The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

In any case, the Wang family and the Shi family of Jinling are quite envious of the Jia family of Jinling's recent success, and they also want to share in the benefits!

Chapter 385 Who's Afraid of Whom? (Please Subscribe)

The fact that the Wang and Shi families of Jinling have taken the initiative to approach us is definitely a good thing.

They were all powerful local figures in Nanjing, and their influence was considerable.

Jia Cong was deeply influenced by Jia Huan and had a more profound understanding of this!

Faced with Jia Lian's confusion, he smiled and explained, "The Wang family and the Shi family are quite powerful, especially the Shi family with its huge population. Once they are all mobilized, think of how many things they can accomplish."

The Epang Palace, spanning eight hundred li, could not house even one Shi family member from Jinling!

This gives a glimpse into just how large the population of the Jinling Shi family was.

Furthermore, the Marquis of Baoling's residence in the capital was certainly not short of money, after all, the previous Marquis Shi was a high-ranking official, a position akin to a prime minister.

The fact that the Shi family had two marquises shows that even if their family was affected by the deposed crown prince, the impact would not have been significant.

But ironically, both of the historians in the capital pretended to be poor!

There was only one reason: they didn't want to be taken advantage of by their clansmen in Jinling, which ultimately drained their family's coffers.

Of course, these were just opinions that Jia Huan and Jia Cong casually mentioned during a private chat.

But Jia Cong felt that this was the main reason!

After he arrived in Jinling, he gained a more direct understanding of the Shi family's enormous population.

The number of family members recorded in the family genealogy alone exceeds one thousand!

What is this concept?

The number of members of the Jia family in the capital who are listed in the family genealogy does not exceed fifty!

Yes, it's still the so-called eight households together!

The Jia family in Jinling has a larger population, but the total number of family members from all twelve branches who are included in the family genealogy does not exceed one hundred and fifty!

The Wang family's situation was even worse than the Jia family's.

I wonder if the number of members of the Wang family in the capital exceeds twenty?

As for the members of the Jinling Wang family, their number did not exceed fifty!

The Xue family of Jinling has quite a few members, after all, they are all wealthy and can afford to support them.

The total number of clansmen did not exceed two hundred!

As such, the Shi family of Jinling had the worst standard of living among the four major families.

The small amount of clan land and sacrificial land they possessed was barely enough to feed all the clan members.

As for eating well and dressing well, that depends on the individual family's own abilities.

There's no need to rely too much on the historians in the capital.

The two Marquis Shi were not good at business; at most, they would help ambitious members of their clan who had achieved some success in martial arts to enter the army.

But that’s it!

Neither of the two Marquises Shi were particularly formidable military generals. To be honest, their status and influence in the army were not high, at least not as high as the sons of the Eight Founding Dukes in the army.

The third son, Marquis Zhongjing, was more capable, but he earned his title through daring and hard work in his youth, almost risking his life. As for his actual military command ability, Jia Huan didn't think much of him.

"If we want to procure more supplies, the more of our own people we need, the better!"

"Putting everything else aside, the Shi family is at least more trustworthy than outsiders!"

"If we make good use of it, won't we be the ones who reap huge benefits in the end?"

Jia Cong easily persuaded Jia Lian, who then organized the Wang and Shi family members who were willing to serve him.

Speaking of which, seeing the fawning faces of those Wang family members made Jia Lian feel involuntarily pleased.

It's a bit of a pity that Wang Xifeng didn't come along, otherwise she would have seen the true colors of her own family members.

Thinking back to all the nonsense Wang Xifeng uttered, I couldn't help but feel a surge of anger and want to hit her.

The Wang family is incredibly wealthy; a mere glimpse of their wealth between their fingers is enough to sustain the Rong family's food and drink.

Back then, he was poor and short-tempered, and was intimidated by Wang Xifeng.

It seems the Wang family isn't all that rich after all!

The East Sea lacks a jade bed, so the Dragon King seeks out the King of Jinling!

What a boastful tone! If the Wang family were truly so powerful, why would they need to come to us?

"Huan-ge'er said that the Wang family's ancestors controlled the Maritime Trade Office, so naturally they were rolling in money!"

