Chapter 135 Mother and Son Clash
"Fourth Sister, don't talk nonsense. That's Young Master Qin," Baoyu hurriedly explained.
"Two men, you..." Xichun's eyes widened, looking completely bewildered. "Second brother, do you really consider yourself a daughter?"
"I didn't!" Baoyu suddenly found a surge of courage and jumped up to shout.
"That's not how it happened. Young Master Qin said he got something in his eye, so I went over to blow on it for him. When the younger sisters went over, Young Master Qin slipped and we ended up piling on top of each other..."
"Then why didn't you answer when I asked you earlier?" Xichun questioned.
Baoyu blushed deeply and said shyly, "I brought Young Master Qin in without telling anyone..."
"Good! Bringing a man from outside the family into the inner courtyard without permission, what a wicked child! Guards, throw Baoyu out and beat him to death with sticks, so he won't do anything to tarnish the family's reputation in the future!"
As Jia Zheng stepped in, he heard nothing else, but he heard Bao Yu's last words clearly.
"What a show of power! Does he think he can just threaten to kill Baoyu here with me?" Grandmother Jia slammed her hand on the table, and Jia Zheng stood aside, suppressing his anger.
Baoyu breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the old lady spoke, this trouble would be averted.
Upon hearing these words, Yuan Hongqu realized what Daiyu had suddenly seen. She guessed that she must have been startled by the sight of a strange man in the inner courtyard, and the ambiguous actions between the man and Baoyu must have frightened the young girl.
The little girl had never seen anything like this before and was a bit lost, which is why she wanted to go back to what she considered the safest place and go home.
In Yuan Hongqu's view, this was a very small matter, not worth mentioning at all, but in today's world, it was a huge deal.
“I’ve met that young Master Qin before. He’s the brother of Rong’s wife from the East Mansion, and he’s about the same age as Baoyu. They’re both still children. Since it’s all a misunderstanding, let’s just let it go,” said Grandmother Jia, trying to smooth things over.
“Since the old lady says so, then this wretched boy will be spared a beating. However, since he has frightened his young lady, a punishment is still necessary.” Jia Zheng had been busy with official duties lately and had not paid attention to Bao Yu’s education. Before he knew it, Bao Yu had reverted to his old ways, and he felt utterly exhausted.
Grandmother Jia knew she couldn't protect her too much. In her opinion, it was just a small matter, but since it had startled Daiyu, it wasn't something she could easily dismiss with a few words.
Punishment is definitely in order, but the method of punishment could be used to some extent; perhaps...
Grandmother Jia glanced at Yuan Hongqu. If Yuan Hongqu could say a few words, perhaps Baoyu could be spared this punishment.
But Yuan Hongqu completely ignored her hints, and instead held Daiyu in her arms, whispering something to her.
Under Yuan Hongqu's reassurance, Daiyu's expression had become quite calm, and she no longer showed any signs of the panic she had just displayed.
Grandmother Jia coughed lightly before speaking.
“Mr. Yuan, Baoyu is a naughty child. He led his friends to the inner courtyard and frightened his sister. Why don’t we let Yu’er punish him to vent his anger?”
Before Yuan Hongqu could speak, Daiyu spoke first.
“Grandmother, there’s no need to punish my second cousin. I’ve made a big fuss about this. I come from a small town and have little experience. I didn’t know that young masters from prominent families in the capital behave this way. It’s a small matter that I was startled today, but it would be a real problem if any distinguished guests came to our house in the future and were startled again.”
“Grandmother, I heard that Second Master did a good job this time and was praised. Even the young ladies in the palace benefited.” Yuan Hongqu smiled slightly. “I imagine that the number of distinguished guests coming and going in the future will only increase. Second Master Bao’s recklessness this time can be forgiven. He just needs to be more careful in the future.”
Is this an attempt to appease the situation, or is it a deliberate attempt to sow discord? Even Grandmother Jia didn't know what Yuan Hongqu meant.
Upon hearing what Daiyu and Yuan Hongqu said, Jia Zheng's anger, which had been suppressed, suddenly rekindled.
“Mother, Baoyu is all grown up now. From now on, he should move to the outer study.”
Jia Zheng's tone left no room for refusal: "He was studying in the outer study for a while and seemed to have made some progress, but he's already reverted to his old ways after only a few days. I think we still need to keep a close eye on him. I don't expect you to achieve great success, just don't be a burden on the family."
Grandmother Jia felt a little guilty, but she would never admit her mistake. She was just showing affection to her grandson; it wasn't that serious.
"How old is he? Are you trying to kill him off so early? He's the only one I can truly love, and you want to get rid of him? I think I don't need to stay here and be disliked anymore. I should pack my things and go back to Jinling." Grandmother Jia pointed at Jia Zheng and scolded him, but this time Jia Zheng did not back down. He listened to Grandmother Jia's scolding without flinching.
When Grandmother Jia saw that even this tactic had failed, she became somewhat discouraged.
Wang Xifeng felt a pang of unease upon hearing Grandmother Jia's words, "There's only this one pleasing person left by my side." She had always believed that although Grandmother Jia disliked her eldest son, Jia She, she doted on her grandson, Jia Lian, and treated her differently. She and her husband had always been obedient and respectful to Grandmother Jia, yet they had never realized that even so, they held little place in Grandmother Jia's heart.
Therefore, when Grandmother Jia said this, Wang Xifeng should have stepped in to smooth things over and let things pass by with everyone giving way. However, Wang Xifeng didn't move an inch and just stayed next to Yuan Hongqu, watching the show as if it were a play.
Even the usually shrewd and tactful Sister Feng didn't respond, and no one else dared to speak up. The scene fell into an eerie silence.
It was Jia Zheng who broke the silence first, stepping forward and speaking in a low voice.
“Mother, what Mr. Yuan said is true. The eldest daughter is very likely to take things further. We can’t let a small matter cause us to lose a big one. Baoyu, let’s move outside.”
Grandmother Jia's expression shifted rapidly. She glanced at Baoyu, who was looking at her anxiously, his eyes filled with fear and rejection. She then looked at Yuan Hongqu and Daiyu. Daiyu sat calmly and composedly, and when she saw her grandmother looking at her, she smiled sweetly. Grandmother Jia's heart softened a little. Looking further, she saw Fengjie teasing Xichun with a nonchalant expression. The two seemed completely unconcerned about the situation at hand. Grandmother Jia suddenly remembered what she had said in her haste, and she feared that her words had hurt Fengjie.
Oh well, forget it.
"Baoyu, when you get out there, you must study hard and not make your father angry again. If you do, I won't be able to protect you." Grandmother Jia looked dejected.
Baoyu was dejected. How did things get to this point?
He just invited a friend over to play.
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