The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

In the era of feudal imperial power, being able to do this was tantamount to possessing mountains of gold and seas of silver, which is not an exaggeration at all. The logistics costs were the most critical factor.

The official road from the capital to Tongzhou was in fairly good condition, so the carriage ride was not too bumpy and the speed was acceptable. We arrived in Tongzhou before noon.

They casually found a restaurant in the commercial area near the dock for a meal, which was naturally on Jia Lian's behalf.

This guy has really gotten himself into a big position. As the Director of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Revenue, he is in charge of supervising the grain transport in Tianjin and Tongzhou, so he has a lot of power.

Sure enough, during the meal, quite a few guys who looked very wealthy came over to greet us and offer us drinks.

However, the way these guys looked at Jia Huan was rather strange, which made him quite unhappy.

What's wrong with you? Can't you see how old Jia Lian is? Even if he has a son, he can't be that old, right?

That's right, he instantly realized from the strange looks in these guys' eyes that they thought he was Jia Lian's son. What a load of crap.

Feeling annoyed, the meal ended hastily, but Jia Huan still finished all the dishes on the table.

Before the sun had even set, the official boat carrying Lin Ruhai arrived in Tongzhou.

Also arriving were three large ships specifically for transporting the Lin family's belongings; judging by their draft, they were clearly carrying a considerable load.

Jia Huan followed Jia Lian to the dock to welcome Lin Ruhai.

Don't expect the dock environment to be great. Fortunately, Lin Ruhai was traveling on an official boat with a dedicated dock, which looked fairly clean and tidy.

Even so, the strange smells wafting from the nearby civilian boats' berths were truly unbearable.

Think about it, the grain and other basic necessities unloaded from those civilian ships, who knows if they were contaminated with anything unclean?

When Lin Ruhai appeared, Jia Huan could hardly believe his eyes!

He was nowhere near charming or refined; he was simply a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion and a body as thin as a bamboo pole.

His eyes, however, were quite bright and intelligent, suggesting he had experienced a great deal.

Fortunately, his facial skin is still relatively smooth; otherwise, with his half-gray hair, he could easily be mistaken for an old man over fifty.

Clearly, Jia Lian was also taken aback. After Lin Ruhai disembarked, he hurriedly stepped forward to greet him and introduced Jia Huan, who was standing next to him, to him.

"Greetings, Uncle Lin!"

Jia Huan followed suit with a bow, but did not speak or express his intention to do so.

But Lin Ruhai looked at him with a delighted expression.

"You're Huan-ge'er, aren't you not eight years old yet?"

Seeing Jia Huan nod, he immediately asked curiously, "How did you grow up like this? I think you're no worse than an ordinary eleven or twelve-year-old boy, are you?"

Jia Huan suddenly realized that Lin Ruhai was "eager to hunt".

With both his own and his daughter's health not good, he naturally wanted to ask Jia Huan, who was young yet remarkably healthy, to gain some experience.

"Run more, move more, and practice more!"

Jia Huan chuckled and replied, "My physique is a bit weaker than Cong-ge'er's; he's really robust!"

Jia Lian then stepped in to explain, "Cong-ge'er is my half-brother, one year older than Huan-ge'er!"

"Good, good! Such a strong body at such a young age!"

Lin Ruhai laughed heartily; it was just a normal reaction of a sick elder seeing a healthy younger generation, without any ulterior motives.

Jia Huan had no intention of trying to impress anyone; there would be plenty of time to get to know him later.

Even a fool could see that Lin Ruhai was not in good condition at the moment.

He still smelled strongly of medicine, indicating that he hadn't stopped taking medication on the ship.

Upon arriving at the official post station in Tongzhou, Jia Lian asked his uncle if they should rest in Tongzhou for a couple of days until they felt a little better before heading to the capital.

Lin Ruhai waved his hand in refusal, saying that he only needed to rest for one night and would set off the next morning.

Meanwhile, the Lin family's old butler also spoke up, saying that the Lin family's residence in the capital had already begun cleaning and tidying.

Once the master arrives in the capital, he can move in immediately!

Seeing this, Jia Lian didn't try to persuade him further. To be honest, as a newcomer to officialdom, he felt a lot of pressure in front of a high-ranking official like Lin Ruhai.

Fortunately, he also had official business to attend to, so he apologized and left when it was almost time.

Jia Huan naturally stayed to keep Lin Ruhai company and chat about things in the capital.

This man was indeed in poor health, coughing every few words he spoke, but he was in quite good spirits and very interested in what Jia Huan was saying about the capital.

He didn't talk about anything particularly exciting, but only about what he knew and the more reliable rumors he had heard, mainly concerning the imperial court and officialdom.

