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

Xue Pan, this foolish tyrant, was nothing more than showing off the Western wine he had recently acquired from the foreign merchants and boasting about his recent "feats".

The table was littered with cups and plates. Xue Pan slammed his fist on the table and made a loud noise. Jia Qiang, Jia Qin, and others fawned over him, their flattery filling the air, making the scene incredibly noisy.

However, Jia Yun was already preoccupied with his own thoughts, and he was neither good at nor willing to do this kind of thing, so he just kept his head down and forced himself to socialize, which made him seem out of place in this noisy place.

After a few drinks, Xue Pan became even more smug and changed the subject, bringing up old stories and boasting incoherently.

"No...no, I'm not bragging! Back in Jinling, that was the real fun! Look...I had my eye on a girl, and that poor bastard surnamed Feng dared to snatch her from me! A few punches and kicks, hey, we sent him to meet the King of Hell! Although there was a murder case, in the end, nothing happened! And that's how we ended up in the capital!"

Xue Pan spoke with great enthusiasm, as if it were some glorious achievement, which drew praise from everyone. Only then did Jia Yun turn and glance at him.

It's just a case of "a muddle-headed monk making a muddle-headed judgment." To say that someone was killed by a few punches and kicks is nonsense. It was clearly a case of lax management of subordinates—Feng Yuan was beaten to death by Xue's servants, and moreover, it happened three days later. There's something fishy going on here.

To use such a disgraceful act to glorify himself, Xue Pan's face is far too big.

However, the original story is vague about the fate of this arrogant and domineering person. Presumably, such an arrogant and domineering person should have ended up with the fate of "leaving behind a vast expanse of white, truly clean".

Upon hearing this, Jia Qiang immediately chimed in, giving a thumbs-up and flatteringly saying, "Brother Xue, you truly have great courage! That blind fool deserved to be beaten to death!"

Xue Pan got even more excited, squinting his lustful eyes and clicking his tongue, "Speaking of which... it's that girl we got later... tsk tsk, her looks are truly unparalleled! Back when she was in the kidnapper's hands, I knew she was a good one, and sure enough... hehehehe..."

He let out a lewd laugh that was hard to decipher, which prompted Jia Qiang, Jia Qin and others to join in the commotion, and the whole room was filled with an air of lewdness.

Only Jia Yun felt a churning in his stomach upon hearing these remarks that treated human life as worthless and women as playthings.

He managed a weak twitch at the corner of his mouth, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to agree with the others. He simply stared silently at the wine glass in front of him, his eyes dark and unfocused.

But his cold, silent demeanor, devoid of smiles, seemed particularly irritating to Xue Pan, who was in the midst of his smugness.

Xue Pan slammed his wine cup down on the table, glancing sideways at Jia Yun, his tone already showing seven or eight parts dissatisfaction.

"Yun-ge'er, what's wrong with you? Who are you trying to fool with that long face? Hmm? You weren't like this when you were fawning over me before! What, now that you can't get anything good out of me, you're giving me the cold shoulder?"

As Xue Pan spoke, he looked Jia Yun up and down with his drunken eyes.

He had long noticed that Jia Yun was pretty and dignified, more attractive than many women. Moreover, Jia Yun's quiet and reserved nature at this time gave her a unique charm.

Homosexuality was prevalent in the capital, and it was common for wealthy and powerful families to keep male servants in their studies.

Xue Pan's filthy thoughts began to stir, and his gaze became increasingly blatant, filled with a chilling scrutiny and greed.

Jia Yun keenly sensed the change in the gaze, and her heart tightened suddenly, as if countless cold insects were crawling across her back.

This guy, is he really going to sleep with me?

Jia Yun had no choice but to immediately lower his eyelids, concealing the disgust and wariness in his eyes, and picked up his wine cup, forcing a smile, "Brother Xue, what are you saying? I just... just that I have a low alcohol tolerance and am a little unable to hold my liquor. I had no other intentions."

Xue Pan snorted through his nose, but had not yet spoken again.

To smooth things over and to show off, Jia Qiang quickly chimed in, boasting about how well he got along with women.

Jia Qin, not to be outdone, recounted his romantic escapades, and amidst the laughter of the crowd, Xue Pan managed to temporarily conceal his earlier unpleasantness.

When the party was over and everyone had left, Xue Pan, already bleary-eyed from drunkenness, was helped away by a servant. Before leaving, his meaningful gaze lingered on Jia Yun once more.

Jia Qiang, Jia Qin, and others put their arms around each other's shoulders and clamored to go somewhere else to continue the party. Everyone was about to disperse in a flurry.

Jia Yun was the last to arrive. Looking at the table full of almost untouched dishes, she remembered that her mother at home probably hadn't eaten yet.

So he mustered his courage, beckoned to the waiter, and whispered, "Could you please wrap up these dishes for me?"

