Dream of the Red Chamber: Eating, Sleeping, and Angering Baoyu

"Third Master..."

Qingwen's eyes instantly reddened, and tears of grievance welled up in her eyes.

"What, still not convinced?"

Jia Heng's tone was completely calm.

"This servant admits his mistake! This servant knows he was wrong! Please punish me, Third Master!"

This time, Qingwen didn't hesitate at all. She knelt down and sincerely admitted her mistake.

She finally understood that this Third Master was truly not someone to be trifled with.

His methods were a hundred times more severe than direct beatings and scoldings.

Seeing her panicked expression, Jia Heng knew that the time was almost right.

After a slap, there should always be a sweet treat.

He slowly said, "Alright, get up."

Qingwen dared not move.

"I am a man of clear rewards and punishments," Jia Heng continued. "If you have made a mistake today, you shall be punished. But if you are loyal and willing to work diligently, I will not treat you unfairly."

He paused for a moment, then threw out the tempting bait: "However, if you behave well in the future, you might become my head maid."

Head maid!

These three words made Qingwen, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly raise her head, her face full of disbelief.

Being a head maid not only means a higher monthly salary and status, but also means that she will become the most powerful person in the courtyard besides the master!

The overwhelming joy made her forget the humiliation and grievances she had just felt, leaving only ecstasy and a lingering fear in her heart.

Just as Qingwen was filled with excitement and was about to kowtow to express her gratitude, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside with a "bang".

A servant dressed in blue rushed in, his face full of anxiety.

"Third Master!"

Jia Heng's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

The servant, panting heavily and forgetting even to bow, pointed outside and urgently called out, "Third Master, the Master wants to see you!"

"What's the panic?" Jia Heng said, his voice carrying a hint of coldness that was barely perceptible.

The servant was taken aback by his calm reaction, then remembered his manners and hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed: "Third Master, I deserve to die! It was just that the message from Master was urgent!"

"master?"

Jia Heng repeated it.

This title refers to his adoptive father, Jia Zheng.

For what?

Jia Heng quickly calculated in his mind.

"Did the master say what he wanted to tell me when he summoned me?"

"Reporting to Third Master, he didn't say anything! He only said he wanted you to go to the study immediately!" the servant replied. "It seems... it seems that Second Master Bao has angered Master again."

Baoyu?

Jia Heng's heart stirred.

This is a good thing!

"Understood." Jia Heng stood up, straightened his robes, and said, "You may all leave."

"Yes, Third Master."

Qingwen and Qiuxiang quickly responded.

Qingwen got up from the ground and looked at Jia Heng's back, her feelings extremely complicated.

Jia Heng ignored them and followed the servant out of the courtyard.

He had already roughly figured out the layout of the Rongguo Mansion.

Passing through the covered corridor and around several rock gardens, Jia Zheng's study is not far away.

Before I even got close, I could vaguely hear a suppressed, angry reprimand coming from inside.

"...The Great Learning begins by stating, 'The way of great learning consists in manifesting one's bright virtue, in loving the people, and in abiding in perfect goodness!' Tell me, what does 'manifesting one's bright virtue' mean?"

A clear but somewhat impatient boy's voice rang out.

"The phrase '明明德' means that all the women in the world are pure, bright, and virtuous. We men, by associating with them, naturally benefit from their virtues and become better ourselves."

"You...you wretched child!"

A loud shout was followed by the resounding crash of a book slamming onto the table.

Jia Heng stopped at the door of the study.

The servant was already so frightened that he shrank to one side and dared not utter a sound.

Through the open window, he could clearly see what was happening inside.

In the study, a middle-aged man dressed in a dark blue casual robe, with a dignified face and a handsome beard, was trembling with anger.

This man was none other than Jia Zheng, the second master of the Rongguo Mansion and an assistant minister of the Ministry of Works.

Opposite him stood a boy of similar age to Jia Heng.

He was born with a face as bright as the Mid-Autumn Moon, a complexion as delicate as a spring flower, sideburns as if cut by a knife, eyebrows as fine as ink paintings, a nose as straight as a hanging gall, and eyes as bright as autumn waves.

Although he was dressed in casual clothes, his dashing and handsome appearance, as well as his elegant and noble demeanor, could not be concealed.

It was Jia Baoyu.

At this moment, this "troublemaker" was craning his neck and looking at his father with a defiant expression.

"Am I wrong? Daughters are made of water and flesh, while men are made of mud and bones. I feel refreshed when I see daughters, but I feel suffocated by the stench of men!"

These shocking remarks caused Jia Zheng's blood pressure to spike instantly.

"You worthless brat! You've read all those classic texts and forgotten them! How could I have given birth to such an unambitious and worthless child!"

Jia Heng listened outside the door, secretly amused.

No wonder he's called Baoyu; his ability to attract hatred is simply innate.

He cleared his throat, stepped inside, and bowed to Jia Zheng.

"The son greets his father."

His words brought the heated argument in the study to an abrupt halt.

Jia Zheng's anger, which was about to erupt, was abruptly swallowed back down.

He turned his head, and when he saw that the person who came was Jia Heng, he was completely stunned.

When I saw my son yesterday, he was still dark-skinned and thin. Although his features were not bad, he was still somewhat unremarkable.

But today...

The young man before me was tall and straight, with skin as white as fine mutton fat jade, faintly glowing.

Her already delicate features appeared even more exquisite with the help of her beautiful skin.

A pair of eyes, black and white distinct, calm and clear, as if able to see into people's hearts.

Standing there, he exuded an air of refined elegance and otherworldly grace. Compared to the "flower-like" Jia Baoyu beside him, he was in no way inferior, and even possessed a greater sense of composure and restraint.

Is this...is this still the son he brought back from Nanjing?

How come you look completely different after just one night?

Jia Zheng was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a long time. Pointing at Jia Heng, he stammered, "You...your face...how come it turned so pale overnight?"

Jia Baoyu also looked over curiously. He thought this "younger brother" was quite good-looking yesterday, and today he thought he was even more handsome, even more so than the older sisters and younger sisters in the mansion.

Jia Heng remained expressionless and respectfully replied, "Father, I don't know either. Perhaps... it's because I've returned home, and the environment of the capital is good for one's health, and it's also thanks to the blessings of Father and Mother that my complexion has improved."

This explanation is watertight.

It both flattered Jia Zheng and Lady Wang, and attributed the problem to metaphysics, leaving no room for investigation.

When Jia Zheng heard this, although he found it unbelievable, he felt much more at ease.

Looking at his transformed son and then at Baoyu beside him who only knew how to spout nonsense, his anger subsided considerably, replaced by a complex mix of emotions.