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

afternoon.

When Madam You woke up, she first rubbed her sore eyes and pressed her aching head. She then leaned against the bed for a while until her mind was clearer before calling a maid to come in and help her wash up.

While the maidservant combed her hair, she called the head maid over to ask her questions.

Upon learning that nothing major had happened at the mansion and that the funeral was proceeding normally and according to protocol, they were finally relieved.

Thinking he should eat something to fill his stomach before continuing with the rest of his business, he instructed his maid to bring him the meal.

Just as I was about to finish eating, a maidservant came in from outside and announced:

"Reporting to Madam, Second Master Can sent someone to say that the imperial court has sent people, and he will temporarily help with the reception. Please discuss the matter with Master Rong before you go to meet them."

Lady You listened without suspecting anything.

It was perfectly normal for the imperial court to send people to offer condolences or conduct investigations after Jia Zhen's death. Moreover, she was certain that there would be more than one group of people coming, and there would likely be more to follow.

She also felt that Jia Can had handled the situation extremely well. He did not act on his own initiative, nor did he neglect the people of the court. Instead, he treated them well first and then sent someone to inform her, giving her and Jia Rong time to reconcile their stories or discuss some important matters.

After all, the imperial court cannot be easily fooled; a single misstep could be a grave crime of deceiving the emperor, a responsibility no one could bear.

As for why it was Jia Can who received this group of court officials, rather than Jia She, Jia Zheng, or Jia Lian, Lady You did not think much of it.

They assumed that Jia She and the others had just gone to rest or were busy with something else, or perhaps the servants knew that she and Jia Rong were still resting and dared not disturb them rashly, so they could only ask Jia Can to entertain them first.

After all, Jia Can was also a man of the Ningguo Mansion, so it wouldn't be considered impolite for him to step forward.

He nodded and replied:

"Understood. Go tell Second Master Can that Rong-ge'er will be out soon."

After saying this, she stood up, had her maid tidy her clothes, and washed up. Then, she took several of her personal maids and went to Jia Rong's courtyard.

There were some things the two of them hadn't had a chance to discuss in detail last night, so now was a good opportunity for the mother and son to have a proper talk.

As she walked, Madam You pondered to herself, thinking that Jia Rong should have woken up by now. She also considered what to say first and what to say next when she saw Jia Rong, what matters most and what matters could be postponed.

With a general plan in mind, my steps became lighter.

However, upon arriving at Jia Rong's courtyard gate, they saw several maids gathered on the steps at the gate, chatting idly in twos and threes, occasionally covering their mouths and chuckling softly, completely lacking in manners.

Madam You frowned, her expression darkening considerably. She stopped and asked, in a measured tone:

"Is Rong-ge'er still not awake?"

The maids were chatting animatedly when they heard the noise and realized that Madam You had arrived. They hurriedly stood up, lowered their heads and hands, and dared not utter a sound.

The head maidservant, her face pale, clenched her fists tightly, and replied tremblingly:

"Reporting to... Madam, Master is still not awake."

As he spoke, his gaze darted around, avoiding You Shi's eyes, as if he had never expected You Shi to come to Jia Rong's place at this time.

Madam You frowned again, feeling a vague sense of unease, but she didn't dwell on it. She simply hummed in agreement and headed towards the main room.

The maids in Jia Rong's courtyard immediately panicked, exchanging bewildered glances.

They all knew that Pei Feng and Xie Yuan, the two concubines, were still in Jia Rong's room and hadn't come out yet.

Jia Zhen died just yesterday, and today the two concubines have been staying in the master's room for half a day. If Madam You were to push open the door and bump into them, that would be terrible!

The head maidservant, disregarding everything else, hurriedly ran a few steps to catch up and bowed to block You Shi's path:

"Madam... please wait here for a moment. Let us go in and inform the master so that he can come out to greet you."

Madam You didn't stop walking, nor did she even glance at her; she simply said:

"No need. I've come in person, why bother informing him again? I have urgent business to discuss with him, so there's no need for him to come and greet me."

As he spoke, he walked past the maid and continued towards the main room.

Upon hearing this, the maid was speechless. She could only stand there, secretly worried for Jia Rong, but there was nothing she could do. She could only watch helplessly as Madam You approached the main room step by step.

"what!"

Just then, a young man's scream came from the upper room, quite urgent.

A moment later, the screams and shouts of two young women broke the afternoon tranquility of the courtyard.

Madam You paused abruptly, her expression changed drastically, and she quickened her pace toward the main room. Her eyelids twitched violently, making her heart race with unease, as if it foreshadowed something bad about to happen, or perhaps it had already happened.

"Help! Someone, come quick! Rong-ge'er is in trouble... in trouble!"

As soon as they arrived at the door of the main room, a young woman with disheveled hair and tattered clothes stumbled out of the room, her face pale, her lips purple, and her eyes filled with terror, as if she had seen a ghost.

Her blouse was half-open, revealing a glimpse of a red bodice underneath, and her fair thighs were clearly visible. She had obviously not had time to put on her clothes properly, and her steps were unsteady, almost tripping over the threshold.

Madam You recognized her immediately as Pei Feng, and her expression changed again. She naturally knew what it meant for Pei Feng to appear in Jia Rong's room like this.

A lone man and a lone woman, with the door tightly shut and their clothes disheveled, what else could be unclear? For a moment, she felt both ashamed and angry.

What shocked her even more was that Pei Feng shouted that something had happened to Rong Ge'er!

Pei Feng looked up and saw Madam You leading several maids and servants standing at the door, each with a different expression, their eyes all fixed on her. She was instantly terrified, her legs went weak, and she instinctively knelt down, trembling all over, her lips quivering.

"Madam... Madam, how... how could you..."

So terrified was she that her tongue seemed tied in knots, and she could barely speak.

Madam You's face was ashen as she stared at Pei Feng and demanded sharply:

"Tell me quickly! What's wrong with Rong-ge'er?"

Pei Feng was in a state of utter confusion. First, Jia Rong was in trouble and his life was uncertain, which shocked and frightened her. Second, she had been caught red-handed by You Shi, and her affair with Jia Rong was now exposed. How could she possibly stay in the mansion after this?

Hearing Madam You's question, he was so frightened that he almost lost two of his three souls and six of his seven spirits. His lips moved several times, but he could only utter a few words intermittently:

"Reply... Rong-ge'er... he... he..."

She couldn't explain it at all, and tears welled up in her eyes from anxiety.

Upon seeing this, Madam You disregarded her anger and continued questioning, quickly stepping into the room.

Upon entering, a strange odor assaulted the nostrils, making one feel nauseous.

Upon entering the inner room, they saw Xie Yuan sitting blankly on the bed, just like Pei Feng, with disheveled hair and unkempt clothes.

He clasped his arms to his chest, curled up in a ball, his face deathly pale, his eyes staring blankly at Jia Rong, his gaze empty and unfocused, as if his soul had been ripped away.

Jia Rong, naked from the waist up, lay slumped on the inside of the bed, foaming at the mouth, his eyes rolled back, his face turned bluish-purple, and he was frozen there, motionless.