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

Qin Keqing sat on the couch, her delicate brows furrowed, and after thinking for a while, she finally came up with an idea.

They decided to find a middleman to convey the message, and this person would not be suspicious even if Jia Zhen found out.

After much thought, perhaps only Jia Rong could be the answer.

Jia Rong was Jia Zhen's only son and the grandson of the Ningguo Mansion. He was always respectful to Jia Zhen and dared not disobey him in the slightest.

Jia Zhen, however, treated Jia Rong very badly, scolding him at best and beating him at worst, never giving him a kind look.

Since Qin Keqing married into the Ningguo Mansion, Jia Rong and Qin Keqing, who were husband and wife in name only, had met very few times.

Jia Rong even avoided Tianxiang Tower, fearing that Jia Zhen would find out he had been there and he would inevitably get another beating.

If this matter were told to Jia Rong, and the implications were explained, Jia Rong would naturally go to Jia Can to warn him, lest he also be implicated and incur Jia Zhen's wrath.

Although Jia Rong disliked her, he was even more afraid of Jia Zhen. To protect himself, he would definitely go to Jia Can's place.

At that moment, Qin Keqing summoned Ruizhu and whispered a few instructions to her.

After listening, Ruizhu nodded, quietly left Tianxiang Tower, and went to Jia Rong's residence.

Jia Rong was just about to undress and rest when he heard that Qin Keqing's head maid, Ruizhu, had arrived. He frowned and waved his hand impatiently.

"Let her in."

Ruizhu approached him, bowed respectfully, and said with her eyes lowered:

"Greetings, Master Rong. I have come on behalf of our grandmother to inform you that just now, the master stormed into our grandmother's attic and questioned her about whether Second Master Can had visited her last night."

"I don't know who in the manor spread the rumors, but they've caused such a commotion. My grandmother's idea is for you, Master Rong, to investigate this matter and inform Second Master Can so that he doesn't do anything unusual."

"Otherwise, if the master gets angry, it will make everyone uneasy, and no one will look good in the end."

This statement both explained the advantages and disadvantages, and also extricated Qin Keqing from the situation.

Upon hearing this, Jia Rong's expression changed drastically. He abruptly stood up, his belt, which he had only half-untied, nearly slipping off. His eyes widened as he stared at Ruizhu, both shocked and anxious.

"Is that so? What happened afterward? Does the master believe it?"

Ruizhu kept her head down and replied:

"Our grandmother explained that she had never seen Second Master Can come here, and that with Second Master Can's temperament, how could he dare to break into her residence at night? The master believed her for the time being and left."

"But our grandmother thinks that someone must be spreading rumors behind our backs. If we let these rumors spread and anger the master, our grandmother will suffer, and Uncle Rong, you will also be implicated."

Jia Rong fully agreed with these words.

He knew his father too well. Jia Zhen was a tyrannical and capricious man who would berate you no matter what you did, if he was unhappy.

Before dark, he beat Banmei to death with a stick. Who wouldn't be afraid?

Jia Rong was well aware that Jia Zhen's lust for Qin Keqing had been brewing for a long time. Jia Zhen had warned him more than once that he must not touch Qin Keqing, and he was even forbidden from going to Tianxiang Tower.

If Jia Zhen were to learn that someone dared to lay a hand on Qin Keqing, even if it was just a rumor, he would surely be furious, and even his son might not fare well.

Immediately, Jia Rong nodded solemnly and said in a deep voice:

"I understand. Go tell your grandmother that I will send someone to investigate who is gossiping behind your back, and I will also talk to Second Master Can... Second Uncle Can."

When it comes to Jia Can, Jia Rong is quite disdainful.

In his eyes, although Jia Can was of a higher generation than him, he was younger than him and was usually cowardly and timid, living a life worse than a servant, which made him look down on him.

Ruizhu then reminded him:

"Young Master Rong had better inform Second Master Can tonight, whether it's to warn him or to have him explain to the Master tomorrow morning, it's best to do it as soon as possible."

"The longer it drags on, the more variables there will be. What if the master changes his mind again? That would be terrible."

Jia Rong nodded slightly upon hearing this. Although he was reluctant to see his cowardly second uncle, it concerned him, so he couldn't worry about anything else. He waved his hand and said to the maid beside him:

"Change your clothes, I'm going out for a bit."

The maidservant quickly brought him an outer robe, helped him put it back on, and fastened his belt.

Seeing that he had agreed, Ruizhu did not linger any longer and bowed to take her leave.

However, they did not go far. Only after seeing Jia Rong heading towards Jia Can's courtyard did they return to Tianxiang Tower.

Arriving before Qin Keqing, he replied:

"Grandma, Uncle Rong has already gone to Uncle Can's place. I saw him head in that direction with my own eyes."

Upon hearing this, Qin Keqing finally felt relieved, let out a long sigh of relief, nodded in satisfaction, and said softly:

"That's good."

She knew that with the courage and ability Jia Can had shown in the past two days, he must understand the intricacies of the situation and know how to deal with it.

As long as Jia Can is vigilant and on guard, he won't be afraid of what Jia Zhen might do to him next.

...

In Jia Can's courtyard, night had fallen, and only the main room still emitted a dim candlelight.

Jia Rong hurriedly arrived at the courtyard gate, and without knocking, he pushed open the half-closed gate and strode inside.

Upon reaching the door of the main room, he raised his hand and pounded heavily on the door, making a loud banging sound, clearly showing his impatience.

"Open the door! Open the door now!"

Jia Can was still sitting by the window, pondering Yu Hui's words and figuring out how to respond when he met the Emperor Emeritus the next day.

Hearing the urgent knocking at the door, I was somewhat surprised and wondered if something had happened again.

He frowned slightly, got up, walked to the door, and opened it.

As soon as the door opened, Jia Rong was seen standing there, looking displeased and with a hint of anxiety in his eyes.

Jia Can was even more puzzled. This nominal nephew of his usually kept to himself and never had any contact with him. Why was he suddenly showing up at the door?

Seeing that he had taken so long to open the door, Jia Rong grew increasingly dissatisfied. He instinctively kicked the door and demanded:

"Second Uncle Can, what were you doing in there? Why did it take you so long to open the door?"

Although he addressed him as "Second Uncle," he showed no respect whatsoever; it was as if he were scolding a servant.

Jia Can's courtyard had been in disrepair for many years. The doors were old and worn out, and the door frames were loose. He had to be careful when opening and closing them.

At this moment, Jia Rong kicked him hard, and he couldn't withstand it. With a crisp crack, the door panel fell off the frame and collapsed with a crash.

"Bang!"

With a loud crash, the door slammed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust that filled the air and made people cough.

Jia Rong was startled, his face changed drastically, and he jumped aside in a disheveled manner, avoiding the dust that was kicked up.

He was panting heavily, patting his chest, clearly quite shocked by the sudden turn of events.