The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

Jia Huan said nonchalantly, "It's just that Sister Lin has been back in the manor for several years now, and she still acts so aloof and arrogant. That's not quite right!"

You don't necessarily have to become worldly-wise, but you should at least know the ins and outs.

Butler Lin was somewhat embarrassed and didn't know what to say about his young mistress.

Indeed, Lin Daiyu's aloof and proud nature is not very likable.

Having said that, Jia Huan stopped mentioning Lin Daiyu and decided to treat what had just happened as a coincidence.

Back in the Rong Mansion's main study, he informed Master Zheng of Lin Ruhai's decision.

After a long silence, the Second Master Zheng finally said listlessly, "That's all we can do!"

Clearly, they had prepared themselves mentally beforehand, otherwise they wouldn't have accepted the outcome so quickly.

It can only be said that the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites is still something that many people envy and want to compete for.

Lin Ruhai appeared too inconspicuous, causing people to subconsciously overlook his shrewdness and abilities, and thus want to seize greater benefits from him.

If it weren't for the current willingness, no one could have made a difference!

Lin Ruhai quickly submitted a memorial stating that his health was not very good and it was not appropriate for him to continue serving as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, so he resigned from the position.

The emperor pretended to care about Lin Ruhai's health, and then readily agreed to give Lin Ruhai a truly sinecure—the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices!

Originally, according to the rites, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was responsible for the emperor's sacrifices, and it would have had several opportunities to shine in the limelight each year.

Unfortunately, the Great Qian Dynasty was not like the Ming Dynasty. The duties of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices were gradually encroached upon by the Ministry of Rites, and it is now just an empty shell. If it doesn't fight for power, it will just be a place to retire.

Of course, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was a third-rank official, and the emperor also gave Lin Ruhai the concurrent position of Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, so nominally he was still a second-rank official.

I thought Lin Ruhai had taken the initiative to back down, and now he should be satisfied.

As a result, when Dai Quan left the palace, he took the initiative to call Jia Qiang of Ning Mansion over to talk to him and revealed some very bad news: the emperor hopes that Lin Ruhai will serve as the Salt Transport Commissioner of Lianghuai!

Damn it, what's the difference between this and being appointed as the Salt Commissioner of Yangzhou?

This is absolutely outrageous!

When the news reached the Rong family, the Second Master Zheng rarely lost his temper.

"Master, then let's take the initiative and muddy the waters completely!"

Jia Huan suggested, "Just push one of the current top officials to the position!"

As he said this, his eyes held an undisguised smile, as if he were looking forward to a good show.

The current emperor should stop pondering things on his own and let the cabinet and court officials help share the burden.

The Rong family and Lin Ruhai regarded the position of Salt Commissioner as a terrible threat, but other officials did not share this attitude; they probably couldn't wait to take on such a lucrative post.

As long as one can successfully remain in office for a year and withstand the current emperor's displeasure, one can easily amass an astonishing fortune of hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.

If one has the skill, earning a million taels a year is not a dream.

The saying goes that money can move people's hearts; even high-ranking officials in the imperial court are not immune to being tempted and wanting to try it out.

Anyone who reaches a high position of the third rank or above would consider themselves the most special one.

If they knew about the existence of "Chosen Ones," they would definitely think they were one of them.

that's the truth!

The Rong family and Lin Ruhai took the initiative, recommending several important court officials for positions such as Salt Inspector or Salt Transport Commissioner of Lianghuai during small court assemblies.

This immediately caused quite a stir in the imperial court.

Just as Jia Huan had guessed, of the recommended high-ranking officials, only one or two actively expressed their unwillingness to accept the offer, while the rest did not react at all.

Jia Huan had overheard that these guys had done some things behind the scenes, but he didn't know what the outcome was.

What Jia Huan didn't expect was that there were quite a few people interested in the top two positions in the salt administration.

Other factions or cliques, as well as important officials who were interested in the positions of Salt Inspector and Salt Transport Commissioner of Lianghuai, all took action, making the court quite lively.

This made the current emperor feel quite depressed.

The main reason he kept staring at Lin Ruhai was because he felt Lin Ruhai was easy to manipulate.

In addition, there was also a slight element of weakening the power of Consort Yuan's family.

As can be seen from the scene of the imperial concubines visiting their families in the original novel, Yuan Chun's status was the highest among all the concubines visiting their families.

It's not hard to guess that among the concubines in the harem, very few had a family background as powerful as Yuan Chun's.

The founding nobles must have had a tacit understanding that not all their daughters of marriageable age would enter the harem for infighting, as that would not be in their own interest; having one or two representatives would suffice.

At that time, the Rong family had already declined drastically, falling directly from a top-tier noble family to a second-tier noble family.

