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

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Wang Xifeng quickly put on a smile and stepped forward to smooth things over: "Grandmother, please calm down. Yun'er is young and impetuous, and he doesn't know how to speak properly. Perhaps..."

Before she could finish speaking, she was met with a cold glare from Grandmother Jia, who snapped at her, "Who gives you the right to speak here? Get out of here! Mind your own business!"

Sister Feng, having been rebuffed, retreated sheepishly, inwardly cursing, "You old fool! You're only concerned with your own little calculations, completely disregarding right and wrong!"

Lady Wang, not wanting to miss out on trouble, added fuel to the fire at this opportune moment.

Her eyelids were lowered, her hands moving rapidly through the prayer beads, her voice indifferent: "I also think that no matter how complicated the inside story is, Yun-ge'er's temper is indeed a bit too unruly. So young, yet so reckless. If this temperament isn't disciplined, it will be even harder to control him in the future. What if he causes trouble outside, tarnishing Bao-yu's and the young ladies' reputations? That would be..."

Before Lady Wang could finish her sentence, she steered the conversation toward her temper. What was even more despicable was that she ultimately steered the topic toward "restraint" and "implicating Baoyu," believing she had struck a nerve with Jia Mu's beloved Baoyu.

Little did they know that what the old lady was weighing in her mind at that moment was no longer simply who was right and who was wrong.

Kneeling on the cold stone slab, Jia Yun overheard almost everything in the hall, including the subtle nuances of the conversation.

He watched as Grandmother Jia openly favored and suppressed him, as Jia She and Jia Zheng offered feeble and feeble pleas, as Wang Xifeng met with setbacks, and as Lady Wang subtly and maliciously sowed discord...

A chilling thought suddenly pierced through the last wisp of fog in his mind!

Suddenly he understood everything! The sudden enlightenment sent chills down his spine!

Why did Grandmother Jia refuse Jia Yun's request to move out and focus on preparing for the exam in such a "loving" yet unquestionable tone?

They said you were "too young and had no one to take care of you," and that "did the manor lack your food, clothing, and other necessities?"

It wasn't that they were genuinely concerned about his young age and lack of care, but rather that they feared Jia Yun would become uncontrollable once he was independent, had his own residence and social circle, like a fish in the sea!

Jia Yun is the most promising candidate for advancement in the imperial examination among his peers in the Jia family. He is a pawn that could bring huge rewards. How can we let him easily leave the chessboard and be free from constraints?

Why was he, a member of a collateral branch of the family, sent to study and write with the pampered young ladies in the church?

Is it really just a matter of not being able to find a suitable husband right away? Perhaps the deeper intention is to let him fall in love with a certain girl over time, and eventually bring her into the household as his son-in-law.

Then he tied his mind, and his future, to the sinking ship of the Jia family!

Arranging for Jia Yun to marry a young lady from the Jia family is both a favor and the most reliable shackle to bind him! It turns him into a true "one of our own" in the Jia family.

We all prosper together, and we all suffer together!

Everything, everything, is for control!

As for the five degrees of mourning?

Jia Yun sneered inwardly: "My branch of the family has long been estranged from the direct descendants of the Rong and Ning dynasties; our ancestors were merely cousins, and the law does not punish us!"

Having figured out these key points, Jia Yun felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, but he was helpless to stop it!

Because in the Han Dynasty, which was founded on loyalty and filial piety, the family was the only heaven above an individual.

The old lady's words were the inviolable golden rule of the Jia family. As a helpless member of a collateral branch, his future and life were entirely in the hands of the family.

If even the slightest rumor spreads within the clan that he is unfilial, disrespectful, arrogant, or rude, it will completely sever his career and prevent him from ever rising again.

At that time, let alone fame and fortune, they might not even have a place to stand.

Just as Jia Yun was feeling disheartened and Jia Zhen was secretly pleased with himself, Grandmother Jia, who was sitting upright on the couch, finally spoke again.

She didn't look at Jia Zhen, nor at Jia Yun, and said slowly with a deliberately fair tone, "Have you all made enough of a scene?"

Our ancestors first set the tone, indicating that this argument should end.

"Zhen-ge'er," she turned to Jia Zhen, her tone carrying a subtle hint of admonition, "the injury on your head is certainly real. But it was late then, perhaps... perhaps you were seeing things, who knows."

"Qing has always had a good reputation, and Yun-ge'er is about to go to school, how could it be them? Besides, haven't there been rumors in the capital lately about a pair of 'Mandarin Duck Thieves' who can scale walls and roofs and specialize in committing crimes in the homes of the wealthy? Perhaps it was one of those thieves who startled you, and you mistook them for someone else in your panic."

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent!

Jia Zhen was stunned. He was about to open his mouth to refute, but was stopped by a look from Grandmother Jia.

This clearly attempts to obscure the core conflict of "Jia Yun's affair with Qin Keqing and beating of Jia Zhen" into "Jia Zhen may have been mistaken, and the person who beat him was an outsider bandit!"

This is to give Jia Zhen a way out and to minimize the impact of this scandal!

