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

Rongguo Mansion.

Baoyu Courtyard.

Baoyu's Courtyard is located on the west side of Rongguo Mansion. It was originally an extremely exquisite courtyard next to Grandmother Jia's main house.

Until last month, there were seven or eight maids guarding the gate of the courtyard day and night, and the courtyard was full of lush flowers and trees.

Various parrots and thrushes hung under the eaves, and there were no fewer than thirty maids, servants, and old women coming and going, making it as lively as a miniature Rongqing Hall.

Whenever Madam Wang came over, she could hear the laughter and chatter of the maids, including Xiren and Sheyue, just by standing at the courtyard gate, which warmed her heart.

But now the courtyard gate is deserted, and there isn't even a gatekeeper in sight.

The plaque that originally hung above the two vermilion doors, bearing the inscription "Jiangyunxuan," seemed to have been covered in a layer of dust due to lack of cleaning, and gleamed dimly in the midday sun.

Pushing open the door, the flowerbeds on both sides of the passageway were already overgrown with weeds. Several withered peonies lay crookedly in the soil, and upon closer inspection, their leaves were riddled with holes from insect bites.

The cages for parrots and thrushes under the eaves were all empty, leaving only a bare horizontal bar that rustled in the wind.

After causing a scene at Rongqing Hall, Madam Wang was helped by Jin Chuan'er, Yin Chuan'er, Cai Xia and others to Baoyu Courtyard, hoping to see her beloved son who was still bedridden and to tell him about her sorrows.

It is said that Baoyu received a severe beating last month and had to stay in bed for a month to recover. Although the wound on his buttocks had scabbed over, it still hurt terribly with the slightest movement and was not completely healed.

At this moment, Baoyu was lying on his side on the canopy bed, covered with a thin quilt with a bright red brocade python pattern. The quilt was pulled up to his chest, revealing a slightly worn pine-colored silk undergarment. The collar of the undergarment was unbuttoned with two buttons undone, and there was still a little bit of sweat in his collarbone area.

After a month of recuperation, his full moon-shaped face not only didn't lose weight, but actually became even rounder than before the beating.

Her jawline, which originally lacked definition, was now covered by a layer of soft flesh, and her cheeks had become fuller. Her once dark complexion had also become much fairer, like a freshly steamed peach with a light layer of rouge on it.

Her lips were still a little pale pink, slightly pursed, giving her a delicate, languid look as if she were recovering from an illness.

When Lady Wang arrived at the door, Baoyu's wistful gaze was fixed on the large screen displaying the auspicious symbol of the four seasons by the door. The screen was still the same screen, but the lovely maids, including Xiren and Sheyue, who used to laugh and play with him, were no longer there.

"It's also Madam's fault. Why did she have to make such a fuss and drive Xiren away? It dragged me into this."

"All the maids in the courtyard have been driven away, and there's no one left to talk to or keep you company. This courtyard used to be so lively, but now only a few rough, lifeless old women remain, making it as desolate as a nunnery."

"And if I hadn't been stopped back then, I wouldn't have had to endure thirty lashes and end up in this predicament!"

Baoyu secretly grumbled to himself, feeling somewhat resentful that Lady Wang was always causing trouble!

As for blaming Jia Jing, he really didn't have the guts!

"Now I can't get close to any of my sisters or maids at home. Even if I recover, I can only play with Jing Qing outside, and also with Zhi Neng'er, whom he mentioned. My uncle's sisters are also very nice..."

"Creak..."

Just as Baoyu was counting who else he could get close to, the door was slowly pushed open!

Startled by the sound of the door opening, Baoyu was initially delighted, but upon seeing that it was Madam Wang who entered, his eyes darkened, and he greeted her in a low voice, tinged with boredom:

"Madam, what brings you here at this hour?"

Madam Wang usually visits him in the morning or evening, so it's extremely rare for her to come at midday!

At this moment, Lady Wang's eyes were slightly red. Looking at Baoyu lying on the bed, listless and lacking energy, she seemed to see her future support in him.

The grievances she had just suffered at Rongqing Hall suddenly welled up in her heart. Thinking of all the things her family had endured these past few days, tears instantly welled up in her eyes. She suddenly opened her arms, threw herself at the bedside, and cried out in a heart-wrenching sob:

"My son! Why is our life so miserable!"

Jia Baoyu was startled by this sudden scene and asked, completely bewildered:

"Madam, what's wrong this time? She was perfectly fine when I came over yesterday afternoon."

