The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

When Lin Ruhai was the Salt Commissioner in Yangzhou, the major salt merchants there were suffering terribly. If future Salt Commissioners had to follow the same path as Lin Ruhai, it would be disastrous.

In short, the salt administration was in complete chaos at court.

The current emperor has one group of confidants, another group of opposing officials, a group of neutral officials, and quite a few opportunists.

Later, the emperor got annoyed and simply sent several imperial envoys south to conduct a detailed investigation of salt administration.

The goal was to understand the specific circumstances of the salt administration in Lianghuai and then make a decision based on those circumstances.

Of course, the tasks of the imperial envoy teams were not so simple; they naturally had other tasks and responsibilities.

But this move has made some court officials and local powerful figures uneasy.

As I said before, some things can be kept secret from superiors but not from subordinates; once exposed, it's no joke.

Once the massive profit chain involved in the illegal salt trade is discovered, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Then, those imperial envoys were in trouble.

They were either killed by bandits, or they were baptized by a fire dragon, or their boats capsized and they fell into the water.

In short, the ways in which people die are varied, perfectly illustrating the enormous risks of traveling far from home.

This incident startled not only the present day, but also the instigator, Prince Zhongshun.

He truly hadn't expected that the men below would be so audacious, completely disregarding the authority of the imperial court. If he didn't react swiftly, things could get really messy.

As for the petitions of apology sent from the local areas via the fastest possible courier service, no one would care.

In particular, it was even more disgusting that the letter of apology shifted most of the blame onto bandits and mountain thieves.

Damn it, do they really think the current emperor and all the officials in the court are idiots?

Well, some court officials actually believe that the apology memorials submitted by local officials are quite credible, which is the most unsettling part.

Well, since some court officials think this way, the court naturally cannot remain indifferent.

Therefore, Prince Zhongshun personally submitted a memorial to the court, requesting that the local garrison be dispatched to launch a swift and decisive crackdown on notorious bandit strongholds.

As the third-ranking military officer in the previous imperial examination, Jia Cong, a third-class imperial bodyguard, submitted a petition requesting to go to the local areas to participate in the suppression of bandits and thieves, so as to share the burden of the current emperor.

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Cong Ge'er's actions definitely brought good luck.

That's why the top spot and number one are the most attention-grabbing.

Cong-ge'er's words have definitely caught the eye of the current ruler, which is a sign of his strong support.

Thus, the emperor, overjoyed, bestowed upon Jia Cong an astonishing reward.

He was officially appointed as a fourth-rank military officer and concurrently held the rank of guerrilla general.

He led a battalion of troops on the move, going wherever there were bandits to wipe them out.

This move propelled Cong Ge'er to instant fame!

It should be noted that although the top three finishers in the military examination had a prestigious reputation and directly received official titles of the third and fourth ranks, they could also serve as first, second, and third-class guards in the imperial palace, which was incredibly prestigious.

In reality, if one wanted to gain real power, one needed to wait for an official position, just like a scholar who had passed the imperial examination.

To be able to obtain a substantive post as a fifth-rank garrison commander is already quite remarkable.

This was because he had powerful connections and also gained some favor from the emperor.

They were usually at the sixth rank of Qianzong (a military officer), and to be promoted, they needed real military merits or powerful connections to help them get promoted quickly.

It is quite rare for someone like Jia Cong to go directly from the virtual to the real.

The title of "Martial Arts Third Scholar" was originally granted the rank of Fourth-Rank Military Officer, but it was merely a nominal title.

It's just like enjoying certain levels of privilege in modern officialdom. The difference lies in salary and benefits, but in terms of real power, it's vastly different.

But now, Jia Zong is a genuine fourth-rank military officer, enjoying the treatment of a third-rank guerrilla general.

If one accumulates enough merits, it is easy to get promoted, so the advantage is quite obvious.

To put it bluntly, he's already halfway into the ranks of a high-ranking official of the third rank!

To put it simply, only military officers could rise through the ranks so rapidly; it would be impossible for civil officials. Even the so-called "three promotions in a day" still required following the proper rules and climbing the ranks step by step.

This is also one of the main reasons why civil officials resent military officials—they can be promoted too quickly once the opportunity arises.

Let's take Jia Cong as an example again. If he had entered officialdom as a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), even if he had gained the emperor's favor, he wouldn't have been able to become a top-level mid-level official at such a young age.

The news naturally sparked a wave of envy, jealousy, and resentment.

