Chapter 163: Who Is More Beautiful: Daiyu or Xiangyun?

In the front hall, the banquet had already begun.

Luo Zijun followed Jia Baoyu and his group to the front, entered the room, and sat down at a table.

Other guests arrived one after another as well.

Because it was not a formal banquet, the Jia Mansion had not invited too many people today.

They were all close relatives and friends, mostly the younger generation.

The other three great families, as well as the Wang family, the Zhang family, and a few others, had all sent representatives.

Jia Mu preferred quiet and did not come out.

Jia She and Jia Zheng were also afraid that these juniors would feel uncomfortable, so after coming out to say a few words, they went to the back with Jia Yucun and the others.

Because Jia Zhen was the elder brother of Jia Xichun, he stayed behind to host the guests.

Jia Lian and his wife, Jia Rong, and others were there to help.

Luo Zijun sat down in the room, but through the window, he observed Jia Zhen, who was talking to people in the courtyard with a face full of smiles.

That Jia Zhen had a thin and long build, short eyebrows and small eyes, with a short beard under his chin; he looked no more than forty, his smile was warm, and he was polite to everyone.

His son, Jia Rong, was sixteen or seventeen and looked quite dashing.

Luo Zijun pondered secretly in his heart: If Qin Keqing were to marry into the family, it would likely be within these next year or two, very possibly this year, and it should be before the Daguanyuan was completed; he just did not know where to go to find her.

Looking at that appearance of Jia Zhen, he suddenly felt a bit anxious in his heart.

If he waited until after Qin Keqing married in, it would definitely be too late; he had to stop it before the other party married in.

Seeing him looking outside, Jia Baoyu took the initiative to introduce: "That is Brother Zhen of the Ningguo Mansion, and the one beside him is his son, Jia Rong."

Luo Zijun came back to his senses and asked: "Has that Young Master Rong married yet?"

Jia Baoyu said: "Not yet, but I hear the family is already helping him look; why does Brother Luo ask this?"

Luo Zijun smiled slightly and said: "Just a casual question. I merely wanted to know, for noble families like your Jia Mansion, at what age do the young masters and young ladies usually marry?"

Jia Baoyu laughed: "It is the same as ordinary families; men are about fifteen or sixteen, and women are fourteen or fifteen, though some are even earlier."

Luo Zijun said: "That is quite early."

Jia Tanchun, who was sitting opposite, spoke up: "It is not early at all; in order to increase the population, our Daliang has a regulation: if a woman is not married by sixteen, the family must pay an additional tax every year. Therefore, some poor families start arranging marriages for their daughters when they reach twelve or thirteen."

Jia Baoyu said: "We are not afraid of fines; even if the sisters never marry, we can still afford to support them. I actually hope that everyone can be together forever, lively and bustling; the thought of them marrying off one by one and the mansion becoming increasingly desolate makes me feel terrible."

Jia Tanchun laughed: "You certainly know how to talk; you are a man, so when the time comes, your marriages and concubines will all be within the mansion. If the young ladies do not marry and leave, wouldn't they be lonely and miserable for a lifetime?"

Jia Baoyu sighed, suddenly feeling a bit gloomy.

Lin Daiyu suddenly laughed from the side: "Sister Tanchun does not need to marry out; the Old Ancestor cannot bear to part with her, so when the time comes, she can just find a Matrilocal Son-in-law."

Jia Tanchun looked at her and laughed: "The one the Old Ancestor cannot bear to part with most is you; anyway, don't even think about leaving."

Shi Xiangyun, who was to the side, also laughed: "Sister Daiyu is the most beautiful person in our Jia Mansion; if she marries away, who knows how many people will be crying."

Lin Daiyu blushed and said: "If Xiangyun says this, she will offend many sisters in the mansion. I am not beautiful; I cannot compare to you."

Shi Xiangyun laughed: "Whether you are beautiful or not, everyone knows. If you are afraid that everyone is intentionally saying nice things about you, why not let Young Master Luo judge today?"

As soon as these words were out, Lin Daiyu's face turned even redder; she glanced at the young man opposite and said shyly and coquettishly: "If there is to be a judgment, it should be of you; you are the one with the sharp tongue."

