The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

For some reason, he seemed to have gone mad, engaging in fierce and dangerous battles with the Yangzhou salt merchants and their allied officials.

It wasn't until he returned to Beijing that he fully recovered from that state.

Upon careful consideration, besides being forced by the circumstances, it was also related to the concept of "loyalty to the emperor and love for the people" that he had formed through his studies.

It can be said that Lin Ruhai was a rare model of scholar-official in the Daqian court, a perfect example of a Confucian official.

In this world, if he wants to be a good official and a loyal minister who serves the country and its people, he will naturally offend some people and infringe on their interests.

Leaving aside the digressions, Lin Ruhai was quite satisfied to see that the Second Master Zheng was clear-headed.

The next day, he personally went out with Master Zheng and the brothers Jia Rong and Jia Qiang from the Ning Mansion to successfully deliver one million taels of silver to the Ministry of Revenue.

Interestingly, Jia Lian was among the officials from the Ministry of Revenue who received them!

Clearly, this was a gesture of respect from the Ministry of Revenue officials to the Ning and Rong mansions, and also an intention to benefit Jia Lian.

Lin Ruhai wasn't particularly interested in these things, but what surprised him was the financial strength of the Ning family.

Especially when he learned that the Ning family had previously repaid 600,000 taels of silver, and now had repaid another 600,000 taels without hesitation, such a generous gesture was quite astonishing.

He didn't stand on ceremony. While waiting for the officials from the Ministry of Revenue to count the returned silver, he directly summoned Jia Rong and Jia Qiang in front of the Second Master Zheng to inquire about the matter.

After all, Ning and Rong are one family; if something happens to the Ning family, the Rong family will also be affected.

Facing Lin Ruhai, Jia Rong and Jia Qiang looked nervous, but they didn't stutter and briefly explained how the Ning Mansion made money by selling grain.

Finally, he said that although they were still a little short, with the Ning family's resources, it wouldn't be difficult for them to come up with tens of thousands of taels of silver, and they would be free of debt.

Lin Ruhai suddenly realized that he had nothing to say about the Ning family's sale of grain; it was just normal business practice, at most involving some military connections.

He looked up at Master Zheng, his meaning quite clear.

The Ning family all knew that selling grain was profitable, and they made over 700,000 taels of silver in one go, which was no small sum.

The Rong family couldn't possibly be completely unaware, so why haven't they reacted at all?

If they had cooperated with the Ning family, they wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble to come up with 400,000 taels of silver.

Master Zheng smiled wryly, feeling somewhat embarrassed in front of his two grand-nephews. He only vaguely indicated that there were some problems with the eight major estates, without saying anything else.

Lin Ruhai understood; he guessed that the raid on eight major estates in one go was also due to some kind of stimulus.

That's why they say every family has its own problems!

Compared to the Ning family's grain sales revenue, if all eight of the Rong family's estates were fully operational, their revenue would only be greater than that of the Ning family, since the Ning family only had six estates, resulting in a significant difference in output.

Wow, that's nearly a million taels of silver in profit. Just because the heads of the eight major estates acted recklessly, it was all wasted. Anyone would be angry in that situation.

Looking at the two young men from the Ning family, whose eyes held an undisguised sympathy, one could tell what was going on.

The Ministry of Revenue acted quickly, finishing the inventory before noon. After all, practice makes perfect.

After declining the dinner invitation from the Ministry of Revenue officials, Master Zheng Er led Lin Ruhai, Jia Rong, and the Jia brothers to a nearby restaurant for a good drink.

In any case, the Rong family's debt of 800,000 taels of silver was finally paid off.

The Second Master Zheng exuded a relaxed aura from the inside out.

Don't assume that just because he's honest and slow to react to the changing winds of officialdom, he can't figure out what the current emperor is thinking.

On the contrary, because he was in charge of the debt collection, he saw things more clearly than others.

Judging from the current emperor's reaction upon receiving the debt, one can tell how much he values ​​it.

To reiterate, why should the current emperor acknowledge the enormous deficit created by the retired emperor?

When the finances are good, everything is fine, but when the finances are bad, the government naturally wants to recover the debts. How can you reason with the royal family?

The current emperor just wants an excuse to make money, so what's the point of worrying about it so much?

Fortunately, the old lady and Madam Wang in the mansion didn't seem to care about the repayment, as if the emperor wouldn't do anything to them.

Don't they even consider the consequences of owing the emperor money?

Once the Rong family falls, the current emperor only needs to reveal the slightest clue, and there will be no shortage of opportunists who are trying to figure out the emperor's intentions, targeting the Rong family like hungry wolves.

Of course, these are all just speculations, and there's no need to dwell on things that haven't happened.

The banquet lasted until late afternoon.

Lin Ruhai was only slightly tipsy; neither he nor Master Zheng drank much.

Most of the time, they just chatted about random things at the dinner table.

