The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

But the tenants and their families in the estate numbered over three thousand. They all needed to eat, didn't they?

In addition, the Rong family's basic food supplies all need to be provided free of charge by the estate!

With a family of nearly a thousand people, the amount of refined rice and white flour consumed daily is astonishing.

That's right, the Rong family is just that extravagant!

They were all born into the family and ate only refined rice and white flour. As for things like brown rice, they were never allowed into the main study. It was that extreme.

In addition, the eight farms must also provide Rongfu's main kitchen with enough vegetables!

Even if we don't say we'll take care of everything, at least 70% of the supplies will need to be provided by the farm!

The kitchen staff didn't care whether the farm was affected by a disaster or not; they just needed to ensure the daily supply was met. Otherwise, if the servants' meals were delayed, no one could afford the consequences.

The sons of the Rong family were used to being arrogant and domineering; how could they tolerate the slightest grievance or displeasure?

Jia Huan needs to take all of these things into account.

Honestly, as long as we organize the more than 3,000 people in the eight major farms, it will be quite easy to reduce the losses caused by the locust plague. Even if the yield is reduced, it can be controlled to about 30% to 40%, which is better than a complete crop failure, right?

Jia Huan never imagined that he would personally contribute money to fill the gap in supplying the Rong Mansion's main kitchen!

If any tenant farmer on any farm disobeys orders, feels there is no justice in the face of disaster, and chooses to simply lie down, Jia Huan wouldn't mind letting him experience true despair.

As locust plagues swept through Zhili province, a new wave of refugees began to emerge.

In any case, there are never many years of true peace in the capital. No matter what bad things happen, there are always large numbers of displaced people who come to the court hoping to be given a way to survive.

Sometimes when I see those miserable refugees, I really feel sorry for them.

Disaster relief is the responsibility of the imperial court, and the court will not allow people or forces below to provide disaster relief privately. Even if Jia Huan had some ideas, it would be useless, not to mention that he did not have the power to do so.

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Faced with the rapidly escalating locust plague, the imperial court naturally could not remain indifferent.

There weren't many options, and no one was as stubborn as Jia Huan in encouraging people to eat locusts.

All they could do was keep most of the refugees alive with thin porridge, and that was about it.

In fact, every time a wave of migrants occurs, it is the time when certain forces and certain industries are at their most prosperous.

The situation isn't too bad right now; the real trouble will come during the summer harvest.

Grain prices in the capital have started to skyrocket again.

This time, the Ning family is cooperating with Jia Huan again, and also making connections with the Xue family. They are making so much money that they are a little nervous. Jia Qiang personally invited Jia Huan to the Ning family as a guest, and to have a chat.

Jia Huan readily agreed, and only arrived leisurely when it was almost mealtime.

In the front courtyard of the Ning Mansion, Jia Rong, Qin Keqing and her husband, and Jia Qiang were all present.

Upon seeing Jia Huan arrive, they all stood up to greet him, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

Only after working with Jia Huan for a long time did I realize how formidable this seemingly insignificant figure in the Rong Mansion was.

His status as a powerful figure in the Ningrong Street gang alone is not to be underestimated.

The artificial waterways from Tongzhou to Beijing, and the canal transport section from Tianjin to Tongzhou, were all controlled by the gang's underlings, meaning they controlled mountains of gold and silver.

He could easily gather hundreds of brave and daring henchmen; even the top local tyrants in Tongzhou couldn't compare.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Jia Huan's men are all thugs; if the government doesn't take drastic measures, they simply can't be eliminated.

As time went on, they would develop connections, some deep and some shallow, with local authorities, the Ministry of Revenue's warehouse management office, and the Grand Canal transport office, making them even more difficult to deal with.

Jia Huan is still so young, who knows how things will develop in the future?

The head of the Ning Mansion was of low seniority and not very bold, so naturally he dared not offend Jia Huan easily.

Ironically, their attitude has made the Ning family incredibly wealthy in the past two years, and now they are somewhat apprehensive, demonstrating the magnitude of their gains.

The brothers Jia Rong and Jia Qiang are clearly quite sincere this time.

After Jia Huan sat down at the table, the dishes that the maidservants brought out were all the finest of delicacies!

In a top-tier restaurant, this kind of meal would cost at least two or three hundred taels of silver.

With Qin Keqing's witty remarks and mastery of creating a lively atmosphere, Jia Huan was quite satisfied with the meal, and a look of contentment unconsciously appeared on his face.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Jia Qiang finally spoke up: "Uncle Huan, the price of grain on the market has risen quite a bit recently, and the Ning family's monthly income has exceeded 50,000 taels!"

At this point, he couldn't help but chuckle bitterly: "To be honest, we've made too much money, so much that even Rong-ge'er and I, as Rong-ge'er's wife, are starting to feel a little uneasy!"

