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

My good mood was ruined early in the morning. To make matters worse, Madam Xing was second only to Grandmother Jia in the entire Rong Mansion. She was a proper first-class noblewoman, while Madam Wang, although she managed the affairs of the Rong Mansion, was far inferior in rank.

But Jinping, standing to the side, whispered softly.

"Third Master, please don't be angry. Although the fabric you were given as a reward has been sent out, the Old Ancestor is a kind-hearted person and will certainly not let you get cold..."

Jia Cong gave her a deep look. Seeing that Jinping was still looking down at herself, he secretly admired her. After all, she came from Grandmother Jia's side. Even if she wasn't a first-class maid, her mind was far superior to Chu Lan's.

Just as Jinping had said, not long after lunch, Amber, the head maid of Grandmother Jia's courtyard, knocked on the door.

Is Third Master in?

Jia Cong quickly straightened his clothes and went out to greet him.

"Why did Sister Amber come in person? Or did the Ancestor summon me?"

Amber, smiling, carried a bundle of fabric, slipped into the courtyard, handed the fabric to the maid beside her, and curtsied.

"Greetings, Third Master. The Ancestor didn't rush to summon you. She just took a nap and, remembering that you needed a thick leather garment for the winter, specially sent me to deliver it."

Jia Cong's heart stirred. He saw the little maidservant step forward with the fabric, unwrapping it layer by layer. Inside was a silver fox fur coat, its fur as white as snow, soft and thick to the touch. It was several times more valuable than the ordinary fur coat he had given to Madam Xing that morning.

"This..." Jia Cong blinked somewhat embarrassedly.

"Such a valuable silver fox pelt... How could such a trivial matter trouble the ancestor?"

Amber glanced at Jinping unhurriedly.

"Third Master, there's no need to refuse. Our matriarch said you are a reasonable and patient person. She knows perfectly well who is right and who is wrong."

Upon hearing this, Jia Cong understood that Jinping had probably sent word to the old lady, letting her know that Madam Xing had come to cause him trouble that morning. That's why she had given him such a generous gift, both as compensation and as a way of secretly supporting him.

He then unceremoniously instructed Jinping behind him to accept the money, saying, "Please trouble you to go back and tell the old lady that I thank her for her kindness and care. I will remember it."

After saying that, Jia Cong, as was customary, took out a small piece of silver from his sleeve and stuffed it into the other person's hand.

Amber didn't say much, just chuckled and tucked the silver into her pocket.

"This servant thanks Third Master for the reward." She curtsied and beckoned two maids over, "Hurry up and follow, don't miss the reply." Then she left the courtyard with light steps.

Receiving this reward made Jia Cong feel much happier, and he practiced his martial arts in the courtyard that afternoon with more enthusiasm.

After practicing two sets of boxing and half an hour of internal energy cultivation, Jia Cong thought of the Zhaowu Golden Mace that Grandmother Jia had bestowed upon him, and for a moment he felt a little itchy for it.

He took the golden mace out of the camphor wood box, carefully weighed it in his hand, and then took it to the courtyard to swing it around.

However, Sun Tai had never taught him how to use weapons, so Jia Cong naturally didn't know the proper techniques. Relying solely on the brute strength he had developed over the past few months, he still managed to make the golden mace whistle as he swung it.

Several months of martial arts training made Jia Cong two inches taller than in the summer. This was partly due to better food and partly because he had reached the age where a teenager should be developing.

He called Chu Lan over to measure his height, and Jia Cong estimated that he was over 1.7 meters tall, which made him stand out from the crowd of maids and servants.

It is often said that people in ancient times were short, but that is not entirely true. Confucius was a Shandong man who was nearly two meters tall. Naturally, young masters living in luxury would be taller than impoverished refugees.

After wielding the golden mace for a while, Jia Cong felt hot and sat down to rest. Before he could even warm his bottom, a servant from Jia Lian's room came to remind him that preparations for the sacrificial ceremony would begin in a few days.

Just like in Chapter 53, he had to present the silk with Jia Lian, which could also be considered proof that he was the legitimate son.

