The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

The person who was able to have a private conversation with Lin Ruhai in the study, and whose attitude was quite casual, was clearly not a simple person.

He was indeed no ordinary man; he was Lin Ruhai's most trusted advisor, or rather, his strategist.

He himself was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and belonged to the same cohort as Lin Ruhai.

Even more coincidentally, this person also hailed from Suzhou and was considered a 'fellow townsman' of Lin Ruhai.

Not only are they born in the same year, but they are also from the same hometown, so it's natural to feel a sense of closeness.

Although Ma Wencai could not compare to Lin Ruhai, who was ranked third in the imperial examination, he was still among the top students in the second-tier list, and his talent was not to be underestimated.

It's just a pity that this person was too upright; how could he possibly succeed in officialdom?

After wasting ten years in officialdom, he was still just a lowly sixth-rank official, directly marginalized, and couldn't even stay in the Hanlin Academy or the Imperial Academy.

In a fit of anger, he resigned from his post and returned to his hometown. At that time, Lin Ruhai was serving as the prefect in the south, so he invited him to join his staff and he became one of his most trusted assistants.

Although this person is too straightforward and doesn't handle relationships with outsiders very well, he is quite capable and skilled in handling government affairs and devising strategies.

With Lin Ruhai covering for him, he was able to at least make use of his talents.

Yes, this is one of Lin Ruhai's most trusted advisors!

That's why people say the Lin family, a noble family, has an amazing background.

Haven't you noticed? Master Zheng has already become the third-rank official, the Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs, yet he still hasn't found a qualified advisor to assist him.

Lin Ruhai had just taken office in the Central Plains when his trusted advisors, who had temporarily left, took the initiative to come to him.

Back when Lin Ruhai was serving as the Salt Commissioner in Yangzhou, not only Lin Ruhai but also Ma Wencai saw the immense danger lurking within him. Coupled with the current administration's relentless use of Lin Ruhai, he was already trapped in a deadly predicament.

As an advisor and friend, Ma Wencai repeatedly advised Lin Ruhai to simply leave.

Unfortunately, Lin Ruhai couldn't let go of his worries, but he didn't want to implicate his friends, so he sent all his trusted advisors, including Ma Wencai, away early.

Because of this incident, Ma Wencai harbored a great deal of resentment towards the current emperor!

Having worked under Lin Ruhai, I witnessed too much darkness in officialdom and long ago gave up the idea of ​​being loyal to the emperor and serving the country. I just wanted to do something for the people.

Of course, he was also quite dissatisfied with Lin Ruhai's pedantry.

Fortunately, Lin Ruhai was promoted at a crucial moment, which finally helped him escape the deadlock.

However, he remained sidelined in the capital, and it was not convenient to ask Ma Wencai and other advisors to come to the capital.

Besides, advisors like Ma Wencai are highly sought-after outside!

Once a vacancy became available, the other officials were quite eager to extend invitations. While Lin Ruhai recovered his health in the capital, Ma Wencai remained unemployed, refusing all invitations and staying at home idly.

Knowing that this fellow disliked the capital, mainly because there were too many unpleasant memories there and many enemies he hated on the spot, Lin Ruhai didn't want to invite him over.

After Lin Ruhai became the Provincial Governor of the Central Plains, Ma Wencai came directly over without Lin Ruhai even had a chance to write a letter to invite him. The old friends were naturally overjoyed to see each other again.

According to Ma Wencai, only Lin Ruhai could tolerate his straightforward temper. If it were someone else, they would eventually turn against him and become enemies. So why bother?

Having been cooped up at home for the past few years, I was bored out of my mind. Seeing Lin Ruhai become a powerful regional official, I naturally came to serve him again without feeling embarrassed at all.

Because of his straightforward nature, he couldn't even stay at a local academy, and he didn't hide this fact.

Lin Ruhai was naturally overjoyed. With the help of his friend Ma Wencai, his burden was much lighter.

At least in terms of handling government affairs, there is someone to consult and offer suggestions, and one can also establish their own information channels through Ma Wencai. This approach has been used before, and they are quite adept at it.

When his friend was in person, Lin Ruhai also told him in detail about his affairs in the capital.

Of course, we must focus on Jia Huan, and Ma Wencai couldn't help but marvel at what he heard.

Anyone who has spent some time in the capital knows that Jia Huan's achievements are quite remarkable.

The Ningrong Street branch alone is not to be underestimated!

Although they are a low-level underworld force, the fact that they could establish themselves in a place like the capital and grow to that size without receiving much strong support from the Ning and Rong mansions speaks volumes about Jia Huan's abilities.

