The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 199 Jia Zheng Disciplines His Beloved Son with a Stick

Jia Baoyu sat there sideways, sulking and not saying a word.

Lin Daiyu, naturally, had no reason to offer a warm welcome to someone who was cold in return, so she sat to the side without saying a word.

If Lin Daiyu hadn't only been at the Jia family mansion for a few days, and if there weren't elders above her, she might have already given Jia Baoyu a hard time, given her temperament, and wouldn't have let him act this way.

Neither of them spoke first, and maids like Xiren and Zijuan naturally couldn't speak out of turn before their masters.

As a result, the courtyard became quiet for a while, with only the occasional falling withered leaf bringing a slight sound.

In this eerie atmosphere, Jia Baoyu was the first to become restless.

He first casually turned his head slightly and secretly glanced at Lin Daiyu.

He then saw Lin Daiyu sitting diagonally opposite him, slowly eating her snacks, seemingly completely absorbed in the food and oblivious to the presence of another person in front of her.

At this moment, Jia Baoyu felt extremely awkward.

Because in the past, whether it was an older sister or a younger sister, an elder or a servant, no one cared about him as much as Lin Daiyu did.

If he were in front of others, if Jia Baoyu were a little unhappy, countless people would try to appease him; he wouldn't be ignored like he is now.

Thinking about all this, Jia Baoyu felt extremely wronged and awkwardly asked:
"Lin Daiyu, do you not like talking to me?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Daiyu calmly replied, "Cousin, what are you saying? How could I possibly have such thoughts?"

To be honest, Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu had only known each other for a few days, and she didn't feel any disgust towards them.

I'm just annoyed by being bothered every day, and I'm a little unhappy about it.

If Jia Baoyu hadn't bothered her every day, Lin Daiyu would have treated her cousin as normally.

However, Jia Baoyu was unaware of Lin Daiyu's thoughts; he was simply not used to his current situation.

So he asked, "But I've been here for so long, and Lin Daiyu hasn't spoken to me at all."

Lin Daiyu wanted to roll her eyes again after hearing this.

But he said, "I was just thinking about something else and I neglected my cousin."

Then Lin Daiyu casually asked, "Didn't you go to see Third Sister today, Cousin? Why are you here again?"

This was a question that had already been asked, yet Lin Daiyu asked it again, which shows how casually she asked it.

Lin Daiyu thought that if she asked such a question, Jia Baoyu would answer with the same high-sounding excuse as Xiren.

Unexpectedly, Jia Baoyu said angrily, "Third Sister has changed. She's been in the palace for half a year, and her temper has grown. She ignores me."

Judging from Jia Baoyu's tone, he must have been quite angry.

This made Lin Daiyu very curious, because based on her interactions with Tan Chun, Tan Chun was not the kind of person who was difficult to talk to.

She wouldn't possibly throw a tantrum at her brother, with whom she grew up, and besides, she only goes home once every six months, so even if something is wrong, she wouldn't lash out at this time.

Perhaps this troublemaker's cousin had done something displeasing again, which is why Tan Chun didn't give him a friendly look.

These thoughts flashed through Lin Daiyu's mind, but she had no interest in paying attention to other people's affairs.

He simply replied perfunctorily, "Third sister isn't that kind of person; there must be some misunderstanding."

After hearing this, Jia Baoyu said angrily, "How could there be a misunderstanding? This time when Third Sister came back, not only did she ignore me, but her temper also got worse. She even started arguing with Eldest Sister right there in the middle of the room."

Upon hearing this, Lin Daiyu realized that Jia Yuanchun was involved.

She knew very well that her older cousin was used to giving others the cold shoulder at home.

It is said that the previously arranged marriage changed, causing this older cousin's personality to change drastically.

He was always giving people the cold shoulder, and in the Jia family, he became someone everyone avoided.

Even Lin Daiyu, whom I met just two days ago, was said a few sarcastic things to me.

From this perspective, it's not necessarily true who is at fault in this conflict between Tan Chun and her.

The reason why Jia Baoyu thought it was Tan Chun's fault was because they were, after all, siblings, and naturally, he sided with Jia Yuanchun.

Lin Daiyu felt some sympathy for Tan Chun, but she had no intention of explaining the situation to Jia Baoyu.

Because she also knew that this person was a spoiled child, and reasoning with him was completely ineffective.

If you insist on saying it, and you anger this person, who knows what kind of trouble they might cause.

So she made up an excuse, saying, "Maybe it's because my third sister just came home and is a little unaccustomed to it."

