The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

He laughed and said, "After all, this matter was not something that Uncle Lin brought up himself. He was just brought up and used as a pawn. Most of the officials in the court are aware of this!"

"At this time, Uncle Lin is quite safe, unless someone is deliberately targeting him!"

"If Uncle Lin loses his temper and speaks out, it will easily arouse suspicion from outsiders. Even if he didn't instigate this, he is at least one of the main instigators!"

"It might even make people suspect that he has ulterior motives!"

Jia Huan had just met Lin Ruhai not long ago. If Lin Ruhai really cared, he certainly wouldn't have kept quiet about it; that would have been too foolish.

If you want to stir up trouble in the imperial court, you have to be prepared for the backlash beforehand!

If things go wrong, he could even lose his job. Under such circumstances, if Lin Ruhai wanted to do anything, he would definitely have to consult with the Rong family beforehand and coordinate the steps to take.

Relying solely on his connections with fellow graduates and fellow townsmen was insufficient to guarantee his interests in the imperial court.

Although the old lady's approval is still still needed for major decisions in the Rong family, it is an undeniable fact that the Second Master Zheng's influence is growing.

"I wonder what your uncle is really thinking?"

The Second Master Zheng felt a headache coming on and said helplessly, "If handled properly, there is still a chance!"

“Master, I have met with my uncle a few times recently, and I can confirm that he has no intention of causing trouble!”

Jia Huan said directly, "Cousin Lin has already come of age. Given the Lin family's difficulty in having offspring, what Uncle Lin values ​​most right now is finding a suitable husband for Cousin Lin!"

At this point, she smiled and said, "If possible, we can continue the Lin family line through my grandson!"

"After all, my uncle is not young anymore, and he suffered a lot in Yangzhou!"

"When I talked to my uncle, I could tell he was quite worried, so he had no mind to pay attention to matters of the court."

"If it really comes down to a fight, with my uncle's achievements, there's no way he wouldn't have the ability to cause any trouble!"

Master Zheng suddenly understood, a relaxed expression appearing on his face. He nodded and said, "I see!"

As he spoke, he glanced at Jia Huan and asked curiously, "Your uncle really thinks highly of you, kid, he even tells you such private things!"

The speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously!

After Jia Huan took his leave, a retainer chuckled and said, "Master, it seems that Lord Lin has taken a fancy to Young Master Huan!"

"What do you mean by that?"

Master Zheng was taken aback; he was still pondering the suggestion Jia Huan had made before taking his leave.

Observe the situation and wait. If you are confident that you can gain an advantage, then act decisively!

Jia Huan bluntly told Master Zheng that the current turmoil in the court would not end so easily.

This was instigated by Prince Zhongshun, and he certainly won't give up easily if he doesn't achieve his goal.

Then, Jia Huan recounted the sordid affair between the current emperor and Prince Zhongshun regarding the maritime trade between Goryeo and Goryeo.

He bluntly stated that Prince Zhongshun would not easily give up until he disrupted the court situation.

Before Prince Zhongshun, it could be said that he was thoroughly outmaneuvered by the current emperor!

If we retaliate now, how can we easily give up and make peace without making them pay a certain price?

Now that the lid has been lifted on the salt administration, there's no possibility of letting go easily.

The profits from the salt administration are enormous; one only needs to think about it to understand. This turmoil is definitely not to be underestimated.

If things go wrong, there's a possibility of massive casualties in both the imperial court and local areas!

Of course, this matter has little to do with the Rong family or even the four great families of Jinling.

The four major families of Jinling did not participate in the salt administration, not because they had no ideas, but because they had not yet had time to put them into practice.

In this process, as long as the opportunity is seized, it is not impossible for the Second Master Zheng to place his own people or for the Second Master Zheng himself to advance further.

The Second Master Zheng was naturally quite tempted!

He served as the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial for about two years.

Because the martial virtue of the Great Qian Dynasty was not abundant, the Court of State Ceremonies was a rather leisurely government office.

The people he dealt with most were the mountain chieftains and other local lords within the Great Qian territory, so there was no need for Grandpa Zheng Er, a big shot, to personally step in and do anything.

At the same time, the second master of the government's vision and understanding of officialdom are improving.

Now that Yuan Chun has come to their aid in the palace, it's perfectly normal for them to want to take things further.

Moreover, he had already chosen his target: the Commissioner of State Affairs, a sinecure position!

Someone like Master Zheng Er, once he sets his mind on something, will not easily let it go.

Just then, a sudden upheaval broke out in the court, and he didn't need to personally get involved. All he had to do was give it a push at the crucial moment. He had been itching to make his move for a long time.

