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

Although he knew that the Emperor Emeritus had given him enough power, Jia Can also understood that the Dragon Guard had not been in operation for many years and was probably just an empty shell. He needed to revitalize it himself, which could be considered a test from the Emperor Emeritus.

If even the Longfu Guard cannot be revitalized, how can they shoulder the heavy responsibility of going south to reorganize the salt administration?

He immediately stood up, bowed, and thanked them:

"Thank you for your guidance, sir. I understand now and will do my best to live up to your kindness."

The retired emperor waved his hand:

"This was all agreed upon beforehand, so there's no need to elaborate. However, I must remind you that this trip south will not be easy."

"I have heard some new news: Lin Hai, the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai, has fallen ill. It is most likely that those people deliberately harmed him. Therefore, you must be prepared and not let your guard down."

Upon hearing this, Jia Can's heart stirred slightly. In the original story, Lin Ruhai was seriously ill and lingered for nearly a year before finally passing away.

The forces behind the salt administration have become so unscrupulous that they dare to target even high-ranking officials and the emperor's men, let alone a young nobleman like myself.

After a long pause, Jia Can took a deep breath, suppressing all the thoughts in his mind, and replied solemnly:

"Please rest assured, sir, I will make proper preparations and will not follow in Lord Lin's footsteps. I will do my utmost to eliminate the corrupt officials in the salt tax system and restore order to the salt administration."

The retired emperor was quite pleased with these words, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face:

"That's good, I...I believe you!"

He almost blurted out the title "I" in a moment of slip of the tongue, but he quickly corrected himself, his expression unchanged, as if nothing had happened. However, he subconsciously picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.

Little did the retired emperor know that Yu Hui had already told Jia Can his true identity, and Jia Can was fully aware that the man before him was the retired emperor.

However, since the Emperor Emeritus didn't say anything, Jia Can was happy to pretend he didn't know. He remained respectful, as if he hadn't heard anything, and replied seriously:

"Thank you for your trust, sir. I have another matter that I need your help with, concerning the matter of going south to reorganize the salt administration."

Upon hearing this, the retired emperor put down his teacup, looked at him gently, and nodded in agreement without hesitation:

"Whatever it is, just tell me, and I will help if I can."

Jia Can pretended to consider for a moment before speaking:

"When the old master recommends me as the commander of the Dragon Guard, he should also take the opportunity to submit a memorial to the current emperor on my behalf."

As he spoke, he took out a prepared memorial from his sleeve, held it with both hands, and respectfully presented it to the Emperor Emeritus.

When Yu Hui came to deliver a message yesterday, saying that the Emperor Emeritus wanted to see him today, Jia Can had already secretly guessed that the Emperor Emeritus's summons was mostly to discuss with him matters such as the appointment and dismissal of officials and the reorganization of the salt administration in the south.

Therefore, he prepared this memorial overnight, waiting for the right time to present it today.

The Emperor Emeritus took the memorial, unfolded it, and after a moment, his eyes brightened slightly. He raised his head, looked at Jia Can, and asked:

"Isn't this the worst option among the three policies you proposed for governing the salt administration? Are you perhaps planning to resort to this worst option?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Can remained expressionless, bowed slightly, and calmly explained:

"In reply to your question, sir, this action was not intended to carry out this strategy, but rather to draw the attention of the forces behind the salt administration."

"There must be powerful and influential people in the capital watching this matter. If they know that I have been recommended by the old master as the imperial envoy to go south to reorganize the salt administration and have submitted such a memorial, they will definitely not sit still and will surely come to test me."

"In this way, I will know who these forces are, and I will have a better understanding of their background. When I go south to carry out my mission, I will know where the resistance in the capital will come from and how to deal with it."

Upon hearing this analysis, the Emperor Emeritus's eyes showed even greater approval, and he stroked his beard and smiled.

"Haha...Good, very good! What a clever trick to lure the snake out of its hole. I am also very curious about who the powerful figures behind the salt administration are. Don't worry, I will definitely submit this memorial for you."

From the moment he first met Jia Can, Taishang never considered whether Jia Can would suspect him.

Whether it was the promise he had made to Jia Can before, or the recommendation he made today to appoint Jia Can as the commander of the Dragon Guard and to go south as an imperial envoy to reorganize the salt administration, the retired emperor readily agreed and was not worried at all that Jia Can would doubt his ability to do so.

After all, he was the retired emperor, and in his view, these promised things could be easily accomplished.

Even if Jia Can sensed something was amiss, all he would have to do was reveal his true identity.

Initially, the retired emperor concealed his identity when he met Jia Can, intending to test Jia Can's character. If Jia Can did not meet his requirements, he would naturally not meet with Jia Can again.

Now, after getting to know Jia Can better, the Emperor Emeritus has discovered that Jia Can is not only a useful person, but also very much to his liking, so there seems to be no need to deliberately hide his identity anymore.

The retired emperor was even thinking of finding a suitable opportunity to reveal his true identity to Jia Can directly.

Jia Can, however, knew perfectly well what was going on, but showed no sign of it. He didn't ask how the Emperor Emeritus had managed it, only assuming that the Emperor Emeritus was exceptionally capable and had a powerful background. He then bowed in gratitude.

"In that case, I thank you very much, sir. Thank you for your trouble."

The retired emperor smiled and waved his hand:

"Lord Jia, you're too kind. It's all for the sake of the court. I reckon that once the funerals of Jia Zhen and Jia Rong are over, the Emperor will issue an edict to you. You should be prepared to receive it."

Jia Can bowed his head and agreed:

"Yes, I understand."

Next, the conversation gradually shifted from the political situation at court to poetry, calligraphy, and painting. The retired emperor was in high spirits, and Jia Can responded appropriately. The old man and the young man had a very pleasant conversation.

After speaking for a while, the retired emperor finally got up to take his leave.

Just like last time, Jia Can and Yu Hui saw him off at the Ancient Treasure Pavilion, watching the Emperor Emeritus depart in his sedan chair.

After withdrawing their gaze, Jia Can and Yu Hui turned around and went back to the inner hall's secret chamber to talk.

Yu Hui looked at Jia Can with a face full of satisfaction, his eyes filled with emotion and admiration, and sincerely praised him:

"Young Master is indeed no ordinary man. He endured years of hardship in the Ningguo Mansion, and when the time was right, he rose to prominence. In the blink of an eye, he went from a pitiful illegitimate son whom no one cared about to become the heir to the Ningguo Mansion's title, and even more so, a third-rank military commander. I admire him!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Can couldn't help but feel a little smug, but he quickly calmed down.

Now he and Yu Hui are on equal footing, and he is even slightly more noble than Yu Hui because of his title. But he knows that Yu Hui's help was crucial to his success.

Moreover, he knew this was just the beginning, and even more severe challenges awaited him, especially the prospect of the Jia family's property being confiscated, which was a Damocles' sword that could fall at any moment. Now was not the time to be complacent.

It was also because Yu Hui's words, "When it encounters wind and clouds, it transforms into a dragon," that he was struck by a jolt. It seemed like an ordinary metaphor, but to him, it sounded like it had a special meaning.

After all, as someone once said:

The dragon is a symbol of emperors!

Is Yu Hui implying that he could become emperor?