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

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia frowned. Why did those words sound so harsh?

Before the old woman could enter Rongqing Hall, she was stopped by the steward outside:

"What are you yelling about? You want a beating?"

"It was Uncle Zhen who sent me to deliver a message: Third Master Jing is in big trouble!"

The old woman spoke with a look of urgency.

Inside Rongqing Hall, Grandmother Jia, who was frowning, stood up and asked upon hearing the voices outside.

"Who's in trouble?"

An old woman came in from outside and said:

"It was someone from the East Mansion who came to tell us that Master Zhen said something terrible has happened to the Marquis!"

Grandmother Jia's face turned pale, and she hurriedly asked:

"Didn't he just take up his post at the Ba Shang camp this morning? What major incident could have happened in such a short time?"

Fengjie quickly put down the dominoes in her hand and came over to help Grandmother Jia with Yuanyang.

The others in the hall also looked surprised and uncertain, wondering what had happened to Jia Jing!

Logically speaking, given Jia Jing's current status and position, and with his personal guards, what could possibly happen to him?

Could it be the open and covert attacks within officialdom?

Sister Feng's arched eyebrows twitched slightly, her phoenix eyes filled with suspicion. This newly appointed marquis, with his high position and power, trusted by the emperor himself, what could possibly happen to him?

"Grandma, there's no need to worry about this so soon. Let's find out the truth first!" Fengjie comforted Grandma Jia.

Grandmother Jia also urged repeatedly to ask:

"What happened? What's wrong? Where's Brother Zhen?"

Before the old woman could reply, Jia Zhen's voice came from afar, growing louder as he approached:

"Grandma, disaster has struck!"

Before long, Jia Zhen arrived at Rongqing Hall, a hint of joy on his face, and said:

"Grandma, something has happened to Jing-ge! Steward Lai came to report that Jing-ge killed the Marquis of Linchuan at the Ba Shang camp, and also fought with the Marquis of Zhongqin and other Jingnan warriors at the Ba Shang camp."

"Now the Duke of Cheng, the Marquis of Yongjia, and others have gone to the palace to meet the emperor, making quite a fuss."

"They're saying they'll make Jing-ge pay for his crime with blood, with his life for his life! The news's spread all over the capital! Jing-ge has really gotten himself into big trouble this time!"

Speaking of this, Jia Zhen felt quite pleased.

On that day in the ancestral hall, he was questioned by Jia Jing, a brat, in front of the entire clan, as if he were being treated like a servant. Such humiliation was something he had never experienced in all these years.

He had long harbored the thought that he would take revenge as soon as he had the chance, otherwise how could Jia Zhen hold his head high within the Jia clan?

How can he possibly have the face to be the master of the Eastern Palace!

Especially these days, the clansmen have been praising Jia Jing's kindness and virtue, while secretly cursing him for being unworthy of being the clan leader! This has made Jia Zhen even more resentful!

Haha!

I just didn't expect the retribution to come so quickly!

The brat is arrogant and reckless. This time he has angered the Jingnan faction. Let's see how he dies!

Upon hearing Jia Zhen's words, Grandmother Jia and the others were shocked and their faces turned pale!

Grandmother Jia thought to herself: I've only had a few days of peace and quiet! And this grandson has caused such a big commotion again!

Last time they only verbally abused the Duke of Zhao until he vomited blood, but this time they actually killed a marquis!

What terrible things have I done to deserve this? Heaven has sent such a bastard to torment me.

I knew it! He wouldn't stay quiet for long. He doesn't cause trouble at home, but he causes trouble outside. You might as well stay home and discipline your servants!

Aunt Xue and the others were also taken aback.

What did they say? That a marquis was killed?

Although they did not know who the Marquis of Linchuan was, they knew that he was a second-rank official.

This is a top-tier noble title in the imperial court, this is outrageous!

Aunt Xue secretly pondered that it was not easy for someone of her background as a royal merchant to even meet those marquises on a regular basis.