Perhaps Lin Daiyu's words made Jia Baoyu see things more clearly, or perhaps there was another reason.

Jia Baoyu said impatiently, "Let's not talk about Third Sister anymore. I came to you today to ask Lin Sister what books she read today."

Lin Daiyu was speechless after hearing this.

As a young girl, she had only learned a few characters in school because her parents wanted her to.

Later, as he learned more characters, he began to use reading as a way to pass the time.

They wouldn't be staring at books all day, like a scholar who never puts down his book.

Upon arriving here, she felt somewhat annoyed again.

So he said, "Cousin, please forgive me. I have something to do today and am not in the mood to study, so I cannot talk to you."

These words sound polite, but upon closer inspection, they imply a desire to send the guest away.

In this way, no one in such a grand mansion would fail to understand the meaning behind it.

So when Lin Daiyu finished speaking, Jia Baoyu and Xiren beside him both changed their expressions.

Xi Ren stared at Lin Daiyu with an incredulous look on her face, as if asking, "How dare you say such a thing?"

Jia Baoyu put on a stern face again, pouted, and said angrily:

"Lin Daiyu, even you don't like me?"

Lin Daiyu didn't want to clash with Jia Baoyu, but she did have something to do today and was genuinely annoyed with him.

So, with wide eyes, she wanted to take this opportunity to bring up the matter and make him stop bothering her every day.

But before she could speak, she heard the courtyard gate being pushed open. Turning her head, she saw Xueyan walking over with small steps.

Xueyan had been sent out by Lin Daiyu on business and shouldn't have returned so early.

The current situation clearly indicates that something is amiss.

So Lin Daiyu swallowed the words that were about to come out and waited for Xueyan to arrive.

Xueyan walked over in a few steps, first glancing at Jia Baoyu and Xiren, and then said:

"Miss, your uncle has sent someone over. He says he wants to question Master Bao."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Jia Baoyu.

Just moments ago, Jia Baoyu was furious, but now he was filled with fear, clearly showing that he was very reluctant to see his father.

The reason for this is obvious to everyone: it's because of Jia Zheng, the father.

The methods used to discipline their son were extremely brutal; they would either ignore him or simply drag him over and beat him.

Therefore, in Jia Baoyu's mind, nothing good ever came from visiting his father.

This is why he looked frightened when he heard the news.

But since Jia Zheng was looking for Jia Baoyu and had already sent someone here, Lin Daiyu couldn't stop him. So she said to Jia Baoyu, "Cousin, since your second uncle is looking for you, I won't keep you here any longer."

At this moment, Jia Baoyu's mind was entirely focused on his father, and he paid no attention to Lin Daiyu's words telling him to leave.

She simply said in a low voice, "I don't want to go."

It's unclear whether he was speaking to Lin Daiyu or to Xiren.

However, Lin Daiyu pretended that the words were not spoken to her and did not reply.

Given how much Xiren adored Jia Baoyu, she was naturally extremely reluctant to let him go.

But as a servant, she couldn't offer any better solutions, so she could only offer verbal reassurance:
"Second Master, the Master has summoned you. He may just be asking you a couple of questions. There's no need to worry."

But Jia Baoyu, looking at the shadowy figures at the door, frowned and said:
"Look at all those people at the door. It must be that the master wants to beat me, but he's afraid I'll escape, so he sent them to arrest me."

It seems that Jia Baoyu understood his father well, knowing that he would run to the Old Madam for help, so he directly sent people to arrest him.

But in doing so, Jia Baoyu really wouldn't be able to escape.

Seeing this situation, Xiren was also very anxious.

He said urgently, "Second Master, you stay here with Miss Lin and don't go out. I'll go find the Old Madam right now."

After saying that, she looked at Lin Daiyu and said, "Miss Lin, please help us and let our Second Master stay with you a little longer. You are a distinguished guest in our household, and the servants dare not come in and bring people in without permission."

Lin Daiyu understood the reasoning behind this, but firstly, she didn't want Jia Baoyu to stay with her any longer.

Then she thought that even if Jia Baoyu was taken away by his second uncle, it wouldn't be a big deal, so she didn't want to cover for him.

But given Lin Daiyu's intelligence, she wouldn't say that to someone's face.

So Lin Daiyu remained silent, simply staring quietly at Jia Baoyu.

At this moment, Lin Daiyu's face was expressionless, but to Jia Baoyu, it was extremely irritating.

Given Jia Baoyu's personality, he would really choose to hide here.

But now, Lin Daiyu's gaze made him feel that he was being looked down upon.

