The Good Grandson of the Red Chamber

Chapter 81: The Spirit Jade and the Sky-Mending Stone: Two Sides of the Same Thing?

Jia She and Jia Jing appear multiple times in the emotion value record.

But to this day, this is the first time he has met Jia She.

Xia Chengzong originally thought that Jia She was a debauched scoundrel who only knew how to drink and play with his concubines, and that he must be described as lewd and vulgar.

However, upon meeting him, they found that Jia She was a tall and imposing man, with a square face, and his appearance bore a striking resemblance to the Duke of Ningguo.

It's reasonable to assume that Jia She resembles his biological father more, but since Xia Chengzong never met the Duke of Rong, he can only compare him to the Duke of Ning.

Jia She's appearance is truly remarkable, befitting a son of a military family.

Looking at Jia Zheng, he was just entering middle age, with a fair complexion and a light beard, exuding a refined and scholarly air that made him approachable.

Behind the two were Jia Lian and Jia Zhu.

Unlike Jia She, who had a square face, Jia Lian was more handsome, with a pair of captivating eyes, making him quite dashing.

Jia Zhu, however, bore a striking resemblance to his father, possessing an air of refined elegance that commanded respect.

Upon seeing this, Xia Chengzong couldn't help but sigh.

A family that accumulates good deeds will surely have abundant blessings.

Although the Rongguo Mansion did not accumulate much merit, it still had a solid foundation.

Regardless of their inner character, the Jia family members, from the outside, naturally possessed the bearing of sons of a duke's mansion.

Jia She and Jia Jing hurriedly bowed and said, "Your subjects greet Your Highness!"

Jia Lian: "This humble official greets Your Highness!"

Jia Zhu: "This student greets Your Highness!"

Xia Chengzong chuckled, helping Jia She and Jia Zheng to their feet as he spoke:

"I deeply admire Duke Rongguo for his lifelong dedication to fighting on the battlefield, shedding blood and shedding tears, and serving the country."

"You are descendants of the Rongguo Prince, noble and honorable, sharing the fate of the nation. There is no need for such excessive formalities."

Xia Chengzong did not put on any airs of a prince, making Jia She and Jia Zheng feel as if they were basking in a spring breeze.

The two brothers secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and their goodwill towards this Prince Ping'an increased even more.

"This is not the place to talk, Your Highness, please come inside!"

"please!"

Soon, the group arrived outside Rongxi Hall.

Xia Chengzong said, "I wonder if Madam Shi is at home? I will certainly go and pay my respects."

Jia She hurriedly said, "Your Highness is a man of great stature; how could my mother possibly be worthy of Your Highness's audience? I am truly terrified."

Xia Chengzong smiled and said, "This is a family banquet, not a state banquet. I am a junior, and if I come to the mansion and do not pay my respects to the matriarch, wouldn't that be impolite?"

Upon hearing Xia Chengzong's words, Jia She and Jia Jing were even more moved.

They sent someone in to inform him while leading Xia Chengzong to Rongqing Hall.

Grandmother Jia had already led people to greet him at the door. Upon seeing Xia Chengzong, Grandmother Jia first bowed and said, "This old woman greets Your Highness."

Xia Chengzong smiled and gestured for her to rise, saying, "Grandma, please rise. I am but a junior; how can I accept such a grand gesture?"

As he spoke, Xia Chengzong said, "This junior wishes the old lady a long and peaceful life."

He was about to perform the junior's courtesy when Jia She and Jia Zheng stopped him from the left and right.

Grandmother Jia ushered Xia Chengzong into Rongqing Hall and let him sit in the seat of honor.

From Grandmother Jia to Jia She and his brothers, everyone had to express their gratitude.

After exchanging pleasantries, Xia Chengzong suddenly said, "I've heard that there's a young master in your household who was born with a jade in his mouth. Why don't you invite him out to meet us?"

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia and the others were startled, but they had no choice but to bite the bullet and bring Baoyu in.

Baoyu bowed timidly, and Xia Chengzong smiled and called him over.

He wanted to take a closer look at what the most dissolute and incompetent playboy in the Dream of the Red Chamber looked like when he was a child.