Not to mention, Jia Huan is Lin Ruhai's prospective son-in-law, so Ma Wencai, as a friend, will naturally pay more attention to him, and they will likely have to deal with each other a lot in the future.

However, none of them, including Lin Ruhai, expected Jia Huan to rise to prominence so quickly!

Jia Cong's rise to power was already quite rapid, but Jia Huan was even more terrifying!

This is a sprint toward becoming the champion, and it seems they are about to achieve their goal.

At this time, Jia Huan wrote a secret letter, the bold contents of which shocked them.

To seize control of the southwestern border!

In Lin Ruhai and Ma Wencai's view, this matter is not difficult at all!

The key point is that the immense ambition revealed in it is what shocked them the most!

Once you embark on this path, it means you are directly opposed to the present and the royal family.

This is no joke!

Of course, Jia Huan's words in the letter, "I don't want my life and fate to be in the hands of others," had a great impact on Lin Ruhai, leaving him in a state of confusion and unable to sort out his thoughts.

These words were like a heavy slap in the face to his years of perseverance and past beliefs.

He believed he had done an excellent job in being loyal to the emperor and serving the country, but what did he get in return?

Family ruined, wives and children separated?

If it weren't for his prospective son-in-law Jia Huan's last-minute intervention, he probably would have died in office as the Salt Commissioner of Yangzhou, just like several of his successors.

"Brother Ruhai, since General Jia has such ambitions and is capable of achieving them, we can't hold him back. At worst, we'll just follow General Jia from now on."

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At the same time, quite a few people received secret letters from Jia Huan.

Qin Keqing of the Ning Mansion, the Second Master Zheng of the Rong Mansion, and the other six heads of the eight founding dukes.

They were all greatly surprised when they saw the contents of the letter.

Fortunately, Jia Huan did not directly propose the idea of ​​secession in his letter to them.

Instead, they were encouraged to unite and negotiate with the current government on how to take control of the southwest region!

In reality, it's about dividing up the interests of the Nan'an Prince's Mansion in its stronghold in the southwest!

At this point, it would be pure idiocy not to fight back.

The southwestern region has been carefully managed by the Prince of Nan'an's Mansion for a century, and it still has quite a few things to see.

In particular, the copper mines in Tiannan were extremely important resources for the Central Plains dynasties!

There's a saying that goes, "Where there's copper, there's money!"

In addition, if managed properly, the yields of grains and other vegetables and fruits in Tiannan are not low, because the environment and climate there are really too good.

With spring-like weather all year round, there's never a shortage of fruits and vegetables!

The area has abundant water resources and also boasts considerable fishery resources!

Of course, this was only the information Jia Huan knew; what others thought was none of his business.

In short, this is a rare opportunity, and he will not give it up easily.

At the same time, he also offered them benefits. He was confident those founding noble families wouldn't take the bait!

The more glorious the former Prince of Nan'an was, the more envious the other nobles and bigwigs were!

If they were given complete control of a territory and could openly possess a private army, no matter how harsh the environment in Tiannan was, it wouldn't dampen the enthusiasm of the founding noble families!

Indeed it is!

Upon receiving the letter, Qin Keqing from the Ning family immediately went to the Rong family to inquire about the matter.

Master Zheng was quite hesitant, unsure whether he should listen to Jia Huan.

Having no other choice, they could only turn to the most knowledgeable old lady.

"Brother Huan has quite the nerve!"

Upon reading the contents of the letters the two men brought, the old lady couldn't help but gasp.

"It's nothing!"

Qin Keqing dismissed it, saying, "It's just a matter of sharing the losses lost by the Prince of Nan'an's mansion!"

"With such an opportunity before him, it's no wonder Uncle Huan was tempted!"

"We've known each other for years, is it really necessary to be so ruthless?"

The old lady hesitated for a moment, then said tentatively, "Why don't I go and sound out the Dowager Princess's opinion first?"

"Grandma, we'd better not disturb the Dowager Princess of Nan'an!"

Qin Keqing frowned slightly, disagreeing, "No one knows the extent of the sacrifices made by the Dowager Princess of Nan'an to rescue the defeated and captured Prince of Nan'an!"

"If one of them controls the southwest region, wouldn't that be alerting the enemy?"

I was quite disappointed, feeling that the old lady was indeed getting old and had lost much of her vigor.

What a rare opportunity!

Did the old lady never envy the glory of the Dowager Princess of Nan'an in the past?