The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

Putting aside everything else, just look at Jia Huan. He always has four or five guards with him when he goes out, so he's obviously no ordinary person.

Jia Huan responded politely to each question, but declined to be a guest.

He decided that once things had completely settled down, he would invite his neighbors to a restaurant for a good meal, and get to know them better.

I stayed at the clan school until noon, mainly because I was worried about something unexpected happening.

For example, could it be that old fellow Jia Dairu, relying on his seniority, wants to regain control of the clan school?

If he really had no shame, Qin Keqing might not be able to withstand it.

By this time, the Jia family's academic tradition had become thoroughly famous, at least within the circle of nobles.

Many families with good relations want to send their lower-ranking legitimate sons and less favored illegitimate sons to study and improve their lives, which involves a considerable expense in tuition fees.

Jia Huan can compromise on financial matters, but he absolutely cannot relinquish control of the clan school.

Otherwise, he simply stopped caring about the clan school altogether, as if he cared about it so much.

"Brother Huan, come on over, let's go to my house for a drink!"

Xue Pan ran over excitedly, grabbed Jia Huan, and left, looking impatient. This puzzled some of the more interested people in the clan school, making them even more hesitant about their own ideas.

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

Jia Huan chuckled and said, "It would be more polite of me to bring some gifts when I visit!"

After all, his status was different now; he was a typical member of the Jia family.

"Don't bring any gifts, just showing up is enough!"

Xue Pan said irritably, "Besides, I've invited Cong-ge'er and several important martial arts masters from the martial arts school. This meal was originally prepared for you!"

Well, once Xue Pan considers someone one of his own, there's nothing more to say about him.

Unable to resist this fellow, Jia Huan simply went to the door empty-handed, without feeling particularly embarrassed.

Xue Pan really went all out. The Xue family opened their main gate wide and even set off two strings of firecrackers when Jia Huan entered.

"You guy!"

It's impossible not to feel touched; to be cared for so much by someone else is truly a wonderful feeling.

After entering the house, he and Congge'er went to the backyard to pay their respects to Aunt Xue.

Clearly, Aunt Xue was quite cooperative with Xue Pan's actions. Today, she deliberately did not go to the Rong Mansion, but stayed at home to help out.

Aunt Xue was quite good at dealing with people. Regardless of what she was thinking, she always gave Jia Huan and Jia Cong a lot of face, calling them "Brother Huan" very affectionately.

When the two brothers were about to return to the front yard for the banquet, he kept telling them to eat and drink well.

"Just based on the enthusiasm of the Xue family mother and son, they will surely benefit from it in the future," Jia Huan said.

The Xue family was quite lively, and the Rong family naturally heard the commotion as well.

Xue Baochai was chatting and joking with the three sisters and Li Wan, while Jia Baoyu sat nearby. He naturally heard the loud firecrackers coming from inside the house, and a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes.

"Sister Bao, is that the sound of firecrackers coming from your house? Is there some happy occasion today?"

Tan Chun asked curiously, "I didn't hear Sister Bao mention this before!"

The other sisters all looked over curiously, including Li Wan.

At this time, Li Wan's complexion and mental state were much better than they had been a year or so ago.

It wasn't just because his son, Lan Ge'er, was doing well in his studies; at such a young age, he was already a top student in the clan school's middle class, and his future prospects in the imperial examinations were promising.

In addition, the Li family scholar who had been invited by the clan school also brought her great honor.

Both his teaching at the clan school and his achievements in the imperial examinations were quite remarkable.

Even the few unsuccessful candidates in the clan school right now only came because of the Li family's status as candidates, which made her feel quite honored.

Because of the matter at the clan school, Master Zheng praised Li Wan's previous actions quite a bit.

This greatly improved her and her son Lan Ge'er's situation in the mansion; at least they were no longer invisible figures like before, which made them feel incredibly frustrated.

"Didn't Huan-ge leave the manor to live separately yesterday?"

Xue Baochai said calmly, "My brother and Huan-ge'er are good friends, so I specially invited Huan-ge'er to come over today to give him a proper welcome!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of the three sisters and Li Wan froze, while Jia Baoyu, oblivious to everything else, said, "So it's to entertain Huan-ge'er? Why not at this time of year?"

Even someone as shrewd and tactful as Xue Baochai wouldn't know how to respond to such a remark.

Fortunately, Li Wan was there, and the topic was quickly changed, and the atmosphere returned to normal with laughter and conversation.

However, no one really knew what the three sisters and Li Wan were thinking.

