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

In the back room, Yu Hui stood alone, gazing in the direction Jia Can had left, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

His expression held a mixture of relief and emotion, as well as an indescribable sense of melancholy.

He stood with his hands behind his back, silent for a long time, before finally muttering to himself:

"I never expected... I never expected that you, young master, have grown up so much. You are so handsome and talented, and you are brave and resourceful. You dared to come here alone, and you didn't show any fear in front of me. Well done..."

As he spoke, a smile of satisfaction appeared on his ordinary face. This smile came from the bottom of his heart, and even the fine lines at the corners of his eyes relaxed, like the satisfaction and joy of an elder seeing the son of an old friend succeed.

At this moment, the shopkeeper appeared at the door, standing respectfully with his hands at his sides, and announced:

"My lord, that young master has already left. He also took the things you asked me to prepare beforehand without asking any further questions."

Yu Hui snapped out of his reverie, his smile fading as he regained his previous calm and composed demeanor. He waved his hand and said lightly:

"Understood. As always, do not attract anyone's attention."

The shopkeeper bowed and replied, "Yes, sir."

After saying that, he retreated, his footsteps light and quick, disappearing at the end of the corridor in the blink of an eye.

Yu Hui stood in the back room for a while, looked at the pile of wood fragments on the ground, shook his head slightly, and twitched his lips as if blaming himself for his earlier loss of composure.

He then straightened his clothes and stepped out of Baoguzhai.

Upon reaching the entrance, he glanced around to make sure no one on the street was paying attention to him before leisurely blending into the crowd and heading towards the imperial city.

The Imperial City is located at the very center of the inner city. With its red walls and yellow tiles, it is majestic and magnificent, exuding a solemn and awe-inspiring aura from afar.

This place is mostly inhabited by members of the imperial family and nobles, with princes and dukes living in close proximity. There are also many government offices located here, and at the very heart of the place is the magnificent imperial palace.

With steady steps, Yu Hui walked through several long streets and around several archways before arriving at the gate of a government office.

Above the gate hangs a plaque with the five large characters "Longxiangwei Yamen" written in a powerful and awe-inspiring style.

As I stepped across the threshold, I encountered many soldiers walking around. These men were all tall and strong, dressed in uniform black military robes, with swords at their waists and solemn expressions.

Seeing the afterglow, they all stopped in their tracks, respectfully clasped their hands in greeting, and said in unison:

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

Yu Hui remained calm, merely nodding slightly in response, and slowly crossed the courtyard to a public housing unit.

Pushing open the door, one finds a simple interior: a large desk, a few chairs, a map hanging on the wall, and documents piled on the desk.

Yu Hui sat down behind his desk, pondered for a moment, and then summoned his trusted subordinates.

The trusted subordinate, a man in his thirties with a sharp face and a lithe physique, entered and respectfully clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute.

"What are your orders, sir?"

Yu Hui looked at him and said in a deep voice:

"Send a few people to Ningguo Mansion to investigate immediately. The main focus should be on whether Master Jia Zhen intends to harm his daughter-in-law, Qin Shi. In addition, do not overlook any unusual circumstances and report everything, no matter how small."

The trusted subordinate, upon receiving the order, straightened up and clasped his hands in response:

"Your subordinate obeys!"

After saying that, he turned and strode away, his steps hurried, clearly to make arrangements.

Yu Hui sat in his seat, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, his gaze fixed on a point in the void, as if he were pondering something.

A moment later, he stood up, took a commander's robe from the clothes rack next to him, changed into it, straightened his clothes, and walked out of the Longxiang Guard office, heading straight towards the palace.

The palace was heavily guarded, with its vermilion gates towering into the clouds. Two rows of imperial guards stood before the gates, their armor gleaming, holding long spears, and standing ramrod straight.

Without sufficient status, one cannot freely enter or leave.

With the waist token of the commander of the Dragon Guard, Yu Hui passed through several palace gates without hindrance and arrived outside the ceremonial gate.

Upon reaching this point, he could no longer proceed freely. He stopped, straightened his clothes, took a few steps forward, bowed politely to a eunuch guarding the entrance, and said:

"Please inform the Emperor Emeritus that Yu Hui, the commander of the Dragon Guard, requests an audience with the Emperor Emeritus."

After hearing Yu Hui's words, the young eunuch bowed slightly, said "Please wait a moment, sir," and then turned to go inside to inform the servant.

Yu Hui stood outside the ceremonial gate, his expression calm, but his gaze involuntarily drifted into the depths of the palace walls.

Beyond those overlapping eaves and upturned corners lay the direction of the East Palace. I gazed at it for a moment before turning my attention away and waiting quietly.

After a while, the young eunuch hurriedly returned, walked up to Yu Hui, and respectfully said:

"Lord Yu, the Emperor has issued an edict requesting an audience with you."

Yu Hui nodded slightly, took out a piece of silver from his sleeve and handed it over, saying "Thank you for your trouble, young eunuch," before stepping inside.

Following the long palace road, passing through several gates, we headed towards the East View Palace where the retired emperor resided.

Dongjing Palace is right next to Dong Palace, and the two are separated only by a palace wall.

As the afterglow passed by the East Palace, Yu Hui's pace involuntarily slowed, and he couldn't help but glance inside.

The vermilion palace gates were tightly shut, the copper nails on them gleaming dimly in the sunlight. Several guards stood motionless before the gates, like clay or wooden sculptures.

Inside the palace walls, the branches of several old trees peeked over the top of the walls, swaying gently in the wind.

As Yu Hui gazed at the tightly closed door, a hint of reminiscence flashed in his eyes, as if he could see many years ago through that door.

But he quickly looked away, quickened his pace, and stopped.

Before long, they arrived at the Dongjing Palace.

This palace seemed rather deserted compared to many other halls. Only two eunuchs stood at the entrance. When Yu Hui arrived, they didn't ask any questions, but simply told him to wait a moment. They went in to inform him again and, after receiving permission, finally let him in.

As Yu Hui stepped into the hall, he saw that the huge hall was filled with all kinds of huge talismans, yellow, red and white, hanging down from the ceiling.

The surface was covered with winding, densely packed runes drawn in cinnabar, making it dazzling to look at.

In the very center of the hall, a huge Bagua diagram was carved on the floor. It was black and white with neat lines, and a bronze lamp was placed in each of the eight directions, its dim light illuminating the entire hall in a play of light and shadow.

In the very center of the Bagua diagram, there is a small step, on which is a futon. An old man in a yellow Taoist robe is sitting there with his eyes closed, his hands folded on his knees, and his breathing is long and steady.

Judging from his age, he was well over seventy, with snow-white hair tied in a Taoist bun and secured with a wooden hairpin.

His eyebrows and beard were also white, with long, slightly drooping eyebrow tails and a beard that fluttered down his chest. Combined with his wide yellow Taoist robe, he had a somewhat otherworldly and ethereal air about him.

Yet, his aged face, with its high brow bones and straight nose, exuded a chilling aura even with his eyes closed.

That was the awe-inspiring aura accumulated from years of holding high positions and wielding the power of life and death, which could not be concealed by a Taoist robe.

This old Taoist priest was none other than the retired emperor.