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

In the main room, as Grandmother Jia made her final judgment on Jia Zhen's death, everyone in the room gradually dispersed, some to arrange the funeral, others to receive guests, all busy with their own affairs.

Only Grandmother Jia remained seated at the head of the table, motionless. Her aged face showed a hint of sorrow, but her eyes occasionally flashed with a sharp glint.

Grandmother Jia knew perfectly well that Jia Zhen's death was not as simple as a loyal servant killing his master. Although Jiao Da was impulsive and angry, he was not a heartless person. How could he risk his life to kill his master for a few words of punishment?

However, Grandmother Jia did not want to delve too deeply into the truth.

She was, after all, the matriarch of the Rongguo Mansion, not the matriarch of the Ningguo Mansion. If she interfered too much in the affairs of the Ningguo Mansion, it would seem like she was overstepping her bounds.

Moreover, the Ningguo Mansion was already rotten to the core. It was chaotic and corrupt when Jia Zhen was alive, and the fact that someone has died is also due to their own lax management of the household.

Grandmother Jia even secretly rejoiced at seeing chaos and disorder in the Ningguo Mansion, for only in this way could the proper management and orderly conduct of the Rongguo Mansion be demonstrated.

She naturally wouldn't tell anyone about these thoughts, but simply sighed softly, let the maid help her up, and slowly walked out.

As Jia Can walked out of the main room, the look of panic on his face gradually disappeared, and he regained his previous composure.

He walked back along the corridor to the guest room Qin Keqing had arranged for him, pushed open the door, sat down on a chair, let out a long sigh, and closed his eyes to rest.

After a while, he heard a series of light footsteps outside the courtyard, and then several maids and servants filed in and curtsied to him.

It turned out that Lady You had kept in mind Grandmother Jia's instructions and immediately transferred several honest and dutiful servants from her own side to serve Jia Can.

These maids and servants were much more honest and dutiful than the three women, Cuilu, whom Jia Zhen had previously arranged. They had kind faces and peaceful eyes, unlike the frivolous and opportunistic ones from before.

Perhaps because they were personally trained by Madam You, they were quite respectful and polite to Jia Can, calling him "Second Master" repeatedly, and showing no sign of disrespect in their behavior.

Seeing this, Jia Can nodded inwardly and immediately ordered them to fetch hot water so he could take a bath and change his clothes.

Before long, the hot water was ready, and steam rose up, filling the entire clean room.

With the help of the maids, Jia Can took off his outer robe and tentatively put his feet into the bathtub. The warm water gradually covered his entire body, making him involuntarily let out a sigh of relief.

Leaning against the side of the bucket, with his hands resting on the rim, he comfortably half-reclined.

After soaking for a while, he opened his eyes and looked around. He saw two maids standing outside the curtain with their hands at their sides, waiting. His eyes flickered slightly, and he began to mutter to himself:

"Oh, this feels so good. Finally, someone is serving me. This is the first time in my life... It's just a pity that no one is scrubbing my back."

A maidservant outside the curtain overheard everything clearly. Thinking it was her mistress giving instructions, she hurriedly lifted the curtain and came in, bowing respectfully as she said:

"Second Master, this servant will now assist you with your bath."

As he spoke, he was about to roll up his sleeves and step forward.

Jia Can waved his hand:

"No need, go out. I wasn't talking about maids serving you, but concubines."

The maid froze on the spot, then immediately understood the meaning behind Jia Can's words. Her face turned bright red, and she lowered her eyes, not daring to respond, caught in a dilemma.

Jia Can was not angry. He simply waved for her to leave. The maid was relieved and quickly curtsied before leaving the washroom, covering herself completely with the curtains.

Jia Can watched her leave, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes, and continued talking to himself:

"Oh dear... Brother Zhen had so many concubines in his room, each one charming and lovely, but I didn't have a single one. Now that Brother Zhen is gone, I wonder if one of them will come to my room to serve me."

After saying that, he closed his eyes and stopped talking, leaving only the gentle swaying of the water in the bathtub.

The maids and servants outside exchanged glances upon hearing this. Though they dared not utter a word, their hearts were already filled with turmoil.

They all thought that this Second Master Can was really delusional. He had just been taken care of by the Madam and moved out of the dilapidated courtyard. He even had people to serve him, yet he was already thinking about the concubines left behind by Master Zhen. It was truly wishful thinking.

The older women shook their heads secretly, while the younger maids covered their mouths and chuckled. They exchanged glances but dared not say a word in the courtyard.

After they had helped Jia Can bathe and change his clothes, they each retreated to the corridor to stand guard.

However, the Ningguo Mansion was currently holding a grand funeral, with people coming and going, and maids and servants from various rooms and courtyards going in and out, making it a noisy and chaotic place.

In addition, the servants of Ningguo Mansion have a habit of gossiping, and they often stir up trouble even when there is nothing to do, let alone this kind of readily available gossip.

Before long, Jia Can's mutterings while bathing quietly spread, and as if they had grown wings, they flew throughout the entire Ningguo Mansion.

As the story progressed, it became increasingly distorted, embellished to the point that Jia Can had long coveted Jia Zhen's concubines, and now that Jia Zhen had just passed away, he couldn't wait to take them for himself.

Some people even spread rumors that he said things like, "It's good that Brother Zhen is dead, his concubines should belong to me."

Many people who heard this scorned Jia Can for his delusional thinking, comparing him to a toad trying to eat swan meat, without even considering his own status.

A neglected illegitimate son, who couldn't even get a decent maidservant, actually dared to covet the concubines of Master Jia Zhen. How could he be worthy?

At the same time, news of Lady You improving Jia Can's treatment spread, and everyone felt that this Second Master Can was really greedy.

Having just received his wife's favor, he already wants even better things; he's truly greedy and ungrateful.

Of course, these rumors were only circulated in private; no one dared to bring them up in public, much less let their masters know about them.

They all understood that with Jia Zhen's recent death, the household was in chaos, and any misstep could lead to trouble and being used as a scapegoat.

Therefore, these words were merely topics of conversation over tea and after meals. A few acquaintances would gather together, lower their voices, whisper in each other's ears, and then disperse as if nothing had happened.

However, such gossip is like willow catkins in spring; it may seem light and rootless, but it cannot be hidden and will fly everywhere when the wind blows.

Soon, Jia Zhen's concubines also heard about it.

Most of the concubines scoffed at the idea, thinking it was just nonsense. They wondered how Jia Can, who was usually so timid and never dared to lift his head, could possibly have designs on them.

Many of these people were recruited by Jia Zhen from various places. Some were from opera troupes, while others were daughters from humble families. After following Jia Zhen, they became accustomed to the rich and powerful and paid no attention to a disgraced illegitimate son.

Some covered their mouths and sneered, while others rolled their eyes, treating it as a joke and letting it go without taking it to heart.

They even thought that even if Jia Can really had designs on them, it would only be talk, and he wouldn't actually go to Madam You and take them into his room.