The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

Madam Wang nodded in satisfaction and said leisurely, "Go and collect your reward. Remember to come and report to us immediately if there is any disturbance in the future!"

"Thank you for the generous gift, Mrs. Xie!"

Xiao Jixiang retreated with a happy expression. Zhou Rui's wife chuckled and said, "Huan-ge'er is quite self-aware, knowing that it's not easy to benefit from Consort Yuan's influence!"

Madam Wang smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "Since he has come up with an idea, let's do it according to his idea!"

"That's how it should be!"

Zhou Rui's wife chuckled and said, "I wonder what kind of expressions Aunt Zhao and Huan-ge'er will have when they hear this. They'll probably be frightened, right?"

Aunt Zhao was indeed frightened; upon hearing the message relayed by Zhou Rui's wife, all the color drained from her face.

She never expected that her wife would actually pull this trick on her.

As for Jia Huan, he also showed a look of surprise, but in Zhou Rui's eyes, it was an expression of utter shock, and she couldn't help but burst into laughter.

In fact, Jia Huan was calm and composed; he only revealed a little emotion to avoid attracting Lady Wang's attention.

Little Jixiang was eavesdropping by the door; it wasn't that he didn't notice.

It can only be said that there are indeed many things going on in the Rong family, and they have even come up with such a trick as using underhanded tactics.

He had long known that Lady Wang had spies around Aunt Zhao, and the reason he spoke those words to Aunt Zhao was precisely to let Lady Wang hear them.

To be honest, he had absolutely no interest in Yuan Chun's visit to her family!

What else could it do? It just caused a stir and excitement throughout the household.

As for the tangible benefits, they were not significant for the Rong family.

Of course, there are quite a few hidden benefits, but these really have nothing to do with Jia Huan. He can't possibly benefit from them; neither the old lady nor Madam Wang would agree to it.

If that's the case, why bother actively trying to get closer to them, making yourself look like you're good at scheming?

Why not have Lady Wang send me to the estate outside the city at an appropriate time to stay for a while, and then return after Yuan Chun's visit to her family?

In the original novel, the Rong family waited from early morning until the early hours of the morning to welcome Yuan Chun's visit home.

Of course, this is also related to the timing of releasing people from the palace these days. Choosing to do it on the Lantern Festival is just making things difficult for people.

On the Lantern Festival, all the concubines in the harem would spend the night with the Empress Dowager, and by the time they left the palace, it would be past midnight.

This may also be related to Yuan Chun's active application to leave the palace to visit her family. In any case, she has not done anything good.

"Auntie, there's nothing to be angry about. If you don't want us to participate, then we don't have to!"

After Zhou Rui's wife left in a smug manner, Jia Huan finally spoke up to comfort her, saying, "If we were really asked to participate in welcoming Consort Yuan, I wouldn't be so willing!"

Seeing that Aunt Zhao's attention was indeed drawn, he smiled and said, "Given my status in the mansion, I'll only be able to kowtow when the time comes. Do you think Consort Yuan will specifically summon her son?"

Aunt Zhao shook her head subconsciously and said, "You unlucky seed, you think you can have such a good thing?"

Jia Huan chuckled and said, "Auntie knows exactly what's going on, doesn't she?"

Aunt Zhao was rather embarrassed, as she had gotten used to some of her catchphrases and couldn't change them in a short time.

Knowing she wouldn't gain anything, she decisively gave up, and her whole demeanor lightened: "I heard the manor is going to build a separate residence for visiting relatives. Isn't Zhao Guoji running a general store outside?"

The meaning didn't need to be explicitly stated; Jia Huan naturally understood Aunt Zhao's thoughts.

"Well, it's hard to say!"

Jia Huan didn't hide anything and said directly, "It depends on who is in charge of the construction. After all, Master and Second Brother Lian both have to go to the yamen, and Master She is someone who doesn't care about anything!"

"It's possible that the matter will fall into the hands of the head steward. As long as it's not Zhou Rui, my uncle's side can gain some advantage, but it won't be easy to gain a big advantage!"

"It's good enough if we can get a good deal!"

Aunt Zhao chuckled and said, "When the time comes, have Zhao Guoji bring some silver. We can't let him get all the benefits, can we? If it weren't for me, Aunt Zhao, how would he have had this opportunity?"

Jia Huan was truly at a loss for words. Fortunately, his uncle Zhao Guoji was an honest man, otherwise, given Aunt Zhao's opportunistic behavior, they would have fallen out sooner or later.

After finishing his meal, Master Zheng Er leisurely went to Rongqing Hall to pay his respects to the old lady.

That's why I say he's a truly filial son.

If someone is in the mansion, they will almost never miss a daily greeting, rain or shine.

Regardless of what the elders are thinking, they won't appear too bad on the surface.

Of course, Lord She is an exception!

Anyway, it's a fact that the old lady doesn't like Master She. Although he is also blindly filial, he won't come to Rongqing Hall to pay his respects every day like Master Zheng does.

