The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

Even so, the bigwigs who handle it still take a cut!

I've only heard that the families of those powerful figures in the Five Armies Commandery, who are used to dealing in military rations, are already quite conscientious, as half of the military rations they sell are grain.

Fortunately, these guys, despite their dark past, didn't skimp on the portions.

This is much better than when civil officials were in charge of the Ministry of War.

The reason is simple: nobody knows exactly which military camp these rations will be transported to.

What if there happens to be a member of a certain family there?

Isn't this a waste of the family's promising young talents who are hardworking and willing to work in difficult places?

Leaving aside other matters, Jia Huan took advantage of the moment when Master Zheng was distracted to sow discord between the old lady and Madam Wang, knowing they would suffer later.

With the power and resources at the disposal of the Second Master Zheng, raising 400,000 taels of silver would be truly not difficult.

Jia Huan offered his advice, naturally setting some small traps; it remained to be seen whether Madam Wang and the old lady would fall into them.

The main purpose was not simply to sow discord, but also to plan for the future.

So, Master Zheng was anxious and rushed back to the main house without taking a break, intending to get at least 100,000 taels of silver from Madam Wang.

Jia Huan has made it so clear. If Master Zheng still doesn't know what to do, he must be out of his mind. Obviously, Master Zheng isn't that bad.

I heard that there was quite a commotion in the main house that night.

According to later rumors from the maids and servants, the Second Master Zheng rarely lost his temper and even threatened to divorce his second wife, Madam Wang, which infuriated Madam Wang!

I also heard that the second wife, Madam Wang, lost her temper that night and almost got into a fight with the second master.

As for whether the rumors are true or false, it's hard to say. In any case, it's clear that after that night, a significant rift appeared in the relationship between Master Zheng and Madam Wang.

Of course, the result was good. Not two days later, the Second Master Zheng showed a full 100,000 taels of silver notes in the study!

Fortunately, Jia Huan was the only one present; otherwise, it might have caused quite a stir.

"Madam is really rich; she has nothing but banknotes!"

Jia Huan chuckled and said, "I thought there would be several chests of silver!"

The smile on the Second Master Zheng's face froze, and after a moment of hesitation, he said nothing.

However, judging from his constantly shifting eyes, the eye drops had clearly had a significant effect.

One thing drops one thing!

No matter how powerful Madam Wang was, she could only obediently bow her head in front of Master Zheng.

This time, Madam Wang took out 100,000 taels of silver in one go. Given her fickle nature, she would probably feel the pinch for a long, long time and then try all sorts of ways to make up for it.

As long as she gets busy, and even if she's busy with other things, it's a good thing for Jia Huan.

Otherwise, wouldn't it be a bit too terrifying to spend all day on the power struggles within the household and figuring out how to deal with him, the illegitimate son?

Let's find an opportunity and an excuse to let her fight with Wang Xifeng.

With 100,000 taels as a base, things became much easier.

Jia Huan suggested that Master Zheng borrow money from the old lady, preferably 300,000 taels, since the old lady certainly had plenty in her private treasury and it would be quite easy to get the money out.

She wants control, so let's just give it to her!

If you can't borrow 300,000 taels, 200,000 taels will do. The old lady should be able to agree now, right?

If all else fails, the minimum is 150,000!

If he were to borrow money from someone else, Master Zheng might feel a little embarrassed.

He could borrow money from the old lady, and the second master of the Zheng family had no psychological burden at all. He went to Rongqing Hall with a proud and confident demeanor.

No one knows how Master Zheng negotiated with the old lady, but when he returned, he had an extra 200,000 taels of silver in his hand.

"More silver notes, they're just too conspicuous!"

Upon seeing this, Jia Huan clicked his tongue and suggested, "When returning the silver, it would be best to exchange it for real silver; it would look more substantial, wouldn't it?"

Master Zheng, not understanding the intricacies of the matter, agreed without a second thought.

Then, the news that the second master of Rong Mansion, the head of the household, exchanged a large sum of cash from a money exchange with silver notes immediately spread throughout the capital, causing quite a stir.

So this guy is actually planning to pay off the national treasury's debt?

In the imperial court, the turmoil caused by the memorial submitted by the Second Master Zheng had just been suppressed by the joint efforts of the court officials.

To put it bluntly, if no one takes the lead in repaying the national treasury's debts, then it's just a bold suggestion that shouldn't be taken seriously. Anyone who does take it seriously becomes an enemy of the entire court.

Haven't you noticed? Even the instigator, Master Zheng, hasn't been going to the yamen lately; he's been hiding at home. Clearly, it's a sign of guilt!

Those court officials thought that the visit of the two marquises of the Shi family had been very effective!

Even today, people can't help but feel greatly disappointed with the Second Master Zheng!

Damn it, we just got off to a good start, why isn't the follow-up going? Are you kidding me?

As a result, news suddenly came that this person had exchanged a large amount of official silver from the money shop, which clearly indicated that he had taken concrete actions.