Especially the Rong family, when they received the news, all the core members were completely dumbfounded.

The old lady summoned Master Zheng and Jia Lian to Rongqing Hall and asked directly, "What's going on? How come Cong-ge'er has suddenly become so highly regarded by the Emperor?"

Lord Zheng said with a wry smile, "It must be related to the recent situation in the court!"

After briefly mentioning the recent turmoil in the court, he concluded by saying, "Cong-ge'er was the first to respond to the current emperor, so he will naturally receive special treatment!"

It's impossible not to feel envious, but Jia Cong is his nephew, and being able to be highly valued by the emperor at such a young age is naturally a good thing for the Rong family.

It also has a considerable boosting effect on the Second Master Zheng himself!

Not long ago, the former Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review was dismissed from his post by the current emperor for poor performance.

Seeing that the opportunity was right, the Second Master Zheng is now working hard to become the next Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review.

Originally, the opportunity was only so-so, but suddenly his nephew Jia Cong pulled such a move, which dealt a significant blow to the morale of his competitors, and the chances of the Second Master Zheng suddenly increased considerably.

He was naturally quite happy, so when the old lady asked, her tone was tinged with satisfaction, feeling that Cong-ge'er had performed very well and had a remarkable ability to seize opportunities.

As for Jia Lian, his feelings at this moment were quite complicated.

He never expected that Jia Cong's official rank and grade would surpass his so quickly.

Although, below the rank of senior generals, civil officials of the same rank completely outclassed military officers.

It is an indisputable fact that Cong-ge'er's rank surpasses that of his older brother.

At that moment, a sense of urgency suddenly arose in his heart.

If Jia Cong performs exceptionally well in the bandit suppression campaign, he will likely receive further promotions in the near future.

There's nothing we can do; military merit is the most unreasonable thing in the world.

Regardless of age or background, anyone with genuine military achievements may experience some suppression, but their promotion speed will be absolutely astonishing.

Just imagine how awkward it would be for Jia Lian, the elder brother, if Cong-ge'er were to become a proper third-rank guerrilla general next year.

Of course, there's always a touch of exhilaration when you feel awkward.

If Cong-ge can be promoted quickly, he, as the older brother, will definitely benefit as well.

Putting aside everything else, the pressure from his colleagues in the Ministry of Revenue will definitely be reduced considerably!

Indeed, Jia Lian's days in the Ministry of Revenue were not easy; he suffered no shortage of exclusion and suppression.

Who told him he wasn't a proper Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations)? In the Ministry of Revenue, a den of Jinshi, how could he not encounter some workplace troubles?

In other words, he was adept at handling various situations, had decent abilities, and had the Rong family as his backing, which allowed him to gain a firm foothold and avoid being subjected to overly harsh targeting.

Now, with his half-brother Cong'er rising rapidly in power, any colleague in the Ministry of Revenue who isn't out of their mind knows how to deal with him.

It can only be said that Jia Cong's sudden rise caught him completely off guard.

But that’s it!

After all, Jia Cong had already left the mansion and was considered a member of a collateral branch of the family, posing little threat to him, the eldest son of the Rong family's main branch.

Not to mention, even the eldest master of the family has moved out, and Jia Lian is the representative of the eldest branch.

As long as Jia Cong doesn't explicitly want to compete for the resources of the Rong Mansion's main branch, the better Jia Lian develops, the better it is for him.

He chose to remain silent in response to the old lady's question.

Jia Cong himself doesn't even know the situation, so how could he possibly answer the old lady's questions?

But upon careful consideration of the recent events in the court, he felt that there were some deliberate traces.

People like Prince Zhongshun and some officials in the court seemed to be paving the way for Jia Cong.

How can this be?

The relationship between Prince Zhongshun and the Rong family was, if not directly hostile, certainly one of mutual dislike.

I only heard that he was involved in some messy business with Jia Huan in the recent overseas trade dispute, which is why the relationship between the two families has eased a bit.

But he was, after all, a prince of the rank; how could he possibly offer Jia Cong a way out?

The conversation between the old lady and the second master of the Zheng family continued over here.

"Second brother, what's Cong-ge'er's current situation?"

The old lady asked directly, "Such a big matter, why didn't you go back home to tell us?"

Master Zheng said with a wry smile, "Grandma, Cong-ge'er has already left the manor!"

Another trip outside the residence!

The old lady was very displeased and said irritably, "Even if you leave the Rong family, aren't you still born into the Rong family?"