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

Jia Yun knelt on the spot, listening to Grandmother Jia's trumped-up verdict, and looking at the indifferent, gloating, or fearful eyes of the people around him.

He was no longer angry, but only felt sad and absurd.

This Jia family is not a family of scholars and gentlemen; it is clearly a den of demons and monsters!

However, at this critical moment, a woman's voice, trembling with sobs, suddenly rang out: "Grand...Grandmother...Wait..."

Everyone looked over and saw that Lin Daiyu, supported by Zijuan, had arrived outside the hall at some point.

She stood timidly by the door, her face pale and her eyes filled with tears, as if a gust of wind could blow her over.

Lin Daiyu strode in, disregarding etiquette, and gracefully bowed to Grandmother Jia.

"Grandmother, please calm down! Please calm down! Yun-ge'er... even if Yun-ge'er has a thousand faults and ten thousand mistakes, please... please forgive him this time, considering it's his first offense and that he still needs to prepare for the autumn examinations... Thirty strokes... if he really takes them, I'm afraid... I'm afraid he'll lose half his life. How can he possibly enter the examination hall then? If his future is ruined, wouldn't that be a pity? Please, Grandmother... have pity on his youth and reduce the number... even... even just ten strokes less would be fine..."

Her eyes were already glistening with tears as she spoke; her frail yet heartfelt appearance would move even the most hard-hearted person.

Everyone in Rongxi Hall looked at each other in surprise; no one had expected that this Lin family sister would actually stand up for Jia Yun.

Could it be...

Grandmother Jia always felt sorry for her daughter, so she doted on Daiyu the most and treated her like the apple of her eye.

Seeing her plead so earnestly despite her illness, her heart softened a little. But upon hearing the words "future prospects in the autumn examination," she also felt that if the thirty strokes of the cane were truly delivered, it might indeed be fatal.

Moreover, if the imperial examination were delayed, it would not benefit the reputation of the Jia family, but would only solidify their reputation for suppressing ambitious members of the clan.

After a moment of contemplation, Grandmother Jia looked at Daiyu's tear-streaked face and sighed heavily.

"Enough! Enough! Get up. For your sake... I'll give you ten strokes of the cane. Yun-ge'er, I hope you remember this lesson, behave yourself in the future, study diligently, and never be so reckless and disobedient again!"

Soon, the servants who were to enforce the family rules arrived with water and fire sticks.

The leader was none other than Jia Qin, who had a long-standing grudge against Jia Yun!

It turned out that Jia Qin had been holding a grudge ever since he was punished for falsely accusing Jia Yun. Today, he finally got this job that allowed him to settle his personal score, and he was overjoyed.

He glanced at Jia Yun, who was being held down on the bench, his eyes filled with vengeful satisfaction.

"Yun-ge'er," Jia Qin said, feigning a respectful bow, his voice laced with insincere respect and barely concealed smugness, "I'm sorry, we were just following orders from the Old Ancestor. Please forgive any offense we may have caused!"

As he spoke, he took the fire-and-water stick handed to him by a servant, weighed it in his hand, and a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

Jia Qin secretly mustered all his strength, thinking fiercely, "Jia Yun, you've finally met your match! I'll break your bones and avenge myself!"

"Snapped!"

The first blow from the water-fire stick landed heavily between Jia Yun's buttocks and legs, accompanied by a whooshing sound.

A sharp pain exploded within her, and Jia Yun's muscles tensed violently, only a suppressed groan escaping from between her teeth.

The force with which the board fell was far more sinister and heavy than he had anticipated!

Jia Qin, that scoundrel, really used his position to settle personal scores and resorted to underhanded tactics!

"Two!" Jia Qin's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement, and the counting sound was particularly jarring.

"three!"

"Four!"……

With each stroke of the stick, Jia Qin secretly strained his back and waist, targeting the thickest, most painful spots with the water-fire stick. He wished he could inflict the injuries of thirty strokes on those ten to vent his anger.

Jia Yun lay face down on the cold torture bench, his buttocks and legs already torn and bleeding.

But he gritted his teeth and endured it, uttering not a single groan or cry of pain beyond the initial muffled groan. These ten strokes of the cane shattered his last shred of illusion and hope for the Jia family.

Jia Yun finally understood that in this seemingly glamorous and prestigious mansion, without sufficient power and influence to rely on, one must be prepared for the worst.

So-called talent, integrity, and even innocence are so fragile and vulnerable!

Jia Zhen could almost kill him with just a series of flimsy lies. And Grandmother Jia could sacrifice his innocence and dignity without hesitation for the sake of so-called "family balance" and "control".

Even a despicable person like Jia Qin could be beaten to death under the guise of enforcing family law... And what difference was there between me, a helpless member of a collateral branch, and the grass that they trampled on at will?

Even if one passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar, in the face of the absolute power of the noble families and high-ranking officials, one's worth is as light as a feather!

Jia Yun also finally saw through the unfathomable thoughts in Grandmother Jia's mind.

Beneath that seemingly kind, gentle, and doting grandchildren exterior lies a heart determined to have everything under control!

However, at this moment, Jia Yun's back and buttocks were covered in blood and gore, and the blood soaked through his tattered clothes, dripping onto the smooth gold brick floor of Rongxi Hall, where it pooled into a small, glaring dark red stain!

