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

The following day was the day the examination results were announced.

As dawn broke, the small courtyard under the west corridor was already cleaned up.

Early spring in April is not cold, but Jia Yun, wearing a slightly worn blue cloth robe, was calmly and steadily rearranging the pile of firewood in the corner of the courtyard. His movements were steady and showed no sign of panic.

Although Mr. Bu was holding a rag, he wiped the already shiny tabletop again and again.

But her gaze kept drifting towards the tightly closed courtyard gate, her heart pounding in her throat.

After Jia Yun finished stacking the last bundle of firewood, he patted the dust off his hands and then straightened up.

The boy's expression seemed normal, but his tightly pursed thin lips betrayed the tension he was suppressing.

Qingwen secretly watched Jia Yun from the side, not saying anything aloud, but silently handed him a bowl of warm tea.

Meanwhile, inside Rongxi Hall of Rongguo Mansion, a completely different scene unfolded.

Today, the place is filled with people. Grandmother Jia, dressed in a crimson satin skirt with a pattern of five blessings and longevity, sits upright on a sandalwood couch, with Yuanyang carefully supporting her from the side.

The two rows of chairs below were filled with the younger female relatives of Jia Zheng, Madam Wang, and Madam Xing, and even Aunt Zhao, who rarely showed her face, was standing on the side.

It turned out that Grandmother Jia had given the order last night, asking everyone to gather here this morning to await news of Yun-ge'er's success in the imperial examination.

The hall was quiet, with only the soft ticking of the Western gold clock making the waiting time seem even more unbearable.

Before Lady Jia could speak, Jia She couldn't contain himself and started twirling his sparse beard, speaking in a sarcastic tone.

"Mother, it's not that I'm deliberately trying to dampen everyone's spirits. It's just that the prefectural exam is more than ten times harder than the county exam! The top students from the two counties surrounding the capital have all studied diligently for ten years. It's already a stroke of luck that Yun'er passed the county exam—who doesn't know that his essays only barely caught the examiners' eye with some unconventional and attention-grabbing remarks? This time, facing the real test, he might not have such good luck again!"

Jia She was already furious, so his tone was naturally not very pleasant.

He originally thought that since Jia Yun had curried favor with Prince Xin, he could take advantage of this opportunity to climb up to him.

To everyone's surprise, there was no further news from the Prince Xin's mansion during this period, as if they had forgotten about Jia Yun. This left him feeling like he had been offered a cold shoulder, wasting a lot of time and money.

Moreover, yesterday, Jia She ordered his trusted confidant Li Guiqian to send Qingwen to the mansion to fetch some items, but Jia Yun flatly refused, showing him no respect whatsoever.

What? You can't even part with a maid?

With both old and new grudges piled up, Jia She truly couldn't bear to see Jia Yun do anything good.

Madam Xing, who was adept at reading her husband's expression, quickly chimed in to his defense.

She covered her mouth with her handkerchief and whispered, "What Master says makes sense. I heard that among the candidates for this year's prefectural examination, there are several direct descendants of scholarly families, with deep-rooted backgrounds. Yun-ge'er is ultimately young and lacks foundation, so it's only natural that he won't pass. Our household can't rely entirely on him..."

"You insolent fool!" Grandmother Jia slammed her hand on the small rosewood table inlaid with mother-of-pearl beside her, making the teacups on the table clink and rattle.

"What are you two up to? Muttering funeral sutras here first thing in the morning! Can't you stand to see your own grand-nephew doing well? The one you raised in your own house can't even catch a glimpse of a scholar, yet you have the nerve to chew maggots here! Do you think I'm senile and can't see through your filthy thoughts?"

The couple's spirits drooped after being subjected to such a furious and incoherent scolding by the old lady.

Seeing that Grandmother Jia was truly angry, Wang Xifeng quickly put on a smile, swayed her willow-like waist, and stepped forward to smooth things over. Her voice was truly crisp and bright.

"Oh dear, Grandmother, please calm down. It's not worth getting sick from anger! If you ask me, the Master and Madam are just being cautious, so it's understandable that they overthink things. But I've observed that Yun'er is truly a child destined for good fortune and a bright future. Although he's young, the other day when I saw him speak and act with such composure, he was even more capable than some adults who have lived for decades! He'll definitely pass the imperial examination with flying colors, bringing honor to our Jia family!"

While Fengjie was flattering Grandmother Jia and seemingly comforting everyone, she couldn't help but recall the day Jia Yun mistakenly entered the room and saw her bare body.

The thought made her teeth itch, and she cursed under her breath, "You lecherous scoundrel."

But then I thought, if Jia Yun really passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, he would have official rank and a limitless future. He would also be considered one of our own, and might be useful in the future.

