Jia Hu rolled his eyes and looked at Jia Zhen.
He said calmly, "The sage said: 'Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you.'"
"Brother Zhen, how about I use one hundred taels to buy your elder brother's wife?"
"You scoundrel!"
Jia Zhen was furious, smashing his teacup and standing up to point his finger at Jia Hu's nose, shouting: "You disgusting thing with no sense of morality, you dog-like, trashy, **********"
"Brother Zhen, why are you so angry? If one hundred taels is not enough, I'll increase it to two hundred."
"***********"
Jia Hu, who had dodged the teacup and was relying on his physique to prevent Jia Zhen from charging, spread his hands towards Lady Jia, saying nonchalantly, "You see, I'm being reasonable."
"But if it wasn't for my strong body, Brother Zhen would have wanted to beat me up too."
"It's clearly not a situation that can be tolerated."
"What about Lai Er?" Lady Jia changed the subject with a grim face. "He's been an old servant for many years. How could you be so ruthless?"
"If you really have this violent temper, I'll just grant your wish, Old Lady. I'll send you to the battlefield."
"On the battlefield, you can vent your frustrations as you please, without harming your own family."
Jia Hu's eyes lit up.
He bowed, "Thank you, Old Lady!"
"Although I'm not violent, our Jia family has established its reputation through military achievements. Most of our relatives are now useless and have no ambition, becoming nothing but wán kù. "
"I wish to join the battlefield and once again demonstrate our Jia family's true grit, to continue the glory of our Jia family for another hundred years!"
"I only hope that Old Lady will take care of my fiancée, and not let those shameless, low-class trash harass her peace."
He glanced at Jia Zhen and Jia Rong as he said that.
It was almost a direct call-out as to who the "low-class trash" was.
Behind the screen, Jia Bao Yu, who had been slightly disappointed by Jia Hu's imposing physique, couldn't help but praise, upon hearing those inspiring words: "He's just like a noble, patriotic warrior from Yan and Zhao!"
"Wait, he's going to the battlefield?"
"I thought he was a good young man, but it turns out he's another greedy and corrupt official, a worthless, muddy, and foul creature."
"Go away, go away!"
Li Xuan ignored him and looked at Lin Dai Yu instead.
Sure enough, Lin Mei Yu's eyes were filled with a strong longing.
A longing not for anything else, but for the battlefield!
Holding a sharp weapon, the killing intent rises.
With powerful abilities, who wouldn't want to unleash their killing spree?
Seeing Lady Jia hesitate, Jia Zhen opened his mouth.
But he didn't know what to say, and for a moment, he was speechless.
Jia Hu pressed his advantage, "Even though we're out there making a living, we often hear how Old Lady is the most compassionate and charitable, so you wouldn't condone Brother Zhen's shameless actions."
"Just like when our ancestors were alive, they wouldn't allow immoral people to bully their family members."
The first sentence placed Lady Jia in a difficult position.
If the second sentence was against Jia Zhen, it would mean that the Jia family was in decline, allowing their family members to bully each other.
And this was precisely the image that the two Jia families needed to maintain.
Once they showed weakness, they might face the Emperor's reckoning and the counter-attack from the literary and bureaucratic group.
And as the old saying goes:
It's better to bully an old man than a young man who is down on his luck.
Just looking at Jia Hu's heroic and majestic appearance, and the ease with which he dealt with Lai Er and several other servants, he might actually have a bright future.
Therefore, Lady Jia's attitude softened.
"Brother Hu, although Brother Zhen was anxious about Rong Er's marriage and acted hastily, losing his composure,"
"Even if you have your reasons, you shouldn't have beaten your nephew Rong Er and the loyal servants like Lai Er. That's also losing your composure."
"But since this matter has come to me, I'll take charge."
"I agree to your request to join the army. Don't say that the family doesn't care about its members. I'll try to get you a post as a xiào wèi (military officer), so you don't have to be a foot soldier."
"No one will harass your fiancée, Qin's daughter."
"Are you satisfied?"
Jia Zhen exclaimed urgently, "Old Lady!"
How come, as the conversation went on, the Old Lady became the person on the other side?
Jia Zhen, who was useless with his studies and didn't want to practice martial arts, only knew how to do shameless things. He didn't know about the turbulent undercurrents outside the Jia mansion.
Or rather, he knew, but he pretended not to know, after seeing the fates of his father and uncles.
He hoped that this single blow would prevent the Emperor from taking further action.
Glancing at Jia Zhen, Jia Hu sneered arrogantly, "Thank you, Old Lady."
Li Xuan: "???"
Arrogant?
Is he not putting on an act anymore now that everything is over?
Noticing Jia Hu's change in attitude, Lady Jia regretted it for a moment.
Dealing with things was mentally draining, she would rather have Gao Le do it.
Giving Jia Zhen a knowing look, Lady Jia said, "Since we're all family, don't keep saying things that make us seem like we're on different sides. From now on, no one is allowed to mention this matter again."
"Brother Hu, Brother Zhen, I've handled this matter. Are you still dissatisfied?"
He understood Lady Jia's intentions.
It was to get him to agree first, and then explain things later.
Therefore, although Jia Zhen was inwardly resentful, he still respectfully said, "I'll follow your arrangements!"
Jia Hu squinted at Jia Zhen once again, his eyes filled with disdain, and said with a smile, "Old Lady is fair!"
"Brother Hu, you can go now. I'll have a few words with Brother Zhen."
Lady Jia closed her eyes wearily.
Yuan Yang understood and went to the back of the Old Lady to massage her head.
After Jia Hu left, Jia Zhen couldn't sit still any longer.
He said anxiously, "Old Lady, why do you need to be so lenient and tolerant of that rebellious son of a bitch? Just deal with him as you please."
Lady Jia didn't answer. Instead, she beckoned to those behind the screen.
"You guys have been hiding for so long, come out!"
"Ancestral Grandmother!"
"Old Lady!"
Holding onto Bao Yu, she didn't look at anyone else, only at Li Xuan, and said, "Xuán Gē'r (Brother Xuan), considering the character of my old friend (Li Shou Zhong), he wouldn't let you come to the capital alone to inherit your military post if you didn't have the ability to protect yourself."
"Good child, you've reached the level of pǐn in your martial arts, right?"
Seeing that she didn't ask what level he had reached, and didn't reveal his cards, Li Xuan felt a little more reassured.
He bowed, "In reply to Old Lady, I have reached the level of pǐn."
It's common knowledge (?) that practicing martial arts from a young age is good, but the progress made in childhood is far slower than in adulthood.
Subjectively, children are impatient, and objectively, their bodies can't handle long hours of training.
Therefore, without sacrificing potential later on, and without ruining their bodies, people usually reach the level of pǐn in their late teens or early twenties. The younger they are, the more talented they are.
Everyone present knew that Li Xuan wasn't even in his teens yet.
How talented must he be!
(Li Xuan: Even more talented than you think)
"You've reached the level of pǐn, good, good," Lady Jia smiled. "Can you tell if Brother Hu just now has reached the level of pǐn?"
"Yes, he has. He's likely just broken through, so he hasn't concealed his energy. His level is above 8th pǐn."
Li Xuan nodded and gave his answer.
This answer directly stunned Jia Zhen.
Above the 8th pǐn?
Doesn't that mean he could kill everyone in this room if he wanted to?
Jia Zhen's cold sweat instantly broke out.
He respectfully bowed to Lady Jia with a grand salute, "Old Lady is wise!"
Lady Jia shook her head and sighed, "We're all from the same family. This matter with Brother Hu should be considered over. But you should still be more restrained in the future!"
…