Jing-ge'er was actually killed outright; this is going to be troublesome!

Madam Wang thought to herself, "As expected, a young man with no experience in his work is unreliable. Is it really that easy to be the military governor of Ba Shang?"

He's already made such a huge mess right after taking office; it would have been better to let his older brother take over as military governor!

Lady Wang now has absolutely no good feelings towards Jia Jing.

Firstly, she believed that Jia Jing had usurped her brother's position as military governor.

Secondly, since Jia Jing returned to the mansion, he has been actively cultivating good relations with the clan and hosting banquets for the founding military heroes, which has greatly damaged the power and status of her second branch in the Rongguo Mansion!

Not to mention, she had originally intended for a perfect match, but Aunt Xue seemed to have other ideas and was not very cooperative.

Is my precious jade not as good as Jia Jing, that illegitimate son?

This is absolutely outrageous!

Madam Wang began by saying:

"I've heard Baoyu's uncle mention the Marquis of Linchuan. He's a true second-class military marquis, one rank higher than Jingge'er's third-class marquis!"

"He was a fierce warrior on the battlefield back then, and now he serves as the deputy military governor of Ba Shang Camp, holding a high position and great power, and is deeply trusted by the palace."

"He's been beaten to death by Jing-ge'er; this is probably no small matter..."

Aunt Xue frowned and said:

"Could it be that Jing-ge'er really has to pay with his life? Didn't Jing-ge'er anger the Duke of Zhao to the point of vomiting blood a few days ago, and he got away with it?"

Grandmother Jia sighed and explained to Aunt Xue:

"This is different! Last time, although Jing-ge'er angered the Duke of Zhao to the point of vomiting blood, it was just a verbal dispute. It's common for you to curse me and I to curse you back in court."

"But killing Marquis Linchuan is a different story! Even the emperor himself would have to think twice before punishing a high-ranking military officer like Marquis Wu!"

"They not only command troops, but also have imperial edicts granting them immunity from death; how can we just kill them like that!"

"You know, since the current emperor ascended the throne, there has never been a case of a marquis being ordered to commit suicide! Now that Jing-ge'er has killed the Marquis of Linchuan, this matter has probably caused a huge uproar..."

Upon hearing Grandmother Jia's words, everyone in the hall's expression darkened.

Only Lady Wang and Jia Zhen remained expressionless, their eyes even showing a hint of joy.

Meanwhile, in a side room, all the young ladies of the Jia family wore worried expressions. Baochai's fair face grew even paler, filled with sorrow and worry, as she murmured:

"How could someone commit murder?! And what about a marquis?! What are we going to do?!"

Although Baochai was somewhat knowledgeable about officialdom and economics, she also knew that Jia Jing's trip to the military camp to reorganize the troops would inevitably be a case of a new official making a big splash.

But killing a powerful marquis was still somewhat unexpected for her.

This is likely to turn out badly!

I wonder how my third brother is doing now! Could he really be going to pay with his life?

Tan Chun's almond-shaped eyes also carried a hint of solemnity, and her beautiful face showed a trace of worry, clearly indicating that she was also concerned about Jia Jing's situation.

Yingchun and Xiaojiao'er had tears in their eyes and were on the verge of crying!

Daiyu's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, sensing that things were not so simple.

As the daughter of a top-ranking scholar in the imperial court, she actually knew more about court affairs than others, but she didn't usually show it!

Just like in the episode where Yuan-chun visits her family, when Yuan-chun tests everyone's poetic talent, Dai-yu's line "In a prosperous age, there is no hunger or cold, so why bother with farming and weaving?" reveals her political acumen.

While others were writing about scenery and emotions, she praised the prosperous era from a national perspective, which aligned with the theme that Yuan Chun wanted. Yuan Chun greatly appreciated her work and named her the best among all the poems.

What's even more remarkable is that she wrote this poem on behalf of Jia Baoyu.

Having talent yet knowing how to conceal it—that is Daiyu's talent and character.