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

The moon's shadow outside the window was mostly obscured by the drifting clouds. The candlelight on the table flickered, casting a reddish glow that projected the embracing figures onto the window frame, creating a jumbled silhouette.

The moment the energy burst forth from the top of his head, Jia Cong felt the condensed energy that had been stagnant in his dantian dissipate silently!

"Third Uncle...don't betray me..." Qin Keqing reluctantly straightened his slightly disheveled jacket, her long black hair also falling loose, messy yet carrying a hint of expectant shyness.

Jia Cong smiled and gently touched the other's rosy cheek.

"I will find a good opportunity to visit the ancestor tomorrow, and then wait for news."

When they returned to the stage, the play "Drunkenly Beating the Mountain Gate" had already ended. They were currently performing the Investiture of the Gods, depicting Jiang Ziya's execution of generals and bestowal of titles upon the gods. Seeing Jia Cong return, Jia Rong, still tipsy, stood up.

"Where has Third Uncle gone? We've been waiting for him!"

Jia Cong calmly picked up his wine cup.

"I drank a bit too much just now, and unfortunately I got an upset stomach. Please excuse me, brothers."

The group of scions of noble families were already completely drunk, and Feng Ziying, who had just been acting like a gentleman, was now clamoring to perform a sword dance to add to the merriment.

After the party finally ended, these young masters, supported by their servants, boarded their carriages one by one, ignoring the curfew, and noisily returned to their respective residences.

Back in his own courtyard at the Rong Mansion, Jia Cong lingered on Qin Keqing's incomparable charm, while secretly pondering...

"We need to find a pretext to get Wang Xifeng and the old lady to facilitate this matter."

Although he didn't drink as much as the night before, he was still tired and, while thinking about it, he turned his head and fell asleep.

The next day after school, just as he was about to go to Sun Tai to ask about the opening of his Qi Sea the day before, Madam Xing and Wang Shanbao's wife blocked his door.

Jia Cong paused, then quickly bowed and said, "Your son greets Mother."

He glanced at Madam Xing's gloomy expression and had already guessed most of what was going on. This stepmother was always greedy and concerned about her reputation. Her visit today must be for the 100 taels of perfume workshop profit that Sister Feng had given him before.

Madam Xing slowly raised her hand to adjust the gold and kingfisher feather hairpin at her temple, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping over Jia Cong. She stepped across the threshold in her embroidered shoes, neither urging him to rise nor to sit. She simply stood in the center of the hall, lightly dusting nonexistent dust from her sleeves with a silk handkerchief, her voice clear yet laced with sarcasm:

"Alright, get up. I came here today for no other reason than that your father is short of money in his study lately. He said the other day that he wanted to get a new set of Xuan paper and Huizhou ink, but unfortunately the family is short of funds. As his wife, I can't just watch my husband suffer."

Jia Cong stood with his hands at his sides and replied in a low voice, "Mother's considerations are thorough. As for Father, I will do my best to be filial in the future."

"You have the intention, but I don't know if you can actually do it."

Madam Xing gave a cold laugh, finally turned around and sat down, glancing at him with a sarcastic tone.

"I heard that a few days ago, Feng gave you a hundred taels of silver, saying it was a share of the profits from the perfume workshop? It's kind of Feng to have thought of you, the young master of the main branch. But you're young, and holding so much silver in your hands, I'm afraid you don't know how to manage it. What if you squander it on shady things? Wouldn't that be letting down the old matriarch and disgracing your father?"

Jia Cong's heart skipped a beat, knowing she was about to get to the point, but he remained calm and composed.

"Reporting to Mother, I did not dispose of the one hundred taels that Sister Feng received indiscriminately. I originally intended to save it so that I could ask the public for less money for tuition and writing materials in the future, thus saving Mother and Father from worrying."

"Oh? Is that so?" Madam Xing raised an eyebrow, her tone even more sarcastic.

"I see you're holding onto your money tightly, unwilling to spend it on your father's expenses. Your father is your own father, and the reputation of our eldest son's family depends entirely on the master. But you, after receiving the benefits, hoard them. If word gets out, people will say that our eldest son is unfilial, not even willing to show respect to his own father."

Seeing this, Wang Shanbao's wife immediately chimed in, but not daring to be too presumptuous, and said meekly:

"What Madam says is absolutely right, Third Master. Master has always been kind to you. Now that Master is short of money, it is only right that you take out some silver to show your respect. Besides, Madam is doing this for your own good, so that others won't criticize you in the future and say that you don't know the rules."

Madam Xing glanced at Wang Shanbao's wife with approval, then looked at Jia Cong, her tone suddenly becoming more serious, and said with pressure:

"I won't make things difficult for you. Take out sixty taels of that hundred taels of silver to supplement your father's study expenses. If you insist on refusing, then I have no choice but to go to your father and let him judge whether it is right for you to hoard your property or to show filial piety to your father."

Jia Cong's hands, hanging by his sides, quietly clenched.

"Mother is joking. It's not that I'm unwilling to be filial to Father, but I've already made up my mind about what to do with the money, and I plan to inform Grandmother in a few days."

Madam Xing was taken aback, clearly not expecting him to mention Grandmother Jia. Her face darkened slightly: "Why bother the old lady with such a trivial family matter? You certainly know how to find a backer."

"Mother, you flatter me," Jia Cong said respectfully, yet neither servile nor arrogant.

"It's not that I'm looking for a backer, but our matriarch has always valued 'filial piety and brotherly love' the most, and she cherishes the younger generation in the household the most. Now that I've received a reward, I should report it to her. Firstly, to thank her for her daily teachings, and secondly, to hear her opinion on how to use the money in a way that both fulfills my filial duty and doesn't violate any rules."

He paused, then said:

"Furthermore, Sister-in-law Feng gave me a bonus because I've always been well-behaved and haven't caused any trouble. It's also out of respect for my grandmother and parents. If Mother forces me to hand over sixty taels, I'm not afraid of anything else, but I'm afraid that when the old matriarch asks, I won't be able to explain where the money went. This would lead the matriarch to misunderstand and think that Father is mistreating his son, or that Mother can't tolerate me as her stepson and is deliberately demanding my private property. Wouldn't that cause trouble for the elders and damage the reputation of our eldest son's family?"

Madam Xing's expression changed instantly. The person she feared most was Grandmother Jia. If Grandmother Jia really misunderstood her as mistreating her stepson and being greedy and ungrateful, then her position in the mansion would be in grave danger.

Suppressing her anger, she said coldly, "So you're trying to intimidate me by bringing up the old lady? You've become even more sharp-tongued, no different from that gossipy old woman!"

"Your son wouldn't dare," Jia Cong said, bowing slightly.

"Well then, as a son, I shouldn't trouble my parents, but I really can't come up with sixty taels. I don't dare to bother the old lady and cause her worry. Here are twenty taels of silver, which I took from the dividends. Mother, take them first to supplement Father's expenses. This is my way of showing filial piety. As for the rest of the silver, as we agreed before, it will be used for Father and the family's respectable affairs. I would never dare to hoard or misuse it."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and instructed Li Rong, who was standing outside the door:

"Go and fetch twenty taels of silver, pack it up and bring it to me." Although Li Rong hesitated, he dared not say anything more and quickly agreed and went to fetch it.