The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

"Damn it, with such little strength, he dares to come out and shout nonsense? He's really courting death!"

The martial arts masters who made the move were all disdainful, mocking and ridiculing their opponent to his face, showing him no respect whatsoever.

"Don't be so smug, your sect won't let you get away with this!"

Those so-called martial arts figures who had been captured were still shouting loudly with faces full of indignation.

"We're waiting, and we hope your so-called superiors really dare to come!"

Jia Huan couldn't help but chuckle, and said leisurely, "We actually hope that the more people who come, the better!"

After dealing with the idiot who suddenly appeared, and declining the banquet invitation from the local government, Jia Cong led his men and escorted the processed spoils of war back to the capital in a hurry.

Cough cough, how could a bandit stronghold not have gold and silver treasures?

Most of them were handled properly through the nearby Xue family trading company.

All that's left is to cover things up and give the government and the court an explanation.

Of course, even so, it was enough to share the profits with his brothers and let them live a comfortable life for quite some time.

If the current emperor even takes away these spoils of war, who will be willing to risk their lives for him in the future?

The result was quite good; Jia Cong received commendation from the emperor and the imperial court.

As for the spoils of war, they were all distributed to all the soldiers under Jia Cong's command as part of the reward, and the imperial court also provided a sum of money as a reward.

Jia Cong's actions in Zhili this time can be described as swift and decisive.

Despite the significant losses, with over two hundred casualties, fewer than eight hundred were brought back.

However, the current leaders and officials in the court did not intend to criticize him, after all, Jia Cong had only been leading troops for a very short time, and it was already quite remarkable that he had achieved the current results.

Of course, the emperor and cabinet leaders were aware that Jia Huan had helped them.

This matter cannot be hidden, nor is there any need to hide it.

Jia Huan and the Ningrong Street branch have long been openly acknowledged.

If they don't make any moves at all, then they will suspect that Jia Cong is hiding too well.

However, the fact that Jia Huan and the experts from Ningrong Street, working together with Jia Cong's men, achieved such outstanding results was beyond the expectations of the emperor and other bigwigs.

They even considered whether to imitate this model and train a small, elite force specifically to target bandits and outlaws.

It should be understood that completely eliminating the bandits and outlaws within the Great Qian territory is extremely difficult.

Especially those guys who occupy strategically important locations, they can easily become too powerful.

The impact on local order is enormous, but cleaning it up is not easy!

If the problem isn't resolved promptly, it could easily lead to collusion with local powers, causing endless trouble.

Previously, neither the current emperor nor the court officials had much confidence or certainty about whether Jia Cong's troops could complete the mission or how long it would take.

In fact, the speed at which Jia Cong's troops purged the area was beyond the expectations of the current emperor and the court officials.

The reason it was only a monetary reward was because Jia Cong had risen too quickly before, and it was just a 'minor matter' like clearing out bandits and mountain thieves; otherwise, he would have been promoted one rank.

Even so, Jia Cong's gains were still considerable.

By this time, he had successfully established himself in the Beijing garrison through a thunderous and powerful anti-bandit operation.

This is not easy!

In particular, the Rong family's connections in the Beijing garrison had been almost completely exhausted by Prince Teng.

The support of the Marquis of Baoling was indeed helpful, but it still depended on Jia Cong's own abilities.

If the Ning and Rong mansions were to openly show their support, the situation might be much better.

Unfortunately, the Rong family made no move at all, and the Ning family couldn't make a statement on their own, lest outsiders see that there was already a rift between the two families.

Fortunately, Jia Cong and Jia Huan remained as reliable as ever.

Sure enough, the Rong family was shocked once again after receiving the news.

The old lady was somewhat numb, feeling that she didn't understand Jia Cong at all.

She was very knowledgeable and knew that Jia Cong's performance in suppressing the bandits this time was quite impressive.

After all, he only had a month to reorganize his troops.

If one lacks skill or ability, it would be difficult to even unite a thousand men, let alone sweep away the bandit strongholds in Zhili within a month.

It seems that as long as Jia Cong is given enough opportunities, it's only a matter of time before he rises to prominence in the army.

The old lady was well aware of just how important the military generals were in the imperial court.

As long as they don't become too powerful or cause any offense that arouses the current ruler's suspicion, they can at least establish another powerful military family.