The court officials were in an uproar, but the emperor was overjoyed!

Sure enough, Jia Zheng wasn't lying to him; he really was preparing to repay the national treasury's debts.

Then, through the channels of royal spies, they made a little inquiry into the recent movements of the Second Master Zheng, and naturally learned easily what had happened inside the Rong Mansion!

Upon receiving the report, I was so angry I almost vomited blood!

What was going to be a good thing was almost ruined by that old nobleman of the Rong family!

Jia Zheng is a good-for-nothing. As the head of the family, he can't even control the family finances. When he needs money, he has to ask his wife and mother for it.

The most despicable one is that old woman, Shi Jia!

Knowing full well that the Rong family owed the national treasury a full 800,000 taels of silver, they still refused to support their son Jia Zheng in repaying the debt, keeping a tight grip on the Rong family's private treasury and refusing to let go.

Fortunately, the royal spies didn't overhear what Jia Huan and Master Zheng were saying in their residence, otherwise the Emperor would have been wide-eyed and exclaimed, "Holy crap, can they really play like this?"

The information that has been gathered so far has also been gleaned by the court officials to varying degrees.

In addition, the Rong Mansion was a huge sieve, so there was no need for Jia Huan to secretly stir things up; the news reached the ears of all the court officials who were concerned about the Rong Mansion.

The court officials naturally held the Second Master Zheng in utter contempt for his incompetence.

The wealth of the two mistresses of the Rong Mansion also greatly surprised them!

They spend anywhere from 100,000 to 200,000 taels of silver at a time; they're damn rich!

Of course, some court officials also sympathized with the Second Master Zheng, who was simply an oddity in the officialdom.

As the head of the Rong family, he had very little money. When he wanted to do something important, he even had to ask his wife and mother for money. It was utterly shameful.

Fearing that the timing wasn't right, they spread the information gathered by the royal spies along with numerous related rumors, causing a great deal of discussion throughout the capital.

In other words, the Second Master Zheng didn't go out often and didn't have much social interaction. Otherwise, if he heard all sorts of rumors, whether true or exaggerated, he would probably be scared to death on the spot.

In an instant, Master Zheng Er became a laughing stock!

The common people and officials of the capital often joked about the affairs of the Second Master Zheng during their leisure time.

At the same time, they also learned that it was not an easy task for Master Zheng Er to raise enough silver.

When the second master of the government listened to part of Jia Huan's advice and took out some rare and precious items to exchange for money, his ridicule and disdain for Jia Huan became even more intense.

Before the person involved could even react, the Jia family members in Beijing were already finding it unbearable.

Led by two elders of the Dai generation, Jia Dairu and Jia Daixiu, they demanded a clan meeting.

These two were quite annoyed. They had no say in the internal affairs of the Rong family, but it was a joke that the Second Master Zheng, the dignified head of the family, had fallen to the point of selling off his treasures to raise money.

How could these two elders of the Rong family not know whether the Rong family had any money or not?

It's all because Master Zheng is too incompetent; as the head of the family, he was completely controlled by his mother and wife. He's a disgrace to the men of the Jia family.

Of course, this is none of their business as outsiders, but the matter of Master Zheng Er raising funds must have a satisfactory answer and result, otherwise they will absolutely not agree.

Although the old lady held a high position, she was not so powerful that she could suppress the clansmen to the point of not daring to speak!

This matter caused quite a stir in the Jia family clan in the capital, with a number of middle-aged clan members responding and urging the current clan leader, Jia Rong, to convene a clan meeting as soon as possible.

For a time, Jia Rong and the Ning Mansion were under immense pressure and at a loss, not knowing what to do.

At this time, Jia Huan arrived at the door in a leisurely manner and naturally received an extremely warm welcome.

When they expressed their dissatisfaction with their clansmen and asked how to resolve the issue, Jia Huan bluntly stated, "It's all about money!"

"What are the Ning family's thoughts on the matter of returning the silver to the national treasury?"

Seeing that he didn't answer but asked a question instead, Jia Qiang, who was accompanying him, said directly: "I don't know what the situation is in the court. If the Ning family really needs to provide money, the Ning family will not hold us back!"

This is because the confiscation of Lai Er's property, along with the huge profits from selling grain in the past two months, has given the Ning family a lot of confidence.

Jia Huan knew what was going on, so he didn't mention the opinions of the court officials. He said directly, "The Emperor is very concerned about the repayment of the money. Once my master sends the money to the Ministry of Revenue, we will begin the process of collecting the outstanding debt!"

Got it!

The current emperor was brought out directly, leaving the three masters of the Ning family with no choice but to declare that they would follow the instructions and arrangements of the Rong family.

Jia Huan naturally didn't stand on ceremony and said directly, "You all know about my master's situation; he can only come up with a maximum of 400,000 taels of silver!"

"My lord's idea is that the Ning and Rong mansions should first repay one million taels of silver to the national treasury in one go, and then repay the remaining debts gradually over a year!"