As he asked the question, his eyes were unconsciously drawn to Jin Chuan'er, Yin Chuan'er, and the others behind Madam Wang.

Now that all the maids in his courtyard have been ordered to be dismissed by Jia Jing, he can only catch a glimpse of the maids beside them whenever Lady Wang or Grandmother Jia comes over, just to feast his eyes!

Lady Wang, her face streaked with tears, was completely oblivious to Jia Baoyu's absent-mindedness, and continued to speak mournfully to herself:

"My son, you don't know, something terrible has happened to your uncle's family. He's been terribly harmed by that illegitimate son of the eldest son's family..."

"Originally, he just wanted to get his job reinstated. Your uncle gave tens of thousands of taels of silver to Grand Secretary Fang of the Cabinet. Who knew that yesterday, that short-lived eldest son of the main branch of the family ordered his men to arrest him and put him in prison."

"Today, the Emperor even issued an edict to have him... to have him skinned alive...! That eldest son of a concubine is a heartless, vicious, cold-blooded ruthless man."

"You've been throwing your weight around in this mansion, beating and punishing whomever you want, finding all sorts of ways to bully you and me, and now you're even trying to kill your uncle!"

"I wanted to get an explanation from him, but your muddle-headed and heartless father, and that ungrateful illegitimate third daughter, are both siding with him and only caring about speaking up for him."

"And then there's the old lady, your eldest sister, Yun girl, Lin girl, and the heartless mother-in-law and daughter-in-law from the first wife's family—they all fawn over him. And that damned Feng girl is practically begging to lick his asshole."

"And your aunts and the others, they didn't help their own brother when he fell on hard times. They didn't dare to offend that person because they wanted their precious daughter to marry into a higher social class. They all just watched the Wang family suffer... and they didn't even lift a finger."

"The people in this mansion are all no good..."

At this moment, Madam Wang disregarded any semblance of decorum befitting a mistress of a noble family, and uttered nothing but vulgar and disgusting words.

He poured out all his grievances at once, and at the same time cursed almost everyone in the Jia family!

Here I have to mention,

Why does Madam Wang keep making a fuss? Her actions seem increasingly mindless, and she's putting herself at odds with everyone!

Is she failing to recognize the situation?

Obviously not!

Rather, she has lost too much since Jia Jing rose to power, and the contrast between her past and present in such a short period of time is too stark!

It should be noted that she was originally the housekeeper's wife of the Jia family, living in the main courtyard of Rongxi Hall, and wielding great power.

She had her brother Prince Teng from her maternal family to support her outside, and her daughter in the palace spreading good news; she also had Jia Baoyu, the phoenix egg, by her side inside.

It's no exaggeration to say that, apart from Grandmother Jia, she was the most esteemed person in the Jia family!

Even among the four great families of Jia, Shi, Wang, and Xue, who wouldn't give her some face?

But what about since Jia Jing returned to the mansion last year?

First, his stewardship was abolished, Jia Baoyu's eyes were beaten, and Zhou Rui's wife in the side room was kicked out!

Subsequently, her eldest daughter, Yuan Chun, on whom she had placed high hopes, was brought back. Madam Xing, Sister Feng, and others also climbed over her, openly and secretly opposing her on many occasions.

In addition, Baoyu was recently beaten again, his jade was smashed, his privileges as the eldest son were revoked, and even the maids in his courtyard were dismissed.

Not to mention that she was punished by copying books, and was also scolded by Jia Zheng in public many times, and even slapped!

One incident after another, in less than a year, their situation plummeted from heaven to hell. Who wouldn't go crazy in that situation?

To an outsider, it might not seem like a big deal, but experiencing it firsthand is a completely different feeling!

Therefore, Lady Wang was not unaware that Jia Jing was currently enjoying great power and that she was no match for him, so she should be patient!

But it's easier said than done!

Just like now, she has to watch helplessly as her last protector, Prince Teng, gets into trouble and dies so tragically, yet she remains silent and endures the humiliation. Is that something she can do easily?

Wang Ziteng is her own brother. If he were to die like this, what would become of her? What would happen to Baoyu's future?

Therefore, she had nowhere to retreat, and it was inevitable that she would feel resentment towards the "whole family of Jia, all of them are evil people" for bullying her and Baoyu!

At this moment, she was talking to Jia Baoyu about these things, hoping that Baoyu could live up to expectations, and that the two of them could stand together against a common enemy and work together to support the Jia family!