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

Jia Cong thought to himself that he was in trouble. He had really run into bad luck today. He had just run into the Crown Prince and now he had run into that damned Prince.

He quickly bent down and bowed respectfully, offering his greeting first.

"This humble official greets Your Excellency!"

The newcomer spoke in a calm and deep voice, offering a slight, gentle touch.

"Rise and answer me: Who are you, and what is your official position?"

"My name is Jia Cong, and I have been granted the title of Commander of the Left Thousand-Household Garrison of the Capital Garrison..."

The newcomer was slightly taken aback, then smiled and tucked his hands back into the sleeves of his cloak.

"Surname Jia? Could you be from the Rongguo Duke's mansion?"

Jia Cong nodded hurriedly.

"Indeed, my father, Shang Jia Xia She, is a first-class Divine Might General, a hereditary title."

The newcomer, however, began to laugh to himself.

"I wondered who it was, but it turns out to be a family friend. Commander Jia, there's no need for such formalities. This horse is a tribute from the Western Regions, bestowed by the Emperor. It has a proud and unruly nature, and it's difficult for anyone who isn't familiar with it to get close to it."

Jia Cong nodded repeatedly, not daring to raise his head, and could only step aside to let the person pass first.

The newcomer glanced at him slightly, then stopped and turned his head back with great curiosity.

"Did Commander Jia enter officialdom before he even reached adulthood?"

Jia Cong hurriedly bowed again.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, I was granted the honor of passing the military examination and entering officialdom by His Majesty's grace, and I have already come of age."

The person then turned around, their gaze probing.

"Is Jia Enhou your father? And who is Jia Zhonghua to you?"

Zhonghua was Jia Lian's courtesy name, and Jia Cong quickly replied upon hearing this.

"That's my elder brother..."

The visitor was greatly surprised and immediately raised his hand with a smile.

"And raise your head..."

Jia Cong had no choice but to grit his teeth and barely lift his head slightly, but he didn't dare to look directly at the other person.

"Do you recognize me?"

"This humble official dares not presume to claim kinship with you, sir. May I ask who you are, sir?"

Before the newcomer could speak, his personal attendants stepped forward and reprimanded him.

"My master is a descendant of the Prince of Nan'an, and by imperial favor inherited the title of Duke of Anguo. He was appointed as the Governor-General of the Capital Garrison, with the character 'Lin' above his name!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Cong breathed a slight sigh of relief. The Nan'an Prince's Mansion and the Rong Mansion had a good relationship, and his birth mother had even married into the family from there. He immediately put on a smiling face.

"Forgive my poor eyesight, I did not recognize you as the Duke. I truly have eyes but do not know Mount Tai."

Huo Lin glanced at Jia Cong a few times, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

"It's been so many years since the Rong family has produced a decent young man. Since you are the son of the Marquis of En, why haven't you come back to visit the family all these years?"

Jia Cong secretly groaned. His birth mother had passed away before he could remember anything, and Madam Xing was greedy and jealous. Everyone in the main branch of the family kept the former wife a secret and never mentioned her. Even Jia Lian never spoke of his mother in his daily life.

He could only force a smile and lower his body.

"Please forgive me, sir. I was young when my mother passed away, and I was still an infant. I had no idea that there was such a connection between us."

Huo Lin sighed.

"No wonder you didn't know; by all accounts, I'm your mother's eldest brother."

Upon hearing this, Jia Cong was overjoyed. "Even an eagle in the sky is the greatest, and an uncle on the ground is the greatest," he thought, and immediately bowed down in obeisance.

"Nephew greets his maternal uncle!"

Unexpectedly, Huo Lin did not show the expected joy of recognizing relatives; he merely offered a perfunctory helping hand.

"No need for formalities. Now that we've acknowledged our kinship, will you have a courtesy name after the coming-of-age ceremony?"

"Yes, my nephew's courtesy name is Jinghuan."

"Very good, you have the air of a military general. Jinghuan has already passed the military examination at such a young age, which is quite worthy of your family's reputation. It is not convenient for you to stay today, let's talk again another day."

Upon hearing this, Jia Cong had no choice but to quickly step aside.

"Yes, Your Highness will remember your teachings."

