The atmosphere became even more solemn, with only the rustling of the old cypress tree at the base of the wall in the wind filling the courtyard.