The Red Mansion in its bustling glory

When Xue Pan was thrown out into the street in public, his servants were stunned.

They had never seen their master humiliated like this before.

Even when Jia Jue knocked him down last time, it never turned out like this.

Seeing Xue Pan lying on the ground groaning incessantly, several servants quickly lifted him up and hurriedly carried him onto the ship.

When they got on the boat, Aunt Xue was immediately alarmed.

"What happened now?! I just got beaten up, and now I've been beaten up again?!"

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.

Baochai, who was standing nearby, also secretly shed tears.

Just then, Jia Jue returned. Aunt Xue, seeing him, immediately asked, "What happened? Wasn't Pan'er with you two? Why was she beaten again?"

Jia Jue was also shocked to hear this—"What? Brother Xue got beaten up again?"

Jia Jue rushed over and saw Xue Pan lying face down on the bed, his back covered in blood and his forehead bruised.

Jia Jue couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Brother Xue, how did you get beaten up like that?"

Then he said to Aunt Xue, "Just now, I went to visit my uncle's house with Brother Xue. Brother Xue left first, saying he wanted to go sightseeing in Yangzhou. I just don't know who he offended and was beaten like this."

Aunt Xue, weeping, said, "This time, we absolutely have to go to the government office to file a complaint! We can't just suffer in silence like this!"

Baochai said from the side, "Mother, even if we go to sue, we need to know who hit the person, right? Why don't we listen to what my brother has to say first?"

Aunt Xue then said, "Yes, what my daughter said makes sense."

The three then looked at Xue Pan again.

By this time, Xue Pan had recovered from the shock of being beaten.

Upon hearing his younger sister ask who had hit him, Xue Pan weakly replied, "I don't know who it was, I only know he was a prince."

"Your Highness?"

Everyone was taken aback. Although Xue Pan was usually a complete scoundrel, he had never encountered a prince before. Besides, Yangzhou was not the capital, Chang'an, so how could he have run into a prince?

Xue Baochai asked, "Brother, are you sure it really is a prince?"

Xue Pan said, "How could this be fake? He keeps using the word 'I, I'm' all the time; he must be a prince!"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Xue's face paled considerably.

"How...how did I end up running into a prince...?"

As she spoke, she involuntarily took two steps back. At that moment, she suddenly realized something—because her family had a good relationship with the Jia family in the past, Xue Pan had met the four princes of different surnames before, but judging from Xue Pan's appearance and words, he clearly did not recognize them. They could only be His Majesty's own brothers!

Baochai, who was standing nearby, saw this and quickly went over to help her sit down.

Jia Jue asked, "Brother Xue, does this prince know where you're from?"

Xue Pan wailed as he said, "That's right! He ordered his men to beat me. Those men were ruthless and vicious. They whipped my back with the handle of their knives while asking me where I was from. At first, I didn't want to say, but they said that as long as I opened my mouth, they would let me go and throw me into the street without beating me. So I naturally told them."

Upon hearing this, the mother and daughter's faces naturally turned even paler.

Baochai asked, "Brother, how did you offend someone?"

Xue Pan said, "I was just going to the 18th floor to have some fun and experience it. Who knew the madam there was a prince's concubine? Nobody would ever guess this place! What prince would choose a woman from a respectable family over a woman from a brothel like this? And to make her a madam?"

Upon hearing this, the group naturally fell silent.

Indeed, no one could have predicted such a situation.

However, Aunt Xue spoke up, saying, "And you, why would you go to a place like that for no reason? Aren't you enough at home? Aren't you afraid of getting sick! If you hadn't gone, you wouldn't have gotten this beating!"

Xue Pan shouted, "I've already been beaten like this, and you're still saying this...!"

Aunt Xue was helpless and could only sigh, then tears continued to flow.

She was helpless; they were powerless against a prince.

After comforting Xue Pan and having a doctor come to examine him, the group left.

By this time, the group had gradually calmed down and began to think.

As for the incident of Xue Pan being beaten, it seems to have had no impact on the Xue family.

After all, Xue Pan's reputation was already bad enough, so even if this became a topic of conversation after dinner, it wouldn't have much of an impact on their family.

However, that was in the past.

It's different now.

Why are they different?

Think about why they went to the capital!

In order to select female officials for the palace.

If you offend His Majesty's own brother now, what if that prince whispers a few words between brothers to His Majesty when it comes time to participate in the selection? Wouldn't that ruin the whole thing?

Xue Baochai had an idea.

Jia Jue had also thought of that.

Aunt Xue... perhaps she could think of it, but she probably didn't want to.

After all, two or three days later, the fleet continued its northward journey.

To be honest, Xue Baochai was somewhat pleased when she learned that she would not be selected as a female official.

The deep palace walls have been a place where beauties have lost their lives since ancient times.

The story of "keeping a beauty in a golden house" has been passed down for many years, but what happened to Chen Ajiao in the end? Wasn't she deposed as empress and left to die in Changmen Palace with resentment?

If this story is too ancient, let's look at something more recent.

Take Jia Jue's eldest sister, Yuan Chun, for example—didn't she also enter the palace under the pretext of being selected as a female official and a companion to a princess? And what happened? Now she has been in the palace for many days, but she has not yet won the emperor's favor. She can only serve noble ladies and feels lonely and empty.

Therefore, Baochai knew all along that the palace was a deep and unpredictable place, and that it would not be easy for her to rise to prominence on her own.

After all, "entering the gates of a noble family is like entering a deep sea." If the gates of noble families are like this, what about the royal family?

However, for the sake of the increasingly declining wealthy family behind her, she has no choice but to fight on.

This is the debt of gratitude for being raised, nurtured, and educated; she has no choice but to repay it!

So she used to sigh secretly when she was on the ship.

But things are different now, because she has completely let go of that burden from the bottom of her heart.

She had already told herself, "It's not my fault that I can't enter the palace; it's because my brother offended His Majesty's brother."

Although this is somewhat of an escape from the problem, it is a good way to comfort oneself.

The ships continued their voyage.

At this point, Aunt Xue no longer dared to let Xue Pan go ashore to play at will.

Therefore, he was kept under close watch.

However, given Xue Pan's current state, he can no longer act as he did before.

The ship sailed for two months, which was the effect of Aunt Xue's special instruction to slow down.

Only in this way can Xue Pan get a proper rest and recuperation.

Otherwise, if I went to the Rongguo Mansion with all my injuries, wouldn't I be ridiculed?

Therefore, when the ship docked at the pier outside the capital, Xue Pan was already lively and energetic again, though he was a little weak.

In his words—"I'm all better now!"