In previous years, the Rong and Ning mansions were always bustling with activity during the New Year. But this year was a little different. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Jia Yuanchun was going to return to the mansion to visit her family, and everyone was busy preparing for the occasion.

The original text of *Dream of the Red Chamber* reads: "The Lantern Festival was fast approaching. From the eighth day of the first lunar month, eunuchs came out to survey the area: where to change clothes, where to sit, where to receive greetings, where to hold a banquet, and where to retire. There were also inspecting eunuchs in charge of local affairs, leading many junior eunuchs to set up barriers and screens at various locations; instructing the Jia family members on where to retreat, where to kneel, where to eat, and where to issue notices—various procedures were observed. Outside, officials from the Ministry of Works and the five city garrison commanders were sweeping the streets and chasing away idlers. Jia She and others supervised the craftsmen in making lanterns and fireworks, and by the fourteenth day, everything was complete. That night, no one slept."

At dawn on the fifteenth, all those of noble rank, including Grandmother Jia, dressed in their finest attire according to their rank. Throughout the garden, dragons danced in the tents, and phoenixes fluttered in the curtains; gold and silver gleamed, and jewels competed for attention; incense burned in cauldrons, and vases held the fragrance of evergreen flowers; all was quiet, and no one coughed. Jia She and the others waited outside the West Gate, while Grandmother Jia and the others waited outside the main gate of the Rong Mansion. The streets and alleys were all heavily cordoned off. Just as they were growing impatient, a eunuch rode up on a large horse. Grandmother Jia hurriedly greeted him and asked for news. The eunuch said, "He's still quite far off! He had his evening meal around 1:00 PM, and then went to the Baoling Palace to worship Buddha around 1:00 PM. He'll then go to the Daming Palace to receive a banquet and watch the lanterns around 5:00 PM before requesting permission to leave. I'm afraid he won't set off until around 7:00 PM." Upon hearing this, Fengjie said, "In that case, Grandmother and Madam, please return to your rooms. It's not too late to come when the time comes." So Grandmother Jia and the others were allowed to make their own way for the time being, and Fengjie took care of everything in the garden. She also ordered the stewards to lead the eunuchs to a meal.

On this day, Jia Cong also mustered his spirits and followed Jia Lian outside the Grand View Garden, not daring to breathe loudly. It wasn't until after dark that the Imperial Concubine's entourage finally entered the garden.

The story of Consort Yuan's visit to the garden is left aside, as Cao Xueqin had already described it. After entering the house, he instructed that Daiyu, Baochai, and the other sisters be called in one by one.

Meanwhile, men without official positions, such as Jia Cong and even Jia Baoyu, were not allowed to enter without permission and were forced to stand outside exposed to the northwest wind.

Shivering from the cold, a little eunuch came out with a high-pitched voice.

"Send the male servants Jia Baoyu and Jia Cong inside..."

Jia Cong's eyelids twitched. Why did he have to take the lead himself? Consort Yuan doted on Baoyu the most and had taken him under her wing to teach him since he was a child. It is said that when Baoyu was only three or four years old, he had already learned several books and thousands of characters from Jia Yuanchun.

He didn't know that this was all thanks to Jia Zheng. Although the old man was pedantic and hypocritical, he would never lie about trivial matters. When the Imperial Concubine Yuan mentioned the couplets during her visit to the garden, Jia Zheng honestly said that half of them were written by Jia Cong.

This made Consort Yuan curious. Her cousin was not favored in his early years, and she might not see him more than a few times a year before she entered the palace. How did he suddenly become such a prominent figure?

Furthermore, upon hearing from Jia Zheng that the other party was now practicing martial arts and would participate in this year's martial arts examination during the autumn season, he was even more astonished and couldn't help but want to meet him. If he really had potential, he would inevitably have to comfort him.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Imperial Concubine..." Jia Cong followed Jia Baoyu into the room with his head bowed, and hurriedly prostrated himself in worship.

"Alright, alright, get up quickly..." Consort Yuan ordered Baoyu to come forward, took his hand and held him in her arms, then stroked his head and neck and smiled, "You've grown quite a bit since then..." Before she could finish speaking, tears streamed down her face.