Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 556 Jia She Sells Jia Yingchun a Second Time

"This is two taels of silver."

Outside the gate of Rongguo Mansion, Sun Shaozu handed the silver in his hand to the gatekeeper.

He gestured to Lin Dao, who was striding into the mansion not far away, and said, "Which young master of your mansion is that? He has quite the bearing."

The doorman, who skillfully accepted the silver, had a strange expression.

"That's not our young master, he's a creditor."

Sun Shaozu looked bewildered, thinking he hadn't heard clearly.

"Creditor?"

Before he could ask any further questions, a servant came out from inside and shouted, "Where is the commander of the Southern City of the Five Cities Military Command?"

“It is I,” Sun Shaozu hurriedly stepped forward.

The servant, with his nostrils flared, said, "Our master has time to see you. Come with me."

"Yes Yes."

Sun Shaozu, bowing his head, had a radiant smile on his face.

But deep in my heart, a fire was burning.

He's just a lowly servant, yet he dares to act so arrogantly in front of me.

Damn it!
He traveled with his servants, going from place to place, until he finally met Jia She.

Having composed himself, Sun Shaozu quickly stepped forward to pay his respects.

"Disciple Sun Shaozu greets the General!"

Although he has a rugged appearance, he is thoughtful and a good actor.

He arrived with tears in his eyes, saying that his family had been cared for by the Rong and Ning ancestors since their time.

It is truly an honor to be able to become a disciple of yours.

After saying that, he presented the gift.

Several large gold ingots!
If we disregard the official price and go by the market price, it would be worth approximately a thousand taels of silver.

Jia She was a man who loved being flattered.

And with the addition of gold, I liked it even more.

A few kind words from Sun Shaozu made him very happy, and he repeatedly said, "Although you are young, your character is outstanding!"

Perhaps only Jia She could praise Sun Shaozu's outstanding character.

He immediately ordered wine and dishes, and drank with Sun Shaozu.

After a few rounds of drinks, Jia She couldn't control his mouth anymore, and he started spouting all sorts of boastful things.

He even patted his chest and guaranteed that he could help Sun Shaozu find a job in the Beijing garrison.

The reason why Sun Shaozu arrived in the capital ahead of schedule was also related to Lin Dao.

Because Lin Dao was at the Guandi Temple, he almost wiped out the entire command of the Five Cities Military Command.

To fill the vacancies, it was necessary to recruit people from various places.

Logically, such a good thing should have been directly distributed among the nobles in the capital.

The problem is that once he takes office, he will be responsible for investigating the traitor Wei Xiaobao.

Not only did Wei Xiaobao appear and disappear unpredictably, but he also single-handedly slaughtered hundreds of yamen runners and soldiers, wiping out the entire command of the Five Cities Military Command.

Under these circumstances, none of the noble sons in the capital dared to fill the hole, which is why it benefited those from other places.

Sun Shaozu was one of them.

He only learned of this matter after arriving in the capital and taking office.

I was immediately so frightened that cold sweat broke out on my back.

He hurriedly spent money to get a promotion pending at the Ministry of War, and then came to the Rongguo Mansion, hoping that through their connections, he could be pulled out of the Five Cities Military Command pit and transferred to the Beijing Garrison.

Just as the two sides were talking animatedly, a maidservant cautiously reported from outside the door.

"My lord~"

"Young Master Lin has come to visit!"

Clearly drunk, Jia She was annoyed and immediately scolded them.

"What Young Master Lin? Young Master Lin."

"Any Tom, Dick, or Harry can come to see me~"

The curtain was opened, and the maidservant hurriedly stepped aside.

Lin Dao stepped in.

His gaze swept over Jia She, a half-smile playing on his lips.

"Any cat or dog?"

"Are you talking about me?"

The drunken Jia She saw who it was and immediately sobered up!
This is a ruthless person!

Knowing full well that the Rongguo Mansion couldn't pay its debts, they still dared to throw a million taels of silver into it.

