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

Amidst the laughter and joy, and with everyone having a very positive impression of Jia Yun,

The brocade curtain of the warm chamber was quietly lifted, and a middle-aged scholar with a thin face and three wisps of fine beard suddenly walked in from outside: "Brother Yun, since you recognize them, do you also recognize... me?"

In an instant, the laughter and chatter in the hall fell silent. All eyes turned to the middle-aged scholar and Jia Yun.

Feng Tang's lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to offer a hint, but in the end he remained silent with a smile, determined to see how Jia Yun would resolve this situation.

Jia Yun's heart sank. This man was obviously not in the warm pavilion just now, so he naturally didn't hear anything.

Jia Yun looked up and carefully examined the other person. He saw that the person was wearing a slightly worn indigo robe, and his refined temperament exuded a dignified and upright air of scholarly refinement.

The other person's gaze was calm and serene as they stared at him.

Jia Yun dared not make any wild guesses, and could only bow again with a embarrassed and apologetic expression, saying, "Please forgive me, sir. I am ignorant and have never had the honor of meeting you before. I do not know your name, Xianxiang. I humbly request your guidance."

"Hahaha!" Seeing that he had been so eloquent and fluent just moments before, but now looked embarrassed and forced to remain calm, everyone burst into laughter again.

Vice Minister Wang teased, "You little rascal, you've finally given yourself away, haven't you? This is your rightful relative, and you don't even recognize him?"

Prefect Chen stroked his beard and chuckled, "It seems we 'bright moons' aren't as bright as the 'lamp' of someone else's own relative!"

Jia Yun was even more astonished upon hearing this. His own relative?

He racked his brains, going through all the prominent figures in his maternal clan and the Jia family, but he couldn't find a single scholar with such a refined and magnanimous character.

Seeing Jia Yun's embarrassment, the middle-aged scholar's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible smile before he slowly spoke, "My surname is Li, and my given name is Shouzhong. I am currently the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy."

Li Shouzhong!

In a flash, Jia Yun's mind cleared up!

So it was him! Li Wan's father, Jia Zhu's wife! In terms of seniority, I should indeed call him "Grandpa" or "Uncle"!

Because he was an upright official with a proper character, and because he had lost touch with noble families like the Jia family, he had never met him since his transmigration and could not recall him for a moment.

Jia Yun quickly straightened his robes and bowed deeply to the ground: "So it's Chief Minister Li! This junior, Jia Yun, has no respect for your esteemed status; I have been utterly impolite!"

Li Shouzhong didn't seem to care. He simply raised his hand slightly and said, "Ignorance is no excuse. Although you and Wan'er are from the same clan, you're distant relatives now, so it's normal that you don't recognize me. However, I just heard General Feng say that your essays are quite good and that you aspire to take the imperial examinations. May I ask who your teacher is now?"

Jia Yun's heart skipped a beat; it seemed as if an extremely important opportunity was right in front of him!

Li Shouzhong! Chancellor of the Imperial Academy! One of the highest nominal teachers of scholars in the land, his scholarship and status were of paramount importance among the civil officials!

If one could gain his favor and guidance, even just a little, it would be like finding a lamp in the dark for one's path to the imperial examinations!

He forced down his excitement and remained respectful, answering truthfully: "In reply to your question, Uncle, I am ashamed to say that I am currently only studying at home on my own, occasionally consulting with the clan school teacher, and have not formally become an apprentice."

"Oh?" A hint of surprise flashed in Li Shouzhong's eyes. It was all the more remarkable that someone could be praised by Feng Tang for being self-taught.

He pondered for a moment, looking at the young man before him, who was neither humble nor arrogant, and whose eyes were clear and upright. Combined with what he had just seen about the young man's martial arts foundation and his quick thinking, his admiration for the talent grew even stronger.

Li Shouzhong slowly said, "Since you are determined to pursue this path, and your foundation is decent, it's easy to go astray in the imperial examinations without guidance, as you'll inevitably achieve less with more effort. If you can pass the preliminary examination on your own merit, I will take you under my wing and guide you in your studies. What do you say?"

The warm pavilion fell silent instantly! Feng Tang, Wu Xiang, and the others all looked surprised!

Li Shouzhong is renowned for his integrity and rarely accepts disciples. Yet here he is, offering such a prestigious offer to a young man from a collateral branch of the Jia family! This is an incredible opportunity!

Jia Yun felt a surge of heat rush to his head, and the overwhelming joy made him sway slightly.

Without any hesitation, he knelt down with a thud and kowtowed three times, saying, "Student Jia Yun thanks you for your kindness, Teacher! I will do my utmost and dare not fail you today!"

