The Red Mansion in its bustling glory

Seeing Lin Daiyu like this, Jia Jue couldn't help but laugh and say, "I know you care about me, sister. But it's still early, and perhaps the old lady will change her mind and not let me go."

Daiyu thought about it and realized that it was true. The old lady often wanted to do things on a whim, but as people get older, their memory isn't very good, and she often forgot them.

Jia Jue then said, "If you really want me to go, that would be even better. To get to Jinling, you have to pass through Yangzhou. I'll bring you some things from Yangzhou then, as a token of my homesickness."

Hearing Jia Jue's words, Daiyu felt both happy and sad: she was happy that Jia Jue had such a kind heart, thinking that she was alone and far from home, and that even living in a magnificent palace, she could not help but feel lonely; she was sad because Jia Jue's words had stirred up her longing for home, which she had been trying to avoid in the past, and all the memories of her parents' harmony and the prosperity of her family came flooding back to her.

Seeing that Daiyu seemed about to burst into tears after his words, Jia Jue realized what was going on. He inwardly regretted his words and said, "Good sister, if you're going to cry, please don't cry here. Otherwise, if the Old Madam and Madam find out, they'll skin me alive! Even if the Old Madam and Madam don't know, look at my roommates—Qingwen and Sheyue—they've already sided with you. If you cry like this again, they'll tear me apart!"

Jia Jue's words naturally made her laugh while also implying: Look, you are not alone in this mansion. The old lady is on your side, everyone in my room is on your side, and even I am on your side.

Daiyu, being intelligent, naturally understood the meaning behind Jia Jue's words and immediately smiled, saying, "Why are you about to cry?"

"Yes, yes, yes." Jia Jue nodded and said, "My sister is the strongest; she never cries."

"You little rascal!" Daiyu knew, of course, that Jia Jue was teasing her, but thinking about how she seemed to have shed many more tears since coming to the Jia family, and how sometimes she would lean against the railing and gazing at the desolate scenery, she would shed a few tears. Hearing Jia Jue's words now, she naturally felt a little embarrassed.

Daiyu rolled her eyes at him and said, "I originally wanted to give Brother Jue something, but I suppose Brother Jue will be passing the imperial examination soon, so he won't need anything from someone as insignificant as me."

"Not at all," Jia Jue immediately changed his expression, "In my heart, your talent is as vast as the sun and moon, as boundless as the ocean; even Zhuo Wen and Yi An cannot compare!"

Seeing his exaggerated actions and tone, Musk Moon, Qingwen, Zijuan and others who were watching the show also laughed.

Daiyu rolled her eyes at him helplessly: "You're talking nonsense. You've even brought up the sun, moon, rivers, and seas, and Zhuo Wenyi's poems. How can I possibly accept that?"

Jia Jue laughed and said, "Sister, let me see what good things you've brought."

"You," Daiyu sighed, then gritted her teeth and said, "you truly are my destined nemesis!"

Here, take it.

As she spoke, Daiyu placed something in Jia Jue's palm.

When Jia Jue looked closely, he realized it was a beautifully crafted purse.

This must have been Daiyu's first time doing needlework in the Rongguo Mansion.

As Jia Jue carefully put it away, he smiled and said, "It wasn't easy for my sister to make such a purse, so please don't tire yourself out for my sake."

Daiyu spat and said, "What do you mean, 'for you'? It was just something I did for fun when I had nothing else to do. Do you still want it? If not, give it to me!"

Jia Jue smiled and said, "How could I refuse? After all, it's a token of my sister's affection. I happen to have something to give you, something you're sure to like!"

As he spoke, he strode out and returned shortly afterward with a book in his hand.

"Look," he said, "you see."

Daiyu took it as instructed, and when she opened it, she found it contained a series of beautiful poems and essays.

Jia Jue then said, "The other day I attended a literary gathering and met a friend named Zhao Xing. His grandfather and sister must have heard of him—Zhao De. Have you heard of him, sister?"

"Zhao De?" Daiyu pondered for a moment. "Is that the 'Master Xuanwu'?"

"Of course," Jia Jue nodded.

As mentioned earlier, Zhao Xing's grandfather, Zhao De, was a first-rate scholar. The Emperor Emeritus personally wrote the words "Sage" for him, so he was naturally famous throughout the land.

As for how famous he was, it was because the late emperor personally issued an edict granting him the Xuanwu Lake in Jinling so that he could concentrate on his studies there. Therefore, Zhao De was also known as "Master Xuanwu".

"This book was given to me by Zhao Xing. It contains many Han and Tang dynasty prose poems, with beautiful and elegant language and substantial content. It leaves a lingering and pleasant aftertaste. It also contains Mr. Xuanwu's personal annotations. So, sister, are you satisfied?" Jia Jue said with a smile.

Daiyu was naturally satisfied. How could a talented woman like her not be satisfied? Besides, she hadn't brought many books with her to the capital, and there weren't many readable books in the Jia family mansion, which was exactly what she needed!

However, Daiyu couldn't help but think, "He has now accepted my purse, yet he has given me such a precious gift. It's clear that he treats me like an outsider and that we've become distant."

As a result, I couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated.

Jia Jue could certainly tell, and he had even considered that Daiyu might think this way when he brought it to her. So he said, "The purse you gave me, sister, was handmade. However, although the book I gave you is precious, it is slightly inferior in terms of sentiment. As the saying goes, 'what goes around comes around,' I just hope that after you receive this book, you can make me a few more purses."

These words, however, resolved Daiyu's inner conflict.

She originally thought that Jia Jue's return gift was just because he didn't want to owe her anything, and that he actually wanted to ask for a few more, but was just too embarrassed to ask directly.

Daiyu said, "That naturally depends on whether I have time."

As he spoke, he fumbled for the book in his hand.

Jia Jue looked at her and found it amusing.

Just as the two were chatting and laughing, they heard someone say, "Hey, I was wondering where I couldn't find Sister Lin, turns out she's here!"

Jia Jue and Daiyu turned around and saw a sweet-looking girl dressed in men's clothing standing at the door, smiling.

Who else could this young girl be but Shi Xiangyun, the niece of Marquis Baoling Shi Nai and Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding?

Grandmother Jia's original surname was Shi, and she was the aunt of the current Marquis of Baoling, Shi Nai, and the Marquis of Zhongjing, Shi Ding.

Shi Xiangyun's father was the elder brother of Shi Nai and Shi Ding, and he was a bright and promising young man in his day.

Unfortunately, fate was cruel; Shi Xiangyun passed away not long after her birth.

Xiangyun's mother fell ill from longing and passed away the following year.

In this era, many people believed in gods and ghosts, and in the concept of fate. Unbeknownst to many, historians began to spread the story that Shi Xiangyun was "hard-fated" and "killed" her own parents.

Therefore, historians inevitably treated Xiangyun somewhat harshly.

Grandmother Jia was kind-hearted and adored pretty girls and boys. Seeing that Shi Xiangyun was lovely, a child of the Shi family, and had a forthright personality, she couldn't help but think of herself when she was young, and that she had a similar unrestrained personality.

So he felt a certain pity for her.

Every now and then, someone would be sent to the Shi family to invite Shi Xiangyun to stay at the Jia mansion for a couple of days.

At the same time, because of Xiangyun's background, Daiyu inevitably saw her own shadow in her. Moreover, Xiangyun was quite talented, so her relationship with Daiyu was even better than that with the three sisters of the Spring Festival.

"What are you talking about? Let me see!" Xiangyun said.