Chapter 374

Rong Qing Tang inside,

Facing Jia Mu's pleading, without waiting for Xuanwu's reply, Jia Zheng had already stiffened his neck and spoke urgently ahead of him:

"Mother, what are you saying? Didn't we just say we would hand over this wicked Baoyu to Jia Jing to handle fully?"

"How come you're pleading for him again at this time? You always protect him—when will it ever end?"

Jia Mu sighed, her face showing a hint of helplessness, and spoke in a hoarse voice:

"I originally thought Jia Jing was just sending someone to give him a beating, but I never expected… he wants Baoyu to go kneel in the ancestral hall!"

Jia Zheng's face was indifferent, he furrowed his brows and said:

"What's wrong with kneeling in the ancestral hall? As the head of the Jia Clan, Jia Jing punishing this damned beast by making him kneel in the ancestral hall is the most appropriate punishment!"

"This beast is wanton and dissolute, repeatedly unrepentant; I even think merely making him kneel in the ancestral hall is too lenient—it won't teach him a lesson at all!"

Jia Zheng put on a worried expression, feeling that Jia Jing's punishment was too light and completely failed to reach the wicked, stone‑like spirit of Jia Baoyu.

Jia Mu's face darkened, she almost choked on anger at her own stubborn son, took a deep breath, and whispered a reminder:

"Giving him a beating is just a family matter, but making him kneel in the ancestral hall and summoning the clan for a public punishment—that's clan affairs."

"Making such a big show of it, spreading it abroad—wouldn't that easily ruin Baoyu's reputation?"

"Reputation? What reputation does this wicked creature have left?"

"Is it the reputation of loafing about the inner chambers? Not liking to read, lacking ambition? Or is it the reputation of being useless and dissolute?" Jia Zheng's face flushed as he retorted in a low voice.

"Besides, what does he need a reputation for? So he can later pretend to be foolish and cause trouble, or smash jade and stir up trouble?"

Jia Mu felt her vision darken under Jia Zheng's relentless counter‑questions, and for a moment she felt the world spin.

What sin have I brought upon myself!

It's bad enough that the grandson is unfilial; the son is just as unsympathetic to my efforts, and there's also a troublesome third grandson…

How are we supposed to live from now on!

Xuanwu, standing aside, waited silently until they finished speaking, then said to Jia Mu:

"Grand Lady! The duke's order is about to be issued; we personal soldiers can only obey orders, we have no right to act on our own!"

"Grand Lady, if you want to plead for Baoyu, wait until the duke returns, then you can go to the Eastern Mansion and reason with him yourself; but for now, Baoyu must come with us."

Having said that, he didn't wait for Jia Mu to continue, turned to the assembled personal soldiers and gave a solemn order:

"You there, take Jia Baoyu away!"

The personal soldiers, hearing this, immediately sent two men forward to seize Jia Baoyu and drag him out to the outer chamber.

At this moment, Baoyu's dark face, as black as a mid‑autumn moon, was completely dazed—or rather, ever since Jia Zheng threatened to beat him to death, he's been in a daze!

Seeing the personal soldiers about to escort him to kneel in the ancestral hall, he imagined that terrifying scene,

He felt his spirit jolt, his face turned ashen in an instant, he struggled desperately, looked toward Jia Mu and Lady Wang, and cried out loudly:

"Ancestors, save me, save me, I don't want to go kneel in the ancestral hall…"

"Mother, save me, I'm afraid…"

Lady Wang,

The last time she felt this humiliated and helpless was last year, also in Rong Qing Tang, when Jia Jing's guards were escorting Jia Baoyu out to be beaten in the outer room.

At that moment, she silently vowed in her heart that there would never be a second time.

But now... my poor Jia Baoyu...

Jia Mu, faced with Jia Baoyu's plea for help, couldn't say a word and turned away, unable to bear it.

His aged face, eyes tightly shut, his whole body trembling slightly, he felt he could barely stand; only with YuanYang's support could he barely hold himself up.

As the guards escorted Jia Baoyu out of the main hall of Rong Qing Tang, the interior suddenly fell into an eerie silence.

Those who witnessed this scene all had different expressions.

Aunt Xue watched Jia Baoyu's retreating figure and Jia Mu and Lady Wang, their faces full of worry yet silent, and suddenly felt an inexplicable tug in her heart.

