Dream of the Red Chamber: My Daiyu Has Been Reborn

Jia Baoyu's courtyard was in an uproar all night.

Grandmother Jia stayed until the third watch of the night before being persuaded by the others to go back to rest. Lady Wang, however, refused to leave and stayed by the bedside, crying all night.

Just as dawn was breaking, Jia Zheng was summoned by his grandmother.

Upon arriving at Rongqing Hall, Jia Zheng had not even had a chance to pay his respects when he was immediately berated and questioned by Grandmother Jia.

"You, on the other hand, eat and sleep well. Your own son was beaten like this, and you just stand at home and watch?!"

"My son has already arranged for someone to investigate."

Grandmother Jia sneered, "What can you possibly find out? Go report it to the Shuntian Prefecture. I want to see if there's any law left under the Emperor's nose in this bright and clear land!"

Jia Zheng hesitated. In this capital city, there were only a handful of families who dared to hit Jia Baoyu, and none of them were easy to mess with. If things escalated, it wouldn't benefit anyone.

"What are you still standing there for?" Grandmother Jia slammed her hand on the table. "Hurry up and go!"

"Mother, please calm down. Your son will go right away."

Helpless, Jia Zheng, under repeated urging from his grandmother, finally decided to go to Shuntian Prefecture. Besides, if he remained indifferent after the Rongguo Mansion's descendants had been beaten like this, what would others think of the Jia family?

With this in mind, Jia Zheng had already made up his mind. Regardless of whether the real culprit could be found in the end, this gesture had to be made so that people would not think that the Jia family was weak and easily bullied.

The Shuntian Prefecture government office was located in the east of the city. Jia Zheng, not wearing his official robes but only his ordinary clothes, arrived at the government office in a small sedan chair with his attendant Qin Xian.

The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture was named Zheng Yuanqi, a man in his forties, a second-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and had held this position for three years. Upon learning that Jia Zheng had come to visit, Zheng Yuanqi straightened his robes and personally went out to greet him.

"Lord Zheng, what brings you here?" Zheng Yuanqi greeted him with a warm smile from a distance.

"Lord Zheng!" Jia Zheng returned the greeting.

Zheng Yuanqi invited the man in and ordered tea to be served. Seeing Jia Zheng's somber expression, he spoke first, asking, "Lord Zheng, has come with some important business?"

"Lord Zheng, to be honest, my son was seriously injured by a group of thugs on the street last night. I have come here today to report the crime and ask you to apprehend the culprits and restore justice to the Jia family."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yuanqi's smile vanished instantly, replaced by an expression of righteous indignation: "What?! Such a thing has happened? Under the Emperor's nose, who dares to be so audacious! Young Master Jia is such a distinguished person, how could he tolerate such insolence from those petty scoundrels? I wonder if Young Master Jia has lost any valuables, and whether you have seen the faces of those people?"

Jia Zheng shook his head and sighed, "At the time, my son and the servants around him were all covered with sacks, so we didn't see what those people looked like. They left after beating us, and we didn't lose any valuables."

After hearing what had happened, Zheng Yuanqi already had a clear understanding of the situation.

They didn't rob anyone; they just attacked and left. It's clear they were specifically targeting people.

Zheng Yuanqi said solemnly, "Rest assured, Lord Zheng, I will personally oversee this case and investigate it thoroughly to give your family an explanation."

Seeing that he agreed so readily, Jia Zheng felt a little relieved and stood up, saying, "Thank you very much, Lord Zheng."

"You're too kind, Lord Zheng. It's all just my duty."

Zheng Yuanqi, all smiles, escorted Jia Zheng to the yamen gate. Only when Jia Zheng's sedan chair disappeared around the street corner did the smile slowly fade from his face.

When he returned to the inner hall, the clerk was already waiting there.

"Sir, how should we investigate this case?"

"Go to Goldfish Lane and bring those thugs back."

