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

After hearing what Cui Lü said, the maidservant realized the seriousness of the problem. She trembled, her face turned pale, and she instantly sobered up, stamping her feet in panic.

"What should we do? What should we do? Maybe we should go find him right away."

At this moment, the old woman who was doing odd jobs also came over after hearing the noise and asked what was going on.

Upon learning that Jia Can had vanished, he was terrified and slapped his thigh, exclaiming:

"This is incredible... incredible! This Second Master Can looks completely different from before, like a different person. Now he's disappeared without a trace. Something's definitely wrong."

"Let's not delay any longer. We should hurry and tell the master. We must tell him everything, lest he blame us and we can't bear the consequences."

With that, he hurriedly walked outside.

Cui Lü frowned, pondered for a moment, and seeing that the rough-looking old woman had already reached the courtyard gate, suddenly called out to her:

"Don't go! Don't rush to tell the master!"

The old woman stopped, turned around, and looked at her with a puzzled expression:

"Why not? Second Master Can has gone missing. This is such a big deal. If we don't tell the Master, we'll be in deep trouble when he finds out."

Emerald Green, her face grim, lowered her voice and said:

"You forgot? The master instructed us to keep a close eye on Second Master Can and report his whereabouts at any time."

"But now Second Master Jia Can has vanished without a trace. What will we say if the master asks?"

"Are we saying we overslept and slept until noon, not even knowing when they left? If we do, we'll definitely get a scolding, or even a beating."

Upon hearing this, the old woman's expression immediately changed, and she stopped in her tracks, nodding repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, Miss Cuilu, you're right. I forgot about that. But... if we don't tell Master, what if Second Master Can gets into trouble outside? If Master investigates, wouldn't we be in even worse shape?"

Before he could finish speaking, Emerald Green interrupted:

"Currently, only the three of us know about this. As long as the three of us don't say anything, I doubt anyone will tell the master."

"Wait a minute, let's first find out where Second Master Can went, or wait for Second Master Can to return and ask him in person where he went and what he did, and then report to the master."

"When the master asks, we'll have something to say, and we won't be completely clueless."

The maids and old women all agreed that it made sense and nodded in agreement.

"Yes, that's best. Let's do it your way!"

Driven by the desire to maximize benefits and minimize harm, the three ultimately chose not to tell Jia Zhen about the matter, opting instead to keep it a secret and gather information on their own first.

Afterwards, the three of them got together and discussed it further before each of them went to inquire about Jia Can's whereabouts.

……

Meanwhile, Jia Can had already arrived at Baoguzhai, which he had visited the day before, by carriage.

He made a point of leaving early today, getting up before dawn and quietly leaving the courtyard while Cuilu and the other two were still fast asleep. He exited Ningguo Mansion through the back gate and traveled smoothly without being stopped by anyone.

The manager of Baoguzhai had clearly been notified beforehand. Upon seeing Jia Can arrive, he beamed and greeted him politely, bowing as he said:

"Young master, you've arrived! Please come inside!"

As Jia Can followed him inside, he asked in a low voice:

"Shopkeeper, has the person I'm supposed to see arrived yet?"

The shopkeeper shook his head and replied in a low voice:

"Not yet, young master. Please wait a moment. He will be here soon. The master is always punctual and never breaks his promise."

Jia Can nodded slightly and followed him into the slightly dimly lit room at the back of the shop.

The innkeeper poured him a cup of tea and presented it with both hands:

"Young master, please have a cup of tea to soothe your throat. There's no need to rush. The master said he would come, and he certainly will. Please sit here in peace."

Jia Can politely cupped his hands in response, "Yes, I understand. Thank you for your trouble, shopkeeper."

The shopkeeper smiled apologetically and said, "Please enjoy your meal, sir," before bowing and leaving, gently closing the door behind him.

Jia Can was left alone in the room, and it was quiet all around. He closed his eyes to rest, while also repeatedly checking what he should say to the Emperor Emeritus to make sure there would be no major problems.

Before long, footsteps sounded outside. Jia Can immediately opened his eyes and looked towards the door, thinking, "They're here!"

The thought of meeting such a great figure as the Emperor Emeritus, the supreme ruler of the feudal era, made his heart race.

He hurriedly stood up, straightened his clothes, took a deep breath, calmed himself, and prepared to greet them.

After a while, an old man wearing a black cloak walked in first. The cloak was wide, covering the old man's figure, only revealing a vigorous face with deep eyes.

Behind him were two people, one of whom Jia Can recognized as Yu Hui, the commander of the Longxiang Guard whom he had met yesterday.

The other was a middle-aged man dressed in blue, wearing a tall hat, with a fair complexion and a somewhat effeminate air about him. He had a smooth chin and not a single beard. He quietly followed beside the old man.

When Yu Hui came to inform Jia Can yesterday, he had already told him that the Emperor Emeritus wanted to see him.

Therefore, Jia Can immediately recognized that the old man in the cloak in front must be the retired emperor, while the middle-aged man with a fair and delicate face behind him was most likely the chief eunuch of the retired emperor.

He immediately bowed in respect:

"Jia Can greets the two elders and Lord Yu."

The Emperor Emeritus entered the room and his gaze remained fixed on Jia Can, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

Seeing Jia Can's upright posture, handsome appearance, clear eyes and eyebrows, and his simple yet neat blue robe, which exuded a refined and elegant air.

He was neither servile nor arrogant when bowing, and was very polite, truly a handsome and talented young master from a prominent family.

The Emperor Emeritus nodded inwardly, immediately developing a favorable impression of Jia Can. He stroked his beard and let out a hearty laugh.

"Haha... Young Master Jia, please don't stand on ceremony, have a seat."

As he spoke, he reached out and untied the tie at his collar, took off the black cloak covering him, and handed it out casually.

The head eunuch behind him hurriedly stepped forward, took the item with both hands, carefully held it in his arms, stepped back a few steps, and disappeared into the dark corner of the room, remaining motionless as if he were not there.

After removing his cloak, the Emperor Emeritus was dressed in a purple robe, the fabric and workmanship of which were quite exquisite, exuding an air of elegance and nobility.

He sat down in the chair at the head of the table, his back straight, his hands resting naturally on the armrests, and looked calmly at Jia Can.

Although Jia Can had already guessed his true identity, the other party did not say it outright at the moment, so he could only pretend not to know and take his seat in the lower position according to usual etiquette.

Yu Hui stood aside and did not sit down. He had served the retired emperor for many years and had never sat in front of him.

Seeing that Jia Can had behaved properly so far and showed no signs of timidity, Yu Hui's eyes flashed with satisfaction, and he nodded slightly at Jia Can.