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

In Jia Zhen's eyes, a maid was lowly and insignificant, like a blade of grass; if she was beaten to death, she was beaten to death, and it wasn't worth wasting a word on her.

Over the years, he has tormented and killed many maids, or executed them on some pretext, and has long since taken it for granted.

As for his affair with Banmei, he didn't care at all. In his eyes, these pretty maids were nothing more than tools for him to satisfy his lust. He would throw them away after he was done with them, and there was no affection between them.

The servants dared not disobey and had no choice but to go back and continue the execution. A moment later, the board fell again, making a sound.

Banmei never woke up again. She lay on the ground, beaten to death, and never received a word of pity from Jia Zhen.

The reason she didn't hear the rumors in the mansion was because she had already learned Jia Can's exact whereabouts for the day from the servant who was tracking his movements.

She knew exactly which street Jia Can went to, which stores he entered, and what he bought.

Therefore, she completely ignored the exaggerated rumors circulating in the mansion, disregarding them. After all, she knew the most accurate facts and wouldn't take other people's gossip to heart.

She never expected that Jia Zhen would actually order her to be beaten to death. All the tenderness they had shared in private and the affection she thought they had for each other vanished under Jia Zhen's kick and order.

Even on her deathbed, she still felt that she was Jia Zhen's person, loyal to him, and superior to others. Little did she know that in Jia Zhen's eyes, she was nothing more than an insignificant plaything, used and discarded, and not even deserving a shred of pity.

"Master Qibing... Banmei... has passed away."

Although Jia Zhen had just instructed that there was no need to report the death of Banmei, the servants still dared not fail to report it.

The servant who came to deliver the message was trembling with fear, his back soaked with cold sweat, waiting for Jia Zhen to speak.

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhen slightly pursed his lips, his face showing no trace of sorrow, but rather a hint of impatience.

"What a despicable woman, she'll never admit it even in death. What bad luck! Quickly drag her outside the city and bury her somewhere!"

Upon hearing this, the servant felt as if he had been granted a pardon and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least Jia Zhen hadn't taken his anger out on anyone else, which was a great relief.

He hurriedly agreed and immediately left, his steps much faster than when he came, for fear that Jia Zhen might suddenly change his mind.

Soon, night fell, and lanterns were lit throughout the mansion.

The old woman who had searched Banmei's residence returned to report to Jia Zhen again, this time even more cautious than before:

"Reporting to your question, sir, we have thoroughly searched every nook and cranny of Banmei's residence several times, even prying open the cracks in the walls, but we have not found any rare treasures."

As she spoke, the old woman's legs were already trembling, and she was prepared to be severely punished by Jia Zhen. She secretly groaned, hoping that she could suffer fewer beatings.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Jia Zhen's eyes widened in anger, almost spitting fire.

"A bunch of useless trash! You couldn't even find what that lowly maid hid. You've got a sure thing that's gone. What use are you to me?"

The old woman was so frightened that she immediately knelt down on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly and begging for mercy. Her forehead thumped against the brick floor, and she kept shouting things like "Master, spare my life!"

Feeling frustrated, Jia Zhen stood up and paced back and forth in the room. The more he walked, the angrier he became. Finally, he stood in the middle of the room and unleashed a torrent of angry curses.

He cursed the old women and maids who were searching him, and the servants who were being beaten, calling them useless. He cursed Banmei, calling her a vile woman, and refused to say a word until she died. He cursed for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, until his mouth was dry and his throat was parched, before he finally stopped.

But his anger had not subsided, and he ordered in a deep voice to have the old woman and the maids who had gone to search each given twenty strokes of the cane.

Having dealt with all that, Jia Zhen finally calmed down a bit, sat back on the kang (heated brick bed), frowned, and began to ponder.

Nothing was found in Banmei's residence, and the old women said they only found some worthless odds and ends. Could it be that the priceless antique was not in Banmei's possession at all?

He began to suspect that Jia Can was hiding something. The more Jia Zhen thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, so he summoned the wife of the head steward, Lai Sheng.

Lai Sheng's wife was a respected and capable stewardess in the household. She was efficient, loyal to Jia Zhen, and always obeyed his every word.

Jia Zhen instructed her in a deep voice:

"Quickly take men to Jia Can's residence and search it thoroughly for me. If you find that he has hidden any rare treasures, bring them here immediately and summon him as well. I want to interrogate him personally. If not, then let it go."

Lai Shengjia respectfully accepted, not daring to be negligent in the slightest, and turned to leave.

He immediately ordered two teams of old women and maids, totaling more than twenty people, who then marched in a grand procession toward Jia Can's courtyard.

The lanterns illuminated the surroundings, and the group looked imposing and menacing. An uninformed person might have thought something terrible had happened.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Lai Sheng's wife shouted orders:

"By order of the master, we are here to search the residence of Second Master Can. Search thoroughly, don't miss any corner, even under the bed and behind the cabinets!"

The maids and servants who followed respectfully agreed, and then scattered to the main room, the left and right wing rooms, and the left and right side rooms, rummaging through chests and cabinets and searching everywhere.

For a moment, the courtyard was filled with the sounds of footsteps, voices, and cabinets opening and closing. The noise was so loud that even the people in the neighboring courtyard were startled and peeked over in this direction.

Lai Sheng's wife stood in the courtyard with her hands on her hips, her face serious. Seeing that the search had begun, she nodded with satisfaction and stepped towards the main house.

Upon entering the main room, they saw Jia Can still sitting by the window, holding a book in his hand, reading by candlelight, his expression calm.

He didn't care at all about these unexpected guests, not even lifting his eyelids, treating them as if they were invisible.

It has the connotation of being oblivious to the world around them and focusing solely on studying the classics.

When Lai Sheng's wife saw Jia Can so calm, she was secretly surprised. She had worked in this mansion for many years and had seen many masters, but it was rare to see someone like this Second Master Can, who remained calm and composed even after his courtyard was ransacked.

Not to mention, Jia Can, who is usually timid and fearful, didn't move an inch today.

After hesitating for a moment, she forced a smile, walked over to Jia Can, and explained:

"Second Master Can, please don't mind. This is the Master's wish. I am just following orders and have no choice but to come. Please bear with me."

Jia Can didn't even glance at her, continuing to stare at the book in his hands, his gaze calm and unresponsive.

Lai Shengjia waited for a while, but seeing that he ignored her, she realized she had made a fool of herself, and the smile on her face froze.

A moment later, she stopped smiling, slightly pursed her lips, turned and left, her steps heavier than when she came, clearly unhappy.

As she stepped out of the room, Lai Sheng's wife glanced back at Jia Can, silently criticizing him:

If it weren't for the fact that you're some kind of master, I wouldn't bother with you. You're so pretentious, acting like you're some kind of top scholar.

He's just an unwanted illegitimate son, why is he putting on airs!