[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber":3,"chapter-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-84":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","My Life as a Rising Force in the Red Chamber",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2310882,4515,"Chapter 84: How Light and Mean the Birthday Gift","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-84",84,"\u003Cp>My sister-in-law’s words just now were cold and indifferent, but to the old lady’s ears, they were anything but pleasant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old lady may not care for her own grandson, but she won’t tolerate outsiders speaking ill of him and undermining her own dignity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet my sister-in-law still hadn’t caught on, and kept prattling on:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though his birth is humble, in our family, lineage matters less than filial piety and proper manners.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I even heard he made a mistake, and the old lady waived all formalities for him—I felt sorry for her just hearing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a son like this causing trouble, Master Zheng ought to discipline him; if everyone were as well-behaved as Baoyu, the old lady would have peace.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Mu’s face grew cold as she heard these words—Wang Ziteng held a high office, yet his wife was a fool!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Fu’s expression darkened; she was about to intervene and silence her clueless sister-in-law.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Xifeng sneered inwardly—her uncle was a top figure in the Wang family, yet he was married to such a woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was nothing but a hollow shell, yet she strutted about, desperate for everyone to know how stupid she was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she didn’t realize the Marquis of Zhongjing’s title was three times more prestigious than the hereditary Marquis of Baoling’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang still thought her tongue was sharp, believing her jabs at Jia Cong were flattery toward Jia Mu—after all, he was just the bastard son of a courtesan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wang family’s ancestors were merely a county marquis, and their title had been extinguished generations ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet she had unwittingly offended half the room; even Wang Fu looked at her sister-in-law as if she were an idiot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flicker of contempt passed over Lady Li of the Marquis of Zhongjing’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both the Marquis of Baoling and the Marquis of Zhongjing were Jia Mu’s own nephews—this blood tie was far closer than any connection to the Wang family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with Jia Cong, none of that mattered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In May, when the Retired Emperor celebrated his birthday, our marquis and other civil and military officials accompanied His Majesty to Chonghua Palace to kowtow and offer birthday greetings.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To say such foolish things at such an occasion made your aunt look foolish.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was interrupted by Lady Li and looked displeased: “Lady Marquis, that’s a strange thing to say—is he different from others?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wang family has no hereditary title at all—they’re a fallen house. Without the Jia family’s connections, how could your husband have become Military Governor of the Capital Garrison?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said: “We women know nothing of affairs outside, but I’ve heard our marquis mention this before.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Li of the Marquis of Zhongjing could not miss Jia Mu’s discomfort; she immediately felt a shared sense of outrage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang’s face twitched—though her husband’s post as Military Governor of the Capital Garrison was prestigious, it was newly granted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Li of the Marquis of Zhongjing spoke first: “Lady Wang, that’s inaccurate. When others give paper as a birthday gift, it’s disrespectful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the Shi family’s lineage and dual marquisates, the difference is vast.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With men suddenly elevated to high rank, they forget how to behave, becoming so arrogant and reckless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even my husband holds a high office, yet he never had the honor of being personally led by the Emperor to kowtow before the Retired Emperor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang is nothing but a petty Chushen ; her vision is so narrow—has she forgotten where she crawled out from?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Zhongjing, Shi Ding, was the third grandson of Grand Secretary Shi Gong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Xiangyun’s father was the eldest grandson, but died young; the Marquis of Baoling’s title passed to Shi Gong’s second grandson, Shi Nai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Zhongjing was once merely a junior officer in the army, but earned his title through his loyalty in helping the present Emperor ascend the throne, rising from commoner to marquis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor bestowed the title “Zhongjing”—a clear sign of his great trust and esteem for Shi Ding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Ding’s Marquis of Zhongjing title was earned through blood and battle, and granted by the present Emperor, making it far weightier than the Shi family’s hereditary title.