Dream of the Red Chamber: I can see the hidden labels of the beauties.

Seeing how harshly Xue Pan treated Xiangling, Jia Can became even more dissatisfied and contemptuous of him.

Xue Pan, without any regard for the occasion, wanted to punish someone right in front of him, showing no manners or consideration whatsoever.

He felt even more that it was a waste to have snatched such a pitiful person as Xiangling. Seeing Xiangling tremblingly extend her fair hand, Jia Can immediately said:

"Brother Xue, why be so harsh on a maid? What she said is probably true. For my sake, could you spare her this time?"

Xue Pan paused for a moment, then grinned:

"Haha... Of course, since you put it that way, Brother Can, I'll let her off this time."

Then, looking at Xiangling, he said arrogantly:

"For the sake of Brother Can, I won't punish you this time. Now hurry up and bring out what your sister prepared!"

Xiangling was prepared to be beaten, but unexpectedly, Jia Can pleaded for her, which made her breathe a sigh of relief and subconsciously glance at Jia Can.

Seeing that Jia Can was also looking at her, his handsome face full of gentle smiles, Xiangling's heart skipped a beat. She quickly looked away and took out a document from her sleeve, presenting it to Jia Can with both hands.

Xue Pan pointed to the inscription, his face beaming with smiles:

"Brother Can, here is a salt certificate. I know you have just inherited this large mansion and need money everywhere. Although this salt certificate does not earn much, it can still bring in four or five thousand taels of silver every year. Please do not look down on it, Brother Can, just consider it a small token of respect from my Xue family."

Jia Can's heart skipped a beat, guessing that this must have been Xue Baochai's idea. Given Xue Pan's arrogant and rude behavior just now, he certainly wouldn't have thought of coming here.

She was also secretly amazed by Xue Baochai's generosity and the Xue family's wealth. In order to befriend her, they offered a way to make connections with an annual income of at least five thousand taels of silver.

At the same time, they realized that the official salt business was indeed extremely profitable. Just one salt certificate could earn so much money every year. Those big salt merchants often had dozens or even hundreds of salt certificates. No wonder it was rumored that the salt merchants of Yangzhou were all richer than a country.

After hesitating for a moment, Jia Can still took the salt certificate from Xiangling's hand:

"In that case, I will accept your offer without hesitation. Thank you for your kind offer and thank you, Sister Baochai, for considering my needs."

Firstly, this was Xue Baochai's idea, and Jia Can didn't want to disappoint the beautiful woman's good intentions.

Secondly, I also want to see how to operate after obtaining salt certificates, and how many loopholes there are to exploit. Only by experiencing it firsthand can I know where the problems lie.

Seeing that he accepted it, Xue Pan grinned again:

"Brother Can, you're too kind. It seems my sister was right after all. I underestimated you."

Jia Can's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and he asked accordingly:

"Brother Xue, from what you're saying, all of this was Baochai's idea?"

Xue Pan made no attempt to hide anything, admitting it with a smile:

"Yes, my sister told me this yesterday. She said that Brother Can, you are different from others. Now that you are in power, you are decisive and efficient in reforming Ningguo Mansion. If we can befriend you, Brother Can, it will only bring benefits to the Xue family."

"She even said, 'Brother Can, you must look down on me.' I was still unconvinced when I heard that, but now I'm completely convinced. She guessed it perfectly."

As he spoke, Xue Pan was full of admiration for his younger sister Xue Baochai, and seemed to be showing off his sister's abilities, feeling proud to have such a sister.

Upon hearing this, Jia Can felt even more contempt for Xue Pan. As expected of that foolish tyrant, he had spoken out about their secret conversation without any restraint.

It's understandable that he knows Xue Baochai's character, but how would others view her if they heard this?

Speaking of which, Xue Pan is a troublemaker. In the south, he killed someone in an attempt to take Xiang Ling, which forced the Xue family to move to the capital to avoid trouble. They lost their business and connections in the south.

He was not only uneducated and incompetent, but also never home. He didn't care about the Xue family's business at all, only indulging in extravagance and pleasure. Later, he even married a domineering and mean-spirited woman named Xia Jingui, causing unrest in the household. Xue Baochai was truly unfortunate to have such an eccentric brother.

After a moment's hesitation, Jia Can pressed for an answer:

"Brother Xue, why did you have to have a maid personally deliver this salt certificate?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Pan glanced at Xiang Ling, who was still standing to the side with her head down, his expression somewhat unnatural. He waved his hand dismissively.

"Xiangling, you can leave now. There's nothing for you to do here."

Xiangling quickly replied, "Yes, this servant will take her leave."

After saying that, she lowered her head and left. But before leaving, she glanced at Jia Can out of the corner of her eye. She saw that Jia Can was tall and handsome, and exuded a special aura. Suddenly, two blushes appeared on her pretty face.

She felt that Jia Can was more special than any other young man she had ever met. She had seen many handsome men, but none could compare to Jia Can. He left a deep impression on her at their first meeting.

Seeing that Xiangling had left, Xue Pan said somewhat embarrassedly:

"I'm not afraid to tell you, Brother Can, but my sister mostly manages our family business. She's afraid that if I take the salt permits, I won't give them to you, Brother Can, and will sell them to buy wine... Hehe..."

By the end, he himself was a little ashamed and gave an awkward laugh.

Seeing this, Jia Can immediately understood that Xue Pan was thinking the same thing. If he had agreed directly, Xue Pan would have definitely sold the salt certificate to go out and drink with brothels.

He also gained a more direct understanding of Xue Baochai's meticulous mind, and specially arranged for Xiangling to deliver it, so that Xue Pan would not be able to keep it for himself and it would definitely be delivered to him.

The idea was quite thorough and appropriate.

After a while, Xue Pan recovered and said with a smile:

"Brother Can, now that you've accepted this gift, would you do me the honor of joining us for drinks?"

Jia Can snapped out of her daze, looked at him, and nodded slightly:

"Since it is Sister Baochai's kind intention, I will make time to attend no matter how busy I am. However, please let me know the time and place in advance so that I can make the necessary arrangements."

Xue Pan breathed a sigh of relief when he finally agreed, his face beaming with smiles:

"Definitely...definitely, Brother Can, don't worry. I will make preparations as soon as your family's funeral is over, and I will definitely let you know in advance."

Jia Can nodded slightly and said nothing more; he and Xue Pan had nothing to say to each other.

Xue Pan then asked slyly:

"Brother Can, just now... was that the woman you were talking to, Jia Rong's wife?"

Upon hearing his question, Jia Can immediately understood his intentions, a cold glint reappearing in his eyes, but outwardly he calmly countered with a question:

"Indeed, Brother Xue, why do you ask this?"

Xue Pan, with his shifty eyes, said, "Tsk tsk tsk... No wonder there are rumors that Jia Zhen drools over her. She's so beautiful, and now she's a widow. What a pity. Brother Can, what do you think..."

Jia Can didn't even need to hear him finish speaking to understand his intentions, and immediately interrupted him sternly:

"Brother Xue, please have some self-respect. How can you talk about other men's wives behind their backs? I also advise you not to have any improper thoughts, otherwise, you may very well face disaster. The examples of Jia Zhen and Jia Rong are right before your eyes!"

Xue Pan was taken aback, but he also felt that Jia Can had gone a bit too far. A hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes, but he didn't say anything more and slunk away.