"Unfortunately, how could the Wang family keep such a good thing in their hands forever?"

"By the time Wang Ziteng comes of age, the Wang family's financial situation will probably not be very optimistic!"

"The reason why Madam is so greedy is probably due to the influence she received while she was in the Wang family!"

Jia Cong recounted in detail some of the things Jia Huan had mentioned before to Jia Lian.

Of course, he still had something to say.

Jia Huan suspected that Lady Wang was greedy for a lot of money, and that most of it had been sent to the Wang family.

The reason for this speculation is mainly due to Madam Wang's behavior, which really makes people suspicious.

Having managed the family for twenty years, one would think he'd already made quite a bit of money!

You should know that when she took charge of the family, it was during the twenty years that the Rong family was rapidly declining!

There are so many benefits that can be secretly gained; it's an easy way to amass a fortune of millions.

But when Wang Xifeng took charge of the household, Madam Wang remained as greedy as ever.

This situation seems rather strange.

Logically, after the transfer of power, it would be time for Madam Wang to retire behind the scenes and cultivate her influence.

But Madam Wang showed no sign of stopping!

Whether it was the loss of the Lin family's fortune or the fact that they lent money at exorbitant interest rates before Wang Xifeng, both were unbelievable and felt rather strange.

Jia Huan felt that the reason why Madam Wang was as greedy as ever, besides her own personality, was probably also because her private savings were not as abundant as imagined.

Where did all the money she amassed go?

Considering Wang Ziteng's rapid rise in the military at the time, it's reasonable to make some bold guesses.

During peacetime, Wang Ziteng's rapid rise to power in the Beijing garrison must have required an astonishing amount of money.

Judging from Wang Ziteng's performance since being promoted to Inspector General of Nine Provinces, it is clear that his level of military command ability is quite average.

Moreover, the Wang family in the capital also suffered a sharp decline in influence at this time!

In Jia Huan's view, this was almost like a joke.

Are you kidding me? Wang Ziteng has been promoted! He's now the Inspector of Nine Provinces, a rank of second grade, which is half a grade higher than the Vice Minister of War.

However, after Wang Ziteng took this official position, it seemed as if he was being praised in name but criticized in reality.

Otherwise, why would the Wang family in the capital suddenly cease their activities, as if they had become a fallen family without Prince Teng in charge? Is such logic reasonable?

Whether in the original Dream of the Red Chamber or in the same time period when Jia Huan transmigrated and was reborn, the Rong family's situation was much worse than the Wang family's, but we didn't see the Rong family simply closing their doors and not going out.

The commotion continued as before, and the Rong family remained a renowned and powerful family in the capital.

In any case, Jia Huan felt that the Wang family and Wang Ziteng were quite unreliable!

Putting aside other matters, with the strong support of the four great families of Jinling, the procurement and collection of supplies, which Jia Lian and Jia Cong were pushing behind the scenes, proceeded quite smoothly.

That was true at first, but problems soon arose.

"What? All the supplies we've purchased are going up in price?"

Jia Lian's face turned extremely ugly, and he said in a deep voice, "What exactly happened?"

"Second Master, those farmers and weavers are all very well-behaved, selling their produce at about the same price as before, without much fluctuation!"

"But when it came to the local gentry and landlords, things went very wrong!"

"These guys not only raised the prices of the goods they controlled, but also forced the farmers and weavers under their control to sell their goods to them at low prices!"

"This is absolutely outrageous!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian flew into a rage and said unhappily, "Is this... trying to make trouble for us?"

"How could this happen so suddenly? Have you figured out the reason?"

Jia Cong, however, remained much calmer. After Jia Lian spoke, he asked, "They've been cooperating with us for several years. They can't suddenly start targeting us, can they?"

"Besides, these landlords and gentry who have cooperated with us should know our identities!"

He paused here, then said leisurely, "Knowing who we are, they still dare to use such methods. This means they have an even more powerful backer and don't take us seriously!"

"Yes, yes, the situation inside is probably not that simple!"

Jia Lian then realized what was happening and sneered, "It seems someone deliberately plotted this!"