The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

My initial thought was simple: I wanted to pass the martial arts examination as soon as possible, and then go to the Rong family to reason with them.

He was confident in his abilities and believed that he would definitely pass the military examination and become a military scholar, or even a military graduate.

Once you have the status of a martial arts graduate, the Rong family will look at you with more respect.

By leveraging the prestige of the Marquis of Jinxiang's mansion, they have a high chance of success.

In fact, before Jia Huan came looking for him, he had already used his network of connections to secretly inquire about Jia Baoyu's situation, preparing for his later visit to negotiate.

Unexpectedly, Jia Huan arrived so quickly!

The implication was quite obvious, and it's no wonder he was overjoyed; it was hard to imagine that the Rong family would take the initiative to come to their door.

However, since it was Jia Huan, a man of considerable reputation, who had come to him first, Han Qi dared not act rashly.

Despite the fact that his half-brother Han Xuan seemed to look down on Jia Huan, the reality was quite the opposite.

Jia Huan was an absolute legend among the sons of noble families in the capital, even more legendary than his cousin Jia Cong.

At a young age, he established the Ningrong Street branch and became a powerful figure in the Beijing underworld in just a few years!

Which noble son wouldn't acknowledge such a formidable existence?

Anyone with a decent understanding of the situation would know that General Jia Cong, who has been enjoying immense success recently, wouldn't be in his current position without Jia Huan's unwavering support.

It can be said that Jia Huan could have secured a place in the capital without relying on the Rong family behind him.

This is amazing!

How could someone who has built a successful career in the capital be a simple person?

Not to mention, what Jia Huan established and expanded was an out-and-out Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world) force.

The various factions in the capital city are all powerful and influential, each backed by a high-ranking official in the imperial court. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to stand on their own. Do they really think that being located under the emperor's nose is just a joke?

Although Jia Huan used the Rong Mansion's name, he didn't actually benefit much from it.

The reason why Ningrong Street Gang was able to become the most powerful force in the capital was naturally related to the development strategy formulated by its leader, Jia Huan, who never focused on the inner city of the capital from the beginning.

Once the Ningrong Street gang has developed to a certain point, it will not be so easy for other Jianghu forces in the capital to suppress it or simply incorporate it.

In short, in Han Qi's eyes, who was still just a martial arts scholar, Jia Huan was definitely a big shot.

Even his father, the Marquis of Jinxiang, wouldn't dare to underestimate him!

This is no joke!

A martial arts force with the strength and scale of the Ningrong Street branch is not to be underestimated by anyone other than the top elites.

Because no one knows how many powerful figures Jia Huan, the head of the gang, has befriended, or how many influential people he has worked with, as the gang's power has expanded.

It can be said that Jia Huan is one of the big shots himself, and is not someone that Han Qi can talk to on equal footing.

That's why when Jia Huan took the initiative to visit, his first reaction was to feel relieved.

This shows that the Rong family is determined to take full responsibility!

"Now that you've figured it out, I'm too lazy to waste any more words!"

Jia Huan chuckled and said, "What I want to know is the true situation inside the Marquis of Jinxiang's residence!"

"There's no need to say anything else, just talk about your half-sister, you understand what I mean?"

"Don't even think about hiding it. The Rong family has also arranged for people to investigate. Unless the Marquis of Jinxiang's mansion is completely united, it won't be difficult to find out the truth. What do you think?"

Han Qi took a deep breath and nodded solemnly, "I know!"

Then, ignoring his half-brother's unpleasant expression, he briefly recounted the matter concerning his legitimate sister in the Marquis's mansion, giving Jia Huan a clear understanding.

The story is actually quite simple and melodramatic, much like the plot of a wealthy family's inner quarters in a traditional Chinese novel.

The Marquis of Jinxiang in modern times disliked his principal wife and instead favored his concubine!

Because of his love for his concubine, he naturally favored her children more and was less fond of his legitimate son and daughter, though he didn't go too far in doing so.

However, as time went on, the favored illegitimate children naturally developed inappropriate thoughts.

We can get a sense of this from Han Qi's previous experience; the situation of the legitimate daughter is also quite bad.

In short, the favored illegitimate daughter of the Marquis of Jinxiang had no desire for her legitimate sister to marry into a good family.

Sure enough, they pulled some tricks at a matchmaking event organized by the wives of powerful and wealthy people.

The plot is similar to that in traditional folk tales, a clichéd story of falling into the water.

As long as a trick works, it doesn't matter if it's cliché or not!

Jia Baoyu, the second son of the Rong family, was the 'good match' that the illegitimate daughter of the Marquis of Jinxiang found for her legitimate sister!

Han Qi was a little embarrassed when he said this!

However, in order to make it clear and show that his own sister was truly unaware of this, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue explaining. Fortunately, Jia Huan's expression remained blank, otherwise it would have been difficult to continue.

