Wealth Ultimately Belongs to the Strong
Let’s break down the second generation into three distinct categories.
The first type genuinely possesses talent. To put it plainly, they’re just small-town test-takers who managed to leave the “small town” behind. They have the same focus and patience, but they know how to leverage resources to amplify their advantages.
These individuals were born with the same grit as small-town students—they just got reincarnated into the Jia mansion instead of a modest household.
The second type excels at performance. This doesn’t necessarily mean they have real capability, but they’re adept at social navigation, delivering polished responses, and projecting the right attitude.
This aligns with what the Jia family expected of Baoyu: “Understanding worldly affairs is true knowledge; mastering human relations is genuine scholarship.” When Baoyu took his afternoon nap, Qin Keqing guided him to admire the couplets hanging in the main chamber—this reflected the family’s expectations for him.
You must stay within your role. Know what to say and what to keep quiet about, what to do and what to avoid. Learn from Prince Beiping how to give others face and win people over.
Mastering this is enough. Frankly, it’s fine if you can’t make money—as long as you know how to spend it wisely. When your capital is substantial enough, others will naturally help you grow it.
The problem is Baoyu lost interest upon seeing the couplets. Instead, he insisted on sleeping in Qin Keqing’s chambers, where he dreamed of an intimate encounter with his niece’s wife.
The third type is simply useless. Whether it’s Baoyu’s refusal to play along or Xue Pan’s outright reckless behavior, the root cause is the same.
The proportions visible throughout *Dream of the Red Chamber* show that the first type is exceedingly rare—the Jia family waited generations without producing one. Even among the second tier, only one in a handful of brothers makes it; the vast majority fall into the third category. This explains why Jiao Da, a founding employee who followed the patriarch through battle, held such disdain for these descendants. Outsiders judge by appearances, but Jiao Da saw people for who they truly were.
Once you categorize these second-generation figures, you’ll realize social mobility isn’t impossible. When you encounter someone from the first type, ally with them rather than oppose them. With the second type, learn to negotiate—exchange mutual benefits and use them as stepping stones. Against the third type, whether through deception or calculation, they’ll ultimately become yours.