The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

"Wh-what? What did you say, brother?"

Master Zheng was struck dumb, his eyes wide open, and the way he looked at Master She changed.

If the Imperial Treasury doesn't pay, he's definitely doomed this time, unless the current emperor and the retired emperor join forces to protect him, which is simply impossible.

Without real money to back him up, who would care about a mere Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud?

The old lady, unusually, did not scold Master She, and sat upright as if lost in thought.

It was obvious that she didn't want to take out any money from the imperial treasury.

The Second Master Zheng's face turned deathly pale, and he looked utterly despondent.

He never expected that at such a crucial moment, the old lady and Master She would have such an attitude!

Don't they know that if they fool the current emperor this time, he will have no hope in the officialdom?

The atmosphere in the main hall of Rongqing Hall was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

"Second brother, it's not that I'm unwilling to help you, but it's impossible for me to give you 400,000 taels of silver from the imperial treasury!"

Lord She was quite straightforward and spoke very bluntly.

I don't know where he got his confidence from, thinking that he could definitely get his hands on 70% of the silver in the inner treasury.

"Second brother, if the eldest brother doesn't support you, the manor definitely won't be able to come up with 800,000 taels of silver!"

The old lady spoke up at this moment, saying leisurely, "Think of a way yourself, see if you can get away with this!"

Master Zheng paused, as if he had shrunk in an instant, and his spirits seemed to have diminished considerably.

His mind was a complete mess, filled with frustration but he didn't know how to vent it. He only knew one fact: it was all over, his official career was completely over!

Not knowing how he got out of Rongqing Hall, the Second Master Zheng walked to the Second Branch of the House in a daze.

He ignored all the maids and servants he encountered on the road who greeted him.

This state of affairs naturally alerted Madam Wang immediately.

"Master, what's wrong with you?"

When Madam Wang saw Master Zheng, she was also startled by his dejected state.

Upon seeing Madam Wang, the Second Master Zheng forced himself to be energetic and asked in a hoarse voice, "Madam, how much silver can our second branch of the family contribute from our private treasury?"

"Sir, why are you asking this?"

Madam Wang was somewhat puzzled, but still replied, "Fifty or sixty thousand taels is still within our means!"

The Second Master Zheng's eyes, which had initially held a hint of expectation, fell silent once more.

He waved his hand without saying anything more, and staggered toward Aunt Zhao's courtyard.

Madam Wang's face suddenly turned extremely ugly. She glanced at Aunt Zhao's residence with a furious look in her eyes, then turned and left with her head maid.

A sense of unease lingered in her heart. The Second Master Zheng's sudden inquiry about the second wife's private treasury made her more wary.

It's just that Master Zheng is not savvy in worldly affairs, otherwise he would definitely know that Madam Wang is lying.

What a joke! Madam Wang has been in charge of the Rong Mansion's public funds for nearly twenty years. How could the second branch's private treasury only have a mere fifty or sixty thousand taels of silver? Aren't you just fooling people?

I don't know what Master Zheng was thinking. In this distraught and confused state, he actually came to Aunt Zhao's residence.

At this moment, Jia Huan was having dinner with Aunt Zhao when they were both surprised to see Master Zheng.

Especially Jia Huan, he still remembered that when he left the study, Master Zheng was not in high spirits, but he was still full of energy and fighting spirit.

Unlike now, he looks completely lost and listless, with a gloomy expression, as if he's been possessed by the god of misfortune.

"Master, what's wrong with you?"

Jia Huan hurriedly helped Master Zheng to sit down and handed him a cup of tea before asking.

"Huan-ge, let's forget about it. The previous plan is off!"

The Second Master Zheng forced a smile and said, "From now on, study hard at the clan school and don't think about anything else or cause trouble!"

"How can this be considered reckless meddling?"

Jia Huan retorted, "This concerns your career, sir; it's never too much to take it seriously!"

"Official career? Yes, that's my official career!"

The Second Master shook his head repeatedly, saying with a bitter expression, "It's a pity, there's no future in my official career!"