Even so, the current regime still uses the method of building a separate residence for visiting relatives to completely drain the Rong family's coffers, leaving them with no chance of recovery.

The Rong family mansion now is far more powerful than it was at the same time in the original story.

The Second Master Zheng was the head of the Court of State Ceremonial, and Jia Lian had become a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue, with the support of Lin Ruhai, a second-rank official.

Moreover, the Ning family's strength should not be underestimated.

They are wealthy and have established deep-rooted connections with other founding noble families and certain forces within the military. If such connections were to erupt, they would be a force to be reckoned with.

With these external aids, Yuan Chun is not to be underestimated even by today's standards!

If Yuan Chun successfully becomes pregnant and gives birth to a prince, he will naturally be a strong contender for the throne.

People today don't think their lifespan is short; just look at the retired emperor who is still old and alive.

Considering the balance of power in the harem, weakening Yuan Chun's support base if the opportunity arises would obviously be a very good thing.

Jia Huan had some guesses about these inside stories. Mainly, in the original novel of Dream of the Red Chamber, the current emperor's actions were so petty and despicable that he had to be vigilant and take precautions, which made him think of this.

Of course, he wouldn't casually utter such a guess; no one would believe it.

Sometimes, Jia Huan couldn't understand how the Grand View Garden in the original novel, which was a royal residence for visiting relatives, could be used by Jia Baoyu and his family.

If the core members of the Rong family were to say they didn't understand the rules, then why were they so confused about the matter of the royal villa, when the Rongxi Hall and other buildings in the mansion, which were built according to the standards of a duke, either sealed off or not allowed to be occupied?

Another point is, what exactly was the Rong family's purpose in spending so much money to build such a magnificent garden for the royal family?

That was all of the Lin family's assets, plus all of the Rong family's working capital, and they also received hundreds of thousands of taels of silver from relatives and friends.

If all that money were poured into officialdom, it could produce at least two or three high-ranking officials of the third rank.

It can only be said that the Rong family, as a noble family, relied too much on the imperial family. In any case, Jia Huan found it difficult to understand this distorted way of thinking for a while.

At this moment, he was completely absorbed in watching the excitement.

The imperial court was in an uproar because of the Rong family's and Lin Ruhai's initiative to recommend them.

Just as he had guessed, there were quite a few important officials in the court who were interested in the positions of Salt Transport Commissioner of Lianghuai and Salt Inspector.

The funniest thing is that the three most important ministers under the current emperor have started an internal power struggle to seize these two positions, and they are fighting fiercely in the court every day.

Even if the current emperor intervenes personally in a fit of anger, the effect is not very good.

At this moment, the behavior of the court officials perfectly illustrated what it means to be swayed by self-interest.

Even now, it's unlikely that they can suppress it.

In contrast, Rong Fu and Lin Ruhai, who had taken the initiative to push the person, had the leisure to observe coldly from the sidelines.

And so, amidst the turmoil in the imperial court, Lin Ruhai fully recovered.

As early winter approached, Jia Huan no longer focused on the court; at most, he would listen to the gossip happening in the court from his study.

This year, the harvest in the Beijing area has been quite good, with no floods, no droughts, and no locust plagues.

The crops in the eight estates of Rong Mansion were growing well and were successfully harvested and stored in the granary in the autumn.

Jia Huan didn't play any tricks; he honestly delivered 80,000 taels of silver to the public treasury, making Wang Xifeng overjoyed and praising Jia Huan's competence.

What's so praiseworthy about it?

Jia Huan's income from grain alone amounted to tens of thousands of taels of silver. With the additional livestock he raised, his total income was even more than what he gave to the household.

It can only be said that the first generation of Duke Rongguo was indeed capable, leaving behind eight major estates that were all treasure troves.

If managed well, the harvest of silver, food, and supplies could be truly extravagant.

"If it weren't for the fact that the old lady and the madam both disagreed, I would really like to put all the estates in the manor and outside under your management, so as to increase the public income!"

To show that she valued him, Wang Xifeng invited Jia Lian to a family banquet with Jia Huan, during which she made a remark.

Chapter 204 It's Terrifying to Be Uncultured (Please Subscribe)

Jia Huan simply smiled and remained silent in response to Wang Xifeng's complaints.

The Rong family's businesses outside the capital certainly didn't just include the estates outside the capital and the shops in the city.

Just as a cunning rabbit has three burrows, the same applies to the properties established by noble families.

Villages like those in Northeast China and Northwest China actually exist.

However, those are resources that only the head of the family can control, and they have little to do with the public.

Otherwise, where did the high-quality ginseng and various precious animal hides stored in the warehouse come from?

Surely it can't all be gifts from outsiders, right?