Knowing full well that the collateral couldn't be taken away, they still dared to arrogantly demand repayment.

He's either crazy, or he has real confidence!
No matter which one, even if he's a madman, he's still a madman who can pull out a million taels of silver!

Jia She dared not offend him, and even tried to curry favor with him.

"Oops~"

He quickly got off the bed, put on his shoes, and ran forward with a smile.

"It's Zihou! Please, please invite him in!"

Sun Shaozu stared wide-eyed at Lin Dao.

When I first saw him at the gate, I knew he was no ordinary person.

Seeing the first-class general's enthusiasm now, he was even more certain of his guess.

In fact, Lin Dao saw him when he entered the room.

At first glance, one could see that this guy was burly and strong. Although he had a smile on his face, the ferocity in his eyes was undisguised.

Out of curiosity, I asked a few questions and found out that it was Sun Shaozu.

That's why they took the initiative to come looking for me.

"Zihou~"

"This is Sun Shaozu, the newly appointed commander of the South City Garrison of the Five Cities Garrison."

“His family has been under the jurisdiction of my Rongguo Mansion for generations, and now they have come to seek refuge.”

"I'm entertaining guests right now, why don't we sit down and have a couple of drinks together?"

The burly Sun Shaozu grinned, his smile amiable.

However, it looked quite awkward that someone of his height, similar to Lin Dao's, was adopting such a humble and subservient posture.

Since the Jia family hadn't fallen yet, they naturally humbled themselves and acted subserviently.

If the Jia family falls...
Then they might turn their backs on you.

Everyone took their seats and exchanged a few pleasantries.

Lin Dao bluntly asked, "The Five Cities Military Command is a huge pit now, why did you decide to jump into it?"

"So that Brother Lin may know," Sun Shaozu sighed repeatedly.

"I have lived in Shanxi for a long time and am not familiar with what is happening in the capital."

"I only learned of this matter after I took office."

"Trying to turn things around is as difficult as climbing to heaven."

Sun Shaozu bowed to Jia She and said, "We can only ask General Jia to intervene and see if we can transfer him to the Beijing Garrison." The Jia family has always been the military governors of the Beijing Garrison.

More than a decade ago, Jia Daihua was the last military governor of the Beijing garrison from the Jia family.

Later, because of the matter concerning Prince Yizhong, Jia Daihua voluntarily resigned from his post and instead promoted his relative by marriage, Prince Teng, to the position.

Over the years, the Beijing garrison has become filled with Jia family protégés and former associates.

Logically speaking, it shouldn't have been difficult to get Sun Shaozu in.

The problem is that the long-standing family bond that the Jia family had built up over the years was recklessly squandered by those women.

Examples include the two Shi brothers being granted titles of nobility and Wang Ziteng's rapid rise through the ranks.

Even the powerful servants of the Jia family could use the family's connections and favors.

This thing is always a consumable; once it's used, it's gone.

Those who are truly intelligent save their wisdom for crucial moments, such as for the promotion or survival of important family members, or as a trump card when facing great disaster.

There are families like the Jia family, not that they don't exist, but they are extremely rare.

This is the true meaning of "marrying an unvirtuous wife leads to the collapse of one's house."

"Oh."

Lin Dao smiled and nodded, "In that case, I'm sure General Jia can handle it."

Upon hearing this, Jia She immediately patted his chest and said, "It's a small matter."

"It can be arranged with just 10,000 taels of silver."

'Hiss~~~' Sun Shaozu gasped in shock.

"Ten thousand taels?!"

Don't be fooled by Lin Dao's extravagant spending; it's because he has so much wealth, and he uses it all for big projects.

In this era, the purchasing power of ten thousand taels of silver was undoubtedly a super fortune.

Although Sun Shaozu's family had some assets, it was still too much of a burden for them to come up with 10,000 taels of silver all at once.

Lin Dao smiled, already understanding.

