The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

They were actually willing to give up all their strength for me and Cong-ge to borrow temporarily!

That's fine. Once news comes from the Prince Zhongshun's residence, let Lord She's men get involved as well, so that he knows that his nephew isn't just messing around outside.

When they came out, they ran into Madam Xing and Xing Xiuyan again.

These two seem to have been waiting for me on purpose?

His gaze swept over Xing Xiuyan subtly, and seeing that she was calm and showed no signs of distress, he relaxed his guard slightly, hoping that Madam Xing would not play matchmaker.

It wasn't that he was overthinking things; it was simply a matter of his own circumstances.

At this point, he could only be considered a collateral branch of the Jia family in the capital, so naturally he couldn't use the Rong Mansion's name at will.

Jia Huan already owned a business. Although he was only twelve years old, he was already about 1.7 meters tall and exuded a strong and capable aura. He looked no different from an adult.

Who knows if Madam Xing might think he's alright and then have the idea of ​​playing matchmaker?

Well, I don't know why, but women around forty years old seem to really enjoy matchmaking.

After exchanging greetings, Madam Xing pulled him aside and inquired carefully about Cong-ge'er's specific situation, as if she wouldn't let him go until she had a clear understanding of Cong-ge'er's background.

Jia Huan's heart skipped a beat, and a relaxed smile spread across his face.

It's laughable, really. As Cong'er's legal mother, Madam Xing knew absolutely nothing about Cong'er, her illegitimate son, and kept asking Jia Huan all sorts of questions.

Her purpose was obvious: she wanted to matchmake her niece Xing Xiuyan with Cong Ge'er.

Jia Huan actually thought the marriage was not bad.

In the original novel of Dream of the Red Chamber, Xing Xiuyan eventually married Xue Pan's cousin, Xue Ke, which is considered one of the better endings for a character in the original work.

The key point is that her parents are both quite good, and they were able to raise a daughter with Xing Xiuyan's personality, so her own character is unlikely to be too bad.

In addition, it must be said that Xing Xiuyan is an absolute beauty!

According to the original novel of Dream of the Red Chamber, she was a great beauty on par with Xue Baoqin, and even slightly better than Xue Baochai and Lin Daiyu!

With such good looks and a gentle personality, he's a great match for Cong-ge at this moment.

Of course, this is only Jia Huan's opinion at the moment; it's unclear what Cong-ge'er thinks.

After all, the marriage was Cong-ge'er's business, and he couldn't guarantee that Cong-ge'er wouldn't hate the house because of the crow.

After all, Madam Xing was by no means a qualified stepmother, and it was hard to say whether Cong-ge'er harbored any resentment towards her. Jia Huan was not in a position to arbitrarily matchmake.

Seeing that Jia Huan's attitude was good, Madam Xing asked a series of questions and then simply said, "Huan-ge'er, my niece is wonderful in every way, and the master has also agreed. Could you please ask Cong-ge'er for his thoughts and opinions?"

As she said this, Xing Xiuyan, who was standing next to her, subconsciously took two steps back, a shy expression appearing on her delicate face.

Jia Huan nodded and smiled, "No problem, I will give you an accurate answer soon!"

Under Madam Xing's happy gaze, Jia Huan slowly left the estate.

Watching his departing figure, Xing Xiuyan said, "Aunt, you said this person is only twelve years old, not even thirteen. It doesn't seem quite right!"

"Hey, it's perfectly normal for martial artists to be taller and stronger!"

Madam Xing waved her hand dismissively, saying, "Cong-ge is only a year older than him, but his height and build are even more exaggerated. Judging from his appearance alone, he's a complete giant!"

Xing Xiuyan said shyly, "Auntie, isn't this a bit too fast?"

"What's quick?"

Madam Xing disagreed, saying, "You've already come of age, and Cong-ge'er has made a name for himself. It's perfect timing. Let's get things done quickly!"

"That kid is a hot commodity now!"

She said unhappily, "The eldest daughter of the Xue family in Jinling is already engaged to her, yet she's still eagerly trying to get close to him. Otherwise, how could she be so quick to agree?"

"That, that, that..."

Xing Xiuyan was somewhat puzzled and also felt rather flustered.

She really wanted to ask: since that Cong-ge'er was engaged to the Xue family's daughter, why was he involved with her as well?

She didn't have any fantasies about being with one person for life, but she also couldn't possibly agree to be someone's concubine.

Madam Xing chuckled and said, "Don't worry, as my niece and the other party is Cong-ge'er, it will be easy for you to become a secondary wife!"

"The key question is, once you're married into the family, will you be able to establish yourself properly within the household?"

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Meanwhile, Prince Chungshun returned to his palace in anger.

