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

Lady You understood the deeper meaning in Jia Can's words. He wasn't asking her to complain to Jia Jing, but rather to send someone to inform Jia Jing about the current situation of the Ningguo Mansion, what Jia She had done, and the current predicament of the original owners of the Ningguo Mansion.

Although Jia Jing is devoted to cultivating Taoism, he is clearly still attached to worldly affairs. If he knew about this matter, he would most likely express his opinion, or at least say a few words on their behalf.

Thinking of this, Madam You secretly admired Jia Can's methods and nodded in agreement:

"Alright, I'll send someone to inform the old master outside the city in a bit."

To distinguish Jia Zhen's status, most people in the Ningguo Mansion called Jia Jing "Old Master," while Jia Zhen, Jia Can, and Jia Xichun's generation called him "Master."

Jia Can picked up the excerpted bills of questions that he had just put down and handed them to Madam You:

"Sister-in-law, these are excerpts of problematic accounts from some ledgers that Xichun and the others checked for me. They are riddled with holes and are quite shocking."

"Therefore, I think all the accounts in the mansion must be scrapped and redone. Otherwise, there will still be loopholes. You can patch up the east wall today, but the west wall will collapse tomorrow. It will never end."

Madam You took it and looked at it, her eyes filled with astonishment. She hadn't expected that in just half a day, Jia Can had already accurately grasped the pain points of the household management.

When Jia Zhen was still alive, he had the final say in everything, and no one dared to disobey him. You Shi was actually aware of the loopholes and problems in this system.

She had suggested to Jia Zhen that he reorganize the accounts in the mansion and thoroughly investigate those servants who had illicit affairs, but Jia Zhen's temperament was such that he was too lazy to bother with it unless something major went wrong.

In Jia Zhen's view, these were just minor ailments, nothing more than scabies, not worth making a fuss about. If You Shi said another word, he would get angry and accuse her of making trouble out of nothing.

So Madam You could only comply, swallowing her words and turning a blind eye to the problems that were brewing.

But now Jia Can not only sees the problem, but also proposes a complete overhaul. Madam You's opinion of Jia Can has completely changed. In her view, Jia Can is like a completely different person.

After a long pause, he slowly nodded in response:

"I know all of this, but your brother Zhen won't allow it to be done. As a woman, I can't go against his wishes, so I can only let them do as they please."

"Since you have this intention, I will naturally give my full support. These problematic accounts should have been sorted out long ago."

Compared to Jia She's forceful intervention to seize power, Lady You would naturally prefer to cooperate with Jia Can. After all, Jia She was greedy by nature and was an elder. If he were to interfere in the affairs of the East Mansion, he would probably be even more difficult to deal with than when Jia Zhen was alive.

As for Jia Baoyu, You Shi knew him to some extent, knowing that he was not a bad person, but rather a carefree and indecisive individual.

But she also knew that Jia Baoyu was nothing more than a puppet manipulated at will, with Jia Mu, Jia She, Jia Zheng, Lady Wang and others in the West Mansion behind him.

If Jia Baoyu were to be adopted by the East Mansion and become the heir of the Ningguo Mansion, she would probably have little standing in the East Mansion and wouldn't even have the right to speak.

Jia Can breathed a slight sigh of relief when he saw that she agreed. Madam You was good at assessing the situation and had both vision and composure. With her full support, there would be no need to worry about additional obstacles in reorganizing the entire Ningguo Mansion.

So, taking this opportunity, he discussed matters such as reorganizing accounts, investigating property, and strictly managing personnel with Madam You, and finalized the general strategy.

Lady You was even more surprised and suspicious. Judging from Jia Can's words, he seemed certain that Jia She would not be able to achieve his goal of annexing the Ningguo Mansion, and that they would still be in charge of the Ningguo Mansion from now on.

Some doubts arose in my mind: where did Jia Can's confidence come from?

Why are you so sure that Jia She is incapable of succeeding?

Jia She was, after all, the hereditary master of the Rongguo Mansion, with considerable connections in the court, and with Grandmother Jia's tacit approval behind the scenes, he seemed to have victory in the bag.

Judging from Jia Can's calm and composed demeanor, it seemed as if he had already foreseen the outcome.

Although she harbored doubts, Madam You did not reveal them at all, and even vaguely hoped that such an outcome would occur, which was also what she hoped would happen.

After discussing for a while, Madam You got up to take her leave. Before leaving, she gave Jia Can a deep look, her eyes filled with admiration and trust.

Jia Can saw her to the door and watched her figure disappear outside the courtyard gate before turning back into the house to continue planning the blueprint for reorganizing the affairs of the mansion.

Spread out a sheet of white paper, dip your pen in ink, and write down some of your thoughts and plans.

As darkness fell outside the window, the maids came in and lit the lamps. The orange light reflected on Jia Can's handsome face, revealing his resolute and confident expression.

...

Over the next few days, Jia She began to indulge in all the pleasures of the Ningguo Mansion.

First, he ordered people to move the best furnishings from the East Mansion to his temporary residence. Then, he transferred several outstanding maids to serve him. Every day, he was treated to delicacies and fine food. The scale of his lavish lifestyle was even more extravagant than when he was in the Rongguo Mansion.

He also ordered an inventory of the antiques and treasures in the East Mansion's warehouse, registering all the valuable items. Ostensibly, this was to help with management, but in reality, it was to prepare for his future embezzlement.

As for the flow of money in the mansion, he directly interfered, excluding Jia Can and You Shi from the process and preventing them from having any involvement.

As a result, Jia Can and Lady You were completely marginalized. One stayed in his guest room and never came out, while the other recuperated in the backyard. All matters in the mansion were decided by Jia She alone.

The funeral arrangements for Jia Zhen and Jia Rong were naturally decided by Jia She and Jia Zheng, who acted like the heads of the Ningguo Mansion, issuing orders and behaving arrogantly.

Furthermore, he personally wrote to the imperial court, earnestly recommending that Jia Baoyu be adopted by the Eastern Mansion and inherit the title.

In the memorial, he praised Jia Baoyu to the skies, saying that he was exceptionally intelligent, had extraordinary talent, and had already set his mind on things despite his young age. He also said that the lineage of Duke Ning should be inherited by the legitimate son, and earnestly requested the Emperor to grant his request so that the entire Jia family would be moved to tears of gratitude.

Jia She thought his words were flawless, and with the favors he had made to the court, the matter would surely be resolved smoothly.

However, things that he didn't expect began to happen one after another.

At midday, Jia She sat in a side hall drinking tea, surrounded by several guests who had come to offer their condolences. They flattered him, comparing him to the pillar of the Jia family, a beam of purple gold supporting the sea, which made him very happy and his face flushed.

Just then, a manager, with a distressed expression, hurriedly approached him, bowed deeply, and announced:

"Master, we have been instructed to take over the East Mansion's properties, but... but..."

Jia She, who was currently basking in the praise of his guests, immediately darkened his face upon hearing this, glaring at them and demanding:

"What do you mean, 'what'? Tell me quickly, what exactly happened?"