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

Upon hearing the Emperor Emeritus's reminder to act quickly, Jia Can's eyes flashed, and he respectfully agreed:

"I understand. Tonight, I will kill Jia Zhen first. As for Jia Rong, I will need you to send someone with exceptional skills to help me."

Upon hearing this, the retired emperor immediately raised his hand and pointed to Yu Hui, who had been standing silently to the side:

"Commander Yu can assist you in this matter throughout. Whatever your needs, whether you want people or things, you can come to him."

Upon hearing this, Yu Hui quickly bowed slightly, indicating that he had accepted the order, and his face was quite respectful.

Jia Can also politely thanked him:

"Thank you very much, sir. With Commander Yu's help, I have no more worries."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but glance at Yu Hui.

Yu Hui was also looking at him. Their eyes met, and Yu Hui nodded slightly at Jia Can, his eyes filled with satisfaction and contentment, as if to say:

Young master, you have done very well!

Jia Can felt a warmth in her heart and returned his grateful look before looking away to avoid arousing the Emperor Emeritus's suspicion.

Fortunately, the Emperor Emeritus was in a good mood at the moment, sipping his tea alone and not noticing the brief exchange of glances between Jia Can and Yu Hui.

After gently placing the teacup back on the table, he looked Jia Can over again and found him to be quite extraordinary. He was well-mannered, articulate, meticulous, and courageous, and was indeed worth employing.

The Emperor Emeritus waved his hand with satisfaction and said gently:

"Young Master Jia, please sit down and talk."

Jia Can politely responded and sat down again.

Next, the retired emperor did not mention the execution of Jia Zhen and his son again, but instead changed the subject and chatted with Jia Can.

They talked about everything from what they saw and heard among the common people to strange events in the city, and then to current affairs in the imperial court. They discussed everything under the sun.

The retired emperor was experienced and knowledgeable, and when he spoke, he could cite a wide range of sources with ease.

He had assumed that Jia Can was merely an illegitimate son from a wealthy family, with limited knowledge and experience, and could only offer a few casual replies without saying anything insightful.

However, Jia Can came from the information explosion era of the future, and he was able to respond to every single thing the Emperor Emeritus said.

Not only do they respond naturally, but they also offer their own perspectives from a later viewpoint, which are sometimes unique, sometimes novel, and sometimes incisive.

Initially, the retired emperor only wanted to learn more about Jia Can and see if he had any other merits besides his courage.

But as they talked, he felt more and more that Jia Can was different.

Jia Can always seems to be able to express different ideas from different perspectives. Some of his words are unheard of, but upon closer examination they make a lot of sense. Some of his views are unconventional, but they are not without their rationality.

As the Emperor Emeritus listened, he was pleasantly surprised and felt that Jia Can was a learned and knowledgeable genius.

He became interested and stopped treating Jia Can as a young man who needed to be tested, and began to have a real conversation with him.

The questions asked became increasingly in-depth, ranging from the hardships of the people to the gains and losses of officials, from border defense to major policies of the imperial court.

Seeing that Jia Can could answer fluently and insightfully when discussing important court affairs, unlike ordinary scions of noble families who could only recite clichés from books, the Emperor Emeritus felt that Jia Can was different from others. He stroked his beard and couldn't help but bring up something:

"I have heard that the salt administration in the south has become a major concern for the court in recent years, or rather, a major concern for the current emperor."

Upon hearing this, Jia Can's heart stirred. Wasn't the salt administration in the south the same as the salt inspector Lin Ruhai, Lin Daiyu's father?

Lin Ruhai was appointed as the Salt Commissioner, which was both a sign of the emperor's trust in him and a recognized lucrative post. However, it also meant that he would have to deal with a complex and complicated mess.

Later generations speculated that Lin Ruhai was a man of the retired emperor, while others said he was a man of the new emperor. There were various controversies, but what is certain is that Lin Ruhai's position as the salt inspector was far from peaceful.

First, Lin Daiyu was born with an illness, then her youngest son died shortly after birth, and even his wife Jia Min passed away soon after.

In the end, even Lin Ruhai himself could not escape the fate, and with the later death of Lin Daiyu, the entire Lin family perished.

Some speculate that the Lin family's predicament stemmed from touching upon certain thorny issues that the salt administration could not touch.

Hearing the Emperor Emeritus bring up the salt administration, Jia Can became interested and asked:

"Oh, Your Excellency, please explain in detail what exactly is the root of this problem that has become such a source of anxiety for His Majesty?"

The retired emperor glanced at him, and seeing that he wasn't just being polite, he slowly said:

"Actually, this is not a secret. It is just an old problem from one dynasty to another: how should the government-managed salt be regulated?"

"In the early years of this dynasty, Emperor Taizu ordered the rectification of official salt production, which completely resolved the rampant private salt trade that had occurred at the end of the previous dynasty."

"However, as time went on, the salt industry became a territory controlled by imperial relatives, powerful officials and gentry, and the salt tax collected by the court decreased year by year."

"I heard that the retired emperor once sent his trusted confidants to govern, but the results were not good and some bad things happened instead."

At this point, the retired emperor showed a self-deprecating smile, shook his head slightly, and continued:

"His Majesty also intends to reform the salt administration, but this involves a wide range of issues, and it's a delicate matter that can have far-reaching consequences if one thing is pulled. It's not easy to do anything about it."

After speaking, the Emperor Emeritus narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on Jia Can. He slightly raised his chin, signaling Jia Can to share his thoughts on the matter.

Jia Can understood and nodded slightly, but did not rush to speak. Instead, he frowned and carefully considered his words.

He had some understanding of salt administration. In his previous life, he had watched many TV dramas about the governance of official salt in ancient times. Although he was not an expert, he knew the crux of the problem and how to deal with it.

After a long pause, he calmly replied:

"My lord, in my humble opinion, governing the salt administration is not difficult; the difficulty lies in the determination and resolve of the court and His Majesty."

The Emperor Emeritus twitched his eyebrows slightly when he saw how frank and bold he was, but he did not interrupt him. He simply watched him quietly and waited for him to continue.

Then Jia Can said:

"I have three strategies here, the best, the middle, and the worst. Please listen to them and see if they are feasible."

"The best course of action is to change the government-run salt system to one where the government and merchants jointly operate the salt industry. The government will only be responsible for supervision, controlling the source and the salt that ultimately reaches the people, while the merchants will be responsible for transportation and sales, thus preventing powerful figures from interfering with the salt industry by abusing their power."

"The middle policy is to reform the salt certificate system, eliminate outdated salt merchants, publicly tender for new salt merchants, establish a qualification assessment system, and have private accountants conduct audits and assessments to prevent manipulation by the government."

"The worst-case scenario is to establish dynamic salt zones, dividing each area according to factors such as salt production, population, and transportation convenience, and reassessing them periodically to reduce the prevalence of illegal salt production."

After explaining his three strategies, Jia Can lowered his eyes and sat upright, saying no more.

The retired emperor naturally understood the deeper meaning behind it. He frowned, looked towards the door, and narrowed his eyes.