Dream of the Red Chamber: A Refined and Elegant Young Man in a Turbid World

Upon hearing this, Miaoyu's face turned deathly pale. She abruptly looked up at Jia Cong, her eyes filled with shock and anger, and said in a trembling voice,

"What do you mean by that, Third Master? This humble nun is a recluse, seeking only peace and quiet for spiritual practice. My stay at the Rong Mansion is merely a temporary accommodation; I have no intention of coveting your offerings!"

"Intending to stay here?" Jia Cong sneered, his tone even more sarcastic.

"You probably don't even believe your own words, do you? If the manor hadn't taken you in, and you weren't provided with this food and lodging, do you think you could still be cultivating in this tranquil and carefree place, still have the leisure to brew tea with plum blossom snow water, and still complain about Granny Liu being dirty? You call yourself an outsider, constantly claiming to despise the secular world and loathe the powerful, but in the end, don't you still have to rely on the manor's big tree and others' support to make a living? Is this what you call an outsider?"

These words pierced Miaoyu's heart like a sharp blade, causing her to shudder. Her face turned even paler, and her lips trembled slightly, yet she couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

Seeing that the atmosphere was tense, Baoyu quickly got up to smooth things over.

"Third brother, you are mistaken. Master Miaoyu is a true practitioner of cultivation. Her noble nature and aversion to worldly things are understandable. Please do not make fun of her anymore."

Jia Cong ignored Bao Yu's attempts to smooth things over and continued to stare sharply at Miao Yu.

"Just staying here temporarily? You've been in the Rong Mansion for quite some time now. If you truly wanted to leave, why wait until today? Besides, you keep saying you despise the world, but I think you're always secretly meeting with others and flirting with them."

"You're talking nonsense!" Miaoyu's eyes welled up with tears, a mixture of anger and shame. "How could this humble nun have any talk of secret feelings? Third Master, don't make false accusations!"

Jia Cong scoffed, "Then tell me, why do you only treat Bao Er-ge differently? Why are you willing to use your own personal jade cup to pour tea for him? But when Granny Liu merely used one of your cups, you complained it was dirty and wanted to throw it away. How dare such a scoundrel call himself an outsider?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the green jade cup in Baoyu's hand, his mockery deepening.

"The cleanliness you speak of is probably only for the lower classes, isn't it? Even a poor old woman like Granny Liu finds a cup dirty, but she's willing to share her personal jade cup with Bao Er. Is this what you call cleanliness? Is this what you call an outsider? In the end, you're nothing but a snob who loves the rich and despises the poor, utterly hypocritical."

"You...you..." Miaoyu was speechless after being confronted by Jia Cong's words. She trembled all over, her face turned as white as paper, and the mist in her eyes grew thicker and thicker. In the end, she could not hold back any longer, and large tears slid down her cheeks, dripping onto her plain monk's robe.

No one had ever exposed her hypocrisy in public like this, trampled on her pride like this, or mocked her so mercilessly. For a moment, she felt utterly ashamed, and her Daoist heart couldn't help but waver.

She always believed that her aloofness, purity, and otherworldly demeanor were unmatched by others, but in Jia Cong's eyes, they were nothing but self-deceiving hypocrisy and the twisted nature of a down-on-her-luck lady.

She lacked love and security, which is why she used aloofness to disguise herself. She was unwilling to be destitute, so she relied on the Rong family's support to maintain her dignity. She may have had feelings for Baoyu, but she herself was not sure.

When Baoyu saw Miaoyu crying, he panicked and tried to comfort her while urgently speaking to Jia Cong.

"Third brother! You've gone too far! Master Miaoyu is naturally proud and aloof; how could you humiliate her in public like this? Quickly apologize to her!"

Jia Cong, however, was no longer afraid of Baoyu and didn't care at all.

"I'm not insulting her, I'm just stating the truth. If she were truly aloof and otherworldly, she wouldn't have been hurt by my words, nor would she have shed tears. In the end, she's just an ordinary person, a hypocritical and twisted person wearing a cloak of aloofness."

Baochai, standing to the side, remained silent throughout, simply holding her teacup and calmly observing everything before her. Her face still held a dignified and gentle smile, but a barely perceptible hint of approval flickered in her eyes.

She had never liked Miaoyu's overly aloof nature, finding her somewhat pretentious, but she refrained from saying so out of politeness.

Daiyu put down her teacup with a mocking expression, her eyes showing no dissatisfaction but rather a hint of appreciation and approval.

Miaoyu sobbed for a long time before gradually stopping her tears. She raised her tear-streaked face to look at Jia Cong, her eyes filled with despair and resentment, yet she still tried to maintain the last shred of dignity.

"I have remembered what you said, Third Master. Although I am living under someone else's roof, I still have my own integrity. I lost my composure today. Please leave, gentlemen and ladies. I need to cultivate in peace and cannot entertain you any longer."

Baoyu wanted to say something more, but Baochai stopped him.

Baochai gently shook her head at him, signaling him not to say anything more. Then she stood up, nodded slightly to Miaoyu, and softly offered a few words of advice.

"Since Master wishes to cultivate in peace, we will not disturb you any longer. We will visit you again when we have time in the future."

Having said that, she pulled Baoyu along, gesturing for Daiyu and Jia Cong to leave together.

After the two left the inner room, Jia Cong couldn't help but glance at Miaoyu, who was in tears. He thought to himself, "Tsk tsk, she is truly a beauty of unparalleled grace."

He showed no remorse whatsoever, turned and walked out. Daiyu followed closely behind. Just before reaching the door, she suddenly stopped, and taking advantage of Baoyu and Baochai's inattention, quietly tugged at Jia Cong's sleeve and whispered in a tone only the two of them could hear, a hint of petulant reproach in her voice.

"Third Brother, you're quite bold today, humiliating her in public. Aren't you afraid she'll hold a grudge and say to others that you're arrogant and disrespectful?"

Jia Cong chuckled, turned his head away, and lowered his voice.

"Since I dare to speak out, I am not afraid of her resentment, nor am I afraid of what others will say. Such a hypocritical person deserves to be exposed. Besides, I now hold an official position; what can a nun like her do to me?"

Upon hearing this, Daiyu frowned slightly.

"Even if you are capable and powerful, you shouldn't be so careless. Miaoyu is proud and holds grudges. She may not let this go after you humiliated her like this. Third Brother, you should be more careful in the future."

Daiyu rarely displayed such considerate behavior, and her stunning beauty even stirred Jia Cong's heart. After a few moments, he waved his hand dismissively.

"It's not that I'm heartless, it's just that I disdain wasting my time on such a hypocrite. With her looks, if she knows what's good for her and behaves herself, she could find a good home. But if she continues to act all high and mighty and doesn't know what's good for her, she'll suffer the consequences later."

When Daiyu heard him say that, she gave a slightly petulant snort.

"Don't make enemies in public again next time, or you'll bring trouble upon yourself."

At this moment, Baoyu and Baochai also came out. Baoyu still looked annoyed and kept muttering to himself.

"Third brother, you really went too far today. Master Miaoyu is so pitiful, how could you treat her like this..."

Baochai gently tugged at Baoyu's sleeve.

"Alright, there's no point in saying more now. Let's hurry back and not bother Master Miaoyu any longer."

Upon hearing this, Baoyu could only shut his mouth in embarrassment and leave with Baochai.