Sanchun and Xue Baochai were both there, and they hurriedly got up to greet Master Zheng.

Seeing that the Second Master Zheng was not in a hurry to leave, they quickly made an excuse to leave.

"Is there something you need, second brother?"

The old lady was in a good mood. The fact that the emperor allowed concubines to visit their families gave her some ideas and plans.

According to her plan, as long as it was done properly, it wouldn't be difficult to make the Rong family stand out, and it could even boost the Rong family's prestige to a higher level.

She's lived to such an old age, all she wants is a glamorous and respectable life.

As for the potential cost, how could we possibly care? The Rong family can absolutely afford it.

"Mother, I'm afraid the detached house for visiting relatives cannot be built within the manor!"

The Second Master Zheng didn't mince words and said directly, "After all, our mansion was built by imperial decree, and I'm afraid that in the future..."

The rest of the sentence was left unsaid, which was somewhat ominous, but the meaning was already quite clear.

"This one……"

The old lady was stunned for a moment and couldn't say a word for a long time.

The reminder from the Second Master Zheng made her feel quite uncomfortable.

The name "Imperial Construction of Rongguo Mansion" sounds impressive, but in reality, it was just a nice-sounding name in the end.

Once the title of nobility in the mansion is lost, the Rong Mansion must be returned to the royal family; there is no room for negotiation.

"Another point!"

Seeing that the old lady showed no intention of speaking, the Second Master Zheng braced himself and continued, "Also, once the Imperial Residence is completed, the palace will definitely send people to manage it..."

This is another troublesome matter; he doesn't want to live under the surveillance of palace eunuchs.

The old lady was startled again, and felt a headache coming on.

I was so focused on having fun that I forgot about the troublesome matter of building the family villa.

In the original novel of Dream of the Red Chamber, the events in the Grand View Garden are highly unlikely to have occurred.

Unless the imperial residence is built far from the capital, where the emperor is far away and the palace and the Imperial Household Department have no jurisdiction, trying to do this would be a death sentence.

Not to mention, Tan Chun's pioneering "regional responsibility system" is practically handing the enemy a handle to use against her. Has the royal family really fallen to such a state?

It can be said that once something happens in the Grand View Garden in the original novel, any official outside, whether or not they are an imperial censor, will be able to file a complaint and get it approved.

During the feudal imperial era, the system of rites and etiquette was taken very seriously!

It reached its peak during the early Ming Dynasty. Throughout history, only during the early Ming Dynasty could the Minister of Rites achieve the highest position among the Six Ministries, and this is why.

Even the planning for building houses is subject to very strict rules, let alone a separate residence for visiting relatives.

If it were just a matter of renovating a courtyard in the mansion into a temporary residence for the imperial family visit, that would be fine. Once the visit was over, it could simply be sealed off, and there would be no need for the palace to send anyone to reside there.

As long as we don't forget to send someone to clean up the place, the matter will be fine.

The Rong Mansion is to be built into a stunning garden-style villa for visiting relatives, a feature that would be considered exceptionally beautiful even among the most powerful and influential families in the capital. How could the imperial family not send someone to reside there? Dream on.

"This wasn't your idea, second brother, was it?"

Unable to find a solution, the old lady had no choice but to change the subject, asking curiously, "Who told you this?"

"The retainers in the main study!"

Master Zheng has also become shrewd. Knowing that the old lady dislikes Jia Huan, he naturally cannot sell Jia Huan outright. After all, he is indeed a retainer of the Grand Study, and he has not said anything wrong.

"Does he have any suggestions on how to avoid these troubles?"

The old lady asked curiously, "After all, Consort Yuan's visit home is a major event for the household!"

"This hasn't been mentioned yet!"

Master Zheng said with a wry smile, "The imperial decree has only just been issued, so our mansion has plenty of time to prepare. We still need to discuss it thoroughly with Consort Yuan in the palace!"

After all, he had been the head of the Court of State Ceremonial for a long time, so it was impossible for Master Zheng Er not to have made any progress.

There were some things Jia Huan hadn't considered, yet he said them so casually, which only shows that Master Zheng's own level of understanding has improved quite quickly.

Even though he still knew nothing about practical matters, Master Zheng's current perspective was enough to handle ordinary things and troubles, and he had plenty of people under his command who could get things done.

"That's it!"

The old lady was somewhat disappointed, but as Master Zheng said, there was still plenty of time.

Matters like building a separate residence for visiting relatives should be considered carefully. She also didn't want to bring in more palace eunuchs to her household because of the construction of such a residence.

Seeing that the old lady had nothing to say, Master Zheng Er got up to take his leave.

He did have some ideas in mind, but he was afraid that neither the old lady nor Madam Wang would agree. So he decided it was best not to voice them, to avoid making things unpleasant for everyone.

Jia Huan was unaware that the Second Master Zheng had acted extremely quickly this time, having already explained the difficulties of building the Imperial Residence to the Old Madam. He continued to live a relatively fulfilling and low-key life.