The Red Mansion in its bustling glory

Jia Jue knew that this poem was one of Miaoyu's favorites.

In the original novel, Xing Xiuyan once said that Miaoyu believed there had been no good poems since the Han, Jin, Tang, Song, and Five Dynasties periods, except for two good lines.

These two lines are from Fan Chengda's poem "On the Ninth Day of the Ninth Lunar Month, I Visited the Site of My Burial Site," which reads: "Even with a thousand-year-old iron threshold, in the end, it will all become a mound of earth."

After reading the poem, Jia Jue laughed and said, "A thousand years of wealth and honor vanished in a single day; the three realms of existence are but fleeting illusions. Fan Gong's poem is optimistic and detached, unlike the common folk. It is desolate yet expansive, truly a fine poem."

Upon hearing this, Miaoyu couldn't help but look up at him—"You think this poem is good?"

Jia Jue nodded and smiled, "Of course."

Miaoyu looked him up and down and said, "I thought you would scoff at this."

Jia Jue asked, "Why do you think that?"

Miaoyu said, "Firstly, the poem is elegant and simple, not luxurious or flashy, which is not in line with the status of your country's noble son; secondly, the poem speaks of life and death as one and abandoning wealth and status, which is not something that noble sons can understand."

Jia Jue then laughed and said, "This master is being too decisive. There are so many noble sons in the world; how can you condemn them all with one blow? How do you know that there aren't any among them who can genuinely understand and agree with the true meaning of the poem?"

Miaoyu sneered, "I won't lie to you, I am also a young lady from an official family, and I have seen countless ugly faces since I was a child. Perhaps there are indeed some people who don't value fame and fortune, but how many of them are there?"

Jia Jue asked, "Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

"you?"

Miaoyu sneered, "You're not that kind of person."

"Master Miaoyu, aren't you being a bit too decisive? We've only met once, and you haven't gotten to know me at all. How do you know I'm not that kind of person?"

Miaoyu said, "Before you came, my master told me about you—the second son of the second master of the Rongguo Mansion recently passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. He has studied diligently since childhood, striving for fame and fortune. How could you be someone who despises wealth and fame?"

Jia Jue remained silent for a long while, then said, "Since that's the case, does Master Miaoyu then disregard fame and fortune like worn-out shoes?"

Miaoyu replied, "Of course."

Jia Jue then asked, "Since that's the case, I wonder what is it that Master Miaoyu is so attached to?"

Miaoyu said, "As the saying goes, 'All conditioned phenomena are impermanent. Those who are loving and united will inevitably part.' All appearances are illusory, therefore I have no attachment to them."

Jia Jue laughed and said, "Master Miaoyu, your learning is vast and your understanding of Buddhist principles profound; I admire you greatly. However, if you are free from attachments, why must you be so particular about everything and strive for purity in all things? — The water for brewing tea must be dissolved in ghee, and the teaware must be left behind by famous people. The Buddha said that all beings are equal, yet you see those who seek fame and fortune as dirt, and those of noble character as friends. You may not like the wealthy and powerful, but you can still have a chance to meet them; yet for farmers in the fields, it is as difficult as climbing to heaven to pay homage. Master Miaoyu, how do you interpret this?"

Miaoyu remained silent.

Inside the room, wisps of cigarette smoke curled out like clouds or gauze.

How do you know this?

Miaoyu asked.

"Just as Master Miaoyu knows my situation, I know yours as well," Jia Jue said.

Miaoyu sighed. Just as she had thought, it was her master who had told her.

After a long pause, she said again, "My master always says that I am not yet free from worldly ties and wants me to return to secular life. Now that you have come, it is in accordance with my master's reasoning. However, the secular world is corrupt, and I do not wish to be tainted by it."

Jia Jue laughed and said, "Master Miaoyu hasn't answered my question yet. What should I say?"

Miaoyu sighed, "What you say makes sense. Although I have become a nun, I am not a member of the Buddhist order. I have read books on Buddhism, Taoism, and other miscellaneous subjects. It is only because my master has taken refuge under the Buddha that I also call myself a Buddhist. Now that I think about it, I realize that I was indeed attached to something."

Jia Jue said, "If that's the case, then what's the difference between Master Miaoyu and those who pursue fame and fortune?"

Miaoyu said, "The difference is so great, how can you not see it?"

Jia Jue laughed and said, "Those who pursue fame and fortune are attached to fame and fortune, but Master Miaoyu is attached to lofty ideals. Their attachments are the same, so they are no different from each other."

Miaoyu remained silent, staring blankly at the table in front of her.

Seeing that she remained silent, Jia Jue stood up and said, "It's getting late, so I'll take my leave now."

After saying that, he turned and left.

For some reason, Jia Jue felt a sense of familiarity the moment he saw Miaoyu.

But Jia Jue knew that he could never truly befriend her.

However, her younger brother was quite compatible with her.

After Jia Jue left, Miaoyu simply sat there without saying a word.

This meditation room has two rooms—or rather, an outer room and an inner room.

The outer room is the room where Miaoyu is. The inner room and the outer room are separated by only one wall and a door. It is Miaoyu's bedroom.

Now, a young lady gracefully walks out from the inner room.

This girl has a gentle and virtuous appearance, and is also a first-class beauty.

This woman's surname is Xing, and her given name is Xiuyan. Interestingly, she has a connection with Jia Jue.

What's the relationship?

Xing Xiuyan's father was the elder brother of Madam Xing, the eldest wife of the Jia family's Rongguo Mansion.

This Xiuyan is the eldest wife's niece.

Although they were both her nieces, she couldn't compare to Wang Xifeng.

Firstly, of the two wives, Madam Wang was more favored by the old lady.

Secondly, Wang Xifeng had already married Jia Lian and become his wife.

Thirdly, the Wang and Jia families are longtime friends and remain wealthy and powerful clans. The Xing family, on the other hand, has fallen into extreme decline.

Even though this family had nowhere to live, it was Master Huixin who spoke up and allowed them to live in a meditation room in the courtyard.

Xiuyan came out and said to Miaoyu, "I never expected that this Second Master Jue would be so eloquent, able to leave you speechless."

Miaoyu shook her head and said, "If we're talking about debating, I'm quite confident, and saying a few more words wouldn't be difficult. However, what we're saying today has nothing to do with debating. He saw right through me."

Miaoyu was aloof and unconventional, and she regarded worldly people as worthless.

Although she identifies herself as a Buddhist, she does not adhere to Buddhist precepts, valuing refined tastes over compassion. She considers herself superior, yet is also fixated on class distinctions. Although a woman, she does not follow the traditional gentle and demure ways of the inner chambers; instead, she is sharp-tongued and acts arbitrarily.

Apart from her master and Xiuyan, everyone else thought she was a cultivator, an enlightened being.

However, she herself was an obsessive and intoxicated person.

Master Yu Xiuyan only came to understand her after getting to know her better over time. However, she never expected that Jia Jue, after only one meeting and a few words, would see the complexity in her heart.

"well--"

Miaoyu let out a long sigh.

"Master, perhaps I truly haven't severed my ties to worldly affairs!"

While Miaoyu was lost in thought, Jia Jue ran into Abbess Huixin again.