My Paner doesn't seem much stronger than Jia Baoyu; I doubt he'll ever have to endure this day either.

He certainly won't!

Although my Paner is a bit rough, he has always been respectful and caring toward me and his sister, and has never smashed jade or lost his temper at home.

Besides, his brother-in-law and younger cousin are ultimately different! I imagine Jia Jing knows his limits in his heart.

Feng Jie watched the scene with a blank expression and indifferent gaze, her heart growing more and more certain.

The Jia family now belongs to Jia Jing; all the clans of the twelve branches in Shenjing rely on his shoulders, and even the matriarch cannot oppose his will.

Also 神京 -> Shenjing (glossary). 十二房 (twelve branches) generic.

Compared to the last time Jia Baoyu smashed the jade, Jia Jing still needs to personally appear to have the board struck on Jia Baoyu.

This time, Jia Jing didn't even show up himself; he merely sent guards to escort Jia Baoyu to the ancestral hall to kneel, and the matriarch and others dared not interfere in the slightest.

This disparity clearly shows Jia Jing's ever-rising status within the household.

YuanYang and Li Wan supported Jia Mu and Lady Wang respectively.

Although their faces showed grief and regret, a closer look revealed that much of it was merely superficial.

They evidently felt little sympathy or emotion regarding Jia Baoyu being taken to kneel in the ancestral hall.

YuanYang was more concerned with Jia Mu's complexion and condition, fearing that the elderly matriarch could not bear this upheaval of her 'heart and liver' being taken away.

Fortunately, after Jia Jing's repeated reprimands, Jia Mu's tolerance for such matters has noticeably increased.

At this moment, though her expression showed sorrow, she seemed more filled with gloom, lacking the previous headache and resentment.

After Xuanwu ordered people to take Jia Baoyu away, he turned to bid farewell to Jia Mu and Jia Zheng.

Jia Zheng spoke in a solemn tone:

"General Lu, when Jia Jing returns, please tell him that this wicked offspring of ours is beyond my discipline!"

Also 璟哥兒 -> Jia Jing.

"He is burdened with state affairs, attending to myriad matters; he shouldn't worry himself over such a trivial thing."

"If you can discipline him once, that's best; if you can't, just kill him outright, and I'll act as if I never gave birth to this son!"

Jia Zheng's words were heartfelt and sincere, bearing no hint of politeness or jest.

Lady Wang, standing nearby, heard the cold words, trembled, her complexion grew even paler, and she spoke in a sobbing voice:

"Lord..."

"Second Lord, it's serious! Though Baoyu is spoiled to an unreasonable degree, his crime does not merit death."

"The Duke also often tells me that while governing a household must be strict, one must not punish without teaching!"

"For the younger members of the household, education should be primary; beating, scolding, and discipline are all meant to make them suddenly repent and reform."

"The so‑called warning the past to avoid the future and healing the sick to save people must not be overly indulgent nor overly cold‑hearted."

"In any case, as long as one hasn't broken a grave national law, a minor punishment suffices as a stern warning."

"I hope the clan members and younger kin will sincerely correct their faults, strive forward, and become useful to both country and family!" Xuanwu fell silent for a moment, then gently urged.

When those words were spoken, Jia Mu's expression softened a bit; her aged eyes stared blankly at Xuanwu's hard face, as if she saw a hint of her own third grandson in him!

Lady Wang, who had been weeping mournfully, found her cries weaken for a moment, lifted her pallid face, and her eyes held a trace of confusion!

This illegitimate son of the main branch has always been ruthless; how could he utter such kind words?

Jia Zheng's face turned bitter, he let out a long sigh, and shamefully said:

"It's hard for Jing Ge'er to be so well‑meaning; I'm afraid this wretched beast of our family has a vile nature that is hard to change and a wildness that is hard to tame."

"If in the future he commits deeds that ruin the family reputation and disgrace the ancestors, it will be too late for regret!"

Jia Zheng seemed to have completely lost faith in Jia Baoyu!

…………………………

I recommend to everyone Tomato's historical political‑intrigue novel 'Who Taught You to Be Such a Dandy'; if you like it, you can search and read it. Thank you all for your support!