The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

But if we really do that, where will the Rong family's reputation be?

"Second son, let me make this clear. No matter who you entrust the management of the eight estates to, the Ning family cannot get their hands on them. That's the bottom line!"

The old woman's face darkened, and she said irritably, "Anyway, this old woman can't afford to lose face like this!"

Madam Wang said nothing, clearly acknowledging the old lady's statement.

"Alright then, son, you can decide for yourself!"

The Second Master Zheng wouldn't do that either. He nodded and said, "When the selection is made, Mother and Madam Wang should not be surprised, nor should they interfere with the management and operation of the estate!"

"Otherwise, if we fail to complete the annual targets, you'll have to make up for it!"

The old lady and Madam Wang didn't look too happy. The Second Master Zheng was actually playing dirty tricks on them, and they really felt helpless.

Of course, I was quite curious about the person that Master Zheng had mentioned.

If Jia Lian hadn't become an official, he would probably have been the best candidate.

As for Jia Huan or Jia Cong, they never even considered it.

This time, Master Zheng made thorough preparations. To avoid trouble, he went to the eldest son's house to see Master She.

"How strange! Second brother, you actually came to the General's Mansion!"

"Tell me, what's the matter? I bet you wouldn't come here without a reason!"

The second master was somewhat embarrassed, but he honestly recounted the matter briefly.

"What? Second brother, are you crazy for money? The eight major estates outside the city have to pay 80,000 taels of silver every year. How is that even possible?"

The reaction of Master She was remarkably similar to that of the old lady; their expressions were almost identical.

"Brother, if we compare it to the Ning family next door, I think it's still possible to complete!"

Master Zheng Er let out a bitter laugh, but what he said left Master She Da speechless.

He'd heard about what was happening at the Ning family's house next door, and all he could say was how envious he was. Unfortunately, he couldn't get involved; he could only watch with envy and jealousy.

He does have a farm in his private property.

Unfortunately, the farm was small and didn't produce much; most of it was eaten by the animals kept on the farm.

"Second brother, what exactly is your purpose in coming to the General's mansion? Just say it!"

Lord She was somewhat disinterested and waved his hand, saying, "Stop rambling on and on, I'm not interested in listening!"

"That's right, brother. I plan to have Huan-ge'er manage and operate the estate outside the city!"

When Master Zheng Er revealed his plan, he was immediately interrupted by Master She Da's exclamation: "Second brother, have you lost your mind? How old is Huan Ge'er? How could he possibly do this?"

"Brother, Huan-ge'er and Qiang-ge'er from the Ning family next door are not only classmates at the clan school, but also have a pretty good relationship in private!"

The Second Master Zheng said with dissatisfaction, "As long as the eight major estates produce normally and do not conceal or falsify reports as they have done in the past, it will not be a problem to sell them at a good price through the Ning family's channels next door!"

"There's no need for Huan-ge to put in any real effort. He can just have his subordinates handle the specific matters. He only needs to be responsible for handing things over with Qiang-ge from the Ning family next door!"

He then explained his purpose: "Brother, your son Cong and son Huan are very close. We can ask Cong to lend a hand, which will also be a good opportunity to train Cong's abilities!"

Master She was stunned. His first thought was that his second son was daydreaming.

But upon closer examination, he realized that the idea was actually quite good, and it might actually achieve the goal set by the second brother. Suddenly, he felt a surge of excitement.

"Second brother, when the profits come, don't forget my share!"

He waved his hand and said, "As for Cong-ge'er, let him work with Huan-ge'er!"

Master She didn't care about Cong-ge'er, his illegitimate son, at all, so he wouldn't care about such trivial matters.

In other words, Master Zheng Er thought that Huan Ge'er was quite capable, so he tried to train him and also let Cong Ge'er from the eldest son's family get some training. He had no other intentions.

Then, on the Laba Festival, Master Zheng solemnly handed over the management and operation rights of the eight major estates outside the city to Jia Huan in the main study, shattering the glass mirrors on the floor.

Since things had come to this point, Jia Huan didn't refuse and agreed immediately.

The conversation between Master Zheng, the old lady, and Madam Wang had already spread throughout the mansion. Jia Huan wasn't deaf or blind, so how could he not have heard it?

Knowing that Master Zheng was not lying to him, what else was there to say?

Jia Huan became the manager of the eight major estates outside the city, and the news spread throughout the entire mansion at lightning speed.

Everyone was stunned by the Second Master Zheng's bold move.

The old lady and Madam Wang were so angry that steam was practically dripping from their mouths. This was no joke!

How could Jia Huan, a mere illegitimate son, possibly manage and operate the eight large estates outside the city?

Even though the conversation between Master Zheng and Master She spread, it did not quell the doubts in everyone's hearts.

