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

"Commander of the Dragon Guard? You think you're so important? Why should I, the young master, give you face?"

Crown Prince Chungshun showed no respect for Jia Can's request, and even looked down on him.

Jia Can glanced at him and replied:

"Although Xue Pan did offend you, Your Highness, it is also an undeniable fact that you ordered the guards to beat him. If this matter really escalates, it is probably not up to Your Highness to decide who is right and who is wrong. Why don't we just let it go? It would be better for everyone's reputation."

Crown Prince Chungsun glanced at him and sneered:

"Heh... Jia Can, you have quite the nerve! You think you can just let such a serious crime as offending the royal family be forgotten?"

"Is your Jia family still living a hundred years in the past? Tell me, what title do you hold? What official position do you hold? And by what status do you speak to me, the young master, like this?"

Jia Can replied neither humbly nor arrogantly:

"This humble official is a hereditary Duke of Ningguo, a third-class general of the Wei Zhao Army, and a third-rank commander of the Longfu Guard. I am now negotiating with the Crown Prince as a friend of Xue Pan, hoping that the Crown Prince will be lenient and let this matter drop."

Crown Prince Chungsun laughed upon hearing this:

"Hahaha... A mere third-rank general, a lowly official of the third rank, dares to boast in front of this young master? Utterly laughable!"

As he spoke, he looked at Jia Can with disdain:

"If I were you, I'd get home right now and distance myself from this. Otherwise, if you get caught up in this mess, you'll be in deep trouble."

Jia Can then offered another piece of advice:

"Your Highness, as the saying goes, 'One should be lenient when possible.' I believe it's best to leave this matter here. If Your Highness insists on pursuing this to the end, the Xue and Jia families will not let it go easily!"

Crown Prince Chungsun sneered a few more times after hearing this:

"Heh... Are you threatening me? I'd like to see just how long the Jia and Xue families will keep this up!"

Jia Can's face darkened:

"That's all I have to say. Since the young master will not listen, I will take my leave!"

With that, he turned and left.

Seeing this, the servants of the Xue family were also helpless. Since Jia Can's intervention had been useless, it was even less likely that they, as servants, could get the person back from the Crown Prince of Zhongshun.

Crown Prince Chungshun coldly watched Jia Can and the others leave, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

"You really think you're something special? If it weren't for the Emperor Emeritus suddenly finding you useful, a lowly illegitimate son like you wouldn't even have the chance to speak to me!"

Several young men who were drinking with him advised Crown Prince Chungsun to calm down and not let such a trivial matter spoil his mood, and suggested that they continue drinking.

Crown Prince Chungsun seemed to have lost interest in continuing his entertainment and left the Hundred Flowers Pavilion with everyone from the palace.

The news of what happened here quickly spread, and many people in restaurants and teahouses were talking about it with great interest. After all, it was rare to see the children of the powerful and wealthy clashing, and ordinary people were naturally happy to watch the show and were all wondering how it would end.

"Is there any need to guess? Prince Zhongshun is a prince's heir, while Xue Pan, who was beaten, is said to be just a son of a royal merchant. The young master who spoke up for Xue Pan later was the second master of the Ningguo Mansion, but Prince Zhongshun still didn't give him any face."

"I heard that Xue Pan killed someone in the south a few years ago, and now he has caused such a big disaster. I'm afraid he will have a hard time getting away with it."

"Really? The Xue family is quite powerful. They killed someone and got away scot-free. But this time, they've really bitten off more than they can chew."

"..."

The general consensus is that Xue Pan has really messed up this time. Of all people to offend, he had to mess with the heir of a prince. No matter how powerful the Xue family is, it will probably be difficult for them to get away with this.

Rongguo Mansion.

Upon hearing the news, Aunt Xue fainted on the spot. Even Xue Baochai, who was always composed and dignified, was stunned by the news and stood there, her face drained of all color.

The entire Pear Fragrance Courtyard was in complete chaos, with the maids filled with fear and running around like headless flies.

Fortunately, Xue Baochai quickly calmed down and immediately sent her maids to fetch a doctor. She also personally checked on Aunt Xue's condition and sent people to continue gathering information. She also sent maids to inform Jia Zheng and Lady Wang.

Upon hearing the news, Madam Wang rushed to Pear Fragrance Courtyard. At this time, Aunt Xue had recovered and gradually woken up. She grabbed Madam Wang's hand and wept bitterly.

"...Sister, please, you must save that wretched child. He's the only heir in our Xue family. If anything happens to him, the Xue family will be completely finished..."

Madam Wang then comforted her, saying:

"Sister, don't worry, there might still be a chance for things to turn around. Don't worry, I've already sent someone to discuss it with the master. Pan'er is my nephew, he certainly won't abandon him."

After being comforted for a while, Aunt Xue calmed down a bit, but she was still in tears. Lady Wang sighed softly, looked at Xue Baochai, and asked:

"Bao'er, what... what exactly happened? How did your brother end up offending the heir of the Prince Zhongshun's mansion?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Baochai felt quite ashamed. Logically speaking, the root of the problem lay with her. If she hadn't advised Xue Pan to befriend Jia Can, this situation wouldn't have arisen.

However, in front of Lady Wang, Xue Baochai naturally couldn't say it outright. She only said that Xue Pan invited Jia Can to a banquet, during which he offended Prince Zhongshun's son.

After hearing this, Madam Wang found it strange:

Why did your brother invite Can-ge to a banquet? Where did they drink there?

Xue Baochai's eyes flickered slightly, and after hesitating for a moment, she replied:

"It seems that my elder brother wants to befriend Second Brother Can. Today's banquet was arranged in advance. I heard him mention it before, but I didn't expect that they would go to Baihualou."

In the end, Xue Baochai couldn't help but feel annoyed that Xue Pan had chosen to go to a brothel to drink and have fun. If it had been a proper restaurant, perhaps this situation wouldn't have occurred.

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang's face immediately darkened:

"What nonsense! And Can-ge'er, he went along too! Why didn't he stop his brother then? What exactly happened?"

Xue Baochai dared not conceal anything and recounted the situation reported by the servants in detail, including how Jia Can took the initiative to negotiate with the Prince of Zhongshun afterward, but the Prince of Zhongshun did not give Jia Can any face at all.

"...Aunt, this is not my second brother's fault. He had been drinking and got carried away. Even the servants couldn't stop him. My second brother has already done more than enough by pleading on his behalf."

Hearing Xue Baochai speak up for Jia Can, Lady Wang felt inexplicably uncomfortable and coldly replied:

"In the end, it's because he didn't dissuade your brother. We need to have the master question him properly."

Upon hearing this, Xue Baochai's expression changed slightly. She pursed her lips, hesitated, and ultimately remained silent, her almond-shaped eyes filled with sorrow.

at the same time.

In Jia Zheng's study, Jia Can was also telling Jia Zheng about what had happened.

"...I was thinking of leaving, but Brother Xue insisted on inviting Miss Suying to keep me company. He is the host after all, and I couldn't refuse him. Unexpectedly, a quarter of an hour later, I learned that he had been beaten and locked up."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng, who was sitting behind his desk, turned ashen-faced. The fact that Xue Pan had invited him to a brothel was already unseemly, and now this had escalated to the point where both the Jia and Xue families had lost face.

After a long pause, Jia Zheng finally asked:

"And what did Crown Prince Chungsun say?"