"Seeing that these good days can continue until the locust plague ends and the autumn harvest arrives!"

"Do you think we should slow things down? I wonder what Uncle Huan's opinion is?"

After he finished speaking, Jia Rong and Qin Keqing both turned to look at him.

It's not that they're being pretentious; they've just made so much money it's almost too much to handle.

Last year, thanks to the drought, the rebellion, and the floods, the income from selling grain alone reached an astonishing 700,000 taels.

To put this into perspective, the revenue from grain sales alone almost covered the Ningfu government's debts!

That was a special case; I thought this year would at least return to normal.

But who knew that another locust plague would strike!

Grain prices, which had begun to recover, have started to surge again.

Although the Ning family did not put in much effort, their monthly income still exceeded 50,000 taels.

Although the north suffered from disasters last year, resulting in a poor harvest at the Ning family's estates outside the city, with most of the grain sold off, it's important not to forget that the Ning family is a branch of the Jia family in the capital, with close ties to the Jinling clan.

Putting aside other things, the number of sacrificial fields in Jinling alone is not small.

The Ning family can easily transfer large quantities of grain from Jinling. As long as they can successfully enter the capital, they can reap considerable profits. When the locust plague ends, they will probably earn hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.

In less than two years, the silver he could have earned from selling grain alone exceeded one million taels.

If this news gets out, even the royal family might have something to say about it!

Jia Rong was not a reckless person; knowing that earning too much money was also dangerous, he immediately felt guilty.

So they hurriedly sought out Jia Huan for advice!

"Would you like to elevate the Ning family's noble rank to a higher level?"

Instead of answering, Jia Huan asked, "I reckon the imperial court is out of money again?"

Since you feel that making too much money is too risky, then exchange your silver for a noble title.

Now is the perfect opportunity to spend hundreds of thousands of taels of silver to elevate the Ning family's title to First-Class General, which would be an absolutely glorious and honorable thing for the family.

The immortal cultivator Master Jing inherited this title!

It was only because the event was sudden, and the title was quickly passed to Jia Zhen after the deposed crown prince's death, that the value of the Ning family's title dropped at an alarming rate.

Now, if Jia Rong can restore the Ning family's title to the rank of First-Class General, he will definitely be a hero of the family.

Jia Rong, Qin Keqing, and Jia Qiang's eyes lit up immediately, clearly indicating that they had something on their minds.

Jia Huan doesn't need to get involved in this matter.

The matter of the outstanding debt from last year, as well as the act of helping Xue Pan make connections, brought the Ning family and Dai Quan, the Grand Chancellor of the Daming Palace, into a very close relationship.

This time, we'll just contact Dai Quan directly and bring the matter to the attention of the current emperor!

For other families, it would be extremely difficult to buy a title, especially a first-class general title, with money; the royal family couldn't afford to lose face like that.

This isn't even the end of a dynasty yet; any emperor with a shred of shame wouldn't do this.

Besides, such actions also have the connotation of taking advantage of someone's misfortune. Aren't you worried that the emperor will settle scores with you later?

The situation in the Ke Ning Mansion is different. With Qin Keqing as the mistress of the house, things are much easier to handle.

As I said before, Qin Keqing's background is basically an open secret.

The concubine daughter of the deposed crown prince who was not listed in the imperial genealogy could have her husband buy a first-class general's title with money. Regardless of the circumstances, the royal family and other noble families could accept this.

Of course, it's impossible to enter the ranks of the highest-ranking nobles.

Unless Qin Keqing's identity is recognized by the royal family and she is formally recognized as a member of the imperial clan, and the Ning family has made significant contributions, everything else is out of the question.

"Furthermore, there are more and more refugees outside the city, so don't be stingy when it's time to lend a hand!"

Jia Huan then advised, "Find ways to provide some of the refugees with a means to earn money and support their families. Don't just give them porridge and hand out favors; everyone is watching!"

It can only be said that the Ning family was fortunate to be in a good period and had plenty of money, which allowed them to be so extravagant.

It makes sense. Having earned a considerable income from selling grain for two consecutive years, they naturally wouldn't care too much about money. Problems that can be solved with money are hardly problems.

After giving some pointers, Jia Huan took his leave as it was getting late.

It's really funny when you think about it!

The Ning Mansion has started its crazy money-making mode again, and Jia Huan is convinced that the Rong Mansion has gotten wind of it.

The two families' servants are currently very close; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they are intertwined.

The situation of many families with children born in the same household is similar to that of Lai Da and Lai Er. Whenever something happens in the Ning Mansion, it quickly spreads throughout the Rong Mansion.

Making money by selling grain requires the labor and effort of many families; how could it possibly be kept secret?