Huo Lin nodded slightly, and his attendant led over the Qinghai horse, which he mounted. He then gave Jia Cong a deep look before leaving.

He only breathed a sigh of relief and got up after the sound of the other horse's hooves had faded into the distance. He looked around for his servant, Li Rong, only to find the guy squatting against the wall, rubbing his hands to warm them. He was instantly furious and kicked him.

"You damned fool, what kind of judgment did you make about the horse?!"

Li Rong complained bitterly after being kicked.

"Please forgive me, Third Master. I've been waiting here for most of the day, but you haven't come out. It's cold outside, so I had to squat in the corner to avoid the wind..."

Scolding and beating Li Rong was useless, so Jia Cong had no choice but to suppress his anger and go to Ba Hongchen.

"Useless thing, get back here and see how I deal with you!"

After returning to the Rong Mansion in the cold wind, Jia Cong pondered for half a day before deciding to go to Jia Lian's residence himself. He then took Jia Lian out of the mansion and they finally sat down in a private room at Dongxinglou on West Street.

Jia Lian was somewhat puzzled, but he smiled and picked up his wine cup.

"Third brother, you're usually very diligent in your martial arts practice, why are you slacking off today?"

Jia Cong feigned politeness and clinked glasses with the other person.

"My injuries haven't fully healed yet, so I'm feeling lazy. Second Brother, please do me the honor of having a good drink with me today."

After a few drinks, Jia Lian became more talkative, wondering if his third brother wanted something from him again. He just smiled and picked up a piece of wind-dried goose with his chopsticks, putting it in his mouth.

"Third brother, you might as well speak frankly. Why are you out drinking in this freezing weather? You must be trying to avoid being seen."

Jia Cong didn't hesitate; he waved away Li Rong and Jia Lian's servants before quietly lowering his voice.

"It's true that nothing can be hidden from Second Brother. Today, while accompanying Master to court, I ran into Master Huo of the Nan'an Prince's Mansion..."

This startled Jia Lian so much that he almost dropped his chopsticks and quickly grabbed Jia Cong's sleeve.

"Is that true? Did Master Huo say anything to you?"

Jia Cong pulled his sleeve back and poured more wine for the other person.

"Master Huo is a man of great stature, holding an important position. How could he possibly chat with me casually? He only inquired about my father's well-being."

Although Jia Lian held the rank of a fifth-grade official, he had obtained the title of Assistant Magistrate through purchase and was not qualified to attend court. He was greatly astonished by Jia Cong's words and hurriedly pressed for more information.

"Does Master Huo have any instructions?"

Jia Cong deliberately sighed to avoid the topic, picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and then looked at Jia Lian with a lingering gaze.

"Second brother, you are my own brother, we are brothers. As your younger brother, there's something I've been keeping to myself for a long time..."

Jia Lian's eyes dimmed, and he put down his chopsticks and waved his hand.

"Brother, there's no need for further words; I know what you want to ask."

"Oh? Second Brother really knows?"

"Ah, Third Brother probably wants to ask about Mother..."

Although Jia Lian was licentious and shameless, he was a shrewd man. Faced with Jia Cong's questioning, he did not hesitate and, with a bit of alcohol on his side, revealed a little bit.

It turns out that the two's birth mother was Huo, a concubine's daughter of the Prince of Nan'an, whose given name was Shu and courtesy name was Siying.

Huo Shu's father was the late old prince, and her mother was Yao Ji, a maid who accompanied the current Princess of Nan'an. After entering the palace, she was made a concubine.

Yaoji served the Dowager Consort like a sister from a young age. She was not a concubine or a lowly concubine bought by the Empress Dowager. After giving birth to Huo Shu, she was promoted to a concubine.

But Huo Shu was no ordinary girl; she was a proper county princess, personally bestowed by the emperor. From a young age, she was well-educated, virtuous, and gentle, possessing the demeanor of a lady from a prominent family.

The Dowager Princess of Nan'an also liked Huo Shu's quiet and unassuming nature, so she adopted her in her own courtyard from a young age and raised her together with Huo Lin. They studied and wrote together in the same place, and the siblings had a very close relationship.

As for marrying into the Rong family, it was with the approval of the Dowager Consort and the marriage arranged by Huo Lin, which can be considered a marriage between two families with a long-standing friendship.