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

Jia Cong's heart sank, and he quickly knelt down obediently, bowing his head and holding his breath.

"Grandson greets His Majesty."

"Greetings?" Grandmother Jia sneered, her voice not loud, but carrying a chilling authority.

"I can see that you no longer regard me as your ancestor, nor the rules of the Rong family, and you have no sense of duty whatsoever!"

Jia Cong lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to raise his head, only pleading in a low voice.

"Your grandson dares not. I beg you, Grandfather, to enlighten me. If I have made any mistakes, I will certainly correct them."

"Explicitly?" Grandmother Jia trembled slightly with anger, jabbing her cane twice more. Her tone grew increasingly fierce, yet she didn't utter a single word about Baoyu.

"I used to pity you, thinking that your parents didn't care for you or look after you, and that you were originally a law-abiding and sensible junior. Who knew you would turn out to be such a wolf in sheep's clothing, forgetting your roots once you gained power!"

"He only got a sixth-rank job and made a name for himself outside for a few days, and now he dares to come back to the manor and cause trouble?" Grandmother Jia's voice suddenly rose.

"Just because the Emperor has shown you some favor, you dare to run rampant in the mansion, causing chaos and making the whole place unbearable. If word gets out, people will laugh at the discord among the Rong family descendants, at my incompetence in managing the household, and at how the descendants of the mansion are all arrogant and conceited once they gain power!"

Jia Cong felt a chill run down his spine. He pressed his forehead against the blue brick and dared not raise his head. Offending Jia She and Jia Zheng was not a big deal, but he could not easily anger this seemingly kind old matriarch. His career had just begun, and the other party had the ability to suppress this hard-won fame at any time.

He had no choice but to grit his teeth and kowtow repeatedly.

"Grandson was wrong, grandson was truly wrong! Please, Grandmother, calm your anger. Grandson knows his mistake and will correct it. From now on, he will be well-behaved and abide by the rules, and will never dare to cause trouble again! He will always remember Grandmother's kindness and will not cause any more trouble for the household!"

Seeing that he had yielded, and remembering how obedient he had indeed been over the past year and how much income he had brought to the household, Grandmother Jia's anger subsided slightly. However, she still coldly uttered a harsh remark.

"I hope you truly realize your mistake. If I hear of any unrest in the manor again, or if I see any arrogance or forgetfulness in you, I will not forgive you! Now go and reflect on your actions, and behave yourself from now on!"

"Yes, grandson will go down and reflect on his actions!" Jia Cong bowed and retreated without even wiping away his cold sweat, his steps even a little unsteady.

But Baoyu had been delirious for most of the night, and with the weather getting colder, his small body couldn't withstand the ordeal. He was delirious with fever, and two doctors were called in, but they were helpless. They could only instruct him to boil willow branches into a soup and give it to Baoyu, and also prescribe some medicine to induce sweating.

Baoyu was not like Grandmother Jia, and had no right to invite the imperial physician to examine him. His face was burning red, and he was still talking nonsense in a daze.

Lady Wang sat to the side wiping away tears, while simultaneously complaining about Jia Zheng.

"It's all because of your good nephew. Now that he's got an official position, he doesn't even recognize his ancestors. If anything happens to Baoyu, my son and I will go together, so you won't have to worry about him every day!"

Jia Zheng paced impatiently.

"Nonsense! This wicked madman is clearly talking nonsense. He should shut up!"

Baoyu took the medicine and sweated, but still did not get better. He kept calling out "sister" and "younger sister" incoherently. Jia Cong was also secretly feeling guilty. If something really happened to the other party, Lady Wang and Grandmother Jia would never let him off the hook.

As he paced around Qingyan Hall, he pondered whether to make a concentrated salicin solution and send it to Yihong Courtyard, since there was plenty of cheap willow branches and poplar bark.

Just as he was hesitating, he suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from inside the camphor wood box, like a buzzing sound. At first, Jia Cong thought it was just a mouse and ignored it, but the sound became increasingly strange.

Just as they were hesitating, the buzzing sound inside the camphor wood box became clearer and clearer. It was no longer the faint sound that was initially faint. Instead, it sounded like something was stirring inside, causing the walls of the wooden box to tremble slightly.

Jia Cong frowned, strode forward, and lifted the lid of the camphor wood box. The Mirror of Love and Lust lay quietly at the bottom of the box, the dust that had covered it had somehow dissipated, and the mirror surface faintly shimmered with a silvery light.

Jia Cong picked up the treasure mirror and saw nothing unusual, but the buzzing sound seemed to come from deep within the mirror, becoming clearer and carrying a strange rhythm.

He raised his hand and wiped the mirror, which instantly became clear. But when he looked closely, he only saw his own reflection in it, with no other scenery.

Just as he was puzzled and thought it was just his imagination due to his restlessness, and was about to throw the mirror back into the box, the mirror suddenly began to shake. His reflection gradually blurred and disappeared, replaced by a hazy light and shadow. It seemed that there was a courtyard with pavilions and towers, lush flowers and trees. He could vaguely see a familiar figure lying on the bed, his face flushed and his breath weak. It was Baoyu, who had a persistent high fever.

As the light and shadow shifted, the mirror swayed more violently, and the hazy scene flickered between light and shadow, as if guiding something.

Jia Cong's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly realized that this "Mirror of Love and Lust" might be reminding him to take it to cure Bao Yu's illness.

However, this treasure mirror is too strange, and it was given to him by the lame Taoist priest. If he were to bring it to the Yihong Courtyard rashly and be seen and questioned by others, it would be difficult to explain. Moreover, in the original story, this treasure mirror is already inextricably linked to Baoyu. If he were to take it out easily, it would inevitably cause more complications.

Now that things had come to this, there was no time to think it over. Jia Cong gritted his teeth, stuffed the Mirror of Love and Lust into his clothes and hid it close to his body. He then turned around and walked to the table, opened a small brocade box, inside which was a small white porcelain bottle, which was the Tiger Ben Firming Pill that Sun Tai had given him earlier.

He took out the Tiger-Strengthening Pill, tucked it into his sleeve, and strode out of Qingyan Hall, heading towards Yihong Courtyard. Outside Yihong Courtyard, lights blared, and inside came the suppressed sobs of maids and the hurried footsteps of servants—a scene of utter chaos.

When Jia Cong reached the courtyard gate, the maidservant guarding the gate was taken aback upon seeing him, but then quickly bowed in greeting.

"Third... Third Master, may you rest in peace."

Jia Cong nodded slightly. "How is Brother Bao? I heard he has a persistent high fever, so I specially asked for some pills to come and take a look."

The young maidservant dared not delay and quickly turned and ran into the courtyard to report. A short while later, Xiren came out briskly, her face showing signs of fatigue and anxiety, her eyes slightly red. She bowed slightly to Jia Cong.

"Third Master, please come in. However, Second Master has a persistent high fever, and we servants can only worry helplessly. Please forgive us, Third Master."

As soon as I stepped into the room, a sharp, mocking voice pierced the stillness, filled with disdain and contempt. It was Qingwen's voice:

"Isn't this the new master of the manor? What brings you to the Grand View Garden? Are you here to see our Second Master make a fool of himself, or to show off your hard-earned fame and fortune?"