Li Shouzhong was taken aback by his sudden and grand gesture, then chuckled and shook his head: "Get up! What kind of decorum is this? I just said it was after you passed the imperial examination. I'm not your teacher yet, so this is too early."

Jia Yun did not get up, but when he raised his head, his eyes were burning.

"It's too early! Teacher, you've already shown me immense kindness by giving me this opportunity! This is my advance gratitude to you, and also a pledge I've made to myself! I'm determined to obtain this scholar's degree! Consider these three pieces of paper my advance 'deposit,' please accept them with a smile, and I will certainly repay you with interest and present you with the 'certificate' of my first degree as soon as possible!"

His words were delivered with a rather roguish air, but also carried a sense of desperate determination.

"Pfft..." Someone couldn't help but burst out laughing first.

Immediately afterwards, the entire warm pavilion erupted in laughter more joyful than ever before.

"Hahaha! What a great deal, with interest on top of the principal!"

"A prepayment? Jia Yun, you rascal...you're incredibly lazy! Yet, you're somehow impossible to dislike!"

"Master Li, your future student is quite a character! He hasn't even entered the sect yet, and he's already latched onto you!"

Feng Tang laughed so hard he almost fell over, pointing at Jia Yun and saying to Li Shouzhong, "Brother Shouzhong, what do you think? I told you this kid was interesting! He's already taken the deposit; you're probably not going to be able to escape being his teacher now!"

Li Shouzhong looked at the kneeling boy. Listening to the laughter of his old friends around him, a genuine smile finally broke through his usually calm face.

He waved his hand helplessly: "Alright, alright, get up! What kind of behavior is this! This 'deposit'... I'll accept it for now. I hope you won't disappoint me."

"Thank you, Teacher!" Jia Yun stood up, beaming with joy. But what he was really thinking was, "What incredible luck I've had today?"

The turmoil and adventures in Qinfang Garden were quietly reported back to the deep mansion of Rongguo Mansion within half a day.

However, after going through several rounds of word-of-mouth, this rumor inevitably got embellished with all sorts of details.

Especially when it reached the ears of those who had always been at odds with the people in the west corridor, or those women who were used to gossiping among the ladies, it took on a completely different meaning.

At this moment, Grandmother Jia was reclining on the couch, with Yuanyang massaging her legs, listening to the little maid tell interesting stories from outside.

Then, a woman who was also a manager in the household, hurriedly entered.

With a hint of schadenfreude on her face, she greeted the old lady and then said, "Grandmother, it's incredible! That Yun-ge in the west wing really made a splash outside today!"

Grandmother Jia slightly raised her eyelids and said indifferently, "Oh? What's the big deal? Tell me slowly."

The woman then vividly recounted the news she had heard, embellishing it: "They say he went to that Qinfang Garden gathering and got into a fight. He lost the hand-to-hand combat first, and then, feeling embarrassed, insisted on using some kind of weapon! Being young and reckless, he almost hurt someone! Later, he went even further, daring to discuss state affairs, saying that war was about to break out in Liaodong, and that it would start in the first month of the lunar calendar! Isn't that utter nonsense and a laughingstock? All the young masters in the room mocked him, and it even affected the reputation of our household… alas!"

She paused for a moment, stealing a glance at Grandmother Jia's expression. Seeing that the other woman remained unmoved, she added, "In the end, I don't know how, he shamelessly kowtowed several times to Li, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, insisting that he be accepted as a student. The way he acted was truly...shameless, making everyone feel uncomfortable just watching him!"

She had expected Grandmother Jia to be furious, after all, the Jia family valued its reputation above all else. How could a member of a collateral branch be so "reckless"?

To everyone's surprise, after hearing this, Grandmother Jia showed no anger on her face, but silently and slowly moved the prayer beads on her wrist.

The warm room fell silent for a moment, with only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire breaking out. The woman felt uneasy, and the smile on her face froze.

After a long silence, Grandmother Jia finally spoke, her gaze piercing the woman like lightning: "Have you finished speaking?"

The woman's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly said, "Grand...Grand Ancestor..."

"I think you've lost your mind!" Grandmother Jia slammed her hand on the low table beside her, her voice suddenly turning stern. "Your own child has become capable, made a name for himself, befriended influential people, and gained the favor of famous teachers. Isn't that a great thing? But in your mouth, it's become shameful and disgraceful."

"Let me ask you this: the Imperial Academy's Chancellor Li is the teacher of all scholars in the land, a man of unparalleled prestige! His willingness to grant permission to take on a student is a stroke of good fortune for Yun-ge'er, and a source of pride for our Jia family! How come you've described it as shameless drooling? What are you really up to?"