Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 102: White Wrists More Powerful Than Snow

At daybreak, Jia Cong woke up as usual.

I saw Wu'er sleeping soundly on the couch in front of the bed, with her black cloud-like hair piled on the pillow.

The pretty and delicate little face was flushed with two blushes, as delicate as a flower. Her right hand stretched out of the quilt, and the soft white gauze dress was rubbed up, revealing a white wrist that was whiter than frost and snow.

Jia Cong stared at the white wrist and felt an urge to touch it.

But he didn't get up. He knew that Wu'er was sleeping very alertly, and if he got up, she would be woken up.

Ever since she heard that Jia Cong had been reported and might lose his official title, Qingwen cried out of worry after hearing the student who reported him cursed.

Wu'er is more thoughtful than Qingwen. She is worried and afraid of touching Jia Cong's sore spot, so she does not show it in front of Jia Cong.

But her complexion was much worse. Yesterday it was her turn to keep watch, and Jia Cong heard her tossing and turning all night long, and she didn't fall asleep until dawn.

He lay there for a long time admiring Wu'er's delicate sleeping posture, her curled eyelashes, her heaving breasts, her warm fragrance, as fragrant as jade.

They have been together day and night in Luocang Mountain for the past two years. How could Jia Cong not know Wu'er's thoughts? She is a delicate girl like orchid, and his every joy and anger affects her heart.

He waited until the sky turned white before getting up. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he saw Wu'er's delicate body move, then she sat up, looked at him and rubbed her eyes.

Jia Cong smiled slightly, then stood up and dressed. Wu'er put on his clothes and followed him to help him wash and comb his hair. Thus began a new day.

……

Although the Jia Mansion was not crowded with people in the past few days, relatives and guests came from time to time to congratulate Jia Cong on being selected as the first place in the palace examination.

But in the past two days, the front door of the Jia Mansion has been deserted, which seems quite desolate and sad.

The day before yesterday, students taking the academy examination gathered at the South Courtyard of the Ministry of Rites to present their results for the academy examination.

Yesterday in the court, the censor of the Censorate impeached the Ministry of Rites for negligence and reported to the court to strip Jia Cong of his first place in the case.

These news spread all over the city and now everyone in the Jia family knows about it.

When Grandmother Jia heard the news, she was completely stunned, with a look of loss on her face. Why was he being deposed from the top of the case? Why did all these things happen?

So many people have come to congratulate the family in the past few days. Now the Jia family is about to lose all their reputation.

Back then, that lowly woman entered the Jia Mansion with a big belly. When she gave birth to that boy, she brought disaster to a bunch of people. Now she is still not at peace after her death and has even harmed her own son. What a sin!

Feng Jieer is a very competitive person. Jia Cong, who was like a frozen cat in the past few years, has become more and more outstanding. She began to think highly of him. She did not expect that he would encounter such bad luck, and she felt a little disappointed.

Jia Lian didn't care at all whether his brother could become the first in the exam or not. He had been having fun with the second Bao family in the East Palace these days. What did it have to do with him whether he became the first in the exam or not?

When Mrs. Wang heard the news, she remained calm. She just called Baoyu over and told him that he was getting older and older and should not always think about playing around in the back house.

Listen more to your master and read more books so that you can plan for your future. Baoyu felt uncomfortable after hearing this.

Jia Cong, who was at the center of the storm, was somewhat silent, but he did not show any anger or panic. He still got up early in the morning to write and read.

In the past two days, he hasn't even stepped out of the gate of Qingzhizhai, as if the raging wind and waves outside have nothing to do with him.

Daiyu, Tanchun, Yingchun and others came several times. Fearing that he was angry, they tried to comfort him with soft words. However, they saw that he was chatting and laughing freely, and he even told his sisters not to worry.

In fact, it’s not that he doesn’t care. Cai Xiaoyu came again yesterday afternoon and let him know that the matter had been brought to the court and caused a lot of discussion. The situation is out of control.

Now, it was not just a group of students going to the Ministry of Rites to file a complaint, but a confrontation between the Ministry of Rites and the Censorate, involving the imperial examination system and human ethics and etiquette. It was no longer something that a young boy like him could influence. The only thing he could do was to wait and see what happened. There was no other way. He expected the Jia family to help him resolve the risk, but that was too much.

