The Red Mansion in its bustling glory

Upon hearing the old lady's words, Jia Jue quickly stood up and went to greet Daiyu.

Hello, little sister.

"Second Brother," Daiyu said, bowing in return.

"May I ask your name, sister?"

"Lin Daiyu".

Daiyu spoke softly and gently, which was truly endearing. However, seeing that she was as frail as a willow, as if she would be blown away by a gust of wind, Jia Jue wanted to remind her, but then he thought that it was only the first time they had met, and it would not be good to say too much, so he just said a few words and sat down.

As soon as she sat down, a young maid came over and whispered a few words to the old lady. Grandmother Jia frowned and said, "Couldn't you have waited a day or two? Why now of all times?"

Although he sounded somewhat displeased, he still said to Jia Jue, "You go first, the master is calling for you."

Upon hearing this, Jia Jue stood up, bowed to everyone again, and followed the little girl out.

Seeing Jia Jue leave, Musk Moon quickly lowered her head and followed.

The group traveled along a winding path until they arrived at a study.

This study was clearly much grander than those of Jia Jue and Bao Yu. Above the door stood a plaque, inscribed with "Mengpo Studio," written by a famous calligrapher from the capital, commissioned at great expense by Jia Zheng's guests.

Jia Jue stood outside the door, straightened his clothes, and then let the servant go in to announce his arrival.

Before long, the servant came out again and invited him in.

Jia Zheng was an upright man who loved reading and associating with scholars. In his youth, he aspired to become an official through the imperial examinations. However, before his father, the Duke of Rongguo, passed away, he obtained an imperial favor that allowed him to become an official without taking the exams. This, however, shattered his dream of a career through the imperial examinations.

Therefore, Jia Zheng was extremely strict with his sons, hoping that they could study hard and pass the imperial examinations in the future, thus fulfilling his dream.

However, fate was unkind. Although Jia Zheng had four sons, his eldest son, Jia Zhu, died young; his third son, Bao Yu, spent his days among women and lacked ambition; and his fourth son, Jia Huan, was mediocre in talent and had a vulgar demeanor. Only his second son, Jia Jue, was naturally intelligent. Although young, he was calm, composed, and had an extraordinary temperament, and was expected to become the pillar of the Jia family in the future.

Therefore, among his many sons, Jia Zheng favored him above all others.

The reason Jia Jue has been summoned is for the purpose of studying for the imperial examinations.

After Jia Jue bowed to Jia Zheng, Jia Zheng got straight to the point: "Mr. Yin is a learned scholar and a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). It would have been most appropriate to hire him as your tutor. However, that wretched boy Baoyu is unambitious, indulging in lewd and cunning schemes all day, and is also spoiled, forcing Mr. Yin to resign! Before he left, Mr. Yin told me that you study diligently, and even just reviewing what you've learned would be enough for you to pass the county examination. I'd like you to take the exam; what do you think?"

Jia Jue said, "Father, you can decide for me."

"Hmm." Jia Zheng stroked his beard and nodded. "Starting tomorrow, you will no longer need to study in your old study. I have already instructed the staff to prepare a separate study for you. You can study there from now on; it will be quieter and you will be able to concentrate."

Jia Jue didn't say much, and just nodded.

"I'll talk to the old lady myself, you don't need to say anything. Besides, you're all grown up now, it's not good for you to sleep with the old lady all the time. I'll talk to her next spring and tell her to let the two of you move out."

Jia Jue simply nodded in agreement.

"Alright, go ahead. Don't get complacent just because Mr. Yin praised you to me. Remember, 'Pride goes before a fall, humility brings benefit,' you must keep that in mind."

"Yes."

Jia Jue replied with one sentence and then prepared to leave.

"etc."

Jia Zheng called him back again.

"Your Uncle Lin's daughter is coming to our house today, and she might come to visit me. I'm usually quite impatient with official documents and mundane affairs, so if she comes, please greet her on my behalf. Just wait for her at Rongxi Hall."

Jia Jue nodded in agreement and then left.

When they came out of Jia Zheng's study, it was already getting dark.

It was late autumn, and the days were short. Jia Jue took a deep breath and called to Musk Moon, who had been waiting outside Mengpo Studio for a long time, to walk together toward Rongxi Hall.

Rongxi Hall is considered the main house of Rongguo Mansion.

Logically speaking, this place should be the residence of Jia She, the heir to the title of Duke of Rong, who is also Jia Jue's uncle.

However, the old lady gave the place to her second son, Jia Zheng.

However, because of her seniority, no one dared to say anything.

The Rongxi Hall was extremely luxuriously furnished. Although there were no elders sitting or lying down inside, only a few maids and servants were standing by. Jia Jue did not sit in the main seat, but was sitting on a chair next to him.

He knew perfectly well that now that he had entered feudal society, he needed to establish many concepts as soon as possible. Otherwise, if he accidentally did something that offended the emperor, it would be too late to regret it.

Jia Jue waited quietly inside the room, and it wasn't long before Daiyu came over.

When Daiyu saw Jia Jue, she was obviously surprised—she never expected that she would see this familiar "second brother" again when she was visiting her uncle, and there was no sign of her uncle in the room except for him.

Although the look of surprise flashed across her face, Jia Jue still noticed it.

Jia Jue smiled and said, "Father is not feeling well today, so he sent me to greet my sister."

Lin Daiyu thought to herself, "Since I came here, all the sisters have called Uncle 'Master,' but only this second brother calls Uncle 'Father,' which shows that he is very much loved by Uncle."

Although she thought this way, Daiyu was a very proud person. She would not look up to you just because you were favored, nor would she look down on you just because you were neglected. Therefore, Daiyu only said, "I see," and said a few words of concern for Jia Zheng's health.

Lin Daiyu's original intention in coming here was to visit Jia Zheng, but now only Jia Jue was present. Although the two were still young, the concept of "separation of men and women" didn't apply to them yet. Besides, they were surrounded by serving maids and servants, so it was a respectable situation and no one could say anything. However, this was only their second meeting, and Jia Jue, unlike his younger brother Jia Baoyu, wasn't fond of socializing, especially with pretty girls. He wasn't very talkative, so they didn't have much to say.

Ironically, being reborn twice hadn't made him any more outgoing.

On another note, after exchanging a few pleasantries, Daiyu stood up to take her leave.

Jia Jue got up to see her out, saying, "Sister, you've traveled a long way from Jiangnan to the north, and the weather has changed. You need to take care of yourself. You're still young, and you seem to be in poor health, so we should be even more careful."

Lin Daiyu nodded in agreement, but couldn't help feeling a little moved. She had come here alone, with only a young maid and an old woman accompanying her. In the vast Rongguo Mansion, apart from the old lady who genuinely cared for her, only Lian Er's sister-in-law had offered a few sincere words of concern out of respect for the old lady. As for others, they were merely polite words. Now, observing Jia Jue's expression and hearing his tone, it seemed he was truly sincere. How could Lin Daiyu not be moved?

Besides, she is a sentimental person by nature.