Jia Zhen complained, and Jia She followed up with a consoling statement:
“They are all good-for-nothing scoundrels. Why bother arguing with them? It would only bring shame upon us. Drink, drink!”
“They are nothing! Tomorrow, you can have Lai Er bring some people into the mansion.”
“Then, a mere Jia Hu will be at your mercy, able to be manipulated as you please?”
Although it was intended as consolation, his words were filled with contempt for Jia Hu, overflowing with disdain.
It was true.
Two dignified men inheriting titles shouldn’t lower themselves to argue with a pauper. What does it matter?
What? You say Jia Hu’s ancestors were great?
Humph, humph, humph, humph. Whose ancestors weren’t great!
“Elder Brother is right,” Jia Lian also stepped in to ease the tension. “Brother Zhen, since you are the head of the family and the eldest master of the Ning Mansion, just take him in.”
“Let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s talk about something more pleasant.”
“I heard that Xuan brother sent jade to each family as a gift. Brother Bao was ecstatic when he heard about it. He said that now all the sisters will have jade.”
When they heard this, they all burst into laughter.
If Jia Bao Yu was happy, wouldn’t Wang Madam be upset?
Due to his appearance and the Mystical Jade, Jia Bao Yu, who had an ordinary face, had become the ‘Phoenix Egg’ of the family.
If everyone had jade, the reason for Jia Bao Yu's preferential treatment would be cut in half!
Of course, just because everyone had jade wouldn’t threaten him.
Unless it was proven that he was not born with a jade in his mouth.
Wang Madam was angry, but she really didn't know how to deal with Li Xuan.
A relative who was just a guest, making such a move would only make her, Wang Madam, appear petty.
They continued drinking for a while longer.
Seeing that it was getting late and everyone was having a good time, Jia She said:
“The young ladies have nothing to do during the day, so I wonder how late they will be playing. We, the heads of the family, can’t stay too late. There’s plenty of time for that. Let’s go now.”
He was the first to leave, followed closely by Jia Zhen, and the feast finally ended.
After bidding farewell to everyone, Li Xuan returned to his courtyard with Qing Wen.
...
After the gathering, Jia Qiang and Jia Rong, who were close companions, huddled together and began to whisper.
Jia Rong began: “I thought the Li family of Jinling was so powerful, but now they have to curry favor with our Jia family.”
“Don’t be fooled by that Li fellow's good looks. He didn’t say much, making him seem upright. In reality, he’s hoping we’ll help him out!”
He spoke with great confidence, completely oblivious to his own character.
Jia Qiang agreed:
“He seems to be a man of noble appearance and virtue, but he didn’t say much during the banquet. Perhaps he has a deep and cunning mind.”
“But what does it matter?”
“Our Rong and Ning Mansions are incredibly wealthy. There are countless people like him who want to climb the social ladder and seek favor. We shouldn't bother with him, just treat him as if he doesn’t exist, and let him be the laughing stock!”
Compared to these two, the young ladies were much kinder.
After the old lady, the first lady, and the wives left, the younger girls were much more relaxed.
They secretly peeked at Li Xuan before gathering back around the table.
Surrounded by these beautiful ladies, Jia Bao Yu, with his ordinary face, smiled brightly and said:
“Aunt is being too formal. Such a handsome young man, and she won’t allow him to play with us.”
“I think Xuan brother is a good person. He gave jade to all the sisters, so now everyone has jade.”
“It’s a pity that he is so handsome, yet he has to inherit that useless position. Such a clean and pure person becomes a government official who feeds off the people and the country.”
The sisters looked at each other, none of them responded.
You don’t encourage him to be ambitious, but you don’t let others be ambitious either?
“It’s a pity he couldn’t come,” Tanchun, with a small smile on her face, said. “I wanted to offer Xuan Si Ge a toast, but unfortunately, he can’t come over.”
Yingchun blinked, but said nothing.
But Xichun was puzzled.
She looked at Tanchun with confusion, her eyes filled with bewilderment.
“Third sister, why are you so smitten with him because of a few gifts?”
She had never seen her so eager about other young men. What was going on today?
Lin Daiyu smiled:
“Gifts can’t buy you, but those who are righteous and chivalrous are the most admired by our valiant Tan丫头, wouldn’t you say?”
It didn’t take long for Lin Daiyu to figure out the personalities of the sisters in the mansion.
The second sister, Yingchun, was like a wooden doll, responding only when pushed, her personality was incredibly soft, she never took the initiative.
The third sister, Tanchun, valued traditional etiquette, but she was quite righteous, intelligent, capable, had a cunning mind, and was decisive.
As for the fourth sister, Xichun, she was really just a young girl.
“Sister Lin, we girls shouldn’t say such things. If you keep saying that, I’ll be angry!”
Tanchun was flustered for a moment, then she immediately retorted.
Lin Daiyu nodded. “Oh, so it’s true.”
“I was just saying it casually, I didn’t expect to actually guess someone’s thoughts.”
“Have you learned martial arts, Tan丫头? Should we call you Tanchun the heroine in the future?”
“You’re still saying that?” Tanchun chided, and rushed towards Lin Daiyu.
The two chased each other, giggling and playing, making a scene of themselves.
Jia Bao Yu watched his sisters play, and he was entranced.
If Xuan brother didn’t have to be a government official, it would be great if they could all play together.
…
The next morning, Jia Zhen indeed sent Lai Er with a few servants to “invite” Jia Hu.
They couldn’t find him at his home, but they ran into him on Ning Rong Street.
A few words were exchanged, and Lai Er and his men attacked.
However, Jia Hu kicked them all to the ground, one by one.
Finally, Jia Hu shouted loudly to the only one left standing:
“Rong brother, go back and tell Brother Zhen that I won’t go to your honorable mansion except for the annual grand ceremony.”
The use of “your honorable mansion” instead of “Ning Guo Gong Mansion” was a clear sign of a broken relationship.
Although Jia Rong was despicable and a frivolous playboy, he was not stupid.
He immediately changed his expression.
He shouted, “Brother Hu, we are all from the Ning Guo lineage, why do you have to be like this?”
“Come with me and apologize to my father. He’s a generous man. Let’s pretend this never happened.”
Even now, he was still thinking about Jia Zhen’s order and the reputation of the Ning Mansion. He was still desperately trying to salvage the situation.
Seeing how clueless he was, Jia Hu became furious.
He finally spoke his mind: “As the head of the family, instead of thinking about supporting your relatives and developing the family, you actually use your wealth to intimidate people and try to buy a fiancée with money.”
“Your actions are despicable, your heart is evil.”
“You disrespect the imperial favor, you attract the evil aura of lust, you disrespect your ancestors, and bring shame upon your lineage.”
“Now you come to me and say, ‘Why do you have to be like this’?”
Not only Jia Rong and the servants on the ground, but even the people watching the show on Ning Rong Street were stunned by Jia Hu’s impassioned words.
It wasn’t that his words were particularly profound, but their hearts were touched.
They were afraid that Jia Hu, in his rage, would give them another beating.
If words could solve problems, the Jia family wouldn’t have fallen to this state.
All of this was witnessed by Li Xuan, who happened to be out for a stroll.
To help Jia Hu, it would be pointless now, he didn’t need it, and as a guest, it wouldn’t be proper.
To help Lai Er and his men would defile his character.
He simply stepped back a few steps and hid in the crowd, to watch the show.
At most, he would secretly give Jia Hu some advice later.