Shi Xiangyun laughed: "Then let Young Master Luo judge the two of us; let's see who is the most beautiful? If you win, you must give me that handkerchief with the 'Phoenix Hairpin' you just embroidered."

Upon hearing this, Lin Daiyu hurriedly went to pinch her.

While blocking with her hands, Shi Xiangyun laughed and said to everyone: "Let me tell you, on that handkerchief of Sister Daiyu's, not only are the lyrics to 'Phoenix Hairpin' embroidered, but she also drew... ah!"

Lin Daiyu pinched her body and hurriedly covered her mouth, saying with a face full of shy annoyance: "Xiangyun, you are not allowed to talk nonsense!"

Shi Xiangyun kept laughing while still trying to speak.

Lin Daiyu was red-faced and flustered; she covered the other's mouth with one hand and tickled her with the other, making her unable to speak.

Shi Xiangyun suddenly laughed until her body went limp, falling into the arms of Tanchun beside her, panting as she said: "Sister Tanchun, save... save me..."

Then she begged for mercy: "Pinpin, I... I was wrong, I won't dare do it again..."

Lin Daiyu said shyly again: "You are not allowed to call me Pinpin!"

Shi Xiangyun laughed until she could barely catch her breath.

Fearing something might happen to her, Lin Daiyu had no choice but to let her go; her fair face was already flushed with shyness, beautiful as a flower.

Just from these small movements, she was already panting, feeling as if she could barely catch her breath.

Seeing this, Jia Tanchun hurriedly said: "Alright, stop messing around; there is a guest here."

The two then stopped.

Who would have thought that Bai Qingtong, sitting on the other side of Luo Zijun, would suddenly look at him and laugh: "Sir, why don't you judge? Is Lin Meimei better looking, or is Xiangyun Meimei better looking?"

Jia Baoyu on the other side moved his lips, wanting to express his opinion, but fearing he would offend someone, he had to hold back.

Jia Tanchun laughed: "Young Master Luo, don't be afraid of offending these two girls; just speak the truth."

Hearing this, Lin Daiyu immediately lowered her head, her small face turning red.

Shi Xiangyun, however, was all smiles; with a pair of dark, lively eyes, she looked at the young man opposite in a generous manner and laughed: "Young Master Luo, just say it; I am not as petty as some people."

Upon hearing this, Lin Daiyu went to pinch her again.

Shi Xiangyun laughed: "I didn't say it was you; why couldn't you help but admit it yourself?"

Lin Daiyu said annoyedly: "Then who were you talking about?" Shi Xiangyun's gaze swept around, and she suddenly pointed at the young maid behind her and laughed: "I was talking about Cuilü; Cuilü is the pettiest, she loves to get angry every day."

That young maid named Cuilü suddenly let out a giggle.

Fearing the two would start a fire, Jia Tanchun hurriedly said: "Let Young Master Luo speak; you two stop messing around."

The two then quieted down.

Seeing everyone's eyes on him, Luo Zijun had no choice but to bite the bullet and say: "To tell you the truth, I am actually... actually face-blind."

This question was not easy to answer; he could only avoid offending anyone.

Jia Baoyu on the side asked in confusion: "Brother Luo, what is face-blind?"

Luo Zijun said, "It's just that I can't tell who is beautiful and who is ugly. I've been like this since I was a child; when I look at any girl, they all seem the same to me. I have absolutely no idea about the beauty or ugliness of others."

Everyone: "..."

Upon hearing this, Jia Tanchun let out a "pfft" of laughter: "Is that true or false? Young Master Luo, as a scholar, you mustn't lie. Don't just say that because you don't want to offend anyone."

!

Luo Zijun said with a straight face, "It is absolutely true. I can only distinguish a woman's height, weight, complexion, and age; I truly cannot distinguish beauty from ugliness."

Shi Xiangyun blinked her lively eyes and said, "Young Master Luo, I understand height, weight, and complexion, but what is age? What kind of age for a girl?"

Jia Tanchun, who was to the side, was stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered something, and her cheeks turned red.

Luo Zijun replied, "Naturally, it refers to her years. Whether a woman is fourteen or fifteen, or thirty-four or thirty-five, I can still tell the difference."

