The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

The second master of the government was getting anxious and went to his mother again, hoping to get some sponsorship.

Unfortunately, the old lady was adamant this time and completely ignored the second master's pleas.

As a result, the Second Master Zheng awkwardly realized that it was unlikely that he could repay the national treasury debt in time. How could this be?

But he couldn't use force against Madam Wang and the old lady, who were both adamant.

As the weather grew colder, Master Zheng's brows furrowed more deeply. The scholars in the study noticed something amiss, but none of them made a move to inquire.

The Second Master Zheng's current status is completely different from when he was the Assistant Minister of Works!

To put it bluntly, the Second Master Zheng was worried about important official matters in the court, and the scholars and officials dared not get involved easily, for if they made a wrong decision, the consequences would be unpredictable.

It should be noted that at this time, the number of scholars and gentlemen in the main study had been reduced by about a quarter compared to before.

Indeed, a few of them performed well and gained the attention of Master Zheng, who recommended them to Jia Lian, who then became a ninth-rank official, a position that the other retainers envied.

However, the other guests were too eager to offer suggestions, and as a result, none of them were satisfactory. They were politely sent away by Master Zheng.

As I said before, the situation of the Second Master Zheng is now completely different from what it used to be.

It's okay to say the wrong thing in the past, it doesn't have much of an impact anyway, it's just a little embarrassing.

But if we say something wrong now, and the Second Master Zheng adopts it, then the consequences will be quite serious.

If things go wrong, it could become an official incident, and the Second Master Zheng would lose face in public. In the end, wouldn't he have to send away the guy who came up with the idea? Are they going to keep him around for free?

Jia Huan naturally sensed something was amiss and didn't want to speak up easily.

However, as the atmosphere in the study became increasingly oppressive, he couldn't stand it anymore.

He's making rapid progress in his medical studies lately, and he doesn't want the atmosphere in the study to affect his progress and pace. That would be terrible.

Chapter 150 The Honest Man Gets Angry (Please Subscribe)

"Keep selling antiques and toys!"

After the guests and gentlemen left, Jia Huan waited until the very end to come up with a terrible idea.

Master Zheng's face darkened. He felt that Jia Huan was no longer a worthy admirer. All he could come up with was such a terrible idea. Was he not ashamed as he thought?

"Isn't this a bit too much?"

He was somewhat reluctant, having already adapted to his current status and position, and felt a little embarrassed.

The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, a fourth-rank official, was one of the Nine Ministers and was considered a prominent figure in the imperial court.

"What can we do? Aren't we going to pay back the debts owed to the national treasury?"

Jia Huan spread his hands, saying helplessly, "The old lady and the madam probably think that the court won't go too far and will give the mansion some face, which is why they remain unmoved!"

"It's not that the manor doesn't have money, it's just that it's been blocked!"

He muttered, "If you don't want to sell antiques and curios, then you'll have to cause trouble for the managers!"

Ignoring the somewhat reluctant look on the Second Master's face, he said to himself, "There's a saying among the common people: 'Give back what you've taken from me, and spit out what you've eaten from me!'"

"The four stewards of the manor could easily raise 400,000 taels of silver by confiscating any one of their properties!"

This is no exaggeration. Do you really think the Ningrong Street branch is a pushover?

Before they knew it, they had figured out the situation of the Lai family and its head stewards.

Apart from the Lin Zhixiao couple, who have always kept a low profile and whose assets may be less than 400,000, the other three families definitely have more than that amount.

"They are all the old lady's confidants; we can't act rashly!"

Lord Zheng was momentarily tempted, but ultimately shook his head and rejected the idea.

This also shows how much control the old lady had over the Rong family!

"Then confiscate Zhou Rui's property; four hundred thousand taels will be easy to obtain!"

Jia Huan was in a very good mood, so he naturally spoke without thinking.

The Second Master Zheng glanced at him sideways, his eyes full of questioning: Is your brain filled with water?

Besides being the head steward of the Rong Mansion, Zhou Rui was also the chief steward in charge of Lady Wang's dowry. Therefore, he couldn't act rashly, otherwise Lady Wang would definitely turn against him.

Given Madam Wang's personality, she would definitely suspect that Master Zheng was after her dowry.

The second master of the government felt that he couldn't afford to lose face.

"Then let's target the heads of those eight manors!"

Jia Huan chuckled and said, "Seizing thirty to fifty thousand taels of silver from each person's home is no problem!"

"The key is that they control the grain, which can provide a continuous source of money!"

The suppression of the rebellion in Ludi has ended, and as in previous years, the White Lotus Sect has been defeated again.

