Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting with a Chronicle of Tragic Love

Despite the pain from Jia Zhen's beating, Jia Rong grimaced in agony, his heart filled with both fear and hatred.

His gaze swept over the figure in the Moon Gazing Pavilion, and he noticed that although Jiao Si was bowing, his face held a mocking smile.

He gritted his teeth and pointed at Jiao Si.

"Father! It was...it was him! Jiao Si framed me!"

"He deliberately set a trap to harm his son!"

Jia Zhen frowned, his gaze sharp as a knife, first sweeping over Jiao Si's calm face before settling back on Jia Rong.

"Trying to frame you? Explain yourself!"

Jia Rong swallowed hard, enduring the excruciating pain, and stammered incoherently.

"At first... at first, my son simply asked Jiao Si to buy a hairpin to give to Qin Keqing, as a token of his affection for her!"

"Later, he was sent to the Qin residence to arrange a meeting with Qin Keqing at the Moon-Gazing Pavilion at 9:00 AM today!"

"My son just wanted to see her beforehand and talk to her!"

He became increasingly aggrieved as he spoke, as if he were the victim.

"But my son never asked Jiao Si to invite Mother (referring to Madam You) here!"

At this point, Jia Rong suddenly stopped talking.

He realized he had let something slip.

Jia Zhen's face instantly turned ashen.

He is not a fool.

Jia Rong's words were contradictory and full of loopholes.

Did Jiao Si buy a hairpin to give to Qin Keqing?

He even had Jiao Si secretly invite Qin Keqing to the Moon-Viewing Pavilion in this desolate wilderness?

If it's truly a "heartfelt intention," why be so secretive? Why not be open and aboveboard?

Moreover, Jia Rong himself admitted that he did not allow Jiao Si to meet with You Shi.

Why is Lady You here?

Why would Qin Ye say that it was Lady You who invited Qin Keqing to go sightseeing?

Recalling Qin Keqing's humiliated and indignant appearance just now, and Qin Ye's furious attitude of wanting to annul the engagement...

Jia Zhen already understood.

This is not Jiao Si framing Jia Rong at all!

It was clearly that idiot Jia Rong who, out of some despicable motive, devised this vicious scheme to frame Jiao Si for having an affair with Qin Keqing!

For some reason, Jiao saw through their scheme and instead invited You Shi over, leaving Jia Rong empty-handed. The whole affair became public knowledge, causing the Ningguo Mansion to lose all face!

"You bastard!"

After understanding this, Jia Zhen's anger flared even more, and he kicked Jia Rong several more times!

"You still dare to argue?! You still dare to falsely accuse others?!"

"Speak! Why did you do this?!"

"Qin Keqing is your fiancée! She's not even married yet! How dare you use such despicable means to tarnish her reputation?!"

"What...what are your true intentions?!"

Jia Zhen kicked and cursed, showing no mercy with his feet.

Jia Rong was beaten until he rolled on the ground, screaming in agony.

His face and body, which were already injured by Jiao Si, were now even more severely damaged.

He held his head, curled up like a stray dog, where was the slightest bit of the prestige of the eldest grandson of the Ningguo Mansion?

"Father...Father! Stop hitting me! Your son knows he was wrong! He knows he was wrong!"

"My son was just confused for a moment...he listened to the slander of a villain..."

He spoke incoherently, unable to articulate his thoughts coherently.

He couldn't very well say that he devised this "kill three birds with one stone" scheme because he wanted revenge after being beaten by Jiao Si, coveted Liu Rushi's beauty, and wanted to control Qin Keqing, could he?

Seeing his cowardly appearance, Jia Zhen became even more furious.

He stopped, panting, and turned back to Jiao Si.

"Jiao Si!"

Jiao Si bowed deeply: "Uncle Zhen."

Jia Zhen stared at him, her voice icy.

"You...did you already know Rong'er's intentions?"

"So, you deliberately devised this scheme to harm him instead?"

