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

Jia Yun's punch was indeed quite heavy. After being treated by the doctor, Jia Zhen only slowly regained consciousness three days later.

This terrified Lady You, who was terrified that he might die.

Although Jia Zhen suffered a head injury, the doctor said after examination that his life was not in danger, but he needed to rest for some time.

"Ouch...it hurts so much!" Jia Zhen groaned, trying to raise his hand to touch the injury, but the movement aggravated his aching muscles and bones, making him wince in pain.

He lay on the brocade quilt, his face sallow with a hint of ashen blue.

His eyes, slightly swollen from excessive indulgence, were now bloodshot.

When Jia Zhen recalled the unbearable scene from the previous night, he was filled with rage—although the light was dim and he couldn't see the face clearly, the fleeting glimpse of the figure and the feeling made a name suddenly jump out of his mind: Jia Yun!

Is it really him?

However, without any evidence, Jia Zhen was not entirely certain, since the man was now a scholar, which was considered to be an official title.

But this did not prevent Jia Zhen from venting most of his overwhelming hatred on Jia Yun.

"You little beast... if it really is you, I will tear you apart, skin you alive, and shred you to pieces! And the Qin family too!"

Jia Zhen made a fierce vow in his heart, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

However, this matter concerned his scandalous affair with Qin Keqing, and Jia Zhen, fearing the consequences, could only suppress his anger for the time being.

While he was feeling annoyed, he suddenly asked his trusted servant, Qin Shi, where she was.

The servant quietly relayed: "Master, Madam Rong... she... she took her two maids, Ruizhu and Baozhu, three days ago and went to Xuanzhen Temple by carriage. She said... she said she received a dream from Lu Zu and went to pray for Master Jing and meditate. She will be staying for a while."

"What?! Xuanzhen Temple? Praying for blessings?" Jia Zhen was stunned at first, then suddenly realized that this was Qin Keqing's plan to escape!

The beauty he had schemed so hard to win over had slipped right under his nose!

This undoubtedly confirms that last night's events were not committed by ordinary thieves, and that someone must have intervened to save them! With Qin Shi gone, it will be even more difficult for him to get close to her again!

"Pfft—" A fishy, ​​sweet taste rushed straight to his throat.

Jia Zhen was so angry he almost vomited blood, and his vision blurred.

He barely managed to suppress the blood, feeling pain and hatred throughout his body, from his heart and liver to his spleen, lungs, and kidneys.

His face contorted with rage, he growled, "Go! Quietly summon the cleaning maid on duty in the Qin family courtyard today! I want to question her myself!"

Before long, a maid named Xiao Que, who usually served in the inner courtyard, was led in tremblingly.

Upon seeing Jia Zhen's murderous look, she was so frightened that her legs went weak and she knelt on the ground.

Suppressing his anger, Jia Zhen dismissed those around him and asked in a sinister tone, "Tell me, did your grandmother really say last night that Lu Zu appeared to her in a dream before she went to Xuanzhen Temple?"

Little Magpie trembled all over, not daring to raise her head: "Replying to Master...Grandma...Grandma instructed me to do this..."

"Bullshit!" Jia Zhen slammed his hand on the edge of the bed, the movement causing him to gasp in pain from his wound. "Tell the truth! What exactly happened last night? Did anyone go in? Was it... was it Yun-ge'er from the West Mansion?!"

Little Magpie was terrified, tears streaming down her face as she kowtowed, "This servant doesn't know, this servant really doesn't know..."

Jia Zhen bent down, grabbed her collar, and glared at her fiercely: "You little slut, if you don't tell the truth, believe me, I'll sell you out right now and send your whole family to work as laborers in the mines, where they'll die without a burial place!"

Xiao Que was ultimately just a naive young girl who hadn't experienced much in life. His sudden fright completely broke her defenses, and she immediately cried out, "Master, spare me! Master, spare me! Grandma... before Grandma left, I overheard her secretly instructing Sister Ruizhu, saying... saying that if there were any urgent matters in the manor that were difficult to resolve, they could... could seek advice from Second Master Yun of the West Mansion..."

"Jia Yun—!! It really is you, you little beast!!!" This shout was like a thunderclap, completely confirming Jia Zhen's suspicions.

He abruptly released Xiao Que and collapsed back onto the bed as if all his strength had been drained.

All the doubts now came together, pointing to that distant relative whom he had always looked down upon.

"You...you Jia Yun! You ruined my plans, injured my body, and even dared to instigate that vile woman to leave the manor! This is an irreconcilable feud! If I, Jia Zhen, don't make you utterly disgraced, wishing you were never born, I swear I'm not human!"

Meanwhile, Jia Yun, in the small courtyard of the West Mansion, was also restless.

He knew that Jia Zhen would not let the matter rest once he woke up. Although he had saved Qin Keqing, he had also completely offended the tyrant of the Ningguo Mansion.

Although Jia Zhen may not be able to see his own face clearly, life is unpredictable, so it's best to act cautiously.

If Jia Yun stayed in the mansion, it would be tantamount to putting himself in the tiger's mouth.

After all, it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark.

Moreover, now that he has already obtained the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations), it is quite reasonable for him to go out on his own.

Therefore, Jia Yun made a quick decision and asked Grandmother Jia and Jia Zheng for permission to prepare for the provincial examination by saying that he needed to find a completely quiet place to study in seclusion.

However, Jia Yun's request encountered unexpected resistance.

At Grandmother Jia's place, as soon as he subtly brought up his idea, Grandmother Jia leaned against the couch and began to chatter leisurely while slowly fiddling with her prayer beads.

