The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

Aunt Xue looked at her daughter Xue Baochai, who was staring blankly, with a face full of sorrow and regret.

As the saying goes, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels a thousand miles. The news of Jia Baoyu's affair reached the Xue family's ears immediately.

Xue Baochai paled, while Aunt Xue was shaken and her face was filled with disbelief.

This wasn't the first time Jia Baoyu had done something like this.

When Xue Pan returned, he sneered repeatedly and said disdainfully, "What's so surprising? Do Mother and Sister still have any illusions about Baoyu?"

"My son, we really can't have any expectations of Baoyu!"

Aunt Xue quickly chimed in, "I think Cong-ge'er is quite good!"

The mere thought of Jia Baoyu being indiscriminate in his love of meat and vegetables makes me feel nauseous.

Before, she had always thought Jia Baoyu was a good boy. It's such a waste that he has such a good family background and good looks. It's simply incomprehensible.

"It's entirely up to Mother and Brother to decide!"

Xue Baochai had indeed given up. Jia Baoyu had repeatedly caused problems, and she didn't want such problems to arise again after they got married, which would be extremely embarrassing.

She could accept it as a woman, after all, it was the era of feudal imperial power, and having multiple wives and concubines was perfectly normal.

Even Lin Daiyu, in the original novel of Dream of the Red Chamber, did not reject Xiren, so Xue Baochai naturally would not have any unconventional ideas, nor would it fit her character.

But if Jia Baoyu also had an affair with a man, she would absolutely not accept it.

Even Xue Pan at this time did not switch to the mode of not being averse to meat or vegetables. Xue Baochai is not mentally ill, so how could she possibly stand this?

Therefore, when Xue Panxing hurriedly told Jia Huan that his sister was willing to marry Jia Cong, Jia Huan was not too surprised and thought it was normal.

The Xue family needs strong external support, not their own painstaking cultivation.

Unless one can marry into one of the top three ranks, even a second-ranked scholar is not enough.

If Xue Pan hadn't squandered the money recklessly, the Xue family's assets would have been at least in the tens of millions.

How much power must one have to maintain such a vast fortune?

Once Xue Baochai marries an outsider, it will be much harder for her to leverage the Rong family's influence. Lady Wang will not agree, and the old lady is even less likely to give in easily.

Therefore, those who marry Xue Baochai must either have an extraordinary background or possess extraordinary potential that can be easily realized; they simply cannot be cultivated slowly over a period of ten years.

In the eyes of Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai, Jia Cong was naturally somewhat lacking.

However, Jia Cong is a fairly suitable candidate at present.

At this time, there were no rumors of a "perfect match," and Xue Baochai couldn't be kept hanging indefinitely. She was already sixteen years old and couldn't afford to wait any longer.

Jia Huan chuckled and said, "This is a good thing!"

Of course, as a member of a large family, the process of getting married is quite complicated.

Because Jia Cong's situation is somewhat special, the first thing to do is to get Master She to agree, which is quite simple.

Jia Huan privately approached Jia Lian and told him this.

"Really? The eldest daughter of the Xue family is interested in Cong-ge?"

Jia Lian was in the courtyard that had been given to Jia Huan in the mansion when he heard this and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Hehe, is Cong-ge'er really that bad?"

Jia Huan retorted, "He's a member of the Rong family, and with his exceptional martial arts skills honed since childhood, how could his future possibly be anything but bright, especially with my help in planning things out?"

"The key is that this matter must be approved by the master, otherwise there will inevitably be some shortcomings!"

"If you want me to put in a good word for you, that's fine too, but you'll definitely get some benefits!"

Jia Lian, understanding the implied meaning from the music, immediately made his request.

He knew that Jia Huan was a wealthy man, and he wouldn't miss the opportunity to make some money.

"Second Brother Lian, you can't do this!"

Jia Huan laughed and said, "Once things are settled, Xue Pan will definitely give you plenty of benefits. Don't worry!"

"But persuading the master is not such an easy task!"

With a chuckle, Jia Lian understood, but when it came to practical issues, he felt a bit of a headache.

Lord She is not someone to be trifled with!

"This is very simple!"

Jia Huan, however, didn't take it seriously. He chuckled and offered his idea, saying smugly, "This idea is extremely likely to succeed!"

"You little rascal, you're really cunning. If Master Zheng finds out, he'll be furious!"

Jia Lian chuckled mischievously, "How could you come up with such an idea?"

"Otherwise, how could we persuade the master?"

Jia Huan said irritably, "The best way to provoke us is by using the matter of the second wife!"

"This matter requires not only your involvement, but also that of your second sister-in-law, to persuade the first wife!"

"There's no need for such trouble. Just give the money to the First Madam, it's very easy!"