There's nothing shameful about packing things up.

Jia Qiang, who had already reached the door, had sharp ears. Hearing this, he turned around and sneered at Jia Qin, saying, "Look at our Second Master Yun, he's such a filial son! He doesn't forget to bring his family along even when he's at a banquet!"

Jia Qin joined in the laughter: "They really know how to manage a household, just like those from the West Corridor!" — Whether he had forgotten or was feigning ignorance, Jia Qin was also a member of the West Corridor family.

Xue Pan, who hadn't gone far, overheard this. Drunk, he turned back, gave Jia Yun a disdainful look, and shouted to his servant, "From now on, don't bring such poor, downtrodden people to my banquets! It's so disrespectful, it ruins my enjoyment!"

Having said that, Xue Pan swaggered off again, looking nonchalant.

Jia Yun's cheeks burned like a sunset as he was being teased by the crowd, but then he realized that he was penniless and had nothing to lose, so what did he have to worry about?

So-called face is something you earn yourself, not something given to you by others.

As he thought about it, Jia Yun's mood improved, but the name "Zui Xian Lou" reminded him of "Tian Xiang Lou".

"Qin Keqing's death in the Tianxiang Tower due to her licentious behavior" was originally a plot in Chapter 13 of "The Story of the Stone with Commentary by Zhiyan Zhai", but it was later deleted by Cao Xueqin at the suggestion of Zhiyan Zhai.

No one has ever seen the original manuscript, and there are many reasons for the various interpretations based on the name.

However, Jia Yun felt regretful about this. In his understanding, it was probably because Jia Zhen and Qin Keqing were having a rendezvous at Tianxiang Tower that they were discovered and he hanged himself.

After all, the judgment in the fifth chapter reads: "In a tall building, a beautiful woman hanged herself."

However, Qin Keqing had only been married for a few years, and was probably still deeply in love with Jia Rong, so she should not have been involved with Jia Zhen yet.

Just as Jia Yun finished packing and was about to leave, he heard whispers between a man and a woman coming from upstairs.

At first, he thought it was the sound of a man and woman making love in some room—Jia Yun was even teasing him, saying that the ancients weren't as conservative as he thought.

Unexpectedly, the more he ignored it, the more the sound seemed determined to penetrate his ears.

Jia Yun only heard a man's lewd and coercive voice and a woman's suppressed sobs and resistance.

"Little lady, hehe, don't be afraid, don't be afraid!" A slightly lewd voice came from the upstairs room, followed by a woman's suppressed sobs.

"Please, let me go."

"I must beg you, my lady, to spare me. Ever since I saw you outside the temple last time, I've been completely bewitched. These past few days, I haven't had a appetite, and life seems utterly meaningless. Please, my lady, save me!"

Jia Yun was completely bewildered upon hearing this. Could it really be a coincidence?

Did they just happen to witness Jia Zhen coercing Qin Keqing for the first time at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion? However, as Jia Yun continued to listen, his expression grew increasingly solemn.

"My darling, why are you avoiding me like this? Do you think I, Yang Shen, am some kind of man-eating tiger?"

Yang Shen?

Who is Yang Shen?

"I...I'm a widow...please..."

"What's wrong with being a widow? My dearest virtuous wife! If you're willing to submit to me, you'll be surrounded by silks and satins, adorned with gold and silver, enjoying endless wealth and carefree life. Why waste your youthful years by clinging to your short-lived husband?"

Immediately following, the woman again voiced her resistance, her voice trembling with tears.

This...sounds like a scoundrel named Yang Shen coercing a widow named Zhenniang?

Jia Yun immediately became more sober, so he quietly went upstairs and approached the room, then looked inside through the window.

In the dim, yellowish light, one could vaguely see a stunningly beautiful young woman hiding inside the house.

The young woman had her eyes tightly closed, and two lines of clear tears sadly hung on her delicate, pink face. If you looked further down...

That was truly breathtaking.

Round, full, and barely enough to fit in one's hand.

She was currently in tears, looking timid and shy as the gaunt man, who was clearly indulging in excessive sexual activity, approached her step by step.

"Young master, please have some self-respect! My master... my father and my master are heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country! How can you do this..."

"Hahaha! Them? What are they anyway!" Upon hearing this, the young man named Yang Shen immediately let out an increasingly smug and sinister laugh. "They're nothing but two defeated generals! If they hadn't died on the battlefield, they would have been punished and beheaded upon returning to the capital! Although my father's rank as the Eastern Judicial Officer isn't high, he has the Ninth Prince standing behind him!"

"Even if your father and husband were alive, how dare they lay a finger on me? Heh heh, young lady, I advise you to be sensible. Submit to me today, and we'll all be happy! If you don't... heh heh, you won't leave this restaurant unscathed!"

Jia Yun, who was listening outside, suddenly felt a surge of anger. Was this grandson even human?