The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 16 The Four Families

There are more than 20 to 30 salt fields in Yangzhou, and the number of cooks working in the five fields in Xinghua alone is as high as 100,000.

They were all transferred to the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office and the Salt Tax Office, including the Lianghuai Salt Inspectorate where Lin Ruhai was located. They would leave a group of Wang's army soldiers to be responsible for public security in the salt fields and guard against the Japanese pirates.

This is human nature, and Wang Xin went along with it, but he didn't expect Lin Ruhai to resettle more than a hundred people at once.

"It's not easy to become a salt farmer."

"Yingtian Prefecture Governor Jia Yucun has made considerable efforts."

After hearing Lin Ruhai's explanation, Wang Xin never expected that Jia Yucun was also involved.

Lin Ruhai smiled and said, "Brother Yucun once taught my daughter at home. He was her mentor. Now he is the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, and household registration matters fall within his purview."

Who doesn’t know Jia Yucun?

However, in Lin Ruhai's eyes, he and Jia Yucun were indeed not the same kind of people.

Lin Ruhai and Jia Yucun were brothers, and he was considered Lin Ruhai's junior. In addition to the age difference, Jia Yucun was a Jinshi and had served as a county magistrate.

"Prefect Jia is a man of justice."

Wang Xin had no reason to speak ill of Jia Yucun. Without any evidence, speaking ill of someone behind his back would only lead to negative opinions. That was all he could say.

Lin Ruhai didn't take it seriously and said casually, "It's not just that. This time he is responsible for raising food and military funds for the army, and he will definitely need the help of the salt road in the future."

Wang Xin suddenly understood.

A cannon fires a thousand taels of gold.

No one can do without the support of the Salt Road. Lin Ruhai is the Imperial Censor of the Salt Road and has great say in the Salt Road. With Lin Ruhai's help, Jia Yucun can successfully get money from the Salt Road.

If you think about it more deeply, it was this time when Jia Yucun was in charge of military affairs that laid the foundation for his future promotion to the position of Grand Marshal.

The Jinling of the Great Zhou Dynasty was different from the Jinling in history.

Jinling of the Great Zhou Dynasty was a province, which was equivalent to the scope of Yingtian Prefecture in history. However, Yingtian Prefecture of the Great Zhou Dynasty was just a city, which was actually the historical Jinling, that is, Nanjing.

Therefore, Jia Yucun's position as the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture corresponds to the prefect of Jinling.

Jinling has always been the capital of the southeast.

The same was true of the Great Zhou.

Yingtian Prefecture has six other departments, so although Jia Yucun is only the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, he is actually half a level higher than the average prefect.

The difference is that at this point in the story of Red Mansions, Lin Ruhai had already died of illness.

Now I have been rescued by myself.

But Jia Yucun had already taken office as the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, so the important task of raising food and military funds for the army would probably fall on him, Wang Xin suddenly thought.

Could it be that Lin Ruhai's legacy was used here?

Although Lin Ruhai is no longer with us, his legacy not only supported the Jia family in building the Grand View Garden, but also solved Jia Yucun's problem, and the strength of the four major families was further enhanced.

Think about it again.

Why did Jia Yucun choose to serve as the prefect of Jinling?

Wang Xin couldn't help but shook his head.

When Lin Ruhai saw Wang Xin's expression, he thought that he was discouraged because he had lost his military power, and his expression became serious.

"You will be going to the capital to work soon. The capital is a complicated place, so don't say anything nonsense. After all, you are a descendant of the Wang family. Regarding the affairs of the four great families, I need to remind you."

Lin Ruhai's attitude was serious.

Wang Xin became interested in listening to gossip. It was not just gossip, but also concerned his future stability in the capital, so he couldn't help but pay attention.

"The four great families share a common destiny, rising and falling together. However, due to a major event, the Jia family was implicated and lost the position of Jiedushi of the Beijing Camp. The other three families would not sit idly by, so Wang Ziteng temporarily took over the position and waited for the right opportunity to return it to the Jia family."

It must be something important that happened to Prince Zhongyi.

Wang Xin knew a little about the Dream of the Red Chamber, so he had a vague guess.

Lin Ruhai had no idea that Wang Xin understood so many subtleties, so he continued as usual, "Later, due to the emperor's coercion and coercion, Wang Ziteng gave up his post as Jiedushi of the Beijing Camp. The emperor did not let Wang Ziteng down and gave him the command of nine provinces. In order to appease the Jia family, Jia Yucun was promoted to the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture."

It turns out that every carrot has its own hole.