She was now in charge of the household finances, but who could predict what would happen in the future? She might need to rely on him in the future, so she naturally had to maintain a good public image and suppress her anger for the time being.

These words, heard by Li Wan who remained silent to the side, had a different meaning.

She frowned secretly, thinking that Sister Feng had once again found some huge weakness in Jia Yun, forcing this half-grown boy to depend on her and do those shady things.

Thinking that Jia Yun was only fourteen years old and had to be controlled like this, she couldn't help but sigh and looked at Feng Jie with a hint of wariness in her eyes.

Li Wan thought to herself that she absolutely could not get too close to Lan'er.

As everyone was talking, Lin Zhixiao's wife hurriedly came in to report: "Old Madam, the Prince of Beijing's Mansion, the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, the Duke of Liguo's Mansion, and several other related mansions have all sent people to deliver congratulatory gifts, saying that they wish to congratulate our Yun'er on passing the imperial examination."

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia's anger subsided slightly, replaced by surprise: "What time is it? We haven't even heard the gong announcing the arrest yet. Who was so quick to leak the news?"

Madam Wang quickly stood up, a polite smile on her face, and replied, "Grandma, it was my idea that if Yun'er passed the exam, we might have to prepare thank-you gifts and banquets at the last minute, and in the chaos, we might overlook something and be impolite. So I gave a heads-up to a few families we are on good terms with and have frequent contact with, hoping that Yun'er would pass the exam."

To everyone's surprise, Grandmother Jia's face immediately darkened. She glared coldly at her and snorted, "You've certainly thought this through! It's not even a done deal yet, and you've already made a huge fuss! If... humph, I'd like to see where you put your face then!"

This is clearly a case of praising someone to death!

If Jia Yun passes the exam, that's a tactful way of handling things; but if she fails... then she'll lose face big time.

Madam Wang was rebuffed, but she wasn't angry; she still wore her usual fake smile.

The waiting time seemed to grow longer amidst the wafting sandalwood incense.

Several clever servants had already been ordered to peek out from the alley entrance.

Every time a gong sounded in the distance, it caused a small commotion. But everyone's hearts were in their throats, and no news ever came.

Bored while waiting, and seeing Jia Zheng's solemn expression, Baoyu dared not act presumptuously, so he quietly sidled up to Daiyu's side.

But then they saw Daiyu and Tanchun sitting close together, whispering intimate words to each other.

"Sister Lin is just talking nonsense," Tan Chun said with a smile, holding a handkerchief. "When did you learn the skill of fortune telling? I had no idea."

Daiyu gently tapped the tea table beside her with her slender fingers, and glanced at Tanchun with her affectionate eyes that seemed to be both angry and not angry.

"You silly girl, you just won't believe me. Just wait patiently, Yun-ge'er will definitely win this time. If I guess right, Third Sister, how about you give me that bar of soap the little teacher gave you last time?"

Tan Chun reached out and pinched her fair, rosy cheek, laughing and scolding, "You're so sharp-eyed and clever! Before, when the young master asked if you wanted it, you refused. Later, didn't he give you an even more exquisite one? Why do you want mine too? Now you're suddenly interested?"

Daiyu laughed as she dodged, her eyes sparkling like spring water: "Times have changed. These days I've been using it, and it's much more fragrant and pure than the ones I buy in ordinary shops, with a hint of floral scent, yet not cloying. I heard you treasure that one so much you can't bear to use it, so naturally I had to come and ask."

When Baoyu saw Daiyu's cheeks flushed with laughter, and her eyes sparkling with captivating charm, he was completely mesmerized by her beauty.

Seeing him like this, Xiren felt a bitter taste in her mouth, as if a bottle of vinegar had been spilled, but she forced a gentle smile on her face.

When Jia Zheng happened to catch a glimpse of Bao Yu's absent-minded and infatuated state, he became even more furious. However, since Grandmother Jia and the others were present, he could not immediately lash out, so he could only glare at Bao Yu fiercely.

Suddenly, a commotion arose outside, growing louder as it approached, accompanied by the clear sound of gongs and hurried footsteps. A servant came running in, practically stumbling, panting, shouting, "They're here! They're here! They've really come this time! The messengers are at the door!"

Everyone in the room stood up at once.

Several messengers wearing red-tasseled hats, their faces beaming, carrying bright red and gold-embossed celebratory notices, rushed into the courtyard, shouting as they headed straight for Rongxi Hall.

Upon reaching the steps, they all knelt down in unison, loudly announcing, "Good news! Your esteemed master, Jia Yun, has been selected as the ninth-ranked scholar in the Shuntian Prefecture Examination of the sixth year of the Tianyou era, thanks to the guidance of Magistrate Xu of Shuntian County! Congratulations, Your Excellency!"