Dream of the Red Chamber: Madam, please have some self-respect!

Seeing that the commotion had subsided, Wang Xifeng turned to Jia Yun, her tone softening slightly: "Yun-ge'er, I'm sorry you had to go through all this. Go back and get ready, and I'll send someone to apply some medicine for you."

She then said to Zhou Rui's wife, "Go to the accounting office and get two taels of silver to treat Yun-ge'er's shock and injuries."

Normally, Jia Yun would have been grateful and let it go.

But today, as if struck by a tremendous shock, he suddenly knelt before Wang Xifeng, kowtowing and weeping, "I am deeply grateful for your kindness, Second Madam! But I cannot swallow this humiliation! Jia Qiang not only framed me, but he also nearly brought disaster upon Second Madam!"

"Today he can falsely accuse me of assaulting the young master, and tomorrow he can frame someone else! This trend won't last. How will the brothers in the household face each other in the future? Nephew...nephew will go and see the clan head and the old lady right now! Even if I'm expelled from the family, I, Jia Yun, will seek justice!"

After he finished speaking, he didn't wait for Wang Xifeng's response. He suddenly stood up, his face covered in blood, and staggered but with unusual determination, he rushed towards the main courtyard of Rongguo Mansion!

"Yun-ge'er! No!"

"Stop him!"

"Are you kidding me?!"

Everyone was shocked and tried to step forward to stop them.

But Jia Yun was acting like a madman at the moment, and his face was covered in blood, so no one dared to really exert all their strength to stop him.

Moreover, he kept insisting on seeing the clan leader and the old lady to seek justice, which gave everyone a reason to let go, and for a moment he broke through the crowd.

"You go with him first and see how far this monkey goes. Don't let him really frighten the old lady. Also, immediately send someone who knows proper manners to invite Master Zhen over to talk—tell him that I have an important matter here that concerns the reputation of both our families, and that we must ask him to come over immediately."

Zhou Rui's wife hurriedly agreed and turned to leave. Feng Jie, as if suddenly remembering something, called her back and added, "Go ahead. Just... tell them to watch their mouths."

She knew this matter wouldn't be easily resolved.

Jia Yun's outburst, seemingly impulsive, was in fact a desperate counterattack. And the waters of this mansion were about to be stirred even more muddied by this young man's passionate fervor.

Mengpo Studio in Rongguo Mansion, Jia Zheng's study.

Jia Zheng was frowning and sighing as he looked at a copy of the Beijing Daily.

In recent years, the court has been turbulent, with the struggle between the eunuch faction and the Donglin faction intensifying. Although he has managed to maintain his position between the two factions by virtue of his ancestral privilege, he is also feeling exhausted.

Although he held the prestigious title of Assistant Minister of Works, he had no real power and could not afford to offend either side.

What bothered him even more were his family matters.

The eldest son, Jia Zhu, was diligent and ambitious, and was the greatest hope of the Ning and Rong families, but he died young; the second son, Bao Yu, was intelligent and clever, but he disliked economics and literature, and spent his days in the inner chambers, showing no interest in officialdom; as for the third son, Jia Huan... let's not mention him.

Looking at the younger generation of the clan, Jia Zhen, Jia Lian, and Jia Cong only knew how to enjoy themselves, while Jia Rong, Jia Qiang, and others were even more dissolute and unworthy of mention.

This enormous Jia family mansion seems to have no successor, how could he not be extremely worried?

Just as he was feeling deeply troubled, a growing commotion came from outside the window—and upon closer listening, he could faintly hear cries and grievances.

Jia Zheng, who always preferred peace and quiet, loathed such noise. A surge of anger welled up inside him, and with a furrowed brow, he slammed his hand on the table, rose, and stormed out, shouting, "Who's making such a racket outside? What kind of behavior is this?!"

As soon as he stepped out of the study courtyard, he saw a group of servants and maids gathered in front of him.

One of the boys, his face covered in blood, struggled to rush into the inner courtyard, screaming, "I refuse to accept this! I want to see the old lady! I want to see the clan head! I want to ask if there is any justice left in this Jia family!"

Who else could this monkey be but Jia Yun?

Upon seeing this, Jia Zheng was first startled, and then barely managed to recognize the person who had come.

Although he knew that Jia Yun's family was poor, he was still a proper great-grandson. How could he have ended up in such a miserable state?

His hair and beard immediately bristled, and he shouted sternly, "They've all rebelled! Hold them down!"

