The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

"Cong-ge'er, are you really not planning to go back to the manor to pay your respects to the old lady?"

Despite feeling somewhat embarrassed, Jia Lian still asked, "The old lady is quite bothered by this!"

"Cong-ge'er has already asked the master!"

Jia Huan said with a smile, "It's the master who doesn't allow it. He said that we can see each other during the New Year, and we shouldn't bother the old lady unless necessary!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian was speechless. It was truly astonishing that Master She could do such a thing.

"Second Brother Lian, you shouldn't get involved in this kind of thing!"

Jia Huan reminded him, "So as not to put you in a difficult position."

The way you're saying that makes it sound like I'm not in a difficult position at all.

Waving his hand dismissively, Jia Lian said irritably, "Every time Cong-ge'er makes a splash, the old lady calls my second uncle and me over to nag him!"

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. We'll just have to make do with it!"

Jia Huan said helplessly, "This period of time is extremely crucial for Cong-ge'er!"

"To tell you the truth, Brother Lian, it's not impossible. Next, Brother Cong will probably start cleaning up the banditry in the entire northern region, especially the Central Plains bordering the south, and the area bordering Liaodong!"

"As long as Cong-ge'er performs as well as ever, it's not impossible for him to be promoted directly to the third-rank military officer!"

"At that time, it will be of great benefit to the manor, as well as to you and me!"

At this point, she asked curiously, "I don't understand why the old lady insists on seeing Cong-ge'er?"

"Does a single meeting really erase years of neglect and estrangement? That's a joke, isn't it?"

"How would I know?"

Jia Lian also looked puzzled and said with a wry smile, "Perhaps the old lady has such confidence. After all, her seniority is what it is, and Cong-ge'er has to give her some face!"

That's what they said, but the subtle nuances in their tone revealed their disapproval.

Putting aside others, even he, the eldest grandson, is unlikely to completely obey the old lady right now.

The reason is simple: the old lady could not affect his career, and it could be said that she had lost her greatest constraint on him.

In the past, Jia Lian could only rely on the Rong Mansion for survival. If he wanted to live comfortably, he had to flatter and fawn over the people in charge of the Rong Mansion, so he was naturally completely controlled by them.

At present, Jia Lian is already considered a senior and powerful official in the Ministry of Revenue.

Their future prospects, while not necessarily bright, are certainly in the hands of the current government and the imperial court.

The old lady's influence, at most, was to use filial piety to coerce Jia Lian into not easily breaking off relations, but that was about it.

Unable to grasp the root cause, Jia Lian's reverence for the old lady will gradually weaken over time until it finally disappears completely.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have made an excuse to come to Jia Huan to complain. Instead, he would have tried to invite Jia Huan back to the Rong Mansion and properly explain the main reason why Cong-ge'er didn't come.

"By the way, Brother Lian, have you ever considered being transferred to another post?"

Just then, Jia Huan suddenly changed the subject, remembering something: "Don't try to brush me off, I really do have connections here!"

"Speaker?"

Jia Lian was somewhat intrigued and asked curiously, "Tell me about it, let's think about it together!"

For him, being transferred to a post outside the capital was an extremely important matter that required careful consideration.

During the feudal imperial era, the capital city was the core of the court and the center of officialdom, the most dazzling place.

Only in the capital can one have the opportunity to get close to the power center of the entire Great Qian Dynasty. If one is lucky enough to be appreciated by a noble person, it is not uncommon for one to rise to the top.

Jia Lian's situation is a prime example.

If he were outside, he wouldn't even dream of becoming a powerful fifth-rank official at such a young age.

It was only in the capital that he had such an opportunity, and without attracting too much attention.

However, once you reach this point, it becomes quite difficult to go any further.

The Rong family's resources are limited, and it's unlikely that they will all be concentrated on him.

If you want to advance further in your official career, being transferred to a post outside the capital is a pretty good idea.

The saying goes that a Beijing official is three ranks higher than a provincial official. If things are handled properly, he could be demoted and directly become a third-rank official in a local area.

Of course, given his current age, it wouldn't be a bad thing for him to stay in the Ministry of Revenue for a few more years and accumulate more experience, which would be more helpful for his future career.

He looked at Jia Huan, wondering what the kid was thinking when he suddenly asked such a question.

"Second Brother Lian, I was traveling with Brother Cong before..."

Jia Huan didn't mince words and simply recounted how he had accompanied Jia Cong on his mission and handled matters privately, the most important being the secret letters they obtained from the destroyed mountain stronghold.

