Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The dimly lit tea room became brighter than daytime.

Qin Zhong and Zhi Neng'er knelt in the middle of the room, weeping and sobbing, their faces filled with tears.

Jia Baoyu stood there blankly beside them, completely bewildered and unsure of what to do.

All around, the Jia family's old women, wives, and maids stood in a circle, their gazes filled with doubt, shock, contempt, and mockery.

The disheveled Zhineng's bald head, without the cover of a hat, was exceptionally conspicuous.

As a female Buddhist disciple, violating the precepts and having affairs with men is enough to be despised and scorned; she should be drowned in a pig cage. What's more, she was simultaneously seducing Qin Zhong and Master Bao. Such behavior cannot be simply described as promiscuous.

Qin Zhong was one thing, though he often visited the Jia family, he came from a humble background and did such an absurd and shameless thing, but how could Bao Er Ye... it was really too outrageous!

If the old lady knew that Bao Er Ye had done such a thing, ruining his good reputation, I wonder how angry she would be. I'm afraid even the eldest mistress and Lian Er Madam would suffer the consequences!

Inadequate care...

Therefore, Wang Xifeng, who was sitting at the head of the table with Jia Lian, was furious.

She sees the issue much more comprehensively than the servants. Tonight's matter involves three points. If any one of them is not handled properly, it could become a huge problem that even she couldn't handle!

Firstly, it was naturally a case of a young master from a prominent family having an affair with a nun, which was a disgrace to the family and a disgrace to the world.

Fortunately, when they came in, Baoyu's clothes were still intact, so there was still a chance to find a reason to fix them.

As for Qin Zhong, she couldn't care less whether he lived or died at this point. She had never liked this man who lacked any manly spirit, and if it weren't for the fact that he was Qin's brother, she wouldn't have bothered to look at him. Now that he had done such a thing, he deserved to die.

She had even decided in her heart that in order to protect Baoyu, she had no choice but to push this unfilial son out to take full responsibility.

While this point is manageable, the second point is much more difficult and disgusting.

Jia Baoyu and Qin Zhong had been inseparable day and night for the past year, and Qin Zhong often acted like a girl. She had also heard some unpleasant rumors circulating in the school.

Today's incident has likely confirmed those rumors instantly. Indeed, even she now believes that Baoyu has definitely been involved in those filthy things—if he didn't have that kind of relationship with Qin Zhong, how could the two of them be so close that they could both engage in illicit affairs in bed?

Although it is common knowledge that homosexuality is not a rare thing, that is only true for those filthy and disorderly families.

For a prestigious family like the Jia family, which values ​​reputation and family tradition, such a matter is ultimately beneath their dignity and would invite ridicule from others.

At such a young age, if Baoyu were to acquire such a reputation, not only would his reputation be completely ruined, but it would also greatly affect his future prospects!

Baoyu's future was one of the things that Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang valued most. It would be strange if they were not furious that such a thing happened right under their noses.

Thinking of this, Wang Xifeng couldn't help but glance at Jia Lian beside her. She thought to herself, "This heartless man has always been meticulous in his actions these past two years. Why would he take the initiative to expose this matter today? Could it be that he is also plotting to seize power from Master and Madam, so he is taking this opportunity to tarnish Baoyu's reputation and cut off Master and Madam's escape route?"

Shaking her head, Wang Xifeng thought that such matters were indeed not for her to concern herself with. Regardless of what that heartless man was really thinking, as long as he hadn't threatened to break ties with his wife and the others, she would just do her best to play the role of granddaughter-in-law and niece-in-law. After all, that was what he had instructed her to do.

The first two offenses are one thing; whether it's adultery with nuns or engaging in group sex, they are their own doing, and even if it gets out, they deserve it.

The only, most important, sin that even she felt she couldn't bear was:

Today, she, Qin Shi, Li Wan, and even the three sisters of the Spring Festival and Daiyu are all in the Water Moon Nunnery!

Two young mistresses, a widowed eldest daughter-in-law, and four unmarried young ladies—so many people of higher status and more important than life itself were temporarily residing outside. At such a time, one should have been extremely careful and vigilant, yet this kind of thing still happened.