Although she grew up surrounded by women, she was still a child, and at the age when she cared most about her image, she couldn't stand this.

So he gritted his teeth, grinned, and said, "No need, I'll go see the master. What's there to be afraid of?"

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the door without looking back.

Xiren was shocked by this turn of events. She glared at Lin Daiyu in anger, then stomped her foot and desperately chased after Jia Baoyu.

Faced with this unexpected turn of events, Lin Daiyu remained calm throughout and did not utter a single word.

She watched quietly as Jia Baoyu left through the gate and was led away by the people in front of his second uncle.

Seeing Xiren hurrying towards the old lady's residence.

Then she said to Zijuan and Xueyan:
"You two shouldn't just stand around either. Go ahead and wait for news, just like before."

The two maids didn't say anything, gave a curtsy, and ran off to run their errands.

Lin Daiyu sat down alone again, her eyes slightly closed, lost in thought.

……

With that said, let's turn our attention back to Tu Chengyu and Jia Jing.

After half a day, the two of them had finished discussing their business.

Tu Chengyu was still thinking about meeting Lin Daiyu, so he planned to have Jia Jing pass on a message, asking Lin Daiyu to come and see him.

Coincidentally, before he could finish speaking, a series of chaotic noises suddenly erupted from the Jia mansion.

There were shouts from servants and cries of alarm from some women.

The grand and prestigious Jia family mansion valued peace, joy, and tranquility, remaining unperturbed by honor or disgrace.

Normally, this kind of shouting and chaotic behavior wouldn't occur.

Especially since someone of Tu Chengyu's status came to his home, such a thing would be even less likely to happen.

However, this was ultimately a matter for the Jia family themselves, so Tu Chengyu, despite his curiosity, didn't object.

In the end, his attitude was surprisingly consistent with Lin Daiyu's, showing no intention of getting involved whatsoever.

Although Tu Chengyu had no complaints, Jia Jing, as a member of the Jia family, was very uneasy because such a thing had happened in his home and disturbed the important person.

He bowed and said, "Your Highness, please forgive us. The people in the manor have been unruly and have disturbed you. I will go and speak to them immediately."

Although Tu Chengyu had no intention of getting involved, the Jia family's current chaotic state was not a good thing.

So he waved his hand, telling Jia Jing to get to work.

However, Jia Jing didn't know whether it was due to negligence or something else.

Instead of going out to stop the noise, he shouted towards the door:

"Someone is coming."

Outside Rongxi Hall, although Xiao Xuanzi and others were standing guard, they did not prevent the servants of the Jia family from entering.

So not long after Jia Jing shouted, Tu Chengyu saw the door open and a servant walk in.

Upon seeing the servant enter, Jia Jing immediately asked, "What's all this commotion outside? What happened?"

The servant said respectfully, "It is my master who is disciplining Master Bao."

After listening, Jia Jing asked in confusion, "Why is there such a commotion when Baoyu is being educated?"

The servant said, "Just now, the master summoned Master Bao Er and, without saying a word, tied him to a stool and had him beaten with a stick as thick as a thumb."

Upon hearing the news, the old lady and the lady of the house were worried that the master had seriously injured Bao Er, so they rushed to plead for him, which is why all this commotion occurred.

Tu Chengyu understood perfectly and knew that Jia Zheng was educating his son.

He had seen this scene in a TV series in his previous life.

At that time, Jia Zheng wanted to educate Jia Baoyu because of some things.

When Grandmother Jia found out about this, she cried out to heaven and earth and rushed over to rescue Jia Baoyu.

Tu Chengyu never expected that he would encounter this classic scene himself.

He wanted to laugh, but when he thought about how he was in the Jia family mansion and Jia Jing was still standing in front of him, he could only force himself to hold it in.

Jia Jing, however, couldn't care less about that and asked in a low voice:

"Your husband is really something, he doesn't know what's important and what's urgent, he has to educate his son at this time."

The person in front of Jia Jing was just a servant; how could he dare to speak ill of his master?

So after hearing Jia Jing's words, he lowered his head and pretended not to hear.

Jia Jing didn't expect his servant to answer his question, and continued to ask:
"Do you know why your master hit Baoyu at this time?"

The servant replied in a muffled voice, "My master just sent someone to the academy to find Master Bao, thinking he would pay his respects to Prince Su later."

But the messenger returned saying that Master Bao hadn't finished his studies for several days, and that he had also been frequently bothering Miss Lin. Therefore, the master was angered and ordered Master Bao to be brought back and punished.

(End of this chapter)