Jia Huan was startled and gestured for Aunt Zhao to leave first. Since she looked completely bewildered, he figured she probably didn't understand, so there was no point in listening.

Knowing some things was not a good thing for Aunt Zhao.

At this moment, Aunt Zhao, unusually silent, got up and left, closing the door behind her.

Although he didn't quite understand, he knew that what Jia Huan wanted to say to Master Zheng was probably quite astonishing.

Truly amazing!

Jia Huan's words startled Master Zheng: "Master, is it because Rongqing Hall isn't paying us?"

"how do you know?"

The Second Master Zheng spoke subconsciously, but by the time he realized what he had said, it was too late. He simply nodded to indicate that this was indeed the case.

Then, he briefly recounted what had happened at Rongqing Hall, his face looking quite grim.

I never expected my own mother to not support me!

His previous actions were almost a joke; he was the clown in it all.

"Sir, don't you have even the slightest suspicion?"

Jia Huan, however, remained remarkably calm, even displaying a strange expression on his face, and asked.

"What do you suspect?"

The Second Master Zheng said weakly, "Without the support of the Old Madam, there's simply no way to figure it out!"

"What I mean is, does the Imperial Treasury still have 800,000 taels of silver?"

Jia Huan shook his head and made a startling prediction: "My opinion is that it's very likely not!"

"Don't talk nonsense!"

The Second Master Zheng said with dissatisfaction, "The Rong Mansion's inner treasury doesn't even have 800,000 taels of silver. Isn't that a joke?"

He had experienced the Rong family's heyday, a time when the Rong family was incredibly prosperous and its wealth was immense, with countless amounts of silver stored in its inner treasury.

Based on his feeling, it would be at least several million taels!

When the old lady said there was only one million taels, he actually didn't quite believe it, but he just didn't say it out loud. The Rong family's peak was only a little over twenty years ago.

During this period, there was no confiscation of property, and the public income alone was enough to support the entire staff of the prefecture. The silver stored in the inner treasury was hardly ever used.

"Don't be anxious, sir!"

Jia Huan, however, remained calm and composed, and said with a leisurely smile, "I never said there was no silver in the manor; it's just that the bulk of the silver isn't in the inner treasury!"

Seeing that Master Zheng was a little confused, he reminded him, "Just like Master She, don't be fooled by his seemingly idle nature; he is definitely the richest man in the Rong family, the kind with the most money!"

Jia Huan said, word by word, "Because I overheard that most of the private wealth of the first Duke of Rongguo, that is, my great-grandfather, was passed down to Master She!"

"What are you talking about?"

Master Zheng asked in bewilderment, "Whether your eldest uncle is the richest man in the Rong family or not, what does it have to do with me?"

Chapter 125 Applying Eye Drops (Please Subscribe)

"Master, if Bao Er Ge (Bao Er Ge) were to obtain all of the old lady's private savings, the amount of silver alone would be far more than your and Madam's combined private savings!"

Jia Huan asked with a grin, "Won't you feel uneasy about it?"

"This one……"

After pondering for a long time, the Second Master Zheng did not give an answer.

He wanted to say no, but that wasn't what he really thought.

What a joke! Why should the old lady's private savings be given to Baoyu?

Even if Baoyu is his legitimate son, shouldn't he be more biased?

Unless, of course, Baoyu hands over his private savings to his father or mother for control.

I suspect that my mother shared the same idea: to emulate the pardon of the esteemed Master She!

"At this point, with you controlling the household treasury year-round, don't you have any reservations?"

Jia Huan didn't beat around the bush and explained everything clearly.

boom!

The Second Master Zheng slammed his hand on the table, his face red with anger, and roared, "You wretched child, stop talking nonsense!"

The noise was so loud that Aunt Zhao, who was guarding the door, hurriedly peeked out to check.

Jia Huan waved his hand to indicate that nothing was wrong. After the Second Master Zheng's anger subsided, he spoke calmly, "Then why didn't the old lady suggest taking out the master's share of the money?"

"At least three hundred thousand taels!"