The women's tables in the outer hall were lively beyond measure. The young ladies composed poems and matched couplets, teasing and playing tricks on one another, their laughter as sweet as silver bells.
By contrast, the atmosphere in the inner hall was dull.
Xue Pan kept toasting Jia Huan.
Jia Zheng held forth endlessly on his own.
As for Jia Baoyu, his thoughts had wandered over to the other hall. If not for those blasted rules, he would already have been enjoying himself with the girls.
"Brother Huan, I... I want to live it up with you. Become my sworn elder brother!"
Flushed and reeking of wine, Xue Pan clung to Jia Huan's arm and pleaded incessantly.
"I'm busy with official duties. I have no time." Jia Huan refused outright. He had no leisure to squander with a wastrel.
Bang!
Xue Pan sprang to his feet and slammed his hand down hard on the table.
The entire hall fell silent at once.
Jia Huan remained expressionless. Did this foolish tyrant actually dare lose his temper with him?
Jia Zheng reprimanded him sternly:
"Pan, making a drunken scene-what sort of conduct is this?"
"Stay out of it..." Agitated, Xue Pan stared fixedly at Jia Huan. With liquor lending him courage, he blurted out his innermost thoughts before everyone:
"Brother Huan, I know you look down on me, but I'm going to betroth my sister Baochai to you. I'm going to be your brother-in-law!"
"If anyone but you marries Baochai, I'll beat him to death!"
Boom!
One stone stirred a thousand waves.
The hall fell deathly silent.
Every gaze turned toward Xue Baochai.
Even the ever-poised and dignified Xue Baochai looked stunned. Then she lowered her eyes, her face filled with embarrassment.
Aunt Xue's expression darkened. She hurried into the inner hall and roared:
"You wretched beast with your rotten tongue, shut your mouth at once! If you're drunk, go die outside!"
Saying such things at home was one thing. How dared he run wild at a banquet!
"Who's drunk?" Xue Pan grew more worked up with every word, waving his wine cup and shouting:
"Mother, I'm the man of the Xue Family. Whatever you say, Baochai must marry Brother Huan, or I'll raise hell! Why must you oppose something that benefits our family?"
Beside himself with rage, Jia Baoyu waved his arms and called for the servants:
"Drag that foolish tyrant out! He's drunk and talking rubbish. How could Jia Huan possibly deserve Sister Baochai? Does your Xue Family have no shame?"
At those words, Xue Pan flew into a fury. He pointed a finger and barked:
"You big-faced fool, stop spouting shit! You're not even fit to take Brother Huan's boots off. Don't think I don't know what your Jia family is plotting. If Baochai marries into your family, it'll only be to Jia Huan!"
The atmosphere instantly plunged to freezing point.
Jia Mu, Jia Zheng, and the others turned livid. They had long known that the man of the Xue Family had no guard on his tongue, but they had never expected such insolence.
Outside, Madam Wang breathed hard, her eyes nearly splitting with fury. Forgetting all the dignity of a mistress of the household, she stormed in and screamed herself hoarse:
"Get some strong servants in here and drag this bastard out!"
Baochai was her ideal future daughter-in-law. Though calculating, she was already adept at navigating worldly affairs despite her youth, and would surely manage the Jia household well one day.
Who could have expected Xue Pan to pull this without warning? What would happen if word got out?
"Baochai, say something!" Xue Pan clung desperately to a corner of the table, his voice louder still.
"Enough!"
With a thunderous shout, Jia Huan rose.
He had never imagined that the foolish tyrant harbored such intentions.
This whole farce had left everyone embarrassed, with no way to end it gracefully, and had only added to his irritation.
"Get out," he said coldly.
Several strong servants had been unable to drag Xue Pan away, yet at Jia Huan's words, Xue Pan lowered his head and stumbled out of the hall.
A prolonged silence followed, the atmosphere rigid as iron.
"Jia Huan!"
Jia Baoyu suddenly erupted in fury. The anger he had been holding in flared all at once, and he hurled abuse without a thought for the consequences:
"How much spellbinding poison have you been feeding Xue Pan all this time? You secretly put him up to saying that, didn't you? Have you set your sights on Sister Baochai? How could a dignified Duke's Estate produce a despicable little man like you? Today, I'm going to protect the girls!"
