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

Having served Jia Zhen for a long time, Pei Feng and Xie Yuan had developed a spoiled and arrogant attitude. Even You Shi had to give them some face, so they didn't care about the maids at all.

Not to mention that they felt they had been wronged, so they were even more reckless, their curses sharp and piercing, carrying far down the corridor and attracting the attention of passersby, but no one stepped forward to stop them.

Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai followed behind Jia Can, and although they were some distance away, they heard all the foul language clearly.

These women were all young ladies, accustomed to reading poetry and listening to refined music; they had never encountered such vulgar language before.

Lin Daiyu frowned slightly and turned her face away, while Baochai's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of displeasure flashed in her eyes.

Jia Yingchun lowered her head, pretending not to hear, while Jia Tanchun gently bit her lip, her eyes revealing a hint of annoyance. Jia Xichun's face was full of disgust, making no attempt to hide her contempt and aversion towards the two of them.

The group felt that Pei Feng and Xie Yuan were being rather unreasonable and vulgar. During the mourning period, with so many guests in the mansion, how could they be so unruly?

Jia Can didn't want to meddle, but seeing how outrageous their behavior was, especially with Li Wan and Lin Daiyu following behind, it would be unbecoming for them to hear such vulgar language.

He immediately quickened his pace and walked over, hands behind his back, and reprimanded in a stern voice:

"Shut your mouths! Don't you listen to what you're saying? Is this any kind of politeness? Brother Zhen just passed away, and there are many guests at the mansion. How can you use such vulgar language? What kind of behavior is this!"

"If outsiders hear this, they'll think the Ningguo Mansion is all like this. You've completely disgraced the Jia family!"

As he spoke, Jia Can exuded an imposing aura, his face full of majesty. He had completely changed his usual gentle and humble demeanor, and his gaze was extremely stern, making people tremble with fear. He was no less imposing than any other master in the mansion.

Pei Feng and Xie Yuan were having a good time arguing, and they were secretly pleased to see the maids being scolded so badly that they couldn't lift their heads, shrank their necks and trembled.

Suddenly, they heard someone shouting loudly. The two were startled, their faces changed drastically, and they instinctively thought that some elder had arrived, so they hurriedly stopped talking.

When they turned around and saw that it was Jia Can standing in front of them, the two were surprised and looked at each other, not knowing how to react.

The two were not only surprised that Jia Can could say such a thing, but also astonished that Jia Can seemed like a completely different person, making them afraid to look him in the eye and unsure how to refute him.

Subconsciously, they lowered their heads and stood at attention, just like students who had done something wrong, obediently standing under the eaves.

However, she still felt somewhat resentful. Pei Feng was always arrogant and couldn't stand this insult. She couldn't help but mutter:

"Second Master Can, you're so arrogant! Since when did you become the one to dictate the rules of this manor?"

Jia Can stared at her and snorted coldly:

"The rules are indeed not up to me, but your rudeness and uncouthness have disgraced the Jia family, so I have the right to teach you a lesson."

"Don't forget, you were just Brother Zhen's concubines, essentially half-servants. Now that Brother Zhen is gone, instead of restraining yourselves, you've become even more arrogant. Do you really think no one can control you?"

These words hit the nail on the head, showing no mercy to Pei Feng. Pei Feng felt extremely ashamed and indignant, her face burning as if it were on fire.

Previously, Jia Can didn't even dare to look at her. Every time he saw her, he would lower his head and step aside respectfully to make way. Now, he actually reprimanded her in public, showing no regard for her feelings.

She slowly raised her head and looked at Jia Can, her eyes filled with resentment, as if she wished she could devour Jia Can alive.

Jia Can, however, showed no fear whatsoever, staring straight back without a trace of apprehension; instead, his expression grew even more stern.

"What, do you think there's something wrong with what I said? Should we go find Sister-in-law Zhen right now and get her opinion?"

"If you don't dare to confront Sister-in-law Zhen, you can let the people here judge for themselves and see if what I said makes sense!"

As he spoke, he turned slightly to the side, gesturing to the maids and servants coming and going not far behind him, as well as the guests and servants who stopped to watch in twos and threes.

Pei Feng's face was flushed red, even down to her neck, and her chest was heaving violently; she was clearly very angry.

He gritted his teeth, gave a heavy snort, but didn't reply, much less dare to actually go to Madam You for justice.

She knew Jia Can was telling the truth. They were in the wrong today, and if they took it to Madam You, they would only suffer.

He reached out and tugged at Xie Yuan's sleeve, signaling them to leave together to avoid further embarrassment.

As the two turned to leave, Jia Can coldly said:

"You think that's all? Not only do you not greet me, but when distinguished guests arrive, you don't even know how to greet them? Do you expect Sister-in-law Zhen to personally teach you how to behave?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Feng and Xie Yuan paused in their tracks, stopping abruptly in their tracks. Jia Can was using You Shi to pressure them, and they really had no way to resist him directly.

With Jia Zhen dead, You Shi currently holds the highest position in the household and is the head mistress. If they are truly angered by You Shi, and she sends them to live in a remote courtyard or simply finds a pretext to send them out of the mansion, then they will be left with no one to turn to.

Pei Feng wanted to immediately retort to Jia Can, to vent all her resentment, and even wanted to point her finger at him and yell back.

Just as she was about to speak, Xie Yuan gently tugged at her sleeve, shook her head slightly, and frantically winked at her, signaling her not to act impulsively.

After all, they were in the wrong first. They shouldn't have insulted the maids in public, and they certainly shouldn't have made such a commotion during the mourning period.

If word gets out, it will surely damage the reputation of the Ningguo Mansion. If it really gets to Madam You, they will definitely not get any credit.

Rather than confronting each other head-on, it's better to back down first and settle the score later.

Pei Feng understood what Xie Yuan meant, and swallowed back the words that were about to come out, suppressing the turbulent emotions in her heart.

After taking a deep breath, the fire in his chest still wouldn't subside, and he could only bitterly mutter to himself:

Just you wait, once I win Rong-ge'er's favor, I'll see how I torment and humiliate you!

Then, let's see if you still dare to act tough in front of me!

Despite their resentment, they dared not show it on their faces. They turned around, bowed to Jia Can, and said in unison:

"Greetings, Second Master Can."

Seeing this, Jia Can waved his hand dismissively, turned slightly to the side so they could see Li Wan and the other young ladies behind him, and said in a deep voice:

"Sister-in-law Zhu and the young ladies from the West Mansion have come to offer their condolences. Why don't you go and greet them?"

Pei Feng and Xie Yuan followed his gaze and then noticed Li Wan, Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai, and others standing not far away.

The girls all remained calm, their eyes fixed straight ahead, as if they had seen or heard nothing.

But the more this happened, the more Pei Feng and Xie Yuan felt embarrassed, as if they had been slapped hard across the face.

The two had no choice but to turn to Li Wan and the others again and curtsy once more:

"Greetings, Madam Zhu, and greetings, ladies."