Immediately, Grandmother Jia turned her gaze to Jia Yun, who was still kneeling on the ground, and her tone suddenly became stern: "Yun-ge'er! Even if Master Zhen might have misjudged, as a junior, when you hear your elders misunderstand, you should explain things properly. How could you be so harsh and aggressive? Even uttering wild words, threatening suicide, and saying you would appeal to the emperor?! With this attitude, where do you place your elders? Where do you place the family's reputation?! Is this the behavior expected of a learned and reasonable person?!"

Looking at Jia Yun's still straight spine, the old lady's anger, which had been rising out of control, surged again. She knew she had to suppress it!

She needs to maintain ultimate authority and let everyone know that even if she tries to "play it safe," the final power of punishment remains in her hands!

"Regardless of the circumstances, your disrespectful behavior towards your elders and your rude words are a grave mistake! Family traditions must not be corrupted, and rules must not be disregarded!" Grandmother Jia's voice was cold and resolute. "If you are not punished today, everyone will follow your example. Will there be any distinction between superiors and inferiors in this household?! Guards! Drag Yun-ge'er away and give him thirty strokes of the cane! Let him remember clearly what rules and decorum are!"

Thirty strokes of the cane?!

These words were like a boulder thrown into water, creating ripples that spread far and wide!

Just moments ago, everyone had been secretly relieved that Grandmother Jia had "smoothed things over," but now their hearts were in their throats again!

Even Madam Wang, who suggested "disciplining" him, paused slightly as she twirled her prayer beads, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

Thirty strokes of the cane are almost enough to kill a young boy!

The old lady wasn't trying to smooth things over; she was clearly trying to punish everyone equally, and she was going to hit Jia Yun's side even harder!

"Good! Good upbringing! Good discipline! Since the matriarch has determined that her grandson is guilty, and will not listen to any explanations or investigate the matter thoroughly, then this punishment will be accepted!"

Seeing this, Jia Yun changed his tone, even carrying a hint of provocative intent: "But after these thirty strokes of the cane are finished, I will immediately go to the Imperial Clan Court! I will report everything that happened in Rongqing Hall today, how someone slandered my nephew's wife!"

I also want to show the imperial family what the Jia family mansion, with its supposedly extravagant lifestyle, is really like! Let them see if this plaque proclaiming them a "family of scholars and poets" can still stand! And let the empresses in the palace hear about their family's "good reputation"!

The Imperial Clan Court!

Although the Jia family was not a member of the imperial clan, as a hereditary noble family, they were still under the supervision of the Imperial Clan Court!

Jia Yun is determined to escalate this completely, to the highest levels of public attention! He not only intends to expose Jia Zhen's scandalous affairs, but also to reveal Jia Mu's biased nature to the imperial family! He's even willing to implicate Yuan Chun in the palace!

Grandmother Jia's face instantly turned completely pale!

Her hand holding the prayer beads trembled violently, and the fine amber prayer beads fell onto the couch with a "thud".

She never expected Jia Yun to be so resolute and ruthless!

This is no longer youthful impetuosity; this is a suicide mission! If this escalates to the Imperial Clan Court, Jia Zhen's future and title will be ruined, and the Jia family will utterly lose face!

Where would she, a lady of the highest rank, put her face? What kind of repercussions and punishments would Yuan Chun in the palace suffer? That would be a catastrophic disaster that would shake the very foundation of the Jia family!

The matriarch originally wanted to suppress Jia Yun, make him submit, and let him know who was in charge in this mansion.

But now, Jia Yun's desperate counterattack has only pushed her into a desperate situation where she can't back down!

To fight or not to fight?

If we hit him, and Jia Yun actually goes to the Imperial Clan Court, the consequences will be unimaginable!

If we don't hit her, where is the dignity of the words spoken by the dignified matriarch of the Jia family?

Wouldn't that be utter nonsense? How can we control the masses after that?

Inside Rongxi Hall, there was a deathly silence.

Everyone was stunned by Jia Yun's earth-shattering words.

Jia Zhen was completely panicked, and cold sweat immediately poured down his face.

He only wanted to use his status to force the matriarch to show favoritism, and he only wanted to punish Jia Yun with family discipline behind closed doors. He never thought that he would cause trouble in the royal family!

Madam Wang, Madam Xing, and the others exchanged bewildered glances, their hearts filled with horror.

This kid is a reckless mad dog!

Although Jia Yun was kneeling on the ground, his back remained straight.

He bet that Grandmother Jia wouldn't dare risk the reputation of the entire Jia family, their titles, and Yuan Chun in the palace!

However, Grandmother Jia was, after all, an old matriarch who had managed the Jia family for decades.

"presumptuous!"

Grandmother Jia slammed her hand on the low table on the couch, the loud noise startling everyone in the hall.

When have they ever seen their ancestor get angry?

"Rebellion! Rebellion! You wretched child! How dare you roar and talk back to your elders like this, spouting nonsense, threatening the family, and even trying to implicate the empresses in the palace? Do you really want to bring about the extermination of my Jia family?! It seems that if we don't discipline you, you will never know your place, never understand the meaning of life and death!"

Grandmother Jia immediately accused her of "using the Empress's name to threaten the family."

"Regardless of the reason, your disobedience and insubordination are a fact! Guards! Drag this disrespectful and unfilial brat to the courtyard immediately and give him thirty lashes! Beat him hard! Let him wake up to what it means to be bound by strict family discipline!"