Dream of the Red Chamber: My Daiyu Has Been Reborn

At the end of March, the Ningguo Mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers. Bright red silk was laid out from the front gate all the way to the ceremonial gate, and everywhere was filled with joy.

As the eldest grandson of the Ningguo Mansion, Jia Rong's wedding was naturally a grand affair. All the old friends and acquaintances of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes sent congratulatory gifts, and most of the prominent families in the capital also graced him with their presence.

Upon seeing Gu Jinhong arrive, Jia Zhen personally went to greet him. He was beaming with joy, and anyone who didn't know better would think he was getting married himself.

"Please, please come in, Second Master Gu!" Jia Zhen led Gu Jinhong to the table on the east side of the main hall, being extremely attentive.

Gu Jinhong exchanged a few casual pleasantries, his gaze sweeping across the hall. There were quite a few guests, mostly relatives of the Jia family and sons of noble families from the capital. He immediately spotted Feng Ziying, Han Qi, Wei Ruolan, and Jiang Zining, who were already seated at the round table by the east window, waving at him.

"Jinhong, come sit here!"

Gu Jinhong raised his hand to them and walked over unhurriedly.

As soon as he sat down, Feng Ziying winked and said, "You've finally arrived. Wei Ruolan just said you were arrogant and wouldn't show up until the banquet started."

Upon hearing this, Wei Ruolan quickly denied it: "I didn't say that, it was Brother Feng who made it up."

"You guys are here early."

"Of course, Rong-ge'er has played with us a few times, how could we not come to support him on this joyous occasion?"

As everyone was talking, the groom, Jia Rong, came over with a wine cup. He was dressed in a bright red brocade robe, with a gold flower pinned to his hat, looking quite dashing.

"I am truly grateful for your presence, gentlemen!" Jia Rong said with a beaming smile, raising his glass to toast each of them.

Feng Ziying stood up, patted Jia Rong on the shoulder and laughed, "Rong-ge'er, you've finally shown up. What's been going on with you these past two weeks? We've invited you out for drinks and music time and time again, but you've always had an excuse to decline. Last time, a few new girls came to Yunshang Pavilion, and we reserved them all for you, but you said you weren't feeling well."

Han Qi chimed in, "That's right. Is it because you're getting married that you've suddenly become so chaste?"

Jia Rong's smile froze as everyone teased him. He waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Please don't make fun of me. It's just that the wedding is approaching, and there are many things to do at home. My father is keeping a close eye on things, so I haven't had any free time. After these few days, I will definitely host a feast to make amends."

Feng Ziying wouldn't let him off the hook, and said with a smile, "You better keep your word. You can't make excuses again when the time comes. We brothers will all remember that."

Jia Rong readily agreed, toasted everyone again, and then excused himself to go to another table to greet guests before hurriedly leaving.

No one paid any attention, assuming he was just embarrassed by what they said. Gu Jinhong, however, watched Jia Rong's departing figure, then lowered his head and fell into deep thought.

Gu Jinhong had overheard Feng Ziying and the others' teasing. He knew Jia Rong all too well what kind of person he was; the kid was young, but he had a lot of tricks up his sleeve. There wasn't a single well-known brothel in the capital that he hadn't frequented.

When have I ever been so self-disciplined?

Then he recalled that ever since he and his mother went to the palace to explain Qin Keqing's background, Emperor Yongxi had said he would find a way. But as the wedding date approached, the Qin family remained unchanged, and his imperial uncle seemed to have made no arrangements whatsoever. Now it seemed that perhaps he had secretly sabotaged Jia Rong's plans.

Gu Jinhong tried to put himself in Emperor Yongxi's shoes. If he were Emperor Yongxi, with Qin Keqing and Jia Rong's marriage already arranged, and to avoid alerting the enemy, and with no way to back out, the only option would be to prevent her from conceiving a child of the Jia family. A child with the blood of the Jia family and Prince Yizhong would undoubtedly cause countless troubles.

Thinking of this, and considering Jia Rong's unusual behavior over the past two weeks, Gu Jinhong couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

Gu Jinhong looked up at Jia Zhen, who was still greeting guests not far away. Unfortunately, his uncle had overlooked someone. This Jia Zhen was no good. At least in the Rongguo Mansion, there was Grandmother Jia to keep him in check, so he couldn't do anything too outrageous. But the Ningguo Mansion was a different story.

Gu Jinhong was pondering this when the people from the Rongguo Mansion arrived.

Because of her advanced age, Grandmother Jia only sent her brothers Jia She and Jia Zheng with the younger generation to offer their congratulations. Jia Zhen hurriedly went out to greet them and invited them into the main hall.

Jia Lian followed behind Jia She, his gaze sweeping around the hall. When he saw Gu Jinhong's table, his eyes lit up slightly, but he did not rush forward. Instead, he first accompanied the elders to their seats.

Jia Baoyu also arrived. His injury had healed completely after more than half a month, but his spirits hadn't fully recovered, and he still looked somewhat listless. He barely spoke the rest of the way, simply following behind Jia Zheng, afraid of doing something wrong and incurring another scolding.

Just before leaving, Jia Baoyu had originally intended to mingle with the women on his way to the Ningguo Mansion. There were also banquets for women at the Huifang Garden in the Ningguo Mansion, and he thought that going there would be more comfortable than socializing with these stinky men outside.

To everyone's surprise, Grandmother Jia put on a stern face today, saying that the Ningguo Mansion had invited guests from outside today, which was not like a regular family banquet. If he continued to mingle with the women, what kind of image would that have?

Jia Baoyu dared not disobey, and could only follow Jia Zheng out dejectedly.

After taking his seat, he sat down beside Jia Zheng, barely daring to breathe, only stealing glances at everyone in the hall. Suddenly, his gaze fell on the table to the east, and he froze completely.

Jia Baoyu's face turned pale instantly. Although he hadn't seen anything that day because he was covered in a sack, Lady Wang kept nagging him that Gu Jinhong was responsible. However, without evidence, and with Grandmother Jia repeatedly forbidding him from arguing with the Gu family again, he could only swallow his anger.

Upon suddenly seeing Gu Jinhong again, Jia Baoyu felt a chill run down his spine and almost instinctively shrank back, wishing he could hide behind Jia Zheng.

Jia Zheng noticed his unusual behavior, frowned, and scolded in a low voice, "What kind of behavior is this, sneaking around like that? Sit up straight!"

Jia Baoyu was startled and quickly straightened his back, but he dared not let his gaze drift eastward again.

Gu Jinhong naturally noticed Jia Baoyu's movements, but ignored them and continued drinking and chatting with Feng Ziying and the others.

Before long, gongs and drums resounded and firecrackers crackled.

"The bride is back!" someone shouted, and all the guests in the hall craned their necks to look outside.

A newlywed couple walked in slowly, holding a red silk ribbon. Qin Keqing was dressed in a bright red wedding gown. Although her face was covered by a veil, her graceful figure was still captivating, leaving all the guests in the hall staring in disbelief.

Feng Ziying nudged Gu Jinhong with his elbow: "Look at Rong-ge's daughter-in-law's figure, tsk tsk..."

Jiang Zining also came over, winking and saying, "Just now, Rong-ge was so virtuous, I thought he had changed his ways. Now that I see the bride like this, I understand him a little better."

Han Qi gave Jiang Zining a light slap: "Today is someone else's special day, watch your mouth."