So what if Jia Huan and Jia Qiang from the neighboring Ning Mansion have a good relationship?

Don't you even consider Jia Huan's age? Can he really manage the tenants on the estate?

The eight estates alone had over five hundred tenant farmers. Including their families, the total population exceeded three thousand.

It's impossible for a mere child to manage three thousand people.

As a result, the Second Master Zheng was summoned to Rongqing Hall twice in one day by the old lady, both times to discuss matters concerning the eight major estates outside the city.

Madam Wang was egging them on from the sidelines, making it almost like a joint trial.

Finally, even the Second Master Zheng was angered. He directly brought out the conditions he had mentioned before, declaring that whoever was confident in fulfilling them would be in charge of managing and operating the eight major estates outside the city!

At this point, everyone in the manor realized that the Second Master Zheng had long had designs on the eight major estates, and had even laid out the conditions for the annual harvest. What else was there to say?

The conditions seemed incredibly unrealistic, and almost no one in the Rong family believed that anyone could meet them!

"If you don't have the guts to take it, how about I just designate it?"

The Second Master Zheng said unhappily in Rongqing Hall, "Whether Huan-ge can do it or not, we can comment on it next year at this time. Anyway, the eight major estates didn't contribute much money to the public treasury before!"

That settles the matter once and for all!

Jia Huan suddenly became a very busy person, and his fame in the mansion instantly soared.

Because he had important 'household affairs' to attend to, even if the second wife, Madam Wang, was unhappy and wanted to cause him trouble, she had to consider the consequences.

If Master Zheng Er overthinks things and believes that Lady Wang wants to seize control of the estates from Jia Huan, and directly hands over the eight estates to Lady Wang, then she will be in a completely awkward position.

Every year, in addition to providing the mansion with the necessary grains and vegetables, they also had to provide 80,000 taels of silver, a task that was simply impossible for Madam Wang to accomplish.

When the time comes, if Master Zheng Er asks her to make up the difference, Madam Wang will be heartbroken!

This time, no matter how much Zhou Rui's wife tried to persuade and urge her, Lady Wang remained unmoved and did not even make the slightest move to punish Jia Huan, which highlighted her 'steadiness'!

Chapter 155 Daring to Act and Take Responsibility (Please Subscribe)

The Rong Mansion was in an uproar over Jia Huan's appointment to manage the eight major estates outside the city.

As the son-in-law of the Rong family, Lin Ruhai naturally learned the news from Lin Daiyu immediately.

My first reaction was also, how could the Second Master Zheng be so unreliable, capable of doing something like this?

Upon closer examination, however, one must admit that the Second Master Zheng's approach was not entirely unfeasible.

After what happened at the estate, the Rong family naturally wouldn't trust any of the stewards anymore.

Even if a steward is lucky enough to gain control of the estate, he will certainly be subject to strict supervision by the Rong family; this is something that needs no thought.

That's right, the four stewards of the Rong family did nothing and had no intention of getting involved in the affairs of the estate.

It was obvious that the Rong family would not hand over the estate to their clansmen for management, especially since there were no outstanding young members of the Jia clan in the capital.

The Rong family only has a few young men, and Huan-ge'er seems to be the most reliable. We can't rely on Jia Baoyu, can we?

He explained these matters to Lin Daiyu in detail.

Although Lin Daiyu was intelligent, her age and experience limited her, and she did not understand everything.

However, when she spoke out about her father's deduction at a gathering of young ladies in the Rong family, it still had some effect; the old lady remained silent after hearing it.

As for Madam Wang, she simply pursed her lips and said nothing more.

The two bigwigs of the Rong family just wanted a plausible excuse.

Sure enough, Lin Ruhai delivered it just in time!

Is that really what Lin Ruhai thought? Of course not!

He felt that Master Zheng's actions had a strong sense of rewarding merit.

Otherwise, even if Jia Huan were a genius, his age and status as an illegitimate son would be a problem. The actions of the Second Master Zheng could not be described as forcing growth; they were simply giving him direct benefits.

Jia Huan's performance was even better than everyone expected.

He simply led a group of strong and sturdy underlings, braving the cold wind, and toured the eight major estates outside the city, easily establishing his initial authority.

Those who were dissatisfied were all beaten so badly by his underlings that they'd probably be bedridden for the entire Chinese New Year.

Having grown up in the countryside in my previous life, I understand best what rural life is really like.

As long as there is a legitimate reason and enough power, nothing will happen!

There's no need to reason with them; as long as the tenants know that Jia Huan is currently the head of the estate, nothing else matters.

Jia Huan had enough power to suppress the tenants' discontent, so the process of taking over the estate was naturally very smooth.