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

Reaching the other end of the tree-lined path, away from the assassins' corpses, Jia Can did not hide anything from the sisters Gu Fangling and Gu Fangrui, and told them about Xue Pan:

"Ladies, the young master you're asking about who killed someone is named Xue Pan. He's the young master of the Xue family, one of the four great families of Jinling. They're a famous and prestigious family in Jinling, and you've probably heard of him."

"Back then, Xue Pan killed someone in Jinling City in order to snatch a maid. Later, to avoid trouble, he moved his whole family to the capital. This person is related to me. The maid you mentioned is named Xiangling. She is currently working as a maid in the Xue family. They are temporarily staying in the Rongguo Mansion."

Upon hearing this, the Gu sisters hesitated. They hadn't expected Xue Pan to be so powerful. Although they were not concerned with powerful families when traveling the martial world, they had to think twice before acting when faced with such a top-tier figure.

Most importantly, this is the capital city, not Jiangnan. If something happens, the sisters will be completely helpless.

Jia Can noticed the sisters' concerns and continued:

"If you two ladies trust me, I can help you by introducing you to Xiangling."

Upon hearing this, Gu Fangrui, the younger sister, couldn't help but ask with a smile:

"Really? Young master, you can really let us see her?"

Seeing that she was acting rashly, her older sister Gu Fangling quickly tugged at her sleeve, afraid that she would frighten Jia Can.

Jia Can saw it all but didn't care. After all, he was a time traveler and didn't concern himself with formalities. He looked at them, smiled, and nodded.

"Of course, I have no reason to lie to you. The two young ladies have just kindly helped you, so I should naturally help you in return."

Hearing him say that, the two sisters couldn't help but feel happy. Seeing that Jia Can had a unique charm when he smiled, they both became a little shy.

Jia Can then continued:

"I still don't know the names of the two young ladies?"

The older sister, Gu Fangling, quickly interjected, "We are sisters. My name is Gu Fangling, and yours is..."

Before he could finish speaking, Gu Fangrui hurriedly interrupted, "Young master, my name is Gu Fangrui. You can just call me Fangrui."

Seeing her younger sister's carefree attitude, Gu Fangling felt embarrassed but also gave her a reproachful look, signaling her not to be so presumptuous.

Jia Can nodded slightly:

"Alright, I've got it. You two ladies might as well find a place to stay first, or leave your contact information and wait for my message."

"By the way, I am the Second Master of the Ningguo Mansion. If you are in a hurry, you can come directly to the Ningguo Mansion to find me!"

Upon hearing that Jia Can was actually the young master of the Duke's mansion, the two sisters were surprised, but also felt somewhat ashamed. Compared to Jia Can, they seemed to be nothing more than country bumpkins.

After a long pause, Gu Fangling finally replied:

"Thank you, Young Master Jia. We will await your news..."

After saying this, he left a contact address and took his leave from Jia Can.

Jia Can watched the sisters leave, seemingly somewhat disappointed, which was different from the situation just now. He found it strange but didn't think too much about it. He just hoped that the sisters were indeed related to the salt smugglers, and that Xiang Ling's hidden label could then be activated.

After watching the two sisters disappear from sight, Jia Can returned to Yu Hui's side.

Yu Hui then inquired:

"Young master, should we investigate the background of these two sisters first?"

Jia Can shook his head:

"No need. I don't think they mean any harm. Besides, the person the sisters are looking for is a maid from the Xue family. They'll come looking for me again, and then we'll know who they really are."

Seeing that Jia Can seemed to have made up his mind, Yu Hui didn't say anything more and instead asked the key question:

"Young master, can you guess who sent these assassins?"

Jia Can narrowed his eyes:

"It's nothing more than the powerful figures behind the salt administration. Only they would want to see me as a major threat. It seems that my memorial on reforming the salt administration has touched a nerve with them."

Upon hearing this, Yu Hui's expression immediately turned serious, and worry flashed in his eyes:

"Young master, if it really is them, I think... it would be best for you to stay in the capital..."

Yu Hui didn't say what came next, but the meaning was clear: he was advising Jia Can not get involved in the mess of cleaning up the salt administration's corruption.

After all, these people had already sent assassins to kill Jia Can in the capital. In Jiangnan, they would probably be even more direct. As the saying goes, it's easy to dodge a spear in the open but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. Yu Hui was now really worried that something might happen to Jia Can in Jiangnan.

Jia Can looked at him and replied seriously:

"Lord Yu, I won't say any more about the necessity of this trip south. Whether it's because the imperial decree is hard to disobey or for my personal future, going south is inevitable and cannot be changed."

"I know you're worried about my safety, but don't worry, that's all the tricks they have. Assassination is direct, but it's the most low-level method. This means that the evidence they're trying to cover up can be exposed with just a little effort."

"At that time, the retired emperor, the current emperor, and all the officials in the court will see their crimes clearly, and even killing me will be of no use."

"Therefore, apart from the need for strict precautions at the beginning, as long as the cover they are covering is removed, my safety will not be a problem."

"Lord Yu, please rest assured, I would never risk my life. I will certainly take great care to protect my own safety."

As Yu Hui listened to his clear and reasonable explanation, the worry in his eyes gradually disappeared.

Then he thought about how this young master in front of him had gone from being an unnoticed illegitimate son to inheriting a title and being granted a third-rank official position. His actions were unbelievable and filled him with admiration. So, this trip south would surely be without any problems.

With that in mind, Yu Hui stopped talking about it and started chatting with Jia Can, and the atmosphere returned to its initial relaxed and harmonious state.

About half an hour later, the Dragon Guard arrived, numbering forty or fifty men, led by a centurion. He quickly approached Yu Hui and respectfully greeted him.

"This humble servant greets the Commander."

Yu Hui waved his hand slightly: "No need for formalities. Quickly arrange for people to protect the assassination scene. Also, search the area for any suspicious clues and report back immediately if you find anything!"

The centurion respectfully replied, "Yes!"

After saying this, he ordered his subordinates to surround the scene and sent people to search for suspicious clues around the area.

About fifteen minutes later, people from the Jingzhao Prefecture and the City Patrol Garrison arrived.

The leader of the Jingzhao Prefecture was a sub-prefect named Fu Shi, who had once been Jia Zheng's mentor. Upon seeing that the assassin was Jia Can from the Ningguo Mansion, he hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.

"This humble official, Fu Shi, the Vice Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, greets Second Master Can and Lord Yu. Are you both unharmed?"

Yu Hui, unaware of Fu Shi's relationship with the Jia family, coldly said:

"With so many assassins and spies appearing in the territory under your jurisdiction, what is your Jingzhao Prefecture doing?"

Fu Shi was drenched in sweat upon hearing this, and bowed his head and apologized profusely.

"Lord Yu, please calm your anger... The Jingzhao Prefecture failed in its oversight and did not discover these assassins in time..."

Jia Can did speak up for fairness: "Lord Yu, there's no need to be so harsh. This incident is not solely their fault."

As he spoke, he looked at the commander of the patrol corps who had led the team to arrive. His name was Qiu Liang, the highest-ranking officer in the patrol corps, but he was only a seventh-rank military officer. He belonged to the old and prestigious faction along with the Jia family and had some connections with them.

When Qiu Liang saw Jia Can looking at him, he quickly greeted him:

"Brother Jia and Lord Yu, we apologize for the fright. Our patrol unit failed to detect the assassin in time, and we are also at fault. Please forgive us."