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

Ping'er's message has been delivered.

So Jia Yun stayed home to study, and when he estimated that an hour was almost up, he tidied his clothes and headed to Feng Jie's courtyard. He figured that the Second Mistress had called him now most likely to discuss the matter of him going to the inner study to teach the sisters to read and write the next day.

As soon as Jia Yun entered the courtyard, he sensed something was amiss.

Normally, though not noisy, there are always a few maids or old women coming and going. But at this moment, Lian Er Nai Nai's courtyard was deserted. Just as she was wondering about this, a maidservant came running hurriedly through the side gate.

Jia Yun quickly called out to her, "What's wrong? Why are you so flustered?"

The maidservant said urgently, "Second Master Yun, don't you know? Young Master Rong was out drinking when he got into a fight over a courtesan. Not only did he get beaten up, but when he got back, Master Zhen found out and is now disciplining him! Everyone's run to the front to watch the spectacle!"

After saying that, the little maid ran off without waiting for Jia Yun to ask any more questions.

Jia Yun was taken aback; this wasn't the first time Jia Rong had acted so recklessly. He instinctively asked, "What about Second Mistress?"

The maid's voice drifted from afar: "Second Mistress is inside..."

Jia Yun felt puzzled, but didn't think much of it. Since he was here, he should at least give a reply.

So Jia Yun lifted the cotton curtain of the main room and went in. A warm, humid steam mixed with a faint sweet fragrance wafted towards him, causing him to pause slightly.

The moisture seems thicker than usual.

"Second Madam? Sister Feng'er?" Jia Yun called out tentatively twice, but there was no response.

There seemed to be a faint sound of water coming from the inner room? Jia Yun hesitated for a moment, but still walked towards the inner room. But the closer she got to the bedroom, the stronger the moisture mixed with the warm fragrance unique to the woman became.

Jia Yun gently lifted the soft curtain of the inner room and went in. He was stunned on the spot as if struck by lightning. It seemed that all the blood in his body rushed to his head!

The room was dimly lit by candlelight, and a large cypress bathtub sat in the center of the room, filling it with steam. His aunt, Wang Xifeng, the Second Mistress of Lian, was leaning against the edge of the tub with her eyes closed, seemingly asleep!

Her two phoenix eyes, like pools of spring water, were tightly closed at the moment, with fine water droplets still clinging to her long eyelashes.

Her hair was disheveled, with a few damp strands of dark hair clinging to her smooth forehead and snow-white neck, adding to her languid and alluring charm. Most of her body was submerged in the water, but her water-red bodice was soaked through and clung tightly to her body, barely concealing the exquisite figure beneath.

Her full, rounded breasts were partially visible in the ripples of the water, creating a breathtakingly stunning effect.

Jia Yun felt a sudden "boom" in his head, followed by a rush of heat to his nostrils. He instinctively reached up to cover his nose, only to find his fingertips stained with bright red blood!

He even got a nosebleed from watching it!

His mind went blank; he wanted to see it, yet felt it was blasphemous, but his feet were rooted to the spot, unable to move.

Just then, the phoenix eyes that had been half-closed in front of Jia Yun suddenly opened! At first, Feng Jie's eyes were still sleepy, but when she saw Jia Yun standing in front of her with a dumbfounded look, her eyes widened instantly.

Wang Xifeng's mind went blank for a moment. Her first thought was, "How dare this Yun-ge'er be so audacious? He dares to trespass into my bathhouse in broad daylight! What does he take me for? Some woman who can be so easily taken advantage of?!"

Her red lips moved slightly, and it seemed the word "Someone come here" was about to escape her lips—

"Grandma! Grandma, something terrible has happened!" Feng'er's urgent shouts and footsteps suddenly came from outside the door, and she was already almost in the main room!

Wang Xifeng swallowed back the scolding that was on the tip of her tongue, feeling both ashamed and anxious.

But given the current situation, no amount of explanation can clear their names. If someone were to see a glamorous aunt and a vigorous nephew, naked together in the bathroom... no one would believe they were innocent!

An unprecedented wave of embarrassment and heat surged up her cheeks, instantly turning their previously rosy hue from the bath into a breathtaking blush! Seeing Jia Yun still standing there like a wooden post, she snapped angrily, "Why don't you hide somewhere?!"

Jia Yun suddenly came to his senses and looked around in a panic.

But despite the abundance of furnishings in the room, where was there a safe place to hide? The wardrobe? Under the bed? Neither could conceal him!

Hearing the footsteps outside the door growing closer, Wang Xifeng steeled her heart, disregarding everything else. Biting her lip, her jade-like hand, still wet with water droplets, pointed sharply to her bathtub, her voice trembling: "Come in! Quickly!"

Jia Yun's eyes widened. Go in?

This... isn't this a scene from A Chinese Ghost Story? He shook his head frantically. If he went in and someone found out, it would all be over! How could a man and a woman, naked and alone in a bathtub, possibly be innocent?

"If you don't come in, we'll both die!" Wang Xifeng was both anxious and angry, just as the curtain was about to be lifted.

Jia Yun steeled his resolve, gritted his teeth, and tiptoed into the bathtub, sinking into the warm water.

Almost at the same moment he sank into the water, Feng'er lifted the curtain and walked in.

The underwater light was dim, and although Jia Yun held his breath, time seemed to pass extremely slowly, and his chest felt so suffocated that it felt like it was about to explode.