This is no joke. Otherwise, why would the two Dukes of Ning and Rong have been able to establish the Ning and Rong mansions?

If Jia Cong were to be promoted to the position of Assistant Commander, his future prospects would be limitless.

The Rong family might need this young man's support and assistance in the future. Especially for Consort Yuan in the palace, if she had the support of a high-ranking general in the army, her status would be completely different.

Putting everything else aside, she now has to set aside an extra day or two each month to rest in Consort Yuan's palace.

If the opportunity is right, Consort Yuan is likely to become pregnant again. If she gives birth to a prince, the Rong family can enjoy its glory for another fifty years by taking advantage of Consort Yuan and the prince.

They could even be bolder. With the support of a high-ranking general in the army, the prince born to Consort Yuan would have a great chance to compete for the throne. If he succeeded, the future of the Rong family would be unimaginable.

This is the main reason why the eight founding dukes sent their eldest daughters to the palace to strive for success—the cost-effectiveness was simply too high.

As for the possibility of failure, why would I care?

Unable to contain herself any longer, the old lady summoned Master Zheng and Jia Lian to Rongqing Hall and went straight to the point: "Cong-ge'er has returned, why hasn't he gone back to the mansion to pay his respects to his elders?"

Master Zheng and Jia Lian exchanged a glance, feeling quite bewildered.

Jia Lian replied, "Grandma, Cong-ge'er went to visit Master as soon as he returned to the camp!"

The meaning is quite clear: Jia Cong acknowledges Master She as his elder.

"What about the manor?"

The old lady said with dissatisfaction, "Didn't he grow up in this mansion?"

Jia Lian said with a wry smile, "Grandma, nobody knows what Cong-ge'er is thinking!"

"Besides, he's currently very busy with military affairs, training troops at the camp every day. He really doesn't have much time to go into the city, which is probably why he hasn't returned home!"

"Hasn't the mission already been completed?"

The old woman sneered, "Don't think that an old woman like me doesn't know the ins and outs!"

Jia Lian said helplessly, "Cong-ge mentioned that clearing out the bandits in Zhili is just an appetizer!"

"We still have to continue clearing out bandits throughout the north. Time is tight and the task is heavy, so we simply don't have much free time. Please understand, madam!"

"What, do you think that because this old woman is too old and useless, she shouldn't bother with these things?"

The old woman glared angrily and said irritably, "This old woman isn't senile yet!"

Jia Lian repeatedly said he dared not, but what he was really thinking was hard to say.

"You guys are still too young!"

The old lady's expression softened, and she adopted a serious tone, admonishing, "While Cong-ge'er hasn't fully risen to power yet, when else should we not try to win him over?"

"Putting everything else aside, he needs to know that the Rong family is his strongest support, right?"

"Also, if Cong-ge performs well, won't you all benefit as well?"

"My wife's meaning is simple: it would be best to invite Cong-ge'er back to the manor more often, treat him well, and give him some of the manor's resources. We still have some say in the army!"

"Some things require proactive effort, rather than waiting for a windfall!"

The old lady's words left Master Zheng and Jia Lian speechless once again.

That's the truth, but coming from an old lady, it sounds so hypocritical.

Their relationship with Cong Ge'er can truly be described as that of familiar strangers.

I didn't pay enough attention before, which is why I can't get close to them now.

Becoming suddenly enthusiastic might actually have the opposite effect.

If you really want to win over Cong-ge'er's heart, it would be better to deepen your relationship with Huan-ge'er; that would be the right thing to do.

A simple investigation reveals that Congge'er's achievements today are not only due to his own efforts, but also greatly influenced by Huange'er's assistance.

If Cong-ge'er weren't an ingrate, he wouldn't have remained indifferent to Huan-ge'er's help.

As for the Rong family, as long as they get along well with Huan-ge'er, how could Cong-ge'er possibly escape? The old lady is being far too naive and doesn't seem to have much sincerity to begin with.

I'll try sending chapter red envelopes.

Chapter 285 Opportunity (please subscribe)

"I understand that the old lady has her own ideas!"

Jia Lian then came over and spoke to Jia Huan, who wasn't surprised at all.

Having grown accustomed to being high and mighty, how could one possibly be in a good mood when suddenly discovering that a grandson whom one used to disregard has become successful but no longer respects one's authority?