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

After listening to Qin Keqing's words, Jia Zhen looked at himself. His outer robe was open, his belt was dragging on the ground, his inner garment was half-exposed, and his hair was disheveled.

He gave an awkward laugh, smoothed his hair, tugged at his clothes, and said sheepishly:

"It's my fault...it's my fault. I was confused for a moment, and I cared too much. I apologize, please don't take it to heart."

"Don't worry, I guarantee they won't dare to gossip. If anyone dares to say a single word outside, I'll skin them alive."

After saying that, Jia Zhen wanted to say something more to salvage his image and dispel Qin Keqing's resentment.

He could see that Qin Keqing had her back to him, her shoulders trembling slightly, clearly still feeling wronged and not in the mood to talk to him anymore.

Although his anger had subsided considerably, he still harbored doubts and felt that something was amiss. After hesitating for a while, he had no choice but to leave.

The reason Jia Zhen never forced himself on Qin Keqing was because he was concerned about the serious and irreversible consequences that would follow.

If word gets out that his father-in-law raped his daughter-in-law, he will surely be stripped of his title and exiled, his reputation ruined and his life irrecoverable.

Therefore, even though Jia Zhen was unable to bear it, he could only repeatedly force Qin Keqing to obey him and make her willingly submit.

Only in this way can Jia Zhen enjoy this thrill and the pleasure of conquering a beauty for a long time without worrying about future troubles.

Before leaving Tianxiang Tower, Jia Zhen stood at the top of the stairs, turned around, his face grim, and sternly instructed everyone:

"Anyone who dares to utter a single word about my visit tonight will face my ruthlessness. I suppose you've all heard about Banmei's fate today. Anyone who wants to follow in her footsteps, feel free to try!"

The maids and servants of Tianxiang Tower all agreed tremblingly, heads bowed, not daring to utter a sound.

They had long known about Jia Zhen's lust for Qin Keqing, and the rumors had been circulating widely in private. However, on the surface, naturally no one dared to disobey Jia Zhen's orders.

After hurriedly leaving Tianxiang Tower and returning to his room, Jia Zhen changed his clothes, retied his hair, and sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), feeling increasingly uneasy.

I had a feeling this wasn't so simple. There's no smoke without fire; if people are spreading rumors, there must be a source. With a grim face, I ordered someone to summon Lai Sheng's family for questioning.

"Who told you that Jia Can went to Rong's wife's place last night?"

Lai Sheng's wife was originally waiting for good news, thinking that Jia Zhen would definitely teach Jia Can a lesson, and she could take the opportunity to vent her anger.

Unexpectedly, Jia Zhen turned around and questioned her. She immediately realized something was wrong, panicked, and hurriedly replied:

"Your Excellency, I heard it from a few old women. They made it sound very convincing, so I came to tell you as soon as possible. I was thinking of you and didn't want you to be kept in the dark."

Jia Zhen snorted coldly, his face so dark it could drip water:

"Bring those old women here. I want to ask them if they saw it with their own eyes or heard it from their ears."

Lai Sheng's family didn't dare to hesitate and hurriedly turned around to call for help.

Before long, several old women were brought in, each one trembling with fear, their heads bowed and backs bent.

Jia Zhen asked the same question to the old women, his gaze sweeping across their faces to see their reactions.

The old women all said it was just hearsay, something they'd heard from others, but they couldn't say for sure who had seen it. They just said that everyone was saying it, and if it got around that much, it must be true, so they all started saying it too.

When Jia Zhen heard this, he was furious. It turned out that this was just a rumor spread by the servants, with no evidence whatsoever and no one who had actually seen it.

First, he launched into a tirade, cursing these old women for being idle and causing trouble all day long, and then cursing Lai Sheng's wife for being brainless, believing everything she heard, and causing him to lose his dignity as the master.

After finishing his rant, still seething with anger, he waved his hand and ordered several old women, including Lai Sheng's wife, to be taken away and each given twenty strokes of the cane as a lesson.

As the paddle struck him, Lai Shengjia grimaced in pain, screaming repeatedly, while feeling extremely aggrieved.

She had intended to take this opportunity to have Jia Zhen punish Jia Can and vent her anger, but she never expected that she would suffer the consequences instead.

She couldn't figure out where things went wrong.

Since everyone in the mansion is spreading the word, and it's quite detailed, it must be true, so why doesn't Jia Zhen believe it?

Why was it she who ended up getting punished, instead of Jia Can?

He racked his brains but couldn't figure it out. He could only lie on the bench, leaning against the board, cursing those gossipers in his heart and regretting that he had listened to them.

Jia Zhen paid no attention to their pitiful screams and continued to ponder the matter.

Although Qin Keqing's words were reasonable, and the maids and servants of Tianxiang Tower all said they had never seen Jia Can in Tianxiang Tower, Jia Zhen still harbored a sliver of doubt.

Most importantly, in his eyes, Qin Keqing was already his exclusive possession, and no one else was allowed to touch her. Even a mere unfounded rumor was a thorn in his side, something he could not easily let go of.

After much deliberation, Jia Zhen still felt uneasy. He paced back and forth in the room for a few steps, then suddenly stopped, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

Banmei, the spy he had previously placed by Jia Can's side, had already been beaten to death by him. Now, Jia Can had no one left by his side, which was unacceptable.

He immediately summoned three loyal maids and servants.

Among the three, there was a head maid, a lowly maid, and a lowly old woman.

Jia Zhen sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), his face stern, and gave the three of them a stern order:

"The three of you, starting tonight, will go to Jia Can's courtyard to serve him. Ostensibly, you'll be serving him, bringing him tea and water, but in reality, you must keep a close eye on him."

"Where he goes, who he meets, and what he says, write it all down and report it to me."

"If there is anything unusual, even if you just feel that something is wrong with him, report it immediately without fail."

In his view, Jia Can had always been cowardly and incompetent, a coward as a mouse. Arranging for these three people to keep a close watch on him was more than enough, and he didn't expect Jia Can to cause any trouble.

The three men respectfully accepted the order and left.

After making the arrangements, Jia Zhen finally felt a little relieved, turned around and went back to the inner room to continue playing with his concubines.

……

Qin Keqing breathed a long sigh of relief when she saw Jia Zhen finally leave. She felt completely exhausted and leaned back in her chair.

Ignoring the pain in her wrist, all she could think about was how to send a message to Jia Can.

She knew that, given Jia Zhen's personality, he would most likely not let the matter rest and would probably retaliate against Jia Can.

We need to tell Jia Can about these things so that he can be on guard.

But Jia Zhen had just left. If she sent someone to inform Jia Can now, it would inevitably arouse deeper suspicion if Jia Zhen's spies saw it, which would backfire.