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

In the darkness, Jia Yun changed into a neat set of night clothes.

The Ningguo Mansion, with its high walls and deep courtyards, vermilion gates and bronze rings, was not as heavily guarded as the imperial palace, but it was by no means a place one could enter and leave at will.

When the first watch of the night arrived, all was quiet.

Jia Yun quietly slipped out of his own courtyard and, under the cover of night, arrived at a secluded corner outside the back wall of the Ningguo Mansion.

There's an old locust tree with gnarled branches and leaves growing right next to the wall, which is a good place to lean on.

With a light touch of her toes, Jia Yun suddenly leaped up, using her hands to press against the rough tree trunk, and like a cat, nimbly scaled the ten-foot-high wall.

He crouched down, his gaze sweeping over the wall—a small, abandoned garden overgrown with weeds.

In the distance, the lanterns carried by night patrolmen flickered, and the faint sound of a wooden clapper could be heard.

Jia Yun held her breath, carefully chose her path, and gracefully descended from the top of the wall.

Relying on his memory of the daytime ancestral worship, he moved nimbly and lightly, perfectly avoiding several groups of night patrolling servants.

As an important place for sacrificial rites, Tianxiang Tower is usually uninhabited, and at this moment it is pitch black and silent.

He gently pushed open the door and slipped inside. The building was filled with a faint scent of incense and ashes.

In the darkness, Jia Yun adjusted for a moment, then, using the faint moonlight filtering through the window, began to search carefully.

He recalled the approximate locations where he stood, knelt, and walked yesterday, focusing on checking the area around the incense table, the prayer cushion, and the corners he might have passed through.

The ground was cleaned quite thoroughly, which actually made the search more difficult.

He was practically crawling on the ground, groping his way inch by inch.

If it can't be found here, then the jade pendant may have been lost elsewhere, or... it may have really been picked up by someone from the Ningguo Mansion.

Just as Jia Yun's heart sank, his fingertips suddenly touched a cold, hard, yet warm and delicate object!

It was in a very secluded corner right below the incense table!

Overjoyed, Jia Yun carefully took out the object and held it up to the moonlight by the window—it was the lost mutton-fat white jade dragon pendant!

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the rope was indeed broken, presumably snagged on a sharp corner of the altar during the ritual and slipped into this hard-to-notice corner.

Just as Jia Yun was about to get up, his gaze was involuntarily drawn to a long spear on the altar in the corner.

It was a long spear that gleamed with a cold light!

Although it had been silent for many years, the blade of the gun still seemed to be surrounded by a chilling aura of bloodshed on the battlefield. The shaft was engraved with intricate cloud patterns, and a small character "Jia" was engraved at the end.

Jia Yun suddenly remembered that this must be the weapon used by Duke Ningguo Jia Yan when he followed the emperor to fight on the battlefield, a tiger-headed gold-inlaid spear weighing thirty-six catties!

It is said that this creature has drunk countless amounts of blood and possesses extremely strong malevolent energy, yet it is enshrined in the dark corner of this Tianxiang Tower.

Just as Jia Yun was about to climb over the wall and leave Ningguo Mansion, he suddenly heard a suppressed argument between a man and a woman coming from another room in Tianxiang Tower.

The male voice was rough and domineering; it sounded like Jia Zhen! The other female voice was mournful and pitiful, with a sobbing tone.

Jia Yun didn't want to cause any trouble, but he couldn't move his feet.

Jia Yunyin crept over quietly from the shadows, and when he peeked inside through the crack in the window—what he saw immediately made his blood boil and his anger flare up!

Inside the warm pavilion, in the flickering candlelight, Jia Zhen, his face flushed and eyes gleaming with lust, was forcibly embracing a stunningly beautiful woman whose clothes were disheveled.

The woman's outer garment had been torn off, and her trembling breasts pushed the semi-transparent fabric high, rising and falling with her desperate struggles, outlining a breathtakingly full curve.

Her large, ripe buttocks, which became even more prominent due to her struggles and writhing, were revealed under the thin silk trousers, further arousing Jia Zhen's eyes to blaze with fury.

The woman was none other than Qin Keqing, who was known for her "combination of beauty"!

"You...you let me go!...You can't do this!" Qin Keqing's delicate oval face was streaked with tears, like pear blossoms battered by rain.

Her bright, clear eyes were filled with fear and despair. She used all her strength to push against Jia Zhen's fat, greasy body. Her slender waist twisted helplessly in his iron-like arms, but it was all in vain. Instead, it aroused his lust even more.

Jia Zhen's face was full of lewdness, his breathing was rapid and turbid, and his breath reeked of nauseating alcohol. He had one hand tightly wrapped around Qin Keqing's slender waist.

"My darling! Just give yourself to me! That useless Rong'er, how could she know how to cherish such a beauty as you? Everyone in this manor knows that I love you the most. If you come with me, you will enjoy endless wealth and taste countless wonderful pleasures!"

"No! I don't want to! I am your... moral code..." Qin Keqing cried out in despair.