Jia Cong has already quietly handed these things over to the current emperor!

Given the current emperor's temperament, he certainly won't remain indifferent, and the officialdom in Zhili is likely to experience turmoil.

The Zhili region had many important prefectures, whose chief officials were all officials of the fourth rank with real power.

Given Jia Lian's current situation, as long as things are handled properly, it wouldn't be difficult for him to fill any vacancy, provided that he acts first.

Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be easy for Jia Lian to get such a good deal!

With Jia Huan providing the most timely intelligence, we can naturally be one step ahead!

Of course, it's not that he can't aspire to higher-ranking positions, but the competition might be too fierce, and given Jia Lian's background and resources, he might not be able to secure them.

"This is a serious matter; I need to think about it carefully!"

Jia Lian was tempted, but he didn't make a decision immediately; he needed to go back and discuss it with Wang Xifeng first.

"You'd better make a decision quickly!"

Jia Huan cautioned, "Something will happen soon; it's best to seize the opportunity!"

"Zhili is not far from the capital, and the Rong family's power can still barely cover the area, so they won't be completely isolated!"

"If Brother Lian can achieve something, he will easily catch the eye of the current officials!"

"This time there is an opportunity, and the cabinet leaders will probably be caught off guard. But next time, you might not have the chance!"

"One more thing, I think it would be best for Second Sister-in-law to leave the Rong Mansion for a while. This is necessary for her and for your little family!"

"I'd like to, but I'm afraid your second sister-in-law won't agree!"

Jia Lian said with some helplessness, "Your second sister-in-law is too power-hungry!"

Just thinking about Wang Xifeng's insane lust for power made Jia Lian's scalp tingle.

"Furthermore, there's so much money in the public treasury. If your second sister-in-law doesn't take care of it, it will disappear quickly. Don't even mention your second sister-in-law, I wouldn't agree to that either!"

"Second Brother Lian, haven't you ever thought about separating from the second wife?"

Jia Huan asked curiously, "Right now that the master isn't in the mansion, and you and your second sister-in-law are living in the East Courtyard, can't you live separately from the second branch of the family?"

"Why not take this opportunity to separate the public schools as well!"

The words were spoken lightly, but to Jia Lian they sounded like a thunderbolt.

"Huan, Huan-ge'er, you can't drive like that, you're joking!"

Jia Lian was so shocked that he could hardly speak: "Why is this happening all of a sudden, bringing up the division of the family property?"

"Doesn't Second Brother Lian want to?"

Glancing at the fellow, Jia Huan chuckled and said, "You've probably thought about this all along, haven't you?"

"What's the point of thinking about it? The old lady won't agree!"

Jia Lian said irritably, "You brat, all you ever come up with are these terrible ideas!"

Who wouldn't want to be truly in charge? If possible, Jia Lian really hoped to separate from his second uncle's family.

He didn't think he was much less capable than his second uncle in the imperial court!

The resources from the manor don't actually reach you much; it's more convenient to manage them yourself slowly.

Not to mention, he is a direct descendant of the Rong family, so outsiders will naturally regard him as the core of the Rong family, and there is no need for him to do anything deliberately.

The key is to get rid of the old lady's interference and constraints!

Regarding Jia Cong's matter, the old lady didn't want to personally attend to him, but instead always called him to Rongqing Hall to talk, as if she could control Jia Cong that way.

However, the old lady's methods of manipulating the younger generation with filial piety were too powerful. Jia Lian did not think he could resist, and in the end, he had to take the initiative to bow his head and submit.

"Why is it useless?"

Jia Huan sneered, "When the eldest master was still in the mansion, did Second Brother really think that the old lady could be completely controlled?"

"This one……"

Jia Lian naturally wanted to say that was the case, but upon carefully recalling Master She's past actions, he was surprised to find that it was not.

If Master She didn't want to deal with something, the old lady could do nothing about it, no matter how unhappy she was.

Anyway, once Master She closed the small gate connecting the East Courtyard to the main residence, anyone in the residence who wanted to get there would have to go through a long detour, which would be quite troublesome.

Of course, if the old lady were to get really angry, Master She would not dare to confront her directly.

Seeing his reaction, Jia Huan chuckled and said, "It's not like I'm asking Second Brother to openly and loudly announce the division of the family!"

"First, completely seal off the small gate in the Lian Tong Mansion. Then, under the pretext that Second Sister-in-law needs to recuperate, divide the public funds in two, with the eldest and second wives allocating the funds proportionally. After that, each family can live their own lives!"