It's easy to imagine how many speculations others would have if the matter involving Qin Zhong and the other two were to become public. In particular, for the four unmarried women, Daiyu, if their reputations were damaged in the slightest, she and Li Wan would definitely face the most severe reprimands and accusations from Grandmother Jia.

No one can bear this responsibility!

Thinking this through, Wang Xifeng completely disregarded Qin Shi's feelings and pointed at Qin Zhong, scolding, "How dare you do such a lawless and unjust thing right under my nose! You must be tired of living!"

When Wang Xifeng gets really angry, it's quite frightening; everyone present, except for Jia Lian, felt a jolt in their hearts.

Qin Shi, who had been anxiously waiting nearby, could no longer stand still. She suddenly stepped in front of Qin Zhong, knelt down, and pleaded for Qin Zhong: "Second Aunt, please calm down. He is still young and only did this carelessly. Please forgive him this time..."

With tears in her eyes, Qin Shi pleaded, but seeing that Wang Xifeng remained unmoved, she quickly reminded the distraught Qin Zhong, "Little Zhong, why don't you quickly apologize to your second uncle and aunt and beg for their forgiveness!"

Although Qin Zhong is a relative, don't think that the Jia family wouldn't dare to punish him.

Even if Jia Lian and the others beat him half to death and threw him back into the Qin family for committing such a crime, his father, Qin Bangye, wouldn't be able to utter a single word of "no." He might even have to personally go to their house to apologize and beg for forgiveness.

This excludes the possibility that the Jia family would send her brother to the authorities for legal proceedings.

Qin Zhong, having been repeatedly frightened, was completely disoriented. However, it's human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm, and upon hearing his sister's words, Qin Zhong immediately kowtowed to Wang Xifeng, weeping, "I was momentarily blinded by greed and committed a grave mistake. Please forgive me, Second Uncle and Second Aunt..."

"Bewitched? I only brought you here because Baoyu begged me so desperately, but I never expected you to be so audacious."

"I ask you, do you even know that your sister, me, and all your aunts from our household are staying here today? How dare you do such a ridiculous thing here?!"

Startled by Feng Jie's sharp question, Qin Zhong trembled and said fearfully, "Nephew knows his mistake, nephew knows his mistake, please forgive me, Second Aunt..."

Seeing Qin Zhong crying with snot and tears streaming down his face, his already weak body now limp on the ground like a lump of mud, Wang Xifeng didn't want to waste any more words on him, so she asked Jia Lian for advice.

"How do you suggest we handle this matter?"

Given such a scandalous incident, Wang Xifeng naturally wanted to suppress and cover it up to minimize its impact.

Seeing that Jia Lian had already ordered people to stop the nuns from coming to watch the commotion at Shuiyue Nunnery from entering the courtyard, she knew that Jia Lian had made preparations in advance. Not wanting to act on her own, she consulted Jia Lian.

Jia Lian, who had been silent until now, straightened his expression upon hearing Feng Jie's words.

Upon seeing this, Qin immediately pleaded pitifully, "Uncle~~"

Jia Lian almost coughed up his breath.

It turned out that Qin Shi thought Wang Xifeng was probably difficult to deal with, so she could only place her hopes on Jia Lian, because she knew that only Jia Lian could keep Feng Jie in check.

If Jia Lian were to show leniency, her brother would be safe.

So she immediately pleaded with Jia Lian for mercy, but little did she know that her charming voice, if left unsuppressed, was the most deadly temptation for men.

Although Sister Feng was immune to Qin Shi's harm, she had sharp eyes, so her gaze immediately tightened.

Seeing this, Qin quickly composed herself and looked at Jia Lian pleadingly.

Jia Lian didn't look at the two unlucky guys below. He didn't care about Qin Zhong and Zhi Neng'er's well-being. In fact, these two were just collateral damage tonight.

He originally only wanted to find a weakness in Jia Baoyu, so that Daiyu would lower her expectations of him again. At the same time, he also made her realize that the seemingly pure and refined Jia Baoyu in her eyes, who knew how to please her, was not as clean and innocent as she had imagined.

