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

Seeing Xiangling's bitter expression and hesitant demeanor, Jia Can couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache and said gently:

"Xiangling, say what you want to say, or don't say what you don't want to say. No one dares to force you here."

Xiangling was even more moved. She had met so many young masters and ladies, but only Jia Can had spoken to her with such respect, not to mention personally helping her to sit down. She had never received such treatment before.

Her eyes reddened slightly, and tears welled up in them.

After hesitating for a moment, he looked at Jia Can and asked:

"Second Master Can, this servant... wants to ask you, where did these two young ladies come from? What... why did they come to see me?"

Jia Can responded gently:

"Xiangling, don't worry. Although I don't know their exact origins or why they're looking for you."

"However, I think it's not a bad thing that these two girls came to see you, but rather a good thing. Perhaps they are old acquaintances of your family. From what they said, their family has been looking for you for many years and only recently came to the capital."

"I know you were abducted by traffickers. You probably don't want to talk about what happened back then, and now you just want to live a peaceful life."

"However, these two are not bad people. You might as well ask them about their background and why they came to you. It's not too late to make a decision after you've found out."

As they spoke, seeing Xiangling gently purse her lips and furrow her brows, clearly troubled, he added:

"Of course, if you don't want to talk to them, I can negotiate with them on your behalf and then relay their background and purpose to you."

Xiangling already respected Jia Can, so upon hearing his words, she naturally agreed, but she still had one concern:

"Wouldn't that be too much trouble for Second Master Can?"

Jia Can smiled and waved his hand, "What's the big deal? I invited these two to see you. They're related to me, so it's only right that I help you resolve this issue."

Xiangling was deeply moved by these words, tears welling in her eyes. After gazing at Jia Can for a moment, she rose and curtsied.

"This servant thanks Second Master Can for troubling you with my affairs."

Jia Can waved his hand again and said, "No need to be so polite... Can you answer their questions now?"

Xiangling gazed at him again and nodded slightly: "Yes, I was indeed born in the Changmen area outside Suzhou in Jiangnan, and my surname is indeed Zhen, and my original name was Yinglian."

Seeing that she admitted it, Jia Can knew that she trusted him quite a bit, and smiled slightly:

"Okay, then I'll go find them and ask them who they are and why they're looking for you."

Xiangling quickly replied, "Thank you for your trouble, Second Master Can."

Jia Can waved his hand slightly, telling her to wait there, and then left.

Xiangling saw him out of the side hall and stopped in the corridor. She watched him leave, staring blankly at his back. She felt that this Second Master Can was not like a young master in the manor at all, but rather a very easy-going and warm-hearted person.

……

When Jia Can entered the study, he saw the sisters Gu Fangling and Gu Fangrui standing in the room. Gu Fangling was relatively calm, while Gu Fangrui seemed a little anxious.

Seeing Jia Can enter, Gu Fangrui hurriedly asked:

"Young Master Jia, you've arrived. What did Miss Xiangling say?"

Gu Fangling's expression changed, and she whispered a reprimand, "Sister, don't be rude!"

Gu Fangrui then realized that she had been somewhat rash. This was the Duke's mansion in the capital, not a place where one could act recklessly. She quickly bowed her head and apologized.

"I have lost my composure; please forgive me, sir."

Jia Can smiled and waved his hand:

"It's alright. I know you are chivalrous women who roam the martial world and dislike formalities. Actually, I am the same. Just consider me a member of the martial world as well, and don't worry about so many formalities."

As he spoke, Jia Can sat down at the head of the table and then invited the sisters to sit down as well.

When Gu Fangling and Gu Fangrui heard Jia Can say this, they were both a little surprised and gained a deeper understanding of him. Gu Fangrui's eyes even flashed with surprise, while Gu Fangling showed even more respect.

After the sisters were seated, Jia Can continued:

"Xiangling told me that she doesn't want to talk about some of her past experiences anymore. Right now, she just wants to live a peaceful life. She doesn't know your background and doesn't want to talk to you directly, so she asked me to talk to you."

"First, I'd like to ask, what are the origins of these two young ladies? And why are you seeking out Xiangling?"

After exchanging a glance, the elder sister, Gu Fangling, responded:

"Young master, my sister and I are from the Gu family in Jiangnan. Our ancestors were salt merchants. As for why we came to find Miss Xiangling, it is because the ancestors of the Zhen family were kind to our Gu family."

"After my father learned that Miss Xiangling had been abducted, he helped search for her for more than ten years. Only now have my sister and I finally seen her through you, Young Master Jia!"

As Jia Can listened, he pondered to himself.

According to Xiangling's hidden label, she is a flag bearer who can command the salt smugglers of Jiangnan. Combined with what Gu Fangling said, we can conclude that Xiangling's ancestors once did a great favor for the Gu family.

Otherwise, the Gu family wouldn't still be thinking about repaying the debt of gratitude after several generations. Of course, there might be other reasons besides repaying the debt of gratitude, but we don't know for the time being.

After a long silence, he nodded slightly.

"I see. What I'm more curious about is that you seem to have come to the capital because of Xue Pan. As far as I know, the incident of Xue Pan killing someone should have happened in Jinling City several years ago. Why did you only come to the capital now, instead of coming to the capital to search for him back then?"

Gu Fangling quickly responded:

"Young master, my father sent people to search for this young lady all over Jiangnan, but they have not found any clues."

"The wicked young master Xue Pan you mentioned killed someone over a kidnapper's attempt to abduct a maid. When my father heard about it, he immediately sent people to inquire, but the report came back saying it didn't seem like Miss Zhen, so he didn't pursue the matter further."

"About two weeks ago, my younger sister mentioned coming to the capital to try her luck and broaden her horizons. My father also thought about this and suggested that my sister and I try our luck following this lead."

"Find this scoundrel who killed someone, and see if the maid he kidnapped and sold back then is Miss Zhen. If not, we can completely eliminate this lead."

"I never expected it to be true. If my father had been able to investigate further back then, he might have rescued Miss Zhen long ago."

After hearing this explanation, Jia Can felt relieved. Sometimes, you're just one step away from success, but you miss it by mistake, and only realize it again many years later.

After a long pause, he asked again:

"So, after your Gu family found her, what are your plans for her?"

Before Gu Fangling could respond, Gu Fangrui, who had been silent all along, preemptively replied:

"My father said that we should welcome her back to our home and treat her as an honored guest, to repay the great kindness that Miss Zhen's ancestors had shown to our Gu family."

Jia Can nodded slightly, then, as if remembering something, asked further:

"Didn't you consider letting her go back to her own home?"

Gu Fangling continued:

"Young master, after Miss Zhen was abducted, many changes occurred in the Zhen family. First, the mansion was burned down by a fire. Later, Master Zhen became a monk with a Taoist priest. Then, Madam Zhen remarried."

In the end, the Gu sisters couldn't help but feel sorry for Xiangling, shaking their heads and sighing. The Zhen family was gone, so Xiangling naturally had no chance of returning to her own home.

Jia Can actually knew all this, but just wanted to confirm it. After listening, he also sighed and thought to himself that Xiangling was really unlucky.