The old lady didn't even lift her eyelids. Her tone seemed kind, but it carried an undeniable authority: "Yun-ge'er, I know and appreciate your ambition. However, in a wealthy and powerful family like ours, rules and etiquette are paramount. How can a young man like you move out on his own? People will laugh at our family for being stingy, or that you are ill-mannered! Does the manor lack a quiet study for you? Now that you are a scholar, you should be even more mindful of your status. How can you be like those poor scholars, showing your face in public and attracting gossip? Stay at home. If you need anything, just tell your sister-in-law Lian."

His words were seemingly gentle but actually barbed; though they appeared to be full of concern, they had completely blocked Jia Yun's way out.

How shrewd was Grandmother Jia, who managed the Jia family for many years?

She may not be clear about the specifics of what happened at Ningguo Mansion last night, but the fact that Jia Zhen was inexplicably "attacked," Qin Keqing suddenly "entered the temple," and Jia Yun was about to "move out" immediately afterward, made it impossible for her not to overthink these events.

She deeply understood the principle that the family was one, and that everyone shared both prosperity and adversity. What she valued even more was "control" over the members of the family.

Jia Yun's recent performance—his astonishing poetic talent, his fame for saving lives, and his friendship with Prince Xin and Li Shouzhong—all demonstrate his strong autonomy and uncontrollable potential.

This made her vaguely uneasy. An uncontrollable "talent" might not be a blessing for the family, but could even be a disaster.

She had to make him understand, before he became completely independent, who the real master of this mansion was, and that without the Jia family's support, he was nothing.

Jia Zheng, on the other hand, considered it from an academic perspective and felt that Jia Yun's words made sense; studying diligently behind closed doors was indeed the right thing to do.

But upon hearing that Grandmother Jia had rejected the idea, he, who always valued filial piety and adhered to propriety, did not insist further. He simply stroked his beard and encouraged her, saying, "Since the old lady cares for you and has this consideration, you should focus on your studies in the mansion. The most important thing in studying is cultivating one's character. When the mind is calm, everywhere is a pure land. Why be attached to external things and circumstances? The Great Learning says, 'Knowing where to stop, one can then be resolute; being resolute, one can then be calm...' You should carefully consider this."

The news that Jia Yun was prevented from leaving the mansion spread like wildfire throughout the mansion, and everyone reacted in different ways.

Inside Rongxi Hall, the seemingly benevolent but actually treacherous Madam Wang's prayer beads moved rapidly, her face maintaining a serene, bodhisattva-like composure, while inwardly she sneered repeatedly: "Hmph, trying to leave? Perhaps you've done something wrong and are eager to escape? The old lady is wise; how could she let such a restless creature escape her control? It's best to keep her in the manor..."

Lady Wang was more than happy to have Jia Yun stay in the mansion, so that she could "observe" or even "control" him, since Baoyu was the apple of her eye.

The more popular Jia Yun became, the more uneasy she felt.

Madam Xing then spoke sarcastically to Wang Xifeng, who had come to pay her respects: "Look at him, he's only been a scholar for a few days and he already wants to separate from the family and live independently? His wings haven't hardened yet! The old lady was right to stop him! He needs to know that without the Jia family, he's nothing! Does he really think he's someone important?"

A glint flashed in Wang Xifeng's phoenix eyes, and she thought the same thing as the old lady. Although she didn't know the specifics of last night, the connection between the events made it impossible for her not to think things through.

Wang Xifeng inwardly cursed Jia Yun for being such a troublemaker, daring to stir up Jia Zhen's hornet's nest, but outwardly she smiled at Madam Xing and said, "What you say is true, Madam. Yun-ge is young and doesn't think things through. In a family like ours, rules and etiquette are of utmost importance. It's the right thing to keep him in the mansion, with the old lady and the ladies watching over him and giving him constant guidance."

She was happy to see Jia Yun restrained, after all, the child was wild and it wouldn't be a good thing if he went out and got out of control.

Upon hearing the news, Tan Chun frowned and said to Shi Shu in the room, "Brother Yun must have his reasons. Although the manor is nice, there are too many people and too much gossip, and it's easy to get distracted. It's just a pity..."

When she spoke up for Yun-ge'er, she was so devoted to him that she wanted to tie him to her very being.

With her intelligence and keen perception, Tan Chun had already noticed the subtle changes in the atmosphere of the mansion and the invisible constraints. Naturally, she was worried about Jia Yun's situation, but she was powerless to change it.

Daiyu was playing the zither while looking out at the bamboo groves when she heard about this, and her playing paused slightly.

She raised her eyes, which seemed to hold both joy and sorrow, and sighed softly, "A caged bird, unable to fly, cries out in anguish."

His tone carried a hint of melancholy and wistfulness, a sense of loss for his kind. Lin Daiyu was always sentimental, yet this seemed to have stirred something within him.

Baochai, who was talking to Aunt Xue, calmly comforted her after hearing this, saying, "Grandmother's considerations are thorough and all out of love and care. Yun'er is a sensible person and will surely understand the elders' good intentions. He can still study well in the mansion."

Although Jia Yun gave her a mahjong set for her birthday last time, which made her even more famous for a while.

However, she always handled things tactfully, was unwilling to express her opinion easily, and kept her words perfectly confidential.

When Li Wan heard that Jia Yun's attempt to leave the mansion had failed, she felt a mix of emotions.

On the one hand, she was extremely disgusted and terrified of Jia Yun because of the frivolous things that happened behind the artificial hill last night, and she wished he was as far away as possible so that she could see him and not be bothered by it.

On the other hand, she also felt that if Jia Yun stayed in the mansion and often came to teach Jia Lan, it would be quite beneficial for him.

Just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts, Jia Zhen, whose head was still wrapped in a conspicuous bandage, stormed into Rongqing Hall, supported by two trusted servants.

This guy... why isn't he playing by the rules?!