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

The Emperor Emeritus had been waiting for Jia Can's response. Seeing that he had weighed the matter for a while before coming to this answer, and that he had not acted rashly or impulsively, the Emperor Emeritus was very satisfied.

Stroking his beard, his smile deepened, and he unconsciously let out a hearty laugh:

"Hahaha...Good, good! As expected of the person entrusted by that princess, you have courage, boldness, and determination that ordinary people do not have."

After laughing, he nodded slightly and continued:

"Then I will await your good news. Once things are settled, I will petition the court to recommend you to inherit the title of Ningguo Prefecture and appoint you as an official to go south to reform the salt administration and eliminate long-standing abuses!"

These words were resounding and placed a significant commitment before Jia Can, filled with expectation.

Although the specific official position was not explicitly stated, the phrase "can be recommended for officialdom" was already a huge leap for Jia Can, a son of a concubine in the Ningguo Mansion.

Once he becomes an official, he will no longer be a concubine's son dependent on the Jia family's power, but a subject of the court, with his own identity and confidence, and he can cultivate his own power.

Both Jia She and Jia Zhen inherited their titles, but neither held official positions and had any real power, which was an important reason for the gradual decline of the Jia family.

Jia Can was deeply moved. He knew that this opportunity was hard-won and that there were many risks involved. Now that the Emperor Emeritus had made such a promise, he still felt an overwhelming surge of excitement.

He immediately stood up again, straightened his clothes, and gave a solemn bow:

"This junior thanks you for your kind invitation, sir..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Emperor Emeritus smiled and waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down and talk. His expression was warm and gentle, like an elder looking at a promising junior.

Jia Can understood and respectfully sat down again.

Yu Hui remained outwardly calm, but his eyes were filled with worry as he glanced back and forth between the Emperor Emeritus and Jia Can.

The retired emperor became quite pleased and chatted with Jia Can about other current affairs.

From border defense in the north to water conservancy in the south, from the imperial examination system to local governance, the topics were broad but no longer as in-depth as before; they were more like casual conversations on a whim.

Jia Can was able to respond to them all, neither humble nor arrogant, and his words were substantial.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, the personal eunuch who had remained motionless in the shadows of the room finally moved, taking a small step forward and whispering a reminder:

"Master, it's getting late, you should go home."

He kept his eyes down as he spoke, his attitude respectful, as if he were merely fulfilling the duties of a servant.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor Emeritus paused slightly, glanced at the sky outside the window, and realized how much time had passed. He then looked at Jia Can with a hint of lingering satisfaction on his face and gently waved his hand.

"I have benefited greatly from my conversation with Young Master Jia. It is getting late, so let's stop here. I will speak with Young Master Jia again when I have time."

Having said that, he stood up.

Upon seeing this, the chief eunuch immediately stepped forward, shook out the cloak, gently draped it over the Emperor Emeritus's shoulders, and then tied the collar ribbon.

Jia Can also hurriedly stood up, stood respectfully with his hands at his sides, and bowed to see the Emperor Emeritus off after he had tidied his clothes. Yu Hui naturally followed suit.

The group left the room, passed through the front hall of Baoguzhai, and arrived outside the door.

An inconspicuous sedan chair was already waiting at the entrance. The retired emperor boarded the sedan chair, and the curtain fell, obscuring his figure.

Jia Can stood at the door, watching the sedan chair gradually disappear into the distance until it vanished at the end of the street, before finally letting out a long sigh of relief.

Only then did he realize that his back was soaked with sweat, clinging to his skin and feeling cool.

Although he appeared calm and composed, speaking eloquently, he was tense, afraid of saying the wrong word. He didn't even notice the sweat on his back until now.

Although Yu Hui came out to see them off, he did not leave with the Emperor Emeritus. Instead, he stood beside Jia Can and watched the sedan chair disappear into the distance.

Once the Emperor Emeritus's sedan chair had completely disappeared from sight, Yu Hui withdrew his gaze, turned to Jia Can, and whispered:

"Young master, please come inside to talk."

Jia Can understood that Yu Hui still had something to say to him, something that he couldn't say in front of the Emperor Emeritus. He nodded slightly and stepped aside to let him pass.

"Please, Lord Yu."

The two returned to the secluded room in the back hall. The room returned to its original silence, and the atmosphere was much more relaxed without the eminent Emperor Emeritus.

After everyone was seated, Yu Hui spoke first:

"Young master, you behaved very well earlier, with impeccable manners and proper speech, but you should never have agreed to the Emperor Emeritus's request to go south to reform the salt administration."

"This matter is extremely thorny. If you, young master, do not handle it well, you will be in dire straits."

As he spoke, a look of deep distress appeared on his face, as if he were more anxious and worried than about his own affairs, his eyes filled with concern and worry.

Hearing this, Jia Can felt a slight stirring in his heart. He and Yu Hui were not related and had only met two or three times, but Yu Hui's concern for him was far beyond ordinary.

From the respect shown upon meeting him, to personally delivering a message last night, and now to his deep concern, all signs indicate that Yu Hui values ​​him exceptionally highly.

After hesitating for a moment, Jia Can did not rush to respond, but first organized his thoughts in his mind before calmly replying:

"Thank you for your consideration, Lord Yu. I know that reforming the salt administration is no easy task, but for me, it is a rare opportunity to make a name for myself."

"As Lord Yu knows, I am now approaching twenty. If I were to take the imperial examination and enter officialdom, I do not know when I would see any results. Moreover, I lack martial arts skills, so naturally I cannot go to the border camp to kill the enemy and make meritorious contributions."

At this point, Jia Can narrowed his eyes, looked at Yu Hui, and continued:

"You must have seen what the Emperor Emeritus was thinking just now, Lord Yu. He asked me whether I was willing, but in reality, he hoped that I would accept it."

"If I don't accept it, I will be very disappointed in you, which will not be a good thing for me, and the effect of my visit today will be greatly reduced."

"Furthermore, since the Emperor Emeritus asked me this question, it means that he has seriously considered the three strategies I proposed earlier and ultimately chose to adopt them. This shows that the Emperor Emeritus has made up his mind and will definitely take responsibility for this matter. Perhaps it is not as dangerous as he thought."

Upon hearing this, Yu Hui was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a moment, staring wide-eyed at Jia Can.

He only considered that reforming the salt administration would be difficult and extremely risky, but he never thought about the consequences of refusing, let alone the deeper meaning behind the Emperor Emeritus's question.

But Jia Can had already thought of all of this, and his thoughts were more profound and comprehensive than his.

After a long pause, Yu Hui sighed and said:

"Young master is exceptionally intelligent and far-sighted. I was overthinking things. I hope you won't take it to heart."

Jia Can, however, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and replied:

"Why do you say that, Lord Yu? You have been thinking of me with all your heart. I am deeply grateful and would never dare to take it to heart. In fact, I am able to meet the Emperor Emeritus today entirely thanks to you, Lord Yu."

"I will forever remember Lord Yu's kindness in mentoring me!"

As he spoke, Jia Can stood up and solemnly bowed to Yu Hui.