Lin Daiyu returned home early and rushed to take care of her father upon seeing him, muttering with some dissatisfaction, "If you're not feeling well, don't drink alcohol!"

"I was in a good mood today, so I had a little drink!"

Lin Ruhai chuckled and asked curiously, "How did you have fun at the Rong residence today?"

"Not at the Rong residence!"

Lin Daiyu handed over a hot handkerchief and poured tea and water, shaking her head and saying, "Grandmother is not in a good mood today. Sister Xichun has invited us to the Ning Mansion again!"

Lin Ruhai smiled but didn't respond.

As he spent more time in the capital, he also gained some understanding of the Rong family's situation, and could only say that the matriarch of the Yue family was a bit too domineering.

Chapter 153 No Peace and Quiet (Please Subscribe)

It is unknown when, but Lin Daiyu learned to be talkative at home, of course, only in front of her father, Lin Ruhai.

"Little sister Xichun is really bold today, daring to talk about her second uncle!"

"She said her second uncle had suddenly become so decisive and efficient that she hardly recognized him!"

"Especially on the day we arrested the heads of the eight major farms outside the city, the atmosphere in the entire mansion was incredibly oppressive, and she was so scared that she didn't sleep well that night!"

Tan Chun said that her second aunt was also unhappy, feeling that the money should not be returned to the national treasury. Such a large sum of money was given to the Ministry of Revenue for nothing, and it would be better to keep it at home for their own use!

"It's really strange. My second uncle's sudden change has startled everyone!"

"Is it?"

Lin Ruhai chuckled. At that moment, he was soaking his feet with the help of his maid when he heard Lin Daiyu's words and his heart stirred.

Indeed, if Lin Daiyu hadn't reminded him, he would have almost overlooked the sudden change in Master Zheng.

Having worked together for a period of time, Lin Ruhai knew the Second Master Zheng's temperament quite well.

Indecisive, slow-witted, and lacking in practical operational ability, he can be described as a mediocre official.

In other words, his strict adherence to the code of conduct of Confucian disciples, which makes him an honest person, is a virtue.

By all accounts, he doesn't seem to be a decisive or ruthless person.

Otherwise, the old lady wouldn't have been able to manipulate him, or even be fooled by Madam Wang.

A sudden change in personality can only have one explanation.

That means that this time, Master Zheng Er listened to the advice of outsiders, which led to this change.

For some reason, the first image that came to Lin Ruhai's mind was Jia Huan.

He shook his head slightly, realizing he was really being a bit obsessed.

Jia Huan was only eight years old. If he were truly that intelligent, he wouldn't have remained a nobody in the Rong Mansion.

It can only be said that Lin Ruhai's upbringing made him lack sufficient understanding of certain underhanded methods used in the inner quarters of the household, and he was unaware of the ruthlessness and viciousness of such methods.

"Where is Baoyu? Hasn't he gone to school yet?"

After listening to Lin Daiyu's rambling for a while, Lin Ruhai had a general understanding of the recent situation in the Rong Mansion. After washing up, he asked curiously.

Lin Ruhai was not particularly fond of the only legitimate son of the Second Master Zheng.

It wasn't because Jia Baoyu disliked reading the Four Books and Five Classics, nor because he was unruly.

Because of the difficulty in having offspring in his family, Lin Ruhai was quite lenient with his descendants.

If he truly lacked academic talent, he wouldn't force him. With the Lin family's resources, supporting a wealthy idler would be a piece of cake.

As for his unruly personality, isn't that just how boys are? He's probably just enjoying it.

The key point is that Jia Baoyu is almost ten years old now, but he still spends most of his time in the inner quarters, playing and fighting with his sisters, which is very inappropriate.

Leaving aside the rule that boys and girls should not sit together after the age of seven, how can a man develop a strong sense of masculinity if he spends all his time in the inner quarters?

Every time Lin Daiyu went to the Rong Mansion, Jia Baoyu would always be by her side, which made Lin Ruhai feel very uncomfortable. He wondered what the old lady and Lady Wang were thinking.

He had heard Lin Daiyu mention that his second uncle was quite strict with Jia Baoyu, whether it was his regular studies or anything else; he was a first-rate strict father.

Unfortunately, the old lady and Lady Wang doted on Jia Baoyu like the apple of their eye, not letting him suffer even the slightest bit. They even interfered when Master Zheng disciplined Jia Baoyu.

As time went on and the incidents became more frequent, even Lin Daiyu noticed that Master Zheng's patience with Jia Baoyu was gradually disappearing. She didn't know when he would completely lose patience and would probably just let things drift.

Lin Ruhai naturally noticed something amiss, so every time Lin Daiyu returned from the Rong Mansion, he would ask her out of curiosity. Unfortunately, Lin Daiyu's answer was always quite disappointing.

This time is no exception!

Lin Daiyu shook her head and said, "How could Brother Bao go to school on such a cold day?"

"Even if he were willing, his maternal grandmother and second aunt wouldn't agree!"

She felt a little guilty as she said this.