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

The Imperial Palace.

Even late at night, the lights in the Imperial Study remained on.

Emperor Jing'an sat on the dragon throne, closed a memorial, put it down heavily, and let out a long sigh.

Upon seeing this, Xia Shouzhong, who was waiting nearby, immediately served tea.

"Your Majesty, the memorials for today have finally been reviewed. It's getting late, so please get some rest."

Emperor Jing'an took the tea, drank a large gulp, then put it down and sighed softly:

"Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish, this saying is indeed true. Since I ascended the throne, I have worked day and night without daring to slack off in the slightest, but I still find it difficult to manage the affairs of the state."

As he spoke, he pointed to a pile of memorials on his desk:

"Old fool, take a look. Most of these memorials are just nonsense. They make my head spin. In the end, they're all just trivial matters."

Xia Shouzhong hurriedly bowed and comforted him:

"Your Majesty, please calm down. What may be a small matter in your eyes is a big deal in the local areas. The fact that local officials are writing to the court in such detail shows that they are still loyal to the court and to Your Majesty."

"If they stop writing petitions and instead become local tyrants, then that's when you should really be wary."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing'an stroked his beard and nodded:

"Yes, that's true."

After saying that, he seemed to remember something, rummaged through the many memorials, found one of them, picked it up, and said:

"Old fool, this memorial was submitted by Jia Can of Ningguo Mansion, proposing the division of salt regions. Its contents are insightful and to my liking, it does seem plausible. But you previously said that this Jia Can was nothing more than a cowardly and incompetent illegitimate son, didn't you?"

Xia Shouzhong hurriedly apologized:

"Your Majesty, the information I initially sent to investigate was indeed true. However, when I personally went to Ningguo Mansion to deliver the imperial decree last time, I noticed something different about Jia Can."

"He is by no means the cowardly and incompetent person rumored to be; on the contrary, this young man far surpasses his peers..."

As she spoke, she recounted Jia Can's reactions upon receiving the imperial edict that day.

Emperor Jing'an's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing this:

"So, he had been biding his time all along? Only after Jia Zhen and Jia Rong died did he finally reveal his true colors."

Xia Shouzhong replied after careful consideration:

"That should be the case, and this old servant suspects that the previous rumors were likely spread by Jia Can secretly through his people."

"Judging from the outcome of this matter, Jia She was stripped of his title, while Jia Can did not have to inherit the title at a lower rank. He was the biggest beneficiary, and no one hated Jia She more than him."

Emperor Jing'an pondered for a moment, then exclaimed in praise:

"If he was indeed plotting this behind the scenes, this young man is far too patient. He remained calm and composed in the face of Jia She's usurpation of power, pretending to swallow his anger, while in reality he was scheming to bring down Jia She. Such a young age and such shrewdness are truly remarkable. No wonder he was recommended by the Emperor Emeritus."

Xia Shouzhong glanced at Emperor Jing'an and whispered:

"But this old servant feels that Jia Can is truly frightening. He is not even twenty years old yet, and he already has such a temperament and cunning. I wonder what kind of future he will have."

Emperor Jing'an listened, looked at him, and frowned:

"Old fool, are you saying that I still need to be wary of this person?"

Xia Shouzhong bowed his head in response:

"This old servant just feels that since this boy was recommended by the Emperor Emeritus, His Majesty must be wary of him. Moreover, this old servant heard from Dongjing Palace that the Emperor Emeritus recently went out of the palace incognito, saying that he went to see someone, but he did not know the details."

"However, judging from the fact that the Emperor Emeritus not only personally issued an edict to exempt Jia Can from being demoted, but also recommended Jia Can to serve as the Commander of the Dragon Guard and to go south as an imperial envoy to reorganize the salt administration, the Emperor Emeritus seems to value Jia Can very much."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing'an frowned even more deeply. If Jia Can was indeed the Emperor Emeritus's man, then he would truly be on guard.