When Grandmother Jia saw that the injury was so serious, she was shocked and then felt a pang of regret.

Her intention was to suppress him and establish her authority, not to truly ruin Jia Yun's promising future, since he was still of great use in the imperial examinations.

Grandmother Jia immediately turned her anger on Jia Qin and the servants who were carrying out the punishment, shouting angrily, "Stop! Who told you to use such force?! A bunch of reckless scoundrels! Quickly help Yun-ge up!"

Jia Zheng and Jia She quickly stepped forward to play the good guy.

Jia Zheng looked heartbroken and bent down to help Jia Yun up: "Yun-ge'er, you...you've suffered so much! Quick, call a doctor! Use the best medicine!"

Jia She feigned agreement, saying, "Yes, yes, we're all family, why is it like this? Why is it like this!"

With the help of several servants he was on relatively good terms with, Jia Yun stood up shakily. He forced himself to bow slightly to Grandmother Jia, who sat regally in the hall: "Thank you... for your admonition, Grandmother. Your grandson... knows his mistake."

Seeing his disheveled state yet his forced politeness, Grandmother Jia sighed and waved her hand, saying calmly, "It's good that he knows he's wrong. Help him back and let him rest well."

Wang Xifeng stood behind Grandmother Jia, her phoenix eyes flashing with extremely complex emotions, and even a sense of dread, like the saying "the rabbit mourns the fox's death."

Lin Daiyu gazed at his back, which refused to bend down, from afar. Tears welled up in her eyes instantly, and she hurriedly covered her mouth and nose tightly with a silk handkerchief, afraid of letting out a sob.

Just as the atmosphere in Rongqing Hall became slightly eerie after the execution was completed, someone no one expected barged into the oppressive hall without being announced!

The newcomer wore a slightly worn indigo Taoist robe, his beard and hair were all white but his face was ruddy. He was none other than Jia Jing, who had been detached from worldly affairs for many years and had been cultivating immortality and comprehending the Tao in the Xuanzhen Temple outside the city!

As soon as Jia Jing entered the room, he completely ignored the female relatives present, such as Grandmother Jia, Madam Xing, and Madam Wang, and didn't bother with Jia She and Jia Zheng. He immediately locked his gaze on Jia Zhen, who was secretly pleased with himself.

Without a word, he grabbed the whisk in his hand and began to beat Jia Zhen mercilessly, cursing and hitting him until the dust on the beams seemed to fall in a flurry.

"You wretched child! You good-for-nothing! I'll teach you to be so disobedient! I'll teach you to spout nonsense and frame innocent people! You've completely disgraced the Jia family!"

"That good child, Qin, was praying for you, you scoundrel, in the temple! How dare you slander her purity and innocence with such vile words?! Have you lost your conscience?! Or have you been bewitched by those cronies?!"

"How could I have given birth to such a despicable scoundrel! Not content with spending your days indulging in debauchery, cockfighting, and dog racing, now you've even learned to frame your nephew and slander your daughter-in-law! I'll beat you to death and cleanse the Jia family of its filth!"

Jia Zhen was fearless and acted arrogantly in the mansion, but he was afraid of his eccentric father.

When the whisk came hurtling towards him with a whooshing sound, Jia Zhen let out a scream in fright.

He disregarded all prestige as clan leader and immediately fled in terror, begging for mercy: "Father! Father! Don't hit me! I know I was wrong! I... I was just confused for a moment, blinded by greed!"

Jia Zhen's disheveled appearance was completely different from his "grief and indignation" when he had just turned black into white, which made everyone feel even more contemptuous.

Although Jia Jing was a generation younger than Grandmother Jia, he was a man outside the secular world and had long regarded worldly etiquette as a shackle. Why would he care about seniority or occasion?

He pointed at Jia Zhen, who was hiding behind Grandmother Jia seeking protection, and said sternly to Grandmother Jia, whose face was extremely ugly.

"Aunt! You've weathered many storms; surely you can see through this wicked child's endless lies?! Qin arrived at Xuanzhen Temple three days ago. I used my aura-gazing technique to examine her; her aura was pure and flawless, without a trace of karmic entanglement! If she truly had an affair with Yun-ge'er, how could she not show any karmic burdens on her body? Do you think I, with my meager skills, can't see it?! If she truly did, I would have expelled her from the temple long ago; how could I allow her to defile the sacred space before the Three Pure Ones?! This wicked child clearly committed a despicable act, was caught and stopped by Yun-ge'er, and in his anger and shame, he turned around and tried to kill her!"

Jia Jing's merciless rebuke was a resounding slap in Jia Zhen's face!

In this era of believing in ghosts and gods and revering the way of heaven, a cultivator's words on "observing qi" are particularly poignant.

Its weight is far greater than that of an ordinary person's defense!

This almost cleared Qin Keqing and Jia Yun of their grievances from the perspective of "heavenly justice"!

Jia Jing wasn't making this up, nor was he simply showing favoritism towards Jia Yun.

How could someone who possesses a copy of the Tao Te Ching personally copied and blessed by Zhang Guoxiang, a master of Longhu Mountain, be a treacherous villain?

At this moment, Jia Yun was also completely dumbfounded. How did Jia Jing arrive so quickly? Could it be that he really flew over on a sword?