Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

The brocade curtain was lifted, and Chao Dou'er led Old Lady You and the other two into the house.

Seeing this, Madam You didn't even look up, continuing to sip her fragrant tea.

Upon seeing the table laden with exquisite food, Old Lady You immediately sat down to enjoy it.

The second and third sisters greeted their eldest sister first, and only after receiving her permission did they sit down to eat.

"Eat up~"

For a moment, no one spoke in the room, only the sound of swallowing food.

After a satisfying meal, Old Madam You wiped her mouth, but instead of accepting the purse containing silver offered by Yin Die, she looked at Madam You and said with a smile:

"Eldest sister, look how old I am, and my second and third sisters still have nowhere to go. As their elder sister, won't you lend a hand?"

Upon hearing this, Madam You frowned, put down her teacup, and asked, "Give me a hand? How do you want me to help?"

Then he looked at Sister You: "You're engaged to the Zhang family, the owners of the Imperial Grain Estate, but why haven't you settled down yet?"

Sister You looked troubled and was about to answer when she was interrupted by Old Lady You.

"Eldest sister, you are now the lady of the household, dealing with officials and nobles, traveling in carriages and with servants by your side. With your status, how can the son of a mere manor squire be worthy of second sister?"

Madam You was amused and retorted, "What, you want me to find the legitimate sons of two wealthy and noble families and tell my two younger sisters?"

Old Lady You wasn't annoyed. She slowly said, "Hey, I wouldn't dare dream of being the wife of a wealthy family, but I'd be qualified to be a concubine."

"I think the young men in the manor are quite good."

"The young master of the manor? Rong'er?"

Upon hearing this, Madam You flew into a rage and shouted, "Regardless of blood relations, my second and third sisters are Rong'er's aunts by blood. How dare you suggest that they serve Rong'er as a concubine?"

"He's really getting senile."

Silver Butterfly, standing to the side, also looked at the mother and her two daughters in the hall with disdain.

Old Lady You shook her head and said with a smile, "It's not Rong'er, it's your brother-in-law."

"Bang!"

Startled, Madam You dropped her teacup on the ground, letting the fragrant tea spill out.

Silver Butterfly and Fried Bean, standing to the side, were so astonished that their mouths gaped open.

"How dare you think that? How dare you speak of it?"

When Madam You came to her senses, she said sarcastically, "Even when you make a wish at a temple, you're not allowed to talk so big."

"Leaving aside the noble ladies and noblewomen outside, which of the hundreds of beautiful maids in the manor wouldn't dream of following him?"

"Even the maids are pretty and delicate, pampered and spoiled; what about the concubines?"

Madam You was feeling a bit tired. She waved her hand to stop Old Madam You, who was about to argue, and said to Yindie, "I'm tired. Go and see her off."

Having said that, he went into the inner room by himself.

Yindie quickly lifted the brocade curtain and gestured to the outside: "Madam, please."

Seeing this, Old Lady You snorted coldly, "You ill-mannered brat."

Silver Butterfly ignored them and walked ahead, hurrying outwards to lead the way.

As they approached the front hall, they saw Jia Zhen swaying as he was helped along by his concubines on a side path.

"Greetings, sir."

"Um."

Jia Zhen responded and casually asked Old Madam You, "Has the old lady eaten yet?"

"Yes, sir, we've eaten."

Jia Zhen waved his hand, about to leave, when he met a pair of bright eyes.

His heart skipped a beat, and he stopped in his tracks to examine the situation carefully before asking, "What is this?"

Old Lady You hurriedly said, "This is the second daughter of the family, and this is the third daughter. They've come here today to meet the eldest daughter."

"Click-clack".

Just as Jia Zhen was about to ask another question, he was startled by the guards on duty who had been drawn by the sound. Even the smell of alcohol dissipated, and he could only keep the woman in mind.

He left with a single sentence and hurriedly departed with his concubine, leaving the three members of the You family staring at each other in bewilderment.

"Come often in the future."

...

Daiyu's Courtyard in the Western Mansion

Jia Tang and Lin Daiyu had just finished their meal, served by a pretty maid. After rinsing their mouths, they sipped their fragrant tea and began to chat.

There was nothing she could do; Lin Daiyu insisted on not speaking while eating or sleeping, and Jia Tang was silenced by her food every time he tried to speak.

After chatting for a while, Zijuan changed the subject and asked, "Master, have you heard? Miss Bao has fallen behind in the palace selection process and hasn't left the house for two days."

Amber, being in Grandmother Jia's courtyard every day, knows even more.

"Miss Bao entered the palace at dawn on the fifteenth day of the month and came out at noon. She didn't even pass the preliminary selection."

"I heard from the old lady that the second mistress even sent a message to the eldest daughter in the palace, but unfortunately it didn't help."

Jia Tang's eyebrows twitched. He wasn't too concerned about Xue Baochai's failure to be selected, but the young lady mentioned by Amber caught his attention.

Oh right, I forgot about Yuan Chun.

This concubine, who would later be granted a posthumous title, marked the beginning of the Jia family's purge.

The extravagantly luxurious Grand View Garden and the opulent Rongguo Mansion were both fleeting moments of glory.

Since Sanchun has just started cultivating, she can cultivate along with him.

After the Wang family is dealt with in the future, she will be kept in the mansion and not allowed to marry out. She will then find a son-in-law to have children who will take the surname Jia, thus ending the Wang family line.

"As a result, Xue's son has been drinking heavily for days, and today he even got into a fight with someone."

"Yes, yes, as soon as Aunt Xue heard the news, she hurriedly invited Second Madam and Second Mistress Lian to discuss it."

The pretty girls took turns telling the whole story.

Lin Daiyu remained silent, simply smiling as she stared at Jia Tang.

Jia Tang coughed lightly, puzzled, and asked, "What have I done now that my sister is watching me like this?"

"My sister is wondering, if Second Brother Ruolian suffers a setback and Sister Bao comes to you for help again, should you help her or not?"

Jia Tang was taken aback, then waved his hand and said, "No, the Rongguo Mansion's reputation still holds true."

Then Lin Daiyu said, "After leaving Pear Fragrance Courtyard, Feng'er came to my sister's place. She said that her cousin Xue beat up the son of a fourth-rank civil official."

"Civil officials are deeply entrenched, and given that they are from the Wang and Xue families, I suspect that Second Brother Lian's trip will likely end in failure."

"So, brother, will you help or not?"

Jia Tang smiled as he looked at Lin Daiyu's leisurely manner.

His smile caused the maids around him to laugh along with him.

"What a shameless person."

Seeing this, Lin Daiyu felt a little embarrassed and annoyed, and reached out to pinch him.

Jia Tang grabbed her fair, delicate hand, tightened his grip on her slender fingers, and casually said, "Listen to your sister. If you say you'll help, then you'll help; if you don't, then you won't. You decide everything."

"Ha, who could possibly make decisions for the Earl? I'm sure this humble woman is too weak to do so."

Jia Tang had a bit of a headache. He had only mentioned it once in jest, but the girl had already remembered it.

Now that we're holding hands, and she's still so stubborn, I wonder if she'll be soft to bite in the future.

Just then, the cries of mandarin ducks rang out from outside the courtyard.

"Young lady, Master Yu, the Ancestor invites you."

Jia Tang and Lin Daiyu exchanged a glance, then pretended to take each other's hands and get up.

Lin Daiyu's pretty face flushed red, and she glared at him with her bright, clear eyes. She broke free from his restraints and ran out the door first, with the maids beside her quickly following.

"Hey, girl, slow down."