Dream of the Red Chamber: My Daiyu Has Been Reborn

After catching her breath, Grandmother Jia said in a trembling voice, "She was just a lowly maid. Why did it have to come to this? Why did it have to come to this..."

She originally thought that even if the eldest princess was powerful, it was just a petty squabble between children, but she didn't expect the other party to take the matter to the highest levels of public attention.

Lady Wang was completely distraught. Her precious Baoyu should be a celestial being descended to earth, so how could he almost jeopardize her husband's future over such a trivial matter?

"That Gu Er was so vicious, beating Baoyu so badly he's almost half-dead. We haven't even said we'd report him, and he dares to turn around and accuse us? I'll send someone to tell my brother about this right away, and ask him to stand up for Baoyu."

"Shut up!"

Jia Zheng's angry shout startled Lady Wang, making her tremble: "Have you not embarrassed us enough?! It's all your fault for raising such a good son, who spends his days doing nothing but loafing around in the inner chambers. It's one thing for him to cause trouble at home, but who gave him the audacity to act so recklessly outside? If you don't discipline him strictly from now on, today he dares to harass the maids of the Princess's residence, tomorrow he'll surely offend the Princess herself!"

"master……"

Lady Wang was scolded by Jia Zheng, and tears streamed down her face. In the end, she dared not refute anything.

Although Grandmother Jia felt sorry for Baoyu, the imperial decree was now imposing, and she could no longer utter words of unconditional protection.

Jia Baoyu shrank to one side, feeling extremely uncomfortable under the scrutiny of everyone. He could only look to his grandmother for help: "Grandmother, it's that Gu Er who's gone too far. I just wanted to ask that sister's name..."

"You wretched child!" Jia Zheng rushed to Jia Baoyu, raising his hand to strike him. "Even in this state, you still don't know your mistake! I might as well just beat you to death, so you won't bring shame upon our ancestors!"

"If you want to kill him, kill me first!" Grandmother Jia shouted sternly, standing in front of Jia Baoyu.

Jia Zheng's eyes were bloodshot, his hand frozen in mid-air: "Mother, if this continues, the disaster of having our family confiscated and our clan exterminated is imminent!"

Lady Wang rushed forward and held Jia Baoyu tightly in her arms, crying loudly, "Master, if anything happens to Baoyu, I won't be able to live either." Then she began to cry for her eldest son who had died young, "My poor, unfortunate Zhu'er, if you were still alive, I wouldn't care if a hundred of you died."

Looking at the wailing and lamenting in the room, Jia Zheng felt a tightness in his chest, almost suffocating him. He abruptly turned away, unwilling to look at them again, and strode off.

After Jia Zheng left, Grandmother Jia waved her hand impatiently: "Enough, stop crying! Let's think about what to do now! Feng'er, what do you say?"

When Grandmother Jia asked, Wang Xifeng tightened her grip on her hand. Good things never come her way; now that trouble is brewing, she suddenly remembers me.

Her eyes darted around before she said, "Grandma, it's not a long-term solution for Miss Lin to stay at the Princess's residence. We need to find a way to bring her back. After these two incidents, if Miss Lin continues to live here, who knows what people outside will say about our household?"

While she said this, Wang Xifeng harbored a different thought in her heart.

Now that things have escalated to this point, anyone else would probably be unable to even enter the Princess's residence. Only Grandmother Jia can step in herself. Since this whole family blames her for her incompetence, let the old lady experience the cold shoulder herself. The Princess won't treat this old lady like an ancestor.

Grandmother Jia frowned upon hearing Wang Xifeng's words. She felt absolutely no goodwill towards Lin Daiyu, her granddaughter whom she had never met; in fact, she could be described as disgusted. However, she also understood that Wang Xifeng was right; if things continued this way, the reputation of this century-old Duke's mansion would be ruined.

Grandmother Jia sighed deeply. Although she was unwilling, she had no other choice at the moment.

"Fine. Go prepare a generous gift, and I'll personally visit the princess's residence tomorrow. My old face still has some value."

Everyone in the hall was startled when Grandmother Jia said this.

What was Jia Mu's status? She was the widow of Jia Daishan, the second-generation Duke of Rongguo, and a titled lady of the highest rank. Jia Mu's arrival at the door was, in the eyes of the powerful and influential circles of the capital, a display of the highest authority.

The following day, a new rumor spread throughout the capital. This time, the protagonist was none other than the Rongguo Mansion's second son, Bao Er Ye, who was born with a jade in his mouth.

The streets, teahouses, and restaurants were filled with discussions.

"Have you heard? That young master Bao from the Rongguo Mansion was harassing a maid at Princess Anning's residence, and even his father got reprimanded by the Emperor."

"How come I haven't heard about it? It's almost spread everywhere. Back in the day, when the old Duke was alive, he was so powerful and influential. Now, his unworthy descendants have almost completely disgraced their ancestor."

"I heard that Lord Lin's daughter was originally going to move into the Jia family mansion, but the masters of the Rongguo Mansion were all so precious that they didn't even show their faces and just sent a few lowly maids to fetch her. They dare to treat even the daughter of the Salt Commissioner so disrespectfully, which shows just how arrogant the Jia family is."

"What? Is that so? Please tell me more, sir."

Hearing the faint whispers outside, Grandmother Jia's face trembled, wishing she could turn back home immediately.

Seeing those unruly people outside daring to speak ill of her precious son like that, Madam Wang wished she could tear them to pieces. Her teeth were practically grinding to powder: "Give the order: speed things up!"

After a long and arduous wait, the Jia family finally arrived at the gate of the princess's residence.

When the gatekeeper saw that it was the old lady of the Rongguo Mansion, he dared not be negligent and went inside to announce her arrival.

In the warm pavilion, Li Shulan was talking with Daiyu. During the two days that Daiyu had stayed at the princess's mansion, Li Shulan had been very caring towards her, and Daiyu even felt a long-lost maternal love from Li Shulan.

Li Shulan held Daiyu's hand, looking at her thin figure with some heartache, and said, "Look how thin you are. You're at the age where you need to grow. You should eat more."

"Thank you for your concern, Aunt Lan. I will in the future." Daiyu nodded obediently. "Young Master Gu doesn't seem to be at the manor today. Is he busy with something?"

"With his lazy nature, what could he possibly be busy with? Perhaps he's gone back to the Marquis's residence. Speaking of which, I'm worried. He's always muttering to himself, I don't know what he's thinking. Yu'er, you can try to persuade him more in the future, he should try to be more ambitious."

Just then, the sound of a servant announcing something came from outside.

"Your Highness, the Dowager Lady of Rongguo Mansion has arrived and is waiting outside the gate."

Upon hearing this, Li Shulan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised that the old lady had come in person. When Daiyu heard that Grandmother Jia had arrived, her body stiffened slightly for a moment before returning to normal.

Li Shulan noticed Daiyu's unusual behavior, looked at her, and said gently, "If you are uncomfortable, then don't see her. There's no need to worry about anything."

Daiyu slowly shook her head: "We will have to meet him eventually."

Li Shulan gently patted her hand, as if to reassure her: "Then go see her. Don't worry, with Aunt Lan here, she will never let you be bullied."