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

Xiren reached out to help Baoyu adjust his clothes, her voice hurried yet steady:

"My goodness! Why did you run out without even wearing shoes? Be careful not to get your feet cold. Quickly put on these brocade shoes, and this dark blue satin lined robe too. It will make the master look more presentable."

Qingwen pinched the collar of her robe and pouted, saying, "Second Master is so impetuous. I told you to behave yourself and wait, but you insisted on running around like a madman. Now you're all flustered. If Master sees you like this, he'll get angry again."

After saying that, she stood on tiptoe to straighten Baoyu's clothes, her fingertips deftly smoothing out the wrinkles without the slightest delay.

Surrounded by the two men, Baoyu muttered as he kicked off his shoes, "There's no time to put them on properly, Father's waiting for me."

Jia Cong stood by and watched as Xiren deftly tied Baoyu's jade belt, and Qingwen brushed the dust off his shoulders. He then smiled and said, "Alright, alright, don't delay any longer. Second Uncle has always disliked people dawdling."

Baoyu nodded, then grabbed Jia Cong's wrist: "Good brother, you have to come with me and smooth things over for me."

Jia Cong nodded helplessly, "Of course." He then walked out with Baoyu, with Xiren and Qingwen leading several maids following behind, constantly reminding them to "watch their step" and "speak less and listen more" until they stopped at the courtyard gate.

The head servant of Jia Zheng was already bowing and waiting. When he saw the two of them come out, he hurriedly led the way and whispered, "Master and the gentlemen are already resting at the door, waiting for the second master."

Baoyu's heart tightened, and he subconsciously moved closer to Jia Cong. Jia Cong gently patted his arm, signaling him to calm down, and the two walked side by side along the winding path to the provincial villa.

Upon arriving at the villa where the emperor was visiting his family, Jia Zheng was about to reprimand Bao Yu when he saw Jia Cong also there. He had no choice but to swallow his words and simply put on a stern face.

"You wretched child, you've kept these venerable gentlemen waiting for half a day! Don't you have even a shred of manners?"

These words startled Baoyu, who quickly bowed in greeting.

"Father, please forgive me. I was having such a pleasant conversation with Brother Cong that we were late."

Jia Zheng glanced deeply at the meek and submissive Jia Cong, then stroked his short beard.

"You worthless wretch, daring to argue! It's clear you're just restless and only know how to have fun!"

Jia Cong could no longer pretend to be mute, so he had no choice but to step forward with a forced smile and bow.

"Second Uncle, please forgive me. It was my fault. I saw that Brother Bao's couplet was excellent, so I decided to come and ask for his advice. I didn't expect to miss the appointed time."

Jia Zheng gave a light snort and flicked his sleeve.

"Cong-ge'er, there's no need to cover up for this rebellious son. Since you are the son of my elder brother, it's not convenient for me, as your uncle, to discipline you. Since you're here today, you might as well come into the garden with me. The poems and essays you wrote that day are all left here now."

"I will follow your instructions, Second Uncle..." Jia Cong took a deep breath, pulled Baoyu along, and then followed Jia Zheng and the others into the provincial villa.

The Grand View Garden was almost finished. Just as Jia Zheng entered the garden, he saw Jia Zhen leading a group of servants who stood by his side.

Jia Zheng said, "Close all the garden gates. Let's look around first before going in." Jia Zhen, hearing this, ordered the gates closed. Jia Zheng first inspected the gates. He saw that the main gate had five bays, with tiled roofs and mud-eel-shaped ridges. The doorframes and windows were intricately carved with fresh patterns, without any red or white paint. The walls were all polished white, with white stone steps carved into Western floral patterns. Looking to the left and right, all the walls were snow-white, with tiger-skin stones laid out naturally, avoiding any vulgar or gaudy appearance. He was pleased. He then ordered the gates opened, and a range of verdant mountains blocked their view. All the guests exclaimed, "Beautiful mountains! Beautiful mountains!"