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of the four great families—Jia, Wang, Shi, and Xue—none enjoys greater imperial favor than the Marquis of Zhongjing, Shi Ding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Li continued: “During that visit to Chonghua Palace, our marquis happened to see a handwritten copy of the Heart Sutra, said to be the Retired Emperor’s most treasured possession.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, those who knew the truth said this Heart Sutra was written two years ago by Jia Cong himself, originally gifted to Prince Jiaoshun, who then presented it to the Retired Emperor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s said the Retired Emperor adores Jia Cong’s calligraphy; that copy of the Heart Sutra became his most cherished possession.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Lady Li spoke, everyone in the hall fell silent—Jia Cong’s handwriting was so extraordinary, even the Retired Emperor, the supreme sovereign, cherished it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Fu, Wang Xifeng, and others knew Jia Cong wrote beautiful characters, but had no idea of this astonishing backstory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this had happened two years ago—yet no one in the household had known a thing; all were stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That year’s New Year’s Eve, Prince Jiaoshun had sent Jia Cong a New Year’s gift; the Jia family vaguely remembered that the eunuch Wang Dong said Jia Cong had gifted Prince Jiaoshun a handwritten sutra.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one knew that sutra had later been passed on by the prince to the Retired Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since this affair occurred within the palace, few outsiders knew of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minister of Works Li Dekang happened to learn of it, took notice of Jia Cong, and even summoned Jia Zheng for a private chat—but he never told Jia Zheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So over two years passed, and not a single person in the Jia household knew of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Mu now recalled how, when she once went to the Empress Dowager to plead for Jia She, Empress Yizhang had said: “Jia She isn’t entirely without merit—he has at least raised a good son.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the time, Jia Mu had been puzzled, even asked if the Empress meant Jia Lian; though she later learned it was Jia Cong, she never knew why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, hearing her niece-in-law’s words, the mystery of years was solved; a chill ran through her—how many more things had this grandson done that no one knew?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Lady Li’s words, Wang Ziteng’s wife Zhang’s face burned with shame; she felt everyone’s mocking eyes upon her, wishing she could vanish into the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, when they looked again at that plain, understated blackwood scroll, who could still think it cheap or disrespectful?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the other gifts from the young masters and ladies combined were less valuable than this one—it was a treasure even the Retired Emperor cherished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl seated on the low stool before Jia Mu smiled and said: “Grandmother, could we unroll the scroll your third cousin Jia Cong sent you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Jia Mu nod, the girl leapt up from her stool and eagerly took the scroll from the maid’s hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She called for Yuanyang to hold the other end, and gently unrolled the scroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ancient, elegant, refined brushwork filled the paper, drawing one irresistibly into its depths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the beginning, clearly written: Heart Sutra of Prajna Paramita.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong knew this sutra did not exist in this world—why not use it more than once? Sending it as a birthday gift to the old lady was perfectly fitting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl exclaimed joyfully: “It really is the Heart Sutra! Grandmother, this is identical to the one the Retired Emperor owns!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And these characters are even better than the one in Tan Yatou’s room—the brushwork is more refined, mature, and powerful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl stared fixedly at the scroll, her eyes filled with delight and reverence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baoyu watched this scene, his heart aching with envy—he had no such talent, and what could he do about it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Li of the Marquis of Zhongjing smiled: “Then it’s identical to the Retired Emperor’s treasured piece! Grandmother, you’re truly blessed—Jia Cong’s birthday gift is most fitting and honorable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the noble ladies in the hall rose and gathered before the Heart Sutra to admire it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As mistresses of great houses, most had some education and could read a few characters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though none were expert calligraphers, this scroll was written by the same hand as the Retired Emperor’s most treasured possession—how could they not admire it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compliments poured freely toward Jia Mu; though she was not close to the writer, hearing these words made her feel honored—the unpleasantness stirred by Zhang vanished instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside her, Zhang’s face burned as if she’d been slapped hard on both cheeks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1453,"2026-06-20T12:19:54.434Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a785d19a37a2a0a2955fa6d6d9390d8cfa77b2c736569273978bf53fae9482b6","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-85","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-83",920,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-cover.jpg"]