When the servants who followed Jia Zheng saw that their master was angry, they rushed forward and grabbed Jia Yun, who was in a frenzy.

But the commotion had already alerted the inner quarters. Lady Wang was being helped by her maids, and Grandmother Jia was being surrounded by Yuanyang and others. Lady Xing, along with Wang Xifeng, Li Wan, Tan Chun, Bao Yu, and a group of others, rushed over upon hearing the news.

In an instant, the courtyard in front of Mengpo Studio was filled with a dark mass of masters and servants.

When Grandmother Jia saw Jia Yun's face covered in blood, she was so shocked that she leaned back: "What happened? How did the perfectly healthy child end up like this? Quickly, get my hemostatic powder! And wring out a hot towel to wipe his face! Poor thing, his face is injured like this... Whatever you want to say, wait until he catches his breath!"

Although the old lady looked down on the children of the other six households and was too lazy to even remember their names, she still had to make a statement since so many people were watching.

Wang Xifeng then hurriedly stepped forward and briefly recounted how the Imperial Guards came to arrest people, how Jia Qiang and Jia Qin framed them, and how the conflict escalated into a physical altercation.

Jia Yun was pinned to the ground by a group of people, but he still stubbornly refused to accept it.

Amidst tears and blood, his voice was hoarse yet clear as he cried out, "Grandmother! Master Zheng! Your grandson is innocent! I know my family is poor and my voice carries little weight. I am indeed not as wealthy and respectable as Second Master Qiang and Brother Qin! Yesterday, Brother Xue hosted a banquet. I saw that the dishes on the table were plentiful and many had not been touched. I thought of my mother working hard day and night and rarely seeing any oil or food. So I shamelessly packed some up and brought it home, hoping to show my filial piety."

"Yes, this behavior is stingy and disgraceful. It has displeased Brother Xue and has also drawn ridicule from Second Master Qiang and Brother Qin! I admit it! But no matter how poor I am, I know propriety, righteousness, and shame, and I know loyalty to the emperor and love for my country. I would never dare to do something like assaulting the son of a high-ranking official and bringing disaster upon my family!"

He spoke with tears streaming down his face, each word dripping with blood, and his blood-stained, pitiful appearance moved some of the soft-hearted maids and servants to secretly wipe away their tears.

Jia Yun's strategic retreat, placing himself in a position of humility and filial piety yet being bullied, instantly garnered him a great deal of sympathy.

Grandmother Jia frowned deeply, and even Madam Xing, who had always disliked Jia Yun, showed signs of pity. However, Madam Wang's eyes remained icy cold, while the prayer beads in her hand spun even faster.

Jia Zheng's anger softened somewhat, and his gaze toward Jia Qiang and Jia Qin gradually became ferocious.

Jia Yun continued, "But Second Master Qiang, Brother Qin, they... they are my blood brothers! Today, they colluded with outsiders, falsely accusing me of being a murderer! Those Imperial Guard officers, without even asking what happened, slapped my grandson across the face, leaving him bleeding from the head! They even shoved my elderly mother!"

"Lord Zheng! It's a small matter that my grandson was beaten to death, but what will His Highness think if he hears of their baseless accusations? Will he think that our Rongguo Mansion is dissatisfied with His Highness and ordered our clan members to commit murder? Or will he think that our Jia family has failed in its discipline, and that our members are all liars and framing others?!"

Jia Yun suddenly looked up, her eyes, hidden beneath the bloodstains, were frighteningly bright.

He glanced at the pale-faced Jia Qiang and Jia Qin, and finally looked at Jia Zheng: "The court is now fraught with danger; a single careless word can lead to utter destruction! Today they can frame me for assaulting the young master over a trivial quarrel; if there are further disputes in the future, can they also frame other brothers for treason or collusion with bandits?!"

"Such behavior not only harms brothers, but also puts the lives and futures of the entire clan on the brink of disaster! I will risk my life today to seek justice! Otherwise, who will dare to study in peace in the future? Who will dare to rely on the family for protection? Is poverty a cardinal sin, deserving to be trampled on to death by one's own family?!"

This speech was eloquent, reasonable, and well-founded. It not only expressed the speaker's grievances but also elevated the matter to the level of family survival and political risk!

In particular, the line "What will His Majesty think when this reaches his ears?" struck Jia Zheng's heart like a heavy hammer!

Originally, their noble family was a neutral faction. If this matter were to be classified, Wei Zhongxian might take it as a pledge of allegiance from the Jia family to the Donglin Party!

How will we handle this then?!