After pondering for a while, Emperor Jing'an looked at Xia Shouzhong and asked:

"Old fool, then in your opinion, what should I do?"

Xia Shouzhong replied meekly:

"Your Majesty, since it was recommended by the Emperor Emeritus, it is naturally not appropriate for Your Majesty to openly obstruct it. However, the Dragon Guard has not been used for many years, and its members are mostly old, weak, sick, disabled, and sons of powerful nobles in name only. Your Majesty might as well appoint a deputy commander under the pretext of reforming the Dragon Guard."

"In this way, Jia Can is only the nominal commander of the Dragon Guard, while the Dragon Guard is still in the hands of the Emperor."

Emperor Jing'an thought the suggestion was good, and his eyes lit up slightly, but he still frowned and said:

"But... the Emperor Emeritus also suggested that I appoint him as the imperial envoy to clean up the corruption in the salt administration. I was just worrying about this matter, not knowing who to send south. Now that the Emperor Emeritus has suggested a candidate, if I suppress him like this, wouldn't I be tying my own hands?"

Xia Shouzhong frowned, pondered for a while, and then replied:

"Your Majesty, let's take this opportunity to test Jia Can's abilities. If he cannot fully control the Dragon Guard, then even if the Emperor Emeritus recommends him to go south, he will only be another Lin Hai, and he will certainly not be able to manage the salt administration well."

"If he has the ability to control the Dragon Guard, it means that this boy is indeed quite capable. At that time, His Majesty can use his abilities to achieve the desired result."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing'an became interested and looked at Xia Shouzhong, pressing him for details:

"Oh? Old man, tell me more specifically. If he can truly control the Dragon Guard, how should I utilize his abilities to achieve my goals?"

A sinister glint flashed in Xia Shouzhong's eyes as he revealed his thoughts.

After listening, Emperor Jing'an's eyes flickered with satisfaction:

"Alright! We'll do as you say, old man. However, I do hope he can take control of the Dragon Guard. Otherwise, I'll have a headache figuring out who to send south next."

Xia Shouzhong's eyes darted around, and he smiled:

"Your Majesty, please do not worry. This old servant believes that no matter the outcome, it will be a good situation for Your Majesty."

Emperor Jing'an nodded slightly and stopped thinking about it. He immediately had Xia Shouzhong draft an imperial edict, which appointed Jia Can as the Commander of the Dragon Guard.

……

Ningguo Prefecture.

In the blink of an eye, the bodies of Jia Zhen and his son Jia Rong had been laid to rest for forty-nine days. Although the father and son were one day apart, they ultimately chose to have their funerals on the same day in order to save on huge funeral expenses.

Jia Can and his many guests left the city and went to the Jia family's ancestral temple. Some rituals were still needed at the temple, but the funeral was basically over. All that was needed afterward was to find a suitable opportunity to escort the coffin south and bury it in the Jia family's ancestral tomb outside Jinling City.

Many people came to the funeral that day, including almost all the families that had long-standing friendships with the Ningguo family. However, this was in accordance with the regulations of the imperial court, and it only attracted the attention of the people in the capital without much interpretation.

Jia Jing, who had been cultivating Taoism outside the city, also returned. This was the first time Jia Can had met him. However, the father and son only exchanged a few words before stopping.

Jia Can had prepared some lines of dialogue, such as how he should respond if Jia Jing asked about the details of Jia Zhen and Jia Rong's deaths.

But Jia Jing didn't ask any more questions. He simply told him that since he had inherited the title and the family business, he should take responsibility and take good care of the women in the household, so as not to disgrace the Ningguo Mansion.

The father and son acted like familiar strangers, exchanging only a few casual words upon meeting. This relieved Jia Can, who was happy with the situation and didn't want another elder to control him.

Jia Can also noticed that Jia Jing's attitude towards him seemed a bit too cold, as if he wasn't his biological son.

However, when Jia Can saw that Jia Jing was equally indifferent to Jia Xichun, he did not think too much about it and simply assumed that Jia Jing treated all his children the same way.