To put it bluntly, it was the concubine's daughter from the Marquis of Jinxiang's mansion who, after learning about certain things about Jia Baoyu through some channels, began to look down on him.

He thought Jia Baoyu was all show and no substance, a complete wastrel, and that he would never amount to anything. It could be said that he saw Jia Baoyu very clearly.

Even if Jia Baoyu's elder sister was Consort Yuan, it would still be the same. Jia Baoyu himself had no ambition at all, and no matter how much others helped him, it would still be the same.

In short, the concubine's daughter of the Marquis of Jinxiang felt that Jia Baoyu had no future and was at best a rich idler who would just loaf around and wait to die.

She schemed against her own elder sister, saying that if she married Jia Baoyu, she would never have a chance to rise in the world!

That's why they say, when a woman gets ruthless, she can be absolutely insane!

Even his mind was exceptionally sharp during this period!

Given Jia Baoyu's personality, she was certain that he wouldn't stand idly by once he discovered his elder sister had fallen into the water and was in distress. In that case, her plan would have been basically successful.

What happens next depends on whether Jia Baoyu is willing to take responsibility.

Regardless of the circumstances, that illegitimate daughter of the Marquis of Jinxiang's family has achieved her goal of ruining her elder sister's chance at a good marriage.

It can only be said that when this person used this scheme, he still had some reservations and held back. He did not have the ruthlessness and determination to kill his own elder sister. Otherwise, things would not have ended so simply.

If it were her own mother who took action, she certainly wouldn't have chosen Jia Baoyu as the target.

After all, Jia Baoyu came from a distinguished family; at the very least, he could live a life of wealth and leisure without any worries!

If her mother were to intervene, she would probably choose a playboy for her elder sister—a seemingly respectable but actually corrupt young master who is barely clinging to life.

Life from now on will not only be unsatisfactory, but may even be life-threatening!

Tsk!

After listening to Han Qi's explanation, Jia Huan simply nodded slightly without offering any opinions or thoughts.

He patted Han Qi on the shoulder, and under his expectant gaze, simply said, "Wait for news," before leading a group of his underlings away from the martial arts gym.

Like I said, he shouldn't get involved in this matter recklessly!

If you're helping to gather information, then just focus on gathering information honestly. Don't overthink things and create unnecessary trouble for yourself.

The drama at the Marquis of Jinxiang's residence was quite captivating; I'm sure Master Zheng Er would be interested in hearing it.

"What is Marquis Jinxiang trying to do?"

Sure enough, after hearing Jia Huan's account, Master Zheng was also dumbfounded and deeply shocked.

After a long pause, he muttered to himself, "This matter is really difficult to handle!"

Jia Huan guessed that the young lady from the Jinxiang Marquis's mansion, who was not a concubine, showed no disdain for Jia Baoyu, which deeply aggravated the sensitive nerves of the Second Master Zheng, hence his rather intense reaction.

Anyone who is the Second Master Zheng would not be in a good mood when outsiders treat their own eldest son as a good-for-nothing.

Not to mention, the one scheming against Jia Baoyu was just a concubine's daughter from the Marquis of Jinxiang's mansion!

According to Jia Huan's mindset, he would definitely find a way to retaliate, otherwise he would find it difficult to let his mind go free!

"Sir, I won't get involved in what happens next!"

Jia Huan then spoke up, saying, "Regardless of the circumstances, it's not appropriate for me to get involved in Brother Bao's life-long affair, and I don't want to invite trouble upon myself!"

"Let me make this clear beforehand: no matter what choice you make, sir, I will stand by your side!"

After saying that, without waiting for Master Zheng to say anything, he bowed and turned to leave.

What a joke! If he gets involved in something like this, wouldn't he be waiting to be dealt with by Madam Wang?

She is, after all, his legal mother. It would be easy for her to make things difficult for him if she wanted to. Why make trouble for himself?

After leaving the Rong Mansion, Jia Huan planned to spend half a month at a manor outside the city to avoid trouble.

Let's wait until Jia Baoyu's matter is over before returning, so as not to suffer collateral damage!

Knowing the old lady and Madam Wang as he did, how could they be satisfied without making a fuss?

But that’s it!

Since Master Zheng Er intends to make Jia Baoyu take responsibility, he will probably still marry Han Qi's younger sister in the end.

Judging from Han Qi's calm and rational mind, his younger sister probably can't be too bad!

As Jia Huan had predicted, things unfolded much as he had guessed.

After the Rong family's own spies found out the general situation of the Marquis of Jinxiang, the Rong family quickly invited an official matchmaker to propose marriage, which was considered to give the Marquis of Jinxiang's family enough face.

Marquis Jinxiang dared not cause any trouble; the Rong family was not one he could easily provoke at this time.