Shi Xiangyun immediately laughed: "If you couldn't tell that, you'd be a blind man."

The tip of Jia Tanchun's brow twitched, and her cheeks turned even redder.

Bai Qingtong suddenly said with a half-smile: "Sir is truly face-blind, unable to distinguish a woman's beauty from ugliness?"

Luo Zijun nodded and said, "I dare not deceive Third Miss."

Jia Baoyu, who was to the side, suddenly grabbed his hand again, his face full of envy as he said, "Brother Luo, face-blindness is good! If you can't tell beauty from ugliness, you won't feel disappointed or sad. Looking at every woman the same way, it makes no difference who you marry. You won't be lustful, nor will you be troubled by women. No wonder, no wonder Brother Luo can have such talent!"

Luo Zijun hurriedly pulled his hand back and said, "Brother Baoyu need not envy me. If Brother Baoyu wants to be the same, it's actually very simple: every day when you wake up, just cover your eyes with a piece of white cloth."

Jia Baoyu sighed and said, "In that case, I would truly be a blind man."

At this moment, Lin Daiyu, who was sitting opposite, couldn't help but ask curiously: "Young Master Luo, then can you distinguish the beauty and ugliness of men?"

Luo Zijun looked at her and said, "Are there beauty and ugliness in men? Aren't men all filthy things?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Jia Baoyu, who was beside him, suddenly jumped up, clapped his hands with a "slap," and then grabbed him in a hug, overjoyed: "Well said, Brother Luo! You actually think the same as I do! I say that girls are made of water and boys are made of mud; when I see girls, I feel refreshed, and when I see men, I feel they are turbid and foul! You say men are filthy things! Our thoughts are actually the same! It is fate, fate, ah—"

As he spoke, he couldn't help himself and leaned his cheek in, intending to rub it against Luo Zijun's cheek, but suddenly he let out a miserable shriek, jumped up, and clutched his waist.

Xiren, who was behind him, saw this and hurried over to ask.

Jia Baoyu looked down and found nothing unusual at his waist. He rubbed it, his face full of confusion: "It was so hot just now! Could it be that I've come down with some illness?"

He wanted to lift his clothes to look, but felt it was inappropriate, so he could only sit down and rub it, saying, "It's nothing serious."

Immediately, he looked at the handsome scholar beside him with burning eyes, his face full of excitement as he said, "Brother Luo, if you and I don't become sworn brothers, heaven and earth will not tolerate it!"

Jia Tanchun immediately scolded: "What nonsense are you spouting? What 'heaven and earth will not tolerate'? If you talk nonsense again, I will go tell Father, and you'd better watch out for another beating!"

Jia Baoyu hurriedly apologized with a smile: "Good sister, I won't say it, I won't say it ever again..."

Jia Tanchun glared at him, then looked at Luo Zijun, her face full of apology as she said, "Young Master Luo, don't pay him any mind; this fellow just loves to act crazy."

She then looked at Jia Baoyu and warned: "Stop pulling and tugging at Young Master Luo, and stop sticking to him. Being so frivolous, what kind of decorum is this?"

Jia Baoyu laughed: "I was just happy to see Brother Luo and couldn't help myself."

Just as the few were talking, they suddenly heard a chime of bells coming from far away outside.

Then, from another direction, another chime of bells came.

"Dang—"

"Dang—"

"Dang—"

The bell tolls were incessant, ringing without stop.

Everyone was stunned, their faces full of confusion.

The people outside also stood up immediately, looked up toward the direction of the bells, and began to discuss the matter.

"Dang—"

"Dang—"

"Dang—"

After the bells had rung dozens of times, Jia Tanchun's expression suddenly changed.

Bai Qingtong hurriedly stood up, walked out, stood on the corridor, raised her head, and looked toward the direction of the palace.

At this time, many people outside also had their expressions change drastically.

Jia She, Jia Zheng, and the others also hurried over from the back, looking toward the direction of the palace, each of them full of terror.

Another moment passed.

A person suddenly came running in a panic from outside the main gate. Just as he entered, he suddenly threw himself to the ground, wailing loudly: "Our King has passed away!"

(End of this chapter)