It took him a long time to suppress his displeasure, but he still held a grudge against Jia Huan in his heart.

Damn it, this kid is so disrespectful to the prince! He really doesn't know his place!

Only then did the chief clerk dare to approach and inquire about the matter. Previously, back at the Rong family estate, he had been terrified that the prince would lose his temper and be beaten up by that brat Jia Huan, which would be a terrible injustice.

Prince Zhongshun sneered, "That kid Jia Huan is indeed quick-witted!"

Then, he recounted Jia Huan's suggestion, concluding, "I believe it is highly feasible!"

"If that's true, then that place is indeed a great choice!"

The chief clerk's eyes lit up, and he asked excitedly, "Your Highness, what do you mean?"

"Of course, we'll just get right to it!"

Prince Zhongshun sneered, "Since the place is so good, let's just take it!"

"Aren't you going to greet the other princely residences?"

"What's the point of greeting them? If they're unwilling to take the risk, they can only have soup!"

Once the target was identified, the Prince Zhongshun's Mansion quickly took action.

First, the Prince's Palace announced to the public that it intended to participate in overseas trade to make money.

Immediately, we sent people to shipyards in the south to purchase various types of ocean-going vessels!

Speaking of maritime trade, by the late Ming Dynasty, the south had basically been opened up.

Otherwise, the Zheng family, a powerful force that dominates Southeast Asia, would not have emerged.

The Great Qian Dynasty originated in Nanjing, so it naturally had a good understanding of maritime trade along the southern coast.

After conquering the Zheng family in Fujian Province during the reign of Emperor Taizu, he established numerous maritime trade offices in major coastal ports in the south, following the model of the Song Dynasty.

The Wang family, one of the four great families of Jinling, was wealthy because their ancestor, who followed the founding emperor, controlled almost all the maritime trade offices. Their wealth was undoubtedly immense.

Due to the flourishing of maritime trade, several large private shipyards emerged in the south, and the number of small and medium-sized shipyards was countless.

The situation in the north was worse, after all, the Later Jin dynasty had been entrenched in the north for decades.

During this period, industrial and agricultural production in the north suffered a devastating blow, and some aspects have not fully recovered even now, although there are other factors at play.

Unfortunately, as the center of the imperial court shifted to the north, its control over the south was greatly reduced.

Now, the situation that occurred in the south during the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty is beginning to reappear.

Local gentry and powerful families grew in power, colluding with academies to plunder vast amounts of wealth, which never ended up in the hands of the imperial court. As a result, the salt tax became the sole source of revenue for the government.

Anyone with even a basic understanding of the history and economy of the Southern Song Dynasty knows that its economic prosperity was largely due to its thriving maritime trade.

The sheer amount of profit involved is evident from the sheer power and influence of the Zheng family in southern Fujian back then.

Unfortunately, the lucrative profits of maritime trade have now been swallowed up by powerful families along the southern coast, resulting in severe consequences. The revenue of the Maritime Trade Office has been declining again and again, which is simply unbelievable.

These things had little to do with Prince Zhongshun at the time. In any case, his grand plan to get involved in maritime trade did attract the attention of many powerful figures in the capital.

The present day is no exception, and they even had the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigate.

There were no problems as expected, so I didn't worry about it too much for the time being.

What is unknown to the present day is that Prince Zhongshun's actions are quite significant.

Ordering various types of seagoing vessels from shipyards in the south under the name of the Prince's Mansion would naturally not be hindered.

That's right, the powerful families along the southern coast are very domineering!

Any power that wants to join the maritime trade can only dream of ordering ships if it doesn't gain their approval or isn't one of their own.

With just a few simple tricks, any force interested in maritime trade could be wiped out.

Even if you manage to get a ship, there are still many dangers ahead once you set sail.

This is also the main reason why they have always controlled the majority of the maritime trade in the Great Qian Dynasty.

Because the other party has intricate connections with local officials and even some officials in the imperial court, even if the imperial court wants to take action, it will be of little use without the determination to use drastic measures.

These powerful families along the southern coast all had private armies on the sea, and their fighting strength was quite formidable.

At the very least, the coastal garrisons, which were already in near disarray, were no match for the private armies under their command. It was that exaggerated; reality was more fantastical than fiction.

Prince Chungsun ordered a large number of ships and assured the powerful families along the southern coast that he would only conduct maritime trade with Goryeo.

If you want to enter the Japanese trade system, you must first obtain their approval.

In this way, the Prince Zhongshun's Palace was able to successfully order a number of new seagoing vessels and also temporarily purchase a batch of old seagoing vessels.

Among these purchases, the Xue family business also bought several seagoing vessels.

Half of them belonged to Jia Huan, which was due to the convenience of being associated with the Prince Zhongshun's mansion.