Jia Huan had been dealing with Master Zheng for many years and had a very accurate grasp of Master Zheng's thoughts.

With just a little provocation, Master Zheng Er became ambitious and wanted to advance further in his official career.

If the Rong family produces a high-ranking official of the third rank, the benefits will be astonishing.

At the very least, the Second Master Zheng will have the right to participate in the small court assembly, instead of being as awkward as before, bearing the title of Junior Nine Ministers but actually only a fourth-rank official.

While he was still thinking about these things, his retainer suddenly mentioned that Jia Huan might have caught Lin Ruhai's eye and had the potential to become Lin Ruhai's son-in-law.

"If that's the case, then that would be a really good thing!"

Upon hearing this, Master Zheng was delighted, as he quite approved of the matter and even had some expectations for it.

In the past, this would have been impossible. He would have summoned Jia Huan and given him a severe dressing-down, telling him to stop daydreaming.

The first person that comes to mind is definitely the eldest son, Jia Baoyu.

To be honest, if it were to be a marriage alliance with the Lin family, the eldest son, Jia Baoyu, would definitely be the most suitable.

He also knew that the old lady had been secretly trying to bring them together, but unfortunately Jia Baoyu was too disappointing.

Originally, Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu were childhood sweethearts, but unfortunately, after a series of self-destructive actions by Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu and he gradually drifted apart.

Master Zheng was just slow to react, not really stupid; he was completely unaware of the situation in the mansion.

He simply followed the conduct expected of a gentleman and entrusted all the internal affairs of the Rong family to others.

If it's just rumors and gossip, what else in the manor can be kept from him?

As his dissatisfaction with Jia Baoyu grew, he naturally valued Jia Huan, his capable illegitimate son, even more.

However, Master Zheng also knew that with the Old Madam and Madam Wang around, it was highly unlikely that Jia Huan could replace Jia Baoyu's position and status in the mansion. He also didn't want to put Jia Huan in a dangerous situation because of his own high regard for him.

Becoming the son-in-law of the Lin family would probably be the best choice for Jia Huan.

After all, we are relatives and know each other well, so there's no need to worry about getting along.

The current situation in the mansion is quite good, and there is no need for Jia Huan to add anything.

On the contrary, if Jia Huan could rise to prominence as a member of a collateral branch of the family, it would be of the greatest help to the Rong family.

This is the situation, both in public and private terms.

"let it go!"

The Second Master Zheng remained calm and said indifferently, "Let's not talk about such things anymore!"

He also knew that secrets couldn't be kept in the study, and that if word got out, it would upset the old lady and cause another big commotion. Why bother?

After leaving the Rong Mansion, Jia Huan did not rush to do anything.

His daily routine remained as regular as ever, without much change.

Privately, he would have his gang members gather intelligence about the Salt Gang through connections in the underworld.

It's not easy to investigate matters like salt administration from top to bottom.

The main problem is that the interests involved are too enormous, and the number of officials and local powerful figures implicated is too large.

Even for the current emperor, achieving anything is not an easy task.

With imperial power not extending to the countryside, it's easier and more convenient to investigate from the grassroots level using underworld methods, which also won't attract too much attention.

After all, the illicit salt trade was commonplace in the South, if not rampant.

The quality of official salt was indeed better, but the price was far from affordable for ordinary people. If it weren't for the supply of smuggled salt, there would probably have been a major upheaval long ago.

But once it gets involved in the smuggling of salt, the powerful underworld force, the Salt Gang, will inevitably be involved.

Jia Huan didn't have any intention of targeting the Salt Gang. He just wanted to be well-informed and had to have a few trump cards in his hand. Otherwise, how could he give certain people and forces a huge surprise?

In fact, just as Jia Huan had predicted, the turmoil in the imperial court was escalating.

In fact, many factions within the government, including those currently in power, want to suppress this turmoil by force.

After all, the court is currently functioning normally and no major disasters have occurred. The Ministry of Revenue has enough silver to barely make ends meet. Under such circumstances, why stir up trouble?

Can't we just be nice to each other and get along well?

Unfortunately, Prince Zhongshun wouldn't agree, nor would the members of the imperial clan who had vested interests in him.

They deliberately stirred up trouble in the court, which can be considered a voluntary act of sacrificing their own interests.

It should be noted that Prince Zhongshun and his close relatives in the imperial clan held a significant share in the salt administration.

But driven by the desire for greater profits and dissatisfaction with the present, they resorted to the disgusting act of sacrificing their own flesh.

If we cannot achieve our goal of attracting attention today, wouldn't the huge loss of millions of taels of silver every year be a complete waste?