He greeted him briefly, saying, "Now that we've become acquainted, let's keep in touch."

"I have something else to do. Bye."

After saying that, he got up and left.

They left the wolves and dogs behind and let them tear each other apart.

After Lin Dao left, Jia and Sun both breathed a sigh of relief.

There was no way around it; Lin Dao's aura of oppression was too intense. Even a casual glance from him made his heart race.

With his departure, the pressure also disappeared.

Next, Jia She and Sun Shaozu began to bargain.

No matter what Sun Shaozu said, Jia She insisted on the 10,000 taels price and refused to budge.

Pay up and I'll get you transferred; if you don't have money, then don't say anything.

Left with no other choice, Sun Shaozu had to empty his savings and grit his teeth to agree.

"Okay, okay~"

Jia She was overjoyed and immediately declared, "My dear nephew."

"Give me five thousand taels first, and I'll get things done for you."

"You will pay five thousand taels after the matter is settled."

“General,” Sun Shaozu said with a troubled expression, “After all, it’s five thousand taels of silver, there has to be some compensation.”

You think you can just get five thousand taels of silver for nothing by talking?
This is not possible!

Jia She, holding his wine cup, thought about it carefully.

"Nephew."

"I have a daughter named Yingchun."

"I've heard you don't have a wife yet, so how about I betroth her to you?"

Sun Shaozu immediately understood: this was using his daughter as collateral.

He thought about it carefully. Even tigers don't eat their cubs, so she was Jia She's daughter after all. He figured she wouldn't renege on her debt.

If she reneges on her debt, then I'll kill Jia Yingchun!

"In that case, thank you, General Jia."

"Hahaha~ Still calling me General?"

"Father-in-law, please come forward!"

"Hahahahaha~~~"

In the main room of Rongxi Hall, Grandmother Jia rarely went out to visit relatives and friends, attempting to mend previously broken relationships.

The young ladies of the Jia family gathered with Shi Xiangyun, who had come to visit, to eat, drink, chat, compose poems, and write essays.

Jia Yingchun, standing among the crowd, suddenly shivered.

It seems like something bad is about to happen.

She was originally arranged to marry Xue Pan, and when she heard the news, she cried until she had no tears left.

Fortunately, Xue Pan was suddenly poisoned to death, thus escaping a calamity.

It's just that her reputation is bad; she's commonly known as a widow.

It will be difficult for her to marry well in the future.

By the way, Jia She still hasn't returned the 10,000 taels of betrothal gifts he received to the Xue family, and it seems he doesn't intend to.

Thinking of this, she subconsciously looked at Xue Baochai, who rarely came out.

Being in debt is a really unpleasant experience.

"It's a rare treat to have this gathering today."

Xue Baochai, fanning herself with a round fan, said with a smile, "How about we have a meal together?"

The group of sisters cheered immediately, naturally agreeing.

"With the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, how about we pool our money and have a crab feast?"

No one objected.

Only Jia Tanchun sighed, "If only Sister Lin were here too~"

When people think of Lin Daiyu, they feel a deep sense of nostalgia.

Then came the task of pooling money, with each person contributing two taels and another three taels, eventually raising over twenty taels of silver.

As the maids were being instructed to make preparations, Yu Chuan'er, who was by Lady Wang's side, rushed over, wiping away tears.

"My older sister is going to jump into the well!"

The girls were shocked and asked questions repeatedly.

Sobbing and wailing, Yu Chuan'er then recounted the whole story.

It was just that Madam Wang, who was in a bad mood, took it out on Jin Chuan'er.

Driven to desperation, Jin Chuan'er attempted to jump into a well in shame and indignation, but was saved by Lin Dao, who happened to be passing by.

The girls breathed a sigh of relief; at least the person wasn't dead.

After that, I was curious because I kept hearing news about this Mr. Lin lately.

Immediately afterward, Yu Chuan'er said another sentence.

"Madam was scolded to tears by Young Master Lin."

(End of this chapter)