The promotion of the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture was unexpectedly entangled in a factional struggle at court, prompting Wang Xin to lament the treacherous nature of officialdom. "Jia Yucun and the Jia family are of the same clan, though separated by five generations of mourning. Their later recognition of kinship was a key factor in the Jia family's unwavering support. Jinling is the home of the Four Great Families, and this tantamount to the emperor's tacit approval of the Jia family's return to Jinling."

"I tell you this to let you know that you are also a person with roots, so you don't need to be too cautious."

"But you have to be careful about some things."

"Wang Ziteng traded the position of Jiedushi of the Beijing Camp for his own future. The Jia family must be unhappy. The emperor tacitly agreed that the Jia family's return to Nanjing was only a temporary measure. So when you arrive in the capital, you must be more respectful to the Jia family, lest their dissatisfaction with Wang Ziteng be taken out on you."

Wang Xin was greatly enlightened.

After two lifetimes, this is the first time I’ve been involved in a high-level political struggle. I don’t know why, but I always feel excited.

Seeing Wang Xin silent, Lin Ruhai misunderstood Wang Xin's concern and instead offered comfort. "You are also five generations removed from the Wang family. As long as you don't offend the Jia family, the Jia family won't deliberately target you. After all, the four families share the same prosperity. And there's also Jia Zheng, the second master of the Rongguo Mansion. He's the most reasonable and easiest to persuade. I'll write you a letter. You can get closer to him, and I'll ask him to look after you."

Lin Ruhai's mother-in-law is Lady Jia.

Grandmother Jia is the mother of Jia She, the eldest master of Rongguo Mansion, and Jia Zheng, the second master.

This relationship is not a secret, and many people in Yangzhou City know about it.

It seems that Lin Ruhai still hopes to be closer to the Jia family. After all, his current status is due to Lin Ruhai, who has some connections with the Jia family, not the Wang family.

Wang Xin understood.

Lin Ruhai's purpose today is to make himself understand his identity in the capital.

Overall, I stand with the four major parties.

If we break it down further.

Stand with the Jia family.

There is no need to refuse this. The foundation of the four major families is still there over the years. It is good to lean on a big tree for shade. If the four major families decline in the future, you can find an opportunity to jump ship. This is the world of martial arts.

If you don't want to be a slave, you have to enter the world.

Once you enter the world, you have to face various causes and effects.
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Wuxi on the east side of Taihu Lake is connected to the canal, which goes all the way north and then joins the Yangtze River. It goes upstream along the Yangtze River. The widest part of the river is nearly 400 miles, passing by Yangzhong Island, a large island in the river.

The island is desolate and uninhabited.

Xue Yan stayed on the island for half a day.

"For hundreds or even thousands of years, the river water carried mud and gradually washed away some islands. From the initial mudflats to small islands, they grew into this lush deserted island."

Xue Yan brought his daughter to the island and did not spoil her interest. The little girl looked around happily, and he followed his daughter with his men.

From time to time, he would remind his daughter from behind, "There are poisonous snakes on the deserted island, don't go into the bushes."

The men around him were not surprised either.

When his daughter was tired and sat down on a rock to rest, Xue Yan walked over to her side and told her his story: "In the early years of our dynasty, Chongming Sand Station was established on Chongming Island at the mouth of the Yangtze River. These islands were brought under the jurisdiction of the government. Chongming Island is the largest island in the Yangtze River, and Yangzhong Island in the middle of the river in Zhenjiang Prefecture is the second largest island in the Yangtze River. This island is close to both Yangzhou and Zhenjiang, and was eventually transferred to Zhenjiang Prefecture, which happened to be within the security scope of the Dantu Inspection Office."

"Dad, did you come to this deserted island to secretly meet with someone from the Dantu Inspection Office?"

The little girl was very smart and guessed her father's purpose at once.

Seeing his daughter so smart, Xue Yan looked proud.

Shortly after.

The eldest son of the Qi family, Qi Yingyong, arrived with his second and third sons. This time, Xue Yan did not bring his daughter. The two sides agreed on trade matters. The eldest son of the Qi family also revealed one thing: Yangzhong Island has been noticed by someone.

"General Wang?"

Xue Yan was puzzled.

It's been strange lately, I often hear this person's name.

The Qi family's eldest brother sneered, "Even if Yangzhong Island is left to rot in the river, that's still our decision. That Wang guy can target us today, but if we don't fight back, someone else will dare to do so in the future."

Xue Yan thought for a moment and said, "I'm going to Yangzhou to visit Mr. Lin at the Lin Mansion. Let's make a decision after I come back."

Behind Wang Xin is Lin Ruhai.

The second master of the Xue family met Wang Xin's backer directly, which was more effective than anything else. Qi Yingyong, the eldest master of the Qi family, gave up the idea of ​​revenge and decided to wait for Xue Yan's message first.

(End of this chapter)