The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

Just kidding. It's just that when there are good things out there, the best ones are naturally kept for personal use, and only the second-best ones are given away as gifts.

If you don't have the means to obtain such precious resources as century-old ginseng, how can you expect others to come to you on their own?

Originally, whether it was a manor in the Northeast or the Northwest, since it had nothing to do with the public, Wang Xifeng wouldn't have cared about it.

The problem is that every time someone comes from either the northeastern or northwestern village, the public funds have to be used to entertain them, which is not well-received.

These guys don't come to the capital easily; each time there are at least thirty or forty people, and sometimes even as many as seventy or eighty.

They arrived with local specialties and delicacies, so the manor naturally had to treat them well.

Putting everything else aside, at least let the people in these villages see the prosperity and scenery of the capital.

Staying for ten days or half a month is acceptable, but the amount of money spent will be considerable.

Each time it costs at least several hundred taels of silver, and there is at least one such reception every year, costing more than a thousand taels of silver.

Previously, Wang Xifeng was extremely unhappy about how tight the Rong family's finances were.

Right now, the government is not short of money, but the resentment that has accumulated over the years is not so easy to let go of; she doesn't have that kind of magnanimity.

Of course, Jia Huan could tell that Wang Xifeng was putting on a show when she told him all this.

It's nothing more than people being envious of the specialties from these two estates. Whether they exchange them for silver directly or use them as gifts, they would be excellent choices.

It's normal for Wang Xifeng to have some ideas when it comes to real interests.

Jia Huan didn't bother with it, mainly because he couldn't reach that far!

If the opportunity arises in the future, I wouldn't mind finding a way to bring all the estates in these two places under my control.

Even if it does nothing else, it can play a significant role simply by serving as a logistical support base for the Jia family members in the capital and the students of the clan school in two directions.

These two places are the most important border threats for the Great Qian Dynasty!

If the Jia family in the capital wants to rise to prominence, and the clan school needs to accommodate a large number of students, then the military is the best choice.

When the time comes, there will inevitably be troops entering the northeast and northwest border regions, and these two villages will play an important role, even potentially saving lives.

In my past life, I learned from movies and novels how ruthless the border regions were during the imperial era when the country was ruled by hereditary monarchy. If you didn't have the ability and weren't willing to risk your life, you could easily lose your life.

Not only do they have to guard against foreign cavalry from beyond the border, but sometimes they also have to guard against their own comrades.

If someone tampers with the grain and fodder even slightly, you can easily be cheated to the point of death, with no way to complain. But if you have a manor as a safety net, the situation is very different.

Of course, these were just fleeting thoughts in Jia Huan's mind. As for whether he could actually do it, he didn't want to say anything more about it, depending on the future situation.

Seeing that Jia Huan wasn't interested in these matters of the manor, Wang Xifeng, being a quick-witted person, changed the subject and brought up the matter of the Jinling clan sending people over.

Now, not only Jia Huan but also Jia Lian became interested.

He was usually very busy with official duties, serving as a senior official in the Ministry of Revenue, overseeing all matters related to a province. Once he got busy, he was so busy that he had no time to spare and had no time to attend to matters at home.

For example, just now, despite Wang Xifeng's enthusiastic speech, he showed absolutely no interest.

She even yawned at an inopportune moment, which nearly made Wang Xifeng lose her temper.

So, even though I'm saying such unpleasant things, it actually made you yawn, Second Master?

Is it because Huan-ge'er is there that I can't just fall asleep? It's infuriating!

Of course, these are just the scenes Jia Huan described in his mind, and it's hard to say whether they are actually true.

In short, as Jia Lian's career flourished, his status at home rose dramatically.

In the past, who would have dared to be so disrespectful to Wang Xifeng?

Wang Xifeng was also quite formidable; if it were in the past, she would probably have made a few sarcastic remarks on the spot.

But now, he can swallow his anger without batting an eye, which clearly shows that Jia Lian's status in the family is no longer what it used to be.

Perhaps there's another reason: Wang Xifeng used to constantly ridicule and mock Jia Lian about the Rong Mansion's lack of public funds.

Jia Lian was unaware of the intricacies of the situation and could only suppress his anger, refraining from lashing out.

But now, after Jia Huan's antics, they realized how deep the Rong Mansion's foundation was, and Wang Xifeng no longer dared to talk nonsense about it. Jia Lian was quite pleased with himself.

Ultimately, it was because Jia Lian himself had become capable that Wang Xifeng dared not cause trouble easily.

Otherwise, if Jia Lian were to part ways with her later, Wang Xifeng would be dumbfounded. Only a fool would do such a thing when life is going smoothly, unless he is willing to die with Jia Lian.

It's clear that Wang Xifeng's temper has subsided somewhat, and the couple's relationship has returned to normal.

Otherwise, as in the original novel of Dream of the Red Chamber, a situation where one side is strong and the other is weak is bound to cause problems.

In any case, based on Jia Huan's observation, Jia Lian had all sorts of bad romantic entanglements, much of which were due to spite.