"What utter nonsense about ethics and morality!" Jia Zhen's tone grew even more vile with a sneer. "Did your Qin family treat you like their own daughter? You're nothing but an adopted maid, clinging to the Jia family's high branch! What are you pretending to be, this pure and noble lady! In this mansion, there's nothing I can't get if I want it!"

"Besides, do you really think I don't know anything about the paintings and decorations in your room? Wu Zetian's precious mirror, the golden plate on which Zhao Feiyan danced, the papaya that An Lushan threw that injured Yang Guifei's breast... and the gauze quilt that Xi Shi washed, the mandarin duck pillow that Hong Niang held! Don't you know the origins of these objects from romantic tales? What is it if not seduction?"

These foul words pierced Qin Keqing's heart, making her tremble with anger. Tears streamed down her face, and her voice, as if tinged with blood, cried out, "You...you're spouting nonsense! They're all...all for show!"

"Stop pretending to be a virtuous woman in front of me! What kind of good thing is your good brother Qin Zhong? Don't think I don't know! There isn't a single clean swan in your Qin family!" As he spoke, Jia Zhen's foul mouth nuzzled against Qin Keqing's snow-white and slender neck, and his hands rubbed her neck even more vigorously.

"No! I don't want to!" Qin Keqing felt those disgusting hands roaming over her body, and her hoarse cries made her feel ashamed and indignant to the point of wanting to die.

Seeing that Jia Zhen was about to completely pin Qin Keqing down on the bed and commit that beastly act, Jia Yun felt a surge of heat rush to his head!

He didn't have a veil covering his face at this moment, but he couldn't care less! If he let this beast succeed, Qin Keqing would only face death!

"Bang!" Jia Yun kicked open the door of the warm pavilion like a tiger released from its cage. Just as Jia Zhen turned around in astonishment, Jia Yun gathered all her strength and punched him hard in the temple!

Jia Zhen didn't even utter a sound before his obese body slumped to the ground, and he fainted.

"Ah—!" Qin Keqing trembled violently from the sudden turn of events.

Upon realizing that the intruder was Jia Yun, she disregarded the fact that she was almost half-naked in front of a young man.

She instinctively crossed her arms over her chest, trying to conceal the boundless spring scenery that was being revealed.

Her frail, helpless, and disheveled appearance, coupled with her stunningly beautiful face and curvaceous figure, especially the undeniably large and rounded breasts that were impossible to ignore in a fleeting glance, was enough to make any man's heart flutter and feel endless pity.

Jia Yun immediately turned his back, refusing to look at anything improper.

But the fleeting glimpse of her jade-like body lying prone, her spring-like beauty just now exposed, has been deeply etched into my mind and cannot be forgotten.

He suppressed a strange feeling in his heart and urged softly, "Sister-in-law Rong, hurry! Put on your clothes!"

Qin Keqing finally snapped out of her shock and shame, hurriedly bent down to pick up the torn apricot-red silk robe with gold peony patterns from the ground, and frantically put it on.

Perhaps due to extreme fear and shame, her slender fingers trembled violently, and she failed to fasten her clothes several times. Her fair skin and deep cleavage were occasionally glimpsed in her hurried movements, and her buttocks appeared even more plump and pert as she bent over, adding countless seductive charms to her flustered state.

A moment later, her voice trembled, thick with tears and broken sobs, as she said, "Brother Yun... what... what do we do now? He... he..."

She stared in horror at the unconscious Jia Zhen on the ground, feeling dizzy and as if her reputation and life were hanging by a thread.

Jia Yun turned around and saw that Qin Keqing had barely managed to wrap herself in her tattered clothes.

He spoke rapidly, "You can't stay in the manor! Go back immediately, taking only your most trusted maid. Tell her you dreamt of Lu Zu, who enlightened you, saying you have a calamity in your worldly life and you must immediately go to Xuanzhen Temple to serve your father-in-law to fulfill your filial duty and avert disaster! Master Jing is cultivating in seclusion at the temple; no matter how outrageous Jia Zhen is, he wouldn't dare to cause trouble there! That's currently the only place that can guarantee your safety!"

Qin Keqing was also very clever and immediately understood the brilliance of Jia Yun's quick thinking.

This is indeed the only reasonable excuse that allows us to temporarily escape their clutches!

Watching this handsome young man step forward without regard for his own safety in the face of danger, and how thoughtful he was for her sake, her frightened and cold heart inexplicably calmed down a little.

Qin Keqing dared not look at Jia Yun again, and only lowered her head, whispering in a choked voice, "Thank you... Brother Yun, for saving my life! I will never forget this kindness!"

After saying that, she lifted her tattered skirt, revealing her slender ankles, and stumbled out.

Jia Yun then quickly examined Jia Zhen and confirmed that he had only fainted and was not in any danger to his life.

He dared not linger, and immediately and carefully cleaned up any traces he might leave behind before preparing to climb over the wall and leave along the same route.

However, just as Jia Yun gracefully leaped down from the secluded corner of the Ningguo Mansion and was still unsteady on his feet, he suddenly bumped into a lone traveler walking alone in the middle of the night!

A familiar scent, carrying the fragrance of books and ink, and a faint aroma of cold plum blossoms, wafted over.