He subconsciously tried to move around to find a gap for air, but his hands and feet moved unconsciously in the limited space.

His elbow accidentally brushed against an extremely soft and slippery spot, and the sensation made him freeze. He immediately realized that he had touched a place he shouldn't have, and dared not move an inch.

Feng'er immediately noticed that Wang Xifeng's face was unusually flushed and her breathing was somewhat rapid. She couldn't help but ask with concern, "Grandma, what's wrong? Your face is so red. Are you feeling unwell?"

As she spoke, she glanced subconsciously at the bathtub, where ripples still seemed to be forming on the water's surface.

Wang Xifeng tried to remain calm, but the blush on her cheeks deepened. The unexpected touch underwater had sent a shiver down her spine, a strange, tingling sensation shooting through her.

She gently bit her soft, pitiful cherry lips with her delicate, pearly teeth, trying to keep her voice steady: "N-what nonsense are you talking about! I'm perfectly fine! The water's just a little too hot!"

Heaven knows, at that moment she was inwardly blushing and furious, cursing, "That damned little brat! Was he doing it on purpose? Underwater... why... why was he touching everything like that!"

The unfamiliar yet intense sensation, mixed with the scent of a young man, flowed through the water, causing a tingling, burning sensation in her heart, like ants crawling in the cracks of her bones—a tingling, itchy feeling, yet she had to force herself to suppress it.

Feng'er was still doubtful: "Are you really alright? I see you..."

"Speak!" Wang Xifeng's voice still trembled with a hint of pain, as if she had been accidentally touched somewhere underwater.

Feng'er then remembered the important matter and hurriedly said, "It's Second Master Rong! He was out drinking and got into a fight over a woman. He got beaten up by the other party and his men, and his face is all bruised and swollen! When he came back, Master Zhen saw him and is disciplining him in the ancestral hall!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng's anger, already fueled by Jia Rong's absurdity and her current predicament, burned even more fiercely!

She was speaking out for Qin Keqing! He doesn't touch the women at home, but instead goes out and messes around with some shady characters!

Enraged, Sister Feng no longer cared that someone was hiding in the water. She snapped at Feng'er, "I know! You go out now! I'll come out after I change my clothes!"

Feng'er felt that her grandmother was acting strangely today: "How about I help you change your clothes?"

"No need! Get out!" Wang Xifeng said decisively.

Helpless, Feng'er saw her anger and dared not ask any further questions, so she could only retreat.

As soon as the curtain fell, Jia Yun could no longer hold his breath and popped his head out of the water with a "splash," gasping for air.

The two were extremely close, almost nose to nose, and could feel each other's hot breath.

Wang Xifeng looked at him coldly, her phoenix eyes, now clear again, filled with complex emotions: shame, anger, and a hint of indescribable excitement.

She asked in a low voice, "You've finished watching? Was it good?"

In a moment of impulsiveness, Jia Yun blurted out, "Beautiful..."

Wang Xifeng's chest heaved violently with rage, the bulging outline of her breasts trembling in the ripples of the water. She gritted her teeth and said, "You...you scoundrel! Is this how you treat your aunt? Disgusting!"

Jia Yun finally came to his senses and hurriedly explained, "Second Madam, please forgive me! You sent me here an hour ago!"

Wang Xifeng was taken aback and quickly asked, "What time is it now?"

Jia Yun wiped the water from her face: "It's Shenshi (3-5 PM)."

Wang Xifeng cursed inwardly, realizing that she had fallen asleep while taking a bath and missed the appointed time!

She tried to calm her turbulent emotions, her cheeks still burning as if painted with heavy rouge, even her earlobes were flushed red, and she commanded, "Turn around! I want to get up!"

Jia Yun quickly closed her eyes and turned around, listening to the "splashing" sound of water behind her.

The subtle sounds of a beautiful woman emerging from her bath, and the rustling of fabric against her exquisite figure, filled Jia Yun with an unbearable itch. The image of her snow-white, cleavage-filled, full, round buttocks that she had just seen lingered in her mind.

Wang Xifeng stepped onto the footstool with her bare jade feet, her disheveled black hair draped over her snow-white neck, and her plump, moist skin glowing with a pinkish sheen after a bath.

She watched Jia Yun's back as he turned away, remembering how he had seen her naked, and felt a surge of anger she couldn't vent. She deliberately raised a delicate, white foot and, with the sole still damp with water, lightly but firmly stepped on Jia Yun's cheek!

Jia Yun froze. The soft, smooth touch, though slightly cool, ignited his skin like a spark.

Wang Xifeng snorted coldly, quickly dried herself off, and wrapped herself in her clothes before saying in a low voice, "There's a set of old clothes that your Uncle Lian doesn't usually wear at the very bottom of the closet. Change into them and get out of here through the back gate! I'm not in the mood to talk to you today!"

She turned back, her eyebrows furrowed, and her tone suddenly turned stern: "And another thing, if you dare to utter a single word about what happened today, you'll be in big trouble! You'd better keep it buried in your heart and forget it completely! Do you hear me?!"

Jia Yun felt as if he had been granted a pardon and dared not look at him any longer.

Following the directions, he groped his way to his clothes, changed out of his wet robes, and hurriedly climbed out of the window, not caring whether they fit or not.

In his panic, Jia Yun only focused on walking quickly, but he never expected that as soon as he came out from behind Feng Jie's courtyard, he would be bumped into by Zhu Da Nai Nai Li Wan, who was about to deliver something in the corner!