Xia Chengzong looked closely at Jia Baoyu and saw that he was wearing a tiger-head hat and an embroidered short jacket.

Below, she wore open-crotch pants, with a small bird peeking out from under her.

He was fair-skinned and clean-cut, but a chubby little boy.

Her face is indeed very large.

No wonder she's called Big Face Baby.

Xia Chengzong asked with a smile, "Can you read?"

Jia Baoyu nodded and said, "When my eldest sister was at home, she taught me several hundred characters."

Her eldest sister was Yuan Chun.

Yuan Chun treated her younger brother very well.

Xia Chengzong then asked, "How many poems have you memorized?"

Jia Baoyu said, "I've memorized dozens of poems."

Although Jia Baoyu was not as good as Lin Daiyu, he was still a little genius.

Xia Chengzong said to Jia Zheng, "Your son is truly a dragon among foals and a phoenix among phoenixes. In the future, 'the young phoenix's voice will be clearer than the old phoenix's,' and his potential is immeasurable."

Jia Zheng hurriedly smiled and said, "How dare my son accept such a prestigious award! Thanks to the blessings of the prefect, it is indeed as you say, which is a great fortune for us all."

Xia Chengzong asked, "By the way, I've heard that your son was born with a jade in his mouth, which is truly miraculous. Would you be so kind as to show it to me?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng hurriedly instructed Jia Baoyu to bring out the jade pendant and respectfully handed it over.

Xia Chengzong was also curious about what this magical jade actually looked like.

He reached out and took it, and saw that the magical jade was as big as a sparrow's egg, with words engraved on it.

Upon receiving it, he felt its smooth, warm texture, and suddenly a prompt arose in his mind from the Heaven-Mending Stone:

Upon encountering the original body, the host should obtain it as soon as possible, merge the two into one, generate the complete Sky-Mending Stone, and restore all supernatural powers.

Upon seeing the notification, Xia Chengzong felt a surge of shock and disbelief.

What the hell?

Is the magical jade in Jia Baoyu's hand the real thing?

What about the Sky-Mending Stone that came with me from another world?

A spirit?

No wonder the magical jade in Jia Baoyu's hands was just a broken stone, completely devoid of any magical power.

It turns out that the two need to be combined into one to form the complete Sky-Mending Stone.

No wonder he always felt that the function of the Sky-Mending Stone was incomplete; it turned out that it was not a complete form before.

At that moment, Xia Chengzong almost couldn't resist the urge to forcibly take away the Spirit Jade and keep it for himself.

Given his status, even if he did such a thing, the Jia family could do nothing about it.

However, it's really not a good thing for this reputation to get out.

The image he had built up is about to collapse.

Such behavior is unacceptable.

With this in mind, he resisted the immense temptation, carefully examined the jade pendant for a while, and then returned it.

He said, "Since this is our first meeting, I have no gift to offer as a congratulatory present. This jade ruyi was bestowed by the Empress, and I will use it as a token of my respect."

After Xia Chengzong finished speaking, Xia Bei stepped forward, took out the jade ruyi, and handed it over.

Baoyu quickly accepted it and turned to present it to Jia Zheng. Jia Zheng and Baoyu thanked him together.

Jia Zheng then dismissed Jia Baoyu and invited Xia Chengzong to a banquet outside.

The Jia family's banquet was naturally very lavish.

However, it paled in comparison to the banquet held by his fifth uncle, Prince Zhongshun.

Therefore, Xia Chengzong's interest was naturally not in the banquet.

He struck up a conversation with Jia Lian and Jia Zhu, one side humbly befriending the other, the other fawning over them, and naturally they had a very pleasant chat.

Xia Chengzong discovered that although Jia Lian was a playboy, he was witty, good at reading people and creating a lively atmosphere, making him a skilled socialite.

Jia Zhu was quite learned and insightful; he was not just a bookworm.

These two brothers from the Jia family each have their own strengths.

Xia Chengzong asked Jia Zhu if he could attend school, and Jia Zhu quickly replied:

"Your Highness, I entered school two years ago and am now preparing for the provincial examination."