"You and your blasted official post! Officialdom has turned black into white and swapped good for evil. If there were still any worthy men at court, how could an ignorant scoundrel like you become a seventh-rank official? Who knows how many treacherous villains you've fawned over? It's the imperial throne's indulgence of those villains that lets petty men like you triumph!"
The moment his words fell silent,
Jia Huan raised his hand and swung it viciously.
Smack!
A resounding slap echoed through the hall.
Jia Baoyu reeled, his head spinning, and fell to the floor. A clear red handprint marked his right cheek.
"My precious darling!" Jia Mu cried, aghast.
Expressionless, Jia Huan said icily:
"You recklessly criticize affairs of state and slander imperial authority. Fortunately for you, this happened in our own home. If you were an outsider, I would already have entered your name in the Book of Impermanence and hauled you into the Imperial Prison for brutal interrogation!"
"You wretch..." Jia Zheng began.
Jia Huan said gravely:
"Your usual careless talk is one thing. No one would lightly dare pin an accusation on the Duke's Estate. But the post of Right Vice Minister of Works is currently vacant. Father, if you wish to rise another step, you must be all the more cautious in word and deed. You cannot give anyone a handle to use against you."
"If your legitimate son's drunken contempt for imperial authority ruins your career, it will be too late for regrets!"
Jia Zheng found his words reasonable. Turning to look down at Jia Baoyu on the floor, he berated him in anguish:
"You heartless brat who deserves to be struck by lightning and torn apart by five ghosts! You have no idea how high heaven is or how thick the earth!"
"How many times have I told you to keep a guard on your mouth? Get up, or I'll kick you in the chest so hard your guts come out!"
Clutching his cheek, Jia Baoyu seethed with anger and humiliation. Tears spilled despite himself, and between sobs he tore away the precious jade hanging against his chest:
"This worthless stone! Smash it to pieces! No one cares about me anyway."
"My Baoyu!" Jia Mu cried, frantic and flushed. "Quickly, help Baoyu up!"
"My son, don't smash your lifeline!" Madam Wang cried in panic.
The maids crowded in, and the hall descended into chaos.
Jia Huan could not be bothered to stay. He rose and left.
As he passed through the outer hall, he looked toward Xue Baochai among the crowd and said softly:
"Miss Baochai, please don't listen to Xue Pan's nonsense. I have absolutely no such intentions, and his drunken antics must not be allowed to damage your reputation."
Her thoughts in turmoil, Xue Baochai forced a smile.
That makes it sound as though he thinks I'm beneath him.
The young ladies watched Brother Huan, each harboring different thoughts.
He stepped out of the hall.
"Brother Huan." After standing in the night breeze for a while, Xue Pan had sobered up considerably, his face burning with shame.
Jia Huan regarded him coldly:
"A few cups of horse piss, and you forget yourself completely. People will think I secretly put you up to it! What true man need fear finding no wife? Do my private affairs require your meddling tongue? If there's a next time, don't blame me for turning against you."
Xue Pan hung his head without a word.
Spilled water cannot be gathered back. The words are out now, anyway. I'm going to be his brother-in-law, whatever it takes.
"Master." Caiyun, Qingwen, and Xiangling followed behind.
"We're going home!" Jia Huan waved a hand.
"Master, won't the Old Matriarch and Madam make trouble for you over hitting him?" Caiyun asked worriedly.
Jia Huan looked utterly unconcerned. Baoyu's outrageous speech had given him the perfect opportunity to plant a slap on that broad face.
He had to admit, smacking that fleshy cheek had been quite satisfying, and the sound had been crisp, too.
"What is there to fear? Our master is a master of this household too, not a servant like us. Besides, Baoyu insulted the court, so our master was perfectly justified in hitting him. If they want to argue the rights of it, they can report it to the authorities."
"If they want justice, Master can report it himself and let the authorities handle the matter."
Qingwen chimed in from beside him.
"Exactly." Jia Huan nodded. "You little brat, you're learning."
Before you continue