The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

"I saw that he had some talent, so I had him come to the main study often to participate in discussions, which was also a way for him to learn and improve!"

"My two cousins ​​also know what happened before. This kid is really audacious. After leaving the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he proposed to buy his way into an official position with silver!"

I almost blurted out the truth, which made Master Zheng blush slightly.

The two marquises from the Shi family couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. Spending two million taels of silver to buy an official position—that was truly a grand gesture!

The way they looked at Jia Huan had changed; it was as if they were looking at a spendthrift son.

Jia Huan didn't care. Because of his long-term effective training, his height was no less than that of an ordinary ten-year-old boy, so he naturally didn't show the same surprise as those who looked at children.

There are many young geniuses in the Great Qian Dynasty. Any boy who has a talent for studying can be called a genius!

Due to their living environment, there were quite a few precocious geniuses. Therefore, although the two Marquises were surprised, they did not take it too seriously.

"My two uncles, if the Ning and Rong families repay two million taels of silver in one go, can the master be directly promoted to the third rank?"

Jia Huan didn't hold back at all; after all, he was young, and his directness was never offensive.

"This one……"

The two historians were stumped by the question; how were they supposed to answer it?

Two million taels of silver could buy a third-rank official position; that would be more than enough.

"But if we do that, the master will truly become the target of everyone's criticism!"

Jia Huan bluntly stated, "After all, price gouging is the most annoying thing!"

That's true. The price of official positions had already been set, but with Lord Zheng's actions, the price has been raised significantly, which will surely cause some people to curse.

"So, my idea is to get a few more people involved to pay off the debt together!"

At this point, Jia Huan's eyes gleamed as he looked directly at the two Marquises Shi. He chuckled and said, "This is a truly rare opportunity. If you two uncles are interested, you can certainly join in!"

"Of course, while reaping the benefits, one must also help my master bear some of the enormous pressure from the imperial court!"

Tsk, this kid really dares to say that!

The two marquises of the Shi family were astonished, but their hearts were burning with excitement.

"Brother Cunzhou, is this your intention?"

Lord Baoling asked impatiently, "This is no small matter, so don't try to fool us!"

"Don't worry, cousin, I can't handle this alone!"

The Second Master Zheng said directly, "If we really want to show some appreciation now, it would be too wasteful for me to be the only one to benefit. That would amount to a full two million taels of silver!"

Even with his insensitivity to money, when he mentioned the figure of two million taels, his voice began to tremble and his eyes twitched.

"So good!"

The two marquises were overjoyed; they had never imagined that they could become so powerful so quickly.

However, if each of us can take advantage of this opportunity to improve our rank by one level, that would be a pretty good gain.

Especially for Marquis Baoling, who is currently a fourth-rank military officer in the Governor's Office, if he were to be promoted one more rank, he would reach the level of a third-rank high-level military officer, and his situation in the Governor's Office would be greatly improved.

Fortunately, promoting military officers is easier and simpler than promoting civil officials, especially for someone like Marquis Baoling, who has a very solid foundation. In the present day, promoting someone by one rank is nothing at all.

As for this, it might displease the retired emperor. Let's accept the benefits first and then talk about other things!

"My two uncles, why don't you go back and investigate whether the manor also has any outstanding debts to the national treasury?"

Jia Huan then spoke up, reminding them, "If you have any, that would be best. When it's time to return the money, you two can stand directly with my master!"

"Oh, Huan-ge'er is right!"

The two lords of the Shi family were taken aback at first, and then nodded repeatedly in agreement with his suggestion.

If he had said those words when he first walked in, he probably would have been regarded as an enemy by the two of them.

And 'it would be best if the national treasury owed money'? What are you thinking, kid? Do you think the historians have it too easy?

Now, naturally, their thinking has changed, and they'd love for the government to actually owe them money.

Otherwise, even if they wanted to take advantage of the Rong family, they wouldn't be so justified!

The two Shi family members, filled with eager anticipation, politely declined the invitation from the Second Master Zheng to stay for dinner and left the Rong residence in a hurry. Their faces beamed with joy, and anyone who saw them could tell that they were in a good mood.

This contrasts sharply with the worry he had when he arrived!