"explain!"

That's a really hurtful question.

If Jiao Si admits it, then his crime of being "deeply scheming and plotting against his master" will be confirmed.

Even if Jia Rong was at fault, the Ningguo Mansion would never tolerate a servant scheming against his master like that.

Jiao Si was racking his brains for an answer when You Shi took over the conversation.

Madam You's face remained frosty, but her tone had softened somewhat.

"Master, this matter... is not Jiao Si's scheme."

She stepped forward, subtly blocking Jiao Si slightly, and looked calmly at Jia Zhen.

"A couple of days ago, I saw Jiao Si looking worried and sighing in the corridor of the mansion, so I called him over to ask him what was wrong."

"Only then did he hesitantly tell me that Rong'er had instructed him to buy a hairpin to give to Miss Qin as a token of her affection."

"But he always felt that the things bought with silver were too vulgar and not worthy of Rong'er's sincere heart. He didn't know what to do and wondered if he could share some of his master's burdens."

Ms. You spoke calmly and recounted the events of that day in detail.

"I was deeply moved by his loyalty to his master, his diligence, and his thoughtfulness."

"With Rong'er's wedding approaching, I, as her mother, should also do something to show my support."

"Therefore, I gave Jiao Si an old hairpin that the master had given me when I married into the family, and asked him to give it to Miss Qin in the name of 'Rong'er's heartfelt wishes.' It can be considered as a small token of my appreciation as her future mother-in-law, to help the master and servants do their job better."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the disheveled Jia Rong on the ground. A complex emotion flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by disappointment.

"I meant well, hoping to fulfill Rong'er's wishes and bring the mother and son closer."

"Who would have thought...who would have thought Rong'er would harbor such intentions!"

As she spoke, Yu's eyes reddened slightly, and her voice choked with emotion, but she forced herself to remain composed, putting on an appearance of prioritizing the greater good while also feeling deeply wronged.

"Master, please don't be too harsh on Rong'er."

"He's still young, and perhaps he was just confused for a moment, instigated by his subordinates, which led him to do such an absurd thing."

While she verbally tried to "explain" Jia Rong's actions, her tone and expression clearly confirmed Jia Rong's guilt of "setting a trap to harm people." At the same time, she distanced herself from Jiao Si.

Jia Zhen listened, his expression shifting unpredictably.

He glanced at Madam You's "committing her sins" appearance, then at his good-for-nothing son on the ground, and then at Qin Ye's resolute attitude and threat of annulment...

An unprecedented sense of irritability and anger filled my heart.

The Ningguo Mansion has utterly lost face today!

His future daughter-in-law was almost driven to jump off a cliff, and his father-in-law angrily broke off the engagement. If word got out, how could Jia Zhen maintain his standing in the circle of nobles?!

"Foolish?! He's more than just foolish!!"

Jia Zhen pointed at Jia Rong, his voice trembling with anger.

"This is stupid! This is poison! This is trampling on the century-old reputation of my Ningguo Mansion!"

"To frame a mere servant, he's willing to sacrifice his fiancée's innocence and the reputation of the Ningguo Mansion!"

"What use is there in keeping such a vile creature alive?!"

Jia Rong was so frightened that he trembled all over and didn't even dare to cry.

Jia Zhen took a few deep breaths, suppressing the urge to beat his unfilial son to death on the spot.

With a grim face, he shouted at Jia Rong:

"You caused this mess, so you'd better clean it up yourself!"

"I'll give you two weeks!"

"If you cannot win Qin Ye back and salvage this marriage within half a month..."

A ruthless glint flashed in Jia Zhen's eyes.

"Get out of Ningguo Mansion! Go stay at the estate outside the city! Get some 'experience'! Don't come back without my permission!"

"Whether you're ambitious or incompetent, keeping you in the household will only bring trouble. If you inherit the Ningguo Mansion in the future, I'm afraid you'll only add more misfortune to our ancestral legacy!"