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

While Lai Shengjia was secretly criticizing Jia Can, he also noticed that Jia Can seemed different from usual today.

In the past, if Jia Can had seen so many people searching his courtyard, he would probably have been so frightened that he would have huddled in a corner, his face pale, his whole body trembling, and he would have been unable to speak properly. How could he have dared to sit there and read a book?

But today, Jia Can was not afraid at all. Instead, he sat calmly by the window, looking completely at ease, as if these intruders were nothing.

Regardless of whether Jia Can was faking it or not, he was genuinely no longer afraid and didn't even glance at them. His composure and calmness were quite reminiscent of a family head.

Lai Shengjia felt strange and wondered to himself, but he couldn't figure out the reason, so he stopped thinking about it.

With his hands on his hips and shouting, he ordered the maids and servants to search Jia Can's courtyard thoroughly.

The cabinets in the room were open, clothes were thrown all over the floor, boxes were overturned, books were scattered everywhere, even the bed was overturned, and the quilts and mattresses were piled up to the side, making a mess, as if it had been robbed.

After searching for a long time, turning over almost every corner, even checking under the flowerpots in the yard, they found nothing.

Lai Sheng's wife then planned to leave with her men, turning to walk towards the courtyard gate. The old women and maids also stopped what they were doing and prepared to follow.

Just then, Jia Can finally spoke:

"stop!"

Lai Shengjia and the others heard it clearly and stopped in their tracks, turning around to look at Jia Can.

Jia Can put down his book, slowly stood up, walked to them, and scanned them with a gloomy gaze. He then said in a deep voice:

"You came to search on the master's orders, and you wantonly messed with my things. I don't care, and I won't hold it against you, but you stole things from my cabinet, including those twenty-odd taels of silver. You have to leave them here!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions varied. Some immediately lowered their heads, not daring to meet Jia Can's gaze; some looked around in surprise; and others whispered amongst themselves.

A slight commotion arose in the crowd, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Lai Shengjia, the leader, frowned and stepped forward, somewhat displeased:

"Second Master Can, what do you mean by that? We were just ordered to search. We did look through some items, but we never took anything of yours. You can't accuse us of something without reason."

Jia Can sneered, his laughter full of mockery, his gaze icy:

"Didn't take it? Do you think I'm blind? Some of you took advantage of the gaps in the search to secretly hide things in your sleeves and pockets. The movements were quick, but there was no attempt to conceal them."

"You even dare to take the silver I kept in the cabinet? What, did the master order you to search my silver as well?"

Upon hearing this, Lai Shengjia's expression changed drastically. His previous righteous indignation vanished, replaced by a sense of guilt and unease.

The news that Banmei had been beaten to death by Jia Zhen had already spread throughout the Ningguo Mansion.

Everyone knew that Banmei was beaten to death by Jia Zhen for hiding something; her screams still echoed in everyone's ears, and her body was barely cold.

At this moment, Jia Can said that they were using the search as a pretext to line their own pockets. If this reached Jia Zhen's ears, their fate would surely be the same as Banmei's.

After a while, a greedy and timid old woman's mental defenses collapsed. Her legs went weak, and she knelt down with a thud, trembling all over, begging for mercy:

"Second Master Can, spare me! Second Master Can, spare me! I was confused for a moment, bewitched by a demon, I...I confess everything."

"I only took a pair of silver ear picks, nothing else. Please, Second Master Can, have mercy and don't tell the Master. I'm begging you!"

As he spoke, he took out the pair of silver ear picks from his pocket, placed them on the ground with trembling hands, and kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead hitting the ground with a thud.

The others stared at her in astonishment, especially Lai Sheng's wife, whose eyes widened and whose face stung as if she had been slapped twice in public.

After all, she had just confidently told Jia Can that they were only there to search and hadn't touched his things. She never expected that she would be proven wrong by this old woman's words so soon.

His face flushed red and then turned pale, his lips twitched, and he couldn't speak.

Jia Can snorted coldly, shifting his gaze from the old woman to the rest of the group:

"You are truly greedy and cowardly. I advise you all to honestly put back what you have secretly taken, and not a single thing should be missing."

"Especially the twenty-odd taels of silver I keep in the cabinet. If I find anything missing, or even a single coin missing, don't blame me for telling the master the truth."

"By then, you all know what will become of Banmei."

Upon hearing this, many of the maids and servants' expressions changed, and some even broke out in a fine sweat.

Although Jia Can didn't have much presence or status in the Ningguo Mansion, he was still the master, the second master of the Ningguo Mansion.

If a servant dares to steal from his master, he has committed a grave offense. If word gets out, he will be known as a thief, and Jia Zhen will surely punish him severely. At best, he will be flogged; at worst, he will be expelled from the mansion or even lose his life.

Most importantly, Jia Can was telling the truth.

Many of them had slipped something into their pockets when no one was looking during the search.

In their eyes, Jia Can, the second master, had always been weak, incompetent, and submissive.

They came to search Jia Can's courtyard on the orders of Jia Zhen, the master of the house. Even if they took some things in front of Jia Can, he probably wouldn't dare to say anything, much less complain.

Therefore, they didn't even try to hide their thefts, openly stuffing them into their sleeves or into their bosoms, which Jia Can saw clearly.

Now that Jia Can has suddenly made trouble and invoked Jia Zhen's name, they panicked and realized that this second master was not someone to be trifled with.

For a moment, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and a few of the more timid ones had already quietly taken out what they had hidden.

Just now, Jia Can had been sitting by the window reading a book, his expression calm and indifferent, as if he didn't care about anything around him.

But his gaze kept drifting to the maids and servants rummaging through his chests and cabinets. He could see clearly that they were throwing his clothes on the ground, piling up his books haphazardly, and turning his chests and cabinets upside down.

The house was a mess, inside and out, and I couldn't help but feel a bit angry.

Do they really think he's a pushover? Do they really believe he's still the same cowardly illegitimate son who used to be bullied and never dared to utter a sound?

Jia Can didn't have much affection for the servants in the Ningguo Mansion.

As the saying goes, if the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked. Jia Zhen and his son Jia Rong were extravagant, greedy, and lustful, and their servants were all the same, each one currying favor with the powerful, bullying the weak and fearing the strong, and treating people differently based on their status.

In her memory, her predecessor had been neglected, harassed, and even persecuted openly and secretly by these servants.

The fact that these people are stealing his things right in front of him is the best example of this. Some of them didn't take anything, but they definitely saw it and didn't stop them or report it to Jia Can.