That said, Jia Lian wasn't particularly interested in matters of the household, but he was quite interested in the sudden arrival of the Jinling clan in the capital.

Despite the fact that the Rong family's ancestral home is Jinling, their connection with the Jinling clan is not actually very close.

Aside from the sacrificial fields, there was almost no other interaction, let alone any personnel exchanges.

It's actually quite easy to understand. In past lives, whether in movies, TV dramas, or novels, people generally had a very neutral attitude towards distant relatives visiting, fearing that they would come to freeload.

Especially during the feudal imperial era, clan lineage and blood ties were highly valued.

Many officials appear glamorous on the outside, but in reality, they lead miserable lives.

Upon closer investigation, it became clear that the entire clan depended on them for support, and the weight of their burden and the pressure they faced were unimaginable. It was impossible for them not to have any crooked thoughts.

As for Jia Huan, he felt that he should be able to gain something by having a good exchange with the clansmen from Jinling.

Nanjing was the absolute core of the southern region. Even though the salt merchants of Yangzhou were the wealthiest in the world, they could not overshadow the brilliance of Nanjing.

As local strongmen in Nanjing, the members of the Nanjing clan must be very knowledgeable about things in the south.

At this moment, Jia Huan had no other thoughts in mind; he simply wanted to learn about the situation in the south.

To avoid making serious misjudgments due to a lack of understanding of the situation when encountering matters concerning the South in the future, which would not be a good thing.

"You don't know, the Jinling clan sent someone over to talk about the clan school!"

Speaking of this, Wang Xifeng was both beaming with pride and quite puzzled.

"Back in Jinling, they heard about how the clan school had produced several students who passed the imperial examinations and even the lowest level of the imperial examinations. That's why they rushed over here, wanting some of the clan's children from Jinling to come and study here!"

At this point, she couldn't help but shake her head and say, "I think the Jinling clan is just trying to curry favor with us!"

"It's just that it's not easy to say it too explicitly, so I used clan studies as a starting point to speak!"

“I know there are many academies in the south, and the Jinling clans are not short of money to send their children to school. Why would they travel thousands of miles to the capital to study?”

Jia Huan and Jia Lian exchanged a glance, both seeing speechlessness in each other's eyes.

He could only think to himself: It's terrifying to be uncultured!

The sudden dispatch of envoys from the Jinling clan to the capital might have been an attempt to curry favor, but the desire to educate their children was certainly not an excuse.

Just kidding. The academic atmosphere in the South is so strong that, apart from families like the Wang family, local powerful clans like the Jinling clan might not have initially thought much of their children's academic pursuits.

But over time, after being influenced for centuries, how could one not undergo some ideological change?

Xue Pan had mentioned the situation of the Jinling clan before. Those families that were not short of money generally sent their children to private schools or academies.

Unfortunately, the Jinling clan was a true local power, wielding considerable influence in Jinling.

That place is where the essence of the entire south is gathered, and in terms of various forms of entertainment, it may have more variety than the capital city, making it easy to be led astray.

With money in hand and considerable hidden power, it would be good enough if they didn't go astray, let alone want to study and make progress, unless a genius with extraordinary talent appears.

In the south, there are many long-established and prestigious families!

Despite the immense prestige of the four great families of Jinling, and even the Zhen family, the most powerful family in Jiangnan, they are actually quite insecure.

Because of the comparison with the local prominent families, it is easy to see one's own shortcomings.

That is, the wealth and status of the clan depended entirely on the clan members in the capital or the empresses in the palace.

If a member of the same clan in the capital or a concubine in the palace gets into trouble, and the person in question doesn't have enough power to protect themselves, the consequences are predictable.

If there are any clear-headed elders in the clan, they will try their best to solve this problem.

Once the problem is solved, the family can easily transform from a local powerful clan into a promising aristocratic family or even a prestigious clan. Such a leap is no joke.

The only ways to continuously cultivate talent are through studying or practicing martial arts.

Clearly, studying is a more stable and safer option, making it the preferred choice for family transformation.

Originally, the clan schools of both Jinling and the capital were equally incompetent, achieving nothing for decades, and thus had no other ambitions.

But then, out of the blue, the clan schools in the capital suddenly saw a surge in students, producing several students who passed the preliminary examinations and became scholars in just a few years. That changed everything.

At the very least, the Jinling clan will definitely be greatly moved upon hearing the news!

If Jia Huan were the head of the Jinling clan, his first thought would definitely be to immediately send the talented members of the Jinling clan to the clan school in the capital to study and improve their skills.

Even passing the imperial examinations and becoming a scholar (not to mention the highest level) or a licentiate (the highest level) would be quite an achievement.

Using the influence of the Jinling clan, sending clansmen who passed the imperial examinations to government offices to serve as low-level officials was also a way for the clan to gradually transform itself.

Putting everything else aside, wasn't Song Yashi from Water Margin awesome?

Chapter 205 'Self-Inflicted Trouble' (Please Subscribe)

Soon, Jia Huan received a notification from Master Zheng.