As expected, Lin Ruhai was quite interested in this!

No matter how gentlemanly he is described in the original novel of Dream of the Red Chamber, he is still a complete bureaucrat.

He is quite interested in power and changes in officialdom.

This information could only be obtained by someone who has lived in the capital for an extended period.

It may seem quite ordinary, but for a shrewd person like Lin Ruhai, even the most insignificant little things can reveal a different flavor.

This is why any official with ambition would desperately try to come to the capital.

There are many opportunities and a lot of information here. If you can seize any opportunity, you might get promoted, which is much easier than toiling away in a local area.

Most of what Jia Huan said was related to the Xun Gui Group!

Regardless, the Ning and Rong families were now core members of the nobility group.

Otherwise, given that the Second Master Zheng single-handedly stirred up the storm of repaying the national treasury's debts, the powerful noble groups, who were major borrowers, would absolutely not let him off the hook.

Right now, simply pushing Master Zheng Er onto the brazier to roast is already a great favor.

Inside the Rong Mansion and on Ningrong Street, the most prevalent information was about the major noble families, while information about civil officials was relatively scarce.

Lin Ruhai listened very carefully and naturally figured out some things from what Jia Huan said and the rumors. His expression changed quite uncertainly.

The Lin family itself belonged to the noble group and was one of the marquises among the eight dukes and twelve marquises of the founding dynasty.

However, the Lin family followed the path of strategists, similar to Liu Bowen during the Ming Dynasty, making them a rare example of civil officials among the nobility.

If not for such a background, the second Duke of Rong, Jia Daishan, would certainly not have chosen a simple third-place scholar as his son-in-law during the most prosperous period of the Rong family, and then devoted himself to promoting him to the position.

What a joke!

Jia Daishan was not only the Duke of Rongguo, but also the absolute leader of the second generation of the eight founding dukes.

In everything we do, we must consider not only the interests of our family but also the interests of the entire elite group!

If it weren't for the battle to depose the crown prince, in which he risked his life to protect the retired emperor and was seriously injured, and soon died from the severity of his injuries, the momentum of the founding noble group would not have declined so rapidly.

If Lin Ruhai wants to quickly establish himself in the imperial court, or even advance further, the Noble Group will be his biggest help, even more reliable than his fellow townsmen!

Chapter 146 A Beautiful Misunderstanding (Please Subscribe)

The conversation ended when Lin Ruhai became exhausted.

Jia Huan politely bowed and took his leave, and was then guided by Lin's servants to a nearby guest room to rest.

That's right, he was going to return to the capital with Lin Ruhai, so naturally he would stay at the official post station.

"As expected of a young master from a prominent family, he knows so much at such a young age!"

As the old steward helped Lin Ruhai back to his room to rest, he couldn't help but sigh.

Lin Ruhai looked tired, but couldn't help but smile and nod.

Indeed, it is quite remarkable that Jia Huan, at such a young age, knows so much.

In particular, the things Jia Huan mentioned were all closely related to noble families and the imperial court, which was quite remarkable.

Lin Ruhai, through the information revealed by Jia Huan during their conversation, also gained a general understanding of the situation of the Beijing Noble Group.

How could one know these things if one hadn't been exposed to them in daily life?

What a beautiful misunderstanding!

Little did he know that Jia Huan, though young, had been involved in quite a few things.

In addition, he had been diligent in his research and had gathered a lot of relevant information. He casually revealed a little bit to Lin Ruhai, who had just arrived, and it was enough for Lin Ruhai to digest for a while.

For some reason, Lin Ruhai slept quite soundly in the guest room of the Tongzhou official post station.

Jia Huan had no intention of wandering around. He spent the afternoon in the house practicing breathing exercises until evening before coming out.

A servant from the Lin family relayed a message that someone was looking for them outside the official post station.

Upon arriving at the official post station's main hall, they indeed saw Xue Pan, accompanied by several familiar faces from the Ningrong Street branch, all of whom were now well-known figures in the underworld at the Tongzhou Wharf.

"Huan-ge'er, you didn't even tell me you were coming!"

Upon seeing Jia Huan, Xue Pan showed no courtesy whatsoever, muttering discontentedly, "If I hadn't seen Brother Lian, I wouldn't have known you were in Tongzhou!"

The other gangsters around him, who came from the Ningrong Street gang, were not as unreliable as Xue Pan.

They hurriedly stood up, cupped their hands in greeting, and said, "Third Master Huan!"

Jia Huan nodded slightly to let them sit down, then said in an annoyed tone, "I only received this mission last night, why should I have informed you in advance?"

One sentence was enough to make Xue Pan shut up in embarrassment.