If it is a blessing, it will not be a disaster. If it is a disaster, it cannot be avoided. If you think about it thoroughly, your anxious heart will be completely put down.

Qingwen stayed by Jia Cong's side and served him attentively, almost never leaving his side. As a maid, she didn't have much knowledge and didn't know what to say to comfort the Third Master.

Wu'er went to the kitchen to get breakfast early in the morning. When she came back, her eyes were red and her pretty face was pale, as if she had been crying.

A few days ago, the whole house spread the news that Jia Cong had won the first place in the imperial examination, which made the kitchen maids and wives envious and they said a lot of good things to Sister Liu.

However, Jia Cong had been in office for only two days when something bad happened. It was said that the imperial court disliked him because he was the son of an imperial courtesan and that he had hurt the reputation of scholars, so they wanted to strip him of his title as the first choice.

Moreover, he is not allowed to go to school in the future. The boy was born in a humble family. If he had not been able to study, how could he have made a name for himself in this mansion? Now he has been reduced to his original state.

So the small kitchen was like the world, with sarcasm, secrets and strange words flying everywhere. If it weren't for the fact that Sister Liu was in charge of the kitchen, I'm afraid the words would be even more unpleasant.

The maids and wives in the kitchen have lived in the Jia Mansion for several lifetimes. They have seen a lot of the snobbery and cold-heartedness of the wealthy families, and have long been corrupted by them. There are very few who do not flatter the powerful and look down on the weak.

Moreover, they are not like the mistresses of the house who always want to maintain some dignity and not show it on their faces, so their behavior looks even more disgusting.

Baoyu often said that once a girl gets married, her eyes turn from pearls into dead fish eyes. I guess he felt this way because he had seen the behavior of his married wives and mothers-in-law.

When these people saw Wu'er coming, they started to refer to her as the girl of the Liu family again, and they spoke dirty words to her without any scruples.

Sister Liu sighed deeply. She used to look down on Jia Cong's background, but over the past two years, she found that this Third Master Cong was beyond reproach.

Every time Wu'er came back, she was smiling. When asked, she said that the Third Master was polite and caring, and was also very good to her. When Mrs. Liu saw her daughter like this, she knew what was going on.

Moreover, Mr. Cong Sanye was too good at studying. He got the first place in Yongzhou when he took the exam for the first time. He was definitely the incarnation of Wenquxing.

But in the end, he failed because of his background. But can he blame himself? Who can choose the mother he is born into?

Now Sister Liu would never tell her daughter those words that showed her disdain for Jia Cong again, because she knew it was useless to say it anymore.

Ever since her daughter entered the room of Master Cong, her whole heart has been on her master. Even if Master Cong was stripped of his fame or driven out of the Jia Mansion to beg for food, her daughter would probably follow him eagerly.

It's no wonder. He was born with that kind of proud look. Which girl would not be moved when she saw him? This is her daughter's fate, and she has no control over her fortune or misfortune.

……

In fact, Wu'er was not sad after hearing those sarcastic words.

She just felt sorry for the Third Master. She had studied with him in Kuancang Mountain for the past two years. She and Qingwen knew better than anyone how hard the Third Master studied.

He had spent the past few years working hard and was finally chosen as the top candidate in the imperial examination. He originally thought that the Third Master would have a solid foundation for his future and no one would dare to look down on him anymore.

But who would have known that such a thing would happen? I don't know how that conscienceless person could maliciously harm the Third Master and make him lose his reputation. If the Third Master cannot study, how will he survive in the mansion in the future?

Yesterday she met Second Madam Lian in the garden. She pulled her aside and looked at her for a long time, praising her for her good looks. She said that among all the outstanding girls in Baoyu's room, none of them could compare to her.

Thinking of Second Madam Lian's mysterious eyes, Wu'er felt uneasy.

Two years ago, Baoyu had been asking for favors from the old lady. Now that these people saw that the Third Master had lost his support, who knows how they would humiliate him.

In short, she would never leave the Third Master's side, and it was worth it for the Third Master to treat her like this. In the past two years, she finally understood why Zhishao acted like that back then.

(End of this chapter)