"Master, you can rest assured now!"

Watching his two cousins ​​from the Shi family hurriedly leave, Jia Huan finally spoke with a smile: "When there's something beneficial going on, it's easy to find helpers!"

"Hopefully everything goes smoothly this time!"

The Second Master Zheng was indeed less worried, and felt more confident and joyful.

Just then, Yuanyang, the head maid of Rongqing Hall, came over and told the old lady that she wanted to see her.

"Sir, I won't go!"

Jia Huan spoke first: "Master, just explain the situation to the old lady!"

He really didn't want to go to Rongqing Hall; he wasn't used to the lavish, flowery atmosphere there.

Seeing that Yuanyang did not say anything, he bowed to the Second Master Zheng to take his leave, and then turned and left.

Once Master Zheng Er got busy with his affairs, he would leave the mansion directly.

I've been staying at the mansion for almost half a month now, and I'm really not used to it anymore.

There are too few places to go, basically limited to a few small areas, and no one can stand it for long.

He certainly wasn't happy with living under close surveillance.

Chapter 124 Struck by Thunder (Please Subscribe)

Back at his residence, Jia Huan was unaware that the old lady was in a very bad mood.

The root of the problem naturally lies with the two Marquises Shi. They were in such a hurry to leave that they forgot to say goodbye to the old lady before they left.

This is very impolite, especially since the two marquises of the Shi family are the old lady's own nephews.

Their actions seem to contradict their own words.

The old lady was naturally unhappy, feeling that the two marquises of the Shi family were impolite, dwelling on past troubles, and were too narrow-minded.

If the two marquises of the Shi family knew what the old lady was thinking, they would definitely be extremely depressed.

The old lady had long harbored resentment, preferring to hand over the Rong family's connections in the Beijing garrison to Wang Ziteng rather than share even a fraction of the profits with the two of them.

Later, they took the initiative to distance themselves from the Rong family, and their attitude was quite clear.

However, the old lady turned a blind eye to these things and didn't care about them at all. She interfered in the Shi family's affairs without any hesitation.

Since the old lady was an elder, the two marquises of the Shi family could only suppress their displeasure.

During festivals and holidays, one must take the initiative to visit and pay respects to others; this is what is known as etiquette.

They thought they had done a pretty good job; someone with a more volatile temper would probably have already started making a scene.

This time, all I did was not show proper courtesy when leaving, and I was blamed. Who can I complain to?

The two of them left happily, and the Second Master Zheng was immediately summoned to Rongqing Hall to give a reply.

Fortunately, the old lady was aware of the situation and had sent everyone else away early on. Only the old lady and Master She were present in Rongqing Hall, making it convenient to discuss some more private matters.

The Second Master Zheng did not hide anything and recounted what happened in the study.

The old lady said in a deep voice, "Second son, are you really sure about this?"

"Mother, is it still possible to take back that memorial now?"

The Second Master breathed a sigh of relief and said frankly, "We have no choice but to grit our teeth and charge forward!"

"Second brother, I support you this time!"

Master She smiled and asked, "However, does the manor have that much silver?"

After all, it was a debt owed to the national treasury, so he couldn't very well say he wouldn't pay it back. Who knew if there were royal spies in his household? What would happen if that got back to the current emperor?

Upon hearing this, Master Zheng looked at the old lady with anticipation.

The Rong family's inner treasury was firmly controlled by the old lady.

To repay this risky debt, we naturally have to take silver from the inner treasury; the public treasury simply doesn't have that much money.

The old lady's face darkened, and she said indifferently, "The amount of silver held in the inner treasury is estimated to be only one million taels!"

"Second brother, if you want to use it, just take it. Anyway, it'll belong to you two brothers in the future!"

"and many more!"

Master She immediately realized what was happening and looked intently at the old lady: "Old lady, is what you said true?"

"What, if the imperial treasury's silver reserves aren't left to the two of you, who else could they be left to?"

The old lady's eyes were sharp, and she said irritably, "You're so old, don't act like a young boy and lose your temper. People will laugh at you!"

"In that case, I'm sorry, Second Brother, I do not agree to use the silver stored in the Imperial Treasury!"

Lord She squinted, his expression changing faster than turning the pages of a book.