Dream of the Red Chamber: My Daiyu Has Been Reborn

Wang Xifeng broke out in a cold sweat, realizing she had said the wrong thing in her panic, and immediately knelt down on the ground with a thud.

These words might work on others, but who is she in front of? She is a member of the imperial family, the only sister of the current emperor. How dare she try to force her to submit using the concept of filial piety? She doesn't even know how she deserves to die.

Wang Xifeng knelt on the ground, trembling all over, her face pale: "Your Highness, I was out of my mind. I beg Your Highness to forgive me."

"What are you doing?" Li Shulan stared at her indifferently. "You just said I was preventing Miss Lin from fulfilling her filial duty, and now you're doing this? Do you think I'm using my power to oppress you?!"

"No, no. It was I who misspoke; it has nothing to do with Your Highness."

"Alright, get up. Considering this is your first offense, I will not hold it against you."

"Then...then Miss Lin..."

Li Shulan raised her hand to stop her.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. You may go back now. I will take care of Min's daughter myself. As for the so-called grandmother-granddaughter relationship... Ha, when Min was seriously ill, the Jia family didn't send a single person to visit her. Your old lady doesn't even care about the relationship between mother and daughter, and you're talking to me about the grandmother-granddaughter relationship? It's really laughable."

Wang Xifeng knew she couldn't take the person with her. Moreover, given the situation, even with her thick skin, she couldn't stay any longer.

Just as she was about to get up and take her leave, she suddenly heard a commotion outside, and faintly heard a woman's screams.

……

On the other side, Gu Jinhong was cultivating a relationship with Lin Daiyu on behalf of his mother, and even the way he addressed her had become much more intimate.

"If Lin Daiyu is tired, there is a warm pavilion in that pavilion over there, we can go and sit for a while."

Lin Daiyu, wearing a light blue cloak, followed obediently beside Gu Jinhong, her eyes slightly red and swollen.

She slept in the place where her mother used to live last night, and in her dream she seemed to hear her mother calling her by her childhood name. When she woke up in the morning, she found that the pillowcase under her head was mostly wet.

Just as the two reached the pavilion, they suddenly heard a commotion not far away, along with the faint sound of a woman's screams.

"Young master! Young master, please have some self-respect!"

Gu Jinhong frowned, strained his ears to listen carefully, and the sound seemed to be coming from a side courtyard on the west side.

He suddenly remembered that the steward had come to report that morning that the Second Mistress of Rongguo Mansion had brought a young master named Bao to pay his respects. He was having breakfast with Daiyu at the time and couldn't pay attention to them, so he asked the steward to lead them to a side hall and didn't inquire further.

Thinking of this, Gu Jinhong's face darkened, and he strode towards the side courtyard. Seeing his drastic change in expression, Daiyu knew something must have happened, so she lifted her skirt and followed closely behind, with Xueyan also hurrying to catch up.

Arriving at the side courtyard, Gu Jinhong's anger flared instantly upon seeing the scene before him.

Jia Baoyu, dressed in bright red, was seen clutching the sleeve of a maid in green, refusing to let go. The maid's eyes were red-rimmed, her face flushed, and she tried to break free but was afraid of tearing her clothes; tears were about to fall.

"Young master, please let go, I still need to serve His Highness tea."

Jia Baoyu, completely oblivious to the impropriety of his actions, still refused to let go, gazing intently at the maid's face: "Good sister, you still haven't told me your name."

"Where did this bastard come from, daring to cause trouble here?!" Gu Jinhong rushed forward in three quick steps and kicked him without saying a word.

His kick was powerful and heavy, using all his strength. Jia Baoyu screamed and flew out, his back hitting the artificial hill before tumbling down.

Jia Baoyu was suddenly struck hard and couldn't make a sound for a moment. He lay on the ground groaning, feeling a burning pain in his back, as if his spine was about to break.

Gu Jinhong stepped forward, stomped on his chest, and shouted angrily, "What do you think this place is? Are you tired of living?!"

Jia Baoyu was trampled on the ground like a dead dog, unable to move, his eyes filled with disbelief. He had never suffered such humiliation in his life, and with a bitter feeling in his heart, tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

"You...you dare to hit me?"

Gu Jinhong looked down at him condescendingly, and sneered, "What if I hit you? Are you blind? This isn't a place for you to run wild. Is this the kind of upbringing your Rongguo Mansion has?!"

Daiyu had already caught up by then: "Young Master Gu, what has happened?"

"I'm sorry to have frightened Lin Daiyu. It's just a matter of teaching a rude person a lesson, nothing serious."

Daiyu had already seen the figure at Gu Jinhong's feet, and looking at the maid standing to the side who was still in shock, she guessed what was going on and sneered inwardly.

"I see. I never imagined there were such audacious madmen."

Jia Baoyu stared at the snow-blue figure that had appeared, momentarily stunned, even forgetting the humiliation of being trampled underfoot.

What a figure it was! Just standing there, it was like a lone crane in the wind, exuding a cool and aloof air that made it impossible to look away.

"You...you are Lin Daiyu? I am your second brother Bao. The old lady sent me to take you home. Ah! Ugh—" Jia Baoyu struggled to get up, but Gu Jinhong stepped on his mouth.

"Whose second brother are you?" Gu Jinhong twirled his foot. "You're an outsider, and not only do you lack manners in someone else's home, you also harass the master's maids. Now you even dare to make advances on them. Are you really tired of living?"

He increased the pressure of his foot, and Jia Baoyu struggled in pain. His lips were already chafed, but he couldn't make a sound because his mouth was blocked.

"Baoyu! What...what happened?"

Wang Xifeng and Li Shulan rushed over upon hearing the commotion, only to find Jia Baoyu being trampled underfoot by Gu Jinhong, looking utterly disheveled.

Wang Xifeng rushed forward, wanting to save Baoyu, but remembering they were in the Princess's residence, she withdrew her hand halfway. She looked at Gu Jinhong, her voice hesitant, "Is it... is Second Master Gu here? What has my brother done wrong?"

Gu Jinhong looked at her indifferently: "This must be the Second Mistress Lian of the Rongguo Mansion, right? I had no idea the Rongguo Mansion had such poor upbringing. You brought this 'Second Master Bao' to our door today, and I consider myself to have treated you with courtesy, serving you fine tea. But this lady from your household has the audacity to dare to make advances towards a maid from the Princess's Mansion. Does she perhaps think my servants are frivolous and easily bullied?"

"Ah?" Wang Xifeng's expression changed drastically after hearing the reason. "How could this be?" She never imagined that Jia Baoyu would be so audacious, and she cursed inwardly. This was a huge problem.

To molest a maid in the princess's residence—how utterly depraved must a person be to do such a thing? But Jia Baoyu couldn't ignore it; this was the lifeblood of the entire Rongguo Mansion. If she were to perish here, he wouldn't need to go back.

"Second Master Gu, my brother is still young and doesn't know any better. I apologize to this young lady on his behalf. Could you please show mercy and forgive him this time? I will definitely ask the matriarch to discipline him strictly when we get back."

After speaking, Wang Xifeng curtsied to the maid and apologized repeatedly. Turning around, she saw that Gu Jinhong was still looking at her coldly.