The clerk was taken aback upon hearing this: "Sir, this is probably not the work of ordinary thugs and ruffians."

"Do you think I don't know?" Zheng Yuanqi glanced at his advisor. "In this capital city, you could count the number of people who dare to hit Jia Baoyu on one hand. Which of those people are I capable of offending?"

"But sir, Jia Baoyu is the lifeblood of the Rongguo Mansion. If we treat him like this, the Jia family will probably not be happy."

"What's there to be afraid of? They didn't even see who the murderer was. Besides, the Rongguo Mansion is now called the Duke's Mansion, but Jia She only inherited the title of First-Class General. The whole family lives off the legacy of their ancestors; where is the glory of the past?"

Zheng Yuanqi sneered, "Do you think I'm so secure in this capital city? It's because I know what I can and can't manage. The people behind this dare to even destroy the Jia family's phoenix egg. If I, a mere prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, were to investigate further, what if I stumbled upon someone I shouldn't? Would I still be able to keep my official hat?"

The advisor immediately understood, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.

"Your Excellency is wise!"

……

At the Marquis of Duanping's residence, Gu Jinhong looked at Gu Da, who had come to deliver a message: "Did Jia Zheng go to the Shuntian Prefecture to report the case?"

"Don't worry, young master. Lord Zheng is notoriously shrewd. He knows what to investigate and what not to investigate. He would never get involved in such a deadlocked case involving powerful figures."

As they were talking, footsteps came from outside, and a maid came in to report: "Young master, the princess has sent someone to ask you to go to the princess's residence."

Gu Jinhong got up from the recliner: "Okay, I understand."

Upon arriving at the princess's residence, Gu Jinhong saw Li Shulan sitting in the flower hall, flipping through a stack of invitations. Li Shulan put down what she was holding when she saw him enter.

"My mother called me here, is there something you need?"

"I heard that the Jia family's son got beaten up again."

Gu Jinhong remained expressionless, as if he knew nothing: "Really? That's truly pitiful."

"Stop pretending in front of me. Your father already told me. You know how to hold your own, don't you?"

"Mother, rest assured, I know what I'm doing." Gu Jinhong sat down opposite Li Shulan and looked at the stack of invitations. "Mother, are you planning a banquet?"

"The Flower Festival is in a few days. I plan to hold a flower-viewing banquet in the mansion and invite the ladies of each household to join in the festivities."

Gu Jinhong was somewhat surprised. The flower-viewing banquet was ostensibly for appreciating flowers, but it was actually an important occasion for noblewomen in the capital to socialize. However, the Princess's residence had never held one in previous years. Why had her mother suddenly become interested this year?

Li Shulan noticed the confusion on Gu Jinhong's face but didn't explain anything. She picked up a gold-embossed invitation from the table and handed it to Gu Jinhong. Gu Jinhong took the invitation and saw that it was an invitation to the Rongguo Mansion.

Gu Jinhong raised an eyebrow: "Mother, are you inviting the Jia family to a banquet?"

"The Rongguo Mansion is a prominent family in the capital, so we should invite them. Besides, it wouldn't be appropriate for Yu'er to come alone without their invitation. I've prepared some things for Yu'er: a few bolts of newly arrived brocade, two boxes of bird's nest, and some seasonal fruits and pastries. It just so happens that Granny Li is going to deliver an invitation to the Jia family. You can take Granny Li with you and deliver the things to Yu'er."

Gu Jinhong's eyes lit up upon hearing this, but he pretended to be reserved and said, "Isn't this inappropriate? If I, a man, were to rashly deliver something to Lin Daiyu, it might have a bad influence if word got out."

Li Shulan glanced at him sideways, easily seeing through his little scheme: "The engagement has already been made public to the Rongguo Mansion, what's wrong with you sending some things over? Besides, Granny Li is going with you, with her there, who can gossip?"

Gu Jinhong immediately put on a smiling face: "Mother is so thoughtful. I'll take this task."