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

Many years ago, the retired emperor voluntarily abdicated, handing the throne to the current emperor and becoming the retired emperor himself. He moved to this Dongjing Palace, where he devoted himself to cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao, meditating and refining elixirs day and night in the hope of achieving immortality.

Everyone in the palace knew the Emperor Emeritus's temperament and dared not disturb him easily.

At this moment, several eunuchs stood around the hall, hands at their sides and heads bowed, motionless, even their breathing was deliberately soft, and the hall was quite quiet.

As Yu Hui entered the hall, he stopped at the outer edge, lifted his robe, and respectfully bowed.

"Your subject, Yu Hui, Commander of the Dragon Guard, pays respects to the Emperor Emeritus. Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

His voice echoed through the empty hall, breaking the silence and interrupting the retired emperor who was meditating.

The Emperor Emeritus's brow twitched slightly, and he slowly opened his aged eyes. Although his eyes were somewhat cloudy due to his age, his gaze was still sharp.

Through the beaded curtain hanging in front of him, gazing at the afterglow, he asked softly:

"No need for formalities. What urgent matter brings you to see me at this hour?"

These words were spoken casually, but in Yu Hui's heart, they inexplicably created a sense of oppression.

The retired emperor before us reigned for over forty years, ruling the world and commanding respect from all corners of the earth. His majesty was deeply ingrained in his very being. Even now, having retired to the Dongjing Palace and donned a Taoist robe, spending his days with talismans and alchemy furnaces, he could not erase the air of someone who had long held a position of power.

Yu Hui secretly steadied himself, his expression remaining impassive, and replied respectfully:

"Your Majesty, I have just received important news that I feel compelled to report to you. This matter concerns the descendants of the Loyal and Righteous Crown Prince."

The moment the words "Loyal and Righteous Crown Prince" were uttered, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze.

The Emperor Emeritus's eyes, which had been narrowed, suddenly widened, and a terrifying light emanated from his aged eyes, sharp as a hawk's, shooting straight into the afterglow.

He stared at the afterglow for a moment, then asked in a deep voice:

"What exactly happened?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Hui felt a chill run down his spine and, without the slightest hesitation, immediately reported the situation that Jia Can had described in detail.

Jia Zhen, under the pretense of Jia Rong's marriage, brought Qin Keqing into his mansion, but did not allow Jia Rong to touch her, instead placing her alone in the Tianxiang Tower.

Every few days, Jia Zhen would send away the maids and servants and barge into Qin Keqing's room to coerce her using both soft and hard tactics.

She recounted how Jia Zhen had bothered her again last night and how he had left in a huff.

The words were carefully chosen, yet without any attempt to conceal them, revealing in full Jia Zhen's beastly behavior.

The more the Emperor Emeritus listened, the more somber his expression became. When Yu Hui finished speaking, he slapped his knee and roared:

"What?! Such a shameful thing has happened? Jia Zhen must be tired of living!"

Before he finished speaking, the Emperor Emeritus stood up abruptly, his movements so sudden that they were hardly those of an elderly man in his seventies.

However, his legs had become numb from meditating for so long that he lost his balance and fell to the side when he stood up too suddenly.

Fortunately, the eunuchs around him were sharp-eyed and, seeing that something was wrong, immediately rushed forward and helped him up, repeatedly exclaiming that the Emperor should be careful.

The retired emperor disregarded his own safety and pushed away the eunuchs' support, letting them help him walk forward. He staggered to Yu Hui's side, and although it was only a few steps, he walked with great difficulty, only managing to avoid falling thanks to the eunuchs' support.

Standing before Yu Hui, his face ashen, his old eyes fixed on Yu Hui with a piercing gaze, he asked in a stern voice:

"Yu Hui, I ask you, is this news true? Who told you?"

Yu Hui sensed the undisguised anger in the Emperor Emeritus's tone, and felt a sense of relief, calmly replying:

"Your Majesty, it was Jia Can, the illegitimate son of Jia Jing of Ningguo Mansion, who told me this. Jia Can came to Baoguzhai to see me today. What he said was clear and detailed, and it was definitely not a lie."

Upon hearing this, the retired emperor narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them, and gritted his teeth as he angrily said:

"Well, well, what a Jia family! They promised to take good care of the Crown Prince's daughter, and this is how they've done it?"

"How dare a father-in-law lay a hand on his daughter-in-law! What a beastly act!"

Yu Hui hurriedly comforted him, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I have heard from Jia Can that Jia Zhen has not yet succeeded, and the princess is still innocent. Perhaps there is still time."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the retired emperor angrily rebuked him:

"Bah! That inhuman beast! What will happen if he succeeds!"

As he spoke, the Emperor Emeritus's chest heaved violently, he trembled with rage, his aged face was filled with fury, and even his snow-white beard trembled slightly.

He took a deep breath, abruptly raised his hand, pointed at the afterglow, and said sternly:

"Immediately send men to investigate, to find out the truth completely. If it is indeed so, even if this beast failed, I will still have him torn to pieces!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Hui immediately and respectfully agreed:

"Your Majesty, I obey your decree. In fact, I had already sent spies to Ningguo Prefecture to investigate before I came here."

"According to Jia Can, this matter is no secret in the Ningguo Mansion. Many people in the mansion have noticed it, but no one dares to speak out. If it is true, the truth will be revealed in an hour at most."

The retired emperor gritted his teeth, remaining silent. His aged face still showed anger, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed outside the palace.

Outside the palace gates, the sunlight shone brightly on the vermilion pillars, but his gaze seemed to pierce through that light and fall upon some distant and dark place.

Seeing that he was silent, Yu Hui dared not say anything more, but just lowered his head and stood there respectfully, without moving.

The eunuchs inside the hall didn't dare to breathe loudly, their hands hanging down and heads bowed, like wooden puppets.

A heavy silence fell over the hall, a silence that weighed heavily on everyone's hearts, making it hard to breathe.

After a long silence, the Emperor Emeritus sighed softly, his sigh carrying a hint of indescribable desolation and guilt, and slowly spoke:

"More than ten years have passed, but whenever I think of that time and how I wronged the Crown Prince, I still can't eat or sleep. So many nights, I toss and turn, unable to fall asleep. As soon as I close my eyes, I see the Crown Prince's face."

"Fortunately, I still had a sliver of affection for him at the time, so I sent you to take his only legitimate daughter out of the Eastern Palace, thus preventing them from being completely wiped out."

"But now... I have failed him, I couldn't even protect his only legitimate daughter, and let her suffer such injustice in the Jia family."

After hearing this, Yu Hui slowly raised her head to look at him, a complex expression flashing in her eyes. After a moment of consideration, she replied:

"Your Majesty, the matter of the loyal and righteous Crown Prince back then is no longer important. You don't need to keep it in your heart."

"It is truly those treacherous officials who are despicable, who have misled Your Majesty and caused the unjust death of the loyal Crown Prince."

"As for protecting the princess, the fact that you arranged for me to rescue her back then was already showing her leniency and giving her a way out."

"But the Jia family went back on their word. They promised the princess a life of wealth and peace, but now... alas..."

In the end, he sighed, shook his head slightly, and looked heartbroken.

Upon hearing this, the retired emperor's eyes flashed, and a sharp, cold glint suddenly appeared in his aged eyes. He coldly snorted:

"Hmph! If it is indeed found to be true, I will have the entire Jia family executed, not a single one spared!"