Girl, you need to be discerning when choosing a man. Make sure you understand his character and preferences, and think about whether you can tolerate them before making a decision.

Feng Jie protected the two Baoyu from beginning to end, and even tried to exonerate them, which made Jia Lian somewhat unhappy. Therefore, he decided to take matters into his own hands and try to get around Jia Baoyu.

"Baoyu, what do you have to say about what happened tonight?"

Because no one dared to criticize Jia Baoyu, he stood aside, his eyes filled with sorrow and his expression worried, but he was not afraid at all.

Moreover, from childhood to adulthood, whenever he made a mistake, as long as he hid behind his elders, many people would naturally step forward to clean up his mess.

He had become accustomed to a life where he could make mistakes without being punished.

So today, he did the same thing, not saying a word from beginning to end, just waiting for his sister Feng to help him resolve the future troubles.

When Jia Lian questioned him, he was stunned, wanting to say something but unable to utter a word. He still knew his shame; at this moment, anything he said would sound like an excuse, and he understood that.

"What happened tonight has nothing to do with you. You just happened to witness Qin Zhong and Zhi Neng'er's intimate moment, so you came into this room, right?"

"I……"

Most of the women and servants that Wang Xifeng often served were from the household, and they respected Lady Wang the most.

Seeing that both Jia Lian and Feng Jie were trying to exonerate Jia Baoyu, she immediately chimed in, "Second Master Lian is right. How could Second Master Baoyu do such a thing? He just happened to discover the good deed of these two."

"Master Bao, please say something! Is this true?"

In front of his good friend, Jia Baoyu found it difficult to speak. Wouldn't it be incredibly disloyal to say "yes" at this moment, abandoning his good friend?

If... if I took this on myself, would Jing Qing be alright tonight...?

But a glance at the scene—the angry second sister-in-law of Lian, the old women with eyes full of contempt and ridicule, and the nephew's wife kneeling and sobbing—all of this indicated that tonight's matter was no small thing.

If I admit it, and it gets back to the master's ears, I'm afraid I won't even be able to save my life!

So, after hesitating for a long time, Jia Baoyu gritted his teeth and said, "Yes..."

Upon uttering this word, Jia Baoyu didn't dare look at Qin Zhong at all, because he knew that Qin Zhong was looking at him at that moment.

Guilt and self-blame filled his heart, but another voice told him: what happened tonight had nothing to do with him, he didn't take any money...

Jia Lian was very satisfied with this and continued, "So, you entered the house just before we discovered them, your purpose being to stop their illicit affair?"

Jia Baoyu opened his mouth, but he couldn't bring himself to say such words.

Actually, he himself didn't know what he wanted to do when he went into the house; it just wasn't to stop them.

Jia Lian actually laughed in front of everyone.

Normally, Jia Baoyu always considered himself to be refined and unconventional, with extraordinary insight, and had a good feeling of "I am the only one who is sober in a world of drunks".

He even looked down on civil and military officials, believing that only men like himself were not filthy and disgusting!

Unfortunately, nothing could conceal his inherently complacent and privileged nature, his powerlessness in the face of worldly affairs, and the sense of responsibility that had been stripped away by the pampering of his elders.

When faced with problems, running away is always his first choice.

Otherwise, Jia Lian might not necessarily have wanted to separate him and Daiyu; it's just that his personality meant he was destined not to be able to protect the otherworldly beauty, Lin Daiyu.

His incompetence could not protect the fragile Daiyu.

However, this does not mean that Jia Lian hated him or wanted to harm him.

Therefore, he had previously assumed that Jia Baoyu was having an affair with some pretty nun, so he brought Wang Xifeng to catch them in the act.

Firstly, it was to let Sister Feng see clearly the "child" in her eyes and keep her distance in the future. Secondly, it was also to use the women around her to spread the word to Daiyu.

He can't very well bring Daiyu over to see her, can he?

Jia Lian's intention was simply to allow Jia Baoyu's "romantic affairs" to circulate effectively within a certain scope, not to destroy him. That's why he didn't allow the nuns from Shuiyue Nunnery to enter.