Jia Zheng said, "If it weren't for this one mountain, once we entered, all the scenery in the garden would be in sight. What would be the point then?"

Everyone agreed, "That's absolutely right. Only someone with profound knowledge and vision could conceive of such a thing."

As he spoke, he looked ahead and saw towering white rocks, some resembling ghosts and monsters, others like fierce beasts, standing in a jumbled array; moss covered them, and vines and creepers obscured the view, with a narrow, winding path peeking out from among them. Jia Zheng said, "Let's wander along this path, and then return by exiting from that side, so we can see everything." (Apologies, I don't have Cao Xueqin's writing style, so I'm borrowing the original text here.)

Many people entered the garden. Besides Jia Zhen, Jia Zheng, and their servants, there was also a group of literati invited by Jia Zheng. They praised the garden highly. Some said, "The pavilions and terraces are all in accordance with the rules, and there is a beautiful view at every step. It is no less than the famous gardens in Suzhou." Some clapped their hands and exclaimed, "The stacking of stones and the arrangement of water show great skill and contain all kinds of elegant charm." Others pointed to the green bamboo under the corridor and the weeping willows by the pond and said, "The planting of plants and trees is also very particular. The green color is reflected in the water and swaying in the wind. It is really extremely elegant."

Jia Zhen led the way, listening with a smile to the praises of the crowd, occasionally turning to say, "It's all thanks to you gentlemen and the grace of the Imperial Concubine that I dared to put in this effort."

Jia Cong and Bao Yu walked at the back, hoping that Jia Zheng would never speak.

When they arrived at the place where they were to leave their inscriptions, according to the original work, Baoyu left the five characters "曲径通幽处" (a secluded path leading to a winding path) to pass the test, which will not be elaborated on here.

After the group passed the "Qinfang" pavilion inscribed by Baoyu, they came to a pink walled area with several elegant houses and hundreds of green bamboos providing shade.

After some discussion, it turned out that this was the first place the emperor visited, and also the source of the phrase "the phoenix comes to pay homage" in the original work. Baoyu was quite pleased with himself, probably getting a little carried away.

Jia Zheng nodded and said, "You beast, you beast! You've only seen a part of the whole picture!" He then ordered, "Write another couplet." Baoyu then recited:

The incense in the precious cauldron is still green after the tea has finished brewing, and the fingers are still cool after the game of chess has ended by the secluded window.

Jia Zheng shook his head and said, "It hasn't grown at all."

Originally, Jia Zheng should have led everyone to the next place when they arrived here, but now there is Jia Cong.

Jia Zheng glanced sideways at Jia Cong, who was keeping his head down and remaining silent, and then casually beckoned to him.

"Cong-ge'er is always quick-witted, and the poems and essays he wrote last time were also well-written and well-structured, unlike Bao-yu who is so naughty and superficial. Today the scenery is excellent, so you should also write a couplet and let the gentlemen comment on it together with Bao-yu."

Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, Jia Cong had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward.

"Since it is my second uncle's order, I will obey."

After saying that, he looked up and examined it closely. Indeed, it was exquisitely crafted and elegant in every detail, showcasing the luxury of the villa.

After pondering for a moment, he realized that there was no Song Dynasty in this novel, so he tentatively recited two lines.

"The heavy curtains, left unrolled, retain their fragrance for a long time; the ancient inkstone, slightly concave, gathers abundant ink."

"Excellent!" Jia Zheng was the first to clap his hands, and the scholars and literati behind him also stroked their beards in praise. An old gentleman nodded and smiled, saying:

"Third Brother's artistic conception is elegant and refined, perfectly matching the scenery here. His words are dignified and graceful, even possessing the leisurely elegance of Du Fu's poems. It's rare for a young person to have such skill!"

Jia Cong secretly thought to himself, "These are Lu You's poems and essays, of course they're good stuff!"

With admiration in his eyes, Jia Zheng looked at Baoyu and then scolded him with a stern face: "You wretched child, you only care about mingling with women and reading idle books and crooked poems all day long, and you are unwilling to put your heart into the right path at all."