By the time lunchtime, the old lady and Madam Wang naturally found out.

The old lady didn't react much, thinking it was just children making a fuss. Xue Pan was an unreliable guy to begin with, so it wasn't surprising that he did something so unreliable.

Madam Wang was rather unhappy. If Aunt Xue hadn't been away, she would have definitely given her a good talking-to.

Isn't this just making things difficult for her?

Oh, she just used some tricks yesterday to drive that brat Jia Huan out of the Rong Mansion.

Today, the Xue family set off firecrackers to warmly welcome Jia Huan, who is now just an ordinary member of a collateral branch of the clan. What is their intention in doing so?

Fortunately, Xue Baochai had already returned home by then, otherwise she would have clearly felt her aunt, Lady Wang's, dissatisfaction.

Jia Huan was naturally unaware of what was happening at the Rong Mansion; at that moment, he was focused on dealing with the fine wine and food prepared by the Xue family.

Knowing that Jia Huan did not drink ordinary wine, Xue Pan specially brought him wine from the Western Regions and some very good fruit wine, which Jia Huan drank as if they were fruit juice.

The banquet lasted until evening before it ended. When Jia Huan left, he went to the backyard again to thank Aunt Xue properly.

They also saw Xue Baochai, who had reached the age of coming of age.

Fortunately, the Xue family had already moved out of the Rong Mansion, otherwise, one of the famous scenes in the Dream of the Red Chamber, where the old lady provided twenty taels of silver for the banquet, would have happened again.

He didn't stay long. After returning home, he practiced running for a while, covering nearly thirty miles including obstacles before stopping.

For the next two days, apart from going to the clan school in the morning to oversee things, or occasionally showing up at the martial arts hall, Jia Huan spent most of his time at banquets.

First, at the Ning residence, although the main gate wasn't fully opened, the event was still quite grand.

No firecrackers were set off, but the commotion at the Ning Mansion's gate was still seen by the servants at the Rong Mansion's gate, and naturally reached the ears of the old lady and Madam Wang.

"Qin Shi and Qiang Ge'er are still too young, and they are so unreliable in their actions!"

The old lady said a couple of indifferent words, and then forgot about it.

Madam Wang was quite conflicted and was rather displeased at one point.

What are they trying to do? Do they all want to go against her?

I'll settle accounts with you guys after Yuan Chun gives birth to the prince!

On the third day, Jia Huan accepted the invitation to visit the Shi family!

The two marquises of the Shi family personally came out to receive them and even invited Jia Lian to accompany them, showing great hospitality.

During the meal, Jia Huan and the two marquises of the Shi family chatted and laughed, showing no restraint or unease as juniors. Jia Lian, who had been called over to keep them company, was so surprised that his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Do you want to be so exaggerated?

Those were the two Marquises of the Shi family, not just the brothers' maternal uncles.

Looking at the powerful military generals in the capital, the two marquises from the Shi family are among the most prominent.

Not to mention the two younger generation members, Jia Huan and Jia Huan, even the old lady had to treat them with great respect.

But what he saw was Jia Huan chatting and laughing with the two Marquises Shi, showing no sign of stage fright.

Moreover, the two scribes spoke with great enthusiasm and respect, indicating that the scribes would not stand idly by if Jia Huan were to cause any trouble in the future.

Jia Lian was stunned; neither of the two Marquis Shi had ever treated him so well.

Feeling quite jealous, she naturally didn't reveal the door after returning home, and the news quickly reached the old lady's ears.

The old lady almost broke down this time: "How is that possible?"

She could never believe that Jia Huan, an insignificant illegitimate son, would receive such a grand reception from the two marquises of the Shi family; it was illogical!

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Chapter 227 Don't Release the Hawk Until You See the Rabbit (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)

The old lady fell silent!

Once she calmed down, she suddenly realized that she might have done something wrong.

She knew all too well that the two nephews of the Shi family were quite stubborn.

Because of Wang Ziteng's matter, the relationship with the Rong family was once very strained.

They were all relatively pure martial artists, and even Wang Ziteng had a hard time gaining their respect. How could Jia Huan, a junior, be worthy of being looked at differently by the two marquises of the Shi family?

It should be noted that Marquis Baoling was a high-ranking general in the Beijing Garrison, and he could not easily leave the camp.

Unfortunately, I was full of doubts but couldn't ask anyone for clarification.

If it were Master She or Master Zheng, they could summon people at will. But when it came to the two Marquises of the Shi family, the old lady couldn't get them to come.