However, the supply of military rations was a business that continuously brought in enough money and profit.

It doesn't mean that once the rebellion is quelled, the army will no longer need food supplies.

According to Jia Huan's information, the head of the farm outside the city sold the surplus grain to middlemen at prices outside the city while the war to quell the rebellion in Lu was raging.

Damn, this is a real bargain, I don't even feel bad about it!

If they were sold in the city, the price would at least double. As for the profit difference, Jia Huan had murderous thoughts after hearing the news.

The second master was very tempted, mainly because he had no liking for the estate managers outside.

The timing was perfect; the estate managers and the old lady and Madam Wang in the manor had not yet formed a solid alliance of interests, so taking action against them would not cause too much of a stir in the manor.

"What are you hesitating for, sir?"

Jia Huan continued to urge, "It would be best to bring those eight estates under the management of the outer courtyard, so that no more trouble might arise inside. Then we can just send the lion's share of the profits directly to the public treasury!"

The longer one stays in the world of Dream of the Red Chamber, the more difficult it becomes to understand the thoughts of the old lady and Madam Wang.

The Rong family's existence ensures their peaceful and leisurely lives. If the Rong family were to truly go bankrupt, it could even affect the unity of the clan, with potentially severe consequences.

Do they think that they can live the same comfortable life they have now just because of their status?

After giving his suggestion, Jia Huan patted his behind and left, leaving Master Zheng to ponder it on his own.

In any case, given the current situation, Master Zheng Er needs him to support the outer courtyard of the Rong Mansion.

He needs help and support from the backyard for everything, which inevitably makes the old lady and Madam Wang look down on him. They might even think that without them, Master Zheng is nothing.

That's why they say honest people, when pushed to the limit, can be quite terrifying once they unleash their fury.

The next day, while Jia Huan was still attending class at the clan school, a servant from Master Zheng's side came to call for more people.

When Jia Huan hurriedly arrived at the study, Master Zheng's eyes were bloodshot and his pupils were full of blood vessels, clearly indicating that he had not slept well the night before.

His voice was a little hoarse as he asked, "How do we take over the estate outside the city?"

Jia Huan really wanted to ask if he had received the old lady's approval.

However, seeing the Second Master Zheng's resolute attitude, he didn't ask such a question, which would definitely displease the Second Master Zheng.

"Master doesn't intend to use the people from the manor?"

Jia Huan asked directly, "Are you worried that they might be involved in something behind the scenes?"

Master Zheng nodded silently; otherwise, why would he be in such a hurry to call Jia Huan back?

The main reason was that he knew Jia Huan had a group of men under his command, who, regardless of whether they were useful or not, were at least much more reliable than the servants in the manor.

Jia Huan didn't stand on ceremony and chuckled, "Master, your servants and some of your guests must take the lead. I don't want to be targeted by the old lady afterward!"

The Second Master nodded in agreement; he didn't want such a thing to happen either!

What else is there to say?

Jia Huan first instructed his servant and the gentleman who had received the instructions to go directly to the small martial arts school on Ningrong Street to meet up.

When they arrived at their destination, Jia Huan had already taken care of all the idle and useful thugs in the gang.

They split into eight raiding teams, led by servants and retainers, and quickly rushed toward their target.

At this moment, the Second Master Zheng leisurely arrived at Rongqing Hall and told the old lady that he was going to take control of eight farms outside the city in order to pay off the national treasury's debts.

"Second brother, are you trying to drive me crazy?"

"Mother, you flatter me. How could I dare to be so unfilial?"

"Since that's the case, Second Brother, you should give up on such thoughts and stop causing trouble!"

"Mother, it's too late to say that now. I've already sent everyone out!"

"Hey you, second brother, so you're learning to act first and ask questions later now, aren't you?"

"Mother, please calm down. I have no choice. If I cannot repay the debt to the national treasury in time, I don't know how many court officials will take advantage of my misfortune. I really can't bear such pressure!"

"Hmph, second brother, if you're so capable, why don't you get money from outside instead of causing trouble at home?"

“Mother, there’s no use saying more now. You’ll understand after this is over. I’m definitely not just making a fuss over nothing!”

This conversation between Rongqingtang and her son ended unhappily.

The old lady was feeling depressed, and the ominous feeling that Master Zheng was slipping out of her control rose again. She subconsciously called Yuanyang over: "Go to the Lin family and invite Miss Lin here. Tell her that Grandmother misses her!"

Yuanyang left with some worry, and when she returned, Lin Daiyu was already by her side.