“You’re not a good elder brother. If we’re going to do something, we should do it well and not give the Xue family any reason to gossip. When Cong’er makes it big, you, as his elder brother, will also benefit!”

"You're just making empty promises. I'm a senior official in the Ministry of Revenue now. Even if Cong-ge'er is successful, it won't be something he can do in a short time. Don't try to make empty promises to me!"

Jia Huan chuckled and said nothing more. "Do you even know the value of being a top-ranking martial arts candidate?"

In fact, Jia Cong made a great splash in the battle at the gate of Prince Zhongshun's mansion.

Sure enough, after he left Jia Lian's place, Jia Qiang pulled him to the Ning Mansion to talk about Jia Cong, which directly concerned Jia Cong's ranking in the martial arts examination.

"Huan-ge'er, the manor has reached an agreement with the other noble families!"

Qin Keqing personally hosted the event, while Jia Qiang happily explained from the side, "As long as Cong-ge'er's martial arts skills are strong enough, his name will be among the top three in the martial arts examination that starts in October!"

"Is there still some problem inside?"

Jia Huan asked, "Don't try to outsmart me later, or don't blame me for turning ruthless!"

"Of course not!"

Jia Qiang hurriedly waved his hand and laughed, "Those noble family bigwigs are actually very curious about Cong-ge'er's martial arts skills. They don't know what level Cong-ge'er's strength has reached."

"Of course, the exams on military strategy can't go wrong, otherwise it will be very difficult for them!"

"This is natural!"

Jia Huan said confidently, "Although Cong-ge'er is not very interested in the Four Books and Five Classics, he is quite interested in studying military strategy and tactics. As long as the military examination is fair and just, he can easily rise to the top!"

This was undoubtedly his achievement. While Jia Cong was studying military strategy, he took the initiative to review past battles, combining theoretical knowledge with practical experience. It would have been difficult for him not to learn well.

In fact, Jia Huan also learned a lot in the process, so it was a win-win situation.

As for what Jia Qiang told him, it was actually quite simple: it concerned the quotas for the top three martial arts examination candidates.

Just like the civil service examinations were rife with shady dealings, the military examinations were also full of intrigue.

The number of military scholars was small; at least half of them had already been taken by noble families.

In particular, the spots for the top three scholars were the focus of fierce competition among various noble families.

When the Ming Dynasty collapsed, the Later Jin, which rose from Liaodong, stormed into the capital and took control of the northern regime for a period of time.

During this period, the military examinations held by the Later Jin court had a significant impact on the military examinations of the Daqian dynasty.

During the early Ming Dynasty, the emphasis on civil affairs over military affairs was particularly severe, resulting in the fact that even the top military candidates only held ranks of around the eighth grade, belonging to the lowest level of the military, and their appeal was naturally very limited.

However, the martial arts examination held by the Later Jin Dynasty greatly increased the prestige of the martial arts champion. As long as one became the martial arts champion, one would be granted the rank of a third-grade official, making one a sure-fire candidate for high-ranking positions in the military.

After the Daqian Dynasty drove out the Later Jin barbarians, it implemented a policy that emphasized both civil and military affairs, so it did not change the system of rewards for military examinations. Therefore, it is said that military examinations were a pretty good way out.

However, at least half of the final spots in the military examinations were snapped up by noble families early on, leaving the other half as a path for commoners to rise in society. Even so, this was already quite generous.

As a member of a noble family, Jia Huan only needed to inquire a little to understand the ins and outs of the martial arts examination.

Previously, he had asked the Ning family to compete with other noble families for the title of Martial Arts Scholar, and even for the top three positions.

Having a spot doesn't guarantee you'll achieve the corresponding results. After all, in martial arts, you can't fake it; only those with real ability can truly achieve the desired results.

However, if you don't have a spot, even if you have the ability, you won't be able to get the top three rankings.

Unless one risks offending some noble families and possesses the strength to overwhelm the other participants in the martial arts examination.

The chances of such a thing happening are obviously extremely slim!

Fortunately, Jia Huan had an excellent relationship with the Ning family and was able to persuade them to help him win the bid.

As for the Rong Mansion, Jia Huan didn't even mention it once; it's already quite good that he didn't cause any trouble.

The previous negotiations did not yield ideal results, and the other noble families were naturally unwilling to give up the three top-ranking positions easily, at most giving the Ning family a top-ranking military scholar position.

Chapter 248 Don't be shameless (Please subscribe)

During the Great Qian Dynasty, once someone passed the military examination, they immediately received a fifth-rank official position.

For children from ordinary families, this is a pretty good stepping stone to advancement.

But for a member of the Rong family like Jia Cong, it meant nothing at all.